Taking a Break

No, not from blogging, but from the sewing room. Ha! Seriously, I worked like crazy to finish my Twinkle Twinkle mini Saturday. Alas, I made it take longer than necessary because as I went to trim a random thread, I snipped into a border that I was getting ready to stitch on. Ugh! I had to cut another border piece. No, it doesn't end there! I miscut the second border piece ... too short of course. Double ugh! At least the third time was a charm. I gave it a quick press and laid it out on my design floor just seconds before dinner was ready.

I see it's not laying nice and flat ... I hope that a good pressing will take care of that because my blocks were trimmed and the sashing and borders were cut per instructions and went on easily. If not, let's hope it'll quilt out. Ha! Regardless, I'm pleased with how it turned out.

I still haven't decided what to work on next and frankly, once I had semi-tidied back up the sewing room, I just didn't feel like pulling out fabric bins (which is why Twinkle Twinkle fabric is still in the daybed and why the sewing room is only semi-tidied up). So out came my Martha Washington's Flower Garden. If you remember (and if you didn't, I wouldn't blame you because I can't even remember when I last worked on this!), I'm stitching on the connector hexies. Once I get this step done, it'll be time to join together the blocks to form the stars/tumbling blocks. Of course, I need to baste more hexies for the setting blocks ... I have a few leftover from when I began this project but not enough.

That's how much I got done before calling it a day yesterday. Since I have just two blocks to add connector hexies to (that includes the block I started yesterday - see above), I should be able to get them done today and can lay them out to finalize placement and then start piecing stars/tumbling blocks. Hopefully after a couple of days of hand stitching, I'll have decided what I'm going to work on next.

I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy ... have a happy Independence Day!

Kathy

Happy Holiday Weekend!

It looks like it's going to be a quiet weekend here at Chez Nana. DD and her family have plans with their friends, so DH and I will be on our own this weekend. And honestly? While I'll miss them, it will be nice to just take it easy this weekend as this last week was a fairly busy one.

 

I got the results of Monday's bloodwork, and all my counts are good. In fact, my WBC was a little high, but my nurse told me that wasn't unexpected since I'd had the Neulasta injector last week. The great news is that I am free to get out and about as desired ... no more extraordinary precautions. Yay! I will have bloodwork again on Tuesday, but after that, I'm done until later this month when I'll have my scan and meet with Dr. Powell.

 

More good news, health wise, is that the muscle pain in my legs is resolving ... I was even able to walk a third lap through the neighborhood last night! As recently as Wednesday, I struggled to make one lap. And the sluggishness that I was feeling seems to be resolving as well. Now if I could just get my sleep habits straightened out.

 

Tuesday and Thursday nights we watched our grands swim. Thursday's meet was especially exciting ... not only did their team continue their unbeaten streak, but they broke 7 team records. And forgive this grandma's bragging, but 3 of those records were broken by my Ts. T#3 broke a long-standing record in the 25-yd breast stroke.

 

T#1 broke his own record in the 50-yd butterfly.

 

And T#2 helps her relay team break a record in the 200-yd freestyle relay. It was too dark to get a good photo of that event, so here she is swimming the butterfly portion of her 100-yd IM.

 

And of course T#4 swam, too. She's got a long ways to go before she'll be even close to breaking any records, but hey, 6 months ago, she couldn't even swim, so we're not complaining. ;-)

Thanks for letting me brag on my grands.

 

I also spent a couple of days in the sewing room. I was able to get 3 of my Twinkle Twinkle blocks together ... I've trimmed one to 9"x9".

 

I've got the pieces for the 4th block cut and ready to sew. After I complete that block and trim the last 3, I'll cut out the sashing, cornerstones and borders. It looks like I should get this little mini finished before the weekend is over ... oops, I don't have anything in mind for my next project, let alone pulling fabrics. I still haven't had time to get to Homestead Hearth to get fabric for the cake stand quilt I want to do, and I don't think we'll get there next week either. So, I'll be making another project using my stash. Now, what block do I want to use? Decisions, decisions.

 

I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy ... have a great weekend!

Kathy

 

Checking Back In

I had been having such insignificant side effects from my chemo, that when Dr. Powell wanted to do all three weeks' worth of Taxol last Tuesday, I said "bring it on"! Little did I know that much Taxol at one time would have made such a huge difference. Some severe fatigue kicked in Thursday, but thankfully it passed by Sunday. My energy level is now back to where it was prior to last week's chemo ... nowhere close to what it was prior to my diagnosis, but high enough that for the most part, I'm able to do whatever I'd like. I'd been having some muscle pain in my calves for the last 4-6 weeks, but with the extra doses of Taxol, the pain has gotten pretty intense. I don't let it keep me from my everyday activities, but it certainly does keep me from getting out to walk. I may have to revert back to the more frequent, shorter walks I took right after my surgery ... especially now that we're experiencing more seasonable temperatures. My energy level should continue to increase and my muscle pain should resolve with time. I'm praying for sooner rather than later.

 

Once my energy level jumped back up, I was able to get back into the sewing room and finished all my Twinkle Twinkle sawtooth blocks. That coin next to the stars is a quarter to give you an idea of size ... the blocks will finish at 3" square.

They're now waiting for me to cut the red setting blocks and piece the top together. My plan for today is to get in there and cut the setting blocks and maybe even get started on the sewing together. Since the weather is going to be so delightful today and since there's another swim meet tonight, that may or may not happen. Ha!

 

As soon as my WBC and ANC rebound, DH and I will be making that trip to Homestead Hearth. Once I get the sawtooth blocks and setting squares together, it won't take very long before it'll be time for a new project.

 

I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy ... have a great day!

Kathy

 

Back to Normal

In more ways than one.

 

My youngest sister arrived Monday and went with me to my appointment with Dr. Powell Tuesday morning (more on that later). My younger sister (the middle one of the three of us) arrived late Tuesday, swinging past my dad's to bring him down here as well. It was a delightful visit ... we learned (from my youngest sister) how to cook salmon properly. Even DH enjoyed it, which is saying a lot as he was definitely not a fan of salmon (they really don't know how to cook salmon properly here in the Midwest). We also watched our Cardinals sweep the Cubs.

Kay, the middle sister, me (complete with my post-chemo steroid flush), and Lisa, the youngest sister.

 

They returned home last night ... perfect timing on this trip because those post-chemo steroids meant another sleepless night, so I'm too tired today to have been much of a hostess. Ha!

 

Now, as promised: I got a phone call from Dr. Powell's nurse Monday evening with the report that my ANC and WBC were low. He wanted me to go over to Siteman early for a draw Tuesday morning hoping that my counts would bounce back high enough for chemo Tuesday afternoon. But alas, my counts were still too low, and since they've been trending lower each week, it was quite likely that we'd be facing this for the remaining chemos as well. But he had a Plan B to give me the Neulasta on-body injector (to increase production of white blood cells) which would allow me to receive the entire last cycle of chemo that afternoon instead of over the normal 3-week period. Lisa had planned to head back to my house anyway because DH would be able to keep me company during what would have been a 3-hour session (now a 5-hour session because of the increased chemo), so once I started the pre-chemo meds, she headed back. I texted DD who was in class ... her immediate response was that she'd be right there. Granted she had at most only an hour of her 5-hour class session remaining, but she didn't care ... she wasn't going to miss me ringing the bell! I have to tell you, that brought tears to this mama's eyes!

 

I am to get my blood drawn next week like normal to see how my ANC and WBC are (hopefully back to normal or very close). I'll see Dr. Powell at the end of July, after I have my ct scan. Please be praying that the scan comes back clear. My cancer marker continues to decrease ... down to 8 now. There's no specific goal we're hoping for as the change in the marker is what Dr. Powell is looking for. If the marker decreases or stabilizes in the normal range, that means the chemo is working/has worked. If the marker starts to increase fairly significantly (such as doubling), then that may mean that the cancer is active. Notice I say "may mean" ... the marker is but one tool he will use to monitor me. He will also order periodic scans and keep an eye on any symptoms that may indicate cancer activity. Unfortunately the type of ovarian cancer that I have starts as microscopic seeds that may not be visible even on a scan ... so if scans come back clear and my cancer marker stabilizes and I don't have any symptoms, I'll be considered in remission - with no evidence of disease (NED) - hopefully for a good long time. I told DH that I'm hoping to have another man in my life - Ned (NED). Ha!

 

I spent Sunday afternoon in the sewing room, where I finished up all my flying geese. Needless to say, with my sisters here, I didn't spend any time in the sewing room until this morning. I cut the center squares for my sawtooth stars and sewed one flying goose unit to each square. I really wanted to get the stars assembled today, but I ran out of energy. Hopefully I'll be able to get a good, restful night's sleep tonight so I can have a more productive day in the sewing room tomorrow.

 

We picked our first tomato Monday morning ... off our beefsteak plant. There are 3-4 more about the same size,that haven't ripened up yet. Beefsteak tomatoes are supposed to produce nice big tomatoes ... I'm hoping we didn't get a mis-tagged plant. :-o

There will be no BLTs with this tomato! Ha!

 

I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy ... have a great day!

Kathy

 

 

 

 

 

Wrapping Up Another a Week

It's been another busy week here at Chez Nana.

Tuesday was Chemo Day ... treatment #21 is now in the books, with just 3 more to go. I'm looking forward to ringing the bell and being a bit of a stranger at the Infusion Center. We finished up at Siteman and made tracks to get to that evening's swim meet just before the first event began. Whew! It was an exciting meet, against the team's arch rival ... the Ts' team won, by a mere 22 points. Papa and I were a little hoarse the next morning. ;-)

I spent Wednesday morning in the sewing room. I haven't been able to get to Homestead Hearth (and probably won't be able to for another week), so I decided to start a small quilt in the meantime.

Source: http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/quilt-patterns/table-runners/twinkle-twinkle

This will definitely be a small quilt, finishing at 28" square. I culled my stash and came up with these fabrics

I'm showing two blacks (bottom row on the right), only one of which will make the cut (pun intended). I got four flying geese units pieced that morning.

Remember I said this was going to be a small quilt! ;-)

I spent Wednesday afternoon at DD's ... best way to spend a hot summer afternoon. And it was hot! My van registered 102 when the Ts and I got in the van to take T#1 to youth group. The rest of the Ts, Papa and I met Daddy at Red Robin for dinner, while Mama stayed home and studied for her Microbiology exam. A day spent doing the things I love and spent with the people I love ... it just doesn't get much better than that!

Thursday morning I took the Ts to swim practice. It was another scorcher, and I have to admit that I was sorely tempted to jump into the pool myself! ;-) It was a long day with an out-of-town swim meet that evening.

There was a very short turn-around as I tag teamed DD with the Ts swim practice. She took them to the pool and spent the first hour and a half there ... I spent the last 3 hours there and took them back home. I was so glad I got the second shift because I got to see T#3 teach himself to do a flip off the diving board after practice.

(Edited to add: it seems that this video is only viewable on a laptop; it doesn't appear to be viewable on mobile devices ... at least I'm not able to view it when I'm on my iPad.  Strange because the video was taken using my iPhone and downloaded it to my laptop from my iCloud ... I really expected it to be viewable from any device.  Obviously it must be a Blogger issue.  Grrrr)

The reason DD and I had to tag team practice was because she went to pick up T#2 from equestrian week at church camp. Doesn't this look like a girl who spent a week in her happy place?

I have to admit that I'm glad there's not a whole lot on the schedule for today. I think a relaxing day in the sewing room is just what I need after a busy week.

I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy ... have a great day!
Kathy

The Weekend Wrap-Up

 

It was a very busy weekend here at Chez Nana.

 

I had lunch with a dear friend on Friday. We had BBQ, and I had my usual brisket sandwich with sweet potato fries ... and they seemed to be even better than usual. Yum! And of course, the company was absolutely wonderful. And look at the sweet gift she gave me ... just because!

And boy, is it true!

 

Saturday morning we watched our Ts swim - an intrasquad meet. And once again, T#4 spent refused to participate in the warmups. Once again she claimed the water was too cold (although she swam during practices in Thursday and Friday mornings ... and because it got so warm Friday afternoon, I'm confident that the water was warmer than it had been on Thursday or Friday). Yet when the meet started, she swam like a champ. Obviously that girl's got some issues when it comes to warmups. :-o Thankfully there was plenty of shade and a nice breeze, so it wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as we were expecting given that the high for Saturday was pushing 98.

 

T#3 broke the team's record for 25-yard free for 7-8 y.o. boys, a record that has stood for 30+ years. It won't "count" because it was an intrasquad "meet", but I'm sure it'll fall before the summer is over. The question is who will be holding the record when the season ends because he and his buddy finish neck and neck in just about every event they swim. After the meet, we had lunch with DD, DSIL and the Ts to celebrate the "broken record".

 

I spent Sunday afternoon in the sewing room, and I got the top finished!

When I laid it out for the photo session, I noticed that I pieced the 4th row backwards (upside down?). That resulted in the same fabric in the same "column" (the second block from the left). I'm not happy about that, but I'm not unhappy enough to rip out the row, rotate it and restitch it. Ha! I'm so pleased with how it turned out ... the secondary design is what put this block on my "to-make" list.

 

We spent Sunday evening watch the Cardinals win and then the first two periods of the Stanley Cup finals.

 

T#1 arrived back home late Saturday night, and less than 24 hours later his sister was off to church camp ... equestrian camp. Horses, Jesus, crafts and good friends - you can see why she's got such a big smile on her face.

 

Today I will get my weekly blood draw, tidy up the sewing room, and check my stash to see if I can find something suitable for my cake stand quilt. I'm doubting it, since my stash enhancements are usually fat quarters ... but it won't hurt to look.

 

I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy ... have a great day!

Kathy

 

Welcome to Summer

Once again, Spring was short-lived.  It was only a little over 3 weeks ago that we had lows in the upper 30s.  Now our weekend forecast is for highs near 100.  

It’s been a fairly busy week here at Chez Nana.  Monday I finished up the last kaleidoscope block and starting piecing together the blocks into rows.  I also spent some time tidying up my sewing room, putting away the blue fabrics … and have started to think about what I might want to work on next.  I think I’ve narrowed it down to a cake stand quilt. 
I am thinking of setting the blocks on point with alternating blocks, like this:

(source: https://www.cindysantiquequilts.com/)

I’m partial to two-color quilts, so I am leaning toward white/offwhite and a yet-to-be-determined color.  I’d thought about choosing white for the alternating blocks, but I have to admit that after seeing the quilt above, I like the idea of using a variation of the color for the alternating blocks.  I may not have enough yardage to do that, not even for a smaller quilt, so there may be a road trip to Homestead Hearth in the not-so-distant future.

As you may remember, Tuesdays are chemo days … this week I had treatment #20 in total, with 4 more to go.  Thankfully my WBC and ANC were high enough for chemo - whew!  My treatment was early morning … I was the first patient in the infusion center.  It made for an early morning, but it left enough time in the day for DD and me to take T#2 shopping for cowgirl boots … she’ll be leaving on Sunday for horse camp.  On our way back home, I asked her if she’d be mucking out stables … I was feeling quite proud of myself that I used the proper term “muck out” until she corrected me that she’d be mucking out stalls, not stables.  Oops!  

I got all my rows pieced by Wednesday afternoon. 

I will spare you all a close-up as my points aren't perfect ... there are 6 layers of fabric where the points come together, so trying to get my points all perfect would simply be an exercise in futility ... I'm good with close.  I was about ready to start piecing the rows together when we unexpectedly lost electricity for about an hour.

Since it was a nice day, I chose to instead go out and take a walk about the yard, checking on my flowers.  My hydrangea is surprising me … the last two summers it’s produced a single bloom and barely survived.  This spring it’s already got 3-4 blooms and a dozen buds that are going to bloom before too much longer.  My balloon flowers are budding … unfortunately only 2 of the 5 plants I planted are still alive.  My spirea has started blooming, my butterfly bush has started to bloom as well, and my hostas are going to be blooming in just a few more days. 

T#1’s youth group leader has been posting pictures of their mission trip on Facebook, which I’ve “borrowed” to share.  The kids have been leading VBS this week … and were able to take in a Texas Rangers baseball game.  I can’t wait to hear all about it when he gets back.  

Thursday was a busy day. DD is taking her last nursing pre-requisite this summer, so I've been "drafted" to take the Ts to swim practice on Thursdays.  And yes, she really had to twist my arm.  ha!  It means an early morning get-up, but I was able to catch a quick power nap when I got home this afternoon, which revived me enough to get out for a nice, long walk after dinner.  

I'm planning to meet a dear friend for lunch ... and to spend the rest of my day in the sewing room.  I am ready to start piecing the rows together.  

I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy ... have a great day!
Kathy