Mother's Day

It's Mother's Day. I love being a mom. I have wonderful, beautiful, smart, and funny daughters. They bring me an incredible amount of joy. I cannot remember much about what my life was like before them. The girls made me gifts. Cara created a gargoyle out of clay. I love how its tongue sticks out. I can see it right at home among the other gargoyles aligned on the rooftop of Notre Dame Cathedral. Robyn sewed me a mini Skittles. I have often said I wished I could shrink her down and take her with me everywhere. Now I can! They were the perfect gifts. Thank you my babies!

Waffles for Me

I loved the Waffle Hat so much I thought I deserved one too. I really like this yarn and they way the pattern stripes it out. The yarn is Bernat Softee Chunky Ombres in Denim. Anyway, it will have to get a lot cooler before I can wear my new hat. Hopefully my hair will grow back quickly.

Training

Today I went in for chemo training. There were supposed to be a couple of other people in the "class", but I was the only one who made it. I was happy to have the nurse all to myself. I could ask all of the questions I wanted and no one else could hijack the class. The nurse was great about explaining about the procedure and all of the potential side effects. My cousin, Evelyne, told me that a friend told her that with cancer you get "cut up, poisoned, and fried". I will get to do the "cut up and poisoned" part. At this time no radiation is needed as there is nothing to radiate. The side effects are many and sound daunting. One of the drugs, Adriamycin, has the nick name "red devil". That should give you a hint how much fun that one will be. I will be given that one and another one, Cytoxan, every 3 weeks for 4 rounds. After that, I will have 4 rounds of Taxotere. All three drugs cause hair loss. I will be a baldy. My friend, Kathy, works at a local high school. She told me a story about how some of the goth kids are starting to transition to rockin' the bald look. I will be cutting edge! But just in case I don't want to go "topless", I now have this lovely prescription for a cranial prosthesis. I love how there are no refills on the prescription.

The Pathway Inside

Today I had the surgery to put in my port. I decided to go with the port because I already have issues which require me to get blood work on a regular basis. I wanted to be able to keep my veins available for that. It is a bit uncomfortable. I don't know how long this discomfort will last, but I am ready for all of the surgery and the aches and pains associated with it to be over.

So Very Sad

Poor Skittles is ruled by her tummy. She is a true member of this family. She sits and waits patiently while anyone eats. Maybe someone will take pity on her and throw her a crumb. Occasionally, the aroma and the sight of the food is just a little too much and she starts to drool. It is not very lady-like, but she can't help herself. It is just all too good.

Genes

I didn't give genes or DNA much thought before I had children. I don't know if many prospective parents do. Once the baby is born, we are quick to notice her (I use "her" since mine are "hers") eyes are like yours or her toes are like her dad's. The outwardly physical things (and later personality traits) are easy to see. As the child gets older, other things come into play. Will the child inherit your poor eyesight or your teenage acne issues? Will she excel in math or be talented in art? With the cancer, I worry about the possibly I could have passed a gene on to my girls that would raise their chances of getting breast cancer. Guilt is something all parents deal with. Many times it can be warranted, but other times it is not. You blame yourself for things that are logically out of your control or or decisions made before additional factors were made known. It really tore me up to think I could cause this for my girls. I know that most women who are diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the disease. And, I know that I didn't know I would get cancer when I decided to have children. That is beside the point. You want your child to have a perfect world, a perfect life regardless of how impossible that is. It hurt to think I could have messed that up for them. I decided to have the blood test for the BRCA 1 and 2 gene. If I had the gene, then they needed to know they too could have it and their risk increased. I am happy to say test came back negative. They are at a higher risk for getting the disease, since I have it and my mom and aunt had it. They will be screened more closely, as I had been. There could still be a gene we have that does increase the risk for cancer. At this time, there is no test for other breast cancer genes. I can live with that.

A Perfect 10

These last couple of pictures (the ones from the hospital) were taken with my phone. I didn't have my camera at the hospital, so the picture quality is not the best.

This is a picture of a dime. It is not just any dime. It is a "Papa dime". Right after Dad died, we started finding dimes around where we were. It is always a single dime. I keep all of the Papa dimes I find and Robyn and Cara bring me the dimes they find as well. Sometimes months will go by and I will not find a dime. Other times I will find several in the same week. This was one of those weeks. I found 2 just before my surgery (one of which was lying next to the fur babies water bowl), Phillip had one fall out of a set of client files that had been banded together (he doesn't keep any money in these files, ever), and the girls found this one on their way to come spring me out of the joint (hospital). I know this is my Dad's way of letting know he is watching out for us. It gives me great comfort to know he is always with me. I really need him now.

A View From The Bed

Ok, I am ready to leave, but they are not ready to let me. It is boring in the hospital, although I do take a lot of cat naps. When I look to the left I see this lovely picture on the side of my bed. I try to have fun making my bed change positions, but it is just not as fun as it would be if I didn't have to be in the bed. Can you tell I am getting squirrely?

Surgery

Well...the surgery was a go and I had it yesterday. Benedict and Arnold are history. Good riddance. I am not a fan of being in the hospital. The bed is uncomfortable, you are hooked up to all sorts of junk and people come in and out all of the time to poke and prod you. They have these nifty boot thingies on my legs to keep me from getting blood clots. They said they would feel like getting a massage. Ummm...no. It doesn't, but it is better than a clot. Those are not fun and I have had enough of those to last a lifetime. I miss my "bed" and my sleeping buddy, Pretty.

PET Scan

This is where I had my PET scan. It was not the most comfortable experience. They inject a glucose solution with a radioactive isotope into you vein an then you sit for an hour for the solution to circulate around your body. The cancer cells love sugar and scoop up the glucose. Then you lie on a table with your arms over your head. They slide you into the donut looking machine and you lie complete still for 25 or so minutes. Of course when you can move, your nose starts to itch, your back hurts, your arms cramp, etc. Needless to say, I was quite happy when that was over. If nothing suspicious shows up on the scan, my surgery is on for tomorrow.

Cards for Cancer...the drop off

This is our contribution for the Cards for Cancer event. I dropped them off at the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Covington. Amy and I made a bunch of cards and several other members of Handmade Louisiana sent in cards as well. Two members sent items to be given to cancer patients and their families (an additional member is sending something too). I donated 9 hats I knitted too. I am happy to knit hats for others. It brings me joy.

Prom

Tonight was Prom. Robyn looked beautiful and Michael was handsome. I am glad she decided she wanted to go. So many things this year have been bittersweet for her. This will be a happy memory of a wonderful night. Have fun my baby.

Snow Happens When You Least Expect It

We do not get much snow here in southeast Louisiana, but our household has occasional snow "events", as the weather people refer to them. The snow is not like the traditional snow and usually involves an empty stuffed animal skin or two. The ones who cause the snow have usually left the scene before the snow is discovered. Fortunately, this snow does not melt and leave a mess.

Making Me Laugh

Today I was playing around with my phone and I realized I never took any pictures to correspond to the people on my call list. Since Cara does not have a phone yet, I decided her picture would be the one that came up when "home" called. I was thinking (erroneously) that she would give me one of her cute smiles. Why would I assume that? She said she had the perfect pose and gave me this. Cara is the funniest person I know. She makes me laugh and is a lot of fun. I love when "home" comes up on my cell. I love that face!

Life's Little Pleasures

Sometimes you are innocently going about your day and you happen across something that brings you joy. It doesn't have to be a big thing or something meaningful. It just brings a smile. As I was drive down Hwy. 59, I noticed this car 2 cars ahead of me. It was fabulous! I wanted so badly for the car between us to turn off, but it did not. This was the best picture I could get. How cool would it be to be seen in that bad boy? Plaid is the new black, you know.

Squidward

I love to see what artists create. You give them the materials and they find what those materials tell them to make. Robyn was give the task of creating a teapot in her Talented Art class. The clay said "Make me into a squid." So she did. We are now the proud owners of an amazing squid teapot. Try not to be too jealous :)

Robyn's Egg Hat

This is the second hat I knit for the ladies. The pattern is called Robin's Egg Hat, but mine is renamed for my Robyn. It, too, is a cute hat. I hope it fits ok since I could not knit it a little "long" to allow for extra length which could be turned up if necessary. I love how the seed stitch gives the brim that something extra. Doesn't Linda look great?

Do You Like Waffles?

A couple of days ago, I agreed to make hats for two ladies undergoing cancer treatment in Hawaii. This is the first hat. I love the stitch pattern. It is called waffle stitch. It is stretchy and looks good on the wrong side too. If I loose my hair due to treatment, I will knit one of these.

Really?

Really. I have breast cancer. Wow, that was hard to write. I found out today. I had found something while taking a shower. The mammogram and ultrasound indicated I needed a core biopsy. The doctor called with the results. Infiltrating mammary carcinoma with medullary features. Great. I see the oncologist on Wednesday. I have a history of breast cancer in my family. I guess I need to start doing some research on options. I have put my two Etsy shops on vacation until I see how this shakes out. Keep me and my family in your prayers, ok?

Bunnies for Kitties

Easter is coming and I thought the adoptable kitties at Robyn's work could use some Easter treats. I saw a cute pattern for knitted bunnies on Ravelry and decided to give that a try and felt them. I wish I had taken a picture after the felting because they turned out perfect. Pretty was not happy with me. I didn't make any for either her or Whiskers. Whiskers seems to be pretty ok with it, but Pretty was not. When I was putting the stuffing and catnip in the bunnies, I left briefly. Yes, I know now that was not a smart thing, but I confess I did not think it through. When I returned, catnip was everywhere. Stuffing and bunnies were scattered all over. One of the bunnies was missing. I did a search around the immediate area and the missing bunny was no where to be seen. I decided to finish the bunnies before looking for the last one. Pretty jumped up and tried to steal another one. When I refused to let her, she let me know her opinion by giving me four perfect tooth marks in my arm. They correspond perfectly to her fangs, upper and lower. I won out though. The missing bunny was found by Skittles. She walking around the house showing it to everyone.

What's Your Bag?

In my never ending quest to broaden my knitting repertoire, I decided to make one of those cool market bags. I really got the hang of picking up stitches and used up the yarn I had used for Robyn's Prayer Shawl and mittens. It works perfectly and will come in handy for heading over to the Farmers' Market or other similar shopping trip. Aren't you proud of me?

Card Making Time

Cara's Girl Scout Troop made cards at their meeting for Cards for Cancer and Thank You notes for those involved in the cookie sale. The girls were very creative and did a wonderful job of making cards to spread their love to others. I enjoyed listening to their conversations. They are so funny at this age, especially when they are not trying to be.

Yellow Death

It's here. The pollen. I. HATE. POLLEN. I have been taking Zyrtec like crazy, but it doesn't seem to help. Robyn and Phillip who normally don't have problems are not happy either. I am glad Cara seems to have dodged the pollen bullet. Everything is covered with a haze of yellow. I yearn for rain to wash it out of the trees, off of my world and clean the air. It rained yesterday and this is what is left of a puddle. The yellow yuck on the sides is the pollen that was washed out by the rain. You can see a bit of it floating on the water. My understanding is that it is not the pine pollen that is causing my woes. I read that pine pollen is really too large to cause significant inhalation problems. The true problem is that when the pines bloom, so do the oaks, maples, cypress, and grasses that make my life difficult. Years ago I was tested for allergies. The report on my "scratch test" was that I was allergic to everything I was tested for...cats, dogs, trees, grasses, foods. The only thing I did not test positive for was...chocolate. Honestly. Thank you, Lord.

Cards for Cancer

Spirit Jump is a wonderful organization and I have enjoyed being a Spirit Jumper. They are sponsoring an event called Cards for Cancer on April 10th. On that date or close to it, teams of volunteers will bring cards to cancer centers in their areas for the centers to give out to their patients. It is a way to uplift their spirits and let them know they are being thought of. I immediately signed up as the Captain for the Handmade Louisiana Team in honor of Jonathan. We will be donating cards to the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. Amy (my HML and all around buddy) and I got together and made some cards to donate. It was fun to create the cards and I hope other members of the HML teams also get involved.

Alice Doesn't Live Here

Several years ago, the girls and I watched some reruns of the Brady Bunch. One thing that really made an impression on me now versus back "then" (when the show was on originally), was the presence of Alice. I would love to have an Alice now. It would be so wonderful to have someone to keep things straight, to clean the kitchen and bathrooms, to put away all of the girls' stuff, and to talk to sometimes. Alice had some great points of view. Today, as Phillip was going to turn on the TV, he noticed this written in the dust under the TV. The word clearly points to one particular family member. I find it funny. If you see Alice, can you let her know I need some help with dusting?

Shroom

Cara wanted some mom knitting. I asked her what she wanted and she showed me a picture of a Mario Mushroom. I don't know if it has a name, since I am not a Nintendo aficionado like my children are. I looked at it and gave it a try. I found a pattern but ended up doing some of it and some of my own thing. She loves it and I am glad I was able to make her happy.

The Pines

I hate these things with a passion. They are pine tree blooms. They signal the start of misery for me. The itchy nose, watery eyes, sneezing my head off. Oh the joy. Better get out the Zyrtec and the Kleenex.

Spring is Here

The Bradford Pears have bloomed to signal that spring is coming fast. I love when they bloom. They are such pretty trees and have a wonderful shape. We have so many around here since they are great landscape trees. The neighborhood is in bloom where ever you look.

Branching Out

Looky Looky! It's not a hat! While looking at all of the cool items knitted during the Ravelympics, I noticed a lot of cool mitten patterns. I have not worn mittens in forever, but I felt the pull to try to make some. I pulled out the yarn I had left over from Robyn's Prayer Shawl and started to work. I knew she would love them even if they turned out a bit wonky. They turned out pretty good I must say and it was not hard at all. I am pretty proud of myself. I must be growing up.

You Spin Me Round Again

Robyn saw the spiral scarf I had made during the Ravelympics and wanted one too. It was such a fun knit. I was happy to do it again. This one was longer as I cast on 120 stitches instead of the 90 as the pattern stated. I like this length better and she does too.

Riblet

I am starting to get a little tired of my rolled brim hats. I know...quelle surprise! The wonderful thing about Ravelry is that you have so many great patterns to look at and give a go. And free, no doubt. This one was a great pattern. It is nice and stretchy and best of all, reversible. Robyn brought home a mannequin head from art class and now "Linda" can model my hats. Linda creeps Phillip out a bit and she does have a most dreadful haircut. Maybe the girls can give her a makeover.

A Beginning

This morning I looked at the sky as I let the dogs out for their morning business. The sky was gorgeous. In the back (toward the west), it was a series of blues, pinks, and purples. In the front (toward the east), it was all yellows and oranges. Just beautiful. I was thrilled to catch it at just the right time. Five minutes later it was gone and another day begun.

LSU Baseball

If I had to choose one sport to watch, it would be baseball. I love it. It is such a team sport. The players have to rely on each other to win the game. Sure there are outstanding players, but baseball doesn't seem (at least to me) to be skewed toward certain players as other sports can be. When you add my love of baseball to my love for LSU, you get a perfect day. A day that is hard to beat. I was excited when Phillip suggested the game. I had not seen a live LSU game. Lots on TV, but never one in person. I never made it to the old Alex Box Stadium even though I was there for 6 1/2 years. Pitiful, but I must confess my love for baseball has grown over the years. Anyway, we went to the game with Phillip's friend, Danny. It was cold. We were sitting in the bleachers in the shade. The wind was blowing right at us and we (Phillip and I) were big whiny babies about it. The concession stands were out of hot chocolate and coffee and our hands were frozen. LSU is unbeaten so far this season, but they were getting cremated by William and Mary in the middle of the 6th 8-0. They could not get any rally started at all. By that time I had had enough. I am a die hard fan and will stay to the end of a rout, unless I am miserable. I was there. We left and headed home. We tried to get the game on the radio but could not find a station with it on. When we got home, we checked the score. We missed a doozy. LSU rallied back in the bottom of the 6th to tie it 8-8 and went on to win the game 10-9. I would have loved to have seen that magic. Note to self...next time check the weather and come prepared.

Princess Buttercup

I had fun thinking of a pattern for the cowl, so I decided to try one for a hat. A baby hat would be fun. Most people probably come up with a pattern and then decide on a name. In my case, I had the name and had to come up with a pattern. Why does this not surprise me? Anyway, I wanted to name it after a character from my favorite movie, The Princess Bride. I had to knit the hat in yellow, otherwise the name would not make as much sense. This necessitated a run to buy yarn. Don't you hate when that happens? It happens a lot around here. I was working on something for Robyn a while back. It was knit in the round. When you knit in the round, you cast on your stitches and then connect them to make the knitting continuous. You have to be careful not to twist the stitches, otherwise you will always have a twist in the final project kinda like a mobius. In this case, I wanted the twist. So after knitting 5 rows, I made several twists in the rows creating what I hoped looked a little like the edges of a petal. It think it turned out ok. I wrote down my stitches as I knit the hat, making a few changes as I went. The first hat turned out too big for a baby. It was more teen sized, but too short for a teen. I got the length right but not the circumference. I reworked the numbers and started another one. This one turned out just right and the Princess Buttercup hat was complete. This project earned me four medals- Charity Curling, Designer Original Dance, Hat Halfpipe, and Junior Olympics. That was fun.

Ravthlete Equipment

As a dedicated Ravthlete, good equipment is essential for active participation in events. This set of needles is my pride and joy. My Knit Picks Nickel Options interchangeable needles. To say I love these needles is not passionate enough. Mom gave me money for my birthday and I bought them. It was my favorite gift. I have Robyn to thank for pushing me into getting them. She would see me looking at them online and then close the window. One day she looked at me and said, "You know you want them. You should get them." So I did. It was the right choice.

Did I mention I love these needles?

Smoochy

One of the events you can enter is called the Designer Original Dance. It is where you create an original pattern and knit it up. It doesn't have to be published anywhere, just something that you came up with. I wanted something soft to make out of this yummy Malbrigo yarn. It is so soft and squishy. A cowl would work well. The pattern is not hard to remember. It is pretty the same pattern for every row until it is the length you want it. I just knit until I ran out of yarn. Luckily, it was the perfect length for what I wanted. So I earned three medals for this project- Designer Original Dance, Scarf Super-G, and Single Skein Speed Skate.

Remember When I Said I Was Not Going to Do That?

As if my duties as a Ravelympian were not enough, I refused to keep my mouth shut and volunteered to be Cara's troop's Cookie Mom. After the fiasco of a couple of years ago, I vowed not to get involved in cookies again at the volunteer level. Famous last words. No one else was looking like stepping up to do it, so I said I would. I hate when I do that. Oh well, I guess I will have to deal with it and stop whining.

Spiral Scarf

All hail...here comes the my second entry in the Ravelympics for the event called Scarf Super-G. The pattern is called the Spiral Scarf. It was fun to knit. You cast on 90 stitches and the whole pattern consists of 7 rows. That is it. Three of those rows involve the knitting in the front and back of each stitch so the number of total stitches increases dramatically. The scarf is kinda boring until you begin the cast off. Then the fun starts. As you cast off, the scarf starts to spiral around the cast on row. In the end, it is one long spiral that you can stack on itself. How cool is that?

I also earned a medal for Charity Curling since this scarf was made to donate.

Who Dat Hat

Behold. This is my first entry in the Ravelympics event, Hat Halfpipe. Phillip liked the black and gold hat I made him earlier, but it seemed to fit a bit wonky at the top. I was thinking that might happen when I finished it. So I found another pattern and gave it a try. I love how this hat works up. I like how it looks from the top. It is very stretchy and very easy to knit. I will definitely make more of these down the road.

P.S. This is his Valentine's gift.

2010 Ravelympics

I am so lame. I can get excited about the least little thing. What is exciting to me now is the opportunity to participate in the 2010 Ravelympics. Ravelympics, you say? Well, little Susie and Jimmy, the Ravelympics is where knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers, and other assorted fiber people choose projects to complete during the time of the Olympics. This year it will during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC. I have always been a huge fan of the Olympics. I park myself in front of the TV and soak up all of the fun to be had watching these amazing athletes complete. Phillip and I took what I call my "dream trip" to Salt Lake City in 2002 to see the Winter Olympics there. I had the best time and wonderful memories...oh yeah back to the Ravelympics...Anyway, the wonderful people on Ravelry are putting together listings, and assorted forums and stuff for us to participate in our "sport" so to speak. There is a listing of events that are similar to those in the Winter Olympics. Competition is not against each other but in the form of meeting the goal of completing the project entered in an event. Medals (in the form of a photo badge you can use on your project page) will be awarded. There are teams you can join and some teams offer prizes as well.

I look forward to participating in my first Ravelympics. Olympics + knitting = happiness.

Snow in February! For Real...

This winter has been crazy. Years will go by without even the mention of snow. This year we have had several days/nights when snow was possible and have had 2 actual snow sightings! I know it is not that big of a deal to some, but the are kids round here who have never seen snow. How sad is that?

Knut Hats

A couple of weeks ago, a friend Amy and I, went to a "craft exchange". You were to bring any craft supplies you didn't want and you could exchange them for things you did want. I had a ton of cardstock and some patterned scissors, so I brought them. You know what I traded for...yarn. I found a bag of 15 little balls of white yarn and a ball or two of mystery yarn. It was all mystery yarn really. Most probably acrylic, but perfect for my needs. I decided to use the white yarn to make a bunch of baby hats. I made 10 Knut Hats. They were fun to knit. I still have a little bit of the yarn left. I will think of another use for the rest.

Dat Tuesday

Yesterday was called Dat Tuesday by many. The parade was a kick to watch. We didn't brave the crowds to watch in person, but watched instead from the comfort of the recliner and sofa. Many of the carnival krewes donated a float for the parade and the Saints players looked to be having a great time throwing beads and stuff from the float. The reporters said that a mad scramble was made to find enough black and gold beads for the players to throw. Sean Peyton held the Lombardi Trophy high above so all could see when he passed. That trophy sure has gotten around. Is it always like that?

The Boys Are Back

You see on TV celebrations for other champions. Ticker tape parades, marching bands, fans lining the streets. Today is New Orleans' turn to celebrate. Schools let out 2 hours early today, so families could go across the lake to attend the parade if they chose. Phillip had court today and hopes to be out of the area before the madness begins. The joy from the Super Bowl will last for a good while. This is just what we need.

Pigs Do Fly

Last night, a miracle happened (well it is considered a miracle around here...). The Saints won the Super Bowl. You heard that correctly. The NEW ORLEANS Saints. The team who several years ago had fans wearing paper bags over their heads and cheering for the 'Aints. The same one. Really. I have enjoyed watching the whole area rejoice with their team spirit. It is a very rare Saints fan who gave up on their team. Even when their record was abysmal (and that was many a time), Saints fans just sat back and waited for the next year with real expectations that it would be different next year. Well this was the year. I don't know who was able to get the planets into alignment, but Saints fans are grateful. The next couple of weeks should be interesting.