A sigh of relief

Hello all my dear friends and family.  Last Thursday and Friday were big days for me at the cancer center but I made it through.  I had a cardial ultrasound, a port placement, a bone scan and a cat scan all in two days.  At the end of the day on Friday we met with the doctor and I was given good results from all the tests.  And, the cancer is confined to the mass in the breast and two nodes only.  Yea!  

Chemotherapy starts Thursday.  Ugh...the dreaded chemo.  

I'm not sure I'm ready for this.  Chemo will be scheduled every 2 weeks for 16 weeks.  All of the side effects are weighing heavy on my mind right now, so I'm trying really hard to focus on other things, good things. 

After the chemo is finished, then will come surgery, and after surgery  I will have 6 weeks of radiation.  

A bit overwhelming.  It's like a whole year of my life is being taken away from me.  

Soooooo....

......I am focusing on the beautiful sunshine today and letting the warmth feed my heart and soul.  It's amazing how the sunshine is like medicine for me.....lifting my spirits and healing my body.  Makes me forget about everything bad!  Just spending time in the garden helps a lot.  The bumblebees are buzzing and the flowers are starting to bloom,  and Otis and Riley are always by my side.  

I am having good days and bad days, happy days sad days and that's just the way it will be for awhile.  

In about 3 weeks I will lose my hair.  Not too happy about that.  I already cut my hair short and was fitted for a wig.  It's funny, the first wig I tried on I looked like Dolly Parton.  Ha!  I finally found one more suitable and maybe I'll even show you later.  

Thank you for all of your prayers and kind words.  Think of me as I take this a day at a time.    

Pretty flowers

 Don't you just love getting flowers?  Whether you pick a bunch up at the grocery store for yourself, or whether someone has given you a bouquet, flowers can lift your spirits and bring beauty to your home.

 What I like to do sometimes is separate the large bouquet into small bouquets....

 and spread them

 all around the house.

Then you can enjoy them in every room!  

Thankful for the little things....

 .....like this mourning dove that is building a nest in the hanging ivy pot outside my kitchen window.  I was thrilled this morning when I saw the two of them,  

fluffing their nest.

What a joy it will be to watch them every day as I embark on my journey in fighting my cancer.  

It's the little things that make us happy.  

And I want to thank each and every one of you for your encouraging words and your thoughts and prayers.   I was overwhelmed with emotion when I read them.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  

  

A bump in the road...

Hello my dear friends.  You're probably wondering if I fell off the end of the earth, but no, I am still here.
I've just hit a bump in the road.

Two weeks ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Something you never want to hear.  Never, ever, ever.  But it's happened.  All my life I have been healthy, so to be given this kind of news was like a punch in the gut.  It seems so surreal and so very overwhelming.  Anxiety sets in.

But  now I have had time to digest it all and am able to talk about it.

I have a fabulous team of doctors and feel I am in good hands.  UNC Lineburger Breast Cancer Center in Raleigh is where my treatment will take place.  I've had quite a few appointments and evaluations already and tomorrow I will find out what treatment will be best for me.  I know this is going to be a long haul but I will get through it.  With the help of my family, Galen, faith and a positive attitude, I will make it.......good thoughts, smiles, Otis and Riley, my garden, sunshine, friends, thank yous, blessings, and deep breaths....

This is just a bump in the road.

If a bird can sing with a broken wing,
You'll learn to bend when the wind blows,
The leaves may fall, but the trees stay tall,
this is a bump in the road.

Winter's cold

We're staying warm and cozy at Mourning Dove Cottage.  Fortunately, today is a mild day and I walked back to the garden and picked a bucket full of broccoli. 

Tonight temperatures will drop and the next few days will be really cold.  

Hope you're staying warm and cozy wherever you are, and have a good weekend!  

Tabletop Gardens

courtesy Lowe's Creative Ideas  

We all love greenery in our homes during the gray days of winter, don't we?  These tabletop gardens are a great way to bring in the green and "soothe the soul".  They were featured in the Lowe's Creative Ideas Home and Garden Magazine that I got in the mail last week.
 

courtesy Lowe's Creative Ideas 

The nice thing is you can use just about any container and move them around and accessorize wherever you like. You can buy the plants, or you can probably find something in your very own garden to bring indoors.

courtesy Lowe's Creative Ideas

Love these!

It's a good thing!  (as Martha would say)  

Welcome February

....and welcome this warm beautiful day!  Another one, two in a row, with temps around 70 degrees today.  We're very fortunate to be having such a mild winter here in NC.

I planted my potted mums (from fall) in the ground today.  I was surprised of all the green leaves already. Perfect day for puttering in the garden!   

Is it spring?

......because today sure feels like it.  It's 65 degrees and climbing.  

The garden was calling me early this morning and as I walked outside with my coffee it was the best feeling in the world.  Can you tell I'm so ready for spring?  I did some weeding and as you can see the garden still has a winter look, but I see some periwinkle blooming and the iris, daffodils and foxglove are up and spreading.

This is a great time for planning the garden.  I've already ordered some rose bushes and will separate some clumps of daisies and verbena to move to other places in the garden.

Otis and Riley were ready for a walk and so was I on this beautiful sunny day.  They enjoyed running around at the rec center and played in the clover.

Yes, it feels just like a spring day!

Hope you're enjoying the weather where you live!