My Dear Jane Quilt

The day I've anxiously awaited for has arrived.   Today is the Dear Jane quilt class taught by Joan Alliston.   I've spent weeks googling around, buying various Dear Jane products including the Dear Jane CD and book and rulers and deciding on what fabrics to use.  I'm all packed up, woke up at 4 am, and ready to drive to Brandon for the class.   There is a Dear Jane journal on the DJ CD but it only allows me to print the pages rather than use them online and type on them and save them.   Time to get with the times, Brenda P!  I think that I am going to use bright, jewel tone fabrics, some Laurel Burch ones with a black background on my quilt.  I made a sample block last night and it wasn't too hard but may be the easiest pattern in the quilt!

My Orca Bay Quilt

After a usual Carol start--only skimming the directions, cut out a bunch of blocks, measured one and realized it was too small and that I was using the new ruler incorrectly, fixed this, cut out about 50 more and made them, came back and looked back at the instructions only to realize that I wasn't even making an hourglass block.   But, I started over and now I have about 3/4 of the half square triangles made and one hourglass unit put together.   Progress is progress!   Scrounging for scraps--okay, I cheated and have bought some fabric.   Having been quilting long enough to have adequate scraps to suit my matchy, matchy personality.  http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2011/11/mystery-monday-link-up.html

Blog again?

Man, it has been really a long time since I blogged. Since I enjoy reading other people's blogs, I decided to try to blog again myself. Not much to say today. I am proud to say that I managed to ride the whole 150 mile of the MS 150 bike ride last weekend and also raised over $500 for the National MS Society. And met some very nice people during the process and had fun.

I'm slowly coming out of the awful right hip and leg pain which has had me sidelined for abotu six months now. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to walk or run again but at least I can go about my regular personal self care and grocery shop again so I'll take that. Along with riding my bike which I love! My pain dr. has recommended aquatic therapy so I'm going to start that next week. I'm just not very self motivated to exercise and have no one to do this with or schedule a specific time to meet with which means I often just stay in bed and sleep! I haven't been able to stand long enough to run my quilting machine but hope to remedy that soon and also to sew on my sewing machine.

Grandbaby Max is almost two months old and adorable and granddaughter "T" is still in the oven but not for much longer--due October 29th in St. Louis.

Long time, no post

Now, for an internet addict, I'm not doing too well keeping up this blog! However, in my defense, I set this account up in association with my marathon training group for 2007--every year they come up with a different blogging site so I'm not sure anyone even looks at this one although I use it to comment on my other blog friends' sites.

Since my last post, I found out that I was not positive for the breast cancer gene so I opted for a partial mastectomy on the right with reconstruction and reduction on the other side so I'd have a matching pair. TMI, but too bad! I spent 10 days mostly flat on my back before I got released to 50/50 activity. That's when the problem arose. I like to be active ALL the time and I also decided to ease back into work. But, also, with my new and improved physique, I wanted/needed some clothes. Shopping for things I have never been able to wear made me overdo it a bit this week so, right now, I've been in bed for 19 hours running! Soon I will get up and bathe and dress and run an errand or two and then come back for some more bed rest. I need to return some things, get a movie, etc. May try to go to a concert type--the Community Band that I play in usually is having the last concert of the year. I was afraid to commit to playing as I wasn't sure what shape I'd be in so I'll just have to be in the audience--not as fun for me but I do want to support them and listen to the music, too!

I'm waiting to hear when my appointment with the radiation oncologist is to find out when that starts. Going to Cleveland this weekend for a class reunion which will be fun and I'll also get to see my mother--I didn't feel up to driving there for Mother's Day so now I'll get to see her. I didn't want to worry her about my diagnosis so she just thinks I had breast reduction--good thing I told her that because that is OBVIOUS now! I'm still thankful to have such a great prognosis although I wish all incisions would heal and stop worrying me that they are infected.

Still undecided on what the game plan for treatment is

My childhood friend Ellen who now lives in California called me and talked about her breast cancer experience. She is a 17 year survivor, thank goodness, although she had a recurrence requiring mastectomy and lymph node dissection 3 years after her first treatment. But, she pointed out that there is a relationship between pancreatic cancer and breast cancer associated with the BRCA2 gene and that I might want to think about being tested. These breast cancer genes (BRCA1 and 2) are more common in Ashkenazi Jews (I am one) and my brother died of a relative to pancreatic cancer as did her Dad. She tested long after both of her family diagnoses and she is postive. So, I am planning to be tested, too, as I would opt for bilateral mastectomies if I am positive. It takes about 4 weeks to get the results from the testing so my game plan is delayed but I think for a good reason! Thanks for all of your good wishes.

I joined a new club on Friday

After going through lots of uncertainty and tests since I found out that there was an abnormality on my mammogram on the night of February 5th, I found out on Friday that, unfortunately and fortunately, my diagnosis was not benign. The odds were that it would be benign so I tried to remain upbeat but somehow, deep down, I knew that this was malignant. But, on the bright and fortunate side of things, I am a walking poster child for yearly mammograms as this lesion was not palpable and found only on my routine mammogram. So, although I have now joined the Breast Cancer Survivor club, I have joined on the most favorable terms possible, and my prognosis is essentially for 100% survival with treatment. The treatment plan is not certain yet as the path report is not final yet and I have not yet had my breat MRI but I will do whatever is neccessary and will beat this beast! I plan to run in the Race for the Cure here in Central MS on April 5th and then to do the breast cancer 3 day walk in Atlanta in October with my friend Donna who also is a member of the club and has finished her treatment already!

It looks like it's going to be hot in Chicago!

After all my assurances to you that it would be easier to run in Chicago because it would be MUCH cooler, I am, yet again, proved wrong. But, just think how your training in Mississippi has you prepared for the rigors of running in the 60 to 70 degree heat!!!!! I would NOT wear long pants or leggings or tights because you cannot take those off during the race and you probably are going to get HOT, HOT, HOT! At least you don't have to wear layers and layers and layers, huh???? But, these are the conditions you have trained in so you KNOW that you can do it and finish while some of the people from the colder climates may have a meltdown! Surely the humidity will be lower there and for sure, there will be lots of people cheering you on and lots of entertainment along the way. I'm gonna try to keep up with you guys on Sunday with my laptop so send me your race numbers if you want me to!!!! And, your cell phone numbers and I'll call to congratulate you when you're done.