The rest of Pixie's Walk

We finally crossed the bridge!
The waterfall is before we get to the bridge.
This is a small stream on the walk.

This is the view from the other side of the bridge!

There are more wild berries growing over the bridge rail.

Pixie loves the great smells on the little bridge!

The late flowers of summer are beginning to bloom!

I think these flowers are gorgeous!

Seed pods are starting to form!

Now, you can see why Pixie loves this trail!

Three Beautiful Things This Week

Three Beautiful Things This Week was inspired by a wonderful blog that Clare writes called Three Beautiful Things. Everyday, Clare writes about 3 Beautiful Things that happen each day in her life. It's a wonderful blog! I can only hope to imitate her in a very small way.










1) As a family, we are going through some tough times right now. Jenny's health is a huge concern for all of us! However, Pixie has shown how tough she can be! She made herself very comfortable at Jenny's! This makes for good vibes and less stress right now.

2) The support we feel from friends and family really helps us to stay afloat during this stressful time. We are most grateful for the continuing love and support!

3) In spite of our concerns, we are still being blessed with many moments of joy! The love and the laughter is there, and this is what I hope we remember from this experience!

More of Pixie's Favortie Walks in St. Paul

This is the beginning of Pixie's favorite trail. It's only about 3 blocks from Jenny's home. I like it because it has asphalt, and Pixie likes it because of the wonderful smells.

She's ready to go!

Isn't this pretty?
The wild flowers are beautiful!

We're getting closer to the waterfall. I couldn't believe it was there!
This is off to the side and not on the bridge!

The wild berries are beginning to ripen.

The ferns are beautiful!
No wonder Pixie loves this trail.
More to come later!

Making Beads for Beads of Courage and Voting

Have you spent one hour this week making beads for Beads of Courage?

I made 10 beads specifically for Beads of Courage Acts of Courage Beads this week. Are you going to join us in this challenge? Come on! You can do it!

Also, remember to vote for BOC. Use the widget on the right to take you there. There are only a few days left, and BOC needs to get into the top 10.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

First fruits!
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That tomato is bigger than my hand! This is going to make some gazpacho!

I think my garden grows nicely.
What do you think?

Shopping Etsy: Healing

I decided to shop Etsy again, this time, using the search term: healing. Here are some of the items I found.


How about if we start with a healing mud mask from the Dead Sea?
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I found this in Ayelet's shop on Etsy.
There are a lot of great items to see and use in this store!






Need a great zit zapper? Try this sampler from Ella Rose Minerals on Etsy.
Take a good look at what's available there.






This organic healing calendula balm
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is available in Joyful Girl Naturals on Etsy. Joyful Girl even has canine products!







Now, I'm taking a nap. See you all later.

FOR JENNY

As you know from reading my blog, my daughter, Jenny, was recently diagnosed with a cancer of the plasma cell of the blood called multiple myeloma.

Knowing that her medical bills will be adding up, I have added a section in my Etsy store called FOR JENNY. In this section there are 10 items all earmarked FOR JENNY. I plan to give the monies from these items to Jenny to help her with her everyday living expenses. As each item sells, I will replace it with another.

This mini set of spacers is one of the items that I have listed in the FOR JENNY section of my store. There is a variety of items in the FOR JENNY section, so have fun browsing!

On the Road

Well, it's time to head south today to go home. I'm looking forward to this trip. Luckily, it's not a long drive, but it does mean leaving my daughter here. I know she's a grown woman. She can take care of herself. She's feeling fine, just a bit tired. I'm coming back.

This cancer journey is exhausting, but I need time to rest and lick my wounds. Pixie needs to be on her own couch and bed. Jenny needs her privacy back. It's good to go home. It's good to come back. This is the right thing to do.

Three Beautiful Things This Week

Three Beautiful Things This Week was inspired by a wonderful blog that Clare writes called Three Beautiful Things. Everyday, Clare writes about 3 Beautiful Things that happen each day in her life. It's a wonderful blog! I can only hope to imitate her in a very small way.



1) It's been another difficult week in this cancer journey on which we travel. I am beginning to realize how much we truly have! I am also realizing how much things like an tall glass of iced tea with a lot of ice can mean when you are stressed. I am also realizing how much our friends and family mean to us.

2) Playing the "cancer" game is a matter of waiting and waiting. It's good to have family and friends there to wait with you. Nick was home for a week! It was good to have him home!

3) Nick celebrated his 31st birthday on Thursday! I can't believe my baby is now in his 30's! Happy birthday, again, Nick! I'm so glad you were home!

Happy birthday to Nick!

Happy birthday, Nick!
You're now in your 30's!
I love the way you enjoy life!
I remember that little boy who would go to the store with me, then walk up to the "bigger boys," they were at least 9 and you were 4, and say, "That's MY mom." This usually resulted in them laughing so hard and giving in to your claim.

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!
Jenny and I love you!
Pixie, Walter and Marvin love you, too!

An early Morning Walk with Pixie

Since we have been with Jenny,
Pixie and I have been taking many walks each day.
Here are some of our discoveries from
Yesterday.
She leads me to the things she finds fascinating.
It's been fun!





This was our first stop on our walk.
Pixie loves this drainage ditch behind Jenny's home.
We go there frequently.










The rusty fire hydrant is another favorite stop for Pixie.
I guess all dogs are attracted to the fire hydrants of the world.
Look at the colors!
I think they would look great in a bead or fall necklace!
(I've got to get beads in this blog somehow.)








We walk on the grass between buildings.
This was the sky after a heavy rainfall.
It was so pretty!
We did walk fast because it looked like there was more on the way.
There was!













Pixie found the tree.
Just look at the acorns!
We are starting to see some shades of
autumn.
Summer is weaving it's way through the seasons
way to quickly!












Pixie was absolutely fascinated with this pine cone. There must have been some good smells around it, because she pulls me there whenever we walk.



We did make it home before the rain fell again.
There are other paths to walk.
I'll show you those on another day!

Update on Jenny's Health

This is a picture of a cell.
-------------------------------------->
This is not a drawing of a cancer cell. It is only the drawing of a cell.

Jenny has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

This article will tell you about the disease.

She is in stage 1. It was found very early because she fell and broke her rib. The doctors are very hopeful about the outcome.
Other than some bone marrow involvement and some bone involvement, all of her other test results were in the NORMAL range.

We are meeting with the doctors this week to discuss treatment options.

This is all I can say for now. I will update the information later. I also hope to start a Caring Bridge site soon. When I do, I will post the link here. Please keep us in your prayers.
--------------------------------------------------->

The Experiment Continues

The Experiment began last when I came to see my daughter who was just diagnosed with cancer. The equation was:

Walter
------------------------------------>














Plus




Marvin
------------------------------------->














Plus






Pixie Marie
------------------------------------->












We didn't know the result of the equation, but here's what's happened in a week.



Although not great friends, Walter has accepted Pixie as a nap mate. Pixie still hogs the bed she and I share. Marvin, although he hisses at Pixie, is curious about her.

Not bad for a week, is it?

A New Publication

It's Bead Unique!
Page 21!
Check it out!

Woooo Hoooo!

A Question

This is what I'm planning on working with when I make jewelry in the future. I call it stuff!
Any ideas on what I can make?
Whatever, it should be fun!

Three Beautiful Things This Week

Three Beautiful Things This Week was inspired by a wonderful blog that Clare writes called Three Beautiful Things. Everyday, Clare writes about 3 Beautiful Things that happen each day in her life. It's a wonderful blog! I can only hope to imitate her in a very small way.



1) I don't mind saying this has been one hell of a week. The firestorm we were engaged in this week has been one of the most enormous I have ever been through! I am so grateful for the amazing children I have! Their strength, their love, and their courage has impressed me to the point where I have no words! (That is a rare occurence!)
Jenny and Nick, thank you for being my children!

2) Because of this battle we are fighting, we have found tremendous support from friends and family. Some of our friends, we have never met in person, only on line. You have no idea how much we appreciate all of you standing by us during this challenging time in our lives.

3) Technology is playing a huge part in our lives--from cell phones, texting from our cell phones, computer technology, Facebook--All of these technological tools are at our beck and call, and we are so grateful for them because we can keep in constant communication, if necessary, and keep everyone updated on what's going on in the great battle we are living.

The Experiment

Walter
------------------------------------>

plus



















Marvin
--------------------------------->



plus
















Pixie
------------------------------------>




Equals













What? We aren't sure, but we're going to find out. I'm taking Pixie to visit Jenny in her condo. We are staying overnight. At my house, there's a lot more space. They get along in that space, but in a smaller space? We're not sure. We shall see what happens. We'll report more next week.

What do you think?

Shopping Etsy: I wish I could afford these!

So, I did another search on Etsy. This time I used the function that listed the items in order from most expensive to least. Here are some of the things I found.

Love is all you need Mosaic
listed in ShopNINArt's store. I wish I could afford this! I love it!
------------------------------------>
The price?
$100,000!














Isn't this necklace beautiful? I wish I could afford it! It's handmade by Maggie Guan.
The price?
$99,999.
Wow!



Last, but not least, look at this beautiful opal!

This beautiful opal pendant is in Daniel D. White's Etsy store.

The cost?
$25,380.00!
I wish I could afford it!













Have a look! What else can you find?

I am so Incredibly Proud of My Children!

Normally, I restrict the amount of personal information I give out on this blog. I will, on occasion, mention my children. I also intend to keep this blog as upbeat as I can. However, today, I am going to reveal a bit more than I normally would about my life and the life of my children, Jenny and Nick. They are both so incredibly AMAZING! I am so proud of both of them!

Last week, I received a call from my daughter that she was in the ER and that she was being admitted to the hospital because she had a broken rib. (When she was home for the 4th of July, she had slipped on the stairs and fallen very hard.) She also told me that two masses had been found in her body and that they were most likely, cancer. The next morning, I drove frantically up to the hospital to join her. When her oncologist/hematologist came in, he talked to her about having myeloma. The always say "suspected," but I think they are very sure. Jenny is very young for this disease. It is also a cancer of exposure. It is also the same type of cancer that took my husband's life 6 years ago.

The walk through this fire was terrible, but I am so proud of both of my children! While Nick and I were flat on our backs emotionally, Jenny was the strong one. She kept us going. I think that both Nick and I have managed to stand up again, and now, we are both ready for Jenny to lean on us when she has to do so.

Now, this blog will not become a cancer blog. Yes, there will be a few updates on Jenny and her progress. We are still hoping that this is just a glitch in the road for her rather than a journey. We will know more this week. I can only pray the news is good. I can also only ask that you join us in prayer for her complete recovery.

No matter what, I could not be more proud of my children than I am at this moment! Thank you, God, for giving me the perfect set of kids!

Tresna Wulan featured in Creative Jewelry

My friend, Tresna Wulan, was recently featured in Creative Jewelry. Tresna designed a necklace using some of my funky, wonky discs which was accepted for publication! Woo hooo! I love it when I can see how a designer uses my beads! I love it even more when I can see them in a magazine!















Here's a sneak preview of the necklace! You can pick up the magazine at Barnes and Noble. That's where I found mine.
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Summer Words

warm
hot
humid
green
red
yellow
orange
blue
leaves
garden
tomatoes
cucumbers
zucchini
lawn
mower
sunshine
shade
picnics
BBQ
grill
margaritas
ice
pool
swimming
walks
run
convertible
breeze
thunderstorms
lightning

What other words can you add to this list?

An Hour of Torching for Beads of Courage

Acts of Courage Beads are always needed for Beads of Courage.

Lori Greenberg said: Acts of Courage beads are those that the child gets to pick out themselves for courage above and beyond and for other times when a caregiver thinks a child needs an extra boost.

In this same post, Lori challenged bead makers to dedicate one hour a week to making Acts of Courage Beads. I've decided to join that challenge.

At the start of each torch session, I always begin my torching session by making two butterflies. As you know, butterflies are given to those parents who have, sadly, lost children. The rest of the beads in this pile were made for use in the Acts of Courage program.

Three Beautiful Things This Week

Three Beautiful Things This Week was inspired by a wonderful blog that Clare writes called Three Beautiful Things. Everyday, Clare writes about 3 Beautiful Things that happen each day in her life. It's a wonderful blog! I can only hope to imitate her in a very small way.




1) It's hard to believe that I have had Pixie for 9.5 months. She's finally feeling comfortable with me--comfortable enough to sneak into my craft room, steal my sea star that I use as a prop, and chew the end of it! Naughty girl! I have even caught her trying to make her way into the room, even though the door is closed! :) I'm glad she feels good enough with me to be naughty now. She's got a beautiful, peaceful heart! She's won my heart!

2) I found out this week that a necklace in the new Creative Jewelry was made with my beads! My friend Tresna Wulan, who lives in Munich, made this Funky and fun necklace!

3) Even though my back has been killing me this week, my massage therapist, Angie was able to work the muscle loose, and now, my back feels so much better! Thanks, Angie!