A short note on the good and Peace on Earth to All

This evening the lung doctor from Fox Chase Cancer Center called to tell me he found no cancer in the brain MRI and the lung cancer is non-small cell (not aggressive). Now onto the Pet Scan in the New Year and check to see if any cancer is in other places. If not then the big decisions will be made; treat or not.

This afternoon my youngest son who drives a truck got a load to Harrisburg, Pa. so he is spending the night with us....All good Stuff!

To each and everyone of you;  Peace on Earth

I hesitate to post this but Rita among others want to know

On Monday I had a biopsy and a brain MRI. I still need to get a Pet scan after the New Year.  I don't have the results yet but maybe Monday.

What I do know is I have malignant lung cancer....Now, please don't get scared off!  I'm not asking for you to say anything. Yes, it's bad if you look at it that way or good if you can just wrap your heart around the idea that I'm done here and needed somewhere else. Those are ugly words but I need everyone to just keep being who they are and letting me be me.......don't run away. There is nothing so lonely as finding yourself alone because something in your life is ugly. I'll be back when I find out what kind and stage and if I am going to treat it.

Quick up date

Just when I thought I was ready for this hip surgery along comes another rat in the wood pile.  After getting all the pre surgery tests I got a call from the lab. The surgery is canceled due to nodules on the lungs.

This is no surprise to me. When you take a chance and use the drugs for Rheumatoid Arthritis you are taking a chance on all kind of cancer's, TB and organ problems. I'll be going to Fox Chase Cancer Center on Wednesday the 10th. While in Philadelphia I intend to do some Christmas things and enjoy the day and season.

Life can make some fast turns so don't wait until it happens. Fix those hurts with people you love. A bucket list should never be the reason to love those you cherish.

It's done! Thirty thousand regular people did it!

No help came from any of the "Stars"...but little people pulled it off with donations of $5.00 and up!

Thank you!! You did it. $1.8M raised at GoFundMe to help urgently stop Sanfilippo Syndrome. Over $2M raised in less than a year as a Foundation. Incredible.

Makes me feel so good seeing this happen. Research is so important and for these orphan diseases there is little money to find a cure. Go Eliza!  We'll are be watching the trial and praying for the cure to happen for all children.

Well I'm almost 70. I don't think this is a good age to be facing serous surgery but I held out as long as possible and now I have no choice but to have the hip replaced. Seems I've cracked the large bone in the leg and the hip too which only makes the surgery harder. So holding out didn't do me any favors in the end.

The house is clean from top to bottom. There is still much to do for now it'll just have to wait. Instead of getting up set over the many boxes sitting in the basement, the lack of living room furniture and my sewing room only half unpacked I'm just going to enjoy the holidays, food, decorations and tell myself I have spring to do everything else.

I forgot to turn on the Merry go Round music but here are our trains;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_lHEtA-cSw

A little crazy

Quick post so you know I'm still here. We moved a month ago into a house. I love it! It's a little far from where I am used to living but close to my son's work at the National Guard Base at Fort Indiantown Gap.

I'm racing to try and put the house together a little before my surgery on December 16th. I can't walk so things are going very slow..but today I got the last windows cleaned and tomorrow we'll do curtains. In between, as I unpack boxes, we are decorating for the holiday. Love to decorate and missed it for the past 2 years, so that part is fun!

Thanks for the heads up on the book Rita. I'll see if I can get it to take to the hospital with me. Everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I have to add this about little Eliza...they must reach the goal for the research now so it's her birthday on November 16th and with the help of TV they are praying it will happen.

BREAKING BREAKING NEWS....Tonight, please watch Inside Edition covering #SavingEliza! Wow.

I so want to see this child live and through the research save the lives of so many kids around the world who also have this. 

Eliza

I've written about this before. I'm sick!  How could this happen to this child. Where are the people with the big bucks?  No, this wasn't fun. No one got to dump water on someone's head. Read this and then if you feel like you can turn away..okay then...but I don't know how you can.

http://heavennotharvard.com/2014/10/08/too-late/

Get Your Mrs. Claus on...project

I've been working on these doll quilts for next year. The HGTV ladies pick a State or States to represent. I picked New Jersey, Delaware and Puerto Rico. Two people had already picked Pennsylvania. I also did 3 Christmas quilts. None are quite finished yet.


                                           This is Delaware...

                                           This is New Jersey

                                         My favorite..Puerto Rico

                                         And the Next 3 are Christmas quilts made from panels

The Christmas quilts need quilting along with the Delaware Balloon Quilt. The others need the applique finished and they need to be layered.  Here is the link to the project:
stitchintherapy.blogspot.com/p/get-your-mrs-claus-on-project.html

Befuddled Quilt is done..

I need to make a label for this quilt. The backing is flannel and the quilt measures 78 x 88. It fit perfectly into the duffle bag with room to spare for maybe a nightie. When granddaughter will get it is a mystery at this point. I might end up boxing it and shipping it. It's just seems a shame for her to not have it when winter is moving in quickly.

Busy, Busy....

I'm here, just been dealing with a lot of family stuff. I think we are back on the road to recovery. I didn't even notice Fall had arrived!  I haven't finished the Befuddled Quilt yet..next week I hope... but I have finally finish and packed up a box of things to go to my granddaughters Dorm room.

Funny how these kids arrive with bedding and clothing and then realize it will take a lot more to make this home for the next year. Granddaughter sort of got lost in the shuffle with her sister doing the road of suicide. Clarissa had a birthday, graduation and went off to college with little fan fare because the sick one in the household is the one that gets the attention.

Granddaughter is on the left. Her best friend Jadyn on the right is sharing the dorm room with her 

They did take dishes and silverware but soon discovered that eating cheerio's on a flat plate didn't work too well, coffee out of the microwave can be hot, you need storage for leftovers and some other things that I found pretty funny. So I sent an order from Amazon of large items that would have been hard to ship and then started filling a box.

I had sent them each a new pillow but soon found out they only had one pillow case each..so first off I made each of them one flannel case and one soft 500 thread count cotton case.

 They said they needed some decoration for on the beds but didn't know where to find anything fun...so another set of pillows had to be sent so they could use the wise old owl...purple for Jadyn

 amd turquoise for Clarissa. Both are using pink with those colors.

 The ribbons on the Owls are too cute!  These I made from scraps from the befuddled quilt

Then I made each a place mat with a pocket for napkin, straws and silverware to keep it dust free

 and the desks needed some mugs rugs for snacking while studying

Then the things that make life easier like the microwave pot holders

 each one a sewing kit

 strong bags to carry supplies from the grocery some 10 blocks away

 and tissue holders and tissues since we are going into the runny nose season

I have no time to make a throw right now so I found this pretty furry one

 folding boxes for storage

 bowls, clips, napkins and some hot chocolate

No photo but a pile of stuff for the desk organizer I sent..paper clips, tape, rubber bands, erasers, markers, etc.  Then I wanted to address the missed birthday. One summer Clarissa stayed with me for 3 months. She gathered a pile of pretty pencils every time we went shopping. Her uncle Dave had an electric sharpener that she was green with envy over and asked me daily to buy her one. She was only 3 1/2 but she knew what she wanted and wasn't going to stoop to sharpening her wonderful pencils on "his" sharpener...so they went without being sharpened. I was afraid she would put her finger in the hole and get hurt.

Finally I think she is old enough to own an electric sharpener!  So that's what I got her for her birthday...sort of a joke between us...and a stack of pretty pencils to go with it. I found a Laurel Burch makeup case that fit the pencils perfect.

 Uncle had to get in on the birthday so he noticed on the photo of her room the lone Eagles Foot Ball decoration on the cork board. So now he's added a pennant and every girl needs a softy bear, especially one in an Eagles jersey.

 Maybe a few more boxes and the room won't look so bare! I did send her under the bed storage boxes but now I think she needs a skirt to hide it.

So that's what I've been doing in between family crisis, one after another!

Duffle bag for Befuddled Quilt

This was so much fun to make. I've really enjoyed making the quilt and duffle bag with these bright colors and no rules!  I used blocks and fabric that was sent to me to make the yard of fabric needed for the outside. Instead of ugly metal D rings I used black plastic belt slides with jewels in them to give it a teenage look. This bag will serve as a way to pack up and travel as she moves around and also for storage. I also worked on other things for my DGD who is going off to college but I'll post those later and hope by then I have a new camera.

Befuddled almost done

I changed the width of the white strips and added the border to the top and halfway down the sides. One more strip of white on the bottom and the top will be complete.

Saturday I'll be on a big hunt for the batting that might have ended up being taken to the storage. I hate being ripped up like this. We just need a much larger place to live. 

Befuddled top is almost done

I ran out of Kona white but I'll start working on the border until we have a shopping day. I tried to lay this out so all the ladies could see the blocks they sent. I have some blocks pulled aside for the duffle bag that will hold this quilt and some will go in the border. This quilt represents blocks and fabric from 31 States and two Countries. I think that's amazing!

The "Befuddled" quilt

I've finished strip 3 and am working on strip 4.

I'm calling this the "Befuddled" quilt. It reminds me of just how confused my granddaughter is right now. Then I added the white strips...someday she'll find her own white strips to follow and things will be okay.

This is the Orphan Block Quilt that was my inspiration. I think the white strips in my quilt will give the eye a place to rest. This has been great therapy, keeping my mind off the sad and working on something I think she will enjoy having.

Starting the Orphan block quilt

I've been working on the quilt for my granddaughter. So many blocks, so many sizes!  Here is the start. This is the first 2 strips on the left side of the quilt. I'm thinking of splitting the white and putting a bright yellow strip down the center. First I have to get the blocks together. It's like a puzzle finding the block that will fit here and there!

Strangers give a chance at life. Eliza needs you. #SavingEliza

Saving Eliza.........

I've been supporting Saving Eliza for a while now. I shared it on Face Book but this is the first time I'm putting it on my blog. Eliza needs your help. Every $5.00 counts towards this clinical trial and time is running out for her.

Today while we celebrate the 4th of July won't you eat one less treat and donate to help this little girl and all the rest of the children who have this awful disease?  The clinical trial could be the answer to someday saving all these children and allowing their parents to say, "My child had this but now she/he is cured."

This video will save a little girl's life: #SavingEliza

Strangers give a chance at life. Eliza needs you. #SavingEliza

Dealing with it....

It's been a long week of sadness. Besides my granddaughter my friend lost her 35 year old son this week. Stress does me in. I've been dealing with frozen joints from the RA all week. Today I'm done fighting it. I'll just sit with ice packs on my shoulders until the flare up goes away.

Not having any brights to make Alyssa a quilt, I asked my friends on the HGTV board to please cut some fabric squares for me .... These ladies always come through when you need help! Here is some of the fabric's and blocks they sent to me along with Debbie and Diane from http://myblog-nannysplace.blogspot.com

I still have a wagon full of envelopes to open! Now I have a stash of brights so the girls will be getting purses, makeup cases and covers for their phones and tablets! I just need to get my arms working again so I can put this together.  Thanks to all the ladies for the wonderful help!

I'm so lost today

I can't get my mind on anything but the question, "What happened"?  The very last posting my granddaughter made on March 31st to Face Book said, "Different isn't Wrong".  That might say a lot if we try to understand it. It might be a clue to her suffering.

I've decided I need to work through this since no one can see her right now. I asked my friends on HGTV for blocks in any size but they have to be brights. I have no brights at all. Brights are just not my thing. I think making her a quilt will help me until she can have visitors. I'll leave spaces so family and friends can sign it and write her a message. The last quilt I made for her was Sun Bonnet Sue so it's time to replace that one anyway.


                                                                     Happier Days

Up date on Alyssa

She woke up, that's good. Two days in a coma, that's bad. She is still so saturated with medicine that it will be days before they can evaluate the damage. They said the brain has a way of healing it's self. The screaming and fear of things coming out of the walls will go away as her blood clears all that she took. She responds to her name but thinks her bones are all broken.  Prayer maybe the only thing to help this child now. Thanks to all of you for praying for her.

Heavenly Father, watch over my precious granddaughter. Give her a safe place where she can heal. Help her and other teens to work through the evil's that bother them. Thy will be done...Amen

Hug your teens, they just might need it

This has been a very sad day. Yesterday my 13 year old Granddaughter Alyssa tried to take her own life. When they found her it was too late to pump her stomach. She is in a coma and there is nothing anyone can do but wait.

I just can't understand...my dear sweet child