Sewing on Saturday

A phone call from a friend woke me up, this morning.  She was calling to ask how I was feeling and I gave her an update of my health.  She and some of her office friends have a prayer circle and they have been including me among those for whom they pray.  We made tentative plans to get together at the end of the month when my daughter comes down for Labor Day weekend, since my daughter is friends with her two daughters.  My friend has recently bought a house and this will be the first time I'll be going to her new house; I need to think of a housewarming gift for her.

Once again, I spent most of the day, today, sewing my quilt and watching/listening to the TV (Saturday morning sewing shows, afternoon cooking shows, oldies music shows, etc.).  The quilt is  taking me longer than I thought it would, but it's OK.  I enjoy the process as much as anything else.  I thought I'd give a glimpse or two of what's to come:

 

Template

I cut the template from the lid of the box of tea, I opened the other day.

Template, Again

This is the other side of the template, against the black skirt I am wearing.  I like the graphic quality of the picture.  Yes, I am easily amused.  

A Glimpse of the Quilt

I am working on the central panel of the quilt, right now.  I am using fabric from the stash.  The top is being pieced entirely from scraps leftover from other projects!  The picture above shows fabric leftover from earlier quilts!

Another Glimpse

The picture above contains a piece of floral fabric from a dress my daughter had and another piece from a plaid shirt my mother made for me, back in the early 1980s! 

It was another very hot day and humid, too (by our standards, at least).  But it cooled off in the evening and I went for a short walk.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Another day of sewing
- An abundance of scraps!
- Daughter had a fun afternoon with two friends who are visiting her
- Electricity for all the appliances I'm using
- Video chatting with my daughter, phone calls and emails from friends

And a picture of Dancer, sleeping on the sofa, clutching his catnip sock in his paws:

Holding on to his sock!

How was your Saturday?  Did you have a good day?

Rest on Friday

I had requested the day off from work to recover from the root canal, so I slept in this morning and took it easy.  The tooth, however, didn't hurt me.  I didn't need to take any pain medication until late in the evening. 

In the afternoon, I did a load of laundry (the sofa dust sheets), lint rollered the sofas to remove cat fur (not sure how it gets through the dust sheets, but it does!), and put the other set of dust sheets on the sofa.  Later, I took a nap on the sofa!  My gardener friend came over to do the garden and he tidied and watered the front garden for me. 

I spent most of the day sewing on my Mountain Climbing quilt.  I've been sewing on it in fits and starts, because I couldn't quite decide on how to do the mountain, but I think I've got it figured out.  Sorry, no pictures, yet.  I am just making this up as I go.

Today, I was grateful for:
- A day of rest to recover from the dental work
- Time spent sewing on my quilt
- The abundance of the fabric stash
- My gardener friend doing my garden
- Afternoon naps

How was your Friday?  What are your plans for the weekend?

Root Canal on Thursday

Today, I had a root canal done and made a complete fool of myself crying at the dentist's after it was over!  I don't even know why I cried.  I have had root canals done, before, and this one didn't hurt all that much, either.  But, there I was, crying!  I think it was because the dentist said that the root canal will preserve the tooth for another 20 years and I wondered if I'd be alive that long.  I have a follow-up appointment in two weeks to complete the root canal.  Hopefully, I'll be a little more composed at that appointment!

Anyway, the dentist prescribed an antibiotic and pain medication (prescription strength ibuprofen), so I went directly to the pharmacy to get them filled.  Wonder of wonders, they filled them after only a short wait, without any drama!  I was told it would be a 30 minute wait.  I sat in a chair just outside the door the employees use to go into the pharmacy area (same area where I sat that previous occasion when the 30 minutes wait stretched to a couple of hours!).  One of the pharmacy workers who was returning from her break saw me waiting there and  asked if I was waiting for a prescription.  I said, "Yes" and that it was a new prescription (in case she thought it was a refill and went to look for it in the refills area).  About 5 minutes later, she opened the door and told me the prescription was ready!    I had barely opened the magazine I had taken off the shelves to look through while I waited!

I had just come home when my half-sister called with the news that the younger of our two surviving brothers had suffered a stroke.  He's in hospital, recovering, but they don't know the extent of damage.  I will be calling his wife, tomorrow, to get an update.

One never knows what each day holds, or what's in store for us, tomorrow, does one?

Today, I am grateful for:
- Time off from work to attend to my various medical appointments
- Getting the much neglected dental work done
- My half-brother is recovering from the stroke
- Phone calls from aunt and cousin, emails from friends
- Being alive

How was your Thursday?  What are your plans for Friday?

Wednesday's Activities

We are in the triple digits, again, and there's quite a bit of humidity, too, with rain in some areas (but not where I live).  

Today, I went to the office where it was nice and air conditioned.  In fact, it was cold enough to me to need to keep my jacket on all day!

I met with my supervisor, in the morning, and gave her the good news about my health diagnosis.  Then, I updated her on all the upcoming medical appointments for this month!  There are four, currently, one each week!

Someone had brought some buns from an Asian bakery for a breakfast treat.  I chose one with red mung bean filling as I like it, best:

Bun with Red Bean Filling

The red bean filling is slightly sweet.  In Sri Lanka, we make a similar paste with green mung beans (roasted and ground into flour) and treacle, which is then rolled out and cut in diamond shapes, dipped in a rice flour batter and deep fried.  It is one of my favorite treats.

After I came home, I did a load of laundry, called a friend to check on her, read some blogs, replied to a friend's email, did the dishes, and video chatted with my daughter.  We are trying to coordinate her next visits home and book her flights.  I still need to water the indoor plants and clean the litter box.

Today, I am grateful for:
- Continued good health
- Air conditioning at the office
- Red bean buns for breakfast
- Emails from friends
- My daughter will be coming home at the end of the month

How was your Wednesday?

Good News!

Today has been a lovely day, filled with blessings!

 

To begin with, I received a phone call in the morning from the oncologist's office; they, too, received notification of the authorization to see the surgeon (it was the oncologist who put in the referral) and they went ahead and made an appointment for me!  Mid August was the earliest available date, they, said; but that is fine.  I am so glad that has been taken care of for me.

I also received a text from the pharmacy saying one of my medication refills was ready for pick up, without me having to do a whole song and dance number to obtain it!

Later, I called the radiation oncologist's office and confirmed my afternoon appointment.  The nurse asked if I had done the mammogram and I said yes.  When I got there, she said she's been trying to get the mammogram reading results, but, apparently the doctor who normally reads them is on vacation and, although there was another doctor filling in for him, the mammogram done on Thursday hadn't been read yet.  However, when I informed the doctor that we didn't have the reading, yet, he said he had seen the doctor who normally reads the mammograms, earlier in the day.  Then, he called him on the phone and got him to pull up the pictures on the computer and do an initial reading.  Based on that initial reading, what I have is an oil filled cyst.  According to my doctor, it is nothing to be concerned about.  Apparently, these things occur after breast surgery, trauma to the breast, radiation treatment, etc., as a result of fat necrosis as the breast heals itself.  I feel so relieved!  It seems that the prayers have been answered and the well wishes have worked!  What a blessing!  The first thing I did was text my daughter to let her know.

Maybe the official mammogram report will be available when I go to see the surgeon.  I'll see what the surgeon has to say - maybe he'll do a biopsy or aspirate the cyst.

On the way home, I bought rice/teriyaki beef bowls for a celebratory lunch.  I had a BOGO coupon, so bought two rice bowls for $6.43 with tax.  I also bought a loaf of bread ($1.50) and some grapes ($1.31 @ $.99/lb) from the tiny little Armenian grocery store that is located next to the Japanese restaurant.   They have the best bread!  I spent $2.81 for the bread and grapes:

August 1 Groceries

After I came home, I said a prayer of thanksgiving at the altar.  Then, I had lunch, and took a nap!  Later in the evening, I put gas to the car and went to the pharmacy to pick up my medication refill (initially, they couldn't find it, as it had been put in the wrong basket by someone who was putting them into baskets by the last name of the patient!).  I also did a quick stop at the dollar store to pick up a couple of items.

I had texted the good health news to my cousin who had requested candles to be lit on my behalf and her mother called to say she was happy to hear about it.  One of my friends called, too, and I updated her.   

Today, I am grateful for:

- Answered prayers!

- Good news about the mammogram results.

- The appointment with the surgeon being made for me.

- The medication refill being made available without too much of a fuss.

- Everyone's support as I climbed this portion of the mountain!

It has been a lovely start to this month!  Once again, thank you for being there for me.

August Balanced Life Goals

As I have mentioned earlier, the goal, as always, is to attend to each area of importance to me, so that my life feels more balanced and I am not neglecting any aspects of my life that are important to me.  Health will continue to dominate, however, as it impacts all areas of my life.  Having said that, these are my goals for a more balanced life in August:

Spiritual:  The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life.

- Continue with daily prayers and gratitude

- Continue to focus on blessings, joy, and abundance

- Take time for meditation(doesn't have to be an extended period of time;  even 5 minutes of intentional, mindful meditation is good)

- Cultivate non-attachment and patience!

- Attend the monthly prayer gathering if possible

Environment:  The goal is a clean, tidy, uncluttered house and a well-maintained garden.

House:

- Do some regular house cleaning in order to maintain what I have been able to achieve - implement cleaning routines to the extent possible

- Declutter -  Cultivate non-attachment to things by decluttering at least one item a day during the month of August

- Do some organizing  

Garden:

- Water and try to keep the plants alive as we approach the hottest time of the year (August and September)
- Continue to weed and mulch

Daughter:  The goal is to continue to have a close relationship with her. 
- Daily texts, phone calls, emails , and video chatting! 
- Possible visit at the end of the month? 

Family & Friends:  The goal is to keep in touch with various family members and friends.

- Communicate regularly - phone calls, texts, and emails

- Wish aunt for her birthday

- Go out to lunch or dinner with a friend

  
Career:  The goal is to continue to do work which I enjoy (for the most part) and which enables me to support myself.
- Continue to do my assignments on time

Finances:  The goal is financial security.
- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose

 
Health & Well Being:  The goal is good health.  This will continue to be the focus, this month, as my longer than anticipated recovery continues!
- Attend the appointments with my various medical doctors and dentists - 3 scheduled, so far, in August.  There might be at least one more!

- Continue to go for additional screening tests, as needed

- Continue to monitor blood pressure, sugar levels, and weight (now that my taste buds and appetite have returned!)

- Continue to focus on a healthier diet (more vegetables!), drinking enough water, exercising regularly, and getting sufficient sleep

Time Management:  The goal is having enough time to do all what I want to do!
- Organize myself and put routines into place so I have a more regular schedule.

Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Me-Time:  The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.

- Do a few things from the Summer Joy list
- Do another sewing project

- Work on another unfinished project (and finish it!)

So those are my goals for August.  They aren't that different from my previous monthly goals but that is OK.  Anyone else making monthly goals? 

July Balanced Life Goals Review

Time to review July's balanced life goals!  This month had a lot packed into it, I think.

Spiritual:  The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life.

- Continue with daily prayers and gratitude - On going; daily prayers are being said; have been listing 5 things for which to be grateful, daily.

- Continue to focus on blessings, joy, and abundance - Have been trying to do so.  All it takes is a look at my fabric stash to know what abundance is!

- Take time for meditation(doesn't have to be an extended period of time;  even 5 minutes of intentional, mindful meditation is good) - Have been trying.  I am finding that sewing and watering the garden are good meditative activities.

- Cultivate non-attachment and patience! Trying!

- Attend the monthly prayer gathering if possible - Attended the monthly prayer gathering and gave a ride to a cousin, as well.

Environment:  The goal is a clean, tidy, uncluttered house and a well-maintained garden.

House:

- Do some regular house cleaning in order to maintain what I have been able to achieve - implement cleaning routines to the extent possible - House is being maintained, more or less, but the cleaning is being done in "fits and starts", so to speak; a bit here, a bit there; nothing as regular as a weekly cleaning routine, I'm afraid.

- Declutter -  Cultivate non-attachment to things by decluttering at least one item a day during the month of July - Ha! Didn't happen, but, I have decluttered some.

- Do some organizing  - Not much.

Garden:

- Plant the poor succulents before they die! - Even my gardener said it was too hot to plant them!
- Plant the grape vines and get a trellis for them - They are still in the pots!  But they are alive and seem to be doing OK.
- Continue to weed and mulch - Gardener friend has been weeding; we used up all the mulch.

Daughter:  The goal is to continue to have a close relationship with her. 
- Daily texts, phone calls, emails , and video chatting!  There is no plan for her to visit this month - We have a routine: we text good morning when we wake up; we call each other when we get home from work (she usually gets home before I do, so she texts me to say she's home and I call her when I get home); we video chat in the evening.  Occasionally, in between, we send emails, or pictures, etc.    

Family & Friends:  The goal is to keep in touch with various family members and friends.

- Communicate regularly - phone calls, texts, and emails - Have been doing so.

- Wish two friends for their birthdays - Called and wished them both; took one friend out to both lunch and dinner (on two separate days) to celebrate!

- Go out to lunch or dinner with a friend - Did both with one friend!

  
Career:  The goal is to continue to do work which I enjoy (for the most part) and which enables me to support myself.
- Celebrate my 34th anniversary!- I completed 34 years of service in July!

Finances:  The goal is financial security.
- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose - Have been doing so; also, spoke with my financial planner who called to touch bases and give me an update.  

 
Health & Well Being:  The goal is good health.  This will continue to be the focus, this month, as my longer than anticipated recovery continues!
- Attend the appointments with my various doctors - 4 scheduled, so far, in July, there might be at least one or two more!  Have been doing so. 

- Continue to go for additional screening tests, as needed - Had an ultrasound and a mammogram done

- Continue to monitor blood pressure, sugar levels, and weight (now that my taste buds and appetite have returned!) - Have been doing so.

- Continue to focus on a healthier diet (more vegetables!), drinking enough water, exercising regularly, and getting sufficient sleep - A work in progress!  I started out the month well, especially with the exercising, but it all sort of petered out towards the end of the month!

Time Management:  The goal is having enough time to do all what I want to do!
- Organize myself and put routines into place so I have a more regular schedule - Yet another work in progress!

 

 Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Me-Time:  The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.
- Put together a succulents planter to take to the office - Nope!
- Do a few things from the Summer Joy list - I did quite a few things including: daily prayers, drinking my tea from my favorite cups, interacting daily with my daughter, going out to lunch/dinner with a friend, doing crafts projects (tote bags and baby quilt), playing with fabric, and visiting the farmers market.

 

My life wasn't very balanced in July; I had too many medical issues for that, but, I think I did OK, all things considered.  There were a lot of positives to balance out the negatives, I think.

How was your July?  Did you achieve what you wanted to accomplish in July?