"Mama, the Dr called.....

.....and she said I do have breast cancer and all she said was it was very aggressive breast cancer.", Leslie poured out so blatently from the other end of the phone line.

(Leslie is my 31 year old, age 30 at the time)

This was on a cold rainy day, February 16, 2012.

The day I thought my world had surely came to an end.

 

Fast forward to today

November 19, 2012

.........

Today was Leslie's last cancer treatment!!

She endured a bilateral mastectomy in March,

6 rounds of chemotherapy,

breast implant surgery

and today finished up 28 rounds of daily radiation treatments.

WOOOOOOOOTTTTT!!!!!!!

 

.........

 

This past 9 months have been a roller coaster ride of lows....way down low....nope even lower than that.....

and highs....very high highs!! Higher, higher.....HIGHER!!

When you can reach out and touch God, then you are at the right level of high!

However, God was right by our side at all points along the way, the lowest of places he was there to lift us all up and at the highest points he was still right there beside us as we rejoiced for His works!

 

Leslie's faith in her Savior can not even be described in words. Not from me anyway, I am a writer, blogger, motor mouth (as my dearest calls me so often) and photographer. I am a blogger and facebooker and I am very transparent. Yes, transparent! That's me. What you see is what you get with me. I don't hide anything. I have always gotten in trouble for that little flaw but I still bear all, tell all, share it with everyone is my motto! Don't get me wrong I can keep a secret when I need to, unless it is the secret of Christmas gifts for my children, they need to know asap what I have gotten them! LOLOLOL

 

God really does work in mysterious ways.

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason even though as a human I question his plan very often. Then out of the blue He comes through with a subtle explanation of His plan in the funniest of ways so I keep my faith in him and trust and lean on his power thru it all!

 

..........

Leslie's amazing support group has been such a big help to her and all of us.

We all gained a brand new church and an awesome church family thru this disease.

(possibly to be considered one of the HIGHEST points along this roller coaster ride)

The new church's pastor came into our lives from out of the blue and is such a close friend and spiritual leader. We all love him and he has been right by our sides from the first Sunday after her dreaded call from the Dr. Danny and I were led to attend this new church and we haven't missed a Sunday since that gloomy weekend in February.

I am pretty proud of that accomplishment.

Fighting Ole Satan off can be pretty hard some Sunday mornings but we know what a blessing always comes from our Sunday morning service at Slate Mountain Presbyterian Church!

We are thankful that Leslie and her family are there to worship with us and our sweet Morgan, all under one roof! That makes a Mama happy, ya know!

 

..........

Leslie has always been loved by so many people, I don't think the child has ever had an ememy in her whole life. Her friends and family have showered her with so much over the past 9 months, food, cards, prayers, love, company, gifts, benefits, money, prayers, etc etc etc......

and more prayers!

Yeah, she likes those prayers!!

We like her to be prayed over, too!!!

There have been people in her past who she had not seen nor spoke to since school and they came in jumping thru hoops to help wherever they could.

Family, same way, some that we never get to see have sent cards, gifts, prayers, etc etc.

Some that we never thought cared at all about us little people have rallyed together for a greater good.

Some, on the other hand, who should be there totally gave up on us and chose not to honor the family oath. Leslie does not deserve that treatment. Those people have been tossed to the wayside and are no longer burdening my life. I have way to much living and negative people don't have any room in my life.

Tired of wasting time begging for love from them and now I just continue to pray for them to see the light one day. I just wish they would stop talking about us in the mean time....that's all I have to say about that!

There have been so many in our extended families who have been brought closer together for one common bond, Leslie! For that I am eternally thankful!!

 

..........

Now that her treatments are over, she still has some minor cosmetic surgery and a port to be surgically removed someday, but her big job is to remain cancer free for 75 years!!!

Help me to continue to ask God to take care of my sweet Leslie and her little family!

She has so much to live for and she is a fighter and a winner!!

 

Thanks to all of you who have had any part in this battle!

May God richly bless you all!!!

 Robin, Leslie and I will be celebrating tomorrow!

Big celebration!!

Big!

Huge!

BIG!!!

love you guys,

becky

She was all smiles this morning after that last treatment!



Floyd French, Turkey Tracks and Juki Spiders.....

I had to show you this scrub top!

I told you that I had some cool new fabric from Michael Miller!

This is called Zinnia Path!

I fell in love with it when my eyes first hit it and went straight to the cutting table with the bolt!

I love every thing about it!

I am very proud of this one. This is probably my bestest one that I have ever made.
I cut it from another scrub top so that is always a risk. The other top was also an unfinished one from about 2 years ago so that was an even bigger risk! All I needed to do to the other one was sew the pockets on and yet they were not on there???? hmmm???

This placket area of the V-neck is always a problem area for me and a lot of others. I used to see a neat scrub on someone at work and I would go straight to see if the V was straight and I could tell if they were homemade or not!! Those girls probably thought I was staring at their cleavage!

I have over the years finally figured out how to make this placket come into a V and actually lay down! Big pat on my back from myself!

I was just pondering about a new quilting machine just last night.....pondering enough to dream really stupid dreams about it all night long too.......and I had decided that all I need is a powerhouse single stitch quilter such as this Juki that Amanda Jean has over at Crazy Mom Quilts. I decided that I do not need all those bells and whistles that my Baby Lock and my Bernina and my Kenmore already do and I never ever use all those fancy stitches anyway...................well why don't I use them? I was awfully happy when I bought all these machines because they did all these stitches but why??

So I played with some of the many stitches on my Baby this morning and found a favorite of mine that I will call "Turkey Tracks" and I put it right across the tops of my pockets just because I wanted to!!

I also did a fold down stitch down edging on the pockets that I will call Floyd French!

I live in Floyd County Va and it reminded me of a French seam but wasn't really French at all!!

Funny how my mind thinks isn't it?

ie. the spider in my new Juki quilting machine last night...........

I made some very very nice side slits on this one too.

Gotta have room for the belly when I bend over!



These old drab numbers just pale in comparison to my new fancy smancy top don't they?

Danny said that I was going to have fun for the first week at work showing off all my new clothes that I made!!!!! Well, maybe so!



I used to work in a sewing factory...imagine that??......and I would go to the mall and see a top or dress, what have you, and I would go home and whip me out a pattern (a rigged up pattern) and make the same top or dress. I used to come home in the afternoons and just make me a new top to wear to work the next day like it was nothing! Those were the days......why did I stop doing that? Maybe the family decided that they needed meals prepared or laundry done??? I dunno! Maybe it's all their fault that I don't have a nice wardrobe today, maybe they broke my good habits??

Just like it's my kids fault that I am fat!

I used to get my workout wear on and slap an exercise vhs tape in the vcr

and in about 2 seconds I would have 2 scantily clad little girls right under me donning their "lidtards" (leotards) and legwarmers!! hahaha I would get so frustrated that they were in my way that I would just go to the fridge and make me a sandwich or something and sit on the couch and watch the two of them working out in their lidtards! They would figure out pretty quickly that it was no fun and want what ever I was eating!!!
Then they grew up got married and have kids of their own!!!
HAHAHAHA!!!! Paybacks are fun!!






Here is my Newspaper Quilt that is in progress.

I am in such a habit of this quilting stitch now. I used it on my pinwheel quilt too. I WILL try something different on my next pinwheel quilt that I am piecing now.

I can do others but this one just feels comfortable to me.

I have been watching videos on youtube of different quilting techniques so watch out!







I love the back!

No I am not quilting it this way this was just staged for a picture!!!

I am a little over half way thru with the quilting.

I just realized that I did not have any binding fabric so I will make a trip to Schoolhouse Fabrics for some matching fabric....come to think of it...I bought the fabric for the border and did I not get enough for the binding too??? I have to hunt for that!

My new baby is here safe at home....

and she is still sleeping....shhshhh she had a rough trip home with her new mommy.

When she is awake we will show pictures.

Actually mommy is a little overwhelmed at the time with this new baby.

Her new Baby Lock that is!!!

We had quite a time yesterday.....long trip....had to get in lots of shopping too.

Well our kind of shopping that is....

antiqueing!!

Leslie spotted these 2 stores on the way down to Richmond and we had to stop on the way back.

They were all screaming "Please Mama"..."Please Granny" ..."we will be good and not let you buy anything"...........

This looks like Robin with a baby on board!!

I caught Leslie with her hands in the cookie jar!

She was also eyeing the cool primitive cabinet.

I don't know where she gets this from!!

Need I say more......except I already have this sink and no it is not attached to a wall anywhere!

Oh Danny!!

Look at those screen doors!!!!!!

Nothing a little Comet wouldn't scrub out!

We always have to check out the toilets!

Needs to be white and in my house!

Has to be white and in my house!

Oh No they are sooooo young to be acting like this!

I need a potting table like this! I do, I really do!

I have to go back with my truck cause this wouldn't fit on the top of my car......we tried!!

I need a new washing machine!

and a new dryer!

If the electric bills go up any higher I will have to go back and get these!

They are happy that they didn't have to ride on the hood and hold on to the stove!

Don't they think they are smart. Hurrying to beat me to the goods!

Cute greeting!

Three sweet little lambs!

Aaaawwwhhh!!!

The toilet....this one is my style!

Terri I was going to buy this for you because I knew you would love it. I knew you would have this table full of good homecooking and surrounded by happy kids!!
I couldn't get it cause they wouldn't let me!

Do I have room for just one more?

Anywhere?

I need this sign to send to my new grandson's house cause he is going to be called Bubba!!!
(southern boy ya know)

Slumber party at The Fairy's Rest..............

We have all been ate up with cabin fever so we took off for the weekend to The Fairy's Rest. We had some good Rummy games. I think Papa Danny was cheating here!

Good ole pot of potato soup simmering. It was only 9 degrees outside!!
Colton's turn!

The free sectional sofa with sofa bed came in handy!

The kids were so wired they didn't want to go to sleep. Colton kept telling Emma that there were bears outside to scare her. There are bears outside, which is the problem!!!!

My little Princesses!

a sneak peek at some of the decor now

I love this picture. It hangs above "my" bed. Morgan says it reminds her of Danny and I kissing and my cousin Debbie looking on. She liked Danny at one time too!!!

My incredibly talented daughter made these for me with her embroidery machine. Embroidered E A T on the same toile fabric that I made the kitchen curtains from. Thank you!!

Dining room curtains

Toile dish detergent apron.

I had so much fun collecting all of this Blue Willow Ware last year!

I love the monkey soap dish!

Black transferware plates hung over the stove.

Rooster pics from a clearance sale at Joanne Fabrics

More willow ware on top of fridge

"If you want breakfast in bed, sleep in the kitchen" sign hangs in my room

My Sam Toft print hangs in the living room. I love camping trailers and I love Sam Toft. I thought this was appropriate for a vacation home. I also have the same print hanging in my bedroom at home ;-) with the rest of my Sam Toft collection

This is a pencil of The Alum Ridge Schoolhouse that still stands just a few miles from my home. Robin and I went to a yard sale at a house in the next county and there were sketches for sale. Of course I had to inquire about them........the artist was the man of the house who used to own a local restaurant that we frequented. He had been crippled in a motorcycle wreck and started drawing afterwards. Of course I had to have an original!!

Shabby table that really needs a shabby lamp!

My bathroom!

My bedroom curtains made from a $5 linen shower curtain!

Cool huh?

My bed with my ebay chenille bedspread.

I will get better pictures sometime and do some before and afters on my other blog. I still have some tweaking in most all the rooms.......not enough time in a day!!!!!

We all really did have a good time on our slumber party at the cabin. The weather was so frigid but we were toasty warm and had a change of pace that each of us needed. The kiddos are back to school tomorrow and everyone else back to work, including me. I have a big long list of to do's for myself!!!!!! I feel refreshed and less depressed so maybe I can get some of those things done now!! I hope you enjoyed your little tour.