Picking up the pieces

This past year and a half has been a rough one for me and my family.  And now my beautiful, sweet Mom passed away suddenly on Monday, May 6 after a brief illness.

My Mom was more than a mother to me, she was also my best friend.  We enjoyed doing many of the same things, going to the same places.  She taught me to sew, to cook and bake, to garden.  We shared recipes, quilt patterns and more.  My love of local history comes from her sharing her stories with me, of introducing me to historical homes and villages from a very young age.  My Mom loved lilacs but never got to see them bloom this Spring.

We spoke every day on the phone, about everything and nothing.  She was always the first person I called for advice.  She instilled in me a love of family and home, of what is truly important.  My Mom would do anything for anybody.  Right up to the end, she worried about me and my cancer, not wanting me to visit her at the hospital for fear that I would pick up a virus due to my compromised  immune system.  I went anyway, just as she would have done.  She made sure I had homemade soup for my bad "chemo" days, when that's all I can manage to eat.  I'm still trying to imagine living in a world where she is no longer there.

My last chemo treatment is scheduled for later this week.  It will be bittersweet for me because Mom wanted so badly to see me finish treatment and be cancer free.

Mom,  I will miss you every minute of every day for the rest of my life.  I will miss your smile, the sound of your voice, your laughter.  I love you so much.  Until we meet again ... xoxo

Winter Journal

We've had a lot of snow this winter.  I haven't ventured outside of the house much but have sat by the window and watched the snow softly fall.  The garden takes on a different look in the winter as the snow gathers like cotton balls on bare branches.  But as much as I love these images, I confess that lately I've been dreaming about Spring.  Now that March is here, it won't be long until the snow melts and tiny green shots begin to appear.  Truthfully, I can't wait.

My chemo has gone well; the tumour is now small enough to be removed and I'll be having surgery in a couple of weeks.  I'll still need to continue with chemo after surgery to kill off any remaining cancer cells but I'm beginning to feel a little better, a little like my old self.  I'm looking forward to dusting off my camera and taking photos again.  I've missed my camera.  A lot.

Thank you for your continued prayers and good wishes.  While I haven't felt up to being online much, your comments and emails mean so much.  I'm truly grateful for each and every one of you. 

See you soon.

xoxo,
Lynda

Getting by with a little help from my friends

Dear friends,

It's been a crazy month since I last posted!  I've moved back here to Blogger and I'll explain why in just a moment.  If you've been forwarded here from lyndanaranjo.com, you're in the right place.  While I was able to move my posts over, I lost all your lovely comments and I am sorry for that.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I hadn't been feeling well for several months and had been undergoing tests.  Around mid-December the pieces started to come together and over the holidays, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  This came as quite a shock for a number of reasons.  Mainly because my husband battled cancer last year and just finished his treatment at the end of October but also because I had had a pelvic exam in June and it was normal.  So when I began having issues of indigestion and stomach problems, ovarian cancer was not even a consideration until several months later.

I start chemotherapy this week and will receive 3 treatments, 3 weeks apart.  I'll then be scheduled for surgery and have another 3 chemo treatments after that.  I'm going to lose my hair, which I know is a small price to pay but ...  I believe 100% that I am going to beat this!  I'm already planning that by the summer, I'll be out in my garden taking photos.

Speaking of photos, my photography has been shelved for the rest of 2013.  My Etsy shop remains closed and I will not be updating my Facebook page.  I plan to blog when I'm able and will visit your blogs whenever I can.  You'll probably find me on Pinterest regularly too. And if you like, you can friend me on my personal Facebook (just leave a note in your friend request letting me know you read my blog, otherwise I may not accept the request!).  It's easy for me to update Facebook and Pinterest from my iPad.  Right now I spend a lot of time laying on the couch with a heating pad.  It's the only time I'm comfortable.

And that is why I decided to move back to Blogger.  While I was happy with having a self-hosted blog and website, it's not something I need at this time and it was a lot more work.  I just want to be able to blog now and again without thinking of backing up my site and dealing with the huge amount of spam that comes with self-hosting.  Blogger is much more simple and I need simple right now.

I also have a wonderful update for you!  Bobby saw his oncologist yesterday to get the results of his tests that he had over the holidays and he is cancer free!  He'll continue to be monitored every 6 months for 3 years and then annually for 2 years.  So if he can beat it, so can I!

Normally, I don't like to post without including a photo but this time I've had to make an exception.  I know I don't need to ask for your prayers and positive thoughts because they're already there and I'm so grateful to each and every one of you.  As my post title says, I'll get through this with a little help from my friends!

xoxo,
Lynda

Life happens again

Hi everyone!  Last week I promised you an update, but this won’t be what I had in mind!  First of all, I wanted to bring you up to date with Bobby’s progress.  His last chemo treatment was October 31 and he’s slowly recovering but still feeling many of the side effects.  We were told it could take 3-6 months for the effects of the chemo to leave his body.  Each week brings more improvement and he’s scheduled for tests at the end of December to determine if the chemo killed off all of the cancer cells.  Until we get the good news that he’s cancer free, we’re still kind of holding our breath.

So why haven’t I been blogging?  Well, it’s my turn to be sick.  I’ve been having digestive problems since May which kept getting progressively worse until mid-September when they got really bad.  I was spending 3 or 4 days doubled over in pain almost weekly.  I’ve lost close to 30 pounds (not the way you want to lose weight believe me!) and I still can’t eat properly.  The pain isn’t as bad as it was but it’s still there on a daily basis.  While no longer excruciating, it does interfere with my daily activities.  After 6 months, I still don’t have a diagnosis.  I’ve been through 2 extensive rounds of tests with more on the way next week.

Every week, I kept hoping that this would be the one when I could get back to blogging and resume my life.  After seeing my doctor yesterday, I realized that isn’t going to happen … at least not for awhile.  So I’ve decided to take an official blogging break until I can get back on my feet again.  This was a hard decision because I have so many plans for this little blog, but honestly, I just don’t have the energy to keep up with it right now.  So my plans will just have to wait a little while longer!

It’s been a really tough year for my family and we’re hoping that 2013 will bring good health to everyone!  I’m going to miss you all so much but hope to see you soon.

Wishing you and your families the peace and joy of Christmas.

xo,
Lynda

It's time to get cosy!

Yes, it’s been awhile … again. I’ll bring you up to date in a few days (promise!) but for now I wanted to let you know that the latest issue of Homebound magazine is now available.  I’m honoured to once again be a contributor to this gorgeous magazine, created by the fabulous Heather Anderson.

This issue is chock full of cosy Christmas decorating ideas as well as recipes.  This is the time of year that makes me want to spend all day decorating my home and filling it with delicious smells from the kitchen.

The free e-zine version can be viewed on Heather’s blog here.  You can also purchase the full print version for just $19.95 here or the full digital version for $3.95 directly from Post Road Vintage.

Am I back blogging again? I sure hope so … I didn’t think I’d be away this long!  See you in a few days.

xo,
Lynda