Facebook Fridays. (A weekly round up)

Often life is so busy that I don't get time to write full blog posts but I do post smaller blurbs on Facebook and Instagram. Since one of the reason's I started blogging in the first place was to have an online journal of family life, I've decided to have Facebook Friday's here on the blog. It will be a place to gather my weekly social media posts together and make them easier to look back on. Some weeks you my even get the 'Directors Cut/Extended Version of those posts!

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I'm going to be spending the next few days cooking and baking to get ready for Amelia's baptism on Sunday.  I hope you all have a blessed weekend.

June 11:

After a difficult battle with cancer, one fought with dignity, grace and the sure knowledge of God's steadfast promises, the Lord called home my dear father-in-law (Corky Veldkamp) in the early hours of Friday morning.

So many of you have been keeping him in your thoughts and prayers. It has been a true comfort to all of us. We are so thankful to experience the communion of saints in this way.

17. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4: 17-18

 June 14:

Because sometimes you just need a sweet baby pic . . .

June 15:

We laid Henry's dad to rest yesterday. We had a beautiful service with a consoling message, Olivia's lovely voice and music from a packed church that brought me to tears.
It was a time for family and friends to take comfort from God's promises and each other.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct you paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
Dad is in his heavenly home now but before he left he met one last great grandchild . . .
I'm sharing about the day Amelia was born over on the blog today.

http://www.alifeofwhimsey.com/2016/06/it-was-6-am.html

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It's been a challenging week but, with God's help, in the company of family and friends and lifted up in prayer by those far and near, we have been comforted and strengthened.

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

  2 Corinthians 1:3-4 New International Version (NIV)

Out of Surgery and a Thank You . . .

I'm finding peace in the small details of God's creation today.

There's something about macro photography and the act of looking for beauty in the smallest bits of God's creation. There's a sense of wonder and astonishment that God cares for things down to the tiniest detail.

 Nothing is so small that it would escape his notice.

Psalm 95:4-5

4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.

5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 

 

Dad came out of surgery and, although it took him awhile to recover from the anesthesia, and a few, not unexpected, things came up afterwards, he had a relatively comfortable night last night. We are still waiting to hear how the surgery itself went. He was in an observation room overnight and will likely spend the day there as well.

 

I wanted to thank everyone for your sweet comments and prayers.  They are a huge comfort and encouragement to us all.

 

Praying for Dad V.

 Henry's dad is in surgery as I write this. The surgeon is removing 65% of his liver and his gallbladder today. If all goes well, in 6 to 8 weeks he will be in surgery again, to remove the tumor in his colon, the place where his cancer began.

 I wanted to write a beautiful post for him today, something to tell you how special he is and what an inspiration he's been to all of us with his wonderful attitude and steadfast faith.

But . . .

I don't have the words today. Instead my heart and mind is filled with prayer as we wait . . .

Philippians 4: 6-7

  6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

I'll leave you with dad's words as he was being wheeled into surgery: "I'm in the Lord's hands."

What getting Henna looks like

I posted a photo on Instagram last week showing the beautiful Henna I had done to celebrate 3 years cancer free.

It occurred to me that some of you might wonder just what it's like to have henna done, so I decided to show you.

We (Holly, Kim and I) were all fascinated by Maaike's work when we walked by her booth at the Thorsby White Barn Farmers Market  a few Saturdays back.

Henna by Maaike (click to get to her Instagram)

 Something I learned the first time I had my hands hennaed, was that henna has been practiced for over 5,000 years and some sources say even as long as 9,000 years! Because henna has a natural cooling property, desert people would make it into a paste and cover their bodies to keep cool. Over time they began to make beautiful patterns with it as well. It has been used by many cultures and the art of it is now available for anyone who loves to wear beautiful things.

I love the idea of celebrating such a special occasion with art I can look at for weeks on end. The best part is, it's not a tattoo. It's not permanent and each year I can have a different, beautiful design.

We sat and chatted with Maaike and her friend and were able to just enjoy spending time together as mom and daughter/in-law. It was a really lovely afternoon.

I made a very short little video showing you the fun we had.

Enjoy.

Melenoma. It's been three years . . . Annual test results are in . . .

It seems like yesterday and at the same time it seems like forever, since I was first diagnosed with melanoma.

Most days I don't think about it all that much. My leg, while it will never be what it was, gets me where I want to go and even lets me garden on my knees these days.  When my camera is in my hands I don't even think about my leg, even if I'm photographing a wedding for hours on end. It still acts up after I've been really busy, but I've been blessed by the fact that I can set my own schedule. I know that after a busy day on my feet I will spend the next day doing much quieter things. I'll hang out in my chair with my leg up and read books or watch video lessons on various aspects of photography. (On extra special days, I'll do 'research' for my fantasy digital pieces by watching The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings. Ahem . . .)

But these last few summers, as I get close to the time to have my annual x-ray, ultrasound and blood tests, I find myself feeling . . . a little uncomfortable. Kind of like there's a low level buzzing going on. I don't actually realize what's happening, I just feel like everything is just a bit too busy, too noisy, too out of control. I become overwhelmed much more quickly and peace gets harder to find.

Then it's time to take the tests and I wrap myself in God's promises as I visit the labs.

My melanoma doctor is wonderful. You know how normally when your doctor orders tests they don't call you unless there's something wrong? 'No news is good news'? My doctor's belief is 'No news is no news.' His office always phones with test results! Mine is good news once again. No sign of cancer recurring anywhere.

And then I realize where that discomfort and overwhelm came from. And that, for another six months I can let it go. (My check ups are every six months. Full on tests are once a year.)

This year, as I've been taking my Photoshop Artistry course I found my self creating things that showed how I felt, even though I didn't really acknowledge where those feelings were coming from.

It's oddly comforting. I made this piece after the news really sunk in . . .

Life is vibrant and filled with hope.

I had made it originally to match several others I had been working on and it love  the 'quieter' version as well but, something about the beautiful vibrancy, light and texture in the first one really appeals to me today.

Version one

These pieces were made while I struggled with those uncomfortable feelings of everything being just a little bit too much:

 

I find it interesting to see the differences in what I made.

 It's becoming clearer everyday that this is going to be an ongoing journey. I will never get rid of those 'uncomfortable, everything's too . . .'  times in my life becuase we are still living 'in the world' with all the hardship and sorrow that sometimes brings.

And that's okay. Because no matter how I feel, or what's going on around me, I know where my help comes from. That peace, and the joy that comes with it, are enough.

Psalm 121

A song of ascents.

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
⁸ the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

Relearning an Old Lesson. For the Umpteenth Time.

Things have been pretty busy around my house for the past several months. I'm starting to hate the word busy. I use it like it's a good thing. A good thing that I have no control over . . .

The truth is, I have plenty of control over how many things I say yes too. I also have control over how I choose to manage the things I say yes to as well.

I've been given the opportunity to do some really amazing things this year and I feel beyond blessed by them.

But . . .

Managing those wonderful things doesn't always go the way it should. More often than I care to admit, I allow myself to plunge into a project so wholeheartedly that everything else fades around me and I end up with things like this happening in my home:

My brain starts running faster and faster until I've totally lost my sense of perspective.

I was reading through my blog today, gathering a little info for something I'm working on and I came to this post . . . (click on link to check it out) It was a good wake up call.

Now if I could just figure out how to make this lesson stick!  

Sigh . . .

In the mean time . . . this young man is getting married in three weeks! Whoo Hoo!

Bridal Shower on Monday night. Time to get baking!

Enjoy your weekend.

It's not my Fault . . . and I have the Doctor's Note to Prove it!

It's been a month since I've blogged.

An entire month!

I started driving the bus and somehow, it just knocked me for a loop. I would get home, sit in my chair and hardly move for the rest of the night.

I couldn't believe how tired a two hour drive could make me. Truthfully, it started making me a little nervous. I mean, let's face it, there is no real physical activity to driving. Mental yes, but for the most part, driving just involves a whole lot of sitting.

I kept 'hitting the wall' (of exhaustion) and if it weren't for some wonderful ladies,  all the plant babies that came to my house over the last few weeks would still be languishing in their tiny little plugs. (And if you can believe it, 75 more showed up at my door yesterday morning! Oy!)

My drivers license is coming up for renewal on May first so I went for blood tests last week and made a doctor's appointment for yesterday morning.

The phone rings Monday morning, early. It's the doctor's receptionist. "We've got your blood tests back and the doctor wants you to come in and talk about."

Instant panic. All I can think, is that it has something to do with cancer.

Those were two very long days. Days I spent not getting stuff done that needed to be done. I was either praying or reading a book. I wish I were like my sister Lisa who becomes a cleaning whirlwind when something's bothering her. My house would be spotless this morning, rather than a disastrous mess. (There are  some clean utensils though, so that's something. Right???)

Waiting in the doctor's office turned me into a sweaty basket case.

He saunters in, gives me a cheery hello, and starts chatting about renewing my medications, forms I need filled out for my license . . . until finally, finally, he says " So, the blood tests are back and your iron is really low."

"My whaaat?!"

Hang on, wait, my iron is really low???

You mean I'm not exhausted because the cancer has come back??

"No, everything else came back excellent, but your iron is really low."

"How low?"

"4"

"Ummmm. . . what would a normal number be???"

"12 at the absolute lowest but really, closer to 100."

"100!!!?"

For crying out loud! That is the last thing I would have thought of. (although Henry did mention it as a remote possibility, the smarty pants.)

Turns out that you can't eat red meat once or twice a month without consequences. I am not fond of red meat. The only time I eat it is if we go to a restaurant that serves prime rib, or perhaps a nice beef dip. Or if I make spaghetti . . .

The prescription?  Iron pills three times a day for two weeks and then once a day for the next several months. LOTS of red meat. No tea, because the tannins inhibit iron absorption. :(

So. . . here it is, my doctor's note for bloggers:

"To whom it may concern, 

Rosa may not blog as often as she would like as her iron is very, very, low causing her to wish she could just go back to bed an hour after she gets out of it.

Please be patient with her. It can take six months or more for her iron levels to go back up."

Dr. Y

Okay, Okay, there isn't really such a thing as a doctor's note for bloggers, but if there were . . . He would totally write one for me. He's awesome that way.

I have a ton of posts backed up in my head, but, I also have a ton of work to do to get ready for my upcoming plant sale and there are a few fun photography projects on the books as well, so we will see what we can do.

I have been dropping by Facebook a little more often these days. It it is a lot easier (and quicker) to post little updates there.If you want to see what's happening, just head over to my Facebook page and hit the Like button to stay up to date. :D

That said . . . there are so many posts swirling around my brain that they've got to come out eventually, so . . . stay tuned! I'll be back as often as I possibly can.

Change is in the Air

It may nearly be Valentine's day, but at our house love is not the only thing in the air. . .

Reality. Cold, hard, reality knocked on our door a few weeks ago.

My business has not grown as quickly as I had hoped. Cancer and it's complications slowed me down considerably in regards to getting a business up and running. It also took a significant toll on the family budget.

After the surgery, it was several months before I could get back into the swing of things and once again pick up the household reins. I' m thankful for the fabulous job Henry and the kids did in keeping things going. We couldn't have gotten through as well as we did if they hadn't pitched in and just gotten things done.

But . . . Keeping an eye on the budget and our finances is my job at our house. Watching prices, looking for sales and planning our meals accordingly, paying the bills, keeping track of what's coming in and what's going out . . .  That's always been my job.

None of that happened while I was recuperating. The bills got paid of course, but the sharp eye you need when you are on a very tight budget just wasn't there. Truthfully, even after I was better I let things slip. I didn't want to think about restrictions, I just wanted to live life and enjoy it. Still rather modestly mind you, no wild and crazy trips to exotic locals or fabulous shopping sprees, just dinner out when we felt like it, very little forethought when grocery shopping and some rather self indulgent purchases for our home and personal hobbies.

While checking into our upcoming mortgage renewal, one thing became abundantly clear.

 More money was going out than coming in. Much more . . .

Time to act like a grown up again. Time to tighten the belt and start bring in more money.

So . . . although it startles me as much as it might startle you, I'm going to be driving a school bus again!

My leg may be cancer free, but since the surgery it's not quite the same as it was. If I stand around for much more that an hour it starts to swell. Not a lot, but enough to be uncomfortable. If I go longer than that without putting my leg up for a while, it starts to hurt. Sitting at my desk and working on my computer it seems to pinch the muscle that was moved so I have to work in bits and starts there as well. I have to be very careful not to get any cuts or sores on my leg. With the majority of my lymph nodes gone, an infection would be a serious problem.

That lets out a lot of jobs, even assuming I would want a regular job, which, quite honestly I don't. I'm not ready to give up on any of my dreams yet, but they need more time to grow. And more money . . .

Enter bus driving. I've missed the kids, but not the cold, early mornings or climbing on the hood to hack at the frost/ice on the windows. Then it came to me! What if I skipped the early morning thing and went straight to the afternoon???

When we first started driving  and we  still had small kids at home, Henry drove in the morning and I drove in the afternoon. Aside from finding nap time a bit tricky I liked driving in the afternoon. I didn't even consider it a 'job'. It was just a regular part of my day. If you would have asked me if I was a working mother I would have said no. Henry and I shared the route until Jesse started grade one.

  Driving twice? That's a job!

All of a sudden last week I thought. . . what if I went back to the beginning? What if I just drove in the afternoons? I would get my kid fix again, along with a regular dose of sunshine. I could also enjoy conversations with other women on a regular basis, something I miss being at home all the time.

Hmmm. . . Could it work???

I mulled it over and prayed . . . a lot . . .

Somehow, surprisingly to me, it felt right. I  had always thought  that going back to work would feel like I was going backwards.As though I had failed to achieve my dreams.

In actual fact though, I'm kind of excited about the whole thing. I'm wondering if the Dollar Store has any fun window clings and how John, who's driving in the mornings, will feel about me cluttering the bus up with all kinds of cute stuff. I'm hoping there are a few 5 and 6 year olds who like to chat.  Maybe even some slightly (only slightly though!) mischievous, older boys who will keep me quietly chuckling at their antics.

So, starting next Tuesday, I'm going to be driving a school bus every afternoon. I'm hoping my leg won't mind. ;D and I'm feeling incredibly blessed that this option was open to me.

Yes indeed. Change is in the air.

More Melanoma Tests. This One will be an Annual Occurrence.

I had my first annual abdominal ultrasound and chest X rays on Friday.

I wasn't at all worried about it until I was standing at the desk and noticed the phrase on the bottom of my requisition form.

Stage 3 melanoma.

Gulp.

Most of the time I can put that fact right out of my mind but waiting for yet another test brings everything rushing right back again.

I held it all together, determined that this time I would not cry during a test. I was doing fairly well too until it dawned on me that the ultrasound technician was spending an inordinate amount of time on my right side going back over the same areas again and again, while she zipped over the left side in no time. (The left side is were my melanoma was originally found)

I started getting a little nervous and my eyes began to leak a little. I wasn't crying mind you, just leaking a tiny bit. I may have had to blow my nose too but I think I'm getting a cold . . .

She went out to check the pictures, came back and asked me to sit up so she could take more in that position.

I started sweating. Was it getting hot in here?

Next stop X ray.

What in the world??? A full on xray and then only the right side??!

"All done!" my cheerful technician chirps "You should get the results by late Tuesday."

I went to the truck and cried. No leaking, just full on chest heaving, snottery nose crying.

I decided to treat myself to a very late lunch from Kentucky Fried Chicken. There is no eating or drinking anything for 6 hours before the test which had was at 3 in the afternoon and I was hungry!

I got home to discover they had forgotten the gravy. The gravy is the best part! My eyes may have started leaking again.

Thankfully Henry was home by that time and insisted we go out for an early supper (with real food) instead. Holly lucked out and got my chicken and Henry and I headed to my favorite restaurant.

 Joey's in Mayfield Common.

I love that man!

I got the call early this morning . . . All clear. No melanoma detected. Still cancer free!

The prayers of thanksgiving that went up!!

And all the attention to the right side? Well if I had had any sense at all and called my nurse friend Nicole she would have told me that's where all the organs are . . .

But even then . . .

Now I'm off to work on a very large rhubarb leaf grown by one of my neighbors. It's a beauty!

Stop back tomorrow at lunch time for a new feature Tamara and I are starting.

Travel Tuesdays- Adventures at Home and Abroad.

As you might imagine, mine will likely focus more on the 'At Home' and Tamara's on the 'Abroad' but we both firmly believe that adventure can be found anywhere.

Adventure is an attitude not a place on the map.

One Year. A Melanoma Update

It's been a year since I was first diagnosed with melanoma and many things have changed in my life.

I've had two operations, one of them major. I've had check ups, physiotherapy and more moles removed.

I spent months hanging out in my chair recuperating.

I was given the amazing news that I was cancer free.

 I went to the Northwest garden show with Tamara, held a plant sale, attended my first blog conference and enjoyed various adventures around the city as I became more and more mobile.

I took pictures. Lots and lots of pictures.

I signed up for several courses on a variety of topics.

I gardened. A lot. Seriously. Whaaay more than I ever dreamed of!

It's been a year.

My faith is stronger and my doubts and fears are weaker.

My leg will never be the same but most days it lets me do what I want to do.

I still get tired faster than I'd like, although, I constantly fool myself into thinking that my energy is limitless. . .

Would I change anything???

No.

There were many hard, scary things. Some things are still hard and scary.

God has brought me through this year with tender loving care. He was always with me. He is still with me.

What I received far outweighs what I lost.

To celebrate another year I wanted to do something beautiful. Something unusual. Something that would fill me with joy as I was reminded of God's faithfulness.

I choose mehendi.

Henna. It's an ancient art that has been used for centuries upon centuries in celebrations on the Asian subcontinent and thought to originate in Egypt.

Nicole came with me. It's been twelve years since she was first diagnosed with melanoma. She too is cancer free.

Nitasha, our talented henna artist.

The paste is starting to dry.

Isn't it beautiful?!

Nicole choose something small for her leg as she had a family wedding to go to a few days later.

Trying to keep the dried paste from falling off was tricky as we enjoyed drinks on Whyte ave.

Wrapping my arms in paper towel and saran wrap. No washing for 24 hours. Someone else will have to do the dishes!

The finished product after the paste was removed and it had had a few days to darken.

 This just makes me so happy every time I look at it!

It's beautiful, hand crafted art. A reminder of the many blessings that have been showered on me this past year.

I'm pretty sure it's going to become an annual event.

I'm off to B.C. early tomorrow morning. I get to stay for a week, visit with my sisters and hopefully have an adventure or two.

I'm not sure if I will be able to post while I'm gone. It will all depend on my ability to get to a computer with a good internet connection. Tamara's is has been very temperamental in the past so we will see. I will post pictures on Facebook though . . .

  If you 'like' A life of Whimsey's Facebook page  you can share in my adventures.

Otherwise I'll be back next Monday!

The Lesson I'm Learning from Cancer. Again.

I woke up this morning to a brain seething with activity.

In the last month I have registered for seven different intensive online courses that range from Photoshop artistry to video blogging.

It's exciting! And overwhelming. Plus, these courses need to be paid for.

So, the brain goes on overdrive.

 Maybe I should offer a week of mini consultations at the end of June to help cover the cost?

Wait, what about strawberries? Are there any left out there? I wanted to make jam and freeze sliced strawberries with vanilla bean.

I should bake this morning. Bread, some kind of coffee cake and maybe Henry's favorite peanut butter cookies.

What am I making for supper? I have leftover ham. It should be something interesting though. I can't serve ham and potatoes for the third time. Better google some recipes.

Hang on, I've got all these courses to work on today, I don't have time for all that!

An intense twinge in my leg stopped me cold.

It was time to take a deep breath.

I've been getting rather painful twinging more often in the last little while. I had thought they were signs of feeling returning to my leg. Until late one evening, while getting a small ice pack ready to rest my feet on, (Yes, I still get the odd hot flash in my feet.) I realized that I couldn't feel the cold on my leg even though the ice pack was right against my skin. I found that kind of intriguing (and a little weird) and thought I would use this to test just how much of my leg was numb. Because I can feel pressure (in my leg) as well as sensation (in my hand) when I run my hand over my leg, I can't get an accurate idea that way.

 The test shocked me. I thought I had feeling in my knee and most of the back of my leg. It turns out that I have no feeling in my knee and only in a small strip right in the middle of the back of my leg.

I've started to realized that I may never get that feeling back and that the twinges may be permanent.

The past week has been a difficult one as I struggled with how to accept this. I know in my heart that everything comes from the Lord and is all a part of His perfect plan for me but that doesn't mean I don't still struggle with accepting his will with a glad  heart.

That twinge this morning brought me up short.

The intensity with which I pursue the many things that interest me is both my greatest strength and my greatest weakness. I become so focused on those things that need to be learned or done right now, that I stop living each day with joy, looking for ways to show my family and friends how much I love and cherish them. I instead become consumed with trying to make every moment of the day count. I start to resent taking time out of my day to run for groceries, visit someone for tea, snuggle Henry, or take more than 15 minutes getting dinner ready if I can't get away with saying "Help yourself."

I think one of the biggest lessons I've learned from my experience with cancer has been that the things that matter most in life are  the people and how we love and cherish them. The other is that we are valuable for who we are, not what we do. You have no idea how hard that last one is for me. I no problem valuing others for who they are rather than what they do but when it comes to showing myself that same grace?

 Not so much.

Obviously the two things that go first when I  start hyper focusing on something are those two lessons.

As I was lying in bed, praying about all the difficulties my leg has been giving me,  it suddenly occurred to me . . .

I could look at my leg pain as a terrible burden or a blessed gift. A gift that would continue to remind me of those hard earned lessons that I seem to so easily forget.

Instead of heading straight to the computer after breakfast I ran downstairs, woke up Holly and the two of us went on a spur of the moment adventure to Fort Edmonton before she had to work later that afternoon.

We had the loveliest time. We strolled around, stopping here and there, ending up at the Selkirk Hotel for lunch. She and I shared a brushcetta  and balsamic vinegar glazed, grilled cheese sandwich on swirled rye bread. It was so good, I asked our waitress to find out what brand of balsamic vinegar they used so I could try to recreate it at home.

And I am going to make to time to actually do it.

Joyfully.

Cancer Changes The Way You Think . . . About Everything.

Cancer really does change the way you think. The way you see the world and your role in it.

At least, it has for me.

I'm no longer willing to let the little things drive me crazy . . . most of the time. (Ahem. shockingly, I'm still not perfect . .)

I no longer assume that kissing my husband, hugging my kids or telling someone I love them, can wait until tomorrow.

Letting fear dictate what I will or will not try seems incredibly foolish now. It doesn't mean I'm never afraid, I often am. I'm just not willing to let that stop my from trying . . . anything.

There are so many things I want to see, learn and do.

I may not like them, or even be particularly good at them. But that's not going to keep me from trying. Not anymore.

I've got a sale coming up in April that my sister-in-law Leona and I are hosting along with a friend . I'm having a great time coming up with new products to sell. Will people buy them? I'm pretty sure they will.

There's no guarantee though . . . but, I'm willing to risk it.

I'm having a plant sale in May regardless of the uncertainties. If I can't keep up with all that's needed for a fabulous plant sale??? I'll have a smaller plant sale . . . or call in friends and family to help.

I'm still taking my camera everywhere. I have so much to learn it boggles the mind. I might never do much more than take 'nice' pictures . . . but I'm willing to do the very best I can regardless.

The home I keep for my loved ones has become more precious. The food I cook more worthwhile.

The garden an expression of God's majesty. My way of showing the world around me the beauty of His creation.

I've always loved to write. To tell stories. But I didn't go to university. I don't have a degree in English  My grasp of the proper use of punctuation is tenuous at best. (Something you already know if your a regular reader . . .) Spell check is my dearest friend.

Writing and letting people know where I write or what I write is scary.

 Very scary.

The time has come to push past scary.

To change. To take blogging and maybe even story writing, seriously.

That means writing and telling people about my writing. Visiting and talking to other writers. (Scary stuff  for an introvert people!)

My first step?

Something big.

I'm revamping the blog. Updating the look and . . . and  . . .

Giving it a new name!

When I started blogging five years ago it was to challenge myself to write something everyday for a year. I was a gardener. I wasn't quite middle aged.

Diary of a middle aged gardener.

It was cute.

A few months ago my cousin Faith sent me a card in which she mentioned that her family knew me as the middle aged gardener. It gave me quite a shock.

I am a middle aged gardener!

Somehow it's not so cute anymore . . .

I began tossing out ideas for new names. Most of them ridiculous.

Then Holly came up with' A life of Whimsey'. Because, she said, it made her think of me.

Hmmmm. . .

Google the definition of whimsey . . .    A quaint or fanciful quality. Yes, that sounds about right. Why else would I decide to use the alternate spelling of whimsy? Spell check is not my friend in this case!

As we speak, I have a lovely designer working madly on a new look for my blog. The hope is to have it in place before next Thursday.

Because that's the next part of the plan. The super scary, don't forget your inhaler part of the plan . . .

I'm going to a three day blog conference. By myself! To talk to strangers. Alone. . . .

Thankfully, the one thing I have learned over these past months is that I am never alone.

Philippians 4:13

New International Version (NIV)

¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

In honor of all this change I felt it was time to update my picture. After all, the one on my sidebar was five years old and I would hate to be accused of false advertising!

Holly was my makeup artist, hairdresser and stylist. We had a plan. We headed to the dog park with Jada and a camera.

Jada stayed in the truck while Holly grabbed the camera and I headed for the nearest tree.

Now what?

"Do something mom!"

"Don't put your hand on the tree for every shot!"

We didn't have a plan . . .

But eventually, after many, many pictures . . .

We got a few good ones.

Don't you love my facinator? Holly bought it for me after my first surgery.

I'm so excited about the new look and the new name.

A Life of Whimsey. filled with homekeeping, gardening, photography and adventure.

I hope you all like it as much as I do.

Can You Believe It's Been Three Weeks?!

Of all the things I assumed I would not be able to do after my surgery, blogging was not one of them!

After Morgan and Jesse bought me my tablet, I was positive blogging from my chair would be a breeze. . .

Who knew how hard it would be to type on a tiny touch screen, or that I couldn't load  my pictures onto the tablet?

Who knew that  I would be able to put my own socks on long before I would be able to sit at a desk for more than a minute or two?

However. . .

It's finally happened.

I am once again able to sit at my desk for an hour or so without  serious discomfort.

Whoo Hoo!

So people. . .

I'm back to regular blogging. I won't promise a post everyday because I still poop out by early afternoon but . . .  if I don't start writing some of the posts swimming around in my brain my head is likely to explode!

How am I doing these days???

My drain has been out for just over a month now and I am happy to report that it hasn't caused problems at all.

I went to the lymphodema clinic twice a week for nearly three weeks, first learning how to do the lymph massages for myself and then getting regular massages from the therapists. At my last visit I was told that I may have escaped lymphodema (for now) and I am to visit again at the end of this month for further assessments. I still massage at the end of the day and wear compression bike shorts at all times but there is a possibility that it might not be forever. (And even if it was. . . if that was the worst of it. . . I would be incredibly thankful!!)

I can now do the stairs normally at least once in the day and my leg bends a little further every day. Still can't bend down too far or sit on the ground but . . . everything in good time.

I have been getting out and about, baking, crafting, taking pictures and even doing the laundry again. A fact that thrills Henry to no end.

 Housekeeping is not his forte.

Mine either . . .

See you all on Monday!

Jada LOVES it when I bake.