Think Pink

I know, I know, long time no blog~In fact, I haven't even been lurking.

But here is some quiltiness from the Wilted Quilter.

As you know, Libby has started the Folk Art Gathering Gals which I am a proud member. I must say that I like prim for its quirkiness and most of all forgiveness when quilting but I'm not always a big fan of the brown, brown, browns. When I started to pull fabric for this project I kept pulling brights. I felt that I was channeling Freddy Moran! So, I decided to go with it and bought several pairs of sunglasses for the gals in the group, in case, the bright got out of hand. LOL! As you know, this is a Cheri Payne quilt. I love the quirkiness of the blocks and applique, the ability to "do my own thing" yet stay true to the pattern and I hope that this "Cheri & Freddy" collaboration will meet their awesome standards.

As you can see, I'm in the pink on this one and there is a good reason for that. Just after joining the Folk Art Gals, I received some life changing news. I have gone back and forth with posting this info but since it is such a HUGE part of my life now, I've decided to put it out there. I was diagnosed with breast cancer right before my vacation in July. I found the lump myself. (Yes, you will know when you find something so start squeezing the melons!!) Thankfully, it was small but the cancer cells had spread to some of the surrounding tissue which meant not only surgery but chemo and radiation. With my doctor's blessing, we went on vacation so that we could process everything before I started down this unknown highway. We had a wonderful time, got to see that Alex was ok and when I got back I was ready to face this lump in the road head on. I had a lumpectomy in August. I have done two rounds of chemo with two to go which will be followed with 4 weeks of radiation.

Cancer and cancer treatment is a personal journey. I believe 90% of it is mental. Positive thinking is key. My oncology doctor and I believe that this is curable but the treatment has to be heavy duty to achieve the goal. I am taking one day at a time and dealing with WHAT IS and not thinking about WHAT IF. I have a huge support system, including some of you out there in blogland who I have shared this and that makes a huge difference. I am also one of the few lucky ones that has a stomach of iron so that chemo has been easier. Oh, there are days when I feel like total crap and want to curl up in a ball and cry but for the most part, I get up every day, put on my big girl panties, plop my new friend "Beth" on my cranium and head to work like everyone else.

I am still working with my super duper trainer, Kyle, three days a week. He is absolutely in the top three of my supporters. If he wasn't waiting at the gym for me at 7 AM, I would not be there or feeling as good as I do on most days. Surprisingly, the workouts help tremendously. It makes me feel strong and I feel I can conquer the world and cancer. I still do laundry and food shopping and cleaning, just like all of you, though DH has picked up a HUGE portion of the work load leaving me time to rest and quilt when I feel up to it.

Sewww, that's that. In closing, here's a recent pic of my gorgeous son before he drove back to Colorado last week, me, and my new friend "Beth"!

QUILT TIL YOU WILT!!