Beauty Tips~Gifts~News

Now that I am looking as awful interesting as I have ever looked in my life...well, maybe that poodle cut was pretty bad...I thought that I'd share some beauty tips. Bwahahahahahaha... I do crack myself up! 

I believe that I said I'd never share "bald me" and then promptly went on to create that profile picture of myself with a handkerchief tied around my head. Oh my. Guess it was a near promise. Hair...don't have much and am feeling pretty naked. Eyebrows grow more sparse daily. Eyelashes are a thing of the past. This is a huge problem not only because I look funny, but because stuff is always getting into my eyes. You would not believe how much those eyelashes of yours are protecting you! 

So what's a gal to do? I'll tell you what I did...I headed directly for You Tube where I found two videos that I especially enjoyed. I'm not going to embed them, but I will link to them. The first has great directions for eye makeup when one is challenged. The young lady doing this has such a chipper attitude in the face of alopecia. I think she's beautiful. 

1. How to Draw Realistic Fake Eyebrows 

The second is a woman in her 70s who looks fabulous by the end of her video, yet who looked 90 (if a day) when she began. I learned some good things from her and I enjoyed her ongoing chatter even when I didn't agree with a thing she was sharing. 

2. Get Ready with Me Over 70 pt 1

Want to share a couple of sunshine packages that I received in recent days. One is from Judy at My Front Porch and the other is from Cindy at Creations by Cindy  If you have never visited these wonderful bloggers, you'll find that they have things in common. They both love the Lord and they both share their beautiful families often.

These were delicious! (Even the poo poo pile.)

Thank you so much, Judy. You brought me many smiles and two yellow smiley face balloons are still hanging in here with me. 

Cindy tells me that she has taught this Bible Study. I am planning to read it since I can read it slowly taking my time. I haven't done homework in a very long time. 

Thank you, Cindy. It was so thoughtful of you to think of me.

A Marriage of Gifts...Judy's Chamomile Tea ran off and married Cindy's mug!

 
Oh and thanks to Michele from The Nest at Finch Rest who has me hanging around in an English Garden daily thanks to her gift from Jacquie Lawson. No matter what, I seem to be able to plant a flower or two. 




I could not believe it when I reached into my cupboard for my saucepan...I wanted to boil up a potato...and the pan felt heavy. Sure enough! Hidden under the lid was my Air Fryer pan. I have the feeling some prayers were said for it to turn up so soon. 

It's a full day of appointments and I have been invited out for supper so I will catch you later. Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful day...

Where Is It?!

Exactly! Where is it?! That’s what I’d really like to know. 

You see, in recent weeks, I have been dependent on others to do my chores when I am feeling poorly, which is about 75% of the time. My son Adam hauls all my trash to the transfer station and all my bottle recyclables plus he mows the lawn. My sister Kim does dishes, folds laundry, makes beds, and cleans carpeting. My daughter Laurel also does dishes, vacuums, pushes laundry, goes grocery shopping, etc.

And everything goes swimmingly until something goes missing as has happened just a few times. Today, Laurel was with me for the day as she waited for her car to be repaired.

me: Say, Laurel, do you remember what you did with my Air Fryer pan?

Laurel: Your what?

me: My pan. I need it. It goes with my Air Fryer.

Laurel: I don’t remember.

me: Well, if you were putting it away today where would you put it?

Thus begins a massive search, which yields nothing.

Laurel: Oh it will turn up.

Me: Yes, but sooner would be better than later.
Are you also responsible for my missing waffle fabric tea towel? I found it folded in 16ths in the stack of facecloths.

Laurel giggles but says it wasn’t she who did the creative folding. 

My long-handled tea spoons showed up in the back of the cutlery drawer. Everyone should know by now that they belong in the corner china cupboard!

When chatting with my sister, she says that probably my parents have a hand in this. Did your parents ever say ominous things like “Someday you’ll know what I’m talking about!” or “I hope you get a kid just like you!” 

Well both of mine did! It was not so many years ago that I was staying with my grandmother in my parents’ home while they got away to the lake for a week or two. I liked nothing finer than getting those two organized. ツ

One day, not long after their return, I received a call from my mother. She said with a fair amount of curtness:

What did you do with my trays?

me: Where did you keep them?

Mother: In the bottom drawer of the kitchen buffet.

me: Ohhh! Well I put those upstairs in the bottom drawer of my old dresser.

Stone cold silence... 
Finally...

Mother: You mean I have to run upstairs every time I want a tray? 

me: Well, that bottom drawer of your buffet is prime real estate and you don’t use your trays that often.

I think I heard a deep sigh.

Later that weekend, when I was hauling their trash for them, my father got in on the interrogation with a question of his own.

Father: What did you do with the oil I’ve been saving?

me: Now, Dad, you know it’s not legal to do what you do with it. (Dear Reader, don’t ask!)

Father: Where is it?!

me: I took it down to the fire station for recycling.

If looks could kill... 😕

So I guess that I deserve whatever little trials I am experiencing with lost items and I probably owe my parents an apology. No, that's a definite: I owe them an apology. I sure hope, however, that my Air Fryer pan shows up!

Just Give Me...

This very spot has been my family's "go-to" place since 1931 when my maternal grandfather gifted a cottage on Magaguadavic Lake to his bride my grandmother. Some folks have been impressed by the romantic quality of the gift, though, really, he was perhaps equally in love with the idea of fishing and hunting. ッ

My mother so loved this place that a photo of it is inscribed on her tombstone. I have been thinking of the lake a lot and am working on getting a passport of some sort so that I can visit Canada again after an absence of a dozen years or more. Perhaps, by the end of August or in September, I'll make it, Lord willing.

🌲🌲🌲

Some weeks ago, my friend Abby shared a video from You Tube with me. It absolutely blessed my socks off. I listen to it several times a week just to remind myself of its truth. It is entitled Just Give Me Jesus by Anne Graham Lotz in collaboration with Fernando Ortega. It is a wonderful description of The Lord Jesus Christ. 

Anne says, "...I don't want to escape, I don't want to quit, I don't want sympathy, I don't even want a miracle, Just Give Me Jesus."

Let me tell you how listening has helped me. I tend to run a bit "hot." By this I mean that I can feel like one more thing will do me in. Ever felt that way? This causes my blood pressure to rise, which causes difficulties for my health.

 Recently, I had to have a test for my heart. Now I don't like people in my personal space. Oh I can give hugs, but don't be in my face or space for very long. As you can imagine, this is causing all sorts of troubles for me with my current circumstances. Anticipating that test caused such anxiety that I feared a heart attack. Seriously. That morning, arriving early and sitting there in the parking lot, I listened to Give Me Jesus. I thought about each point Anne made. I concluded  like Anne,  just give me Jesus. He is everything I need and I told Him so.

The test went very well despite the fact that I had to be curled up on my left side next to the technician who, for over an hour, prodded and poked, scanned and scoped. Ackkkk... Ordinarily Accckkkk that is. That day, The Lord blessed me with His peace and even my blood pressure was normal. I have learned that going to The Lord first in every circumstance is always best. He has promised to be with me each step along my life's journey. I can honestly say that He has never let me down. He is an incomparable Savior.

Psalm 35

(If you listened to the last video I recommended, you'll know why I have been reading Psalm 35.)

I'll be away from blogging for a while, reading when able, but not commenting. Hold the fort!

P.S. Abby sent me this doodle inspired while listening again to Anne's message. I asked her for permission to add it; otherwise, I'd have had to ask for forgiveness. 

It Was Hot and Cold

Documenting only without commentary. I know that my family was not thrilled about picture taking. Comments will be closed again. 

the end...

Happy Birthday, America!

May your celebration be bright and blessed!

If you are a citizen of the United States, I have a strong recommendation for you. Make time in the next few days to listen to this presentation by David Barton as he teaches about the founding fathers. The presentation is Happy Birthday, America. It thrilled my heart and blessed my spirit.

Now scoot...don't you have a BBQ to attend? A parade to see? A beach to lie on? ツ

 (Comments are closed so that you can fully enjoy the day.)

Spending Time at Laurel's

Did I foolishly say that I wasn't going to yabber on about my current life circumstances? What in the world made me think that?! I mean really, it is all that is happening in my corner. I'll try to take it easy on you, but I do have just a few things to say. Just a few...

Sometimes appointments jam up so badly that it is a whole lot easier to head for Laurel's and hang out for a few days. She lives about twenty minutes from the cancer center where I receive both chemo and bone infusions and also physical therapy. 

Besides, she has these gorgeous Campfire Roses. These babies literally turn heads.

 ~Campfire Roses Row~

 Laurel also has a whole lot of road construction going on at her house...beep*beep*beep. No rest for the weary there so as tempting as it'd be to continue hanging out with Laurel and Charlie... The first night there, a water main broke just a half hour after the crew had left for the day. They came bacccckkk and were there until 2:22 in the morning fixing it. This all transpired just a few feet beyond Laurel's driveway...beep*beep*beep.*

Course at Laurel's, she makes supper. Perfect! That night, I do believe we had grilled new red potatoes and onions in foil packets on the grill with steak and green beans. Yup. I still love a prepositional phrase.

 And at Laurel's, Charlie likes to sit with me while I visit blogs and Instagram...

or take pictures of his ridiculously handsome self.

~facial rose~

 So you want to know about how things are going? If not, run now. I don't believe that I was adequately prepared for chemotherapy. They tell you things, but it is all so clinical until you are the one experiencing whatever it is. I have learned a great deal and I hope to be better prepared going into it next time, which is a week away. This coming week, I know that I will feel my best so I am trying to accomplish the things that need doing and have a bit of fun, too. 

One of the things that surprised me is chemo skin. I have it. My face is broken out and feeling fragile. I have good, expensive medications for this, but they don't seem to actually do much. You can see from the photo below that my skin and lips are not in great condition. Kitty sent me the facial rose above made from very soft yarn. It really feels good to gently wash my face using it. Thank you so much, Kitty. What an awesome, timely gift. 

~my poor face~

 The hat is from Abby. It belonged to an Auntie in the family and I am honored to be able to put it to good use. I wear it every time I am out and about lately as my eyes are so weak and watery that filtered light works best and this hat definitely provides that.Thank you, Abby! Such a thoughtful, on-point gift. I love this hat!

~my sister Kim~

 Now life is not without its fun. I have enjoyed time in a garden, lunch out with Kim and Laurel, time with my niece and her family and one on one time with my son that I have not had since he left home all those years ago. So, I feel spectacularly blessed.

While at the garden, I found myself wishing that I had the energy to dig a hole and plant this spirea in it. It would add so much light to a dark corner. Not this year; perhaps next!

Arriving home last night, I found this one red knock-out rose in my own garden. It's no Camp Fire rose, yet I was grateful. The doe has taken all the others, but she left me one. Sometimes that's just enough.

Thanks for reading, my friend. I hope that I kept my wits and didn't overshare. ☺

Have a blessed weekend and a wonderful Independence Day week ahead. 

Thank You is Not Enough!

I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let's face it, friends make life a lot more fun.

~Chuck R. Swindoll

  

                   

 (If anything in this post sounds odd, please refer back to the post just before this one for clarification.)

Thank you so much for all the encouragements, prayers, Scriptures, and expressions of love and caring. You simply bowled me over. Many of you have been there done that. I am finding it over and over again everywhere I go. 

When I visited my hairdresser to order my new hair 👱 (Yes, I did consider becoming a blonde or a redhead), she shared that she is going through some health issues. Her receptionist shared that she is a five-year breast cancer survivor.

I hesitate to share this next bit only because I don't want you  to think that I need care packages, yet because I have always shared happy mail, I continue, though really, I have all a gal could want in your visits and comments.

Today, when I arrived home from physical therapy, I found a happy package on my doorstep.

 So cute...so intriguing...so Debby!

It was a box within a box...

filled with a chemo cap, comfort socks, tea...

 (Emoji lovers unite!)

 and Burt's Bees lip balm, hand cream, soap and Walker's Shortbread Cookies!

When I was first diagnosed, I reached out to two blogging friends. One was Debby who was and is going through her own health issues. I knew that she would understand my situation perfectly. And I was right! She has blessed me with her humor, her faith, and her friendship. Thank you, Debby! Everyone should have a friend like you. (You can find her at My Favorite Things.)

Debby, I am ashamed to say it, but I am so sick of those bandages. Must get them back on asap, but oh they are driving me nuts!

And it is a short trip after this dude has been bugging me for weeks.

Acckkkk! At least, he's not a vulture trying to get in...

Have a wonderful weekend! 

P.S. Found! One sweet wee book among the tissue paper... 

A New Chapter

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you...

1 Peter 4:13

Isn't it lovely when one is welcomed back? Ha! I have been away from blogging for some time. Let's see if I can explain where I have been and what I have been up to. I have been very busy indeed.

Years ago, my mother-in-law (Laurel and Adam's grandmother) had an unfortunate 

accident. She had multiple sclerosis and so had challenges from time to time with coordination. On that particular day, she was in her car when she realized that she had forgotten something so attempted to hop out of the car to retrieve it. Unfortunately, the car was still in gear and knocked her down and dragged her over an abutment. The car fetched up, praise God, but she was hanging upside down over that abutment. She told me that her first thought was this: So this is how you die. Her second thought was to pray. I am happily able to report that that was not how she died for God miraculously answered her prayer. 

At the end of March, I was sitting in a doctor's examining room when he, as calmly as possible, said that we could not ignore "the elephant in the room." My first thought was this: That is a most unfortunate phrase. His next comment came as no surprise whatever. Cancer.

And so began all the usual tests and procedures from scans to biopsies to blood tests, etc., etc., etc. At first look, I was told that if one had to have cancer, mine was a "good" one to have. A simple prescription would clear it all up and I would only have to take that little pill for the rest of my life and all would be well. On second look, it turned out to be a whole lot more complicated. This means that I will begin a course of chemotherapy treatments starting next week. I have already been having physical therapy three times a week and have had a port placed for receiving my "cocktail."

This is not something that I wanted to share with my readers and I don't want this chapter of my life to take over my blog just as I didn't want losing John to take over my blog. This is not a blog about illness, grief or any other specific thing. It is a simple collection of simple days lived by a simple woman. ツ

I will probably continue to be purposely vague just like always and only provide snippets of things. You don't really think I'm posting pics of Bald Vee do you?! Horrors! (I have my hairdresser on speed dial.)

Now allow me to share a few photos taken this morning.

Purple on Purple

Everlasting and Red Azalea

Geranium Experiment and Ivy
Patriotic Pinwheel from Target

Beautiful Lap Quilt Gift from Abby

I'll probably be under that cozy gift next week. Abby told me to imagine that she and her friend Judy were praying whenever I am under it. I like that. And I know that you will pray, too. Don't be wimpy about it! A good thought is lovely,  but does not have the impact I am believing for. 

Leaving you with this beautiful Scripture that has been on my mind often. I first mentioned it here.

For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.

Job 14:7–9