Hello 31 and Adios Radiation

Happy #31 to Jordy on May 23! Sam had us all over for a celebratory dinner. Sam also showed us his guitar skills by whipping out an original tune.

On Tuesday, May 21 Manny rang the bell to celebrate his last radiation treatment! We are now gearing up for him to start soon the more intensive intravenous chemo which lasts for 5-6 hours once every two weeks. Last night we visited OHSU for a new MRI. The appointment was for 6:30 pm; due to the Memorial Day holiday we sailed through I-5 setting a new time of arrival record. Appointment ran late so we didn't make it home until almost 8 pm.

Here's an update on my crafting obsession:

Fabric horns and decoupaged body of my antelope.

Picked up a $1.99 box bench from Goodwill which screamed for a makeover! Following is the original cougar fabric:

Recovered the seat with an old velvet throw.

Covered the box with burlap and a strip of suede-type fabric from the lining of the quilt.

Picked up a ceramic hand from  Goodwill and added a mama and baby chick to it.

Pulled together Dollar Tree ribbon and yarn to make a bird tassel.

Another GW find - repainted the welcome message and placed it out front.

June is going to be here soon! Hello Summer!

Chasing Me To My Grave

Antiques Roadshow is one of my favorites to watch. I recently saw a program based in Louisiana where a guest had brought in a Winfred Rembert painting done on leather. The appraiser talked about the artist and how he had survived a lynching then learned the leather painting when he was in prison. All of his artwork are based on stories from his life. It wasn't until he was in his fifties he began selling his art which depicted the beauty and ugliness of the South. The appraiser mentioned a memoir of his life; it so intrigued me that I went right to Amazon and ordered it.

Took me two days to read  through "Chasing Me To My Grave: An Artist's Memoir of the Jim Crow South" and it was a sad, shocking, hopeful, and inspiring story. It actually won the Pulitzer Prize. There's a documentary about his life that's on my watch list to view soon.

If I remember correctly, the appraised value of the guest's painting was about $50,000. 

Enlightening book that makes you think about the human race and the surprising depths a white person can sink in his treatment of another human being.

Winfred (now deceased) holding one of his leather paintings

Two Days Left!

Hard to believe there are only two days of radiation and chemo pills left for Manny! The next step will be 2-3 weeks off then he will begin one 5-6 hour session of intravenous chemo every two weeks along with a portable intravenous chemo drip for two days before removal. But no more M - F daily visits to OHSU - yay! We met with the medical oncologist on Friday and he said Manny is among the 15% who have had no side effects from radiation and the chemo pills. Here's hoping the intravenous treatment goes just as smoothly.

Last weekend we attended Monica's son Jordan's last flag football game. These are middle school kids and the size difference in the same age groups are amazing. Jordan is a little fella and he was up against boys that were close to six feet tall with whiskers!  

On Sunday Sam, Jordan, Christian, Jimmy and Hazely stopped by for a Mother's Day lunch. Jordan gifted me a gnome village, Jimmy gave me a fuschia plant, and Sam gave me a hanging plant post. I also received a hanging plant from Monica. 

Hazely singing Let It Go!

Jordan Gnome Village

I added a glass ball to the post

Still strong enough to lift up Sam!

Mother's Day plants and post

Candy loves faryies so I repurposed a porcelin doll into a wizard fairy for her.

Spurred on by a friend commenting on my "silver" hair, last week paid a visit to hair goddess Abbie to get my hair trimmed and colored.  So much better. She does leave a few silvery white streaks in there but beat the rest into submission.

Last Friday picked up a $10 large birdcage off of Facebook Marketplace. The lady was getting rid of it as her pet "chicken" didn't care for it. Cleaned and repainted it, added a vase, nest, and bird and now it's adorning my dining room table.

Painted a bird based upon the bird seed sack, then repurposed the bag into a shopping bag.

Today cleaned and organized the spare room as the bed was buried with numerous craft supplies and projects.  Although no one has slept in it, changed the bedding and freshened the covers.

This afternoon decided to paint the dreary, dingy, and downright ugly knife block. Looks brighter with more personality (as much as you can expect from a knife block) so it received a reprieve and can remain on the counter.

Have a great week everyone!! ❤️

Chemo and Crafts

We are now at the halfway point with Manny's radiation treatment. Doctor's say he's doing awesome! He also hasn't experienced any nausea or other side effects. 

Aside from my daily OHSU Portland commute M - F, I've filled my time with organizing, including cleaning our two junk drawers, bathroom cupboard (including fixing the broken door), and crafting my butt off as usual.

Here's the most recent crafts:

Rag Wreath

Revised the porch flower bed

Bird wreath for front porch

Beach display by front porch

Tiny bench for the tree

Rooster fabric painting 

Gnome garden 

Gnome garden next to large tree

Another wreath for out front

Dollar Tree birds painted and nest

Jimmy and Hazely on Easter

We now have ducks visiting

Was raking by the tree and discovered a Juicy ring

Manny's daughter Monica is on a soccer league so we watched one of her games last week

On the way home from Portland on Tuesday, made at stop in Woodland to visit the Rose and Thorn Boutique. Had never been there before but it was right up my alley. Lots of beach and bird items that were reasonably priced. Picked up a couple of sewing machine drawers to repurpose. Will definitely return.

Drawer waiting for its transformation!

That's it for now! Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there and especially to my mom in heaven - miss you every day!! ❤️