Christmas Soulwork

C sent me this shot recently....her first Christmas tree in her new apartment.  Friends, remember that feeling?

These were always suppose to go on her first tree.  Every year I have made an ornament for each child,  so they would have a little of Christmas Past to take with them when they went off on their own.  Where has the time gone?

*****

Spoiler alert....here comes this year's ornaments:

T + S

C

M

B

Celebrate Life

This weekend a fellow survivor succumbed to a vicious reoccurrence.  As I pray for her and her family, I also thank God that I am healthy, and ask for guidance on how to live a life worthy of survival.  I will never have it all figured out, but this I know for sure:  God loves us and wants us to be joyful.  So, friends, armed with that knowledge, I celebrated life this weekend simply by being intentionally joyful.

I wished a very dear friend happy birthday with lunch at our favorite antique shop.

 Big T and I had dinner with some wonderful friends.

I began shopping for  Christmas celebrations...

...baked cookies for family and friends....

...wrapped gifts...

... and strung the lights.  All the while thanking God-- for heaven for her and health for me.  Amen.

B's Gingerbread Lane

Every Christmas season I look forward to Gingerbread Lane, a fun day of shopping, lunch and voting for your favorite gingerbread creation....all to benefit a great cause.

I used to go with B, but now that she is away at school, I go with some of my best gal pals.  

My favorite was the one made by Andre's Chocolatiers....it smelled so good!

In KC, we love our Chiefs...

Very original and creative...check out those red noses!

We stared at this one for a long time...so unique!

The characters looked exactly like the Christmas special.

The winner!  B, which one gets your vote?

Dance !

Big T has been trying to get me to take dance lessons our entire married life.  We finally have time to do it.  (Three cheers for the empty nest!)

Our instructor is an incredible teacher. He breaks the whole process down into very simple steps. And man, can he dance.

Tonight was lesson number 3 of the push PULL (aka swing) dance.  Our instructor guarantees that we can dance to almost any song with this one.  Please don't drop me, Big T.

The neuropathy in my feet has improved so much thanks to time and accupuncture....but I am still really happy to have Anyi Lu shoes.  I can confidently dance all night in these!  

Chicago Confirmation

Recently I was in Chicago for my handsome nephew's Confirmation.  This kid reminds me so much of my son T....talking to him is like going back in time....and witnessing his strong faith is an inspiration. I was honored to be his sponsor.

My first stop in Chi-town was Bistrot Zinc in  Gold Coast....fabulous French cuisine, excellent wine list and superb service.

Sister number 1, my nephew, C and I all left there fat and happy.

Sister number 1 is an avid needlepointer, so the next day we took a field trip....loved this shop.

That night I felt like I was in Germany instead of on the South Side for this deliciously authentic  homemade meal.  The apple strudel was amazing.

They had so many cool steins (and beers)...

I was inspired to order this for Big T....at least one Christmas gift checked off the list! 

The Confirmation was Sunday afternoon.  Sister number 2 threw a great party after the mass.  We sisters  love a celebration....and toasting my Godson on his Confirmation was definitely worth fighting for.

My Favorite Things

Friends, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I may have overdone the feast a bit, and have struggled the entire holiday with my "new normal" body.  Every now and then, even though I am so very grateful to be alive, I will become really frustrated by what cancer did to my body.  I know I am not alone in this, and we all have our own ways of dealing with it.  

For me, I try to focus on why I fought so hard in the first place to stay alive:  my family. 

Just as I knit these baby blankets when I was going through treatment to remind myself of all the wonderful things my future would hold (read:  grandchildren), I try to bring my mind back to those happy thoughts when I start feeling overwhelmed by how cancer has changed my body and my life.

Wouldn't my future grand child look so cute sitting on this blanket for their baby  portrait?  (Please note that M, above, is not sitting on a blanket at all, and I didn't even realize it until the photo was framed and hung next to his brother and sister's that do have blankets. But I digress...)

Thankful List 2016

Last night we had four of our five home with us.  Big T and I were in heaven.  I am so thankful for my family.

Those four love pumpkin pie....so I made this with my mom's homemade crust recipe.  I have since decided that life is too short to make your own pie crust.  

Sister Number 1 swears this tastes the same as mom's.  Never making one from scratch again.  I am so thankful for my sisters.

Don't let these two fool you....they ate the entire leftover pumpkin pie off the counter last night. (Did I mention it had a homemade crust?) Not so thankful for them right now....

This makes the most flavorful, moist bird.  Even I cannot mess this up....and that is something for Big T to be thankful for.

B and I will be watching this on November 25th.  We cannot wait. I am so thankful for my girls! 

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!  Enjoy!