We're Still Smiling!

A HUGE thank you to everyone who commented, emailed and called in the past weeks. It means so much to John to I!! We feel so loved :)

We are trying to stay very positive and we're definitely still smiling.... (and acting goofy as you can see here)




These pictures were taken by a friend last Sunday at a party for one of my co-worker's daughter's Voneelu.

If are you aren't familiar with this Indian tradition - it's very much like a Jewish Bat Mitzvah. The dancing, clothes, music and food were amazing! I wish I could have take home the beautiful saris that the women wore!

Here is a very small taste of what we saw:








***Edited to add - Go check out my awesome friend Amie's blog!! She is doing a walk to raise money for Colo-rectal cancer in support of John and others. I'll be walking with her too - so go donate a few bucks! Thanks Amie!!


Have a great long weekend!

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming....

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming....for an important announcement.
Sorry for my long absence from blogging. I've been busy...

How do I say this?

How you say your husband has cancer.... that I'm afraid he may die.... that he is definitely going be very very sick for a very long time.

I don’t know how to do this. I don’t how to react – tears and sobbing and prayer were my first response. Anger, regret and fear came soon after. Now, (10 days later) I'm stronger and even more determined to fight the F**ing cancer with every ounce of my being.

He’s not Javaman or Hubbo to me – he’s my Sweets, my John. He’s a romantic, car crazy, hot sauce loving, joke telling, electronic tinkering, amazing guy. He can fix almost anything.... except himself.

We found out 10 days ago that he has colon cancer, and I’m petrified. I’m scared of losing my best friend.

I don't usually get too personal on this blog, but I felt like I had to share this information. I will still keep this blog mainly as a place to post my knitting, sewing and spinning, but I may occasionally have some long absences from posts as John goes through his treatment.

We do have a tentative schedule:

5 weeks of Chemo and radiation followed by 4-6 weeks of rest.
Surgery to remove the tumor in his colon - followed by another 4-6 weeks of rest.
The chemo and radiation may then begin again - hopefully shrinking and killing all the cancer in his body.

I want thank all of my awesome friends who have already helped more than they can ever know by just being there, listening to me cry and holding my hand. I am going to need you guys more than ever - so thank you for being so great!!


If you are interested in reading more about my husband John, he has started a blog of his own to record his experiences fighting cancer.

Another name that John, Sweets, Javajman goes by is 'Sco'. So.... he called his blog 'Sco got a bug'. That's just his way. Making jokes... the first minute after we heard the news - he was cracking jokes. Granted - he was also stoned from the colonoscopy, but still... You'll see plenty of his humor if you read some of his posts.

Thanks again to my wonderful friends - I won't be able to get through it without you!

Happy Birthday Hurley!

It's my dog Hurley's birthday! (Well it was actually his birthday on Sunday) but I'm just getting around to posting about it. He was 2 years old on Sunday. He's a big boy now!! After two years - we still call him "the puppy" and probably always will. My other dog Bailey is the "big dog" - in both size and mannerisms - so Hurley aptly became the puppy.

This face says it all!!



He is my perpetually happy, tail-wagging, toy playing obsessed little pup!



His favorite toy is "Chicken" - I love the expression on chicken's face - that says it all!



Hurley's favorite thing to do is play fetch - especially tennis balls at the local dog park. Here he is in mid flight!



He's definitely been known to get into trouble... chewing my shoes, eating pens, plants, paper, you name it - he's tried to eat it!! When you actually do give him food - he inhales it like he's never seen food before!



Here he is with his brother Bailey and his pal Murphy (who also happened to have a birthday recently!) swimming at the beach.



(even at the beach - he wants to play fetch!)



But no matter his chewing, fetching, fiesty ways - he still manages to win my heart over each evening when he snuggles up beside me - tuckered out for the night.

Happy Birthday Hurley!!

More Bend the Rules Sewing

After I got my first taste yesterday with the cute bibs - I couldn't keep away! I made this awesome Artsy Clutch from Amy Karol's Bend the Rules Sewing.

I just happened to have some great Amy Butler fabric waiting for the perfect project - and here it is!

My first Artsy Cluth!



I love this button too. I didn't have any elastic - so I used a hair elastic ala Dogged knits for the closure. I think it works great!




You didn't think I only made one did you?

Here is my second Arsty Clutch!








I used some cotton canvas for this second one and it makes it so sturdy! I got a sweet deal from Henry Road - you can purchase their left over fabric in bulk! You don't know what you're going to end up with - but I ordered two "fabric remnants" and got a bunch of awesome prints. I highly recommend checking it out.

Too Cute for words!

Yesterday I bought Amy Karol's amazing book Bend the Rules Sewing



There is so much great stuff in here I can't wait to try everything! I was eager to get started with something simple - so I picked out the "Simple Bib" (the name says it all!)

They are so amazingly cute I couldn't stop making them!!!

They are like potato chips! You can't have just one.




I used some of my Amy Butler fabric for one, some cute turtley fabric for another, adorable sock monkey fabric for one and Coleen inspired chicken fabric for the forth.




Here's the reverse sides.... Yes there are monkeys on both sides!! I got the sock monkey fabric in both red and blue from my favorite online fabric store - Reprodepotfabrics.com. (I just bought more today - some really cool fabric from Joel Dewberry.)



I highly recommend whipping some up!

I love Wisconsin!

We went to Wisconsin this past weekend for a family reunion!

Anyway... We were there Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Four fun filled day! I haven't been out to see my relatives in Wisconsin for about 10 years - so it was so nice to see everyone again.

I know that when most people think of Wisconsin - cheese and cows and other dairy related things come to mind. This is probably not far from the truth! We happened to be in Milwaukee just in time to go to the Wisconsin State Fair! And what was at the fair you ask? Lots of cows!! and cheese and other animals...



It was a gorgeous day - if only a little too hot for my taste - but as you can see here the sky was a gorgeous shade of blue:



We met up with my Dad's younger brother and his family for a nice walk around. We had Hot Wisconsin Cheese balls (no - I'm not kidding!), Bratwurst, and the best cream puffs ever. It was fun to catch up with my youngest cousins - who I hadn't seen in forever!

Another stop on our trip was to the University of Wisconsin - Madison. My dad's alma mater! This campus is just gorgeous!! If you are a high school senior - or have kids that are - I highly recommend checking it out. It looks like a resort! It's on a lake and the views are just breathtaking... They also have the coolest chairs at the student union.



The Domes are three HUGE greenhouses full of all kinds of gorgeous plants and flowers. If you've read my blog - you know I'm a sucker for flower pics...

I was in heaven!



But the highlight of the trip was definitely the reunion. We all had to wear name tags - since there were so many of us. I met 3rd and 4th cousins I didn't even know I had! It was a great time. Here's a pic of all of us...



and here's one of my favs... a self portrait of me and my cousin.


Those who know me - know that I often like to greet people in this manner - I guess it runs in the family!!!!


PS - for those 70's show lovers out there who understood my title.... Javaman kept asking all of my relatives... so where's Point Place anyway?

Cape Cod Part III

Since I'm leaving tomorrow AGAIN for another trip - I figured I'd better post the last part of my trip now.

On Sunday - Sarah took me on a tour of Falmouth and all it's beaches. I know Sarah told me the name of each and every beach we visited... but alas! I don't remember which is which. I think I was at Woodneck beach, Old Silver Beach, and Stoney Beach... your guess is as good as mine as to which is which.... Sarah? help?

Our first stop was here:

There were tons of shells on this beach and gorgeous houses lining the shore.
I think if the beach cottage doesn't work out... I'll move into one of these!




There was a sailboat class going on too while where we there.





Our second stop was my favorite... we went swimming and laid out for a while here. The water was sooooooooo warm! I felt like I was in the tropics!



A group of kids caught my eye ... they were all crawling around in the sand looking at something... I went over to investigate and there were little hermit crabs everywhere! It was so funny - they were catching them all and putting the little wiggling crabs into buckets by size. One little girl got her finger caught by a crab and screamed until it unlatched itself. i thought for sure that would be the end of that... but in a minute she was back to catching crabs like nothing had happened!



I also got to see the most gorgeous lighthouse...

This is Nobska lighthouse.

Isn't it amazing!!






It was such a fabulous weekend - thanks again Sarah for letting me stay with you!!!

This weekend - I'm off to a family reunion in Wisconsin! Hopefully then - I can relax and maybe not travel for a week or two? Maybe?

Cape Cod Part II

Part two at last!! It's been a busy week!! I've been working long hours and traveling to VA each day - so I've been just about collapsing each night when I get home!

But without further ado - here's photo log of our day in Provincetown.


Sarah, her sister Jeanine and Jeanine's boyfriend Robby took me all along the Cape - all the way up to Provincetown on Saturday. It was such a beautiful drive. There are the cutest little beach cottages all along the beach side - I just want to move in! Aren't they cute!!



The town itself is so cute!! The main street is full of little shops






We stopped in this little Shell shop:



I got some white starfish and an air plant (no dirt required!) and a conch shell to keep the air plant in.

The shells were all beautiful - I definitely need a "beach theme" in my house somewhere!



Along the main road - they also had the cutest town hall....



Doesn't it looks like it's right out of Mayberry!?

We strolled around and make our way off of the street and onto the beach. There was a marina nearby with lots of boats:







It was such a beauitful place!

Here's my famous self portrait....
If you look closely at Sarah's glasses you can see my arm holding the camera!!





After Provincetown - we stopped at another beach - but I have no pictures - they are on Sarah's camera!!

Next time - Falmouth beaches!!