Katsui Jewelry

News about Jud...

2012-01-28T07:34:00.000-08:00

We talked to Jud's doctor yesterday. Melissa had consulted with another physician and they did not see any blockage. Their conclusion was that the elevation in Jud's tests were from an increase in the cancer itself. We discussed all the options. There are no other clinical trials Jud would qualify and no other chemo agents that would be of help.

We had a wonderful meeting with our minister, Cathie Crooks, later in the day. We both just love her. She is such a special person and always makes us feel more at peace.

Jud and I made the decision (with his doctor's approval) that we would take a week's trip to Mesa then return and engage the services of home hospice. They will begin by giving us minimal service then continue to increase it as Jud needs more help. He is still up and about and still eating, though he feels what he can only describe as "malaise" and is not really hungry.

We are wrapped in our love and that, and our faith in an afterlife, continues to sustain us. The love and caring of our friends, as always, holds us in a circle of warmth and caring. We are deeply sad but we are also at peace.

I would like to thank all of you for your support of me. Some of you are friends from Silver Bella, some are internet friends. You all have been wonderful and have been so helpful to me.

Now, as always, "the greatest of these is love."

We need courage...we need it now!

2012-01-24T12:16:00.000-08:00

Split Rock Light House. Lake Superior, MN

I am sitting in the Chicago Airport with only about ten minutes to spare so I am going to copy Jud's Caring Bridge site for yesterday so I may get this news to you more quickly.

We would especially appreciate your prayers and good thoughts at this time.

With love,
Sue

Dear Ones,

What a difference a year can make! This time last year I was at Stanford getting radiation therapy for Stage 3 pancreatic cancer that was deemed inoperable. We were brimming with hope that this might lead to the possibility of surgically removing the tumor. Two months later in March we got the news that my tumor had spread to the liver. The focus since then has been trying to find a chemotherapy that would at least slow tumor progression if not halt it. I am most grateful that during this year I have tolerated chemotherapy reasonably well and generally felt reasonably good with no significant pain.

As you know, I stopped the chemotherapy clinical trial at Mayo 3 weeks ago because I was continuing to have disease progression. It just wasn’t working. Today I had my consultation at Johns Hopkins. At the end of the appointment, it looked like I could be a candidate for a pancreas cancer vaccine. We were happy to have one more option. In preparation for starting that in a week or two, they drew some liver function blood tests.

This afternoon, Dr Le called to tell me that my liver function tests were significantly elevated most likely due to growth of the tumor. The degree of elevation would eliminate me from the vaccine trial. For that matter, it would preclude any other trials. The elevation is either due to the total tumor burden (Isn’t that a quaint medical way of talking about the amount of tumor you have? And, yes, it is definitely a burden!) or there could be a blockage in the biliary ducts. We talked to my Park Nicollet oncologist, Dr. Sherman, who recommended getting a CT scan to look for a blockage. If there is one, it is possible that it could be stented with a metal tube. That could reverse the liver function test elevations. It would also make me more comfortable and provide for a little longer survival. It is somewhat of a long shot but well worth doing.

My body in the past few weeks has been telling me that something has been wrong. I used to be able to blame chemo for any symptoms I had. That was nice because I could justify and tolerate the discomfort knowing that it was for the purpose of treating the cancer. Now, off chemo, it is the cancer itself that has caused me to feel ill. I told Sue that if I didn’t know that I had cancer, I would have been going to my doctor and telling her that something is really wrong with me. It is not necessarily specific. I have felt very weary. I sleep a lot. Food does not look appealing. It’s not that I am nauseated though I occasionally am. I just have no appetite. I am having intermittent pain under my rib cage when I breathe. This is probably due to the tumor irritating the capsule of the liver right under the diaphragm.

The day has been a roller coaster with plenty of tears. Instead of heading to sunny Arizona tomorrow, we will be going back to Minnesota. We will reschedule time with my family in sunshine and warmth later.

Thanks for the continuing love, support and acts of kindness!

Love,

Jud

New Year...New Word

2012-01-05T10:14:00.000-08:00

Last year, my word was "Hope." I bought a necklace that said "Hope" and wore it all year. At Christmas, Jud gave me the cutest necklace that said, "Hope floats" and I have added that to my bejeweled neck.

This year, my word is going to be "Courage." I think this year is going to require more of me, as Jud's illness progresses. We are in Rochester right now and Jud is going through a series of tests. Tomorrow we will meet with another doctor (our third here...UGH!). We have been told by the dear Melissa, his oncologist at home, that Dr. Rubin is kind and skilled. We really need "kind" right now. We are quite sure the scans aren't going to look good since the cancer blood test (tumor marker) indicated an increase in tumor activity.

I ordered a great necklace from Beth Quinn...so now I will have three necklaces that are my talismans for the year. It is one of those terrific ones with the glitter inside! They are nice to touch in weak moments!

I will write as we know more, but will end with another one of my favorites. Such a lovely version, I think!

P.S. Now that I haven't totally screwed things up, I would like to thank Susie at Vintage Susie and Wings for my new look. I wanted more room but had a hard time giving up my beautiful Van Gogh borders. At the same time, I wanted room for larger pictures. She gave me a new look with the lovely lotuses at the side. She is so talented and she is a wonderful person to work with and know. Thank you, dear Susie. Her logo is at the right side, if you are interested in her services!

Our Christmas...

2012-01-02T07:20:00.000-08:00

An ornament from our tree...which contains the stories of our life

The Reaney Christmas was wonderful and painful. The four of us (Jud, Kat, her boyfriend, Ashton and myself) had a very nice time.

Katie pretending she is meeting Iver, whom she knew since she was born.

It was colored with sadness, as our dear friend, Iver, died on Christmas Eve Day. Iver has had multiple myeloma for six years and lived an incredible life. It was only months ago that he was active and I mean active. He and Di hiked, biked and spent hours a day, working in their organic garden. Iver went through many difficult treatments to live a full life as long as he could...including two autologous stem cell transplants (his own cells). We will miss him so much.

Jud got news that his tumor marker test had again shot up. Way up. We will be leaving the Mayo clinical study and going to Johns Hopkins to consult about another trial which involves the cancer vaccine.

Joy and sorrow seem like unlikely companions but they dwelt side by side at our house. We had a lovely prime rib dinner with Megan, Iver's daughter; Drew, her significant other; and Dregan; their magical baby.

Jud got sick during the weekend and was unable to keep food down. We were all concerned that this was part of his cancer but it has passed and seems to have been the flu.

Jud and I have both read a wonderful book during this month. I have about twenty pages to go and don't want it to end.

A really terrific book

I really encourage anyone who loves fantasy, mystery and total escapism to read it! The word-pictures are fantastic and I feel like I know the characters intimately.

Katie and Ashton, world travelers

Katie and Ashton are in South Africa! Ashton's cousin is getting married there and his whole family is attending. They were nice enough to include Katie. We can't wait to hear the stories they will bring back. After the wedding, they have plans to stay at a game preserve. If I weren't so happy for both of them, I would be jealous!

I hope you all are enjoying this quieter time since the holidays. I am sitting by the fire with my new electric fleece warming blanket, a gift from my dear in-laws. I send you all lots of love and thanks for supporting me during a very difficult year. Your kindness has helped carry me and I am so grateful.

If You Want...

2011-12-21T08:04:00.000-08:00

Several years ago, Jud and I took training to become non-denominational Spiritual Directors. It was a wonderful experience. We met a weekend each month for two years and our class was full of diversity in religion and, well, not men exactly. There were two, one male leader and a whole lot of wonderful women.

At this time, I found a "don't miss" retreat concerning using the arts in spiritual direction and traveled to a beautiful retreat center on the ocean shore of Washington state, where we studied, prayed and played for a week. The leaders, Christine Valters Paintner and Betsy Beckman were terrific and now have written several books. Christine also has a blog and, this morning, I was again reminded of this poem.

If You Want

If
you want,
the Virgin will come walking down the road
pregnant with the holy,
and say…
“I need shelter for the night, please take me inside your heart,
My time is so close.”
Then, under the roof of your soul, you will witness the sublime
intimacy, the divine, the Christ
taking birth
forever,
as she grasps your hand for help, for each of us
is the midwife of God, each of us.
Yes, there, under the dome of your being does Creation
come into existence eternally, through your woman, dear pilgrim –
the sacred womb of your soul,
As God grasps our arm for help’ for each of us is
His beloved servant
never far.
If you want, the Virgin will come walking
Down the street pregnant
With light and
…sing.

-St. John of the Cross from Love Poems to God translated by Daniel Ladinsky

My final words to you...may you, whatever faith or belief you hold, give birth to whatever is sacred in your heart.

And thank you, during this terrible and wonderful time, for surrounding me with caring and hope.

P.S. I do have a pretty new "face" on my blog. More about that very soon. I can't seem to get rid of the yellow. Susie Hibdon to the rescue!!!

Let it Be

2011-12-05T10:20:00.000-08:00

Let It Be

Writer: LENNON, JOHN / MCCARTNEY, PAUL

When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree
There will be an answer, let it be
For though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
There will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

And when the night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me
Shine until tomorrow, let it be
I wake up to the sound of music, Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be
There will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Whatever your beliefs, may you have a gentle, peaceful day.

Let it be.

P. S. I just talked to Jud. He looks fine. He said that the biopsy was "no big deal." The worst part was the novacaine. What a guy!

Thanks

2011-11-28T11:39:00.000-08:00

Dinner on the barge in Southern France

Thanks
by W. S. Merwin

Listen
with the night falling we are saying thank you
we are stopping on the bridges to bow from the railings
we are running out of the glass rooms
with our mouths full of food to look at the sky
and say thank you
we are standing by the water thanking it
smiling by the windows looking out
in our directions

back from a series of hospitals back from a mugging
after funerals we are saying thank you
after the news of the dead
whether or not we knew them we are saying thank you

over telephones we are saying thank you
in doorways and in the backs of cars and in elevators
remembering wars and the police at the door
and the beatings on stairs we are saying thank you
in the banks we are saying thank you
in the faces of the officials and the rich
and of all who will never change
we go on saying thank you thank you

with the animals dying around us
our lost feelings we are saying thank you
with the forests falling faster than the minutes
of our lives we are saying thank you
with the words going out like cells of a brain
with the cities growing over us
we are saying thank you faster and faster
with nobody listening we are saying thank you
we are saying thank you and waving
dark though it is

Thanks to our friend, Pat Eldred, for sending the poem. We have returned to Mayo and Jud is going through a series of tests for final qualification for the clinical trial.

We are so grateful this season for all that our wonderful friends have done for us. I am especially grateful for my blog friends...my connection to love and comfort when I am alone, when I awake in the night, when I am not feeling well.

I am "saying thank you and waving" to all of you.

Thank you.

...and how was Mayo?

2011-11-13T07:03:00.000-08:00

I must tell you, Mayo was kind of a bust. As is usual at Mayo, we were scheduled early in the morning for a blood draw. (I am so aware of my use of "we." I originally put "draws," as if I had one, too! I feel so connected to Jud in this almost symbitic process). I am fine with the early morning tests and understand that it would help the doctor know how you were doing right away. At 10:30, Jud had x-rays. Then the long wait. We were supposed to see our (!) new doctor at 2:30. We were put in a room and a nice young research assistant came and signed Jud up for another study, a bank of people with pancreatic cancer. Good idea.

We waited and we waited. No one came into see us and tell us what was going on as we sat in the "little white box," both feeling quite anxious. So much depended on this. Finally, two hours later, the doctor arrived. He was handsome and dressed beautifully. However, there was no apology or explanation for being late. We would have understood if he had an emergency or another patient who took more time. He shook Jud's hand. He ignored me. I practically grabbed his hand from his side and shook his.

He scolded Jud for not having all of his materials there. Jud had made a special trip to his office in doctor in Minneapolis and hand carried it all in. It was all there. He knew little to nothing about the protocol of the study Jud was interested in. "She" will tell you, he said. "She" was the research coordinator. "She" didn't have a name.

He was very negative that anything would help Jud. The longest anyone had stayed on this drug was four months. They had to stop because the cancer progressed or because the side effects were too great. He was very cold and negative about the whole affair. We could accept that this combination of medications could have little value, but please, please, just tell us in a kind way!

Finally the research coordinator came in. She was harried-looking but reasonably nice. Dr. S. left in a hurry, shaking Jud's hand. He tried to pass me and I again grabbed his hand. He refused to look at me.

Jud was accepted into the study ("It is your only alternative" said the doctor.) We will go back after Thanksgiving for four days.

Jud went home and, after a little thought, he called the research coordinator and asked to fire the doctor. No one with a serious illness deserves to be treated this way.

Interestingly, this is our second rude doctor. Our first was at Stanford. When I read one of the Steve Job's eulogies, I discovered that he was his doctor, too. I'll bet he was nice to Steve1 Our main doctor at Stanford, Dr. Albert Keung, was one of the kindest doctors I have ever met.

The Brothers Mayo

As we left Stanford, De. Keung said to Jud, "I will always be your doctor. You will always be my patient. Please call me at any time."

As it should be.

P.S. As is true of all major medical centers, members of my family have also had wonderful care at Mayo Clinic in my family. My brother was treated with such caring when he had esophageal cancer and today is cancer-free.

...and how is Jud?

2011-11-09T08:39:00.000-08:00

We drove to Rochester last night, home of the WFMC, as it is known to the locals... the World Famous Mayo Clinic

This picture was taken several weeks before Jud was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. We were both in good shape, having just lost weight on the South Beach diet. We felt very carefree as we went to a benefot for Jud's clinic. Several days laterm I attended my beloved Silver Bella, Five days after I returned, Jud was diagnosed with Stage Four pancreatic cancer.

Jud's current chemo quit working about the time we returned from our wonderful barge trip to Southern France. We are at the point that there is no known treatment that he hasn't usedand we have entered the world of clinical trials. We are here to see if Jud is appropriate for a clinical trial thst combines the hedgehog pathway inhibitor and a known chemotherapy, Tarceva. The hedgehog trial treatment tries to interrupt the pathway of the DNA that the cancer needs to grow. Nothing to do with cute little hedgehogs. It has shown some promise and we are hoping they will find him an appropriate candidate.

This isn't the first time we have entered the world of clinical trials. Jud received SGRT (specific guided radiation treatment) at Stanford. We are so grateful for that treatment, in which the doctor radiated the area around the pancreas. Even though it did not stop the ptogression of his disease, he has had a much easier go of it, including less nausea, less weight loss and less pain than PC patients who have not received this treatment. We have been extremely grateful for this quality of life issue.

We will meet with the oncologist this afternoon and we will know more. On Saturday, we are on the road again, heading to a small town outside Washington, DC. Jud is teaching at a conference that concerns integrity in medicine. We weren't sure he would make it but he is so glad to be able to participate as this is an rea that means a lot to him. I am taking a suitcase of craft materials and working on Christmas presents. Sounds like a grand time for both of us.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers and we decided which medical pathway would be best for Jud.

P.S. There are more trip pictures to come!

Fluffybutts in the leaves

2011-11-06T09:53:00.000-08:00

Love those little Fluffybutts!

Heaven on a Barge...

2011-10-29T14:33:00.000-07:00

After three days in Barcelona, we took a train to Narvonne and then took a car ride to the Canal du Midi for a week long barge ride on the Caroline in the South of France.

We were met by our hostess and host, Uta and Uli, wo were originally from Germany. They had a wonderful bottle of champagne ready to toast us.

Uli taught us the rules of living on the barge, like "don't put anything in the toilet that does go in your mouth first" and "when you walk on a moving barge, make sure that three parts of your body are touching the barge."

The Caroline even had it's own goldfish pond with giant Koi!

We passed beautiful houses as we drove on the barge at five miles an hour. The more we rode, the more relaxed we became.

The most beautiful site was the scenery. These trees were called "Plain Trees" and anchored the soil. They were beautiful and were planted uniformly apart.

The skies were blue every single day we were on the barge.

Castle sitings were so much fun!

We also loved going through locks.

At the end of the day, Uta and Uli parked the barge and tied it to the side with a complex set of knots.

As the sun went down, we continued to perfect the art of relaxation on the Caroline.

Beautiful, beautiful cathedral...

2011-10-22T04:08:00.000-07:00

At the end of a narrow pathway of stores we found a plaza and a huge church, covered with Gothic windows. This is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and St Eulalia. This picture does not do justice to its size. It was HUGE! We had a hard time getting my scooter in, finally entered at a door in the back and...

...WOW! I am sure this is real gold gilding!

It was incredibly ornate!

There were about fifty little chapels around the exterior of the nave. They were created in a variety of styles over the 13th and 14th century.

And here we have...St. Joan of Arc. My eyes were blinded by this time and I appreciated the simplicity.

These two tapestries and crypts were suspended way above our heads on a wall at the side.

A small door led to a beautiful courtyard which contained...

...thirteen geese! There is a legend that the thirteen geese will guard the Cathedral. Thirteen is also the age of St. Eulalia when she was martyred.

Re-entering the church, there was a (relatively) smaller area where there were simpler chapels. I especially liked this one of the statue of the Virgin Mary against a mosaics of angels.

I also loved the Black Madonna and Baby Jesus.

Why not?

I never tire of the churches in Europe. Whether they are enormous, ornate edifices or simple country

buildings, my heart is always touched. Through beautiful art, mankind has always sought to make a connection with the Sacred.

Me, too.

We're hungry!!!!

2011-10-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

Our friends, Brooks and Karen have arrived in Barcelona and we have had a long, long day of shopping. Help! We are starving! Where can we eat?

We decide to head back to the market, a half block from our apartment.

Oh, the market! It is huge and it is pristine. It buzzes with energy and you can eat prepared food from most nationalities or buy beautiful fresh food to take home. At this Chinese seafood booth, you can choose what you want and they will cook it right there!

This stands is resplendent will many colors of fruit of the best quality. It is nice to grab a few pieces and put them in out backpack for later.

I have memories of "odors" at markets I have been at before...and I was pregnant! Not this booth. It smells like fresh chicken.

These are plump free range-chickens and they are delicious!

This is our friend and traveling companion, Karen, and she is oohing and aahing over the olives. We have never seen so many kinds. The ones we tried were marinated in a liquor.

Here she is again, showing us the Mexican vegetables. I had some squash with our meal. Fabulous. Served only with a little butter and a little salt and pepper. It was so flavorful in it's natural state.

Our very favorite, the dried mushrooms. We bought some for our dinner (they were cooked on the spot and fantastic. We had to buy a sack to take back to our apartment.

Well, I didn't get the before picture because we were too hungry. Here is Brooks. He just ate his whole plate of buttered shrimp. Huge ones.

And here are the three of us...nice and full. We finish up the last bite and...

...head down the very narrow road that leads to our apartment.

Eating your way through Barcelona is a fun thing to do.
Try it sometime!!!

Where In The World Are Suz and Jud Reaney?

2011-10-14T09:56:00.000-07:00

Today we are in...

It is a land of great croissants...

and fabulous desserts.

There is a ton of energy on the streets. This is La Rambla street. It is like a three-ring circus. And look at the detail on those buildings.

We have a two bedroom apartment right around the corner from this beautiful store.

Needless to say, the four of us are in heaven!!!

The Beady-Headed Tea Fairy...

2011-10-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

The Beady-Headed Tea Fairy would like to welcome you to our noontime tea.

I have dressed in my finest outfit and put my favorite linens on the table to invite you for a cuppa.

My beautiful cup has the loveliest shades of leaves and fine lines of red. Can you see the little lines?

It is Haviland China from France, very fine and beautiful.

What a cheerful tray! Even the teabags lend to the festivities!

Please come again next Tuesday. Maybe I will find us some French treats!!!

Linked to Tea Tuesday http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/ and Teacup Tuesday at http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/.

Pretties from Canada...

2011-09-20T07:37:00.000-07:00

One of my sweet angels picked out this cup and saucer in Montreal. It wasn't quite the magic colors (Marie found those for me!) yet I love the colors and the texture...yes texture!

See those white dots? If you look at the dots at the bottom, you can see that they are raised. How special is that! And the flowers at the bottom of the cup look like they are hand-painted. It really is quite lovely.

The pink damask table cloth is hand-dyed in my washing machine ($3 at an estate sale) and the napkin courtesy of Kleenex Paper Napkins. I am having some trouble with my camera and something went crazy before I got a picture of the bottom but the brand is Royal Albert from England.

This is connected to Terri at Tea Cup Tuesday and Kimmie at http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com.

Great news...

2011-09-16T17:48:00.001-07:00

No frills (I have a respiratory infection). Jud's last Caring Bridge says it best...

Dear Ones,

I want you all to know that it was very good news today! My PET scan showed no new metastases, the ones that had disappeared were still gone and the remaining tumors were all decreased in activity. My tumor marker is now down to 36. The new chemotherapy is clearly working. I will not need to go to Mayo next week. I'll just continue with this regimen that has at last shown progress. I know that this is likely to be a chronic illness and that things could later change, but for now I am filled with relief and gratitude.

Thanks to each of you for your prayers, love, and support!

Love,

Jud

We are so happy!

With love,

Suz

What a Wonderful Surprise!!!

2011-09-13T16:09:00.000-07:00

I am in love! I came home from Canada and what should be waiting for me but a lovely package with Lindt Chocolate, lovely packets of tea, and the most wonderful tea cup and saucer and a (amazing) a plate to match (for the chocolate cake I will eat with my tea).

Look at that beautiful pattern! Someone has been reading my posts on Tea Cup Tuesday. That somebody is Marie Skrotzki of Lost Bird Studio. Marie is one of the kindest people I have met in Blogland.

I could just cry every time I look at it. It is such a unique pattern. The lovely filigree is GOLD! The pink and blue are the sweetest shades.

I am crazy about any pink and I like blue just fine. But this is a very special blue. I would say that it is the shade of a bluebird. I think I will name it Bluebird Blue!

The set is Bavarian China from Germany. The brand name is Krautheim. I must ask Marie more about it. It is especially meaningful and special because Marie is from Germany and the US. I can't imagine anything much more fun than living in two countries.

Sigh!

I have been following Marie's blog since day one. It took a long time to start posting because I was so intimidated! She is so talented. She makes the most lovely things. Beautiful fabric collages, lacy little purses, delicate jewelry, linen hearts. She is one of the most productive artists I have seen. She seems to have something new (and gorgeous) to show ever single day. I kid you not.

She is also one of the most dear and generous people I have been lucky enough to meet in Blogland. We all seem to know this but it bears repeating. Bloggers are some of the nicest people I have ever encountered. Right?

Since this chine is so incredible, I got out my mother's silver, Rosepoint by Wallace. The roses look just right with the roses on the set. It is one of my most special possessions. My mother died very suddenly when I was eighteen. I was given her sterling silver on my wedding day and I always feel her presence when I use it. Some things about that silver even make my laugh. Mom was not much of a housekeeper and washed the knives in the dishwasher. That is a no-no. I chuckle when I see those spots from her "let's clean it easy" venture. She was a woman who knew what was important and the four of us came before the laundry.

Marie, someday I want to meet you. Maybe in Germany! That would be magical! When I do, I will give you a huge hug. You have made me so incredibly happy with this gift. Do you know what? I have been looking for months and now I have found my most precious set. Now I better start looking for my second favorite :-)

O Canada...

2011-09-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

This was the frosting on the cake (and we had a lot of cake!) I got to spend part of three days with my dear friend, Terri. I have not met her personally but I have known her on the internet for almost fifteen years. She is a wonderful woman but I knew that!

We had spent the morning in the rain on this day. Terri's hair got curlier and mine got straighter!

Jud and I after our prime rib dinner...best place in Montreal!

Our bellies are glowing and growing.

I think Terri is tickling Jud's very muscular stomach.

This is the St. Joseph's

Oratorie, where the body of the only Canadian saint, St. Frere Andre, resides...

...and this is a statue of St Joseph and the lit candles of all of the people who have come to pray to him, asking for miracles. I lit one and said a prayer for Jud.

This is only one section of the crutches that have been left when people, previously handicapped, were able to walk away from the Oratorie.

This is the dome of the cathedral in Old Montreal...

...and this is Notre Dame de Montreal...or as we called it in my childhood years in South Dakota, Noder Dame (long vowels on the "A' and the "O," please).

Finally, one very fond memory of a wonderful afternoon, strolling down the rows and rows of antique stores with Terri and Jud.

Canada, we love you!

Eating Our Way Through Canada...

2011-09-04T14:32:00.000-07:00

We discovered shortly after we got to our B and B in Montreal, that "The Village" was really another name for "The Gay Village." That was splendid. We loved the owners who catered after our every wish! The rooms in our B and B were all named after Hollywood themes and our theme was...

BOLLYWOOD!!!

We were treated to four course breakfasts from a meat and cheese platter...

...to a hot entree, to pastries to fruit!

Wonderful!

We waddled out to the streets which were still decorated for Gay Pride Festival.

When we returned in the evening, we found a dazzling sculpture...

...lit up in French, that we think was about living our truth (help, Colette). You could speak into a microphone and it lit up the words you were saying, in French.
We don't speak French but we watched for a long, long time.

Later that evening, we dined on lamb shank...

...and a perfect creme brulee.

The salt woman and pepper man finally gave each other one last embrace...

...and we waddled home to bed.

Time to Play "Fact or Fiction"...

2011-08-29T10:40:00.000-07:00

Fact or Fiction Number One- We slept in a barn in Quebec.

Answer-True.

Here is our Carriage House...

...made into a funky B and B...

....with two levels and a bed upstairs. We could have brought a couple of you along!

It was complete with somewhat grotesque huge paintings...

It was kind of like being watched!

We also got a huge breakfast along with our stay. We like B and B's a lot.

Fact Number Two-A cannonball was shot into this tree around the time of the Revolutionary War.

Answer-No One Knows.

Some people think that but the tree may have just grown up around the cannonball.

Fact or Fiction Number Three...This man played "O Canada" on the rims of wine (water-filled) glasses.

Answer-Fiction.

He played "Ave Maria" on wine glasses, complete with harmony. It was amazing.

I remember playing "wine glasses" in college. Anyone else?

Fact or Fiction Number Three-This beautiful archway leads to another shopping area in Old Quebec.

Answer-Naaaaw. It is just an example of trompe l'oeil, something painted on a wall or other object and made to look real.

Besides I think Lynn Stevens does a better job! check her out some time.

Next we will be on to Montreal.

Jud and Suz Celebrate...

2011-08-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

On a rainy night in Quebec, Jud and I braved the elements to celebrate our thirty-eigth anniversary. No worry. The restaurant was just across the street!

Jud was looking very handsome in his coral sweater, one of my favorites...

...and I had just enough sequins on my top to feel fancy!

We had a long, leisurely evening, talking, laughing and eating, eating, eating. This is not the menu. This is our dinner. Well, I ordered this one, he ordered something more reasonable and then we shared. Have you even had a nine course dinner? The servings were small...but what delights!

We even had a dessert after the dessert on a decorated plate! There is a French word for this course. I promptly forgot it.

When the lights were low in the beautiful restaurant...

...we persuaded a waiter to take one more picture...

...took out our umbrellas, and sauntered back home to our little bed and breakfast. Very much in love, after all these years...and very, very full!

A Night On The Town...

2011-08-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

On another perfectly beautiful evening, we set off to have a lovely dinner...

...at a cute restaurant that specialized in rabbit dishes...

...and lots of pepper (that's a pepper mill!)

We stayed so long that the sun set...

...so the twinkling lights...

...guided our way back home.

Suz and Jud Hit Quebec...

2011-08-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

On our first glorious day, we saunter down the streets of Quebec, the buildings just as they were in

the 1600's...

...and are greeted by Champlain, the founder of Quebec.

Of course, I have to stop at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires. I love Catholic churches. They are each so unique.

For example, look at this Station of the Cross. Each is in a similar frame. I think I must have been Catholic in another life. I came out with about fifteen holy medals to use in my jewelry.

Hanging from the roof of the church, there is a model of a sailing ship!

Jud tries his hand at shooting a cannon...

...and we take the Funicular, a glass cable car, down the mountain to Lower Town.

Tired, but happy, we finish the day at our B and B.

More fun tomorrow!

A Little Artsy-Craftsy...

2011-08-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

Before I left for Quebec, I sent off some ephemera and other goodies to my pal in France. First, I mushed around some green and yellow acrylic paint, then edged the envelopes with some diluted burnt umber. Then I stenciled some yellow paint through sequin waste and stamped some flowers with foam rubber stamps. More gem medium, then some collage pictures and some daisy stamps. More gel medium and some doodling with white and black pens and I was done. Here is the front....

...and here is the back. I always wonder what the postman thinks when he sees these envelopes. Perhaps...who is this woman and is she a little nuts???

Tomorrow...Quebec!!!

Teacup Tuesday...Closer and Closer

2011-08-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

The isn't "THE" teacup but I do love this one. i found it on the second day of an estate sale for three dollars. Now, I thought that was a steal but what do I know? (I do know that it is beautiful!) I got another one which you will see at another time for $2.50. My gut says that I am the only one in Minneapolis/St Paul that loves teacups and they are out there just waiting for me (Ha!).

Here is my "beauty" on the family room table. Precious, no?

Here is my little beauty close up. It is the most lovely shade of blue. Slightly more green than a robin's egg. So lovely and in perfect condition.

The brand is Aynsley. I think I remember Nana telling me that was a really fine cup ;-)

We are off to Montreal and Old Quebec this week for our thirty-eighth anniversary. Who knows what wonderful cups will be waiting for me there? Maybe it will be my "special" cup. I know one thing...I will recognize it the moment I see it!!!

Linking to Teacup Tuesday and Tea Tuesday.

Pink Saturday...

2011-08-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

And this is a memento of the night that we saw "Rigoletto," an Italian opera, with Croatian subtitles! That was mind-boggling! To explain a little, we were in Croatia visiting our exchange student son, and were treated to the opera. It was actually a wonderful experience. We also learned how to say "bat" in Croatian, making us bilingual in the world of bat-speak In case you wish to know, in Croatia, a bat is a sheeshmeesh. We now can speak "bat" in three language. Mercielago is bat-speak in Spanish. We cannot spell it in any of the three, except English. You are welcome to help us.

P.S. It was an outdoor performance. We saw several sheeshmeesh swooping over the stage.

I am sharing my blessings for Pink Saturday. My biggest blessing is another day with my beloved Jud, who has pancreatic cancer. I could name so many blessings that have gone with this journey, most of them involving the incredible love and care of friends and the faith to continue though another day. Our daughter has been a huge blessing, with her very loving nature. This week Jud and I are going to Canada to celebrate our thirty-eighth anniversary. I thank God for the extra time to enjoy our love.

Nana's China...

2011-08-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

Nana Carol left me her Haviland China. I was thrilled. Let it be known that my bright, elegant Nana had a was a snob, and proud of it. It was a sign of her fine taste and, after all, she was the daughter of a former Governor of South Dakota! The beautiful painted tea set was inherited from Nana Helen. That's a topic for another day!

Nana had a secret.

Notice that the two cups are different.

That's because most of the cups are Haviland...

...but the rest had to be filled in with Noritake. Nana was very embarrassed about this. I am imagining that she spent every tea party praying that no one would turn over the cups!

Don't tell.

Nana would be horrified!

Linked to Tea Tuesday athttp://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/ and Teacup Tuesday at http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/.

I Like You...

2011-08-07T19:40:00.000-07:00

This has gotta be one of the cutest stores in the Twin Cities. All local indie designed products, After a great breakfast, Jud and I took his sister, Jan over for a quick shop before she left town. I had to practically twist her arm off to get her a belated birthday present but she finally let me buy her a mosaic switch plate.

I am blessed with the greatest sister-in-laws. Here's Jan and I posing under a new giant stuffy. So cute!

Jud and Jan are ten years apart and have become closer and closer over the years. One of the gifts of Jud's cancer has been having Jan visit us a couple of times. She is so easy to have around and always is looking for something to do...walk the dogs, sweep the roof (!), work in the garden...

Jan is truly a sister to me.

We both love her dearly.

What Cancer Cannot Do...

2011-08-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

This is my dear husband, Jud, who climbed Little Devil's Tower, in the the Black Hills last week.

Several days later, he climbed to the top of this cliff...

...then took a long hike along beautiful Sand Creek just over the Wyoming border.

Most of you know that Jud was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer last November. Throughout our marriage, I have been the wimpy one! I could count the times Jud has been sick on one hand. We were shocked at his diagnosis. Jud has been active, social, and involved in a million activities. Even now, he can still wear me out!

Jud had a Pet Scan yesterday and we got the results today. We knew from the last Scan that the cancer had spread to his liver, resulting in five lesions. Today three of those were gone. The not good news was that another tumor appeared. Pancreatic Cancer is tricky, in that it can mutate and create genetically new types of tumors. In essence, there isn't one Pancreatic Cancer but several kinds in one person. At this point, cancer researchers and oncologists do not have a way of knowing exactly how to treat these mutations.

Jud has been through a new type of radiation and many types of chemotherapy in this nine months. His doctor's decision was to keep him on the current one for two more months. If it is still not working, Jud will be trying one of two experimental treatments, one that attempts to interfere with this DNA change at the Mayo Clinic or a new cancer vaccine at John's Hopkins.

We still hold on to Hope. This is a bracelet that our family and friends wear in support of Jud. The other bracelet is for our friend, Iver, who has had Multiple Myeloma for five years. We hold him in Hope, as well.

I googled this quote that I have seen on many a blanket and tee-shirt over the last several years. I must admit, I have found it a little "schmaltzy" in years past. Today it spoke to me...

Cancer is so limited...
It cannot cripple love.
It cannot shatter hope.
It cannot corrode faith.
It cannot eat away peace.
It cannot destroy confidence.
It cannot kill friendship.
It cannot shut out memories.
It cannot silence courage.
It cannot reduce eternal life.
It cannot quench the Spirit.

This is my dear Jud and I, going to a Park Nicollet Hospital benefit a month before his diagnosis. We have a very special relationship. This month, we celebrate our thirty-eighth year of marriage and will spend our anniversary in Quebec City and Montreal, places we have wanted to visit for a long, long time. Jud is a very special person. He keeps plugging away each day, doing whatever he can to be helpful, being kind and loving to all his friends and family and rarely complaining about his lot. No, he's not a saint, but he is honestly one very fine person.

Cancer has not crippled our love. It has not corroded our faith. It has not shattered our hope. If anything, it has made us stronger.

Cancer is so limited.

The International Collage Box Project...

2011-07-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

Some of my most pleasurable swaps are the international ephemera swaps hosted by LaWendula. The Collage Box Project is one that was especially fun. A collage box travels around the world to seventeen people. When you get the box, you take out twelve pieces of ephemera and add at least twelve more. Then you create a collage and post it.

When I got the box, I started humming a song I once heard on a children's record called "Peace Is The World Smiling" so that is what I titled my collage. To be honest, I have not done a lot of collage. At all. I focused on using layers for the background, gesso first, then several kinds of tissue paper, then stamping white acrylic through some sequin waste. A whole lot of gel medium in between. (Love that stuff!) I used a Caran D'Ache crayon to go around the globe and some of the circles made by the sequin waste then worked the black in with my finger. I also made a border of black musical Tim Holtz tape (it's about a song, right?)

On the left, we have smiling women from different countries and different eras.

On the right, we have examples of different languages, included snippets of unique computer "faces" from a German ad.

I was pretty pleased with how the background turned out. I wasn't so pleased with the pictures. They seem to "sit" on the canvas like scrapbook pictures...rather than be integrated into the whole picture.

I enjoyed the process so much. I learned something and I love mucking around with paper and goopy products. I added about twenty snippets of ephemera to the box, signed the little guest book and sent the box on to New York.

I was smiling as it went on its way.

Anniversary Pink...

2011-07-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

I bought this vase for Jud when I was on vacation in Rapid City (the beautiful Black Hills) and he was home tending our new flower garden. I found it at a wonderful store called Prairie Edge, where outstanding works of local and national Native Americans are featured. I loved the shape and the two heads together. It spoke to me and represenst our relationship. Though we are separate in some ways, at the end of the day, we are truly "one." He is the one that I can speak most comfortably with about all my joys and sorrows, the father of my dear daughter and is truly the love of my life. Indeed, he is my soulmate.

The vase is filled with some pretty good imitation tulips and some sparkle lights, given to us by our dear friend, Donna. See those little sticks. They are fairy lights! You can see that the wall behind is soft pink. I thank God that I am married to a man who loves color and is comfortable with a pink family room. It is a lovely color to live with, and we have lived with pinks, grays and eggplant for thirty years.

This is the first time I am hooking up with Pink Saturday. I think it one of the greatest ideas because

I Love Pink!!!

This is linked to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound.

Dressing my doll...

2011-07-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest pleasures in my life is having a daughter. I still remember when she was born. I secretly wanted a daughter, though I would have never said it out loud! Many of you will understand how that "secret preference" thing goes. She was born in the seventies. Those of us who came of age in the crazy sixties were determined to raise our girls as strong women who would have careers and the possibility of being president and our boys as sensitive souls who knew "it's all right to cry, crying gets the sad out. (Remember "Free To Be, You and Me"?). Katie* was dressed in overalls and very, very rarely in pink frills, in hopes of creating this perfect androgynous child.

Well, as many of us learned despite our lofty thoughts, there is something to say for "boys are boys and girls are girls." When it came to clothing, I got a more of a girly girl, definitely a girl with her own sense of style. Too quickly, her clothing decisions were made by her. Her favorite early outfits were old flower girl outfits we bought at rummage sales ("No, Katie, you can't wear that flower girl outfit to kindergarten.")

When Katie became a teen, we gave her a clothing allowance, trying not to produce a Spoiled Only Child (also known as an "S.O.C."). We carefully figured out what she would need for coats and boots and summer and winter clothes and gave her a rather small amount. Well, my daughter discovered Estate Sales. I should say, we discovered Estate Sales. She quickly learned that she could get a really outstanding original outfit for a fraction of what she paid at the mall and thriftily gain a very large wardrobe. I will never forget the day she got three cashmere cardigans, beautifully embroidered and embellished, for a dollar each Thus began a lifetime of fun for both of us. Katie, being slim like the Reaney side of the family, could fit into many of these old treasures. Me, being on the chunky side, like the Gillis side of the family, could get a strange vicarious pleasure out of watching my daughter look so pretty in these vintage fashions. I started to call this "dressing my doll."

When we were in South Dakota, Jud, his sisters and mom, went through some of his their old family belongings. Katie and I headed for the antique stores, of which there are many. At the Yankton Mall, Katie found this darling rayon dress. It fit her like it was made for her and I not only enjoyed seeing her look so cute but also wanted to take pictures of her. So we came home and I made her try it on once again.

"Smile, Katie!"

"Oh, dear. Not that come-hither look!" (You are, after all, only thirty-one!).

"OK. Look sweet!"

"Ah, yes. Good shot." What a cute dress. Perfect shape. Great detail. Darling peplum waist that is a little hard to see and a black mesh insert at the neck. Twenty dollars! She can wear it to work! (Yes, she is intelligent and capable, too!)

This old pattern is so adorable. Roses and love letters!

Sigh. It is such a pleasure being the mother of a daughter!

* Katie is "Kat" now. The Kat in Katsui. One of my favorite adults. But as hard as I try, she will always be Katie to me!

Snoopy Suz finds some sweet cups...

2011-07-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

It's another sleepy morning and I drag myself out of bed for my mission...

***CHINA CUPS***

I am off to the dining room sideboard where I find some beautiful treasures!

Oh, my! A silver samovar! Gorgeous, but not the kind of treasure I seek.

I find myself distracted by this lovely silver butter set. It even has a place for ice on the bottom. Did you ever think you came of age in the wrong century?

Aha! This is what I was looking for. It's a cocoa set. Have you ever seen anything so precious in your life?

Each little cup is so sweet and has its own special flower. This one, I believe, is a cherry blossom.

Tell me if I am wrong. I have never really seen one. I have just imagined them.

This one is, of course, my favorite. A pink rose! I wish I could have a cocoa party and invite my tea cup friends. We would have cocoa made from "scratch," like my mother used to make. Then we would top it with billowy whipped cream. Mmmm. I am almost longing for Winter.

And even though it would be very hard, I promise to share the rose cup with one of you...

Suz goes hunting again...

2011-07-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

Ah, it's six in the morning again. The house is quiet and I am snooping...well, just looking around. And I have permission, right?

Ooooooh. Another wonderful shelf to explore! These teacups have not only one handle, but two. Maybe

they are for the clumsy, like me, who like to hold their tea with two hands.

Here is the other side of two-handled teacup shelf. Aren't they lovely?

OK, I admit it. I am not that naive. I know these aren't really teacups but are boullion or consomme cups for soup. (I believe these larger cups are boullion cups but anyone is welcome to give me more information!)

These are very special to me. Mom had started her own collection and told Jud and me that she would like more. We were off and running, on a mission. All year, we would search for a beautiful cup for her collection and surprise her with our new choice on her birthday. It was my first "adult" look at beautiful china. I truly fell in love and was sad when her boullion cup shelf overflowed!

Can you imagine why I chose to show you this one first? It is because of the PINK ROSES!!!

Isn't this beautiful? I love the soft green and the real gold that surrounds the flowers. The green is so gentle, a nice Spring green, and the scrolls and flourishes of gold are such a stunning accent.

Here is the saucer. I am not as crazy about the saucer and think it is a little busy. I am learning that I like a simpler saucer,

Guess what. I forgot an important part of my mission. I forgot to turn it over. I am going to check with Mom later and have her check the bottom, but for now, just enjoy.

Such loveliness! Sigh!

I borrow a teacup...

2011-07-05T07:02:00.000-07:00

We are in South Dakota at a family reunion. It is six in the morning and I have a mission.

I am going to borrow a teacup! I sneak down to the living room of the family home and head to the breakfront in the upper right hand corner. This is where some magnificent teacups live!

I peek in the right side of the teacup shelf....

I peek in the left side of the teacup shelf...

and I pluck out my beauty.

Sigh! Isn't this lovely? Look at the glorious shape of the cup?

The pink handle is so pretty and that same soft pink is around the rim of the plate.

Do you see the inscribed flower on the plate. The roses are so soft and sweet and are

outside and inside of the cup.

I love this one!

Ah! It has a name! This is Bridal Rose. It was made in England by Shelley.

Does that ring a bell to anyone?

My mother-in-law (my other mother) let me borrow it for the picture. She has

so many beautiful things and she knows so much about them. We were so busy this

weekend. I wish I had a chance to ask her more about this.

Kat and I searched five antique stores. We found some nice treasures,

but no teacup has spoken to me.

The search continues...

Linked to http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/ and http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/.

This is my wish cup...

2011-06-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

This is my wish tea cup. It is pretty tiny....about three inches across for the cup and about four and a half inches for the saucer. I must admit, I have an obsession. I want tea cups. I crave tea cups. Every Tuesday, I gaze longingly at the beautiful tea cups that people on Tea Cup Tuesday. They are so lovely! They are big and had unusual shapes and often have real gold trim.

This is my starter tea cup. It lives on my bedside table and I see it every morning. It has a surprise in the bottom of the cup. A very sweet flower!!!

What I like best about my wish cup is the colors. It has wonderful pink and cranberry roses and the flourishes around the roses are turquoise, and a bright turquoise at that. It even has a little gold around the inside rim!

When I turn it over to show its pedigree (like you all do)...well, not much of a pedigree. It is Hong Kong, not Royal This or Royal That. Above the emblem are some scratchy black letters that say, "NOT FOR FOOD USE." Oh dear, I guess I can't show you a picture of me drinking Aveda tea (soft and soothing).

Still, I love it. And I have a funny feeling...this is only the beginning!

I have been blessed..

2011-06-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

"If the only prayer in your life is thank you, that would suffice."

Meister Eckhart

This year has been a hard beyond anything I have ever imagined. I have been held together by so many people, by friends and family and, of course, the caring of my sisters in Blogland.
"Thank you" seems so small.

I have struggled with this a lot. It seems I have been constantly on the receiving end, with a thank you list so long, that I can't imagine getting to the bottom. It has been such a tender and sensitive time and you have been so loving and gracious.

So, I continue to pick little things up when I see something that reminds me of a certain person. I struggle to create, but that has been the hardest. I cannot create to sell right now. I cannot to create for myself. Sometimes I can create for one of you. I scrounge through my stash for those little things that I could pass on. I continue to make my bundles...some little, some big.

I just finished a couple of them.

This is for a friend in Germany who likes to read books written in English...

And this is for a friend who imagines being a mermaid...

I hope that the friends receiving them will understand that this is my way of saying thank you.
In the words of one of my favorite authors...

"Here are the two best prayers I know...help me, help me, help me...
and thank you, thank you, thank you."
Anne Lamott

Special thanks to Stefanie Fauth for taking the last two pictures for me on her fancy phone!

If Your Name is HOPE, Don't Look...!!!

2011-06-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

If your name is Hope...you are an inspiration to me.

If your name is Hope...you made lovely presents for the Committee of Mothers and sent me a beautiful "mustard seed" necklace (that I wear all the time) for a little "extra surprise."

If your name is Hope...this is for you. It looks like a lot and, really, a lot of it is "hand-me-downs" and "shares" that I wrapped up pretty (but I think you will like them).

If your name is Hope...please appreciate that these gifties have been sitting on my bedroom for a long time and my husband is happy to see them go!

If your name is Hope...you keep me in your prayers.

If your name is Hope...you are a very special woman, one I am glad to call a friend.

The Royal Wedding...

2011-06-07T18:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, it really was a Royal Wedding, one of the most incredibly beautiful weddings I have ever attended. The wedding was held in the historic Flood Mansion which overlooked the San Francisco Bay.

We all arrived in great spirits. Kat's boyfriend, Ashton and I shared a laugh...

...then Jud and I shared a kiss in front of the huge bay window. It was a little cloudy but the sun came up and there was...

...the beautiful view of the Golden Gate bridge.

After wine and fabulous hors d'oeuvres, the Reaney Family Club waited for the wedding to begin.

The service was beautiful. A couple who were friends of the bride and groom officiated.

All too soon, the wedding was over and Karen and Cortland were husband and wife.

Then the room was rearranged and the tables were set up.

They were decorated with planted trees which had real white orchids wired to the branched.

The table settings were lovely. Each one had a gold charger and a copy of the menu.

I had "beef two-ways." It had both filet mignon and braised ribs covered with a rich wine sauce.

Then there were lovely toasts. Karen and Cort were deeply touched.

The bride and her father danced together. The rest of us looked on a snuffled.

Katie danced with Jud, as the evening light trickled through the windows. I danced three dances and was done with that for the night! We dined on a dessert buffet, rather than a wedding cake. It was a nice touch.

Then my limo came and took me away. Well, to be honest, it was a big bus that took me home but it took me right to the door of our B and B!

It was a special wedding. It is so moving to watch the children of our dear friends get married.

Thank you, Karen and Cort and Charlie and Kathie, for such a touching, memorable time.

(Thank you to our dear friend, Iver, (aka Greg Iverson) for the pictures of the RFClub and the recessional of the bride and groom.)

The Reaney Family Club...

2011-05-31T20:29:00.000-07:00

...had a wonderful time in San Francisco! The Club was so named by Kat, who was under the age of five and decided we needed to have a club, and proceeded to name it. These are the original founding members, Kat, Jud and Suz.

Here are Kat and Jud, overlooking the San Francisco Bay. They had just spent the afternoon at the Palace of the Legion of Honor viewing the Isabella Borchgrave paper fashion exhibit. Suz unfortunately missed seeing the wonderful work of this woman who makes lace out of paper!

Kat's boyfriend, Ashton, is an honorary member. He spent the weekend charming all of the mothers at the wedding with his ability to dance, more importantly, his willingness to dance with them (he is a fabulous dancer).

Kat and her father relax on the lawn after a full day in San Francisco.

Coming next...the wedding of a lifetime!!!

Chinatown In Living Color...

2011-05-27T15:44:00.000-07:00

Here we are in San Francisco for the marriage of Karen and Cort. Karen is the son of our best man, Charlie (or Chark, as Jud and I still cann him).

I love Chinatown. Jud and I lived here innSan Francisco for two years after we got married and called it our two year honeymoon. What a fun time for us two kids from South Dakota!

While Jud visited Haight Ashbury, Suz, Kat and Ashton, Kat's boyfriend took in Chinatown. Here are a few random shots of this fantiastically colorful place.

Kat has always wished she were a mermaid.

Suz loved Aslan the Lion long before he hit the screen.

You can always spot Ashton by his bandana!

We were perplexed that we saw many Christian churches but no buildings representing Buddhism.

I would love to live in an apartment and decorate the outside with yellow, red and green.

We made a mess at our Dim Sum lunch. Yes that is a fried rooster foot holding our chopsticks.

We finally found Buddha in a restaurant.

Suz and Kat, both needle-phobic, kept their distance from this acupuncture office.

Aren't the grocery stores interesting? We didn't have the slightest clue what most things were but they were very pretty!

A great afternoon in Chinatown. Suz went home to nap while Kat and Ashton continued to explore.

The End.

I Love Tags...

2011-05-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

And I also love Pinterest. Is anyone with me? Alyssa, I know you are. It is a little mindless. Look. Love. Repin. But such beautiful mindlessness! I think it could qualify for a new form of meditation for those of us who are inclined to think this sort of thing is meditative (many would not appreciate...but they are out biking or working on their cars, etc.)

I am making a few gifts. I always have thought "packaging is all." And of course, we must have tags with packages. Thus, we seek out Handmade Gift Tag inspiration on Pinterest. Here are some of my favorites...

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/24681937@N00/PicnicbyElle)

Here we have a little simple but effective. Vintage buttons on supply tags from the paper store, a little scalloping on the bottom. Maybe we could use some Jenni Bowlin button copies! So cheerful!

(http://lialovesblythes.blogspot.com)

Embellies taken to the max...springy and summery...or one that will even cheer up another rainy day in Minnesota.

(http://www.morestylethancash.com/)

Here is an ethical question for you. Am I stealing if I take paint chips from the store and I am not really painting?

(http://killamcreative.blogspot.com)

Well, I confess. I did.

On to birds. How I love them. I am trying to make lovely bird tags. After seeing some of the Birdsong tags from Karla Nathan's retreat, I am a little intimidated.

(http://2bp.blogspot.com)

Ah, a lovely sewn bird tag...but I do not have courage to sew on paper yet. Help me, someone!!!!

(http://www.etsy.com/people/Timeforscrappin)

We are getting closer. I love to cook tags. I dip them in my secret mixture of strong coffee and Haitian vanilla...yum! They smells wonderful, though they are a little wavey and wonky. My family thinks I am baking cookies. Sorry.

One of these days, I will show you what I have come up with. I tend to have more of the Factory Type Worker style in crafting. I have 500 cooked tags ready to go and I then I get a little lost stamping the same nest on 300 of them. Still, it is good Physical Therapy and someday you, too, may find a little package in your mailbox.

Until then, I am heading back to Pinterest. Anyone want to join me?

P. S. Oh dear. I thought I made it clear that I got these from Pinterest. I apologize! Back to the drawing board. I will go get individual credits for the ones on here!

A Circle of Love...

2011-05-20T07:01:00.000-07:00

This piece is called "la Familia." This "familia" has had a hard couple of days. Jud's PET Scan showed three more spots on his liver and two more cancerous nodes. The difficult treatment he has been receiving for the past four cycles is not working.

We are not sure what will happen next. Jud will hear more from his doctor today and we will be looking at some options. One of the possible treatments is the "hedgehog" treatment...nothing to do with hedge hogs but involving a way to stop the metabolic pattern the cancer takes. Unfortunately, it looks like Jud will not qualify. The next option is Gemcitabine, his first drug, and Ambraxine, similar to Taxol which has been used successfully with breast cancer. The catch here is that it has not been ok'd with pancreatic cancer. Jud's doctor, Melissa, will have to make an appeal for it's usage. My understanding is that is a hard process. At this moment, Jud received a call from his doctor and I believe he is hearing more possibilities.

The one thing we know is that, in the midst of the sadness and chaos, we are feeling loved. We are deeply loved by our God and sincerely love each other as a family. The circle extends out to our extended family and out to my friends and, especially, my blog friends. With my fibromyalgia and neuropathy, I have so much time that I must spend at home and you have all become so important in my life. My fibro groups, the Committee of Mothers, my Silver Bella friends, my craft blog friends. You all are woven into my circle and that has kept me going and keeps us going.

For that incredible gift, I am exceedingly grateful.

Think of Us...

2011-05-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

I love this sculpture. We bought a copy of this on our last trip to Croatia and looking at her always gives me a feeling of peace.

Jud, Jan (his younger sister) and I are sitting at the cancer center, watching the cardinals and gold finch out the window, while Jud receives his chemo. We met with his doctor this morning and reviewed his CAT scan. The results were somewhat inconclusive. His liver is showing three spots instead of two and it is possible that there is some growth in the tumors. It is also possible that what is showing up on the scans is merely inflammation from chemo and radiation.

Jud will come back for a PET Scan on Thursday, which should give us more information. If the tumors are growing, he will have a change in treatment. If they are remaining stable, he will continue with the same treatment that he is getting.

We had a wonderful meeting with the social worker here. Thank God for good people. Everyone has been so kind today, from the nurses, to the massage therapist to Jud's lovely doctor, Melissa Sherman. We are so grateful to have this beautiful center, with its calm and quiet atmosphere (except for the fact that Jud's pump is malfunctioning and starts beeping every twenty minutes, but they are just getting him a new one!).

It is so good to have Jan and our niece, Dani, here. Katie did her Master's paper presentation yesterday and did a wonderful job. Life is up and down and in and out, but as a whole, life is good.

Please remember us in our thoughts and prayers in the next few days. Thank you so much for your constant caring and support.

Hugs,
Suz

My Lovely Mom...

2011-05-08T17:45:00.000-07:00

Anita Louise LaGrave Gillis

1919-1968

Only One Mother

by George Cooper

Hundreds of stars in the pretty sky,
Hundreds of shells on the shore together,
Hundreds of birds that go singing by,
Hundreds of lambs in the sunny weather.

Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,
Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,
Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,
But only one mother the wide world over.

I was determined not to include a "sappy poem" with my mother's picture but all of a sudden, I remembered a poem that my mother used to read to me when I was a child. I found it...and I knew this was the poem I had to include.

My mom died when I was eighteen. I loved her more than anyone (Jud and Katie, of course, are right up there with her). She was always physically weak, as the result of a rheumatic heart at aged twelve, and died at the age of forty-nine. She was one of the funniest people I have ever known, though she married a difficult man and things weren't always very "funny."

She was a lousy housekeeper. Instead each morning, she went for "coffee" with a varied group of women. In reality, she was practicing her college degree of Social Work, counseling and supporting each one of them. From her I learned the deep importance of my women friends.

It didn't matter how much money you made or where you came from, my mother loved people for who they were. My father let her buy one nice dress a year which she invariably wore to church with a button hanging by a string or part of the hem falling down. She didn't care. Clothes didn't matter. People (and her relationship with God) did.

She was a weeper. She cried at parades and when her favorite hymns were sung at church. She had her own rating system for how "wonderfully emotional" things were, as in,

"That was a four kleenex wedding."

People in my town always said that she had a different and individual relationship with each of her children, which was true. We were very different, yet she loved each of us as if we were the "only one."

When she died, I heard two friends of my parents discussing her. "Annie was a great gal," said one man. "No, she wasn't" said the other, "Anita was a wonderful woman."

She was a very wonderful woman. She lives on in all of us but I see her most in my daughter who "stole" this picture from me and put it by her bedside when she was about nine. "I need it." she said. "She's my guardian angel."

I love you, Mom. You are my angel, too. I am so grateful to have been born your daughter.

Jud Has A Birthday...

2011-05-04T15:12:00.000-07:00

All hail the Birthday King! (The cape was made by our talented friend, Barbara, charter member

of the Committee of Mothers).

The Birthday King presides over the appetizers.

The Birthday King gets a big hug from his wife...

and his loving daughter.

The Gillises (the Queen's family) are represented by Floyd, from Kansas City.

Friends come from afar. Kathie from the Black Hills reconnects with Karen from Saint Paul.

A strawberry souffle cake feeds the masses...

...while our friends continue to do what they do best...talk.

As things wind down, Becky, of the Committee of Mothers, is there to lend a helping hand. Thanks to everyone who brought an appetizer to share.

A good time was had by all.

Whimsical Wonderful

2011-05-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

Ah, sweet, sweet Cindy of Cindy Adkin's Whimal Musings. Every time I am on her blog, she has something new she is giving away. I swear, she lives only to give! At the beginning of Mardi Gras, I won this darling tag in a give-away on her blog. I love the black and white harlequin, partially because it reminds me of Cindy. In most of her art, she has some area of black and white. It really adds a lot to her designs. Cindy is also one of the most prolific artists I know. I am amazed at how much she creates! She seems to have something new to show us every day and sits on two design teams.

This gift came entirely out of the blue. Fava beans are thrown from some of the floats in the Irish/Italian parade in New Orleans. The fava beans are also known as miracle beans. On St. Joseph's Day, altars, holding blessed fava beans, are erected by Sicilian settlers in the Louisiana area. The altars are created to honor St. Joseph, patron saint of Sicily, and mark a miracle which happened long ago. At that time, the Sicilians were starving when they were suddenly blessed with a huge crop of fava beans.

Today the fava beans are blessed before being put into the floats. Some people believe that if you carry them in your purse, they will bring wealth.

I was so pleased when Cindy wrote to me, told me the story of the beans and offered me one. She said that she had long wanted to catch one and this year she was lucky enough to catch several. My bean is now residing in a little cloisonne box, on the altar area in front of my bed.

Thank you so much, Cindy. You are a generous person and a lovely woman!

More Lovely Jubblies...

2011-04-28T02:04:00.000-07:00

...a they say in England. Rather appropriate for today!

This is a wonderful goody box from my dear friend, Donna. Donna is my friend through thick and thin. For those who have been to Silver Bella, Donna is the one who uncomplainingly pushes me in the wheelchair so I can make it the whole weekend. We became dear friends in college, though we met each other at camp when we were teens. Donna has sent me two wonderful boxes of goodies since Jud has been sick. This one was a 'pick-me-up" box. The can on the left had a pick-up (the little pick-up inside was the most wonderful Werther's candy, not the usual, but a velvety chocolate. The next box had shrink charms created from the directions in Country Living. Boy, I can't wait to play with those. They are so cute. Then we have stress mints (needed; gone) and a sweet bear for when I need a "life saver." Teehee! Under it all is the most beautiful book about Optimism. All of the pictures are vintage and as wonderful as the one on the cover! Thank you, my dear!

This beautiful piece of paper art came from Becky Shander. She has been such a kind friend this year. One of the fine gifts of blogland. This piece actually appeared in a Somerset Studio publication. Becky's creations are often calm in feeling, made of simple materials and related to nature. This beautiful dress was machine-sewn on the sides and has a bird peeping out of the cage at the bottom. And she sent this lovely white feather as an extra treat. I love it. Becky, you are so generous.

This woman "gets" me. Colette Copeland of A Bird in the Hand sent the most incredibly sweet angel to hang. Her packaging was such fun. :ook at the sweet envelope with all the "love" and a special Colette bird. The envelopes were sewn shut. That dazzles me. Sewing on paper. Wow. It also intimidates me. Someday I will try but for now I will appreciate this gift and its sewing. Thank you so much, sweet Colette.

This lovely tag comes from Karin Arguirre of Creative Chaos. She write the funniest blog and creates the most beautiful paper art. I order beautiful roses from her (I hope she never runs out) and she sent this lovely tag as a gift. I have a thing for tags and hers are some of the best I have seen. Lots of gorgeous detail and a romantic feel. I love it, Karin. My deep thanks.

That is all for today but I have more that I will continue to share. In between, I will share some of the things I am making. I have been rather stymied since Jud has been diagnosed and not able to do much but my muse seems to be coming back and helping me out. Thank you to my muse, too, whoever she is. I certainly can tell if she is here or if she is gone and I am happy to have her return, even just a little!

World-Wide Swapping...

2011-04-25T16:51:00.000-07:00

I love ephemera. Most people shake their heads at me when I use that word :-)

Old papers, unusual type and magazines in other languages make me smile!

Patty of Magpie's Nest introduced me to LaWendula and her swaps. They are so much fun. I struggle to keep my packages small(er) and I have received some tremendous packages in return.

The first two pictures are from Sylvie from Germany. The theme of this swap was Newspapers and Magazines. There are all kinds of delightful pieces for me to play with.

Right now, my favorite things to make are tags and postcards, thanks to Natalie and her postcard swaps). They are quick and fun and I get to do a lot of cutting, which is very relaxing to me. (I was so pleased to see that Julie of AVintage Chic also likes to cut out pictures! I think we are a small club!) As you can see, I have a lot of new ephemera to play with!

This is a wonderful package of ephemera from Eliza of Poland. The theme was Fresh Start and we were to use things that were nice but had sat in our stash forever. Among many things that were stuffed into one large envelope were her favorite works of art, my favorite Joan Walsh Anglund book (it is now considered vintage!) and that cute chalkboard bird. Now isn't that a clever tag?

I love exchanging internationally. I have talked before of our international exchange students and teachers and the wonderful times we have had visiting their home countries, going to their weddings, spending Christmas with one and having them come back to visit. So many adventures and so many chances to meet more people of other countries and see their homeland.

I am not what one would consider "political" but I do strongly believe that peace on earth is forwarded if we engage internationally on a person-to-person level. That is why I love events like OWOH and international swaps.

Check out the swaps. There are different ones each month. We just had a mini-swap I received a beautiful little package of papers and wonderful vintage pieces from Pat of Fulks Run, Virginia. One lovely person (Marie) sent a packet to everyone! This month we are having a paperback book swap. My love is children's books and I am hoping to get one from a new international friend.

Have a Blessed Easter...

2011-04-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

Easter Exultet

Shake out your qualms.
Shake up your dreams.
Deepen your roots.
Extend your branches.
Trust deep water
and head for the open,
even if your vision
shipwrecks you.
Quit your addiction
to sneer and complain.
Open a lookout.
Dance on a brink.
Run with your wildfire.
You are closer to glory
leaping an abyss
than upholstering a rut.
Not dawdling.
Not doubting.
Intrepid all the way
Walk toward clarity.
At every crossroad
Be prepared
to bump into wonder.
Only love prevails.
En route to disaster
insist on canticles.
Lift your ineffable
out of the mundane.
Nothing perishes;
nothing survives;
everything transforms!
Honeymoon with Big Joy!

~ James Broughton ~

Have a joyous holiday! Thank you, all of you, for the kindness and caring you have brought into my life this year.
Fondly,
Suz

I won!!!...

2011-04-21T15:35:00.000-07:00

Marie Skrotzki. What a lovely woman! I know I am sounding repetitive but first of all, there are some beautiful bloggers out there who create beautiful things, and second, so many are so generous and gracious, with their creations, kindness and their knowledge. I found Marie's blog, Lost Bird Studio, just this year and have become an avid follower. She has such a beautiful style, very soft and yet very complex. Though her creations have a lot of detail, they always seems to look "calm" to me.

Look at this beautiful packaging. My gift was wrapped in gorgeous cream on cream material and tied with taupe seam binding. And it was sent from Germany!

Here is my gorgeous pillow and card. Do you see what I mean? There is so much work there and everything is placed just right! The design is worked layer upon layer. See the calligraphy over the egg? Can you believe the real feathers at the bottom? I love the repetition of the crowns and eggs. The tag is perfect! A postcard with a crown (and the bird that laid the egg, I imagine).

Here is a little closer peek. Please tell me, my friends, what kind of feathers are those? I want to say guinea hen but I think I just made that up! They are the perfect touch!

Thank you so much, Marie, for this wonderful gift. I love your blog and I love what you create. I am so glad I found you and encourage people to visit you. I know, they, too, will be delighted to meet you and see more of your incredible work.

Precious Patty...

2011-04-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

Even though Kat and I primarily make jewelry (upstairs in the bead room), I have a paper (and clay, glass, fabric, etc. etc. etc.) craft room (in the basement). Though we haven't made jewelry for awhile because of Jud's illness, it had become a bit of a job. Playing with mixed media is something I like to do to relax and have fun.

Every field has its "rock stars." Patty Szymkowicz is a rock star in the area of mixed media. There isn't much that Patty can't do, and she does it all beautifully. I stalked her blog for ages, even before I had a blog of my own. I finally got the courage to write responses and, lo and behold, I was answered! We started to chat more and thus developed a friendship. I found out she was a real person, just like me!

I just adore her and she is one of the kindest and brightest people I know.

One sunny day, a beautiful present came in the mail. I wish I could show you the envelope but I took a photograph and forgot to block out the addresses. The brown envelope is beautiful, decorated with birds and beautiful papers, and I am keeping it just because of that.

Inside was a package wrapped in a brown glassine, covered with gold and white Indian paper and, on the top, the cutest teeny, tiny French airmail envelope with a little note inside. This was all tied together with a sash of golden Dupioni silk. "Presentation is everything" is a saying that has oft been recited here in Blogland! This package had that art down!

Ooooh, Look at this incredible miniature canvas work of art! Layer upon layer of text and dots, paper and paint, black stamping (see the "overdue"?, and a gorgeous seal, all perfectly blended together. Then, take a look at that beautiful woman with a gold crown on her head, surrounded by a veil of almost invisible gilding. I swooned!

Alright. I admit it. I told her I really liked it. I should have learned that you don't say that to generous bloggers. A week later, it came in the mail.

This is my favorite part. When you turn it on the side, there is a secret message that the woman whispers...all executed in this gorgeous script with those wonderful clover leafs at the side and shell-like shapes at the top. A special message just for me, I would like to think. Certainly one that I need to remember these days.

Sigh! I thank you, my friend, Patty. You are so kind and so delightful. Knowing people like you is why I love this "land" so much.

A Present for Pam...

2011-04-16T21:47:00.000-07:00

Pam, or Pammy Wammy, as we teasingly call her, took wonderful care of us when we were in California for Jud's treatment. She cooked for Jud and I daily, while working full time (she is also Dr. Pam, a clinical psychologist). She divided the food into "Suz' only" when I broke out in shingles across my face, concerned for my immune-suppressed husband. She took us for drives along the roads of Palo Alto, to help distract us from our worries. She had a series of movies at our ready, usually to watch at night, when Jud was not able to go out. She also had the menu of every restaurant around for the times that neither of us had the energy to go out for dinner. There is no way we could begin to thank her for all she did.

I wanted to make her a piece of special jewelry to thank her in some small way. For some reason, a bird theme seemed to fit. I had three little gold birds and let her chose the one she liked for the right side. She chose the one that is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. Her childhood Catholicism is still a heavy influence in her life. I found a necklace of big links at a consignment store in Mesa and took one out to encircle the bird.

Pam only wears gold jewelry, so I knew, from the start, to go with that. It works well with her coloring. I chose the deep turquoise briolettes because the color is so pretty on her, with her beautiful auburn hair. The locket was one that I bought while at Silver Bella. I used some chain from home that matches the locket and looks equally "old."

Inside the locket, I put a picture of an egg and a picture of a soaring bird. The egg symbolizes the "mother bird" in Pam. She has already raised her two children to adulthood but truly took us under her wing when we needed a "mother hen." The picture on the right is a bird beginning to soar. Pam is making great changes in her life. She is soaring and fearlessly choosing a new life for herself.

I wanted to use Ice Resin to cover the pictures, but the latch enters into the bottom picture. Instead I chose Diamond Glaze, which gave me more control. I bought a bottle of acrylic paint that matched the briolettes and put just a drop in the Diamond Graze. The small square charm that dangles from the end of the chain is a milagro of a house (a milagro is Mexican charm that is meant to have healing properties. It literally means "miracle"). I thought it was a fitting piece and exemplified, "mi casa es su casa," my house is your house.

Thank you, my friend, for taking such good care of us, for welcoming us wholeheartedly into your home and giving so deeply of yourself, both physically and emotionally.

We love you so much!

Gifts of the heart...

2011-04-13T17:54:00.000-07:00

I have received some beautiful gifties (as my Nana Carol used to call them) in the past few months and wanted to share them with you.

This lovely woman was given to me by Jackie Peters of Good Grief Girdie. She has a rhinestone and real feather in her hair and individual blue brad buttons. Her skirt is real lace. Jackie has a blog that makes me smile. I usually visit just as soon as I see she has posted something new. Her creations are clever and unique and make me wish I lived in OKC so I could take a class from her!

This sweet angel, who has a real fur muff and fur hat, comes from Katie Struckhoff of Ragmuffin Gal's Studio. Katie is a talented artist whose creations are often romantic and full of beautiful lace. She is a person with a huge heart who also teaches school. I love the pictures of her hugging her students. She has such warmth and oI love when she talks about her "happys" (things that make her happy). She has quite a story about her life. Check out her blog to get to know her.

If you read my blog last month, you saw the beautiful ornament scrapbook that was made by Sheila Rumney of Blessed and Distressed. What a generous woman! What a generous gift! My mother-in-law (someone with great taste) even commented on the incredible scrapbook when I visited several weeks ago. This was such a lovely card and has a real three pearl pin running through the ribbon.

Never say you love something to Beth Leintz of Gathering Dust. I made that mistake and she gave this to me! This "Suz" handkerchief (haha!) has incredible embroidery and is sitting by my bed with a few other special things. I have ordered from Beth on many occasions and she always includes "extras" with whatever you get, usually fabulous tags. I love Beth's tags! She is an estate sale buyer and has fabulous things in her stores.

I just visited a blog of another lovely woman, Laura Kaufman of 52 Flea. I met Laura at Silver Bella this year. What a gentle and real soul! She has a giveaway, Romantic Prairie Homes. It looks like a truly beautiful book which has pictures of the homes of many bloggers I visit. I didn't realize that FiFi, the author, was from New York. I guess I thought she was from Kansas. Nonetheless, she has incredible prairie style!

Thank you, my friends, for your kindness. Receiving these little treasures in the mail has really helped me get through a hard time. I am so grateful to be a part of this blog world and communion of friends.

I want to update you a bit on Jud. He was supposed to get his second dose of Folfirinox this week but his platelets and white blood cells were both low. So, instead he gets a shot in the stomach every day for five days. I got to watch the first one and I didn't pass out!). The shot, called Ampligen, is designed to increase his white blood cells. The good news is...no chemo this week. The bad news is...no chemo this week. It made me happy to see him feeling good enough to go out to a play last night! This chemo is a combination of four agents and is a very powerful...and a very difficult regimen. He is a really good sport about his treatment.

More gifties coming soon!

"It isn't the size of a gift that matters, but the size of the heart that gives it."
Quoted in The Angel's Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994

Shelly Decorates Yard Eggs...

2011-04-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

Do any of you remember yard eggs? Yard eggs were a phenomena that hit...oh maybe in the eighties...I am truly not sure. They are ugly, plastic eggs that one would put in their yard at Easter-time. The giant eggs, in their garish colors, would make a ugly Easter display that was, well, just plain GARISH and UGLY!!

Hold your horses! Shelly at Bungalow Bling has reinvented yard eggs and has made them into such a beautiful new decoration that you are going to be scouring every rummage sale you can find this Spring in search of old yard eggs!

Check this out, my friends...

Shelly has decoupaged the giant egg with old sheet music and embellished it with ribbons and lace and wonderful old vintage pictures!

Ok...I will let you get a better view of this treasure...

Isn't that just something? And I won it! I have been so lucky lately and actually have won two beautiful pieces of art on Shelly's blog.

Plus, being extremely generous, she also sent me this little pack of Easter ephemera and all sorts of yummy bits and bobs.

The ribbons at the top are tied into a beautiful bow that says, Make a Wish. How sweet is that?

Thanks, Shelly. You are a wonderful blog friend.

And as Shelly would end by saying, to all of you "a giant Easter hug and a big old bus on the cheek!"

Check her blog out to find out just what she means by a "bus on the cheek" and you will also get a chance to enjoy the really clever things she creates.

Wee Bit Wednesday

2011-04-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

From Colette at A Bird in the Hand...
{one} what is one food that, as an adult you love, but as a child you said you’d never touch?None. What I liked as a child (just about everything), I like as an adult. I ate roquefort cheese at two and loved it. I love strong flavors. What I disliked as a child (creamed corn), I dislike as an adult. I think it is a consistency thing!

{two} did you go to college? if yes, what was your major?I did...almost forever. I have a BA in Special Education; two Masters degrees, one in Special Education (LD) and one in Counseling; I am all but dissertation for my Ph D. in Child Psychology and School Psychology. Got to the last chapter, running my statistics, and had three pulmonary emboli which "morphed" into a pain disorder. That was the end of my school career!

{three} what’s the most wild animal you’ve seen in real life (not counting the zoo)?A wallaby in Australia? It was one of the oddest, anyway!
{four} have you ever been to a fortune teller?I never have but I see a body worker who is an intuitive.
{five} can you juggle?Not a chance! I am not very coordinated!
{six} hardwood floors or carpet?Hardwood.

{seven} is it called “soda” or “pop”?Pop. I am from the Midwest!

{eight} what was your first car?My dad's fifteen-year-old Chrysler Imperial.

{nine} what is the most decadent dessert you’ve ever eaten?I have eaten way too many decadent desserts. Last summer, I had hot chocolate in Prague that was as thick as pudding and tasted like the best chocolate ever!

{ten} how often do you rearrange your furniture?Almost never.

Goodbye Arizona, Hello Chemo...

2011-04-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Ah, it was great to be back in Arizona again. Jud's sister, Joan, joined us for another week.

Our good friends, the Hallbergs, joined us for dinner. They lived both in Rapid City and in the Twin Cities with us and we try to see them when we come. Bruce and Cozy are on either side of me.

Bruce and I talked as the sun set behind us.

I took a picture of Jud, his sister and his mom before we went to bed. I have told you about his sisters and someday I will speak longer about his parents. They are wonderful people.

Jud's dad was a doctor, too, and delivered over 5,000 babies. He is the best grandfather I know. Here is is with one of the great-grandkids. He is also really handsome!

This was the final sunset. Jud captured it in this picture.

We flew back to St. Paul and Jud had a port installed on Monday. This is a device that was inserted into his chest and makes it possible for him to receive the chemo directly into his right atrium. He started his "four drug" chemotherapy the next day. It is very powerful and it was pretty hard. He felt drugged up and nauseated the whole week and he is still very tired. The good news is that he gets a week off in between. He is still resting up from last week. Hopefully, his "break" will start tomorrow.

I am hoping to take pictures of gifts and giveaways I have received. The postman knows me well! I apologize to those of you who have not had thank you's from me yet. I am usually on time with such things but have gotten behind.

Have a wonderful week!

Pay It Forward...

2011-03-28T15:33:00.000-07:00

How could I resist? This sounded like a lot of fun!

I met Tabitha at Silver Bella. She is adorable and makes wonderful things. She has a terrific blog... be sure and take the time to visit. So...I signed up on her site to

Pay It Forward

The first five people who signed up get a homemade gift from Tabitha.

I agreed to do the same thing! This is open to the first five people who sign up. Now since it is a handmade item it doesn't have a due date. I love the thought of paying it forward... Please join me!

If you want to join email me at reane002@umn.edu

To participate there are few requirements:

1. Write a post about paying it forward.
2. Make 5 things and mail out to the five women who agree to pass the generosity along....

Fun, huh?

Hugs,

Suz

Arizona sunsets...

2011-03-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

Sky blues fade to lavender...

Inky palm on stripes of gold...

Angelic pink clouds...

Arizona. Resting in the love of family.

Sending Me Angels...

2011-03-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

Alright, I know this video would never pass the "angel rule" in my house (one angel comes in, one goes out). Jud probably wouldn't let this one in the door! In truth, I prefer the Kathy Mattea version (not on You-Tube) but I do resonate to a "gravelly voice." I see it as an indicator of someone of has really "seen a lot of life."

"Sending Me Angels" has special meaning for me. My dear friend, Donna and I, used it for one of our annual women's retreats in the Black Hills, which focussed on women's friendships. I found myself humming it last night. We have certainly been blessed with friendship during Jud's illness.

I need to get to the point. We received some bad news yesterday. Jud's cancer has spread to his liver. There are two very small spots, but pancreatic cancer cells are powerful and insidious and spread quickly. Surgery isn't an option. We were not expecting this news and were initially in shock. We had done a lot of reading and research about surgery but did not want to look at the idea of metastases.

We came back to Pam and Barry's and called family. Jud wrote a Caring Bridge entry. Next we pulled out our computers and started reading about the next options for treatment. Ah, the modern age!

We read for about four hours and then we had a good cry. We were not prepared for this.

I woke up early this morning (actually eight o'clock Minneapolis time) and the sun is now rising. This morning we will visit a medical oncologist at Stanford who specializes in chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer. We are back to the task of looking at options. We plan to look at various research programs across the country but, again, we hope that Jud can get his actual treatment in Minneapolis.

Jud's Caring Bridge is full of loving messages from people who were hoping with us. I took a peek and see that my mailbox is full. I had beautiful, caring thoughts waiting for me when I arrived here at my blog yesterday.

Indeed, He does keep "Sending Me Angels."
We will get through this.
We are surrounded.
We are being "held up" by the angels in our life.

I thank each of you, from the depths of my heart, for being one of those "angels."

Lovely Stanford Cancer Center....

2011-03-16T08:44:00.000-07:00

What a light and lovely place! As you enter, there is a huge, two level room, with a grand piano and these three wonder pieces of art. There is light everywhere. I tried to take pictures that didn't show the light but I guess that is part of its charm (what an excuse!!!). You can see the lights of the dappled leaves through the windows. Look at that beautiful wooden floor. Often there is someone playing the grand piano.

This is the hall that leads the Pancreatic Cancer Center. We have heard it will soon be called the Patrick Swayze Pancreatic Center, as the family donated a lot of money in his honor. Word also has it that Steve Jobs is being treated here. So much for name-dropping! There is a rather modern but comfortable waiting room at the end of the hall and coffee, tea and cocoa.

I love these pictures which were done by an African woman. Each pictures has information next to it, telling about the author and the style, but we were in a bit of a hurry.

This is such a sweet botanical! No matter what I did, I still got that leafy window light and the shadow of me taking the picture. See me in there?

Pleasant, huh? I hadn't noticed until today how many pictures have shades of orange and blue. Very cheerful.

If you are really lucky, you will hear the harpist. What an soothing sound. If you are really, really lucky, you will see the masseuse and get a fifteen minute neck massage. I was not that lucky today but what a wonderful offering! Look at those beautiful wooden floors again.

The waiting rooms are around the entire building and face outdoors so you feel surrounded by beautiful flowering trees and plants.

We go to our first appointment at 11:20, in about two and a half hours. Please send prays our way, if you are able. I pray that I will be able to accept "what is" and live it the best I can. Of course, I would love a miracle!!!

It is so nice to be in surroundings like this when you are under stress. I am really grateful to all of the people who donated to make this possible and I am especially grateful to all of you for supporting me so kindly this last four months.

Back to Stanford...

2011-03-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

This all happened so fast. We are back at Stanford Cancer Center. It is beautiful, n'est pas? (all I remember of my high school French...haha). Today Jud has Pet Scans, Cat Scans and blood work. Tomorrow morning, we will meet with the cancer radiologist (the very kind Dr. Koong, aka Doogie Hauser. Why do all these experts look like they are thirty-five?) Tomorrow after noon, the Tumor Board will meet and take a look at his results together. I like the fact they have this board, that not only one but many doctors will be looking at the results. They are also evaluated by the Johns Hopkins Tumor Board and the Sloan Kettering Tumor Board, so we have the advantage of two more good centers looking at his test data. They will be primarily to see if it would now be possible to do surgery (we hope and pray) and if he has any new metastases (cancer) elsewhere in his body (we hope and pray not) .

More meetings, after that, and I will share some picture of the inside of the center. They do all they can to make it pleasing, calming and beautiful. There is some lovely art in there!

Until then, we will be waiting and doing lots of praying and deep breathing.

Huge thanks to all of you for your wonderful support. Truly, you have done so much to make this all manageable.

Another Way To Use the Besties...

2011-03-07T10:03:00.000-08:00

It's time to play along with Karla Nathan's Using the Good Stuff challenge. What a great idea!!!

OK...this is just a little bit corny!!! Well, my muse hasn't been around. I have no ideas or energy to make jewelry, much less venture into my second love, which is paper crafts.

What I do love is giving gifts, wrapping up each little package and putting them into boxes and envelopes that will shock the postman! This gift is for a woman who likes roosters! She is going to have a lot of fun with the package on the right because the paper lace is encased in a layer of cellophane!!!

And this is for a woman who loves fuschia, photography and fashion. I have been doing international materials swaps with Lawendula. They are so much fun and I loved my last package from Eliza who is from Poland! (I won't tell you the postage of the box I sent her-YIKES!) I taped each envelope of these ones closed with that wonderful tape from the Michaels' dollar bin that says, "You are Awesome...You are Special...You are Wonderful."

Love this girl...such style! The camera loves her, too, I think.

And it did take a second envelope...but, this time, no box. I think I saved money!

Everything inside is all wrapped individually and scented with her favorite (lavender). The package also includes her favorite candy (Jelly Bellies).

So what does that have to do with my besties?

My besties are wrapped in those packages! I started collecting vintage books several years ago and I now have a wonderful collection. I decided right away that they were purchased for using...and I also have decided they were purchased for sharing.

I hope the recipients will enjoy the packages. I feel a lot of joy in giving them.

Do go to Karla's site and check the wonderful things that people have made using their "besties."

Huge thanks to Karla who made some of the loveliest things herself!

Amazing Gift...

2011-03-05T08:42:00.000-08:00

Amazing Gift came to me as the title of this entry. It sounds a lot like Amazing Grace. When you go through a difficult time, you may sometimes also experience the amazement of Grace. Spiritual gifts will be given to you, sometimes in the form of a concrete gift. Sheila Rumney gave me this gift because she cared and wanted to do something to help us in our profound sadness. She also gave it to us because she had know the sadness of pancreatic cancer. She had lost her ""other mother," (her stepmother, whom she loved very much) to pancreatic cancer. To me, therein lies the touch of Grace...for her to share out of her own pain. Out of that pain, came a gift of joy and the love of God appeared in a hard experience.

Thank you to Sheila for letting me use her pictures!

Sheila and I are "creators." I stop short of calling myself an artist. I would call her one. She made me a book to record my Christmas ornaments. More than any of my possessions, I love my ornaments. They tell stories. They tell the story of the life of Jud and I and our family, from before we were married to the present. They tell of when we had Katie, when we lost our twin sons in childbirth, the many other teens and young adults that came to live with us, and our wonderful friends and family. Sheila made a scrapbook that will house the pictures and stories of the ornaments and gave it to me as a gift. She poured herself into it. It is rich in beauty and detail and I love it! I wanted you all to see the whole thing!

"Ornament Stories" is created in beautiful cherry reds, greens which lean toward olive, gentle beige and soft aqua. The sides of the album are embellished with a joyous mass of lace, ribbon and strips of material that pick up these colors.

Poking through the top right is a beautiful crystal. I think it's fitting that the theme of the front page is sledding, something I did a lot of as a child, as we also did with our daughter, Kat. Is there a sled ornament on our tree? Of course! I bought a handmade one twenty-seven years ago at Calvary Lutheran Church in Rapid City, South Dakota!

There is always a place on my shopping list for ornaments Isn't that a darling little girl on the shopping list at the left? Each of my family gets a new one each year. This frame is meant to hold the picture of a particularly elegant one, I think. Most likely, it will hold a picture of the beautiful brass angel, given to us several years ago by our dear friends, Sheryl and Jo, in our annual Christmas angel exchange. I love the three-D nature of my book. Look at all of the dimensional flowers and the snowflakes that even have little rhinestones in the center. Under the picture frame is the most gorgeous antique laee.

Talk about joy! The page at the left is full of joyful Santas and snowmen. I would call them Retro, rather than Vintage....like when I was a girl! I can picture the big fat Snorkel Santa, given to us my Katie's godparents, Charlie and Kathie, the year we learned to snorkel. Jud and I were both too sick for our final dive, which was to take place on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. We have a wonderful (also fat) Santa the cook, gifted to us by Karen and Sam. We spent many happy hours cooking with those dear friends! At the right, there is a wonderful lace-trimmed pocket, holding two handmade tags, pieces of art in themselves! On these tags, I will tell these stories about the ornaments pictured on the left. The attention to detail is incredible. The holly is that great "old-fashioned" holly and there is a teeny tree cookie cutter on the tea-dyed tag. Oh, I love it!

Another darling set of pages. The background is covered with happy children. I love the red boy on the left that has a bell in the center, hooked with a safety pin. Look at that tag on the left that matches the trim. I love the little bit of houndstooth paper...and the button has red and white baker's string that matches!

This set of pages is amazing! A beautiful blue background (this paper is wonderful) and the cutest angel tag, dotted with glitter. In the middle is a wonderful Santa, 3-D glittery snowflakes, and, guess what, the page opens up...it is an envelope!!! I can imagine putting little gift tags in the envelope, when friends give us an ornament with a special loving gift tag. And look...

...Here is the other side of the envelope, fully decorated! Layer on layer, a beautiful round picture of Santa and children on a sled, lovely bits of glitter. Sheila is not a minimalist! Neither am I! i love the snowman tag on the other side, another place for writing about our beloved ornaments. It also has lovely, glittery bits and a glittery snowflake on the top. And white lines to help my crooked handwriting :-)

The other one, also totally adorable. Tea-dyed with a glittery snowflake. Hooked on to the seam binding bow, which is the prettiest shade of blue.

Another lovely picture on the left side with a cute tab in the middle. It begs to be written on...like on a file folder in school. And the right side has a different kind of pocket, decorated with gimp and two adorable tags. The one poking out has glittery children carrying a tree and darling lace on the bottom

Another lovely page of holly. It is a little hard to see, but that is a tiny red chandelier crystal handing from the tag on the left. Adorable page on the right. I love the pictures of children. I guess the school psychologist and special ed teacher in me is still in there somewhere. Love those dear children! The tag at the top is tied with an strip of muslin. Just so fitting! The other has the cutest little boy in a red parka. He almost looks like a little gnome! Then there is that glittery piece of candy and beige seam binding tied at the top. On the pocket there is darling lace everywhere!

Sadly, we are on our last page. Beautiful blues everywhere. This is really a wonderful set of paper. Sheila told me what t was and I believe she said it was Webster's Pages. Someone, correct me quickly, if I am wrong! It may be hard to see this clearly but I love how all the colors coordinate so beautifully. The Color Geniuses have been at work on this one. Would I ever have thought to put pale aqua blue with red and green. No. Never. It is a wonderful combination. Cheery and Classical Christmassy and yet so soft at the same time. Dud you see the big rhinestones? There are three on the tab on the left and one in the middle of the snowflake. The very last little picture has a mom and her little girl. She looks like she is seeing snow for the first time. Just precious.

We have no picture of the back but on the bottom, is says, "Made with Love, Sheila Rumney." Yes, indeed, this gift was made with so much love. My eyes are swimming with tears again. It is a gift of art and it is a gift from the heart.

This is a gift that I will add to and enjoy always. I pray that Jud will be here with me to enjoy it, too. I have already taken many pictures and look forward to the "story" part.

I am a creator, too. I know the hours of work that went into this. I am so touched!
Sheila, again, I thank you. I will never, ever forget this. I imagine being a little old lady and still not forgetting this. It came to me when my heart was low and picked me right up and brought me great joy.
It was an incredibly kind thing for you to do.
I have said it many times before, I am grateful. I am so grateful and so touched.
You are a lovely, lovely woman.
Inside and out.

The Day I Discovered Coldplay...

2011-02-22T21:41:00.000-08:00

I was hanging out in blogland several years ago and came across a wonderful story of a music teacher named Travis Garland. Travis teaches at PS 22 in Staten Island, NY. His students are from racially diverse backgrounds, mostly low-income, and just love to sing in the PS 22 Choir. The group does not sing the usual songs, however, instead they enthusiastically sing pop songs like Tori Amos' "1000 Oceans" They hooked me on Coldplay's "Viva La Vida." It just ripped my heart out! I called my closest brother to tell him all about it (I thought I had personally discovered Coldplay...what a nerd I can be!) What he and I both liked were the videos of these kids singing this terrific song with their entire bodies, hearts and souls.

Now they have been on Oprah and count Lady Gaga and Anne Hathaway as their fans. This year, they will be singing at the Academy Awards. Though I am sure they are more polished, I imagine they will still look like a group of joyfully singing "real kids" with their hyperactive teacher happily jumping around in front of them as he strums his guitar. I, for one, will be watching them and cheering them on.

I have played this YouTube song a million times, at least, only to find out that I am one of 28 million hits. This has been going on since 2006. I loved them then. I love them now. I am such a sucker for a good success story.

See for yourself!

We have a OWOH winner...

2011-02-17T16:19:00.000-08:00

It has been a wonderful opportunity to participate in One World, One Heart. I think I visited a fifth of the list and hope I have a chance to visit all the rest of these unique blogs in the coming weeks. Huge thanks to Lisa for creating and organizing this event that unites bloggers all over the world.

Our prize is this pair of Katsui sterling silver and Swarovski crystal chandelier earrings. The Random Number Generator (whose name is Jud Reaney) selected Number 161. I was so pleased that Melanie won the prize. I hope it will give her a boost/

Sean said.

From the Florida Gulf Coast

I am entering for my daughter Melanie, she had wanted to participate in this year's event, but a fire changed her plans... I thought I would surprise her and do this for her..

Visit the site I set up for her on my blog #579.. and enter her name in the contest, thank You

USA

Melanie's family has already written to me and claimed her prize. I will put it in the mail this weekend.

Congratulations, Melanie!

Thank you to all of you who visited our blog and participated in this event. I am really looking forward to next year's new and different blog extravaganza!

Happy Valentine's Day, My Friends!

2011-02-14T12:15:00.000-08:00

I think of Valentine's Day as a day that I honor my husband, my daughter, my extended family and my friends. It has always been a day that I have loved and I am feeling especially loving and grateful this year. For the kindness you have shown in so many ways...for notes...for little gifts...for meals...for helping us keep ends together in our home...for visits...for cards...for so many things that you have done for us. Thank you for being the friends "who have borne with us and believed in us and loved us."

I hope you know how much I love you!

One World One Heart...

2011-02-11T18:54:00.000-08:00

Welcome!!!

We are a mom and daughter jewelry team who have been working together for fifteen years. We named ourselves "Katsui" because the younger one of the duo is Kat and the older one is Suz.

We are so pleased to be participating in One World One Heart, especially since this will be the last time this event will be held. OWOH gives us and others a unique opportunity to meet other bloggers throughout the world. This is the first time we have joined in, as our blog is not yet a year old. We would like to thank Lisa Swifka of A Whimsical Bohemian for creating and organizing this event and giving us this opportunity.

Our giveaway is a pair of sterling silver filigree earrings. Dangling from the filigree are sparkley hand-wired Swarovski crystals.

Please throw your name into the hat by leaving a comment below. Be sure to include your email address. The winner will be chosen by Random Generator and will be announced here on February 17. A list of the many other of OWOH participants can be found here.

Have fun hopping from blog to blog. It is a wonderful event!

It's Spring!

2011-02-03T21:26:00.000-08:00

The sun is shining and there are beautiful flowers blooming here in Menlo Park! This is a picture of me and our dear friend, Pam, who has taken such good care of us.

Jud and I are happy because tomorrow is his last day of SBRT radiation. Look at those peach poppies...have you ever seen anything so pretty?

It has been so nice to stay with Pam and Barry. No, this is not their kitchen, but it is a nearby bakery. Isn't that a yummy site?

They have these really interesting gnarly trees here n California. I have always wondered what they were, even when we lived here thirty-five years ago. Today I found out from Barry that they are pistachio trees!

Jud and I took a walk to the "village" today to do some looking and shopping. On our way, we saw this great sign, for a Russian Orthodox Church.

Tucked way back in the lot was this teeny tiny little church, covered by the shadows of more gnarly trees! It looks like it is large enough for about ten people! I hear it is pretty inside and has beautiful windows.

On Saturday, we fly home to St. Paul. There we will again be encountered with the cold and three feet of snow. However, home is home and we are glad to be done with this part of the journey. Jud will start chemotherapy again on Tuesday and we will come back here in four to six weeks to see if Jud's tumor has shrunk to the point that he will qualify for surgery. We are praying.

I am anxious to go to my craft room and make messes! Hopefully I will have something to show you all soon.

I want to thank you all for supporting me. You have made a difficult time much more bearable with your words of kindness and support.

In summary, blogland rocks!

Sisters, sisters...

2011-01-28T18:06:00.000-08:00

Jud was born into a very loving family. Jud was the first child in the family, born in 1949. Joan joined him in 1951.

Janny came eight years later.

And here are another set of sisters. Joan, Jan and I are sorority sisters. We were all members of Kappa Alpha Theta at the University of South Dakota.

Joan and Jan are extremely devoted sisters to Jud and to me. I am so grateful to have such loving and caring sisters in my life. I was born into a family of brothers, and they are wonderful people, but I always wanted a sister, too. When I married Jud, I was given the gift of sisterhood. Our relationships have deepened over the years and the four of us just spent a wonderful week in Mesa at the home of Jud's parents. We laughed, we cried, we laughed until we cried and we told lots of funny stories about each other "way back when." Jud's dear parents? They are the theme for another entry ;-)

We have one more sisterly relationship. Jud's mom and my mom were in the same sorority in the 1940's. We can even go further with "sisterhood." We have counted twenty-five relatives in the Gillis and Reaney families who were members of the same sorority.

"To have a loving relationship with a sister is not simply to have a buddy or a confidante. It is to have a soul mate for life."
Victoria Secunda

Sing along with Suz...

2011-01-22T00:28:00.000-08:00

..accompanying you on the baritone ukelele!! Today we will be singing Suz' favorite song from the 1970's...

California!

Well, no matter where I wander

I know I'll always find a welcome.

At the end of every journey

There'll be friendly people waiting.

California, could not hold me

Though I loved her timber mountains

Susan and Gary


Susan and Jud

Susan and Jud

Sebastapol

Photo by chaffinfamilyorchards.com

Worked her fields and worked her orchards

Up and down her Central Valley

I'm going HO-O-OME

Well, I am not really going home but those are the words to the song and I wanted to show you what we are missing in Minnesota right now! In truth, we are currently in Mesa with Jud's parents and sisters, having a wonderful time, eating, shopping, setting up a laptop for Jud's father, writing in my Brave Girl Journal, eating, shopping (repeat again).

We will be here until a week from today and then we will go back here

The Stanford Cancer Center

For this

The Stanford Cancer Center became on Sept. 16 the first treatment center on the West Coast and one of a select few globally to offer cancer patients the TrueBeam, a machine that represents an exponential leap forward in the speed, power and precision of radiation therapy.
The TrueBeam linear accelerator is capable of delivering radiation at a faster dose rate than most conventional linear accelerators. This advance translates into shorter treatment times for patients. The time for a typical radiation treatment could be cut in half with the TrueBeam. Other special features improve the accuracy of treatment so the overall duration of a course of treatment may also be shortened from several weeks to just a few days.

Please remember us in your thoughts and prayers. Jud has a long road ahead of him and this is an important step. We are hoping that SBRT therapy will shrink the tumor to the point that he will qualify for Whipple surgery. That would make a huge difference for him. His attitude is great and he is getting ready to "move along" the treatment path once again.