Thrift Store Finds

A view of all of the treasures

Good brands like Levi's, Old Navy and Gap

Nice Shirts

Adorable Princess Jacket with lining and all

Osh Kosh Pants and Levi's

Lately we have found this Salvation Army by our house that has 50 percent off days every other week. You can find some amazing things there. They are constantly restocking throughout the day, so there are new things all the time. They also have a lot of kids clothes. Natalie has gone through a growth spurt lately and my mom and I decided to check things out to see if we could find a couple things for her to play in. I have had such good luck finding clothes for other friends with kids and this time was no different. We got 5 pairs of pants, 3 of which were jeans. Then one really nice Disney Jacket and 3 hoodies. We also purchased 5 shirts and 3 skirts. All of those clothes for 35 dollars. It was great. I love half off days. It is fun to go through all the racks finding that treasure that looks brand new. That is another thing each item looked like it almost just cam off the rack. Getting a good sale is like getting a good high. It makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Well thought I would share my finds with you and wish you luck on your discount store adventures. Be patient and take your time to scan through racks and you are bound to find a treasure in there somewhere. Happy shopping!!

Natalie's Preschool Christmas Program

Mom, Natalie and her Doll with matching dress

Daddy and Natalie

Natalie and her best friend Skyland

Natalie telling Santa what she wants this year

Yesterday my little niece Natalie had her first Christmas program. I was unable to make it because I don't do well in crowds and mornings are not my thing. My mom went though and said it was wonderful and oh so cute. They sang songs and each one was a Christmas character. Natalie was Santa's little helper, which is perfect because she is a great helper and loves to do it. She was dressed in her Christmas party dress that was red and she looked gorgeous as she always does. Love her to death!!! Good job Natalie, we are so proud of you little miss.

Christmas Decorating

Kids Decorated ornaments, It was FUN!

Our "kids" tree of homemade ornaments

The outside of our house almost done with lights

Santa waving Hello to everyone

Our Red and Gold beautiful tree

The Christmas village complete with snow

Our huge and gorgeous nativity

My new buy this year, a huge Mountain Santa.

So I decided to take an attempt on keeping this blog going again. So many of you have encouraged me to express my thoughts in writing and have blessed me so much with the encouraging words that my writing is understandable and deep to them. I do need an outlet and a way to show the wonderful things in my life, I am excited and decided to start out sharing with everyone our Christmas fun at out house. Last year was the first year that we started this where the kids were here and we decorated Christmas ornaments for our "kids tree". Last year I baked the homemade one that you bake, paint and then lacquer. This year I have not been feeling so chipper and have not had much energy that I bought some ornaments at Joann's for 30 cents a piece and the kids had just as much fun painting them.

We have also been super busy decorating our home for the holidays. We like a lot of decorations and enjoy doing a new color theme on our "grown up" tree every year. This year I wanted to do red and gold and I think it turned out gorgeous. You are able to do that fairly cheap by adding some of your own ornaments and buying the rest at the dollar store. You can find some gorgeous ones there. So here are pics of what we have done so far. Still in the process but almost done. Merry Christmas to all!!!!!

National Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month

September is national leukemia and lymphoma awareness month. I know in our world now we seem to have a "day" or "month" for just about anything. Some I think are a bit ridiculous but there are some really good dedications of time, like those that benefit people and the overall good of the quality of life.

Before I was actually diagnosed with Leukemia I am ashamed to say that I didn't even know what it was, I was not even aware that it was a cancer at all. I now see the importance of being aware and educated of important things such as illnesses and major things that affect many people we come in contact with and are within our families as well. Our health is not guaranteed us. Never did I think at 22 I would have had to face a cancer diagnosis that could have left me dead in a matter of months or even weeks if not treated. I was healthy overall and pretty active so to me there was no reason to worry about a serious illness coming my way, which I have found to be the case with most people that get faced with a leukemia or lymphoma diagnosis. It is not a hereditary cancer like many others and there is no way of preventing it. So more than ever I have seen the importance in patient advocacy and raising awareness of it's symptoms and what exactly this nasty thing is.

I have been fortunate enough to be able to meet a lot of awesome people during fundraisers and marathons/walks. I have loved being involved with the national cancer society and the relay for life walks. Also the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has been a life saver in my journey. I have helped out with TNT (team in training), and the light the night walks that they put on to raise money. These amazing organizations give tons of free material and ways for patients to feel connected. They also help patients who need financial help along the way. I have been truly blessed by the help and knowledge I have received from so many of these cancer organizations.

On the right side of my page I do have a list of sites I like, which provide and abundance of information to those that are interested in learning more of this illness.

I am proud to say that today I am a survivor and that I love telling of my experience, even though at times it is difficult I know that I am spreading awareness around me. Those that might have had no clue of what leukemia or lymphoma is would now at least know a tidbit about it and pass it on to another person. Knowledge is power and they are developing and advancing so much in treatment options for cancer. That's why I am so thankful to everyone who gives of their time, money and resources to help raise awareness and maybe one day there will be a cure for this big nasty called cancer.

March Cooking Class- Fiber

My mom and I attended another healing foods cooking class at the Cancer Center this month. The topic this month was fiber. It was amazing how much fiber our body really does need and the lack of it that an average person consumes. We were given lots of information on how we can incorporate more fiber in our diets and the benefits that we receive for having a fiber rich diet. It was yet again very informative and fun to go through the class and try new recipes. Here is a list of the recipes that were made at the class:

-Traditional Swiss Oat Muesli

-Roasted Peppers Stuffed with Eggplant Hummus and Mushrooms

-Red and Napa Cabbage Salad w/ Apples and Spiced Pecans

-Moroccan Stew with Sweet Potatoes in Peanut Sauce

-Spicy Garbanzo Bean and Turkey Sausage Soup

-Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

-"Soda Jerk" Beans

-Chocolate Espresso Spelt Cake

My two favorite dishes that we had were the Spicy garbanzo bean and turkey sausage soup and the "soda jerk" beans. I will share these two recipes with everyone on here and if you are interested in any of the other recipes just let me know and I would be more than happy to give it to you (:

Spicy Garbanzo Bean and Turkey Sausage Soup

Sliced or diced fresh avocado makes a colorful garnish for this hearty southwestern soup. If you want to cut up the avocado ahead of time but don't want it to discolor, simply place the avocado pieces in a colander and rinse them with cold water. They will stay bright green or about two hours.

1 tsp. olive oil

1 pound turkey sausage, casings removed, crumbled

8 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 med. onion, chopped

1 cup canned diced peeled tomatoes with juices

1 large jalapeno chili, thinly sliced, seeded

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp dried

3 15-16 ounce cans garbanzo beans (chick-peas), undrained
4 cups canned chicken fat free low sodium broth

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

chopped fresh cilantro

1 avocado, peeled, sliced

Heat olive oil in heavy large dutch oven over med heat. Add turkey sausage and chopped garlic and onions. Saute' until sausage is golden brown and cooked through, breaking up sausage with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juices, sliced jalapeno chili, ground cumin and chopped fresh rosemary and simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garbanzo beans with their liquid and chicken broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer soup 15 minutes. Stir in fresh lemon juice. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before continuing.)

Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and top with sliced avocado. Serve immediately.

"Soda Jerk" Beans

12 oz. Soyrizo (optional)

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes in juice, drained

1 15 oz can vegetarian baked beans, rinsed, drained

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed, drained

1 15 oz can butter beans, rinsed, drained

1 15 oz can pinto beans, rinsed, drained

1 large onion, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

1/2 cup sparkling apple juice soda

1/2 cup Italian lemon soda

2 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. dried savory

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Place all ingredients in heavy large pot. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until juices are thick, stirring gently and frequently to prevent burning, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

So I hope that you all enjoy these recipes as much as I did. They are good, healthy and flavorful.

Enjoy!!!

Back for a Visit

Last Friday came along and I had a wonderful day of thrift store shopping with my mom. We lucked out because everything was 1/2 off at the Salvation Army and we were able to find some amazing deals on things that looked pretty much brand new. We pretty much spent all day out and I was very worn out come the end of the day. Then as I was trying to fall asleep that night I found my stomach acting up and before I knew it I was vomiting uncontrollably. Yuck!!! I wasn't able to get any sleep that night, so I spent the next day laying in bed next to my mom while I continued to be unable to keep any fluids or medicine down. I felt pretty miserable, something I haven't experienced for quite a while now. So Saturday was spent trying to get better but come Sunday I was still going through all this yucky stuff. So yep you guessed it we had to make a call to the BMT doctor on call Sunday and they said that I needed to come into the ER right away.
We made the drive down to San Diego Sunday night and had a "great" visit to the emergency room. I was very dehydrated and in a lot of pain. After talking through things and spending 7 hours in the ER they decided it would be best to admit me in the hospital. It had been 7 months since I have had the privilege to stay at the "resort in La Jolla" (: I was really hoping to make it at least a year but I guess it wasn't in the cards for me. They gave me lots of fluids and ran lots of different tests to try to figure out why I randomly keep having these vomiting episodes. All my tests so far have come back clear which is good but it is frustrating at the same time because we still have no idea why this is still happening. They are switching meds around AGAIN, hoping to figure out a way to control these episodes with still getting me off the steroids. A hard task to say the least. So I was released and able to come home yesterday afternoon. Four days in the hospital was plenty of time for me. It was really nice to see all the nurses and doctors on 3 West that I haven't seen in quite a while. I was able to catch up with them, like seeing old friends. They were so happy to see me but not at the same time. One of those bitter sweet situations. They really don't want me to be there but enjoy talking with and seeing me again. It was neat because I was able to chat with one of the nurses Jessica that I have gotten to know over the course of my treatments. She actually lived across the street from us when we lived in the apartment by the hospital. She was going on a backpacking trip this past Fall and back in August I had helped her buy her equipment for the trip and given her some advice and tips on the little I know about backpacking. It was fun to hear about her trip though and catch up on what we both have been doing. I love and am so thankful for the relationships that I have been able to develop through this time.
So anyways I am back home now and feeling a whole lot better. I just hope that some of these things get figured out eventually. But for now I am enjoying my own bed and room again. Also my wonderful puppies (they are dogs but I call them my pups). They really have a hard time while I am gone, they seem to know that something is wrong and have a lot of anxiety. So all is well and I am recovering from another stay at the hospital. It always takes me time to catch up on sleep because you definitely don't get too much sleep or rest while staying in the hospital. All I have to say now is it is good to be home!!!

Sushi and Seals

My mom and I enjoyed a delightful lunch at a Japanese Sushi Bar. It was nice to get out on a beautiful day and enjoy a wonderful meal with my wonderful mother. The food was so delicious. My mouth is just salivating thinking of how yummy it was. It is one of our favorite restaurants to go to. They give you so much food and usually I have quite a bit left over, but I think yesterday I almost finished everything. It tasted so fresh with its ingredients. Yum Yum!!!

After eating we decided it would be nice to go take a walk along the beach. It was such a perfect California day; 75 degrees, the sun shinning and a slight breeze in the air, PERFECTION! We took a nice stroll and got to take some pictures of the seals. It is the start of pupping season so we were even able to see some little ones. The pup count is at 6 right now with 2 born just yesterday. They are so adorable and looked like they were having a good ol' time bathing themselves in the sun. I love animals and watching them and their unique personalities. I love the beach, it is such a breath of fresh air.

Express Yourself

Here is a photo I took in my backyard this morning. It was such a beautiful day to be outside. I love Southern California weather. Flowers year round. BEAUTIFUL!!!

Have you ever wished that you were talented at something you clearly don't have the gift for? I found myself wishing that I was able to contribute to cancer research through running marathons or things such as that. I wanted to just go out and buy some new running shoes and all the gear the other day. I am clearly not a runner, let alone a marathon runner. Then I started thinking....... Running isn't the only thing someone can do to help out. We all have our own ways that we contribute to certain things or organizations. As I started thinking about it I realized that I guess I give back through my baking and crafts that give out. If we all did one thing the same, all the bases wouldn't be covered.
So what I am trying to say is go and express yourself in the things you love to do. I know a lot of times we wish we were better at certain other things, but God made us all unique and special. Don't spend your time worrying over what you can't do and evaluate the talents you have been given and give back to others with those gifts of yours. Be who you are and be proud of it!!!


*P.S.*- I am attempting another blog right now. It is a baking blog called Heavenly Decadence. I am excited about this new adventure because I am hoping to maybe eventually turn it into a little baking business. Quite a few people have asked if I would sell the things I make, so why not? I am sure it will be super slow, but I am enjoying putting things together for it. So please check it out. I have a link on the right for it. Hope you enjoy it and I also hope everyone had a great Valentines Day!!

Quilt for a friend

Here is a wall hanging quilt that I made for a friend. I just finished quilting it last weekend and have just the binding to put on and finish. Then off in the mail. I really hope that she enjoys it. I had a lot of fun making it.

Medical Update: Well I had an appointment with my doctor on Friday. I haven't seen him in quite a while because he has had some family things and had taken some time off, so it was really nice to see him again and catch up. Everything continues to look well and all of my labs are stable. We are shifting some of my meds around so hopefully the steroids will be gone soon. He has decided that we will lower my dose of the high dose steroids and increase my immuneo-suppressants to see if they work off each other. It is such a trial and error thing with these meds. It will be nice when we finally figure out the magic formula and I am able to get off them and get back to what a normal 24 year old is supposed to be doing as my doctor says. He said that if he can't figure it out soon I can fire him as my doctor, hahahaha!!!!! Like that is ever going to happen. He is the best!! They also want me to get on an exercise and strength training schedule. He wants me to build my muscle strength back up after all the damage the steroids have done and the fact that going through early menopause can cause osteoporosis.

Oh, and some exciting news (at least for me) I can finally put my hair in a ponytail. Yeah!!!!! Jump for joy! Well it is not the largest ponytail but at least I can put it up from my neck. It was simply driving me nuts. I love these little milestones and celebrating them. I have to say though, sometimes I miss being bald. I mean it was so much easier and COOLER. Oh my goodness I am already dreading summer with hair again. It was nice to just be able to let my bald head cool the rest of my body down. But I am so thankful for my hair growing back and my new tight curly locks.

Preserving Memories

As I was going through things in my closet the other day I came across my LARGE container with all of my wonderful gifts and cards that have been sent to me during my treatment and recovery time. I have kept all of them in there to keep and remind me of all the amazing people that have supported me through this and to see how far I have come since the beginning. I kept all of my cards and letters in a big shoebox. I was going through them and thought it might be neat to somehow put them in a scrapbook to preserve them better. Just cut them and arrange them in a cute way so I am able to just pick up the book whenever I want to be reminded of all the encouragement and sweet notes from loved ones. If anyone has any other ideas of what to do with them, I would love to hear them. (:

I also wanted to mention a young boy, actually a baby who was diagnosed with Acute Biphenotypic leukemia just like me. It is such a rare form of leukemia that when you hear of another person with it, it catches your eye. I heard about it through another blog of a woman who received a transplant the week before me and I have been following her blog ever since. This little boy is not even a year old and is need of a bone marrow transplant. He is Asian American so as I have said before it is very, very difficult to find a match for minorities. They just had a bone marrow drive for him but are still searching. Reading his story just reminded me again of the overwhelming need for people to get on the bone marrow registry list. I encourage everyone to register!!! It is simple and painless, just a swab in the mouth to potentially save someones life. Sounds like a good thing to me. This helpless little boy's name is Barry Pham and his page is http://www.savebarry.org/. Check out his blog and keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Going through this as an adult and knowing how tough it is, I can't even imagine being a helpless baby and have to go through all of this junk. Or be his family having to watch your little one be hooked to IV's and suffer through cancer. So yet again I plead with everyone to make sure you register with the national bone marrow association.

Thanks to everyone who reads my blog. I love reading your comments and love writing and expressing myself on here. Hope everyone has a wonderful day and takes the time to see the beauty in this world and remember what is important and "don't sweat the small stuff".

Cooking Class- Mood Foods

Today was another Tuesday spent at the Cancer Center doing the same ol' routine. We did add a little spice to our routine by taking a nutritional cooking class. They offer a new class every month with a different topic of focus. This month's focus was mood foods. It was a really awesome class with a ton of great recipes. I tryed a lot of things I didn't think I would like but ended up loving every recipe. They demonstrated how to cook each recipe and then we got to eat all the yummy food, and I am not just talking a little taste. I mean full size portions of each recipe. It ended up being a great lunch I didn't know I was going to have. Here is the list of foods that were in the class today.

-Beet, Chickpea, and Almond dip with Jicama

-Carrot with Toasted Almond Soup

-Spicy Asian-Style Pasta Salad

-Scallops in Orange/Ginger Sauce with Raspberries and Mint

-Roasted Chicken Breast with Salsa/Dijon Marinade

-Orange-Infused Roasted Green Beans & Red Peppers

-Poached Pears with Chocolate-Pear Sauce

-Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies

I would love to share every recipe on here but that would be way too much typing, so I just thought I would share my favorite one of the bunch. It is the Poached Pears with Chocolate-Pear Sauce. This is actually one that I thought sounded not that appealing, but I ended up LOVING it!!! So here is the recipe Enjoy!!

*Melting the chocolate in the pear poaching liquid makes an instant sauce.

1 cup pear nectar

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup sugar

4 slightly under-ripe pears, peeled, halved, cored

4 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Stir pear nectar, white wine and sugar in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and syrup comes to a boil. Add pears to syrup in saucepan. Cover pan, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until pears are tender, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to plate. Increase heat to medium-high and boil poaching liquid until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add Chocolate; whisk until chocolate melts and sauce is smooth.

Place 1 warm pear half, cut side up, on each plate. Top with vanilla ice cream (if desired) and warm chocolate sauce. Or cover pears and chocolate sauce separately and refrigerate up to 2 days; then serve pears cold with ice cream and sauce, rewarming sauce, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)

Cancer: Good or Bad?

The past couple days have been kind of boring. I have been experiencing a lot of fatigue and because of that have been spending most of my time in bed sleeping or playing sudoku. I did make my way to the library yesterday and checked out some books and a documentary DVD. I got some fun cook books and some more material on natural eating and eating yourself healthy through cancer. I love all the resources and literature that is out there to help in this area. It is so interesting to me and hopefully I can get some good ideas and tips that I can incorporate into my life and diet. It has really developed a passion in me to try to live my life in a healthy way. We will see what happens, if you think of it keep that in your prayers for me. I know it wont be easy for this junk food junkie but I am hoping for the will and strength to transform the way I eat and exercise to keep my health and cancer on track.
The DVD that I checked out at the library is called Crazy Sexy Cancer. It is a great documentary, a little out there on some of her ideas but yet it was all about exploring alternate medicines and cures. I had watched this once before while I was in the hospital but it meant even more this time after I have experienced all my treatments and therapies. She and many others say Cancer really does suck but for some reason if they could do it over they wouldn't trade it for anything. I find myself saying the same thing all the time. I wouldn't wish cancer on anyone that is for sure but all that it has taught me and made me have such a new outlook on life, in some way I thankful. I would rather have me go through it than someone who would break down and give up right away. I am thankful for all the wonderful people I have been able to meet and my new appreciation for life. Though it is hard and cancer is defiantly considered "bad", I see the good that has come out of it for me and many other survivors. Now we can all join in on the fight to kick cancer to the curb and find a cure so no one will have to go through this anymore. Team in Training is a great organization that trains people to run marathons to help the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The San Diego chapter is starting their training tomorrow and wish all of them luck and strength as they take on this amazing and difficult task. You are making a huge difference and as a Leukemia survivor my heartfelt thanks go to each one of you for your commitment.

Any Given Tuesday

BMT part of the Infusion Center
My Picc line getting blood drawn

Maria trying to draw my blood but it is being

stubborn today.

Lifting my left arm trying to get the blood to flow

Changing my Picc dressing

PURELL- A Leukemia patients best friend

Lunch at the Olive Garden with my mom

YUM YUM!!

So how do most of you spend your Tuesday's? I spend my Tuesday's probably quite different than most. But really do enjoy them in some weird way. Any given Tuesday you can find me in the Moores Cancer Center giving them my wonderful blood and seeing my great team of doctors and nurses in the BMT (bone marrow transplant) clinic. It has become second nature now after having this routine for more than a year. I usually see the same people every week and have developed some really good relationships with them. I love encouraging those patients that are just starting and going through the worst of things. I try to let them know that it will get better and tell them of my experiences. It has been such a blessing to be able to meet so many great people and have a common factor. We all know what each other is going through and that is comforting knowing that you are not alone and the only one going through this.

I usually go and get anywhere from 4 to 10 tubes of blood drawn and then get the dressing on my picc line cleaned and changed. It is a great time to chat with the nurses and see what they have been up to. They become like a second family and you get to know all about their lives. It is a lot of fun and I am deeply grateful for those relationships I have. I then wait for lab results to come back and get any prescriptions I need refilled. I will then head up to the second floor to meet with my primary BMT doctor, who is such an amazing man. I love how well he listens and genuinely cares about me. We sit and talk and most the time joke around about all sorts of things.

Somewhere in the midst of this busy day my mom and I find some time to eat. We usually eat at a nearby restaurant and enjoy a little break in the middle of a long and crazy day. Today we went to Olive Garden (my favorite). It was a very lovely lunch and it is always a joy to share time with my wonderful mom. I love you mom!!! Thanks for taking care of me through all this.