Fall Felted Bag Assignment

I was been busy with my family over the weekend. Christopher was home, always a treat, and Dariana and parents were out for the afternoon and evening on Saturday, another treat. I decided on Friday to do a Mexican menu for dinner on Saturday so DH and I went and purchased a pork lion after my doctor appointment on Friday morning (more on this below). Yesterday Christopher and I started early, chopping vegetables and meat, then browning them quickly to go in the crock pot. We were making Chili Verde; a chili using the vegetable tomatillos, and lots and lots of chilies, garlic, onions, cilantro, spices and pork, simmered in beer. Oh it smelled so good cooking all day and tasted even better for dinner along with Spanish rice and refried beans, tortillas, and all the garnished you would expect with a Mexican meal.

Everyone was stuffed when we left the table however, Dariana still found room for a few Jelly Bellies and another glass of milk before they left for home. Sunday morning I made an egg casserole for breakfast and used the left-over chilies, onions,cilantro, and cheeses along with some ham, cream and eggs; and I made grits for Christopher and me. All this heavy food means lite eating for the next few days for DH and I. I've already prepared for it, picked up fixings for salads and a good stick of bread to go along with them.

I've gotten my assignment for the fall felted bag exchange and I think I've already decided what bag I'm going to make for her. From reading my partner's blog, she seems to be a pleasant person and I'm looking forward to getting to know her. She lives in one of my favorite states; I'll not say which one it is, but I'd love to visit it again sometime.

I've been looking over some of the shots from previous bag swaps and as always, I'm amazed at the amount of talent out there. The needle felting on some of the bags is gorgeous and the embroidery is absolutely stunning. I'd love to own one those bags. I must work on these skills so I can make one for myself. Anyone with pointers?

My entrelac shawl is coming along nicely; the knitting is about half finished now. The fringe used on the shawl in the shop is a bit more than I like, although it was beautiful on their shawl, so I may decide to do something different. If not, I think the fringe will take the biggest part of a day to cut, weave, and tie in.

On Friday I saw the oncology-radiologist for a report on the CAT-scan I'd had on Monday, the report is both good and bad. The bad first, the mass (tumor) is still there and appears to be mostly un-changed since November of last year (we were hoping it would be gone). On the good side, it could be just scar tissue or a thicken in the lymph node and since I feel good that is the path I'm letting my mind lean into. I'll see my oncologist September 12 and he will go over the report with me again and we will discuss what, if anything, is the next step. I expect he will order another PET-scan which will show if the mass is still active (growing cancer) or if it is just residue left over from the chemo and radiation treatments. The radiologist says no more radiation since I had a high dosage and it didn't make a difference and the oncologist had said no more chemo but he did mention stem-cell transplant if it became necessary. I will cross that bridge when I come to it. Today I am thinking I'm well with a bit of garbage left in my body as a reminder that life does have some kinks and turns in it but doesn't always lead to a dead end.