Showing posts with label Cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cancer. Show all posts

Monday, April 22, 2013

Quilts of Love or Hope Quilts

Every Monday that I can I attend with a group of 12 - 15 ladies a sewing group in Campbelltown Library. Back in December 2011 we started making what we refer to as Quilts of Love or Hope Quilts, over the last 15 months, we have parcelled up our love and hope to many families.

I was asked recently where we got our supplies from and how we chose to give out the quilts. 

Our supplies come from our own stashes, and also from our weekly dues that we pay (rental of our hall, tea &; coffee, teachers fees etc) there is always a little extra. But we were also fortunate enough at the end of last year you have an article in the local paper, which sparked some community interest and we have since received a few donations of fabric - so if you are wishing to donate some fabric please contact me.

How our recipients are chosen, well sadly I am sure if you think about the statistics of Cancer and Terminal illnesses of late - I think its' every 1 in 2 are diagnosed, you only need to ponder on that a moment. To realise there are many in need. And almost every other week we have somebody who knows somebody who is diagnosed or recently found out. ...so our list just grows.

Here is a dedication roll to the those that have received quilts from us...I think I have photographed each and every one of our made with Love Hope Quilts!!

 List of Love,  So far we have quilted and stitched 19 quilts filled with love and hope.
Quilts 1 & 2 for Al December 2011


Quilt 3 for Zac December 2011

Quilt 4 for MUM January 2012

Quilt 5 for Janet February 2012


 Quilts 6 & 7 Donated to the Palliative Care Unit in Camden March  2012



Quilt 8 for Princess Lexie's September 2012
Quilts 9 for Princess Lexie's Benefit Night Donation 
September 2012
Quilt 10 for Princess Kosher Love-Lopes
October 2012
 
Quilt 11 for  Iris December 2012

 Quilt 12 for Kerry December 2012
(pieced & quilted by Joan with blue/red binding NOT photographed)
Quilt 13 for a Family Friend January 2012
(green with brown/red floral binding NOT photographed)
Quilt 14 for Evelyn  labelled incorrectly but edited and fixed. January 2012


Quilt 15 for Sue
February 2013


Quilt 16 for Lorraine
March 2013
Pink binding .




Quilt 17 for Matthew
March 2013
shades of green floral green binding

Quilt 18 Colin
March 2013 shades of green with a stripe binding. 

Quilt 19, 20, 21, 22 & 23 
are all in my care awaiting labels and binding....

If you were interested in donating fabric or even sending a stitched heart -  please leave a comment or email me for more information..

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Don't Ignore IT!!!!

Oh Boy what a fortnight.....

Life has been crazy, why is it when us mums' feel a little off colour we just ignore it!!!

Yes I Ignored it!!! about the last time I posted I was suffering a niggling abdominal pain. which I put down to a little diverticulitis which I was diagnosed with last July. Although I have changed my diet since then I still get the occasional niggling crap. 

So Yes 2 weeks ago when it seemed to be constant I thought OK, I will take my self to the Dr's tomorrow if it is worse. Tomorrow, (Tuesday) came and I felt OK, so ignore it some more and work on the little quilted table runner gift for the upcoming Kitchen tea.



Wednesday came yeah it's gone no worries. Thursday came, ouch it hurts but got too much on this weekend to deal with it....just soldier on I told myself. Sorted the shopping lists for supplies for the baking and worked cutting and pasting and making 60 little cupcake toppers for the upcoming Kitchen tea.

Friday - baking for the kitchen tea, nope no time for the Dr's today I said, as I baked up a storm and cooked and decorated a double mix of Aunty Di's Marble Cake - with the addition of Orange Blossom Water. They were to die for cupcakes for Putri's Kitchen Tea.

After Baking it was creating the recipe cards to be stuck into a book at the Kitchen tea...have included them here for you to print if you would like. - You know right click the image and print blah blah!!!




Then it's Saturday and the Weekend - oh no point going, enjoy the weekend...up early and created some amazing chicken sandwiches 3 loaves of bread worth....they were good.

Then jumped in the car and drove to the Kitchen tea, all the while my cramps were getting worse, but yep I Ignored IT!!!!  The Kitchen tea was wonderful and Kate, Liz and Bianca did a wonderful job of creating lots of fun for the Bride to Be Putri.
Little jars of Lemon Butter as gifts, Yellow Champagne, Yellow Paper rosette flowers, and some stunning butterfly banners, lemon pom pom decorations.
Games were fun too...lots of amazing marital advise came from the Chinese whispers game - oh the beginning to end stories we wrote and drew, lots of laughs.





Then it was time to divide into two groups and dress the mother and mother in law to be of the bride to be in bridal attire made with only tape and newspaper - no scissors.....lots of fun again.


The Winning dress - yes it was the team I was on!!! :)
 
Then the long drive home.....yes I am still ignoring this ever increasing abdominal pain. Dropped in for a cuppa at a friends and yes she is telling me, sounds like a Hernia!! Keep telling myself nothing can be done just soldier on.
Sunday came and it was working on the finishing touches to Retreat #16 Classes, some sneaks of one of the classes for you here.

Monday rolls around and after a very bad night, the family are telling me to head to the Dr's but as they all had the day off of work, it was too good an opportunity to miss putting in another visit with my sister and brother - in - law, as we don't know how many more opportunities we will get. But seeing as Brian had worked a night shift, I decided to drive...oh my!!! Yep Ignore IT again I did. But after 2 and half hours in the car, ignoring was getting harder. My mum and a few of the other's were like go to the hospital now, no says I. wait till tomorrow and go to my GP!!

So, that brings us to a week ago now Last Tuesday. First Thing 7am off to the Dr's, he then sent me for abdominal ultrasound and CT Scan, yes pretty sure it's a Hernia. But tomorrow (Wednesday) Anzac Day public Holiday and at this point it's almost 3 in the afternoon. Panic he doesn't want me to wait another day, so it's off to Hospital, but it's choosing one that had a surgeon operating that afternoon. After a few phone calls he found a surgeon at the Sans @ Wahroonga, and managed to wangle me an appointment in emergency!!!

So before I could blink, I was whisked away to surgery - yes it was a strangulated umbilical hernia with an abscess from which they removed 6ml's of puss - so how ironic is my last post about being alive and kicking...oh boy!! Thanking my lucky stars for a great GP and amazing Surgeon.

I was a very sick mummy through Wednesday and with a birthday girl on Thursday. Thank goodness that Hubby and I squeezed in me telling him what to buy, while I sat in the car between scans and Dr's appointments on the Tuesday. But first time ever we weren't together for our morning traditions, but she was good and got up extra early and drove over to see me so we could give her our gifts together, but she didn't let on that she was feeling extra icky herself - with a lump under both armpits.

So I rested in hospital whilst they went home and too work. At the end of her very long day 10pm at night, hubby had to rush her off to emergency to have minor surgery to lance a blocked hair follicle the size of a golf ball from under her left armpit, to get home around 2am in the morning after a dose of intravenous antibiotics. Not the news I wished to be greeted with over the phone on the Friday morning when I awoke them at 6am to say the Dr had been and cleared me to come home. So typical mum tears started worrying over my baby, but still not really feeling 100% myself. 

So Friday, was spent creating a ward at home for both myself and Bianca with our two male nurses looking after us. They cheered us up by going out and spoiling us both with new toys - we are now iPhone owners!!

Saturday another resting day, with a few visits from friends and family.
Sunday - a little more work on the almost completed retreat classes and mailings had to be done with the help of my mum i did manage to get it done, but was totally exhausted after 3 hours at the computer.
Monday Bianca had a check in appointment with the GP after Thursday's Hospital visit at 9am, at around 9.30am Brian rang me to tell me he was taking her straight to emergency Dr's orders another cyst had formed in her opposite underarm. So whilst I was exhausted from Sunday's little bit of activity, I was stressed and worried about my baby girl going into hospital. By Midday, she had seen a surgeon and he did an ultrasound and scan and found the cyst to be 5cm but close enough to the surface to do it under a local anaesthetic - gel, gas, local anaesthetic and one small cut later he drained a whopping 10mls of pus from her armpit, before releasing her home with a repeat on the antibiotics she was given on Thursday.  

So my home is a bit of hospital resting spot at the moment. Both Bianca and I have rested and napped for the past two days.

So Alive and Kicking.... not quite kicking but definitely alive thankfully!!! But realising that life is precious and you should never ignore IT!!!!!