So Much to Catch Up On

 The past four plus years that I have been missing from the blog world have been a wild 

roller coaster ride for me.  In December of 2019 I entered the hospital and was in ICU for

weeks.   I was on a respirator and my lungs were drained on a daily basis.  I don't remember

much at all but I was not expected to survive.  Through the grace of God and the devotion of

my husband, I survived.  That was not the end of my journey however.  It was discovered that

I had kidney cancer and required surgery to remove my right kidney and three lymph nodes.  The  

rub was that I could not have surgery until I gained enough strength to withstand such an invasive

procedure.  So, into a rehab hospital I went.  I was 78 pounds, and so weak I was unable to sit up

or feed myself.  My doctor was very worried about me and checked on me several times each day.  

However bad my condition was, I had great determination to not only survive, but to thrive once

again.  I started physical therapy. My sweet husband visited me every day after work and brought

me hamburgers and chocolate milk shakes because I didn't like the hospital food and needed to put on 

weight fast.  By the end of January I exceeded the hospital's goals for me.  I was able to walk without  

a walker, feed and to bathe myself.  On February 10th I went to another hospital to have my kidney and

lymph nodes removed.  The surgery was successful, but one of the cancerous nodes had wrapped

around an artery and could only be treated with a type of chemotherapy called immunology.   What

Happened next I will continue in tomorrow's post.

Love,

Susan and Oliver

Hi Friends, I'm Back!!

 

So here I am again on my old blog.  I am going to give this blog a go

again, and frankly, it feels good to be back.  This is just a short post 

to see if everything is working fine.  Seems like old times. 💖

The Heart Healthy Lifestyle

As most of you already know, I have lived through two tough

years with serious health issues.  Thank the Lord that I have 

survived cancer and a stroke.  What this has taught me is

that despite my prior beliefs, I am NOT invincible.  I 

face life with a different attitude and have adopted changes

to help me live a longer and happier life.

In February, our thoughts are turned to the romantic 

side of our hearts.  Love, flowers and candy dominate

the days leading up to Valentine's Day.  We all 

enjoy every aspect of the holiday, but we should also

remember to care for our own hearts.  

So, for the remainder of this month I plan to

incorporate the tips I have learned on my own path

to better heart health.   The first tip I want to share

is the importance of managing stress.  I will admit that

I have not always been successful at doing this.  I

have been forced to deal with some pretty rough

patches in life despite my illnesses. In order to

preserve my health and be happier, I have been

focusing on changing my perspective and the way I

view things to shrug off the negative feelings.  The 

best way I have discovered is to stop everything and

breathe.  I found a wonderful app that I have added to

my iPhone called iBreathe.  It's a free app, and you

can set it to remind yourself to breathe and how long

to hold the breath and how many reps you want to

perform.  It's easy and it has helped me enormously.

So now, whenever I feel the stress creeping up, I

just stop and breathe.  It works wonders!

Love,

Susan and Oliver

 

A Basket of Hearts

 

A few days ago I was in a thrift shop I had never been to before.  I

found two baskets I liked, and one of them was this white wicker

one.  It was in perfect condition and only cost $1, so of course it 

had to come home with me!

It's really cold here, and once again we are about to lose all of

our ginger plants just like we did last year.  Really makes me

sad.

Love,

Susan and Oliver

Forever Cottage Core

I was cottage core before it became a lifestyle term.  It's no secret that I love the

old, well worn and well loved look.  In the Fall and all through the Winter

months this look just draws me in and keeps me snuggled.

 

This is the sitting room of our main bedroom.  This is my favorite

spot to sit and read or watch old movies on the weekend when

David is immersed in a football game or golf match on the

big screen TV in our family room.  

It maybe called Cottage Core, but I call it home.

Love,

Susan and Oliver