going to the Doctor's to find out about Monday's scans results

I'm weepy. I'm coming out of a fun head cold, and I'm weepy. Ken got scanned on Monday. Showering, packing up a gift, post office, and go to the chiropractor's. Haven't been in ages, and I need it with this cold to heal quicker.

Then it's 10 minutes to Dr. S's office for a 1:30 appointment.

He found another lump on his lymph node. I felt it. I asked him when he found it. He said, "Oh, a couple of months ago." " !!@@##!!!Why didn't you tell me!!!???!!!" "Did you tell the doctor?" "What is he going to do?" "!!@@"???!!!!You're crazy!!!!!"

Maybe it's the cancer coming out of him. Maybe it's an infection that needs anti-biotics. He tested positive for Lyme, but inactive. I pray that it is something simple.

He took his glass that had his night time Protocel in it , downstairs to the sink. "Oh crap," I said. He usually forgets it, and I say "Oh crap." I'm thrilled when he remembers. Today I said "Oh crap." I don't want anything staying in my mind that alters my faith. I'm vulnerable now. I'm under the weather, the chores are piling up, nobody cares except me. The world is crappy, and I'm questioning everything with,"Is it worthwhile?"OK I'm bummed, but I'm coming out of the pity party.

I feel like everything's just mounting. I know it's because of the way I feel physically. And I want this Lyme to be over with!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My glands have been feeling yucky with this head cold.

So, the tears fall to my lap. I love him so, and want him back and healed. I don't know what I'd do without him. Please Lord, grant complete recovery, complete health to my husband. xo

Prayers and warm wishes accepted.

23 Years ago yesterday.....Chernobyl...and

...this little girl was inside my belly, at the end of the first trimester. I normally would've travelled to the USSR, but for this trip went to Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia. I drank the milk, ate the salads, and the cows were dying nearby us from the winds coming from Chernobyl, in Ukraine, in the former Soviet Union where the worst nuclear disaster occurred.

I took tour groups around the world, and the former USSR was my specialty. I traveled there quite extensively, making it to Moscow alone, about 70 times. I would take about 100 flights a year in general, and learned to sleep in contorted positions, in order to have the energy for my work. It was a 24 hour a day job. The hours were insane, and I had to be at the beck & call of my tourists, who I escorted from the US to the country, or countries that we would visit. 

The company I worked for the most had trips that took professionals for continuing education credits- for seminars in other countries with renowned professionals within their fields.

So yesterday was my sister-in-law's birthday, and her anniversary. 23 Years ago she got married, and I had to miss the wedding because of my job. I was already scheduled, and there was no one who could replace me. When I came home, everyone was very concerned about me. I'd heard a little about Chernobyl, while abroad, but not to the extent that I would hear about it in the US. They tested students coming back from the area for radiation-but a young pregnant woman, at the end of her first trimester? Hahaha! They did nothing in this country for those returning from the area. Kind of like how we're doing nothing on our borders, with a potential pandemic. Big brains in Washington and the CDC ! (drug companies have a bit of a say in that one!)

So, at the hospital after I delivered Alex through a mid-wife, the young resident in the Long Island, NY hospital just happened to be a former Soviet citizen. He said that she was so healthy, but we wanted to check her out thoroughly. He said that he would do it, but that it would be for us, not for her, because she came out so strong and healthy. She hung from his fingers with her own 2 fingers, right after delivery. Amazing. Of course, I prayed daily during all three of my pregnancies-actually, whenever I thought about my baby inside.

But, we watch out, limiting x-rays  of any kind as much as possible, especially for her and for me.
And as you can see, here she is all grown up and gorgeous. She has been extremely good at mind over body in healing herself always. She is so motivated to be healthy for events or things that she wants to do, that her body follows suit. When she's had enough of , say a cold, she gets on and gets going, and gets it out of her. She's good and stubborn, like her parents:)

Hubby holding little Cutie

So this is little cutie, my great/grand niece, in hubby's arms. She was watching Transformers on TV at her Christening party yesterday. She's 3 months old, and observing so much. So strong, she loves to stand up and her new thing as of yesterday is bouncing/dancing while standing up(especially for her Mama:)  ).

 Can you tell that we're all in love with her? What a GOOD baby. ........Little Pinkie, in previous post, is for Little Cutie here. I am told today that she LOVES her little monkey. 'Score' ! as my kids say:)

 Her parents are rather elegant and contemporary in design, so I wasn't sure if Little Pinkie would fit in. Well, I got a special phone call about her 2 favorite gifts, and one of them was Little Pinkie! . She has monkeys on her wall, and monkeys on her sheets, and monkeys in  frames in her room...you get the picture:)We all absolutely love babies in our family. We dote upon them. Who wouldn't? :)

Little Pinkie

(Sorry- cell phone pics. )

Artwork, Artwork, where art thou?

So I'm so visual, that I like posting pictures to go with the words. This is one of our paintings in our home that we snagged years ago, an oil painting. I like it.
This is a very simple Russian porcelain piece that I picked up 20+ years ago, that I always liked. And I'm not really a 'delicate' art person-ie. I don't like too many fragile , porcelain, etc. pieces. I'm drawn to folk art, and other unique pieces. But , I do like mixing styles, elegant next to rustic,etc...
This is a tambourine that I painted more than a few years ago, in the vintage style- kind of repro-like. You can't see the tamborine edges because of the cropping, but this guy is all hand painted, and I always liked him. I have quite a few Halloween art pieces that I love and put out , when I'm in the mood for decorating at Halloween. Lately, it's all quite a bit of work to pull all out, and put away every year. It's the stress from our family situation w/my hubby's lung cancer, and the lack of energy  from the Lyme.
This is a 3-D art piece that I made on an Ikea wood floor sample. She's raised, and the Russian words on the bottom, say Little Red Riding Hood, or 'Krasnaya Shapochka'-and you can see her little red hat. The grass is from Russian print. These pieces are a lot of quick fun. Great to make personalized pieces for birthdays, etc., using photocopies on other bodies.So, I 've been a bit frustrated because all week I've had so many errands and chores to do for the family, and now am under the weather, which rarely happens. Yet I still have to do the bills, etc, when all I want to do is relax and say, sew in bed, or settle in for some artwork. Thus the title...

Artwork, artwork, where art thou?

Pictures- Birthday, Anniversary, Easter... in no particular order...

Cheese Paskha during draining/folding in process (round)
Serge and friend Owen mixing Kulich (sweet bread), Paskha in cottage cheese container forms (Wooden forms not able to be used after many years usage now-w/out a proper form, I make them in these containers-new form hard to find , except one, which is very expensive)
Boys mixing yeast bread, Kulich

6 year old neighbor friend, Saxon, made and brought me this fish- isn't it adorable?
Strawberries just look so yummy in their bowl:)
Flowers to me & hubby from Lara & Serge

Baked Kulich with glaze

Flowers for our anniversary from Mark , Alex's boyfriend- Aren't they GORGEOUS?!!!
26 Flowers from Hubby for 26th Anniversary!!! Heavenly scent!!! 
Alex and Mark Easter Eve night, ready for Midnite serviceSerge w/best friend Owen (Serge has the long hair)-mixing Kulich dough

Bet you never thought that a grapefruit cake could taste good, right? Well, this is Ridgewell's Grapefruit Cake, which is to die for! Mark works for Ridgewell's, a high end catering place that even does White House Events. His dad used to be a student of Ken's years ago, and periodically would get us a cake. All are SUPERB, but this one is interesting because of the grapefruit. We remembered it, and I asked Mark about it, if they still made it. I got one for my birthday last year, and this year got another. Look at the size of this thing! Well, it's so light, and the grapefruit are sweet, and they top it off w/some pistachio nut slivers. But w/ the pistachio recalls, they just used almond slivers for this one. Makes a great breakfast meal-Oh , Yeah, that's right-tehe-fruit and yummy cake, w/a layer of a very light custard , w/buttercream on the outside.
What a fabulous batch of Kulich and Krendel' we were blessed with. This is the big kulich. It was so good, that there's nothing left after just a couple of days. I mean, it was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good! That's because of the great help I had in the kitchen.
Mark serving up cake, and Ken enjoying it, Easter day.
Larissa ready for Easter midnite service.
Alex ready to dive into the Paskha. She has to have it with her strawberries. Easter morning, I was woken up by her crying (yes crying) for the fresh strawberries. She didn't know where they were. She couldn't have her Paskha without her strawberries. This stuff is just THAT GOOD!!! Unique. I can guarantee that you've never tasted anything like it, if you haven't tried Cheese Paskha, and my grandmother's recipe for that matter.:)
Paskha and Strawberries, just haven't yet smoothed out the cheesecloth lines. Typically, the form that is used is a pyramid, with the top 'chopped off' look. And in days of old, they would hang the Paskha from the rafters in the chesse cloth. I had one that looked like that, because I had nothing else to use for a form, so I took our double fine mesh strainer, and placed it over a pot(hanging , so to speak). This is from the cottage cheese container form.
Miniature rose bush I got for my birthday!

The Results are in ! (in my daughter's voice-mostly:) ) I am SOOO Proud of Her!!!

"Cancer Awareness Ribbon Poster"
"Our campsite (Mark made the amazing poster)"

"Our team around the campsite"
"My friend Lauren and me (she was the chair who planned the whole event)"
"Emma, Sarah, Larissa, and Me"
So my daughter, Alex, along with her team including sister, good friends, boyfriend, had great results last month at her Alma-Mater's hosting of Relay for Life benefitting the American Cancer Society.

"Here is some info from the Towson Relay and some info about the upcoming Relay in Olney I am participating in through the Club(her work).

From Friday, March 27th to Saturday, March 28, Towson University hosted its 2nd Annual Relay for Life benefitting the American Cancer Society. Towson University raised a total of $50,526.96, and that number will continue to climb until August of this year. 

As a team captain this year, I was very proud of my team, "Hooked on Hope", who out of 72 teams , came in 3rd place OVERALL raising over our $2000.00 goal with $2858.21. Out of 794 participants I came in 2nd place overall for individual fundraising with a total of $1,130. 

The "Hooked on Hope" campsite came in 3rd place overall, with the rankings coming from the survivors who attended Relay for Life. I would like to thank all of my team members and everyone who donated to this great cause. The event was a success and a lot of fun.

I will be participating in another Relay for Life, Saturday, May 30 to Sunday, May 31 with team members from where I work, the Aspen Hill Club. This Relay for Life is being held in Olney, Maryland at Sherwood High School. If you would like to donate on behalf of myself or the Aspen Hill Club, please visit the Relay for LIfe website at:  http://main.acsevents.org/goto/alexag for my page and http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09S/team_id=404733&pg=team&fr-id=12808 for the Aspen Hill Club's team page. THANK YOU!

If you have any questions, let me know. Alex"