Just Do It

Just Do It.........October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and if you haven't scheduled a mammogram for yourself........now is the time to do it! Do it for yourself, do it for your family, do it because we need to take control of our health and be on the defensive against this ugly disease. We are all so busy in our lives trying to take care of everything, our jobs, our family, our homes that we forget to take care of the most important thing which is our health.

My Mom....Helen Marie

This is how I remember her

It's a simple procedure, it doesn't hurt and you could save a life......yours. If found early it is often treatable! You're worth it! So Just Do It! Get a mammogram. I was 36 when I started my yearly mammograms, you are never too young.

14 years ago on October 28th, 1996 breast cancer took my mom. She was 67, I was 36 years old. She had been diagnosed in May of 1991, just two months after my twins were born. She went through a mastectomy, all the treatments and was given a clean bill of health.....she was in remission. Then, just when she hit her 5 year marker, she said she wasn't feeling well, she had pain in her back, it was July 1996. I urged her to make an appointment with her doctor. I will never forget that day in mid July. It was my sister's birthday when mom told us it had come back and she was terminal and was given 3 months to live. The demon was back and it was growing throughout her body, it was already in her bones. Stage 4.

All I could think was .....3 Months!!!!! That is not enough time!!! Not enough time for me to have my mom! Not enough time for her to watch my children grow! How could I possibly put a lifetime into 3 months! How could I share all the things I needed to share with my mom in 3 months. I wanted her to teach me how to make her famous homemade bread and sweet rolls, so I could make them for my children. There wasn't enough time for all the things I wanted. What I did was spend every day with my mom, letting her know how much I loved her. And almost to the day, it was only 3 months that we had left.

Please, schedule a mammogram for yourself......Just Do It!

Until Later,

Toni

Remembering

With the weather getting cooler I find myself baking more.

Banana Nut Bread.

Just a simple recipe from my 1963 McCall's Recipe Book.

But, oh so yummy.....

I love how my home warms with the delicious aromas.

My boys enjoy the fruits of my labor.....

just as I did when I was a young girl

and my mom would bake.

While I was baking my thoughts drifted to when I was young and I would come home to the smell of my mom's homemade cinnamon rolls. In the country where we lived...she was famous for them and her homemade bread. There would be bowls of dough rising on the stove, always covered with a cloth. Trays of cinnamon rolls cooling, waiting to be frosted with mom's delicious frosting. Once she rolled out the dough on our kitchen table, us kids would be allowed to help spread the melted butter, cinnamon and sugar. With her recipe she would make cinnamon rolls, bear claws and during the holidays she would twist the dough into candy cane shapes and make the stripes out of strawberry jelly and frosting........oh they were mouth watering delicious! We lived in the country and us kids attended a little two room country school. Whenever we had a class party, both teachers and all my classmates begged for me to bring my mother's homemade cinnamon rolls. She would always oblige. I remember one such occasion, I promised my class that my mom would make her cinnamon rolls, only I forgot to tell her until bedtime, which at that time was 9:00. Because she used yeast and the dough had to rise a couple of times, my mom stayed up all night making those cinnamon rolls for me and my classmates.......frosting them as she drove me to school........never once did she complain.

She has been gone 14 years next month...I miss her terribly.....and I cherish the memories of mom's famous cinnamon rolls.

Toni ♥

Vintage Re-Designed Bling

Winner, Winner.... Chicken Dinner! That was me...the winner of a fabulous giveaway! Recently I was out and about blog hopping, visiting all of my favorite people, when I stopped by Junk Bonanza and Jill was featuring a super talented lady.......Gretchen of Mimi-Toria's Designs, who was hosting a fabulous giveaway of one of her beautiful vintage re-designed jewelry. I stopped by Gretchen's blog to check out her jewelry and immediately fell in love with all the beautiful treasures she created, I mean I was swooning! I quickly became a follower of her blog and I couldn't get back to Jill's blog quick enough to enter the giveaway. Like most of you, I'm sure, I entered the giveaway, never really believing I would win.

Gretchen is so very talented and makes beautiful jewelry, each are unique, created with her junk finds. Just look at the gorgeous necklace that I was lucky to win......Created from an old cash register price key, crown and charm. I LOVE IT!

Here is another one that really had my heart going pitter pat.....but unfortunately it is already sold. This one had me at hello........

I have always loved crosses and this one I know wants to come live with me :)

I truly love the whimsy of this necklace, the cowboy boot reminds me of my never ending search for a Wrangler wearing, boot scootin' tall drink of water cowboy to sweep me away like a Harlequin romance novel!

Another favorite cash register tag necklace, Paris inspired......ooooh la la.....LOVE it!

She has many more beautiful treasures for sale on her blog Mimi-Toria's Designs, so stop by for a visit, I know you will fall in love with her beautiful vintage re-design jewelry like I have.

Thank you Gretchen for my beautiful necklace.....I Love it!

Until Later,

Toni ♥