A HUGE sigh of relief...

The results for my biopsy are in... BENIGN, fibrocystic changes = NO CANCER!

I'm thankful that I do self exams and try to notice changes. I'm even more thankful for the MRI I have scheduled next week so I can get a good idea as to whether or not there's anything else going on... and then, I'll plot their demise! ;)

Tracy, thanks for thinking of me! :)

Hugs,
Dana

Maybe I spoke too soon...

Sometimes I feel "normal" but then I'm smacked with a reminder that I'm not exactly normal anymore. Cancer will forever be a part of my life. I don't want it to BE my life... but it seems to keep creeping back in.

Anyway, I found another lump on my "good" side a week ago. So... more testing... mammogram, ultrasound and the previously scheduled MRI. All the waiting is just plain tough. I had the Mammo & US this afternoon and the abnormality was visible as day on US. (I forgot to ask about the Mammo- it's totally overwhelming when you're on the spot!) My Dr. thinks it might be fibrocystic changes, which is totally ok and benign, but there was a soft tissue component that throws a wrench in that scenario so he performed a needle biopsy and took about 6 samples. I'll know the pathology tomorrow.

Ya know, I was a bit upset when I first noticed the new lump... but I think I've come to terms with it now. I've been there, done that once, so the situation is not totally new to me and doesn't feel so hopeless. I've given it lots of thought (Duh!) and I asked for a consult with a surgeon to talk about options for removing the NAUGHTY GIRLS completely. Can I just say I'm about sick of them at this point? Where's the paring knife? I'm kidding... I think... ;)
Anyway... I have an appt. next Weds afternoon to discuss their demise!

I know that there are so many people dealing with much more difficult issues in their lives than this so I'm really trying to keep this situation in perspective. ONce again, it's all about perspective. That's what keeps me sane!

FYI... I really enjoyed watching "Crazy, Sexy, Cancer" last night on TLC. I laughed and I cried, but generally was left with such a good feeling. It's good to be happy... it just feels better that way.

Hugs,
Dana

Just more of the same...

Not much new going on around here. But... I like it that way!
I find a lot of comfort in the status quo.

Kristofer had schedule day and we went to the High School and walked around. It's a pretty big school and a bit confusing in it's layout. I'm guessing there will be a lot of 10Th graders wandering around lost and late to class the first week or so. I know I would have been one of them! LOL!

Anyway, he's a bit disappointed in that he didn't get into Video Production this Fall with his 3 best friends. They all got in... but not him. He got in Spring semester. I feel bad for him, cause I know how much he would have enjoyed that experience. They love to make movies together and it would have been great fun. The mommy in me wishes she could fix everything... but alas, I cannot. It's tough to be a mom! ;)

I'm still working on purging my stuff. It's a slow-go process. Sometimes it seems like I just push the things around and never really get anywhere. But I really know that it's just stuff and I don't "need" it all. It's a waste to have things I'll never use just sitting around taking up space. Kind of gets in the way of seeing and using all the things I do want to keep.


Evening before last, I made these yummy Almond and Chocolate Clusters They turned out pretty good. (I didn't make the white chocolate ones, though. I'm not a huge fan of white chocolate unless it's in Peppermint Bark.) I think I may try them again but add some coconut to them... then they'll be like an Almond Joy. :)

Hugs,
Dana

Crazy Sexy Cancer...

Wow... 2 words I've never said or even thought of about cancer! Anyhow, just saw this movie advertised on TLC tonight. Crazy Sexy Cancer will be airing on The Learning Channel (TLC) this August 29th at 9 pm. Check your local listings... I think that's EST.

Kris Carr also has a blog.

Ooh... Edited post to add that she also has a book coming out, Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips.

Bonus: She has a book signing near me!

September 17
Barnes and Noble; 2100 North Snelling Avenue
Roseville, MN
7:00-8:30pm

Cancer truly sucks... and I hate it... passionately! But I never tire in seeing how it often brings out the most wonderful and beautiful qualities of our human existence. Does that sound hokey? Oh well, if it does! It's so darn true!

Oh... and about the name... Crazy Sexy Cancer. Very clever! I think I get it.

I don't doubt for a second that she doesn't understand intimately just how awful cancer is... and for many it's tough to find anything remotely "crazy" or "sexy" about it. But I can't live that way... and if there's the tiniest bit of "crazy" or "sexy" to be found... that's where I'll be. "I'm bringing sexy back..." just like JT! Love that attitude! Remember... it's all about perspective!

Life is precious and all too short... I won't waste a single moment on being miserable if it's in my power to do otherwise.

Anyway, I'm actually looking forward to seeing this movie. Maybe you'll want to take a look, too.

Hugs,
Dana

Mimi & Flo...

This is so silly and cute!

The Mimi & Flo Show

Enjoy!

I'm The Lucky One...

Just trying something new... like I need a new addictive hobby! ;)



It makes me cry happy tears... but I guess it would... it's my life... ;)

What do ya think?

Hugs,
Dana

A funny thing about girls...

or maybe it's just me... I don't know. But I get in a strange mood every now and then where I just wish I could be more hip... ya know... trendy and stuff. I don't feel old... but at this moment... I feel very dowdy or frumpy or something. LOL.. I'm probably not making any sense, huh? (Ok... maybe I am old... but just play along with me here, ok?)

I kind of want to just run right out to Walgreens for some fake eyelashes and hair color and then maybe hit Forever 21 for a completely new wardrobe!

I wonder why this happens? Anybody else have this crisis every now and then? Am I alone here in my misery... LOL! (Just kidding about the misery part... I'm a very happy girl and I love my life!)

If by the off chance you do have these moments, could you share with me some of the things you do to get through them? I'd love to hear from you.

Maybe I just want to be young and cute like Elsie... ;)

Happy Tuesday evening!
Hugs,
Dana

PSA's and Perspective...

First... A Public Service Announcement of sorts. ;)

Today I had my quarterly appt with my Oncologist, Dr. Hurley. I love the hospital I go to. I always feel like I'm treated well there. It's a very reassuring place for me. I feel like I'm in good hands... but I always like to go there armed with info. I like to do my homework so to speak.

So as I was sitting in "the chair" in the hallway of the exam rooms getting my blood pressure and temperature taken, out walks Dr. Hurley. He greeted me and said he'd been wanting to talk to me. He mentioned something about the symposium back in April and Breast MRI's being the new standard of care for high risk women. My reply was oh good... I had wanted to talk to you about that, too! :)

In 2005, when I was diagnosed, mammograms and ultrasounds were the most common diagnostic tool used most everywhere I think. Shortly after that I began reading about more and more women having Breast MRI's as well. Breast MRI's don't replace mammograms but are particularly helpful in diagnosing cancer in women with dense breast tissue. I had been wanting to ask if that was an option for me and was SO PLEASED that we were on the same page.

I am scheduled for Sept. 5. Now, I'm not excited about the contrast dye injection or the 45 min or so stay in the claustrophobic type chamber of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine while it whirls and clunks away like a jackhammer... but I am very excited to be able to manage my health better. Cancer if caught early is a very good thing! Cancer that has spread to other areas of the body, metastatic cancer, well... that's a bit trickier to deal with. I'll have none of that, thank you. ;)

So anyway, for all my "sisters" out there, find out about Breast MRI's if it isn't already in your diagnostic toolbox. For women with high risk factors or a mother or sister with Breast Cancer, a Breast MRI may be a great tool for you as well. Check into it. :)

Now, some really neat thoughts on perspective:

Commencement Speech
made by Pulitzer Prize winning author Anna Quindlen
at Villanova University

I'm a novelist. My work is human nature. Real life is all I know. Don't ever confuse the two, your life and your work.

You will walk out of here this afternoon with only one thing that no one else has. There will be hundreds of people out there with your same degree; there will be thousands of people doing what you want to do for a living. But you will be the only person alive who has sole custody of your life.

Your particular life. Your entire life. Not just your life at a desk, or your life on a bus, or in a car, or at the computer. Not just the life of your mind, but the life of your heart. Not just your bank account but your soul.

People don't talk about the soul very much anymore. It's so much easier to write a resume than to craft a spirit. But a resume is a cold comfort on a winter night, or when you're sad, or broke, or lonely, or when you've gotten back the test results and they're not so good.

Here is my resume: I am a good mother to three children. I have tried never to let my profession stand in the way of being a good parent. I no longer consider myself the center of the universe. I show up. I listen. I try to laugh. I am a good friend to my husband. I have tried to make marriage vows mean what they say.

I am a good friend to my friends, and they to me. Without them, there would be nothing to say to you today, because I would be a cardboard cutout. But I call them on the phone, and I meet them for lunch. I would be rotten, or at best mediocre at my job, if those other things were not true. You cannot be really first rate at your work if your work is all you are.

So here's what I wanted to tell you today: Get a life. A real life, not a manic pursuit of the next promotion, the bigger paycheck, the larger house.

Do you think you'd care so very much about those things if you blew an aneurysm one afternoon, or found a lump in your breast? Get a life in which you notice the smell of salt water pushing itself on a breeze over Seaside Heights, a life in which you stop and watch how a red tailed hawk circles over the water or the way a baby scowls with concentration when she tries to pick up a Cheerio with her thumb and first finger. Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Pick up the phone. Send an e-mail. Write a letter.

Get a life in which you are generous. And realize that life is the best thing ever, and that you have no business taking it for granted. Care so deeply about its goodness that you want to spread it around. Take money you would have spent on beers and give it to charity. Work in a soup kitchen. Be a big brother or sister.

All of you want to do well. But if you do not do good too, then doing well will never be enough.

It is so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours, our minutes. It is so easy to take for granted the color of our kids' eyes, the way the melody in a symphony rises and falls and disappears and rises again.

It is so easy to exist instead of to live. I learned to live many years ago. I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned that it is not a dress rehearsal, and that today is the only guarantee you get.

I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and utterly. And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned.

By telling them this:

Consider the lilies of the field. Look at the fuzz on a babys ear.

Read in the backyard with the sun on your face. Learn to be happy. And think of life as a terminal illness, because if you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived.

No man ever said on his deathbed I wish I had spent more time at the office. I found one of my best teachers on the boardwalk at Coney Island maybe 15 years ago. It was December, and I was doing a story about how the homeless survive in the winter months.

He and I sat on the edge of the wooden supports, dangling our feet over the side, and he told me about his schedule; panhandling the boulevard when the summer crowds were gone, sleeping in a church when the temperature went below freezing, hiding from the police amidst the Tilt a Whirl and the Cyclone and some of the other seasonal rides. But he told me that most of the time he stayed on the boardwalk, facing the water, just the way we were sitting now even when it got cold and he had to wear his newspapers after he read them.

And I asked him why. Why didn't he go to one of the shelters? Why didn't he check himself into the hospital for detox? And he just stared out at the ocean and said, "Look at the view, young lady. Look at the view."

And every day, in some little way, I try to do what he said. I try to look at the view. And that's the last thing I have to tell you today, words of wisdom from a man with not a dime in his pocket, no place to go, nowhere to be. Look at the view. You'll never be disappointed.

-- Anna Quindlen


Hugs,
Dana

I Scrapped...

Don't faint... but I completed a few scrapbook pages! It's been so long since I've scrapbooked. I'm happy to have actually used some of my supplies instead of just fondling them! LOL! ;)

I do find it interesting though how I seem to like my pages ok when I'm making them, but when I see them as a "thumbnail" I sometimes cringe and say to myself... "what was I thinking putting that there?" For instance, the large brown Petaloo flower... love it on it's own... but maybe not so much on my layout. Oh well... it's all good. It's about the memories, right? ;)





































I have decided to make some changes in my Scrapbooking style though. I was at Archiver's today and I was looking at the Albums. The Kolo Albums really caught my eye this time. The
Newport in 11X14 is really a unique and versatile size. They had a completed one on display and it had beautiful large photos and a very clean minimalist look. I loved it. It really showcased the photos so beautifully. The only drawback is that the scrapbooks are so expensive and they don't come with the page protectors, those are extra.

I don't want the focus of may pages to be the embellishments anymore. I want the photos to take center stage. I do love playing with paper and embellishments though so I think I'll stick to paper crafting and card making to fill that creative side. I have plenty of stuff to keep me busy for years!

I can't help but think that my efforts to simplify my home and life are really working since it's even creeping into my hobby! I do look at things differently now. I don't really have the desire to have so much stuff. I'm excited about the new direction and I'll share some pages when I get a chance to actually make some! ;)

Remember my blueberry jam? Well, Scott says it tastes pretty good but the texture is a little odd... :) Hhmmm... I'll keep trying. I had some this evening on my vanilla yogurt with a heavy sprinkling of Grape Nuts Cereal... yummy! No complaints from the cook! :)

Tomorrow I have my quarterly appt with my Oncologist. Going to the Cancer Center is a little odd for me. In some ways it seems like yesterday that I was going there regularly and at the same time it seems like it was just a dream and never really happened. I mean, I never forget I had cancer, I think about it every single day. But, I don't know... I guess I'm still trying to find my way through the whole ordeal.

Well, I guess I better go get the clean laundry off my bed and put away! Laundry is the bane of my existence! LOL!

Hugs,
Dana

The lazy days of summer...

I've been busy doing a bunch of nothing. It seems like I don't get much accomplished lately, but I guess I have a few things completed.

I did make some Blueberry Jam. I used this recipe from Sure-Jell. It was really simple and I think it turned out well. My 6 half-pint jars sealed... but the lids don't seem as concave as I thought they would be so I'm a bit nervous. They don't pop when the lid is depressed and I can pick them up by the lids and they are secure... I think they are ok. But still... I put them in the refrigerator. It was my very first time canning! I don't want to give anyone botulism... lol. ;)

When I was at CHA, I got to meet the folks from Happy Scrappin' Scrapbooking and they asked me to be their Guest Designer for August. I've had a lot of fun at their site. The girls are all so nice and welcoming. If you're looking for a fun Scrapbooking forum to join, check them out! I may actually get some scrapping done this month! ;)

Lets' see... the garden is growing really well this year. We have lots of varieties of squash and the tomatoes are starting to go wild. We are going to have a ton. I'm going to have to learn to can some sauce and salsa!

I'm thinking about having a garage sale in September. One of my girlfriends may join me. That would make the chore of it a tiny bit fun. I want to start as savings account for a family vacation we are planning on taking when Kristofer graduates high school in 3 years. Garage sale proceeds would be a good start for it.

See... not a very exciting life, huh? Every now and then I check in on Jessica McDougall. She's the sister of Ali Edwards. (I don't know either girl personally... lol... but find their blogs fun and interesting.) Anyway, Jessica does seem to lead quite a girl about the world life... and that's a neat thing to read about since I'm such a homebody! :)

Well, Happy Thursday!

Hugs,
Dana

An unimaginable tragedy...

At the same time as I was pulling dinner out of the oven, Scott ran upstairs and was saying something about "where's the remote" so he could turn on the kitchen TV and then the phone began to ring. I went to answer it as Scott said something about a bridge collapsing. My grandfather was calling to make sure we were all ok. I said yes and I would call him back. We turned on the TV and the pictures were just so awful. So hard to believe.

Scott had just walked in the door about 15 minutes earlier from a trip up in Northern to photograph bears. I was so thankful that he was home. He would not normally go the route of that bridge but his friend who was up north with him may have. He called him from his car as he was stuck in traffic just before the bridge. So lucky!

At this point, the news reports have only confirmed one fatality, but other witnesses have said there are many more. It's just so sad. My heart goes out to all those who may be involved in this tragic event.

Life is so darn unpredictable. Treasure every moment. Seriously!

The weekend is...

almost over and I've accomplished NOTHING. All those things I had in my head that I wanted to get done are still just in my head and not done. Darn it!

Oh well... What's a girl to do? I think I'll go curl up on the couch with some canning books and magazines. Might as well continue on with my lazy weekend! LOL! ;)

I checked out this book from the library and I really like it so I may need to order it. I want to make some blueberry jam so I'm reading up on it. There are quite a few recipes for other tasty treats that have caught my eye, but I figure I'll start with something relatively simple that I cannot mess up. Hopefully!

Aside from canning, I want to find a recipe for a really good and hearty wheat bread. Does anyone out there have a favorite recipe they'd like to share?

Another really neat book I found is called Hearts & Homes.
It's full of fun information about the families and lifestyles of the people who farmed the Heartland from 1895-1939. There are neat recipes and snippets from articles about such things as how to prepare a lunch bucket for school children. Very interesting. The author has another book called, A Prairie Kitchen, and I have requested that one from the library.

Speaking of the library, I really love it. I enjoy my weekly (at least!) trips and always come home with a HUGE stack of books. I have 10 checked out right now... but I've had over 20 books at a time in the past. It's good fun.

Well, I'm off to hit the couch and be lazy. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,
Dana

Friday, already?

I love Friday's... but this one came up far too fast! Seriously.

I have quite a bit to do this weekend. Most of it involves more cleaning and organizing. I'm not sure that task is ever going to get done... but I'm trying.

Also, now don't hold your breath, lol... but I plan to do a little scrapbooking this weekend. I haven't actually scrapped in a while so this should be interesting.

Scott, Kristofer and his buddy, Bret are going to go see The Simpson's Movie this evening. I think I'll take the time to do a little window shopping at TJ Maxx. :)

And finally... my new favorite Yankee Candle. I'm on my second one! I like to get mine at Bed, Bath & Beyond so I can use the discount coupon I get in my mailbox. It makes them a bit more reasonable for a totally consumable item like a candle. I do save the jars though. They are great for storing a variety of things.

Hope you have a great Friday!

Hugs,
Dana

Back from CHA...

Well, actually I got back on Monday morning, worked the rest of the day for my "real" job and then went to bed at about 6:30PM... and slept until about 7:00 the next morning! This girl was worn out! CHA is a lot of fun, but so much work!

Anyway, the show was fabulous. It's always so fun to see the Dream Street Girls and visit.
I wish we could get together more often, but we all live so far apart. I am lucky to be part of such an amazingly talented team.

Here are a couple photos.

Tracy, Me, Lara, Tara, Angela & Laura
(Photo from Tracy's Blog... thanks Tracy! ;) )


Amy, Alexis & Audrey
(Photo from Alexis Blog... thanks Alexis! ;) )


Dream Street Papers Booth, Summer CHA 2007


New Cardstock Stickers for Chipboard Mini Albums

My little Forget-Me-Not Mini Album
(whipped up on the floor of the hotel room the night before the show started!)

More photos at Amy's Flickr page.

Stef & Me
(Photo from Stef's Blog, :) )

Another highlight of the trip for me was getting a chance to meet Stef Hamilton. Stef is a wonderfully talented scrapbooker and cardmaker extraordinaire! She's even quite often featured in Paper Crafts Magazine. I searched Stef out when I heard that she was a fellow scrapbooker with Breast Cancer and our shared experiences have been a real source of strength for me. Stef... I {Heart} you! ;)

The Dream Girls:
Let's see, of course hotel rooming with Tara and Tracy is always a highlight for me. They make me smile... and oh boy... this trip I learned just how much alike those two over-achievers are! Any dream analysts out there? LOL!

Lara is such a sweetie. We had fun talking about bread making, school children and politics over dinner. On the train ride back from Chicago we even got to hear her story about the time that John Travolta called her to wish her luck before her Grease debut. ;)

Amy and Alexis, well... what can one say about gorgeous, talented and friendly girls? Amy's our resident Celebrity! She looks just like Sandra Bullock.

Angela is just a fun girl to be around. She's full of energy and a very creative spirit.

Jamie and Tracy are our CK HoF'ers and we are so proud of them. They are very talented scrapbookers and it's great to have them on our design team.

Audrey has the most fabulous southern accent. It's so fun to just listen to her talk. But she's not just a cute accent, she's smart and funny, too!

Laura is just as charming as she is online and so easy to talk to.

All in all, it was a fun and successful show for Dream Street Papers, but it sure is nice to be home.

In other news at the homestead... ;)
Kristofer finished reading Harry Potter and we sat down last evening for him to give me the play by play... I just had to know what happened.

When he was just a little guy in oh, first grade I think, I read him the first book. After that, he read them on his own and just loved them. What an awesome way to inspire children to read. Thanks, J.K. Rowling... very cool! :)

Anyway... no spoilers here... but Kristofer did shed a few tears. He's 15 and LOVED it. ;)

Hugs!
Dana

Ta Da....;)

Forget-Me-Not has been unveiled. I'm so thrilled. It holds such meaning for me and I hope whatever you create using it will be special to you!

Dream Street Papers has some really fun collections for this summer's release. I'm sure you'll find something you love!

We also introduced some really neat chipboard and coordinating sticker covers for mini-albums. They'll be fun additions to your scrapbooking supplies. :)

Hugs,
Dana

In the THICK of it...

I'm purging, cleaning and taking stock of what's really important in my life. I'm going to slow down and place more focus on the little things (a goal I've had for quite a while and manage to do MOST of the time!) and I'm right in the middle of making that happen. ;)

IT SURE IS MESSY to SIMPLIFY!

I'd show you some pics... but I'd be way too embarrased... ;)

So, when I'm done... I'll show you some pics of the end result.

Anyway. I found a really cool new website. It's called Mary Jane's Farm. The forums have some fun stuff on them. Nope not about scrapbooking but super fun none-the-less. :)

Happy Friday the 13th!

Hugs,
Dana

Sneak peaks & other stuff....

Here it is... a special sneak peak of "Forget-Me-Not" my new collection for Dream Street Papers. It's a colorful and whimsical collection to celebrate all those special moments and people in your lives you never want to forget. ;)

Well, my birthday isn't until September... but I decided to gift myself this year... a little early. I've had my eye on the FoodSavers for a bit so I decided to just get one. It's the perfect time of year to have it because it's fresh veggie season here in MN and I'd love to save some of that for winter.

We usually freeze some of our raspberries for later use in pies or smoothies. We also like to make pasta sauce from our Roma tomatoes.

I got busy over the weekend freezing and packaging blueberries in one cup amounts for use in banana bread (yummy!) and pancakes and stuff. I also did the same for some fresh green beans from the Farmer's Market. I'm really into "food" lately.

Another thing on my summer To-Do list is to can some fun things like Apple Pie in Jar or Blackberries in Framboise... both would be yummy over vanilla ice cream!

Scotty is still working on photos from our vacation. As usual, he took a lot. I haven't even had time to look at them yet, but will post a few soon.

Gotta go... much to do today! Hope you have a wonderful day!

Hugs,
Dana

Busy, busy, busy...

Vacations are a lot of work! We had a great time on our Lake Superior Circle Tour trip! Now, back to the regularly scheduled program... thank goodness!

I'll post all about it when I get a chance.

HUGS!
Dana

Another Angel in Heaven...

I've been following Rachel's story on her Caring Bridge site since I discovered her right after I was diagnosed with cancer. I've cried, wished, hoped and prayed with each posting from her mommy that she'd be ok and get better. I guess, in a very precious way, she is better now.

But it still leaves my heart heavy...

When I started thinking about my Summer CHA release for Dream Street Papers, I had an idea to create a collection called Forget-Me-Not with Rachel and Blair as my 2 sweet muses. I'd never met either girl, but their stories have a very special place in my heart. At the time, both girls were still with us... and now, both are gone.

I will not forget.

The joys of gardening...

This summer, I am finding myself obsessed with gardening. I just love being outdoors puttering around. It's so much fun. I've already put a bug in Scotty's parent's ears about teaching me how to "can" and preserve my bounty. Back when Scott was a kid they did a bunch of it. :)

They have a few apple trees in their yard and they are LOADED with apples. Scott's mom said she has a great filling recipe that's wonderful for pies and crisps and such. I'm also thinking of getting a new dehydrator. We loved having one ages ago. Scott's parents borrowed it a while back and loved it until it stopped working. So now I need to find another one. Any recommendations?
I began reading a new book called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. It's very interesting. It really reinforces the benefits of buying food locally and eating what's in season. I'm thoroughly intrigued. I look at my cupboards and refrigerator and realize how poorly we eat and in addition, I don't have enough stored food to keep us from starving if "something" were to happen that made it impossible for us to get food. Although that's pretty unlikely I suppose, it would still feel good to be prepared. Not least of which, we'd benefit nutritionally!! (Disclaimer: some ideas presented are bit Liberal to me... but's it's still a wonderful read so far!)

I've gone online and signed up for various seed catalogs. I'm particularly interested in heirloom seeds. I'm excited to see what's available and begin to plan next year's garden. Right now, our garden has tomatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers, onions, beets, carrots, radishes, cucumbers and squash. The neighbors are already looking forward to homemade salsa. Yum! My herb garden is home to chives, cilantro, sage, horseradish, and several varieties of thyme and mint. I have tons of lovely Catnip for Sundae. She loves it fresh from the garden. I need to get some more basil. For some reason, the varieties I've chosen in the past don't make it through winter.

Also on the agenda will be trips to the local Farmer's Market. I'm looking forward to the adventure. ;)

In other news, we have the sweetest little Barn Swallow nest under our deck. I'm amazed at how the little birds build their nests. They are so delicate, but so sturdy. The Barn Swallow parents fly around and swoop Bandit when we let her out. So, I try to keep her to the front yard. I love to hear their little chattering. They make an interesting little clicking noise that's so distinct. Sometimes, the Tree Swallows come around, too. But I haven't seen them this year yet.
Well, that's all for now.

Happy Monday!

Hugs,
Dana