I Love Pinterest!

Very addicting, fun website where you can "pin" favorite pictures from anywhere.  You can follow other's boards, or pin something you like from another site.  I still need to organize my "pins", but for now, this site gives me a quick way to "save" something I want to return to later.

Thrift Stores

My Name is Lisa and I Am a Shop-a-Holic

I LOVE shopping!  And if it's cheap, it's for me!  I have too many interests and hobbies to be able to just buy what I want, and that's why I love going to thrift stores.  I love being able to buy paperback books for a buck and can get 10 or so for the price of a brand-new one at the bookstore.  I do still pay full-price or buy used online if there is a new book that I MUST have.  My son recently gave me a generous Barnes & Noble gift-card and I promptly spent the whole thing online that day.  My big box of books arrived about a week later.  This same son also gave me his "old" Nook, as he had bought a newer one.  I still haven't got comfortable with downloading books (although I have downloaded a lot of the "freebies").  There's just nothing like holding a book in your hands. I've also found many books about my new hobby, crocheting. They are all in good, almost-new condition and some of them are from the 1960's and 70's.  I just love vintage things! 

I collect bone-china cups & saucers and can usually always find a few at my local thrift stores.  In a way, it's kind of sad to look at these beautiful pieces and imagine who may have owned what was once a complete set of beautiful china (the thrift stores seem to always "separate" sets and mark each piece separately.  I wish for once they would leave some of the sets together and sell the whole thing for one price!).  I imagine the elderly lady who has since passed away and her stuff all boxed up and sold or donated to charity, etc.  I am going to take good care of her china and will keep it until I am gone.

Yesterday, I was browsing in a thrift store and came across this picture; it was hidden way in the back on a top shelf and I'm sooooo glad I found it.  I think it's beautiful.  I wish I knew who the artist was or what the title is.  I'll have to take another picture and try not to get the shadow of my arm in the next one!

More Grannies

My love of granny squares continues...I've made several in all sizes and will someday put them all together and make a blanket.  For now, I am enjoying making the squares and deciding on color combinations.  I get so much inspiration from the internet (see my lists of blogs that I follow; there are so many amazing ladies (and a guy, or two!) out there who do some beautiful crocheting).  Later today I am going to attempt to make a granny-heart and a granny-hexagon.  I'll post pictures when I have a satisfactory result!  

Skin Cancer

My Experience With Skin Cancer

I'm at an age where I have become more concerned about health issues.  I believe that I have officially "crossed over" to middle-age. :)   I recently went for a skin cancer screen at my dermatolgist's office; I was actually concerned about a growth on my arm and was sure it was something serious.  What surprised me was that the nurse practitioner was more concerned about a small area on the side of my nose.  I told her that I was sure it was just irritation from my glasses, but a biopsy showed that it was Squamous Cell Carcinoma.  Squamous Cell is basically dull, red, rough scaly lesion on the skin, most commonly on sun-exposed areas such as the head, neck, ears, lips, etc.  Waiting on the biopsy results took THREE weeks.  I was expecting the biopsy to be benign or possibly Basal Cell.  Fast forward to yesterday; I underwent Mohs Surgery to have the tumor removed.  I highly recommend this method of treatment over other options for this type of skin cancer, because you don't have to wait weeks for biopsy results and it only took a few hours (in my case).  The surgeon is also a pathologist with special training in this type of surgery. After removing the obvious tumor, you are sent to a waiting area while the doctor examines the tissue under a microscope.  In my case, there were still cancer cells and I had to undergo a second procedure.   You can read more about this type of surgery here:

  http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/mohs-surgery?gclid=CPav64-EobICFQP0nAod_G4AOg

I was bandaged up (no stitches: yay!) and sent home with instructions and prescriptions.  I have to return for a few follow-ups and will probably have to have a skin graft.  I'm very sore and there's the possibilty of bruising, but that's okay.  The most painful part of the surgery was the injection in my nose...ouch!  I'm happy that it's over with and actually am not even concerned about the impending scar.  I will post more after my follow-up and skin graft consultation.

So.....go get a dematological check-up!!  And don't forget the suncreen :)

  

My Three Sons

Josh, Aaron and Robert

Granny Squares!

I had been making small, solid pastel granny squares and finally decided to try adding different colors and making them bigger.  Here is what I've accomplished so far.

Latest Crochet Adventures

I've been practicing my granny squares and have managed to make eight so far, all in solid pastel colors.  I haven't decided what to do with them, so I will keep making them for practice and will decide later.  I also bought a new book that has tons of crochet stuff and have been practicing some other fancy stitches.  The one that came out really nice was a trellis stitch and it was so easy!  Very satisfying to make something and have it come out nice the first time!  Will post pictures soon.  I have to say that this hobby has been one of the most enjoyable things I've done.  I wish I hadn't waited so long to learn!  

I Love These Movies!

I don't know why I love old, black & white horror films, but I do!  

                                                                             

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

I am a survivor!  If you need someone to talk to, please message me!

I Love to Read

I love to read; that's an understatement!  I am guilty of judging a book by its cover, at least when browsing online or in the bookstore.  I have too many favorite authors and my "to read" pile is very tall.  Some of my favorite authors are Lisa Gardner, Lisa Jackson, Iris Johansen, Harlan Coben, James Patterson, Greg Iles, Heather Gudenkauf, Emily Giffin, to name but a few!  A few books I recently finished and loved are "Room" by Emma Donoghue, Vinegar Hill by A. Manette Ansay and Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys.  This is NOT one of the other "Gray" books; this one takes place during WWII.  

My New Hobby

I've recently learned how to crochet!  This is something I have wanted to do for YEARS and I don't know why I waited so long!  I am really enjoying learning.  I hope to post some pictures of my work soon.  I haven't completed a blanket or afghan yet, but I have made dozens of hearts and flowers that I hope to do something with.  These are some of the things I've been working on.  I still need lots of practice, but am enjoying it very much.  I love looking at other's blogs about crocheting and knitting; I get a lot of inspiration from them.  





This is supposed to be a bird, but I think he looks   like a duck!