Diary of an Unconscious Mind

I have hesitated to share this with everyone for some time, but decided to share today. On March 10th of this year I was diagnosed with Stage 3a Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) ER& PR Positive Grade 2 breast cancer on my right breast, I have two tumors that combined are 7 cm with one lymph node at 2.5 cm. I have been going every year since I was 40 to get my mammogram last year my mammogram was clear and one year later they found the mass and the biopsy confirmed it. I am not one to do my month self exam so ladies please make sure you do your monthly exams and yearly mammograms.  After talking with my surgeon and oncologist we have mapped out a treatment plan which started at the end of March. I had a PET/CT scan to determine if the cancer had spread to other parts of my body, which it has not. I will have two different rounds of chemo each lasting 3 months; the first round is Taxol which I receive every week for 12 treatments. My second round will be Adriamycin and Cytoxan ...

Today is Election Day a time to make your voice heard a privilege we Americans sometimes take for granted. This is a privilege many people have died for to insure that generations are allowed the same freedom our fore fathers granted us. As a child my earliest memories of Election Day was going with my mom before school to vote the voting precinct was located at my elementary school. We would go behind the curtain as she explained to me what a privilege it was to pull the lever to make your voice heard. My father was the news junkie he is the one to teach me about politics we would argue as I got older about certain issues, but he also taught me that everyone has an opinion though you may not agree with that opinion you must respect that person’s right to have it and though the canidate you voted for is not elected you must respect the office and whom every is elected to it. He said it did not mean you could not bitch about it, but you must understand that the majority has...

My nephew graduated from High School in May and his 18 th birthday was in August right before he started college.   For his Graduation I had to buy him Dr. Seuss’s “Oh, The Place You Will Go” for every occasion he gets a personal piece of short bus art from me, we call it short bus because I am forever making small mistakes which is my signature so they say.   For his birthday I decided to try my hand at another paper clay creature as usual I had no idea what it was going to be until it told me what it was   inspire to be.   Once it was finished I decided it was a travel fairy for he was traveling from childhood to adulthood and the creation could be his companion.   The concept came when I started to make the glasses out of beer caps from Germany (Brau Haus, my hubby lived in Germany in the late 80’s and made beer.   He had a lot left over), the hat reminds me of the hat Van Gogh wore in his self-portrait, the dress is made from scrapbook paper with...

I am a Bzz Agent which means I receive products samples and coupons which I review. To find more information about what a Bzz Agent is and how you can become one, it is free click this link .  When I received my Covergirl and Olay foundation along with the pressed powder I could not wait to try it.   I have been using Maybelline Instant Age Rewind along with the Fit me powder which the foundation has always felt a little cakey on my skin so I stopped using the foundation and only using the powder.   Being in my mid 40’s finding a foundation that helps soften my lines and feels light on my skin is important, Covergirl has done that with this foundation and powder.   The foundation glides on your skin without feeling cakey, the coverage is amazing my lines, blemishes disappeared. The powder also left my face feeling so natural and in this Texas heat it held up well to the heat and humidity.   These products are now my go to foundation powder combo and my ...

 I was recently asked to review the My Memories Suite software and I have to say I am in love with it.   With the birth of my great nephew my camera has been in over drive when I see him.   This software gives me the option to create wonderful digital scrapbook pages, albums, calendar and interactive albums that I can share with my family.   I am more of a digital junky when it comes to my photography and scrapbooking since I have family scattered around the country, digital expression is more convenient and with My Memories Suite I am able to do that in some of the most exciting ways, they make it easy to share by allowing you to create a video that you can upload onto your ipod, iphone, and ipad jut by syncing it with your Itunes.   So I was able to upload the album of my nephew’s first 10 month to my iphone , when I am out and want to brag I can.   Just image you are at a family reunion you pull out your phone and share your creativity of scra...

I have been in a creative funk lately, the inter working of my mind has taken a vacation and left me with a dull do nothing attitude that is until I did my daily blog reading at Creative Breathing and Elizabeth had made a wonderful button keeper out of paperclay.  I bought some paper clay back in December hoping to create some fun snowmen but never did, so her button keeper inspired me to try my hand at it.  When I started I told myself to let it tell me what it wanted to be I worked on it one night, then two days later I painted it and so on until it said Hey Shean I want to be a craft room fairy to help you get inspired.  So here is my first paper clay creation with more to come soon.  Thank you Elizabeth for the inspiration it helped my mind come back from vacation. 

Be a long time since I blogged, but life has a way of giving you detours.  In the last 5 months my great nephew has grown and many pictures have been taken of him, my son turned 21 and had his first shot while in South by Southwest pilgrimage and my nephew will be graduating from high school at the end of this month. So my plate has been full doing stuff around the house and relaxing. So I thought I would add a few photos from the first 5 months of 2012. These photos where edited by using Picmonkey . 21 at South by Southwest 2012

I am participating in MCP's Project 12 go to my sidebar and click on the badge to find out more about this and see others who are participating.  I have had my Sony Cybershot camera for over 4 years, but never really used it in the way it should be used.  When my son decided to take a photography class in college it inspired me to also learn how to use my own camera.  So on January 7, 2012 I took a number of photos of my great nephew during the Houston Texan's first ever playoff game, it is my resolution to help chronicle his childhood.  I used MCP's Magic Blog it action to create this collage of the newest man in my life.  Since his birth I have listened to my son to create photos that can be shared with family, friends and of course his mom and dad.  With other resolutions that have been made I can't wait until the skies are sunny so I can venture out with him and my camera.  Oh what I year this will be watching the milestones. Many Faces of D...

I have been a fan of OutQ radio on Sirius for a number of years, I especially like Derek & Romaine and listen to them on my long ride home.  A few days ago they had a guest on author Joseph Galliano who wrote a book called Dear Me: Letters to my Sixteen Year Old Self and Dear Me: More Letters to My Sixteen Year Old Self.  In this book he asked famous people to write and submit to him letters they have written to their sixteen year old selves.  The concept is brilliant, kind of in the vain if I knew then what I know now what would I change.  I have not read the book yet it is on my wish list, but the idea of what you would tell your sixteen year old self is amazing and cathartic.  So I decide to challenge myself to this task here is my letter and picture of myself at sixteen.  I challenge you to do the same and if you do leave a comment so I can find out what you had to say.  This is when I got the nickname Woodstock October 27, 2011 Dear Wood...

To say I go from one project to the next like an OCD rabbit would be an understatement since I was a small child my interest have been wide never truly settling on one genre I seem to float from vintage to futuristic, sewing to paper art, photograph to digital art the list goes on.   With my camera down (hubby accidentally sent my memory card to parts unknown when he mailed out a package) and hoping that Newegg sends me a new one soon I am unable to start my photo journal, but knowing Texas weather it should arrive once we get a cold snap.   In the interim I decide to research on how to make my blog represent my various sides so as usual I goggled how to and found the mother lode of tutorials.     I found wonderful tutorials on using Picasa for making banners and scrap booking from Clover Lane her blog is informative a must see.   I also found multiple tutorials at The Cutest Blog on the Block which helps me to create the background.    As the day...

That sums up how a feel this week.   I was privileged to have won something from my favorite blogger Elizabeth at Creative Breathing a blog which is like home to me, you know a place that is cozy and warm, where you can sit at the table sipping your hot tea sharing stories, a place that lingers with you all day.   Her blog is like that a sanctuary from all the bustle and noise of the day.   I came home to find a package on my desk at home with a familiar name it was like when you where young the excitement you got when your pen pal wrote you back.   I opened to find the most beautiful creations the detail and love that goes into her work is told through her creations.   I can’t wait for the weekend when I go on my trek through downtown Houston on a mission to find the perfect poor baby shop tree to hang these treasures onto in my craft room.   A tree is the symbol of growth and inspiration to me, so having these pieces hanging from a tree will give...