Gratefully recuperating..

Yesterday was exactly a week from when I was discharged from the hospital. 

I had undergone laparotomy to remove a massive uterine fibroid 

and clean out my ovary from endometrial cysts.  

As much as I worried about the procedure, I looked forward to today 

when all is well and there’s nothing left to do but recuperate.

Obviously unplanned, the financial consequences
can add up to the pain without an emergency fund. 

Kudos to Dave Ramsey for our financial education, this was taken care of.  

Also thankful for a job that not only paid my time off
but also gave the moral support I needed.
And to the ultimate Provider, I can never thank You enough.
Philippians 4:19

Thoughtful flowers from people who love me! :)

The most difficult part was going through it all
while thinking about our loved ones from afar. 

I did not want them to be anxious, yet,
I cannot deny them the facts about my ordeal. 

I knew I had to let them know, but how much information 

is just enough to spare them from any apprehension?  

Although fear and worry lingered, 

am still grateful for the peace of God that passes all understanding.
Philippians 4:6-7

I am not the most prayerful person but when I first learned about all this, 

I have resolved that prayer is my first, if not my only option. 

After three months in medication, I noticed the fibroid had shrunk, 

however, not significant enough to cancel the surgery. 

As the schedule drew near, my prayer lessened in words and increased in tears.  

My tear ducts eventually dried up, I was at loss for words on the day itself.

Hot and sour Chinese soup on the day after the surgery. :-/

Nothing felt more comforting than knowing everything remained covered in prayers. 

So blessed and thankful for our church and adopted family and all our loved ones 

who lifted me, the hubby and the whole situation in prayers. 

Although some things turned out unexpected, the surgery went smoothly. 

Thankful for my surgeon and nurses who took very good care of me, 

made me feel comfortable and even loved.

Sunday best without heels. :D

Can’t be more grateful for my very own personal nurse and chef, 

who was and is always readily available to offer assistance and deliver my requests. 

My superman, as usual, he's making my recovery so much easier.

I enjoy being pampered and loving every bit of it! ;)

Currently, I am awaiting for my post surgery appointment to come sooner 

while taking pleasure in the recovery process.

Still uncertain what further test results will bring but 

I smile pondering on the goodness of the Lord. Psalms 34:8

I know and believe a God Who heals. Exodus 15:26

I am, and want to stay grateful 

and joyful for the circumstance I am currently in. Philippians 4:11

I don’t know all the what’s, the why’s nor the how’s 

but I take refuge in knowing the God I can call on to and rely on. Nahum1:7

Celebrated 8 and counting!

As the love month came to an end, I want to 

share some stale photos from our anniversary last January.  

It was a usual cold winter day that actuated my laziness.  

To go home, curl up on the couch, snuggle with the hubby 

and watch my favorite Filipino shows 

were pretty much perfect for a celebration. 

But he was persistent to keep the tradition 

of dinner date every 3^rd of January.

 I gave in to his easy persuading and off

we went to a ‘Shrimp Fest’ at Diamond Jo Casino.  

Okay, I will be defensive- 

we did not gamble and 
FOOD was all we went there for.  

 

Unfortunately, we left unimpressed and convinced 

that it was not worth what we paid and drove 45 minutes for. 

Rather than grumbling over it, we managed 

to shrug off our dissatisfaction and 

diverted our remorse into our usual glee of taking couple-fie’s.

Days slipped past us when February suddenly sneaked in. 

Heart’s day gave us a good reason 

to visit our favorite Asian buffet in the nearby town. 

No picture at the restaurant itself 

but capped off the day with a pose 

defying the bitter cold of winter.
Then there's the annual kite festival,
also known as Color the Wind.

 

Held last weekend,

we survived a -8°F (-22°C) cloudy weather, 

with 23mph wind gusts for about 30 minutes. 

We would have wanted to stay longer and take more pictures 

but realized that we’re not invincible! 

What 2014 has randomly taught me..

• No one is promised tomorrow. Life is short and ought to be celebrated every day. Be wise with how and who you choose to spend your life and time with.  Neither one has an undo button, so cherry-pick good memories over regrets.
• Family is family.. notwithstanding distance and time, come rain or shine. Nonetheless, family is not always blood. They are the people who matter most to you and you, to them. They are the only people who will not only celebrate your success but will also empathize with your defeat. They show up uninvited to your pity party and will choose to get stuck with you in that yucky pit but will also drag you out of there!
• True friendships do not require constant chitchat and togetherness. Infrequent hi’s, hello’s and how-are-you’s will suffice to express sincere thoughts and concern. Catching up will happen seldom but when it does, it certainly surmounts distance and time difference.
• No matter how hard you try, you can never please everyone. People are not always appreciative and grateful of your efforts, great or small. That is perfectly alright. Smile and keep at it, anyway... You are blessed to be a blessing.
• Unmet expectations often result to disappointment and heartbreak.  Spare yourself from added insult to injury by managing your own emotion, reaction and attitude. You are not in control of people’s actions but you are certainly the chief executive officer of your own. Choose to shrug the disappointment off and carry on. Life doesn't end there.
• A grudge is not worth holding on to. The pain and bitterness will only rub you of peace and joy. Rather than allowing yourself to go through the same agony over and over again, learn to let go and let God. It will take time but only God can truly heal.
• Choose to give, rather than lend, without strings attached. Just make sure you are helping rather than enabling bad spending habits. Be honest if you cannot afford it. Relationships are best preserved when money matters don’t get mixed in with it.
• Social media is mostly superficial. The grandest vacation photos and the most impressive shout out do not entirely tell a person’s life story. The thumbs up, the gratifying comment and the sweet talks do not define relationships and true friendships.  Be cautious with your connections and guard your heart against that green-eyed monster named envy.
• God loves you and unanswered prayers do not prove otherwise. Broken dreams do not delimit His omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience. He is God despite your circumstances. So when things go amiss the way you planned them to be, fear not. Simply pray- it’s more and is most effective!  Learn to surrender to His will and trust His ways.
• Be grateful and be contented with what you have in your life. Acquiring power, fame or more possessions will not fill the emptiness nor fully satisfy your life. Appreciating what you already have will make you realize just how blessed you are.

That pretty gold dress..

I have not been diligent to prove my love for sewing nor re-purposing clothes this year. Rather than enumerating a million and one excuses to get myself off the hook, I will attempt to make up for my lack of sewing posts this year.

My heart swelled with very sweet compliments about my outfit, especially the pretty dress, in my previous post. Contrary to what it seems, the dress did not cost me an arm and a leg. A local clothing store recently closed so the owner held a garage sale to get rid of everything. Price tags were at a whooping $5 each.

Lucky me, huh??  I thought so too, but only if I find something that would fit my petite frame…We went shopping anyway, anticipating great deals to be sent to the Philippines.  Then.. lo and behold. This pretty gold dress shyly smiled at me. I could not dare resist such beauty so I smiled back and approached her. Surprise, surprise, it is EXTRA SMALL too. I instantly fell in love! The hubby painted mixed reactions on his face the first time I showed him my new love. It was the perfect dress but unfortunately, wasn’t the perfect size.  Although I could not convince him that it’ll fit me, the very attractive price made him agree, that if all else fails, I could always resell it on Ebay. Sounded fair enough but I was decided to make the dress suit my tiny self. By hook or by crook, if I say so...

I wish I took before and after pictures of the dress but.. who had time to do so? The upper body was tad bit loose and the length wasn’t  very ideal for my height. It was too long to be a midi yet too short to be a maxi.  Sooo, for 1 and 2 above, I took each side of the torso in, through the sleeves, by approximately an inch.  I love how the skirt puffed and flared charmingly so I left it as is.. And 3, I folded the hem thrice to attain my desired and still modest length. 

I am so glad it worked out well, even when I altered the dress very quickly rather than carefully. I decline paying full price for clothing that needs alteration for my size but anybody wanting the dress can purchase it  here, not for $5 though!

And yes, there goes my little secret about that pretty gold dress.