The Return to Health - Step Two

How many steps are there to returning to health?   I am not sure but I am happily taking them and hopefully you'll be happy to read them! 

STEP TWO:

Step two - make strides to get my physical strength back.  I have always prided myself on being strong.  This whole cancer thing really depleted my strength.  It is now time to get it back and then some.  During chemo, I did yoga and zumba a couple times a week in between chemo sessions.  I am proud of that, but it is time to turn it up a notch.

I have a long way to go.  But on Saturday February 23rd, one month since my last chemo session, I was kicking butt at a Circuit TRX class.  The best thing about it was that I was there with TWO other survivors!  They embody hope, inspiration, strength and courage.  I hope to do that as well!

Like what you see?  Check out Hosner Fitness on Faceook and join us for TRX!!!

Linkin' Up

Today I'm sharing The Colleen hat on two of my favorite creative blogs The 36th Avenue and Seven Alive.  Check it out!

Check out all The Colleen and other DIY projects by clicking the button.

WIP it Up Wednesday - the Colleen Hat

Oh its been a while since we've seen a "WIP it UP Wednesday"!  There has been no shortage of works in progress around here.  But this one I am so happy to present.  I've always loved all things Irish and St. Patrick's Day, and my married name makes me sound SUPER Irish. Don't want to make it yourself, you can order it from my website here. 

The Colleen

In honor of St. Patty's Day I whipped up this little hat for my good friend Jen's daughter Rebecca.  You might remember her from the Baby Turban!

So cute...check it out on Pumpkin Head Knits

So cute!  I named this hat The Colleen because 1. Colleen means girl in Gaelic and 2. One of my favorite Colleens is visiting this weekend (more on that later)


Without further ado, here is how you make the "Colleen" or order it here!

1. Gather supplies -
DK weight yarn - I use Michael's Impeccable. 
Crochet Hook - I used an "H"
scissors
blue yarn needle

2.  Make a basic beanie pattern of your choice in white.  Here is my Basic Beanie Pattern including gauge. 

3. Using a bright Kelly Green (again Impeccable from Michael's) and the same crochet hook, make  a stripe around the hat.

• Decide how far up the you the stripe on the hat, then use the spaces naturally created in the round.  This will keep you on the right track.

• Place green yarn behind the section you are working on. Push hook through hole from front to back , wrap the yarn around the hook, and pull back through to the top. 
•  Pull hook forward to next hole, push through from front to back, wrap the yarn around the hook, pull through again.   

• Continue until the line joins together.  Cut tail and pull through to the front (as if finishing off).
• Using the yarn needle, thread the tail through to the back and tie a knot with the starting tail.  Use the needle again to weave the tails through the green stripe.  

4.  Make the Shamrock.  I'll make it easy on you (and me).  I used Skip to my Lou for this shamrock.  I easily started with magic ring instead of her instructions to chain 4 and make a ring.  Either way, this shamrock takes about 3 minutes. Use a longish tail for the ring and then when finishing the shamrock so that you can easily sew it on the hat.    If you are unhappy with the size either use a bigger or smaller hook.


5.  Sew the shamrock on the hat.  I placed mine off center (be sure the joining section is in the back) and sewed it in using the two tails on the Shamrock.  Easy peasey.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Featured on:
The NY Melrose Family  

The Return to Health - Step One

How many steps are there to returning to health?   I am not sure but I am happily taking them and hopefully you'll be happy to read them!  

STEP ONE:  

The first step to returning to health is getting off of medication.  There is a lot of medication involved in cancer, both over the counter and prescription.  Here is a peek of what my medicine box looked like. 

There were more...trust me!

Considering the only medication I took before this was birth control and the occasional Claratin (although I hadn't taken either for well over a year), this was quite the change.  On discovering the box in the kitchen cabinet my husband said, "Wow, how did we go from a household with one prescription to a box of prescriptions so quickly?"  It happens fast my friends, really really fast.

In order to make life easier, I placed the box right in the kitchen cabinet.  After the side effects of chemo started to wear off, this constant reminder of being sick needed to go. 

Moving it out of the kitchen was a really liberating moment.  I placed the plates back where they belonged, walked to the bathroom, cleared some space in the linen closet, placed the box, and shut the door.  It sits next to the shampoo and conditioner that I didn't need after I lost my hair and the giant bottle of dial liquid soap I used in an intricate disinfecting ritual before and after surgery.  It was then I realized this was the first step to returning to health, closing the door on the meds all the complications that come with it.  The daily schedule, the long list I had to take to each appointment, the worry about leaving the house and not having the right one, the constant tiredness, the fog.  The schedule, the list, and the worry have gone away.  The fatigue and the fog...still working on that those.  For now, the meds have been put in their place and I'm  moving on...

 

Happy Valentine's Day Hands and Feet!

Winter is rough.  We just had a winter storm named after a fish up here in New York.  We ended up with about 8 inches, which we used call "winter" and not "Nemo."  The great things about snow storms are the way that the encourage us all to ssslllllloooooowwww down.  Browsing through Facebook I came across people planning delicious meals, drinking wine with the ones they love, and busting out the board games.  Over extended schedules were canceled and we all planned to stay home and relax.  Why does it take a storm for us to do?  Winter is rough, life is rough.  We need to go easy on ourselves more often. 

Which brings me to hands and feet.  They tend to get a beat up over winter.  Mine dry out, crack, and hurt during these dry days.  I made these lotion bars from The Healthy Beehive and have been using them nightly on my hands and feet.  I leave it on my night stand and use them liberally on those dry spots and have noticed a huge difference.  The warmth of your body will melt the bar enough to spread but it will still keep its shape. If you are carrying it around with you, definitely put it in a zip-lock bag.    

They are a perfect way to show your love for your hands and feet on these hard winter days.  Make a few and package them up for a candy free Valentine's Day gift for your friends.   The Coco Butter makes them smell like chocolate, you could add some peppermint oil for a Starbucks smelling treat!


 **I love to shop local so I went back to the local All Natural Food Store/Guitar Shop/Kids Toy Shop to get the ingredients.  That place is crammed with stuff and smells like heaven.  You'll remember it from this post**

Show Some Love Lotion Bars - makes 6 small discs

6 oz Coco Butter
6 oz Coconut Oil
6 oz Beeswax

 Measure out ingredients using a food scale and place in a small sauce pan. 

I am weird about mixing this with real food so I bought an old sauce pan at Good Will for this project.

Melt over low heat.  The beeswax takes the longest to melt, so the smaller the pieces the better.

Place in a mini muffin tin and place in the refrigerator to firm up. 



When firm, place in individual baggies and share the love!   (I store in the fridge until I am ready to use)