Catching Up Yet Again

Okay it appears that I can only update my blog once a month. I need to get better at this. I have been with my hobbies (sewing and photography)which I wouldn't mind if either of them turn into a job. I am still in the beginner stage of the photography. I will need to practice more before the grand baby arrives. MDM is still wishing a would find a cheaper hobby because what comes with photography but Photoshop to make that really good picture even better. Once you have that really great picture you must scrapbook. (Creative Memories is my new best friend) I have taken up scrap booking due to I have a ton of pictures from family going way back in time. Some are labeled and some are not. I made a promise to myself that when you open open one of albums you will not wonder "who are these people" and "what are they doing". enough on that....
As you know from my past post my oldest JR is now married to Ang and are expecting. JK is still in school. MDM is still a army pilot and working all the time. To keep myself busy I have joined the Hunter Wives Club and I am the publicity chair, still working at the quilt store (to support my sewing habit), in three bunco groups, driving people crazy taking pictures. I am torn between using Creative Memories software and Photoshop for scrapbooking. I am attaching some recent pictures.
This is my Uncle Eddie(photographer) talking to the "hired" photographer for my cousin's wedding.

This is my cousin Donna. She is practicing her knitting. I wish Mom was here to help her. Watching Donna work on this project reminded me of when Mom was trying to teach me how to knit when I lived in TN. She kept telling me I was doing a great job however it was just not my thing. I wish I would have paid more attention to her.
This is my cousin Kim and her husband Brent. They were married this past Tuesday in FL. Beautiful sunset beach wedding.
This is JK okay you can dress him up but you cannot take him anywhere. He is supposed to be at a wedding as you can tell he is playing football with Brent's 10 year old nephew. Okay at least they waited until after the wedding.
As you can tell MDM and I love the beach.
This is our family in Savannah. As you can tell Gretchen was having some issues with wanting to stay in the picture. That is one of problems with trying to take pictures using the timer feature on your camera.

I guess I better work my Christmas projects.

Catching Up

Wow I had not realized it had been so long since my last post. Today is a big day for our nation. It is the day that we select our new President of the United States. I will respect your rights to make up your own mind on who to select when you head to the polls. All I ask is that you get out and VOTE. If you do not vote then you do not have a voice in how our nation is run.

I will now change the subject. Since my last log we attended parents weekend at The Citadel. It was great seeing JK and meeting up with some of our friends. The rain just added a little changing of plans some what. We sat in the pouring rain while watching the parade. I felt bad for the cadets. Then off to the football game. Not only did we have to deal with rain ( we could not bring our umbrellas into the stadium.) We had to deal with the bad officials. Put it this way the law enforcement had to take them off the field. That is how bad the calls where. The strangest thing I saw was on the other team. A player did something that caused a yellow flag for un-sportsmen like conduct which cost them some yardage. When his coach went to say something to him the player went after his coach. In all of my years of watching sports I have never seen a player go to hit his coach. Lets just say the cadets went wild. The entire stadium was yelling his name after that.

During parents weekend of course we found time to fit in some geocaching before the parade. The park next to campus has some great ones. We could only fit in three finds.

No sooner than we get home we had to go right back to Charleston. JK decided he did not need his appendix ( I do not think I spelled that correctly) anymore. They caught it in time but I think they were running special that day. There were two in front of him and three behind him waiting to have the surgery. He bounced right back had the surgery on Thursday and went back to school Monday. He is young and in shape and that is what made it easier for him.

I need to go now .......

Busy Weekend Ahead

Yes it is 6:19 am and I am taking a break from getting ready to go out of town. It is parents weekend at The Citadel. It is always so much fun. This weekend might be a little interesting since it is suppose to rain all weekend. Do you see the look of enjoyment on my face NOT since everything we are doing is OUTSIDE.

Remember the quilt I was working on while on vacation in FL. It is finished and my customer will be receiving it today. She is so excited it was done for her son who is a graduate from Georgia Tech and got married this year.

I better get back to packing. Look for updates later this weekend.

Now back to a normal day

Now I have to get back to my normal day. Yes that involves cleaning the house one of my most favorite chores NOT. I am also catching up some sewing. As you might remember from my first post. I am starting my own business JMock Designs. I make custom quilts and embroider items. I hope to have my website up with in the next couple of weeks. I also sell BeautiControl. Have a great evening.

Mom's Interview

This weekend will be the first anniversary of when we spread my mother's ashes per her request over the Smokey Mountains. I thought I would share with you an interview my mother did for WTOC while she was going thru her treatments.

10/13/06
Inflammatory Breast Cancer Also Known as the “Silent Killer”
76 year old Janet Ybarra doesn't take much for granted these days, and even finds humor in her disease. "The temporary thing to fill your bra up with is a pain," laughed Janet," I can't get it molded right, or the right size, but I keep working at it. At least it doesn't fall out anymore, I pinned it in!"
Janet still smiles despite her daily radiation treatments for Inflammatory Breast Cancer. She first noticed something wasn't right when a rash appeared on her breast. It was something she first dismissed as heat rash or an allergic reaction. "Those are the first signs. Those are the things you need to take care of. If I had done that, the disease may not have progressed as far," said Janet.
Inflammatory Breast Cancer is also known as the "silent killer'' that affects one to three percent of women. Many women, like Janet, don't realize anything was wrong, and dismiss what they think are common symptoms. Things like a swelling or thickening of the breast, a rash or a bruise that doesn't go away, itching or pain, a dimple in the skin or retraction of the nipple. Many feel because there's no lump, there's nothing to worry about. But you don't have to have a lump to have breast cancer.
Janet was fortunate, if you could call it that. A lump did appear in her breast 2 months later, which was the only reason she went to see her doctor. After her diagnosis, she immediately started chemotherapy, and was scheduled for a mastectomy. "You cannot stop and think about it or worry about it. You've got to move now, if you want to have any chance at all," said Janet.
Dr. Ray Rudolph, co founder of the Center for Breast Care at Memorial Health, treats three to four new patients each year with Inflammatory Breast Cancer. He said the cancer actually spreads through the lymph channels in the skin itself, and that's what causes the skin to change. By the time the symptoms first appear, the patient is typically already in the end stages of the disease." When the cancer gets into the lymphatic's, it's very hard to control," said Dr. Rudolph.
Even though most women are diagnosed in stages three and four, new and better treatments are helping them beat the disease. It used to be once a woman was diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer, doctors wouldn't even treat them. Researchers have found patients do better with chemo first, surgery second, then radiation. Now the survival rate is fifty percent at five years." This is not a death sentence for a woman who has inflammatory breast cancer. There are patients who survive the disease and have long, full lives afterward," explained Dr. Rudolph.
Janet plans on being one of those women. She's just finishing up her radiation treatment and hopes to be in remission. "I expect to be here a while, I'm not through yet," smiled Janet.
Doctor Rudolph says the best way to catch the disease in it's earliest stages is to do a monthly breast exam -- and have a routine mammogram.
Reported by: Melanie A. Ruberti; mruberti@wtoc.com

24 hr Quilt-A-Thon Update

I would first like to say thank you for all those who came out. We had a great time making pillows.














We completed 291 pillows.







The event started on Friday at 6:00pm and ended Saturday at 6:00pm. Friday night we had a doctor , nurse, reporters, friends and high school students making pillows. If they were not sewing they were either ironing or stuffing. We had a great little assembly line going. By midnight we had completed 152 pillows. I must admit I wish more would have attend between the hours of midnight and 8:00am however I am not complaining I loved the help we received. My family paid a little visit during the middle of night. By looking at the picture I guess you can tell they can be little strange sometimes. JK was home for the weekend from college and of course they had to bring Gretchen. :)





I tried my best to stay up the entire 24 hours. As some of you might know I am what some people would like to call "AR" when it comes to my sewing. It my seams do not match it driving me crazy. Will around 5:30am I made a pillow that kind of look like the leaning Tower of Pisa. Since I was using a serger and did not want to cause any harm to my self I decided that I better take a nappy nap. I did not realize that I would be placed on candid camera.

After a much needed nap I was back up and running. We had more friends show up and back to our assembly line. We only do the 24 hr thing once a year in October, then the rest of the year we meet quarterly. I wish I could say we only needed to meet once a year but at this time I cannot. I am attaching a few pictures from the event.














This is the link to the video of the WTOC interview.
http://www.wtoc.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?vt1=v&clipFormat=flv&clipId1=2992447&at1=News&h1=Quilters help raise breast cancer awareness

Quilt -A- Thon

It is 3:00am and I am taking a little break from the Quilt -A- Thon. We have made 152 pillows so far that are ready to go and have several others in different stages. Some still need to be cut others need to sewn and yet some need stuffing. So far we have had a pretty good turn out they range from Doctors to high school students. Tomorrow on my blog I will include some pictures.

I know that when you are doing a quilt -a- thon you are suppose to stay up the entire time. I am hear to say I could use a nappy nap right now. I have two every long evenings in a row and it is catching up with me. :( I guess I better go back to sewing. Stay tuned to find out how many pillows came from the production line.

October Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As I am getting stuff ready for the Quilt-A-Thon. I am reflecting back to two years ago when my mother started her battle with breast cancer. At 76 years old she was not ready to just give up and let the cancer win unfortunately the cancer did win a year later almost to the day. As I have stated before she had Inflammatory Breast Cancer also known as IBC. This form of breast cancer is very hard to detect. I have found a video that I thought might help people better understand. It is from M D Anderson Hospital in Houston TX.

Just a friendly reminder do you monthly self exam.

Very Early Day

Today started very early for me and I do not even live in Texas right now so I was not catching up on the AG report. :) Sandi (she owns Colonial Quilts) and I had an interview with WJCL Morning Anchor, Jessica Kiss, during Tuesday’s “Good Morning” broadcast. I am attaching the link however I would like to make a disclaimer. It was very early as in 6:00am and I needed some more caffeine. You might ask what would make a person get up 4:00am to be at an interview by 6:00 on TV at that. It would be a three letter word that means a great deal to you. Yes MOM, I am trying my best to keep my promise I made to her last July before she passed away. Here take a look at the interview. I am thinking if I do this next year I am wearing my robe and fuzzy slippers. Just Kiddin"

mms://a1223.v42528d.c25708.g.vm.akamaistream.net/7/1223/42528/v0001/media2.dayportmsp.com/n6d/wjcl/video/20080930054200_89108_004742p8005153p3.wmv

Wow a lot happened this week

The week started off with October being Breast Cancer Awareness month I was asked to write an article about my mother. This was one of the hardest things I had to do since my mother's death a year ago. I have to admit it was great therapy.

The picture is of my mother on the beach. The water seemed to always calm us down and let us relax. I guess that is why I still love the water so much rather on the beach or SCUBA diving. It has been a little while since I have gone diving.


This is my son JR and his new family, his wife Ang and step son AP. Yesterday we were told that they are expecting an addition to the family. To be honest I was not sure how to react to that first I thought wait a minute I am not ready to be a Grandma. However that lasted all of 2 & 1/2 minutes. Now I cannot wait for them to move here. Jr is still in classes learning his new job and soon he will be moving back to GA. I am hoping that they will let me sew the items for the baby's room. You know I do not want to be over bearing :) My husband is already calling me "Marie" from the Everyone Loves Raymond show. How should I take that exactly????? Okay yes I like to make a plan and I do schedule things way in advance. I guess that is from being a military wife for so many years. So if you think about it is his fault. Hee Hee.

I do not watch a lot of TV but this week all the new episodes of Law & Order, ER, Heroes and The Unit. Now that I have watched the first episodes I will go back to my DVR and watch them later when I have time. I know who has time for TV when you are starting a new business. I find if I DVR the shows I can watch them while I sew or work on my scrapbooking. I have never been able to sit in a totally silent room.

It is getting late so I guess I better sign off for now.

Breast Cancer

As some of you know my mother Janet Sims Ybarra past away on July 29, 2007 from IBC . IBC is the most aggrestive breast cancer by the time it is found it is usually already at stage 4.

I made a promise to her that I would get the word out about IBC and Breast Cancer. To remind the women I know to do the monthly self exam and for those of us over 35 to get a Mammi gram. IBC usually does not show up on the mammi gram however the more you know your body the better chance you have of finding breast cancer sooner. It shows up as maybe a rash on your breast or a warm spot. You might think that maybe you are having a reaction to a new soap or you ate something that is giving you a rash. If the rash does not go away with in a reasonable amount of time you should have it check more aggressively. We did not have any family history of Breast Cancer due to this I thought we were safe.

I have started a quarterly get together called Janet's Pillow Pals. We meet at Colonial Quilts in Savannah GA and create pillows for Post Surgical Breast Cancer Patients at Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute of Memorial Medical Center. Once a year we also have a 24 hour quilt-a-thon. This year we have named the event "Heaven Can Wait" it will be held on Oct 3rd - 4th, Friday 6pm to Sat 6pm. You do not have to stay the entire time however if you are in the area please stop by.

Newbee to Blog

This is my first time to blog. I am beginning to think I need to go to Barnes & Noble Bookstore (one of my favorite hang outs) and purchase a book Blogging for Dummies.

Ok now to just dive in and start. I went on a trip with my husband to FL were I met up with a friend of ours. It was a great week spending time with them. Since I am an empty nester now I found it refreshing to hang out with little people. We spent one day driving around trying to figure out what to do. Let me give you hint it is nice to be in Sandestin FL in September there are no crowds. However there is also not a lot open that was the down side. We did take in the science museum and aquarium.

My friends from TN

During the late afternoon when my husband got off work. He and I would go to the beach. The surf was a little choppy due to Hurricane Ike.

The sky in Sandestin FL during hurricane Ike The double red warning flags

My husband & I at the beach at Sandestin FL while Ike was going by..The surf was a lot higher than it appears in this picture.

I could not believe what a difference a couple hundred miles would make. We are from the Houston area. Just a couple days after these pictures were taken Ike hit Galveston TX. Most of our family was very lucky all they had were trees down on their fences and not on their homes. I did have one cousin who lost everything.

On our trip to FL I was also able to go to two fabric stores and an antique store. As you might have noticed my blog name is JMock Designs. I am in the process of starting my own business. I do custom sewing for example T-Shirt quilts, memory quilts, Photo to fabric, bags and machine embroidery. I have been known to take my sewing machine with me on trips. This trip I was working on a T-Shirt quilt.

Layout in process...

All that is needed is the border.

While on this trip we also did a little geocaching. http://www.geocaching.com/ if you would like to see what geocaching is all about check out their website. Geocaching takes you to places you might not have thought to go before. You might have lived in a town for years and never have known some of these places existed. On this trip we are trying to get a travel bug to Destin before it's owner arrived there. I will not be able to tell you exactly where these photos were taken because that would take the fun out of geocaching.

Always looking at the GPS

It is suggested you bring a little first aide kit just in case the plants win. Sometimes you have to go into thorns.....

Lunch does not even stop us from taking on a GEO.....

The geocaching website really should place a warning on their site...can be addictive.

It is now time for me to catch up on laundry and such from being gone.