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I love to brag about my gorgeous girl, my life as a teacher and the wonderful things my darling husband does that amuse and amaze me everyday. Please comment if something appeals to you, amuses you or inspires you.


Wednesday, December 5, 2012

A Blue Bozzoli Christmas 2012 - part 2

Hi again,
I am back to update the decorating as we have continued in the last week. Suffice to say as we have been away having a wonderful time catching up with old friends last weekend we didn't get much time to do a lot.

I have added a few more pieces to the house so I will begin with those and then add a few light pictures of Dan's outside Christmas Light display.


I have used a small scalloped cake plate stand with a small but tall cloche I bought at Sharnel Dollar's recent sale. I filled it with teal baubles.
 
 


Here I used a rectangular white ceramic dish with 3 marine coloured glass jars from Bed, Bath and Table with tealights. I filled the dish with teal coloured jingle bells. I bought the jars for $4.95 each and used 3 packs of bells each $2 from Crazy Clark's.



My Ikea cake plate stand and dome were filled with a selection of blue baubles.



Isabella's play area is beginning to get some colour also. I have used a selection of snowflakes on the wall. I bought the large blue flakes from the Dollar shop at Capalaba Park. $3.95 each. The large silver stars are from the Christmas shack, $5.95 each, and the small silver stars are coasters from a $2 pack.
The white timber glittered Christmas tree is from Crazy Clark's also. I think it was a few dollars.



 Our small tree is 4 foot high, it's decorated with blue decorations this year and tinsel and coloured lights. I'll try to get a better pic. I also tried snowflake stencils on the window. Hmm, not sure how I feel about those just yet.
 
 
Dan's Christmas Lights
I took a few pics about the front of the house but they aren't great. I'll leave these here for the moment but will come back with better ones when we get a chance.



Saturday, November 17, 2012

A Blue Bozzoli Christmas 2012-part 1



It's been a while since I blogged and I apologise for that.
We have been rather busy with school etc. and we have had some good news with Dan's treatment. He has completed his chemo and we will have scan results on Dec 13th, so will update when that happens. In the meantime Dan is well and his recovery from chemo is good so far.

Now, to important issues...Christmas decorating!

I am going to post part 1 of my Christmas decos thus far!

I decided we would be doing a 'blue, white and silver' theme this year. I love the colours, they are fresh and very summery, which is great for our hot summer climate here in Queensland, and if you live in a cold climate then they adapt to look very icy too!

I have been collecting bits and pieces now for a few weeks and have begun to decorate this weekend.
The South East of Queensland has experienced some pretty severe weather this weekend so, decorating has taken a bit of a backfoot. We were going to start our outside light display as well, but, the weather got in the way. So, that blog will come and we have some new lights for that, so I am a bit excited.

Enough chatter, on with the decorating!!!

 
This is my wreath for the front door. I bought it at 'The Christmas Shack' and decorated it with teal blue baubles.
We love the Christmas Shack and you will see some more lights we got from there when I do my blog of our outdoor lights for this year.
(If you can't get to the Shack, try Crazy Clark's, I saw some plain silver wreaths similar but smaller than this one just today.)
 
 
 This display may look similar to one I did last year. I used the same apothecary jar and filled it with blue and silver baubles again. This year I placed it on a white dish and filled with blue beads.
The 'NOEL" sign was from Big W I used this last year also.
 
 
I used my 'star' hurricane vase again and filled it with blue baubles but this year I used silver snowflake coasters to give it a bit of a special touch. I got inspiration for this one from Pinterest.
 
 
Some of you will recognise my birdcage from my previous blogs. I just added some pretty baubles to my pretty birdies to give this shabby decor item a Chrismassy feel.
 
 
I love the way my paper ball display turned out. I went to a sale at Sharnel Dollar's gorgeous house some time ago and found these 6 paper balls for a bargain! I knew they would be perfect for my display. So up they went, then I realised they needed a little 'bling'. So, I added some more of the silver snowflake coasters...super cute!
 

 
 
And because they look so pretty, here's another shot.
 

Final pic for this part of my decorating blog, this beautiful glassware which I picked up from a Garage Sale site here in the Redlands. I paid $5 for this lot!!! They were a bit grubby, so, a quick rinse and scrub and they came up a treat. Filled with sparkly baubles they look so pretty all gathered together.
 
 
So, there you go, part 1 done! Just to let you know that all of the baubles were purchased from places like Crazy Clark's Discount Stores, KMart and Coles supermarkets. I try to be very frugal with my spending and keep costs to a minimum.
I hope you like what I've achieved so far. If you do, then please leave a comment below. I am happy to answer any questions because I LOVE Christmas decorating and I am happy to share any ideas.
 
For now, bye and I'll be back soon with part 2!

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Our Home

I should be doing preparation for the new school term but of course like most teachers I procrastinate. I can assure you I am doing a heap of planning in my head, even as I write this blog! I promise as soon as I have posted this it's straight onto my school work!

I have been wandering this morning as I did my early morning pick up around the house. It always amazes me that even though I do a pick up before I go to bed that there are always things that find their way to spots they don't belong in by morning. Further proof that mischievious fairies do exist! :)

Whilst I wandered I smiled at all my favourite spots about the house that I just love because they contain some of my most treasured memories.

I just wanted to share a few with you. I shall add to this again later...

Oh, BTW, I am a nutter for shabby chic...if you hadn't already guessed.


Our entryway


 Our lounge


 Some drawings I did.


 My favourite nook


 I love candles


This sideboard belonged to my great Grandmother and some of the treasures inside were her's also.


My fav snuggly, from Lorraine Lea Linen


 My Dad restored this old kitchen dresser from a QLDer that was about to be demolished. I'm thinking of painting it white ot pink?


Our guest room, I'm trying out the Parisian feel.


A little nook I'm working on in my bedroom. The doll is Crumpet. A vintage 1970 doll. You can read about in a previous blog.


This rocker belonged to my darling sister. I have many happy memories of nursing my daughter Isabella in this chair. It now resides in our other guest room.


 Our front courtyard in the Winter sun.

Where I love to enjoy a glass of wine.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Dan Update

Dan will go in this Thursday for treatment 3b of his chemo. That means he will officially be halfway...well, maybe.

I hope that is the case.

I went with Dan to the hospital for his last chemo treatment 2 weeks ago and it was a bit of a reality check for me...not fun, but something I needed to do.

Things have been going so well for Dan, coping with chemo without major side effects, (there are plenty of irritating things like muscular aches and cramps, slight nausea, all his hair is gone, plenty of lethargy etc.) and he continues to work most days apart from the day of treatment and the Monday afterwards when he just can't do much at all.

I guess since I've been working too and we've been trying to carry on as a regular family and our regular routines I just kind of 'forgot' what he's been dealing with. I know that sounds a bit weird but I just became a little complacent. I needed to be with him in hospital to remind myself of what he's facing on a daily basis. The doctors also wanted to catch me up with scan results and the 'plan'.

So, everything went like clockwork, 12pm blood taken, to check cell counts, then lunch, then wait to see doc at Lymphoma clinic, (lymphoma clinic day is massively busy at the PA), so we see the doc and he goes through the last PET scan results with me. We compare the original scan which of course showed Dan was 'chockers' with numerous large tumours in his abdomen, chest and neck, (for those following treatment and details, Dan was diagnosed with stage 3 aggressive Hodgkin's Lymphoma) Then the current results which had NO hot spots (tumours) at all!!!! YAY!
So doc explains that they are really happy with all this news and of course we are over the moon. I then expect he will say that Dan will definitely be completed his chemo at the end of the 6 month period. Well, maybe not.

It seems that they will scan again after cycle 4 and again after cycle 6...then if the actual lymph nodes themselves which are still slightly enlarged have stopped reducing in size they will complete treatment. However, if the nodes continue to show reduction they will take the extra 2 month option and chemo will continue which would take us right through to New Year. I asked why they would stop if the nodes do stop reducing and he explained that the treatment will not continue if the body ceases to show reduction in node or tumour size...not much point. The body has taken all it can at this point. If the nodes continue to respond then treatment continues...makes sense.

So, we wait to see what happens now.

It's a little strange as to how we feel about this. Of course we look forward to the end of the treatment but we know that if it needs to continue and Dan's body is responding then that's what he needs to do. If his lymph nodes return to 'normal' before the end of the treament at 6 months...I'm not exactly sure what happens...that's another question to ask.

At this point we are very happy with how things are going. I wish it was all over and sometimes you forget that we will be living with this for a long time yet...regular check ups, scans etc. for years to come. The doctor has told us that at this point they expect Dan will be cured. Cured can mean that he will be disease free for more than 5-7 years. Hmmm, interesting hey? We'd like 'life' of course!! Nothing's a given unfortunately in life is it?
They also told us that if he has a recurrence, then they would expect to treat him again to 'cure'.
I'd feel a whole lot better if they said that the cure would be life long...but then, I still believe in fairies, so, we just want Dan well and able to do all the things the Bozzoli's enjoy doing.

We consider ourselves very lucky that we have been able to do most of those things since treatment started.

Recently, we had my Dad and Mary staying with us for a week and we celebrated my Dad's 70th birthday with some of his family at Sirromet winery. The day was cold and dreary but the company was fantastic! I love the Green Family! Dan did really well considering it was one of his 'down' days just after treatment. I love him so much for being there for Dad and me. Isabella had a ball!!

So here are a few pics of the celebration.
Catch you all!
Take care!
Kym
xxx

Dan enjoying scones and coffee








Tuesday, June 19, 2012

I'm so angry!

I know I shouldn't vent anger here...and didn't ever think I would but something has recently happened that just makes my blood boil!

As you know Dan is doing absolutely brilliantly with his treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He has completed 2 full cycles of chemotherapy and begins cycle 3 tomorrow. I will be going with him to hospital to speak with the doctors about the rest of his treatment and what we can expect for the next few months.

I'm so proud of Dan for how positive he has been, the outlook he has about life and dealing with this challenge has been amazing!

He has missed a day of work after each chemo treatment, usually the Monday after his Thursday dose each fortnight. But other than that he has been to work each day, sometimes he has had to head home a few hours early or head in a little later than his usual start. Sometimes it breaks my heart to see him go to work on days when he really doesn't have the energy but due to the 'stuff up' by his company with their choice of super funds he has no access to income protection and apparently no access to his long service leave...we'll leave it at that for the moment.

As it stands Dan has about a day and a half of leave left. After that if he doesn't go to work, no pay. Now we are happy to cop that on the chin and see how we manage.

Recently, his work asked him to return to a 'clock card' to 'manage' his work hours. (Dan is on an agreement and salary, that he work 38 hrs a week + 5 hrs overtime), this has NEVER been a problem in the past as he often worked 14+ hr days and heaps of overtime! As the production manager of the place he just accepted the extra hrs as necessary. No complaints. When he got sick the job told him "Don't worry mate, we'll look after you!" I'm beginning to wonder how that works?
After returning to work from hospital he was asked to email his hours to the 'pay officer' and he has been doing that. Now it appears they are questioning his honesty about this. Apparently, they don't believe he could possibly be working the hours he says as he's too crook to do that much...but they still expect him to fulfill his agreement!

The 'pay officer' is rarely in the workplace to even see when Dan is there and I feel like giving them a call and a piece of my mind!

We have been so lucky as a family to receive the support from friends, colleagues and the school community with Dan's recent illness and initially we had complete faith in his workplace that they would assist Dan in remaining in his job without stress for the duration of this time.

I don't know what the solution is to this problem...or understand the greed and stupid, narrowmindedness of some people who only see dollar signs. If I went into further detail I could explain all that Dan has contributed in keeping this company viable whilst similar businesses crumble around them.

I just can't believe that it's okay for my husband to bust his behind for these people when he is going through Cancer Therapy and NOT be given any thought.

He still gets up everyday and is now clocking in and out...he's already done more than his agreed hours...I wonder if he'll get paid the EXTRA hours he's done?
Sadly, I already know the answer to that!

If you know someone who is ill and just gets on with their commitments to work and family, maybe a pat on the back would really help them get through the day!

I'm not naming and shaming but just needed to get this off my chest!

Your thoughts?

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Dan Update

This week Dan had a PET scan to determine the progress of his chemotherapy. A PET scan is similar to a CT scan except they inject radioactive sugars in so he was glowing a little last night...LOL! The radioactive sugars are taken up by the very fast metabolism of any cancer cells and so they are easily identified on the scan.
In Dan's original PET we discovered he was in stage 3 of Aggressive Hodgkins Lymphoma. This meant there was evidence of large lymph nodes in the chest, neck and below the diaphragm in the abdomen as well as around his back.
We hope that this scan will show a significant reduction in those tumours and hopefully most of them will be gone!
If so, then his treatment should be completed after the scheduled 6 cycles of chemo (each cycle includes 2 chemo treatments an 'A' and a 'B' treatment, which are identical). This Thursday will see the completion of cycle 2.
There is a possibility the doctors will choose to continue the chemo through a further 2 more cycles, which would mean he would complete chemo around Christmas/ New Year.
We really hope this isn't the case. We are confident this won't occur. BUT, we have to be open minded about this whole treatment schedule. Because his cancer was particularly aggressive they may decide to ere on the side of caution and give the further treatment.

We have a very long way to go yet and it feels like this has been going on forever some days and it's more the case for Dan of course!
Everyday I am reminded of his resilience and amazing attitude with how he approaches and handles the whole 'thing'! He is my rock and I am so glad he is my Dan. I am so very proud of him. He sometimes quietly says "I wish this was over", and then just carries on.
I see him continuing to work and help me around the house as much as possible. He is extremely conscious of the effect this is all having on me and Isabella and I love him for his quiet and calming love that just makes it feel, a little bit better.

I feel a bit guilty at times, because I am supposed to be the 'strong' one...well, yeah, being proven a bit wrong at times in that department.

No matter what happens this week or what the doctors say to Dan on Thursday when he goes in for chemo again, I know he will put it all aside and continue to move on with his positive way.

I love you so much Dan Bozzoli.
xxx

Wednesday, May 30, 2012


6 Short Years Ago...


I can't believe that this time 6 years ago I was preparing for an event that would change my life completely, turn it upside down and inside out and make me a different person.


Tomorrow my Isabella Rose will be 6 years old and I am so sad that my 'baby' is gone but in her place I see a young girl growing and changing, driving me completely mad, but inspiring me and encouraging me to be a better person everyday for her.


This year is especially emotional because I have seen so many changes in Isabella mainly due to all she has dealt with in the last couple of months with Dan's illness having such an incredible impact on her young life. She will never be the same, and in many ways I cry for the loss of her innocence, because her world is no longer a place that only magical things happen in. Although in her beautiful, wonderful, incredibly imaginative mind it is still a truly special place.


I am so proud of who she is now and all that she may yet become. I think of all that lies ahead of her, the joy, sorrow, laughter and tears and hope I get to share in as much of it as possible.

My wish for her is to always be happy and to always know that she is loved unconditionally.


Happy Birthday my Darling Girl

xxx
Watch how she has grown...

A few moments after my precious girl arrived in this world


Her first bath

She was so tiny!
 This suit was a 00000


At 3 months of age

 In the bath tub!


1st Photo Shoot



My Christening Gown

 Cutting my Christening Cake!


 My First Christmas!


First Birthday Photo Shoot!



1st Birthday!


My Princess!