Hello, lovely readers! Do I have wonderful news to share with you today!! I’ve been holding on to this news until I was able to share the photos of my holiday home tour and you will find out why in a minute but let me begin with the first bit of good news..
If you are a follower of my blog, than you may know that everyday I am battling a reoccurrence of ovarian cancer with the hopes of one day hearing the news from my doctor that I am disease free. For the past six years, I’ve been traveling to New York for my cancer care and I’ve undergone two different kinds of medicine that have worked for a long period of time. One of the treatments kept my disease stable for five years but then it stopped working. This third medicine, I’ve been on it for approximately three plus months. Last week Thursday was the day I would find out if my current treatment was working! As you can imagine, I was nervous and scared as to what I will have to endure next but I found comfort in having the love and support of my one and only love and the sweetest, most loving sister I can ever ask for! With them by my side, I knew I could handle what may come my way.
I went to get my quarterly CT scan early Thursday morning and we all anxiously awaited for the results later that afternoon. We received the BEST news…results showed that there was shrinkage of the cancer! While the CT scan showed an increase in two other places, it was so small that it did not warrant having my treatment changed. I can’t tell you what a relief it was to hear that! We all breathed a sigh of relief in the doctor’s office! As we walked out of the exam room, we all gave each a group hug. Tears were shed and more hugs were given that day…it was an emotional day filled with anxiety but ended with a calming sense of relief! A HUGE thanks to all my family and friends that included me in their prayers! It was the best Christmas gift ever! What other early Christmas gift did I receive?…
Did you see it? No? Ok, scroll back up to the picture above. I’m ENGAGED! Can I tell you how absolutely giddy I was when my partner of 10 years proposed to me! Yes, ten years is a long time and we pretty much felt like we were married but our commitment to each other has not wavered. I couldn’t have been more surprised by the beautiful way in which I was proposed to! I’m beyond thrilled to start the planning process on tying the knot with my BEST FRIEND who has never changed since the day we met, who has stood by my side through the worst time of my life (bald and all), who makes me laugh beyond belief and who has supported my dreams of starting my little greeting card company – ‘Design by Occasion’ (oh and my late nights of blogging)! I would go on but I won’t get all mushy with you! ha!
You will notice as you scroll through the pictures, all the pretty flowers. Well those my friends, are all the flowers I was showered with on the night of the proposal! From pink and white roses, blue and white hydrangeas, to ranunculus and more! I literally was able to place a bouquet in every room of the house!
With so many gorgeous flowers, I made bouquets and…
placed a few white roses and white football mums in the fresh garland above the fireplace. How did I keep them from not dying you ask? I used water tubes! Simply tuck the bloom inside the garland so that the water tube can be hidden. I also added a string of battery operated lights for a more festive look. It’s simply a beautiful DIY for the holidays!
Last year, I decorated our Christmas tree in all white ornaments. This year, I decorated the tree with gold and silver ornaments.
I hope you have enjoyed today’s post and check back tomorrow for PART 2 of my holiday home tour, as I will be sharing how I styled our dining room for the holidays!
Thanks for stopping by and reading! XO
-Photography by Autumn Stankay, SkySight Photography
Leave a Reply