Worth It

Life is too short to wake up with regrets,

So, love the people who treat you right
and forget about the ones who don't.

And believe
that everything happens for a reason...

If you get the chance - take it:

if changes your life - let it.



Nobody said it would be easy....

They just promised it would be worth it~!

via Everything Fabulous

Fall is at the Door

Thought this was worth reposting...going to be a beautiful weekend to decorate your front door and house for the new season~!    Don't you just love it...

the cool, crisp air, the smell of simmering cider,

and the crunch of leaves beneath your feet as you walk.

There's no doubt that Autumn is at the door! Whether you Make it or Fake it, there's no better way to make a warm first impression that than with some Fall Door Decor~!

Here are a few ideas for Autumn wreaths that say to your guests "Come on in~!"

Look at the awesome autumn inspiration found at BHG.com, Plow & Hearth.com, and Darby Trading Company

BHG.com

Just plain gorgeous, love the delicate elegance!

BHG.com
Not strictly for the birds.

BHG.com

Loving this Lavender~!

BHG.com

This transitional look will go right into the holidays~!

BHG.com

What do you think of these trendy little twigs?

Plow& Hearth.com

Love the citrus, & it's so hip to be square.

Plow& Hearth.com

This one is so all about Autumn, adore the apples & spice.

Darby Creek Trading Co.

Love this earthy, rustic look~!

Now, after looking at all this Autumn loveliness you may just find yourself inspired to create some Fall Door Decor yourself. So...take a hike and look for some natural elements to add to your wreath. Here are just a few suggestions:

twigs

leaves

acorns

berries

milk pods

feathers

bird seed

indian corn

small gourds

dried hydrangeas

dried roses

berry sprigs

dried herbs

dried grasses

cinnamon sticks

cat tails

small succulents

bird’s nests

pine cones

dried fruit

What a beautiful way to express yourself and the season~!

25 Lessons I Wish I Had Learned WAY Sooner

Found this great post this morning on Twitter.....on a day that I really needed to be reminded of quite a few of these things....lost my place and now can't find who to give credit to....so to whomever it is...Thanks~!

When I think of my younger, thinner, stupider self, I think, “Holy crap. If I knew then what I know now…” Well, here are some of the things I wish I knew then.

1. 1 out of 4 people that you meet won’t like you. That’s really OK.
2. Life isn’t fair. Most of the time it’s not fair in your favor, so don’t whine about life not being fair.
3. Save your money.
4. No one knows what you’re thinking unless you tell them.
5. Perfectionism will kill you.
6. You’re stronger than you think you are.
7. You think that sexism and racism were in the olden days. They’re not.
8. Comparing yourself to others is never a good idea.
9. When someone shows you who they are, believe them. People are consistent.
10. Develop critical thinking skills and use them.
11. Never hide your intelligence from anyone.
12. Trust your instincts.
13. 80% of everything is irrelevant
14. Spend WAY less time worrying about the shape of your body.
15. Stay away from credit cards.
16. There are lots of men who will be nice to you. Accept nothing less.
17. Be nicer to yourself too.
18. For the most part, it doesn’t matter what people think. Follow your own truth.
19. No education is wasted. Drink in as many new experiences as you can.
20. Pay your dues. Work hard.
21. Networking is critical.
22. Letting go of control is liberating. Try it.
23. Don’t treat anyone badly. You’ll be surprised when they’ll pop up again in your life.
24. Do what you love, not what you think you’re supposed to do.
25. Don’t forget to enjoy your journey!

Summer Tea in the Garden

It's truly a pleasure to have a quiet Saturday morning on a beautiful day like today to take a mug of my favorite Tazo Zen Green Tea out to the garden with a book to enjoy the beautiful California weather. It's not that often in August we get great mornings like these.

I'm currently reading a great book "Tell Me What to Eat" by Timothy S. Harlan....it's not really a "diet" book....but makes you very aware of what you are eating and is based on the Mediterranean diet....which quite frankly, is close to my normal diet. The suggestions have really helped me think more about what I am eating. It is part recipe book also, which some great recipes.

But after reading a bit and enjoying my tea...

the garden pulls me away and I begin to wander...

 

One of my favorite Clematis....growing on a tuteur just outside the vegetable garden...

Love French enamel signs....

A ramble of Russian Sage...a bit unruly...but then again that is what I like about them

The remnants of a hydrangea that had been planted in a pot

partially covered by the grape vine

totally ignored...and was spectacular this year

The pimants (peppers) are in full production.....

a pepper, onion, and mushroom omelet for lunch sounds good.

Time to pick some peppers and make that lunch....

A Walk in the Trees

We took a long planned and discussed family vacation this past month - which turned out for all of us that could attend to be a trip we will long remember. To Lee Vining a sleepy little town on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada which was the first home to our Aita (father) and many, many Basque men who traveled from their cherished home to a new life in the United States.

Down a dusty road off Hwy 395, past one of the original camp sites where our father had tended his band of sheep at 19 years old after trailing (walking) them from Bakersfield in 1950 and 1951. Towards a grove of Aspens where he and many others - including us - had carved their names.

To a locked gate...our scout reported...but there was a well worn trail around the gate...

so off we went to find our past.

And find it we did...next to a babbling stream...just as we had remembered.

My father and his godson found the one he had carved in 1950 with him name.

He added his name again in 1984 "To make sure they know this guy is still around."

 

Our tree

My sister Jenny and Aita having lunch and a chat

 

A lovely picnic of Basque Sausage sandwiches, Sheep's Milk Cheese, and wine...was perfect

Our son, Pierre, having some cheese with his Aita

After lunch there was time for a little fishing.....

A grandfather to granddaughter chat....

Leaving a few more memories for future generations to explore....

Then it was time to call it a day....

a perfect afternoon full of life's simple pleasures

with some of my most favorite people on the planet~!

The Journey

It's been a long time since I have blogged....but now the time has come and I am excited to share some of my life, thoughts, and "finds"again with all of you. The last 18 months have been a bit of a struggle personally. Being diagnosed with a recurrence of breast cancer really came out of left field and rocked my world...big time. But, as in all things, along with the bad...there is always some good. This period of time has made me reevaluate some things in my life and look a little deeper into who I am and who I have become. I have come to realize that I am not the same woman that I was in February 2004, when I was first diagnosed with BC....I took the fight personally....it was ON....and I had no doubts that I would win. But once the chemo was done, the radiation completed, my hair and body began to return to it's old norm.....I was left feeling not quite right in my own skin.

So I dove into new endeavors.....was so busy working full-time and running a second business that, now when I look back on it....I didn't have time to look a little deeper into myself. But in the meantime this was working for me.....and I think, for me anyway....it took time to be ready. Absolutely I don't regret doing any of the things I did during this time, the great people I met, or any experiences that I had.

But when a case of pneumonia, due to a doctor who was very vigilant and I will never forget, turned into a recurrence of the dreaded Big C, which all coincided with the decision to close my secondary business....did I begin to take the time to look a bit deeper at myself and do some research into how cancer affects you after your have waged the war.

How could this have happened?? All my test were good, no signs - low tumor markers, nothing in the initial tests, I went religiously for my check ups....so this definitely was a shock to say the least. Now don't get me wrong, I certainly thought "Why me?" But as I laid in the hospital.....I quickly began to think "Why NOT me?" What made me different from all the thousands of people who had the same hopes and dreams of being cancer free and "cured" for the rest of their lives. A very good team of doctor's, who I have put my life in their hands, have reassured me the cancer has not spread and with proper medication I should still live a long life....but it is unsettling none the less. So I began my "Journey" to look a little deeper, found some great websites, blogs, fb pages that all were about women and men like me who were finding that they were not the same person that they had been when this battle began.....Wow, I was "normal" after all.....or as "normal" as Maitecha can be. The pieces of the puzzle started to come together...and although it is far from finished...with the help of God, my fabulous friends and family...it's coming together nicely these days.

I have a very good friend who does a fabulous job with her blog and tried to encourage me to blog again...but I just didn't have it in my....well the time has come.....more to follow......

The Gift of Friendship

A few weeks ago I got a package in the mail from a dear friend in San Francisco. Always a nice surprise to receive something good in the mail....not just bills and junk~! I was touched to find inside a book "The Girls from Ames" by Jeffrey Zaslow and a very sweet note about how she found the book very inspiring and that it brought to mind a great bond that we have. Really have not read much in the last few year...love to read...but just a bit much on my plate and once I start reading...hate to put it down. And as part of her note she asked me to "Pay It Forward" and pass the book on to another woman who will hopefully find the same connections. The book is basically written by a man who studied the lifetime relationship between a group of 11 women from Ames, Iowa. They were childhood friends who developed a  special bond in childhood growing up in a small town and have continued this friendship and bond into their forties although they are spread all around the country.

Excitedly I started the book and looked forward each evening having some "me" time and reading. The book did have so many ties for me and the relationships between many of the women in my life. Bonds that have only strengthened over the years and are a testament to these women in my life who have always been a constant. A few years ago we started a group called NAGO (North American Gossip Organization), which we generally had our convention once a year as we all gathered from different parts of California for a weekend of catching up and although "gossip" is our mantra....really a way to just bond and be together. Many of us don't even remember meeting officially, we have always been a part of our lives. Some have become friends later in life, but joining the group has it rituals.

The book did not disappoint and on many themes and levels was a real testament to women, our bonds, and strengths.  One of the things the book talks about is how it is easier with today's email and other technologies for this group of women to keep in contact. Email makes it possible for them to email each other and by hitting "Reply to All" everyone in their group is informed.

And now we have facebook...which has brought back together a group of my high school friends in a way that would not have been possible a few years ago. Spread though a number of states and most all of CA, we are able to keep in contact through a simple post. It has been wonderful reconnecting with these women who I have so much in common with many years ago...and now find that in many ways I still do.

So this weekend the book gets "Paid Forward" to a dear friend (and NAGO member) who will hopefully do the same and I plan to send a copy to another woman to hopefully give another friend a sweet mail box surprise~! Thanks Nicole...it was perfect~!!

Stepping Back into the Real World

It's truely amazing that it has been a month since I had surgery and all this craziness began in my life. The doctor's had said it would take 4 to 6 weeks to really feel the benefits of the surgery...and seems that it is pretty much going on course.

Went back to work and a regular ~ well acutally only had a part-time release ~ schedule this week, which actually went much better than I had anticipated. I think the combination of being back into a routine and being busy is therapy for a person like me. I did take it easy....but still got alot accomplished. My Project Manager and I have a new building project starting, so there is much to get going and some major catch up for me to bring myself up to speed on all the things that happened while I was out.

But in these days and times, I am very thankful to have a new project ~ we are building a new 2-Story Science and Computer classroom at McFarland High School. This is always an exciting part....getting it going. Demo starts on Monday, phones go in the new jobsite office on Tuesday....and then it will be my new home for the next year or so. Actually it's an easy drive for me ~ about 20 minutes from my house....no traffic. Not bad at all.

As far as the Femara that I am taking....no major side effects yet....but from what I have read...that can take a while. Again will take 4 to 6 weeks for my body to adjust to it. Just some fatigue and general not feeling great...generally in the evening....but not bad at all. Some other minor ones that are on the "list" of possible side effects....but you know that does only mean that the drug is working...which is a good thing and makes it a bit easier to take. That is what my attitude is going to be.....side effects are hopefully going to be something that I can deal with and that will let me know that my body is stamping out these pesky little cancer cells and not allow any more to grow. If this can keep me from having to do chemo....which is no walk in the part and has some lovely side effects too....then I am going to do all I can to make this work.

Was able to get my creative juices flowing a bit yesterday too and made an adorable baby blanket in soft Pink Rosette Minkee with Satin ruffles and then jazzed it up with leopard backing~!! One of my fav designs for a friend to give at a baby shower. She loved it and am sure the new little one will too. Today another project for a special little cousin....nice to get back into doing this projects as they have always been a way to "loose myself" into doing something I love~!!

A big huge thank you again for all your support....it really does keep me gong and give me strength~!! You guys are the best~!!!

80 Years and Still Going Strong

Was able to go to my father's 80th Birthday celebration this past Friday evening in Chino....with the blessing of my doctor. Was something that I really did not want to miss....and it was the great evening that I anticipated. My father is a tough old bird, well known in Chino and actually across the state as an excellent cow man. He just completed merging 2 of his dairies together and is still going strong. Some people say "Why does he do it?" Well, if you truely know him, you knows he does it because he loves it. And I say "Why not?" And hope to be doing what I love at his age and be in the great shape he is.

He also loves his quarter horses, which are his passion. Ask his about his horses and you better  be ready to sit down and listen for a while....we knew early on they were his other children~!

It was a great evening full of family and friends...my sisters and brother stepped into overtime to make his dinner party plan execute perfectly. And I was oh so happy just to be there~!

As a little update, I saw my surgeon last Friday before heading out of town and got the go ahead to return to work this week, as long as I feel up to it. Have completed the CT scan of the abdomen that Dr. Patel ordered and got the PET scan done this AM. I started on the Femara a week ago and my body is adjusting to it and I am figuring out what time of day is best to take it. Just making me feel a little "ick" but not anything bad.

Am so thankful to everyone for their prayers and support....I feel blessed to have each and everyone one of you in my life~!!

Gonna Make Pink Lemonade

You know what they say about when life gives you lemons....well sometimes there is just nothing else to do except put it in God's hands and do your best to make some lemonade. Well, life has thrown me a curve and being who I am...I have decided that my lemonade is definately going to PINK...and just might have a little kick to it too~!!

I know I've been lying a little low lately....not that I really wanted to...but sometimes need to take care of yourself and have not been too public on facebook until today as I really did not have many answers...just alot of questions....So here is the deal....

I'm going to cut to the chase and just say it, since I don't know of any other easier way to do it....have had some issues with some fluid in my right lung since late January which was initially diagnoised as pneaumonia. So took care of it....did a spa weekend at San Joaquin Hospital here in town...took a week off as the doctor prescribed...and thought that was it.

Well, not quite.....had a reoccurance of the fluid a few days after going back to work and this time needed to take a deeper look into why. Thank God for wonderful doctors who do their jobs and were very diligent...as all tests and scans were showing nothing...but had surgery to remove the fluid on Feb. 12th which was a Friday so it was a long weekend plus one President's Day waiting on results...but they finally did come and were not what I was hoping to hear. The surgeon had found some very small bumps with his handy scope and they had tested positive for a reoccurance of breast cancer........Sucks....hate that word, but best description there is. So surgery went well and needed to be done, was released, and still feel so good to be home to wait again for more pathology results.....most of you know, I am not a patient person...but sometimes we don't get to choose in life.

Now let's fast forward to today, had an appt with my oncologist who is an awesome doctor with a wonderful Cancer Center here in Bakersfield that works very closely with UCLA Cancer Center. The visit went very well and baring any additional findings in the upcoming PET and more advanced scans....he thinks the best form of treatment is with a drug that I can take once a day at home....so NO CHEMO  or RADIATION in my future at the moment~!! Was wonderful news and his whole deminier made me very much at ease. He explained that the cancer is probably some renegade cells that somehow avoided chemo six years ago...but the good news is that they are very slow growing and he feels that we can take care of them through this type of treatment. So not totally out of the Chemo Woods yet....but just waiting at the gate to escape. Nothing is still showing on the most recent CT scans and blood work numbers are really, really low for cancer. I was hoping for radiation only at the best....so this was awesome news. So I asked him, "You mean I can recover from this surgery, do my treatment and return to my regular life?" And his answer was, "Absolutely!" Best word I ever heard.....

Now I must discuss my fabulous family and friends supports system.....you guys are amazing~!! Your prayers, support, shoulders to lean on, love and good thoughts are something that I have no way of explaining in words~! And absolutely is the best medicine that God every inspired and created~!! To those of you that have not known yet....please don't be upset with me for not sharing sooner...I needed some answers and to get my heard around this entire thing as best I could without going really public. I know that the word has spread and I really appreciate all your love and support. I am going to ask one thing of you and that is to keep me and all who are fighting this terrible disease in your prayers...the Power of Prayer is an amazing thing....and it works~!!

I'm going to be drinking Pink Lemonade for a long, long time....maybe we need to add a little Grey Goose~! Well, with or without the GG...it tastes pretty damn good~!!

French Santon Nativity

On a trip to France about 20 years ago to spend Christmas with my in-laws, I discovered the wonderful French tradition of the Santon Nativity sets. Each home set up a crèche, but they all varied. There were all the usual characters: Virgin Mary, Joseph and the Baby Jesus. The shepherd's and the sheep; along with the stable animals cows, donkeys, and the like. But what was amazing about these displays is that they also incorporated the local town's people, and that always varied by family.

Santons are, literally, “little saints.” Part of a typical French Nöel crèche (Christmas Nativity scene), santons come in work clothes to visit the Holy Family. They bring the Christ Child presents they have made or grown, hunted or sold. They perform or offer simple gestures of thoughtfulness. I found this utterly charming and so I started to collect them as I found them in little shops, even the local Supermarche (supermarket) had them.

With the exception of the Holy Family and kings, all the characters are delightfully attired in late 18th century or 19th century Provençal costumes. In my collection along with the Holy Family and some stable animals (we only have one of the Three Kings ~ the other 2 eluded me) are: the mayor (looking very official), his wife, a priest, a Basque drummer, a hunter, along with a few shepherds and angels. My poor woman bringing lavender has lost her head and one of the donkeys head is broken off...quelle dommage~!

For the last few years, for one reason or another, I have not set up the creche. But as I put it up this year, I found that two pieces were broken, so I decided to use 21st century technology and do a Google search to see if I could find a replacement. Was I amazed at the total history of the Santons and the true meaning of how they became so popular. Plus, the litte figurines, mine are the small ones made of clay which are about 2.75" tall, for which I paid a few French francs (yes, it was still the franc back then) for many years ago, are now more than I would ever think to spend.

Some of my Santons are marked by the artist, some are not...but it really doesn't matter to me. Many have chips and broken ears on the cows, because my son used to play with them when he was young. Best of all, they all have a sweet memory of Christmas spent in France and here with family and friends.

Joyeaux Nöel~!!

Pomegranate Champagne Cocktails

Love Fall and this is the perfect Cocktail for a Holiday Party~! Here is my tweeked to perfection recipe:

One Large Langer's Pomegranate Juice
One POM pure Pomegranate Juice
About 8 oz Absolut Citron Vodka ~ adjust to taste or potency
Juice of 2 Lemons
About 3 each peeled Lemons and Oranges sliced
Seeds of One Pomegranate
Champagne

Add all ingredients and let flavors develop...be patient...at least 1 hour prior to serving.

Add one chilled bottle Champagne just prior to serving.

Serve in flutes with Champagne floater add pomegranate seeds, lemon or orange peels for garnish.

Love serving this in a beverage server...so festive~!!

Salut~! Cheers~! Chin Chin~!!

Pink Damask Diaper Tote Laptop Bag by MaPetiteCoquette on Etsy

Pink Damask Diaper Tote Laptop Bag by MaPetiteCoquette on Etsy

Shared via AddThis

Fabric Inspiration

Love when a fabric inspires me and I can't wait to get back to my workroom to dig into it and create~!

That is exactly what happened to me yesterday...found this great Orgainic Silk....nubby, slubby, fabulous fabric.

Decided to make something super versitle

• Diaper Bag....check
• Tote bag...check
• Laptop bag...check

Works for everything.....

Love the trim, it's a new trim with vintage charm and a modern twist~!!

Sometimes...it just works~! Makes me swoon.....

10,000 Boobicons by Friday

Feel Your Boobies Foundation is trying to hit 10,000 Boobicons by Friday.  I did mine...

So far over 6,000 Boobicons have been made! Just think of how many people have been reminded to feel their boobies.

Help them hit 10,000 Boobicons by Friday, just in time for National Feel Your Boobies Week.
http://www.boobicon.me

Make yours now, tell and friend....then, by Friday, change your Facebook Profile pic to your Boobicon to help us celebrate National FYB Week!

I discovered my own breast cancer by feeling a lump....this works~!! Thank goodness my doctor sent me in ASAP for a mammogram and then sonogram. When the results came back to check back in 6 months, thankfully my doctor was not satisfied and insisted that I get a second opinion from a surgeon. I had Stage 2 Breast Cancer...what would have happened if I had waited 6 months for a recheck. Thankfully I will never know and am CANCER FREE today 5 years later.

So check yourself on the front and then pat yourself on the back~!!

Pink in the NFL

Love all the pink in the NFL these days~!! Great tribute to all who have fought (including myself), those whoare currently fighting and those who we remember in our prayers who can no longer fight. This month is always a special part of my life and it brings a certain pride and confidence that we will win this fight one day and our daughters and granddaughters won't have to worry about breast cancer. The day will come..but we must keep fighting.

Met up with a dear friend and cancer survivor who just completed her own battle and saw in her eyes that she now knows that it changes you forever. It either empowers or destroys you....I choose to be empowered and to inspire others to do the same~!!

A New Look

Was time for Ma Petite Coquette to get an update~!! And thanks to my friend Robin Vila at http://www.boutiquemama.com/ ~ it is awesome~!!

The website is currently being updated and just waiting for some pictures to add to the front page...only a temporary one there now...but if you want to take a sneak peak check it out at http://www.mapetitecoquette.com/. I am looking for pictures of little ones ~ and big ones too ~ with Ma Petite Coquette or Coquette items. So if you have any, please send them to me and I will add to the new gallery on the website.

I have added an esty store also. Esty seems to be the place to be for vintage and handmade items. So those of you that know me know that I needed to be there too~!!

Am a firm believer that when one door closes another opens and I feel the French Doors opening wide~!!

Will keep you updated on our new look~!!

Fabulous Fall Side Trip

Rogers Gardens in Newport Beach is just one of my all time favorite places to visit and due to the distance, just don't get there often enough. Convinced my husband to make a stop on our way back from San Diego last weekend and it was totally worth it~! If you have not been there, it is worth the trip and plan on spending some time strolling their beautiful nursery and the amazing gift shops....yes, shops...there are at least 3. Unfortuneately, the main gift shop was mostly closed in preparation for Christmas decor, which is amazingly done there.

Here are a few of my favorite things:

To find something similar a little closer to home in Bakersfield, try Pay It Forward on 20th and H Streets downtown. Kim has a great touch with plants and her floral arrangements are to die for.

Under Her Charm

Wanted to let my Blog Followers/Twitter/facebook friends to be the first to know about this great new line we are carrying~!

Vintage Family Album opens and has 4 pages which can be engraved

Just love this amazing line of specialized custom hip jewelry. The sterling pieces are made from nice thick sterling silver and 14k gold fill that won't bend or warp. I am so excited to be carrying Under Her Charm designs on our website and in our store CHARISMA in Bakersfield. What perfect  gifts for new moms, wedding couples, wedding parties, toddlers and girls, and not to mention the upcoming Holidays.....or a little something for yourself just because you deserve it~!

Here are a few of my personal favorites from the collection, but please take a look at the link for the CHARISMA website for more beautiful items. Also, the new Ma Petite Coquette website ~ launching next week ~ will carry it also~!!

http://charisma-boutique.com/category_54/Under-Her-Charm.htm

Vintage Script 1" Disk

Samples are on their way to the store if you are local in Bakersfield, or you can order on-line.

Email me with any questions.

Charms are available individually and swarovski or pearl drops can be added.