Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Link Party No.76 and Giveaway Winner!

The link party is back! Wait! Before we can begin with this week's link party, I need to announce the winner for the TRH Thanksgiving giveaway.


Those prizes lovingly picked and made by me goes to...


{Kaitlyn} Lady of the House


Congratulations!! Please contact me with your shipping info, so I can send them to you before the post office get to busy for all the Christmas packages. :)

So, what have you been working on? Do you have anything new up in your sleeve?
This is the perfect place to share your awesome creations, link up and have fun!

1. Please post something YOU made. It doesn't matter if it is crochet, quilt, clothing, anything would be fine. I want to see it! If you use someone's idea or patterns please give them the rightful credit.

2. Link to your specific post, that way it is easier for everybody to find and read it.

3. Please grab the "Tea Rose Home" grab button, and link back from your post. If you can mention the party in your post or place the button on your side bar, that would be great! I want more people to have a chance to come and show off their creation.




Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Guest Post: My Insanity

Hi Tea Rose Home readers! My name is Kendra and I have a blog called My Insanity.









I'm known for getting a little crazy about holidays, parties, and projects for my home. Today I want to show you a glimpse of the craziness that goes on here around Christmas.









Each year we pull out this advent calendar. I love it because I made it and because I designed the inserts to help remind our family about the most important part of Christmas.









I'm also known for sending crazy, or I'd rather say, memorable Christmas Cards. You can see a whole parade of them here, but I thought I would share last year's design. Can you tell how I did it? Inspired by this card by Design Mom, I took advantage of the casting opportunity and dressed my children as the main characters in the the story of The Nativity. To make my (somewhat grumpy) angel fly and get this effect, I had the children laying down on a blanket. Yes, there was a little photoshopping involved since they weren't entirely the most cooperative subjects. I'm working on another crazy scheme for this years' photo. Wish me luck!









We're also crazy enough around here to sometimes paint our Christmas cookies. You really don't have to do them as crazy as I do mine. The kids LOVE the chance to paint on cookies--even if their angels are green and their Santas yellow.









Not all of the insanity is complicated. It was pretty simple to make these French Toast Christmas trees for our Christmas breakfast. We just made French Toast as usual, but cut the bread in half to form triangles. Stack them on top of each other to look like a tree. The star is cut from cheese, the stump from breakfast sausage. We topped it with syrup, berries, powdered sugar (snow) and some green sugar sprinkles for color.




I'm all about making each occasion memorable and infusing creativity into life whenever possible. Thanks Sachiko for having me at your place today! I hope you'll come and join the asylum over at My Insanity! And don't forget to check out the cute (and simple to make) Christmas projects Sachiko is sharing on my blog!

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Thank you Kendra for your fun ideas to make the Christmas season more fun and memorable! It was so fun to have you here today. :)

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Zig Zag Baby Quilts & Blanket

If you haven't entered the giveaway, please do so before you start reading this post.


I have been enjoying my family (and food!) the last several days. It is so nice not to worry about pick up time, homework, after school activities and all. I am going to indulge myself in this moment a little longer until Monday.

Meanwhile I have a few pictures of quilts that I made for my sister-in-law. She is having a baby girl soon (after three boys!!) I was able to give her the blanket this Thanksgiving.

Here they are;

I used Rolie Polie from the Lost & Found line by Riley Blake Designs, and I combined ivory fabric from my stash.


On the back, I appliquéd the baby's initials for a more customized effect...


The quilt above is a combination of Red, black and ivory while the blanket below is gray, pink and Ivory. I only used one Rolie Polie plus my ivory fabric, and I got two blankets! For the back, I used soft terry cloth.


The baby is going to be born to a very loving family; awesome parents and THREE fun brothers. My Rachel has two older brothers to protect her, but at the same time they toughen her up. So, she love's all the girly stuff, but at the same time, she loves being a tomboy. Whenever she is with the guys (my boys, hubby and his brother), she is laughing at the burping sounds and worse, makes me worried a little, but I guess that will give her an "edge" to her personality.

I thought the zigzag design is perfect for a baby girl with three brothers to keep her on her toes. :)

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Tea Rose Home Thanksgiving Giveaway



This is the 3rd Thanksgiving giveaway at Tea Rose Home. Because of the many things that have happened in September and October time flew by so quickly and I didn't plan the giveaway very well. Usually I would start the giveaway a week early and announce the winner on Thanksgiving day, but this year, I am going to start the giveaway the day before Thanksgiving and run it till Tuesday the 29th and announce the winner on Wednesday the 30th.

All I ask is for you to enter is just leave a comment about what you are grateful for, that is all. :) It is always nice to think of good things in our lives.
Let me start...

This year started out ok for me, then, in March, a horrible earthquake happened in Japan.

As most of you know my family is in the area that was largely affected. For the first 48 hours, I didn't know if my sister's family was alive. Thankfully they are OK, but I will never forget that 48 hours... how I felt and what went through my mind. When I heard my sister's voice on the other end of the phone, I felt like I was finally able to breathe.

It is so easy for me to forget how blessed I am, but I am really grateful for my family this Thanksgiving. I learned that getting up in the morning, going through the daily routine (some of which is not fun stuff), eating meals together, and living under the same roof with the people I love may seem ordinary but it is actually an extraordinary thing. It is such a precious blessing. I hope I will always remember that and cherish the time with my family.

I am also thankful for the goodness in people. After the earthquake, so many people came forward and acted to help people. I know things like that happens more often than I realize, but since it was so close to my heart, I was more aware. Thank you everyone who showed your kindness towards the people who were in need. Thank you for being such an inspiration and example to me.

Lastly, I am thankful that I was able to keep up this small place called "Tea Rose Home". Because of you, yes, you my dear friends I was able to keep going. Also, through blogging I have met so many wonderful people. So, I am doing this again... The Tea Rose Home Thanksgiving giveaway!! Do you wanna know what I am giving away this year?

A Mug: Do you remember when I talked about my motto that I was going to try to live by this year in, last January? I found this mug at TJ Maxx the other day and I had to have it! I have the same mug in a different color, and I want you to have the aqua blue one.


A small (they are about 10"x 12") fabric bundle from my stash;


Handmade pincushion;


As I was making this, I thought "why not reversible?"


Do you like the yummy colors?


Speaking of yummy colors, I also want you to have chocolate covered pretzel sticks for when you are taking a break with your new mug.


That's it. :) I know most of you are busy getting ready for Thanksgiving or traveling to see your loved ones, but I would love to read your "thankful notes". Here is one of my favorite quotes about Thanksgiving;

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~Melody Beattie"

Well said, don't you think?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

ONA Giveaway Winner!

Oh I am SO SORRY!! I was supposed to post the winner for the ONA giveaway yesterday and totally spaced it!

I feel really bad and remorseful, but I have the feeling that this won't be the last time that I forget something...

Well, are you all ready to find out if you are the one lucky winner for this fabulous camera insert?


The winner is....

Ginger (Lost & Found Lane)


Congratulations! Please contact me with your shipping info, so they can send the product soon. I have been using it for a while, and I know you will love it!
To those of you, who didn't win, don't be discouraged... I am doing another giveaway soon! :)

Silhouette Black Friday Deal!

Silhouette is having a huge black Friday special sale!
Head over to see the amazing offer and how you can get extra savings by using my promo code at their storehere don't miss out!



The deal also includes this awesome machine, Cameo, too. :)

Monday, November 21, 2011

Untold Story of My Medical History / Part 5

If this is your first time visiting my blog and wondering what is going on, here is the first 4 parts. part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4.

Some parts are what I heard from my mother-in-law and her experience, when I did a mini interview with her; I refer to her as mom throughout this post.

After Dr. S referred Dr. E in Massachusetts General Hospital, mom called his office. Although Dr. E was out of the country at that time, mom was able to explain everything to his secretary. She told mom to gather all the medical records, and send to them so when he gets back, he can take a look at it.

I was still very ill, but we didn't know what to do next. Since I had to deal with pain all my life, I am pretty good at that, but not knowing what the future will hold (if there is a future) was the part that was putting my spirits down, to be honest, I thought maybe, this time I am really going to die.

One evening around 9:00 pm, the phone rang at my in-law's house. Mom picked it up, and to her surprise it was Dr. E himself. If it was 9:00pm in Utah, that means it was 11:00pm in Massachusetts... Mom and I talked about this; Dr. E probably came back from overseas, saw the medical records, and heard how urgent this was and decided to call her right away instead of waiting till the next morning. Seems to me, that is someone who truly cares, a doctor who I desperately needed to find...

Near the end of the conversation, Dr. E said this to mom, "You explained very well (including all the medical records that were sent to him too), Sachiko does not have Kasabach-Merritt syndrome, she has Venous Malformation."

WHAT??? All my life I thought I had Kasabach-Merritt syndrome, but I didn't? I will actually get more of an explanation from Dr. E later on, but at that time, I was still skeptical, but wondered if the doctors in Japan misdiagnosed me.

Also, Dr. E asked mom how soon we can fly to Boston and come see him...

All I could do at the time was just lie in bed and deal with the pain. Although, everything was falling in to place, there were many times in my life where I have met amazing people that have helped me through difficult times. This was another experience that taught me that there are angels among us. My in-laws, Mr. TRH worked everything out so that the travel was doable. We were still young, and just purchased our first home; we didn't have enough savings to cover the cost of the trip. Without my in-law's generous help we would have had a much harder time going to Boston. Mr. TRH had to get a week long time off from work and school. We were able to reserve a seat on the airplane with wider leg room. I was very nervous going on the trip, because I have been lying down for so long, I didn't know how long I could stay sitting with pain. We thought with the extra leg room, I could even lie down on the floor if I needed to. The people at Mass General as well, they worked everything out so I could come to see the doctor and possibly to have a procedure done to help me.

The trip to Boston was one of the fond memories that I think about often. It was indeed uncomfortable to sit, but I made it through. When we got to Boston, I was surprised to see the city has similarities to where I grew up in Japan. The gray sky, rain (living in Utah, there is quit a difference), a river that runs through in the city... from inside of the moving car I was eagerly looking and observing the scenery and I had plenty of time to do so because we got lost! We rented a car, and from the airport to our hotel we got lost...well, we were lost for almost 4 hours! The roads in Boston are more complicated compared to Utah and there were many "one way" streets, and we had to go all the way somewhere to go back and such. I didn't mind though, looking at unfamiliar scenery, joking with each other back and forth really lightened my soul. Not to mention that meeting the doctor who might be able to help me was giving me hope.

We stayed at a nearby hotel to the hospital, and went to see Dr. E the very next day. The meeting and talking with him was such a life changing moment for me. He explained that the Kasabach-Merritt syndrome and venous malformation are VERY similar in terms of conditions. At the time I was born, there was no way of knowing which was which. He said that the patient who has Kasabach does not live a long life; in fact a lot of them die at a very young age. He also told me that sometimes, Kasabach can change into venous malformation too. So, either I had venous malformation all along, or I am the extremely lucky one where Kasabach changed forms and became venous malformation.

He also reassured me that there were no treatment back then, so my parents and doctors made the right call of amputating my leg. He has been a specialist of this condition and has seen so many patients, but he has never seen a condition so extensive as mine. Because of it, there is no cure for me, but with a certain procedure it is possible to control the symptoms.

I had more questions, and he had more answers. This was the first time in my life that one doctor knew everything I wanted to know. Dr. E was kind, compassionate, and not arrogant at all... (Dr. D and Dr. T- In your face! :) ). After talking to him, I felt like a cloud was lifted and I had a clear view of part of my life!

The next day, I went back to the hospital to have my first sclerotherapy. Basically, they will inject this formula directly in to my veins that are too big and wide and try to shrink them. Of course during the procedure I am completely asleep... when I woke up from the procedure, I had a really bad reaction to the anesthesia, but that wore off and I was able to go back to our hotel the next day.

The next few days, I was recovering at the hotel, except when we went out to eat. We couldn't do much sightseeing, but we had a great time. We watched many movies in the room, one night we watched this B-movie called "The Tick". A giant tick was attacking people and killing them. We were laughing our heads off at certain lines, and situations. I LOVED the lemon sorbet at Legal Seafood too! I promised myself that someday I am going back to Boston to do sightseeing and visit many museums and shops.

Dr. E also located a Doctor in Utah who can do the exact same procedure for us. After the first procedure, I saw an amazing difference for the first time in a few months. The pain in the leg was reduced, I was able to sit and move around on my crutches around the house, even though I still had many areas that needed the procedure. I had the procedure done every 6 weeks for the next year and a half. Because of sclerotherapy, my quality of life has greatly improved. I was able to have three beautiful children without major complications. I was able to have a hip replacement (oh yeah, I was also born with abnormal hip dysplasia, and it was giving me awful pain all the time).

Now, when I notice the pain or anemia creeps up on me, I know where to go, and what to do to make it better before it gets really bad. I have some control over my syndrome, and that is an amazing feeling of freedom and security.

On a side note, I had the pleasure meeting another doctor at the U of U. She is my heroine Dr. B a Hematologist. She was helping me to control my anemia, and also she finally discovered why my body kept rejecting the blood I was given.

Test after test, there were still no answers. She even sent out my blood samples to labs in different states. The people in the lab at the U of U were also trying to figure out this mystery.

One day I was at the hospital (I don't remember why I was there, but I was waiting for something) and a man came in to the room. He seemed very excited and said, "Hi! I am so and so (I can't remember his name, and that is the only time I met him), first of all, can I shake your hands?".

I was puzzled about his request, and thinking to myself, "OK... Who is he? Why does he want to shake my hands? So...odd..."

As he was shaking my hand, he started explaining to me that he finally solved the puzzle of why my body was rejecting blood transfusion. Basically, my blood is missing little antigen-e. When I receive blood with little antigen-e, my body doesn't recognize it, so it starts attacking. So, as long as they clean the blood and remove little antigen-e then give it to me, I am fine.

Usually when they run the test, they do not run such an extensive set of tests. It cost more time and money. Then Dr. B and the man from the lab were determined to find out why and their determination paid off!! I was so excited to hear the news. There are no more bad reactions to blood transfusions!

He also said that he heard about a condition like that, but he has never met a person with that blood type in 10 years of working at the lab. He was so excited to finally meet one.

I went through a whole bunch of frustrations and sadness, but in the end (well...at least with this story. I have so many more medical stories) it was well worth it. I discovered so many things about my conditions, found a procedure that will help me and the love and respect towards Mr. TRH increased by 200%. I knew I married a nice person who loves me, but the love, support and devotion he gave me during that time was way more than I could ask for. And sometimes I wonder, if I can do the same for him if he is the one that gets sick. Whenever I think of that, it makes me wanna be a better person.

Sometimes, people tell me that I am a very special. Yeah... I was born with venous malformation, Abnormal Hip dysplasia, missing little antigen-e in my blood and top that all off with allergies to most pain meds. I am special all right. I stop asking "why's" a long time ago, but I can't help but hope that since I feel like I had my share of medical craziness, I will not get any more scary stuff.

Speaking of hope, one of my good qualities that God has blessed me with is that I am always very hopeful. When my boys were littler, one of them said; "when I get big, I will become a scientist and invent a seed to grow your leg back!". That made me smile.
But hey, we can put a man on the moon, or select genders of babies, why not a seed to grow my leg? I will never say never... I only never give-up. :)

Thank you all for reading such a long post! I am really thankful that there are people interested in my story and who take time to read them. If you are going through a tough time, hang in there... I will be thinking of you.

Love & hugs

Sachiko

Guest Posting at I Love Nap Time

I am guest posting at I heart Nap Time! Head over there to see my newest tutorial, and say hi to Jemielyn.


Enjoy!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Link Love No.75!

If you haven't enter for the ONA's camera insert giveaway, head over here and do so! :)

The past couple of days I have been doing Christmas shopping. I am scheduled for another procedure in the beginning of December, and usually it takes a week or two for me to recover. If I wait until the last minutes, my kids may not have any gifts under the tree! That won't be good...

I am almost done, and I want tell you, it feels good. :)

OK, here are the link loves for this week;

n'stitchs designs shared a step by step well explained tutorial on how to make a pen case. I bet you want to add this to your gift idea for Christmas.


Sometimes, it takes a little bit of an inventive idea to create something fun. Created by Cori shares her cupcake Christmas wreath with us. Isn't this so easy and fun to make? There are many different cupcake papers now, you can make a wreath for any occasion in no time.


I love this shirt... Little Amara Design shares how she made this cute little shirt for her daughter. This is such a nice way to customize a shirt with a hint of classiness for the little one.


I have a thing for flowers (as you can tell by the name of my blog), and I just LOVE this book page roses! Twigg Studios did such a wonderful job creating these flowers, so pretty!


Are you ready for Thanksgiving? When I first came to America, I didn't know what Thanksgiving was. Now I know, and I really appreciate the meaning of it too. There is so much time and effort put into preparing for this special holiday, but I am all for making it simple and enjoying the time with my family instead of getting frustrated and overwhelmed... The Letter 4 shared how to make this fabulous cornucopia out of store bought frozen dough. Beautiful work!


Thank you for your participation everyone, I will see you next week!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

ONA Review/Giveaway!

About a month ago, I was contacted by ONA. They are a new company that creates fine, handcrafted camera bags and accessories.


Head over here to read more about their fantastic product I got to review. There is more... they are giving away the same product to one of my readers!
Don't miss it!

Link Party No. 75!

I seriously cannot believe that Thanksgiving is next week! I am going to take a break from link party next week and instead, I am going to have a "TRH Thanksgiving giveaway"!

The past couple of years I did a Thanksgiving giveaway, and I asked you guys to leave a comment of what you are thankful for. It was so nice to read all your comments and be in a thankful mood for Thanksgiving. I wanted to have the post ready a week before Thanksgiving; then announce the winner on Thanksgiving Day. Not this year though... All the medical mumbo-jumbo totally threw me off and I didn't plan it very well.

So, what I am going to do this year is, I will post the giveaway post on the 23rd, and run it until the 29th, then announce the winner on 30th. I will ask you to leave a comment telling us what you are thankful for, of course! So think about some blessings, a situation, things, or people in your life.

I went into a thrift store the other day before picking the kids up from school. I just had to peek in to see what they got. B.i.n.g.o! I found a couple vintage sheets in mint condition (how mint? They were still in the original package!).


That is really hard to come by, and I love the design on the fabric. Unlike pastel color vintage sheets I always find, this one has a more unique color scheme. A little Amy Butler-ish, I would say. That is why I can't stop going to these stores, I never know what is there and waiting for me.



I have so many ideas that I want to do with it, but I really need to finish this one quilt I started with vintage sheets several month ago, before I can start a new one.

Ok, it's your turn everyone, what do you have to show us this week? Link up and have fun!

1. Please post something YOU made. It doesn't matter if it is crochet, quilt, clothing, anything would be fine. I want to see it! If you use someone's idea or patterns please give them the rightful credit.

2. Link to your specific post, that way it is easier for everybody to find and read it.

3. Please grab the "Tea Rose Home" grab button, and link back from your post. If you can mention the party in your post or place the button on your side bar, that would be great! I want more people to have a chance to come and show off their creation.




Monday, November 14, 2011

One of Summer's Memories

As you all know I have been taking it easy lately. On my down time, I was going through my pictures from over the summer and found some pictures that I meant to share with you and had totally forgotten.

One day our family went to a park and we had such a fun time. While Mr. TRH was busy playing with other two, my oldest and I were having a blast taking his action shots with my new camera. He would do some stunts, and come back to take a look at the pictures and we both laughed our heads off.

Check them out...

He is gonna do it...


Combined with one of his martial arts kicks, awesome jump!


Beautiful landing!


Boys are so funny. When I found out I was having a boy, I was in mini-panic mode. I didn't know a thing about boys. I didn't know what to do with them. I was planning to play house, quietly read books, and sew together with a girl. After having two boys in a row, I feel like they really helped me to find a part of me that I didn't know existed. I also found out that boys are actually fitting to my personality. Funny thing is, my sister was a tomboy growing up, she always played with the boys, she loved catching bugs, reptiles (ugh!!), was good at any sport, she hated girly stuff... and guess what she is a mother of two girly girls. :)

Sometimes my sister and I talk on the phone and say how we wish we lived next door to each other, so we can trade the kids sometimes and do all sorts of activities with them. We can help cover the areas that we are not good at.

Looking at these pictures reminds me of one of my favorite quotes;

"We don't remember days, we remember moments"

The moment we played and laughed at the park was definitely a moment he and I will remember for years to come.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Link Love No.74!

I am pretty happy that I finished a quilt I started before the angiogram. My drive to create things is very strong, but I have been taking it easy these days. I haven't taken pictures yet, but I think I will be able to share them sometime next week.

Are you ready to see the link love for this week?

Sarah, how did you know that one of my favorite drinks in winter time is mulled cider? I love the mulled spice from William Sonoma, but with her recipe maybe I won't need to buy that anymore!



What a lovely purse! Occasionally Crafty shared this delightful scallops bag with us. Don't you think this will make a fun Christmas gift?


There are many ways to use old sweaters for refashion, and this is one example.
Look at these pretty boot toppers! In His Grip shares a step by step tutorial on her blog. I know what I am going to look for on my next trip to a thrift store!


Usually I am drawn to more colors when it comes to quilts, but I really like this quilt! Stitching By Starlight shared this quilt she made using Rachel Griffin's pattern from Fat Quarter shop. The Original quilt has more colors, and it looks pretty too. It is just so interesting to see how choosing a different color scheme changes the whole look of the quilt, even though it was made by using the same pattern.


Ohhh...no you didn't! This motorcycle Jacket is just way too cute! Well I probably would say cool! (At some point, my boys started to get offended when I said "cute" to them, they said, "no, mommy, I am cool!".) Shwin & Shwin created this very handsome jacket, and it is amazing to see the tutorial on how they created it.


Thank you for your participation. Happy creating!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Untold Story of My Medical History Part 4

If this is your first time visiting my blog and wondering what is going on, here is the first 3 parts. part 1, part 2, part 3.

At the end of part 3, I mentioned my mother-in-law and how she started searching for a specialist who can help me. I needed to have a mini-interview with her to get more details to write this post. When I started asking her questions, she brought out little black note book. She showed me the inside of the notebook and to my astonishment; the pages were covered with information. I mean, names of organizations, doctors, phone numbers, dates with some events... it was the path and proof of how she found the doctors who can help me. She told me she carried that notebook everywhere she went. I knew she searched for specialists for me, and I have always been grateful for that, but looking at the notebook brought to me a new sense of gratitude towards her...

The first person she called was Dr. H. He was her Chiropractic/Homeopathic doctor in Maryland. She told him about me and what is going on and hoping that he would know somebody who could help me.

He knew three doctors who dealt with Kasabach-Merritt Syndrome. Mom contacted Dr. S in Minnesota first. He had experience with treating a boy with the same Syndrome with Interferon Alpha 2B (I guess that is a medicine to treat cancer patients). He was willing to come to where we are and treat me himself or talk to Dr. T.

She was very excited and told Mr.TRH and I about the doctor who might be the answer to our prayers. We talk to Dr. T about Dr. S and asked him to contact him. We all thought that Dr. T could learn more about my syndrome from Dr. S and they can work together since Dr. T doesn't know anything about my syndrome (as he admitted at first).

Mom also told Dr. T about Interferon Alpha 2B, and how Dr. S treated a patient with the syndrome with it.

I can't remember exactly how long it took, but I would say it was probably a week or two, we kept asking him to contact Dr .S. But he never did. His excuse was he was too busy or he has been trying but Dr. S never answers the phone, etc., etc... Whenever we went to talk to Dr. S we were able to get hold of him though, hmm...

Then, one day Dr. T told us that he will treat me with Interferon Alpha 2B. Mr. TRH and I thought "What?" He has never contacted Dr. S nor treated a patient with my syndrome with that medicine. Although, he was saying that he is familiar with the medicine and he is confident that he can do it.

We had so many questions and at the same time my suspicion of Dr. T grew more and more. Also there was an incident that happened while we were asking him questions. I still think about that moment sometimes, that was the moment that made me realize that I really don't care for Dr. T as a person. So wait, that might sound mean or harsh, but here is what happened:

Please try to picture the situation in your mind as I describe it to you...

So, we were asking him questions and told him our concerns. Dr. T seemed irritated... all of a sudden Dr. T put down the chart on his lap, closed his eyes and pinched the top of his nose between his eyes with his index finger and thumb.

Then, he opened his eyes looked at Mr. TRH and said;

"What do you do for living?"

For a second that question caught Mr. TRH and I off guard. What? Why is he asking that question? Does he think that we are not smart enough to understand what he is saying?

Mr. TRH answered "I am a software engineer." Then Dr. T only said, "oh." Then he went on talking...

Seriously, what kind of a question was that? It was totally out of context, no flow of conversation whatsoever. If his job was something that doesn't require intelligence according to Dr. T's standard then what was he going to say?

I didn't feel up to it, but at the time, I felt like I had no option. Either get an amputation, or give the treatment with Dr. T a shot. I agreed to do the treatment with Interferon Alpha 2B. The medicine is used for a wide range of indications, including cancer. Dr. T said that I might have a reaction to the medicine afterwards, and that is normal. I had at least two treatments, and each time I had chills, fever and felt sick afterwards. As I was shivering my gut kept telling me something is not right. I need to stop this.

I told Mr. TRH and mom about it too. She called Dr. S and told him that Dr. T started his own treatment, also the dose he was injecting me. Guess what Dr. S has said, "She needs to stop that treatment immediately, he is killing her."

The day I was supposed to have another treatment, the three of us went to Dr. T's office. Since mom is the one who found the doctors and was mainly talking to them, we wanted her to be there and tell Dr. T exactly what Dr. S said.

We expressed our concerns, and asked him why he is not contacting Dr. S and believe me we were very calm and nice when we were talking to him.

I could tell Dr. T was starting to get irritated and upset. He asked us "So what do you want me to do?" (I was thinking to myself; well, we have been asking you to contact Dr. S haven't we?). I can't remember the exact conversation word for word but basically he told us that if we can't trust him or what he is doing he doesn't want us to come back, ever. With that, we left the office.

I didn't know what was going to happen next, but I knew he wasn't the doctor who could help me and I didn't want to come back to see him.

As I mentioned before, most of the doctors I have met over the years were nice, and I could tell they were really trying to help. I have great respect for them.

Still to this day I wonder why it was so hard for Dr. T to contact Dr. S. Is it so hard to admit that you don't know something and ask for guidance? Protecting his own ego seemed more important than saving someone’s life? I don't know. I am not Dr. T.

Meanwhile, Dr. S told mom that Dr. E in Massachusetts General Hospital might know more than him. So, mom gathered all the medical records and sent them to Dr. E. At the time, he was out of the country, and we were eagerly waiting to hear from him...

To be continued...

Belated TRH 3rd Anniversary Giveaway Winner!



Thank you all for the fun ideas of what to put in the bento box. I enjoyed reading them, some of you wanted to use it for different purposes, like putting sewing, craft items. I think that is so awesome too!

Ok, here is the one lucky winner for the bento box...

Jessica Busby


Congratulations! Please contact me with your shipping info, so I can ship them right way. :)

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Link Party No.74!

If you haven't enter the giveaway, you still got a chance until tonight, make sure to enter for the chance to win a Japanese style lunch box and carrying pouch.

I am going to share some pictures of my old dress today.


This was one of my most favorite dresses a LOOONG time ago. How long ago? Well I bought the dress before I got engaged to Mr. TRH, so it’s about 18 years old. I have many clothes that I kept for a long time (some go back to high school! And I still wear them).

All the clothing I have a hard time parting with, have a story. So what's the story for this particular dress?

I wore the dress the night we went out to celebrate our engagement too. It holds a very special memory to me. Also, I got the dress from Laura Ashley, it is made out of very high quality soft flannel, and I still LOVE the floral print on this.

I thought maybe I might wear it again, I need to keep it just in case...but I haven't worn this dress for years. Why? There are several reasons but the biggest part of the reasons why I don't wear the dress is these sleeves, check it out...


See the pleats on the shoulders? It is kind of hard to tell in the picture, but when I wear it, it puffs out a LOT, than around the wrist it is very slim. Ugh...
With a petticoat and bonnet, I can fit right in to "Little House on the Prairie" as a new character. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that show in fact I watched so many episodes with my sister growing up. Although, I don't want to wear a dress like Laura did, in 2011.

I have been thinking of using this dress for part of a quilt, or tweak things to make it wearable for quite a while. It was just heart wrenching to even think about putting scissors to the fabric....

But guess what, I. did. it. I thought well why not, All it does is take up space in the closet, I should just do it!

I took off both sleeves... there are a few options, but I haven't decided what to do next exactly. I just had to get rid of the giant sleeves for starters.

I will share the finished project someday! :)

It is your turn to share what you have been working on, please link up and visit each other.

1. Please post something YOU made. It doesn't matter if it is crochet, quilt, clothing, anything would be fine. I want to see it! If you use someone's idea or patterns please give them the rightful credit.

2. Link to your specific post, that way it is easier for everybody to find and read it.

3. Please grab the "Tea Rose Home" grab button, and link back from your post. If you can mention the party in your post or place the button on your side bar, that would be great! I want more people to have a chance to come and show off their creation.




Monday, November 7, 2011

Belated TRH 3rd Anniversary Giveaway!

I had a month long TRH Anniversary giveaway in September, and I had one more giveaway planned, then my health issue got in the way. So, this is kind of random, but here is the last item for my 3rd Anniversary giveaway...


Japanese bento box and a carrying pouch. I wanted to do something that would reflect my blog and things that I’ve posted about. Then I remember many of you wanted to know where you can purchase a bento box like mine... But a bento box is a little boring. So, I decided to make a carrying pouch to go with it. Do you like the fabric? Seriously, it took me such a long time to decide on which fabric combination to go with.


I have the exact same bento box and I love it. I love how the divider can come off and that I can use it in different ways.



I posted about my Japanese style bento here and here, but you can certainly put in anything you want. How about some crackers, grapes, and some cute sandwiches? The possibilities are endless and I think you will have fun!

Here is how to enter:

1. Usual comment is fine, but can you tell me what you would put in to the bento box? I think that will be fun for everyone to read and get some ideas. :) (1st entry)

2. Become a follower of Tea Rose Home. (2nd entry)

3. Facebook, Tweet, or blog about the giveaway. (3rd entry)

That's it! I will run the giveaway until midnight of the 9th and post the winner on the 10th. Good luck!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Link Love No. 73!

Let me just tell you how grateful I am for all the comments and personal emails regarding to "Untold Story of My Medical History". I wish I could comment back to each one of you, but it is bit difficult to do... I just want you to know that I read each one of them and really appreciate that you take time to write to me.

Many of you mentioned that I am being brave for sharing my personal story, and thanked me... no, I think I am the one who needs to say thank you. Thank you for reading my story! I consider my blog a sewing/craft blog with a little bit of my life's happenings mixed in. Although, being ill and getting procedures done is such a big part of my life, I can't just ignore it. In the past, there were times that I mentioned I won't be posting because of a procedure and such, but I never really told you what I have exactly.

Then one day I thought, "why not?" You guys already support me with my sewing experiments and adventures; I knew most of you wouldn't mind reading and getting to know more about my "shady side" too.
Also, sharing my story is my way of cheering you on too. What do I mean by that?

Well, we ALL have something we are dealing with...illness, relationships, financial, housing, kids, etc., etc... A never ending list of thing. Mine just happens to be health issues, but the bottom line is the same; handling the obstacles, enduring, and finding happiness. It would be my pleasure if you would remember your little blogger friend and her story when you are going through a tough time and say "I am gonna keep trying".

I will write Part 4 soon, there are still lots to tell. Oh, also I am doing a "belated TRH 3rd anniversary giveaway" on Monday make sure to come back to see what it is!

Well, that was a long intro, but I do have FIVE link loves for this week. Are you ready?

Boy, time flies! Halloween is over and before we know it Thanksgiving will pass us by and it will be Christmas! I have been keeping my eyes open for good gift ideas, and these adorable key chains by Scraponique caught my eyes. Aren't they so fun? I think it will make awesome stocking stuffers (and if you couldn't finished them by Christmas, there is always Valentine's day! :) )


I have seen many up cycled projects, but this one is a gem! Me Sew Crazy created this handsome sweater, and I just adore how it turned out. Great job!


Rubies and Pearls shared this cozy necklace with us. I love all the details she put in to this one of a kind necklace.


One of the jobs I dreamed of doing is widow display designer. When I walk into Anthropology my eyes wonder to look at the awesome displays inside the store. This twine ball reminds me of those types of cool displays where you wonder how it's made. Musings of a glamourpuss shared a step by step tutorial on her blog, so head over to see how she did it.


As I mentioned about Christmas in the beginning, I am always looking out for beautiful and unique Christmas decorations. Krista Sew Inspired shared this step by step tutorial on her blog on how to make this ornament. I am definitely looking out for vintage music sheets from now on!


Thank you all for your great projects, see you on Monday!