Buffalo exchange, and smashbox smoky eye kit

Hello People,
I hope all of you are well, and enjoying the lovely Spring weather that is starting to show around the world. I'd like to wish you all a happy Easter. The following is a video about the Buffalo exchange and the smoky eye kit offered to beauty insiders from Sephora. Take a moment to enjoy the information in the video. Thank you for stopping by. Take a second to subscribe or leave a comment. Also, If you wear retrofuturist lipstick, take a snap shot and send it to me to have posted on this site.

Leslie

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Cirque du Soliel totem

Hello my people,
Once again I find myself writing about Cirque Du Soliel. Their new show totem is one you must see. I wish it would come to Dallas soon. My mom saw it in Denver, and said she has never seen anything like it. She couldn't take her eyes off the show, and she left completely entertained.

Totem

As you know, in addition to the talent and the acrobats, It is the unbelievable behind the scenes stuff that I love. The stage makeup, hats, masks, costumes, and beautiful wigs. I have a few photos from their site to share with you. I also have the link to their site if you would like to drop by and order tickets for a show coming to your town.
 http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/totem/default.aspx

Unicycler

The website tell the story of Totem as a trip or journey through the evolution of man and other species.  All done through acrobatics and dance, as well as other amazing tricks and feats of amazing skill.

Masks

Hats

Don't you just find the makeup and all the props amazing?  If you have the chance to go see this show, you should go.  If I get a chance to go, I will go and tell you all about it.

Thanks for stopping by missditz-thebeautifullife.com

Leslie

You can do anything!

It is the end of a long week.  We all have bad days.  Maybe you have had a few more than usual lately.  Sometimes people make us feel ineffective.  We become afraid to try new things, or even go back to doing things we used to be good at but haven't done in a while.  Maybe you had a dream that you would try certain things and you haven't gotten around to it yet.  Well, I just watched this amazing video that will make you feel like you can conquer the world.  One of my favorite verses is "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13.  Not to make you uncomfortable with bible verse.  That is just part of who I am.  To state it more simply, You can do anything if you just believe. 

Enjoy this video by the worlds wisest child.





I hope you enjoyed that. Now go out and do something new, or something you haven't done in a while. Then post to my blog and let me know how it went.

Leslie

I'm walking on sunshine-right into my retrofuturist

Hello my people,

In this crazy world with all sorts chaos swirling around us, I figure that everyone  needs a little consistency.  Routine is so important when things have gone crazy.  I used to watch Ally McBeal.  Her therapist told her that she needed to pick a theme song for her life, to help her through her hard time.  I have had a couple of theme songs that are uplifting to help me through bad days.  One is "Super good Feeling" By Bleach, and the other is "Walking on Sunshine" By Katrina and the waves".  If your wondering, it helps.  Having a theme song helps you shift your brain from soaking in sorrow to focusing on the best laid plans for your life.  Everything gets loud, you tap your feet, your body might even start moving.  Then before you know it you are singing, at the top of your lungs.  Even if your voice is awful, you start to feel good.


The other thing that I use to create consistency and improve my mood is makeup.  I've shared before that getting dressed and putting on makeup can help me to feel better.  If there isn't a grand amount of energy available to do even simple makeup anyone can muster the strength to put on a swipe of lipstick.  My favorite lipstick of all time is Lime Crime Retrofuturist.  Even with all the cancer tests, bad news, and surgeries happening right now, putting on a swipe of retrofuturist improves my appearance immediately.  Improving the way I look makes my outlook greater.  Imagine what would happen if I listened to one of my theme songs and wore my favorite lipstick!!  Things could get really crazy and I could knock the world off it's axis with all my foot tapping and smiling.

It sounds simplistic.  Sometimes the things that work the best really are the most simple.  In the above photo I am wearing my favorite Betsy Johnson baby-doll, covered by a Victoria secret wrap.  Smile by Lime Crime, and the lamb on my shoulder is a hot water bottle that has ice chips in it to reduce the swelling on my port site.  That is my look of the day.

As you go through your day, I pray you're walking on sunshine, and wearing your favorite things.

Thank you for stopping by missditz-thebeautifullife.

Leslie

Tomorrow I will be sleeping beauty

Well My people,
Tomorrow I go in and have a port to deliver chemo surgically placed, and I will have a core biopsy of my chest wall done at the same time. It will happen from 6 am till 3 when I am done recovering. Then the hospital will let me go home. I just wanted to let you all know that I will not be posting tomorrow. Most likely be unconscious most of the day. Maybe I can get them to place cucumbers on my eyes while I am sleeping and do a mudd mask. LOL! Then I could consider it a spa day. Thank you all for keeping me in your thoughts.

Leslie

Flo Mo Gangstas-a video made yrs ago by some local high school kids in my town

Leslie

Give me a head with hair, long beautiful hair. Shining, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen

Hair.  Who doesn't love a head of long beautiful hair on a woman?  Curly, straight, in a pony, it is all so very feminine.  Women love long hair and so do men.  Soon my long hair will fall out of my head and I will be needing a new head of long beautiful hair.  I'm choosing to make this a beautiful thing, and have fun with it.  Maybe even get more than one wig.  What do you guys think? 

There are many over the counter wigs to choose from. Kathy Ireland, Eva Gabor, La Vie, Norika, Wig Pro, are some of the brands that carry both synthetic and human hair.  I prefer human hair.  It will look and feel better to me.  Plus I'll be able to curl it, straighten it or style it any old way I would like. 

If you want to change the style of a synthetic wig it is a trickier.  It could actually melt since it is made from plastic derivative.  E-how has a set of simple instructions for caring for and styling a synthetic wig. 

Here is how you do it:

Take the synthetic hair (wig, weft, or loose) and dampen it with water. Make sure that the synthetic hair is fully damp/wet and no dry spots are present. You may also want to fill up a water bottle sprayer with water so that you can spray the synthetic hair while curling or straightening it.

Place the hair on a wig head, or anywhere that will make sure that the hair does not move

Take your curling or flat iron, on the lowest setting, and either curl or straighten the hair. Remember the hair must be wet. While curling or straightening the hair, if you find some parts dry, use the spray bottle to wet the hair again.

If straightening synthetic hair, be sure to go from the roots to the tips of the hair very slowly, ensuring it to be as straight as you need it. Pay close attention to the ends, you want to make sure the ends are straight and not frizzed.
If curling synthetic hair, take the curling iron and curl it as you would human hair. Let go of the curl, and hold the curl in your hand for 10 seconds, or clip the curl up.

You should now have newly styled synthetic hair. It is important to remember that synthetic hair contains memory, meaning it will not lose its curl or straight pattern after altering it.
 If you want to change the look of the hair, you will have to complete the process all over again.

Human hair wigs are fairly easy to care for.  Just as you would care for your own hair pretty much.

 

 

Here's how you do it:

If you wear a human hair wig, there's no need to skimp on style. Just style your human hair wig to upgrade your look or to give your natural hair a break from the rigors of daily styling products.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

things you'll need:

• Human hair wig
• Wig cap
• Curling iron or hair rollers
• Wig comb or brush
• Wash your human hair wig gently. The gentler, the better. Put the wig on a wig stand.
• Comb the hair of the wig with a detangling comb. Don't comb the base of the wig or the mesh where the hair is attached.
  
• Roll the wig with hair rollers while it is still damp. You may use a spray bottle filled with diluted setting lotion or water to keep the hair moist as you work with the hair to style it. This will help the hair to adhere to the rollers and give a good curl to the ends of the hair.
  If you prefer to curl the wig with a curling iron, you may do so once it's dry. Curl each section of the wig with a curling iron. Skip to "Step 6."
  
• Dry the wig. Either let the hair air dry overnight or place the wig and wig stand under a hard hat dryer. Keep the setting of the dryer low. It will take 45 minutes to 2 hours for the wig to dry depending on the length and thickness of the hair on the wig.
  
• Take out the rollers once the wig is completely dry.
  
• Style the wig to your liking using gentle strokes with a comb or wig brush. Spray a light mist of hair spray or spritz to seal the curls and the style.
  
• Remove the wig from the wig stand and try your freshly styled human hair wig on to see how it looks. You may need to add a few finishing touches to personalize the style of the wig to fit your face.

 In my instance my oncologist will be giving me a medical prescription to go to a wig boutique and get a wig.  I'll be going to the same place that helps me with my prosthetic device.  It is a wonderful place in Plano Tx, called all about you wig boutique and cancer recovery salon.  They do amazing things there.  

Here is a menu of the salon services offered there.

All About You also offers a full-service salon, and with over 40 years of combined experience, our All About You team is qualified to assist you in all of your hair care needs. Our team includes five licensed cosmetologists who are educated, trained and certified to provide assistance in all areas of wig and hair care. Let our experts help you with your hair care and pamper you with other salon services including: Contemporary and up-to-date fashion hair cuts and styling, Fusion Bond human hair extensions performed by our certified stylist, Hair U Wear clip in extensions by Jessica Simpson, Up-do's, Waxing, Highlights and color treatment, Eyelash and eyebrow tinting, Ear piercing, and Make-up applications and consultations.

They also will help me to donate my own hair to locks of love when it begins to fall out.  That is for sure something I will be doing. 

If you should decide that you'd like to have fun with wigs, you should know that they come in a wide range of prices and styles, as well as colors.  There are human and synthetic hair extensions. You can also find partial wigs, and hair pieces.  You shouldn't have any difficulty finding fun ways to style and play dress up with your wigs. 

Have fun on your hair adventures. 

Thanks for stopping by missditz-thebeautifullife.com

Leslie

The status of my beautiful life

Well, here is the deal.  The breast cancer has spread to my lungs as we had thought, as well as to my pelvic bone, right arm bones, chest wall, and lymph nodes.  I will be having an mri for my brain, and surgery to install a port in my chest.  Tomorrow I have an appointment for a first consult with the radiologist to begin radiation on my bones.  We will start as soon as possible. This will relieve the bone pain over time.  This is stage iv as we thought, and it is more progressed than we had anticipated.  On paper this is pretty bad.  But I hold fast to this.  God tells me he knows that plans for my life and he has plans for my future.  I have visions of things 5 and even 10 years down the road, and he wouldn't place those hopes in me if he weren't going to fullfill them.  So, for all of you I pray peace.  Not sadness.  Because come good days or bad, I intend to live.  To live well, and try my best to stay on the narrow path.  Thank you all so much for your prayers, thoughts and well wishes. 

Leslie

Create an incredible wink.

The eyes are the window to the soul.  Too true that!  You can smile with your eyes, and show your tears, sadness, loneliness.  It all shows in the eyes.  Not to mention that you can flirt with those lovely peepers. 


How do you get wink worthy eyes?  Eye drops help to keep your eyes sparkly if you tend to have dry eyes.  If you want to add a bit of extra whiteness to your whites, making the color stand out more, add a drop like collyre bleu eye drops.  The fluid has a blue tint to it.  This causes the whites of your eyes to appear whiter, making your eye color pop.

  Using a shimmery eye shadow will also make your eyes stand out. 

Using a single color can add so much drama.  Too many different shades can make the look seem muddy.  Thus drawing the in rather than causing it to stand out.

Filling in empty spaces in your brow line, and defining your brows with a soft pencil or a powder will create a nice frame for your eye.  There are several different kits to choose from.

The Anastasia kit is the one I use, and like the best.  The wax holds down your hairs and shapes the arch.  There are templates to help you decide on the best shape for your eye and you can change the template based on the look you are trying to achieve.  The kit also has a nice shimmery pink highlight to place directly under the brow bone further accenting it. 

The finishing touches are adding a clean line of eyeliner and showing off your fringe of eyelashes.  I tend to use a nice black liquid eyeliner more often than I use pencil.  When I do use pencil I add she laq over the top to hold it in place and prevent smudging. 

For long curly dark lashes, I curl them first then apply a coat of mascara.  If applying more than one coat, make sure to allow each coat to dry before the next application. 

Now you have completed the perfect shimmery eye look.  Now practice that wink, and go get some attention!

Please take a moment to subscribe to missditz-thebeautifullife.

Leslie

How to have a healthy makeup look while dealing with a long term illness

Hello people,

From the bottom of my heart I want to thank everyone who is sending me hopeful messages and also letting me know they are praying.  Your thoughts and your prayers are gifts of gold to me.  The following article is about how to maintain your makeup and skin care during a long term illness.  Tips are how to look as healthy and beautiful as you can during such a time.

Tip one: water!  Water is highly important to all body functions.  If you have a long term illness of any sort, you will want to make sure you stay hydrated.  This is essential for healthy organ function as well as skin health, and cell energy.  Drinking lots of water also helps your to keep your mind focused and clear.  Dehydrated people tend to lack focus and feel run down.  .  You may not have an appetite during your illness, but you should drink the water.  You will be glad you did.

Tip two: skin!  Take better care of your skin during this time, by not using hot water on it.  Warm water will be more gentle to your skin.  After washing with warm water make sure you immediately moisturize.  Use a very good moisturizer.  Use it in the morning and at night.  Don't forget to use your sun screen.  This will make a huge difference in protecting your skin from sun damage.  This is something we should do all the time, even before diagnosed with an illness.  Hats are also a big benefit to keeping your skin healthy during sickness and in health.  The keys here are moisture and protection.

Tip three:  foundation!  The more heavy a foundation is applied the more it can tend to cake and bring out your wrinkles and laugh lines.  This can give the appearance of being older than you are and looking ragged and tired.  Use a light hand to apply a foundation that is less dark than usual.  Use one that gives you  more of a glow, and it will lend to the appearance of health.  having a good tinted moisturize can be of great benefit.  You are using a multitasking product that will save time and improve your skins healthy look.

Tip four: color correction!  Prior to doing your makeup, using a light color corrector or concealer, add dabbs to dark skin spots, under eye circles, and acne.  Gently blend this is with a concealer brush or a light tap of your pointer finger.  Benefit has erase paste or you could use derma-blend by kryolan.  Then apply a neutral color or clear face powder.  For this I'd actually suggest the HD powder by makeup forever.    

Tip five: keeping it real!  This is not a time that you want to try out that dark blue eyeshadow.  Or the blood red lipstick.  Keeping your color choices in a more neutral shade will keep people looking at you instead of you makeup.  Experimenting with different shades of color is fine as long as it is well blended.   


Tip six:  finishing touches!  Don't forget to use eyeliner and mascara.  Just use q-tips to correct splotches and smudges.  Those finishing touches make all the difference.  




Tip seven: hair!  Brush your hair.  If you want to give a more alert, awake energetic appearance, pull your hair back into a loose pony tail.  This makes your eyes look more open and brightens your face immediately.  


This isn't really a tip.  More an opinion really.  I have said it before and you will hear it again, "no matter how bad you feel if you fake it and put on makeup and get dressed nice it can totally make you fell better."  Trying these tips can help you feel a lot better and look great too.  All 7 of these tips together should take less than 10 minutes for all the makeup.  Remembering to drink water just takes a second. 


Thank you for stopping by missditz-thebeautifullife,


Leslie

Results from my lung fluid biospy-Metastatic breast cancer

well my people, as determined as I am to have reconstructive surgery, it may not be in the cards for me right now.  I am in shock as I am writing this to you.  My Pulmonologist just called with my results.  It looks that I have metestatic breast cancer in stage IV.  It wouldn't seem like a healthy situation to do my reconstruction right now.  I have all sorts of Doctors who will be calling me with information after they all have spoken to one another.  My surgeon, Pulmonologist and Oncologist.  So, other than knowing what I have, There is little other information that I have to offer you.  The blessing is that I am surrounded by loving family, and supportive friends, and wonderful people like you.  Thank you all so very much.  It isn't certain right now what my future holds, I am sure to update you as soon as I know anything to pass on. 


With Great respect to you all,

Leslie

6 days till my life changing reconstructive surgery!

This is an image of me just before I had to have the emergency surgery to remove my implant. I am getting anxious to look a bit like this again. No more inch thick bra straps! I will be able to dress a bit more feminine and a cover up a little less. This past year I have felt positively matronly. My darling Mo, got me some lovely Modcloth dresses for Christmas. These are my goal items to wear once I am healed enough to not have to wear the post surgery garment. Would you like to see them?

4 score and 7 tiers dress

Make a dash dress

It will be a happy day for me when I can wear one of these dresses.  That will be the signal that I am well on my way to becoming healed, healthy and closing this chapter of my life. 
So, My people please keep a happy thought or a prayer in your heart for me as I go through this process.  That way I can get to the after pictures quicker.  Thanks again for going through this ride with me!

Leslie

Ellen show gives Lady Gaga a cake for her 25th birthday yesterday.

Yesterday was Lady Gaga's 25th Birthday!! So for those That love the Lady, I wanted to share the cake Ellen Degenerous had made for her yesterday on her show. It had different parts of costumes that Lady Gaga has worn on stage. I think it was much less and edible cake than one that was a prop. But it was really creative and I loved the thought that Ellen put into it.
Happy birthday Lady Gaga.



Thank you for stopping by.

Leslie

TOXIC-People can compromise your health, and steal your beauty.

Does that sound dramatic and overstated?  I assure you it isn't.
They fall into about 8 categories according to Psychologists. 

Fits several categories-life sucker, manipulator, disrespectful, negative.

The life sucker- You just can not give this person enough of your time, energy or patience.  No matter how giving your are it will never be enough.  "give an inch take a mile" that is this person's motto. But what you give them can't make them happy, so they will nit pic and find plenty of negative things to say about and to you.  Exit stage left as soon as your realize this person is giving you an ulcer and loss of sleep.  Break up with them!  Make it a totally burned bridge!

Disrespectful- By this I mean beyond casual contact disrespect.  You may work with this person 8-10 hours a day.  Or they may be a family member or a friend of your significant other.  This person will put their nose where it doesn't belong, give you advice you didn't ask for, tell you they don't like your hair, you're too fat, skinny, tall ect.  If you are related you won't be able to avoid this person so you must draw a line in the sand and tell them that you have boundaries and if they cross them it won't be pleasant for them.  Be firm and stand up for yourself.  Wither it is in the office or in your family.

Negative people- they are never happy about anything.  They could win the lottery and they'd be complaining about how they have to pay taxes on it.  They can suck the joy out of a room in 20 seconds flat.  Hang around a person like this for any length of time and you will begin to feel depressed.  They just rub off on you that way.  Over time, you may find yourself not wanting to dress up, or makeup, or go out.  They can really bring you down that far.  Avoid them at all costs.  If this person becomes stalkerish, you will have to tell them to stay far away from you because you're trouble with a capital T.  Make it a game, Just for giggles out negative them.  Talk about the wars and sunomis and oil prices and how the world is going to end.  LOL.  I had this work one time.  I can't guarantee that it works every time.

Marie is an insincere person and a soul killer

Insincere people- They will laugh at your jokes and pat you on the back saying good job when something nice happens.  But it is obvious to everyone that they don't mean it at all.  It is there tone, and body language.  They are dripping with an air of uncaring.  These people are a bit easier to ignore.  So, just ignore them.

Soul killer- No matter what your dreams, goals or aspirations they will crush you with reasons why it will never work out for you.  Why you'll never be good enough.  How you won't make it anywhere in life.   These people erode your soul, your self esteem.  You may have to completely break ties with them. 

Judgmental people- They are a lot like negative people.  They won't have anything nice to say about you.  They want you to see things their way.  They are always right and they think they know everything about everything.  They won't stop till you either leave the relationship or they get you to see their way.  These type of people will chip away at your individuality as they seek to make you in the image of themselves.

The Manipulator-They will slowly get you to do what they want without you even realizing you've been manipulated.  This person can see your weakness and will use it to get you moving in their direction.  Hang around this person and you will do things that you wouldn't ordinarily do.  You will lose your sense of identity and basically you have sold your soul to them. 

Charlie Sheen the Narcissist in life and in Character

The Narcissist- You will know you are with this person, because everything is all about them.  Narcissist tend to  leave your needs in the dirt.  You are expected to focus entirely on their needs, wants and desires to the detriment of your own.  You will be left sucked dry and empty.  When you have nothing left to give, they will move on to fertile ground. 

What all of these personalities can do to your health is this.  They affect your sleep.  You are so focused on them you can't shut it off.  At night you won't be able to sleep.  Any of these personalities can make you lose your focus on yourself and constantly be focused on them. It affects your work, your other relationships, your social life, even your hobbies.  It is stressful and fatiguing.  Leaving you tired and irritable.  Fatigue, lack of sleep, and stress can wreck havoc on your physical health and mental health.  If you are tired, feeling ill and depressed then you can start to have bad health problems.  It can cause your skin to break out, hair loss, weight loss or gain. 

You are who you hang around.  If you aren't who you hang around now, you will become just like them in a matter of time.  You lose yourself.  So, surround yourself with people who bring you joy, have similar likes.  People who will be honest with you but nice about it.  Healthy relationships keep you healthy. 


Being around any of these personalities makes for far less that a beautiful life.  Choose your people wisely.  If more than one person in your life is warning you against a person LISTEN!  People you care about who are warning you are generally looking out for your best interests.  Choose a more beautiful life and surround yourself with positive people who bring fun to and happiness to your life.  Your life won't be perfect, but you will be healthy and not depressed.

Okay people, have a great week.

Leslie

Finding Mr. Bright

This is a little box of brightening, highlighting miracles. Also there is erase paste which is in my opinion one of the best products to cover up dark circles and imperfections. There are other products such as Dermablend created for burn victims that are a much higher caliber. However, this is an over the counter easy to find and reasonably priced product. I love it. I'll be showing you how simple this kit is to use for a simple light makeup look. It took me less than 10 minutes to use this as well as apply eyeshadow and mascara. Super easy and quick to use. Enjoy the slide show.


Take a moment to subscribe.

Leslie

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I had a little surgery to take fluid from my lungs-update

I've been running around having all sorts of tests.  I shared with you that my films from exray came back showing fluid in my lungs.  Cat scan confirmed it, and yesterday and mri agreed as well.  Today I went to a Pulmonologist.  He sent me to the hospital.

At the hospital I had the fluid from my right lung drained. They can't do both sides in case one lung collapses. So, they did the side that had the largest amount of fluid. I won't go into to details. They drew it all out and it was 700 ml with is 26.6 ounces. That is 2 12 ounce cans of soda pop plus 2 more ounces. I have a photo of the jar they collected in. I was in shocked at the volume. My left lung still has fluid, but we are going to see if it resolves on it's own.  Here is the photo.  I hope the fact that it looks a bit like a glass of beer with a nice head of foam on it doesn't ruin you for beer forever.

700 ml of me juice.  Yuck!

I won't have anything to report unless my lab results from this fluid come back wonky.  My surgery will be on the 4th of April.  Thank each one of you for all of your support!  No kidding, you guys are great.

Leslie

The sad passing of an Acting Legend Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor was born in London. She was the second child of two children. Known for her violet colored eyes.  Elizabeth held dual citizenship between England and the USA.  Because Her parents left England to avoid the outbreak of war, and found roots in Los Angeles California.  As a result of moving there, they were eventually introduced to Cheever Cowden Chairman of Universal studios.  Thus a Star was born.  Her first big film was There's one born every minute.
Of course who doesn't remember her in Lassie come home?  What made fans fall head over heels in love with her was her performance in National velvet.  This film grossed $ million for the studio.  That was huge money at the time.

Elizabeth was adored by her fans.  Women copied her glamorous looks, Men pursued her.  She was married 7 times in her adult life.  Twice to one husband.  Does that count as two marriages, or a do over on one?  In her adult life she received the highest pay any actress had received up to that point by signing a contract to play Cleopatra for One Million dollars.  The year was 1960, and the film came out in 1963.  In the end she ended up being paid Two Million for the roll.

Her Academy award wins were for Butterfield, her second award was for Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?  She did have a lot of nominations though.  I personally think that one of her greatest adult roles was in Cleopatra.

In addition to having been married 7 times, Elizabeth also had 4 children spread out through those marriages.  To Sons with Wilding.  One daughter with Todd, and one daughter with Burton.

Taylor with Mike Todd and Daughter Liza

She was quite the Humanitarian.  She performed in The USO with Bob Hope.  Spread the message about aids and help raise money for research.  She founded the Elizabeth Taylor Aids foundation to provided assistance to people with HIV-Aids,  And to raise awareness. 

Miss Taylor was also famous for having been given two famous pieces of jewelry.  One was the Krupp diamond.  A 69.42 Carot pear shaped diamond.  The other famous piece was the 50 Carol La Peregrina pearl.  This pearl had been the original property of Mary l of England. 
Elizabeth's love of Jewelry, and glamorous style didn't end there.  She was also well known for her white diamonds perfume.  Those commercials were so awesome that the same commercial ran for over 15 years. 

Elizabeth was brought to the hospital for treatment of congestive heart failure in 2004, and cardiac arrest caused by a leaky valve in 2009.  Her heart problems returned in February of 2011.  This caused her to be readmitted to the hospital, where she remained until her death on March 23, 2011.  She has been memorialized and is buried at Forest lawn memorial park in her own private mausoleum.  

Since I will have a great deal of recovery ahead of me in the near future, perhaps I will spend some of my time watching a few Elizabeth Taylor movies.  She may be no longer be with us, but she will forever live on in film. 

In memory of Miss Elizabeth Taylor.

Leslie

So, what is a Pleural effusion anyway?

I've really gotten off topic of cosmetics and fashion lately.  The whole process of what I am about to go through has sort of overtaken my thought process.  Not to mention the curve ball of the strange images on my lung images and my cat scan.  It is preoccupying me. 

You have heard me talk about the fluid in my lungs being called a Pleural effusion.  I went to my surgeon today.  We are still going forward as though the surgery will happen.  She wants me to have an MRI, which will happen tomorrow. Also a test called a thoracentesis. I'll be having this test done on Thursday. This test is where a Pulmonologist puts a long thin needle or tube, guided by ultra sound, into the effusion and draws out the fluid or blood.  Then they test it for abnormal cells. 

My surgeon and I are heading forward with the surgery plans with hopes that all these tests come back normal.  If they don't, then we will be cancelling again, and I will be updating you on a whole new set of situations. 

Soon I will get back to focusing on things that relate more to topics for this blog.
Thank you everyone who has given me there well wishes, good thoughts and prayers.

Leslie

I've been scanned and today I get probed.

Well my people,
I had my cat scan yesterday.  Wow, talk about fun.  Not really.  They injected me with this lovely contrast that makes you feel as though you are having the worst hot flash in history.  The radiologist had put a rush on my scan results so that they would be done yesterday.  All the Doctors who were supposed to received the report on the results.  I definitely have a mass on the right lung, and I also have two fluid pockets.  One on each lung.  The fluid pockets can be drained and tested for infection and unusual cells.  There are two theories on the mass.  The radiology technician from my primary Dr. said I need to see me Oncologist because my breast cancer could have metastasized, or I could have developed inflammatory breast cancer.   That is worrisome to me since my sister Lynn died a yr ago of lung cancer.  My surgeon call actually called and spoke with the radiologist who did the scan and the theory they both agree on is this.  The fluid pockets need to be drained and tested.  I have a call in to the kind of Dr that does that for an appointment.  The mass in my chest is partially scar tissue and that my pectoral muscle is twisted.  Part of it is twisted in one direction and the other is going in the other direction.  Just imagine a dish rag.  Put it in your hand and wring it out.  That is what it would look like in my chest.  Since my surgeon took the time to call and talk to the radiologist and call me back personally, plus we have a long running relationship, I tend to believe her and trust her.  The only thing I have to worry about is if any weird cells show up in the fluid in my lungs.  So, Am I worried?  Yesterday, I fell to pieces.  Today, I feel calm and peaceful.  Like it is all under control.

I will let you know when I go in for the fluid to be drawn and what the results are.  I will also be having an mri.  Just to make sure everything looks good there. 

That is the most recent update.

Thanks for stopping by people.

Leslie

Cooking in the kitchen with missditz

Today I am making something special.  While away in Alabama, The folks we went to visit took extra special measures for Anna and I in the cooking department.  Since we are vegetarian they made some special things.  They tend to eat meatless frequently so they had some tasty recipes.  This is one of the most tasty Hummus dishes I have ever tried.  So, I had Dana give me the recipe.  I'd like to share it with you.

Dana's Famous Alabama Hummus

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 Ingredients:

I doubled my recipe, so everything is twice as much as I am telling you.



3 or 4 cloves of garlic
1 can or drained garbanzo beans
1/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Dash of hot sauce
1/4 cup olive oil

Process galic in food processor until minced. Add beans and next 4 ingredients; process until smooth, scrap down sides .  Slowly pour olive oil in chute, processing until smooth.  Spoon into a  bowl, cover and chill.  Serve with pita bread or with crackers.

This took 5 minutes to make from beginning to end.  Easy peasy.  My family loved it.  We had a salad and pita bread with it.  If you like hummus, you'll love this.  If you never have tried hummus, try something new, and you will really love this.

Thank you for coming by today.  Take a moment to subscribe or leave a comment below.

Leslie