Today has been another good day. I worked all day getting the house ready for the housekeeper to come tomorrow. How silly is that? Well, it’s just how it has to be. Before I can dust or vacuum I have to go through and pick up everything. So, it’s the same way with someone else doing the dusting and vacuuming; I had to go through and pick up all the loose things! There are still some stashes of ‘stuff’ that she’s just going to have to go around until I can get them organized. This is good for me, because it’s forcing me to get things better organized. She was going to come at 8:30 in the morning, but she just called to ask if it was okay if she came at 12:30. That was GREAT, because it means I can type out her instructions tomorrow instead of staying up tonight to do it! I have the rough draft done, thanks to Don starting it for me. Bless his heart. He is so organized; it just comes naturally to him. I have to work at it, but he helps me with it a lot. The last thing I would do is make a list; I mean where does one keep a list? Right! My list is always lost, so what would the point be in making one? Well, I do make lots of lists; even if I lose them it helps me to remember what I wrote, and sometimes I can find my list! Well, I have instructions for Angelica and will put it in a plastic window and put that in the box of cleaning supplies. I did all the laundry and changed our sheets so I’ve done all the dust strewing things. It feels good to be ready for her.

Tonight is also the night I get to increase my medication for the neuropathy. Ruthie was confused about it, so maybe I should explain it again. Probably I wasn’t clear last week. Last week I was taking 400-mg. per day. The doctor had me increase it to 600-mg. per day starting last Tuesday. Tonight I am to increase it to 900-mg. per day. I’m hoping this level will do the job. Every night it begins to hurt as the time to take the medication gets closer. I only have 3 more treatments, so I sure hope this increase will get me through to the end of these treatments. After these treatments I will start another kind of chemo, which is a combination of 3 different chemos. I only take it once every 3 weeks.

The pictures on the blog tonight:

1) This is Raynie playing fun and games with Dorothy yesterday.
2) This is Gracie modeling her hand me down outfit from Sasha (my next door neighbor). You’ll recognize her stance; it’s the modeling stance she taught me for my hats! Notice David in the background doing his breathing treatment.

God is so good to take good care of us. Things work; not always the way we expect, but they work. I thank Him for being in control. I ask Him to give me patience and strength to accept and appreciate His control. So often I want to do it MY way; I know His way is best and love Him for keeping control. I thank Him for you to help me with your support and love!

Tired, but great day!

I am so absolutely exhausted! We got up early to go to OKC today and it was a wonderful day. We learned so much going through the visual training and testing with Dorothy. She has macular degeneration and hasn’t read anything in over a year. They had some aids that could really help her and she was reading like a champ with their help! We’re so excited for her to be able to get some of this help! There was a whole bunch more for which we were giving thanks today! What a delight to see Dorothy seeing some things she’d missed for so long!

We got to go by and see Trish and Grace and Raynie. Trish had told us that Raynie has moved from the newborn stage to more of an infant stage. She cooed and gooed at us and smiled and smiled! We were all tickled pink and giving thanks all the more!

The pictures on today’s blog are:

1) Dorothy enjoying a Raynie fix
2) David in the background enjoying some antic of Grace’s
3) Raynie enjoying a conversation with Dorothy

I was having lots of neuropathy pains last night when I went to bed. It dawned on me that I might have missed a dose on Saturday, but when I got up this morning I counted my pills and I hadn’t missed any. I think I just start having pains when I’m due another dose. So, I’m going to hurry and take my pills and go to bed before the pains get ahead of me. I’m a chicken when it comes to those pains. I’m thanking God for the pills and the smart doctor who prescribed them! It’s been a long but great day. We had so much fun with Dorothy and David. I’m giving thanks for their friendship and for our safe trip. I could go on and on, but I’m racing to bed! God bless you all!

Tomorrow we are going to OKC with David and Dorothy Rule. Dorothy has an appointment to see if there are some aids that can help her with her loss of vision due to macular degeneration. (See, I have nothing compared to that, in my book!) Dorothy’s appointment is the next street over from where Tricia’s house is, so we’ll get to go by and see Raynie and Tricia, at least. If we get there in time we’ll get to see Gracie, too. That’ll be a great way to start our week! I’ll probably nap in the car, so the trip will be harder on everyone else than on me.

Today’s pictures are more pink pictures of me. I had a plan for a whole different outfit this morning, but Don said, “Are you wearing pink today?” I told him I wasn’t and he told me he was, so I re-grouped and came up with this outfit. I know people pay attention to what I’m wearing THIS time, so it’s better if we don’t clash. HA! So, now I have next week’s outfit already planned because I can wear the one I had planned for today.

My rest day went well. I have only thanks to give today! I’m having shooting pains in my toes and fingers which are very painful, but that’s a small price to pay. Things are going well. The Taxol is working. Tuesday I can increase the medication, so I hope that will make these shooting pains go stop. My vision is blurring today, but that’s probably a side effect of the medication. Anyway, none of this is anything compared to the price Jesus paid for us, so I’m not complaining. God is so good to us; I thank Him for blessing us so richly. God bless you all!

Oops! A loose stitch!

Today has been good. I slept like a brick last night. We got up and met the canasta crew for breakfast and I came home and went back to bed for my nap. I did a little work on the computer today and then we played canasta here tonight. We can’t seem to get enough of it. Well Don had enough; he watched football (He can’t get enough of that!) and our neighbor, Hazel, came over and played in his place. She’s too good; the guys beat us tonight! Ha! We changed my bandage after everyone left and he’s still watching football. We noticed that one of my sutures came loose, so I’ll have to be very careful with my PICC until we get to the doctor’s office on Thursday and they’ll replace it or else let them replace it at the hospital. I’m not looking forward to anyone replacing it, but it has to be replaced. Probably they’ll numb it locally. Ick; I hate complications, but I guess they happen. There are supposed to be 3 or 4 sutures to keep it from falling out of my arm. I had only 3, so now I have only 2. I sure don’t want it to fall out because it was a bear to get in there!

Tomorrow is going to be my big rest day. I did pretty good resting today, but I’m going to do even better tomorrow, I hope. I’ve got to be really careful with my arm. My neuropathy is doing better. I don’t have any pains in my ankles or wrists. I feel the tingly feeling all the way up my fingers, but not so much in my hands. I feel it in my toes and on the outside of the soles of my feet and around the bottom of my heels. My toes and fingers feel like they’ve been smashed in a door, but they still work clumsily. I only have 3 more Taxol treatments, so I think we can make it through this. I think after the Taxol the next chemo won’t contribute to the neuropathy.

The pictures on the blog today show me in my white on pink hats. The norm is to wear 3 hats. That does a good job of keeping my head warm and I can always pull them off if I have a hot flash.

I’m headed to bed soon. Don is watching another game, but I’ve had all the fun I can have today. I’m over quota. God is telling me it’s time to go to bed. God is so good to us; He’s my best bedfellow. He takes care of us in every way and I give Him all the praise, glory and thanks! Just think; He’s seen us through ¾ of these Taxol treatments and I’m still doing very well, and the tumor has shrunken to where the doctor can’t even feel it! I’m so pleased and thankful! The last ¼ will go quickly and then we’ll plunge into the FAC phase of chemo. He’ll take care of us then, too. Thanks for keeping up with us; God bless you all!

Tired day!

I was awake most of last night. I must have dozed a bit, but mostly I was talking to God. I guess we needed a long talk. I had hot flashes out the wazoo that kept waking me. Plus my toes were really hurting. None of that should have kept me awake, but since I was awake I was very aware of it. I sent an email to the doctor in Houston today reporting those things and her nurse wrote back that the sleeplessness is likely because of the steroids they give me with the chemo. I’m glad to know that there is a reason for it. All my life I’ve slept like a brick, so this laying awake is not in my comfort zone. I finally got up at 5 and have been up all day. The printer quit working, so I’ve been going round and round with it most of the day.

The pictures on the blog are from tonight playing cards. We played cards with Jo Ann and Frank, Jack and Tillie and Joan and Floyd at Floyd’s house. Dorothy and David were at the high school football game and Diana and Bob are on their way to Sherman to spend the weekend with their kids as Bob is leaving Sunday for another month of work in Russia. We missed them all, but the girls beat the guys. That’s why Jo Ann is showing the red 3’s that we got to beat the guys. Frank is trying to cover them. They all said the missed Ruthie and Phil and Terri! Jo Ann and Frank’s grandson, Jacob, is in Iraq and he got a promotion this week! We were celebrating his promotion tonight.

It’s been cool here, so we’ve walked 3 times this week. Don walks everyday, but I can only walk when it’s cool. It’s been great to walk! God blesses us with great weather lots of times. It’ll get hot again next week, but this has been nice. My re-blooming irises are starting to re-bloom! I love it! Thank you, God for making our lives so rich. God bless Jacob and all the other troops who represent our country and work for our freedom. God bless us all!

Chemo #9 went well; only 3 more of these!

Today started early, so I’m writing this and going to bed. It was a great day, though. We got up at 5:30 to get there early for our appointment. My blood tested almost perfect! I only had one low number and it was just a little low, so that was so good. The doctor examined me and he was very happy with how the Taxol has worked. He couldn’t feel the mass in my breast or the node at all! He was pleased that the medication for the peripheral neuropathy has also worked, so he was happy to write a prescription to increase it like I had done at the Houston doctor’s suggestion. With the neuropathy seeming under control we’re all committed to forging ahead at full speed. We only have 3 more of these Taxol treatments!

That was a big relief to us. We went on and did the treatment and it went very well. We got through quicker than ever and got home in the middle of the afternoon. I got to finish off packaging Don’s herbs and vitamins for the next 2 months, so that job is done until I do the next two months. We met David and Dorothy at the Mexican Restaurant to celebrate! That’s always fun; we love spending time with them.

Pictures on the blog today:

1) We thought you might want to see a picture of me getting a chemo treatment, so this one is me sleeping through the treatment. The IV is to my left and is hooked into my PICC line, which is under the blankets.
2) The second one is me waiting for them to hook up the IV. Notice the blankets; the multi-colored one is one a sweet lady who helped us take care of Boone made for me. The other one is one our sweet niece gave to me (and one also to Ruthie) when we were leaving on the road trip to a class reunion in Delaware last summer. She knew we might freeze in the car; little did she know how much I’d use and love that blanket! Thanks, again, Debbie!
3) The hat show continues.

God works in mysterious ways. He is so good to keep up with and provide for the birds and the flowers, so we know he keeps up and provides for us, too. “To Him is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever, Amen”

Upped the dose and doing better.

Today is the first day after upping the dosage of my neuropathy medication last night. I took the medication with supper. Then when I went to bed I had no pains in my ankles or legs or wrists. I still had the tingling and the hurting toes and fingers, but I was surprised to not feel the other pain. I hope it means that the medication increase surely could work that rapidly! Today I continue to have had no pains in my ankles and wrists. I hope it lasts through the night!

Tomorrow we go to Lawton for the 9th Taxol treatment. I hope the doctor in Lawton agrees with what we’ve done with the advice from the doctor in Houston. I don’t want to be caught between two doctors!

I spent today throwing herbs (and vitamins) for Don for the next 2 months. I cut mine off a couple of months ago because the doctor didn’t want to risk anything conflicting with the chemotherapy. It was easier to do it than fight with her and I didn’t want to fight the person I was looking to for answers. But, Don had run out of his, so it was time to throw them again. It was hard to do with fumbling fingers, but with a few spills I got a bunch done. I threw them for 60 days, but, now, I’ve got to package them. I hope I can finish that before I go to bed tonight.

It was cool again today, so I got to walk today, too. After the walk and breakfast I had my nap, so I’m good, today!

The pictures on the blog today:

1) Me on August 25th, modeling what was a new hat then, but I’ve worn it lots since. I decorated it with a bead necklace that Grace made for me.
2) Me on Sept 1st, enjoying feeding sweet Raynie.
3) Me last night modeling the sleep cap that keeps me warm instead of 4 little caps. This one is actually a winter hat, but it sure sleeps warm and I never could wear it in the winter because it wrecked my hair and left it a static mess, anyway. It’ll be my first gift to the next person I know who gets breast cancer. I’d like to think that would be nobody, but I know too many women to believe that nobody I know will ever get breast cancer.

Where do you put over 20 hats? I’ve got to figure that out before the housekeeper comes next week! The pile I’ve got going isn’t going to work. God is so good to give me 20+ hats, a house to need help keeping and even a housekeeper and a husband who is willing to pay her! He gives me all this to get me through these lessons. I give thanks! Besides those material things, He’s given me great supportive family and friends and doctors to do the work of helping me to beat this cancer. How great is our God!

Floorboard it!

Okay, I talked to Ruthie today and she’s had a pretty good day. She’ll see her MS doctor tomorrow and hopefully will learn more. She did get to go home last night and sleep in her own bed. That’s worth a lot.

My Houston doctor’s nurse called me back today and she is NOT in favor of cutting back on the Taxol dose at all. She wants me to increase the medication I’m taking for the neuropathy each week. In other words, she, like me, wants to floor board it with the attack on the cancer. Okay. I’m with her. I hope my doctor in Lawton agrees on Thursday.

I think the medication I’m taking for the neuropathy is what is making me so sleepy. Duh; drowsiness is one of it’s main side effects. I’d needed naps before, but this two-hour deal was new. I didn’t think about the medication because I’d napped before. Anyway, I don’t have any trains to catch so a 2-hour nap isn’t a sin.

I called a girl to come and help me with cleaning the house today. She will come a week from tomorrow and she’ll come every other week after that. That’ll be good. I’ve got a week to get ready for her to come, now. Ha! You know, I have to get the house all cleaned! No, I won’t do that. I will make a list of things I want her to do; tools I want her to use, etc. I hope we can work out a good relationship. Mostly I want to be able to ignore her and let her do it. If I’m not able to do that then it won’t help to have her do it. This is a big step for me.

Pictures on the blog today:

1) Me standing on one of my birthday presents over the years: a bridge I had to have. I’m wearing my Boise hat; it’s one of my favorites, like Boise is one of my favorite places. It’s one of our country’s best-kept secrets.
2) Gabe and Garrett this summer at our family reunion. They are the coolest dudes; such good buddies and cousins.
3) Gabe and Garrett with an arm each around Sadie as they take off in the rumbles seat of Uncle Phil’s roadster.

If I’m going to floorboard it anywhere I’ve got an army of great kids covering my back. They keep me motivated. Of course lots of grown up family and friends back me all the way, too. Better than all that I know that God is holding me in His hands. I trust Him and love all the support He sends. He’s got you covered, too! How cool is that! God bless!

Meet Dot and Frazier

Today has been another rest day. I think my body is demanding rest; must be the chemo taking its toll. I took a 2-hour nap this morning. I’m embarrassed to admit that I sleep that long, but it’s the truth and I’m no good at hiding facts. I’ve power plated and Jiggled today, hoping to help the neuropathy. I can’t tell that anything is helping, so I fully expect the doctor to cut back on my Taxol this week. I can only cooperate. My initial response is that I don’t want to cut back on the cancer attack, but I don’t want to let this neuropathy get ahead of me, either. I’ll do what they say.

It's my pleasure to introduce Dot and Frazier tonight. They are a precious couple who went to church with us when we lived in Tennessee. They are good friends with my sister Ruthie and her husband, Phil, and they keep up with us like family through this blog. Dot is so sweet to post from time to time. Her daughter was sweet to share pictures with us so that I could make this introduction. As her daughter said, Dot is exactly like the first picture; a ray of sunshine. She is like that EVERY time you see her. The next picture is exactly how Dot and Frazier look around the house. The last picture is their Christmas picture. What a precious couple they are; you can tell they are so delightful to know and love. Now, when you see a post from Dot and Frazier, you’ll have their smiling faces to go with their words of encouragement.

Dot, I know you’re reading this. Phil called and told me about Ruthie, so we know to include them in our prayers. To the rest of you; Ruthie fell and couldn’t get up (sometime in the past, when I can’t get straight); she’s very weak and can’t walk without help. Phil has her in Jackson at the ER running all kinds of tests as I write this. Ruthie has MS, so this could be an MS thing, but they are testing her for anything else it could be. Thanks for including her and Phil in your prayers!

I’m still feeling good. The neuropathy isn’t a horrible thing unless it gets to my wrists and ankles, which it has not. I have to learn to be careful and wear gloves, etc. I’m so lousy at being careful. God knows I need this lesson. I will cooperate with Him, too. I hired a lady to keep the weeds out of my garden today. That was a big step for me. I’m slow, but I’m getting there. Soon I will hire someone to help with the house cleaning. It’s on my to-do list. (Don will be so glad to be relieved!!!)

Thanks for keeping an eye on us and for keeping us in your prayers. God listens and is so great! I thank Him for you.

Sunday rest.

Today was rest day for me. After church we went to the Subway (yes, we have one in Hobart!) and got a couple of foot long subs since it was their special today. That made lunch easy! Don went back to the church building for the men’s business meeting and I went to bed for my nap. Naps are so good! The pictures today are:

1) Me before church. Too bad we had the refrigerator behind me the white on the hat and the white flower don’t show up so well. We learn about photography as we go. I’ve got that pose of Grace’s going pretty well. Of course she does it better, but I’m learning.
2) The next one is me after the nap. You can tell I’m still dreamy eyed and barely awake.
3) The last one is Raynie in my lap last week. I’m pretending they’re here and just not awake, yet. We sure miss them!

The neuropathy isn’t responding to the medication, yet. It’s spreading up my fingers. It’ll be interesting to see how it works this week and what adjustments the doctor will make to my treatment. I’ll post as soon as I hear from the doctor in Houston. I’ll call and leave a message tomorrow to add to the email I sent last week. It’s not something I can’t handle; it’s just not any fun.

I should report to you the good news. I think the hair on my legs is gone. That’s way cool. It’s nice to have a break from shaving those legs for a while. The hair on my arm is still long and has staying power, though. Go figure! I have gobs of peach fuzz on my face, as always, too. I wondered if that counted for hair; guess not. Oh! The rest of the good news is that those whiskers or misplaced eyebrows that kept bothering me on my chin haven’t returned. I hope the chemo got them! How cool is that!

Today has been a good restful day. I think I need this from time to time. I don’t think I did anything constructive, but I know the rest was good. God is great to provide a comfortable home, a wonderful bed and friends and family who will give me space but still love me plenty. I am so blessed! Thank you for being a part of my life. God bless!

Precious memories make me want to keep the home place.

Don has been watching football today, so I've been a free agent! We joined David and Dorothy for breakfast at the Kozy Diner, and then stopped at another yard sale on the way home. (Got a brand new electric broom to help us do quick clean ups and great for dusting.) By the time we got home I was fading fast, so I took a nap for nearly an hour and a half. I woke up in time to fix a quick lunch and I’ve been doing research on the computer since. (Checking out peripheral neuropathy and reconstruction options.) I did stop to fix a quick supper. Don is so easy to feed; he’s a saint.

I’ve got to do some time on the Power Plate and the Jiggler. That should help with the neuropathy, I think. I did get out and get the weeds that were left sprayed. It feels good to get that job done. It’s hard to spray for weeds because it’s always so windy and if it’s not windy then it’s so hot. I also got my rings, necklace and bracelet cleaned. My body turns everything black, so I have to clean it pretty often. I thought I’d better do it while my fingers will work.

I enjoyed ‘piddling’ around today. Last weekend having the kids here made me realize that we really need to keep this house. It’s so much fun to have them here. We usually don’t have anyone here, and I think we’re crazy to keep a house this big. Then we have them here and I think, “Of course we need this house!” Today I was thinking more about that. If we move to a smaller place I’d have to give up a lot of my ‘stuff,’ too. I don’t like that idea. I’m working to scale down, but I really like my collection of ‘stuff.’ I need to streamline it and get rid of what I will never use, but I so often go dig out something I’ve had for years. It’s me. It’s just who I am. Stuff; that’s me: a collection of stuff. I just need to get rid of the cancer sort of stuff. Ha! Poor Don. I think he’d like to sell this house and be somewhere smaller and he almost had me talked into it. Now I’m backsliding and leaning toward wanting to keep it. There are so many good memories here. I guess if we move we’ll still have the memories, but I love to relive them by living here. The most important thing is to be content; so I’ll be content wherever he takes me.

Pictures on the blog today:

1) Sadie and Mason last weekend.
2) Pop and Mason; Pop is a saint.
3) Our good friends Dorothy and David Rule at a card game, here last March. They count for many of the precious memories in this house. David is my favorite cowboy whether he’s wearing his hat or not. Years ago, when Dorothy married him our mutual good friend told me, “There’s not a better man in Hobart, than David Rule.” We’ve found that to be so true, except we’d stretch it to the whole world as we know it; not just Hobart. He’s the best and Dorothy deserves the best! (Notice the picture and the fish on the wall behind them; my great friend, Mike Buchanan, another real He-man in our lives, did those.)

I thank God for our precious family and friends and the ability to remember and treasure the memories.

Friday, a play day.

Today was cooler than usual, so I was able to go out and work in the weeds for a couple of hours. I really enjoyed being outside and not worrying about sweating. Maybe it’s because my body runs so cold these days. Don went out and poured sweat. He mowed and pulled lots of weeds, too. Anyway it was good for me. I got a good bath and then a good nap, so I was ready to play cards tonight.

We had a great time and I got ‘my favorite cowboy’ to bring his hat to have our picture made together. This is David, who I speak of so often. His wife is Dorothy and we love them both so much. I’ve pictured Dorothy several times and David gets into the pictures sometimes. I just love that hat on him. He’s such a cool guy. He knows something about everything, but he doesn’t flaunt it. I just pay attention and appreciate how wise and knowledgeable he is. There is not a kinder person in the world, and I don’t know anyone who looks better in a cowboy hat. He would never wear it in the house, except for a picture, either.

So, the pictures on the blog tonight are:

1) Me with my favorite cowboy, David Rule.
2) Rayne in her biggest brother, Nate’s, lap. Nate will be 16 in March; he’s a great big brother. Rayne looks a lot like he did as a baby. Actually, they all look alike!
3) A picture of Rayne when we were trying so hard to get a picture of her smiling. She was enjoying it, and smiling a lot, but I’m not as quick on the click as she is on the smiles. Precious memories for which we give thanks!

I’ve had several emails and calls asking if I’ve heard from the doctor in Houston, yet. I haven’t. In fact I had a return receipt requested on the email and I haven’t gotten that receipt, so she hasn’t even gotten my email, yet. I’m surprised. They are usually very prompt. I imagine I’ll hear from them on Monday. I’ll keep you informed as to what I hear from her and how this neuropathy thing goes. My fingers and toes are really hurting tonight. I found myself cringing whenever someone at the table strummed their fingers on the table as they waited for their turn. We had the tablecloth and pad, so there was no noise, but I thought “Ouch, that must hurt!” My toes feel like I cut all my toenails and got to the quick on each one. I can’t believe how this is happening so quickly. I always put soda in my bath and I dropped the box of soda today, so I had to clean that up; that’s a neuropathy thing. I’d never make a mess like that, knowing I’d have to clean it up! I’m sure glad it wasn’t a pot of beans or something! I’ll be glad for them to make some adjustment this week.

Have a great weekend! Count the blessings; there are so many! Our God is great!

Neuropathy caused by the Chemo. Ick.

Taxol is the chemotherapy that I am on. I had my 8th of 12 treatments today. I’m doing really well, but I have a side effect that is not good. I’m not throwing up and that is good. I do have neuropathy in my toes and heels and fingers that started after last week’s treatment. I was surprised that the doctor was so concerned about it today. I came home and looked it up on the Internet and found the following information. You may want to check on it:

http://www.acscsn.org/Forum/Discussion/thread/view?msgid=52880&msgrid=46

I can handle the pain I’m having now, but if it gets worse, that’ll be something new to handle. I hate the part that it my never heal! That’s a bad deal, but I trust God to handle this, too. As I understand it this neuropathy means that the nerve endings are being destroyed and it may heal or it may not. That’s not good and they and I don’t want it to get any worse. The doctor gave me a medication to take today in hopes that it will stop it by next week. The doctor will examine me next week and if the neuropathy is not better then we will back off on the Taxol and use a smaller dose. That’s the plan at this point. God is in control. If it never gets better than it is I can stand this; I really pray that it doesn’t move into my wrists and ankles and back. God knows and will take care of me; He knows what I can handle.

Other than this neuropathy, today went very well. I feel fine and thank God that nothing worse is happening. I will write an email to the doctor at MD Anderson to be sure she is involved with the plan and the treatments. My numbers were good today, so we’re playing cards here tomorrow night. I don’t have to be fast to play canasta, so I can do it!

The pictures today:

1) Trish and I visiting as Raynie sat in my lap. She was content, but you can tell she felt comfortable recognizing her mommy nearby.
2) A shot of Raynie in the tub. She loves the water, but you can tell she was thinking, ‘This feels so good, but how will I explain this when she puts these naked pictures on the blog for the whole world to see?’ She covered up her top and I cropped out the rest, so I think she’ll forgive me.
3) Poppy snuggling a sweet little Raynie. All the kids always feel so secure in his arms, whether he stands or sits. It’s amazing how he attracts and holds them. He’s a great Poppy.

We know that God is in control and we pray for His help. First I give thanks, believing that He will do what is best. The specific prayer is to thank Him for directing us to good care. Then I thank Him for catching this neuropathy before it causes permanent damage. Then I thank Him for my Jiggling George and the Power Plate to help me to keep strong and stimulate repair to my nerve endings. I thank Him for giving me strength to handle this treatment and recover completely from it. This neuropathy was only a word in the list of things that could happen until it became real today as all the details about it became meaningful as I ‘tried them on for size, and found that they fit!’ I have done so well with this treatment, so I know that I will overcome this bump in the road. God is so good. He has given us so many blessings for which and for whom we give thanks. He will continue His abundant care. God bless you for caring. Please don’t be worried; please join me and be happy that things are still good and please continue to pray and give thanks and all the glory and praise to our awesome Father.

Freezing day.

Today has been a regular hot day for Oklahoma in September, but I'm freezing. It just happens. It's the chemo. Some days are just cold. Don shakes his head as I walk in wearing sweats and a winter knit cap. I started off the day in a denim dress and a railroad conductor hat, but I added a knit cap as the day passed. Finally I wrapped up my PICC in plastic and got into a tub of hot water to warm my bones. That’s when I appeared in sweats. I used to go back and forth between whether I liked cold or hot the best. I always picked cold because you can wrap up to get warm, but when it’s really hot, there’s only so much you can do. Then I started having hot flashes and that confirmed that I like cold best. I think I like 30 best because it’s easier to live with hot or cold. At 59 the hot flashes and freezing spells are simply an endurance test. Nothing seems to help a lot. I get to be creative with piling on hats and then jerking them off. I’m glad Don finds it entertaining; some men disappear, but I thank God he doesn’t!

The pictures on the blog today are:

1) Sadie and Mason watching TV. Notice the wound on Sadie’s leg; she’s not a tomboy, but she can keep up with her brothers. Until Grace came along she was right in there with 3 brothers and she had to stand her ground. A big old scrape is nothing to her!
2) This one is Grace entertaining Poppy. She’s such a case!
3) This one is Raynie entertaining Grammy. I’d get all ready for bed and come back in to tell them goodnight and the next thing I knew I was hooked. I can’t resist them!

I never made it to the basement to get acquainted with my new sewing machine today, but I’m headed down there, now. I memorized all the goodies in the 4-drawer chest this morning. Wow: lots of notions; a lifetime collection and I’m the winner! I love it. The other little chest and the machine are downstairs, so I’m headed down to ‘the cave,’ as Don calls it. God is so good! I’m sure He’s in control of all that’s happening with me and if He thinks I need a chill, then I’m good with it. I had said I wasn’t going to do any more garage sales because I have all the ‘stuff’ 10 people need, but I know He showed us that garage sale last Friday and nudged us to stop and find that sewing machine. It’s my birthday present for my 250th birthday Don says. How funny is he? I count Don and his sense of humor and generosity when count my blessings. Besides all that he counts and keeps the numbers correctly; I count and count and count and never get to the end. He counts like it’s a math test and I count like it’s fun.

All of life is fun; even being bald. Although, if I’m freezing because I’m bald, then I think I’ll welcome back my hair. God is so good: He gives us lessons we need to learn; maybe He’s saved me from spending the rest of my life bald and in hats by giving me these freezing days!

Here's how it is.

The pictures on the blog today are from the wonderful Labor Day weekend with Trish and her family.

1) Gabe playing the guitar; I’m sure he could play some loud stuff that would make me wish he were in the basement, but he never did. He played beautiful, soft music. I smiled every time he played.
2) Another good smile we got from Raynie! She’s such a sweetie!
3) A shot of Raynie and Sadie and I. You can tell I was having a great weekend!

Many people are very concerned about me and I really appreciate that. I feel so fortunate that I’m not as sick as a dog. That may come with the last 3 months of chemo as it is a tougher mix and the doctor has warned me that it will be tougher. I’m braced for it.

You’ve seen from the pictures that my hair is gone. I still have some stubble on my head, but it was not enough to comb. It’s enough to shave! I love it being bald, but my head is really cold. I wear two or three hats most of the time; I sleep in 4 little cotton caps. (Any less and I wake up freezing, so 4 seems to be the magic number.)

You know that I get tired, so I have to nap daily if possible. It seems to be a thing I can balance fairly well and folks are very understanding that I have to escape to nap sometimes.

For the last 5 days I’ve noticed that my toes and fingers are feeling lots of tingling and pain. It’s a chemo side effect. My knees and heels hurt, too. Mostly I don’t notice it. When I go to bed, I just have to sleep on my side so that the covers and bed don’t hurt my toes and heels; plus that’s easier on my knees. When I handle dishes I have to be careful not to drop things. I had trouble buttoning a shirt today. At first I thought I’d been on my feet too much the first day I noticed it. But, it didn’t go away. My toes feel like I’ve been wearing shoes that are too little, but I don’t even wear closed toed shoes! My fingers feel like I’ve been quilting for 48 straight hours. Not! It feels like my fingers and toes are swollen and might burst, but they aren’t. When I was playing cards with Nate, I noticed that I couldn’t pick up the cards rapidly for a game that required speed. I’ve noticed that I have trouble turning pages. This is a minor thing and will go away as soon as the chemo is over. I just have to be careful that I don’t stub my toes or drop something and hurt myself and just be patient turning pages and buttoning.

That’s the report for those of you who think I’m putting up a front. This is how it really is: not so bad! It’s real, but it’s a thing I can do. Thankfully Don is a wonderful help! He did all the vacuuming today and I got the dusting done. Whew! The house is clean, so y’all come if you’ll let me get my naps! We’re counting blessings and loving every minute! Thank you, God!

Happy Labor Day!

We took so many pictures; it’s really hard to choose the ones to put onto the blog. Trish and Rob and the kids left this afternoon and they are safely home. We have the house all put back together, so it’s back to quiet and pretty much as regular as it gets around here. Tomorrow we’ll dust and vacuum. Then, I hope someone will come to see us so that we didn’t do it in vain!

We had such a good time with the kids here! I needed an accountant to count the blessings! I forget the numbers, but I know it was way lots! The kids are so fun. They really eat instead of just messing around with the food. I love that! Rob made omelets for breakfast this morning. What a cool son-in-law! Gabe and Mason caught two bullfrogs, but they let them go after holding them hostage for a couple of days Oh, I have to tell you that Gabe brought his guitar and played the most beautiful music all weekend. It’s not rock or hard anything; just beautiful music like you’d hear at a nice restaurant or something. I LOVED it. This is the same kid who catches snakes and frogs. He’s such an interesting personality!

I had a rocker here that needed a good home. Tricia’s rocker has a broken arm, so my rocker wanted to go home with her. The same son-in-law, who made breakfast, secured the rocker to the top of their van. What a guy! He must be Gabe’s dad, huh? (They look like two peas out of a pod, too!) The last picture on today’s blog is their family pulling out of the driveway with the rocker on top of the car. It was too cute a picture to not post!

The first picture is Trish and I enjoying some time with Raynie. Trish has nursed all her other babies. Raynie has a cleft palette, so she can’t nurse and has to have special bottles. It’s a lot of work for Trish because she has to pump to keep her milk coming and to keep plenty for Raynie, but it’s such a joy for the rest of us to get to feed her! We never got to feed any of the other kids, so we’re all having a ball with her. She is gaining weight really well and they expect to meet with the surgery team when she is 6 months old. They’ll do surgery to close her cleft palette so that she won’t have speech problems when she is older. She weighs a little over 9 pounds, now.

The second picture is one of Raynie smiling. She is a really happy baby and smiles a lot, but the camera isn’t fast enough to catch her at it much. I was pretty proud to get this one. Aunt Pamela, she’s wearing one of the outfits you sent to her. Thanks!

We hope your weekend was as blessed as ours! We had a wonderful time. I got good rest. Trish said she was glad to come and see that I’m really doing well. People ask Don all the time if I’m really doing well or if I’m just putting up a front. Of course I put the best pictures on the blog, but I’m really doing well. I’m not putting up any front. When I have problems I will admit them. I aim to not complain because I know that I am richly blessed and I don’t expect this to be easy; it’s my intention to give thanks because I know that God is blessing me whether it’s easy or not. The doctor from Houston called me Friday and we were talking about the next phase of chemo after the next 5 weeks. She said it will be much tougher in that I will experience more nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. (I’ve only experienced fatigue so far.) I’m braced for that. I will admit it when it happens, but believe me; you see it how it is. Thank you for caring! God is great and so are you!

Today flew like the whole weekend has. It was fun, though. After church Trish and Rob took all the kids except Raynie to the lake, so we got to keep Raynie. She was perfect, so we loved it!

We’ve eaten good, played hard and had lots of fun all weekend. Nate and Sadie and I finished our canasta game tonight. Sadie beat us!

The pictures on the blog are:

1) Grace building a tower.
2) Raynie; we were really hoping to get a smile on camera, but the camera isn’t as fast as she is! This was as close as I could get.
3) I got Rob smiling, though! I don’t get many pictures of him, so it’s right that he should be on here!

I got a nap with Raynie this afternoon, so I’m doing well. I’m going to bed in just a few minutes. Everyone else is watching TV and I’m ready for bed. God is great and has me counting so many blessings! I hope you are, too!

Such family fun!

Oh, man, we got so many pictures today; it’s hard to pick 3 to put onto the blog. You’ll see that I’m having a great holiday weekend! The first one is me holding Raynie with Mason beside me. This isn’t the best picture of Raynie; I can’t get her eyes right, but it was a fun time for us, even if her eyes are glowing. That hat is the one that Ruthie brought for me.

The second one is Nate feeding Raynie. I love catching him; he’s not as eager to be in front of the camera as the younger kids. I can’t believe he’s so big and still growing!

The third one is later in the day with me holding Raynie as Mason helps. This baby is never unattended. She makes a sound and we all pounce to get her.

I wish I could tell you all we’ve done today. It’s been so much fun. Don took Sadie, Mason and Grace to Exploration Station this morning. Rob and the big boys were hunting from 4:30 until noon. This afternoon Nate and Sadie and I played Canasta, but we haven’t finished the game yet. We’ll finish tomorrow afternoon. Gabe and Mason went to the other park and caught two bullfrogs. I’ll have to get their picture tomorrow if they survive the night. Sadie took Mason and Grace to the other park this afternoon, too. It’s been a full day! I got a wee nap in sometime this morning, but I’m ready for bed!

Grace is so impressed that I have no hair! Joan came over to see them and when she walked in, Grace said, “Grammy doesn’t have any hair!” Joan, said, “I know,” and Grace said, “Do you want to SEE it?” It’s so cute. She always follows with, “Hair grows back.” She cut hers last winter, so she knows. I also think it’s a comfort to her to know that I won’t always look like this. HA! Nate is so sweet, he says, “You still look good, Grammy.” That’s pretty cool coming from a 15 year old.

I’m up to about 6 million on blessings! God is great and I thank Him! Lots more pictures coming in the days to come!