Blanket wrap!

Today has been a great day. I remembered this blanket sort of getup that I had stashed. It’s a wonderful thing for me to wear around and help me to keep warm! The pictures on the blog today are me in the blanket wrap; one showing the whole outfit and one up close so Gretta can see the dealy-bobs left from her hair days. Remember those Jilly? They are those clippies wrapped in red and white ribbons with beads hanging from them. They must be 25 years old! I’m such a pack rat!

Nothing new is happening around here. We’re ready to go to Lawton tomorrow; I sure hope my numbers are okay. We’ll get up and be at the hospital at 8 in the morning to get my blood checked. I’ll post results of the day on the blog tomorrow. I thank God for being in charge! I thank Him for recalling to my memory about this blanket wrap, too. It’s great! Only my feet, hands and head are out in the open; it surely is helping my comfort level! Too bad it's not pink so I could look my best. Ha!

God bless!

Gabe got a deer!

Today has been a good day. I feel pretty good and have rested, as well as gotten laundry half done. It’s done; just not all put where it goes. I’ll put it where it goes tomorrow. It’s been football around here all day. That Tennessee/Kentucky game was too much, but I’m proud that Tennessee finally won it in the 4th overtime!

Today was bandage change day, so that’s always an ‘event’ at this house. You know, we have to be so sterile, etc. Putting on the gloves, etc. is a big deal. The PICC line is a constant bother to me, and when we change the bandage I’m excited because the old bandage has become a burden because it is wrinkled and pulling my skin. At least I’m not allergic to this adhesive. It’s the 4th bandage we’ve used and I was allergic to the adhesive on all the others. The adhesive eats my skin and makes it blister and burn. This bandage bothers me, but it doesn’t eat the skin. I’m glad to have the PICC line so that they don’t have to dig for veins, but I’ll be really glad when it can be gone. It’s a constant probable location for infection, too, so we have to be very careful with it. I’m not complaining, but confiding one of the stress factors in my ‘de-stressed’ life. Ha! It’s kind of funny for this pack rat. We have to use a totally new kit for each bandage change and each kit comes with a little pair of scissors. So, we have over 20 pairs of scissors collected, now. Anybody need any scissors?

The greatest news today is that Gabe got his first deer today! He and Nate went hunting with Rob’s dad and Gabe got a buck. It has 6 points on his rack; he would have had 10 except he had an accident or something and broke some, evidently. I’m very happy for Gabe! Nate got sick, so he’s at the lease feeling bad. If he feels better tomorrow he’ll go out and see what he can do. Gabe’s deer will provide them with about 80 pounds of meat. Gabe will love that. He loves to cook, so he’ll be fixing some good meals for the family I imagine. I’m sure glad that Rob’s dad likes to do this stuff; what a great experience for the boys! I hope they get a picture of Gabe with the deer; if I get one, I’ll be sure to put it onto the blog.

The picture on the blog tonight is me ready for bed with my flowers that are opening. I am really enjoying them. I thank God for keeping the boys safe as they hunt. I pray that Nate is better tomorrow and that they have a safe trip home. I thank God for a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend for all our families and for health and happiness. What more could we ask? To Him be the glory!

Freezing from the inside; chemo thermostat!

I am going through a freezing state, again. Don even changed our thermostats so that it’s warmer in the house, but I’m still freezing. I’m wearing 4 hats (two pink sleep hats and a white baseball cap and a pink one); long sleeves; long pants; a flannel lined jacket and a corn buddy around my neck. I’m still freezing. It just comes from within, I think. Last night I couldn’t get warm and it continued today. When I sit or lay down I have two rice buddies I drape around me, too. It makes it possible, but I never get warm. God has a way of making me appreciate things, like a warm house and a microwave to warm my buddies.

The picture on the blog today shows the last of the rebloomers. I cut these Wednesday before we had our first freeze. Whatever stalks were out there, I cut and brought inside; I hope most of them will open. I’m patient and will wait on them. I think it’s such a blessing to have fresh cut flowers from the yard after Thanksgiving!!! God is so extravagant with His goodness and blessings to us.

Last night was a tough night for me. Nothing seemed to work right. I was freezing and couldn’t get warm. I got so inspired with eating great food yesterday that I forgot to take my Gabapentin for the neuropathy. What a mistake. I went to bed and the pains started shooting. I hadn’t had many of those in a while, so it reminded me that I hadn’t taken my pills. UGH. I paid the price. I wasn’t sleepy for some reason and the freezing and pains in my toes and fingers didn’t help. My left big toe was throbbing like I’d dropped a brick on it. The nails are getting so thick; I keep thinking the covers will pull the nails off of those big toes. Yesterday my head started feeling really sore, but it was just on top of my head. When I lay down in bed last night I realized it had moved down to my neck, so I couldn’t sleep on my back because it hurt my head. It’s not like a headache. It’s like my head is sunburned; it only hurts to touch it. It reminds me of how sore my head was when I was losing my hair. I don’t have any hair to lose, but maybe it’s the same sort of thing? It’s funny; all the hair that was left on my body is nearly gone. I have a few hanging onto my arms and a few straggling eyebrows and lashes . . . precious few! I don’t even have any peach fuzz left on my face; I’ve had peach fuzz ever since I can remember, so this is so strange! I really feel like a generic person and will be very glad to have some hair return to my body. I hope I remember to never complain about shaving or hair again! I got out of bed at 12:30 and sat up until around 4:30 when I finally fell asleep in Don’s recliner. At 6:30 I woke up and got into bed and slept until 8. I got a nap for an hour and a half today. I hope I’ll sleep like a brick tonight. I DID NOT forget my Gabapentin!

I know many of you have family with you or you are with them. Enjoy every moment and join me in thanking God for family and friends!

Happy Thanksliving every day!

I borrowed today’s title from a friend who writes a good lesson every week. I like the concept of Thanksliving. It means to me to be thankful every day that we live and that’s easy for me. It would be hard to limit giving thanks to one day a year or even to a season or even to meal times. I love being thankful all the time.

In case any of you were concerned about our meal today; don’t be! We had plenty. I even dug out a table cloth AND place mats for our dinner. I hope none of my home economics teachers are looking at how we set the table. I really know how to do it right, but Don is left handed, so he sets it like it works for him. I am thankful that he’ll help me set it! It looks pretty scant, but it was PLENTY for us. I packaged up dressing for 4 more meals besides what I saved for supper tonight; they went back into the freezer. I have gobs of turkey and two more pans of dressing in the freezer. I expect we’ll bake one of those pans of dressing on Christmas day to make the house smell good, again. Actually, I had made a pink salad but Don won’t eat it and I knew I couldn’t eat it with all the rest we had. I’ll have it for snacks, I guess. We enjoyed a meal with a tablecloth and we borrowed ‘Elena’s flowers.

Oh, I must tell you. Garrett called to visit with me today and Elena was in the background crying. I asked him why she was crying and he said, “Oh, Mom walked past her and didn’t pick her up; she always pitches a fit when anyone does that.” I said, “Oh; well, I guess she’s just not a ‘magazine girl, huh?’” He said, “Yeah, I think she’s a magazine girl!” I said, “Well, you were a ‘magazine boy,’ but you didn’t hardly ever cry.” He said, “Well, except for the crying, she’s a ‘magazine girl.’” See? He’s still a ‘magazine boy!’ He thinks so positively about everything. I had to agree with him, that he probably didn’t cry because someone always picked him up before he did! It’s pretty sweet of a 10-year-old boy to be that proud of a baby sister who came along, interrupting his only child world! I give thanks that he thinks she’s a ‘magazine girl.’

The other pictures on the blog are of Davy (in the OSU shirt) and Bruce (who we follow all over to watch play baseball, football and basketball). They came by for a surprise visit yesterday. How cool is that hat? They were smart to keep a tight hand on it; I had my eye on it! I’m so into hats these days; but more into hair. Two more treatments and I’m going to be growing hair and pleased to do it!

Give God the glory . . .”For thine is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory.” It’s all His and He lets us use it and enjoy it. PTL!

Happy Birthday, Gabe!

Today is our Gabe’s 13th birthday. All day I’ve thought of the day he was born 13 years ago. That was such an exciting day! Those 13 years have flown. He was a little kid, but at 13 he’s just not a little kid anymore. The picture on the blog today is Gabe back in June of this year when we were at the Fox family reunion.

Today Don and I were watching Dr. Phil when the doorbell rang. We were surprised to find Davy and Bruce at the door! What a fun surprise. They visited for a while before they left to head on to Susan’s parent’s house for TG tomorrow. Their visit made our day!

Today I’ve felt pretty good, still. I keep hoping that it’s a sign that my numbers are moving into the position where they should be. My fingers and toes continue to feel better. I think the neuropathy is improving. Davy looked at my toenails and fingernails and he thinks they look like they’ll come off, too. He’s lost toenails before, so he’s a pro. I’m keeping them trimmed real short so they won’t get caught on something. From what I read on the Internet they’ll come off when the time is right.

I think my eyebrows and eyelashes are just about gone. This last round of chemo is getting what hair the Taxol left. It’s okay. I’m not complaining, but reporting how it is. Just two more treatments and then the hair will come back with gusto, I imagine. I haven’t missed shaving at all, so I’m going to enjoy the freedom from the razor while it lasts.

I hope only a few people have time to look at this blog tonight because they are all welcoming family or joining family. Family is such a great blessing. Let’s all give a huge thanks tomorrow for our family and our health and safe travels. God bless and Happy Birthday, Gabe!

"Don't do this at home."

There is a picture on the blog today, but you’ve got to have a good humor to go there. If you don’t have a good humor, don’t go any farther. Just know that I love you for looking and caring and God bless! Now close your browser.

If you’re really brave see the rest of today’s report and then you’ll see the picture at the bottom. I was goofing off last night and had Don take a picture of me in a ribbon like Elena. It worked so well for her, but if you’re brave enough to look all the way at the bottom, you’ll see that it doesn’t work for ‘baby grammies!’ I couldn’t stick all four of my fingers in my mouth like she did; I’ve got way more teeth than she does! Plus, she didn’t think it was funny, but I couldn’t keep a straight face. “Don’t try this at home!”

Today was our last warm day for a while. Tonight it won’t freeze, but it will turn cool and not warm up for several days. Tomorrow I’ll go outside and cut all the stalks on my irises and see if the buds will open in the warmth of the house.

Don and I went out and sat on the back deck for one last time this year; likely it won’t be warm enough to sit outside again before we come home in the spring. It was sure nice.

I’ve felt good today. It’s hard to believe my numbers are so bad; maybe they’re working their way back to good. I hope so. I went out to the deck to trim my toenails; I hate them flying all over the place in the house! It really looks like I’m going to lose the two big toenails and maybe 3 fingernails on each hand. I’ve never lost a nail before, but these just don’t look ‘right.’ They are very discolored and thick; they look like they are rising up off my fingers and toes. That’s weird to me, but it’s a learning experience. I keep saying, “Things could be so much worse!” I’m happy that we have had this many warm days, even if I was freezing most of the time.

Thanksgiving is really close. If you are traveling, be safe. I pray that your families will be safe if they are coming to you. Regardless, enjoy every moment of every day and count the blessings as you go.

Flunked the blood tests.

Today I had my blood drawn for the tests. My numbers were all low. ICK. Of course it’s not unusual for them to be low at this point in the treatment. The chemo knocks my immunity down; that’s normal. I only hope that my body will be able to build back by next Monday. I called the doctor’s office and got them to fax orders here for me to have my blood drawn again next Monday before I go to Lawton for treatment. I can be at the hospital here at 8 and have the test results within 15 minutes. If the numbers are up then we can be in Lawton in time for my 9:45 appointment. If they aren’t up enough, then at least we won’t have to drive an hour there to find out that I can’t do the treatment. I have to remind myself that God’s timing is the best. He is in charge of all my care, so He’ll have it like He wants it and I’m good with that.

We didn’t take pictures today because everything here is the same. I’m snuggling under my special quilt! I’m resting all I can and eating right. It’s all I can do.

I put pictures on the blog of our little dolly Elena. The first one is her playing with a prize that I’m sure her mommy let her have in hopes she’d get a good picture. Every picture is a good one. The other picture is Elena with her Daddy. She is like him right down to her ears! I think it is such a sweet picture. I see Gretta in her sometimes, but she is so much like her Daddy, it’s unbelievable.

I keep forgetting to tell those of you who bought chances on the quilt that none of us won it. A lady from Roosevelt (about 14 miles south of here) won it. Thanks to all of you who participated. It was fun to have some chances and dream about it.

I thank God for being in charge. I thank Him for our dollies and their sweet dads. We are so blessed. I thank Him for all our families and friends. Your support means so much; I love you!

Happy Birthday, Deanna!

Share the miracles. Jesus instructed, "Return home and tell how much God has done for you." Luke 8:39 (NIV). Somewhere, some wandering soul needs to hear the wonders of God. Tell him the good news.

This came to me today in an email and I thought it was so appropriate to think about when so many people are going home to celebrate Thanksgiving. Some of us aren’t going home, but we are staying home. Either way, it’s so good to think of how much God has done for us. Certainly it’s good to share it with anyone who will listen because someone could be uplifted by it and it may give them hope.

The pictures on the blog today are some miracles to me. The first one is Blake, who is Ruthie’s youngest grandbaby. Is he a doll or what? He has some more of those awesome blue eyes. Blue eyes are having a good run in our family this year. Our mom had beautiful blue eyes, and I’m sure there are others, but it’s sweet to me to think that maybe she passed down those blue eye genes. Blake has certainly been a gift to our family this year. Check out that beautiful hair, too!

The second picture on the blog is the view off Ruthie’s back porch. Her porch used to be our porch and we left that to come to reblooming irises. Ha! Actually, we left that to come to look after Don’s dad, who had Alzheimer’s. We wonder why things happen the way they do, but that move brought us closer to 8 of our grandkids in the grand scheme of things. It was a joy to know Don’s dad so well over the last several years of his life, too. It had many sad moments, but we grew a lot in character in wisdom through that time. I wouldn’t take anything for the experience. I sure miss this view, though and precious Blake and his older brothers. We can’t have everything in life, but the many blessings are awesome. It’s good that God is in control.

Blake’s mother is Deanna and her birthday is today. I think Blake was this year’s best birthday present to their whole family and me, too. Happy Birthday, Deanna!

Memories of hair and a wonderful visit.

Today I’ve felt good again. EXCEPT, a couple of days ago I woke up with a bloodshot eye (research tells me that fatigue can cause that and it’s not dangerous but may take 10-14 days to disappear) and a sore ankle. The ankle seems to have a spider sort of vein on the inside and is swollen. It’s very sore and feels better when I keep it up. That makes it hard to be at the computer. So, I’ll make this short.

The pictures on the blog tonight are one of me snuggling under Diana’s quilt and one of Don and I on the last day that I had wispy hair. Ruthie and Phil took this picture the day they left and I shaved my head that day. Ruthie just sent it tonight, so it’s kind of an interesting shot since I haven’t had hair for so long (nearly 3 months, now).

My flowers are still beautiful. I’m so blessed! I really feel pretty good to be 4 months into chemotherapy. I am so grateful that the tumor is shrinking (98% is awesome!). I’m very pleased to have a plan in place for the rest of my treatment. It feels good to me. I thank God for being in control and I trust Him to drive my treatments and have His will in my life.

This Monday I will go to the hospital here in town to have my blood tested to see how my numbers are going. I sure hope they look good. If how I feel means anything then I think they’ll be good. I feel good except for this ankle. So many way worse things could be happening, so I’m grateful! God blesses us all; let’s give thanks every day and not just on Thanksgiving Day. But, enjoy Thanksgiving Day with families if possible!

God's colors.

Happy Friday! Today I’m celebrating God’s colors. I love colors. I know lots of places there are beautiful leaves at this time of year. We’ve seen some as we drive from here to Houston and home, but it’s nothing like back east. We have enough to enjoy, though. Then I have these awesome irises. Can you tell I love them? The first picture on the blog tonight is Elena’s 8-month picture. Gretta had them do it in black and white, but leave her blue eyes. We can’t get over her blue eyes. Those are God’s colors!

The second picture is the vase of irises from my yard. I’m so pleased to have them. They take my breath every time I look at them. These are more of God’s colors!

The third picture is what I’ve called the black iris, but you can see it is really a very deep purple. This is more of God’s colors.

I thank Him for colors. Black and white are beautiful, too. I thank Him for the ability to see the colors.

I thank Him for our precious grandbabies and their health and happiness. I haven’t seen Elena since she was a newborn, so I can hardly wait until they meet us in Branson in January. I thank God for digital cameras, computers and the Internet so that we can keep in touch with family and friends. Thank you for checking the blog and caring to keep up with us. God bless.

Great first day home!

Today was a really good day! I’ve felt pretty good and never got a nap! I did lie down for a couple of hours this afternoon, but I just read and didn’t sleep; it was good rest and I got up feeling refreshed. I was freezing, so it was a good time to let the rice buddies warm me.

I had two guests come today. The first one was Diana Clark. She came bringing a lap quilt she made and her quilting club helped her to quilt. These are all ladies I know, so this is really a special quilt. Diana put a sweet note on the back; probably it’s my favorite part. It says: “To my brave friend Jo. A little quilt to keep you warm during your recovery. Love, Diana 2007” How cool is that? The quilt is so pretty. The pictures on the front of the quilt are a bunch of ladies in hats and scarves! Her husband, Bob (We went to school together in Japan and he is one of my bald buddies.), thought maybe she shouldn’t give it to me because it would bring back memories of a bad time. Not at all! I love this quilt and it will always remind me of the great support I’ve had during this time. This time is not a bad time; it’s a challenging time, but it’s so rewarding and I love all the love that’s being shown to me. This quilt is the perfect emblem of this time and all the great support I’m getting. It doesn’t have the guy support on it, but it’ll represent the guys to me, too. It just says support in a real special way. The quilting pattern is hearts, so that’s where the guys come in; all the guys in my life have huge hearts! Just ask their women!

The pictures on the blog tonight are of the quilt and some of the flowers from yesterday that were mostly buds. The other vase has in it the BLACK irises that Joan brought over this morning. We had a freeze here last night and she had these black irises that survived. She can’t tolerate their fragrance, so she brought them to me. I LOVE them! They aren’t really black, but so nearly. There is some real deep purple on it, but it’s nearly black. It’s so gorgeous!

I thank God for the beautiful flowers and for the wonderful friends. I’m so glad I felt like enjoying all this and I thank God for that, too! What a blessed time this is in my life; please be happy with me and join me in thanking God for all the blessings in our lives.

The wanderers are home! Home sweet home!

We had a fine trip home, but we’re both so tired. It was funny today as we drove through Texas there were several signs about some elderly people who were missing from Lubbock with the details of their vehicle, license number, etc. I told Don I should write the blog tonight and tell you all that these lost elderly folks from Hobart are FOUND and HOME! Praise God for our safe trip and I pray that they find those folks from Lubbock, safely.

The pictures on the blog tonight are of the flowers that were waiting for me when I got home. Joan is such a dear to keep me in flowers. She’s the one who gave me all my rebloomers. She also handles our mail and watches the house whenever we’re gone. She’s a dear!

The housekeeping angel, Angela came today and cleaned the house, so we came home to a fresh, clean house. PTL! How sweet it is that I didn’t have to come home and clean. I’ve got to unpack and that’s about all I can do! God is good. He provides the people we need in our lives when we need them. I think it’s one way that He appears; through others. You prove that to me when you show up on the blog comments!

God bless!

Results of last appointments before surgery!

The pictures on the blog today are last night when Heather brought Luke over to give us our grandkid fix. Heather is Doris and Jerry’s daughter-in-law and Luke is their grandson who they keep a day or two a week. Luke has been here lots when we’ve been here, so we’re so hooked on him. It was sure fun to get to see Heather and Luke for a while!

The rest of what needs to be on the blog today are the results from my appointments today. Here goes:

1) My numbers are still good, so I can get out of the car and eat on the way home. J They tend to hit the bottom on day 10 and that won’t be until Thursday.
2) My tumor is still shrinking. It had shrunken by 96% last month when we were here. It has shrunken another 50% now. That means that it has shrunken 98% since the beginning of chemo. That’s really good.
3) My surgery is scheduled for January 28th. I’ll have to be here the 24th for pre-op ‘stuff.’
4) My surgery will consist of removing both breasts.
5) Radiation will begin as soon as the drains can be removed: 3-5 weeks after the surgery.
6) I can’t do the reconstruction that I prefer (tram flap) until 6-12 months AFTER the radiation, so I will be flat chested all next year and will hope to have the reconstruction around Thanksgiving or Christmas. It’ll take me 6 weeks to recover from it, so I won’t be back to ‘normal’ as soon as I’d hoped. I can adjust; I’m getting good at adjusting. (I keep telling Don that, but he’s not convinced.)

I think that’s what came out of today’s appointments. I liked the surgeon and the radiation oncologist very much, so that’s a good thing.

I believe that God leads us, directs us, and protects us. I thank Him for all that and ask Him to continue it. I trust His will and His plan. Thank you so much for caring enough to hang tough with this blog. I know I get so wordy and it’s hard to stick with me, so THANKS! I love you for looking and love you for posting if you’re one who posts. If you don’t post, that’s okay, too; I feel you out there. God bless!

Garrett honors us!

Today has turned into a really full day. I’ve had only to relax today, so that was good. Tonight Heather and Luke came over for a visit, so that was so nice! I have pictures of that visit to put on the blog tomorrow night with news from our doctor visits tomorrow.

Tonight the biggest news is that our Magazine Boy, Garrett, was able to attain his goal of being on the honor role for this grading period. We are so proud of him! He is as sharp as any tack, but he has a learning disability, which makes transferring something from his mind to paper very difficult and a slow process. Unfortunately, teachers usually want to see work on paper, so he is very challenged by school. We are so proud of him for even setting this goal and striving for it; to attain it is very exceptional and we are honored by his success! Way to go, Garrett!

The pictures on the blog tonight are of Garrett, his sister Elena celebrating her big brother’s success, and the beautiful flowers Doris has in ‘our bathroom.’ How blessed are we? I’ve called Garrett my Magazine Boy since he was born. He was the only baby I ever knew who could stick to a schedule and even seemed to feel comforted by it. He has always been polite and done his best to comply with all rules and requests, and so I called him my Magazine Boy. He has always loved school, and he catches on to all the work, but he has been so challenged to be able to ‘give the work’ back to the teachers at the speed they wanted and in the format they wanted. We thank God for helping him to hang tough and persevere until he could attain this goal. We thank God for Garrett’s baby sister who adores her big brother. We thank God for so many blessings for our family.

Tonight I especially ask God to give us courage through our appointments tomorrow and thank Him for giving this opportunity for my healing. Tomorrow we’ll make lots of decisions and we thank Him for direction and courage. Thank you for reading about us and our family.

More Raynie pictures from Saturday.

Oh, yeah; Dad! I think I know this game!

But, Dad? Did you realize that we're in a parking lot? I mean, are you not even a little embarrassed to be playing these silly flying games in front of all these people? I mean it's okay for me, but you're a grown up! Are you sure you want to do this?

Okay, you got me. I just can't handle you tickling my feet FOREVER! I give up: BIG GRIN! Dads and Pops are just the best, even in the parking lot!

Our trip to Houston went very well. I’ve typed this far and made 5 mistakes, so I know that I’m VERY tired. We were visiting with Doris and Jerry and I could tell I was fading fast, so I left Don visiting with them to come do this blog and get ready for bed. I did the pictures and captions last night, so that part was done already. I’m still reveling in my joy from the grandkid fix yesterday!

Tomorrow we will rest. Tonight I will rest. Tomorrow I’ll put on the blog a picture of the beautiful irises that Doris has in ‘our’ bathroom. She is such a dear!

We thank God for today’s safe travels, for precious family, and for this avenue to communicate with precious friends, too! God bless. (I thank Him for spell check, too, or you’d be reading through this like a foreign language.)

A marvelous day.

Today was wonderful because we drove to Weatherford and met Trish and Rob with our ‘junk around town van.’ Their van died last week and they had someone working on it, but then it blew a head gasket, so it’s really dead. We don’t need two cars when we are in Houston with one of them, or even when we are here, so we offered to let them use our Astro until they can make a better plan. We mostly use that Astro to get junk at yard sales and I’m not in the market for more junk, so it’s at a good place at their house. The best part is that we got to see Trish and Rob and 3 of the grandkids. The pictures on the blog are me holding Raynie, Grace, and then Gabe. There is a really pretty one of Rainie and Don, but I’ll put it on the blog tomorrow. We had to really work at getting her to smile, and then we couldn’t get the camera to snap quickly enough to get it. Grace can hold a smile, but Raynie just flashes them.

I haven’t been out in what seems like forever except to go to the doctor’s office, so it was fun for me to go somewhere. I came home and took a good nap. I’m just about ready to go to Houston tomorrow. I feel rejuvenated to have seen some of the kids. It’s amazing how big our garage is with only one van in it, too!

We thank God for a safe trip for all of us and for everyone being healthy so I could get hugs. My numbers should be okay for a few more days, too, so I should be pretty safe. God is good! It was good for Trish to drive the Astro. They had an Astro before we did and they got us hooked on ours. I think she wants to get another one, now; an Astro feels good. Too bad Chevy quit making them; they’ll have to find a good used one. God will provide; He never fails.

A precious link and a great update on Sidney!

My friend, La Moyne, who knows someone everywhere I go sent me this today. It is so precious. If you believe in God you'll sure want to listen to this. Gretta you've got to go there; If I didn't know better I'd think this was Garrett; he sounds just like this boy. I started to send this out to the folks I thought would like it and decided it would be better to put it on the blog.

A remarkable phone call from a 12-yr old boy to Houston radio station KSBJ FM 89.3. So profound, the station has it posted on their website. Click on the link below. It's short, and so worth it.

http://www.ksbj.org/eblogs/morningShow/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/logan-calf-story.mp3

Today has been a better day for me. I’ve been incredibly tired, but I’m almost ready to go to Houston on Sunday. Tomorrow I’ll do the last minute things. All I have to do on Sunday is rest in the car; poor Don has to drive. We’ll have Monday to rest. Then on Tuesday I’ll see the radiology oncologist; the surgeon and the regular oncologist. Plus I’ll have another ultrasound and blood work done. The plan for the rest of the adventure should take some real shape on Tuesday. I’ll keep you posted as soon as I know anything

I napped off and on all day today. Between each chore I’d lay down. It’s how it has to be until I can gather some energy. I’ll gather it when God is ready for me to have it; right now He means for me to rest, I think.

The pictures on the blog today aren’t very exciting. You know I’m in dire need for picture material when I put on my scrappy old feet and fingers. I’ve cut my toe nails as short as I can get them to keep them from bumping on stuff which hurts and I fear that I’ll pull off the nails. My fingernails are cut to the quick, but they look long. If I cut them any shorter they’ll bleed. I guess my quicks are right on the end of my fingers. I saw these pictures today and realized I need to lotion these feet. I haven’t done that because that makes my feet so slippery and I’m afraid I’ll fall since they are so numb; slippery is the last thing I need. I did lotion them good tonight after my bath, though. Surely they’ll look better for the next picture. (Do you know how hard it is to take a picture with my left hand?)

Oh! There is a great update on our friend’s grandson, Sidney. Those of you who follow this blog closely know that Sidney had a 4-wheeler accident on September 26th and was flown into Oklahoma City, not expected to live. God heard our prayers and Sidney healed miraculously. This week he was able to go back to school! This is 6 weeks later and he is doing so well. He still has some swelling on the brain, but they say it will take some time for it to completely go away. His vision has cleared. He has lost his sense of smell, but he can live with that if it never returns. He leaves school about 10 minutes before the bell rings so that he’s exposed to any rough housing. What a blessing! Thank you so much for your prayers. God is so good!

Don’t we KNOW that God is good! How blessed are we to have such a wonderful Father. Our niece, Peggy would say, “Make a good weekend.” I agree with her; it’s up to us to make it happen, so let’s do it and give thanks!

I'm free of the pump, yet again!

The last 24 hours has been hairy, but it could have been so much worse. I was so tired yesterday that I kept forgetting to take my anti-nausea medicine. So, the nausea kept getting ahead of me! DUH! Finally, I SET MY PHONE to remind me to take it. Today I felt better, but I was still so dragging. We had to go back to Lawton to have my pump disconnected this afternoon, so we did that without any problems. I’m still feeling so tired. I’m not sick, though! I think I’ve learned THAT lesson. To think some people are sick like this the whole time. I have so much for which to give thanks!

The first picture on the blog is the first picture that Don took this morning. I was putting my best face forward, but I really felt as low as I hardly ever get. Then Don went and got the mail and it was so full of surprises for me! A good friend sent me his own Natural Habitat hat that he says he doesn’t need. It is the very warmest hat that I have! Thanks so much, Vereal!!! Then in yet another package was a precious breast cancer bracelet with the words “Life, a reason for Hope!” written on the card. Isn’t that SO true? Thanks, La Moyne and Travis! So, I had to have Don take another picture with me modeling the new hat and bracelet. That’s the second picture on the blog today.

After I opened the gifts, I opened a precious card from the church in Springville, where we used to live and my sister, Ruthie and her husband Phil still live. I think the whole church signed the card and some wrote notes and even drew pictures. What a sweet and fun thing to receive! Thanks so much to all of you at the Springville Church of Christ!

So, I had the lift I needed to get me through the morning. Getting the pump disconnected was the lift I needed to get me through the afternoon. Tonight, I get to get into the tub and that’ll be my lift for the night. God is so good to us! Friends and family are so awesome and the gift of healing is some more of God’s abundance for me. I thank Him and thank you for caring about me.

A bit better day.

Today started out really well. I got up and got dressed right away. I was so tired of that gown even if Garrett and I do love it! I was walking around the house like I was going somewhere instead of just dragging one foot after the other. Then about lunchtime, all of a sudden, it was like I was a balloon with a slow leak. I just fizzled. I fixed Don’s salad and thawed his chicken and told him to eat whenever he got ready; I had to go to bed. I woke up after about an hour nap but didn’t even feel like getting up. I figured I needed the rest, so I laid there for another couple of hours. I talked to God; He’s great company! They say the rest is the best thing I can do for my numbers besides eating right, so I’ve got to get some good food in me for supper. I can do that.

The pictures on the blog today are Elena and I enjoying Ruthie’s bouquets that I cut yesterday. Aren’t we lucky to have them in November? I so love them! Notice in the second picture how black my middle fingernail is. It looks bad, but I really think they are feeling better! I thought last night when I went to bed that my neuropathy is down from a 7 to a 6 on a scale of 1-10. I thought it might be because I hadn’t done anything all day yesterday, but it still feels better today. I thank God for that! He is so good to us. This time for me to rest is good and I thank Him for that, too. Many people my age are still working outside the home. I don’t know how they do it and go through chemo, but many do. Many are younger and have children still at home, too. Of course, many don’t have husbands, and some have husbands who are demanding and some walk out on them. I’m so blessed and Thank God for my blessings. Thank you for caring enough to keep up with us! I know that I’m getting better and better every day. There will be down days and up days. But in the long run, I’ll be all better and bouncing off the walls this time next year. I look forward to it!

Happy Birthday, Ruthie, but I'm dragging!

Today is Ruthie’s birthday, so I hope it was a good day for her! It was a low down day for me. This morning I woke up at 3:30 sick, but I took a pill and haven’t had any more trouble. It was just a reminder that I had pills and was supposed to be taking them, I guess. Then the steroids kept me awake until 7:30 and I went back to bed. At 10, I woke up, but didn’t even feel like dressing. How much energy does that take? More than I had!

The chemo nurse called to ask if I was doing okay and I told her how tired I was and about the nausea. She said as long as the pills were working I was doing fine. The fatigue is normal. This is how the drugs work on me. As long as Don doesn’t mind me dragging around in my gown and robe and 3 hats, I’m okay, I guess. I put on the gown that Garrett said was so beautiful when he saw it. He said, “Grammy that gown is so beautiful; my mom must have given it to you.” It’s a gown I got at a yard sale! I thought that was such a sweet thought of his, though: if it was something beautiful then his mom must have given it to me. I guess she’s not only special to us, huh?

Anyway, I took another 2-hour nap this afternoon. The rest of the time I’ve been up, but barely got anything done; just dragging around. I did cut the irises that were showing color. I think they’ll open in the house and I’m afraid they’ll freeze if I leave them out. There are a few stalks out there with blooms, still, but they aren’t showing color, so I left them. This bouquet is for you, Ruthie. I’ll take more pictures tomorrow or the next day with they are open nice and pretty. I think they’re pretty even like this.

Oh, see that flush on my face? That’s the chemo, too. It makes me look healthy; nice twist, huh? The pump is lying on the table. It’s not quite as big and not nearly as heavy as the one I had in Houston, so I like it. Every two seconds it makes a sound like my camera shutting itself off or a cd ejecting from the computer. It’s kind of wild, but I’m used to it. I thank God for it and all the treatments, and for a big sister who has loved me all my life. How cool is that? She had to share a room with me until she was 17 and then she moved into the maid’s room to get some privacy. She loved me all that time, even though I must have been such a pest; I thought she was the coolest ever! (We lived in Japan then, and there was a little tiny room, barely bigger than a closet for the maid to stay in but our maid didn’t stay overnight, so Ruthie took that room. We weren’t what we’d think of as wealthy, but it was part of the way that the military was helping to put Japan back together: giving people jobs. We were expected to have maids. Our maids also made all our clothes. I have to admit I loved that!) There’s more for me to give thanks to our God: a wonderful experience to live 6 years of my life in Japan! We never thought we were wealthy, as we don’t now, but relative to most of the world we are wealthy! God gives us so much abundance. Imagine: irises blooming on November 6th! PTL! Thank you, Ruthie, for being in my whole life and for being a wonderful sister!

Happy Birthday, Gretta! Treatment? YES!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRETTA JILLY! I talked to Gretta this morning to wish her a happy birthday and she said Elena was in a sort of crabby mood. I told her to pick her up and love her because before she turns around good she’ll be 35 and she won’t get to hug her hardly ever! Time sure flies when you’re having fun. I’ve found that it flies even when you’re not having fun, too! Gretta has been a delight to us her whole life and for some of those years she had us scared to death as well, but we all survived and are all the wiser for it. I thank God for her and the blessings she brings to our lives with her sweet family.

Today Don and I were talking at breakfast about how many young women get breast cancer. It’s really a different picture for them because it affects their ability to have children for starters. We agreed that having children isn’t the end of the world; I mentioned that it could save a lady lots of trying times and heartaches if she never had children. Don said, then, that she would miss lots of joys, though, and the joys way overwhelm the heartaches. He said, of course he’s not prejudiced; nothing to do with that we had such good kids. He’s so right. Our kids gave us WAY more joys than heartaches, and STILL DO! We are so blessed and give so much thanks to God for them and their children! How blessed can two people be? We thank Him so much!

For Gretta’s birthday I got to get my treatment today! My numbers were ALL up and really good. Even one was HIGH! It wasn’t a number that has anything to do with chemo, so it didn’t matter. We were so pleased to get to do the treatment! I have the pump continuing my treatment through Thursday. Thursday we’ll go back to Lawton to have me disconnected from the pump and then I’ll be free! This time we’ll have my blood checked each week between treatments, so we’ll have a clue how things are going. I’m just so grateful to have this one behind us. I pray that I’ll make it through this week well.

The first picture on the blog is me talking on the phone when we got home. You can see the pump around my waist. It’s smaller and lighter than the one I had in Houston. My eyes are nearly closed, but it’s better than the other shots where they were completely closed. The second picture is one Don got of me in the kitchen; lucky my eyes were open; I’m so tired. I’d go to bed but I want to watch Dancing With the Stars. I’m going to bed right after that.

Thanks for looking. You are among my special blessings. Love your kids and grandkids every possible moment! God likes us to love one another.

Ready for FAC #2 if my blood count is good.

Today neither of us went to church. Even Don is avoiding crowds. It dawned on him that if he catches something his body can fight It, but I’ll be exposed to him and I don’t have anything to fight off any germs I might get from him. We figured we just have to make it until tomorrow for now and we’ll let the doctor advise us, then. So, he’s watched football and I did laundry today. I need to be ready in case they give me chemo tomorrow and I get sick. So, the laundry is done.

I got a good bath because if they put me on a pump it’ll be Thursday night before I can get into the tub again. It’s funny; they say bathe daily and then they tie me all up with a pump and tubes! I asked how I’m supposed to take a bath and they said: sponge baths. Oh, yeah, that! I’m sure that’s plenty since I can’t do anything to sweat and barely drag out of bed; how dirty could I be? A bath sure feels good, though.

The picture on the blog today is me with the rebloomers. I can’t get them to all bloom at the same time. God is stretching them out for me. I love having these flowers at this time of year! God is so good and the flowers are among the least of His delights for us! I thank him for the flowers you, just for starters!

Beautiful Saturday.

Today I felt good, again. I felt so good I got out the herbs and vitamins and threw a couple of months for Don. I’ll get them packaged tonight and tomorrow. That seems like a simple task, but it takes me forever. Today was bandage change day and we got that done, too. I cut all my nails, so my fingers and toes are happier. I always thought the nails protected the fingers and toes, but when they’re so sore, those nails cause pain. I live and learn! Now I’ve got to learn how to get along without having fingernails for tools!

The pictures on the blog today are the rest of the fun ones we started yesterday. The first one is the other ‘granny hoop scoop’ one. You all KNOW I’m not wearing these hats anywhere; not even around here. They’re just for fun. They really aren’t even big enough for my head, but they’re fun for laughs. Gretta, relax! The second one is the other bouquet of flowers; the one Elena and I share. The flowers are starting to open today, so by tomorrow they’ll be really pretty. I’ll take more pictures tomorrow.

Today has been a beautiful day here. I hope it’s beautiful wherever you are. This time of year a great day like this feels like a bonus. God is so good to give us so many beautiful days. Everyday is beautiful, but we get picky! We think that it takes sunshine and warm to be beautiful; we need to learn to adjust our thinking and appreciate everyday more! The farmers here love the rainy days, unless they’re plowing or harvesting. I thank God for every single day; cancer taught me that! Cancer has taught me lots. I hope you are learning it through me and won’t have to get cancer to be grateful for all of God’s abundance and mercy. I love you; thanks for caring enough to look and read and smile with me.

Granny Hoop Scoop and the rebloomers.

Today you know I’ve feeling better because I felt like trying on hats. I found a couple of ‘granny hoop scoop’ hats that are just too funny. No, Gretta, I’m not wearing them out anywhere! These are just for fun on the blog. They are gardening hats and I could have worn them out to cut my beautiful rebloomers today, but I didn’t. They’re too light! I needed my regular 4 hats, a scarf around my neck and a big huge coat. Then I was still freezing!

The first picture is one of me in one of the hats. I’ll put the other one on tomorrow, so you’ll have a chuckle for tomorrow. The second picture is one of one vase of flowers that I cut today. Most of the blooms aren’t open, but they’ll probably be open by tomorrow. I was afraid to leave them out there in case we get a frost. I don’t want them to go wasted! I’ll save the best one for tomorrow to go with the other ‘granny hoop scoop’ picture. It’s the one beside Elena’s pictures; she enjoys these flowers with me. J

I’m feeling so much better yesterday and today. Surely that means my numbers are up. I hope so! I even gave Don a haircut today and he looks good! Bless his heart; while I was cutting his hair he asked, “Do you want me to go get a haircut somewhere else; I mean do you feel like doing this?” Some days he’d just have to wait, but I mostly feel like an easy haircut. Now, if he wanted a flat top, he’d just have to go find someone who could live with the stress of it! We thought we should cut it while I felt like it. Next week I may be limp as an old dishrag after chemo. Then the next week we go to Houston, so we thought we should do it while we could. Cutting his hair is one thing, but then after I cut his hair I have to clean up the hair. That’s the hardest part!

God is good to provide energy and good friends who call but don’t come to see me. Even our card-playing friends understand that I just can’t do that these days. I sure miss it! Two people have called this week and offered to bring food, but I asked them to wait until I couldn’t manage sometime. We eat so simply. Don is VERY easy. I cook a couple of skillets of chicken ever couple of weeks and then put it in the freezer in separate portions. He eats a piece of chicken and a salad every day for lunch. Then every night he eats a hamburger. That’s way easy to make. We vary it a bit with barbeque and chicken from the deli or a sub from the Subway. He’s so easy to please. I eat a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch every day and a bunch of carrots and broccoli in the side. I put broccoli sprouts on the sandwich. I usually eat chili for supper (I fix that once in a while and put it in the freezer in small servings and then thaw it when I want it.). It works. I can’t eat as much anymore as I used to eat because I drink so much. 3 liters is a lot to drink. I thank God for a microwave, a freezer, and a sprouting kit, which Trish gave to me. Broccoli is supposed to be one of the best things for you and sprouts are supposed to be 10 times better for you than broccoli. If that’s true, we’re going to be in such great shape! God takes care of us; we have every intent of cooperating with Him!

Today was another good day for me. I slept until 9. That’s a really good way for me to start the day. It’s kind of pitiful to come into the kitchen and see Don’s empty cereal bowl sitting there at the sink. I hate that he has to eat so simply and then eat alone, too! He’s so good; he lets me get away with it, though. I really do think it’s a good way to start the day. I didn’t get a nap at all today. I did lay down for one, but I just rested. That tells me I didn’t need sleep; I had plenty last night.

Today my housekeeping angel called again because her daughter was sick again and she couldn’t come. That’s really okay. Most of the house hasn’t been touched since she was here the last time, so we’ll do fine until she can come. I’m still celebrating because I don’t have to do the cleaning!

The pictures on the blog are the ones I meant to use last night. Finally, I could get them on today. They are really ugly, but it’s how it is. It’s just as well that I can’t go anywhere because I can’t wear shoes with toes and it’s too cold to go out without them. My fingernails look awful. They say it’s best not to polish them, so I’m just looking awful. It’s not anything so terrible. Nobody would really notice my fingernails; it’s just that they look awful to me. I notice it because they hurt and I keep looking to see if there’s a reason for the pain. I share it with you all so that you won’t be ignorant. This is what happens to chemo SOME chemo patients. I’m a lucky one. These are really the only side effects I’ve had (well, and the loss of my hair and the battered immune system!); it could be so much worse, so I praise God and give profuse thanks!!!

Thank you for keeping up with us! Happy Birthday, Dot!