Posted in Just Our Day-to-Day Life

I'm going to be a grandma again!!!  YIPPEE!!!    Chelle and Josh are adding a new grandson to the four children they adopted after they lost our precious angel Ellora 2 years ago.  I have written 3 long, long posts tonight, but somehow each time it got deleted somehow, and now it is late, so I'll wait till tomorrow to share the rest of my news.

Just wanted to post quickly to make certain that my blog doesn't get thrown away. As you can see, I haven't been around at all since early summer.  Lots of things going on in life and it has been best not to blog during this time.  I hope that I'll be able to get back to writing and blogging again once the new year rolls around, if not sooner.

I also want to thank everyone who has been praying for our family's needs. My dad is doing extremely well, my mother-in-law is finished with her chemo and in the middle or her radiation and herceptin, and both aunts are doing well for their age. 

The biggest news is that I am grandma to FOUR terrific kids now, in addition to my sweet 8 year old granddaughter Nova, and my precious angel Ellora.  That makes six grandkids...Wow!  Chelle and Josh have Ronald, 10; Thomas, 8;  they arrived on June 15.  Last Thursday they were joined by their brother Isaiah, 5; and sister Destiny, 4.  This is the first they have been together in over 3 years. I love them all so much it's hard to believe that they haven't been a part of my life forever!

Please continue your prayers for us as a family.  I am so sorry not to be able to stay in touch with the many of you that I have gotten to know and love at hsblogger.com, and hope that things are such that I can be back sometime sooner than later.

Love to all,
Kathy

Posted in Just Our Day-to-Day Life

I would really appreciate pray for my Dad tomorrow.  He is feeling so well lately, and we hope that the doctors agree with our opinion of things and don't find something new to thrill us with.  He will be having his consults with his cardiologist and with his oncologist both tomorrow. 

They are still trying to decide whether to keep him on the blood thinners and not worry about the atrial fibrillation, or whether to try to shock his heart back into rhythm.  As far as the lung cancer recurring in his good lung, the lung specialist that we had the consult with a couple weeks ago said that he was certain that it was not cancer after all, but a rare form of wandering bronchitis that sometimes occurs in patients who have undergone radiation for lung cancer.  Let's hope and pray that the oncologist agrees with this! 

Dad looks good and feels good, other than having a severe rash from the oral chemo drug he has been taking.  He looks like he has a very serious case of teenage acne all over his face, scalp, neck, and chest.  It itches and burns, but he said he would much rather put up with that than chance having the cancer come back. 

Tomorrow night is the annual Relay for Life.  We have walked in it for about 15 years or so, since my mom first had cancer.  We buy luminaries in memory of her, Uncle Don, and Aunt Gertie, and in honor of my dad and Aunt Mary.  This year we will have to buy an additional one in honor of my mother-in-law. 

The first lap is called the Survivor's Lap, and only those who have or have had cancer walk in it.  My dad walked in the Survivor's Lap last year, and this was when he was undergoing chemo and radiation, and had just had heart stents put in.  You should have seen his face when he crossed that finish line!  He was so proud and happy.  We were so worried last year that he wouldn't be with us this year to walk, let alone in such great shape!   So we'll get to see him take another victory lap in the Survivor's Lap! 

I am so very, very proud of my dad and his attitude toward his cancer, and his hard work to continue to live a normal life despite it all.  Through it all, he always asks Jesus to just hold his hand, whatever may come.  He has never given up, and in my book, he is a true winner! 

Posted in Just Our Day-to-Day Life

I am not certain whether the cure is much better than the disease.  The pills the doctor is having me take for the diverticulitis are making me feel worse instead of better.  Can you tell from my lack of posting lately that I haven't felt well?  I miss blogging, but it seems like absolutely everything is such an effort lately.  I'd rather just curl up and sleep.

The pain is subsiding a bit, but the pills are making me extremely nauseous and just in general feeling sick.  Before I just hurt---now I feel sick.  They taste horrible, but I can put up with that.  I must say though, that I have never had a pill that tasted worse.  You don't even have to lay it on your tongue to taste it.   As soon as you hold it inside your mouth, just holding onto it before putting it on your tongue, it already can be tasted.  How is that even possible?  A not so fun side effect is that it makes the palms of my hands and the soles of my feet burn like I have a severe sunburn.  It just starts to feel better, and it's time to take another pill. 

At least the pain is going away.  Tomorrow I go in for a bunch of lab tests---tons of blood work.  One that I am really interested in is the thyroid function.  I had Hashimoto's years ago, and had half my thyroid taken out.  The fact that I am not losing anymore weight lately, and wasn't losing as much as I thought I should before that, make me wonder what the other half of my thyroid is up to. Without health insurance, I couldn't have it checked for quite some time.  It would be nice to have an excuse for the weight not coming off more quickly :-) 

Please pray that I feel better soon.  One more day of these pills and they will be gone, and hopefully I'll perk up again???  I sure hope so!  Too much to do to feel like just lopping around on the couch all day. 

Posted in Just Our Day-to-Day Life

I thought that I would do a little belly-aching about my belly ache.  Today has been a bit better day.  Knowing for sure what  was wrong  has helped  tremendously.  Even though I still hurt badly, I know that it is a hurt that will go away with proper care and watching what I eat.  That is so much better than worrying about cancer! 

The doctor sent me the official CT Scan report, and it says that my transverse and sigmoid colon are both "corkscrewed."  I read that and thought no wonder my insides feel like they do!  I don't remember in studying biology that colons are supposed to be corkscrewed!  OUCH! 

The medicine they give for this is the same thing they give for amoebic dysentery and other strange intestinal illnesses.  Let me tell you, those pills taste BAD!!!  Nasty, nasty, taste the second they touch your tongue.  You can't swallow them fast enough to avoid the taste.  Yuck, yuck, and yuck again.

Want to know something totally unfair about all this?  I have hurt and felt ill for about 3 weeks, and had very little to no appetite.  I ate next to nothing!  And when I weighed myself today, I was UP 2 pounds---just how can that happen to a faithful Blubber Blogger?  I thought for certain that at least something good would come out of feeling so crummy, as in losing about 10 pounds from not eating.  Dream on, Kathy...  Oh, well, it was a nice dream, that is, until I stepped on the scale and reality woke me up...

Thought that I would pop in and say hi, and let everyone know I am alive and well.  Now it's back to the couch to eat some yogurt.  I don't know if their is any truth to my theory, but I am hoping that the "good germs" in the yogurt will help heal my poor, sore colon!  At least it's worth a try!

Posted in The Adoption Journey for Our Future Grandchildren

Posted in Just Our Day-to-Day Life

It certainly took them long enough to let me know what was going on in my poor tummy…I hurt for 2 weeks before going to the doctor last Wed., he ordered the CT Scan immediately which ended up being on Friday, and they finally called with the results after 5 pm today.  How’s that for speed and efficiency?  And all the while all I could think of was my family history of colon cancer and kidney cancer----I was terrified!  If it hadn’t been for you ladies and your prayers, I don’t know how I would have made it through the past week with my sanity intact.

PTL, it wasn’t the “C” word…it was the “D” word instead.  I have a bad case of chronic diverticulitis that I’ll have the rest of my days.  It has the whole left descending colon inflamed and swollen, and even is interfering with me going to the bathroom as it is putting pressure on all exits out…lol  ( I know, TMI..)  And it HURTS!!!  

The dr. says that I will have to modify my diet drastically for the next few weeks, then see how I am and see how much of a normal diet I can return to.  I probably can never eat nuts, berries, or sweet corn ever again---all of which I dearly love!  For now I have to stay off all roughage, too.  And I was just getting into all my healthy eating and loving the fruits and veggies that I had never liked before.  My fridge is full of nuts and berries and roughage type veggies.  And I had lost 18 pounds eating all that yummy stuff.  Anyone have any good ideas for alternatives?

And I am to avoid stress…like that will happen…  He says that doesn’t cause it, but will make it flare up when you have it already.  I have apparently had this for awhile, but never had it flare up this badly before.  I do vaguely remember similar symptoms a few other times, but not this painful and gone in just a day or two. This time it hurts so badly that if it wasn't for the fact that it is on the left side, and the fact that my appendix  has been removed, I would swear I had a bad case of appendicitis.

So for the next 2 weeks I have to monitor my temp, watch for any additional tenderness, any bleeding, or any vomiting.  Then go back for a recheck and see where to go from there.  My dad has had this for years, and has been hospitalized quite a few times with it, and even has had to be transfused, so I’m going to have to be very careful to listen to the doctor and not ignore what he says to do. 

I was just talking with Jenni, my Blubber Blogger Buddy, and realized that I may never get to eat another SNICKERS BAR ever again----now that is serious!!!!

Thanks so very much to all of you who helped pray me through yet another scare.

Also wanted to let you know that BJ's bronchitis is FINALLY starting to settle down enough that he isn't coughing the entire night.  He is getting a few hours of rest at least.  It will probably take another few days before he really starts to feel like himself again. He went back to work at camp yesterday, and says that he is doing fine except for at night.  My poor little boy!

Posted in The Adoption Journey for Our Future Grandchildren

My daughter said that their caseworker got in touch with them and let them know that Ronald, the 9 year old, and the one they had been the most worried about having trouble with the transition to a new home, had told her something pretty cool.  She wanted Chelle to know about it.

Ronald said that "June 17th (the day they are to come permanently) is going to be the most awesome day of my whole life!"  Isn't that neat???  We are all ecstatic to hear that coming directly from him! 

As for Thomas, I think he isn't used to such a boisterous family.  He told Chelle that her family was "Crazy, man.  Just plain CRAZY!!!"  But I could tell he loved every minute of the craziness!  

My little granddaughter is adjusting well to the idea of having cousins the same age and older, too.  We were worried this would be a problem, but she really liked the boys, and had a great time with them. 

Looks like we are on the way to one big, happy family!  The only thing that comes even close to being a Mommy is being a Granny!  

Posted in Just Our Day-to-Day Life

I wanted to let you know that the actual CT Scan and tests today went just fine.  Now if only the results will turn out just fine, too.

I had never had a CT Scan before, and it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be.  The scanner was like a huge donut, and so wasn’t closed in at all, like the ones I have seen before.  So I didn’t need to worry about feeling all closed in. 

The stuff to drink actually didn’t taste bad at all, so that was much better than having to gag it down.  It was to distend your bowel, so that they could see things more clearly in the picture, so my tummy still feels “puffy” and bloated tonight, and not much appetite---that’s a GOOD thing for a Blubber Blogger, though!  LOL    Even the IV went in easily, which doesn’t happen often for me. 

The only bad part was when they added the iodine to the IV---it made you feel all hot and tingly feeling all over, and even made you feel like you had wet your pants!  They warned me ahead of time it would feel like that, and they were right!  

A silly problem was that they had to take 2 pictures, because she hadn’t had me take my clothes off, and found out in the scan that I had an underwire bra on, and it was showing up in the picture…that was kind of funny.

My dear, wonderful BBBuddy, Jenni, prayed me through the whole thing, and let me tell you, she is absolutely the bestest Blubber Blogger Buddy in the entire world!!!  She sent me scriptures and prayers, and prayed while she walked, and talked to me on the IM to calm me down this week many, many times. I want to nominate her for the Bestest Buddy in the World Award!  Thanks to the rest of you who were praying, too.  I really appreciate it.

Please continue to pray that the results will be something that is not creepy and easily fixable, will you?   I am still pretty concerned about what they will find. If only my mom and uncle and aunt hadn’t had colon cancer, I wouldn’t be concerned at all, just wondering what it is that’s making my tummy feel so tender and sore. With all the memories of caring for them through their cancers, that adds a real life “Fear Factor” that I just can’t get off my mind.

Some of you have asked what exactly it feels like. The best way I can describe it is that it feels like I have a canker sore in my lower abdomen that moves around to different locations and tries to gnaw at me. It started the day I used hand weights while riding my Dad's stationary bike, and the next day my lower back hurt pretty badly.  Then by the next day the pain had wrapped around into my side, and yet another day went by and it hurt in my lower tummy.  Then the back and side cleared up, but the tummy part stayed. It is inside though, and not in the muscle, so the dr. thinks that it was a coincidence that it happened when I exercised, and not really related. 

I did indulge in one of my Mother’s Day Godiva chocolates that my ds from Mississippi had shipped to me, at the time that I had to cut off my food and drink for the day.  You know, kind of like a death row inmates last meal???  LOL   But I was good and only had one piece. Aren’t you proud of me???  LOL

BJ was a very bad boy.  He didn’t let me know how sick he was, because he was afraid they would send him home before the week was up at camp at noon today and he wouldn’t get his full paycheck.  So he has a severe case of bronchitis, and is coughing so badly that it gags him and makes him vomit.  The dr said another day or two and it would have been pneumonia instead of bronchitis.  So he is in bed with a Z-pack of antibiotics and a strong codeine cough medicine/expectorant, and tons of motrin and Tylenol to get his fever down.   He’s a pretty sick boy.  If he wasn’t so sick, I would have gotten much more upset with him for not letting me know sooner, but I think he has learned his lesson the hard way.  He feels miserable.  And we were going to go camping this weekend…

My dad with his lung cancer and heart troubles is the healthiest one of the bunch right now.  I wish I had his immune system!

Love to all, and again, thanks for your continued prayers. 

Posted in Just Our Day-to-Day Life

This time it was me who had to see the doctor, and I came away with an appointment to have several tests done, including a CT Scan.  I've had a pain in my lower left abdomen for a couple weeks that just feels like a gnawing ache most of the time, but sometimes is actually painful.  When the doctor pushed on it, it was most definitely painful!!!  OUCH!!!  

Please pray for me as I have this done at 2 tomorrow, and as I wait for the results.  Being surrounded by cancer all the time of course makes that my first thought, which I know is just plain stupid, but it is hard not to think that way.  Especially with my mom and her brother having had colon cancer.... 

As many of you know, I also have panic/anxiety disorder, and the thought of being closed in that CT Scan machine creeps me out, too.  That's as scary as worrying about what is wrong with me.  So I'd appreciate prayers about that, too. 

For those of you who are family and friends, I haven't told my dad about this, and I'd really just as soon he doesn't know.  He certainly doesn't need one more thing to worry about.  So pretty please don't tell anyone but the Lord about this if you live in my neck of the woods :-) 

Now, about Dad!!!!  The lung specialist we saw Tuesday called him today, supposedly to set up a PET Scan to see how far the new cancer has spread or if it is clearing up.  Instead, he said that they are finding no sign of cancer at all in the previous tests, and he sees absolutely no reason to have a PET Scan.  He believes that Dad is cancer free again!!!   He is to keep taking the Tarceva to prevent a recurrence, so we still need prayers that the bad rash that is a side effect of this drug will subside and give him some relief, but it looks like the cancer is under control again.  Do you know how good that was to hear???  Rarely does a recurrence clear up!  So either there was not a recurrence at all, and it was only an infection known as BOOPS (Bronchioli Originating Obliterative Pneumonitis) which sometimes is chronic after radiation for lung cancer.  How it affected the other lung, I'm not sure, but I am so happy about this.  Or it really was a recurrence, and the chemo pill has gotten rid of it!  Either way, it is a Praise the Lord situation.  Now we need to concentrate on keeping his heart condition under control. 

Now, if we can only find out some good news about me in a few days.  They won't be able to call me with the results until probably sometime Tuesday due to the holiday weekend.  I will start a new habit of biting my nails before then!!! 

Posted in Blubber Bloggers

Posted in The Adoption Journey for Our Future Grandchildren

Things have been so busy that I haven't had time to let you all know about the visit with my new grandsons!  Tuesday night, after working at the shop, Mike, BJ, and I drove to Chelle and Josh's and got to meet the boys for the very first time.  It was an incredible visit, and they are incredible kids!   I love them to pieces already. 

Ronald is the oldest, and is 9 years old and a 4th grader. He is the more serious of the two, but definitely likes to laugh and have a good time.  He is most definitely the big brother, and looks out for Thomas, who is 7 and a 2nd grader.  Thomas is a bit more laid back, and not quite as cautious in making new relationships yet.  He is a little snuggle-bug, and loved to sit on my lap and snuggle.  He even asked if he could sit by Grandma Kathy during the meal! 

We had a great BBQ with us, Josh's mom, brother, and sister, along with Chelle, Josh, and the boys.  My oldest daughter was also there with my granddaughter Nova.  I think Nova was a bit unsure about things until she actually met the boys, since she has always been the oldest in the family, that will be a hard spot to give up.  Thomas is 2 weeks younger than her, but basically the same age, but Ronald is 2 years older.  She seemed to get over her qualms really easily though, and the kids had a fun time playing.

I bought the boys water guns.  Was that a dumb idea or what?  Let's just say it made for a unique bonding time with their new Grandma Kathy.  Despite defending myself with a huge black umbrella, they managed to drench me so badly that I had to borrow clothes from Chelle and throw my own into the clothes dryer.  But the boys thought it was great fun, so it was well worth it.

We watched movies that night late, and decided to spend the night.  I teased the boys about taking over Granny's bedroom, and they thought that was very funny :-)  I am now back on the couch when we visit.   Oh, well, it is worth it to have 2 wonderful grandsons. 

The next day we had a bonfire in the yard, fished, and went out on the pond in the rowboat.  Ronald was a bit afraid of the bugs that are everywhere in the country, but loves to fly cast, and is very good at it, too, for never having fished before.  Thomas is gradually getting the hang of it.  They loved the bonfire and wanted to stay longer, but they had to fly back to Delaware till school is out.  They'll be back to stay on June 17th!!!  

Chelle and Josh have found out that there is a possibility that the boys two younger siblings have not been adopted as they were originally told.  They are seriously considering looking into adopting them as well, if that is truly a possibility.  Their names are Isaiah and Destiny.  Please pray that the Lord will lead everyone to the right decisions where they are concerned, and also that the Ronald and Thomas will make a good adjustment to their new home and new parents next month. 

As soon as BJ has time to get the pictures off my camera, I'll post some pictures of me and my grandchildren...all 3 of the ones who are still here on this earth with us!!! 

Posted in Interesting Blog Tid-Bits

How many of you knew that HSB is celebrating its first birthday party?  In honor of this auspicious event, Nancy is hosting a series of contests over at the Company Couch.  You can read the current post here.  Nancy would love for people to post their most favorite blog entry in the comment section so that people can read what we all consider the "best of the best" in blogging here at HSB. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HSB!!!

Posted in Homeschooling--the Best Choice We Ever Made

Hi everyone,  This article is one I  ran across when my son and I were cleaning and sorting computer  files after my computer contracted a virus and had to be completely redone.  It's amazing the things I found in there that I had long forgotten about or given up on as being lost.  I was so happy to find this article that I wrote 8 years ago when BJ was 10.  It was originally published in several local homeschool support group newsletters, and I feel it is as true today as it was then. I hope that my readers will find it helpful in their own homeschool journey. 
Blessings,
Kathy

---

I don't know about the rest of you, but our family's method of homeschooling has evolved through the years. The American Heritage Dictionary defines evolution as "a gradual process in which something changes into a significantly different form."  Our process of homeschooling most definitely has evolved!

Darwin and his fans would be proud of me.  I know in exactly what form our schooling first began; I know what it is like now; and I have, after some reflection and looking back over previous years portfolios, found several "missing links" which connect the "then" with the "now."  I certainly don’t believe in the Darwinian brand of evolution, but I do believe in the evolution of homeschoolers.

Back in the beginning, eight years ago now, when we began to teach our children at home, we more or less brought the public school home.  We had little school desks for the boys to sit in all day, a chalkboard, and wall charts---all the trimmings.  We even bought an official school pencil sharpener!  What classroom could be complete without one?

Besides the "atmosphere," we also provided all the proper learning tools.  A textbook (and accompanying workbooks, quiz books, test books, etc.) for everything, and for everything a textbook (and accompanying workbooks, quiz books, test books, etc.)  We had a schedule that we strictly adhered to, with a specific time and time limit for each subject.  And of course, everything was graded---with my perfectly proper teacher's red grading pen.

Compare this to today.  My ten-year-old woke up, did his chores, cleaned himself up, and ate.  On the drive to band (YEAH!  We really are finally allowed to be in band.) we reviewed Latin vocabulary and pronunciation.  I quizzed him on English derivatives, and had him conjugate his verbs.  These "grades" were registered in the back of my mind for future reference.

After an hour of band camp, we drove to Findlay.  While on our way, we had quite a discussion about the ancient Jewish Feasts and how they were the best example of parents educating their own children in Biblical days.  This in turn led to a discussion of how changing the actual dates of our own country's holidays has made them lose their significance for educational purposes.  This dialogue was our history and Bible lesson for the day.  We also learned a lot of critical thinking, inference, and deductive reasoning skills.

Next was a trip to the pet store.  Our dog has skin allergies, and needed a special medicated shampoo.  While there, we looked at the reptiles and amphibians.  My son is very interested in them; I am not.  I now know how he feels waiting for me to finish "window shopping" in a women's clothing store.  Just how long does it really take to see all there is to see of a ball python, anyway?

n Findlay, we signed up for the summer reading program at the library.  Stacks of "literature" and "science" for the next couple of weeks made their way out to our car, including 12 books on various lizards, reptiles, snakes, etc.  Across the street is one of our favorite places to go, a used and rare bookstore called Books On Main.  We were able to purchase half of the American Girl series at $1 per book, and also a book on maps as they relate to where various rocks, minerals, and gems are located around the world.  This will help with a Cub Scout badge on geology.  And some original Henty’s!  History waiting to be read. Back in the car we calculated how much money we saved on the American Girl books, a great multiple part math story problem.

Next stop, the Instrument Care Center where we learned how escaping air causes very nasty sounds in saxophones, and were shown exactly how it would be fixed. We also got drum sticks and a drum practice pad, to learn about sound and vibration, and also more about music. A saxophone care kit will teach responsibility in caring for one's belongings.

At Groman's, we purchased lesson books for my music students.  Another math lesson---we figured out what my 10% teacher discount was.  He also learned from the original owner of the store, now well into his 80's, about how organs work, and since he was so careful and polite (a very common trait amongst homeschooled kids), he was given permission by Mr. Groman himself to play any instrument any time he comes into the store.  He even showed him the shelf where he could get private earphones to plug in to everything.  B.J. thought this was great!

At Burger King, we perused our sales slip and determined that we had made a terrific deal by purchasing the Whopper special, and King-sizing it.  We saved over $3.00!

Last stop---Jeffries Antique Mall.  What a history lesson.  We looked at gadgets that I had used as a child (in an antique store? How dare they...).  I explained how these more modern antiques worked and their purposes, and then we looked at some REAL antiques from my parents' and grandparents' days.  It was very educational.

Eight year ago I would have absolutely freaked out on a day like today.  My nice little schedule and lesson plans were down the drain, and how would we ever make up the lost time?  Today I ask myself, what lost time?  Everything we did all day was a learning experience.  Remember that homeschooling is a lifestyle, not an educational option.  What we experienced today was truly a lifestyle of learning.

So how did my ideas of how to homeschool evolve from "then" to "now?"  It was a gradual process.  I saw that textbooks weren't always the best way of teaching some subjects.  I soon found out that real books teach a child to read much better than readers, after the initial phonics readers are mastered.  Real books are great for history, too.  Narration and discussion enlighten me as to what knowledge my child has retained far more than quizzes and tests, although we have not abandoned them completely.  Many unit studies draw all the subjects together so wonderfully around a topic my child is extremely interested in.  This ends any problems we might have with motivation.

The scientists are right. Evolution is a long, slow process.  I have seen most homeschoolers I know go through this same process as I have; therefore my particular brand of evolution has been repeated and observed, unlike Darwin's. I think that in the beginning stages, most of us need the security of the known.  Making our home a mini-public-school keeps us in known territory.  After all, that's where we all grew up, and the methods of teaching are the ones we are familiar with.  At first, most homeschoolers are afraid to move out into what for them is uncharted territory.

But as the years pass, we see how each of our children learn, and their varying styles of learning.  We find they learn despite the changes in schedule, despite using a kitchen table rather than a school desk, and despite writing on a note pad between mother and child rather than using a large blackboard.  They even learn if (gasp) we teach things in a different order than they do in public school, or (double gasp) even if we ditch all or some of the traditional textbooks.

For those who are brave enough to try it, I challenge you to try to evolve at least one stage this year as you make your curriculum choices and plan your year.  Maybe you can make a leap from being a "fish" to "developing legs and breathing air" so you can become a "land animal." You, too, may begin to believe in evolution as a positive factor in the schooling of your child.

Posted in Just Our Day-to-Day Life

I hope and pray that I am able to get back to blogging again.  Even with the computer fixed, I was away so much this week that there was little to no time to blog.  I spent most of tonight catching up on things that should have been posted long ago on the Blubber Blogger Blog, so will only have time for a short update here. 

 

Thanks again to everyone for all the prayers and emails of support.  I appreciate knowing that so very many people care about the trials our family has been going through lately.  They just seem to never end.  I know that there must be an important lesson in all of this that the Lord wants me to learn, that I just "haven't gotten" yet, and I wish I would learn it real quick, so that life will settle down a bit!  

 

Dad is doing pretty well, although the new oral chemo has him all broken out in a very irritating rash that is driving him bonkers.  The flip side of this is that the oncologist says that those who have the rash the worst are heavily correlated with tumor shrinkage, so that is a positive.  Dad's blood thinning meds have his pro-time up to 2.9, and it has to stay there for at least 2 weeks before they will do the TEE and cardioversion.  He is so concerned about this, because the last time he was on blood thinning meds, he ended up in the hospital several times for heavy bleeding, and once required transfusions.  So this is obviously something we would like to request prayer for.  He HAS to stay on this dosage in order to try to get his heart back in proper rhythm, so we really need God's help in this. 

My mother-in-law had her first chemo a week ago, and is still doing very well.  The new lump they found is supposedly scar tissue from the surgery, but they will be keeping an eye on it just in case.  She got to drive her car for the first time since the mastectomy a couple days ago, and boy, was she happy about that! 

 

Yesterday I went with my dad to the doctor for some tests, and then we went to Columbus to visit his sister, my Aunt Mary, who had her colon cancer surgery on Thursday.  She did exceptionally well with the surgery for being 88 years old, and jokingly told us that she should have this done more often, just to get all the compliments she has been getting about not looking her age :-)   The doctors feel that they have gotten all the cancer out, and that the tumor was not attached to anything else, and that there was no lymph involvement, so she will not need any follow-up treatment.  This is a real praise, because she is dealing with leukemia, and the chemo would have wreaked havoc with her blood counts and aggrevated that leukemia. 

 

Dad and I ate at Damon's on the way home.  It was yummy, but my fellow Blubber Bloggers will not think well of me if I tell them how many ribs I ate!  I ate like a good girl today to make up for it, though.  Dad and I have gotten to share some special times with all these doctor visits, and I am glad for that. 

 

A dear family friend, and a cousin of my grandma's, passed away this week, and we had to go to the funeral home yesterday.  That was hard, as she was the same age as my mom and dad.  On the way there, we drove by my childhood home, and guess what??? It wasn't there!!!  The new owners had apparently decided that it was beyond repair, and had burned it to the ground.  My dad and I were in total shock about this, and both had to shed a few tears.  We had some very happy times in that house, and felt badly that the new owner hadn't let us in to see it and say good-bye, and take a few momentoes, as he said he would do if they decided to tear it down.  It was hard to see my childhood home a heap of smoldering ashes.  I did take a few bricks from the fireplace that I used to hang my stocking on back home as a momento, and the charred front door knob.  I hope that it will clean up a bit....

 

We also stopped at my dd's shop to visits her and all the doggies.  It was on the way home from the hospital that my aunt is in.  My other dd is apprenticing under her sister to learn to groom, too, so she was also there, along with my new "great-grandpuppy."  My granddaughter got a beautiful Golden Retriever pup for her 8th birthday, and Daisy was there at work playing under the grooming table.  She is adorable!!!  While there, I found out that Chelle's top groomer quit the other day.  This is TERRIBLE timing to find out that our best groomer has quit, as we had all the scheduling set up so Chelle could be home when her boys come to stay permanently June 16th.  Now we have to start from scratch trying to figure out how to keep her home most of the time.  I can't believe this girl would do this on such short notice.  She has been with us since before Chelle went into the hospital for bedrest, and has been our right arm, and so very dependable.  It just was not nice to up and quit with hardly any notice when she knows what all is going on.  Very, very rude and inconsiderate, and I would have thought better of her than that.  

 

Another thing that I just found out yesterday is that my son-in-law Doug's dad, who he just reunited with after nearly 30 years of not knowing whether he was dead or alive, is in ICU in South Carolina, dying of kidney and liver failure.  Doug has been a different person since finding his dad again, and finding out that he had not been abandoned as a child as he had been told, and NovaLynn adores her new Grandpa.  I am just sick to think that Doug could lose his dad right after finding him again.  The doctors told Doug after he got to SC that there is only about a 5% chance that his dad will live.  Please pray for him.  I know that God can make good come out of this, and that if He chooses to, He can spare his life.   Doug needs more time with his dad, and I hope that God will intervene and let him live.  It's a long story, but Doug really needs his dad in his life, and has been so happy and "different" since finding him again.  I wish that I could make this all better for him.  He is a good son-in-law, and it breaks my heart to know how badly this is hurting him. 

 

Well, tomorrow is Mother's Day, and my dd Chelle is getting a GREAT Mother's Day gift....her 2 new sons will be coming to visit!  Isn't that cool???  They will be here tomorrow through Wed., then go back to finish school, then Josh and Chelle will be driving out to bring them home for good on June 16th...just a few short weeks away!  There will be a BBQ on Tuesday evening when I'll get to meet Ronald and Thomas for the first time.  I can't wait!!!  

 

Love to all, and thanks again for your continued prayers,

Kathy

Posted in Just Our Day-to-Day Life

I can't believe that I have been away from my home on the blog for so long!  You have all probably thought that I have dropped off the face of the earth.  You don't know how close you are.  I was without my COMPUTER for over a week!!!  How does one live without their computer in this day and age???  LOL

My son had to take my computer all apart, scan for viruses, back every single thing up to his own computer, and then gradually put all of mine back together again, including reformatting the hard drive...  You see, we got a phone call from our ISP owner one night telling us that our computer was setting off alarms in his office---it had picked up a virus! 

 

I am so lucky to have a son that could take care of this for me so that I didn't have to spend an arm and a leg paying to have it fixed by a pro.  BJ really knows how to tear a computer apart and scare his poor mom to death looking at her computer "guts" laying all over the place, but he has it working again. 

 

Right now I am at my dd's shop, and just wanted to let you all know that I am alive and well.  Although poor BJ still has lots of document files and photo files, etc. to transfer back onto my computer, my email and my internet access are back again.  Thank God! 

 

I'll post more later when I'm not at work.  The family is doing pretty well all things considered.  My new grandsons will be coming for another visit over Mothers Day weekend, and I will get to meet them for sure this trip!!!  They will come permanently June 16.

 

Blubber Bloggers is increasing in numbers all the time...we are up to 50 members!  Check out the BBBlog if you are needing support in weight loss/fitness, because these ladies are such a wonderful support, and several have been a godsend helping me out while I had no computer access. 

 

Till later...Kathy

Posted in Blubber Bloggers

 

I have walked today: While I walked, I was thinking about the awesome new Blubber Blogger support group for all of us who are trying to shape up. Check it out here on my own site and on the official Blubber Blogger site.

Miles walked today: 7!!!   Yep...I really did it!!! 

Miles walked this week: 35

Miles walked this year: 96

Miles walked in the April Walking Challenge: 52

 

I have walked 52 miles -- 100% of my goal of 50 miles!!

 

Pounds lost toward my goal of losing 8 pounds by Memorial Day: 5!!!!

Water drank today so far: 64 ounces...didn't do too well on the water today.  :-(

 

I have had 66% of my goal of 96 ounces water today!!

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I will be walking in the final of our family's five March of Dimes WalkAmerica 2006 walks on July 23. This is a fundraiser to help save the lives of premature babies, and our family is walking in memory of my granddaughter Ellora. Please consider sponsoring our team by making a donation to the March of Dimes by clicking here. Help us save the lives of babies who were born too soon, too small...  Remember, the next baby who needs help from the March of Dimes could easily be the child of someone you know and love!

 

To read more about the WalkAmerica fundraiser, click here.

 

Posted in Special Days

Well, ladies, I survived....whoosh!!!  This year's WalkAmerica was a LONG one.  It was supposed to be 5 miles, BUT at the five mile mark, where it had "the walk is ended" type signs, you were still a full mile from the building that was the registration building and in the middle of nowhere.  You couldn't cut across anywhere to make the way back any shorter, so the walk was really a 6-mile walk.  Then we were about 1/2 mile from the parking lot, so that made 7 miles today, at least. 

I AM SO SORE!!!!  The back of my calves burn, and my feet are ready to die...lol.  But I did it!!!  If they would have added another 2 feet to the walk a month ago, I wouldn't have made it, and I have my fellow Blubber Bloggers to thank for my improvement!  THANKS!!!  ((((Group hug!))))

This walk is so meaningful for me, because I know that we are raising money in my sweet Ellora's name to help other little preemie babies fight the good fight and hopefully make it home to be with their mommies and daddies.  I know that she was up there rooting her poor old Granny Kathy on!
 
We still have about $800 to go for donations, and then WalMart will give us an additional $1000, so please pray that we can continue to put some good efforts into our fundraising until we reach our goal. 

There are 3 other Walks coming up relatively near us in May, June, and July, and I signed up for them today---am I a glutton for punishment or what???  LOL  Then after that I need to start working toward the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.  I do that each year in memory of my mother, my uncle, and my aunt, and now this year it will also be in honor of my dad and my other aunt.  Of 7 siblings on the two sides of my family tree, only  2 didn't have cancer, and my mom had 3 completely different kinds, and my Aunt Mary has 2 completely different kinds, so there are 8 cancers with the 7 members of that generation.  I had BETTER walk for money for cancer research, because I think I am doomed, wouldn't you say??? 

Thanks to all of you for the thoughts and prayers today.  I seriously don't think I would have been able to do that last mile without you all praying me in!

If anyone is interested in contributing to the March of Dimes Prematurity Awareness program, please click here to support our family team and help us reach our goal.

Posted in Just Our Day-to-Day Life

I want to thank each and everyone of you who has been praying for my Dad and my Mom-in-law.  I have some better news to report today, thank God! 

 

My mom-in-law went to find out about the new lump that was found in her other breast, and they think that it is just scar tissue from the surgery!  I don't know how scar tissue can be in this area from the surgery, but that is what they believe it is.  She can now start her chemo, radiation, and herceptin, and will go back to have this other lump looked at again in a month.  They were so sure that this is what it is that they held off on doing a biopsy.  She is still really scared and concerned about the chemo treatments that will start on Thursday next week, so continue to hold her up in prayer. 

 

The doctors have FINALLY decided what to do with my Dad's course of treatment.  They agreed that it was ok to put him on the Coumadin, a blood thinner, and then after a couple weeks, they will do a Trans-Esophageal Echo,  and if that shows no clots behind his heart valves, they will do a cardioversion to shock his heart back into proper rhythm.  We're a bit nervous, because this is not without risks, but the atrial fibrillation, in his case, causes a really high risk of stroke from clots behind the heart valve possibly forming, since he can't be on blood thinners for long periods of time.  The last time we had him on Coumadin, he had nose bleeds bad enough that we had to take him to the ER, and also had a terrible flare up of diverticulitis that bled profusely, causding a stay in ICU and blood transfusions.  So please pray that they are able to adjust the dosages properly to allow for the cardioversion, and yet not cause any excessive bleeding.  He also started taking the oral chemo drug, Tarceva, today for the spots in his other lung.  We are praying that this will stop the progression of the lung cancer dead in its tracks, and if it is the Lord's will, even cause it to completely go away. 

 

We are so happy that both of our parents are now able to start the treatment protocols that are necessary, and not have to fool around waiting to figure out what to do anymore.  Cancer patients do so much better once they finally are able to DO something about things, instead of sitting around waiting for doctors to decide what to do.  It helps take the fear away when you know that you are finally doing something.  And we are also hoping and praying that they will be able to get Dad's heart back in proper rhythm. 

 

Aunt Ginny is doing well back at home, although she is hating having to use the walker all the time.   Aunt Mary had her oncology consultation today to decide whether, at the age of 87, she can hold up well for surgery on her colon cancer.  I should hear tomorrow what she found out, and the dates of the surgery.  I am nearly certain that they will do the surgery, because she, like my dad, is in incredible shape for her age. 

 

Thanks for joining in prayer with me about our loved ones. 

Posted in Just Our Day-to-Day Life

  I finally got my darling son to get some pictures off my camera that I had been wanting to post here on my blog. This is one that was taken at BJ's Eagle Banquet back in February. You can see that my "baby" is truly a grown up now!  That's Mike and me on the right playing the role of proud Mom and Dad.