God is Faithful!

I'm heading out to get my pedi, mani, and facial today...whoo whoo!  I'm getting to have some fun with Nancy too.  We always laugh a lot together during my beauty treatments.  They really don't make be beautiful but certainly help make me more socially acceptable.  8-)

My white and red blood counts feel like they've returned to normal...I won't really know until next Thursday for sure.  I know that I am no longer bruising (red cells out of whack causes that) and my shingles are clearing up (I've been on antibiotic for a week) which were caused by my white cells being so low.  I have more and more energy...yeah...I'm definitely just about mended I think.  God is faithful in his healing of me.

Tom and I are doing our weekly shopping after my beauty stop.  He is going to drive me in and pick me up.

Yesterday was Tom's birthday and we spent a quiet day with me working and him playing on his computer.  He picked up our usual Friday Thai food and we had some cake together for his birthday.  We really do like our life's simplicity and the fact that I have Tom to share it with.  8-) God is faithful in my simple home life.

I thought today's Max was fitting...I don't have to be beautiful for God to love me.   8-)  A little reassurance that even with all my imperfections, I am loved fully and completely by God.

"Absolute Love

By Max Lucado

 

“His love has taken over our lives; God’s faithful ways are eternal.” Psalm 117:2 

The Message 

God’s love for you is not dependent on how you look, how you think, how you act, or how perfect you are. His love is absolutely nonnegotiable and nonreturnable. Ours is a faithful God."

Amen and Amen...

By Grace Alone -

-T

More Ramblings 8-)

Yesterday...not so much going on.  Did the treadmill again...(YEAH ME!!  HA)  Worked all day.  Cooked supper then got a call from the guy that is teaching my classes for me.   He had just arrived from California and was trying to find the Jetplex.  Of course, he was trying to find it in the dark so that made it a little harder for him.  So I offered to meet him at his hotel this morning and let him follow me in.

We met at 6:15 at his hotel and I got to watch him finish eating breakfast (I was a little early...oops) and then we headed out into the cold cold weather.  It was so cold that my nose and eyes ran like little faucets.  (Still having some side effects from the chemo...o well...this too shall pass eventually.)  Anyway, we go there with no problem and I checked him in with the guard and vouched for him so he could come back tomorrow and finish up the classes  (without me having to take him).  I showed him all around the training room and made sure his computer worked on the docking station and that the projector worked as it is supposed to.  Then I ran away as quickly as possible...HA!

I got back home and put out all the fires that were already stirring up from work (it was only 7:30 when I got back...don't these people ever sleep?) and now things have died down to a normal state of being. 

I go this afternoon to have the body cast made for the radiation treatments.  The cast is supposed to hold me mobile while they shoot the radiation into my breast and under my arm into the lymph nodes.  (I may have already told you guys this....if so...sorry.) 

Tomorrow is Tom's birthday.  I still have to wrap his presents...man I am so behind on some things.  I believe he is off tomorrow also so I'll have to get it done today. 

Max's words for today...Maybe having a 'common life' isn't so bad after all...as long as we 'listen' to it.

"A Common Life

By Max Lucado

 

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field.” Matthew 13:44

When you list the places Christ lived, draw a circle around the town named Nazareth—a single-camel map dot on the edge of boredom. For thirty of thirty-three years, Jesus lived a common life . . . 

And the town may have been common, but his attention to it was not . . . He saw how a seed on a path took no root (Luke 8:5) and how a mustard seed produced a great tree (Matthew 13:31-32). Jesus listened to his common life.

Are you listening to yours?"

By Grace Alone -

-T

Back on the Treadmill Again...

People have had so many problems leaving comments on the blog, I am trying something new.  Instead of forcing them to log in through google or aim, I set it to where anyone can leave a comment.  I will try this for a while and won't change it unless we get some unacceptable comments.

I know I am on the mend because I actually did a mile and a half on the treadmill today.  I am also starting to be feisty again at work and my boss is noticing it.  He says "It is really nice to see the old spark (fire) coming from your responses...can't wait to have you back here."  Yeah...whatever...

It is good to be fully back in the work mix though.  Emails flying left and right.  Demands made and dodged expertly.  8-)  I really do love my job most days.  It is challenging enough to keep me mentally going and I get to travel around to the different Huntsville sites training people so it's never just a boring desk job.

Shadow has been restless all day.  It must be the impending bad weather that is heading our way.  She normally sleeps most of the day but today she has been crying at me all day.  She settled down for a little while when I opened a window but then it started sprinkling and she is back at the caterwalling.  I've tried brushing her, changing her water, giving her extra attention but nothing seems to do it for her.  Worse than a baby....

Here is a little Max for you...good words to remember...WE can't be good enough...WE can't earn his love...He gives it freely...(I'd certainly be in trouble if it depended on my goodness...big grin)

"This Is Love

By Max Lucado

 

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” I John 4:10 NIV 

Does God love us because of our goodness? Because of our kindness? Because of our great faith? No, he loves us because of his goodness, kindness, and great faith. John says it like this: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us.”"

By Grace Alone - 


-T

Busy Weekend

Busy Weekend.

Tom was home on Friday (He works 9/80s and gets every other Friday off.) and work was still going on for me at a fairly hectic pace.  I honestly can't remember what I did on Friday other than work so I guess it wasn't important.  HA!

Saturday, he worked on washing all the snow and sludge off of his truck and I finally opened my new furniture for holding DVDs and BluRays and got them set up.  The room looks much better now.  I still need to put some curtains in there (there is a black out shade up right now but curtains would complete the window...maybe some toppers...we'll see) but considering it is just an exercise room, it's not on the top of my priority list..).  Right now, it is the least used room in the house because I haven't had the energy to do any exercising but I'd say that pretty soon, it will get used again.  (Do you hear that Mr. Tom?  We're getting back to exercising soon.  8-)  Muwah wah - evil laugh)  Here are some visuals of the room.  Tom built the shelves under the TV.  Isn't he just a great 'handy man'!

Sunday we went shopping and while I was exhausted when it was over, it was really really good to get out.  We made our Wal-mart and Publix runs so we are good to go for this next week.  We also ate out at Cracker Barrel which is always good eating.  8-)

Mom's friend Ina is currently going through all the testing associated with the beginnings of breast cancer.  I totally sympathize with her and know that this is very painful and tedious.  It is a very stressful time and she will need all the prayers that you guys can send up to get her through it.  It looks like she already knows that she has to go through Chemotherapy and Radiation (I capitalize these two words out of respect...) as well as having both breasts removed.  I didn't go with the mastectomy option because the surgeon (and my research) showed me that it wouldn't improve my life expectancy to any degree. 

Hope everyone is having a great day!

By Grace Alone...

House Keeping and Radiation News

She said, "If it's dirty, I clean it."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing...

I said, "Huh?" 

She said, "If it's dirty, I clean it."

I said, "Even the baseboards?"

She said, "Yes!"

She even cleans UNDER knick knacks and under DVD players.  She picks things UP to dust.  Where did she come from?  How wonderful is this?  I've had cleaning people for years and they NEVER pick stuff up and dust under it.  I just know it won't last...she's too good to be true.  She attacks cleaning just like I do.  WOW.

I got back from my Dr. appointment this morning and my house smelled WONDERFUL.  Nina was almost done with the cleaning and it shone everywhere.  We had this really bad little vacuum cleaner outside that was supposed to have been thrown away and she was trying to use it to vacuum.  I had forgotten to tell her where my Kirby was.  I showed her and walked her through the changing of the attachments and she used it to take care of the two rugs in the house.  (She even carted off the little cruddy vacuum cleaner to dispose of it.. YEAH, NINA!)

My Cancer Radiologist appointment went very well.  He came in and said, "You look GREAT."  I said, "thank you...(modestly...HA)"   He said, "No, really...most people two weeks after completing chemo look really bad but you look great."  I just told him it was God's doing, not mine.  (Big grin...)  He said they normally wait 6 weeks after chemo to start radiation but if I was game, he was going to get me started 4 weeks after chemo.  I said I was DEFINITELY game.  He said the side effects would be sunburn to the area and fatigue...o joy...

Next week I have an appointment for them to make the 'cast' of my upper body that I will be lying in every day as they do the radiation.  It will keep me from wiggling around (supposedly...good luck with that)...I'll let you know if it works or not when we get there.  Radiation starts on 2/14/11.

I also talked to my Cancer Nurse today.  I told her that I had gotten the Eminence stuff for doing the facial and that my hair dresser is going to do the facial for me and she was SO excited.  She is WAY more excited about this facial stuff than I am.  HA.  The eminence place sent me samples to try (for a small fee, of course but that small fee was MUCH less than actually buying the products and then finding out I was allergic or anything.  A container of the eyecream that I got a sample of normally runs ninety dollars.  I have to KNOW I like it before buying that stuff...LOL) and we'll use those to do the facial with.  It will be good to exfoliate this dead skin off of my face.  8-)  Chemo is really hard on the skin.

She also filled me in on why radiation is so fatiguing.  She explained that my already compromised red and white cells will get another hit from the radiation PLUS I have to go and get the radiation done every day and it is all just exhausting.  Well...I've been exhausted at the end of every day for about a year now so I don't really see that as anything new...we shall see.  8-)  Amy has really been a wealth of information throughout this entire process.  I thought today was our last call but she said nope...she is here for me through the entire process and she'll be doing a 3 month check up and a six month check up when radiation is complete.  I couldn't ask for a better Cancer Nurse. 

Hope everyone is having a great day!

By Grace Alone -

Getting Back Into LIFE

I finally called a company in town yesterday about getting my house cleaned on a regular basis.  I have an interview with them this morning at 10:00.  I'd like to get it done weekly (because I love a clean house) but if it costs too much for weekly, I guess we'll do every other week like we were doing before all this cancer mess.  We don't mess the house up that much so every other week would be fine but there's nothing like coming home once a week to a clean house so I'm going to see how much it would be for weekly. 

(I had the meeting with Nina and she is a wonderful lady.  She felt the same way about floors and bathrooms as I do and her weekly rate was not unreasonable.  She starts tomorrow...YEAH!)

My boss is also trying to get someone in from Saint Louis (home office) to do some of my training for me for the people that need it done immediately.  I don't really have the stamina to do all day training yet and he is nice enough to understand that and try to accommodate.  I have a 9:00 meeting for that.  Hopefully, it will finish before the cleaning lady gets here.

(This meeting went really well also.  They are coming next week to teach three classes for me.  Hurrah...relief pitchers...!!)

I am actually totally weaned off of Starbucks now.  I don't crave coffee at all since it made me nauseous during chemo recovery.  I did love my Starbucks but it is actually better to not have all that caffeine coursing through my veins (yeah...whatever...I'm working on convincing myself of this one.). 

I've contacted Nancy (my beautician and friend) and let her know that we need to get our schedule going for hair and nails again soon.  We'll start with nails since they are still attached to my fingers (HA!) and then, when the hair grows in, we will add that in and lengthen our appointments.  We always have so much fun together when we are doing hair and nails.  She always makes me laugh...she has some good stories...and that's all I'll say about that.  8-)

I am still seriously considering starting back to work on Friday.  When I say 'back to work', I mean physically back in my office at Boeing.  It is time and I am feeling much better everyday.  The nausea is greatly reduced and I am able to sit up all day (still exhausted at the end of it, but I am sitting up...) 

It took me all day to finish this silly blog.  Hope everyone is having a great day!

By Grace Alone -

Fingerprints and Faith

When they said that the chemo would change my DNA, they weren't kidding.  The fingerprint reader on my computer no longer recognizes any of my fingerprints.  It has been happening gradually over the last month or so.  It would randomly not recognize it and then I would put lotion on or lick my finger (to puff up the fingerprint) and it would work.  Now, no matter what I do, it doesn't recognize it.  Of course, being security conscious, I've always had lots of different passwords for everything.  (Yeah...I'm thinking of going and changing everything to one that I can remember.)  Tom built this really great database that houses all my passwords so I keep having to go into that and find out what my password is...that was a particular problem yesterday because I had to reboot and my windows logon password was not in my head and I couldn't get to the database without getting into my computer...(yeah, you can see the issue there).  Luckily, Tom has the same database on his computer so I just rolled my chair across the room and looked it up.  8-)  I'm not going to change my fingerprints though because it is my understanding that my DNA will correct itself in time.  Ah...patience...I swear I didn't pray for it but I keep having to use it.  8-)

Here is a little Max to brighten your day...

"He Meets Your Needs

By Max Lucado

 

“Don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries.” Matthew 6:34 

God liberated his children from slavery and created a path through the sea. He gave them a cloud to follow in the day and fire to see at night. And he gave them food . . . 

Each morning the manna came. Each evening the quail appeared. “Trust me. Trust me and I will give you what you need.” The people were told to take just enough for one day. Their needs would be met, one day at a time."

This stands totally true in my life.  God has always and I know He will continue to meet my needs in all things.  I am not worried about whether I end up in remission or they continue to find cancer in other areas of my body...I know that it will all fit His plan no matter what that plan is.  He has born me through the agony and total despair of chemotherapy and I know he will bear me through whatever the future holds.  I praise Him in all things whether it seems good or bad for me. 

By Grace Alone -

Sweet Card and Return to Work

I got the sweetest card from the people at work today.  (Actually, it probably came yesterday but we didn't check the mail until today.)

One of the ladies I work with mailed it to me but put a note in it that says "I wanted you to know that Clifford walked this card around to everyone.  He really misses you and your laugh and he asked me to send it to you."  Is that sweet or what?  The worst part of this story is that I don't remember who Clifford is.  Lordy lordy as my Aunt Mae would say.  He must sit in one of the offices on my hallway but as I've said before...I'm really kind of shy and don't get around to talk to others that much.  He isn't one of the ones that flocked in to see me on a regular basis either (there are a bunch of them that used to fly in and out of my office chatting...I never had to move an inch to talk to people...funny how that works).  A lot of people from the office that I don't even know signed it.  I really need to get around and talk to everyone when I get back and try to put names and faces to this card.  (Good thing their names are on their offices...8-)

Tom was in DESPERATE need of a haircut and we got that done today.  I cut about an inch and a half off...that should give you some indication of how neglected he has been.  Well, times are changing...we're not gonna go that long again.  8-)  I am truly gaining more energy every day and I am thinking about returning to work this next Friday when Nadir is complete and my white count has returned to normal.  I know all my blood work won't be back where it belongs but, if I have the energy, I'm ready to get back in the mix and get on with my life.  There is so much going on at work that I need to take care of and it is hard to do it all from here.

I did BJ's taxes today and he owes this year.  I finished ours the other day and we owe too.   Thanks, O'bama...

Not much else going on here.  Hope everyone is having a great day!

By Grace Alone -

Saturday Ramblings

Yesterday was a CRAZY work day.  I am glad it is the weekend now.  My boss is chomping at the bit for me to come back to the office.  He is not a patient man.  There is a lot of people that need training.  I just don't think I have the stamina to stand in front of classes every day for several days for 8 hours.  

I cleaned out the fridge this morning.  (Still working on building up stamina)  There is hardly anything in it so it is the perfect time to take care of that business.  We desperately need to go shopping.  I may just take a chance and go out there and get it done today. 

I stopped my sleeping pills last night too.  Not much sleep going on because of that.  I have to get everything back to normal though.  My body needs to learn to sleep on its own again.  (sigh)  I want to get all the drugs out of my body that don't need to be there anymore.  Out bad drugs...out!

Here is a little 'Max' to round out your day with:

"You Have A Choice

By Max Lucado

“I expect and hope . . . to show the greatness of Christ in my life here on earth, whether I live or die.” Philippians 1:20 

It would have been nice if God had let us order life like we order a meal. I’ll take good health and a high IQ. I’ll pass on the music skills but give me a fast metabolism . . . Would’ve been nice. But it didn’t happen. When it came to your life on earth, you weren’t given a voice or a vote.

But when it comes to life after death, you were.  In my book, that seems like a good deal. Wouldn’t you agree?"

By Grace Alone -

On the Move Again...

In an effort to actually make some progress with my stamina and take the work load back off of Tom again, today I have:

Totally gotten out of bed and moved everything to the office, went through a week's worth of unopened mail (ugh), cleaned house, removed all the internet wiring from the bedroom to encourage me never to go back there again unless it is to sleep (HA!), showered (yeah me!!),  started working on our taxes..(more ugh...) did most of the laundry, and kept up with all 'real' work taskings from my boss.  (Yeah, I still have to fit work into my day...sigh.)

It has been a productive day and it's only 12:30.  Wow...just wait until I get all my energy back.  Whoo whoo.  

Shadow has moved back to the guest bedroom. (As soon as I started stripping sheets in the bedroom she skedaddled to the other side of the house...she knows what it means when I start getting active.)

I am very excited to be active again and while it is taxing and tiring, I know that it will all pay off to have worked these muscles and made myself breath deep and hard as I work around the house.

I've got to start interviewing people to clean my house again soon.  Now that I am not going to be as susceptible to 'germs' I need to find someone else to do our cleaning for us.  We really don't have time to waste on house cleaning when I start going into work again.  I'm not going to bring back the people that were doing it before all this started because they didn't clean my shower well enough.  (I know..I know...that sounds silly, but if I'm paying them, they should do it the way I want it done.)  They did do the floors well though (my other pet peeve...)  I always wonder why the cleaning crews won't MOVE stuff when they dust.  Once a month no matter who I get, I end up having to dust UNDER everything.  (Another reason I don't have a lot of knick knacks laying around my house.  I hate to have to dust...)

I just got a pop up reminder about my 1:00 meeting...I guess I'd better go get ready for that...

Hope everyone is having a great day!!

By Grace Alone -

Back to Work

Well, Tom will be home soon...YEAH!  I've been lonely here today...I must be on the mend...lol.

I actually worked today (from bed, but I still worked so it counts...).  My boss even asked me when I was coming back (physically) to work.  That is SOOOOOOOOOOO him.  Like miraculously, since chemo infusions are over, I should be back on my feet.  I gave him the day after my doctor appointment to check my bloodwork as being the return day.  (Feb 10th apt...Feb 11th back to work if all is good.)  Anyway, my boss writes back and says he was wanting to do a luncheon for everyone in the group with birthdays and wanted me to join them for lunch.  I told him that if I could join him for lunch, I'd just come into work...lol.  It was nice of him to want to include me but I probably won't make that luncheon...8-)

My mom got good news today.  She doesn't have gallstones.  They just did a test on her to see if it was a problem.  I was very glad to hear it wasn't.  Since gallstones are created from excess cholesterol and calcium and her bad cholesterol was like NINETY SEVEN...I wasn't thinking that she had gallstones but what do I know?  I've never heard of anyone having such low bad cholesterol...amazing.

Well, Tom is home now...YEAH!  I guess we'll need to start thinking about supper now.

Hope everyone is having a great day!!

Difficulties never last forever.

I don't know where I learned it, but I have always learned to face adversity by knowing that there would be a 'last' time I have to do whatever the difficult thing is.   Difficulties never last forever.

This is what is getting me through this last chemo treatment.  I know that I won't feel this bad forever...I know it will end.  There is hope.  In all human endeavors, there is always hope.  

I took another sick day today because I am still not out of bed yet.   It seems that the mind and the body are so tied together with lethargy in this sickness.  I know it will eventually end though...tomorrow will be a little better and then the next day will improve until I am finally running around in my usual hastened pace to get all things completed before the day is over.  I really don't care right now whether anything gets done or not.   Although, the fact that I am blogging again is a good sign.  If I can do this today, then tomorrow's goal will be to actually work without taking a sick day. 

When she is allowed into the bedroom, Shadow never leaves my side.   She is at my feet as I type thinking that she is 'sneaking' over here and I won't notice her.  She stayed over on Tom's side until I started typing as though she thinks this distraction will allow her to go unnoticed.  I'll let her stay until she gets in the way of my stretching out.  If Tom were here, he would have already run her away from my side.  She knows he isn't though and will take full advantage of me.  I'm ok with that...8-)

I heard an amazing quote today I wanted to share with you by Marianne Williamson: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." (A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles", Harper Collins, 1992. From Chapter 7, Section 3])

By Grace Alone -

Still Struggling

Still struggling.  I think they either didn't give me the steroids this time (even though they said one of the bags was decadron) or they gave me more chemo than the other three doses of AC.  Either way...this is a tough one.  I didn't get my usual energy burst after the treatment...I went right into bed and have been there since.

As always, Tom is taking care of me...doing laundry, getting my meals, making sure I get fluids, getting me to the restroom, etc.  I could not ask for a better caretaker. 

I don't have much brain for the blogging today but I wanted to thank everyone for the prayers and to let you know that they are working...I'm sure I'll be up and around again in a couple of days if things go as they have in the past.

By Grace Alone -

Update

Just a quick update.

I got the last dose of chemo this morning and set up appointments with Dr. Faulkner (radiation doctor) in two weeks and to go back to see Dr. Waples (Oncologist) in a month.

This dose hit me hard.  I couldn't even do my Walmart run after because I was too exhausted.  Came home and slept and am still in bed.   (Tom set up the computer back here in the bedroom again.  I really hate that I missed the Walmart run.  That is the safest time to get out there right after I've had the chemo.  Ah well, two more weeks and I can get out there for good.  My BP was really high before they started the chemo and I'm sure it was just nerves but I didn't cry this time (even though I wanted to...lol).  It was back to low when it was all over.  8-)

I know the next week will be bad and I think I'm ready for it.  Keep the prayers going up.  I really appreciate everyone out there.

Don't Waste Your Life

I'm sitting here waiting for a call from the girl I was telling you about that was just diagnosed with breast cancer.  I pulled out my radiology reports because there was a lot of stuff that I have forgotten. 

She tried to call me earlier but I was in a teleconference and she sent me an email saying the number was no good.  I asked her if she dialed a '1' in front of it because we are considered long distance from everywhere else around here.  Yeah...we're out in the boonies...but I really do loving living out in the middle of nowhere.  They gave us free nationwide calling on our phone because we couldn't call anywhere without it being a long distance.

Carol recommended a book to me this morning that I went out and bought that I think is going to be awesome (I read the first chapter before buying it).  It is called "Don't Waste Your Life" by John Piper.  Wonder if she is trying to tell me something?  HA!

The girl just called me.  She has been diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma (just like I was) but she is at the stage of trying to decide whether to do a mastectomy or a lumpectomy.  She wants to have both breasts removed and never have to worry about breast cancer again.  Her tumor is .9mm in size which is very small and she won't know the staging until after surgery.  I told her why I decided on a lumpectomy but didn't really discuss the chemotherapy yet.  I told her to call me anytime to discuss the different stages of the cure to the disease as she has questions.  She was not nervous or worried about anything.  I have to wonder if she is still in shock from the diagnosis...but then again...she just might not be a worrier.  Some people have that gift.

Not much else except for work going on here today.  I have to go get the chicken wings ready to turn them into chicken wings Parmesan.  YUM...one of our favorite meals.

Hope everyone is having a GREAT day.  8-)

Things That Change You

So much for weather reports, cat stories, and chemo whining.

Let's talk about things that change you.

Finding salvation in Christ...

Your first kiss...

Your first true love...

The first time you lie... (yeah, everyone lies at some point in their life, whether to protect someone or out of shame or for one of a million other reasons.  It happens and it changes you forever.)

A mother's love...

A father's love...

Extreme Joy...

The first time you are angry...

The first time you are deeply sad...

The death of someone you love...

A best friend...

Going through something difficult and realizing that people care about you...

Yeah...you have changed me, believe it or not.  I've gone through life feeling fairly self-sufficient and God has brought me down to a low point and made me realize that I need people more than myself.  I can't tell you how much your prayers and caring have meant to me...thanks for that change.  8-)

If you feel used in your changing of me, then see what Max says about the God and his use of people.

"God Uses People

By Max Lucado

 

I know those I have chosen. John 13:18 

Would you choose a wanted murderer to lead you out of bondage? Would you call upon a fugitive to carry the Ten Commandments? God did . . . Called his name through a burning bush. Scared old Moses right out of his shoes!

The reassuring lesson is clear.  God...uses people to change the world.  People! Not saints or superhumans or geniuses, but people."

By Grace Alone -

-T

BIG SNOW Today

It's been quite a day today...woke up this morning to about a eight inches of snow with drifts up to one to two feet.  You guys are gonna get so sick of the different weather conditions in my yard but here it is in case you are interested.  Tom had to take a personal day today because he couldn't get out to go into work.  Of course, work for me didn't stop because of the snow since I am working from home right now.

If you remember, this Skyshed Pod sits on a deck that is about a foot high in front and 18 inches in back.  (built on a slope)

Not going to be sitting on that bench any time soon...

 Out the front...kids and dogs haven't gotten to the snow yet.  That won't last long...

Here Tom is trying to shovel out the side driveway so that he can get his truck out...

Here he is driving out of the driveway...GO TOM.  (He's going to the store to pick up some food for this week.)  This trip was taken about 12:30.  No sun to melt the snow yet and it is about 32 degrees out.  You can also see that the neighbor's Labrador Retriever has made its way through our yard and even came up the steps to our porch.   Yeah...you don't see the dog, but his prints are there...he and the neighborhood kids were having fun in the cul-de-sac. 

Bye bye, Tom!  You can just see him at the edge of the house, going up the road.

We also cleaned house this morning.  Whoo whoo!  We're ready for our chemo treatment on Thursday now.  House is clean and fridge is stocked. 

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Multiple Ramblings...

We made the trip out to Bed, Bath and Beyond!  Yeah!

It wasn't easy, but I found some rugs and towels to match.  The funniest thing is that the ones that I picked online in the 'sand' color were exactly the ones I ended up buying.  I just didn't feel comfortable buying them online, site unseen.  Tom very patiently followed me back and forth between the rugs and the towels...8-)  It would have been nice if they had set the store up with all the towels that matched a certain color rug right beside them...but nooooo...they had to have them across the store.  I certainly got enough exercise today and am quite exhausted now.

Here are some pics of the new rugs and towels.  We have a really long master bath so it is hard to take pictures of everything at once.  Well, you'll get the idea, anyway.

I'm such a 'neutral' color girl.  My mother will find these colors boring but it is who I am...lol.  I'm pretty simple and love to stay in the background.  8-)

So, we were standing in the store trying to decide what type of a toilet seat lid we had...was it oblong or round.  Neither one of us could remember.  How bad is that?  We brought home the round one and Tom gallantly took it back and exchanged it after we got home and saw what kind it really was.  The other bad thing was that I had taken down measurements the other day of the areas that needed rugs.  The only thing I could remember was that the area in front of the two sinks was 72" and the area in front of the shower was either 40" or 44".  So we got a 60" rug for in front of the sinks and took a chance on a 44" rug for the shower area and got lucky because the shower area was exactly 44".  (whew)

While my white and red blood counts were really down on Thursday when I went to the doctor, but I can tell that they are indeed coming up because I was able to walk all over that store without feeling like I was going to pass out or anything.  I guess we will be ready for the next (and LAST) chemo treatment on Thursday.

My sister sent me a really cool encouragement card that I got today.  It had Snoopy dancing on the front of the card and it said on the front "Know What THIS is?"  and you open it says "It's the DANCE I'm going to do when you are all BETTER."   We got the mail on the way out to the store this morning and had a good laugh over it.  Yeah, Carol, I can already imagine you doing your Happy Dance.  8-)  I'll be doing it right there with you.

I asked the doctor on Thursday if my reactions to finding lumps was normal or was I turning into this 'paranoid woman'?  He assured me that not only was it normal but from now on it is my job to tell him about every single little lump that I find so we can both be assured that there is no more cancer.  He made me feel much less paranoid.  8-)

One of my bosses sent me an email on Friday and told me about a lady at work (whom I actually know to some degree from working with her) that has just been diagnosed with Breast Cancer and wanted me to talk to her to reassure her.  So, I  was struck with really mixed feelings.  Sorrow for the lady to have to go through this and excitement that maybe I could give her some insight that will reduce her fears.  My Sister-in-Law, Sharyn, has also told me of someone that she'd like to give my name to chat with to help through her trials with Breast Cancer.  God really does open the doors for us to minister, doesn't he?  I really hope I can help them both to go through this with less trepidation.  Sometimes, being armed with knowledge helps us with the struggles.  I know that, as I learned more about what I was going through, I felt tremendously better. 

Hope everyone is having a great day!

What's Mine is HERS

I have set up a working space in the spare bedroom on the bed so that I'm not too exhausted at the end of the day.  I don't want to get under the sheets so I had a spare blanket put at the end of the bed so that I could pull it over my legs when I felt too cool.  (My thermostat is all over the place so I dress in layers and keep blankets nearby...)

Anyway...Shadow (yeah, another cat story) decides she likes this blanket (even though I have some nice soft rugs set down there for her to lay on.  (See those tan rugs to the left of her...she totally avoids them.)  So, she leaves the blanket folded up for a little while and lays on it.  Then, yesterday, she decided that she needed to 'nest' it to fit her body.  Below are the results.  (Sigh)

It took her a lot of work to get it exactly the way she wanted it.  So, now, I guess MY blanket is HER blanket.  Because I'm such a softee, I got myself another blanket yesterday to lay under.  (Must have happy cat....)

Aloe Madness!!

My sister sent me a text message the other day and told me she had sent the Aloe Plant.  I said, "Cool...what do I owe you for it?"   She says, "Just keep it alive."  I told her she was mean...that was the hard part.

I got the plant today.  When I got it, I wasn't sure which end was supposed to be up...it looked like this when I took it out of the box.

That didn't look right, so I tried walked around to the other side and took a good look. 

Hmmm, I guessed it was time to take the scissors and try cutting some of the tape off...

AHA!  I found the bottom of the plant...now to open up the plant itself...

It had broken ends from the shipment but I gave it a haircut (trimmed off the broken pieces) and WALA:

YEAH, CAROL!  That's a lot of Aloe...I have a fat cat and a fat aloe plant now.  8-)

I saw the doctor early this morning and the radiologist says the lump in the right breast is a fibroadenoma instead of a fluid filled cyst.  He says it is still nothing to worry about.  He did say I could have it removed if it grew too much or if it was bothering me.  I said I'd keep that in mind in the future....(yeah, that's gonna happen...lol)

Hope everyone is having a great day! 

Sleepless Night and Sonogram

This has been an interesting 24 hours. 

I talked with my Cancer Nurse from the Boeing Wellness Program yesterday afternoon.  I was telling her about the new lump in my right breast (the one that had the cancerous lump that they removed).  She sounded kind of panicky and asked what they are doing about it.  I basically told her my request was to wait until chemo was over.  She said not to wait, but to pass Go and immediately get it checked out because if I am growing new lumps then the chemo won't have worked as it should have if they are malignant.  Sigh.

No sleep last night, as you can imagine...lots of weird dreams when I did sleep though...I dreamed Tom wasn't waiting for me to die but was already scoping out the new wife he would need when I died.  Oh, the mind is a crazy thing...I kept asking him, "Couldn't you just wait until I'm actually dead to go looking for a new wife?"  When I woke up, if he hadn't already been out of bed, I would have smacked him 'cause I was just that mad.  HA!

So, this morning, I call my doctor and ask for a sonogram for the lump he found last week.  They immediately got me into The Breast Center to have it checked out.  I have an appointment tomorrow morning to go over the results with the doctor.  I have had a lot of sonograms in my lifetime.  They would always do the mammogram and then they would shuffle me off to do a sonogram of the lumps they would see in the mammogram.  I've seen a LOT of fluid filled cysts in my lifetime.  When they found the actual tumor, last July, I saw it on the sonogram before the technician said anything.  This time, I didn't see anything but fluid filled masses but she wouldn't talk about it.  (Whatever...)  I feel pretty confident that it was just a fluid filled cyst.

So, we've jumped through one more hoop.  I have to admit though, I wasn't going to jump through it until she said that all the chemo would have been for nothing if it had turned out to be a malignant tumor.  I asked her what they would do if the chemo wasn't working and she said they would change the chemo to another type.  No wonder I had nightmares.  I just can't see me doing another chemo round.  I guess in my head I had just written me off as dead, if that was the case.   HA!

Hope everyone is having a great day!  I know I'm going to sleep better tonight.  8-)

Mundane Ramblings...

We are back to normal today.  The holidays are over.  Sigh.  

Shadow has parked herself (in her usual spot) on my desk between my work computer and my personal computer.  This time she is facing me.  She has been keeping an eye on me for the last 24 hours.  (I just tested this theory and if I move in my chair, she opens an eye...HA!)  

After Tom left for work yesterday and she couldn't find me (because the bedroom door was shut and I was still sleeping) she went into anxiety mode and threw up on the washing machine.  (Which really beats her throwing up on the living room rug or Tom's seat on the leather couch...that one is always a fun surprise...he never sees it before he sits down...lol.)  Once she saw me up, she was ok but wouldn't let me out of her sight all day.  If I moved rooms, she moved rooms.  Poor thing...she's gonna go crazy when I have to physically go back to work in February.

The good thing about the new year is that everyone at work is still trying to figure out where they were at the end of last year so I'm not getting inundated with help calls yet. 

I am actually out of bed today which is pretty much a first since my last chemo treatment. (Except for the day that Tom and I cleaned house and I really wasn't out of bed that long on that day.)  It's only eight in the morning and I'm already exhausted.  My dad, not long before he died, would look longingly at his bed when they had him out of it in the nursing home.  I can SOOOO relate to that right now.  I would love to just go back there and crawl back into it.  

There has always been something odd about our master bathroom.  It is always 20 degrees colder back there than the rest of the house.  Doesn't matter if it is winter or summer, it is cold.  (I could understand it better if it were only cold in the winter and hot in the summer but it is cold all the time.)  It's so cold that I put a thermometer back there to see if I was imagining it or if it was real.  Most of the time it registers about 53 degrees in that room (versus 72 in the rest of the house).  Both of the AC/heat vents in the room are wide open and Tom has checked the duct work to make sure it is all connected.  Without rugs back there (yeah, I'm still whining about the rugs) the little tootsies really freeze in the middle of the night when nature calls.  Can't wait for the weekend to get those rugs procured.  8-) 

OK, I haven't put any Max in for a few days...here is a good nugget to hold on to if you're ever feeling God isn't listening to you.

"God Listens

By Max Lucado

“I call to you in times of trouble, because you will answer me.”  Psalm 86:7

You can talk to God because God listens.

Your voice matters in heaven. He takes you very seriously. When you enter His presence, the attendants turn to you to hear your voice. No need to fear that you will be ignored.

Even if you stammer or stumble, even if what you have to say impresses no one, it impresses God, and he listens" 

The beauty of Max is the way he states the obvious so simply that you go..."I knew that but it is SO reassuring to hear it."  It's like your Father's love.  You know He loves you but you still like (and need) to hear Him say it.

By Grace Alone -

I'll Wait For You

I am shopping today.

I'm not leaving the house but doing it by internet which is particularly hard for some of the shopping. 

The first item was easy.  I needed some more lotion from Bath and Body Works.  Piece of cake.  Five minutes and that job was complete.  They even had it on sale because they're DISCONTINUING it.  How come everything that I like, they discontinue?  I ordered six bottles because of that.  I figure in six months when I need it again, I can actually go physically to the store and see what I like.  

The next item...not so easy.  This weekend I washed the bathroom rugs and opened the washer to find the backs had disintegrated.  Sigh.  They were only three years old.  I guess I washed them to death over the last three years.  (Must have clean...)  They were good Sears rugs too.  Now I am searching online for a color that won't be true on the computer....(I don't care how good a video card is, it never shows exactly the same color on your computer as it would if you were holding it in your hand.)  I'm a picky decorator but we really need something on the floor in the bathroom so I'm going to jump right into it. 

OK, jumped into it and back out of it.  I can't do it online.  I spent 4 hours looking (I'll never get those 4 hours back...sigh.) and found a color that I think might work from Bed, Bath, and Beyond but I couldn't match towels to them.  (Of course, since I'm changing colors for the rugs, I have to have new towels to match...8-)  We will just have to struggle through until this next weekend when I will be able to leave the house.  (Get ready for heavy duty shopping, honey!)

Tom just sent me the most beautiful email.  He had heard a song on the radio to which he said "This is EXACTLY HOW I FEEL WHERE YOU ARE CONCERNED."  He says the first part of it doesn't apply since he doesn't travel but the part below in blue is what he was talking about.  (Now how sweet is he?  That's my soulmate talking.)  Of course, I haven't even heard the song but the words made me cry.  

I'll Wait For You by Joe Nichols:

The snow in Montana was three feet high
The lady at the counter said: There ain't no flights
And so he called her on the telephone
He said: I'll rent a car and I'll drive home

And she said: I'll wait for you
Like I did last year
At Christmas time with your family here
And your truck broke down out in San Antone
And the gifts stayed wrapped until you got home
Oh, this ain't nothin' new
Sweetheart, I'll wait for you

Now he's on his cell phone in a Coupe Deville
Talkin' to the one he loves and always will
His heart is breakin' 'cause she's there alone
Her heart is achin' 'cause she wants him home
She says: I'll wait for you like in '68
When our child was due, but I said, he'll have to wait
Until his dad gets here and stands by my side
Remember, Dear, our son's first cry
Oh, this ain't nothin' new
Sweetheart, I'll wait for you

He didn't stop all day to eat a bite
And he finally got there around midnight
The doctor said, she's in a better place
She said to give this you this note just in case

And it said, I'll wait for you at Heaven's gate
Oh, I don't care how long it takes
And I'll tell Saint Pete I can't come in
Without my love and my best friend
Oh, this ain't nothin' new
Sweetheart, I'll wait for you
P.S. I love you, too
Sweetheart, I'll wait for you

I'll have to go listen to it now.  8-)  Here is a link to a video of the song. I'll Wait For You

Hope everyone is having a great day!  

 

More Cat Tales...

Today isn't as good as yesterday.

Man...I just hate that.

Today I woke up with a fever and extreme lethargy.  I guess the 'nadir' days have begun.  (Lowest dips to the white and red blood counts.)  Tom, as usual, came in and 'tylenoled' me, fed me, and supported me while I had a pity party. 

I thought I was going to get to go to the grocery store today.  Sigh.  Wah.  I guess I need to get a list together for Tom to take with him.  That is sooooo much harder than just going in there and grabbing what I want.  It is easier to see it and remember we need it than try to remember it to send him after it.  I don't really know what the good meats are for the day from my bed either...ARGGHHH. 

Shadow is kind of whiny today too.  Poor Tom.  She was in the bathroom with him where the washer and dryer were going and she was SCREAMING to get out of there.  The washer terrifies her.  She doesn't like that spin cycle at all. 

Then she wanted the window open.  (Yeah...it's 30 degrees outside today but SHE wants the window open.)  I'm ashamed to say we do crack it for her so she'll be happy. 

Lately, since I've been home all the time, she has 'trained' me to brush her several times a day.  She meows, I follow her into the laundry room (where her food and water are) and she jumps up on the counter and I pull the brush out of the drawer and brush her all over.  This happens SEVERAL times a day.  Tom has been dealing with that on the days that I'm crashed and I THINK he's about had enough of it.  Believe it or not...he isn't a natural care giver...especially not to cats...oops.  Sorry, Tom.  I didn't mean to spoil her...it's just like with kids...BJ used to point to stuff and I would just automatically get it for him.  It's all second nature to me.  Half the time I don't even remember following her into the laundry room.  All of a sudden, I'm just standing there brushing her. 

Well, I'd better get busy with that grocery list...I feel a nap coming on and I know Tom would rather get this out of the way so he can relax the rest of the day (well, except for brushing the cat...HA).

Brand New Year

Well, here we are.  8-)  Brand New Year and a brand new attitude.  Ok, maybe the same attitude but a new year anyway...lol.

Tom has been working on making me a happy woman today.  He has gotten energetic and cleaned the house.  I piddled with little stuff that I felt like I could do like dusting the living room and cleaning kitchen counters and he tackled all the stuff that hits the body so hard like cleaning the floors and bathrooms.  Yeah, three bathrooms seemed like a good idea when we bought the house...not so much now...8-)

One thing I did today, since he was helping me with the house, was to clean some knick knack items that only get really deep cleaned about once every six months.  (I'm embarrassed to say it isn't more often than that for the deep cleaning but ah well...we do what we can, when we can.)  Anyway, there are three pieces of crystal items that are cool geometric shapes (circles that hold fluid inside of altered rectangles) that Tom got me for an anniversary years ago.  (No...I don't remember which one...sorry)  They are supposed to have oil in them and they have wicks that you can burn.  Well..I never used them for burning and got rid of the oil years ago because it was messy.  My alternative to that was to fill them with colored water.  They used to be an evergreen color but I dumped that today and cleaned them out good and then realized I didn't have any food coloring left to color the water with.  Sigh.  (That never would have happened during the Play-doh making years.)  Now I had to decide what I was going to do with them because they are a boring crystal 'clear' without color (as you can imagine).  Must have color!

I looked under the sink and BOY AM I CONSISTENT...I found some apple cinnnamon red colored liquid potpourri under the sink that I had never used.  It went perfectly with the burgandy colors in the living room so I filled them with that.  I am always attracted to the 'burgandies' and I must have bought this stuff years ago and never used it.  I am such an impulse shopper...I probably saw it in the store and thought of the crystal thingies but, when it came time to clean them, then I didn't remember it.  Yeah...that sounds like me.  Here is a picture of the finished product. No, it's not a blurry picture, there are two sides of glass on either side of the circle area that holds the fluid. 

Not much else going on around here now that we're totally beat after cleaning house.  (Even Shadow is laying here exhausted from being chased out of rooms by the vacuum cleaner.  HA!)  We have a 'Shrek' movie to watch and will probably order pizza tonight for supper since we haven't gotten any groceries yet.  There is always tomorrow for that.  8-)

The End of 2010

The end of 2010...

It is always bittersweet when the year ends.  This year, I have to admit, I am a bit glad that it is over.  We have all suffered enough.  It is time to look to the new year with new beginnings and new hope.

Last year, brought an increased healing of my mother (who has been fighting some liver disease for quite a while), the death of my father, a biopsy, the introduction of cancer into our immediate lives, two surgeries, 7 doses of chemotherapy, the closer knitting of my family, and the realization that no one lives forever.  Through all this, God held us in His loving arms and comforted us all through the suffering.  We have come out on the other side with our sense of humor intact and our spirits lifted.

I don't know what next year brings but I believe that my mother will continue to heal, I am ever hopeful that the words 'remission' are included in our vocabulary, our family will become even closer, and death will not enter into our lives during these future 365 days.  No matter what comes in 2011, I know God will continue to hold us in His loving arms.  8-)

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Despair, Grace, and Conversion

Each day after chemo has it's own challenges.  This is day 4 and it is always one of the hardest.  It is a bit like slogging through molasses.  It was very difficult to wake up but I knew I had to because my temp was up because I was dehydrated.  I'm not quite sure how to avoid this because I have to sleep and don't drink while I'm doing that so, of course, the body gets dehydrated.  

Tom and I are connected with a messaging tool when he is on the other side of the house (on his computer) and I sent him a 'help' message this morning so he could get me kick started.  (My computer is back here in the master bedroom on a bedside tray table so all I have to do is reach over and roll it to me.)  He gets me Tylenol and water and then works on getting me some toast for breakfast.  He got his shower and then the dentist called to say they had a cancellation and asked if he could come early.  So, he is off to his dental and I am trying to stay awake so I figured blogging was a good way to do that. 

The past three days have been normal for this type of chemo.  No surprises...which is always good.  We only have one more treatment to go and then (I believe) the worst of this is over. 

I was touched profoundly by the Max Lucado reading today.  I have felt the despair and I have felt the Grace that saved me from despair.  Max captured it perfectly.   I'll share it with you.

"Meet the God of Encouragement

By Max Lucado

Has it been a while since you stared at the heavens in speechless amazement? 

Has it been a while since you realized God’s divinity and your carnality?

If it has, then you need to know something. He is still there. He hasn’t left. Under all those papers and books and reports and years. In the midst of all those voices and faces and memories and pictures, he is still there.

Do yourself a favor. Stand before him again. Or, better, allow him to stand before you. Go into your upper room and wait. Wait until he comes. And when he appears, don’t leave. Run your fingers over his feet. Place your hand in the pierced side. And look into those eyes. Those same eyes that melted the gates of hell and sent the demons scurrying and Satan running. Look at them as they look at you. You’ll never be the same.

A man is never the same after he simultaneously sees his utter despair and Christ’s unbending grace. To see the despair without the grace is suicidal. To see the grace without the despair is upper room futility.  But to see them both is conversion.

Come meet the God of encouragement. He loves you. He never gives up on you, especially when life is hard, because he has been there. The hand that reaches out to comfort you is a pierced one."

I have seen despair through these trials but I have also seen the Grace that God has given to carry me through them.  How amazing is it that He loves me?!

By Grace Alone - 

Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This...

For all who have been following this blog and thinking, "Wow, this girl is really brave.", I am here to confess something today.

I asked my husband to let me talk to the doctor alone today.  (He normally comes to the room with me and talks to the doctor with me.)  I had some 'personal' things to talk to the doctor about (some things I don't even want to share with Tom...TMI and all, you know) and I wanted to see if I could talk him out of the last two chemo treatments.  I couldn't talk him out of them...and not only could I not talk him out of it, but there was something in the blood work that sent him pinging and asking about lumps again.  He wanted to know what they did about the lump I found about a month ago in my other breast...I told him that it was fluid filled and I had opted not to go to the surgeon over it.  He wanted to see it and then he also checked the other breast and found the lump I hadn't told him about.  (This lump is in the same breast that the cancer lump was in.)  I found this new lump last week but figured since we were getting radiation, there wasn't much use (nor energy on my part) to stir anyone up over it.  He agreed to wait until the chemo is over but then assures me that we will be checking out this new lump vigorously. 

So, I'm not so brave after all...I cried so much in the chemo chair today that the nurse asked me if I needed a minute alone before starting the AC chemo.  She had already given me the Benedryl, anti-nausea medicine, and steroids.  I just caved before the chemo started.  I don't know why except I just didn't want it and felt pushed into it.  Yeah....wah, wah, wah...I am totally disgusted with myself for not being stronger.

I did have a really neat nurse today for the treatments.  We had a lot in common, both kill plants, both have curly hair that makes it hard to find a good beautician.  You have to be a very talented beautician to give someone with curly hair a great haircut.  She goes all the way to Jackson, MS to get hers done every month.  She had a GREAT haircut which is what started that conversation.  Believe it or not, we were joking around while she was infusing the medications.  I fell apart when she left while the anti-nausea meds were going in. 

Tom was very patient through all of it, as usual.  I can tell he is concerned even more than usual because all this is out of character for me.  It is probably all drug induced, Tom, please don't worry...you know I have days like this.  8-}

So...today isn't such a good day, but as the old song goes..."Mama said there'd be days like this..."

Love you all bunches...glad you are out there for encouragement.  I can really use some today.

Merry Christmas!!!

We had a wonderful surprise gift from God this morning for Christmas.  He gave us a white Christmas.  How cool is that?  When I got up at 6:30, I could tell something was different because the sun was not shining into the bedroom.  I peeked out the window and saw that there were big flakes of snow falling and the ground was covered in white.

This is what it looked like out back at 6:30 from different views of the yard:

This is our neighbor Tom's house.

There is a light dusting of snow on the Thuya trees ...(trees growing to the left of the shed.

You can see it's not sticking to the street at 6:30 this morning.

About an hour later, I am running around capturing pictures again to show how much MORE it snowed than it had when we first got up.  8-) 

You can see here that it is starting to really stick to the street:

The bushes are laden with snow.  (I always wanted to use 'laden' in a sentence..lol)

I love the photo below...I'm going to see about turning it into a real picture for my wall.  I love the way it looks like a black and white photo except for the brown from the gazebo.  The snow is falling in big flakes and so pretty. 

Look now at the snow laying down those branches of our little Thuya trees.

Right now (about 2 hours later) we are at about 2 inches of snow.

We had a really nice Christmas this morning (on top of all the excitement with the snow...we've never seen it 'really' snow here in the three years we've lived here).  My Mom gave me this beautiful yellow crystal paper weight.  (Looks like the hope diamond only in a topaz color.)  Very beautiful!  Thanks, Mom.  My sister and her husband gave me a beautiful red scarf.  Thanks, Carol and Daryl!  Carol sent me a little special gift that is our 'we all have one like that' gift of a snowflake necklace and snowflake earring.  Thanks, Carol!  Tom got me the two pieces of DVD furniture, a beautiful Necklace and Earring set in black and white diamonds to go with my black and white outfit.  8-)  Thanks, Tom!  My sister-in-law, Sharyn sent me an angel datebook that is adorable and will actually be very useful because I can write appointments in it and carry it in my purse.  Thanks, Sharyn! 

I have the turkey cooking away in the oven and the rest of the day is ours to play with.  Here is hoping everyone is having a wonderful Christmas day filled with the love of family and friends.  8-)