everything is okey dokey...

Bloodwork came back normal. I am several pounds heavier than when I started treatment way back in August, but the cancer made me lose 10-15 pounds in a couple of weeks right before surgery, I hope I can lose the excess weight by taking care of myself and eating right. Another wonderful (I am being sarcastic, of course) benefit of chemo is that is really slows down your metabolism. I need a strong will to eat better. Pray for me if you get the chance, I love sugar and it is not what I should be putting in my body. Dr. Keppen wants to see me again in 6 months.

"Enjoy your last day of freedom," she said

and we both giggled. Tomorrow I begin a 13 week subbing position for a friend. She had asked me months ago when she was barely showing and now she has a basketball under her shirt and only 13 days to go. I thought about what she said about freedom and how the life of a SAHM is so often referred to as 'easy'. Little does she know that I am actually yearning for 13 weeks of scheduled "normalcy". She said it best in her letter to her families about me filling in for her."Even though she classifies herself as stay at home, I believe she is busier now than ever. She runs local community groups, substitutes, and also fills in at the local daycare. "I think this job will be like therapy for me. I get to feel professional again, earn a little bit for the pocketbook and do what I love to do; work with children and families. It will be nice to concentrate on one thing for the next three months instead of several. I can't wait.

This afternoon I have a doctor's appointment with my oncologist. Things are going well. In fact, we have rescheduled the PET scan for a later date because of how miraculously well I am doing. I may be busy these next few months and not blogging as much, but I am sure I won't be able to stay away from it for very long, and I will keep everyone updated on my health for sure.

Now that I have been thinking more about it, I am sure my friend is the one who should be enjoying her last two weeks of freedom, she is going to have to get used to a new little 'boss' running the show...

5 minutes of fame for the village

My little village in the valley was featured on Today's Ag Friday night. A lot of people from the community got face time! You can view it by going to the Today's Ag website at SDSU or just click here.


"Today's Ag" is a weekly half-hour educational program about agriculture and rural community needs and issues. The show features unbiased, science-based information from land-grant university researchers and Extension professionals and is produced by the South Dakota State University Cooperative Extension Service.

rain, rain please stay...

Dh has been redoing the carpet in the boat and the kids love to play in it...today I had a load of laundry on the line and the rain started, oh well...

I love the smell of the rain and the green that comes afterwards, the kids love getting wet.

great gobbly goop

Equal parts cornstarch and water and 3-4 drops of foodcoloring = GOOP.

What part of DON'T TOUCH THE DEAD BIRD didn't you understand?

I have been antsy for preschool screening*(which my ds has called screaming for 2 years now but that is a whole 'nother post) because both of my kids have been exhibiting signs that I have interpreted to be hearing difficulties. Dd is always saying, "What mom?" and "Tell me again mom, I didn't hear you." Ds's behavior is more like, "huh?" and completely ignoring me to the point where I wonder if God even gave him ears. I don't think I was overreacting. I was really concerned. Until today. Today I confirmed that it is only selective hearing problems that I am dealing with.

Both kids were outside playing when they started yelling, "a bird, a dead bird, mom we found a bird." The came running inside and I told them please don't touch the dead bird as dead animals have germs and I made them each look me in the eye and tell me whether they had touched it. Ds shook his head no and ran back outside, dd shook her head no and then looked pretty guilty and hi tailed it to the bathroom sink. Moments later ds came back inside holding the tip of the wing of this dead bird high up in the air proudly displaying his find. I screamed, my dd screamed, and I ran to find a trash bag. Meanwhile ds took the dead animal back outside and hurled it over the deck railing into the landscaping. I caught him on his way back inside running to the bathroom, "why did you touch it after mommy said no?" I still have yet to receive a response from him other than a tiny shoulder shrug.

I think this is some nasty payback that my mother cursed me with after telling me more than once, "Wait until you have children of your own!"

*both children passed the screening with flying colors, of course

You win some...

The kids have been outside since 8:45 this morning. When the sun comes out it is hard to keep us inside. Even the cat has been outdoors most of the day. Speaking of Sampson, recently I have become fed up with the litter box, the hair, and the constant licking that animal does. I have never been a cat person and I know there are people out there who are; I just can't bring myself to love him unconditionally. My daughter on the other hand is head over heels. After church on Wednesday night a friend came over to help me with a website thing and immediately he found it hard to breathe and needed some fresh air, I didn't realize cat dander affected some like that. I started thinking and both of my kids have been complaining of itchy eyes to the point that they don't even tell me anymore, they just run to the bathroom for a cool cloth (several times a day) and put it on their eyes (why this was not an immediate red flag for me I will blame, like I do every other thing I do wrong, on chemo brain). Okay so, FINALLY, I came to the conclusion that we should think about whether we might have allergies and if we should get rid of the cat. My daughter caught on right quick and in her little 5 year old brain managed to finagle us into some sort of family vote session. She lined up the chairs and before we knew it my husband and the kids were on one side and I was on the other. My husband was trying with all the power in his soul to keep from laughing as dd went down the line; "Daddy, say what you like about Sampson..." I felt like I was on the stand. When it came to my turn I had all three of the most important people in my life looking at me with sad eyes pleading with me to keep him. My daughter must have felt that I was lonely because she put a baby doll on my 'side' so I wouldn't be all alone. In the end, I gave up. They had good, loving things to say for every one of my complaints and it was 3 people, 1 doll, 1 bear and 1 pesky cat against mean old mom and a doll that was meant only to keep me company. I didn't stand a chance.

Trying to understand my purpose...

Last night my dm (dear mother) dropped off a copy of Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life. It is a daily devotional that you read a chapter a day in for 40 days. The study is entitled, What on Earth Am I Here For? I want my dh to do it with me. The author encourages you to do it with a partner. I am excited and I hope I can stay motivated for the next 40 days to complete this spiritual journey. The first seven chapters are online. You can find them HERE. If you try it let me know how it goes for you.

Cookies and an Easter story

Easter Story Cookie Recipe

To be made the evening before Easter

You will need the following:

1 cup whole pecans

1 tsp. vinegar

3 egg whites

1 pinch of salt

1 cup sugar

1 zipper baggie

wooden spoon

tape

Bible
Preheat oven to 300 (this is very important; don't wait until you're half done with the recipe).
Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces.
Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. (Read aloud John
19:1-3)

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp vinegar into mixing bowl.
Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink. (Read aloud John 19:28-30)

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. (Read aloud John 10:10-11)

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers and the bitterness of our own sin. (Read aloud Luke 23:27)

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup of sugar.

Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. (Read aloud Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16)

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. (Read aloud Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3)


Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet.
Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. (Read aloud Matthew 27:57-60)

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.

Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. (Read aloud Matt 27:65-66)

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. (Read aloud John 16:20, 22)

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. (Read aloud Matt 28:1-9)

Happy Easter!!

Note to self

Do not put knee highs on shortly after applying new self tan lotion.If you do, expect to have a one inch ring of milky white skin below the knees when you take them off at the end of the day. When the bottle says "allow several minutes to dry before dressing" it means just that. On the same subject, self tanner works in only one application, especially if one wants to look slightly orangy. I could post a picture, but I won't.

we all have different ways of coping with it

I came across this video journal of Morgan and his battle with Hodgkin's a while back. I love the way he chooses to express what he is going through. My kids and I dance to the theme music he has and we look forward to the updates he makes about once a month. Check out all of his videos on youtube.

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S P R I N G

Snow is melting, Sun is warming so we can have

Picnics on the deck and Pee outside because we are too busy

Running around and playing

In the mud.

Nothing can be better than skipping Nap to enjoy the warm sun

Gracing our face like a soft butterfly kiss from God.

curly vs. straight

I was reminded of how to make my dd's hair curly by a blogger friend (thanks D), lately. I french braid little sections of her thick, but fine hair and she sleeps on it and then we undo the braids and viola! She saw it and immediately said, "I am beautiful." I had to remind her that straight hair is beautiful, too. Why is it that we always want what we don't have?

it' pretty obvious your three year old is really watching CSI with you

when he finds a model car at Grandmas and is so excited about the real opening trunk that he yells, "Hey mom, we can put our dead bodies in here!"

I can hear my phone ringing off the hook with nominations for the worst Mommy of the year award...

warning: getting older makes you funny

Spent Sunday at the in-laws. We don't go down there enough. It's only an hour away. Wish we made the trip a lot more frequently because the kids love grandma and grandpa. There is always hot coffee and a huge, yummy meal; even an aunt or an uncle to jump on. Dh's mom makes me laugh every time I go. She is such an amazing woman. We were visiting about shoe sizes and I mentioned that my feet got larger when I got pregnant. My shoe size went up a half size. She said she was glad that it didn't happen every time you got pregnant, she would have had size 14 feet with 9 children. That got me giggling and I got up to refill my cup of coffee. I noticed the newer stainless steel coffeepot and commented on how new it was. She said, yes it was supposed to match her new microwave, but when they pulled the oven out of the box they noticed it had a blue tint to it, which she didn't really mind because her theme color in the kitchen is blue anyway. My husband just happened to be walking through the kitchen when she was going on about the color and he says, "Ma, that's not the color, that's the protective plastic covering they ship it out in." He proceeded to remove the oven from it's spot in the cabinet and peel the tinted plastic off the entire oven. As we all struggled for breath from laughing so hard dh's mom said,"Well, they should have at least put a sticker on it that said to remove it..." which led to my husband digging this out of the trash bin.



She just got through telling me that she was tired of us giving her heck for Christmas and now this. You are one in a million, JG. I am still laughing...

"You don't need to teach a seed to grow..."

We took the kids to a movie today, Charlotte's Web. It was a nice, family movie and the soundtrack was beautiful. The song during the end credits made me cry. I really like the artist so it was no surprise I would adore this song. The only thing that could possibly make the song any better would be giving the credit to our Creator. I believe God makes ordinary miracles happen every single day...

Artist: Sarah McLachlan Lyrics
Song: Ordinary Miracle Lyrics

It’s not that usual when everything is beautiful
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

The sky knows when its time to snow
You don’t need to teach a seed to grow
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

Life is like a gift they say
Wrapped up for you everyday
Open up and find a way
To give some of your own

Isn’t it remarkable?
Like every time a raindrop falls
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

Birds in winter have their fling
And always make it home by spring
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

When you wake up everyday
Please don’t throw your dreams away
Hold them close to your heart
Cause we are all a part
Of the ordinary miracle

Ordinary miracle
Do you want to see a miracle?

Its seems so exceptional
Things just work out after all
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

The sun comes up and shines so bright
It disappears again at night
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

It’s just another ordinary miracle today

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Free Starbucks coffee - March 15

Time for a coffee break?

Next Thursday, March 15th, plan on stopping by your local Starbucks between 10am and 12 noon. During that time, Starbucks will be holding is 2nd annual Coffee Break. All company-operated and licensed Starbucks stores in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Greater China will be giving away free Tall (12-ounce) cups of coffee to anyone who drops by. Starbucks Coffee Masters clad in black aprons will be present during each of the coffee breaks to kick off the company's spring brewing sale and to answer any questions you might have about the coffee or coffee brewing. Last year, many stores used the coffee break period to sample some of their pastries out to customers waiting in line, as well.

T is for Tired

Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

I am so tired today.I feel like I am two steps behind. I can't keep up with the house, the kids are getting colds, my calendar has no free days and it just makes me tired. Why is life so tiring?

He's back! and we're digging out...

Lazyboy?
Not.
Snow furniture
Daddy digging out.

You know it's cabin fever when...

• you won't let the kids have a brownie for breakfast, but cin. toast crunch is okay?

• your daughter's usual speedy morning 'pick out clothes' routine goes something like this...

1. um..no those unbuckle when I play with Sam
2. um..no those make swishy sound when I play hide and seek and he always finds me
3. um..no those are too hot
4. those are too cold
5. I like pink, but those are not my favorite color pink...

• your son convinces you that you are a bad mom because you threw out the broken tool bench so you fabricate an alternate one using a cardboard box and some tape. you stupidly let him watch you while you stab the box with a scissors to make nail holes.


• while you are in the first shower you have had in 3 days giving yourself a mini facial your son asks you every two minutes...mom, what's this thing for? mom is this the drill? mom is this the saw? (so much for washing your face)...mom, I am going to make more holes in the box, I don't have enough... (so much for the shower) What,? NO! wait for mommy...


• your life motto changes every 10 minutes between No Diet Today, and Calgon Take Me Away...


• your daughter asks if the interstate is open so daddy can come home yet.


• your daughter decides to pray for everyone to get better so the hospital can close like school.


• your daughter wants to finish the art project you started with her last night; while you are in the shower for the first time in three days.


• you hop out of the shower and open the closet and the cat jumps out at you... he somehow got locked in?
  


• your only contact with the outside world is email and blogging - wait that's normal!

chocolate lovers...

Just found this link for a free 1.5 oz. tin of Godiva chocolate. Had to share...no diet today!

mmmm...

after being cooped up for 2 and 1/2 days in the snow I am thinking these sound super... Easy Spiked Chocolate Truffles...thanks to Altered Artists for the recipe post.

It's here.

I just finished going through the over 200 blogs listed at 5 minutes for Mom. I have come to the conclusion that there are a lot of people out there that enjoy blogging. I don't know why it is so shocking to me, but it is. I started blogging because a dear friend kept telling me that she loved reading my emails, now I don't email as much. I enjoy the therapy of writing. I used to journal all the time, now I blog. I find myself saying, "ooh that would make a good blog..." a lot now. When I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's this past summer, my blog was my connection with friends and family who I couldn't talk to every day. Now, blogging is my sanity. It is how I get through the day. I don't journal anymore, I blog. Thanks for stopping by.

Blizzard 2007

The snow is even with the road and our yard is a good 6-8 feet lower!
I tried to get a photo of both kids on the sled, but the drift was so narrow, they kept sliding off before I could snap the picture :)

Calm Down and Use Your Gifts

I am not good at handling stress. I am the first one to get her feathers ruffled. I go about it all wrong. I get angry or depressed. I whine and throw a fit when problems come my way. Just recently when my husband was needed for a family emergency I felt myself caving into my consistently wrong way of coping with distress in our life. After an hour or more of pouting I opened my Bible and read a few verses, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and prayed for strength. I came to the realization that everything is not about me (duh) my husband needed my support and my duty as his wife is to give it to him; fully and without anger, resentment, fear or complaining. So I did. The days went by and I prayed about the situation and we got through it. I was sad, lonely and scared at times, but reading about God's grace and peace helped me through it. I am embarrassed to say that it took me thirty some years of life and almost 10 years of marriage to get to this point.

Peace I leave with you; My peace I now give and bequeath to you. John 14:27

We, as Christians have God's peace. It is our inheritance. In Luke 10:19 we are told that we have been given Peace and power, what amazing gifts...and we are to use them.
Calm down, think about the peace and power of God that is yours and put it to work.

Yesterday when the hospital starting calling to see if my dh was going to make it in for work today;I felt all the wrong feelings come up again. I was complaining about him having to go in a day and a half early just so he could be sure to be there for his scheduled shift. My dh was calm and cool about the whole thing and actually figured out a way to work a few hours last night so the early trip in would also be worth his time (he truly is a genious, isn't he?). It wasn't until this morning when he called to tell me he was in a highway patrol car being driven through the blizzard to help a sick child that I realized what he is really about. I could hear it in his voice that teeny sound of excitement he gets from doing a job that he really, truly loves to do. He lives and breathes to help people.

You should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven. Matt. 5:16

Do you want to make a difference in your world? Live a holy life. People are watching the way we act more than they are listening to what we say. I could learn a thing or two from my dh. Don't tell him...