Saturday, March 28, 2009

Wow! I can't believe how long it's been since I've updated this blog!
Things have been in a whirlwind around here, and I just can't seem to get time to sit down for more than 5 minutes any more.

God has really given me the time to "Count My Abundant Blessings" in the past week!
There have been so many visitors, phone calls, emails, etc.
I have the greatest support network ever!
I thank every one of you for the emails and comments. They bless my heart!

My brother, Mike, is hanging in. He has so much courage and strength! He is using every minute he has left to witness to people and bring glory to God. I'm so very proud of him!
I had to laugh yesterday. His Hospice nurse, Betty, came over to check on him and had her Bible in hand! She said she was coming to have church! lol
She told me what a blessing Mike was.
In her job, it seems most things are sad and stressfull.
She says when she comes to care for Mike, she walks away refreshed, and realizes why she is in the profession she is. What a blessing!

At Celebrate Recovery last night, the team did a special program for Mike. They just wanted him to know what a blessing he has been to them and the program. It was precious!

OK...on to a happier note:
Renee tagged me to tell you 6 weird things about myself and then pass it on to 6 others.
So......here ya go!
1) I was born in France and my birth certificate is 8 pages long! (I can't read it)
2) I am NOT a fan of chocolate
3) I HAVEto have one foot out from under the blankets for me to sleep at night
4) I once found an abandoned newborn baby boy at a bank I worked at and revived him!
5) I have a daughter that looks just like me, and a son that looks nothing like me!
6) I am a major ice cream fanatic!

Now I tag:
The Motherboard: http://wheredidiputthat.blogspot.com/
Alicia: http://yayastuff.blogspot.com/
Martina: http://freedom2move.blogspot.com/
Lady Dorothy: http://ladydorothy.blogspot.com/
Sera: http://laughingthroughthechaos.blogspot.com/
Jade:http://theonecurlyfry.blogspot.com/

Sunday, March 22, 2009

URGENT PRAYER NEEDED!

Hi All,
Just a quick update to let everyone know where we stand with my brother,
He is not doing well..
I posted the other day that we had called Hospice in. Alot has happened since my last post! But then again, there is no normal around here any more.

We called our oldest sister, Debbie, and let her know of the latest scans and about Hospice. She immediately made plans to come home from Kansas City and spend the weekend with Mike.She left early Thursday morning and got in about supper time. We all went out for a yummy meal at a Mexican restaurant Mike loves. I kind of noticed that Deb wasn't so chipper. I just chalked it up to the long drive and the news. Later that night she got SICK!! I mean really sick!
I called my doctor Friday morning (when I was at work)so we could get her looked at. They told us to get her there ASAP and he would see her. Thanks Dr. Brazil!!

While I was on the phone with my doctor, the other phone rang. It was Mike and he was SCREAMING! He had fallen in his apartment and could not move! Luckily he had his cell phone in his pocket! My first instinct was to call 911....then I remembered that I was supposed to call Hospice first! Of course, I didn't have their phone number with me, so I had to find a phone book! I was crazy!!

We got Hospice on the way,I sent Deb on to the doctor, Kristy over to Mike's house, and I headed for town. Kristy called me and told me that the Hospice chaplain was there when she got there. They called 911.
Mike was paralyzed! He had dislocated his right shoulder, and broken the right arm all the way through.
They would meet me at the E.R.
***Special Note*** A GOD THING!
The chaplain was actually on Mike's street at the time. He was coming over to introduce himself to Mike when all of this happened. He knocked on the door not knowing Mike had fallen! Mike was able to holler out to him and tell him he needed help!
THANK YOU LORD!

They got Mike to the hospital and started working on him.
They sent him to x-ray to make sure everything else was ok.
He had fallen flat on his back! That really scared us!
After about 30 minutes, Mike was able to move his toes....then his legs! He is NOT paralyzed! They said it was probably just the trauma from the fall. They reduced his shoulder and put his arm in a cast and a sling and let him go home! Amazing!
Deb came to the hospital to meet us. She told us that she had double pneumonia! The doctor had wanted to put her in the hospital right away. She promised him that she would stay in bed (she didn't) but she had not made that drive just to go into the hospital! So he gave her a "BIG HONKIN" shot (in her words) and a prescription!
We brought both of them home, and they slept the rest of the day away.

Later that evening,we all went to Celebrate Recovery. Another God thing because Friday was the 1 year anniversary of his diagnosis and he was determined to pick up his chip! GO MIKE!
We had special prayer for him at CR and the pastor anointed him with oil.
It was so precious!

Hospice called and said Mike had to be moved. He could no longer stay alone.So we spent the whole day Saturday moving him over to Patti's house. We agreed that he would be better there because I have a split level house, and we can't navigate his wheelchair through it.I also feel better that he's there because Patti is a nurse and knows how to care for him better than I ever could!
Hospice came right away and delivered him a hospital bed and a wheelchair ramp. We spent today at Patti's getting him everything arranged for him.
Things are finally settling down.
So that's our weekend in a nutshell. Deb left at 5:00 this morning to drive back to Missouri and we're all going to bed early!

Please keep us in your prayers. This fall caused Mike alot of pain, and now he's frustrated that he has lost his independence.
PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR FAMILY!
We'll keep you updated!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Somebody Stop The World

I found this poem this morning, and it explains right where I am this morning.
Anyone who has had a loved one with Cancer will be able to relate!

Somebody stop the world,
I want to go back.
I want to go back ,
Before cancer Turned our world upside down.
I want to go back
this wasn't supposed to happen to us,
not to you .
I want to go back ,
To our carefree days
And future plans.
I want to go back
before doctors and chemo
and losing your hair
I want to go back,
When you were so strong
You seemed invincible
I want to go back,
When I didn't cry every day
for fear of losing you.
I want to go back ,
To where people didn't avoid me
Because they don't know what to say.
I want to go back ,
To when we still had forever
And weren't living on borrowed time.
I want to go back ,
To a point in my lifeI wasn't so angry with God.
It wasn't that long ago,
Though it seems like forever
Somebody stop the world,
I want to go back........
Author Robin Reynolds

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Hospice

Yesterday was NOT a good day!

I took my brother for his new set of scans, and they were sooooo much worse than we expected!
I met with his oncology team, and they told me it was time to call Hospice.
He lit up like a Christmas Tree when he was scanned. Despite the chemo and radiation he has been taking,he has major tumor progression and formation. They have exhausted everything they know to do for him at this point.
My heart is broken!
I'm not familiar with how Hospice works, or what they do, but everyone I've talked to says they are amazing!

I'm so sad...I'm ANGRY....I'm broken!

BUT.....I have the best support team around me! My Celebrate Recovery Team, my pastor, my church family, and all of you.For that, I am so thankful !

My brother is such a strong Christian man, and he is not scared or worried. He went into "work mode" when we told him, and started listing everything he thought we would need to know. I'm so incredibly grateful to have this time with him, and to know that I can make his celebration of life exactly as he would want it.

I'm angry that his daughter will never have the blessing of knowing this man. She has been told so many untruths about him. She will never have the chance to find out for herself what a blessing he truly is!

I'm angry that he has only been back with us for 2 years (after an 18 year separation)....that's another post... and he has spent 1 of those years battliing ths demon called cancer!

I know that in this past 2 years God has used Mike in a mighty way! He has made good use of his time here. Many many people have come to know our Lord and Saviour because of him. He IS a man after Gods heart and puts NOTHING before that! I stand in awe of him!
Please continue to pray for Mike and our family as we try to help make his journey into GLORY a precious one!
I'll leave you with my lifesong! I cling to this:

Monday, March 16, 2009

OMG....The many uses of "UP"

Lovers of the English language might enjoy this. It is yet another example of why people learning English have trouble with the language. Learning the nuances of English makes it a difficult language. (But then, that's probably true of many languages.)

There is a two-letter word in English that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is 'UP.' It is listed in the dictionary as being used as an [adv], [prep], [adj], [n] or [v].

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?
At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ? Why do we speak UP, and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report? We call UP our friends and we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.
At other times the little word has a real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.

To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.

And this up is confusing:
A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.

We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP !

To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP , look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4 of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP . When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it wets UP the earth. When it does not rain for awhile, things dry UP.

One could go on & on, but I'll wrap it UP , for now ........my time is UP , so time to shut UP!

Oh...one more thing:
What is the first thing you do in the morning & the last thing you do at night?

U P

LOL

Now I'll shut up

Funny Faces

I was feeling a bit "down" yesterday, so Lyric decided she would cheer me up with some funny faces! I love these! She always makes me smile!








Sunday, March 15, 2009

A SAD SAD DAY

MIKE AT 4


5 YEARS AGO



LAST YEAR AT HIS BENEFIT MOTORCYCLE RUN


RELAY FOR LIFE 2008



MIKE AND OUR SISTER PATTI


THIS YEARS CHURCH DIRECTORY PICTURE


So my sister called me this afternoon. She was at the ER with my brother again!
He called her and asked if she would come over after church and look at his arm. He thought he had hurt it in his sleep??? I thought it was weird that he wasn't at church this morning. He's ALWAYS there before us, and has seats waiting for us.
So Patti went to look at him and immediatly took him to the hospital. His arm was "contorted" and black and blue. They sent him for an x-ray, and sure enough, the upper bone in his arm was broken! How do you break you arm while you are sleeping???

Mike has to roll himself over and push himself up after all of the radiation to his hips. When he pushed up this morning, the bone snapped!

The doctor came back and told us that even though they had just x-rayed his arm, it was obvious that he had major tumor in his bones in his arm and shoulder! WOW!!
Did NOT expect that!

He has an appointment to see his oncologist tomorrow, as well as an MRI scheduled.
Now I'm scared!

He called Chuck and I over to his house this evening. Patti was all ready there.
He told us that the doctors had all ready told him that even with all of the treatments he has been having, his cancer is spreading rapidly and it may be time to call Hospice in. He had not told us that before now, because he didn't want to worry us!

So I'm taking him for the scans in the morning, and to see the doctor. I need to hear what is really going on, and just how much he really has not told us!
THIS SUCKS!! I'M NOT READY TO LOOSE MY BROTHER!

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Soooo Pretty!




I just had to share these pictures of the Bradford Pear trees in front of my store!
I think they're so pretty!
Even the rain and cold can't dampen my spring spirit!

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Another Blessing



Jill has blessed me with the TLC Award! Thanks Jill !

I'm passing this award on to some of the sweetest bloggers I've met!

Alicia

Renee
Laura
Dee
and
Robyn

These ladies inspire me, and always lift my spirits!

What Do Your Initials Say About You




You Are Shrewd and Talented



When You Are Comfortable or in a Social Setting:



You are ambitious, and hard-working. Adversity allows you to shine. You resourceful and able to make due.

People see you as honest to the point of bluntness. But they always know that you'll be fair. You have the good intentions.



When You Are At Your Best:



You are enthusiastic and flexible. You are open-minded. You prefer to learn from others... not judge them.

People see you as kind and cooperative. You are very supportive when friends are down on their luck.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

WORDLESS WEDNESDAYS

Bid to Bring Kellsey Home
The Garcia's are holding a silent auction fundraiser to "Bring Kellsey Home".
There are some AWESOME items in this auction at great starting bids!
Hop on over to the auction and start bidding!
You know you want to!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

SPRING HAS SPRUNG !!




I got up this morning, and was actually NOT freezing! I have slept with my windows wide open for the last 3 days! Ahhhhh simple pleasures!
Then while I was driving to work, I saw this:

When I got to work, I looked a little closer and saw this:

Then I looked across the street at the cutest little house and saw this down the sides of the driveway!

SPRING IS HERE!!!! ok, almost here! Even though it's thundering off in the distance (You can't hear snow coming, can you?) AND....the weatherman (not my best friend for the rest of the week) said it was only going to be in the 40's tomorrow.
I can look around and see the earth waking from her
(selfish, much too long)slumber!
I've had a taste of the 70's and I want more!

Chuck ever so lovingly reminds me that pretty soon it won't rain here any more, everything will be brown and crispy, and I'll be complaining that it's too hot!
Gotta love him!

I DON'T CARE! I love spring! I love the colors, and the birds, and the pollen (NOT).
And even though I have awful spring allergies,I look forward to this season every year.
I dance and sing when I spring forward, who cares about loosing an hours sleep when you can wake up to songbirds?





I have officially ordered my spring planting catalogs, as well as every seed catalog I can find! I never really "order" anything from them, but I do get good ideas!
I can't wait to get my hands dirty! How 'bout you?
What's your favorite seaason?



Serious Life Magazine


I can't wait to introduce you to the March issue of Serious Life Magazine!

This is one of the best magazines published and the subscription is FREE!

This magazine is owned and published by The Riggs Family.You can follow their family journey of adoption and cancer. They also donate advertising to several charities. Well worth your read!

The magazine also features several bloggers and their comments. Shoot, I'm even on their featured blog list this month!

This magazine is a truly christian based publication, and will certainly inspire you!
Check it out!!

Monday, March 9, 2009

WHY GOD MADE MOMS LOL

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's mom like me.

What kind of a little girl was your mom?
1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.
Photobucket

Did you hear about the 83 year old woman who talked

herself out of a speeding ticket by telling the young officer

that she had to get there before she forgot where she

was going?

Makes perfectly good sense to me.....

Sunday, March 8, 2009

My Weekend!

cartoon from www.weblogcartoons.com

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

This is sooooo neat!!

Watch this then try it out! Very cool!


I'm sad... mad....and all mixed up!

These are 3 of the most important men in my life right now!
They are (from Left to Right) My most awesome husband, Chuck, my brother Mike, and the greatest grandson ever, Jacob.



I love them with every ounce of my being. The first, and last don't cause me much problem and make me laugh beyond belief. The middle guy.....well he's another story!

My brother has kidney cancer. Stage 4...Not good! There isn't much research in this field right now, and treatment options are pretty much limited.This picture was taken last summer during a benefit motorcycle run for Mike.

Mike was diagnosed 1 year ago, and was given a life expectancy of 6-8 weeks at the time.Boy did he prove the doctors wrong! We were told that he was not a candidate for surgery at the time, and that he had multiple metastasises (79 tumors) in his bones.The doctors were going to try everything they knew to do, but advised Mike to get his affairs in order. He refused!

We visited numerous doctors, and discussed many, many treatment options. It all came down to they just didn't know! So last April, Mike started the newest chemotherapy for this type of cancer. He responded well to the treatment, and even had his diseased kidney removed in September. PRAISE GOD!

Now we were really in uncharted territory! After surgery, he became allergic to the chemo drug (Torisel) they had him on. The doctors decided to try him on another drug. He would take this one at home (in pill form) every day.Mike was still fighting!
We are now 3 cycles into this drug, and we found out yesterday that it is not working! Mike has developed many new tumors that are growing rapidly!
He can not be radiated in the area of tumor growth because he has all ready had the max amount of radiation they can give him in that area of his body.
The doctors told him yesterday that they want to scan him again on Wed. and we'll go from there.

Mike called me yesterday and said he just doesn't think he's going to fight this monster anymore!
He's tired !
I understand that.
I can't imagine how he feels, emotionally or physically.
His change of heart started last week. I wrote in an earlier post about him being served court papers from his daughter. He lost the case! What makes me so angry is that the judge signed the DVO only because Mike didn't show up in court!
Can we say DUH???
His doctors and his radiologist both sent letters to the court, and the judge didn't even look at them! No Show??? ok, papers signed.
Now Mike has been ordered (as have we) to cease any contact with Hillary at all.

His Bucket List consisted of only 1 thing...to see or at least talk to his daughter.
I'm so sad! I can't help him with this one. I really did do my best to reunite them. I can't make her want to see him. Obviously she doesn't want to. But he's giving up!!!
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PRAY FOR HIM!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

WORDLESS WEDNESDAYS

I'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH A BOX OF OLD FAMILY PHOTOS....I FOUND THESE OF MY SISTERS AND I...TOOOOO FUNNY!





Tuesday, March 3, 2009

I'm involved in the Kentuckiana Pug Rescue Organization.
Bissell is hosting an MVP Pet Photo Contest, and one of our volunteers has entered her dog Ringo in the contest. The winner receives a $10,000 donation to the pet cause of the winners choice.
Please click on the link below and vote for Ringo!

There is a limit of 1 vote per email address each week. If you have multiple email addys....please use them all!
PLEASE HELP KPR!



ROLL JENNY JENKINS ROLL!

I JUST HAD TO DO THIS FOR LYRIC!
LOL


It disturbs me that this woman is 40! I think I hate her! lol

Monday, March 2, 2009

Weekend Wrap Up

The weekend dilemma with Lyric went much better than I had expected!
By the time I finished my post, she was sound asleep! Woot Woot!
I followed Renee's advice and put a baby gate up in her bedroom door just in case she decided to take a midnight stroll! She didn't.
She actually slept until 7:30 yesterday morning, and got up sooooo proud of herself.

We drove to the new house after lunch and she couldn't wait to tell Mommy that she slept in a big girl bed. Sooo cute.

That being said, I think I got totally Noggined (is that a word) out.
Basically, I think Noggin is awesome! I wish it had been aroud when my kids were little. We just had Sesame Street. But come on!

What's with Max and Ruby? Could they have not thought of a better theme song? And just where are their parents anyway? Grandma is down the street, but there is never any mention of a Mom or Dad! And just who taught Ruby to be so bossy anyway?
I think she needs her Bunny Scout butt smacked! lol

Then there is Oobie. Some guy was genius to flatten his hand, put some eyeballs on it, and make a fortune!
Lyric loves this stuff!

I have to admit....I heart Jack's Big Music Show!
I think we sang "Jennie Jenkins" 1000 times, and I never got tired of it.
There's just something about watching a 3 year old dancing around and singing every single word to a song! I think her parents gave her the right name!
I LOVE being a Nana!

AWESOME FUNDRAISER

Renee is hosting the most awesome fundraiser to help with Kellseys adoption!
She is doing a raffle for a Carnival Cruise!

Hop over to Kellseys blog to check out the details and enter for a chance to win!

Enter twice!! lol