The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong in the broken places.
Ernest Hemingway
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IF

9/22/2018

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​DON'T SPEND YOUR LIFE WONDERING "WHAT IF" AND WORRYING OVER SOMETHING YOU HAVE NO CONTROL.  WHAT'S DONE IS DONE.  LOOKING BACKWARDS WILL CAUSE YOU TO MISS OUT ON NEW BLESSINGS AHEAD.  MOVE ON.
                                                                                   Germany Kent

Okay. I have been a combo of Wendy Whiner and Debbie Downer this week. I've been mulling over what is ahead concerning my treatment. Monday I go to have my surgeon check out how I am healing. Fine. Do-able. Then next Thursday I will be having a fresh PET scan to see if there are any remaining "sparkles" of cancer anywhere in my body. Can do. But . . . I was informed by the oncologist that IF any sparkles are found in other locations, he would consider me a Stage Four cancer patient!!???!! I guess that means that new cancer is popping up (traveling) and, Honey, that ain't good.    IF.   That little word can mean a lot of things.    IF.

So, I have been a bit down. It really makes you stop and think about your mortality and just how much time you really have on this green earth. I have a bunch of stuff I would like to do in my lifetime, but we all just have to play each day out and see how things go.

NOTE: My computer has been acting up, stopped working again, and I have been cut off from the world for a while.  It is now October 2nd, and this is an update of what has happened in the last two weeks.

OCTOBER 2, 2018

Okay . . .  I had my newest PET scan done last Thursday. Went to see Dr. Ghosh yesterday Monday) for the results. Honestly, I went into his office with the thought that there was still cancer in my lymph nodes, and possibly elsewhere in my body. Hubby and Jenna were both there to hear the results, too. It turns out that I am clean of any cancer, BUT have to have radiation treatments for follow-up. Yuck! So it's off to meet with the radiologist tomorrow. Anyhoo, I am so grateful for this wonderful news.

I was previously writing about how down and depressed I was. The word "despair" kept floating through my mind. Then really nice stuff began to happen.  

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My buddy, Steve Vanderhei, sent me some more photos that he took, along with a nice note. He is a really cool photographer. And I love the way he addresses the envelopes. I think I've said it before, but the envelopes are works of art in themselves. I also appreciate the fact that he addressed it to 
THE FABULOUS JANENE. Gotta love him!
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Then there was a beautiful baby shower for my great-niece, at The Woodbridge Building. That's Nina and my niece, Kayla's, best friend.  It was really a great day.

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Then two of my sisters came to visit me. It had been nine months since I last saw sister Sandy (on the left). Sister Judy (in the middle) lives closer, so I seen her every so often. We had a great visit and it was a beautiful day. By the way, nephew Rob was there, too.
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Hi, Rob!

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Sandy and Rob brought this neato picture to hang in the office at the building. Can't get it to rotate, so just turn your head to the left. okay?




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So, you see nice things keep happening. Good stuff is all around us. I guess we just have to pay attention and appreciate when these special things come along, and remember to enjoy them to the fullest!

                                                          GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS OUR COUNTRY
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42 YEARS AGO TODAY

9/16/2018

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SURROUND YOURSELF WITH INSPIRING BEINGS.

What was I doing 42 years ago today? Actually  . . .  nothing much. But I remember what I was feeling.

For four days in a row, I had been sitting around feeling blue and sad and homesick for my two-year-old toddler. You see, my mother had swooped down on me on Monday and snatched my little son away and took him to the farm. I was 9 1/2 months pregnant and I was ready to deliver any moment. My dear mother hated the thought of perhaps having to drive to my house in the middle of the night to get Dan, if I went into labor. So, to be safe, she came and got him a "few" days early so she and Dad and my two little brothers could play with and enjoy being around my kiddo. But I was missing him so badly, I couldn't get the rest I needed. What a dilemma. 

When Dan was born, there was no problem like that. He was our everything, and as long as I was with him, I was fine.  There were no other little ones at home to worry about. Back in those day, the usual hospital stay for having a baby was five days! Can you imagine? Well, Baby Oliphant and I learned to get to know each other and rest and relax before it was time to go home. 

Okay. So around Thursday, September 16th, I'm starting to feel like things were starting to happen. Oh joy! I was anxious to see my new son (I was 100% sure we were having another boy).  Around 11 P.M. it was time to head to the hospital.  So that is that is what was happening 42 years ago today!

The good part is, on Friday, September 17th, about 9:50 A.M., I got to meet the sweetest little girl in the world. I guess I was a bit off in guessing we would have another son. Looking at her little face and her mop of hair, I never imagined what an important person she would be in my life. 

FYI My mom got Dan on Monday. Jenna was born on a Friday. After three days in the hospital, I insisted that they release me early because I was missing my son so badly. They did! But that was a long stretch without seeing Dan, since minors couldn't come to see patients back then. Now the whole family (husband, parents, in-laws, kids, friends) are standing around watching the miracle of birth. Uh, no thanks on that. 

So, tomorrow my daughter will be 42. And as usual, her son will present her with a birthday card in which he has lavishly printed 'LUNCH IS ON ME" and in which he has put some money. Of course, his idea of taking Mom out for lunch is to his "favorite restaurant in the whole world" . . . Burger King. 

So Happy Birthday, Darling Daughter. Life keeps getting better and better because of you.

One final note today. What does this picture remind you of?
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I call this "The Kissing Tree" because every time I look at it, I see a couple sharing a kiss. Perhaps I have a titch too much imagination . . . ya think?

                                                     GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS OUR COUNTRY
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GETTING BETTER EVERY DAY.

9/14/2018

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LISTEN TO THE MUSTN'TS, CHILD
LISTEN TO THE DON'TS
LISTEN TO THE SHOULDN'TS, THE IMPOSSIBES, THE WON'TS.
LISTEN TO THE NEVERS HAVES,
THEN LISTEN CLOSE TO ME.
ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN, CHILD,
ANYTHING CAN BE.
                                                                   Shel Silverstein

Morning! How's everybody? I feel pretty good this morning, especially since I found out that my drain is coming out today (hopefully). Yup, output is slowing down, so that means I am healing fast, and they want to remove it. Yay! No stinking month-long term dragging this thing around, draining and measuring twice a day. And I'll get to take a SHOWER! It' amazing what little routine things you do that become so important when you are denied them. That makes me think of all those people in shelters along the coast, hunkering down and waiting out Hurricane Florence. I am sure showering facilities are limited with the number of people who are in each safe-facility. Many of those folks are wondering if they even have a house that will still be standing when this is all over. So, let's all appreciate our blessings that we take for granted.

I am always saying that when you get cancer, you get jewelry. True fact. The other day my Nina (BFSILPIC  ----Best Friend Sister-in-law Partner in Crime) brought me some things after I got out of surgery. They were from her and Zonna, my other sister-in-law who is currently in Canada. There was an absolutely beautiful piece of Willowtree --- and a necklace. Nina told me that when she purchased the figurine, she told the lady in the store why she was buying it (for me . . .  cause I had breast cancer .  . . and she and Zonna were celebrating that . . .  well, I was alive!)  hehehe. The lady replied that she was a breast cancer survivor and went into the store backroom and brought out three necklaces, one for each of us three women. On the necklace was the Bible verse Joshua 1:9, which had encouraged and helped her through some really tough times with her cancer and the death of her brother. What a special thing for her to do!
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Nina has given me some very special Willowtree pieces over the years, but this is definitely the crown jewel of my collection. The name of this piece is "By My Side". Thanks you Nina and Zonna. Love ya!

As many of you know, I change the artificial flowers on my parents gravesite seasonally and send pictures to Sister Karen and Sandy since they don't live near. Bear with me as I post the latest pic for them.
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Sisters, it's hard to tell but it looks much better in real life than from this pic. I put stems of fall leaves on the side, but put two wreaths together. The back one is a wreath of fall leaves and the front wreath is loaded with dark orange seed-like things that really look cool. 

Speaking of fall displays, I finally located a bale of hay for m "lawn-scape" at the Woodbridge Building. I put it in front of the FOR RENT sign to draw a bit of attention. Here are also some  shots I just took of the outside, before I start putting out more autumn type stuff.
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Well, I must scurry off and get ready to head to the Doctor's office. Take care, y'all.


                                     GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS OUR COUNTRY
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IT'S OVER

9/12/2018

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WHEN NOTHING IS SURE, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

Okay. last few weeks have been hectic and busy. I had lots to do to get ready for this surgery, but fortunately . . .  it's over.

My last chemo was two weeks ago (yay!), and the surgery was two days ago on Monday. Everything went quite well, I'm happy to say. Currently I am in very little to absolutely no pain. I do have to wear a drain (crap!), but it's only one this time. Remember my last two times with the mastectomy and reconstruction, I had FOUR drains hanging from me --- for a month each time. Yikes!

I wasn't a bit nervous. I guess this is something that I am becoming used to, so it's not that big of a deal.  I had great bunch of people work on me. I got to see Keith again (a tech in the operating room) who helped put in my port four months ago. He said he remembered me, but I called BS on that since I don't look a bit like I did back then.  I remember being a bit buzzed up and may have said some strange things in the op. room, like  "I would like to see hands up from anyone who was out partying late last night!"  That got a chuckle out of the group who were getting ready to work on me. But a girl can't be too uninformed on who is gonna be chopping on her bod! FYI none of them had apparently been whooping it up the night before. Aw come on . . . AARP magazine says that oldsters like me can't be too careful. ASK QUESTIONS!

As was told to Hubby by the surgeon while I was in recovery, the tumors had not shrunk in size, but rather, had gotten bigger! Huh? Four months of chemo and it didn't help much? They removed Tier One and Tier Two of the lymph nodes, but left Tier Three, which is very good, because removing the third tier is where complications and swelling of the arm come in. That was the main thing that I was worried about. I did not want to spend the rest of my life with an elephant-sized arm and being in pain a lot. 

Anyhoo, I have three to six weeks of light duty. I tried getting as much yard work and trimming done before, as possible. One portion of our land got flooded a few weeks ago, and I didn't get in to mow it, so Hubby did that for me yesterday. Sweet.

I had my first gig at The Woodbridge Building. It turned out quite nicely. A lovely family rented it to have a wedding gift reveal party. They had their son's wedding and reception on Saturday night, but needed a smaller venue for the brunch/present-opening party. I took a few pictures the night before, but didn't have my camera with me when the caterer set up the food, but I'll show you what I took.



I spent last week having "sleep-overs" with my grandson, since my daughter was out of town. He was so good. It also helped that his regular babysitter was there for him right after school, so I didn't have to come too early in the evening. She also did some activities with him, like bowling, driving go-karts, etc. My specialty activity with him is going to our favorite haunts (Goodwill, Stuff Etc., and Salvation Army) to look for things we can't live without.  It was a fun week. Love him!

Yesterday was September 11th. Yup, Nine-Eleven. Everyone seems to remember exactly where they were seventeen years ago.  I was able to visit Ground Zero some years back, and have been to Shanksville, Pennsylvania twice. Very emotional experiences. Let's pray that something like this never happens again.

More thoughts and prayers for the people along the East coast who are currently anticipating Hurricane Florence arriving. Take care!
Well, I must go now. It's time for Hubby to "milk Bossy". Some of you might remember that this is where Hubby has to strip the tube clear that goes into the drain pod (which looks about the size of a hand grenade). We then measure the fluid (yuck!) and record it. I guess it's important to keep track of how much output I have. Whatever. This will be over in a week or so (God help me if I have to do it for another month!)

Tah tah. Keep the good thoughts going.

                                        GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS OUR COUNTRY
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IS AUTUMN HERE ALREADY????

8/23/2018

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I CHOOSE NOT TO STRUGGLE.  I CHOOSE TO FLOW.
                                                                             Spirit Junkie


Hey, Kids, there's a nip in the air. Feels kinda like autumn is right around the corner. Almost every day has been beautiful for the last few weeks and everything is lush and green, but there's still that something in the air that says it will soon be the season of falling leaves and fields being harvested.  

Personally, I am ready for the lawns to go dormant. I mow so many hours every week, that I am literally exhausted by 7:30 at night. Several times I've needed to go to bed, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it when the sun is still up. The mowing is tough enough . . .but Lordy, the trimming is a real b-----d. 

Go ahead and say what your thinking.  "Pull on your big-girl panties and quit your sniveling!"   hehe

I had my next-to-last chemo on Tuesday, then went back in Wednesday and today to get my white blood cell shots. Soooo, it's next week for the final treatment and then I will be ringing the bell in celebration. It's nice that they have you go through that. It signals something final about the whole deal.

Well, the grandkids are back in school today. Alec was a little shell-shocked when Jenna told him that it was this week that it started. All of us were under the impression that it began next week. Either way, it was inevitable. 

It appears that this is the "season" for the Paul Girls to get operated on. Sister Judy had foot surgery last Friday ( and is doing splendidly), and sister Sandy had a knee replacement on Wednesday. She had some complications controlling her blood pressure before the operation, and when she went home yesterday, the compression socks on her legs were so tight, that she couldn't bend her knees to step up into the house. And then she fell. Not good. Finally got in the house and is doing a bit better. I will keep in touch with her to make sure she is recuperating.

And probably in the next few weeks, I will be getting my lymph node tumors ripped out. "Sure looking forward to that," she said sarcastically.  So, three out of us six siblings will have been reconstructed in one way or another.  Stay well, Karen, Ken, and Evan!!

I needed to make a sign for my Woodbridge building, promoting the fact that we are renting out the big room for baby and wedding showers, reunions, etc. Hubby brought me this really neat road sign that he had used when we were running our bridge building business. The sign was originally a big reflective arrow which directed traffic. The sign itself is heavy aluminum. I flipped it over and painted the whole thing almond color. Then I stenciled a big sunflower (I do love sunflowers), and then worded it     FOR  RENT     EVENT ROOM  and then my phone number. Hubby put it up for me yesterday. I will take a picture of it when I finally get a bale of straw. I am planning on doing a ""lawnscape" at the driveway entrance. I went to Theisen's this morning and checked to see if they had their bales in yet. Nope, no pumpkins or gourds --- just lots of mum plants.  I suck at having mums. They die immediately in my possession. So, I will go with the silk, artificial flowers that I do every year. 

That's pretty much all for now. Guess I might turn on the TV for a few minutes and see what national disasters have happened so far today. It truly is an every day occurrence lately. Okay, so everybody hang in there. Better times are a'coming. I swear.

                                       GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS OUR COUNTRY, ​PLEASE


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I WAS LOCKED OUT -- SORRY

8/14/2018

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CHOOSE HAPPY   


Hi! Unfortunately, I have been locked out from my blog site for several days. But just checked it and it's back!!!

Chemo today. The double-dose crappy "makes me really tired" kind.  I have made up my mind that this is the last series of treatments I am ever going to have. I refuse to get any more cancer in the future. So there!

I know I am lucky to be able to have wigs to cover my mostly bald head but I am so sick of wearing them. Yesterday, I was working at my Woodbridge building doing some whip-whipping, and the sweat was just running off Roxy ( the name of my darker, ugly work wig). The darn things are hot, and shift around, and, oh yeah, I am terrified of getting into some kind of car accident and having my hair go flying off. Any bystanders would probably have a heart attack. They might think that my scalp was sliced off.     Wait.  That might be kind funny. Not the accident part. The scaring people part. And not the heart attack part. Just the look on their faces part.    And … CUT!

I am beginning to get "chemo brain". You know what that is, don't ya? When you get really scatter-brained and can't think of words you want to say, or you can't concentrate very well.

For example, the other morning I woke up and thought, "Oh, today's Tuesday...chemo day." Later, I realized that that didn't sound right. No, it was only Monday. The more I thought about that, I tried to remember if I had made it to church this past week. That's when I realized that it actually was Sunday!
Jeeze!  (yes, I did make it to church on the right day).

Another example of chemo brain is the making of the muffins. I had a box mix I wanted to use for a quick breakfast for Hubby. Combine mix, 3/4 cup water, 1/4 cup oil, and two eggs. Open can of blueberries,  rinse and drain, then set aside.

Okay, I combined mix, oil, and eggs. Wait. That seemed too dry. Oh, forgot the water. Dumped that in, sprayed the muffin tin, and put in the batter. Hey, that didn't look right at all! The blueberries!!! Took a spoon and slopped some in each muffin cup, stirred it half-heartedly and baked the mess. Actually, they turned out pretty good. But what an ordeal for something so simple. 

Speaking of food, I am again gonna complain about my dysfunctional taste buds. It is so weird to not be able to taste certain foods, or be able to taste others … but they come across as so nasty! I crave salty food.  And cheese.  And chocolate! And pizza. Currently, all fall under the "nasty" column. Crap! 

I previously mentioned that I had gotten a new smallish wig which I named Baby. Well, went to Jeffrey Scott Salon on Mt. Vernon Road, Cedar Rapids, Ia. (another commercial plug for him), and got two more "Baby" wigs. Hubby likes this style the best of all my hairpieces. Not sure how others are judging this style, since not too many people have mentioned anything … and God help me, a few have even averted their eyes when they talked to me. Want to see?

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​OLD LADY ALERT!!!!!!  Whatever.

And care to see what I have for breakfast every morning?   Yummmm!

                                                       
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Delish! As you can see, the A.M. offering is (as usual) a delightful assortment of pills and vitamins to be washed down with alkaline filtered water. The special water bottle was a gift from my dear daughter. It has a special filter in the bottom of the tank and you just keep filling it up with tap water. I keep mine in the fridge and it stays ice cold. And it's not disgusting to drink, because there is no taste. Nothing. Nadda. 

I have been watching a bit of TV. Yup, the political channels. Dangerous times, Folks, but extremely interesting. Was talking to Sister #2, Sandy, and I told her that I never dreamed we would be living in such an all-consuming, interesting time in history. I always thought that major stuff like this was all in the past or any earth-shaking new history would happen years and years from now, when I was . . . 
well . . . not here. Fasten your seatbelts, Kids, we're in for a bumpy ride.

Oh, one more thought concerning TV. Have you noticed the "3-second commercials"? An ad will begin for a few seconds and then another long commercial takes over? Is that the new thing in advertising? You kinda get an idea of what they are selling in the tiny ads. Maybe it is the basic, no frills, cheapo low budget ads. Huh.

                                            GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS OUR COUNTRY, PLEASE!

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THERE'S MUSKRATS ON THE STOVE!

7/27/2018

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WHAT IF I FALL?      OH, MY DARLING, WHAT IF YOU FLY?

Okay, I see that I have been M.I.A for a few weeks. I've been busy trying to keep up with all the lawn work and . . . being very tired. This chemo and the shots for boosting the low white blood cell count is exhausting, I have been using my head, and resting each and every time I feel pooped. I am not going to endanger my progress, since I only have four more chemos. Then surgery. Then  . . .  VOILA! 

I have noticed that something weird happens when I'm doing all my mowing. I wear the same slip-on work shoes each time. Therefore, the tops of my feet are getting quite suntanned. Well, at least half of my feet are brown. The other half are pure white where the shoes cover me. I really look funky when I'm barefoot. No biggie. I have to wear sturdy shoes when I walk, with my ouchy leg problem still happening, so there will not be any flipflops or sandals this summer. I do miss wearing my sparkly flipflops that I bought in Vegas. Crap! 

I have a bit of sad news. Last week, we got heavy rains and winds. Our neighbors that live down the hill, had some massive tree limbs fall and it smashed their roof and pretty much demolished their home. 
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Yup, it was our buddies, the Gnomes. Evidently they weren't home when this happened. I'm sure they had insurance. Luckily, it wasn't the Keebler family's house. They only had fire insurance in case their cookie oven went up in flames.

Went to Wally World yesterday to buy yet another ​eyebrow pencil. I have experimented with several different kinds, but most of them are not working. You see, I have to use blond colored pencils and that color is hard to find. If I use brownish, it still comes out looing too dark. Yes, I am at that stage where I have to pencil in facial features now. I still have a dozen or so brow hairs over each eye, and I am down to six or seven eyelashes per eye. I have definitely become a "blank slate".  I noticed a few days ago that I must have been in too much of a hurry when I drew on eyebrows. Later, when I looked in a mirror, it surprised me that I looked so, well . . .  surprised! There was a titch too much arch and I looked like I was terribly startled!

I had to drop in at Jeffrey Scott's Salon (commercial plug here) to get some more wig shampoo. I also picked up another wig. This one is really short, but very comfortable. I think I'll name this one "Baby" cause she's so little.  

And here's the explanation for today's post's title.  Last night, I was watching TV when Hubby rushed into the living room. "THERE'S MUSKRATS ON THE STOVE!"     What???? My first thought that there were muskrats on the grill outside the house. Then it dawned on me. I had been washing my "hair" and had set them on the cold stovetop to finish drying. ha ha, very funny, Hubby.
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                                 GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS OUR COUNTRY. . . PLEASE!
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DRAGGING  AND  BRAGGING

7/12/2018

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KEEP SMILING AND ONE DAY LIFE WILL GET TIRED OF UPSETTING YOU.
                                                                                                 Unknown

Okay. Today is Thursday. A few days ago, I went to get my double-dose of eewwggie chemo treatment. The previous few days I had really been dragging butt. Didn't even make it to church because I woke with a crazy headache. Anyhoo, when I get to the doctor's, they first poke a gizmo into my port and  take several blood samples to make sure I am okay to go through with the procedure. It turns out that my white blood cell count was seriously lower than it was the last time I had to have my double-dose. So I got a shot full of "replenishing white cells" juice, then had to go back on Wednesday for a second shot.
Today when my blood was tested, it was A-OKAY, but they still wanted me to recover a bit more. So I got a reprieve. Don't have to go back until next Tuesday. The only bad thing about this is I will just be one more week longer getting treatments and I want to get this whole thing over with.  I forgot to tell you the good news! I was wrong. I am not having a grand total of 18 chemos, just 12. So next week it will be #7. I'm already  half-way done and I didn't even realize it!  Whoo hoo!!!!  

But I'm still dragging butt.   sigh

On a lighter note, I am in the "bragging" mode right now. You know how I like to boast about things people give me. ("It amuses me." she said smugly  :) Sister Sandy sent me a lovely silver bracelet (remember I told you that cancer people get jewelry???) She also sent me an X-rated card and a new book of recipes for my air cooker, which I like to use a lot. 
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As you can see, it says "I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON & BACK"  That is one of my daughter's and my most favorite sayings!  Thanks, Sister #2 from Sister #4.

Then there is my Nina. BFPICSIL (best friend, partner-in-crime, sister-in-law). She presented me with a beautiful bejeweled figurine for my collection along with a nifty perfect card.
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She got this from Israel when she went there a while back. It is kinda heavy. I asked her what she had to take out of her suitcase in order to make luggage weight, in order to bring this back.

The other perfect thing about the card was the wording inside.

                                       HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY PARTNER IN CRIME!

                                       More stories to come . . . 

​I am hoping that she and I can make our annual trip to Vegas, but we will just have to wait and see how things go.

​                                         GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS OUR COUNTRY, PLEASE
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FACIAL FEATURES

7/3/2018

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STRENGTH DOESN'T COME FROM WHAT YOU CAN DO. IT COMES FROM OVERCOMING THE THINGS YOU ONCE THOUGHT YOU COULDN'T.
                                                                                Rikki Rogers

Not a lot going on right now. Went in for my chemo treatment last Thursday after getting those two shots to up my white blood count. Since I saw the oncologist three times last week, I don't have to go in today! Yippee!

HAIR REPORT: I have got the craziest hair. There are several dozen strands of longish hair on my head, that refuse to fall out. I will, again, not get shiny bald. Don't know why some of it refuses to go. And there is no way that I am shaving it and having spikey, itchy stubbles. Yipes.

I have noticed that my eyelashes and eyebrows are about half gone. This is where I begin to pencil in facial features so I don't look like a "blank canvas" face. But this also gives me freedom to make some pretty bold eyebrows and accentuate the shape of my eyes to the point of looking a bit crazy. Ahhh, the joys of recreating my face any way I want to!

Saturday was so much fun. My Alec had his birthday party and a lot of his friends came. A special young lady that he has known for several years came and he was thrilled to see her. He says she is his girlfriend, and I think she thinks he is her boyfriend. So sweet. 

A few years back, Alec was my height. He had been stuck at my height for two years. We were starting to think that he was never going to get any taller. Then this happened.




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Hey, remember when I told you that when you get cancer, you get jewelry? Well, it happened again. Our cousin, Deb Zimmerman, makes the most fabulous things. She gifted me with this necklace, earrings, and bracelet. They are made from Swarovski crystals, white clamshell wampum beads, ad white deerskin lacing. Wow! Love them.

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OH, and I splurged on  a new pink arm band at the Dollar Store. :)

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STRENGTH.  Enough said.


                              GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS OUR COUNTRY, PLEASE
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THIS IS GONNA BE A TOUGH WEEK

6/27/2018

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DO ONE BRAVE THING TODAY . . . THEN RUN LIKE HELL.

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This came in the mail the other day. I love it! Also, good words to live by.  Good friend/former teacher of Alec's/advisor for Woodbridge Haven Steve Vanderhei was traveling and saw this sign. He took a picture of it, made it into a card for me, and then decorated the envelope address elaborately. What a hoot. Actually, the envelope is kinda a piece of art in itself. Anyhoo, it tickled me and made my day. Thanks, Steve.

I want to pass on the word about our friend Ken. Guess what? Prayers DO matter. This week-end Ken's wife was filling out papers to have him put in a nursing home since he was in such bad shape physically and mentally. Then . . .  he did a one-eighty! Jess, his wife, said it was like someone had flipped a switch and suddenly he came back to being the old Ken. He will still be in the hospital for another 5 to 7 days for more physical therapy, but he has regained his senses and knows people, and very much back to normal. YAY!  Evidently the pressure went down on his brain. So if you were one of those people who said a little prayer for him, well . . . it was answered.

Went to the oncologist yesterday for my sixth chemo treatment, but after they did a blood test (as usual) they said my white blood count was a little low and they would have to postpone it for a few days. They even had the tech "hand count" it under a microscope to double check the results. Whatever. So, I had to have a shot of high-powered, white blood restorer yesterday and then go back this morning to get a second dose of it. Then, tomorrow (Thursday) I will get my sixth treatment. Only 12 more to go.

However, these shots are kinda make me feel more tired and ewwgie. I need to get a bunch of stuff done, and I can't get into gear as much as I would like. I spent this morning (after getting my 8 'clock shot) running errands, buying more plants for WBH, and haunting the second-hand stores for bargains. I did find a really neato picture for WBH, and some assorted smaller items.

Today is a special day. It's my Alec's 17th birthday. Time is really flying by. Jenna texted me a picture of him with his breakfast birthday cake (yes, she always lets him have his cake when he gets up on his special day). Then she texted a picture that his teacher had sent her of Alec with a birthday cake that his teachers had gotten him at summer school. He is loved!

Well, I will let you know how tomorrow turns out. Or, I may sleeping for the next few days. hehehe

 And, for the love of God, don't watch any of the political news unless you want to get high blood pressure and a nervous condition.   Just sayin'.

                                      GOD BLESS YOU ALL  AND GOD BLESS AMERICA …PLEASE


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    Janene...

    ... was diagnosed with breast cancer on November 11, 2013. This is a place for all of the people who love and care about her to get the information about her treatment and her personal experience of kicking cancer's ass, (sometimes from her daughter's perspective). It's hard to stand by and not be able to do anything to help. Writing gives my mom an outlet and allows both of us to share information during this time. Therefore, we blog :) 

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