Enjoying the Fall Weather

So far, this has been a wonderful weekend. The day yesterday was crisp and I was able to finally get some more pansies into the ground around my birdbath. I also did a little clean up of the bed around my tree, and the front porch. SR and I washed my Tuscon, and I cooked supper for my boy child who is down visiting.

Today I browsed in the local crafts/gift/antique/ you name it store, Scooter's. I love that place. I bought a new garden flag for fall, and found something lovely for LeLe and MK's housewarming. That was a pleasant surprise. I also visited the county library, where I found three books I haven't read from some of my favorite authors. Catherine Anderson and Lynsay Sands. Maybe they will keep me occupied for a day or so until SR and I take a few days to visit north Arkansas next weekend.

I ran by Sonic to give their Iced Lattes a try. Was a waste of time and money. I ordered a regular Caramel Mocha Latte. It was more like a bit of watered down sweet coffee with ice. I suppose I will have to break down and patronize the new little "Cuppies" place. I'm not a big coffee drinker and will only treat myself to something very creamy chocolatey sweet occasionally. The caffeine has a negative effect on my nerves so I have to be careful. But I feel very decadent when I drink a specialty coffee drink. As far as I can tell, no one in the world can do it like Starbucks. The last time I got something there, I was by myself and driving to Bryant mattress shopping. The second that bad boy hit my system, I was bouncing in my seat. It was a shame there wasn't anyone in the car with me to witness the fun....

Request

Dear Readers, I have a prayer request for you all. One of our medical "reps" came in this morning and shared with me, a story of a young mother, with an 11 year old, who has terminal cancer. Her name is Mandy. She understands her time is limited, but wants to last through moving into a new home, and get through Christmas with her family. She had breast cancer, and now has "hot spots" all over her body. She is continuing treatment with the hopes that it will prolong her life for just a little longer. She is also going to seek a second opinion. I humbly ask you all to add Mandy to your prayer list.

Sunday Afternoon Puttering Around

It was a beautiful Sunday. Sun was shining and the air was cool. I attended church services this morning after a very long absence due to issues with Mom and other things. It felt good

to sing praises again. I sat there, listening to all those voices, merging together, the music rising to the Lord. It was moving to me.

After church, I went to Walmart and bought some mums and pansies. I've been wanting to do that for days and days. I was able to finally change out the flowers in the pots on my front porch. They aren't as dramatic as last year, but I enjoyed it anyway, and maybe they will grow a bit and look a little more lavish.

I decided to take some other shots of the fall blooms to see if my camera would capture anything special. I have no desire to be the photographer extraordinare that Chelle is, but it's nice to take a shot of a wild bloom and have it turn out nice. Or take a pic of a few pansies and have it turn out good enough to use as wallpaper on my laptop.

One thing I was surprised at, was the shot of a goldenrod bloom that had a bee on it. I didn't think that would turn out worth anything, but you can actually see the bee.

That was a highlight of my day. A pleasure I didn't expect.

Have you ever made yourself follow through on something you weren't sure would be ok, because you knew, you just knew it was what God wanted? And then have it turn out like you expected instead of how you'd hoped? I've been going through a personal issue that has me just wading through issues that shouldn't be this hard. I know God is in control, but it's sure difficult sometimes, when you can't seem to see positive results. I know He allows us to go through the hard times, to bring us closer to Him. It's just hard, you know?

The Chosen One

The trip to UAMS for chemo was surprising today. One, we actually got to see the nurse on time, and wonder of wonders, we were called back to begin the chemo after only 20 minutes or less of waiting. That really helped Mom's attitude and patience level. Two, the nurse shared with her the Doctor's desire to include her in a new chemo study. As we understand it, the study will be testing whether further treatment for patients who are in remission, will lengthen the time between the end of treatments and recurrence. She would receive one of two chemo treatments once a month for 12 months after a clear CT scan. There will be only 5 patients included in this area, and only 1100 total. As much as Mom has been looking forward to the end of treatment, this has changed her perspective and she is excited about it. Not only could it possibly lengthen her life, (if it's successful) but she is "chosen" from among so many other patients. She talked about it off and on all day.

Since we were finished with treatment so much earlier than usual, of course it goes without saying (eventhough I'm saying it) that we had to visit at least one store to shop. I need to find Mom a shirt that says "I live to shop!" Sheesh. Thank goodness she wanted to go to Garden Ridge. That is one store I like to browse in and one store that is on my comfort path. Those of you who know me well, understand that I only drive on my known paths, or I get very uptight and nervous. Eventhough she wanted to look for some curtains, she made a B-Line to the Christmas decorations. She is a Christmas FANATIC. She found several items she couldn't live without and we brought home a lovely gingerbread couple the size of small children.

All in all, it was a pleasant day, except for the one little thing I haven't shared yet. The result of my clumsy accident yesterday at work. It was like a scene from a sit-com. Our floors are slick in the clinic, the chair I use is very lightweight and has rollers. I doubt I have to explain any further, as I'm sure you can imagine in your mind's eye the scene as I leaned sideways to grab a chart and .......well, I wound up on the floor, the chair on its side with a part of my anatomy that shall remain nameless resting on the pointed bottom brace of the leg. Go ahead and laugh, it really is funny, unless of course you actually see the resulting injury site. The pain...oh the pain......it has been very hard to find a comfortable way to sit today, and walking has been no pic-nic either. My chair no longer has rollers..........

The Trouble With Mangoes

After a particularly overwhelming day, this actually made me laugh. So I thought I'd share.

Better News and Blessed Relief

Mom's platelets are finally up high enough for chemo. Woo Hoo! She was happy about that! So, come Friday morning, we will be back at UAMS to hurry up and wait for them to do her chemo. She has been complaining of a bit of pain in her lower back and legs. I didn't remember it, but Sister #2 reminded me that is not unusual. We will tell the oncology nurse anyway, just to be on the safe side.

My personal nurse pratitioner has finally found an inexpensive medication that seems to be helping alleviate my back pain. Another Woo Hoo! With only two doses, I feel sooo much better. It is making me a little drowsy, but hopefully that will lessen as time goes on, and if not....well... it's a small price to pay for being pain free. I was beginning to be very unhappy about the pain. It's something I will have to stay on, indefinitely, but at this point, I'm willing to take meds all day long if it will help.

Been Quiet

Hello friends. It's been a while since I had the time or the energy to post anything. I've been spending most of my time either working, or helping LeLe and MK on their house. I haven't posted anything regarding that, because it is their news to share and I didn't want to steal their thunder, so to speak.

We've spent a lot of hours cleaning and painting. Today we moved everything from the storage building into the house. It's packed full of stuff, and they are both exhausted, but hopefully they will be able to get it all squared away before long.

Other than that, I've just been working. Mom was supposed to have chemo yesterday, but her platelets were still a little too low. So, they wanted us to come up to UAMS on Monday to first check her lab to see if she was up enough, then possible chemo. We finally agreed to just wait until next Friday. That way, I wouldn't have to miss work, and we would be assured her platelet levels would be up enough. She's been feeling fine and still doing what she wants. We keep reminding her to stay away from crowds as much as possible, because there is so much sickness now. Upper respiratory issues, stomach virus... you name it.

The new girl at the clinic has pretty much settled in, and we've had to do some adjusting since she is not actually an LPN. But, all in all, things are going fairly smoothly.

I've been doing a little Facebook visiting off and on, since I registered. I tend to check my email countless times a day, and if there is a message on my wall, I go to it immediately, unless I'm busy doing something important, like, oh say....working. ;) I have a very bad habit of checking my mail everytime I get a notification there is a new message. I wish I could turn that off of my instant messenger. Anyone know how? I have to leave that up, because that is how I connect to the main office staff.

During all the work on the house, my back has been pretty bad. I've been waking up during the night having muscle spasms in my lower back and the pain running down my legs. Doesn't make for a very restful night, now does it? If I can roll out of bed in the morning, I plan to get back to Sunday School. It's been a long time.......

Postponed

Today would have been Mom's fifth chemo treatment. Unfortunately, her platelets are still so low, even after the transfusion, that they had to postpone it another week. Needless to say, she is not a happy camper and didn't hold back in letting us know. I am glad though, that they are mindful of not giving her too much chemo, because I feel in my heart that is what killed my Dad. He was so weak, his body so overwhelmed with the chemo, that his heart just couldn't handle it any longer. If his oncologist had been as concerned as Mom's is, he would have had an easier time and lasted longer. Yes, he would have lost his battle regardless, but at least his last days would have been a bit easier. I reminded Mom of that, and it seemed to settle her down. I know she is anxious to get it all behind her, but we have to do what is best for her health.

Today, SR and I spent a good portion of the day helping clean and get LeLe's house ready for painting. We cleaned, swept, mopped, wiped down walls, mowed, and cleaned off the carport and front porch. I think we made pretty good headway. Their new neighbor across the street is a very friendly sort, and his daughter offered to mow the back yard with her riding mower. Sweet!!! I'm sure Mabe appreciated that greatly. Hopefully, they will be able to begin painting and keep to their schedule. I hope they post before and after photos too, because they are always so dramatic!

Tomorrow I will run down to Rison to visit Mom, and my baby sister who is down for the weekend. It looks to be a nice fall weekend in South Central Arkansas, USA.

The Truth Hurts

In my morning devotional, the subject was "What is Love?" And of course everyone uses I Corinthians 13 for a definition. It spoke to me this morning, when I read certain key verses of that passage.

4: Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

5: does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
.......

7: bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8: LOVE NEVER FAILS.

I wonder how many times I have failed? Or felt the failure of others to show true love? How many times in the past year alone have I moaned about suffering? How many times have I envied someone else? How many times have I been rude or hateful to someone I love? OUCH!Love is the one thing we should be able to depend on in this world.

(italics are mine)