Wednesday Before Thanksgiving 2008

Just a quick update on things....

Little premature twin boys are doing great. Larger one is gaining weight daily and will go home soon. Smaller one still on dialysis and we are praying his kidneys will begin working on their own, by God's healing touch.

Mom's ct scan is this evening at 5:00.

Two days of Thanksgiving to enjoy tomorrow and Friday. Yum. I'm very thankful for my life eventhough I complain a lot. There are more blessings than and can even name for He is good.

The Final Product

Here is the project I was working on last night and today. I'm pleased with the way it turned out.

Ok, It's Saturday Now....

And things are looking a bit better. Nurse pracitioner's grandson is doing so well, that the doctor is going to begin lowering some of his medications. Twin brother is progressing right along and will be home soon if he continues.

Hair troubles are a bit better, as hair dresser and I discussed problem and did a bit of tweaking. We are both on the same page and I can live with it now.

As LeLe posted here, about creativity, I began a new project last night and it had a calming affect. I'll post a photo when all is done. I really got further along on it than I expected and am enjoying it.

J has done a favor for me this morning, in purchasing something I saw at an antique mall where he lives. It was a gift that I thought would be perfect for my boss, Dr. T. His birthday is on Christmas, and we always buy him separate gifts for birthday and Christmas.

So, today my outlook is better, and I'm looking forward to the week ahead. I want to be truly thankful and to do that, I have to push my petty personal issues aside.

Better News

Nurse practitioner's grandson is doing better!!! Doctor was pleasantly surprised to see he was still with us this morning and is encouraged. Doctor is going to begin lowering his bp med since he's doing so much better. Praise God and keep those prayers going folks!

Rough Week

This week hasn't been a picnic by any stretch of the imagination.

The nurse practitioner I work for, had twin grandson's born prematurely on November 4. The larger one is doing quite well. The smaller one has been in a constant battle to survive. It's still a wait and see situation. Lots and lots of prayers have been lifted for the little guy though. Whatever happens, he is in the palm of God's hand, and will stay there.

And, Mom's labs are so bad, the doctor is canceling her treatment tomorrow. She is scheduled to have a CT scan Wednesday evening, and will see the doctor on Dec. 1. The immediate concern is the danger of bleeding. If she were to cut herself, or be hurt somehow, she could be in terrible danger of bleeding to death. She assures us she will be careful and will call us immediately if anything happens. She would have to be taken to the nearest ER. Still, she feels fine, and is looking forward to Thanksgiving with all the chilluns.

Least of all, I received a slight trim at the beauty shop that was disappointing. The sweet girl who cuts my hair apparently misunderstood me. I would never say anything negative about her, as she tries very hard to please. My hair just didn't turn out as I had it pictured in my head, and is being very hard to style as well. I'm very particular about my hair, and yes, I've shed a few tears over this. It is only hair, and it will grow. It is not cancer, or a baby in distress, or a life and death issue. Still, it's hard to look in the mirror and not be emotional. Pride is sometimes not such a good thing....

Hopefully, things will settle down, all will be healed and peace will abide.

Random Post

Mom's platelets were too low again. Chemo treatment was pushed back another week. That means it will be five weeks since the last treatment. I asked the oncology nurse if there was anything that could be done, and she said if they got low enough, they would transfuse her with platelets. But, who knows how low they have to go, and according to my nurse practitioner, Mom is in danger of catching anything she comes in contact with. And that would not be pretty.

Nurse practitioner's premature twin grandsons are stable. That is great news. It was very scary for a few days.

Spent the last two days doing a bit of house work, reading, leaf sweeping, and wrapping OCC gifts for tomorrow's "ingathering" at church. If you aren't familiar with Operation Christmas Child, go here and read up on a wonderful and easy way to reach children for Christ. I love shopping for the kids.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. Friday at my home, my bunch and my in-laws will all "Gather together to ask the Lord's blessing." We decided on ham as we pretty much prefer it to turkey. Candied sweet potatoes, hash brown casserole, banana pudding and other delicacies will be devoured.

Short Editorial

I am not a very learned person when it comes to economics and how the government uses money. But, from what I can tell lately, no one, and I mean NO ONE is being held accountable for their bad financial decisions. I don't believe the government should be bailing out folks who are making bad choices. Not individuals and certainly not big corporations. Where is the accountability people? I have a great deal of sympathy with homeowners who are looking at foreclosure, but I have to say, I believe many of them over extended themselves in the first place. I noticed how so many young people were buying or building huge HUGE homes. Why do you need that much space for a family of say..oh.. five? How do you sleep with the knowledge that if one of you loses your job, you can't make the house payment? Yes, I have sympathy, but if we all made financial decisions based on what we can afford on one paycheck if it comes down to it, there might be less wailing and gnashing of teeth now.

And I don't believe it's the right thing to do, adding to the national debt, by fixing bad corporate decisions and rewarding those in power who are so wealthy they aren't personally in danger of losing anything. Just saying.

Slideshow #3 of Our Trip

This slideshow is of the town of Harrison. I didn't realize what a beautiful town it was. I only considered it a place to pass through on the way to Branson or Eureka Springs, but what a treasure to find! The court square is just lovely and eventhough some might consider a cemetery morbid, we love visiting them. We consider them peaceful places full of history. SR's Mom had visited Maplewood Cemetery before in the fall, and suggested we check it out. She remembered how beautiful the Maple trees were and she wasn't wrong! Situated on a scenic overlook of the city, the entire cemetery was planted with rows and rows of amazing Maple trees. And we weren't the only people there taking photos. We noticed at least five other people, if not more just wandering around, taking shots of the trees.

Slideshow Two

We payed a whopping 25.00 to see Hurricane Cave, between Marshall and Harrison. I expected a beautiful waterfall. Unfortunately, it was the last day of the season, they were getting ready to close for winter, and the pump that sustains the fall was turned off. The guide told us that the owner was an elderly lady, who had suffered a heart attack and was selling the cave and 200 acres for 1 Mil. Pocket change. It was obvious the grounds needed a lot of TLC but we did get to go inside and see interesting formations. We didn't stay long, because the passageway got narrower and I got more uncomfortable. I supposed I might have been persuaded to carry on, but the guide only wanted to talk about deer hunting in Cleveland County, after finding out we grew up in Rison. SR didn't push it but I think he wanted to go further in. We were told the passageway got wider again on the other side. I'd seen enough.

If we had known more about this place, we probably would have opted to wait till the trip back and see Mystic Caverns. Maybe some other time....

Intermission

We interrupt this portion of the entertainment for this thought provoking question..... Does God honor half-hearted prayers? I have been so bogged down in things going on around me, and just trying to get through each week, that I find myself just tossing prayers up to Heaven. I'm asked to pray for people, and I do, and I care, but I only give it a quick shot and then I move on. Does God hear this and say, "Child, you aren't paying attention. You are only giving this lip service. Come back and try again later." ????? Or does He honor the fact that you actually made the effort to lift someone's name up to him in a rush? Not wanting to forget them, but not giving them a real space in your prayer time? I know we don't have to spend hours on our knees for God to hear us and answer. And I know we are supposed to be in constant prayer and that a quick thought to Him is worthy. But, is it worthy to just rush through something like a prayer request? Tell me your thoughts on this people. Inquiring minds want to know.

One Slideshow.

(My apologies for mispelling allowed. I've tried several times to edit it,but it just won't save it correctly. I decided to leave it, rather than start over from scratch.)

Trip Highlights #1

We left out on Thursday morning, unsure if we would actually see any fall colors. The leaves here in Sheridan, are hit and miss color, and as far as north of Conway, there wasn't much change, as shown in these photos.


We kept moving on, and decided to drive to the Natural Bridge, north of Clinton. I thought the road down to the bridge was pretty scenic and had to take a shot of it. Sorta reminded me of a calendar photo. The road twisted and turned just like an "S" repeatedly and down, down, down you went, ears just a-popping!

The bridge itself was pretty awesome. It's waaaay down in a valley, and amazing to see. SR had a really good time there. We noticed that it was for sale if anyone is interested....

This is the entrance, which has been beautifully landscaped and kept up.

More to follow. I plan to upload all the photos I took to either my Facebook page, or Photobucket. I'll let everyone know when I get them on. Next post will be about our first stop at the Buffalo National River.

Down Time

I promise to post more pictures from our trip to North Arkansas in the days to come. We had a great time, except for the Cold I came down with the day before we left. Not feeling much like blogging, but here is a quick shot for you, while I get back on my feet and find the time to write more.

Just a note..... Mom has another transfusion scheduled for tomorrow. We knew her blood looked strange on Wednesday when we drew her lab, and sure enough, the nurse called me in Harrison to schedule another transfusion.