Grateful...

I've said it before, but here I go again.  I have an A-M-A-Z-I-N-G support system.  I have an abundance of love, support and prayers...what a feeling; it's like nothing I have ever experienced. 

Some of this support comes in the form of nightly meals for the two weeks following my cleansing medication infusions (aka chemo) that take place every three weeks.   Meals are hand prepared and dropped off at our home.  E's first grade teacher has even prepared a couple meals for us; he thought that was pretty cool!  I have been overwhelmed by everyone's willingness to do this for us, especially because I am not a cook.  I don't like to cook nor am I any good at it.  So, there you have it, I confess....I am not the cook in the house.  I can prepare meals for my kids...grilled cheese, chicken tenders, tacos...I can boil an egg and make some mean french toast.  But, the husband does the real cooking because he quickly tires of eating french toast for dinner.  His mom taught him well because he is a great cook and enjoys the preparation as well as reaping the benefits of his hard work.  Because the husband goes with me to most of my appointments, he often has to make up the time by working later.  The meals enable us to have more time together, we do not have to shop as often and we don't have to think about what we are going to eat (meal planning can be tough).  

I'm not sure I could ever truly show my appreciation for the time and care people have shown to my family and I, but I decided to do "a little something" to let people know I am grateful.

I found a thank you quote book (of course...love quotes).  

 I also made bookmarks with a quote from the book.  

I tie a bow to make it pretty, pretty and I leave it for the person who has prepared our meal.  It's just a small way for me to say "thank you".

BECAUSE....."Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."

William Arthur Ward

Ears...

 Little Miss decided she wanted to make bunny ears the other night, so we did....

We made some for us

 We made some itty bitty ones for Ellie of course

and we made some for the boys...

I, myself, am particularly fond of the ears, as they distract from my balding head. 

Happy Easter

"The great gift of Easter is hope - Christian hope which makes us have that confidence in God, in his ultimate triumph, and in his goodness and love, which nothing can shake."
Basil Hume

A Crafty Easter...

For all you non-crafters, sorry for the boring post.  

Little Miss has been asking to do an Easter Craft every night this week.  Of course, I was happy to fulfill her request.  

 First we made "nests".

We started with paper filler in two different shades of brown.

 Put the filler into a plastic bowl and pour in a bit of Mod Podge.

 Mix until it is all coated.

 Finally, form it into the shape of a bird's nest.

 Let them dry, peel them carefully out of the bowl, add cute Styrofoam eggs and voila.  I think they came out pretty darn cute if you ask me.  They'll be a great addition to our dinner table on Easter.

 We used watercolors to paint some egg-shaped doilies and then taped them onto a string to make garland.

We also laminated a few and sent them in the mail as Easter Greetings from Little Miss.

 We covered paper mache eggs with tissue paper and glitter, added ribbon and hung them on our Easter "tree" (which is really some pussy willow branches)

It's been a fun week of crafting with my Little Miss.

"It is better to create than to be learned, creating is the true essence of life." 

-Barthold Georg Niebuhr

Eggs...

Our yearly tradition of dying Easter Eggs took place this past Monday.  For any project that takes place in our house, it's important to prepare myself for a mess...my kids are award winning mess makers...

By the end of the activity, the yellow dye had been spilled all over the floor and E.

 We use whisks to dye our eggs...I can't remember where I first saw this ingenious idea, but it works out great!  E really became the Master Egg Dyer this year thanks to the wonder of the whisk.

 Generally E is not excited about doing anything remotely creative, but he LOVES to dye Easter Eggs...

 We dyed almost 3 dozen eggs and he could have dyed 3 dozen more.

 I misjudged the cropping on this self-timer picture, but I think it's still a winner (even with the wonky coloring too)

The result of our afternoon of egg dying...I think they get better and better every year.  Here is the link to last year's eggs.

"Probably one of the most private things in the world is an egg until it is broken." 

M. F. K. Fisher

Shout out...

So, it's official...I'm now a cancer patient...I have been since December 31st I suppose, but now that I've almost lost all my hair and have to resort to wearing a kerchief on my head in public, I have given my "shout out" to the world that I have cancer.

With that "shout out", I've noticed an increase in the number of people who ask me how I am doing.  I guess having no hair makes it more real...I get that because I feel the same way when I see my hairless reflection in the mirror.  You can try to prepare yourself all you want for what you think it will be like, but yowzers...it's still shocking, and I prefer not to "shock" in public...not now anyway.

My point...

I'm happy to say that I can respond to people's concern with "I'm doing fine."  Fine..really?  What is fine?  Ok fine? Not good fine?  Complete lie fine?

Websters.com defines fine as " in an excellent manner; very well"  

Fine is just that...Fine.  I'm doing well.  I can function on a daily basis and go on with my life in a manner that is, for the most part, typical of any 39 year old with a husband and two young kids.  I feel good, I have an appetite, I'm sleeping well and I'm trying my best to continue my regiment of walking.  Do I feel fine ALL the time?..Most times, yes, but sometimes no.  Can I function every day?  All days except for the Friday after treatment...I am completely useless on that day...you're best to just stay away. 

There are a list of side effects that I am experiencing, but on most days they are manageable and do not greatly interfere with the daily events in our home...although we have had an increased use of Liquid Plumr because of my hair clogging the drain :)

I myself have been pleasantly surprised at how fine I have been feeling, but it's true...I really am doing fine.

4 weeks down, 14 to go...

"Insane people are always sure that they are fine.  It is only the sane people who are willing to admit that they are CRAZY."

-Nora Ephron

Insane or not, I'm still fine...

Perspective...

"The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself."

-Henry Miller

There are two blogs that I have followed for a while now and coincidentally both blog authors  had books come out today.  Both share the inspirational message that there can be triumph through the difficult times in our lives.  Check out the links below to be inspired.

Heaven is Here, by Stephanie Nielson

and 

Bloom, by Kelle Hampton

Crustacean

If you read the title of this post and you're sticking around to find out what I could possibly be talking about, well, you're in for a treat (not really).  

The thing is....these days I feel like I should be on an episode of Sponge Bob.  For the past few days I'm like a crustacean molting...that darn cleansing medication...

For those of you who want details, the weird head sensations have arrived.  Over the past couple of days, when I touched my head, it would feel like pins being stuck into it and then the itching started.  Now, I have a combination of itchiness, pimples and dry, dry scalp, and what happens with dry scalp...well, dandruff of course!  

My sister-in-law came to the rescue, so now as I molt, I have some relief from the constant itching because I greased my head with jojoba oil.  It's a lovely thing.

This is what the sink looks like these days....today especially...

I'm shedding and molting at a rapid rate. 

I'm Ready..I'm Ready

Good morning krusty

Spongebob