Fall Fest 2013

Here I am about an hour before Fall fest last Wednesday.  I spent the morning in my recliner with the urge to throw up every time I moved.  I was a little frantic about how the kids were going to be ready with costumes for the big event later in the evening.

It was about 1:00 p.m. when I was finally able to eat a little bit of yogurt and move around a little bit.  It was an early dismissal day and after the kids arrived home, we all got into the car and made a quick trip around town to the places where we usually have luck finding costumes that we need.

This year, I was looking for a Robinhood or a Peter Pan costume for the little boys.  Matthew wanted to dress up like "Little Link" from the video game Zelda and Zach decided being "Big Link" would be fun.  It made me smile so that is what we set off to find.

The only thing I could come up with in the three places we stopped was a Robinhood outfit for Zach.  We bought a couple of swords to make Link complete and went home.  Matthew was beside himself because he didn't have anything.  I couldn't believe that something as classic as Peter Pan wasn't in a little kid size.  Funny how you can find all of that stuff in adult sizes, I don't get that.

After dropping the kids off (the girls already knew what they were going to dress up to be, and I told Ryan I would find something for him, he was having trouble making up his mind), I went back out to JoAnn's.  Thankfully I still had my sewing machine at the house.  I bought some brown and green fleece and traced around Matt's top so that he had a tunic.  The hat was a little trickier but it came together just great.  David helped the big kids with the cardboard shields and we were set to go.

Still feeling somewhat green, I tagged along and everyone enjoyed an evening of fun at Fall fest.

Snow After All

It was sometime last week when I heard one of the kids yelling from behind the iPad (where they love to check the weather forecast regularly) "Hey, Mom, it is going to snow next Tuesday!  Yes, I am sure it is, I remember thinking in that passing moment.  Well, low and behold, we get to see one last snowfall on 27th Street after all.

It started slushy and then the white flakes fell nice and steady for an hour or so.  Not too much, just enough to put a little dusting here and there that will be gone by the time the kids get home from school unless another round comes through before then.

As you can see, the termite infested pile of wood is still sitting in the corner of the patio waiting to be hauled away.  I should be running around the house packing things today but something about this softly floating snow makes me want to just put in ONE MORE DAY of resting and crafting from my recliner.

I will fill the five boxes I have left today and jump in with both feet tomorrow and go room by room.  Laundry/sewing room first tomorrow and then it will be bedrooms and un-necessary kitchen items.  We are looking forward to the move and being able to reach into the closet again for winter clothes!  Guess who packed ALL of her husband's sweatshirts back in July when we were trying to declutter.  Yep, that would be me!  OOPS!

My Poor Boys!

Look at these three!  I can't believe that it has been over a year (probably closer to two) since I have been in their room and paid any attention to their closet or clothes.  Their closet is just one of those places where I can open the door, look in and think "I just can't tackle this today!" and something else on the list gets attention.

There are actually clothes in there that can be taken right out of Zach's drawer (having been too small for him for a year now) and moved right into Matt's drawer!  Life gets busy and I don't feel that bad about it, I mean, look at the mess.  It is a little overwhelming!  But, moving into a new house has given us a reason to get things shaped up.  I started this yesterday and have been boxing up clothes that are too small and now summer clothes as well.

I cranked up the music and stepped in to get to work.  I was able to get some clothes packed away and a few things that had been lost are now found (imagine the things that were shoved in the back of the closet floor all this time!)  It was nice to get some of it done.  Still missing a small black boys soccer sock but we aren't done with the job yet so I am still hopeful.  After all this time of three boys sharing a very small room, they are looking forward to moving into a new bigger room, even if at first it will have pinky-mauve carpet!

And Daddy Brings Out the Cheese!

David has found some really great things at Sams lately.  We enjoyed some yummy cheese this evening after he brought Ryan and Stacey home.

Something Else to Make with Knitting Needles

I don't even know what these kind of scarves are called, I only know that last year about mid winter, people were starting to wear them and I found out that they were knit with a special "yarn" that is more like a ribbon.

I have had a couple of skeins of this ribbon-yarn since last winter but never had a chance to make anything with it.  Now with extra down time, I pulled it out and after watching a few videos, came up with a couple of scarves.  It is always good to learn new things.

A Four Year Old Explains Zelda

I hid my iPhone while Matthew and I were sitting at the patio table.  I got a good explanation of Boss Morpha and Mini Boss Dark Link.  I hope you find it as enlightening as I did.  If not enlightening, entertaining is definitely a way to describe it! Enjoy some of my daily comic relief!

Burning Wood...A lot of Wood!

We are having fires in the fire pit every night in an attempt to burn through the wood by the fence.  The reason being that during inspections last week, termites were found in the wood.  Not the house at all, but the wood.  So, the buyer asked that we remove it.

Apples Anyone?

Here is what I did this weekend!

More baking to come!  The rest of the apples and pumpkins are coming!

A Fun New Little Tool

I pulled out a new cross stitch project after over a decade of stitching and am SO happy I did.  Nothing like getting excited knowing you haven't forgotten a craft that you loved!  I suppose I should mention that I did have to buy a lighted magnifying glass in order to stitch comfortably but my hands don't wear out as fast as they do when I am crocheting or knitting.

Not super excited about having to purchase the magnifying glass for my 40+ year-old eyes, I do have to say there is one little thing that I purchased that has made this project so much more fun.  It is a Morgan Lap Stand Combo.

Two hoops are connected together to make it a perfect lap stand.  I have tried many lap stands because I love to cross stitch with one hand on top and one hand underneath.  When you have to also hold the hoop, it doesn't work very efficiently.

The ones I have tried in the past have been so bulky and big.  This one fits perfectly in my recovering lap, isn't too heavy and is very sturdy.  It doesn't move with each stitch and with the eye problem I mentioned above, the more steady, the faster and more accurate I can stitch.

I can turn it over and do all the work underneath without unhooking it from anything or taking any of it apart.  It is the perfect thing for me.  I am sure that I will keep stitching with this new innovation!

A Great Big Healthcare Overhaul Would Help Tremendously!

Here is something totally ridiculous!  See this picture?

This is a box of medical supplies that came the second day I had my wound vac and was filled with the parts I needed to bring in with me to the clinic each time it was changed out.  Because of the doctor deciding to do another surgery instead of keep going with the wound vac, after five days of that, we stopped it.

Today I sent back the vac to the company.  I asked what I do with all these supplies that I didn't use and how I could get them back to the company.  The lady on the phone told me I could just discard them as they won't take them back.  I can't tell you how many of each piece there are in the box, I am too angry to count them up but what a waste!

I will call the wound clinic later and see if they can use them in the office at all because three boxes full of the stuff aren't even opened!  Everything is packed tight.

My suggestion to end the mess in Washington and the immature "fight in the playground" our government is having AGAIN is that we audit the current health care plan and find the problems - like THIS ONE for example and overhaul the procedures.  By doing that, I am pretty sure that we could save a whole bunch of money.  There was no need for this company to send this stuff when I still had two weeks of supplies with the original package they sent.

There is my little piece of political input for today...and many days to come!

Cancer Files: The Scars

There certainly are new things to get used to after a double mastectomy.  I have been focusing mostly on getting strength back and recovering from surgery and I have to admit - it isn't that great seeing myself in the mirror!  Hearing the doctor say "everything looks great" and feeling that everything looks great in the privacy of my own bathroom are two different things.

The last couple days it has started to sink in that when I get to feeling better and have my strength back, I will still look like this under all of my clothing.  The 20" incision across my mid section from hip to hip - will it always be bright red, swollen and numb?  Will the tissue on top ever really look like breasts?  And what about those scars?  Are they always going to be there?  I kinda still look like a woman and I am incredibly thankful for immediate reconstruction as an option.

It is quite a sight though.  As my wonderful husband said right away after the surgery, he was surprised that I still looked so much like me.  I smile and think that maybe he is right, I should just believe him - it could all be okay.  After all, I did have three C-Section scars and never thought twice about those (although they weren't 20" long).

My body was far from perfect before these surgeries began, not to mention the cancer that had made its way into my right breast and took up residence.  I will not complain about getting rid of that!  I think I am at the point where I realize it will take a little longer to get used to these battle scars than I first believed it would.

I was sort of thinking out loud this morning and God overheard me.  It was then that He reminded me of the ultimate battle scars - those my Savior took upon Himself in the battle with Satan for my soul.  Because He won, I am winning this battle too.  The perfect man took the scars of my sin and saved me and every other person who believes in Him as their Savior - then in Luke and John when he appeared to his disciples he showed them those scars as proof that He was indeed their Messiah.

In this physical realm, I will take up this cross as I follow Him.  He has laid out the path of this life for me.  There is nothing that happens to me that isn't sifted through His sovereign hands and I will follow with His help and encouragement from those whom He so graciously surrounds me with.  Nothing will separate me from His love - especially not the way this physical body looks!

Cancer Files: Surgery #3 - A Week Later

 I will admit, I haven't been in the mood to talk or blog about anything over the last week.  I was pretty busy up until surgery last Thursday afternoon.  Since then, I have not been feeling like doing much except for getting better.  Every way you look at it, this recovery business is getting old - I have been recovering for 98 days!

Doctor went in last week and took the two gaping holes in my tummy and left breast, cleaned them out and stitched it up tight.  The last couple days I have come to the point that I have come to during the other two recoveries I have had recently.  What point is that?  The point where I realize that I have been doing too much.  I was surprised after this surgery to find out that it is more painful to move around with two stitched up incisions than it does to move around with two packed open gaping wounds.  That has been a little disappointing.  It seems a good deal more painful, even with the pain meds than it did the last time around.

There are a lot of other things going on in our house right now too, and a few things that are slipping through the cracks with only one driver and five kids in activities.  It is interesting that every recovery period has gone the same way so far.  I accept the fact that I am not going to be able to do the things I normally do and am fine with that for a few days (or weeks, depending on the intensity of the surgery), then I start moving around a bit and feel a little bit encouraged.  After that stage, I reach the "I really DON'T feel as good as I hoped I was feeling and now I have gone and done too much!"  And that leads into the "Will I EVER get better?" question which is where I find myself now.  I do always hit the day when I feel myself stronger and able to move better, it is just a mystery when that day hits every single time I am recovering!

So, in the waiting I try to find ways of looking on the bright side.  I do have a lot of things to be looking forward to this fall. Here is my happy list to dwell on for today:

1. I am CANCER FREE!
2. Everyone is currently snuggled up cozy in their beds for the night (David under the afghan on the couch enjoying a little "control of the remote" time)
3. Tomorrow is Bible study morning...I get to spend a couple hours with some of my favorite godly women!
4. I have a doctor's appointment after that which I HOPE means the drain from surgery will get removed and it won't look like I have a third breast sticking out from underneath my left one!
5. Tomorrow JUST MIGHT be the day that I will be able to sit up at my desk and get more than 15 minutes of work done!  (This household is falling down all around me!)
6. Tomorrow at the doctor I get to find out when physical therapy can start so I can wake these atrophied muscles in my back and midsection!
7. His mercies are new every morning - for that I am so thankful!