Stupid Feet!

I can hardly walk these days! Plantar Fasciitis is really no joke! The pain in the morning walked off pretty easily at first but it is the all day pain that is getting the best of me. Thankfully as a substitute teacher on my feet there is little discomfort (especially when I wear my shoes with good arch support) but when I am around home there is a lot of sit down time.

Sit down time means that I have to get up and walk many times a day. THAT is when it is excruciating. It eventually walks off but the pain when you try to stand up from a chair and haven't used those muscles is bad, even after just ten minutes. Pain shoots up through my heal too and so from the knees down it is crazy pain. If you want to see this "old lady" all you have to do is stick around until I have to get up and walk around.

I was told that it could have been exacerbated by the chemo and my body is reacting to that in my feet. It definitely started right as I got into a great walking schedule last spring much to my disappointment. I have gained weight and that extra weight could cause irritation. Which is a catch 22 because I can't exercise my favorite way (walking) if I am supposed to rest. The fact that I am writing this now proves also that I have not been faithful to my elliptical all winter which would probably be a good alternative exercise without the stress on my feet. Doctor said that rest would help and maybe that is true, but the rest is not helping my stamina and all around well being. As my children (who obviously watch too much television) will quote for me "a body in motion will stay in motion" from one of the many annoying pharmaceutical commercials!

So recently I did what any normal thinking person would do and I googled it. I have exercises and have been able to put to use my elastic band. I spent one morning for thirty minutes on each side stretching slowly those muscles to try to get the inflammation down. It seemed to help that day but it is probably going to work best once I get into the routine of doing it daily. Following the directions I pushed up and held, and then twisted a bit out on the inside of my foot and held and last twisted a bit on the outside and down and held. It hurts when you first position but as it stretches it really felt good. I also have a water bottle full of water in the freezer to roll when I am at my desk, and golf balls...I never thought I would EVER own golf balls, but rolling them in the arch of my foot feels dreamy! Now I just need to do it every day. Stay tuned, I may report back on how it is going.

Oh...and a public apology to anyone who has told me they have Plantar Fasciitis in the past and I didn't understand how debilitating it can be. I can truly say now that "I feel your pain"!

The Squeaky Wheel

First ice the area

I guess if you complain enough about something someone will hear. I don't think anyone heard me at the oncology office as of late, but when I got there yesterday morning, I was greeted with a exam room and some papers to sign. Huh? I thought.  It is my new "that time of the month" where I go into the fast track room, get a shot in my behind and head back out the door for the rest of my day.

Not this time. Some who are connected to me on Facebook have probably seen more than once my complaints about a $1,200 shot each month that I get of Lupron. My forced menopause drug of choice (or doctors choice as the case may be). Seems as though I am not the only one who thinks that the cost of Lupron is outrageous.

My dear nurse who greets me with a friendly smile each month went on to explain that they are switching all of their Lupron patients to a new drug...funny, I don't remember the name off the top of my head...and now I am thinking, "hmm, maybe I should have asked for the fact sheet to have as a reference"...oops. The reason for this change is because the cost of the Lupron shot is getting too high.

She then went on to explain that this new drug that I will be getting isn't a shot in the behind but instead, goes into the belly right under the skin. The needle goes in and it will be "wiggled around" to form a tunnel, pulled out just a bit and then a pellet will be injected into the tunnel right under the skin. Would I like an ice pack to numb the area first?

Hmmm...I don't know, sure we will try it this time. So I iced the area right beside my belly button. After she left I found myself wondering "beside my new belly button, or down two inches where my old belly button was? Or, perhaps it doesn't matter that much. She came in about five minutes later with another nurse who is learning how to give this injection. She assured me that she has done it many times. I wasn't too concerned. As she prepared the syringe I noticed the large needle unlike others I have used to give myself shots "just under the skin" in my belly in the past. Before I knew it the needle was in, the "wiggling" was done and the pellet was under my skin. It is one of the bigger holes I have been left with after an injection but hey...it isn't going to cost me $1,200 a month!

All of this to say I am thankful for a doctor who recognizes the ridiculousness of the drug costs for their patients. It may take a little more time in the office on injection days, but that is all right by me. Next month I am going to skip the ice. From waist to neck I am pretty much numb since my mastectomy reconstruction anyway. That will shave about five minutes off of the visit!

Friday From the Heart: We are the Speck!

Lately I have been thinking a lot about how difficult it is at times to just praise. Not asking God for anything, not being thankful for anything He has done for me, but instead to just praise Him because of who He is! David in the Psalms has such a wonderful way of doing this. I find myself starting in any number of the praise Psalms if I haven't the words myself.

Being a substitute teacher, I am in a number of classrooms. I was thinking this morning about Horton. Yes, the Dr. Seuss Horton. He hears a who. I have seen that book in at least three different classrooms these past couple of weeks. When we first saw that movie it was so moving to me because of the fact that as most of us have heard it said "a person's a person, no matter how small". When I grieve for my miscarried child and keep that to myself because, "well, she was only a 11 week old fetus". Obviously when the movie came out that was still a raw grief...no matter how small. That child who is in the arms of Jesus matters to Him.

Is anyone else with me when they saw that movie? I mean, that we are the Hortons of the world and there are little people or maybe your take is "less fortunate" people that need to be kept safe and helped? Just a thought. As I have been seeking to better praise Him just because He is God, He has brought small glimpses to me in the things I have been doing. I already mentioned the many copies of "Horton Hears a Who" books in classrooms I have been in. Then there are all of the glimpses lately I have been given into the universe itself. A few weeks ago Matthew and I went to the observatory here about 30 minutes away and got the reminder of the teenie tiny-ness of us. And we so often think we are "all that".

I pondered this morning when I drank coffee on the back step as the sun came up...my God could at anytime take that sun into His hand and fling it across the galaxy sending us to our demise spinning into space. He really doesn't even have to do that at all really. Just a small tip with a finger for Him to throw off the suns position and send us into a random orbit. Too close to the sun, too far from the sun and we are no longer "all that".

We really are "the speck". The beautiful thing about real life though is that our God is not Horton. He is not a bumbling elephant who is trying as hard as He can to keep us safe. We live in His Will. Not always an easy place to be but we have a guarantee that He will not lose us in a huge field of pink puff flowers! I got to share the story of Abraham's almost sacrifice of Isaac to my Good News club kids. How sobering it is to think that God could ask for our most prized possession as a sacrifice. Abraham knew beyond a shadow of a doubt God's character would not renig on His promise. That is why he truly is the "father of the faithful" and has so much of Hebrews 11 dedicated to his example.

Yes, we are the speck. And we can be sure that the One who holds us is not going to let go, or lose us along the way. In fact, there is only one enemy of our God and he holds no candle to the One who created him! I am going to stay fixed on Him. I am going to be a better praiser of Him. NOT because I have to be a "good enough" praiser but because I am the speck. If I learn to praise Him well, I will be able to help those who need someone to speak for them in His name.

I have been blessed to have spent the last seven months in the book of Hebrews with some awesome women of God. There was so much to learn but one of the things again, recently that connects to my desire to praise God for being God is Hebrews 13:15 "Therefore, by Him, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name." Praise as a sacrifice. During the times I am grieving, sorrowful or even depressed, it IS a sacrifice of my own state of mind to say "Lord, I praise You in this storm". Sacrifice...it is easy to praise God when things are going well, it is when we have to hoist our own grief onto the altar of His praise that we sacrifice. We are the speck and He is our God. Our God who hears every word whispered or shouted. Without our saying, He knows "we are here".

Having trouble praising? Here is a place to start...open the Word to Psalms and take your pick: 33, 63, 84, 92, 93, 95, 96, 100, 111, 113, 117, 136, 139, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150.

Psalm 63:1-3 "O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You."

Sweet Stacey Time

Stacey had a doctor's appointment yesterday morning. When she and I are together, there usually is a trip to the coffee shop for coffee or tea. Yesterday was another one of those days where winter tried to keep its hold on us. We opted for warm beverages.

There is usually a quick stop at the closest Goodwill or Salvation Army too. She has a project that she wants to tackle with me in the next couple weeks and it involved upcycling three sweatshirts. The new huge Salvation Army was right on our way home so that is where we stopped.

As always, even after pledging to each other in the car that we will ONLY look as sweatshirts, we end up looking at other things too. So, Matt got a new pair of Crocs and we picked up a cute new pair of brown dressy shoes for Dawn and a sweater that just "looks like Dawn" even still just hanging on the hanger.

I also eyed up a super cozy gray long pullover fleece sweatshirt with the tags still on. I found two other shirts I loved. They were both half price with green tags so they went right in the cart. The pullover fleece was full price so I debated a little. Still, who could pass up a great fleece for the full price of $3.50? Apparently, not me! We got confirmation on the way home that it was a good purchase. In the sky we saw some plane lines in the shape of an XL! My fleece is an XL and we joked that it was meant to be. Today I am enjoying my XL fleece pullover because even though the calendar says April, it is still cold around here!

I will be honest, I have a draft post full of all of my frustrations in my house this week. I will never post it because it is not nice to complain about our blessings even if they are having trouble remember or maybe selectively remembering their chores. I haven't been a model mom. But, I appreciate God giving Stacey and I a time to reconnect. It is just what we needed. I need to do that with all of my kids which is great because that is my favorite part of being a mom...tapping into their heartbeats and cheering them on.

A Little Crochet Gingham

When I started this project, I thought it was cool to be able to make a gingham look with yarn. As I got into it though, I started hating the process. You have to bring the color that you are not using along with you when you work so I spent most of the time trying to either keep the yarn untangled or I would have to stop and untangle if I let it go too long.

Here is the funny thing, as I read the finishing details in the pattern there was a link at the very bottom that connected to a YouTube video that showed how to work and keep the yarn straight! Yes, I am one of those who is notorious for not reading the pattern or instructions all the way through before starting. That tendency has come back to bite me many times…you would think I would learn.

As I worked in my tangled mess of yarn (caused by my own neglect to read through the pattern), I wasn’t sure even as I came closer to the end that I would love it as much as I hoped I would. But, with the squares all done and the hanging yarn weaved in, I was getting my hopes up. I thought I would look to find different edges for blankets and came upon the ruffling effect. Yes…that is what I wanted to do. You do three double crochet stitches in every stitch around. It took a while but I am so glad that I chose that one because once it was all done I was in love with it!

Of course choosing this edging used more yarn than I had purchased but I was still hoping to finish with the yarn I had bought to start with. Of course, you could guess what happened...I had about eight-ten inches to finish when I ran out of yarn. It is a common brand and type so I was able to get the rest quickly. Now I have some hot pink yarn to use on a small little project. Either that or some more granny squares. I am getting the granny square bug again since winter seems to be lingering here in Iowa this year. Looking at the completed project and now knowing that there is a way to keep the yard from tangling, I will keep this pattern for another day. I do like how it turned out!

A Little Pinterest Inspiration

The boys tackled their room this weekend. There will still be piles of things to go through and things to move into the room once the proper place is determined. Last summer we had moved the furniture around to see if a new view would give them more motivation to keep the place clean. Well, it actually made things worse. So, David had them in there working on Saturday morning and they got the furniture moved back to the way it was before.

One problem that they have always had is the overabundance of stuffed animals. I had pinned a project to help that problem awhile back and as I was going through fabric in my new sewing space, I found my red and gold fleece. Not having a large enough amount of any other fabric that would be comfortable, I used the fleece.

They now have a stuffed animal "bean bag" chair. It has a zippered bottom where the animals can come and go as they play. When they aren't playing with them, they are tucked away in the cushion. They were surprised at how many fit inside and then again when we tried to lift it. It is pretty heavy! I think it will be a great addition to their room and hopefully an even better tool to keep their things tidy!

My favorite part of the project is that everything that I used, I already had, including the zipper.

The lining on the inside is some hot pink leftovers from curtains that my mom gave me. I didn't have a clue what I would use the fabric for but it worked very well for this project. As you can see, when it is zipped up you can't see the pink at all. I had only one zipper that was long enough and it just happened to be gray to match the front panel. I loved the way it turned out!

I used two links to find the instructions for this project. I did a couple of things differently but overall you can get this with these two links if you are interested. It has been awhile since I have tackled a Pinterest project. I messed up a bit on the lining but fortunately you can't see that can you?

Thread Riding Hood
Googie Momma

Basement Update Post #1

I pulled my hair back in a headband as I got ready for my day...did you hear me? I said, I put a headband in my hair (LONG ENOUGH hair to pull back!!!!) Anyway, after getting super giddy about having to pull my hair back out of my eyes,  I got down to the basement over the weekend! I am excited to share the little bit of the progress even though it isn't that much in the whole scheme of things. Actually, I will take that back. It is a huge thing for me because it got the wheels turning to go through the things that I haven't even touched since we moved! (Refer back to the fact that a year ago I was still wearing a wig and well, before that it was radiation, and before that chemo, and before that eight surgeries. I guess you could say I have gotten a bit sidetracked). But, more about how I have been sad about the years I haven't been "me" on a different day.





Instead, lets talk about how I started with the paper and yarn craft area trying to organized the shelves with the things that we need. I went through so much and have a garbage bag full to show for it! I should have probably taken a picture last week before the moving began because even though I have barely touched the things in this part of the house in years, it was organized pretty good (at least all of the puzzle pieces aka bins and drawers fit nicely on the shelves). I set up a card table and I was able to go through about four bins/baskets of things that have just been shoved into something to get it out of the way. Now it all has a place on the shelf.


I went through pictures...lots of pictures and found some favorites. It was therapeutic and fun all at the same time.

Look at these...oh so many fun memories just about the actual day each one of these pictures were taken! A story for each one. Stacey was down with me for a little while and we just kept pulling out pictures and saying "OOOH, look at THIS one!" This is the fun part of the work I did this weekend. Pulling out memories and smiling. One of the poses when the triplets were two has them laying on their tummies in a row. We opted for that pose because little did we know that Stacey had a fractured leg we didn't find out about til the next day. We just knew she wasn't wanting to put any weight on it. Like I said, each one has a vivid memory with each pose!

Oh and then this little man...I didn't lay pictures out for each kid although I certainly could, there were plenty that I paged through. Lots of great memories of Zach's picture days too. (He has some hilarious stories from his portrait days!)

Now that I have had a little fun down there it will be easier to go and get to work. This week however, it doesn't look like I will get back down there til around Wednesday afternoon. I hope to jump to my cutting table so that I can work on a quilt that I have in my head.

Baby steps...I told myself that before I started all of this. So, I am pretty pleased that I took a few over the weekend. David even had Matt and Zach help move some of the lighting fixtures so that the will be centered over my sewing and cutting tables. I am positive already that I will love it more than my old space.

Okay...I'm Gonna Do It!

Here I go, posting the MESS that is my sewing/crafting "room". Let me give you a disclaimer, none of my children or anyone else's children are buried anywhere in the mess although there were a few tense moments as I put some of them to work moving all the stuff! You see, the best "bang for our buck" in our basement would be for us to put the two bedrooms and bathroom where my sewing machines and craft tables were. That means that my sewing "room" needed to move.

First things first...I had to set up an area where I could
sew no matter what the place looks like around me!

I am going to be transparent here and maybe some of you can hold my feet to the fire. Do I want an organized area to sew and create? Of course!!! Do I want to go downstairs in the chilly basement by myself and go through everything I have to purge and organize? Not when the family keeps having NCIS marathons upstairs in this cold April and there are crochet projects to work on!

So, to get my feet in the fire, I will post my mess. I am not sure when you will all get an update, these kinds of acts of desperation don't always work for me. But, since I really do have the end goal to be organized (and a list of projects that need to be completed), I do think I will make my way down there. Starting today. I put before myself the picture in my mind of me downstairs during the 90 degree months in the cool of my basement as kids run through the sprinkler outside the window. I better get busy...I can't imagine it being 90 again with the single digit temps this weekend, but I do trust that the One who holds the earth on its axis will bring summer in due time, even if He decides to skip spring this year.

All right...let me take you on the tour.

Above was the zoomed in view...this one would
be the step back and see the wide angle view.

Sadly, I can't tell you much of what is in those piles...just that many many projects done without me cleaning up after myself made me shove all kinds of things into boxes and bins. One by one I will go through them. Ugh.

Here is the yarn and paper craft area. The big
shelving unit was emptied and moved, much
of what is seen here just needs to be organized
and put back on the shelves.

I may have to purge some things before I put them back on these shelves. There are a lot of things I haven't used in a  long time. I get to decide if I will find a good use for them in the next year, or if they are just weighing me down. There will be an eight foot counter along that back wall (those who have been in my garage for garage sales may not recognize it without the saw horses that it usually sits on to display our merchandise!) I will definitely post when it goes in. I have been waiting to get it out of the garage and used since we moved in back in 2013!

So, here it is from the opposite direction. Again,
shelves that need to be organized. I could
move these without emptying them but they do
need to be emptied and again, purged and organized!

Woo Hoo! The bracket that my mom had on the
back of her tv from the old kitchen was still
attached to the back of it where it sat in her living room.
It fits on mine!

So, there it is! It is safe to say that if you can't get ahold of me, I may be stuck down there sorting through stuff. There is a lot that I can use, it just isn't (and honestly, wasn't in the other location) easily accessible. I am not really a organization guru and when I go all out to organize I usually find a way that I can't really maintain, or maybe it wasn't such a good idea in the first place.

I will think through as I go and Mom next door has already been a huge help! She IS the ultimate in organizing sewing areas. I love hers! I look forward to many projects getting done once it all gets put back together. It will happen, hopefully in a timely manner. To be honest, I am used to working over a mess so I will admit that two projects have already been done in my new space. So if worse comes to worse...stay tuned!

Long Winter Woes

How can it be the week after Easter? It isn't always this bad, but let me tell you, this is the longest winter we have had in a long time! So long that the first week of soccer games are cancelled because at 8 a.m. on Saturday the temps are supposed to be in single digits! So, another snuggle up cozy weekend when we should be out tilling through our soil and preparing the ground for planting soon. Well, at LEAST we should be getting out the swing and the patio furniture!


















Enough of my belly-aching. We actually did have a nice Easter. We were able to enjoy our traditional Easter activities. Church at 9:25 followed by brunch with the fam at our house. Then there was a little time for a nap, and then off to my parents for Easter dinner all together. We have only one still interested in egg hunting so big sister Stacey stepped up and asked if she could hide them for Matthew this year. She said he told her he wanted them to be hidden so they would be hard to find. She took him seriously!


I was in the house when she came in and said she hid them REALLY good. She then explained that you can't see any of them because she buried them! What? I told her that is probably not what he meant. It was hard, so this year Matthew played "hot or cold" and eventually found all ten! The fun part is that she got some good pictures of him. He is kind of a ham if you couldn't tell! At least last weekend they could go out in a hoody. This weekend we are back in winter coats. I hear that this should be the last of winter striking in the next couple of days.

Zach is telling me that on April 21st will be 60 degrees and after that it will not go lower than that. So, there it is the good news. As I pulled out my winter coat yesterday I was thankful that I at least I am able to keep warm during all of this. I am a BIG fan of hibernation in November but in April...not so much!

As I finish up my musing, I am engaging in mental debate. When I finish here should I venture out in the cold and wind to pick up toilet paper? OR, should I pull out a couple extra tissue boxes I have in the hall closet and strategically place them on the back of the toilets in the house? These are the questions this silly weather has me pondering today!