It's Friday

Today is always Frank's day off. It is always a weird day because I always think in the back of my mind it's Saturday. I always seem to get up before he does because I walk at 7 am. So, because I had Chemo at 8:30 I woke up at 6 am, did a load of wash and put it in the dryer. Breakfast was old-fashioned oatmeal with raisins, blueberries and half a banana. I knew if I didn't eat early I wouldn't get breakfast and I'm a person who is big on breakfast.Then I put this creme that deadens the port so they can access it 2 hrs. later.

Walked my 2 1/2 miles with my walking partner, gathered up reading books and packed some cut up watermelon, and left at 8:05 for my 3:30 appt. They have to test the blood to see how high my creatine (kidney) counts are. If they are too high they can't give me the bone strengthening drug called Zometa. Well, today it was the highest it has been since I started Chemo, 1.8. They cannot administer the Zometa as it is hard on the kidneys. So I tried to find something positive after the disappointment. ( I really did drink a lot of water before 8:30 am, but I don't understand why it is so high) I had a pity party for about 10 minutes and then did the self-talk. "At least I get to go home early today. I was out of there in 45 minutes!

Then it was off to the Marysville Travel Agency to pick up some brochures for a friend who decorates a window in the Senior Center where she lives. They asked me if I was planning a cruise for this year or next. I said next because I really didn't know what to say. I thought I could sneakily go in and take some and leave. No, that wasn't the case. She proceeded to take me to a overly large map on the wall and show me all the different routes. She also reminded me that hurricane season in July through September.

So 20 minutes later I am at Winco to pick up some things for lunch Our bishop and the elders are meeting over lunch to discuss a new plan for missionary work in the ward. My husband is the WMLeader and I am a ward missionary. I forgot that I promised a student I would stop by and pick up a check on the way home.

I got home around 11:30 and decided to fix Thai stir-fry with fresh ginger and oyster sauce and Thai rice noodles. I got out my Wok and for some strange reason could not find my plug-in for it so I cooked the stir-fry in my regular big fry pan. I added some frozen broccoli from last summer and lots of fresh grated ginger and garlic. I cut up a mini watermelon from Costco and added Costco green grapes to the bunch. Dessert I whipped up quickly and put in the fridge to cool; instant chocolate pudding with no fat cool whip. There was plenty of stir-fry left over because I always make so much, but none of the green grapes. The chocolate pudding was scarfed down quickly.

I took copious notes on what the men said so Frank and I could review it at a later time. Luckily my loving Husb. did all the dishes while I ran downstairs to rest and read my book. I have fallen in love with a new author, Diane Mott Davidson. She writes clean novels with a baking flair about a caterer. The one I just finished is called Fatally Flakey. All her novels have something in the title to do with baking which I love. some of the other books she has authored are "Sweet Revenge, Dark Tort, and Double Shot." She is quite a prolific author and most of her books I can check out from the library. Yeah!

Frank took a short nap while I finished my book and we took off with leftovers from lunch to eat while we were babysitting little Ben, Michele's son. Dave and Chelle had a temple wedding to attend and reception and went out to dinner.

We watched "The Lightning Thief, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." Both movies were very entertaining. Both of my 10 year old nephews recently read "The Lightning Thief, " so it was fun to see what they loved about it.

10:00 pm Dave and Chelle arrived home and we called my piano student's parents who allowed us to drop by at 10:25 pm and pick up the check.

Now it almost 1:15 and I'm whiling away the time 'cause I can't sleep. I think I sort of feel a teensy weensy bit tired, cause I've got to walk at 7 am. I usually can get up after not much sleep because I'm still wired with energy from the steroids in the chemo.

How's that for a busy day. Whew, it makes me tired just reading it!

Weekend at Lagoon Amusement Park, Utah

This picture is of all the kids sitting and waiting to leave after a long and tiring day. I think they are waiting for cotton candy to give them some much needed energy.

I didn't realize when I took the picture but it has a sign saying "Lagoon" in the background.

Wednesday of last week Eric asked us if we wanted to go to Lagoon in Utah to help with the kids. Two days later we caravaned with Eric, leaving after my chemo. It was a 13 hr. trip on Friday and a 14 hr. trip on Monday. Heck of a lot of driving, but the kids all had a lot of fun and will be talking about their vacation trip clear into the school year!

We stayed at David and Rachel's home which they let us use even though they were on a trip to Montana. They left Friday afternoon and we arrived that night at 10:30 pm.

Camron off to adventures with his tube at the waterpark. It was so hot that day that they announced the waterpark was at capacity.
Colin, 7 yrs. said he went really fast by walking under the water. The water was very shallow.
One of the last rides Eric took the kids on before they headed to the coolness of the waterpark.
Ady trying out her tube without water first! It was 96 degrees that day and we felt it. Thank heavens we had seats in the shade most of the day.
Colin waiting for his Dad to come so they could ride in the water.
A quick snapshot of Eric with the kids. Only Ady is visible. Owen is out of the picture to the left.
All three, Ady, Colin and Owen are holding foot long corn dogs. Ady's, unfortunately didn't get in the picture.
Frank's tired already and Terrin is raring to go.
Sweet pensive Adyson.
Waiting to get on one last ride. Camron 14 yrs , Ady 4, Owen 5 in the protective arms of their Dad.
Terrin in the back seat of our car.

My Tomato

I left that beautiful tomato on the vine to ripen while I was gone for 4 days to Utah. When I came back the side had been munched on by probably a slug! I was livid. But we live in slug country. I guess I should have put slug bait around it. They usually leave the tomatoes untouched. Maybe it was even the starlings that eat my cheeries. So I cut off the side and ate the rest.

Now, I noticed there are aphids eating away at my Flemenco Cha Cha plant in a container on my front step.

I looked on-line for a natural spray. Here it is:

Natural Spray to Get Rid of Aphids.

1 and 1/2 c. water

1 c. vegetable oil

2 tsp. dish soap

Spray every couple of days until they are not visible.

Harvesting Veggies in July

The biggest tomato so far, but not the first to ripen. I've picked two before this one.

Stupice tomato.
Sweet 100's
Bush peas.
My front porch chair I inherited from the Leonards' move. I plan to refinish it and install an updated seat.

Summer Flowers

No explanation needed, just fuschia teardrop beautiful.
Beautiful Phlox. The bees are loving my front porch.
Flamenco Cha Cha on a chair on my front porch.
Bee Balm.
I had two hummingbirds yesterday eager to feast on these flowers. They were so fun to watch.
Crocosima; beautiful red blossoms coming out on top of long stemmed leafry.

Petunias
Daisies and Crocosima. You can see the long stalks. It almost looks like gladiola stems.

Ice Cream Making at Cindy's Lake house.

Rolling the can to make ice cream. Adyson is on my right and to her right is Owen.
Pouring on the rock salt.
I'm pretending to do a commercial explaining,"the can is now officially sealed with DUCT TAPE!
Stirring the milk, sugar and Instant chocolate pudding mixture. Owen is watching Brandon mix.

My Baby Boy has Flown the Coup

My baby boy has been married for six and a half months now. I miss him. My, how the time has gone by so fast raising our children. Frank and I find ourselves as official empty-nesters. We love the freedom we have to go and do when we want.
We actually have seen them about three or four times since January. We love our newest daughter in-law and she fits very well into our family. We will see them again when we travel to visit David and Rachel the 21st of August. Eric and his 5 children will also be going for vacation to Lagoon. Hopefully we'll get to see Jay and Dana then as well. Our newlyweds will be coming to SLC to fly out to Florida for their delayed honeymoon cruise.

Cub Scout Camp Week

This was my free week with no chemo. It couldn't have come at a more opportune time with Cub Scout Day camp happening.

I'm really sad because I couldn't locate my camera for day camp this week. It turned out to be a happy, fun, tiring, adventuresome, exhausting week. I started saying to myself, "I'm too old for this kind of stuff. I can't keep up with all the boys and their energy levels." However, I did keep up and went home pooped every night and was crazy enough to get up the next morning and do it all over again. But, as I talked to the other den mothers and workers, I found out they went home exhausted every night and didn't do anything else, but go to bed early! And all of them were younger than ME! By the way, I've checked "Cooking at Day Camp" off my BUCKET list!

We successfully made Chocolate Ice Cream in a Can. We found a #10 food storage empty can, a 1 lb. smaller tin with a lid, rock salt, and ice.

The recipe is: 1 qt. of half and half

2/3 c. white sugar

1 small pkg. instant chocolate pudding

Mix ingredients all together with a whisk. Duct tape the lid of the smaller can to seal it shut.

Put small tin inside the larger one. Put ice all around the edges and top it off with rock salt.

Seal the larger can with duct tape and play kick the can around for 10 minutes.

The ice cream will harden first around the edges and top. After 10 minutes you can check it (which I thought was a big pain in the neck) to see if it is hard. When you take the top off you need a big rubber spatula to scrape the hardened ice cream off the sides. So we just opened it, scraped the outside, lid, and bottom of the can and stirred it together. It was kind of like a soft Wendy's frosty. But oh, soo yummy. We scooped it out with a small measuring cup, or you can pour it out into little dixie cups,

This is really fun to do with a big group and you can let the children stir it, put in the ice, then the rock salt so they feel like THEY are making the ice cream.

We fed this to 14 cub dens in two days so I feel like I am somewhat of a professional.

Friday I had my two grandchildren, Owen and Adyson. We took them to my friends lake house for the day. She had a trampoline, big rectangular pool, and a paddle boat and rubber kayaks. The paddle boat was hands down the kids favorite! We also made homemade ice cream in a can. I wonder why we did that. I guess I'm a professional at it, right? They loved it. The only difference I saw was the age difference. Cindy had her two grandsons, 9 and 7. Beverly had her two grandaughters, 7 and 3 and I had mine 5 and 4. The only ones that had the staying power were the 9 year old and the 7 year olds. So between them, and us three ladies we managed to eek out that long 10 minutes shaking this impossibly cold, frigid container. We rolled the can on the deck for the first couple of minutes, but the slow rolling done by our younger group told me we wouldn't have ice cream very soon. We played hot potato, (or should I say cold potato!) All said and done everyone had a fun and messy time. TIP: It is best to do this outside!

Friday night we visited and had dinner with Michele and Dave and Ben who is now 11 months old. They fed us Papa Murphy's pizza which is my husbands absolute favorite! A spinach side salad with red onion and strawberries in a wonderful dressing made the meal complete. After dinner they took us to see a house would like to buy if they can only sell their condo!

Saturday Eric had a 3 on 3 basketball tournament in Snoqualmie. I knew I had extended my energy beyond the beyond. I asked Frank if he would mind if I just stayed home this time. He agreed and was nice enough not to wake me when he left at 6:30 am. I slept in until 9 am. It was heavenly not to have to set an alarm!

I made bread because I didn't have any in the house. I did a load of laundry and then collapsed for the rest of the day. I did lay on the couch, sleep a bit, watch a movie, check my e-mails, facebook and enjoyed a long talk on the phone with my sister in Arizona. So today was my checking out of normal stuff and lounging around a lot. It was great. I highly recommend it to everyone!

The Night Song

Getting back to my walking, I did try to jog all the way to my friends house and I DID IT! I was so proud of myself for achieving a small little goal like that.

I'm now reading a John Grisham book, "The Street Lawyer." Frank saw it, picked it up today and finished it while I was at Chemo and grocery shopping. He reads a book like that. He can't put a book down until he's finished. Sometimes he will read into the wee hours just to get it done.

Today I bought all of the food for cub scout day camp on Monday. Frank is taking that day off to come and help. We are making ice cream in a can, and hot dogs in a blanket over the campfire. We don't have any grandsons in the camp. We just wanted to help. Interestingly enough it was Frank who first asked to volunteer and I followed suit. It should be a fun, exhausting week. The Lord is blessing me. This next week is my bye with chemo.

I had chemo today early in the day. They gave me the bone strengthening drug "Zometa," as well as the normal chemo. I was supposed to have it last week but my kidney counts were too high and Zometa affects the kidneys adversely. Yeah, I know; they found something to help make my bones stronger, but there is always a side effect.

So tonight I took my bendryl, but I think I took it too late. I went to bed at 10:30 and and hour later I'm still tossing and turning in bed. It feels like having restless leg syndrome. I got up, and made myself some hot chocolate, (I really didn't crave anything hot ''cause today was one of the hottest days so far.)

I pulled out my hymnbook and started to read the hymns. I seem to be drawn to the hymns that give me comfort. The one I found tonight is strangely enough "The Time is Far Spent." (Quite an appropriate title for one having insomnia.) Here goes: Second verse:

Shrink not from your duty, however unpleasant, but follow the Savior, your pattern and friend.

Our little afflictions, tho painful at present, ere long, with the righteous, in glory will end. Be fixed in your purpose, for Satan will try you; the weight of your calling he perfectly knows. Your path may be thorny, but Jesus is nigh you; His arm is sufficient, tho demons oppose.

Another hymn is "Lead Kindly Light"

Lead kindly light amid the encircling gloom. Lead thou me on. The night is dark and I am far from home; Lead thou me on. Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see the distant scene - one step enough for me. I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou shouldst lead me on. I loved to choose and see my path; but now, Lead thou me on. I love the garish day, and, in-spite of fears, pride ruled my will. Remember not past years. So long thy power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on. O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till the night is gone. And with the morn those angel faces smile, which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.

It's 1 in the morning. I think I'm finally getting sleepy. I remember back 11 years ago I used to have insomnia until 5 in the morning. I remember I read the whole series of "The Work and the Glory." I guess I should be grateful for an early to bed by 1 am. I am.

Day in the Life

This has been a whirlwind week with lots of things going on.

Helen Pearson and I continue our walking 45 min. to 1 hr. Monday through Saturday. We have measured ourselves and hope to report good things. Helen has worked up to 4 times around the development. I always go one more than her because I walk over to her house exactly west of me. If she gets three laps then I do four. The past few days I have been in a hurry because I was late so I wanted to see how far I could run without stopping. At first it was a measly short distance and I was winded. Each day I can make it farther and farther. Today I made it 3/4 of the way to her house without stopping. Tomorrow I will try to jog the entire distance. It was hot even at 7:30 this morning. We will walk at 7 am tomorrow with this heat.

Wednesdays are my piano and voice lesson days. I start at 8:30 am. They are mostly in the morning, but I have about three that are afternoon and an evening lesson. I have one voice student that just started last month. I wish I had more than one voice student, but I also love the challenge of picking music for the beginning and advanced piano students.

I also got some housecleaning energy and actually vacuumed most of the house. It doesn't get as dirty with just two of us. So vacumming isn't as often.

I am reading a wonderful novel by Nicholas Sparks, "A Message in a Bottle." I get a lot of reading in when I am at Chemo Tuesdays and Fridays. I met a wonderful woman Tuesday at chemo. She has breast cancer, but not the kind that you can feel a lump. She just had pain and asked them to do a mammogram. They operated in April. She lost her hair and it is just coming back in. She was getting this terrible looking red drug. It the nurse spills it they do a lock down. I wonder what it does to her insides? She still has 37 days of radiation ahead of her. When I told her the story behind my sickness she said. "Man, I don't have it so bad, and you're still here!

She gave me the name of a on-line faith healer. I thanked her nicely, but will most likely not pursue that end!

My goal this year is to be cancer free so Frank and I can apply to teach English in China. Last time I had chemo it took care of the little friends in four months. My four months of Chemo will be over by August and we have to send the application in by September. Whew, that is going to be close. Pray that I can be rid of these suckers by next month!

I'm trying to be good, really I am! It just so hard to be good. (Ice cream with fresh raspberries at 10 pm)

4th of July Saturday

Little Ben with his Dad really enjoying himself.

We were up in the mountains in Darrington to listen to a band from Stanwood. There were not a lot of people, but just family members of the band. It was potluck and we had a guy that was barbecuing ribs. There was a lot of food.

Watermelon, cantelope, peaches, cherries, 5 spice island chicken, potato salad, tossed salads, pop, potato chips, hot dogs, cucumber, tomato salad flavored with dill. Michelle brought some scrumptous chocolate brownies; all that we needed to stuff ourselves full.

Jennifer giving her Mom, Kali a knuckle punch and her Mom doing the same. POW.
My camera was mal-functioning and Dave managed to fix it, so he took a picture to see if it worked.
Ben, our littlest grandchild loves to be outside and loves to have his picture taken.
Eric sitting and enjoying his kids, Terrin with the water gun and Colin and Owen with his back to us.
Michelle got the June birthday kids water guns which they used to squirt each other and get famously wet! The weather was a balmy 70 degrees so it was OK.

Owen, 5yrs and Aunt Kali.
I caught Camron taking a drink when I shot Eric and Colin wrestling.
Adyson with her squirt gun. I saved the cutest squirt for last.