« July 2007 Main September 2007 »
August 31, 2007
Stability
Sometimes the Lord does things that make us ask, “Why?” When someone we love all of a sudden gets cancer, when an innocent baby is murdered, when a child is kidnapped, when a loved one dies; I could go on and on forever. All of those things make me ask, “Why?” But something else does too.
There are so many people out there who want children but can’t have them for one reason or another and then there are those people who pop them out like nobody’s business, but they don’t want them. I have a major problem with people who say, “I’m just not maternal” or “I never wanted kids”. Yes, I have heard that and it ticks me off. If you don’t want kids or you know you’re not the least bit maternal, take care and take birth control or keep your legs crossed. It’s really easy I think. We live in a society today where it is very simple to get birth control. You can even get the pills free if you can’t afford them. How great is that?!
It astonishes me how many parents don’t have their kids on a schedule. They have no certain homework time, dinner time, bath time, bedtime, and so on. They don’t make sure their kids are clean and neat looking. Their clothes should not be inside out and children at a very young age may not use the best judgment when it comes to picking out their own clothes. Therefore, it is the parent’s job to make sure these things are done.
It is also the parent’s job to make sure their child is at school on time. Once again, when they get to school, you want them to look neat and clean. Their clothes should be clean. Their shoes should be on the correct feet and their hair should be combed and free of lint. It’s not that hard. Trust me; I’ve been doing this for a long time. Most importantly, they need to attend school. If a child is sick you take him/her to the doctor and get a note – the note is very important. In our school system there is no limit on doctor’s notes, as there shouldn’t be.
A child cannot help it if he/she is sick. You do not take the sickness out on the child; meaning, don’t get mad because you had to leave work early and take it out on little Suzy. She cannot help it if she has a fever or an ear infection or whatever. She did not ask for you to be her parent, she got stuck with you the day she was born. You appeared to want her, so now you have to live with the consequences and take care of her for the next 18 years. Good luck with that.
It pains me to see children running around unattended with no rules and no guidance. I’m sure everyone reading this at one time or another has asked, “Where is his/her mother/father?" I ask myself that all the time.
It also troubles me when toddlers curse and their parent’s laugh or when they do something bad and the parent’s laugh. That will come back to haunt the parent who laughs. Children learn from an early age what behavior is acceptable and what is not. I have warned parent’s that they shouldn’t laugh and they didn’t listen. This is why the Bible says in Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Many parents’ out there are reaping what they have sown. I hate to say I told you so.
If you aren’t maternal, then something has to give. You need to take some parenting classes; which are offered free or you need to let someone care for them that is maternal and does care what happens to them and their future. Just know that if you wait too long, it may be too late.
Something to consider before you have a child is work. Are both parent’s going to work or is one parent going to work and the other stay at home? If you can afford for one parent to stay at home, I highly recommend it. This way, you are there to care for the child yourself and teach them your morals and standards from day one, not the lady at daycare.
Going from two incomes to one is not easy, but you have to be willing to give up some things for your child. You may not be able to shop in the finest stores, or have the newest car, but you are giving these things up for a reason and it’s a good reason.
However, when you have children to feed and clothe, one parent has to keep a job. Let me be more specific. That parent needs to keep the same job for a long time, unless he/she finds another job that pays more. This is called stability. Believe it or not, children like stability in their lives. Not every child is as smart as Matilda.
With all this said, I have to say; no, I am not a perfect parent. Although I never did the things I mentioned above, I did make my share of mistakes. The difference in me is that I learned from my mistakes and some people never do. Some children will never have the stability they need. It’s shameful.
Posted by tami at 9:41 AM Comments (5)
August 29, 2007
Eye-Catching
While Kevin and I walked Guido, the soccer field was full. I believe there were four different teams playing. I had Kevin take a photo of this team (I have no idea who they are) because I LOVE their uniforms! I’ve never seen such colorful, eye-catching uniforms. Whoever they are – they look sharp. I can only hope they play as well.
It was a very standard day today. I read in my history book for a long time and then I visited with mom. I love seeing her; I only wish she felt better. She was very weak today even though her sugar was over 400. She doesn’t feel like doing anything but lying in the bed. This is unusual in comparison to how she has been; up and doing chores. Home Health comes tomorrow though and they will take blood and then immediately have it tested. I hope if she is lacking in something, we will know by tomorrow night.
Posted by tami at 10:23 PM Comments (1)
August 28, 2007
Doctors
Mom went to the doctor yesterday. He said she will go back in for chemotherapy on September 6th. She will probably be in anywhere from four to six days. Her blood work was all good, but she still has a bad cough and her temperature has been on the high side all day today. She sounds terrible and it worries me. I don’t see how they can say nothing is wrong with a cough that bad.
Ashley also saw the doctor yesterday. We got her out of school early because she had an ear infection. I cannot tell you how many ear infections this child has had over the years! She’s not around smoking or anything that would cause it, but she has gone swimming several times in the past few days. That’s probably what caused it. She has to be careful she doesn’t dive to the bottom a lot or she gets ear infections. That’s just the way it is. Oh, she only has one baby tooth left. She lost another tooth a few nights ago while she was in the shower. She kept saying, “It’s out! It’s out!” and Kevin and I were saying to each other, “What’s out?”
Guido is doing just fine. I am mentioning him AND showing a picture I took this afternoon especially for my Aunt Patt. She and Guido have a bond and they love each other.
Posted by tami at 10:13 PM Comments (5)
August 27, 2007
Delicious Recipes
Below are the recipes for the Waldorf Chicken Salad and BLT Salad.
In the photo gallery, I showed a picture of Reduced Fat Sour Cream, but now we are only using the Fat Free Sour Cream. It tastes the same. Honestly, it does.
Waldorf Chicken SaladSalad:
1 Large Red Delicious Apple - cubed (about 1/2 pound)
1 Cup Seedless Red Grapes - halved
1/2 Cup Celery - diced (2-3 stalks)
2 Tablespoons Roasted Walnuts - chopped
1 Pound Boneless/Skinless Chicken BreastDressing:
1/4 Cup Light Mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons Fat-free Sour Cream
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Heaping Teaspoon PepperDirections:
1. In large pot, cover chicken with water and bring to boil. Boil for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is done with no pink inside.
2. Roughly cube cooked chicken and place in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add remaining salad ingredients to chicken and mix thoroughly.
4. Combine Dressing ingredients in a bowl and mix well with spoon or whisk.
5. Pour dressing into salad mixture and mix until salad is evenly coated.Serving: 2 cups are around 400 Calories or less.
BLT PASTA SALADIngredients:
3 2/3 cups cooked large elbow macaroni (about 8 ounces uncooked), cooked without fat
4 cups peeled seeded, coarsely chopped tomato (about 2 1/2 pounds)
4 hickory-smoked bacon slices, cooked and crumbled (we use 40% less fat bacon)
3 cups prepackaged very thinly sliced iceberg lettuce – for instance, Fresh Express "Shreds"
1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1 tablespoon Stone Ground Mustard (this is thick, liquid mustard, not a seasoning)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepperDirections:
1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; toss gently.
2. In a different bowl, stir the mayonnaise plus the next six ingredients; stir well. Add dressing to salad; toss gently. Measure two cups into about 5 containers (see photo). This way they are ready for you to eat and you won't overeat because it is already measured out. Store refrigerated.Calories: About 300 for 2 cups.
This is how you seed and peel a tomato. I got this information from a Weight Watchers Annual Recipes for Success 2000 cookbook:
1. Cut a shallow "X" at the oppo¬site end from the stem on each tomato, using a small sharp paring knife.
2. Add tomatoes at once to a large pan of boiling water; begin timing immediately for 30 seconds or until the skin begins to split at "X."
3. Remove tomatoes from water, using a slotted spoon; transfer to a bowl of ice water (or run under cold water) immediately to halt the cooking process. Drain tomatoes when cool to the touch.
4. Using your fingers or a paring knife, peel the skin in strips, much like peeling a banana. The skin should peel easily, but should not remove much flesh with it.
5. Using a sharp chef's knife, cut each tomato in half crosswise.
6. Using your finger or the handle end of a small spoon, scoop out the seeds.
We found some similar recipes in the Weight Watchers cookbook mentioned above, but we modified ours, so each recipe probably has even fewer calories than we think!
Posted by tami at 1:56 PM Comments (2)
August 26, 2007
1,000 Calories Each Day
I have said it before and I will say it again, I hate the word diet. I am aware that a lot of people are on diets; for me, however, this is a life change. Yes, I will still eat a cupcake, or ribs, or French fries, but now I will balance things out with everything else I have eaten that day. I also exercise to balance things out.
I began my life change on May 1st. To my delight, Kevin said he wanted to go along for the ride. I didn’t ask him; I simply told him how I felt about my body and he agreed that he felt the same way about himself.
I’m going to be very open with you here; I kept seeing my top fat roll getting bigger and bigger. It was sticking out further than my chest. I was getting lazier by the day. My bottom roll was sagging down further. I HAD to make a change. I had gained 14 pounds in one year due to depression over a job and I was obese before those 14 pounds. I felt ugly and unattractive. Then, I was depressed because I weighed so much! I have already talked about the weight in THIS post.
The Exercise Part:
The first thing (and best thing) I did was buying the Step Box. I am the type of person who does not like to spend money on something and then not use it. I knew once I purchased the Step Box, I would use it every day – and I have. Since I started using it May 1st, I have only missed one day and it could not be avoided.
It is a 30-minute workout and I sweat like a hog even though I have been doing it for months. It comes with an additional set of steps that you add on when you feel up to the challenge. When I added my steps over a month ago, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Literally. I wondered how anyone could get through it.
These days though, it’s nothing to me. I’m used to it, but I still sweat and burn those calories. I have found the morning to be the best time for me to do this type of exercise. It takes a lot of energy to keep up with the instructor and I know I wouldn’t have the energy needed at the end of the day.
At night Kevin and I walk Guido a third of a mile. Guido can’t handle much more than that because we walk at a brisk pace whenever he’s not sniffing something, peeing, or pooping. The walk with him is more fun than work. After we drop him off at home, we walk two miles every night. I think we have only missed three nights since the beginning. You know, sometimes you just have things you have to do and you don’t get the exercise in. It’s hard to fit in it, so you really have to want to do it and make yourself.
The Food Part:
People automatically think because you’re changing your diet, you have to be miserable and starving and that’s just not true. For Kevin and myself, it’s the furthest thing from the truth and we eat 1,000 calories or less each day. But, there are so many 100-calorie snacks out there these days; it makes it easy to stay within a good range. Think about it, if you are on a 1,000 calorie a day diet, you could pick 10 packages of food out to eat each day. That’s not how we eat, but you could do it if you wanted. If you spaced those 10 snacks out throughout the day, you would never be hungry.
Kevin and I eat a good lunch. We eat either a BLT Salad (350 calories), which you will see in the photo gallery or a Waldorf Chicken Salad (400 calories). We eat a frozen meal or a sandwich with chips for dinner. This is normally around 300 calories. So you can see if we have only had 700 calories, those left over 300 calories can be used any way we like. You will see in the photo gallery there are so many choices! We only look at calories, not fat or carbohydrates.
I’m not ready to show before and after pictures yet because I am not where I want to be. I will tell you though, Kevin has lost 65 pounds and I have lost 56 pounds. This actuality has not hit my brain yet. I still think and see myself as very overweight even though I can wear smaller clothes. I am actually still surprised each and every day when I put on a t-shirt and it is baggy when only a few months ago, the same t-shirt was too tight. It kind of freaks me out a little. Kevin and I are the sizes we were when we first got married. He has reached his goal weight, so I guess he won’t mind if I tell you – he weighs 185 pounds. When he puts on a pair of jeans, he looks like a kid again. I told him all he needs now is a pair of black Chuck Taylors.
Believe it or not, that’s all we are doing. It kills me that I am doing the extra Step aerobics in the mornings and Kevin isn’t, yet he has lost more weight! I do the Step AND walk. He just walks. Oh, well. I’ll get there soon enough I guess. I have come this far after all.
Okay, now go check out the Healthy Foods gallery.
** One last thought: Just because Kevin and I are doing this, doesn’t mean it’s the right thing for everyone. You have to listen to your body and do what you think is best for you!
Posted by tami at 6:21 PM Comments (4)
August 25, 2007
Doing Some Damage
I love to float:
When the water is the perfect temperature and the sun is shining down, I love floating along, splashing water on my face and legs from time to time. Today was wonderful. Tomorrow, people will see just how wonderful it was for me. Why? I got a tad too much sun on my face. I know. I should be wearing sunscreen, but I never think about that until after the fact. On the other hand, I can save time putting my make-up on since I won’t have to worry about the blush part!
Here is Ashley and her friend Ali:
You will probably recall Ali from the last photo on THIS post. She’s a great little girl. She’s very smart and able to carry on a conversation. She spent her summer in Utah and was telling us how all the kids who lived in the cul de sac played games at night. She said they played a game called Ghost in the Graveyard (I could swear I remember playing this as a child), Steal the Flag, The Judge and the Jury and others. I loved hearing about these nighttime games.
I grew up in a big, old house (my parents still live there) and when my aunt and uncle would come over, we would sometimes turn out every light in the house and play hide and seek. It was a BLAST! Lori-Lyn you and Tracy must try this in your big house because it’s loads of fun. Sometimes while hiding in the pitch black, I would feel like laughing so hard I thought I would pee my pants. Seriously.
There is an elementary school that sits right next door to a middle school here in town. Several times we played hide and seek out there with my aunt and uncle. It’s too bad for hide and seek that mom and dad have such nice furnishings now; we could never hide these days without tipping over an antique lamp or a curio cabinet filled with collectibles.
I was telling mom about this conversation today and she remembered one time in particular when we played hide and seek. She said the kitchen window was open and it had a screen in it, so she sat in the window and pulled the curtains in order to hide herself. This was an awesome idea until the window decided to come down on her head! OUCH! She’s still surprised it didn’t do some kind of permanent damage.
Posted by tami at 10:23 PM Comments (4)
August 23, 2007
Two Removals
Today Guido had his staple removed by Dr. English. She was quick and it seemed painless. Guido was funny though. Normally, he runs around the exam room sniffing happily, tongue out, and grinning from ear to ear. This morning, however, he sat at my feet and never budged.
Usually when Dr. English or anyone for that matter, would walk into the exam room, he would run up to that person waiting to be greeted. When Dr. English walked in today, he stayed at my feet. He never flinched. She noticed how sedate he was and said it was because he had been awake through this whole process (the removal of the skin tumor, getting stitches, and then getting a staple). I can understand his lack of enthusiasm today.
Hopefully now he will return to his old smiling, happy self.
*****
Mom had her Denver Catheter removed. Apparently it came out easily. They are going to let the hole heal by itself, so she has no stitches. Instead, she has a bandage that will need changing in two days. She had another chest x-ray without the catheter. I think this is just their normal procedure after having it removed. She still has a bad cough and the occasional high temperature, but it seems this is the way it will be for now.
Oh, one more thing. Will someone please explain why I have awaked the past two mornings in a row with the song Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da running through my head? It’s getting strange.
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da Lyrics
By: The BeatlesDesmond has a barrow in the market place...
Molly is the singer in a band...
Desmond says to Molly "Girl, I like your face"
And Molly says this as she takes him by the hand...
Ob-la-di ob-la-da life goes on brahhh...
Lala how the life goes on...
Ob-la-di Ob-la-da life goes on brahhh...
Lala how the life goes on.Desmond takes a trolley to the jewelry store...
Buys a twenty carat golden ring... (Golden ring)
Takes it back to Molly waiting at the door...
And as he gives it to her she begins to sing... (Sing)
Ob-la-di ob-la-da life goes on brahhh...
Lala how the life goes on...
Ob-la-di Ob-la-da life goes on brahhh...
Lala how the life goes on.In a couple of years they have built a home sweet home,
With a couple of kids running in the yard,
Of Desmond and Molly Jones... (Ha ha ha ha ha)Happy ever after in the market place...
Desmond lets the children lend a hand...
Molly stays at home and does her pretty face...
And in the evening she still sings it with the band...
Ob-la-di ob-la-da life goes on brahhh...
Lala how the life goes on...
Ob-la-di Ob-la-da life goes on brahhh...
Lala how the life goes on.In a couple of years they have built a home sweet home,
With a couple of kids running in the yard,
Of Desmond and Molly Jones... (Ha ha ha ha ha)Happy ever after in the market place...
Molly lets the children lend a hand...
Desmond stays at home and does his pretty face...
And in the evening she's a singer with the band...
(Yeah), Ob-la-di ob-la-da life goes on brahhh...
Lala how the life goes on...
(Yeah), Ob-la-di Ob-la-da life goes on brahhh...
Lala how the life goes on.And if you want some fun...take Ob-la-di-bla-da (Thank you)
Now, you’ll be singing it too!
Posted by tami at 11:45 PM Comments (4)
August 22, 2007
Update On Earlier Post
Mom is home now. She said her chest x-ray was fine which surprises me, but I am very happy. She said she only needed one bag of platelets and that brought her numbers back up to normal.
They gave her more medicine and some of it has made her sleepy, so she is going to lay down for a nap. All seems well.
Posted by tami at 1:17 PM Comments (4)
Tea For Two
Back on October 20, 2004, I found my first tobacco worm. As you can see from the photos in that link, they are curious, plump green worms and as far as I know, they are not harmful.
Only two days after placing the worm in a shoebox, he made his cocoon.
Now, skip to April 11, 2005. From THIS link you can see how the tobacco worm looked once it emerged from the cocoon. It was and still is amazing to me.
I am refreshing your memory because yesterday, my dad brought me two more tobacco worms! Ashley was so excited. She loves the process and is just as astounded by nature as I am.
Here they are in their new home; a spacious box for two:
I love letting them stick to me:
I expect this post will be continued a few more times :)
Posted by tami at 11:52 AM Comments (4)
Quick Update
Just a quick post for now…
Mom just called and said when the home health nurse came on Monday and took blood, the results showed that her platelets were dangerously low. That was MONDAY. So, she is going to the Markey this morning and no telling what they will do.
She also has a very gruff cough. She sounds like someone who has pneumonia, so I hope they address that also. She said she will keep me posted and I will do likewise.
Posted by tami at 8:08 AM Comments (2)
August 21, 2007
Let's Get Physical
In the last set of comments, Deanna mentioned my weight loss. For those of you who are curious, Kevin and I have been trying to lose weight all summer. Kevin has lost more than me, but I have been told that is normal since most men weigh more than women. I only wish I had already lost as much as he has!
You know, all women have a magic number they think they would be happy weighing. I have had a number in mind from the very beginning of this “diet” (it's really a life change, not a diet) and when I reach it or even near it, I’ll let you know. It may take me another month or so. We’ll see.
When I do reach that magic number, I also plan to show you before and after pictures, have a photo gallery of what we’ve been eating, and give you a few recipes that are tasty even if you’re not dieting. For the record, we did not take any “before” photos. I don’t know why because I take pictures of everything else. Honestly the thought never crossed my mind. However, I do have pictures of Kevin and myself that will suffice. Trust me, they will show you where we began.
*****
I spoke with Jennifer today while she was on her lunch break. She is in Lexington today for training, but they have told her she will be away an entire week for training in Owensboro or someplace like that. She has a job at night cleaning, so she will have to arrange for someone to do that, plus she has other arranging that will have to be accomplished with the kids and so on. She lives a life that is way too hectic for me. I couldn’t handle the constant changes.
Kevin and I live a very sedate life. We read, he knits, and we walk, watch some TV, and play on the computer and so on. We’re happy this way. We like order and schedules. We like to plan things. We’re not “fly by the seat of our pants” people. To me, this is a good thing.
Jennifer said a man took one of the rabbits to keep for himself. And then there were three ...
*****
I received a document in this afternoon’s mail stating that Guido’s tumor was not cancerous. Yea!
*****
Mom has a hard, round place on her arm. The doctor told her it is Phlebitis and she has to take an antibiotic called cefdinir (Omnicef) to rid herself of it. She has had this place for three weeks – ever since someone came into her hospital room one night to draw blood. She believes this was the second person to try to draw her blood that night. There is still no word on her chest x-ray.
Posted by tami at 5:09 PM Comments (1)
August 20, 2007
After All That We've Been Through
We recently ordered cable Internet so Kevin called our old ISP to cancel the account we had with them.
This is how it went:
Old ISP: Can I ask why you are cancelling the account?
Kevin: We ordered cable Internet service so I no longer need dial-up access.
Old ISP: Why don’t you keep your service as a backup account for your cable modem?
Kevin: I am not interested in keeping it.
Old ISP: Please sir, consider keeping the account
Kevin: No thank you, I really just want to cancel the account. I would like to keep the free email account though.
Old ISP: We have an enhanced email account you can keep to allow for more space. For $7.95…
Kevin: No, I am not interested in that either. I just want to cancel the account.
Old ISP: But sir, consider the enhanced…
Kevin: Please just cancel the account I do not want any additional services.
Old ISP: I understand sir. But for only $4.95 a month I can...
Kevin: (At this point he was almost begging) Will you just cancel the account? How hard is it to just cancel the account?
Old ISP: Ok sir, I will cancel the account. Please hold.
One word: Painful.
*****
Mom had her chest x-ray, but they won’t get results until tomorrow. I haven’t talked to Jennifer today, so I have no idea how those baby rabbits are faring. She started a new job here in Winchester this morning, so I’ll have to find out how that went.
Here is Andrew and myself in the car this afternoon. It was hot (thus the sweat and redness) and we were waiting for Ashley to get out of school:
It’s not the best picture of either of us, but we were having fun ;)
Posted by tami at 4:58 PM Comments (8)
August 19, 2007
Babies
Jennifer’s neighbor found two baby rabbits and brought them to her. Then she found a third, and then a forth.
Here are the four babies:
A friend suggested she put them back in the nest and then watch the nest to see if the mother returns. That is what she plans to do. I hope they survive.
*****
The home health nurse will see mom tomorrow. She plans to make an appointment for a chest x-ray because she has a bad cough and she’s worried about it.
This is cause for concern.
Posted by tami at 8:39 PM Comments (2)
August 17, 2007
Wrong
Thursday, Ashley brought home an invitation to a classmate’s birthday party which will be held this Saturday. Normally I would say no on this short notice, but the school year only started Monday and she just met this person, so I figured what the heck, I’ll try to accommodate her even though we have things to do.
As I looked at the street name and subdivision name, I didn’t recognize it. Since there are many new neighborhoods popping up all over Winchester, I figured this was one I had not heard of. I decided to Google it. The closest place to this address was somewhere in Tennessee. No good.
Then I tried Yahoo! Maps. I typed the address in exactly as the child had it written, then typed in “Winchester, KY” and clicked the GO button. Still no luck.
At this point, I emailed a great friend and historian and asked her if she knew where this place was located.
She suggested I try MapQuest.
I tried. Still, no luck.
So, I told Ashley this morning she needed to get written directions from this person because I had no clue where it was.
*Skip to this afternoon*
I asked Ashley if she had the written directions and she said, “No because this person lives in ‘such-and-such’ county."
Yes, the child lives in a different county, but the card never stated this anywhere. Also, when I did another search for it once I had the correct county, I found that the child had spelled the street name incorrectly! No wonder I never had any results on Google!
* Parents: If your child cannot correctly spell his/her street name at the age of eleven or at any age, it would be appropriate for you to make out the invitations. Also, if you live in a different county than the county where your child attends school, it would be nice to state that on the invitations.
Whew!
Posted by tami at 5:09 PM Comments (1)
August 16, 2007
"I remember ... the Alamo."
Each week for my history class I have been assigned to read a chapter. This isn’t that bad. I finished the chapter yesterday afternoon.
However, I am ready to take the test – NOW. It would be nice to take the test while I still have some of the information in my little gray cells. But, no; this is not the way this instructor operates.
I have to read four chapters and then take four tests. I can take one a day, but who really cares? My point is this: I will have read four long chapters full of names, dates, places, and events and the tests will not be made available online until the week of September 6 – 9. Umm … yea … I’ll remember the urban societies of Mesoamerica then …. Sure thing! Just ask ;)
*****
I checked Guido’s stitches this morning and they had come out! There was a gaping crater in his arm, so back to Dr. English we went. She got us right in and looked at his arm. She said we could let it heal like that or she could put a staple in it. I opted for the staple because I think that will help keep infection out.
So, while Guido sat in my lap, she put a staple in his arm. Yep; right there in my lap and he never made a sound, he only moved a tiny bit. He is the sweetest, gentlest friend. After the staple, she gave him another antibiotic shot just for good measure. She said if the staple comes out, we can just let it heal on its own. If that doesn’t happen, we will return in ten days to have the staple removed.
Here it is:
*****
I have some terrific news on mom: they’re releasing her this afternoon! I can’t wait to see her!
*****
** By the way, I put a quote in my title. Can anyone Name That Movie??
Posted by tami at 2:06 PM Comments (8)
August 15, 2007
It's All About Da Pug
In THIS post I showed you a picture of Guido’s skin tumor.
Since that post, it grew larger and it seeped. Since Guido sleeps with us, we were seeing small amounts of blood here and there on the pillowcases from the tumor. I know, yuck, but that’s the way it is.
Today was the big day to have it removed.
At Boonesboro Animal Clinic, Mary English is the Pug expert. She's friendly and very caring. I asked her if she still wanted to remove the tumor or simply lance it. She looked at it and said it was infected. She said we could leave it and it may go away on its own in three months or we could go ahead and remove it. I decided to let her remove it since it was already infected.
She told me it would only take about 10 minutes and she picked him up and left the room.
I actually think it was less than 10 minutes later and Guido was back with a purple bandage wrapped around his leg. She said he did great. She gave him an antibiotic injection for the infection and he has two stitches that need to come out in ten days. They are sending the tumor off to a place in Cincinnati to have it checked for skin cancer. She doesn’t believe it is skin cancer, but I want to make sure.
Here he is in the car right after his “surgery”:
Now that we are home, he will not lay down with that bandage on his arm. It’s like he can’t get comfortable. It reminds me of how the cat acts when you put a wet washcloth on his back. He sinks down to the floor and acts like he’s been paralyzed.
For all of you inquiring minds, Guido has not peed on Dumpledore. Here is the reason why:
Ha! Ha!
Posted by tami at 10:18 AM Comments (5)
August 14, 2007
Room With A View
I visited with mom for a while. She seems to be doing fine, she’s just very bored. She’s not a big TV watcher and there’s only so much she cares to read, so what else is there to do except watch the clock.
This is the view from her room:
*****
Since Christmas I have coveted the special Six Feet Under set that has “grass and a tombstone” on top.
Today it arrived in the mail:
Yes, I love it.
Now I have to find time to watch it!
Posted by tami at 9:51 PM Comments (2)
August 13, 2007
Moment By Moment
10:39 AM
I finished Harry Potter, but it was this morning and not last night. I was very satisfied with the ending and that is all I will say about that. I wouldn’t want to give anything away. It was nice though, sitting in the swing out back and reading in the midst of clear morning air and freshly cut grass. I enjoyed the peacefulness of it.
Today is the first day of school for Ashley. It seems slightly strange for me to only be sending one child off to school and not two; to only have to pay for one lunch and not two. I’m not complaining. It probably seems odd to Andrew also, to be going to work at 5 in the morning instead of school at 8. Do you think he is realizing now how easy he had it? We never know how easy things are until they’re long past resurrecting.
3:42 PM
The home health nurse came this morning and took a blood sample from mom. Later, the Markey called and said she needed to come in because her platelets were low and her hemoglobin was dangerously low. She also had a temperature of 100.7.
Any elevated temperatures are a sign of infection, so they have to keep her closely monitored. As a result of all this, she was admitted back in the Markey this afternoon. We don’t know how long her stay will be.
4:00 PM
Mom called and gave me a list of things she wanted packed. She will have dad retrieve the suitcase once I have it ready.
4:15 PM
Ashley had a great first day in middle school. I filled out the necessary paperwork and wrote a check for her fees. It was only $15.
5:00 PM
We went to mom and dad’s to pack her stuff. While we were there, I spoke with mom on the phone and she told me she would be in the hospital for three days. She had to get off the phone because they were taking her to x-ray.
Please keep her in your prayers.
Posted by tami at 6:01 PM Comments (6)
August 11, 2007
Baby Brother
Guido got a brother this afternoon.
Here he is checking out Dumpledore (like Dumbledore from the Harry Potter books, only with a “P”). I wanted to name Guido this and call him “Dumpy” for short, but then Kevin said, “How would you like someone calling you Dumpy?” I got the point.
He sniffed from one end to the other and, in the end, left to find something to pee on.
I hope I never see him peeing on Dumpledore. I would not be happy!
Posted by tami at 11:53 PM Comments (3)
August 9, 2007
Flags
The following two pictures were taken last week on Rose Street on the U.K. Campus:
When we visited the Markey each day, these flags were a pretty sight to behold:
It has been sticky hot here the past few days, so we are walking later at night. I spent the greater part of today reading the new Harry Potter book. Everyone in the house has finished it, so now it is my turn. I am only on 350 of 759 pages and I want to finish it before my online class begins on Monday!
Kevin drained mom’s Denver Catheter tonight and only got a “trace” amount out. She is scheduled to have it removed on the 23rd. We are only supposed to drain it every three days now. Yea!
Posted by tami at 9:42 PM Comments (5)
August 8, 2007
Let's Go To The Movies!
This afternoon we went to the Regal:
We saw our first and only movie this summer, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix . It was awesome as were all the others and I’m glad we were able to see it in the theatre. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you won’t want to miss this.
We stopped by Target and Ashley and I were thrilled to see the Halloween Barbie for 2007 was already on the shelf:
We got the last one, but I'm sure they had plenty more in the back.
Also, I spotted this sign in the parking lot of Goody's and thought it was cute:
In other news, mom came home today. She is in good spirits and is naturally; glad to be back at home. Her white blood counts will be up for the remainder of this week, but will take a nose dive next week. So, she will not begin to feel the effects of this chemotherapy until next week. At that time, she’s just supposed to feel tired.
On her way home from the hospital, she and dad stopped by the American Cancer Society and they gave her some free hats, turbans, and a wig. Dad put the wig on tonight and he looked hilarious. I took a picture of him and he said I could post it, but he doesn’t realize just how funny he looks. People could use it against him at work if they were to see it; it’s that bad. So, I will end this post for now and bid you a good evening.
Posted by tami at 10:10 PM Comments (6)
August 7, 2007
The Cupcake
We did not want to take a bunch of gifts to the hospital for mom’s birthday because she would only have to turn around and cart them back home in a matter of days. Mom’s not a big one for show anyway. If she could have her way, everyone would forget her birthday.
Mom’s tech was telling us yesterday that she wanted cake, gifts, recognition and everything else that goes along with a birthday. She said she even begins to warn her family members, “Okay, there’s only 52 days before my birthday. You’d better be shopping.” She says it in a nice way, but she means what she says. If they didn’t do something for her on that day, she wouldn’t handle it well.
Last year for mom’s big day, we had THIS celebration. She enjoyed it, but said it was way too much to have just for her. I believe she had a good time; I just think she would have rather gotten together for a different reason … and there wouldn’t have been any gifts. That’s mom.
In light of this, we kept it simple. She didn’t want an entire cake (that may come later). She only wanted a cupcake, so that is what we bought her:
We bought it right downtown at Magee's Bakery. The next time I happen in there, I’m taking my camera with me. If you want to have breakfast or lunch in a place with atmosphere, Magee’s has it. Right when you walk in, you see a huge mural painted across the back wall. The side walls have exposed brick. There are plenty of tables to sit and enjoy your sweet treat or deli sandwich. They also offer free WI-FI. How can you resist that? If you visit the link I gave, there is a small picture of the inside.
Anyway, mom was more than happy with her cupcake. She said that she devoured it after dinner. I’m just glad I could make her happy. (Gifts will come later.)
Posted by tami at 9:36 AM Comments (9)
August 6, 2007
Making Days Last
Happy Birthday to my Mom! She is spending this day in the hospital, so we will celebrate when she comes home.
Time In A Bottle
Written and Recorded by Jim Croce
Album: "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" - 1972
If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save every day
Till eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you
If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I'd save every day like a treasure and then,
Again, I would spend them with you
But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go
Through time with
If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty
Except for the memory
Of how they were answered by you
But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go
Through time with
Posted by tami at 1:41 PM Comments (3)
August 4, 2007
Hospital Or Hotel?
Before visiting with mom at the hospital, we visited with some friends and got a tour of their new condo over in the Hamburg area. I was very impressed with it, even though they have certain rules they must follow outdoors. They told us they are not allowed to fence in their yard, they are not allowed to have any toys or swing sets outside, they cannot have company vehicles parked outdoors, and they must clean up their dog’s droppings.
However, seeing that the yard is mowed for them, you can better understand those rules pertaining to swing sets, toys, fencing, and dog poo. Personally, I like the no swing set rule now that my own kids are older. I want to be in a neighborhood where there are little to no children running around. That may sound crotchety, but so be it. I don’t have any desire to live with a lot of little hellions going barefoot and half naked up and down the street. I did that for years, wondering where in the world these kids’ parents could be until the family of one set of these children, containing six kids, moved to a bigger house and the other family, containing five kids, was evicted and moved away.
Fortunately, the people who live around us now are either too old to have children, don’t have any as of yet, take care of the kids they do have, or their kids are the same age as Ashley and stay indoors. Kevin and I both like to take digs at the skateboard kids, but like I told him; they’re getting older every day and soon, they’ll be out of here. Oh, we’re such nice people!
I’m getting way off track now. I wanted to tell you about Otis.
This is Otis:
He is the newest family member of our friends and he is just eleven months old. He loves to bark at everything and everyone and is a total hoot. His tongue is as long as his tail and is perpetually hanging out the side of his mouth.
His new parents believe he was abused because they have never met a pug that didn’t take a natural liking to people. He was living with two young boys which could explain a lot. Otis is very cautious and it took him quite a while to warm up to us.
I think he liked Kevin the best:
Yes, I’m jealous, but maybe I’ll turn him to my side on our next visit.
Mom was feeling good. She and my aunt had eaten delivery from Columbia Steak House the previous night and she had just finished some PizzaHut before we arrived this afternoon. She doesn’t like the hospital food at all.
When we were at the corner of Vine and Main waiting for the light to change, we observed the bank sign with the temperature reading:
91 degrees – If Bing Crosby were still alive, he’d be singing Baby, It’s Hot Outside!
Posted by tami at 10:54 PM Comments (7)
August 3, 2007
Bought & Donated Books
Mom is back in the hospital and will receive her first round of chemo tonight. They said she should get to come home on Wednesday if everything goes all right.
I went to eCampus today and bought my history book. I bought my math book from Amazon. Since Kevin is a Professor, I get six free hours a semester. I figured it was time I took something. I should have taken them up on this offer long ago, but I am so afraid of failure, it keeps me from doing a lot. I will let you know how these classes go.
The good thing about both of them is that they are online. I will have to go in to take the math final, but that’s okay. Too bad the school doesn’t pay for books too ;) Yes; I can be a greedy Pete. I think I learned that expression – greedy Pete - from Norman. He totally cracks me up.
I also donated a ton of mom’s old magazines and some of her books and our books to the Book Cellar. She had kept old Reader’s Digest magazines for years in the attic. My theory is, if it’s in the attic or in storage for over two or three years, you probably don’t need it.
Posted by tami at 9:58 PM Comments (4)
August 2, 2007
One Movie
I helped mom pack some things for her stay in the hospital beginning tomorrow morning. Even though she is in remission, she still has to have “maintenance chemotherapy”.
Her doctor will be out of town tomorrow, so she will probably get the results of her CAT scan on Monday or Tuesday.
*****
I only watched one movie during the month of July:
7-19-07 The Pursuit of Happyness - This was a very enjoyable movie to watch.
The movie stars Will Smith and his real life son, Jaden. Will plays a dad who has a job with no potential and which cannot pay the rent. He does everything he can to keep some normalcy in his son’s life while trying to better his situation by competing in an internship to be a stockbroker.
We watched this movie as a family. I don't remember there being anything bad to watch out for.
Posted by tami at 9:29 PM Comments (1)
August 1, 2007
In Cahoots
A few weeks ago while mom was still in the hospital, a woman approached me at church and handed me a bag. She asked me to have mom watch the two videos inside.
I took the bag to the hospital, but mom was feeling lousy at the time and said she didn’t feel like watching them, so I brought them back home. Wanting to return the videos, I decided to watch them for myself so that I could tell the woman I had watched them.
As I listened, I couldn’t believe my ears. These were videos about a woman who years before had had cancer. She had chemotherapy, but finally decided she wanted none of it. She wanted to do things all natural, the way “God intended” for us to do things. She was totally against medicine, doctors and chemotherapy. She was against eating any meat, eggs, fish (which Jesus ate!) or having dairy products. She was all for drinking something like 12 glasses of water each day and 5 glasses of carrot juice. Everything had to be very fresh and this includes juice. She said you couldn’t buy it in a container, because it wasn’t as healthy that way. She said cancer patients needed to be in bed by 9:30 at night, they were not to watch any television, and should listen to only the “highest quality” gospel music. (I wonder when God told her all of this.) She said after patients had their first round of chemotherapy, they quickly began to deteriorate.
This is when I turned the tape off. I couldn’t handle another word of this bunk. I couldn’t believe someone in our church, after seeing mom in the hospital and knowing she had undergone chemotherapy would hand me this load of garbage.
I told dad what was in the tapes and he returned them to the lady the following Sunday morning in church telling her that, “A person should be jailed for giving that to a cancer patient."
The woman sent mom a card and apologized claiming she hadn’t watched the videos in years. She and her husband sat down and watched the videos together and they were sorry they had loaned them to mom knowing that mom was in fact using modern day medicine. I believed her sincerity and figured she was really sorry.
Now, skip forward to last night when Kevin and I had just mounted mom and dad’s front steps, a car pulled in the driveway. A lady got out while her husband waited in the driver’s seat. She introduced herself and I told her I was Sharon’s daughter. She said, “Well, I just wanted to share this with her” as she handed me a book. She said it was all about a natural cure and she said she had even printed off testimonials from people who had gone this route and lived to tell about it. I said to her, “You know mom is doing chemotherapy?”
“Oh that doesn’t matter," she replied, “some of these people had three rounds of chemo and then switched to this diet and were cured.” I told her we would give it to mom and watched her leave.
I left the book in mom’s care last night, but took it to read when I took her to her CAT scan this afternoon. Believe it or not, this is the same crap that was in those videos.
The people who wrote this book believe:
* Diseases are being caused and made worse by salt, white sugar, eggs, meat, dairy, hydrogenated oils, white flour, and any processed foods.
* A person should only ingest living, raw fruits and vegetables – no cooked meat or they will get sick and have physical problems. Cooked food is dead and has no nutritional value. Steamed or cooked vegetables such as baked potatoes or bread should be eaten in moderation and only with the evening meal. (Do you think God told them mornings were a bad time for steamed green beans?)
* People cause their own sicknesses and diseases through their eating choices.
* Cancer patients die when they are given radiation, drugs, or have surgery. (Did they think mom would enjoy reading this?)
* Remove breakfast from your diet.
* Drugs of any kind are prohibited, even insulin for diabetics, because they believe drugs lead to other problems within the body for which you need even more drugs. Drugs are poison.
* If you only eat raw foods there will be no depression, no weight problems and life will become exhilarating.
* When we get sick because we have eaten commercial food and not the food of God, we then go to the doctor who gives us poisons as treatments. These treatments were never designed by God and only make things worse. (Who gave the doctors the knowledge if it was not God?)
* Surgical removal of anything from the body to help cure something that is wrong is forbidden. (I guess that little old lady who sits in front of me in church and just had a kidney removed because it was bad was wrong for doing so? She was just supposed to leave something in her body that was causing it harm?)
* Animal products and the fat in animal products cause: osteoporosis, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, strokes and much more.
* Arthritis is caused by eating a fatty diet.
* Do not drink fruit juice or any juice that is in a container. Fruit juice is full of sugar and juice in containers has been heated.
* The body begins to break down when we begin ingesting cooked foods even as early as childhood. This breakdown occurs through swollen glands and tonsils, earaches, colic, colds, etc. When a youngster gets bigger, we see this breakdown through pimples, poor eyesight, or cavities. As adults, there is much disease, illness, and sickness when we eat cooked foods.
* We do not inherit disease or health problems via genes, but through not eating God’s natural foods. (I guess all those geneticists are just idiots, huh.)
* If we ingest things such as distilled water (they say filtered water does not count because it isn’t pure), dehydrated barley juice powder and carrot juice we will not be sick and we will live longer.
* They argue that since the body is made from the dust of the ground, we should eat raw foods to keep our health up.
* You should never drink anything with your meal.
* No caffeine!
* Herbs are not to be used all the time. If they need to be used regularly, the person needs to change his/her diet.
* You have disobeyed God’s laws if you eat anything other than raw foods and you will get sick. They want 75% to 85% of your diet to be raw fruits and vegetables. Seeds, nuts, breads, and some cooked vegetables are allowed, but only in moderation.
* Cancer is caused by improper lifestyles and diet. (This sounds like what they told gay people about AIDS.)
* Meat causes the onset of diabetes, colon cancer, breast cancer, gout, arthritis, and much more.
* Soups should only be eaten cold and raw. (Don't you just crave cold soup?)
There is a chart that shows how people before the flood, not eating cooked foods or meat, lived to be 900 years old. After the flood, when meat and cooked food were introduced to the diet, the life span dropped rapidly down to today’s 70-80 years old.
While God did at one point tell them not to eat meat, He later on told them it was okay to eat everything. This entire book is based on when He told them they could not eat meat.
This is that verse from the New International Version:
Genesis 1:29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”
The people who wrote this book interpret this as the end-all verse for food. However, if you read on in Genesis 9:3, after the flood, God tells Noah:
“Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.”
Even in the chapter notes of my Bible it says,
“Meat would now supplement mankind’s diet.”
Also, in Exodus 12:8, God said to Moses and Aaron in regards to the Passover,
“That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.”
They are actually going against what God told His people.
In the book, they say it is too late for us to live much longer lives because we have eaten poorly and had bad lifestyles. Are they trying to say that if I left this outline for Ashley’s children and her children lived by everything they said, they would live to be over 200 years old?! Hmm, who sounds crazy here?
In regards to surgery and drugs: When our pastor came in the hospital room and prayed with my mom, he thanked the Lord for the doctors and their knowledge. To me, this was his acknowledgment and agreement that doctors are a good thing. Medicine is a good thing. Surgery is a good thing. His own mother just got out of the hospital for a broken hip and you can’t tell me she didn’t have surgery and they didn’t give her pain medication AKA: DRUGS.
It amazes me that our pastor can believe one thing while a few people that sit in his congregation have such a radically different view; an insane view. Maybe it would make these women who gave me this material think for a minute if he did a sermon on the subject.
Oh, and do I think these two women are in cahoots together? You betcha ;)
Posted by tami at 10:36 PM Comments (7)