The party pics

We finally had THE party!

The weather held out and we finally had B's party...and boy, was she excited! HER day had finally arrived. She wore the "Princess" button that came on her birthday card from Wade and I and she was a "Princess"!

Once everyone arrived the fun began...we had the new swingset, a SpongeBob bouncing center, and T-ball and the kids played hard. Then it was time for the cake. Doneille made the cake and did a FANTASTIC job (she is in my Friends section to see more of her work) . Not only was it original, creative, and colorful...it was YUMMMMYYY! Bentlee just loved it! My dad said a prayer and blessed the cake and the kids and the weather, we sang "Happy Birthday" to her and the craziness began with the food. The ice cream cupcake cups worked out great, I strongly encourage anybody to use the idea...so, easy and less mess! You can see them in some of the pics beside the cake. Mom and some others just walked around with the trays and served them very easily. We had cake, ice cream, chips & cheese doodles, peanuts, and strawberries. Its tradition to have strawberries at Bentlee's party just b/c its usually the start of strawberry season and her first birthday party was Strawberry Shortcake.
After cake, it was finally time to open the presents! Bentlee sat in her new Princess chair from Jessica and Steven to open her gifts...she got Barbies, a stuffed puppy, jewelry, clothes, a cute bicyle helmet with her name on it, a Hannah Montanah shirt from her dad b/c he had to work ;o( , and loads of other stuff. She was/is very thankful for everything and she always has been since she was very small.
Next, we did the pinata and the kids always have a good time with that. We started doing this last year and will probably do it every year from now on. We had a rainbow pinata this year loaded with suckers, whistles, chocolate, and much more.
The kids played a little longer and things began to wind down. I think I counted 18 kids including Bentlee and Rylee!

Thanks to GOD for the awesome weather....it was just perfect, not hot, not raining...we could not have asked for a better day.

As for me, I had a really good time for the first time ever I think...I enjoyed the entire party but there is one MAIN reason for that....TINA! As most of you know when we rescheduled the party it meant Wade would not be there b/c he had to work and he is at a new job, therefore he did not feel it would be right to ask off....so, he could not help me. Tina came Saturday and helped me ALL day in the yard...and she was there again yesterday, by my side, taking my orders (LOL!), and just a huge reason for our fun and successful party! Tina, I owe you BIG time! She came early on Sunday, got ice from the store, ran the digi camera and the video camera, ran interference with the kids, served food and drinks, cleaned up afterwards and I just could not have done it without her....it means the world to me. THANKS FRIEND!

And to my dad, thanks for cutting the grass...and to those of you that don't know WHY I would have asked him...we have a new zero turn lawn mower that I took my first and last trip on Saturday...don't ask, just know, we are lucky the swingset is still standing b/c those things are not as easy as they look and there is no brake, LOL!

Thanks to all my other friends that pitched in and helped...LOVE YA!

Happy 5th Birthday Bentlee! Love, mom and dad

Will post pics next, system will not let me do it just yet... ;(

The INFAMOUS swingset

After lots of money, worrying, GREAT friends, approx. 20 hours of labor, and a 1000 "are you finished yet's"!, the swing set is pretty much finished! I still have to put on a few handles, the picnic bench, and add the sand to the sand box area but otherwise, its swingable and slidable! And already housing a few 1000 ants as of yesterday! the girls had a small party in the playhouse and apparently left crumbs! YIKES~

And its nice! Got it from Walmart.com...paid a small fortune in shipping and it takes about 3 weeks to get it if anybody is interested (unless you are PERsistent like me ;o)!

Stickle help

For those of you that scrapbook: ever used Stickles on Vellum? Think it will wrinkle the paper? Haven't tried it, just wanted to know before I do...

Seeing double?

If you know any of us ladies here at Resinall, we do LOVE black clothing...we are not gothic or anything of the sort, we just seem to get up in the mornings and black is the choice. And its always VERY hilarious if anybody is matching (doesn't take much to brighten our work day apparently!)...well, today, we had a BIG laugh...check out Ava and Vicky from top to bottom today!

Bentlee is 5 years old!

As most of you know, we have all been sick so celebrating Bentlee's 5th birthday on Sunday did not happen. She actually turned 5 Sunday (April 20th) and we did give her a T-ball set and a new kite. Wade went and bought her a little cake on Saturday just b/c we knew the party would be cancelled. When Sunday got here, cake was the last thing on her mind and mine. So, we waited until last night...Wade, Rylee, and myself sang Happy Birthday to her and she got to blow out her birthday candle! You can tell she is still not 100% b/c she only ate like three bites of icing but at least we had a special time for her finally.

Like my friend Keri, I have been remembering where all this time went...the birth of her, bringing her home, being an over-anxious mom, leaving her at daycare for the first day, thinking she would never talk or walk, dealing with her picky eating, getting glasses at a year old, thinking she may never sleep through the night (and she still doesn't alot of times, LOL!), potty training, realizing what it really means to be a parent, smelling her when I kiss her at night, and just so on...and so many memories, and so many milestones that I can hardly remember them all and if I could there is not enough space in my computer to put my thoughts and sweet memories of her....will I remember all this the day she gets married and leaves her mom and dad? Will I be around for that day? Makes me sad and teary eyed to think of that day...and to think my baby girl is FIVE whole years old! Where does time go? Bentlee has a picture collage in her room with several shots of her and the captioned I add at the bottom is..."if only time would stand still"....don't you just wish sometimes you could hit the pause or rewind button? (there are days I would like to hit the fast forward too but not really, LOL!)

Kiss your kids, hug your kids, and tell them you love them everyday...I do!

Count down to Chemo #2

I have LOTS to blog this morning so fasten your seat belt on your swivel chair...LOL!

Most important things first!

One week to Dad's Chemo treatment #2 so lets start ramping up on the prayers....please be praying daily but double up now if you can. Dad has been blessed so far, he has had good days and bad days but tomorrow is the 14th day from the last treatment and he is "supposed" to start having more good days after that day...so says the doc and nurses. He has started to lose some of his hair which was not expected this early but if that is the worst thing, we can live with that. So, next Friday, May 2nd, Dad will have Chemo #2. I will not be going, this is my sisters turn to go so I will update you as soon as someone calls me (it may be the Monday afterwards). You can not have cell phones on in the treatment area so it may be later before I blog, if at all Friday.

I want to thank you again for all the prayers, "blessings", Relay for Life luminaries purchased in honor of my dad, inquiries, and each little thing anybody has done for my dad...your thoughtfulness does not go unnoticed. Dad will be participating in Relay for Life this weekend, keep him lifted up!

Mom, whens it gonna stop raining so we can play outside everyday?

Bentlee and Rylee LONG for later days when the weather starts to break. Now Bentlee wants to know WHEN is it gonna stop raining? I know we are somewhat still in a drought but PLEASE let it dry up!~ PLEASE give us a break in the clouds for all our sake. We have been "under the weather" long enough....

I'm BACKKKKKK!

NOT 100% in any way...maybe 60% TOPS! But I did come back to work today. Sorry I have nothing exciting to report...some of you may have stopped reading my page after all the TMI and dreary news from my way....BUT I promise you there are brighter days ahead!

Later friends ...got a lot to catch up on!

Seriously.

You all WILL NOT beleive this but I am HOME for the 6th day, no, its not a typo, SIXTH day with sick children...it has been an UNbeleivable 6 days, the worst six days in our family history at this house....So, where do I begin?
Rylee started the virus Wednesday...no better Thursday, still running fever Friday, came around and finally ate something Friday night only to "lose it" about 11pm! Seriously~ Then Bentlee woke up and got in our bed sometime during the night Friday night...woke up around 3:45am and YEP!~ Bentlee had it! I started having yucky nausea feelings around that same time...so, Rylee continued with the bottom end right on through this morning, Bentlee had the top end and started with the bottom this morning and I have had the nausea, bottom end, and fever ALL weekend! AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

So, I called ALL that were invited to Bentlee's birthday party, that was scheduled for yesterday remember? We moved it to next Sunday...which ended up being a good thing after all the storms and CRAZY amounts of rain yesterday....hope the ice cream doesn't get freezer burn by then....oh, and YES, the infamous swingset is standing tall and pretty in our backyard...wringing wet! But its UP thanks to help from our friends Jamie and Tina.

In other words, its been a SERIOUSLY CRAPPY weekend! Please pray for my girls and myself, I need to go back to work! I hate this "bug"! You have to wonder where this strong strand of virus comes from, is it the enviroment as some predict or is it another sign the world is coming to an end...this stuff used to be called the "24 hr bug"...guess what, I've renamed it the "6th day curse"! Seriously~

Dad update: nothing new...good days and bad...which is to be expected. He did offer to come and bring me anything I needed this weekend and leave it at the door, LOL! Bless his heart...always thinking of others.

Thanks for all the comments...hopefully I won't leave you all hanging for another 3-4 days before I blog again...I have not even felt like sitting here to be honest until this morning and I am still a little "woozy"...somethings got to give! Seriously~

Home again...

WEll, I am home again with my virus stricken child...daycare sent 5 kids home with it yesterday and really what can you do? NOTHING~ wait it out...today she has fever (102), no throwing up so far and she is wetting diapers again so i feel sure she is not completley dehydrated...I was worried about that last night. I felt sure I would be at the doc this morning but whats the point with virus', wasted that gas and copay too many times....its a waiting game. She is sleeping alot today and thats what she needs to do.

I know several of you are eager to hear a report on dad and sorry I haven't updated but things have been going smooth with him until yesterday. He had his first bad spell late yesterday evening...flu like symptoms. We knew this was coming and the doc says he will probably experience this same feeling from the 5th to the 14th day from treatment, then he will have a good week, then its time for another treatment. And I am happy to report he is at work this morning and sounding much better...so, there's my praise report for today! Thanks again for all the prayers and support and keep'em coming, don't let up!

Ava and Elaine, thanks for holding the fort down, what a week for me to be out! I am so sorry.

Kenny, my "big boss"...I am in debt to him for LIFE~! He and his wife picked up the swingset yesterday in Raleigh...HOOOORRRAAAAAYYYY! Now IF we can get it put together, that will be another miracle...Did you know the forecast is calling for rain now!? YEP! ALL this trouble and possible rain....BUT, I will continue to think positive until Sunday AM when I get up and see for myself....PRAY for sunshine! (I will even take overcast with no rain, PLEASE!)

Got things to do....no need to burn all this vacation and not get anything accomplished!

The joys of motherhood (VERY GRAPHIC!)

Well, I got up this morning at 5:30am as usual, showered, dressed, got Bentlee ready, then Rylee...off we went...then Rylee threw up in the car...SO, we U turned...came back home, regrouped, sent B to school with Karley, Rylee acted fine...so, we tried again...only for her to throw up again in the car...actually twice before we made it back home....once we were home, I changed her for the second time, and then she threw up on both of us... I warned you this was graphic...so, here I am, at home with a sick child...doing nothing but watching her while she sleeps for fear of her choking if she throws up again!

Some may think it must be nice to stay home every now and then with a sick child, but I can ASSURE you, its not like a Saturday at home doing whatever you please....sometimes it can be somewhat of a scary and stressful day depending on the sickness. And a virus, or whatever Rylee has, is one of the worst (six times so far and 5 sets of clothes)...you can't just run to the doc, get meds, and feel sure everything will be back to normal tomorrow. And she has a bad case this time, she has never thrown up this many times...nor Bentlee. And another thing, PRAY another family member does not get it! What a week already....

Another dilema! You know I have been waiting very patiently for the new swingset...the trucking co called yesterday and its in Raleigh at the warehouse waiting for delivery....but NOT until the 24th! JUST GREAT, JUST FANTASTIC! So, do I go to Raleigh, Wade says ABSOLUTELY NOT, or do I just swallow it and face the fact that the my daughters birthday party will be minus the new swingset I envisioned?

The joys of motherhood....

A little party tip for serving ice cream

Just wanted to share this party tip with all. I read it in a magazine recently and I am trying it out for Bentlee's party. For ice cream at a party, use cupcake holders, scoop ice cream into each cup, freeze, pull them out at party time....no scooping, no mess! I made up around 50 last night in no time, half chocolate, half vanilla. I used casserole dishes and covered them with aluminum foil to avoid freezer burn. I bought the foil cupcake holders for fear the regular paper one's will not "stand up". I thought this to be a very neat idea...cuts down on all that scooping and asking "which flavor?" during the party. Pull out the dishes and let them self-serve! I do plan to add sprinkles to some of them tonight for the kids, I thought I had some at home but off to Food Lion I go again!

I don't know about you other moms, but I spend all this time planning my girls' bday parties and afterwards I realize I did not ENJOY it! I spend so much time directing and serving that I am not even having fun at my own daughters party! Who can afford a party planner around here?! LOL! So, I am trying to find ways for MOM to enjoy all her planning.

I will let you know if the cupcake holders work well but I do not forsee a problem. Just thought I would share.

My little ray of sunshine...

Rylee Wade is my little ray of sunshine in each day...she is a sweet and loving child, she is laid back (unless you mess with her!), she is a MAMA's BABY for sure, she loves dance time at church, she loves to steal her sisters "bag of the day", she loves her mem & poppy, she loves being outside and riding in her wagon behind her dad's new lawn mower, and most of all she loves her "dup" (cup) and her "nack" (snack).

Her talking has improved and I am sure we are the only one's that can understand...her latest is calling "ment-me" (Bentlee)! I will call Bentlee to come in the house and Rylee will call right behind me...too funny~

At night, Rylee and I have 10-15 minutes of "our" time before I put her in the bed...I hold her in the rocking chair in her room, I turn on Dora or Elmo, depending on her request, and we chat and I kiss her and smell her...and it helps me reconnect with her at the end of a long day. And it makes Bentlee jealous, LOL!

Some of you may think I am more partial to Bentlee b/c I post so much about her but that is NOT true...it just seems Bentlee has been doing alot lately. Rylee, on the other hand, is the calm child....the eye of our storm. As most of you know Bentlee is and always has been the attention seeker. But one day, Rylee is going to show her who really is boss around our house. Bentlee aggravates Rylee each day, some worse than others. Rylee will pinch her and has bit her several times....I don't know why "Sissy" won't leave Rylee alone?!

Two more bloggers!

I got two more bloggers....CYBERFREAKS! LOL!

Tina (one of my very best friends that would never create a mySpace, LOL!)

www.tinasideas.blogspot.com

And Donielle...my other crafty friend thats making Bentlee's birthday cake

www.doniellesthoughts.blogspot.com

Give em' a HOLLA!

God is GOOD!

I know you all have been checking for a post but I have been too busy to blog this weekend. So.....GOD IS GOOD! We made it to Chapel Hill with no problems, Dad got LOTS of meds, I met his doctor (she is a very compassionate, sweet woman), and we left around 3:30pm.

If you have not been involved with Chemo treatments before, here is a little insight. Basically the third floor of this building is used for Chemo/Infusions. The side we were on had three areas with about 5-6 recliner type chairs in each area and its almost like being at McDonalds or a "drive thru"! Not funny but at the same time, sort of makes you chuckle. There are people in and out, some with family or friends, some alone, they come in, get hooked up, get their meds, and off they go. Then the next person comes, sits down, and the same cycle. The age group was wide, no kids on this floor, but there were men, women, young (around 30's, 40's), old...a wide variety of cancers, leukemia, lots of sickness...lots of those Infuse-a-ports. Dad did well, he had a good size reaction on the back of both arms, like big welps or "bee stings", they itched...the nurse stopped the meds, gave Benedryl, checked vitals, and resumed treatment....nothing major, just a little hang up. Once he was done, they sent us packing...so, we stopped in Rocky Mount to eat, made a short trip into Walmart and Circuit City, and then we came home. Dad did AWESOME! Yes, he went in Walmart after chemo...PRAISE GOD! And folks, I tell you, if you think he got through ALL that medicine without the man upstairs, you need to check yourself! Prayer is untouchable, and thanks to ALL of you...even the one's that do not know my dad, KEEP him lifted up...the man did not get sick, even after the shot he had to take Saturday, and he played the guitar in church yesterday as he normally does on Sundays! He is an awesome man and I am so proud of him...like he said, "one treatment down, 7 more to go!". What a positive attitude! On another note, the doctor did say he would probably "crash and burn" Wednesday. He is on Prednisone (steroids) until Tuesday and when he comes off that, he will experience a "drop" but hey, he was supposed to be sick after chemo too, and guess what, he isn't! Only God knows what will happen, the world just makes predictions.

Once again, thanks friends, we need you to keep all that prayer going!

Two more prayer request: our preacher, Joe, had back surgery Friday, is doing well but eager to get going again. Pray for healing and PATIENCE, LOL!

I have a friend that has a mass in her pelvis, I will not give her name at this time, but she is young, late 20's. This is a SCARY day for her, she is having surgery today and I need everybody to lift her up...she is a faithful person herself and has been supportive of my dad and I just need you all to return the favor. She has two small children and I pray God will bring her through this surgery and take her home with no problems.

I should probably turn this into a PRAYER BLOG! But I know that prayer works, I have witnessed it first hand and I BELEIVE!

Not such a good start

Well, its 4:45am, I got to mom and dad's at 4:32 thinking I was holding them up....GUESS WHAT? They were in the bed, the clock did not go out...talking about two deer in headlights! So, here I am waiting for them to get ready and I must say I have been on the computer at various times of the day but this is my first 4AM sign in....

Lets hope the day goes better or gets better.

Its foggy out and the driving may be sort of rough this morning...guess I better drive considering the shape these other two are in!

Continue to send your prayers our way....love you all, ME

Thanks to ALL

Thanks to ALLLLLL my friends for the love and support you have shown me today....it helps SOOOOO much! Pray folks, PRAY! We will leave mom and dad's at 4:30AM...dad does not want to go tonight because he does not sleep well away from home....and mom is SO anxious today she probably won't sleep...and I may not either!

Thanks, Thanks, Thanks EVERYBODY!

Mandy Minutes

Hello Ladies!

You all have started a craze in Northampton County and amongst my "network"...My friend Mandy has decided she needs to BLOG!

Check her out and give a fellow scrapper some love....www.mandyminutes.blogspot.com

Bring it on!

Bring on the treatments...Dad will have his first official Chemo treatment Friday morning starting at 7:30am. It will last 6-8 hours. Guess that means we will be in the road around 4am to Chapel Hill. I am going to set the coffee pot on STRONG, pack a snack bag, some playing cards, and probably my scrapbooking stuff (if I can fit it in!)...he may not want me to go for the next one, LOL!

Update from today...he, mom, and Klaus ( a dear friend from church) went to Chapel Hill to see the doctor...and dad had to have a Bone Marrow biopsy (?)...they took bone marrow from his hip bone. The doctor is pretty sure its in his marrow and they have checked everything else so this was the last place to look. We did not know they were going to do that and dad is "dopey" again, morphine high...he is seriously funny when he gets pain meds! As most of you know, my mom and dad are not drinkers and I have never seen my dad drunk..but I have a feeling this is what he would be like. And its not pretty! However, he is funny! He talked crazy stuff today again according to mom, he talked about "buying tampons for his girls" ??? and other silly stuff...TOO funny! So, they are headed home after another painful day and ending with eating at Hardee's. He wanted doughnuts but mom said she is not getting lost in Chapel Hill looking for doughnuts! LOL!

Pray for us Friday. I will try to get into a computer Friday to update you on the progress but no promises. Pray for an uneventful day and easy traveling on the way home. And a little prayer for Wade, he will have the girls Friday night! I plan to stay with mom Friday night too just in case she needs me.

Read only if you're down or bored, LOL!

PROBLEMS IN GENERAL:
Through my daily life I encounter all sorts of friends with problems....old problems, new problems, family problems (can I get an AMEN!)...money problems, job problems....lots and lots of problems. Makes me think about what problems I have dealt with and what problems I will have to deal with...how can I encourage my friends with their problems and what sort of encouragement I need. The best answer I can come up with is...SUPPORT. Through this "problem" with my dad, my friends have supported me by just saying they are supporting me...and that means ALOT and has helped me turn my frown upside down. I had the opportunity to support and encourage a friend this morning (which happens pretty regularly around here in the mornings, my problems and others!) and my shoulders, and hopefully theirs, are feeling much lighter.
I know I am rambling but I will get to some point eventually...
I go to church regularly, was raised in a christian home, and most importantly, really have faith in the Lord, yet, my problems seem to grow! I question and I ask why but in the end the Lord shows me the way. My pastor has a saying he uses alot, over and over, and it STAYS in my mind especially when I have PROBLEMS and I talk to my friends about their problems...."He will bring you to your knees" or knock you flat of your back!...He is just that strong.
So, when dealing with some of your problems friends, ask yourself, what is it I need to change, what am I doing wrong, what is God telling me....did "He bring you to your knees"? If not, I suggest you check into your faith...something is seriously wrong.
My point is, in dealing with our everyday problems we should turn to our faith and use the support of our friends. I don't force church down anyone's throat but I honestly beleive "if God brought you to it, He'll get you through it"! No, I wouldn't consider myself a Holy Roller but if you ask me, yes, I beleive in the powers ABOVE! Have faith my friends, you will get through your crisis and the sun will shine again...been there, I know.

FAMILY PROBLEMS:
When you have family problems or you feel like your dysfunctional family made the front page of the "not worth the fifty cents RC News Herald", just remember, EVERYBODY has SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET!....and "this too, shall pass". Next week, nobody will care, there will be another family in dysfunction!

MONEY PROBLEMS:
No comment (I call my DAD, LOL!)

MARRIAGE PROBLEMS:
Advice from me? I am still learning...you got to be kidding!

CHILDREN PROBLEMS:
Still learning...and "I ain't seen nothing yet"....BUT, you CAN NOT choose for your children, just try to SUPPORT them in their choices. I hope I can go by that when my girls get older, LORD help me!

No, I am not considering joining Dr. Phil, I don't speak well in public or in front of crowds, LOL!

FINALLY FINISHED!

Well girls, I finally finished the 5th birthday party invitations! As I told you before Bentlee wants a Wizard of Oz birthday party this year and I have stressed about the invitations....yeah, yeah, I know, STRESSED over invitations! I just LOVE doing this sort of thing and I could NOT find any good clip art this year for Wizard of Oz so I settled for the best pic I could find. I really wanted ruby red slippers or a close up of Dorothy and the crew but NOTHING! I seriously looked for hours and NOTHING! So, here they are, inspired by the Ribbon Queen, Wendy at SDV! LOL! I just loved all their things with ribbons...Amanda and Judi included. I really wanted to use Amanda's "fastener" but I couldn't find any fasteners at the local Walmart, SURPRISE, surprise, LOL again! So, I settled for using a plain ol' stapler for the ribbon. The invitation is three layers, cardstock, yellow paper, and yellow vellum overlay. Its alright, I must say I have been "craftier" at other times but I am getting a little better...the clip art made me mad but oh well, get over it...others of you that know what I mean when you just can't find that right thingy will feel my pain. Bentlee will be thrilled with them and probably will not sleep tonight in anticipation of taking them to her friends tomorrow. And to the adults that have been invited in the past and got no invite this year, this is a KIDDIE party people, accept being old, JUST KIDDING!
And I could go on about the cake Doneille is making but I will leave that a surprise until the actual day, I can't wait to see it!

April Showers Bring May Flowers

I don't know about you all but I need a little SUNSHINE in my life...this weather brings me down! And makes me "dreary"...I am sluggish and I seriously think if all this rain would go away I could pep up...and I am tired of these same old winter clothes, I am ready to break out the summer stuff (even if it is "old" stuff!)...I have already broke out the flip flops but that is nothing surprising coming from me, LOL!

I know I should be thankful for the rain but its hard when all it does is RAIN! No way we can still be in a "drought"...

And Bentlee's bday party is in less than two weeks outside at our house, we have a pretty big swingset coming, and I just need the sun to SHINE! Last year we had to relocate the party to the church and it just wasn't the same...I like bday parties at home, we've always had them there and I think thats where they should be. Its hard to beleive she will be a whole 5 years old...sometimes it seems she has always been in our lives and then there are days that feel like "where did you go, you are growing so quick?"

PLEASE LET THE SUN SHINE!

Bentlee's new glasses

As most of you know Bentlee, my almost 5 year old, is wearing glasses again. She wore them a bit when she was a year old...then stopped b/c her eye had improved, now is back in them for 1-2 years.

Did you know a childs vision can be altered until around 9 years of age? Pretty cool~

On another note...Bentlee has chosen a "Wizard of Oz" theme for her birthday this year. She insisted on the red glitter shoes....now she wants the entire outfit, blue gingham dress and basket! So, guess I will be on the lookout for the dress now....So, here is a pic of her going to school this morning with her new "sparkely" shoes! I only let her wear them into school to show Mrs. Davis then she had to put her black one's back on. She is a TRIP!

"On the road again"

Mom and dad are on the road again...back to Chapel Hill for an echo cardiogram...forgive my spelling of the medical tests and terms...I'm sure I will really mess alot up. Dad was in alot of pain last night and I have not talked to them this morning. Mom was all hyped up last night...adrenaline flowing. I think she just wants to get things started so we can tackle this cancer and move on.

Just heard from my folks...my mom, dad, and Sissy...Dad had the infuse-a-port put in...he says it looks like a double runway at the airport, he gets sort of crazy when he has been put to sleep...actually he gets real crazy talking...he just told me a joke about Chelsea Clinton going to Iraq and asking a soldier what he was scared of. The soldier replied, "Osama, Obama, and Yo-MAMA!" He thought this to be very hilarious...I laughed pretty histerically myself...savoring the thought that one day I may not be able to laugh with my dad...okay, NOT going to be depressing anymore.

Did you know an Infuse-a-port has been known to stay in sometimes 7-10 years?! Wow. In Dad's case, he will have it in for the duration of treatment. For those of you that do not know what that is...in simple terms, its a permanent IV port in the chest. He can get his treatments through it and they can draw blood through it. So, we still don't know anything about the FIRST OFFICIAL treatment date...hopefully next Friday. I will be making my first trip with them to Chapel Hill. That should be a hoot itself. Sissy said today that she had to put mom or dad in "time out" from time to time b/c of the bickering among them about the checkbook or about this or that...at least they are both still acting like themselves for now.
Okay, I am rambling.
Next appointment will be Wednesday for paperwork...we have been told its more paperwork than buying a house...good gracious!
Just continue to pray for our family...I did not mention my mom this morning. I always and forever thought my mom was so emotionally strong, to only find out in my later years, she is not. When praying for my dad, always add my mom to that...she will be the unstable one, the one that will need support...my dad and I are alot alike in handling things: give me what I have to deal with and lets DO IT! Mom, she is more...."negative" is not the right word...but she sees the worst first. Although, mom is a nurse and she KNOWS what will or can happen...just lift my mom up also.
I have not been through a cancer battle...this is all new to me so bare with me if I get some things wrong or mispell them.
In closing....
Dear Lord, keep my mom, dad, and sister safe as they travel home today. And continue to watch over all of us as we travel back and forth with dad for treatments. Thank you Lord for all you do for us. Amen~
Enough for today...

Help with my Blog Page

I need help! I can not figure how to add you all as my friends in a list on the side of my blog page. Where do I do that? I want to "shortcut" you all.

My Dad, my hero

Today my mind is heavy with thoughts of my dad...some of you may know and some not...my dad has lymphoma, diagnosed in November....no treatments so far and he is not physically sick except he is very fatigued...that changed a few weeks ago. He had a lymph node removed from his leg and it shows the cancer is more aggressive than we thought...that means treatment. Today, he is in Chapel Hill to determine the course of treatment and to possibly have an Infuse-a-port (spelling?) placed in his chest for treatments. I will know more this afternoon about the course of action.

My dad has to be the BEST person I know...not just because he is my dad and I am bias but he really is....he's got it together, he is smart, he is conservative, he can fix anything, he saves money like nobody I know, he is the best dad around and has tried his best to instill morals and values in me...and best of all, he is a die-hard Christian, a TRUE beleiver in God and his ability...therefore, he will pull through this without a doubt...

but today...today, is hard to be positive b/c I know the bad news is coming....the news about when he will be sick and how he will vomit, how he will lose his hair...and how he won't be able to work...and THAT, THAT very thing, will bring him down...not working, that man LOVES to work, whether it be at home or at the office...he is commited to being busy (guess I come by that honest!)...so, the only thing that can bring him through this is God! I have to beleive that with all my heart....I have to "be still" and listen to the Lord...and to all my real good friends reading this, being STILL is not one of my strong suits, I am a "doer", a "fixer", and a "goer"...and if I can't "fix" it...I get aggravated...so, I pray today....pray that I can be "still" and accept that I can not "fix" my dad....

Will post more later...sorry to be so depressed today but we all have those days and I needed to get it out...

more later....

Yes, this is my third post on my VERY first day...just trying to get everything in and I will slow it down!

Scrapbook pics....

My girls at Easter

Here are pics of my girls at one of numerous egg hunt we attended and then there are pics of them after church on Easter. Bentlee is my oldest, turning 5 on April 20th and can hardly wait. Rylee is 20 months old, she will be two in July.

Bentlee just got her glasses and actually we already have a new pair, LOL! The wire frames here were just not holding up under the conditions of a 4 year old! She is just wild and full of energy, we probably should have gotten some of those goggle style! LOL!

Inspired by my new scrapbooking friends

Just created this blog....have wanted to create one since Keri shared Caleb's with me...I thought it would be more difficult but here I am! Just a few simple steps. BUT honestly, my scrapbook friends at SDV really inspired me...Judy inspired me after visiting her blog. To all of you that do not know how much I love to scrapbook, let me give you a clue...I spent this weekend at SDV (Scrapper's Dream Vacation), yep, an ENTIRE weekend of nothing but scrapping and eating and very LITTLE SLEEP! After Michele and I had our little "I forgot my MAKEUP!" journey we finally made it to Newport News to scrap. I think I figured up I had a total of 9 hours of sleep the entire weekend...but SO WORTH it! I met so many nice people...Wendy and her family took me "in" and we just had lots of laughs and sarcasm spread around the tables, LOL! They also inspired me creatively, I never met a more talented group of women...and they taught me new techniques and I did not want to come home....I wanted to spend at least one more day. Next time I am going with you girls on Thursday night so I can "crop til I drop" too! While I am on this subject, I want to thank each of you for sharing your supplies and your time with me, I am so proud of the last few pages I did just b/c of you all.

I am going to leave so I can find out more about this blog thing and later I will start to post pics of my girls and some scrapbook pics too!