MONDAY!!!

Hi Friends!

On Sunday, I never got around to blogging. For the first half of the day, I was feeling awful -- really tired, weak, and a bad headache. In the late afternoon, I started to feel better -- then we jost got busy doing stuff. At 2 p.m., yesterday Molly, Annie, and I met Carrie and friends at JoAnn's to buy our materials for our quilting class. That was fun, and I picked up some lovely material to make the baby quilt for Dr. Cohen's new baby girl! Molly and Annie are making quilts, too -- but theirs will be wall hangings. So, over $100 and 2 hours later, we left the fabric store. By the time I got home and started to feel better, it was time to make dinner. Then we spent several hours organizing Nate's room. My little mad scientist! That was not a job for the faint of heart!!! Other than that, yesterday just went by very quickly.

Today we all slept in after Bill left for work. I am still in my PJs and the kids are watching TV/playing computer games. I never got around to budgeting/balancing my checkbook or laundry this weekend. So, those are my goals for today! And, I have my Chronic Illness group to lead tonight.

Much Love,

Michele

SATURDAY!!

Hi Friends!

Today was a busy, but productive day. For me, I actually got up fairly early -- around 10 a.m. Brandon and Nate were here and up and wanting to go outside to ride bikes and skateboards. I got up and fed everyone a brunch. We did our household chores, and then Cam, Molly, and I went to Smart and Final grocery shopping. We bought a ton of groceries -- 2 completely full carts -- I hope it lasts at least a week! We also went to Theresa's ( a pet store which is next door) and picked up crickets for Cam's lizards. Their pet engraving name tag machine was working -- so we got 2 for the new cats -- Itty Bitty Kitty and Puss 'n Boots AKA Fluffy (Isaac couldn't decide on one name!).

I bribed all the kids with M and M 's ice cream bars to get them to help unpack the groceries. Shortly after that Shirlene came and picked up Brandon. Nate and Isaac then moved onto playing with Will and Heather. My feet and knees were extremely swollen after the grocery shopping -- which I found pathetic since Cam and Molly did all the work, and I just walked alongside them and paid! So, I lay down in bed for about an hour before going to 5:30 church this afternoon.

After church I made pizza, monkey bread, and salad for dinner. Then I lay down again because of swollen issues -- what a pain, literally! At 9 p.m., I sucked it up, and Cam, Isaac, and I did a major cleaning and sorting of their room. It looks great. We were even able to move the beds around to position them better in the room. We actually finished the room by 10:30 p.m. It was mostly me and Cameron, as Isaac got distracted with a really cool toy that Cam gave to him and Nate. It was a remote-controlled flyer!

Bill has been busy painting and doing other home repair this weekend. He's still at it, and I'm getting tired just watching him! Mama hamster lost a baby today, and now she is down to only 3 baby hamsters. You think she'd be better with them as they get bigger, but she's actually worse. When they wander off, she doesn't seem to notice it. So unless we reunite them or they find the Mama on their own, they perish! As if I don't have enough children of my own to keep an eye on!

On a good note, while cleaning Cameron's room -- I came across his goodie bag from the LA marathon. Their were aloe bandages which I put on my feet. Well, my feet haven't felt this good in 2 years! Tomorrow I'm going to the drug store and buying a big supply of aloe, because it's the only thing that I've found that helps!

Tomorrow we are going to do the last room of the house -- drum roll -- Nate's room. Hmmm? Why do you think I've saved it till the end. Honestly, I didn't want to face it. I am also meeting Carrie at the fabric store to buy supplies for my quilting class. I'm making a quilt for Dr. Cohen's new baby, a girl who is due any day! And I need to budget and pay some bills tomorrow! So, I guess I'll leave Bill to the painting and go off to bed. I don't blame him for painting now,
though -- it's easier with the kids in bed and not running into the wet paint!

Much Love,
Michele

HOME IMPROVEMENT !!!

Hi Friends!

As you can see, Bill and Itty Bitty Kitty were busy on home improvements today. Actually, it was mostly Cam and Bill doing the work -- but suprisingly (or not!) Cam didn't let me take any pictures of him. They were putting the outer wall on Cam and Isaac's bedroom, which was formerly a loft. I awoke this afternoon to the sounds of Bill sawing off the handrail. VERY LOUD!!! And it was a bit scary seeing him and Cam lift the huge pieces of drywall up so high. Then, I mostly tried not to watch while he did all the ladder work. Our whole house is done in a stucco-type finish. So, after putting up the drywall and taping it, he spent the rest of the day plastering. Tomorrow it should be dry and ready to paint. We had a huge problem keeping Itty Bitty out of the dust and the joint compound. She is definitely very curious, which is cute sometimes -- but today it was a little annoying for Bill!

I am still dealing with my chemo sleepiness. Bill had the day off, and he and the kids let me sleep until almost 2:30 p.m. I finally got up and moving, and I managed to sort and organize the upstairs hallway, bathroom, and my bedroom. That was a real feat, because our closet was a disaster! And then, at 9 p.m., Molly decided we should do her room. I was about ready for bed, but I decided I'd better go with it while she was willing! She wants a more grown-up teenager room, so she sorted through her stuff and is giving a lot of her toys to our good friend and neighbor, Heather.

Anyway, we finished around 11 p.m. Tomorrow and Sunday, I am hoping to do the boys' rooms. Cam and Isaac's won't be bad, but Nate is like a mad scientist and his room reflects his personality! I also need to grocery shop this weekend, and we'll go to church on Saturday night.

Nate is spending the night at Brandon's and Shirlene will bring them back early tomorrow morning, so I'm going to sign off now and go to bed.

Much Love,

Michele

WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY :-)

Hi Friends!

I am really enjoying summer time and just hanging out with the kids. We've been staying up late and sleeping in every morning. Poor Bill is the only one up early and off to work. Yesterday we went to see Monsters vs. Aliens at the $3 movie theater. The kids really enjoyed it, and I love the prices of the bargain movie theater!

Today we stuck around home. I've been working on some summer cleaning/sorting. Each day, I do one room or area, and I freecycle away want I don't want. Yesterday I did the family room and today I did the kitchen. It's very freeing to see all of the clutter taken away by people who want it and consider it a blessing. Tonight we also had our Heaven Bible Study, and that was from 7-9 p.m. Other than that -- like I said, we're just enjoying the summer and doing not much of anything. I REALLY LIKE IT!!!

Have a great night!!!

Much Love,
Michele

FREEDOM ...

Hi Friends ...

I am officially allowed out of my protective bubble. I had my bloodwork done at the oncologist today , and it came back good -- or at least, good for someone on chemo. So, I am allowed out in public again -- at least for the next 2 or so weeks until it's time for the next round of chemo. My oncologist was happy with how I'm doing. He did suggest, however, putting me back on a steroid to conteract the chemo fatigue. I could barely stay awake while in his office, which didn't help my case for no more steroids. They said the chemo hit me harder this time because I'm no longer on my favorite med of all time -- Prednisone, AKA the puffy drug!!! So, I told them I want to wait until I see Dr. Cohen, my rheumatologist, to decide. Meanwhile, I'll just go with sleeping a lot! It is summer break after all!

Stunningly, though, I woke up early (8:30 a.m) today with Bill and made him breakfast and coffee before he left for work. I also made his lunch. It felt like old times! Then after he left, I made a less healthy, but fun breakfast for the kids -- chocolate-chip pancakes and bacon! Oh, to be young again!!! The kids and I vegged most of the morning, and then we did our household chores, pet care, etc. In the afternoon, I went to the doctor, recycled, and hit Wal-Mart, and the grocery store. And I even went for a walk with Nathaniel today. I thought it might be a good idea to exercise. It felt good at the time, but it definitely didn't give me more energy throughout the day. After running all my errands (big kids stayed home to babysit younger ones), I came home and took a 45 minute nap before dinner, which luckily I had cooking already in the crockpot. Bill came home by 6:15 p.m. and we all ate before he and Cameron left for Boy Scouts. I did some sorting in the dining room tonight, and the kids are now watching a movie upstairs in their beds. I am off to sleep myself!!!

More tomorrow...
Much Love,
Michele

MONDAY, MONDAY!!!

Hi Friends!

I am really enjoying the summer, and the kids and I all slept in. Then I lounged around the house until about 2 p.m. in my pajamas. We officially counted the animals in our zoo today:
6 hamsters (Mom,Dad, and 4 babies) + 2 lizards+3 cats+1 dog=12 animals. We were busy taking care of them all today especially the baby hamsters. I received 2 new hamster cages from friendly folks on Freecycle.org., so we were setting those up today. The mom is still with the babies, and the dad is now in his own cage. We'll use the other cage for the baby hamsters when they can be sexed and separated from Mama. Hopefully, we'll do well with this litter (learning experience!) and take a break from hamster babies for a while.

This afternoon I showered and the kids helped me with some housework. Besides the usual, we cleaned out the front coat closet, getting rid of old shoes and storing winter gear. We also sorted and put away all of our school gear and made the dining room look like a nice dining room again, rather than school central. And since all the cats are eating out of one bowl anyway, we consolidated the cat food and posted all the extra bowls on Freecyle.

The kids played outside, biking and doing what kids do -- whatever that is! Before we knew it, it was 6:30. I quickly fed the kids left-overs for dinner and sent them upstairs before my Chronic Illness Bible Study members showed up. We have a very nice group of 10 people, and I hope they're getting as much out of being in the group as I am leading it. Today our topic was "I Feel So Guilty." We learned to focus on the grace that God has provided us so that we don't have to live with guilt. Our Bible verse for the week was 2 Cor 9:8 -- "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

On that note, I'll sign off for the day ...

Much Love,
Michele

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

These are some pictures of our 2 new kitties. Itty Bitty Kitty (3 lbs and 8 weeks old) belongs to Nate. Puss 'n Boots (10 lbs and 1 year old) belongs to Isaac.

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Hi Friends!

Happy Father's Day to all the Fathers out there! I just called my Dad in Wisconsin, and he is doing well. Since he's taken up golfing again in his retirement, we sent him personalized golf balls that say, "Happy Father's Day, Grandpa Rick!!!" He seemed pleased with them. And of course, I am thrilled to have my husband and the father of my children back at our house! Bill arrived home on Friday at around noon. He cancelled his Washington D.C. trip for this coming week, so I'll have him home for the forseeable future. Praise God!

I'm sorry I haven't blogged for a while. On Friday we got up in the A.M. and did some errands. I had promised the kids a while back a trip to 7-11, so we started there. We also went to the bank and then to Pet Smart. We got a few things there (most interesting was a companion green anole for Cameron's lizard -- now we have Annie and Alex lizards), but we had specifically gone to get new tags for Itty Bitty and Puss 'n Boots (the 2 new cats). Unfortunately, their tag engraving machine was down -- so we'll have to come back. Then we drove over to Lemon Park, where there is water play for the kids. We let the kids play and run around in the water, and when Bill arrived home, he drove over on his motorcycle to join us. We spent the afternoon around home. Then in the late afternoon, Bill took me and the 3 younger kids out for a ride. I was getting a bit stir-crazy at home. We drove over towards Malibu and stopped at the beach. Cameron stayed home and took delivery of our dinner -- a lasagna and salad made with love by Sylvia. We ended up out longer than intended, though -- and stopped at McDonald's for dinner in Camarillio on our way home. We arrived home around 9 p.m. and I went straight to bed. I think the rest of my family pulled a late-nighter!

On Saturday -- I slept until 3 p.m. and it was heavenly! Bill was busy doing household repairs. It turned out that our water flood from the toilets had tripped a circuit, knocking out the house alarm and the refrigerator outlet, causing it to defrost. Make sense! He replaced the outlets and circuit, and all is better. When I finally joined the world of the living on Saturday afternoon, the kids and I tidied up around the house. Then we all got ready and went to 5:30 p.m. church. It was really nice to be back to church and worship!!! After church we stopped at Albertson's -- we needed a few things, most specifically soda and fruit. Our friends, Tom and Barbara, from our Chronic Illness Small Group had blessed us with a $100 gift card for Albertson's "to replace our freezer damaged food" -- so we were able to use that, and it was very nice. We got home around 8 p.m. and had left-overs for dinner. Shortly after that, I again went to bed earlier than the rest of my family.

This morning, I got up a bit earlier than yesterday, and I was moving by 10:30 a.m. I have a sinus infection and a low-grade fever, so I am hoping my immune-compromised system can fight it off. I'll see how it goes today, and then call Dr. Cohen tomorrow to see if he wants to start me on antibiotics. The kids and I still have some last minute preparations to make for Bill's Father's Day celebration -- he's going to Target soon, and we're going to use that time to make him some cards. I also need to run out and pick him up a present. But, what to buy for the man who has everything? Then at 5:30 we are going to take him out to dinner at a Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser for David Lavoie. He is a local man who was in a severe bicycle accident, which has put him into a coma. This dinner is by donation only with all proceeds going to his family. Since we probably would have taken Bill out to dinner anyway -- this seems like an opportunity to bless him while also blessing others for a good cause.

I will attempt to blog more tomorrow...

Much Love,

Michele