This blog was never

supposed to be about me! It was supposed to be about crafting, sewing, cooking, family, fun activities with the grandkids....things that are fun. I hate it that I am sick and I can't do what I want to do. So I have been ignoring the blog. But some of you are asking how I am doing, so I have decided to give a little update on my condition.

I had 6 rounds of chemo which ended around the middle of April. The first of May I had a PET scan which shows how active the cancer is. It showed the cancer was still present although it was much smaller. Originally I had a spot in both lungs, but the doctor said the spot in the left side was showing very little activity and was probably just scar tissue by now. The spot in the right side was smaller but was still showing moderate activity. He recommended another course of chemo which I began the week after Mother's Day. Each round of this chemo consists of 5 days of treatment in a row, then I am off two weeks. So, basically, I have treatment every three weeks. I will have at least 4 rounds of this drug. I just finished my second round last week. I have to say it has really taken me down.

The good news is that the cancer is still contained in the lungs and has not spread to other parts of my body. Hopefully, this new treatment will put it into remission so I can have a break. That is where I am right now.

The other thing I wanted to blog about today is a dream I had this morning I need to share. I dreamed about Heaven. I guess it was Heaven. It seemed like Heaven to me anyway.

I don't know where this dream began but suddenly I was lifted up and carried to a place that was higher than I had ever been before. There was a light shining on my face. It was bright like sunlight, but not hot. There was a gentle breeze hitting my face and blowing my hair (I haven't had hair since mid-January.) It was very peaceful and quiet. I was looking down on everything I had known my whole life.....people, places, things. It made me smile and when I woke up I was just so happy. I can't explain how happy I was. I just know that this has to be the Lord letting me know that no matter what happens to me, everything will be ok. I was very comforted by this dream.

Ok, that is enough about me. Now the grandkids. They continue to grow and thrive. My little Olivia will be one year old in just one month....how time flies. She sure gets around quick. She doesn't actually crawl on her hands and knees. It is more like the obstacle course crawl on her belly with her arms pulling her. She almost looks like she is swimming. Anyway, she is fast. She is not walking yet, but she is starting to pull herself up to a standing position next to things.

Josh will turn 5 years old next month also. He is pretty excited now that he is a pre-school graduate and will be starting Kindergarten in August. He recently started playing T-ball. I love T-ball. Everyone gets to play, everyone gets to bat, everyone gets to run, everyone gets to score. I love this game. Those little kids are so cute running bases and chasing the ball. I get a kick out of it.

Have a great day everyone.

The Grandbabies are getting so big!!!

I just wanted to share a few new photos my my grandbabies. They grow so fast!!! Olivia is nine months old already. Time flies. It seems like just yesterday when I watched the nurse weigh and measure her for the first time. She already has her first pair of glasses. Unfortunately, she suffers the same eye problems as her brother, Josh, which they both inherited from their mother.

Josh loves to help in the kitchen. He is getting good at it too. I have high hopes he will be a great chef someday, although he has set himself higher goals than that. He has a couple ideas as to what he wants to be when he grows up. He alternates between wanting to be President of the United States or a doctor, so he can take care of Grandma.....awwwww, how sweet.

Have a great day everyone.

Take care.

I am still here!

A few people have commented that I haven't blogged in a while and were wondering how I was doing. I decided it was time to give an update.

I am doing ok. I finished my fifth round of chemo a week ago. I have been fighting a cold all week this week, which of course always manages to go into my chest. So, I spend a lot of time coughing. Needless to say it really takes the steam out of me. I am afraid that by the time I start feeling better, it will be time for my next round of chemo. I guess that wouldn't be a bad thing. I would hate to feel this bad and have a chemo treatment at the same time.

After my next round of chemo, I will have a break. I am ready for it. Every round seems to be a little harder on me. Then, I will have more tests and maybe some radiation.

I have really been wanting to do some crafting, but I can't seem to get up enough energy to do anything. So I spend a lot of time perusing other blogs. I have accumulated a lot of good ideas. There are a lot of creative people out there. Thank God for the internet or I would be spending my days on the couch watching reruns of old sitcoms.

My grandbabies are getting so big. I can hardly believe how fast they grow. Josh will soon graduate from preschool. He is so excited he will be in kindergarten next year. Then he will really be a big man on campus. Olivia is almost 9 months old. It seems like just yesterday I was at the hospital watching them weigh and measure her. She has learned to pat-a-cake and she is even trying to say it. It comes out something like paw-ta, paw-ta .... She is so funny.







Here are a few pictures since I don't have anything else to post.

Have a good day everyone.

Update

I just wanted to let everyone know that I had a ct scan last week to check the progress of my cancer treatments. I saw my doctor on Tuesday to discuss the results of the scan. Both tumors have decreased in size. The larger tumor had a significant decrease. At least things are going in the right direction.

I started my fourth round of treatment on Tuesday also. I go three days in a row for treatments. Then I am off for three weeks. I will have at least six rounds of treatments. They may do some radiation at some point in time also.

I do know they are going to radiate my brain. So far the scans show no cancer in the brain. I am told that when they radiate the brain it will decrease the chance of the cancer reappearing there from 60% to 5%. Those are odds I can handle. The only side effect to that treatment is that I will lose my hair, but it is already gone, so nothing hurt there.

I want everyone to know I really appreciate all the thoughts and prayers and I know they are helping. I have seen miracles and I just know if I have enough people praying I will see another one.

Thanks everyone.
Joyce

This and that.

My hubbie has been especially nice to me lately. A couple weeks ago, I had a birthday. For most of our married life, soon to be 38 years, my hubbie has done nothing for my birthday. But this year, he decided to make me breakfast. It was very good, but apparently he thought I was hungry because he made me an immense amount of food.

It was funny watching him prepare this meal. He had a hard time finding the pots, pans and utensils he needed to use. Does that tell you how often he uses the kitchen. We have lived in this house for over 25 years now and the location of everything has been the same since day one.

He really did a good job. Along with the scrambled eggs, he served a concoction of sausage, potato, onion, mushroom, green and red peppers. Everything was quite tasty. I will have to have him help me more often.

I have been sorting through some things lately and I come across some projects that seemed to get thrown back and never finished, such as my daughter's quilt top. Here is another project that was actually completed. The only thing I need to do it frame it so I can display it. It is a counted cross stitch that I did over 10 years ago. It is a Paula Vaughn design titled Rose of Sharon. The finished design measures 12inches by 15 inches.

I just know when I placed it in that tube and put it in the drawer, it was with the intention that the next time I went to the craft store I would buy a frame for it. Oh, well, I still have time.

I also found another counted cross stitch in progress. I started this one shortly after I finished the other one. I am not quite half done with it. I did start working on it again. I forgot how much I love to do cross stitch, although I think I need stronger glasses.

This is from the Stoney Creek collection called A Visit from Father Christmas. I had hopes of doing all the designs from the book...lol. What was I thinking!!!

I am off to cross stitch. Have a good day everyone.

Take care.

Unfinished business

While digging through my closet a while back I come across a project I started more than 15 years ago. It is a quilt top I made for my younger daughter. It is my first and last attempt at making a full size quilt. It seemed like such a simple task while I was planning it in my head....not!!! I guess that is why I never finished it, I was too overwhelmed.

I know a perfectly lovely lady who owns a quilt shop and does machine quilting. I think I may give her a call . I really should have it finished.

Sorry it is so wrinkled. It has been folded up in a box for all these years.

Take care.

Joyce

My babies are getting so big!

It is hard to believe how big my grandbabies are getting. It seems like just yesterday Josh was born and now he is in pre-school. Plus his little sister, Olivia, is 7 1/2 months old. I swear just yesterday I was holding their mother in my arms.

Unfortunately, I haven't seem too much of them lately due to the fact that they have been sick a lot this winter. Olivia is on her third ear infection since the first of the year. Josh has had a cold and strep throat since then also. I am supposed to avoid sick people because the chemotherapy weakens my immune system and I am prone to infections.

I did finally get to see them one night this week. Here are a few pictures I managed to take while they were here.




I had a tough time getting Josh away from the Wii long enough to snap this picture. Yes, Grandma has a Wii. The kids bought us one for Christmas because they thought it would be good exercise for me. He was playing with Grandpa. I think they were boxing.




Olivia is growing like a weed. She isn't crawling yet, but she sits pretty good. She is such a cutie.

Take care.