November 23, 2010

Advent Calendars

I mentioned it before and I'm mentioning it again.  I want an advent calendar.  A dear friend called me and said she had picked one up for me on a recent vacation, for which I am so grateful and excited!  But, I still want one "like I used to have".  I remember when I was little the felt calendar that hung on the wall.  My brother and I would take turns each day taking the handmade ornament out of the pocket and hanging it on a button on the tree (on the calendar) and reading the corosponding verse.  The anticipation grew to the day that we could hang up the final ornament.  The star.  I wish we still had that calendar, I'm sure it was something handmade that my mom picked up at a craft fair somewhere, I've looked and looked and looked for a duplicate somewhere, but with no success. 

While searching on Etsy yesterday I found this.  I'm so excited to get it.  While it's not the calendar itself, it is what I want to be IN the calendar, verses and tokens to go along with the verses.

Now, I'm going to make (with the help of my kids) a calendar of sorts to go with it.  I'll be sure to show the finished product when I'm done (which could very well be next year, so please don't hold your breath). 

November 17, 2010

What's your busy?

Sorry.  Two weeks.  That's a long time.  But there are two reasons for the time between posts. 
1.  There is nothing really new going on
2.  Were just way to busy. 

On dictionary.com busy is defined as the following:
–adjective

1. actively and attentively engaged in work or a pastime: busy with her work. check
2. not at leisure; otherwise engaged: He couldn't see any visitors because he was busy. check

3. full of or characterized by activity: a busy life. check
4. (of a telephone line) in use by a party or parties and not immediately accessible. check 
5. officious; meddlesome; prying.
6. ornate, disparate, or clashing in design or colors; cluttered with small, unharmonious details; fussy: The rug is too busy for this room. check

I'm not complaining.  We are all busy in one way or another.  I think the word busy is defined by the user of the word.  Busy for me may be a lazy day for someone else.  Were all busy in our own ways, right?

What have I been busy with?  Well... let's see.  Driving the bus... oops, I mean van, to pick up and drop off kids (all while watching Baby Einsteins to keep the girl (and sometimes middleschoolers) happy), driving to and from radiation every morning, editing shoots, laundry, laundry and more laundry (although, I have to say, I'm thankful to have a washing machine so that I can do laundry), doing everything I can to keep my daughter happy (her name starts with an L), basketball games, laundry, cleaning the kids' rooms (that took 2 full days), selling kids clothes, ordering pictures, cooking dinner, deciding what to have for dinner (I realized recently that it's not making dinner that I hate, it's deciding what to have for dinner and seeing if we have the stuff to make it... my three least favorite words are "What's for dinner?"), returning basketball shoes for Landon (twice now), BSF lessons, additional time spent in prayer (although, never enough), sweepting and mopping the floor, playing games, doing puzzles and reading books, watching movies with my family, MOPS stuff, snack stuff for church, eating (ugh, I've gained to much weight, need to quit this one), and sleeping (trying to keep the energy up during the day requires a very early bedtime).  And, I'm sure once I hit "Publish" I will think of 100 other things I've done this week that could go on this list. 

As far as radiation goes... things have been going great.  I've been home by 8:20 every morning, it's so nice to ahve it out of the way and not have to think about it every morning.  I get up early (around 6), do some work and or BSF (while drinking 2 cups of coffee), get in the shower at 7:30ish, put on my comfy clothes (typically yoga pants and a zip up hoodie so that I don't have to change at the office) and head out the door at 7:50 (there is an upside to short short hair).  Come home and change and I'm ready to go for the day.  The skin that is in the radiation area is getting red but it's not that noticeable and it doesn't hurt or anything.  I've been quite tired lately, but am still undecided if it's radiation or life.  Either way, it probably won't get better anytime soon. 

Anyway, just wanted to do a quick update.  I've got to run and get Landon from church and pry the crying child off my leg.  (No, I'm not neglecting her, this has taken me almost 2 hours to type while caring for her!)

November 4, 2010

Question of the week?

OK, so there seems to be some questions about what radiation is.  So, here's your lesson for the day (and mine, because I couldn't really answer that question before)!

Radiation is a cancer treatment that uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and stop them from spreading.  At low doses, radiation is used as an x-ray to see inside your body and take pictures, such as x-rays of your teeth or broken bones.  Radiation used in cancer treatment works in much the same way, except that it is given at higher doses. 

I am receiving external beam radiation.  A machine aims radiation at cancer cells.  Radiation is used to cure, stop or slow the growth of cancer. 

Radiation therapy does not kill cancer cells right away.  It takes days or weeks of treatment before cancer cells start to die.  Then, cancer cells keep dying for weeks or months after radiation therapy ends. 

I receive radiation treatmens once a day, 5 days a week, Monday through Friday.  I will receive approximately 28 treatments.  Lindy did a great job showing the building and the room where the radiation occurs here.

Radiation side effects can include fatigue, skin changes (including redness like a sunburn, itching, or dry peeling skin), tenderness and swelling. 

So, there you have a description of radiation.  Hope that helps!

My treatments are going great so far, I truly can not wait to get on the 8:00 schedule, this all over the place stuff is quite a pain.

**On another note... Landon did make the basketball team.  Turns out there weren't 70 people trying out, but more like 35.  Either way, were proud of him and all the boys that either made the team or just tried out.  What would we ever do with our time without a sport to watch?  (His first game is Tuesday already!)