WELL, THAT HURTS!!! AND THE LEARNING CURVE

Yay Me!! I made it through my surgery for breast cancer. They took out all of the cancerous lump and found nothing in the lymph nodes that they removed and tested.
And in place of it they left me with wounds that are quite painful. The first one to bother me was the port! I was thinking that it must be more painful to 'put' something in than to 'take' something out.
After a week I can say that I was wrong. The spot where the lymph nodes were removed has by far been the most painful. It has limited my mobility in my 'main' arm, the right. But we aren't going to fuss with minor details that are temporary. We are going to thank GOD for the wonderful results and move on.....

this may seem a strange picture to put here, BUT my tumor was 1.7cm, this will give you some idea....not very big to the cancer world but giant to me!

Turns out that when you find out you have breast cancer, cancer takes on a whole new form. There were so many things that I thought about CANCER and the people with it that are just not true. One thing I've learned is that the doctors aren't very concerned about the breast cancer they find. They can deal with those tumors by taking them out rather quickly. It's the chance of cancer being somewhere else and coming back...the cancer they don't know about....that they are concerned with. And it turns out that's what all the treatments are for after you have surgery.

The chemo and the radiation, all for things that may happen down the road. I thank God there has been research into what is the best way to insure women survive and don't have a recurrence. And I pray they one day will be able to find a cure for all cancers!!

Although the docs don't expect the kind of treatments I will be getting to make me very sickly, they have said I will probably lose my hair. I can honestly say that is not a major concern for me. Only that I hope is my hubby and kids won't think it's too strange. My hair will grow back and if it's the most major thing I lose from having cancer, then I am blessed.

One thing I hope I don't lose is my peace of mind. God has given me a peace about everything I have been through and will go through with this, but I mean after I'm 'cured' of this breast cancer. I hope and pray I won't spend the next 20 years of my life being scared it's coming back somewhere else. That's why they're putting me through treatments in the months to come, to avoid that right???

I was diagnosed with cancer just before Christmas and even though it's a sentiment that I've heard all my life, I can tell you it took on a whole new meaning for me this past year.  "Do not be afraid, I bring you good news!"  The angel told the shepherds this in the Christmas story and it seems like everywhere I turned this past season, there was that line. In Christmas cards, on Tv, in plays, in songs, lots and lots of places.
"Do not fear!!! I bring you good news!!"  He indeed brought me good news and so I must obey Him.  DO NOT FEAR!!

OK, God, if you say so!!!!

CANCER

Boy, it has sure been a long time since I've blogged. I went through and deleted a few of my posts too because I deleted a bunch of pictures from my google account, which caused them to disappear from my blog too. What fun is a post without a few pics right?? :-)
I'm writing today about something that I found out just before
Christmas.....I have breast cancer!
And shame on you for thinking what you are right now!!! Oh, I KNOW exactly what you are thinking because I was you, not so long ago.
When I heard someone had cancer I thought it was the beginning of their end. That they would be sickly all the time and that even if they got through it, it would come back and eventually kill them. Yes, you are thinking that too, aren't you.
Well, I have learned otherwise and quite frankly, this may be one of the reasons I'm going through this. I have already learned a lot and they haven't even done my surgery yet.
Cancer is a scary word. You don't EVER want yourself or your family to have it because it brings up awful images of frail people, with no hair, bad skin color, looking down in the mouth and just sickly!!! It brings up that scary topic....DEATH!!!
But, things are not necessarily that way anymore. I'm not saying it's good. I don't want to have cancer, but I'm also not going to let cancer become who I am. It's a sickness, a disease I must deal with, like others who learn they have diabetes, or heart trouble, or a cavity. I have it, I must be treated for it, and then I will move on with my life from it.
I don't know what's ahead but I know my cancer was caught early and it's small and the doctors don't act like it's much of a big deal. They see so much worse on a daily basis, sadly. I didn't get all good news so far, but it's not been all bad either. I've been blessed in a lot of ways already.
God has given me a peace about this and it's because I've learned through the years that I can trust Him. I'm in His hands and there are no more capable hands than His.
I've just begun this journey through cancer and it's a bump in the road I don't want to go over, but I have to.
It's a dark tunnel and I'm not sure what's ahead because I can't see. And I'm not positive of what's on the other side of the tunnel either!!! But, God is in the driver's seat and I'm strapped in and I'm smiling, because He's a great driver!!

Cleaning up the YUCK!

SORRY!! I HAD SOME PICS OF THE PRODUCTS I USE, BUT I DELETED THEM BY ACCIDENT :-)

Let me warn you that this post today is going to be a bit yucky!! So if you happen to be eating right now, you may want to stop.  It's going to deal with an issue that all parents must go through, but one that we do not like!!  If you have children you will at some point experience the gross task of cleaning up their puke :-(....yuck, gross, ewwwww! 
Whatever you call it at your house....puking, vomiting, throwing up, hurling.....it's all gross! 
And most parents have dealt with a kid who didn't make it to the correct area to dispose of their last eaten meal. My kids have puked on the carpet, the mattress, themselves, me, the floor, the shower...yes, it happens. And my kids don't even get sick very often, so I know some people have been through much worse because some kids seem to stay sick. 
So, whether it is a stomach virus or last nights mixture of burritos, watermelon, and ice cream....we must deal with it at times. Almost always at my house, the first thought when someone gets sick on something is to throw it away, burn it at the stake....jk. But seriously, what can we do when something that can't just be thrown out gets something so gross and smelly and germy on it???
I have discovered through the years some very helpful products that I'm going to now share with you. It took some trial and error and sometimes multiple things are needed for me to feel like the item in question is now CLEAN (yes, I'm a teensy bit of a germaphobe), but to me, it's worth it.

CLOTHING and/or other WASHABLE items (stuffed animals, pillows, etc...)
                   Quite by accident I have discovered a product that works great for anything that can be thrown into the washing machine. It is something that all parts of the country may not have accessible at the local store but here in these "huntin'" parts, we do! It is hunter's laundry detergent. The kind that men get to use on their clothes to remove the "human" smell from them. This supposedly helps when you're hunting, but I wouldn't know. My husband was given some of this and not long after I had some gross covered sheets to wash from a sick child. I decided to try this stuff since it removes all human smells and IT WORKED!!! YAY!!! Really, it did. Most of the time, with regular detergent, even after one or two washings, the smell of vomit would still linger some. It is just a really strong smell. But I noticed with this stuff it doesn't. Sometimes I will still run the clothes through a second time on hot with our regular laundry liquid just for a sanitizing and freshening up effect. I'm sure this type of laundry detergent can be purchased online if you don't have it locally and I'm sure there are different brands too. I'm not sure of the price because I haven't had to buy any yet. Still using what my husband was given. But because it works so well, it would be worth it to get some to keep on hand. It is super concentrated so you shouldn't have to use much and it would last a long time unless this type of thing happens very frequently at your house. 

Non-machine washable items (carpet, mattresses, furniture, etc...)
                       Not all things can be picked right up and thrown into the washing machine. That can present a problem. But I have some solutions for you. You would of course need to remove as much as you can before cleaning. I would recommend gloves or a plastic shopping bag over the hand if you have no gloves, some paper towels, and a garbage bag. Get these items out of the house asap to prevent odor issues. My next step is to get my bottle of KIDS n PETS (seen in the middle above). This is a great product that I always keep on hand. It is good for a multitude of messes and really does work. It sounds super gross, but it apparently has an enzyme in it that eats away at any remaining yucky stuff.....( I told you to stop eating:-)....I give any soiled areas a good spraying of this and just leave it alone to work it's magic for a while....30 minutes or more. The directions state you can just let it air dry or use a wet towel to blot it up. If there is a stain I will use a towel and water and work on the area. If not, I use a dry towel to blot up any liquid I can and then spray the area with a good dousing of a disinfecting spray. This is to help with the germs and again, I let it do it's stuff for a while....30 minutes or more. Usually this has taken care of the smells but I will spray another light mist of the KIDS n PETS and then let it air dry, just to make sure anything that soaked way in can get taken care of. That's the good thing about this product, whether it is puke, pee, or other accidents, this stuff will actually get rid of anything left instead of just covering up a smell. Again, you will have to look for this at your local store or order online. It's great stuff. 

OTHER TIPS
         1. If you are sensitive to the smell of vomit, it is a good idea to get some face masks. These can be picked up at a dollar store in a pack of about 10 and will help if you have to clean up something really gross and smelly.
         2. Febreze (seen above)...this is something great to use on furniture, mattresses, stuffed animals, carpets, and any other soft thing that need freshening up.  Sometimes I will use this the next day or a few days later on spots just to make sure it doesn't smell.
          3. Some would think it's over-kill but remember I'm a bit of a germaphobe, so I will get out my steam mop and use the carpet attachment (just let's it roll over surfaces) and steam any mattresses, furniture, or carpet that has been thrown up on. Yet another way to deal with germs!!!
           4. If needed I use my carpet cleaning machine  on carpets, furniture, and mattresses. Just an extra step of cleaning if I feel it needs it. 

When someone is sick, it's a bad thing. My kids always apologize for getting sick on anything, when it happens because they know I don't like to clean it up. But, as a mom, I understand they can't always help it. For me, once my child is cleaned up and doing better, the next thing is to get the germs and smell out of the house as fast as possible. The products I use work and I hope if you try them they will help you too.

Now, gross talk over for a while...you can get back to your snack!

The Games we Play

Our house is a fun one. We like to play! My daughter prefers dolls and Polly pockets, my husband...sports, and my son...games! All kinds of games...board games, sports, and especially video games. We have a Wii and a Wii U at our house, along with all the attachments and gadgets, and of course....Wii games...lots and lots of Wii games. At last count, we have about 50 games! 

Without proper organizing, those games could really get out of control and it would be really hard to find the one you want when you want it. We found all too soon in our Wii ownership that placing the game discs neatly back in the cases after playing them was not going to happen very often. 

So, I came up with a system to organize them and still have them easy to find and easy to put away. I purchased a zip-up CD case that was able to hold lots of discs, about 100 I think. Next, I gathered all our game discs and a permanent marker. I removed the discs from the cases and went to work numbering each one. I numbered the disc, the case, and the CD slot with the same number. Assigning each game disc a number makes it easy for us to know where to put the disc back when we're done with it. It also makes it easier to locate the case if it's needed. 

Game #12 looks like a fun one!

In addition to marking the front of the case, I marked the edge of the case with the number also. Because I opted to keep our game books in the original cases I wanted to file them away where we could get to them if needed.  

This system has worked very well for us and kept the games in much better shape than just throwing them in a basket (which is what was happening before :-(  

Neatly arranged on the shelf :-)

                             Easy to flip through and find the game you want!

Of course, we had to jazz up the front of the case too :-)

There you have it....a better way to organize all those game discs. This system would work well for any collection of discs that needs organizing....computer games, CD's, DVD's. And it's a great way to save space. This nice little case that zips up and files neatly away is much smaller than all those cases. 

Now, if you will excuse me...#27 is calling my name :-)

Teaching My Kids to Pray

Prayer is an important part of my life.  I talk to God on a daily basis, several times a day. Sometimes it's to thank Him for all that He has blessed me with. Sometimes it's to ask Him to meet a need. Sometimes it's to petition Him on behalf of other's needs. He is always there and always listens. I know He cares because He loves me. 

It's important to me that my kids know how to pray too. I want prayer to be a part of their life and for them to know that they can go to God with their needs and trust Him to do what is right. I've found that with prayer, like a lot of things, it's best to lead by example. When a need arises in our home, we pray about it. If one of us gets hurt or is sick, we pray for them. Whichever of us takes the kids to school for the day, we pray for them on the way there. We pray openly at home and that is also the style of prayer at our church. The point being...our kids see and hear us praying. Praying for them, for ourselves, for others. And they are learning what prayer is all about.

It's become common for them to tell us of needs they hear about during the day and pray for those at night. We have a nightly routine before bed of gathering together either on the couch or in one of the bedrooms and praying together. We start out with the "Now I lay me down to sleep" prayer and then each take turns praying our own prayer too. We also each thank God for something from that particular day. With kids, you never know what you're going to get...like "thank you God for the 2 hour delay from school this morning" ;-) or "thank you God for my toys"....but that's ok. God hears them and I believe He appreciates them thanking Him for the things that are important to them. And trust me, when I say that nothing will melt your heart like your 4 year old praying out loud for you....as in "help mommy's head to quit hurting" or "touch Daddy's back"...so sweet. 

And we are quick to point out when God has heard and answered prayer and thank Him for it. It's not that we want them to think they can take their "wish lists" to God and He will grant their requests. It's not like that. We just want them to grow up knowing that prayer works and it is something they should do. And we don't skimp on it when we have overnight guests either. Cousins or friends, whoever they have staying over is included in our prayer time. They don't always pray with us and that's ok. The good thing is that our kids are learning to pray comfortably in front of others. 

I can only hope that my kids will continue to value prayer as they grow up. It is a comfort to be able to go to God and tell Him anything and know He hears. I pray for my kids daily and I love it when they pray for me. And I'm sure God understands if they, every once in a while, thank Him for chocolate milk ;-).

GET RID OF GNATS!!!

I loathe gnats! No kidding. They are so aggravating and getting a few in the house is really annoying! They won't stay out of your face, or your food! And if you happen to have some fruit around they really get crazy. In my search for something that would rid these tiny pests from their favorite place, my kitchen, I came across something that actually works pretty well. You probably have the couple of ingredients it takes to put this together right in your cabinet. Simply take a small bowl and pour some apple cider vinegar in the bottom of it. Add a couple of drops of dish liquid and give it a little stir. Set this simple concoction around in the room where you're seeing the gnats. I usually just set mine right on the kitchen counter. Apparently the vinegar attracts the gnats and the dish liquid prevents them from being able to get out and they die there. Change as often as necessary.

There you have it. Pretty simple and quite effective.    

DUCK DYNASTY PARTY

Our church recently had a Fall Festival. Looking for something a little different than the norm this year, we picked a theme, Duck Dynasty. In a rural area like ours, where hunting and camo are common place, the hit show is popular among our church family. We had a few ideas but needed more so I set out on a search for some Duck Dynasty games, food ideas, decorations, and prizes. I went to the internet of course :-), but with little success. I ended up combining some of our own ideas with a few from my search and we had a great Ducky Dynasty themed event. I am hoping it will help to share these ideas so that anyone else hoping to host a party with this theme will have some ideas. 

                               My two kiddos as Willie and Jase

DUCKY DYNASTY GAMES
Duck Call Making - turns out you can turn a straw into a pretty good duck call. all you need is straws and scissors. if you google making a duck call from a straw you can get step by step instructions on making them. (sorry, if i was a good blogger i would have the link for you wouldn't I?). we used those bigger milkshake straws and with just a point cut in one end and some practice blowing in it, we had lots of great duck sounds! warning:  they get addictive and you get kinda tired of hearing them after a while :-)
Duck Hunt - a great family at our church took on this game and did a wonderful job. they stacked some hay bails and then put balloons that had a duck stenciled on them in front of the hay. the kids used a BB gun (yes, an actual BB gun, I told you we live in the country!! there were adults helping with every step so it was very safe!) to shoot the balloon. they used helium for the balloons and tied candy bags to the bottoms of the balloons to hold them in place, but I believe you could easily pin the balloons to the hay, too. as an alternative to the BB gun because I know that won't work everywhere, you could use darts to bust the balloons. As an alternative to the balloons you could stencil ducks onto something else (say milk jugs??) and shoot them with nerf type guns.
Go Fish - we went with the traditional game here. we put up a barrier, decorated it like a pond with some artificial trees and plants around it and put someone behind it with prizes. the pole was just a large stick with some string and a clothespin on the end to clip the prize "fish" to.
Lawn Mower Races - on one episode of Duck Dynasty they had a lawn mower race so we gathered together a couple of toy lawn mowers and made a "finish line" with some streamer and viola! instant race! the toy lawn mowers we had were the type that kids push and bubbles come out, but we didn't use the bubbles of course.
Frog Hunt - had a couple of ideas for this so i'll share them both. we were planning to hide frogs and have the kids hunt for them "egg hunt" style, but our festival was at night so that would have been difficult, even with flash lights. soooo, we created a pond using a sled. i put in some water, added some cocoa powder and maple flavoring to make it "murky" and added some toy frogs from the dollar store. they were different colors so that's how we did the prizes..find a pink frog = 1 candy, orange frog = 2 candies, etc... you could use something different to make the water dirty looking and murky but i just used what was on hand. caution here: i would use something without sugar so there is no "sticky" and have a couple of towels handy to dry hands.

Bustin' Beaver Dams - this game was a little tricky to get figured out but we knew we wanted to do it because it is one of Phil's favorite things to do on the show. i printed a beaver picture out and glued it to the front of a small box. we tilted some sticks and limbs around the box and then let the kids use "tnt" baseballs to bust the beaver dams. gave them 3 chances.
Football - because the Duck Dynasty clan has a family history in football we wanted to add that to our festival as well. we ended up with two football games, both centered around throwing the football. one was a board that had holes cut in it to throw the football through. the other one was a duck decoy hanging from a string and the kids threw a football to try and hit the duck. they enjoyed both.
Candy Guess - this is just a take on a popular "guess how many candies are in the jar" game. most fall festivals use candy corn but in line with our theme we went with nerds candies, since Phil likes to call people that sometimes :-) the nerds are small so we used a small jar and had over 1200 in there!!
Costume Contest - we encouraged anyone that wanted to, to dress up as their favorite Duck Dynasty character. we had 3 judges and gave out a prize for each age group's winner.

                                                  all the kids had lots of fun!!!!!

We gave out candy and prizes at the festival. We actually found some Duck Dynasty candy at our local Walmart but I was told at the local party supply store that there aren't any Duck Dynasty party supplies available right now (though I have seen some out for Christmas), we decorated with anything camo we could find and bought some Duck Dynasty gifts for the costume contest winners (calendar, cups, poster). We did not do anything different with our food and served the regular hotdog/hamburger fall festival food with plenty of sides and desserts.  If you really want to go all out Duck Dynasty style you could serve fish, duck, frog legs, crayfish, etc... but the kids might not enjoy that :-)

There you have it! That's how we had a Duck Dynasty themed party and the kids really enjoyed it! Feel free to add your other ideas to the comments section below to help out others looking for ideas.