A "Sweet" Weekend

I'm up late, enjoying the quiet, peaceful night.  I'm sitting at the kitchen counter and Sis and Katy are snoring lightly in their kennels behind me.  I've had two cups of hot ginger peach tea with raw unfiltered wildflower honey.  It's 49 degrees, and I needed something to warm me up.  (Supposed to get down to 43 by morning).  

Reece and I went to Gran's Saturday and today.  She just brightens up when she sees him, and he knows that she will play whatever he wants with him.  Today we made her some brownies and they ate them out on the patio while they played with cars and trucks.

I went shopping for candy and root beer tonight for "teacher appreciation day" at the kid's school.  The theme for the day is "You deserve chocolate," and volunteers were asked to bring chocolate candies, A&W root beer drinks and purchased cakes and cookies.  I'll drop them off at school tomorrow.  The teachers and staff will be surprised with their chocolate on Wednesday.

I also bought candy to hand out to the trick-or-treaters, and a little package of pretzel M&Ms because I like salty and sweet and have been wanting to taste them.  I'll try them tomorrow.

Reece needed some jeans, and I got t-shirts, socks and underwear for him as well.  I found his jacket in my closet; we thought he had lost it.  So he doesn't need a new one after all.

Dr. O suggested I take some vitamins, so I bought those, too.  I've always hated the vitamin taste and upset stomach I would get from vitamins, so I got some that are peach gummies.  Yum, they taste like candy.  I'll have to hide them from the kids.

Ron had to work all weekend on the exercise they are doing, and now it looks like it won't be executed because of the hurricane.   It was to take place in Virginia, where his co-workers have been all week.  They will be stranded there for a day or two now, because of cancelled flights.  So glad Ron didn't have to go!

I'd better get myself to bed.  Have a good week.
photo credit

Friday Five

1.  I had a PET scan yesterday.  Results next week.

2.  The bone marrow biopsy I had last week showed absolutely no signs of cancer.  And the skin biopsies were also benign.  Yay!

3.  Dr. O is giving me IV iron next week.  It's a once a year treatment, and should give me more energy.  I can't wait to have more energy.

4.  The antibiotic I've been taking seems to be helping with the sinus infection or whatever I had.  One more week on that and hopefully it will be wiped out.

5.  We've got cooler weather and gray skies, I think as a result of Hurricane Sandy.  Reece wore a jacket to school this morning, but he needs a new one.  This one was a little bit small.

That's it.

They're Home

Josh, Cyrise and the Grands are home from Rockport.  They got here about an hour ago, so excited and happy.  Reece caught five perch, and Aubrey caught three.  Cyrise said that Reece would just put his line in the water and catch a fish.  What a fisherman!  :o)

They were all chattering at once, trying to tell me what they did.  They stopped at the beach and had a picnic today before coming home, and Reece said the seagulls tried to steal their food.  He loves the seagulls.  

I got the family room cleaned up, steam cleaned all the tile (kitchen, breakfast room, powder room, hallways and foyer), and did a million loads of laundry while they were gone.  They were so pleased with the "pretty house."  :o)

I bought a new vacuum cleaner.  It's the same kind we got for Mom, a Shark (the pet hair one), and boy does it have good suction.  I never vacuum the pet hair, though, because it makes the vacuum smell like dog.  Our dogs have kennels by the back door.  They sleep inside at night, and from about 12 noon to 3 o'clock during the day.  The rest of their time is spent outside.  Their shed hair pretty much stays around their kennels, and I sweep it up with a broom.

Ron is in the middle of an exercise and has been going in at 5 AM and coming home late every night.  Most of his co-workers had to go out of town, but he got to stay here and coordinate things.  They are probably getting more rest than he is, though.

We're still having summer-like temps here.  I'm ready for fall!

  

Peaceful

Josh and his family are headed for Rockport this morning.  Cyrise's dad is down there for about a month, and wanted them to come down for a couple of days.  The kids are so excited.  They woke up early, ready to go.  Of course it always takes longer than expected to get everything packed up, and they were so impatient.  I got lots of goodbye kisses and hugs.  It is very quiet here right now.

Ron had to work for a couple of hours today.  He's not home yet.  They are starting a new exercise tomorrow, and I guess he's tying up loose ends.  I'm thankful that he didn't have to go out of town this time.

Hope you're having a good weekend!

SAMMC, My Second Home

The increased dosage of tacrolimus seems to be helping my GvH.  I still have it, but I'm not so miserable as I was last week with the itching and sore mouth.  Now it's just occasional itching and a not quite as sore mouth.  

I got the two units of blood last Friday, and when I was at the clinic today my red cell count was still within the normal range--low normal, but still normal.  

I had a bone marrow biopsy today.  (Ouch).  Won't know the results until next week.  

After the biopsy I went down to the allergy and immunization clinic for flu and pneumonia shots.  I would never get them on my own, but Dr. O insisted.  I'm worried about getting a frozen shoulder again from the flu shot, but they refused my request to get it in my buttocks.

Dr. O prescribed an antibiotic in case this cough and drainage is from an infection.  I hope it helps!

Ron picked me up about lunch time, and we went to Mom's and took her some lunch.  

Then I had to go back to the hospital for my dermatology appointment at 2:15.  They did a full body scan, looking for any problem areas, but didn't find anything alarming.  I had a couple of little white, crusty spots on my neck.  The doc removed them and will biopsy them.  He also removed a skin tag I've had for years, under my arm.  He prescribed some new kind of cream for my graft vs. host.

So it was a long day at the hospital and I'm tired.  Josh picked me up and brought me home.  He had made a roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, and steamed broccoli for dinner.  It was yummy.  Now he is baking some zucchini bread.  It smells so good.  Reece came into my room and said, "I smell cinnamon rolls."  :o)

Josh got the kids a new DVD, Ratatouille.  I'd seen it before, but watched it again.  It's a cute movie.  

Thursday At The Clinic and At Home

Spent the morning at the BMT clinic today, and I have to go back in the morning for a couple of units of blood.  Yeah, my blood count was low again.  Dr. O said the next step is a bone marrow biopsy, which he will do next week on Thursday.  He said he doesn't expect to find anything alarming, but that the biopsy will give us some good information.  I do hope it will show us what is causing my red cells not to multiply as they should.

Dr. O increased my tacrolimus to help combat the graft versus host, which has come back with a vengeance.  The other thing that would help is steroids, but I hate taking them and they make my sugar levels go crazy, so he doesn't want me back on them. 

While I'm at the hospital tomorrow, I'll get a flu and pneumonia shot and make an appointment for a PET scan.  When I get to a year after transplant, they will give me the rest of my immunizations, just as if I were a newborn baby (well, I do have a newborn immune system).  December 7 (Pearl Harbor Day) will be my one year anniversary, or as they say at the bone marrow clinic, my new birthday.

In the afternoon I sat with Reece while he did his homework, then we made a little sight word game that I found here.  He loves playing with cars, and did better with his sight words than he does when we use boring flash cards.  Aubrey and Cammie thought the game was pretty neat, too.  I would call out one of his sight words, and he would park his little car on it pretty quickly.  He filled up all the parking spots and got a gold star.  :o)

This evening I watched the debate.  Ryan won, hands down.  

I'm glad tomorrow is Friday and the weekend is almost here.  This has seemed like such a long week. 

October Chill

We've had lows in the 50s the past two nights.  Brrr!  The sunshine warms us back up during the day, but it is feeling like autumn around here.  I know those of you in the northern states are laughing at our "cold" temps, but they feel cold to us.  

Ron and I saw a family of four deer when we got home from Mom's today.  They were eating acorns out in the street down the hill from our house.  Two of them were fawns.  I didn't see the buck, but he was probably around.  The little ones were jumping around and acting so cute.  The grands enjoyed seeing them (Reece and Aubrey).  Amazingly they were still and quiet, so didn't scare the deer away.    

Tonight I went out to get some forgotten bags out of the trunk of the car, and I heard one of our owls hooting.  Oh I love that sound!

My tea olive is blooming.  It always blooms when the weather is cool.  Unfortunately, I can't smell it because I still have a cold.  I'm going to try organic apple cider vinegar with the "mother."  I've been reading about it online, and it seems like it might help my congestion.  You just put a tablespoon or so in a glass of water and drink it.  You can also use the vinegar over a salad.  I like vinegar with spinach.  I got some coconut oil, too, since I've heard good things about using it.  

Ron seemed to get over his cold and hoarseness quickly, once he got home.  He was off today for Columbus Day, but the kids had school.  Their parents have conferences with their teachers tomorrow (Reece) and next Monday (Aubrey).

Reece and I went to Walmart tonight.  Every time we finish working on his sight words or writing or whatever, he asks if he gets a gold star.  I never have any stars, so tonight we went to get some.  We had to go to Dollar Tree to find old fashioned gold stars; Walmart didn't have them.  And of course he wanted a couple of other little $1 things--a pointer that looks like a little hand in a white glove pointing with index finger, and some rubber erasers shaped like cars, trucks, tractors, boats, etc.  We got the girls some girly erasers, but they were already in bed when we got home.  None of them really use the erasers as erasers; they like to play with them.  They (the erasers) will be all over the house tomorrow.  :o)

Friday Five

1.  It's Friday again already, and another week has flown by.  Ron will be home this afternoon, yay!  He sounded awful when I talked to him on the phone--very hoarse.  I can tell he doesn't feel well at all.  I hate flying.  It's so germy.

2.  Reece and Aubrey have "early out" at school today.  Reece was so happy about that.  He wants to go with me to see Great Gran.  She will be glad to see him.  She told me yesterday that she has been missing him.  After that we will pick up Papa at the airport.

Aubrey goes to afternoon pre-K, so she will go early today for only a couple of hours.  Seems like a waste of time to me, but she was asking her daddy this morning to take her to school.  She likes it.  

3.  Sometime today I will need to go to the SAMMC pharmacy to pick up my tacrolimus refill.  The gvh has gotten worse the past two weeks, and I sure don't want to be without the tac.  I will see my docs next week.  Hope they will have additional suggestions about how to control the gvh.  It's affecting my skin again.  I can't complain too much; at least I'm alive and cancer free.

4.  Are you registered to vote?  Here in Texas the registration application has to be postmarked 30 days before the election, so if you're not registered, time is short.  I don't know if that applies to other states.  

5.  Our high temp on Sunday is supposed to be 64 degrees!  It will really feel like fall.  

Have a great weekend.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant

A couple of my latest favorites.

For Lyssa and Jason

Thought you might like to hear this.  So pretty!

Just Tuesday

Not feeling the best today, and I'm certainly in no mood for naughty children, as little miss Aubrey found out earlier.  She thinks I am the meanest gramma ever, and that's fine by me.  Uh oh, now she's in here wanting me to make something out of playdoh.  I guess I'm forgiven.

Mom called me earlier to say that "the beans are done."  :o)  She's so cute.  Yesterday when I was there I put a pot of beans on to soak.  I told her that I'd make them when I got there today.  I was going to put onion, browned ground beef, a can of tomatoes and seasoning in them.  She was so proud of her homemade beans, so I just made a pan of cornbread to go with them.  We ate some for lunch and they were very good.

Ron left yesterday on yet another out of town trip.  I think he will be home on Friday.

During the week since I posted last, we've had some rain and cooler weather.  Today was gorgeous; blue skies and cool breezes.  But it's supposed to get hot again tomorrow, and into the 90s on Thursday.   Because of the rain, it's nice and green here again, though.

Not much of interest happening around here lately.  Life goes on as usual, thank goodness.

Happy 8th Birthday, Jacob!

I hope you are having a super birthday, Jake!  

You are growing up so fast.

All of us here send much love.

Hugs and kisses!