Rain, snow, sleet....

Just like the mailman, Gordon and I travel through most of the nastiest weather that Mother Nature decides to throw our way. 

Like today. 

(Gordon is driving; I'm passengering)

Road Tripping with Cousins!

EDITED TO ADD:  I wrote this other day, and thought I'd published it. Unfortunately, I see that it hadn't actually published. Sorry for the delay!

I have been wanting to get up to Vermont to visit with Mom for months now. I haven't had a free weekend to be able to do it. Hating that at least one of every weekend day has been booked from here to eternity, making a weekend getaway to Mom's impossible, I decided that I could still do something about it. I decided to make a day trip out of it; to drive up to Mom's, visit for a few hours, and then head back home. 

This past Saturday, I did just that. I'd hoped that Gordon could make the trek with me, but he woke feeling that it may not be such a good idea. Rather than make the trip by myself, I called one of my sisters and asked her to join me. She readily agreed, and brought along two of her three kiddos. (I'd told her that I would be bringing The Littles with me)

Will and Nora LOVED getting the extra special time with their cousins!

(Please excuse Alyssa's grimace -- I simply caught her as she was glancing up....my intended photo targets were Will and Christoher -- I couldn't get over how adorable they both looked, donning their fire hats!)

The kiddos played happily at Nana and Bert's while Becky and I visited with Mom. 

It ended up being a long day, and wasn't as satisfying as a full weekend at Mom's could be, but it was well worth it!

Where's My Green Thumb?

I am a plant killer. 

I didn't used to be. I used to have beautiful, luscious houseplants. I used to be able to take clippings, root them, and have MORE plants. 

NOW, my poor plants are dying off. They're soon to be listed on the extinct plant list.  (I DO have a few other pots that don't look as dismal as this, but they certainly aren't much happier.)

As sad as I am to see this, I realize it is primarily that I am in survival mode right now.  Only the bare minimum is getting done around this house for the time being. Caring for houseplants isn't a priority. If my few remaining houseplants don't survive the apocalypse, I'll simply have to worry about replacing them when I am in a position to care for them once again. 

Passing the Time

When Gordon has a treatment or oncology appointment, we never know just how long we'll be stuck at the hospital. A number of months ago, I came up with a brilliant remedy for this problem. (Have I already blogged about this?!) 

I keep a deck of cards in my purse.

Now, whenever Gordon and I are faced with a long wait at the hospital, a diversion is literally at our fingertips!

Playing cards helps to pass the time. Playing cards keeps us from getting bored or agitated from the long wait. Most importantly, it's a way to enjoy eachother's company rather than ignore each other while sticking out respective noses in magazines or perusing the web on our phones. 

M&Ms Pancakes

M&M Pancakes. It's what's for dinner. 

No more pets!

When I was a younger, Mom announced that there will be no more pets in our house. This pronouncement was made not long after we said goodbye to our beloved Goliath. He was the family cat, though he'd been a gift to my twin and I for our birthday one year. 

NOW I know why Mom would make such a declaration. NOW I understand why she could unilaterally decide to never wish to snuggle with a warm and cuddly kitty cat.  NOW I get it. 

I just had to sit down with my children and explain to them that our missing kitty is missing no more. She is no longer missing, but she'll never return home again. Our sweet Dusty has gone to Heaven. 

Dusty had been missing for a few days. She has always been quite the outdoor kitty, always hunting and then leaving her catch for us to admire on the sidewalk or patio. Knowing this, I was trying not to worry much when Gordon and I realized we hadn't seen her in a few days. Being outdoors as much as she was, she still came inside a few times during the day, usually. 

All of our worries were realized tonight when a neighbor called to ask if we were missing a cat. She'd found the body in her backyard. I do not know the details, I do not wish to know them. I'm simply choosing to believe that Dusty must have gotten into something poisonous and keeled over in Jen's yard. 

Telling my kiddos that Dusty is gone was one of the hardest parenting moments I have ever faced. All of the kids are sad, but Dianna is devastated. She was especially fond of Dusty, often snuggling with her. My poor, sweet, sensitive girl is going to miss her favorite cat for a very long time to come. 

And now I, too, am beginning to see the wisdom in vowing to not get any more pets. I haven't gone that far (yet), but I am tempted to. It's simply too hard to watch my kiddos hurt like this. 

Even Mother Nature is Confused!

As I was walking back to the front door this morning, after getting the kiddos safely on the bus, a bright flash of yellow caught my eye. 

It is one of my forsythia bushes. 

A whole branch of blooms!  

I think even Mother Nature is confused by the weather that's been happening lately. 

Curls, curls, curls

The final result:

The overall effect was already quite a bit more relaxed by the time she headed out to the bus. I won't be the least bit surprised when she returns home this afternoon with completely straight hair. My poor girl was blessed with hair that is straighter than straight. Just like her Momma had when I was her age. 

Rag curls

Dianna decided that she'd like to have curly hair tomorrow. She's been reading a book that is filled with neat tricks, crafts, and tips for girls. One of the tips for girls was what they called "denim curls". 

I call them "rag curls". 

She insisted that she needed denim to cut into strips, even though I have plenty of flannel that could have been used. Lucky for her (and me!), I also had a few pairs of jeans that needed to be trashed. 

Of course, since she was having. A hard time rolling her hair all by herself, I ended up doing it all myself. 

I'm curious to see how how it will look in the morning. And even more curious how Dianna will like it. We shall see. 

Non-Scale Victories

Similar to my need of finding silver linings, I also like to look for "NSV"s. Non-scale victories. Simply put, they are physical and/or visual proof that one has lost weight -- without having to have the scale tell you. 

Today's NSV is that I am wearing dress pants that I haven't worn in four years. Not only do they fit once again, but they look GREAT on me, if I do say so myself. 

It's important to find NSVs like this when on a health and weightloss journey. If you focus too much on the numbers, you can easily become obsessed. I can, at least. 

Besides, what's more empowering than zipping up a pair of slacks that were once too tight to even pull up past your thighs?!

Two Minutes!

I know.  I haven't posted in forever again.  I simply haven't had the time!

All I want is two minutes.  Two minutes to put my feet up.  Two minutes when I'm not rushing from one event or practice to the next.  Two minutes to just BREATHE.

Let's just say that schedules have gotten more than a little hectic these last couple of weeks.  I'm anxiously looking forward to the end of soccer season.  I hope that things will calm down then, even just a little.

Until then, know that we're doing well.  Gordon had an MRI two weeks ago that (finally!) showed positive progress!!  The kids are all settled back at school.  Cooler weather has come, which I'm loving.  There's nothing better than sweater-wearing-weather, in my opinion!

Till next time.....!

Boredom Busters

What does one do to bide the time in a hospital waiting room?  

Play Rummy!

Or War!

My very best friend sent me a care package a number of months ago. In it, she included all kinds of things. Each item had a special, handwritten note. This deck of cards was had a label that said, "Boredom Buster #1". 

I now keep this deck of cards in my purse. It comes in handy on days like today. Days when we arrive at Smilow at 8:45am and sit in the waiting room forever. Seriously -- Gordon was called back sometime after 9:30am to have his blood drawn, and then we continued to wait for an open chair in the infusion pods until almost 11am. Now, at almost 12noon, we're still waiting for his meds to come up from the pharmacy. At this rate, I don't expect we'll be out of here much before 1:30pm. IF we're lucky. 

Summer is over?!

Welp, we're just about at the end if August already. This is only my second blog post for the month. Wish I could fill you full of our fun adventures. Wish I could regale you with hilarious antics. Wish I could tell you exactly what we've done with all this time. I can't, really. 

We DID go to Stephen and Kim's housewarming party.  We had Dave, Heather, Wayne, Rob, and Stephanie over for a small BBQ (or, as Larissa would put it, a grilling party). We went to dinner with Laurie, Kevin, Kathy, Donna, and (the other) Laurie. Gordon and I attended his HS class reunion. I took the three girls to our town's annual fair. 

We did NOT go to the beach. We didn't go hiking. We didn't visit Gillette Castle or the Mark Twain House. We didn't sneak up to VT for a quick visit with Mom and Bert. We didn't spend the day in Newport. We didn't go camping at the beach. We didn't go camping at all. 

Two days from today, the kiddos will all be back at school. I have no idea where the summer went, but it's winding down rapidly. 

What happened to July?!? and other randomness

Holy cow!  I completely lost July.  We were busy, but not so much that I could fill you with details of all that we did.  Mostly, we just lived and enjoyed the every day.

Eleanor spent two weeks in Vermont with Nana, Bert, and cousin Alyssa.  She had a blast.  Amanda, Will, and I drove up for the weekend in between so that we could celebrate Nora's 6th birthday with her.  Couldn't NOT celebrate with my girl, now could I?

I ran a 5K.  The first one I have run in four years.  I did rather well, considering how UN-athletic I truly am.  Of course, I trained for it using a Couch to 5K running app on my iPhone.  In the couple of weeks since my run, I feel like I haven't put as much effort into running as I had.  Time to find another 5K or two to register for to keep myself focused!

Along with my running again, I am proud to say that I have been working towards getting back to my goal weight.  I've been actually WORKING towards it these last few weeks, rather than 'trying' in a half-hearted manner, which is what I'd been doing for the last three years.  I haven't been more than 15ish pounds from goal, but haven't been successful in making the scale budge until recently.  It's amazing what a focused, mini-goal will do for a gal.

The summer is half over and I think I could probably count on my two hands the number of times the kiddos have gone swimming in the pool.  The summer has been warm, but we haven't had record-making heat waves.  Plus, the lure of hanging out in the cool, air-conditioned house must be too tempting for them.  Perhaps I should switch off a few breakers one morning, just to see if the kiddos decide to swim when there is nothing else to do.

We FINALLY have scheduled a couple of camping weekends.  Of course, they won't be until September.  That's what happens when you wait too long to book a weekend of camping -- the campgrounds get all filled up and don't have room for new reservations!

The kids will be getting ready to go back to school before we know it.  This means that I'm going to need to figure out time to go back-to-school shopping in the near future.  Thankfully, I've never been one of those moms who purchases a whole new wardrobe for Sally and John to start the school year.  I usually get the kids a new outfit to wear on the first day of school, new sneakers and shoes, and school supplies like paper, pens, and pencils.  It can all be done in one afternoon, if I'm totally focused and have enough cash.

I bet a lot of you are looking for an update on Gordon.  Well, there isn't much to say.  He's been plugging along, getting his monthly vaccine that is part of the clinical study, and doing 5 days of chemo every 28 days.  His last MRI wasn't the most encouraging, but it doesn't necessarily mean the absolute worst either.  We're trying to remain cautiously optimistic while also taking one day at a time and focusing on what we can do -- which is enjoy every moment for what it is.

New 'do's!!

You may have noticed in my last post that Eleanor's hair is much shorter than it has been. 

We visited my friend, Carrie, on Friday to get our hair done. Carrie realized that Eleanor had enough length to be able to donate. 

Now, Nora's hair is shorter than ever -- and absolutely ADORABLE!

My hair is also much shorter than it has been in a number of years. It feels so much lighter! I can't stop myself from running my fingers through it!

Selfie madness!

Yesterday, while waiting for Grace and Dianna outside the karate dojo, Eleanor pronounced that she was bored. She wanted something to do. I tossed her my cell phone and told her to take some pictures. I didn't expect her to take 60+ selfies!

Below are just a few of the silly self-portraits she took. 

My sun-catching angel

We are little more than a week and a half in to Summer Vacation and my littlest angel is already many many shades darker than I. 

Take a look at this picture I just shot of our two arms, side by side. 

Man, do I wish I had her coloring!

No More Middle School for Grace!

Last Monday night was the Eighth Grade Promotion Ceremony at the local Middle School.  I think at least 75% of the entire town was there!  We arrived shortly after 5pm, only to find most of the seats had already been taken.  For a ceremony that wasn't scheduled to start until 6pm.

It worked out well enough.  We sat on the bleachers on the side.  (Thank goodness Grace had told me which side she'd be sitting on!)

The 6th and 7th graders who are in band play live music for the ceremony.  Dianna was happy to get to wear something besides their normal concert attire.  She chose a lovely pink dress that we got on a recent shopping trip.  Our seats on the bleachers gave us a great view of both of our girls!

At the start of the ceremony, the 8th graders entered the gymnasium two-by-two.  Sorry for the darkness of some of the pictures.  I was trying to use my telephoto zoom lens.  It does much better in natural lighting.

I think Grace was pretty nervous.  She DID smile when she spotted me with the camera, but that shot came out very blurry.  Bummer.

After the ceremony, she was a MUCH happier girl.  Here she is with her cousin Amanda.

I couldn't resist but take a picture of Dianna and her girlfriends.  These are the sweetest girls ever.  I'm ever so thankful that Dianna has such great friends by her side.

Finally, a picture of Gordon and I with our girl.  We are both so very very proud of her and all of her accomplishments.  We look forward to seeing all that she'll tackle in the next four years as a High School Student.

Fashion designer?

I found this laying on the coffee table this evening. Dianna had been working on it earlier. It looks like we have a future fashion designer on our hands!

Flies!

It's that time of year again....

The time where we have to hang fly strips  in strategic locations throughout the house. I hate the look of them hanging around, but it is a necessary evil in these parts. Just a small price to pay for living in the country. ;)

Dressy Dance

Grace attended the middle school's annual Dressy Dance this past Friday night. It is a dance hosted by the school's Student Council, held annually for the 7th and 8th graders. 

The difference between last year and this year is immense. 

Here is a picture of Grace (and Gordon!) from last year:

And this is from this year (pictured with her friend, E):

Little girl no more!

Friends

This past weekend, My two very best friends both flew in from out of state to visit. We ate lots of seafood and fries, drank our share of local(ish) beers, spent a day in Newport, and had lots of laughs. I <3 those two!!

I hate that we have more than half the country separating us, but love that I have such wonderful women in my life. They challenge me, support me, and love me through everything. I am blessed. 

Mother's Day

Hope all you mothers had a fabulous day yesterday!  

Below are my two favorite gifts from the children:

Apparently I'm a youthful-looking pushover. But at least I'm regal when I laugh and make desserts. 

Bookworm

Eleanor is turning into quite the bookworm!  She picked out this chapter book from the library last night. She is so proud to be able to read most of the words all by herself!

William-ism

This morning is Easter. The kiddos woke early this morning, excited to see what the Easter Bunny may have left for them. 

One of the candies left in the baskets was KitKats. Will's favorite chocolate bar, or so I thought. I thought wrong. 

Wull's new favorite chocolate?  Crunch bar. "Because it spells 'run' in it!!"

Happy Easter!

Spring Break

The kiddos are off from school this week.

The Littles are spending the week with Nana in Vermont.

I took a road trip on Saturday to drop them off.  Up and back in one day isn't all that bad, though it makes for a long day.  Luckily, it was a gorgeous day for road tripping.  Plus, I had two awesome co-pilots -- both my sister, Rachel, and my niece, Amanda, went along for the ride.  We chattered the whole trip away.

Yesterday morning, both Grace and Dianna sang with the Junior Choir and Children's Choir at church.  It was a lovely song.  I took a video of it on my phone.  I'll see if I can get it uploaded later today to share with y'all.

After church, Dianna and I went to the movie theater to (finally) watch Divergent.  I'd promised her that we could both go to see it a few weeks ago.  While it strayed from the story in the book here and there, Dianna and I both agreed that it was a very good version anyway.

We rounded out the day with a dinner date for the four of us, followed by some outdoor time.  Dianna and Gordon rode their bikes a bit while I worked in the flower gardens.

This week of Spring Break is shaping up to be a great week filled with lots of quality time for Gordon and me and both of the big girls.

Bright lights, big city

Grace is on her way to Washington, DC. Almost the entire eighth grade of the middle school is going. It is an annual class trip. They will ride a coach bus down (about 10hrs, the kids were told) and will stay four to a room at a hotel. 

I'm jealous. I have never been to DC. 

I'm worried. All the worries of a mom. 

I'm excited. I know she is going to have a blast!

Pictures and video from the Karate Tournament

I'm finally back with the promised videos, and a couple of extra pictures too!

First is a video of Grace performing the One Pinion for her Kata competition.

Next is a video of Dianna performing the Four Pinion for her Kata competition.

And now, a picture of both of my girls showing off their medals.

And, finally, a selfie I took of the three of us.

Karate Tournament

Every March, the dojo that the big girls go to host a charity tournament. Today is the day for this year's tournament. 

Since Grace just started karate in January, this is her first tournament to compete in. I just took a video of her doing her Kata. I'm going to try to upload it now, to share with y'all. If it doesn't work, I'll have to try again later, when I can do it from our computer. 

Welp. Looks like y'all will have to wait. I can't figure out how to do it from my phone. :(

No Thank You's

I really stink when it comes to sending Thank You notes. 

When help and support started pouring in while Gordon was still in the hospital, I promised myself that I would diligently write out and send thank you cards to each and every person who helped us. I did really well for a while. Thank you cards were being mailed out regularly. 

Round about six weeks into the New Year, I lost track of my thank you card writing. I got tired. I had other things to do (like driving kiddos back and forth to activities and commitments).

These last couple of days, I have started to think about my put-off task of writing thank yous. Part of me knows that I should just dig in and start doing it again. But I'm overwhelmed. 

Cause for Celebration

Today was Gordon's last day of radiation. 

We couldn't let this momentous day go by without celebrating it, could we??

The kiddos and I picked up some balloons, noisemakers, a card, cake, and ice cream. We'll be celebrating in style tonight!

Sad news

I'm very sad to say that Gordon's dad passed away yesterday.  This was VERY unexpected.  We're still in such shock, trying to process.

(Herb) Dad was such a loving man.  He loved his children and grandchildren with all he had.  He would help a complete stranger in a heartbeat.

I regret that my kiddos didn't get to spend more time with their Grandpa.  We visited him in KY only a couple of times.  Dad and Pauline both made the trek from KY to CT a few times in the years that I have been married to Gordon.  There were also a couple of trips-in-between, when we got to spend time with them (and other family members!) in WV or PA.

I know that we have gained another guardian angel, who will be watching over us, but we will sorely miss this great man.

Games!!

Over the weekend, I played Checkers a few times with William. 

Tonight, I am playing Uno with Eleanor. 

I forgot how much fun such a simple childhood game could be. Especially when they are accompanied by giggles and chatter. 

Hair Loss

This past Saturday, I noticed that Gordon had a 'swish' where his hair had really thinned, just above his left ear.

I also noticed quite a few short hairs clinging to the shower walls. 

Yesterday morning, Gordon rubbed his head and made it rain hair. 

By the time I got home, this is what his head looked like:

Mostly all there on the right, except for where his scar is....

Mostly all gone on the left. 

Poor guy. He looks like he has mange!

I offered to shave the rest of his head last night, but he declined. Perhaps I'll convince him to let me do it tonight or tomorrow.