Day to Day Adventure

Moving to New Domain name!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sat, 07 Feb 2015 04:11:00 +0000

My sweet husband has said go ahead and put a little money towards my blog. (LOVE him!) So all future posts for Day to Day Adventure will be at this NEW site!

I look forward to hearing from you there!

Cauliflower Pizza aka Squeezed Brains

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 15:01:00 +0000

This blog has moved. Sorry for the inconvenience!!!

The new location of this post is

Cauliflower Pizza aka Squeezed Brains

January, I’m dreaming of spring . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 00:21:00 +0000

Difficult is the word I would use to describe January. Holidays are done. Time to buckle down and get some school done. Not to mention how bitterly cold it has been. Several crisis events have happened. High stress. Hard decisions. Its all there & it is no where near ending. But I’ve seen God’s hand through it all.

I’m trying to be home more. For me that is a battle. So many responsibilities and so little time available.

Today I went to look at January pictures and was discouraged that there was only one on my camera. Then I looked at my Photostream from my phone. I am so thankful for my phone for many reasons but one of the biggest is that I can take photos even when I don’t have my camera.

Early in January Mom spent a few days with us. We had fun shopping for hats as her latest chemotherapy has caused her to loose her hair. It is hard to believe that she is still fighting through pancreatic cancer. She was diagnosed over 2 years ago. So many difficult days but there is joy in the journey. Even when the journey is all up hill.

Elizabeth’s Bible quizzing team, Squad, posed to get a group picture. We’ve been trying for several months. Not sure this is quite what I was after. LOL! They are great kids and I’m thankful that we have gotten to coach them.

Ok in general I hate having my picture taken but I kinda like this one. Many of my clothes are too big these days. I’m good with that as I’ve lost almost 20 pounds since April. I’m slowly adding pieces as I retire the baggy ones. Reasons I’m thankful. #1 it’s a new outfit—all on clearance. #2 my 17 YO daughter said I was wearing non-mom jeans(HA!) #3 I love this outfit. Dressy but not. Very comfortable & did I mention it was all on clearance?

So after my difficult January it is good to look back and enjoy the gifts God gave me in the midst of the storm as he always does.

Linking up at

Glimpses of the New House

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 04:20:00 +0000

We have been adjusting to our new home. No time for much extra besides school, meals, memorizing for Bible Quizzing and taking care of family. I’ve been gone LOTS of weekends lately so that hasn’t given us any extra down time. Last week we were home 4 whole days! Only our regular Tuesday errand day was spent in town. It was awesome to have a calm normal week. I’m so thankful for our new place and the time we get to spend here. God has really blessed us with a special place that brings peace to my soul.

A new season has snuck up on me while I’m still trying to hold on to summer. We finally got our pool put to bed for the winter this weekend. Next year we will definitely know more about what we are supposed to do.

One project I’ve completed in stolen minutes & hours is to paint the kitchen. I have a hard time in the winter with clouds and no sunshine. So the prospect of living with this dark red color(while beautiful) was giving me the willies. (Please ignore all dogs & teenagers and focus on the red. Really the teens & dogs are just accessories in the picture.)

So I primed it and painted it a lovely blue. The color of the sky. The color of a summer day. My favorite color. I can do this.

So there are still boxes around but mostly we’ve unpacked the most needed stuff and we are working on the odds and ends that do not have homes.

Here are some pictures stolen from Elizabeth’s Facebook page and they show some of the outside views that we get to enjoy. .

Falls glorious colors take my breath away

And here are a few of my own.

(Again ignore the dog)

I hope that as life slows down I can get back to scrapbooking, blogging, sharing recipes, projects and crafts. Be back soon . . . .

Linking up at

A BIG move here!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 14:04:00 +0000

We did it. We moved.

There are really no words for how much we LOVE our new place.

So I’ll just give you some pictures!

Kitchen & eat in nook

POOL!

Garden bounty! I’ve canned 7 gallons of tomatoes & there is much more to come!

More POOL time!

Kids bath!

Back of the house in the pasture with the dogs

This was the beginning of filling this room with boxes. Its full & well I’m working my way through unpacking

Movie night on Labor Day in the new place!

I will share more as we unpack & do some of the fun things we have planned for the new place. In the mean time PRAY that our previous home is LOVED by a new family soon!

Working Smarter Not Hotter!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 04:08:00 +0000

We are in house clean up mode around here as we have high hopes to sell our home this summer! It has warmed up to summer temperatures so that means getting outside early to work in the garden & yard!

The last thing I want to do when I come in is COOK! So I have been stockpiling meals and the basics of meals. As one of the things on our list is go get new counter tops & do some kitchen updating that means the meals will be ummm interesting for a week or so.

I’ve been following a new eating plan(notice it is not a DIEt) and it has been AMAZING for my energy levels. AND for the first time in forever I am off soda(and all sugar for that matter). I don’t crave it at all. If you want to check it out, then head over to the Trim Healthy Mama website.

So to make life easier I have done 3 things this week.

1. Bought strawberries while they are in season. We go through a lot of berries & it is WAY cheaper to buy them fresh & freeze them. I stalk the produce aisle at Aldi’s for those $1 boxes.

2. Bought chicken. I know everyone buys chicken but I never even put it in the frig. I cooked it up, diced it, shredded it & basically made some meals ahead of time. My favorite one is at the bottom of this post. I also caught precooked chicken(grilled) on sale last week at Kroger so I can head that REALLY quick in the microwave(cooler!) for grilled chicken salad. I also put the broth in quart jars so I have that to make up some easy soups pretty cheaply. I will freeze that soon but ran out of time!

3. Bought ground turkey. This is for breakfast mostly. We love sausage but I hate the high price! I caught ground turkey on sale this week so I used Heavenly Homemaker’s recipe for homemade turkey sausage. Quick easy breakfasts are a must!

Then I made my kids Chocolate Pudding Pops with no sugar! Thank you THM for such great recipes that are healthy!

Chicken Bacon Salad—S meal (no picture because we ate it too fast)

4 cups cooked diced chicken

1/2 c cooked crumbled bacon

1/4 c slivered almonds

1/2 c sliced celery

1 can water chestnuts

2 tsp dry minced onion or 1 T chopped red onion

1 cup miracle whip

1/4 tsp ginger

Mix it all together & serve on a bed of greens! Cool and healthy meal!

Serves 5 Calories per serving 276 Carbs 8 Fat 14 Protein 27 Tallied up from myfitnesspal.com

Diet Changes & Challenges

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 29 May 2013 00:37:00 +0000

This blog has moved. Sorry for the inconvenience!!!

The new location of this post is

Diet Changes & Challenges

Starting again

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:20:00 +0000

Its been almost a year since I posted. No excuses just reasons.

No time as I’ve managed to accomplish a REAL school year for 2012-13. We are close to finishing it all up and having a few weeks off for the summer.(PRAISE GOD!)

My mom has pancreatic cancer, lives with us & I am often away at doctor appointments.

My dad has a delusions and that has been taking up bits of time.

Blogging can take over my life and it is better to just live it some times. But that said I know that I want to post more here. Enjoy these random pictures from the past year.

You never are too old to play dress up

New puppy in the house—meet Bear

A new boy scout!

Still a kid—looking for Easter eggs!

Having fun coaching again

Michael & Rebekah announcing . . .

Something exciting in their future!

Summer’s End

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 01:54:00 +0000

I hate to see it coming. But I know it is inevitable.

The days are shortening, the university students are back in town.(and my student is -packing up his junk to move back on campus) I’ve gotten a bunch of projects accomplished around here in the last 2 months and we went on vacation for 10 days.

I haven’t been blogging because I’ve just been to busy finding my life again. The past 9 months have been really rough for our family. It probably isn’t permanent but we’ve had almost a 2 month lull in the craziness. I can’t tell you how thankful I am.

At the beginning of the summer I had the kids make sand bucket lists(not life lists just summer lists). We needed some focus on what we were going to do with our time. It’s been good for all. Here are the lists and what we’ve marked off.

Joshua

1. ~~Swim a lot with whole family~~

2. ~~Have a picnic(a real one instead of in front of a movie)~~

3. Have a sports afternoon

4. ~~Have a lemonade stand at the garage sale~~

5. ~~Game nights~~

6. Star Wars Quizzing

7. ~~Catapulting Contest~~

8. Hide and Go seek in the dark night

Megan

1. ~~Go to the pool lots~~

2. ~~Have play dates with friends~~

3. ~~Get things in their places in my room(recently moved around)~~

4. ~~Watch Return of the King~~

5. ~~Have lots of game nights and movie nights~~

6. Camping

7. Go to Silver Dollar City

Elizabeth

1. ~~Go to Colorado Springs on vacation~~

2. Go to Silver Dollar City

3. ~~Start a blog~~

4. ~~Spend time with friends~~

5. Finish my skirt

6. Have a Lord of the Rings Marathon with Kendra

7. ~~Begin driving~~

8. ~~Go to the pool some~~

Michael

1. ~~Swim a lot~~

2. Listen to thunderstorms—umm this may be the cause of the drought in the mid-west I guess

3. ~~Play games with family~~

4. Go to Silver Dollar City

5. ~~Have R family over for dinner or dessert~~

6. ~~Go on a vacation~~

7. ~~Random things with bro & sisters~~

I think I am ready for a list for the fall. I am feeling super overwhelmed about getting back in to school and all our regular activities. It will be fine but I am needing that focus again. And I want to try to knock off a couple more of theses things on the kids list. It will be fun trying anyway!

A Day to Acclimate to High Altitude

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 04:22:00 +0000

Living in Missouri in the summer is HOT! At home the temperatures are at least in the 90s and we’ve been seeing the 100s lately. Makes for great days at the pool!

So to be in Colorado right now is quite the switch. Today I wore jeans and a sweatshirt! Not complaining it is just kind of odd!

Yesterday it rained off and on all day so we spent it getting used to the high altitude. Some were headachy and all were tired.

We are pretty close to Hoosier Pass which is 11,500 feet altitude.

But the view is AWESOME!(if not a bit cool)

Michael played games with his newest friend, Lancelot(don’t ask).

This morning his cousin came for breakfast.

We were all well rested and ready for adventure after our day of down time!

Getaway Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 17:45:00 +0000

It has been a three years since we’ve packed up the kids & enough groceries & clothes for a week.

Last time we went to Yellowstone & I was pre hip surgery so walking & sleeping on anything besides my bed was not a happy thing!

We saw some amazing country and had a lot of fun! So as we planned to getaway this year we thought of going several places. There are some who prefer warm beaches & salt water(ME!) and there are some who yearn for cool pine forests and mountain vistas(Steve)!

Since Steve’s taken me to a beach for the last several years for his continuing education trip I didn’t fuss(much) when Colorado was the vote from every one!

One BIG difference this year is that Grandma & Grandpa Brush declined our invitation as they’ve had a very busy summer.

They’ve gone with us on many of our trips and we always enjoy having them along for the trip. The other difference is that we have Rebekah along for all the fun.

So far we’ve seen some beautiful mountain vistas and amazing rocks that all the kids want to climb.

After arriving at the house we rented, we had a desire to just chill out for a day. It is a good house for that. Lots of room & places to gather or hide out.

So games, naps, puzzles, reading & munching on popcorn are our goals for the day. If we get motivated we might venture out and find the local grocery store or go for a hike. But only maybe.

Removing Soap scum from Tile

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 02:30:00 +0000

Focus on My Home

Soap scum—hate the way it looks and hate how difficult it is to clean off my beautiful tile we put up the big bathroom remodel a couple of years ago.

I’ve tried many cleaners & nothing really does a good job besides my scrub brush and some elbow grease.

I like how vinegar does works on smells in my washer and how it takes hard water deposits off faucets but it is hard to get vinegar to stay on the tile walls long enough to clean the scum off. So when I saw this idea on Pinterest I was very excited!

The link doesn’t go to a website but here are the instructions to clean tile.

Source: Uploaded by user via Kim on Pinterest

“Hot Vinegar and Dawn Soap! 1 cup of HOT Vinegar (microwave 1-2 min) and 1 cup of blue DAWN liquid soap. Shake into bottle and creates a gel that will clean your showers."

Well I had to give it a try so here are my results.

I was so excited to start I forgot to get a before picture on the faucet but here is a during and after.

It did a good job getting deposits off the faucets but truly they weren’t really built up as I’ve tried to wipe them down with vinegar every so often.

Here is a good close up of the tile. The grout is supposed to be dark brown but it is a chalky grey.

A bit messy to apply but the Dawn is thick enough to cling to the tile and give the vinegar time to work.

I had to let the grout dry after rinsing to get a good picture and there was blue goo left so I headed to the kids bathroom in the basement(which I haven’t cleaned in ages—kids are in charge—yikes!)

Here is the worst tile before--very gray & chalky

After cleaning—back to the original dark gray(YES!)

Now back upstairs after a couple hours of dry time.

Better in places.

As you can see I got mixed results. Near the faucet I deliberately didn’t apply the solution to the left side so I could see if there was a difference. So this solution does a good job but you have to be careful with your application to hit all the spots or come back and hit the ones that were missed.

I liked how easy this was to mix up and apply but I will be more careful and particular in my application next time around.

Do we see gifts from Heaven?

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 03:37:00 +0000

To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. John 3:27

I have many gifts. I don’t deserve many of them.

Husband, children, home, love, work, play, friends, small things, big things, everywhere I look I am blessed through the gifts in my life.

I know that God has placed each of these gifts in my life and it is to him I give thanks & find joy.

I don’t deserve that joy but it is there.

There are so many people who don’t see the gifts. They are blinded to what they have right in front of them. I am sad to know that they could have this same joy.

Not happiness because happiness is momentary.

But joy? Deep down joy that won’t leave?

It comes from knowing you are loved so much that no matter how undeserving I am God still loves me (you, everyone) so much that he gives us gifts from heaven. Starting with life and ending with eternal salvation by believing in his son, Jesus.

I don’t want gifts from this earth.

I want them from heaven.

I want to receive them every day.

Even when storms roll through my life, even as my hands are clenched, even as I cry “Why? God what is the purpose of this trial?” I still see the gifts.

But I have to open my hand to receive them and maybe just maybe by doing so I will help others to see what joy there is even as the storm rolls on by.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 14:36:00 +0000

From our home to yours

“May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.”

Where to find inexpensive fabric?

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 03:10:00 +0000

If you’ve cruised around my blog much at all you will see that I like to make rag rugs. Using up something old to create a new thing of beauty makes me happy!

I haven’t done a TON of them because they take a while to make.

The other thing that keeps me from making a bunch of them is the cost. Fabric is PRICEY! Even when using coupons, fabric can cost an arm & leg.

Luckily rugs don’t require patterns, just color.

So I have a new habit that helps me make rugs with out breaking the bank. Anytime I am out by the Good Will I stop in to peruse. . . . the sheets. Lots of cotton fabric in colors for not much cash.

The above rug is in my girls room and it is made from a Good Will striped twin sheet set that had blue, turquoise, and lime green in it. Since their room is lime green that worked for me!

Here is my latest rug. The Vegetable Soup rug(named by Elizabeth)! I started it in November and have taken it many places. Hospital rooms, doctor visits, clogging practice, Bible quizzing trips and right here at home in my comfy chair on movie nights.

The black is a sheet on clearance at Target right after back to school time(thanks Lisa!) I also plan to hit some garage sales this spring/summer.

I’m over half way now & I want to get this one done before it gets too warm outside. Making rugs can be a WARM project which is good in the winter but not so good in the summer. . . . . besides my crowded garden takes my free spring/summer time.

What project do you have going that are “just” for the winter time?

It’s all in your attitude

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:19:00 +0000

Today could be a downer for me. Today I turn 40

(Prepare your self for lots of pictures—sorry!)

(18 years old)

(almost 19)

I’m not a teenager anymore(thank God!)

(24 years)

The 20s are a fond memory & the good old 30s are done………

(34 years)

Ever since I can remember when people ask my age they exclaim—NO way you aren’t that old. I also get “there is NO way you have a kid that old.” I like that I look younger than what my id says.

(37 years)

Today I am not going to be unhappy that I am 40. I am choosing to be thankful for all the blessings that God has placed in my life.

In fact I thought I would list some of those blessings. These are in no particular order.

1. A husband who loves me and gives me more joy than I deserve.

2. Adult son coming home “just because” he likes to hang out with his parents.

3. My beautiful, loving children

4. Flowers delivered unexpectedly!

5. Parents who love me

6. Connecting with my brother & sister recently

7. Projects to keep my hands & mind busy

8. Sunshine instead of rain—everyone knows how much I love the sun after days of winter gray.

9. Being a stay-at-home mom

10. Flowers blooming early this year!

11. Forgiveness

12. Daughters who cheer me on & laugh at my sillies

13. Food in the frig, gas in the car, clothes on my back

14. My iphone—seriously would go crazy with out it

15. Dark curtains to keep the light out when I want to sleep in on my birthday(any day).

16. Friends who forget I like to sleep in and text me at 7 am to wish me a happy 40th.

17. Death by chocolate cake with peanut butter between the layers(aaaahhhh)

18. Anticipation of a afternoon with my mom

19. Sweet hugs from my youngest

20. Grace

21. A mother-in-law & father-in-law who have helped me to grow and treat me as one of their own.

22. Friends who walk beside me, cry in sympathy, laugh for no reason, understand when there are no words left to say.

23. Adventures

24. My precious church family

25. The Brush/Schweikert clan—we aren’t hillbillies really(if you don’t count some of them)

26. Little girl giggles, big girl hugs

27. Pepsi

28. My hip—defective but functioning

29. Comfortable place to lay my head at night

30. Memories stuck down, decorated & sitting on a shelf for times when I need to remember.

31. Lessons learned, paradigms shifted

32. Abby’s companionship

33. Peanut butter

34. Plans for the future—gardens, vacations, trips

35. 21 years with my love

(39 years)

36. Warm breezes of spring

37. Energy to get up each day

38. Little boy energy, big boy compassion

39. Messes to clean, laundry to do, errands to run

40. One more breath—means that I am still here with a purpose to live out as I make this journey

I love this saying from pinterest.

Gratitude turns what we have into enough.

Try making your list—I promise you won’t be sorry.

Operation “Grandma”

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 20:47:00 +0000

On Monday my mom had her 6th chemotherapy. It went very smoothly. She hadn’t slept well the night before so she actually napped most of the 6 hours.

As of today she has had about 10 days of “feeling normal.” That is such a blessing and encouragement to her. You get really sick & tired of feeling sick & tired. At chemo mom finished the hat she’s been making for Joshua—yeah!

Today dad called to say that mom would be coming back to stay for some extra TLC at our house. We went in to Operation grandma mode!

Got her bed made up!

Stocked the frig with drink & snack options.

Cleared a counter for her medicines & notebook to track when she takes things. (my counter is never that clean on a normal day!)

Dad called back later to say that she changed her mind. She will be staying home at least one more night. I hope and pray that she doesn’t HAVE to come. But if she does we are ready!

CRAZY weekend of FUN!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 03:32:00 +0000

You might think that my whole life has taken a side road and I don’t do any of the regular stuff of life. We do have a new normal with my mom living with us for a while.

We do still do normal things. My kids are still working through their school work(albeit more slowly), the girls go to their Bible study, Joshua entertains us all by telling riddles and we’ve managed to keep up with memorizing for Bible Quizzing.

Its not easy but everyone agrees that it is worth it. My Top 10 reasons Bible Quizzing is worth it pretty much lays it all out there.

This past weekend my sister & brother cared for my mom while we made a trip up to Cedar Falls, IA to participate in a regional tournament. We took all 3 teams from Columbia. That was quite brave for the youngest team as most of them are 11-12 years old.

We were gone 36 hours. There was 12 hours of driving, 12 hours of quizzing and not much time left for sleeping.

Both the girls teams did great! Megan’s team Amnesia ended up in 19th place out of 38 teams. The best thing was that as we left one of the boys on the team said “I really love this team.” They’ve pulled together and supported each other in many ways.

Elizabeth’s team Greek Squad placed 2nd out of all the teams who went to Iowa. Their goal was stage & while they were there they made a bid for first. Everyone was super excited that they managed to get 2nd place!

I was proud of Elizabeth for getting 3 right answers and dealing with a microphone that was WAY too tall.

She has changed and grown from a girl who used to memorize quickly but not accurately to one who knows her material inside and out. More importantly I am seeing the fruit of that scripture being written on her heart. So while the trip was crazy—it is always rewarding to go and hang out with my kids while they do something we all love and know is worthwhile.

Unexpected phone call

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:15:00 +0000

Years ago(like 10) I had little people in my house. The worst time of the day was 5 o’clock hour. The kids were hungry & tired. I was exhausted & ready to turn over the reins to Steve when he walked in the door. But I had supper to prepare & have ready.

I liked to listen to Spirit FM, a Christian radio station, while I worked in the kitchen. Michelle Odell was the deejay at that time. I enjoyed her laughter and joyous outlook on life.

Really I’m going some where with this—be patient.

My normal schedule on Tuesdays is to be in town running errands. Yesterday I was home instead. The kids have been staying with my mother-in-law so I can care for mom. I won’t lie it has been a rough couple of days. Survival kinds of days.

So when the phone rang yesterday I really wasn’t expecting the blessing that God had planned for me. The sweet familiar voice I heard on the other end of the line was very familiar.

The radio station was calling listeners, who support Spirit FM(which is AWESOME by the way), to chat & see if we had any prayer requests. Did I mention that I am not normally home on Tuesday afternoon?

So I shared Michelle what our family has been going through because I knew she could relate. Did I mention that when I was listening to her so many years ago she had learned that she had breast cancer? Did I mention that I felt burdened to pray for her as she walked that journey? You just never know how or when you might get to help someone or have that blessing come back around.

Michelle asked me a few things and then she sweetly prayed for my mom. She reminded me that God is in control. The only big “C” is the one who God sent to save us. Christ is our great physician and he can do mighty things.

Sometimes I think that we must go through the tough times, the really dark and desperate times, in order to know when God sends us encouragement. In normal life we don’t always pay attention.

This is one of my favorite songs right now. . . . . I hope that you enjoy it.

Small Joys

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:52:00 +0000

The world can become very small. It can be very tiring and overwhelming. It is easy to focus on what is difficult. There is so much that is ugly about fighting cancer. It is hard to find the good in life through the fog.

Much of what my mom battles is in her mind. How do you WANT to get up and move when all you know is overwhelming fatigue. It is easy to sleep. Getting dressed is in insurmountable task that defeats you before you throw back the covers.

One of my jobs lately is to point out the good. It is there if you look for it. Some times it might be the smallest, little thing. But if it makes her smile or laugh well then it was worth it.

The ~~small~~ BIG joys from today.

1. Trip to Hy-vee to pick up a prescription. This was the first(not doctor) trip mom has had in over two weeks. She enjoyed the post Valentine’s roses & tulips.

source

2. Laughter. Several times today I joked about something I did or mom did that wasn’t that funny but it drew a laugh. Precious to me.

3. Engaging life. Today mom looked me in the eye. She called Abby, the therapy dog, over to pet her. She started conversations with me.

4. A closer family. Sadly before this journey my brother, sister & I weren’t really very close. We talked at holidays & birthdays but that has all changed. There are daily conversations flowing & we know what’s going on each other’s daily lives. I pointed that out to mom today. One HUGE blessing that has come out of this mess.

I know that tomorrow may not be a good day for mom. She knows it too. I plan to keep counting the good little joys that sneak in. It helps to chase away the fog and brings light to her world(and mine).

Therapy Dog

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:39:00 +0000

I have teased my mom that she really doesn’t come to my house to be pampered & fed & enjoy her grandchildren.

She comes to see my dog.

Abby is a sweet black lab who would let you pet her until your arm falls off. She’s sweet tempered, hardly ever barks and seems to know when mom needs a touch or company. One of my favorite sights is to see mom sleeping on the couch and Abby sleeping close by. Its like she know that mom needs a little extra loving right now.

Mom loves to let Abby lean against her and she pets her head & rubs her ears. This seems to be mutually beneficial to both of them

Abby gets her loving(which she is not lacking from the rest of the family) and Mom gets to see my her sweet puppy.

Love/Hate relationship with Drugs

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 04:04:00 +0000

The reality of fighting cancer is that you will be putting drugs in your body. Sometimes REALLY bad drugs. But you have to in order to fight the cancer.

The thing that is supposed to kill your disease in the end feels like it will kill all your energy, your desire to eat and at times your will to get out of bed and live.

I LOVE that these drugs are working for my mom. Her tumors are shrinking and that is VERY good. But she seems to be especially sensitive to the chemotherapy drugs. She is strong and relatively young(62) so she is receiving a very strong cocktail of drugs to fight her pancreatic cancer.

I HATE that mom has to have even more drugs to battle the nausea, diarrhea, confusion, pain, constipation, & others. Many of those drugs have worse side effects than the chemotherapy.

Source

Managing those drugs is an overwhelming task. When you add that to the challenge of finding something that tastes good and the paralyzing fatigue that plagues a person dealing with chemotherapy it just is more than one person can bear. So we who are watching have to come along side to help bear the burden.

I will confess that this week on more than one occasion I have just wanted to quit. Walk away from this trial that we are walking through with my mom.

Source

Much of the problem is drugs. Drugs that help with nausea cause confusion. I hate to see her sick but I also hate that her life has been come a big blur that doesn’t make much sense.

We were dealing with a stay in the hospital this week because mom’s symptoms from chemo weren’t subsiding. More drugs helped in this case & I am glad. Now that she is home we have found that those drugs cause more fatigue & confusion.

Just what she needs huh?

I would never walk away from this—let me make that clear. I do have to step back & take breaks though. It gets overwhelming and exhausting.

And I’m not the one with cancer.

Women of Faith in November 2011

Back to Scrapbooking!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:16:00 +0000

Mondays are usually a day where we are home all day. We get TONS of school done on those days.

That is super important right now as we’ve used most of our vacation time for the year. That is the wonderful privilege of home schooling. Sometimes our priorities are not multiplication tables or biology experiments. So we rearranged our schedule because the lesson that people are more important than school a priority.

I mentioned last week how we have a new normal. Well in the old normal I was a pretty organized person. The kids had assigned chores, did laundry on certain days & regularly cooked & helped with dishes.

We still get ~~all~~ almost all that done now but it is not organized. I am okay with that. That is one more lesson that God has taught me as we go through cancer with my mom. He doesn’t care if my floors are mopped(they aren’t) but he does care if I’ve taken the time to call or stop by.

Needless to say that my extra time is not devoted to my favorite hobby. I usually sleep, snuggle with kids or do laundry(never done). I haven’t touched my scrapbooking since October when I went on a weekend getaway with friends. BUT I did get my stuff out of the closet this weekend.

Now if I can just sneak away for a few minutes to journal or work on a layout. So thankful I had time for the first step to getting some time to indulge in my hobby.

How to wear a lei in your hair!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:37:00 +0000

We have been blessed to participate in a wonderful program for girls called Far Above Rubies. A sweet Christian woman organizes one afternoon a week for girls in our area. She keeps them busy with skits, songs, lessons, & snacks. They learn scripture & hear about missionaries.

It started small with just a few girls and now there are almost 100 that are involved. Elizabeth is a leader of one of the sub groups and Megan is a helper in another group.

Last weeks theme was Tropical Tuesday. One year after the blizzard that swept through the mid-west! We actually joke that it is guaranteed to snow on Tropical Tuesday and it usually does!

Megan wanted to do something new this year with her outfit. Its hard to find tropical stuff in January!

We have a collection of hawaiian type shirts & a few leis. The girls also take a beach towel to sit on at class.

Megan declared she wanted flowers in her hair so she made it work to have a lei headband.

A clip helps hold it in place. Megan’s has gotten really long so her flowers fit right in with her flowing mane! Looks great Megan!

Don’t for get your flip flops!

Vegetable Soup Rug

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Sitting and doing nothing is not a skill I possess.

I need a book. I need a project. With either of those & I can sit all day while working quietly. My kindle helps a lot with that. Been downloading free books!

It seems like in the past two months I’ve had to run out the door at a moments notice. Then when I get where I am going, then I just sit for hours waiting.

Hospital rooms, doctor visits, or sitting at chemotherapy with mom. They all have one thing in common. Time where I just sit and wait.

My solution to this is my bag. It has projects, snacks, paper, pen, gum, money & my Kindle. If I have this ready then I can grab my id, keys & I am ready for the day. It is sad when your life can be reduced to a bag. I use it for when I am running errands & dropping kid. I’m more patient if I have something to do.

My current project is a rug. I don’t really know why I love rugs so much.

I learned how to make a toothbrush rug at Silver Dollar City. It is a great kind of rug but I want a rectangle to go by my front door.

So I started a locker hook rug. I’ve made one of these before but not this big. There are a lot of great books & tutorials out there so I won’t be doing a step-by-step on this one. I will show my progress from time to time though. Currently I am about 1/3 done. The goal is to do 4 rows a day—some days I make it & some I don’t. (especially when I use the time after the kids go to sleep to blog)

Rugs seem to be what I can manage to make these days. I love quilts, cross stitch, and sewing but my rug is portable and doesn’t take a lot of concentration. Pick a color, do a row, pick another color, do a row. Not real challenging on the brain.

Elizabeth calls this rug “The Vegetable Soup Rug”

I think it is the colors. Fall colors. I will tell you the story behind the colors soon. My only attempt at frugalness lately. Not much couponing going on.

I will give a hint. Where can you buy yards of fabric without spending an arm & a leg?