Happy Thanksgiving!!

I have so much to be thankful for.  I'll just list a few of them.

• My sweet husband
• The fact he made it home at 8:30 this morning and will be at Thanksgiving dinner :)
• My boys
• Doug and Jordan both have good jobs
• My mom's tumor is shrinking
• Family
• Friends
• Jesus
• So very much more that I can't even list it all

I hope everybody has a fabulous Thanksgiving Day!!

Thankful Thursday

A week until Thanksgiving! Unbelieveable!! 

Right now I am so incredibly thankful for a good report my mom received.  She had a scan done this past Monday.  And after her 1st round of chemo, her tumor is shrinking!!  PTL!

She's now completed round 2 of chemo and is going for 2x a day radiation treatments for the next 3 weeks.  I'm looking forward to even more good reports :)

What are you thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for the opportunity to spend time with my mom and gramma.  We went to our favorite yarn store, Knitting on the Square.  We sit, knit, talk, eat, talk, shop.  It is a fabulous day! 

Here we are several weeks ago.  Mom, me and my gramma.  Three generations of knitters. 

Speaking of my mom, here's an update on her. She completed her first round of chemo and has now lost her hair.  She looked absolutely adorable today in her pink hat that one of the gals from knitting made for her.

Monday she starts her 2nd round of chemo.  She will have chemo for 3 days in a row again.  She also starts radiation on Monday.  She will go 2x a day for 3 1/2 weeks along with chemo.  I am so glad they are aggressively treating this cancer, but feel so badly that Mom is going to feel yuck.  She's tired and in much pain right now. She said she now knows how I feel.  I'm glad she won't always have to feel like this.

So I am incredibly thankful for the afternoon with Mom.  How about you?  What are you thankful for today?

Three Weeks until Thanksgiving!!!

Can you believe it?  I absolutely have no clue where this year went to.  My oldest is going to be 19 this month! Where did those years go?

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving? 

We've not yet decided what we are going to do.  Cook and invite people?  Stay home alone?  Go to my dad's house?  We better decide quickly, eh?

In honor of the Thanksgiving turkey prep, here's one of my favorite turkey commercials :)  Well darn, I can't figure out how to embed the video in the blog post.  Didn't there used to be an icon for that?

Anywhere, HERE it is (link to youtube).

Blog Giveaway!

My friend, Robin, is celebrating her 100th blog post with a give away.

Robin is a talented seamstress and makes the most gorgeous aprons! She will be giving away a 1/2 apron.

So hop on over and leave her a comment.  She's picking the winner on Sunday!

Happy 20th Anniversary To Us!!

Wow!  Doug and I have been married for 20 years.  It just doesn't seem possible!  It has been a crazy ride, and I'm so glad to have gone through it with my best friend.  I look forward to many, many, many more anniversaries.

And some pictures.

Our engagement picture

I'd LOVE to have that skin and hair again. 40 year old skin just doesn't look like 20 year old skin.  And I think I've lost 1/2 my hair in the past 20 years.  Doug, however, looks even better now!

Look at those huge puffy sleeves!  I don't think you can buy those any more :)

We didn't know how to dance yet,

but we faked it real well!

My very favorite wedding picture.

And here we are now!  We are more in love today than the day we got married. 

We've been through so much.  Our marriage truly is a miracle.

Babe, I love you more than anything!

Happy Anniversary!!!

Woo Hoo Isaac!!!!

Isaac is an avid deer hunter. He's been hunting for 3 years and has yet to bag a deer, that is until today!!

He was up and out the door at 5ish this morning. By 8:15 am he had a deer. A 7 point buck no less, weighing in at 125 lbs. field dressed! One arrow and he dropped it!

He has never field dressed a deer. He's never witnessed anybody else field dress a deer. He has watched YouTube field dressing videos. He went a little overboard on the field dressing, but he cleaned it totally out! So that is fair warning that you will see split open deer in this picture.

WAY TO GO ISAAC!!!!!

Life is busy!

Wow are things busy here!

We're settling into our 13th year of hs'ing.  It is so different to be schooling 2 instead of 3.  Nice I must admit :)

Jordan is working hard at his job.  He works the midnight shift at a plastic factory.  He bought a new to him car; '04 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder Convertible.  It's a sharp car!

Jordan bowled his first ever 300 Game! a few weeks ago!  Way to go Jordan!! He and Isaac had both come close (288 and 290) and we were wondering who would hit 300 first.  It was Jordan!

Isaac has been heading into the woods as often as possible, hoping to bag a deer.  We're all rooting for him!

Isaac and Allen have been busy working their dock business.  Jordan is too busy with work and has moved on and Allen moved up.

Allen is counting down the weeks (I think there are 5 now) until he can get his driver's permit.  Oh my gosh!  Where did the years go?

Doug and I went away for our anniversary last weekend.  We had a nice, although rushed, time.  We'll be married 20 years next week. 

I'm hoping to get away to visit a girlfriend in PA for a few days sometime this month.  I'm also hoping to take the boys to the lake next week for one last overnight, weather permitting.  Today it is a high of 43, tomorrow 38, and SNOW!  I'm SO not ready!  But it's supposed to be sunny and 50 the beginning of the week.  So we'll see.

So how are things going for you?

Some updates on my mom

I went to the oncologist with my mom this past Monday.  I really liked him, and so did she.

She met with a surgeon on Tuesday about having a port put in.  They will do that on the 21st.

Today she has a PET Scan.

She starts chemo on the 26th and will also get the results of her PET Scan at that time.  She may or may have radiation, depending on the scan results.

I appreciate your continued prayers for my mom and our whole family.

Our family sure needs your prayers!

I copied this from my mom's blog.

I have been really ill--diagnosed with SIADH--which I do not really understand it--it has to do with ineffective anti diuretic hormone and my sodium dropped very very low and I was unable to function for 7 days.. I then spent 7 more days in the critical care unit to treat and find they cause.. And the cause was found. They found a lesion on my lower right lung--which is what they feel triggered the SIADH. It was biopsied and it is a small cell cancer. for now that is all we know. I will see an oncologist on Oct 12--have more testing to determine stage etc and then they will decide on treatment. I do know it is not operable.

I spent yesterday Googling.  Googling isn't so fun sometimes.  My mom, all of us, would appreciate your prayers.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am incredibly thankful that I can move. I hurt my back on Sunday. Every day I have been feeling better. I am still in pain, but I am able to do all I need to do.

I'm thankful for the beautiful week I had at the lake with Isaac and Allen. What a great place to recover. We go home today.

I am so thankful that tomorrow is Friday, which means Doug comes home sometime!!!!

What are you thankful for today??

Why are mothers so judgmental of each other?!?!?!?

I do NOT understand why (some) mothers feel the need to judge others on their parenting decisions.

I know better, really I do, than to get involved in the breast vs. bottle debate on the SL forums. It always turns hot. But here I sit resting my back, in severe pain and on drugs (not a good combo for staying out of debate LOL) and just didn't stop myself.

There are so many choices in parenting. They start before the baby is even born!

• Hospital birth or birthing center or home birth
• Totally natural or utilize drugs
• VBAC or repeat C-section

And the choices just go on and on and on, don't they?

• Breast, bottle, both?
• Cloth diapers or disposable diapers or elimination communication
  
• Family bed or crib
• Attachment parenting or Baby Wise
  
• When to start solids
• SAHM or Working Mom
• Public school, private school or home school

Doug and I made the choices we felt best for our family. We had 1 hospital birth and 2 home births. I exclusively breastfed, tandem nursed and extended breast fed. We had a family bed. We home school our children all the way to graduation! We feel these are the best decisions for our family!

Guess what?!?!? I really don't care if you don't choose the same way I did. All of those things are valid and have pros and cons when it comes to parenting.

I also don't want to hear how I'm a horrible mother if I didn't do it your way. I am not selfish nor am I lazy. I am happy and confident in all of the choices I've made. I don't want to hear snide remarks about how I educate my children. I also don't want to hear you complain about the public schools and then criticize my educational choices.

But in return, I will not criticize your parenting choices. What difference does it make to me if you have a medicated hospital birth, bottle feed, go back to work when your baby is 6 weeks old, let your babies cry it out in their cribs and send them to public school when the time comes? Those are your choices! I will not criticize you. If asked, I will offer an opinion. But I will do my very best not to sound like I'm coming from my high horse and my way is the only way and it's God's only way!

So, ladies, wouldn't it be so much better if we encouraged each other along the way. Just because somebody does it differently than you do should not make you feel threatened nor should it make you judgmental!

I am SO glad God only expects me to answer for my own family. It's all I can do to make sure I/we are following God's plan. I really don't have time to make sure you and yours are too!

Thankful Thursday

My friend, Bethany, over at The Land of Curly Hair does a weekly Thankful Thursday blog post. I thought I'd borrow it and join in the fun :)

Today I am thankful that I will be spending the afternoon and evening with my Gramma. After school Isaac will drive over to pick her up (Have I mentioned how much I love having my kids drive?? Well, I do!) and bring her back here. Then I'll drive an hour to the yarn shop.

We will sit and knit, chat with each other and the other ladies that come to knit, have coffee and eat goodies, and shop :) It will be a lovely day! The only thing that would make it better is if my mom were able to join us.

So what are you thankful for today??

Woo Hoo!!! First day of school :)

We're starting our 13th year of home schooling today \o/ The first year schooling only 2 in years and years. Jordan graduated this spring and is now working full time. Where does the time go? Only 2 more first days of school ever!! Ok, I'll stop that now before I get all sniffly :-P

It is the perfect weather for school starting; rain, gray, rain, dark, rain, cold, rain, rain. All week until Friday even! Great weather for hunkering down and reading. I'm so glad we delayed starting and enjoyed the beautiful, sunny, dry, warm weather last week!

I am so blessed to have the privilege of educating our boys at home. Thank you Lord!

A few finished projects!

I've been knitting this summer. Here are just two projects that I've finished.

First is a Gelato bag. It is a felted bag made from Lamb's Pride wool mohair blend. It was SO fun and easy to make. And it's so tiny and cute! My mom felted it for me since I've never felted and I have a front load washer. She also made the lining and I stitched it in. Not the best stitching job, but it works for me.

And the other is a baby blanket from the Stitch 'n Bitch book. It is a seed stitch border and blocks of stockinette stitch and garter stitch. I made it from dishcloth cotton and it turned out so nice! Our neighbor had a baby last month and this was her gift.

Have you been working on any projects this summer?

A Knitting Contest!!

KnittySue is having a blog contest. It's fun and easy. Just take a picture of your knitting corner and explain what is around it. The contest closes on the 20th.

So here is my knitting corner. It is in the corner of my bedroom.

To the right of the chair is a big basket. Inside the basket you will find patterns printed off the internet, yarn, finished projects and needles.

Beside the basket is a bag with yummy wool in it. I have wool for 2 different Gelato bags and also sport wool for 2 small Lucy bags, and the needles I need for those projects.

To the left of my chair are several bags with ongoing projects in them. The front bag has a baby blanket I am crocheting, a large Lucy bag I am making, plenty of patterns, needles, notions, crochet hooks and scissors, and dishcloth yarn and an unfinished dishcloth.

The next bag has an Ilene bag I started today. I'm making it from dishcloth cotton. It also has patterns and needles and notions and yet another unfinished dishcloth.

The next bag has a baby blanket I am knitting, extra yarn, needles, notions, etc.

The back bag is full of patterns and needles.

The wicker chest in front of the chair I use as a foot rest, hence the pillow. I sit in my room most evenings knitting and browsing the net on my laptop while watching tv.

So there you have it! My ADD knitting corner!

Better Than " " Cake ~ Weight Watchers

I posted this on my Cooking Blog a little bit ago, but decided it needed to be here, too. Oh my is it so decadent! It doesn't taste like anything you'd expect a "diet" recipe to taste like. It is so YUM!

1 box devil's food cake mix
10 oz. cola
1 egg white
6 oz fat free caramel topping
7 oz. fat free sweetened condensed milk
1 c. Heath toffee bits
8 oz. fat free cool whip

Mix cake mix, egg white, and cola. Bake according to cake mix directions in a 9x13" pan sprayed with cooking oil.

During the last few minutes of baking, mix caramel and milk in saucepan, heat and stir until smooth. Take cake out of oven and poke holes all over the top of it. Pour caramel mix over top of cake. Sprinkle with 3/4 c. of Heath bits. Cool cake.

Once cool, covered with cool whip. Sprinkle with last 1/4 c. Heath bits. Refrigerate until serving.

YIELD: 24 or 12
1/24 = 3 WW points; 1/12 = 7 points

Unconventional Work Schedules

I am cross-posting this from my marriage blog.

Doug has always worked an unconventional schedule. He spent 12 years working a job where he got up anywhere between 2am and 6pm and came home 12-16 hours later. He'd find out on Monday evening what he was going to do on Tuesday, and every day was like that. He did this when the boys were little. It was tough, but at least he came home almost every night.

So when that job ended (and put 57 or so drivers and all the office staff out of work), and had to go over the road, I thought, "How bad will it be? He was rarely on home anyway!" Well, it's a lot worse than I thought. It is down right hard.

There are so many women whose husbands are gone a week, a month, a year, and/or do a lot of travel for their work. It is hard. I didn't realize how hard it would really be.

In an emergency I cannot call my husband home from work. He's states away from me and can't come home. He may be sleeping when an emergency happens; leaving me to make all the decisions. I do not like that at all!

I have 3 teenage boys. Let me tell you that teenage boys act much differently when Dad isn't coming home every night. It is exhausting for a mom to parent and home school teenage boys mostly alone.

It is lonely! I hate going to bed alone. I stay up until I am utterly and totally exhausted and then collapse into bed with a book wishing that my husband were home to kiss me goodnight. I even wish to hear him snoring!

It is frustrating. I am a hormonal mess by the time night number 4 rolls around. I am short tempered and impatient on Thursday and Friday. I really have to work at being kind to my family.

Although we can talk on the phone frequently, we really can't have important conversations or even personal ones. Doug drives with another guy. Corky is always 1 foot away from him. They live in that truck. It is very easy to feel disconnected.

With Doug's schedule of being gone 5 days/5 nights and home for 2 days/2 nights, I am constantly having to change between being the one in charge to not being in charge. That frequent changing back and forth is trying.

The days he is home are so busy we often don't have time to just be and talk and connect. He needs down time. He needs to spend time with the boys. There are always things that need done around the house. We try to go on a date. Laundry needs done, food needs bought and prepared for the coming week in the truck, he needs to nap before leaving for work on Monday, so there goes 1/2 of one of his days home. And then there is family commitments! If you are the mom or sister or whatever of a man that travels for work and isn't home much, please realize that his wife probably doesn't want to share him with you ever weekend, or even every other weekend.

If you are the friend of a woman that is a married single parent (her spouse is gone frequently for several nights or longer at a time), your friend would love to hear from you. It is LONELY! The evenings are the worst. Most people are doing family things. Call her up and ask her if she wants to go to coffee or even just chat on the phone. The computer has become my friend. The few forums I belong to keep me company. I feel like I don't fit into groups at church. I'm not a single mom. But I really can't do things with the couples because my husband isn't home. It is a hard and lonely place to be.

Also, when you call your friend, please don't complain about your husband and all of his shortcomings. Because while she'll sympathize with you about his inability to pick up his socks, she'll really be wishing and longing for her husband to be home so she has the opportunity to pick up his socks.

I am fortunate that Doug does come home on a regular basis and has somewhat of a schedule. I know many trucker wives that have no clue when they'll see their husbands again.

I am also fortunate and very, very blessed and thankful that Doug has a job. Yes, I know that is a wonderful thing in this economy and we are thankful. But reminding me of that after you ask me how I'm doing and I tell you how lonely I am or how hard of a week I'm having does not make the week any less hard or the nights any less lonely. Yes, I am thankful Doug has a job. I just wish he had one where he came home far more than he didn't. And it really is hard to listen to you complain about your husband being late for dinner again. I rarely get to cook my husband dinner.

And there are so many military wives with their husbands gone for very long stretches. I'm sure she faces even more challenges that I am dealing with. If you are a military family, thank you so much for your sacrifice for our country and our freedoms. I am very grateful to you.

We have learned so very much through this schedule. The value of time spent together. Not taking each other for granted. Making love as often as possible when he is home, because it will be a while before we get to do it again, no matter how tired we feel. Taking time to sit and talk. Holding hands and looking into each others' eyes when we talk. It is so not the same to have the majority of your conversations on the phone. How much we really, really do love each other. And that sometimes absence does make the heart grow fonder, but week after week of absence just sucks. Oh, that is another thing not to say to a friend that has this lifestyle.........occasional absence is good for a relationship and does make the heart grow fonder. Regular absence is hard, painful and totally sucks.

I have friends that tell me how lucky I am that my husband has this schedule. They'd love that. A break from sex and not having to take care of them. I am sad for their marriages. I can't imagine being happy that Doug is gone so much more than he is home. After I kiss him good-bye for the week, I can't even watch him pull out of the driveway. It just hurts.

So, the next time you talk to a woman with this type of lifestyle, why don't you give her a hug and ask her what you can do to help her not have to do it alone this week, how she can not feel overwhelmed, if she'd like to go for coffee, or if she has little kids if you can give her a break.

I got my nose pierced!

The first week of June I ran away from home and got my nose pierced! I think it is totally adorable!

I drove to my girlfriend's house in PA and then we continued on to another friend's house in VA. We spent three lovely nights with her. Peg is such a dear, sweet friend. I love her bubbly personality and staying in a houseful of girls! She has 4 of them. So different than boys.

Anyway, back to the nose. So Monday evening Peg, Jen, Liesl and I drove to Richmond and met Danielle, Anne, and Kelly for dinner at Bottoms Up Pizza. Oh my is that the best pizza I've ever had! Dana was supposed to join us, but she was occupied with babymooning. She had her sweet baby daughter that morning. We missed her!

Then it was on to the tattoo parlor. The one we had planned to go to was closed. So we walked around until we found another one. The piercing guy wouldn't be there for 30 minutes, so we went out to dessert. We found a lovely restaurant. It has nice atmosphere and AWESOME dessert. I had a chocolate cake with raspberry filling, chocolate ganache icing and caramel sauce. It was SO yummy!

And then back to the tattoo parlor. I was starting to get nervous. But I had my reinforcements with me. I went all the way to VA so I would have reinforcements :) So this totally freaky looking, but very, very compassionate and kind, man takes me to the back room. He explains how the cork he just pushed up no nose is to stop the needle. I start to get nervous, but just closed my eyes and waited. When he put the needle through my nose, my right eye just watered and watered. And then I got hot and dizzy and nauseated. I thought I was going to pass out. The guy kept asking if I was OK and trying to get my nose to quit bleeding. He did go get me a cool, wet cloth and talked softly to me. Then he helped me off the table, gave me the stud he would have changed it to in 4 weeks if only I didn't live in OH, and sent me on my way with my girlfriends.

It hurt more than I expected. I had a horrible headache that night. The next day my nose burned. Wednesday is was really itchy. And now it is mostly healed up and only hurts when I twist it. I can change it in 4-8 weeks. I'm going to wait at least 6.

So that's what I've been up to. How about you?

Congratulations Jordan!!!!!

Jordan graduated today! I cannot believe he is all big and everything. I also can't believe I've home schooled for 12 years already!! Where does the time go?

We had a very casual graduation ceremony at the beginning of his open house. Doug said some wonderful things and gave him his diploma. What an awesome thing for a dad to be able to do.

Then we opened it up for all who were there to come up and say a few words to Jordan. It was really nice. Such a personal graduation ceremony.

We had a picnic at my in-laws' home. They have a fabulous yard for it! And the weather was simply gorgeous!!

Here is Jordan with Doug and me. (Do not ever take your picture at that angle!)

Isaac got up and said quite a few things.

Brother Love

His long time friend, John, also had great things to say. Jordan and John have been friends since Jordan was 1st grade and John was 2nd. John was also home schooled through graduation.

Everybody hugged him. They didn't do it long, and I only got a few shots since the delay on my camera took longer than it did for these guys to hug LOL.

Brenda, John's momJordan and Cay (my step-mom) Cay really tried not to cry, but she isn't very successful at that. So after a teary little speech, she smacked him in the stomach, told him to take better care of her boat and cottage, and then walked away. It was a nice comic relief.

Jordan and his friend Zach

Zach's mom, DavinaJordan and Kevin

Jordan and Gramma Chris (my mom)

The Graduation Boy

Jordan, Doug and Isaac

Me

The trampoline was a big hit!

Jordan and our neighbor, Adam

And the cake!
We had a great day!