Radiation Begins

Hey everyone!  Some of my friends have been asking about how I'm doing, so I thought I would share a bit of an update.  The final phase of my treatment began last Tuesday.....Radiation Therapy.  The week prior, I had a Radiation Simulation, where "mapping and marking" were done to come up with a "Radiation Plan" that was fitted to my body.  No kidding, my upper right chest, from just below my neck to my waist, looks like "varicose veins".....red, black and purple markings covered with water-risistent tape.  I have to be careful when I shower, no scrubbing.

All of that bright light on my face is from the glorious Arizona sun shining in through the wall of windows in the Radiation waiting area.

This boxy little number on my boxy little body is the latest in radiation attire.  Velcro tabs all the way down the front, make it easy for my radiation therapists, Kaleb & Justin, to expose my "lady bits."  Early on, this might have been embarrassing, but so many "professionals" have viewed my lady bits at this point, I truly don't care.

This is the radiation room and machine that I have each time.  The therapists remain the same as well.  The always have a little step-stool for me to get on the table....I'm short!

The machine is pretty awesome.  The table and machine both move and rotate to get me all lined up with the mapping on my body.  Total time that radiation is actually coursing through my body is less than a minute total, and that's from 3 different locations.

I've become quite good at napping just about anywhere, but I'm not gonna fall asleep on this!  Part of my simulation involved this large gray bag-type thing, that once I was in position, was filled with air that formed a mold of my body.  It's rigid and is covered by the sheet above.  The form is a major part of getting me in the exact right position each time.  It has a label with all of my pertinent ID, & hangs with many others across the back wall of this room.

Four treatments down and 16 to go!  Then I will follow many, many others who have taken this journey.  The ringing of this bell is a tradition, and I am really looking forward to my day.

I truly wish all of you who have been such great cheerleaders for me from my first chemo, through my surgery, and now on to this final phase, could be with me when it's my turn to ring the bell.  I would love to hug you all!

I expect March 21st to be a very emotional day.

I hope this is a wonderful week for everyone!

Do You Multitask?

Hey everyone!  Welcome to week 8 of the new year....it sometimes feels that time is moving at lightening speed, doesn't it?  So many things to do and not quite enough time to do them seems to be the main reason we turn to multitasking.  Some say that a person cannot multitask and actually be successful at any of the things they are doing.  Hmmm....sounds like something a man might say!  If you've ever carried a crying baby on your hip while putting dinner together, you are a multitasker!  If you've ever cooked a large meal (like for Thanksgiving), you are a multitasker!  If you knit, crochet or blog while watching tv with your hubby, you are a multitasker!  Whether you work outside the home or run an in-home business, you are a multitasker!

I'm a multitasker!  I've carried on lengthy phone conversations while putting together "Welcome Bags" for a business I owned.  I've cleaned up my whole kitchen and solved all the world problems while talking with a friend.  If you've ever answered email or written a blog post while eating your breakfast or lunch, then you are a multitasker!  I don't think it's a bad thing, do you?

There are many things that do require our undivided attention.....listening to a child, because they know every time if you're mind is on something else and they will call you on it!  Talking with teens requires your full-attention, because you just may not get that many opportunities.  Listening to and lending a shoulder to someone who needs you is an all-in situation.  Driving...NO PHONE & NO TEXTING......enough said on that subject!  And please, please don't forget yourself.  Sometimes you are the most important person in need of your full attention, because if you haven't tended to your needs -- physically, mentally and emotionally -- how can you be strong and sharp for anyone else?  You cannot!

List-making and multitasking seem to go hand-in-hand.  The habit of making lists can be a very good thing, unless it puts us into over-drive in multitasking.  We are assured of a major breakdown if we don the cape and cuffs of Wonder Woman!  As I shared my thoughts on "home keeping" last week, we have to keep things in perspective and not feel the need to do it all or do it all right now.  

As women, wives, mothers, daughters, sisters & friends, a lot is expected of us and we expect a lot of ourselves.  Go ahead, multitask when the situation calls for it, but learn to recognize the signs that call for single-mindedness and blinders.  Don't become a wreck because you forgot to stop in time!

As always, thank you for stopping by.  I hope this is a great week for you!  And just remember:

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.

I often party with these lovely bloggers:

Monday
Dee at Meatloaf and Melodrama for Merry Monday

Cindy at Dwellings--The Heart of Your Home for Amaze Me Monday
Maria Elena at Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays at Our Home

Tuesday

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life  for Inspire Me Tuesday

Wednesday

Suzy at Worthing Court for The Scoop

Thursday
Jemma at  At Home With Jemma for Thoughts of Home on Thursday

Pamela at From My Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday

Richella at Imparting Grace for Grace at Home

For the Joy of Home-Keeping

Hey everyone!  What a glorious week this has been so far!  I'm feeling stronger by the day, needing fewer afternoon naps (although I do hate to give those up...heehee), and thoroughly enjoying home-keeping.  During the past few months, when I was too exhausted & weak to do much of anything, my heart ached for the simple pleasures of tending our home.  What does home keeping mean to you?  To me it's all of the things, big and small that give life to our home.  While cleaning the toilet might not rank right up there as a joyous chore, it has to be done so our families stay healthy.....that's the joy. The Man did a wonderful job of taking care of all the basics, and it gave him a renewed respect for all of the things that go into making our home run smoothly.  I don't think he ever realized what I did behind the scenes that he just took for granted, but I'm sure I would be in the same situation if I had to take on his responsibilities.  That's why we should always be mindful, grateful, and hand out sincere "Thank you's" for even the smallest of tasks....there is much joy and love in being grateful.

Have I always found joy in home-keeping?  Absolutely not, but I have always taken pride in having a clean & inviting home where good food was cooked and served daily; but terms such as "housework" & "chores," didn't really evoke much pleasure of any kind.  It wasn't until I heard the term "Home Keeping," that I found new respect and joy in the things I did to care for our family and our home.  It's amazing how a few simple words can so greatly affect us.

Our home is not big by today's standards, but certainly more than adequate for us.  It's not grandiose or filled with high-end fixtures and expensive trappings.  It is filled with love and memories, things that remind us of special occasions or vacations, and mementos of special people who are no longer with us.  It doesn't really matter what your decor is or whether you spend a lot or a little to dress your home, it's the love of tending our homes that brings joy.

Puttering or tweaking, whichever term you use, is a major part of home keeping....in my humble opinion anyway!  Puttering (my word of choice) is sheer pleasure to me.  Sometimes puttering involves a lot work, like rearranging & styling bookshelves, or it can be the simple act of pulling things from my "stash" to create a new floral arrangement.  It still evokes a wonderful feeling of bringing joy and love into my home.  Puttering is high on my priority list for home keeping!

How do you feel about home keeping?  Is it a list of "chores" that have to be done, obligations that cause you stress or even anger because you are the one doing them?  I've been there and understand the overwhelming feeling of not being able to get it all done, and wondering if there was ever going to be time for "me."  It's okay to ask for help, and it's okay to give yourself a break....spend a little time puttering or tweaking!  Maybe then you will find joy in home keeping.

Thank you so much for stopping by, and I always appreciate your sweet comments.  If you have a "NoReply" email, it will probably take me longer to respond.  I hope the remainder of your week is wonderful.

I often party with these lovely bloggers:

Monday
Dee at Meatloaf and Melodrama for Merry Monday

Cindy at Dwellings--The Heart of Your Home for Amaze Me Monday
Maria Elena at Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays at Our Home

Tuesday

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life  for Inspire Me Tuesday

Wednesday

Suzy at Worthing Court for The Scoop

Thursday
Jemma at  At Home With Jemma for Thoughts of Home on Thursday

Pamela at From My Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday

Richella at Imparting Grace for Grace at Home

Pinterest Interest

Hey everyone!  This is a perfectly beautiful Arizona morning....cerulean blue sky, 43 degree temp right now and soaring into the upper 70's later on in the day!   "It's a good day to be a good day."  I saw this phrase on a Fixer Upper episode, and it has been a sort of mantra to me to use every day.  I don't know who authored this phrase, so if you do, please let me know.

Are you a Pinterest fan?  I've been enjoying this addictive site for several years now, amassing 97 Boards, 6.4K Pins, and 847 Likes.....maybe I should try applying the Marie Kondo method of tidying up, but I probably won't!  If you are like me, you can get completely absorbed adding new pins or doing a search for this or that.  I almost always go to Pinterest before going to Google, but I realized I haven't shared very many "Pin Wins" or "Pin Fails," and I decided to remedy that today.

As I've gotten stronger, I've been doing more of the cooking and that makes The Man very happy.  I have pinned so many recipes, and have been putting them into my weekly menu plan.  I'd like to share a few.

The Man and I prepped this for the slow cooker a couple of days ago.  We had some errands to run that day, so it was nice to have dinner all ready to dish up when we got home.  Oh, and the aroma.....better than any scented candle!  It was delish served with some buttermilk biscuits.  The only thing I would do differently next time, is to braise the beef before adding it to the slow cooker....braising meat really enhances the flavor.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

We often have breakfast for dinner around here, so when I ran across this recipe on the Taste of Home site, I knew we had to try it!  It was so good I think we could easily serve it up once a week, but probably not the healthiest thing to do.  The only thing I did differently, was to cut the servings from 4 to 2.....I love leftovers, but didn't think this would be great reheated!

Baked Cheddar Eggs and Potatoes

I haven't made this in awhile, but it's going to be on the menu plan very soon.  It is extremely easy to prepare and makes great leftovers if you are a family of 2!  I do substitute Lite Cream Cheese....better for my figure!

Crockpot Mexican Chicken

Of course, I could not leave out a few desserts, right?  Regular Crazy Cake is wonderful, but a whole cake for 2 people is even crazier!  This recipe is so easy to whip up and tastes like the most amazing Devil's Food Cake you have ever put in your mouth.  I've made this twice over the last couple of weeks and it may be the perfect "Super Bowl" dessert today!

Crazy Cake in a Mug

If you are a fan of Snickerdoodle Cookies, then this recipe is for you.  Oh my goodness, this is so delicious and tastes just like a warm Snickerdoodle right from the oven.  All the ingredients are most probably in your kitchen already!

Snickerdoodle Mug Cake

Of all the cravings that I had while on chemo and the tastebuds had walked out the door, lemon-anything was one of the biggies.  I could not eat citrus of any kind, so now I am making up for it!  This was an absolutely delicious cake, and I even used lemon juice and lemon zest from our own lemons!  I'm truly crushing over this cup and saucer, but my FiestaWare soup mugs worked just fine!   

Luscious Double Lemon Cake

I actually didn't have any "Pin Fails" this time around.  All of the above recipes turned out perfectly.  I linked each one to the direct source to give full credit to each of these wonderful ladies who've taken the time to share their recipes and lovely photos.  My food photos never turn out very good, but these ladies have mastered the tricks of food photography.  I hope you will give some of these recipes a try and give credit where credit is due.

I'd like to make this kind of post a regular thing, and not just for food either.  There are so many talented people contributing to Pinterest, and I plan to "try more and pin less"....well, that's "pie-in-the-sky" wishful thinking, my finger is always poised to pin something!  I do plan to share more of what I try, and we'll leave it at that!

Have a lovely Sunday, enjoy the Super Bowl if that is your thing, and be grateful for a brand new week to do "stuff!"  Thanks so much for stopping by.

I often party with these lovely bloggers:

Monday
Dee at Meatloaf and Melodrama for Merry Monday

Cindy at Dwellings--The Heart of Your Home for Amaze Me Monday
Maria Elena at Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays at Our Home

Tuesday

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life  for Inspire Me Tuesday

Wednesday

Suzy at Worthing Court for The Scoop

Thursday
Jemma at  At Home With Jemma for Thoughts of Home on Thursday

Pamela at From My Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday

Richella at Imparting Grace for Grace at Home

It's a Celebration!

Hey everyone!  I don't usually make a big deal out of it, but this year I'm celebrating.....it's my birthday!  I truly feel so lucky and blessed after all that has happened over the last 7 months, that I'm ready to shout it from the rooftops --"I am 67, alive and STRONG!  I am Woman, hear me roar!"

It's a good day to be a good day!

Warm hugs to everyone!