Happy Valentine's Day ...

Good morning all!!!  

Dressed in pink wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

What a fun day Valentine's Day can be.  This day to me does not mean  "why show love on just one day" day OR "oh whoa is me, I don't have a "honey" in my life" day.  It's a fun day.  Yes, we should and do show love everyday.  As far as not having a "honey" in your life, I say "LOOK AROUND" and see how many "honeys" you have in your life.  I have so many 'honeys' and how very thankful I am for all of them.  If you don't have that one special "honey" ....  well get off your duff and go to Walmart and buy a bouquet of flowers for someone else.  Get a 99 cent card and go do something nice for someone else.  It's never too late or too bad to indulge yourself with a small box of chocolates (if you wait until tomorrow the heart shaped chocolate boxes will be cheaper).  Do not sit around and drown in sorrow ... GO HAVE FUN WITH IT!

Creativity can be a big part of this day.  Look at the pictures below of the goody bags my Bonnie made to take to the baby sitter for the kiddos party.

 Above:   These are the labels she created.

It says:   Would you o-'fish'-ally be my Valentine?

Above:  The label attached to a baggie full of gold fish makes a cute

treat for the kiddos especially Braxton and Madelyn since 

they are still to young for the candy.

This morning Madelyn gave Grammy a Valentine.  A new plant which is so pretty, a box of chocolate covered cherries and the cutest card from her Mommy and her.

Above:  Madelyn was really more interested in looking

at Tootie on the bed. 

 Above:  She was really interested in 'picking' the flowers

Above:  She was really NOT interested in having her

picture taken.

And Cupid visited Madelyn.  

 The little boxes of goldfish caught her eye immediately
and she was signing "more" by tapping her hands together.

Above:  AND she still wasn't interested in having her picture

                                                                          taken.

This evening I am going to see Braxton.  Can't wait to see my little guy (and Bonnie and Buddy).

Last night was pork spare/short ribs night with baked BBQ beans and coleslaw.  I recently bought a can of Bush's Baked Beans intending to serve them with the ribs.  I opened the can and poured them in my dish and added a few things and they tasted like 'yuck' to me so down the disposal they went.  I went to the pantry and looked for some pork and beans to make my baked beans, found two cans of what I thought was pork and beans and once I opened them, realized they were pinto beans.  So my quick brain kicked in and I decided BBQ beans.  I added a package of onion soup mix and some BBQ sauce and stuck them in the oven with the ribs.  I got the shredded coleslaw mix out and was going to make the Sammy's BBQ tart coleslaw dressing.  I didn't have any plain white vinegar so I grabbed my sister's house key and across the street I went.  My sister always has everything I need in her pantry if I don't have it.  On the vinegar shelf (yes, she's that organized) was about six different kinds of vinegar but no cheap plain white vinegar, however, there was a bottle of white wine vinegar.  To know me is to know I was thinking ... ahhhh, this will work.  So I set the alarm and locked the door and back across the street I came to mix up the dressing.  Now chemo brain sets in because I couldn't remember if I was supposed to mix the vinegar with water or olive oil ... no problem, I didn't mix it with anything and put straight white wine vinegar on the shredded coleslaw mix.  Stir it up and put it in the fridge.  My thoughts ... Dinner is cooking and will be ready at just the right time.

Dinner:   Alicia gets Madelyn in her high chair and gets the beans and ribs out of the oven, coleslaw out of the fridge and makes their plates.  Alicia tasted the beans, looked at me and said they were good but really salty.  I did not put any salt in the beans whatsoever.  She gasped a bit when she tasted the coleslaw from the straight vinegar dressing <laughing>.  I said in my happy energetic voice, "is it good? < really laughing hard right now> And she quietly says, "yes it's ok".  My sister gets here and she's starving and makes her plate and sits down to eat <I'm laughing>.  She loves Sammy's BBQ tart coleslaw and she gets a fork full of  my coleslaw <laughing so hard I'm crying typing this> and she gasp and cleared her throat.  At this point I'm making my plate (I'm always the last to sit down at the table and the last to get up) and I hear the gasp and try not think anything.  I sit down at my place at the table and look at my sister and ask if the beans are salty.  I told her Alicia said the beans were salty and she said yes, they are.  I explained I didn't put any salt in them and I used canned pinto beans but maybe it was the package of Lipton onion soup mix that caused that.  I could not taste any salt, I could not taste the beans period.  I ask my sister about how to make the dressing for the coleslaw of which she was getting another bite and she said, "Vinegar and a little olive oil, salt and pepper".  I said, "oh well I left the olive oil out" ... she said we can tell.  I could not taste the vinegar or the coleslaw either.  The ribs were a success though.  So one out of three dishes was good ... hmmmm wonder what to make for dinner tonight?

I went to the Center yesterday for my routine blood work and took my five day log for my fever and meds that I had kept since last Thursday when the temp started.  I got my blood drawn and went to the little room to sit with Cindy, the nurse, who gives me my results.  She ask me how I was and I told her good.  I told her I had my log and she read over it and immediately got in the appointment area of her computer and grabbed the last appointment with Helena, nurse practitioner.  Cindy got my blood results and there is this category titled NEUT they look at and if it's high, that usually means something is going on ... like infection.  Cindy showed me the report and all was good except that NEUT number was high.  Cindy handed me a mask and told me to keep it on especially while sitting in the waiting area due to the fever.

Yes, that is me under the leather coat, scarf

heavy knitted cap, reading glasses and 

my MASK!!!!  <laughing>  

So I headed downstairs to the vending machines just in case they were running really behind and got me some snacks and then to my doctors office to wait for my appointment.  Eating Cheetos with a mask was pretty comical.  I text my nephew and he told me to wipe my cheesy hands on the outside of my mask.  I didn't do that but was tempted. (I have a weird sense of humor .. so does my nephew, he gets it from me!)

While in the waiting room, I met some beautiful survivor 'sisters' and had such wonderful conversation with them.  One of the ladies and I were at about the same place on our journey, there was a five year survivor, a beautiful young (30's) Philippino lady who had walked and completed her surgery and treatment journey last year and then the young (30's) lady who had just begun.  It was awesome getting to talk to all of them.  I'll see them again as we are all on the Monday schedule.

When it was my turn, I got called back and Helena came in and listened and looked and determined my fever had to be coming from a sinus infection.  Thankfully she gave me a prescription for antibiotics and told me to keep doing what I had been doing.  I went by the pharmacy in the Center, got the prescription and headed back home.  Took my first antibiotic last night and went to bed with a temp of 98.1 ... now that's what I'm talking about.  My normal temp is not 98.6 but lower like 98.1.  This morning I woke up and it was 98.7 and I feel good.  Praise the Lord.

One last picture for today.  I believe my left upper arm has begun swelling a bit so this morning I am wearing my compression sleeve.  Remember the post from the other day when I bought the sleeve and made comment that I hoped I never have to wear it because it is so tight?  Well let me say that I am taking that back.  This compression sleeve is making my arm feel so much better.  I did my lymph node drainage before putting it on so hopefully everything is draining upward to the right place.

If nothing else from today's post I hope you laughed.  I did ... out loud and a lot~!~!~   I hope you realize that while you might not have a 'honey' you certainly have people who love you so go have fun with the day. Make some salty BBQ beans and vinegar coleslaw and serve them and watch people's faces ... that'll make you laugh.  (Now Alicia and Pat will think I did that on purpose but I promise I didn't.  <laughing>)

I leave you today knowing that I am VERY blessed and sending many blessings!!!

 genam44@charter.net