Blessed ...

I am blessed beyond measure every time I get to go to The Center and volunteer and support breast cancer patients ... better known as SURVIVORS.  See the many blessings below ... a large Look Good Feel Better class learning how to apply makeup and the best part ... draw on your eyebrows when they all fall out.  If you want to know what I've been through and what these ladies are going through ...
Shave your head ... not a burr or spikey ... I mean shave it all the way off.  Now get the tweezers and pluck ALL your eyebrows and eyelashes OUT.  See how you look ... these are the cosmetic challenges of a chemo patient.  We are blessed to have The Center who offers these very important classes.

Above:  One of the speakers.  Lady in green shirt
is Alice.  She does the makeup class.  

Above:  The precious lady in the orange shirt is Carolyn.
She's a lead volunteer and the sweetest woman.

Above:  The tables are set up in horse shoe fashion.
The ladies on the outside of the horse shoe are the
patients ... I like to call them survivors.  The ladies
on the inside of the horse shoe are their supporters/
caregivers.

This class was very large.  So glad they come out
and take advantage of the classes that the The
Center offers ... not glad that the reason they
are there is breast cancer.  

Above:  Lady in white lab coat is our sweet
Helena.  She came in and gave us all a hug.

Above:  Precious lady/survivor/friend/fellow
volunteer.

Above:  Volunteers grabbing a bite before
the class begins.

Above:  Beautiful Alice helping the precious
lady.

Above:  Here's our sweet sassy Pam.  She
is the nurse navigator at The Center and
puts this class together.

Above:  And there are always drawings.  The lady who won
is truly beautiful and so sweet.  This is a wall hanging ...
What Cancer Cannot Do.

Above:  Volunteers ... one and all.  Ms. Janell was busy and
about and missed the picture.  

Above:  I left both of these pics on because some of us
blurred in each.  I look like I was posing with my arm
back ... NOT.  I was holding the back of the chair.

Above:  Napkins ...
IF YOU LOVE THEM ... CHECK THEM.
This is SOOOOOO important.

Blessings.



genam44@charter.net

Fantastic Friday ...

Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of tea, perhaps an ice cold Coke and sit a spell because this could be lengthy.  I really miss having more time to write but I'm so thankful to be back working full time and doing a job that I like.

The week behind was extremely busy.  I even got a little grumpy one day.  OH NO!  Yep, it happens ... it happens to all of us ... whether we admit it or not.  I will not go into details because it doesn't matter.  I tried to stay focused on what is really important and it certainly was not what happened that day.  I will not waste my time on people who think they are above doing their job.  Enough said ...

Last night I was being a Grammy and playing outside with Madelyn ... we were playing with little people riding toys.  Now if you know me personally you know that I am not an extremely tall woman ... 5' 3" to be exact but even these toys are a struggle for me to ride.  I got the big riding toy ... the choo choo and Madelyn had the little riding toy that fits her just perfect.  The choo choo for me was pretty easy to ride around the patio.  Then Madelyn decides we need to switch ... she wants the choo choo and I get the squatty little other thingy.  uuuggghhh!  I must say that this is not the prettiest picture of a 50+ year old Grammy trying to entertain her
grand daughter.  I was trying really hard NOT to put all weight
on this little riding toy for fear the wheels would come off.  At this point I must admit ... the ole gray mare she ain't what she used to be. <laughing .. and NO comments>   It was fun trying to ride this thing and then it hit me .... I have to get up at some point.  GREAT!  Oh how I wished I was closer to that lattice wall over there or the chair that was about 3 feet from me.  My knees were feeling the need for some greasing at this point.  <laughing>  There is a video of me getting up that my daughter sat in the CHAIR and made while she was laughing.  I will try to upload the video but make no promises.

Before the riding toy event, we had to slide first.  I cannot get in the fort thingy so I start sliding from the slide side.  Now if you have ever seen one of these precious little forts and the width of the slide, it is not made for a grown up.  I have to sit sideways to slide but you know you just gotta do it for the grandbabies.

After all the knee exercises on the riding toys, we loaded up and headed to Bonnie and Buddy's for some more Grammy fun.  If you're not a Grammy or Pawpaw ... I really hope one day you will get to enjoy the fun of being one.  It is awesome.

This morning I hit the floor running at 5:30am.  By 9:00am I had both bathrooms cleaned and swept, dishes washed ... admission ... I like to hand wash those plastic containers that you put left overs in so you can put them in the fridge and wait for the food to go bad so you can throw it out.  I do put those in the dishwasher on occasion (when I feel lazy) but we had several in there today so I got them all out along with the silver ware and hand washed all of them <don't judge me> <laughing>. I swept the hardwood floors in the den and wet Swiffered them, changed sheets on the bed, saw a precious little hummer feeding on one of my feeders, five loads of laundry all the while watering the yard.  Alicia ask me before she left for work why I was watering the yard because THEY say it's going to rain.  I told her ... well THEY have said it was going to rain before and it didn't rain over our house so I'm going to water ... you know just in case THEY aren't right. <smile>  Things I didn't do ... dust and look for the dead rodent who found it's way in to my garage and croaked!  Neither of these things are my favorite things to do but hey I've got the rest of the weekend to do that.

 In this corner, there is a dead rodent smell.  I am not happy about this odor nor am I happy about having to go look for the little sucker.  While I was snapping pictures, I thought I would give you a partial tour of my garage.  Now you may be thinking ... what a disorganized garage ... well I'm telling you right now, I know exactly where everything is <do not move my stuff... smile ... and I know if anyone moves it>  Tools ... I love tools.  You never know when you are going to need them.










However, there are yard tools that ... Praise the Lord ... I didn't use the yard tools this year because I had someone do my yard.  ---------->










<------Now this picture  ... I'm not too proud of but I did it ... I take full responsibility for it.  When I had my Honda car,  I parked on this side of the garage.  Well someone had parked behind me in the driveway and being the 'nice' person that I am, I didn't want to ask them to move their car so I maneuvered my little Honda car back and forth and got out ... but first I kinda crunched the wall.  People see that hole and say ... what happened?  My girls always say ... MOM did it!  <laughing>

The picture to the right  ------------------------------------->      is my cart for the first Monday Canton sale.  I actually use it for other things too ... like the Just Between Friends sale that Alicia drug me too recently ... you know the day I saw stars and couldn't breath because I was claustrophic with all the stuff in that place.  <laughing>  Every woman needs some extra lattice work hanging around.

  

<------  And then here's the big old cottonwood tree that sits in the field behind my house.  It's truly majestic... however, when it starts dropping it leaves and they ALL blow up on my back porch RIGHT by the back door, I do not call it majestic.  I call it ... well never mind it doesn't matter.  I just pray that a tornado doesn't come in from the north and decide to hit that big tree because it could very well flatten my bedroom.




I looked up this morning and saw all these morning glories just waiting to open.  I had to take a picture to share.  ----------------------->

So here you have it ... a look inside my Friday.  It's time for me to get ready and head to The Center ... there's a Look Good Feel Better class going on this morning.  NO ... I'm not attending, I'm volunteering.  God has given me all that He can as far as my looks so I work with what I have ... besides I took this class back at the beginning of my journey.  I want to go support those beginning their journey.

I hope you've enjoyed our morning together.  I sure have.  God is good ... isn't He?  If you ... like me ... got a little grumpy this week for one reason or another, it's OK ... just don't park there.  The parking cost is way too expensive when we park in those grumpy spots.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 ... For everything give thanks, for this is the will of the Lord.

Blessed and praying many blessings for all who read this today.

genam44@charter.net

Wednesday Update

Since my last post (last Friday night) I enjoyed a God filled day on Saturday at the Women of Faith Conference.  So many wonderful testimonies and lots of praise music.  I was tired when we got home that evening but very thankful to have gotten to attend the WOF.  If you haven't been, I suggest you go at least once.

On Sunday morning Bonnie came over with Braxton and Brooklyn to play and hang out.  It was toy city here in my house.  I took Braxton with me to buy groceries and what a fun little shopping partner he is.  He held the list and the pen and helped me mark off as we got our items.  We got home and I whipped up some chicken salad for lunch.

Monday rolled around and I knew after being out of the office on Friday, the email would be scarey.  It was ... didn't disappoint me there.  But the glitch that had been in my email for three weeks was fixed and I raised my hands in praise for that. (As I always say ... if something is out of whack in your world, look around and you will find a positive somewhere)  We use Google mail at work and some how the IT guys has mine feed in to Outlook which I prefer, plus all my files are there.  I started the week off with a headache and stiff neck and shoulders which carried over in to Tuesday.  By the evening the stiffness was gone and today was a better day in that respect.  I ended up staying an hour late today in order to get some of the things done that I needed to do.  It was one of those days that every time you looked up someone needed something that was not necessarily in your plan for the day. Unplanned things sure makes for an interesting day though.

Tonight after dinner (taco salad and Rotel cheese dip), Madelyn and I went for a one mile walk.  It makes me kinda sad when I realize that my physical condition is not what it used to be ... pre-chemo.  Walking one mile is sometimes a struggle even though I try to walk a half mile every day at work.  Maybe it was the heat that caused some of the struggle ... at least the wind was blowing.  And now when I get in the sun and get really hot, my skin feels like it has a zillion needles sticking in it .. making it prickly and sting and itch all at the same time.  What that's all about ... I have no clue.

The yard guy came today ... probably the last time for the year and tonight I'm watering some.  My ground is so hard that I don't see how any of my grass is living but it is.  I really need to start preparing my raised beds for lettuce planting but the heat is still here and I just don't want to get outside much.  I need to decorate for fall also and haven't gotten that done.  If you've ever wondered if there's life after a cancer diagnosis ... there is.  I feel good and I'm staying busy ... hence the reason some of these things aren't getting done.  Oh well ... everything in it's own time.

Today I read the neatest quote ... I walk down memory lane because I love running into you.

I hope your week is going well ... would love to hear from you.

Blessed and praying blessings for you.


genam44@charter.net

Women of Faith ...

Last night began the Women of Faith -Dallas conference.  There are five of us in my group attending.  We left my house a little after 5:00pm, grabbed some What-A-Burger meals and headed to the Richland Hills TRE station.  It was a little nerve racking because we were driving in 5:00pm Friday evening traffic but we made it in plenty of time to get our tickets and catch our train.  We ate on the train (I was so hungry I forgot to get pictures ... my bad).  I am not a fan of public transportation and I am now eating my words about it.  It is wonderful especially with ALL the road remodeling they are doing here in the metroplex.  Our seats are in the first tier balcony of the American Airlines center which seems rather far up but believe me the 2 or 3 tiers above us are in the nose-bleed section.  I took pictures and while they seem rather far away (iPhone pics too), they serve their purpose.  (Not much time this morning to make the pictures act right <laughing> so they are here there and everywhere.

Above:  Carla and I.  Carla is my long time
neighbor and friend. 

Above:  Left - my long time sister, Pat; Chris, a beautiful lady
and long time friend, Brenda.

Emmett Smith was in the audience with his beautiful wife, Pat Smith, who is part of the Women of Faith group.  I was watching Emmett and he was rocking with the ladies.  

And accompanying them was Cheryl Burks, Emmett's partner in Dancing With The Stars.



Please take the time to click this link and listen to Ce Ce Wynans sing ... My Alabaster Box.
Ce Ce brought the crowds to our feet as she sang and worshiped God.
 My Alabaster Box ... Ce Ce Wynans

Blessed and praying blessings for you today.

genam44@charter.net

This and That Friday ...

When there are disruptions in your friendship, how do you handle it?  What causes disruptions in our friendships?  Is it them or is it us?  Where do you turn when disruptions enter your friendships?  Do you go tell another friend about the circumstance and beat the person up?  I believe a better choice is to go through a thought process within our self first.  I am here to tell you that I certainly do not have all the answers to these questions.  

After many years of not much trust for other people which really had nothing to do with them, I can tell you today with a much richer trust in Jesus, my insecurities have diminished.  I cherish all my friendships.  In the past, I always wanted people to like me and when they didn't, I didn't get it.  If someone didn't like me, I tried even harder to make them my friend.  Hello ... insecurity.  I have come to realize that sometimes people just don't want to like you or they get upset and are snarky and they chose to leave the friendship on their own.  I now accept that fact and move on.  With friendships, we never intend to hurt someone's feelings and ...being human ... I think we have a propensity of rather than confronting the person about the hurt feelings ... we stew in bitterness and shun the person ... after all isn't that easier?   It may be easier but it gets nothing accomplished.  Talking about friendships, do you have a Facebook?   Facebook ... another post all together.

I believe that friends can be like family and we may use the word ... fremelies ... to describe them.  OK, so that's not a word but we can make it one.  I use the word and have many friends who use it too because that is how we feel about our friendships ... friends are extensions of our families.  To all my friends ... I hope you know that I cherish our friendships and I pray for many years of lasting friendship to come.    

Women of Faith ... Dallas starts tonight and all day tomorrow.  This is my first time to attend this awesome conference and am looking forward to it.  EXCITED!   I am hoping to get many pictures to share.

The week behind was a busy one.  I am thankful it is over and we are moving into the weekend.  Three glorious days off to rejuvenate the body, soul and spirit ... very needed.

I would love to hear from you ... drop me an email using the addy below.

Blessed and praying blessings for you today.
genam44@charter.net