TGIF

Good Morning Family,

I am up for some strange reason.  Sleep deprived.  What else is new?  

I have no outings planned.  Perry Schools are closed, so my Munchkins have off today.  That means Colleen will be having them read so many books, do homework, if any, Izzy will practice her spelling words, and Lincoln likes to do Math work in a workbook Colleen bought him back in the Fall.  He loves doing those pages.  He asked Colleen to buy it.  When I babysat on Mondays after school, I would check their work, and he was so proud when He got a star on each page he did successfully.  Plus, now, he is reading on Izzy's Kindle Fire.  The great thing about that is Mom can set a timer so the kids only get a specific amount of time so the kids don't play games, or watch Netflix too much.  After the timer goes off, the only thing available is their books.

Must scoot.  Prayers and hugs are on their way, especially for Vickie and Butch.

Love,

Trish

Hi Trish and all my sistas!

Well, it's a slow moving day around here.  I just still feel pretty wiped out after our long week of travels.  I guess Butch does too.  He's wrapped up in an afghan in his recliner watching Fox.  I'm considering going back to bed!  LOL!  It's too cold to do anything outside and it's overcast and gray here today.  Not a day to inspire much activity for sure.

Butch is having quite a bit of pain today.  I'm worried about him.  And yesterday he coughed up a big glob of junk from his lungs and it was full of bright red blood.  I don't know what to think about that!  Butch said, "Maybe that's the mass that was showing on the CT scan."  Well, maybe.  But I doubt it.  I didn't tell him that.  But now I'm even more worried about what the biopsy will show next week.

Anyway, the worry has me just about paralyzed.  There are so many things I could be doing around here, but I can't get my mind to settle on any of them.  I just want to escape--mostly through sleep, but also through books.  Anything to take me away from the reality of all this illness for awhile.  

I started us on a new eating plan today.  No more candy!  No more cookies, cakes, pies, or junk!  Here is the link if you want to look it over:

http://www.coachcalorie.com/healthy-weight-loss-meal-plan/

I'm not advocating this plan in any way other than I read it over and it seems simple and sensible to me.  We had the breakfast tacos for our lunch today.  I fixed us each two, but I could only eat one.  I'll save my other one for tomorrow.  This is what they looked like:

We are still supposed to close on the new house next Thursday.  Now I know that seems like a silly thing for us to be doing right now, but I tell you all, I'm glad for it.  I cannot live in this old lake house by myself.  I wouldn't want to.  I do think I can live in the new place by myself.  Oh, Lord, I can't believe I'm even writing this, but I have to face facts.  It's obvious that my husband is very ill and no one knows what the future will hold for us.  I need to be settled in a house that I can live in for a long, long time.  Better for us to move now while Butch is here to help me figure out what needs to be done and oversee some of the minor changes we want to make at the new place.  Hopefully we can get this place here at the lake sold before too long and all the moving and shaking will be behind us (me).

It's scary, you know?

Well, I need to close now.  I need to at least put some of our laundry on to wash and I plan to make a fat flushing soup for our supper.  Recipe sounds pretty good:

Flush Away the Fat Soup

Produce

Canned Goods

Baking & Spices

Who knows?  Maybe I'll wake up skinny tomorrow!  LOL! 

Love you all!

Vickie....please keep sleeping, reading, listening whatever keeps you thinking of other things.

I know how scared you are about Butch's situation. Of course these kinds of things run through your mind. He is very ill and has a long ways to recovery. Cancer is the most evil monster. It doesn't like letting go. If Butch keeps spitting up blood please call his doctor. That could be internal bleeding.

I care very much about you and am always available to you. 

Lots of love and many hugs to you both....connie d

Vickie, 

I know you are going through hell right now. You must deal with your fear and anxiety in the best way you can. I di think you are very wise to move ahead with the house. I also think your imagining life without Butch is also wise. It is what some refer to as pre-greiving. Another part of pre-greiving is gathering up in your mind all the wonderful things about Butch you want to remember should he leave you to go to the next life. 

Dear Vicki, please know you are in my nightly prayers an ibhope God will make is eternal loving presence known to you in very special ways. 

Francine

Oh, Francine, I don't like this pre-grieving thing!  But I am a realist.  Thankfully, so is Butch.  We are walking through this fire, hand-in-hand.  As people of faith, we know God is in control, but I have to pray daily for acceptance.  Don't think we have given up, because we haven't!  But a friend of mine recently told me a hard truth: we all die of something.  Lucky ones die of old age in their sleep.  The rest of us?  Well, we never know what is coming.  That is God's gift to us.  

Thank you, sweet friend, for your kind and loving support.  I really appreciate it!

Vickie....I wish I could do more to help you through this. I know how hard this time is for you. I just pray and pray. I ask God to help you and Butch. It makes me sad knowing you are sad. I love you always!   You are a special friend.

HUGE HUGS and lots of LOVE.....connie d 

Thank you sweetie!  I feel the love and the prayers from everyone here.  It helps--more than you can know.  Love you, too!

Hi Trish and Vickie and my OFF family:

I hear Michigan schools are all closed because of the weather. Plus there was a big accident on 1-94 around Kalamazoo and the roads are closed and they're evacuating towns around the area because of hazardous materials.

Vickie, you do need to escape in something ... whether that's sleep or books or a movie ... something to get away for awhile from your problems. 

As for me, nothing much happening. It's cold here, but not as cold as Michigan and no snow. Slept well, but feel groggy still. Need a good shower to perk up, I guess. And lunch.

Have a good day.

Good morning Trish , Vickie, Eileen and everyone....I sent a post and do not know where it went...I guess God decided for me.

I am exhausted, pain from head to toe and shortly on my way back to Kyleigh's again. Pam decided she would go ahead and sort through and box up all of Kyleigh's things that are still here. I told her NO, Kyleigh told her NO!!  Pam just doesn't listen. Kyleigh wanted to go through things herself, after all it is hers!! No one asked Pam to do anything. We were there for hours last night. Now Pam is upset because she is exhausted and never wants to clean after Kyleigh again. LOL....Pam is a HOARDER!!!! You can't get around in her place much at all....piles and piles and piles....and she is upset that she has to do these things. Again, Pam took things upon herself and did it anyway. I had to be there watching. Pam had me sorting through things of Kyleigh's. We have plenty enough people coming to move. This all could have been done by them. on Saturday. Amanda loves to clean. She doesn't mind at all. I will be there again today and tomorrow....supervising. My grandchildren said there is nothing they will let me do. Yeah right...I have done too much already. They will just have wiping everything down, cleaning the bathroom and oven and things like that. Amanda is so mad that I had to be there for that....Kyleigh is upset that her wishes weren't carried out and that I had to do work. Thanks for letting me post ...I was ready to explode!!

Trish...I hope you are staying in as the weather is so bad. Sleep deprived is also in this home. I hope we can both get it straight soon! 

Vickie and Butch...always prayers for you both!! Your taco's look great!!

Eileen....I hope you are much better after those new meds!!

My mind is blank as to who said what!!

Hope you have a wonderful, restful and peaceful day!!

Loads of love and bunches of hugs to all.....connie d