The sign on the porch.....

The sign on my parents front porch.
The Poem:                What Cancer Cannot Do

I know it is hard to read, but here is the gist:

Cancer is so limited...
It cannot cripple love.
It cannot shatter hope.
It cannot corrode faith.
It cannot eat away peace.
It cannot destroy confidence.
It cannot kill friendship.
It cannot shut out memories.
It cannot silence courage.
It cannot reduce eternal life.
It cannot quench the Spirit.

Author: Unknown

Painted by all the Grandchildren!

Notice the colors of the Grandchildren sign??  The Italian Flag...I thought that was brilliant!

Posting and Cancer!

I haven't had the opportunity to post this week.  I have been spending a lot of time at my parents home and for those of you who would like an update, my dad is doing well and is comfortable.  He went for a drive with my brother on Sunday evening, just to get him out of the house and he really enjoyed it (Milford beach).  Then last night, he felt well enough to come downstairs to the dining room table for dinner.  We have no complaints!!!  Obviously, there are good days and bad days........Cancer is such a four letter word!  I wouldn't wish this disease on anyone.

I don't think I mentioned the Zumba Fundraiser that we had on May 6th.....It was a success!!!

We raised $1,700.00 - half went to the The Breast Cancer Wellness Fund and half went to the Father McGivney Center for Lung Cancer.

Thank you to all my friends and family that participated!!!!  Love you all!!

Cancer update

My dad is back to everyday radiation and a new Chemo called Gemzar.  They have stopped the Avastin now (it was recalled for some people with breast cancer) as it was extremely expensive (I want to say $8,000.00 per bag) - just ridiculous!  The two cancers in his lungs have shrunk (the good news) and the one on his shoulder and the one on his lymph nodes grew a little (this was because they had stopped radiation for three months. 

So now we are back on a new track.....Let's hope THIS train knows where it is going.

More updates....

I feel like all I've been giving is updates, but I have been swamped with so many things....(hence the name of the blog :)  )

Update on Nonni - she is doing well.  I "sat" for her this week twice and she was doing very well.  She still needs help to walk which is fine, but she is doing awesome with her memory/brain function (She can do seek-a-word puzzles better than most).  She knew my name (always very important!!).  She watched the Yankee game and Dancing with the Stars and everyone who has been "sitting" for her says she is doing great!!  I am hoping in a couple of more weeks to take her back to church! 

CSA Today:
6 ears of corn (yes, more corn cob jelly coming up...you have to try this! - remind me to give you a 1/2 pint)
1 Zucchini
2 Yellow Squash
3 Cucumbers
2 Turnips
4 Tomatoes
1/2 lb of string beans
1 Dozen eggs (but I switched it out and got another 1-1/2 lbs of string beans - more for the freezer - we will be eating a lot of string beans this winter)
2 heads of green leaf lettuce

Work is going well, I am busy, so that is always good!  Teaching Zumba four nights a week plus all my other jobs, so I'm not complaining as I know others who still don't have a job. 

Lots and lots of rain here in the northeast - the chicken coop looked like a pond this morning - it is time to move it to a grassier area of the lawn (although, I am seriously thinking about getting a new coop for the winter)! 

Cleaned the kitchen this week - really cleaned it - it was quite bad!!!!  Next project is the attic - I need to throw away stuff I have been saving since my kids were in library school  - they were two and three years old (so for almost twenty years I have been saving this stuff)......With the change of weather, comes the change in wardrobe, so I need to take down my winter clothes and start looking for some new things.  It is fall.......time to cleanse and simplify!

Dad is doing okay - just the normal fatigue that comes 24 -72 hours after a big chemo treatment.  There is a walk for cancer this Saturday morning at the local hospital.  I'll be there right after Zumba.

Going to watch my nephew play football this weekend - it should be fun! 

I still have tons of green tomatoes in the garden - they don't seem to be turning red.....
I'll be picking peas this week, too. 

My daughter was invited to the local high school formal dance at the end of November.  She is searching for a dress now on the internet.  I'll be in dress-finding mode in a few weeks.....

My fried chicken from last weekend came out wonderful - thank you Nonni in heaven for the recipe!  I hadn't had it in years.  Local chicken from the CSA....so nice!  

While I've been "sitting" for Nonni and watching TV with her, I've taken up crocheting again.  I should be done with one afghan for my nephew for Christmas within the next two weeks or so.  (hopefully).  I would really like to get another one done by Christmas but I'm not pushing it.  I did find another project that I would like to try to make for Christmas gifts this year.  (last year it was the aprons)  I'll let you know when I get a better handle on what this project entails!

That is enough for today - I will try to stay more current this weekend!

Update

Nonni ended up at the ER again this weekend.  Her blood sugar dropped drastically.  She is home again and I'll be there tomorrow night for my shift.  Dad has his big chemo treatment tomorrow.  Prayers are always appreciated.

It is going to be a busy week for me, so you may or may not hear from me.....

Email me if you need me.

Learning to accept change

This is an important week of changes.  School, work, life, weather....it all came in one shot.  Some of it good, some of it not so good.

We will get through it, we always do.  I'm trying to embrace the change and to realize that God has a plan with this change.  We just can't see His plan yet. 

• The first day of school went off without a hitch for my daughter. 
• My son has done all his HR preliminaries for the new job and has received his schedule - which is actually a good one. 
• My other son leaves this weekend for Uconn.
• The temperature dropped 20 degrees and the humidity is still gross (especially when you run). 
• And cancer just likes to remind us that he is still around. 

Chemo

Big Chemo day for my dad - his last 5-7 hour treatment is today. 

Then a new CAT Scan on Friday, the 20th to see what has happened to the cancer.

Please pray.

A stranger...

I saw a man today.  He got out of my dad's car.  I said hello, he looked like my dad.....but without any facial hair.....he was a stranger.   The chemo has finally taken it all away....I haven't seen my dad without his moustache and goatee for I don't know how long.....35 years maybe!  Wow - who is this stranger?

Dad, I like it.....I just have to get used to it!

I learned something new

So, I went to the doctors with my dad. 

I now know what a CT scan, I know what a PET Scan is.  I have talked to an oncologist.  I have learned big words (can't say them or spell them, but I know what they mean).  I know what chemo is, I know what radiation is....I know what lymph nodes are.....I know what soft tissue means (and it isn't Puffs Plus!)  ....I'm full of knowledge....I know what heprin is...I know what cumidin (sp) is....I know what A fib means...I'm one smart lady......

And I was much better off being UNlearned!

Cancer is the new "C" word.