Coool! Hunter has a blog! Go on and give him a nice blogger welcome. : - )

Happy Belated Birthday Andrea! You must have been loving The Sopranos this week. It was Silvio heaven!

Gotta love those Sopranos... another great episode. Poor Bobby. I was in tears. Had a good day today. Paul and I managed to get a lot of yard work done, including pruning back quite a few tree branches. The township is gonna freak when they see all the crap down at the street! HA! Paul got called into work for a couple hours.. that sucked but he made it back home before the girls went to bed. Olivia is feeling better but now Paul is sick. Arrggghh! My sis in law (the one who just had a baby) is back in the hospital. It was thought there were some gall bladder problems but turns out it could be liver related. Jesus - can anyone in my family catch a freakin break? Well - I am off to bed! I am pooped!

I had such an awful night last night.. I didn't want to post about it. I still don't because it would probably make my life a living hell. But, let me just say this: My inlaws were down yesterday afternoon and stayed for dinner. A rather heated discussion about food allergies took place. I was (and still am) furious. I felt like I was being attacked about the decisions (and possible future ones) that Paul and I have BOTH made regarding Olivia and her health. I believe I handled it well. The "discussion" ended with my mother in law waving her arms about and stating that "she didn't want to discuss this anymore. It makes her too upset". Ya know what lady.. FUCK you. How dare you come into MY house and tell me that I am "too" involved in the allergy information. What the hell does that mean? That I am a fucking nut? She argued with me about Olivia's allergy tests scores. ARGUED with me! "Well, she's never HAD anaphylaxis. How do you KNOW she is anaphylatic?" Uhh - well maybe because her DOCTOR thinks so. Hell - I have WATCHED Olivia get huge hives from milk just touching her skin. Does that seem "normal" to you? Her own son can DIE from eating peanuts and she just dismisses it like it's no big deal. There was more. Some zips like "So, when are you going back to work?" and "What are you going to do when Olivia's in school?". I can't get into any more of it.... I have to get ready for church.

I forgot to mention that 10 girls in my troop were able to attend an ice cream party tonight. There was about 150 girls attending the event. They had SO much fun! After ice cream, they played Bingo! Woohoo! Whatta way to spend a Friday night!!

I got this from kd and Joan. You have to read it. You cannot be drinking anything unless you enjoy fluids coming out of your nose! Sex with Dr Phil

Let's see - how should I describe my day? Hectic. Yes, definitely hectic. My Mom is doing ok - not feeling to well. She had a slight fever yesterday so she was staying close to home. I can't go up to visit her until she (and Olivia) is better. Olivia is still sounding pretty gross. I am having a hard time determining whether her lungs are congested or if it's all from the post nasal drip. She sounds just awful - the poor kid. I didn't go to Target today. I didn't think she would be comfortable in the car and she has a habit of coughing (sometimes hard enough to make her gag) and then throwing up. Yuck. I don't like cleaning barf. We went to Walmart (again!) and I picked up some really cute gifts for my Bonkos group. It is my turn to host it on Monday night. I don't have the room to have 12 women at my house so my neighbor Tracy graciously volunteered her house. I just have to provide the food. I was going to make an apple pie and perhaps banana bread or pumpkin bread. I was also going to have fresh veggies and dip. Maybe some fruit too.. I am trying to stick with a fall theme and I am just doing appetizers and desserts. ANY suggestions?? I am looking for quick and easy recipes!

Friday Five! 1. What are your favorite ways to relax and unwind? Either reading or sitting at the computer. 2. What do you do the moment you get home from work/school/errands? Kick off my shoes 3. What are your favorite aromatherapeutic smells? Vanilla or Mandarin Orange 4. Do you feel more relaxed with a group of friends or hanging out by yourself? Tough one - depends on my mood. 5. What is something that you feel is relaxing but most people don't? I like to roll change. Weird, huh?

Morning everyone! I am feeling a little bit better. Olivia is still pretty oogy.. she's got a pretty gross sounding cough, now with a slight whistle to it. She got another neb treatment with Pulmicort and Albuterol. Oh - bonus - she also has a fever. Poor damn kid. She got some ibuprofen too. She is mooning over her breakfast but she is drinking. She only wants the clear orange flavored Gatorade. Ick. Mom had her MRI yesterday but I haven't talked to her since yesterday morning. I'll give her a call soon. Paul is off today - thank goodness. I have a bunch of errands to do, including picking up party prizes for the Bonkos game I will be hosting on Monday. Target here I come!

I am feeling a bit out of sorts tonight. I think I am catching Olivia's cold. Crap.

Never got a chance to post last night.. I got back home last night around 830. It didn't look like things were going that well either. So, I helped the finish up the nighttime routine, then headed them off to bed. Olivia was still hacking and her nose was running BIG time. Paul brought her back into the kitchen to give her some nose spray while I propped up her mattress. Olivia starts freaking out - she hates nose spray. He managed to get one dose in one nostril but was having a hard time with the other. I suggested that he just stop - she's way too upset. One thing leads to another.. and now we are arguing. ::sigh:: I just picked up Olivia and walked away from him. Whatever. Moira is already in bed at this point. I tucked Miss O in bed, kissed her good night and closed the door. Went back to give Moira a kiss and another tucking into bed. I went back into the living room and started sorting the kids dirty laundry. Paul apologized and I answered with a curt "Thank you". I stayed in the bedroom all night, watching "Singin' in the Rain" again. One of my favorites! Olivia was quite restless last night. I hate post-nasal drip. The poor kid. Apparently, she woke up around 2am this morning and Paul gave her a breathing treatment and got her back to bed. She woke again after he left for work. She usually just crawls into bed with me for a little while before I have to drag Moira out of bed. But, she was pretty good this morning. Dressed and ate breakfast in her usual slow fashion. It took her a few minutes to get her to brush her teeth. What IS it with little kids and not wanting to brush their teeth!?!? Argh! I have done a few errands this morning. Poor Olivia is still really boogery and coughing but no fever. She's fussing so I must end now.. Later!

I will be attending a meeting tonight for all of my church's Sunday School teachers. It's at 7pm tonight. So - Moira gets to miss soccer tonight. She hates it. Well, maybe not hates it, she has a great time ONCE she is there. Getting her prepped and there is another story. Moira hates to be rushed. In fact, the more she is hurried along, the slower she becomes. Grr! You can imagine how much fun the mornings can be in this house. Olivia is getting sick. Yay - I love school - the hotbed of diseases. I hope it's just a cold. I know she is getting sick when she falls asleep on me. She gets all cranky so I usually pick her up and cuddle her. She conked right out for about 45 minutes. Thank goodness the meeting tonight is an hour. This way, I get to hustle back home and help Paul tuck the munchkins into bed. He's stuck with bath duty tonight. Lucky him! Chat atcha later! OH - Shelley! My Mom sends a BIG "Thank You!" for giving me the link to the hat website. She bought a few and LOVES them!

Stephen King quits It's been a great run man...

A big Happy Birthday to Jennifer - a hard working Mom! Go give her some birthday comments!

I let Moira sleep in an extra half hour this morning so I have to drive her into school. She was all upset about not taking the bus ::sigh:: Some days ya just can't win! BUT - I did say she could wear her pink Hello Kitty boots so she got over her crabby ass mood quickly. Turns out we have another little girl in our troop - she was supposed to transfer out due to schedule conflicts. Turns out she is staying with the troop. Now - we are up to 16 girls! ARRGGHH!

Oh - Paul wants to be on the PTA! Woohoo! Go Paulie! Go Paulie!

Back to School night went smoothly tonight. Moira's teacher is pretty nice.. older woman who has been teaching for 18 years in the district. She said that Moira was a good student and does participate in class. She also said that Moira is doing very well in class! YAY! We got back home around 820pm. The kids were all pumped up, watching tv, not even in pj's. ::sigh:: But, I figured that might happen. Hey - Grandpa is a sucker : - ) We finally got them into bed by 915.. ugh. Tomorrow morning will be a bitch. Moira is SO SO cranky - she doesn't wake up too well. Gee, I have no idea where she could have picked that up! ::looking innocent::

Oh no - I missed another TWO! Happy belated birthday to Lynn! and Lisanne!

Mom's doctor sent her to the ER this morning because of her femur/knee. She also couldn't receive chemo (Rituxan) today because she had no white blood cells. None. At the ER, they did an Xray and found nothing visible. She is getting an MRI tomorrow. The doctor at the ER also pulled out fluids from her knee which, according to my Mom, "hurt like a sonofabitch! I had to do deep breathing techniques to keep from tearing off his face." End quote. The fluids were the same color of the chemo drugs from last week. Kool-Aid red. Ew. Anyways, she is back home and resting her leg. She has to go back to the oncologist's tomorrow for Nupigen shots. In fact, the long lasting Nupigen doesn't work for her so she will need to go daily. Joy. My father in law is coming down in a little while to watch the girls for us again. It's Back to School night at Moira's school and we both want to attend. I am so excited! I hope the teacher isn't a dork and she's cool like Mary! ::grin::

Went for a nice 1 mile powerwalk with Tracy (my neighbor) after the kids got on the bus. I feel pumped! : - ) Olivia will be practicing the potty today. ::thinking happy potty thoughts:: God help me!

Howdy hi buckaroos! ::snicker:: Ok - I thought I could type that without laughing.. We all had a good night. Paul drove Moira to soccer tonight while Olivia and I visited WalMart. Geez - I feel like I freakin live there! I found 2 pairs of cute jeans for Moira - they don't fit (of course) so I have to go back and exchange them. Moira was a bit of a booger tonight upon returning home from soccer. Lord - she is so hormonal! Auugghh! I talked to Mom.. she is doing ok - she's in good spirits. I talked to her tonight. She has been doing too many things (errands, etc) and has hurt her leg (the femur, where there are tumors) rather badly ::sigh:: I think she is really having a hard time with the idea of slowing down. She has another round of Rituxan (chemo) tomorrow... Paul will be stopping at her place on Thursday to help her shave her head again. Mentally - I am exhausted. I am worried about my Mom, about Olivia.. heck - I am being a first class worrywart! I had better get some sleep!

I forgot to mention that the house next door must have sold (or is being rented) and our new neighbors officially moved in yesterday. An 18 wheeler truck pulled up on front of the house and even managed to back into their driveway. We were all outside while they were moving furniture, etc into the house. Oh - we were not being nosy.. we were outside BEFORE the truck got there! LOL! I think it's an older couple (50's-60's) who is now living there. They also have a big shaggy looking dog (ick). Sorry folks, not a dog fan here! When I was loading the kids into the car this morning (we were running a little late), I noticed the husband looking in our direction so I waved a hello. He waved back so hopefully we are off to a good start! ::grin:: I will probably stop over today or tomorrow just to introduce myself. Should I bring cookies? Or, maybe a small plant? So far this morning I have: gotten Moira up and out the door for school washed and dried 3 loads of laundry called Debbie about Girl Scout stuff called Lynn about Girl Scout stuff planned out the next 3-4 Girl Scout meetings picked out 7 crafts projects from Oriental Trading for Girl Scouts and Sunday School set up a 3 month trial of digital cable (box hook-up on Thursday) called my friend Chris called my bestest friend whom I haven't spoken with since the Spring signed up Olivia for preschool (on the waiting list) Ugh - still have more laundry to do. Ick

Ok - last quiz! (link snagged from Hooked on Blogging)

Quiz created by Polly Snodgrass.

WATER OF EARTH. Mommy! Well, you could be. You are good with plants and small creatures such as children. You're very generous and basically great hearted. You probably make mad whack cookies and are good at managing the household; also businesses. You'd make a good tax person, book keeper, gardener, massage therapist, etc. The ever domestic and practical one, you can stretch a penny and make ramen noodles go a long way.

(link snagged via Shelley) Your pirate name is: Red Anne Flint Passion is a big part of your life, which makes sense for a pirate. Like the rock flint, you're hard and sharp. But, also like flint, you're easily chipped, and sparky. Arr! Whoa! I like this one!

Ohhhhhhhhhh - what a great episode! When Adriana barfed all over the table and the federal agents, I busted out laughing! We got some stuff done today. I taught Sunday School again and it went very well. The older kids did a little skit about God's house and they needed the younger kids (my class) to help. Cool! Moira loved being with the "big kids" ::smile:: Paul woked on the Saturn - had a helluva time putting one of the belts back in the engine. It's really a 2 person job. So, I helped him out and it slipped right back into place. Dinenr tonight was roast chicken, rice and veggies. I made biscuits and the kids LOVED them. Scarfed them right up. Yay - dinner was a hit! The girls had a terrible case of the giggles. ::grin:: It got to the point where I couldn't stop laughing. After dinner, I actually had some time to work on my Girl Scout papers, organizing them from Friday's meeting. The girls were still in giggle mode and played nicely for almost an hour. Then, it was the usual nighttime flurry of bath/teeth/book/bed. I am pooped!

Wooo! The Sopranos!

Well - the pool is closed until next year.

The Brownie meeting went well yesterday. We now have 15 girls, between the ages of 6 and 7. They made friendship bracelets during the meeting, 1 to keep and 1 to exchange. One of the girls in the troop is Moira's buddy. She's known her for a couple years now and they get along great. Her mom asked if Moira could spend the night - of course I said YES! Olivia and I had a somewhat quiet night. I was exhausted after the meeting. We had leftovers for dinner and watched Monsters Inc again. PAul was at my Mom's place, helping her out with things that needed to be completed. He also worked on her computer as she was having problems with her browser. He got home last night in time to watch 48 Hours. I wish they spent more time on the food allergy issues but I am not disappointed with the way it was presented. I am so proud of Adrienne (the Mom of Drew, the 3 yr old). Only people who are in this type of situation really understand just how much work it can be for 1 person. I know food allergies have completely changed the way we (family) do anything. I cannot assume that we can just catch a bite to eat anywhere. It takes me 20-30 minutes to prepare what I might need when we go to the mall. I bought a large cooler and we eat a LOT of sandwiches. Car Picnics. The kids love it. It makes my life so much easier! Anyway - I digress... After Olivia went to bed, Paul and I watched the out takes and special features for Monsters. I love the short film "For the Birds" and "Mike's New Car". The outtakes weren't that great. I liked the ones from Toy Story 2 MUCH better. We woke up early today, got cleaned up, ran some laundry and then hit the road. We had to buy some winterizer stuff for the pool. We also stopped at Target and picked up a Fisher Price trike for Olivia. She has one already but she since she is so petite, she can't really reach the pedals. The new trike seems to be a better fit for her. We managed to pick up Moira by 1230 and then it was back home to eat lunch, get her cleaned up and BACK out to a birthday party by 2pm. I am exhausted! Paul is passed out on the couch. Well -Olivia is looking for a snack - will catch up later!

Allergy Show on 48 Hours tonight at 8pm. I will blog later.. what a day..

FINALLY! It's a ........boy?????. He was supposed to be a she! So much for ultrasound! Congratulations Janna!

We met up with the architect at 530. Let me go on the record and say that this man was odd looking (sorry Goddess) He looked like he didn't get out much - very pale. He was quite tall and thin. An image of a praying mantis came right to mind. Very thin, delicate hands. He was certainly a man of few words. While sitting in his office, I felt like I was going to be sent to detention. Very surreal. He is good though - I have seen his work. It's excellent. Paul also felt awkward even though he did most of the talking. My father in law stayed for dinner and the girls had such a good time. I think he did too. He stayed until 9pm. He helped tuck the girls in bed and got smothered in hugs and kisses. It was sweet. ::smile:: Well - I am off to finish sewing patches and badges on Moira's Brownie vest. First meeting tomorrow!

I am so excited about the meeting with the architect! I have taken pictures of the house and I am burning them on a cd to bring with us. Last night, Paul and I measured some of the rooms. He also sketched out some of the ideas we have. He is great at doing stuff like that.

Did all my food shopping and was home by 10am. ACK! Kill me! LOL! My father in law is coming down to watch the girls for an hour while Paul and I meet with an architect. We want to build an addition on our house while the interest rates are low. This way, we can at least sit with the guy and see what we can afford to do and what we WANT to do - which could be pretty different! Well - off to clean and get dinner set up! Ta!

Finally a moment to sit down! WHEW! Hmm - let me recap my day.. After dropping Moira at school, Olivia and I made it to the mall. I managed to hit Macys, Old Navy, Kaybee Toys, Boscovs AND the Disney store within 2 hours. Woohoo! Nothing like a good morning of marathon shopping. BARGAIN marathon shopping, I might add. I got several nice deals today ::happy dance:: When we got back home, Olivia and I watched Monsters Inc. Oh My God. It is so cute. Boo is adorable - Olivia really does resemble her when her hair is up in ponytails! We met Moira at the bus, hustled home, hustled her into her soccer uniform, amidst much moaning, whining and crying, "I haaaaaaaaate soccer! I don't waaaaaaant to go." She went. I took her after dinner. They also had team photos. Her team was scheduled for 730pm pictures. Outside. ::eyeroll:: Needless to say, it was almost nightfall by the time they had them taken. Great. Can't wait to see these! LOL! Mom called earlier this afternoon. Remember I mentioned that she would lose her hair? Well - a LOT of it fell out last night, while she slept. So, she visited her hair dresser and had the rest of her hair shaved off. Completely. She is totally bald. ::sigh:: On the upswing, the hair dresser told Mom that she had a GREAT head. Very smooth. Mom doesn't want any wigs so she is wearing hats and do-rags. I suggested getting some temporary tattos. She loved that idea! Gonna cut it short tonight - I am pooped. I am gonna read a few blogs then head off to bed! G'night!

Driving the beast child to school this morning.. I have to bring books back to the library. Olivia and I will be going to the mall to pick up Monsters Inc. Yay!

From Anna - "So far Janna has not had the baby. I talked to her husband at 3:00 p.m. and she was 4 cent. dilated, had her epidural in and was sleeping. They didn't start pitocin until 5:30 this morning. She didn't sleep at all last night, so she's been catching up today. The nurses estimate that the baby will be born around 6:30 or so tonight. I'm so excited! R (her husband) will call me when she gets here."

I want to thank everyone who has emailed or commented regarding my Mom. I am so very touched by all the kind thoughts and hugs for us. : - )

I'm back from Brownie training ::yawn:: very uneventful.. I spoke with Mom around 4pm. She has gotten back from chemo around 330. She was feeling ok when we talked but I think tomorrow will kick her ass. I feel so damn helpless. She will have lost all her hair by this time next week ::sigh:: I don't know if I am ready for this..

Ugh - I am so jumpy today. I am just trying to stay busy and think positive thoughts about my Mom.

Happy belated birthday to my favorite candlemaker! ::SMOOCH::

Mom is undergoing her new chemotherapy this morning. She will be there for 6-8 hours today.

Janna's having her baby! Woohoo! I got an email from her friend Anna letting me know what was going on. Here's an excerpt: "FYI- Janna is having the baby tonight or tomorrow. They decided to induce labor b/c her blood pressure was really high. No C-Sec b/c the baby turned and is now head down. I talked with her around 5:30 p.m. Central and they were going to start pitocin later this evening." Sending Janna easy labor vibes!

I made a roast in the crockpot today. I started it around 9am this morning, with an onion and 2 cups of brown gravy. By 130pm, I added 3 cut up potatoes and 1 couple big handfuls of baby carrots. Yummy! Olivia scarfed all the meat we served her! We did a quick WalMart run to pick up Moira's costume. It's practically identical to Olivia's costume. Some kind of "Malibu Kitty".. it's cute. Hey - what can I expect for $16? A neighbor up the street has 3 girls and she bought all their costumes from the Disney Store! 1 Alice in Wonderland and 2 Minnie Mouse costumes - talk about BIG bucks! That's easily $120.00 - for a COUPLE hours ::eyeroll:: Whatever. I have a lot of work to do in order to prepare for the meeting on Friday. My babysitter isn't available...until November! : - O Curse you field hockey for stealing my only baby-sitter! So, I have to bring Olivia with me ::sigh:: I hope she's not too out of hand. I have a training course to attend tomorrow evening for Girl Scouts - for 3 hours. Oy.

Our first Brownie troop meeting is this Friday! I am so excited!

I updated and added some links on my sidebar.. check 'em out!

Beware of food This family will also be portrayed Friday night on 48 Hours (CBS) 8pm. I am familiar with this family as I correspond with Adrianne (the Mom) through an online food allergy group (which has 1000+ members!) I hughly suggest everyone watch the show - I know that my daily routine is very similar to what this family goes through each day.

It's raining.. it's raining!

WHEW! I think I am all caught up on my reads. Oh - if anyone has some great craft links/ideas, please feel free to send them on over! Bonus points if I could use them for Sunday School. Besides, I can use the other ones for the Brownie troop.

OhmyGod! The Sopranos rocked tonight! The scene between Tony and Bobby in the diner.. PRICELESS! Paul and I laughed ourselves silly over that. I am not liking Paulie too much. I really liked Christopher but I hate the drug storyline he's doing. Shooting up between his toes??? EW EW EW! Just disgusting. The best episode from last season (#37) was when Pauli and Christopher disposed of a "body" in the Pine Barrens. Getting lost, half frozen, they have to spend the night in an abandoned van, eating ketchup packets. I watched that episode every time it was aired. When Bobby showed up in full camoflage....hahahahahaha! LOVED it!

Had a great morning at Sunday School. I have a helper, Gina, who is a sweetheart. She is in high school.. I think she is about 15-16. Jeff, who is 11, also stopped by to help. He was great. The kids (5-8 yrs old) really liked both of them.. Moira had a great time at Sunday School too. I have been trying to think up interesting things for the kids to do. I need to come up with a great craft idea... Other than that, it has been a dreary Sunday that has been filled with laundry and housekeeping. Ick! I'll try to wrote later as I have to finish up dinner, get everything cleaned up and ready for tomorrow and watch "The Sopranos". YEAH! I am SO SO happy it's finally back!

On the Long Island: Steuben Boulevard episode: The new designer, Edward, did a GREAT job in his room. WOW! Very hotel-ish but I really really liked it. Frank's room was .. well.. typical Frank! ::grin:: On the Long Island: Split Rock Road episode: I just LOVED the kitchen that Genevive designed tonight. The copper hood over the stove was gorgeous. I couldn't believe how much brighter the room looked when they were finished! Vern's kitchen - not so good. Very un-Vern.

8PM baby.. It's Trading Spaces time!

AND - A big 30th birthday shout out to Scott! Go on over and whisper sweet nothings in his comments!

Good morn...er... afternoon! Paul and I stayed up too late last night watching the "Soap" marathon that was airing on TV Land last night. We were just cracking up. God - what a funny show. Olivia woke me up at 545am ::groan:: so I just stuck her on my side of the bed and let her go back to sleep with Paul. I came out in the living room and promptly passed out in the recliner! When we all woke up, we did a quick cleaning/vacuuming around the house so we didn't freak out Dad and Millie. They came down around 1130 for a quick visit. The girls had a blast. Moira is at one of her little girlfriend's house this afternoon. I am hoping that they keep her for dinner! Bad, ain't I? Heehee! ***UPDATE*** She was invited for dinner and was brought home around 730pm!

Having a good night with the girls. Moira played with her buddy up the street for an hour. She wanted to watch the Veggie Tales videos when she got home. Here it is 830pm and they are just getting into the showers now. Ai yi yi! I talked to my Mom today and she seems to be in good spirits. She is planning for the next couple months. She is a bit of a control freak so she loves to plan and organize. ::grin:: Gotta give Miss O her bath.. later gators!

In case anyone is looking for Kat, she has a temporary home here. Hopefully, her other blog will be up and running soon. By the way, CONGRATS on the new job!

I found this while visiting Sandy's blog. She snagged it from Saucyspot. "Where was God?" Read it.

Cebuuuuuuuuu.... Damn Veggie Tales!

No big plans for today.. the usual errands.. My Dad and StepMom are coming down for a visit tomorrow. The girls are excited about that! I am going to try listing some things on eBay. I have become motivated by the Auction Divas! I am hoping to join up - it looks like a lot of fun! I'll chat more later. ::smooches:: Bye!

It's Time for the Friday Five! 1. What was/is your favorite subject in school? Why? I took a great Shakespeare class and loved it. We would watch the performance and then discuss it. I also liked any course that required me to read. I cut class too much to develop a favorite class. 2. Who was your favorite teacher? Why? John Ratkowski. I learned so much from his class (Baking and Pastry Arts). I blogged about him - check it out here 3. What is your favorite memory of school? HA! Hated HS. HATED it.My favorite memory was LEAVING. 4. What was your favorite recess game? I remember playing Duck Duck Goose as a child. Lord - it was FUN! 5. What did you hate most about school? I was tortured during my 7th-10th grades by my "peers". So, I guess if they happened to fall off the face of the earth, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. (Hmm - bitter much Kate?)

I talked to my Mom tonight.. her doctor's (oncologist) appointment was scheduled at 5pm and she didn't get in to see him until 6pm. Bad news. REALLY bad news. NonHodgkins Lymphoma Stage 4. The lymphoma has metastasized. It is now in her coccyx as well as collarbone, upper/lower back, femur and pelvis. The doctor gave her 2 options. She could wait 2 months and have another CT scan or immediately start chemotherapy. She will be doing heavy duty chemotherapy starting Tuesday. It will take 6-8 hours to administer the medications. Rituxan. CHOP (The specific chemotherapy treatment usually given is referred to by the acronym "CHOP" by physicians, and includes Cytoxan®, hydroxydaunomycin (Adriamycin®), vincristine (Oncovin®), and prednisone). This approach results in cure in more than 80% of patients.) Mom will be doing 6 cycles of chemo. The doctor assured her that she will lose all her hair. The side effects will be brutal.. nausea, vomiting, mouth sores.. the list goes on... I am not ready for this. This course of treatment will knock her on her ass.. hard. I don't even want to think about how difficult the next few months will be for her.

Chicken Cacciatore for dinner tonight... Yum.

I'm back! I stopped at WalMart to get diapers and to enlarge a picture of Paul and I from our wedding. We couldn't afford photographers so we counted on a lot of people to take pictures for us. A lot turned really well but I can't help but wish I had a couple really formal shots done. Maybe on my 25th anniversary ::grin:: Stopped at Bruno's for more deli - sheesh - I am there every 6 days! Oy!

Oh - when I was at the bus stop this morning.. I got stung by a bee! I stomped the crap outta him... Mosquitos and bees - HATE them all!

I had a great night last night.. I took Moira to soccer where they had a practice and a game (they lost).Picture the Bad News Bears playing soccer. But, before the game started, there was an announcement over the PA system, asking people to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Then, a local kids choir sang the National Anthem. They were very good. It was amazing to see 500 people, scattered over 9 soccer fields, standing still in respect of September 11. I should have brought my camera - just to see all those poeple, stopped as if they were frozen in place. When I got home, Paul told me that Joan had IM'ed him, thinking he was me. Paul suggested she give me a call after 9pm. I checked my email and I found an email from her, saying that she wanted to do "25 Things about Kate"! Boy - was I surprised! She gave me a call around 9pm and we chatted EASILY for over an hour. We had a lot of fun.. lots of giggles and major silliness. After our chat, I jumped back on the computer for a little while, surfing blogs and catching up on emails. Scott IM's me and we had a nice chat. He and his wife, the lovely Shelley live in Oklahoma. They will be coming out to NYC at the end of December. I am going to meet them (somewhere) in the city. YAY! Scott mentioned that they had confirmed the hotel reservation. I jokingly said we would need to call each other and Scott thought that was a GREAT idea! He sends me the phone number and said he would answer and hand the phone to Shelley. Well, 4 rings later with no answer and when I am momentarily wondering if they just went to bed, Scott answers and hand the phone to Shelley. She says "Hello?" quite cautiously. The rest of the conversation: Kate: "Hi Shelley, it's Kate." Shelley: silence Kate: "Kate.. like KateSpot Kate.." Shelley: "Oh.....OHHHH! HI!!" We laughed about that for a little while... The best part about talking to them is that they hand the phone back and forth to each other. 20 minutes with Shelley, back to Scott, Shelley again.. then Scott. Talk about getting tag teamed! I can honestly say that they 2 extremely nice people and I can't wait to officially meet them in person. I gotta say I LOVE the accents ::giggle:: Ya'll! I just know we will have SO much fun when we meet up in NYC!

It took over 2 hours for all of the victims' names to be read. Chilling.

I was watching some of the memorial services on CNN - I had to turn it off. We are going to watch Sesame Street. The girls and I are wearing red, white and blue today. I hung a new flag outside today and took down the old flag. It has been hanging in my front yard for 1 year. I am going to have it folded properly and I will store it away. {{{HUGS}}} to all of my friends and family. God Bless America.

Did a few errands tonight.. nothing too exciting.. Paul and I watched the ABC special about the WTC. It dealt specifically with the FDNY and some NYPD. The men were describing their own personal experience while attempting to rescue people. Brothers digging for brothers, a father searching for his son. It was heartbreaking. I bawled through most of it.. watching all these tough guys crying just sent me over the edge.. I know I must have known somebody who died there. My brother has gone to several memorial/funeral services. My StepMom works with people who have lost loved ones. My StepSister lives next door to a firefighter.. My heart breaks for everyone who lost a loved one.

(flag gifs found here)

List of Victims of September 11th 2001

from FoxNews: "We will broadcast 24 hours of live, commercial-free coverage beginning at 5 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2002, and continuing into the following morning. The programming will offer complete coverage of memorial services in New York, Washington, D.C., Shanksville, Pa., and around the country, as well as a look back at the events and people of Sept. 11, 2001."

{{{Erin}}} Don't be gone too long sweetie! :::smooch:::

I found this from the PromoGuy who got it from ArcaMax: "Tupperware has declared Saturday Global Party Day. Making a connection to the Sept. 11 anniversary of the terrorist attacks, Tupperware said in a statement, "Eager to use its resources to contribute to the greater good, Tupperware, the world's largest direct-selling company, plans to mobilize it's sales force of more than 1 million consultants worldwide to unite the world in friendship and charity..." Global Party Day is to be a "continuous stream of Tupperware parties" that will "follow the sun around the globe," the company states. The goal is 500,000 Tupperware parties -- with a portion of the proceeds going to the Give a Child a Chance Foundation." GLOBAL PARTY DAY? Oh my God - that is just so.. disgusting.

Good morning! I am blogging from my Mom's place right now. We got here about 20 minutes ago. She has some errands to do so I will be helping her out.. Ya'll be good now!

Ok... I still have to tweak it.. but I kinda like the new look ::grin:: I will link my 100 things about me and my photos (eventually). I need to switch to a new image hosting site and I need to download an FTP program... Olivia and I will be going up to visit Mom after we take Moira to school. Thank you all so very much for all your kind words. They mean so much to me! :::smooches:::

Moira's soccer game was cancelled due to all the mosquitos all over the fields.. ew. Since they were already out, Paul and Moira stopped at KMart for a new coffee pot. Seems like I *just* got one quite recently!

My Mom called me with the results of her Pet Scan. It was her 3rd scan for the cancer (Non Hodgkins Lymphoma). The first 2 were clear. This last scan wasn't... It came back.. all of it... in the same goddamn places, her neck, shoulders, upper/lower back and pelvis. The Fludara (chemo meds) must have made the cancer dormant instead of eliminating it... Fuck. I have to ask all of you guys for your thoughts and prayers again.. ***UPDATE** This is the post that I thought I deleted earlier... weird!

Well - I will be fixing more of this later and adding my links back in.. please let me know if I miss anyone (once I set them up). I somehow managed to break the coffeepot, ran late cooking dinner so Paul and Moira were late going to soccer and I knocked over an entire box of organic rice crispies.. those little bastards scattered everywhere ::sigh:: Oh, and the cereal is about $5.00 for a 10 oz box.. figures... Gotta go to KMart and get a new coffeepot..

I think comments are up now...

Grrr!

Well - I have dorked up my blog... again.. Please bear with me while I work on it.. What a crappy day..

::sigh:: I screwed up my last post by trying to edit it.. My Mom got her PET Scan results back.. it was her 3rd scan. The past 2 were negative. No signs of cancer. It's back now, according to this last scan, everywhere it was before Mom's chemo. Upper/lower back, shoulders, pelvis, legs... The Fludara (chemo medication) didn't kill the clusters. Just made them dormant. Any spare thoughts and prayers you can toss this way would be greatly appreciated.

Off to recycling and the post office.. be back soon! TA!

ACK! I just got back from the bus stop and I am covered in mosquito bites! I am soooo itchy.. it's unbearable. I've already covered them with Benedryl cream and they still itch!

The season finale of Sex and the City was great. I *love* Carrie's new guy. He's adorable.. AND... The Sopranos is going to be coming back on Sunday! YAY!!! HBO heaven!

I forgot to mention that Olivia's Medic Alert bracelet arrived yesterday. It's SO tiny! The chain is only 5" long! But, we got all the necessary information on the tag. This will be the best $35 we have spent. Olivia loves her new pretty bracelet. I hope that sentiment continues for a while!! ::knocking wood::

I have a few minutes to jump on and say Hello! Paul painted the front door (again!) for the last time. Let me go officially on the record and say that Behr paint SUCKS ASS! Our front door took 5 coats before it looked anywhere decent.Next time, we will be sticking to Sherwin Williams or Glidden. Paul joked that if we slam our front door hard enough, the pain might fall off and smash on our front step! ::grin:: I'll blog more later as my children are behaving like they are re-enacting "Lord of the Flies" ::sigh::

I just caught the Amy Wynn and Ty make-over story. Wow - they both looked fabulous.

We had a GREAT day with the kidlets today. Let me say that the weather was GORGEOUS.. I couldn't have picked a nicer day to go out with the kids. We did go to the zoo and I thought Olivia was going to pop! She spent most of the afternoon chasing after Moira, shouting "Wait for me!". It was super cute. I didn't bring my digital camera. It was all filled up and I was too lazy to empty it this morning. In fact, I was too busy because I was making lunch to bring to the zoo. We actually left for the zoo later than I wanted. One of Paul's co-workers also has a landscaping business and he was down here early this morning to core and slit seed our lawn. It's pretty crappy looking now so by spring we will have a mega lawn. Anyway - we got down to the zoo around 1130 and the girls walked and walked until 130. By then, they were STARVING. So, back to the car to get the food. After lunch, we brought them over to the playground so they could run around for a while. Olivia zonked out on the ride home. I just LOVE watching her eyes roll around right before she falls asleep. It's just so funny. ::grin:: I am off to read a few blogs and watch Trading Spaces (OF COURSE!). I just watched the first one of the new season and Doug looked so adorable! I loved that T-shirt he was wearing! ::sigh:: How handsome! And the kitchen he did was great!

Happy Birthday to Mary - today she is 33 years young! :::smoooch:: You rock!

Well - there isn't a darn thing on TV worth watching tonight. Paul is (and has been) asleep in the recliner for the past hour and a half. My life is so damn boring sometimes. I crave being able to go out whenever I want. Then, I feel guilty for feeling that way. I adore my girls and Paul but I have to be able to get away from them every once in a while or I feel like I am going to scream. ::sigh:: Off to empty the dishwasher. What freakin' fun..

After a yummy dinner, the kids wanted to watch Junkyard Wars. Paul had taped it the other night so Moira could watch it. I made chocolate chip cookies. Olivia scarfed down a couple spoonfuls of the dough and then ate 5 cookies!

The laundry is finished! Hooray! Well, I just have to get the sheets off the clothesline but they will be going right back on the beds. We are going to the Cape May Zoo tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be low 80's - clear and sunny. Can't wait! The kids will have a blast. I will take lots of pictures - heck, maybe I'll let Paul take 1 or 2. Nahhhhhhhhh.

(link snagged from Marc who snagged it from ThinkGeek) Shower Shock Caffeinated Soap Mornings Have Never Been So Invigorating Tired of waking up and having to wait for your morning java to brew? Are you one of those groggy early morning types that just needs that extra kick? Know any programmers who dont regularly bathe and need some special motivation? Introducing Shower Shock, the caffeinated soap from ThinkGeek... Shower Shock is an all vegetable based glycerine soap which does *not* contain any harsh ingredients like ethanol, diethanolamine, polyethylene glycol or cocyl isethionate. So it's a gently envigorating soap ;) Scented with peppermint oil and infused with caffeine anhydrous, each bar of Shower shock contains approximately 10 servings/showers per 4 ounce bar with 250 milligrams of caffeine per serving. No, we're not kidding and no you don't eat it. The caffeine is absorbed through the skin... Have smelly co-workers that sleep in too much? Give them the gift of Shower Shock...

I HATE folding laundry! Arrrggggghhhhhh! I have folded (and put away) at least 4 loads worth. AND - I am not done yet ::sigh::

Friday Five! 1. What is your biggest pet peeve? Why? BAD manners. Try "Excuse me" or "Thank you" every once in a freakin while, ya jerks. 2. What irritating habits do you have? I bite my nails 3. Have you tried to change the irritating habits or just let them be? I try not to bite them but I start nibbling them when I am reading. 4. What grosses you out more than anything else? Why? BUGS! EW EW EW! I can deal with flies and worms. Anything bigger, faster (like spiders::shiver::) or bugs that have the ability to jump in any direction (crickets) totally freak me out. Ever see the first "CreepShow" movie?? ACK - I am freaking myself out! 5. What one thing can you never see yourself doing that other people do? Probably flying in a plane. I have always been a nervous flyer.

Can anyone recommend a good FTP program? I am going to be dumping AOL (finally cutting the AOL umbilical cord) ::sob:: and I need to transfer all of my images, etc...

Conversation between Paul and Moira the other day M: "Dad?" P: "Yes?" M: "Do you hold your penis when you go to the bathroom?" P: "Yes, I do." M: "Oh" ::pause:: "Ok.. I was just curious." I was hiding in the bedroom, giggling as quietly as I could. The best part, Paul never skipped a beat and just answered the question.

I just mowed the back yard, hung laundry, skimmed soem of the scary creatures out of my pool and dumped chemicals in it. I am pooped!

Did I also mention that is is 77 degrees, clear and cool. LOVE it!! Gotta go hang some laundry now - BYE!

The second day of school went smoothly. I hope the bus ride home is better than yesterday. Olivia and I had to stop at WalMart to pick up some particular school supplies for Moira. I am curious why she would need 3 dry erase markers. Of course, they had to be black. So - of course they are not sold in 3 packs or all black either. ::sigh:: I have 4 other colors that I don't need or want. She also needed a protractor and a compass. God help me when she gets to 4th or 5th grade.. she will probably need a frickin' laptop.

Moira went back to school today ::sniffle:: I mean, I am glad she went but I will miss having her around. Things went smoothly this morning. She got up all by herself (we sent her alarm), wore a new outfit (very cute!), did the whole morning routine. But, as we were walking down the driveway, she slipped on some loose gravel and BAM! Fell right down and scraped her hand. She cried - poor lil thing. : - ( She was ok after a couple minutes fo cuddling. Plus, a buddy of hers (who lives 3 houses up) was starting Kindergarten so they walked up together. It was sweet. We have the same bus driver as last year. She is really very nice. I am glad to see her again. Her bus was 40 minutes late! UGH! Some sort of mix up at the middle school. Hope it doesn't happen again tomorrow. I think she enjoyed her first day.. she didn't want to really discuss it too much ::grin:: Goofy kid. We didn't get back home until 410pm. That sucked because Moira also had soccer practice tonight at 530pm. I threw dinner together as fast as possible and then Moira and I took off for the fields. We met her coach, who seems to be a really nice guy. Turns out he is a 6th grade teacher. Cool. We didn't get back home until 730-ish. Zoomed into the bath, teeth brushed, book read and VOOM! Into bed by 830pm! Damn - I AM good!

Moira starts school tomorrow. I cannot believe that she is going into first grade. ::sigh::

By the way.. dinner was absolutely delicious.. : - )

Hey Joan! It was nice chatting with you.. hope we can do it again soon!

We got back around 130pm. I spent the afternoon at Dick's and BJ's. As in Dick's Sporting Goods and BJ's Wholesale Club. I found cleats and socks for Moira and managed to get out of there by spending only $34.47. I really wanted the damn WalMart cleats for $9.99 ::sigh:: I spent a lot of money at BJ's - we had no meat left! I hate spending all that money at the supermarket when I can get it at the wholesale club for much cheaper. Well - gotta go be productive... chat later!

Off to go shopping. Wish me luck that I find some cleats! Yesterday, I asked Moira what she wanted for dinner tonight. I told her she could pick a special dinner before the first day of school. Spaghetti and sausage was her request. I cooked the sausage last night and now it's simmering in the crockpot. All I will do is make some garlic bread and a nice tossed salad. Yum!

YAY! Quinn's back!

YAY! Mary is going to visit me!

Hmm - doing some shopping on Amazon.. I think I will pick up a couple books for Paul - Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter.. maybe some Rush Limbaugh..

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day. I shopped. I have been on a mission to find cleats for Moira. She starts soccer on Wednesday (which happens to be the first day of school too. Wah!). I cannot find cleats in her size anywhere. I looked in KMart, WalMart, the sports shop in my neighborhood. Nothing. So, the girls and I will be going to Dick's Sporting Goods tomorrow, where I will have the privilege of paying way too much money for her cleats. ::sigh:: I had to do a ton more laundry today. It has been so chilly we all have been wearing jeans. Thank goodness I had finished back to school shopping a while ago and had jeans that fit the girls!

Go vote for Da Goddess - Is she Hot or Not? By the way, my ratings are slipping ::hint hint:: C'mon and vote for me too!

Did I mention that school starts on Wednesday! YAY!

I certainly didn't get enough sleep for the past couple nights. Busy days! On Sunday, I woke up to a downpour. Ugh. I dragged myself into the shower and attempted to make myself presentable. I managed to make the 830am service (10 minutes late) and sat through the teacher's meeting. Sunday School starts on the 15th. After church, I zipped over to Bruno's (still raining) and picked up my deli order for the week. After lunch, we visited my sister in law and her hubby, my niece and my new nephew. Of course, he's just adorable. His name is Colin Michael. He's so tiny! We stayed a bit too long and didn't get home until 7pm! The kids didn't have dinner until 745pm. Moira wanted to watch an Arthur special on PBS which featured the Backstreet Boys. It was pretty cute. The kids loved it. After the kids went to bed, Paul and I worked out some plans as to how we would like to build our addition. We need to work on it some more. What we have sketched out now adds a new master bedroom with a full bath and walk in closet, an all purpose room with a utility closet, and we also have plans to redo the kitchen and bathroom. I can't wait!