NEVER Throw Out What is Not Yours!

Do you know what it's like when you get into a cleaning mode and if there is anything in your path that looks to be like junk then in the garbage it goes? I had a moment like that today.

I wasn't actually 'cleaning' but looking for something and came across a couple items that I haven't seen leave their place since first being placed there almost 2 years ago so what was the most logical thing to do? Yep, toss them! Not such a bright idea though.

They weren't actually my items but Les's and thinking he would never notice I did the most logical thing (in my opinion). However, I don't think it was even 2 hours and he noticed. What did I find myself doing? Rumaging through the garbage......not one of my most thought out endeavours (can I blame it on OCD)!

Christmas Time

This has been such a fun Christmas for us, not that every year isn't but I should say special because we've been able to spend so much of it with family. During our six years in northern BC we didn't see much family especially during the wintery season, this Christmas it was nice to continue with our family traditions and to have other family members join us in these festivities.

Spending a quiet Christmas day with my sister Trish was a fun treat and we were so excited to be able to do that with her for a 2nd year in a row. Then a couple days later spending time at my brother Mike's house with his family, Trish and sister Tamsen and her family was a Christmas first! To watch all the little cousins in their craziness run around, laugh, and play was so much fun.

Here are some pictures that give you just a glimpse of our Christmas. Unfortunately we forgot our camera when heading out the door to my brothers place, I need to see if they took any pictures so I can add them but I was able to take a couple pictures of my kids and my sister Tamsen's kids when they stopped by for a visit.

Gingerbread Train

Check out one of our family Christmas Traditions!!

Sickness

I was so excited about this week with with me starting to feel better and the kids off school I had plans.....not concrete plans or lots of plans but plans.......so much for those plans......

It all started Sunday. Les caught a terrible cold, Adrianna was feverish and then started throwing up. 3 days later she's still feverish but thankfully not throwing up and yes, Les still has his cold but is dealing with it while working the busiest week of the year (poor guy).

The selfish part of me was feeling sorry for myself because I want to go do things but a lesson has come of this. First of all my family has had to wait 9 months for me to feel better so suck it up! Secondly, sure I have energy but not loads of energy so this is making me NOT overdo it! Thirdly, I have much needed work to get done for a client. And Fourthly, Les has taken incredible care of me over the last 9 months not getting sick once, now I can take care of him. So.......lesson learned.

Today the kids are all cuddled up in my bed watching movies. Eli isn't sick but needs to be where all the action is.

9-1-1 HELP, My Mom Won't Let Me Run!!!!!!!!

Today after Church Eli wanted to run around in the gym but he knows that on Sundays we don't do that, we want to maintain the reverence of the sabbath day. I never thought anymore of it until I was done what I was doing and Eli had vanished. Yep! he was in the gym but I didn't catch him running (lucky for him).

I started talking to someone all the while Eli was pleading to do what he wanted to do. Finally not happy with the continued NO for an answer he blurted out in that serious but not demanding tone, "If you don't let me run right now I'm going to phone 9-1-1 and the police will come!"

Laughingly I replied, "Now if you call 9-1-1 what are you going to say?"

"I'll tell them that my mom won't let me run in the gym," explained Eli.

"And what do you think they'll do?" I questioned.

He quickly replies, "I don't know but the police WILL come!"

DONE!!!!! WAHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

9 months later.....I don't have a baby but I do have a long life ahead of me! I'm done ALL my treatments and that is something to be excited about!!!!

After a bilateral mastectomy, 6 chemo treatments and 28 sessions of radiation I am done. The only things left are:

1) my 6 week check up at the end of January where I'll find out what my future medical regime will be;
2) Recovery both from chemo and radiation. My Oncologist stated that I won't feel like the old me until 2 months after everything is done, so by my calculations that makes February the month (if not sooner);
3) Reconstructive surgery but this is far from immediate.

Tonight we're going out to

CELEBRATE this VICTORY!!!!

Radiation Burn

I only have 2 more radiation appointments and at this exact moment I'm having a very hard time feeling excited about this great news. Why you might wonder? After 26 shots of radiation I'm saying ouch, ouch, ouch to radiation burn.

Over the weekend it became very painful and I'm sure I spent 1/2 my day in the tub doing saline soaks, the other 1/2 laying on my bed covered in creams airing it and became a pill popper to numb the pain.




Consider this a before shot just of the opposite side because I forgot to take a before shot. Basically what my skin colour normally is!




Les best explains it like this......some of the area is like a really bad sunburn and the rest of the area is like a bad burn you'd get from burning yourself on the stove.






After 26 radiation treatments with 2 more to go.

So this is radiation. A walk in the park still? Not really.

You might have figured out that it's a real 'pity party' moment. Putting all these feelings aside my Radiation Oncologist did tell me that I'm probably experiencing the worst of it and that by the end of the week I'll be well on the way to recovery. So week PLEASE go by fast!

Birthday Cake, mmmmmmm!

Don't you just love the cake Les made for me!!!!! Actually, NO he didn't make it for me so don't get all excited ladies! My friend Berit made this beautiful Norwegian birthday cake and let me tell you it was GOOOOOOOOD!!!! Many thanks Berit.

Christmas Nights

So that snow we got...well the rain washed it away and then just kept coming down. Finally yesterday was a nice sunny day so Les got busy outside stringing lights!

It's Snowing, It's Snowing!!!

How appropriate, snow on December 1st! With such a mild temperature the kids are having a blast!!




Note Eli's the little blue blob in the middle of the road. Not exactly sure what he was doing.......I think having a hard time getting his crazy carpet to work?!

Primary Activity - Let It Snow

This morning with all the excitment of the first snowfall it was hard to get packed up and head to the Church for a primary activity but once there the kids had a blast!






It started out with them shovelling the sidewalk but somehow they ended up in the parking lot?!









There was crafts.







Decorating gingerbread men.

and snowball fights


Definitely a very fun time!!