Wigs and Hats

Yesterday we went wig shopping with my mom.  Her hair hasn't started falling out yet, but the shop owner said that her scalp looked like it won't be long.  The very first wig she tried on looked just like her hair after she has been to the beauty shop!  It was beautiful.  I think she feels really good about it.  We loved this shop!  It's called The Egyptian Salon and the owner's name is Ann.  As a cancer survivor herself, she is full of love and good advice.  If someone you love in the Oklahoma City area needs a wig, send her there!

While we were there, my sister and I were talking about the hats I have crocheted for my daughter and how soft they are.  I use "I Love This Cotton" yarn and they are just the softest things ever (next to Charlie after he's been fluffed and muffed).  Here's a picture of one.



Ann said that if I make some for her shop she will sell them for me but I think I'll just make some for Mom since  I barely have time for that.  And there's a certain pillowcase that I've been working on embroidering for over a year that I have to finish sometime . . . maybe I'll give you more details about that someday.  Anyway, yesterday I bought some yarn and doodads that I think Mom will like and my sister called me from Hobby Lobby saying she was doing the same thing.  Today I made manicotti and we're going to go to Mom and Dad's for lunch.  Maybe afterward my sister and I can look at the stuff we bought. 

Yay for manicotti!  And yay for new yarn!  And yay for Ann and beautiful wigs!  And yay for soft chemo hats! 

Charlie

We have a dog that I will always call "puppy".  His name is Charlie and I think he is the perfect dog - except for the occasional puking on my new carpet.  He is an armful of soft fluff and I still love his kisses - on the cheek or anywhere but my mouth.  He is relentless when he wants to play fetch, unless it's time to go to sleep.  Then he snuggles up as close to you as he can get, sometimes giving you a back ache by morning, which he makes up for by bringing you his ball. 

This is what he looks like when he wants me to play and I need to work. 

No wonder I can't seem to get much done on that book I'm trying to write! 

This is what he looked like the day he came to live with us:

The head tilt still cracks me up 2 1/2 years later.  And he uses it to his advantage - like when you are getting on to him for something, he will sit down and tilt his head at you which makes him entirely too adorable to discipline.  But he is actually pretty disciplined.  He is my easiest child - by far.  He obeys really well, wants to go outside to use the potty (unless his apple cart is VERY UPSET), and makes us feel like really good doggie parents.

Charlie needs to be brushed every other day to keep from getting mats and he needs to be bathed once a week to keep from getting disgusting.  He really should go to the groomer once a month but since his haircuts cost more than mine, he only goes when I can't make him look decent anymore.  This is what he looked like one Sunday morning about 10 minutes before we needed to leave for church:

That Sunday someone stayed home.

This month since I have been at the hospital about half the time, Charlie has been pretty neglected.  Finally today, I stayed home for a while and gave the puppy a bath.  He usually hates baths but I think he actually knew he felt better after this one.  I love the crazy run around the house after the bath routine.  That's when the ball game gets serious!

The hubby and I are going to Branson later this week for a conference.  I'm going to miss that puppy!  Maybe we should bring him with us.  He makes a pretty good traveling companion . . .

Good and Pleasant

About a month ago my mother had surgery for ovarian cancer.  She seemed to be recovering very nicely while she was in the hospital but we began to be concerned about her while she was recovering at home and at her two week follow up appointment, we learned that she had not healed properly and required another surgery.  That was 10 days ago and we expect to be in the hospital for another week.  One of my sisters has come from Alabama to help and what was expected to be a one month visit has turned into what will probably be two months.  My other sister has come twice for long weekends to relieve us and to see Mom.

During this time out of respect for my mother's privacy as well as her need for rest we have asked that she not have visitors at the hospital and have not relied heavily on friends to stay with her.  My father was recovering from hip surgery (which he had a week before she was diagnosed) so he needed help at home and driving to and from everywhere he went.  For this reason my sister and I divided our time with Mom into 24 hour shifts, every other day.  I have to admit I was really worried about how exhausted I would become but instead I have found it to be a really blessed time.

During the days that Mom was drifting in and out of wakefulness without really waking completely, it was such a joy to care for her and to share the burden with my sister.  So many times I was reminded of the times my mother came to care for me when my children were born.  She would stay with us for two weeks, cooking, cleaning, and caring for the baby while we slept.  Her advice and tenderness during those days made our homecomings almost magical in spite of medical complications. 

As my sisters and I have worked together to take care of mom we have also watched out for one another, listening, advising, crying together, sharing our fears and thoughts as well as our prayers and hopes.  I have been so grateful for the time with them and for our love for one another and I'm so aware that not every family has this kind of harmony and ability to work together.  It is truly a blessing from God. 

Each day has new challenges and new victories and we do not know what the future holds but we know that we have a loving Father who does know the future and holds it in His hands.  And we know that we will walk into that future together, grateful for the time that we have.

Psalm 133:1, 3 "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity. . . For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore." (ESV)

surrounding me

I was born into great love,

that I did nothing to deserve

A fierce love that required my very best

I am surrounded by deep love

that comforts me and gives me life

And takes life from me,

making it beautiful.

 

Crepe-y Necks and Gratitude

“I just looked at my neck and realized it has gotten really crepe-y lately!” 

“Now would probably be a good time to stop looking at your neck.” 

The timeframe of this text conversation included my 17 year old son’s car being totaled by a reckless driver (not him) the weekend before we closed on a house on Tuesday that we had to get painted, re-carpeted and moved into on Saturday so that our renters could move into the house we were vacating on Sunday.  And those were the minor details of that week.  The major parts of that week were that my father had just had hip replacement surgery the week before and the day that I said that, my mother had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. 

Well, that certainly puts that into perspective doesn’t it?  What a silly thing to even think about!  Who cares if my neck gets crepe-y?  Newsflash!  If you live long enough, your neck is going to get crepe-y!  And apparently, from all the stars that have surgically smooth faces but still have crepe-y necks, you can’t really get that fixed.  So, bring it on!  Bring on the crepe-y neck, Lord.  And thank you for my son’s safety and the beautiful house and the renters who were ready right away!  And if I’m going to ask for anything Lord, it’s this – that you would heal my mom and give us many more years and much more crepe-yness  together!

Matthew 6:27 “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”