Friday, August 28, 2009

ginger/lemon/mint tea

2 1/2 inch chunk of fresh ginger
3 fresh spearmint sprigs (18 leaves)
1 cup sugar
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 3 lemons
3 decaf family size tea bags (can be made without the tea bags)

gallon of water


Peel the ginger and cut it into 1/2 inch pieces. Place in pot with 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar. Add lemon zest, tea bags and spearmint.

Bring to boil, turn off heat immediately. Let it sit for 20 minutes.

Strain into gallon jug, fill with water. Serve over ice or hot.

Excellent for hot days, cold nights, sinuses, upset tummies. For a cold, serve hot with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper on top.

6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1......

It's Friday, August 28!

Today is my last chemo treatment!!!!!! EVER!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday is my last radiation treatment!!!!!!!!

I'm excited to get this process over and done with. All docs say I have responded well to treatment.

Surgeon appointment in a week. Lots of tests to schedule. Mostly to get a new baseline to compare to in the years ahead. No big deal.

Expecting surgery by the end of September.

I know that many of you see the treatments and the drugs. I see the work that God has done!!!!

He is my healer. Not the docs, not the drugs, not the radiation. They have helped to kill the errant cells, but only God can make them die!!!!!!!! Only God can make them stop growing!

He has really done a work of healing during this last round of treatment. Generally, chemo treatments get harder and harder as they pile up on one another and weaken the body. I have gotten stronger and stronger. The side effects have gotten weaker and weaker. That, my dear friends, is God's healing touch on my body!!!!

All glory to Him!! All honor and power and praise to the one who loves us in ways that we cannot comprehend. Turn to HIM, He will give you rest, He will heal your broken soul. He will soothe your restless spirit. He will guide your blind steps to His beautiful path for your life. He forgives you everything!!!!!!! He is your only peace!!!!!!!!! Seek Him, trust Him, believe HIM!

Friday, August 21, 2009

Jonah and the whale

I'd like to talk to you about the story of Jonah. You all know the children's version. Jonah didn't go to Ninevah; he got thrown overboard, big fish ate him, big fish spit him up, Jonah went to Ninevah, the people repented, God didn't destroy them..............

I'd like to look at a couple of things that I've always overlooked before......

First off, Jonah didn't confess right away that he was the problem on the ship. When he did confess, he didn't make it right! He really didn't!!! He could have jumped overboard himself, right? Couldn't he? That doesn't seem to be something that he could NOT do. It was a storm, the ship was tossing and turning in the waves. I would imagine that they were trying not to get washed overboard. I could imagine that. Even if it wasn't quite like that, I would just think that he could have jumped overboard and God would have stopped the storm then. Instead, he INSISTED that they THROW him overboard. Curious.

Then, at the end of Jonah, chapter 1, it says that he spent 3 days and 3 nights in the fish!
Jonah 1:17 (NIV) "Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights."


Imagine this.........you're in your bathroom. Put 3 inches of cold water and 3 quarts of salt in your bathtub. Next to your tub are 3 dead fish. Now, turn off the light, shut the door and sit in the bathtub for 3 days and nights. That's 72 hours! Sit there. Nothing to drink, nothing to eat, no light. You cannot get out. Three days and nights!!!!!!! Long time. What do you do at the END of that time? Are you feeling sorry for yourself? Are you thinking of your family, those you miss? Are you thinking about dying? Starving to death, dehydration?

Here is what Jonah did.........Jonah 2 (New International Version)
Jonah 2
Jonah's Prayer 1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.

9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD."

He PRAYED and he THANKED God for saving him!!!! In between verse 1 and verse 9, he described sinking into the sea, drowning and he thanked God for saving him from the drowning! Then, after 3 days he thanked God for saving him from drowning! Is he starving and dehydrated and thanking God for saving him from drowning.

2 He said: "In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave [a] I called for help, and you listened to my cry.
3 You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.
4 I said, 'I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.'
5 The engulfing waters threatened me, [b] the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God.
7 "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.
8 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD."
10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

"I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised. The Lord liveth and blessed be the rock and may the Lord of my salvation be exalted." (an old chorus we used to sing) "All God's promises are yes and amen, all God's promises are true. All God's promises are yes and amen, JESUS, I'll keep running back to you!" (an old chorus we used to sing)

I WILL call upon the LORD and praise him for my salvation!!!!!!!!!! I lived through this year!!! I am alive! With my family, my friends, my church, my home, my work! I PRAISE HIM!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU LORD!!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!

Saturday, August 15, 2009

chicken snake!!!!!!!!

Guess why I'm not getting any eggs!!!!!!!!!!!!

He didn't have a name, but he don't need one now!

Mike shot him in the nest box this morning. Wish the boys were here, we'd have caught him live and let him go down the road away from the house. Mike don't like snakes, he's a good shot though!

treatment update

Radiation is going well. I am scheduled to be done by Sept 2. Chemo will be done the Friday before. That means only two more CHEMOS!!!!!!!!!! I can see the ligth at the endo fo the tunnel.

I'm feeling really good for a the day after chemo. It seems to be getting better for me. Praise God for that, HE is merciful!

My body is responding well to the treatments! When I'm done with this round of treatment, I'll scedule lots of tests, CT, bone scan, pet scan and maybe a breast MRi. I'll see hte radiologist, oncologist and the surgeon (maybe twice.) adn the plastic surgeon. Make all the decisions and then we are planning a mastectomy and reconstruction. Gonna get this stuff out of me and be done with it!

Love to you all, will update again when I have any news.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Homeschooling update

Public school is starting all over the state this week. Many homeschoolers are beginning their school year as well.



The Estii are all happy that we get to set our own schedule!!!!!! We've done limited schooling all summer long and are way ahead of schedule, so we get to continue limited schooling until sometime after Labor Day!



I'm posting about this because several people who love us very much have voiced concern lately about our continued homeschooling. Since I AM NOT SICK, we are choosing to continue homeschooling this year. I am in the middle of a demanding daily treatment regimen, but we are managing our schooling really well. Schooling around radiation treatments is easy and schooling around chemo side effects is do-able with the help that we have.



Nanny does my chores so I can spend my good time with the boys, schooling, playing, swimming, running here and there. I'm surrounded by friends that have always helped me with schooling. We work together with our enrichments, problems, solutions, questions and support. We always have; there is no reason that we wouldn't this year as well.




We've got a month of summer left!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!!!! Come over and we'll play in the pool!