Time for a Bloggy Break!!

Girly Comments & Graphics

I am thinking it is time for me to take a bloggy break! With Nancy health not as good as it was this past year, I am finding it harder each day to post and go out and read your posts and leave comments. I will try from time to time to get out and read your posts but if I don't leave a comment know I still enjoyed reading about what you are up too!!!
Nancy needs her blood sugar checked several times a day and I have to give her 6 six shots a day!
We have to have lab work every other week and Dr's visits so often that it has been difficult to be able to blog.
Please continue to keep Nancy and me in your prayers!! I will miss your daily visits!!
I will try to do one more post on the Fourth of July!!

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Girly Comments & Graphics

Girly Comments & Graphics

Girly Comments & Graphics

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism. Erma Bombeck

My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy! Thomas Jefferson

Do you think I have enough Icon's up above for the Fourth!! I picked out a couple and couldn't stop!!
It turned out that it was a good thing I took a little break! But I have missed you all !!

Nancy's side started hurting a week ago tomorrow and we took her to the Dr on Tuesday, who thought she had a little pneumonia and he sent us to the specialist yesterday. Dr. Clark said Nancy didn't have pneumonia she has pleurisy instead. He said to continue her oxygen at night. He also wanted her to have some kind of a deal with a little ball in it that she blows into a container and tries to get the ball to the top. He said she is taking shallow breaths. She is to continue on her antibiotics that the our Dr gave her.

I want to Thank every one who has lifted us to our Heavenly Father in Prayer! I appreciate your taking time to pray for her and for me too!!


We didn't have electricity last night from about 8:30 until about 2:00 in the morning. It never got to hot in the house! Nancy has a Smiley Face lamp thing (you press the light on the smiley face and it comes on) and we had batteries!! I think my Grand daughter Sarah gave her this, one year for her birthday! It sure came in handy because when we did go to bed she didn't flip out, we just left it on until the lights came back on!! Sarah you did good!!!
The reason the lights went out was because we had a terrible storm last night!! I am happy to say we don't have to go to any Dr for a week!!
My daughter Carrie is on her way here from Guadalajara Mexico where she lives and is a missionary. I am so looking forward to seeing her again!! She always goes to Sonic and gets Nancy the Big Route 44 drinks she loves!! She should be here tomorrow evening for our town's fire works display!

I don't know what other plans we have so far but I am sure it will involve having some good food sometime tomorrow!!
I hope you all have a very SAFE and Happy Fourth!!!!

Old Historic Building burns to the ground!

We had a fire in our town this week. The building was 96 years old and was owned by the oddfellows. It had been a restaurant, flower shop, liquor store, and a flea market and I don't know what else! No one was hurt but it destroyed a lot of history. Next door is the bank and it was not damaged at all. The building is now all rubble.

Nancy had more lab work done yesterday and I haven't heard back what the report said this time. She has to go every two weeks and have lab work done. She will see this Doctor in August and her lupus Doctor in Lee's Summit in August also. We see her KU lupus Doctor in July! I have it all written down or I would never be able to get it straight!
Thanks for all the Happy Birthday Wishes ! She had a lovely Birthday and she had a Big time at her Party!!

Happy Birthday to Nancy and Kevin's Birthday Pictures!

Grams and baby Marcello and Nancy

Grams and three of Her Great- grand kids!!!

Sofia, Kevin, Valerie, Jeremy, and Baby Marcello

Girly Comments & Graphics

Tomorrow June 25th will be Nancy's 46th Birthday!! So Happy Birthday Dear Nancy!!! We have to go see her hematologists tomorrow morning. This is the only time they could work her in and she is having a fit about this!! We are having a party for her in the evening with chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream!! This is what she wanted!!

Kelly just took her down to the beauty shop for a hair cut and she was excited about that!!! You can tell by her picture above that she is in need of one

Kevin's Birthday Cake


Kevin had a big time at his party on Sunday!! He is so sweet and cute!!!

Happy First Birthday to my Great Grandson Kevin

Girly Comments & Graphics

Happy Birthday to Kevin!! He will be one years old on June 22nd!! If Nancy is up to it we will go to his party. Kelly will take the camera so we can get some pictures of Kevin, Valerie, and the new baby. I will then try to post them later on in the week.

We had Nancy over to her lupus Dr. yesterday and he did more blood work. She is on prednsone which makes her blood sugars go up. She now gets 6 insulin shots a day. This is one of the reasons I haven't been out visiting very much since we got home!! I am watching my blood sugars also and my cholesterol level and trying to eat more healthy! I have to call Nancy's hematologists on Monday to set up an appointment with her.

Molly is home and doing better, she is eating and drinking and waging her tail! This is good.

Nancy is home from the Hospital! Yea!!

Hi, Nancy was able to come home last night at 9:00. She has wanted to come home since Sunday!! Nancy's blood count was at 9.2 yesterday and this was good news. She is taking prednsone to make the red blood cells stop attacking their selves. We are to go to her Doctor of Rheumatology tomorrow for a follow up. This is the same Doctor we went to for 3 and 1/2 years until he sent us over to another Doctor of Rheumatology at Kansas University Medical Center. Now we will be going to both Dr's for a while.

Nancy has (systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE) She was diagnosed with this in 2003 when it attacked her spleen and caused her blood platelets to drop so low. At that time they did a bone marrow biopsy and that is when they found out it wasn't cancer but lupus. Right now her bone marrow is not making enough red blood cells to keep up with the ones that are destroying her good ones. That is where the Prednsone comes in to help stop this! This is me trying to explain all of her illness so,
If you would like to read more about lupus you may go Here . They can tell you better then I can!!
Thank you so much for your prayers and your concern for her. I sure could feel them while I sat up at the hospital. I was there yesterday from 11:00 to 8:30 and most days, something like that ! It was great you were praying for both of us. I had a bad day on Sunday at the hospital when my blood sugar levels drop so low and I had an insulin reaction 2 times!! This was hard and I came home and went to bed and the girls sat with her for the evening!!
Something really nice while we were there. Her chemo nurse from 2005, who just loves Nancy brought in 2 containers of cup cakes for her to past out to all her visitors and nurses!!

It was cute when one of the nurses said, "Nancy save me this cupcake and I will come back and get it later". Ok, Nancy took this really serious and when anyone walked in her room she said, " Don't eat the white cupcake!! That is Laura's cupcake!! Every one laughed and said, All right then, we sure won't take that one!!!!
All the nurses where so good to her!!
Day before yesterday Kelly's dog Molly got SO sick and this is what was wrong!!





Molly and her favorite toy!!

Molly has Leptospirosis and one sick puppy. She won't eat or drink anything which is not like her at all! Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that causes kidney failure and liver disease. It is very common during wet humid conditions. It is transmitted by the urine of an infected animal, and is contagious as long as it is still moist. So, we think the other night when we couldn't get Molly to come into the house that there was an infected raccoon or opossum in the yard and she got into its urine. It's treated with penicillin and she will be coming home tomorrow. So, I didn't kill my dog when I walked her the other day. What a relief!



This is what Kelly wrote to a friend and I copied and pasted it on my post. Molly is at the vets in the hospital and should come home tomorrow. We didn't have enough to worry about so now we have the dog that is sick!!! Isn't this how life goes!!! Well, God get us through it all!!

Update on Nancy

Thanks to Glo and Annie for telling all my blogging friends that Nancy got her blood transfusion last night. I tried to, but blogger wouldn't let me! Her lips were looking pink again and she was feeling a little better.

I was at the hospital in time to talk to her hematologists (Thank you Anni for telling me how to say and spell this!! ) Nancy's immune systems is attacking her good cells again and she has hemolytic anemia. It all stems from her LUPUS. The treatment will be perisone for the time being. The dental work is on hold for now.

The last time in 2003 it attacked her blood platelets, they fixed this and then it attacked her lungs in fall of 2004. This is when we had 6 months of chemo therapy in 2005. The lungs are better and now it has attacked her blood again.

Thanks to you all for your prayers!!! I sure could feel them today!! I won't post until later in the week. I will be going back and forth to the hospital each day! You know what, this wears you out more then a full days work!!
Thanks again for being so caring.

Nancy is in the Hospital

Just a quick note to tell my blogging friends to please pray for Nancy. Yesterday she was at the Dr.'s and she also had lab work. This morning at 6:00 our Doctor called and said that the lab had called him at 4:00 and Nancy's blood count was very low.

He wanted us up at the hospital as soon as possible. They have run some test today and took blood 2 or 3 times and when it was sent to the blood bank for a match there wasn't any so far. The antigens in her blood are not matching any in the blood bank so far.

Of course they are still working on getting this. They will give her a transfusion when they do match sometime tonight they think.

They called in a specialist who is a blood Dr. I can't say or spell what she is, starts with a H. I am thinking it is her lupus again. The lupus attacks her organs ,thinking it is helping, Please pray for her and me too. Thanks so much. I will be going up there early in the morning. I will try to update this tomorrow if I can.

3 Doctors appointment this week!! Not a good report at one appoitment

Thursday Comments

I haven't posted since last Sunday!! This has been the week we have a bunch of Dr's appointments. I had my 3 month check up for my blood sugars on Tuesday. My blood sugars were up just a little but the bad news happened when I complained about my leg/knee hurting so bad.

Most of you know I fell in 2003 and shattered my knee and I have a plate, six screws, and filler in it. I also did bad things to my back at that time too.

OK, this is what happened now! Kelly has been out at her friends home in the country house/dog sitting since June 4th. I wanted to be helpful while she was gone and I grabbed the vacuum cleaner on Friday and lifted it up and over cords and tubing for Nancy's oxygen and I must have strained my leg above my knee.

So I asked the Dr. to Please take a ex-ray of upper leg and could he take one of my knee too, it hurts so bad all the time. Well, he did but it looks like I just strained my leg, but he did put a cortisone shot in my knee. Ouch!

This has really helped!! First time in 5 years I don't have pain in my knee!!!

Now for the bad news. One of my arteries showed up in the ex- ray and it was clogged. The Doctor said that if one artery is clogged like this more will be in different parts of your body. This can effect your heart, brain, legs, etc ! You all know how bad this could be.

I do take strong cholesterol medicine and my readings for the last 6 months have been good. I take Nancy to see the same Doctor in the morning and I will be asking him what more to do. I had lost 3 pounds which is better then gaining 3 pounds!!

Yesterday, was Nancy's turned to go see her psychiatrist over at Lee's Summit and she had a good report. Just continue on her meds. We don't have to go see him until December!!!

Next week we go back to her Dr. that sent us over to Kansas University Medical Center. We have to go back over to KU in July. As soon as her B cells replenished their selves we don't have to go back over to KU!! I would love prayer that this would happen for Nancy! For me to do all I can to get my arteries unclogged. I am eating oatmeal a lot, to help. Thanks for all your prayers and Thanks to Mary over at Mary's Writing Nook for asking for prayer for me! I appreciate you all!

I just was over at Flip Flop Flooize and she asked for prayer for me too!! Bloggers are the Best!

I did a fun Meme!! Fun but long!!

We didn't have lights for while this morning so we went over to Karen's!! Now I am home and ready to blog!!


I saw this over at Bears In Exile and thought I could do this one!!!


In your entire life, have you ever...

...gone on a blind date? Yes, that is how I met Gramps 52 years ago.

...skipped school? Probably

...watched someone die ? Yes, my dear Mom who passed away on July 1,1992

...been to Canada? No

...been to Mexico? Yes, When I was little and we lived in New Mexico and we went to El Paso to have my tonsils out we crossed the border. In 1996 I was so happy to get to fly down to Guadalajara MEX to visit Carrie who lives there and is a missionary.

...been to Florida? Yes. When I went to Ecuador, and then this summer at the Beach and I loved it!!!

...been on a plane? Yes. When I flew down to Ecuador for my grandson John's birth 21 years ago and then when I got to go to MX and out to CO and Ca!

...been lost? Oh Yes!!! It would make a post to tell you about the time I got lost with Kelly comming home from Olathe, Ks!! What a mess!!

...been on the opposite side of the country? Yes, When I went out to CA to visit my sister Margaret back in 1994 when she turned 70. I have always been so glad I went because she passed away 4 years later.


...swam in the ocean? No, but close to wading......

...had your booze taken away by the cops? No, Grams doesn't drink.

...lettered in high school sport? No

...cried yourself to sleep? When I went through the divorce, oh yeah!

...played cops and robbers? When I was little!

...played dolls? Oh Yes! I had the sweetest dolly that my Daddy gave me and I had it for a long time and let my kids play with her.

...sung Karaoke? NO

...paid for a meal with coins only? I can't remember doing this but who knows!

...done something you told yourself you wouldn't? are you kidding?

...cheated on an exam? No

...made prank phone calls? No

...laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose? Still do!!

...caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes!

...danced in the rain? No.

...written a letter to Santa Clause? We were Swedish and we had Christmas on Christmas Eve!

watched the sunrise with someone you care about? Yes!


...been kissed under the mistletoe... Yes!

... Ever been arrested? No, but I have been stopped for not having a tail light!!

...blown bubbles? I just love blowing bubbles!

..gone ice-skating? No

...been skinny dipping outdoors? Are you kidding me again!!

...had a nickname? Grams, Grandma Carolyn, and Toots when I was married.


...been to Africa? No but my son in law's Mother who is 73 now has been there 10 times on a Missions trips!! She does soooo good!

...eaten cookies for dinner? OH Probably!!

...been on TV? Yes we have, when we went to the locker room show with Donnie Edwards a few years ago! Nancy was beside herself!!

been in a car accident? Yes I have!

What is your Mother's name? Anna

...favorite drink? diet coke!

...favorite alcohol? None!

...birthplace? Iowa

...favorite vacation spot? The beach in Florida!

...favorite salad dressing? Ranch

...favorite pie? Apple

...favorite number? 5 that is how many kids I have! -

....favorite movie? Friendly Persuasion

...favorite holiday? Christmas, but Thanksgiving runs a strong 2nd!

...favorite food? That is easy!! Chicken!!!!!!

...favorite day of the week? I love them all!

favorite brand of body wash? Ivory

...favorite toothpaste? Crest!

...favorite smell? Baking bread!




Do you have any...

...tattoos? No!

...body piercings No


Do you drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? We have a four door Ford

What do you do to relax? Read and Blog and Blog

How do you see yourself in 10 years? In ten years I will be 80 so I hope I am still going and doing what I like!!

Ok this was a long one and if you would like to do this MEME leave me comment and I will come over and read it!!!

June 5th Blogging for One Year!!

This is my anniversary for my blog!! The post below is the very first post I wrote a year ago today!!! I came kicking and screaming into blogland saying there is no way I can do this I have not one thing to say!!! But low and behold I guess I did!!

You may have notice that I am not posting as often as I did or comming out to visit each and every day and leaving comments!!!! Well, I found out when we were with out a computer this winter I was making may self nuts trying to do this!!! Now, I have slowed down and I feel so less stressed and it is fun again!! With taking care of Nancy and all this entails it is better this way! And like they say if Grams is happy every body's happy!!

I have really enjoyed making all the new friends out here in blogland! What wonderful caring people you all are!! Praying people too!! Thanks to every one who has given me an award this past year!! For all the sweet buttons or icons too!! The icon or button on my blog is from my dear friend Denise at ShortyBearsPlace. She is an inspiration to us all!! Thanks for all your prayers for my family this past year!! You all have blessed me so much by being such lovely caring friends!

I think you are suppose to have a giveaway or something when you reach a mile stone like this so I will have to look into this and see how it is done!! So here is my very first post.

Hi everyone. I've never done this before...I've read a lot of wonderful blogs and decided it was time for me to begin. On this blog you will learn about my family, my faith, and my favorite bloggers! I am a mother of five children. I have four daughters and one son! I have five grand kids and two great-grand babies, but in just a few weeks I will have three great-grand babies! My oldest daughter, Carrie, is a missionary in Mexico and my son, Bill, is a Baptist preacher in central Missouri. I have a special needs daughter, Nancy, who also has Lupus. My daughter, Karen, just opened a restaurant called Beach Bums Cartoon Cafe. You will find a link to her web page on my blog. My youngest daughter, Kelly, works at a library and runs a photography studio.

Girly Comments & Graphics

It is already 8:00 pm on Wednesday night and I'm just getting on the computer!! Our internet has been out all day! We had some severe storms last night and not only did cable go out but so did the internet!! When Karen came over this evening she worked on it and was able to get it back up!! So I am posting Sweet Dreams instead of a Good Morning icon for this evening!! It is a lot calmer this evening.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) - Lightning from a line of strong thunderstorms is blamed for a large fire at a petroleum plant in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, tonight. KCK Fire Department officials say the fire at a Magellan Petroleum factory started when lightning hit a large storage tank at the facility near downtown. No injuries are reported. The tank contained 58,000 barrels of unleaded gasoline, and fire crews are trying to prevent the blaze from reaching a nearby tank with 15,000 barrels of gas. KCK Fire Chief Thomas DeKeyser says the department plans to let the fire burn itself out. A series of strong cells passed through the Kansas City area around 7 p.m., producing strong winds, heavy rain and hail. Tornado sirens went off in Lees Summit, Missouri, and up to nickel-sized hail fell in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

This was the news on last night on TV and today!! My cable came back on but not the Internet!! It is still burning over there with a large dark cloud of smoke but not as bad as last night.

Lee's Summit is where 3 of Nancy's Doctors are located and we will be going over there next week. Glo from Young At Heart has been sick this week and hoping she feels better soon ! I haven't heard if her town was in the line of storms that went through last night! Well, now that I have told you all about our bad weather last night I hope we can have sweet dreams tonight and not a lot of bad weather warnings!!

Nancy needs me now so I am going to see what she needs and I will come out and visit tomorrow!

The Mayonnaise Jar and a cup of Coffee

I got this story in an E-mail from Sandy today and I liked it so much I thought I would post it!! I thought the award I received from Barbara H. a while back went with this post! If you don't already have this award please feel free to take it. Thanks Barbara! I may have past this out and then again I may not have!!!!
Sofia's Mother flew in from Mexico today and I know she is ready for her to be here and she will be a tremendous help for the entire family!
With a 2 years old going on 3, an 11 month old and a new baby, Trust me she is needed!!! I called to see how things were going and my grandson Jey was making Chicken Soup and he said he had plenty and said," Grandma why don't you guys come on up for supper!!! I told him we had already had Chili for supper. I felt like they needed time alone with the kids and with the new baby who is doing great!
I am so glad my daughter taught my grandsons how to cook and take care of a house!!! Thanks for all the kind comments on the new baby!







The Mayonnaise Jar and a cup of Coffee

When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.


The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."


The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.





"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.





The sand is everything else---the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you."Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."





One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a cup of coffee with a friend."