Still Full as a Tick

And I am about to pop!
I had desert for breakfast this morning and it was so good.

we had a great family get together at the Swint's yesterday as always - I just love my in-laws! Plus the best part is that my parents and Mike's parents get along great so we always have a good time together.

Hailey was not there because she went to James' family gathering. She was hanging tough until 9:30 - she stayed out later than me! She was in some pain though because she did get her port "pokey" out on the day before thanksgiving. I told her that she can officially start calling herself a survivor now. Forget that "5 year" crud - start calling yourself a survivor NOW and believe it.

PS
Now I can start decorating for Christmas - starting with the blog - then I am getting down my tree! :) Yippee!

Thanks & Praise Giving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
The Gill's, Swint's and the Atwell's have a lot to celebrate on this day.

Thanks For:
A cancer free scan!!!!
a roof over my head
a big loving family
our "chosen" family - you know who you are!
My awesome husband
my dog & kitty
my BFF & her family
Panic friends
The Moss'
My parents
The Swints
My Chruch Family
My awesome neighbors
Food!
the ability to dance
the ability to give
the ability to sing
the ability to cook
the ability to praise
the ability to learn
the ability to be a yogini
My yoga family & teacher
Smiles

Praise:
For the Father, Son & Holy Spirit
Without the Father, none of this would be possible!

Madonna is a fem-bot

Well...I did my happy dance in STYLE last night. I FINALLY got to see Madonna! I have wanted to go since I was in the 4th grade!

But...
Remember those fem-bots from Austin Powers? The perfect girls that were really robots trying to take over the world and kill Austin? I think Madonna is one of them. There is NO way that a normal human can look like this at 50 years old. I am not saying anything against 50 year olds - but this is crazy.



My BFF and her mama took me to see the Queen herself last night at Philips Arena, and holy Toledo...what a show! I have never seen anything like it, really. 1st of all the stage was ginormous. 2nd, her dancers were unreal. 3rd, if I had danced 1/3 as hard as good ol' 50 year old Madonna had last night, you would of had to carry me off the stage on a stretcher. The stage had a long cat walk, with a big circle stage at the end of that where a piano came out of. Her dancers came up out of the stage too, there was a Rolls Royce on the stage, she dressed in a sparkly football uniform at one point, and towards the end she was rocking out so hard that I thought I was at a Metallica show. She also showed pictures of the poor, starving people in Africa etc...which was really sad to see. I think she gives a lot of money to Africa, and she is doing a documentary as well (at least she's not acting again!) She rules, but there is no way she is human! Look at her arms! Ha!

PS - as a side note - she does a LOT of Yoga! ;)

Here are some more pics I found on the web...






You go on with your bad self Madge.

Thanks Heather

I forgot to thank Heather for leaving me step by step instructions for posting my blog. THANK YOU HEATHER - it worked. Luv Mom

Woooooooo Hooooooo

I see that Heather has beat me to it, but Happy Day, NO CANCER. Happy dance indeed. Thanks to all of you who have been praying for Hailey, it seems to be working just now, lets keep it up. What a glorious Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mom

Happy Dance Time!!!!

OK, I want everyone to get up and do your best happy dance - do it! NOW!
Because Hailey has NO SIGNS OF CANCER!

Praise God!

Thank you Jesus!

NO SIGNS OF CANCER - that is the best text message I have ever gotten!

Whoooooooooooooooooo Hooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

Miracles

Hey everybody.
Happy Sunday morning to you! I love Sundays. Its my favorite day of the week. Normally I make a point of staying OFF the computer on Sundays but, today I wanted to remind you all to pray for a miracle for Hailey. Hopefully, tomorrow we will know the results of her 1st scan, and to be honest, I am scared to death! I woke up crying this morning - that stinks. Sometimes the fear creeps in and then I squeeze out tears for about 5 minutes - then I am off for my coffee and laptop. Ha. Cheaper than therapy, right!? :)

Well, I do believe in miracles. God can heal. Your body was designed to heal itself. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. I do believe in miracles.

This video is all about one woman's miracle and how she came out of the eye of the storm to share this humbling, powerful, horribly wonderful experience with the world. Please take the time to watch it. You can thank me later ;)



Love, Light & Miracles

H

100!!!!!!

OMGoodness!
This is my 100th post!

Cool!

I better come up with something special for silly nanny Friday then!

Well, it does not get much more special than this...my favorite animated pooch - Snoopy cooking up Thanksgiving dinner for everyone.


What's up with that toaster Charlie was using??? Oh yeah, it was the 70's - they had to make everything weird in the 70's. :)

Speaking of the 70's - if you were running out of ideas on what to cook for Thanksgiving dinner - here are a few suggestions from Weight Watchers circa 1972 to help you out...they are original! I promise, you will get attention, albeit not very good attention if you bring these delights to dinner.

OMG Frankfurter Spectacular!!!! Watch out Swints...I will make you eat it!








Gag...the eggs...dear Lord, the eggs


I think I am bringing this...its impressive! Fish Balls - A little bigger than you thought they would be??? Sorry, went out of PG land for that joke...hope you dont mind.

Please check out this woman's site - its awesome! There are so many funny and disturbing things on here! :) Enjoy!
http://www.candyboots.com/

Love, Light & Jello Molds

H

New Job, Choirs and Scans - Oh My!

Hey!
I feel like I have been ignoring you my loves! Trust me, I have not. I have just been dying to get back to some quiet time so I can update you on everything.

1. I started a new job! I am still working with David the Attorney part time, but now I am also working part time at The Athens Wellness Cooperative AKA Red Lotus Institute/Acupuncture Center. (it currently has an identity crisis, which I am going to fix hopefully) I am doing the general front office stuff for the center, answering phones, filing, setting appointments and billing. I also change sheets and do LOTS of laundry. I am just so happy to be in a place where I feel at home. I am sure I will be flapping my jaws about how awesome this place is to yall a lot.

2. Choirs!!! OMG! I am so excited. Hailey may finally bless the world with her beautiful singing voice with our church choir. Our awesome church rock band wants to have a back up choir a few times a month and I was put on recruiting duty so I voluntered Hailey for the job since she can sing like an angel. Sharon (the leader of the band)asked me to sing and I politely declined since we want to increase church membership, not send the people running for the hills with their hands over their ears.

3. At the bottom of the list because I am trying to minimize the importance of it...Hailey had her first PET Scan this week. She had it yesterday. They injected dye into her veins then took pictures to see if the cancer is gone. I wonder if I held a black light up to her if she would glow? The cancer is gone, I just know it. Will somebody tell the knot in my stomach that?

Mojo Monday

Well, I skipped silly nanny Friday - so we will have Mojo Monday today!

This video is pretty funny...something to make you giggle on Monday morning. Steve Carrell is the greatest and this scene is what rocketed him to mega star status. If this does not make you laugh - check your pulse!



Here is a little something to get your Mojo going today.
This guy gets it.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world" - Gandhi said that and I think that if we lived by that credo that we would have a whole lot more hugs in our lives. What's better than a hug???



Love & Light
xoxoxox
Free Hugs - Anytime from Heather - just call!

PS - Yes, I changed the background again - this will be a weekly event ;)

Anxiety

I hate to admit it, but I have chronic anxiety. Maybe my feelings are just closer to the surface than other people, but I think a lot of people deal with this issue, we just don't talk about it. So, hopefully y'all don't think I'm weird.

Even with all the yoga, meditation, prayers, family time etc...I still suffer with this. I thank God everyday for healthy coping mechanisms for my anxiety like yoga, prayer and meditation - but still sometimes my insides feel like they are churning and turning into one of those big rubber band balls that nobody is going to be able to untangle.

It goes away for a while sometimes, but an event or an upcoming event will bring it on like a freight train. This week the freight train came roaring into my life when I realized Hailey will be having her first scans soon. For some reason, I thought she had already had them and that no news was good news.

On top of that, I am ready to start a non-profit yoga studio that caters to cancer patients, stay at home moms, care takers etc...that need yoga & wellness counseling. So, I pulled up the form to start a 501c3 so I can start asking for donations etc...and OMG...its a bear and I realized I have no idea what I am doing.

But to heck with that...I am going to do it anyway...starting in January I am going to start classes one way or another and hopefully be able to donate my time to people in need regardless of my status with the IRS.

Sometimes my anxiety comes out of left field for no apparent reason at all. Its the devil, I swear.

Just call me Debbie Downer today! blah.

I think its time for restorative yoga tonight. Its the best thing ever, ever, ever. I want to go on a retreat this spring to take a week long class with Judith Lassiter (the Queen of Restorative Yoga)in MA - but I doubt that is gonna happen.

I will share another restorative pose with you that you can do anytime to calm your nerves. Here you go...

We already talked about Legs Up the Wall and ask my mama, it works! 10 Minutes! Do it!

Here is my other favorite, my teacher calls it the yoga barcalounger ;) the following picture is courtsey of Yoga Journal. I don't recommend a bright sunny location, a nice calm low-light area with a fountain works well.

First - get your props out. Actually, no, first find a quiet room, no kids, no pets, no tv, no distractions...did you find a place??? If it has to be a walk in closet, just go there. Now...get out your props.

You will need 4 - 5 firm pillows (2-3 for your back, 2 for legs), a neck roll, an eye pillow if you have one, and a few towels rolled up in a log to place under your arms. In this picture, she does not have anything under her arms, but I recommend it. You want to be completley supported. Also, if you have a block (or a big sturdy book), place it under your 2 pillows to make a ramp for your back. Put a neck roll (a hand towel rolled up works great) under your neck, put a firm pillow under each of your legs.


Perform Baddha Konasana aka Bound Angel/Butterfly/Cobbler pose (in other words, sit straight up, and put the soles of your feet together to make butterfly wings with your legs) with the pillow "ramp" directly behind your hips.


Exhale and lower your back torso toward "ramp" and lay on the pillows/bolsters that are supported by the block/book. Get down there by leaning on your hands and make sure to support your neck on the way down with one hand if needed to avoid strain. Release your lower back and upper buttocks through your tailbone. Place the neck roll under your neck so you are completley supported.

Make sure your knees and upper thighs are supported by the two firm pillows on the floor. If you find this uncomfortable because your groin muscles are tight, add another pillow or just stick your legs out straight and add a bolster/pillow under your knees.

Place the eye pillow on your eyes, if you do not have an eye pillow, place a wash cloth over your eyes so you are forced to close your eyes and relax.

You can start by staying in this pose for one minute, but I recommend staying here for at least 10 minutes if you are comfortable.

Remember in restorative yoga - complete comfort is key! You can feel a stretch, but you must be comfortable.

10 minutes in the yoga barcalounger = 1 vodka tonic with out the side effects! :)
Take 10 and call me in the morning!

Love & Light
H

Touch Me, I'm Going To Scream

This is a new video from one of my favorite bands, My Morning Jacket.
The song is not my favorite, but this video is really neat-o. On the surface, the animation is cool and its a good song, but look deeper into the meaning of the video. The little guy is trying to hold on to something that is not supposed to be caged, trying to protect it, have it all to himself. All light is lost when you covet something that should not be held on to.

What are you holding on to? What are you chasing?

Michael J. Fox

Cool!
I was wondering how he was doing. I can not wait for his book to come out, it should be a good one. Its about Hope :)

CLICK HERE for the article

Plus I love Rescue Me - so this should make it even better.

3 posts in one day...geez...dont you think I have anything better to do than talk to you guys all day??? Nope! ha!

New Background

Oh Lawdy...
I found a cute background site for the blog...
It may change daily! Ha! I can decorate it for Christmas! Easter! Columbus Day! (not really)

Tell me what you think! I like it!!!! :)

Hair Growth and Shorter Naps

Question: What do shorter naps, tiny little sprouts of hair and no more TV trays have in common?
Hailey! And these are all signs that she is getting better.

Her hair - at least her eyelashes and eyebrows - are starting to sprout. It looks bizarre. Little fuzzy black hairs starting to form on her bottom eyelid - very strange indeed. Her head is very itchy, so I am guessing its going to start to sprout soon too. We are all taking bets that it will come back straight - but according to stuff I have read - your hair comes back thicker and CURLIER after chemo. Oh goodness...can you imagine? Hailey with curlier hair? Woah. She is scared she is going to look like a chia pet. Poor baby.

She went to church with us on Sunday, then we had a big Sunday lunch at our house afterwords and she went home and only took a ONE HOUR nap! That is huge! Only one hour! She normall sleeps all day and all night.



Also, on Friday night I went over to her house for some girlie time with Jill & Jess (wedding plans! - according to Jill we are all going to dress as mermaids!!!??? how much wine did she drink?) anyway...I digress...when I went to Hail's house - I noticed that her TV tray that held all of her important stuff (cell phone, water, remote, books) within arms reach was gone. She said that she does not need it anymore because she can get up and get stuff herself! Awesome!

Progress!



She is SO not going to look like a chia pet! She is going to be beautiful as always :)

BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT DRINKING ENOUGH WATER!

Question: Why are more children going to the hospital with kidney stones????? For the obvious answer - see above...
Now, I must admit, I was not a big fan of drinking water until I was older - however, a frozen dinner or overly processed foods hardly ever touched my lips because my mama cooked for us and made us our lunch every day with good ingredients. AND she made me drink water even though I would pitch a fit. I have had my share of kidney infections, and OUCH, I do not recommend that to anyone. My acupuncturist says I have a lot of heat in my kidneys...I dont know what that means, but it does not feel good. So to cool the heat down, I make sure I drink 64+oz of water a day. Bonus side effect - I lost about 20 lbs and keep it off by drinking lots of good ol' H2O.

Why the rant?
Read this article from the NY Times. Too much salt & too little water will cause even a 5 year old to get a kidney stone. Hey Braden! Lulu loves water! ;) If you are wondering who Braden is, he is my adorable 4 year old buddy, son of my friend Stacy Moss of the 3Mossketeers.

To the great surprise of parents, kidney stones, once considered a disorder of middle age, are now showing up in children as young as 5 or 6.

So, here you go...more info on this news. Shocking? Kind of, but not really, which is sad.

Below is an excerpt from the article for the whole thing, click here.

“What we’ve really seen is an increase in the salt load in children’s diet,” said Dr. Bruce L. Slaughenhoupt, co-director of pediatric urology and of the pediatric kidney stone clinic at the University of Wisconsin. He and other experts mentioned not just salty chips and French fries, but also processed foods like sandwich meats; canned soups; packaged meals; and even sports drinks like Gatorade, which are so popular among schoolchildren they are now sold in child-friendly juice boxes. Children also tend not to drink enough water. “They don’t want to go to the bathroom at school; they don’t have time, so they drink less,” said Dr. Alicia Neu, medical director of pediatric nephrology and the pediatric stone clinic at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore. Instead, they are likely to drink only once they’re thirsty — but that may be too little, too late, especially for children who play sports or are just active. “Drinking more water is the most important step in the prevention of kidney stones,” Dr. Neu said.

Lost Generation...

Do we live in a time where we are watching a "lost" generation come of age? In a few years - the teens of today will be running companies and starting families. I hope for a world full of peace, love and harmony. I know that this does not come with out a price - I love and honor our troops keeping us safe from people crazed with jealousy and hatred. I hope, that we can stay hopeful and keep loving each other in the years to come. I think that more hope, love and real family values will come when people get out of their heads, and into their hearts on a daily/hourly/minuet by minute basis. Don't put God at the top of the heap, put HIM at the center of everything you do.

With the upcoming election, all I really want to say is to keep your head on straight and your heart steady. Tempers flare up when politics are brought up, so if it makes you angry, then just don't talk about it. Your opinions are your opinions, so please respect others opinions as you would like for them to respect your own. In the next few days, I am sure that tempers are going to flare on both sides of the fence - so try to take a few deep breaths and remember, its only 4 years - and if its a total disaster - we will make it through it because we are strong Americans living in the UNITED States of America.

Watch this video from the AARP - I thought it was really interesting. Reverse your thinking and it can change everything.
(sorry for the rambling...I have a lot on my mind today! so I apologize it its not coherent.)