Seeing Dr. P

We had an appointment with Dr. P this afternoon at 3:45.  It was just a routine checkup where Dr. P looked at Steve's incision.  It was really quick visit.  In fact, we were out of the office and in the elevator by 4:00.  Dr. P said his incision was healing nicely and to keep up the wet to dry bandages.  He told Steve that when he felt well, he was to get out and move around more.  Steve told him that when he was really active his side hurt and had a cramping feeling.  Dr. P told him that was normal and he still needed to be more active when he felt better.  He thought the fall would be better for him to get out and about.  We do not have to go back to see him until the last week in September.

While in Springfield we went out to eat.  We ate at a Japanese Steakhouse called Hinode.  It was excellent.  The girls have been there many times, but this is the first time we have gone.  We had the works and believe me, we are stuffed like dog ticks.  I suggest if you get the opportunity, you go and eat there, but make sure you are really hungry or you will be bringing home a take home box stuffed with tomorrow's lunch and supper.  He slept all the way home and went straight to bed.  Aubree was home and wound up so he did not get his nap right away.  In fact, I think it was probably 7:30 or so before he actually got to sleep.  I think he will sleep the rest of the night.  He will be up late tomorrow because we have an MRI tomorrow at St. John's

My mom came by for a visit today.  She got here at 10:30 and left at 11:00.  It was a nice visit and a nice meal fixed by Steve aka Chef Boyardee.

Sunday night already?

Just when you start enjoying the time at home, BAM it is Sunday night and back to work in the morning.  Well, that is how I feel this evening.  I can't believe how fast the weekend went.  I guess I think it went so fast because it was a wonderful time.  Steve felt great both days, which is wonderful.  We went to church this morning.  There was a guest pastor that Steve liked. This pastor explained the background of the readings so we had a point of reference and new what was happening when it was written. We stayed for communion and then left.  It is difficult for him to sit on those benches for more than an hour.  We do not stand and sit because that wears him out.  After church we went to Family Restaurant for a brunch and then it was nap time.  He was hungry for Mexican tonight so off we went to the local Mexican restaurant.  We are back home now and he is wiped out.  He will sleep all night, but he needs the rest.  It seems like when he feels well he wants to run, run, run.  We have some appointments this week so that will wear him down at the beginning of the week.

My mother is in Aurora babysitting my brother's kids.  She is stopping by for "lunch" tomorrow.  I am off from 10:15-11:22 so we are going to eat and visit.    It will be rushed but it will be nice to see her.  Even though they only live 3 hours away, we don't see each other very often.  They are constantly on the go with their travel trailer and well....we don't go places so much anymore.

Koleen thought she might get to come home this weekend after the Illinois-Missouri game in St. Louis.  She will not be able to because she has to work on Monday.  It is Labor Day weekend so they are thinking they might be busy.  I think it is great that she is going to see the Mizzou game.  I loved going to Mizzou games and sure think the football atmosphere is something that all students should experience again, again and again.  This will be a special game because it will be at a dome stadium and it is a be rivalry game.  MIZ-ZOU!!!!!!  Got to love the tigers!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Doug's team, Republic, also won their game on Friday.  Good for them!  I hope they have a wonderful season and have way more wins than losses.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

Well, yea I am!!!!!!!!  I live for this time of the year. Until January, Steven is an angel to put up with me.  I will watch every football game I can, only college, not NFL.  I have to be careful at the evening and night games.  I get pretty excited and into the games and sometimes wake him up if he has fallen asleep.  He is a big fan, but not a out of control as I am.


 I went to McDonald County last night to watch the Monett Cubs play.   I am the proud aunt of number 56, Kyle Doss.  I even wore purple and caught some flack from people that I know.  But believe me, I will proudly wear it again!  The game was touch and go for a long time.  The Cubs came close to scoring several times and then BAM...in the end zone they went.  Boy, was there cheering from the packed guest stands.  I think Monett fans outnumbered the Mc County fans.  They also scored a field goal. They won 10-0.  A nice W to start of the year.  They will have some issues to address this week in practice, but in my expert opinion, they are fixable issues.  My throat is sore from cheering and yelling throughout the game. Kyle had a great game. He played on offense and defense, which means he spent more time on the field than off the field.  His right leg cramped late in the game, and they iced it for several plays, but in no time he was back in the stance ready to kick some Mustang butt.  I think he did so well because he has a new haircut... a mohawk.  It looks intimidating.   Sorry, I didn't get any pictures of him without his helmet.

Steve is doing well.  He and Amelia went to Grandma's and Grandpa's during the game.  They listened to it on the radio.  Today, we went to Joplin, ran errands, and ate lunch at Olive Garden.  He really likes it there.  When we go places like that, it really wears him out.  He is resting now.  While in Joplin, he and Amelia helped me go clothes shopping.  I needed some new fall and winter "school" clothes.  They both have much better taste than I do.  Of course, I ended up with browns, greens, white and black outfits.  Luckily, the place we went was having a sale and then I got an additional 15% off for being a Mary Kay customer and then I got another 10% for using their card.  Big deals for me.

We have no big plans for the evening...only Mecum Auto Auction and crocheting.  Relaxing evenings are best.

Chemo IV one week

It has been one week since Steve's Chemo IV.  All in all, I have to say he is doing well.  Yesterday, was very hairy.  He had problems with his stomach in the evening and couldn't keep his supper down.  This really upsets him.  I think he thinks I am blaming my cooking.  I know my cooking can be touch and go at times, but I believe that this nausea is strictly caused by the treatment.  Now, if his nausea was a constant battle, I might question my cooking.  I know what you are thinking.  Janie, his nausea is pretty constant at times.  I have to say to you...constant AT TIMES...not all the time.  HA.  He ate Raman today for lunch and had beef tips and noodles for supper.  He kept all that down tonight so hopefully, the nausea has passed until next treatment.

He had a nice time with Aubree this evening.  She sat next to him in bed playing the computer games.  They were playing slots.  She loves to play.  She says, "I'm kicking butts and saving money for college."  She has actually made quite a bit of "money" in the last couple of days.  I think Opa is counting the days until they can go to Dowstream together.  I only hope we haven't created a monster.  She also likes to play games that are matching and tracing numbers.  Of course, they are in no way as exciting as hitting the jackpot or free spins.

While I was at school today, Grandma and Grandpa came by for a visit.  They brought Cowboy Coffee cake, which is always a nice treat.  The leftovers will not last long.  Steve loves the company.  It is always nice to see your mamma and dad when you are not feeling well.  Somehow that makes things a little better.

I'm getting ready for bed, but I am a little concerned.  Apparently, I snored last night and made it very difficult for Steven to sleep.  You might be saying that this can't be true, but I am sad to report, it is not the first time I have kept someone awake.  When the ice storm hit, Amelia and I shared the bed and she complained.  I personally think they are exaggerating.  I know I snore sometimes, but please, it can't be that bad.  I only hope I don't do it again tonight or I might be camping on the couch.  Wish me luck or should I say, wish Steve luck!

Tuesday Tales

It is is already Tuesday after supper.  Steve has been visiting Grandma and Grandpa the past few days.  They have been taking very good care of him.   He has been resting quite well there.  He is very tired still.  We were talking this afternoon and he has been more active this round than any other round.  Usually he does not even get in the car until day 7 or 8.  He has been eating well, but tonight just felt like Raman. They are his old standby meal.  I think it is his comfort food.  Hopefully, tomorrow night he will feel like a complete meal.  He is staying at home tomorrow.  Going to try to make it on his own.  I think he will do GREAT.  I will come home at my break time, check on him, and fix him lunch.  It will be a nice break for both of us.

As a whole, everything else is going fine.  Koleen and Amelia started classes on Monday.  Amelia likes her new job.  I think it is a little different than she thought it would be, but it enjoys it nonetheless.  She works with the really young kids.  Aubree loves school.  She came home tonight and showed Opa her work papers and he "Hubba, hubbaed" her.  She did a good job on the worksheets that were working on preschool skills like marking the ones that are different and the same, drawing lines and Xs.  She traced her ABCs and her name.  They are having her do her name in all caps, which bothers me.  It is very difficult to unteach that when they get to school.  Her fine motor skills are improving.  I think she will be ready for kindergarten when it is her time.  She is really eager to learn and get the approval of the teacher.  She informed us at the supper table that she did not sass her teacher.. she's got that going for her.  Samurai went to his groomers after school and got a bath.  He is sure one sharp looking little warrior.

Top Chef

You will never believe our day today.  I am titling this Top Chef because Steve was the main chef at our house today.  He was feeling good this morning and suggested he make omelets for us for brunch.  Aubree and I chopped all the ingredients and he cooked them for us.  He as always been the Omelet King at our house.  It was so nice to see him up and do something productive.  After brunch, he went back to bed and took a long nap.  He woke up just in time for dinner and once again, he wanted to be a part of it.  He grilled the steaks for us.  He did an excellent job and as always cooked my steak perfectly.  I hardly ever order steaks out because no one can match Steve's steaks.  He has a special marinade ( I'd tell you what was in it if I knew myself).  It is a top secret.  After supper, he went back to bed and is still resting.  He will go back to Grandma's tomorrow.  She already told him that she would make him homemade bread and gravy for breakfast.  How do I compete with that?

I was not really busy this weekend, but I was productive.  I finished another purse.  I am really proud of this one.  It is a little whimsical.  It has cherry fabric lining because the girl that I made it for loves cherries.   My friend, Mona, came over this AM to help me with the button placement.  She has a give for things like that.  I am trying to be outside the box, but I am not quite there.  I think she did a great job in helping me.  I am lucky to have her to lean on when I need to be really creative.

 I have been getting several requests for purses.  They ask me what I can do, and I say what measurements do you want and what colors do you want?  And off I go.  Basically, there are unlimited options so anything is possible.

Tomorrow starts the first full week of school of the 2010-11 year.  I know that all the sixth graders are so excited to start the week off with reviewing sentences:  subject, predicate, and the four types. "WEEEEE," they say, "Let's do grammar!"

Saturday Night Fever?

You can tell by the way I use my walk I'm a woman's man, no time to talk..... I believe that is how the song goes with John Trovolta strutting in those tight pants and silky shirt.  Let me tell you, we have the "fever" here.  Life is good.  Steven had a good day.  He ate an excellent lunch and dinner.  I am so proud of him when he eats even though he doesn't want to.  He stayed in bed most of the day.  Still dizzy when he gets up so he will not be strutting in tight pants and silky shirts yet, but I know it's coming!  He did go outside today and help Amelia hook-up the trailer.  She took the lawn mover over to her friend's to help him mow his yard.  I think it did him good to be outside, but it wore him out and he took about a 4 hour nap afterwards.  I think when it cools down, he will be out and about more.  This heat, just kills him.  He told me tonight that he did not think he would make church tomorrow.  I agree with this wise choice.  I actually think this is his best Saturday after his chemo.

I did not do a lot today, just worked on a couple purses and cleaned house.  Mercy, it sure needed it.  Who would believe that we could get a house so messy in such a short time.  It seems that even though we are not on the farm, we still have farm dirt.  Maybe it is because we are not really in town.  Also laundry needs to be done.  Since school has started I now have "school" clothes to wash as well as bumming around clothes.  It is a shame teachers don't wear scrubs like nurses.  We could just put them on at school and leave them for the laundry service.  We could color code like the hospital:  administration is black, math teachers in red, science in orange, social studies in blue, language in green, PE in yellow...you get the picture.  That would save me time washing as well as deciding what to wear.  Scrubs would be so comfortable.

Friday Night

Today was a good day for Steve.  Amelia took him to Grandma and Grandpa's this morning on her way to Pierce City.  Steve and Grandpa watched The Price Is Right, and Millionaire.  Steve also took a long nap in the morning.  Grandma spoiled him with a big breakfast, lunch and snacks.  She made coffee cake, not Cowboy Coffee Cake but Steve said he liked this new one better.  I told him to bite his tongue.  There is no better coffee cake than Cowboy coffee cake.  Reminds me of a Seinfield about Dregs Coffee Cake.  I picked him up after school.  He was ready to come home and rest in his bed.  I know he had a nice time there and they enjoyed having him.  Tonight G/G are going to the Ernte Fest with Tim and Deb.  Glad it is them.  It was so hot today.  I guess it just means you need to hydrate more.  If beer is the only liquid, you just have to drink it.  :)  We are just hanging out at home.  We are watching our Friday night shows on survival.  We will be ready if we are stranded in the rain forest, or the desert.  My guess is that Steve will be totally crashing soon.  It is already 8:30 so he is up later than I thought he would be.  He did not have nausea today, but I really pushed that kind of medicine.  Hopefully, he will rest well tonight so he will have an OK day tomorrow.

My first day at school was alright.  No big dramas, which is nice.  I have about 112 kids spread over 5 hours.  We just got to know each other today and will hit it hard Monday.  We have new texts so I am excited about jumping into them.  I am also doing my journals differently so that is exciting too.  I know how exciting grammar can be.  The kids were great.  I told them about Steve so they would know why I have to miss the days I miss.  They were very understanding and several told me that they were going to be praying for us.  That's the nice thing about 6th graders, they are still young enough that they can like you and still be cool with their friends.  I will try to keep you posted on the great minutes of the day and the funny things they say.  My funny today was in one of the student's writings.  They had to write about the challenges of being the President of the US. It was a pretest so that I could evaluate their writing to see how difficult my year would be.  One student wrote several things in the paragraph and then added, "That is all I can think of so this is the end of my paragraph.  Oh, wait a minute, I thought of another one. It would be a challenge to decide if were were to go to war..."  I always think it is funny when the students talk to me in their writings.  It is a hard thing for the students not to do.  OK, I realize that this was probably not as funny to you as it was to me.  Sorry.  I will try to do better in the future.

Chemo IV

We are home and the fatigue has set in.  He is already sleeping in bed.  Many people ask how chemo goes.  It always has gone well.  He just sits and sleeps as they IV the medicine in.  It is afterwards that it hits.  He gets a red face and is so tired he can hardly get undressed and in bed.  Tomorrow he is going to Grandma and Grandpa's for the day.  He is planning on taking over the recliner in the front room.  He has to have a MRI the week of Aug. 30.  They will do the test and we will meet with Dr. Hoos on Sept. 9.  That is when they decide what course of action to take.

I was really productive at the chemo today.  I finished a new purse.  This one I made for a friend.  It is fun pink and green.  Grandma found the fringe that is on the top.  She has an eye for that kind of stuff.

Thursday AM

I must confess that this working and taking care of everything is going to be a little tougher than I thought.  I was really, really, really tired yesterday and the kids have not even arrived.

Tuesday when Steve and his dad spent the day together, went great.  They ventured to Hog Wild in Aurora and had lunch.  Than they came home.  At home, they tried to fix our weed eater....a whole nother story.  They did not get that mission accomplished.  We might have to seek outside  help with this one.  When I got home from school, they were watching Ninja Warrior and comparing those athletes to the ones on WipeOut.  Let me tell you, it made me feel like if I closed my eyes, I was back in my 6th grade classroom.  Very intellectual.  I kept expecting to hear one of them say..."oh, yeah".

Yesterday the whole crew went to Grandma's for lunch.  They had something with sauerkraut.  No offense, but I am glad I had Keen Bean.  They stayed there all afternoon.  I did not ask what they did but a nap was mentioned and Aubree came home sleeping.  They must of had a wild time.  It was Amelia's night to cook and she did a wonderful job with dinner.  We had lemon pepper chicken from the grill, salad, beans and rice.  I loved it for three reasons:  1  I did not have to cook it.  2.  I did not have to clean it up.  3.  And it was really delicious.   Can't wait to see what she will do next week on her night.  Yes Elizabeth, you will have a night too when you come home.  :)

You are wondering why we are up so early?  Well, as you know it is Chemo IV and it is always hard to rest the night before and therefore, easy to get up early because you weren't really sleeping.  It's not easy getting my bag and everything ready.  Also, it is the first day of school and my insides are just programed to get up early on the first day of school.  They just don't realize that I won't be there.  Mitzi is my sub and I know she is going to do a wonderful job.  I only hope the kids will not be disappointed when I come back.  I tried to sway things in my favor by having her give them a pretest on the first day.  I know that was mean and it will be funny because they will not hear the Pre part and freak because of the word test.

A quick not to Jayne.  I sure am going to miss you this year and things will not be the same in the hallway without you!

Well, off to Springfield.  I will post tonight to let you know how it went today.

Flying Solo

Today was the first day for teacher workshops and the first day that Steven and Samurai were at home by themselves.  I am happy to report that their first solo flight went well and they did not crash and burn.  Steve actually went to visit a friend at a local nursing home and ate lunch at Mazzios.  He only ate two pieces of pizza because he was a little iffy about how his stomach would react to it.  He also had the salad bar.  He and Samurai did well together also.  He took him out and fed him.  I have been working very hard with Samurai not pulling on his leash.  He does a good job for me and is always a little gentleman.  He also behaved for Steve.  (thank God--I was concerned that Samurai might try to pull a fast one and pull his leash out of Steve's hand and take off for the timber or fields.   The only issue was that Samurai threw-up his breakfast.  Steve thinks he just ate it way to fast.  Samurai is feeling much better.  Tonight Steve is tired because he did not take a nap this afternoon.  I think he just was to excited and stayed up watching TV instead of resting.  I was not there to remind (Steve might say nag) him to rest.   Also, he did not take his 11:00 pills.    He said he forgot, but is suffering this eve because his pain got ahead of him.  Hopefully, he will become better at remembering his pills while I am away.  I have every faith that he will do better as the days progress.  I must confess, that I sure missed him today.  I had a hard time concentrating because I was worried that he was ok and I don't want him to be lonely during the day too.  I talked to him twice to just check.  I know he is a big boy, but it is hard for me to let go.  This might be the RED in me wanting to be in control.

Tomorrow, Grandpa is coming in the afternoon.  They are going to lunch and then hangout.  I will be a great day for both of them.  Grandma and Amelia are going to run errands in Springfield, so basically the boys will be "sitting" each other.   I would love to be a fly on the wall to hear what they talk about.  :)

Our workshops went well.  It was funny that several people I could guess their color right off.  Some were perfect examples of that color.  The sad thing is that I found out a lot about RED and believe me, it is not all good.  I am the type of person that everyone wants on their team, but no one wants to work with me.  I guess that is a harsh reality that I will have to face.  They never mentioned if you could change, just what you had to do to live with the way you are.  It also shed some light on why I have difficulties with some of the people who teach at my school.  On the other side of that coin, I now know why they have issues with me, too.  (HA)  I also have new insights on how to deal with some of the students in my class.  I am hoping that I will be a better teacher because of the things I learned today.

Aubree really enjoyed her first day at her new preschool.  She was concerned that she had to leave her pillow and blanket there and not bring it home each night.  She was also shocked that "two boys hit each other".  I guess large groups of kids sometimes exhibit antisocial behaviors.  (a real shocker)  This might be an eye opening experience for her.  Hopefully, the tales she tells us are about others and not about her.

Wonderful weekend

This was a great weekend for us.  Steven felt great about 80% of the time.  I was so proud of him.  We went out to eat a couple of times and even took Grandma and Grandpa to Dairy Queen on Sat. evening.  It was pretty funny.  Steve said he wanted to go to DQ and he thought we should call his folks.  I called and Grandma had just asked Grandpa what he wanted for supper.  Did he want to go into Monett and have DQ?  It worked out perfect.  We picked them up and headed south.  We had a nice supper and even saw David, Tammie, Parker and Brilynn there.  David and Tammie were babysitting and went out to eat too.  The treats were nice too.  We had sundaes.  Grandma had pineapple, Grandpa strawberry, Steve hot fudge and I had chocolate.    Today we went to church and then to Grandma's for dinner.  Mike ate with us too.  We always have such a good time with them.  Mike is so funny with his AT&T stories about his calls and things.  After that, we had a short nap and have been just hanging out.  We are watching the season finale of Top Shot.  Steve is pretty adamant about a couple of the guys not winning.  They are real jerks.  We shall see who will win the title of Top Shot.

I have been working on some more purses.  I have another computer case finished and deliver it Tues. morning.  It is for a former student that is going to MU as a freshman on Wed.  It is black/gold tiger stripe (of course)  I will include a picture when I finish some more and post the pictures.

Aubree starts her new sitter tomorrow.  She will be going to Kingsway.  She is so excited.  Amelia and I also report for the first day of workshops.  We have a personality speaker.  We had to take a personality test to determine which color personality we have.  I have RED, which means that I am motivated by power.  Who would have guessed that?!  Our morning will be learning how we can use our motivation to be better teachers.  I'll let you know what I learn.  This is not the first time we have had workshops similar to this one.  I only hope that we learn something new.  In the afternoon, we have to take two computer based classes.  I am taking one on Google Docs and one on making a teacher website.  As soon as I get my website up and going, I'll post the address and you can check it out and see what Doss' Communication Arts class is doing.  I am really not excited about going back to school.  I really like teaching but I sometimes worry about Steven being alone all day long.  When he is feeling well, I am not concerned.  When he is in his bad days, that's what worries me.  The good thing is that there are only 180 contract days left!!!!!!

Ninja Warrior

It is pretty late for me on this Friday night.  I have been crocheting and reached a stopping point.  I thought I would blog tonight instead of waiting until tomorrow.  As the pattern would dictate, we had a great day today.  I babysat Aubree this morning and we went to visit Betty at the Vets Home.  After we got home, Steven was ready to go.  He wanted to go to Joplin for lunch.  We went to Olive Garden.  It is one of Steve's favorite places.  He eats the chicken parmesan and loves the endless breadsticks and salad.  After we got home he rested while I went to the Bean for a book signing and some visiting with my friends.  It was a nice time.  I came home and he was up.  We watched Man, Woman, Wild and Dual Survivor (typical Friday night except he stayed up through all of Dual--usually he goes to sleep and has to watch the finish the next day) We really like Cody better than Dave which really goes against what we thought when we first started watching the show.  During commercials, we had to switch back and forth between Dual and Mecum.  Steven sure loves his muscle cars.  He is talking about trying to go to a Mecum auction later this year.  Can't wait!  I love when he has a good day.  It is so nice when he gets out and does things.  I know it is hard on him to stay at home so much.  He is counting the days until it cools off so he can "piddle" around the house and yard.  God only knows what that means.  If it is anything like before he got sick, God help me.  All his little projects become major projects in a matter of minutes.  You would be amazed at how a simple act can be come a major production when he starts getting creative.  I am excited for those days even though I end up with very different results than he started out to accomplish.    That is how I got the rock sidewalk and fountain at the farm.  He started out just wanting to level the bricks and a couple weekends later....I had a beautiful stone walkway and a marvelous fountain and pool.

I am now watching Ninja Warrior.  Steven started it but has now gone to sleep.  I am thinking that Steve is a Ninja Warrior with his battle against cancer.  It is really a test of his strength and mental toughness.  I am so proud of him.  He is doing so well.  He is a real warrior in my eyes.

Good day, bad day...

It seems like we have developed a cycle of good day then bad day then ok day....  Yesterday was a good day.  We went to Aurora and ate at Hog Wild then went to Monett:  Walmart and Mitizi's.  Steven went into Walmart and walked around the sporting dept while I ran my errands.  We then went to Mitizi's on Broadway.  We had a wonderful visit.  I gave her the purse I made for her.  She has offered to sell them out of her shop.  It is nice to have friend who help you out.  Leland stopped by while we were there and we had a nice visit with him too.  After that, Steven wanted a peanut buster parfait from DQ so off we went.  Of course, the rest of the day was a day of rest.  We had to watch Minute to Win It.  Steven thinks we should do a Doss version at the next family gathering.

Today was a bad day.  He got sick a little this morning, but wanted to go to town with me to pick up some of my classroom supplies.  We met Aubree and Amelia for lunch.  He did not run the errands with me, but he slept in the car.  He came home and slept all afternoon.  I had a staff gathering this evening at Mr. S's house.  I took Steven to Grandma's while I was there.  I had a nice time at the party.  It is nice to see everyone out of school before we have to tackle the day to day life of middle school.  At Grandma's we had to watch Wipeout before we could come home.  I have know idea how those people even move the next week after beating their bodies like they do.  Oh well, what people will do for $50,000.00.  I'm not sure I would do it and Steven informed me that he would have to wait until next year to try it.  :)  Now we are watching Wild Russia.  They sure have some beautiful animals over there.

I did hear some good news yesterday.  I get to take the 19th off to go to chemo with Steven. This is a big deal since the first day of school is the 19th.  I am very lucky that Mt. Vernon is family oriented and allows us to take care of our family first.  Grandma is going to watch him that Friday and Monday after his treatment.  Those days he is really tired and I am a little afraid to leave him alone in such a weak condition.

Oppressive Heat AGAIN

Today, our car thermometer in the car read 112 degrees.  Man was it a scorcher.  We, like all the smart people, have been staying inside.  This heat kills Steven.  It is so hard for him to catch his breath.  He had a very good day today.  He was up and around and we even ran some errands together.  Yesterday was not so good.  He got sick in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day in bed.  When he gets sick he needs rest afterwards.

Koleen and Oma hanging out.

Koleen went back to Columbia today.  We sure had a wonderful visit with her here.  We had good times.  We took Aubree to the park in Aurora on Sat.  Here are pictures of Aubree climbing the wall.

I finished a couple of the purses I have been telling you about.  Here a couple shots of those.  The purse making keeps me out of trouble while I am tending Steven.  

Koleen's computer bag.  MIZZOU!

Amelia's new purse.

Super Sunday

Here it is another Sunday and the beginning of my last week of freedom.  I have to report next Monday, and that is all I have to say about that.

Steve has had a wonderful past two days.  He has felt well and stayed up most of the day.  We went out to eat breakfast on Sat. morning with Koleen and her friend, Tad, who stayed the night on his way to TX.  We also just messed around the house.  In the afternoon, Kim, Doug, Julia and Brian came by for a visit.  They were picking up the kids from Tim.   They met at the McDonalds and then came here.  We had a great time catching up with them.  Brian, Julia and Aubree got to play for a little while.  They have fun together.  Julia, loved the pictures of your new room!  Today we got up and went to church.  After church we went to lunch and then came home.  We watched Sandlot, a classic.  "Smalls, you're killing me."   Later this afternoon, Mike, Kaleb, Kyle and Grandma stopped by.  They moved Kaleb back up to the frat house.  They borrowed Steve's truck to move the big stuff.  We had some pie for them.  We had chocolate and apple crumble.  They were both good.  We had a good visit with them.  It is always nice to keep up with the boys.

Samurai's sores are clearing up.  They actually just look like normal scabs now, which is good.  He has been really excited with Kay home.  He loves his Kay.

Koleen has been having a nice time at home.  She has been keeping busy enough to not be bored and miss school life.  She will be going back on Tues.  early in the morning.

We are now watching "Don't Mess with the Zohan. "Disco, disco. "  We went to see Dinner for Schmucks Friday afternoon.  A great movie that will make you laugh.  I really had a nice time.  The movie popcorn was good, too.

Catch-up Thursday

As I look back I notice that I am behind in blogging.  Sorry.  I'd like say that you missed a lot of excitement, but no.  On Tuesday and Wednesday, it was sleeping and resting day.  Today was the best day of Chemo III.  He stayed up all morning long. He went to Grandma and Grandpa's today while Amelia, Koleen and I went to Springfield.  They love when the "kids" come over for the day.  Aubree when with Opa so she could b hid nurse and help Grandma watch over him.  The girls and I went to several fabric shops to purchase fabric, buttons and beads.  I made a killing. We also went to a dollar jewelry store where we purchased some necklaces to use the beads on the purses.  Good idea, Amelia.  As we blog, Amelia is placing her beads on her purse.  I'll post a picture as soon as the purse is completely finished.

At, Grandma's Steve stayed up a lot of the afternoon.  This is very good for him.  Now he is sleeping in the chair "watching" Mighty Ships.  He made the comment this morning that he felt much better today than he had in a long time.  Let's pray that he is on the up hill swing of this treatment.

We got 9/10ths of rain today.  What a blessing!  We sure needed it.  The only bad thing is Amelia will have to mow again.  Bummer for her, but great for our yard.

Aubree has been with us for the past couple of days.  She sure keeps us on our toes.  There are times when I think she drives Opa a little crazy with her stories and constant gabber.  She is very good to her Opa.  She reads to him while he is in bed and they are once again watching Sponge Bob.  All good signs that Opa feels better.

Monday News

Really not much to tell about today.  It is the same as it was Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  He is just exhausted.  Steven sleeps most of the time only getting up to eat and that wears him out.  As we have experienced the last couple of times, this should last just a few more days and then he will get stronger and stronger each day.  His appetite has been good.  He is not gaining any weight, but he is remaining steady.  We have been really fortunate this time because he has not been sick to his stomach.  He is a little queasy, but when he rests, he feels better.

I have been recording all the new Shark Week shows for him.  He tries to stay up to watch them, but he does not make it.  During the day, he is in and out so much that it is hard for him to see a complete show or make sense of the show he is seeing.

Koleen is home until the 10th.  It is nice to have her home and spend some time with her.  She is running around seeing friends and family, but after a few days, I know she will be ready to head back to Columbia and the excitement there.  Several of her friends are supposed to be coming for visits.  We will be glad to meet and see them.  Right now it is major laundry at our house.  I think they bring everything from their closet even if it isn't dirty.

Amelia has been working really hard.  She starts her new job on the 16th.  She is an aide at Pierce City Elementary School.  We are all really excited for her.  It will give her good experience towards her degree and she will work consistent hours and no late nights or openings in the morning.  She is glad of that!