Just Trying to Get Better

Hi friends.  Just thought I'd pop in here to let you know I haven't abandoned my blog.  What I thought was the flu that hit us wasn't the flu.  For me, it was an upper respiratory infection and a kidney infection.  I've been battling this since Friday with fever as high as 103.  Joy and Luke had a touch of something the end of last week running fever, but now Joy's much sicker and running higher temperatures.  I always worry about a sickness or virus pushing her into another pancreatitis episode.  I'm trying NOT to worry though.  It doesn't help and that's the opposite of faith.  :)

Together, she and I sound kind of pitiful with our hacking and coughing.  Thank the Lord for my mom taking care of Luke during the day!    And now it sounds like Jason might be trying to coming down with something too.

We're so ready to feel better!  We're ready for spring too!  Where are you spring?  

Anyway, I appreciate you hanging with me!  I'll be back as soon as I can!  We're just trying to get over this and get better!  Thank you!  :)

♥ Tammy ♥

♥ Finally Home ♥

There's no place like home.  I've said it many times before, but I mean it all the more today!  We've been away from home for almost 2 weeks.  It felt so good to pull up into our drive and walk into our home!  It was like receiving a great big hug!  :)

Joy was released from the hospital on Saturday around noonish.  We had planned a mini trip to Alabama that was supposed to be from Friday until Tuesday.  Well, we figured that was just out of the question.  But......when Joy's doctor knew what we had planned, she told us we should go.....to just go straight from the hospital, if we could.  She said it would do Joy good and keep her mind off every noticeable "twinge" or "hint" of pain that she would still be having even after she was released. She said it would be a great distraction.  So, we did just that.  Jason made a trip to the house the night before and got a few things that we would need for Joy.  We already had a few changes of clothes there from living in the hospital for 9 days.  So, when they signed her released papers Saturday morning, we left the hospital, stopped and got a pain medicine prescription filled and were then on our way to Alabama (to my brother's house)!  It did turn out to be a good distraction for her and for all of us.  We had a good time just relaxing.  We just made it home late this afternoon.

The night before we got out of the hospital, long time friend, Katie Beth, came by the hospital to see Joy.  They have been friends since they were 2 years old.  Joy says she looks like a little kid here....actually she's sitting on the bed and Katie Beth is standing beside her.  :)

As good as it was and a nice distraction, it is just plain ole good to be HOME.  :)

Thank you for the prayers for Joy.  We are continuing to pray that she never has another "episode" of the pancreatitis.....complete healing is what we're praying for.  But we do thank the Lord for bringing her through this!

I also wanted to invite you all to join me tomorrow morning on the sunporch for a visit with another blogging friend.  She's been blogging quite awhile and I know you'll enjoy the visit!  I hope you'll stop by and join us in the morning!

Have a great evening!  :)

♥ Tammy ♥

♥ Chinese Dance Memories Anyway ♥

Well our Joy didn't get to dance in the actual Chinese New Year Festival this past Saturday, but she did get to practice on the stage with the rest of the girls a couple of weeks before.  And as you know my camera lens is broken (still), so I didn't have my camera along with me on that day.  But we did get pictures, thanks to Jane, mom to Maggie, one of the girls in the dance class.   Jane also happens to be a photographer and was taking random pictures that day. She is very talented as you can see from her website, JA Photography.   I'm so thankful for the photos she got of Joy, and especially thankful for her passing them along to me.  Wasn't that so sweet?  (Thank you again, Jane).  :)

And I forgot to say that Joy's dance teacher was able to wear her costume and dance in her place at the Chinese New Year Festival Saturday night, so it worked out fine.  And Joy realized during that time, while here at the hospital, that there was no way she could have danced with her pain level what it was.

So today I'm sharing the pictures Jane captured: (The makeup is only for the stage....she does NOT wear that makeup normally....lol!)  But she does love red lip stick, and says when she does wear makeup....she is all about the red.....said this one wasn't red enough.  :)



Update on Joy:  We're still in the hospital.  We have a couple of tests being done today.  We still can't leave until her pain level has come down considerably and stays down and she begins to eat/drink.  We think she may have tried too early to eat (which was only a little) in an attempt to get out on Saturday and caused an intense flare up.  She has been so afraid to try eating/drinking again because her pain has been constant.  She watches the clock for her pain medicine.  However, one of her enzymes is down to normal range, and the other one was still up as of last night, but not nearly as much as before.  Hopefully, when we get the lab results back today, this one will be closer to normal.  When these get down to normal, she has to be headed in the direction of getting over this episode!  We choose to believe she will be her bubbly self again soon!  Again, we thank you for the prayers! 

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I hope you'll stop by tomorrow and join me for a Sunporch Chat with a sweet friend.  You're in for another treat!  :)

Thanks for stopping by!  :) 

♥ Tammy ♥

Another Night in the Hospital

Thank you so much for the prayers for Joy.  It looks like we'll be spending another night here in the hospital.  The doctor was trying hard to get her out of the hospital and able to dance tonight for the Chinese New Year Festival, but it depended on her pain levels.   Even though her mind is there wanting to dance, her body just isn't cooperating.  None of us are comfortable with them letting her go home while she's still in pain like this. 

Once Joy came to the realization that she knew she just couldn't dance, she's been okay. 

She is trying to be an encouragement to others here too.  While playing the game show that they do for entertainment for the kids here on the TV, she called in and donated her winning answer to a little two year old girl named Leah who ended up winning one of the prizes.  We just got back from actually meeting Leah and her family.   Boy did it put things in prospective for me (for us).   They lost an almost 3 year old son here almost a year ago.  Missing a dance performance is nothing compared to that kind of loss.

I just wanted to update my friends and family that are praying and thank you.  Joy thanks you!

♥ Tammy ♥

Faithful Friday - "Always Something to Be Thankful For"

It’s Friday and I wanted to pop in here with a Faithful Friday post. Since Joy is in the hospital, I will put the linky tool on my blog. If you would like to participate, we’d love for you to do so. The only difference today is that you will link up on my blog.


Thank you so much for all the prayers and the thoughtful comments left for Joy. We appreciate them all! Joy is doing better than she was when we came to the ER. Her pain is not constant and not as severe, although she is still having some. This time, her pancreatic enzymes are not elevated. This has us all stumped because her symptoms are exactly the same. They have been checking many things including appendicitis. They found it to be large, but no other symptoms of appendicits, so they’re ruling that out too.

I’m thankful that the pancreatic enzymes aren’t elevated, yet we just don’t have answers. That part is frustrating and scary to Joy because she doesn’t know why she’s hurting but they are telling what it isn’t this time. I think she’s afraid of going home and still having pain. Anyway, that’s where we are. Thank you SO much for praying. We feel the prayers and know God is in control!

We can look around us if we start to feel down though and see others going through so much more! The boy that Joy mentioned last time she was in the hospital, is back in the hospital again and has been for some time. His name is Brandon and he has Krohn’s disease, which is a very painful thing. He has spent so many of his days in the hospital and yet his attitude could teach us a thing or two! And just yesterday we met another 15 year old boy, Skyler, who has been in the hospital for 2 months. He had a liver transplant and developed complications almost not making it 3 or 4 different times. He still doesn't look well.  They live about 9 hours away. That breaks my heart thinking of how far they are from home and family! Anyway, this just reminded me that no matter what trials come our way, there is always someone else going through so much more. It’s good to take a look at the positive and just give God praise.  There are always blessings to count. When you’re praying for Joy, would you remember Brandon and Skyler too?

Thank you for stopping by for Faithful Friday! Have a great weekend! :)

Blessings,
Tammy

Faithful Friday - "K-Love"

It’s Friday! I’m not really sure where this week went, but Friday is a good day too. (Jason is taking me out on a date to Outback Steakhouse tonight).  :)

Friday is the day that I participate in Faithful Fridays, which is a day set aside to share something from our Christian Walk. It was started and sponsored by my daughter, Joy, so I am linking up with her .   We would love for you to participate too! Just grab the button and link up on her blog, Doodlebug .  Joy finally got the linky thing figured out.  We're really thrilled about that AND since she got the linky thing figured out, she'd REALLY love for you to participate!  :)  And she'd love for you to come over and check out her post, even if you don't participate.

I’ve mentioned before that music really speaks, inspires, and sometimes even convicts me. And I've mentioned K-Love before, but I have to do it again.  K-Love is the radio station that our car stays tuned to, as well as the computer at home (when we are listening to music there). It is positive, encouraging K-Love. And positive and encouraging it is! It’s Christian music that feeds the soul and sends the message of hope to those who need it.

 

Jason and I decided that we wanted to be part of K-Love by pledging a monthly gift to them because we want to give back. I know if K-Love blesses me the way it does, it has the potential to reach so many others that need to hear the message of hope through Jesus! And I want to be a part of that, even if it is a small part.

Do you already enjoy K-Love?  If you’ve never tuned in to K-Love, you really must check them out! You can go here and find a station close to you. I promise you that you will be blessed!

On another note, there are a couple of our blogging friends that we need to remember:

Linda of Behind My Red Door - Linda lost her dad this week.

Sheila of Seasons of Thy Heart – Sheila’s husband had an aneurysm and is in the hospital.

Would you agree together with me to pray for these sweet ladies and their families?


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I'm also linking up today with Lois over at Walking on Sunshine with my chocolate gravy recipe for her Foodie Friends Linky Party.  Come on over and visit Lois.  She has wonderful recipes!  :)

And as always, I truly appreciate you stopping by and for every comment. I always look forward to reading each one. Thanks so much! And have a great weekend! :)

Thirty-One

Time is truly flying by this summer! I can’t believe June is almost gone!

After my last post, our pool began leaking again, so still no swimming in the pool. However, we have a pool guy coming out tomorrow morning. We’re really hoping he can take care of it (without mention of a new pool liner)…..especially so since we have cousins coming down to see us that will be anxiously waiting to swim, I’m sure!

We just got out of the hospital again Sunday. Joy’s pancreatitis flared up again and we ended up being admitted through the ER per her doctor Thursday night. This time her pancreatic enzymes reached even higher (lipase was 4500), yet she bounced back from this episode quicker. They did further testing through a MRCP MRI to take a closer look inside the pancreas and it all turned out normal. That’s good and bad. Normal is always good to hear. However, if they found something there, it could possibly be corrected by surgery or other means. This means still no answer that can be corrected. The other testing they have done is genetic testing. The results from that won’t be back for two weeks. If that comes back positive, then there is really nothing they can do. We will just know the cause. We’re just praying and asking God for a miracle and that He will just heal her pancreas so that she never has any recurring episodes. We do have a follow-up visit with her GI doctor Thursday.

……And our air conditioner is not running properly. My Uncle Jesse is coming Thursday to see about that (all the way from Alabama….. bless his heart). But we just thank the Lord for The Cedar Loft! We are staying up here. We feel like we’re on vacation away from home staying in a cabin. We were actually lying in bed last night, and Jason said, “You know I could live like this.” One thing I know, if we ever move, we will definitely down size and go for a smaller cabin feel.

But through all of these trials, we have so much to be thankful for. We see people with many more trials and problems. We have God on our side and we know He’s in control. That’s the most important thing.

Okay, now for the title of this post. I mentioned it a week or so ago, but my Thirty-One online party is nearing the end of the deadline. Unfortunately, it’s not going that well. Well, I did get one order so far! That’s something! Anyway, I just wanted to remind you all that you still have until Friday to shop. If you’re interested in taking a look, just let me know in a comment or email me here and request it, and I’ll send you the link directly to shop in order for me to get credit as the hostess. Purchases can be shipped directly to you, if you don’t live near me. There is also a special going on right now through the end of this month: you may purchase the large utility tote (really nice) for only $10 when you spend $35.

Thirty-One has a really great organizer that's great for throwing in some magazines or books, snacks/bottle water and much more, for those times that you're waiting (I'm thinking doctor appointments).  I will have my stash of Country Sampler magazines in there.  I do this now (without a tote) just carrying them with me now for anytime I have down time waiting.  My mother laughs about me carrying my magazines or books.  Joy is the same way.  Anyway, Thirty-One really does have some great totes (and pretty fabrics to choose from too).....so check it out!  And thank you!  :) 

Hope you’re enjoying your summer! Take time to enjoy all the simple moments!

Friends, Family, and Faithful Friday

Long time, no blog post, huh? Time sure does get away from me!

I mentioned in a previous post that we were going on a trip to see our friends Kim and Chuck (whom we met in China). We headed their way a week ago, last Thursday morning. We had a great time with them!

First of all, let me say that they feel like more like family than just friends. We felt right at home there in their beautiful home.

We spent Friday just hanging around their home catching up on news and letting the kids play.

Chuck grilled out Friday night and we had a yummy steak dinner. As a matter of fact, we spent A LOT of time here at the table. Seems like we were eating all weekend!

I just loved their huge entertainment center and the big clock above it (which I didn't get in the pic).

Jason and Chuck spent a lot of time out here. And I can see why! Sitting on their screened porch, there’s a beautiful view into the woods!  They have deer that come to visit! It is so peaceful there! I told them if my dad ever came, they’d never get him to leave! His permanent spot would be right there on their screened back porch!  It's a perfect relaxing spot!  I told them we would be doing our school out there!  :)

See the deer?  One of the neighbors has a fence around their flowers because of the visiting deer.  :)

We enjoyed lunch at Fox Brother’s BBQ (known nation wide for their yummy BBQ and it didn’t disappoint) and then spent the rest of Saturday at Stone Mountain Park. We had a great time in spite of the heat!

Playing in Geyser attraction

Shiloh on the zip line.

Dakota and Joy on the rock climbing wall.

She made it to the top twice!

Riding the train around the mountain was a highlight for Luke.

The Kiddos....Joy holding Shiloh and arm around Dakota with Luke.

The only picture I think Jason made it in.  :)  The entire crew minus Chuck because he took the pic.

Then it cooled down and we enjoyed a picnic on the lawn in front of Stone Mountain and watched the laser show. It was awesome. It was very patriotic which is right up my alley! Very well done! We thoroughly enjoyed it!

The laser light show was shown on the side of the mountain.

Dakota and Joy were pretty tight.  :)

And this is Ms. Shiloh entertaining us.  The girl can dance.  :)

Sunday afternoon we headed for a local amusement park. Again, it was hot, but the kids had a blast riding all the rides.

Joy and Chuck are up there.  Later Dakota rode it with Joy too.  It takes you up and drops you.  Then back up and drops again.

Told you he's all about trains. :)  This was the space train.

Dakota on the bumper boats.

Luke escorted us around in the old car.  :)

I think Chuck rode just as many rides as the kids! Kim and I even rode the roller coaster to satisfy our kids and I also rode the scrambler. Jason was observer, encourager, and photographer (except for the go-karts...which he did ride with Chuck and Joy). I tell you that little Shiloh and Luke (both 4 years old) LOVED the roller coaster and rode it multiple times! They were little daredevils! No fear there in those two! They kept asking to ride it over and over!

That's Chuck & Shiloh in the front & Joy & Luke in the second car.

Rolling back in with arms up (now).  :)

Then Sunday evening, Chuck and Kim fed us a home-cooked Chinese dinner. It sure did hit the spot after a hot day at the amusement park. We ate way too much (but it was all delicious)! Now it’s diet time this week!

Thank you, Kim and Chuck, for your hospitality and friendship! We enjoyed our time with you guys so much! We miss you already! And to think it took these two from Inner Mongolia, China to bring our families together!  :)

I think both Shiloh and Luke look so reflective in these pics. 

As much as we hated to leave them, we left Monday morning and headed to Alabama which is where where my mom and dad were. We didn’t get to stay but a day and night, but we enjoyed spending that time with my Richie and Missy and their family too. Then it was back home for us. We had a full weekend and enjoyed it so much! We enjoyed riding in the more spacious truck (which drives like a dream by the way compared to my little Mazda).  Jason was thrilled to get better gas mileage than expected!     Now it’s time to get to work doing some maintenance around here, including whipping our pool into shape so we can swim! With all that’s been going on, we’re slower getting it ready this year, but it’s definitely pool time!  :)

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And I really do hate to end it on this note, but I need to ask for prayers yet again for our family. As I mentioned above, we were in Alabama on Memorial Day. My Uncle Junior and Aunt Betty (my daddy’s oldest brother and his wife) were there visiting from Indiana as well. We were actually with them on Monday. They headed home Wednesday morning (after we left Tuesday night), and were involved in a 3 car wreck in Kentucky around noon and both of them were killed. Richie called me last night with the news. I think we are all in shock and just numb right now. It just doesn’t seem real. This is a very close family…..all my dad’s family. We are all together fairly often in Alabama. This is going to be a hard (double) funeral. I don’t know when yet, but we will be headed to Indiana.  We would appreciate prayers for the family. They have 5 grown children, 15 grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren as well. And Uncle Junior is one of 8 children so please remember all the siblings too. One thing I’m thankful for is that Grandma had already gone on to be with the Lord when this happened and not here to bury one of her children. We do have the security of knowing both Uncle Junior and Aunt Betty knew the Lord. Again, sorry to end on that note, but we sure would appreciate your prayers.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."  John 14:27


Thanks so much for stopping by even though I haven’t been around as much lately! We invite you to participate in Faithful Friday.  Just grab the button above and let Joy know here on her bog.

I appreciate you all! Hope you have a wonderful day and upcoming weekend!  :)

~ Blessings~ Tammy