what i'm loving lately (june)

Hey yall! Hope you're having a great Saturday. It appears to be sunny here, but I haven't been outside my hospital floor in, oh....two weeks? So I couldn't tell ya! Eh, just getting a bit of cavin fever. The view is gorgeous though so I will snap a picture of that and share with you all wonderful people later. :) Just a quick update on my health before I capture our attention with my June favorites -- I'm still doing really well and there isn't much exchange, except that my counts have indeed dropped. And I have blisters on the bottom of my feetwhich make walking my mile a day a little painful. Otherwise, I'm in good spirits and happy to be here! Anyway - here we go!

Bath and Body Works candle in "Lakeside".

This thing is amazing! It has a masculine smell but it isn't overpowering. I hate those really dark cologne smells, and this one is far from that.
They usually run under $10, which is good for my checkbook!

Continuing with the theme of candles, I've also fallen in love with the Lemon Verbena scent from Target. It's $10 and it smells DELISH. Not sugary-sweet, but still good. Kinda like a fresh-clean scent. I like to burn it on my cleaning days (Monday & Friday).

The last candle of the month that I've been loving is this one by Yankee Candle.

This one is just clean, fresh, almost a little bit fruity. I picked two up at Ulta a month ago & I"ve already burned through them both!

Avocados. Ohhh, I cannot say enough good about avocados! Until I went into the hospital, we were consuming 4-5 oft hese per week. Healthy fats! I use them plain, chopped up as a side dishw ith a little bit of garlic salt on them, or I mince them on with peppers for a topping for baked fish, in salads, or mashed into a semi-guacamole and used instead of mayo on a sandwich.
SO GOOD! GO GET YOU SOME!

Plums. The last two weeks before I left, we re-discovered plums. The girls LOVE them. We ate theme very single day. Not bad for you, either!

Now on to less edible stuff. We have laminate flooring in most of our house and I LOVE this stuff. It makes the floor shiny, takes away the smudges and smells good to boot! (Can ya'll tell I like my house to smellgood??)

I love this stuff. I'm pretty sure it is NOT the first time it's ever been in a favorites post. I have super dry skin and this stuff is cheap(ish) and GOOD! I've been using it for over a year. I'm on my third bottle.

I just had to share.I picked them up at Target a couple weeks back for $15.
They are a cognac color and fit true-to-size.
They look amazing with all the maxi skirts and dresses I've been loving lately! :)

I must include the hubs because he is one of my favorites, too. :) He got a hair cut the other day & I'm loving it. Not so military -- after 8 years, that's fine by me! I Love you honey!



sweet cousin time

Warning: This post contains vomit of the picture variety

 .It also is overloaded with cuteness!

 

I've always heard that it takes a village to raise a child. I never fully understood what that menat until I got sick I November 2011. My girls were 19 months and 3 years then, and were splitting their time between different family members house. I'm so thankful they took the time to raise our children for us when we literally could not be there. While I'm healing from he transplant, we chose to send the girls to coastal Mississippi to stay with relatives who have a one-year-old daughter.

BEST DECISION EVER.

Not because there were no one closer to take care of them, or that we trusted.

Just because they have been able to build a life-long relationship with Gracelyn & her mama & daddy. Do ya'll remember how fun it used to be when you'd wait that whole summer for the one week you could go off to camp or to grandma & grandaddys house? That's how my girls have felt since we told therm where they were going.

And they love it.

Every single bit of it!

 

 Hiding in the fort

 

 Ain't no fun like some water time fun!

 

 Just a swagin'

 

When did she grow up?!

 

 

My very favorite. :)

 

Sara and June, mama misses you something terrible but I know you are having a load of fun!

 See you in a little while!

 



mission transplant: complete!

Please excuse any typos - eyes are not working correctly. :)

 

Yesterday, July 15, was the big day!'

I got the bone marrow transplant I've been waiting on for months!

 

Day zero!

I'm so thankful that both of my parents, my uncle, the hubs, and some of my sisters could make it. I'm so grateful for ya'll sitting with me and helping me keep my mind off things!

 



 One minute left!

You know,  it's not a very glorious thing. Not even a highly-anticipated thing.

.

It went simply, smoothly, and I'm really thankful for that. My counts have already started todrop today, so we are waiting that out to so I can go to thea hope Lodge -- and then HOME to my sweet babies!

 

                     We've been playing the mess ouit of some cards. Gin Rummy, anyone?

 

Home away from home. At least I'm getting healthy. :)

bubble glove head!

Disclaimer: This blog will not be properly edited or spell checked until my eye sight comes back. Please overlook the minor things, as they are out of my control. Thank you!

 

Hey ya'll! I know there's been a lack of posting, but I've been settling into my new abode (aka "the hospital room" and have been trying to conquer this mass amount of nausea that has overcame me. I got radiation on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, and then high-dose chemotherapy on Friday. This junk don't play, and girrrrlfraaaand was I SICK! But the Good Lord helped those doctors and nurses come up with a nice little anti-nausea regime and I'm slowly feeling more like a human and not like a cow that has been hit, kicked and left twisted in the side of the road.

Nice little analogy, eh? How's that for positive?

(Hey - gotta keep it real 'round these parts!)

 

This is my lovely little hospital bed. Notice I have my Bible, laptop, & phone all within a fingertips reah. The only reason the iPad isn't right here is because some heffer is hogging it on the couch I'm graciously letting my cousin Jennifer use it so her dear little heart won't be bored.

 

:) :) :)

 

This man. He has stayed by my side for months on end in the hospital...and weeks on end after that. He pushed me to start walking again (which I am up to over 2 miles per day now -- TAKE THAT, doctor who said I'd ve a vegetable!) and he never complains. Welllll....no thardly, anyway.

We are ready to get this thing rocking and rolling!

 

I have to share this one because I just don't want to forget. Some family came to see me. If you've been reading my blog for any length of time you'll know and understand that Cade is like that son I never had. I love him with all of my heart and even though I want to wring his neck out sometimes, I would givemy life for him a thousand times over. While hereon his visit, he decided to take those plastic gloves (as most kids do) and play with him.

Except Cade is a weeee bit.....different.

Marches to the beat of his own drum, shall we say?
He put it on his head, tried to blow It up through his nose, and then completely melted down when it got stuck. Sweet Cindy helped him  work it.

Can't take them anywhere, I swear!

At least my oncologist thought it was pretty hilarious when he walked in. :)

 

 

This girl spent the night with me last night so that the hubs could go home, cut grass, pay some bills, and get a good nights rest of something other than a couch that does not fold out. We had us a blast  - lots of girl talk, pedicures, manis, etc. These times will never been forgotten!

 

 

                                                These crazy girls came to see me a few days ago.

I think they may be trying to pull off the "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" hoopla.....

But we ain't fooled!
Thank ou to my sweet little sister Allie for the kind words. Love you!!

 

 

 

And just because I look like such a boy with my hair right now, I wanted  to share a picture so that you can see it wasn't ALWAYS like this!

 

 

exercise, waterfalls, and my girls!

Hey ya'll! Hope ya'll are having a great weekend, even though it's almost over. We've had a good one. I've been getting my Kepivance, which is a medicine used to create extra layers in the lining of your mouth so that you don't get sores and ulcers when you undergo the high dose chemo and radiation before a transplant. I'm having a side effect from it, which creates a rash on my face that can spread down my arms and chest, even after the medicine is finished. Here's hoping that doesn't happen, because it would not be very fun!

 

Yesterday we found a trail close to where we're staying and walked it. I've been walking for a week and a half now and I'm up to 2 miles. Yesterday I used the NikeRunner app for the frst time and while it cut off about midway through and said we only walked 1.1 miles for 34 minutes (hey - slow & steady wins the race - at least I can make 2 miles now!) we actually walked about 2.25 miles for over an hour & a half. It was BEAUTIFUL! Several waterfalls, shady, hilly,

 just so pretty and not boring at all.

 

Not sure if I walked the trail or ran the Tough Mudder...

it was rainy & very muddy!



 

 A couple who works out together stays together....right??

I think so!

 

My sweet mama on the 4th!

 



Somebody was very tired from all the fun!

 



 

 I guess all the fun tired out some of the adults, too!

 

The morning we left for Atlanta, my sweet baby June tried to follow us. She made it as far as the bedroom door before she laid down and fell back asleep! I miss her so much!

 



And just because I miss them both SO much and it's only been 3 days...

 

 

 

 

 



see my trash! (june 2013)

Hey ya'll! Hope ya'll had a wonderful Friday!

I've been seeing a lot of bloggers/vloggers do "Empties" entries.

I'll be honest, I'm pretty fascinated.

I love to see what people actually use up and love or hate -- and if they'd repurchase.

The hubs says I'm totally weird, but oh well!

So I though I'd share mine with you.

Without further ado (adieu?)

 

 

These were the CVS cotton squares. I believe they were about $4.99.
I actually really liked them, but I found textured ones at Wal-Mart for about $3 that are better for me.

 

 

Second, there is this Yankee Candle in the scent "Bahama Breeze".

I LOOOVED this candle, and actually bought a second one and took to my moms for our room there

(Yes, I'm 28 and still have a room at my mother's - she lives a good bit away from us and we stay there often on the weekends)

I will absolutely, 100% repurchase this.

I bought them at Ulta for about $10 each.

 

 

Here we have, in order:

 

Equate brand Oil of Olay Regenerist Eye Cream - This was great!

Very moisturizing, and really helped my extremely dry undereyes.
It was about $11 at Wal-Mart, and I'll definitely repurchase it again when I finish this eye cream (which I'm definitely not a fan of!)

 

Blistex Medicated Lip Balm - I love Blistex. I have been on chemo pretty much for 18 months, and my lips (and skin) has lost most of its natural moisture. This is awesome for me, BUT I cannot use it alone. I use it twice a day, on average, and use a deep moisturizing lip cream in the mornings and at night. I will definitely repurchase & already have!

About $2 at the drugstore.

 

Crest Pro-Health toothpaste - It was eh. Wouldn't repurchase, and I didn't.

About $3 at the drugstore.

 

Crest Clinical Strength deoderant - Love this! For me, when I take chemo, I have some serious BO goin' on. (Hey, I'm just keeping it real!) I take on this almost sickly sweet, nasty smell. Gag. Shudder. It gets rid of it and doesn't leave any unpleasant fake scents behind. I will repurchase, as soon as I use up this not-so-great deoderant that was sitting in my drawer!

About $5 at the drugstore.

 

 

Frizz-Ease hairspray - I only bought this because I keep a small black bag in my purse with the girls ponytail holders, extra brush, bobby pins, etc. & I needed a travel sized hairspray to put in there. This was the only one Target had. Will never, ever buy again, even if it's the only one left on Earth. It did NOTHING for the girls hair. AT ALL. Except make it a nasty, sticky, stringy mess.

$1.50ish at the drugstore & not worth a penny, in my opinion!

 

Coppertone Water Babies Sunscreen - I seriously have about 7 bottles of sunblock under the counter & this was the one with the least amount in it, so I used it up. It was good, like any other sunscreen. Runs about $9 at the drugstore.

 

Crest travel-sized toothpaste - obviously  I just had this in the drawer and it needed to be used. No great amazing things happened to my teeth from using it.

 

Banana Boat summer color - This is a spray tanner that deposited a decent amount of color. It wasn't super noticeable, though. It would be really good if you already had a tan and just wanted to add a little extra "oomph" to it. It went on really well and did not leave any streaks or orange spots.

About $7 at the drugstore.

 

Suave conditioner - I can't remember what line this is, and I can't read that tiny writing on the picture, but it was okay. I didn't use it personally, but I used it on Sara's hair and it did a good job for the price, whihc is about $2 at the drugstores, I think.

 

Shea Butter lotion - This is from Family Dollar.

DO NOT BUY!

It was only a couple of bucks, but seriously - it was awful.

I used it one time and then chucked it in the bin.

It made my skin feel really sticky, like I'd lathered glue on myself.

Maybe it was the bottle I got, but regardless, I'll never repurchase!

 

I hope you enjoyd "seeing my trash" -- maybe I'm crazy, but do ya'll like seeing these things too?

 



Relay for Life 2013

Every year, our town host a Relay for Life at the high school football field.

The past two years, I've been invited to participate, given a t-shirt and walked the Survivors lap.

Last year, I went around the track in a wheelchair.

This year....I walked.

Next year I will run!

My moms company has had a booth set up both years. There are different booths set up over the field with games, face painting, information, etc.

Some family went with us, and the little ones had a blast!

I used to think that this sort of thing was a bit silly.

Ya'll know the survivor ribbons that people put on their cars?

I thought they were silly, too.

Now I don't, though.

If you've ever had cancer, you are PROUD to survive it!

You want to shout it to the world and let everybody know YOU DID IT!

My mom, Sara and myself representing my mom's company in our Relay t-shirts!

Relay for Life 2012, 6 months post diagnosis. 

I'm looking forward to Relay for Life 2014.
Then I will be cancer survivor times TWO!