Stacked Stones Studio!

Hello friends... Well tonight we got the pathology report about Mom's brain tumor. It is a very aggressive form of cancer that there really is no cure for. The doctors are not really recommending surgery because of her frailty and how hard it would be for her to recover from the procedure -- only to have the tumor come back almost as quickly as it was removed. We are supposed to talk with an oncologist Thursday or Friday to find out possible other treatments, but these will have to be weighed against "quality of life" issues...so there are still a lot of decisions to be made. We have talked with Mom and she knows what the pathology report says...and she is very calm and at peace. We are continuing the steroid treatment that helps keep swelling down in her brain and allows her to retain motor skills -- so today she was up out of bed and walking a bit which made her feel really good. Her appetite is also really good...pretty much eating anything that is put in front of ...

thank you all for all of your prayers. It has been good to be with my sister and her family and to be able to spend so much time with my Mom at the hospital. We have had some good days and some bad days. Mom had a biopsy done on the brain tumor on Friday and came through that procedure really well. Over the weekend however she was really sinking fast...and we were not seeing any positive progress. The neurologist decided to put her on some very STRONG steriods to shrink the swelling around the brain mass...and by today she has REALLY improved dramatically. She more like her old self (which is good and "bad" for those of you who know my mom *smile*). She decided that she was ready to "go home" today....but settle for a blueberry muffin instead. Nothing like a little bribery! *ha* Seriously, we need to wait for the pathology results from the biopsy -- which we are very hopeful that we will get on Wednesday...because we really can't make ANY decisions until...

Thank you dear friends for your prayers and support. I talked with my sister, the neurologist and the neurosurgeon this evening. Mom definitely has a very large brain tumor...but the steriods that they have placed her on have brought back some of her short term memory. (Yesterday you could tell her that she had a brain tumor and she would respond, "Oh...that isn't good" and then go back to what she was doing and not remember what she had just been told. Something to be said for not having any anxiety about it.) We have decided that we will go ahead with a biopsy on Friday...which will tell us what kind of cancer it is. Armed with that information, we can make the next decisions. I am headed to Dallas on Friday and will be able to be there with my sister and Mom during these times. I am grateful that I have such a good prayer support group and sweet friends...since this was a new addition to some of the rather stressful things that have been happening lately -- I guess...

I LOVE birthdays...mine and everybody else's. It is a time to celebrate the person...knowing that God put them on this earth for a reason -- their birthday is a good reason to remember that none of us (or what happens to us) is either a surprise to God...or experienced without his knowledge. Perhaps those words are more sobering than the Happy Birthday song...but today, I needed to be reminded of them. Most of you know that Royce and I have decided that the course of our lives will not take us down the same path. (A diplomatic way of saying :we broke up:). It has been very hard on me...because, personally, I had planned to spend the rest of my life with him. Ilove him and I love his son, Weston, with all of my heart. But love and a future takes two people who are absolutely sure that it is the correct plan -- and we didn't have that. So today, I am celebrating that I have been here for 45 years...all under the watchcare of my heavenly Father. I had a lovely time at the Scr...

Hello friends... I finished some projects last week...but never had my computer and scanner in the same place as the lo's when I had time to actually scan them (wow that was a LOT of variables...the stars must have REALLY been aligned today to make this happen). Here is a quick look.... Yesterday, I had a GREAT day doing Father's Day "make and takes" at Scrap It! on Saturday. It was the first time I had gotten to do this...and it was a BLAST! We made cards and gift tags. By the end of the day we had made 47 cards and 49 tags!

Not me....my sister -- who happens to be five years younger than me....so thanks for thinking I was that young! As a big sister, I am accustomed to doing most thing BEFORE my sister...and turning 40 is just another one of those things. Also as a big sister, it has always been my job to pass on pearls of wisdom to make her life easier...you know -- stuff like how to not get caught if you participate in Senior "skip" day...the fact that despite what our mother says you should NOT let her perm your hair...and chocolate and ice cream truly is a cure for a broken heart. So...I took it as my sisterly duty to prepare her for turning 40. Here is what I said.... (for any of you that aren't turning 40...file this away...you can thank me later). 1. Age is just a number...sounds trite - but it is true. 2. Don't act older than you think you are...turning 40 is not an excuse to start wearing house coats and knee high stockings that show under said house coat. 3. This is a GREAT age...

matter....a lot! For instance....you add a "K" to flan (a great desert), and you have a piece of meat. A whole different course....definitely not to be served together. In the national weight table for women being an inch taller allows you to weigh 10-15 lbs more and they are alright with it. WOW do I want to be TALLER! However, it is other little things that matter the most in my life. My friend, Ann, said, "Hey have a good day...and ...I love you" as I walked out the door today. My heart was a little droopy -- and it picked right up. My friend, Tracey, saw me and her face lit up and she ran up to give me a hug....it made me feel like I was important in her life. My friend Dana, asked me to meet her this weekend...just to have some girl time. I often forget that by simply showing joy and love to people who matter to me I am doing a BIG thing. Lord, help me remember the lesson you showed me today. It is how You love me...in both little and big ways....teach me to lo...