There's every day blessings and nothing that a cookie can't fix!!!

And I have a Mother in Law who Makes the Best Cookies

Well it's been a busy few weeks since I wrote my last blog. I've had my first treatment an will have the second one tomorrow morning. I had a few minor bumps along the way but nothing that I couldn't handle along the way with the help of family & friends ....and a cookie!!!

I don't want to share the details of those bumps since the purpose of this blog is not one of self pity but rather therapy to focus on the good things that dominate my life.

Three days post chemo we celebrated Mother's Day. In many ways, it was a difficult one for me as it was the first one without my darling mom. However, I felt her presence and know that she would want me to enjoy the day with Luke & Emily . I also got to spend time with Mrs. Welsh who is more than a mother in law to me. Glenn prepared turkey dinner and Rhonda came to visit. The kids gave me beautiful cards and a lovely mom ring and doted on me for the day. I spent most of the day having hot flashes and I guess this means now I'll be able to join in on the menopause conversation with my card club ladies!!

What a blessing on May 13 to celebrate Emily's prom. I'm sure most of you will agree, she was simply stunning ( but then again I am biased) ! She was smiling all day & was very happy to have so many people stop by to help her celebrate. I just couldn't resist posting all her pics on Facebook. We are truly blessed with family & friends who are always there for us in both good and bad times. I think she was a little overwhelmed by the kindness of those who stopped by with gifts and certainly appreciated the kind gestures of so many people. Special thanks to them all !!! Many of these people
(including members of my card club,  especially Helen who was her babysitter , Corinne and her Godparents Garfield and Chantal) have watched her grow up from a tiny baby to the beautiful young woman she is today and have helped develop into the mature, responsible and kind-hearted person she is today. She certainly had a full week of fun. Glenn joked that we would let her have what she wanted for prom since she says she's never getting married. It was so nice to watch her and her dad dancing at the prom.I felt so blessed to see this as it was a prayer answered from four years ago.


It was also great to see so many of my students and have pics taken with them. I was especially moved by a conversation with one graduate. I had taught in him level 1 &2 but not this year. As soon as he saw me he sang out and asked if he could have a picture with me. Afterwards he said " Miss how are you doing"? I told him I was doing good. He very genuinely said "Miss are you going to be ok this time"? I assured him I would be and then he said something that totally blew me away. He said " you know what Miss, I pray for your good health every night. I really miss having you as my teacher this year and you'll always be my favorite". Well let me tell you I had to fight to hold back tears, To be blessed with such caring students certainly makes this whole journey a little easier.   I got to see a lot of them and it was really hard to follow doctor's advice and "not go hugging and kissing students" They truly are a great group and I miss them terribly.

Another blessing I received this week was the chance to celebrate Myra's birthday. What a great time we had. Luke and our cousin, Gerry,  kept the guests entertained and by the time 2 a.m rolled around I was happy to hit the sack.  It was so good to spend time with my sisters Nellie & Myra and my brother Ed. We did lots of singing, dancing & laughing. As usual there was a lot of good food and Myra & I joked about Mom always wanting to take pictures of everything at parties, even the table with the buffet of food laid out





I am blessed indeed with such caring sisters who check on me and cheer me up on bad days.

On Sunday I had the privilege of spending part of the afternoon with my Great- Aunt Winnie to help her celebrate her 100th birthday!!  

I was able to contact my other great Aunt Rose who is 93 and lives in England via Face time. I have often heard the phrase if the old people could come back and see the technology we have today they'd be surprised ...well you should have seen these ladies' faces!!! They are sisters in law and have not seen each other for years. They found it hard to fathom that they could see and talk to each other on a cellphone screen. It was moment I won't forget and I know it was a special gift to Aunt Winnie. She is also a breast cancer survivor. She was my Nan Simmons special friend as well as sister in law and let me tell you , they were ladies indeed. I don't ever remember seeing either one in slacks and they were always dressed like a stick of chewing gum as my mom would say.

She is a birthday Princess for sure

On Monday I got to meet my third cousin Colin who came to spend the night with me. He is Aunt Rose's grandson who has given me the gift of family history. He has traced the Simmons family roots back several generations. It was from him,  that I learned my great -grandmother had breast cancer. In his genealogy documents the following info is recorded : " Mary Simmons had breast cancer and with no modern medical facilities had her breasts removed with out anesthetic. She just had alcohol which she drank". I guess being a strong woman is in my genes! 

My Great Grandmother Mary Simmons

Me and Colin

Luke has been home this past week as he is working in the area. It sure has been nice to have him home. He has been a great help, especially when it comes to help alleviate the neuropathy in my feet, which is a side effect of the chemo. He was happy to help out last week as well at  a local fundraiser in Bay Roberts and has played for a couple of fundraisers (for Fort Macfire victims/ Red Cross ) that rasied over 60,000 in total. 

Finally I got a very special gift this week from my friend Diane. It was a wall hanging that had special meaning not only because of what I am going through, but also because it contains a quote that I used in the toast to the graduates at this year's prom. Diane truly knows how much I am missing my students but I know they are in good hands with her . I have it placed in my kitchen so I can see it every morning as I start my day , Friends are a blessing indeed!

Now that I am almost done I feel better already!  I had a bit of a rough day today due to some issues with my port, but tomorrow is a new day & I know that my prayers will be answered again when the nurses try to access it in the morning. So instead of thinking about the bad days,  this blog has allowed me to concentrate on all the good things that are happening in my life.  I am blessed ...........

and when things go wrong I can always have a cookie!

In closing here is your joke for the night.... I wonder if this wife was having a hot flash.... ( thanks to my nephew, Rick, for sharing this one with me!

A police officer jumps into his squad car and calls the station.

“I have an interesting case here,” he says. “A woman shot her husband for stepping on the floor she just mopped.”

“Have you arrested her?” asks the sergeant.

“No, not yet. The floor’s still wet.”

and here's one more for good measure....Menopause Jewelry

My husband, being unhappy with my mood swings, bought me a mood ring so he would be able to monitor my moods.

We've discovered that when I'm in a good mood, it turns green. When I'm in a bad mood, it leaves a big red mark on his forehead.

Maybe next time he'll buy me a diamond . . .

Good night folks!