Catholics
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Sorry Ladies,
I just got back in the house...
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Hi Traci - I'm catching up and still on West Coast time. How is your pooch?
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Theresa (and All)
Welcome back, you were missed! Indeed the gross commercialization of Jesus' birthday is nothing for us to be proud of, is it?
I remember as a child, I would ask for one little gift only when my parents would ask me what I wanted. There used to be so much arguing and discord when the whole family got together, that I started handing out gifts one by one, and made everyone pay attention so that each gift was recognized by all and gratitude expressed. No more ripping through things, people talking/yelling over one another, and then having it be over. I try to keep the spirit of XMas intact, as I am the only daughter that truly enjoys the season, being with my Dad for hours on end, and just...being. I'm glad I got to this place, as it was not my "training"
the simpler the better, so we can be present for the true meaning of Christmas. There is a lot of joy to be had, and a time to take our time to see each other, and enjoy another's company. Now Christmas is one of my favorite holidays...even if only my Dad and I get a kick out of it. and probably the dogs....So I am hoping we can start to share our stories of Christmas, sermons from Church, and share the joy of being here together, Sisters and Survivors.
Have a Blessed Night Dear Friends.
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oh Theresa,
Thanks for asking! She is back on antibiotics, after a little trip to the Vets yesterday. Already much better, and I got a lot of comfort when the Vet said her dose of antibiotics could be maintained indefinitely. I don't anticipate that, but I was so worried about traveling for XMas, and having her get ill in a city without a vet that knows her. The vet said some dogs are on Flagyl forever due to intestinal problems, so I have a way to get us through till January if need be. I am still working on getting her completely over to the salmon/herring, but just pleased as punch to have a way to keep her feeling better. She had lost 4 pounds, and while she did have some to lose, this is telling of the last month.
so thanks for asking about my kiddo!!
and again, you were missed, and glad to see you back. I have MANY QUESTIONS (lol)
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Hi LadiesI was out shopping all day and then trying to get our house in order after moving a week ago.I hope you all had a Blessed Thanksgiving! Janet Thanks so much for your prayers re; keeping us free of bc. I have quit thinking about that over the last month and it has been a welcome break after 2 1/2 years of obsessing over it. I really appreciate your prayers to keep it away, I never want to deal with that nightmare again.Theresa I hope you enjoyed Washington, I grew up in Oregon and there is not prettier place than the NW.Good night ladies and MAY our Blessed Mother Mary watch over you this Holiday Season, keep you safe, warm, peaceful and full of God's Light and LOVE.M-0
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Hi ladies,
I was out with family and got home a while ago. Today is my late father's 19th anniversary, a mass was said for him and my kids and I also said some prayers for him at home here.
Thanks for thinking about Aspasia, she's free from pain and suffering now and I pray that she will find eternal peace and happiness.
Theresa ~ welcome back, do tell us about your trip to Washington
Sheila ~ How are you doing?
Traci ~ glad to know that Delilah is doing better, whew!
Michelle ~ take it easy on your unpacking
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HI All,
I hope your holiday was a wonderful one. I cooked and had 2 of my sons plus one son's spouse, my step-daughter and husband, 2 friends and my mother-in-law over (11 total including my husband, grandson and me). I did find a 16 lb organic turkey (at $1.99 per pound) and bought a non-organic spiral cut ham. Tried to keep the accompanying food organic, healthy and less calories, people also brought stuff and we had a wonderful meal! I appreciated the company and the laughter and the complements on the meal!
)I have a ritual of Black Friday shopping for more than a decade, so even though I was dog tired I went through the paper after everyone left and picked my stores and target gifts. I got up at 3:15 am wide awake, got to J.C. Pennys before the doors open and got one of the only 2 diamond bracelets (2 carats total) at $99 ( pricetage says $679 ) for my daughter in law and then got to Boscovs after the 4 AM opening and they had an envelop with surprises (like $10 gift certs) in it for the first 500 people to come through the door. I was #449, and ....dah ta da dah! I got the top prize - $799 coupon toward a mattress set. So my husband and I wet back Fri afternoon and picked a "Natures Rest" all latex super plush queen bed that was 20% off and left us with a puny $450 to pay toward this $1,500+ set. Our current bed is about 15 years old and even though I bought one of those NASA-foam pads, with the Femara my joints are killing me every morning and I often wake up hurting in the middle of the night from laying on my side (shoulder pain and knee pain). It'll be delivered next Saturday and I'm sooooo looking forward to plush, comfy sleep. What a fabulous blessing! The rest of the day was great - got all my target gifts at great bargains and got a 2 hour nap to rest up for dinner...which, of course, was leftovers.
I'm a happy, happy camper today! My shopping is pretty much done and I had the energy and endurance to get two hectic days accomplished without crashing out. And, by the way, my husband now says he'll never make fun of my crazy Black Fridays again.
I hope you all had your own great stories from the holiday - I'm praying for each and every one of us every night!
Ciao,
Pat
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WOW Pat - you cleaned up!!!
:) Wish I lived closer to go shopping w/YOU! I've gone organic too in terms of food and tried a few new recipes this year. No more mashed potatoes or sweet potato casseroles - roasted a combination of veggies just with some olive oil and nobody missed the higher-fat/calorie dishes. The only thing that turned out TERRIBLE was the low-fat pumpkin pie - I have to work on that one. It didn't help that I forgot one ingredient! Fortunately we had several different pies (none with traditional crust) that did turn out fine. Still eating turkey leftovers
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God bless all my bc sisters today and always! Today is my 57th birthday, two years out from the beast and praying praying praying that it never returns. Wonderful family times and blessings, I am so grateful to God! Amen
PS--date with new man on Sunday--keep your fingers crossed--this one has potential! xo
Ellie
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wow pagowens - you dun good
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Happy, happy birthday to you LMFSM!
Hope you are abundantly blessed with love, happiness, and surprises beyond your imagination today!
Cheers!
Tori
DE COLORES!
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So much good news! I am delighted to hear all of the wonderful gifts that came your way Pat. What a blessing for your joint pain...will you let us know after you have had your new mattress for a few days? I am so thrilled for you, and your husband too. The bracelets sound gorgeous! Isn't it fabulous to regain energy? Your dinner sounded wonderful, and your grandson is adding some wonderful memories to have for a lifetime.
Ellie,
Happy Birthday to you! and a new gentleman to boot? I'm smiling, because it shows you are really releasing the past and moving forwards, just like Michelle was talking about. Betty has her 3 year anniversary on Monday I believe. I am just past one year, and look forwards to one year post chemo in March. It takes awhile to regain your strength, and I am making some strides too.
Tori,
I see you posting there
How are you doing? We are thinking about you...and you are getting through it. May God show you a sign of his presence and love for you today. Bless you.And Paula is in the last stretch of rads, which is such a blessing. When is your last day Paula?
Laura and Sheila, I know you are a little farther away from the boards right now, but not in our hearts. Sheila, I really hope you are doing alright.
Janet, I'm so glad you had such a nice dinner, and Pumpkin pie can be so temperamental
Theresa, looking forwards to be hearing more about your trip.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLIE !!!!
And a new romantic interest !!??? Doesn't get any better than that! I hope you have a fantastic date!!
God is lookin out for us, ladies
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Happy Birthday Ellie!! :-) And good luck with the new man tomorrow.
Yes, Janet, God is looking out for us. :-)
We had good flights out to Seattle and back. I do this airline reservation trick and sometimes it works... when the seats are 3 seats across, I reserve the aisle and the window seats for Skip and me, leaving the middle seat for someone else. Many times, no one wants the middle seat, so we end up with all 3 seats to ourselves. If someone comes along and does sit in the middle, we offer them their choice of window or aisle, if they prefer (and I end up in the middle). We lucked out and had 3 seats to ourselves both ways!
The weather was lousy. We arrived Saturday night and it started snowing Sunday and Monday, then Tuesday was cold with a little sun, then Wednesday and Thursday it rained, and we came home Friday in the rain. It's like a food fest whenever we go b/c not only does family have a lot of food, but we hit the restaurants we like also. There's a little airport in Bremerton with a diner and they make the BEST fish and chips ever!! So we braved a snowstorm to have our fish and chips. It was worth it. On our way up there, we saw multiple accidents and cars off the road. We passed one accident and about a half mile from it (I wish I had my camera on) we saw an 800 pound pink pig running down the side of the road, ears flapping, with a determined look on her face!! We both just started cracking up! How many people get to see a pig running home in a snowstorm on the side of a busy road? She didn't look distressed... she kind of looked like she either wanted to get the heck out of her own pen and had places to go and people to see, or she got out of her pen and realized it was dinner time and had to get home. :-)
So one of Skip's all time favorite fast food restaurants is Jack in the Box. We don't have them here, so when we go West, we have to stop... several times. Always after we get off the plane, then once or twice while in Shelton. Skip's Mom is, well, a Mom and is always eager to fix us something to eat. One morning, I had to go to the grocery store for something, I can't even remember, so I suggested we get a bite to eat while out and there are coffee huts everywhere, so I wanted one of those special coffees. Of course, we went to Jack in the Box, then to the coffee hut. "Are we taking the food back to your Mom's to eat or eating in the car on the side of the road?" I asked. "We're eating the food on the side of the road." Skip answered. "What, are you afraid your Mom's going to yell at you for eating out?" I teased. "Yes." He laughed. "I'm a 60 year old man who's afraid of his Mom yelling at him!" I said you know you're married a long time when you sneak out of your parent's house to get fast food instead of making whoopy! LOL So, we sat on the side of the road eating Jack in the Box and sipping espresso! I asked him how he was going to hide the evidence of the Jack bag and he said he already thought of it and planned to throw it out in her trash can before we went into the house!
It was happy times. Skip has a sister and brother in law in the same time -- remember Dann with bladder cancer? He looks great!! He delights in doing magic tricks or mind benders on us. Other than losing a few pounds, you wouldn't know he was a "cancer patient". At the end of December, he will be tested again to be sure the cancer is gone. Both Dann and Robin are school teachers and because of the snow, ended up having the whole week off. Robin made dinner for us Sunday evening ... it was the first time I was willing to try salmon, since she made it, and I really liked it. Dann made oysters in the half shell on the grill. I didn't care for those. Skip's brother is recently divorced and having a hard time with that. His wife never liked the family, so he was never "allowed" to attend family gatherings, and if he was, it was only for a quick visit. So, we were all happy to have the old Scott back, even though he's like Jim Carrey sometimes and you need to turn him off. :-)
Yes, Michelle, the Pacific NW is beautiful in its own way. I want to go in the summer, though, as I'm told it's really gorgeous then!
We had my family gathering today. Becky made most of the food and I helped some. :-) Family brought goodies as well, so I'm stuffed AGAIN. My DIL makes the best desserts. She and my son brought their puppy pug, Doodlebug. Doodle loves Lucy, our dog. Lucy is laid back and just an old person's dog. Doodle is young and jinglie and just wants to have fun. He used to be Lucy's ankle biter, but is over that. He likes to jump up and bite her whiskers. Lucy does her best to be a lady, but a few times she got her own puppy attitude going and played with him being careful to be gentle even though he went tumbling a few times. Anyway, we had a good time with the 3 generations together and I'm so happy to have a basement for the kids to romp and play!! :-) I think all the doggies and kiddies will sleep well tonight.
Pat! You're a Black Friday shopper?? God bless you! I miss Boscovs! I'd be interested to know about your mattress too.
Blessings to you all! I hear Becky cleaning up, so I better go and help.
Peace and all good.
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Theresa - sounds like you had a great time! There was a lot of TV coverage here about the snow out there! I love salmon, but I'm with you on oysters - you either love them or hate them. I can't imagine eating them raw - gag!! How did you do on the plane with your sleeve? Do you think it helped?
I can't believe tomorrow is first Sunday in Advent already! I need to go find my wreath/candles!
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY WEEKEND LADIES !!!! OH HOW I LOVE this time of year.... so much family...
ELLIE.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SQUIDWARD...... I am here.... always reading and praying. Even right now...... I have three men ( hubby and sons) down by our bonfire....... grankids sharing the stories of Santa....
... and I snuck off to post to all my BCO sisters.... and pray with some.... and for all.I am so glad you are all finding our thread here...... St. Peregrine prayed so hard for me, I have a lifetime devotion to sharing him with everyone.....
Love you !!!!!
Sheila...... I am thinking about you in the holiday season. I pray for your heart!
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Janet - the sleeve worked great. It was a long flight, so I was more than ready to take it off. I went into the ladie's room an hour before the flight to put it on, then an hour after we landed, I took it off. Sleeve and gauntlet.
Laura! Yes, such a wonderful time of year. Lots of fun. I am going to try to get my shopping done early, so I can partake of some real advent meditations.
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Theresa,
I really enjoy reading about your trip and family antics, dogs included. Please everyone, keep them coming. I love to hear about Christmas traditions, and all things holiday. I'll start
Food: We would have lamb, oven brown potatoes, gravy, green beans, squash, fruit salad with this wonderful whipped creme sauce all over it, and Grandma's special cake with raisin filling drizzled with dark chocolate on top. If we had a pie, and we always did, we would have apple pie, with a slice of cheddar cheese on the side. The home made rolls would turn into a breakfast treat when she would drizzle a white icing on top of them. She would always forget her mint jelly until the very end of the meal, then she would jump up, yelling, The Mint Jelly!!!!!!
The next night would be a wonderful oyster casserole (sorry Theresa and Janet if this is not a tasty thought.) We would put layers of saltines, then oysters and juice, then butter and repeat, cooked to perfection.
and somewhere in there, a Turkey would appear as well. Food coma ensued
I remember when we were little girls, my sister and I were so excited and could barely get to sleep in anticipation of Santa's arrival. We had set out the cookies for Santa, which were the exact same cookies as my Dad's favorite! Well, that night, my sister swore she heard the reindeer hooves on our roof, so we ran to the window, and lo and behold! a little red flashing light of Rudolph's nose could be seen in the night air, flying away from us.....for some reason, we didn't quite catch the writing on the back of the sleigh, but I believe it was U.S. Airways...
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Hi Laura!
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLIE, good luck with new beau !!! (My 4th sister turned 57 on Nov 25th)
Pat ~ you did great! Tell us about your new mattress later
I also wished that I live close to you and shop with you. I seriously need a shopping buddy!Janet ~ do share your new casserole recipes, I don't bake much but I have started. I did my first pot roast and it turned out great
Had pumkin cake (store bought, hehe) and ice cream.Theresa ~ Jack in the Box, our fav. Think about the spring rolls with ranch dressing, it makes my mouth water. Too bad they don't sell in in 5s anymore, they are smart, they break it down to smaller portions, you either buy them in 3s or singles!
Traci ~ my last day of rads is Wed, Dec 1st. Amongst all the wonderful news, I must let you know what happened to my 2nd boost. The techs are doing their rotation holidays and I again met a different tech along with my favorite male tech. She was going to re-use the cloth sheet again and I immediately told her NO. Then she said that they always re-use the sheets and started to look at the cubby hole. She said I should have my own sheet and had her explain further. She said that the patients all have their own sheet and they re-use it. Well, I simply wouldn't have it and I demanded a NEW sheet. The male tech came in and shook his head and quickly grabbed me a new one. So there, it wasn't just that student tech, this facility is definitely doing all the short cuts and endangering patients. Sad but true.
"Whew" I thought I lost my post because I didn't click submit and was watching a movie and came back to realize that I didn't click the button. It wanted me to sign in again and when I did my post was gone, then I hit the back arrow and then clicked submit and luckily didn't lose it
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Paula - I didn't see spring rolls on the menu, but I didn't know to look for them either! :-) I'll have to remember that next time we're out West. I bet you'll be glad when your radiation is over!!!
Traci - our family tradition has been to have a seafood dinner on Christmas Eve, usually shrimp and/or fish with coleslaw, mac and cheese ... nothing too elaborate or filling. Just enough to get you ready for Christmas Day. Then we had a turkey and ham dinner on Christmas Day... sometimes duck too. My grandmother was from the Old Country (Bohemia, in her case), so we would have their traditional foods and still do ... sauerkraut and dumplings, poppyseed bread drizzled with confectioners sugar icing, kolachies, bread dressing, gravy and rolls... then the leftovers the next day were even better sometimes! We made a couple of platters of dumplings today and only had one dumpling left! Another generation is coming up raised on traditional foods! Oh yes, and the cookies for Santa... but I seem to remember us having to leave Santa a beer instead of milk. :-) What fun, as a kid *and* as a parent!
I sent pictures back to my daughter via the phone of the snow to show the boys. The youngest thought we were in the North Pole and wanted us to build him a snowman. Well, as we were driving around the next day, we found a well-made snowman and took his picture (typical tourists!)... told him we just saw Santa at the North Pole so he better be good! :-)
Oh, look at the time!!! I'm still on West Coast time. Good night sisters.... have sugar plum dreams!
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Wow, you guys! The food descriptions are FABULOUS - making me hungry for Christmas!
My family is Italian, so we did the seven fishes stuff and my dad had an Italian restaurant in Philadlephia, so he brought home dinner most of the time. We always had a huge group of relatives for Christmas day. We'd get up early to do the presents....I was ALWAYS excited to see what Santa brought! Then, we'd get dressed in our new outfits and go to Church for mass - always a lovely experience in our beautiful church (the Italians love marble and gold with tons of flowers on Christmas). Then home to cooking, relatives, chaos and food, food, food. Makes me smile just thinking about it.
For my family, I still do the seven fishes....even though sometimes we count the anchovy in the salad as one (LOL). And, this year I'm going to take a cooking class on seven fishes at my college's culinary school to figure out some variation on the menu and improve the offerings.
Yesterday I brought my grandson to JC Penney for photos - what chaos! I guess times have changed....whole families get portraits now! From grandma down to babies. I was astonished by the whole production - matching outfits, etc. It was just me and Will....and of course the only one in the pictures was Will. Then, they try to sell you all kinds of stuff with the pics on them afterwards - mugs, totes, collages, etc. Jeez Luoise - commercialism has ruined getting holiday pics done! But his photos did turn out really cute, so it was worth the craziness.
Got to get to mass and then decorating for Christmas today! Ho Ho Ho
Pat
PS I'm usually a terrible shopper...but the Black Friday thing is like a treasure hunt! I enjoy the "game" as much as the bargains.
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theresap60 - so funny to read about you sneaking out of the house
Happy birthday Ellie
I had about 25 people over... mostly family. I cooked 2 turkeys and was looking forward to have a white bread, white turkey and mayo sandwich. My family members took ALL the turkey home. Lots of fun tho.
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Apple - 25 people!!! That's a great photo - hope you got lots of help in the kitchen! I'm always sending leftovers home with people too. Now I roast a turkey and an extra turkey breast just so WE have something leftover.
Pat - I've heard of the seven fishes tradition, but what is the meaning behind it? It must be nice to have such large families - and especially an Italian one
!Traci - can't think of much out of the ordinary in our family Christmas traditions. I'm mostly Irish & English but we have sauerkraut too (comes from the German heritage). I'm getting brain lock on the name of the English pudding - plum pudding? (I don't think that's right). My grandmother used to make it. Always let the kids (even today) open one present on Christmas eve when we get home from Mass. And we still read Twas the Night Before Christmas. I remember a couple of years, they had heard from little friends that the "Christmas squirrel" came with Santa and left children nuts in their shoes. They wanted to know why the Christmas squirrel didn't come to our house. Well - that year the Christmas squirrel did come. I have no idea where that tradition came from.
One of my favorite Christmas memories was my daughter. She came home from Sunday school all excited and said she was going to be the star in the live nativity that year. I said - oh you get to be Mary?? And she said no, mom -- the STAR!!! She was a beautiful star - dressed as an angel holding the star above the manger!!!
:)Peace of the season to all...
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Whoops - Paula, forgot to answer your question. I actually swapped the casseroles I used to make for roasted vegetables - cut up sweet potatoes, butternut squash, beets, halved brussel sprouts, red onion slices, and baby spinach. Preheat to 400. Place veggies in shallow dish or cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and roast about 45 -50 minutes until tender/brown/crisped. Turn them once or twice while baking. I used Wegman's basting oil - which is just EVOO with herbs. Delish - and good for you
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Oh, it's back to work tomorrow after a week off! Booooo.
Janet - that casserole sounds really good! I like the "Christmas squirrel!" Someone had a great imagination.
That's a great picture Mary!! Looks so familiar. Great fun indeed!
I had a humbling thought when I realized we had the 3 generations together yesterday and it dawned on me that I am part of the oldest generation!!!!!! The grandparents! When did THAT happen? Life has a way of sneaking up on us.
I'd like to post Pope Benedicts Advent meditations to help me focus on what Advent really is and to pray the advent season with my sisters. They're short little meditations.
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November 28, 2010
First Sunday of Advent
Readings: Is 2:1-5; Rom 13:11-14; Mt 24:37-44"Come, let us climb the LORD's mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths." Is 2:3Advent, this powerful liturgical season that we are beginning,
invites us to pause in silence to understand a
presence. It is an invitation to understand that the individual
events of the day are hints that God is giving us signs of the
attention he has for each one of us. How often does God give
us a glimpse of his love!
Homily in Celebration of First Vespers of Advent
November 28, 2009--------------------
Pause in silence. It's difficult for me to hear God's quiet and gentle voice in the hubbub of the craziness of the holidays. Has anyone climbed a mountain? It's a quiet journey and hard work... but well worth the effort. And then when you reach the top... oh, the beauty before you!
Holy Spirit, teach me how to meditate on God's love in joyful silence.
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Dear all,
I know it is a bit late for thanksgiving but I wanted to let you know that I count this sisterhood as one of the many blessings I have had this year. Thank you very much for the prayers, the concerns, the advice, the kind thoughts... thank you for being there.
I also wanted to share a great news that we had right before thanksgiving: my husband got a job ! he has been almost two years unemployed and started being seriously depressed especially after my diagnosis. Now, he found a job, in a place he has always dreamed of. God is great ! And did I tell you that it happened right after the two of us finished doing the novenna to St Jude ?
I will publish in the Catholics prayers the Thanksgiving prayer to St Jude. We are so grateful. We did pray but I know you also prayed for us. You know this already but I like to say it over and over again: prayers are answered, praise the Lord ! thank you Jesus !
I had my chemo class on Wednesday and my first infusion will take place on Monday December 13. TAC x 6 every three weeks. I will have the surgery for the port this coming Friday.
Wish you all a good night and may God bless you
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Hello Ladies
I lost connections for awhile this afternoon, and so enjoyed everyone's posts and stories. Janet, I too do not know what the seven fishes entails. Love the Christmas squirrel's tradition, and the reading of the Night Before X Mas, sugar plum fairies and all. There is plum pudding, unless you had another type of pudding. Hasty pudding? I will noodle on it. How sweet, your daughter sounds like she was precious dressed as an Angel and holding the Star.
Apple,
Sounds like your Thanksgiving was just lovely, and I enjoyed your pic. The irony of no Turkey is a tribute to the cook!
Theresa,
Thank you for posting your Advent Meditations, keep em coming
What a blessing that you have such a legacy of family and the traditions that you pass down are so important.Prayers,
How lovely to hear from you, and yes, we have been blessed to find each other here. Life changing. I am so so happy for your husband, and that this job is exactly what he wanted. I'm pleased to hear that you are having a chemo class. I wish we had something similar. My port is coming out the second week of December, and it was a blessing. Please let us know how we can best support you during chemo.
love you all...
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PrayersAreAnswered ~ sooo happy for you both! Good luck with the port this Friday.
Theresa ~ thank you for the Advent post.
Apple ~ I enjoyed your picture too, are you in it? I'm now tempted to do a Xmas dinner at our home, not sure if my energy would allow it?
Traci ~ please check your PM
Still have to finish up with the Xmas decor, will post more later
Good night!
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