My big girl is going to middle school!

After picking up our packet and filling out the redundant paper work I am feeling less apprehensive about middle school. I have to admit I am not sure who was more nervous at first. We got her schedule, bought locker shelves and decorated them with duct tape (pink and green) and then walked around the school following her schedule from room to room. It's not so bad. She has a great schedule and works her way from one end of the building to the other by the end of the day. I think this helped both she and I to feel better about things. It took Lexi a few tmies to get the hang of opening her locker and by the second day of registration (yes we did stop by a second day) Alexis was a pro! We had to stop back so she could decoreate her locker with pictures of some of her favorite country music singers and of course lets not leave out all the of the many Twilight actors! I know Alexis is a good kid and she will do well in middle school!

Why isn't there more time in the day.

Today is going to be hectic! We have Tae Kwon Do until 11:40 a birthday party at noon, a hair cut that isn't going to happen, mom's yard work, and a trip to the heights to bring some more of my items I sell down to the shop. Lately we seem to have very full days and so little time. Yesterday Alexis mowed our yard and then our neighbor Tom's. Then She stayed home and took care of the baby while I headed to the cancer center with my mom and Antoine headed to his dad's to do his yard work. Did we bite off more then we can chew? Isn't service a good thing.



I thought having Alexis take on mowing my father in laws yard it was a good thing to do, a way in which she could give back. It ends up being a family affair and Antoine and Alexis head over there to mow edge and blow. We have already been doing my neighbors yard as his wife is in a nursing /rehab facility after coming down with H1N1 in Jan. Since we were doing for everyone else it only seemed right that now that mom is sick we would do her yard too. I know it's a good thing but I just wish we had some more time!

Today was a very hard day.

This blog was supposed to be about mothering and maybe in some ways this post is. Today I went with my mom to her first Chemo treatment. I didn't want to be there, in fact I dilly dallied around until I was 20 minutes late give or take a few. When I got there I had a bit of an attitude and wanted to know where the privacy curtains were. I "didn't want to sit there and look at sick people". Afterall my mom was not one of them. As I sat there the reality of why I was there began to sink in. My mom is one of these sick people. She has Cancer, though they say it's a good kind.

Ahh if I hear "it's a good kind" one more time I think I will scream! If it's so good would you like to have some! Cancer sucks and though the prognosis for stage 3 Hodgkins Lymphoma is better then some it is still cancer and mom still has to go through chemotherapy and all of the side effects that come with it.

Mom said we would only be at the cancer center for 2 hours but to our supprise one medication takes two hours but there were at least 6 she had to get so we were there for 5 1/2 hours today. As time passed slowly, I eased up and at one point mom asked me to go over to the cabinet and look at some hats and caps they had there. I did and I came back with some winners! I figured if we were there we might as well laugh a little, isn't it good medicine? I found the most hideous hats I could and retuned with one crocheted with some shaggy yarn, half of it bright yellow on top and the bottom black. I showed it to her and couldn't keep a straight face. I told her the kids would love it and each time I saw her I would have to "buzz". Next I found a furry Russian looking hat! It was hysterical. I told her I could put some cheetah gerber daisy flower clips on it and she would be "in". I laughed so hard. Lastly I found a rainbow print cap and though she though it was comfortable she didn't want to look like rainbow bright. She decided to get up and go look for her own hats. I think that broke the tension for me and we all got a good laugh and some of the others did too.

It is sinking in finally and the reality of the next 6 months or so is that it won't be fun seeing my mom suffer through this, but it could be worse. I just really didn't want to go here with my mom. Cancer didn't run in our family what the hell happened! I dread the cancer center because it puts me in a situation where I have to look at sickness in the face and it's just way to close to home for me. It was hard enough when my brother in law, and then my mother in law got terminal cancer. It has definitely brought back some raw emotion for me. I didn't want anyone to shave their heads because I didn't want my mom to look out and see sickness. I want her to look at us and see health and know that she too will soon be there with us. I can't wait for her to be better and I continue to pray to the Lord for healing as only he can restore her to health. I know these treatments are necessary and I pray that mom, my sister Kathie, and I all have courage and strength to get through this together.

Summer Fun

This summer started off great and I cannot believe it is almost gone. The girls and I started crafting and before we new it we had a little business. Bella Designs was born from a rediscoved passion for creating things. I never thought I was very creative but one day at work a customer called wondering when her order would be in and it had been nearly a month since she ordered her item. I went home that night thinking I could make the bow holder she ordered and get her her item the next day since she had waited so long for it. My supervisor ended up filling her order with another bow holder from a different vendor but that evening I realized how much I enjoyed creating and crafting and I now had a bow holder I had to sell!

The girls and I had already stated working on making bows and hair clippies so we added bow holders to our list of things to make and sell and off were went. I opened an etsy store just to get some things out there and then brought some of our Bow holders to a local consignment shop to sell there! We have gotten off to a great start and are looking forward to our craft shows this fall.

We needed a name and I couldn't think of anything. We thought of Baby J designs, and some other names but Bella is somthing my husband calls all of us girls since he speaks Italian. Bella has been a bit overused but since it was a loving and affectionate term he called us all we went with it! Bella Designs it was!