Tomorrow we are going to be visited by Hubby’s baby sister and her family.  And by baby sister I mean that Hubby was 24 years old when this half sister was born and if I’m not mistaken, she turns 30 this year, just a few months before his youngest daughter does.

I’m not really sure what to expect.  We haven’t been as close to this sister as we have been to the others.  Hubby’s only comment has been "what didn’t they all come to see me when I was well and could do stuff with them".  I guess though when you’re dying people tend to get a little remorseful and try and make up for lost time. 

To top it all off, after being in the 70′s Thursday and the 60′s today, we are forecasted to get 1"-2" of snow tomorrow.  Just lovely.  If y’all remember, last year the first week of March was when we had that 10" of snow while we were down in Russellville. 

And speaking of Russellville, Hubby is kind of sad that he won’t be getting to work down at the nuke plant this time.

We had a great weekend visit with Hubby’s mom, sister, brother-in-law and a couple that are friends of the family.  Hubby was feeling well enough that we even went out to eat as a group Saturday night.  It was a lot of fun. 

Both my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law pulled me to the side and let me know that it was okay if I needed to get out and away for a while when they come down.  It really touched my heart because I know that they are doing that for me so that I don’t suffer from caretakers burnout.  I thanked them both for their offer and would keep it in mind.  Right now I’m doing really well, but you never know what will happen further on down the road.

Sunday morning we decided to take pictures of "the chrome domes".  Ma had brought some suckers so that they could get the "Kojak" look going on.

It makes me sad to look at this picture and know that they are both afflicted with lung cancer.  Naturally they worry to death over how the other one is doing, but it does them both a lot of good to have these weekend visits. 

Tomorrow will be another day of family visiting.  Boy, we haven’t had so many visits from family the whole seven years we’ve lived here as we have had in the last month.  They’ll be here for the whole weekend.  I’m not complaining, I’m glad that Hubby’s family is visiting.  I just wish we had more room so that they could stay with us and not in a motel.  I think it’s just going to be a small group this time but then again you never know with that bunch.

At least this time I have had time to get the house straightened up.  Actually I keep the house pretty straightened up when I’m home just because it’s less work to go ahead and put something up than to just lay it down and deal with it later.  Plus with Hubby’s wheel chair I have to keep things picked up just so that he can get around through the house. 

Hubby’s sister that is coming wants to do something to get Hubby out of the house for a while if he’s up to it.  He’s starting to get cabin fever.  I remember how it was when I quit working seven years ago and was stuck at home all the time without a way to go anywhere.  I know were not stuck here but with Hubby in the shape he’s in, he feels like he’s stuck and can’t do anything.  He’s rested a lot more today so that maybe he feel up to doing something tomorrow.  We’ll see.

Anywho, that’s the scoop around here.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

We had a good visit with Hubby’s dad and step-mom.  It was nice just having a small amount of people instead of the large bunch that always shows up when it’s his mom’s side that come to visit.  My only complaint is I wish they would give Hubby a few days to recover before they visit instead of coming the day after he gets out of the hospital.  It wouldn’t be so bad if it was for just a few hours, but they spend all day Saturday and most of the day Sunday and by the time they leave he is just worn out. 

I know they are anxious to see how he is doing and seeing him with their own eyes, and I really do understand that.  I debate with myself on whether or not to say anything for fear that my intentions will be misunderstood.  When he went into the hospital this last time, I told his mother that there wasn’t any need for them to come down.  She ended up telling everyone that I didn’t want them here.  That is frustrating because that was not what I was trying to tell them.  He was in a lot of pain and all of them coming in mass was not going to be a fun visit for any of them. 

So, I keep debating.  I’ve just decided that it’s a no win situation.  Even Hubby would like to be able to tell them to wait but he doesn’t want to hurt any of their feelings.  For now we just grin and bear it.

We are being over run today by family.  At last count, there are 10 of them coming…YIKES.  Not sure yet where we’re going to put all of them, but I’m sure it will all work out.  Since I’ll be busy entertaining I’m going to give you this joke.   It cracks me up every time I read it.

A stranger was seated next to a little girl on the airplane when the stranger turned to her and said, "Let’s talk. I’ve heard that flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger."

The little girl, who had just opened her coloring book, closed it slowly and said to the stranger, "What would you like to talk about?"

"Oh, I don’t know," said the stranger. "Do you think that President Barak Obama is qualified for the job?" and he smiles.

"OK", she said. ‘That could be an interesting topic. But let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff – grass -. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps of dried grass. Why do you suppose that is?"

The stranger, visibly surprised by the little girl’s intelligence, thinks about it and says, "Hmmm, I have no idea."

The little girl replies , "Do you really feel qualified to discuss President Barak Obama , when you don’t even know sh!t?"

I’m feeling much better thank you.  It’s a good thing that I’m feeling better because we are going to be over run this weekend with Hubby’s family again.  This time there will be 10 of them coming.  This little house is going to be bursting at the seams.  It will be nice for them to see the improvement that Hubby has made since they were here.

I’ve been busting my butt today cleaning.  With all the hours I worked this summer, then heading to Russellville for Hubby’s work, then all the stuff that we did for Gordo after we got back from Russellville, then Hubby being in the hospital and then the Chemo three days last week, I just haven’t gotten my house cleaned back to the way I usually keep it.  I’ve got a lot done but I’ve got a lot more to do and I’ll have it all done before they get here, well all but the bedroom.  I’ve got to go through some stuff in there and weed through some boxes and decided what can stay and what has to go. 

That one year rule sure come in handy when I’m deciding what to keep and what has to go.

We’ve had a decent weekend.  Ma, his sister and her husband, his dad and step-mom all showed up yesterday afternoon.  They had a good visit and left out around noon.  They have a four hour drive ahead of them all and I was glad that they will make it home before dark.  They were discussing the best way to go home and I told them after nearly seven years of making the drive, the way that we had them come was not only the closest but the fastest so they all decided that they would return the way in which they had come.  My son Kendall and his girlfriend showed up yesterday afternoon but they went home last night.  Then my son Keith showed up this morning to take Blue Belle away.  His truck needs a new motor and we gave him the old Mercury to see if he could get it running and have it to drive.  It was the consensus of him, his boss and his boss’ cousin that all it needed was a timing chain.  I hope so, at least she’s now gone out of the yard and one less thing for me to deal with.  I’ll sure miss her though, she was good to us.

Hubby had a so-so day yesterday.  He was able to eat some watered down potato soup broth and an orange slice.  I really wish that he could handle drinking some Ensure but he tried that in the hospital and it made him hurt.  I may have to get some kind of protein powder to put in his liquids and pray that it doesn’t hurt him.  He tried some Cream of Wheat this morning and it made him hurt, so no more Cream of Wheat for him.  He did eat some fruit cocktail without any problem and he ate one powdered sugar donut and it didn’t make him hurt.  It’s just so bizarre what foods trigger an attach and what foods don’t.  I guess I shouldn’t feel so bad about not being able to figure it out if the doctors can’t figure it out.  I just feel so helpless when it happens and I know that just by the moaning and groaning and expressions on his face that it’s probably the worst pain that he’s ever felt.

Tomorrow I have to call and schedule his appointment for his Chemo and hopefully that will get started next week.  Then Tuesday he goes back to the doctor about his stomach and for the same doctor to take out the stitches where they put his iPort.  Somewhere in all of this going on I need to make a doctors appointment for my high blood pressure.  I’ve got a feeling that with all that is going on with Hubby right now is not a good time to be with out my blood pressure medicine.

One thing that happened this weekend that left me balling like a baby was when my friend Margaret (who also happens to be our landlord) called and told me that they don’t want another penny of rent from us.  Is that not the height of compassion?  It will be one less worry for me.