Missing You Dear Friend

Tonight our family mourns the loss of our dear friend and
faithful companion, our dear dog Joxer.

These photos taken a little more than a month ago and the ones

below taken only a couple of weeks ago appear to show a healthy

happy dog.

Tony and I took Joxer to the Animal Emergency Clinic when

I came home and found him unable to stand and stumbling to

get around. He had been listless the day before but today he

was bad.

They immediately took him in to an exam room where he

was hooked up to an IV and some oxygen was given to him.

Blood tests and xrays showed cancer. His arthritis was also

very bad. The prognosis was not good. If we did surgery he

may not come out of it. If he did he was given 6 to 8 months

to live. With worsening arthritis.

Joxer has been a member of our family since his arrival when

my son Robbie brought him home. He begged me for one of

these pups his bosses boxer had. I gave in and instantly fell

in love with the little guy. He grew of course and weighed in

at a healthy 75 lbs. full grown.

Our decision was not an easy one. Be selfish think of the fact

that we love him so much we don't want to let him go. OR

release him from the pain and suffering he had been in for

probably some time. It is amazing how animals will not show

you many times they feel bad. As tears welled in our eyes we

knew it was him we had to think of. He had been to good a friend

to have him suffer. Stacy and I were there till he took his last breath.

He was given a shot to allow him to sleep then given another shot that

sent him into eternal sleep. He showed no signs of pain and was very

grateful. He didn't stir or flinch.

We will miss you dear friend. Big guy, Dude, I miss you, lovingly always,

Debra

Beutiful Message

Gold Wrapping Paper
I received this from a friend who had a choice to make.
It said that I had a choice to make too.
I've chosen. Now it's your turn to choose.
The story goes that some time ago a mother punished her five year old daughter for wasting a roll of expensive gold wrapping paper.
Money was tight and she became even more upset when the child used the gold paper to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.
Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift box to her mother the next morning and then said, 'This is for you, Mummy.'
The mother was embarrassed by her earlier over reaction, but her anger flared again when she opened the box and found it was empty. She spoke to her daughter in a harsh manner
'Don't you know, young lady, when you give someone a present there's supposed to be something inside the package?'
She had tears in her eyes and said, 'Oh, Mummy, it's not empty! I blew kisses into it until it was full.'
The mother was crushed. She fell on her knees and put her arms around her little girl, and she begged her forgiveness for her thoughtless anger.
An accident took the life of the child only a short time later, and it is told that the mother kept that gold box by her bed for all the years of her life.
Whenever she was discouraged or faced difficult problems she would open the box and take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.
In a very real sense, each of us, as human beings, have been given a Golden box filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family, friends and GOD. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.
You now have two choices: 1. Pass this on to your friends, or 2. Delete it and act like it didn't touch your heart.
As you can see, I took choice No.1. Friends are like angels who lift us to our feet, when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.
If you receive this more than once in return just know that your friends have also thought of you.
My friend emailed this to me and the message was so endearing I wanted to share it. Love to all
Debra

Out of hospital

Thank you to everyone for the prayers for my daughter. Stacy is out of the hospital and is following the doctors instructions on her insulin dosages and daily medical routine.
She stayed a day and a half in the ICU at Washington Regional Medical Center here in Fayetteville. She had a wonderful team of doctors and nurses who layed down the law to her about the neccessity of taking her insulin. She went through several IV's of sodium chloride and a potassium drip and an insulin drip line was also feeding her much needed body supplements.
Thank God her body responded quickly to the insulin being given her and within hours her sugar levels started coming down to a tolerable level and continued until late in the night on Tuesday it reached 199. Still high but much lower than the nearly 400 she had been running for probably a long time.
It is unacceptable that my daughter let a life threatning disease go untreated for so long. She had been all topsy turfy all summer mood swings, tired, anxious. All signs of the disease and all because she did not go to a doctor or the hospital and ask if there was a facility that could help her get the medicine she needed to keep her alive. Tony and I had bought her insulin several times, but it is very expensive if not covered by insurance and Stacy is 21 and not on our insurance coverage. She had insurance until she lost her job. She did not sign up for insurance at her new job when she became eligible, and so had been doing without any insulin.
So on Wednesday they continued the IV's and her sugar levels were now in the 150 level, great! They stopped the insulin drip and were working on how much injected insulin she would now need to take on a daily basis. She would now go to the Health Clinic for free or reduced cost insulin medication, for as long as she qualifies, basically if she gets a job with insurance that will cover these medications or she earns to much income for this care. Also the hospital has a charity fund for folks in Stacy's position that paid her hospital bill. She spent Thursday in ICU under the watchful eyes of the nurses and doctors there. Then moved late Thursday to a regular patient care room. Finally on Friday they felt confident she was stable enough to be released and sent home. After hours of paperwork she left the hospital Friday afternoon. Thank God for miracles!
Thank you all, for your blessed prayers. I know God heard them and I know they are the reason for Stacy making it through this. It's still a serious condition for her. She has to monitor her blood sugar very closely to maintain it's stability. But unless she wants to end up back in the hospital or worse, I think she knows to take care of herself.
Again thank you for your thoughts and prayers. It is a comfort to know so many who love and trust in God and his words. Everything I have is the lords I am just a caretaker of it on this earth. He gave me 3 beautiful children and he has been so gracious as to allow us to have Stacy here a little longer. We are so grateful.
God bless each and every one of you this merriest of holiday seasons. Take your loved ones by the hand, hug them and tell them how much you love them. Time passes oh to quickly and in a moment they can be gone. We cherish the time at Christmas when we can be with those we love, and share good times together. Make this one of the best ever Christmas'. Take time to remember the reason for the holiday, the birth of our lord and savior Jesus. Merry Christmas everyone! Debra

Update

Stacy has DKA diabetic ketone acidosis. Sound like a Mary Poppins song. However this is not a happy tune. What has happened is Stacy has not been taking her insulin for her diabetes. Due to this her bodies sugar levels have been elevated to over 300. After a period of time her body started eating away at her tissue to try to get the necessary insulin it needed to try to survive. Her white blood cell count is very high I failed to get the number from the nurse. Lets just say she had far to few red blood cells to fight back what was going on in her body.
The longer Stacy has gone without insulin the less ability to make decisions and know the right thing to do for herself. Including seeing a doctor and getting back on her insulin routine and good eating habits.
She is hooked up to an IV which is hydrating her body, she was very dehydrated from the nausea and vomiting of the night before. They are giving her insulin in a drip with the IV to get her sugar level down. I hope to have the number from her A1C test today to know where she stands. A number from 1 to 5 is great. Over that the number goes to 6 to 12. Stacy had been a 6 and 7 which was still good.
Stacy is 21 a young woman trying to find her place in this world and lifes ups and downs the last few years after high school are taking a toll. She wants everything, love, kids, job, home, and adventure. She just tries to have it all at once instead of pacing herself. I'm afraid she let it get the most of her.
Tony my husband, Stacy's dad, wants her to move back home where we can keep an eye on her and make sure she takes her meds. I'm inclined to agree. But how do you keep an enthusiastic 21 year old down. We are asking Gods help in all things, prayer is a great comfort. God is always present in our lives and I thank him for every day on this earth. He is the only one who can truly know the outcome of Stacy's life. It has made me take another look at what is important in my life. Love to all of you for your thoughts and prayers for Stacy. May God be with the doctors and nurses at the hospitals today treating all who are in need. God love you and bless you all
Debra

Prayers for Stacy

This is my daughter Stacy. She is 21 years old and has
diabetes.

Last night Stacy called me sick. Vomiting and fever.

Flu is going around so thought she had caught the flu. Since

she is diabetic I worried about dehydration. Told her to

drink small amounts of clear fluids and maybe some soda

crackers to soothe her stomach and keep her hydrated.

Her vomiting continued on into the morning and her boyfriend

took her to the hospital where they told her she had an acid

something ( she couldn't remember the name of it) and if she

had waited another day or two she would be dead. Straight

talk, serious words to hear from a doctor. She will be in the

hospital overnight, and they will tell her if it is going to be

longer. She has an IV hooked up to her and some other meds.

They are still doing tests to check her out.

Please pray for my daughter, that she will get through this and

have that big happy smile on her face. This child gives so much

joy to all who know her. She loves everyone. Thank you all

Debra

Christmas Creativity

I hate bifocals and cameras, out of focus

My photo is sideways. Reindeer Randi is standing at my front

door ready for more Christmas cards from you!

These are my wreaths I made to place on both sides of my

mailbox. Got the wreaths and the fixings at the Dollar Tree

came out cute huh?

Close up of one of my two wreaths. I love it.

Snowflakes also from Dollar General. They will go on the

front of our house.

Fun fun fun, that's this Christmas. I just keep wanting to decorate. Play with ribbon and wreaths, snowmen, and presents. I love to do this stuff. especially after a long

day at work, its very relaxing. So is blogging. Merry Christmas! God bless you today and forever...Debra

The Tree! The Tree!

Christmas cards have started to arrive. I only wish mine were
ready to go, oh well tomorrow I quess.

This cute sled was my mother-in-law Connie Byrd's she
passed away several years ago of cancer. It reminds me
of good times we had every time I see it.

Our mantle is full of candles this year I just love them.

Oops how did this get in here again. Oh well, notice the

little Santa chime hanging to the left. It was a gift several

years ago, I think it's adorable.

Well here's our tree. The picture doesn't capture the true

beauty of this tree. It was fun to create and I may still add

a few more details to it. Soon the presents will arrive. Only

17 more days till Christmas. Hey that reminds me I need

to get one of those countdown things to put on my blog.

So that's it I have a few more photos that I'll put together with some other stuff but that's it

really. Had fun, looks great, now to get those Christmas cards done. Hmmm and maybe I'll

go to Noel and have them posted there. Makes a neat little extra on the envelope when

friends recieve there card. Lots to do! Love to all--God Bless

Time of Loss

This post is for Sam.

We have all had loss in our lives. I know this time is a hard time for you. You have been going through such conflict with many decisions about your life to make.

Know this Sam, you are a good man, with God in your heart. You love your family and you have found new love in your life. God wants you to have this love. Feel comfort in the knowledge that your grandmother knew this new love would carry you through the days of your life. That she felt assured you would be cared for by this new love. So with that she was able to go to our father in heaven. To her home with our Lord and saviour. We love you Sam and if we can do anything to help you through this time of loss let us know.

Rejoice for she walks with our Father today and forever.

Love and blessings to you, Debra

Oh Christmas!

I had to work on Black Friday. But was able to take my
break before the 11:00 cut off for early shoppers. Needless
to say Tony and I are the proud owners of a 42 inch Poloroid
LCD TV. Wal-Mart $598. It's our only Christmas present.

What you see here are my beginnings of Christmas decorating. We brought everything down

from the attic to start decorating. I'm already overwhelmed!

The two angels at the bottom of the photos. Were a great deal at a little shop on highway 71 north near Lowell, AR. A warehouse sales store where everything is in boxes and just a few

things out to display. These were just $2.50 each and there were four in the set. So cute!

First Snow!

Last week it snowed! I went to let Joxer outside and it was snowing.
It was so exciting to see the snow, it put me in the mood for Christmas!

Just wante to share a bit of white fluffy sunshine with you. It continued to snow all day, but was

to warm to stick and accumulate to any degree. The roads did get icy that night though. Hope no one was injured slipping on the ice. Love to all, Debra

Thanksgiving Massacre

Me! Don't Ask.

Curtis and Peyton and the never ending game of Tic Tac Toe

Tony and Joxer just chillin after their big meal.

Robbie giving Joxer some love!!! Joxer's such a ham...

These two. What do you say? Cheesy.....love you both!

A few of the desserts! Yummy Denise's pumpkin cheesecake

it's the best. Bring on the whip cream!

Oops, out of sequence this was the devastation after.

Did it again a little after shot. The MASSACRE that was

Thanksgiving.

I can't find my before shots so I quess you can tell how it

went at my house. Bellies were full, naps were taken, ball

games came on. I am truly blessed! Thank you Jesus!

May God bless each and every one of your lives and loved

ones also.
Hope everyones Thanksgiving was a good one. My husband Tony and I got up early to start the Turkey baking. Tony turned on the TV to the Macy's parade ( of which I could not see from my kitchen), I listened as he watched, peeking around once in a while to see certain floats or balloons. Loved the Rick Ashley on one float, my husband Tony loves him. He got to see him in concert in Omaha when he was there on business one time. Also our high school marching band, the Fayetteville High School Marching Bulldogs Band played in the parade this year. We turned up the volume and got a little excited to see the local kids having a once in a lifetime experience.

Dinner was done about noon and everyone started to come. I was still in my sweatshirt and jeans when family started showing up. I quickly changed and everyone had already started in on the food

We had a great day, my three children and their friends and loved ones came over to eat or visit. I sent home lots of leftovers with them.

Joxer our boxer had a great day , loved seeing everyone and enjoyed every morsal we gave him of our leftovers. Thanksgiving is truly Joxers day. Love to all I know this is late. God Bless each and every one of you. Love Debra

Fajita Sunday

Today while talking to my daughter Denise I mentioned making fajitas later in the afternoon. As the day went on I decided yes that sounded really good. I took some country beef ribs I had in the fridge. Trimmed them to quarter inch thick strips. Seasoned them with fajita seasoning and placed the strips in the fridge for a couple of hours to set the seasoning.

After 2 hours I took the meat from the fridge and got a nice large skillet. Placing a light coat of olive oil in the pan and heating it to a hot sizzling temperature. Placing the meat in the pan and cooking it through.

Meanwhile chopping lettuce and tomato's, grated cheese and sour cream for garnish. We had no pinto beans or refried beans so we had to do without.

The bad thing about making something so good is its hard to stop eating. Needless to say there's not a single bite left. That's right Tony and I finished every bite. We were pigs! Hope you made something wonderful for your family today. Have a special day. Love and blessings, Debra

Lights of the Ozarks again

After the reception of Brian and Amber we went back to Fayetteville's town square

for the 2008 Lights of the Ozarks. Fayetteville's yearly Christmas event. The trees lamp posts and ground are all covered in lights of every color. The Cinderella coaches pulled by horses with their Christmas dressing are a beautiful site. Visitors

to the square can ride the coaches for a fee. For the kids there are the party time ponies dressed up with holiday blankets and ribbons in mane and tail. Hot chocolate, and cider, cotton candy, kettle corn, and many other treats are available to warm and comfort those who come to visit. We walked around the square first around the inside sidewalks and then the outside so we could see the lights from the different angles. There is a small waterfall that runs down at one corner of the square. This is a favorite spot for the kids. They all seem to like the water. Each year the Razorback is placed right atop the waterfall drawing even more attention to it due to this being a college town and the Razorback the mascot of our team. Last year we had camel rides and may again this year. Due to Thanksgiving being later this year the city still decided to start the lights this last Saturday so folks still had lots of time to make it here and see the display.

We had a special day Saturday with all that we did and we hope all of you had special things happen to you to this weekend. Love to all and blessings, Debra