Hair and other fun things

First off Alyssa wanted me to ask my readers - which wig looks best on her. The purple highlighted pictured here (ignore the washed out look - she doesn't really look THAT white. Just the camara flash!)

Or the Walnut bobcut seen here? She thinks she knows which one she would rather wear but she wants my readers to give me their two cents.

Saturday my cousin's daughter and her mother in law came by with this LOVELY (I'm NOT coveting my daugter's quilt) lap quilt that she can take with her to the hospital during treatments etc. I know a lot of love went into this beautiful quilt!!!! On the back, they had family sign it with well wishes for Alyssa

Here she is reading one of them (I suspect trying not to cry!) What a beautiful, thoughtful, personal gift.

I again and WAAAAAAY behind on Thank you etc. To P&P Jones for the cupcakes and fun easter goodies for my kids - you made their day!!!! Oh, and before I forget again - if I have one of your pans, containers and you want it back - please let me know - I have a huge pileup of pans etc and need to get them back !!!! Along with Thankyou notes that I keep forgetting to get to folks.

I'm BAD.

Prayer Request - Today is my ultrasound on my thyroid and I'm a bit nervous please pray there is NO growth and we can wait a little longer. I really do not relish the thought of me doing surgery right now either!!!Also, Aaron and I are feeling like we are coming down with a cold!! we are taking Vit. C and other stuff but please pray we can hedge this off and the two younger kids and Alyssa do NOT get this!!!! NOT good timing!!!!!

Been Awhile.

I seem to be back to the catch up gang and that means other things suffer a bit. Including this blog. I just happen to have a moment while cooking dinner to update everyone. Last week was fairly uneventful except for Alyssa's side effects sending her up and down in the pain, headache, tiredness and lethargy departments. We were able to hedge the effects of the Vincristine on Friday with a prescription of Percocet (one is all it took and she only took Tylenol after that - she's like her mom - doesn't like the strong drugs and the wierd way they make you feel).
The friday appt wasn't as long as the last time and I feel like we are just getting the hang of it all.
To think - we figure things out and we are almost done and I hope I NEVER have to use my knowlege AGAIN!!!!! This week, despite dipping blood levels she seems to be on a much more even keel and we actually got quite a bit of homeschooling done (not everything but still!)
I got a phone call from a dear fiber buddy who has been praying for us since this all began and she said her 70 year old brother was diagnosed with the same thing - PLEASE pray for their family as well!!!!! I also need to catch up on some thank you's as well - To CH and family, SN and Family for the yummy meals you provided for us on Friday and Saturday - such a huge blessing to us to not have to worry about food for a few days! To DM and Family and SN and Family for the lovely flowers and gift card for Alyssa (PS - look at our website - link to right of this for cbfnigeriangoats and check out the upper right hand corner photo!!!!) To K,M and Family for the pizza night money!!!! Thank you so much!
WE are still on a high from the news that Aly is in remission - it is so nice to think everyday when giving shots, going thru blood draws, watching that date for the next treatment looming that really there is a light at the end of the tunnel!!!!!
Thank you all again for your prayers, support, and blessings - we could NOT do this without All of you - LS - thank you again for coordinating EVERYTHING!!!!!!

what I have learned.

I was in a very reflective mood today. I was thinking about the way things were before we got this diagnosis and how things are now. I just wanted to share with you all some of what I've been considering today!
1. NEVER take good health and life for granted. About 9 months ago family and friends were getting on my case to go in for a checkup - I hadn't done that in a while. Not only did we do me but I did the kids. While at that time nothing was caught except the node on my thyroid - I thought we were doing really well. HA - surprise! And you never ever think that your kid will be the one who winds up with something like this - I always figured I'd be diagnosed with breast cancer before any of my kids would get sick. I learned a valuable lesson!
2. Just because you appear healthy and are trying to eat better or do something good for you health doesn't always mean you will be healthy forever!!Looking at Alyssa I would think she was the picture of health. Thankfully that is good because when they staged her - she was on the A side, not the B side which meant she had drastic weight loss, night sweats and other side symptoms but the cancer was still there and frankly the first 2 times her neck swelled and went down I passed it off as allergies or a cold. NOT SO - that is a classic sign of Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
3. We have more friends than we think we do. Wow. I was so overwhelmed with the friends who came out to support us in this. I was in awe - I knew I had friends but I have FRIENDS!!!
Folks who I thought were just acquaintances stepped up and did things for us, my close friends really rallied around us took the reigns so we could be free to just take care of our daughters and son. Folks we've only met once or twice have called, checked our blog, prayed, brought us meals, watched our kids and hugged my daughter thru this. My family is abundantly blessed and I count sooooo many people as blessings in my life.
4. NEVER take your family for granted. Again, I am abundantly blessed. When I think of some of these kids/families who don't have the support system we do I think about what it would have been like to NOT have the family, extended family, and in-laws I have. AGAIN, I could them all as huge blessings and they all play their part and are there for us in this and I can't even begin to thank our family enough for all they are doing, have done and probably will do before this is all over with. Having a husband who is there for you too and a partner in good times as well as bad is something I cannot even imagine not having. He is just awesome and I thank God daily that I have him.
5. Don't just give up the stuff you love because you are going thru rough times. When this was all new I was ready to sell all my goats and throw myself into caring for Alyssa and using the money for her meds/medical bills. UM. Yeah, money is always nice but really I can't tell you what a huge blessing and smile therapy having the baby goats has been through this. It has helped us all. Alyssa who thought she was done with goats and doing dogs only is back in goats and has chosen a doeling from our crop for hers. It's worth it to see her so happy while holding that little doeling.
6. LET GO!!!!! I'm a pretty self sufficient kind of gal (and probably a bit too prideful to boot) I like to do things myself and not rely on others. I strongly maintain NOW that sometimes you have to let go and let others or something like this will eat your lunch - I had to let go and actually ask for help from folks and that wasn't easy - I was even THANKED for letting folks help - I am so dang grateful to everyone for all they have done and do that I can't even begin to let folks know the gratitude and appreciation my family has for all the folks who've done things for us. I've had days when I couldn't even begin to think about cooking and am so grateful we have someone who is taking care of that! I've had days where I go thru the day and am up at the hospital and will be there and realized I forgot to water my animals and had to ask. I forgot to go back to the feed store and get the right grain for my goats and had a friend who I asked and she did it for me. Sometimes you just need to ask!!!!
7. YOU are stronger than you think. I've been asked by many folks how I'm doing this? I don't know - I don't have time to think about it - I just do it. I love the verse that says "I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me" in Phillipians and the one that says that we need to ask
and "He will give us the peace that surpasses all understanding" (can't remember where that one is right now but I do know that those two verses are the two I can say we are living right now. He has poured out his peace in our heart and Strength in our bodies to get thru each day. Sure we go to bed exhausted or have days that we think we might be near the breaking point with grief or whatever - but we are still here and still walking thru this!!!!!
8. NEVER ever forget your other family members. My other two kids have been incredibly tremendous thru this trial. They have stepped up to the plate in so many areas it's almost stunning. But just because they do that doesn't mean you get to forget about them and their feelings. Nik has said he sometimes feels left out and forgotten in this and no matter how hard you try you may still fall short. I have to remember - they are little and need love and attention too - they can't be forgotten thru this either. I was blessed in that I was able to take the two little ones out to eat for a thank you lunch to them because they have been so awesome. I want to do more but sometimes money is tight or time is tight and I can't but the night cuddles and school time and trying to keep their schedules as normal as possible just has to suffice sometimes!!!!
9. Be Flexible. HMPH. I am one of those folks who thought I was flexible and realized I do not like my little schedule messed up. I am learning that schedules need to be changed when they need to be changed and sometimes, something you thought was a priority - ISN'T. yeah, sometimes you find out you are iron woman when you need to be well - Gumby!!!!
Neither one is good or bad - they just have their appropriate place in life!!!
10. GIVE when you can and where you can. I was told I was a very giving person. I realized thru this that I'm more selfish than I should be. I can give more than I ever thought possible and that sometimes it isn't the size of the gift that matters - It's the heart behind it. Everyone has something to give even if they think it's small and menial - to the receiver, sometimes that little gift may just be the thing that lifts their WHOLE DAY!!!!!
I'm sure I've learned more than this but I can say - I've learned A LOT!!!!!
The biggest thing I've learned - GOD IS GOOD! Abundantly, Incredibly, Undeniable GOOD!!!!

For Sale - Doeling

I have gone back and forth about this doe and her sister for days now. I wasn't going to keep any babies and now I want to keep two - mainly because I feel that
two babies are better off than one and since Aly wants to keep one I need a buddy. I don't have any other goats their ages and of course I have the mom's but they have so much fun playing together. It really worked well to have Dixie and Malina together this past year. It is with a heavy heart I am putting this lovely well built doe up for sale. This doe is wide with a good spring of ribs, strait legs, level topline and is very angular. I also love this doe's beautiful dark chocolate color. She only has the little white stripe on her side. Her coat is a beautiful soft curly consistency - Her mom had the same coat when she was born. She is out of Piddlin Acres H Calm the Storm and CBF Ent's Twinkle Lil' Star. Twinkle has a lovely, easy to milk FF udder that is definitely worth taking note of. She appears to following in Joie's hoofprints and I am planning on Milk Testing her this spring. She should be an easy one to get a star on. Twinkle was a sleeper in the show ring this last year. She went from last place as a wee one to up in the top 2 later on. She is a nice, dairy animal. If you are interested in any of our babies for sale please contact me at NMgoatgal@gmail.com.

For Sale - Wether

This is Tinker Bell's Brother (Piddlin acres H Calm the Storm X CBF Ent's Whistling Dixie) who currently goes unnamed. He is adorable and pretty friendly as well. I think he'd make a nice show wether for someone. He's very angular and nicely built. I do not sell bucks out of first fresheners so he is only available as a pet wether or companion to another one of our goats.

He is a Chocolate Pinto tho it's a bit hard to tell - looks black and white in this picture.

For Sale - Doeling

This little peanut is temporarily being called Tinker Bell due to her very small size. Despite her tiny stature, she is one of the widest babies out there in the back end. I so wish I could keep them all but I have to restrain myself. My daughter Aly picked out one she loves and I have my sights set on another doe (but that is another post)

Tinker Bell is a Chocolate buckskin with only a white topknot. She is out of CBF Ent's Whistling Dixie and Piddlin Acres H Calm the Storm. Strait legs, Level topline and wide escutceon area is what I'm seeing out of this little doe - She is being partially bottle fed as her mom just isn't making enough for all three babies = She's a little fiesty thing tho, when the other mom's aren't paying attention she just goes up and nurses. PLUS she's getting 4 bottles per day. I believe she will make someone a very precious doeling with her fiesty attitude and she's a snuggle bug to boot!!!!

SOLD babies

Here are photos of the two girls who are sold. This is CBF TD SG Pepper. She is out of Nizhoni's Joie de Vivre *D and Piddlin Acres KR TapDance. She was born on March 22, 2009 and is a beautiful little black doe - The only white on her is on her head, frosting on her ears and muzzle. She's got a nice personality too and is very friendly!

This is CBF CS SG Ammi. Ammi is Cumin (are you seeing the trend? ) Their new herd is all being named after spices - too cool! The Ruiz family also purchased two does from PrairieWood - Nutmeg and ??? and the girls are very close in age so they will have a nice start to their little herd. HOW fun!

Ammi and Pepper are already bonding well. I am sure SR can't wait to get all her precious girls home. I am furiously working to get their paperwork done for both ADGA and AGS so they can be shown in the May Quad show. Just need a copy of Pepper's dad's AGS certificate and we will get this done in time to show.

Thank you again SR for giving our precious girls a good home!