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This blog is meant to be a source
of encouragement to all who read it.
Our prayer is that Aidan's illness &
journey will be a blessing to many...
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Monday, 14 December 2009
Monthly Check Up – October, November & December
Jacob and I have decided to call this year a year of "Blessings in the midst of Trials" because although we've been through so much, God has been with us every step of the way. What more could one ask for?
Aidan's monthly check ups have thankfully been going well. His blood counts are good and his doctor is very happy with his recovery.
At his last check up on Saturday, 5th December '09, the doctor mentioned that his check ups will now be bimonthly.
Looking back, Aidan went into treatment a baby and has emerged from it a big boy. It is such a joy to watch him walk, laugh and play. How much we take for granted? Aidan's illness has made so many things in life look so trivial. It certainly has changed our perspective of life.
My daughter Allison who is 13, said the most beautiful thing to me a few days ago. She said that she was thankful that God gave Aidan to us. She said that it was because of Aidan that I am a homemaker today. She and Abraham my second child say that they never want me to work. They love having me at home and don't mind forgoing the luxuries of life that we could have if I too had a job.
Aidan's illness has taught us to live each day to the fullest. It has made us realise how fragile life really is. It has also shown us that it is the trials that refine us and make us stronger. It has taken our FAITH to a different level.
To all who have continued to pray for my darling Aidan, I say a HUGE Thank You! We would never have survived this journey on our own. I will continue to update you with the latest developments from time to time. And pictures too……..
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
Chemo Day Care – 28th August 2009
I(Pam) was blessed with a short holiday from 24th – 27th August. Jacob had a meeting in Singapore and I decided to tag along. It was a short break that we both so needed. Grandma and Grandpa looked after the brood while we were away.
During the holiday, I had a lot of time to myself and every day I prayed that Aidan would not have to go through another blood transfusion on 28th August. (The day after we returned from our holiday). It is such an ordeal for us all to sit through a 4 hour transfusion and also not knowing if he will react badly to it.
On the 28th August, as per the routine, we got to Chemo Day Care early in the morning. The nurses drew blood from Aidan (They now have to draw blood from his vein since the Chemo Port has been removed) and sent it for testing.
The results came back and I couldn't believe my eyes. His haemoglobin reading was 13.3. The highest reading to date!!! I knew right then that God had answered my prayers. The nurses on the other hand were uncertain of the reading, so they sent another sample to the main lab for a second reading. The results were the same.
When the doctor came, he said that the earlier result on 22nd August could have been a mistake as medically one's body cannot generate red blood cells that fast.
I however know that I have a God whose ways defy science and logic. God had indeed answered my prayers. What a great and amazing God we have.
Aidan will now have to go for monthly check ups. His next check up is on 23rd September.
Jacob and I continue to trust God and know that Aidan is destined for great things. I welcome you to continue with us on this journey of seeing God's Master Plan at work in my fiery little one who stays true to his name. Aidan means Little Fire.
Friday, 4 September 2009
Check Up - 22nd August 2009
Since it was a Saturday, Jacob and I(Pam) decided to take Aidan for his check up instead of the normal routine of Kakak Esther (our maid) and I.
We had to get his blood tested at the lab before seeing the doctor. Since there is no more Chemo Port to draw blood from, they had to prick Aidan's finger instead. Not much of a drama there except that Aidan didn't like being held down against his will and made his feelings known to all concerned.
The results came an hour later and alas, his haemoglobin was low. The minimum reading as per the doctor, is 10 and Aidan's reading was 7.7.
The doctor says this could be due to the infection he had earlier.
Therefore we will have to go back next Friday, 28th August, for a blood transfusion. (Unless his reading goes up in the next couple of days... which is not impossible……)
Will keep you updated after the next check up this coming Friday.
Chemo Day Care - 6th August 2009
When we went for his check-up on 6th August, we mentioned it to the nurses. As per the routine, the nurses drew his blood and sent it for testing. When the results came, it showed that Aidan had developed an infection at the Chemo Port inlet.
The doctor explained that the infection was causing the chills. Since Aidan was due for a Lumbar Puncture and Bone Marrow and would be under sedation, the doctor suggested that we remove the chemo port too. I was more than happy to agree. What a relief it would be, not having to worry about whether Aidan would pull it out or whether it would come off when he tossed and turned while sleeping. Not to mention having to clean and flush the port all the time. I sometimes think the Chemo Port caused us more trauma compared to the hospitalisation.
The procedures were done. I prayed that Aidan would not react badly to any of the procedures and thankfully he did not.
We went home happy that it was ALL OVER.
We could not be more thankful for this journey. It has made us value life and redefine what's important and what's not. It has above all been a journey of FAITH. Trusting God for every single thing, from the big things such as finances, to the small things such as someone to prepare meals for Aidan when we couldn't.
We could never thank all those who have been on this journey with us enough. Many prayer warriors have supported us in prayer, some we know personally while others we don't and yet you were kind enough to pray for my little fire, Aidan. We would never have made it through without each of the angels God sent our way. May my God who is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, bless each of you abundantly……..
Aidan's next check up will be on 22nd August, this coming Saturday. Updates of the check up will follow soon after.
Chemo Day Care - 20th July 2009
On 20th July 2009, we took Aidan in for his first check-up after his final round of Chemo. As per the normal routine, blood was drawn and the readings were as expected. All the counts were low. It takes 10 - 14 days after the Chemo for all the counts to pick up.
The doctor ordered a blood transfusion as Aidan's haemaglobin count was only 8.4 when the minimum should be 10. Aidan slept through most of the transfusion and when it was completed, we got in the car and headed home.
It was when we reached home that the drama began. Aidan started having chills just as we got into the house. He was trembling from head to toe and started burning up with fever. Trust me, when I say "burning up, I mean burning up". He was so hot that I started to panic. I thank God for the ability to think although I was panicking. I gave him fever medicine and started sponging him. It was over an hour before we managed to bring the fever under control.
I called the hospital and they told us to bring him back for admission immediately. These days the word "Admission" is a bad word for mummy. Upon hearing that word mummy went off on a tangent. I could not bring myself to think of another long stay at the hospital. I just sat and sobbed and sobbed for a good half hour. Jacob was home from work by then and knew that I was cracking due to stress and fatigue. He got everything organised, made sure I had something to eat and drove us back to the hospital.
I had managed to catch a quick nap during the drive to the hospital and pulled myself together by the time we arrived. We took him to the emergency room and they dripped him straight away. Audrey, my sister, was waiting for us at the hospital. She had come prepared to stay the night with Aidan just in case I was still off on a tangent.
We were then ushered back to the ever so familiar Paediatric Ward. It was almost midnight when we all settled in. Finally it was Jacob, Kakak and I who stayed the night.
The next day, Aidan's doctor came in. He told us that he had read about such cases but had never seen it till now. Aidan had reacted to the transfusion much later. In almost all cases, the children react during the transfusion. Trust my son to be the non conformist.
The doctor advised us to stay for another night just in case Aidan developed a fever again. After the fever at home, he had only once developed a slight fever at the early hours of the next day. After that the fever seemed to settle.
Thank God it was only a three day stay at the hospital and not longer. I found God given strength to make it through the stay. However it seems to be taking me longer to get back to my normal routine and sleeping time. I have been too tired to do anything for the past week and only now am getting back on my feet.
Pictures during the final week of Chemotherapy (session 3)
Chemotherapy - Session 3
Throughout Saturday evening, the fever was very mild. On Sunday, it was initially mild but started becoming high late Sunday night. We did not sleep through the night. We sponged him, gave him fever medicine and prayed that it was nothing serious. After being fretful through most of the night, Aidan settled down and slept toward the early hours of the morning.
It was when Aidan woke up at 6.30am on Monday morning that Jacob and I almost had a heart attack. Aidan's face, especially his tongue and lower lip were swollen so badly. We rushed him to emergency where they immediately put him on drips and started a course of antibiotics.
Aidan's doctor came in later, when we were settled into our room and told us that the swelling was due to infection and therefore what was supposed to be a three day stay at the hospital would now be a six day stay instead. They would have to treat the infection first and only after that start the chemo.
We settled in knowing it was going to be a looooonnnngggg week.
On Wednesday the doctor came in with the good news that the infection had settled and that they could start administering the chemo. However as always, before the chemo is administered, a lumbar puncture had to be done. This was going to be Aidan's fourth Lumbar Puncture.
However, this time Aidan woke up after the procedure and started screaming endlessly for a good two hours. The nurses and I tried in vain to calm him but he just would not settle. They then called the doctor who prescribed a pain killer. All through his screaming I cuddled him close and prayed. It was the only thing I could do. Only about and hour after the pain killer was administered did Aidan settle down and sleep.
I was tired, upset and a jumble of emotions. My God is a good God. He caters to all our needs. It was just then that Audrey, my sister, walked in with her friend, Hock Yun. He told me that he felt that he needed to come to the hospital and so he came over. I don't know him personally except for a fleeting introduction when I had visited Audrey's church sometime ago. Hock Yun is one of many who has been praying for Aidan. He had actually arrived at the hospital earlier and had popped into the room when Aidan was screaming. He saw the situation and said he would come back later. When he did come back, he shared some of his thoughts with me, and then he and my sister prayed for Aidan. I could never put into words the peace that settled after that.
The Chemo ran for three days and the last dose was administered on Friday night. On Saturday, we were all ready to go home. The doctor came in early and signed the discharge form. How wonderful it was to be able to get in the car and head home.
Due to the strain of the hospital stay this time round, Papa and Mummy have taken a while to recover. Jacob came down with a flu and I have not quite gotten back to sleeping well. Thus the delay in the updates.
Aidan's next checkup is on 20th July and the updates of that check-up will be posted soon after.
Chemo Day Care - 25th June 2009
I exhaled, then got comfortable knowing that it was going to be a long day as the blood transfusion takes 4 hours. I lay in bed with Aidan as they hooked up the drips. We had come in at 9.15am and left the hospital only at 3.40pm. What a long day it had been.
We got home an hour later tired but thankful that all had gone well. (We were warned that some children react badly to blood transfusion, with symptoms such as chills or fever).
God has indeed answered our prayers, Aidan has not developed a fever since his discharge and continues to eat well and is now getting better at balancing while he learns to walk. He has also recently started saying "Pa Pa Pa – for his Dad" and "Ma Ma Ma – for me, his Mum" and not forgetting his favourite word "Mum Mum – for food". He loves his food.
Come Monday, 29th June 2009, it will be exactly two months since Aidan was diagnosed with Leukaemia. How time has flown! Now we can see a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel. Come 6th July, Aidan will undergo the last round of Chemo. What joy just to pen down the word "Last".
Chemotherapy - Session 2
15th June 2009 was the start of Chemotherapy – Session 2. It was back to the hospital again for a couple of days. Upon admission, Aidan's doctor came in and told us that he would want to do a lumbar puncture first and before starting the Chemo.
This time the Chemo would run only twice a day for three days. However it would run for three hours each time. Aidan would also have to be on drips for the whole stay.
Can you imagine what a difficult time we had? Aidan had to fast for four hours before the lumbar puncture was done. Poor baby!! No food, no water, nothing. The lumbar puncture was done at 4.45pm and the Chemo finally started at 6pm. Since the first dose of Chemo was only administered at 6pm on Monday, it would mean that the last dose would only be administered on Thursday at 6am. Once again as the Chemo was administered, I prayed that it would not have adverse effects on my little Aidan.
Tuesday, 16th June was a day of great tidings!! The doctor informed us that the Lumbar Puncture showed that Aidan's Leukemia was in remission and that he would only need one more round of Chemo in July. Praise God!! It was indeed a great joy to hear this good news. We once again were blessed with a visit by the members of Full Gospel Tabernacle (FGT), Kuala Lumpur. Michael and family once again came to pray for us. Jessy and Alex our dear friends also came to visit and so did Godma.
Wednesday, 17th June was a quiet day. Papa came in after work as usual. Papa and Kakak left for Seremban around 9pm and Aidan and Mummy settled in for the night. It was then that the drama began. The Chemo tube had come off and there was blood all over the place. Mummy almost had a heart attack. The nurses came in and fixed it and helped to get us both cleaned up. Thank God I discovered it quickly. Trust my feisty little fellow to do something like this.
Thursday, 18th June had finally arrived. Yahoo!! Time to go home. Aidan's last round of Chemo ran till 9am. A blood test was done before we were discharged. His haemoglobin was a little low but the doctor said it was Ok for us to go home. Thank you God for seeing us through another round of Chemotherapy.
Chemo Day Care - 11th June 2009
As usual, the nurses came, they drew his blood. Tested it. All in order. Praise God!! We could go home. So the Jacob family got into the car and home we went.
Chemo Day Care - 8th June 2009
Chemo Day Care - 4th June 2009
We then went over to Uncle John & Aunty Susie's (my relatives) place for lunch before we headed back to Seremban on that 80km drive. Aidan had his lunch and had a great time playing at their place. We have been blessed with not one but two homes that are about 15 minutes away from the hospital that we can go to for anything at all anytime we need to. Rick & Grace also live close to the hospital.
When we came home, Aidan's staple food was Spinach and Liver. At all costs, I was going to avoid another blood transfusion for Aidan!
Chemo Day Care - 25th May 2009
I had told Audrey, my sister, to come in on Monday just in case as I already had a feeling that Aidan would be admitted. I did not say anything to Jacob as I did not want to worry him while he was away. Call it mothers instincts…. Aidan's doctor insisted that he be admitted. I left Audrey and Kakak (our maid) with Aidan, rushed back to Seremban which is approximately 80km from the hospital, packed all our stuff and returned to the hospital. Allison, our oldest daughter who is 13 this year, stayed in Seremban with my parents. Abraham, our hero who is 4 years old this year came with me. My dear sister in-law, Becky, came to get him from the hospital and he stayed with my in-laws while the maid and I got "comfortable" in the hospital with Aidan. This stay was even more difficult than the earlier one as Aidan had to be on the bed at all times. He was on drip 24/7. What would I do without family? Let me not forget Rick and Grace (Rick is my cousin and Grace is his wife) who got their maid to prepare Aidan's food daily. What a blessing that was. I told you God provided for us in every way. Their maid also made sure she had something prepared for me and insisted I had it before I rushed back to the hospital.
Jacob came back from his trip to Europe on Saturday, 30th May. I left Audrey in charge at the hospital, drove to Seremban, picked Allison, had lunch with her, we then drove to the airport and picked Jacob up and then headed to the hospital. Aidan was finally discharged on Monday, 1st June. Wow!! A whole month has flown by.
On the day of discharge Godma Evelyn (Evelyn is my cousin and is also Aidan's Godmother) came to help. Now what would I do without Godma? Except she decided to desert me to visit Godpa Anand (Godpa & Godma became an item after Aidan's baptism) at the same time that Jacob was away! She however has always been there for Aidan ever since he was born and is still continuing to do so. She is our regular ray of sunshine at the hospital.
Chemo Day Care - 21st May 2009
Aidan's platelet count was low. Doc asked us to get someone in to donate platelets. We called many people but for some reason no one seemed to be available. Then Jacob's colleague Lim, came to donate. Unfortunately, Lim's platelet count was low too. Then Calvin the cousin came in and his veins were too small for the platelet extraction machine. Finally good ol' Alex came in to save the day once again. However by that time it was too late. It takes about two hours to extract the platelets. So we went home and had to come back on 22nd May for them to give Aidan the platelet infusion. What drama…….
Note:- Platelet extraction and infusion costs approximately RM1200 every time it is needed.
Chemotherapy - Session 1
We went in for admission on 11th May at 8.30am. The doctor did a lumbar puncture a little later. Then, the chemo commenced around 2pm. There would be three types of chemo drugs that will be administered.
- One ran for 10 minutes twice a day, for 7 days.
- Another ran for half an hour for three days and
- One ran for 20 hours for two days.
I lay in bed with Aidan watching them drip him with that awfully toxic medication. I prayed that there would not be adverse effects on him. The 20 hour chemo was awful. We had to lie in bed for 20 hours. This was done on Monday and Wednesday.
Aidan responded to the chemo very well. He did not throw up all through the 7 days. His doctor was also surprised at how well he responded. I told the doctor that it was due to the fact that there were so many prayer warriors praying for Aidan. On Friday the doctor mentioned that the prayers must be working as Aidan was still his chirpy little self. We would put him in his cot when the drips were off and he would happily swing from one end to the other playing with all his toys.
Aidan's favorite toy is Patrick the dog. His Aunty Becky got him one for his birthday. Throughout the chemo Aidan would chew on Patrick's tail. Patrick has become his "Comfort Toy". As such we needed to get a spare so that we could wash Patrick often enough for hygiene purposes. After much searching, we got one. Then Aunt Becky came to visit and she had got another. On Friday, our friend Ivy came to visit and she, not knowing that Aidan's favorite toy was Patrick, got him one. Now Aidan is blessed with 4 Patricks'.
Aidan continued to eat well throughout the whole 7 days. See… We have so much to be thankful for!
God sent angels in the form of people to pray, people to take mummy out for lunch. Mummy needed to be kept sane, especially having to stay in a small, dreary looking room for 7 days. God has just taken care of all our needs in one way or another. This is certainly going to be a journey of FAITH.
We could never thank all those who have joined us on this journey, some have been mentioned and some have not. Nevertheless, we will always be grateful for the love, support and prayers you have showered us with. May the God who is Our Lord and Saviour bless you abundantly!!
On 18th May, the following Monday, we were supposed to go home in the morning. Mummy was so excited, not Aidan. He… He…
Alas, the blood test results came back and Aidan's haemoglobin count was low. That meant he needed a blood transfusion before we could be released to go home. The whole process took around 6 hours. We were discharged that evening. We were all so glad to be out of there... Aidan included.
Before we were released, the doctor said that we would need to come in to the Chemo Day Care unit for check ups every Monday and Thursday.
Aidan in the papers!.... http://www.mmail.com.my/content/love-alone-isn%E2%80%99t-enough-help-special-children
The Operation - Insertion of Chemo Port...
My darling Aidan looked like a little angel in his long hospital gown. The nurses made a balloon for him out of a glove while waiting for the doctors to arrive. I held him while they sedated him, then they took him from me. My heart pained within me as I watched my helpless little one being taken from me.... but I prayed knowing that life and death..... and above all our lives... are in God's hands.
The Funds For Treatment...
Many friends have called asking if we needed financial help. It would have been very difficult for us to ask anyone for money but we thank God that we have been able to secure the loan and now we are able to finance Aidan's treatment on our own.
Aidan's Journey
In early March of this year, Aidan had the flu and was warded as his chest was very congested. The doctor did a blood test and discovered that Aidan's platelets were very low. Although Aidan was discharged from hospital after 5 days, we kept going back weekly for blood tests only to find the platelets still low. After 3 weeks, we decided to get a second opinion and went to our trusted Pediatrician who did a blood test and then insisted that we see a Pediatric Oncologist at Subang Jaya Medical Center (SJMC).
On 29th April 2009 Aidan was diagnosed with Leukemia – AML M7. Amazingly, God had already prepared Jacob and myself (Pam), Aidan's parents, for this diagnosis simply through our morning devotion. Our devotion is based on Our Daily Bread and that day's verse was
"Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity
- Job 2:10"
As soon as Aidan was diagnosed, we gave thanks to God that Aidan had been diagnosed at an early stage. Our God is a good God indeed. On 30th April the verse for the day was
"I am with you always, even to the end of the age - Matthew 28:20"
This gave us the assurance that God would be with us through this journey.


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91 Year Old Body Builder
At 91 years of age most people are relegated to the retirement home, shuffling around in a walker or a motorized scooter. However Charles Eugster started body building at 85 and now feels fit and energized. Great, this makes me feel even better about my beer belly. Link
(Image credit: Gian Paul Lozza for the Guardian)
Newest 5 Comments
Old Charlie is a great model for all of us retirees. Makes us realize just what we can do if we put our mind (and our body) to it. Hooray for Charlie. Bill
They should break his legs and put him in the new Arrested Development movie!
Who's body is he building?
jeez, neatorama can be rough on my self esteem :D
In all seriousness, kind of inspiring. I hope I'm in that good of shape at 40, let alone 80 or 90!
In all seriousness, kind of inspiring. I hope I'm in that good of shape at 40, let alone 80 or 90!
Pretty damn impressive. Most people his age are just wasting away in a bed somewhere in a nursing home.

subset: commoncrawl


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Thursday, November 12, 2015
5 comments:
- McMike said...
re Robots: will they send each other emails calling their clients muppets?
- November 12, 2015 at 9:55 AM
- McMike said...
re Vets. There are few areas in our governance these days where the hypocrisy and disconnect between message and action is as stark as with our government's treatment of our veterans. Don't look behind the curtain.
While I personally think the "gratitude" is a little overblown and misdirected; contemporary soldiers chose the service after all, are paid okay, housed, clothed, doctored, fed, and taught some skills, and then leave with a few perks.
As you say, we moved away from celebrating peace to celebrating war, just as we moved away from celebrating laborers in this nation in favor of celebrating a day to buy stuff and get drunk. But maybe I am letting my distaste for the hijacked spectacle steer me away from the underlying human beings.
However, I do think the way we treat soldiers in terms of how blithely we subject them to unnecessary/pointless/contrived combat trauma, and then how we fully we neglect them afterwards ranks among our greatest national sins.
But then again, chewing up and spitting out cannon fodder is what we do. Soldiers are getting it no worse than low-wage workers, really, in the big picture. They just suffer a quick and brutal version, while laborers suffer a longer slower decay of toxins, hard work, depression, etc... all leading to a similarly shorter average lifespan.
Soldiers may have a crappy VA system. But fruit pickers and chicken packers have nothing when they get hurt or "retire." If they are lucky, the site super will dump them on the emergency room steps when they get hurt. (Where the hospital can then refuse to treat them).
The only real difference I see is that no one is thanking fruit pickers for their service.
Seems to me what we owe them all is not gratitude, but an apology. Is that what this one-day-a-year pomp and ceremony is all about, our day of trying to buy off our sins? Seems to me if we used them well and wisely, and reasonably supported them afterwards, we'd not need say or do anything else. But that applies to the whole damn economy, doesn't it?
I don't mean to be trite, but as a non-veteran I was always a little envious of people who at least got to be involved in something that at least pretended to be meaningful.
- November 12, 2015 at 10:16 AM
- Jesse said...
I could not stop laughing over your 'porn o'graph' of today. LOL
Thanks, I needed that.
- November 12, 2015 at 10:36 AM
- Charles Kingsley Michaelson, III said...
As a 12-year mercenary in the 60's and 70's, I spent a couple of years in Vietnam and a bunch more in various jaunts around the world. I never felt like a hero and never was one.
And I've never felt like a veteran - whatever that's supposed to be like. And I have neither physical nor mental wounds. Had I, I'd want them compensated, just as we should care for our current crop of professionals.
I see the soldiers of the last decade and more as simply mercenaries,who do what they are told and take their pay. Just as I did. I was sent on a fool's errand and so were they.
And once in a great while I felt I was part of some meaningful enterprise, but only rarely and usually I was mistaken.
- November 12, 2015 at 1:31 PM
- George Anderson said...
Today's post runneth over (and the commentary is spot on as well!) The truth is out there if you will only look! Take a bow CK, today's post is 'clip & save!'
- November 12, 2015 at 2:11 PM


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Happy Holidays! I hope you and your family and friends are enjoying some down time and togetherness.
Well, I fell way off the blogging band wagon for a while. Sorry about that, life just got too busy.
So, I'm going to tell you about my holiday cards. Yes, I got busy with my Etsy shop, but this year I was a little better prepared, and worked on the cards in a brief slow period sometime in Nov.
The design was swiped from an Archiver's flyer that I got in the mail, but with my own twist. I rarely ever use the traditional red and green colors for my holiday cards. Mostly because by the time I get around to doing them, all those colors are sold out, so I get something else. I really like kraft paper too, and for several years my cards have had kraft paper used, one way or another. I should do a series on that. Anyway, I found the nice plaid paper and really liked it, and guess what, it was on clearance too.
I'd wanted some sort of gingerbread man image for the tag, but couldn't find a stamp, sticker or anything else that worked, so, I opted for the star. It was a stencil that I had and I just used an ink pad to 'stamp' the star. I experimented with pastels, but this worked best for what I wanted.
All the years that I've been doing calligraphy, I've been pretty anal about drawing or having guidelines so that I'm sure the lettering is straight. The kraft paper was too thick and dark for me to use on my lightbox, and I didn't have time to rule each card, so, gulp, I did the lettering freehand.
The lettering is a bit difficult to see what with the pink on the kraft paper, so I've tried to lighten it at bit. Some of them look really straight, but some of them went a little crooked. Oh well, that's life, and I need to practice without lines a lot more, for better results next time.
Evie is almost 3, where did the years go? One of her presents from Santa this Christmas was a toddler version on the Spirograph®. My parents brought me my old Spirograph a few years ago, and I actually used it to create my Holiday cards that year, it's a fun drawing tool, I wonder if they still make it? Anyway, Evie's is battery operated and spins for you. She liked the spirals that it made, but then moved onto freehand, letting it spin while she drew. I resisted this, but realized she was being creative and I was having fun with it too. She blew through the 12 sheets of paper that came with it in 2 days, and I've been cutting new sheets from some very old, slightly yellowed, drawing paper that my Grandmother had. We're gonna need new markers soon too, I think.
I don't have a great photo of it, but I'll get one to post soon. In the meantime, here's a little of the Christmas aftermath....
I'll post some of her artwork soon too. I promise.
Until next time.


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We all have our bad spending habits: a $3 latte in the morning, an expensive taxi fare now and then, a cheap piece of jewelry when we're down in the dumps.
We're all for splurging, especially if you do it right. In other words, go ahead and buy the things that make you happy, as long as those small purchases motivate you, and you plan them out for maximum enjoyment ... rather than simply throwing your money away.
For example: You buy yourself a bouquet of fresh flowers at the end of the month as a reward for staying on budget. Let's say that costs you $20 a month, which adds up to $240 a year. That might sound like a lot, but if it motivates you to stay on track with your budget, you're probably saving yourself way more than $20 each month. So we call that a good splurge.
But $20 a month could also go toward a lot of stupid stuff that won't make you happier, won't improve your life and won't motivate you to achieve your financial goals. We just call that silly.
To view the slides in one long list, click into the slide show and select "list view."


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Πηγή: defencegreece
Sep. 16 2011
The Turkish government has chartered a Norwegian research vessel for carrying out marine research in a wide region that overlaps the Greek continental shelf south of Kastelorizo.
Issuing a Mariners notice (NAVTEX), the Turkish authorities announced that from September 15 to November 15, the Norwegian ship (BERGEN SURVEYOR) together with three accompanying ships and possibly by Turkish warships, will conduct research in a wide area which includes pieces of Turkish, Cypriot and a little bit of Greek continental shelf in Kastelorizo.
Until late at night the ships were in Antalya, while for the conduction of this research neither Ankara nor Norway have asked the permission of the Greek side.
The officials of the Greek Embassy in Ankara are expected to make an urgent demarche to the Turkish Foreign Ministry calling for withdrawal from any research activity that affects Greek governing rights in the region.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has instructed the Greek embassy in Oslo to contact the shipping company of the Norwegian research vessel, as well as the Foreign Office of Norway, in order to announce the Greek positions for launching research in Greek shelf.
It should be noted that the companies, which have expressed interest in the investigation of seismic data in areas of the Ionian Sea and south of Crete, are also Norwegian, in a process that Greece began only recently, with the publication of the relevant competition.


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Quiet, a dead look, she doesn't seem to be much interested in what her husband has to say. Her thoughts begin to show up on her face, notice a small scowl, she is obviously upset with him. There is a lot said when nothing is said. I think of the President wife as I write. Be in prayer for them.
There is an enemy at work whenever life is looking quite nicely. Someone is always hell-bent in seeing you suffer when they wish to have what you have. Let's be honest, we don't like certain celebrities who flaunt their wealth, who act like the world owes them something. It is obvious a man or woman is rich without he or she saying anything. There is just something in one's demeanor that exudes "I am well-off!" We get it!
Think of times in your life when you knew what someone or group's issues were without them having to say anything. You observed the person or organization, you noticed strengths and weaknesses. if we can use such a mindset in every aspect of our lives, we would treat what we see in media like a grain of salt. Yet, a closed mind, one who is more concerned about an experience that titillates one's senses is going to miss all of the non-verbal clues.
Pay closer attention to the person not speaking during an interview, the one who isn't the main character, and others who aren't talking. You might discover the truth.
Nicholl McGuire
Giving you a wake up call to past and present stories the elitists hoped you didn't pay attention to. From whistleblowers to entertainers, if someone is talking we are listening. Seek truth in between the lies, yells, exaggerations, jokes, and tears made by Hollywood celebrities and other entertainers. It doesn't pay to lie first, then tell the truth later. Information is provided from various media outlets and doesn't necessarily express the personal views of the blog owner.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
A Lot is Said When Nothing is Said
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One of the things I like to do with what I think of as my "long form" posts is kill two or more birds with one stone. It's often the case that when you look closely at an issue or story of the day, it relates to other stories and other issues. So many things are interconnected and politics (as much as politicians like to pretend otherwise) is a complex and faceted thing. It's nearly always the case that you can grab a story and make it at least two stories; "Man, this is dumb -- and the media sucks!" And yes, media suckage figures into this particular post.
So let's begin with that. Yesterday, President Obama announced that he wanted to address a joint session of congress on September 7. This wasn't going to work, there was a big Republican debate that night and we can't have the president dominating that news cycle. Of course, House Speaker John Boehner didn't put his refusal that way, but no one on Earth believes there was any other reason. The President pushed his case, but later dropped it. He'd address congress on the 8th.
OK, now here's where we get to the "and the media sucks!" part; this is the big story today. A scheduling disagreement. Yes, the GOP looks petty and self-serving. "Remember, this is just about picking the date for the speech. It's like arguing about the shape of the table before sitting down for negotiations. What possible chance is there for Washington to approve meaningful economic legislation if there's a dramatic showdown over scheduling?" writes Steve Benen. "That's a rhetorical question; the chances are zero." But the bigger story -- that President Obama is going to unveil a major jobs plan -- is lost in the coverage of this minor palace intrigue.
Worse, it turns out we have a good idea what's in the plan the President will outline and media's ignoring this knowledge.
[The Atlantic:]
President Obama is either fed up with Congress or he's testing his own administration's mettle. Or both.
On Wednesday, Obama took a now-familiar path in adopting a program -- this time a jobs and infrastructure effort -- that can happen entirely within his domain. Obama directed several federal agencies to identify "high-impact, job-creating infrastructure projects" that can be expedited now, without congressional approval.
One week before he will make a major address to Congress on jobs, Obama is making sure they know he plans to move forward without them. The president has also directed the Education Department to come up with a "Plan B" updating the 2001 No Child Left Behind law in the absence of congressional action. The message to Congress is clear: Do your work or we'll do it for you.
That's right, we know the president plans to stand before congress and give them the middle finger with both hands, but the big story is that this middle-finger-giving had to be rescheduled. Barack Obama is finally telling congress, "lead, follow, or get out of the way," but the earth-shatteringly important story -- as far as the media is concerned -- involves day-planners.
No doubt, the president will call on congress to do more, but it's clear that things will move forward with or without them. Which, of course, almost certainly means without them. We'll hear a lot from the GOP about how Obama is going off on another round of reckless new spending, but -- from everything I'm seeing -- this would merely be an expedited distribution of existing funds (i.e., it's not new spending, it's a rejiggering of agencies' budgets). Republican complaints will be what they always are; reactionary BS. So expect the media to climb on board with that.
Meanwhile, Republicans' big plan to create jobs involves tax cuts -- which have been failing for a decade -- and repealing regulations. Most of these regulations were in place during the Clinton administration, which means they were operational during the longest economic expansion of the 20th century. Clearly, these regulations aren't extremely burdensome and they're not the reason people are out of work. This isn't about creating jobs, this is about an opportunistic attack on things Republicans don't like while pretending to do something about jobs. And, if the legislation passes and then fails to dent unemployment -- and fail it unquestionably would -- then that'll be Obama's fault, because everything is Obama's fault.
Man, this is dumb -- and the media sucks.
A Washington Scheduling Conflict is Not the Most Important Story Ever
by Terry Canaan - 11:39
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Graham Ezzy will visting the UK Ezzy/RRD Test Centre at West Wittering on June 3 and 4 th. He will be on the beach between 11 and 4 pm both days where you can catch him for some free rigging tips, watch him sail and test any Ezzy Waves or Infinity rigs.
Graham is 16 years old and is on route to Guincho he will competing in the PWA and is looking to get a ranking inside the top ten this season. He has been taught by his Dad Dave Ezzy since the age of 11 and Hookipa Maui is his local spot.
Graham gets the chance to sail with lots of worlds top pros and loves all aspects of wave sailing. At the moment, his favourite moves are front-side wave 360s, back-side 360s and hard slashes off-the-lip. For jumps, he is into delayed pushloops, one-footed pushloops, no hand pushloops and double forwards.
Graham has also been seen riding asymmetrical boards developed by Dave Ezzy and Richard Green hopefully he will have his contest boards on view over the weekend.
If you would like to come along to meet Graham or to try some Ezzy Rigs call Simon Bassett on 01243 512552 or send us an email on firstname.lastname@example.com More information can be found on www.2xs.co.uk


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Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Oz bushfire appeal shop at etsy
I joined etsy in July 2008 hoping to make enough money to be able to stay at home and not go back to work. I am on the way to achieving that goal and in the process have met some of the most amazingly creative, friendly and supportive people. I joined a team called dust(down under street team) and without them I don't think I would be where I am now. Two weeks ago, when the devastation of the Victorian bushfires started to become known, the dust team opened a special store to raise money for the victims. We all thought if we could donate items and raise about $1000 that would be a great effort and help . Now into the third week and having already donated over $13000 I think I can safely say the shop has exceeded our expectations. Donations have not only been from Australians we have had people all over the world donate the 1000 items in the store. The store will remain open until the 31st of March unless it sells out, and with only about 200 items left I'm sure it will be.
The shop was opened and is being run by the wonderful Emma from http://feliciafairy.etsy.com with help from other DUSTers especially Carley - http://vanillapixie.etsy.com Thank you all so much for making me feel proud to be part of such a wonderful group of crafters.
Posted by Carmel at 12:26 PM 5 comments
Sunday, February 22, 2009
My new shop
Well I finally did it!! I opened my second etsy shop and I called it lace and luxuries. I took me ages to think of a name as I wanted something to tie it to lace and links.
I intend selling everything but jewellery in here and as usual I jumped in with out being organised and it's taken 2 weeks for me to get 10 things listed. I should have waited until I had more but it's too late now.
I guess you can tell I love pretty-pink, lace, satin, florals are a joy to work with and to see something come out of my imagination and become real is the greatest feeling. For me to actually find someone who likes it as much as me is quite amazing.
Posted by Carmel at 6:31 PM 3 comments
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There was a confederate general, John Bell Hood, who was one of the Confederacy's bravest, though by no means one of its most talented, generals. At Antietam, his brigade took 85% casualties in a few hours. At Gettysburg, Hood suffered a wound which cost him the use of one of his arms. Two months later, at Chickamauga, Hood was commanding a division and suffered a wound that led to the amputation of one of his legs. In 1864, he was briefly my Great Grandfather Mitchell's commanding officer as being the General in charge of the army of Tennessee; leading it to one bloody defeat after another I've often wondered if Al Cap, the creator of the Li'l Abner comic series had Hood in mind when he created the character of Confederate General Jubilation T. Cornpone, the engineer of Cornpone's defeat, Cornpone's Disaster, Cornpone's Debacle and of course Cornpone's Utter Devastation.
I wonder how many people reading this, upon hearing of Hood's loss of leg one month after losing an arm thought of John Cleese's portrayal of the Black Knight of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.


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Perhaps, if the Mayans were right, in 15 days the world will come to an end.
The only thing I know for sure is that tomorrow is my birthday.
My Sammy Hagar* Birthday.
(*I originally and erroneously had Van Halen. Edit credit goes solely to Small Town Me for her distinct and loyal devotion to the Red Rocker)
I Can't Drive 55.
I Can't Drive 55.
In honor of that, and in case the world does come crashing to a halt, I do NOT want to regret a single thing. So I am throwing caution to the wind this year.
I am going to LIVE TWEET MY BIRTHDAY.
Yup. Hashtag and everything.
If any of you kids do "The Twitter," you can follow along and everything @Lindalla!
There will be pictures, and jokes, and questions, and activities, and guest tweets, and trivia, with special tweets at 5:55 and 11:11 am and pm.
I'm not quite sure how all this is going to work, but I have full assurance from my digital pal and co-hort @MaxKringen that this will be fun!
I'm going to promote this here, and on Facebook, and of course Twitter, just like I'm some kind of celebrity or something. Please respond, or comment, 'cause if the world does come to an end in 15 days, c'mon, what do ya have to lose?


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The vast wildfires of this summer and last represent a new normal for the western United States. They may signal a radical landscape transformation, one that will make the 21st century West an ecological frontier.
Unlike fires that have occurred regularly for thousands of years, these fires are so big and so intense as to create discontinuities in natural cycles. In the aftermath, existing forests may not return. New ecosystems will take their place.
"These transitions could be massive. They represent the convergence of several different forces," said Donald Falk, a fire ecologist at the University of Arizona. "There is a tremendous amount of energy on the landscape that historically would not have been there. These are nuclear amounts of energy."
Falk's specialty is fire dynamics in the American Southwest, a region where record fires have become routine. Fueling the infernos is a combination of fire suppression, livestock grazing and logging.
Because small, low-intensity blazes are usually prevented from spreading, dead wood has accumulated, especially in arid and semi-arid regions where decomposition occurs slowly. Without these fires, dense shrubs and small trees proliferate, as they also do in gaps opened by harvesting of large trees. Grazing removes grasses that traditionally carried small fires and causes erosion that reduces soil's ability to hold water.
"When you look at the long record, you see fire and climate moving together over decades, over centuries, over thousands of years," said pyrogeographer Jennifer Marlon of Yale University, who earlier this year co-authored a study of long-term fire patterns in the American West.
"Then, when you look at the last century, you see the climate getting warmer and drier, but until the last couple decades the amount of fire was really low. We've pushed fire in the opposite direction you'd expect from climate," Marlon said.
The fire debt is finally coming due. In the Southwest, fires are reaching historically exceptional sizes and temperatures. "The fuel structure is ready to support massive, severe fires that the trees have not evolved to cope with," said forest ecologist Dan Binkley of Colorado State University. "When the extent of the areas burned becomes large, there are no remaining sources of seeds for the next generation."
Filling the newly open space will be grasses, shrubs and aspen, said Binkley. The forests will be gone. Something similar may also happen in California's high-elevation Ponderosa forests, though different plant species will take their place than in the Southwest.
In the greater Yellowstone region, of which Yellowstone National Park is the iconic centerpiece, fire suppression and grazing have less effect on fire dynamics than in the Southwest. Instead, it's climate that's changing how fire operates in Yellowstone, said paleoecologist Erica Smithwick of Penn State University.
In 2011, Smithwick was part of a research team that described how Yellowstone fires traditionally occurred on cycles of 100 to 300 years, with its lodgepole pine forests adapted to severe burns every few centuries.
According to the researchers, rising regional temperatures mean fires will become larger and more frequent, with areas burned every few decades. Conifers, which release seeds during fire, aren't attuned to this pace: The next generation of trees will die before they're old enough to release new seeds.
"There will be many species that don't regenerate in that environment," Smithwick said. "The fire cycle is inconsistent with the species that are currently there." By 2050, predicted the researchers, much of Yellowstone's forest could be gone.
It's hard to say what will come next: grasslands, perhaps, followed by non-conifer forests. Smithwick wouldn't rule out the possibility that "lodgepole pine could surprise us." Future successions are difficult to predict.
It's also difficult to decide whether all these changes, in Yellowstone and elsewhere in the west, are good or bad, desirable or undesirable, something to lament or embrace, or all these things.
The purpose of a national park, for example, is conserving nature — yet preserving Yellowstone as we know it, through fire prevention and engineered post-fire recoveries, may be an act of artifice, with effort required to maintain ecosystems that no longer belong, Smithwick said.
New ecosystems will, of course, be populated by plants and animals "that are just doing what they've evolved to do, and their niche space just happens to be becoming more widespread," Falk said.
"This is on the boundary of ecology and values," he continued. "As some of these conversions start happening, we can either mourn the loss of naturally occurring ecosystems, which without our mismanagement and climate modification would still be there today, or look at the areas coming back in different forms and say, 'Okay. That's the world we created. At least nature has another card to play.'"
"I don't think it's clear-cut to say, 'It's all destructive,'" said Marlon. "Some species will certainly benefit. But we derive great value from the forests. If we're to lose forest area, we should look very closely at what we're losing, and know what we're losing."
Interviewed on cell phone while traveling through Arizona, Falk added, "I'm standing up in the San Francisco peaks, outside Flagstaff, looking at a mix of pine and fir. If this went, which it certainly could, and came back as Gambel oak shrubs, I think many of us would see that as a loss."
If people want to prevent the transformation, it's still possible to do so through controlled burns and brush removal. "The pressures are very strong, but they're not inevitable," Falk said.
Images: 1) The Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado. (USDA/Flickr) 2) National map of regional fire behavior deviation from historical patterns. (The Nature Conservancy/USGS/USDA/USFS/DOI)Go Back to Top. Skip To: Start of Article.