WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE

1. What's your worst food memory?  How about one of your best?
WORST:

McDonald's surprised me with broken light bulb in my "two all beef patties special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onion s, on a sesame seed bun"...thankfully it didn't cut my mouth...my parents were NOT happy.  

BEST:

What fun it was on a date with my first boyfriend and his family at a 'swanky' restaurant her in town...ordered escargot for the 1st time...blown away by it's wonderful garlic butter, panko crumbs and cute little 'plucking' fork...what a GREAT night that was for me at the age of 16...one of the first times feeling 'big'.

 2. Do you appreciate people telling it like it is, or would you rather a speaker temper his/her words and maybe beat around the bush a little?  How about when you're the one communicating...which type are you?
My appreciating speakers varies sometimes according to my time limitations...sometimes my ears are needing to move on to other things; however, truth and common sense play into it also for me.  Blowing smoke and deception turn me quickly. 

Over the years I've had to become more of a 'driving' speaker to my husband, because he doesn't want to hear a lot of fluff, hahah!  I can be wonderfully flowery with my gal pals though!


 3. What's your favorite place to hang out?

My blue leather recliner fits my body very nicely...and there's a sweet spot on the loveseat in our parlor at church. 
 4. When do you most feel like you're a slave to time?
Having dinner on the table between 6:00 and 7:00...sometimes bittersweet now that collegegirl is out on her own; always have someone missing from the table now.
5. What was the last concert you attended?  Who'd you go with? Was it any good?
July 4th our chancel choir at church performed their "Independence Day" celebration with full orchestra and Biblical readings/vignettes.
 6. Reality TV...harmful or harmless?  What's your guilty pleasure when it comes to reality TV?
There is no such things as reality tv; they've convince so many people that tv is real...believe me, it is not. 

I entertain the silliness of DUCK DYNASTY and their continuing in witness as they visit churches and give their testimonies.

7. What's something you think is overrated?
Being on reality tv is overrated...look deep at the many who have done it...certainly doesn't seem their lives are better because of it

kind of like politics and its ability to ruin someone's decision making.

8.  My RANDOM THOUGHT:  our MIRACLE!

MY GREAT NIECE, KATIE, WAS DISCHARGED FROM THE HOSPITAL

8 DAYS AFTER RECEIVING A NEW HEART!  

THIS IS HER HEART SURGEON...

Thank you, Dr. Kogon











FIRST OUTING in the sun, 8 days post heart transplant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uncle Charles and I are so proud of you FOR: 

keeping the doctors and nurses on their toes

and loving on them like you love on US! 

 

I'm so eager to see you but I have a cold and don't want to share the germs with you. 

 

You keep loving on MoMo until I can see you for REALZ, okay? 

 

(I love You, Lord, and I lift my voice. To worship You, oh, my soul rejoice! Take joy, my King, in what you hear! May it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear!)



 

KATIE'S AFTER- HEART TRANSPLANT PHYSICAL THERAPY

My GREAT NIECE was able to be moved out of the bed to a wheel chair for a brief time as part of her first physical therapy following her heart transplant. 

Thank you so much to all of those who have kept her in your prayers.  Our God is an awesome God, he reigns from Heaven above!

John 8:31  "If you continue in my word, then you are truly Disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

Blessings,

Sun. Update...DONOR-HEART PRAYERS

* UPDATE*

Sunday, morning...Little brother is staying with friends...but celebrating his big sister's courage and her NEW heart!


Little brother celebrating Big Sis's new heart

























Around 1:30pm, Sunday
After the heart was transplanted there was residual blood loss and some new blood clots.  The team of doctors had to re-open her chest and find the problems.
Sunday, 3:55pm
About an hour ago, they completed the repair.  Katie has come through surgery! Prayers answered! I've been a nervous wreck because she was so critical and we didn't hear any update for two hours. Dr. Kogan came and talked to us.

He got the clot and cleaned out some lines. Her vitals are much better and her blood drainage has improved.

We can see her in a few minutes, hopefully. Thank you for the prayers! Keep them coming! --Kerri



We've never seen this before with Katie:
Oxygen levels of 100%. This made us cry. --Kerri

 

 

Saturday night, 9:39pm

My sweet great niece is in surgery now; the doctors will be removing her sick heart soon. 

The transport team has flown out to pick up the donor's graciously-given heart.

Thanks for keeping she and her family in your prayers.
















John 8:31  "If you continue in my word, then you are truly Disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

Blessings,

136TH HODGEPODGE

  1. 1st week of August is National Simplify Your Life Week...what's one thing you could do this week to qualify as a participant?  I haven’t cooked any this week

2. It's also National Peach Month...peach pie, peach cobbler, or please pour me a Bellini?  What's your peach pleasure?  peach tea

 

3. Eleanor Roosevelt once wrote, "Do one thing every day that scares you." Agree or disagree...explain.  Driving is increasingly scary these days…too many people on cell phones and NOT watching the road.

4. What's your favorite household chore?  Yes-you have to name one.  laundry










5. Fodors recently listed (what they've dubbed) the ten most beautiful sunset spots in America. Click here
Have you seen the sun set from any of these spots?  If you could choose to watch the sun set this weekend from one spot on the Fodors List, which would you choose?  Where was the prettiest sunset you've ever seen?  Dana Point, CA 

6. What's your favorite or most used app?  If you don't use apps how about your favorite or most visited website?  OUT OF MILK  … scanner/grocery lists

7. We've recentOUT ly passed the halfway mark for 2013...write a seven word sentence that sums up your year thus far.   Eduring flashes while caring for our mothers.


me and BettyJean



Aunt Ruth, MIL Ann and me

8.  Insert your own random thought here:
PLEASE read yesterday’s post re: my great niece’s on-going journey to a new heart
-or-
visit her site for more information to help.

COTA FOR KATIE

Katie, my great niece, was born in 2006 with several rare heart defects resulting in the right side of her heart not working.  This required intensive medical care just minutes after her birth.


Katie after her Glen surgery @ 3mos.

















Her specific congenital defect is Ebstein's Anomaly, a pulmonary atresia and left ventricle non-compaction (medically speaking: Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome (HRHS), one of the most severe forms of congenital heart defects).  

 

Overall, Katie has undergone 10 major and minor surgeries (recently received 840 'courage beads' (check this out if you've never heard of this group...they were on necklaces/bracelets representing each invasive procedure success.)

Her critical yet successful surgeries helped redirect blood flow in Katie's heart so she could continue to grow, and each phased surgery gave Katie the chance for a normal, happy life for as long as possible.

 

But, as of July 3, her doctors determined there are no other medical options to prolong her life, so Katie has been placed on the heart transplant list as a status 1B outpatient.  The heart transplant team will be reaching them via pager as soon as a 'new heart' becomes available...any hour of the day.

 

She's living life as she knows best, inspiringly smiling every day and uplifting us with her quick ability to laugh while reading, drawing, dancing and dressing like many different princesses!  We've been celebrating her starting first grade this school year...a large milestone for her and her family.



MoMo and Katie

Katie's grandmother, Momo, is my sister, Connie.  She and I are working with several local friends of the family in preparing for various fund raisers which will help them as they go supplement their costs (transplants are costly as are on-going medicines/treatments that will be required to keep her body from rejecting the heart.

The family is being helped through COTA (Children's Organ Transplant Association)...and a very close friend is heading up all the fund raising planning, volunteers and financial details.  What a great friend she is!

I recently participated in my first COTA fund raiser...a canvas painting event...38 people came to paint and support Katie!


my KatieCanvas

 

Katie's right thumbprint is on my heart...she signed & handprinted the back  ;)

Canvasses Completed!

 

I'll be posting more about other events but wanted to share the background now. 

(I'm hoping to have a sidebar button that will go directly to the website where donations can be made to COTA and then properly funneled to the family on an as-needed basis (they have a tax id).  The website is shown at the bottom of the first collage above).


If you can join us to raise funds in some small way, that would be awesome. 

But more importantly, please add Katie (mom, Kerri; daddy, James; little brother, 2yo, Ryan) to your prayers.  Our Lord hears the prayers of the righteous and He's blessed her with many miracles along her path.

Blessings,

5-MIN FRIDAY: STORY TRUTHS

Joining LISA-JO for

I'm being brave, setting my timer, clearing my head... for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.  OK, I'm ready. 
 
Giving my best five minutes on the word:  STORY

GO:

As our parents become older, roles begin to change. What once was our parents watching over us as children begins to reverse.

My sister and I are now asking questions for our mother as she is undergoing medical procedures to reduce leg pain brought on by a pinched nerve in her lower spine.

Her surgeon, wonderfully tall and handsome, so I wondered if his background was long enough & detailed enough to properly handle my mother's case. Of course he's qualified!  My post menopausal brain tends to worry too much even in obvious situations.

As they took mother to surgery, all of her family was there to kiss her cheek, pat her hand and thank the doctor for his help. This story continuing out into the waiting room...everyone remembering one or more of their own past surgeries or childhood injuries.

One uncle recalled injuries from playing in the country, running barefoot and stepping on sharp sticks...pulling them out and granddaddy packing the injuries with salt...which "burned like the dickens", in Terry's words...but they gave him plenty of room to break free and run after granddaddy finished 'packing it'...saying, "He ran about 3 trips around the house before it settled down any".

I'm so thankful mother will not be 'packed with salt' after her surgeon is done with the spinal incision~I doubt he'd let her run around the hospital.

STOP

COME JOIN US OVER AT  LISA-JO'S...