Flowers & Tears

Hello friends. I am post-op 6 days after my surgery that I had on Monday! I thought I would do a little update. I am doing well on the most part. Yesterday and today has been the hardest so far. The pain is mild and not really that bad thankfully.  

I went outside for about 5 minutes today to see the outdoors, get a change of scenery, and hopefully brighten my mood. I will be honest today has been emotionally hard. There have been tears. Lots of tears today. I am not sure why, but I feel so DONE with this all and I know I have so much longer. I think the fact that I know how much longer I have and I truly do not have a choice is weighing on me. A lot of people keep saying embrace this time. I appreciate the sentiment but to be honest I feel I have embraced this season fairly well and truly I am ready to embrace something different. I will be obedient to the Lord's will for me and embrace this stillness. He is Sovereign and in control and knows the plans He has for me. But it is okay I have tears at times.

Isn't this lantana beautiful?! My granny always had lantana on her porch. When I see it, I always think of how much she loved it. 

I love this pot with the mix of lantana and other flowers. It brings a smile to me every single time I see it.

Anyhoo... back to the recovery. My incisions so far are doing well. I do have some pain but in places I wasn't expecting. I will say my stomach so far (as of today) just feels bloated and a little crampy. Coughing has NOT been easy nor fun. I often forget and go to laugh and cough and it is very uncomfortable. I FINALLY got to wash my hair today! Showers are very exhausting. Who would think it would feel like you ran a marathon after a shower. Well, I can testify this is the case. Imagine me and my extremely long hair being washed and dried. NOT FUN! But I am glad it is washed and feels a lot fresher. 

Back to the emotions....I think the fact that I know I will be down for a while and already have been down really has truly been getting to me. It is getting old. Very old. I have tried to be joyful in the midst of it all but today I just want to allow myself to be okay with the feelings that I am sad, tired of it and ready to be back to normal. I don't even know what normal feels like to be honest. From March until now my health has not been good and it has been a long journey. One that I have tried to handle with positivity and grace. Today, I just want to be okay with the tears. I want to be okay that I am frustrated and tired.

(This Wandering Jew plant aka...Tradescantia zebrina... we have had for years and I love it)

Wandering outside and taking some pictures of our small flowerbed and potted flowers was nice. Guess what..... I was crying while doing it. LOL! I was thankful for the peace, the beauty of flowers, and being able to even get outside. My situation could be worse. I was emotional and wanting to get back to normal. 

This is the thing.... I wish all I had going on that was trying and difficult is recovering from surgery and a long stint of health issues. For personal reasons there are things I will not share on my blog. I will say, that while I have been dealing with this, I also have had some major personal things going on as well that has been life changing and difficult. We all have stories! Some we share and some we do not. Grace is always important. 

Oh, this flower turned out so good. Seeing this reminded me how much I love taking pictures in nature. I miss my hikes and nature walks. I have so many beautiful images from my times on trails.

As you know if you are a regular visitor, I try to keep my blog positive as can be and share how I overcome life's hard moments finding little joys and embracing each season that comes my way. Today though for my own journaling and remembrance I want to share that this part of this surgery and recovery has been hard. You know what.... that's okay. It is okay that I am being raw and honest. 

I am so thankful for all of you that have emailed me, commented and blessed me with a happy mail package. I am beyond grateful and treasure you all. I have been so blessed and reminded I am not alone. I will share some of the Love Packages I have received in a different post soon. JUST KNOW I AM BEYOND THANKFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am going to end this post and finish my movie I am watching. I watch a little of it and then I pause and do something else and then watch some more. 

It is called Sheep Detectives. It is interestingly neat. :) I will let you know my final thoughts. 

Tomorrow is a new day! 

With Love,

Chrissy T

The Little Things...

Hello friends. I have been pinning a lot of beautiful quotes lately. I want to share some pins that have brought me a smile, a little joy or makes me ponder! :) 

All images I am sharing are from Pinterest. 

I just love this white and yellow. It speaks sunny summer with a smile.

There is really nothing like the above statement. It is so true!

Yes, so true!!!!

The Little Women author is so correct on the sentiment above. I just love that movie by the way. It has been a long time since I have watched it. 

I hope you all have a lovely weekend. 

Chrissy T

Birthday Goodies

Hello everyone. Yesterday was a little harder with the recovery process but I survived and today is a new day. I do feel decent today. Exhaustion and all over body soreness is the biggest thing I am dealing with.

Yesterday was my birthday. It was pretty okay considering recovery. My mom blessed me with a beautiful card and gift card. My husband also gifted me one of the prettiest cards I truly ever have seen. It had an actual little frame and ribbon on it. I loved it. The card had such a beautiful writing and meaning as well. Along with some flowers for me to enjoy from my bed and another gift card it was a perfect happy for me. 

Our Assistant Pastor Wife brought a meal for us last night and it was delicious. It was Ranch Chicken on top of potatoes and topped with crumbled bacon, corn and an Oreo Layer Dirt Cake dessert. She also gave me a birthday happy! It was such a nice blessing. 

Our daughter, Hannah, has been coming over after work to help her dad get meals served and clean the kitchen. She also fixes my plate and then visits with me a little. She works really hard long days, so I appreciate her to doing this. She had already taken me for a pedicure before my surgery, but she surprised me with my favorite mini cake from Nothing Bundt Cake (Carrot Cake) and gifted me some Bath and Body Works. It was so sweet and such a surprise!

I haven't eaten the cake yet because we were gifted that Oreo dessert from our sister from church. So, I will enjoy the little carrot cake later today. 

To be honest, I am not able to eat much truly. I have been doing very light and soft foods. Scrambled eggs in the morning, soup for lunch and whatever someone brings (our church is doing a meal train for us for a few days) for dinner. I will eat a small portion of the dinner provided. I have to be careful due to many digestion issues certain foods can cause that cannot be good on my tummy during this time. 

Today has been a little blah to be honest. I had to get out of this bedroom. I have been walking a little around the home to prevent blood clots and etc. but I just needed some sun. I hobbled outdoors for about 5 minutes to enjoy some warmth and sun. I looked a little at my new Victoria magazine. It has so many beautiful pictures! I couldn't focus to read it much though.

I have lot of things swirling in my head on how to survive the next few weeks being down. I will share with you all tomorrow. 

I am daily enjoying my special devotion time with the Lord in the morning. 

My summer Bible Study is by Daily Grace Co. It isn't overly complicated and the message is what I need right now. 

I am also going through this book above. :) I also love these daily little devotionals I get from Revive Our Hearts. 

I am having a hard time concentrating while reading but I am going to keep this a priority because in the end it will be beneficial!!! 

I hope you all have a good day!

Sleep, Rest, Light Walk, Medicine, Eat and Repeat

Hello friends. I am recovering well so far from Monday's surgery. All of my prayers were answered, and I am thankful for that!!! I am spending all most all of my time in bed for now.  I do get up and do a light 2-5 minute slow "shuffle" walk as my doctor requested every couple of hours to prevent blood clots, gas build up and to help aid in recovery. It is not fun to stand up at first, but it really hasn't been too terrible. 

My mom sent me three stickers by number books to work on as I am resting. I enjoyed doing some pages today. I slept off and on, rested by doing some Bible stuff and these books, then I would sleep some more, take medication, get up and shuffle 😆 walk and then rest again, and sleep. It is like a Wash, Rinse, and Repeat Cycle. :) I am eating soft light foods for a few days. 

I am not perfect at lining the stickers up because I am a little shaky still from pain, medicine and I am so cold no matter what I have on. I am usually hot natured, but I am freezing!

I will get better at lining up the stickers but for now it distracts me and brings me joy! I have my little bed tray I bought on clearance last month and it works perfect for this situation. It was on sale for $9.98. It was an excellent mark down for such an item. It has come in so handy for my meals, reading and stuff. 

I put on some folk instrumental cozy music and stickered away. It was a great little joy to me. I am thankful for my mom getting me the books. 

Here are some quotes that I love that I want to share. I found them on Pinterest!

Anyhoo... today is my birthday! I am celebrating from bed! I am just grateful to have another day! 

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Blessings,

Chrissy T

It Went Well

All went well with my hysterectomy this morning. I am home already. Prayers appreciated for my recovery. Thank you all! 

It's All About Him & Prayer Request

Today I am honoring my husband and father to our kiddos. I am thankful for Derrick. He is a wonderful person that carries a lot of weight for us as a family, on his job and as a Pastor of a growing church plant. It is a lot of pressure on him; I am thankful for his dedication, love and support. 

This is my husband with our two older children, Ethan and Hannah at church this morning.

We had a lovely day at church honoring all the fathers and also giving honor to our Ultimate Heavenly Father. I know not everyone has great stories or experiences in the fathering department. I understand. I am one of those. I am however extremely blessed that I have this amazing heavenly father that never leaves me and always holds my hand.... Thank you, Jesus!

Our two oldest children, my daughter's boyfriend (Clayton) and myself with the man of the hour! 

I had a wonderful lady that took on the responsibility of organizing and executing a special Father's Day for the men of our church. She did an amazing job. I normally do it and I was so thankful she stepped in and helped me by taking this off my plate this year due to my health. 

She did a super cute set up for families to get photos! It turned out so well!!! I loved it! All the men thought it was great as well. 

Each man received a box of goodies as a sign of our appreciation. We always give a small gift to men and women on Mother's and Father's Day. 

We also had three baptisms today! It was a full, exciting and wonderful day! My husband preached about the Responsibility of a Man. It was wonderful message and truly counter cultural for today's time. I am so thankful he is a Biblically grounded man and stands on principles. 

My husband praying with some of the sweetest children from Nigeria today that went through a lesson for children with their dad and wanted to be baptized today! Not showing their faces for privacy reasons. 

The church also surprised my husband with a gift of snacks, cards and little gifts in the basket for Father's Day! This is a wonderful helper in the church, and he doesn't mind I show his face. :) 

After all of church activities our grown kiddos and Hannah's Boyfriend joined us for a grill out. My husband LOVES and I MEAN LOVES to grill. So, that is what he wanted to do. We had burgers, baked beans, potato salad and my daughter made brownies. 

We showered him with some cards and gift cards! The kiddos (I still call them this even though they are adults) all went their ways. Derrick and I are relaxing and just enjoying the calmness after a busy day!

Yesterday was busy as he and I worked at preparing our home, getting the kitchen prepped, and all my medicines and items needed for my surgery and recovery that is scheduled tomorrow. 

I have to be at the hospital at 5:30 am tomorrow! EARLY! Please say a prayer for me if you do not mind. I will be honest I have had so much peace but today I am very very anxious. Nervous bad. Sick to my stomach nervous. Will you pray that surgery goes well, I do not lose much blood to avoid a transfusion, that recovery goes well, and they do not have to take my ovaries. I would appreciate it so much!

Thank you to those that have emailed me to encourage me! I have felt alone a lot of the time these past few months due to being at home and dealing with all this, but this blog has bought me such joy and fellowship! Thank you!

Spring Bucket List Recap (Complete)

Hello friends. For those that are aware of everything health related going on with me you will know that I made a simplified bucket list for the spring with the goal of enjoying the list before June 21st. My surgery is this Monday! I will be honest I am beginning to get super anxious about it. Before I share my list and what all I did.... if you have had a hysterectomy and have any recovery tips and things that made the recovery better, I would love for you to share.

Without further ado...

Here are some pictures of how I enjoyed my list. It for sure isn't my normal list. I am used to hiking, waterfalls and adventure. Even so, I really enjoyed this slower paced list and found joy in the simple and slower pace in this season of my life. 

The first thing on my list was to make a summer reading list. I thought this would be fun to research, plan and have a good stack of books before surgery that I could have ready and on hand while I recover. I am glad I did this and it was fun watching and reading reviews and making my list. I share my list with you all yesterday. You can check that post here. 

The new spring recipe I tried was Carrie's from Northwoods Scrapbook Blog Homemade Twix bars. They were amazing.

I did a little breakfast picnic with bible reading and journaling when I went to visit a new to me state park which was also on my list. While it wasn't the picnic I envisioned it worked and it was perfect. 

I also got to enjoy an indoor themed picnic for our church ladies summer gathering.

For my one of my fun outings (my goal was one, but I did a few more) I went to a unique fun produce stand. 

My daughter took me out yesterday (Thursday) on her lunch break from work to treat me to a pedicure for my birthday next week and before surgery. We just had time for the pedicure due to her timed lunch break, but I was so thankful to have some time with her. 

I made a fun drink this spring. I did enjoy it and I shared the recipe when I shared about it on this post. 

I finished the first part of the Original Anne of Green Gables. I will complete the LONG series during recovery, but I wanted to watch the first part and I did. :) I always enjoy Anne of Green Gables. My husband joined in with me and enjoyed it so much. He had never watched it.

Spring puzzle was accomplished. It was a little bit of a challenge, but it was a pretty puzzle. 

I was happy to check off visiting a "new to me" state park in Mississippi. About three years ago I set a goal to visit every state park before I turn 50. My goal was to hike at them but unfortunately in our state the trails are not always maintained, and some do not even make it a priority to have any trails at all. Lakes and fishing are a bigger deal. This park didn't have a trail (which even if they had I couldn't have physically hiked) so I enjoyed a breakfast picnic, journaling, driving through the park, walking on the lake pier and sitting in the sun for a bit. I did enjoy this park but probably would not make the drive again to it.

I read these two books. I read more this spring, but when I simplified my list, I wanted to read two more before the end of spring. These are the two I read. They were good then until they started having a little language in the last book. I just thought it was pointless due to the nature and setting of the book. There was no need.  I probably will not finish the series. I did really enjoy them though. The are the Black Feather Mystery of her series. Cozy and sometimes comical simple mysteries. 

For my childlike fun moment.... I walked in the rain and puddles. I loved doing that as a child. My mom would let us play in the rain as long as it wasn't thundering, lightening or cold. I walked in the light drizzle and kicked around in the puddles. It was highly worth it and I believe that while I may look like I was crazy to my neighbors I am the one that was beaming with joy at the end of the day. I can't explain it; it was quite joyful and freeing. 

I finished this wonderful Bible study that I wanted to complete this spring last week. I really needed it and loved it a lot. It is from Daily Grace Co.

I also completed this short BUT MIGHTY POWERFUL booklet (devo) from Revive Our Hearts. It was fantastic and carried me through this rough patch I have been going through. 

My last item on my list was to bring someone JOY! Every bucket list I make seasonally I like to do a Random Acts of Kindness/Bring Someone JOY! I don't usually share what I do because I kind of like keeping it to myself. Sometimes I may share an idea or something I do to inspire or give fresh ideas for others to apply. I will keep private this time what I did, BUT I did several things to bring joy to others. I enjoy doing so. Sometimes it is micro mini things and sometimes it's bigger more meaningful life changing things. :) I would encourage that you listen to your gut, heart and follow the spirit if you feel led to help someone or even send someone a little card or text of encouragement. :) 

Thank you for coming along with me as I share my Spring Bucket List Recap!  

Summer List will come soon!

Blessings, 

Chrissy T