Tuesday Ramblings....

Happy Tuesday!  I haven't updated the blog in a while so I thought it was time.  Plus, I just love that y'all read it.  It is very humbling.


Last week I cut my hair.  It is a combination of the two pictures I posted.  I love it!  It is so easy and fun!!!  Mandy at Freshair is wonderful and so patient with me. :-)  I'm not good at selfies so sorry about the photo.

We also had a quick trip to Branson this weekend with Candra Brasel, Casey Harriman, and their kiddos.  We went to Silver Dollar City, rested, laid out by the pool and ate a lot.  It was so nice.  Here are a few pictures of the kids.  They're so funny.

I've also had some super fun surprise gifts left on our back porch.  I'm not sure who the sweet person(s) is, but THANK YOU!!!!!!! 

Ok.  This is such a cute idea, but it cracked me up!  Look at the title of the project below (the word "pot" is x'd out).  Ha!  I LOVE me a good sense of humor.

Some of our forever friends stopped by last week for a short visit.  We miss them so much.  They've been missionaries in Lima, Peru for the last 2 1/2 years, but have recently moved their mission headquarter to Atlanta.  Woo hoo!!!!!  Their names are Josh and Cassandra Foliart, and they have the most precious kids, Lucas and Sofia.  I'm going to get their mission information and post it soon.  They are so inspiring and the greatest followers of God I know. 

Sofia and Emme (melt my heart, y'all)

Lucas and Eli (born 4 days apart!)

I saw this on Facebook and hee-hawed, because it is SO TRUE.  Especially with Eli and Gabe.  What is the deal?  Anyone else have this happen?  Too funny.

I wanted to ask again that y'all continue to pray for us.  My tumor markers aren't decreasing so we are going a different route.  I'll keep you posted.  I still know God is in control and loves me.  Regardless of what is happening in my body right now.  I know without a doubt He can heal me, and that is my fervent prayer!!!!

XO,
Robin

Diet, VBS, Haircuts, and other things...

This post is a little longer than usual, so you might want to grab your coffee, tea, or whatever you like to drink when you relax. 

Diet
Lately I've been asked by a LOT of you what my diet consists of.  If you don't know, I'm trying to really "clean up" my diet and also add some cancer fighting food and supplements.  Here is a typical day in my life (my sister deserves a PhD for all the research she's done to help me fight cancer.  She is AH-mazing!):

Morning:
- Lypo-spheric vitamin C, 1,000 mg
- Vitamin D
- Capsule of sacred frankincense
- Green smoothie - The ingredients are spinach, water, fresh fruit, ground flax seed, Green Smoothie Girl protein powder, carrot juice, and honey to sweeten.  Go to www.greensmoothiegirl.com to find out more.
- Hot green tea

Morning Snack:
- Trail mix (raw nuts, raisins, cacao chips).  Ozark Natural Foods has some really good options in bulk.

Lunch:
Quark - The ingredients are 6 T organic cottage cheese, 3 T flax oil, Blend. Then whatever to make it taste good.  I typically add honey, and some strawberries or blueberries.  You can also add cacao powder for a chocolate version.  Blend and eat.  The combination of cottage cheese and flax oil helps turn the unhealthy cells in my body to healthy.  Therefore, I can give my immune system a chance to thrive.  Here is a picture of the finished product.

- If I'm still hungry after the quark (it is about 500 calories!) I eat an apple dipped in almond butter, or fresh veggies or fruits. 
- Lypo-spherical Vitamin C, 1,000 mg
- Capsule of sacred frankincense
- Fresh carrot juice

Dinner:
- Fresh veggies or sautéed veggies, and a fresh salad.  I cannot eat dairy or meat right now so I get my protein from the smoothie and the nuts I add to my salads and trail mix.
- For dessert, I eat a dessert from Natural Growers (lurve that store!) called a Chocolate Tart.  All the ingredients are raw, and it tastes sooooo yummy!

Evening Snack:
- If I get hungry at night, I will usually eat watermelon, cherries, or more carrot juice.  It might sound boring, but your body gets used to it all.

Before bed:
- Lypo-spheric Vitamin C, 1,000 mg
- Capsule of frankincense
- Vitamin D

I drink unsweetened tea w/Stevia, Ph balanced water (can buy at Target or health food stores), or hot green tea when I'm thirsty. 

There is a method to all this madness.  I'm trying to get my immune system healthier from all the chemo the past 2 years, and I'm also trying to get it not to spread.  We might still go the chemo route, but I'm doing all this the next few weeks and if I get back on chemo, I will continue to do this, too.  Rest is really, really important, too, so please don't get offended if I say no to things the next few months.  I've just got to take care of myself so I can be here for my family.

It really wouldn't hurt for all of us to eat like the above, but even if you can't, you can incorporate some of this into your diet.  From what my sister has taught me, cancer likes to grow in un-oxygenated areas, and it also likes to form when your liver is broken down and not functioning like it should.  I am convinced the break down of our liver is from all the processed foods we eat. Our liver never gets a chance to detox properly.  We all have cancer cells in our bodies, but when our immune system is down, it gives the cancer cells a chance to take over. 

I've given you the really, really brief overview of my regimen, but feel free to e-mail me at robinmwight@yahoo.com if you have questions.  I admit that I hate talking on the phone, but I'll e-mail or text all day long! 

On a side note, I really do believe in the power of essential oils to help healing.  If you have questions about them please let me know.  I have a catalog I'd be happy to share with you.

Here is a picture of all the things my awesome sister, Terri, brought me last week when she was in town.

Last week's activities

My sister-in-law, Abby, and her 6 kids were here last week.  They mostly played in Grandma's pool, but Eli, Emme, and Jaida (Abby's 5 year old) attended VBS every night and loved it!  Here is a picture of Jaida and Emme before crazy hair day at VBS.  They have on my chemo wigs.  Glad they're getting used again!!!!!!

We also went to the creek one day.  Here is an adorable picture of Juliana (Abby's 3 year old).  They all had a lot of fun playing in the sand, swimming, and having a picnic lunch.

My sister, Terri, and my niece, Rachel, were also here most of last week so we got to be with them over the weekend.  They (my sister, niece Rachel, niece Callie, brother Dan, Eli and Emme) went hiking at Devil's Den Saturday.  Here are a few pics.

Hair
My hair isn't very long, but it's getting more difficult to dry it because of the lymphedema in my left arm so I'm wanting to cut it shorter.  Here are the 2 styles I'm debating.  What do you think?

I think that is it for now.  I'll try to make the next post a little more fun.  Thank you for the continued prayers.  We need prayers for complete healing and also for direction.  Cancer treatment can be very complicated, and we want to make the right decision for me.  I also have chronic pain in my legs and some pain in my lower back from the larger tumor. 

Love you guys a lot!  I'm leaving you with something funny.  Please don't get offended, it's just for fun!
XO,
Robin

Project Jett

I'm pretty sure y'all know by now that I love anything that has to do with decorating.  I watch HGTV, read magazines and inhale blogs.  So when friends ask if I can help them decorate, I am so honored.  Just recently a new friend, Alicia Jett, asked if I could add a little color to her home.  She already had good bones with paint and furniture, but I just added some pops of color using pillows, window treatments, and accessories.  Alicia is very easy to work with, and I have had a blast helping her. 

I thought I would share a few before and after photos to prove that it doesn't take much to add a little life to your home.

Before entry:

 
After entry:

Before living area:

After living area:

Before kitchen:

After kitchen:

Bathroom After (couldn't find the before pictures):

Hope you enjoyed the tour!!!!
XO,
Robin

Health Update and Family Fun!

I hope y'all had a fabulous 4th of July.  It's one of my favorite holidays.  I love why we celebrate, and the decorating side of me loves all the red, white, and blue.  We spent our holiday weekend in Jonesboro at the ball fields.  The Huntsville 8's All Star Team did so well.  I am so proud of them.  Their first game was rained out so we finished it Saturday and won.  We played another game Saturday and won that one, too.  That put us in 3rd place which allowed us to play in the quarter finals Sunday morning.  We lost that game, but we had fun.  Here are a few pictures of the weekend.

 

Eli turned 9 last Wednesday.  I know I sound like a typical mom, but it honestly seems like yesterday when we were bringing him home from the hospital.  He is funny, smart as a whip,  quit witted, and kind to others.  And he really loves Jesus.
We (Gabe) bought him a bow for his big birthday present.  You would have thought we gave him a million dollars.  He is following in Gabe's footsteps regarding hunting.  Sniff.  Sniff.  I'll never get used to seeing a dead deer in the back of Gabe's truck, but it's just everyday life around this house. 

Eli and I had a mom/son date yesterday.  It was much needed and very fun.  First, we took his bow to Southtown Sporting Goods to get the pressure adjusted.  They are so nice.  If you ever need hunting/fishing/outdoor gear consider Southtown.  They are a local business in Fayetteville, and I'm all about supporting local businesses.  Plus, they sell our fishing lures (PJ's Finesse Baits).  That is a post I would love to share one day. 
So, after Southtown I asked Eli where he wanted to eat.  Answer: GOLDEN CORRAL.  Why do kids love that place so much?  Is it the chocolate fountain?  Is it the macaroni and cheese?  Someone please tell me. 

 A picture of Eli's plate.  Yes, that is a pancake next to French fries.  Oh well.  It was his day.

 The day was a success.  I believe we can never "date" our kids enough.  It is the best way to keep the communication lines open between a child and their parent.  Gabe is good about taking Emme on dates, too.  We MUST spend time with our kids and listen to them.  Really listen.  You'll learn a lot.


I cannot get enough of baby Charlotte and George.  They are so darn cute!!!!!  How about you?  Do you love to stalk, I mean look at their pictures, too? :-)

Ok.  On to the health stuff.  We met with Dr. Beck Monday, and he confirmed that a few of the tumors on my liver are bigger.  There are also a few new ones, but not an alarming amount and their sizes aren't very large.  We saw the images, and I have come a long way since last July.  So, that is positive.  The cancer hasn't spread to anywhere else in my body either which is a relief.  We still need a lot of prayer, though.  Please continue to pray for complete healing/remission.  I don't know if God will heal me quickly or slowly, but I know He can heal me completely.  I pray I learn everything I am supposed to during this time of waiting, too.  That's a gift even if it doesn't seem like it at the time. 
Dr.Beck has a clinical trial he would like me to start, but part of the small print is that I must have been given all standard chemo drugs to make sure this is a last resort, if you will.  Does that make sense?  I am not wanting to have the "standard" chemo meds, because the side effects are numbness of fingers, change in blood count, some nausea, and complete hair loss.  Can we say Groundhog Day? It is not quite as horrible as my first round of chemo 2 years ago, but it's still not pleasant.  I am at a stand still right now while Beck sends my blood work off for a biopsy to make sure my tumor cells have not morphed into something new.  I also am taking 2 weeks off of taking any chemo to make sure most of it's out of my body before starting something else.  In this 2 week interim, I am following my cancer diet very closely.  No cheating.  Gabe and I are hoping it helps get my tumor markers down.  Beck will draw blood again in 2 weeks to see where the markers are.  If they are down, we might go ahead with strictly using diet for a while to decrease tumors.  If it isn't working, we'll have to consider the chemo option.  Please, please pray that Gabe and I have clarity for next steps.  My body is really feeling the side effects of being on chemo for 2 years, and a break would be great.  I know our God is much bigger than my cancer so I am praying for His healing touch all day long.  It's nice to know we can talk to God any time.  He's probably sick of hearing from me by now. :-)  Gabe knows the feeling.

I love you my sweet friends.  I know most of you are fervently praying for my healing, and I appreciate you so much.  I can't say that enough.  You are Aaron and I am Moses.....you hold my arm up when I can't do it any longer (Exodus 17:12). 

Have a great Wednesday!!!!
XO,
Robin