~MY NEW LIVING ROOM/DINING ROOM~

ALL BECAUSE OF THIS SOFA MOM FOUND FOR ME at SALVATION ARMY for $37.50....And not to mention, ALL THOSE BLOGS and FRIENDS who have given me INSPIRATION!!!! THANK YOU!!!!

PLEASE READ MY PAST BLOG POST click HERE Before you finish looking at the rest of these pictures.

AND IT ALL STARTED in January, the day before I left for California to visit Anna.......ALL BECAUSE THAT SOFA from the Salvation Army for $37.50!!!!!
THIS IS WHAT it looks like now after Mom and I redid it this past week. PLEASE UNDERSTAND, it is still a work in progress....I am still trying to redo some of the shelves in my big cupboards (keeping only what is near and dear to my heart....the rest is going to be sold on the website) Also, I just added the chandelier about 20 minutes ago and still not sure if I am going to keep it there or not. The rest of the light fixtures I WILL be painting, I just ran out of time. You have no idea how much work it was to take everything down (I had to wash it all and pack it away in boxes as I can't stand to put dirty stuff in storage) There is NO WAY I could have done all of this without my Mom.....The colors I used were Ballet Slipper, Petal Pink, Bright White, Queen Anne's Lace and Pitter Patter. (Did you know I have a TOTAL OBSESSION with the NAMES of PAINTS!!!! And usually pick them out because of their names.....LOL)
Mom painted 10 pieces of furniture and helped me with the walls. The longest day I painted was last Saturday for 14 hours straight. Needless to say, I am EXHAUSTED!!!!BUT IT WAS SO WORTH IT and there is NO WAY I could have done this without Mom!!!! SHE ROCKS!!!! Also, last week, I was without Internet for almost 5 days and it was the LAST WEEK my shop was open, so now I am trying to get that shut down and redone so I can get more pretties on the website for you!!!! Enjoy the pictures and I hope you get a kick out of what it looked like when we moved in, when we re-did it and now how I have it....THE WAY I WANTED IT in the first place!!!! All Bob wanted was his big screen TV and his chair....all the rest is cosmetic to him. He got what he wanted and I FINALLY Have it the way I wanted it all along!!!! I AM THRILLED!!!!

CHECK OUT THOSE SHUTTERS.....From an Antique Shop in Cascade Iowa. The coffee table is made from OLD BARN BOARDS in WISCONSIN...the bottom was blue (as you can see from the old pictures) and MOM painted it PITTER PATTER for me!!!!


With or without the Chandelier....I am still deciding

My chairs are all red leather (ALL BOUGHT SECOND HAND....yeah, like I can afford new furniture) So I took my old chenille spreads and quilts and covered them up. User friendly for the kids and I can just throw them in the wash to clean them!!!! YEAH!!!!


NOTICE THE CLOCK, My cousin Mark made that and my Mom painted it PITTER PATTER TOO!!!


View from the FRONT PICTURE WINDOW looking SOUTH into the BACK PICTURE WINDOW, my dream is to have this all knocked out and FRENCH DOORS added with a deck coming off of it. SOMEDAY when I AM RICH....LOL

Fireplace Mantle (it's 9 feet long!!!!) with Stone City Iowa Stone

The Silver Service is my Mom's....she gave it to me and I think it looks perfect there.

Corner of the Mantle (Found the LONG MIRROR in Temecula, California on my second trip out there, it's one of my favorites and always reminds me of Anna)

TWO old etched mirrors......some of many I have but these were my favorite above the fireplace as they are HUGE!!!!

Other side of the fireplace, with a STANDING ROSE BOUQUET and my GRANDMA VANHAL'S PINK VASE from HOLLAND

My NINE FOOT LONG Stone City, Iowa STONE FIREPLACE that Bob got up to code and works like a charm. I LOVE IT and I have already had 4 fires in it...It's SOOOOO COOL!!!!

View as you come down the hallway from the bathroom and the bedrooms.

Another VIEW as you come DOWN the hallway from the bathroom or bedrooms

Bob made the benches for me and they were painted Hunter Green to go with the old Camp/Lodge Look we used to have. Mom painted these PITTER PATTER for me (they look blue in this picture but I think it was just the angle of the camera and the way the sun was coming in the windows)

THE "CASHIER" Please Pay Here sign is going in my shop when it re-opens in April

THE KITCHEN IS ENTIRELY NEW....If you look back at the old photos, everything had to be taken down to the studs and the sub flooring...IT WAS REALLY BAD. I DID NOT paint my cupboards, they were bought this way from Home Depot!!!!

Coming in from the back porch.....go east and you go to the Living Room/Dining Room and down the hall to 3 bedrooms and full bathroom. To the west, you walk into my kitchen and the door to my shop (also, there is a little breakfast area where the kids have their computer set up) This will totally be different as I am going to sell all of my cake pedestals....I just don't use them!!!!

One of many pieces of furniture MY MOM BUILT!!!! SHE'S GOT TALENT!!!!

Close up of the cupboard MY MOM BUILT!!!!

Coming in from the back (south) porch

LOOKING OUT THE NORTH PICTURE WINDOW

Child Size Church Pew provides extra seating around the 7 foot pine harvest table

Bought this Child Size Church Pew from my Mom's Sale.....She painted it Petal Pink for me!!!! I LOVE IT and I got the wool tied blue vintage quilt from California when I was there visiting a couple years back.

MY BELOVED "PITTER PATTER" Vintage Table.....The PINK PEONIES are from HOLLAND!!!! Also bought from a moving sale. The lady told me about them and so I HAD TO HAVE THEM being my Grandma was from Holland!!!!

Bob's Big Chair and the shutters are "AS IS" I didn't touch them paint wise.

My First Mosaic piece, a yard long window I placed vertically in the door window and gotta love those arched shutters

AND THAT SOFA THAT STARTED IT ALL......I LOVE IT!!!! This is looking out of the SOUTH PICTURE WINDOW. Door on the side is to the back porch (or the mud room...or the PIT, is what I call it....LOL)

THIS HUGE Cupboard was all primitive when I bought it....I got tired of that phase and painted it white (back at my old cottage house) then I painted it yellow when we moved in here, and now Mom painted it PETAL PINK by Martha Stewart. On the top is an OLD ROUND Birdcage I had painted Ballet Slipper Pink years ago and no one ever bought it in the shop (I only had $14.00 on it) so glad it didn't sell as I lined the bottom with vintage sheet music and added white twinkle lights. It's soooo pretty at night. And a few years back, Longaberger came out with PINK BASKETS for just one month only, I bought 3 of the 5 they were offering and wished now I would have bought more. They look so cute up on the big cupboard.

THE QUEEN ANNE'S LACE CUPBOARD MY DADDY BUILT

The Sign I got from Polly at PollyAnns Antiques in Mt. Vernon Iowa!!! I LOVE IT!!!

Another view of the of the cupboard MISS BECKY from SweetCottageDreams made the Pocket Pillow for me and I got the OLD HORSE TROPHY Ribbons in Cascade, Iowa, same day I got those awesome shutters. I got the other ribbons from Andrea, at www.OneHundredWishes.com I have an AWESOME OVAL Barbola Roses Frame that I will be putting them into, I was just waiting for the paint to dry on it (Mom painted it for me too)

Old ORIGINAL PINK Laundry basket I have had for years (I think I got this from Mom, she found it up in Rochester, MN one year when she was antiquing) I used it to HIDE ALL THOSE UGLY CORDS.

A better straight on view of the tall Queen Anne's Lace Cupboard my Daddy built.

Lots of pretties that I have had and some Austria plates that never sold on the website. The inside of the cupboard is called "CELERY" from Sherwin Williams, bought that quart at an estate sale for 50 cents. Got the BUNNY Rabbits from a sweetie gal Tami on ETSY, She has AWESOME STUFF, SUPER TALENTED and I have bought lots from her already.

Side View from Bob's Chair and Front Picture Window to the West. My Daddy build that tall cupboard, it's painted QUEEN ANNE'S LACE from Sherwin Williams (I picked up a quart of it at an estate sale for 50 cents). It has been painted so many different colors since I aquired it. It was originally all pine.....He would kill me if he knew how many times I have painted it....LOL. I bought that adorable Barkcloth Covered Stool uptown Marion at an antique shop and the Child Size Vanity is INCREDIABLE!!! Never seen one like it, probably never will. It too, was in my shop and didn't sell. YIPPY SKIPPY FOR ME!!!

I couldn't sell this vintage vanity in the shop for $68.00 (It came with the mirror too), so I took the mirror off and it fit the big screen tv perfectly, so glad it didn't sell!!!! I painted the vanity BRIGHT WHITE from the gallon of paint I used on the walls from Dutch Boy at Wal-mart and the BALLET SLIPPER paint is from Ace Hardware in Mt Vernon (it's spray paint)

Hope you enjoyed the tour of my home.....more to come as I get things tweeked.

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!!
Pray for our troops, HUGS AND LOVE, Amy
(REMEMBER....you can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them for better viewing)

~I'm Here~ Just SUPER BUSY~

MISS MADDI....years ago....LOOK at the TIARA CROWN on her HEAD!!!! She was eating a graham cracker.....LOL

Hey Everyone,

I haven't fallen off the blogging block....I am still here, just super busy!!!! I was without Internet for quite a while as my virus protection was fighting with MSN and well, needless to say, I got it figured out and everything is back to normal.

While Bob was gone for 8 days to North Dakota hunting, Mom and I did a TOTAL MAKE OVER of the living room and dining room. IT LOOKS FABULOUS and I will post pictures as soon as possible.

KRISTI says "THANK YOU" to everyone who is writing to her and to "Please let them know there is no possible way I can write back as my time is so limited that by the end of the night from 8 to 9 pm when they can write home, I am so exhausted, I just fall into bed"

CLICK HERE -----> THIS IS WHAT OUR HOUSE LOOKED LIKE when we moved in and then all the REMODEL we did ourselves....I will post pictures of what Mom and I did while Bob was gone on tomorrows blog post!!!!

Hugs to everyone.......HAPPY NOVEMBER, Amy

~TO BREAST CANCER PATIENTS~

This is my letter to Deena from Can I be Pretty In Pink.....I wanted it to be an OPEN LETTER to all breast cancer patients so that maybe, even from all the help I have given so far with this journey of cancer.....this too, might help in the long run!!!! (PS...there is FOUL LANGUAGE in this....please be advised)

GOD BLESS US EVERYONE....I WANT THE OLD ME BACK and today, one year since my last chemo treatment, THERE IS NO NEW AMY.....just a beat up, feeling like crap most days Amy. So here goes the letter!!!!

My Sweet Deena,

If it's any consolation to you, I wish I would have never had the implants...they hurt ALL THE TIME and especially when I get dehydrated, and boy can I tell when that is happening, more now since going thru cancer/surgery/chemo than ever before. I should have just had them sew me up flat chest-ed and just got the super padded bras or those fake inserts that go into your bra...LOL....maybe in a year or so when I feel back to myself will I think differently but if I knew then, what I know now, I would NOT have put myself thru all that pain.

My nipples never took and the tattooing (had that done 2 times now) has faded to a light shade of ORANGE!!! (it was SUPER ORANGE the first time ) and one nipple was in an upside down "Q" shape, so I had a 2nd tattooing done, which never took and made it even more ORANGE!!! Also, the UPSIDE DOWN "Q" is a left over scar from them "trying" to make nipples out of the extra skin. HA!!!! WHAT A JOKE THAT SURGERY WAS!!!!
So I am what would you say, "A little PISSED OFF" pardon my French but that's how I feel and it was never told to me that the nipple surgery "might not work" nor would the "tattoos, might not work either"......LIARS LIARS PANTS ON FIRES!!!!
LOL...on a good note, I am alive, hurting most days with the neuropathy in my back, the neurotic emotional basket case from my hormones out of wack and trying to decide if my period wants to come back or if I want to continue going thru menopause (this is not my choice, it's my body fighting itself)....so, you see, it's not just a cut and dry thing with this ugly word CANCER. And, I don't want it to define who I am anymore so I am not participating in anything to do with cancer, I have even started to stop telling people I had it.....I just want to forget it all and move on...I know that sounds bad, but it works for me right now. I have even considered taking off everything on my blog and website about me having cancer, but I continue to get emailed weekly, I kid you not, the emails that come in, about how my journey and pictures have helped so many women. So that my friend, is why I keep it on the blog and the website.
Who knows, we only go with what the doctors tell us, because like I have said before, it's uncharted territory for us. We have NO IDEA what we are doing, at least with child birth, we had some clue, at least at the dentist, we have some clue. But this cancer thing is the pits. It's not just oh, you had cancer, went thru lots of surgeries, lots of chemo and now you are done, you should be better. WELL, WE AREN'T.....this is a life time thing, the AFTERMATH of it all, oh, and let us not forget the 8, YES EIGHT Teeth I had to have pulled because the chemo killed them. I am left with only 3 molars left, 2 of which are going to have to be pulled soon before they too, crumble into a million pieces.

I want to forgot I had cancer.....but my body won't let me. I am a 42 year old woman in her prime who feels like she has been beaten hard and put thru the ringer.....I have a body of a 90 year old. All F=ed up and not normal. So that's about all......that sums it up....ONE YEAR SINCE MY LAST CHEMO and I still feel the aftermath of it all, so do my friends and so does my family.

CANCER SUCKS!!!!

That's all Folks....

Amy

~Kristi HASN'T received ANY MAIL~Can YOU write to her?~

Oh, where do I start~!!!!! I just got a letter from my Kristi girl in Army Basic Training with the first line reading....Hey Mom, so, I haven't gotten any letters yet (with a BIG FROWNY FACE) but I'm keeping my HEAD UP (with an arrow pointing up) My battle buddy shares her mail with me.

TALK ABOUT RIPPING MY GUTS OUT HERE....I HAVE BEEN WRITING, I HAVE BEEN WRITING EVERY DAY.....I am so upset and crying and I can only imagine how my little girl feels right now, she's probably thinking everyone has abandoned her. I am so upset....so I am going to get to the bottom of this.If anyone would like to write, here is her address:
E1, O’NEILL, Kristine
A Co 2/60th INF REGT
BLDG 11000
2nd PLT REAPERS
FORT JACKSON, SC 29207
PS….Please be sure to write a big #2 on the BACK of the envelope

SHE IS AT THE TOP OF HER CLASS OF 58 GUYS and GIRLS!!!! I am SOOOO PROUD OF HER.... Bob is calling around and I have called the Red Cross to see if we can find out why she isn't getting her letters. The Chaplin seems to be the way to go....we have a message in to the Chaplin there at Fort Jackson and I know it might sound trivial to some of you, but when you are writing your child everyday and they are getting NO MAIL from ANYONE......something is wrong.

Hugs and Love and try to have a great weekend, I will, as soon as I get to the bottom of this....

Amy

(PS....as of Sunday October 19th, 2008, we found out Kristi got some of her mail....THANK YOU GOD!!!! Her spirits are UP and it has done wonders for her.....PLEASE KEEP WRITING!!!)

~A LETTER FROM KRISTI~

THE LAST PICTURES of my BIG GIRLS before Kristi left for

Army Basic Training Boot Camp From L to R: Me, Kristi, Ashley and Alli
From L to R: Alli, Kristi, Ashley

I cannot believe I forgot to check my mail yesterday....in all the junk mail was a little envelope from Kristi.....SHE FINALLY has an address I can write her back at!!! YIPPY SKIPPY!!!

SHE IS IN:

A CO 2/60th INF REGT

2nd PLT REAPERS

Here is her letter:

HEY ALL!

Wow these last 3 days have been way busy & crazy. This is all moving faster then I thought it would. We got our weapons today M16A2 rifles. We learned how to take them apart & put them together! We take them everywhere with us. Right now I am in red phase it's 3 weeks of HELL! But if our platoon performs we can get better privileges. I am in Alpha Company Platoon 2! (2nd Platoon) We have big shoes to fill b/c I guess 2nd platoon has been the best for a while. We should do good but we do have a few dumbasses (lol) we got smoked for an hour the other day (smoked: pushups & upper arm conditioning) but we learned so I hope there is not to much more of that. We have victory tower Monday which is like a big obstacle course with a 40 foot repel wall! I am excited! But then Friday, (10th) is the gas chamber, way nervous. We have to say the Soldiers Creed (memorized) look that up, it's LONG! But I am going to pray at church on Sunday lol. Anyways, I got to get some sleep. I miss you all very much! I love you all very much! Love, Kristi

PS. When writing back, write a big #2 on the back of the envelope! LOVE YA!

BELOW IS THE SOLDIERS CREED!!!

The current version of the Soldier's Creed is a product of the "Warrior Ethos" program authorized by Army Chief of Staff Eric K. Shinseki in May 2003. It was first presented to senior Army leaders on June 7, 2003.The Soldiers Creed was approved in its current format by the Army Chief of Staff Peter Schoomaker on the 24th of November of 2003. The introduction of the Soldiers Creed kicked off a campaign known as Task Force Soldier. This was a commitment by senior leadership to the soldiers of the Army. Task Force Soldier is a leadership commitment to soldiers ensuring that they are prepared for combat and embody the Warrior Ethos that is contained in the Soldiers Creed. It seems to have been discussed in Congress in a "Hearing on Army Issues" held by Senator John W. Warner on or about November 19, 2003.[It was first published in the magazine Infantry on December 22, 2003.
I am an American Soldier.
I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.
I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.
I am an expert and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy, the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.
Some soldiers shout "hooah" at the conclusion of the Soldier's Creed, but it is not included in the creed itself.
The U.S. Army Warrior Ethos is a set of standards that all U.S. Army soldiers are encouraged to live by. It is meant to be the core embodiment of the soldier's mission. It has been incorporated into the Soldier's Creed.

(thanks to WIKI for that info)

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE for your THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS for My Kristi Girl. Please if you can find it in your heart, continue to pray for her. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!

Love and Hugs, Amy

(PS...if ANYONE would like to write to her, please email me and I will be thrilled to give you her address....)

JUST ONE more PS....I am making hand made treasures and they are at ETSY and as always FREE SHIPPING!!!! IT'S GREAT TO BE QUEEN!!!!

~I WON~I WON~I WON~

I WON the "HONEY" of a GIVEAWAY from Judy at Brocante And Etc.

I am soooo excited as you see, I have won a few giveaways on blogs but never heard a word or received the prize after I contacted them and gave them my address and everything. Kind of a down-er. I have NO DOUBT about this one as I got an email today that it has been sent. I am soooo excited and THANK YOU JUDY for such a neat giveaway!!!!

I haven't heard from Kristi....I won't for 3 weeks...it's going to be one of the longest 21 days in my life. I call her cell phone just to hear her voice, even though they took it from her and shut it off. Pretty soon her mailbox will be full....LOL...and I won't be able to leave messages.

I don't even have an address to write to her as they haven't even been assigned a company yet. Fort Jackson has a website and it's a good source for me to see what they are doing on a weekly basis. So that makes me feel a little bit better. And I have been a bad Mom, I thought I would write everyday, even tho I have no place to send the letters, and well, I haven't had time to write at all. I think that once I get an address, it will be a totally different story.

I went to my 1 year since my LAST CHEMO appointment today....I am PROUD to say I have lost another 12 pounds since June....YIPPY SKIPPY for me and I am LESS than I was when I got cancer. Hey, trust me, I am on NO DIET....I think the stress of everything has done a nice job of melting the pounds off....LOL Everything else is looking good and I am just to keep on, keeping on....

All my Love, Amy

(PS.....last Monday night....I got the SHOP all ready for Christmas....I have sold a lot of it last week already and will be restocking it this week and the next....here is just a little sneak of the pictures I took....of course, it will all look different again when I redo it...LOL)

~AND THE WINNER IS~

AND THE WINNER IS....

DRUM ROLL PLEASE....

SHELLEY from SHELLEY'S VINTAGE VARIETY

has won my GIVEAWAY!!! Thank you everyone who entered. I will have another one coming soon with HOLIDAY stuff!!!

Shelley, please send me your address so I can get these sent off to you.

HAPPY HAPPY WEEKEND EVERYONE,

Amy (who is exhausted and ready for the funny farm)

~A GIVEAWAY & 100's of NEW TREASURES @ FourSistersInACottage.com~

~A FUN FALL GIVEAWAY~ EVERYTHING you see in these 2 pictures are going to be given away to ONE LUCKY WINNER....Just leave a comment on this post and I will add you to the drawing. I will hold it the 1st FRIDAY of OCTOBER. EVERYONE, including those overseas ARE WELCOME TO ENTER. If you can't leave a comment or don't have a blog, feel free to email me and put DRAWING in the subject heading WITH your address in it. It's a bunch of stuff I was messing around with on my computer, some Halloween ribbon and a few other fun things, all paper stuff you can mess around with when you get it. HAVE FUN!!!!

www.FourSistersInACottage.com

AND.....DRUM ROLL PLEASE....I Have listed 100's, YES HUNDREDS of New Treasures on the website @ www.foursistersinacottage.com and I have a NEW LOOK I worked on for my front page. Have a look see if you can and you will see my FRONT RED DOOR to the Shop.
I am going to be out of blog land until Friday, only because I have a lot going on around here. I need to take care of some things so please bear with me.
I did get the ONE.....5 minute phone call from Kristi on Friday....let it just be said that it was the worst phone call I have ever had from my kids....between the sobbing and crying on her end, and the constant, "I'm so sorry Mom" comments.....it was all I could take from losing it. I won't go into details but I kept telling her to stay strong, went over some bible verses I sent along with her and told her to pray. That's all I could do....needless to say....it's been a weekend I won't soon forget.
I called her Dad to tell him, his first response was LAUGHTER and in between that he said, "Now she knows what it's like to be in prison".
You don't even want to know what I said after that. Needless to say, I will never speak to that pathetic excuse of a man again, I will leave messages on his answering machine when he is gone at work. I only called him because Kristi asked me to. As my Daddy always said, "You can't out stink a manure pile".....So, my nerves are shot, my brain is dead, and oh, I forgot to mention, THE BEST THING THAT HAPPENED SINCE FRIDAY.....I am now OFFICIALLY A HOME SCHOOLING MOM!!!
LOVE and HUGS.... STAY STRONG and PERSEVERE, Amy

~THANK YOU & MY FALL DECOR~

A BIG HUG and THANK YOU to DEB aka GarageSaleGal and to Rachel for their SWEET Hostess gifts for hosting my 1st ever swap. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.....I LOVE IT ALL!!!! Above, from Deb...A cute Halloween Kitchen Towel, 2 DARLING hand made cards from here, A YUMMY Orange Hot Chocolate pack, Pumpkin tissues and wrapped up so cute with sprinkles of Halloween confetti and ORANGE tissue paper. WHAT FUN THAT WAS TO OPEN!!!

THANK YOU DEB....YOU ARE SUCH A SWEETIE!!!
Above is one of my Cupboards filled with my Fall/Halloween Goodies. THE GLITTER STAR with the HAPPY GIRL WITCH (and polka dots of course) was a gift from my SWEET ANNA from MY FLOWER BED when I was in California this past January. THANK YOU ANNA!!!! EVERYONE WANTS THAT STAR!!!!
Part of the 9 foot long fireplace mantel, ready for fall
I made the sign above....I painted the background BLACK, then hand lettered PUMPKINS myself, and of course, I can't leave well enough alone.....I had to add POLKA DOTS to it....I think that topped it off just right!!!!
I don't know if everyone knows how IN LOVE with POLKA DOTS I am and here RACHEL (she doesn't have a blog yet...come girl, please get one....we would ALL love to see your talent, but I met her years ago and she has even been down here to visit me for the weekend with her hubby, she has an adorable family of BOYS!!!!) She made this POLKA-DOT KITTY CAT just for me!!!! THANK YOU RACHEL....She is right at home here and I get to look at her every single day!!!! YOU ROCK GIRLFRIEND!!!!


OKAY.....is that THE BEST Mr. PUMPKIN you have ever seen.....he is OVER 2 FEET TALL and FULL OF GLITTER and CREPE PAPER!!!! I found him at TJMaxx (I never get in there anymore) for only $16.95. He was the ONLY one they had and I knew he had to be the KING of my PUMPKIN COLLECTION.
HAPPY FALL EVERYONE...
I heard from Kristi for the last time for a while late last night when she landed in Colombia, South Carolina. It was almost 11pm their time and she sounded tired, excited and scared. Please say a prayer for here. I have no idea when I will get to hear her voice again.
Hugs and Love, Amy

~Counting Down to Basic Training~

~THE BIG COUNT DOWN TO BASIC TRAINING~

Just a quick hello to everyone and to let you know it's the count down to Kristi leaving for Basic Training. I am NOT taking this well at all. She will be leaving 7:30am Tuesday morning and I will get to see her one last time tomorrow at 4pm.

She wants her boyfriend to take her to the Armory Airport and I'm a little heart broke about that. As we all know, boyfriends come and go....but we will always be their Moms. Maybe someday she will realize that.

Here is a funny thing, her boyfriends mom said to me, in front of Kristi, her boyfriend, my Mom and a bunch of other people at her going away party, "I just can't stand to see Kristi go, I wish it was him going instead of her...." (she said that about her son and in all seriousness too)....What do you say to something like that????

I just need to let her go.....but it's so hard.

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!!!! PLEASE PRAY FOR ALL OF THEM and their Mom's and Dad's TOO!!!!

All my Love, Amy

(on a post script....I LOVE MY ONCOLOGIST....It is my PLASTIC SURGEON, Dr. Emery, that I FIRED...it's HIS NURSE, BETHANY that has been the one who thinks she runs the show. Sad thing is, I DID sit down with him privately and talked with him about her, but he just stuck up for her. So, word of mouth is the BEST advertising....and I HAVE A BIG MOUTH....)