2005 ROCK-TOBER CHEMO GIRLS

marymelodi

Hi! to everybody ....

Tracy NY - The snow is still stuck up here. We get an inch or so every night. Today we have bright sunshine but single digit temps and howling wind. Nice day to snuggle in bed with a good book. Now I'm wanting hot chocolate, hm-m-m-m....

Well, I'll come back later and see who's doing what.

bye for now ~~
Mary

ravdeb

I'm hanging around waiting for dh and sons to get themselves ready. Then it's off to watch our daughter in her dance performance. Her boyfriend, who is the only one who knows how to use our new dvd camera, has it already so he can film her dancing. He is our private photographer, and nooooooooooooo...you can NOT have him!!

Michele..it will be fun! We need to figure out when and where and how to make the reservations. Sounds like it was a tiring conference you were at in a beautiful area but you didn't have time to take advantage of the surroundings! I hope you did get something out of it.

Frustration hit as my dh decided to clean out his office and store his big folders on the shelves in my studio after I had talked to him about how I need to clean my studio out in preparation for my new business. I told him how totally overwhelming sorting through all the stuff was and it wasn't helping to just keep getting more stuff down here! Last week our youngest cleaned out his closet (it's a thing with him..keeping his room clean..unusual but true!)and brought bags of stuff down here!

So, dh said that the corner storage, once it is cleaned out will be for his files. So, I asked him if he could PLEASE help me clean it out since there are things there that I can't LIFT! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I guess I need to be patient. I am going to clean out my own closet in our bedroom and feel like I did some cleaning (have clothes in there that I will never wear..rule of thumb..if it hasn't been worn in a year, it never WILL be!). Tomorrow, I will have an empty closet by the end of the day!

Okay..time to see if the men in my house are ready to hit the road.

Stay warm to those who are in very cold temps. Heard it's unbearable in Chicago..just talked to my girlfriend.

Tracy..I do hope the snow gets unstucked at Mary's house and flurries its way over to yours so you can have a reason for your cold weather. I'm with you on this one!!!!

Anonymous

Debbie - ravdeb -
So funny! and I was totally right...Roy walked in, looked at Buddy and BUSTED OUT LAUGHING! He started saying "You look so funny" in a baby talk voice! I lost it! OMG LOL - but we really do love our little Buddy Love! Really, we do! LOL

Michele -
Yes, it would be O'Hare airport, not a stupid question at all...how would you ever have known! That is so funny your dog gives you dirty looks when you try to take his photo! Buddy Love does the same thing! For the first few he's cooperative and he smiles, but then he puts on a grin that says, "okay momma - take a hike and make sure you take that camera with you"!

EVERYONE -
You should all try to fly into O'Hare Airport if possible. It is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cold here! Last I looked, it was 2 degrees! And they said it's supposed to get down to -9 tonight! Now that Buddy Love has all his hair choppped off, I had to dig out his doggie sweater so that he doesn't freeze - and that's INSIDE the house! Roy's building a fire right now, I am going to venture out to the store and get the ingredients for him to make us chili. I'm dreading leaving the house though.

TaDah -
You can have the snow...I love to look at it, but I hate everything else about it.

Kelly -
Okay make me really envious...tell me how hot and sunny and gorgeous it is over by you today! And tell me what brand convertible you have tooling around town in lately. LOL

Laura

RoseMarie

Oh BRRRR Laura! It's cold here too. (16 degrees F!!) It snowed briefly this morning but there was no accumlation.

Hope everyone is warm and relaxing! How was your daughter's performance, Ravdeb??

Thanks for the well wishes regarding my job hunt. I must say I'm MUCH more patient with other people's children than I am my own!!!

ok, off to have a cup of coffee and finish my book which is already overdue!!!!
Have a great day ladies!!

Anonymous

ravdeb -
A woman waiting for a man to finish getting ready...hmmm...that's a switch!
Laura

Anonymous

Laura, its 73* now and tomorrow it will be 79* ... No convertible today, driving my Tahoe with the sunroof open, though. People are shopping up a storm here with the sunny day. Cropped pants and sleeveless blouse attire for me instead of a snow suit!!

debbie444

Me and Catherine came back from shopping today in T shirts with the top down on the car singing to High School Musical in the sunshine. Then tonight on the way back from Dads , the gritters are out- how bizarre is that!?
Like Tracey, i long for snow - i am a whiz on a sledge ( not far to fall!)
Debbie

Anonymous

(note to self: need King's English dictionary ... do they have a slang one?)

Gritters?
Sledge?

TracySeattle

Hi Sisters!

The rain is back here in Seattle. It has been sunny all week but cold. Today it is cold, grey and wet!!!!

I spent some time shopping by myself this morning while Dave went to visit a couple of his guy friends. I got most of the stuff I need for his Valentine's basket. Now I just need to hide out somewhere and put it all together!

We are working on creating my craft room/office. We moved the bed out of the room and right now I have a folding table as we have not been able to find a desk that we like but at least I am getting some of my own space and that feels good!

We are making dinner tonight for my mom and her friend. Crab legs (YUM) baked potato, salad and lime jello pie!

Debbie - I have been on Arimidex since March. Wow - almost one year down! The only thing that I notice is some joint pain and it comes and goes. I also think it increases my appetite, but it could be that I just LOVE food!!!!

That is about all from the great Northwest for today. Enjoy the rest of your weekends!

Anonymous

Kelly -
Very funny...NOT! LOL Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

and if you get the Kings Dict. look up the word cruel! LOL

Laura

marymelodi

These are my guesses:
"gritters" - salt or gravel spreading trucks that make it easier to dive on icy roads

"sledge" - sled for sliding down a snowy hill, hopefully staying on until the bottom but usually winding up falling off and getting snow in the face, down the neck, etc.

Maybe "Debbie-speak" is beginning to make sense to me.
Or not.

Mary

marymelodi

OH, btw, we had a white-out tonight. Anyone know what that is?? Snow falling heavy, wind blowing hard, so much snow in the air you cannot see very much at all . . . . everything is all white outside. The snow drifts in my front yard look like sand dunes of white. Br-r-r-r-r!!!!

Mary

ravdeb

Well, Mary..send that snow to TracyNY!

Laura...I'm cold just thinking about the weather there!
RoseMarie..try to stay warm!
A sledge is a sled and gritters are those machines or trucks that sprinkle grit or sand or something like that so that the roads aren't slippery.
Is that right, Debbie??
Sounds like a winter wonderland, Mary!
victoria..can't wait to see it! I'm still working on my project for all of you. It will happen. Just read about my personality on some website that somebody sent me and it says that I can't stay focused on one idea for too long. This is TRUE! I found myself thinking of a new idea to make for you all and now I'm in between thought patterns! My ADD is coming out!

Laura..that's funny but I am ALWAYS waiting for my menfolk to get a move on!

My daughter's performance was beautiful as it always it. It was the troupe's 10 year anniversary so the choreographer went down the road from when they began and he even gathered some of the dancers from 10 years ago that were in the oldest group. It was very nice. My daughter has been in it for 10 years! But she is not in the original group. She's next in line.

I love the dances and the costumes..it's Israeli folk dancing but some of it has a modern twist to it. It's beautiful. Oh..I might be able to post a pic that her boyfriend took at the dress rehearsal. I'll check it out.

We had to drive our soldier back to his base afterwards because he had to be back by 4 am this morning. So my dh and I didn't get home til 2 am. Am zonked. Good thing I have nothing urgent besides my closet to attend to!

Have a nice Sunday.

Off to empty my closet...

ravdeb

This is my daughter at her dress rehearsal on Fri. Far left...

ravdeb

Here is another one of her at dress rehearsal..

linny

Hi everybody, I was in New York for a couple of weeks. I cannot possibly catch up with you all when I come back. Isaac is scheduled for surgery for the cochlear implant on Wednesday at NYU hospital in Manhattan. He had his pre-op appointment last week.

Ravdeb, lovely pictures of your daughter.

How is everyone feeling? My son's baby who is a year old is quite big, and my surgery arm is now achy from picking him up a lot. I don't know if this is something of concern, or will pass. I don't see how I can be in New York and not pick up babies, since there are 3 of them!

The weather here is frigid - we went for a walk Friday night, but I feel like in Toronto people are more prepared for the cold - I have lots of gloves, scarves, neckwarmers, etc. for everyone.

Linda

Graycie

Brrrrrrrrr.......Very cold in this neck of the woods. It looks like Mary, Michele, Linny and Laura are experiencing the same weather. How about you Maryanne?
Mary, We also had the white-out's. It was like someone put white paper on all my windows, could not see a thing. I am just glad I was home and not on the road somewhere. On top of things, I just happen to have a nasty cold so I haven't been out much. As bad as this weather is I am so glad none of us Rock-tober girls live in Florida........

Ravdeb, Nice picture's of your daughter. You have a very talented family. First your son and now your daughter.

I got my cheetah scarf and gloves so I will have to post a picture sometime..
Boy, am I out of it.........I didn't know there was a group of singer's called the "cheetah girls" I saw the CD at Target the other day.......funny.


Are you er/pr positive girls eating your broccoli? Here is an article I found......

Broccoli and Breast health

A phytochemical in broccoli, cabbage, and their cousins may have preventive activity against hormone-responsive tumors,such as breast cancer. Indole-3-carbinol, or I3C, altered receptors in breast cancer cells and induced cell death in an in vitro study. Researchers add that this compound may also make tumor cells more susceptible to anticancer drug therapy, thus increasing rates of recovery and survival. "Although we need to carry out further studies on tumors removed from patients, the potential benefits are clear," says researcher Margaret Manson, PhD. at the University of Leicester, UK.

I still wish they would find something, even a veggie, for us neg. girls.

Linny, I will be thinking of your grandson on Wednesday......

Gail

Anonymous

ravdeb -

Great photos! You have every reason to be a "Proud Mama"!

Laura

Curlylocks

Something funny for the day....I awoke this morning hearing this machine roaring and wondering what the heck it was. My hubby decided to leave the puppy out for a little while, bad idea and she somehow started the paper shredder! She ran from it when it came on as she greeted me at the bottom of the stairs all scared looking. Thankfully there is no way that she could have hurt herself as it is entirely closed in.

Ravdeb - can I call you deb, it seems too formal now to call you "ravdeb"? Your daughter is beautiful, the pictures are amazing, love the outfit! I am coming in on the Friday, hopefully morning, so would be staying in the hotel Friday and Saturday night. I can get a package deal through hotels.com. Maybe we should find out where everyone wants to stay. The Marriott Lincolnshire as Laura suggested is actually more expensive by a $200 then the Hyatt or Best Western of Chicago. I would love closer to the city for shopping, restaurants, etc. Did you succeed on cleaning up "your space"? My hubby means well alot of the times too but it takes him awhile to get things done due to his shift work.

Mary - snuggling in bed with a good book sounds great. Actually this morning when my hubby came into bed after finishing nights last night he was freezing!!! We cuddled up together and it soon got warm and I fell asleep for a little while longer until I decided that it was really time to get my lazy butt and bed and start the day.

Debbie444 - you will have to give us a lesson in the "English Language". All these words are funny, sledge, gritters, thanks Mary for looking these up!

Kelly - I;m green with envy, capris with a sleevless top. OMG I would freeze my boobies with that on today, it is 4 degrees F today. Is Teryn feeling better?

Tracyseattle - I have been on Armidex for 8 months and I too think it increases your appetite somewhat, I;m always hungry! I bought my hubby a valentine's card yesterday. It sounds like you have put alot of love and thought into Dave's valentine gift. It is nice to hear that you are so happy now.

Laura - want to share your chili receipe? I'm always looking for new ideas on what to make for meals. Poor Buddy love being laughed at, make sure he has his sweater on, its cold out there.

Victoria - you are an amazing women, using your artistic side to express your feelings through painting.

Graycie - I got home from my conference on Friday and it started snowing a bit Friday night. I am nervous on the roads now that it is winter especially since my accident.
I am er/pr+ and eat some broccoli but probably not enough, thanks for the link. Stay warm! My parents are in Florida for 3 months staying in a condo in Panama City Beach. They were totally unaware of the destruction. They said they got alot of rain but nothing else, thankfully they are safe.

Rosemarie - its cold here too, keep your little ones buddled up if they go outside.

Have a great Sunday, much love to all my other sisters.

Michele

P.S. Here is a picture of Scooby in her winter coat!

ravdeb

Thanks!
Gail...Victoria posted something for us hormone negs...POMEGRANATE SEEDS!!! POMEGRANATE JUICE!!! Eat, and drink. They say it kills cancer cells. And if it doesn't, it is high in iron so it may even give you energy. That said, we are at the end of our pomegranate season so this is a seasonal cure.

Your white out reminds me of when I was driving to school in the evening when I was in grad school back in 1983 some time and it was snowing like a blizzard and I was on the toll way. It was totally white. I remember my friend once telling me to just keep going straight. I wasn't even scared (was so much younger then!) and a huge truck hit me on the driver's side! I was in shock! Never mind that I still believe it was his fault but since he was in a truck he could probably see better but never the less..I pulled over to what I thought was the side of the road (and it was which means I was on the road where I should be) and I got out, really mad and started yelling at the guy! I wasn't hurt. The door was smashed but I could drive my car. It was my first car and I was sooooooooooooo MAD!

Linda..wishing the best for little Isaac. Of COURSE you have to hold those cute little grandkids! Hopefully your arm will be just fine. Maybe it's just tired from not being used to carrying heavy little kids around!

If you want, I can add Isaac's name to our list in our congregation...I would need his full name and his mom's name. You can pm me if you want...

Stay warm everybody!

Anonymous

Michele -
Scooby's coat is darling! I'll dig out the chile recipe...dh knows it by heart, so he just wings it!
--------------------------------------------------------
everyone -
Buddy's new "do" - plucked chicken legs and all...is growing on us. I'm beginning to think that any cut will look cute on him because his face is so adorable (I'm not too biased am I?)!

ravdeb

Aw..Buddy Love Is so CUTE! He doesn't look like a plucked chicken! He's adorable. Just look at that face!

Scooby is so cute in her winter attire!

Victoria..yes..I absolutely love watching my daughter dance. I love the music..it's all my favorites. I love Israeli music.

Right when I was diagnosed with bc, my friend told me to grow broccoli sprouts. He lent me his sprouter and ordered the seeds for me. I grew them but now I buy them. They are great on salads. Don't know if they will help me at all..but I like them and they look nice on the salads, too!

Michele..yes..you can call me deb! I was keeping ravdeb because my name is Debbie and I didn't want to mix it with the adventerous Debbie from wild England!

I wouldn't mind spending less on the hotel room if that is possible. I have no preference as to the where. I promised i'd look up hotels in Oak Park..I'll do that now!

Oh..and my studio is still a mess by my closet is half emptied out and looking better already.

Anonymous

Here's some information on broccoli sprouts:

Quote:

---

In past studies, compounds in broccoli sprouts have been shown to reduce the risk of getting breast and colon cancer and to act as an anti-bacterial agent against Helicobacter pylori, an organism associated with causing stomach ulcers. As reported in the May 10, 2004 edition of Time, a new study indicates that eating broccoli sprouts may cut the risk of stroke, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

The study, headed by University of Saskatchewan health scientist, Bernhard Juurlink, was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in the US. "This study is the first to show that broccoli sprouts rich in these compounds, through raising the antioxidant and thereby the anti-inflammatory capacities of cells, can correct major dysfunctions such as hypertension and stroke," said Juurlink.*

Free radicals, unstable chemical byproducts of metabolism, damage cell molecules and lead to cardiovascular disease. Tissues have defenses to prevent the damage caused by free radicals. These defenses can be bolstered by eating foods rich in chemicals called phase 2 protein inducers, one of which is glucoraphanin. Broccoli sprouts contain high levels of glucoraphanin.

"Phase 2 inducers promote the production of phase 2 proteins," says Juurlink. "These proteins either promote scavenging of oxidants or decrease the chance of these oxidants being formed in the first place. The result is a huge multiplier effect. One phase 2 protein inducer likely has the same effect as thousands of typical anti-oxidant molecules."*

To observe the affects of glucoraphanin, researchers fed broccoli sprouts to two groups of rats which were prone to high blood pressure and stroke. One group received sprouts high in glucoraphanin; the other group received a variety which was poor in glucoraphanin. After 14 weeks the rats who received sprouts rich in glucoraphanin had lower blood pressure and decreased inflammation of the heart and kidneys.

If humans respond the same way as these laboratory animals, inclusion of broccoli sprouts in one's diet can have a big effect on one's health. Because broccoli sprouts are so rich in glucoraphanin, just two to four ounces (70 - 140 grams) is all that is needed each day. Juurlink estimates you would have to eat 20 to 50 times as much broccoli to obtain the same benefits.

---

-------

Not much going on over here. David and I went to a club last night for drinks and dancing since I have the free babysitter!! Had a good time but I now have that cold that Teryn had and I was coughing all night. David is coming over in a bit so we can go to a Superbowl Party. All the kids will have a great time, too, since they have a huge trampoline!

It's 82º here ..... How cold is it in Chicago? LOL

ravdeb

Thanks for the sprouts report!
Have fun at the Superbowl Party and enjoying the weather!
I checked on the hotels in Oak Park, Illinois and they are not rated well so forget it! Bad service and they are expensive. Not a good idea.

I checked out some hotels downtown Chicago and their prices are very high.

Anonymous

Laura, it was nice chatting with you .... as always! Our conversation prompted me to go right outside and take these photos for you and we turned on the hot tub and are going in before it's time to go to the party. And here is my wonder girl without her tooth!!

Curlylocks

Aw....Kelly, Teryn is such a sweetie! I would love to hope in that hottub right now, must be warm as you have a beer in your hand. That beer would freeze in a minute outside here today, its sooo cold.... I took the dogs out for a walk and I was bundled up like an Eskimo, hat, scraf, gloves, my Rocktober tshirt, a sweatshirt, my winter coat and boots. The only thing you could see was my eyes.LOL.

Kelly, you look amazing too. Cant wait to meet you in person!

Deb - see I didnt call you ravdeb. Maybe we should take a poll of which hotel everyone wants to stay at?

Any thoughts?

Stay warm those that are in the winter climates. Deb, Kelly and Brenda well you are the envy of us all right now with your warmer climate.

Michele Wenz

Graycie

Laura, You can cut off all of Buddy's hair and it wouldn't matter. He is just too darn cute.....

Scooby looks cute too.

Kelly, Nice picture's. I would do anything to have your weather right about now.....You remind me of me when I was a little younger with the sunglasses on. But you also kind of look like Princess Diana. Have fun at your party. I am not really a football fan but we are going to a party at my daughter's. Thought about staying home because I feel sick to my stomach but I have to be the dedicated driver so I guess I am going. Maybe a drink is what I need. Laura, My husband want's the Colt's to win. I told him, Sorry, I have to go for the Bears. lol He said I figured you would say that.......

TracyNY

A good website for booking rooms for our gathering is www.hoteldiscounts.com. They have very reasonable rates and I use them all the time on my travels.

That Buddy! I am no dog lover but he is as cute as a button!! Dev and Kelly: your kids are beautiful.

Another weekend over again. Already. I have to report for jury duty this week. You don't have to go anymore, you just call in with your PIN number and they'll let you know if they need you. It'll be my luck that they want me!

Paula15089

mmmmm... broccoli...
i know its good for you, but am i the only one who has to stay far away from people after i eat it?? it seems to have one very embarassing side effect..
Cabbage i love. I am russian after all!!
I do a stir fry of cabbage, onion, mince, capsicum, snowpeas and whatever other veggies are lying around - yum!
Low fat, low calories.
Speaking about food, guess what i had for dinner last night? Kangaroo fillet! i LOVE roo meat. Its lean, tasty and cheap.
dohnt start me on food topic... i am hungry - as always!

debbie444

OK, when i arrive i obviously have to sit between Deb and Mary so they can do a running translation!
Roo meat - about £12 a steak over here!
Work calls
Debbie