Wordless Wednesday, My First Try at Oatmeal Cookies

I made my first attempt at oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I've never baked with oatmeal before, so I wasn't sure how it would go. They turned out a little lumpy, and they didn't look to inviting, but, boy were they good!



♪She's lump she's lump, she's in my head♪ (TPOTUSOA)

Tuesdays Gone, A Blog Hop

Welcome to Tuesdays Gone at Life Music Laughter. At Tuesdays Gone, we're breathing new life into old posts every week. And, I bet there are some great old posts that just need to pulled out of the dark into the light!






Music Monday, A Swingin' Good Time

After a long weekend, and all that turkey, I need a couple songs to get me moving! Happy Music Monday!





More Music Monday at Run DMT and:


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Don't diet on Thanksgiving, it just annoys your family!

Hope everyone has an awesomely fabulous Thanksgiving! And if you're on a diet, give it up for today, if not for yourself then for your family... seriously, reminding everyone that you're on a diet is not fun for the holiday! After all, you want to remembered for how fun you are at the holidays, not for how much you nagged everyone else. So, if you must diet do it quietly. Your family will thank you for it...and giving thanks is what it's all about!

Enjoy the day and all that goes with it! Here's wishing you and your family the happiest of Thanksgivings.

Tuesdays Gone, A Blog Hop

Welcome to Tuesdays Gone at Life Music Laughter. At Tuesdays Gone, we're breathing new life into old posts every week. And, I bet there are some great old posts that just need to pulled out of the dark into the light!



Music Monday, Thankful Songs

Happy Music Monday! In honor of Thanksgiving, I asked the people I'm most thankful for to pick a song. The result is quite an interesting collection. I don't necessarily like all these songs but I love the people that chose them, more than anything!

So, here you have songs selected by my family, the people I'm most thankful for.

Hubby's choice.



A selection from daughter #1



Daughter #2's choice


Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a fabulous week!

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Giveaway

With the release of the final Harry Potter movie on November 11, it is a bittersweet end to an era. But, while there are no more Harry Potter stories to look forward to, you can still relive the action and magic on DVD and Blu-ray. And, one Life Music Laughter reader will win a DVD.

Aloha Friday, Do You Watch XFactor?


I don't usually watch the reality competition shows like American Idol and So You think You can Dance, but I'm really into XFactor! I can't get enough of it. I'm even tweeting my votes in for my 2 favorites, (Josh and Rachel.) This show could really produce some future music stars! My question for you:

Rockin' but not Quite Rollin' in My Heelys

You've seen kids rolling by in their Heelys shoes, right? They almost seem to float by as if powered by some secret magical source. Have you ever thought about how cool it would be to have your own Heely's? You could roll through the grocery store, or wear them at work and float your way to the copier! That would be so cool, right?! That's what I thought when Heely's offered to send me a pair for review.

Say Anything is a Great Game! (Giveaway)

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to meet a couple of great guys from Northstar Games. They showed me some of their great family games, and I immediately knew that Say Anything would be perfect for my daughter going off to college. She would be living with 5 roommates, and it seemed that a good game like Say Anything would really help to break the ice.

Brush the dust off that old post and link up at Tuesdays Gone

Welcome to Tuesdays Gone at Life Music Laughter. At Tuesdays Gone, we're breathing new life into old posts every week. And, I bet there are some great old posts that just need to pulled out of the dark into the light!




Music Monday, Colorful Music

It's Music Monday! This weeks's theme is songs or bands with colors in the title. There was just so many great bands and songs to choose from. I decided to just stick with bands with colors in their name. These are just a few that I like.



The Magic That Was McDonald's

When I was a child, McDonald's seemed like the best place in the world to eat! It was fun and exciting. I just loved all the characters; Ronald, Hamburglar and Grimace. I remember being so envious of my 2 friends that got to have their birthday parties at McDonald's. Not that I knew then I was envious, it was more like, "Wow! a party at Mcdonald's?! How neat! I wish I could have a party at Mcdonald's!"

Got a Great old Post? Link it up at Tuesdays Gone

Welcome to Tuesdays Gone at Life Music Laughter. At Tuesdays Gone, we're breathing new life into old posts every week. And, I bet there are some great old posts that just need to pulled out of the dark into the light!






Aloha Friday, Breakfast Could Win You $500

IslandLife808.com

It's Friday. In Hawaii, it's the day to take it easy and prepare for the weekend. Well, I'm not in Hawaii, but I sure am taking this Aloha Friday thing serious today! It's nearly noon, and I'm just now doing my Aloha Friday post, and I'm still in my nightgown! I suppose I'll need to get dressed and run errands at some point, but I'm in no hurry! Since I haven't had breakfast, yet...My Aloha Friday question for you:

What's your favorite Breakfast food?


While we're talking Breakfast foods, if you're creative in the kitchen, DeWafelbakkers, the makers of delicious frozen pancakes, want to give you $500! They are looking for recipes that use their frozen pancakes. If you've got a creative way to use their pancakes, submit your recipe, and you could be the winner of $500. If you do make a submission, please let them know I sent you, so I can win when you win!

Have a happy relaxing Friday!

Trust Yourself, It Could Be Cancer

I wasn't on my death bed. I wouldn't need to have chemo or radiation to give me a chance. Hell, the first doctor never even mentioned the "C word". He said to take some pills and have another biopsy in a few months, and we would just go from there.

I should have asked more questions of the doctor, but he was new to me, and he just didn't have that "I'm willing to spend time to answer your questions" feel about him. So, I made the appointment for the next biopsy, took my prescription and left.

Over the next couple days, I started thinking about what was going on with me, and wondering what my diagnosis really meant. I began researching what the pathology report said, and wondering if I was misreading it. This can't be right. The doc acted like it was no big deal.

I really began to question his plan of care. "Why were we waiting to act?" "Couldn't things worsen?" "Did he not listen to me at all?"

Then I questioned myself. "Why didn't I ask more questions?" "How could I just accept it and leave?"

and then, "He's the doctor, why am I questioning him?" "I should just do what he says."

But, I couldn't stop feeling like something wasn't right. I wasn't comfortable with that doctor, and I needed to see another one. But, there was no guarantee that a new doctor would listen either. So, I began the prescription and planned to wait until the next biopsy.

After a week, I had severe cramping and extremely heavy bleeding. Because of pre-mature menopause, I hadn't had a period in 2 years, and for the last 5 years they had been very mild. I was not at all prepared for this. The cramping was so severe I could barely stand up straight, and I was so exhausted, I felt like I was a zombie walking through the motions of my day. On my days off, all I did was sleep. There was no way I could deal with 3 months of this, I had to get a second opinion.

My dear friend referred me to The Women's Group of Tampa. She raved about her experience with them for the last 10 years, and insisted that it would be a different experience. And, she was so right!

In all my past experiences, I was already in a backwards gown trying to keep a thin piece of paper wrapped around me to keep my butt from getting frost bite when the doc would walk in, shake my hand and promptly tell me to lay back, scoot down, put your feet in the stirrups and open up and say "aah."

Not this doctor... Nope! This gynecologist actually met with me with my clothes on! And, she listened to me! We spent close to an hour talking so she could get to know me, and make sure she was providing me with the best options. Never before had I experienced such great service from a doctor!

She explained that the option provided by the other doctor was valid, if, I was trying to have more children, but given that I was already menopausal the best treatment would be a total hysterectomy. She then referred me to Moffitt Cancer Center for the procedure. The first doctor had never mentioned the "C word," but that was what we were dealing with. I had very early stage Uterine Cancer, but the pathology report was incomplete, so we didn't know how fast it would progress.

Moffitt's care was amazing. They, too, took the time to make me feel comfortable and explain all my options, and their recommendations for treatment. In the end, I had a total hysterectomy and they removed my tubes and ovaries. They found no progression in the stage, so I wouldn't need any further treatment. But, there was one complication...the back side of my uterus, (the part you wouldn't get with a biopsy,) the cells on the back side of my uterus had grown so much, that my uterus had actually fused to my rectum. The surgery took and extra hour to complete the delicate removal of those cells without perforating my colon.

Given the added complication, I can't help but think "What if?" "What if I hadn't questioned my doctor and got a second opinion?" "What if my friend hadn't referred me to her doctor?" "Would those cells have broken through my colon?" "Would we have caught it in time?" What if...

But, the surgery was successful, and I'm cancer free. I'm very grateful to be one of the lucky ones to have caught it early.  I'm grateful for my friend who encouraged me to see her doctor, and I'm grateful for the fabulous care I received.

I've learned from this experience, and I can't stress enough the importance of trusting yourself!

Trust yourself! If something doesn't feel right, ask questions, and don't let your doctor shut you down!
Trust yourself!If your doctor isn't listening... don't be afraid to find another one!
Trust yourself! No one knows your body, like you do!

♪Trust yourself to do the things that only you know best 
trust yourself
Trust yourself to do what's right and not be second guessed♪ (Bob Dylan)