Operation Write Home

Imagine yourself a member of our armed forces, stationed away from your family. Wouldn't you appreciate some handmade cards to send home to them for special occasions or just to say "I'm thinking of you"?

That is what Operation Write Home is all about.

We will be having workshops & demonstrations, but also tools & supplies available for you to join us in making the lives of these men & women easier in one small but important way.
If you are unable to join us at the store, we are a drop-off location so we can send a nice package of handmade cards to the regional shipping location of Operation Write Home. (No loose glitter please, it is dangerous for the troops - it shows up on night vision goggles!)

For more detailed information about OWH, please visit www.OperationWriteHome.org

For more information about our event, please call the store.

Thank you for giving back to the men & women of our armed forces.

Operation Write Home Event

From Friday, June 1 through Friday, June 8, The Mercantile will be hosting creative workshops & card making to benefit Operation Write Home.  (www.OperationWriteHome.org )

Operation Write Home’s mission is simply “Supporting our nation’s armed forces by sending them blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as ‘AnyHero’ cards of gratitude to encourage them.”

There will be tools & supplies available for use or you are welcome to bring your own.

Workshop hours will be: Friday, June 1 & 8 from 11 – 3, Saturday, June 2 from 10 – 4 and Monday, June 4 through Thursday, June 7 from 1 – 4.

For more information on our hours and location, please visit www.TheMercantileStore.com.

I will post more information as I get it ready!  This looks like it will be a great time for all!

If anyone wishes to reserve EITHER Tuesday, June5, OR Thursday, June 7 evening (7 - 9PM) to work on OWH, I would be glad to accommodate.

Sorry it's a little late... She's Home!!!

Terri came home (well... to our house) on Thursday.
She is getting plenty of rest & plenty of spoiling from all of the wonderful people that know & love her.
The pathology report is due tomorrow, and her follow-up with the surgeon is late Tuesday morning.  We will know more then, hopefully.
Yesterday she conserved her energy so she could go with us to our usual Saturday night restaurant, New York Pizza, in Anderson, SC.  The owner & staff are like family to us & she wanted to be able to show them she is doing well... (and, enjoy their awesome pizza!).
We sure have good luck, Karma, angels, God, good spirits or what-have-you on our side.  This has been such a whirlwind couple of weeks & our true friends have emerged once again to give us support, love & assistance.  We could not ask for more (well, that she never had the tumor might be one request, but we learn from adversity...and we cannot change what was).
(I guess it makes me feel a bit like a wimp with migraines... LOL)
Friends have offered to help at the store & refuse payment, one thought I should not have given her a discount when she bought her items at the end of the day, another said she would be insulted if we even offered to pay.  But their help is worth a lot to us all. To Terri so she can feel less stress about the coverage at the store, & Dad and I so we can at least take a few hours off each.
Dad is a real trooper, he has worked just about every day (except Sunday) for 2 weeks.  I am grateful to Phyllis for helping me watch the shop yesterday so he could have a break.  I was able to get a couple of hours off Friday morning thanks to Mary for being an extra set of eyes at the store & a real help for anyone looking at the stamping supplies.
I have tried to keep up with updating everyone about Terri's progress, but it is not always easy to find the time when I have the energy.  Please forgive me if I missed anyone, it was not intentional.
Yes, this post will be cross-posted to the store's blog...

If anyone wants to help out at the store, please email the store ( mercantinc@aol.com ) with days & times so we can have a written list.  A few of you have told me days, but I for some reason cannot remember when they are...

When Life Gives You Limes - Make Pie

The title of the post is a quote from my nephew Ben.  I like it!

As some of you already know, Terri is having surgery tomorrow morning at 11.

The store will remain open.

Please check her note on our web site www.The MercantileStore.com  She explains why she is having surgery & what you can do to help out.

I will be posting updates here as I can.  But, if there isn't anything up here yet, call the store for details. 

Her surgery is scheduled to last nearly 3 hours.  And that being said, I do not know yet what time we will know anything.  Her husband Rodney will be at the hospital & will let us know as soon as he can, but his first priority is Terri.

Thank you all for being such wonderful people, friends & family.  Your support has been wonderful.

Cindy

Closed New Years Day

As we ring in the new year, we will be closed on Saturday, January 1, 2011.
We will re-open on Monday, January 3, 2011 with our regular hours.
And, we would like to take this time to thank all of our customers, friends and family for their support in 2010.
Wishing a New Year full of what you need.

Update...

For those of you who do not follow us on Facebook, here is a photo of Mom (Connie) taken yesterday afternoon at the Girlfriend's Tea to benefit the Cancer Association of Anderson.
Believe it or not, she had chemo just the day before!
The oncologist lowered the dosage of the chemo to hopefully keep her white blood count from dropping so much. She has completed two of the three treatments in this cycle. The last will be on Friday. Two weeks after that the oncologist will determine whether he feels she should take another cycle or if it is enough.
We can visibly see that the nodules have receded!
We are ever so appreciative of the outpouring of support, prayers, well wishes and positive thoughts from all of you and from so many friends we have never met, all over the world.
THANK YOU ALL!

Connie is doing well

This is to let you know that Connie (Mom) was diagnosed with a metastasis of her breast cancer on the Monday after Christmas. After a number of tests, it was determined that it is the same cancer she had 10 years ago, but it has appeared in the form of nodules under the surface of her skin.
She has started a regimen of chemo. Her treatments are on Friday mornings and there are 3 in a row, then a week off, then another 3. Between each set of 3 the oncologist (Dr. D!) will evaluate to see if the chemo is doing what it is designed to do.
Terri has been the designated escort to the majority of Mom's medical appointments. The two of them have Dr. D on tape saying that this chemo would be easier on her than the one she had 10 years ago.
This photo was taken of Mom the day before her second chemo treatment. Terri has a photo of her in the infusion room, and again that evening at a concert at church. But, I am a little unsure of how to copy photos from the web to the blog, so I'll just ask her to email them to me to post.
Yes, I did say that Mom was at a concert at church the evening after chemo! She actually went into work for a couple of hours after chemo, then home to rest a bit, then after dinner, she went with Terri to Bryan Murdaugh's concert at St. Andrew's. (Bryan is a good friend of Connie's granddaughter Karen.)
On Saturday, she came down to work for about an hour to see a few of her favorite customers for a bit, took some paperwork home, rested and was able to go out to our favorite pizza place (NY Pizza in Anderson) for dinner. On Sunday... she was able to go to church in the morning! Dr. D. was right! YAY!!!!!!

An update on Mom (Connie)

GREAT NEWS!!!
The PET results are in ...Mom's cancer is only showing under the skin..appointment Monday to start chemo treatment!!! Yipee Yipee.
Thank you for all the prayers....=D