My promise

As it turns out, I’m allergic to one of my chemo drugs.  We’re working around it by using a similar drug that metabolizes differently, so hopefully no allergic reaction.  I can tell even after today’s treatment that I’m feeling better than last time, praise God.  And, bloodwork shows the current chemo regime is working, so all good news today.

I hope everyone had a great holiday season.  I capped mine off by falling asleep New Year’s Eve at 11 pm.  What???  I’m a mom, I have an excuse.  One of my resolutions for this year was to take a beach trip – and I’m not wasting any time.  I’m in the midst of planning a June trip to Cozumel, so I’ll be antsy waiting for our trip to come for the next 5 months.

We’re packing up our Christmas stuff, and I took a moment to promise myself (and pray to God) that I’ll be around when it’s time to take them out again in December.  Do it for youself too.  I want all of you around when the next holiday season rolls around.  I love you all….

Crickets Chirping….

Been awful quiet around here lately.  Oh, but I guess since I maintain this blog, that would be my fault.  Sorry ’bout that.

Christmas Season is in full swing here.  I think in the last week I singlehandedly kept the dairy farmers in business with all the butter I’ve purchased for baking.  I’ve also managed to kill off my sweet tooth so feel free to FedEx me a salt lick for Christmas. 

Sooo, let’s get the not so cool news outta the way.  Put my cat to sleep right after Thanksgiving.  That sucked.  I miss him.  Blane contends that he’s going to grow up to be Iron Man, rocket into Heaven, and steal Isaac away from God.  I guess he misses him too. 

New chemo isn’t much fun.  But I complained to my oncologist and he will be giving me even more souped up drugs to counter nausea.  Also, I think I had a weird reaction last time (my mouth felt like it was filled with marbles), so I’ll get doped with Benadryl tomorrow.  Bring a dolly ’round and wheel her home, folks.

Ok, now the good stuff.  I had this really cool experience this week – a lot of people would chalk it up to a coincidence, but I know better.  Last year the church identified some  families at a local school that were in need for the Christmas Season.  I volunteered to help Tina, a recently divorced mother of three who was unemployed and living with a friend until she could afford housing on her own.  I got gifts for her children and something for her, supplemented it with food collected from the church, and delivered it to her right before Christmas.  It was then I learned her ex was an aggressive man who was violent with her.  She left him, but there was a fear that he may be hostile towards the kids when they were with him.  I advised her to contact CPS and consult with them for an investigation.  And then I walked out of her life.  Over the last year, I’ve felt such guilt over that.  I should’ve done more.  I should’ve checked in on her, provided some support.  In the last month, I’ve been praying a lot about her, and also asking for guidance.  I asked God to help me find her again, and then help me do the right thing. 

I went to a client’s office the other day for a Christmas lunch.  SHE WAS THERE.  She knew she remembered me from somewhere and when I told her, it was like this flood between us.  What a wonderful connection!  I asked God to help me find her, and He put her there right in front of me!!  I’m happy to say that things are MUCH better in her life, on all fronts.  She told me God stayed with her the whole time and has provided for her.  We exchanged info and we’ll be going to dinner soon to catch up.  I’m still in a state of awe.  Coincidence, schmoincidence.

Also of note, I want to introduce a new member of our “family.”  Recently, I decided that with all the good in our life, it was the right time to share our resources and love with someone in need.  So Amner is now my family’s sponsored child, through Compassion International.  Amner is 7 years old and lives in Guatamala; I’m so looking forward to getting to know him and his family as he progresses through the program.  Compassion will be providing educational, spiritual and medical support to Amner as he attends a Student Center in his town.  It’s a wonderful way to help a child and family in need in such a poor area of the world.  I hope we can make a difference in his life.

So that’s the goods!  I’m off to wrap the last of the Christmas gifts and then enjoy the rest of this blessed season.  How the Grinch Stole Christmas, anyone??

What is this sensation???

My hands…they’re icy.  My skin…it’s goosebumpy.  What is this mess?

Winter.  The internets declares it’s 53 degrees outside.  I need to move to a warmer climate or something.  Usually those come with sand and palm trees.  No coat required. 

How, how do people live in North Dakota?  I would light my house on fire and use it to stay warm while waiting for a taxi to take me to the airport, where I would be on the next plane southbound.

Christmas ambition

I confess, for years I’ve made fun of people and stores that begin rolling out Christmas stuff in November.  And now, Bertha help me, I’m one of ’em.  I have one undecorated Christmas tree in my living room, waiting for Blane and I to decorate today, one week before Thanksgiving.  I can’t help it – I am so psyched about the holidays this year.  I’m doing my Thanksgiving shopping today and I’m getting antsy waiting to start the cooking.

I’m famous at work for “the box.”  Every year I buy one Christmas themed box for each employee and then fill it with a variety of baked stuff.  I love coming in to work on Christmas Eve morning (or the day before) before everyone else arrives, and leaving a box at each person’s desk.  This year begins the box overhaul.  I’ve been baking some of the same stuff for years, and while they’re delicious, I’m ready to mix it up a bit.  I’ve got some really great ideas; I’ll let you know how it turns out.

No joke, I’m done shopping for both Blane and Lee for Christmas.  I can’t wait for family to get together and enjoy company, good food, and flying wrapping paper as the children lay waste to the tree.

So yes, go ahead, make fun of me…Santa hat and all.

The lazy way to pumpkin pie bliss

I swear people, this isn’t a food blog.  But maybe now it is.  Seems that I’m baking and creating and thinking of food pretty darn frequently.  I’m ok with that. 

Anyhow, pumpkin pie is one of my favorite flavors.  I love that stuff – the warm spices are always reminiscent of chai tea.  It’s a comforting, soothing type of flavor, full of cinnamon, ginger, clove….and other yumminess.  Off topic (sorta) – why do we only eat pumpkin pie in the fall???  This seems kooky.  It tastes just as good in April as it does on turkey day. 

Whatever, so I found this great recipe online for pumpkin pie pudding, made in a crock pot.  It’s craziness.  Imagine, if you will, a nice vessel filled with nothing but pumpkin pie innards.  Yeah, I’d smack my momma for some of that, too.  And how easy – no crust, no stirring, no thought involved.   Yummy food made lazy.  

Click on the following link for the recipe, although I made a couple of changes:  I don’t do canned stuff (if you want to be bored with me ranting about the evils of canned stuff, just give me a call, but for now, I’ll spare you the details), so instead of evaporated milk, I used the same quantity of skim milk and added a few tablespoons of milk powder.  Also, no canned pumpkin, but I just make my own, so there.  Last but not least, no pumpkin pie spice, since it’s just a mix of spices I already had.  I made a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg and allspice and threw that in.  Also, you don’t have to cook it nearly as long as the recipe states.  Mine was perfect after about 3 hours. 

I recommend serving this good stuff warm, with a dollop of whipped cream spiked with dark rum.  Still tastes good cold, but the texture is more firm and the flavors just don’t sing quite so loud.  Do as I say and you’ll thank me later. 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Pie-Pudding-2/Detail.aspx

Don’t freak out, people…

My last post was just a “whew, feel free to give me that miracle cancer-curing shot anytime, doc.”  We all get weary from the big C, just like everyone else that has a lifelong disease just wants some normalcy, no stress. 

Well, I didn’t want chemo this week.  Not even a little bit.  The doc agreed with me – I get the week off!  I’ll have a PET scan next week and the day after start a new regime, one that will no longer give me neuropathy! 

And the clouds parted, and God said, “you’re welcome, child.  Now go get a pedicure.”

I did.  The End.

Sweet mother of PET scans….

I am so over cancer.  Holla if you’re tired of cancer too…

That is all.

An American Tradition

I’ve noticed that there are so many families that don’t make it a habit of eating together in the evening.  Sometimes we have so much going on that we don’t have time to sit, talk and share a nice meal.  Ergo, we have too many families eating food out and not getting proper nutrition, not to mention the connection that you get when you share that time together, talking about your day and what’s going on in your lives.

So, I’m bringing it back!  We usually eat dinner together anyway, but there’s a special dinner that I want to celebrate – Sunday dinner.  I like the idea that no matter what’s going on, we get together on Sunday evening for a comforting, family meal.  As big B grows up, I think this tradition will keep us close and connected.  We’ve been doing this for the last few weeks, and I love it!  I get to spend some quality time cooking  in the kitchen, and my family gets a special dinner.  This week – white beans n rice!  We splurge and have an actual dessert at the end, which is usually planned by me.  Apple crisp (which also happens to be my favorite dessert  – like EVER!!).

Anyone else do something like this?

I fought the dough….but I won

It’s been awhile since I tried my hand at cinnamon rolls.  Turns out, they’re surprisingly easy.  I made some dough last night using a recipe for Amish Cinnamon Rolls that calls for mashed potato.  But I used pumpkin puree.  Because I had some.  And, well, because I’m obsessed with the pumpkin right now.  It’s gotta go in everything, dangit.

Anyhow, I did that whole 1st rise thing, and then rolled out the dough.  It made close to 30 rolls, so most went into the freezer to take out at another time and use, and 6 went into the fridge.  This morning I took the rolls out and let them do the 2nd rise and then popped them in the oven.  Here be the rolls right before they met the fire –

I rigged up some cream cheese icing before they came out of the oven and then slapped that yumminess on while they were hot.  Here’s the finished deal –

They were horrible.  You shouldn’t eat any of those.  Just leave them with me and I’ll dispose them for you.  Go have a bowl of bran flakes or something truly delectable.

Fat Bottomed Girls

Sooo, I was thinking lately about where I’d go when and if the boss-man (my oncologist, because I pretty much ask for his permission to do everything) cleared me for diving.  Would I hit up Cozumel for some easy drift diving?  Would I go back to Roatan and have “walk out your front door and into the water” diving?  Or would I spend weeks building up my strength/stamina (thanks for that loss of muscle tone, chemo – I’ll get you for this!!!) and roll into Bonaire, ready for some balls-to-the-wall diving?  The kind of diving where if you’re not actively in the water, you’re on a surface interval, waiting to off-gas enough to jump back in the water.  Diving where you lug your gear from a pickup truck to one of a zillion sites on the island, and pack-mule it to the water, 5 times a day.

Yeah, Bonaire.  That’s what I was gonna say, too.  I love that place.

Anyhow, it got me to then thinking of my most favorite characters underwater.  Hands down, number one is a juvenile trunkfish.  Imagine you’re underwater and you see rabbit poop float by.  That’s a baby trunkfish.  Teeny tiny, with fins pretty much transparent.  They’re a bugger to photograph, because they are shy and dart around so much.  But so cute.

Then they grow up and aren’t quite so cute.  This is a golden smooth trunkfish, after he ate his Wheaties and bulked up for the football team. 

Best part of them when they grow up though is their shape.  If you look at ’em head on, they’re narrow up top, and then widen out with a flat, but fat, bottom.  Every time I see one cruising around, it reminds me of Queen’s Fat Bottomed Girls.  Probably this offends the males of this species, but still…..