Every Day Matters

Purging

I have been purging recently....purging myself and our house of unnecessary possessions and junk (and sometimes Bob's things too, much to his dismay). Someone asked me why I was on this mission and the only reason I can think of is that once I looked into the abyss, simplifying and organizing my life seemed very important --  and I don't want the "weight" of so many unnecessary possessions. 

We have an unfinished room downstairs on the lower level - we call it the Cave and it is our only storage space ---- about 10 by 15 feet in size. We had 3-foot deep shelves built along one wall (best investment EVER - we also did this in our last house). So today, after reorganizing my Christmas closet (a perfectly sized space under the stairs), I started cleaning out the Cave. A formidable challenge! I worked in there for about 2 hours and filled 5 big Force-Flex bags with trash, not to mention the tall pile of empty boxes that had somehow found their way to those shelves. Oh, and there's also a large pile of things to take to Goodwill - and I already took one gigantic car load of things there earlier this week. Tomorrow I hope to finish up --- and there will STILL be too much STUFF!

I found the box with Laura's Cabbage Patch dolls (and a CP lunchbox), another box with her American Girl dolls, and a big plastic container with a doll cradle that Bob's dad had someone make for Laura. In that same container there are a lot of Madame Alexander dolls, large and small. I cannot wait to transfer possession of all these treasures to Clara! Doesn't she look like she will love all these things?

 

 

C L E A R !!!!

My CT scan on Wednesday was clear. Happy happy news.

I celebrated by sleeping until noon the next day. I was so drained, emotionally and otherwise.

I have not had a CT scan for 6 months, whereas previously I had had one done every three months, so this was a big leap, time-wise.

I also had a normal CA 125 test last month (I have one every month or so). CA 125 is a "marker" for ovarian cancer and it is also used for Uterine Papillary Serous Carcinoma/UPSC, which is what I have. Unfortunately, it is a very unreliable marker for UPSC, and is only a little more reliable for ovarian cancer. So the fact that my test is always low-normal really means....nothing. It was low-normal the day I had my surgery too.

CT scans are very reliable and can detect tumors once they attain a certain size. My original tumor did not show up on my very first CT scan.....it was only found during surgery. PET scans show smaller tumors but are not approved by most insurance companies for UPSC unless there has been a recurrence already. You might ask.....so what's the point --- isn't that like closing the barn door after the cow has escaped? YEP!

I asked my doctor if there was anything new going on with UPSC and she said "no, no trials, little research, it is too rare". There are about seven patients with this at Hopkins and hundreds with breast cancer, so you know where the money goes. Sigh.

But right now I am happy and making plans and that is enough....

 

Our happy holidays

If I thought I was busy before Christmas, the week since then was even busier. We had a full house (full of infant and toddler accoutrements and an ungodly number of electronics, chargers, cords, etc).

It was wonderful to have everyone under one roof....a mother's dream!

Below are some photos of this past week...among them, Charlie trying out his "walk bike" (no pedals), Clara holding onto Brendan for dear life, the annual cousins' group photo (but missing Patrick, who had to leave early), and Laura and Ken all dressed up to go out for their 11th anniversary dinner. She is wearing her "Kate" dress, as in Kate Middleton, who wore it a couple of weeks ago.

They took Charlie to Laura's old elementary school's playground, where someone had conveniently left a ball, so Charlie was able to dunk it.

 Laura's pretty wrappings.

Charlie carefully and gently examined every ornament he could reach, several times a day. It was sweet to see.

 

 

 

 

Busy busy

I have been really busy getting ready for Christmas and for a visit/sleepover here with four of my high school girlfriends (is one ever too old to call one's friends "girlfriends"?)

Last Christmas was so terrible, sandwiched between the horror that was chemotherapy and the awfulness of radiation. The holidays hardly happened for me.

This year is so much better. Of course, I worry every day, many times a day, but feeling almost normal is a big boost for me. I have been able to bake, decorate, plan, and shop....I just had to try to do things in moderation. And I am going to have fun!

Everyone will be here with Bob and me for the holidays - Brendan, Laura, Ken, Charlie, and Clara - and we will spend Christmas day nearby at my sister Debbie's with her family and my brother David's family too.

So here is some of what I have been doing:

Note that Laura, Ken, and Brendan's 30+ year-old striped stockings are the same flannel fabric. Ken's mother made his, my sister Lynn made Laura and Brendan's. Must have been karma!

I always bring magnolia leaves home from the beach to decorate the mantle, but did not get down there in mid-December this year. Bob found some magnolia at our orchard and bought me two huge bundles.

Almost every ornament on this tree has a special meaning. I did weed out my ornaments this year and got rid of a few dozen. I did the same with old decorations and ones I just did not like any more.

Some of Clara and Charlie's "loot"

Gifts for everyone else

I love sparkly gold things

Where else to hang a miniature crystal chandelier except from a topiary?

                Happy Holidays to everyone who visits here

                 and may 2012 be a good year for all of us.

 

 

One year

 

    It has been one year today since I finished chemo. I wish I could think of something profound to say.

    I must be honest and say that I have not had one day free of worry, but I do have longer and longer periods (minutes, not hours) when the thought of cancer is not foremost in my mind.

    I know that until I am two years "out", there can really be no peace of mind for me. I try to remember that I am a "statistic of one", but at the same time I know that UPSC is a highly aggressive cancer that frequently recurs. The most frightening thing is that I am basically in charge of my own surveillance. Consequently, every ache and pain is of concern. Every scan, test, and checkup is a source of anxiety.

    Despite all this, in the meantime I try to enjoy every day, especially those days I can spend with Charlie and Clara. Those are my BEST days.

Aunt Sally wrote a cookbook!!!

My beautiful Aunt Sally is my mother's last surviving sibling. She is 93 and still very active. She lives alone since Uncle Jack died last summer. He was the love of her life and even when he was at his worst with dementia, he would tell her "I don't know who you are but I love you." Just a few days before his death, they were dancing.

For many many years, Aunt Sally and her daughter Susan have been working on a  cookbook. Aunt Sally had a concept, a certain way she wanted the recipes laid out.

Susan lives in Atlanta, so their collaboration was not all that easy. And then my cousin Mary did a lot of the proofreading, and she lives in Virginia. Fortunately another one of Aunt Sally's daughters and loyal tester, Kathy, lives nearby.

                                  Photo of the authors and the book cover!     

Finally, last month, the cookbook was born! It is wonderful and reading it brings back lots of memories: recipes I remember my mother making; Aunt Sally and mom making Christmas cookies together; family reunion recipes.

You can "look inside" it here:

Everything Easy and Especially Delicious

and see the great format which makes every recipe easy to make.

or you can order it here - free shipping!

Order Aunt Sally's cookbook

It would make a great Christmas gift or a good gift for someone who is just starting out in his or her own home.

We are all so proud of Aunt Sally.....she followed her dream and made it happen.

 

My week away

I returned on Saturday from a week with Laura, Ken, and the babies. I was very tired and told Bob I would be spending all day Sunday in bed.....and that is exactly what I did!

My week away started off with a baby shower for Molly Marine, one of my favorite people. It is hard to believe that it has been 14 years (and her 4 tours in the Middle East) since I first met her at Lehigh. And added bonus was that Meckenzie, another dear friend from Lehigh, was there too.

The rest of my week is kind of a blur, playing with or taking care of one baby or the other and loving every minute. I loved watching Charlie dance to "Felix Navidad" (repeatedly) --- and seeing how he entertains himself and his long attention span is truly amazing.

There were a couple of "field trips" to downtown Annapolis where  I did some Christmas shopping

and there was a trip out to Centreville to see the progress on Laura and Ken's house. The foundation is in! I went to Charlie's music class with him - what a hoot!

It was fun to see Clara focusing on - and recognizing - faces. She is so darn cute.

What a sweet smile!

It was fun spending all that time with Laura and Ken too, and seeing what a wonderful mother she is and what a terrific dad Ken is. We had fun looking at things for the house - they have a lot of decisions to make and I am enjoying it vicariously.

Another photo....one day when Charlie did not want to nap, I put him in the bed with me and he fell asleep. Is there anything sweeter than watching a sleeping child?

 

Zucchini Friters

I made these a month or so ago and when I say they were out of this world, I am not kidding

grated zucchini

after adding egg etc.

 in the pan.....oh, yummmmm!

RECIPE courtesy of Smitten Kitchen

                                Zucchini Fritters


Yield: About 10 2 1/2 inch fritters

1 pound (about 2 medium) zucchini
1 teaspoon coarse or Kosher salt, plus extra to taste
2 scallions, split lengthwise and sliced thin
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Olive or another oil of your choice, for frying

To serve (optional)
1 cup sour cream or plain, full-fat yogurt
1 to 2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
Pinches of salt
1 small minced or crushed clove of garlic

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Have a baking sheet ready.

Trim ends off zucchini and grate them either on the large holes of a box grater or, if you have one, using the shredding blade of a food processor. The latter is my favorite as I’m convinced it creates the coarsest and most rope-like strands and frankly, I like my fritters to look like mops.

In a large bowl, toss zucchini with 1 teaspoon coarse salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Wring out the zucchini in one of the following ways: pressing it against the holes of a colander with a wooden spoon to extract the water, squeezing out small handfuls at a time, or wrapping it up in a clean dishtowel or piece of cheese cloth and wringing away. You’ll be shocked (I was!) by the amount of liquid you’ll lose, but this is a good thing as it will save the fritters from sogginess.

Return deflated mass of zucchini shreds to bowl. Taste and if you think it could benefit from more salt (most rinses down the drain), add a little bit more; we found 1/4 teaspoon more just right. Stir in scallions, egg and some freshly ground black pepper. In a tiny dish, stir together flour and baking powder, then stir the mixture into the zucchini batter.

In a large heavy skillet — cast iron is dreamy here — heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Drop small bunches of the zucchini mixture onto the skillet only a few at a time so they don’t become crowded and lightly nudge them flatter with the back of your spatula. Cook the fritters over moderately high heat until the edges underneath are golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. If you find this happening too quickly, reduce the heat to medium. Flip the fritters and fry them on the other side until browned underneath again, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Drain briefly on paper towels then transfer to baking sheet and then into the warm oven until needed. Repeat process, keeping the pan well-oiled, with remaining batter. I like to make sure that the fritters have at least 10 minutes in the oven to finish setting and getting extra crisp.

For the topping, if using, stir together the sour cream, lemon juice, zest, salt and garlic and adjust the flavors to your taste. Dollop on each fritter before serving. These fritters are also delicious with a poached or fried egg on top, trust me.

Do ahead: These fritters keep well, either chilled in the fridge for the better part of a week and or frozen in a well-sealed package for months. When you’re ready to use them, simply spread them out on a tray in a 325 degree oven until they’re hot and crisp again.

Leap of Faith

I took a huge leap of faith today and bought a calendar for 2012.

I buy the same calendar every year, a Lang "Extraordinary Women" calendar. I always amuses me, and I do think we are ALL extraordinary women.

This is the cover. What is really funny about this is that I bought a pair of red shoes two weeks ago....and they make me really happy. And I do not have to share them with anyone!

And here is one of my favorite illustrations in the calendar...

I am not sure that a banana daiquiri would be my drink of choice, but you get the drift.....

Halloween

Below are photos of Dr. Charlie (he forgot his stethescope) in the Halloween parade at his little Mommy-and-Me "school" and "bunny Clara"'s back.