Brave

This is how I feel lately. I've had a change of plan and am moving forward with my mastectomy. It should be in the next 4 weeks. I need to be brave, even if I'm not as strong as I wish. 

There Is Only Now

Valentine's Boxes

These were fun to make. I just wish they didn't come home with quite as much sugar.... I feel like the sugar nazi every holiday. 

Chocolate Oreo Birthday Cake

My moms birthday is on Valentine's Day. So sometimes she gets less attention than she deserves. We decided to make her a special birthday cake. I used the 'better homes and gardens' chocolate cake recipe. Two 9" round cake pans. And the filling, between the two cakes, is fresh whip cream with chopped Oreo pieces folded in. The frosting is a rich sour cream chocolate. It was fun to make, fun to give, and fun to eat :) Happy birthday mom!

Valentine's Pizza

This is what we ate for Valentines (actually the day before). It was pretty easy to shape the pizza dough like a heart. I'm too cheap to buy the heart shaped ones from a pizza place :)

Elevator

This feels like my life. Ahhhhh!!!

MENU Jan 31 - Feb 6

Scars Unhidden

I have some truly amazing friends.

I don't actually have the right words to describe how this image makes me feel. Or what it means to me. A dear friend of mine had her artist sister (Sarah Barley) create this for me. My friend included the following caption:

As I continue this journey of physical transformation, health, and emotional change, this tree woman is the perfect symbol for me to meditate on. I strive to be "strong, hopeful, and gentle". I want to have "hope, love, and courage". Some days are easier than others, but I do feel anchored. 

Ultimately, I want to be open, with scars unhidden. 

Valentine's Craft

I'm in charge of the craft for the first grade Valentines party. This is what I finally settled on. Problem is, I didn't think through how my hand would feel after punching all of those holes by myself!!! The kids will only have 10 minutes to complete the craft, so it has to be ready to go. I have pre-cut the yarn, pre-punched the holes, and wrapped tape around the ends of the yarn, so they can easily get it through the holes. All of this took WAY longer than I anticipated. Hope they like it 😜!

Jamaican Food

We had some friends over the other night for dinner. Jonathan wanted to make Jamaican food. So we grilled jerk chicken, and made coleslaw, and rice and peas. "Rice and peas" is actually red beans and rice, cooked in coconut milk (with thyme, cinnamon, and green onion). Jonathan was excited to get the leftovers for lunch the next day. And while the dinner was great, the conversation and company was even better :) Grateful for wonderful friends!