9.11.2015

Tremendous Friday Ten - THINGS I'M LOVIN'

I didn't do a FFF last Friday, so this week you get 10 super-great things!  No specific theme...just things I'm loving RIGHT now.  Enjoy :)

One skillet and 40 minutes is all it takes! Grab the recipe on sallysbakingaddiction.com
Cilantro Lime Skillet Chicken >> recipe HERE
If I could make this every day, I'm pretty sure I would.  You cook the chicken in a cast-iron skillet, remove it, then add shallots, butter, cilantro, cream, broth, and lime juice and cook until reduced.  Then you add the chicken back in and plop it in the oven for a bit.  Oh man...the lime juice, when cooked, ends up tasting really sweet instead of sour.  And of course, as with anything involving cilantro, the more you use...the better it tastes!  Serve it with veggies if you're healthy, or pasta if you like to eat tasty things...yum!

Lemon Bruschetta Pasta with Grilled Chicken from KatiesCucina.com
recipe >> HERE
OK, I realize I can't cook that last one every night...so I'll switch it up with this wonderful meal!  First off, the recipe calls for homemade pasta...ain't nobody got time for that!  But it's grilled chicken (super easy and fast if you use an indoor grill) with garlic and herb seasoning, then it's pasta (I use linguine) with basil, lemon zest, tomatoes (I use canned because I'm lazy), the juice of a whole lemon (the recipe says half...but that's stupid) and butter.  Another yum :)

Jigsaw Puzzle Plus app for iPad >> read about it here
I love to do puzzles...but I love even more to do puzzles while sitting on my couch watching TV without having to keep the cats off a puzzle table.  This is THE BEST puzzle app.  The app is free, there are TONS (and I mean TONS AND TONS) of puzzle packages you can download...for free (there are some for pay).  You can sort the pieces by edges or regular, you can change the number of puzzle pieces, you can set if you want the pieces to be able to rotate or not, and all the pieces are arranged in a line down the right-hand side of the screen on a scroll bar.  It has an ad bar on the left, but you can pay to remove it.  It's not the most challenging as I think the highest number of pieces is just over 500, but it's something nice and easy and relaxing.  The puzzles are lovely and come in a variety of categories (all of the puzzles Aria picked out on her iPad are all animals).  If you like puzzles, it's a must-have!

    
I found this to be WAY too funny...Jacki didn't think it was funny at all when I sent it to her.  Look...I know I'm the fat friend...I don't need anybody to spare my feelings on it...and I KNOW I'm hilarious!! Plus, Dave totally did the Truffle Shuffle in the kitchen the other night!

Home Free  >> Wednesdays on FOX
This show y'all...it gives me ALL the feels!  It's almost over, but if you get the chance to go back and watch it, DO IT!  There's 9 couples...each week, they move to a different house in Atlanta to fix it up.  They're responsible for all kinds of home-building things...decorating, making furniture...drywalling, painting, you name it...they do it.  Each week, the most under-performing couple is sent home.  The prize at the end:  a custom-built brand new home.  THE BEST PART...each week, when a couple gets sent home, that couple actually wins the house that they just got finished rebuilding!  It's so emotional...I cry so much!  I just love it...Dave loves it...even Aria loves it!  I'm the only one that cries, though...

Under the cabinet, kickboard drawer storage.  Would be great for cookie sheets and hardly used pans.  Great for a small kitchen without a lot of kitchen space.:
Under-cabinet storage >> here's DIY instructions
I totally want to do this in the kitchen.  All that wasted space under the cabinets that could be utilized to hold my baking sheets, my wire cooling racks, random odds and ends that don't do anything except take up space in a drawer.  These would be GREAT!

Love the rustic, overflowing, already been eaten look of this cheese plate. Not to precious to touch.:
Look at this cheese board!
Last fall I had wanted to plan a tapas dinner party at my house for my family...but then cancer happened, so I had to 86 that plan.  But this year...I can do it this year!  I've not finalized my plans yet, but I know I want a killer cheese board...and look at this one.  It's got the cheese, the fruit, the honey, the prosciutto, nuts...the soft cheese, the hard cheese....I just can't get over how awesome this cheese board looks and I'm using it (and definitely some others) as my inspiration for my tapas party!

this won't hurt a bit:
    
This makes me laugh so hard...because it's TOTALLY legit!

purchase >> HERE
A first-person fiction novel about developing Alzheimers, living with it, struggling to keep your memories, and dealing with family and caregivers as you're slowly losing your mind...while knowing there's nothing you can do about it.  I literally just started it last night and I'm really excited about it!  The first thing that lets Ms. Lillie Claire know she's losing it is that she loses her keys and her mini wallet...which she subsequently finds in the vegetable crisper in her fridge.  The author uses the weather of the day as a metaphor....bright, cloudless sky quickly becomes dull and full of clouds that block the light she once saw...just beautiful!

Locations in Augusta and Columbus...visit the website >> HERE
Popcorn is seriously my favorite snack!  I'm pretty sure it's my biggest guilty pleasure.  Some people eat too many cookies....I eat too much popcorn.  Whenever we go to a movie, even if I've just gotten done eating dinner, I'll order the large popcorn with layered butter because 1) there's no greater sorrow then getting 2 inches down into your popcorn just to find out there's no more butter and 2) the smaller bags would suffice, but they leak...the large tub doesn't.  I always eat too much and complain of a tummy ache later.  Anyway, this store is my crutch.  Luckily, it's located by the big Regal theatre, so I don't go there very often.  But I just love this store.  You walk in, they give you a menu and a marker, and you circle three flavors you'd like to try...and by try, I mean sample...for free.  Then you pick what you want, the size you want to buy, they go in the back and fix it up, and you're on your way.  My favorite flavor is the movie theatre butter...it's buttery and yummy and goes perfect with a RedBox!

Have a phenomenal weekend, folks!
Maybe next week I'll honor you with a conversation .... argument ... Aria and I had on picture day last week about her outfit that she herself helped pick out!

9.09.2015

Celebration of Life

First things first, I know I owe you a double edition of Fab Friday Five because I slacked off last Friday and didn't do it.  Oops :)

Exactly one year ago yesterday...probably close to this time...Dave and I were sitting in the Urology department at the VA.  A room full of people (and I mean FULL of people) and we were called on before several that were there before us.  All we knew was that Dave had gotten a call that Saturday telling him to come in first thing Monday morning to discuss the results of his ultrasound.

We sat down, met Dr. Fox, and listened as he explained to us that a mostly spherical mass of approximately 2cm was found...the fact that it was spherical indicated it was a tumor, and most tumors there were almost always cancerous and it needed to come out.

He was admitted to the VA that afternoon, had some bloodwork drawn and a CT scan.  

One year ago today, probably also around this same time, we were informed not only of the tumor, but of the two swollen lymph nodes in his abdomen that were indicative of the spread of testicular cancer.  He had surgery that afternoon to remove the testicle and then we spent a long, grueling evening and night at the hospital, against doctor's wishes, until ready to go home the next day.


It's been one year since the diagnosis.
It's been one year since the surgery.
It's been one year since our lives changed forever.


It's been a wild ride.  I've learned a lot about caregiving (I suck at it).  I also learned a lot about cancer and cancer treatments...which is not anything I've ever really planned on learning...and to be honest, I wish I never had to learn it.

It's been one year since Dave was given the inevitable death sentence that comes along with cancer....and he has survived.

Dave posted this yesterday on Facebook:
Well; its been one year and I'm still kicking!!!! It's been rough but I'm happy I beat it and am still cancer free!!! Thank you all for the kind wishes and prayers!!!!!!


One year down, many many many more to go!

9.01.2015

Random Update

Here's some odds and ends for your Tuesday reading pleasure.  Enjoy!

I'm spending this week at work doing an audit on several SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) books throughout the center...and I must say...I'm having a blast!

Wednesday we are re-instating our regular play dates...yay for some adult time with great friends!

I'm taking this Friday off so that I can have a long 4-day weekend.  I'm totally still taking Aria to school and then I'm going to go browse around 2nd and Charles (it's pay day...wink wink), then perhaps Home Goods and Whole Foods.  Maybe I'll top it off with a trip to Hobby Lobby for some new chalk markers...who knows!  I'm excited!

My child has asked me some tough-to-answer questions lately....
"Mommy, who's God?" -- a tough one for me as we're not trying to force her into a belief system
"Mommy, what's adoption?" followed up with "Is that when mommy's and daddy's give away their children?"
"Mommy, why does the moon follow us to school every morning?"

I just discovered there's a new Simon's Cat...and it's TOTALLY Little Man! Here it is!  And now that you're hooked...go watch all the rest if you haven't before, they're hilarious!


Now that the weather is cooling off, I'm excited to get back outside to play with Aria.  Aria has also been asking for some walks, so I'll be glad to start doing that with her...Lord knows we could use some walking and outdoor activity in our family!

This week's menu isn't anything too exciting...

Sunday:  Tortellini Casserole
(cheese tortellini, ground turkey, spaghetti sauce, melty cheese)

Monday:  Grilled Chicken (not)Tacos + chips
(chicken, montreal chicken seasoning, lime juice, soft tortillas, taco toppings, tortilla chips)

Tuesday:  Meatball Alfredo + breadsticks
(pasta, meatballs, alfredo sauce, breadsticks, melty cheese)

Wednesday:  PLAYDATE
(Dave is on his own!)

Thursday:  Korean BBQ Pork (Fresh Market Thursday Little Big Meal--it's only $20, y'all!)
(pork cubes, caesar salad kit, sweet tea, rice, skillet sauce packet, mini cookies)

Friday:  Sausage and peppers + potatoes
(Chicken apple sausage, red/yellow/orange bell peppers, onion, white potatoes)

Saturday:  Crockpot BBQ chicken sliders + chips
(Chicken, BBQ sauce, slider buns, chips)


Have a nice week, folks!