Friday Five

Five things I bookmarked this week, all food, of course!

We love risotto and I love that Drew likes to be the one who makes it! We always have a lot of leftovers so this recipe for Risotto Cakes will be perfect! It might actually be something we make this weekend.

Two dips from Brown Eye Baker. Sausage Dip that I will be making Sunday for the Super Bowl, and Seven Layer Dip. Mmmm...dips....would it be bad to have dips for dinner?

No Bake Almond Butter Balls sound deliciously healthy! At least compared to those previously mentioned dips!

I need to starting thinking about finger foods for the baby shower in a few weeks. These Chicken Salad Bites caught my eye!

good days and bad days

Monday was a bad day.
Sometimes I start thinking about how I will never be "fixed". That this is what I have to live with the rest of my life, and I really hate it. This leads to thinking about having kids and do I really want to risk putting my children through this. No, I don't. But I've always wanted kids. So, if I do have kids does that make me selfish? Will they hate me?
I'm almost to the point where I'd be okay making the decision to not have kids. Almost. I really try not to think about it too much. But, I'm co-hosting a baby shower for a good friend later this month and I made the invitations. That's why I've been thinking about it a lot lately. Plus, I have 3 other good friends that are pregnant. And then there are all those cute pictures of new babies on several blogs I read. So, it's something I can't really avoid, and I don't want to. I just try to remember that the good days out number the bad and that tomorrow will be a good day!

Friday Five

I cooked a lot of yummy things this week and had I taken pictures I would tell you about them! Instead, here are five food related things I book marked this week. If I wasn't going out of town this weekend you would be able to find me in the kitchen!

With the Super Bowl being next weekend I need something to make for the game. Joelen has a good list of Tasty Touchdown Snacks. Now, which one to try?

I'm a sucker for Peanut Butter Pie, add a brownie and I'm sold!

Bacon, cream cheese, jalapenos? Yes, please!

I've always wanted to make the Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls. Now that someone has figured out the quantities for a small batch, I'm going to do just that!

I need to make a trip to Bed, Bath, & Beyond so I've added ramekins to my list so I can make this French Onion Soup.

MY MS, part 2

Thank you for your comments on part 1! I think part 2 should answer some of your questions!
So...my neurologist gave me a 3 day high dose steroid and then put me on a treatment plan where I give myself a shot every other day. We like to refer to this shot as brain juice! The treatment/medication website gives a good explanation of what MS is (which I copied below).

• The nerve fibers in your central nervous system are covered with a fatty protective coating called myelin.
• When you get MS, it is believed that your immune system attacks the myelin, leaving scar tissue on the nerve fiber coating. This can cause permanent damage.

The "juice" in the shot then communicates with my immune system to prevent it from attacking the myelin.
The shots don't hurt, but I can get awful bruises which can be sore. The shots go in my leg and then about every 5-7 days Drew gives them to me in my bum! I can also place them in my abdomen and back of my arm. Of course if they could turn this shot into a pill that would be awesome, but it's going good so far!
While we were at the neurologist we talked about us having children. He said that it is absolutely possible and if and when we decide to start trying I should stop the shots 2-3 months beforehand. MS isn't completely genetic or inherited. No one in my family has or had it that we know of and chances of passing it our children if and when we have kids is 10-20%.
The whole kids thing will need its own post!
So, right now I feel good! The symptoms I do still have (slight tingling in my hands, skin sensations on my abdomen and arms) are in no way debilitating or uncomfortable. I know that this will not always be the case but I try not to think about that. No one knows what the future holds!

My MS, part 1

Five months ago I found out that I have MS. One month prior I went to my doctor because I was having tingling in my hands. Carpel tunnel was the first guess since I do work on a computer most of the day. They gave me braces to wear (don’t even get me started on the price of those!) at night. After one week nothing changed and I started having “skin sensations” on the left side of my body so I went back to the doctor. Google told me the high probability of MS and my doctor also mentioned it, so he sent me to have an MRI. A few days later I got the call that yes, indeed, my MRI showed consistencies with MS and I was referred to a neurologist. I cried, and cried, and cried.

A few days later Drew and I met with the neurologist who was compassionate, explained everything clearly, showed me what was going on in my brain, and told me the next steps. Best of all we left that appointment feeling positive and hopeful.

It's Friday!

It’s Friday, and I couldn’t be happier! Last night Drew’s band played near where my parents live, an hour away. We decided to stay with them as opposed to coming back so late which was a great decision only I really didn’t want to get out of that bed! I’m pretty sure it’s the world’s most comfortable bed and it’s a shame that someone doesn’t sleep there on a regular basis! I slept great but didn’t get as many hours as usual so tonight I plan on doing a whole lot of nothing and sleeping in tomorrow. Tomorrow I’m also going to a Tupperware party. I know, right? I’m really not that old, am I? But it should be fun since we’ll be hanging out with good friends that we don’t see often enough. Sunday should include a lot of relaxing, reading, cooking, football watching, and probably Yahtzee playing. That goes for Monday too since I have the day off!
What are you up to this weekend?

What I'm cooking

I'm a huge fan of the crock-pot and on Sunday I made Chicken Brunswick Stew. I used this recipe. It wasn't bad! A little sweet for my liking so if I make it again I would probably forgo the added sugar. I would also maybe add crushed red pepper! We like spicy!

I love this Tomato Cream Sauce so the other night I made a double batch! We had some last night on mini farfalle pasta, topped with bacon. Then I froze 4 containers of the sauce to use later. So easy, and so good! If I were on the show The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Sauce, I would pick this sauce!

This weekend I'm planning to make oven baked onion rings, can't wait! I'm hoping they will be The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Onions!

I hurt my butt

No, really. I hurt my butt, BAD! Friday morning I was walking out to my car to go to work. The porch light was out and the landlord removed the hand rail several months ago and never put it back. I didn't see the black ice that was waiting for me and gracefully slipped on the first step, hit the edge of it and landed on the second step. It was pretty awesome. It also caused me to spill coffee on my new purse! Travesty! I was going to try and go into work, so after Drew came out to help me up, I went on my way but didn't get very far before I turned around and called into work. I never realized how important one's butt is to strength and mobility. I'm still sore today and expect to be for several more days but it's getting better. I would show you my bruise (it's black!) but there is no way I'm posting a picture of my butt on the internet! It looks like someone beat me with a baseball bat since I already have bruises from my shots. Needless to say my weekend was spent doing a whole lot of nothing! So, how was your weekend?

2011

I know it's only the 3rd but 2011 has been good so far. How can "not getting out of my pajamas for 2 days" be bad? I probably only got changed today because I had to go to work!
As I mentioned, I don't make resolutions but I have been thinking about a few things that I want to do this year. So here they are in no particular order.

• Cook: Cook better more often, be adventurous, try new recipes from the blogs I follow and magazines I get, take pictures/write reviews of said recipes.
• Fitness: Get back on the exercise train. Yoga, swim class in the spring, maybe look into joining a gym.
  
• Read: Continue with the book club I'm in but also add 1 or 2 more books per month. Suggestions are welcome!
  
• Be Creative: Knit, paint, craft, make cards, take photos, etc.
• Have Fun: This year has already been deemed "Year of Yahtzee". Drew and I are competing to see who can win the most games of Yahtzee. The winner gets treated to dinner of their choice by the looser.

What do you want to do this year? Do you make resolutions?

New Year

Hi there!
Since my absence from the blogosphere a lot has happened, I don't really know where to begin. So I thought I would start by completing the year in review that I've done in the past.
(Because of time ticking by too quickly and because I want to make sure this gets posted on Jan.1st I've skipped some questions.)

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
I got an MRI, actually two. Fun times!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I'm not big on resolutions and I honestly can't remember if I made any or not so therefore I don't know if I kept them!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No, not close to me, but I do know several people that did give birth and even more that are currently pregnant.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes, my cat, Willie. I miss him everyday!

5. What countries did you visit?
None.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
Financial stability, and for my husband to find a job where he is valued and secure.


7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Jan. 10th, the day Willie died. :(

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I think I've done a pretty good job of remaining positive (see #10). I just try to remember that it could be worse!

9. What was your biggest failure?


10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Um...you could say that. I found out that I have polycystic kidney disease, so I'm on high blood pressure medicine. Oh, and I was diagnosed with MS. I give myself a shot every other day.
It's really strange to actually write these things because I feel fine!

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Sunday Newspaper subscription. I'm not kidding! I love Sundays because I wake up, make coffee, read the paper, look at the adds, and clip coupons!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My husband because he is awesome! He has been my rock and source of happiness this year!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The manager who let Drew go after 4 months when he was producing more than another girl who was hired at the same time! Makes no sense.

14. Where did most of your money go?
The usual suspects, rent, student loans, car payment.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I was really excited to go on vacation to the beach with my family. We had a great time!

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
Probably Nelly- Just a Dream. That song gets stuck in my head all the time! I'm not even sure that Nelly is the one that sings it and I'm also not sure that it's the correct title!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
b) thinner or fatter?
c) richer or poorer?
Same on all accounts.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
I wish I had done more purging. 2011 resolution, perhaps? I don't need so much stuff!

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Cry.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
We were with Drew's family from 12/22-25 and then with my family from 12/25-29. So Christmas day we opened presents with Drew's family, had lunch, then drove to my parent's house. We had my family Christmas the day after. Sounds exhausting but it really wasn't too bad!

21. Did you fall in love in 2010?
Yes, with braised pork belly!

22. What was your favorite TV program?
I have many! Project Runway, Top Chef, How I Met Your Mother, etc.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No, I'm not a hater!

24. What was the best book you read?
I really liked Saving Ceecee Honeycut by Beth Hoffman.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. I didn't technically discover them this year but I became a huge fan this year, hence the title of this blog.

26. What did you want and get?
27. What did you want and not get?
28. What was your favorite film of this year?

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
We went out for a nice dinner. I'm still dreaming of that braised pork belly!

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If everything in #10 wouldn't be so, and if Drew was employed for all 12 months.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
Simple casual

32. What kept you sane?
How about who? My family, husband, and in-laws.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
34. What political issue stirred you the most?

35. Who did you miss?
I still miss all my friends that live far away!

36. Who was the best new person you met?
My neurologist and his nurse are pretty awesome. I also met some great people who also have MS at a water aerobics class.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Life is never going to go as planned. There will be good days and bad days. It's okay to lean on others during those bad days.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.


Happy New Year, everyone! Here's to a better 2011!