30 Pins of Summer ~ Pins 2, 3, and 4

Since both Jonathan and I love food and cooking, it’s no surprise that a lot of my pins on Pintrest are recipes. Last weekend we managed to try 3 new recipes that we pinned. Yes, I said “we”, Jonathan loves to scroll through Pintrest just as much as I do. In fact, he pins so many things I sent him an invite for his own account, but refuses to join and continues to pin away on my boards.

Pin #2 ~ Bacon Cheeseburger Dip

This is something I pinned, that I figured was right up Johnny’s alley – he’s a sucker for a bacon cheeseburger! I put it together Friday afternoon and had it ready when he got home from work. It was super easy and he LOVED it!

Pin #3 ~ Homemade Donuts

Those of you that know us well know this pin was ALL Johnny, he sure does love him a sweet tasting breakfast! This pin was our Saturday morning breakfast and the prep was a family affair. While the recipe above got us going, we made a few modifications along the way ... we did cinnamon sugar donuts and powdered sugar donut holes plus ... Maple Bacon Donuts! This is a recipe Johnny saw on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives and had to try. You dip the donut in a glaze made from powdered sugar and maple syrup then you top it with bacon crumbles. I was a little hesitant to try them but they were amazing! Not something I would eat often but definitely worth the try.

Pin #4 ~ Zucchini Boats

After our donut breakfast on Saturday, we headed to the farmers market for some fresh, local produce. One of many down sides to chemo is that raw fruits and veggies are on the "Do Not Eat List", worst time of the year to have to make sure your fresh produce is cooked! So, we set out to get us some items that we could enjoy cooked, which wasn't hard. We cooked up these zucchini boats along with fresh corn on the cob and some grilled chicken for dinner that night! It was yummy!!!

I promise that not all of my pins will be recipes, in fact Aiden and I worked on a craft project today that I hope to post this weekend and I'm hoping to start a craft project over the weekend, if I feel up to it.

Summer Project

Since Johnny was out watching the basketball game last night and little man fast asleep, I decided to curl up with the IPad and some trashy reality TV. While browsing through Pintrest, yes I’m addicted; I had the most awesome idea … 30 Pins in 30 Days! How neat would it be to complete one pin a day for the next 30 days? I could even blog about each one.  Then I remember that I’m in the middle of chemo and that’s a bit ambitious of me; when I’m feeling good I sometimes forget about having cancer.  Even this morning, while I cooked a breakfast I had found on Pintrest, I couldn’t stop thinking about how fun this could be.  It would give me something to do during my “good” weeks and something to look forward to during my chemo weeks. I had to modify my original idea a bit to make it work; instead of “30 Pins in 30 Days” it’s going to be “The 30 Pins of Summer”.  So between now and the start of fall semester (August 20th), I’m going to try and complete 30 different projects/ideas I have pinned on Pintrest. For those of you not familiar with Pintrest, it’s a virtual pinboard, which lets you organize and share everything you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. I have pinboards that include craft projects, sewing projects, home décor, recipes, cleaning and organization tips, party ideas …. the list is pretty long, so I have plenty to choose from!

Pin #1 ~ Sausage Stuffed Pancake Muffins

This recipe is super easy and both boys loved it this morning, Aiden did take the sausage out of his! Take your favorite pancake mix, pour over fully cooked sausage (or bacon or fruit), bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes in a greased muffin pan, and serve with syrup!

 I used sausage patties cut into quarters

 My Sous Chef, mixing the pancake batter!

 Fresh out of the oven!

The finished product!



Round 1 ~ Done

It was a rough week emotionally last week but we survived the first round of chemo! The best way to describe how I felt physically … the flu! You know, kind of achy, sore, worn out, hit by some bricks feeling. Except for being tired and a little nauseous the first 2-3 days after chemo weren’t so bad. It was the worst 3-5 days out and about a week afterward I started to feel my normal self again. I have plenty of meds to help with the pain and nausea, I just feel really worn out. The hardest part is not having the energy to keep up with Aiden. It breaks my heart to have to tell him I can’t go outside with him, give him a bath, or play. But we spend lots of time cuddled on the couch watching Mickey Mouse and playing on the IPad.  It may not be the ideal situation but it’s our time together and that’s what important! I’m hoping to be able to do some fun things with him in my “good” weeks now that I’m done teaching.

I had a follow-up with my oncologist yesterday and my blood work came back great! She said most patients don’t feel any worse with subsequent treatments than they did with the first treatment. I’m hoping that will apply to me but we’ll have to wait and see. My second round of chemo is scheduled for Friday, June 29^th. After talking to Dr White, we moved it from Monday to Friday, hoping the couple of extra days would help me feel my best for Aiden’s birthday party! I cannot believe my baby boy is going to be 3!

I’m so incredibly blessed with an amazing support system. My family, friends, GWL, coworkers, everyone has been so wonderful. I truly appreciate everything … prayers, calls, texts … just knowing you are taking a part of your busy day to think about me means the world! We have had so many delicious meals dropped off!!! Aiden walked away disappointed last night after he asked, “Who’s brining dinner tonight” and I said ,”no one, I’m cooking tonight.”

 Last week, I was just too tired and emotionally drained to blog and now that I’m feeling better, I’ve been trying to play catch up from last week. Summer session 1 ended yesterday with exams and I just posted final grades. Now that I’m done teaching until August I’m going to have lots of time to blog and keep everyone updated! In fact, I’m not sure what I’m going to over the next 6 weeks when I’m feeling good, with a 12 month contract I’ve always taught all summer. Maybe I’ll finally get to try all those things I’ve pinned on Pintrest over the last few months!

Everything Changes

In a previous post, I said that while I was doing fine I knew that would change once chemo started and I was right! Sunday night and Monday were the hardest days I have had so far. I was scared, nervous, and cried a lot! I have been dreading the start of chemo since my diagnosis. I know I need the treatment and wasn’t trying to avoid it, but once chemo starts EVERYTHING changes and my world becomes an unknown and that’s the scary part. Monday morning was the biggest struggle! It was especially hard dropping Aiden off at school not knowing how I would feel when he got home or how our world would change.

I had to see the oncologist before chemo to get the results of the bone scan … all clear!!!  After seeing Dr White, I headed back to the treatment room and began the 5 hour chemo process. Can you believe me, having to sit somewhere for 5 hours straight, with no internet access!!! That was a major struggle for me, lol! I was able to get online with my phone, had plenty of trashy magazines read, and some good company! A special Thank You to Jennifer for spending her birthday with me and my chemo drugs until Jonathan got there!!! The first treatment always takes the longest; they run the drugs super slow to make sure I don’t have a reaction. Future treatments should only take about 2.5-3 hours and thanks to the hubby I have all 3 Fifty Shades books to help me get through those!  But, I prefer a good chat with friends so I’m always up for visitors during treatment!

I returned to the doctor yesterday to receive a Neulasta shot. I’ll get this the day after every chemo treatment to help boost my white blood cell count.  It causes a little bit of bone/joint pain but nothing a pain pill can't help.

It’s two days out from chemo and I’m doing really well. I have lots of meds to help with the nausea and pain and have been taking naps and going to bed early.  I’m a little nervous that I’ll start to feel worse in the coming days, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

THANK YOU for all your love and support! I truly appreciate all the phone calls, text, facebook posts, comments, and prayers! It means so much to know that you are taking time out of your busy day to think about me! With lots of love and support I made it through my first round of chemo and I’m feeling good! I’m still scared and nervous about the days and weeks ahead but one step at a time, right?

Catch Up

I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted, it’s been a busy 2 weeks! Instead of doing one long post, I’m going to break the last two weeks into some shorter blogs.

After seeing Dr. White on the 31^st and learning the CT scan was clear, Aiden and I headed to NJ with my mom for a surprise baby shower for my sister-in-law Cheryl!!! I was so excited that I was able to make the trip!  I was a little worried the doctor would want to start chemo right away but she gave the go ahead for the trip and decided to start chemo after I had the port put in.

It was a short trip but I was able to visit my family and close friends and enjoy some REALLY good food before starting treatment! With chemo, surgery, and radiation I don’t know when I’ll be able to make it back to Jersey. I’m hoping to feel good enough for a short visit in August to meet my niece!!!

Here are a few pictures from our trip …

Visiting with Great-Grandma

Aiden and Ro-Ro

Aunt Cheryl & Uncle Paulie

Feeling his cousin kick

High School Friends

Smores with Uncle Paul

Once we got back from Jersey I was in full “prep” mode, I needed to get some stuff done before having my port put in on Friday and starting chemo on Monday. I wanted everything in place to make life easier for everyone else, since I didn't know how I'd feel.

The port surgery went really well and Dr. Habal did a great job! My arm was sore over the weekend and I couldn’t pick up my sweet little boy but we made it through! Thanks to my awesome mother-in-law and hubby for taking care of me and little man all weekend.