Because cancer sucks, that's why.

Hey Crushers,

Today is not a food-based blog post. Today is a day that we all need to lift some people up in prayer. Why? Because cancer freakin' sucks, that's why. So we're going to have a Faith-filled Friday a bit early.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.  - Psalm 121:1-2

Liz, over at A Mothership Down, cracks me up. She is Nolan's mommy and a fantastic writer. Most of the time she shares witty, and hilarious, observations on life. motherhood, and her baby's fantastic hair. Today's blog post was neither witty, nor hilarious. Today's blog post was from one mama for another. As part of this new tribe called motherhood, I want to share it too.

Please take the time to read about Saiorse's story and CareAline products that help make life a little more comfortable for people with various diseases including cancer. I had a central line in my chest as a 10-year-old while fighting osteomyelitis (a bone infection), and it always felt in the way. This product would have been so helpful back in 1994. (I know I posted 1993 as a commenter on A Mothership Down, but I just realized my math was bad.)

If you feel moved to donate to get this product to more people, please feel free to do so. They have an indegogo page for fundraising. I donated because a) I could have used this product, b) I nearly cried into my coffee cup thinking about how strong this mama is to honor her daughter by helping more people and c) CANCER SUCKS.

I know too many people who have or are battled/ing chronic diseases and cancer that it makes me feel like I'm the common denominator. Fortunately, for me, that's not the case. Unfortunately, that means we all know too many people battling diseases that require PICC or central lines.


If you're still feeling giving, please also consider donating to my cousin's 2014 24-hour Booty Ride (it's a bike ride) page. Jim has biked over 3,000 miles to prepare for this event to honor his wife who has been battling breast cancer for over 2 years. They were supposed to be the photographers for our wedding when Mari was diagnosed. We quickly had to scramble to find other photographers (thanks Emily and Jon!) while they dove into the world of chemo, radiation, side effects, hair loss, and all the ups and downs of cancer treatment. We got to see them just a few weeks ago when they visited from NC, and let me tell you that I have rarely seen such a beautiful spirit!

Let's all lift our friends and family who are battling cancer. Ask God to surround them with love and care and healing in whatever form that might be. Let's ask to guide their medical staff and uplift their caregivers. And if the unthinkable happens, let's ask that they are welcomed into Heaven and Jesus' open arms.

Go ahead now and get some Kleenex and hug some people. You know you want to.

Faith-filled Friday: Calling on you for help!

Good morning, Crushers!

Today I need your help. No, it's not for recipes, although I do love it when you send them. Today I need you to send up some prayers, good vibes, happy juju and all that on behalf of a friend. I have no idea what to ask for because she's not talking. When she's not talking, I know it's not good.

Here's the thing. Her mom is very sick. I know that her mom has many health issues and this is a complication of them, but that's all I know. This friend isn't really a "send over a casserole" type of person when something is wrong. She's a fabulous cook, and so are her brothers and dad. They will not starve. This is more of a "we just need to surround you with love" type of situation.

In my daily e-mail devotion, this was the passage today:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

I have a feeling that Courtney, like most people, isn't feeling joy in the middle of this situation. She's probably feeling sad, angry, desperate, and stressed out. This is one of those times where you just need to pray for help. Just the one word. God will know what to do with it.

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God." Romans 8:26-27

 So, no matter what you say, whether it's specific or just a "help!", thank you for being prayer warriors today. 

Never Forget

Today is the anniversary of the attacks Americans suffered at the hands of terrorists on September 11, 2001. I feel like every generation has that "I'll always remember where I was when..." For my grandparents, that moment was when Pearl Harbor was bombed. For my parents, it was when JFK was shot. For some of my older friends, it was when the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up. For me and people my age, it was when the towers were hit. I don't even want to think about what the next generation will deal with.

I know I'll never forget hearing the news and seeing the second plane. Many people say how they thought that they were watching a movie. Some people couldn't bear to watch the news and some people couldn't break away. Living in Wisconsin, we're removed from New York, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. in miles, but not in our hearts. Everyone knew someone who lived there, who worked there or who just visited.

I was walking into my second hour AP Literature class when a fellow student, Carl, walked right past the teacher saying that he had to turn on the TV. Just as he turned it on, much to her dismay, the second tower was hit. The whole class fell silent. The teacher stopped scolding Carl, and instead she laid a hand on his shoulder in comfort and disbelief. Not everyone was sure of what they were seeing. However, we quickly learned.

There's no recipe today. There's no kitchen crush to talk about. Yes, regular life goes on, and I will be cooking and preparing a post for tomorrow, but just for today, there's nothing by a day of remembrance, prayer, and thankfulness to all who have gone before and who serve our country today.

Salad Experiment Results

Hey Crushers,
This salad experiment worked REALLY well. I just took the lid off of the container, put a bowl upside down on top of the container and flipped it so that the greens went to the bottom of the bowl and the veggie toppings and dressing were on the top.

Before: here is the salad that I made at about 8 p.m. on Sunday night.

The greens stayed away from the dressing which kept them from going limp and soggy. The tomatoes, peppers and olives got nicely marinated, and did their jobs keeping the dressing from the greens. Overall, I'd say this was a success and will probably make my lunch salads like this from now on.

After: being in a container overnight, the salad was still fresh at lunchtime on Monday!

I wonder how this would work for a taco salad... Good thing we're having tacos tonight and I can report back later. UPDATE: We didn't have any taco leftovers, so I can't report on how this worked. I'm still thinking it would have been awesome.

In other news, one of my co-workers is out of town this week, so I'm getting her crop share as part of our office's community supported agriculture project with the Wellness Committee. I'm not signed up since we have our own booming garden, but I am really excited to see what veggie goodness we're going to get! I hear green beans, cabbage and carrots are part of this week's share.

Steve and I will be celebrating our one year anniversary on July 28. I can't believe how fast the year has gone, but time flies when you're having fun, right? I'll do a little photo recap that day. Plus, I've got something up my sleeve to surprise him with on our anniversary. Since he reads the blog, I can't tell you now, but rest assured that he'll be surprised this weekend. Muwahahaha!

FYI - the top tier of our wedding cake has already been eaten. You see, in January we noticed that the cake was starting to look a little wonky in the freezer and we weren't sure how tasty it would be come July. Instead of waiting, we decided to celebrate our "half" anniversary and ate the cake. So good, but slightly freezer-burnt. In order to keep tradition (sort of), I ordered a dozen cupcakes from our bakery in the same flavors. Yum.

Last piece of news: I ran into one of the kids that I went to grade school with last night. Small world, right? Anyway, his sister Beth is due to have her first baby any day now. About a week ago, doctors discovered her husband, Brandon, had a brain aneurysm. He survived, thankfully, but is in VERY serious condition at a local hospital. Please include Brandon and Beth in your prayers. They need them!

Prayer warriors, Wildtree beer bread, and pasta for dinner

Hi Crushers!

I have to say a huge thank you to all of my friends (who read the blog or not) who have been awesome prayer warriors lately. My grandma has been having some lower GI tract issues that I won't talk about here because they're kind of gross, and went to the hospital yesterday to have it figured out. She's 96 and is only one month away from her birthday (she's a Independence Day baby!). A little GI issues should not stop this woman, but they did throw everyone for a loop back in 2011 when Steve and I got engaged and again yesterday. She ended up having to stay overnight and then have a procedure done today. When you're as old as my grandma is, even if you don't act like it (and she doesn't!), that's risky to have anesthesia.

I'm really excited to say that she made it through her procedure. Now I know we're not in the clear yet, but I am leaving in one week (AH!) for Australia, so things are crazy around here anyway. I just hope that she feels better soon. I also hope that everyone has renewed strength for whatever lies ahead!

My Alma Mater's mascot is a warrior (like a knight, not a Native American). As a religious school, we were encouraged to be prayer warriors for each other spending time talking to God and building our prayer lives. Within the last year, many of my girlfriends from college have been calling on each other to be prayer warriors for each other and lift each other up. Whether it is in thanks or in "oh help" messages, we've been there. We've followed the call to "pray continually" message from 1 Thessalonians 5. It has been awesome to have those ladies to reach out to. I hope you all have a group like that!

I also hope that you always find the words when you need them. Although, "help" covers a lot and God knows what you mean! I recently saw a meme on Pinterest that said something to the effect of "the power of prayer doesn't depend on the person who is praying. It depends on the One listening." So true.

Anyway, I have two food-related items to tell you about since Grandma is one of my kitchen crushes and all. First, a short review of Wildtree's Whole Wheat Beer Bread. The bread is stupid-easy to make. Mix beer and bread mix and bake. EASY. It's also delicious with a little bit of butter and jam.

Second, unless something major happens with Grandma, I'm still going to host book club tonight (we read "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand A.Mazing!). I'm also making this springy pasta primavera for dinner thanks to Iowa Girl Eats. I love it when I think, "Gee, I have no idea what to make" and BOOM. My favorite blog writers have an answer. Love it! I will probably make it exactly as it is written except for the fact that I bought green and yellow squash, and I might throw in a little cauliflower since I don't have 2 cups of broccoli. Can't wait for dinner!

Thanks everyone and know that I'm praying for you, too!