Nutella Pancakes

Inspired by this at bell’alimento,  I took my pancake recipe, minus chocolate chips and sugar/agave, added maybe 1/4 cup Nutella, and made this.

Yum!

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Negative

Thank God.  Scans were clean.  Next stop: Lymphedema specialist for my arm.

I’ll get all deep and philosophical about it later.  Right now I’m grateful.  Just plain grateful.  For everything.

And I’m drinking a beer.

And cooking lobster tail.  Because nothing says celebration like lobster and beer.  Heh.

Deep Thoughts from the MRI

As I was trussed in the Hannibal Lector mask and chest weights and shoved into the tiny white tunnel, I thought to myself,

“Lying in an MRI machine for 1 and 1/2 hours is like going to a really expensive and loud Philip Glass concert performed by a giant woodpecker.”

I have a bad feeling.

Hopefully it’s just because last time I was hit in the back of  the head with the cancer shovel and this is my brain’s way of coping.

I will know more tomorrow.

(fatty necrosis fatty necrosis fatty necrosis.)

Scanxiety

So, as always, I’ll be plain.

I’ve had elbow pain on and off since about January, so when my oncologist’s office called to reschedule my 6 month appointment (which had accidentally scheduled for 5 months), I declined  because I wanted to ask her about it.

She felt a lump on my cancer side on my rib under my arm.   Which could be pinching nerves in my elbow.

Or.

It could be fatty necrosis from reconstruction and a lymphedema issue in my elbow.

Yes, I’m scared.  Yes, it’s more likely fatty necrosis than cancer.  So I’m trying not to freak too much.  But.  The thing about cancer is it seems to be unpredictable.

So chant with me please.  Fatty necrosis.  Fatty necrosis.  F-A-T-T-Y necrosis.

5 Snapshots

If you’re my facebook friend you’ve probably already seen these, but they are too good not share.

Giving her brother a fauxhawk. Or at least trying.

 

Happy Dinner Time

 

Planina at the Russian Festival in Boulder

 

L's reminder to throw away 2 year old frozen turkey

 

Most Cheerful Baby's Summer Reading

Car in the yard 2: the sequel

Dear God:

I had the best of intentions to get up and make it to church today.  But there was another car in my yard.

I’m fairly sure that our house resides in the Bermuda Triangle for cars.

We had just finished watching the reboot of The Karate Kid (which really should be called the Kung Fu Kid) and had sent the kids to get their jammies on when I saw lights flashing through the front windows.  J came a-running from his bedroom saying, “A crash!  There was a crash!” and at first we thought he was making it up.  I figured the lights had been somebody taking the corner too fast in front of the house and skidding a little, Dukes of Hazzard style.  Little did I know that the lights I saw was a Jeep driving through our lawn, across the driveway, narrowly missing my sister’s car and the mailbox, across the lawn on the other side, swerving to miss our giant pine tree, rolling over (yes.  ROLLING OVER) and landing in front of my neighbor’s house across the street facing the opposite direction.

As far as I know, the driver is ok.  Thank goodness.  She was able to walk to the ambulance.  The policemen did pull more than one bottle of alcohol from the vehicle so that does explain her impaired judgement somewhat.

Our poor traumatized children.  It’s just now occurring to me that J probably saw the crash.  And L is afraid to go to sleep.  She wrote an account of what happened (maybe I should start a blog for her?) and created a sign for her window warning others to watch out for broken glass on the lawn.

So anyway, God, we probably won’t be making it to the 7:30 service.   But I did want to thank you for watching over my family, the driver and my neighbors.  This accident could have been so much worse than it was.  If my sister had parked in the driveway.  Or if the driver had swerved into the giant tree.

Thank goodness the damage is just a little sod that can be regrown.

Yours truly,

Nicole

School’s Out!

First real year back to teaching is in the can.  All in all, I think it was a good year.  Last week was crazy, K-5 field day, Kindergarten concert, 8th grade continuation and Middle School field day all in one week.  I’m super proud of my students and all we did this year.  I’m pretty sure my learning curve was as steep as theirs.  Heh.

Middle School did a movement unit this year that culminated in a “Tinikling/Line Dance/Thriller Flash Mob”  Sort of.  Lots of work but totally worth it.

1-2’s did a seasons program with songs that spanned the year.  (Thank you K-8 magazine!)

3-5’s did The Elephant’s Child.  Pretty sure I’m never going to get the Great Grey Green and Greasy Limpopo River out of my head.)

3rd trimester in Middle School is the guitar unit.  My beginning guitars had a contest to play our school song for the Kindergarten Program.  They were adorable.   6th graders and Kinders.

8th grade pulled off a classy continuation.  I had a pair of 8th graders who performed Vegas by Sara Bareilles and it was lovely.   They made the song their own which I thought was just brilliant.  It was just acoustic guitar and her voice.  Loved it.  Can you tell how I really feel?  Heh.  I wish I could show you the rehearsal video.  Stupid personal code of ethics.  Here’s a live version.

So anyway, it’s summer and I slept in all the way to 7 am.  Heh.