Painting, Prayers and Play

The past week was kind of a blow. Seems the OKC doctors and Tulsa doctors are on a different page concerning baby Max. It is going to be a weekly thing now as we get closer and closer to his due date (Jan 7.) We are now in the phase of really stepping up to watch little Min while they go to the plethora of doctor/specialist appointments. Lots of prayers please that the doctors are all wrong, that the tumor shrinks and goes away and he is just perfect, honestly he is perfect. Pray, pray, pray.

We had a nice weekend away to the cabin. It was even cool enough to have a fire in our outdoor fireplace. Can't have a pit fire because of the burn ban but our fireplace is perfect! Had a group again at the wigwam for a painting session. I brought pumpkins and mini corn to paint. Really enjoyed it.

Also captured a few snaps for future paintings. I've got a commission I need to get to this week, a horse named Big Red for a high school classmate that I haven't talked to in nearly 50 years. She found me and we've been emailing like crazy.

This weeks fun dinner was a play on a cross between lasagna and chicken tetrazzini. It came to me in a dream, yes I dream cooking. In my pantry I had a half a box of lasagna noodles, a ja of Alfredo sauce, 4 chicken thighs in the freezer, 1/2 white onion, lemon, 2 stalks celery, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning, cottage cheese, egg, frozen broccoli, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese and 1/2 box of chicken broth.

First I poached the chicken thighs in the chicken broth, water, onion, celery, lemon, garlic and seasonings. When it was done I took the thighs out then strained it and was left with some broth I froze for later use. I shredded the chicken and added the jar of Alfredo sauce. The cottage cheese (didn’t have ricotta, CC is good replacement) was mixed with the beaten egg and a bit of Parmesan cheese.

Now it was time to layer:

A bit of sauce in casserole dish. Then lasagna noodles, chicken mixture, cottage cheese mixture, mozzarella, broccoli, repeat with last layer of noodle and top with mozzarella. Kind of use your imagination. Cover with foil and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for about an hour till hot and bubbly. Take foil off and top with Parmesan and return back to oven about 10-15 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes to set.

It was yummy and would have been nice to serve with small salad if I had the fixings for it. He thought it was great.

Another Heartache

Yesterday I got a phone that I never expected to get.  My little sister, my baby sister, called to let me know she was in the hospital.  She HATES hospitals first of all (trust me you don't want to be her doctor or nurse.)  For months now she has been dealing with a horrible backache, she thought she threw her back out.  She had been on muscle relaxers and had been to the chiropractor several times but just wasn't getting better.  After a lifetime of smoking she is also COPD and at birth was born with holes in her heart, a mitral valve prolapse and another valve that was not working.  After the birth of her son, that came AFTER her doctor said no more children and her tubes were tied...yes it apparently didn't take...she had her first open heart surgery to replace the valve with mechanical valve.  About 2 months after that surgery she was life flighted to the hospital to open her up again because she developed a blood clot in the new valve.  She has been through the wringer and always called herself a walking autopsy from two c-sections, hysterectomy, tonsils out, new hip and two open heart surgeries.  The backache it turns out was cancer.  She has lung and liver cancer!  My heart is absolutely in shreds.  

I shared a room and a bed growing up with Sis until the day I married and moved out.  I won't lie it wasn't pretty most of the time and she is a different kind of person, but I love my sister.  She has the mouth of a sailor and a kind of abrasive personality but she is my sister and my heart hurts. 

Just too much to deal with right now and my mind and heart are in turmoil.

Last night I tossed and turned, I slept but it was fitfully with weird dreams and nightmares.

We now wait a couple of days for them to ween her off the blood thinners so they can do a biopsy to figure out the course of action they will take in this new health crisis journey she is to take.

Bro, Sis and I just had lunch together last Friday, thank goodness.  We've been very good at keeping in touch since Daddy died on that front, in fact I think we are closer.  

Please add to my prayer, good vibe chain for Baby Max and now Sis-Dana.  

 

Prayers and Good Vibes

 I'm not going into detail, just please lots of prayers and good vibes for baby Max.  I will have more when I can.