NYC Scanxiety

Friends, Big T and I have been doing a little traveling over the last week.  First we went skiing in Colorado with the kids (more on that later) and then we headed to NYC for my yearly checkup.  We stayed here...it was nice, but I wouldn't pay for it again.  The room was European small.

Do I look a little freaked out?  I always tell myself to be grateful that I have access to such incredible healthcare.

I also  light a lot of candles at St Pat's.

 Then I dutifully drink the stuff...and pray.

Big T makes a herculean effort to distract me while we wait for those lab and scan results.

I love the American Museum of Natural History.  

Big T loves the MET....

The Lexington Candy Shop, near the MET, is an original, old-fashioned soda shop...voted the best milkshake in NYC... Big T was not convinced.  

I always want to eat at Gramercy Tavern, because I love the food and the flowers.  We ate at the bar this time, which has a slightly different menu...still divine...and C, the cookie plate is still amazing.

This was at the end of the bar....

This was behind us.  Gorgeous. 

C told us about this place....lunch was delish with impeccable service!  

Big T still rates Norma's number one for brunch...but my new fav is Sara Beth's.  Go, get the Eggs Benedict (or the lemon ricotta pancakes), thank me later.

If you want French food, and you didn't plan ahead to get into Daniel's, this place is pretty darn good.  The Tarte Tatin was perfection.

I actually lost weight on this trip....

The weather was beautiful for a "stroll" (read: jog) in Central Park....

We also checked out the High Line....a bit anticlimactic,  but the view of the Hudson River was lovely.  I am sure it is better in the summer when everything is blooming.

I stopped here for flowers....

...because what mother doesn't love flowers?  

I am so grateful to report that I had a clean CT Scan.  Three years is a critical point for colorectal patients. I am very grateful to have made it this far, and I pray to keep moving forward in faith.  Thank You, God!

Bake On

Big T's favorite dessert is my Grandma's Apple Dumplings.  These are pretty amazing:

1 Pie Crust  (Trader Joes!)

6 Apples

Cinnamon

Sugar

Sauce:  1 cup sugar

2 cups hot water

3 T butter

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Peel and Core the apples, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar

Cover the apples with pie crust.  Place in a glass or ceramic dish....(there are suppose to be six apples in here....but I only had 4 and was too lazy to go to the store...)

Combine the sauce and bring to a boil.  Pour sauce over the apples.  Bake at 375F for 1 hour.  Your kitchen will smell amazing.

I promise you...these are incredible.

 Serve warm with ice cream.

Voila.  Happy Husband.

Thank God for Sons

I spent the weekend with M up at Benedictine College.  It was our last Mother-Son event,  it was a grand and glorious affair, and it was definitely worth fighting for.

We were having so much fun dancing, that I only snapped one photo of M with his best mate.  I am just so grateful for M's amazing undergraduate experience and the stellar friends he has made at this small liberal arts school on the banks of the Missouri River.

Friends, I will say it again, where does the time go?  Just yesterday he was in pre-school...

Confessions of a Prayer Warrior

I wish I had told my kids how I prayed for them as they were growing up.  I am not quite sure why I kept it so quiet.

I want them to know that the rosary is not just for safe journeys on long car rides...that it is a daily habit for me, with an extra decade always added at the end for my children...and  when all else fails, the repetitive mantra that is the rosary can be quite comforting.

I wish I had told them that while I sat in this chair waiting for them to come home on  Saturday night, I was praying for their safety and for good decisions....

...and while I sat in the stands watching and cheering, I was also praying for safety and good sportsmanship.

Whether they were taking a big test, having surgery, or interviewing for their dream school, I was praying for grace.

I should tell them that this little book, with its binding long since worn away, has been my nightly companion for over 26 years...because how else will they know the comfort that can only come from prayer?

Temperature's Rising

Friends, my cardigans have been moved to the front of the closet.  They are so much easier to shuck off  quickly throughout the day.

Our down comforter has been banished to the end of the bed.

This is one of Big T's old dry-fit shirts and one of my new sleep shirts.  It is actually the best tip I have.  No more changing in the middle of the night.

I am wondering if anyone has tried these?  Are they better than Big T's old shirts?

My mom used to tell us sisters to pray to age gracefully....thanks to chemo and radiation, I am leading the charge...

Soulwork

 Big T and I zipped up to the cottage for the final electrical this weekend.  There was a lot of time in the car, the airport, the plane....perfect for finishing  some needlepoint.

Friends, lately my kitchen table has been covered with Needlepoint North.  This is the time of year when Kt and I are working to get our kits into production.

I am so excited about this exquisite  Trillium that Kt designed....all proceeds for this kit go to the Leelanau Conservancy.

I also love love love Kt's Christmas Freighters Ornament.  This little business is taking way more time than I ever thought it would, but we are having a blast thinking of ways to keep the peninsula needlepointing.  Now if only we could make a little money....   

33 Years

Big T sent these flowers to me today with a card saying "Happy Anniversary."  Friends, our wedding anniversary is July 2nd.  

But 33 years ago today, Big T  picked me up at Walsh Hall and took me on our first date.  He has been my best friend, my biggest cheerleader and my knight in shining armor.  Together we have laughed, we have cried, and we have endured.  It  hasn't always been a bed of roses, but it has been a glorious ride.