What I'm Loving...

Today's post is a little late due to the fact that I had surgery for my cervical cancer cells this morning! So today's post couldn't hit closer to home than right NOW. So instead of a "Pinterest or random themed" edition of "What I'm Loving Wednesday", I am sharing what I went through and what I am really loving about today :) Here we go....

I'm Loving: Anesthesia! I had to be put to sleep due to the extent of the procedure. I couldn't imagine being awake for that. I was a sleeping princess in the land of La La!

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I'm Loving: "Happy Juice". A sedative that was administered into my IV to calm my nerves...I was floating on Cloud Nine after that!



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I'm Loving: Hospital socks! I was freezing cold and thank goodness for socks. I seem to always be the one freezing my butt off and shivering. These socks are a bad fashion statement but they get the job done!

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I'm Loving: Makeup! The picture below was pre-surgery. NO makeup, jewelry or nail polish just me in all my natural glory. Ha! You don't realize the difference in what every day items do until you can't have them. I don't  EVER leave the house without makeup on so this is HUGE for me to be sharing these personal pictures. Try to not get scared and laugh. Ha.



 

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I'm Loving: Heater blankets and machines! I have never used one of these but basically they plug a heater blower machine into the side and it blows this blanket up. They cover the plastic blanket up with other blankets and then ahhh pure bliss. It kept my shivering to a minimum. Yay!



 

 

I'm Loving: My Mom! She came to the surgery with my hubs and she took me to Starbucks and got my fave, Carmel Brulee Latte. Then she took me home to pack a bag, picked up Madison from daycare and brought me back to her house. She pampered me. A recliner, my laptop and Halls for my sore throat due to the breathing tube. It's been a nice relaxing night. Moms are the BEST.







Last but not least I'M LOVING LIFE! When you are going through something like this you really stop and get a perspective on life. What's important and what means the most. I am grateful to have caught the cancer early on and had the chance to fight this off before it got worse. So thank GOD for LOVING ME!

 

 

 

What are you loving today? Link up with Jamie today and share your loving thoughts. I am laid up for the next few days and would LOVE to hear your comments so leave one below! XO

~Brooke~

Tasty Tuesday: Apple Crisp!

I'm back again and ready for Tasty Tuesday! A link up that I participate in along with Alissa and many others. You post a recipe you want to share and include step by step instructions with pictures for each step or show pics and post the entire recipe with ingredients at the beginning or end. However you want to share it! So, if you haven't already grab a button and get started today!

Wow it's December and you know what that means. Trying NEW recipes that WARM and SOOTHE the soul. The first thing that comes to my mind is WARM apple crisp and ice cream. I found the PERFECT recipe in a passed down family recipe book. Follow these few easy steps and ENJOY!

First you will need:

8 cups of apples or 6 large apples
1/4 cup sugar
1sp. cinnamon
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
 

First pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

 

 Take the 6 apples and chop them up into small to medium sized chunks.

Place them in a 8 X 8 baking dish.

 Mix the cinnamon and sugar together

 Pour the cinnamon and sugar mixture over the entire dish of apples

 Pour the water into the side of the dish. In a separate bowl, cream the butter. Then add the flour. Then add the brown sugar. This will make a dough like substance. Spoon the mixture onto the apples until most of the apples are covered. Place the dish into the oven and set your timer for approx. 45 minutes.

Bake until golden brown 

 Scoop vanilla ice cream into a bowl and top with the apple crisp. Serve warm!

Sounds tasty huh? Well, it is! Let me know if you try it out or if you have a recipe you would like to share! Link up every Tuesday with Alissa and share with all of us some of your favorite recipes!

Bon Appetit!

~Brooke~

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Goodbye weekend and hello Monday!

I usually try to be the most positive on this day because most often somewhere out there someone needs cheering up. I have decided to try and find the good in everything and be grateful that I even get to experience what I do. So instead of walking around moaning and groaning, faking it or not, I put a smile on my face and try to lift others spirits. Sometimes it's a good day, sometimes bad and sometimes ugly. Which leads me to "the original" Monday link up GBU with some really great gals Kate @ Classy Living & Kati @ Incorporating Color. This link up, The Good, the Bad & the Ugly is a weekend wrap up of what went on over the last couple of days.
So here we go...



The Good: I managed to spend some time in full holiday spirit mode. Our children's museum opened the exhibit for "Jolly Days" on November 24th and we were able to spend the day with some close friends watching the kiddos run around & just have a blast. Riding a carousel, visiting with Santa & watching my girl slide down the "Yule Slide" were at the top of my happy list.

The Bad: I finally put a dent in my Christmas shopping. After MANY trips around town, filling up my gas tank & several Starbucks runs I would say my billfold is looking a little (ok a lot) slim! Good that I am almost finished, BAD that I need more money!

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The Ugly: Friday night I spent the entire night in pain. I get occasional headaches and I pretty much become a couch potato. My head thumps like a constant beating drum. So I had my daughter in bed at 9 and I was in bed at 9:30 fast asleep. 7 days before my surgery, which occurs Wednesday, and I cannot take any medication. So this headache of mine, had to be cured by sleep and nothing more. All while my husband worked an almost 24 hr shift and managed to have two flat tires before coming home from work. When it rains it pours!



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So that was my weekend! Care to share? Leave a comment & link up with us every Monday for the GBU! Stay positive people!  :)