Simplest Sketti Sauce

Lately I've been into simple comfort foods for dinner. My appetite runs the gamut of homemade mac and cheese to Caesar salad, and I'm not sure why, other than the fact that comfort foods are really tasty and usually a cinch to make. This no-fuss tomato sauce is both really tasty and really easy to make, making it something that I am capable of cooking these days.

The original recipe idea is from smittenkitchen, but comfort-food obsession or not, I have an issue with buttering vegetables or even just mixing butter with vegetables. Frankly I don't like to do it. Jeff however, loves butter, so I compromised and made a reduced-fat version that was still simply delicious.







Ingredients:
1 large (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes (I used unsalted)
2-3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium sweet onion, peeled and cut in half
salt to taste

Method:
In a large saucepan, melt the butter, pour in the tomatoes and place the onion halves right in with the tomatoes and their juice. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low so sauce sits at a low simmer for around 45 minutes. Occasionally stir and crush tomatoes up against the side of the saucepan. When done, remove onions and salt to taste. Serve with noodles...and enjoy!

What is

So I went in for my 4th treatment today. The good news is that we're halfway done! But the bad news is that we're not really halfway done. I had been thinking that I would receive 8 chemo treatments, then get a PET scan, then possibly receive 4 more chemo treatments if necessary and then radiation if necessary. Today I found out that both the 4 additional chemo treatments and the radiation will be necessary, moving our anticipated finish date from May to late August, hopefully just in time to start school all cancer free.

And I have to get a PET scan now, in addition to one later. I hate getting scans. They stink.

This news was a bit disheartening, and unfortunately cancer will continue to interfere with our lives for the entire summer, which may end up wrecking some delightful plans we were making. But I know that it's all for the best, since all that treatment is proven to kick cancer's butt...(while possibly causing me to have breast cancer later in life, but you know, whatever. I'm being positive right now).

Don't worry though, if they think telling me about all that treatment is finally going to make my hair fall out, they're wrong! It's still in nice and tight for now. And I'm not letting the news get me down, I'm making salmon cakes and going for walks and now...off to bake Easter cookies.

Thanks for the continued prayers and thoughts.

Refabulous

I love making things my own. Whether it's affixing a sweet little brooch to a simple headband or mixing nail polish to create the perfect color, I rarely leave things as I bought them. Lately I've been into some refinishing projects, the first of which involved an old, thrifted dresser I bought for around $25. I searched for months for a dresser large enough for my needs, and while this was the perfect size, it was little more than plain old boring. With a little help from my sister and a long weekend, we flipped this dresser from drab to fab.

{krista, sanding}

Start by roughing up the finish a bit with some very fine sandpaper. You don't want to use rough or really grainy sandpaper because it will scratch into the wood and leave the surface uneven. If you're lucky like me and have a brother-in-law or someone who owns a power sander, this part is a breeze. If not, it's ok, just hunker down and get sanding!

{drawers, sanded and wiped clean}

Using a slightly damp rag or old towel, wipe down the inside and outside of all the drawers, making sure to get all the wood dust wiped away.

Next....paint!! I wanted to absolutely love everything about this dresser, so I used two contrasting paints to make it exciting; one for the outside, and one for the inside. I went with lilac and eggplant because who doesn't want a purple dresser?

{dresser, first coat}

Picking the gloss level on paint can be little tricky. I didn't want the lilac to have any sheen to it as I thought that would make it look too commercial. So I went with flat which has absolutely no gloss at all. For the inside of the drawers I chose a very light gloss so it would really highlight the contrast between the two paints.

Next up, KNOBS! Picking knobs is really fun and there are a lot of little beauties out there...making it difficult for people like me to actually make a choice.

{knobs, Anthropologie}

I finally chose crystal knobs with gold bases. The gold base of the knob reflects through the crystal and makes the knobs appear yellow from some angles (have I mentioned yet that I LOVE this dresser?!).

{dresser, crystal knobs}

{finished fabulousness}

And there you have it! Easy peasy refinishing and personalizing you can do yourself. I love this dresser, and because Jeff loves me he lets me keep it our bedroom where it's lovely princess-ness (as he calls it) and fabulous chic-ness (as I call it) can greet the both of us daily.

Love is in the Mail

{opening, and wearing, all the goodies}

{some of the sweeties, moms-in-touch group}

Good mail has been arriving with uncanny good timing these days. Love and thanks to all who take the time to put something in my mailbox.

Kiss me, I'm Irish

{Krista, me, Irish Soda Bread, Carrots and Taters, Cabbage}

Hope you had a very happy St. Patrick's Day, full of corned beef and other goodies, and green of course!

{corned beef, ready to eat}

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

{welcome flowers}

I guess this two bedroom place is coming in handy these days. Besides Jeffrey being able to fit TWO fish tanks in there (really messing with my feng shui) it also provides ample space for house guests, of which we have had several.

Staring with...Mama!! who came out for a whopping delightful three weeks! We had so much fun together, well, besides the whole chemotherapy thing. One of the very first things we did was get our hair cut. Since I love love love having long hair, I had a lot of hair to get rid of and decided to donate it to Locks of Love.

I didn't even cry! I just thought, "What the heck, its all about to fall out anyway." That, and I've really been wanting to try straight bangs :)

{before}

{after}

{more before, and more after; bottom right is totally a wig...just rockin' all my new styles}

After mama came, my MIL Allison paid us a nice little visit. We had the most relaxing time, that is if we ignore the tiny little stress of trying to get treated, then finding out that my white blood cell count was WAY too low ( a 0.5!!!-- normal is 10-12), meaning that I was at such a high risk of infection a cold could have killed me, so I was turned away and had to wait for a couple of days. But really, other than that we had a jolly time. I learned to crochet!

Then came Lauren.
She was really really excited to come, see:

{lovely Lars, excited}

And I was really, really excited to have her...AND still have my hair!

{bffs, both with heads full of hair}

I showed her what happens to you if you stay in Provo too long:

{the result of too much Happy Valley}

Coming up...Oso!! Getting ready for big daddy to finally grace us with his presence.

We're so happy to house all these visitors. They keep me company and help care for Jeff Jeff and I, lighten the load, and definitey liven things up around here.

Thanks to all who are reaching out to us, not only through visiting, meals, and cleaning my house, but also for the cards and packages. I'm doing great, and I don't doubt that it is, in a very large part, due to you.

The Steamboat

Christmas was grand, and we were excited for a new year and what it would bring: an upcoming first full year of marriage, a celebration of our full independence as a married couple and new family, continued health, and relative prosperity.
Then this thing showed up-



So we went to the doctor and after several days full of doctor visits, doctor calls, pokes and prods, ultrasounds, CT scans, and nobody really wanting to say what was wrong with me, I started to get a nasty nagging suspicion. Then came the word, you know, the one you wish you'll never hear in reference to your health care. The word so saturated with toxin your muscles grow weak and your mind numbs as it registers in your brain. The word that has stopped my life twice with unforgettable moments of...plain, absolute stillness. I'm not talking about, "cancer", doctors don't even like to say that word. I'm talking about, "chemotherapy". My doctor told me that no matter the results of my biopsy I would most likely need chemotherapy to remedy the monstrosity that had grown in my neck. That just made me sick. Having seen the effects of chemotherapy after watching my mama fight cancer 5 years ago, I new exactly what kind of beast chemotherapy can be.

Still, we prayed and hoped and waited for the biopsy results.

WARNING: if sick, nasty pictures of surgical wounds make your bummy tingle, I wouldn't look at the following pictures that were taken after the biopsy (the second one especially...it even makes my bummy tingle. Why didn't anyone tell me I look like that when I sleep?!).



I slept and slept for days after the biopsy, and awoke feeling a strong sense of peace. I no longer felt like cancer would be a nightmare, just another aspect of life that, while scary, would teach me to adapt and grow. On January 13, I was officially diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Stage 2B. The following week, I met with my oncologist, Dr. Steven Wallentine, and on January 27, I began chemotherapy.

So Jeff and I keep on keeping on. I feel like this era in our lives is like a steamboat, slowly chugging and churning away from life as we both know it. Each day takes us further from the known, but brings us to a new knowledge of life and love and joy. I strongly believe that we are able to not only make it through each day, but find joy daily, because of our faith in God and His power to heal and help us. I also know that I could never have felt so much peace and strength if I did not have a literal army of people praying for me and/or thinking of me each and every day. I truly feel their strength and love strengthening and uplifting me daily.

Get Movin'!

We've moved! (Like, back in January)
You may wonder why in the world I would ever want to leave my 500 sq. ft little love nest, and the truth is, I didn't!
But, Freffrey the Jeffrey convinced me. And now we live a little North of our old apartment in the neighboring city. Bonus features: it's closer to Freff's work so he can stop in and check on me between work and school, it's 30 seconds away from my treatment center, it has neither the freeway nor the train in it's backyard, I don't feel a wittle skeerd at night and when I'm by myself, and we have SO much more space.
Nasty features: the carpet. 'Nuff said.
You will soon see what the apartment actually looks like in future pictures once I am satisfied with my decor.

{move in, chaos}

{washing dishes in the tub... (something was wrong with the kitchen sink)...}