Prayers are needed

Have you ever felt guilty because you are having the time of your life and can't stop smiling while someone else is experiencing hell on earth?

Two of my work friends are having some pretty awful times and I am asking for the praying type to add these families to their prayer lists.

My friend K has been trying to get pregnant for the past several years. Six months ago, after several failed fertility treatments, she concieved. I can honestly say that I have never seen a happier pregnant person, she glowed. At her 5 month ultrasound the brain was not clearly visualized and a more in depth ultrasound was ordered for the next month. Last week, she had that ultrasound to find that the baby's brain had never developed and would not be able to survive. She was induced last week and delivered her baby girl last week, stillborn. K and her husband are devestated but are talking of trying again to concieve once able.ung

T's young wife has cystic fibrosis and has had a rough year. She is around 30 years old, a nurse, and a loving mother to 2 beautiful girls. She has been sick on and off this past year, having had a feeding tube placed because she could not maintain her nutritional status, has become oxygen dependant but still living her life as well as she could. They were recently on vacation at the shore and she became ill. She was hospitalized at the shore but has since been transferred to the University of Pennsylvania's intensive care unit. She is now intubated and unable to breathe on her own. She has been added to the Lung Transplant list. She is fighting for her life. I cannot imagine how terrifying this is for her husband, her family, her daughters...

So, if you are the praying kind, please pray for these families. They are going through certain hell.

Making Progress...

We have been quite busy here. Unpacking continues and for all but one room, the house is guest worthy. A huge accomplishment, let me tell you. Last weekend, Mike worked quite hard, while I had a fabulous afternoon with the girls and my mom, to clean the dining room and make it presentable for my friend Jenn (who was coming to dinner and spend the night).

Last Saturday was spent shopping for wedding dresses. That makes it sound like we spent the day jumping from dress shop to dress shop. We did not, we went to Priscilla of Boston in Ardmore, Pa and had an awesome time. I tried on 7 dresses- some better than others, long and short- but ultimately narrowed it down to 2. After looking at the pics Mary Beth (Cats, books, life is good) took, it was clear which dress it would be. This Saturday, my mother and I had a larky day ordering/buying THE dress and wandering through the lovely shops at Suburban Square. AND as a final topper to the day, my mother bought Mike and me an iPad :). Mike spent last night playing with said iPad and all I kept hearing was "this is so cool" over and over again.

Sunday, we went and met with the photographer. I am amazed by his pictures and his personality is laid back and friendly. He is a little nontraditional and has a wonderful way of capturing candid moments. Check him out, Sean Marshall Lin. (I am having issues getting his website to post but here it is seanmarshalllin.net).

Today we are cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning, babysitting for our friends seven month old son, and yard work. Right now, Mike is on the computer, I am posting, and pioneer woman's spicy pulled pork is filling the house with yummy smells... Happy Sunday :)

We have a date!

Two weeks ago, Mike and I had dinner at the Reading Country Club. We loved the food, loved the setting, and really loved the deserts. I emailed the staff and found that very few saturdays were available for 2011. Not wanting to wait until late 2011 or (heaven forbid) 2012, we agreed to meet with Angela S. and see the ballroom and grounds. It was love at first sight. The ballroom is light and airy with little balconies around the room. The patio looks out on the 16th green and is lovely. They offer a very nice menu with decent liquors and tasty wedding cakes. It was a done deal. We signed a contract and gave them a deposit. Mark you calanders, we are getting married May 21, 2011 at 4pm...

Now for more fun, I get to go dress shopping :)

A truly Romantic proposal....

Mother's Day we headed to the beach to spend the day with my family. The beginning of the weekend had been spent emptying the guest bedroom of the accumulated clothes, boxes, papers, furniture that had managed to completely fill the room. We were clearing out the room to allow for the moving in of my apartment. I will have officially moved in by May 22. After all day of clearing and cleaning, Sunday was a well needed relief.



Sunday morning, Mike kept carrying on about how he hoped the weather would be nice so that we could walk on the beach. This has never stopped us before but he seemed obsessed. I chalked it up to being exhausted from the day before. The weather was beautiful at the beach; 59 degrees, sunny, a brisk breeze off the bay. We walked on the beach and watched the birds and dogs and kids and just enjoyed the weather. When we were ready to walk back, I decided take off my socks and sneakers. As I was taking them off, I realized that Mike was no longer standing behind me. When I turned around, he was on one knee and said "Would you do me the honor?"I started bawling and pretty much continued for the rest of the day.

We have made no set plans, yet. We thought maybe the end of fall 2010 or early spring 2011 but it all depends on availabilities and finances. We are leaning towards early spring....

ENGAGED!!!!!

That's right, my blogger friends. Mike and I are engaged. He proposed on the beach on Mother's Day. I am overwhelmed, excited, overjoyed, euphoric.... Pick an adjective, it probably applies :)
More to follow.

snow, snow, and more snow...

I don't know that this snow will ever melt...

Friday night through Saturday evening, we got just over a foot of snow. Since last night we have gotten a foot and a half and it is still snowing. Let me be clear, I grew up in the northeast, I spent 9 months in Massachussetts, but I HATE snow! I now live in southeast Pennsylvania where snow removal is not well done. ( I know this is hard to believe.)

I was on call the weekend and had to travel to philadelphia both days to round on patients. I was not a happy camper. Mike questioned my career choice as he drove me into work on saturday morning. (My practice agrees that Mike has earned a spot in heaven for that drive alone.)

I was fortunately able to stay home today. In the crock pot, I have turkey tenderloins with potatoes, carrots, and onions. The house smells wonderful. Mike, however, did have to go to work this morning. The highways are closed and roads are treacherous. I am waiting for him to come home on pins and needles...

Jasper on the other hand, LOVES the snow. He romps around in the snow drifts, tackles hidden foes, and rolls around in the snow. He refuses to come in and needs to be dragged inside when the time comes. Pictures to be posted later...

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

This is one of Mike's favorite meals of all time- a pot pie. It is incredibly easy and very tasty. This time, I used left over turkey but have used beef, pork, and chicken in the past as well. Everything is store bought or left over and requires very little effort on your part. It makes the house smell fabulous and your family will love it.

You will need:

-a pie dish

-pillsbury pre made pie crust- can be found in the dairy aisle and comes with both the top and bottom crust

-1 can cream of potato soup

-1 can cream of celery soup

-1 can mixed vegetables

-2 cups cut up meat of choice

-1/2 cup milk

-palmful herbs de provence

-tsp of pepper

preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a large bowl, mix together everything but the crusts.

Line a pie dish with one of the pie crusts.

Dump in the filling.

Cover with second crust and crimp the top and bottom together.

Place slits in top of crust to allow steam to escape during cooking.

If you want, brush top with a little beaten egg to have a shiny crust (not necessary to taste good).

Cook at 375 for 40 minutes.

Allow to sit for 10 minutes before diving in.

Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday, a day late

Pork and Sauerkraut in a crock pot

Here is the recipe for the pork and sauerkraut:
This was incredibly good and suprisingly easy!

1 3-4lb pork roast, salted and peppered
1 cup hard cider (I like woodchuck)
1 cup chicken stock
6 cloves of garlic smashed
1 red onion sliced

Mix everything together in the crock pot and let it go for 8 hours on the low setting. Every so often, during the last 4 hours, baste the pork with the juices.

Enjoy.

Happy New Year

This is hopefully a year of wonderful things- we did all the right things to ensure that, i.e: had pork and sauerkraut for dinner on New Years Day. This is an old Pennsylvania Dutch tradition and Mike was insistent. Having never made it before, I did pretty well. I threw the pork roast in the crock pot with hard cider, chicken stock, garlic, onion, salt and pepper and let it all go for about 8 hours. It was divine...

January 3 did not start well. I was working the weekend and when I got out of the shower at 6am, Jasper was crying to go out. Mike was still asleep, so while still in a towel, I walked into the garage with Jasper and promptly stepped on the edge of the rug, twisted the bad ankle, and fell on the garage floor. Poor Mike was woken up by my screams and found me essentially naked on the garage floor, in tears. He picked me up and put me on the couch, brought me water, advil and ice, and then insisted that I get it xrayed. Xrays revealed no fracture but there are bone chips in the joint and the tendons are calcified from multiple injuries to them. I need to make an appointment to follow up with the orthopedist. In the meantime, I am supposed to be on crutches and Jasper is practicing his nursing techniques. (Actually, he is practicing not leaping on the ankle).

Christmas was the usual fun with all of us home to my parents house in North Jersey, only this year it included Mike. I was worried that he would feel out of place as we are close and loud and Christmas can only be described as intimate in our family (my sister Helen coined that description and it really does nail it). I should not have been worried, my family has embraced Mike from the first time he joined us and Christmas was no different. We all had fun and dinner was its usual barrel of laughs.

Mike and I spent the following weekend with my parents in a low key, relaxed way of reading, naps, and tracking my sisters journey to pick up their two puppies. Saturday night, Mike found time alone with my Dad to ask for his blessing in asking me to marry him. Mike says it was a nice talk but shared no other information other than that blessings were given. This of course prompted congratulations from my brother but he has yet to ask me... I will let you know when it happens.

Here's hoping that this is a happy, healthy, wonderful New Year for all my blogger friends!