Think Fast!!!

My last couple of blogs were total downers.  I think it calls for a new recipe of sorts- desserts or dinner, whichev... Anyone got a recipe they care to share? I love trying new ones out.

How do you stop the unstoppable?

So my grandmother is suffering from her 3rd different kind of cancer- 1st it was kidney, then breast, now its renal cancer- which, after just googling, I have learned is pretty much a type of kidney cancer. In about 1/3 of patients, its already metastesized by the time its diagnosed and if its spread it doesnt have a very high survival rate. My grandma's lived a full life; reality is she won't be with us for much longer.

 CANCER.

Of my mothers side of the family, out of 6 kids, only two are cancer free- my mother is thankfully one of them.  Both of her brothers have prostate cancer and both of her sisters had breast cancer. Since the family is so cancer ridden, its pretty scary. 

My mom and one of my aunts were talking last night and they were hypothesizing that their cancer could be linked to birth control. My aunts who had breast cancer were on birth control. My mother and other aunt werent on it for very long and they're cancer free. Again, scary.

 Is there really a link to the two?     I looked it up.  And this is what the National Cancer institute had to say:

• A number of studies suggest that current use of oral contraceptives (birth control pills) appears to slightly increase the risk of breast cancer, especially among younger women. However, the risk level goes back to normal 10 years or more after discontinuing oral contraceptive use.
• Women who use oral contraceptives have reduced risks of ovarian and endometrial cancer. This protective effect increases with the length of time oral contraceptives are used.
• Oral contraceptive use is associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer; however, this increased risk may be because sexually active women have a higher risk of becoming infected with human papillomavirus, which causes virtually all cervical cancers.
• Women who take oral contraceptives have an increased risk of benign liver tumors, but the relationship between oral contraceptive use and malignant liver tumors is less clear. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/oral-contraceptives

I already know I'm going to get cancer, do I really want to raise the risks?

And then theres diet. Rumor has it that theres a link between preservatives and cancer. Growing up we ate a lot of preservative full foods- spagettios, tv dinners, etc..  Again, Scary.

No more Chik-fil-A =(

Most people I know, including my family (but not my husband) are boycotting Chik-Fil-A because of Dan Cathy's anti-gay stance. I never read the article for myself so I wasn't sure where I stood on the boycott. I am all about equal rights and same sex marriage but I also believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so I wasnt going to stop going just because he had different beliefs than me- especially because I am a HUGE fan of their kids meals- its got the healthiest options in town!

I just read the article myself a few minutes ago and it make me cry a little on the inside.  Did he really have to go so far to say?:

      think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, ‘We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.' I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about    

I was willing to overlook their own beliefs for their tasty food until I read that.  Not only did he pray for God's mercy but he called us arrogant? Yeah.... you crossed the line buddy. 

makes me proud to be a muppets fan tho!

Yay Jim Henson Company!!!!

This brings me to the next thing.   My son currently has 2 gay uncles- my brother and my husband's brother.  I, obviously, have no problem with the gay issue. My husband, on the otherhand, doesnt agree with it- trying to support his argument with the Bible, Sodom & Gomora?  I've yet to read that scripture but I plan on doing it one of these days so I can gain better perspective on his part.  I figure, if it was so bad then why would there havev been gays since the beginning of time and why are there 'gay' animals?  I recently read an article that listed a bunch of animals that are only 'heterosexual' during mating season and even then there were a bunch of males that opted out.  I wish I could remember where I found that article... will post a link as soon as I find it again...

Its one of those topics where me and the hubs agree to disagree or else it goes nowhere and I'm not really a fan of having the scripture quoted to me in an argument, esp if I'm not in church.  Cuz we all know you can just take a snippet from a quote in order to twist the meaning for just about any argument..  

Jacob's not quote 16 months, so not old enough to understand.  But what age is appropriate to have that conversation with a child? And what do you tell them? Especially when both parents have different opinions on the matter.  Josh wants to teach him that his wrong- I dont want him raised thinking that because then as a kid, he might thing that that means that his uncles are bad and I dont want that. When the time comes, I think we should be straight up with Jacob. Tell him, Mommy thinks its ok and daddy doesnt think its right. And then let him decide on his own.  Josh doesnt think that its the right thing to do, because as parents we should have a united stand. How can we do that if we obviously dont? Plus everyone is entitled to their own opinions and jacob should know that.  Just because two people dont agree on something doesnt mean they cant get along. It doesnt mean one person is more right than the other...

What do ya'll t hink?  I would love ya'lls feedback.





UPDATE:
This isnt the article I originially read but it serves its purpose and its National Geographic so we know its legit...

"Homosexuality in animals stirs debate'

I made my mother cry today... No Im not a bad person!

About a month ago, my grandma went to the hospital for hypoxia. Once there, they realized she had pneumonia and ended up pumping a couple of liters of stuff out of her lungs. They also discovered that she had a cardiac mass in her left atrium- can you tell that I was paying attention to the nurses talkin to eachother?       They werent sure if it was cancerous or not, but the internist said she has a life expectency of 3 months to a year... Scary stuff when he says 3 months.    She was in diapers, was having accidents, and coulnt walk.... 

A few days later she was transferred to a rehab center and things were looking up. She was able to get around in her wheel chair and walker, could go to the bathroom herself, was put back on a normal diet....  I'm never fully clear with whats going on though. Theyre keeping my granma in the dark about everything.   I'm afraid to ask my mother, uncle, and aunts because I dont want to upset them. I have to ask my dad- who's only home on weekends.     A couple of weeks ago, the biopsy of the mass came back inconclusive. But when I last asked my dad and brother what was up, they said its cancerous afterall..

She has had someone with her from open to close- whether its my aunts, uncle or my mom. My mom is ALWAYS there. Seriously.  It's either work, rehab, or bed for her these days. I cant even remember the last time I saw her outside of the rehab.  My mom is a worry wart and its taking a toll on her. She didnt eat right to begin with- like some days shed have a bowl of chips for dinner- but now its worse. She's not getting any sleep. Its a concern to us all.  She just brushes it off....     I understand that its her mother and she wants to be there with her as much as possible but at the same time she has to take care of herself so we can have her for as long as we can- is that selfish?      I know too many people my age with deceased parents and it scares the crap out of me.


 Its not fair to Jacob, her only grandson, that the only place he can see his grandmother is in a rehab facility.  Its not a place for a baby. It's just not. 

So I called my mother and told her this. My dad took the phone and said she was crying. I didnt mean to make her cry. I was just trying to make her understand that we need her too. Everyone keeps telling her that she needs to go home and get her rest, but she never listens. So she's got to listen to the grandchild argument, right?     Yeah... I dont think she fully understands.  My dad said she does, but I'm pretty sure we wont see my mother for a long time from now outside of the rehab center....

The land of BUTTERMILK

I'm new to this blog thing, if you can't tell, so bear with me. I dont think I'm the most exciting person to 'read' but this blog thing sure does beat putting EVERYTHING on Facebook. Like I doubt everyone wants to read how excited I was about my buttermilk biscuits and whatnot and see all the pictures cuz I'm that nerdy and was practically geeking out.

I have never made biscuits from scratch, only the packaged kind. And I LOVE buttermilk biscuits. Like I would go to Hardees and order a plain biscuit for breakfast or go to KFC just to order a box of biscuits and have them eaten before I even got home.  Hell, when I worked at McDonalds I would be sure there were enough biscuits for me to take home and eat- aside from the griddles and occassional chicken nugget it was pretty much the only food i'd eat there.  Naturally I decided that I had to make them myself, so I finally did it!

I was told to use LOTS of flour...

Mmm...buttermilk....

My ghetto biscuit cutter. One of these days, I'll invest in a real one....

don't hate on that hot mess that will be the happiness of biscuits!

My assistant! Ain't he precious!!!!!!!

they look fresh from the box from McD's! Only better....

  I always thought that biscuits would be something 'hard' to make, which is why i waited so long to make them, but it was actually real easy!  I think it was easier to make these than sugar cookies!!!   And they tasted DAMN good! I just wish I wouldve made them thicker... Next time... def next time.

I found the recipe through pinterest on "The Country Couponer"- check it out!

Best Buttermilk Biscuits- Country Couponer

Since I was making buttermilk biscuits, I just had to make buttermilk oven fried chicken!   It had to be oven fried, because I dont pan fry- I'm a chicken when it comes to popping oil, and I didnt want to deal with the mess of my deep fryer.    I pretty much winged it.....  it was DELISH!





This makes me want to cook more, but I dont like the mess it leaves....

Looks like I'll be keeping buttermilk in the fridge from now on....  =)

Healthy Cookies? Say what?!

Like most people, I'm always trying to find ways to eat healthier- especially now that I've got Jacob. But its easier said than done! So when I saw a recipe for 'healthy' pb chocolate chips cookies, I just HAD to try it. Instead of flour, its made with chickpeas, so it sounds a little sketch......

                                    I was dying to have another excuse to use that processor!

The rounded ones look much better than the 'flattened' ones. And yes, I realize they dont look the most appetizing. The blog I found the recipe on makes them look MUCH better! Don't you just hate when that happens?!

These cookies werent too shabby. I'd definitely make them more for Jacob, but I won't be making them for christmas or anything. Joshy still hasnt tried them yet, so the verdict is still out. But I've gotta say, for being made out of a can of beans, theyre pretty bang-a-rang!

The blogger, Texaerin, says that they taste best when warm/heated in the microwave. I thought that that was crazy talk but she was totally right.

Here's the link for the recipe...

http%3A%2F%2Fwww.texanerin.com%2F2012%2F04%2Fgrain-free-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip.html&h=4AQGpkdwGAQHWou9q9yOGKPZifKYTN1voAqS4kj4tNyzGcw&enc=AZMuTs33m8eY3rVJFy2OhCJArg8VTtPsFTSLF9GmSGtfy-9lpLYX9yaKQ1LWYh993iStuTQzrx-3FFduVDwFM6BS_jt3mIsT8_zmTeF-Gj7Feg