Weekend Recap

Dashing actually had the day off of work (completely serendipitous though) and we drove up north to see our family for Easter.

We went to Easter church service. Doesn't Dashing look so pretty in his Easter colored shirt and tie : ) I love that he likes to wear purples and pinks! Then off to brunch with the extended family. We ended the day at my SIL/BIL's house playing with my 11 month old niece - who is soooo fun to be around. We ate dinner and enjoyed some desserts I made. I am usually the one to bring dessert because everyone knows I love to bake!

DESSERTS SERVED:

Oreo Fudge Brownies from Simply Baking: THESE WERE SOOOO DELICIOUS. I served them with vanilla bean ice cream. Everyone wanted to recipe. I have to say that these were the best brownies I've had in a long long time. So easy to make too!



Carrot Cake: AMAZING. Definitely one to make if you like Carrot Cake. Everyone loved it.



I hope you had a wonderful weekend too!

Sincerely,
Sara Cate

Good Friday & Happy Easter

Today is Good Friday. It's time to be thankful for the sacrifice that has been made for me, a time to reflect on the meaning of faith and grace, and to wait for Easter to come. For me, that means attending  church service, thinking about my faith, giving thanks, and spending time with family.

Our family gatherings for Easter, Christmas, or really for any reason, always includes lots of food and drink. It's a way to bring everyone together to celebrate.

So what shall I bring on Easter Sunday to share the news that Christ has risen?

How about Hot Cross Buns?! HCBs are spiced buns with currants or rasins marked with an icing cross traditionally eaten on Good Friday. Kelly from Eat Yourself Skinny just posted an amazing recipe of them.

Or maybe some sort of Carrot Cake Balls. Aren't these awesome?!

Source: urbanposer.blogspot.com via Sara on Pinterest

But Macaroons are always so pretty and tasty too! I love watching Simply Baking with Lorraine Pascale on the Cooking Channel - check her out!

Source: bbc.co.uk via Sara on Pinterest

SO MANY DELICIOUS CHOICES!

What will you be doing this weekend? Any recipes to share?

Fog is NOT Cloudy

This morning, I drove to work in a thick, grey blanket of fog.

Let me show you......

Here's what I saw driving down the road today.......

Here's what I typically see.......

BIG DIFFERENCE. I think typically we think of fog as clouding our vision - blocking us from what we want to see. Well, it occurred to me that I was actually a better driver this morning because I wasn't distracted by all of the scenery, businesses, cars, police clocking speeders, or traffic up ahead. I simply had my complete attention focused on what was happening right in front of my face. I thought about this all the way to work on my 40 minute drive.

It's so easy to get wrapped up in life responsibilities, the mundane work at work, time stuck in traffic, finances and bills, and so on. Especially now with Christmas, and the holidays in general, it feels like sometimes it engulf me into a giddy spirit. One of "Everything is so wonderful, so great" when it may not be, and may suggest for me to go crazy to become the perfect Giada, Martha, Tori, Kate, Jackie O [insert your own holiday idol of perfection], ensuring I have the perfect holiday decor that rivals any home magazine, and making every effort to visit every Santa/snow machine around town. It can be stressful, and I can stuff that feeling down inside like we did to the turkey and the stuffing on Thanksgiving last month as it secretly eats away at my happiness. These distractions may blind me. I may lose sight of what is actually important - things that are right in front of my face.

This all reminds me of this Words of Wisdom post a few weeks ago.

Always, and especially with the holidays, life should be about family. About friends. About relationships. About blessings. About celebrating faith, God, Jesus. [Santa, step aside]

 I pledge that I will not let distractions get in the way of all that I have, love, and am blessed with. I will see the wonderful family, friends, and faith that are and have always been right there close beside me. I will look at everything that life is offering right now, and embrace it, wrapping it up in a big grey blanket of soft fluffy clouds cotton.

Bring on the fog!

Christmas Giving

1. Useful and gorgeous trinkets.
Gold Keychain Measuring Tape, Aspinal of London $39; Perfect for those who love crafts and design!

2.  Luxury in a jar.
Creme Brulee Sugar Scrub, Laura Mercier $46

3. Beautiful smelling and looking candles
Capri Blue Mercury Glass Candle, Anthropologie $25

4. Decorative or functional bowls.
Ikat Mini Bowl, Anthropologie $8 each - Anthro has lots of amazing bowls! Like this one too.

5. The best bronzer and brush I've ever used!!!
Honey Bronzing Powder, The Body Shop $18.50

6. Technology with style.
Duchess iPad Case, Etsy - helekstudio $89

7. Statement accessory.
Infinity Scarf by Rubbish, Nordstrom $24

8. Dream and action gifts.
1,000 Places to See Before You Die, Amazon $12.96

9.  Decorative trays.
Martha Stewart DIY Decorative Tray - make one or buy one.

10. A great coffee table book.
The Perfectly Imperfect Home, Barnes and Noble $20

11. Something for holiday spirit.
Santa Cookie Plate and Ceramic Milk Carton, Table Top Christmas $20

12. Don't forget you can always make a donation to your special someone's favorite charity in their name.

And for another gift...you can enter the giveaway I'll be posting THIS Thursday!

Happy Birthday, Jesus

We decorated our tree this weekend! With all of the colors, we decided it was a Birthday tree for Jesus.  I think it turned out beautiful, and it is much brighter and prettier in person. I am waiting until after Christmas to purchase a few more large bulbs to fill out the rest of our tree for next year. We also incorporated the handful of special, sentimental ornaments we've collected thus far.

 Our good friend, Wes, also came down to Tucson to visit us. He even helped Dashing pull weeds in the back yard! He is a doll. He and Dashing are a hoot to be around. Yes, they ordered this margarita for two and shared it.

We also visited the Oro Valley 25 ft. tree and Christmas festival. We since have had Christmas music on non-stop. Love the holidays and what it means - celebrating Christ and spending time with loved ones.

PS.....Stay tuned for some Christmas giveaways! Sharing cheer and giving is part of the holiday spirit!

We wish you a Merry Christmas...

We picked a tree!

We do live in Arizona, so typically December weather still feels like early fall. But we got the full cold weather while picking out a tree experience last night. It included rain and a few of my fingers turning completely white - I should have taken a photo. We got the full "I can see my breath" weather.

Anyways..... Dashing and our tree!

It smells glorious. If it were a candle scent, I would name it North Pole. Our cat Sophie loves the new tree too!

As of this morning, our tree still looks like Sophie's picture - it's on the floor. We tried to use a plastic base from Walmart. Total fail. Lesson: Plastic does not adequately hold up a 7 foot tree. I couldn't sleep last night, so I was at Home Depot this morning at the crack of dawn buying a real metal one.

I can't wait until we will decorate it with lights and all. My tree inspiration is below. I'm think color blocking for Christmas!

Source: brightbazaar.blogspot.com via Sara on Pinterest

The Christmas Season has Begun!

I'm so excited that is December 1st! This to me truly marks the beginning of the Christmas season (in complete opposition to retailers who believe this starts in October.)

Tonight, Dashing and I are going to go get my FIRST real Christmas tree. I grew up with artificial trees - and I'm perfectly ok with a full, straight, non-shedding tree. Dashing, however, is not. So, off we'll go to get one of these....

Source: google.com via Julie on Pinterest

I can't wait for us to decorate it. I'm inspired by the trees at our local Fry's grocery store....Aren't they beautiful!

If you have any tips or tricks regarding real trees.....I'd love to hear them!

A Happier Holiday Memory

So yes, there was a little bit of an accident over the Thanksgiving weekend, but that didn't stop us from getting into the Christmas spirit! We went to the Phoenix Zoo Lights with the family.  They get better every year! We did notice one animal set missing this year though - the group of mating gorillas. You read that right. Every year since I can remember going they have had mating gorillas as one of the lighting arrangements - they must have finally figured out that it wasn't quite appropriate for this audience. The rest of the light displays were beautiful.....

Notice band-aid covering Dashing's forehead.

 

A Thanksgiving weekend accident that had nothing to do with deep fried turkeys

Did you know that there have been 141 cases of extremely serious injuries in the last decade that have resulted from deep frying turkeys. Yikes. I'll let William Shatner explain those dangers....


But this story has nothing to do with that.

Engagement Photos in Spring 2010

On Friday, it seemed like all members of the immediate family were off doing separate things - lunch with other friends and family members, craft fairs, etc. Dashing was left behind at his parents' home to sleep, play video games, hang Christmas decorations (which he loves) or whatever until about 1pm when his mother and I were going to meet up with him for lunch followed by attending Arizona State University's football game that evening. Apparently he decided to cruise around town in his vintage 1965 mustang (the one from our engagement photos).

It was about lunch time when the phone call came in Caller ID: Dashing "Um, do you have jumper cables...." followed by "well, my car (the mustang) died at the intersection, so I jumped out to push it and the corner of the vent window cut my forehead. I think I might need to go to the Emergency Department." Remember, Dashing works in the ED in another town, so on his day off, the last thing he wants to do is to go to the ED.

I'm thinking "cut." As in the length of a typical paper cut. Like, Ok, maybe he needs some of that dermabond glue for a little cut. His mother and I show up on the scene and his forehead is drenched in blood even with the random piece of paper he found in his car to put pressure on the wound. I will spare you these pre-hospital photos. This "cut" starts at his hairline in the center of his forehead and runs vertically down to the bridge of his nose. [warning: gory detail line] I couldn't even really look at it as chunks of flesh were dangling from the site of the wound. A bit was even left on the window. Yes - I know - I should be and am thankful for the fact that he had no head trauma from the hit, nor was he hit by another car - but I did still think of the cosmetic implications of this kind of nasty gash. I must admit, Frankenstein did come to mind.You'll see what I mean below.

Now, it was lunch time, and so before we went to the ED, we went and sat and ate lunch. Yup. This is how a medical family rolls.

Anyways, a few hours + a tetanus shot + 10 real (no glue) stitches later....

Now do you see the resemblence????!!! Oh, Dashing. I will love you no matter what.

The stitches will be removed in a few days, and he'll be taking care of the wound to minimize scaring. I'll post a photo in a few weeks to show progress. We are very lucky that after the whole car dying in the middle of a busy part of town that this this the only thing that happened. He is doing just fine, and his spirits are up. Last night, he even said "You know, I think this scar will be pretty awesome."

On a side note: We had a wonderful Thursday turkey Thanksgiving with homemade, state-fair blue ribbon winning pumpkin pies - you may not believe this, but the maker of these pies is my one and only 6 foot 5 in burly father- in-law!  I will share a few of the pie making secrets soon.

Goodbye 2010, Welcome 11 in 11

Wow, where did 2010 go? 

I'll tell you....

It went to spending all my energy recovering from my chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

It went to planning my marriage/wedding/life with my Dashing.

It went to training for and completing a half-marathon benefiting the Arizona Cancer Center.

It want to volunteering for my Delta Gamma alumnae group and St. Jude.

It went to spending precious quality time with my family.

It went to starting a new job.

It went to celebrating my 26th year of life.

It went to a family vacations to Coronado, Disneyland, Mexican Riviera, Indiana, and Oregon.

2010 Tucson 1/2 Marathon

Terri Brush Art Camp - Oregon

Searching for my first wig.

So what is next for 2011....
Becoming an Aunt to a little girl (Miss E)
Celebrating my golden birthday (27)
A one year wedding anniversary
Dashing starting Residency in Emergency Medicine
and much much more - but to continue to strive for a fulfilled life, I have created my list of 11 in 11 that I'll share with you as I not only check them off my list, but enjoy every minute of it.

Sara Cate's 11 in 11


1) Have a picnic with Dashing 
2) Find an exciting museum or venue 
3) Have a wine party 
4) Do something totally spontaneous 
5) Watch the Star Wars series (Dashing has been wanting to do this with me for years)
6) Hike Camelback Mountain 
7) Go camping in northern Arizona
8) Have a board game night with a group of friends
9) Go a whole day without complaining (repeat as needed) 
10) Take a cooking/baking class/attend a culinary event 
11) Throw myself a Golden Birthday Bash (27 on the 27th of July)

The Quintessential Christmas

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of holiday cheer. I was able to spend the holiday's with family enjoying the true meaning of Christmas, and thanking God for all the wonderful people He has put in my life.

I also love seeing all of the Christmas lights and holiday decor this time of year - it makes me smile. So in pursuit of these scenes, I came across the oddest Christmas scene...Uncle Sam, Santa Claus, Baby Jesus, and the Virgin Mary. Who knew they all lived during the same time!
During this holiday time, I had my 7th treatment. Just this past week, Dashing looked at me and oh-so-delicately told me that I am finally starting to take on the look of a cancer patient. My skin is so pale, dark circles have formed around my eyes, and a bluish tint has settled into my skin. Luckily, as a female, it is perfectly acceptable for me to attempt to cover these things up with make-up. So, these days, I'm feeling like I could use a make-up artist around.

For a little bit of a pick me up, Dashing, the Entourage, and I went to the happiest place on Earth for the New Year's weekend...Disneyland. From the sounds of Main Street's singing quartet to the sparkle of the castle's icicle lights - I love it all.
So now this week, I will prepare for my final chemotherapy treatment. Although I'm so excited to have this portion of the treatment over - I'm still not excited to go through even one more round of this. Knowing that you will have to battle through the next week is daunting, and then knowing radiation is to come is challenging to face. Sometimes I think it's easier to not know what you're going to be up against.

I will prevail; I will be a stronger person after this. I know it.

Christmas came early

Do not fret! Santa did not come down my chimney before any of yours. However, I did get a few of great presents early.

Last weekend, two of my dearest out-of-state friends, Miss. Emily B and Miss. Josie, flew out to AZ for a fantastic weekend. Throughout this whole experience, both of them have been so overwhelmingly supportive. They are wonderful friends, and I am so thankful to have them in my life.

This weekend, my dad came into town from Indiana to experience my chemotherapy treatment visit, and of course see me. I'm sure he didn't mind the warmer AZ weather either.

And finally, the most important health present was a report. Last week, I had to get a PET scan to determine how my tumors were responding to cancer. I got a very rare report that after only 5 chemotherapy treatments, my tumors have stopped growing, started reducing in size, and my previously active cancer cells are ALL stunned/killed! This is called a "negative PET" which is the best present that my friends, family, and I could receive this Christmas. Almost as great was my oncologist's facial expression when he heard about the negative report...priceless!

So Merry Christmas to all, and I hope for each one of you a happy holiday season and a new year filled with health and happiness.