365 Days of Carol Anne

365 Days of Carol Anne (Learning to Love Myself)

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Day 77

I took this photo upstairs at my pretty new desk with the window next to me open. It was 70 degrees and sunny here in NJ today. I took a walk outside to take pics of the sunset early this evening and the moon later in the evening.

It was a beautiful day today. The hospital called with my time to report for surgery on Monday. I’ve decided not to dwell on that this weekend (or at least tonight). It was a beautiful day and I got to spend some time outdoors taking photos of my two favorite subjects (sunset and the moon) so for tonight I’ll leave you with this evening’s sunset and a wish for peaceful sleep & a happy Saturday. (link to my moon photos is above) Sleep well my babies, thanks for coming by every day to read and comment. I love you all.

Love,

~ Carol Anne

365 Days of Carol Anne (Learning to Love Myself)

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Day 67

Dig my new look? *laughs* Sorry about the notebook page but I took my shower before taking my photo today and I’m just not comfortable showing you my uncovered head just yet. I’m not sure I ever will. I promised you at least a photo a day and I promised me that I’d keep documenting this process so it’s a notebook page tonight.

I actually had a big day today. I changed oncologists. Let me start by saying that my first oncologist wasn’t a bad doctor and he didn’t do anything wrong. He and I just didn’t gel. Last week I contacted my neurosurgeon’s nurse and asked if they’d chosen the first oncologist for me. I was fully prepared to stick it out if they had because I have all the faith in the world in them. They hadn’t and so they suggested two other doctors, both women. This morning I got an e-mail from Elizabeth, Dr. Bussey’s nurse informing me that they’d spoken to Dr. Hughes and that all I had to do was call the radiation oncology department and ask to change doctors and make an appointment with Dr. Hughes. I feel so relieved. I have an appointment to meet her next week.

You know I felt guilty and uneasy changing doctors, like I was ratting the first guy out but in the end I can feel it my gut that I made the right decision. Like my friend Angel so wisely wrote today, “if it’s a bad fit with a doctor, you won’t get anywhere–fast.”

365 Days of Carol Anne (Learning to Love Myself)

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Day 61

Thank you everyone for your kind words yesterday. They are very much appreciated. Unfortunately I’m back with worse news tonight. I had an appointment with the Plastic Surgeon this morning. She’s not happy with how the last wound is healing so I have to have another surgery, a skin graft. She’s going to take skin from my leg and cover up the last wound. It’s about an hour-long surgery. It’s an outpatient procedure but I’ll have to be asleep, which worries me. There are whole days I don’t remember from my first trip to the hospital. I don’t want that to happen again.

I’m ashamed to admit it but I fell apart at the seems in the Plastic Surgeon’s office. She had left the room to get some dressing for my head so I could wrap up and go home and I just lost it. I sobbed. The nurse came in to bring us the dressing so Chuck could get me set to go home and I scared her right out of the room. Chuck was so upset he called off work so that I wouldn’t be home alone all day or have to go to my mother’s house for the day.

On the way home the Oncologist’s office called. As it turns out I’m not having a PET scan. Basal cell cancer is not detectable in a PET scan so now I’m scheduled for a needle biopsy on Friday. I don’t know what’s worse the less invasive but radiation filled PET scan or the more invasive but no radiation involved biopsy.

Chuck’s a good egg. He stayed home from work and stopped to buy me soft pretzels and an Amazon fruit smoothie on the way home. We took the kitties out on their leashes for an hour-long walk and relaxed together. I don’t know what I’d do without him. He’s my hero, my caretaker, my best friend, my soulmate, my everything. If you see him around give him a hug. He’s been through a lot too.

Cuppy & Snowy Out For a Walk

Snowy

365 Days of Carol Anne (Learning to Love Myself)

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Day 58


It’s been a fun day. This late post courtesy of my evening of Tweeting the Oscars. I assure you my fellow Tweeters were much funnier than the actual hosts, though I suspect James Franco may have been a little baked. (okay a lot baked)

But I digress … We had a lovely supper at the Tortilla Press Cantina in Pennsauken tonight. Chef Mark has instituted Family Fajita Night on Sundays. $10.99 per adult for chips & queso, a salad with fantastic ranch dressing, a plate of delicious chicken fajitas, 2 beef tacos, and a dessert of churros with caramel dipping sauce. We had a postcard we received after our very first visit that entitled us to a free appetizer or dessert and even with the very big discount they honored it so we had a second dessert, the oh so yummy cheesecake chimichanga. Dinner rang in at $23.25 for the both of us with sodas and tax. All in all we spent less than $30 for an amazing Mexican supper. I’m lobbying to make this our Sunday dinner spot. *whispers* I don’t think I’ll have to lobby too hard. LOL Tonight’s photo was actually taken by the hubs at dinner with my iPhone.

We stopped at WaWa on the way home where I got a yummy delicious 16oz coffee, which is good. *laughs* I should be awake until tomorrow. While I was fixing my coffee I overheard the hubs talking to the WaWa manager who was ringing up our other purchases. He was telling him how good our dinner was. *laughs*

After we got home and fed the kitties and the fish and the 3 strays we also feed I plopped down to watch the Oscars and the hubs played his video game. I love nights like these. Nights where I’m here, he’s there, the kitties are snoozing fitfully and all is well with the world. I’m so blessed and so grateful for my wonderful life. Sleep easy my babies. Thanks for reading every day I love you all.

(((hugs))) & *smooches* and all that good stuff …

Love,

~ Carol Anne

365 Days of Carol Anne (Learning to Love Myself)

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Day 23

I’m showered and ready for bed. My feet are up. I’m wearing my favorite Old Navy cozy socks and comfy Target pants. (*laughs* I’m a style maven, I know.) It’s been a good day. I’m tired because I actually did some work around here.

I made dinner from scratch for the first time since October. It was inspired by Angel’s mac n cheese post, lunch at my mom’s, Aarti from the Food Network and my love of my Nanny’s baked macaroni.

I used Cooper cheese, American singles and a few pieces of pepper cheese. I used Panko breadcrumbs with a little melted butter and Chuck added a few new seasonings to the mix.

It turned out beautifully. Probably the best thing I’ve ever cooked. Chuck couldn’t stop raving about it and when he wasn’t complimenting the food we were absolutely silent eating. It was that good. LOL

Nanny’s Baked Macaroni Recipe w/ My Updates

16 oz box of elbow macaroni (I use Mueller’s)

American cheese (the store bought singles melt best)

Cooper Sharp cheese

Pepper cheese

Milk

Morton’s Nature’s Seasons

Basil

Garlic Salt

Oregano

2 Tablespoons of butter

3/4 cup of Panko Breadcrumbs

Boil elbow macaroni

In a casserole dish or aluminum baking pan put in a layer of elbow macaroni

Cover elbows with a layer of American cheese

Sprinkle layer with Nature’s Seasons

Pour a little milk over layer (milk is for helping cheese melt, don’t use too much or will come out too loose/too creamy)

— Repeat — (I normally get 2 layers in an 8 x 8 aluminum baking pan)

Cover pan with aluminum foil

Cook in oven at 325 degrees for 35 minutes

Cover top layer of casserole with mixture of melted butter and breadcrumbs

Cook for another 10 minutes