It's been a little hectic...

I haven't had much time lately to cook, let alone take pictures and blog what I do get a chance to cook. Our family has been in a bit of an upheaval as of late... It seems like one thing right after another. That is a picture of my dad, he was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer that has spread to his brain a little over five months ago. Since then, he has been in and out of chemo and radiation treatments, and doing quite well. Recently, during a routine CT scan, they found three blood-clots in his lungs... They are now treating him for that. He's doing better than the doctors expected, they are really happy with the way the lung cancer has responded to treatment. If all that wasn't enough for my parents to deal with, on Thursday, they had a house fire. The fire didn't destroy a lot, but the smoke destroyed everything in the house. There was nothing that could be cleaned or salvaged. Luckily, with insurance, the house will be fixed and everything replaced. It will take 4 - 6 months, and they will have to stay in a rental property for the duration. Right now they are staying with me until they get settled somewhere. My mom fostered stray cats, and we don't know where the poor little angels will go, as they can't stay in the house, and I cannot have pets where I live :( My parents next-door neighbors were so amazing, stepping up to help my parents after the fire, letting them into their house and giving them coats and blankets and boots. We had other neighbors offer them a room to stay that night. It's really nice to see people step-up and be so giving in the middle of the night, in the middle of winter, instead of staying asleep in their warm beds. I think the next things I make will be some thank-you goodies for their awesome neighbors! I'm sure that will be the next thing I blog about when I find some time.


~No man can worship God or love his neighbor on an empty stomach - Woodrow T. Wilson~

~I want you to be concerned about your next door neighbor. Do you know your next door neighbor? - Mother Teresa~

~When God wants to speak and deal with us, he does not avail himself of an angel but of parents, or the pastor, or of our neighbor - Martin Luther~

~Your neighbor is the man who needs you - Elbert Hubbard~

~The love of our neighbor in all its fulness simply means being able to say to him, "What are you going through?" - Simone Weil~

~The impersonal hand of government can never replace the helping had of a neighbor - Hubert H. Humphrey~