So...whats for dinner?

Laurie08

((((((Kay))))))) I am so sorry about your mom. Sending you lots of love and prayers.



( sorry this us so short. No internet and on the phone, had to post as soon as I read, will try to post more later.)

debbie6122

Kay- Ohh, im so very sorry about your dear mom. Sending you and your family love and prayers. {{Gentle Hugs}}}

Carrie- So sorry about your friend, 54 is too young. (((hugs))

Lacey12

Kay, I am so sorry for the loss of your mother....my own mom died three years ago after enduring Alzheimers (tho we really thought it was significant dementia, not true ALzheimers since she never had problems remembering any of her relatives, etc., but a very reduced quality of life nonetheless) for at least ten years.

I hope that she had a peaceful death, and that you are able to share good memories with your relatives at her services. Sending you hugs....

Carrie, yes, 54 is so young. Hugs to you also.

DH just put The Big C into the DVR...am hoping it is more humorous than sad tonight!  

Kaara

Kay:  So sorry about the loss of your mother.  Sending prayers to you and to your family.

SeasideMemories

Oh Kay! So sorry to hear about your Mom... We are just starting out on that road with DH's father and it is so sad to see the decline each time we see him.... It's such a tough thing. Hopefully her passing was peaceful.... Hugs and heartfelt prayers to you and your family!



Carrie, Sorry to hear about your friend.... 54 is just waaaay to young!! Sending hugs your way!



Michelle,



Will be thinking of you tomorrow as you have your appointment in Boston! Hope they come up with a plan where those d@mn mets aren't even going to know what hit them!!



This has been a really hard week for so many on this thread... The one bright note is, we all care about each other here! We have a place to go to talk when life serves us up a big ole 'crap sandwich' and hopefully leave feeling just a tiny bit better knowing we aren't alone! Hoping that those who those who are hurting find comfort and strength!

bedo

Oh Kay, It is so hard to lose a Mom.  I hope that you know that she now is not suffering, and that she was so lucky to have a daughter like you... and from your note, I feel that you were lucky to have a Mom like her.  I hope that you can find comfort in the good times that you had, and those memories.  My heart goes out to you.

And Carrie, I am sorry about your friend.

This has been a hard week for all.  I hope that the change in seasons brings us hope and happiness even in the face of what everyone is going through

Beer and pickles for dinner here.  A story for another time. I hope that everyone is eating a nutritious dinner

deborye

Shower invites will go out tomorrow.  For the favors I'm thinking ordering purse size hand lotion and put them in pretty colorful nylon drawstring sachets, now to find those.  Maybe looking for a place that would engrave Rebekan & Nick, August 25, 2012 on small tags to put on the drawstrings of the bag.

We have hospice/pailitive care for my Dad now, they will increase the hours as needed.  I left there crying, just to see him decline in just one week.  He kept looking at me like he didn't know me. ( 

Mixed emotions, oh well, it is what it is, I've got to accept it. 

debbie6122

Deb- Oh im so sorry you about your dad, i know how much you love him!! Crap what a f..ked up week. You are all in my prayers!

Momine

Kay, I am so sorry.

LuvRVing

(((Deb))) - I am so sorry for this sudden turn of events.  I hope the hospice/palliative care team makes this part of your dad's journey a little easier for all of you. 

I agree - this week has been brutal.

I have my appointment at Dana Farber in Boston late this afternoon, then we'll go to dinner in Boston so we miss the commuter traffic back to NH.  The weather is going to be beautiful so maybe we'll be able to dine outside.

Laurie - is your whole neighborhood suffering the internet/phone/cable outage or is it just your lucky house?

Kaara

Deb:  So sorry  your Dad is in hospice, but they take such good care of patients and never let them suffer or be in pain.  I was with my DA the last week she was in hospice and it was very heart warming to see the loving care they give.   Sometimes the patient doesn't appear to know the family because of the medications they are being given to keep the suffering down, but they do realize your presence when you are with them.  Take comfort in that.  Sounds like the shower is going to be beautiful.

Michelle:  Glad you are going to get some enjoyment out of your trip into Boston.  What a lovely town! We were there last fall on a trip and it was wonderful.  They had finally finished all of that construction on the big dig it looked like.

Have a good Friday everyone! 

Last evening I went to a little awards ceremony at my DGS's school.  He won an award for perserverence.  He had some challenges in school this past year with his reading, but he was able to overcome it by the end of the year and is doing fine.  I was very proud of him!  After that we went to eat at a local italian restaurant that we hadn't visited in a long time.  The food was just as good as always.  I cheated and had linguini (not gluten free) with clams in a white wine sauce...plus garlic rolls...plus a glass of red wine!  I felt I had earned it since I was down a couple more pounds from my target weight.  No dessert though!  The payback was I didn't sleep well last night. 

LuvRVing

Kaara - congrats to your DGS, learning perseverance at an early age is not a bad thing.  My oldest DGS has reading challenges also.  He finally has an individualized education plan and hopefully things will improve.   Linguine with clam sauce (I like red) is my benchmark dish for Italian restaurants.  If they can make a good one, then they pass my test. 

My daughter posted this on Facebook last night.  Alex is my oldest DGS:

Alex: When's grandma coming over?
Me: Saturday
Alex: Awww. I want to start getting spoiled rotten tomorrow.

Made me guffaw!!!

Lacey12

Michelle, holding you in my thoughts as you meet with Dr. Chen this afternoon. If it is not too trafficy (sp), it might be fun to eat at Legal Seaport right on the water....or any of the other restaurants on that new strip. Finally Boston is using it's harbor sites and we've been loving that area.

Lacey12

Oh, another idea for dinner....La Morra on rt. 9 right out of Brookline Village (inbound side) is really close to DF and has fabulous authentic Italian dishes....run by a. couple who lived in Italy and now take people on gastronomic bike tours there.

carberry

Kay  HUGS  so sorry about your mom, hope she is now resting peacefully.

This has been one rollercoaster week for everyone...are the moons not aligning right or something?

Spent the day with the wife of the friend that passed and helped with funeral and reception arrangemnets, she really held up a lot better than I thought she would, lots of friends and family there and lots of wine flowing. He had small cell lung cancer, which if I read it correctly when researching this, is only caused by smoking, not seen in non-smokers, very aggressive. He was a smoker and so was his wife, till he got diagnosed then she quit. ( he had quit years previously)

Got home so late, I threw together a potato salad and made turkey ruebens.  Didnt really matter, I ate alone, Husband didnt show up till 9, working his butt off....spring rush for him, everyone wanting to start planting.

AWWW Michelle  arent kids the best for boosting your spirits?  that why I loved working with kids as a nurse, they always made me smile, no matter how I was feeling.

LuvRVing

Lacey - thanks for the tips, especially La Morra.  We were talking about Italian and the location would be convenient because my daughter is coming, too, but driving separately.  It would be easier than going to the North End, which was my first thought.

Kay_G

Thank you everyone for all the good thoughts.  It means a lot to me.  She was very peaceful.  The funeral will be Monday and my son is flying in from Minnesota tomorrow night. 

Deb, I am sorry about your Dad.  Both my mother and father had hospice and they were very good experiences.  It is hard no matter what, but they were very kind and understanding and helpful. 

Michelle, I will be thinking about you and your appointment today. 

Agreed, it has been an absolutely brutal week around here.  It can only mean better days are ahead.

carolehalston

What's for dinner tonight will be something good on the menu at Keith Young's Steakhouse.  The selections include seafood, and softshell crabs are in season.  DH and I will probably opt for the crabs.  It was my idea to ask some friends if they'd like to go out to dinner with us.  And they're always ready to go out to eat!  Lately I run out of ideas for meals.  I think it's because we don't use the oven much when it's hot and that eliminates a lot of big pot meals. 

I played golf today, teeing off at 8:10.  It soon got very hot.  Every day this week the temp. is up to 90 degrees.

Happy Friday to all. 

debbie6122

Michelle- Thinking about you and your appt with Dana Farber today. Hope you are able to enjoy a night out!

Laurie- How are you doing? Been thinking about you too! And i hope the storms didnt do to much damage!

Kaara- Congrats to your DGS!

Hope everyone has a nice week-end

LuvRVing

This has been a really tough week for all of us, so it's time for something a little cheerier! We are home from my Dana Farber appointment and dinner at Myer & Chang (not what I would have chosen, but DH wanted, really wanted chicken and waffles).



The appointment went very well and Dr. Chen was far less "gloom and doom" than my local MO. She tried to feel around for my enlarged nodes, but they are too small and she couldn't find them. She said my tumor load is really small and that made me feel really good about insisting on tumor marker tests and PET scans at regular intervals. We discussed several clinical trials, but there's no really good one for me at the moment using at least one standard therapy. I don't mind being a guinea pig so long as it's in combination with at least one tried and true cancer killer. Being diabetic, even a well-controlled one, disqualifies me for most trials at this stage of treatment. We discussed the pros and cons of Xeloda and Carboplatin, and ultimately decided on Xeloda. You probably know it's an oral chemo and has a lot less side effects than the heavy hitters. After two months, we will scan again to check on things. If the mets are gone, I'll stay on Xeloda indefinitely. If I have progression or we don't see shrinkage, we'll switch to Carboplatin.



I think we have all experienced a collective sigh of relief that it's not the worst possible scenario. Yes, it's true that the average metster lives just two years after reaching Stage IV. But remember that many women choose no treatment, some are diagnosed with very heavy tumor loads, and for some women, nothing seems to work. They all make up the pool which generates the statistic. So Xeloda is the first big test. If it works, I could be like Marybe or some of the others who have been Stage IV for more than a decade. And there will be new treatments - count on it!

bedo

I hope that everyone is doing OK.  It has been so hard with personal and family issues that keep coming for everyone.  It makes me sad that such wonderful women have to go through this.

I have a favor to ask.  I told a friend that I would make pasta with real clams (what was I thinking?) if she would provide the movie on Sunday. We are trying to do low key and not pay to go out.  She likes white instead of red sauce and maybe garlic or parsley or something?  We're trying not to use too much butter, for calorie's sake.  Does anyone have any ideas for something not too hard that they have tried and liked so that I don't make a cooking disaster? She will buy white wine.

Thanks!

LuvRVing

Bedo - I've never made white clam sauce, but I would think some olive oil, white wine, lemon, garlic, and parsley would be good for starters. And maybe a little clam juice for extra flavor. I'd be tempted to add just a bit of butter to bind the sauce :>) Let us know how it goes, sounds like a fantastic dinner idea!

Lacey12

Michelle, YOU ARE AMAZING!!! Your attitude, your intelligence and knowledge of all things chemo, your steady approach to deal with what confronts you, and ability to collaborate with your doc as partner. You are my role model for dealing with this dread disease!! I hope that does not sound too trite...but I was so touched by your example in this last post. Thank you!



I do hope that when DH is more in the mood for Italian you try LaMorra. We learned about it when they had a special event night...."Big Night" (done yearly). They showed the movie (check it out if it's not familiar) and produced all of the amazing dishes featured in the movie....and plenty of wine. It was really memorable! I never order chicken out since I cook it at home so much, and when the chicken course arrived I was stunned with its succulence....and that was one of many unbelievable courses.....what a "Big Night" !

Someone just recently gave us a giftcard for there which I can't wait to use when I can stay awake long enough to enjoy a great meal.



I am feeling so much better for you, Michelle....especially knowing you can enjoy your trip to Paris to the fullest now that you have a plan for when you return.



Today DH left for a family wedding (his extended family!) that involved driving to the Jersey shore, then tomorrow to Washington, then back to the shore, then on the way home an overnite stop to DS2 and his family in North Jersey (serious envy about that!), then a quick stop to my lovely step mother in CT before crashing back here. I could never do that trip with the damn fatigue that continues to bother me. I know things will improve when I can give up these ten hour days.....June 18th. Yea!!



Dinner was from Wicked pizza....not really worth the expense.



Back to the Celtics....

deborye

My favorite thing is to 

Lacey12

Bedo...Ditto to Michelle's culinary advice for white clam sauce. Have a lovely meal!

Kaara

Michelle:  That does sound like better news from your doctors at DF.  They can sometimes put things in perspective and come up with a plan that instills confidence.  Marybe would certainly be one to talk to...she is just amazing.  

Bedo:  Wish I could help on the white clam sauce...I've never done it at home, but I love it! 

susan_02143

Bedo,

I generally do a riff on this one: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spaghetti-with-Fresh-Clams-Parsley-and-Lemon-106443

I am allergic to clams, so haven't ever tasted it, but everyone always loves it. [I would avoid clam juice if you are using fresh clams for the dish.]

*susan* 

deborye

Michelle, Dr. Chen seems very positive.  My onc is Dr. Chun, she is a very smart person, even my butt doctor commented on how smart she is.  But pretty soon I'm going to find doctors closer to were I live.  I'm tired of going to Woburn for my mammos, and Winchester for my onc appts. My PCP is in North Reading, now that I have BCBS PPO, I can choose my doctors instead of HMO were I had to stay within the network  of my PCP and get referrals.  That was a P.I.T.A.

Wednesday went to the Ophthalmologist  Phillip M. Gendelman, MD, my cataracts are getting worst but still not ready for surgery.  He said becareful with the night driving especially those blue halogene lights.

carolehalston

Michelle, your post put some of my worst fears for you at rest.  I don't even know what a "tumor load" is. 

Marybe is an amazing person.  I used to encounter her on other threads which I no longer follow.

Our dinner out was wonderful.  I had a cup of oyster and spinach soup that was seriously delicious.  And I had the softshelled crabs with a shrimp cream sauce.  I ate one crab and brought the other one home.  For dessert we went to a yogurt place called Berry Tart.  I had never been there before.  When I put my cup on the scale, the young man told us that if you guess the exact weight, you get your yogurt cup free.  I said, "Six ounces."  He looked a little surprised and said, "That's the exact weight."  So I got my dessert free!  DH and our friends were amazed. 

vickilind61

Bedo, you are on the right track.  Olive oil with a little butter (softens the taste) with lots of minced garlic till soft.  Add some fresh ITALIAN parsley and white wine.  If you are using clams in the shell, when the sauce is seasoned to taste, add the clams and cook over low just till they open.  Pitch any that do not open!.  If you are using canned, add them with most, not all, of the clam juice, then season to taste.  Great with some good, fresh garlic bread.   Check out Nigella Lawson's recipe (I know she's British, but it's a great recipe)

Let us know how it comes out.