The Sandwich Life

The Lego is HERE

Yes, it's true.....the Lego Fire Station and the Lego Passenger Train (I figured Leo deserved it since he bought the Fire Station for his brother) arrived yesterday.  Never has a shipment been tracked so zealously....

Here is Owen upon learning the delivery truck was here:

Opening the box:

Then....complete happiness:

This led to conversation such as this:

Owen:    You are such a great brother Leo.

Leo:        Well, if that's true why don't you do what I tell you to do?

Owen:    O.K., O.K., starting tomorrow I'm going to do everything you say....

Cold winds

Yesterday was dark, rainy and icy.  I had a long and pretty productive day at work so by 4:45 I was ready to get out from behind the computer and go home to my guys.  Instead the phone rang and when I heard my mother's tearful voice I knew something was wrong.  She said my father was very confused and wanted to leave and asked me to come over and talk to him. 

I got there and I could see in his eyes that he wasn't there.  It's odd how you can tell by looking at his eyes.  What was different about last night was that he was confused and he KNEW he was confused.  Very painful.  He looked at me sadly and said, "you better not waste any time on me....I'm a bad apple."  He told me that he hadn't done a good job with his life, he hadn't kept his family together and he'd been away from Mom. He just kept saying that he wasn't a good person and nothing I could say seemed to change that.  You know, if he was happily confused I would just go along with it but to see him like this was pretty awful.

I don't think I ever really convinced him that he was at home but he did agree to stay there.  I called my mother later and she said he'd calmed down some. Not a good way to start the evening.

In the mood for KaneWelchKaplin....

New post up at www.casualken.com!  Woo-hoooooo.  Just the thing I need to get into the mood for the show at Fitzgerald's on February 8th!!!!

Random Notes from the Sandwich Life

1.  Only women of a certain age will appreciate this....the other night Owen grabbed my face between both hands and kissed me....then paused and said "Mom, I see a little hair on your chin....you must be really old."  When I gave him a wounded look be backtracked and said, "well you're just a LITTLE bit old, Grandma is really old."  sigh.

2.  We got the email from the Lego store today and the Lego Fire Station and the Lego Passenger Train should be delivered tomorrow.  Oh, I know I'm weak but I was so touched by Leo buying the Fire Station for Owen that I figured he should get something too.  The boys are beside themselves with excitement.  I think we're going to be checking the DHL tracking QUITE often this evening....

3.  Last night Owen told me he was going to get to take part in a celebration at school...that he hadn't been able to before but now he could.  Then this morning he said he couldn't wait to get to school.  Woo-hoooooo!

4.  Judi's first day of radiation and chemo today.  Only two days of chemo this week but given how hard the chemo has been-----on top of the radiation that's an awful lot to deal with.  I wish I weren't so far away.  At one point I had told her she should come here and stay with us while she got treatment.  The thought of her living in our chaotic, loud household while feeling like that really is laughable though.  Oh well.

5.   Leo seems to be turning on Cub Scouts.  I mentioned this to my mother and commented that I didn't think Leo would ever be a 'joiner."  She really laughed and reminded me that I was a Brownie drop-out.  Yeah.......Leo really is my guy.

6.  I had the weirdest dream this morning as I was trying to force myself awake.  It's already fading but somehow it involved me and several friends giving birth at the same time (I kept joking about how easy it would be to share birthday parties---oh and Sasha, you had twins again), the Gilmore Girls and the  Clintons.  I wish I could remember it better because it was really fascinating.....

7.  And in honor of that....only a friend like David would send me a picture of the Stars Hollow set that he captured form Google Earth.  Luke's Diner is at the top with the white things around it for filming.

That's My Boy

From the back seat of the car on the way home from church Sunday:

Owen:    Bush is a bad guy.

Me:    uh, well, I don't like President Bush.  Some people like him though.

Owen:    He was president and he wanted to start a war and he did and lots of people died.  Now he's not president.

Me:    Well, actually we're in the middle of choosing our next president but we won't know who that will be until this November.

Owen (in a tone of disbelief):        You mean he's STILL president?

Me:  yup

Owen (in a tone of disgust):    DANG it

Random Pictures and Notes from a Sandwich Weekend

Hard morning with my father today.  Owen and I got over there at our regular time but evidently my parents had gotten up late.  After screeching in the bathroom at my father for awhile...."DAD...IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR CHURCH--YOU HAVE TO HURRY" he finally came out and started to get dressed.  After more encouragement I finally tried to help him.  I found he had put some pants of my mothers on and somehow had his legs in the wrong side.  So I had to take his shoes off and get the pants off as Owen stood in the living room yelling "IT'S LATE MOM."  I helped him take the pants off only to find he had no underwear on---oops surprise.  Found some Depends and a pair of his own pants and managed to get him dressed.  There's just something hard about putting underwear on your father.....

Church was fine although I've noticed he doesn't follow along in the hymnal anymore.  Each little change makes me hurt a bit.

Owen was so sweet to my Dad.  As Dad slowly got our of the car at church Owen stood there encouraging him in his sweet little voice...."just push the red button to get out of the seat belt Grandpa...that's it, good job Grandpa."

I need to work on changing Sunday afternoons because after church and shopping etc with him I come home and can't manage to force myself into a good mood and that's not fair to the rest of the family.  I need to plan something....left at loose ends on those days isn't good.

Today was warm----almost 50 degrees and the boys played outside for a long time.  It's good to see their cheeks pink from running in the park.....

Ernie bought me some cooking magazines though and now we're listening to KaneWelchKaplin (February 8 at Fitzgeralds!!!) so life is o.k.

Sarah and Groundnut Stew

One of the only good things about my last job was some of the wonderful friends I made.  One of those, sadly now moved away, is my beloved Sarah Eckhart.  I was lucky enough to see her and Josh briefly at Christmas and she has no idea how delighted I am when I get an email from her or see a comment here on the blog. She's one of those friends I will always feel connected to despite time and distance separating us.  She sent this recipe along to me the other day and it is now simmering on the stove----it smells WONDERFUL....

Okay, this is a good dish for cold nights and it is especially nice with a tall, cold beer.

Mafe (Senegalese Groundnut Stew)

Ingredients (I often alter the balance of ingredients, hence the loose measurements. Also, chunks of vegetables can be quite large because I usually cook it long enough that they fall apart anyway.):

1/2 cup peanut oil

2 pounds chicken (I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but into chunks because the meat is nice and tender and falls apart in the stew.)

1 or 2 onions, chopped fine (around 1/2 pound)

1 large can (800 grams?) tomatoes (sometimes I drain, sometimes I don't, depending on how tomato-ey I want the base)

1 - 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, or to taste

salt to taste

2 large bell peppers (I like red, orange or yellow, but the recipe calls for green), peeled and chopped

1 acorn squash, peeled and chopped

1-2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

2-3 turnips, peeled and chopped

1 pound cassava root if available (I have never seen this in the US, but even when I used it in London, I didn't think it added much to the flavor.)

2 cups water

---

1 cup peanut butter (natural, with no sugar added)

1 head of cabbage cut into 8 wedges and then chopped in half

---

Put the oil in a heavy soup pot and heat to high. Brown chicken in batches and remove. Turn the heat down and saute onions until golden. Then add tomatoes, simmer for a few minutes and scrape up all of the chicken bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken back in and stir to coat. Add the cayenne and salt. Add the acorn squash, sweet potatoes, turnips, and peppers. Add two cups of water or a little more if needed. Let simmer for 45 minutes. Removed a cup of liquid and place it in a bowl. Add the cup of peanutbutter to the reserved liquid and stir until the peanutbutter dissolves. Add the peanutbutter mixture back into the soup pot. Gradually add the cabbage, stirring as it starts to wilt (it can sometimes be hard to cram it all in there). Let it cook for at least another 30 minutes or more, stirring on occasion because the bottom can sometimes start to burn.

We usually serve over brown rice.

It is great the first night but it gets better each night we serve the left overs.

The recipe is from "Best of Regional African Cooking" by Harva Hachten, Hipocrene Books, 1970 and 1998.

Here is an introductory note from the cookbook:

"Perhaps the stew best known outside of Africa is Groundnut Stew. This dish is widely prepared in West Africa from Senegal to the Congo. There are hundreds of ways of preparing it—with fish or meat or chicken, with one vegetable or many—depending on the availability of food and the cook's budget. It always, naturally, contains peanuts. . . . In Senegal Groundnut Stew is called Mafe and calls for a variety of vegetables that clearly shows the residual Gallic influence in that former French colony."

I bought the cookbook when we lived in London and I was trying to figure out how to use all of the exotic ingredients for sale in our neighborhood outdoor market that primarily served a population from Ghana as well as Jamaica. I never ventured into the land of dried fish but I did learn how to use Cassava root.

Miss you,
Sarah

I miss you too Sarah.

Here she is catching snow flakes with Silas (although he's still known as Baby Silas in our household).  She's one of those people that just keeps getting more beautiful.  Irritating but I love her nonetheless.

Updates and Model Railroad Shows

Gina does such a great job of updating people on Judi that I'm not going to try to rehash her excellent work.  Here is an update she sent out today:

Well, we finally have something to report, so here's an update on Judi.  She has completed 4 rounds of chemo now and felt better after the last round than she has since all of this first began.  It's been nice to see her with a little more energy and a good appetite and an occasional Margarita in her hand! 

Judi had her first CT scan since the surgery on Monday, an appointment with the radiology oncologist on Thursday, and another appointment with her oncologist today.  The CT scan looks really good.  The doctor said there has been NO spread of the cancer and that some of the previously affected areas are now clear such as the liver. Judi is scheduled to begin radiation on Tuesday, Jan. 29.  She will receive radiation treatments every Monday-Friday for 5 weeks.  Unfortunately, she was told to expect nausea as a side effect of the radiation because of where her cancer is.  In addition to the radiation, she will continue to get chemo treatments at the same time.  These will be somewhat reduced in intensity during radiation meaning she'll have only two days in a row rather than three days in a row.  She will receive 2 rounds of chemo over the next 2 weeks, then the oncologist will assess to see how she is doing and decide how often to administer chemo during radiation.  She will also have a PT scan on Tuesday to get a clearer idea of what some affected areas are doing.  I know there's a better way to explain that one, but I just can't come up with it right now!!!  They threw a lot of stuff at us today, and we're still "processing" the information!

She is trying very hard to keep her positive attitude up and running.  We find a lot of things to laugh about as we drive back and forth to doctor and treatment appointments.  She's added a whole new level of things to laugh about because her oncologist is Dr. Malik and her radiology oncologist is Dr. Malik--husband and wife.  Ahhhh, what stories she carries back and forth between appointments with both!

Judi's college roommate is in town for the weekend which is wonderful.  Each embarkation on a new treatment or procedure brings substantial anxiety with it, so having Annette here to visit will limit Judi's time to dwell on the upcoming radiation.  We don't know for certain how she will react to the radiation.  We don't know for certain how she will react to the combination of radiation and chemo at the same time.  What I can guarantee is that she will continue to face each day with what she calls her "stubborness" in moving closer to remission.  As always, please keep her in your thoughts, prayers and practices.  She is one tough lady fighting one tough disease.

Love to all,

Gina

What Judi would do without Gina---or what those of us that love Judi would do without Gina---I can not imagine.

I think yesterday was a tough day for Judi....she called just as I was getting ready to go pick up the guys from school so I sent Ernie on ahead and talked to her a bit.  Then I called my mother to update her and during our conversation she told me that the calendars with pictures of the boys that I had made at Christmas and gave to her as well as my sisters......well I made 2007 calendars instead of 2008.  Can you believe that?  What does this say about my mental status or competence?  sigh.  So I guess I have to have new calendars made.  Later as I was trying to do some cooking my mother called in tears...my father's hearing aids didn't seem to be working.  Ernie ran some new batteries over but today she said he still doesn't seem to hear.  I don't know.  It took him two hours to get dressed this morning.  Owen and I are going to take him to church tomorrow----hopefully we'll manage to get him dressed and out the door in time.

So this morning I was in a gray kind of mood but we gathered the troops together and headed out to the Cisco Model Railroad Show.  One of those things you never really imagined yourself doing....

but it's worth it:

a suitcase of money for Owen

My little curmudgeon Leo will NEVER admit to loving his brother.  Thankfully Owen is brilliant at figuring out people so generally he just knowingly says that Leo loves him--he just doesn't like to admit it.  Of late though Owen seems more convinced that Leo doesn't love him.  This breaks my heart of course, particularly as I have tried from day one to always teach the boys how important brothers are----that you always have your brother no matter what.  Now mind you the boys play beautifully together (MOST of the time) and Leo is a really good little guy no matter how hard he tries not to be....but.....

So yesterday evening I walked in the front door and was met with a charging Leo chattering about the Lego Fire Station.  Owen sat on the couch with his legs crossed, writing in a little notebook and Leo bounced around the room explaining his plan.

Owen desperately wants the Lego Fire Station.  I won't even go into the fact that the boys have WAY too many toys, etc., etc.  He yearns for it.  Evidently the boys saw the Lego Fire Station on the computer at Parker's house and Leo clicked on the price and it said $60.  So he came home and counted money from his bank that he earned selling lemonade. He explained all this to me and then raced upstairs only to come back with a little suitcase of money.

I asked him if he was sure he wanted to spend his money on something for Owen and Owen piped up behind me, "yeah, if you hate me why would you buy this for me Leo?"  Leo looked uncomfortable but then came up with, "well, you know he'll cry if he doesn't get it" and Owen obligingly---and cheerfully----contributed his patented fake cry "WAHHH, WAHHH, WAHHH."  I was somewhat speechless.  Now the last thing we need around here is more Lego, much less $60 Lego but I was so touched by the sight of my curmudgeon standing there with shining eyes and $60---made up of assorted coins and $1 dollar bills----that I said I thought that was a wonderful idea.

The boys are beside themselves and actually convinced Ernie and me to check at Toys R Us when we were out that evening.  We did---to no avail....the plan is that we will order it online this afternoon when they are home from school.

My sweet peas....

Random Notes from the Sandwich Life

1.  So the boys don't have school today because it's cold....really cold.  I know when it's cold because that's when we have to leave our water running in our bathroom sink so the pipes don't freeze.  Our first floor bathroom was added onto our house later and let's just say I don't think it was exactly done by a licensed contractor.  For instance----the switch to the light over the sink is in the basement.  I kid you not.  And the pipes freeze whenever it gets too cold.  And we have had run water all night several times already this winter. So anyway----I know it's only supposed to be 9 degrees today but....no school?  I'm just jealous of course.  I laid in bed this morning asking Ernie, "are you SURE the University isn't closed too....it's a school too you know" to no avail.  I told Owen school was canceled and he thought I was tricking him.  Of course when I saw his distrustful little face I couldn't help giggling---which didn't help my case----but he trotted downstairs to ask Dad and was VERY excited when informed that  Mommy was telling the truth.  Leo came downstairs with his Paul Westerberg hair and when told there was no school yelled, "SWEET...THAT ROCKS."  Who is this teenage boy with the big brown eyes that lives inside my 8 year old?

2.  the hill in front of Judi's front yard:

3.  One of the things Judi wanted me to make for her when I was visiting was macaroni and cheese.  Then we started talking about comfort food and got on the subject of meatloaf....so dinner that night was old fashioned meatloaf, macaroni and cheese and spinach.  I think the last time I made meatloaf it had chorizo and corn and hot peppers in it....that's not what we wanted....we wanted plain old meatloaf.  We did season it up a bit with a Penzey's spice rub (Northwoods Fire I think) but it was still pretty basic.  Then I topped it with the sauce Gina (yes, the inimitable Gina) makes for her meatloaf.  It's ridiculously simple but doesn't taste it.  Some green pepper, onion, catsup and brown sugar....I may have cooked mine a bit too long as it was pretty thick but I gotta say---it made the meatloaf.  I made a simple macaroni and cheese.....this is the version I'm trying to convince the boys to like.  They find it suspiciously like real cheese though and everyone knows macaroni and cheese is made with powder....  Leo has now turned on Kraft macaroni and cheese and his palate demands only Annie's or Back to Nature.  Anyway....I found this recipe on salon.com once and it's literally as quick and easy as a box (particularly if you weaken and buy pre-grated cheese).

Boil 8 oz. macaroni and drain.  Add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir until distributed evenly.  Then add 1 cup milk and cook for a few minutes until thickened.  Then add 2 cups grated cheese.  A little mustard or hot sauce perks it up.

4.  So what up with the dearth of comments.  Comments make for a happy Cynthia and God knows that's what we all want.....right?

5. Another tidbit I found out on my trip:  Clemson University has its own cemetery.  Yup....right in the middle of campus.  Now you may or may not know that I LOVE cemeteries so this really tickled me.  I believe Judi said that the plots are all sold but when I went online I found information from a few years ago and you had to have worked at Clemson over 20 years to be buried there.  I am so entertained.  I gotta say----I live in a college town----there are Illinois 'I's all over the place....but you just don't see 'I's (or any other symbol) used with the same abandon as the good old Clemson Tiger Paw.  It's amazing...it's all over grocery stores....all over the streets.....everywhere....AND they have their own cemetery....

6.  ahhhhh....more to post but I must go to work......