A Mustache For Dad & Special Cancer Post complete with KitchenAid Stand Mixer Giveaway!! #recipesfromtheheart

"Today's event is being hosted by Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic and Jen of Juanita's Cocina. They teamed up with their blogger friends to help raise awareness and support for Cancer and Hospice today in memory of Kim's dad. We encourage everyone to read the posts and share their own experiences with cancer. We also would like to encourage everyone to donate to the Canadian Cancer Society, the American Cancer Society and also to the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association. Hospice was a key element during Kim's father's battle with cancer. They made it possible for Kim to care for him at home. So please show your support and donate if you can. You can also contact your local Hospice and donate directly to them if you wish. A little goes a long way! "

Kim has been a good friend of mine for years now.  I credit myself with her starting her blog (yes, I am *that* friend on her bio!) to which she took blogging to a whole new level of awesome.  When she mentioned she wanted to do something like this for Father's Day, I jumped in.  Am I a foodie like all of the other bloggers participating? No.  Do I like to cook? Sure, but I like to dial a number on the phone more.  So you may be asking why I am participating in a blogging phenomenon like all of these other amazing, talented bloggers and food makers...and the answer is that I too have been deeply affected by cancer.  So, for all of you foodies who might have found your way to my blog and think you might be lost I hope that you stick around :) Perhaps you will find a new hobby to entertain yourselves with when waiting for the timer to go off. 

Grandma and me

Cancer has always, unfortunately, been a part of my life.  My beloved grandmother passed away from breast cancer on Christmas Eve when I was 10. To say we were close would be putting it mildly.  Sure, when I was very little I liked to play with her jelly filled breast prosthetic (amd learned at an early age not to shout out that I want to play with her boobie in public places) but I never realized how bad cancer was until she got very sick.  There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss her and hope that she is proud of the woman I have now become.

But, cancer has reared it's head once more in my life. This March, my father was diagnosed with Stage II Brain Cancer.  I remember the day he called me telling me this and he said not to worry that it was a "good cancer."  Good cancer? Those two words have never belonged in the same sentence.  Though to the doctors, this slow growing non-moving cancer is "good." 

Let me give you a little back story.  My father is a stubborn man whose favorite phrase is "don't worry." Eight years ago he was getting blinding headaches, walked around like he was drunk, and was just out of sorts.  But I was told "don't worry about it" so I never realized how bad it was.  I was up at college enjoying my junior year and trying not to worry about it.  During winter break, I spent New Years Eve with my boyfriend out in western Massachusetts.  We went to a New Year's Eve party at his brother's house and I got very, very, very tipsy.  That morning I woke up, hungover, to the sound of my cell phone ringing. I blearily opened one eye and saw it was my mom.  I ignored it.  The phone rang again, and I still ignored it.  Then Nate's family's house phone rang so we answered it.  My mother was in tears telling me that my father had collapsed and was at the hospital - they thought it was a stroke. 

Long story short, it wasn't a stroke.  My father had a brain tumor the size of a large man's fist.  Brain surgery was scheduled for the next day and that was 8 hours of waiting.  When the brain surgeon came out he told us that due to the size of the tumor my father only had 6 months left to live.  I was devasted to say the least and tried to be strong for my mother and father.  Now, the brain surgeon made this proclamation with no lab results.  So imagine our gratitude and surprise when a few weeks later he called, on my dad's birthday no less, to tell us he had made a mistake and the tumor wasn't malignant. My dad would be fine.

Fine is a relative term...

 

Dad & me

I don't want to bore you with a very long, lengthy diatribe of the following eight years but let's just say due to circumstances I got into the habit of calling my father every day when I got out of work at 5 pm. One Monday night in February I was running late so I called my dad on his cell and he didn't answer.  I then tried the house phone, no answer. I didn't think anything of it really - he was probably walking the dog.  So I waited until I got to the next train station and tried again. And again.  Still nothing. Now I started to panic - my dad usually jumped on the phone when I rang and called me out for being late.  And mom had mentioned over the weekend that she wanted to make an appointment with the neurologist.  And my dad wasn't answering the phone.  My parents live on Long Island, and I work in Boston (live in Rhode Island) -- that's 4 hours away.  I didn't know what to do.  Should I call the police? Ask a friend to stop by? I called my mom and told her the situation, she said the same thing I thought that he was probably walking the dog.  I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong though.  Mom left work early and rushed home, and my entire commute home I kept calling. and calling. and calling. 

Around 9:00 am that Monday morning my dad went down to the basement to get clean clothes from the dryer.  Two steps down, his left leg gave out and he fell.  He wound up fracturing his back and couldn't move, though he tried.  When mom got home she called the ambulance and they brought him to the hospital.  Like deja vu the EMTs said they thought he had a stroke.  Like deja vu, it wasn't.

My dad had another fist sized tumor in his brain. Almost exactly where it was 8 years ago.  I won't rehash the hours of tears (there were many) or the fear of the week (it was mind numbing) but the tumor was was benign once more and we thought my dad just had to recover again.  With the back fracture he was in considerable pain but was hobbling along with a walker.  Then some pathology results came back in saying that although the tumor was benign, surrounding brain tissue was malignant.

After Brain Surgery

Before round 3 of chemo

It's now Father's Day, and I'm home visiting my father.  He is about to start round 4 of chemo this Monday but he's doing OK.  He is still in a lot of pain due to his back, but he says his head doesn't hurt at all.  He doesn't remember the week in the hospital, only the part after he woke up from the brain surgery.  He is back to telling me "don't worry" and constantly hounding me to see if I've eaten that day.  Since he started chemo, I've been turning that question back on him since he has no appetite and food doesn't taste the same. I still live 4 hours away and don't get to see him nearly enough, but I talk with him every day on the phone -- at 5 pm and other times of the day.  My dad is stubborn - he says he isn't going anywhere until he walks me down the aisle and bounces a grandbaby on his knee.  I keep waiting for the news that he is in remission or the cancer is gone.  But I remain hopeful that if anyone can beat cancer, it's my dad.



In honor of my father and all other people affected by brain cancer I have crocheted a grey mustache pin to wear.  For some reason the grey ribbon for brain cancer doesn't appeal to me -- grey is such a hopeless color! But, as you can tell by photos in this post. My dad has a mustache . And it is now mostly grey.  As I mentioned earlier, this is not a foodie blog and while I could have posted a recipe I chose (with Kim's permission) to knit or crochet something.


The pattern is a freebie that can be found here and is a very easy basic crochet pattern.  I am always amazed at how much quicker crocheting is from knitting...but I'm still not about to turn my needles in and become a hooker full time (Foodies still reading, a hooker is not only a lady of the night but a term for someone who crochets.) To turn it into a pin, I just threaded a normal safety pin on the back. And Voila! I wear my Brain Cancer Mustache Pin with pride.

 

Now this is the part of the post that would make sense if I was a foodie blog...but I'm not, so this is going to seem random and out there. But hey, even crafters cook and who wouldn't love to win a KitchenAid stand Mixer? (Contest open to only US and Canada residents only and is open to contestants from ALL blogs participating in this event, not one winner per blog)

 



Winner gets to choose their color!

Enter for your chance to Win an Artisan® Series KitchenAid® Stand Mixer in the color of your choice (there are 26 to choose from) as well as an Ice Cream Maker Attachment. A sweet choice for all, this creative attachment features the largest ice cream bowl capacity in the industry. Prepare 2 quarts of ice cream, sorbet, gelato or other frozen desserts. We're pleased to announce the giveaway is open to Canadian residents, as well as U.S. Residents. Winner will be chosen and announced during the pinchatlive event, described below. Winner will also be notified via email and has 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond another winner will be chosen. 1 Stand Mixer and 1 Ice Cream Attachment are being given away as a group, not 1 per blog just to be clear for our readers.

There are bonus prizes for the pinchatlive event. We are giving away 1 Vanilla Infused Gift Box Set, 1 Lemon Infused Gift Box Set and a $30 Amazon Gift Card. In order to participate in this event follow the Pinterest Board #recipesfromtheheart. Hop on the Pinterest board on June 22 at 2 pm Est to follow along. We'll ask questions and those who comment are entered to win the bonus prizes. There will be a G+ Hangout on Air during the event as well. Winners of the pinchatlive event must be Canadian or U.S. residents.

Visit Facebook.com/KitchenAidCanada and click on the “More than a Mixer” tab to explore all 12 attachments available for the KitchenAid® Stand Mixer.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

I know that for me this has been a very long post but I do hope that you will check the blogs of the other participants in this event.  They are all amazing, talented cooks and bakers and I have tried several of their recipes in the past and they are delicious!!

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Home-made Strawberry Topping by Cravings of a Lunatic Chili Verde by Juanita's Cocina S'Mores Brownies in Jars by That Skinny Chick Can Bake Dark Chocolate and Orange Muffins by The Dutch Baker's Daughter Boston Cream Pie by Pass The Sushi My Fathers Day Recipe Round Up by Curry and Comfort Tropical Smoothie by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts Mini Gugelhupf by Masala Herb Sauteed Strawberry and Sugarsnap Salad by Cook The Story Cranberry Cashew Breakfast Muffins by In Fine Balance Arugula Salad with Sundried Tomatoes and Mushrooms by Crazy Foodie Stunts Spicy Beef Sliders by Katie's Cucina Thai Red Curry Soup by Damn Delicious Suman (Sweet Rice and Banana Leaves) by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Fresh Vegetable Salad by White Lights on Wednesday Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Sundae by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen Cinnamon Chip Cookie Butter Bars by The Messy Baker Berry/Cherry Fro-Yo Ice Cream by Cookistry Honey Beer Bread by Hungry Couple Cinnamon-Chocolate Chip Pancakes by The Spiffy Cookie Chocolate Cherry Granola Bars by Sweet Remedy Cookies and Cream Brownies by Cooking in Stilettos Blueberry Lemon Cake by Roxana's Home Baking Angel Cake by Ninja Baking

 

{TDF} Spin Baby Spin

I'm doing it this summer guys. I'm participating in the Tour de Fleece as part of the Must Stash Podcast's team.  I'm blogger accountable now :)

I will be starting spinning lessons in July...and my goal? Other than learn to spin? I'm aiming for 100 yards.  Of recognizable yarn.

So keep an eye out for {TDF} posts and encourage me on!

Yipee!!

{WIP} Yarn Juggling

Knitting monogamy - I miss you.  Currently, I have four active WIPs.  FOUR.  Well. I guess we can say three that are on the needles and the fourth is half of a sock pair that has yet to be cast on.  With the exception of the non-cast on sock, none of these projects are easy to carry with me projects and all involve three skeins of yarn to be juggled. Oy. Vey. 

Looks a Twix Bar

I've made some progress with my Color Affection shawl by getting to the point where I can add the second color. I really like how the creamy Butter Pecan looks against the darker Fudge Brownie. I am knitting this with Candy Skein's Sweet Fingering base and I love how this yarn just glows in sunlight.  It will be awhile, but I can't wait to join in the third color!

Hello. I'm Amy's first ever gauge swatch

I've swatched and started my first sweater! I'm only a few rows into the actual sweater, so I'm going to share my swatch.  I am going to attempt to knit Vitamin D  by Heidi Kirrmaier.  The parts of the pattern I've completed so far haven't been too hard.  Rather, the difficulty for me is alternating three separate skeins of Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light (in the lovely Well Water colorway) and keeping them from tangling.  But I'd rather have a nicely blended sweater than one where you can see the changes in yarn....so alternate I shall.  I'm alternating every other row - so purl w. skein A, knit w. skein A, purl w. skein V, knit w. skein B, purl w. skein C, knit w. skein C - then repeat.  I haven't knit anything in stockinette stitch that wasn't in the round lately....so I've kind of forgotten how painful it can sometimes be. But, those rows are good TV watching rows.  And the pattern itself isn't too difficult yet - just a lot of knits, purls, YOs, and make 1s.  I have my fingers crossed that my first sweater looks amazing and fits me perfectly. 

Art Deco

And thirdly, I have a project that has been long languishing since last August (!!!).  Memorial Day weekend I decided to randomly pick up and work on my Rockefeller by Stephen West.  Last summer, I had finished Clue A of this mystery knit along behind schedule of the clues being released and was intimidated by the final object. So I placed it in a project bag along with the lovely yarns and kind of pretended it didn't exist for awhile.  But having finished my socks for the Stockinette Zombie's Finish-That-KAL KAL I decided to work on it a bit.  I worked on Clue B for the first section, and added my first horizontal stripes.  This pattern has a lot of color work and yarn breaking in it which is why I've shied away from it for so long - but I really love the yarns I'm using in it and it's a shame to leave it moldering in the UFO pile.  The green main color is Knit Pick's stroll tonal base in the canopy color way and the darker contrasting color is Cephalopod Yarn's Skinny Bugga! base in the Montauk Monster colorway.  Being a Long Islander, I loved the name of that yarn and named my project after it (please if you have no idea what the Montauk monster is don't google it...and if you do google it, I tried to warn you). 

To see some other amazing works in progress, check out:

{FO} From head to toe

I have TWO finished objects to share this week - one of which is old and the other of which I am so happy to finally be DONE with ^_^


My first finished object is the test knit for Megan I did called Weather the Weather hat which is a free download on Ravelry.  

This was such a fun knit, and I highly recommend trying it out! This pattern uses an Aran technique that is similar to making cables without a cable needle.  I am guilty of not having much worsted weight yarn in my stash - shocker, I know since most of my projects are made out of fingering - so I had picked up some Cascade 220 in a glorious pink color for my 5 year old niece whose favorite color is...you guessed it, pink.  I had meant to pick up Cascade 220 superwash but grabbed the wrong skein when I was at the LYS as I was too busy gabbing with the shop owner and I did find this yarn to make my hands sweat like crazy and pre-blocking was a bit scratchy.  I'm glad I decided to block this because the yarn bled like crazy! 

My second finished object is my very first pair of socks! I am so happy I finally finished these as my active WIP pile was getting out of control.  I'm usually a monogamous knitter...but lately I have quite a few things on the needles. So...my first pair of socks. The pattern was a hodgepodge of patterns and techniques of my own choosing.  These are loose on me because at the time I started I didn't have any 1.5 needles so I used size 2s and they are pretty big. So, my mom who has a wider foot and ankle will be getting these.  These socks were plain jane vanilla socks and the yarn was not my most favorite so even though I started sock 1 in January...I didn't finish sock 2 until May.  I'm hoping that future plain jane vanilla socks will be more fun with some nice self striping yarns I've recently picked up. 

Thank you for joining me this week and check out some other great finished objects here:

Podcasts, Or how productivity moves in opposite direction from stash enhancement

I've been hard at work test knitting the super secret sock for Megan and have been neglectful of my blog! I'm going to try to have a {WIP} and {FO} post this week but we shall see.  My current {WIP} can't really be shown until the pattern is released as it is part of a yarn club for Yarn vs. Zombies (um, can we say best name EVER??)  but if you follow me on instagram I've been posting some very exciting shots of the sole.  What I will say is that this pattern is super fun and has taught me so many fun techniques and it fits great! I'm working on the leg now, so should hopefully finish it soon...and then, then, I must finish mom's sock. And work on the Color Affection.  And...I bought three skeins of MadelineTosh Merino Light (Well Water colorway) to CO my first sweater which will be Vitamin D. 

I've recently been bitten by the knitting podcast bug and I wanted to share some of my favorites.  I tend to listen to them (and sneak views) at work, but lately I've been watching them in lieu of TV at night.  

(1) Must Stash Podcast

This is a relatively new podcast hosted by Steph and Stacie and these girls are adorable and so sweet.  Each episode is about an hour, but they stay on topic pretty well and I love how their show notes give links to any and all shops and yarns that they use. My Etsy favorites have multiplied by quite a few new shops since I've started watching them.  

(2) Stockinette Zombies

I've been having fun test knitting for Megan, but her and Amy's podcast is fantastic as well.  Just by watching them you can tell that the two of them have been friends for quite awhile, and I love how they joke with each other.  Both are very talented knitters, and I have never really pictured myself ever wanting to go to Minnesota...but hearing about their Zombie Knitpocalypse makes me want to go in the future! Episodes last about an hour.

(3) The Fat Squirrel Speaks

Clearly...we Amys have to stick together.  Amy Beth is a R-I-O-T.  The first podcast of hers I listened to I was like, "Um. I'm not sure what is going on..." but now I'm hooked.  She makes me laugh and smile constantly.  I took part in my first ever KAL with her Gratitude KAL over the spring.  Episodes are only about a half hour, and she has a way of explaining things that make it seem very easy.

(4) Penguin Soup

Ginny had followed me on Instagram and I've only recently started watching her newer podcast. Nerds unite! She's a Whovian amongst other things and I love her project choices. Seriously, I wish I knew her in life cause I would like to be part of her knitting circle :) She has made me want to try a 9" circular needle to knit socks.

Please share some of your favorite video podcasts in the comments. Now that we are in the slow season at work....I can use some entertainment while I do the office zombie routine :) 

{WIP} Tootsie Roll

Some of my projects from last week have been put on the back burner while I have fun test knitting stuff for Megan.  I finished the Weather the Weather hat this weekend, and immediately jumped on board for another test knit.  This one is super secret and this will be the only picture I will be posting until the pattern is released as it is part of a club.  

It is my first ever attempt at a toe up sock - and I have got to say that Judy's Magic Cast On is the KOOKIEST thing I have ever done.  It felt like cat's cradle. But I am very pleased with how it came out :) One new sock technique in the bag.  This pattern is definitely more advanced than my plain jane vanilla sock...so we shall see if I can actually do it or not.

I am using Sunshine Yarn's classic sock base in Wanderer.  I had purchased this yarn from a Ravelry user a year and a half ago and I've been waiting for a good pattern for it.  Notice that it's not caked, but balled. Let's just say...I think the hank was re-hanked a few times. It did not get along with my swift and ball winder. At all.

Wish me luck, friends! I am going to need it :) Thankfully I only have to finish ONE sock for the test knit....so who knows when sock #2 will be completed.

I also played around with roving and a drop spindle the other night...more to come on this adventure at a later date!

Imperfect but recognizably yarn

{WIP} Oh, Boy

So....um. Yeah. I've got quite a lot going on this week for Work-In-Progress Wednesday.  Usually, I just highlight one item I'm working on...but I've got quite a few WIPs this time around.

Clockwise from top:

(1) I finally cast on my Color Affection Shawl using Candy Skein Sweet Fingering yarn in Fudge Brownie.  I am following it per the pattern instructions...which means a lot of make ones. And I don't know why, but I'm having issues with these M1s....I cheated on the first row and used a KFB because I could not get the bar between stitches easily. 

(2) I am test knitting the Weather the Weather hat by Megan (Justrunknit on Ravelry) from the podcast Stockinette Zombies.  I love this pattern...so easy and fun. Plus I'm learning new techniques such as a Left and Right Twist.  I am using Cascade 220 which is making my palms sweat.

(3) And finally....the second sock on my plain jane vanilla beginner socks.  This led to the Color Affection being cast on incidentally.  

That's it for this week.  Check out other Work In Progress blog posts by clicking the image below.