Today is one of those rare days when I actually cook something from scratch. I've been craving leek and potato soup (one of my specialities) for a few days and after making C bring home some leeks it is now on the stove cooking. I'll eat it for lunch as C still maintains he doesn't like leeks (how anyone can like onions but not leeks beats me!).
My recipe (for those that are interested) is taken from Marks and Spencers St Michael "Harvest Soups and Starters" book published 1990. The only difference is that I like to blend my soup so that it is a "hearty" soup rather than a "thin" soup with floaty bits.
Leek and Potato Soup - serves 4:
My recipe (for those that are interested) is taken from Marks and Spencers St Michael "Harvest Soups and Starters" book published 1990. The only difference is that I like to blend my soup so that it is a "hearty" soup rather than a "thin" soup with floaty bits.
Leek and Potato Soup - serves 4:
- 2 big peeled potatos
- 2 leeks
- 1 onion
- knob butter
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 pint/900ml veggie/chicken stock
K has been studying the Azoic period at pre-school. Yes, I did say "what's the azoic period?". This is when rocks formed and there was no life on earth. She has been studying volcanos and earthquakes.
So for show and tell this month, we actually have something cool to show (although don't tell the US National Parks service). She is taking a piece of lava I picked up from the Amboy crater several years ago when we drove California's famous Route 66.
Actually we had been going to drive up to the Colorado river along the border of California and Arizona. After several hours of looking at boring desert (sand, tumbleweed and yet more sand) I decided that it was too far to go so we turned around and tried to make our way back to Palm Springs via the shortest route, we ended up on Route 66.
The funny thing was that after looking at all the sand suddenly there was a black field along the side of the road. Craig and I were puzzled as to why it was black. A while later we saw this black mound and there was a pull in with a sign, so we stopped to read it.
It explained that it was the Amboy Crater and Lava Field. The crater sits in the middle of a 70 square kilometer field of lava, and just like the picture above some of the lava is loose and hence made its way home with me and will now make its way to the Montessori pre-school Azoic display.
I finished the back of Ivy and have started on the left front. Apparently this pattern gets a bit complicated at this point so we'll see how it goes.
My Austermann step socks haven't progressed at all as I stepped on one of the wooden needles and broke it in two about 1 inch from the end. However, after a visit to Walmart and some Elmers wood glue later, it is now repaired and seems to be quite strong so I'll try it out today/tomorrow and see if I can't make some progress.
I also organized a new yarn stash drawer with my yarns. I've been weighing them and itemizing them on Ravelry.com. Some are up for purchase/trade if you are interested.
My Austermann step socks haven't progressed at all as I stepped on one of the wooden needles and broke it in two about 1 inch from the end. However, after a visit to Walmart and some Elmers wood glue later, it is now repaired and seems to be quite strong so I'll try it out today/tomorrow and see if I can't make some progress.
I also organized a new yarn stash drawer with my yarns. I've been weighing them and itemizing them on Ravelry.com. Some are up for purchase/trade if you are interested.
C's visit to the chemo oncologist has shed a little more light on both the diagnosis and the treatment plan. He is now Stage 4a rather than my guess of Stage 3. This is because the left lymph node is 3.5cm (the limit on Stage 3 is 3cm) and it looks like it has already spread to the right lymph node. This will be confirmed during the PET scan. FYI Stage 4b would be bigger than 6cm, Stage 4C spread to other organs.
The chemo treatment will be given in 3 doses, beginning, middle, end of radiation treatment and he will be hospitalized for a couple of days each time.
Now we just have to sit and wait for the PET scan to be scheduled.
The chemo treatment will be given in 3 doses, beginning, middle, end of radiation treatment and he will be hospitalized for a couple of days each time.
Now we just have to sit and wait for the PET scan to be scheduled.
Yesterday we went to see the oncologist. C is going to betreated by daily M-F radiation for 6 to 8 weeks combined with chemotherapy at the same time.
He has to have a PET scan in Vancouver before they start treatment. The doctor expects the PET to be scheduled in 2 weeks or so. The reason for this is that they want to confirm that there is only 1 lymph node involved as it affects thelevel of radiation given to the other side of his neck. We expect treatment to start shortly after that, so probably in about 2-3 weeks depending on the PET.
They will leave any surgeries (such as removing the neck lump) until after the treatment and only perform them if necessary.
They left the feeding tube up to C, stating about 50% of people actuallyneed them. C is going to try without and get it put in if necessary. The main reason for this is that even with the feeding tube they still want you to eat orally to exercise the muscles otherwise it causes complications later. The oncologist will see him weekly and they will monitor his weight to make sure he is getting enough nutrition (and make him get the tube if he isn't).
However, having said all this, he hasn't seen the radiologist or the chemo doctor and had the PET so this plan is not FINAL.
He has to have a PET scan in Vancouver before they start treatment. The doctor expects the PET to be scheduled in 2 weeks or so. The reason for this is that they want to confirm that there is only 1 lymph node involved as it affects thelevel of radiation given to the other side of his neck. We expect treatment to start shortly after that, so probably in about 2-3 weeks depending on the PET.
They will leave any surgeries (such as removing the neck lump) until after the treatment and only perform them if necessary.
They left the feeding tube up to C, stating about 50% of people actuallyneed them. C is going to try without and get it put in if necessary. The main reason for this is that even with the feeding tube they still want you to eat orally to exercise the muscles otherwise it causes complications later. The oncologist will see him weekly and they will monitor his weight to make sure he is getting enough nutrition (and make him get the tube if he isn't).
However, having said all this, he hasn't seen the radiologist or the chemo doctor and had the PET so this plan is not FINAL.
This is my first digital layout for a long time. This is the layout created from the 2nd lesson of Jessica Sprague's Now We're Rockin' course. The photos are of K's pre-school field trip back in September.
I've had some dark red mercerized style yarn for several years now.
I bought it at Lewiscrafts (Summer 2004) before they closed down in Canada. It was going to be a Jaeger sweater from a book of patterns I purchased at Liberty's off of Oxford Street (the yummiest store, haberdashery and yarn 3rd floor). However, I misplaced the knitting at some point and by the time I found it, months later, I couldn't remember which size I'd been knitting (Tip: write this down on the pattern, in pencil if you want to erase it later).Well to continue the project I decided to frog the entire back and reknit it. Well about 3 inches into the pattern I decided that I was sick of looking at the same thing. That pattern in that color, ugh! There really wasn't anything wrong with it but I figured if I was sick of looking at it now while knitting it, that I'd probably never wear it. So I frogged it again and put the yarn away.
A few days later I was looking at Knitty.com Ivy pattern from Winter '06 and it called for some DK weight about 800g/1800 yards. Hmmm, I think that red yarn is DK and guess what I have exactly 800g .....
So now I'm working on the Ivy wrap sweater in dark red. I'm hoping that I'll like this sweater a lot more than the other one although probably won't be wearing it until next Fall/Winter because it's probably not going to fit my pregnant body by the time I'm finished.
C had another CT scan, chest X-ray, dental x-ray and more bloodwork done today in preparation for meeting with the oncologist and radiologist next week.
After all the personal news, this post may seem a little frivolous but it's time to get back to "normal" whatever that might mean now.
This is my latest knitting project. These are self striping Austermann Step socks.
This is the first time I've knit socks. I'm only on the first one which is about 5 inches so far. The goal is 7 inches before turning the heel and doing all the tricky stuff I've never done before. This is also the first time I've knit in the round with 5 needles! The needles are so tiny that progress is very slow. I'm making them for me unless they turn out too big/small in which case someone else will be the lucky recipient.
As you may have realized I haven't been blogging much lately. This is because C has been having some tests done, initiated by a lump that appeared on his neck in late October.
The biopsy results are back and have confirmed that he has tongue cancer (base of tongue) which has spread to the nearby lymph node in his neck, which is why he had the lump in his neck. He is waiting for a referral to the Cancer Clinic here in Kelowna where he will see an oncologist regarding staging the cancer and the treatment options although it is likely to be radiotherapy, possibly chemo and a neck dissection and will likely take several months. We will know more once we have that appointment.
Thank you all for your concern.
The biopsy results are back and have confirmed that he has tongue cancer (base of tongue) which has spread to the nearby lymph node in his neck, which is why he had the lump in his neck. He is waiting for a referral to the Cancer Clinic here in Kelowna where he will see an oncologist regarding staging the cancer and the treatment options although it is likely to be radiotherapy, possibly chemo and a neck dissection and will likely take several months. We will know more once we have that appointment.
Thank you all for your concern.
