Random Weekend...

First of all... a few things to mention: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUE!!! (I am a crappy friend who forgot to call, though I remembered to send an e-card.) and Congratulations to Chiara (Hurst) Yeates and family on the blessed addition of James Sinclair Yeates!!! The baby arrived amidst tons of drama on Saturday, but he now shares a birthday with our friend Sue, so things are already starting out great for him. He really is a beautiful boy. (Check out Sue and the Yeates family blogs at left, A Girl Named Sue and Chaos Pretending to be in Order, respectively.)
So... my mom is doing better, though she is still in a tremendous amount of pain. But I think things will get better soon. She's just been fighting some nasty headaches along with everything else and morphine and vicodin are not fixing the problems.
We had a pretty relaxing weekend at home. I copied some recipes out of this month's issue of Real Simple, and I tried a few out. Friday night we had a healthier version of Beef Strogonoff and it was awesome. Then again, 3 onions, 1 lb of fresh mushrooms and sirloin is generally a good idea any time. But it was pretty healthy. minimal Sour cream usage... and less than required noodles. Scott even loved it. We took a break Saturday... roaming around town with Shannon in tow while her car was being worked on... stopped in Grimes to visit Scott's cousins. Yesterday I made some Sesame/Teryaki chicken wraps... tasted OK, but I don't think we'll be making them again. Then we made grilled flat bread pizzas out of the leftover flat bread wraps. They were Fabulous! I'm not kidding. I loved mine... light Olive Oil, super-thin onions, sliced tomatoes, spinach leaves, garlic, herbs, Havarti cheese, and an blend of Italian Cheeses. (Light on the cheese.) it was great served with a salad. Definitely doing that more often. So, yeah. Nothing much happened. We had fun with Weston, played with toys, cuddled, watched some movies and a few episodes of Alias, Season 3 (Effing Lauren!!!!) and just had a nice time. I have Pulled Pork Tacos in the crock pot for tonight... and it looks great!

Mom update

Mom had her surgery Wednesday morning at 730am. It lasted a little over 4 hours (about an hour longer than expected.) She had had a colonoscopy Tuesday, and the doctor had found 2 large polyps which he removed. But the sites where these polyps were located did not heal properly, and so the doctor had to repair them prior to the surgery, hence the additional hour. So... it was a long day at Mercy Hospital in Clinton. Basically, they removed about 8 inches of her Colon, repaired the bladder, put stints in to support the bladder, and then "resurfaced" parts of her remaining Colon with healthy tissue. They also took out her Appendix, basically because 1% of patients have appendix problems after major surgery, and my mom knew that Murphy's Law would dictate her being that 1%, and she wasn't going to go back into surgery. :) (Nathan left her a note that read, "God loves your Appendix. He'll take good care of it for you.")

She was very groggy after, and in an extreme amount of pain (since the cut her lengthwise from her belly button to her pelvic bone. Ouch!) after the surgery, so we came in, told her we loved her, then went home.

Weston did not sleep well the entire time we were in Clinton. So I did not sleep well either. I have been fighting a head ache for 3 days now.

We visited again yesterday. She was sitting up in the chair, and had even done some walking. They were also letting her eat... liquids and jello only, but that's a start (considering she hadn't had anything since Sunday afternoon.) She was still in a lot of pain, and her anxiety levels were off the charts concerning Weston. We stayed for awhile, and left around 3pm to head back to Des Moines. There really wasn't any point in us staying longer, Mom's in the hospital for 5-7 days anyway. So... we're back. And as of today, Mom is good and she should be back at work in around 2 weeks or so. She should be back to eating normal foods around then too.

So, thanks for all of your warm wishes and prayers! They were greatly appreciated by my entire family!

Weston was very excited to see "Grammy" that he got all dressed up for the occasion! He has started talking... nonstop since Monday night. Even in his sleep! And his chattering really seemed to help his Grammy yesterday as she was in so much pain and a little overwhelmed by the whole thing. He really is such a good boy. He's so happy and funny. And he is such a blessing for our family. I can't wait until Nathan's daughter arrives in April, she and Weston will have so much fun together!

Your Thoughts please...

My Mom is having major surgery in Clinton tomorrow morning around 7am. Shannon, Weston and I are driving home to Clinton tonight and Scott is staying here. She's having a Colin Resection... which is as bad as it sounds. Taking things out and reconnecting the pieces. If all goes well, she will be in the hospital for 5 days, and we will return to Des Moines on Thursday. And we will not think of any other options.
So - please give Momma Damon your thoughts, prayers, love and support because she is scared and worried. Thanks!
I will try to write when I can.

Must Read

In the Mood for a Great Read?

Completely Frivolous and totally Entertaining?
So funny that you can't put it down, but are thrilled by the short quick chapters so that you can continue with your life?


Have I got a book for you!Anousha sent this book to me for Christmas. She has a very eclectic sense of style when it comes to reading material. Last year she sent a book of twisted fairy tales (which was also a good read) and another of family dynamics... for the most part Anousha tends toward non-fiction. While I generally love fiction (the point of reading is not remember my current life. Case in Point: Confessions of a Shopaholic: Good fiction book, but marred for me by the fact that I was a true Shopaholic addicted to the long-gone credit cards at the time I read it.) I always read what Anousha sends... it's generally good, or at least quirky, and I feel much more like a literary when I read these things.

So... anyway, Anousha sends me Chelsea Handler's latest book. I have never read anything by her. I've never seen her stand-up show. I tried watching her show on E! one night, but was slightly annoyed by the fact that I had no idea what her fascination with Little People or "Nuggets" as she calls them was, or if her show was scripted or real... . It kind of reminded me of Craig Ferguson... but not. The little Chuey guy creeped me out. Seriously. So, I changed the channel. Well... I opened up Are You There Vodka, It's Me, Chelsea, I read the first 3 pages and about died laughing. She is HIGH-larious! Seriously funny.
My favorite Chapter... the one that she goes on and on about her obsession with a Little Person named Jenny I think... can't remember the name. But anyway, she goes on and on about why she loves the "Nuggets" how they're the next best thing to hold - the first being fat babies. And how she wants to dress them up and take care of them... how she can't seem to comprehend that they are small adults, not children. It's great.

You must read! ***WARNING*** There is a lot of references to drinking, smoking stuff, overeating, general sex, vibrators, Little People, and swearing. Just giving you a heads up.
This may be an actual book that Shannon might enjoy. : )

THANK YOU!!!

Special Thanks to Erika and Mary Ann Tahmasebi for providing me with the name of the special Greek Cheese for the absolutely fantabulous Greek Spaghetti!!!
Mizithra Greek Cheese... now I just need to find it, and believe you me, I will!

Yey!!!!

Ok, let's hear it... Awwwww!!!!

Ok... so these aren't the best pics, they are from my cell phone... but I just love them.

He woke up from his nap in the car last Friday on our way to Cherokee, just smiling and talking. He's just the best baby ever. He woke up yesterday morning around 7:30 and talked to himself until after 8am when he finally wanted up.


Grandma Lila got Weston this adorable tractor-trailer set that has a farmer and animals. It was supposed to play music and the farm animals were supposed make their own noises, but it stopped working about 10 minutes after she opened it. And it cannot be returned. But as you can see, he loves it any way! He's almost sitting up completely by himself now. He's just growing up so fast! Last night he was soooo tired and he wouldn't sleep at all. Scott would talk to him, and Weston would just laugh and laugh! after about 5 minutes, Scott would just look at Weston and he would fall over laughing. No words needed. Scott and I were laughing so hard by the end... and then Weston was still awake!


This is what my fabulously stylish baby wore on Christmas Eve to run around Clinton. Those local moms had better be worried about their daughters!

What I want...

As the New Year approaches here's what I want... .

1. Safety and health for my friends and family. Specifically, my mom, who is having major surgery on January 21st. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

2. More money and job security. I can't help it... I am always nervous about money and this crappy economy isn't helping at all.

3. Speaking of job security... I've been contemplating a move. I've been thinking of Culinary School... I can get a full degree for under $10,000 (I think). The only problems... how do we live on one salary with daycare and a mortgage? And the expected salary start base is only $23,000. Who can live on that with kids? What to do? I love to cook, I love to cook for people. Hmmm.... any thoughts?

4. Speaking of money... I've been thinking about more kids. I don't think it's possible without more money. Plain and simple. And besides... Weston's perfect. Do we need more?

And What do I want right now?
Right now I want Greek Spaghetti! A friend brought in homemade Baklava this morning. It was delicious (though I'm on sugar overload right now.) But it reminded me of Yanni's (local Greek/Italian restaurant) which reminded me of how every time I'm there I love the food, but what I really want is Anousha's mom's Greek Spaghetti. Trust me, I sound completely insane, but you do not understand the deliciousness that is Greek Spaghetti. This is so fabulous that Jessica Eyskens (one-time Study group member and former Drake Roommate, the former being why we haven't spoken in years) requested this as a graduation gift from Anousha when we went to her party in 1997. She wouldn't let anyone touch it. Not one bite, not even for Ms. Boyd if I remember correctly, and every girl tried to suck up to Ms. Boyd - but that's another story for another time. Greek Spaghetti is a blend of salted spaghetti noodles covered with browned butter (hard to achieve, but I have succeeded thanks to Mary Ann Tahmasebi), and then covered sufficiently with a Greek cheese that has more letters that I know and starts with an "M". I can never remember the name. I bought my last round of cheese for $11 in a convenience store in Greek Town in Chicago last March, about 2 stores left of the Parthenon Restaurant where the Jeff-Goldblum-look-alike owner kept making me slightly dizzy while Shannon, Anousha and I grazed on all things deliciously Greek for 3 hours. One of my favorite days. Hmmmm.... Greek food, the Nerd-Factor and the possibility of Greek Spaghetti all in one day. Aaahhhh!!! (angels singing, I swear. At least in my head.) I made 3 dinners of the wondrous Greek Spaghetti, I even shared with people not in my family. And now, I haven't had any in months. And it's all i want to eat.
So... what I want for the New Year is a name... a name of the Greek cheese I used or a fabulous substitute. Anyone who knows... Anousha, Erika, anyone... I will reward you with anything... Baked goods, cake... if you are closer, I will cook a meal. Just help me find this cheese! Please!

Be safe, be happy, have a happy new year!