Quite a Journey...

I can’t quite believe that eight years today I received my last chemo treatment. It was a hard slog.. As you can tell I was totally exhausted and pumped with chemo.. meds and steroids. 

It really took its toll on me.. as you can see from the two pics of me in the blue shirt.. Taken just over six months apart.. my last walk before the pain got too much.. I had surgery and then the treatment …

and then my first walk after..

Same shirt.. same smile .. no hair.. but also no cancer

But here we are eight years later.. I beat the diagnosis of the cancer returning within a year.. and I’ve smashed the five year life expectancy.

I couldn’t have done it without all the support I received from wonderful friends and family. For anyone in the same position I would just encourage you to NEVER give up hope. I did everything the doctors recommended.. and never lost my Faith. I refused to believe that the Lord had brought me so far from such unhappiness to wonderfully happy life.. just to snatch it all away

Keep strong my fellow cancer warriors… keep fighting cos you’ve got this!!!

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Welcome Home Prince!!

With all the fencing taken down.. it’s now possible to walk on the new lawn..

And within five minutes Prince had found every ball.. broken toy and half chewed bone he had stashed away… and dropped them on the grass…

He’s one happy boy to have his garden back again…

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

In the Kitchen ~ Poached Eggs in Green Rice Nests

This recipe from Better Homes and Gardens magazine May 1942 sounded a bit odd, but I had leftover cooked rice to use up so I thought "Why not"?? And actually.. it was quite nice!

It wasnt  exactly the green I imagined, but the rice took on a green tinge.. probably from the spinach. It was very quick and simple to make, very filling and it was quite tasty. I had it for breakfast... though it would also make a good lunch .I made no changes to the recipe... and I should imagine that you could add other leftover veg.. and perhaps a few mushrooms without spoiling the texture

½ cup chopped onion

¼ cup butter

2 cups chopped, cooked spinach
2 cups cooked rice (35 cup uncooked)
½ cup cubed American cheese
Salt and pepper
4 eggs, poached

• Fry onion in butter until soft but not brown.
• Add spinach, rice, cheese, and seasonings.
• Cook over low heat, tossing occasionally, until cheese melts.
• Make nests in individual dishes
• Place a poached egg in each.
• Serves 4.

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
May 1942

Todays Harvest...

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Chocolate Marble Loaf Cake

This was a great 1940s cake to bake..

From Better Homes and Gardens Magazine October 1940 it was a great success with the family. Marble cake is the best of both worlds—tender yellow cake with distinct chocolate swirls, offering a delightful combination of flavors and textures.

This version uses chocolate bar squares not cocoa powder and incorporates stiff-beaten egg whites for a lighter texture.
The only change I made was to put the icing on top of the cake and not all over like the recipe states

1/3 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups cake flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

2/3 cup milk

3 stiff-beaten egg whites

1 1-ounce square un-sweetened chocolate, melted

2 tablespoons hot water

¼ teaspoon soda

• Cream shortening and sugar; add vanilla. 
• Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with milk. 
• Fold in egg whites. 
• Separate mixture evenly into two bowls
• Combine chocolate, water, and soda
• Add to one half the batter. 
• Alternate light and dark batter by spoonfuls into greased 4- by 8-inch loaf pan. 
• Bake in moderate oven (350°) 1 hour. 

Escape to the River

Halfway through MrD's week off  and with temperatures passing 100.. 

we decided to beat the heat for a few hours and drove to the San Gabriel River for a picnic.

we decided to beat the heat for a few hours and drove to the San Gabriel River for a picnic.

A little cooler but a lot more tranquil.

It was a lovely spot..

and the sound of the water was so soothing.

Prince surprisingly loved the water.. almost as much as I did wading out there.

And a little bird serenaded us beautifully

And of course a picnic of chicken and potato salad went down a treat 

with some lovely cold watermelon. 

Am I fully American yet??

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Sunday Thought ~ Luke 12:27.. Wildflowers

How gorgeous is this place...

Today Little Miss and Little Tufty went with Mummy and Daddy to a wildflower field not far from their home

It has a wonderful background story too.

Apparently a couple of years ago a young couple bought a field in which to have their wedding 

Their plan was to have their  photos taken amongst wildflowers so they sowed thousands of seed

Unfortunately .. the flowers didnt bloom in time... but the wedding took place anyway.. 

All was not lost though. Wildflowers self seed so every year since.. that once barren field bursts into amazing colour. For a small charge people can walk through the flowers and pick bunches to take home

A wonderful idea...

but for me I would just leave them in the ground and just enjoy their beauty

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Go With The Flow....

First day  of the hols... and with no real plans for today.. we had a leisurely breakfast

and we went back up our mountain determined to find the waterfall we had been told about

We arrived about 9am.. and straight away realized we may have made a mistake as it was already very hot... and dry..

We climbed over dry rocks and up steep slopes... and then ..as we rounded a corner..

it suddenly felt a little cooler... and we could hear the sound of water

And there it was .... we had found the waterfall...and it sounded beautiful

Prince and MrD climbed up closer... and then called to me to join him..

Excuse the disheveled look..

I was hot.. sweaty...and Im getting a bit old to mountain climb... wink

We climbed up further...until it was getting a bit too steep and a bit dangerous for us... 

so we climbed down and sat by the pool for a while...

enjoying the coolness... and appreciating  the Lords handy work

Lovely Day...

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Time for Jolly Hols....

Its August... and after work today... 

MrD starts his weeks summer vacation from work..

And he needs it!

Across the pond.. the Littles are already making the most of their jolly hols

This week.. Little Mr starred in his own blockbuster movie...

Little Tufty went to her first Teddy Bears Picnic...

even though she took bunnies

and Little Miss shad a great couple of days at the beach with her other grandparents..

but always had a book close to hand..

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x