"Today's event is being hosted by myself, and Jen of Juanita's Cocina. We teamed up with our blogger friends to help raise awareness and support for Cancer and Hospice today in memory of my dad. We encourage everyone to read the posts and share your 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 my dad's battle with cancer. They made it possible for me 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! "
I am so overwhelmed by my blogging friends today. I put out word I wanted to do a group event to help raise awareness for those battling cancer, and also wanted to encourage folks to donate to hospice. My friends showed up and offered their support. Thank you to everyone who posted for this event. I asked a lot of them, posting on Fathers Day even though it was not a Fathers Day event. I am so stunned at the kindness and generosity of these people involved.
We're holding this on Fathers Day in memory of my Dad who passed away from lung cancer in 2007. I asked everyone else to write about someone in their life who has meant the world to them and about their experiences with cancer. It affects so many of us. If you happen to be untouched by it you are one of the extremely rare, and lucky ones. Most of us know someone in our lives battling this terrible disease. It touches us all in some way, at some time. So I wanted to have everyone share their stories with their readers and encourage those readers to share their own stories. My thought is it helps ease the pain a bit, and also helps people know they are never alone. We all fight this battle in some way and we need to support each other through it.
Before I share my story I'd like to thank Jen of Juanita's Cocina for being my wing woman today. Jen graciously helps me plan these events and without her I'd be lost. She is such a supportive and kind friend, I'm lucky to have her in my life.
I would also like to thank KitchenAid Canada for graciously offering up a KitchenAid Stand Mixer & Ice Cream Attachment for today's event. You can find details about the giveaway at the bottom of this post. Thank you to Cortney and Laura for all your hard work. You ladies are amazing.
Now for the hard part. Opening up. It's never easy is it? Yet it's often so cathartic to do. At least for me. Here goes.
I had a very complicated relationship with my Dad. He was not an easy man to get along with. He tended to play favourites and let's just say I did not quite make his list. Dad was a hard man, he never showed affection or emotion. Yet he was there for you when the chips were down. Without question, without fail. So when he called me one day to ask me for my help I didn't hesitate to say yes. Not that Dad would have let me, I think his exact words were "I need your help and no is not an option here". I picked him up for an appointment, he refused to let me stay or tell me much about what was going on. He made light of it and had me come back for him later. I was not happy about this arrangement but arguing with my Dad was pointless. Not much time passed before I got another call. This time I would not take no for an answer and went in with him. Imagine my surprise when words like "draining your lungs again" and "possible cancer" were being tossed about. I took my Dad out for a bite to eat and let him know this keeping secrets stuff was unacceptable. That I wanted to help and would do whatever he needed, whenever he needed it. Little did I know that would become my life for the next 9 months.
I took care of my Dad through his illness. He wanted to be at home and other than a 2 week stint in the hospital after the chemo almost killed him, I managed to keep him home until the end. During the last 3 months we enlisted the help of one of his sisters and without her I would have never seen my own family during this time. Dad needed so much care, and after 6 months I was burnt out and in need of some help. My Aunt Cathie came to the rescue and stayed with him so I could do all the things that go along with cancer. Picking up medication, literature, food, spending lots of time on the phone arranging nurses to come in once a day to check on him, making arrangements for people to come in with air tanks, people with bars for the bathroom and stairs, people who could help bathe him so we didn't have to. We enlisted hospice to help and without them I would have been lost. They helped teach me what to expect as the days passed and time became short. Since I was his primary caregiver and dealt with all the meds I needed to learn how to give shots, how to properly dose morphine, all kinds of things I never in my life imagined I'd be doing. Yet it was my Dad so I just did it without question. It's what you do when someone you love is sick.
I won't lie to you, this journey with my Dad was hard on him, me and my family. He was harsh, and he took his anger out on the people around him. For some reason he seemed to pick on Mini-me when she came with me to the house. She is as stoic as my father and myself, but this man could reduce her to tears in moments. We all just tolerated it because he was sick, and who yells at someone who is terminally ill. He continued to lash out at us all and only in the final weeks did he finally admit it was because he was scared. We had a big blow up a couple of weeks before he passed away. I still am shocked I yelled at him that day but I had reached my limit. He really laid into my aunt this particular day and I just reached my boiling point. I told him it was unacceptable to treat her that way. He raged, and told me off. I shot back that he was lucky we were all there given how he was treating us. My aunt had dropped everything to come help, no questions asked. This was the wrong thing to say. It escalated into a war of words until I decided enough was enough and left for the day. He complained to my aunt and I was sure he hated me for telling him how I felt about what he was doing. The next day I went to the house as I always did, thinking he would not speak to me ever again. To my surprise he apologized to me. I think this was the only time in my life my Dad had ever apologized and admitted he was wrong. He told me he was scared to die. That he was in so much pain, and he didn't know how to cope. He told me how he felt for the first time in his life, we both cried and talked for what seemed like forever. Openly, kindly and uninhibited. He was so scared of what was coming but was trying to be strong for all of us. He did not realize he was hurting those who wanted to help. From that moment forth my Dad was kind to everyone who came to the house. In his final weeks he became forthcoming and talked about his feelings. It was a rare thing only a few of us were lucky enough to experience. Dad being vulnerable, something he had always perceived as weakness. It was like his final gift to us.
I feel so blessed to have gotten to know my Dad so well through this process. We spent 9 months together, day in and day out. You get to know someone pretty well through something like that. He told me stories about his childhood, his early years with my Mom, told memories of us kids and then memories of the grand-kids. I had the distinct pleasure of listening to him and getting to know him like I never had before. I can look back now and know that "caregiver syndrome" was the reason he was so mean to me all the time. It's hard on a person like my Dad to rely on someone else for everything in their life. He was so fiercely independent and then his life flipped upside down, and he had to rely on his daughter to do things for him he never imagined I would have to do. So he became bitter and resentful. Most people would. It took some counselling at the Cancer Clinic for me to really understand what was happening and why.
The best thing I took away from my counselling sessions was her telling me "it's his journey, you're just a passenger. He's the driver and he has to choose his own path. You're just along for the ride. You either accept his path or you get out of the car." This advice was life-changing for me. It made me step back and always see things from his perspective. Which made caring for him so much easier most days.
When I think back and remember my Dad lots of things come to mind. His weird sense of humour, how he always smelled of pipe tobacco, his flannel shirts (one of which I still own) and his love of food. Since I was the only lady in the house for most special occasions it seemed to fall to me to make most dinners. Dad loved my lasagna, apple pie, and black forest cake. He would ask me to make roast chicken, and my stuffing was something he practically begged for. There are so many recipes that remind me of my Dad. But ice cream, well, ice cream was his favourite.
Ice cream was something my Dad loved beyond belief. Not just a little bit. But a whole big bunch. He ate very healthy day to day, most of his meals being balanced and veggie heavy. He took really good care of himself, even as a bachelor in his later years. His one weakness was ice cream. He loved it. He could not resist it. We used to tease him about his ice cream belly. He was tall and thin, barring a little bump we dubbed his "ice cream belly". Dad would eat ice cream as much as possible. Yet he liked it simple. My Dad was not into fancy flavours or ice cream that was overloaded with extras. He liked it pure and simple. One of his favourite options was high quality vanilla ice cream that he would top with strawberry jam. He just loved it that way. Simple and classic.
So today I made you a creamy, simple vanilla bean ice cream with only 3 ingredients. I know right. Sounds too good to be true. But it's not. I am not someone who makes much home-made jam so I turned to a tried and true way to serve up strawberries in our family. Again, it's simple and classic. Only 3 ingredients, and quite honestly you could get away with 2 ingredients if you wanted to for this one. It's just a simple macerated berry recipe. It makes me super happy to share this recipe with you in honour of my Dad. He would have wanted a spoon for each hand for this one!
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Home-made Strawberry Topping & KitchenAid Stand Mixer Giveaway #recipesfromtheheart
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Bean Ice Cream:
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 2 vanilla beans
- 1 cup vanilla sugar regular sugar is okay too
For the Macerated Strawberries:
- 1 to 1 ½ cups fresh strawberries washed and hulled
- Juice of 1 orange
- 1 to 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar regular sugar is fine
Instructions
For the Vanilla Bean Ice Cream:
- Pour the heavy cream into a medium sized saucepan. Place over medium low heat.
- Take your vanilla beans and slice them down the middle all the way down the length. Spread it apart as best you can and scrape the inside with a knife. Take all that yummy goodness and put it in the saucepan of heavy cream. Repeat with second bean, and toss both the beans in the saucepan too.
- Now let the cream heat up until it starts to bubble all around the outside edge of the saucepan. Do not let it reach full boil. You just want that slight bubbling.
- Take it off the heat and drop in the sugar. Stir until it dissolves.
- Now allow it to cool down.
- Place in the fridge overnight, (you can do it for a shorter time but the vanilla taste will be more subtle) covered.
- Remove from the fridge and pull out the large pieces of beans.
- Pop in your ice cream maker and allow to spin for 10 to 15 minutes. This is a steeped cream base so it will not double up like some ice cream bases. It yields less but is far more creamy.
- Pop the ice cream attachment in the freezer overnight, you could do it for less time but it will not be as firm.
- Remove from freezer when ready to serve.
- Since this is a creamy base it tends to melt quicker so keep that in mind when scooping.
- Serve solo or with berries.
For the Strawberry Topping:
- Hull and slice up your strawberries into a medium sized bowl, or container.
- Cut an orange in half. Juice it over top of the strawberries. Discard the orange.
- Cover and place in the fridge for about 2 to 4 hours. The longer they sit the softer they become.
- Remove and sprinkle some sugar over top.
Putting it all together:
- Scoop out some ice cream, working quickly.
- Scoop some strawberries over top.
- You can top with anything else you like, I threw pistachios over top of mine, but you could use walnuts or almonds or chocolate pieces.
- Serve with a big old simple and classic smile! For Dad!
Notes
Nutrition
Make sure you stop by all my friends websites as they share stories, recipes and a cute knitting project with you! We have the pleasure of having a dear friend of mine named Amy with us for this event. She is the only non-food blogger participating today but she has such a personal story to tell about her dad's recent battle with cancer. So please welcome her along with all my foodie friends. Stop by and say hello to all these very special people:
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
and
Knit (or crocheted) Grey Brain Cancer Mustache Pin by Knit, Purl, Damn!
Thank you to all the participants for their hard work and patience.
For all my readers, thanks for your patience over this very lengthy post. And for you constant support whether I share recipes or really personal stories with you. You always show me kindness and generosity, thank you for that. It means the world to me.
Now on with the giveaway!
Visit Facebook.com/
Disclaimer: We are proud to have KitchenAid on board to give away the grand prize for this event. No blogger involved received anything from KitchenAid or any compensation of any kind. It was our goal not to profit in any way since the focus is on raising money for charity. The bonus prizes are being supplied by me personally. It's my way to give back to my readers for their support and generosity. Thanks.
Toodles and smoochies! xx
Laura@wyldethyme
wonderful tribute to your dad, what a wonderful gift you gave him.
Kim Beaulieu
Thanks so much Laura. I feel like I'm the one who got the gift. Going through these things with people just changes your whole life and perspective. So weird how that happens. Thanks so much for visiting.
Terri
I would make cookies!
Kim Beaulieu
I like that idea.
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
Father's Day is tough for me too. I think this is a brilliant endeavor and I'm so sorry I had so much on that I couldn't participate this year. I hope you do it again.
Kim Beaulieu
My heart goes out to you today Maureen. Much love to you. xx
You can join us next year. I'll be holding it on May 7th next year. I prefer to keep Fathers Day much less depressing, I feel like I bummed people out on a holiday. So I'll return to doing this on the day dad died as I do with my mom's stuff too. Just much more sensible I think.
I'll be doing them every year. And I might be working on another one with a dear friend who is in the midst of a family members battle with it. So if that happens I'll email you. We're just talking about things now to see if can both commit.
Asiya @ Chocolate and Chillies
Oh Kim...you're story brought me to tears. My dad passed away this February from esophageal cancer. He had the cancer for 2 1/2 years..most people with this cancer only survive a year. Initially he had aggressive radiation and a little bit of chemo. He had a horrible reaction to the chemo so they didn't complete the course. He then had internal radiation. He was given so much radiation that it was no longer an option for him. He refused chemo. Surgery was not an option b/c he had so many other pre-existing conditions. So as his cancer progressed he had a lot of difficulty swallowing. He barely ate or drank..my 3 years old ate more than him. He was skin and bones by the end. We never had to turn to hospice. My mother cared for him at home and till that last day before he left home for the hospital never to come back he fed himself, went to the washroom and showered on his own no matter how difficult and slow he was. He definitely took his frustrations out on my mother but we never said anything b/c he was suffering. He told me a few weeks before he was hospitalized that he feels like he is in a prison...his mind was fine but he couldn't physically do what he wanted to do. In the end he got severe pneumonia and the cancer was closing his esophagus. My father was the type of person that would get dressed first thing in the morning...I've never seen him lounging in his pjs all my life until December. We would go over and he would be in his pjs...then we knew something was seriously wrong. He was done with living. It's been four months since he passed away and whenever I think of him I see him sick and weak. Anyways...it's been a tough week....Thank you for sharing your story.
Kim Beaulieu
Asiya, thank you so much for sharing that story. My dad has a tumour at the base of his throat so I know how scary it is when they don't eat and cannot swallow. Dad survived for 3 month drinking something called resource, the doctors prescribed it, it's like ensure but about 3 times the calories. I don't think he would have managed as long or well without out. And he was like your dad in that he always got dressed. Right up to the end. We were not to put him in pj's those last 2 weeks even though he never got out of bed. He had to wear slacks and a shirt. The only time I saw him in anything else was after chemo round two and I came by after my birthday dinner, I'd only been away half a day and his hair was white, and he was in sweats. I about passed out. I remember saying "omg dad you look like hell" to which he replied "ya, I feel like hell too". Poor guy. His whole head of hair went white in half a day, then most of it fell out. Scared him so badly.
I wish I had some words of comfort or some amazing saying that would bring you comfort. All I know from losing both my folks is that losing your parents sucks. It's such a difficult thing. No matter how old we are they are still our parents and we're still little kids when it comes to them. I know a lot of people say it gets easier as time passes. I don't think you love them any less, or think of them any less, I just think you learn to cope better. I miss both of mine every day.
I hope you find some comfort in knowing you are not alone. There's more of us out there who went through this kind of thing. I figure if we all share our stories it helps heal our hearts a little bit. And helps bond us.
Much love to you. xx
Justine
I would make chocolate chip cookies. For my kids.
I just wanted to tell you I so appreciated you posting this ... I lost my own dad to cancer 10 years ago in February. I was not his caretaker, because it went too fast ... but I also had a complicated relationship with him, and it was hard to figure out how to "go along for the ride." Thank you ... sending hugs.
Kim Beaulieu
I think that sounds perfect.
Thanks so much Justine. I know it's so hard for those of us who have complicated relationships with parents. You just feel so many emotions at the same time. It gets overwhelming and complicated. I am so glad I went to therapy but let me tell you it was not my idea. I fired his doctor very loudly and pretty much had a meltdown of epic proportions over the way this callous doctor treated my dad. So I screamed my head off at him and fired him, while laughing and crying and swearing in a public place. It was all kinds of crazy. So I was "escorted" to the counsellors office and asked if "I'd like to talk". Best thing that ever happened, even though it might have been the weirdest outburst of my life. Lol!
Hugs right back to you. xx
DB-The Foodie Stuntman
Thank you for your moving story. It must have not been easy to write this and I now understand why you organized this event. Thank you for allowing me to participate.
Kim Beaulieu
Thanks so much my friend. I am so happy you joined us. Some stories are just worth sharing so it helps others. You're welcome any time DB, it's a pleasure to have you. xx
Brandi Davis Bryant
I would make your dad's favorite, vanilla. I just saw and read your post today. I went through the same thing with my Grandfather. He was very much like your dad. He was diagnosed with cancer and was so mean. Near the end a few months before he passed away, he became at peace with God, death, and his family. He started showing his feelings and telling us he loved us and apologized to everyone around him because he knew he had been mean. I told him I was jealous because he was going to see my Grandma again first. He told me before he died he hoped there was a bench that they could sit on in Heaven and talk to my Grandma so he could apologize for being mean all of the time. Thanks for this post and the giveaway too. It's very hard to open up.
Kim Beaulieu
Awe that just broke and melted my heart today. Thank you for sharing this. I am so sorry for what you went through. But I'm also grateful you got to see him the other way, without all the anger. Much love to you and thanks so much for sharing this personal story with us. xx
Carolyn
sorry I couldn't join you on this event, Kim. I've been way overloaded. But you are such a dear and your memories of your dad are beautiful. Many of us have complicated relationships with our fathers, but when push comes to shove, they are there for us and we are there for them. I am so sorry you lost him to lung cancer. Heartbreaking.
Kim Beaulieu
Awe thanks my friend. I know you were busy so it's totally okay.
Thanks for that, this stuff is always difficult, and lengthy to write but I sure hope it makes a few people feel less alone. It's good to know there's others who have gone through it.
Samantha
Kim, we have such a similar story I couldn't help but cry my eyes out reading this. It really really hit home. So similar its even the same year and same form of cancer and both of our dads. I couldn't bring myself to write too much. I kept it very short and sweet. I've talked about him before on my blog but never in so much detail. Maybe one day I'll have the courage to let it all out online.
Kim Beaulieu
I think sometimes keeping it short is best. These long posts tend to drain folks. But I just feel compelled a couple of times a year to do something like this. I always say I won't write much then it just sort of overflows. I am so sorry you about your dad and my heart just goes out to you. It's a hard thing no matter our age. I miss my folks every day.
I am so thankful you joined us for this and we got to know each other better. It's nice to know there's other people out there with similar life experiences.
Cindys Recipes and Writings
You are a strong woman Kim and your dad was lucky to have you in his life and think he knew it. It is amazing how much we don't know about those closest to us. Your dad was from a generation when most parents didn't share personal trials with their children even when those kids weren't kids anymore. Thanks for sharing your story. Bless you.
Kim Beaulieu
Thanks so much Cindy. That means a lot to me. I am so glad I got to know my dad better. I even got to read some really personal letters his own father wrote to him while grand-dad was away at war. Really opened my eyes up to what my dad's life was like and why he was the person he was. I think taking care of him was the single most rewarding thing I've done. I never would have known him like I do if I hadn't have agreed to help him. I'm so grateful I said yes.
Jennie @themessybakerblog
I'm so glad you and your dad had a chance to bond. This is such a lovely post, Kim. It sounds like your dad had great taste. I'm a fan of ice cream, too, and your recipe sounds heavenly. Thanks for inviting me to share my story about my uncle.
Kim Beaulieu
Thanks so much Jennie. I am so thankful you joined us. It was an absolute pleasure getting to know you better. These posts are hard to do but so worthwhile.
Rust
Your post today has helped me more than you could know. Thank you.
The first thing I would make in the gorgeous mixer is cheesecake.
Kim Beaulieu
Thank you so much Rust. I appreciate you saying that.
Good choice, Cheesecake is one of my faves.
Christine (Cook the Story)
This is such a touching story, Kim, and a beautiful recipe tribute to your dad. Thank you for sharing. I know it couldn't have been easy. And thank you for doing this special day for us bloggers to come together. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the time, energy and thoughtfulness you put in.
Kim Beaulieu
Thanks so much Christine. I am so thankful to you and Carla for joining this one. It's been a difficult week reading everyone's stories but I am so thankful I did this. It's so nice to bond with other people who have been through it. I hope it's helped some folks. I know for sure it's helped me so much.
Susan
Kim, thank you for sharing your story. Your pulling at my heart strings here, I can't imagine how difficult a time you had but what great memories you were able to make during that remaining time with your dad. You're a champ for putting this all together.
Kim Beaulieu
Thanks so much Susan. And thank you for joining us for this special event. It means the world to me. I really get more than I give with these events. To me being able to reach folks with a similar story is worth all the effort. If one person feels less alone this was all worth it. xx
Nancy @ gottagetbaked
Kim, you are one of the strongest women I know! You've gone through so much with the passing of both of your parents, I can't even imagine. Thank you for sharing this story. I knew as I was coming here to read this morning that I was going to be touched and I most definitely was. I wanted to participate in this event but I didn't feel that I had anything profound to say. I've known many people who have passed from cancer but nobody who is extremely close to me. I can relate to the difficult relationship you had with your dad - it sounds the same as mine. My dad is a harsh man and he always has been. He's mellowed a bit age but sometimes I fly into a blinding rage over the things he does and say. I don't blame you ONE BIT for getting angry with him. In fact, it's probably a good thing you did, otherwise he would've continued his actions and you might not have gotten through to him as you did. I hope writing this was cathartic for you and I know that you're going to help so many others who have gone through, are going through and will go through the same heartbreaking experience.
Kim Beaulieu
Nancy thank you so much for your kind words. It's so weird to me that people think I'm strong. Most days I don't feel that way. All I know is I always feel better after sharing these types of stories of my parents. I figure if it helps others and helps me that it's a win-win situation. I really get more than I give. Sort of the same way as when I took care of Dad. People would often say things like "sacrifice" or "he's lucky to have you" and I would think no way, I'm the lucky one. I came away from the experience profoundly changed and grateful for every moment, good and bad. I look back now and I think me fighting with him was the best thing that happened to us. I finally got through and while it was intense and rocked us both beyond belief, we were finally able to move past all the nonsense and just be at peace with each other. Like we finally accepted each other and forgave each other in one fell swoop. I really owe him a huge debt of gratitude. My life has never been the same since going through this.
JoAnne
It is never easy to care for a sick loved one, but it is always worth it in the end. My best friend of 40 years has breast cancer. She is doing okay, but I am on this journey with her, because I would never let her take this journey by herself. I have had many family members who have died of cancer - it is never easy 🙁 You did a great job with your dad!
I would make the ice cream in this recipe first, let it age, and then make pizza dough.
-
Kim Beaulieu
I applaud you JoAnne. It's a hard thing to watch someone you love go through but if you open yourself up to it I guarantee it will change your life forever. It's so worth all the ups and downs. Relationships make us stronger and better, and really that's what life is all about I think. I hope your friend beats it and you have many more years together, doing what friends do best.
I love it. Ageing ice cream is the bomb. And you can never go wrong with pizza dough.
Abbe@This is How I Cook
Well, Kim, if I was there I would give you a hug. And I'd let you give me one too!
Kim Beaulieu
Awe you are so sweet. I'd be totally down for that. xx
Julie A
What a great cause!
I would definitely make ice cream....always wanted to try making it at home! I'd probably start with your recipe!
Kim Beaulieu
Thanks so much Julie.
I love ice cream. Here's a good place to start, I think I have over 40 ice cream recipes on my site. Scary but true. Good luck.
Roz
HI Kim,
I can relate to alot of your story about your father and his illness. My father and mother have spent their winters with me here in SC for the last 5 years and it was just horrible as my father's health declined due to cancer and numerous other age related problems. I think that you will receive many blessings from all that you did in caring for your father.
I'm loving this fresh vanilla ice cream, sweetie! And thank you for the giveaway opportunity which I have entered in every way possible! I commented over on Liz's blog, but for my comment here, I'd love to use your K.A. stand mixer to continue to bake cakes and make pasta with (yes, you can make pasta in a mixer--the easy way!).
I'd love to ask you some questions about your blog format too, if I may.
Hugs,
Roz
Kim Beaulieu
Hey Roz;
I am so sorry about your dad's health. Watching folks age is wicked hard. I don't envy anyone who goes through it. I think it's great you help them out. It's very thoughtful and kind of you.
I am so glad you entered. My pleasure. I was so thrilled when KA hopped on board, love their products and my mixer is such a staple in my own kitchen so this was a perfect fit.
Feel free to shoot me an email, I'd likely use the cravingsofalunatic@gmail.com one though. I tend to respond quickest to that email addy. I try to respond within 48 to 72 hours whenever possible. Just let me know what you'd like to know and I'll try to help as best I can.
Amy
Even knowing your story as I do, it is still touching to see it all out. Sometimes it's hard for us to admit that we are put upon to step up and do what we know is right when it comes to taking care of family members. And sometimes we feel guilty when we yell back or just want some time for ourselves. The cancer victims should receive our love and hope and pity, but it is the ones who care for them who also deserve our love and encouragement as they are usually the "bad guy" in the scenario. I know from my own dad trying to get him to take the millions of pills he now needs to take daily and "babying him" how awful it can be when they lash out.
I'm so honored to have been a part of this event 🙂
And the ice cream looks amazing.
Kim Beaulieu
It's so true Amy. I could not figure out why he told everyone else how grateful he was for me, but then treated me like garbage when I was there. Once I knew why it made total sense. Didn't make it any easier to deal with most days, but at least I understood why. I feel for you. Dad was the same way, trying to get him to take pills was a lesson in futility. It would become a battle.
I am so happy you joined us. It's nice to do these types of things on occasion. Good to give a little something back, good for the soul.
Thanks. It's so yummy. I have one helping left I want to make some topping for.