a must for cupcake lovers.

dear ming.
thank you so much for these gourmet cupcake recipes.
it only fuels my cupcake obsession <3

Click here for this one and 32 other yummy cupcakes....
http:/mingmakescupcakes.yolasite.com/

happy baking :)

chocolate makes the world go round.

After spending the majority of the day running around the city, visiting family and doing errands.

Ended up at the mall to find something to add to the Mother's Day card.

Wandered into Rocky Mountian Chocolate Factory...

Just couldn't resist.

The Pick:

Also picking up some goodies for mom <3

It truly is a feat to walk out of there with empty hands.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

life is busy.

Feeling a little defeated and deflated as of late…
Starting to think I need a new outlet for my stress.
I need the weather to keep the roads clear of ice and snow, I need to run.
I need some clarity in my head.

Mom has Cancer. Mom needs 6 months of chemotherapy. It will make her sick. No one can predict how the treatments will affect her. But in the end, everything will be ok. I think my main heartache is with the fact I can’t protect her or that I can’t make it go away. It’s hard to swallow when the most important person you love is sick; the one you thought was invincible. She has always been the stronghold. As it should be, I can’t even describe the love I have for her. She’s the last person that deserves this.

And as much as I sometimes want to hide from the world, the world needs me. As scary as it can be at times, life is too short to cry over things you can’t control. I have to remind myself of that sometimes, it can be easy to forget. Even on the hardest days, I’m pretty blessed.

Good news…
My follow-up breast ultrasound was good :) It remains benign so I don’t have to go back for another 6 months :)

Sunday….
33rd Annual Sport Chek Mother's Day Run & Walk!
Let's hope it's SUNNY :)

fuck cancer.

she needs chemotherapy.

dancing in the rain, soaking wet...

do you ever feel like you have soo much going on that you have no idea whether your coming or going?? thats me right now....

this last week has left my head spinning and my body feeling like its running this constant marathon, yet i feel like im getting nothing done. running in circles. i dont feel like i have time for anything that normally fills my regular routine. actually really miss running. making a decent dinner. a chance to breathe.

life has been chaotic since mom found out she has cancer 3 weeks ago...
as im sure it is for anyone dealing with this nasty disease. the whole world flips yet stays exactly the same. news like that always takes you back to whats truly important. i'll admit i've been a tad more irritable towards things that dont normally bother me, the 'is it really that important' frivolous happenings or comments.

yesterday was her surgery. very long and draining day. doctors went in hopeful that they would be able to remove most, if not all the cancer. tumor ended up being larger than they expected. the 4 hour surgery went well and mom is doing well; a lot of rest and pain medication. in a few days they will attempt small walks with her. she destined to be at the hospital for the next week or so. glad that this step is over and done with but as always, we wait for news... news that they got all the cancer and she's on her way to being cleared or the news that would put treatment options front and center. please no chemo. Another week to wait for that news....

Spirits are positive.
I think we're all waiting for life to go back to normal.
Back to the way it was,  well as much as it could be after this experience.

If only the weekend was here sooner.

comfort at it's finest.

I worked at restaurant for 3 years while I went to college…
Couldn’t be bothered with their food. Pretty standard fare.
But every once in a while, I crave…

Broccoli Cheese Soup in a Loaf
A creamy soup made with fresh broccoli and Velveeta cheese.
Served in a freshly baked bread bowl.

Its soooo good <3

poor little chicken.

For about 10 years, I only ate chicken…
No steak, No hamburgers & etc.

I’m pretty sure it drove my father nuts, ‘we live in Alberta, home of Alberta ‘AAA’ Beef. How can you not eat it’… Alberta beef is top-rated and seemingly a highlight when the relatives visit from Ontario. Even now, it rare for me to eat anything other than chicken… the odd steak with my father and the every once-and-while hamburger.

I’m pretty sure I would have gone vegetarian if I had figured out how to do so properly and if my family hadn’t refused tofu. Mind you, I really don’t have much of liking for it either. It was ruined by a horrible attempt by my mom, which completely turned off everyone. So chicken breast remained in my diet as protein, making sure my body got what it needed.

But do our bodies really need meat? Look at where we’ve come from… How did we start? Leaves, Nuts, Berries… I wonder when man first looked at another animal and thought to himself ‘I should eat that’… But somewhere along the line we became this all-consuming species. Seemingly the only places we haven’t taken over yet is the places we haven’t figured out how to reach yet, which are far and few inbetween.

Now I find myself in sort of moral dilemma, sitting watching Food Inc last night, they showed chickens being farmed (grown) in mass production in horrible conditions. They cut to a farm doing it right, the way it should be done in all cases. Natural. They killed their chicken the best way possible, quick and painless; slicing it’s head off. I couldn’t watch. I’m grateful for the life that is given but I don’t feel its right to consume something that I can’t watch the death of.

Now sitting here debating what to do…
Do I de-sensitize myself to the killing of an animal or do I re-work my diet, which seems quite daunting?

Must ponder more.