Real life with Lar

Summer Bucket List 2017 Making memories to last a lifetime! Lazy summer afternoon.  The Kids Edition Bucket List was such a hit. The feedback from you guys has been amazing. So I thought I would do another post about a Summer Bucket List for grown-ups.  This time though I don't want it to be just a poster. What I thought would take it to the next level is to make a bucket list/journal/memories book all-in-one. Here's what you'll need.... A notebook (One with a motivational saying is even better) Pen  Ruler (Unless you can draw a straight line I however don't have that particular gift 😊) Anything you want to make your notebook your own i.e. Gel pens, markers, stickers, etc. Make a List You can make this as simple or as artistic as you want. The most important thing is that YOU make your list and strive to achieve it. Now what should you put on your list? Anything you'd like to accomplish or memories you'd like to ma...

Easy Peasy Cinnamon Rolls (part of the 2017 Summer Bucket List Kids Edition) Nothing is better than a good cinnamon roll on a lazy, summer morning. What makes these even better is they are semi-homemade. The dough is a loaf of frozen bread dough.  I put this on my grandson's Summer bucket list because he LOVES to cook with me. He drags over his "down", which is his step stool, and together we create yummy dishes. Cooking together creates not just amazing memories but also a special bond.   This recipe is a combination of different ones I found on the internet. Its fun, easy, and budget friendly. I add butter to the icing to kick it up a notch. I also add LOTS of cinnamon.  Rolls ingredients           .        Icing ingredients  Things you will need... ROLLS 1 Loaf of Frozen White Bread 2/3 c    Granulated Sugar 2 T      Ground Cinnamon 5 T      ...

Summer Bucket List Kids Edition Little A and Papa enjoying the backyard! As many of my family and friends know I am a list person. I have lists for my lists. Yup, It's bad. So, of course, when I heard the idea about making a Summer/Seasonal bucket list I thought it was right up my alley. I hear all the time people requesting ideas for summer activities; especially budget friendly ones. Today I am going to share with you the Bucket list I made for our time with our grandson. Little A is already getting so big and I want him to always have fond memories with his Baba and Papa. The activities and projects I have included on our list are young child/toddler friendly. But even if you have older child, a bucket list is a way to insure you stay active. We don't want to be Netflix binging and laying on the couch all day kinda person while the summer passes us by. (Not that I speak from experience or anything).😉 Like I said, Summertime is an amazing opportunity to make...

One Bad Month Don't Spoil the Whole Life Girl! (Sing to the tune of 'One Bad Apple' by The Osmonds) One of my favorite places...Ormond Beach Florida! I remember watching the movie 'Parenthood'.  The best scene was grandma as she described grandpa taking her on the roller coaster  "You know, it was just so interesting to me that a ride could make me so frightened, so scared, so sick, so excited, and so thrilled all together! Some didn't like it. They went on the merry-go-round. That just goes around... Nothing. I like the roller coaster; You get more out of it." Life with its ups, downs and upside down loops sure does feel like a roller coaster. Isn't that what makes life a great adventure? This past month my fight with cancer has been a true roller coaster ride. Two surgeries,  a BAD reaction to anesthesia from both surgeries, slow wound healing and the list goes on and on. But, during this past month there were also some ups....

Meal Prep Idea! Blender Banana Bread Meal prepping can be so overwhelming when you first start. I wish I could be one of those "it took me an hour to cook for a week" types of people. But then I realized I need not compare myself to them. They should be a health inspiration. My Type A personality doesn't have to meal prep prefect. I just need to focus on one good habit to meal prepping until I have a good idea what to do and then move on to the next habit. Here are a few people I recommend to get meal prep inspiration: Mind Over Munch --  http://mindovermunch.com/recipe/blender-banana-bread/ Jordan Cheyenne --    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtf6T0-My1M&list=PLVaJ-yG0ENmFg 8Dp457xrwjgi58yXGAc Tone It Up --  www.toneitup.com There are so many youtube videos and websites that can inspire the meal prep needed to make you have a successful healthy week.  I thought I would share the Gluten Free Banana Bread by Mind Over Munch. (Link to ...

Being Proactive and Grateful The perfect combo for making the best of a bad situation! Now that the MRI was complete the next step on my journey was to see the breast surgeon, or so I thought it was. Turns out the next step was to get an axilla ultrasound. This will look at my lymph nodes. (Under the armpit!🙋 Thank God I shaved the night before! 😎) Apparently, the MRI showed that one of my lymph nodes looked highly suspicious. I'm going to keep it real: my heart sank. Just when I was feeling confident that I had a grip on my diagnosis, another obstacle happened. Of course after verifying that the lymph node did in fact look large and suspicious a biopsy was preformed. Now another test to wait and see. My breast surgeon, Dr Hatmaker, is amazing. She is so thorough, telling me everything I need to know and then some. She was calming and did her best to reassure me that she will be right there with me on this journey. Besides my primary care physician and OB/GYN, Dr....

Do your boobs hang low? (Sung to the tune 'Do your ears hang low?'😉) When diagnosed with breast cancer you feel sucker punched. After the initial shock, a decision has to made: will I be a victim and give up or will I fight? I chose to fight. I'm finding that each new step on this journey to healing comes with new fears or obstacles. The latest fear I had to overcome was the MRI tube. I am NOT a fan of closed spaces. Now before you say, "Lar, there are openings on both ends" let me respond by saying,"Don't care. I am in a tube!" The only thing meant for a tube is toothpaste, in my opinion.   The good news is there is this wonderful thing called valium.   The doctor prescribed me this magical pill to take 30 minutes before the procedure. Afterwards, I couldn't care less about being in the tube. When I arrived at the hospital the day of the procedure, I was nervous but had my pill to help me. After filling out the paperwork I was ta...