Book Nook: When Breath Becomes Air

When Breath Becomes Air
Paul Kalanithi

I'm generally more of a fiction reader, but every so often a non-fiction book comes along and takes my breath away. Like this one.

I first heard about this book through a blog I follow and after reading her post (she was Kalanithi's sister-in-law) I immediately put a hold on a copy at the library. (Thankfully I got in before 'the masses' and was third in line - there's now a 70+ person wait!) It was worth the wait.

This memoir was written by an MD in his thirties who, during the final stages of his neurosurgery residency, was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer; he eventually died in March 2015 at the age of 37. It deals with really tough topics and he takes you through his thoughts about living and dying among other things, but everything is done so gracefully it's almost poetic at times. It's a well-written book which I thoroughly enjoyed reading from start to finish (the last paragraph and parts of the epilogue - written by his wife - literally made me weep). I whole heartedly recommend this book and I'm grateful that Kalanithi was able to write as much as he did. 5/5 for sure.

DIY Kitchen Play Board

I've been wanting to get K a kitchen play set for a while, but with space constraints in our cozy house compounded with prices I saw (over $100 for one? no thanks) I decided to look for alternatives. There are some great ideas floating around on the internet, but ultimately I just improvised and came up with something else: I found an old unused cork board and, coupled with some craft paint, breathed new life and purpose into our would-otherwise-be trash!

Here is what I did: I started with an regular old cork board, cleaned it up, gave it a fresh coat of yellow and white paint, used a crayon to sketch out my "kitchen" (two stove burners, knobs, a sink, and faucet), then did some more painting, and voila!

The board can easily be used on any surface since it's just a cork board so it sturdy and flat, and storing it is easy because of its narrow profile. Even better still, this project cost me nothing because everything I used I already had on hand (I could really get used to this whole repurposing thing!). 

However, the best part of this project was seeing K's reaction to it when she got home yesterday: she stopped in her tracks, pointed at it, and said, "Mommy, see?" At first she didn't realize what it was, but after showing her the ropes she was off washing and cooking up a vegetable storm in no time! Love that kid.

Anyway, I know it's super basic and doesn't have any of the bells and whistles that these $100+ kitchen stations have, but it's perfect for us and that's what counts. :)

Piano fingers no more

We stayed at my father-in-law's place last night thanks to our diva tankless water heater (ughh don't even get me started) and this morning I took the opportunity play some tunes for my littlest one on his piano since we don't have one at our house. Fortunately I can still play, but unfortunately I can't play very well anymore and I now suck. Thankfully O was a good sport about it and sat beside the piano in a rocker looking at me with an amused expression on her face for a good twenty minutes. Mission completed.

a full heart

I end most days with a sore back and a fried brain, but I'm thankful because I know my back is sore from holding my kids, and my brain is fried from trying to decode 2yo talk and 4 month old cries, so despite going to bed most nights feeling like I could sleep forever and still wake up not feeling refreshed, my heart is full. So very full. :)

Happy New Year!

There lyrics were literally on my heart as I ushered in this new year. As I reflect on these words and make them my prayer, I can't help but feel a bit anxious as to where this might lead; All the more reason to ask for deliverance I guess. Here's to 2016 and whatever it might bring, cheers!

Audrey Assad | I Shall Not Want

From the love of my own comfort

From the fear of having nothing

From a life of worldly passions

Deliver me, O God

From the need to be understood

From the need to be accepted

From the fear of being lonely

Deliver me, O God

Deliver me, O God

And I shall not want, I shall not want

When I taste Your goodness I shall not want

From the fear of serving others

From the fear of death or trial

From the fear of humility

Deliver me, O God

Deliver me, O God

Cooking Corner: Pikelets

My usual breakfast consists of a bowl of cereal and milk before running out the door. I don't mind cereal at all but every so often (when I have the time) I like to make something a bit more "special." Here are my general breakfast go-tos: soft boiled eggs and soldiers, fried egg and toast, scrambled eggs (hmm there seems to be a pattern here), soup noodles, and pikelets. Today was a pikelet kind of day.

Have you heard of pikelets before? They are basically the Australian/New Zealand equivalent to pancakes and they are hands down so much better than pancakes. Usually they are eaten with butter or jam and whipped cream, and I've also eaten them with maple syrup (I'm a Canadian, yo), but I usually just eat them plain (fork optional, heehee). Here's the recipe I use:

Pikelets
1 C AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 C sugar
3/4 milk
1 egg

1. In a bowl, sift* together AP flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. In a separate bowl mix together egg and sugar

3. Add 1/2 of dry ingredients to wet ingredients.

4. Gradually add milk and rest of dry ingredients until everything is mix together.

5. Cook batter in skillet just like you'd cook a pancake (pour into little circle/disc and wait until it starts to bubble and the bubbles start to pop, then turn over onto the other side until pikelet is cooked through)

*I couldn't be bothered to sift anything so I just mix things together and it still turns out just fine.

Sorry, no pictures because I couldn't wait to eat them and now they are all gone. :)

Putting my nose back into books

I've been really wanting to get back into reading for a while now and I recently watched a crazy amount of Gilmore Girls episodes when I had some days off this month (looooove Jess) which gave me the kick I needed to get started.

I recently finished this one and I must say it's full of good advice and other stuff. It's written by Christian psychologists so they definitely write with a Christian faith-based approach which may deter some readers but if anything it just appealed to me all that much more. I surprised myself for starting my reading spree with a non-fiction book, but life happened and I found this book during a time when I needed to read it.

Anyway, I have four other (fiction) books on tap so I am ready to go. In no particular order, here they are: Oliver Twist, Catch-22 (this will be second attempt to get through this one), and the last two books in the Flavia De Luce mysteries series (I'm too lazy to look up their titles). Oh, I'm also still reading through "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," but I've been so on and off with that (my own fault, the stories themselves are so on - love that Sir Artie Doyle) so I didn't include it in my list.

I'm excited for this. Alright books, do your thing.

Spring it up

Spring is finally here! Our first real taste came yesterday when it was sunny and warm with a side of blue skies. Not wanting to miss out we took little K for a walk around our neighbourhood. A great way to spend a beautiful afternoon. :)

Happy New Year!

I feel like our new years 'celebrations' become mellower and mellower as each year passes. This year we watched the countdown in the comfort of our home underneath our comforter. (I couldn't help feeling extra cozy as everyone on TV looked absolutely freezing.) I somehow managed to stay awake until 12:45am watching X-Men: First Class before I eventually passed out for the night. Sadly, considering the fact that I was ready to sleep at 10pm, I'd say it was a success.

Returning to work

I return to work this Friday after my year off with K and I have been feeling all sorts of emotions about it. The beginning of yet another new normal.