I Won the WQOW Mother's Day Contest for My Mom

So my previous post said that I submitted an essay to the Mother's Day Contest at a local TV station, WQOW....and I won!!!! My mom received a $450 prize package, including a fountain/birdbath from Bobolink nursery, 12 rounds of golf at Hickory Hills, and $100 worth of meat from Sailer's meats. She had alot of fun picking out her merchandise. Here are a few snapshots of her birdbath/fountain and her freezer full of meat...

Happy Mother's Day

I entered the following into a Mother's Day Contest at a local TV station...guidelines were to submit a 250 word essay on why your mom is the best...

“Do you know what the secret to life is?” my mom asked, squeezing my hand and towering above me as a large, strange dog rapidly approached. “Don’t ever let them know you’re afraid.”

Even in one of my earliest memories, my mother spoke courageously, giving me this secret weapon that I would always carry with me. My mother acted courageously even through the greatest challenge of her life. In November of 2005, just a few months after she turned 60, my mom suffered a massive stroke, enduring several brain surgeries, four months in the hospital, and extensive rehabilitation.

Learning to swallow, walk, talk, and live with the use of one arm were only a few of her challenges. This strong, independent woman, who was the first of five children in her family to earn a college degree, had to let my dad, two sisters, and I learn to take care of her, and much earlier in life than she ever expected. We all learned to reinvent ourselves, taking on new roles, especially my mom, and she did so with grace, courage, and strength.

My parents just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. They enjoy traveling, gardening, reading, and catching up with friends and family—especially their eight-year-old grandson. Their commitment to each other and to their family is my cornerstone.

My mom is the best because her life is a model of what it really means to be courageous. Because of her I know that I can do anything.

My Birthday

My husband presented me with these three vials and I got to play something like a game of deal or no deal. I picked a vial, opened the scroll, which revealed "50% off the bike of your choice." My curiosity got the best of me--as much as I wanted that new bike I decided to trade this in for another vial. I opened the next one and and got a weekend getaway of my choice, including two outfits from Anne Taylor Loft (my favorite). I stuck with this option.

I did get to open the last vial, just to see what it was....a landscaping project of my choice! That would have been a good one too, but I'm glad I stuck with Anne Taylor and the weekend getaway. Ah, he knows me so well.

My mom and dad made "better than sex" cake and Easter dinner and it was wonderful...ham, potatoes...It was the first holiday that I can remember in which our whole family was together and my mom and dad were able to host dinner. It's been almost five years since my mom had a stroke, and things are still settling in to the new normal. In the following picture with my mom, taken this past Easter, I'm wearing the "rabbit ears" that I was given on Good Friday in the hospital, just after I was born.

Patent Foramen Ovale & Fetal Circulation

When my mom was in the hospital for four months, after having a stroke, I kept hearing doctors say things about the reasons for my mom’s stroke—things like, “she has a PFO.” I had no idea what this term meant, but I later found out that PFO stands for “patent foramen ovale.” It’s a hole between the right and left atrium in the heart, which allows blood to bypass the lungs during fetal development. The foramen ovale is supposed to close on its own at birth, when the baby begins to breathe on her own, but in 20% of the population, the hole never closes, resulting in a patent foramen ovale. Tests show that, like my mother, I also have a PFO. There is no treatment and usually no symptoms, although doctors suspect that a PFO can allow blood to pool and form clots, and therefore increase the risk of stroke.

Our method of studying this in A&P involved text and a couple heart models in lab (our class is pretty much devoid of technology), but as I suspected, a search of “fetal circulation” on YouTube reveals many creative approaches to understanding fetal circulation and the changes that occur at birth. The following YouTube clips show fetal circulation in a creative and interesting way. I think it also says a lot for how audio and images can be paired with text to demonstrate complex concepts in ways that are easy to understand. These are relatively simple projects that involve still images and audio. It’s exciting to see that some educators are taking advantage of technology-based assignments that students will enjoy much more than sitting idly in a lab and identifying numbers on plastic models. These projects would also help students learn about processes and how different parts of anatomy are related, rather than just focusing on identification and rote memorization.

Foster Cheese Haus

Here are some pictures from a delightful store/restaurant in Western Wisconsin called the Foster Cheese Haus, which features locally grown foods like artisan wine and cheese. The soup and the bread in the pictures are homemade, the salad greens are locally grown, and the atmosphere is positively remarkable (check out the boulders in the pictures)! They also have a large collection of local beers, a bakery, and cafe.

Favorite Summer Foods

With spring rapidly approaching, I am so eager for summer and it has me thinking of all the fun cooking I do in the summer with fresh, locally grown foods. Here is a slideshow of some of my favorites.

I am also going to include the recipes for tomatillo chili and tomatillo salsa that I got from my friend C. Last summer was the first time I grew tomatillos and they made fabulous chilis and salsas.



Green Tomatillo Chili
1 1/2 lbs.cubed beef or about 1 lb ground beef (can use pork or chicken also)
2 cups beef broth
2 1/2 lbs. tomatillos
1 med. onion
2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp. ground cumin
1tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 chopped roasted green chili ( I use canned)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (or parsley, I always use cilantro)
3 nopales (or 1 15oz. canned, drained)*
Slow boil broth and beef covered 45-60 min. Cook onion and garlic in oil If using gr. beef, brown it and add the onion and garlic.
Add tomatillos and cook until soft.
Add spices and mix with beef and broth. Cook 30 min at a slow boil Add nopolitos, chili peppers and cilantro

*Wash, strip, and scrape off spiny nodes, cut into chunks. Cook 10 minutes in salted water and drain.
*****One time I used canned nopales but didn't think it made it any tastier, so now I omit them.
Always adjust the "hotness" to your taste!

Tomatillo Salsa (makes about 2 cups)
1 lb. (about 10 medium) fresh tomatillos, husked, cut into quarters
¾ c. loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, minced
¼ c. chopped onions
1 or 2 jalapeno chilies, minced
1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. olive oil
1T. sugar
½ tsp. salt

In food processor (or blender) pulse in tomatillos then add rest of ingredients and blend to desired consistency.

Greek Cooking Class

This was one of the funnest things I've ever done! I'm looking forward to attending another cooking class next week, this time about making crepes.