Simplifying Easter Dinner

Easter dinner was made simpler this year.

As we continue to establish a new normal, day to day life with ALS can be unpredictable and, at times, exhausting.

Wanting to get the local family together to celebrate Easter and visit became the goal.  Currently Brett is most comfortable at home so it was decided to host the gathering here, just in a simpler manner.

Rather than make the traditional ham dinner, we went for everybody bringing either an appetizer or dessert.

I did make the carrot cake that has been a tradition for many, many years.

Not long before the Easter plans were drawn up, I had to call EMS after Brett fell and hit his head on the dresser.  His legs have already become so weak that he wasn't able to get up.  I was having no luck helping him up as I was trying to also hold a towel to his head as it was bleeding profusely (as head wounds do).  He took his first ambulance ride to the hospital.  Fortunately, there was no internal damage and his head wound didn't require stitches.  I must admit when I brought him home at 4 a.m. I was a nervous wreck wondering how I was supposed to get him back into the house and safely to bed.  Thankfully, our son was able to assist me.  It made me wonder how the elderly manage such things.  

This event has made me much less confident in leaving him alone for any length of time.  I feel like my 69 year old husband has aged twenty years in a matter of months.  😢

Anyhow, I share this to further explain my need for simple this Easter.

Now, back to that carrot cake . . .

Once it was done and safely under it's cake dome, I went outside to check on my azaleas.  It is their season now and all through the neighborhood they are blooming beautifully.

I found one large branch pushing against the side of the house so I did a little pruning.

Two simple bouquets.

Flowers, a few colored eggs and colorful napkins were all it took to add a bit of holiday cheer to the table.

While in the garden, I snipped a few sprigs of spearmint to add to my bowl of berries.  The ones that look like underripe strawberries are actually pineberries.  They are mostly white with a hint of pink.  After seeing them many times in the grocery store, I decided to give them a try.  Have you ever eaten them?

Life isn't always easy, but I am reminded that among the hardships there are blessings.  I want to remember that along the way.

Let me share a few with you today.

Our nephew's wife.  Despite mourning the recent loss of her uncle, she showed up with ham sliders, pasta salad, deviled eggs and her wonderful sense of humor.

Nephew & Sister-In-Law

Our nephew's sense of humor pairs well with his wife.  Despite everything, they kept us laughing which is such a welcome thing right about now.  

In the 44 years of my marriage, my sister-in-law & I have shared the ups & downs of life.  Too often lately she has become my shoulder to cry on.  Luckily she has broad shoulders. :). She showed up with the potato dish that has also been a tradition for many years & two big salads.

The oldest & youngest family members.

Brett's brother has had numerous surgeries and lives on pain meds to manage it all, yet he shows up every week to play games with his brother.  This week he is coming twice as I have an appointment for two root canals on Wednesday. :(

Their granddaughter and her boyfriend are the youngest of our group.

They add a fresh perspective to our gatherings as they talk about all of the things they are doing and planning for their future.  Oh to be young again. ; D.

And, finally, dear Brett & our oldest son.

Our son lives fairly close by.  He shows up for every appointment and comes over at least 3 times a week.  He's fabulous at researching things and is constantly coming up with new ways to keep his dad safe and figure out how to deal with things as they come along.  He has very willingly become another caregiver to his dad.  

If I could take away this terrible disease, I would do it in a millisecond.  Since I am unable to do that, I plan to do everything that I can to make this road as comfortable and meaningful for Brett.  So many people have told me that we will be carrying a heavy load with this diagnosis.  I can see that already.  I am so thankful to have others in my life to help carry that load.

The Sweetest Signs of Spring

Flipping the calendar to March was a real mood elevator.

The colorful flowers and the mama bird with her nest of eggs offers hope for the beauty of the upcoming Spring season.  The card attached to the calendar was made by my sister.  I think it pairs so nicely with the calendar.  Together they are a real bright spot in the kitchen right now.

In my last post we were anticipating a snowstorm.

It came and dumped nearly a foot of snow.  The most we've seen at one time since moving to North Carolina more than twenty years ago.

It was pretty, but overstayed it's welcome in my opinion.  

It seems like I am reminded almost daily about how much our lives have changed.  Realizing that I was to be the one totally responsible for removing all of that snow from the driveway was a bit daunting.

Usually our snow melts so soon after it falls that it rarely requires shoveling.  This was different.  The week before we had an ice/sleet storm.  The remnants of that were still hanging around on our shady side of the street.

Snow is so rare that I didn't even own a pair of winter boots, so I put on my gardening boots, grabbed the snow shovel and went to town.

I learned a few things along the way...

I'm a lot older than I was the last time I shoveled snow.

I needed to own snow boots even if they rarely get worn.

I have taken care of that which will probably ensure that we will have no more snowfall until they are totally out of style.

Anyhow, once the snow and ice finally disappeared, I put those spring bulbs (above) into my grocery cart.

I planted them right outside the window.

I make sure to glance at them several times a day.

A small investment with big returns.

As someone who tries to look on the bright side of things, it has been a challenge lately.  Watching my husband deal with ALS is just plain SAD.  There is no getting around that.  

In trying to keep looking on the bright side, I am vowing to spend more time working on my gardens.

Most of our time is spent at home now.  Even though I am happy@home, I find I am going a bit stir crazy at times.  Those are the times I head outside.  Gardening has always felt like therapy to me.  At this time of year I always envision beautiful bouquets of flowers and a healthy harvest of blueberries.  My current efforts have been in trimming the hydrangeas and fertilizing them along with the blueberry bushes.  

The bunny in the pot is happy to see the chives and oregano coming to life once again.

The earliest signs of Spring are making their way into the house too.

A little vignette to gaze upon while washing the dishes.

I would like to say thank you for your kind words and prayers on my last post.  It means so much and makes this journey a little easier to bear.

💕

New Year ~ New Journey

Pansies on Christmas Day

That day now seems like a million lifetimes ago.

So far, I'm not liking 2026 at all.

Since the year began there have been many appointments with a neurology specialist to further investigate the symptoms that Brett experienced all of last year.

Many questions were asked and many tests were performed.

The conclusion is that he has ALS (aka: Lou Gehrig's Disease).

Yesterday we met with the Doctor who spent a long time explaining what to expect with this disease and answering our questions.

After that we met with the nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist and nutritionist.  Apparently, it takes a large team to manage the symptoms of this disease.  All were very compassionate and informative.  Still, we left feeling completely overwhelmed.  

We learned that there are only two drugs for this disease.

Neither cure, rather they hopefully slow the progression.  One is extremely expensive.  We will go through a process to see if we can receive it more affordably.  The doctor is a specialist in ALS and has been at it for many years.  He said he was sorry that he didn't have more to offer and told us that they need better drugs.

I've put off this post for awhile.

I'd much rather be chatting about happy things ~ normal things ~ boring things.  Basically, anything but this.  

But, this is now our reality.  A new journey.

As I struggle to find my footing, I can see how blogland will be a welcome distraction... just like it has always been for me.  I hope it will also be a way for me to continue to look for the bright spots even on the hardest days.

Ordinarily the first place I head when life threatens to overwhelm me is the garden.  The January garden didn't seem like a very hopeful place to offer me the comfort I was seeking.  But, there in the furthest corner was this teeny, tiny daffodil.  I wouldn't have even seen it had I not ventured outside.  Although it doesn't look like much, I knew it needed to come in with me.  The following day I was sitting near it talking on the phone and noticed the room smelled just like springtime.  I soon learned the source was that tiny daffodil.

I took that as a hopeful sign.  While it certainly didn't solve the problems we are facing, it reminded me of the seasons of life.

Nature has a way of doing that for me.

Now, here in the southern USA, we are bracing for a large winter storm.  Here they are predicting ice/sleet Saturday afternoon through Sunday.  That is always a huge concern for power outages.  I am really hoping that will not be the case.

I mentioned how I already dislike 2026.

In addition to Brett's health, we have a large infestation of mice in the garage and I have been dealing with jaw pain after a dental procedure.  My fingers are crossed that that issue is finally resolving itself.  At this point I don't think I could handle a prolonged power outage.

If you are in the path of this storm, I hope you stay safe and I also hope your new year is off to a good start.