Day 30 and 31: Miracles can happen.

My doctor finally is starting to increase my oral intake!  Besides jello, I am now starting one 12-ounce protein shake a day.  Anything tastes good at this point.  And for the first time in six years, my belly actually looks clear - the skin on my fistula has closed up, and my stomach area is finally dry!  I am crossing my fingers that this will last, taking each sip cautiously and hopefully...food is good.  Food is very very good...

...which is why I cooked for another five hours this morning!!!

Apple Cheddar Pupcakes for the doggies

For my brothers, Cheesy Corn Cakes with turkey bacon and eggs

For my mom, Baked Eggs in a tomato with parmesan cheese

I also made my own barley by grating the dough on a cheese grater, and boiled and sauteed in with onions and mushrooms.

These are some blackberry bars from Bon Appetit Magazine

My dad likes a grab-and-go breakfast that he can take with him on his way to work, so I made a flour tortilla by hand...

filled it with scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and cheddar cheese...

...wrapped it up, and he called me from work just to tell me how amazing it was!

For dinner, I made a spinach quiche.

I sort of made up my own recipe - just throwing together some milk, eggs, spinach, and cheese

Down in the art room, I did some abstract background work.

Then I started decorating some felt suares with whimsical scenes - I am planning on doing some kind of felt inchie work - it might make a nice quilt or something.

I like creating inchies because it is a way to not commit to doing a full piece at once, but rather, to do a bit at a time, when you feel like it, and when you accumulate enough squares, it can really add up to something special.

I saw these hand-blown glass beads in a bead store, that were too expensive to buy, but boy, would I love to use one of those in a collage!

And some more baking!!!  Egg Foo Young for my mom:

soft pretzel bites for my brothers - their new favorite snack!

For my dad's portable breakfast: Corn-Bacon Muffins with a savory cream cheese frosting

Then I tediously made Potsticker Dumplings with a Ginger-Soy dipping sauce.

It was quite a pain to roll up 60 won ton wrappers!

But they were a big hit.

I saw my first tulip in our yard today!  Spring is certainly here in all its glory - as well as the rain.  This is starting to slowly - as slowly as the tulips are coming up - turning into a promising season.