The Fabulous B@ker Blog

See? The stars are just like us...except for all that money.

It was one year ago today, a Friday, when I had my annual mammogram. Just a routine check up, I spent 15 minutes at Borg Imaging and then went on with my day. The following Monday I got a call that changed the course of my life, and plunged me into months of uncertainty, fear, and ultimately, redemption. It was been the hardest, yet the happiest, year of my life. In case you missed it, after finding a cancerous lump in my breast (stage 1), and being diagnosed with the BRCA1 gene that is found to cause breast and ovarian cancer, I underwent a double mastectomy in June (no further cancer!), and a hysterectomy in January (no further cancer!). You might say I've been scarred FOR LIFE. The decision to undergo these preventative surgeries, with a positive outcome, has changed my view of life, for the better. I have faced most people's (and my) worst fears and come out swinging. After the past year, here are some lessons learned: I no longer have a lot of tolerance for negative...

Ahhhh, to have a few days off that involved nothing more than napping on the window seat, going out to dinner, and getting a pedicure. This must be how the other half (the independently wealthy other half, that is) lives.  It was a nice three days off with Annalisse, and we actually got a lot accomplished. She did a bit of homework and lined up some additional volunteering this summer, and I did a bit of running around and putting the finishing touches on Nic's shower, which came out beautifully and was very nice. Small and intimate. Great food and lots of laughs. And a surprise visit (for Nic) from my sister, Carol, for the day. A shout out to Aunt Sher who created the beautiful shower arrangements ~ they added so much to the ambience I was trying to create for the day!! While the weather all week has been really nice and went a long way toward melting the mammoth snow piles on the streets and roofs, yesterday the weather for the shower was rainy, dark and spitting sleet. O...

I work today, but tomorrow, Thursday and Friday I'm taking a mini break to hang and do some running around with Annalisse during her winter break. Already, the days are filling up with a hair cut for the dog, a little shopping, pedis, a hair color for me, and getting ready for Nicole's shower at my house this Saturday. Most of Friday will be dedicated to that...shopping, cleaning, organizing. Hey, wait, my mini-break just went from being fun and relaxing to being harried and busy. I wonder if I'll get a nap in? Annalisse's week has started our shaky as she had a very bad bout of IBS that started yesterday morning and continued through the night. She had the same exact thing last month and missed classes as a result. I'm worried it may be a monthly thing so I'm holding my breath that she can get through April, and the final weeks of classes, with no issues. The weather finally appears to be breaking. Everyone is worried about how their roofs and gutters are h...

Wow, it sure has been a long time since I've updated the blog. Again, no real reason...just trying to endure this winter. The unrelenting weather has kept us close to home, and not really interested in venturing out much. I was supposed to head up north to help with cleaning out Mom's house, but we all decided I should wait to come up when the weather is more predictable. While it might not be too bad here in Rochester, conditions on Rt. 81 and the Thruway have been downright treacherous, so it's really not worth the risk. So here is stay put. Cam's birthday gift - his speeding ticket PAID IN FULL. What's happened since the last update? Cam turned 22, and we went out for a nice dinner to celebrate. Annalisse came home last weekend, needing a little break from the college routine since she had not been home since January 12. It's been a very intense semester, and her Chemistry course is really giving her a run for her money. She failed her first big test, a...