Tips and Tidbits

Ok so here is a tip from an idiot! You all probably figured this out a long time ago but a friend of mine emailed this to me and I had to share. Have you ever struggled with the roll of tin foil or plastic wrap? Does it always want to fall out of the box when you are trying to rip off a sheet? Did you know that there at the ends of the boxes there are places to push in that secure the roll of whatever??? I never knew this and feel like a complete idiot for spending half my life mangling rolls of foil and plastic wrap! And it does not matter what brand it is! I spent (wasted) an afternoon checking out the various brands to make sure! Why haven't I heard of this before now!!! Again, the whole world probably knew this at birth and I am just now getting a clue - but had to share - just in case:)




Also had to share what I found at Target the other day. This is a Ni Hao Kai Lan floor puzzle that has words on it in Chinese and English! LOVED it and know what will be on Lizzie's Christmas Wish list!



I also wanted to let everyone know that we know have a new Power Ranger at our house fighting off bad guys and rambunctious big brothers. The dogs feel VERY safe:)

Very cool email!!

Got this from a wonderful friend of mine and thought it was beautiful! This is great love!

God's Wings -

A little something to put things in perspective...

After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park , forest rangers
began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage.

One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched
Statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat
Sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick.
When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under
their dead mother's wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of
impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the
tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing
that the toxic smoke would rise.

She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her
babies. Then the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her
small body, the mother had remained steadfast ..because she had
been willing to die, so those under the cover of her wings would live.

'He will cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you will find refuge.'
(Psalm 91:4)

Being loved this much should make a difference in your life.
Remember the One who loves you, and then be different because of it.

Kid Friendly Recipes - Translation - Easy!!

These are 2 easy recipes that I made last night. I would think that most kids (not my own, of course - ugh!) would love both of these dishes and they are sooooo easy that I had to share! The first was mini zucchini pizzas (thank you Betsy.) You just slice a couple of zucchinis, put them on a greased baking sheet, salt and pepper and then add a dollop of pizza sauce...



You then add some cheese. I used parm and cheddar.



And bake at 350 until the cheese melts! YUM!!!



The second dish was a beef roast (yes, this from a vegetarian!) and requires a crock pot! If you have kids and DON'T have a crock pot - WHAT???? I just get any kind of beef roast that happens to be on sale (I can usually find them for around $5) and put it in the crock pot with 1/4 cup worchesire sauce or balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup ketchup and cook on high for about 5 hours. My Hubby (Happy Birthday, BTW) really likes this and so should your kids:) Unfortunately, I don't have a pic of it but it is fork tender and (according to my hubby - because I am indeed a vegetarian - delicious)!!!

Good Checkup and a 6 month reprieve!!

Today we took Lizzie for a check up with her clubfoot doc - the wonderful Dr. H.!! We usually go for regular check ups at her office but today we went back to the hospital where Lizzie was casted - 18 times!! We wanted to see the staff that had been so wonderful to us during our 21 week clubfoot journey. When we told Lizzie where she was going and that she was going to see Mrs. K.(the very sweet nurse who operated the very evil casting saw), her first fearful reaction was "no cast Momma!!!" I assured her that she would not get a cast today and that was followed by a smiling, "no cast Momma!!!" and a "Hooray!!" I sometimes have to stop and remind myself about all that Lizzie has been through in her 3 years on this earth. She is one of the strongest, most resilient souls that I have ever known. No matter what is thrown at her, she always seems to be able to find love and courage and happiness and laughter within herself and that is such a gift. I am still desperately waiting for her "peace" to come. I know it is coming and I see it developing a little bit more everyday but it is still not completely within her yet. She loves big and crys big and we are working on that peaceful middle ground that I can see but can't quite get to yet. So we continue to love her, love her, love her! One days like today, I get reminded of her journey and her incredible progress and her amazing capacity for love and for loving life. She did get a great report card today and a 6 month reprieve. It was so good to see everyone and have them confirm for me what I sometimes forget! I thought I would post a couple of older videos of Lizzie as we began this journey a little over a year ago! I cannot wait to revisit this post a year from now!!

This is video of Lizzie still in her orphanage. It is hard to tell, but her foot is turned almost completely backwards and is upside down.


This is when Lizzie figured out how to walk in her first cast!


She even figured out how to walk in her brace! We called it the brace shuffle!


And the first time she walked with a straight foot!


To the present!


Lizzie May, you take my breath away!! I look forward to watching you run as fast as those little legs will go on the soccer field, dance your way across a stage, walk up to get your high school diploma and walk down the isle to a very lucky young man!!!

I scream for Ice Cream!!

First of all, thank you to everyone who replied to my "Red Rice" post! Tricia, I laughed out loud at your "boogers and ketchup" comment!! Lizzie doesn't eat either, by the way!! Although, if boogers were full of fat and calories, I just might encourage the habit!! They aren't, are they? Hehe!! Anyway, we had another fabulous weekend at E. Beach and guess what Lizzie discovered? ICE CREAM!!! Talk about fat and calories!! Amazing what a little sand, surf and heat and humidity will do!!! Do you think ice cream is good on broccoli?? Below is a picture of what Lizzie looked like after devouring, I mean enjoying her chocolate vanilla swirl!




Here are some other cute shots from our little piece of heaven on earth!!










A couple of rare shots of the usual photographer - me!!

Red Rice!

As most of my family and friends and well anyone who will listen knows, Lizzie just does not eat. We keep her going on a sugary sweet comb of Pediasure (chaching) and Carnation Instant Breakfast, or for those in the know - CIB!! We have tried working with a completely wonderful OT and even put her a medication to help stimulate her appetite. Some things worked a little bit while others failed miserably. Some things worked for a while and then all of a sudden, not! It has been very difficult and frustrating to say the least. Lizzie came to us at 2 years of age weighing 17 pounds and wearing 3 month size clothing. Can you even imagine? I couldn't and I still have a hard time remembering exactly HOW little she was. As soon as we got her, my first instinct was to FEED her. Lizzie, however, had another plan in mind. As happy as she seemed to be with us, she had just lost control over everything single thing in her life. Everything all at once was turned upside down and no longer her familiar routine. As difficult as I believe her life was, it was still her life as she knew it and we were messing all that up. I think that the only thing she could control was whether or not she was going to eat and what she was going to eat. Give Lizzie a bag of "blue" Doritos and she can inhale that thing in less time that it takes to open the bag. Put her at the table for a meal, however, and you would think she was being tortured! I am lucky to get 2 bites in her of any one thing on her plate! For anyone who has ever dealt with eating issues, you know how extremely difficult it can be. You don't want to make food more of an issue than it already is, but you want them to eat - desperately - especially when they weigh 17 pounds at 2 years old!! Anyway, there are 2 foods that Lizzie just loves - tacos and red rice. She seems to prefer spicy! I wonder why??? Hehe!! I was heating her up some red rice in the microwave the other day and turned around to find this:

"My red rice!"



She didn't eat the whole bowl but was pretty darn close!! I slept good that night!!

Wonderful video from Love Without Boundaries