Our Family

Soup mode

2009-09-09T12:12:00.000-07:00

I have been trying my talents (?) at soup making and seemed to have succeeded. Carl recently had surgery in his mouth and is still on a liquid diet but I won't let that hold me back from trying new things! I made a trip to Sloughhouse and watched in awe as my sweet corn was dumped from the truck, into my bag, into my car, all 24 ears! I came home and made Fresh Corn Soup Topped with Roasted Corn Guacamole, ahhh a little bowl of heaven.

Another soup dish that was incredible (inspired by Chef Angel!) was Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Red Pepper Purée. If possible this was better then the first, if you make it, do not omit the pepper puree.

A family favorite (pre-surgery) was Sesame Noodles with Chicken, with a side of baby bok choy, this I plan on making often.

I am interested in all of your soup recipes...anyone?

Pineapples and Pork

2009-08-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

Last February our family went to Phoenix to celebrate a big B-day. We all went out to a Traditional Brazillian Steak House (which I never experienced). I had grilled pineapples that literally melted in my mouth, ahhhh. I have had a craving for them over the past few days and decided to try to grill them on my own. Tonight is Grilled Ginger-Sesame Pork Chops with Pineapple & Scallions. This is the sweet and sour yin and yang of food. If it turns out as well as I think it will, I will post the recipe tomorrow.

Have you had a recent craving?

Blueberry Shortcakes and Dinner Tonight

2009-08-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

Cooking is my therapy and probably just as expensive if not more. I get a secret thrill when friends and family marvel at my meals and it can make or break my day. I love tasting my friends creations and swapping recipes. At a recent auction for my son's school, Carl and I and 2 other couples decided to bid on a 7 course dinner with wine and dessert, by a well known chef. It went for about $1,000.00 but was worth every penny. Photos and course descriptions in a future post.

Dinner Tonight is Southwestern Shrimp Soft Tacos.

Recipe for Blueberry Shortcakes (absolutely divine).

For the biscuits:
8-1⁄2 oz. (2 cups) sifted all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. baking powder, sifted to remove lumps
3⁄4 tsp. table salt
3 Tbs. sugar; more for the glaze
1 Tbs. grated lemon zest
1⁄2 tsp. freshly grated (or ground) nutmeg
2 oz. (4 Tbs.) cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces
1 cup buttermilk; more for the glaze

For the blueberries:
6 cups (about 2 lb.) blueberries, picked over, rinsed, and patted dry
1⁄4 cup sugar; more to taste
1 Tbs. water
1⁄2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1⁄4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
Fresh lemon juice to taste

For the whipped cream:
1-1⁄2 cups heavy cream, chilled
2 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

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Make the biscuits:
Set a rack in the center of the oven; heat to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or lightly grease it with shortening or cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, lemon zest, and nutmeg. With a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gently stir in the buttermilk until the dough just holds together with no large, dry lumps. Spoon the dough onto the baking sheet in six equal mounds. Brush the tops with buttermilk; sprinkle with sugar. Bake until the peaks have begun to brown and the bottoms are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let rest for 1 minute and then transfer to a wire rack. While still slightly warm, slice them open with a serrated knife.

Make the blueberry filling:
Set aside 2 cups of the berries. In a medium, nonreactive saucepan, combine the remaining 4 cups of blueberries, sugar, water, lemon zest, and nutmeg (if using). Cook, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring frequently until very soft and juicy, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat. Taste and add lemon juice and more sugar, if necessary. If not using immediately, cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve, reheat the blueberry sauce until very warm and stir in the reserved blueberries.

Whip the cream and assemble the shortcakes:

Chill a mixing bowl and beaters for 30 minutes. In the bowl, combine the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla. Whip until medium peaks form and the beaters leave tracks on top of the cream.

Put the bottom half of each biscuit on a plate. Spoon on about 1/2 cup of the blueberry mixture and a few dollops of cream. Cover with the biscuit top. Spoon on more blueberries and top with another dollop of whipped cream. Serve immediately, passing any remaining blueberry mixture at the table.

Back to the original reason I started blogging....food.

2009-08-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

Guess what movie I saw? Julie and Julia, excellent, which made me decided to start blogging about cooking again. So hopefully I haven't lost all my readers by taking such a long break but will be ready to roll soon.

I leave you with this recent dessert I made. Untill dinner tomorrow........

Recruitment

2009-05-03T08:38:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I am absolutely in love with my son's present (and daughter's former)school. I have been on a mission to recruit new families to our school, specifically from our neighborhood. I have had much success, yesterday was the 6th family since the beginning of the year. This is not to be taken lightly, especially the tuition but it is worth every penny.

Yesterday was our May Faire and it was rainy. But, everyone was there! It was incredibly packed and afterwards was a open house. I met a family who lives not far from me and spent a good hour talking to them about the school. They have two children and had the Grandparents with them as well. We pretty much sealed the deal. They loved the community, the diversity and most importantly the small classroom size.

Earth Day has come and gone but.....

2009-04-28T06:48:00.000-07:00

....we can make every day Earth Day. What can you do?

• buy creative playthings for our children made of natural, sustainable materials
• plant a tree
• reduce, reuse, recycle
• conserve energy in your home
• use filtered tap water rather than bottled water
• replace the light bulbs in your home with energy efficient ones
• buy locally produced, organic foods
• build a compost
• use public transportation or carpool
• purchase previously loved/used items from thrift shops
• participate in an area cleanup
• plant a garden
• conserve water

Although we do most of these most of the time, we are a planning a American River clean up day as well.

what are you doing to be more 'green'?

I love Sunny California Weather

2009-01-19T17:27:00.000-08:00

We have been having the most beautiful weather in Sacramento for the last several days. Alexia starts back to school tomorrow and will transfer after this semester. It won't be too bad riding Paratransit in the sunshine.

Aden continues to love school and has the best friends that any mom could hope for. His teacher is over-the-top in excellence and wants nothing more then the best for these kids. Once again, I am counting my blessings for everything surrounding this school, I really couldn't ask for much more.

I have helped bring a 10 month old in from the Republic of Kyrgyz. He has a complicated congenital heart defect and Dr. Mainwaring is doing surgery on him this Thursday. Obviously this is a donated surgery and the baby should be fixed after this. I love doing these types of things.

The building that Carl's Art Studio/Gallery caught on fire on New Years Eve. Fortunatley non of our stuff was damaged other then smoke damage but now we have everything in our house untill the building is renovated. Needless to say we are a little cramped.

I am aching to see some movies, I am so far behind it is not funny. anybody need a movie partner?

Random photos to follow:

Andrea and I at Taro's By Mikuni

Aden and I at the state Capital with my Aunt and Uncle

Alexia and her Grey's Anatomy cake

A piece by my husband, love this one!

May Faire Music

Post Holidays and Birthdays

2008-12-28T08:31:00.000-08:00

Our lives have been so full but stress free, which is what I like.

Alexia had an excellent semester pulling in A's and B's with one C in a Biology Lab. She met some wonderful friends in a Psych class she took and continues to take on the educational world! She will be turning 23 tomorrow (incredible isn't it)and is having a party with her friends at Taro's tomorrow night. She also was one of our major donor's at the Hearts of Hope Holiday party. We had a local non-profit provide dinner and outstanding gifts for the Heart children, Alexia stepped up at provided for the siblings. It was a memorable evening.

Aden turned 8 on Christmas Day and we had a party for him a couple weeks prior at a local roller skating rink. 25 children were there roller skating and having a great time. Two women baked his cake, their blog is The Cake Stand. The photos of the Indiana Jones Lego Cake are below, incredible! Aden's 2nd grade class was also part of the CWS Winter Concert. The class performed two songs in Swedish that are part of the tradition for Santa Lucia Day. This class continues to amaze me! When they perform I become transfixed and cannot take my eyes off of them. We are so lucky to have the teacher we have that brings so much to these children!

Christmas was awesome with way too many gifts but spread out from Christmas Eve through Christmas night was not too overwhelming. Christmas Day we served Frokust, which is a Danish tradition meaning "Cold Table". This stems from Carl's Danish background and has become an important part of out family.

My Aunt and Uncle from Pittsburgh, PA will be here on Wednesday and we will be spending much quality time with them. No doubt, tons of food!

Enjoy the photos:

Advent Spiral

2008-12-08T06:48:00.001-08:00

Apple Crisp with Pecans & Orange

2008-11-18T06:58:00.001-08:00

Wanna knock your friends and families socks off? Make this. It is TO DIE FOR! Want the recipe send me a email or post in the comment section....you will NOT be disappointed.

On the mend!

2008-11-16T08:55:00.000-08:00

So I am officially "on the mend" and doing great! The only draw back to my surgery was a few days of no cooking and my first Soup Night at my house was postponed untill later this month. On an occasional Saturday, during the Fall/Winter, I like to make a huge pot of soup, make some bread and invite friends over to eat and visit. It is a huge amount of fun!

We have been thrust into the Holidays with high 70's weather and I feel like I am in Phoenix. This past Friday night, me and some other Heart mom's had a Mom's Night Out at Piatti's, with lots of wine, food and dessert (you should have seen our bill!). But we had such an awesome time!

Winter school stuff is upon us and we will be busy with so many celebrations. But this is stuff I absolutely love. Stay tuned.

PS: Many people have asked where I got this beautiful header (the Hummingbird) at the top of my blog...well, tis' a painting my husband has done.

Aden's Fort Building

Alexia's cool new ride!

Mom's Night Out

Chicken Stew!

A little better

2008-11-08T14:34:00.000-08:00

She is feeling a little better,but she is still sleeping a lot and dealing with the side effects of the Darvocet,which are basically headaches and extreme nausea.Has drunk some broth again and a little apple juice so she is drinking some fluids and she is able to keep them down.

A few Hours later...

Well she is up brushing her teeth right now and she has eaten a bowl of applesauce and she says that it tasted good.She discovered that Benedryl works very well for her nausea and the headache is not as severe as it was earlier.

Hopefully she will feel even better tomorow.

Getting Rest

2008-11-07T21:18:00.000-08:00

At about 6:45pm she managed to wake up and eat some broth from the soup that she made yesterday.She was also able to hold a conversation with myself,Aden and Dad for about a half an hour.She was feeling some pain so she took a perscription painkiller that her primary doctor had perscribed for her and was sound asleep pretty soon after that.Hopefully she will be in less pain tomorrow and hopefully she won't try and do too much(But we all know that she tends to push herself.)

Thank you to Andrea for bringing us dinner tonight it was very much appreciated.

Coming Home

2008-11-07T15:36:00.000-08:00

She is finally coming home as I write this.She had an episode of nausea right before they were about to release her,so they kept her in recovery until it was gone.She is pretty sleepy right now,but that is of course a result of the anesthesia.

I will keep you updated on her progress and how she is doing because I doubt she will be on the computer today.

And the Surprises Keep Coming

2008-11-07T14:10:00.000-08:00

She is done!!!

Everything went very well and she is now in the recovery room.She will only be in there for about 30 minutes and then she will be on her way home.This procedure went off perfectly.

Surprise

2008-11-07T13:28:00.000-08:00

My mom was just wheeled into the OR two hours ahead of schedule.Now I see why they wanted her in early just in case this happened.Being ahead of schedule is good.

Will let you know how it goes once I find out.

Today's The Day

2008-11-07T12:37:00.000-08:00

This is Valerie's daughter updating her blog while she goes in for the procedure.I asked her if she wanted me to keep people updated and she said yes so whenever I hear something from my dad I will definitely update all of you.They left for the Surgery Center about fifteen minutes ago.The doctor wanted my mother there at 1:00pm even though the procedure isn't scheduled to begin until 3:30.Anyone else find this even slightly odd considering this is an outpatient procedure?

More updates later as I hear them.

More stuff

2008-11-05T06:23:00.000-08:00

So, it turns out, that my surgery is this Friday. Fun, fun, fun. At least I was able to fully enjoy the Presidential Election. Know what my biggest worry is about Friday? Nothing to eat or drink after Midnight, which means NO AM COFFEE!! Ughhh.

Well, untill I return, last night's dinner in honor of our new President and a group photo from Lorraine's Halloween bash.

Such business...

2008-11-03T09:47:00.000-08:00

We have had such full days, I haven't had a chance to post anything!

Let's get to the important health stuff first. Alexia had her 6 month appointment with her Cardiologist. She had a EKG and a Echo and both were great! We will go back in April. I had my appointment and am having surgery in the next couple weeks. It is out-patient and fairly simple although they will use general anesthesia. I will update with a date when I know.

We have done several things with my friend Lorraine and her children. Apple Hill, Protected Path and of course her Halloween Bash, that is "the party to be at". Did I ever tell you how much I love this school?

Our house has been painted and now on to a kitchen and bathroom remodel, hmmmm wonder why we are doing this......

I recently was nominated into the Sutter Children's Center Advisory Board. I decided to go ahead and take a seat because it truley is an honor to be asked. We had our first Board Meeting this past Friday and I was surrounded by some high powered people. I am tickled! We are focusing on the new Women and Children's hospital being built as we speak.

Yesterday, Carl and I had a date. We went to see Religulous and had dinner at the 33rd Street Bistro. We loved both and I highly recommend seeing the movie.

Below are some random photos from the past month...enjoy and I love you all!

Bloggy Giveaways Time and last nights dinner

2008-10-26T12:57:00.000-07:00

It is that time again and I am excited to participate in the Quarterly Bloggy Giveaways! I will be giving away, to a Random Winner, a jar of my "famous" candied walnuts and a Fall Leaf bracelet. All you have to do is leave a comment about your favorite Fall tradition. Winner will be announced on Saturday, November 1st.

Good Luck!

I wanted to share a dinner I made last night. We recently were gifted a twice monthly delivery of farm fresh organic veggies and fruit (can you say heaven?!). Friday, early morning, we received as huge box including kale and butternut squash. So tonight we had roasted butternut with shallots and fresh rosemary, sauteed, garlic kale and balsamic porkchops with carmalized onions, yummy!

The plan is.....

2008-10-20T07:38:00.001-07:00

Friday, October 31st I go see the OB/GYN to decide what is to be done about the "things" in my ovary. My thought is he is going to want to take it out and biopsy, but who knows. Will update about that later.

I took Aden to the Grand Opening of the new Lego store (sick and everything). He loved it and we met alot of people standing in the 2 hour line to get in. I also participated in the Together For Kids Walk at the mall and I raised over $1,300.00, I was the number one fundraiser, yay!! I won a $250 gift card for Arden Fair Mall.

Today, Aden is off from school and my friend Lorraine and I are taking the kids to Apple Hill, should be great fun! Tomorrow, his class is going to the Pumpkin Patch.

The Verdict is........

2008-10-15T15:20:00.000-07:00

Still out.....

Yesterday I had a ultrasound, ct scan and blood work to rule out fibroids. My blood work was normal and I do not have fibroids but my right ovary showed one large "cyst" and several smaller "cysts". I have been referred to a OB/GYN. Lorraine (my dear friend and Physician) said a biopsy is probable to make sure they are cysts and possibly a removal of the right ovary.

Ughh..

Bee's wax

2008-10-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

This is Aden's creation our of Bees Wax. This would not be like modeling with play dough or clay, it is much harder to get it to model what you want. The heat of your hands is what warms it up and makes it soft and easy to work with. I thought the creation very sweet and very "Halloweeny".

Me and medical gunk (is that a word??)

2008-10-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

So today was a ultrasound, CT Scan and blood work, for me???? Fibroid Tumors, I hope that it is all it is. Lorraine guesses it could be my Thyroid but I am asking you all....what would be the symptoms that causes these things to be checked out? If you guess (and you can be blunt in your post), I am mailing you a little something.....

So many, many things!

2008-10-08T06:31:00.000-07:00

Crazy lives.....

*Carl's folks just left to go back to their home in Phoenix! They came for a visit and to help give our house a new coat of paint and it is DONE! We saved about $3,500 in doing it this way and I just kept the food/drinks going. Worth it.

*Last Friday was Aden's Michaelmas Festival. The 2nd grade (Aden's class) were Knights who tamed the Dragon. The audience was awe-struck, photos are below. We had many new families join our school this year but I actually have someone who lives in my area now!

*I have been asked to speak at Sutter's new hospital Groundbreaking Ceremony next week. Should be interesting.

*Alexia has her 6 month checkup with her Cardiologist on Friday, and I have my 6 month upset stomache because of it.

* Oh, check out my new favorite cake shop, The Cake Stand, these women know how to make cakes!

* I think chicken marsala sounds good for dinner.

Soft Star

2008-09-17T15:26:00.000-07:00

Every year we buy Aden a new pair of "indoor shoes" for school. These are customly made for his feet and are either suede or smooth leather and he can pick the colors/design that he would like. This year was no exception, below is a picture of Aden in his 2008/2009 Soft Stars.

Then I wrote and told them about sweet Arianna and they custom made a pair for her and gave them as a gift! She wore them soon after she was able to be up and walk around the hospital floors. Thank you Soft star Elves! See picture below.

The weekend!

2008-09-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

I was given a suite to the Ring Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus this weekend. We had a great group with us and Aden and his buddies had a fabulous time! There was all you can eat popcorn and hotdogs! By far, this was the best circus I have ever seen and the children were mesmorized!

Another family to keep in your thoughts and prayers

2008-09-09T16:31:00.000-07:00

The support group that I help run has been in existence for 1 year now and thriving with active members and group of moms that would do anything for anybody. Our first meeting consisted of 6 women, one of them a pregnant mom, Kira, who is a 25-year-old woman with CHD. She was born with Coarctation of the Aorta and had a couple surgeries when she was younger. She then married and became pregnant with Baby Ross who has HLHS and has had his first two surgeries. During all of this Kira found out she had a aortic aneurysm that needed to be removed and last Friday had it done at Stanford by Dr. Hanley. That night she had a massive stroke and has alot of hard work in front of her.

Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers.

Food again...this time out with girlfriends!

2008-09-07T18:59:00.000-07:00

Can I make you hungry again?

This is what we had: Family Style:

Ahi Tuna Poke (one word...YUM!)
Mediterranean Chicken Salad
Pasta dish with chicken, sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese

Pomegranete Martini's and Ice Tea and two wonderful friends, Andrea and Bahar at the 33rd st Bistro!

PS: When Bahar's daughter gets out of the hospital it is time to start looking for houses in Sac!

Michael Phelps at an early age

2008-09-05T15:40:00.001-07:00

Cute!

Let's get back to food.......

2008-09-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

First, If you are looking for the bracelet auction, go here.

Blogless Jill, AKA, my neighbor brought us the most delicious tomatoes grown from their own back yard. I really didn't belive that tomatoes, such as these, could be grown in Sacramento. Only I would get excited about a tomato but they were so delicious that I wouldn't dream of cooking them so into a salad they went as the main ingredient! Jill, I would take your home grown veggies anytime!

I also learned a secret to caramelizing onions, starting on a high heat with a little kosher salt and then turning down the heat and adding little bits of water for about 1/2 hour makes the most delicious onions ever known.

Sunday was our Labor Day as Carl worked yesterday. We marinated 2 tri-tips for 48 hours teryaki/red wine marinade and smoked them on a charcoal grill with almond and apricot. Mouth watering delic!

Every Fall I have a treat that I make for my family and friends. It is hugely popular and I always seem to be "re-filling" containers. The treat is candied walnuts but I have a secret ingredient that makes this snack highly addicitive, if you can guess what it is, you will get the first jar of them!

Alexia has been back at school for about 1 week now and Aden starts second grade tomorrow at the most wonderful school! The days are a little longer for him and we also have another girl in our class which will be nice.

Auction to help a family!

2008-08-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

Bahar and I on a rare outing away from the hospital.

I am having a silent auction to benefit the Family of Arianna Torrente who has been in the hospital for 11 weeks and is having another surgery this afternoon. Juicy Couture has donated this beautiful bracelet to benefit this family. They specifically picked out this bracelet because it is pink and has a heart, a very Arianna type of bracelet.

Value $88.00 Bidding starts at 8:30AM PST on 8/28 and ends on 9/3 at Midnight. I will deliver or mail it to the highest bidder.

We will start the bidding at $25 and go up in $10 increments. Good Luck!

What is it???

2008-08-25T13:00:00.001-07:00

What is it?? If you guess correctly you will win a small something.......

Scary situation!

2008-08-19T16:14:00.000-07:00

I wanted to tell you all about a scary situation we just had in our home. Recently, Carl had started feeling very "off", fuzzy, foggy, extreme legarthy. Today, I tried to wake him up after several long nights at the hospital. He said, in his slurred talking, that he needed more rest. I tried to wake several more times and he was confused and couldn't wake up, something was very wrong. After encouragement by several people, I took his perscription to the pharmacy to have them make sure he had the right medication and "voila" they had put the wrong one in his bottle and he was having a terrible reaction to it.

What I want you all to know is at the very bottom of the perscription bottles in teeny, teeny letters, it has an exact description of what should be in that bottle (double checking stuff). Before you give anyone medication check the bottle and compare it to the pill/liquid. If you have any questions, call the pharmacy. This could have been a disaster!

One family Paying It Forward!

2008-08-15T17:41:00.000-07:00

Thankyou Andrea!

Arianna Torrente

Please help the Torrente Family

Arianna is a sweet 3-year-old girl. She just had her third open heart surgery in June at Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento. She has had lots of complications and is now in her NINTH week of hospitalization. Her parents, Bahar & Miguel, are from Stockton and have stayed with her as much as possible. They are living at The Sharing Place, which is family housing located right on the Sutter campus. She also has a six-year-old sister who is now staying with them at the hospital since Miguel had to return to work. This week her parents were told it might be another six weeks. That would be fifteen weeks living away from home, missing work, eating every meal out and still paying bills at home.

The Hearts of Hope Support Group would like to support this family by putting on a raffle. Raffle tickets are $10 each or 3 for $25. All the proceeds from the raffle will go directly to the Torrente family to help with their costs associated with this hospitalization.

Prizes are:

$50 Spa Finder Gift Card
$200 MAC Makeup Set
Haircut with Lindsay Sells of Joseph Anthony Salon
$100 Gift Card to Outback Steakhouse

If you are interested in purchasing raffle tickets please contact Andrea Himmelberger at a_himmelberger@hotmail.com or 916-606-7180.

Why do bad things happen to good people??

2008-08-12T22:03:00.000-07:00

During a lovely day in San Francisco with my mom, Lex and Aden, I received a phone call. One of the Doctor's, that has taken care of Lexi numerous times,who, at one time, told me to "hold onto hope" at a dire time in our life has just been diagnosed with a temporal brain tumor. (sorry for any run-ons). A few months ago he had been feeling ill and he had a complete work up, including a CT scan and everything was normal. Yesterday, he was feeling poorly, had another CT and there it was. He is currently in the Bay Area and having surgery tomorrow morning. He is a wonderfuly kind man and excellent physician and has made such a difference in our lives. He is only in his late 50's. Please keep him in your prayers and thoughts. I cannot give out his name, but just think of him as Dr. D.

I'm in love

2008-08-10T19:45:00.001-07:00

I have been looking for the perfect Spring Roll recipe and have found it! Previously, the best spring rolls could only be found at The Lemon Grass. I was reading a Heart friend's blog, Lindsay, and learned about her cousin, The Rookie Cookie! She had what I was looking for. I have subscribed to Rookie Cookie feeds. My family loved the spring rolls and I made a General Tso/Rice Vinnegar dipping sauce that had a kick! Awesome!

Thankyou!

My brother's Birthday dinner outing!

2008-08-09T20:09:00.000-07:00

My two favorite things....Hearts and Food! What a combination!

Outing with Heart Families at Fairytale Town

2008-08-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

What an awesome day! Check out Channel 10 at 5:00 and 6:00PM for extensive coverage on our group outing!

Winner Announced

2008-08-02T08:18:00.001-07:00

I have chosen the winner through the Random Number Generator and the winning number is 19. Here is the post!

Hmmm. Chocolate, of course. yummy bath products? A great read, and either fabulous tea or coffee to go with it? Hair care stuff. The list is endless. . . (smile)

Thanks!
Heather

Bloggy Giveaways!

2008-07-29T13:43:00.001-07:00

My giveaway item this time is a "Mom Goodie Bag", lots of cool stuff inside. All you have to post is, what would you like to see in this bag (no guarantees!).

Good Luck! Winner will be announced on August 2nd.

Kyburz or bust!

2008-07-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

The three of us are leaving for the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains in Kyburz today. Alexia has opted out do to a work schedule and my mom will be hanging around to make sure she behaves. There is a lovely cabin that we use right along the American River. We will be back on Monday with photos and stories I am sure.

Three Years Ago Today.....

2008-07-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

Alexia had just got home after her 5th open heart surgery. Dr. Richard Mainwaring had done a Aortic Valve Replacement with a St. Jude Mechanical Valve. Although recovery went relatively smoothly, we did ride that, all too familiar, rollercoaster breifly. During surgery, Alexia had a complete blood tranfusion, having bled so much and had some difficulty with atrial flutter, where they had to do a cardioversion to get her back in a normal heart rythym. Some of my friends are either going through or have just gone through the ridiculous ride that we all go through when having a child with a CHD and it makes so many memories very fresh! Click on the link above, 5th Open Heart Surgery and humor me through that silly video, it actually makes sense!

Tonight Alexia and I are going to see the Sacramento Music Circus version of Sweeney Todd, unfortunately, Johnny will not be there but I think I can still sit through it!

A Heart Mom Outing!

2008-07-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

Front to back left to right. Gina, Amber, Andrea and Me

But really it was just 4 friends going out to dinner and to a musical. Recently, a friend gave me 4 tickets to Gypsy at the Sacramento Music Circus. I decided to invite these 3 ladies and we started off the evening at R15 which, despite a few glitches that Gina quickly resolved, was good and we had a lively time. During dinner, we talked about our heart children, only a few times and no tears were shed. On to the show with only a few minutes to spare. We all needed the night out and I can't wait to do it again.

Birthday Gift

2008-07-14T17:49:00.001-07:00

I am in heaven, I received a gift card for William Sonoma from my dear friend Lorraine and today Alexia and I went out and bought this beautiful set of Emile Henry Couleurs Mixing Bowls in this beautiful shade of pink. Only I would get so excited about something like this.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook–July 12th

2008-07-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

The Simple Woman’s Daybook–July 12th
FOR TODAY–July 12th

Outside my window…heat and smoke!

I am thinking…that some wine and a delicious dinner with my friends tonight is going to be perfect.

I am thankful for…my family and friends.

From the kitchen…Leftovers for my family since I will be out tonight.

I am creating…this blog post instead of doing any sort of house cleaning....which I should be doing instead.

I am going…to actually do something with my hair for tonight, I hope my flat iron still works!

I am wearing tonight these darling shoes that I picked up at Nordstrom the other day.!

I am reading…Katrina Kittles, The Kindness of Strangers

I am hoping…That the weather will stay on the cooler side for Aden's Zoo Camp this week.

I am hearing…nothing.....awwww peace.

Around the house…My kids are playing a board game and my husband is at the gym.

One of my favourite things…is cooking!!!

A few plans for the rest of the week…Lots of cooking and picking up the strange item on the post before this and a couple playdates.

I found this idea on Heart of the Prairie.

Guess what this item is

2008-07-11T17:08:00.001-07:00

We are now the proud owners of one of these, it costs $755.00 (not including tax). Can anyone guess what it is?

Lemonade and Taro's!

2008-07-09T10:18:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Aden had a brainstorm of an idea to have a lemonade stand. He did all the work himself. He made the sign, set up the table and got the organic strawberry lemonade (from Trader Joes)iced and ready, his cash box and was ready to go. He wanted to be out front of our house and I seriously had my doubts if he would sell anything. He sold for about 2 and 1/2 hours and made $39.30! He was thrilled!

This past Monday Alexia treated our family to Taro's. We love that restaurant and always end the evening with shopping at Barns and Noble.

Yesterday was the first day of our class revolving playdates. Yesterday play day was at my friend Lorraines and today is at my house. We have every day of the week filled with optional play dates at various homes from 1-5PM. With weather at 108, we will surely be in the pool most of the time.

The 4th!

2008-07-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

We had a lovely celebration yesterday with my mom and her husband Ed and my brother Dominic. I made a delicious variation on a potato salad with a homemade BBQ sauce over spice rubbed chicken breasts. The BBQ sauce was excellent with a hint of chipotle....I never knew how easy it would be to make your own. The potato salad was roasted red potatos, with fresh, cooked green beans, a lemon/olive oil dressing topped with crumbled _______ (what do you think, if you guess you will win a small prize).

We were out untill near 11:00 PM shooting off fireworks and drinking rootbeer floats with our neighbors. It was really nice. It got cool enough where I had to cover the children with blankets for the show. Every year we are showered with lot's of fireworks from my friend who is head of TNT, we were spoiled again.

Today brings a warmer day. I will be cooking a dinner for Drew and his family as they adjust back to their normal life.

Photos from our night!

Congratulations to Lexi and her Mommy and Daddy!

2008-07-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

Auction closed!

Lexi and her Mommy and Daddy were the highest bidders on the firework set.....Congrats and have a happy 4th to everyone.

Disneyland is like a well oiled machine.

2008-06-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

Off we go!

2008-06-22T09:03:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow we are leaving for 5 days at Disneyland/California Adventure. My mom is taking Alexia, Aden and myself and Carl will be "baching' it at home. Our rental van is slowly getting packed and the "kids" are excited!

If you know me well enough, you know I am not excited. A homebody by nature, the drive is not something I am looking forward to. I am sure once I get there, my mood will change but untill then...... Leave me a comment or 2 that I can use to get "amped" for my trip. I may even bring you back a souvenier!

Raffle will continue but.......

2008-06-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

Drew and his family continue to hang out at LPCH at Stanford. It will be 4 weeks tomorrow. They are about as unhappy as their extended family and friends are, wanting to get this over with. Drew continues to heal and with his loving parents by his side, constantly, he is doing better. Our raffle for them will continue and we have sold so many tickets but I hesitate to stop it untill Drew goes home!

I am leaving town on Monday with my mom, daughter and son, therefore I am relinquishing my duties to a fabulous person, Gina!. If you would like to buy raffle tickets, get a emailed copy of the flyer or help in another way, please contact Gina at g.dyke@sbcglobal.net.

Other than that, we will continue our prayers and good thoughts for this wonderful family.

Items in the raffle are:

$100 Mikuni
$100 Ruth Chris Steak House
$100 The Waterboy
Gift Card at C Webb's Center Court Restaurant
personalized baby blanket with matching booties, made by Beth
$40 Gift Certifcate for Mary Kay

A raffle for a dear family!

2008-06-06T16:58:00.000-07:00

Handmade, personalized baby blanket with matching booties donated by Beth

I have grown to care deeply about a family I met through the Hearts of Hope support group that I helped start. May 23rd, Drew, their four-year-old son, had complicated open heart surgery to repair a congenital heart defect at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. He had been there 12 days when they discovered that he had a wound infection where his surgical site is. The Doctor's are now saying he will be there an additional 2 weeks with heavy duty antibiotics. His mom and dad are there along with his 2-year-old sister, Ava. I am holding a raffle for Drew and his family. A few restaurants have donated gift certificates to raffle off including, Mikuni's, C-Webb's Center Court Restaurant, Ruth Chris's Steak House and The Waterboy. For those who live in and around Sacramento, know these are high-end restaurants and they feed you well. Raffle tickets are $10 each or three for $25. Please consider buying a raffle ticket or 2 or 3 to help this family as they endure this hurdle.

You can email me at cvboesen@comcast.net or call me at 916-799-2508.

A funny story and strawberries

2008-06-04T12:49:00.000-07:00

St. Jude Medical® Mechanical Heart Valve

My mom took Aden, Lexi and I out for a bite yesterday. As we were sitting in our booth, I kept hearing a "beeping" noise. I could not figure out where it came from. We all checked our phones, purses for toys etc nothing. I was convinced that it was an alarm telling me that Lexi's, St. Jude Mechanical Valve, was failing or maybe it ran on batteries and they were dead. I freaked, to say the least. I asked the restaurant manager to figure out what that noise was and he did, the thermostat above our heads was running on low batteries. Panick Attack, ever had one?

On another note, I have found Farmer E Fo Lee, not far from my house is a little strawberry stand. $17.00 for a flat of the most delicious strawberries you have ever had.

Lot's and lot's of parties and a circus!

2008-06-02T07:24:00.001-07:00

Oki doke, An interview I was a part of for the new PCV Surgeon the hospital is considering (more on that later), 2 B-day parties, a party at the ICU Doctor's house that Carl works with and throw in a circus and we had a full weekend!

Had to share!

2008-05-28T16:26:00.000-07:00

Aden is a climber! At one of his 4 recent B-day parties.

Keep this family in your thoughts

2008-05-26T19:31:00.001-07:00

Sweet Drew is on the slower recovery road after his repair. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Feel free to leave posts here for his family to read as I can print them off and take them to Stanford when i visit them on Wednesday.

Need some verification that I did the right thing.....

2008-05-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

This morning I was at Target getting some presents for several Birthday parties Aden has over the next few days. I happened to be trailing (not intentionally) two moms (not together) who had children that looked to be about 4 years, with them. The children kept wondering off and the mom's were focused on what they were shopping for, not realizing they had "disappeared" for several minutes. Every time I saw these families there was a man with a cowboy hat and a cup of coffee (no cart) not far from where they were. He was watching the little girl with way too much interest, for my comfort level. I happened to be near them many times and he was always there. At one point he smiled at the little girl and gestured a "come here" sign with his hand. I know for a fact he wasn't with any of them. I did find a security guard and told him what I saw and he seemed to take me very seriously. I think I can be vrey observant most of the time and my "gut feeling" is usually right. I really hope that if something was about to happen, I prevented it.

Maybe my paranoia is coming from a book I am reading called The Shack. In any event, I hope I did the right thing..........

Assembly for Grandparents and Finals done!

2008-05-20T18:50:00.000-07:00

Alexia is done with her finals and had a great semester. Today we went shopping at REI so I could use my many REI giftcards I received for my Birthday and then Alexia had to get bloodwork for her INR's.

Aden and the First Grade this morning performed for Grandparents and Parents. They did a assembly for 45 minutes including songs on the flute and many, many verses and songs in German (that in itself was breathtaking). It was a lovely day!

My friend, Andrea's, son is going in for his 3rd open heart surgery on Friday at Stanford. Please keep them in your thoughts, prayers or whatever you do that his surgery/recovery will be uneventful. Frank Hanley, MD will be doing the surgery and Andrea requested Rick Mainwaring, MD to assist. What a team!

They are a wonderful family! Please post some good thoughts on their blog, it would mean alot to them.

Weekend

2008-05-19T06:55:00.000-07:00

We have had some very warm days here in Sacramento and most of the time we were in the pool, either here or in Aden's case, his friend's house. Jonah and family had a new pool put in equipped with waterfalls etc. He has had 3 playdates in a row, he is well loved by his friends. Carl put misters in our backyard, since most of the summer is spent there now it is really cool!

Lexi has been studying for finals that past week and is really stressed. Tomorrow is her last day of finals....wish her luck! She did have some time to take a dip in the pool.

Pools Open

2008-05-15T06:35:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was the First Grade's trip back to the Farm to see Bella's new calf, Mona. Aden found a caterpillar and then we had a 4 hour hike in the 95 degree heat. It was a beautiful but hot day down by the American River. We were filthy dirty and spent by the time we got home.

Fortunately, Carl had our pool ready!!!!!!!!!!!

Birthday's, Mother's Day and School performances

2008-05-11T09:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Carl's b-day. For weeks I have been doing research on bikes. That was what I wanted to get for him. I decided to get the whole family involved and instead of buying smaller gift, we could all chip in on a amazing bike. So I started, College Cyclery, Performance Bikes and REI I finally decided to go with Performance. What a shop! Carl was thrilled and it is a 26 speed bike that is a gorgeous color green. After the bike was presented we got ourselves together and went to Aden's Spring Concert, these children are so talented! Then my mom and Ed took us to Taro's for dinner, which is our favorite place to eat out.

I received this morning this lovely card made by Aden (for Mother's day). We will be having salmon, rice pilaf and a fruit sald for dinner tonight and then onto celebrate my B-day tomorrow. I have a few friends and their children coming over tomorrow after school to have cake and just hang out. Alexia gave me a early B-day gift of a beautiful pair of heart shaped earrings from Sundance.

May is always such a busy month!

Cards!

2008-05-08T11:32:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to receive my mail this morning! My dear friend Amber has started making cards and I put in my order! I ordered 20 cards with a variety of themes and got my first bunch today! What a treat. I cringe when I have to pay $4.95 for a boring greeting card at Target and will buy my cards from now on from Amber.

The photo above is my first bunch!

Have a great weekend........

Name these herbs, A Contest!!

2008-05-05T09:03:00.001-07:00

Oki doki, time for another cooking contest. Above are 4 herbs. Whoever can name them all correctly (and in order from top to bottom) by Midnight May 8th wins a gift bag full of cooking stuff!

Guidelines

In event of a tie, I will randomly pick a winner!

Shipping is free, but I will not ship anywhere other than within the Continental United States and Hawaii.

Requirements & details:no blog required but you must leave an email address so I can contact you if you win.

You must leave your comment by 05/8/08

I will pick a winner early morning on the 9th of May, Good Luck!!

May Day Celebration at Camellia Waldorf School

2008-05-04T08:26:00.000-07:00

The first Saturday of May is CWS's May Day Celebration. We have the traditional May Pole and a May Queen (this year my friend Lorraine). Each class performs for the May Queen and finally the 8th grade does the "weaving of the May Pole". When the celebration ends then it is time for homemade strawberry shortcake. On Friday I picked up 15 flats of organic strawberries from a local farmer. It was a beautiful day!

All hooked up!

2008-05-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

Unhooking time will be 4:00PM today!

Tomorrow

2008-04-29T18:41:00.000-07:00

At 3:30 tomorrow Alexia will go have another 12-lead EKG and then get hooked up to a Holter Monitor for 24 hours. This will watch her rythym as she continues her daily activities and watch for anymore Long QT's or PVC's, PAC's or any other arrythmia that the Sotalol could cause. She is slowly ajusting to the medication and doesn't seem to be as sleepy as she was in the beginning. Please keep her in your thoughts and hope that there is nothing in either test.

Camelliapalooza

2008-04-27T08:29:00.000-07:00

Alexia and I getting ready to leave for the event.

I have got to say this continues to be best event I have ever been to. My friend Lorraine bought the first grade several tables near the front of the room. I am sure we raised near the $100,000 mark. It was incredible.

The first grade (that would be our class) donated a Argentinian Dinner for 12 Saturday, June 21st, to celebrate the Summer Solstice. Experience a traditional asado (barbecue) prepared by Chef Christian Margedant, who will be sharing his favorite family recipes with you and 10-12 of your closest friends The wonderful Argentinian wines will be provided by Sacramento Magazine wine writer and Winery Consultant Elaine Smith, who will offer a dazzling champagne sabering performance. Round out the evening with a special tango performance!

Outside of the Iceland and Jamaica trip, this was one of the most popular live auction items. It finally went for over $2,000.

My item I came home with was a handpainted stool by the Games/Movement teacher Mrs. Ring. See below. It is absolutely beautiful. This was a nice get away for Carl, Lexi and I after a very stressful week.

Me, Lorrie, Lorraine and Svava

Did I ever say how much I love this school and every single person in it?

Lavender doll and silk veil Winner!!

2008-04-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

Wow, I had so many excellent entries, it was very, very hard to choose. There are some really good writers out there! But after pondering most of the morning, I have to say I LOVE CanCan's post. Your Lavender doll and Silk Veil will be mailed on Monday! Please click on the Lavender Doll link and email me the skin/hair color options you would like. Also email me your address. I also was intrigued by the fact that she wanted to give the doll to her son, I love that. Congratulations!!! Her is her post:

I love the felted food, the Organic Cotton Veggie Set in a Crate, and the gnomes! I love all of the stuff: I am a big Waldorf fan. I am bookmarking this store!
I have two boys who I hope to raise with Waldorf principles. Here is a poem I just wrote because you said to be creative and a I really really want to win this doll for my 8-month-old!

For My Boys

Two little acorns
One comes fierce and fast,
Touching, Learning, Asking,
Exploring, Wanting, Needing,
Erupting, Exploding with spirit.
Small but mighty.
The other, sweet and slight.
Observing, Studying, Inquisitive,
Discovering, Waiting, Giving,
Tranquil, Serene, quiet comfort.
Pleasant and Soothing.
Both in the same garden,
Protected and supported,
Cultivated and Encouraged
To be Authentic, True,
Distinctive and Connected
Real.

Tired, tired, tired

2008-04-24T06:14:00.000-07:00

So the 12 lead EKG was a success and her Long QT is better. We arrived at Dr. Andy Juris's office yesterday at 9:00AM at I asked if he was the one seeing Alexia, the office gal said "He came in today just to see her", apparently it was his day off (sweats and all), he is a good guy. The Solatol is making her exhausted. Dr. Juris said her body will eventually get used to it but to take it easy. Try telling her that. She goes back next week for a 48 hour Holter. We did ask if we needed to add EP to our list of Doc's. Dr. Juris feels confident that we can manage her arrythmia's within his practice but if it gets to a point where we can't he will refer us to one.

So all in all, we are doing well. We are both looking forward to our support groups tonight.

Thanks for all your well wishes.

Home again, let the NBA playoffs continue!

2008-04-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

Lexi is home and resting now. She is now on 80 mg of Sotalol twice a day. She will go see her Cardiologist tomorrow at 9:00AM for a 12 lead EKG to watch a long QT, that started after the new med started. Let's not confuse this with the syndrome, this is something that can happen after the Sotalol started but will correct itself. She then will go back next week for a check up and a 24 hour Holter monitor.

When we arrived home we got Carl off to work, Aden had a playdate after school and we promptly fell asleep for nearly 3 hours. My mom picked Aden up as well as dinner for us. We were set for the night.

Please continue with the good thoughts and prayers as we continue with a few more "things" to get our life back to normal once again.

Hospitalization

2008-04-22T06:08:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well. Yesterday was quite the interesting day. Alexia normally calls me through out her days on campus and yesterday she called me and said a few times while sitting in her class she had some "fast heart rate" episodes. She said she thought she was fine though and she would see me at home. I had a meeting at Aden's school and Carl was scheduled to work. When I got into my car after the meeting there was a voice mail on my phone and Carl and her were on their way to the Cardiolgosits for a EKG. Alexia's heart rate had tipped over 200 and it was erratic, time to get checked out. After her EKG the doc sent us to Sutter Memorial's ER. The Cardiologist came in as well as the E.P.. They had tried 2 doses of Solatol and then decided something else had to be done. The arrythmia she was in was Atrial Flutter and then next step was a cardioversion. The E.P., Cardiologist, R.T. and a couple nurses were in the room. Prophathol was administered and the "shock" took place. It worked and within 10 minutes she was back to a beautiful sinus rhythm. Alexia is now back on a Sotalol and they will need to monitor her beacause sometimes this med can cause arrythmia's.

One of the perks of Carl working for SMH was she got a private, luxury room with one on one nursing on 4th floor telemetry. I am sure this is a room that they use for celebrities, athletes etc. I will be heading over there now and will post later when I find out find out the plan.

A Toy Garden Bloggy Giveaway

2008-04-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

I am going to do something I have never done before. Everyone knows I love to hold contests on my Blog but this time I am participating in the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival.

I have a absolute favorite on-line toy store that I shop at for any younger children toys. A Toy Garden has high quality toys run by a SAHM. To enter this contest you must browse through this on-line store and leave a comment about it. Please be creative. I will pick the most creative post and that person will win a lavender baby doll wrapped in a blue silk veil.

Guidelines

Shipping is free, but I will not ship anywhere other than within the Continental United States and Hawaii.

Requirements & details:no blog required but you must leave an email address so I can contact you if you win.

You must leave your comment by 04/25/08

I will pick a winner early morning on the 26th of April

Calling all bakers!

2008-04-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

Alexia is planning her next Teen/Young Adult Support Group and wants to take a treat. She is looking for a tried and true Blondie (brownies) recipe. She would prefer a box mix but will also take something simple from scratch. If she picks your suggestion, she will make you (and mail you, if applicable) a batch.

Thankyou for your help!

The Four Temperaments. Which one are you (or your child)?

2008-04-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

The Sanguine
The sanguine temperament is an extroverted temperament. The child lacks the fiery inner purpose of the choleric and is activated more by what is going on around her. She has difficulty in concentrating on one thing for long and a new event easily distracts her. This restless changeability can be a bane for parents and teachers. A sanguine is often light-footed and rhythmical, but also light-headed and light-hearted. The interest she shows in everything makes her popular and a good social bridge-builder. Parties are great fun for her and she is seldom alone. Her face is expressive and mobile and her eyes easily sparkle. She is more likely to have curly hair than straight. It is hard for her to bear antipathy from a friend or an adult, for she is most herself when she feels loved. In extreme forms, the sanguine can appear superficial and may be unable to concentrate on a game or to amuse herself for long. It is good to encourage the sanguine to stick to a task.

The Choleric
Choleric is an extroverted temperament and the child likes to assert himself. He is usually ready to tackle a job which would make others pause. He is not shy, but looks at you with a steady gaze. He walks with a firm step. His will to be out in front marks him as a leader. He likes to have the main role in a play or to organise others. He can inspire the group to complete a difficult task. It is not unusual to see him red with anger and with eyes flashing. This temperament likes to win but seldom bears a grudge. Opposing the Will of such a child generally gets the parent nowhere. He needs to be appreciated and given things to do which challenge him and use up his excessive energy. He learns best from people who can do things well and whom he can admire. He doesn’t easily learn from his mistakes. If guided well the choleric brings initiative and originality to his play. The temperament is fiery and this show in his paintings, where strong colours, especially red, and strong forms dominate.

The Phlegmatic
Phlegmatic is an introverted temperament. This child doesn’t easily connect with what is going on around her, for her interest is not easily aroused. Eating may be a prime attraction and she may be rounded and clumsy. She is generally easy to bring up, so she may not get the attention she needs. She enjoys comfort and doting parents may over-indulge her. She needs to be stimulated to action or to take interest. She is generally placid and doesn’t anger except when extremely frustrated. She is methodical, keeping her things in order unless she is so spoiled that, for the sake of comfort, she abandons her orderly ways. She can be counted on to do what she sets out to do, although speed is no object. She has a certain stubbornness, making her resistant to new ideas. She adores routine. Her love for food makes her gain weight and parents should impose a sensible diet. She needs to be encouraged to join in with other children and to try new activities. When she has found and interest in others, the phlegmatic is loyal and steadfast.

The Melancholic
This child experiences his physical body as somewhat of a burden. Instead of moving with a light skip (sanguine) or a firm step (choleric), he drags his feet. A minor physical injury causes excessive pain and while he likes others to know this, he doesn’t want to be consoled. Cold water is to be avoided for he needs warmth. He usually avoids social life and prefers to play by himself. Remarks easily wound and are long remembered. When surrounded by different goings on, he chooses what interests him and is not diverted by other things. He gives himself up easily to his own-world fantasies, which tend to be rich. This pre-occupation with his own world appears very egocentric and further increases his isolation. But it is an isolation which he appreciates. This inner concentration gives the melancholic a special depth and understanding which parents can appreciate. He also asks profound questions about God or death. Such lonely souls need a great deal of love and understanding, but too much sympathy is unhelpful, for he is to some extent in love with his own suffering. Making him aware of others can often help to take him out of his self-centredness. While he never wants to be the heart and soul of the party, he appreciates a warm social environment.

My feelings (Whether you want to hear them or not)

2008-04-16T06:33:00.000-07:00

At a recent Parent Meeting we talked about competitive sports, in children, under 6th grade. Our family does not get involved in them neither does 80% of our school and you can see a difference in the children who do participate in them. I could go on and on but would like you to read the article below which sums it up in a nutshell.

PS: Obviously I have struck a nerve with some. My only hopes on this Blog is to write about my feelings, I realize not everyone is going to agree with me and that is ok (nobody is pressuring anyone to read it, you all come back cause you want to). Yes, Aden played T-ball for 2 weeks 2 years ago and it was just not for us. This is a Blog, not a newspaper.

Baseball day

2008-04-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

Today was a wonderful day! Aden had his friend Jonah over and my girlfriend, Lorraine, invited us to a Rivercats game (baseball). She had a suite and we ate and cheered for a few hours. We had a great time and I just adore her! Below are some photos from today.

Leave it to a 22-year-old!

2008-04-09T15:47:00.001-07:00

Today Alexia and I were talking about mine and Carl's upcoming B-days, May 10th (Carl's)and May 12th(mine). I insisted that I will be 44 and she insisted 45, of course, she was right. She has been planning to throw a Birthday Bash for this milestone B-day and I should know not to question her memory.

On another note. Carl and my 9th anniversary is approaching on the 17th of April. He is a amazing man and has taught me so much, so much came out of that scary hospital stay in 1997. We are trying to decide if we should take the Harley to Amador for dinner or stay close to home.

How did you celebrate your last anniversary? Anything unique or dare I ask.......

Double Outlet Right Ventricle

2008-04-04T16:41:00.000-07:00

My favorite surgeon in the world, Dr. Rick Mainwaring recently explained Lexi's defect and repair to me. I "kinda" new but really didn't have a full understanding. Leave it to this man to explain something so perfectly.....

There are many types of DORV, everything from a close cousin to Tetralogy of Fallot, to the version that Alexia has (more complex, obviously) to some types where they are single ventricle patients. If the patient had a Kawashima, then they are almost certainly in the single ventricle category. Many patients with heterotaxy have DORV, and most of the heterotaxy/DORV patients need the single ventricle route of management. Parenthetically, it is our current belief that all patients with a Kawashima should have completion of their Fontan, a recommendation that we would not necessarily have made 10 years ago.

Alexia had a complex form of DORV, but had two well developed ventricles, so could go a two ventricle route. She had what is called an apical-aortic conduit—there is no name attached to this procedure, and it is not done very often anymore.

I am sure that it seems confusing that the name DORV, which sounds like it should be a single entity, turns out to be anything but. It would be analogous to calling something a car—that could turn out to be a Mercedes or a Hugo.

The reason I asked Dr. M this question, was because, I am emailed, almost daily, by families of children with DORV, trying to find out what Alexia had done.

Did I ever tell you how much I love this man??????

Alexia and Aden at the Zoo

Consumnes River Preserve

2008-03-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

Aden and Jonah on one of our day trips.

Hippie!

2008-03-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

You are a Hippie

You are a total hippie. While you may not wear birks or smell of incense, you have the soul of a hippie.

You don't trust authority, and you do as you please. You're willing to take a stand, even when what you believe isn't popular.

You like to experiment with ideas, lifestyles, and different subcultures.

You always gravitate toward what's radical and subversive. Normal, mainstream culture doesn't really resonate with you.

Are You a Hippie?

Tested

2008-03-30T14:17:00.000-07:00

Some of the things that have happened this past week have really tested my committment to Peds Cardiology! I was recently reemed by a family and have just learned that someone, whom I love, is not going to be part of the heart program anymore. The latter was a killer to me. I am not sure what to do. It has been a very crappy week!

Aden's Quest

2008-03-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

Many of you know how much Aden loves the river. He could spend most of his days at the American River, which is near our house. After talking about doing something to help others, he decided he would like to spend the day at the American River cleaning up. Thursday, April 3rd we are going to visit the American River, equipped with garbage bags and spend the day cleaning. We are looking for pledges for www.friendsoftheriver.org in helping 2-fold. We will try to make the American River cleaner while raising money to make a donation to them. We are looking for pledges per hour or per bag of garbage or a flat pledge, please specify.

Thankyou to all for your support!!!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

I got this idea from Awesome Mom, thankyou!

I am stuffing my kids Easter Baskets and usually give them minimal candy and the rest toys or appropriate stuff for a 22-year-old-kid. What do you put in your kids Easter Baskets?

Be so happy that it is 2008 and not 1985

2008-03-20T06:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, if I have finished my current book I am reading and my husband is at work, I take some time to poke through different heart blogs that are out there. I did just this last night and it is amazing to me how many families are awaiting their 3rd surgery, be it the Fontan or a repair. The waiting game. Oh, how I don't envy any of you but what could I do to make it easier? Absolutely nothing. One blog I read, Eka's blog talked about the 5-year-mark, which I have always thought, with any complex heart defect, if you can reach that age, things will surely be fine. It was good to read that someone else out there was thinking that (she many have a different interpretation). I am so thankful we are where we are now, Alexia has done amazing well, but if I had to choose, I would have wanted a baby born, with a complex heart defect, in the year 2008 rather then 1985, with everything that has changed in the world of Pediatric Heart Surgery.

I want to tell everyone, "It will all be ok!!", "Your children will be fine!" It will just be hell getting there.

Alexia and her PC, Andy Juris, after her repair in 1990.

Alexia, Summer 2007

Yay!!!!!!!!

2008-03-19T05:59:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: We received word at 4:45 pm today, March 18, that the girls have been located. Grace is now back in Sacramento with her family tonight. Masha has been located and we're hoping to have her home tomorrow. The family thanks everyone who has helped to find them, and sent thoughts and prayers and love throughout. We will have more details tomorrow and will share them then.

www.whereisgrace.com

Grace

2008-03-17T10:06:00.000-07:00

A Family we have known since Alexia was 5 recently lost their daughter. No, she didn't pass away, lured away is what they think.

Here is last night's KCRA story on 15-year-old Grace. Also, the family has set up a website in hopes of finding her, www.whereisgrace.com.

Please keep this family in your thoughts.

Very, very cool

2008-03-16T17:50:00.001-07:00

This was our view from our front yard. The Blue Angels were visiting Sacramento and had a all weekend show. They were pretty spectacular and very fun to watch.

Winners!

2008-03-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

3 ladies guessed what exactly what was in the blender. Awesome Mom, Jennifer Yates (my son's teacher) and Andrea. It was a pesto sauce that I used for stuffed chicken breasts that evening. They were stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes and mozerella drizzled with pesto. Delicious. All the ladies win a rocket shaped spatula (see above)! I thought they were darling. Now, an extension of the contest. If you can guess how I made the pesto creamy (without adding any extra ingredients)you will win a bonus prize.

Good luck!

What is it??

2008-03-07T17:00:00.000-08:00

What is it?? Whoever guesses the right answer wins a cool prize. If there are more then one people who guess the right answer, all the correct guessers win a prize!

Decision Making

2008-03-05T15:10:00.000-08:00

How do you help somebody make the most important decision of their lives? Most of you know that I belong to a parent group, Hearts of Hope and have developed some friendships with amazing women. One in particular, Andrea and her husband Dan, have a huge decision to make. They must choose a Surgeon to fix their son, Drew's, little heart. They have received a few opinions, but not one of these physicians is willing to tell them what they must do. Andrea and Dan are very educated people and are amazing advocates for Drew but when it comes down to it, they need to decide and this decision will be one that is with them forever. I wake up thinking about them and go to bed thinking about them, I can't imagine what they are going through. I really can't, because the decision was made for us when Alexia had her repair 18 years ago. Only 2 people would touch her and both would do the same thing.

Thinking of you both, 24-7, as the saying goes. I adore you!

Spanking; Good or Bad

2008-03-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

In the 22-years that I have been a parent, I have never spanked, I may have thought about it but never did. I just never could justify that way of parenting. I was never spanked as a child and maybe that type of parenting just spilled over into my parenting. Fortunately, I surround my self with like-minded moms and dads who are the most patient people that I know.

I follow the same rule: "Discipline" doesn't mean punishment. In fact, it comes from the same root as "disciple,"--you want your child to follow you (through love and devotion), into right action.

I do think that having a pretty mellow, sweet and good mannered seven-year-old is because I follow this way of thinking. But sometimes I wonder what the 9-year-old change will bring because I have heard some stories!

So the reason I have decided to post about this is because of a study I recently read on msn.com, Spanking Raises Chances of Risky, Deviant Sexual Behavior. Now I am curious what you all have to say.....

Below are some pictures of Aden's first field trip to a local Bio-Dynamic Farm. They were able to visit Bella, a pregnant cow due to give birth early March, feed her fennel and help get the sheep out to pasture for grazing. They visited the chickens, learned about the bee hives and were able to pick some broccolli for a snack. We then went on a long walk towards the American River, stopped and had lunch, climbed up to a very steep rock hill and then the class decided they wanted a very hefty fallen branch back to the top, so "heaved" it up and made it (no small feat)! We then walked to a very old oak tree but the class decided they would rather climb a burned down tree and they were covered from head to toe in ash. It was an amazing day!

Couldn't Resist!

2008-02-19T17:06:00.000-08:00

I think I have shared with you that at my son's school part of the first grade curriculum is making knitting needles and then learning to knit. This morning, before going off to the gym, I found my husband teaching himself how to knit. Now he can share this experience with Aden. Time for me to get crackin'.

Still Reminiscing

2008-02-09T20:26:00.001-08:00

This is a digital photo of a photo from a camera, I'm sure, is not made anymore. About 19-years-ago, this picture was taken of Alexia, soon after I left my first husband. We moved into my mom's house and were just setting up Dr.'s, PT, OT etc and feeling very comfortable! I had to share this one because this was when my life started to change for the better......I never turned back.........

Happy CHD Day and Valentine's day!

Oranges

2008-02-05T19:17:00.000-08:00

Anybody want a bag, picked from Farmer Aden?

Reminiscing

2008-02-03T09:38:00.000-08:00

I am in a reminiscing sort of mood today. I googled Alexia's surgeon, who did her repair 18+ years ago, Dr. Hillel Laks. It wasn't untill our last support group meeting, did I really realize what an amazing accomplishment actually took place. When Alexia had this repair in 1989, pediatric open heart surgery was still very new. I am sure this was an experimental surgery. I remember it being a very long day, close to a 14 hour surgery. I remember the next day, was a critcal day with 2 codes. I remember 4 weeks later going home. Do you know how much I would like to thank him personally, but he probably doesn't even remember us. I want to do something for him (remember he is 8 hours from us) and I hope you can help me. I want him to remember the day he fixed Lexi and him to know how much I am thankful. I need ideas. Post ideas here and If I use one (or more) of them, you will win a Valentine goodie bag/box.

Heart Stuff

2008-01-31T06:41:00.000-08:00

About 6 months ago Amber and I decided we needed a real life, face to face support group for families of children with congenital heart disease. I met Amber a little more then a year ago, on line, when she started seeking out support for her son, Logan, who has congenital heart disease. With the blessing of certain professionals and a monthly free room at Sutter Memorial Hospital, we had our first meeting. 7 ladies showed up and we had a great time. Tonight is our next meeting, with over 35 people signed up to come, we have Rick Mainwaring, MD, Pediatric CV Surgeon and Adult with Congenital Heart Disease, Surgeon speaking. Our group is called Hearts of Hope and the ladies in this group are fabulous. In addition, Cynthia Hubert, feature writer for the Sacramento Bee, contacted me and wants to also come tonight and do a full on feature spread in the paper. It feels so good being able to give back to families just starting this journey. I wish there was more for me 22-years ago, when I ws just starting. But now, I will focus on helping........

Hummingbird

2008-01-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

Did I ever post that my husband is an artist? Outside of the job he has as a PICU Nurse, to make money, he also is a really good painter. He has beautiful paintings, alot sold, but some unable to sell (I wouldn't let him) like this one. I have some that are near and dear to my heart, that no sum of money could take them away from me.

I can't wait for Spring, this painting reminds me of it. What do you think?

Geographical High

2008-01-26T08:22:00.000-08:00

I recently peeked into another Blog I follow, Life's A Stitch as the writer was talking about geographical highs. She is in BC, I, in California. I have only traveled to a few places worth writing about but the most beautiful place I have been to, so far, is in California. My family went to Trinidad for my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary. It was spectacular!

Where is your geographical high?