Monday, December 31, 2018

It's A Major Award ~ Leg Lamp Addition.

Every year, Darren and I try to discard Christmas decor that is old or broken. Our styles have also changed and our financial abilities to purchase new things, as we get older, has become much more possible and flexible. With that being said, we try to add something NEW each year.  This year, we spotted a LARGE leg lamp at Bed, Bath, and Beyond! It was pricey, but we HAD TO HAVE IT!
After we put it up, we started getting direct messages and texts from neighbors and others who know where we live and just happened to be driving by. LOL! People LOVED it!
 
AND WE LOVE IT TOO!
And then, we had Jax reenact the scene in the movie! Hehe!
#Fragile

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Goodbye Christmas!

Man O' Day! We NORMALLY take down all of our Christmas decorations on December 31st, but this year we were able to get it done EARLY! So our home is empty, but I am relieved that it is ALL DONE!  That's a "wrap" Christmas! 
AND this is why I have already broken my promise to you all that I would post every day.  It haunted me, it really did, but between undecorating and my little sisters being here... I felt those things were BIGGER proprieties.  I am excited to post not ONCE, but maybe even four times tomorrow!  Stay tuned....
PS.  I am already decorated for Valentine's Day! True story!!! Here is a small sneak peak.

Friday, December 28, 2018

Guess Who's Back?

Although I haven't discussed the entire Jersey Finger injury just yet, I MUST start with the day that Ty was actually released by Dr. Apel. A few weeks prior to his possible release date, we had an appointment with Dr. Apel and Ty expressed his desires and recovery goals. Ty desired to be able to play AT LEAST half of the basketball season for his middle school team. Ty's injury happend on September 6th, the surgery took place on September 11th, and from that point forward we were told that a full recovery takes a MINIMUM of 12 weeks. Sigh... November 19th was 9 weeks and 6 days. At this visit, Dr. Apel looked at Ty and said, "Your mom and dad care about your well being for the next 10 years, but I care about your well being for a lifetime.  You have all the time in the world to play ball. We have got to get this finger right and putting you back on the court too soon could cause long term damaging effects!" He made NO promises to Tyson and truly gave us the impression that his goals and desires would not be met.  He did NOT want to give us any false hope.  AND I didn't want to give Ty any false hope either, but on the morning of his appointment, the appointment that we were banking on hearing those words, "Go play ball!", I had to set up the breakfast table with some preconceived notions that it was going to happen! I don't think there is anything wrong in staying in the positive, do you?
 I decorated the kitchen in Glenvar colors, a basketball tablescape, and displayed Ty's jersey number, #5.
I am not going to lie, I wasn't sure if I could handle the smiles from him seeing this setup and then the huge let down if Dr. Apel told him that he still needed more therapy/time.
Regardless, what I had hoped Ty really saw in this pre-celebratory breakfast was a mom who believed in him!
Breakfast was nothing fancy.  Half the time my kids can barely make it down before the bus arrives.  It never used to be that way, but now that they are getting older and now that they are so involved in extracirculars, their bedtime is later, so their wake time is more difficult. I served mini pancakes, representing basketballs, and turned his bacon into a #5.
I also served clementines, representing basketballs, and ORANGE juice.
I am so pleased with how it all turned out.
Off to occupational therapy we go! Our therapist, Amy, and NOW LipSense customer worked with Ty, on what we had hoped would be his last appointment. She measured him and told him, "I can't see why you wouldn't be released!" Eek! She knows her stuff, but she isn't the doctor, so we felt ONE STEP CLOSER, but still had to hear the words form the doc.
Before the appointment with Dr. Apel, Ty had a session in the fluidotherapy machine. Towards the end of his occupational therapy, he was using this machine at each visit.  
It was hard to capture Ty's hand inside of this machine because of the glare, but this machine was really interesting to learn about and witness do it's magic on Ty's injury. This fluidotherapy machine circulates warm, ground corn husks around the extremities at 114 degrees.   
With NO guarantee that Ty would be released, we still took a photo of Amy and Ty together.  I hate that I didn't look at the photo before leaving. I'm sorry, Amy, that I captured you with your eyes closed, but you are still looking gorgeous as ever with that full face of SeneGence products on.  :)
Then upstairs, to see Dr. Apel we went! He is a cool doctor. He's very matter of fact, intelligent, funny, personable, AND very serious about giving his patients the BEST care, instruction, and advise.  He refuses to release anyone until a full recovery is made.  Again, we were told from the VERY GET GO that Ty's recovery would be very intense, long, AND a minimum of 12 weeks. BUT, on week 9 and day 6, Ty was RELEASED TO PLAY BALL!
 Ty had to make that call to his dad and tell him the good news!
Dr. Apel asked Ty what he desired and his wish was granted AND NOT BECAUSE it was what Ty wanted, but because Ty had made a BIG ENOUGH recovery to be truly be released. Ty was also released from occupational therapy in addition to doing his exercises that he had been doing EVERY WAKING TWO HOURS, ON THE DOT. Doctor's orders were to just not "hang on the basketball net" because that's the other way that people typically get jersey finger. Fortunately, Ty is not tall enough to hang off the net yet.
Later that day, just as Ty had hoped and dreamed, Ty played in his FIRST basketball game and scored over 27 points! He was ON FIRE!!!!! And we were so proud and oh so excited to see our boy back on the court.
His season has since ended, but I received a phone call from the JV coach, two Fridays ago.  He invited ONE player to move up and play on the JV team.  Guess who they chose????? TY!!!!!! They were even out of jerseys and the coach special ordered one for him! God is so good!!!!!
After Ty's game, he returned home to a celebratory dinner.  Sadly, I wasn't home.  I was at the theater with Lilah. I made a homemade lasagna and cheesecake! 
 #SoFun #EveryLittleThingIsABIGDeal

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Christmas Dinner - 2018!

On Christmas Day, I always cook for our family of five. It's hard because I'm exhausted, the house is flipped upside down, and my kids go almost 12 hours without eating, from the excitement... so they are starving by dinner time, but truthfully, I don't feel like cooking.  BUT I DO!

This year, I made a one "POT" meal!  I made homemade, chicken parmesan, SNOWMAN lasagna rolls.  Lasagna is always so time consuming to me, but making it in a "roll up" fashion is so much easier.  

First, using a biscuit cutter, cut circles of pasta out of the lasagna noodles.  Layer them in the bottom of a glass dish. Be sure to line the dish with sauce first. I made my homemade marinara. Next, spread a mixture of ricotta cheese, shredded chicken, sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Roll up the lasagna noodle.
Carefully place each roll up into the dish.  Basically, "stand" it up. Place another circle shaped noodle on top.
The second circle noodle helps the final layer of ricotta and mozzarella cheese to rest on top! Spread a little ricotta and mozzarella cheese on top.  
Design a snowman face that is pleasing to you.  Using a straw, pop out enough black olives for the eyes and mouth.  I didn't have enough patience to make a mouth and felt the snowman looked just as cute with just the eyes and nose. The nose is a baby carrot cut in half. Cook at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.  
I am so tickled with how perfect they came out! I layered our plate with sauce and topped the snowman with sauce once everyone saw the end result. That's ALL I served.  No bread, no salad, nothing else.  It had everything you needed inside: carbs, protein, dairy, and veggies.  LOL!


*From this day forward, I promise to deliver a new blog post daily, so even if that means working out of order, just because that's the post I have time for... I will deliver something to you! I must document and that's why I started blogging in the first place. I will never go two months without posting... EVERY AGAIN!*

Sunday, December 23, 2018

Annie, The Musical, Orphan Gifts!

I'm clearly working a little backwards, but hey... I'm BLOGGING again.  LOL!  When you are involved in theater or any tight knit community event, you spend a ton of time together.  The bond is very unique.  You have quite a bit of down time, if you are not in the show the ENTIRE TIME. SO, Lilah not only had the experience of a lifetime by getting to do ANNIE, at Attic Productions, but she ALSO was able to meet so many new friends.  It was very hard to say goodbye.  We wanted to leave our orphan friends with some sweet mementos from us related to the play.

Since it is close to Christmas, I wanted it to be all about Annie with a touch of Christmas! So I stuffed everything into a Santa tin from the Dollar Tree. 
I purchased a collection of shortbread cookies from a woman NO WHERE close to home.  As soon as I retrieve her info, I will place it here.  She is INCREDIBLE AND CAN do ANYTHING, cookie wise, that I know of! The cookies were an NYC scene, Annie with Sandy the Dog, the iconic Annie dress, and just Annie's name.  I can't even pick ONE favorite. I love them ALL.
Inside the Santa bucket, I reused the cutest "Hard Knock Life Buckets" that I use forLilah's OPENING NIGHT, PREPARTY, (still to be posted about...) that I created just for her.  These are truly the PERFECT addition to ANY ANNIE themed party.  I just inserted a little chocolate cash and gold coins to sorta go with the "Daddy Warbuck's" million theme.   
Each bucket came complete with a "mop"  Oh I as obsessed with these.  I purchased them from the cutest little ETSY shop called, Festiva Party Design.
Each girl received a special Annie locket from Justice.  I desperately wanted to buy ALL of the girls the same locket.  I loved the red locket featured below, but they didn't have 12 lockets all the same.  The only other thing working against me were that some of the orphans were slightly older and I believe the red locket may have been a little too childlike for them.  SO, I purchased a nice selection of them.
Our Daddy Warbuck's, Jeff, was just the sweetest man EVER! It was hard seeing him in such a touch/bold character, for a time, but eventually his heart was moved towards the love he had for Annie and eventually became a softy.  Hehe.  I am not saying he is a softy in real life, but he is a sweetheart.  I designed a million dollar, Russle Stover, chocolate bar after him.  
More cookies and lockets....
Finally, each girl received ONE collectors pin related to a scene in the Annie musical.  These were also so amazing that I could NOT pick a favorite.  I did however buy Lilah every single orphan pin.  This was her LAST ANNIE gift! Since the show was three weekend, back to back, each opening night, I gifted her something special.  Stay tuned... YES! I will share each gift.  NOT ONE is better than the other. They are all unique and sentimental. These pins were also found on an ETSY shop called, Musical Keepsakes. "Oh My Goodness", literally, if you are in theater or have a family member or friend in theater... this is the ETSY SHOP for YOU! She has ENDLESS, creative, unique, and sentimental gifts for all ages.
And there you have it.  It was truly the sweetest bucket of Annie goodies I could have imagined giving out.  The orphans, young and old, were so very appreciative.  We even saw "Molly" out the other day and she had her necklace on.  Momma said, "She barely takes it off!"
I attached this little tag to each bucket! 
 
That morning, our elves left MINI Annie cookies in the car, the "Oh My Goodness" pin, and a Sandy the Dog ornament from Altard State.  Man those elves are creative and have amazing taste in stores [insert crying emoji here].
Lilah wished for ONE thing from Santa.  She wished for a sister.  I think this production beat what Santa could ever give to her.  She not only received one new sister, she received 11 new sisters.  This was the greatest experience to date, since she's been alive.  I am not sure anything will ever top this. Ok, we all know there are more good things to come, but this is a HUGE moment in both HER LIFE and MINE.