Thursday, May 10, 2018

Nana sews a dress for Maddy's school play Goldilocks

Maddy got chosen to be Goldilocks for her school's kindergarten play! 


And since Nana has a sewing machine and knows how to sew Maddy calls her up telling her she needs a Goldilocks dress.   And of course Nana jumps into action.  Cause that is what Nana's do...


First the perfect yellow material has to be found.  And the pattern pieces from the above pattern has to be taken out of the package and instructions read and thread has to be found and what other necessary things the pattern says you will need to make this creation.  


Nana actually ended up combining two different patterns to make this dress happen.  


And an apron was made to wear with it too.  



Maddy had to try it on to make sure it would fit and not be too short.  I'm guessing she thinks being able to sew is some kind of magic.   Maybe when she is older I can teach her to sew.  Didn't work with her momma.   Something about the machine running away with her.  I keep saying go slow on the pedal and everything will be fine.  And keep your fingers out of the way.  Her mama isn't buying it.... 


and of course since the yellow tulips were in bloom we had to have a photo shoot.  


She decided not to wear the apron and I think the dress looks just as cute without it.  Here she is in front of her school.  Do you see why they chose her for the part of Goldilocks?  Wonder how many other little girls there were in the class with long, curly blonde locks of hair?  I'm guessing she won that part hands down...


I was concerned she would be too bashful to get in front of the crowds and say her lines but she did it like a pro.  The dress must have done the trick!  Isn't she adoreable up there?


I'm thinking she is thoroughly enjoying being the center of attention in her pretty yellow dress.  You go Goldilocks and work that crowd!

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Heart of a Fighter

February is American Heart Month and for most of us this brings to mind adults with cardiovascular disease, but there is another group that is often completely overlooked.

They are the children whose lives have been shattered by congenital heart disease. They cannot run and play like other kids. Their parents live in constant fear of them having cardiac arrest, stroke or worse. They have experienced open heart surgeries, heart catheters, MRIs, X-Rays, echocardiograms, transplants, physical therapy, and more IVs and blood draws than they can count. They are children whose childhood has been stolen and have been made wise well beyond their years.

"Congenital Heart Defect" -- three words that I had probably heard in passing but never paid much attention to until March 13, 2009. That morning I was headed to the hospital for a scheduled C-Section and everything went smoothly until my son was born. He immediately had problems breathing and was placed on oxygen and transferred to St. John's in Joplin. I was able to briefly touch his hand before he left and then did not see him again for two days. My plans of snuggling and enjoying the first hours of my baby's life flew out the window.

Then we were told something that I can still hear as clearly as the day it was said: "We think there's something wrong with his heart."

At St. John's he was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect called transposition of the great arteries and he was transferred by jet to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. We had chosen the name Kaden Shiloh for him, Kaden means "fighter" and Shiloh means "place of peace." The names and their meanings became even more special to us when we realized what he was facing.


Transposition of the great arteries occurs during early pregnancy, around eight weeks, while the heart is forming. The aorta and pulmonary artery are switched. Instead of the blood circulating and mixing like it is supposed to, the blood coming from the body to the heart never receives oxygen and the oxygen rich blood coming from the lungs never goes out to the body.

Kaden was very lucky in that he had an additional defect that created a hole between the chambers in his heart and allowed for some mixing of blood. When he was less than 24 hours old he had a balloon atrial septostomy which created a larger hole in his heart and allowed us some more time before he had to have surgery.

My husband Steve followed Kaden to Joplin and then to Kansas City, while I stayed behind to recover. Two days later I arrived in Kansas City and was able to hold my baby for the first time. He looked so perfect. If it wasn't for the wires and IV line, I wouldn't have been able to tell there was anything wrong with him. We were able to spend the next week and half rocking and holding him as much as we wanted. We spent a lot of time talking to doctors and nurses and searching the Internet for information. The surgery that Kaden needed was called an arterial switch and had a 96 percent success rate.

When he was 12 days old, we kissed our son goodbye and watched as he was wheeled to the operating room. His surgery was supposed to take 4-6 hours and we could do nothing but wait. After four hours, a nurse came out to tell us that Kaden's heart condition was more complicated than they had realized and that the surgeon didn't think he was going to be able to repair his heart. She told us that Kaden's heart would not be able to sustain life.

The next several hours were a blur while we waited for more news. Finally, the nurse came back to tell us that the surgeon had been able to do "something" and she wasn't even sure what it was, but that he thought he had been able to fix Kaden's heart. After an 11-hour surgery Kaden's heart was again beating on its own and he was taken to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. We later learned that Kaden's surgeon, Dr. James O'Brien, never once left the operating room during those 11 hours and we are so thankful that he wasn't willing to give up on our son.

Kaden recovers from the lifesaving surgery. Kaden means "fighter."
Later that night as we sat in Kaden's room his heart stopped beating. The doctor rushed in and began performing CPR and a chaplain came to pray for Kaden. After several minutes Kaden's heart was again beating on its own and we knew we had witnessed Kaden's second miracle of the day.

The next morning Kaden began improving and every day after that he was a little better until two weeks later when we were able to take him home.



Today, Kaden amazes us at how "normal" he is. He still has pulmonary stenosis and an enlarged aortic root which his cardiologist continues to monitor. Otherwise, he is a very healthy and happy little boy.

He loves running and playing with balls and we hope that he will be able to play sports someday. He has a long white scar running down his chest and every time we see it we are reminded of what a miracle he is.


According to the CDC, Congenital Heart Defects are the most common types of birth defects affecting nearly 40,000 infants each year in the United States. Some CHDs are preventable but most are not. Many of these children never get a chance to live a normal life, if they get to live at all.

The biggest way we can help these children is by raising awareness so that additional funding can be obtained.


New research needs to be done to find ways to help those affected by CHD's and maybe someday even find a way to prevent them.

-Rachel       

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Sous Vide Egg Bites

I made my 3rd meal in the Instant Pot today. Everyone raves about Sous Vide Egg Bites on the Instant Pot facebook page so I had to try them. They were a HUGE hit with my family. I'll be making these every Sunday from now on to keep in the fridge for breakfast throughout the week. You will need some 4 oz. jars. I got a dozen from Walmart for around $8.



Sous Vide Egg Bites:

4 large eggs
3 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup half & half
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
4 4 oz jars


Spray jars with cooking spray and divide crumbled bacon among them. 

Add all other ingredients to a blender and and blend for 5-10 seconds.

Pour egg mixture into each jar, dividing evenly. 

Cover the jars loosely with foil.

Add 1 cup to 1 1/2 cup of water to bottom of Instant Pot.

Set jars in Instant Pot.

Turn on the Steam Setting and set for 8 minutes. 

After the 8 minutes, then allow Instant Pot to Natural Release for 10 minutes.

Remove jars from Instant pot and allow to cool for 3-4 minutes.

Tip jar upside down on a plate for a few seconds to remove egg bite. 

Enjoy!


Experiment with different types of cheeses, sausage, ham, even veggies. 



Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Instant Pot Tomato Soup

I recieved an Instant Pot for Christmas. I made boiled eggs and then let it sit on the counter for about a week until I was brave enough to try making something. We have had some cold weather and snow this week so I decided to try a Tomato Soup recipe. It turned out great!



Start out by chopping up some carrots and yellow onions and cook using the Saute option.


Next add tomatoes and other ingredients and pressure cook for 5 minutes. 


After the pressure has released, use a blender to puree the soup and then add the half & half. 


Add some crusty cheese bread and enjoy on a cold day!

Recipe:

Instant Pot Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp of dried Basil
8 oz. chopped baby carrots
8 oz chopped yellow onion
1 cup of chicken broth
6 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
1 tbs parmesan cheese
1 tbs sugar
1 cup half & half

Using the saute feature, cook carrots, basil, and onions in the olive oil until the onions start to get soft and translucent. 
Add all remaining ingredients except half & half and use the Manual setting for 5 minutes and allow to Natural Release.
Use an immersion blender to puree soup and then add in half & half. 
Serve with your favorite Tomato Soup sides and toppings!

Note: We are not huge Basil fans. You can definitely add more if you are!