Yep, That's what I'm Talking About!

We start by eating ; )

This one was called, 

That's Just Peachy

Reason being ~ we had a few problems with it. Apparently, people still liked this bad boy!

I don't personally like peach pie.

That same night, after the Peach ~ we created this epic fail! It was a made up pie, and aside from the awesome cookie crust and the whip cream....let's just say ~ it was trashed.

I can't tell you the names for this one. They were too nasty to publish. I'll give you our G rated version though...

She Wore a Raspberry Sorbet Pie

 Not to be confused with our, She Wore a Raspberry Beret Pie
(which was the best pie EVA)

This was us trying to somehow fix it. Adding whip cream and chocolate to anything seemed like a reasonable attempt to us ; )

Next up ~ I always wanted to try these Mason Jar pies. We had left over pumpkin cream cheese mix, so I gave it a whirl.

Pumpkin Pie in a Pot!?!

I added some whip cream, and these came out really good!

My mom saw these on a show and wanted me to give them a try. I had some left over chocolate ganache, so I did. 

Chempenada Por Tu'

Although it sprung a leak, it was really good!

 Dave chowed the whole thing down (sans one starter bite) and brought the empty plate back in from the office. I said, hey! Where's my bites?!? He said he thought I made two, and was eating mine in the kitchen!

We're getting pretty creative at sneaking baked goods ; )

This would be Round Two of the ~

Mmm....Mmm...Good....Chocolatey Chocolate Pie! 

Beautiful, and tasted great, but oozed out the sides. 

Grrrr!!!!!  Those darn cream pies!

This is the one we made, as I was blogging at all hours of last night.

I'm sure you could tell by how many Beatles and John Lennon quotes I sprinkle throughout this blog, I'm a huge fan. So much so, that my whole room, floor to ceiling, in high school was -

The Beatles

For that reason, this one was called...

Blackberry Singing in the Dead of Night...

Take These Broken Wings and Learn to Fly

I always lose a few while waiting for the pie to come out of the oven!

They look so much prettier in their before pictures ; ) 

Have we all had enough of the birds as props? I decided from now on, we're going to take this pie show on the road. 

Did you guys know we have a fish? 

Backstory: Aviana was in the hospital for her 3rd birthday. Sadly, we had her party there. Dave's brother Rob (one of my favorite people on earth) brought Avi a Chinese Fighting Fish. As he handed him to us, he said, "A fighter for a fighter." I will never forget. I just love him!

We affectionately named him Señor Fish Face, and he has been a wonderful addition to our family.

It has since been 2.5 years and I have to say, just about every two days...I think he's dead, get seriously depressed, tap his bowl and miraculously ~ he swims up and says, "Mama, don't worry, I'm ok!"

I love you Señor! 

I'll leave you with this ; )

Cows are for Calves

One of the very best things we ever did for Aviana, was eliminate all dairy products from her diet. Through the guidance of The Institutes, we transformed our very sickly, seriously overweight child into a lean, mean fighting machine, complete with long flowing and growing hair and nails.

Aviana's diet is the single greatest thing we learned at The Institute.  I receive their newsletters and wanted to share the following with you. My hope is in answering the question ~ why have we removed all dairy from her diet....that is, with the exception of a few bites of pie here and there ; )

Why Dairy Products are Harmful for Your Child

Some of our favorite "comfort foods" turn out to be very uncomfortable for the human body. When mothers come to us for nutritional help, the first thing we do is eliminate all dairy products. This rarely makes us popular, but once mother sees the improvement in her children's health she becomes a strong advocate of a dairy-free nutritional program.

Why are dairy products such a problem for the human body?

Dairy products are derived from cow's milk, which is a highly specialized baby formula designed for baby cows but not for baby human beings (or adults). It contains special hormones for baby cows that are not good for humans, which is why even "organic milk" is not good for your child.  

Cow's milk that is not "organic" contains antibiotics and growth hormones to increase milk production. These are especially bad for very young human beings whose immune systems can be fragile.

Cow's milk contains casein. This may react with the opiate receptors in the temporal lobes of the brain, which are involved with speech and auditory integration. This reaction can mimic the effect of opiate drugs and can negatively impact speech and auditory integration. It is worth noting that the peptide from milk is called casomorphin.

Initially, mothers are afraid to stop dairy products, but they soon discover that noses stop running, chronic ear infections disappear, and those black circles under their children's eyes go away. The trips to the doctor decrease and appetite, sleep, and behavior often improve. For some children, understanding and language improve as well. 

Here is a challenge: Put a dot on your calendar today and another one exactly six weeks from now. Eliminate all dairy products starting today, and when you come to that second dot six weeks from now, ask yourself what changed. If there are clear changes for the better, you have your answer. You will have taken the first step in creating a much better nutritional program for your child. Keep it up, and let us know how you are doing.

More

Is Aviana's surgery scheduled?

We go back in on the 28th of this month. Aviana's doctor is going to re-examine her head, and compare it to the new scan. He's then going to decide when, and how to proceed.

Is Aviana going to have her head shaved again?

Her doctor said he will either shave a little track, or use her existing scars. So, I'm happy to announce ~ Aviana will be Pantene ready, soon after surgery ; )

Please tell me you have watched Pushing Daisies.

I've never seen the show, but as I was searching YouTube for a particular pie video, a clip of that show came up. After seeing the clip, and hearing you speak of the show, I've just got to see it!! 

I thought it funny when you talked about The Pie Hole. Over in these parts, we like to say, "Shut Your Pie Hole." Because we use all whole ingredients, we came up with a great name for our shop...tell me what you think ~ Shut Your Whole Pie Hole! 

Ha! Funny? No....

What kind of dog is Rainey? Our dog looks EXACTLY like her!!

Rainey is of the crazy variety. Can't you tell...

Uh hum...excuse me, what do you think you're doing?

***

Rainey is a mutt. She's just like we like them...a little of this, a little of that, and who knows what else ; )  We do know she's Lab, Pitbull and maybe some Plott Hound. All I do know for sure though is, whatever she is...she's absolutely perfect.

Amy ~ I'm amazed by what they told you about your dog! I'd love to see pictures ; )

So when's the opening date for the pie shop? How does one pick a favorite?

We're working up a storm (just now taking a pie out of the oven) and trying our best to be consistent. Until then, we won't be thinking about a shop. Pie is a little frustrating to me, but frustrating things are challenging and cause me to lose sleep in order to conquer ; ) There's too much grey in pies. I like things that are precise and black and white. It's mind boggling how much grey I have in my life now. I think someone's trying to tell me something...learn to deal with it ; ) 

Pie drives me crazy, because you can follow a recipe verbatim, and the darn thing might just come out differently each time. We're pretty good at the fruit pies, it's the cream ones that make me want to take a fork and gauge my eyeballs out!! We struggle with these delightful, little monsters. They taste amazing, but when we cut into them, they tend to ooze. So...more research, more practice. Once we get our consistency down, we're golden.

How does one choose a favorite? Well, I'd have to say...make them all (or we'll make them for you) and then, eat them all. Then, narrow it down to 10, and then, try them all again. Narrow it to 4, and then try them all again. Then, go back and forth between 2, and then, back and forth a few more times, just to be sure. Then, pick your very favorite. Then, make sure to try the others throughout the week, to be sure your favorite hasn't changed.

And then, get your butt to the gym!

What can Aviana do?

She can look at you, and eat and drink by mouth. Sometimes, we can put a spoon in her hand, and she will slowly guide it towards her mouth. She can also sit on the potty by herself, and often times, go. That's about all. 

She stopped moving on the floor. She can't talk, walk, crawl, or smile. She can only hold her head up for a very little while. She can't reach for things. She can't play with any toys. She can't really hold anything. I don't mean to sound negative, I'm just telling the truth.

I'll share one of my saddest running thoughts, of which I try not to think about ~ if I laid her on the couch, left for 12 hours and returned, she would be in the same exact spot. That is unless I didn't place her with care, and she tipped over, or unless she had one of the many seizures she has a day, and somehow fell over. Truth. Sad, isn't it? 

You may remember, when Aviana was well ~ I always wished she would stay still. I learned to be careful what you wish for.

How does one possibly wrap one's head around that? I've learned. For me, the answer is ~ 

You don't. 

You can't. 

And, 

It's not worth it to even try.

That, my fine feathered friends, is the reason we immerse ourselves in pie, dogs, laughing, music, acting crazy, trips, etc. The weight of the reality we witness each day is just too heavy! For the first few years, we tried to solely carry that load, it crushed us. The Brain Injury Beast is strong. He wants nothing more than to chew us up, and spit us out. Fighting that bastard is a moment by moment choice. We now try to balance the Aviana piece of the puzzle, in order to survive.

We're constantly and consciously working towards loving Aviana for who she is, and not what she can do. She's simply the most beautiful, sweetest mannered, soul. We love that little Meek Meester so very much!

There are still a few more questions, but I suppose I should try and get some sleep.

Night All.

Whatever It Is....

I'm trying ; )

Far Beyond Wood Planks

"Just had to ask - what brand and color are your floors? They are absolutely gorgeous! (I am floor shopping at the moment : )"


Over the years, we've had lots of comments about our floors. We love them so much, but truthfully, it goes far beyond that. 


We had decided to install the floors ourselves. The night before the accident, we had torn out the hallway carpet. I vividly remember Aviana's closed door. As we were removing the tack strips, we contemplated whether the insanely loud noises would wake her up. We quickly laughed at ourselves, as she could sleep through a bomb going off. 


I can hear Dave's voice now, "that was the very last night I ever saw Aviana well." This single thought makes me cry every time. 

A few days after the accident, I looked at the hallway, threw my hands up in defeat and thought, oh well...who knows what we're going to do with that. At that time, we never slept. We would return late from the hospital, and pace the house...all night long. One night though, Dave told me he was going to work on the floors in hopes of putting his mind elsewhere. A few hours later, he told me I should give it a try. I did, and from then on, we worked every night until every square inch was in place. The floors became our saving grace. I remember looking at the very last room, wondering what we were going to do with ourselves once finished.

The floors served as a vehicle. They propelled us forward, physically and mentally. In our personal lives, we were stuck. At the time, we didn't know if we were coming or going. We didn't know if Aviana would live or die. Everything was a mess. The world was crumbling all around us, but in those floors ~ we found stability. In a complete standstill, we found productivity. With each plank, both our minds and bodies were moving forward. In nothing, we found something, something to do, feel, work, occupy, distract. 

When I look at the floors, I not only see beauty, but I see something I can honestly say saved our souls.


Victoria ~ in answer to your question, I talked to S & G and they said the floors were Casa Bella, and the color was Rienzo Maple. They said that particular floor has been discontinued, but there's another in its place. It's called Max Windsor in Creme Brûlée. He said it looks just like ours. I saw a sample and on the inside, I had to laugh. The floor was devoid of all distressing and knots. Yes, it resembled our floor, but without all of the very things that make it our floor : )


I'm sorry this answer was so long winded, but there's just so much backstory to our floors.


Blogger ~ All I have to say is, Grrrr....

If Only

A few months ago, I was driving to counseling.

Out of the corner of my eye,

You appeared.

I was in wait at a red light.

This busy intersection allowed me ample time to take you in.

You were visibly disabled.

I watched intently.

You cruised along freely in your power wheelchair.

You had a dog by your side.

Many of your belongings were attached.

I wondered the contents of your backpack.

What types of things would you pack for the day?

Quite suddenly,

An unstoppable amount of tears streamed down my face.

I watched you.

You may never know,

But as you made your way across the street,

I was dissecting your every move.

Examining your hand,

And fingers,

As you carefully navigated your chair.

Admiring you,

As you gazed up at the trees.

I continued to watch.

I was in awe, as your seriously disabled body made its way through this busy world.

The light turned green and slowly,

While finding it hard to peel my eyes from you,

I drove away.

I could no longer control my tears.

I proceeded to counseling,

But wouldn't you know it?

On my way home...

There you were again,

With your beautiful black lab.

Your love, I'm sure.

You were just now arriving at the mall.

The tears were hot, rolling down my face.

I tilted my head, as you administered the slightest nod.

To my great surprise,

And just like a perfectly synchronized dance,

Your trusted companion pushed the crosswalk button with his nose.

At this very moment,

The dam broke and what was released made it very difficult to see.

Through tears I smiled.

In all ~ I thought,

If only, Aviana could someday accomplish that sort of independence.

If only ~ one day ~ she could decide she wanted to go to the mall,

If only ~ one day ~ she could carry it out, on her own.

If only ~ one day ~ she could grab her best girl and go for the day.

If only ~ one day ~ she could pack her bag with all of her favorite things.

If only ~ one day ~ she could cruise freely down the street,

Admiring the passing by trees,

With the sun lightly kissing those puffy cheeks of hers,

And the breeze swaying through her long, dark hair.

If only.

If only she could be so abled.

As I was driving away,

I took one last look.

I smiled and thought...

Disabled?

I think not!

L.O.V.E

Valentine's Day is one of my very favorite holidays of the year. 

I love everything about it. 

I wish you all a happy day of giving love, and gathering love...

of all kinds!

❤  ❤  ❤

This Week

Aviana was in the kitchen with us the whole time, so we called this one ~

"Miki Mud Pie"

"Would You Like Some Cream Cheese with Your Pumpkin Pie?"

Dave and I made this one tonight for Valentine's Day. This was our very first double crust pie.

"Sweethearts Pie"

❤

Play

Rainey's friend Ida.

Avi's friend Lily.

My friend Joe's new puppy, Joey.

Everywhere There's Signs

Oh Chinese place on the corner ~ once again, you are speaking to me.

First you told me to go to Gary Allan,

and now...

You're advising me to pursue my pie shop dreams.

You are so wise,

Chinese corner store.