Lucy's Room

I already have a few pictures of Lucy's room but i was thinking i'd do a collage of the process...

Going Gluten Free For Lucy

I'm not going to lie. There once was a time that even the mere thought of eating something Gluten and Dairy Free would make me run for the hills. I surley thought I would have starved to death or have Lucy on formula with in a couple day. Well, here we are 3 weeks later and guess what...I"M ALIVE!! I actually feel pretty good. I can't definitivley say that i see a difference in my energy or my mental state; however, i can say that i have noticed a difference in my body, physically.

The fact that i can eat carbohydrates: potatoes, Corn products, rice and deserts that have wheat alternative flours, has made the transition a lot easier. Mostley i'm missing my milk. Everyone who knows me KNOWS how much i love my Fat Free Organic Milk. I can honestly say that i'd be okay giving up Dairy: cheese, sour cream, yogurt, creamer, ice cream, ect... if i could still have milk . Maybe i'll concider that after i'm done sustaining Lucy....hmmmm.....? I'll have to think about that.

I've always loved cooking but now it's a little different. It's so easy to throw butter in a pan put some flour in and add some milk to make a rue for soups and gravy bases but now i find that i actually have to concoct mixtures that consist of NOTHING I've ever used before AND make it taste good. The challenge has been trying at times but over all i think I'm doing a good job. And the food is pretty tasty.

Below are some dishes and baked goods that i've made, from my own trial and error.

GLUTEN AND DAIRY FREE PIZZA....I"M SCARED!!!

Yes Devri and i made some pizza together.
But before i touch on that i have to talk about her eating. As i mentioned before this kid EATS NOTHING!!! I've tried it all over the years; sneaking it in, bribing her and pinning her down. To NO PREVAIL i've almost always been defeated by the temper-tantrums that would follow and embarrassingly i've just about given up.
Then the other day she was hanging out in back of the Expedition while Kyle and i were doing yard work and i thought i'd try and give her a nectarine, which she calls "peach, yummy?". And SHE ATE IT!?!? I don't know how i could exaggerate it any more then i already have, this IS A MIRACLE! So, of course i kept it going, trying new things over the past 4 day. I'm not going to lie...i have been bribing e.g. Bacon for a bite of a cupcake, yeah you read that right. But i don't even care, i consider this a huge feat! For her having so many sensory issues the fact that she would even touch food she doesn't eat is just as big of a deal. I digress, over the past 4 days this kid has eaten 8 new foods!!!!

• Nectarine
• kiwi
• blueberries
• lunch meat
• string bean
• a BOWL of roasted potatoes
• Bacon
• and Pizza crust

Compared to the past 2+ years of eating only....

• Trader Joe's tacos
• Chicken nuggets
• Trader Joe's waffles
• Hot dogs
• Banana
• Strawberries
• and desserts e.g. cookies, pretzels......

After Devri got off the buss i continued my bribing then asked her if she wanted to make some pizza's and she said yes. Again, she was very motivated by helping me and did a fantastic job.
We made two bacon, tomato, spinach, artichoke dip, and goat cheese (on mine) pizza's. The Crust was Bob's Red Mill Gluten free Pizza dough with Energy Egg Re-placer. It turned out pretty good!!

A mom with little time....

Quite aware of all my typo's. I intend to have more throughout this whole blog. ;)

?!kindergarten?!

Any parent can understand the feeling of Anxiety of sending their kids off to Kindergarten, leaving the protection of the little nest we call Preschool. And i'd say for a lot of us mom's who have kids with special needs the stress of this might be a tad more heightened, especially when i come to all the added concerns we have for our kids; IEP's, appropriate services, their anxiety of new a environment, bullying, allergies, 6 hour days and not to mention who's going to explain what they are trying to say when they can't quite get the words out.
My nervousness is already setting in. Today i'm off to tour Kindergarten class. We're looking into Special Day Classes and Autism Cluster Classes. It's so very hard to figure out where to put her... Do we put her in a class where her peers all have autism (even though no child is the same) and KNOW the teacher along with the aids have the correct tools to deal with her, let her set the pace and know what the difference between being 4.5 and having a Behavioral disorder? Or do we put her in a class that has children with all sorts of different disabilities and put the pressure on her to adjust and keep up with the other children. The simple task of understanding receptive language is a challenge in it's self so, is hoping that a 1/5 ratio would be okay for her too much to ask for?
Bottom line is, for kyle and i, it ultimately depends of the teacher and the type of environment that class consists of. Devri is so very smart, and i'm not just saying that. :) She really is. So, knowing nothing is permanent i hope that pushing her and getting the appropriate aid for her to adjust will be the right choice. My job and mission as a parent is to see that she's happy, support her in achieving HER dreams and helping her to transition into this world as an adult with as much ease as possible.
Well...Wish me luck today.

Cassie's Grandma's old swivel chair is finished!

I walked into my dear friends Cassie and Doug's house to meet their sweet little baby Ivy and before i got to lay my eyes on her i ran into 3 old chairs that belonged to her Grandma. My first thought was "O' Gosh, i hope those aren't theirs." And my second thought was, "I hope they're not planning on putting them in their house." So, of course i just had to ask what was up with those chairs without letting my face do the talking. She then informed me that they were getting rid of them on Craigslist. Then out of NO WHERE...I LOOOOVED THEM. Ahahah. My brain started going to work on what i would do with them. She rang her husband Doug and he said if i just took them i could have them for free and they'd even deliver, even though Doug DID try to persuade me to put them on top of our BMW (which was not happening). So we spent some time hanging out introducing our sweet girls to each other then i was off....to the fabric store, rummaging over the clearance shelves. I found a great shiny silver fabric and i went home to meet them and got to working on my friends junk that would become my "New" swivel chair.

I NEED CHOCOLATE!!!

Knowing Devri and i were headed to a friends 6th Birthday Party it was an absolute necessity that we bring our own cake! What could be more torturous watching little kids so freely enjoying this little piece of bliss, their fingers all sticky and little taste buds going into overdrive....just having that image in my mind made me run to the cupboard this morning. Devri helped me by cracking eggs, mixing and pouring into cups, which we made as educational as possible with counting, labeling and proposing questions. She did AMAZING!!! This was our first successful experience baking together. She patiently waited until the timer went off and together we indulged in this little piece of heaven. It may sound small but im already enjoying tyat she and i have a little something we can bond over. maybe this will open up new windows for us, together and in her acceptance and tolerance with new foods.we used sofella' cake mix, and earth balance ,soy free

FOOD!

Well i'd say, I've had a successful 3 days so far with this dietary change. I was SUPER nervous obsessing about all the things i couldn't eat, then i realized i can actually eat a lot of good things. Devri is such a picky eater that i was thinking all i was going to be able to eat is what she eats, which is basically nothing. Being able to have carbs is a HUGE help!! It's made me feel not so deprived. I put on my chef's hat and got busy. It was DELICIOUS!!

Saturday Nights Dinner

Macadamia Crusted Talapia
&
Panchetta Fried potatoes, with Spinach and Lemon Juice. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Desert

Enjoy life food's semi sweet chocolate chips and pecans. With a little glass of Goats Milk

First Post

I'm so very excited about this Blog. I've been meaning on doing one for a while now, however,i never really found myself having the time. I probably still don't have the time. :)

About me and this blog....

I LOVE to create. You know i'm in the Zone when i'm chewing on my pinky. It's a bad habit. One i've had for years. Whether it's Painting, Sewing, Reupholstering, Photography,Designing or Decorating our home or my friends homes my wheels are turning ALL THE TIME. I've done many projects over the years, which i hope to Archive on this blog and share. MY love for creating is to say the least is obsessive one. My philosophy is "One mans junk is MY treasure". I could just sit in an empty room ALL DAY LONG. This probably drives my husband NUTS because i'm a stay at home mom. :) He's very sweet to accommodate my OCD tendencies to make my visions come to life. He's the Cheese to my Macaroni....Gluten free and Dairy free of course. :)





As of the 14th of May i am Gluten, Dairy (Cow), and Soy (in Dairy form) free. This is a HUGE deal. First of all i love all foods when it comes to cheese, bread or sugary sweets. Thank goodness my metabolism is decent working condition or i'd be in some serious trouble. Just recently our youngest daughter, Lucy, was given a provisional diagnosis of having a Milk Allergy. So, for a breastfeeding mom it means that I get to go Gluten, Dairy and Soy free. When the Doctor informed me of this my first thought was "it's just not going to happen". But something happens when a challenge is put in front of you not for you but for someone else, someone you love more then yourself...you just kinda "man up". Example, 7 years ago i was a pack a day smoker. I knew my boyfriend, at the time, would never marry a smoker so i had to give it up to keep him. It worked and was worth it to me and for my health in the long run. So, like this "lifestyle change" i'm really excited to see how i do.
I'm not going to say that it hasn't been hard already but i can already feel my body having more energy and not going in for the third granola bar of the day. Lucy's little belly is not bloated and i'm really happy to help her little body in any way that i can. If i can help her deal with her Milk Allergy now there is a good chance she'll grow out of it.
Our Daughter Devri, who is 4.5 (born in 06) has a Gluten, Dairy, Soy and Egg allergy. She's been on "The Diet" for about 2+ years now. So going Gluten and Dairy free is a lot easier of a transition then i thought it would be. She's just so picky that the thought of eating Hot Dogs, Taco's and Strawberries made me want to jump out of a window. But i LOVE cooking so after our first meal dinner tonight i realized that it's really not going to be as torturous as i first imagined. It's all about the substitutes.
Like i was mentioning...our older daughter Devri is on the Autism Spectrum. She's, of course ;) a beautiful little girl who, loves to Dance, Sing, Enact Movies, go Swimming and Laugh. She is a hand full at times and some of things that she does can drive you up the wall but that's part of her OCD, related to her Autism. Being diagnosed at 19 months we have had our battles with Doctors, Diet, Appropriate Aid for her, Insurance issues, Schooling, Therapy, Bio-Medical Treatment, etc.The list goes on and on. My hope is to Archive Devri's story and her journey in healing to help encourage others who's children are newly diagnosed or effected by Autism. We have been in this world of Autism for about 3 years now and it's comforting to know you're not alone and there IS help. http://www.tacanow.org/
Our family has had some ups and downs but with great support, love, patience and understanding and knowledge we've come to a place where we have hope for our daughter and BELIEVE the unbelievable can happen. And what i love most of all is i've come to a place where i can say "My daughter has Autism" and i'm proud of what she's accomplice everyday...And that is an amazing feeling.

Well. My first post is all done. Over the next month i'll be updating my Decorating, Diet and Recipe section and the Journey of our family living with Autism.