Mardi Gras Party

Here is Rees before our youth group's Mardi Gras party :

And here he is after :

Think he had fun?

I never thought the day would come to say to him, "The party goes from 8-11pm ; be walking in the door by 11:30."  But I did.  And he did.  And we stayed up much too late again, talking and laughing.  We're all getting older ; it feels pretty good!

No Chariot Yet

Rees has had an increased cough the past few days and I've had to nag remind him to breathe in his flutter valve more often, to drink more water, and to run his dog instead of walk him.  These are the times when CF weighs a little heavier (And there are crushing times, too, but that's for another post.) and when I'm not all "que sera, sera" about life, death, suffering, joy, and spirituality.  Because it's not just a cough ; it's a reminder of the constant battle raging in his lungs among viruses, bacteria, mucus, white blood cells, and medications.  Our doctor and medical books soberly tell us that one day the bugs will win and I know it is true.  But.  But.  That time has not yet arrived and we plan to remind and push and encourage him to do what CFers have to do to keep healthy.  That's right ~ healthy.   No need to lie around, waiting for that sweet chariot to swing low.  Take care of yourself, dear, because there's a special birthday party on Saturday, you're altar serving on Sunday, we're hiking next weekend, and you've got a black belt test to prepare for!  It's different, now that he is older and so much more in charge of his health.  I miss the little boy and am proud of the young man.

Sometimes we "catch" flare-ups before a hospitalization becomes necessary ; sometimes we don't.  When he's angry, hopeless, and disappointed over missing things due to his health, my heart hurts so much, I weep.   I swear, too.  I think all parents do.  I think all parents plan, push, encourage, aid, hold, ache, and love so much it hurts.  Weep and swear, too.

I am optimistic that our home ministrations will thwart the course of this infection  (If not, I'll be posting from Providence Hospital, our other home!).  But as I look at my clock, it's time ; where's that boy to nag?

Warmly,
Allison

Weekend Recipe

Ready for this?

This weekend recipe is not even a recipe.  It's just 2 food items hidden from the rest of us that only David grabs to round out a snack or a meal to give it the ridiculous amount of calories required to keep his height/weight at the 50th percentile  (If he ever needs a feeding tube, we'll be sure we did All We Could.).  They are ~

POTATO CHIPS AND CANDY BARS

Yup.  That's it.  Family size bags and boxes of Lays and Snickers to be had as a snack or after eating a more nutritious meal prepared by his mother ; )  And it is very difficult for this mother to keep her hands off those items, but this blog is about life with CF and that's life with CF.  They simply have to eat more and the rest of us do not.  We actually hear from time to time from the other children about how lucky David is to have CF and have all these great foods!  His responses have gone from innocently sharing to smugly grinning to the teen angst look  (his current reaction).

So when you just cannot bake another healthy bar or blend another vitamin smoothie, reach for the chips and candy and don't beat yourself up.  It's extra.  And try to keep your hands off.  Better yet, furnish your own stash of good, dark chocolate!  I'm with you there.

Warmly,
Allison

Felicitous Friday

Spotted among the potted plants ...

Noticed in front of the heater...

Found staring at the French doors ...

May your Friday be pleasant, homey, charming ~ felicitous!

Warmly, 

Allison

Normal?

If someone ever asks, why have more children if there's a chance they won't be normal, try out this Sarah Palin statement  (Don't get excited.  It's not political.) : 

Normal?  Look around.  What's normal? 
(She answered something pretty close to this when asked about her cutie pie son with Down Syndrome.  I did not put it in quotes because I can't remember the particulars.)

I asked my husband to weigh in with his suggestion of a pithy answer and the first thing he did was to make a face.  Not eye-rolling ; that's my talent.  Sort of a wince with a half-shake.  Anyway.  Then he said  (And I do quote), "Plenty of people with high IQs and perfect health are criminals."  To which I would add ~ high IQs and perfect health are not exclusive conditions for a worthy, "normal" life.  The old Baltimore Catechism for children asks this, "Why did God make us?"  And the answer it gives is, "God made us to show forth His goodness and to share with us His everlasting happiness in heaven."  Let's not be too hyper-spiritual here ; let's be honest, for this statement is wide open.  It doesn't mention how life can be painful, sorrowful, depressing, and difficult ; but there is also room for wisdom, love, peace, and kindness.  The everlasting happiness part comes in heaven, true, but there is certainly some here, as well. 

We are Star Wars fans here and a line from one of the books  (Did you know there were books?  Better than the movies, of course!)  has Anakin/Vader saying to his son as he lay dying in Luke's arms, "Luminous beings we are, Luke, not just this crude matter."   Made in the image of God, we are body, mind, soul.  Luminous.  Normal.

Warmly,
Allison

Weekend Recipe : Peanut Butter Brownies

This is one of my go-to recipes.  So much that my friends here are probably tired of seeing this pan arrive when we get together!  The ingredients are usually on hand and it works with all sorts of flours and fats, from home-ground wheat or brown rice to plain old white flour from a bag ; and butter, margarine, or the Omega spreads like Smart Balance.

1 C  peanut butter
1/2 C  butter (or substitute)
2 C  brown sugar
3  eggs
1 t  vanilla
1 C  flour
1/2 t  salt
*Whatever kind of chocolate frosting you like (Letting a cup or so of chocolate chips melt a bit on the top, then spread over and let cool works fine in a pinch, too.)*

Set oven to 350 degrees and spray 13x9 pan.  Beat PB and butter.  Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla and beat until fluffy and light.  Stir in flour and salt until well blended.  Spread in pan and bake for 30 minutes (Begin checking at 25 minutes!).

Lots of fat, peanut butter, and eggs make this calorie-rich and if whole grain flour is used, then with a cup of milk (or a shake) and an apple ~ what a snack!

Discovered

I have discovered yet another thing to keep me from getting a decent night's sleep (along with nursing babies and fussy toddlers) and rendering me captive to caffeine for another 20 years : talkative teenagers.

Rees and I stayed up very late last night, talking and laughing and we had a great time (If you're reading this, R, I'll try not to embarrass you!).  Oh my goodness, that boy is funny!  My sides hurt from laughing quietly since everyone else was alseep.  I also learned some Very Important Things, like who's going to a birthday party next month, what songs a friend has on his ipod, and how the springs work in an air soft rifle.

This morning I will make more than one cup of coffee and wait for my eyes to cease burning but I feel super.  We'll do it again, I'm sure, because the house was quiet and noone interrupted ~ a rare treat around here.  And relationships are all that matter.

Hey, the water's boiling ; where's my cup?

Warmly,
Allison