The Tiniest Plane...

She was born at 8:50pm...
And she wasn't breathing...

My niece, Delylah, was immediately life-flighted to St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa while we waited, hoping, praying that she was okay. I remember watching as they wheeled her tiny, listless, body down the hallway in an incubator. Tubes were stuck down her throat. Machines were beeping. Nurses were talking. But she was silent.
We watched as she was loaded onto the waiting helicopter, watched as it lifted off the ground carrying precious cargo.
The next day we were told she was born without her right lung, her heart was severely deformed, her esophagus didn't connect to her stomach as it should, and she had spinal deformities. They diagnosed her with VATERL syndrome. It is a very rare collection of abnormalities that a child is born with. Tulsa had never seen a case of it and were not prepared to offer her care. So they immediately sent for transport to Texas Children's Hospital.
As we visited with Delylah and waited for the plane to arrive, we took time to get to know the little bundle of joy. I remember my sister pointing out that Delylah had my fingers; the way the pinky curves inward toward the other fingers. I snapped a picture of it.
When the nurses from Houston arrived to take her, we were told that her mom couldn't ride along because she'd had a c-section. Sis was horrified at the thought off Baby D going alone. So I did what any aunt would do...
I volunteered to fly with her to Houston.
Oh, but I didn't realize what a teeny tiny plane we would be flying in. Nor did I realize that it would take us almost two hours to get to Texas Children's Hospital.
The ambulance ride was daunting. But I was okay until we pulled up to the tarmac and I got a look at the little tinker-toy with a kangaroo painted on the side of it. Then I swallowed back bile. I didn't mind flying-- not at all-- but I am severely clausterphobic. In a major way.
But I smiled and crawled into my seat-- I had to haunch over in a 90 degreed angle just to get to it (and I'm only 5'3'').
All the way there I kept remembering how my dad had told me I should never ride in a small plane... because Pasty Cline and Buddy Holly had died on small planes...
Through major breathing exercises, plastering my face to the window, and sheer luck... I made it there without hyperventillating and Delylah was placed in the capable hands of the NICU.
I learned a lot of things that day... some of which I can't put into words. But most of all, I learned that a parent's (or aunt's or uncle's or granparent's) love can overcome the greatest of obstacles.

Be Yourself-- Some thoughts

Lately I've had some things on my heart that I wanted to address.


I'm sure some of you have read a blog that had some great information, valuable resources that you found very helpful. But by the time you were finished reading, you might have felt badgered or down on yourself. I have. Sometimes bloggers can be so passionate about their ideas that it comes across as very judgemental.

That is exactly what I don't want my blog to be like.

I am very passionate about eating healthy whole foods, recycling, reducing paper waste, eliminating processed items, being frugal, spending quality time with my family and kids, and many other things. However... I don't want people to feel like I'm condemning them if they don't do things exactly like I do!

The way I see it is: you do things your way (whatever works for you) and I will do things my way. No judgement.

Surprise! I still use *gasp* paper plates. Yes, I do. It's just easier for our family. So I try to reduce waste in other ways (using cloth towels, baby wipes, cleaning wipes, ect.) This is what works for me. But I've had some bloggers tell me that my efforts are in vain if I just turn around and pollute the earth with my paper plates; that I might as well do nothing at all. To them I say "Sploothsp!" (that's me blowing them a raspberry).

I believe that there are no efforts that are in vain. Any step you take in the right direction is a good one.

Also, when I am visiting friends or family, I eat whatever they have fixed. I don't turn my nose up to it just because it isn't what I have in my fridge at home. I've had people try to go out of their way to fix food that they think I will like- this is sweet, but crazy! Fix what you would normally fix. It won't kill me to eat a little velveeta or canned chile!! I guess what I'm saying is people should be themselves. Just because I eat different or do things different, doesn't mean you have to!!

I mean, if you came to my house, I would fix my normal food. You would get a sampling of my wacky habits and you would be expected to eat it!!! Haha!

Anyway, my point is that whether a person has an average view on food/life or whether they have a more crazy old-fashioned view (like me), it should not be cause for strife or contention among friends. I like Lindsay's article about this topic.

So keep in mind as you read my blog, that I'm just sharing my experiences and if you choose not to try these things or even if you think I'm half crazy, I do not think any less of you!! To each his own!!

Happy Birthday Hubby!!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!!!!

I hope you have an amazing day and I love you so much!!!

Hello again, do you remember me?

So... I took a little break from blogging. Partly because my kid (and me) has been sick. For like a month. No kidding. Really.

Okay, I was only sick for a week or so. But Corky is still sick. We are going on week five of snotty nose acompanied by a fever. And it sucks!

The doctor says it's a virus and we need to let it run its course but it taking FOREVER! In the meantime, I'm giving her lots of Elderberry Syrup.

As a result of our sick break, my house is a wreck-- you should see my laundry pile! But now that I'm on the mend (and hopefully Corky will follow soon) it's time to play catch up.

Here's my to do list:

Lots of laundry
Dishes (Hubby did pretty good keeping up with these)
Clean bathroom
Menu plan
Make sour cream
Vaccuum
Make saur kraut
Start my tomato planter (I will blog on this later)

Playing in the snow...

I'm alive... I promise!

Well, a break was needed- so I took one! I know I haven't been blogging for very long but My family and I had such a crazy summer that I needed to put priorities first- forget about blogging for a while- and get things in order! Things aren't completely "in order" but it's time to get back in the groove! So let's just play a little catch up:

The summer started out good- lots of pool time and playing at the local park!
Mid July, my family, along with my mom, took a trip/ vacation to Arizona to see my grandma. I will post on that later!
Early August, we achieved potty learning!!!! YAY!!!! More on that later!
Mid August, my dad who was already in poor health, began to deteriorate further. Within a week he had passed away. Although he was in bad shape, we didn't expect him to pass that quickly. I have four sisters (two of whom have small children) who traveled in from California for the funeral. My poor husband, who was very close with my father, acted as a permanent shuttle to and from the airport. Since my parents live in a rural area, it was an hour and fifteen minute drive, one way! He also kept all of us girls fed- nobody wants to eat and you forget to, so he reminded us and cooked for us (we developed a great love for quesadillas, he even memorized our specific orders!) Yeah, I know, he is just that awesome!
Needless to say, it was very hard on us all. It was interesting to see how our feelings manifested in each of us: One sister made a lot of jokes (she kept us laughing even in the sad times), one sister lashed out angrily at EVERYONE (she made us angry a lot), one sister was very sad and cried a lot (she reminded us why we were all together and what had happened- that was a good thing, in my opinion), my other sister was trying to be a peacemaker (she tried to make sure all the family was together for this hard time), all the kids (including mine) were confused and acting out (normal for a tragedy), and my mom was in business mode (she took care of everything... which is a lot! There is so much to do when a loved one dies. And you are expected to suck it up and take care of it all!). How did I handle it?? Well, I don't really know how I was that first week- I feel like I was in a fog. However, after all my sisters went home I COOKED. Yes, I cooked. I made bread, pasta from scratch, tortillas, rolls, lasagna, soup, tarts, cake, muffins, biscuits, cookies, more cookies, granola, granola bars... you get the picture. I cooked so much that I practically emptied our fridge/freezer and depleted our food budget for the month. I cooked more than our little family of three could possibly eat... so what did I do? I put it back in the freezer! I also made a lot of other stuff. Like bows for Corky, tutus, a place mat for her, a board to hang her hair bows on, ect. I guess for me, I needed something to do. Something that would keep me REALLY busy. I think I needed to be numb for a while.
After that phase was over, I became very irritated. Everything annoyed me: the way my house looked, if there were dishes in the sink, any amount of clutter, the fact that I don't have a headboard on my bed (we have wall hanging thingy), sometimes even my most comfortable clothing would annoy me (I just didn't like the "feel" of it). I realize now that I felt out control of things so I needed everything in my home to be controlled and in order. Sounds crazy right?? Nope. Just grieving!
Things are starting to get better now though. This is my absolute favorite time of the year so that helps my spirits. Also, today is Corky's third birthday! So I thought this would be a fitting day to begin blogging again.
Things are okay right now- the holidays are coming and soon it will be time to put up our Christmas tree! I have so much to tell you about but this post is long enough, so I'll save it for another!!