Pediatric Pillowcase Project

My husband, Keith, is about to start his second year of residency at Chris Everet Children's Hospital here in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. As part of his residency, he does shifts on the pediatric hematology/oncology unit. He says it's absolutely the most rewarding and depressing part of his job. Getting to discharge patients home, after what can be hundreds of days in a hospital bed, is a big high. Ever since he started working at the hospital, he definitely hugs Lia tighter at the end of the day. Things like being a picky eater are no longer issues he dwells on. Someone's baby is getting an awful diagnosis right now, who cares if Lia only wants to eat chicken nuggets. 

Inspired by his admiration of these no limit soldiers, I wanted to do something... anything. I was making Lia a pillow case and I had a lightbulb moment. Pillowcases would be perfect for the kids! They're so easy to make, and so personalizable. 

I emailed the Child Life coordinator at the hospital and asked her if they would accept the donation and they were so excited. Also worth noting, Child Life specialists are little angels on Earth. They mentioned character fabrics were a big hit. A lot of these children are chronic, so they know to prepare for little Sarah who LOVES Frozen. That's how awesome they are, they know these things about other people's kids. 

A quick search on Pinterest yielded many tutorials. I used 1 yard of fabric per case and stuck with flannel material. It's so cozy! I tried to make a ton of characters, but I also thought about how a lot of teenagers would probably be patients.

Joann's had an awesome selection of fannel! So many beautiful designs. Also, the flannel prints go on sale at Joann's and get down to about $2.70 a yard! 

I did my initial batch of 17 pillowcases. Then, I told my Grandma and my Mother In-Law about my project and they helped me take it to the next level. My Grandma's BFF Eileen and my MIL donated me 30 yards of fabric!!!!! So my second batch was 42 pillowcases. The hem/onc unit has about 20 beds, which thankfully aren't usually full. 

I'd absolutely love to have the funding to keep up these donations. So if you'd like to donate fabric, gift cards, or completed pillowcases, email me (jade.beckman3@gmail.com) I can even get you in touch with Chris Everet Children's so you can donate directly to them. 

I have to warn you, if you consider that there will be tears shed into these pillowcases, you will also cry. But just remember, for a moment while they receive the pillowcase, they will smile. Even a fleeting moment of happiness is worth it. Nobody should have to go through cancer. 

Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangster

Just wanted to share a little project I recently finished...

Our Sunday school teachers at St. Stephens, Miss Virginia and Miss Chris, would give us a mini cross stitch project that corresponded with a bible story. I haven't done anything since then, but figured it would all come back to me once I got the kit. It did!

The Etsy seller I purchased it from has a ton of funny ones. I'm tempted to make the "This is a goddamn family heirloom" one next... https://www.etsy.com/shop/aliciawatkins?ref=l2-shop-info-avatar

Loaded Cauliflower "Mash"

I just had a root canal and needed a dinner that I could gum down - so I dug up this from my Pinterest page and it was actually pretty good!

• 4 slices bacon (microwave + crumble)
• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1 spoonful minced garlic
• 1/2 cup 1% buttermilk (sub. milk if necessary)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• fresh black pepper, to taste
• 2 stalks green onion
• 1/4 cup shredded reduced fat shredded cheddar

Brake down the cauliflower and boil it until fork tender, drain, and return it to the pot. Add the buttermilk, garlic, butter, S+P, blend it with the immersion blender (or regular blender) until nice and smooth. Transfer to a serving dish (I used ramekin dishes) and top with the cheese. Pop it under the broiler to get the cheese nice and bubbly, then top with the bacon and scallions.

You aren't fooling anyone - it doesn't taste like mashed potato, but it's a nice light consistency and all the good toppings that make loaded mashed potato so yummy. So if you're counting calories, give this a try.

Recipe adapted from: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2014/12/loaded-cauliflower-mash-bake.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+weightwatcherspointsrecipes+(Skinnytaste)

Day Out With Thomas

"Wooaaahhh mommy dare he is" - Lia

On Saturday, we went to Day Out With Thomas 2015 at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami!

I first heard of DOWT last year and when I looked into it, we had just missed the events in Florida. So this year, I was determined to take my Tankie. I purchased 3 tickets ($20/person). I was so impressed with this event, I just can't say it enough.

I didn't realize, but you don't actually even have to purchase tickets to this. The tickets are specifically for taking the train ride - which we had set out to do anyway. However, if you just wanted to get a glimpse of Thomas and take a quick picture with him, and explore the activities, that would be free. 

It's just really refreshing to take your kid to a fun event and not be nickled and dimed at every turn. Everything except the food, professional pictures and gift shop were totally free. That's so rare. They had so much to do: face painting, Thomas tattoo station, putt-putt golf, animal encounters, bounce houses, story telling, train tables, children's concert, bubbles, I'm probably even forgetting some things. All free! Sir Toppham Hat was also there for a photo op! There were professional photos being taken with the option to purchase, but they were totally cool with you taking your own.

The weather was great, didn't break a sweat. We were the first people there at 9AM, got right down to business and didn't wait in line for anything. Back in the car by 11:30. I did hear the next day got rained on. So the Gods were with us, we had an awesome day. Seeing the look on Lia's face when she saw Thomas was the best feeling in the world. He really was quite impressive!

If you have a fellow Tankie, don't miss this event! Here's a link to the website: http://events.hitentertainment.com/en-us/dayoutwiththomas/index.html

Had to put her pony tail, pink shorts, and necklace on so she isn't confused as a boy all day. Probably a good move, as I did not see very many girl "tankies" there. 

Thomas was kind of hidden in the roundhouse, so just walking into the courtyard area of the museum, you couldn't see him right away. In fact, we were 100 feet away before I even noticed him. Since we saw him before Lia did, we were able to get a quick photo of her, "OMG THERE HE IS" face. She was very impressed, "Woaaaaaaahhhhh!"

Too cute

Playing on the train tables at the Imagination Station area.

Waiting for the ride to begin.

The not-so-impressive sites along the train ride.

Facepainting - Rainbow

Just owning this putt-putt thing

Protein Bites

I've been trying to get my household more organized. I was even thisclose to splurging on an Erin Condren life planner, but instead I opted for the more affordable Plum Paper one on Etsy instead. Anyway, part of this organization kick is meal planning. 

I can't tell you how much I'm loving it. Going to the grocery store once a week (ok twice, cause I always forget something, thanks toddler) is awesome. It's such a chore, so getting it all done at once and not having to think about it again is liberating. Not going to Publix means getting to the park instead. Win win. 

Not only that, it saves me money. I make my list and I'm pretty good at sticking to it, but the less I'm in the store, the less opportunities I have to add stuff in the cart. Which also means less opportunities to buy chips and dips and junk. That is the biggest benefit for me. 

Meal planning means I have to plan my snacks and they have to last all week. 

So this recipe is awesome for me. It's super easy, healthy, definitely will last all week, and I don't have to feel bad about eating it. Not saying they are low calorie by any means... but food this good usually isn't anyway.

Ingredients:

1 cup old fashioned oats

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup sweetened cacao nibs

1/2 cup peanut butter

2/3 cup sweetened coconut flakes

1/4 cup peanuts

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, roll into balls. Makes about 15 golf ball sized bites. Keep refrigerated so they stay firm.

The best part is, no cooking! You can use chocolate chips instead of cacao nibs, but the cacao nibs are so much better for you. You can also swap your favorite nuts for the peanuts. Pistachios would be awesome!