saturday!

come down to do a little shopping at the "frog church" tomorrow from 9-4. i will be there with the last of my cupcake couture stuff and would love some company! its free admission and they will have all kinds of food/drinks to raise money for their youth group.

covenant united methodist church
on gleneden drive in north spokane

p.s. if you are in a craft-fair kind of mood, you can also stop in to the Mead HS craft fair this weekend. i wont be there, but you know i love to support me some panthers!

just a taste

whenever fall rolls around, i get lots of requests on how to make these yummy treats. they seem to be just enough sweetness to hold off my desire to inhale a whole pumpkin pie. so....here is the big secret recipe:

one box of spice cake mix
one can of pumpkin puree



combine ingredients, use a 1" ice cream scoop to bake them on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 325 for about 12-14 minutes.
sometimes, if i'm feeling really creative, i add a handful of chocolate chips (wow-i know)

if you like yourself some pumpkin pie, or pumpkin spice latte...these will be like heaven in your mouth. and, although i haven't figured out the calories, safe to say they are easier on your waistline too! let me know what you think. happy fall!

how i stroll...

travelling again this week, and just wanted to answer the question we must get a thousand times every trip.

question: "what kind of stroller is that?"

answer: "phil & teds"

to all of the mommies out there, do yourself a favor. bite the bullet of the price tag and pick yourself up one of these puppies. my phil & teds does everything, with a smile! it is a jogger, double stroller, infant seat carrier, shopping cart, and baggage holder. it travels easily, folds nicely and can fit through any doorway or shopping isle.

people often say, "there is no way my kid would sit in the bottom seat. he/she likes to see everything."

my answer is, "you might be surprised. my son thinks it is a little fort and gets some alone time (which is an autistic kids dream)"

as an added bonus, you can stow your littlest baby down below if you use enough blankets to prop them up, which keeps strangers dirty hands/kisses away. most of the time they never knew liam was down there...germs at bay, score!

not a great pic, but i don't have any good ones of our phil & ted, although it is definitely worthy

QOTD:

"Rain, Rain, Go Away...Mother Nature is really pissing me off today."

-unnamed resident of North Spokane

a plea for help

This is one of those wierd last-ditch-efforts that one resorts to when a google dead-end is hit. I am sure that most people know about our son Jackson and his diagnosis of autism. (if you don't...surprise!) Lately, I have been doing more research than normal since I have a bit of free time away from school. I am becoming increasingly more interested in a movement that basically describes autism as a neuro-immune disorder. I went to a lecture tonight by Dr. Michael J. Goldberg and it peaked my interest even further. For the first time, things clicked for me. This is a man who does medical, SCIENTIFIC-BASED research and has had amazing results.

There are things about the various "popular" and celebrity-endorsed protocols that never felt quite right. Supplements, diets, shots, hyperbarric treatments, and heavy metal detox. It is a little hard to swallow sometimes. Yet, as a parent, you are made to feel like your instincts are dumb. I really try not to judge anyone going through this because I do think that every family needs to decide for themselves what they are comfortable with and believe in. There just can't be a one-size-fits-all.

No one wanted to listen when I told them that my son was vomiting for not reason and it was like he had a concusion. I tried to explain that he did not seem to have pain, just confusion. The look on his face during these episodes were strange. Instincts said..."head trauma. Just like an athlete would behave". Further confirmed because he always wanted to eat afterwards.

Things just never come out the way I want to describe. It is just a "feeling". I realize I sound a bit wacko.

Anyway, (rambling now cause it's late...sorry) my plea is this: If you are reading this and have any ideas about, research on, or experience with things like neuroSPECT scans, the XMRV retrovirus or use of SSRI's in autistic children, please let me know.

I just wanted to throw that out to the universe. What can I say, I want a cure just like every other mom out there!

Coming Soon...

Well, it is official. My family is opening a sports bar in North Spokane. Birdy's Sports Bar will have it's Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, March 20th and I hope to see lots of friendly faces there. Check out the website for more information and to see updated pictures later this weekend. www.birdyssportsbar.com

Needless to say, we are all very excited and proud. And, in case you don't know...we are pretty much the coolest family ever. (seriously) I love my family more than I could ever express and am so proud of us for supporting this new venture using our many hidden talents. (which are secret)

At least come in for a beer, meet the owner and compliment him on the beautiful bar that he built with his own two hands. Then you can walk back and talk to the co-owner and tell her how delicious her "Nacho Girlfriends" are. We have been trying to support local businesses as much as possible during construction and hope you will support us as well.

Cheers!