This time we had a fun day...

Today we drove back to the place where Alena had a seizure a few weeks ago. Both Ron and I had to go back to feel good again about the place, and know that it had nothing to do with the location. I certainly did not want to avoid the recreation area as I had avoided Emanuel Hospital for over four years because of PTSD. In any case, we went back today and had the absolute funnest day. It was great therapy and I think that it just maybe OK...

It was a very warm sunny day in PDX, and about ten degrees cooler up there. Alena just got a bike with training wheels and we brought that along as well as Mia Rose's bike. Mia Rosie's bike is w/o pedals, she sits on it and uses her feet. Its great to learn the balance thing. We took "Streamwatch Trail", looked at the fish, threw rocks into the Salmon River, waded in the Salmon River, and also brought lunch along. Our fantastic lunch de jour consisted out of PBJ for Ron, Mia Rose, and myself. Alena prefers to just stick apple pieces into peanut butter. She ended up eating 1-1/2 apples with a ton of peanut butter :) (made both of us oh so very happy). We then trekked back up to the car, loaded in the bike and drove to the "Family Picnic" area. There is a huge open field, and also a nice playground. The girls were ecstatic...Perfect ending for a perfect day. Take a look at this great place here is a link to the broshure http://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/files/brochures/Wildwood_brochure07.pdf. Oh, and what does this have to do with Galactosemia? It really has nothing to do with it at, but you know what? We did not think once about CG...Have a great week.

Espos and Nature's Promise Sorbetto Recall due undeclared to milk - specific lot sizes

I just received information about this recall. The panel will be updated by next week.

Hiland-Roberts Ice Cream Announces Voluntary Nationwide Recall of Specific Lot Numbers of Espo brand and Natures Promise brand Sorbettos Due to Containing Undeclared Milk

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:59:00 -0500

Hiland-Roberts Ice Cream, Norfolk NE is voluntarily recalling sorbet products manufactured for Espo's Cucina Dolce, Inc. because they contain undeclared milk. The recalled products are pint containers of Espo's Sorbetto and Nature's Promise Sorbetto.

Please click on the above link for detailed information about the recall.

More summer ice cream fun - Staccato Gelato

Friday morning's are our playground days. We meet up with other families in Sellwood Park. Today, after playgroup, we all went to have ice cream at Staccato Gelato. Most children had chocolate, vanilla, or any other type of milk based ice cream you can imagine. Alena and Mia Rose had sorbet. Today they had a selection of four different flavors. Lemon, Raspberry, Plum, and Blueberry. Mia Rose ate (as always) a scoop of lemon, and Alena chose Blueberry. Delicious!!! Honestly, I would have never thought that being around other kids eating chocolate, or vanilla ice cream would be a non-issue. What do I mean by that? Well, I imagined that the girls would have a hard time with other kids eating the flavors they love (OK - Mia Rosie really is a lemon sorbet girl, not vanilla soy cream or anything else :) ). It is no issue at all. Alena told the other kids, no I cannot have that...and I told Mia Rose that it had "Kuhmilch" in it. I am so impressed, on top of that I was not the least bit anxietal. No fear, that they would ingest, or taste from another kids...what a great journey :)

On more thing about Staccato Gelato, homemade, local gelato. The place is such a wonderful east side place...you just have to love. The staff is great, they are helpful, and there is even a play corner in the Sellwood store. :) FYI - there are two locations one in North East Portland, and the other in Sellwood (South East Portland).

- 232 NE 28th Ave. and
- 1540 SE Bybee

Here is a link to their Web-Site http://www.staccatogelato.com/

SO DELICIOIUS - Coconut Milk Ice Cream from Turtle Mountain

We found something new that is quite delicious! On our weekly trip to the grocery store Alena picked out a box of "Mini Chocolate Vanilla Bars" from So Delicious. They are made from coconut milk, super creamy, and very, very good. FYI - I just saw that they are now also offering Coconut Milk in 1/2 gallon containers. It is fortified with minerals and available in plain, vanilla, as well as chocolate. In addition, there are now also coconut milk yoghurt's available. We have not tried the milk, but the yogurt. The yogurt is also quite good, however it runs on the spendy side if you know what I mean ;). What do you think? Would you like to try it too...well, here is the link http://www.purelydecadent.com/. Let me know what you think.

Summer Fun = Yurt Camping and S'mores

Have you ever heard of a Yurt? Yurts are somewhat like a cabin but circular, with a plexiglass dome on the ceiling. Oregon State Parks call it "Camping lite" because you need to bring everything you need for camping but the tent, or RV, or camper. It is really fun, and yes also rustic like any "regular" camping experience. A yurt is somewhat like a tent but it has electricity, a bunk bed, futon, table and chairs. Quite luxurious :))) Here is a link to Oregon State Parks explaining Yurts http://www.oregon.gov/OPRD/PARKS/rustic.shtml#RUSTIC_YURTS . We just got back today from two days at Champoeg State Park. It was so much fun!!! Ron made our "usual" great camping dinner of Baked Beans with Hot Dogs. Honestly, it tastes so good when sitting around the campfire and both girls just LOVE the beans. The after dinner treat is of course a must of either roasted marshmallows or s'mores. This time we made s'mores. Graham crackers usually seem to be a safe food, well so far we have not found one w/o corn syrup in it but besides that, I have not seen any to contain whey, etc. For chocolate we used Lindt 85% Cocoa. I grated the chocolate and put it on the graham crackers while the girls roasted the marshmallows. I then took the roasted marshmallow of the stick, plopped it on the chocolate, put on the second cracker and voila...perfect s'mores. Alena LOVED them and she ate a total of three (!) s'mores...

Lemon Coffee Cake

I actually really like having cake for the weekend. Its so great to enjoy a cup of coffee for breakfast with some nice coffee cake...unfortunately I do not bake that regularly. This week however I really felt like some type of Lemon Coffee Cake (or is it lemon pound cake, but then again what makes it a "pound" cake?). I found this very easy recipe and adjusted it only to use Earth Balance instead of butter, and Soy Milk instead of milk. - Here it is:

LEMON COFFEE CAKE

- 3 Cup Flower

- 2 Cup Sugar

- 1 Cup Soy/Rice Milk

- 2-1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

- 4.4 oz Earth Balance (Margarine) FYI - 125 gr

- 3 eggs, separated

- 2 Lemon, juiced and peel grated

***Preheat oven to 350 F***

1. Separate the eggs

2. Beat whites until peaks form

In separate bowl mix:-

3. Flower, with baking powder and add

4. Egg yolk. Earth Balance, and Soy Milk

5. Mix together

6. Add Lemon Peel

7. Add the egg whites and mix carefully (use spoons) under the dough

8. Pour batter in a well greased Bundt Pan (Gugelhupf Pan)

9. Bake for about 1 hour in the pre-heated oven


When the cake is done


10. Mix Lemon with some powdered sugar and brush mixture on the warm cake

When the cake is completely cooled down, sift powdered sugar over it

Please let me know if you like the cake, or made any adjustments. Thank you :)

Berry picking

We all love berries...don't we live in the perfect spot for that?! - Sauvie Island is less than a thirty minute drive away, and picking berries is just so much outdoor fun. The kids, and the mothership (as I have been calling myself today) love it. Anyways, in June we already went Strawberry picking. I ended up making six jars of jam which is quite delicious. Mia Rose is the absolute Strawberry nut...she loves them so much. She basically sat in the field eating one berry after another...Alena of course also loves Strawberries but is not quite as crazy about them. Alena did throw berries in the basket and not just into her mouth ;)

July brings Raspberries and Blueberries. Today was our day to go back to Sauvie Island. Just the girls and me. What fun we had. We first picked Blueberries, which is another of Mia Roses favorites, and then moved on to the Raspberries. The farm we go to has these great carts, so by the time we were at the Raspberries the girls stayed in the cart cuddled in their blanket, eating cookies while the mothership picked Raspberries, dropping the occasional one into their mouths. Funny enough, Alena is a Raspberry nut. Mia Rose likes them but she definitively would not sit in the dirt just to eat them :))). In total we had 12 lbs. of berries and yes, we will be back as Marionberries, and Blackberries are yet to come. Plus can one ever have enough Blueberries? Here is a link to the farm we like to go to http://sauvieislandfarms.com/

So there is really not one point I am trying to make. Maybe one. - When I first read through the documentation on foods and saw that it also included Blueberries I was so, so very sad. Well, here we are five years later, two girls with CG, both with great levels, no issue, and both are total Blueberry lovers. OK the point? Its not all black, and its not all white...and the glass is always, always, always half full...

Alena and Mia Rose

My happy thought...girls hanging out on the couch in the morning :)

Update...she is fine :)

Just a quick update on Alena. We went for our follow-up visit with our pediatrician yesterday and she did not think that Alena had a seizure. Fact is that she never stiffened up and was floppy the entire time. Our pediatrician - and please know that we think the world of her; she had a gut feeling that something was not right when we brought in Alena at 5 days of age and we credit her much with saving Alena's life - thinks that it may have been brought on by Alena being super tired, a little dehydrated but she wants to talk it through with a pediatric neurologist. Alena did seize as an infant when she was a week old in the hospital, right after that she was transferred to the PICU...ahhhh...my mind keeps on going back there now and it really is not a place I want to go right now. In any case, our pediatrician will talk it through with the pediatric neurologist and based upon her recommendation (neurologist) Alena may have an EEG. Oh, and yes she (our pediatrician) will also keep the metabolic team in the loop.

OK - I have to get back to happy thoughts...

Happy 4th everybody...

Before I forget, belated Happy Canada Day ;)...

Another 4th of July and it is hot here in Portland. What does 4th of July mean in our house? Do you want to guess, maybe?! OK I will let you off the hook...its FLAG CAKE DAY!!! Yeah, I already baked the cake, poured the Yell-o on it (just a tiny bit so this year), and frosted the cake. But it's not yet finished. The girlies and I will do that a little bit later before we go to our party :)

For those of you who are interested here is the link to the recipe. http://galactopdx.blogspot.com/2008/07/4th-of-july-flag-cake.html A picture of this year's cake will be posted later :) Have a great day everybody