Tuna Noodle Casserole

Whenever I bake I think healthy, low calorie and easy...This recipe incorporates all three...Do you find yourself or a  family member cringing at the thought of tuna...Substitute two baked chicken breasts chopped or even some leftover turkey.

Ingredients:

1 Bag of Egg Noodles 8 ounces
1/2 Bag of Frozen Peas 6 ounces (can substitute frozen green beans)
1 Medium Onion Chopped
1 Can Reduced Fat Cream of Mushroom Soup 10 3/4 ounces (can substitute Cream of Celery)
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Cheese Shredded American, Cheddar or Swiss
1 Can Tuna 12 ounces Packed in Water, Drained


Cook noodles according to package directions. In the last 3 minutes of cooking throw in the peas. Drain. Mix all ingredients. Place in a 2 quart dish (11x 7). Bake, uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes on 375 degrees. 

Want to kick it up a notch add 3/4 cup of red sweet pepper, 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms to the noodle mixture or you can even add a bread crumb topping. (2 tsp of butter melted, 1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs, mix and spread over noodle mixture prior to baking)

Growing Pains

I have never felt this kind of pain before...It started with a touch of IBS mixed with strange palpations that seemed to be coming from my both my brain and my heart...and then just when I thought nothing else could hurt there seemed to be a touch of some kind of stomach pain maybe the start of a raging ulcer...they all just seemed to be mixing together...Pain...Pain...Pain...Well this has been my life since the moment I sat in the waiting room of the BMV waiting for my daughter to come back from testing to get her license...I kept telling myself just breathe...it will pass...you're acting silly... just as I was debating whether or not to call the doctor there they came...phew...first the instructor...Do they ever smile?..then my daughter with a huge smile and a soft "I  passed"...how can you feel proud and pissed at the same time...Couldn't we just prolong this for another month or two...She's not ready...In my eyes will she ever be ready?

Truth is she is an amazing daughter with a superb sense of responsibility and reality is I am not ready to see her take on that kind of responsibility...oh but I will because I don't have a choice...It's partially my fault because I have and will continue to raise her to be a strong independent woman...so this will be my life IBS, high blood pressure, migraines and stomach ulcers continuing every moment until she walks through the door and greets me with Hi Mom I'm home...How do Parents do this? Everyone says its hard but you just get used to it...no way never not ever!!!! Pray for us.

 

A Mother's Prayer

I pray you'll be my eyes

And watch her where she goes

And help her to be wise

Help me to let go

Every mother's prayer

Every child knows

Lead her to a place

Guide her with your grace

To a place where she'll be safe

I pray she finds your light

And holds it in her heart

As darkness falls each night

Remind her where you are

Every mother's prayer

Every child knows

Need to find a place

Guide her with your grace

Give her faith so she'll be safe

Lead her to a place

Guide her with your grace

To a place where she'll be safe

 

as sung by Celine Dion

 

Sweet Sixteen

My baby is turning Sixteen...and much to her disapproval...I get to plan a party...I eventually pried the color scheme out of her all I had to do was threaten her with baby pink and yellow...she chose aqua and orange...Perfect because after rounding up stuff I already had...I really didn't have much to purchase...I had aqua ribbon, white tissue paper pom, orange balloons and party picks from the last party....Free items Snapple bottle, Classico bottle, orange ribbon, and paint chip card stock (Walmart).  The Items I purchased were white party favor boxes, foil shreds, orange flowers from the Dollar Store...Orange Plates and Martha Stewart garland from TJmaxx...tissue paper from Target (I purchased the tablecloth from there also but ended up returning)...Crystals and the numbers 1 and 6 from Hobby Lobby...Glitz ribbon from Amazon and Aqua straws from Etsy...All told spent a little over budget but still pretty reasonable around $25.00. 

The silver shreds became the table runner instead of a tablecloth...I found aqua paint and painted the inside of the Classico and Snapple bottle...the Snapple bottle has a beautiful S already engraved on it so I glitzed it up by spelling Sixteen around the bottle, tied a ribbon around and put the leftover flowers in vase...The Classico bottle held the too cute aqua straws... and a perfect addition to the bottle was an orange flower with a crystal hot glued to the center...I used that same design orange flower with crystal center for the white favor bags filled with candy and the Martha Stewart garland...

 

 On to the cake...I planned to do a two tier cake using a 12 in cake pan for the bottom cake and an eight inch pan for the top tier...I needed a custom cake plate due to the 12 in size...just take any cardboard cut a little bit larger than the cake pan...cover with aluminum foil...cut small circles out of free paint chips in the color of the party (I ended up using the wrapping paper for a better pop of colors)...use double sided tape to adhere...you end up with a beautiful scalloped edge...Don't have a circle cutter just fan paint chips overlapping them and adhere...

 

 

 Cake topper...with your hot glue gun glue sticks to the back for support...spray paint the numbers silver...then use a glue stick to glue crystals to the front and back...cut the sticks to an appropriate length to go through both layers of your cake...(mine were cut to about 5 inches)...cut small slits with a knife in a cardboard cake circle for the sticks to go through...I labeled the underside of the cake circle front, back and 1 and 6 to make placement of topper simple...Cover the cake circle with foil...now it is ready for the cake...I used two boxes of  any cake mix for the 12 in and 8 in cakes...Prepared as per the package instructions...

Once cooled I transferred the cakes to the cake circles...Placed the cakes in the freezer for a minimum of 15 minutes...Iced the cakes with icing (I used regular Betty Crocker white icing)...Back into the freezer they went for a minimum of 15 minutes...once out I smoothed out any icing high marks and readied the fondant...I buy Wilton's Fondant from Michaels using the 40% off coupon I only paid $11.00... this was enough fondant for both cakes plus with half left over for next party...Prior to using I knead the fondant to get it pliable...spread powdered sugar out on very clean counter and roll out...for the 8 in cake I rolled it out at least to 12 inches and for the 12 in cake I rolled it out to at least 18 in...once you place it over the cake...press gently then go around edges to cut off the excess...Last step is to smooth any imperfections with a smoothing fondant tool...(I never strive to have the perfection that a professional cake maker would have remember imperfection is perfectly perfect)...For the 8 inch cake at this point after the fondant was placed I used extra sticks to poke from the underside of the cake circle through the top of the cake so that I could see the pattern of where to place the topper on cake...Once the topper is through the cake circle just stack the cakes on top of each other...place flowers around any sticks that are visible...now for the edges of the cake...the glitz ribbon just sticks to the cake and hides the imperfection of the cake edge I used this on both layers...Last detail was a leaf glitzed up with a crystal...Phew I know it sounds like a lot but by far it was a very simple cake...My first and only other fondant cake was a topsy turvy now that was hard...

 

 

 

 

I wish I could keep decorating but my daughter insists that this is enough already...so I'll have to stop for now...It is her day her Sweet Sixteen...omg I am starting to tear up again that's been happening a lot lately is that normal??

 

Menu items:  Taco Bar...Soft and Hard Shells, Taco Meat and Pork Carnitas (same pork recipe already posted just change the rub to a southwest seasoning and top with a white queso cheese sauce), Mexican Rice, Refried Beans, Fresh Salsa and Guacamole and Tortilla Chips, Loads of toppings: Lettuce, Onion, Jalepeno, Tomato, Sour Cream, Cheese and Cilantro.

Desserts: Fried Ice Cream, Cake, Brownies (half of the batch I iced with a german chocolate icing yum), Store bought Busken and Loftouse Cookies they are sooooo good and my daughter's favorite...

 

 

 





Pick Me Up Tuesday

Feeling blue??? I was until I planned a trip to the shoe store...I mean look how cute these are...how could they not make you happy...I had not been to DSW in a long time because it seemed like every time I went the shoes weren't marked down enough...well they sent me a coupon for $20.00 off a $40.00 purchase...of course I couldn't resist I just had to go...I found these amazing flats on the clearance rack (mine were 39.96 with an additional 40% off in store) and along with the coupon I ending up purchasing them for only $15.96 plus I got a free bag...Score...I paired them with a Hale Bob top that had the cutest little heart print from TJmaxx I only paid $16.99, skinnies from Gap, Juicy Couture bracelet Nordstrom Rack marked down to $19.99 and a black belt...

 

 

 

 

Guacamole

Ingredients:

4 Avocados
1 Red Onion
1/3 of Small Bunch Cilantro
1 tsp.  Ground Cumin
1tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp. Black Pepper
1 Tbsp. Salt
2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
Juice from 1 lime

Remove avocados from skin and remove the pit.  Mash avocado into a slightly chunky paste.  Chop onion and cilantro finely.  Add all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Mix together by Folding with a spoon.  Serve immediately with chips.  I also love to use the recipe as a spread on a deli sandwich or juicy hamburger...YUM

Update to Your Emergency Plan

 

Add Information Stickers To Your Little One's Car Seat!!!!

Emergency Contact Information from Don't Pat the Belly.com

I was browsing pinterest and came across this idea that I had to share with you all.  It is so easy to do...don't delay on this one...don't have sticker paper just tape a brightly colored piece of paper with the information on it...worried the information could be seen by passersby and that they would get information that they do not need...just tape an envelope to the car seat with the information sealed on the inside...just make sure it is brightly colored so that the police/firefighter will take notice...write something catchy on the front...Emergency Contact Information...Important pieces of information that can make a difference minutes following an accident.

• Child's Name
• Father's Name and telephone number
• Mother's Name and telephone number
• Emergency Contact and telephone number
• Any allergy information/medical condition

Toddler Sensory Fun

Ava likes baking but we didn't have enough ingredients to make anything so I let her have free reign with the baking soda. She LOVED it. She played for hours initially. I use this sparingly so it doesn't lose its power. Really its like I found a super power.

Items Needed:

•  A baking tray for containment & easy cleanup
• Random Toys 
• Random Utensils or Cookie Cutters (Ava's favorite) 
• Baking Soda

Cost: About $2

Benefit: Unmeasurable I mean I was able to get a shower that should count for at least a thousand dollars right?

Ways expand the "lesson":

• Add vinegar to talk about acids & bases 
• Add food coloring 
• Talk about texture

Have Fun!

Pick Me Up Tuesday

I saw this quote on Pinterest and it brought me back at least thirty years or more...ack how old am I...thank goodness I don't remember

For some reason everything is funnier
if you're not allowed to laugh.

Sit down dinners at the kitchen table were pretty much a staple when I was little...Growing up in a large family on a limited income food was precious to us...and we certainly loved to eat...and fast too because if there was an extra roll and you finished first it was yours...on this particular evening it was dinner time...we were all seated at the dinner table and for some reason one of us just started to snicker...of course I do not remember who started it or why...it was probably because we were having peas and we used to squish them under our plates...what I do know was that my Dad was not happy...He liked for us to be quiet and behave at the table...(maybe they should have thought about the noise level before having four girls within five years...or seven children total...I am not sure if it was ever quiet)...anyway that snicker lead to another snicker...to another then to full out uncontrollable laughing...like milk shooting out of the nose laughing...one by one we were asked to leave the table to get control of ourselves...to stop causing a ruckus at the table...so one by one we went into the bathroom looked into the mirror and laughed till it just wasn't funny anymore...composed ourselves...wiped away the tears of joy...returned to our seat just to glance at each other which one again started the laughing all over again...which landed us back into the bathroom...I think it became so contagious that even my Dad in the end eventually cracked a smile...

So Try not to laugh today...Hopefully milk will shoot out of your nose too....

It's all in the Details

So I am in the store and this dress literally spoke to me.  It not only had eyelet detailing, a little poof in the shoulder and an amazing scalloped edge along the bottom hem...but it was an additional 50% off the marked down price making the ending price around $50.00...this was definitely going to be my dress...(I said this to myself even before trying it on...thank goodness it fit) Remember I buy my pieces so that they can be versatile...In the above photo I am wearing this dress on a very hot August day...but this dress is also wearable in the fall just pair it with a black blazer, boots and tights...Perfect for a Holiday Party.

Dress Off Saks found similar and similar, Necklace JCrew factory, Earrings Banana Republic Factory Store found similar, Sunglasses (Michael Kors from TJmaxx 19.99) found similar, Bangles found similar, Shoes Off Saks found similar.

Toddler Room Makeover

Bye Bye Purple

A room made with love.

After the accident my sister Julie came for a visit she brought lots of love and confidence and some paint. My sister Sandi also came with those things and some power tools yes the previous owner left a picket fence as the headboard and taking that off took a lot of the wall along with it.

We used expensive low odor paint but to tell you the truth it smelled bad. I wonder if the money saved on cheap paint could have been better used. Due to the odor I was kept out of the room (except for quick pictures) and I can't say I have any complaints about that. I had a dresser and bookcase from ikea in the room so back to ikea

Thank you Ikea

we went and found this relatively inexpensive bookcase which we turned on it's side so to be more toddler friendly. Julie found that great wall decal, utter perfection!! All other hangings and shelf items were in a box waiting to be put up for the last year. Instead of buying new drapes we got a box of RIT dye fuchsia it matched the fuchsia ikea bins and fuchsia spray paint PERFECTLY it looked like we dyed it all. And from our previous posts you might know about my owl obsession, well I couldn't leave target without the owl comforter and sheets. I love this room so much I would trade Ava if not for all the work moving stuff. Anyone want to come for a visit? 

the exploration begins

Come On Enjoy The Ride

The cycle sisters go through is alot like going whitewater rafting...(me and my sister actually did this together and it was a blast...a moment in time I will never forget)...It starts off picturesque...the mountains...the trees...the rushing water...Can you picture it now? oh yeah did I mention you are floating down the middle of an unpredictable river in a raft that somehow shrinks in size at the worst possible moment and all you have in your hands is a paddle...sorry back to the story...the river seems so calm at first almost gliding you to your next destination...everyone is smiling, cracking jokes, looking around at the amazing scenery that surrounds them, working together with a lighthearted anticipation of what's to come...then...all of a sudden...out of nowhere it turns into complete chaos...there's screaming, crying and even some flailing...the raft is shrinking...and the once calm river has turned into a monster...waves crashing around huge rocks that are protruding in every direction...you truly start thinking that you are not going to walk away from this...what were you thinking this isn't fun...in that moment you realize that you are forced to work together in unison otherwise one of you may get hurt even worse die...and just when you think you can't take it anymore the river returns to it's calm state again...your gliding, checking out the scenery, moving on to your next destination and most importantly thanking your sister for saving your life.

Truth is no matter what we did to one another...holding the newborn outside of the crib by her ankle (my mom saved the baby prior to her being dropped...yes it was a heart stopper) what we stole out of each other's closet just to wear it and wad it up like you had nothing to do with it...(I did that unfortunately)...to the endless fights...by the way I did not purposely push Julie out of the bed it really was an accident...we needed each other...we still need each other...and I truly wouldn't know what I would have done or would do without my sisters.

Today tell your sister how much she means to you...I am not talking just biological sisters...I am talking about anyone who has been a sister in your life...and thank them from the bottom of your heart for all that they have done for you.

To my sisters:  Your strengths inspire me. Your knowledge educates me. Your help strengthens me. Your love has made this little thing called life livable...You have helped me become the woman I am today.  Thank You Thank You Thank You for being my sister.

Fresh Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:

2 Tomatoes
1 Red Sweet Bell Pepper
1 Yellow Sweet Bell Pepper
1 Red Onion
1/3 of a Bunch of Fresh Cilantro
6 Jalapenos
2 Limes
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp. Cayenne
1Tbsp. Ground Cumin
1 Tbsp. Salt
1 tsp. Black Pepper
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar


Remove seeds from all peppers and finely chop. Finely chop and drain tomato.  Chop onion, cilantro and jalapenos.  Place all chopped ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Add in all spices, sugar, vinegar and juice from the limes.  Mix and Fold together with a large spoon.  Cover and refrigerate.  Serve cold with tortilla chips. (After making your own you will never want to buy the processed store brand salsa again)

Pick Me Up Tuesday, Get Dirty

My toddler loves to paint. I love watching her face light up with smiles but I don't really enjoy the mess. Do you? I looked outside and saw the beautiful birds and wanted to hear them chirp so that got me thinking. Minimal cleanup, great scenery, lots of laughs, all equals a win to me so outside we went.

Items Needed:

• any paint or markers
• paint brush
• rocks (this is optional as Ava also painted dirt)
• water

Ways to expand the "lesson" 

• texture: smooth, rough
• Size: big, little, bigger, smaller
• weight: heavy, light
• colors: mixing colors (can even see this in the water when washing the brushes)

A PoP of Colors

 

 

Have you ever thought of putting Bright Yellow, Mint and Coral together? I know you think I am totally crazy at this point...Well maybe I am...but don't you think it's just too darn cute...even better it was super comfortable...I found the top on a mega clearance sale at our Off Saks Factory Outlet Store...at $40.00 I almost walked away from it because of the price but loved the fit...the buttons on the side...the design around the collar...I know a weak moment...aghh I am crazy...I better not slop anything on it for the next 10 years so I can get my money's worth out of it...the shorts and necklace are also from a Factory Store...JCrew...my favorite ring of all time was from Forever 21...I bought it two years ago and I think only paid $2.95...the bracelets I have had for a long time...let's call them vintage...I can't even remember where I got them.

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top Milly found similar, Shorts JCrew Factory (coral sold out try the purple), Owl ring Forever 21 found similar, Necklace JCrew Factory found similar, vintage bracelets found similar, Shoes flip flops.

Parenting Lessons from my sisters

Being the littlest sister I've learned many lessons from my sisters who have gone through this parenting route before me. Here are just a few of the things I've learned

• Julie: Trust your child. They may be climbing walls (literally) and you may have to hold your breath but trust. 
• Lisa: Have fun, create memories. Those memories may include buying out all the plungers from the local hardware store but it will be worth it. 
• Sandi: You may be a mom but you're still a person and you deserve a break. Go get that pedicure or go see a movie or drink that diet coke in blissful silence. 
• Jeanne: You don't have to follow the path your parents did, you can let your kids get their ears pierced before they turn 18.

Any good tips you've learned? I will take all the help with this parenting gig I can get.

Pick Me Up Tuesday

The Big Scare...Have you ever hid around a corner just waiting for that perfect moment to jump...flail your arms out...and scream roarrrrrrr...Well that was a staple in our house that still brings us many laughs to this day...not like oh yeah that's funny...I mean like laugh till you cry funny...or pee your pants funny...My mom said it was going to bring us post traumatic stress...but really all it brings us is joy...Are we weird?  Does anyone else enjoy this pastime? The best scare story we have to share...We were on vacation in Lake Cumberland...They have a  Lodge were you can get a nice dinner or hang out on the porches to see the little creatures that come out of the woods...well we figured out pretty quickly that it has the perfect bathroom for my sister's plan of attack...A wall separating the toilets and the exit...a perfect corner to carry out her plan...ok now the set up...little sisters had to go to the bathroom...Perfect...act like everything is normal...and then as soon as they are out of sight...hide...she got a little crouch in her stance arms up ready to strike...Silence...toilet flushes...faucet on...faucet off...footsteps...ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Thing is when my sister looked at the victim it wasn't one of us...it was a little old lady clutching her purse...tearing off out of the bathroom...like she was attacked...(hang on a minute need to run to the bathroom almost peed my pants from laughing)...Now I think that undeserving little old lady may have had a little post traumatic stress from that incident...we certainly didn't stick around to find out...did we feel bad? absolutely...did we laugh hysterically? you bet we did!!!!

 

Enjoy some other great scares...Laugh Out Loud Today!



Amazing Pulled Pork

 

OMG. I AM IN LOVE...This has become a staple in our household...it is so easy to make...even better it feeds a lot of people...I can't take any credit for the recipe because it is my husband's...and he was generous enough to share it will all...Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Brine Mixture: 1 cup of Salt, 1 tablespoon of Liquid Smoke, 1/2 cup of Brown Sugar, Water (enough to completely cover pork)
Bone In Pork Shoulder Butt 10 to 12 lbs
Any Spice Rub of your choice. My husband uses McCormick Grill Mates Applewood Rub

Combine Salt, Liquid Smoke, Brown Sugar and Water.(when combined this will become the brine mixture) Place Brine mixture and Pork in a large pot. (Make sure that there is enough water that completely covers the pork) Cover and Refrigerate for 12 hours. Remove Pork from Brine, pat dry and place in roasting pan.  Hand rub the spice mixture all over the entire Pork Shoulder.

Place pork fat side up in roasting pan and bake uncovered at 225 degrees until internal temperature of the pork reads 180 degrees in our oven that is approximately 12 hours. (If you time it right you can place the pork in oven prior to going to bed and it will be ready for a noon time party or lunch the next day) Remove pork from oven and let rest for 20 minutes. Once rested shred the pork with large forks or by hand and place into a large bowl. (The pork comes out fork tender and very moist) Sprinkle in a touch more applewood rub and it's ready to serve.   We serve ours with our favorite barbecue sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Barbecue or Montgomery Inn Barbecue Sauce) on the side along with some of our favorite slaw. (recipe soon to come)

Living Through Life's Tornado

...a continuation of my perspective on Kate...and so the tornado cycled...days had turned to weeks...ups became downs...highs became lows...Seven days passed...if Kate didn't wake up or start breathing on her own they would need to perform a tracheotomy...Was she going to wake up? Was this my sister's life? Slobbering all over herself hooked up to a ventilator...Oh no not my sister...One day prior to her needing the tracheotomy she stunned us all by starting to breathe on her own...She still needed oxygen but they would be able to put tubes in her nose for that...She passed the first hurdle...on to the next...Everyday that she was in a coma determined that her brain injury was more severe than expected...and on the ninth day she actually started to talk...What I never understood about a coma is that when someone wakes up it can be a very slow process and there are many levels of the coma. There is better understanding when you know of the Rancho Los Amigos Scale or the Glasgow Coma Scale...A precious memory I hold dear was on the fourteenth day into our journey My phone rang...it was my mom's number...she would call to update or just need someone to talk to so I answered...all of a sudden I hear "Hey Weaner"...OMG it was my sister Kate...it was a blessing she was definitely going to be okay...you see that is my nickname and she called me that all the time...Jeanne Weanie...My heart skipped a beat...I almost laughed but just acted normal and said "Hey sis What's Up"...She wanted to tell me that Ava likes apple juice...lol I didn't think she ever gave Ava apple juice...When I got off the phone I just broke down...Called everyone to share the story to bring hope to our dwindling expectations.

Remember the highs and lows...Well I visited Kate that same day expecting the miracle that I thought had happened...my sister was back...it didn't work like that...she was very agitated...incessantly trying to pull on the tubes or swing her feet off the bed...It is the hardest thing to explain and watch her go through...It wasn't Kate...at times she was locked behind her own eyes...Kate was starting to talk but it wasn't her...she didn't always make sense...She was almost just repeating things she had heard...she would think that Sandy was me, that she was still twenty one or that aliens had done it...Everyday her blood pressure and fever would spike constantly so much so we kept a fan on her at all times and constantly worried about long term heart problems...She was such a hard stick for getting an IV going for either giving her meds or taking her blood for tests they decided to perform a pick line.  That was great for a couple of days then that got infected and needed to be removed. She developed pneumonia in her lungs...a hematoma in her leg and an abscess around her spleen...her skin around the splints were getting sore...she developed pink eye from all the dirt around her eyes and a massive cold sore around the intibation tube...All we could do was trudge through this mess...Where was Kate? Would we see more glimpses of her old self? Would she be the mom to Ava that she always wanted to be?

Once her medical issues were under control we could get her transferred out of the ICU and truly as with all the miracles we encountered on this journey...She just began to heal...My mom will be able to expand on all of this as she was truly by her side twenty four hours and I hope to get her to write about what she went through...What I know was we were worried that Drake the Rehabilitation Center would not take her if she had to be restrained or if she worsened medically...and the rehabilitation center was the place she needed to be...at this point brain function wise she wanted Dad to come and get her (he passed ten years earlier)...then she would abruptly change thought and talk about accessories...We figured out that the accessories were the splints on her arms, her socks she was supposed to wear or the machines that would beep for no apparent reason...Needless to say she was like a toddler she hated them and wanted them off...she would express that she had to go to the bathroom so the process of getting her up would begin...unlock the restraints...scoot her down in the bed and off the side...steady her then shuffle...She would be so unsteady they put a portable toilet right next to her bed...and then the process would start...she would stand up and down and up and down and up and down for I don't know how many times without even going to the bathroom...just to get back to the bed and have an accident...My poor mother she already went through this stage with her and now all over again...Would this be my sister's life?  Oh no not my sister!

Things that can help when your loved one has a TBI...Boom box with relaxing music to drown out all of the beeps or to calm the blood pressure...A fan to keep body temperature down...Keeping lights out so the brain can rest (even shut the blinds)...Stimulating Kate at first only for a few minutes a few times a day...In her agitation stage we were not allowed to walk Kate only the nurses because she was so unstable...we had an amazing male nurse the last week we were still at Miami Valley Hospital who would walk Kate when she would become agitated...so helpful as it would wear her out and she would actually sleep...giving my mom and herself a much needed break...I didn't want her to get stuck on the word accessories so we would repeat over and over to her the words she couldn't find in her own brain...if it was splint, socks or machine she had to explain what accessory she was talking about...Talking even in the room while they sleep can annoy them...leave the room to chat and shut the doors to keep the hallway noise out...They need a lot of rest for the brain to heal.