Kitchen Tea

In July, Joshua's fiancee came to
Tampa for a few days.  Jessica and I took the opportunity to throw Courtney a Kitchen Tea.  A Kitchen Tea is similar to a Bridal shower.  Traditionally the bride-to-be is given items to start off her kitchen.  It is usually given by the bride's or the groom's mother.  My mother gave me Kitchen Tea before I came over to the USA and invited all my female relatives.......it was a wonderful time and I have spent a bit of time reminiscing over it the past few weeks.  Afternoon tea is usually served, but, we don't drink tea, so we had lemonade instead.  Lemonade with cute ice cubes.........a raspberry and mint leaf had been frozen in the cubes to look like a rose.

We had the tea at a place here in Seffner called Lenna Hall.  It was perfect.

Here is the room all set-up.  Some of the shots are a little dark, but I had a fickle camera.......or maybe the operator was fickle.........but regardless, some of the photos came out dark.

Bottom layer:  chicken salad croissants

Middle layer:  Scones with Devonshire Cream and Jam

Top layer:  petite fours, mini eclairs and mini cream puffs

SOMEONE who will remain nameless, went around and stole the petite fours......not all of them......just a particular flavor......the most popular  flavor......

I tried to invite ladies who have had a influence on Joshua's life and/or our family's life.

I had everyone stand up and introduce themselves to Courtney and to tell her how they knew Joshua.

Ruth Dodd

Lisa Griswold

Janette Chambers

Janette made me cry with the beautiful things she said about my boy

 Ruth Chambers

Christine Chambers

Melissa and Wendy Croxall

Wendy Beck

Julie Clayson

Becky and Devon Michaeli

Karen Peach

Peggy Gray

EEEEEKKKKK!!!

How on earth did Joshua get invited, infiltrate, party crash a kitchen tea?????

Well, it was Joshua's birthday and he hadn't seen Courtney for a very long time and he has a wonderful, kind mother who took pity on him and told him he could stay...............

Amy Donahue

Jessica Purdy

Our guest of honor, Courtney, wondering "Who the heck are all these people??"

This photo is a good example of why not to give the camera to you party crashing son.

 Courtney opening her gifts.

 Joshua was in charge of taking the photos.....

I just want to make that clear..........

 

Jessica was the official gift passer person

 Anyway, going back to the picture taking comments above........

 Hold on just one more moment

 She who must be obeyed

Just jokin'.......kind of

Anyway, Joshua managed to take a awful lot of picture of Courtney with her eyes closed!!!!

OK, so there are only two, but the others have her looking down .  Joshua redeemed himself with the next photo.

  This is my favorite photo of my future daughter-in-law.

It is exciting see a couple starting off their life together.  I hope they have all the joy and happiness their hearts desire.
Thank you to all those who came.  Thank you also for sharing your wonderful recipes!!!!

Sally-Ann

4th of July

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

Fruit Salad........Yummy, Yummy

No, I am not doing a blog about "The Wiggles" today.  But, they have had their moments of adoration at our house!!  We have even been to a Wiggles concert.........we could sing you nearly every Wiggles song..........complete with hand movements...........

by WE I mean Jim, Samuel and me.  I did the WE in yellow because our favorite Wiggle dresses in yellow.

No, the last few days I have been thinking about my brother Graham and one of his most famous and favorite recipes.

FRUIT SALAD

In fact, to honor him, I am going to share his recipe.  This recipe has been handed down for generations and as part of the tradition, only the male members of the family can make it for special occasions.  It is a must  for the dessert portion of Christmas dinner. 

So, without any further ado, here it is.......

 Chop up every known fruit upon the face of the earth......or whatever happens to be handy

Throw it into the largest bowl or pot you have.......Graham uses a big stock pot that looks something like this.......

G

Give it all a good stir

Serve with ice-cream or cream.

It is best served with cream from Australian cows, very thick and creamy....

But, in a pinch, heavy whipping cream from American cows may be substituted

 A sprinkle of sugar over the top if desired......over the fruit salad, not the cows! 

I love my brother very much

Sally-Ann

PS.  No rude comments about Australian cow/American cow thing.  We can arrange a taste test. 

Inspirational

Happy Mother's Day

Walking for Samuel

On Saturday, 1st May, 2010, we participated in the Tampa Bay Walk for Autism Speaks.  Fourteen of us walked, we were a few in thousands.  The Tampa Bay area raised over $180,000.  

We walked to support Samuel.

When Samuel was first diagnosed, Autism Speaks sent us a 100 Day Kit that has helped us navigate us through the world of therapists, neurologists, the different therapies available, tests, tests and more tests..........

 

 Our team is called

THE MIGHTY ROOS!! 

Some were a little disparaging about our mascot.....

is it a mouse or a kangaroo??

Have you ever seen a boxing mouse????

Don't mess with the MIGHTY ROOS, we are serious when it come to supporting the cause of autism and Samuel!!

The day of the walk happened to be the hottest day we have had in Tampa for quite some time now.  The walk itself took place at North Straub Park, St. Petersburg.  Beautiful setting for the event, and a nice breeze did come in off the water every now and then.

Thank heavens for the trees!!!  When we stood under the trees it was immediately cooler.

 

 They were well equipped with porta-potties.  As we were waiting for our team to arrive, we did a little people watching.  The first place people went when arriving at the park????  You got it.....

 

 This was a very popular place with the kids.  They had several jumping thingos set up for the kids to enjoy.  I know I took a picture of Samuel jumping, but can't find it, so here is a picture of Sam's friend Luke jumping.

 

 Here we are trying to organize organizing ourselves and preparing for the strenuous walk ahead....in the sweltering heat........early on a Saturday........wearing the best t-shirts there.........

 

 All kinds of people were there to support us.  We were a little suspicious of some.  But it just goes to show that even villains can take time off from doing evil to support a good cause. 

 

Luke, I am your father..........sorry, a bit hard to resist.

 Sammy Cummins, Eli Nickles & Luke Nickles pictured with Storm trooper 1, Storm trooper 2, Storm trooper 3,  & Mr. Vadar.

 

Luke with Storm trooper 2........or is it 1, 3, or 4???

 Eli with Darth

 

 Don't mess with the ROOS storm trooper guys!

 

 The crowd

 

 The walk begins........

 

 Frank and Lisa Griswold

 

Kenny and Luke

 

 Samuel thinking in his wagon

 

 

 

 

 

 Samuel holding his Mum's hand.

Please excuse my big bum.

 

 

 Everyone was there, even ELVIS!!!

 

 This was Samuel's favorite spot.  Right by the Toys R Us tent.

If you look closely at the upper left side you can see where Sam has spelled S A M.

 

 After the walk in the shade of the trees.....

Eli and Beth Nickles (and Jessica's fingers....how rude!!)

 

 

My sweetie, Jim. 

 

Jessica

 

Jimmie Lee Cummins

Kenny & Luke Nickles

Kenny dancing in his manly shirt

After it was all over, we walked down to the pier to have some lunch and to chill out for a while.

Sam liked riding on the trolley.

Terrible waitress in the restaurant we ate at, but the company was good and it was air-conditioned!!!

Sally-Ann

Lest We Forget

"They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
we will remember them."

Emma Rose

23rd April, our little girl Emma would have been 6-years-old if she had lived.

Emma was a big surprise. We had been trying for 12 years to have another baby. I had finally resolved in my heart that we were only going to have two children. A friend of mine had just found out she was pregnant, and for the first time in recent memory, I didn't get that little twinge in my heart when she announced her pregnancy. The first few weeks were a little rough. Through and ultra-sound we discovered that I was pregnant with not one, but three babies. Unfortunately, a heartbeat was never found on two of the babies and they just gradually faded away each week until they no longer showed on the ultra-sound. Emma continued to grow and thrive. I was a high risk pregnancy - forty-one, diabetic, high blood pressure and overweight. Every week I went to the doctor, tried to do everything they instructed me to the letter. Everything went along great. We chose not to have any of the testing done for birth defects, etc. At 8 1/2 months I went to have a amnio done at the hospital. Emma was measuring over 9lbs, so the doctors thought it might be wise to induce. The amnio was to check her lung development. The day before I had been at the doctors for my usual weekly appointment. I had a non-stress test which was normal. I also had an ultra-sound because Emma had been breech and if she still was, they would schedule me for a C Section the next day. During the non-stress test however, Emma had turned around and was head down.

The next day I woke up feeling extremely nauseated, but thought it was just nerves because I absolutely hate needles. We went to the hospital and there we received the most devastating news of our lives. Our excitement and joy gave way to pain and grief. In a room where the walls were covered with pictures of "miracle" babies - babies that had been operated on while still inside their mother's womb - we were given the news that our little girl had died in the night.

When I was in labor with Emma, it was the most excruciating pain I have ever experienced, and it was probably made worse by the emotional grief and pain I was going through as well. I prayed so hard for a miracle, that the doctors were wrong. But, when the doctor placed her in my arms, I knew that my prayers had not been answered and I had not received my miracle. I thought that I had failed to protect my child and wondered how Heavenly father could give me such a wonderful gift after 12 years of trying to have another baby only to snatch her away at the last minute.
The following months were a bit of a blur, I did the things that were required of me, that I had to do, but there was not any joy, just depression. Finally, when I didn't think I could sink any lower, when I didn't think I could bear the pain any longer, I finally prayed to Heavenly Father and asked for the peace that I so desperately needed.

Every night I had been having the same dream over and over. I was sitting on the bed playing with Emma. There was a loud noise, I looked up and when I looked back down, she was gone. I could hear her crying and crying but couldn't find her. Every night it was the same and during the dream i would be saying to myself, "Don't look away, don't look away!" But I always did. One night, shortly after my talk with Heavenly Father, I had a different dream. Our family was walking along a cow path on a hillside. Coming towards us was a man, as he came closer I could see that it was the Savior. As He came closer still, I could see that He was carrying something in his arms. The closer He came, I could see that he was carrying our little girl. Finally our paths met. The Savior placed Emma in my arms. My arms stopped aching, my heart stopped hurting. I have never felt such joy and peace. In one brief moment the Savior’s hand and mine brushed. I had read many times in the scriptures about the women who knew that if she just touched the hem of the Savior’s clothing, she would be healed. That is how I felt. I knew, and know that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father love me. I felt that love. I knew in that instant that I was not being punished. I also knew that I had been wrong. I had received a miracle. That miracle was the Savior’s atonement. He suffered in the garden of Gethsemane for me. He suffered pain so great that he bled from His pores. He died on the cross for me. I knew in that instant that I would once again hold my little girl, that I would get to raise her and we would all be an eternal family.

I still miss her and cry for her. I still visit her grave and place pink roses there. But the promise of having my little girl with me again makes the pain bearable and gives hope.

We have this picture hanging in our living room. Jim bought it for me the week after Emma died. It is by Greg Olsen and is called, "Forever and Ever."

Our family calls it "Emma's picture."

A friend wrote us a poem shortly after Emma died.

After so many years of waiting patiently,

There was to be a new member of your family.

Though the thought of having her was at first a big surprise,

Over time you imagined her, ten fingers, ten toes, two beautiful eyes.

The perfect little baby, the final finishing touch,
To be a part of this family that had waited long enough.

The things you gathered for her were selected with love and care,

The crib, the bedding, her clothes, and the bows for her hair.

Yet, through a simple twist of fate and touch of the Master's hand,

Sometimes the gifts He has for us are not what we have planned.

You see now the roles have been reversed, she's gone back to Him above,

To look down and watch over you, with her eternal love.

R. Eaton

Sally-Ann

For this Child

There is a new show on TV called "Parenthood".  It had various story lines going on, but one involved parents receiving the diagnosis of Asphergers  for their son.  The parents were devastated.  I have actually been thinking about this lately - the word devastated that is.   The word devastated is used a lot when it comes to parents and families receiving a diagnosis of autism.  I am sitting here thinking back to when we received Samuel's formal diagnosis.  I was very emotional and had a few meltdowns in the week following, but I don't think I was ever devastated. 

I had a sense of relief because we finally had a name to put to Samuel's behaviors.  Relief because we now could take steps forward in finding the right course of action to help Samuel.  In the past I have received news that has devastated me, crushed me.  This didn't.  I am not trying to make light of others emotions and feelings.  This is me and how I felt.  Sitting in a hospital room and receiving the news that the baby you were supposed to be delivering that day had died during the night is the most devastating news I have ever received.

I have days when I am overwhelmed by trying to do all that needs to be done to help Samuel.  

Constant, constant, constant.

Repetitive, repetitive, repetitive.

All for one small glimmer of eye contact.

One small glimmer when he speaks a sentence using his own words.

One small glimmer when little arms are thrown around my neck accompanied with those longed for words, "I lub you Mummy."

A Few Joys of Raising Autistic Children

These thoughts were shared at a workshop about autism at a BYU woman's conference - a few of my own have been thrown in
We get to enjoy our favorite movie line quotes  again and again and again.
Peer pressure—what’s that?
If the definition of humor is absurd and unexpected responses—we have A LOT of good jokes!
I actually prefer all my measuring cups, soda cans and spoons, lined up end to end across the kitchen floor.
Fresh perspectives on parenting, relationships, the gospel, and the joys of the alphabet.
The letter T is actually a member of our family.
I may have been compelled to learn it, but what better attributes than patience and compassion.
I know more about parenting than all the other parents I know combined; because they all gave me their advice.
Living with a developmental delay is like watching child development with time-lapse photography—you can actually see the Lord’s hand in it.
Chasing a totally unaware child the entire length of Disney World and back burns roughly 15,000 calories—that’s like 25 doughnuts!
When my child is displaying some echolalia, I just say out loud, “Mum, you are beautiful!”
They say autism is complicated, but with a child who has no social awareness, “What you see is what you get”—could these children be more simplistic?
Children of few words rarely talk back.
It is the lessons we learn from teaching our “outside-of-the box” children, that help us to be better teachers of all children.
Could it be that my autistic child came here to lead me to the hand of God?
If flowers grow best when there is both sun and rain, we must be living in a lush rain forest!
Sometimes it’s nice to be loved by someone who has never passed a judgment.
Are there references to autism in the Bible? Oh, yes!--those who had no guile.
When you live with someone who interprets everything literally, “cashews” become something cows wear on their feet, and “notions” are people who have no shins.

I have this picture of Samuel sitting on the breakfast bar.

The frame has the caption, 
"For this child I prayed."
Samuel 1:27

The scriptural reference is about Hannah, who prays for a son, and vows to give him to the Lord—Eli the priest blesses her—Samuel is born—Hannah loans him to the Lord.

"Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord." 

 When we walked through the front door with Samuel, coming home from the hospital after he was born, I cried.  Actually, I think sobbed would be a better word.  I sobbed and sobbed.  I felt it was coming from deep within my heart.  I was so relieved to be bringing my baby home, to have him in my arms.  Not a day goes by that I am not grateful for the trust that has been placed in me to raise this special little boy.  He needs me to be his voice.

Six years ago when I was trying to overcome the grief of losing our little girl, Jim counseled me to find something I was passionate about. I think I may have informed him, rather testily I think, that I was passionate about my children, so give me another suggestion please. So, here I am 6 years later fighting passionately for one of my children. This beautiful little boy needs me to be his voice.  I am forever grateful for those who help me and speak for Samuel.

 One voice can be powerful, but I am picturing the Tabernacle Choir!
That is what is needed.

Sally-Ann