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more than a tree

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I try and post about things here that are practical, helpful and informative. This is way beyond that. See this painting? It’s so beautiful. My friend Karie painted it. You may see a tree, but here is what you don’t see…IMG_9759

Karie gave this to me this past summer when I was leaving the hospital. No, not because I was in the hospital. I had stopped by to visit her and her sweet 4 year old little boy, Walker. On July 3, 2014, Walker was playing legos and suddenly everything changed. He had a seizure…then another, and another, and things have never been the same. You can read their full story at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/walkerphillips

June 2015… I finally made it back to SC to visit her and little Walker who had been in and out of the hospital for almost a year. I had to sit next to one of my littles in a hospital bed for 4 days once. It was heart wrenching. traumatic. exhausting. scary.

Karie has been doing this since that July day in 2014, fighting and advocating for her son to be well…searching desperately for any attempt to find the root cause of all that was terrorizing his little body. In her pain, one day she started to create again while sitting there next to his bed….just waiting. She painted this tree, and then gave it to me as a thank you for stopping by. I thought I had come by to give something to her, but they gave me so much more that day.

Karie and I were roommates way back. After I moved away, I flew back a few years later to be in her wedding. A few years after that, I was able to stop by and visit when she had her first baby. Now I sit here weeping across the country as I fight off the twinges of pain that are only a glimpse into what her mother’s heart is feeling. She is still waiting beside his bed. This time she’s not in the hospital. They said there was nothing more they could do. Little Walker is a fighter. She writes so beautifully and so raw on her blog www.waitingonwalker.com

I look through tears at this painting sitting next to my bed and see something beautiful, but the real beauty the moves me to the core is this mother’s heart….this precious boy’s life. They were created for a purpose. Life isn’t fair. Walker should not be dying. Somehow though through all the pain, there is still beauty. I pray we never fail to see it. In this tree, I see Walker’s life – he has grown into something more and radiates a light that is far beyond what could have been had he been restored only on this earth.

I feel like I have no words for what is happening. No words for her. What could possibly be said? Nothing. Lots of prayers.

Breakfast casserole

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Our lives have taken a step in an exciting direction with the discovery that our oldest can have eggs as long as they are baked into something and thoroughly cooked! We LOVE eggs, and I feel like some mornings, breakfast just isn’t complete without them. For years we just made due, but I have recently been able to incorporate a breakfast casserole and my little one is ecstatic!

This is so easy and versatile – it takes about 45 min to bake so it’s great to get up and throw in early before they all get crazy and hangry.

Here’s a picture of our casserole today before it has been baked. It was a great way to clean out the fridge from the random meats, sides and veggies from the week!
Ingredients:

You can literally throw anything into this! Here is what we usually do:

  • Pre cook a roll of natural sausage or breakfast meat
  • Add chopped (pre-cooked) potatoes or even throw in a layer of frozen fries or tots
  • Chop in veggies you have in the fridge (mushrooms, spinach, zucchini and onions are our favorites)
  • Add cheese if you can have that. We aren’t quite there but sometimes I mix in some dairy free Daiya cheddar shreds
  • Mix about 8-12 eggs until they are whipped up, adding in some cream or milk of choice, salt and pepper (I love adding in 1-2 drops of dōTERRA Black Pepper essential oil)
  • Because we still need a binder with our eggs to make them safer, I add in about 1/4 cup gluten free bisquick to the egg mix

Grease a 9×13 casserole dish and grease the bottom. Throw in your meat, potatoes, veggies and then pour your egg mix on top to set it all!

Bake at 350 for appx 45 min or until egg part is thoroughly cooked! It’s a huge hit every time!

 

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Soup

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I can’t get enough of real food, clean, allergen free soup and stew recipes. It is such a wonderful healthy comfort food when the weather is cold, but also packs full of immune boosting ingredients to help keep us functioning optimally. To be honest, I don’t remember where this recipe originated since I modified it based on a recipe I found many many years back, but it has become a favorite in our family and gets rave reviews from guests. It’s healthy (spare the cream) and the perfect flavors of fall and winter for a stand alone meal or as an appetizer to any dish.  Enjoy!

  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

(Or substitute spices with doTERRA essential oils – 1 drop coriander, 2 drops cumin, 1 drop oregano, 1 drop fennel, 2 drops black pepper) *most essential oils cannot be ingested so please do not do this with another brand. These have been tested for safety.

  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, ground
  • 1 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
  • 2 large sweet potatoes, cooked and peeled
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 large box or jar chicken broth  (or veggie broth if you want it vegetarian) – homemade bone broth is excellent base for all your soups and stews
  • 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp. white pepper
  • 1/2 cups heavy cream or 1 stick butter (optional)

Cook sweet potatoes (I prefer cooking them in the instant pot), allow to cool enough to peel, remove skins.

In a spice grinder, grind all spices together into a coarse powder. (or just use the oil drops)

Sautee onion and crushed garlic in olive oil over medium heat until onion is soft.

Combine sweet potatoes, pumpkin, spices, cooked onion/garlic and chicken stock in blender. (may have to divide into batches if making a large quantity)

Once blended, pour mixture into large pot on stove and cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated.  Consistency can be adjusted with more/less broth.  (Heavy whipping cream and/or a small amount of sour cream can be added for extra yummy & creamy soup, but not necessary)

Pour heated soup into bowls and garnish with sour cream and fresh parsley if desired.