Portland Food Map: Pip's Original Doughnuts

I have been dying to try Pip's Original Doughnuts and finally got the chance. It was everything I imagined and more. I keep thinking of reasons why I need to go back.

This is one dozen donuts, which is two of each flavor on the menu. My favorite was the cinnamon sugar. Although I didn't get to taste the banana cream. Sawyer snagged both of those puppies, that little stinker!

A Chai Tea flight is a must. I'm def a coffee person, but when in Rome! Pip's is known for this and my husband loves chai... I had to. You can get hot or cold. Heart of Gold was my fav and Derek was a fan of King and I.

The line was long, but it went fast. Grab seating when you see it. Space is limited, but tables turned over quickly.

It's safe to say we will back.

Sawyer's New Leg

One reason I started this blog was to share our families journey with Fibular Hemimelia. My hope is to help others who are on our same path. It was a scary place when we started, but now it's just apart of life. A pretty good one at that!

Sawyer will be four in July and we are on leg number four. Ideally, he will have one leg per year. Over the twelve months there are adjustments made to accommodate for growth. Adding length, changing feet, shaving down the insert, switching leg socks are some of the changes that can be made.

Leg number 4 is the first with a pattern. You have a choice between flesh color or adding a cotton fabric to the outside. In years past we picked flesh tones. To feel normal about a situation that was anything but, felt comforting. It's was not always an easy conversation to have with people without crying in the early days. Looking back I wish I could have told myself it's going to be ok. Doctors told me, but I probably needed to hear it from another mother. Let me tell you this kid does everything. He's played soccer, is in gymnastics, he runs, jumps and climbs. Sometimes things are a little harder or he has to figure out his own way, but he does. It's been so rewarding watching Sawyer grow and thrive. This playful pattern of brightly colored monsters was his choice and so perfect for him.

Week 1:  The prosthetist makes a mold of the leg. They use a casting material to get the exact shape of the leg to fit the prosthetic to. They also measure his foot on the opposite leg to get a matching one for the other side.

Week 2:  Using the casting a clear mold is made to visually see how the prosthetic will fit.

Week 3:  Dynamic alignment. A foot is added to the end of the clear mold and the prosthetist watches to see how Sawyer walks in the new leg.

Two weeks later we have a new leg. I'm so happy with the way it turned out and I can't wait until summer for Sawyer to show it off! He amazes us all the time and I'm excited to see what the year has in store for us!

Homemade Valentines

Supplies:

6" Chalk Hearts Designer Cutouts from Creative Teaching Press

Magic Towels from Target's Dollar Spot

Ziplock Sandwich Bags

Washi Tape

Chalkboard Pen

Instructions:

1. Place one magic towel and chalk heart cutout in Ziplock bag. 

2. Seal the bag and place a strip of decorative washi tape over the ziplock closure.

3. Add a cutout to the top of bag and use the washi tape to secure it to the bag.

XOXO

It's been forever since my last blog post. I stopped blogging because it was not fitting in my life. I thought for a while I would stop all together, but I really missed having a space to share. Our life has drastically changed since we moved to the Pacific Northwest, so of course the blog should reflect that. Once I came to that conclusion it all kind of made sense again. I'm excited for this new chapter and I can't wait to share about it.

Oregon Playgrounds and a New Leg

Life has been insanly busy. Hence the lack of posts. We are working on our third move this year, but thank goodness this one is for good! I'm so excited to share the progress on our house, but first an update on Sawyer.

Sawyer's favorite activity by far is swinging. He shouts "yay, yay!" and loves daddy to push him as high as possible. He also discovered if he kicks his legs enough he can knock off his prosthetic...making it fly across the park. Bright side...it's one way to start conversation with new people.

Sawyer is adjusting just fine to this new life of ours. We are all really enjoying all the lush parks and Sawyer goes crazy over the playgrounds. In July he will be two! I am planning a small, but fun filled birthday. It's crazy how much he is changing. He told me one night when he would not go to bed "I don't want to go to bed...I'm not tired!"...WHAAAATTT?? I freaked out. It was hard to make out, but he totally said it. No more sentences since.

A shoulder ride on dad in Tualatin Hills Nature Park.

Murase Plaza at Memorial Park
We stumbled on this playground in Wilsonville. There was a huge red barn, gingerbread house, and swings to play on. It also has an old barn that would be so pretty for a family photo.

Sawyer is obsessed with the color red. Naturally he was drawn to this huge red lady bug. I kind of want one in my backward.

Sawyer got his first leg when he was 12 months. At 22 months there is a significant height difference. His first prosthetic is pretty basic. The foot was glued onto the leg so making adjustments meant adding onto the bottom of the foot. The brown cork material lifted him to the proper height. His new leg really raised Sawyer up. It took a while for him to get adjusted to the height difference. When he was wearing his old leg he was starting to bend his full leg to shorten himself to be at the same level. Once he put on the new prosthetic he was walking on his tippy toes. To him it was too tall, but it was actually the correct height. After a few days he started walking evenly on both sides.

I adore this little man.

Foodie Fridays: Coconut Curry Shrimp

RECIPE

Do you ever fall into a routine of week night meals? I'm trying to explore new recipes and cusines. I don't cook a lot of fish for fear of the dreaded fishy taste. I feel like it's so easy to overcook and so many chances to do it wrong. Well no more! I will not be afraid of fish. I love Pioneer Woman and I watched an episode where she made Coconut Curry Shrimp. It looked really good and super simple to make. I can do this!

I bought peeled and deveined shrimp at the grocery store only to come home and realize they were not cleaned. I don't know how to clean shrimp...yuck this stinks! I quickly pulled myself together...I can do this...with a little help from youtube. Oh, and another good tip on cooking shrimp: straight shrimp are raw, C-shaped means it's cooked perfect, O-shaped is overcooked. The dish was pretty easy to make and I really liked the coconut curry sauce, but the verdict is in I don't like shrimp. I cooked for what felt like hours (cleaning that darn shrimp)...I took one bite and I couldn't finish. I'm still sharing this recipe because if you do like shrimp this is a tasty meal. I ate the rice and sauce. Next time I will substitute chicken for shirmp. I tried, but fish is not in my future unless it's raw and rolled in rice and seaweed.

Photo credit: The Pioneer Woman