While the weather is pleasant, Little Lion Man and I have been partaking in the preschool-appropriate fun at our neighborhood shopping center. With camera in tow, I try my best to snap photos of a rambunctious toddler who is more interested in shopping cart shaped like police cars, trains and fountains than lizards and hedgehogs.
So although I couldn’t capture a decent photo of Liam, I was able to snap some photos of the flowers cascaded through the plaza.
For these photos, I decided to have fun with Field of Depth so you could truly experience the sights and smells of spring in my neighborhood.
Now, gather a whiff of the Jasmine bush growing wildly outside our front door. With its twined vines and pungent fragrance, it welcomes you to our home.
Well, it would welcome you to our home if one particular little man would stop the picking the flowers. Otherwise it will just be bush with a bunch a leaves waving hello.
“Has Spring sprung? Post a photo journal of what Spring is looking like in your neck of the woods!”
In support of Purple Day (March 26), Kirsten and I have planned another purple picnic for our girls. For the special occasion, I’m busy preparing a purple pasta salad and baking purple cupcakes and any other purple provisions I can think of for our little picnic.
The purpose behind Purple Day and our pint-size purple picnic is to spread epilepsy awareness.
*Purple Day Picnic 2011*
Did you know that “epilepsy affects over 50 million people worldwide or approximately 1 in 100 people? That’s more than multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and Parkinson’s disease combined.” (Statistic borrowed from purpleday.org.)
My niece, Meghan, is one of the people affected by epilepsy.
In a few weeks, our entire extended family will participate in the Hare Racing Experience to benefit epilepsy awareness. We’ll wear matching purple shirts and represent ourselves as Team Meggers in Meghan’s honor.
We gladly give our support and hearts to each of the causes because someone we love needs a cure.
Please consider wearing purple today to help spread epilepsy awareness.
Have a purple song or photo to share? Join our Music Monday Purple Day Blog Hop. Link up and share. Linky will stay open until Sunday, April 1.
Additional facts about epilepsy from PurpleDay.org:
Epilepsy affects approximately 1 in 100 people.
At least 1 in every 10 people will have one seizure in their lifetime.
There are approximately 300,000 Canadians living with epilepsy.
There are approximately 3 million Americans living with epilepsy.
There are approximately 50 million people around the world living with epilepsy.
Epilepsy is NOT contagious. Epilepsy is NOT a disease. Epilepsy is NOT a psychological disorder.
There is currently no “cure” for epilepsy. However, for 10-15% of people with epilepsy, the surgical removal of the seizure focus – the part of brain where the person’s seizures start – can eliminate all seizure activity. For more than half of people with epilepsy, medication will control their seizures. Additionally, some children will outgrow their epilepsy and some adults may have a spontaneous remission.
Not everyone can identify specific events or circumstances that affect seizures, but some are able to recognize definite seizure triggers.
Some common triggers include:
Forgetting to take prescribed seizure medication
Lack of sleep
Missing meals
Stress, excitement, emotional upset
Menstrual cycle / hormonal changes
Illness or fever
Low seizure medication levels
Medications other than prescribed seizure medication
Flickering lights of computers, television, videos, etc., and sometimes even bright sunlight
Excessive alcohol consumption and subsequent withdrawal
Street drugs
The cake I baked for Easter wasn’t homemade, natural, organic, gluten free, sugar free, or even low fat.
Shamefully, I used a box of Better Crocker yellow cake mix to form two 8 inch round cakes, two packages of yellow Peeps, two tubs of chocolate icing and a bag of milk chocolate chips to create this sunflower Peep cake . Nope, there was nothing healthy about it and it was damn good. In fact, it was so good that I ate a slice for lunch the next day.
After I finished this cake, my oldest daughter suggested I pipe on some green icing to make a stem and a leaf on the side of the cake which was such a cute idea, but I was too lazy to mess with icing and a piping bag. I’ll try that the next time I make this cute Peep cake.
Also, I think next time I make this cake, I’ll use white icing, white chocolate chips and pink or purple Peeps so the cake has a brighter springtime Easter flavor appearance.
Daisy, Daisy give me your answer do. I’m half crazy all for the love of you. It won’t be a stylish marriage, I can’t afford a carriage. But you’ll look sweet, Upon the seat, Of a bicycle made for two.
In support of 
Run DMT 