Home Tour: Master Bedroom

I can now add the master bedroom to the list of rooms that are done! The layout of this room caused a lot of problems for me, but I think I've found a work to work around it. All 4 walls have either a window or a door so furniture placement was a little tricky. I'm pretty happy with the style of the room and I'm slowly working toward the same style in the rest of the house. I really love the farmhouse style, mainly for its simplicity, so I'm wanting to add touches of farmhouse throughout the house without going full-out farmhouse.

View as you walk into the room

I found this chair at an antique store and I love the gorgeous wood. Eventually I'd like to get an oversized chair for reading but for now this works.

My desk is my new favorite area. I love the picture hanger that I made from an old barn wood frame and the blue mason jar with flowers is just the cutest. 

PKU Cooking Class

When I got the invitation to the PKU cooking class in Huntsville I was so excited that there was going to be an event so close to home. The event was sponsored by BioMarin and it was free for PKU families! We figured there would be 4 or 5 families there, but we were shocked at how many people were there. The youngest PKU patient there was a 3.5 month old precious baby girl. The oldest was a woman who was probably in her thirties who successfully dealt with maternal PKU and had a perfectly healthy child. I had a great conversation with a 16-year-old young man who has PKU and I was very impressed with his maturity and his understanding of how essential staying on diet is to his overall health and mental clarity. 

The event began with a meet-and-greet where we got to talk with the speakers for the day and some of the other families. Then we had a cooking demonstration by a professionally trained chef. I can't say enough about this guy! He teaches at a college level in Wisconsin and traveled all the way to Alabama just to teach this class. He has 3 children, 2 of which have PKU, so he cooks low-pro things every single day. Also, he used to work in D.C. where he was the chef for President and Mrs. Clinton! How awesome is that?!

Chef Kevin Brown. I didn't get a picture of him at the class, but this is him at another PKU seminar. (http://www.mnpku.org/seminar)

We split into groups and made 4 different low-protein recipes. My group made a delicious apple desert. Think apple cider doughnuts, apples sautéed in maple syrup, topped with Rice Dream ice cream. It was amazing! My job was to chop and sauté the apples. Probably the easiest job of the day--which is a good thing. I would have had 40 people very upset with me if I had messed it up. :)

Blurry picture of my sautéed apples. It's not easy to cook and take pictures at the same time.

The other 3 recipes were vegetable noodle soup, vegetable ragout, and breakfast sandwiches. The chef is a genius! He taught us to make bacon out of sweet potatoes! BACON! Out of sweet potatoes! It was delicious. 

Three of the dishes we learned to make. I didn't take time to get a picture of the dessert--I was too concerned about devouring it!

The food was all amazing. All of the recipes are ones that can be served to PKU as well as non-PKU eaters. For example, you can add shredded chicken to the soup for the non-PKU folks. 

While we ate, a social worker spoke to us about executive functioning difficulties in people with PKU. Executive functioning includes things like attention, memory, problem solving--things we need to make it through every day life. Then another speaker gave us some information on Kuvan, a medication used to treat PKU. Maybe I'll do a more detailed post about Kuvan someday.

Overall, I was extremely impressed with the event. I learned so much and it was wonderful to connect with other PKU families. I look forward to the next one!

Calculating Phe From Protein

Over the past week, I have hit the PKU-friendly-food jackpot. I have found so many things that Hadley can eat that are either low in phe or phe-free. The best part is that they have all been in local stores. Hooray for no outrageous shipping costs! 

However, not all low-protein foods are created equal. Just because the package says 0g protein does not mean that it is phe-free. Manufacturers are only required to put the estimated amount of protein on a package. Therefore, a product that claims to be 0g protein may actually contain up to 0.4g of protein (they were allowed to round down to 0). The same is true for a product claiming to have 1g protein. It may contain anywhere from 0.5g to 1.4g. This could mean a big difference in the amount of phe. 

Most, if not all, PKU families rely heavily on the book Low Protein Food List for PKU by Virginia Schuett. This book contains the phe content for a LOT of different foods, but not all. There have been times when I have found a potential food for Hadley in a store but it was not listed in the book. 

So how do we go about determining the phe in these new products? The first step is to call the company and request the exact protein found in the product. Most companies unfortunately do not have the phe amounts in their products, so the exact protein is the next best thing. 

Here is an example:

The package states that there is less than 1g of protein per serving. I called the Glutino company and they told me that the exact amount of protein is 0.9g per serving. Since 1g protein=50mg phe, I multiplied 0.9 by 50 to determine that there are 45mg of phe per 52g serving (or 0.87mg phe per gram of product). 

I contacted Virginia Schuett to make sure I was doing my calculations correctly. She said the multiplier may not always be 50, depending on the main ingredients found in the product. For the toaster pastries, the main source of phe is eggs. However, eggs are listed 8th out of 17 ingredients (ingredients are listed in order from highest to lowest prevalence), so there probably isn't very much in there; therefore, 50 would have been an appropriate multiplier for this product. 

Even with the added task of determining the amount of phe in Hadley's new foods, I am so thankful that she has more variety in her diet now. So far she enjoys all the new things she has been able to try!

Funny side note about these toaster pastries: I told Hadley it was a pop-tart but she thought I said "hop-tart" because she made it go "hop hop hop" across the table. She cracks me up. :)

Home Tour: Hadley's Room

Well, it has taken almost 2 years, but I am finally putting up some pictures of Hadley's room! 

Her room is probably my favorite room in the house (for now). Since we got all new furniture while I was pregnant, I feel like I really got to start from scratch with the decorating. My main objective was not to get too "babyish" with the room because I wanted it to be something she could grow into. I knew I wanted a brown and pink color scheme and I happened to find some adorable cherry blossom bedding that was the launching point for the rest of the decor. I also knew that I wasn't about to repaint that room while pregnant, and I wanted to leave it the neutral beige anyway. I'm sure I will paint her "big girl room" when that time comes, but for now this works.

Here is the crib and glider/ottoman. We found the adorable cherry blossom rug at Lowe's! The dress that she wore home from the hospital is framed and it is such a special piece to me.

Here is the dresser that serves as a changing table on the opposite side of the room. I knew I didn't want a traditional changing table because open shelves just spell trouble for a curious toddler (plus 5 cats) and the dresser will be functional for a long time. The painting was done by a very talented girl from our church and she painted it to match our bedding. It says "We loved you before we knew you. Even when there was just the hope of you, we loved you." The first time I read that quote it really spoke to my heart. During 2 years of infertility, all we had was the hope of a child, but we loved him or her already.

Here is her bookshelf. We wanted to encourage a love of reading, so we knew that she would have a ton of books and that we would need the storage space for them. I also wanted to be able to store toys in the canvas bins. On the top shelf are some more sentimental things like stuffed animals I had when I was baby. On the very top is a jewelry box that belonged to my grandmother. 

Here is the corner of her room that is between the bathroom door and her closet door. I made the hair bow holder and the bulletin board for her artwork. The rocking horse was made by my uncle when I was young.

Last but not least is her closet. The child has way too many clothes! There are just too many cute girly clothes out there that I have not mastered the art of resisting. Still, there is room to store more toys that I'm sure we will be overrun blessed with after her birthday. :)

I try very hard to keep the chaos of toys and books from taking over her room (and our entire house for that matter). I feel very strongly about keeping a child's room organized and peaceful so that it promotes better sleep. Plus, I am just a neat freak anyway. 

It's hard to believe that I spent many hours in that room praying for a child to come into our lives. Now Hadley is almost 2 years old and I still am so thankful that we get to be her parents. :)

A PKU Update (and a small pity party)

The past month has been somewhat tougher than normal. Hadley's phe levels and tyrosine levels have both been low. In the past, her phe levels have been low when she is going through a growth spurt. I have noticed that when her levels are low, she tends to sleep more, but that could just be a natural effect of a growth spurt. Her tyrosine levels have been borderline low for a while, so her doctor finally decided she needed to be put on a tyrosine supplement. At first I was resistant to the idea because I like to keep things as simple as possible regarding her formula, and I knew it would be one more thing to have to fight with insurance about. However, we were able to order what we needed from Amazon and a bottle is only about $11. She will get 1/8 teaspoon of the tyrosine powder in her formula every day so the bottle we got will last us for a good while. 

A couple of weeks ago, Hadley went through an 18-hour period when she would NOT drink her formula. Let me tell you, those 18 hours were absolute emotional torture for me. Yes, eating all of her food is important for maintaining her phe levels, but the most important thing is her formula! I basically was a mess and cried non-stop practically begging her to drink her formula. Seeing Mommy upset made her upset, which made me feel worse. I still am unsure why she decided not to drink it, but thankfully it was short lived, and her phe levels still came back within normal range that week.

We have had a lot of issues with her cold/frozen food orders arriving hot. These companies need to get it together. If you know a cold package is coming to Alabama in the middle of July, you need to put more than 2 ice packs in the cooler. Fortunately, they have been good to work with us about resending the order or reimbursing us, but it still doesn't solve the problem of Hadley not having her food. Her variety is very limited when she is only able to eat things that I can find at a local store. 

Speaking of finding food in stores, it is a wild goose chase that never ends. I was able to find her cheese and a couple of flavors of her yogurt so I am excited to get those for her and not have to pay ridiculous shipping costs. It's times like that though that I really wish I could just go to ANY store and buy ANY brand and ANY flavor of yogurt. Life would be easier. 

Throughout all of this, I am finding it harder to stay positive about Hadley's PKU. It concerns me that things are only going to get more difficult as she gets older. I find myself becoming angry that we have to deal with this and even more angry that people just don't understand. Other parents can go to a store and see something that looks good and buy it for their child. It's just that simple. For us, it is so much more complicated. 

I just try to remind myself that we are incredibly lucky to live in the time that we do and that we are able to give Hadley what she needs, but that doesn't always make things easier. The last thing I want is for people to feel sorry for us, so I generally don't talk about the negative aspects of it, but writing it out sometimes helps me deal with it. If you've gotten this far, thanks for reading. 

Master Bathroom Makeover

I'm happy to say that my master bathroom is now finished! It's been a work in progress for a few months now and it feels so good to be done. There were no major renovations (like knocking down walls), but it feels like a totally different room. I'm going to share a list of what was done and some before and after pictures for all you before-and-after-photo junkies (oh, is that just me?). 

Bathroom "Renovations":
new flooring (hallelujah!)
paint (walls, trim, doors, cabinets)
new shower curtain and rugs
mirror frame
roman shade
misc. decorative touches

Here is the sink/cabinet area before...

And after...

The tub/toilet area before...

It was bath night :)

And after...

Random back corner of the bathroom before...

And after...

The before pictures don't do the floor justice. It was truly horrendous. Now it is much lighter and brighter and makes me happy. 

Framing A Mirror

This is a project that I have seen all over Pinterest and I really wanted to try it. The mirror in the master bathroom is just your plain builder grade mirror and it has some chipping at the bottom which makes it look awful. 

Ugly chipped mirror (which is also in need of cleaning).

The most intimidating part of the whole project was cutting angles. Anything involving math or geometry makes my head hurt. It ended up not being that hard though. So without further ado...here is my mirror framing tutorial.


You'll need:
mitre box (you can find these for less than $5 at Lowe's)
small hand saw
tape measure
level
pencil
paint
trim
Liquid Nails made especially for mirrors and glass
painter's tape
paintable caulk or spackle

First measure the perimeter of your mirror to see how much trim you will need. I needed 9 feet. Lowe's sells pieces of trim in 7 or 10 foot lengths. I got two 7 foot pieces so a) they would fit in the back of the truck better, and b) I'd have plenty of extra if I messed up.

I drew sketches of the mirror so I could remember the lengths I needed to cut. I also drew out how the angles would go so I could have a visual when cutting and checked them off as I cut them.

You will measure your first length and cut at a 45 degree angle. Do this for all 4 sides. Don't worry if your cuts are completely clean. That's what the caulk is for!

After you have cut all your trim, it's time to paint. Paint BOTH the back and the front of the trim because you will see the reflection of the back in the mirror. 

OK, I lied. The most intimidating part is not cutting the angles. The most intimidating part is putting that first piece up with Liquid Nails and knowing there is no turning back! 

The first piece to go up will be the bottom of the frame. You will want to make sure this piece is level and let it dry overnight before gluing the other pieces. Hold it secure with painter's tape.

When putting the Liquid Nails on the back of the frame, make sure you don't put it on too thick or too close to the edge that will be reflected in the mirror. That way it won't squish out when you put it up and be visible in the reflection. Here's a look at my Liquid Nails application.

The right side is the side that is reflected in the mirror. I kept the glue away from that edge.

Don't worry if your corners don't match up exactly when you put all the pieces of your frame up. You'll fill those in with caulk or spackle.

I chose to use spackle in my corners just because I prefer it over caulk. You'll let it dry then sand and you're ready to touch up paint in the corners.

Another little issue I had with my mirror is the fact that you could see the side of it behind the frame. Other tutorials I've seen have added an extra piece of very thin trim around the outside edges to hide this, but it wouldn't have worked well in my case. Plus, it's only the one side that you can see so I wasn't too worried about it. I just ran some caulk down the side and then painted it white so it blended in more. 

I absolutely LOVE my "new" mirror! It makes such a statement in the room and is a huge upgrade for very little money. I think I spent maybe $15-20 total? I did have a lot of the needed materials on hand already though. Here's the before...

Before

And the much improved after...

After