Goodbye February....Hello March!

Earlier this week my sister Demi messaged us about a project she was doing for school. She wanted to know some basic medical costs in a foreign country. A simple project that, at the time, I had no data for. The very next day I had first hand knowledge of "project data". We now know how much it cost to:

-be transported to the hospital in an ambulance

-have a head and neck x-ray

-have 2 abdominal ultrasounds

-and a blood and urine analysis

246 Litas = to $97

All for my little Rue Rue

On Wednesday I took the kids to Akropolis (mega mall in town) to play at the indoor play park. We've been here a few times and it is tons of fun for all the kids. The playground is a multilevel structure with slides, tunnels, climbing ramps, etc, etc, etc. Safety net surrounds the entire thing inside and out. The safety net is what creates the walls in the interior.......

...Liva was heading up to the 3rd floor on a cushioned ramp. I sat down on the ramp to take a crawling break and she went past me. Within the next few seconds there was a strange silence of not hearing my baby's movement around me and then I heard the distant sound of her cry. I turn around to see her. I don't. She was right behind me and then in a moment, behind my back, she fell thru a small gap where the safety net was not attached to the ramp. I look down, mortified to see her laying face down in a pit of plastic balls.....15 feet below......15 feet below......15 feet below.

My baby just fell 15 feet below. 

The only reason she is not laying in a hospital bed today is because she landed in a pit of plastic balls.

Thank God for a pit of plastic balls. That pit of balls completely cushioned her fall. No injuries. We wanted as much assurance as possible that she had no internal injuries, therefore we had the x-rays and ultrasound performed as recommended by the Children's Hospital. Precious baby girl. Fell 15 feet below. Landed in a pit of plastic balls. No injuries, not even a scratch. Thank you, God, for a pit of plastic balls. 

Our baby girl is OK

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In a quest to eliminate some processed sugar out of our consumption, we have started making our own applesauce as a healthy baking substitute to the sticky, icky, gooey addictive delight, sugar. 

What a delightful group of helpers I had! We were darn right proud of our warm, cinnamon flavored homemade applesauce. 

Recipe courtesy of:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/10/homemade-applesauce/

Minus the brown sugar.....can't buy it here....and we are trying to get rid of the sugar anyway....

Try a batch and substitute the applesauce for the sugar in your next batch of muffins. 

Let me be a "foodie" here for another moment and also share one of our 

common main dishes we eat here.

The Cutlet

Mix ground beef, 2 eggs, diced onion, shredded sweet potatoe, a dash of oregeno and cummin, and minced garlic. 

Form into small patties and fry in a pan. 

Add a side dish of: 

Step 1. Boiled 

Step 2. Peeled and then

 Step 3. Fried potatoes 

And you have yourself a simple Eastern European meal.

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A Fresh Look at the Forest.

This is what we get when we go for a jog thru the forest. Texas, you have the almost endless sunshine year round and 70 degree days in December. We have a forest. Many days it is an excellent trade, although we do not have nearly enough sunshine peering thru the often cloudy skies. 

I am well aware that I have left out my oldest child in this posting so far! Sorry buddy! 

Here's to you darling boy:

Photos of his class party celebrating 100 days of school. 

The class hired a 2 hour disco to party the night away in the theme of 

Alice in Wonderland

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Dear, Dear, Dear Lithuanians: You really are in one word

Stoic

Walking down your streets, shopping in your stores, (although you can be quite radical on the road in your cars).....you are very stoic. Almost all of you! Visual forms of happiness are suppressed. Mostly absent. I feel myself acting in accordance to your stoicism. In a strange way it seems as though the individual self is somewhat meaningless. We walk thru, avoid and dodge thru your endless clouds of sidewalk cigarette smoke. I feel uncomfortable expressing individual bouts of joy or happiness outside on your sidewalks, or in your stores. It's feeling a bit gloomy here. I hope you are not upset with my saying so. It's observation. 

Living Lithuania Outloud,

April