Saturday, February 13, 2010

Cookies for Chloe

If you haven't had the chance to meet Chloe, you're missing out on a very special little girl!  That's why when her mom, Aimee, asked me to make cookies for a Thank You party for Chloe I jumped at the chance!
Early in January, Chloe was out enjoying the snow with family and friends when she lost control of the child-size snowmobile she was driving and wrecked.  She was taken by ambulance to a near-by hospital where they stabilized her and prepared her for the flight to University of Chicago.  She was in a drug-induced coma with a chest tube and on a ventilator.
When I talked to Aimee that night I was in the middle of braiding Olivia's hair.  I sat on the phone and I listened to Aimee cry on the other side.  She felt helpless, there wasn't a thing she could do.  As a mother, my heart just ached for her.  I got off the phone and immediately started praying, calling others to pray and requesting prayer through facebook.
I didn't sleep much that night, but the new day brought about new miracles!  That evening, about 24 hours after the accident, Chloe woke up for the first time and was taken off the ventilator.  Slowly over the next few days Chloe started to become more Chloe-like!  Now, a little over a month later, Chloe is still making improvements. She just finished her first week back to school and doctor check-ups and new scans are just proving how much of a little miracle she is.  Chloe will most likely make a full recovery with absolutely no surgery needed - praise the Lord!
Aimee and Ryan were shocked by the amount of people who prayed, offered condolences, and did everything from making meals to sending gifts to keep the kids busy.  During these types of situations, you really start to realize the number of people in your life who REALLY do care for you, and even the strangers who God places in your life at just the right time!  I'm always so amazed at God's perfect plan and they way he lines things up with such perfection.  It was a horrible thing that happened, but it was amazing to see God's hand at work.
Because of the overwhelming support that Ryan and Aimee received, they wanted to throw a Thank You Party to honor all of the people who touched their lives during this past month.  The date was set for Valentine's Day and because Aimee and I must have been separated at birth, she immediately started thinking THEME!  Every party needs a theme, right?  Well, since it was Valentine's day, that made Aimee's task a little easier.  She came to me with a fabulous idea and I was ecstatic!  She wanted conversation heart sugar cookies that had to do with Chloe's accident.










And of course we had to make a few for our house for Valentine's Day - it wouldn't be the same without them!  The first time I made my decorated sugar cookies was for Valentine's day - 7 years ago.  AND 6 years ago, it was a conversation heart cookie that told Brian we were expecting our first child!


Happy Valentine's Day - may you be blessed with love!  Remember to tell those you love just how much they mean to you.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, Shawnie...This is Aimee's mom. You are truly amazing..and so continues the theme..amazed by so much. Thanks for helping her in this special way. The words on them are so special in every way.
Thanks again and may God continue to bless you so you can bless others.

Melissa said...

Those are awesome! Would you be willing to share the recipe????

Aimee said...

They are just so cute! I can't wait to eat one...or four! :) Thanks again Shawnie!!

mommy to an angel said...

I use the Food Network, Alton Brown, Sugar Cookie recipe and I do not roll them out very thin - probably between 1/4" and 1/2". I bake them different amounts depending on the sheet they are on, but I take them out before they start to get the dark edges.
My icing is Royal icing -
2 to 2 1/4 Cups of sifted powder sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/3 cup of pasterized egg whites, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Put all ingredients in mixer and mix for approx 5 minutes.
I use about 2 cups of p. sugar to ice the cookies with - it's just enough to allow the icing to go smooth, but not runny enough for it to run off the sides of the cookie. Then for the decorations on the cookie, I use the 2 1/4 cups and use a piping bag.

Anonymous said...

HI Shawnie. I am Amiee's cousin...and I just wanted to tell you that those cookies were AWSOME (to look at and to eat!)...thank you for being such an important person in Aimee's life.

Kim

mommy to an angel said...

aww, thanks Kim!

Sou said...

Those Are Awesome Collection,thanks for again,keep sharing us..