Applesauce day...

We haven't done any applesauce up yet! Last year I'm sure I had nearly 200 jars by now. We have some dried apples but not near what we could eat up in a winter. Well, today regular school is on hold and the girls are getting a lesson in canning. They will probably do most of the work today although the boys are busy washing and cutting, too. I'm so blessed. We washed the jars last night and one of the girls sorted all the apples piling up in the garage, good from bad and brought in the good. It's also my mom's birthday today. I'm hoping to get these apples done so we can run over to wish her a happy day.

While we work in the kitchen we like to listen to books on tape, history stories or science. Today, they are listening to Jonathan Park Adventure Series. It is about creation. The main character is a paleontoligist. They explore caves, dinosaur bones and other things in a dramatized story. The kids really enjoy it.

Two steps forward, one step backward

It seems to be two steps forward and one step back when you are trying to get well. Last night the stomach-ache was back and a lot of bloating and gas. It could be the new supplements. Hopefully it is an adjustment period. I backed off some of them today. Maybe every other day and he'll adjust better. He felt good today and his color is looking more normal. Before the detox he looked yellow and sometimes green.

We made spaghetti sauce out of beets and carrots tonight. It is part of the Feingold diet and Isaac could eat it too. You cook the beets and carrots, run through a blender, add spices, let sit and then we added onions and hamburger to it before serving. First taste and it was just like tomato spaghetti sauce but after a few bites the sweetness of the beets came through. Kevin thought it was great and most of the kids thought it was OK. Gideon had a bit of trouble but managed a few bites. I hope none of the kids have problems with tomatoes by the time we can add them :) We have 2 1/2 weeks to go before we can start adding things like tomatoes, apples and some berries.

Life goes on...

Thanks Aimee, I slept pretty good too. It would be easy to sit around and worry about what will happen now, but, I have children who need me! :)

My very smiley baby is lying here watching me type. Yesterday was busy in many ways. Isaac's stool sample results came in so ran in for a consult in the morning. He had a Candida overgrowth and protozoa in his intestines. Who knows how long it was there? It explains the allergic response to all the foods he was eating. Candida loves sugar and bread products. Well, a really amazing thing happened in the afternoon. I already made an appointment for Dr. Kastner, our chiropractor slash kinesiologist in the afternoon. We went anyway even knowing what caused it. He was treating Isaac for chemical toxins. He found no toxins, no Candida, nothing at all except an allergic response to coffee. Wow! I was shocked mostly. Dr. K. seemed a bit surprised too. It turns out the detox and the diet free of all sugar and breads, oats, etc. killed the Candida before the results from the tests came in. In just 2 weeks! Wow!! Double Wow! We are going to take the supplements for one month and he is on some probiotics. He's not all better, just the stuff causing all the trouble is gone. Now we need to build his immune system up. He will have to stay off the allergenic foods for three months and then start trying them one at a time. If he doesn't react he can have them sparingly for a time and then we'll see what's next. It really takes a weight off your shoulders to know what exactly was going on. God was so good and is so good. We give all glory to Him for wisdom and showing us the right path to follow. Pray for continued healing on Isaac's body. He's looking forward to those cookbooks, they are not here yet! Have a wonderful day!

God is still in control...

Even though the election didn't go the way I think most Christians would have liked it to, God is still in control. Even though a very anti-life, pro-abortion candidate won and he was quoted as saying the "first thing he would do as President" was to sign back into law a bill President Bush signed out allowing federal dollars to go for abortions across the world, God is still in control. Why anyone thinks US tax dollars should fund abortions overseas is beyond me? Why anyone thinks money should be taken from the rich and be given to the poor, and I qualify under US guidelines as poor, is also beyond me. I don't want money someone else earned! It is a scary time we are living in. My kids are down and feeling defeated tonight. I keep saying, "God is still in control". No matter what happens in our country, to our laws, to our rights and freedoms, God will show His infinite power. I understand if some who read this disagree with me and don't read my blog anymore. I just need to say these things. I am going to continue to call on the Lord for this country's sake, for Christians everywhere to come together and pray for our country and for our children who will inherit every decision that comes from those in leadership. I will continue to teach my children the history of our country and what it was founded on, freedom of religion not from religion. I pray my children will go out as ambassadors of Christ and show God's love to all. I will pray that the freedoms we have fought so hard for with the blood of many soldiers and citizens will stand. As LeAnn F. sang in church one Sunday "Lord, Have Mercy. Christ, Have Mercy. Lord, Have Mercy on Us."

It's so unstable...

If I write this down here maybe it will be remembered. Yesterday, we ended up at Kevin's parents for awhile. Kevin took one kid to combine with Grandpa. He'd been begging to for a long time. The others were wandering the house, eating up the peanuts and little ones were coloring eventually. Gideon had a crayon with loose paper on it. You know, when a new crayon's paper will come completely off, it's kind of neat. Anyway, he say, "Grandma, the paper on this crayon is so......(huge pause).......unstable!" Isn't that adorable. I just loved it and now have repeated it at least four times. Where do they come up with these words?

Thanks Kim for the website. I checked it out and am going to check more into it. Thanks also Jen for the website info on intolerances versus allergies. I spend a bit of time researching on the computer lately. It's a world of information. I just ordered two cookbooks from Amazon.com. One was only 33 cents. ($3.99) shipping. It is called something like the No wheat, no corn, no peanuts, no eggs, no sugar, no yeast cookbook. Another one was called a similar name. Isaac can't wait for them to come. He's hoping for some different taste sensations. His chicken soup turned out to be carrot soup, was kind of blah tonight without noodles or crackers in it.

I don't like lima beans either.

At supper tonight Bekah loudly proclaims she doesn't like lima beans. I told her put them to the side and leave them there, quietly! Later I realized I don't like them either and it opened up a teaching moment. I said, "Rebekah, did you know I don't like lima beans either?" She perked up and replied that she didn't. I said it is because I don't announce it to the world, I quietly put them to the side or I eat them first to get it over with. Doesn't it just get you down when you finally figured out what to make for supper, get it on the table and someone complains? At least I have Kevin there, he likes to eat anything! :)

Sometimes life is like that, we loudly proclaim "I don't like this thing that is happening to me." "I didn't choose this." I have felt a bit like this with Isaac's allergies. Today at church we asked for prayer for his allergies and for us as we figure out what foods he can eat. Another family got up to ask for prayer for their 1 year old who was recently diagnosed with cerebal palsey. I felt like whatever we were going through was so small compared. We will figure out his diet eventually and he'll probably grow out of some of the allergies. This little girl probably won't grow out of this. God could heal her but in the meantime her family will need extra encouragement and strength.