I'm losing some of you....

I have been having trouble getting on the computer. Monday was just plain busy. Isaac started Lego robotics and it looks like a lot of fun. Tuesday we had an appointment to check his blood. Wednesday we had Dr. S. appointments (but not really because I came a day early). They fit us in anyway. Then I called the clinic to see when my appointment was and they said yesterday. Now I KNOW I did not make it for that day because I already had an appointment at that time. I'm not losing it that much! :) Thursday we were to another doctor and another clinic at 11:30 a.m. Left there at 2:30 p.m. Isaac was in the hospital (not serious) for a blood transfusion by 3:30 p.m. They didn't come type and match his blood until 5:30 p.m. and then it was another 40 minutes for the blood to come and then it took until 10 p.m. to finish it! Whew! What a week! I originally was going to finish painting the basement floor and put all the junk back by Friday so I could clean the house and have it ready for Lena's first birthday party Sunday. It didn't happen! So, my mom called today and I said, hey want to come help me clean my house. She dusted and vacuumed most of the upstairs. Thanks Mom! I hope to get a good amount cleaned out in the basement but I'm not hopeful. I don't think I ever went to sleep last night. I just couldn't sleep in case Isaac needed me. I don't know if you can have a reaction to a blood transfusion. Supposedly it would be in the first 15 minutes but he's so young and all.

Please pray for his hemoglobin to stay at a good level. This transfusion won't last I'm told. I'm sure if everyone I know emailed a prayer request to 10 friends we'd have an epidemic prayer request. Isaac also has blood in his stools again. I cannot express my disappointment and heartache at this. He was doing so excellent. I'm praying for it to go away and for God to direct and guide us and heal him. We do not plan to run a bunch of tests here but will ask for a referral to Mayo clinic if he doesn't clear up soon and if his hemoglobin doesn't stay up. Please pray for these particular things. Pray for sleep. I haven't actually slept in a few days and it gets so hard to do anything. We were going to start school Monday but our school room is still a disaster and so is most everything it seems. I'll see how much I accomplish tonight! Take care! God Bless!

Please pray...

Isaac has his hemoglobin checked tomorrow at 2 p.m. Please pray for it to have shown continued improvement. We were all so happy when it went up last time that we are looking for that same improvement or better this time! Isaac's color has sure improved lately and he is playing "harder" with everyone. We have continued juicing "iron-rich" juices for him and he eats a lot of meat and nut butters and eggs. He also likes to eat a salad from the garden with most meals, again iron-rich foods.

School is about to start and all summer I put off cleaning out the basement until now. When Isaac got sick he had an allergy to mold and it was suggested we paint the basement floor and walls of the unfinished part. What a huge burden that seemed to be! Now, I'm finally getting to it while I clean the school room, plan classes for the kids, can food from the garden and do our regular life!!! Things always seem to get done when you are really busy. I work well under pressure so Friday and Saturday, I washed the walls in half of the storage room, primed and painted the walls, acid-etched the floor and painted it! Last night I emptied 9 buckets of stuff and threw some, put some for thrift store and some for a friend. What a good feeling to be able to get rid of that stuff. After cleaning stuff out I always think why did I keep it? How did it get this bad? But, I have to remind myself that we have 10 people living here and all their stuff and I just can't keep up with it all the time. I am truly hoping that with it all fresh and new looking I'll be able to keep up with it now.

The second picture is a before I fill it back with junk picture. Doesn't it look nice? The other picture is what my livable basement space looks like right now. I'm planning it to be cleaned out and gone by Friday! Pray for me! I'm praying I can get rid of half of the stuff in the storage room! So far, so good!

T(axed) E(nough) A(lready)...

We all went to a Tea Party last night! A taxed enough already tea party. It's part of a nationwide effort to get people out there voicing their concerns about the way this country is going with health care and other things. There was an open mike with the local radio talk show host. I was in line to talk about the Parental Rights Amendment but they ran out of time before I got there. The point is I was in line and I was going to do it! Today, I called this talk show host's program and put a plug in for the Amendment. I was so nervous and he was going to a break so I didn't get to say everything but again "I did it"! This is really important to get the word out. This Amendment needs to be in the Constitution. Read about what the Convention of the Rights of the Child could mean for you on www. ParentalRights.org. And....call your congressmen and tell them you support this. Calling your congressmen is really the only way to make sure your voice is heard.

Testify...

Recently, I testified at a disciplinary hearing for my brother's lawyer relating to something that happened 5 years ago. It was a bit of a challenge to remember every detail but you know most of it came back to me AFTER I testified. Why is it that way? You had questions for the doctor but not until you left do you realize what they were. You had another item to add to the grocery list but 10 miles away from the store you remember. The way I'm trying to spin this testimony is that I said what God wanted me to say. I tell you I keep going over it and over it in my mind. I should have said THIS and that would have cinched it. It doesn't affect my life, my brother's life or my nephew whom we won custody of back then. I say "we" because I consider him a bit mine. I was his "primary" caregiver for 5 years. I just wanted the truth to be known and for those in the hearing to understand the truth. I was able to share a verse: John 17:17b Your word is truth. (Thanks to AWANA). (Not in the hearing but with the crew of people beforehand.) I don't know if it impacted anyone but I have to rest assured I did the best I could because I did tell the complete truth and nothing but the truth.

I was so nervous before I took the stand and then the longer I was there the more comfortable I became with it. I sure pray my brother's lawyer gets off on this charge. He's already paid a whole lot in lawyer fees to defend this. The kids like it when I say my brother's lawyer's lawyer.

My other main prayer is that God's purpose was accomplished. I don't know why this happened now and what my role was in it but I pray for it to further His kingdom.

Too cool...

Last Wednesday night at intermission at the GoFish concert a certain person saw my oldest daughter Jordan and asked her if she was Stephanie's daughter. This person knew it right off since that's what I looked like somewhat once upon a time. This person was my bestest friend from the age of 4 on up. She was my maid of honor at my wedding and I haven't seen her since her wedding 13 years ago. How fun it was for her to see me in my kids. I showed her a couple more girls and she could see me at their ages. Living around here I get told all the time how the kids look like their dad so it's neat when someone from my past see me in them.

Today, my kids sang and played at Great-Grandma Gretchen's assisted living home. It was real nice and the kids were well received. I was able to share about canning peaches and heard some comments about "they are all related" "I think they all are from that mother" "they must have practiced a lot". It was neat because we just threw the songs together and practiced about 3 times. We picked songs we know and like to sing.

Sometimes you have to eat your words...

I've had an incredibly busy last two weeks!!!! Wow! I took the kids camping last weekend myself while Kevin worked. We had fun with my brother and his family. The kids liked the big tube he has to pull behind his boat. I got on my roller blades that I bought 13 years ago and had a lot of fun. Once, Caleb told me to quit smiling so much. Guess I don't do that a lot! :( The Sunday we were done camping we drove straight to Vacation Bible School. What a blast!!! It was a GoFish theme. Anyone ever hear of the singing group GoFish? They had some songs quite a long time ago that were for a regular audience. I really like them because they sing acapella. Well, back at swim lessons Jana was telling me about them and I thought they were more pop now and teeny-bopper type music but Christian. I said I'd never purposely buy their stuff! I just thought they were not going to be what I wanted my kids getting into. I still don't like to get "into" anything in a real big way. I don't like fads much. Well, Wednesday night of VBS they came and actually put on a concert for the kids. I LOVED it! I recommend going to them if you ever get a chance. I recommend buying their albums, DVD, and anything else of theirs. If I could have I would have bought several things. We have a CD that they gave each family of kids at VBS and it is the most listened to CD right now. I know most of the songs! Go to www.gofishguys.com and check out their songs. Some of them you can listen to online. The "mom" song is great but the song about "It's hard to be cool when you drive a mini-van" had all of the adults at the concert busting a gut. I heartily recommend their stuff if you are looking for a Christmas gift for child or grandchild. If you buy one at $15 you can get any number of them for $5 each.

We've been canning green beans and peaches. We did 62 quarts of peaches in two days and that was pushing it and we went to a wedding. For us that is good. I have 7 lugs left to do. We looked up online if you can process it without sugar and found a couple sites that said you could so we have canned them without since Isaac still can't have anything with sugar. I don't think it will be a problem. The kids like peaches so much. My beans are doing so good. For each picking we have been getting 21 quarts canned and then eat them for 2-3 meals a week. My brother is not a real vegetable eater (only corn and potatoes) and we made up a big pot of green beans in his camper. He didn't eat even one. When my nephew woke up the next morning he said "It smells like Aunt Stephy's house." Cute!