So Would This Cause You to Panic?

It caused me to panic! I looked out my window and saw her on the ground!
I'm used to Erika falling, but not Anna. Sooo I go running out there, and .....
It was all in good Fun. They were pretending she fell off of a horse! :)

So What Have They Been Doing?

They have been busy little bees.
Erika and Anna have practiced their dancing and Sarah making paper dolls and outfits.

Our Dad

Our dad, aka "Oakie Grandfather" is in intensive care at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa Oklahoma.
He is VERY critical.
From what we understand, all cancer treatment has been stopped. He has pneumonia due to aspiration, (food and fluid getting into his lungs) and congestive heart failure. His diabetes, which showed up about 3 weeks ago is not being controlled very well. It spikes and goes dangerously low.

Right now, he is on a respirator, and feeding tube, and is in an induced coma, to help him rest and not be agitated by the respirator.

If you think of our precious dad today, please send up a prayer.
And while your at it, pray for our mom too. I'm sure she is scared.
Thanks

Sam Can Read, I think....

Here is Sam the man... He reminds me of somebody very familiar! LOL
I love Hearing Becca's voice cheering him on. :)

Isn't He One of The Cutest

Little Grand-buggars you've ever seen!!!!! :)

Fall is Definitly Here to Stay

It is cool outside. We had a fire once in the wood stove all day and evening Saturday, and it has kept the house comfortably warm since. We are now at 70º. (down from 75 over the weekend)

I love this time of year. It is cozy.... ideas of Harvest, new recipes, the smell of Cinnamon and the fragrance of candles are all around.

The children are deep into their studies and are really enjoying our delve into Ancient Greece.
They are excited about learning, and that makes for a happy mama. :)

It seems that as time goes on, things get smoother and smoother. This time of year, is also the time of year where we had back and forth visits with Anna before she came home for good.
She was also traumatically moved during this time of year while she was in foster care.
So, when she was first with us, these events, the time of year, and the smells, sights, feel of the air, all were little triggers for her emotionally that would send her into a tail spin. Memories would flood in, and she would be upset emotionally, not really understanding why.
At the same time, those memories would come flooding to the forefront and she would verbally
express what she was remembering. It might be as simple as, "I remember going to.... with x"
or "I remember when the lady picked me up and I didn't know where I was going. I was scared!"
"They just put me in a car seat, and then they said, 'Now you are going with these people!'"

I can' t imagine being so little and having so little control. Which is most likely why, she tried her best to control in other ways, and that wound up not being such a good idea. :)

Last week, we had what I would consider an absolute perfect week. I mean, we had wonderful school work , and wonderful attitude, neat hand writing, and general happiness in a fun loving girl. Then, just as suddenly, last night, when she found out that it wasn't her turn to sit next to me during reading time, she got angry and said, "then I'll never sit by you again"..... (what she used to do when she was 5) I was a little surprised.... but after a few minutes of discussion, it dawned on me, she was speaking from the fearful little child that she once was....

I reassured her of my love for her, let her mourn her loss of not sitting by me, and held to what we were doing. At bedtime, I didn't sense she was quite ready to be in the room with her sisters, so I told her she could fall asleep in the guest room and I'd move her to her bed later.
She complied. After her sisters went to bed, I went in and snuggled next to her, and she gave a heartfelt apology for her anger. I let her know we love her always, and she is back to her normal self today. Yea! This is a far cry from years gone by.....
I am really so pleased with Anna's progress. She heartily participated in class this a.m. even though it was Sarah's turn to sit by mom.

The neatest thing about last night, was when I told her, "I love you Anna".. She replied, "I know you do mom. I love you too, and I am really sorry about how I acted. "

Wow.

Cool then Hot then COLD

On Wednesday, it was around 64 degrees. On Thursday, it was about 87 degrees. On Friday a.m. it was about 52 degrees and went up to 62. This a.m. it was around 48 degrees. Typical, fickle Texas weather. Can't make up its mind.

Sooo, since it is cold and rainy, what better thing to do after bringing in the fire wood, than stay inside and watch "Journey To the Center of the Earth" in 3D!!!

The Importance of Reading Labels

Since I have been gluten free, I have learned to read labels quite well. :) I have also learned that the absence of something from a label does not mean it isn't contaminated with that ingredient.

I was pleasantly surprised for a while, that Walmart's Great Value brands had many gluten free choices. I always checked the label anyway, and BOY AM I GLAD I DID!

One of the regular Items I had purchased, "pizza sauce" was labeled gluten free before, but not anymore. Now it says it is processed in a plant that also processes wheat.

Another product, the same thing. No longer gluten free. I was really disappointed.

Being gluten free is not a difficult diet, but keeping oneself from being contaminated with gluten is another story. It can be difficult.

With the obvious cost of groceries sky rocketing, trying to save $$ on food is a priority, but not at the risk of health.

Something new I found out:
I don't typically shoppe for Crab meat, or imitation crab meat, but since I was making a crab meat dip, I was looking. I went for the imitation crab meat which was much less expensive, but on the label, it contains WHEAT! So, I bought the real deal. Hope everybody likes it. :)

More Stinging Caterpillar Information

So far, we have identified 3 different ones. The one that stung Erika, is the Puss Caterpillar, here is an exact picture of what it looked like. It is more "slug like".
Last night, Sarah went into the shoppe to visit Daddy, and sat on a chair. She jumped off and said OW! Guess what! There was a different one on the chair, just sitting there waiting for her to sit on it. It is an immature version of the first one. So glad it wasn't on bare skin! It looked like this:
Then, this a.m. I walked out onto the back porch and found THIS crawling on the porch!
I went to get a cup to catch it in to show to the exterminator, but before I could get it, our little Mr. Kittie Winkle smacked it around and it fell between the cracks of the wooden porch. HOPEFULLY it is dead! It is also a stinger, but not as bad as the two up above!
Interestingly, all these caterpillars like PEARS..... We have a giant pear tree. They also like Oak and Nut trees, both of which we have. We are a stinging Caterpillar Breeding Ground!

Glad we live next door to an exterminator!

Funny for the Month

Tonight we were watching the first half of Ben-Hur... that extremely long movie with Charlton Heston....

The beginning of the movie features Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus in the stable and the 3 wise men and shepherds. Then, the next scene it has Roman Numerals that say XXVI years later.
The girls have studied Roman Numerals and know that XXVI means 26.

So Anna says, "It can't be 26 years later because nobody saw Jesus from the time he was 12 until he was 30!"

Soooo.... I ask, "Why do you think that?"
And I hear the shocking words: "Mama, you said so. You SAID, when Jesus stayed at the temple when he was 12 and his parents found him, his mama grounded him until he was 30 and that is why he didn't start his ministry until then!"

Yikes.....
Now why can't I get her to memorize her times tables as well as she remembers off hand comments I make???? :)

The Puss Caterpillar

OK, I am TOTALLY FREAKED OUT!!!!!!!!!

I sent the girls to bed. All of a sudden, Anna brings me this weird looking little creature that is stuck to ERIKA'S Underwear. She was putting on a new pair of undies before bedtime, and felt a "sting" on the back of her leg.... she quickly took them off and Anna picked her undies up seeing this odd looking creature.... She touched it and felt a "sting" on her finger!
She brought it to me saying, "Look at this mom, it is really wierd. It stung my finger!" Not telling me that Erika was stung on the leg.....

I flung it into the trash can and didn't think anything about it. I wasn't even sure if it was a real thing. It looked almost like a gummy worm. :/

The next thing I know Erika is calling saying her leg hurts. I asked her why ? She said, that weird thing!!!! She said pain had radiated to her groin!
WHAT??????
So I dug the little creature out of the trash and Mike ran it next door to the Pest Control fellow who gave us an emergency spray for her.
He didn't know what it was either.

I looked up online, "Stinging worm thingy" and came up with the exact thing I was looking for!
Yea! It described exactly what happened and said that this thing is the most poisonous caterpillar in the U.S.A.!!!!!!

I was freaking out..... by the time I got back into the bedroom, Erika said her leg was feeling better and Anna was fine. I am SOOOOO Glad they did not try to smack it or squish it, as that would have caused them more problems.

Now I'm going to be checking EVERYTHING!

One time Sarah got a bite on her bottom from a "Solitary Bee" that was hiding out in her underwear drawer! LOL

I checked out a website about this Puss Caterpillar and Texas just happens to be their main hangout, AND October seems to be the height of their existence.

Well, NOT HERE! The exterminator guy is coming over tomorrow to rid us of unwelcome guests who sting and freak us out!

My First Month's Grocery Checkup AHHHHH!!!!!

I am shocked. I am really glad that I am doing this, as I was off on what our actual spending was.
I would like to try and cut by 1/3.
Now, before I give the number, I need to say that this includes ALL cleaning products, paper products, prescriptions, supplements and food. I also shoppe at Sam's Club, but not every month. This month just happened to be a big hit.
Sounds like I'm justifying things...... LOL

SOOOOOO......the horrible number is : 978.69
from September 1 - September 30.

We do not eat out, except somtimes on a Sunday afternoon. It costs less than 20 dollars for the whole family.
I am also feeding 6 people on a regular basis, and there are others during the week. It is not uncommon to feed friends or customers who are waiting on a vehicle around dinner time.

Now, I'm going to go over our budget and see what can be cut out.

Fixin' The Bike Part 2

I was watching Sarah and Mike work on her bike tonight. It struck me how fast she has grown in just 4 years. Some of my favorite pictures are of her with Daddy, fixing her bike.
So I made some before pictures, and some after pictures. :)

The younger pictures were when she turned 6. She is now 10. :)

The Voice of the Martyr's Prisoner Alert

The Voice of the Martyrs is an organization that I care very deeply about. The Founders, Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand were Romanian Citizens imprisoned for their Christian Faith, during the Communist Reign in Romania.

I read Richard Wurmbrand's book "Tortured For Christ", when I was 12 years old. My Sunday School teacher spoke of him, and the book, shook my world. I remember thinking about him privately, when I went to Disneyland, when I went to the beach, when I walked to school.

I didn't know that he was still alive until I was 30 years old. A friend, signed us up for The Voice of the Martyr's monthly magazine. I was so excited I could barely contain myself the first time I saw the magazine and realized how the Lord was using this one man's suffering, to relieve the suffering of so many.

One thing in his book that touched my spirit, was that he thought people in the west were praying for him while he was imprisoned, and he was so sad, when he found out, most people in the west had NO IDEA what was going on in Eastern Europe.

Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand have both died in recent years, but the organization goes on.
One of the things we are able to do is to contact Prisoners, contact authorities who hold people in prison and respectfully ask for their release, and most importantly to pray for those who are in Chains for their faith.
The Prisoner alert web site gives much information on how to do this, and I wanted to pass this along for anybody interested.
The other website, Kids of Courage, is available for kids. There are many activities, and educational materials for Children regarding those who suffer for their faith in other countries.

We Love it When Charlie and Will Come to Visit

And Ivy and Auntie Em too! :)

gluten free recipes

Just so you know, I am continuing to ad to my gluten free recipes in the same blog article.
It is located here

Favorite Ed Moments

I was just thinking about some of my favorite "Ed Moments".....
Ed is our Dad. I do not consider him my father in law, just my dad. :) He is THAT wonderful of a man. He has always accepted us and been supportive of us. I could not ask for a better father.

If you have a favorite "Ed" Story, PLEASE SHARE.... in comments. :)

I remember a few years ago, Ed and Lois were visiting for Christmas. For some strange reason, I THOUGHT he had been raised on a Farm in Michigan! He wasn't.

I was planning to kill 3 roosters for Christmas Dinner. He seemed all excited about that, and so I told him, "Come on, it s time to do it. " He followed me outside and watched me do the dirty deed, and remained rather silent.
It was time to "pluck" and it was at that time I realized, this guy had never had his hands on a dead chicken before! LOL
He was sort of plucking. During that moment, I asked, "Haven't you done this before?" He said NO! I started cracking up laughing. I don't know WHY I assumed he had done this many times before.
Well, after the plucking comes the really nasty part: Pulling out the innards!
He was sitting over on the couch and I was working away on 2 birds. There was one left. I said, "If you are going to tell your friends you dressed a bird, you need to get over here and pull out he guts!"
HE DID!
It was a great memory. :)

Can I Borrow Your Face?

I woke up and looked in the mirror this morning and thought, "Yep, you are the woman with that face!"
I was going to speak at a Women's Function on Motherhood. So as I was getting ready , Sarah was admiringly watching me.

I turned to her and said, "Sarah, can I please borrow your sweet face?"
She got this shocked look and said, NO!

I said, "Whatsa matta, you don't wanna change faces wit me?" "You can be 51 and I'll be 10!"

She said, " No mama! I really don't want your moles, and I rather like my own lips." LOL

I said, "You mean you don't want my lips????"

She said, "Mama! It isn't what is on the outside that matters, it is what is on the inside!"

Good, then give me your lips!
NO! LOL

I said, Ok..... I guess I'll just have to make do with my own face and my own lips.....
And then she said,
"I sure do love my own hair!" LOL

To which Erika said, "SARAH!"

So Sarah went out of the room and I told Erika, "Potato chips are evil!" She started laughing.
Potato chips aren't evil mama, its what you do with them!
"Like, eat them?"
Yah.!
LOL

Soooo, off I went and didn't get back until 2:30! The girls stayed with Daddy, and had a great time. When I got home, I noticed that dear Erika had taken over as "lady of the house", and had done all the laundry! She continued to fold clothes while I was home, and never even tired from the experience!
The neat thing about this is that she was helping from her heart. She was not asked to, she did it as a service to me, because she knows my shoulder has been awful for a while, and I'm having a hard time doing laundry without pain.
I gave her a huge hug and told her how proud I was of her, and then I slipped her a 5 dollar bill.
I just said, "This is for you." She didn't expect it, which made it so joyful to give to her.

Our Dad

I'm up late tonight. My heart is full of love for our dad. I cannot stop thinking about him, and worrying about him. He is a most wonderful dad, and I long to hear his voice once again.
I long to hear him say, "Is that right?" He says that..... To hear his laugh, and to see his smile.

But tonight.... he isn't feeling well. He is so very tired. He is in the midst of Chemotherapy and Radiation therapy for brain cancer. Tonight, he is tired and frail, and is just not himself.

My heart is filled with compassion for our dad. I so wish that he did not have to be sick. I so wish that he was feeling strong and vibrant. I want to hear him say, "See you soon", or "How are those girls", or "What are you doin'?"
So tonight, I pray. Will you pray with me for our dad? He needs to feel the loving comfort of our Savior sweep over him and give him peaceful rest. He needs His healing touch, and soothing balm.
Love you dad......

ADs by Google

I decided to try the google ad thing.
I'm already annoyed after the first look at the ads. LOL
I'll wait 24 hours, if I'm still annoyed, I cancel. :)