brotherly love

wordless wednesday's spring beauty

new bird in town!

We just made an amazing discovery yesterday. We have a new bird visiting our bird feeder. We love it when we get new guests here. Maybe you have already had one of these, but we haven't ever gotten a bird like this so far. We weren't even sure what it was at first and had to look it up. (check out the link on the right sidebar for a great link) We feel pretty sure it is a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak. It's a bit shy, so we had to be very careful when taking it's photo, but we did get some decent shots! See for yourself and then follow the link and listen to it's singing and learn more about this pretty breasted songbird. Isn't the markings gorgeous?


INTERESTING FACTS:

• The nest of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak is so thinly constructed that eggs often can be seen from below through the nest.
• The male Rose-breasted Grosbeak participates in incubation of the eggs, accounting for about 1/3 of the time during the day (the female incubates over night). Both sexes sing quietly to each other when they exchange places. The male will sing his normal song while near or actually on the nest.

class is over...finally!

This is the face of a teenager who took his first in house college class, who did a really great job, with a very challenging teacher, including a major power point presentation!! I think it would be safe to say that although he learned much and loved the subject...he is glad it is over!! What do you think? :)


Good job D, we are proud of you...mission accomplished! for now......

thank you!!

I have no intention of bragging, but I simply must Praise God for how He worked out a fun little blessing for me. To make a long story short, my good friend Beth, along with a couple mutual friends, arranged for me to get her older, not working quite right Bosch mixer! Well, so far it seems to be working well enough. I will be happy if only works twice! Thank you so much Beth and for your part Kari, and I have to thank Lynn too (as she would have it no other way hee) for helping me get it in my hands. (she said I could say that) :)

I already have my whisper mill grinder, which I have been loving. I bought that last year before B got sick. I've always liked the idea of the very powerful Bosch mixer since making 6 loaves at once does call my name, however, I have happily resigned myself to not spending the money on one for my current season of life and have used my kitchen aid often. Well, let me tell you, it's still a work of love to make these, especially if you fresh grind as you go, but how cool to be able to make so much dough at once that you can freeze some and give gifts and still have a enough to actually eat! I made my first batch of 4 loaves and then made some buns/rolls with the leftover. It seemed to work just fine. I hope it holds out for a little while. I know now I will have to roll the buns larger though. :)

I LOVE that I can more easily get some more consistent fresh ground, whole grain bread and now buns on the table. More cancer healing goodness. That makes my heart sore. The kids were raving at how soft it all was. Now, I need prayer and advice for getting my kitchen rearranged to accommodate a somewhat organized, functional location/plan for use/storage. Let me know if you have any ideas at all.
My grinder system is pretty good right now. I store that down in the pantry at the bottom of the stairs, pull it out, cover my large deep freezer and use it as a table and grind away for the bread, extra for the kitchen freezer and a pre-mix for easy biscuits/ pancakes!
Thank Beth....all you girls, for thinking of me, it will be well used and beyond appreciated.

21 days and counting!

We brought home some new babies on Tuesday!

Here's the moms and daddy! Thanks for letting us incubate your little ones for you.

Here's the babies, all snuggled in their car seats. You don't want to wash all that goo off, or it can make them sick.

Setting up their new warm incubating home. We need water for moisture and don't forget to put the thermometer in there.


Here they are now, sunny side up! See the sunshines? The other side has moons. That is how we can keep track of turning them morning and night. We must keep a steady temperature.


Here's your covers and good night snug little chickies...we'll check back in with you soon!

snuffing

I wanted to try to get a picture of those sweet, thick, silky waves of newly grown soft as a new baby's hair growth on Braveheart's head. I am not sure how well this photo turned out, but do you remember when your baby was brand new in your arms? Do remember how you cradled that baby so softly and ran your cheek and nose along it's sweet little head and snuffed it slowly and deeply? That's what we call it here in this family and we proudly snuff baby heads whenever one ventures near enough to be snuffed. Well, I will never forget those moments with all my little ones, so when B finished his shower recently and his hairs were waving to me so lovely, gleaming; I just naturally take my sniffer over to him, grabbed him up (I can't help myself), closed my eyes and nestle my face in his new, sweet smelling locks. (He only resists for a moment, as he secretly loves it) :) I basked in sweet memories..soaked it in so I will never forget how this feels and smells. He's growing up...he's getting hair..thick, beautiful hair. I want to hold onto these precious moments that I know will last only a instant and then it will be but a memory!
Don't you just want to love up on that head?
Do you have someone that you haven't snuffed lately?

countdown to a cure

We are back from our monthly clinic visit. Each month he is given a chemotherapy drug through a port in his chest. For those of you who don't know and/or are interested, this is what the port looks like essentially. They differ slightly in some cases.

What is a port?

A port is a device that allows an easy and reliable way to give medicine into the veins and take blood samples from the veins.

It is implanted under the chest skin. It is about a half inch thick and about the size of a quarter. You can feel its raised center under your skin. A flexible piece of tubing (catheter) is connected to it. This is tunneled under the skin to an area near the neck where it enters a vein.

The center of the port is made of a tough, self-sealing, rubber-like material that can be punctured through the chest skin with a special needle many times. Each time it will reseal instantly.

Here is a good illustration of where the port is placed inside the chest.


Why do I need a port?

Since you may need frequent intravenous (IV) medicines or blood draws, your healthcare provider has ordered a port for you. Patients who have ports often say that they are relieved that they do not have to be poked over and over to find a good vein.

Because the port is implanted under the skin it is not very noticeable. Once it has healed, it needs little care from you. People like the fact that they can go on with normal daily activities (including showering and swimming) without worrying

about the port.

Because of this port though, there is a risk of infection in there, so they are VERY cautious when he gets a fever because if he gets an infection in this port, it can be very dangerous!

It used to be a clean procedure, but now it is done using a sterile procedure.

The dolls on the ceiling watch over the procedure.

Notice the slight bend of the needle used to access the port.

Going in..."Don't count, just do it, please!"

The cleaner is hard to breath, so he guards his face.

Ready for the lab.

It appears that the chemo is having an effect on his liver, please pray for this. Nothing to worry about yet, but we will go in to get the enzymes rechecked next week and if they continue to rise, we may have to hold his chemo meds in order for his liver to recover. God knows if his little body needs a rest from these meds. He is holding B in His hands. We are so thankful!

keep'er weaving

We had our first real keepers meeting last month. Here are some late posted photos from the event. Note to self: Don't ever forget camera at meetings! :)

This made a wonderful ending to our FIAR Anna book as the girls learned about the terms like shuttle and the way in which a loom works with their own scaled down version. Mrs. Patty came through in a pinch for hosting our gathering, serving refreshments too. Thanks Patty.

The girls listen diligently to Mrs. Stacy giving the lesson before they begin.

Working hard.

Here's her completed book marker! This was fun and I learned as much as she did on this one.

happy easter

Happy Easter dear family and friends. I am so thankful for the resurrection day and all that it stands for. Bunnies are cute, but Christ's return is so much more. His death means salvation for us all if we just but receive it and His rising is the fulfillment of God's awesome plan. Many of you will know this hymn, but I thought I would put it here. It's a very catchy tune.

1. Low in the grave He lay,
   Jesus my Savior,
   Waiting the coming day,
   Jesus my Lord!
2. 
   
   • Up from the grave He arose,
     With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,
     He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
     And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
     He arose! He arose!
     Hallelujah! Christ arose!
3. Vainly they watch His bed,
   Jesus my Savior;
   Vainly they seal the dead,
   Jesus my Lord!
4. Death cannot keep its Prey,
   Jesus my Savior;
   He tore the bars away,
   Jesus my Lord!

We had a productive week. We had a simple elk roast here with mom, GG and my man's parents. Yes, you heard right, elk roast ! It was soooo good. My uncle, an avid hunter, brought us some of his extras from hunting. THANKS UNCLE GARY! Can I tell you how much that blessed us?? It is some good wholesome, grass fed, cancer healing food.

Here is some pictures father/ son style that were just fun to me so here they are for you to giggle over.




Here's the whole gang, bed head and all.


Damsel and I are rearranging her room. When we first moved here she was only 4, so we're adjusting it to reflect a '7 year old's' taste . We are trying to be crafty and make it pretty. It's been fun making pillow covers and other cute things. We'll show you some later. Here is a bag we practiced making. (yes the heart is upside down, but it was very complicated instructions, trust me, it's a miracle I got it done at all. It should be easy now ) :)


Dad and Dylan worked out in the garage, getting ready for the racing season. I love to see them hanging out there together, grabbing a coke out of the fridge..I know it's corny, but I can be pretty easy to please sometimes. I guess that's why I love doing what I do. The exciting thing in the garage was the dead mouse they found in the oil pan..uuooooo...I didn't feel like looking this time, but the kids got a kick out of it.
I even got a new bright light above my sewing area so we can see what we're doing. My honey strategically placed the lighting to accommodate multiple use areas.
We also got the garden tilled and some yardwork done. Whew. I am tired just remembering.


Our cute little cousin.

I wish I could have gotten a better picture of her adorable bun in her hair. Don't you just love this Easter dress? Anyway, we go to clinic for Bryce this week, so pray for us please and we hope you have a great week. I will update you later on that.
Blessings.

FUN CITY!!!!

Fun City was great! We have been trying to plan this since B finished phase 4 and here we are, finally there. We wanted to do something simple, but special to celebrate together as a family. We also brought our 5th kid, good family friend Casey.

We started out the first night bowling in the fun atmosphere of black lights and pizza. Hey, there's T just chillin'. He really has some skill at this game too.

The big boys are drummin' to a different beat on this electronic game. And you thought there was no exercise with these games. :)

We had to try the race cars. The kids (including the big kid here) loved those little race cars. I even raced and have formed the opinion that it was fun for the first 2 rounds then it starts to shake the stomach around a bit. I am sensitive that way.

Water park water slides.

Look at that thick hair!! It is so fun to rub it after he gets out of the pool and it gets all wavy and curly. He tells me has been praying that it won't end up curly, but I thought it was adorable. He won't mind it too much.

Daddy's birthday is Tuesday and he is 40!!
Can you believe it?
We had some cake and sang to him.
Happy Birthday honey, you're the best!

CAUTION: what you are about to see next could be disturbing to some of you, so view with caution as you are about to witness a sensitive, smelly teen filled domain.....be glad there is no smello-blog right now! :)
~
~
~
~
~
~
~

Yes, in case your wondering, that's a TV they are staring at!! And YES, in case you're wondering, they did have their OWN room adjoining ours. :)