watching a miracle

These pictures of Annika left me in tears... knowing all she has been through and how close was her call.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0WlK27-62A

you have to speak the language

It's always an interesting venture to make the world understandable to a toddler. For instance, a few nights ago, Josiah sat on my lap and whimpered as he watched his older siblings wrestle with Daddy. I tried to explain, "It's OK, they're having fun. Silly kids." All to no avail. Then I tried again, "Get Daddy!" The lightbulb went on and Josiah zoomed across the room to join in the action. "Now that's speaking my language!"

If you look carefully (above), you'll even see Micah...

It took all three kids, but it looks like they've finally got Dad right where they want him!

I made an appointment for today that I have put off for as long as possible: the first haircut. It did, after all, take Josiah almost 2 years to grow a full head of hair. It's pretty hard to look at his curls (yes, he does have curls if you look closely and provide enough humidity) and want to take scissors to them, but I could tell it was finally time to do something about the stringy hair hanging on the back of his neck and flying out from behind his ears. We went off to Suzee's, where Lori got to do the honors, as she has for each of my children. (Their first haircut is always free!) Josiah watched Micah get his hair cut and buzzed with clippers, and decided this was definately not for him. No way would he sit in the chair, even if it was on Nana's lap. (That's right, Nana and Papa came to watch. We threatened to sell tickets!) Daddy brought a lollipop over, Mommy held him and stood up, and we got the job done. Lollipops have a way of communicating a spirit of cooperation to young children.

The best part: the curls are still there! They're just a bit, ummm... shorter.

melt in your mouth good

With 4 out of the 5 family members sick right now (hurray, Josiah is the one that is well!) I was glad to remember this morning that I had a pork roast in the freezer. Now I'm not sure if I should admit this (although I've never claimed cooking as my specialty so it should be no surprise), but I've never made pork roast before. I ran to www.allrecipes.com and found this easy recipe to try for supper. It was really good, and even Josiah ate it on a bun, dipped in ketchup, which is amazing for a little boy who generally won't eat meat.

Tender Pork Roast
1 (3 pound) boneless pork roast
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
3/4 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. ground mustard

Cut roast in half; place in 5 qt. slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients; pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees-170 degrees F. You can eat as is or shred and put on buns for sandwiches. Yummy!!!!!

another prayer request

Why Josiah may have taken to doing headstands: he has been on albuterol for the past week. Add another 5 drugs to that and we may just have some interesting drug interactions taking place that just might affect his behavior. I'm just saying maybe.

Josiah's had a sinus infection off and on since mid-August. Our check-in with the ENT today was rather discouraging. One tube is already out of his ear (which we knew) and the other is barely hanging on. The pressure in the tubeless ear is negative...which I guess is indicative of the sinus trouble he's been having. We are down to one antibiotic that works. All to say that if things don't stay cleared up, the next step is a CT scan and after that, probable surgery. (Due to his age and activity level, he will have to be put to sleep for the CT scan.)

We are trusting God's purposes in this whatever the outcome, but also praying Josiah's current course of antibiotics (which he is on for 4 weeks) will do the trick. It could be a long winter. If you think of him, please pray with us for healing.

Here's one of my favorite recent pictures of Josiah spending some good quality time with the cows on Ropp's farm.


An update on Annika: her liver transplant was successful and the new liver is functioning. She's had a few bumps in the road but came out of her latest surgery with better news than her mom could have hoped for. She continues to remain sedated until she has healed more. Thanks for keeping her in your prayers as well!!!

2024 Olympic contender

Yesterday Josiah taught himself to do headstands. Last night I could hear him squealing in his crib at bedtime and went in to check on him. Sure enough, he was doing headstands there, too!

What makes me smile the most when I see this picture: this pretty much represents what life has been like at our house since Josiah's birth (turned upside down). Oh how we needed him!!

at the throne

At the conference I attended last week, we had the pleasure of being led in worship by Keith and Kristyn Getty. They were not there to perform but to usher us into the presence of God through song. You may have heard or sang the songs written by these modern-day hymn writers from Ireland. Keith wrote Christ Alone with Stuart Townsend, along with There is a Higher Throne and Power of the Cross. The couple has also written songs for the African Children's Choir. For a sampling of their music, visit www.gettymusic.com. I promise you won't be disappointed! They have a great CD especially for kids.


One with the Father, Ancient of Days,
Through the Spirit who clothes faith with certainty,
Honor and blessing, glory and praise,
To the King crowned with power and authority!
And we are raised with Him,
Death is dead, love has won, Christ has conquered;
And we shall reign with Him,
For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead.

(My favorite lines from See, What a Morning, with emphasis mine. How as Christians can we not have joy when these truths are ours in Christ!?)

True Woman 08

"I'm not quite sure how I got signed up for this conference." That was my thought in the weeks leading up to True Woman 08, and I have to admit I had a reluctant heart that God in His mercy did melt over the final weeks before attending. I had little interest when our church announced a group would be going and at the time was feeling a bit overwhelmed by life...we had just moved and come off a difficult winter of health issues with our toddler. But Eric came home after hearing about it at church (as I recall I was home with a sick baby that day) and told me he wanted me to go. I thought about it and prayed for almost a month before signing up...reluctantly.

True Woman 08 began on Thursday night with John Piper as the first keynote speaker. Not a bad way to start a conference, and his assumption that wimpy theology produces wimpy women did grab me from the get-go. As the conference unfolded Friday morning I realized that it was no accident that I was there, but a privileged, divine appointment. The feminist movement which began in the late 1950's (though the seeds had been planted much earlier) produced a cultural revolution that has ravaged our society and families and churches. Over 6000 women met together in Schaumburg IL this weekend with the intention to return to what God has to say about womanhood. We got no cookie cutter molds nor rules of "Biblical femininity" but instead powerful, dynamic, Spirit-filled teaching on what it means to surrender to the authority to God's Word and learn what He says about womanhood.

After many meaty meals of Biblical teaching, the conference culminated this morning with women signing their name to the True Woman Manifesto. This is not a document for the faint of heart. To see a copy, you can look at www.truewoman08.com and even sign it electronically. It is our earnest hope to see God begin a counter-cultural revolution in His church that will impact our society for His eternal glory and the good of His people.

I have been to many good, equipping conferences in my life but never have I said when I have attended one, "God was there." I can say that after attending this one. I'm grateful God nudged me to show up as well for "such a time as this."

please pray!

For Annika. Her family got the call and she is having a liver transplant today. This is her third transplant but she was much younger with the other two. Please pray for a safe transplant, for God's peace to be evident to the family, and for the donor family who have just lost a loved one. To keep up with the news, check the sidebar Falling Down is Also a Gift.

soup's on!

I don't enjoy cold weather, but I celebrate anyway when I see fall approaching because it means it's time to start enjoying a nice warm bowl of soup. Eric and I have a new favorite to add to our collection! (And I like it because it is easy to modify to onion and garlic-free!)

Cheeseburger Soup
Makes 12 cups

1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
3/4 c. shredded carrots (chopped work well, too)
3/4 c. chopped celery
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried parsley
6 c. chicken broth
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced
3 T. butter or margarine
1/4 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. reduced-fat Velveeta cheese
1 1/2 c. milk
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Cook ground beef in Dutch oven over medium high heat about 3 minutes, stirring until meat crumbles. Add onion and next 4 ingredients, and saute 4 minutes or until beef is no longer pink. Drain well. Return beef mixture to Dutch oven.

Stir in chicken broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 to 12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Melt 3 T. butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Gradually stir in flour, and cook, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 min. or until lightly browned. Whisk flour mixture into simmering beef mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 6 min. or until thickened.

Whisk in cheese and next 3 ingredients just until cheese melts. Serve with sweet bread recipe that follows if desired.

Sweet "7-Up" Bread (more commonly referred to as Beer Bread)

3 c. self-rising flour
1/2 c. sugar
12 ounces 7-Up, Sprite, or Sierra Mist (cola and root beer work well, too)
1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted

Stir together first 3 ingredients; pour into a lightly greased bread pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Pour melted butter over top. Bake 10 more minutes.

For a twist, add 3/4 c. cheddar cheese if desired.

Flying Horse

If you visit www.pantagraph.com/flyinghorse before Sunday, you can find Micah's essay and picture online. His picture is the praying mantis.

dealing with a no

A trip to the allergist yesterday came with a definitive statement. "Completely eliminate garlic and onion from your diet." It seems that the allergy I have suspected for some time is worsening to the point the Dr. told me I may want to consider carrying an epipen. That's enough to scare me into obedience!

Not that I needed that scare tactic. The symptoms I have been experiencing over the past year are enough that I was already writing myself menus of what I could eat and researching new ways of creating things like cream-of-anything soup or bouillon cubes which contain enough garlic and onion to set off a reaction. I've been reading food labels on things like ham, bacon (the vegetarian brand has no garlic or onion added, hurray!), hot dogs, ketchup, and even french fries to see if I'm safe (today's brand had a "natural flavoring" that apparently had something in it since my nose and eyes were itching after I consumed it.)

It's easy to dwell on the things I cannot eat anymore. I love Mexican and Italian food, casseroles made with cream of anything soups, pepperoni pizza, and potato salad with fresh raw onion. There are all kinds of appetizers, crackers, and chip dip that are completely off limits now. Oh, how I am going to miss chips and salsa!!! And almost any meal you order at a restaurant. If you stop and pay attention you will be amazed at how much onion and garlic are in the typical American diet.

So my joy came yesterday as I wrote down a list of all the things I can still eat!! Almost every dessert is still on the menu, as well as fruits, vegetables, and meats that are prepared carefully. I can still eat cheese!! And there are all kinds of ways to make my own seasoning mixes to leave out the offending ingredients. Oh what a myriad of choices remains!!!

It's human nature to get caught up in what we can't have. It started a long time ago in the Garden of Eden. "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." God warned Adam and Eve of ONE tree in the garden from which they could not eat, and it was the tree they fixated on! Don't we do the same?

Today Micah came to me and asked to play outside. More specifically, he asked to ride his bike across the street, which he knows he cannot do unless there is an adult present to supervise. I told him "Yes, you can go outside but since I am working on some things in here, no you cannot go across the street." "But Mom, there's NOTHING ELSE to do outside!" I can immediately think of at least 10 other things he could have done. He chose to fix his attention and passion on the one thing that I said no to.

So there's my option when faced with one of the "do nots" God has given. How many other things has He freely opened to me? What will I do with all the possible yes's that I haven't even considered? It may make me dizzy if I really consider the options.

Now back to my menu planning...