Free Family Fun

Yesterday we drove the big reenacting truck that Mark has been working on for our group back to Charlotte. Our reenacting friend showed us a great spot. The airport overlook! It was awesome. It's closer than it looks and we were able to see planes landing and taking off, one after another. It was amazing how busy the airport is and this was just one runway. The kids had a blast.



Next time we'll take a picnic! They loved it and Mark and I enjoyed it, too. There were all different sizes of planes going and coming and it was neat to see so many land one after another. Some are so big you just think it'd be impossible for them to take off. It's truly amazing what man has accomplished in flight.

Blessings

Great Endo Appt

Maura's ped. endo appointment went great. She had her A1C checked. That is a test that uses your hemoglobin to check your average blood sugars. At diagnosis she was an 8, too high but not too bad. She is now 6.4! That is almost what a normal person is. We are, however, honeymooning. That means her pancreas is still working a little, so she doesn't need as much insulin as she will eventually. We don't know how long this will last so we just go with the flow until we see higher numbers that her dosage isn't helping. Then we up the dose. I do feel great about how well we are doing on our diet. Our endo is fantastic and always open to all our questions.

So we had mexican to celebrate since we were in the big city of Charlotte after all. (Of course we also went to a yarn store!) Wouldn't you know I underestimated the carb count so we were chases high BG's all day! Oh well, we finally did get it down.

Our pump comes friday the 4th! The joke around here has been what is going to be delivered first, the pump or the baby! I think the pump is going to win. So it will be about juggling classes and having a baby. My hope is we can get going with the 2 pump classes quickly, they are 3 days apart and that can happen before baby. Since I am usually 8-10 days late it might happen. I am not stressing, if we need to we can wait. I figure God's got it all worked out.

Busy today, next week really busy, then ??? A baby is going to arrive around here sometime! He/she is so squirmy in there! It's getting crowded. I am getting to the point where I don't think of much else other than meeting this incredible new person. So unknown, yet ever kick and turn so known. Never seen but always felt. Not a big part of our lives yet such a part of Mark and I. I am always flummoxed at a new person in our family. How could we have another distinct personality? The children are ALL so unique. Then they get here and I say, ah ha, that's who you are and there it is, all over again. The uniquely created individual that we all adore watching grow and become. How could we have not known it was you, baby? Every baby feels like the first time. I treasure every pregnancy. As this one is soon to end, I am trying to enjoy every kick and hiccup and memorize that feeling. What a privilege, I feel sorry for Mark!


Blessings

Picked Out A Pump

Yesterday we had our appointment at the Diabetes Clinic to look at pumps. Maura had really looked forward to this. Although she does great with her shots now, she has always wanted a pump. So we had a class to explain how they work, take a look at different kinds and to pick one out.

We picked out this one: http://medgadget.com/archives/img/one-touch-ping.jpg
Maura picked a blue one :)

We tried out inserting a site, the little cannula that goes under the skin to deliver insulin. It's very small but never the less, our girl does not like change. Lots of crying involved but we got through it. In the end, we are still moving ahead. It will just take a little time to get used to something new again. She is o.k. with it and realizes it will be better to do that every three days, then 4-5 shots a day. For us, we know that long term studies show better health for diabetics who use pumps. So, pending insurance approval, we'll be getting one in the mail in 2 weeks- a few months. Overall it went well and once we get our pump we'll go back to the clinic for classes.

Tomorrow is an appt. with our Ped. Endo, so another trip into the big city :) A lot of driving this week but that's ok.

blessings

What I Am Thinking On

Love this painting. Can't wait to be doing that! Not much longer now, although it seems so far away, that's just my pregnant hormones. A few weeks really isn't that long. And besides, I have not shopped or collected everything I need for baby or my birth kit. So, I still have time for getting my baby book and calendar, the special baby wash I want etc etc. I also would love to knit some more cloth diaper covers in a bigger size since I won't have as much time once the baby is here. I'd also love to build up a supply to sell some more and I found a great resource for my favorite wool yarn in lots of different colors. I enjoy knitting with the different colors and textures so much. I don't have lots of spare time, but it's easy to do in spurts.

So here is a belly picture, 37 1/2 weeks. I'm actually smaller than I have been with all the other babies, except maybe Kaley, I can't remember. Our diet has changed so much, I think I am not growing a 10lb baby this time! I really can't wait to meet this little person and see who it is. I love being surprised about the sex of the baby. It's like the best Christmas present ever!

Blessings

Saturday

Josiah and Maura on the swingset.

Maura upside down!



Josiah, Kaley and Maura.

Tomatoes from our garden, just 13 plants, one picking. It made 6 quarts of canned diced tomatoes. They are heirloom varieties. My favorite is the German Queen and the little yellow roma's are cute but I don't remember their name.

Kaley's fungus picts, she loves mushrooms.

Today we spent the day cleaning, fun huh. I think I'm starting to nest. So it started with the front flower bed, the kids did most of that. Then I walked into the kitchen, ripped everything out of the pantry, took out all the stored bulk grains and started cleaning and organizing. Then Mark decided to defrost our little freezer. So that done we also went through the freezer in the kitchen and cleaned out and organized. Ben and Grace set the pantry back up. This is music to Ben's soul, he LOVES to organize things. Grace is our child who loves to serve others so it was a great project for them. And they did a fantastic job. All the tomato products together, all the beans together and stacked with like kinds. This is not me at all. I don't know where Ben gets it. I've heard it is some weird McElwain gene, but the majority of us certainly did not get it.

So, the kitchen got a good cleaning and decluttering and that was good. Then we had an old friend stop by for a quick visit and that was a real treat. We met at church when Curtiss was a baby 11 years ago and their daughter and Kaley have been friends forever. Although our lives have all changed and they have moved out of country and go back and forth between now, when we see each other the warmth and friendship is the same. We just pick up where we left off.

I have also been finally getting baby stuff together. 3 weeks till D Day!! So that means 4 probably :) The girls and I washed baby clothes and cloth diapers, the sling and blankets. Maura got it all put away in the new dresser in my room that also serves as a changing table. She is beside herself with excitement. I am actually starting to get that way, too! I had been putting off doing anything till all my ladies had their babies, I was waiting on 4 due the beginning of August. One was born in July, then one on a Friday morning and the other 2 the next day, 3 1/2 hours apart! I got to all of them and they were beautiful. So now it's my turn!

I do hope for Kaley to get some belly pictures of me soon. I'll post one if they turn out good. Speaking of, due to loss of funding in NC, Kaley's photography class was cut at the community college. She is really disappointed. I teased her she was lucky her camera came with some instructional DVD's. She didn't laugh. She is getting some great pictures, she loves photography. All the pictures on this post are from her. It is so neat to see your children become adults and develop gifts that are so unique and different from your own.

Blessings

Recipe Sucess!

I am happy to report I made my first batch of homemade gluten free bread today. It turned out yummy enough that we all liked it. I have been making Maura bread from a mix. Mark, Kaley and I all thought it was awful, although Maura never complained. Our yummy bread was based on a recipe in a cookbook called, 'Cooking Free'. It was recommended to me by a midwife friend whose family is allergic to gluten. It's been a real gem. So it was a combination of quinoa, potato, buckwheat and brown rice flours. I made that part up myself, as the book suggests some different grains and those were some I had on hand. Then I added milk, eggs, xanthan gum, butter, vinegar and yeast with just a tiny bit of honey. I am so glad it is good, it's always a little nerve racking when you try a new recipe and with no gluten you have to learn new ingredients to get the familiar bread like results.

Another good recipe we tried for a special treat was a flourless chocolate cake. It was low in sugar and carbs, high in protein so it was a good treat for Maura and we all loved it. It turns out like a healthy brownie that tastes like a not so healthy brownie! Here is the recipe:

2 c walnut halves
1 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c light olive oil (I used coconut)
1/2 c cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
5 large eggs, separated

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 8-9in nonstick spring form pan.
2. Grind nuts in food processor to cornmeal like texture. Add sugar, oil, cocoa, vanilla, salt and egg yolks and blend until thoroughly mixed.
3. In a separate mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
4. Gently fold cocoa mixture into beaten egg whites, adding 1/4 of the mixture at a time.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 min, or until wooden tooth pick comes out clean. Cake rises as it bakes, then falls slightly as it cools. Cool for 15m in pan on wire rack. Cut around edges to loosen. Release pan sides. Slice into 8 pieces. You can top with frosting, glaze with melted chocolate or dust with powdered sugar.

We didn't put a topping on ours, and we cut into 9 pieces to go around for each of us :) It has 6g of protein and 21g of carbs for each slice. We loved it! Maura's blood sugar level did not spike after it either. I just included the carb count into her dinner dose of insulin, and we ate it right after dinner. So she dealt with the cake just fine, whereas when I made her rice pasta by bedtime her sugar was very high.

No pictures today, maybe I can get one up of the bread in the future.

blessings

Kaley's Camera/Nature Picts

A self portrait.



A butterfly the kids found. This is Grace holding it, notice the 'fairy ring' made of wood.



The afore mentioned cicada. Usually we find the skins on trees, but Benjamin found a live one.

Blessings

Busy

Just plugging along here. The last 5 days or so have been pretty busy. A friend had a baby last Wednesday and although I was disappointed I had to miss visiting my sister Melody who happened to be camping an hour and a half away, I was glad to make to the birth and happy all went beautifully for the parents. I have 3 more ladies who are waiting...then it's my turn!

Thursday we had Maura's pediatric endocrinology appointment. We really like her doctor a lot. We talked about her Celiac's and about getting Maura on an insulin pump. I think Maura looked so forward to her appointment it might have been a little bit of a let down! It's hard for a little one to understand it takes time to get the pump. We have to go pick out what kind we want, then go to classes so we know how to use it before we bring it home. Maybe she thought it would be faster. Dr. Houchin said probably about 8weeks of process time. And somewhere in there we will be having a new baby! So, I am just trusting God to work out the timing of all this. It's a relief not to be the one who has to be in control.

Kaley had her 17th birthday Sunday! She got a camera for her birthday and is all set for her photography class. She has been enjoying figuring out how to use it and has gotten some really neato pictures of a cicada :)

Here she is with a book she's been wanting about a naturalist called, 'Swimming With Pirhana's at Feeding Time'. I'm sure if I get to post pictures taken from her camera you'll be able to tell the difference. Her's takes amazing pictures.

My mom is visiting right now, just a short visit, so of course Gordon is feeding us good chicken and ribs as well as yummy breakfast. They are just stopping through in between BBQ cooks. It's really hot and we really have no central air. But it's better than being cold! Next weekend we house sit for mom and dad and get to enjoy the creek and central air!

blessings

Hurd Orchard, NY

This is where Mark and I got married, 13 years ago. It has been owned by the same family since the 1700's. It was such a treat to visit there again.





We had our wedding right here in front of the threshing barn.











Hmmm, we don't quite look the same! Who knew that day all that would come??






The fruit of our marriage, what blessings we have.


I have more pictures of our trip to NY to come. I do have to say, they are a little bitter sweet. It's hard for me to look at them, now knowing our little Maura was getting sick while we were there. She was going potty a lot and drinking more, being fussy and crabby. I was just attributing it to discipline issues and being on a trip :( But we couldn't know.

Blessings

Too Cute

Ok, this is just a post for an adorable picture. Sibling love, so sweet.

Blessings

Baby Diaper Stash

This is a boring post unless you are into cloth diapers and natural stuff :) I am just posting a picture of the wool diaper covers I have made and the newborn cloth diapers I have been collecting. Oh they are so cute! Cloth diapers have changed a lot over the years. No pins, they snap on, are adorably cute and work better than disposables. Love love love them!

Off today to turn in Kaley's application at the community college and tomorrow we will sign her up for her photography class. I am still trying to figure out what kind of camera to get her for her birthday. I have a week left so I really need to get on it. Recommendations anyone?? She is really interested in photo journalism so I wanted to get something nice, but not too high end to start out with. Then we are going to meet a my friend Amber to get some fresh milk and play for a little, always a treat.

blessings

Work Day at Home

Today we are just working around the house. Mark is using all our extra dirt from digging our new septic to build up some garden beds. He and Curtiss are also getting rocks out of the creek to line the beds and to make a fire pit in the back yard. That'll be fun if the mosquitoes don't eat us alive! I don't know why they love our yard so much. I am hoping with a tree gone and the yard built up so much more it'll be sunnier and drier and discourage them. The poor kids are so bit up!

I canned some tomatoes! We have been getting enough to eat but finally had some extra that we couldn't keep up with. It was only a few jars so far but we have lots of green tomatoes so I hope to do more. I might snitch a few for dinner tho, fried green tomatoes are a taste of summer to us. We try not to indulge too much but every once and awhile we just do it.

Here's Grace with our Strawberry Preserves in the spring. She's my canning buddy.

If you haven't listened to #22 The Best Day it's so great! I don't know much about the singer, Taylor Swift, but as a mom, I adore the song. It's how I want all my kids to feel about their childhood. Kaley has said a lot lately how much she loves our family. Of course we have had our ups and downs and she is the guinea pig! But she loves all the things we do and how we love one another. So it's kind of our unofficial song right now and I can't get through it without tearing up! Of course being so pregnant a lot of things tear me up!! I am so thankful for her, she's becoming my best friend.

blessings

Plugging Along

Thinking about school starting today. Lots to plan for six students this year! While Maura starts Kindergarten, Kaley is finishing her last year of High School. That is really bittersweet. It seems unreal that she and I have worked together at learning and living for almost 13 years. I think I have learned more than her!

I learned to teach someone to read. That was awesome! When I realized I could do that I don't know why it amazed me so much. The thing is I hate that part of schooling, it's stressful for me to teach someone to read but I've done it three times and Ben and David are on the cusp of it. It never ceases to amaze me see a person finally get it and then, not only get it but realize it's magical. I adore seeing my kids with their noses glued in a book, even though it often means distraction from chores etc. Curtiss's current summer fascination is Sherlock Holmes. So now it's a special topic for he and Kaley, as she had read all of the stories and they hash them over as Curtiss reads them.

This year we will study together: Bible, Shakespeare, nature, composer study and picture study. My goal is to get all these things in as a group. Kaley has a pretty heavy load on her own and it looks like she will be duel enrolled at our local community college to take a digital photography class. That's to learn how to use her soon to be birthday present:)

So, I am collecting books, looking at schedules, revamping chore assignments, and ordering a few things for now. I hope to get some schooling in before Baby arrives in September. We usually take a month off for that so we'll be making that up in December. We always work it out. I am looking forward to school starting up. It always helps to have lots of ideas sparking little and big minds. Things always run smoother that way. We will be very sad to see Daddy go off to school, we have gotten quite used to having him around.

Here's the baby bump! She/He is getting really squirmy. We can't wait to meet Baby!

Blessings

Pictures from the Science Center

Here are some pictures from the Hickory Science Center. It was our first outing since Maura had been diagnosed. I had been scared to go anywhere, finding security in our routines and exact meal times, totally unlike me. Luckily, Mark-the usual home body, recognized this is not a good thing and has insisted and pushing me out of that comfort zone. So we first went to church. We have a longer service so had to pack Maura's lunch, it went great. She had no problem having her shot out. So then he decided we should do the science museum. Again, it went well. We picnicked and just had to do extra finger sticks. When Maura runs around and plays her blood sugar is lower and she needs more snacks. It was great for all the kids for us just to be a normal family again.



David and Ben love rock wall climbing. This was a hit at the Strong's Children's Museum while we were up in NY, too.




I don't know how they stood this! Round and round they went and loved it.





Mr. Smiley.





Kaley and Josiah





Starfish starfish, wonder what you are fish?





A starfish in the touch and hold tank. They have a neat aquarium area with two parts. One represents NC's mountain streams and one that represents the coastal area. Guess which one the kids were attracted to?? The stream with the turtles held no romance for them, they do that all the time for real. But ocean animals, that's something we don't see. We are 4-6 hrs from the coast.

Look at that sweet face! (even with red eye!)

Here's the tank that held every ones fascination.

Rays and sharks you can touch!

This one kept coming right up to the edge and sticking it's head out of water to see Maura. She got brave enough to pet it!

I hope to post some pictures of our trip to NY soon, we are waiting on a disk at to be developed from a camera I couldn't get to download to our computer.

blessings

Recipe Success!

I adapted my first recipe to be diabetic friendly and gluten free. I am excited to announce it was quite a success. We had chili last night so how to make the corn bread to go with it??

I would normally use a recipe that contained half wheat flour and a cup of sugar. My parameters for our new way of life are to continue with freshly grinding all our grains and NOT using artificial sweeteners (no offense to anyone who does, I just feel like if God didn't make it, it ain't good for us). We have been focusing on eating a whole foods diet for quite awhile now, all these life changes just make us take it to a higher level. It's a good thing there, right?

So, I did all freshly ground corn meal, replaced the sugar with applesauce, used extra eggs still warm from the chickens :), put in some fresh corn that I was going to blend up but forgot to and then the typical ingredients-butter, salt, baking powder and milk. It was great, not crumbly and pretty, too. I have some stevia on order, next time I might just put a dash of that as we do like our cornbread a little sweet. But we could live without it. We are noticing now that we do not use sugar things taste a lot sweeter on their own.

Now, duplicating could be a problem. I'm afraid I'm a lot like my grandmother and I don't measure and each dish seems to be unique. But I think we could swing it again, no problem.

blessings