1st Girl Scout Camp Out at my house!!!

I won't add pictures of the other girls who came.  But, this was in my backyard Friday night!  I was so happy to have everybody over! :)

Why?  Well, I'm not sure about everybody else's house.  But, in our house, the only time my kids and husband are motivated to clean is when we are told we are going to have guests over.  So, I've made it a point to try and constantly try and schedule visitors over at least once a week.  Hey don't judge...it works!

So, the only thing that might get a little strange.  The two girl scout leaders are Kindergarten teachers.  But, the main leader is our neighbor, friend, and my "twins" teacher this year!  I was all worried about it being awkward.  She has been over before, but, this time she would have to use the restroom.  Let me tell you.  I actually felt the overwhelming desire to renovate the downstairs bathroom.  Don't ask me why.  Maybe because Sarah, the 5 year old a year ago, held onto the towel rack and it pulled out of the wall and left 2 large holes.  I don't have the same paint color so no sense in patching them up right now.  But, don't have the money to fix it the way I would like, I estimate to renovate the downstairs bathroom it is going to take me ~$500.  For paint/supplies, tile flooring, and sink (hopefully), and decor.  It was fine.

But, 'Zeke (my 2 year old) tried to go potty "all by himself" with no warning.  He only pee'd, but, wiped using an entire 1/2 roll of toilet paper!  Flushed about 3-4x we guess, and flooded the bathroom!!!!  Thankfully there was a lull in bathroom runs (which with 18 girls, wasn't much of a lull).  We bleached/mopped/aired out the bathroom.

Here is 'Zeke, we asked him to smile for the camera.  For some reason when you ask my kids to smile they always show their bottom teeth or both teeth.  An unnatural smile for them.  ha!


Next day they were going to go swimming, with a lifeguard, who ended up showing up 2 hours late!  So my husband stepped in and helped the younger girls swim (thankfully the baby took a nap, so I had free hands).  I watched (from outside the pool) the older girls swim, and get their badge for swimming.    They are amazing set of girls.  I don't know about y'all but, when I was their age, I remember everybody (girl wise) trying to jab at the other girls at how ugly, stupid, or weird they were.  I was always the brunt of it.  My mom wasn't well like by the church we grew up in.  They found out she was raped by her cousin at 15 and had an abortion because of it.  Well, instead of loving her, as they should.  They told her what she should've done instead.  Those mothers of the church started talking bad about my mom, and thus, the girls to me.  We moved cities due to a job.  I wasn't picked on again.

Thankfully we found a church that instead of shaking a finger at her, gave her a hug.

I can't believe how she was treated...by those she was seeking rest to put aside all weight she had on her shoulders, and she just was given more on.

I have come to find there are 2 types of churches in this world.  1.  Those led by Christ 2.  Those led by their own desires.  1 church has it's hands wide open willing to accept you as your are, to love you as Christ loved the church.  The other is there to rebuke you before you even step a foot in the door.  Try out different churches there is one for everybody.  We currently go to 2 churches, 1 on Sunday, and 1 on Wed.  The Sunday one (our favorite) doesn't have a kids program.  It is non-traditional church, but, it is HUGE!  (well for around here).  You can see signs of their feet and hands walking and moving for Christ in it's members, community, and world outreaches.  We can go in our "Sunday best" or shorts and flip flops, and not feel out of place.  The Wed. church, it gives us a little more "meat" for our week, they are Southern Baptist, but, one of the children's leaders kicked me out!   But, that is another time and another post.



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Pancreas, (knock on wood) seems to be doing better.  I had Pizza Hut pizza slice on Friday before girls came over, it didn't make me feel too well.  Probably should've taken some Creon before I ate.  I took some Ibuprofen instead.  Ate low fat Sat. & Sunday.  And I haven't had any morning sickness. :)

OHHHHHHHH.....found out good news, the bloodwork came back for the PRSS1 and CF test, I'm negative.  I don't have to worry about my kids.  Which means that the timeline is looking more and more likely.  The fact I got a virus that attacked my pancreas, I just happen to have a abnormal loop duct.  They think more people get mild acute pancreatitis rounds then is listed, as most play it off as a really bad stomach bug and go on.

Side note I see the neurologist Thursday.  Apparently they think I have MS.  Which I'm so over being a worry wort about that.  I personally think it is a neck issue.  I move my head I hear grinding, or my foot will go numb, or my vision takes a nose dive, as long as I keep my stress down, and my neck from cracking too much it doesn't happen.  They ruled out migraines (took them 2 years), no pain with a migraine signals something else.  They thought it was a spinal fluid leak to the point I had a c-section with the last baby, (my 1st c-section) to avoid pushing (which increases your spinal fluid pressure).  I could only seek relief by laying flat on my back.  They refuse to look at my neck until they do some crazy test for MS.

Sarah's 5th Birthday gift

 

This is my Sarah's birthday gift.  No it isn't done just yet.  I ran out of the 2000 yards of thread and had to reorder.  I didn't want to use a different brand or size, afraid after multiple washing one my yellow or something.  But, this is my 2nd quilt, but, my 1st applique quilt.

I love it because all the applique pieces are "puffy", with something called a faux trampunto technique, not hard just tedious.

I got the pattern online (free) from a lady in Malaysia.  But, their beds are bigger width wise then here in the US.  So I had to readjust some of the dimensions.  So the main scene was didn't "fall off" the bed.  Plus my 3 girls all have a "bug".  Sarah's bug is a dragonfly.  So I took out some lady bugs and added a dragonfly.  Plus the Malaysian quilt said "Secret Garden" at the top of hers.  Which I LOVE!!.  But, to make it special I put "Sarah's Garden".  I let my daughter pick out the colors (mostly, the white ladybug she wanted would have been too camouflaged, haha).

Please excuse the unfinished mural on the wall.  I started it to get my mind off my pain a few years ago, pain went away, but, I had an "oopsie" and got pregnant.  Haven't picked it back up.  Plan on finishing this summer though.

If you want to see her quilt blog or whatever, here is the link to the pattern Secret Garden.  If you want to know dimensions for this quilt to adjust for the US sized twin email me I'll help you too.


Have a wonderful day!  I'm off to read with my babies. :)

Family photo for Easter

Never did add a picture of us.  This is our crew! :)  Excuse the trashcan bomb... :)  I never take the time to edit photos....Plus to tell you the truth.  Other then cropping stuff (like trashcans out), and changing and rotating if upside down.  Photo editing just looks fake to me.  I have one of Caleb (the baby) a few months ago, done by a professional (friend at church).  She doctored it up so much he looks like a grainy doll.  Paid the money and don't like any of the photos.  Plus she didn't even try to make the kids smile or work with them.  My husband and I are awkward in photos together, he is 6'1" I'm 5'1" so don't do photos together too much.

Anyways, our life is revolving around scouts so much lately I can't remember why we joined!?!  I mean every weekend it is scouts for one kid or another.  Which brings up the question of when is too much, too much?  Even with the best of intentions of wholesome extra-curricular activities, when do you have to say, that is it we quit?

Well, we are talking about it right now, we have trouble saying no to helping out everyone.  Then we have other parents who have kids in scouts who think we don't do enough scouts.

I'm a big fan of family time.  Esp. weekends.  So far the girls scouts have been pretty good.  1x every 2 weeks for 1 1/2 meetings, and 1x every 2 months for "specials" (parade, etc.)

But, afraid that will change, the girl scout head leader is getting together with my oldest son's boy scout leader, to plan events now.  We have almost quit so many time because of her.  But, she was supposed to be moving, so we were going to stick it out a bit.  Alas, not.  She isn't a bad person mind you.  But, she is so passionate about scouts (gone every weekend with just one group of girls), that she gets under peoples skins.  She didn't leave a campsite with the boy scouts one time, even though there were leaky tents, she wanted to stick it out.  She doesn't is hard-core camping, I mean pee in the woods, if it isn't using survival skills it is too posh for her.  We have a set of "rules".  One of those is to see if your devoting too much time to one area.  This started after my older 2 boys went on a binge of video games.  Yes, it is natural.  But, it is just as natural for me to get mad they neglected EVERYTHING....bath, cleaning rooms, homework, and even eating.  Cute game, no violence, cuss words or anything of the sort.   But, we talked to them on how that can become your idol.  The den/scout leader reminds me of them.  She let the scouts become her idol.  She devotes more time/energy/resources into that, then anything else.  I refuse to let my scouts, video games, computer time, or even family time, become on "idol".


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Pancreas - Since the last time I recovered from another round of pancreatitis.  Only been 7 months since last one.  I HATE it.  I'm feeling very blessed to be alive.  But, it isn't the pain as much as the mental game it plays on me.  I keep thinking is this it?  It isn't going away (after like 5-7 days), is the the big bad thing I fear so much?  It took about 4 1/2 weeks to go away completely (yes that means only a few days ago I feel better, almost 100%).

I take Ibuprofen at the first sign of pancreatitis.  I educated myself on what pancreatitis is, what it does, and how others help themselves.  Ibuprofen seemed to be a trend where those who took it early had milder attacks then those who took nothing or narcotics.  It usually works within about 30-45 min., doesn't cure it and I still don't eat (just a smidgen to go with the pills).  But, it stops working 3 hours later after I take it, so I only get 2 to 2 1/2 hours of relief total, but, the attack was much milder then before enzyme levels were only mild-moderately elevated.  But, doctor got mad I was taking so much Ibuprofen (gee somehow taking 4 pills a day, 6 hours apart, is too much, I suffered the rest of the time, just to avoid meds).  This is the local doctor who kept telling me it was my gall bladder (even thought CT/MRI/HIDA/ultrasound all came back clear.  So I had that removed, hey, it was in good shape, they just assumed because I'm not thin, I'm female, and had kids the gall bladder was obviously pretending to be good, when it was bad.

But, the doctor way down at Mayo Fl. clinic wants me to have a local person.  So I called up he gave me a script for Tramadol?  O.K. it takes some pain away, but, still feel bloated and I can't breathe without hurting.  So forget that, I've had to educate him on some stuff about me.  He didn't even believe I had another acute round till he saw my blood work.  What is up with doctors?  And I felt that the meds were helping.  Where Tramadol just masks the pain, doesn't actually help with inflammation (which is the problem).  Thus, you would eat more, thinking your not in pain, why not.  When really your pancreas is mad still, you just don't know your still hurting it.

This morning I woke up with a bit of morning sickness (no not pregnant, but, same feeling).  And I do have back pain again right there, though minimal.  We had spaghetti for dinner last night with meat sauce (90/10 meat, with extra fat removed even still).  I'm not sure if that set me off or what.  But, today.  I had rice with grilled chicken for lunch, oatmeal for breakfast.  I'm never really hungry.  But, I like to eat with the family while they are eating.  What I wouldn't do to feel starved, I sometimes forget to feed the kids or husband, till it is so late they get a peanut butter sandwich and straight to bed.  I guess I should set a timer or something.  haha!