Update

It looks like Abigail's infection is all cleared up. Thank you for your prayers. She is a happy girl again today!

Homemade Goodness

In an effort to keep my family as healthy as possible, I have been trying to cut out most of the processed food we consume. It has been a slow transition because I didn't want to waste what was already in the cabinet, but now it is about 80% what I call "one word foods" like flour, sugar, salt etc. Here are some things I have found since starting.

1. It's much cheaper. Especially when you are talking gluten-free items. Pre-made frozen gluten-free muffins at the store are about $6.50 for 4. I can make them from scratch for about $2.50 a dozen. Obviously, regular foods are even cheaper.

2. Variety is glorious. I make cookies several times a week to send in lunches. I have tried lots of different recipes. The kids love coming home to a new kind of cookie to try. Just last night I made eskimo cookies. I am actually not crazy about them, but they are interesting and the kids might like them.

3. Fresh ingredients rock. Alfredo sauce made with fresh garlic and Parmesan cheese is amazing. The canned stuff doesn't compare.

4. It's not as time consuming as it seems. The Internet has a never-ending selection of yummy and simple recipes. I would estimate that I may have added an average of 5 or 10 minutes to my meal preparation. I'll gladly give 10 minutes for wholesome food any day.

5. Waste isn't an issue anymore. I can't stand to throw away something I made from scratch. If my kids want me to make something new, they know they have to finish what I have already made. I haven't found a moldy Tupperware in my refrigerator for a couple of months.

6. I have space! My kitchen isn't huge so any space I can squeeze out is precious. With only a few canned and boxed items my pantry isn't stuffed. Ingredients take up much less space and are easier to keep organized.

7. The freezer is my friend. I make a double batch when possible and freeze half. This has a double benefit. It makes even less waste and quick meals and snacks are always available.

8. I know what I am making. It's very hard to know for certain that something is gluten-free when store bought. There are several vague ingredients that could contain gluten on many foods. One of my favorites is "natural flavor". What is that exactly? When I am making it myself, the risk of a little gluten slipping in is greatly reduced. Also, it is easier to figure out the carb count of homemade items.

So I think I will stick with it and thank God that I am home and able to spend the time necessary to cook from scratch. I realize that's a blessing not to be taken lightly these days.

Poor Baby

If it's not one thing, it's another. It seems like Abigail is constantly battling something. She is always fighting bad blood sugars, or a tummy ache and diarrhea from getting a little gluten somewhere, or she has a cold that she can't seem to get over. She also occasionally gets infections at her insulin pump site. She has to have her insulin pump attached on her bottom because that is the only place she has any fat. Today she woke up and her site hurt. That's never a good sign. It looked fine but I took it out just in case. As soon as I removed the needle the opening starting oozing. She has a staph infection. The only way to treat it is to remove all of the infection. Her little bottom has a red, hot lump and she can't sit. She has been laying on her tummy all day. We alternate between hot compresses and squeezing it, which is of course painful. If I can get it cleared out she should be fine. But since it is a staph infection and you don't want to play with those, if I don't have it better by the morning I will take her in and they will lance it to drain it rapidly. That is also very painful, obviously.

It's hard not to get angry and overwhelmed. It would just be nice if she felt good more often than not. When her blood sugar is high she gets nauseous and has a headache. When her blood sugar is low she gets a headache and becomes almost unable to communicate. When she gets a cold, it lasts longer and is more severe than normal. And, when she has a cold her blood sugar gets high, which makes her nauseous and gives her a headache.

I realize this post is unpleasant and more than a little whiny on my part. But I just want my baby to be healthy and most of the time I feel helpless. We have very good control of her blood sugar for her age, but to me it still feels like this stupid disease is beating us too often.

Please pray that we get the infection cleared up. We have never had to have one of her infections lanced but I know it is only a matter of time. But not this time, please.

Just in Case

Alisa and Shannon have both shared this Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe on their blogs. But, just in case anyone reads my blog and not theirs (in other words, my mom), I wanted to post it here. It is so wonderfully good, I am pretty sure I could eat it daily and never tire of it. I recommend topping it with cheese and sliced avocado. Then prepare to overindulge.

Of Coffee and Other Wonders

Coffee rocks. Period. Nuff said.

I am pretty sure there is nothing that smells as good as a child fresh from bed who took a bath the night before. They smell good out of the bath too but that is mostly soap and shampoo. The next morning the fake smells have softened and you get more of the smell of "them". It's possible there is something wrong with me, but I could bury my nose in their little necks and stay there all day.

I also like the way my dogs nose feels and her paws smell. Yep, definitely something wrong with me.

Freshly grated parmesan cheese makes me want to weep.

I have a ridiculous amount of gray hair hiding under whatever my current fake color is. Why is that? I'm not that old!

Puppies are cute but may be from the devil. Trust me, I know.

Muffins of all kinds are clearly divine.

How the heck did I get blessed with my husband, children and friends?

Nothing makes me move faster than my oven beeping to tell me the muffins are done! The End.

Forgive Me..

I should say up front that this post is going to be a disgusting display of motherly pride. If you want to avoid such unabashed bragging, you should stop reading now.

I have posted before about the basketball team Maya is playing on. I am not a huge sports fan, but watching her is amazing. She just moves like an athlete. She is so fast she has never played anyone who could keep up with her. It's gotten to the point where she is clearly the leader of the team and she only sits the bench if she is totally exhausted or in foul trouble. (which happens often since she is ridiculously aggressive)

But as talented as she is physically, the way her mind works is incredible. She seems to naturally figure out the game as she goes. The point that I knew for sure her talent was something special was early in the season. She is the point guard and was dribbling down the court. Most teams start double teaming her within the first few minutes and two girls had her right on the line and she was trapped. She stops and looks around for a team mate to throw to but no one was around. She throws the ball against the defender's foot making it go out on them. She calmly steps out of bounds, picks up the ball and waits for the ref to blow the whistle to throw the ball in. The crowd, and her coach, were shocked. She hadn't been taught to do that. She just realized she was stuck and didn't want to lose possession so she made a move you wouldn't normally see in 11 year old girl's basketball. She just gets it.

The other amazing thing is that she still has only a rough idea of the rules. The way she plays you would think she had been force fed basketball since toddlerhood. I was extremely frustrated with her after several games because she kept double dribbling. She moves so fast she wasn't normally caught. But still, its a bad habit to start and no matter how much we told her she wouldn't stop. Then, while watching a KU game, she quietly asked "is that double dribbling?" when they were called for traveling. She didn't even know what it meant! I showed her what it was and she hasn't done it since. We are now at the end of the season and just last week we found out she thought you had to take a step every time you bounced the ball. I can't imagine how much her dribbling will improve now that she feels free to have a more natural stride.

While I am obviously very proud of her, the most wonderful thing has been the confidence her abilities give her. With her background she struggles with low self esteem. Since joining the team her confidence level is vastly improved. One of her teammate's parents, who has been the Athletic Director at several schools, said he had never seen anyone with her athletic ability at her age. Wow.

I would like to remind you that I warned you not to read this. However, I feel a little better about sharing her gifts because there can be no personal pride involved. I obviously had absolutely nothing to do with it. I can't take credit for any of it. Wait! I told her what double dribbling was! I DID have something to do with it! Now I can take some ownership of her success. I will hold that knowledge close to my heart.

I thank God that even though Maya has had to deal with more loss and pain in her life than a little girl should ever experience, He has blessed her with something very special. I truly believe it will be a passion in her life to help her deal with some of that pain. I can already see how it has started to change her from a quiet and often introverted girl to a young lady who knows she is special. We often remind her that her gifts are from God and she has to be very careful to remember that and not become prideful. Now mommy just needs to remember that, too. :)

The Night of the Fireflies

I am really looking forward to this new year! I'm so hopeful and excited about what it could bring. But, even if nothing extraordinary happens, just knowing I am beginning another year in this life of mine gives me joy. God has been working on my contentedness lately. I often struggle with the fact that our house is small. When I go to the homes of friends and family that live in town I sometimes feel a little envy creeping in. Then I go home to my little house in the country and I am at peace. I know the value in our home doesn't come from the size of the bedrooms or the decor. It comes from the memories we are making that couldn't be made anywhere else. As I have been reflecting on all of the reasons I love our little country home, one night in particular has been in my head. I just thought I would share one of our favorite family traditions that we are blessed to experience.

Every year, I watch expectantly for the lightening bugs. They seem to appear one night as if by magic. I go out on the back deck and the pasture is sparkling with them. And, every year, I go wake my children up and say "they are here!" and we all go out and watch them until the children stumble back to bed. It's beautiful and peaceful. The only things we hear are the cicadas and the bull frogs. It's a night of perfect contentment and joy for me. It's a night when my cup truly overfloweth. I wouldn't give up even that one night a year for a larger home.

We are the Cooper's. We live in a tiny house in the country. It's usually messy and always crowded. But, it is always home. Thank God.