Nature is awakening from a long winter's nap

Last week, our landscape looked like winter except for the daffodils blooming out by the fence line.  After an early heatwave began a few days ago, all of nature came alive... in a good and not scary way. 

I have always loved Easter even though I did not grow up in a church going family.  My love for Easter and for Christmas are equal but in different ways.  As with most Americans, the Christmas season begins in our family at Thanksgiving and is pretty much celebrated all of December.

The house is decorated during this darkest month of the year, the light brought inside with candles, the Christmas tree, and twinkle lights  Perhaps that is why Christmas causes me to think more inwardly as it is also the season of curling up with a throw, a cat, and a hot beverage to contemplate the birth of Christ.

On the other hand, since we did not attend a liturgical church, Easter was a week to reflect on the life, death, and the Resurrection of Jesus.  Easter day was usually filled with joyful celebration at church and then with a meal that was pretty much the same every year.

Now we were enjoying the return of days filled with longer hours of light, the rebirth of nature (albeit slower here than with my southern friends), and the renewal of the soul.  I often feel like winter is the time to slow down and reflect while spring is the gift God gives us when life returns.  A reflection of the Resurrection that was and a promise of the ultimate renewal to come.

Our Easter season was made more special this year when Stephanie, Elisabeth, and Faith arrived for a quick visit the weekend before Easter.  Faith was to meet the young woman who will be her roommate when she goes to college this fall.  (How is that even possible?) Since I was not able to attend Elisabeth's wedding, it was wonderful that she took time off of work to travel with them.

They returned to New England, stopping along the way home to visit David at his college, in time for Maundy Thursday services.  I was praying a lot that day for safe travels as storms were predicted along the way where they would be driving and where my son was flying back after a conference in the nation's capital.

The ladies arrived home safely, although they had to drive through very heavy rain along the way.  Christopher's flight was hit with severe turbulence and they landed in a thunderstorm. He travels a lot so when he said this was his worst flight ever, it had to be bad.

I had messaged him that there were tornadoes heading from Louisville to Cincinnati and it turns out he was flying over them on his route home. People wonder why I dislike flying. My daughter teases me about being a weather geek.  I blame growing up surrounded by farms and farmers.  Weather is usually a topic of conversation most of the year.

I wonder how much of a mother's prayer life revolves around praying for their children as they drive, fly, etc.?  

I hope your Easter was a good one.  My son and his wife hosted the meal this year and I made and baked the favorites we always serve on our side of the family.  My daughter-in-law's mom did the same thing and we have had joint celebrations long enough that I know what to anticipate at each gathering.  I don't know what is in that orange Jell-o stuff but it is delicious and worth taking extra insulin.

I am still dealing with low blood sugar attacks and consequently moving quite slow on many days.  My doctor has me checking my blood sugar before going to bed each night and eating a snack if necessary but even then, I have either plunged too low (which is extremely dangerous) or my blood sugar rose too much (which is frustrating).

We had a nice conversation at my check up last week about what a wonderful thing the pancreas is and how people take it for granted.  I don't know if he is a Christian but I do remind him that God created all of our parts to be quite amazingly sufficient when they work right. 

There is so much in this life that we do not understand and we have to trust His goodness.  God did not create our illnesses, they came as a result of the fallen world.  However, are you hearing... as Billy Graham titled a book... the approaching hoofbeats?

I am, every day they get louder and louder!  My husband and I were talking about the darkness in the world this morning. As an Eeyore kind of guy, he was saying this world is not one he recognizes, anymore.  He will be glad to leave it. I fully understand where he is coming from but I reminded him what the darkness is telling us... the soon return of Christ to set up His perfect kingdom.

I think prior to 2020, I could give mental assent to the soon return of Christ.  Everything looked like it could be fairly soon.  I would discuss pre-trib or mid-trib rapture with friends but it was something I still thought out in the distant future.  Everything changed in November of 2019 as new laws began to be made and decisions put in place that would change... everything.

We were talking this morning how we never... in a million years never... thought America could change this quickly.  Not to mention the entire world actually looking like we are near End Time wars.  The chessboard is already set in motion.

Why can we go through this time, while not wanting to suffer or have our children suffer in any way, still filled with joy and anticipation?  Because my friends, Aslan is on the move.  Can't you feel Him?  Can't you hear His roar in the distance, becoming closer each day?

Many years ago, I read about a woman who was filled with dread over the coming Tribulation.  So much that it was adversely affecting her life. Until she had a dream where she was looking at a ship's radar and noticed a tiny blip on the screen. She asked God what that blip was and He told her that was the Tribulation years.  Just the tiniest, hardly noticeable, blip on the radar.  She never feared End Times events again after she awoke from that dream.

I have a key chain that I purchased, one for me and one for my daughter, that is small but easily slipped onto my existing key chain.  It shows a favorite quote of Aslan... Courage, Dear Heart. It also has a separate tiny figure of Aslan that reminds me not only of a favorite character from literature but of the Lion of Judah.

As we walk through these coming months and years, what better advice can anyone give but from the Lion who came back to life because his enemy did not know the deeper magic (the Narnia magic) existed. Courage, dear heart.

Until next time...

Mentioned in this Blog Post

Narnia key chain... here.

Disclaimer:  Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.

I'm Alive! Honest

When I announced at the beginning of the year that I will no longer be writing a post on a weekly basis, I never planned to go an entire month between posts.  This past month was a struggle to get anything accomplished.  The proof being that before I sat down at my desk to write, I realized four weeks have gone by since I wrote anything in my planner.

It is partly due to the remodel of our bathroom taking the first two weeks of the last month.  It was a project that should have been budgeted years ago but thankfully, no permanent damage was done by the bad pipes leaking into the crawl space.  I lived with a very ugly bathroom for seventeen years and now I cannot believe the difference.

Although we had the work done for the resale value of the house, it will be a joy to live with it until that time we sell the house.  Which may be a few years from now.  Even a remodel on a budget can be beautiful.

Even while the contractors were here, I wrote an outline of a pantry post I planned to write when they were finished.  As you can tell, that outline is still sitting on my desk. The two weeks after the work was complete were busy with appointments and other out-of-the-house commitments and I was so tired that my brain couldn't think to write.

Partly it is the intense fatigue that has become worse over the years.  However, even though I now have my long term insulin, the two months where I either didn't have it or I had to use a different long term insulin have left my blood sugar readings unstable.  I went from having extremely high numbers when I didn't have my usual insulin to now I have been dipping dangerously low.

I've been tweaking my before dinner insulin and I think I've figured out how much less than to take before dinner each night.  Thank God I do wake up when my blood sugar plunges to the 50s but it also means not getting a good night's sleep.  Which adds to the fatigue and the foggy thinking.  

Did you know that Alzheimer's is sometimes called Type 3 diabetes?  Type 2 is what most people have, Type 1 (Juvenile Diabetes) is what I have, and now some doctors are calling various forms of memory loss Type 3.  That goes to show you the affect our blood sugar has on the brain.  (My daughter can refrain from saying anything.)  ;)

I'm feeling better now and while it still feels like winter off and on, the temperatures are ever so slowly creeping up.  If past seasons are any indication, we will jump from cold weather to hot weather almost overnight so I am not complaining.  Much.  ;)

I will be back with reflections on the crazy world we live in (we must keep our eyes on the Lord and not the news) and finally that pantry post.  Thank you to everyone who got in touch with me while I have been AWOL.  I appreciate it.  Especially since I am dreadfully behind on some thank you notes.  

I have company arriving soon so I must get the Study back to its' original order.  That is my plan for the next two days. The contractors used it to store most of the boxes (the door to the walk-in shower was in our Living Room for two weeks) and their tools.  

They cleaned up where they had been but the furniture and such is still bunched up on one side of the room where I had moved it.  They were very nice and did an excellent job but I cannot imagine what it would be like to go through a larger remodel, like a Kitchen.

See you next week I hope!

Checking in on a Saturday morning

I thought it best to write a quick hello rather than go through another week without a blog post.  I now understand why some bloggers who went from regular blogging to less blog posts eventually stopped blogging altogether.  It is amazing how quickly a couple weeks have passed when there is no definite publishing date.

As can happen when dealing with an older house, the contractor started work in our bathroom and found our original pipes to be in bad shape.  It is a very good thing we had this work done now for water was already dripping into our crawl space.

So, this meant two extra days while the guys replaced pipes in the crawlspace and pipes going into the bathroom.  We were not really surprised since we have had to replace pipes both going to the well and into the garage before.  In early winter, we started noticing water ponding in our front yard close to the main well pipe.  New pipes were installed there which will mean come warm weather, we have to have the lawn reseeded in that area.

At least the holes in the drywall have been repaired and the walls are prepped for painting.  The base and side of the shower are installed.  The box with the door in it still resides propped up next to the love seat in my living room.  Which is also why I was just able to moderate comments this morning from last week.  There have been boxes in the study making it difficult to get to my desk.  It is amazing how many pieces there are to plumbing projects.

However, the guys have been delightful to work with.  They are friendly and always clean up when they leave.  If they have to leave early, they explain why so we don't think they are not dong the job (we knew from the kitchen lighting project that sometimes there must be additional drying time in between the jobs).

Florentine is so used to their 8:00 arrival each morning that she was sitting on our bed by 7:30 this morning, waiting for us to move the kitty litter container and her kibble bowl in our room before shutting the door.  It took her awhile to realize they would not be here today so she can relax.

Being a smart cat, she can see that the bathroom is still not finished. They will return Monday morning and hopefully it will be completed in two days.  Barring no more surprises.

Since it has been rather loud a few hours at a time each day with sawing and pounding and hammering, I have been "reading" an Audible book.  I brought out the old (big) earphones to begin listening to Resilient by John Eldredge.   I had heard good things about the book so I used my last Audible credit (before unsubscribing for awhile) to get this book.  So far, I think it is excellent. It is just what I needed right now.

I love how he not only reads the book himself, but he adds comments to what is in the book.  It makes it so much more personal.  I know his book from many years ago called Wild at Heart was controversial because it talks about the difference between the way God made boys and men from girls and women.  Even in the Church there were many people who claimed it was sexist.

Actually, it was if you follow their definition but what it did for me at the time, with a boy just entering his teens, was to open my eyes to the need for boys to be... boys.  To encourage them as they pretend to be Knights defending fair maidens, soldiers winning the battle, protectors of small furry creatures (our two sister kitties at the time), etc.

I had raised a girl and that was easy because I could remember being that age.  A boy?  Not so much.  As a homeschooling mom who spent more time with her son than my husband, Wild at Heart helped me look at that strange male species from a Biblical perspective.  I highly recommend it, too, if like me... you believe there is a difference between boys and girls.

I hope to be back soon with some pantry ponderings.

Mentioned in this Blog Post

Resilient by John Eldredge... here.

Wild at Heart by John Eldredge... here.

Disclaimer:  Mist links to Amazon.com are Associate links.

Image:  I cannot remember where I found this photo but it is so peaceful.

The process is called Swedish Death Cleaning, who knew?

I finally have both the time and energy to stop by and send out a hello.   January and February are usually slow months for us but they have been just the opposite this year. When I have been home, I have been working on projects as well as the usual cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc.  I'm still behind on correspondence and such!

One thing that is normal from past years is that I like to use these post-Holiday winter months to "fluff the nest".  I often declutter, although this year it is taking on an entire new emphasis.  I also use this time to change some things around in the house like relocating some artwork to make it fresh, changing around some plants to other areas, moving photos from one room to another, etc.

Last year, I switched the larger vertical print of a woman in prayer to the opposite side of the dining area from where it had been since we moved into this house.  I hung it where there had been a large horizontal artwork and then hung that piece where the vertical print had been.  It has been a year and I'm still looking at how much I like the switch.  The vertical print is one of my favorites and it was in a place where I rarely saw it before the move.  It was a refreshed look for less than five minutes of work.

I have continued the files project, although it is on hold for a couple of weeks as a couple other projects call out to be completed.  As I write today, the Study is full of boxes and I have just enough room to walk to the desk and work on the computer.  We have a walk in shower being installed on Monday, replacing the very old 1960s era shower/tub in the bathroom.  After nearly falling a few times, it became a priority for safety reasons. 

I want to write more about world events and the pantry lifestyle soon.  That will have to wait until the installation is finished and the boxes are out of the Study.  They also have to replace the flooring as it will be scuffed up and they are going to paint the bathroom while they are here.

The files in the Study are pretty much sorted, kept or tossed, and are now easy to maintain.  I was able to get a good start on the "homeschooling drawer" in our small office but it is a slower process.  That project will be taken up again after the bathroom project is finished.  It takes time because more thought is needed about what to keep and what to toss.

My decluttering and getting rid of stuff project that I have been doing the past few years has a name and I didn't even know it.  You may remember that it is inspired when we realized what a burden it would be for our kids someday to 1) go through our stuff, and 2) sell the house with the much needed updates still undone.

So, we have budgeted every extra dollar to fixing and updating the house.  It is a good, solid, and even attractive small house but it was built in the 1960s so... and I can relate personally... it needs some work.    Our goal is that when we need to sell the house, there will be no surprise expenditures for our family.

As for the organizational part of the fluffing, I found out there is a name for what I have been doing for years (and getting really serious about it this past year).  There is even a book about the process called The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning.  

Now, I know it sounds morbid but it isn't at all.  It's basically that the questions we ask ourselves about what to keep or give away change as we grow older. The recommendation is that once people arrive at retirement age (approx. 65 years old), they change the way they look at keeping and getting rid of stuff based on if they will still be using the objects and/or if anyone would want it after they are gone (or just retiring to a small place).

I haven't read the book, yet, although I plan to soon.  It is small and it is supposed to be an enjoyable read about how the author went through this process in her own home.  However, there are really good YouTube videos about the process that I have watched in the past couple of months.  It was enjoyable to find out there is actually a name already for what I have been wanting to accomplish.  

Now, I have been doing this a little at a time for many years now but I'm just taking it to another level.  For instance, I inherited a complete set of Victorian era china from my mother-in-law, I collect brown transferware china, I still have the Everyday Lenox I used when both kids were home, and I have the inexpensive dishes I use everyday since there are just the two of us at home.

I did have a set of Noritake wedding china but after having a discussion with my daughter and daughter-in-law a couple years ago, I knew to keep all the china except the Noritake.  It seems no one in the family was interested in 1970s wedding china except me.  So, off it went to Goodwill where someone will find it and love it.  

That is what this process is about, let go of what no one would want when we are no longer here... then... keep what means a lot to you or you know someone will want it and yes, I still collect brown transferware because it makes my heart sing! Otherwise, I rarely purchase thrifted china.  Well, there were those two teacups that were part of the Queen Mother collection... but I digress.

One way of managing "stuff" that I have done for a few years now, too, is that when I purchase something new (to me) for the house, something goes to Goodwill or another charity.  The above photo shows the vintage scale I bought at the antique mall.  

I have wanted such a scale for that spot for at least three or four years.  I had seen them in magazine photos and homemaking videos. I finally found one that I loved and was a price I could afford.  There had been a few cookbooks at that spot so I went through my cookbooks and got rid of a few I knew I would not use, anymore.  That made room on the shelves for the cookbooks that had been in that place.

I will never be a minimalist!  There will be plenty of stuff to go to family or thrift stores when I go to my Heavenly Home... which will be perfect!  Part of the process is having those things around me that makes my heart sing without it looking cluttered.  Of course, what I think does not looked cluttered may not be what another person thinks but I am the one who lives here.

My home is my personal Goshen where I feel comfortable, where my relationship with God can grow, where what surrounds me is what I find beautiful. I'm old enough now that it doesn't matter what other people think about my decorating style or what stuff I display.  Each of our homes should be a reflection of us and not a place where we display stuff we think would impress other people.

Of course, I do share this home and mostly I take into account what my husband likes.  Mostly.  Except when he is absolutely wrong.  ;)  He does not like the vintage yellow kitchen scale.  As a former engineer, he doesn't get having anything in the kitchen that you do not plan to use for its' original purpose.

However, he is on board with the process of getting rid of stuff we do not need and the kids will not want.  Which is on the level of a miracle as he is a bit of a hoarder with paper stuff and garage stuff. He keeps what he thinks he may need someday but I reminded him that we do not need a dozen (or two) Amazon boxes.

I plan to be back in probably a little over a week or so.  Hopefully!

Mentioned in this Blog Post

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning book... here.

Disclaimer:  Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.

Image:  The camera takes very blurry photos at times!

Persistence Pays Off

I am finding that when one does not write on a regular schedule, two things can happen.  The first thing is that time goes by faster than we think so a new blog post happens later than planned.  The second is that I need to write down those things I want to write about on my planner because they tend to last about five seconds. 

I am pleased to say the insulin saga (trial) has been resolved.  I will share about it at the end of this blog post.  Like most trials, it was not fun but I learned a lot.  Not the least of which is the reminder that God really is in control. 

As I was going through it and the fear would come that I would end up back in the ER, I reminded myself that God has never let me down in the past.  I remembered His character instead of looking at my circumstances and indeed... He did not let me down this time, either.

The Study files are all either tossed or placed in their proper space.  Hallelujah!  It was so good to be able to file away the late 2022 and January 2023 papers needing to be filed and not have to find room in overstuffed file folders. The files in the "homeschool drawer" in our small office have a good start already, too.

I have had the same morning routine for a few years now but after praying for ways to accomplish this project and more later, I realized I needed to make time in the morning while my energy was higher. So now on many days, after watching my "Bible study program" while sipping morning coffee, I spend time on a project or housework.

The new morning schedule isn't written in stone and there are many days I must be flexible.  However, it is a change that can be accomplished.  So often, I think nothing can be changed but that is a lie from the father of lies.  No matter our age or physical condition, there is always something that can change.  Especially when we ask God, who says in the Book of James that He gives wisdom to all who ask.

Except for making me more organized, these file projects will ultimately not be noticed by anyone else except my family.  I often remember all the work my husband and his brother went through when their mother passed away in a car accident and every piece of paper that can be thrown out now is something our own children will not have to deal with later. 

As it is, I can imagine them rolling their eyes and wonder out loud if someone really needed that many teacups. I blame Emilie Barnes... ;)

I have not set out to choose a "word of the year" for a long time but once in awhile, a word comes to me that I believe is God-given.  While working on these files and dealing with the insulin situation, I knew it was the Lord that brought the word "persistence" to mind quite often.  It has become my anchor word for the new year.

So, what happened with the insulin?  Well, I never found out why Eli Lilly didn't send it but I did find out the things that went wrong since then.  It was the fault of both the drug company and the clinic combining to create an emergency situation.

It was finally resolved when I was given the phone number to the Eli Lilly program and called on Monday.  I talked to a very helpful woman who, while not knowing why it wasn't sent in early November, was able to tell me that it had been cancelled in January because my original prescription had lapsed.  Why the clinic employee was not told that, I have no idea.

It turned out that the day I called was the very last day that I could get a new prescription from my doctor or his nurse, have them call it in, and receive the shipment.  It took some scrambling and driving to the clinic with a paper giving all of the needed information but I did, they did, and my insulin arrived on Tuesday.

Have you ever noticed how God... at times... seems to provide answers to prayer at the very last moment?  I mean, really... the very last day?  Otherwise, I would have had to submit a new application and wait for it to process through before it could arrive in three or four weeks.  I received the vial of Lantus from the hospital and sample pens of Bassaglar from the clinic to keep from returning to the ER.

I was reminded of a lesson that I have had to relearn over and over for decades now and that is the moment I realize something is not right, I need to look into the problem. I cannot hope everything will fall into place on its own. I can't assume anyone else is taking care of it for me.  Even if it is their job.  This is especially true in a world where the employee may not be the best person for the job due to difficulties getting workers.

I receive both insulins through the MAPS program at Ely Lily and the clinic where my doctor works. This was the fourth of four shipments from my previous application.  In about a month, I will need to submit another application for the new year.  It is an excellent program when it works properly.

This particular trial took a lot more time and emotional energy than I wanted to spend but with good results.  As well as persistence!  I do hope to be back with another hello late next week.  We have another Arctic front moving in so perhaps I can chat about books I'm reading on the Kindle right now.  By that time I should have finished a couple as staying inside sipping warm beverage is the plan until at least... March?

I pray you all are having a blessed Winter (Summer south of the equator!).

Image:  This photo of my neighbor's barn is from a few years ago but the outside world looks similar today.

What I am Doing While I am Still Waiting

I have been to see my doctor and the problem with the insulin is supposed to be resolved but it still hasn't arrived from the drug company.  In the meantime, I will be going back to the clinic today to pick up sample pens.  They should get me through until the issues with getting the long term insulin that was due before Thanksgiving are resolved. 

It was mentioned in Comments that the U.S. now has a cap on insulin prices.  That is what I thought would happen when I first heard of the possibility but right now, there is only a cap on some co-pays and that is only for some insurance companies.  None of that applies to me since I get both of my insulins through a special program offered by my clinic. 

I am hearing about the breakdown in medical care here in the States all the time now.  As well as severe shortages in some medications.  I was purchasing generic Benedryl at Meijer last week and I walked by the pediatric fever and pain killer section.  It was almost completely empty.  Only a few bottles of liquid Children's Advil were on the shelf.  It is a much different world than just a few years ago.

On that same grocery run, I had to buy a few items from the back of the store to the front where produce is sold.  That gave me a good look at what was in stock.  I had heard many people who research such things say that we will see shortages again after the Holidays.  There were a lot of empty spaces on shelves.  What surprised me most was the vegetable oil aisle, it was pretty much empty.

With everything going on, I am more determined than ever to not let any food go to waste.  The Christmas ham was taking up room in my refrigerator that I needed to use for something else so I decided to make ham stock.  I don't know why I didn't think of ham stock long ago but it was while reading a book (perhaps An Everlasting Meal?) that I learned one can make and freeze ham stock just like other meats.

Even though I wasn't feeling the best, I simmered the ham bone with a little meat left on it for quite a few hours.  I added an onion, celery, and a handful of baby carrots that were showing their age.  It simmered one day and I put it in the garage after it cooled down to sit for another day so the fat could easily be skimmed off (in Winter, our garage is an extra refrigerator).  I got two quarts of ham stock with chunks of ham from it, now residing in the freezer for either bean soup or perhaps as a good base for potato soup.

Speaking of the book, An Everlasting Meal, I saw where she has a cookbook coming out in March.  That is one book I would be interested in seeing. I will include a link to it below.  You know how I love her first book.  When it became difficult to read the book, I bought it on Kindle to reread off and on for inspiration.

In cold weather, I like to make soup once a week.  It not only stretches the budget but it is so good for us.  I turned the whole chicken I bought last week into a good bone broth type of chicken stock with celery and onion.  At first I just gave the broth to my husband when he was feeling under the weather (I think literally), then I added some of the white meat and a package of jasmine rice from the freezer that I had cooked and frozen for a hearty dinner meal. 

I have been working on my usual January decluttering projects a little at a time.  They can be accomplished even when one doesn't feel the best by working a little here and there in the morning and early afternoon when my energy is highest.  I remember Laine (of Laine's Letters) saying she learned to do most of her work during her high energy hours, too.

I was able to send some more Christmas decorations to Goodwill while packing everything away for next Christmas.  Only those items I know I don't need or love went to Goodwill for others to enjoy.  For instance, I didn't need as many modern plain Christmas ornaments since I have collected more vintage ornaments over the past couple of years. Where I live, the vintage ornaments are quite inexpensive at the antique mall and I love how the tree looks with them.

This year's January decluttering project has been long overdue and that is going through all my files that I have in a basket in the Study (as well as finally emptying out the wire In-basket on my desk) and getting rid of papers I neither want nor need.  One does not need to keep medical papers as far back as 2019.  My files are now cleaned out and it will make filing away medical forms much easier this year.  All important information is now easily available.

I also filled a bag full of old newsletters and such that I won't be reading.  That cleared up a lot of room, too.  I kept all the files that I use for creating scrapbook journals mainly because they took hours (upon hours) of searching old Victoria and other beautiful magazines and such, cutting them out, and filing them to have them ready when doing any scrapbook journaling.  

Just like Christmas items I don't use now but I may someday, they still get a place in my files and on the shelves.  I have about one... or maybe two... hours of work to finish in the Study and then I will move on to the long dreaded project of going through all our homeschool files.  They fill a drawer of the file cabinet in our small home office. My end goal is to have no unnecessary papers in my files. 

To be honest, I tend to find even long dreaded decluttering projects are not all that bad when I finally start on them.  Everything can be accomplished a little at a time.  I even take file folders with me when watching a TV show or a movie and go through them at that time.  Most of the files are easy to decide... keep or throw away (or send through our small shredder).

I will feel a sense of accomplishment if February arrives having completed sorting through all the files.  I have a feeling most of the homeschool files can be tossed.  Especially if I can throw away articles that I no longer need and I am certain no one in the family has the emotional attachment to them that I do. I will keep articles that fill me with joy just looking through them.

I mean, really... it is far past time to go through these files. It seems like it was not all that long ago I was clipping these articles, saving work accomplished, etc. and we were actively in home education mode.  That child is now returning home from a business trip to his own homeschooling family.  Piper is officially an elementary school student now and her brother is in preschool. The baby (who will soon celebrate his first birthday) still has a full time job just being adorable. ;)

Thank you for your lovely comments on the last blog post.  They made me smile and I needed that in the midst of this quite frustrating trial.  I have tried to remain calm when talking to everyone concerned as I promised God not to take my frustrations out on fellow humans.  

We "wrestle not against flesh and blood".  Kindness triumphs when the enemy of our souls is tempting us to stomp our feet and yell at someone.  Nope!  Not going to play that game.  When the young woman in charge of the clinic's prescription program found out I had ended up in the hospital, she kept apologizing the next time I talked to her.  She has become very good about following up and providing temporary insulin as needed.

Even people who work in medical professions do not always understand the difference between Type 1 (Juvenile) diabetes and Type 2 diabetes.  She now knows it is not only possible for a Type 1 diabetic to end up in the hospital when missing one or two insulin shots... it is probable.

Mentioned in this Blog Post

Once again, An Everlasting Meal... here.

The Everlasting Meal Cookbook pre-order info... here. (I am intrigued by this one.)

Image:  This is one of my favorite photos of my oldest and youngest granddaughters.  Elisabeth has now graduated with an Associate's Degree from college and is married.  Piper is now in first grade and has two younger brothers.