Welcome to the World, Little Chicky!

While walking through the Goats & Poultry barn tonight after the rodeo, we saw this little miracle. The boys were totally captivated - AND I didn't have to buy an incubator!





Crossing that off as part of science for summer school .......... maybe I'll get a few books from the library to complete our course of study. tee hee.

There was a sign nearby that said "Congratulations". Pop Up wanted to go hold it up for the little darling to see. Both boys were rooting for him for a good 30 minutes to burst out of his shell. Totally mesmerized.

Extreme Blog Makeover

I LOVE (love, love!) cute blogs. Mine's so blah. I think I'm going to get a blog makeover.

http://www.graphicallydesigning.com/ has the CUTEST designs. I'm hoping she'll create something adorable for me. When she has time. No rush.

In the meanwhile, I'm thinking "A Future And a Hope" doesn't really go with the "camping names/characters" on my sidebar. Nope, I'm not seeing the connection.

So I asked my very creative 10 year old for some help. He came up with some cute starting points:

We are Fun Finders (his favorite brand of camper - for those of you who are non-campers)

Campfires ... burning a hole in our pockets (uhhhh, yeah -- as we keep looking for bigger and bigger campers)

We weren't made for a tent 'cuz we use up a lot of electricity .... LOL!!! This is SO true on SO many levels - RV likes to hang meat in our house! And FYI, RV is an electrical contractor. And yes, we are not real campers. We're the fake kind. I hope we can still be friends. Give us our A/C, heat, bathroom and running water, please.

Can any of you creative people help me out? Or come up with another title and/or tagline for us? Or any part thereof?

Any Bible verses come to mind? Camp ... wilderness .... gypsy (I'd rather be out on the road than here at home). Maybe we could incorporate the title with a Bible verse ...... ? During our Memorial Day camping adventure, the pastor preached on how God liked to camp in the wilderness .......

Who in their right mind wants to be a Demolition Derby driver?

Ouch. I wouldn't want to be ANY of these guys when tomorrow morning rolls around. I mean, I've been in tiny little rear-end fender benders before and the next day it felt like I was run over by a truck. Nothing compared to this madness. I hope they have stock in Aleve or at least some good prescription pain meds. Mercy.

The man seated in front of us couldn't talk any of his co-workers into coming to this wonderful all-American spectator sport. LOL! He did have 2 friends with him visiting from France. I wonder what they thought?

There were 5 heats. During one of them, one of the drivers seats broke. Every time he got hit, his seat flew backward and he went sailing - parallel with the ground. I would have driven off the track at that point. It would seriously be a miracle if he doesn't have a broken back. It was THAT bad. I was gasping and oohing and aahing along with the rest of the crowd ~ grateful that it wasn't my husband or son getting tossed all around. One of them has enough good sense not to even think about it ... let's just hope (and pray) he can one day impart that wisdom to the other.


Then there were other cars that looked like 1 more hit would send the driver pancaked thru the engine. I mean these are just regular cars with no extra reincorcements. Once upon a time this one was a 4-door. Where's the fear? Yes, I know I'm old and sensible:
There were sparks under engines. I just knew at any moment there'd be a big ka-boom. I was trying to calculate whether or not the impending fireball would reach us in the upper stands.
At some point during all this craziness, Pop Up said "I'd like to do that one day!" Oh Lordy, I just KNEW that was coming. I said "Oh no, PLEASE don't!!!" To which he replied "Ok, I'll just stick to the eating competitions." Whew! Thank you, Jesus! I might even have to let him enter that messy (no doubt blueberry, chocolate or some other variety with equivalent staining compounds) pie eating competition on Friday, afterall. Anything sounds better than this! I wonder if that was his gameplan all along?

Fun Times at the County Fair

Yee Haw!

While waiting for the Demolition Derby to start, Pop Up decided that he'd enter the corn-on-the-cob eating competition for ages 12-under:

Carefully removing each silk. He has VERY discriminating taste, you know:
The emcee even commented on his strategy (eating & spinning the ear in a circular motion vs. the typical plow-thru-the-row-like-an-old-fashioned-typewriter (ding!) method:

He was ecstatic with his free appetizer and free bottle of water that he scored ~ we didn't have time for dinner beforehand and didn't want to lose our seats while waiting for Dad to meet us there after work. He IS pretty crafty (see today's earlier post):
He said "I didn't win, but I sure had fun!!!" and declared his intent to enter every year. He said he's been training for it all his life, since I'm *always* telling him to slow down and chew his food. LOL! He does have an excellent point there.

Please just don't tell him about Friday's pie-eating-contest - that sounds WAY messier!!!

Mission Accomplished

This is for you, Grandpa --

Pop Up started working on this 1,000 piece puzzle in Maine. He brought it home to finish. Thanks to Grandpa mailing 2 pieces (received today) that were left behind, he was able to complete his project a few minutes ago.


So many posts for one day ......... feast or famine around here ;-)

He keeps me laughing

Just got back from the bank. Travel Trailer ran in for me. I got $100 cash back. We're going to the County Fair tonight (yikes! $70 just for week-long admission tickets for the 4 of us). And gotta have a few $ to spend, while we watch the Demolition Derby ~ should be interesting. Yes, I'll post pictures - the camera battery is charging even as we speak. They'll either love it, or Pop Up will think it's terribly wasteful to destroy a perfectly good car, like that. Never can tell with him.

Anyway, as I pulled out onto the street, I asked for the $100 - just to make sure we had it. Once we got home only to realize that the teller hadn't given him the cash.

Pop Up (who now had possession of said funds) said "Oh. Sorry. I was starting to get evil and crafty." (oh those $20's are so tempting - just look at 'em). LOL!

Singing Sands Beach

Here are the boys with my Dad & stepmom at Basin Head Beach, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Home of the "singing sands" - on this particular beach, the sand "sings" as you walk on it. I'm not exactly sure how or why it does that.

** actually, I just googled it and found this article - click below: http://www.canadacool.com/COOLFACTS/PEI/SingingSands.html

I LOVE the red cliffs in the background but was very thankful that the sand was white - or we'd still be sporting henna feet.

Anne of Green Gables

Here we are at Green Gables. I can't tell you how much the boys have enjoyed listening to these books on tape and how thrilled they were to step foot into the setting. Anne's room is above the front door.

Anne's room:

A note about the PEI dirt shirts: The dirt on the entire island is the most incredible shade of red, however, once it gets on your clothes, it won't come out. Ever. So, some ingenious entrepreneur decided to make "dirt" souvenirs - permanently stained with authentic PEI dirt. Yes, we came home with the shirts, hats and even a golf towel or two.

The Snow Queen apple tree that Anne saw from her bedroom window ~ Pop Up was ecstatic to see it still standing (although it does look like it's seen better days) some 100+ years later and still producing fruit!

Going deep into the Haunted Woods:

For now ...

I still haven't loaded the software for the new camera into my computer, but thought I'd at least post a few pictures from RV's pocket camera:

Beautiful rocky shoreline in Maine:

Pemaquid Lighthouse in Maine - featured on Maine's state quarter:
Like I said, these are from RV's camera - if it'd have been mine, I'd have either waited until Travel Trailer was out of the picture, or at the very least, made him pose ;-)

More or Less

While driving to look at 5th wheels yesterday ..... (RV says there wasn't nearly enough storage in our travel trailer for a 2-3 week trip and if we ever do a cross-country type trip he'd like it to be in a 5'er since they have so much storage underneath them. We'll see ..... not doing anything for a few years but figured we can start looking just for fun) ...... we came up with this list of things that were "more" or "less" than we expected from our trip.

We found Canada and Maine to be:

MORE:

* beautiful & breathtaking! than we imagined.

* isolated/rural than we expected .... while in Canada the closest "internet cafe" we found was 1.5 hours from our campground - and its parking lot looked like a ghost town! That was the day we went to Anne of Green Gables and we didn't have the laptop with us, so we didn't venture in. While in Maine, we asked a manager at McDonalds if they had "wi-fi" and she said "what's that?"

* buggy! The Canadian mosquitoes were just downright vicious! My dad said they took a chunk out of you and flew up to a tree to eat it. Someone said they were salt water mosquitoes and boy, were they nasty monsters.

* green - almost every trash can we saw in Canada was divided into "waste" and "compost". With detailed signs on what went in what. Some plates were compost, others waste. Same with cups, forks, straws and everything else. Took a few minutes just to figure out how to throw away our trash. And there were lots more smaller cars than I expected. I guess I expected everyone to be in a big SUV due to their harsh winters. That must just be us gluttonous Americans.

* lobster boats in front yards - we were there between lobster & fishing seasons so there were lots of (commercial sized) boats docked in everyone's front yard.

* RV's! Also in most yards were some sort of RV. I guess when you can make your living by working 2 months of the year (some of the fishermen earn their entire year's salary by working 2 months) you have alot more time for play.

* daylight - the sun didn't even start to think about going down until 10 pm!

* UV rays - the sun felt way hotter than it does here at home (that surprised me!). The temps were in the mid 70's and no humidity (awesome!) but the intensity of the sun was - well, intense! It's been a long time since I've gotten a sunburn. RV doesn't ever remember me peeling like this - and he's known me for 23 years.

* relatives - My dad ran into a distant relative (cousin) 3 doors down at the campground - just met them there camping. They were there for a reunion. Dad has done extensive geneaology research. Almost EVERYBODY on the island is related to someone, in some way. Robertsons, Stewarts, McGregors, oh my!

* GPS, satellite radio & Verizon cell phone coverage - Our GPS (LOVE IT!) took us all over Maine & Canada (and back again!) and we never lost our satellite radio coverage. Verizon cell phone coverage was surprisingly good in the most rural parts of both Maine and Canada.

* expensive - more expensive than we thought, thanks to the sagging US dollar. Fuel was about $6.50/gallon for diesel. We expected that, but were hoping to get better deals as far as the exchange rate and souvenirs & other expenses.

* Green Gables - we loved seeing the Anne of Green Gables setting. Pop Up was especially thrilled to see the 100+ year old Snow Queen apple tree still alive - and still producing apples. The area surrounding Green Gables was more commercialized than we expected - although when people flock there for several days/week at a time, I guess they need something to do (mini golf, shopping, small amusement park, etc). It wasn't too bad - just much more there than the part of the island we stayed at.

LESS:

* we ate at the camper less than we planned - wanted to get a taste of the island cuisine, so ate out quite a bit. Pop Up turned 10 years old on our trip and he got to eat lobster 4 times that week!!!! One of our more interesting (and delicious) meals was: french fries smothered with gravy, then crumbled hamburger and topped with peas. It was yummy - kind of like a shepherd's pie.
* The WORLDS BUSIEST Dairy Queen - in the capital of PEI, Charlottetown - was less appetizing than expected. It holds the record as the world's busiest Dairy Queen location (trivia I learned about 6 months ago so made an effort to go there) - about 5 lines at least 5 people deep inside and a drive-thru that had cars wrapped around the block. Go figure - small island and cold a good part of the year!? ... but it was just gross. I guess they sell it so fast it doesn't have time to set up or freeze in the machine - cuz it was just mush. Wouldn't eat there again if you paid us. We much preferred the mom/pop ice cream stands - and most islanders said they did as well. Guess its just the tourists putting DQ on the map!

Those were just off the top of our head yesterday as we traveled about - I'll try to get some pictures uploaded soon!!!

What has 4 eyes?

Pop Up just ran in here and said "Mom! What has 4 eyes but cannot see?"

Me: gloating inside, thinking surely I had him, this was far too easy: "Potatoes!!!"

Him: "no." "Mississippi"

He always gets me.

Prince Edward Island, Canada

I looked for a photo of "Home Sweet Home" so I could draw a HUGE SLASH mark through it - ala a "no smoking" sign, but couldn't find one.

We just returned home at 3:00 am this morning from a fabulous camping trip to Prince Edward Island, Canada with my dad & stepmom. All of us wish we were still there!

It was about 1,200 miles from our door to PEI. We drove over 3,000 miles in the last 15 days - all over PEI and Maine. We stayed just to the right of Souris on the map below. My grandfather was born & raised on the island. It was so cool to travel the same roads he did. Pop Up (who turned 10 years old on our trip) said that the island "felt like home". The boys LOVED learning our family history from my dad.

My great grandfather worked at this lighthouse: The ruby-red cliffs lining every beach were breathtaking (this picture doesn't do it justice): The boys got a private ride on a lobster boat in this fishing village (tuna capital of the world, where a single tuna will yield $30,000) and even got to captain the ship:There is so much more to tell - as soon as I figure out how to upload pictures from my new camera I'll tell you all about it. But for now, the laundry and unpacking beckons. I hate being home. I could be happy as a clam, living as a gypsy on the road.

Happy Independence Day!

How blessed are we to live in the land of the free & the home of the brave? Thank you, Jesus!

I hope each of you have a wonderful 4th of July!

I tried to make this picture bigger, but it just wouldn't cooperate.

Happy Canada Day!

How fitting that today, Canada Day, my doctor would give me the go-ahead to travel. Yeay! I'm feeling so much better.

We bit the bullet and got the Nikon D40 camera - I haven't had time to play around with it yet, but I'm hoping to soon be taking great pictures like this one.

Little by little, I'm crossing off things on my to-do list ....... although that camper is still in the shop. Arrrgh. Needs a new axle. Hoping its installed soon. And doesn't break the bank.

Is anybody else having a hard time believing it's JULY already??!! I was thinking earlier tonight, RV has had his new truck for 9 months - today. We could have had another baby in that time. That sure went by fast!

Speaking of babies - 2 weeks from today, mine will be 10 years old. Double digits already. How in the world did that happen?

A much better week!

Yeay!!!!! This has been a much better week than last! I am starting to think I might actually live! Thank you all for your continued prayers. Still having a few minor issues, but hoping the doctor gives the go-ahead at my follow-up appt. on 7/1 - for me to go on the trip to Canada!

I'm optimistic, so trying to start tackling my very, very long "to do" list. Need to get the dog's vaccination report to take with us. Need to pick up our camper. It's been in the shop for a month and they haven't touched it. Grrrrr! Need to do a million-and-one other things.

Need to get a new camera. Would like to get a step up from our old point & shoot that I dropped & ruined during our last trip to Disney. Have $160 Costco rebate check burning a hole in my pocket, so am willing to spend a total of $300-500 (months ago I already budgeted $300 for the splurge of a new camera).

I'd like something with a faster shutter speed ~ cuz I always miss the good shots at the kids sporting events, something able to take night pictures, and of course, I want great photos of people & scenery.

Has anyone done any research and if so, willing to share their findings with me? Fast. I'm currently considering the Nikon D40 and a Canon Rebel XT. But it doesn't have to be one of those. Advice? Anyone?!

Another update

Yesterday was hor-rib-le! And then some! Today is a little better.

In fact, yesterday, I was hoping and praying that we aren't going to have to cancel next month's trip to Canada. I made the mistake of reading some reports online where people still weren't healed from their surgeries several months out and their doctor had said 1-2 weeks. They say that you know, cuz otherwise, you'll never go through with it.

I tend to be a v-e-r-y slow healer. Please pray that in 4 weeks, I'll be ready to travel 1,200 miles north ~ 8 days total, in a truck. Thanks!!!

Surgery update

Thanks for everyone's prayers & emails! Please keep the prayers coming!! And emails too, if you want! I thought it would be easier to update everyone here, rather than to try to send out individual notes.

I had to wait 2 hours in the pre-op room - just laying and waiting and waiting and laying - usually I use this time to shed a few tears. I'm a cryer. Good commercials get me going every time ;-) I only teared up once (when the nurse was asking all her questions and got to the one about a living will, etc). The rest of the time I was VERY calm and peace-filled. It was weird. RV probably was wondering just whose hand he was holding. I said to RV - I hope this isn't like the peace that passes all understanding that people get as they're about to leave this life. That must have been when he knew it was me again. LOL! Then the anesthesiologist came in - VERY nice guy - and told me he hasn't lost one yet. Whew.

Guess what music was playing in the background? 91.9 WGTS (local Christian radio station - http://www.wgts.org/)! I complimented the nurse on their choice of radio stations and she said "it's actually the only station signal we're able to get here" and mentioned that she listens to it all the time. It was awesome to sing along and worship the Lord (quietly) while we waited. Between that and RV making me laugh loudly & often .... the people probably wondered what was up behind curtain # 8. He's the best - makes me laugh ALL the time. The doctor even commented that we were still smiling after a 2 hour wait.

The ride home was fine - we even went to Anita's Mexican Grill for lunch. Bean burritos. It remains to be seen how wise a decision that was. Although, I do have doctors orders to fill up on fiber in the coming days.

No pain at all UNTIL we got home. I think they sent me home with pain meds for the next 5 days or so. Although it doesn't really seem to be doing a whole lot. I told RV it's no wonder people get addicted to them - if they take more and more of it, hoping to see results.

Well, I guess I should retreat to the sofa or bed. RV has mentioned getting a laptop before our trip to Canada next month, so he can be in touch with his guys & jobs via email. I think now would be an EXCELLENT time to invest in one, don't you? So he has time to play around with it and get used to it. Yeah, so HE can get used to it ....... that's the ticket!

Thank you again for the prayers. Please keep them coming. I have a feeling it's going to be a very long, uncomfortable week. :-(

PS -- RV just came in and said "what??? no pictures??!!" ......... you're welcome!!!!!!!!!

Who schedules surgery on Friday, the 13th?

I'm having some outpatient surgery tomorrow - Friday, the 13th ~ at 10:15 am.

Need to get it over with before our big camping trip to Canada next month.

Recovery is supposed to be very painful for 3-7 days and I'm not supposed to drive for a week. Good thing I saved some school for us to do here at home in the heat of the summer ;-) Yeah, I think I should be able to find something for us to do. That is, if the pain is manageable. Perhaps you can read-between-the-lines and see that I'm stressing over this just a wee tad. Very much NOT looking forward to it!

Prayers for the skill of the surgeon and a pain-free recovery would be oh so very much appreciated!! Oh - and that any biopsies would be benign. Thanks!!!

Yes, I know the Muffin Man

Mission Accomplished! We went to HEAV with the intent of listening to the Bread Beckers (http://www.breadbeckers.com/) and possibly getting a grain mill. Sue Becker talked for 1.5 hours on the health benefits of grinding your own wheat - something like 40 of the 44 nutrients our bodies need are contained in freshly ground wheat (it loses 45% of them within several hours of being milled). Not to mention fiber & bran that are lost in commercial processing. Her whole lecture was simply amazing and I can't begin to do it justice. I think she has some info on her website for anyone who might be interested.
These are the result of our first attempt at grinding our own wheat. Pizza! It was soooo good!! The top crust browned faster than we thought it would, but it didn't affect the taste at all. Please see note above that this was our first attempt ;-)
And here are some banana & banana nut muffins we made while waiting for the pizza dough to rise.
All in all, it was a 3 hour process. But we really didn't know what we were doing. Imagine how good things will look when we do! Including us!

Here's to better health!!!

HEAV, here we come!

Yahoo! We're off to Richmond this afternoon, while Grandma comes here and spends some quality time with the boys.

I have SOOOO been looking forward to our annual 3-day getaway to the homeschool convention in Richmond - www.heav.org.

Can't wait to listen to the awesome speakers, browse the huge curriculum hall (although we have plenty of stuff here still unused to tap into!) and have uninterrupted conversations with RV!

Hoping to find a decent restaurant too (they have alluded us for the past 6-8 years we've attended - we never have found anything that wows us) as I got a few recommendations from a fellow homeschooler.

Our electricity was out yesterday from 3-11 pm so I'm behind on laundry and a whole list of other stuff that needs to be done before we leave.

Summer is here with a vengence! The forecast for the coming week is highs of: 94, 98, 99, 97, 96, 92!!!!!!!! Looks like 'spring' skipped us again! :-( At least we'll be cool as a cucumber from now-Saturday -- the convention center is always cold enough to hang meat!

A couple of gonners

My mom sent me $44 for my birthday. RV said "oh boy, I can't wait until you're 100!"

Pop Up chimed in: "But then she won't be sending any anymore!"

Me, playing along: "why????"

Him: "She'd be a GONNER!!!"

It's a good thing Grandma loves him so much, or HE'D be a gonner ;-)

He says the sweetest things ... sometimes

My 9 year old has always been a DEEP thinker - even when he was 2 & 3 he'd ask things about the Lord that I'm sure some 60 year olds have never thought to ponder. And has always had such grown-up ideas & worries.

A few minutes ago, as he was playing with Legos - waiting for his turn at the piano before we head out to his brother's orthodontist appointment, he looked up and said:

Him: “Mom, I just don’t know how I’m going to be able to handle it when I’m at your funeral.”
Me: “oh, I’m sure the Lord will give you the grace to handle it.”
Him: “Yeah. But every day it’s getting closer, you know.”

Ack! I sure hope he doesn’t know something I don’t know! He often makes comments about not knowing how he’ll live without me. I hope we don’t have to find out for a long, long time!

He also often worries about being the only one left in the family and being lonely .... 'cuz he says his brother is older and will probably die first. I tell him that hopefully by that time, he'll have a wife and kids to comfort him -- but it still bothers him. He has such a sweet, tender little heart! Although sometimes you'd never know it by his outward actions. I pray that his heart will always stay tender to the things of the Lord!

Memorial Weekend Camping Trip 2008

Our little family: Ron, Marina & girls ~ yes, they really were there and here's the proof ;-) Marina's not a camper, but you done good, girl! See ya next year!:
Karl, Cindy & family ~ thank you for all those wonderful desserts in the cast iron dutch oven - we'll have to all bring one next year and have a cookoff!:
Kerry, Cindy & family:
William, Joan & family:
Chip, Heather & family:
Fred, Dana & family:
Bill, Lisa & family:
Brian, Kelly & family:
Jeff, Natalie & family:
Chris, Helen & family:
Steve, Jenny & family ~ the fearless organizers of our motley crue. Thank you SO MUCH for coordinating our annual event!!! I believe 2008 marked the 4th Annual Memorial Weekend Camping Adventure:
I apologize for the extremely fuzzy photos - not sure what happened when I burned the CD at Rite Aide??? The photos I printed turned out fine.

We had a FANTASTIC weekend of camping in the mountains. There were 15 families that we knew (most of us, homeschoolers) all on the same camping loop. We all had a blast. The kids ran and ran and ran and ran and biked and biked and biked and biked. They surely must have logged in about 50 miles over the last 3 days. As is evidenced by their complete and utter exhaustion. (yippie!)

This is only 4 families worth of kids (in picture below). There was something like 50 kids and 30 adults in total.
We hiked to the falls, went fishing for crawfish, played on the sandy beach of the lake, heard a naturalist talking about snakes, owls & eagles in the ampitheater of the campground and had a great little church service in the ampitheater on Sunday. The preacher talked about how God liked camping in the wilderness ;-)

The weather was fab-u-lous! Nights were a little cool ~ way better to be too cool than have to suffer through campfires on a hot and muggy night ~ but the daytime temps were perfect-o.

We're already booked for 2009. Yahoo!!! We have 3 extra spots for next year .... are you sure you won't join us, EEEEMommy???

Congratulations, David Cook!!!!!!

I am SO glad David Cook won American Idol!

Love, love, love him and his personality, humility & talent. Way to go, David!

Katie Couric would be proud!

Friday's colonoscopy went well. She removed some tissue and I'll get the results in 2 weeks. They wheeled me into the operating room at 10:30 and at 11:30 we were in the parking lot, headed home! Talk about FAST!!!

It really was a piece of cake - except for the prep on Thursday. Can't some brilliant scientist invent something better for that? Ugh! Drinking that stuff makes me want to throw up. I think I'll send Pop Up to medical school and have him invent something people will appreciate, like an easy to swallow pill. Either that, or he could open a restaurant full of gluten-free foods. He talks often about being a chef. I hear several gluten-free restaurants in NYC are thriving! I even read that one man (after having Celiac for 10 years) went in, ordered a gluten-free pizza & beer and cried 'cuz he thought he'd never have either again.

I have an appointment Thursday with another doctor for a 2nd opinion. I might cancel that, as I was able to get an appt. next month (on my birthday!) with a doctor that got rave reviews from a poll of my homeschooling group.

They said yesterday that I have diverticulosis. I think I might ask to be tested for celiac disease.

I'm just ready for all this to be over, to get a diagnosis, and start living a normal life again!

I know one thing - fiber HAS to become more and more part of our family's diet! This is ridiculous! LOL! For dinner tonite, we had hot dogs on the grill (no bun for me), baked beans, corn, tomatoes & spinach.

Now lunch was a whole other story -- we had to go an hour away to pick up a rental car for RV (his truck is in the shop and they provide a free rental). So, after he picked up the rental, I followed him and he pulled into Macaroni Grill for lunch. I got out of the car and said "what are you trying to do? torture me?!". He said "I thought you found their gluten-free menu online?" But still! Men! Hasn't he heard of baby steps?? My favorite foods on the planet are pasta & bread. Let me get used to this new way of living first, please, before you expect me to have a will of steel! As I could have predicted, dumb me couldn't resist their bread. I paid dearly all the way home. I'm reminding myself more and more of my mother-in-law. She's lived this way (torturing herself) for 40 years. Wonder if I'll ever learn?! I sure hope so 'cuz this is the pits!

It's about to get a whole lot harder

Sigh! I was excited about my High Fructose Corn Syrup elimination ..... have even lost about 5 lbs. in the past 3-4 weeks. That was easy.

Now comes the hard part.

The doctor said yesterday that he wants me to eliminate gluten from my diet for 6 months - and then he says I'll feel so good, I'll never turn back. He said he thinks it will fix almost everything that ails me. A list, which is increasingly growing. I guess I will feel better, if the only think I'll be eating is fruits & veggies. Let's just hope he doesn't make me go dairy-free, too. Ugh.

I already bought "Gluten Free for Dummies" and "Glutten Free Cooking for Dummies" at amazon.com.

Don't you love the Lord's sense of humor? :-( Arrrgh. Guess He showed me. I wouldn't willingly cook relatively easy stuff when I had the chance, so it's about to get a whole lot harder.

And at the homeschool convention we're going to next month, I'll be one of those weird moms in line, waiting to buy a machine to grind my own NON wheat flour. I guess RV will be hauling those 25 lb. drums of grain to the van. And then I'll be baking bread, I suppose. Hello www.breadbeckers.com! Yep, the Lord is pretty funny alright. Hear me laughing? That's good, cuz I was crying earlier!

It's only Monday ....

... and I'm HATING this week already!

Started with this past weekend. We had been planning a camping trip to Lancaster, PA for almost a year. Went to see Daniel & the Lion's Den at Sight & Sound. That was the good part.

Then I got sick. Sicker than I've been in who knows how long. I think it was food poisoning. Spent the whole weekend in our camper while our friends (we went with 2 other families) had a great time. At least I HOPE they had a great time - I actually haven't spoken to any of them since Friday evening. RV sounded like he did a good job entertaining them from what I could hear from my sick bed.

Fast forward to this week. Tuesday evening I have an appt. with my general practitioner - to see if I do/did have food poisoning and if any treatment is necessary. I also want to discuss a gastroenterologist with him.

I'm scheduled to have a colonoscopy (oh the joys of being 40+) on Friday. I am stressing over it BIGTIME. Although I know it's probably just the enemy working overtime on me. I'm using a new doctor. Hoping and praying they're good. No, what I really want is great! Although I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone would want to go into that line of work in the first place!!!???

But just in case the gastro gets any less than a stellar review from my GP, I have 2 other appointments lined up with other gastroenterologists in town. Could I BE any more Monk-ish?!

It's times like these that I worry about my own mortality, for the sake of my kids. I want more than anything to be here for them for the next 50 years! Stories of several young mothers recently diagnosed with colon cancer have me shaking in my boots. I know the Lord doesn't want me to be fearful, but I am.

I'd so appreciate any prayers this week, that the Lord would use Dr. S. (my general practitioner) in guiding me to the right gastroenterologist. And that if I do go ahead with Friday's colonoscopy, that all goes well and that any results are normal and/or benign.

Thanks MUCHO!! On this Cinco De Mayo! Guess there will be no Mexican restaurant in my travels today. DRATS! I just love any ole excuse to dine ala Mexican! Diez de Mayo just won't be the same!