please pray for pinny

A friend of mine from college has a beautiful niece named Pinny.
Pinny needs your prayers.
Please check out this blog and join me in prayer for this sweet baby and her parents.

Thank you.

"…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (James 5:16).

remember

In between all of the picnics, the baseball games, and the swimming . . .

. . . let us take some time to remember those who sacrificed everything for our freedom.

Happy Memorial Day

Inspiration for Title

Ten years ago this weekend, we almost lost our Jake.
I wrote this post a couple of years ago.
I thought it would be appropriate to repost it today.

* * * * *

I love to decorate our house with inspirational sayings.

 When I saw this sign made out of old barn wood at an antique store in downtown Geneva, I just had to have it! We have it hanging up right in our kitchen.

The reason I am so "into" counting our blessings is because when Jake was a little guy (about 18 months), we almost lost him.
To make a very long story short ... Jake had a very hard first year and a half of his life.


He cried a lot.
And I mean a lot. 

The doctors kept telling me it was colic,
but I knew it was not.
The doctors kept telling me I was spoiling him by nursing him all the time,
but I knew I was not.
The doctors kept telling me that I was a first time mom and that, "babies cry, get used to it."
My friends who were having babies at the same time as me kept telling me that I needed to just let him cry himself to sleep and then all would be magically better,
but I knew they were wrong.

I knew something was wrong with my baby.

I felt alone.

I felt scared.

I felt that maybe I was doing something wrong that was causing my baby to be in so much discomfort.

I felt inadequate.

Jake wouldn't sleep for more than 20 minutes at a time and I was exhausted. (understatement)
 
One day, Jake's cries were different.
I knew something was terribly wrong.
I went to our neighbor's house so I could call the pediatrician.  (we just moved in to our house and we had no phone, not even a cell phone!)
They weren't home.
I remember laying on the floor and crying out to God . . . "LORD, give me a mother's wisdom!"

The next thing I remember was driving Jake to the Emergency Room.  I know that God is real because I was not really driving, He was.  I had never felt the presence of the Lord like I did right then. I didn't even know where the ER was . .. we had just moved into the area.  By the time we arrived, Jake was happy . . . not seeming to be in any discomfort at all.  The waiting room was full and I was sure that we would wait for hours only to hear a doctor telling me that "babies cry".  But to my surprise, they rushed us right in . . . (no waiting!) and I told a doctor Jake's life story and my concerns. The kind, young doctor told me he had just been to a conference on something called "intussusception" (a telescoping of the bowel) and he thought Jake had it. They did a barium enema (yikes!) because it solved the problem 80% of the time. It did not work with Jake so they had to do emergency surgery.

We are very glad that the enema did not work, because the doctors found something they had not suspected.

The bowel had been telescoping so many times in his little life that it had worn a hole that day and toxic waste was leaking into his belly.

"Four more hours would have been too late," they told me.

They took Jake's intestines out of his body and laid them on a table next to him.  They had to cut some of his intestine out and sew it back up. 

Praise God for making me go to the ER and sending us that particular doctor who was willing to hear my story and actually do something about it! (And who had just been to a conference on the very thing Jake had!!) Our pediatrician was so thankful that I could not get a hold of him that day because he said that he would have just told me it was gas ..  .he told me I was very lucky to have that "rookie doctor" treat Jake . . . I think that "rookie doctor" was really an angel . . . Jake's angel.

Praise God for His perfect timing.

(They also found out that my little Jake had been having acute appendicitis attacks ever since birth.  There was so much scar tissue all around his appendix, so they removed that as well.)

Since there was so much toxic poison in Jake's belly that day from the hole in his intestine, he developed a serious infection called C-Def, which was very scary, but we treated that and it finally went away and Jake started sleeping through the night, which was AMAZING for John and me! 
Sleep never felt so sweet.

GOD is in control and my "Count Your Blessings" sign is a constant reminder to me of that awful/wonderful day when I almost lost my Jake.

When I am feeling sad or sorry for myself about something, that sign grabs my attention as if God is saying,

"Look! I have given you wonderful blessings! Enjoy them! Cherish them! . . . Count them!" Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

favorites on fridays

Favorite Countertop Spray: Meyer's Clean Day Lemon Verbena Countertop Spray

source

I posted a couple years ago that my favorite spray was Method, but I needed a change.

I have been loving this spray.

It smells fresh(like spice and lemons)and it has an added special Vegetable Protein Extract, which is a natural way to remove odors.

Plus . . . it reminds me of Laura on Little House. (anyone with me?)

source

(Laura loved lemon verbena and I think of her every time I smell it or see it.)

I do feel like I should add that you should spray it sparingly or the scent will overpower you.  I like the scent, but too much of a good thing . . . is too much. :)

Oh . . . I got mine at Target, but you can just google it and order it on-line.

hard day

Today was a hard day for me.
My baby had his last day of preschool.
I couldn't even get a picture of him with his teachers because I could not hold myself together enough to take one.
I had no idea I was going to feel this way.

Next year he will be going to all-day kindergarten.

How will I make it through the day without seeing this smile?

Tuesday Randomness

A whole lot of this has been going on lately . . . travel baseball.
So proud of this boy.

I found this book at a garage sale for 50 cents . . . I'm so excited to learn more about how to use my camera!! 

I'll share helpful tips with you.

This little guy is going to be finished with Pre-K tomorrow.
Time sure does fly. (sniff)

Sweet Caroline has been loving painting fingernails lately.

She likes to paint my nails, her friends' nails, her nails,. . . 

. . . and even little boys at baseball games' nails.

It's 1:00 am and I am still up making teachers' gifts.

I work best under pressure.

Good night.

Thanks for stopping by.

~cheryl

weekend garage sale finds

Now that the weather is cooperating, garage sales have been "springing up" everywhere!
I had forgotten how much I love the thrill of a "good find".

I had to buy this creamy pitcher.
I love the color cream.

And I couldn't pass up this little guy for 50 cents, could I?
Again . . . cream.

I knew I could put this to use somehow . . . I'm thinking about putting some creamy colored dried hydrangeas in it.
Have I mentioned I like the color cream? ;)

Well . . . I had to buy something that wasn't creamy colored.

Luke was thankful for that.
(do you see the brown cabinets in the background?? Guess what color they will be in a few weeks . . . cream)

p.s. I love this boy and all of his garage sale LEGOs.  He couldn't stop telling me how special they were to him.  Gotta love a good garage sale. :)

favorites on fridays

Happy Friday everyone!
I think Spring has finally sprung in Chicagoland!!
I planted some annuals in our containers in the front, which leads me to this Friday's "Favorites on Fridays" post.

Favorite annual to plant in a container: Lemon Symphony
(even the name is beautiful!)

I am just in love with these flowers.
Look at the purple in the middle.
When the sun is shining, the petals are open and when the sun is not shining (which has been quite a lot until just recently) the petals are closed.  It is fun to watch.

I planted them with some purple and yellow violas. (and a few orange marigolds to bring out the little bit of orange in the middle of the lemon symphony)

I will be doing a post soon about how to plant flowers in containers, so stay tuned. :)

linking up with:

easy treats

pretzels + Hershey kisses + m&m's = yum

(just a side note here: this is what happens when you take pictures at night with a flash . . .looks very orange)

Just put about 15 pretzels on a plate.

Put a kiss on each pretzel.

Pop in the microwave for about 25 - 30 seconds until chocolate is melty, but not too melted. (make sense?)

Place an m&m on each kiss.

Put in refrigerator to cool.

Repeat for as many platefuls as you need. :)

Enjoy!

**try different kinds of kisses if you are adventurous ..  . I like to use the caramel ones (but it is kind of messy if you leave them in the microwave too long.)

Tuesday Randomness

Even though the weather is cold, we have been getting the pool ready for the day when it is warm enough to swim.
I bought a new solar cover to heat it up without the pool heater.
(our old one has seen better days)

I cut it to fit our pool's shape. 

The pool is now 70 degrees . . . warmer than the air at least!

Do you see the tree at the left of the pool?

I have been trying to save that tree since the day we moved in the house . . . my husband wants to cut it down so badly. 

What do you think??

Should I let him?

Sweet Caroline potted some new flowers for me.
Poor thing has been suffering from seasonal allergies . . . thank goodness for Claritin.

My brother is selling these cute Vizsla pups.
Want one??
E-mail me at FiveKoz@sbcglobal.net .

I'm making this for dinner tonight.

What will be on your table?

I'm always looking for new ideas!

Have a happy Tuesday!

Thanks for stopping by.

~cheryl

spring strawberry salad

I'm dreaming of spring and all things springy.
I made this spring salad for friends last night and the recipe was requested, so I wanted to share it with all of you:

strawberry salad recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 10 ounces fresh spinach
• 1 quart (or more!!) strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
• 1/4 cup almonds, walnuts, or pecans - chopped
• feta cheese

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover, and chill for one hour.
2. Put spinach in a large bowl and pour dressing over salad (just enough to coat the spinach . . . you will have a LOT of dressing left over), add the strawberries, nuts, and cheese. Toss. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Throw some grilled chicken in there and you have a meal!! :)
Enjoy!!



linking up with:

waiting

Spring is just not wanting to visit Chicagoland.
We had a little tease last week,
but it feels like Fall now.
Could it be possible that Spring will never come??

I keep looking out the kitchen window at the pool dreaming of the days where we will all just hang out with no cares. 
And to be hot . . .not freezing!!

Our heat is running.

In May.

But I'm not complaining. (am I?)

Spring will come.

And I will be happy.

Until then, I will keep happy doing things inside.

Like painting our master bedroom.

I needed to write that because now I will actually do it.

I hope.

I will post before and after photos soon.

I hope.

I need to go make some hot coffee.

brrrr . . .

Question: What is your weather like and what do you do when it is cold and rainy and plain old yucky outside??

How I Avoided Cooking on Mother's Day

We had company over for Mother's Day and I was determined not be in the kitchen cooking.
So I made a couple of dishes the night before.
They were delicious and it was so much fun to just pop them in the oven and enjoy.


I made The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Baked French Toast.
I love The Pioneer Woman, by the way.
You can find the recipe here.
(I put a cup of frozen blueberries in before the topping and I highly recommend doing that . . . I also substituted half and half where it called for heavy whipping cream and skim milk where it called for whole milk)

source

I also made a breakfast casserole that I love.

I didn't take a picture of it, but here is the recipe.

Mom's Egg Casserole

1 pound ground sausage, cooked and drained

12 slices firm white bread (I just tore up a loaf of crusty sourdough)

12 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

12 oz. Swiss cheese, shredded

8 - 10 large eggs, beaten

3 1/2 cups half & half (I used 2 cups milk and 1 1/2 cups half & half)

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon minced scallions

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

2 Tablespoons Worchestershire sauce

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

Butter a 9x13 pan.

Brown the sausage and drain.

Tear up bread into chunks.

Layer half of the bread, sausage, and cheeses in the pan.

Repeat with second layer.

Combine all the other ingredients and pour over layers.

Refrigerate overnight.

Bake at 325 degrees for one hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Top should be lightly browned.

I served steamed asparagus and a fruit salad with the casseroles.

enjoy!!

my happy baker

Sweet Caroline needed to make something for her class's bake sale.
They were raising money for a child in the Dominican Republic.

She decided to make frosted brownies with sprinkles.

Who doesn't like brownies?

Or frosting?

Or sprinkles?

Delicious!!

Whenever we make frosting, we use this recipe:

Vanilla Butter Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup softened butter

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

milk (just keep adding a little bit at a time until you get the consistency you desire)

camp

I'm baaaack!!
And I had a blast.
This is my cabin of lovely girls.
I was so glad to get to know them.
(this picture was taken before our 6:30 am nature walk . . . invigorating!!)

I slept better than I had anticipated. (even though it was only 50 degrees in the cabin!)

The food was good and the best part was that I didn't have to cook it myself and everyone helped clean the tables! :)

The whole trip was very educational. 

It was an outdoor ed program.

Owl pellets.

Bird watching.

Geology.

Animal encounters.

Team building.

Aquatics.

Orienteering.

It was fabulous.

But my favorite part of the whole trip was catching this young man's eye every now and then.

I'm so glad I went.