Kat's Little Piece of the Web
WOW! And Happy Birthday to Tristan.
I made blogger of the week! What an honor - can I say, I always hoped to be someday!
Seriously - my son takes up a lot of time recently so I often update my Homeschool Blog because it is where I chose to add the "Tristan's Journey" Posts. You know how that goes. The friends and family wait for updates.
I like to keep this blog more for homestead and simple life learning experiances.
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Today is my little boys birthday though! Tristan turned 3 today. I cannot believe it. 3 years ago I would have never guessed life would be like it is now. But we are growing! Tristan calls himself "Strong and Mighty" and he is!
For a birthday tribute - here is Tristan over the years on his birthday.
Birth
One Year Old
Two Years Old
3 Years Old
For anyone who does not know why - Tristan has a mohawk because his hair was thinning and I was not ready to shave it all again yet.
Happy Birthday Tristan! You make me PROUD!
Updates on things we did in our house.
When we got our home, we had an old dresser that came with it, in the bathroom. It was the only place for towels. So after it is breaking apart, we decided to make it a closet. So we took a short cut and got a plastic shelf and built a door around it. The shelf came in boxes that Justin cut for the kids into bus shapes! They had a BLAST with them!Here is the dresser that we stuck in the hall while we were setting up the shelves. I hear Tristan calling "come find me!" and found him here! Of course Alyssa wanted in too!
And here is my foyer. We are working on. We are going to do the floors this spring when we can open up the doors again. We have them completely shut off for the winter. We will have to replace the door in front here. The cold cracked it right in the middle! Anyways. Here is a bit of our old furniture set up.
And our new chandalier that we got on clearance at Lowes. Justin LOVES it. It is not my style but he liked it a ton so hey, it is his house too. He can have it.
Good advice from a magazine or newsletter.
I had received a newsletter or something ... maybe a magazine? Where I read something for burnt out homeschool mothers that REALLY has been my conviction recently."Why are you still doing the work you should be training your children to do?"
hmmmm very true. It is just sometimes sooo much easier to just do things yourself... but then the little things add up, with your big jobs and you feel burnt out.
I thought, yeah that is so true. And this week while I have been doing my daily things I will find myself putting away the dishwasher things and thinking... "why am I still doing the things I should be training my children to do?"
It is really in my head and heart. So this morning I made sure when doing my laundry to pile up the dishcloths, washrags, small towels and kids pants for Alyssa. And I called her in and I folded my pile while she folded hers. It took a little bit of time to pull out hers but I started her again (taught her when she was 3 but it fell aside as a chore of hers) to do her part in the laundry.
I have been having thoughts of little jobs the kids can do popping into my head all week long.
Like I can have Alyssa make piles of dark and light clothes for me. Teaching her a skill and saving a tiny bit of time for me. It is not all about saving me time but about teaching her the skills.
And really when I am unloading a dishwasher and Tristan puts away the silverware. It might only save me a moment but in the long run all those little moments add up.
I just thought I would share. It has been on my heart for my own personal conviction this week and I am really thinking God is trying to tell it to me. Because of how often it is on my mind.
Delicious Ham and Leftover Ham and Bean Soup Recipe
Ok, I am using my holiday ham bone today to make bean soup. I figured I would blog my recipe for me, my mom, my sister in law and anyone else who wants it.First to make a super easy ham.
Purchase a rather small spiral ham. I say small because my crock pot is not super big. One that will fit in your crock pot.
Then toss out that icky glaze package that comes with them. It is NASTY!
Place the ham in your crock pot. Take a Cup (more if you want more glaze) of yellow mustard on your ham. Then take about a cup of brown sugar. And pour it on. Then mix it all around. Taste. If it is too mustard-y add more brown sugar. If it is too sugary then add more mustard. You may also add a few squirts of honey if you like. Does not matter if you do or don't. I have made it both ways before.
Cook all day on low or a few hours on high.
Enjoy!
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Now, Save that ham bone and all the fun stuff still on the bone! Just pop it in a freezer bag!
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When you want to make bean soup, pull out your ham bone from the freezer and thaw in the fridge. Buy a bag of navy beans. Just fill a pot with water and let it sit over night.
The next morning put your ham bone in the crock pot. Sort through the beans to make sure there are no stems or odd pieces. They are processed by machine so things slip by sometimes.
then pour the beans with some water in the crock pot over the ham bone. Add an onion if you like. I do not like onions and did not have any here anyways.
Cook all day! YUM YUM YUM!
A little before you want to eat, scoup out the bone, fish out some of the fatty pieces. Then serve! ENJOY!
Blowing the Dust off in here...
Hey Homestead bloggers! I have not blogged in here in a while. Life of homesteading has taken a different turn for me. With moving to our new home in the city and Tristan's Leukemia journey, topped with a case of winter blues... we have a homesteading slump!Good things going on in my homestead life...I finally did get a new stove! I can cook in the oven without burning. But now I am using electric. The slick new flat tops... I BURN EVERYTHING! aurgh! Someday I am going to laugh at my cooking adventures! I cannot figure out if it is my pans that mom bought me or the electric cooking. I do not seem to burn on my old pans but it could be I am just happening to be there more when I use them. Sometimes I walk away from the stove for a second and BOOM my rice burns. Or my corn beef hash is ALWays STUCK! And that is so fatty to begin with! Who burns that!??! me!
But we have become a little more convience and quick instead of the money saving natural ways. DH has encouraged me by saying that it is only for a SEASON in our lives. So I can deal with it. I am thinking tomorrow I want to bake some bread though to make myself feel better! I have not made bread since Tristan got sick in October! I need to make some strawberry freezer jam too! But I will wait for summer for that. But I am making TONS when I do! It was our favorite!!! On fresh baked bread.... YUM!
Our home improvements are going slower than we had hoped. With Justin being on workmans comp he has had to stop anything hard to fixing the house. He does a little rewiring here and there but makes me do all the lifting! I wanted to scream when he decided to put up a chandilier! Here honey, Hold it up for me while I connect the wires!
He is lucky that 9 bulb huge thing did not come crashing down on his head! I about DIED! I am a weakling! That was mans work! No more of that! So now he is stuck only doing the little things. He hurt his back so there is not much he can do for now. But he should be good to go soon. He is getting better by the day with physical therapy. We just want to baby his back so he does not have a life of back problems. Trying until he gets released not to do anything to hurt it more. We are thinking sometime this month he will be good to go. Also with Tristan things have stalled too. But that is ok. Life throws us curves. And I am learning to be more flexible.
Tristan is doing well. Chugging along with Treatments.
Homeschooling is going well too. I am halfway done with my second year of homeschooling. I am glad I started with Preschool. Sonlight Preschool was only about an hour a day. Kindergarten was a little more complex. I just got my first grade stuff and it looks like it is another big leap for us. A Lot more time consuming. I am very pleased that it has been an ease into learning.
Anyways... I am still here! And wanted to come over and clean some cobwebs from my blog!
Looking Back on 2007
When I look back at 2007 my year took a MUCH different spin then I ever expected. It is interesting to see how life pans out and how God had his hand over my bigger picture.In February 2007, my dh and I decided to try to expand our family and have my IUD removed to ttc a third Child. Each month brought disappointing results as negative results came on my pregnancy tests and AF reared her ugly head.
This summer my dh and I looked for a bigger house so we could fit if we were successful in ttc. In August we moved into a nice big house in the same town as my mother.
End of July when we were closing on our house wondering how we would cut corners to live here, Justin got a promotion at work which he was trying to get for years! The timing was the WEEK we closed on the house! God is GOOD!
Well October 2007 we found out my son had A.L.L. Leukemia. With this came a 12 day hospital stay and lots of x-rays and chemotherapy. And of course you can check out my Homeschool Blog
and see his progress. When I was twiddling my thumbs in the hospital it occurred to me, If we had succeeded in ttc in Feb, I would be 9 months pregnant or having a NEWBORN right now. How upset we get when our own plans do not work out only to find that God knew best. And if I was pregnant I could not have been there for my little boy. I could not have held him for his x-rays, and even today administering his chemo pills would be impossible. They are VERY dangerous to a pregnant person and the baby.
Moving into this big house to have more kids was our idea. But moving to the same city as my parents was Gods reasons. Weekly trips to Clinic means I have to have mom watch Alyssa. And just when his immune system is down and I need someone to help me get milk from the store, it is a blessing to live so close to my parents. God knew what he was doing.
Another blessing of 2007 is the fact that God did allow us to have me staying at home. If I was working we would have been thrown into a tizzy of trying to have me quit my job.
Also when I was young I NEVER drempt of homeschooling my kids. It tears me up to think how God was preparing our lives for this season. Tristan will complete his treatment when he is 6 years old. I asked the other kids at Childrens in the Oncology floor how they did school. Most of them just never started. Or are missing years. A 7 year old child we met will be entering school for the first time next year. Being a homeschool family will keep Tristan and Alyssa in a most normal life. Now no matter if we end up with hospital stays or clinic visits, we can still keep going with our school as uninterrupted as possible. It AMAZES me that my life decisions really were the RIGHT ONES! :) I no longer doubt that I am doing the right thing because I know it was Gods plan for us. God is so good!
So my plans for making my own bread, grinding my own grain, growing my own foods in the garden, using all natural cleaning products and nothing disposible are on hold. Dh told me that I have to just wait to do those things because of the added situation on our plate. I am learning to lean on God, trust his plans and see what when I think I have a year planned out, and it turns out completely different, it is not awful but a blessing. God is looking out for us. He has a plan for our lives, Plans to prosper us and not for us to fail. He loves us. It is so amazing.
While each month I still yearn for more babies. I know in my heart it is Gods plan and he knows best. And praising God that we are still young enough that we can get through this and grow our family in his timing. Whether I be 28 or 38. I am still young. And God has our family in his hands.
What a great life changing year we have had. I have learned a LOT and have grown closer to God and my family along the way. 2007 was a good year dispite the unexpected turns and I cannot wait to see what 2008 holds!
And one more exciting tidbit for 2007! TRISTAN POTTY TRAINED the last week of the year! What a blessing!
Holiday Bundle from Jocelyn's blog
Jocelyn is having a contest!She asked us to write about a past memory. I am not sure if it has to do with Christmas or just a memory. So I will post a holiday one.
My favorite Christmas memory is when my parents did not have much money. They would ALWAYS tell us there was not going to be many Christmas Presents under out tree. And every Christmas our tree was overflowing with presents under it. God provided! The thing that made it really special is how humble it was how he provided. My parents saved their "trash" or box tops and such for a lady at our church. This special lady - who I have no clue who she was since years have past, would turn everything in and get those giveaways that they had so many of back in the 80s. We would get stuffed pillsberry dough boys (my favorite!) Fruity Pebbles boxers and more! But to us, it was a treasure! I know my parents wished they could have given us one of every new toy on the market but it just did not matter to us! We were blessed completely by this lady and my parents working together. Our Christmas's were ALWAYS AMAZING!
I also remember going to Nursing homes with my mother to visit shut ins. There was one special guy I loved to go see. This older man would hide candy in his drawer and share with me when I came. I loved it! I remember sadly when he was not there anymore. It was very heart breaking. I plan to take my own kids to visit nursing homes someday soon. I have to be careful with Tristans immune system for the time being but my daughter gets to visit with my parents sometimes when they go to give some people communion as my dad is a pastor.
So those are two of my favorite memories around the holidays.
Doing well, getting ready to go into next phase of treatment.
Tristan is doing well right now. He is acting soooo much like his old self! It is wonderful to watch him. He is getting ready to go into the next phase of treatment which is oral chemotherapy in a pill form that I will give him at home. I am not looking forward to starting. He did not receive Chemo last week and he is doing sooo well this week. The chemotherapy puts his counts artificially low. So I know we have more time of him not feeling well ahead. I am enjoying this week.He was supposed to go this morning for a spinal and to start but California did not send back his results of his testing done last week yet. They are a head of the his "study" and he cannot proceed until they come back. They determine the protocol for him to proceed on. So we have to wait until next week to go in for the next procedure. Please pray that he is fine until then. I know it is fine but you know how a mother will worry. (and a father, Justin is a wreck that we are skipping a week)
Sometimes I just melt down.
I am posting about Tristan's Journey over at the homeschool blogger. But sometimes I just melt down. I have so many people reading over there that I really do not want to loose it for all of them.So I decided to post here today.
You know... nights are the hardest. Justin is working out on the road for FedEx. Alyssa and Tristan sleep. And I am left to look at Tristan and cry. There is so much I just want to throw in my hands and say "I QUIT!" I am NOT giving him one more dose of steroid. I am not taking him for any more poking and testing. I am done. I am taking my baby and running away from all things medical. Oh how I wish, when my baby is crying in the bathtub screaming because I am coming close to taking his shirt off. When he looks down at his bruises and covers them, heart beating fast. When I see the fear in his eyes. When he says "doctors aren't going to hurt me no more mom right?" And I cannot answer him.
It breaks my heart. My heart is aching. I just want to make everything normal again. Go back a month and live my life again. To have a son free from torment and pain. To have a son who can climb on, jump on, mommy's bed again. To have a son who can breath normal because he is not carrying around a ton of extra fluid from steroids making him breath heavy. To have him wrecking my living room again. Climbing on the top of my couch where he always perched. To have him ripping my curtains down again.
I watched videos of this summer on the computer last night. I should not have done that. To see Tristan running and playing outside. It broke my heart.
But then I put on my healing songs and go to bed reading my bible and praying. I am so glad for God. What do people do without him!? How empty their lives must be. God is my strength and refuge. I can cry to him and he keeps me going. And the prayers of my friends and family keeps me going. I know that while I sleep someone is covering Tristan in prayers. And I can get rest at night because I am covered with Gods Love. Thank you. Thank you all who are praying for us. We need nothing else but that prayer. I am learning the power and necessity of prayer. I can BREATHE because of it. And that is what keeps me going.
Life is upsidedown for us here.
I have been blogging over at my Homeschool BlogWe found out a week ago that our son Tristan has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). If you want to read over there I apologize for lack of blogging in here. Just life is whirlwinding but yet standing still as we wait and are treated in Childrens Hospital.
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