Interesting

So I found Honey for a Woman's Heart, requested it from my library, and picked it up on Thursday. I absolutely love our library system. I get online, request a book, pick the library where I want it to go for pick-up, and then pick it up at my weekly library run with Nathan! It's wonderful. Truly. I even do it with his books so I feel like I'm actually getting some books that I really want him to read rather than whatever (almost literally) falls off the shelf while I'm in the library with him and Noelle.
Back to what I was saying. Honey for a Woman's Heart just makes me want to read! ha I got Evan to take me to the downtown library that night to pick up several books that I wanted to read. One of the ones I picked was Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang. It's a biography by a woman about herself, her mother, and her grandmother. I am about half-way through it, and I am learning quite a bit about recent Chinese history through the eyes and experiences of someone who lived it. Very, very engaging.
So, now I'm loving the Charlotte Mason method of education even more. :-) I can see how much more one can learn by reading a biography than by reading a textbook full of the facts. Chang's story definitely draws you in and helps you understand a litte more why some of the events in Chinese history happened. I am actually about to let myself read for 10 minutes before the kiddos wake up. I'm hoping to finish by Thursday. :-)
On other fronts, I'm just chugging along. I am thankful that God's mercies are new every morning, especially in the child-rearing area. I am constantly brought to my knees by the whole experience, but I suppose I shouldn't complain about that. Maybe I should just learn to never get off my knees. :-) I am learning to let go of (or lay down) things that are not as important and focus on them, especially Nathan. I love having a clean house, complete menu plans, sewing projects, and so on. However, this is a time of intense growth for him, and I feel that I have to slow down and be there. Completely. Training, loving, talking, laughing, telling stories, reading books, looking at whatever in the world he thinks is important to look at, and just being with him. I feel like there are so many character traits that could go good or bad during this time, but I have to be watching and vigilent because the easiest path is not the best. And it's so hard. Because I like to do other things. Like write incomplete sentences. But I have to remember what is important and that raising a child is wonderful but a sacrifice.
How's that for a random post?

Raw Milk

So, we went to the Woolly Weekend and got our raw milk last Friday. I drank a big glass of milk Friday afternoon then got sick as a dog (??) Friday night. ha Fortunately (for my raw-milk drinking, not for our friends), our friends had had the same nasty stomach bug earlier in the week, so I knew that it wasn't the milk. It has taken me until today to try more, though. ha Nathan has been drinking it all week, although he doesn't like to see the cream floating on top if the milk is left in his cup too long.
The milk is really good! Evan had been scaring me by saying that it tasted "wild" and all other sorts of things (they used to drink raw milk a long time ago), but he was WRONG. ;-) It's great to see the layer of cream sitting on top of the milk when I open the door of my fridge and know that it's fresh!
Oh, and the egg-weirdness?? Gone. I can eat eggs again! I have no earthly idea what was going on, although I'm positive that it was eggs; but I'm happy it's gone!
Well, that's about all that is interesting in my life right now.

His Response

This has been a rough week. Last Tuesday our friends' little girl Jordyn started acting strangely and stopped breathing. After being rushed to the hospital, she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor (she had one two years ago that was removed and had been doing great since). The doctors said they didn't expect her to make it through the first night. The week was very up-and-down with good and bad reports. On Sunday morning, she left this life behind.
I knew I had to tell Nathan but was a bit unsure how to go about it. I called a friend who has two boys, one of whom is Nathan's age, and asked how she broke the news. She said that her boys didn't really ask questions but seemed to take it okay. So I told Nathan.
The minute I said,"Jordyn went to heaven" his eyes lit up and he started bouncing on the recliner.
"Jordyn is already in heaven?!?! If I went to the hospital she wouldn't be there anymore?? Oh my! She already went to heaven?"
He was so excited. He jumped down, fixed something that was wrong with his train, and bounced back into the recliner.
"Jordyn already went to heaven! God touched her body! The tumor is getting better!"
(Yes, I tried to be discreet in talking around him, but I couldn't shut myself in a closet every time I got a call.)
I thought then said, "That's right. Jordyn doesn't have a tumor anymore."
"Are J&J (her parents) in heaven?"
"No. They're still here."
"Will Jordyn stay in heaven?"
"Yes, Jordyn will stay in heaven."
"Is her sister still here?"
"Yes, her sister is still here."
At this point he made a very crazy remark about maybe one day her sister getting a tumor. I was quick to shut down that thought and had to remind him that tumors are not good. I suppose he saw the tumor as a ticket to heaven and couldn't see what was so bad about it. After that he went on his way, and I haven't heard about it since.
I think my biggest shock was seeing the light in his eyes and the pure excitement in his face when I said that Jordyn had gone to heaven. I'm sure Jordyn has something of (or much more than) that look on her face now, too.
I suppose it was a little reminder about "becoming as a little child."

Praying

I'm praying for our friends and their little girl today. The girl, Jordyn, had a brain tumor which was removed two years ago. She's been doing great since then. Yesterday morning she stopped breathing and was rushed to the hospital. The brain tumor was back, bigger and more critically located than before. The doctors told them last night that they didn't expect her to make it through the night. Today the doctors are saying that she is brain dead. I have no idea what all is going on right now, but I am praying. Please keep them in your prayers.

Not what I should be doing...

...but I am going to do it anyway! :-)
I love springtime, but I wish I had planned for my garden a little better! I put out my tomato plants, and they are looking very, um, droopy and yellow. And I think Monty stuck his paw through the fence and ate one of them. Too bad tomato plants aren't poisonous to dogs. :-}
I also mostly weeded our small backyard area and planted some nasturtiums and beans by the house. I have no clue how those will do, but I'm going to put them out even if I don't have time to research every detail of growing them! I will plant some more beans in my garden, but I'm a little worried that the dogs (well, Monty, really) will get into them. On days like today I wonder if having dogs is worth the hassle. Honestly, if we only had Gimli I think life would be much easier. Oh well.
Guess what? I think I am going to try raw milk this week! We have a dairy about 30 minutes from here that sells raw milk, and a friend and I are going to try it. As a bonus, another place in that same town is having a "Woolly Weekend" where they shear sheep and spin wool. We'll see if the weather works out for all of those plans!
Gotta run!

This 'n That

I actually had to Google what spinach sprouts were supposed to look like today. And, YAY, that is what is growing in my garden!! ha I'm hoping my seedlings (indoors and outdoors) can survive my upcoming absence. I think I'll wait until I get back to plant my tomato plants outside since I won't be here to protect them in the event of a frost. I'm very happy about my garden, and I'm hoping it all goes well!! I would love to eat spinach from my very own garden! :-)

The shoes were a project from a week or two ago. I am going to try to make some more and maybe even find an old leather purse or bag to use for the bottom of the shoe for when Noelle actually starts walking.

The jar is full of fermenting cabbage. It is now officially sauerkraut, although I haven't tasted it yet. I got some hot dogs for 25 cents at Homeland yesterday, and I made some hot dog chili this morning, so I'm gearing up for a hot dog day! ha ha ha OH, I used my handy-dandy immersion blender to turn the regular chili into hot dog chili. :-)

I had a list this morning of things to do today, but I got a little off-track. I found a really good deal on meat last week, and I wanted to make some meals out of it before freezing it. I made two batches of Cheeseburger Meatloaf, one batch of hot dog chili (it actually made two different meal servings of 2 1/2 cups each), and the last pound is in the refrigerator waiting for Wednesday. :-) I still have chicken that needs to be prepared and frozen, but (as you can see) I'm busy. I also ground my wheat and mixed my bread dough this morning so I can make bread tomorrow, and I started my black beans in the crockpot for tonight's supper. AND I washed all the dishes. Can you tell Noelle took a really long nap this morning?? I am hoping she gets back on her normal schedule; I really, really miss my sleep.

Sunshine

We have been outside today. A LOT. :-) It's amazing how content Nathan is when I'm doing simple things like pulling weeds. This morning did not start off well; then we went outside at lunchtime. And stayed there. For two hours. We ate lunch outside, pulled weeds, and Nathan drowned the seeds in my garden. So it was nearly ideal.
I've been on a sewing craze the last couple of weeks. I have a new-found love of sewing. It makes me feel good. When I finish something, I actually have something to show for what I've been doing during the day. However, I am having to "check-up." I have to remember that sitting outside with Nathan while he plays is more important that finishing a project. I have to remember that reading to him, playing with him, holding Noelle, and just spending time with them is my calling right now. :-) I know that. I just have to remember sometimes.