Baked apples and a trip to the emergency room

This is from a Rachael Ray cookbook (thank you, Barb!). The kids and I made it last night and they were so yummy I made some more tonight. Last night we used Fugi apples (I think) and tonight Granny Smith. I have yet to taste them though because I was interrupted by a trip to the emergency room when I was in the middle of making them!

Well, the kids were "practicing golf" in the backyard because Derrick and Bailey are going to go golfing with some guy friends from church & one of their sons (about Bay's age) in the morning. They were playing with Derrick's set that I THOUGHT Bay had permission to play with. Bailey got in the way of one of Samantha's swings and the next thing I knew (here I was coring my apples in the kitchen) was that Bailey was crying a cry that sounded very serious. When I looked out the back door at him I saw a whole bunch of blood coming from his head! It was very scary! I called Derrick for help and he took the part of wiping the blood. There was blood all over Bailey's shirt, some on his shorts, some on the floor, and the bib I grabbed in a panic and gave to Derrick. Then I gave him one of those little boo boo stuffed animals you keep in the freezer to hold on it. Samantha was so sad and crying and wanted to make sure we knew it was an accident and he was "in her way!" Samantha, Bailey, and I headed to the emergency room. At the emergency room (Bailey Medical Center) the doctor decided he needed a couple of stitches and said the dermabond (glue) wasn't enough to hold it.So, they put some stuff on to numb it and left it on for 20 minutes. Then, when the doctor came back he decided to dermabond it instead saying it was on the muscle that helps him frown. I wanted to say, "Oh, we don't want him to frown anymore anyway!" We stopped for a treat like we do anytime we have a trip to the emergency room! It was way past their bedtime when we got home. When we got home Bailey told Derrick, "I feel much better now!" He thanked me for "taking care of him" and ran to his room to get a surprise for me (One of his stuffed animals. ;) ) On the way there he was not feeling well and was also worried about getting a shot and stitches and if if it hurt.

So, still want that recipe for the apples? ;)

4 McIntosh apples, all about the same size (As I was typing this they came out of the oven and I have decided I like Granny Smith best...which I suspected I would).
2/3 Grape-Nuts cereal (very healthy!)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 nutmeg
2 TBS brown sugar
2 Tablespoons cold butter
1/3 chopped walnuts, a couple of handfuls (I have not made them with nuts yet but bet they'd be awesome with pecans).
2 TBS currants or raisins
Oats ( I added this part and it was really good. I didn't really measure the ingredients but added more of everything and we ended up having extra granola to eat which was really good. We just scooped it from the pan.

Preheat oven to 350. Cut an X at the stem end of each apple, then use a spoon to scoop halfway into each apple, making a cavity and removing the core. Place apples in small baking dish. Mix the cereal with the oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, butter, nuts, and currants. Stuff the cereal mixture into the apples and bake for 30 to 35 min., or until the apples are tender and the filling is brown and bubbly. Serve hot as is or top with ice cream for an upside-down apple sundae.

Note: You can make this recipe with tart and tangy Granny Smith apples, too, but you will need to bake them for 45 to 50 min. because they are much firmer apples.

Another note: If you have children have them help you make them so they are not off getting into harm's way! ;)

YouTube - Paul Washer - Shocking Message (full length)

YouTube - Paul Washer - Shocking Message (full length)

Congratulations, Derrick!

Derrick graduates with a Bachelor's degree in Health and Promotions from OSU today! He has worked hard going part time a lot of the time and has persevered all the while being a wonderful father and husband, among accomplishing many other amazing things!

My surprise from Derrick!

Yesterday Derrick called and asked what my plans were for the day. It was the last day of co-op and after lunch I had to take Isabella to the dr. I told him that I needed to hurry home so I could start cooking and cleaning for Samantha's birthday party. He said not to come home and that he would clean for me. So, we stayed gone until we met my gma Bobber and Papa Mitchell to go to dinner for my birthday (Sam's is on the 12th, mine the 9th). I unwrapped presents at their house including some yummy, yummy soap and lotion in a holder from Mikaela (Japanese Cherry Blossom from Bath and Body works). We went to Casa Bonita and that was a lot of fun. I won't tell you the embarrassing number of how many sopapillas I ate! We sat in the cave and I saw Bailey's eyes brighten when we were walking in to be seated! At one point Derrick noticed Sam was unusually quiet during dinner. We found that it was due to the fact that she had a bowl of queso in her lap and was licking it off of her fingers. She eventually dipped chips in the cheese and proceeded to just lick it off without eating the chip.
Back at home Derrick forbid me to go into our room. I knew he had a birthday surprise for me and I thought, "Oh, wow! He's painting the bathroom!" This is something he knew I really wanted. I had no idea what I was going to step into when he finally emerged (sweating) from the room he had been working so hard in. He was disappointed that he couldn't show me a finished product but said he'd be up until 5 a.m. if he finished. Before we went in he said, "Now, don't panic! There's going to be some things out of place but I know how to put them back." I marveled at the new tile he had put in and the paint. Then I said, "The toilet is in the bathtub!?" He again assured me he could put it back and apologized that I saw it unfinished. I said, "No, this is priceless to see the toilet in the bathtub and I wouldn't have wanted to miss seeing this!" Plus, I got more of a picture of how hard he worked. He went all out! I couldn't believe it when I saw the floor too. Then he showed me a whole bunch of other things like new rugs, a shower curtain and hooks, some drawers, towel hangers, a fancy shower curtain holder, a new toilet seat...He always gives me the greatest surprises! The first year of marriage he enlisted his mom and Mitchell to bring a treadmill (that he knew I really wanted) for Christmas. Not too long ago he surprised me with a new car! Now, that was fun and a very funny story too because he and the car salesman tricked me! I only wish I could surprise him with a new truck or something. I always try to win drawings for them but I think it just gives telemarketers a chance to call though! ;)
So, he was so busy with that the house never did get cleaned and I stayed up until 1 a.m. just cooking for the party. This morning I cleaned a little but didn't have time to do everything. Ryan and Dana were the first to arrive and they cleaned like crazy! Ryan did my sink of dishes! That was incredibly sweet. I went to scrub the sink and he said, "I'll do that. My hands are already dirty." They brought me a package of my favorite tea, Caramel Apple Torte (Teavana) and my gma brought some she had made too. My mom brought her yummy baked beans, a beautiful bunch of peonies (maybe they are my favorite flower. I LOVE them and the smell), and a really great present. After the party my mother-in-law cleaned the kitchen faster than I could even notice to try and stop her! I am feeling very blessed right about now! I'm sure Samantha is too! I made her a pink stawberry "princess" cake that she wanted with a tiara and princess on it. She had so much fun opening her presents and the kids had fun busting a big and pretty pink pinata. After the party we spent time playing with her presents before we rested. Tonight we will go to dinner.

Counting My Blessings

Thank you all for your prayers, sweet comments, and deeds. It is very evident to me that I am being prayed for. Today it was greatly felt.

Well, I am ashamed to think of how many days I have prayed and asked God to guide me in my day and then gone on to forget about seeking His will and doing my own which can sometimes end in a pretty frazzled day. Today was different. I have been very, terribly tired lately (and unable to sleep at night for some reason) as I still have the pregnancy symptoms. It is a strange thing to have the symptoms knowing there will be no reward for them! ;) Lately I have had days where I can't possibly fathom making dinner and gotten us Subway for dinner or, worse yet, Big Daddy's (very good but very unhealthy). This morning I sincerely prayed for God to give me grace to have energy to do the things I need to do well (school with the kids, being a pleasant and cheerful wife and mommy hoping to set a good atmosphere in my home, keeping the house clean, spending fun time with the kids...) Today was a really, really good day. After school I felt like I needed to find the quickest way to get a nap and felt really drained. I almost decided to skip taking the kids to the zoo as I had planned or atleast wait until later after a nap. I thought maybe if I just went that I would gain some energy from walking and being outside. Or, I could end up being even more drained. I packed us a lunch and we went. Bailey was so proud that he had his own money to spend (he worked hard in the yard for Derrick so that Derrick could mow last week and had some money from G-ma Young). Bailey bought carousel rides for his sister and him and got them some toys from the gift shop. We had a picnic at the park and then looked at the animals. It was a good strenuous walk pushing the double stroller (particularly up the hill)! I felt really good and the kids were incredibly good the whole time! Samantha was so happy that she does what she does when her cup is about to run over. When we were having our picnic, she spontaneously and loudly yelled with great emotion, "I love you, mom! And I love the whole world!" She had to say it twice! ;) When we got home the kids rested and I cleaned the bathrooms and started a nice dinner that turned out to be so good. I was so happy that I even had the energy to do this and had not even taken a nap. I was cleaning the kid's toilet which was a lot less fun than the time at the zoo! It happened to be very disgusting as one of the kids had left a terrible mess on it. The first temptation was to be frustrated. But then I thought, "I would much rather have them and this disgusting toilet than not have them and have a clean, sparkling toilet all the time." Then I thanked God for blessing me with them and I meant it with all my heart. Then on to the kitchen and I was overwhelmed with even more thoughts of how blessed I am to have my family. Later I was putting Isabella's car seat back together after washing it which can be time consuming and a little more challenging with the extra car seat cover I have. If you make one wrong move, which I did, you have to pull the straps out and start over again. I got a sore back over the whole deal. Again, I had thoughts of how thankful I am to have her and her difficult little car seat! We had a really good dinner complete with my friend, Kimber's, best potato salad ever, aside from my moms! After dinner my little blessings helped me unload the dishwasher, wash the dishes, and wipe the table off (though Derrick usually does this part) with great eagerness. And my sweet husband, though he was very tired today and wanted to relax, decided to grant Bailey's request of going for a bike ride. So, the girls rode in the double stroller, Bailey rode his bike, and, of course, Molly came too! I love our family walks. Then we got in my bed and read some books from G-ma Bobber. Derrick brought me a once very dirty baby that was all clean and smelled of one of my favorite scents, Baby Magic Baby Wash. We read the kids their "treasure", their Bibles, and the VERY tired little ones went to bed. It was such good time spent together and such a nice day.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away

Today we had our first doctor appointment. It was...unexpected. I couldn't sleep the night before as I laid awake not able to shut my mind down. "Liliana for a girl. I love that. I hope Derrick will warm to it. But, it's our friends' little girl's name. Is that really okay? (Lily happens to be a family name.) Okay, so we know Cameron for a boy-that was decided for if Isabella was a boy. Is it going to be an ultrasound like Samantha's (that appeared to possibly have been two babies with the other one not developing), only two healthy twin babies? Whoa, what are we going to do if it is twins?! Exciting, but whoa!" What's my actual due date going to be?...My heart was racing.

We got to the doctor's office this morning and Derrick was taming Isabella mostly. I sat in the chair in the waiting room feeling terribly nauseous. Then, we found out the doctor had to go deliver a baby and I had to wait 45 min.- an hour.

When he got back we did an ultrasound. Time to see this baby we had been thinking of since we found out on April Fool's day. I knew it was kind of strange because it didn't look like the other ultrasounds. There was nothing to see just a complete blank area. He kept moving it around and said he was concerned. Then he shut it down and explained to me that it appears that I have what is called a blighted ovum. This means there was a fertilized egg that did not grow. He said he believes my body will miscarry on its own. I will go back for another ultrasound in a week.

So, right now, we are just waiting. One of the most heartbreaking things was Bailey's response. He began crying and asked if it was because he jumped on mommy's belly and we reassured him it was not his fault. Derrick sweetly comforted him and answered all his questions. Then, he prayed with us all in the car. After a little bit he got in his truck and headed back to work. He called and reminded me of the woman in Facing the Giants who said, "I will love you still." and of Job who lost his children and praised God still. Then, he ended up coming home and couldn't work. We are sad of the dreams of having this baby dying but we know that God is sovereign over all and has His plans. His ways are so much higher than ours...We are happy for the baby who Bailey says has joined the cousin's baby in heaven. We will praise Him still...we will praise Him still.

I did not write these next words but found this girl's blog who has gone through the same thing and thought she said it very well:

"When we got the ultrasound done, we realized that the baby had died when he was first being developed - too early to even "classify" him as human according to science. A blighted ovum, they call it. But I know that the Lord knows each and every one of us before we were even in our mother's womb and that He planned for us and made us each fully human at conception. Science says there never was a baby, but the Lord says that my baby was planned for and treasured before he even had a body... before his mom and dad even knew about him.



A friend sent a little motivational saying to me and this is what I have been praying every single day - "Dear Lord, I would have loved to have held my baby on my lap and tell them about You, but since I didn't get the chance, would You please hold my baby on Your lap and tell him about me?"

That is my prayer. I didn't get the chance to know whether my baby is a boy or a girl. But I trust the Lord that He will tell my baby everything about me and his daddy. That he will know what plans we had for him, how much we loved him, how wanted he was... and that God will give him a name better than any other name. I am craving the day when I will be able to cross over to heaven and hold my baby for the first time.

The Bible says that we are all appointed to die. I know that eventually my baby would have died. And I trust that God knows what He is doing... and if I were to be only separated by a year or by 30 or 40 years, I can't wait for the day to be in heaven, worshiping the Lord with my baby at my side."

"The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." Job 1:21

A really good children's book

Sidney & Norman: A Tale of Two Pigs - By: Phil Vischer - Christianbook.com

This is a book written by the creator of Veggie Tales.

I was at Mardel's and saw this book and remembered that my friend, Kelly, really liked it. So, I flipped it open and began reading. It is really good and I grabbed it for the kids (on sale too for $5.99!). It was actually a gift to be given from my g-ma so I had to wait a couple of days to read it to them but couldn't wait! When I did read it to them it just about brought tears to my eyes. I totally related to the pig, Sidney. As much as I really work at being more like a lot of aspects of Norman minus the judgementalness of him ;) (for those of you who have read it). What really touched me was when God told Sidney, "I love you...I love you...I love you." even though he was far from perfect. Anyway, I really recommend it and hope it would touch you too if you check it out, especially if you are a Norman or a Sidney!