One more thing...

I know that so many of you are praying for Miss Pear through this, and we appreciate it so much.

Could you please also pray that we would all handle this and behave in a way that brings honor to the Lord? That the Lord would be glorified through this?

Thank you so much.

Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
Psalm 34:3

Scheduled

Miss Pear is scheduled for surgery January 11.

The surgeon clarified a lot of things for us, and we understand lots of the finer details more clearly, which is important. The surgeon actually said that he would be surprised if she was not fully recovered in a month, and that the recovery in children is much quicker because they are cutting through cartilage rather than bone and children just heal faster. He also said that in most cases the children go home after 3 days with Tylenol, and that we can expect her to be sitting on the floor and playing.

It painted a much different picture than my husband had been anticipating after seeing his father go through open heart surgery 20 years ago.

But nothing changes the fact that this is open heart surgery and they will be using the heart/lung bypass machine.

The only thing really making this okay is that Miss Pear belongs to God, she is His and He loves her more than we can ever comprehend. I trust Him with this child.

Thank you for all the emails and comments of prayers for our family, they mean so much and we can clearly feel and see the Lord working in this and smoothing out the details and questions.

I decided to take the weekend to try and get my mind in gear again, and then, as much as possible, continue on like nothing is going on, because nothing happens now until January, so for the sake of our girls we are going to try and keep that perspective and act like that.

Therefore, as weird as it may seem, I am going to try to return to normal here too next week. Not to say that there will not be occasional mentions to this, not to say that we are ignoring it or it is not important, but rather that it cannot be my key focus or I will not function between now and January. Hopefully that makes some kind of sense.

Have a great weekend.

Moving Right Along

Well, I think my cry during church on Sunday helped me get a better perspective, and somehow crying before the Lord during worship made me feel like a load was off me. I still feel like I got the pins knocked out from under me, but not like I am trying to hold it together in the midst of a tornado...if that makes any sense. And I have learned the important lesson of not going anywhere without kleenex for the next while.

When I called pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon's office yesterday to make an appointment my options were this Wednesday or next Wednesday...I was shocked to not have to wait! Such a blessing! I took this Wednesday. We go tomorrow at 3:30, and we should have a very clear idea of where we are going after that, possibly including dates too.

Is it just me or do you feel conflicted about the term "pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon" too? Part of me wants to cheer and praise God that there is such a focused specialty to care for our daughter. Part of me wants to cry that such a thing is necessary.

So that is where we are.

Multitude Monday 9

In light of the news we received about Miss Pear last Thursday I am writing my thankful list about that, I need to find the Lord's blessings in it.

I am thankful for:

77. That God is sovereign, and no matter how things look from our perspective He is still God. (this was the last one on my last list, and still very appropriate.)

78. That the results of the appointment were clear, that God made the next steps perfectly clear and did not require us to figure out the next best step.

79. That the cardiologist was so gentle and clear with us, but careful not to say too much in front of Miss Pear. That he is such an excellent cardiologist who just works with children.

80. That he is referring us to an excellent surgeon who gets the thumbs up from other doctors we know. And that we have some flexibility in scheduling so that we can try to fit it in between Christmas and Miss Pear's birthday the end of May (full recovery is 3 months).

81. That God moved us here 2 years ago when this was not our first choice, but it puts us near one of the best children's hospitals.

82. That our church family is rallying around us in a way we never expected, and are carefully respecting our wishes to not tell Miss Pear yet, making sure to be their usual cheerful selves in front of her even when their hearts are heavy too.

83. That no one made a big deal about me crying all the way through the service yesterday.

84. That even though the service was set before we had the news, each song, and the entire sermon spoke to my bruised and heavy heart.

85. That we are not in this alone.

86. That we know we can completely trust God to run our lives much better than what we think.

87. That God loves Miss Pear, they are buddies.

The News

We are home from Miss Pear's cardiologist appointment, and the end result is that she is being referred to a surgeon for open heart surgery to remove the membrane growth.

Last year it was noted that the growth was bigger as was the pressure differential.

This year the pressure differential is greater again, and the valve is starting to leak.

There is zero benefit of waiting, but there are now disadvantages of waiting.

I will be calling the surgeon tomorrow and ultimately we will be trying to schedule surgery in the February time frame...after Christmas but with enough time before her birthday for a full recovery...which is 3 months of restrictions with the first month being the most crucial.

As much as this stinks, a big prayer was answered, and that was for God to make the next step very clear, that we would not have to make decisions with a bunch of unknowns, and that next step is clear. Oh, and Miss Pear was a model patient and had an excellent discussion with the lab tech about volcanoes while he was looking at her heart.

Rumpled Cape

My superwoman cape is feeling particularly rumpled.

This weekend I prepared a full on big deal meal for company who did not arrive, through no fault of their own.

I have mountain on my desk...at least I am assuming that is my desk.

Of course, we will not be talking about my laundry (although the hamper is not quite full) or my ironing (2 shirts...just don't ask how long they have been waiting).

I was supposed to research something, but cannot remember what.

It is time to pull out the summer garden and plant the winter garden...we are trying 2 kinds of peas, 2 kinds of carrots and cilantro this year, plus the citrus is ripening.

I went to buy lavender for a corner of our yard and came home instead with poppy and pansy seeds, selected by a 4 year old.

There are a couple fall crafting ideas we would like to do this year, and I just cannot seem to get them organized...even though I have all the supplies.

My brain feels numb as I think about Miss Pear's pediatric cardiologist appointment on Thursday. It alternately runs through fears open heart surgery this year and fears of waiting again and fleeting glimpses at thoughts of what if it has been healed miraculously? (I know that God still preforms miracles, but I just don't know if her miracle is going to be in the form of the growth disappearing or if it will be in the miracle of what the surgery is.)

My plate is not full, it is overflowing and running off the table and onto the floor. Mainly because my brain needs to reboot and I cannot find the button.

Surely I am not the only one!

So I think I will go get a little one up from her nap as I think she is waking up, then start supper and read lots of picture books. It might not fix all the stuff, but it sure will make me feel better.

Oh yeah, and I am planning another special supper just in case Saturday's company can somehow squeeze in supper with us tonight. It is a long shot, but just in case, I wanted to be ready.

Living Word

So often as I read the Bible it seems like a specific passage pulls me in, speaks to me, prompts me in some way. Lately I have been camped out in Ephesians. A friend called and wanted to talk about something in Colossians, we did, but I immediately returned to Ephesians. And I cannot say why, except that it seems to be where the Lord wants me right now. There is a prayer at the end of chapter 1 that speaks to my heart right now, a prayer for spiritual wisdom.

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 1: 15-23 NKJV

Making Baby Finger Food

Back in July I detailed the process and cost of making sweet potato baby food. But now Baby is getting bigger and insists on feeding herself as much as possible which is a messy and time consuming venture for her, but she has fun. So now I am making batches of food she can feed herself.

One of the best is sweet potatoes cubes, mainly because she loves them and sweet potatoes were on sale last week.

It is SO simple.

Buy sweet potatoes.

Peel them.

Put them in french fry cutter if you have one.



Cut these fries into cubes.

Put in bowl, toss with olive oil.


Spread out on cookie sheet (it is actually quicker to do 2 cookie sheets of cubes spread out with a bit of room around than to crowd a cookie sheet).

Bake at 375F for about 30 minutes.

Cool.

Flash freeze (line cookie sheet with waxed paper, spread cubes out, put in freezer) then move to freezer bag.

Now you have a bag of yumminess ready whenever you need it!

Pantry Part 2

Before Baby was born I had done a thorough job of stocking our pantries, and this included cleaning supplies and toiletries. For the most part that held us longer than expected. I had hoped to be back to my usual shopping after Christmas, but with Baby's continuing hip dysplasia and life general it was just too much. At the end of the 1st quarter in the year, we found out that Mr. Pear would be taking a mandatory pay cut, as was everyone in the company, and the pantry became even more important, and much of it held out. Sure we had to buy diapers, wipes, toilet paper, and small amount of assorted toiletries, but somehow it held out better than expected.

This fall some serious holes appeared and I ended up having to pay more than I would like for staple items, and it got me thinking about our pantry situation (and back to serious coupon shopping and CVS!). I was fairly well prepared for Baby's arrival, but not so much for economy's impact on our family. I could have been doing a better job all around, and living in Southern California we should be better prepared, so while some things are not possible to do right now (like invest in a Berkey water filtration unit), some things are, like having a more well rounded pantry.

So here is what I have in the garage now:

This is the book case by the freezer
(that Christian Books Box is canning lids)

This is the shelf and a half of cleaning supplies...
...mostly laundry, dish soap, and toilet bowl cleaner

Actually the cleaning supplies look pretty good still.

I keep paper goods like kleenex and toilet paper somewhere else and the toiletries are under our bathroom sink.

Now that the fruit seasons are coming to and end my goal is to start stocking the pantry with canned and dried goods, as well as some baking supplies. And last night I made a trip to Target for a few odds and ends and Ronzoni pasta was on for $1 a box, and I had $1 off 2 coupons so I picked some up. That with some other purchases already have the book shelf looking better.

Oh, and if you are wondering where cereal and stuff like that is??? It is on top of my top cabinets in the kitchen after the first winter when we had mice in the garage.....

How are you creative with storing your pantry supplies? How do you think you could do a better job of being prepared for life's eventualities? What do you consider a must have in your pantry? What tips do you have for me?

In Kitchen Makeshift Pantry

Remember when I said I would show you how we managed to find room for all the fruit we preserved this year? Well, this is that post. And in fact, the cabinet where we stored all that goodness, or at least the bulk of it, it is the one under the counter in that picture.

It looks like this on the left:



To the right of that box of peaches is where all my cookie trays, muffin tins, half sheet pans etc are kept. Basically I made lots of room by stacking the boxes on top of each other to go 2 high. Really, there was no other option. Also, on the bottom you can see all that extra space in front that does not exist in the top shelf? That is because I stacked loose jars in the back, behind the boxes where little hands cannot reach them!


If you are wondering what is underneath the cookie sheets and to the right of the rice and 4 dozen pints of pears you will find the place my BOSCH mixer usually resides, and behind that:

Flour was on sale for a better price than Costco, so I picked up 10 x 5 lb bags and stored it in the grocery bags to protect the flimsy paper from my cooling racks and general other cabinet mishap...


Now, that is clearly not all my canning, in fact, that one was the easiest because the top was jars and sheet pans, and the bottom left was a big box of oatmeal and some cracked rye, so not much to relocate.

The other spot was a chore. I started by taking out all the canned goods that were in the metal from the manufacturer and anything else that could be stored in the garage.

Then I once again stacked my canned goods.

When you open the cupboard door it looks like this:



If you move the cereal on the top shelf you will see my quarts of tomatoes and salsa:


The second shelf is home to the pear fruit cups:

And the bottom shelf is home to the rest of the pears:


It may not be the pantry of my dreams, but it works, and it holds all the canning I did this year. I do have a few ideas on where to get more space for next year, but that is next year.

For this year I am really happy with the results.

Plod Plod Plod, its a Plodder!

I have been trying to upload pictures to show how we found room for all our jars and what our "pantry" looks like, but our internet is so slow that it is almost going backwards, so I will try again tomorrow. In the mean time we are almost done our apples (pictures on that too) and are working on sweet potatoes (pictures on that too).

So pretty much everything I want to blog about involves pictures...which I cannot load.

So instead I will go to bed nice and early, which is really what I need.

Multitude Monday 8

I am thankful for:

68. The surprising abundance of our little California garden.

69. The amount we managed to preserve this year.

70. Mornings like this one are more the norm as 2 little girls bless me by just being.

71. The Lord continuing to speak through His Word, and the comfort and encouragement that comes with that!

72. A digital camera that works.

73. A husband that encourages me to just try it, what is the worst that can happen?....

74. ...and then encourages me to take a rest and few quiet days when the projects tire me out!

75. Being able to begin the day by reading the Bible to our girls after breakfast.

76. Canadian Thanksgiving...when asked what she was thankful for Miss Pear (4) named everyone at the table and everything on the table....

77. That God is sovereign, and no matter how things look from our perspective He is still God.

I Love Pasta

We LOVE pasta around here, it is a family favorite...you can tell if you look at my pantry, I believe there are close to 20 packages there at the moment....So I am always on the look out for a deal on pasta and good coupons!!!

If you are too, check out It Pays To Eat Pasta giveaway to win groceries, and even if you don't win you can still print off $1 of 2 Ronzoni coupons which make it a great deal at Target even at their regular price!

The crud has come to visit

Well, the crud that is going around has found its way to our house, we are praying it will not stay long because we don't have the time to be sick! (Does anyone ever?)

And I don't just mean the 6 dozen apples on my counter waiting to be dried either!

So I will be back next week with the pictures of how we found room for all that canning, the state of the rest of the pantry and my plan to stock it, and how we decided what to do with the fruit when it was on sale.

See you next week!

This Summer's Canning Summary

This year I decided that I wanted to somehow preserve more of summer's bounty to bless my family all year round. Even though we live in California we have essentially the same selection of fruit as the rest of the country, which is to say it is the best in the summer. So canning started in July with Million Dollar Relish, and ended Friday with a marathon canning pears when they all of a sudden all started ripening at once in the fridge!

Friday's work was the big day and at the end our kitchen counter and bar looked like this:

For those of you wondering that is:

• 2 pint jars
• 17 half pint jars of diced pear
• 46 quarter pints of diced pear (for special snacks for the girls who love fruit cups).

Which explains why there is no picture of the rest of the kitchen after this was complete! Although I am proud to admit that I did not order take out for supper after this...I pulled a frozen pizza out of the freezer instead!

The final count of what we canned this year is:

1. Million Dollar Relish (2 batches): 18 pints, 4 half pints (this is approximate, we have eaten some, so I am guessing.)
2. Bread and Butter Pickles: 8 quarts
3. 7 Day Pickles: 8 quarts...but I think I missed counting 1....so possibly 9
4. Peaches: 22 pints (we also dried a ton and froze 8 pie fillings)
   
5. Salsa: 3 quarts
6. Tomatoes: 8 quarts (plus we dried and pureed some to use in soups and in substitution of tomato sauce and paste, it was a trial to see how it goes)
7. Pears: 59 quarter pints, 17 half pints, 56 pints (plus froze 2 apple pear crisp fillings)

We were officially done canning when I ran out of canning jars! Since Friday 2 quart jars have become available, but they can just wait for either more tomatoes to ripen if we don't eat them or next year.

The only casualty we had was one brand new jar developed hair line cracks while it was processing. It sealed beautifully, but it will be eaten first!

Now we are into apple season so I am making apple chips (dehydrated apple slices) and am planning on freezing apple pie filling and apple crisp filling.

What do you love to freeze/can/dry or preserve some other way to help you in the winter?

My Morning

My morning was a busy and satisfying one.

While I was making breakfast this greeted me on the fridge:


It is Miss Pear's rendering of what "God with us" looks like...that is her and Jesus holding hands.

After breakfast we:

• had Bible time
• read about Canadian Thanksgiving in an excellent picture book and read a couple more picture books
  
• got more apples in the food dehydrator,
  
• planned for Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend,
  
• planned for company next weekend,
  
• made this cake:

Pineapple upside down cake from The Cake Bible

• had school time where Miss Pear declared math to be both fun and easy.
• played more
• had lunch
• started Canadian Rye Bread

So now, if you will excuse me, I think I need a nap!

Multitude Monday 7

54. We are done canning pears and found homes for all of them.

55. That Miss Pear has an excellent pediatric cardiologist.

56. A fun card and paper craft party with friends Saturday night. The theme was Christmas and I made two of my favorite Christmas desserts!

57. It is apple season so we have started making apple chips in the food dehydrator - they are so good and Miss Pear loves them for a snack - she was asking for them before I even got the first batch out!

58. An apple peeler where you turn the handle so I can have a little 4 year old helper who is so proud to be a helper!

59. That even though we are all a but under the weather it is a really mild version of it and not a big deal! Just lots of rest.

60. That God blessed us with a kitchen that is an excellent tool for serving our family. Our kitchen is not a show piece and is not for decoration, it has to work hard.

61. For warm cuddly quilts in cool nights.

62. For a little 13 month old who gently rubs her head against against my leg to get me to pick her up or play peak-a-boo with her.

63. For the knowledge that we have a High Priest who understands what we face and intercedes for us.

64. Really cute fleece to make a blanket for Miss Pear for Christmas (and it was on sale!)

65. Really cute flannel to make handkerchiefs for when we are sick so that our noses don't get so raw (also on sale!)

66. Finding all the supplies needed for a special Christmas craft our very first stop (we are making a set of felt mitts with one mitt being Miss Pear's hand and the other being Baby's hand that will be connected to make a Christmas tree decoration).

67. A sweet family to love.

Friday Night? Really?

Honestly, I am not sure where the week went. On Tuesday I posted about Miss Pear's upcoming cardiology appointment here and sent out a more detailed prayer request to our church and friends, and somehow that made it all to real again, and it was overwhelming. It is better now, still weird, but God has given me strength and peace to make it not quite so overwhelming.

And it was a busy week.

I am officially done canning as the pears were finished today and the last of the tomatoes were pulled out of the freezer earlier this week and canned too. (Okay, so the tomatoes were not planned and I just got mad at them when they jumped out and landed on my toe...it probably was not premeditated on their part, but none the less, they were in quart jars within the hour).

It is a good thing we are done canning too because:

1. I am officially out of canning jars in all sizes from quarter pint through quart.
2. I am going to have to be very creative in finding homes for the last of the pears that were canned today. I have some ideas and I foresee the purchased canned foods going out to the book case in the garage that serves as a pantry.

Tomorrow night a friend and I are teaming up to have a Stampin' Up party with a third friend being the demonstrator. The theme is Christmas so I will be making 2 traditional desserts in our family to share and we will all be sharing different Christmas crafting ideas we have for this year (and hopefully ordering supplies!)

So that is where I have been.

I will hopefully have lots to share with you next week including some pictures of how I manage to cram all my jars of canned goodness into my kitchen! Oh what I would not do for an old fashioned pantry!