finding the GOOD in ALL things.

Since starting this journey, God has made Himself  REAL to us as a Family in SO MANY ways. It hasn't even been 3weeks that we know Andy has cancer, and as scared as we were in the beginning, so many unknowns, so many things to comprehend, we have found complete peace, through grace, by our Heavenly Father.

 

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2Timothy 1:7

 

We have been blessed in so many ways, that we can't help but see that God allowed this to happen, to bring a huge change in our lives & the relationships with people around us.

 Andy struggled, many years, with feelings of  anger & bitterness and because of that, he often lashed out in anger towards myself & the children. I'm not sharing this to put him down, but to show how God can transform a person's heart & life.

For many years the children & I have prayed that he could be set free from the anger that held him fast. Not long after we found out that Andy had cancer, a friend of ours shared a few verses with us & God spoke volumes through that verse, to change the heart of the man I love. He found freedom from all that anger & bitterness and I now have a new husband in Christ & I can't love him enough.

 

These were the verses that were shared with us.

 

Mark 11:22 Have faith in God, Jesus answered. 23.I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, go throw yourself into the sea, & does not doubt in his heart, but believes what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24.Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours....but then Andy read further.

25.And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

 

That evening, he gathered us all around him & asked us all to forgive him for being an angry husband & father. Dawson burst into tears...followed by the rest of us.... Little did we know that that was just the beginning of a chain of events...Last night, the children were listening to one of their bible school CDs & the one song was how God hears our prayers & answers them if we believe...Dawson said, "momma, I started thinking God wasn't real. I prayed & prayed for daddy not to be angry all the time & I thought he wasn't listening to me or hearing my prayers. But when daddy said he was sorry & asked me to forgive him, I knew Jesus was real." Talk about being overwhelmed with emotion right then & there.

 

 

Another God-moment, was when we were driving up to see the Dr.s to get Andy's results. I could sense that he was nervous-anxious to know...I just reached over, closed my eyes & said a prayer of peace over him. I opened my eyes & within seconds of each other, we noticed that right in front of us, the sky opened up & brilliant beams of sunlight shined down in front of us, and everywhere else, the sky was overcast. we looked at each other with tears in our eyes, knowing that it would all be ok.

Dr. Lun gave us the results & said he has a 90% success with this type of cancer, & with God on our side, we believe Andy will recover fully from it.

Are we sad that we need to take this journey? absolutely!, it's not easy seeing someone you love go through a difficult time. But what Satan meant for evil, God is using for GOOD!

We would never trade our lives now for the life we knew a mere month ago, because through this process, God has blessed our family in so many ways that it's hard to fathom. Our marriage is stronger now than it's ever been, Jesus has been made real to our children. Gifts of encouragement, flowers, money, groceries, gift cards, gas money, & meals have been given at the exact moment we needed them, in some instances, without people even knowing that that was what we needed right at that moment.

God is providing for all the little things, right down to groceries given in the exact brands that I buy for us(without the giver knowing),He cares about the details of our lives & He is holding us in the palm of His hand. so I leave you with a song...keep praying and believing with us.

 

Thank you-Andy, Ruth & kiddos

 

  http://youtu.be/BJi_7f1cpbk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andy's results...a new normal

I will be sharing this Journey called Stage 2,Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, here on my blog.

I had thought I'd set up an entirely different page to post all the updates & progress but it all seemed too time-consuming. So I'm hoping you will visit us here, share our journey, & Pray for us as we go along.

On Friday, August 9th, Andy went to see our Family practitioner for what we thought was an infection that was causing 3 lymph nodes to swell on the right side of his neck.

The Dr. checked it out, prescribed a strong antibiotic & scheduled a CAT scan the following Monday, August 12th.

Turns out that it wasn't an infection at all, but severely enlarged lymph nodes. Large enough that it alarmed the Dr.s & we were called in to see a surgeon that same afternoon.

The surgeon recommended Andy to do a biopsy in the office before we left cause he suspected Malignant Lymphoma. That will be a day I will never forget. Driving home in complete silence, both of us trying to comprehend what had just transpired. Three of the longest days of our lives, we waited for biopsy results, praying that somehow the test would prove the Dr.s wrong, only to have them call & tell us that the biopsy that they removed on the 12th, wasn't significant enough to do all the testing they needed & that Andy would need to be scheduled for a repeat biopsy Wednesday the 21st. This time they would need to surgically remove it. All went well with the surgery & then we had another looong few days ahead of us, waiting for that biopsy result. Finally, on Monday the 26th they called to tell us that what they had suspected was true, Andy has cancer, BUT that is all they would tell us. The nurses scheduled us to come in this morning to let us know what type of Lymphoma, what stage he's at & to discuss treatment options.

Andy does have Stage 2, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. They want to do a repeat CAT scan & a bone marrow biopsy before starting Chemo. The Dr.s will also be surgically placing a port just under his skin to more easily administrate the chemo. Most of these tests will take place next week. Then we meet with Dr. Lun to discuss Andy's chemo schedule....

 

....In the mean time, we are all adjusting to a complete diet change. It was recommended that he starts eating Gluten & Sugar free, raw nuts & organic as much as possible. 

I have started making my own organic butter...

 

organic yogurt...

 

....and juicing our fruits & veggies

 

You can find the recipe for the homemade-organic yogurt here, rollermillfarms.blogspot.com

 

 

Since eating this way & supplementing with natural vitamins, Andy has made the comment numerous times, that he feels better & has more energy now than when he was a teenager! Physically, he feels & looks amazing & that can only help him in this journey that we will be on the next few months.

So we ask that you continue to keep us all in your prayers as we help Andy to fight this thing called cancer. I will update as we go along.

 

-Andy, Ruth & kiddos

 

 

 

 

 

 



Canning: Turkey

Canned turkey pieces is something I don't like to be out of. I use this in so many recipes. I also do chicken pieces, but we all prefer the turkey over the chicken.

-I wait to buy the turkeys till they go on sale(around Thanksgiving)I usually buy two, but Husband informed me that next time, 3 or 4 might be ok(he saw the amount of jars that I got from 2 turkeys & thought that will never last us for a year :).

-Bake the turkeys according to instructions on the pkg., let cool then drain all the broth into a water pitcher, refrigerate broth & turkeys overnight.All the fat will have risen to the top of the pitcher & hardened overnight & can be easily removed. Warm the broth in a sauce pan over low heat while you pick all the meat off the turkeys(remove all the skin 1st and discard).

-I like to use wide-mouthed pint jars to can the turkey. Fill jars with turkey, up to the neck of the jar. -Add 1/2tsp. salt to each jar & then take the broth that you reheated & pour into the jars,(up to the necks of the jar).

-Clean the rims of the jar well! (If any greasy residue is left on the rim, the jar will not seal properly).

-Place the lids & rings on the jars & place in your canner.

-Fill the canner with water, up to the neck of the jars & add 1/2c. vinegar(to keep your jars from getting covered in a chalky residue).

-Bring the water to a rolling boil & time it for 3hours.

-Remove from the canner & place jars onto tea towels for 24hrs.(to insure proper cooling & sealing of the jars).

-The next day, remove the rings & clean the jars with lukewarm soapy water, then they are ready to store.

 

The recipe I'm sharing with you is a family favorite! I haven't made it in awhile cause I've been out of the canned turkey. When I made it for my family tonight, it disappeared in under 10min.! no joke. There wasn't nearly enough so next time I'll be needing to make 2 pans!

It is definitely a recipe for the busy-get dinner on the table quickly-mom. It will likely take me longer to type up this recipe than it will take to make it!

 

Turkey Dumplings

 

 

2TBS. butter

2TBS.flour

1can cream of chicken soup

1can, canned turkey

salt & pepper to taste

Bisquick mix

fresh or dried parsley

 

Preheat oven to 375'

-melt butter in a large cast iron pan, add flour & stir till smooth. Add 1-11/2 cup milk till smooth & bubbly then add canned turkey.Add 1can cream of chicken soup & salt & pepper to taste.

Mix 2cups bisquick with 2/3cup milk & drop by spoonful onto the turkey mixture.

Sprinkle with parsley flakes. Place in the oven at 375' till the tops of the biscuits are golden brown. remove from the stove & ENJOY! (we sure did).

 

Happy canning!

 



Canning: Banana pickles

Banana Pickles

Banana Pickles & 7day sweet pickles are the only pickles that my family will eat(and I always get my Mom to make the 7day sweet for me cause they never turn out quite as good if I do them) :)

Recipe:

Peel & slice in quarters, length-wise.

Pack tightly into quart or pint jars.

In a large saucepan, combine:

6cup organic cane sugar

2cup water

2cup vinegar

2tsp. turmeric

2tsp. salt

2tsp. mustard seed...

...Bring to a boil then time it for 1minute.

Pour over the pickles in the jars, up to the neck of the jar.

Clean the rim of the jars thoroughly, then top with the lids & close tightly with the rings.

Place them in the canner, & fill the canner with water & 1/2c. vinegar. bring to a boil then time it for 10minutes.

 Remove from the canner & let the jars set for 24hrs to seal & cool completely on a tea towel.

Remove rings & clean jars with lukewarm soapy water before storing them.

TIPS:

*I often double or triple the sauce recipe for the pickles, depending how many pickles I have to do. It saves me some time. If there is leftover, I just store it in the fridge & warm it up when making the next batch.

*Instead of keeping the pickles in slices, I dice them in large chunks, it's easier for the children to eat them that way.

*When filling your canner with water, always make that the water temperature is as close to the liquid temperature in your jars as possible to prevent your jars from cracking & breaking.

I never use these in a recipe...

The children tend to eat them like candy if I open a jar to eat with a meal:)

Husband loves to pile them onto burgers.

Canning: Green beans

This is the beginning of a Blog series that I'll be doing through out the remainder of the Summer & Fall. I've had so many inquiries of how & what I freeze, can & preserve That I thought I'd document it all here & It will be easier to find it & refer to it as someone has a question.

I'll also try to include a quick, easy recipe using the ingredient that I'm preserving.

There is something about canning & preserving fruits & veggies that I've grown myself, to feed my family. It gives me a feeling of satisfaction that I'm feeding my family food that doesn't have loads of preservatives & ingredients that you can't hardly pronounce.

The 1st veggie harvested from our garden that needed preserving was green beans...

After I harvest & clean the green beans I pack them tightly into wide-mouth quart jars.

Add

 1TBS. real lemon juice

1Tsp. salt

Then fill with water, up to the neck of the jar.

Wipe clean the rim of the jar then place your lids onto the jars & screw the rings on tightly.

I use a hot water bath to do all my canning.

Place the jars into the canner & fill it with water, almost up to the neck of the jars. I also add a little vinegar to the water. It helps your jars to come out shiny & clear vs. chalky & dry(depending on your water).

Put the lid on the canner.

Turn your burners on high, when the water comes to a rolling boil, time it for 1hr. then turn off your stove top.

Lift the jars out carefully with canning tongs & place on a tea towel.

I leave mine set for 24hrs. before moving them to ensure they are all properly sealed & cooled.

Remove the rings & wash your jars with lukewarm soapy water, then they are ready to store!

 

Our favorite way of preparing the green beans...

Drain all the water from the jar.

In a medium saucepan brown 3TBS. butter.

Immediately add the green beans to the pan.

Then season with Greek seasoning.

Toss beans in the saucepan till hot, then serve.

Our children wouldn't touch green beans with a 10ft pole till I prepared them with Greek seasoning. Now I can't hardly make enough.

 

 

 

PS...I used to cold pack my gr. beans for 3hrs! (to ensure proper sealing of the lids) till I discovered the acidity in the real lemon juice only requires you to cold pack them for 1hr...HUGE difference! I'll never go back!

 

Happy canning ya'll!



CAMPING.The good. The bad. The ugly.

The Good...

I have wonderful memories, going camping with my family, as a little girl. We went every summer. I want to make that my own children get to have memories of camping in the summer-time also!

Asher finally sprouted his very 1st tooth over the weekend!!

Little man loves Oreo cookies! :)

And the after pic...

Bath time for the babies was so much easier in a big plastic storage box than it would have been to take them to the shower houses :)

Tail-gate party with daddy...

We had the playground right beside our sites, the lake right in front of us & the pool right behind us. The perfect spot to keep track of all the kiddos!

GOTCHA! This one was on the move all weekend & I rarely had a chance to snap a photo of him. :)

"chopping wood" for the campfire.

 

This one was held WAY too much over the weekend!

 

The Bad...

There wasn't near enough pool time. There was a lot of rain on Friday evening & most of the day Saturday but we did still get a chance to get in in-between rain showers.

 

Then there was...The Ugly.

There were so many mosquitos & deer flies it was ridiculous!!!

The children have huge welts where they were bit up & it didn't matter how often you sprayed your skin with OFF spray, they were NOT deterred! All of us were plastered with bites except for the babies, was so thankful they weren't bothered by them. It made sitting around the campfire a much less pleasant experience :(

 

There was also our sleeping arrangements...

1st of all, we were using a tent that slept 6 & we managed to get 7 people in there with about 3sq. ft. of walking space. Imagine an air mattress, a pack n play, & 4 sleeping bags, all in a row. Inside a tent, that was sitting on a slope(the only shady spot). Everyone fell asleep ok, but keeping them that way turned out to be a MAJOR challenge! River, who was sleeping next to Asher's pack n play, kept sliding under it. The older 3 children kept rolling down onto a heap at the back of the tent as they would shift & move in their sleep. Which would then turn into them waking in a jumbled heap & literally having all-out war over where they all belonged & who's sleeping bag was who's.

At one point they had River dragged halfway across the tent thinking He had their sleeping bag!

all I could see at one point was silhouettes of sleeping bags flying in the moonlight & children whispering loudly that they didn't have the right sleeping bags-it wasn't pretty! That is when I say through clenched teeth, in a loud whisper,THAT IS ENOUGH! or we are piling into the van & headed home! It only took a few moments for them to be ok with the sleeping bags that were closest & fall back asleep.

Don't let the innocent faces fool you...

Hey there! Good morning baby love!

 

...And when morning came, I had a nice heart to heart with Husband, letting him know, tent camping is no longer an option. If we don't have a camper to rent or have a camper of our own by the time we go camping again, then mamma is taking the babies home to sleep every night & papa can deal with the sleeping bag ninjas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



6...on the 7th

I'm a day late posting for the birthday boy. Better late than never, I guess...

One of the children's favorite places to go to play is Christmas Run Park. There is a creek that runs through the lower part of the park that they love to catch minnows, salamanders, & crayfish.

There is also a huge play area where a child could stay busy for many hours. A great place to take the kiddos.

When I asked Weston where he'd like to have his party, Christmas Run Park was at the top of the list.

Now, The boy's Mother is no expert cake decorator, but the order was put in specifically for a Dinosaur cake, so a dinosaur cake he will get!

Turned out I had one pleased little guy!

Make a wish!

Grandmas & Grandpas, Aunts & Uncles & cousins were there to help celebrate the special day.

Weston took one look at the shape of the gifts & exclaimed, "there is no bow & arrows in my gift pile!" turns out Grandma got him a Nerf bow & arrow :)

He was one pleased little guy...

...Then it was time to get wet & catch some critters.

At the end of the day there were some VERY tired but mostly happy children.

You would think though, being a mom of 5, I would know better than to schedule a birthday party right over nap time!

 

Happy-Rainy Tuesday Y'all