For those who may not understand...

Lately we've been getting a lot of questions as to why Andy isn't taking chemotherapy.

Andy's progress is followed by an oncologist, but he chose to treat the cancer naturally.

The oncologist told us that the type of Lymphoma that Andy has is terminal. Meaning, unless God works a miracle, it cannot be cured.

Andy chose to have his cancer treated naturally cause chemotherapy takes a huge toll on your body & quality of life is rarely the same after treatment. He didn't want to put his body through that if there was no cure in the end anyway. We also felt very clearly that God directed us to natural medicine to control the tumors in his body. The Doctors told him if he takes chemo, they could give him 5-10 years. We also believe that no one but God decides how many years, months weeks or days of life we have left. 

Andy is doing what he believes is right for his body & feels great. hes lost 25lbs., slimmed down, has more energy & feels better overall than he has in years! He hasn't been sick(besides the cancer) in over a year & he used to have problems with his sinuses all the time(3-5 rounds of sinus infections in a years time) that would at times have him flat on his back & off work for several days.

Physically he is feeling great & will continue natural treatment. 

He has physical therapy 2 times a week besides the natural meds that he takes to detox, heal & help his body to be as strong as it can be.

Most people don't understand why we take the most expensive route. Medically(chemo), most of the cost would be covered by insurance. Natural treatment, (no insurance is accepted) & Andy's expenses are 600.00-700.00 a month, not including a natural stem cell treatment that is costing him 98.00 every 4 days. 

Most people don't understand why we made the choices that we've made. But we feel that God is leading us on this journey & will provide for Andy's expenses along the way.

Andy is due for another update with his NMD soon & he has a repeat CT scan in September.

We as a family covet your prayers for physical & emotional healing as Andy continues to live with cancer. Most days you would never guess that anything is amiss, looking from the outside in. But there is an almost daily struggle in our hearts & minds where we fight with the "whys"

Ultimately, God is in control of our lives, He sees the big picture that we don't see & when satan attacks with cancer, with emotional, physical & financial stresses & preys at our weaknesses. We need to trust that God sees & cares & will provide physically & emotionally everything that we need!

I'm hoping this update answers some of the questions we've been getting-thank you for your prayers. I'll update as we know more.

Memorial Day 2014

Our Memorial Day was a little unusual. We usually take the children to see a parade in the morning, then to a park for lunch & hangout poolside the remainder of the day if the weather permits.

This year Andy had to work half a day, so he took our oldest with him & I took the others to see my hometown Memorial Day parade.

We all came home about the same time & I put together a quick lunch that we ate on the front porch & then we set to work!

It's been so wet & rainy that we haven't been able to get into our garden, so that came 1st.

We had planned to downsize some due to the fact that we simply didn't have time to care for it properly, but when we found out Andy has cancer, we ended up making it even larger so we could grow our own organic fruits & veggies to cut down on grocery expenses.

We are also in the process of adding approximately 6 raised beds for blueberries, red & black raspberries, strawberries & root veggies-I'm super excited about the raised beds! I paid 6.75 for a half pint of  organic black raspberries last week & that is insane! I bought a plant today for less than that :)!

Our garden didn't produce well at all last year, so while planting I started to pray,"Lord, please let our fruits & veggies be plentiful this year & the weeds be minimal" & River, who stood beside me holding a paper bag full of of onion seeds, says,"Amen!....& help me be nice to girls" I hadn't even realized that I was praying aloud when he piped in with his portion of the prayer :)

Then it was time to tackle the mulch pile...

This is something we need to do every year cause we live atop a hill & by the end of the summer, half the mulch has usually blown away. We really should look into mulching with river rocks but I think mulch has a softer, more homey feel too it :)

This little man is a constant at our side when working in the gardens or flower beds. If it has anything to do with digging in the dirt or playing with water, he is ALL in!

Clothing is optional at our house in the summer-time. You rarely see a fully dressed child at any given time :)

I don't know if I've ever had a day where I went to bed as tired as I did on this day, but it came with a feeling of accomplishment! Although we didn't do anything really special, we had a day together. ALL of us together for the first time in a REALLY long time & it was so good!

Change...& exploring.

    Change is good. Whether it's my home, my wardrobe, my hair color or my blog...I get the itch to change it up every once in awhile :) I like change. It helps me to grow & learn new things...My blog title changed once again. Along with it came a new blog address. You can access all the posts I've made in the past, you just can't access the blog with mccl4.blogspot.com anymore, the new web address is growingupcountry7.blogspot.com I'm hoping you will continue to visit me here, I love the feedback!

    Today we decided to pack up the kiddos & take them to a place that I loved to visit as a little girl. Hoping to make some of the same memories for our children that I have today.

    "The Wilderness Center"  is a wildlife center with winding trails, beautiful ponds, lookout towers & so much more.

    There were tons of trees uprooted like this one due to all the storms we had last year...

    Feeding the fish & geese is always a highlight! I brought along a nice big loaf of stale bread & we had so much fun watching them scramble for the crumbs...

    

    One of the beautiful ponds...

    Grandma & Grandpa met us there to go hiking...sitting to rest after an all uphill winding trail. Having a snack of pretzels before heading to Grandmas house for supper...

   There is rain in the forecast for the next 3 days so we made the most of every bit of sunshine that we could get today-such a beautiful day! 

                                                 Have a blessed Sunday & a good week!

Preserving Pineapples without processed sugars

    This year I'm starting a new adventure. I've been canning & preserving for as long as I can remember. I learned everything I know by watching & helping my Mother year after year as a little girl, growing up. When my Husband & I got married, almost 12 years ago, I continued doing so for our family. This year I'll be learning a whole new way of canning & preserving. Using only natural, raw & whole sugars & sea salt to preserve my fruits, vegetables & meats. I will try & share each new recipe as I go along.
    I'm super excited to start filling my cellar shelves with delicious, wholesome foods that are good for my family.
    Today I'll be sharing my recipe for canning fresh pineapples. It's super simple.
    I found pineapples on sale at our local Aldi for 1.99 each!

 I bought 10 of them, cut them up in chunks & filled my jars. I then made a simple syrup using 1 1/2 cup raw local honey to 1 gallon hot water. I stirred the honey-water till all the honey had dissolved into the water. I then poured the simple syrup over the pineapple, in the jars till the neck of the jar(leaving about 1inch from the very top of the jar.
    wipe the rims of the jars clean with a hot, wet dishcloth. Place the lids & rings tightly on the jars & place them into your canner. Fill the canner, up to the ring of the jars with water that is the same temperature as the liquid in your jars. I add 1 cup vinegar to the water in my canner, it keeps the jars from getting a chalk-like film over the surface of the jars.
    Cold-pack for 7 minutes once the water reaches a full rolling boil. Remove from the canner & place on a tea towel till the jars are completely cooled.

I saved one pineapple for eating fresh & the remaining 9 pineapples made 2 quart & 21 pint.

Pizza Burrito Casserole

I made these for supper tonight & they were a huge hit! I've made taco versions & breakfast versions so I thought, why not a pizza version. Who says pizza has to be on a crust :)

Pizza Burrito Casserole

1 package whole spelt wraps

2 lb. grass-fed hamburger, browned

1 small package uncured pepperoni

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 small onion, chopped

1 small can mushrooms, chopped

1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1-1 1/2 cup pizza sauce

-brown hamburger & add pepperoni, peppers, onions, mushrooms & 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. You can add as many or as little ingredients as you like. These are just the ingredients that we like. Fill the wraps  & place in a 9x13 greased pan. Cover the wraps evenly with the pizza sauce. Cover the pan with foil & bake at 350' for 30-40 minutes, uncover & top with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Return to the oven till the cheese is all melted.

Enjoy!

vegetable beef soup

Okay, so it's not Tuesday but I have another recipe for you all.

I can't take the credit for this one either, but it is delicious & I  can't keep it to myself. 

I've been canning veggie soup for years & apparently I've been doing it all wrong :) 

My friend shared this one with me one day over lunch & I had to make some of my own.

It has such a full bodied flavor without being over-the-top. So without further ado...:)

Vegetable Beef Soup

4lbs. roast

4-5 quart tomato juice

2-3 quart beef broth

1 quart each of;

carrots, chopped

peas or green beans 

corn

celery, chopped

navy beans

2c. onions, chopped

1Tbs. chili powder

1/2c. maple syrup

3Tbs. sea salt

-cook the roast in a crock pot, on low for 8-10hrs. pull apart into small pieces & set aside. In a large stock pot combine tomato juice,  beef broth, maple syrup & chili seasoning & salt. Add veggies & roast & simmer till broth thickens slightly. When desired thickness is reached, pour into jars & cold pack in a hot water bath for 3 hours.

-The beef broth is what makes this recipe so delicious! And the chili seasoning gives it the perfect balance of warmth.

enjoy!

The one where I vent & share random summer-time photos of my family.

Disclaimer: This is where I vent & then feel better. Some people write it all down & it's soothing for them to put it all on paper & walk away. Blogging about our journey is my way coping, my way of being OK with it all again. I do this for me.

Today was one of those days where there were lots of highs & lows. Starting first thing this morning when River came to our bedside & says, "I'm going to throw up mommy, my tummy hurts"

I grab him & run for the nearest bathroom-talk about hitting the ground running, at 6:00am no less!

And when he couldn't, I tucked him into some cozy blankets & we snuggled/tried to go back to sleep on the couch....then about 6:45 I get my 2nd wake up call from Asher who wants his warm(organic) chocolate milk bottle-yeah, I'm that mom-the one who feeds her child chocolate for breakfast.

Moving on...

Then it was time to call in reinforcements (daddy) to get the others up & ready for school while I bathed the stinky sick one...Then I come into the kitchen just as the big kids are heading out for the bus & realize lunches had not been packed! As I lovingly scowl at my better half, he says ever so kindly, "I'll help you get their lunches ready & run them down to school before they even know what they're missing"...hes pretty awesome like that.

Then about 10:00 I open the front door to see a friend with a handful of Walnutcreek Cheese donuts, wanting to help me for the day!!!! She baked 4 big, puffy loaves of organic sprouted spelt bread for me & helped me clean my bathrooms-thanks Gen!

She left about 2:30 & thats when the 3yr old wakes up with a screaming fever of 103.0!

The only thing ready for supper was a salad that Gen put together before she left & now I have a 3yr. old who wants nothing but to be snuggled till all the ouchies go away & a mommy who wants to do just that, but there is supper to prepare...

6 months ago I would have grabbed the phone & called the nearest pizza joint to deliver supper so I could snuggle my sick baby to his hearts content,but that wasn't going to happen cause there are exactly 3 people in the house that aren't supposed to have pizza unless it's homemade organic sprouted pizza.

This is where anger starts creeping in. Anger at the situation we've been put in. Anger that there are food limitations. Anger that all the food I worked so hard to prepare for my freezer & cellar last summer/fall are mostly things I can't use due to the new diet changes. So there are zero convenient foods in the house. Everything is made from scratch & there is nothing that I can just throw in the oven.

I make supper while sick one lays on the couch alone snuggled in his blankets & we eventually all sit down to eat. 

By this time little man's meds had started working & he was feeling well enough to sit & eat a few bites with us.

God must have known I needed a mood lifter & a good laugh cause during supper, our oldest, who usually dominates the dinner table conversations, was on a roll with all his stories from school..

Thats when we hear little pounding fists on the table & River saying, "I NEED TO TALK NOW!"

Someone was feeling left out :)

A little later, after supper(there was a 6yr. old who was NOT happy with his dinner) we were sitting in the living room when I remembered that I had found a Domino packet of sugar in the bathroom earlier today while cleaning. When said 6yr old discovered that he'd been found out he has a complete meltdown & says, "I'm tired of organic food!, I want REAL food!" 

I'm so thankful that God knows exactly what we need, when we need it...& tonight I needed some really good laughs & they came in the form of my exasperated children whom I love most dearly. 

So my prayer tonight is that tomorrow brings children that are feeling well. A mommy who is a little more organized with her meals. And a fun snowed-in day with my family!