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Mary Ellen
Friday, May 31, 2013
Last Day to Sign Up - Blogelina FREE 4 Week Online Blogging Class!
Just a reminder - Today is the last day to sign up for the FREE 4 Week Online Blogging Class from Blogelina! This offer comes with a FREE year of web hosting :)
Go here to sign up for the FREE 4-week blogging class.
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Thursday, May 30, 2013
{Recipe Repost} Strawberry Vanilla Jam
It's strawberry season! On Mother's Day, we took a trip out to Vollmer Farm in Bunn, NC, to pick local, organically grown strawberries. The kids always enjoy spending time at the farm (especially the Back Forty playground!). And back home, I enjoy turning some of our fresh picked bounty into yummy Strawberry Vanilla Jam!
Rinse, hull and slice your strawberries. You will need 5 cups of crushed berries for the jam. I add the sliced strawberries to my Vitamix and pulse quickly, working in several small batches until I have the needed amount.
Add the crushed strawberries to a stainless steel saucepan along with 4 tablespoons of lemon juice, a 1/2 teaspoon of butter (helps to reduce foaming) and half a vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise. Whisk in pectin (1 - 1 1/2 boxes or 9 tablespoons). Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring frequently.
Next, add 7 cups of sugar (all at once), stirring constantly. Return the mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Using a large slotted metal spoon, skim off any foam. Remove the vanilla bean.
Nota Bene: Visit the Fresh Preserving website for instructions on how to prep jars and lids and for basic water bath canning procedures.
Add hot jam to prepared canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
Process jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. When processing time is done, turn off heat and remove the lid from canner. Allow jars to rest in canner for 5 minutes. Carefully remove jars from canner without tilting. Place jars upright on a towel in a draft-free area and let cool, undisturbed for 24 hours.
After 24 hours, check lids for seal before placing in pantry. If jars did not seal properly, refrigerate immediately or reprocess.
Mary Ellen
Disclosure
Monday, May 27, 2013
In the Kitchen - Red, White & Blue Strawberries
The kids joined me in the kitchen for a fun Memorial Day treat - Red, White & Blue Strawberries! I found the idea and recipe on Pinterest, of course!
Ashleigh & Reed dipping our strawberries in melted white chocolate
The strawberries set aside to harden after the first dipping
I didn't have the blue sprinkles as called for the recipe. But, sugar mixed with a few drops of blue food coloring work just the same!
Clayton adding the blue sprinkles
After we finished dipping the strawberries, it seemed a shame to let the leftover melted chocolate go to waste. So, I took some store bought crème filled cookies and dipped them in the white chocolate!
Waste not, want not :)
Happy Memorial Day!
Mary Ellen
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Praise!
Life is certainly like a roller coaster - ups and downs. I've shared a good number of downs lately. So, here is an UP - and a picture of Ashleigh when she was 2 years old just because :)
Dave was called into another meeting with the head of his agency again this morning. The word as of now is all positions are safe. There will be no eliminations!!!! Praise God! With all that has been going on lately, part of me is holding my breath waiting for the other shoe to drop. But, I'm going to stand in faith and rejoice in this moment!
Thank you all for your heart felt prayers and well wishes!
Mary Ellen
Monday, May 20, 2013
Uncertainty
The last few months have been such a tumultuous season for our family. Now, another curve ball has been thrown our way. As you may know, my husband works for the State government. Apparently, there is a measure before the State House of Representatives that would eliminate several positions within his department - including his. Nothing is certain at this point as voting and such still needs to take place. But, by the end of June, it's possible Dave would be out of a job. We've walked this path before. Even though I find myself fighting to hold back tears, I know we will persevere.
While this was completely unexpected, looking back over the last few weeks, I can see God's hand moving behind the scenes. When my Mother was first hospitalized back in April with internal bleeding, we went into financial emergency mode. Dave cut back some budget categories and directed the surplus to our emergency fund. The thinking at the time was to have extra on hand should we need to find last minute summer care for the children. So, we're already in financial storm cloud/bare budget/savings mode. Just now, it's a different storm cloud! And recently, I began feeling the need (call) to pray for my husband. I've always prayed for my husband, my kids and our families. But, this calling is different. It's a call to pray with more intention specifically for my husband. I'm constantly amazed at how God knows all our needs even before we become aware of them!
While this was completely unexpected, looking back over the last few weeks, I can see God's hand moving behind the scenes. When my Mother was first hospitalized back in April with internal bleeding, we went into financial emergency mode. Dave cut back some budget categories and directed the surplus to our emergency fund. The thinking at the time was to have extra on hand should we need to find last minute summer care for the children. So, we're already in financial storm cloud/bare budget/savings mode. Just now, it's a different storm cloud! And recently, I began feeling the need (call) to pray for my husband. I've always prayed for my husband, my kids and our families. But, this calling is different. It's a call to pray with more intention specifically for my husband. I'm constantly amazed at how God knows all our needs even before we become aware of them!
Mary Ellen
Sunday, May 19, 2013
More Hospital Drama
Once again, my Mother is in the hospital. This time, it was a scheduled procedure. A bypass in her left leg to help increase blood flow and thus aid in the healing of the pyoderma gangrenosum wound. Prior to the procedure, her doctor informed us she would need a one or two day stay in the hospital for recovery. But, he wanted her up and active and back home as soon as possible. That's what we were expecting. What is happening at this moment is completely different.
We just received a call from the attending physician (an associate of the doctor she sees in office, but one we've never seen before). Right away, the doctor went into how some patients need to go into a "rehab facility" before going home. I could hear my Mother in the background and the doctor harshly responding, "I know you don't want to go". At that point, I began to feel numb and breathless. I asked the doctor if he wouldn't mind speaking with my husband and rushed the phone upstairs to Dave. Then, I literally collapsed in the nearest chair from sharp spasms in my back (panic/anxiety attack?). I could tell Dave was getting the run around from the doctor. The doctor told him to speak with the nurses about discharge orders as it was out of his control. But earlier this morning when Dave was visiting my Mom, the nurses told him it was the doctor's call. The doctor then went into some nonsense about Obama and Obamacare. Which led Dave to inquire if we should contact the White House about my Mother's discharge! After Dave hung up the phone, we were both in shock. Trying to process the information and taken aback by the doctor's behavior and manner. Apparently the doctor told Dave he didn't care one way or the other if my Mother ever came home! My husband's stepfather is a physician in private practice. His mother is a former nurse and currently works in the IT department of a hospital. In his time growing up around doctors, nurses and others in the medical field, my husband has never encountered a medical professional that spoke of a patient or to a patient's family in this manner. Dave left for the hospital shortly after his call with the doctor. My sister called me right after Dave left because she had received a call from my Mom. Momma told her the doctor left the room in a huff and threw the phone down on the bed.
Sigh...I don't understand why these people seem so intent on pushing my Mother into a nursing home! Never mind the fact my mother walked into the hospital last week for the procedure under her own strength! She was also up and walking the day after. Physical therapy was supposed to visit in her room yesterday and today, but never came. Still, my Mother has been up and walked around her bed to the bedside commode and to the recliner in her room. Understandably the nurses don't want her attempting to walk too much on her own due to risk of fall. When the doctor came in today, she just happened to be in bed. My Momma told my sister he didn't even check her stitches from the procedure. Just looked at her in bed and declared she should be sent to a "rehab facility"!
I just don't understand....It's not as if this is some elderly woman that lives alone with no assistance from family. It's not as if my Mother doesn't already have in-home physical therapy. Just last week, she was walking around the house, doing laundry and cleaning up in the kitchen. It's probably the best she's been in awhile. Now, again they are pushing for a nursing home!
UPDATE (5/20): Momma is coming home! I spoke with her hospital case manager this morning, and she's being discharged later today. The case manager was so much more pleasant than the doctor yesterday. And, there was no talk of sending her to an inpatient rehab facility. They are just going to order her to continue with the at-home physical therapy already in place.
We just received a call from the attending physician (an associate of the doctor she sees in office, but one we've never seen before). Right away, the doctor went into how some patients need to go into a "rehab facility" before going home. I could hear my Mother in the background and the doctor harshly responding, "I know you don't want to go". At that point, I began to feel numb and breathless. I asked the doctor if he wouldn't mind speaking with my husband and rushed the phone upstairs to Dave. Then, I literally collapsed in the nearest chair from sharp spasms in my back (panic/anxiety attack?). I could tell Dave was getting the run around from the doctor. The doctor told him to speak with the nurses about discharge orders as it was out of his control. But earlier this morning when Dave was visiting my Mom, the nurses told him it was the doctor's call. The doctor then went into some nonsense about Obama and Obamacare. Which led Dave to inquire if we should contact the White House about my Mother's discharge! After Dave hung up the phone, we were both in shock. Trying to process the information and taken aback by the doctor's behavior and manner. Apparently the doctor told Dave he didn't care one way or the other if my Mother ever came home! My husband's stepfather is a physician in private practice. His mother is a former nurse and currently works in the IT department of a hospital. In his time growing up around doctors, nurses and others in the medical field, my husband has never encountered a medical professional that spoke of a patient or to a patient's family in this manner. Dave left for the hospital shortly after his call with the doctor. My sister called me right after Dave left because she had received a call from my Mom. Momma told her the doctor left the room in a huff and threw the phone down on the bed.
Sigh...I don't understand why these people seem so intent on pushing my Mother into a nursing home! Never mind the fact my mother walked into the hospital last week for the procedure under her own strength! She was also up and walking the day after. Physical therapy was supposed to visit in her room yesterday and today, but never came. Still, my Mother has been up and walked around her bed to the bedside commode and to the recliner in her room. Understandably the nurses don't want her attempting to walk too much on her own due to risk of fall. When the doctor came in today, she just happened to be in bed. My Momma told my sister he didn't even check her stitches from the procedure. Just looked at her in bed and declared she should be sent to a "rehab facility"!
I just don't understand....It's not as if this is some elderly woman that lives alone with no assistance from family. It's not as if my Mother doesn't already have in-home physical therapy. Just last week, she was walking around the house, doing laundry and cleaning up in the kitchen. It's probably the best she's been in awhile. Now, again they are pushing for a nursing home!
UPDATE (5/20): Momma is coming home! I spoke with her hospital case manager this morning, and she's being discharged later today. The case manager was so much more pleasant than the doctor yesterday. And, there was no talk of sending her to an inpatient rehab facility. They are just going to order her to continue with the at-home physical therapy already in place.
Mary Ellen
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