Christmas 2008

This Christmas Jason and I received wonderful gifts. However, we were truly more blessed to give than receive. My parents have a beautiful Chalet home and they are always "doing" for others. It is actually hard to give to them, because they are so giving of their time, finances, care, etc. to others. Last Christmas my dad was bragging that in their 35 years of marriage they never had to purchase a new TV. Their current TV is HORRIBLE. It is an old Curtis Mathis in an ugly old wooden console. This was the same TV they had when Ryan and I were growing up. So, we shopped around, looked at Consumer News and Reports and in June we (Ryan, Jason and I) bought them a brand new 46" flat panel TV and stand. I was so excited to give this to them the night before Christmas that I could barley sleep!

Here is the old clunker!

Ryan and Jason hauling the new TV upstairs

And here it is all ready to go! They LOVE the TV and can't get over the quality of the picture! (I posted 2 today, so keep scrolling down)

White Christmas

These were the views we woke up to Christmas Morning! It was beautiful. We went to open gifts at my parents and the farther south we traveled the less snow there was.A view down the road of North Summerwood

Jason walking in the house after shoveling the driveway.

A picture of our house taken from across the street.

Great News!

Today Jason and I went in to find out the genetic testing results that were done on our baby. The baby had Trisomy (sp?), which was good news. People have 46 chromosomes. Our baby had 69. In other words instead of having one chromosome in each of the 46 chromosomal areas, the baby had three. Our Dr. said this was just a glitch. Pregnancies with that many chromosomes can't continue. She said either 2 sperm got caught in one egg, or the egg didn't split completely. So, nothing is wrong with our genetic material, this was a fluke of nature, and she was confident we would get pregnant soon again! All is well!!

Theraflu

This morning I woke up fully intending to go to church. As I was getting ready my body felt achy, I had awful chills, a headache, and stuffy nose. So, when Jason came home he made me some Theraflu which I had never tried before. The box has great claims of reducing flu like symptoms, but boy does it taste rank! However, the citrus smell is deceiving. It tasted like warm NyQuil and bitter lemons....yuck! I hope the great claims on the box come to pass soon.

Staff Christmas Party Progressive Dinner

Last Friday night was our Staff Christmas Party Progressive Dinner. It is always a lot of fun. We went to Bonna's house for appetizers, our house for crock pot soups, and then the the Feasel's house for desserts and games. There were four games we played (Yahtzee, Scrabble, Skip-bo, and Apples to Apples) in 1/2 hour segments. Each player kept a score card for the games and added them up at the end. The grand prize was 4 movie passes to the movies, and coupons for popcorn, along with 4 DVD's and movie candy. Brenda won that prize! Jason won the next prize which was the 4 movie passes and coupons for popcorn. Then there were about 12 other prizes the people with the next highest scores chose from. It was such a busy week that Brenda nor I had time to shop for the prizes. I have the most amazing and wonderful mom, as she was the one who spent Thursday shopping for us. Jason and I hauled chairs from school and tables from church, as we took out some living room furniture to fit every one in our house.

Jason and I spent Wednesday and Thursday evening getting ready. We felt like mechanics being under the tables to secure the wrapping paper.

Tana made a really YUMMY french bread with spinach, butter and garlic!We were SOOOOOO glad Kristina could make it! I sure miss her.

Let the games begin (and desserts)!

A Big Sigh...

I haven't created a new post in a while, because Jason and I have had a hard time dealing with our recent loss. The hardest thing was dealing with the shock, which left a painful sting. After the D&C, I went back to work quickly so I could get back into a routine. This is the hardest thing I have ever had to walk through. When I stay busy, I am okay....but the loss still hits me in quiet or down moments.....in the middle of the night when I roll over, seeing another pregnant woman in the grocery store, etc. When my heart gets troubled, I am already thanking the Lord for the blessing of the baby that he will someday give us. Jason said when he found out the news he went for a very long drive, cried, screamed, yelled and was okay. It has been a bit harder for me, and still is at times. My doctor is amazing! She said I am one of her healthiest patients and she was confident that we should be pregnant very soon again. One of the things we did find out was that the hives were not in any way linked to the pregnancy (great news!) like the allergist thought they were. We decided that next time we are going to wait until we are through the first trimester to share the news. In talking with others our loss seems very common, in that it has happened to a lot of other people. So, thank you for such comforting comments, prayers, cards, gifts, hugs and shoulders, and for caring.

Blessed Be Your Name

Today was my 10 week appointment. Sadly to find out, the baby passed away about 2 weeks ago while in my tummy, due to fetal cardiac arrest, meaning that the heart stopped beating. Early tomorrow morning I have a D&C. Our hearts have been shattered through this news today. However, we have a peace and hope as we trust in the Lord. Even in this circumstance, though the Lord gives and takes away, out hearts will truly say, "Lord blessed be Your Name."

Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving weekend was a wonderful time that we spent with family and friends. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of Thanksgiving day, as I was really nauseous. We had the big dinner at our house and the normally delicious aromas of food cooking turned my tummy upside down. Ryan, my brother, who is also a full time student at PSU was able to join us. He hasn't been able to be with us on Thanksgiving for a few years due to work and his practicum schedule. After dinner, he and Jason put Christmas lights on the house.

For about 8 months Jason and I have been saving, researching the consumer reports, and pricing flat panel t.v's. A few weeks ago we ordered our 46 inch t.v., and it arrived this weekend. We were so thankful that Ryan was home to help Jason with the wall mounting and installing (I can't lift too much right now). We put the t.v. in our bedroom across from the bed. We had the perfect wall space. We were going to put it in the living room, but it is what you call a "great room." Currently when we watch t.v. we have to have it up pretty loud as there aren't a lot of close walls for the sound to bounce off of....and where the currently t.v. is in the living room will be the same side of the house where the nursery will be located.....we didn't want to disturb the baby with the loud television.
Getting the wall mount level was a little tricky!
Ta-daa! All finished! We totally LOVE having the t.v. in our room. Ryan brought home his gaming system and in the evenings we have had a blast playing family video games. We hooked up our blue-ray player to the tv, which makes you feel like you are in a theater when you watch the movies....the picture is amazing! I also have been wanting an artificial tree for the bedroom in addition to the real one we have in the living room. We got a great deal Friday on this 7 1/2 foot tree.

The Nutcracker

On Sunday afternoon Jason, Brandon, Kristina, and I went to the Nutcracker. It was all sold out and was a wonderful show, not to mention that students and friends we knew performed in the ballet. Then we went to the Ikola's for dinner and exchanged Christmas gifts.

I got country/shabby chic home decor, which I absolutely LOVE.

Brandon got golf goodies.

Kristina got a red pillow to match her house and snowmen bowls.

Jason got golf and Sudoku puzzles.

Who Are You?

Okay, this might sound strange, but we have noticed a reader from a connection in Owosso, Michigan reading our blog. In the comment section, can you please tell us who you are.....we are curious?

I've Been Tagged

Cheryl and Jessica "tagged" us and I have finally had time to sit down and blog this week. The challenge was to find the fourth picture in your fourth album and post it. Jason is 7 years old watching cartoons while visiting grandma. I am 6 and have just woken up Christmas morning (note the great morning hair).

Our Sunday

Last night I decided not to take the antihistamine and see what would happen with the hives. This morning was the start to many hives today. I don't think I will do that again! Here a smaller hive to the right of my wrist.

Jason is such a sweet guy! He has been so helpful today, which he always is. After church the weather was gorgeous. I asked Jason to help me finally turn over my summer garden and help me make it into a compost.

Then, I needed to change the bedding in the guest bedroom from summer to winter bedding. So, Jason started with the bed skirt (which really requires 2 people...but I am pregnant, so he did it). He flipped the mattress against the wall. While he was maneuvering the skirt to the top of the bed, the mattress fell on top of him! I was on the other side of the house puttering, and heard a faint flailing noise. I thought it was one of the kitties outside. But, upon further investigation this was what I found!

I am almost 9 weeks pregnant and have occasional waves of nausea, so in between the waves I made this yummy dinner of Lemon Garlic Chicken with Rice. However, a wave hit me and I had chicken noodle soup for dinner instead.

Happily Discomforted

I realized I haven't posted in a while, but for a good reason. As soon as we found out I was pregnant I came down with Strep Throat and was really sick for about a week. At the same time I was coming down with awful hives. My lips swelled to 4x's their original size, my eyes swelled shut, my throat almost swelled shut, and hives under my skin appeared all over. We thought maybe they were food induced or environmental. Lots of factors were eliminated, but the hives still appeared all over my face, every other day, only at night, and when I slept. I was beginning to wonder if I was allergic to myself. Any body part I touched or accidentally brushed would swell up with these awful hives. Jason wanted to post a picture of my misery, but I was worried it would scare people away! After being to 3 different doctors, my allergist finally had some answers. The hives are basically pregnancy induced. They took a lot of blood work today to run some tests today. I feel very relieved, and happy that there is a solution and some closure, AND I can start eating real food again!

Strange Morning Routines of An Elementary Teacher

WARNING: If you have students in either of our classes, please do not share this information with them until AFTER school tomorrow, as they will soon find out! So, I had all the signs and symptoms of pregnancy but negative results until this morning at 5:00 am! I woke up in some discomfort and had to go potty. I thought, on a whim, that I would take one last test. To my surprise it was positive, and Jason started his day waking up to my screams! I told Jason and them called my parents early too! Needless to say it has been a long day. I went to the doctor for some more tests and they found that I am 5 weeks pregnant and have a due date of June 24th! We are so excited and thrilled and wanted to share it with you, our faithful blogging friends!

BOO!

This is how I feel at the end of the day after being with 28 little ones.....just kidding! On Saturday my mom and I canned 50 lbs (69 1/2 pints) of pickled beets. A lot of people don't like pickled beets, but our family loves them (except for Jason). My hands were discolored for days. I tired scrubbing them with a fingernail brush, to no avail. On Sunday I was on the worship team and a couple of guys teased me, asking what I had just killed. However, the canning season is over. It is kinda funny because I have never canned this much. It was hard enjoyable work and now my cupboards are filled with all kinds of yummies for when the frost is on the pumpkin!

A few things....

This last weekend we canned applesauce...it was yummy and we got 50 pints of applesauce and 6 quarts of apple juice. We borrowed this strange contraption from a lady at church. It saves us hours of time.

Kristina is seasoning the applesauce. The post was so big that she needed a stool for proper stirring leverage (hee-hee). You have to check out Cheryl's post of Alyssa on her blog ( Lookin' Good). It is hilarious. I have watched the footage at least 5 times tonight....it is SO funny.

Tomatoes and Apples

Here are some delicious tomatoes being cooked down to can.

Kristina, my mom, and I were pretty rummy when it came time to make the apple pie filling. We each ended up with a burned finger, arm, or hand by the end of our endeavors. Here I was putting the apple pie filling ingredients together and Kristina was stirring. However, on two occasions, I forgot to turn on the burner for her and so she was stirring and stirring for quite some time before she realized nothing was happening! We all got a good laugh.
Jason and Brandon even got in on the action of peeling apples (with a potato peeler..it was all we had!)
Ahhh.....the signs of a hard days work! We made 50 quarts of tomatoes and 50 quarts of apple pie filling.

Fall and The Farm

On Saturday Kristina, my mom, and I went to Lehene Farms to pick tomatoes (more...I thought they were nuts to can more tomatoes) and apples for apple pie filling. However, when we arrived Fall was in the air. So we had to get a few pictures before we started our hard work (I will post that later).

Kristina and I decided we will buy this farm when it is for sale, quit teaching, and run the business. We will have a barn that has a store like Treasures of the Heart in it too. Then Brandon and Jason and work real jobs to support our newly found hobby! We haven't told them yet about our plan.....

Sometimes I think Kristina and my mom have more fun hanging out together. Kristina is always commenting on how she really loves my mom. So, Kristina was excited to see a squash with an endearing name, and bought it for her! We all got a kick out of this!!