Decrypt . . .

Didja miss me?

It's been well over a year since I've posted anything on this blog. Sad. I was just saying on Facebook that I miss blogging but I love FB more and I don't have time for both. But within 5 minutes here I am....

I'm sure the links on my sidebars are outdated and broken. Maybe I'll get around to fixing that... maybe I won't.

Facebook sure provides me with connections to people, daily, that I wouldn't otherwise have. That has an instant gratification element to it that blogging doesn't provide. But blogging provides a digital diary of sorts that I can't achieve at FB. Hmmmm. What to do... Maybe try both again. We'll see.

Anywhooo, nice to be back. For a minute anyway! ☺

Mission Minded

My 6.5-year-old son is on a mission to save our neighbor's life. The other day Adam said, "I don't think Jantzen's dad is very healthy." I asked why he thought that. He said, "Because he smokes." I agreed that wasn't a very healthy thing to do.

Several days later Adam entered our house saying, very dramatically, through clenched teeth, "I'm doomed!" Then he hid out it a darkened room. I asked why he was doomed. Adam explained that he was trying to save Jantzen's dad's life. "How?" I queried. He went on, "Well, I asked Jantzen if he wanted to save his dad's life. He said, 'Yes' so I told him to tempt his dad not to smoke." I interrupted at this point to say that USUALLY we are tempted to do something that we SHOULDN'T do not something that we SHOULD do, and then Adam continued. "Well, Jantzen went to his dad and said, 'Adam doesn't want you to smoke.' So I'm DOOMED!!! Those weren't the words I wanted him to say!" When I asked Adam what he did want Jantzen to say he said he didn't know but not THOSE words. I guess Adam wanted Jantzen to talk his dad out of smoking but to leave Adam out of it! :-) Adam thought he was doomed because he figured that Jantzen's dad would be mad at him. I told him that he probably wouldn't be mad.

Today, Rebecca brought me a picture that Adam had requested that she deliver to the neighbors. She delivered it to me instead. Good call, Rebecca!

Simply Complicated!

Why is simplifying so incredibly complicated?!?! While too much stuff is truly an issue, I'm really speaking about the systems I've created or adopted. While I don't mind working hard, I'd like to feel like I'm being efficient in my hard work and that I'm accomplishing and doing well the necessary tasks. Sometimes I feel like I'm spinning my wheels and a slave to the "system". I’m so busy keeping the machine going, I don't have the time to determine if I'm using the best machine... Know what I mean?

Yogurt-Making Tutorial

Here is the process I use to make my own yogurt. You might need to tweak these instructions to tailor them to your situation and taste.

Make sure all tools you use are VERY clean. Getting any bad bacteria into your yogurt will ruin it.

You will need:
-thermometer
-large sauce pan
-whisk
-jars or plastic containers
-milk
-plain yogurt (to use as a starter)
-powdered milk and/or gelatin (optional)
-insulated cooler
-towels

I use powdered milk and gelatin in my recipe because I like the consistency better that way. It makes a firmer yogurt. It’s not a necessary ingredient but the result will be a softer yogurt.

STEP 1: Heat milk (and whisked-in powdered milk & gelatin) to 145° - 160°F.

STEP 2: Remove from heat and cool milk to about 125-130°F. If the milk is too hot you will kill the starter when you add it. If it's too cool you won't activate the cultures.

STEP 3: Inoculate with starter yogurt. (Plain, no sugar added, with LIVE cultures) Whisk starter yogurt into the milk and then pour into your containers.

STEP 4: Incubate @ about 130° for 4-6 hours. I do this by filling an insulated cooler with very hot water and letting it heat while I get the milk mixture ready. Then I pour out the water, put in my filled jars and refill with fresh, hot water up to the neck of the jars.





STEP 4 (continued): Wrap the cooler in towels or blankets to help hold in the heat and let it sit for 4-6 hours. Yogurt likes to be VERY STILL while it's culturing so be careful not to jostle it.

STEP 5: Remove jars from the cooler and refrigerate. The yogurt will firm up more after refrigeration.

---

Ingredients for each quart of yogurt:

4 cups milk
2 Tablespoons powdered milk
1 teaspoon gelatin
2 Tablespoon plain yogurt

Here is a link to a printable copy of my basic recipe: www.cindee.net/Yogurt.pdf

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Why I don't trust the swine flu vaccine

There is so much information out there to sift through in order to formulate an opinion on this that it's a bit daunting. There's a lot I could talk about here but I just don't have the time or energy to do it. However, I do want to touch on some things.

Thimerosal- Some formulations of the vaccine contain thimerosal and some do not. Pre-filled, single dose syringes contain no thimerosal or have it removed to trace levels. Multi-use vial DO contain it. Know what you are getting before you get it! Here is a table (Table 1) at the FDA website that has this information detailed. (It's on page 3)

Before I continue I want to say there are four FDA approved vaccines. Three injectables:

• Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine (CSL Limited)


• Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine (Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Limited)


• Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine (Sanofi Pasteur, Inc.)

And one intranasal:
Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine (MedImmune LLC)

Pregnant Women- In every list I can find, including the Center for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration (page 3), pregnant women are at the top of the list of the ones who should be getting this vaccine. YET..on the package insert found at the FDA’s own website (page 12 section 8.1) I read this: “Pregnancy Category C: Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine or FLUVIRIN. It is also not known whether Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine or FLUVIRIN can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction capacity. Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed. (emphasis mine) Even with that admission, they say that “If you are pregnant, you should get vaccinated against H1N1 (swine) as soon as possible. So, on one hand they say a pregnant woman should only get the vaccine if it’s "clearly needed" but then on the other hand they indicate that being pregnant is reason enough to be vaccinated! I do not trust these people. Furthermore,

Nursing Mothers- Do nursing mothers know that “because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine is administered to a nursing woman? It’s on the package insert. (page 12 section 8.3)

Young Children- Children from age 6 months up are recommended to be vaccinated, but in the package insert for the vaccine it says, “Safety and effectiveness in pediatric subjects below the age of 4 years have not been established. (page 12 section 8.4) So we don’t know if it’s SAFE OR EFFECTIVE but go ahead and vaccinate them anyway! I don’t think so.

The links to the package inserts I've included are all to the Novartis vaccine. The other two injectables say essentially the same thing about pregnant and nursing women, just a little different wording. However, the CSL Limited package insert says this about pediatric use: “Neither Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine nor AFLURIA has been evaluated in children. Safety and effectiveness in the pediatric population have not been established. (page 8 section 8.4) The Sanofi Pasteur insert says, “Safety and effectiveness in pediatric subjects below the age of 6 months have not been established." (page 10 section 8.4)

Maybe I’m missing something or I’m misunderstanding something here but this vaccine doesn’t seem like a good thing to me! Aren’t you glad I don’t have the time and energy to get into the other aspects of this that are unsettling to me!! ☺

A convergence of thoughts

Opening our fists, releasing our hold, and giving financial gifts to individuals and/or organizations becomes really easy if we recognize that it's God's money in the first place. Dave Ramsey says, in his Financial Peace University, that, "You and I are asset managers for the Lord, so if we view it properly, we aren't giving our own money anyway." It's really easy to give away someone else's money! Fun even. I really appreciate Dave Ramsey bringing that principle into focus for me. It's not mine anyway, I can give it away freely. Now hold that thought a moment...

Often I feel stretched to my limit, spread to thin. There's not enough of me to go around. This one needs a diaper change, this one wants me to read a book. That one needs to talk about friendship issues and the other one needs his tail kicked because he got side-tracked from doing a chore. You know the feeling, right? On top of that, I'D LIKE A NAP! Or to read a book, or write this post without interruption! There isn't time to do it all and certainly not time to do all the the things I'd like to do and do them well. So I have to choose. I have to NOT do some things. Then my Sense of Entitlement rears it's ugly head. I get grumpy. I feel sorry for myself. I start thinking that too much is being asked of me, no one appreciates me, and "why can't I just DO this thing I want to do without anyone bothering me?" (stamps foot!) See how ugly it can get?

One day a Scripture popped into my head (thank you Mr. D for requiring me to memorize Scripture in school!). "...you are not your own. You have been bought with a price..." 1 Cor. 6:19b-20. Now I wasn't remembering the Scripture perfectly and the issue being written about was s3xu@l immorality, BUT... I think I can still make an application. Here's where the two thoughts converge. I'M NOT MY OWN. I've been called to be a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). My life belongs to Jesus. SO...it doesn't need to be difficult to give myself away. Now it's not as hard to just put the book down and go meet the need of a child. It's not such an irritation to stop in the middle of a project and resolve a squabble. Why? Because I AM NOT MY OWN. I'VE BEEN BOUGHT WITH A PRICE. I am not mine anyway, I can give myself away freely. It's easier. Fun even.

Hold that thought too.

Because he's beautiful...

Levi Quinn - 7.5 months

Levi at 6.5 months (2-18-09)

I'm still alive. I just got sucked into the black hole of Facebook. Oh. My. Goodness. It's been so fun reconnecting with SO MANY people from my past. I swear it's a little taste of heaven. Except for the guilt associated with spending so much time on it. I just keep thinking that in heaven I'll get to do this but to perfection and with no time constraints and no guilt. And then I think that however exciting and enticing that sounds it will be nothing, NOTHING, compared to the sweet fellowship with the Creator of the universe and the Saviour of my soul and the Keeper of my heart.

I feel it more and more.

This world is not my home, I'm just a passin' though.

Those with young

Do you have young? Do you need encouragement? I do. On both accounts. I'm tired. I'm overwhelmed. I cannot do this on my own power. Here is a Message:

He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; He gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11

Our Lord is not heavy-handed nor is He absent from our lives. Take heart in that!

Advent Season

I want to share a couple thoughts from the sermon I heard today. I've never really known what the Advent Season is. I've always just figured it had something to do with Christmas since that is the only time I've ever heard it spoken about. I learned something new today.

Advent (from the Latin word adventus, meaning "coming") is a season of the Christian church, the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus, in other words, the period immediately before Christmas. It is the beginning of the Western Christian year and commences on Advent Sunday.

Latin adventus is the translation of the Greek word parousia, commonly used in reference to the Second Coming. Christians believe that the season of Advent serves a dual reminder of the original waiting that was done by the Hebrews for the birth of their Messiah as well as the waiting that Christians today endure as they await the second coming of Christ. (From Wikipedia)

I think that the Advent we should focus on is the one yet to be. The preacher said, "While Jesus' birth is important, His return is imminent. ...It's hard to see what's ahead when we are always looking backward." We can get so distracted by what was that we forget that something is still to come. His return IS imminent...are you ready? Are you watching? Are you expectantly waiting and preparing?

O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Refrain

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." Matthew 25:13

Cardboard Testimonies

I had never seen any Cardboard Testimonies until today when a friend sent me a link to the Cardboard Testimonies at Richland Hills Christian Church in N. Richland Hills, Texas. The idea is that everyone has a story and the testimonies tell various people's stories before and after Jesus. I went looking for it on YouTube so I could embed it here on my blog but I couldn't find it there. What I did find was there are several CT's to watch on YouTube, just not the one I saw first by following the link. Sooo, click on the link and spend a few (worthwhile) moments seeing the difference Jesus has made in people's lives.

I've embedded a different one below from YouTube. It's good also. Of course it's good...It's God working in the lives of people...that's always good.

Why I'm AWOL

What I've done today (Oct 10th):

diaper
nursing
breakfast/refereeing
rocking
schoolwork
peeling apples
bathroom
nursing
diaper
schoolwork
laundry
hollering
cooking apples
rocking
e-mail
mashing apples
craft beads
refereeing
give a test
lunch
nursing
diaper
baby swinging
peeling apples
rocking
explain perfect tenses
cooking apples
stepping on craft beads
mashing apples
phone call
change toddler
nursing

I quit making the list because I just didn't have time. I've been reading blogs intermittently but I've no time/energy to post. I miss it but I AM enjoying my little lambs. That's a good thing.

Here's an article about why we maybe should avoid calling our children "kids": Is There A Better Word Than Kids?

Baby Levi at 2 1/2 months:

Feeling Grateful

Somehow I don't feel much like complaining about grocery prices!!

Headline: Price of rat meat quadruples in Cambodia as inflation bites

I'll happily pay the extra for milk and eggs that I'm paying...

Because he's just SO cute...

Levi & Daddy

Nighty-night

Bathtime

Announcing.....

My pregnancy ticker at the top of the page is wrong. I do NOT have 5 days to go. Because my new little boy is 4 days old now!! :-) Yep, that's right. I finally had that sweet little boy and I feel SO much better. I knew I would. Okay, the details. Levi Quinn was born Wednesday morning, July 30th, at 6:25 a.m. It's hard to say how long the labor was because I had been in mild/moderate labor for DAYS!!! But I arrived at the hospital at 3:50 a.m. and he was born at 6:25. That's 2 hours and 35 minutes later. Sounds good, eh? Levi weighed 9 pounds 13 ounces and was 21 1/4 inches long with a 14 1/2 inch head. There was a lot of baby all bunched up inside of me and we both seem happy with his change of address! :-) Labor was uneventful except for the remarkable fact that I HAD A BABY!! :-) It was unmedicated as I wished, I labored in the tub until the last possible moment, I didn't tear so there were no stitches (yea!!), my doc let me deliver the placenta unassisted, she waited until the cord stopped pulsing in order to cut it, the doc didn't break my water (even though she asked if she could during those last few moments). BTW, her reason for wanting to break the water wasn't good enough so I said no. She wanted to break it because she didn't want it to break all of a sudden, in a gush, all over her! I said "isn't that why you get paid the big bucks!?!?" Soon my water broke all over her. She said, "That's what I mean." Funny! I pushed for 11 minutes and then I had my sweet 'little' baby! Well, that's all I have time to write for now. We're pretty busy and nursing is a little rough right now because Levi is tongue-tied but hopefully that will be remedied tomorrow at the doctor's office. Here's a link to a slideshow of Levi's hospital pics. I put it together really quickly so they aren't all the best pictures, I just dumped them all into the slide show without being choosy. Enjoy!! BTW, I worried in my last post what message I was conveying to (especially) my 12 y.o. daughter... Today she said, "I sure hope Levi isn't going to be the youngest child around here..." Hoo boy!

Weak and Heavy-laden

I'm having so much trouble being cheerful and thankful at this point in my pregnancy. I've just been miserable and oh so tired. I don't sleep much at night and that makes days with my 4 children not so pleasant. I feel like I'm complaining at every turn and I can't seem to get it under control. I just want to be DONE! I've never felt this uncomfortable during a pregnancy before. Maybe it's my age?? I'm 39. I find myself worried that maybe I'll have to do this again and I won't be able to do it again. That's certainly not the attitude I wish to have and not the attitude I want to convey to my children (especially my 12 y.o. daughter!)

I feel so badly that I'm not able to do the stuff I normally can do and because of that I'm placing a much bigger burden on my husband. It seems like such a burden that my children are having to bear because I'm not up to my usual duties. I feel like the house is falling apart despite my husband's valiant efforts, I feel like my kids aren't getting the attention and care that they want and deserve. I wonder why in the world I put in a garden that I can't maintain. I wonder what we are doing that we should eliminate in order to have more time for the important. I wonder how to balance the fact that I just cannot do certain things with the fear that I'm being lazy and taking advantage of the situation.

Sometimes I don't know I've overdone things until it's too late. I look back and realize 'oh, THAT, was too much'. I'm light-headed, dizzy, and I stagger around the house sometimes with contractions that don't allow me to stand up straight but I have to keep going because dinner needs to be made and the contractions I'm having, while they are difficult, aren't accomplishing anything at the moment. I know (because I've had other pregnancies where I contract for WEEKS/MONTHS before delivery) that it all those contractions make for a pretty fast labor in the end BUT it's so hard to be in mild labor almost all the time. I think I'd rather just save it for the end where everything else stops and I can just have the baby. Instead, I doing labor and life at the same time. I don't like it. But that's where I am and somehow I need to find ways to be cheerful, thankful, and trusting that God is at work in this pregnancy, my life and in my family.

This is a pretty bad pity party but maybe I'm venting enough here that things will get better. Meaning, of course, that my attitude will get better. Just pray with me that I will remember to avail myself of the privilege of laying my burdens at the foot of the cross and remember that Jesus can take our burdens and turn them into joy!

Forgive me for taking this verse out of context but I've been thinking of this one a lot during this pregnancy:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS
What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer
Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there.

Laundry at Midnight

I got out of bed to put all the baby clothes that have been packed up into the washing machine. Maybe I'm getting ready too early but then maybe I'm not. It's so hard for me to tell. I've been very uncomfortable today. Lots of contractions, gastrointestinal upset, some vomiting. I never know if I'm just doing too much or if "something" is happening. I need some clear, unmistakeable sign that "this is it". Breaking of my waters would do it but I don't want it because the last two times my water broke in the hospital the baby was born within 9 minutes and the second time was within 7 minutes. I definitely don't want my water breaking at home! So I'm left to wonder when things get strange, "Is this it??" Just in case, I'm laundring baby clothes and blankets. Tomorrow I plan to wash the infant car seat cover and get that all ready. Maybe I'm setting myself up for a really long wait or else I'm just being prepared.

My Ambien is kicking in...I better hit the hay.

Getting some ZZZ's

I got some pretty good sleep last night. What a blessing. I haven't been sleeping well for a few weeks due to my restless, twitchy legs. I've been averaging about 2-4 hours a night. That is just not enough for me. My doctor prescribed Ambien for me Friday, June 27th and I slept great that night. It didn't work the next night! I was so disappointed. A couple of days later I decided to take two and THAT worked much better. At my last appointment she (my doc) said that taking 2 if fine but it would be better if I was only taking it 2-3 times a week. So I pretty much have to decide ahead of time if I really need to sleep on a particular night or if this night will be one of the ones that I'm tossing and turning, up taking a hot bath, and getting no sleep. My right eye has been twitching on and off for about 3 weeks now and I'm sure that it's due to the lack of sleep. I had a mild case of this when I was pregnant with Abby but it wasn't much of a problem and it went away after her delivery. I'm sure hoping the same is the case this time. I'd hate to be up in the night trying to rock and nurse my new little one and unable to sit still! I'm hopeful that it will go away in time.