simple smiles

One look out the window, and my day's plans stretched to include baking. So, when I stopped at the grocery for a couple of essentials I was really excited to find and try a new cookie mix from the dollar aisle. Does your local supermarket have a dollar section (yep, everything for a buck)? I like to sample things every now and then, and have been pleasantly surprised by several of my finds. Today was no exception. I found boxed sugar cookie mix, 2 for $1. Each box made roughly 2+ dozen cookies (I make mine a little small.) They were/are delicious!! Just add egg and butter, and voila. Oh, and of course you can't have sugar cookies without buttery decorator icing. And while we're at it, a little food coloring to make it more festive. Of course the cookies would have been just wonderful (and simple) with just the recommended dusting of sugar, or even colored sugar sprinkles, but we like a good icing here.
$1, 2 eggs, 1 1/2 sticks butter, 1 hour of my time (with little ones helping of course)...presto! Instant delicious treats.

I'm not a barber

...but I've been known to play one from time to time. Today was one such occasion. The boys here haven't had a good haircut for a couple months now, and are beyond shaggy. It's making my dad a bit crazy to see his grandsons with hair covering their ears. We typically keep the boys hair cut "high and tight." All except for Frank that is...he for some reason looks good in longer hair. Perhaps to cover the bumps and bruises he's always sporting on his forehead. Although, come to think of it, maybe he wouldn't bump into so many things if he could see where he was going. Hmmmm...thoughts to ponder.
Anyhow, with the colder weather, I was forced to cut hair in the bathroom rather than my usual spot on the back patio. Lucy seemed to love to sneak in and walk through the piles of hair...then track it back out through the hallway. Yikes. I much prefer keeping this mess outside. I even snuck in a trim for little Rose. This was the first time I've ever touched her ringlet curls. She's always begging me to, but I never know where to begin. Now at three years old, I thought it might not hurt to "trim" them a bit. She giggled with excitement as I began, but giggles turned to tears as she spotted the little pinwheel curls on the floor. My heart broke as she cried "Don't cut off all my curls mommy." I quickly showed her in the mirror how they sprung right back in to curls again, which helped. But I don't think she'll be asking me for a trim anytime soon.
Four little ones got haircuts today, and are looking quite spectacular I think. They may just be return customers...they surely can't beat the price, although they were quick to remind me I don't give out suckers like the real barber does!

October, Lovely Lady prayer

Alice and Emma were asked to read this simple prayer a couple years back at mass for the May Crowning of our Blessed Mother. The ceremony took place just one week after their First Holy Communion, and the new communicants were invited to wear their suits and dresses once again. I can still picture them in their white dresses and veils, reading these sweet words as they took turns with the verses at the lectern. The words still ring in my ears at times, and it seemed fitting to share them this month of Our Lady's Holy Rosary.

Lovely Lady dressed in blue,
Teach me how to pray!
God was just your little Boy.
Tell me what to say!
Did you lift Him up sometimes,
Gently on your knee?
Did you sing to Him the way
Mother does to me?
Did you hold his hand at night?
Did you ever try
Telling Him stories of the world?
Oh! And did he ever cry?
Do you really think He cares
If I tell Him things--
Little things that happen?
And do the Angels' wings
Make a noise?
And can He hear Me if I speak low?
Does He understand me now?
Tell me--for you know.
Lovely Lady dressed in blue,
Teach me how to pray!
God was just your little Boy,
And you must know the way!

a stitch in time

I pieced the top for this patchwork quilt more than 12 years ago. John and I were living in the 5 bedroom farm house he'd grown up in, leaving me plenty of space for keeping my sewing machine set up all the time. I had my grandmothers' old Singer in a large wooden cabinet that folded out into a sewing table. I loved having it set up and experimenting with various craft projects from curtains and pillows to this larger project...my first quilt. I pulled together scraps of fabrics I already had on hand including the 8 tiny floral squares that were curtains in the laundry room at the farm when we moved in. (They didn't last long as curtains, but made a cute little accent square on the quilt, I thought.) Anyhow. Times were certainly different then. I worked part-time in a physicians office, had no children, and certainly plenty of time on my hands. I cut and pieced this together in just a matter of days or so, found a background fabric and sandwiched a piece of batting in between...and that's where it ended. I had no idea what to do next, or how to finish it off. I'd never done anything like this before, and certainly was intimidated by the idea of finish-quilting it. So I didn't. I folded it neatly and bagged it up. It's moved with us twice now and remained in that bag until about a week or so ago.

For some reason, that silly quilt came to mind recently and I felt the need to just jump in and finish it. I still know nothing more about quilting than I did 12 years ago, but I figured I had to just get beyond the fear of messing it up, and get it done. I retrieved it from the storage area of our basement, along with my newer sewing machine that stays packed away until moments when the kids are sleeping, and something needs mended. I pulled the unfinished quilt out of the bag, pressed some of the wrinkles out of it, including the circle line from the hoop that I'd placed on it 12 years ago, as I had considered hand stitching a bit, then quit.

I managed to finish the edges in just an hour or so, and on my next free evening, I machine quilted a simple pattern onto it. Just like that. Twelve years of fear, overcome in just a couple short hours. How silly is that?! It certainly has it's imperfections...seems that don't quite line up, or puckering in the fabric as I quilted the layers together...but look! I think it's simply beautiful! And its done!

The same story applies to other things I manage to put off as well. How many times have I allowed fear (of whatever...embarrassment, failure, mistakes) keep me from doing something. God seems to know I have "fear issues" and has really given me opportunity for growth in this area as of late. A few weeks back I spoke to a group of ladies as part of a Women's Retreat. I was frightened beyond words, but the Holy Spirit worked through me, allowing God's perfect message to shine through. And more recently, I've received a very generous, albeit out-of-my-league offer to begin a weekly radio talk show on our local Christian radio station. Every bone in my body wanted to yell "NO" at the top of my lungs and run as fast and as far as possible away from that offer. But I know for as many reasons as I have to say "no," there is one very real reason why I must say "yes." God has put people and experiences into my life, leading up to this, and I feel certain it's what I'm being called to do. I prayed (A LOT) about it, and have decided to to give it a shot. Certainly this is way outside of my comfortable little box, and outside of anything I happen to know about anything. Our loving God certainly has a sense of humor! Again, I'm reminded he does not call the equipped (as I am most certainly not in this case!), rather equips the called.

The outline and schedule of the show are still up in the air, but I'll be certain to keep you posted as it comes to fruition. Would love to have you tune in, call in and weigh in with your comments, advice, support. Maybe I should offer the quilt as a prize (bribe?) to my first caller. ;)

(finding comfort/courage in these words) Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

tis the season

...to declutter. Yep, there's something about cooler, gray, rainy days that inspire me to organize, toss, sort, separate, donate and pitch. Today our basement toy room was the subject of my autumn energy. I started with a trash bag and began pitching broken, unmatched, no-longer-loved toys. This is great to do with a handful of toddlers because they're not attached to anything! As a matter of fact...they LOVE putting things into the bag. After we pitched and sorted things back into bins and buckets, we chose a few nice toys to put up into the attic...items we're not ready to part with yet. We have a couple large toys like a dollhouse with rooms full of play furniture and people, and some antique school desks that get rotated in and out of the attic to change things up now and again. Today the school desks were put away, and the dollhouse made it's prescence known again. It's magic when an old favorite toy comes out of the attic...kids play so beautifully together, and enjoy it again. HEAVEN.
John pulled our old (but much too small) kitchen table for 6 out of storage today. It was not nice enough to donate after spending some time as the kids coloring table in the basement here, but was shuffled into storage when larger toys took it's place. Anyhow, he cut the legs down to about 18 inches or so. It's now a perfect train/lego/racetrack table for the boys to build on and the storage bins for these toys slide neatly underneath. All the boys were tickled when they came together after school and naps and spent most of the evening working together on various building projects. WONDERFUL!!
I'd like to give the basement walls a fresh coat of paint before it's too cold to keep the windows open while I work. 4 years and 10 kids in this house...and many crayons and markers later...have really shown some wear. Maybe I can work my way around, one wall at a time getting that painting done during nap times. The last couple years we've had our Christmas tree down there because it gives us more space to spread out and yet still be together on Christmas morning. It would be nice to have it freshened up before then. We'll see how much time and energy I can muster up.
Of course I still need to get through closets and clothes...a seemingly never-ending battle. It's a wonderful reminder though, of all the blessings and God's providence. He does provide, often times in ways we could not imagine. But certainly our needs are met.
I'm reminded of Psalm 23. My cup does indeed overflow!

Hey kids, how was your day?

Serving up snacks, old school.



I can't be alone when I say my kids come home from school HUNGRY! They eat lunch before noon, so by 3:30 they're likely to nibble a finger or two if I don't have some sort of snacks available. Often times someone is still wearing a backpack and jacket as they're reaching into the fridge for something to munch. No "Hey Mom! Whassup?!" Just "What is there to eat?!"

"Welcome home honey, I love you too...there are snacks in the cupboard."

As for those munchies...I'm constantly striving to come up with something healthy, filling...oh, and inexpensive doesn't hurt either. I've tried prepackaged crackers, fruit snacks (which don't even fill a bird's belly...and have nothing to do with real fruit), granola bars (which when flavored as 'smores or chocolate chunk...have very little to do with granola) and other convenience-type snacks, but they're expensive and usually leave the kids looking for seconds in no time. Apples and carrots are favorites, but not always what they're looking for. Today I pulled an old classic out of my repetoire...one I came home to many a childhood day...peanut butter on saltine crackers, with a side of hot cocoa (the hot cocoa wasn't so common place, but it sounded like a nice treat on this windy day). It was a hit. I can remember eating saltines with plain butter as a kid too, or even saltines crumbled in a bowl with milk. Yumm. My kids would gag and make faces if I suggested such a snack now. Any good after school snacking memories for you? And what are your kids eating to hold them through till supper? I'd love to hear some simple goodies.


an afterthought on hot cocoa...
I was thinking again about making hot chocolate at our house as kids. We never had marshmallows...I think those were only in the pantry of the very wealthy. Shoot. Who had a pantry, come to think of it ? I remember robbing those little tiny hard marshmallows out of the sugary cereals mom bought for us, to throw into our hot chocolate. (How pathetic is that?!) I can recall feeling as though I were sitting in the lap of luxury when, after helping my best friend deliver newspapers one cold day, her mom served us hot chocolate with REAL marshmallows. WOW! So that's how the other half lives.

Feast, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary

October 7, 2009


The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary was instituted to honor Mary for the Christian victory over the Turks at Lepanto on October 7, 1571. Pope St. Pius V and all Christians had prayed the Rosary for victory. The Rosary, or the Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is one of the best prayers to Mary, the Mother of God.

Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary that never was it known that anyone who fled to Your protection, implored Your help, or sought Your intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, we fly to you, O Virgin of virgins, our Mother. To You we come; before You we stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in Your mercy, hear and answer us. Amen.

(sigh) my babies are home.

My parents drove down to Jacksonville, FL for the weekend to visit my brother and his family, and took my oldest two girls with them. Alice and Emma returned today, tan and seemingly and inch taller. They're filled with stories and adventures shared with my brother Jim (Emma's godfather), his wife Judy, and their children Jenna and Jamie. It's been 4 years this Oktoberfest weekend since we've seen any of them. I'm so grateful the girls had this opportunity to catch up and enjoy each other's company, and grateful too that they're back home safely.
...and now, catching up on more laundry.

precious!

Okay, so I grabbed for my camera...and first there was no digital picture card (left it in the computer). I ran back and grabbed that...then, no battery life! Dang! Sometimes it's just not even worth trying. So I tossed the camera aside, and enjoyed the moment for what it was...PRECIOUS!

Little Lucy has been in the habit of spreading her wings a bit, and climbing into Sam's top bunk to hang out. Once there, she's stuck...so after a couple minutes she hollars for someone to come get her down. Today though was different. I saw her climb up, and as I went about my business getting clothes out for little ones I realized she was up there longer than usual...and quiet. I glanced up to hear her mumbling/singing in no legible words...just usual baby babble. She was laying snuggled in Sam's blankets with a large wooden rosary clutched in her hands. So darn sweet! She was oblivious to my watching her, so I called for John to come in. He stood by the bed and would say the words to the Hail Mary prayer, and she would imitate them. (Of course this is when I run for camera...and begin to curse a bit...then realize the moment is worth more than the picture, so just enjoy.)
I am so grateful to have witnessed a tender moment like this between a child and her Blessed Mother. Certainly Our Lady was enjoying the company as well. Just precious!

Mark 10: 13-16 People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

if at first we don't succeed...

We've tried several times to make praying a family rosary part of our routine. A few times we've lasted a couple weeks or better. But for one reason or another we can't seem to make the habit stick. I first introduced the kids to the rosary very casually. We sat together on the floor of our family room, rosaries in hand (or around necks for the younger ones who don't know better) and prayed just a decade. It was a little chaotic and with plenty of interruptions, but for the most part was encouraging for me to try again. We continued for a few days, until I had the nerve to invite my husband to join us. He welcomed the invitation.

From then on, our attempts at making it a routine were geared around bedtime. We allowed kids to stay up past bedtime if they wanted to pray with us. Some did, some didn't and that was okay. Some lasted only a decade before I'd carry them off to bed while John and the others continued and I'd join them again when I could.

For whatever reason though, like anything new...a few missed evenings and soon the habit was gone. Grace brought home a brochure "The Rosary for Children" today from religion class, and I'm finding myself inspired to try again. Tonight we turned the tv off early, and said a decade together, just the oldest 6 and myself. It was a perfect end to our day, and I'm hoping to try to include this in our evenings more often than not.

Pray for us O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Ein Prosit!

(a toast)

...to surviving yet another Oktoberfest weekend. Here, here!

Our small community (population 2700) draws in nearly 10,000 visitors annually for it's Oktoberfest celebration. The fest runs Friday through Sunday, and you can bet our family doesn't miss much of it. From polkas at the Gazebo to chicken dancing in the Spass Platz, cabbage rolls to cream puffs, queen contest, crafts and parade, car show, 1 mile fun run and 1oK...just to name a few. We try to sample a little of it all. Oh...and did I mention draft beer. Yep, we sampled a bit of that too.
It made for a very busy, lack-of-nappy, crazy-scheduled weekend. One that we look forward to every year with great anticipation, and are immensely grateful when it's over.

Today I'm on catch-up duty...with laundry, cleaning and all the things we leave go for just one weekend to fully experience/celebrate our German Heritage.

Selige nacht für alle.
(Blessed night to all.)

October

Month of the Holy Rosary

We've been spending our days this week, sprucing up the yard a bit. Our community is hosting it's annual Oktoberfest this weekend, which brings folks in by the thousands. It's the perfect opportunity for pulling weeds, laying fresh mulch in the flower beds, and adding a few pumpkins and mums for decoration. As I was weeding around our grotto in the back, and laying some new (reclaimed) pavers around the roses, I realized that the white lights and spot light had been burned out for some time. We typically have our statue of the Blessed Mother well-lit throughout the nights. It has been a source of consolation and strength through those middle-of-the-night feedings or as I paced the floor with crying, sick little ones. One glance out of my kitchen window, and her beauty radiated through the night giving a sense of peace. A trip to the hardware for new lights quickly had her glowing again.

As I glanced out at her tonight, I was struck by how beautiful she looks with roses and geraniums still blooming, lights twinkling in the rain. I remembered that the timing was perfect too for it is October, the month of the Holy Rosary. May the statue serve again as a reminder each evening to end the day with prayer, in particular the rosary. I pray also that I can bring the kids a little closer to their Heavenly Mother by reinstituting the Family Rosary in the house.

dental floss...

Perfect for cleaning those hard-to-reach spaces between your toes(?)!

I can laugh about it now.

I could hear the boys (John, Charlie and Frank) hammering away in the basement...buzzing away with their saws, clanging their hammers against the metal support poles in the basement. It was all good, I thought. Tool time...Fisher Price style. They love "working" on stuff, and typically the basement is fair territory. The walls are just painted concrete, and most everything down there is "kid-friendly." Key word being most.
You can imagine my, umm, dismay (for lack of a better word to describe the way I nearly lost it in a fit of not-so-pretty yelling, arms flailing in the air, shock) when I found all three of them standing on top of the tv stand, hammering away at television from every angle. They were wearing safety goggles, I'll give them that much. In hindsight, the look on their faces was not the typical "busted...I know I was doing something wrong." Rather, they seemed completely uncertain of the nature of their offense.
I unplugged the tv about 6 months ago (best thing I ever did!) so the kids would spend time actually playing with their toys/using their imaginations rather than laying like zombies in front of the darn thing. Meanwhile it just sits there useless, collecting dust...except for the rare occassions I plug it in while I use the treadmill. Anyhow. I think the little buggers were actually trying to fix it! I can laugh about it now. Truth is, I wouldn't be terribly disappointed if the thing was permanently damaged...I didn't even bother to turn it on to find out. I'll have to work out the details of it with them tomorrow in a slightly more calm fashion, and go over again the rules of the "workshop."

Sorry Grandpa.

Dear Grandpa'
I LOVE coming to your house to visit with you. It seems you always have cool things within reach, and you never once put them up away from my little hands. I love that you're okay with me checking things out...and you seem to giggle a little when I do.
Today we stopped by to visit and you weren't home. So, while Dad was leaving a note on the table for you, we helped ourselves to some cookies (cause you never seem to mind that either) and then I spotted this really sweet puppy just waiting for some attention. I think he's super-cute, and didn't figure you'd mind if I carry him around a little bit. I bet he must have been a gift from someone very special. He looked like he wanted to be held. So, ummm. I did. And well, ummm. I dropped him.
Mom thinks the glue should be dry and we can return him tomorrow morning.
I think he's sad to have the tape around his head, but mom said it's helping the glue work to keep his ear on. I think he'll be all better soon.
I'm sorry Grandpa. I love you.

Lucy

Ziploc Omelets

Okay, before I get started...YES, I'm going to be cooking in plastic, which probably contains some sort of toxins which might cause someone to grow a third eyeball. But it's quick, it's cool, and it's not likely the third eye will show up anytime soon.

So, with that covered...we made the coolest Omelets this morning. It's something I'd read about a long time ago, and finally googled it to try it ourselves. It's a really cool, simple way to cook custom omelets for the masses, without spending the whole morning at the stove.

Start by bringing a large soup pot of water to a rolling boil. While that's heating, give each person a quart-size ziploc bag (we used generic "storage" bags which worked fine, but I read "freezer" bags are less likely to melt) with their name Sharpied on it. Break 1 or 2 eggs into each bag, seal, and squeeze or shake to scramble. Kids really hate this part. Open bags again and allow each person to add omelet fixin's...like cheese, onions, peppers, bacon crumbles, ham or sausage, tomatoes, spinach...whatever! Seal bags making sure egg mixture remains in bottom of bag, while all air is squeezed out. (I found it easy to do this over the edge of the counter top.) Drop all sealed bags into the boiling water and cook for exactly 13 minutes. It suggests no more than 6-8 bags for a pot of water, but we used my bigger canning pot, and all 12 bags fit just fine. After 13 minutes, remove bags from water, open (careful of steam) and drop eggs onto plate. They come out in a log-type shape...but they taste great, kids LOVED them, and we all ate at the same time!!!! How cool is that!?! We'll definitely be trying it again....with a little more cheese for me.

More whispers from the pew

Childrens Choir is back in session for the school year, and Saturday evening was their first opportunity to sing at mass. It also happened to be homecoming weekend for our high school, so there was an unusually large number of teens dressed in their dancing finest attending mass prior to festivities. It gave Charlie a lot to talk about come Communion time. He commented on each of the young men...what color shirt or tie they were wearing, etc. I snuggled him in a little closer when he pointed to one handsome fella in all black with a flashy red tie. His comment made me melt, "When I'm big, I'll wear a red tie Mom, and you can go with me in your 'Snow White' dress." Awww. He wants me to be his date, and insists I wear my "big puffy" wedding dress (which he'd seen me try on not too long ago.)
It almost made me forget about the fact that he'd just tried crawling underneath the pew to sit with the boys behind us. Little turkey.

Sunday blessings

Thanks to Saturday evening mass, we had a sleep-in Sunday. And after that it was a lazy morning complete with fresh baked Monkey Bread, Ziploc Omelets (more on that later), and lots of snuggling...

How sweet is that! God is good, indeed.

bittersweet?

Nope. "Cinnamon-sweet" would be more fitting, as tonight the house was filled with the sweet smell of cinnamon and apples as apple pie filling bubbled on the stove.
It is with great joy (and a big sigh of relief) that I put away the canner and extra jars and lids for another year. After approximately 28 jars of salsa, 4 quarts of green beans & potatoes, 20 quarts of spaghetti sauce, 6 quarts of tomatoes, 10 quarts of peaches, 15 jars of applesauce, 28 quarts of grape juice and now 7 quarts of apple pie filling; I can call it quits till next fall.
As much time and work as it requires, I'm already planning a few extra items for next years garden, hoping to be able to put away a few more jars of this or that for the winter months...like more beans, sweet corn, and perhaps potatoes. I'm hoping the girls might be interested in helping out/learning the art by then. A little company in the kitchen is always welcome.
A side note: Alice and Emma asked for a first lesson in hand-sewing this evening. Each of them stitched and stuffed a little fleece pillow to decorate their beds. My, they've come a long way from fingerpainting and sewing cardboard cutouts with shoe-laces. They're growing into quite the little ladies.

can't keep a good man down

a story of one little guy's big determination
I've mentioned once or twice before that our little John (one belonging to our second set of twins) has Cerebral Palsy. He was diagnosed somewhere between the ages of 18 months and 2 years when his delays in walking were more than just his "being a boy." His twin Mary mastered walking on her own right away at 1 year, and we just thought John was taking his time. He seemed to know how to do it, but just couldn't master it without stumbling...a lot. Poor little guy was always black and blue. Anyhow, at 18months, we sought the advice of our family physician who then referred us on to a pediatric orhopedist (bone doctor), and then on to a developmental specialist. Turns out we'd noticed differences in the way he'd mastered lots of developmental milestones, but thought it was just John being "quirky"...like the way he held his sippy cup with his left hand turned completely over for balance, or the way he army crawled much longer than any of the other kids and managed to only use his right side. Subtle clues, that might have tipped us off sooner, had he not been so good at overcoming all of life's obstacles. We were completely shocked when the diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy came up, and yet many things started making sense. Cerebral Palsy simply means that somewhere during development in utero, or sometimes due to trauma at birth, some part of the brain that controls muscle tone and movement didn't develop correctly or was injured. It has increased occurence in twin births, and often affects the muscles of one entire side of the body. In John's case his entire left side is weaker than the right. He's naturally right handed, so has managed to compensate/overcome most challenges he faces. And as the doctor explained to us, his case is very mild...often unrecognizable to people he meets. It appears more as a clumsy demeanor to most. It's difficult and requires much concentration for him to master fine motor skills with his left hand. He's often tripping over his own two feet, bumping into things, and just generally not very graceful. Certainly he was blessed to be so mildly affected. And even more blessed to have such a positive winning attitude.
Today, he ran his first 1-mile fun run at our high school cross country meet. All kids in kindergarden through 6th grade came home with sign-up sheets, and while a couple of my others weren't too interested, John was certain he could "win the big trophy." I smiled to myself remembering one doctor early on, explaining to us that "he'd probably never play guitar or be great at cross country" to which my husband and I both laughed...neither of us had mastered these with our typical abilities.
Anyhow, I found myself sobbing in cheers for him on the sidelines tonight as he battled his way through the hills and turns of the course, stumbling at times over his own two feet, but always getting back up, smiling and moving on. I couldn't swallow the lump in my throat that was my heart as he'd push by, his big toothy grin was ever-present. At the final quarter mile, when I cheered loud for him to keep on, he jetted past me as if winning first place depended on it. He never seemed to mind one bit that remained running with and would finish in one of the last 5 spots. He did it! He was proud as could be to accept his participation ribbon, and was quick to congratulate the top finisher...with a comment about he himself taking home the trophy when he gets a little bigger. Never stop believing big guy! I am grateful everyday for the gift of you, and for teaching me about slowing down a bit to appreciate the journey. You are a beautiful example of determination, perserverance, and triumph! God has blessed us indeed!