The cough that never ends....

All a sick 5 year old girl could need....hot elderberry tea, her "pink bear", tinkerbell fleece blanket her Grammy made her and her cat....who is glued to her side. Now, after almost 17 years of parenting, and almost 10 years of studying and researching natural health and nutrition....I really don't go to the pediatrician all that often. They have seen my 2 little ones more in this past year than they have in their whole lives. When there is a possible breathing issue....I tend to be more cautious.

This cough has been very strange....it has not followed any typical pattern of illness I've ever encountered....no fever, starting with a dry cough...then turning into a 'wet' cough...progressing into a stuffy head and horrible, choking cough....that lingers for weeks. Anna is following the same pattern that Ronnie did (who is still coughing). I had him at the pediatricians office 2 weeks ago, and was told it was a virus. Why am I taking Anna today, then, you may be wondering....because I'm worried about her breathing....she seems to have trouble catching her breath. I'd rather be sure.

In the meantime, we are loading up on vitamin c, elderberry, ALJ (for resperatory)...lots of homemade broths, probiotic kefir smoothies....all hoping to ward off pneumonia and a trip to the hospital....and praying for Spring to come early! LOL Right now, Pittsburgh is expecting 6-8 inches of snow by Saturday night....so it doesn't look like Spring is around the corner just quite yet! But, there ARE signs....Ron saw 5 robins in the yard yesterday....so they are returning from the south. Will update when we see what the pediatrician says.

Please, pray for our little Anna! And, for the coughs to LEAVE our home! :) Thanks!

~Sue~

My Wanderings in the Kitchen: GF Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Sara and I are having lots of fun trying some new recipes when we help in the kitchen. There have been desserts, yummy lunches, new breakfasts and lots of creativity. :) I'll be posting a few of my favorites from the past weeks and Sara will be sharing some of her recent recipes.

There were some hit recipes and I had a great time making them in between the 'typical' weekly breakfasts of oatmeal, cream of rice, etc. I also made a fabulous new dessert last Tuesday night that was scarfed down in three days flat. :) Here is the recipe and interactive pictures below....I am learning the art of 'tweaking' recipes to fit our needs and use what we have so I will include what we used in each recipe.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Gluten Free and Flourless

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. Butter

1 c. Brown Sugar

1 can crushed pineapple (it called for 12 slices of pineapple but we only had crushed in our pantry) don't forget to drain it like I almost did. :)

8 egg yolks

8 egg whites

1 1/2 c. sugar (we used natural)

1 1/2 c. tapioca, corn or potato starch

1 tsp. Baking Powder

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a small pan or microwave and mix in the brown sugar

2. Pour the butter/sugar mixture into a 13 by 9 baking pan and spread it evenly (I recommend using a little more butter and sugar to make it more even)

3. Place whatever type of pineapple you use over the butter/sugar mixture

4. Beat the egg yolks and sugar until very creamy (set aside in a seperate bowl because you'll need the mixer again)

5. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry

6. Fold the egg whites carefully into the egg yolk and sugar mixture

7. Fold the starch and baking powder in carefully

8. Pour the batter over the pineapple in the 13 by 9 baking pan

(My lovely assistant/gabby girl extraordinaire!)

9. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until a knife can be stuck into the middle and come out clean

Here comes the good part...okay, so it would be a little while until Mum, Sara and Ronnie came back from dance/basketball so, not wanting it to get stale, and having a boatload of dishes, I left it in the pan in all it's golden beauty....

We let it sit until dinner is cleaned up and Mum looks at it and says, "Uh...Meghan, aren't you supposed to flip it upside down?" Whoops! I think my face was as red as a tomato. I was praying it hadn't stuck from sitting so long in the pan....it scarcely stuck at all! And what did stick was swiftly picked out of the pan and enjoyed by my younger siblings. :)

So here is my finished Pineapple Upside Down Cake...it would've looked prettier with slices but oh well. It is SO good...the crust is light and airy and though the texture is different than the typical 'gluten' recipe, it's very good and even my Dad enjoyed it. :)

Bamboo yarn...and a special birthday!

I have a new favorite yarn! I picked up some of this #10 bamboo crochet thread...never have I worked with something so delicate before...and it was such a joy to work with! This is the scarf that I made for my sister, Lori's birthday today! The pattern is not too lacey, but with the bamboo...light and SO soft! It happens to also be the exact shade of green that matches her eyes.

Here is Lori with your little man, Ty...he carried in yellow roses to give to her for her birthday, and he was so cute! She has been away for 2 days while Ty stayed here, and he was so happy to see her!

Anna loves her Aunt Lori and insisted on getting her picture taken as well!

Happy Birthday, Lori!!! We love you!

~Now....after 2 nights with an 18 month old....I am off to bed! Hope everyone sleeps in tomorrow! :) ~Sue~

Baby cravings and God's will...

Some people can learn from other people's experiences, and others need to learn "hands-on", so to speak. I've always been the person who needed to learn on her own...but, I like to think that over the years that I've been walking with the Lord, that I am now able to learn some lessons in other ways...and sometimes, He needs to show me. :)

I will be 45 years old this summer...I am NOT getting any younger! As some of you may know, I homeschool my 4 children and also have fibromyalgia. Yesterday and today, I am watching my adorable, 18 month old nephew, Ty, overnight for my sister and brother-in-law. For years after I had my youngest, Anna, I begged God (and my husband) for another baby...even though with each pregnancy, my fibro seemed to get worse. When my sister was pregnant with Ty, I really begged God for just "one more" baby...or that He would take away my "baby craving" if it wasn't His will for us. I know many people who have the "just one more child" craving, and are in the process of adoption...still others are involved in different ministries with children...where the Lord is using their nurturing spirits to minister to many children. In my case, Lori had Ty...and I started having the priviledge of watching him a couple of days a week when he was months old....and the Lord answered both of my prayers. I enjoyed (still do enjoy) the joy of having a baby in the house...and to be a blessing to my sister, and the Lord has removed the deep "craving" for another child.

Having Ty overnight for 2 days has again, shown me that, physically...having another baby would be very, very hard on me. When Anna was just minutes old, my blood pressure shot up very quickly and very high...they told me I could have a stroke, a seizure or die....and my husband said, that is it...Anna is our last child. Oh, how I fought him on this!!! And, again....I have to humbly go to him and tell him he was right...again. A very dear friend of mine had her 8th baby recently, and I started thinking..."I could do this again"...and again, the Lord has shown me (since I have trouble learning lessons the first time!) that that is NOT His will for us now.

In a few minutes, I will tuck in my little ones, then rock Ty in the rocking chair that I rocked my last 2 babies in...and pray that he goes to sleep and STAYS asleep tonight! LOL (as opposed to last night :) )

I am so grateful for the lessons that Lord has gently taught me...and especially for the children that He has blessed me with...including the little guy that my sister so generously "shares" with me! Praying that you all have a peaceful night! ~Sue~

Raising Boys...and the Pinewood Derby!

Today was a big day at the Gorecki house! Ronnie had his Pinewood Derby Race for Cubscouts today! He and Ron have been working on his car for while now....they were blessed to go to a clinic twice with the "Derby Master", Mr. Goliwas...boy, he has ALL the tools! Ron and Ronnie had so much fun doing it together, and I was so blessed by the special 'father/son' together time. Last night, they both went to the church and helped set up the track and Ronnie helped set up all the chairs, and got their practice runs in with his car that he named "Red Rocket". Here is Ronnie and his good friend, Caleb, at the beginning of the race...they had so much fun this morning!Here is the start of a race...Ronnie's car is in the far right hand lane....red, with a 'Lego' guy driving it!And at the end....Ronnie's car came in 1st place in his den #10!
Love this picture! They both worked so hard on this, and worked together...I love how much Ron does with Ronnie!
One of Ronnie's biggest fans!

~I've been doing a lot of thinking and praying lately about being the mother of a son....having 3 daughters, and myself the oldest of 3 girls, this is all new to me! LOL I so want to encourage him to be a Godly man...a strong man, and a kind, gentle man as well. I find myself having to NOT be too soft with him....to try and toughen him up a little bit, while still teaching him to have a kind, gentle nature. We're teaching him to have a strong work ethic, like his Dad and Grandfathers before him...even his Great-Grandfathers....all were such hard workers. I'm learning to channel some of his energy into "manly" things....or simply to get him to work some of it off!

This afternoon, after coming home to rest and have lunch after the excitement of the Derby...Ronnie then had a basketball game at 3pm. Since this is his first year, we've been encouraging him to do his best, to try his hardest....and yes, to toughen up and keep going if he gets hurt. Today, he played his best game yet! And, he also did it with a terrible cough! As soon as he started running back and forth on the court, he started coughing and by the time his shift was over, he couldn't breathe....I was getting worried! He told the coach he would have to sit out a little bit, and when we asked him if he wanted to go home, he said no...he wanted to stay and cheer on his team. :) He went back in for the last shift, and the same thing happened, but boy....did he give it his best effort! He really tried his hardest out there today and we were so proud of him! He got a red star for 'best defensive'...and his coach told him he was like glue.

I think my son is learning some important lessons...lessons that are very different lessons than any of my 3 girls have learned or are learning....and I think he learns differently than they do as well. I am trusting for the grace and wisdom to raise a strong, Godly man who is passionate for the Lord....and daughters who love the Lord with their whole hearts as well...sometimes Ron and I stumble, but we know that the Lord of the Universe loves our kids so much more than we do, and since he called us to be their parents, then He will equip us. And...fill us with His strength, His mercy and His grace....as He shows us how to raise them in His love. We are so blessed with all 4 of our wonderful children! May you all have a wonderful Sabbath tomorrow! We will be keeping my nephew, Ty, overnight until Tuesday....so it will be a lot of fun around here for a few days! God bless! ~Sue~

Chicken chili...

Had a wonderful dinner tonight! We are so blessed to have a friend who gives us lots of bags of dried beans...so today I cooked about 14 quarts of beans..some for Tuscan bean soup for Friday and some for chicken chili tonight. Wow, it was good!

As I rarely measure, here is what we did. After slow cooking the beans all day, we chopped and sauteed 3 large boneless chicken breasts with lots of diced onions, garlic and yellow pepper, then added 2 cans of diced green chilis and tons of chicken broth....let that simmer until tender, added the beans, salt, pepper, cumin and crushed red pepper....thickened with a little cornstarch and water and it done. With a fresh salad....it was so good...and we have tons of leftovers, too! Not bad with 4 bags of free beans (thanks, Jill for your generous bean donation!) , some homemade broth and a little bit of chicken! Even the little ones loved it! Off to try and sleep...watching Ty tomorrow morning! ~Sue~

Living with Less....

Living with less....being 'creatively frugal'....enjoying the challenge...this is a subject that is near and dear to my heart! In the 20 years that we've been married, I think we've had approx. 6 years (and not all at the same time!) when money wasn't very "tight"...4 years of that time were when we were first married and both working. :) Hearts at Home blog is having a contest, about living with less...joyfully. They are promoting the above new book by Jill and Mark Savage "Living with Less so your Family has More"...check out the link to the article and the contest Click Here!.

Ever since I heard of this contest, it made me smile. Then I read a blog post by a very dear friend who is living in Africa at the moment, about the cost of some simple ingredients over there (for the blog post "Wow" from Dayna, click here) and had to chuckle to myself....for us, Feta cheese is a luxury we treat ourselves too a couple of times a year, for example.

With Ron's job so up in the air (whose isn't?), and knowing that come April 1st, our income will be drastically reduced one way or the other(his contract is up...he will either lose his job, or take a huge paycut) , Ron and I've been having lots of talks about planning, cutting costs even further, saving...and my wonderful daughters have entered into the spirit of things, by researching the Great Depression ( which is a time period all 3 of us are interested in), thinking up creative recipes, ways to make over clothes, different gifts to make...and I've recently commissioned my step-mom, the "Queen of yard sales" for a new food processor as mine bit the dust recently, and I can't BELIEVE how much a new one is or even replacement parts! (even to replace, it would be $100) I know I could live without one, but I got so used to using it almost daily, and with fibromyalgia, it really does save my hands a considerable amount of pain. :)

God is so very faithful, though! He constantly amazes us with His care and provision for our family! We thank Him and praise Him daily for our health and the blessings that we have, but when He does things like even provide for our "wants" as well sometimes...it blows us away! We are asking Him for the wisdom and guidance to manage our finances as well as we can...to give us 'creativity'....and to help us simply be content. And, I think that is the secret....contentment. Asking God for HIS vision for our particular family....as to what is important....how HE wants us to live. I enjoy the creative challenge of sewing a ruffle or two on the bottom of Anna's dresses to make them longer (she is growing so tall!)...mending rips in jeans or simply cutting them off for play shorts for Ronnie...taking in 'thrift store finds' for one of the girls, or making a quilt out of old squares of denim and some denim curtains I found at the thrift store....I love the challenge of creatively providing the healthiest meals that I can for my family (even gluten free) with the least possible cost. (thanks to all my friends and family out there who save turkey carcasses and ham bones for me!) I love having my little ones play imaginatively, and thinking that "helping" in the kitchen or yard or with chores is "fun". (yesterday, Ron replaced our broken kitchen light with one he found at Lowes for $15....I love it, it is very '50's retro' looking and Ronnie helped him with everything, learning about wiring at the same time)

Knowing ahead of time that our income WILL drop, has allowed us a little bit of flexability in planning ahead...lots of fun, memory making activities for the whole family that are free...we have fishing trips, picnics, bike riding, visits to friends and family planned....free use of the library (and we are so blessed to have a great library where we live!)...even a basketball hoop in the driveway that the Lord provided for free! We were even gifted with a Wii system for Christmas for those cold, rainy/snowy times that we want to do bowling or a more active game.

Living with less doesn't have to be a sacrifice....our family has found that it has actually brought us closer together, taught us so much....and allowed us to do things more as a family...whether eating meals together everyday, ministering together, working together....and I think that is a key lesson learned from the Great Depression...be grateful for just being together...be grateful for everything that you DO have....and as the song goes "Accentuate the Positive...Eliminate the Negative". (love that song!)

Most importantly, be grateful and content....as God's word says in 2 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." I think about this...being in His will....this IS His will for us....to rejoice, to pray, to be grateful and give thanks.....1 Timothy 6:6-8 says "Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing , with these we shall be content." We should actively cultivate contentment...and being content in His will is the best place to be!

One of the most important lessons that living 'creatively frugal' has taught my children is contentment...especially my 16 and 14 year old daughters. They are content with what they have....they think it is very silly to spend so much money on "names" from the "cool" stores....they are happy to have as many clothes as they do...most from thrift stores, K-Mart or Wal-Mart! They would rather have friends here for lunch and a visit than spend their money on lunch out, and they almost never go to the mall....having little money and actually little free time leaves that time waster out. Which is another lesson they have learned...they are busily productive. Yes, they have "down time" ...where they read, or watch a movie...but even when they watch a movie, they are doing handwork....or they are busy trying new recipes. Sara threw together the most wonderful lunch yesterday! She looked thru cabinets, pantry and fridge...and made a hot, delicious, healthy, vegetarian meal for all of us...I was so grateful and thrilled with her creativity!

I know, that thru this "living with less" journey our family is on, the blessings far outnumber the costs of doing without. My girls love the saying "use it up, wear it out, make it do...or do without"...and I do, too! I'm actually very glad that this is the Lord's will for us...the lessons He is teaching us all these years are invaluable...trusting in Him, looking to His provision, not worrying, cultivating contentment and gratitude...these are lessons that will stand our children in good steed when they are grown. Looking forward to new lessons that the Lord has planned for us....knowing that He will be in the center of them. Be blessed! ~Sue~

Date time with my husband...priceless!

As I write this, each of my little ones are in a bathtub soaking, my older daughters are at our parent/youth group with Ron....and I have a small pocket of time to write about something special on my mind..."dates" with my husband.

Last weekend, we had the fun opportunity to go to a surprise 50th birthday party for an old friend....just the two of us. Of course, we were with lots of old friends that we hadn't seen, in a room full of people and music, so it wasn't a nice, quiet date time...but we realized that we hadn't had so much fun, just us for a while.

Today, after Ronnie's basketball game, we dropped off all 4 children at home, the girls made lunch and we went to the food court at the mall for a 'date lunch'. I thank God for giving us the spur of the moment idea to "just do it"! We chose the food court, so we could both get something quick...and I could get the wonderful gluten free chicken and rice. (I discovered that they had RICE NOODLES! I was so excited! LOL)

Having this time together, uninterrupted to talk today was so important! We had some pretty important things to talk about, and it was nice to talk without being overheard, or interrupted...either by someone needing attention, a minor crisis...or in my house...the phone. With Ron's work schedule, and my fatigue from my illness...we are both so tired a lot of the time, that it makes planning , talking and just enjoying each others company challenging at times! LOL I know, when you have children it changes the dynamics of a relationship....and without having very much "extra" money we seem to have put "dates" on a back burner. Today convinced us of the importance of making time for just the two of us...even if it is only a trip to Costco or Trader Joes! Running errands together can be precious time together! It is the uninterrupted time to talk, reminisce, laugh and plan...for our future, what is best for our children and our family...again, priceless.

Being blessed with two daughters who are 16 and 14...we have built in babysitters. We try not to take advantage of them, but we will be instituting a "date time" at least twice a month from now on....rediscovering how to make each other a priority in the midst of homeschooling 4 children, a husband who works nightturn and a challenging illness...relearning how, with the Lords help...how to BLESS each other more...and in the process...blessing our children.

Hope you all have a very blessed Sabbath rest tomorrow! ~Sue~