let's celebrate

so ... our household has been fever free for over 3 days. yay. i will no longer say that we have had an easier winter than usual. i think we have now had our fair share of illness. at least i got hammered, that's for sure. i am done my antibiotics now, but am told that i will still test positive for my infection for the next 6-8 weeks, so i am really trying to continue to rest each day. as i am starting to feel better, my energy is s.l.o.w.l.y. returning, but i must be intentional about resting...i do not want this again. that is for sure. makes it hard...all i really want to do is paint my kitchen and get some new flooring, so we can make fun use of this new space. all in time i suppose. :) again, thanks for all the extra help. the meals. your continued prayers. everything. we have appreciated it, and are looking forward to brighter days ahead. 

these are pictures of my new picture wall in the basement that i kept promising to post.  i am still not completely sold on the look, but i cannot put my finger on what i need to change. :( so...we'll keep looking at it, and see what i come up with. :)

i cannot take much credit for anything here...it is a collaboration from various magazine pictures, and pinterest sites i like to visit for "inspiration" or copying if you would rather. :) i do love the 7. we are 7 now. it sounds like such a big family to me. especially if you compare it to a family of 4. :)

i spray painted the turquoise frame, which i got for $1. at a yard sale in the summer. i love it. i also  spray painted the red one, and got the f.a.m.i.l.y. letters at walmart, and spray painted those as well.
the "7" frame is also a favorite i got at a yard sale this summer..for a $1 steal as well.

of course i made the banner and felt hearts for valentine's day...i guess i should do something more st. patrick's day now, hugh? no promises. :) i am a pink girl, so i don't mind if it stays. :)

a quick update.

so i woke up with the flu and a migraine headache yesterday.  it was NOT a good day. the medication i am on made it very tricky to take other meds, and i found out i have to eat A LOT with my c. diff medication, or i will be quite sick in the belly. :( it's hard to eat when you don't feel good. :( i did find out i could nurse karolina, with some time restrictions, as to when i take my medication, but that was huge. she was not taking formula from a bottle for days, so i am very thankful to be nursing again, as is she, because she is still not feeling so well herself. my midwife maribeth totally ROCKS! and my doctors, well. they just don't rock at all. that's all i have to say about that.

thank you all for your prayers, meals, texts, phone calls, even flowers....i have great support. thank you so much. i must say i spent the WHOLE day  on the couch yesterday, and will much of the day today. my house does look like a small tornado went through, but that's okay. i made up my mind. :) thank you. thank you. thank you.

it has been over a month since i have been having health  issues. i am grateful these are temporary issues, and nothing i have to struggle with long term, like so many people do. thank you again. missy.

a low key kinda day.

today is going to be a low key kinda day.

matt's mom took calli and campbell.

kaden and kaycee are at school.

matt is at the office. for now.

dry waller is supposed to come finish kitchen area.

and my little Karolina is not feeling so good.

fever. clingy. snotty.  lots of sleepy, kinda cranky time.

which means...i am the one who gets to hold her.

and soothe her, and beg her to drink.

she has refused the bottle for the last 5 feedings, :(

but luckily is liking her sippy.

which also means lots of resting for me.

amidst some laundry. and light cleaning. ha. :)

i am even fitting some reading in. love that.

happy tuesday.

hope your households are healthy.

style.

what more can i say...

when ya got it, ya got it?



lookin' for a house?

so this has been the latest time investment...well...and money too, i might add...

my husband has taken on.

awhile ago actually, but it is now at a place where it is getting ready to

"be done".  :)

~by the way...can you people slow down your consumption of organic chicken.

i mean. r.e.a.l.l.y.

chickens left early monday morning and are coming back on friday morning.

YIKES.

(we are supposed to get 2 weeks off between flocks...)

they tell us the demand is just too high.

my hubs is so very busy right now.

it makes me more tired than i already am.

yikes again. :) ~

anyway, back to task here...

these pictures will soon be outdated,

as new siding and shutters are soon to be added...

the interior has now been completly painted,

and carpet is coming this week.

a lot of the house actually has hardwood floors.

yay.

a great lot with mature trees and shrubbery...

and a huge garage...a great place for some sort of contractor to call home.

i must say i love being matt's wife.  ;)

for a million reasons, but

one reason being:

he gets me into all kind of things i would never get into otherwise.

like things like this. :)

so, if you are looking for a promising house and property

in a quiet town in southeastern PA...

let me know. :)

i love.love.love this front door...one of my favorite parts of the house.

but there are many.

it is going to be a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e.

i am excited for whomever gets to call it *home*



c.diff

so some of you knew that i had gotton sick about 3 weeks ago.

so sick that i laid on the floor for 2 days, and finally went to the doctor.

i was given antibiotics, and after 8 days stopped taking them,

because on day 3 i got violently ill.

2 weeks later i was still sick, so i called the doctor.

some cultures were taken.

friday i found out that i have a serious intestinal infection

better known as c. diff. (it has a huge long name, but most people know it as c.diff).

all i knew about this infection is that it has always spread like wild fire in

the nursing homes and hospitals i had worked at...

so. great. i.got.it.

apparently anyone has a chance of getting c.diff with any antibiotic.

there are, however, certain antibiotics that are known to cause a c. diff infection more than others.

my antibiotic was not one of them.

but...i got it anyway.

it spreads easily where people have lower immune systems, and in places like

that, contact precautions are taken.

for around here, i am just trying to keep things *clean* and do lots of hand washing...

but generally speaking, it is usually only contagious amoung sick people...

we are finding a new normal around here.

i am not allowed to nurse while on this medication.

while some think this is no big deal

 (and maybe it really isn't in the whole big scheme of things)

it is a big deal to me.

i was pretty devestated.

karolina has had 3 feedings with a bottle.

she already likes to hold it herself.

yay.

but that's what i was afraid of.  :)

for now, i pump, and try not to cry as i dump it all down the sink.

this will happen for 10 days.

one day down. nine to go. :)

i must say it's kind of nice to have some helpers.

the kids are fighting over who gets to give Karolina her bottle. :)
campbell said to me today, " mom. i will take care of karolina and milk her.
you can go take a nap. i know you are tired."  :)

so for now...just trying to manage...and rest.

the meds make me feel a teeny bit miserable if i let them...

i am trying mind over matter. :)

bloom

(please...pause my music at the bottom of the screen before watching this...)

i have followed kelle hampton's blog ever since she had her second baby. i don't know how i stumbled upon it? but i love her realness. her unashamed way of letting people know her true feelings. we all have feelings. we all are ashamed of the way we feel sometimes. i loved this trailer so much for her book, i thought i would share it here...i can't wait to read it. maybe from the library. :)

*kitchen demo*

hmmm. i am going to have to go digging, and see if i can find some "before" kitchen pictures.

this is the last 2 1/2 days of progress...

for this first picture...i am standing in what used to be our "old" office looking into the kitchen...since we remodeled our office last year...this room, was not really anything, just an in between room, it didn't serve a purpose. that making this decision all the more easy to make...we like having a purpose around here. :)

now i am standing in our kitchen looking into our "old" office...

now i am standing in our old office looking into our kitchen...

today they did a lot of work...

this was a weight bearing wall they took out.

so...with the wall coming out, a steel beam went up.

and now looking into our old office again, from the kitchen.

i am really loving it already.



dry waller is coming monday to do his thing.

and then we will have to rip up that carpet, and see what the floor looks like underneath...

could be interesting...as it feels like you will fall thru the floor in several spots in that room. :)

i am dreaming.

i was telling my sister in law this week that it is so fun to dream.

but it is even more fun when your husband is handy, and knows how to make dreams a reality.

having someone who knows what can happen, and what can't is awesome.

so...thinking about flooring. painting. an island. a new kitchen table.

all fun thoughts.

:)

we are having a sleep over with my neice, reese.
it sounds like i might go need to settle some little peeps.

karolina. 6 months old.

i always said that if i got a *good* camera that i wouldn't need to spend money

getting my kids pictures taken, because i could do it.
eeekkkk. now i have to try. :)

karolina grace @ 6 months old.

did you say cabbage?

so i learned way back in novembe or december that i needed to make a cabbage

costume for kaycee for her 1st grade school play...which was tonight.

the production was called, " how does your garden groove"

and it was very, very cute.

thanks jane for the sites you sent me.

they were a huge help...i copied a lot, and tweaked as well. :)



i must say i was a lot skeptical about how many kids were going to have veggie costumes.

it's not like you can go to the store and buy them...

eggplants, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, corn, spinach, french fried potatoes, green beans, peas, etc.

(okay...my good friend from high school did just correct me...her son got to be french fries, and
she did find a slammin' french fry costume for him to wear. he was rockin' it. :)  )

but the costumes were pretty much out of this world.

fabulous. so fabulous the principal said there will be more of this in the future...

i said, "oh no", and the dad sitting beside me said,

"yeah...it looks like you have one of every vegetable sitting beside you...you better get busy for next

year awhile."  :)

(kaycee's friend Lydia, and Francesca)

i do think the kids who didn't have costumes just didn't show up, which is kind of sad. :(

they didn't have costumes last year for kaden's 1st grade play...

so, we'll tuck this puppy in the attic, just in case campbell gets to be a cabbage in 2 years. :)
it was also helpful to have signs on the front of their costumes, which told you what they were...
otherwise, this is looking a little "lettucey". :)
i might have a couple more pics to add tomorrow, but they are on my other camera...

hope to post some pics tomorrow of our new renovation project.

it is going to ROCK.

i am very excited.

my kitchen is getting b.i.g.g.e.r. by the day. :)

i made *these* today.

wow. so sickness has struck. but it has been short lived i hope. a little girl from our church was throwing up on sat. night...and our kids had been with her on fri. night.  i told matt last night that it will be a miracle if our kids dont' get sick...and literally 5 minutes later, kaden was standing before my eyes, and barfed all over the place. ugh.

calli then decided to follow suit over night. but all are well today. thank you Lord! i did a lot of praying last night. a.lot. hopefully we are free and clear. kaden did hang out at home today, but i think he would have been okay to go...anyway...

i made 2 different kinds of cookies today... both recipes were found on blogs i stumbled upon. and these were so good, i thought i would share. oh.my.word. they are good!


Enjoy.



Ingredients:



1/2 cup butter at room temperature

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Nutella for stuffing

White sugar for rolling



Cream together butter and peanut butter. Add both sugars and beat together until fluffy. Add in egg, milk, vanilla and mix until smooth. Sift together flour, baking powder and soda, then add slowly to wet ingredients. Mix until combined.

Place in fridge for thirty minutes.



When dough is chilled, using a cookie scoop, roll each ball of dough in white sugar before placing on a cookie sheet.
Press your thumb into each cookie making space for the Nutella.

A big  spoonful of Nutella.

Space the cookies out pretty far as well.
Next, take an additional sugar rolled, cookie scooped ball of dough, flatten it out slightly between your hands, then press it on top of the Nutella mountain. Smash down the lot of them.



Bake at 350º for 11-14 minutes. (My oven runs an exact 13 minutes.)

They won't look totally done. Take them out anyway. Trust me on this one. You want them to be soft and chewy. Let them chill out on the cookie sheet for five minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire cooling rack.

Makes 18 big, beautiful, magical, willpower destroying, cookies.

thanks to Joys Hope for sharing the recipe...fabulous. ~mk.

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the others are kind of like molasses cookies, and then i melted white chocolate chips, and made a heart on the top of each cookie. they were *cute*. 

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my mom came and folded some more laundry. thank you  mom. and she didn't even take any cookies. :(     

i am still not feeling so good, and read that an extremely rare condition can happen when taking the medicine i was on. i am that extremely rare condition person, i guess. i am still waiting to hear back from the doctor...i hope there is somethign they can do for me. :)

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i got half of my first floor cleaned...by that i mean, dusted, windows washed, vacumed, and organized. yay me. matt was supposed to have a realtor meeting in our office...and then when he came in, he told me it had been moved to his quarryville office. i guess he tells me things like that so i really get things done...mean, i know. :) but now it's clean, that's for sure. :)

happy monday. ~mk.