Summer-itis!

Does anyone else have a case of Summer-itis as badly as I do?! The humid, in-the-high-90's weather makes me sleepy and I have to work on my attitude which takes up more energy than it should. So I've been busying myself with things I enjoy, and things we enjoy doing as a family.

Our most recent project stems from a decision that we would like to become homesteaders (more on that later - it deserves it's own post!) We are starting small with a vegetable garden in our back yard. I'd like it to be as pretty as it is functional, and I'd like it to be a garden of joy! It's going to be a process, but this is the beginning of installing it:

I'd like to add an arbor, and make a path from the back door to the garden.

We are planting:

• Tomatoes
• Broccoli
• Green Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Basil (2 types)
• Blueberries
• Lettuce
• Cucumber
• Bush beans

And the decorative part (that is also functional in attracting butterflies and bees for pollination) is:

• Yarrow
• Sunflowers
• Chrysanthemums

We hope to provide for our family with this vegetable garden, and we hope to provide more than food. One can learn responsibility, patience and hard work with a vegetable garden (but, sssshhh - don't tell! They haven't noticed yet... )

Win the Essential Babywearing Stash from Along for the Ride!

I don't post a lot in the way of freebees or contests, but one of the most important things that is helping me get through home schooling with a baby is babywearing! I certainly went through my share of slings and wraps trying to find the one that suits us best. In the end, there are a couple of different styles that suit us for different purposes, namely the wrap and the pouch sling.

"Along For the Ride" has a contest where you can win 5 different babywearing items and I think it is well worth the time to enter their contest if you are pregnant or have a baby you need to wear.

Win the Essential Babywearing Stash from Along for the Ride (one Beco Butterfly, one Hotsling baby pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Zolowear Ring Sling, and one Gypsy Mama Wrap)

LYME DISEASE!!!!

My world was turned upside down with the doctors her statement: "Your son has the most positive case of Lyme Disease I have seen in years!"

But let me backtrack a little and see if I can slow the spinning thoughts down enough to explain. Two months before our doctors visit, I removed a tick from his shoulder. I removed it correctly, the tick was not squashed and we got all of it out, put it in a jar and stored it in the freezer. I waited and watched - no fever, no rash, no swelling. So we forgot all about it. Then, about 6 weeks later, I felt a swollen lymph node in his neck, and thought nothing of it other than to keep an eye on him. Still nothing. And about a week after that, he asked me if a bug was biting his neck. I couldn't see anything, and when I asked him to point out where it was hurting, he pointed at the lymph node. So the next day we went to the doctor. I wasn't even going to mention the tick, because it had been so long before that, but for some reason I did, and the doctor ordered a Lyme test.

My little guy had his blood drawn for the first time - he was such a hero!

Now, when they do the Lyme test (or "the full titers" as they call it) they check for 15 Lyme antibodies in your blood. To be positive, and in the case of most people, there are between 5 and 7 positives.

My guy had 11 positives. Out of 15.

Not being from this country, I didn't really understand the magnitude of what Lyme Disease is. I did what no one should ever do and I Googled it. And so began my test in putting into practive what I have learned about Philippians 4:8. Think on that which is TRUE. And the truth is, he does not have any symptoms.

I decided to take my precious girl to be tested - she has had the occasional headache and her legs have ached, which I put down to growing pains (as did her pediatrician), however, as far as Lyme goes, she has shown more symptoms than my little guy ever did, so the doctor agreed that it makes sense. We'll probably get the results back by Friday. Praying for lots of negatives.

The last week has really thrown me. We are going through some other not-so-nice things as well, and so I am upside down and the wrong way around. Right now, I'm working through answering emails, catching up on paying bills, and getting down to getting ready for school. Again. I feel like the train has left the station, but it's taking a long time getting up to speed!

I apologize for the lack of new posts here. I hope to get back to posting regularly!

P.S. It's been a month since my blog got it's new bling and I still adore it. Everyone does. So please, go visit Darcy at Graphically Designing and tell her how brilliant she is!