Family Photos.

We have a working camera again! I'm sure our youngest child is going to wonder why there are fewer photos of parts of her childhood.... Between business and burgled and broken cameras we are spotty picture takers at best.

Last week we went out to take some posed pictures of the kids. I don't know why I envision photo shoots as being an experience where our children all stand/sit/lay/kneel, or whatever position we ask them to be in, then look at the camera and just smile. Every time we take picture it takes FOREVER to get something where even some of the children are looking and smiling at the photographer simultaneously! I've been a mom for nearly 16 years now....love pictures of my children....but seriously dread planned photo shoots!......(I'd seriously rather clean my toilets.)

Anyway, we did get a shot or two and about time, it's been awhile since we had them all sit together for a picture.

As you can see, some looking and smiling, some looking down or away. Moving limbs, pasted smiles.

Even looking constipated...sorry Jen! :D

But patience wins out and we finally get one. Just so you know, there were dozens that were taken that I am not displaying. Oh, and I REALLY wasn't very patient but I was persistent! :D

They always want some goofy shots at the end too. (Like we didn't get enough of those in the process!) :D

"Huge Sigh"

Marital Bliss

Okay, fair warning for anyone who becomes ill at sappiness...omit this read.
We had a busy day, up at 4 again to leave early for an appt with the 'diabetes educators' in Peoria. We got back just in time to pick up Kaylyn from Kim's(thanks again Kim! she would have driven m nuts today!!!), pick up the girls from home and school(two stayed home this a.m. with one throwing up), leave a quick note and cash for Jame who was coming home and leaving again, and drop off a couple kids (one of them being the sickest one from this morning)at the farm. We headed out to county market to take advantage of a two day sale they were having.
Thomas met me there and we purchased a few groceries at a savings of about 57%. Yay! We went our separate ways again and as I was driving home I realized I hadn't even thought about dinner, and it's 5:30...So my lovely brainstorm was 'Friday night pbj's'! Sounded great to me. Least expensive pizza at that time on a Friday night would be the 3 for 5.55 each at dominoes. (We've done that deal a time or two....or once or twice a month.)
The thing that made my day is when I called Thomas to run the idea of 'Friday night pbj's and movies in our PJ's' by him, not only was he OK with it, HE WAS THRILLED!
It sounds like such a simple thing but I think those are the kinds of things that make life so enjoyable when you're married. I have heard before that 'there is nothing sexier than the sight of the back of a man at the sink washing dishes'. I would add to that, the sound of a man who can be excited about pbj's for dinner!
To top it off, I got the loaf of bread for free and the jar of peanut butter for 99 cents and we used less than half of that! I made the jam with produce from the farm so not super cheap but made by me with produce locally, and cheaply, harvested!
So dinner for 8-50 cents plus the investment of the homemade jam. (grapes and carrots too). I am a happy girl! And I am so grateful for such an easygoing husband!

Diabetes Strikes Again!

Yesterday, Weston's was diagnosed with diabetes. It was 5 days before his 14th birthday. I ran him into the doctor's yesterday morning office for a quick ear check. He had been having pain in his right ear for two days. We also asked the doctor about a few things that have been of concern for us recently for Weston. Without going into detail about all of his symptoms. (Some respect for a teen boy who would rather not have all his personal data broadcast...) We received a call from the pediatrician telling us Weston's U/A showed no sign of infection but was abnormal and that he had diabetes. He told us to take him straight to the ER/ED where they were expecting us. We spent several hours in the ER before he was admitted to peds. We were up most of the night and Weston's blood sugar was monitored and we received diabetic education. He's been released this evening with a follow up appt with both his pediatrician and a pediatric endocrinologist.
When I did a quick glucose test for him before we headed to the hospital last night, his blood sugar was 447. His hmgA1C was 12. They are treating him as if he is type 1 and have told us he will be on insulin for the rest of his life. His current regimen consists of blood tests 5 times a day, fast acting insulin injections 3 to 4 times a day, and a long acting insulin injection at bedtime. So a minimum of 9 sticks a day....
Weston has really taken all of this in stride. Every day our children amaze me in so many ways and Weston has never been an exception to this. I am sure we will learn more when we go to see the specialist.
Thanks for checking in!
Michele, and all the Eliasons :D

The Flu Season Already?

Last week we brought Megan home from church with a temp somewhere over 103. We took her to the Pediatrician the next day who confirmed it was just a virus. Last night we went to the ward camp out. (We had already decided not to stay over night because a pretty significant rain was forecast. - Call me a wimp if you want but, 8 wet sleeping bags, 8 wet pillows, and 6 possibly wet/muddy/cranky kids...) I noticed Kaylyn seemed warm as we sat around the campfire, she was also just snuggling with anyone who would hold her. Sure enough, when we got home, she had a temp over 102. Glad we came home instead of camping, eh? She continued to run a fever this morning. The boys got up achy and running fevers too. Today we were going to go to the Illini game as a family, Papa included. We have gone to a 'Special Spectators' tailgate and game every fall for the past several years. It's a fun family activity. Thomas, Papa, and the three girls who are NOT sick left just a bit ago. (Yes, I am pouting a little.) I get a little bummed out when we miss out on family activities. I was so looking forward to just being together and doing some fun things this weekend. So, the boys and Kay have some Disney movie on in the living room and I put a Star Trek movie in. If we could just be productive when we're sick, maybe it would almost be worth it! :D

Elderberry Jelly and Syrup

I don't know if using elderberrries is something our mother brought from her childhood or learned from a friend or just found out about on her own. I wish I did know... Picking elderberries with my sisters and our mother is a bright childhood memory for me. Near where we lived in Northern Illinois there were bushes and bushes of elderberries growing wild alongside country roads. As a mother now, elderberry jelly and syrup are not necessitates for our family. We get plenty of produce from Papa's farm and other places to keep us busy and fill our shelves with jars of produce. Elderberry processing is time consuming and can be messy, ie purple berry juice everywhere, especially when you have the children help. Having grown up on elderberry jelly, which for some, can be an acquired taste, I have successfully converted my husband and most of the children to appreciate this wonderful flavor. :D It is great on toast, in a PB&J, and the syrup is great on pancakes. I personally love it on blueberry pancakes. As a diabetic, I make our version of a German pancake(lots of egg, little flour), add a ton of fresh blueberries to the pancake, and just a teaspoon of the syrup when I put the pancake on a plate. Soooo good and my blood sugar doesn't spike. Even a small bowl of the healthiest-bran filled-so healthy it doesn't even taste good-cold cereal spikes my blood sugar. So this is definitely a happy breakfast for me! In searching for different recipes for these berries I am finding that they have some natural benefits for our bodies. I knew they were full of vitamin C and potassium but there are other benefits including but not limited to helping one to overcome the flu more quickly... I don't think I am a skeptical person, but having 'learned' a few things on the internet that have been later proven untrue, I am cautious. I think the following article is interesting. It mentions research done at Austria's University of Graz, and an experiment showing that elderberry concentrate reduces stress.

An interesting article about the health benefits of the elderberry.
http://health.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/01/20/elderberry-the-power-fruit/

S0me photos destemming, crushing, and juicing out the berries.

Purple hands and stained cheesecloth. We are getting close to having jelly!

I just use the sure-gel recipe. 3 cups strained juice, 4.5 Cups sugar, .25 cup lemon juice, and 1 box Sure-gel. I don't use the butter. Whenever I make jelly I just spoon the foam off into a small bowl and the kids(mom and dad too), use it on homemade bread or toast. YUM! We fill the jars and process them for the appropriate time. I usually use double batches-not everyone is sucessful doing this but I haven't had a problem. This year I am experimenting with the syrup recipe. I did one triple batch and two double batches omitted the sure-gel, put the sugar in first, and added one bag of Certo to each-at the appropriate time for using Certo. (I needed to use it up and thought it might thicken the syrup just enough. We'll see how it turns out when the jars are cool.)

Peaches and More!

Soooo, March was our last posting.... August 16 now and I am finally posting something. Nothing terribly exciting in our "hum drum" lives - as Lena Lamont would say anyway. But we are having fun! We have done a lot of swimming this summer the weather has been great for that. Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit, 5 of the kids were in a Peter Pan play. Now we are reaping the fruits (and veggies) from Papa's farm. We have made a ton of peach jam, put up some peach halves, tomatoes, and blackberry jam. We have also enjoyed so much of the food just fresh for the table. Spinach, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, onions, radishes, cherries, blackberries, peaches, rhubarb, zuchini, and yellow squash so far. There are still pumpkins, winter squash, pears, and apples yet to be harvested. Wild elderberries for elderberry jelly and syrup too. Hopefully we can also make the time to make some more of that yummy green tomato salsa. We have more to post and hopefully we can get to that soon. :D

Left, peach halves.

Peach Jam.

Funks Grove

Summer was nearly over and, being busy with the play, we hadn't gone many places. We headed out for 1/2 a day to see Funks Grove. There's a nature center and you can stop to get some real maple syrup too.

A staring contest?... The turtle just might be winning Jen!

Morgan offers us a mug of muddy creek water... "The best part of wakin' up is...not havin' mud in your cup?"