Disappointments

I just hate it when one of my kids is hurting.  As a parent, it's one of the hardest things to watch. This world is full of "yuck," and Jenica has had her share this past week or so.  It makes my heart ache for her.

It all started with the last softball tournament of the summer.  State Softball.  In South Sioux City, of all places.  What a long drive.  And her coaches absolutely crushed her spirit in their final game of the tournament.  It was a really crummy way to end the season of her favorite sport.  But God is still in control and can use that situation to help strengthen her faith.  It was a reminder that people will always disappoint us, but God never will.  Our hope is found in Him, not in friends, family, or coaches.  (Blessing #886)  The things that hurt the most are also the things that can teach us the most.  And Jenica's been doing lots of learning this past week.

One of the blessings we experienced was that Chad's cousin Laura had a daughter playing in the same tournament way up in S.Sioux City.  So we got to visit with Chad's aunt and uncle, and his cousin's family while we were there.  (Blessing #887)  Harlie (the catcher) and Jenica (up to bat) ended up playing against each other in one game.

After leaving Sioux City, we headed to Minnesota for Jenica to see a heart specialist.  The blessing was that we were already half-way to Rochester, so we just headed to Mayo a couple days early and did some fun things in Minneapolis before her appointments.  (#888)

This fringy bicycle buggy looks like more fun than it actually is. It was a LOT of work! For everyone except Jillian, that is. The rest of us took turns walking behind and pushing the "Surry" up the hill. We really could have used Jacob's help, but he stayed home all week.

Minnehaha Falls

Italian sodas @ The Old Spagetti Factory

Mall of America - Chad & Jenica braved the scariest roller coaster there

The doctor we saw at Mayo is THE expert in Long QT Syndrome.  He teaches all the other docs around the world about this heart disorder and is always doing research and writing articles on it.  He sees over 800 patients with this same heart condition.  And now Jenica is part of that special group.  (#889)  (Jacob saw this same doctor last year.)

Dr. Ackerman ran some tests on Jenica and reviewed her history.  What we found out wasn't what we had expected, nor hoped for.  And we left really bummed out.

Jenica spent one night in the hospital so they could evaluate her heart rhythm even better, and she ended up leaving the hospital with a "life vest".  Not the orange kind you see in boats.  This one is much more expensive.  And a lot more high-tech.  This one can't get wet.  But it will save her life if her heart goes into an arrhythmia.  (#890)  She has to wear it until we go back for surgery to swap out her pacemaker with the kind that also has a defibrilator. She just had to replace her pacemaker 2 years ago when the battery went low.  So to have another surgery this soon was not part of our plan.

What makes her the most sad is that she has to sit out her first softball season in high school.  And what makes me sad, is seeing how sad Jenica is.  But God is still faithful, and He is where we find our strength.  (#891)  My family came over to help cheer her up yesterday, and we spent the day playing games.  (#892)  After everyone went home, we kidnapped a few of her friends and got blizzards at DQ.   (#893) Ice cream always helps brighten Jenica's spirits.  Chocolate, of course.  With lots of oreo and cookie-dough chunks in it.   And we all benefit from trips to DQ, when Chad says "ice cream for everyone!"

Hey, Coppertone! Lookin' for a New Model?

Because I've got one for ya!

We're all so jealous of Jillie's nice summer tan.  I even used SPF 50 on her all the time.  Lucky Duck!   

Those super-sized waterslides make a nice background. But they give you a giant wedgie, so we avoid them. 

We picked an absolutely beautiful day to hit Island Oasis this week!  (Blessing #885)   Jillian didn't get to swim much last year because of her heart surgery, so she's been making up for it this summer.  She's also taking Red Cross swim lessons, and is becoming a brave little fish.  She even did the back-stroke all the way across the diving pool a couple days ago, much to my surprise.  Way to go, Jillian!

Funk has a Cupcake Festival?

I've heard a couple gals talking about the Cupcake Festival in Funk, and thought it would be a fun thing to do on a Sunday afternoon. (Blessing #884) However, I had no idea how BIG it really is. This is their 2nd year at hosting the festival in the old school building. They sell table space (cheap) to whoever wants to particpate.   

As soon as we walked in, Jillian was led over to the "kids table" by a lovely grandmotherly lady  who put a cute little apron around Jillian and handed her a cupcake to decorate.   

Jillian loved the "Polka-dot Circus" themed table.  See those caramel corn things in the popcorn box around the clown's neck?  They're caramel corn cupcakes!  They also had rainbow cupcakes, sno-cone cupcakes, animal cookie cupcakes, and I can't remember what else.  Almost every table was decorated with a theme.  And the cupcakes were works of art.  So many creative people in one building!

For a donation, you received a little tray to put 4 cupcakes in.  But how does one chose just 4 cupcakes to take home? 

Well, you don't. 

At least we didn't. 

We could also buy cupcakes from any of the vendors for anywhere from 50 cents to $1.25 a piece, which is how we ended up with more than 4.  Here are the ones we didn't eat before we left. They all had fancy names and some were fancy flavors.  Oh, and notice the one with the chocolate covered strawberry?  Jenica picked that one.  And the red velvet cupcake with the pretty white gardenia on top . . . It was AMAZING!

The cupcakes are also judged, but I'd hate to be in that group. I don't know how I'd ever choose the winners.

Jillian's art teacher from school is actually in charge of putting the Cupcake Festival together, and she would most likely have been the person to make this giant cupcake outside the building.  Perfect place to pose for a picture before heading back home.

Cucumber Salsa

Have you ever had Cucumber Salsa?  It's the best salsa EVER!  You've got to try this.  The only down side is that chopping all the ingredients is kinda time consuming.  But, oh so worth it!  (Blessing #883)

Cucumber Salsa
2-3 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2-3 medium Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2-3 TB lime juice
2-3 TB fresh cilantro, minced
1-2 tsp fresh minced parsley
1/2 - 1 tsp dill weed
1 tsp salt
Tortilla chips
Chop everything and combine for 2 hours to let the flavors blend.  Serve with chips or over grilled chicken breasts. 

It's so yummy, and so good for you.  In fact, there are only 11 calories in 1/4 cup of salsa. 

I decided to plant cilantro in my garden this year, to make my cucumber salsa even more economical.  (I already have tomatoes, green peppers, and cucumbers in my garden, just waiting to start producing some vegies for me.)  My cilantro was looking so beautiful, and I couldn't wait until I had ripe cukes and tomatoes.  But look what happened!

Have you ever seen such a thing?  What is it doing?  Flowers?  Really?  The leaves used to look like cilantro, but now they look way different.  What's the deal?

This is what it's supposed to look like . . . and this is what it looked like when I planted it.  But something horrifying happened to it.

So I asked my buddy Google for some help, and he told me that if the soil is hotter than 75 degrees, cilantro will "bolt".  I've never heard of such a thing!  Bolt?  What does that even mean?  

Apparently, once the soil gets too hot, it forces the herb to flower and become coriander seeds, which I can still use I guess.  But once it gets flowers, it no longer produces leaves.  How sad! 

Stupid herb.

I'm hoping it will grow again next year since it's now gone to seed.  Maybe then I will transplant it into my kitchen and just grow it indoors.  Or maybe I'll just pick up my cilantro at the supermarket.  Either way, I still get to enjoy my cucumber salsa. I hope you try it too!  It's AMAZING!!

Celebrating America's Birthday

For the 4th of July, we went to the lake for a picnic and to play in the water.  (Blessing #880)  The weather was HOT.  107 degrees hot.  Perfect day to be at the lake.  In the dirty mucky fishy water.  Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad, but I usually have to psych myself up to get into lake water.

After a stop at the Dairy Barn for ice cream (#881), we headed home to get cleaned up before the Kroll's firework show. 

The firework show was A-MAZ-ING!!!  Unbelievable!  (#882)  Our friends are crazy about fireworks.  They are pyro-maniacs and LOVE this time of year.  Here's a look at about half of their boards as they set them up.  They're all connected by wires and are ignited by an electric panel board with lots of buttons.  Jillian called it a "cool science project".  The fireworks were at a new location this year, and they spent a few days watering down the grass to prevent any accidents. 

Ready for the show to begin. 

God Bless America

Happy 4th of July!

Home-made Ice Cream

One of the best things about summer is home-made ice cream.  (Blessing #876)  This is our 2nd batch so far.  My recipe is a combination of the one my mom uses and one from the recipe book that came with my ice cream maker.  Now, before you comment on the fact that I use raw eggs, I will say that my grandmothers always used raw eggs in their ice cream too, and no one ever got sick either.

Combine:

6 beaten eggs

2 1/2 cups sugar

3 1/2 TB pure vanilla

pinch of salt

2 cans evaporated milk

1 pint heavy whipping cream

Whole Milk (add enough to get the mixture to the "fill line" on the inside of the bucket)

This is what it looks like, just before we start freezing it.  Notice the pure vanilla?  My mom & dad brought that back from Mexico with them.  Nothing's better than pure vanilla from Mexico!  (#877)

Next, we go outside and assemble the ice cream canister with the wooden bucket and motor, add ice and salt around the edges, and sit back in our zero-gravity lawn chairs (so thankful for the person who invented these ~ #878) until the motor stops turning. 

We sat in the shade, with the nice (some-what cool) breeze coming off the cornfield south of us. That same cornfield will be full of lightening bugs tonight, putting on a show for us. (#879) They've been so thick this year, and when it gets dark, it looks like Tinkerbell sprinkled pixie dust all over. So cool!

Anyway, back to the ice cream . . .

Waa-lah . . . after about 30 minutes of churning and freezing, the ice cream is done!  Magnificent!  If your mouth isn't watering yet, it really should be.  It is A-MAZ-ING!

My brother has an ice-cream maker that has a handle that you crank until it's done, but that seems like a lot of work to me.  However, when you grow up with home-made ice cream every summer, you do whatever it takes to continue the tradition.