Misadventures of A Family Of 8+

Two years ago, on April 1st, I was at the hospital having an emergency D & C to remove a mass in my uterus caused by a molar pregnancy. We thought I had been pregnant. I would of been about 3 1/2 months along. After the procedure the doctor informed me that it would be pretty much an impossibility to get pregnant ever again, due to problems with the procedure, but that because my HCG levels were so high, and remained high, it would be unsafe for me to to get pregnant anyway, that no baby could survive a pregnancy and that my chances of having uterine cancer were increased by 70% because of all this. Even though I was told that pregnancy was  not likely to happen again at all, we chose to have an IUD inserted just to be sure. I was uncomfortable having tubes tied etc just because that is how I am. When it was inserted they cut the strings too short, and I was unable to check on the IUD except during that time of the month.

Since having an IUD inserted (TMI ALERT) my periods have been wacky. So I really didn’t think anything of it when they stopped in November. Though, in January I did take a pregnancy test just to see, even though I was having no pregnancy symptoms. It was negative. I chalked the lack of period up to my IUD misbehaving and didn’t really think about it again.  Until about a month or so ago…

Suddenly my tummy was growing, I was gaining weight, and I started feeling sharp pains in my left side. The uterine cancer risk came back to me and I made an appointment with a doctor. My appointment was a month away!

A week later… I started feeling flutters… I didn’t want to get too excited after what happened last time, especially knowing the risk of cancer. I called the doctor and informed them of what was going on. When I got to my appointment on Monday they had me scheduled for several blood tests, and an ultrasound. After almost 4 hours at the hospital and the loss of a lot of blood through my arm,  I walked out with a video of our very healthy, very active little girl and assurances that my HCG levels were perfectly normal, there was NO sign of uterine, or any, cancer, and my IUD was no where to be found!

We have been extremely blessed living in this area. A great church, great friends, beautiful surroundings, awesome community…. and now a new, completely unexpected surprise blessing!

Now just to figure out how to plant and harvest a garden, keep chickens alive, find a couple milk goats, learn how to milk goats, and plan and get ready for a new baby this summer!

Today, on Good Friday, I wanted to post this song, as a reminder.

We put the nails in His hands, the thorn on his crown…

BUT

He loves us anyway.

Something I do not want to ever forget.

In January we packed up and made a ten hour drive to our new home in Eastern Oregon. We had been living in a two bedroom, one bathroom apartment next door to my parents on the Oregon coast… with 6 kids. Yea… living next to free babysitters who love my kids as much as I do.. priceless… living in a tiny apartment with 8 people… took more then I had.

The view off our front porch.

My husband had accepted a job as a mechanic/ranch hand on a large cattle ranch and we were excited, yet kinda scared. Not only were we moving several hours from anyone we knew (not that we hadnt done that before!) this was something he hadnt done before. He was a cook for most of our married life, though he did work construction off and on. He had helped on a ranch in Montana almost 20 years ago, working on the equipment etc but things have really changed since then. Things are run more and more by computers and technology, like the sprinkler systems he is now in charge of keeping running.

Our new job came with a house though, 3 bed, 2 bath, with a shop and laundry room, a HUGE yard, (its going to take days to mow until we get a riding mower!) and miles of sagebrush for the kids to roam and play in. A small creek runs through the backyard, just deep enough to wet your feet on a hot summer day. There is a fishing pond within hiking distance. Wildlife everywhere we look! The kids can go to work with dad and help with ranch chores, something I think is vital to my kids for a healthy childhood. Hard work, learning to care for animals, seeing your work help take care of yourself and your family. They are involved in day to day everything, they get to help feed, clean up the feed lot, repair the chicken coop, pull rocks out of the garden plot. They will also help plant, weed and harvest when that time comes. They have designed and are building their own tree house. They get all their schoolwork done and they still have time to play for hours a day!

The community is small, with an everyone knows everyone mentality that I loved when I was a kid and we lived in a similar town. As a parent, I know that my kids wont be able to do anything without my finding out about it

So we took a chance… more and more we have been wanting a simpler life. Less computer games, less relying on store bought products… less running around and accomplishing nothing. Now we go shopping three hours away once a month and hope we got all we need! Other then that we go to the library and church once a week. We live several miles from town, so just running to grab a gallon of milk is a source of excitement now!

We are planning our first garden. Yesterday we fertilized (with fresh cow manure oh joy) and tilled it. I am starting out small (apparently, I thought it was a large plot) this year, so I dont wind up killing a huge garden full of veggies while I learn what I am doing. I am cleaning out flower beds to plant herbs in. Planning a BBQ pit in the backyard for lazy summer evenings. Maybe a hot tub?

I have the items I need to make 18 pints of home made freezer jam on my shopping list. I have never made jam before…. more and more I find myself planning how to do things myself rather then running to the store to buy it. When I realized I could make it for about half the price of store bought jam, I couldnt help myself.

I am even looking into a milk goat or two. As we go through almost a gallon of milk a day. Organic milk out here is $7 a gallon! I am hesitant though, the last time I had goats they were WAY more trouble then they were worth! I think I spent more time chasing them then anything else! We are going to be ordering, or picking up chickens on our next town trip.  I am not quite ready to call myself a homesteader yet… but give me some time.

I didnt realize how much WORK this simpler life would be… we are up at 5 a.m. to bed by 9 p.m. Completely exhausted…not stopping all day long it seems. And we havent even started the garden, yard work or gotten the farm animals yet! But we have never been more at peace.

All I know is that we are loving this simpler life.

We know that explaining the importance of Easter to children can be tricky! Phil has created a powerful 11-minute video to help explain the meaning of Easter using scenes from Vol. 10 “Jesus Is The Good News!”.

We pray this video will impact children (and grownups!) around the world, but we need your help to spread the Good News. Please share this video with your church and across social media!

I am working with Warner Bros., for this giveaway and Warner Bros. supplied these materials to me for this promotion.

Enter below to win a prize of a copy of Peanuts Deluxe Holiday Collection, Classic Christmas Favorites or Dr. Seuss’s Deluxe Holiday Collection on Blu-ray! (Prize will be chosen randomly from the above Blu-ray titles!)

Read More…

Do you suffer from headaches? Exercise? Just have a hot head? Or a hot headed loved one? Head Coolie is the answer.

This slim headband has a pocket to slide the ice pack into cooling your head instantly for exercising, headaches, fevers, or even little ones boo boos.

It’s become a daily accessory around here. Everyone finds an excuse to use the Head Coolie.  The adjustable band makes it possible for everyone to use it also, it fits my husband all the way down to our 11 month old granddaughter.

HeadCoolie, a therapeutic headband that delivers cooling relief and compression for natural treatment of fever, overheating and headaches, including migraines.

The HeadCoolie wraps comfortably around the wearer’s head and provides a soothing, consistent pressure that gently chills and compresses blood vessels to help relieve the discomfort and pain of headaches. Unlike a cold cloth, the Head Coolie is hands-free and drip-free, giving you more freedom while relieving symptoms. The re-freezable gel inserts keep it colder longer than a cloth.

HeadCoolie is the perfect gift for anyone suffering from headaches, including pregnant women, who can’t take many medications for relief. Because it works for both children and adults, it’s sure to please moms who are fed up with the mess and inconvenience of using cold wet cloths for headaches and fever. The HeadCoolie can also help athletes recover more quickly after exerting themselves and reduce the risk of heat-related illnesses when active in hot weather. And the HeadCoolie is great for relaxation.

Buy one for your family’s medicine chest and another for the athletes and fitness buffs on your list. The HeadCoolie is adjustable and reusable, so it will provide comfort time and again.

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About HeadCoolie:  HeadCoolie(TM) is a reusable, adjustable headband designed to provide non-chemical, non-prescription therapeutic relief for fever, discomfort and headaches, including migraines. The HeadCoolie system combines a high tech headband with an internal pocket positioned to hold cold inserts on the forehead or neck. For more information visit HeadCoolie.com

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact: Katie Barrett at  what_mama_wants@yahoo.com. This blog does accept cash advertising, sponsorship, and paid topic insertions. I will and do accept and keep free products, services, travel, event tickets, and other forms of compensation from companies and organizations. The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements. The owner(s) of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners. If we claim or appear to be experts on a certain topic or product or service area, we will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest. To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

Who doesn’t love a company whose main purpose is to help spouses stay committed to their marriage. I know I do. Marriage is hard and we need all the help we can get! I recently ran across Union 28 on another blog and fell in love with their products. I knew I just had to get a ‘My Husband Rocks shirt!’

Union 28?s Mission says it all:

Last year Haagen-Dasz put out a limited edition flavor and I found a bunch of them at our local Grocery Outlet…

Haagen-Dazs® Cranberry Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream:  Rich, creamy pumpkin ice cream is balanced with swirls of tart cranberry filling, then lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg – a holiday classic.  Flavor Top Notes: Warm pumpkin pie, a zing of nutmeg.  Flavor Finish Notes: Tangy cranberry with a hint of spice.

I was head over heels in love.

Until my mouth started tingling and my throat swelled up. I still don’t know what caused it. I am not allergic to any of the listed ingredients.

So what does a Mama in love with pie flavored ice cream that she can’t eat do?

Create the pie of course.

I started with an easy gluten free pie crust found on Mary Frances “Gluten Free Cooking School” site.

 Then added a thin layer of cranberry sauce (canned). For my second pie I mixed the cranberry sauce right into the pie filling mix. Both ways baked up well. I topped it off with the usual pumpkin pie filling, found on the back of every can of Libby’s pumpkin puree. Since the ice cream was heavy on the spices, I was too. I added an extra 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice.

My first attempt at making a pie crust though (of ANY kind!) was a total  flop… I overworked the dough.. don’t do that! Unless you like rubber… The kids didn’t mind though.. they even licked the pie pan.

And I forgot to take pictures… Of course.

So I grabbed the one above because it made me jealous. My table nor my pie will ever look that nice