Oops

I realized I forgot to add the picture of the cake after it was cut- duh, that's the most interesting part. Here it is- it was good, not too sweet, but you can see I didn't get enough ice cream in there.


I also got a picture of the kefir when it was ready in the jar. I washed out a honey jar and am using that to make the kefir in. This is 24 hrs of fermenting- gross looking huh?
And this was after I shook it little- there was lots more 'curds and whey' before I shook it.

Here are the actual kefir grains. I only had three 'blobs' less than a week ago, and after culturing it everyday that's how many I have! This kind of thing used to disgust me, but now I think it's really cool. Today I put the new batch in the fridge because we have an abundance of kefir, and supposedly it will get creamier and thicker in the fridge. You aren't supposed to do that all the time though, as the grains will lose their 'punch' after awhile.

Today I went to our health food store and got some flavored cod liver oil. I couldn't find the brand that I wanted (Carlsson's) so I got another kind. We haven't taken this stuff in a loooonnggg time- it just dawned on me. So, we will be starting this pronto. I also bought Sambucol, black elderberry syrup. It helps to boost the immune system and protect against respiratory viruses and such. The first year I used it no one got sick the whole winter- from November-March.

Anyways, something else. Something very sad.

A lady that used to go to my church has two daughters, ages 7 and 5. The week before Christmas, the 5 year old got sick with strep throat. She went to the doctor and he gave them medicine for it. Over the weekend they noticed she wasn't getting better and didn't seem 'right'. They took her to the ER, did a spinal tap, thought she had some type of meningitis and air flighted her to Dallas. She went into a coma on Christmas Eve, they put shunts in her brain to help the swelling, her body was attacking her brain, but nothing was helping. They even did a chemotherapy treatment to kill her immune system so it would stop attacking her brain.

Multitudes of people have been praying for this little girl and her family. Wednesday they got the first good report-that she had brain activity. Yesterday she died. I am so shocked. Her little life is just snuffed out. The doctors still have no idea what was really wrong with her. I cannot imagine the untold grief her family is going through right now. I myself start crying when I think about them coming home to unopened presents for their daughter, her room and her things, comforting her sister...all from strep throat???

It certainly makes me want to make the most of my daughters' childhoods. I have deleted my schedule that I posted recently, and am rethinking it all. Yesterday was my daughter's fifth birthday, and yesterday was our friends' five year olds' death. I would like let them know how much we have been praying for them, but I can't go to the funeral. I just don't want to put myself through that- I have too good of an imagination and putting myself in other people's shoes.