An Award! Prayers for Others and an Emily Update

Hi Friends,
Mike is quietly doing the taxes with an occasional grumble under his breath.  I think I've gathered all the paperwork for him that I can so I have some time to sit and write a post.

First I have to thank Paula for the Award.  Thank You!!!  Paula blogs over at Crop Notes and Crafts and we are like kindred spirits.  We both have a love of basket weaving, paper crafting and other hobbies.  If you haven't been to her blog then it is high time you visit her.  She also makes the best video tutorials of her work. 

With the award I'm supposed to tell eight things about myself.  Hmmmm.....What have I not told you about myself?  I feel like I've shared so much about me already.  Well, here goes.

1.  When we lived in Florida I sang with the Sweet Adelines for a short time.
2.  I'm allergic to cats.  I love cats just my nose doesn't.
3.  I've been working on my photography skills.  I own a nice point and shoot camera and I've never really taken the time to figure out and appreciate all its features.  Photography is something I want to get into more.
4.  Spring is my very favorite season and I know it is just around the corner.  I love the colors and the gardening and just getting to spend time outside.
5.  My sewing machine is a machine I got when I was in high school, a Bernina Minimatic that my parents bought used.  It has 8 stitches.  It's over 30 years old and still sews up a storm.  (I'm actually in the process of looking for a new machine, I would like one that does monogramming.  Any suggestions?)
6.  I love all the books of the Bible, especially the gospels, but probably my all time favorite book is Ecclesiastes.  It is kind of like the book of Proverbs and is just full of wonderful information.
7.  One of my favorite television shows is "Biggest Loser".
8.  My all time hands down favorite food is seafood, in particular shrimp.  Oh yum.

Now I'm just going to open this wonderful little award up to all of you my friends.  I'm really supposed to pick 8 blogs, but I'm so glad you are all here and reading each and every one of you can accept this award.  I am going to direct you to a couple of blogs though that have really touched my heart lately and these blog owners NEED our prayers.

The first is The Simple Wife.  Joanne is 38 years old and has just recently, as in just a few weeks ago, had a massive stroke.  They didn't know if she would make it but she is now in a long term care facility and was able to make the "I Love You" sign with her hand.  She has two young girls who are younger than mine and her husband has been keeping us up-to-date on her blog with daily posts.  Joanne's blog will have you in tears.  She is such a beautiful Christian woman.  I know God is going to use this experience for his good but she surely is going through some tough times right now.

The second is New Nostalgia.  Amy is another young Christian mom with two young children and she has been battling breast cancer.  I had told her I was doing the Think Pink raffle last year.   Amy was diagnosed with stage 3 or 4 breast cancer and it has been an emotional journey for her.

Third is a fun blog I just stumbled upon.  Prairie Flower Farm.  What excites me so much is Linda, the author of the blog lives just minutes from where I grew up and where my parents still live.  She has relatives in a nursing home where I got my first job in nursing.  The places she shows on her blog are so familiar to me.  Not only that, her country style is my country style.  Her blog is so fun and pretty and the photography is beautiful.  Did you know my parents still live in the same house they bought before I was born?!!  I should have put that tidbit in the about me section above.

Now an update on Emily.  She does have Hashimoto's Disease.  That is a fact.  She does have a Vitamin D deficiency.  That too is a fact.  One doctor says she has Lyme disease.  Another doctor isn't so sure.  Emily is still in pain.  Things always seem to change with her.  Over the past 6 weeks she has complained that her ear is "staticy" and she is nauseous all the time with motion sickness.  That sounds like an inner ear thing to me.

Right now the only thing I'm doing differently is some high potency vitamins and I've put her on a gluten free diet.  This is from my own reading and I'm surprised at the different places  I've read that talk about the connection of being gluten sensitive and getting Vitamin D deficient as well as getting Hashimoto's disease.  I hope putting her on this alleviates some of her symptoms.  I've only started the gluten free diet two weeks ago and this may take some time to see any results but I am sure hopeful and I know God is Great.

Please keep my sweet Emily on your prayer list.  We are ever so grateful for your prayers.  This has been going on too long and she is too young to be in such pain and now with nausea some days life is just miserable for that sweet child.  She manages her schooling with good grades but most free time is spent in bed resting and sleeping.  She will often nap for 2 plus hours in the afternoon along with 10 hours at night.  This is another one of those instances in which I believe God is going to use this for a greater picture that we just cannot see yet.  Thank you so much for all of you who are praying for Emily.  Thank you too for those of you who have sent me e-mails with ideas on what it might be or what may help.  I look into each and every one of them.  Thank you!!!! 

Hugs and Blessings to you all,
Nancy