A New Look and a New CD

Lots of people have heard about the strange allergic reaction I had around my eyes a month ago. Under an allergists care I was being treated with steroids and allergy pills, but there was no indication what the allergen may be. I had some strange side effects to the steroids, beginning with a rash that started on my face and was spreading down my torso. Then I had a few other quirky things happen so we decided steroids were not the best treatment option. I had a strong feeling it was not a pollen allergy and so I just took the Zyrtec to appease the Dr. He asked that if it flared up again I come in to see him right away. Last Sunday night I put some Vitamin E under my eyes, which has been my practice for a couple of years now. I've known for some time that I'm very sensitive there and can't use most lotions without getting itchy and uncomfortable, but have never had any real swelling. Vitamin E is the only thing I've found which was safe... until now. This is how I woke up Monday morning:

No... my nose was not swollen too, I just held the camera about 5 inches from my face to get this shot, which should also account for why I look rather cross-eyed. I propose that, should I one day be engaged, you show these pictures to my future husband and tell him this is what I look like in the morning. If he can find the humor in it and love me still - he's a keeper!

The new theory is that I've recently developed an allergy to some ingredient in the Vitamin E capsules. The allergist and I have narrowed it down to Gelatin. Being the curious type that I am, I popped another one open and rubbed it on my arm just to see if I would have a reaction there. Sure enough, I had little red bumps that were barely noticable in the morning. As the day went on it began to itch and by the next morning, despite several washings, it was noticeably spreading and more bothersome. The funny part is, last time this happened I kept putting more and more Vtamin E on to soothe the discomfort, not realizing I was multiplying it! My new find is chapstick - that seems to be ok and has helped to soothe the discomfort. I've also used some prescription strength hydrocortisone to take down the swelling and redness. The Dr said it's pretty much the same reaction someone would have from rubbing poison ivy under their eyes if they were allergic to it (which I am not!) So as you can imagine, after a week of treating myself with the irritant I was looking much worse than this picture after just one exposure to it. I'm convinced this isn't a food allergy, that it's just a contact allergy. I'm believing I will be able to enjoy Jello in the future, but there's only one way to find out...

On another note, my beloved Miss Keri has yet again blessed me by sharing a great music find. Before she left for vacation last week she dropped off the newest Na Band CD : Looked Upon. After about 3 days I decided this would be well worth adding to my own library and had one placed on order which I was hoping would arrive before she came home and wanted hers back :-) I would highly recommend this CD to anyone in the world! These people have incredible music gifts! Musically it is the best CD I have heard in a long time. But the words are just excellent! They are so gospel centered, and performed with an evident genuineness. I'm provoked to love God more and pursue more diligently what it means to worship in spirit and in truth because of examples like this! Here is the last verse from one of my very favorite songs on Looked Upon:

Stretch out Your arm, victorious King
My reigning sins subdue
Defeat the pride that dwells within
Keep Calvary in my view
A guilty, weak, and helpless soul
Into Your hands I fall
Lord, be my strength and righteousness
My Jesus, be my all
My Jesus, be my all
My Jesus, be my all
taken from "Jesus, Be My All (How Sad Our State)"
words by Isaac Watts (1709), additional words by Devon Kauflin and Bob Kauflin 2008

Thank you Keri for sharing your passion for Jesus and appreciation for music with me! I'm so glad I have you as a friend, a sister, a neighbor, a care group carpooler and a worship team cohort. You are a blessing to me and I thank God for you!

My Dear Valentines

I love my Valentines! God is so kind to give me such dear friends! I got to spend some time out with Julie this week and was refreshed and encouraged by sharing sweet fellowship with her. I'm going to guess that 9 out of 10 people who would visit this blog can quickly agree with that statement. (The other "1" would be family or others who may not know her) Julie, I love your desire to honor God as a wife and mother and how you tirelessly seek ways to care for the ladies in our care group and throughout the church. You speak openly and specifically about your sin, and you do a great job giving and receiving encouragement! Thank you for the way you regularly invite me into your life and the reality of the battle against flesh. You are often on my heart and prayed for with much love!

On top of Keith finding tons of practical ways to care for and serve our family, and helping me understand scripture more clearly, he has this uncanny ability to bust on me and encourage me at the same time. I'm not quite sure how that happens, but I don't have another brother quite like him. I'm so glad he's my care group leader and I can't imagine having a better one. Thanks for all the time and energy you've poured into us over the last 2 years, and especially the burden you've carried for Gene and the faithful outworkings of that! We are grateful!

One of my favorite memories so far with Keith and Julie was this Valentine's Day when they showed up at my door with gifts and notes from ladies in our care group (thank you again to all who had a part in that) and topped it off with a singing telegram. I wish I had a video of that to share, but no such luck.


Julie mentioned on her blog that the kids were here and had a water balloon fight last weekend. She kind of missed the punch line though - I used regular balloons and they wouldn't pop when the kids threw them at each other. So I had a yard full of unpopped ballons and a group of kids yelling, "Owe! Please don't" as they were pelting each other with them. I finally convinced them it was all part of the game and no reason to cry. I'm not sure I'll get to babysit them again... I guess it depends on the size of the bruises.



After that we stuck to the squirt bottles but poor Caleb couldn't get his little fingers wrapped around the trigger unless it was facing towards him. He seemed to be fine with this and entertained himself rather than chasing the other kids. I took this video of him with my camera and he kept looking at me and saying, "Cheeese!" Could these kids get any cuter? I love it!

our picnic lunch

Thank you Julie for giving me permission to post these. I hope you get to enjoy the videos now :-)

Our Growing Family and Praises to God!

First of all - and LEAST importantly - I think today may end a little quest I've been on. It is extremely rare for me to wear a bathing suit. Some summers I don't even get in a pool once so I don't think much about swim suit shopping. I have one that has functioned but I'm not satisfied with the modesty factor on it. With our trip to Hawaii in view I've been praying for a solution and remembering how very difficult it is to find suitable swim wear. I am not an ocean person at all but I have a feeling that will change when we get to Oahu :-) Andrew has offered to teach me to surf and I have every hope of making an "attempt". I'm not expecting it to be pretty, but it will be worth the memory. Today I found some board shorts that, after a little altering, I think will go quite nicely with a full length swim top I have. Niiiice. God is good!

Second of all - and more significantly - my younger sister, Jill, is officially engaged! Next spring I get a new brother-in-law and Xavier gets an Uncle Andrew! We are very excited for them and have seen this coming for many months. Xavier's been tackling him like an uncle for several holiday gatherings now. I love how the Lord keeps adding to our already big family and all of my brothers-in-law just fit in so perfectly with our craziness even though they all have one sibling or were only children growing up. They are some of the neatest men I know and give me hope for what the Lord may have ahead for me.

Third of all - and a little more exciting because I was not expecting this one - I'm going to be an Aunt again! Lord willing, in February, Lori and Jason will welcome their second little one and I get to torment them with snuggles and kisses and tickles! I love having nieces and nephews and Xavier gets such a kick out of how his cousins admire him. The oldest ones are 2 years old and both talk about him quite a bit and watch his every move when they're together (which I remind him of regularly!).

And lastly - and HUGEST of all! - it seems like the Lord is really doing a work in Gene (Xavier's father)! He is really wanting to come to church and is not showing the opposition he once had to the gospel. Several men in our church have been seeking to reach out to him and he is open and responding to them! I can't put in to words what a blessing that is to me as it can be very difficult for me to care for him as a single woman. Please be praying that God would save him and that he would be firmly rooted, not spring up for a time and then wither away. There seems to be a real conviction to turn from a pursuit of sin and he no longer disputes scriptures I mention. This is such a change from even a year ago! Please also pray for his girlfriend, Angie. She is a professing Christian and is supportive of him making these changes (specifically moving into separate homes) while still hoping to one day get married. This is exciting stuff! Could it be that after years of prayer and pleading the Lord is bringing repentance and salvation? Oh please join me in prayer here! God is so merciful!