VerHage Family Reunion

This past weekend we had a family reunion of sorts. It all started when Micah's sister announced she and her family were coming to Indiana this summer. As word got around about the visit, more and more VerHages wanted to come party. Soon enough family that we had never even met were planning on coming!! We were all so excited!! The date was set and the VerHage's began descending on the farm....

Here are some photos of our day!!

Everyone is here!!

Cousin Josh teaching his son the fine art of frisbee



We did a lot of hanging out and talking



more hanging out and talking...

Grandad, Grandma, and the boys (minus Mike!!)

In addition to gathering together, we took lots of photos of each other. I love Chelsea's pose in this one....she looks like Miss America!!

Pops with some of the cousins

The reunion was a hit!! We sat and talked, played Cornhole, had target practice, and ate lots of good food. There was so much fun, in fact, planning began for a reunion next summer.....

So, you may be asking yourself, what do two introverts like Micah and Steph do to unwind after all the people interaction? We go shoot guns!!

With Pops watching Ezra for us, we walked out to the shooting range for some down time......

Micah setting up the "target" (the cardboard box not the dog!!)

I'm concentrating real hard

Maizy is such a good girl

Micah trying desperately to keep up with his gunslinger wife

My MedStat Adventure

This past Thursday afternoon I began to notice a fullness and pressure in my left ear. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time, but as the night wore on it became increasingly uncomfortable. I must preface this with the fact I have a low pain tolerance so any little pain is amplified in my brain!! By Friday morning, my ear was hurting and I began to have a general feeling of sickness over my body. Again, being a worrier and knowing about a small measles out break in the area, my intuition told me it was the plague. When I informed my husband of this he just sighed, shook his head, and went back to his sudoku, clearly upset by the news. When I woke this morning, the pain was unbearable so I decided to see a medical professional to confirm my suspicions. I went to our local urgent care facility, MedStat.

As the doctor was checking my ears, I realized he kept trying to look in my sore ear again and again and kept getting frustrated. He informed me my outer ear was so swollen and infected there was no way to even get to the ear drum. The nurse then came in to irrigate my ear in order to clear out my ear enough to see the ear drum. The procedure was excruciating!! I felt like George Bailey in the Mr Gower's back room. However, they were able to clear the ear enough to diagnosis the ear infection.

The doctor then looked at me and asked, quite innocently, if I was under stress. I looked back at him and laughed (well, not really laughed...but I did smile as I replied back to him that my life does lean towards stress). He informed me that not only to I have a nasty ear infection, but I have possible TMJ issues. The TMJ pain can manifest as ear pain as I clinch my jaw almost daily...hourly. He then gave me three prescriptions...boo!!

my spoils for the day!!

As I sit here and write this post, my ear is already beginning to feel better despite all the poking and prodding. Though I prefer treating illness naturally, there are times when Western medicine is best and I am thankful for it!!

Cinnamon Bread

After many failed attempts at making bread, I finally got it!! Just as I was ready to throw in the towel and swear off bread making for the rest of my natural life, a friend gave me some pointers. She also lives in an old house, with all the lovely ready-made drafts! I made a cinnamon bread recipe from The Pioneer Woman . Micah made me document my success...so here are my pictures!! 

fresh out of the oven...

it's perfect!!

To dye for....

This weekend, we decided to dye Easter eggs with Ezra. I can remember the Easters past, dying eggs with my family...the weird vinegar smell...the impatience of waiting for the egg to color. I wanted Ezra to experience all the fun! Little did I know my boys didn't get the whole excitement thing like I did....oh well, here is the story!



here begins the coloring process...



ezra keeping a close eye on dad's egg dying skill

the boys checking out decoration ideas

charlie trying to be patient and hoping we would drop an egg for him!

why is the wait so long?!

ahhh....finally!

the boys with the newly dyed eggs...i think they were just happy to be done with mom's egg thing!

charlie still being patient....

this is the face you get when you take too many pictures of your husband and son while making them do silly crafts!

An Open Window...

I know I have previously written about sunshine in Indiana, but we just can't get enough this time of year! You cannot truly appreciate no sunshine for months unless you live in the Midwest....or Alaska! The sun is liquid gold....mothers send their kids out to play when the sun is out, no matter the temperature....our pale, sunless skin gets burned within seconds, but no one complains! Everyone is so happy and friendly. 

Today is a banner day weather-wise. The temperature is currently 55 , sunny, and we have the windows open....yes, that's right...the windows are open in February!!  



The minute I open the window, the cat smashes her face against the screen and just breathes in the fresh air. She will sit here for the next three hours and never budge!!




Here is the dog...living in mortal dread that the cat is getting more attention than he. Charlie will also be in this same spot for the next three hours watching the cat...




Almost all the snow is gone and now comes the mud!!




I just opened another window.....



The boy is napping in the sunshine...oops, he's been there for over 30 seconds...time for the SPF 150!!

Snowpocalyse.....sort of

inSo the weathermen here in Northern Indiana were shouting in the streets about a system moving into our area. This system was to bring not 1 or 2 inches of snow, not 8 or 9 inches, but almost 24 inches!! The weather people were oozing with glee!! Kids everywhere were praying for school closings. Adults were buying up eggs and milk like it was going out of style!! People were stock piling flashlights and candles, flamethrowers and machine guns....the "storm of the century" was upon us!

here is what the outside looked like before the storm hit

this is during the storm- you can't see how crazy the wind was though

outside after the storm (picture taken by micah)

after the final shoveling (picture taken by micah)

Was it the "storm of the century"? Not by a long shot.....but it was fun watching the 6 or so total inches of snow fall. The VerHage family just sat by the window and watched it all happening while eating homemade soup. We are hoosiers and snow don't scare us! My family called me the morning after to see if we were completely covered in snow. My grandma couldn't rest until she knew we had enough blankets and heat!! So for now we close the book on the "storm of the century"....but we still have 89 years to use that title.

cabin fever

Here is an article I found about cabin fever.....I thought it could brighten our hermitical Indiana winter!!

Cabin Fever: diagnosis and prognosis

By Bruce Watson

Published on January 25, 2008

For generations now, the Merck Manual has been giving sick people the lowdown on disease. From tumors and cysts to disorders of the glands, intestines, and other fun parts of the body, Merck is the final word on illness. So this time of year, it should come as no surprise that Merck has added a new malady to its manual.
Cabin Fever:
Cabin Fever is an acute disease that strikes those who have been inside their homes for what seems like seven years due to a) more snow than will fall this year on Buffalo; b) icy snowy sleety freezy liquid gunk spewing from the sky every other day for seven weeks; or c) a general tendency to, as one victim's wife noted, "just sit on his big fat rear each winter ever since I've known him."
Symptoms
Cabin Fever can produce three sets of symptoms. The first are behavioral disorders. These include throwing small objects at young children, climbing vertical walls, and gazing out at falling snow, saying "Ft. Lauderdale" over and over.
The second set of symptoms is cognitive. Cabin fever victims can suffer delusions ranging from thinking Jessica Simpson is talented to believing winter will never ever ever end. In severe cases, Cabin Fever sufferers may even doubt global warming is a reality or may start rooting for it.
The third set of symptoms is physical. These include gaining weight, a skin pallor that whitens until the victim is the color of skim milk, gaining more weight, inability to see or imagine the color green, and gaining (WHOA - CHECK OUT THE PORKER!) waaaaay more weight.
Complications
Complications to Cabin Fever set in when the sufferer is unable to step outside for more than 10 weeks. Complications can take several forms. The Cabin Fever sufferer may find himself stuck to the sofa. He may sit for hours watching reruns of "Seinfeld," "Happy Days," or even "My Favorite Martian." He might get out old photo albums and rearrange them. He might stick his head in the fire.
Diagnosis
Doctors may at first have difficulty distinguishing Cabin Fever from Couch Potato Disease or everyday TV addiction. The best test for Cabin Fever is to sneak up behind the patient while holding the New York Times Travel section. Timing is essential. When the patient least expects it, come around his left shoulder holding a photo of palm trees on a white sand beach. Then shout: "5 Days, 4 Nights only $1599!" If the patient either a) whips out his credit card or b) burst into tears, he/she is surely suffering from cabin fever.
Prevention
Wise up! Live somewhere where it doesn't snow 30 times a winter, where the January sky is occasionally blue, where kids go to school more than four days a week in winter, where weather cannot be clinically diagnosed as insane.
Prognosis and Treatment
Prognosis for Cabin Fever sufferers varies widely. Some can shake off the symptoms within a week by simply stepping outside, getting in their cars, and driving 1,000 miles due south. Others are able to ward off symptoms by booking memberships in health clubs where they ride stationary bicycles at breakneck speeds alongside other sweaty sufferers with skin the color of skim milk. Some try sun lamps and other artificial lighting but these usually just give the Cabin Fever sufferer better reading light.
Severe sufferers require more drastic treatments. These include the sudden, unexplainable death and must-attend funeral of a distant aunt in Scottsdale, Arizona; a spur-of-the-moment business conference in Key West; or succumbing to the chronic urge to buy two tickets to the Virgin Islands and never come back.

Good Resolutions Gone Awry

It's the first Monday of 2011...the day where it all begins. I had every intention of beginning the year with a fresh attitude with fresh resolutions. I wanted be more organized with running our home and be more purposeful with Ezra's therapy, for starters. Well, apparently Ezra didn't get the memo that Mom was ready to hit 2011 running!! He decided to do his own thing today and the dog tracked mud all over and the grocery list still isn't made. It's already approaching late afternoon and my head is reeling....where did my day go? The start to 2011 didn't exactly go as planned. I struggle with feeling defeated already...but I keep remembering what Anne Shirley always said, "Tomorrow is fresh....".

I will wake up tomorrow and begin again....maybe this time with two cups of coffee!!

 

this is not my own picture, but it brightened my day.



How the VerHages spent New Year's Eve



Ezra, Charlie, and myself sitting on the couch during our NYE movie marathon. We enjoyed hanging out with each other and not having anywhere to be!



Micah on Netflix picking out the next movie.....

Micah's face when he realized I was taking his picture while he was picking out the new movie

We got a Wii for Christmas and have been enjoying not only the fun games, but watching Netflix on our TV!! A whole new world has been opened up to the small-town bumpkins!!

Laundry Day!!!!

I have a confession....I love doing laundry!! I love taking a pile of dirty clothes, making them clean, then folding them up nice and neat. I love the satisfaction of taking my nicely folded clothes and putting them away!! Chaos into peace!! Sick, I know....but it is the ONE chore that does not bore me to death.

Why, you may ask, did I decide to write about this topic today of all days? Well (thank you for asking by the way!) today is laundry day in the VerHage house. I am washing and folding to my heart's content. Our dog and cat also love laundry day. For some strange reason, they love to get in a laundry basket full of clean clothes, so I have to work quickly when folding!!



This is our first dog, Luther. He also enjoyed a laundry basket full of clean, folded clothes!!



Due to Ezra's eczema and allergies, we have to use a natural detergent with no dyes or fragrance. About a year ago, I decided to make laundry detergent here at home. I found a website that had a few recipes to try. I opted for the powder recipe. Check it out for yourself....it's really easy!!

Enjoy laundry day!!

Life and Death of a Gingerbread House

This year, Micah decided we needed to make a gingerbread house. I thought it would be cool! I began making plans to go buy the supplies: gingerbread graham crackers, canned frosting, and candy for decoration. My planning soon came to crashing halt when Micah informed me he wanted the gingerbread house to be made from scratch. Ok, I thought, it would mean a little more work, but Christmas was only once a year....let's do it!!

We began to plan out what we wanted the house to look like and find the perfect gingerbread recipe. The pictures below are a representation of our first ever attempt at making and then destroying a gingerbread house....

Some of our supplies as we were getting ready for the adventure....the cardboard was cut out in the pattern of the house and yes, the candy made it until we began decorating!!

This is the first ball of gingerbread....after running to the neighbor's house to borrow spices, thank you Rhonda, and chilling in the fridge for several hours. Let the fun begin!!

Cutting out the shape of the house....after a few tries, I learned to flour the cardboard first...



Our first two sides done and ready for the oven!!!




Setting out the pieces to cool....



cooling....



Putting on doors and windows before the house is set up.



The house is now all put together and iced up....and no, I did not use baking soda or powder in the decorating....they are just left over from making the gingerbread!!

Drumroll............the completed gingerbread house in all her glory!!!!!!



And boy did she taste good!!!!!!



Adventures in G-Tube Feeding

Over the last few years we have embarked on a journey into the world of tube feeding. Since Ezra cannot swallow yet, we decided to get him a g-tube. This is a small device that is put directly into the stomach and sits on top of the skin. We have special tubes that fit into the device (button) to give Ezra his food. He was first on infant formula, then around six months we gave him a homemade formula. This worked great for him. Ezra got chunky, his eczema cleared up, and he looked healthy. The new formula was time consuming for Micah and myself, but the benefits outweighed all that! This last spring, however, we hit a problem with the homemade formula. Ezra got kidney stones!! After a few trips to the nephrologist, we decided the diet was to blame for the stones.

So now we were left with the decision of what to do next. Micah and I decided to keep Ezra's diet natural. We did some research and came up with a few recipes to give him. We wanted to keep his diet as close to a "normal" toddler diet as possible. After some trial and error (like discovering Ezra had many food allergies), we thought we had successfully transitioned to the new diet. At our last nephrologist visit, we discovered Ezra was losing weight. Great.......back to the drawing board!!!

This week we began some new diet ideas. Ezra needs more calories and protein according to his doctor. We also give him lots of good fats to help his brain development. So far things seem to be going well. I'm sure I'll be writing about this topic much more in the future.

This is a picture of a g-tube with the feeding tube attached for those of you curious as to what the tube looked like.