In HIS Grip ~ An Update

How my heart aches.
And yet, God gives His peace.
There's a long road ahead.
We've only just begun...

Oh the tears we have shed!
Oh the strength that HE gives!
How wonderful to be held
firmly in HIS grip.

It appears that Austin's heart has been
compromised far longer than
we at first believed.

His 2009 echo-cardiogram (ultrasound of the heart),
upon closer examination, seems to show
impaired heart function, which would mean that
it went undetected at that time.

Hindsight is always 20/20.

This heart condition, it would appear,
predates the earliest signs of Crohn's Disease.

We had no idea.

We could have suddenly lost him.
He is in what appears to be the advanced
stages of heart failure.

There are still more tests to be run,
and medicines to take.
There is the potential for a pace maker to be

inserted in the next little while.
We are waiting for the results of blood work and

will not have all the answers from that for
at least another week.

We wait.


God is in control.
And we rest in Him.
Where would we be without Him?
What a comfort it is that we are not!

I cannot even fathom life here without Austin.
And yet, that is a very real possibility.
Not imminently. But, eventually.
Unless the LORD intervenes.
We pray that HE will use the means.
And we pray that HE will
do the miraculous.

It appears that Austin's heart
has sustained irreversible damage.
He has what is known as Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM).
The favourable third (in my previous post)
does not appear to be his lot.
We know that God is able to heal.
We pray that He will. And know that He is still
Good if He does not.

We thought we had given our children over

to the LORD years ago.
But, this turn of events has shed new light on that.
We must hold them with a light hand.
They do not belong to us.

May we live this out.
Day by day.
By His Grace.

Austin is fully informed.
And he is processing it all.
And God is giving him grace.
But, he will have to grieve as well.

And then live.


Please pray that the LORD will continue to give him all
that will be required for this journey.
And please pray that we would be able to be a

blessing to him as we seek to point him and ourselves

to the LORD.

And, of course, please pray
for healing! God is able.

And to think that he says to us ~
"I sure hope you're not losing
sleep over this!"

He really has no idea!

Thank you to each one of you
for your prayers and loving concern.
We sense the Lord carrying us.
He is such a gracious and loving Saviour!

We are blessed.

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.
Trust ye in the LORD forever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH
is everlasting strength."
~ Isaiah 26:3-4 ~

Much love,
Camille

**If you have missed the other posts
in this journey, and would like to read them ~
Please click here for the first, and click here for the second,
click here for the next, and click here for the last.

Full Circle ~ An Update

We've come full circle.
Austin began life as a
heart patient.
And he is one again.

We had no idea that his
condition was as serious
as it is!

And we had no idea that
it was his heart troubling him
rather than Crohn's Disease.
What a shock!

On Monday
(the day after he was admitted),
he was transferred to the ICU
at Children's hospital
due to a heart condition
that we were unaware of.
He is currently still there.

As an infant, he had
open heart surgery.
And now, his heart is enlarged.
Dangerously so.


~ Austin in 1996 ~

Crohn's Disease
is on the back burner.
It's secondary.

This particular heart condition
is rare ~ Only 1:100,000.
And life-threatening.
Scary.

One third of children who
contract this malady die.
One third live with
impaired heart function.
And one third recover completely.

We pray that Austin will be
in the latter category.
But, if he is not,
we know that ALL things work together
for good for those who belong to the LORD.
HE truly does all things well.
And we rest in HIS perfect plan.

Austin loves the LORD.
This is the most important thing.
Everything else pales in comparison.
It's first.

How precious it is to know
that our son knows his destiny.
Such a comfort at such a time.

Please continue to pray.
The journey to come is a long one.
We will not have answers to all our
questions for months at the earliest.

In the meantime, we live.
And we grieve.
But, we do not despair.
HE is giving grace and strength
outside of ourselves.

May the LORD help us to honour
HIM day by day.
How gracious HE is to us!
We are so thankful to belong
to HIM!

Thank you SO much for your
prayers and for your concerns.
They are such a blessing to us all!
We know that the LORD
is in control of this storm.

"...the LORD hath his way
in the whirlwind and in the storm,
and the clouds are the dust of his feet."
~ Nahum 1:3b ~

"The LORD is good,
a strong hold in the day of trouble..."
~ Nahum 1:7a ~

Many Blessings to you each one!
In HIS Love,
Camille

**The next post in this series
is found by clicking here.
The third post is here.
The fourth post is here.

P.S. I am currently unable
to repay the visit to you at your place...
please know that I have not forgotten you!

Challenge 7 - The Great Outdoors

So sorry to be late this morning.  Hopefully it's worth the wait :)

Our challenge this time is sponsored by Karen's Doodles who are just wonderful.  The prize is 3 digis and here's a bit of info about them:

Karen Johnson has been drawing all of her life. She has worked on the feature film, “Ferngully The Last Rainforest” and has created animations forDisney, Fisher Price and Mattel. She has illustrated several children’s booksand is currently teaching animation at a college in Wisconsin. She started Karen’s Doodles so she could share her whimsical drawings with crafters from around the world.

We were lucky enough to get some images from Karen and here's what the design team came up with:

Shirley

ALAN:

Jen

Patricia

MANDY

Sandra

Hopefully you've gotten all fired up to join in with the challenge.  If you have, here are the rules:


1. The card must be new for this challenge and follow the theme set.
2. There must be a link in your post back to Cards for Men.
3. The card must be for a boy/man.


The challenge will run from now until midnight on 8th April 2012. Leave a link to your card (not just your blog) in the list below. If the list is not there for some reason, leave a comment and I'll add you in before the draw. Good Luck.

The Big Guns

Sometimes the Big Guns are required.
There's no shame in that.

Through God's Providential Care,
our child with Crohn's Disease
is in Children's Hospital.
He is there by design.

And God is Good.
Always.

We see His Hand in all
the events that have led to
this moment.
We see His Loving Care
being displayed to
our precious son.

He is sick.
Very sick.

And he is receiving
amazing care.
We are thankful.


What a blessing to know
that it is the LORD Who
holds us.
We are standing on
the Solid Rock.

We still believe
that an excellent way to
manage this disease
is through diet.
For the long term.

But, right now,
he needs the Big Guns.
And he is getting them.
By God's Grace.

Please pray that the LORD
would have His way in this storm.
And that we would have wisdom
in the midst of it all.
Thank you so much for your
kind friendship ~
it is a great blessing.

I will be offline for
the next little while ~
just so you know where I've gone.

Much Love to you all!
Camille

Lemonade Stand

This one is for Alex.

When life gave her lemons, she really and truly made lemonade.

I am so excited about the reveal of my Lemonade Stand mini unit, for 3 reasons: 1.  I love the activities, and think it will bring many fun memories for my class!  2.  I created all the clip art in this one!  3.  *And most important and exciting*--half of the proceeds from this packet will be donated to an AMAZING organization that I can't wait to tell you all about...

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation  

I stumbled upon the website for Alex's Lemonade Stand while creating my lemonade packet.   I read the story of the foundation's founder-- 8 year old Alexandra "Alex" Scott, who bravely fought, but lost her battle with cancer.  She was diagnosed with neuroblastoma shortly before her first birthday.  The day after her fourth birthday, she told her mom that she wanted to open up a lemonade stand and give the money she earned to all the doctors and nurses "to help other kids like they helped me."  She opened her stand after coming home from the hospital, and raised $2,000!  As Alex fought for her life, her parents continued to have the lemonade stand each year, and news of what they were doing spread all over the world.  By the time Alex passed away, she had helped to raise $1 million for childhood cancer research.  Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation funds cutting edge research projects, and provides travel programs for families of children fighting cancer.  

It is SO easy to get involved and help this amazing foundation.  I know spring and summer months inspire our students and children to have lemonade stands, and what an incredible teaching moment and service project to have a lemonade stand to remember Alex and help the children who are still battling the disease.  

As a mother, Alex's story broke my heart, but also inspired me.  What an amazing, selfless, brave, and incredible little person she must have been.  She made such a huge difference with her life!  

I know that I want to help this foundation in some way--and what an amazing gift this blog is to share this story with others.  Even if you don't need a Lemonade mini unit, you can go directly to the site to donate.  www.alexslemonade.org

To preview my Lemonade Stand mini unit, click the lemonade stand below:

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Yup.

That's me.  Sometimes.
Not good.  Not good at all!

My friend just blessed another friend's daughter
with a wedding shower.
She gave a devotional talk to the bride-to-be.
But, we were all there to listen in.
And it *hit home*.

The verse?

"A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a
contentious woman are alike."
~ Proverbs 27:15 ~


The examples she gave were real and true.
Sadly.

She said that if we treated co-workers like
we sometimes treat our husbands 
those co-workers would avoid us.
Yup. Indeedy.

Again, we must all sit up and take notice.
Why would God's Word address this if it were
not true?  And true often.

It is a universal vice.
We all, at one time or another, will struggle with it.
And it is sin.
And where ought we to run with our sin?
That's right ~ to the Cross.

The LORD died for this.
HE will give strength and grace to live for HIM.
He enables us to do as we ought to.
And, HE forgives.

How wonderful it is!
One day at a time.  Moment by moment.
With HIM.

"Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, 
sweet to the soul, and health to the bones."
~ Proverbs 16:24 ~

On this journey too.
Many Blessings,
Camille

One by One

I did not deserve God's mercy,
yet, He gave it.
I am not deserving of His grace,
but He continues to supply it.
Because of the finished
work of Jesus Christ.

As time goes on,
I am more and more aware that
what I actually deserve is
eternal separation from Him forever.
Outside of Christ....

I deserve Hell.

Oh the thought of it!
And yet, He chose to extend Life to me.
He continually gives grace and mercy.
He promises to save all who come to Him.
How Amazing and Wonderful!

Are you HIS?

"All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me;
and him that cometh to me
I will in no wise cast out."
~ John 6:37 ~

Run to Him today!

This knowledge has put into
perspective quite a few things.
We have had recent trials and struggles.
Sorrows that even those closest to us
know nothing of.

And yet, through it all,
there is joy.
And peace.
And comfort.

And we have been provided for.
And we have been sheltered.
And we have been encouraged.

The LORD is Faithful.

What more can be said?

The list continues to grow.
The mercies abound.
The graces are numbered.
And we rejoice!

All we have is from His Hand.
Numbering God's gifts ~
One by One.

1609. That I do not get what I deserve ~
That's Mercy!

1610. That I get what I do not deserve ~
That's Grace!

1611. That the LORD is merciful ~
Extending Life to me!

1612. For godly influence

1613. For godly teaching and instruction
in a wonderful church

1614. For internet connection
and audio broadcast live
when we are unable to be there in person

1615. That my Dad thought
to blow this photo up so long ago ~
He was right...it is a treasure!
(Fraser, Calvin, and Austin Summer 2001 ~
2, 4, and 6 years old)
Be. Still. My. Heart.


1616. That these boys are growing
up and following the example of their
Daddy in so many ways

1617. For a Dad who takes his
sons on business meetings ~
What a blessing!


1618. For a *new to us* van to drive in ~
truly an *extra* and not a *need*

1619. Mornings like this...


1620. Last effort of winter ~
But Spring is coming!

1621. Birthdays and birthdays and MORE birthdays ~
Four in the space of 7 1/2 weeks!

1622. The joy on their faces! :)


1623. Celebrating with family
and friends

1624. Learning and growing...
still (thankfully)

1625. Provisions and seeing that
they come directly from our Loving
Heavenly Father ~
A pair of Sunday Pants for Calvin
on sale and a pair of Sunday Shoes
from the Thrift Store (the label on
the sole said they were Italian made!)

1626. Music ~
Continually.


1627. And that the piano had
its tri-annual tuning...
ahhhh!

My journal sits on my counter.

I list as events unfold.
Sometimes many all at once,
and other times in a trickle.

Would you like to begin?
Just grab a pen and a journal,
set them out on the counter,
and list out your blessings.
Find the joy in the moments ~
As they arrive.

Enjoy the journey!

Many Blessings,
Camille

Chai Tea Latte ~ Homemade

Chai Tea Latte with Vanilla
is my preferred indulgence
whenever I go to Starbucks.

Y.U.M.

Recently, I was there
with a friend and our
two little girls.
As, per usual, I ordered
my usual.

And my friend asked if
I wanted the recipe for a
homemade Chai Tea.
You know what I said, right?

Yup.
That's right.

So, now I can share with you!
Are you excited?
You should be! :)

Measure out 1 cup water per
tea bag and set in a pot to boil.
(I really like this made with
Vanilla Rooibos...but,
any regular tea will do!)

Reduce heat to simmer and add
1 heaping teaspoon each of
the following whole spices (not ground) ~
Cardamom, Cloves, Fennel, and a Cinnamon stick.
Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes
with lid partially vented.

Add in a heaping teaspoon of brown sugar
and 1 cup of full fat milk.

Heat through, but do not boil.
Strain and serve.

This recipe makes enough for one
GIANT mug or two regular sized ones...
with no option for seconds.

Enjoy!!

Thank you my sweet
friend for sharing! :)

Many Blessings,
Camille

Winner and top 3 for challenge 5 (plus other stuff)

Hi guys,

We have our lucky winner drawn by random for the $5.00 digi gift voucher from Digital delights

And that lucky person is........

Pia... #56

well done hunni, please contact donna at  cardsformen@donnasden.co.uk to claim your prize.

And here are our Top 3

Squirrel #1

JorunnB #18

KraftyK #45

So now for the 'other stuff'.  Firstly, we missed announcing the winner for challenge 4 so here goes....
The winner of prize 1 - 3 digis from Fresh Brewed Designs is #35 - HelenR  Take a look at Fresh Brewed Designs and let us know your choices.  Email is cardsformen@donnasden.co.uk

The winner of prize 2 - £10 gift voucher for One Stop Card Crafts is #49 - Claire.  Get in touch on cardsformen@donnasden.co.uk and we'll pass you on to the sponsor for your prize.

The top 3 for challenge 4:

Flutterbytrina

Shari Green

Lynne

Congratulations to you all.  Grab the top 3 badge from our sidebar and add it to your own.

But there's more!  We had our 1000th follower during the last challenge which was absolutely fabulous.  We're so pleased to be producing challenges and ideas for you and hope you all get something out of it as well.  It's amazing how far we've got in the last two years.

For some reason the winners of the recent challenges haven't claimed their prizes yet, so here's a reminder.
Challenge 1  - Cindy Groh
Challenge 2 - Jane A
Challenge 3 - Scrapcat

Please email cardsformen@donnasden.co.uk to claim your prize.


well done to you all, hope you join us for our newest challenge Which is Cheeky Chappies and you will find it Here

Let it Roll

Ever observe a duck?
He dives under the surface ~
Bobs up ~
And all the water
just rolls off his back.

It's amazing.

We are to be like this
when it comes to some
things in life.
Let things roll off of
us without sinking in.
The negative stuff, that is.

The nasty words of others.
The hurtful actions.
Especially those things
that were unintentionally hurtful.

Thoughtless.

We are not to absorb those things.
Doing so can lead to bitterness.


I speak from experience.

It's never a good thing
to harbour nasty stuff in our hearts.
To replay it over and over
in our minds.
To share the hurt around
in the form of gossip.
To lash out and bite back.

Not a good thing at all.

Only by the Grace of God are we
able to let things go.
Turn the other cheek.
Pray for those who mistreat us.
Show love in the face of hatred.
Only by HIS grace are we
able to move on.
In HIS Strength.


Forgiveness.
Grace.
Mercy.

Breathe deep.
These are the *real* things.
And HE alone is able.
Look to HIM.
Draw strength from HIM.
HE will meet us in our need.

For HIS glory.

May HE give us all
daily the grace and strength
we need to follow HIM
in these ways.

Many Blessings,
Camille

**Photo in this post
courtesy of our precious Calvin ~
Thank you so much! XO

Dairy Free Mint Ice Cream!

You would never know this
ice cream has no sugar in it ~
Just honey.

And no CREAM either ~
Only coconut milk!

W.O.W.

It is yummy.

Oh...
and one *secret* ingredient
to make it green ~
S.P.I.N.A.C.H.

Can you believe it?
Shhh....don't tell my kids! :)

I found the original recipe here.
And then I tweaked it ~
Just a little.

If you are looking for
dairy-free, sugar-free, grain-free recipes,
The Unrefined Kitchen
is a great resource!

~ Mint Ice Cream ~

Three 400ml tins premium quality coconut milk ~
Or just two if you use the liquidy stuff...
Make sure these are full fat, not *lite*! :)

1/2 cup Liquid Honey

1 cup Baby Spinach Leaves ~
Lightly steamed and cooled

2-3 tsp Peppermint Extract

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Chocolate Chips to taste ~
My photo does not show chocolate
chips since this was a chocolate-free batch.
It's super-duper yummy with chocolate
chips in it though!

Scoop off the top heavy cream from
your tins of coconut milk and
discard the watery stuff ~
Or, if you are using all the contents
of the tin, just use two.
(I have done it both ways,
and I prefer the taste when
the watery stuff is not included).

Place into blender or a deep bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients
and blend ~ I use a deep bowl and
mix it all up well with my immersion blender.

Taste and adjust flavourings.

Process in your ice cream maker according
to manufacturer's specifications.

If adding chocolate chips,
do so at the end of churning and
fold in until well distributed.

Transfer to a freezer container.
Store in the deep freeze until
ready to use.

Thaw a few minutes prior to scooping.

Enjoy!

Blessings,
Camille

Challenge 6 - Cheeky Chappies

Good morning everyone, for our challenge #6 we are looking for all things cheeky!!!! so interpret that how you wish, If you have seen the digital images supplied by our fab sponsor you will see why we chose "cheeky chappies" lol

we are being sponsored by ..........

Who are offering an amazing 7 digi's!!!!!

Here is a bit about bugaboo

Everything That You Ever Wanted to Know About Bugaboo Stamps: A Short Essay

As if raising five children in the frozen land of the North was not enough of a challenge, Jodie Mackrell decided to dip her cold little Canadian toes into the world of papercrafting by opening an online store full of her illustrations. That was two years ago. Today Bugaboo Stamps is one of the leading companies in digital images, and we're still growing! From seriously snarky to sugary sweet to sublimely soulful all the way over to the other side of the super sexy spectrum, you're bound to find all that you need and more to create your paper projects. Jodie works very hard to provide New Releases and Freebies every week!

If your taste runs to rubber (and you know who you are), you can find Bugaboo Stamps stamps at Totally Stampalicious. And finally, join the Bugaboo Stamps DT for weekly challenges at Catch the Bug.

-
Now just in case you fancy a bit of inspiration here are the Dt creations just for you, using bugaboo digi's

Michelle

Shirley

ALAN

Sandra

Jen

Patricia

MANDY

We also have a couple of guest designers from our sponsor:

Cheryl

Yvonne 

Now that you have seen the stunning work the team has created for you, I hope you will be inspired to take part in our challenge. Here's the rules:

1. The card must be new for this challenge and follow the theme set.
2. There must be a link in your post back to Cards for Men.
3. The card must be for a boy/man.


The challenge will run from now until midnight on 25th March 2012. Leave a link to your card (not just your blog) in the list below. If the list is not there for some reason, leave a comment and I'll add you in before the draw. Good Luck.

A Slice of Life

Just yesterday,
I kept the camera handy.
My desire was to preserve some
memories of this stage of our lives.

A Slice of Life.

Splashes of colour.

Emma has begun
making friendship bracelets
in earnest.

Each one has its
own unique combination
of colours ~
So pretty.

Just had to snap this one...

...And this one too.

Calvin frequently rushes
outdoors to capture
something special on his camera.

Emma copies him.

It's a joy to see
this love of photography
acted upon.

Fraser can often be heard
creating music on the piano.

Austin joins in and they
collaborate their efforts.

I *love* how music is
a part of the *everyday*
in our home.

A stack of vintage (1970's) Disney
comic books (thank you Grandpa!)
sits on the table
(or beside the tub)
as Emma enjoys.

Other reading material
is employed as well ~
just not in the bath! :)

Ahhh....
helpers!
I am so thankful! :)

And yes...
academics.

We use workbooks
as well as the computer.

Our wannabe architect *loves* to build things ~
Currently, this rollercoaster
lives in the kitchen.

The ordinary things
make up most of life.

We stop.
Take notice.
And the *ordinary*
things become precious.

The moments.
The days.
The months.
The years.

And they build upon one another
to make memories.
We capture some of them.
And then they are gone.

How quickly one
season gives way to another.
And this is life.

May the LORD continually
give HIS grace to live it for HIM!

Many Blessings,
Camille