Merseth Morsels: April 2014

Oh, hello! So it's been five months since I've posted anything. Yes, we're still alive over here. There's just been some things in the works that have been slowing us down a bit. Would you rather hear the Good News or the Bad News first? I usually like to hear the Bad News first. It’s always much more pleasant to end on a positive note, right?

I would like to preface this by saying I’ve been going back and forth on whether or not I should share this information with the general public. But I finally realized that prayers should be asked for, and welcomed! That is what the body of Christ is for, to help bear each other’s burdens, and to pray on each other’s behalf.

About the Bad News, I'd like to give a few explanations. My husband has been dealing with some health issues for close to a year, such as exhaustion, lack of mental clarity, and strong pain in his lower legs. To make a long story short, after exploring different possibilities, we were guided to looking into Lyme Disease, so Jeff took the Western Blot blood test, which is the best test out there to tell you if you have the disease—or at least the indicators for the disease. So we have been waiting for the results for the last month.

According to the CDC, he would not have Lyme Disease. However, according to the lab, his body is producing antibodies to fight off Lyme Disease bacteria, which is a pretty good indicator that he does have it. While this news is not great news, we are glad to hopefully have an answer to what’s been plaguing Jeff. However, Lyme Disease is not something that you can just… get rid of. But you can try to minimize its effects. I am still in the baby stages of learning about this disease. I can tell you that we are working with a homeopathic physician on a treatment plan. Please pray that Jeff can find some relief from his pain, and for wisdom for our physicians to help treat it.

Now, the Good News.

After two miscarriages in the past year, we are happy to be expecting a baby most likely sometime in August. I am not going to tell any specifics… like how many weeks along I am, or my exact due date. People tend to get hung up on those things, and frankly… it stresses me out. Stress = Not Good. So please just pray for a healthy baby to come when the time is right, aaaand that I can get through the summer wearing compression hose for my terrible varicose-veined legs. Nothing says Hot Mama like compression stockings. ;-)

But this is the main reason why I've been so unimaginative, unmotivated and uninspired in the kitchen the past several months... I've been tired (still am), nauseous (finally over that, but it took a while), and tired (oh wait... did I say that already?). I have been sticking to the basics, foods with minimum thought (think meat and veggies prepared in the blandest of ways). I have loads of tomato products that I put up last summer and they do not appeal to me in the least, unfortunately. Well, they'll keep. ;-)

I hope to share with you soon what we've been up to around here... mainly the straw bale garden that my husband has managed to get going. Only two apples trees (of the 28 fruit trees we planted last fall) didn't seem to have survived the winter. We still have Wilbur (aka Bacon), although soon, very soon, he will have a new home in the freezer. And we still have our chickens, although we have lost three hens to sickness over the last several months. The hardest thing is trying to keep them out of the garden, those rascals. There are a few that keep getting in there.

Oh, and we still have our three boys. Never a dull moment. They're conflicted about the weather. They love snow. But they love to wear shorts. What's a boy gonna do?! Play in the mud, of course!