If it's not one thing...

Well, you know.

Our car went into the shop yesterday. I was expecting a several hundred dollar repair bill. Was presented with a several thousand dollar estimate. We decided to go ahead with it. I'm now second-guessing myself, as I do with just about every major decision I make. But, it's a good solid car, and probably has another 5 to 10yrs in it now. And if we're moving to Europe in the fall, then we will most likely recoup most of the cost when we sell it.

But, the universe likes to be in balance, no? We are seeming some major positives in the last few weeks. I am hopeful that this Vitamin K therapy is moving us in the right direction. We know from Lily's blood test that she has high serum Calcium. This points us to a calcium regulation issue, which points to a K deficiency. Coupled with the oxalate issues and some other things (sensory stuff, easy bruising) it just makes sense. I should say, all of those things, plus the fact that I have a very lovey, giggly, happy, laid-back child all of a sudden (well, gradually increasing over the last few weeks), tells me we are on the right track.

I am frustrated yet about the eczema/rash issue. At a minimum, I really wish I could help her not be itchy. We have tried just about every oil & cream & herbal preparation out there. We have tried more conventional lotions & creams, in desperation, to no avail. We've tried OTC anti-histamines, which actually seem to make everything worse. We've tried high-dose vitamin C (as an anti-histamine and overall immune support). We have settled on liquid lanolin. It seems to be the only thing that helps with dryness and irritation without causing pain or a worse rash. It does not help with the underlying itching, only itching due to dryness.

We are taking lots of CLO and have plenty of nutritional support, so my hope is her body will start to heal from the inside out. I was talking to a friend the other day, and we discussed the phenomenon of people having a bodily point of weakness. For example, if I'm stressed out or ill, I will get a stomach ache and digestion issues. My friend gets headaches. Lily's skin seems to be her weak point. Perhaps I can think on that for a bit and see what we can do in general to help support healthy skin in general.

As promised...

Sweet & Sour Beef w/Zucchini "Noodles"

1lb Stew Meat
2 large Zucchini, peeled & thinly sliced (julienned?)
1 large onion, chopped
1/4C molasses
1/2C apple cider vinegar
1/2C water (broth is even better)
1 tsp mustard powder (could substitute a big glop or two of prepared mustard)
1/2 tsp onion powder
we don't do garlic, but that would probably be an excellent addition, either fresh cloves or powdered
pinch of cloves
sea salt & pepper
green onions, for garnish

Put everything (but garnish) in the crock pot. Maybe mix spices & liquids together first and pour over meat & veggies. Cook on high for 4 or 5hrs. Or low for longer. Or on the stove top - saute the meat, then onions, then add zucchini & liquids/spices and simmer for a bit. If you do it on the stove top, you probably would want a better cut of meat then, since the stew meat needs to "stew" and all.

Next time I make this, I will double all ingredients. It's way too easy and would reheat the next day very well for lunch or leftovers.

Chaos & Muffins

So we were sick.

And then just as we were getting better, Dave got an ear infection that ruptured his eardrum in under 4hrs. Seriously.

And then we went to Great Wolf Lodge for 3 days. We just got back home early this afternoon and have been decompressing from Too Much Fun. They even had candy in the gift store that the kids could get - "old fashioned" clear rock candy. Only ingredient: cane sugar.

I'm still reading and note-taking on Vit K. We've been experimenting with supplementation. "Low & Slow" is our motto. I hope to have a post up about that in the next week.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share my recipe for Chocolate Chip Flax Mini Muffins:

1/3 c palm shortening or coconut oil (or butter)
4 eggs
1/2c honey (or a bit less maple syrup)
1Tbsp molasses (for that "brown sugar" flavor)
1 tbsp vanilla
1.5c flax meal
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 c mini chocolate chips (a la Enjoy Life - I bet "regular" chips would be fine, too)

* Preheat oven to 350*F

* Cream shortening & eggs

* Mix in honey, molasses & vanilla

* In a separate bowl, mix ground flaxmeal, baking soda, cream of tartar & sea salt (I think you could sub 1.5 to 2tsp of baking powder for the soda + cream of tartar)

* Mix dry into wet.

* Mix in chocolate chips.

* Let batter sit for a few minutes and allow the flax to absorb the liquid.

* Bake in paper-lined mini muffin pans for 15 min

Yields approx 36 mini muffins

Love Thy Crockpot

Between trying to soak up as much outside time as possible and then being sick, I've been relying quite heavily on my crockpot lately. Here is a BBQ-style sweet & sour beef & cabbage "stew" I made recently. I had planned on leftovers for the next day, but my hungry family had other plans.

2lb beef or buffalo roast
small head of cabbage
large onion
oil for searing
2/3 c vinegar (we use apple cider vinegar)
1/3 c honey, maple syrup or sugar
1/2 c bone broth (chicken or beef), water is okay too
1 tsp dry mustard powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
sea salt & pepper

* Heat small amount of oil. Slice onion. Brown in heated oil w/a little bit of salt.
* Chop cabbage into thick "ribbons". Place in crock pot.
* Put browned onions over cabbage.
* Heat a little more oil (in same pan as onions). Sear roast until brown on all four sides.
* Put seared roast on top of cabbage & onions.
* Mix vinegar, syrup/sugar/honey, broth/water, spices. Pour over meat.
* Cook on high 5ish hours or low 7ish hours.

We survived!

We have emerged on the other side of the mutating cold. I think every bodily system was affected over the course of a week. Last night was magical, with 8 full hours of sleep. On top of sleeping better, Aevryn seems to be initiating night weaning, asking for her water bottle more and more at night. Hallelujah!

The sun is shining and it's member appreciation day at Oryana, our local and wonderful co-op. We're gonna go party at the grocery store (heh) and then go frolic in the sunshine. I envision a picnic at the park.

Now, if only I could get Aevryn to put some pants on...

Babywearing saves the day!

Aevryn is sick. Fever, earache, stuffy nose, up-all-night... the works. Naturally, she wants me, she wants to nurse and she wants to snuggle. I just tossed her in my home-made mei tai and we're all good. She feels secure and is getting some rest. I am able to get food made and some chores done. Babywearing still enriches our lives, nearly 3 years after her birth. Even Lily, who will be 5 in April, still enjoys "going for a ride" sometimes. Truly a win-win arrangement for everyone.

They got me

Ugh. So I've caught whatever the kidlets & Dave had/have. They're on the tail end of it and I'm just getting started. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to spend the day sipping bone broth and snuggling under a blanket on the couch.