Making homemade laundry detergent-apx. 1 cent per load :)

 Ivory or Fels Naptha Soap

 Borax and washing soda

Grate your soap into pot of hot water.

 Stir until dissolved

 After dissolved add borax and washing soda.

 Fill 5 gallon buckets.

Let set for 24 hours to form gel. Use one half cup per load.


Recipe..for 10 gallon.. I like to make alot at a time :)

In a large pot place apx. 20 cups of water. Start heating this and add 1-2 bars (grated) soap into the water..let this completley dissolve.(Be careful to not over heat or boil too hard..it will quickly come over the top of the pot if you do!) After this you can add apx. 1.5 - 2 cups each of borax and washing soda.. I like to use the upper limit because my fellars can get clothes DIRTY..lol
Place apx. 3 inches of warm water into the bottom of each five gallon bucket. After mixture in pot is dissolved divide into each of the buckets. After this finish filling the buckets with cold water and stir..some people like to add fabric softner or essential oils for the smells that they like. After 24 hours it is ready to use. One half cup per load. (I use more if lots of stains/dirt) The cost to make this is apx. one cent per load. You can make several batches out of one box each of the borax and soda.
Lots of people make a smaller amount and even transfer them into thier old detergent bottles for easier pouring.. I just use a scoop right out of the bucket.

Basal's,I:C ratios and broken bones..among lots of other things...

 This is Isaac's clavicle after being rebroke..you can see a piece of sharp bone trying to protrude through his skin..We go back to Ortho. this week.. They may be doing a closed reduction to align the bone for better healing.

 The broken bone/knot from the side.

You can see how out of place the clavicle is in this picture..



Each time Isaac has broken his clavicle his sugars do not start rising until a few days have passed..Then we have to start raising his basals..and I:C ratio.. Some of his basals have doubled! He needs apx. 8-10 more units of insulin a day..
When people say things like,"is his sugar regulated" now...they have no idea..No type 1 diabetes is ever regulated...you just have to do the best you can to try and keep the blood glucose as close to average as possible...It will never be perfect or regulated!There are so many things that affect blood glucose...Throw in a slower honeymoon phase production and a growth spurt plus the body trying to heal a broken bone plus all the other factors such as stress,activity,etc. you have lots of adjusting to insulin facors to do.. over and over and over*Especially in children..
Hopefully insulin changes will  be fewer as he gets older...after puberty/etc.
No matter what-I am thankful that God will always be here for Isaac and us and help us through anything/everything that we have to go through...  :)

Digging Potates 2011

 Abram riding on the plow as Marty drives the tractor. This makes the plow dig deeper and you don't have to go over the same roll as many times..

 Isaac walking along behind the tractor looking for potatoes.

 Abram double checking to make sure no potatoes are left.

The dogs always like to play in fresh plowed soil.

 Isaac taking a break waiting on the next row to be dug.

 A few of the buckets of potatoes.

The second potatoe plot after being dug..There was 5 rolls here..It was starting to get dark by the time we finished. 

Isaac with his diabetes supply bag threw over his shoulder.. 

 Dad and son checking on the layout of the rolls..

 Some of the potatoes on the ground..we will knock all the dirt off of them and put them in winter storage.

 Lots of dirty feet and hands..

 There are always potatoes to be found on the side of the hills left by the plow :)

 3 rows dug in the main garden..

Potatoes laying in the rolls after the plow goes by.

We planted eight rolls of potatoes this year. We usually harvest around 28 bushels..This year we didn't have as many..it all depends on how the weather goes..Glad to have them out of the ground and stored. That takes another thing off of our fall/winter prep list :) Jacob wasn't able to help this year..he had a prior obligation with the football team-that's why he isn't in any of the pictures..lol
Thank you Lord for your blessings!

I won Joanne's Contest :)

The first blog post I read this morning was Joanne's over at www.deathofapancreas.com :)
I found out that sweet Elise had drawn my name from the list of readers that had guessed correctly on what insulin pump they went with!!! OMNIPOD :) :)
I won the $25 gift card from Target's that Joanne had so graciously offered!! Thank you Joanne!!
I hope they love the Omnipod as much as we do..It has made living with diabetes a little bit easier compared to mdi...I am so thankful for the medical advancements to help those diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes..
As everyday..I pray for the families living with this disease and for a cure!
I love the DOC....
***
Update: I never received the gift card..must have gotten lost in the mail..

Rebroken Clavicle!!!

 Isaac broke his clavicle on 9-8 in a football game. He was released from Ortho. on 10-6.
He rebroke it last night in a basketball game..This time it is not in alignment! The bone almost came through the skin.. We went to the E.R. last night and they put him in a new sling and gave him morphine/nausea med.s through an IV. He went back to Ortho. this morning and they said if he were an adult they would do surgery..but being as he is young they think it will come back into place as it heals..We go back next week. Thank you for all of your prayers..

My son is TOUGH!!! My little HERO. And I am so blessed to get to be his mom :)

Blood donation to the Red Cross

 I have AB negative Blood..I started donating in high school.

 This was Jacob's first time..He is looking over the paperwork...

He just had the needle inserted and starting filling up his bag.. :)

                          Almost finished...

All taped up and waiting the few minutes they make you wait before you can leave.. They also have you drink/eat before you can leave..
I am very proud of you Jacob, you helped several people in need by donating your blood today!!!

Flint Mill Rock Hike

Me and the boys when we reached Flint Mill Rock :)

(Marty was at home with a headache.This hike included my sister, her husband and their girls-me and the boys)

We took a 10 mile hike Sunday in between church services..We live in between two mountains..This is the mountain on the back side of our house. There used to be a flint mill in there..and that is why it is called Flint Mill Rock-next to Flint Mill Gap..We started on the top of the Mtn. and walked out and down the back side apx. 5 miles.

 This is a video of the view from the right side of the rock.

My boys and my sister's girls.

This is a view of Bristol, Tn. behind them. and part of South Holston Lake.

We could also see Bristol Motor Speedway to the left..

The view from the left side of the rock.

 The local fire tower on top of the Mtn. There used to be a living quarters on the top..and a Ranger stayed in there in the fall to watch and alert for the fires.

 Isaac taking picures/video :)

 Isaac having a "free" snack.

 Abram putting his supplies away, getting ready for the treck back out of the Mtn.

 Jacob taking in the view.

 One of the many bear tracks along the way.. We also saw a bear climb down out of a tree and run away.. Also lots of deer tracks.

 Hiking out..We were on the Appalachian trail.. We hiked in on the "blue" trail and back out on the "yellow" trail.

 The mountain colors were beautiful..At this point we were on a road-almost to our vehicles...Alot easier than the rest of the hike..LOL

 The mountain cut out for the electrical wires..

I thank God for my boys and all of His many blessings!

We had a great hike! The beautiful scenery was wonderful..God's coloring book! It was a blessing to spend and enjoy the day with family..God is so good  :)

Jacob's Black Bear!! :) 10-8-2011

Jacob killed a bear this evening.

 It weighed 225 lbs.

 It was a sow.

He shot it around 10 yards from his stand with his bow, not far from the house. It only ran about 40 yards.. He made a great shot to the vitals. We are having it cut up into burger and stew meat.