Something I've Been Learning

Life is fragile. 

We are not guaranteed tomorrow. 

None of us are. 

Something I've been learning ~

Due to the fact that one of our children

is living with a life-threatening condition.

It has brought to light what really matters.

In a fresh way.

To cherish this day. 

To enjoy each moment. 

To live life to the fullest. 

Walking this path with the LORD.

Moment by moment.  Day by day. 

He gives the strength and grace. 

He gives all we need. 

May we use this life He gives for His glory. 

Every moment.  Every day. 

That's all that matters. 

All that counts.

I have been struck with the fact that Crohn's Disease 

and DCM are not what define Austin. 

Neither are they what define us as a family. 

No.

We are the LORD's. 

We belong to Him. 

That's what ought to define us. 

That's what others ought to see.

The only difference between our family and

yours may be the fact that we have a 
name for one of our beasts. 

But, we all face them. 

Beasts.

They come in various forms with a variety of names. 

Selfishness.  Besetting sin.  Disease.  Poverty.  Even wealth. 

Whatever those beasts are, however,

we do not have to face them alone.

The LORD will bear them with us.
He will set us free from our sin.

If we belong to Him, 

we are promised He will never

leave us nor forsake us.

Whatever the LORD gives is what is best.

For this day.  In this life.  By His grace.

If we are followers of Him, we have nothing to fear.

We have every reason to take courage.  

Every reason to hope. 

We can face whatever comes because of HIM.

And this life is not all there is.  Not at all! 

It's only a shadow.  Only a beginning.  Eternity awaits. 

And the LORD will be with us there.  Forever. 

Rejoice!  He is Good.  
Always. 

Many Blessings, 
Camille

Old Habits Die Hard!

Old habits die hard.

And here we are again! :)
(Click on the link above to see what this is all about).

Have a happy day! 

With Love, 

Camille

Please Pray ~ An Update

Austin has been losing weight and strength 

over the last couple of months. 

It's a balancing act as we seek to manage meds and lifestyle. 

He trusts in the LORD.  We do too. 

What a blessing it is to know that He does all things well. 

Eternal perspective is imperative always, but, 

especially in times like these. 

Our Great God is Faithful. 

He is able to do amazing things.

He already has. 

Throughout this trial we pray that the 

LORD would be exalted. 

That He would be magnified. 

That He would be praised.

It's the reason we exist. 

Whatever He deems best is what we want. 

For Austin.  For our family.  By His grace.

How precious each day is! 

Austin was taken off one of his heart medications

due to the fact that it seemed to be aggravating his Crohn's Disease.

However, it is apparent that this medicine is

necessary for Austin's heart function.

If he cannot tolerate it (or its cousin) 

he will require the placement of a pacemaker. 

We pray that all will go well with this drug. 

But, if the LORD can use Austin more 

effectively with a pacemaker, that is what we want.  

His will, not ours, be done.

Our times are in His hands. 

Our children belong to Him. 

Please pray for Austin's body to accept this medicine. 

Please pray that the Crohn's would not flare 

due to the re-introduction of it. 

And, of course, please pray for complete healing. 

Our God is able.  But, His ways are not ours ~

They are higher. 

HIS will be done. 

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! 

With Love, 

Camille

On Being Real

On being real.

Being real with our children.  Facing up to our sin.

Owning it.  Confessing it.  

Praying with them and asking them to pray for us.  They will.

It's a beautiful thing to walk this path with them.

Share our faith in the trenches with them.

Look to the LORD with them through 
all the joys and sorrows of this life.

God is Faithful.  All the time.

He will never forsake us.

He will give the grace and strength needed.

He will forgive us when we fail.

Day by day.  Moment by moment.

Over and over and over again.

How precious HE is!

If you wonder where to begin.

How to begin?  Begin first with HIM!

Seek the LORD in prayer.

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,

that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not;
and it shall be given him."

~ James 1:5 ~

Read His Word.

(Proverbs is a great book of wisdom).

Pray His Word.  Memorize His Word.

(I speak to myself here the most).

We must ask Him to forgive and mold and shape us.  
He will.  By His Grace.  For His Glory.

Looking to Him each step of the journey
together with you!
He alone is worthy of all our praise.

With Love, Camille

It's a Battle

It's a battle. 

The battle for contentment.

Just when I think I have this one figured out, 

something comes along to rock my boat.

Paul said ~ "I have learned, 

in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

~ Philippians 4:11 ~

It is something that has to be worked at.

It has to be learned.

In fact, contentment cannot be 
achieved in our own strength.

It's impossible.

Two verses later Paul states ~

"I can do all things through 

Christ which strengthens me." 

 ~ Philippians 4:13 ~

It doesn't come naturally. 

Discontentment does.

But, the LORD promises to give grace.
HE promises to give strength.
We can do all HE calls us to in HIM!
What a blessing!

 

"Discontentment comes from elevating 

the things of this world above the things of eternity."

~ Pastor Cam ~

If only we could (go, do, get, be)...fill in the blank ~ 

A holiday. A spouse. A new something or other. 

Discontentment will not be remedied 

by stuff or circumstances. 

On vacation or in a new home,

our hearts go with us. 

Nothing will bring lasting contentment. 

Nothing, that is, except the LORD Jesus Christ. 

If we have HIM, we have EVERYTHING.

How liberating and wonderful this truth is! 

By God's Grace, if we are in Christ,

nothing will be able to shake our foundation. 

Absolutely nothing! 

HE is ALL!

With Love,

Camille

**Photo in this post courtesy of our Calvin ~

Thank you my love!  XO

More Progress

The last few days I've been doing a little of this.

Making a little more progress.
One step at a time.

The prep is as important as the painting. 

Maybe more important ~
My humbly submitted opinion, of course.  

I believe in taping and using drop sheets. 

Plastic is always a good thing too. :)

Austin's room is one of the areas in our home 

involved in the latest of our renovation endeavours.

It will double as the guest room ~ What a blessing!

Oh, and did I mention that I believe in taping? 

Here's my new favourite tape. 

Is it ever worth the money!!

There are two types ~ one is for use on delicate areas such as wallpaper, 

and the other is for *regular* use.  I bought both. 

Thank you Dad for the recommendation!

See how great it works?? 

I'm sure I could sell this stuff!!

Really..I *love* it!!  :)

To quote my friend Jennifer ~
who also happens to be painting... 

"Happy Weekend Y'all!" 

 Many Blessings, Camille

Five Hundred!

This is my 500th post ~

Five Hundred! 

I cannot possibly have that much to say, can I? 

Perhaps I should review my own words here. 

Or here. Or here. 

It's always good to take stock.

  

It has taken over three years to get to this place. 

My reasons for blogging remain the same, however.

Interesting how that is ~ I am encouraged. 

Over the next three years 

(based on my recent rate of publication)

I will not reach 1000 posts. 

So, I learn. And grow. And change.

By God's Grace! 

 HE is always Gracious, and Good, and Merciful. 

For these things, and many, many more ~

I am thankful that I belong to HIM! 

May HE lead us each in HIS Truth.

May we shine as lights for HIM.

After all, nothing else really matters.

"For what is a man profited,
if he shall gain the whole world,
and lose his own soul?..."
~ Matthew 16:26 ~

 Many Blessings to you all! 

With love, Camille 

 **Photo in this post courtesy of Calvin ~ 

Thank you my love! XO

The Rhythm of Our Days

School has begun in earnest.
We are currently in our seventh year of
home educating our children.
They are growing up so quickly!
Oh how I wish I had known it would be like this!

Yes. I was told.
Yes. I tell others.
And so it goes.

Do we all think it will always be the same,
and then it changes?
Life can be funny. Don't you think?
 

As I type this, Fraser is playing the piano.
Emma is clattering in the kitchen making cookies.
Austin is at Grandpa's doing a wood working project.
Calvin is at the airport taking photos of airplanes.
Howie is painting.

 It's Saturday.

 The rhythm of life alters for these lazy/crazy weekend days.
During the week it's a different story.
We are busy. Life is busy. But, it's good.
 

It's all good.

 Austin is in Grade 12 and Calvin is in Grade 10/11.
They do much of their work online.
They hope to go on for further studies beyond high school.
We seek the LORD for what HE has planned.
This year they are working in the office space with Howie.

 It was part of the switching up we did.

 Fraser and Emma have their own little space with me.
It's been a blessing to get back to some of the basics with them.
Just like it was in the early days with Austin and Calvin.

We've come full circle.

 We open the day with private devotional times.
Emma still has hers with me.
Then breakfast, clean up, and a run/walk at the beach.
We return home for academics after having burned off some energy!

The mornings are reserved for English and Math.



Fraser and Emma take piano lessons, so practicing must be done.
Quiet reading hour is reserved for the end of the school day,
it's meant to be done at the same time after lunch ~
usually between 2:00 and 3:00.

 I'm doing Science and History with
Fraser and Emma together this year.
It's more fun that way.
 We are seeking to fit these subjects in twice per week.
Each evening after dinner we gather for family worship.

And so it goes ~ The Rhythm of our Days.

 God is a God of order.
We seek to keep order in our home.
Does it come easy? Sometimes. And sometimes not.
Do I follow *the plan* perfectly? Not always.

But, God's Grace is always sufficient.
And HE is always there.
"And tomorrow is always fresh...
with no mistakes in it yet."
(From "Anne of Green Gables" by Lucy M. Montgomery)

 What a blessing!

 With Love, Camille

Doughnut Muffins

Do you like cake doughnuts?

If so, these muffins will satisfy your cravings.

Nutmeg-gy (not a word, I know...

but, I like it, don't you?) and Sweet ~

Satisfyingly filling and yummy...a great start to the day, 

or a perfect mid-afternoon snack.

What are you waiting for?

This yummy recipe comes from a British cookbook ~ 

"Brunch" by Parragon books.

                                                            

 3/4 cup Butter, at room temperature 

1 cup sugar, I use organic dehydrated cane juice 

2 Large Eggs, slightly beaten 

2 cups All Purpose Flour 

2 and 1/4 tsp Baking Powder 

1/4 tsp Baking Soda 

Pinch of Sea Salt 

1/2 tsp Nutmeg, ideally freshly grated...yum yum! 

1 cup Milk

 Beat butter and sugar together in mixer bowl until creamy. 

Add eggs one at a time and whip after each addition. 

Whisk the flour, baking powder and soda, 

salt and nutmeg together in a separate bowl. 

Add half of the dry ingredients to the 

creamed butter mixture together with half the milk.

Gently fold together. 

Add in remaining dry ingredients with the 

remaining milk and stir gently until just barely mixed.

Spoon into 12 muffin cups lined with paper liners.

Bake in 350* F oven for 20 to 25 minutes 

until toothpick comes out clean. 

While the muffins are baking, 

mix together 1/4 cup granulated sugar (icing sugar is shown) 

with 1 tsp ground cinnamon in a bowl.

Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a small pot on the stove 

 or in a bowl in the microwave. 

 As soon as the muffins come out of the oven, 

leave them in the pan and brush butter over the 

tops of a few muffins and then sift the sugar 

and cinnamon mixture over top.

Repeat until all the muffins are dusted heavily with the topping. 

 Remove to a cooling rack and enjoy while still warm! 

 Happy Baking! 

 Many Blessings, Camille

The Hybrid Approach

In the last little while, I have

fielded a few questions regarding treatment for Crohn's.

Before I launch into some of what we have been doing,

please let me say, we do not have it all figured out.

It is, and has been, a journey.

Quite the journey, in fact!

I am not a medical professional.

I am just a Mum seeking to do her best for her child.

Please weigh everything I share in that light.

Please also understand this ~ God is Faithful.

He never gives more than we can bear. Never.

What a blessing it is to rest in that. Truly.

A Blessing!

This journey for us began nearly three years ago.

Austin had been unwell for awhile off and on for about

nine months before his condition

escalated to the point of near desperation.

I did some serious research online.

My research pointed to Crohn's and I wanted to be proven wrong.

I pressed for testing to be done and we got our diagnosis.

Crohn's it was.

During this journey of research and testing,

we pursued alternative ways to deal with his condition.

And, he got some relief ~ what a blessing!

It was due to this relief, as well as some reading

I had done, that encouraged us to continue to pursue these means.

Now that we have been on this journey for a full two years,

much has been learned. Some things have remained the same,

while other things have changed. We must flex and grow.

It has been necessary.

Treating our son became a little more complicated when

he was found to be in heart failure this past spring.

The focus shifted from Crohn's to DCM.

And, rightly so.

Since those early days of dealing with a

life-threatening heart condition,

my focus has changed.

Everything changed in those first

few days of heart-wrenching uncertainty.

We are seeking to deal with Austin as a whole person.

And, we are taking what one friend referred

to as the "Hybrid Approach" ~ I like that.

The best of both worlds.

I came across a book that seems to be balanced in its approach.

It's called "Why Doesn't My Doctor Know This?".

Among other recommendations,

the basic premise of this book

is that you eliminate gluten, sugar, and dairy from your diet.

The author advocates using a good pro-biotic.

He also recommends getting yourself tested for any

immune responses you may have to foods,

and avoid any that are troublesome.

And, over time, relief is often the reported result.

It's simple.

And not ~ at the same time.

It is never easy to give up sugar, gluten and dairy.

Not easy, but not impossible either.

It seems to be working.

Austin has been taking the prescribed medications.

He has also been diligent about diet and taking his supplements.

The Hybrid Approach ~ It seems to be the sensible way to go.

One day at a time. Step by step. With the LORD.

HE is Faithful. And, HE does all things well.

If you are struggling with your own set

of troubles, please feel free to share,

and I will seek to remember you in prayer.

My email is found near the top right of my blog sidebar.

The LORD hears and answers.

HE will never give HIS people

more than they can bear!

What a blessing it is to belong to HIM!

In HIS Love,

Camille

**Disclaimer ~ I am not a medical professional.

I cannot advise on any dietary supplements, protocols,

or treatments. I am a Mum who is seeking to do the best

for her child, and along the way, I am sharing what I am learning.

May the LORD give you wisdom as you seek HIM for it! HE is Faithful.

Our Chief End

These days cannot be repeated.

What matters is eternity.

Really. That's it, isn't it?

"Man's chief end is to glorify God

and to enjoy HIM forever."

Our chief end.

Is that what we are doing?

Are we bringing HIM glory?

Do we live as though HE is our chief end.

Our all in all?

There are times when I haven't.

But, by God's grace I can give HIM thanks.

And, truly all is from HIS hand.

And, we are in Good Hands.

What a blessing!

Seeking today to remember all HIS tender mercies.

All HIS wonderful blessings.

Through trying times and joy-filled times.

Through times of sorrow and of triumph.

Always praise.

By HIS Grace alone.

1756. Joy-filled beach walk moments

(from awhile back)

1757. Joy-filled family times

(once again...from awhile back)

1758. Emma's Emily cared for lovingly ~

Mummy-in-training...

1759. Homemade treats by Fraser and Emma ~

without any help from Mummy!

1760. They were edible and yummy....

1761. These two took it upon themselves

to make waffles for brunch one Saturday morning...

what a treat!

1762. They were good too! :)

My journal sits on my counter.

I list as events unfold.

Sometimes many all at once,

and other times in a trickle.

But, always by HIS Grace.

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

**First three images in this post courtesy

of Calvin ~ Thank you my love! XO

**My disclaimer post may be found by clicking here.

And the Love Continues to Grow

It finally happened.

Emma got to ride a horse!

In our area we have DealFind.  And, it found a deal for me!

Three one hour lessons for a ridiculously low price.

Apart from the fact that it took us over an hour to get to the riding stable,

it was very, very economical.  What a blessing!

Emma has always

(since she knew what they were) loved horses.

This was a dream come true.

These were lessons, after all, and part of the package was grooming the horse.

Emma got to get up close and personal with Flynn right off the bat!

She loved it.

After being taught the basics, Emma was handling the horse by herself!

She got to do a few laps of the ring...so exciting!

Posing for Mama.

Two more lessons to go!

And the love for horses grows.

Many Blessings,

Camille

Making Progress...

It's coming together.

What a LOT of work it has been!

But...SO necessary...and such a blessing!

Slowly, the mess is giving way to order.

And, we are beginning to see the end.

Another blessing. :)

Thank you for patience with me in this space.

It's been a necessary thing to keep

mostly silent these last few weeks.

Blessings to you all!

With Love,

Camille