Turnip Green Soup

Good Tuesday morning!

More Gallery Pics of Roxie... no surprise there! It's officially her week, you know.

Josh's JV game was cancelled (again), and disappointment does not even begin to describe his mood. This was the third week in a row he hasn't played... twice because of rain and once because of Labor Day. It is very frustrating for all of the boys.

Roxie played her next-to-last volleyball match last night and we were victorious both matches. We play one more tonight and then the tournament Friday and Saturday. It is a short, but very intense season. It's been fun, and Roxie has done very well for her first official "school" sport.

Austin made it back to school Monday morning. He wrote another article for the school newspaper which will come out Thursday, AND he got to attend a press conference with the coach which may result in a second article in the same paper. (I told Mikie I need a laminator, but not as a Christmas present. I'm afraid I wouldn't be very happy if I got a laminator for Christmas. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to contain my disappointment... or disapproval. Hmmm. Which one would it be? Probably a little of both. If you see him out and about the next few days, put the "laminator bug" in his ear, please.)

Roxie's Birth Day Story - Part Two

Now where did we leave off... Oh, yes. Mike and I were scheduled for testing at UAB. It was scheduled for May 1.

Bear with me just a moment while I share something that happened before the May 1 appointment. (It is relevant, I promise. God's hand at work.) Joshua was invited to a birthday party at the local park in town, and he and I ran/waddled (respectively) into the park gates. He ran to his friends and began playing, and I looked for a comfortable bench to rest my weary, but as yet, unswollen feet.

I found myself sitting next to a young woman named Laura, and we began a conversation. At the time, she was working with families with Downs' children, as well as other disabilities. I began asking her many, many questions, and she answered them all calmly and in a wonderful matter-of-fact tone. I told her about my test, and she reassured me... not necessarily that the test was probably wrong, but about how our family would be able to handle a special baby. I came to the party anxious, sad, unsure of my abilities as a mother, but thanks to Laura, I left with a peace and reassurance that the Faulkner Five (to be) would not only survive, but thrive. It was my first of many, many lessons in living one day at a time. (Regarding that lesson, I am such a SLOW learner.)

If you have read Josh's Journey, I would now like to mention the Laura I sat with on that park bench a little over 13 years ago is the same Laura I called when Josh was at his worst. The same Laura who told me she loved me, and then put me with the doctor God wanted us to be with. Coincidence... I think not! God's sure and steady hand in an unsure and unsteady world... I know so!

Okay. Back to May 1. Mikie and I dropped the boys off with Grandmother and headed to UAB for the special ultrasound which looks for ten signs of a Downs' baby. We sat for a few minutes holding hands before they called us back. We prayed, stood up and walked into the ultrasound room. A wonderful ultrasound tech named Michelle started the ultrasound. (I later met Michelle again at church... We have sons the same age, and I am proud to say she is a friend to me. She and her husband have lifted our family up in prayer these past almost four years, and they have never NOT stopped to talk to me or Mike to ask how Josh is doing. She's a very special person. Once again... Coincidence that a wonderful Christian woman was performing this stressful test for me and Mikie... I think not! God's sure and steady hand in an unsure and unsteady world... I know so!)

The test went quickly. One, two, three, four... Nothing was showing up on the ultrasound as being abnormal. Five, six, seven, eight... Still nothing. Nine and ten. Nothing. Nada. The things they look for on an ultrasound to determine if the baby has Downs' were not there. The blood test had been a false/positive. As far as they could tell, the baby did not have Downs'.

We were very calm. Then Michelle leaned down and said, "Did you want to know the sex of the baby today?"

Up until that time, if anyone had asked me what we wanted, I was honest. I consider myself a little boy mom, but I would have loved to have a little girl. When we were worried about the health of this baby, the boy/girl thing literally flew out the window. I answered, "It doesn't matter either way, but we have always found out."

"Well, it is definitely a little girl," she said.

"Are you 100% sure?" I asked.

"Pretty sure," Michelle responded.

"Wow," Mike and I said. But let it be known, we would have said "Wow" if it had been a precious little boy, too.

I didn't mention it before, but we had four "incidences" during Roxie's pregnancy. It was May 1, and we had already had two. We thought the rest of the pregnancy would be smooth sailing. However, we had two more obstacles to overcome before Roxie was considered "okay." I'll talk about those a little bit tomorrow!

DISCLAIMER - Please know I am not comparing this pregnancy to other women who have been through so much more in terms of having difficulty conceiving, having special need babies, having extremely difficult labors, having babies in NICU and many, many other hardships. This is very simply Roxie's Birth Day Story. This is her beginning. She knows this story backward and forward, and I tell her this story every year because I want her to see God's hand in her life from the very, very beginning.

Remember, everyone has a story to tell, and that is all this is meant to be... Roxie's Story.

Turnip Green Soup

I bet I know what you just did. I bet you just made a funny face, didn't you? I bet you thought, "I will not like Turnip Green Soup." Well, you and I are just going to have to try it! My friend, Julie Tuggle, has said it is wonderful and all three of her children (even the seven year-old son) LOVE it! So stop turning up your nose and get to cooking!

You will need the following:

1 16-ounce bag of frozen turnip greens
2 cans northern beans (undrained)
2 packages Knorr Vegetable mix
2 packages smoked sausage (cut into small sections and browned)
4 cups water
1 pinch of sugar (Julie says the sugar helps "get rid of the wang." I don't know what that means, but it sounds important, so add the sugar!)
Hot sauce (optional and for taste)

Put all the ingredients in the crock pot for four hours on high. (For some reason, this is always better the next day.)

Julie also agreed to share her Mexican Cornbread recipe with us that goes with the soup.

Mexican Cornbread

1 1/2 cups cornmeal
2 eggs
8 ounces sour cream
1 small can of cream corn
2/3 cup oil
Shredded cheese
Chopped jalapenos (to taste)
Chopped 1/4 to 1/2 onion (to taste)

1. Mix cornmeal, eggs, sour cream, corn, oil, jalapenos and onion.

2. Add handful of cheese to mix.

3. Pour a little jalapeno juice in mix (for taste).

4. Pour batter into muffin tins (1/2 to 2/3 full). Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. This recipe makes about 24 cornbread muffins.

Okay. That's it! A "twofer." I'm making it today for Wednesday night's meal, and I'll be giving the Faulkner Five review Thursday morning (minus Austin until he has his leftovers this coming weekend).

Have a great Tuesday. Although my favorite kind of day is a "gray day," I have to admit I wouldn't mind just a little bit of the sunny stuff peeking through a cloud or two sometime today. Tomorrow we have Wednesday Wisdom from the young friend I told you about last week. I got in touch with her Mom and got the okay to use her quote and name. We'll also have another Seasonal Tradition from my favorite Emilie Barnes' book. Part Three of Roxie's Birth Day Story will be coming up, also. You don't want to miss that, do you?

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Extremely Wet and Enchanting Belinda