Strep

So I've managed to get strep throat again. I don't ever remember having strep throat as a child. I got it for the first time (again, that I can remember) last year. It was horrible. I was fairly certain that I had the flu until it was determined that the two children who were sick with me had strep. I got on the antibiotics and had an amazingly quick recovery from the "flu". This round started out with a stomach ache, but I immediately recognized the strep symptoms when the aching, fever and sore tonsils started. It has even spread around to the back of my left cheek and gum which, I have to say, is not pleasant. But I'm on the antibiotics and awaiting the quick recovery to take place. I think God allows me to experience strep once a year so that I will be more compassionate on my kids when they get sick. I tend to be a tough love kind of mom, but when I'm reminded at how horrible this feels I tend to soften it up a bit when they get sick.

Speaking of sick children, I will get to the point of this post. There has been much discussion around the house the last day or two in regards to strep since I have it. (The kids don't have it right now so either some phantom infected me or there is a carrier in our midst...) It has been very funny to listen to the children share their "war stories" of past strep infections. "I remember when I had strep...." "Remember when I threw up the last time..." Probably the best took place this evening when John decided that his little brother needed some education.
John (in a very matter of fact, tough sounding voice): "Nathan, I had strep a lot so I had to have my tonsils taken out. So they cut open my tonsils, took the pliers and yanked them out. So now I don't get strep anymore. Nathan, did you hear me? They took them out with the pliers." Nathan, looking a little nervous because he still has his tonsils, immediately ran from the bathroom. A little later, he chastised me for kissing him goodnight. He's fairly convinced I gave him strep in that kiss on the cheek and I could see his little mind envisioning the pliers that were going to yank his out. Poor guy...

Recent Horn Herd Happenings

I was going to post some pictures, but I figured if I waited until I took the time to get the pictures loaded on my computer the blog post wouldn't happen. So this lover of bullet points will summarize the last few days without pictures...

• Joe and I got to visit family this last weekend. Not blood family, but spiritual family. We headed back across the Mississippi to our old home church in Iowa. What a blessing it was for Joe to get to speak at their annual Wild Game Feast. It was an event he had organized for the years that we lived there. I'm not sure how many were there celebrating wild game and hunting (around 350-400), but Joe got word today that over 40 people indicate that they wanted to know more about Jesus. Praise the Lord! Visits like this last weekend make me long for eternity. I have once in a lifetime kind of friendships that are there and one day we will be together forever in glory.
• A public THANK YOU to Bob and Diane for hanging out with our kids while Joe & I were gone. The kids had a blast!
• Last weekend the daughter of a couple in our church was murdered by her estranged husband. I stood by and watched my husband comfort this community, the family and help them bury their daughter. I am so proud of him. He allows God to use him in such mighty and sometimes difficult ways.
• There is still snow here...shocking I know since we got close to 20 inches last week. They are calling for 40 degrees this weekend and call me a skeptic for not believing them. The kids are working on a tunnel in the backyard. Well, John, Ashley and Nathan are working on a tunnel. Sara made a lounge chair out of the snow and is an observant.
• I have some artisan bread in the oven. I tried my first loaf yesterday and it got a little overdone. I was inspired by the delicious sourdough bread I had for breakfast in Iowa on Saturday. Our former pastor has become a bread connoisseur.
• My favorite superbowl commercial was the darth vader one for Volkswagon. I could totally envision Nathan wearing the suit....so funny it makes me laugh again just thinking about the commercial

Things that have made me laugh recently:

John yesterday morning at the breakfast table "Mom, what did the shark eat for breakfast? Answer: Captain Crunch"
Nathan yesterday in the car: "It is burrrrrito outside mom!" He's been reading a little too much of Skippy Jon lately.