I can never seem to get pictures of Simon without a really goofy expression, so here is the only from this batch with a sweet smile.

Finally, here are Violet and Dresden, enjoying a sisterly moment.

I found the original version (a sort of casserole for the oven) in one of the Mennonite cookbooks (I think in More With Less).  Tommy and the kids were okay with it, but I really hate pork chops because of their texture. The original (casserole) version yields a pork chop that requires cutting into pieces (eew — too chewy for me!), but the crockpot version I made last week yields a tender, shredded meat and juices that sit really well on a bed of mashed potatoes with a side of sauteed broccoli.

Also, I just sort of threw in whatever I had, so the measurements are approximate and could easily be adjusted to whatever you happen to have on hand. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Slow-Cooker German Pork Chops

5 small (but thick-cut) boneless pork chops

1 cup sauerkraut with a little juice

1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp brown sugar

Seasonings to taste: salt, pepper, garlic salt, caraway seed

Cook on low 6-8 hours, then serve with mashed potatoes and a vegetable side.

Something else you could try — this was Tommy’s suggestion — is to add some kind of thickener and make a gravy out of the juices.  It was great just like this, but we may try that next time, since Tommy has a huge obsession with gravy. If you try it first, let me know how it works out!

Here is Dresden on Valentine’s Day after decorating her cupcake.

And here she is again playing games with her sight words.

I guess we spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

Here’s Simon inside a fire truck on a recent field trip:

And here is evidence of our pitiful dearth of masculine dress-up clothes. (I’ve got some sewing project ideas that will remedy this!)

And how do I have so few pictures of our precious, now 13-month old flower? Here she is looking messy after eating some granola and yogurt.

So I tried not to get my hopes up too much for my neuro appt. yesterday — I kind of knew they wouldn’t give me my driving privileges back, and unfortunately I was correct.  We went over descriptions of my past episodes again, and he feels more certain that they are seizures rather than just fainting.  So no driving for at least the next month until I go to my next neuro visit.

He also ordered another test — a 72-hour EEG — which I’ve never had done before.  It’s an outpatient diagnostic, but I have to go to the hospital for a 2-hour appointment where technicians fit me with a headpiece that I have to wear for three (!!) days.  I can do life as usual, except for no showering.  So I won’t be giving out too many hugs during that time. This test happens next Friday.

He also switched up my meds, which is good because I’ve been nauseous, depressed, and spacey on the current medicine.

Not much else to say right now, but thanks so much to everyone for all the sweet messages and prayers on my behalf. I promise I will put some happier stuff on here soon! I have lots of pictures of the kids on the camera waiting to be uploaded…

Also at my appointment a week from tomorrow: the return of my driving privileges? Yes, let’s sure hope so. I am a much nicer mom and wife when I can get away for an hour or two by myself.

Super Sad True Love Story (Gary Shteyngart)

The first two books in the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series, which were awesome even after seeing the movie.

The Reason for God (Tim Keller) — much better than another book I was reading with my women’s bible study group, which made it hard not to reference in lieu of the other.

Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro) — one review I read for this book says that “the fact that they are clones is the least interesting thing about this novel.” So true.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Junot Diaz) — super witty and funny, even if you don’t know any Dominicans.

A Visit from the Goon Squad (Jennifer Egan) — this actually came out in 2010 and is on many best book lists. I thought it was trite for almost the whole time I was reading it, and then the ending is just so completely awesome that I kept thinking about it for weeks afterward.

Real Food for Mother and Baby (Nina Planck) — lots of good info on baby-led weaning

What is the What (Dave Eggers) — about one of the “lost boys of Sudan.” I cried several times while reading this.

Zeitoun (also by Dave Eggers) — about a New Orleans hero during Hurricane Katrina who gets rewarded by the US government by being treated like a terrorist. Because he’s Arab and Muslim.

Pyongyang (Guy Delisle) — a nonfiction graphic novel that will confirm (if you needed any confirmation) that Kim Jong-Il is probably the craziest world leader in power right now.

The Corrections (Jonathan Franzen)

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Rebecca Skloot) — very thought-provoking; raises many questions about bioethics.

Choosing Gratitude (Nancy Leigh DeMoss)

My Empire of Dirt: How One Man Turned His Big-City Backyard into a Farm (Manny Howard) — which I felt was more about the author’s coming to terms with the value of work than urban agriculture

Madame Bovary (Gustave Flaubert) — should’ve read this a long time ago, but Dr. Mouklis will be proud that I finally got around to it!

Went to the neurologist this morning — a new doctor for me, a South African fellow Tommy and I both really like — and he put me back on the meds I usually take for seizures.  Scheduled me for MRI and EEG next week; still not allowed to drive.  He has a different theory than the other neurologists have had.  Maybe I’m not having grand mal seizures — perhaps I’m having syncopal (fainting) episodes.  Tommy witnessed this episode, and his account was similar to others’ accounts of past episodes: I fall, lose consciousness; I’m not convulsing, but I stiffen up; I’m confused and exhausted when I regain consciousness. I’m not sure that the outcome (i.e. having to take meds) will be different depending on the diagnosis (seizure vs. fainting), but it would be slightly more comforting to us for these episodes to only be fainting.

I feel much better now, but I might not be writing much for awhile as I get used to being on meds again.  Thanks again, everyone, for all the prayers.

At the age of one, Violet enjoys…

- playing with cars (much to the chagrin of her older brother)

- trying to walk (a few steps here and there, anyway)

- dogs (more specifically: Grandma’s boxer, Pepper)

- pitching…balls, her water cup, blocks, etc (she has quite the arm!)

- chewing on random objects with her seven teeth, and

- dancing (especially to Dresden’s musical rendition of Proverbs 15:8 )

Overall she had a fun day, with the exception of the stomach bug that is now affecting 4 out of 5 Jollys.  Her cuteness, of course, is unaffected.

They also sent her off with some gloves and a mask so she could pretend to be Leslie, our super awesome hygienist.