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Nov 30, 2010

'MIA'

Hey everyone!! I have been 'missing in action' lately, but not by choice. My computer decided to go nuts several days ago! Thankfully, I have a son that knows his stuff about computers and he was able to get us up and running again~whew! Not having a computer is like living in a foreign country! Well, maybe not so drastic as that, but I admit, I feel lost without one:)

How was your Thanksgiving? Mine was great! I really enjoyed being with my family, but forgot to take my camera, so no pictures. The day after Thanksgiving (a.k.a. Black Friday) I braved the crowds for the first time in my life! I am really NOT someone who loves to shop, so this was a real feat for me. My daughter (14) and I went together and had a blast. I did NOT go out at some awful, ridiculously early hour though! I felt like I was doing well enough just to get out there at all. We found some good sales and really had fun together.Some people may think this is awful, but I'm letting my kids do their own shopping this year. They are old enough that they don't mind knowing what they are getting, AND it saves having to return a bunch of stuff. My middle son went out at 3am to get his!! Letting my teens shop for themselves will hopefully make the season a little less stressful and tiring for me and they love doing it this way.

I don't have any pictures today, but will hopefully be back to normal soon, now that I have a computer:) I was thinking the other day how sad it is that we are SO dependent on technology. In light of that, I may not be posting as often, or I may just try to make my post short and sweet. I just don't want this to take up time that I could be reading my Bible or other important things.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are enjoying the season!

Nov 22, 2010

I Think I CAN!

I am happy this Monday morning:) I woke up feeling better than I have been feeling. Sore throat is better and I feel pretty decent in general. I woke up early and managed to walk 30 minutes on the treadmill and now I'm sitting here drinking my breakfast smoothie.
1 Tbs. ground flax
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup water
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 banana
1/2 tsp pure raw spirulina powder
stevia to taste
Tasty and Healthy!

My brain goes a hundred miles an hour while I'm walking and I tend to have some ah-ha moments in the process. This morning, I was thinking about goals and setting them so that they are reachable. I seem to always set my goals too high and then I get discouraged if I don't meet those goals. So, if I set my goals a little more realistically, I will have a better chance of succeeding. I may not be able to walk on the hilly roads for an hour, but I CAN walk 30 minutes on my treadmill~AND I can talk to God while I'm doing it! I may not be able to get my entire house spick and span, but I CAN focus on one room at a time.I may not be able to cook a nice dinner every single night, but I CAN cook a few times a week and plan for leftovers. I may not eat perfectly all the time. but I CAN make good choices most of the time. I am seeing that a lot of my frustration in life is because I have very high expectations and am bummed when I 'fail'. Lowering my expectations makes life a little more fun:)

How about you~do you have areas that you need to lower your standards a bit? Having goals is healthy and keeps us motivated, but sometimes we expect too much.

This post is short and sweet! I am finally going to see my new niece today! I can't wait to get her in my arms and cuddle her. All my kids are teens and I need a baby fix every now and then:)

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:3

Nov 19, 2010

Out of Order

Hey there readers! I have kind of been 'out of order' the last couple of days with a very sore throat! I think I'll walk around my house with an 'out of order' sign on my back! Isn't it funny how when the mom is sick they just try to keep going. The family still needs to be fed, the laundry still has to be done etc. Actually, I have not done any laundry today. I have watched movies and tried to just rest. It seems like every time I get overwhelmed or overly tired, I get a sore throat. Does that ever happen to you? I'm really hoping that I will feel back to 'normal' tomorrow. I had to miss physical therapy and yoga today~sigh:( The rest has been good for me though.

Great news!!! I have a new little niece (no pictures yet though)! My brother and his wife had their 5th baby yesterday and she is adorable! I wasn't feeling too good yesterday, so I only got to see her for a minute and then headed home. When I woke up feeling worse today, I knew I couldn't risk going around her with a sore throat. I SO want to cuddle her though:) I hope to have a picture soon~she is beautiful.

Anyway, just wanted to say 'Hi'!! Hope to be back to regular posting ASAP! I enjoy the blog community so much! Speaking of which, I found a new (to me) gluten free forum yesterday. It's called Gluten Free Faces. If you are gluten free, you might want to check it out.

Have a BLESSED beyond measure weekend!!!

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us..." Ps. 67:1

Nov 17, 2010

Thankfulness~Not Just a Holiday

I saw a church sign the other day that said something to the effect that Thanksgiving is not just a Holiday, but it is everyday. Well, it should be anyway. I am not always thankful and I tend to focus on the worst instead of seeing the goodness of God. I stumbled across a blog called Passionate Homemaking on the same day I saw the church sign and the post was about recognizing even the smallest of gifts in our lives. I have been trying to be more thankful and see the positive in situations that I would normally be so negative about. So, I thought that today I would just list a few of the things I am thankful for:)

1~ I am thankful for my husband (who just happens to have a birthday today). He really has been so supportive and I don't always recognize it.

2~I am thankful for my children. It is a joy seeing them mature and turn into young adults with their own interest and gifts.

3~I am thankful for my church and the leaders who teach the gospel and how to apply it to our everyday lives.

4~I am thankful for my parents and that God has delivered my dad from prostate cancer. My parents only live about 10 minutes from me and I am so blessed to have such a close relationship with them.

5~I am thankful for friends that are not afraid to tell me the truth and they love me through thick and thin.

6~I am thankful that I have been able to cut back on my cleaning business and God is providing. This means I am able to care for my home and family more instead of pouring so much energy into taking care of other people's homes.

7~I am thankful for wonderful blogs that I have run across that remind me to look for the positive. I love making friends in the blog world! Take a look at the blogs on my blogroll page:)

8~I am thankful for my home, even though I tend to complain about it a lot:)

9~I am thankful for the opportunity to teach something that I love~yoga! I can't imagine how much worse I would be physically without yoga! Yes, I am a Christian and yes I do yoga. God has not convicted me to not do yoga and I will keep doing it until He does. Lots of Christians fear yoga, but that is another post for another time:) I can assure you that it has NOT hurt my relationship with God in any way!

10~Last but not least, I am thankful for salvation through Jesus Christ! I want my relationship with Him to grow stronger each day. Anything good that I have in this life is ALL because of His grace!!

I hope that my list of things to be thankful for grows each day as I learn to see the kindness of God in all areas of my life! What are you thankful for today?


Happy Birthday Tommy!!
 "Let us come before him with thanksgiving, and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods." Ps. 95:2-3

Nov 15, 2010

If Left to Myself

I have always been the type of person to set very high expectations on myself and God has been trying to break me of this for years! I guess you could say I am somewhat of a perfectionist--which in Biblical terms would be called 'pride'. To think that 'I' can do anything perfectly or in my own strength is ridiculous! I am slowly learning though and that is the goodness of God. Growing in areas like this is evidence of God's grace in my life. The fact that He doesn't just leave me to myself is such a gift!!

If left to myself, I would still be trying to keep my house perfectly clean. If you have children you know that that is a futile attempt at best:) I have learned to relax even if my house isn't just the way I like it. This has been one of the hardest lessons I have had to learn!! My body has given me no choice~so there is some good coming from illness.

If left to myself, I would still be in the midst of an eating disorder that the enemy meant to kill me! I look back on those days and remember the bondage that was so strong I thought I would never be free. I am happy to say that 'I AM FREE'!!!!!!!!! Does that mean the enemy never tempts me with that? Absolutely not~but I am able to recognize it for what it is and for that I am thankful:)

If left to myself, I would not be learning to pace myself. I used to just work until I was literally about to drop dead! I thought I could not stop until the job was 100% complete. I painted my living room over the summer and had all the walls and trim painted and the furniture back in place and cleaned all in one day~whew!!! It took me weeks to recover from that! Needless to say, I will not be attempting something like that again. I am learning to let things go.

If left to myself, I would still be trying to 'earn' God's love! I have been on the performance treadmill my whole life and I am ready to step down! I am SO glad that God loves me even when my house is messy! He loves me even when I am tempted to go back to bondage! He loves me even when I don't have the energy to cook for my family! He loves me no matter what the scale says!!!!!! He loves me even if I am not the perfect wife or mother. He even loves me when I knowingly sin against Him!!

If left to myself, I would not even begin to understand the gospel and His grace and mercy towards me!! When I am having a tough time, it is a good reminder that HE LOVES ME unconditionally. The great news is, He loves YOU just the same:)

"This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to ALL who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:22-24

Nov 11, 2010

Just Hand Over the Drugs...

...and no one will get hurt!! I have mentioned before that I usually try to stick with natural remedies for my health issues. Well, I'm pretty sure I have over done it and I need real drugs!! I woke up Monday feeling some significant improvement in my Fibro. pain and fatigue. Tuesday started out pretty good, but then I had to clean two houses which made me feel like I had been hit by a Mac truck. I woke up yesterday feeling the pain again but I think I was in a place of denial or just down right stubbornness. My mom tells me I have always been pretty stubborn!! It's like I think I can force my body to feel differently. I have been in that place many times before so I don't know why I haven't learned my lesson. When I get in that frame of mind, I try with everything in me to NOT have fibro., chronic fatigue or even celiac. This is very dangerous because I basically pretend that I am perfectly fine and I can do anything that any Tom, Dick or Harry can do. The truth is--I CAN'T!!

Yesterday, I---1) walked 35 minutes briskly on treadmill  2) Had a house to clean  3) gave my dog a bath which is a KILLER on my back  4) decided I needed to scrub my bathroom from top to bottom--literally!  5) then thought it wise to do a power yoga workout that lasted almost an hour and a half. Can you say stupid?? Now, for a lot of people this may seem like a cake walk, but for me--not so much! The stupid thing is, I KNEW I was overdoing it but kept acting like everything was great!

Let's just say I am reaching for drugs and am happy to have them!! I figure taking them occasionally to have at least some short term relief is not going to kill me. My herbal remedies are not doing much for pain and I am waiting to hear back from my ND. In the meantime, I'm gonna go pop a pill or two:)

Have an awesome day!! Friday is right around the corner!! I love Friday's because I get to teach yoga to my sweet friend's at church:)

"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." 1 Peter 5:10

Nov 9, 2010

Waiting

Do you like to wait? I don't, and I have never been very good at it. God is helping me learn though. I received my yoga teacher certification the first week of Oct. and have been waiting on God to see where HE would lead me to teach. I am teaching at my church each week and loving that, but that is 45 minutes away from my home and I am also looking for places to teach close to where I live. I have always been the type A person that wants something and I go after it with everything in me. I usually don't take the time to stop and pray or seek counsel from others and THAT usually means I get myself into a mess!! Throughout this whole process of getting certified to teach yoga, God has given me the grace to wait on Him and not take off headed for a cliff. For that I am grateful!! It's almost to the point that I start to take a step and I hear that still small voice telling me to wait for Him. This is so new to me!! Not that I have never heard that still small voice before, but that I am actually trying to listen:) I think my health is one avenue God is using to teach me to wait. I KNOW that if I step out on my own I am done for!!

Anyway, I am very blessed to have someone who is so excited about me teaching that she already has about 15 ladies waiting. I have students, but no place~yet. I am trusting that God will bring me to the right place. I spoke with a Christian school yesterday about using their facilities and now-- I am just waiting. Did I mention I don't like to wait?:) I did find another place to teach that I may take on Sat. mornings, but it is not in a good location for all these ladies that are already wanting to come. The cool thing about the Sat. morning place is that the lady that rents it out is willing to advertise for me etc. She was very excited to have someone offer to teach there!! So, I see doors cracking open. I have two possible places and will continue to wait on God to swing the doors wide open for me:)

What have you been waiting for?

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope." Ps. 130:5

Nov 8, 2010

Pumpkin Walnut Muffins

Happy Monday everyone!! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I had a quiet one but it was good. I actually had a birthday Saturday:) My husband was going to take me on a day trip, but I wasn't feeling up to it so we stayed home. I made a trip to the health food store and then spent the rest of the day piddling at home. We ended up going out for my birthday to one of my favorite restaurants Sunday night.

I want to share a recipe with you today. I made these muffins last week and have really been enjoying them! I put half of them in the freezer in case I couldn't eat them fast enough, but they are almost gone! My favorite way to eat one is with a little almond butter on top~yummy!
I got this recipe from the Tropical Traditions website. There are TONS of recipes using coconut flour on the site! I changed a few minor details to suit me and below is what I did. Hope you enjoy:)

Coconut Walnut Muffins
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 cup pumpkin
5 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey (I think-maybe a little more)
pinch of salt
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

I simply placed everything in the mixing bowl and mixed with mixer until well blended. Line muffin pan with foil muffin liners (I hate paper ones!) and bake at 325 until toothpick comes out clean. My oven took about 15 minutes, but it cooks fast and burns the tops of things if I'm not careful. Makes 12 yummy muffins.

Nov 5, 2010

A Good Reminder

Good reminder for us all....  
The wedding.



Her name is Katie Kirkpatrick, 21 yrs old. Next to her is her fiance Nïck, 23. This picture was taken prior to their wedding January 11th, 2005.  Katie has terminal cancer and spends hours in chemotherapy. Here Nick awaits while she finishes one of the sessions... 



Even in pain and dealing with her organs shutting down, with the help of morphine, Katie took care of every single part of the wedding planning.  Her dress had to be adjusted several times due to Katie 's constant weight loss. 


An expected guest was her oxygen tank. Katie had to use it during the ceremony and reception. The other couple in this picture is Nick's parents, very emotional with the wedding and to see their son marrying the girl he fell in love when he was an adolescent. 




Katie, in a wheel chair listening to her husband and friends singing to her. 

In the middle of the party, Katie had to rest for a bit and catch her breath. The pain does not allow her to stand for long period of time. 

Katie died 5 days after her wedding. To see a fragile woman dress as bride with a beautiful smile makes you think... Happiness is always there within reach, no matter how long it lasts.  Lets enjoy life and don't live a complicated life.
   Life is too short.

Work as if it was your first day.  Forgive as soon as possible.
Love without boundaries.  Laugh without control and never stop smiling.
 

Nov 4, 2010

Crossing that Bridge


(Source)

 Most of you may not know that I have been cleaning other people's homes for almost 8 years now. It has been a great way to earn some income while still being able to homeschool my children and be home more than if I had a full time job. I am my own boss, it pays well, I make my own schedule and I can change things when needed. I have been so blessed to have the most wonderful clients in the world too! I seriously could not have asked for better as far as the people I have worked for.

   Over the last several months, my health became more challenging leading up to an official diagnoses of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. I have had symptoms literally for YEARS, but I somehow managed to keep pushing through all that I needed to do~until now. My husband and I had a conversation not too long ago about what would happen if I got to the point that I could no longer work the way I have been. He said "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it". Well, we are at that bridge and it is time to cross it!! I feel like I am at the point where I simply can not keep demanding things of my body that are only making me feel worse. I have pushed my body to do things that I didn't feel like doing for SO long, that I now think my body is totally rebelling!!

   I recently became a certified yoga teacher through Holy Yoga and am waiting to see what God has for me in that area of my life. I am teaching a gentle class at my church each week and am praying for another space to open up soon. My goal is to phase out all of my cleaning jobs and only teach yoga. I'm not sure what God has planned though:) I am having to remind myself that His timing is always perfect! He knows exactly what I can and can't handle and I'm so thankful for His care for me.

   I would greatly appreciate prayer for:
      1-God's provision as I am unable to work as much
      2-Open doors for me to teach yoga
      3-Answers as to what treatment is best for my body
      4-FAITH to trust God in ALL areas of my life

  Prayer is powerful and I would feel blessed to have the prayers of fellow believers:)

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you." Jer. 29: 11-12

Nov 2, 2010

Simple Snack


   I made the quickest and yummiest snack yestersay and thought I would share some yumminess with you lovely peeps:) I got this from Heather~you can see it in her blog here. This is more of a breakfast, but I like breakfast food anytime of the day. I didn't have a very filling lunch yesterday so when I got hungry I thought of this flourless egg crepe. I used 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites mixed with 1/3 tsp. baking powder and a dash of cinnamon. I blended it in the blender because I couldn't get the baking powder to mix in good. My original intention was to fill it with refried beans and non-dairy cheese, but I decided sweet sounded better~it always does. I filled my crepe with almond butter and all-fruit preserves. I would have this for breakfast this morning if I had any eggs left! We are very fortunate to get wonderful organic eggs from a lady that lives close to us (for only $2 a dozen!), but we didn't have time to make the visit last night.

    This post is short and sweet! I have a very busy day ahead~pray that I have strength to do all that is before me:) Hopefully, change is coming soon regarding what I do for a living~fingers crossed!

Have an awesome day!!!!
"Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you." Ps. 91-10

Nov 1, 2010

A Lesson in Faith

     I think most of us would agree that the opposite of faith is unbelief and fear. I learned a great lesson through my yoga practice recently that I want to share with you. I have been practicing yoga for about a year and a half and have been able to gain some muscle and strength in the process, but one of the things I seemed to have trouble doing was a headstand. I could do it if I was against a wall for balance, but not otherwise. At the end of September I went to my yoga training retreat and one of the many things we worked on was a headstand away from the wall. I did it away from the wall, but only because I had someone to catch my feet as I kicked them up. So, when I got home I was determined to learn to get into a headstand and stay there without anyone helping and no wall!

   One morning, I decided that maybe if I knew I wouldn't kill myself if I fell, just maybe I could do it. I then had the idea to get close enough to the couch so that I would land on it if I did fall--but not close enough to be able to touch it. In other words, I couldn't use the couch to help me get up or stay up, but at least if I fell I knew I wouldn't break anything!

   I thought that one of the reasons I couldn't get up without help was lack of strength. I'm not the strongest 40 (almost 41) year old I know! To my surprise, I quickly found out that I DID have the strength to get up AND I stayed up!!! I was so shocked that I actually did it, I almost fell. I had to really contain my excitement in order to stay up!! I didn't touch the couch and I didn't fall!! This was a HUGE success for me :)

    I learned a very important lesson about God through this! How many times do we not do something out of fear of falling? We think we aren't strong enough, or that if we fall God may not be there to catch us!! If we trust and know that He WILL catch us, we usually find out that we can do more than we think. It is His strength~not ours. I did fall one day, and it was scary, but the couch was there to catch me and I was okay. It's the same with our wonderful Savior!! We WILL fall from time to time, but it's okay~He always catches us!!

   I really wanted to take a picture of me in my wonderful new headstand, but I don't want to add to the pain in my upper body that I have had lately. You'll just have to trust that I CAN do it;) Knowing that is good enough for me! I don't have to prove anything to myself by doing it everyday and taking a chance on hurting myself. I am having to really learn to listen to my body in my yoga practice, but at the same time, yoga is one of the most helpful things for me right now:)

   Is there something you have been afraid to try for fear of falling?

"Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, Be strong, do not fear; your God WILL come..." Isaiah 35:3-4