Don't Waste Today

I think God has been showing me that life is a cycle... a set of seasons.
The seasons have a beginning and an end. From conception to death and every beautiful moment in between. This life is temporal and finite, meant to last only for a short time. 
I'm learning to cherish each moment. To not try to rush through one season to get to the next. 
To enjoy childhood until its time to be an adult, to enjoy single life until its time be merge your life with another, to enjoy time with just your spouse until your family grows, to enjoy your babies until they become adults, to enjoy your empty nest until the glorious day that we meet Jesus face to face. 
He is also teaching me we are not guaranteed to have all of those things... we are only guaranteed conception, death, and the chance for a forever in Paradise with Him. 
So don't wait for the next big thing to happen to you, enjoy the here and now. 

Enjoy what you are doing today, don't waste today wishing for tomorrow.

This Needs To Go

So.... its been another 6 months without blogging.  I see this is becoming a habit for me! :o)  And again... so much has happened to me.   I feel like I need to unload all of that... but another time.
Today I am using this blog as a place to keep track of my weight loss.

In January, I was put back on medicine to control my blood sugar after being told I was now a full-blown diabetic.  I changed my diet to a typical diabetic diet, but I was still having huge fluctuations in my levels.  My pain was at an all time high, and I couldn't muster up any energy.  I began to research different diets and became intrigued by the Paleo lifestyle... not so much for what it represents, but because it is very low in carbs.  I also liked parts of the Atkins diet, and the first phase of South Beach.  I realized that a super intensely drastic change was the only way to get this under control... because my goal has always been to be medicine free!  I also realized I had tried diets before and they never worked... because I didn't like them.  So I made my own custom diet, loosely based on Paleo, Atkins, and South Beach.  I cut out grains, sugar, processed food, most fruit, and legumes.  I also eat very very few starches and very little corn.  This wasn't easy to adjust to at first... I kept having cravings for bread and potatoes... but the longer I stuck with it and stayed completely away from those things, the easier it became.  After about 2 weeks, I had very few cravings and was able to stick to the diet completely.  Most I eat meats, dairy, nuts, and lots of salads.  I have added in potatoes on occasion (i love chips!), and all corn tortillas.

When I went back to the doctor my A1C went from 12.75 to 8.1, my triglycerides went from 1600 to 400 without any medicine to help that, and I had only gained one pound.  (Diabetes medicines typically make you gain weight very rapidly when you first start them, the last time I started them, I gained almost 60lbs in a year!!!)  I am due for more blood work in a few weeks, and I know I will be very close to normal range in everything.

But... the weight loss.  UGH.  I exercise, eat well, and still am not losing.  I truly understand why, but its frustrating, and sometimes I find myself eating things I shouldn't because I get in a slump of "who cares, its not working anyways".  When our worship pastors wife told me about something she used to lose weight, I was intrigued.  All-natural, known to help with blood sugar issues, and other health problems, including pain levels for those with Fibromyalgia (my newest diagnosis... but that's a whole other issue of doctors slapping on a label when they don't know what else to call it), and helps you lose weight with little effort, I was sold.  Today marked my first day of trying Plexus Slim with the accelerator.  I did the research.... I talked to my doctor.. weighed myself, measured my body, and took the first capsule and drank the first drink this morning.  Im ready for this stuff to work, and really praying that the Lord would use this to help me... the way the diet helped other areas!!

My goals for my health, my body, etc are fairly simple and not drastic.
Right now, I weigh 215 and I would like to get to 180, which is 30 pounds.  That's not skinny or anything... but that's ok with me.  I just want to be healthy.
Right now, I take 20 mgs of Glipizide 2x daily, 1 metformin 2x daily, 1 meloxicam in the morning, at least one muscle relaxer in the evening, and ibuprofen as needed (which is needed a lot), and B12 vitamins, cinnamon capsules, and vitamin D.  I want to get to a point where I take nothing but the vitamins.
I want to get pregnant, have a healthy full-term pregnancy, and give birth to a healthy baby who is not over or under weight.
I want to have energy every day... not just on days when I eat perfect.
I want to be around for my kids for a long long time.
I want to be ok with my body and my weight and not look pregnant!!  (I carry my weight in my belly).

I am hoping my diet, plus exercise and this Plexus Slim would be the key to completing my goals.  I know I can do this, and I believe that God is going to honor my dedication and use these things to heal me!!!

Today, I feel more energetic on this stuff.. the accelorator has caffeine, dark chocolate extracts, guarana, green tea extracts, and more.  Since I don't always drink a lot of caffeine (some days, I drink none), I do feel slightly jittery, but nothing horrible, and I expect this feeling to go away once I get off my tosh and do something other than type and edit photos.  No after taste from the capsule or the drink (which is just a powder mix put in water like crystal light... and it actually tastes very good!).  No diarrhea.. praise God! When I woke up this morning, I had a lot of low back pain, but after taking this and the meloxicam, the pain is almost completely gone.  It happened much faster than usual and without all the stretching I normally do.
So Im off to go outside and push Madi on the swing and check in on my garden!  I feel very good today!

Pictures!!

Our Christmas Card and family picture this year! Its so hard to get good family photos when your the photographer.  But thanks to my handy dandy tri-pod, I finially got a good one!

And here is my princess.  Oh man, I cant get over how she has grown and how gorgeous she is!!!

So I know I havent posted in a long time and much has happened since then. 

I could blog for DAYS and not cover all of it, but since so much of it is little stuff that isnt super important, here a quick synopsis:

*Our church closed down and restructured and reopened.
*Madi got a new puppy name Princess Calliope, we call her Callie.
*I lost my job during the tranisition.
*Mike lost his job the same week.
*Mike has been on unemployment since July/August.
*We have let our foster care certifacation lapse to take a break.
*We both turned 29.
*God provided for Madi to take UNLIMITED dance classes at her amazing CHRISTIAN studio this year.
*God called us away from our church to the church I grew up in and our last Sunday with the old church is Christmas.
*I know that God has some awesome ministry opporutnities waiting for us at our new church.
*Becuase of the loss of jobs, we lost Mikes good insurance so Madi's state insurance wouldnt cover her meds and we had to switch from Vyvanse to Adderall.
*Madi started having severe stomach pains when we switched meds.  We had testing done and no celiacs or other issues. 
*Then she started breaking out in hives, so we took her off wheat/gluten and they went away, as did the stomach pains.
*We are now waiting for her GI Doc appt and and allergy test.  But she is not eating any wheat or gluten.
*I am in the process of getting all my ducks in a row (so to speak) to start trying to have another baby again soon.
*We are going on a missions trip to Nicaragua in Febuary and God has been providing for that already.  In fact, someone just paid for Madi to get her passport!!

I think thats it.  Ive spent the last week or so that we have had our computer reading all the blogs I follow and I sure have missed a LOT!  Now all we need is some faster internet.  Living out in the country makes getting good service very expensive!

Time for a New 'Do

THE CUT:


POTENTIAL COLORS:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Let then voting begin!!

(Oh... and now that we have a computer that works... I will be blogging more!!)

A Good Wife

I have been spending some time in Proverbs 31 learning about being a good wife.  Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character


10 [b]A wife of noble character who can find?

She is worth far more than rubies.

11 Her husband has full confidence in her

and lacks nothing of value.

12 She brings him good, not harm,

all the days of her life.

13 She selects wool and flax

and works with eager hands.

14 She is like the merchant ships,

bringing her food from afar.

15 She gets up while it is still night;

she provides food for her family

and portions for her female servants.

16 She considers a field and buys it;

out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17 She sets about her work vigorously;

her arms are strong for her tasks.

18 She sees that her trading is profitable,

and her lamp does not go out at night.

19 In her hand she holds the distaff

and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

20 She opens her arms to the poor

and extends her hands to the needy.

21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;

for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

22 She makes coverings for her bed;

she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,

where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them,

and supplies the merchants with sashes.

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;

she can laugh at the days to come.

26 She speaks with wisdom,

and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

27 She watches over the affairs of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her:

29 “Many women do noble things,

but you surpass them all.”

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,

and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
 
There are so many things in there to work for and aspire to.... but check out this little girl:

(Sorry its sideways... I cant figure out how to flip it!)
She saved her birthday money to buy herself a fishing rod and tackle box.  She also has a special fishing hat.  This kid puts the worms on and takes the fish off.  Yup.. she is going to make a GREAT WIFE someday!! Haha.  :o)
 
I am hoping to share more on Proverbs 31, and what God is showing me... but I had to share that first!! :oD

10 Years Old & Already Called

My beautiful baby turned 10 last week. 

Wow.

10.

Dang skippy... Im a momma to a double digit midget!  :o)

And apperantly... God decided that 10 was the age to set her apart and call her for His purposes!!

One day last week, Madi, Mike and I were in the care running errands that tooke us all over the places.  Madi was using the time to talk our ears off.  She was telling us all about a dream she had and what she thought it meant.

Basically.... she said God told her that she was going to be a pastor so she can preach the Word.  She was going to do it in many other countries and she wanted to learn to speak the languages so she could preach to many people.  She was also not going to have ny kids of her own, just adopt a whole bunch.  She also was going to teach her kids to preach and to worship so they could grow up and be ministers.
She said she was going to grow up to be a hero.  She wants to lead people to Jesus.... to help them spiritually, financially, and every other way. 

Thats my kid.  Thats the little human God gave me to raise!!  Talk about a great honor!  Wow.  I am so blessed by her.  And I am so excited for her future.  I cant wait to see what God has in store for her!!!