~Baking Homesteader~

Post-it Thoughts Thursday

2012-05-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

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Pics from around the ole homestead

2012-05-23T07:42:00.000-05:00

Our own "monorail" cat lol

My Daisey Mae :)

One of the raised bed gardens..Toms, peppers, cukes and squash

Popcorn, onions, and broccoli

Beans, beets, carrots, and lettuce

Medicinal herb garden

Ginormous rose bush :)

View from our back deck

Another view

My love :)

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Marriage Monday

2012-05-21T07:40:00.001-05:00

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My handsome photographer

2012-05-18T14:28:00.002-05:00

My favorite photographer...my son! :)

Hunter taking a pic of me taking a pic of him...you can see me in his lens! :) We enjoyed some time at a local park called Rock Springs. It's been sooo nice out!

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Feminine Friday

2012-05-18T09:18:00.002-05:00

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Hidden things...

2012-05-16T08:46:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago we had to have our house appraised because we were refinancing. (We have since completed the process and looking forward to money saved!) We obviously wanted to have the house clean when the appraiser got here. I needed help. Hunter decided he would help me and one of the rooms that needed some work was the office. He did his thing and when I went in to check it was wonderful looking. Very organized and looked like someone actually used the room as an office lol.

It was probably a week or so later and my husband needed something out of that room's closet. You can probably guess what happened. Things fell on him! LOL The things that were in the room were put into the closet like you see in cartoons and when you open the door...well. ;) We REorganized it and now it's nice again like Hunter's intentions were in the first place.

That scenario reminded me of our lives. We, like that room, can look good and put together on the outside, but if we open our "closet doors", we see that we are not really put together. There may be chaos and disorganization, etc. Having a clean heart starts INSIDE. It starts with cleaning up the hidden things that no one sees but God and you. When you clean the inside first, the outside naturally starts to clean up. So many people, including myself, tend to clean up the outside first. When we do that, we can forget the inside because what we see on the outside seems to be just fine and there is no need to go further with the cleansing process.

I have recently had a heart change. I had a very popular page on facebook called Homemakers and Homesteaders. I had 2400 fans. I began to feel like I was too focused on it. I started losing focus on Christ. I spent the majority of my morning (hours) researching items to post on that page for those folks to enjoy. It became too much. The very thing that I am all about (God and my family) became compromised and 2400 strangers took it's place. After MUCH prayer and thought, I have deleted that page. I had tried in the past to simply discipline myself to spend less time with that page, but it never worked out. I was not putting Christ first first thing in the morning...That has changed and I have again begun to put my Lord first in my day and in my life. He is the reason I want to be the best helpmeet and mother I can be. He is the One who gives me strength for the day.

It feels so good to get back on track with the Lord. I am so thankful for the Holy Spirit's prompting in this matter and for acting on it.

I will continue to blog here. I am also on Twitter now. (My son is on there and I wanted to keep an eye on him) I found that with Twitter, I can post there and it goes right over to my personal facebook page and I only have to post in one place and I can get on with my day. With Twitter, it is fast, convenient and you are not tempted to comment or "like" everyone's statuses. :) You just read and move on. My kinda thing. :) So if any of you are on Twitter and would like to follow me, I am @titus2baker (you can click the widget at the end of this post) You can get to me on the right side of the blog also through the widget.

I pray everyone has a blessed day. I know I will! :)

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Tasty Tuesday..Spring Veggie Paleo Pasta

2012-05-15T08:41:00.000-05:00

This delightful recipe comes from Multiply Delicious

I’ve been a bad blogger…I’ve been away and I haven’t been keeping the recipes or anything else for that matter flowing here on the blog. Sorry but this girl has needed a little break. I shared with you last week that I have tied on one more thing onto my already busy schedule. Of course going back to school, being a mom, being a wife, working full-time, cooking, blogging, and crossfitting….they all add up. With all that being said the hubby and I escaped on Thursday for a long weekend away without the kiddos and away from “life”. Boy! You really don’t know you need a break from it all until you are away from it all. I got to sleep….something that has been seriously been neglected as of late! I got to read my collection of magazines that have been gathering dust. I didn’t have to cook….which by the way can be great but very hard when you are following a Paleo lifestyle. I had many waiters and waitresses aggregated with me asking 101 questions about the menu. Oh well! Anywho, the hubby and I sat back and relaxed and enjoyed every minute of it. By the way, I would highly recommend Gasparilla Innin Boca Grande. Truly a fabulous getaway! I didn’t get in the kitchen at all this weekend but luckily I have a recipe I cooked up last weekend to share with you all. It’s a light take on a spring pasta dish but of course the paleo version of a pasta dish. No pasta here…don’t worry I didn’t go crazy on my vacation. The pasta is using one of my very favorite spring time veggies, asparagus! Love it! So here you have it. A paleo spring veggie pasta that is great served topped with salmon, shrimp, or scallops….or anything of your choice. Have fun but most of all enjoy!!

Spring Veggie Paleo Pasta
2 organic zucchini
1 organic yellow squash
1 bunch asparagus, chopped
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 or 2 green onion, diced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons Kerry Gold Garlic Herb Butter (or olive oil)
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
Begin my cutting off the ends of the zucchinis and washing them. Using a vegetable peeler, peel one section at a time for 4 ribbons, then rotate and continue. Continue to rotate and peel until you hit the core of seeds, then stop. Save the core to dice up in another recipe. Do this for both zucchinis and the yellow squash, you should be lefts with a large bowl of ribbon pastas, depending on the size of your squashes.

In a pan over medium- low heat add 1 tablespoon butter and allow to melt. Dump in your ribbons (you may need to do this in batches depending on how many ribbons you have and the size of your pan. Just don’t over crowd it). Stir constantly with a spoon and allow the ribbons to cook through and wilt a little. Since they are so thin it should only take 1-2 minutes, you don’t want them overcooked.
In a separate skillet, heat over medium heat, melt 1/2 tablespoon butter (or olive oil) and add tomatoes and asparagus until cooked and tender. Add diced green onion and basil in the last 30 seconds of cooking veggies and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place squash ribbon “pasta” in a bowl and top with veggie mixture sprinkle additional basil and green onion and serve.
Makes about 2 to 4 servings

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Marriage Monday

2012-05-14T06:46:00.000-05:00

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Wearing a Skirt Doesn't Make You a Better Christian...

2012-05-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

This post comes from More Than Four Walls
Head over and check out her page.

Here are my thoughts on the post...

I loved this post. I could have written it myself. I have worn skirt exclusively and I also have not worn them. I even have worn cape dresses and headcovering. I find that I was lead by my fleshly desire to be "Caroline Ingalls and what she's all about" instead of what Christ really wanted. I did become judgmental towards other women who dressed immodest and would notice right away how others dressed. It stuck out when I was wearing just skirts. I will say that when I wore skirts, I was more mindful of how I acted on the outside (more ladylike, softer, etc) but I was still a bit "holier than thou" on the inside.
I have since matured in my faith and continue to dress modest. I wear jeans and cowgirl boots (which is truly more my style) and I still occasionally wear a skirt or dress that I made myself, but when I do it's not for the same reason as before. :) Christ wants me modest from the inside out. I have had a heart change and I'm so thankful for His grace and patience!

Photo Credit: Temari 09

I have been tossing around the idea of wearing skirts for some time now. I’ve been (trying) to study out scripture related to the philosophy of why many Christian women exclusively wear skirts.
My hesitation is an issue of the heart.
Do I want to wear skirts because the Lord is speaking to me about it or do I want to do it because it somehow presents me in a light that I am “more Christian” or “more feminine” than others?
Am I doing it just because other Christian mom bloggers that I have come to respect are skirt-wearing and some say it is the way to go as good Christian woman?

Attaining an Image

In my mind sometimes, when I see a women wearing a modest skirt and looking very feminine I think how gentle and kind she must be. She must be a good housewife, willfully submitting to her husband and baking cookies every Thursday for the kids after she home schools them. Her life must be simple and drama free. I mean she must be perfect, right?
In this process the Lord has shown me that for a long time, more years than I can count, I have had this vision of skirt-wearing women. I liken them to Caroline from Little House on the Prairie and the life played out on television. There has been a draw in me toward that era in time, when life was simple, chivalry wasn’t dead and women (and men) had defined clear-cut roles.
But the Lord has asked me to ask myself the hard questions. Do I think skirt wearing will change my life? Do I think skirt-wearing will change my heart and make me a better Christian?

Changing My Life

Could skirt wearing change my life? I more see it as skirt wearing is a change in my life. An outward expression of the unique femininity that I have, created by God. Then again, the same can be said of wearing make up too.
In a world where the gender lines seem to be blurring more and more every day skirt wearing can be a celebration of being feminine that the world can see.

Skirt wearing is not going to magically throw me into a blissful land of homeschooling and cookie baking. Only the Lord can work out the details of my life and fulfill my desire to be a stay at home mom.

A Heart Change

Last Thursday I made a rare trip to the bank which required a visit to the lobby rather than just the drive-thru. Waiting in line I spotted a young woman, probably my age in a cute denim skirt with a button up sweater and a cute pair of sandals.
As I mentioned above you can guess what I thought about her. I smiled inside and thought “If I could coordinate and outfit like that at least I’d look better when I wore skirts!”
The Lord arranged for her stay at the window to be long and my place in line to lad at the teller next to her. As the money for my deposit was being counted I over heard her say a few things that did not sound very loving, meek, kind or Christian.
Immediately I hear the Lord say, “Wearing as skirt does not make you a better Christian.”
He is so right.
Being a Christian has less to do with our outward appearance and more to do with the attitude of our hearts. For out of the heart the mouth speaks.
“…..for out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” Matthew 12:34b
God is doing great things in my life and slowly working on my attitude, my thoughts and my emotions. He has laid it on my heart to dress more modestly, which I started doing a few years back but at this time I don’t see a clear leading in my life to wear skirts exclusively.
If our hearts are not right are we not just like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day; walking around “showing” our religiousness but never really living out our faith?
I pass no judgment on the woman at the bank. I have no idea where she’ll spend eternity or where her heart lies. Perhaps she is a beautiful Christian woman who momentarily fell into the trap of gossip and judgment (haven’t we all?)
God put her there to speak to me not for me to judge her.
She was His reminder to me that He ultimately wants my heart to be right and pure before him.
Skirt wearing is not going to change my heart. It is not going to help me learn to submit to my husband and allow him to take role as head of our home. It is not going to make me more patient or a better mom.
Putting on a skirt will not make me (or you) be less judgmental or less apt to gossip about a neighbor.

How Proud We Are

We must be careful that putting on a skirt does not give us a false sense of pride. If we choose to wear skirts we are not somehow better than those women who don’t wear skirts.
At least not in the Lord’s eyes.
“And the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as the person who has broken all of God’s laws.” James 2:10 (NLT)
We see in James that no matter if it’s murder, gossip, immodest dress or judgment we are just as guilty in God’s eyes. Thank you Lord for sending you son to pay the price for all of our sins!
As I mentioned earlier I have always felt a pull toward women in skirts and the “Little House” way of life. Yet I can see myself easily slipping into pride in this area?
How about you? Have you ever thought more highly of yourself for you modest attire over someone else’s less than appealing wardrobe?
“If anyone things he is something when his is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take priced in himself without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.” Galatians 5:12

If we are proud of who we have become in Jesus Christ and what we have learned through Him that is awesome. We cannot find that pride in comparing ourselves to others.
If we have clear revelation from the Lord that He wants us to dress a certain way then we should honor Him and follow that prompting but we mustn’t do it because we are following trend, putting on a show or wanting to look “holier.”
I see reason to dress modestly but I don’t believe modesty is more than just outward appearance.
I don’t have all the answers to skirt-wearing. I write this not as an expert but as a gal searching out answers and maybe letting another women struggling with the same issue see that she’s not alone in her journey.

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Feminine Friday...

2012-05-11T10:14:00.001-05:00

Another jeans day. :) It's been a great week! Can you see it in my face today? :)

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Post-it thoughts Thursday

2012-05-10T08:05:00.003-05:00

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Lovely days...and a conviction

2012-05-09T09:02:00.003-05:00

The days so far this week have been so nice. :) I am loving this mild weather. A lot less humidity! :) I have been able to weed the garden with ease.

I am going to make those grain free thin mints today that I posted yesterday. Yum! My husband will be excited as he loved the regular Girl Scout thin mints and these are so much better for you. :)

I came across a blog post today that was quite convicting. I encourage you to read it here. Tell me what you think...

As a result, I will be making changes with my time. You all won't notice, but my family will. :)

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Tasty Tuesday...grain free thin mints!

2012-05-08T07:41:00.001-05:00

This recipe comes from Tasty Kitchen. :) You can see the recipe here

Ingredients

FOR THE COOKIES:
1-½ cup Blanched Almond Flour, Honeyville Brand
¼ cups Arrowroot Flour
¼ cups Cocoa Powder
¼ teaspoons Sea Salt
½ teaspoons Baking Soda
½ cups Earth Balance Butter, Softened
½ cups Sugar Or Coconut Palm Sugar
1 whole Egg (A "Flax Egg" Also Works)
½ teaspoons Peppermint Extract
FOR THE CHOCOLATE COATING:
15 ounces, weight Enjoy Life Dairy Free Chocolate Chips
2 Tablespoons Non-Hydrogenated Shortening (Earth Balance Butter Or Coconut Oil Will Also Work)
2 t peppermint extract

Preparation Instructions 1. For the cookies, stir together almond flour, arrowroot, cocoa powder, sea salt, and baking soda with a whisk until there are no more lumps. Set aside.
2. Beat butter until creamy. Then add sugar and beat until well mixed.
3. Beat in the egg and peppermint.
4. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until dough comes together.
5. Pour dough onto plastic wrap and shape into a cylinder 1 1/2″ inches in diameter. Place in freezer for at least 30 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
7. Remove from freezer and cut into 1/4″ thick cookies. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake in batches if needed.
8. Bake 10-15 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
9. Cool completely.
10. For the coating, place chocolate chips and shortening in a heatproof bowl. Bring a small pot of water to a simmer. Place the bowl with the chocolate chips on top being careful that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat and stir in the peppermint extract.
11. Use a fork to dip the cookies into the chocolate, allowing the excess chocolate to drip off. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet.
12. Place in fridge uncovered until chocolate has set up, about 30 minutes.
13. Eat and enjoy!

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Marriage Monday...Do You Make Agreements With Satan?

2012-05-07T07:45:00.002-05:00

This has been one of my most read posts. I pulled it from the archives today because, it's so important that I remember NOT to make agreements with satan. I hope it encourages you...

Many of us make agreements with satan and we don't even realize it. It may start out small like a small thought popping in your head. Satan fuels that thought with mores lies until you have made up your mind that you agree with satan. For example...I can't watch Dancing With the Stars...it is too much of a stumbling block for me. Why? Well, just look at them. They have beautiful bodies that seem to move effortlessly. I made an agreement with satan that my body is just not up to par. It's just not good enough. I went from a small thought of "wow, they are beautiful" to "I'm not that beautiful...I don't have those nice curves... I could never be graceful like that" Those are all satan's lies and I AGREED with them. Sure, I don't look like that, but I don't have to fall for the lie that my body and grace are any less good. But, to keep those thoughts at bay...I just don't watch it.

Another example would be realizing your husband has not done something you have asked him to. Pretty soon an agreement is made that he just doesn't care about you or else he would have remembered. Or he is lazy and just doesn't care about things you ask. I have made this agreement with satan. Ugh...

Our family has made a lot of agreements with satan. We were not even aware of the many agreements we have made....(if the house is a mess, then I'm are a horrible wife...if my husband is crabby, then he hates us...if supper isn't just scrumptious, then I'm a failure at being a good helpmeet...my husband didn't have a loving dad growing up, so he is never going to be a good one...I'm weak everyday, so I'm never going be all that I can be...life is hard right now and it's never going to be truly glorifying to God...) We have decided it's time to break these agreements! When you make agreements with satan, he has much more influence over you. I do not want to be influenced by him. No way. I want to submit to the Lord and have satan flee from me, from our home. He is a sly fellow. All these agreements came so subtly. Most of the time we had no idea we were being duped. Shame on us! We need to be aware of his schemes. But, believe me, my family is more aware now. And that gives us power against the accuser.

We need to have on the full armor of God. One piece I will focus on is the shield of faith. "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." Ephesians 6:16

Those fiery darts are what ignite our small thoughts that can eventually turn into agreements. We need the shield to extinguish them. We do not want to make agreements with satan. We would much rather make agreements with the Living God.

So as you set out today...be more aware of the agreements you are making with satan. Break those agreements and dig out your shield. Put on the full armor of God..."Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." Ephesians 6:11

Onward Christian soldier! Make no agreements with the enemy!

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We had a blast! (Pun intended)

2012-05-05T18:56:00.003-05:00

We had a lot of fun today out shooting. It was pretty warm out (almost 90), but it was perfect shooting weather. :) This is my handsome hubby getting ready to shoot his AR-15. Our son was the photographer. :)

In the shot below, our son wanted to capture the smoke coming out of the rifle. Can you see it?

This next one he got the casing coming out...

The handsome little photographer shooting a .22

He really liked shooting the AR-15 :)

This is me and my husband is showing me how to use the AR

I know my shooting stance is completely wrong, but because the rifle was so heavy for me, this is the stance I took. :) I LOVED shooting this AR!

Here is a target I shot...(with the .22 iron sights I think 100 yrds)

Ok...so I was a little exited about shooting the AR! :)

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Feminine Friday

2012-05-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

It was such a gorgeous day! I was a little slouchy in the first pic, but hey, I had just mowed the property and planted the raised beds. :)

The second pic makes me so happy because even after all that work, my face muscles are still doing well! I definitely rested after this. Trying to be very careful not to put myself in an MG crisis even though I have energy. It's easy to put yourself into respiratory crisis when you are not paying attention to your body...

You may be able to see the scar on my chest from surgery. It's from a Thymectomy. It is done for MG patients who have a tumor or hyperplasia of the thymus gland (which sits atop your heart). I had hyperplasia (just a fancy word for abnormally large). That open chest surgery was a breeze :) The Lord was gracious enough to not allow me to sneeze for 2 weeks straight. :)

I pray you all enjoy your weekend! We are going shooting tomorrow and I can't wait. I love shooting. I will take pics and blog about it soon. :) Blessings to you all!

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Still working at it...

2012-05-02T07:57:00.000-05:00

Good morning all!

How many of you are trying to have a gentle and quiet spirit? I am. I'm not always real good at it. I find when I'm tired or sore, I tend to be more sensitive and frustrated and that's when my voice is no longer calm.

I found myself apologizing to my son this morning for snapping at him. I'm a bit sleepy still, but that is no excuse.

Self-control is one of the fruit of the Spirit. How do you all practice this?

It's going to be really warm here today and I need to mow. I also need to do some planting. I love this time of year!

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Tasty Tuesday...natural "fruit roll-ups"

2012-05-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

This tasty treat comes from Love U Madly

I’m a candy gal. A gummi gal to be specific. I look for something sweet immediately after something savory. I know, I know. It’s a bad habit. In an attempt to help myself through my issues and help a reader who requested a recipe for something sweet that is low in sugar and carbs (though natural fruit sugars were A-OK), I was on the mission.

First, take a look at the ingredient list in General Mills Fruit Roll-Ups: pears from concentrate, corn syrup, dried corn syrup, sugar, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, citric acid, sodium citrate, acetylated monoglycerides, fruit pectin, dextrose, maltic acid, ascorbic acid, natural flavor and the following food coloring: blue 1, red 40 and yellows 5 and 6.

Here is the ingredient list for my Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups: organic fresh, dried, and frozen fruit.

100% Real Fruit Roll-Ups
From Green Kitchen Stories

This recipe is pretty flexible. You have the freedom to pick one fruit or mix different kinds. You can use fresh, frozen and dried fruit. Below the recipe are some fruit combination suggestions, but feel free to try out your own combos too. I suggest making a few different trays of fruit at the same time because these won’t last long in your house and though they are VERY simple to make, they do take a long time to set.

1. Warm the fruit in a pot on the stove and mix it into a puree. If there are seeds in the puree you can pour it into a sieve to get the seeds out (I didn’t).

2. Spread the puree on a silpat baking mat (my baking love!) or parchment paper. 1 1/2 cup of fruit puree is enough for 1 baking sheet, and put in the oven on 140°F (or as low as your oven can go. my stove’s lowest temperature is 170). Leave the oven door open a little bit to let the moisture out.

3. They are done when the puree isn’t sticky anymore, you normally need between 5-8 hours depending on the oven and your fruit choices. (If you live in a warm climate, you can just leave the pan in the sun for the day).

4. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut them and roll them with wax or parchment paper when they are still warm. Enjoy this healthy alternative.

Fruit combination ideas:
Yellow: 1 fresh mango, 200 g dried apricots, 1 orange (the juice) (these came out great!)
Purple: Frozen raspberries, frozen blackberries and 1 banana (these were very seedy, you could replace the raspberries with blueberries)
Green: Kiwi, mango and mint leaves
Blue: Blueberries and grape juice
Red: Strawberries and banana

You can also add spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla pods or mint leaves.

If you are on a low-sugar, low-carb diet – check out this fruit chart to help decide your combo.

Spread the puree into a square

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Praising Him...

2012-04-30T09:39:00.002-05:00

Praising God for having His hand on this new medicine and treatment! He has ended my awful suffering! I have less pain that is functional now and feel as though a fog has been lifted. Praying it is allowed to last :)

The power was out this morning for over 4 hrs. It was storming. Most days like this with the rain would be excruciating for me. Today, just mild pain. :) I think I will mark off my raised beds and do some planting (if the rain stays gone now) :)
"For the Lord your God is a merciful God..." Deuteronomy 4:31
For the record..I always knew God was a merciful God. It's just at this moment in time, I see His mercy in my life and not just others. :)

Being able to function without horrible pain is such a huge blessing for me. I feel like my prayers over several years are being answered. Why now? I don't know, but I do know He does and my faith is in His wisdom. I'm going to need that wisdom as to not overdo myself because it is so easy to now. But, even with the pain gone, I must be careful with my Myasthenia Gravis. I still get weak and can get into emergent trouble if I overdo.

That being said, I was able to go out to eat in an EVENING and was still able to sit up! I was able to wring out my hair with strong hands. I was able to volunteer at church and not get fatigued much in the work. It was soooo refreshing! Oh and my swallowing is better!

I don't want to get my hopes up too much to have the dashed if it doesn't last. BUT, I am enjoying and rejoicing in every moment He gives me of days without horrible pain. I feel like the crushing of satan has been lifted and my soul can breathe again. I know that may sound weird. But, feeling like you are suffocating, can barely move, can hardly think, etc and then feeling mostly pain free, clear thinking, and being able to take deep breaths when you couldn't before, it feels like a grip has been let loosed.

I know there will be days when I will still struggle. I'm not ignorant to these illnesses. But, I'm having hope that those days will be far apart. :)

THANK YOU to all who have been praying! I hope you are rejoicing with me! Let your mind be settled that He is taking care of me and His mercy abounds. Continue to pray that this medicine will have favor for years to come!

Blessings to you all! The LOAD is a lot lighter. ;)

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Feminine Friday

2012-04-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes feminine to my husband is jeans and a t-shirt. :) I haven't been able to wear jeans for MONTHS. It would hurt my legs to wear them and then there was the bone marrow edema and my knee was so swollen, it was uncomfortable to have anything touch it. My legs have atrophied so much. The calves are tiny little sticks. Wearing jeans allows me to hide that part of my disease. :)

You can still see the fatigue in my face. I'm hoping with this new treatment that will fade and I will have some more energy. I've got some livin' to do ya know! ;) Maybe by next Feminine Friday...;)

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Post-it Thoughts Thursday

2012-04-26T09:33:00.000-05:00

I wanted to find out more about the origins of my family, but truth be known, family isn't always blood. In fact, some of the best families are not blood related. Family is anyone who truly loves you, prays for you, encourages you, and there for you in your darkest times (even if they can only be there in spirit).

Oh and I just knew I had a little Daniel Boone in me ;) (germany/netherlands is from my dad's side. All I know from my mom's side so far is Daniel Boone is in there somewhere) :)

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GREAT news!

2012-04-25T10:38:00.003-05:00

I am so EXCITED! My doctor just called and after going through the research I took in, she has APPROVED taking LDN (low dose Naltrexone). I get to pick it up today and start it tonight. I am one happy girl right now! Thank you all for your prayers. Really. God has surely blessed me today with this news. :) Praying it is effective! I just want my pain to be less. :)

Just wanted to share this great news. *doing the happy dance*

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Enter the facebook giveaway here!

2012-04-24T16:50:00.000-05:00

Giveaway is for US residents ONLY a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Marriage Monday

2012-04-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

This great post comes from See Jamie Blog.

You should check out her blog...after you read this. ;)

Earlier in the year, I shared about my prayer binder. I keep lists of prayers for my children, for myself, for my husband, for friends, and so on. I found a few lists online that got me started, but I’m continually tweaking them to fit my own family more specifically. This week I rewrote my list of prayers for my husband, and I’m sharing because I thought it might be a good jumping-off place for some other wives, too. (I’ve compiled this from many different ones, and cannot remember all the sites I began with; sorry!)

I feel like I have to have a disclaimer because of the topics of some of these prayers: Most of these things are not struggles for Ken, but I pray them to make sure they do not become a problem, and for encouragement in the many things he is already doing well. It’s when we think we cannot stumble that we are most vulnerable; I don’t want to make that mistake.

This list of twenty-five prayers could easily become a prayer for each day of the month if you personalize it with five more specific prayers from your husband on topics he may be dealing with at work, in your family or marriage, and so on.

25 Prayers for My Husband

I pray…

that he continues to grow spiritually through the disciplines of Bible study, prayer, and quiet times. (Proverbs 4:23)
that his relationship with God will bear much fruit in his life, and that he will be a man who seeks wisdom and understanding. (Proverbs 3:7, Psalm 112:1)
that he would walk humbly with God, and would always be convicted quickly about any sin in his life. (Micah 6:8)
that he will continue to grow as the leader of our family, and that God would be glorified in our marriage. (Ephesians 5:25-29)
that he would have a teachable spirit and a servant’s heart, and that he will listen to God and desire to do His will. (Proverbs 15:33)
that he would always look to the way of escape from any kind of temptation, and that he would rely on God to remain faithful to our marriage, and to God. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
that he would safeguard his heart against inappropriate relationships with the opposite sex, and this heart would pure and undivided in his commitment to me and to our marriage. (Proverbs 6:23-25)
that he would continue to be able to provide for our family, and that he will not become discouraged by doing work he does not enjoy.
that money would never become a source of discord in our family, and that we would be wise in handling finances and in stewardship. (Luke 16:13)
that the words he speaks will build our family, and reflect a heart of love. (Proverbs 18:21)
that our physical intimacy would be a positive reflection of selfless love. (Song of Solomon 7:10)
that the men in his life would encourage his accountability before God, and that he would be a godly influence on his friends and coworkers. (Proverbs 13:20, 27:17)
that he would choose healthy foods and activities, and honor God by taking the best possible care of his body as the tabernacle of God. (1 Corinthians 6:19)
for his strength — physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. (Ephesians 3:16)
for him to have wisdom and discernment in training/disciplining our children, and that You would enable him to love them unconditionally. (Ephesians 6:4)
that he would always have an eternal perspective, and make the most of however much time he has in this life. (Ephesians 5:16)
that he would always be a man of peace, who allows the Holy Spirit to lead his responses in all situations. (Romans 14:19)
that he would have a balanced life in regards to work and play, and that he would submit his schedule to You. (Proverbs 16:9)
for him to find favor with the Lord, but also with people he knows and interacts with. (Luke 2:52)
that he would enjoy peace and refreshment in his relationship with the Lord. (Psalm 16:11)
that he would always be courageous in his stand against evil and injustice, and that he will protect our family from Satan’s attacks. (Ephesians 6:13)
that he would be a man of prayer, seeking God in purposeful ways. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
that he will serve God and others with pure motives, and that God would be glorified in everything he does. (Colossians 3:23-24)
that he would offer all this dreams to the Lord, and pursue only those that bring God glory, and that count for eternity. (Jeremiah 29:11)
that he will recognize the lies of the enemy in his life, and that he will always be guided by the Truth. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

I’ve created a pdf version as a gift for you: 25 Prayers For My Husband.

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Doc appt update

2012-04-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

I had my doctor's appointment yesterday. She said she would look over my research and give me an answer the middle of next week...here's still hoping. In the meantime, I haven't been able to take any of my pain meds because if she prescribes this I need to have stopped taking the narcotic pain med 2 weeks prior. So I am in just a lot of pain...If she says no, then obviously I will start taking my pain meds regularly. Either way, next week sometime, my pain will either be less or starting to be. Hoping...

Continue to pray...

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