A Loss. YAY

Though one may be overpowered,

    two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Eccles. 4:12

I can't stress enough how important it is to have some or a series of someones who are by your side encouraging you and helping you stay accountable to your goals is.  It helps a great deal if your spouse and family are a part of the change.  Luckily that's what I have with my husband.  He was the first one who went plant based, he was the first one who lost weight and got off his medications so he is the first one to lead his family to better health.  I couldn't think of a better leader since through Christ, HE is the leader of our home.  He also seeks Christ as HIS leader.  It just all works to Gods glory here.

I'm about 2 months into a more plant-based lifestyle. I have dairy/meat here and there, but for the most part, there's no meat and dairy in our refrigerator. We have almond milk and almond or coconut yogurt. NOW, cheese has been the hardest for me. Particularly mozzarella but most cheese just cannot be replaced with a non-dairy cheese. It doesn't melt the same, the texture is not the same and taste is NOT the same.  I'm sorry, as a foodie, there's just no substitute to the flavor of cheese.  I want to go completely plant-based but eggs and cheese are a staple I like once in awhile.  Not all the time but sometimes at least.  So I'm out on weather plant-based life will officially be my end result.  We'll see how things go in the future.  To call myself 100% plant based would be a lie though. I'm still concerned about what animal fat and cholesterol can do to my heart and blood pressure.  Since I am at higher risk for a heart attack or stroke with PCOS and Type II diabetes this is something I want to be careful of so that I can live to see my child/ren grow.  A question I have is would having eggs and cheese in great moderation REALLY be an issue if what I mostly eat is raw and/or cooked fruits and veggies?  I'm just out on it.

Today's exercise is classical training.  A cross between dancing and Tai Chi.  It doesn't sound like much, but it's a great weight loss tool.  After doing one video I've sweat like a hog and hurt in the morning.  I know someone who recommended it to ME who lost her weight that way.  I was skeptical but it works!  It's on PBS if anyone is interested. Wed.'s for us here in CNY.  I've been recording LOTS of them for different workouts...full body weight loss, back issues, arms, legs, feet, etc.   It's GREAT for those who have back problems or feel as though they can't achieve much through a regular workout yet.  

Here's the deal, since raising my thyroid 2 weeks ago because I stopped losing weight, felt groggy and my labs showed I needed it. I have felt great.   I also have lost 11 pounds.  11 pounds I'd LIKE to announce to the world however each and every time I announce a weight loss, I gain it all back again.  No sir, I'm not announcing the 11lb weight loss in any other place but my blog.  The blog where I am writing down where my trust lies in Christ for the Challenge I'm doing.  Somewhere I can look at and just share the ups and downs of getting healthy but this time KNOWING that Christ is my leader and not only is physical health important but more importantly, Spiritual health and well-being is important.

Which leads me back to the verse again:

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12

I pray your week is going well! Love and Hugs dear friends.

Week 1 Scripture Memorization and Devotional

Though one may be overpowered,

    two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Eccles. 4:12

To read the Devotional, Please Go to Living & Active Challenge HERE.

A New Course In Our Journey

Well, I've come to an EXTREMELY difficult but needed decision. This has been coming for months now I suppose, but I was always afraid to make the final call so to say... After a discussion with my husband, a whole lot of prayer and confirmation in all directions I think we're calling it quits to try to conceive any further through my own body. 

I am overweight, depressed, out of shape, sick, hormonal and unhappy. I look at my almost 2 year old and while I REALLY don't feel done with having children, I also know that 9 months on bedrest with a stitch and progesterone shot will rob her of having a mother at a crucial time for HER and her need as a toddler to explore.

Furthermore, I want to live to see her grow up and to grow old with my dear husband who is MORE than patient, kind and gentle with me. So I've decided to call it quits ttc through my own body. My thought was I was going to have a hysterectomy, get a lap band to aid with the plant based lifestyle and exercise I've been doing. Maybe even start a goal to train for an Iron Man Race. This of course is long term, but a significant goal that I can be proud of accomplishing.

God blessed us with two children already, when I never thought I could carry a child. Maybe His reason for all of this is because He knew if we had one more through my own body, we'd forget about adoption. My hope is that He will provide the finances we need to do so as well as lead us to the grants and funding that can help us achieve that goal.

While it breaks my heart to shut this door, I am REALLY excited for this new journey in my life. I can stop taking all the hormones, stop worrying about cycles and timing and FINALLY just be happy!

Many people may be wondering why I'm sharing this in a public forum. My focus always has been about being transparent with our fertility struggles so that my experiences can help other women going through the same thing. To let couples know that they are not alone in their fertility struggles and that there are other options available. My agenda to bring awareness to preterm loss as well as the many struggles of women around the world who REALLY long for just one child.

Please pray for us if you think about us over the next several weeks, months and years. That God will create a way to expand our family through adoption, the financial means to do so and will help us get healthy physically, finacially, emotionally and spiritually. 

5 Week Living And Active Challenge

This is JUST what I've been looking for. A Divine Appointment!  Since we're actively looking for a church AND I am trying to lose weight and get healthy, why not combine the two!

If your in for a 5 week Scripture Memorization and Exercise Challenge, Why don't you get those sneakers on and follow me?!  

Lets get spiritually and physically fit!

Quick Response To My Dear Friends.

First of All, Jill, I just wanted to respond to your posting.  Funny you mention Dr. Fuhrman.  I have one of his other books and have in fact watch Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  I'm also using that website for juices and smoothies.

I bought Walk away the pounds too. SO excited.

Is there a way to contact you. I wasn't sure if I could post comments on your blogs since you haven't posted in awhile.


To all my other posters. I've seen your responses and am SO thankful to see you all!  It's been a bit crazy here. We're trying to finish our garden. Get the fencing in, etc.  We've had to wait for the weather to warm up so we're on crunch time.

I can't WAIT to post more in the upcoming weeks and hope your ALL doing well. Love and Hugs to you!

An Update

Hello Everyone!

Quite a lot has happened since my last post.  I'm trying to balance life with a toddler while also being a wife and homemaker.  I don't know how ya'll do it with more than one child.  We'd very much like to have more children but I keep wondering if I'm crazy because I can barely tackle life with one. Hahaha

We're trying to finish up our vegetable garden out back. The weather here has been pretty cold and we're still not through the freezing temps in the morning.  We did manage to get the hardier plants in the ground but are falling behind on getting the other half of the garden up and tilled.  Oh how I hope everything comes up come harvest time!

Sadly, we had to put our beloved pekingese dog Sasha down.  It broke our hearts.  It was unexpected but she was extremely sick with mouth cancer and in the end, just 2 days after she was diagnosed, she just couldn't eat and she was in SO MUCH pain that we couldn't bare to keep her alive anymore just for the sake that we wanted her with us.  It was bitter-sweet for both of us. Sasha was with me at my side when I was grieving the loss of our son Jackson.  It hit me like a ton of bricks when I knew we had to let her go.  At the time we took her to the Vets, we sang to her and told her to go run in the garden with Jackson until we meet again.  She was a good little dog and blessed us beyond measure.

What we DIDN'T expect was to ever want another dog again.  We still have our old Jack Russell Terror...erm Terrior, but after that, we just were unsure. Losing Sasha like that...ugh...it just tears your heart right out.  Shortly after though, a friend of my husbands asked if we'd be interested in taking a rescue pekingese in.  Lo and behold we now have another sweet little pekingese dog.  Talk about God fulfilling matters of the heart!  She has been REALLY good for us all. Max lost his beloved friend in Sasha, our daughter lost her pal that she spent time with in her little book nook and we lost a loyal companion as well.  Bella, while she's different in color and personality seemed to fit right in.  WE needed her just as much as SHE needed us!  She's made us laugh and she's SO GOOD with our little tot!  God just knew!

My husband is still eating plant based and after an appointment with his Dr. last month, was told if patients followed a plant based diet...he'd be out of a job!  Doug lowered his BP and his cholesterol as well as his weight.  He's feeling great and looking great too!

I am going to start working my way there!  I'll be honest, I miss dairy. I miss eggs, milk, cheese and yogurt.  Oh how I LOVE cheese!  However, I'm willing to try this new lifestyle to see if it will work in lowering my weight and getting me off meds for diabetes. I look at our beautiful daughter and want to be around to see her get married and have children of her own.  I think of God and just want this vessel that he created to be in the best shape I can be in to give HIM the glory. 

So, I've decided for the summer that every week I'm going to add something plant based to my diet and slowly weed out the junk.  I don't eat a whole lot of red meat.  I do like the occasional chicken and/or fish.  

We'll see how this goes.  

I'm also working on a goal for exercise throughout the summer.  I really would like to lose this weight.  We're talking 100lbs. For obvious reasons I know this takes time and we're looking at 3 years or so with food changes and regular exercise WITHOUT quitting.  Nothing comes off quickly.  So hopefully I'm going into this with my eyes WIDE open and a good attitude.  

How are all of you doing??

A Season Of Plenty

I am getting SO excited for this new season in our lives.  I cannot tell you how much I love being a wife, mother and housewife.  Don't let the word "housewife" change the way you see me. The work of a housewife is anything BUT luxurious. In fact, I rarely see myself wearing heels and high end clothes to run outside and sun myself. Nor have I ever flipped a table over because I was mad or punched someone because they didn't do things my way (I must admit there "may" have been times I've wanted to with certain people).

Baby Bear

We're in such a fun season right now. I'm FINALLY coming into my own with having a child.  I was so cautious and scared in the beginning. Dr.'s never made it any easier with their scare tactics about normal, everyday issues pertaining to newborns.

Baby bear is coming into her own as well. She loves music, dancing and might I add talking to the list too?! She's picking up new things, is captivated by her 5 senses and LOVES books. She is laughing most of the time and has brought so much fun and love to people we meet in public. Totally worth the 10 year wait for her.

The House

There is also the fun we're having in our OWN home. If you could see me dancing the Irish Jig right now you'd know I'm excited! While I know this is material and FAR from importance, it IS important for us to live in a quiet and SAFE neighborhood.  What a change from the city!  Love our neighbors, love our fenced in backyard and I LOVE making this house our own.  We have painted, put up some doors, taken off backboards, pulled up carpet, changed faucet fixtures and the list goes on.

Today I just ordered the custom cushions for our kitchen Buffet Seating. It came with the house and I wasn't sure I would keep it. In fact, I hated it!  My intention is to knock down that wall anyways and expand the kitchen to where our back deck is with a more open floor plan. It will have the look of a sun porch.  With it will be an expanded bathroom and kids room. Right now though, it needs a new look. The expansion part of the process won't be happening for AT LEAST a decade. We need to pay down the house and save for this big idea of mine.  I am quite content with what we have right this minute and am enjoying the redesign projects I have.

Doug has learned new skills as well. With the kitchen I asked he change the drabby white (and pretty banged up I may add) hanging light for a new FRESH chandelier. The chandelier is more of an Americana dated look. I like it with the 18th century paint we used. I then got sick of  the counters being so crowded, so I took an old hanging shelf my aunt gave me and turned it into an herb/spice rack by putting all the spices in little canning containers that I marked in red. The very top has an antique kettle, some cinnamon sticks and a picture of family.

Later I'll go and add some hardware to the bland cupboards. I already have an idea of what I want but need to find a good price.

Pictures will come in a few weeks when it all comes together. I'll show a before and after pic. I chose a POP of color for the seating cushions I had custom made AND the door. Wait till you see it!

                          Tiny replica of the gardening plans I'd like for our own home this year.

The Garden

Help me Rhonda! Both my husband and I are really excited about this one. I DO think we went overboard on the seeds, however it's our first home and nobody is here to say we can't anymore. SO, we WILL have a BIG garden. Lessons will be learned I'm sure but we've already had our hands wet over the past decade so this will be a fun project for us.

The Birds And The Bee's

Finally, we're trying for another one.  Kid that is! It's  been so much fun parenting that we'd LOVE to have more. I think it's the last child through fertility route. I'd say my own body but if the Lords will is a surprise pregnancy then I won't argue.  Fertility hormones REALLY take it's toll on the physical, emotional and spiritual well being of a woman AND a man. Can't leave out our men. My husband is right there along side me and when momma's not happy, neither is he. lol  Honestly I've been so at peace throughout this cycle. It's hard to believe that I'm on hormones. At least it's hard for ME to believe it. Doug may beg to differ a little.

He's been VERY excited over all this.  He's had to encourage me several times because I've been hesitant to get back into all this because it REALLY takes a toll on a marriage.  So many couples struggle with infertility and it's not just about the heartache but the emotional well-being of both parties as well as the financial well-being. It's NOT cheap. If you don't have insurance that covers fertility treatment your in for a rude awakening! Luckily God has blessed us with good insurance. We go as far as we can to exhaust the coverage with exception to IVF. While our insurance covers IVF, we have decided it isn't for us for many reasons. Now this doesn't mean I'm against it for anyone else. I have several friends who exhausted every aspect and tried it. Some with excellent outcomes, others went on to adopt.  It's okay. I find this to be an issue between husband, wife and God.  God reveals to us what our convictions are. Not everyone has those same convictions. Not everyone is created the same either. So I leave that decision down to God and the couple.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what God does in our lives.  We hope to expand our family beyond children born of our own bodies. Our hope is that God will also give us favor to raise funds to adopt in the future and bring home the children born in our hearts. He knows we've been praying for over 10 years for their safety and well-being as well as their birth family.

A New Church

We have been looking for awhile. Not that I've wanted to, but my husbands schedule has made it hard for us to get to a regular service. We've had to research alternative hours of service and have found only a small handful. Not all churches have the same ideals that we believe in so it's made it hard. We "think" we've found one but it's a church plant and only gets together in our immediate area once a month. Not all monthly services meet on my husbands day off either so this is a concern for us. It's important that Amelia is brought up in the church. To know God, to fellowship with like-minded family and to find growth through Christ.  So we continue to pray for Gods plan on this front. Out of anything THIS is the most important. We are created by God and put here for HIS glory for HIS kingdom.  He's blessed us with much but "to whom MUCH is given, MUCH is required".

So lots going on. I'm loving it! To God be the glory and may He give us wisdom and guidance as well as good health and protection in Jesus name...Amen!