This is what 20# lost does. Belts too big.
Good problem to have. #ketogenicdiet for the win!
When I made the belt this summer I had about a 4" tail.
Now look at
it.
I'll soon have enough extra to make Sophi a matching collar!
This is a talk by a doctor who specializes in obesity. In 18 minutes
she very thoroughly explains why the SAD (standard American diet) and
diabetes association recommendations do NOT work.
If you're pre-diabetic, diabetic, obese or just curious take the time to watch.
This is the way of life I adopted on the recommendation of Dr. Ng on
12/29/17. In 4 weeks my endocrinologist has lowered my insulin from 60u 2 x a day to 34u once a day.
I. Am. Not hungry.
I'm not having cravings anymore.
I'm no longer
addicted to sugar.
I've lost 14 pounds as of last weeks weigh in. My
migraines have significantly decreased.
Do I miss Dr Pepper? Yes! But not enough to throw my blood sugar level through the roof for 48+ hours.
And for me it's not just about eliminating sugar, grains, and starchy
veggies. It's also about having healthy ingredients that don't add to
inflammation in my body and I think that may be what has actually helped
my migraines the most.
Earlier this week I tried on skirts in my
closet that I haven't worn in at least 5 years. They FIT!!! One is
still a little tight but one was actually loose.
I'm 53 years
old. I've been overweight for at least 25 years. Don't wait until a
health crisis occurs to take charge of your life. My kids missed out on
a lot during our homeschooling years because of my migraines. Maybe if
I'd had my wake up call earlier they would have been able to go to the
park more.
After I saw my doctor this past Thursday I took the "plunge" to start eating extremely low carb.
Not only do I need to loose quite a bit of weight I have type 2 diabetes, High blood pressure. sleep apnea and asthma.
My doctor confirmed what I knew but hadn't put into practice. Sugar,
white bread, rice, potatoes, grits etc are doing me no favors.
I'm on so many meds including insulin and I'm determined to get off of
them. Guess what? Insulin makes you hungry and gain weight.
So far my blood sugar has dropped around 150 points. I've lost a couple of pounds just from changing my eating.
This isn't a "diet" this is a life change.
I'd love it if some of you would join me on this journey and help to encourage me.
Be Grateful Unlikely Things To Be Grateful For We all take stock of monumental moments in our lives, like promotions at work, holidays with family, the birth of a baby - but what about the tiny treasures?
There's a lot of stuff that make us smile throughout the day. In addition, some of our misfortunes can even be great sources of gratitude, if we allow them to be.
Need a little help recalling some things to be thankful for? We've got you covered:
1. Mistakes You've just experienced something that doesn't work and you're allowed an opportunity to learn and grow from it. Think of mistakes as building blocks for your future success - you learn what not to do, what doesn't work and what to do instead.
2. Unfair success We all know one person who seems to have it all. Look at whatever that "lucky" person has received, achieved or accomplished, as proof of what's possible for everyone.
3. Irritating family If you're irritated by a family member, remind yourself how fortunate you actually are to have that family in the first place. We all can use a little reminder from time to time!
4. Unaccomplished dreams We all need something to look forward to and work toward. Success is a moving target - and not all of our dreams can arrive at once.
5. Boredom Next time you're bored and upset about it, take a moment to appreciate the presence of peace and quiet. A lot of people are juggling so many things in their lives that a little boredom can be a welcome break.
Today marks 3 years since David lost his job. Three years of praying, waiting, trying, feeling frustrated and sometimes even hopeless. But God in His infinite mercy has sustained us. Has it been easy? No, lol. But it has been good.
Good in the ways we've been provided for by friends and family. Good in the ways we've learned to depend even more on Him who loves us so much that He knows the number of hairs on our heads. Good in the ways it has stretched us.
And this week, after 3 years of waiting, David has been given the opportunity to drive even more for UPS. This has meant 6 pm - 6 am all week so far but hey, after 5 hours each day it's overtime! In January of 2018 he will get benefits and from what we understand they will be awesome benefits! That in itself will equal a huge raise!
So thank you for your prayers, financial help, words of encouragement and even groceries over the past 3 years. We can't wait to get back to "paying it forward"!
I am a prolific reader. I usually have 3-4 books going at a time and I don't get them confused, except when I try to read Atlas Shrugged. Atlas Shrugged has defeated me several times and for the time being I have put it aside. I do intend to read it. But not this year.
I have never followed any plan for reading, or for even keeping track of what I have read, and I know that a lot of people do so that in itself made me pause and think about it a few weeks ago.
Here is the list that I came up with for 2017.
God's Wisdom for Today I will not be reading through the entire Bible in 2017. Instead I am using a devotional I saw at Lowe's Foods of all places. Sarah gave it to me for my birthday.
Toward a Growing Marriage David and I went to a marriage seminar by the author many years ago. I was a good thing for us. Now we're in a new season, our kids are grown. David is working 2 jobs. We went through a major crisis and upheaval when he lost his job in September 2014. All of these things have had a major impact on our marriage and I want to be proactive in strengthening it.
The Migraine Miracle Written by a neurologist who grew up with a mother suffering from migraines and now has them himself this book takes a new approach to conquering the beast. Diet. I am radically changing the way I eat. No sugar and No grains. I'm not there yet but I'm making progress.
Living Above the Level of Mediocrity Several years ago this book was the subject of a Sunday Night Bible Study at Concord ARP. I bought the book then and want to revisit it.
The Excellent Wife a Biblical Perspective Years ago I was asked to lead the monthly women's meeting in a Bible study. Off I went to the local Christian bookstore to peruse the shelves. One book kept pulling me back. My copy is now so tattered I've had to repair the covers with tape. It is full of underling, highlighting and notes. In this new season of our marriage I feel it is time to go through this book again. "Whether the focus is broad or narrow, each chapter is a part of the complete picture of being the wife that God desires, The Excellent Wife.
Persuasion. Saw the movie. Loved it. Time to read the book.
One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are I started this book several years ago and got bogged down. This one too is heavily underlined and I have a notebook of pages of notes for each chapter. I'm not sure if I will just finish the book or start over. Either way it's well worth the time to read and pray over.
Beyond All Measure. Written by a young pastor we attended church with for a while this book is a must read. This book is about Jesus and His love for His children. It attempts to
look at who we are, and how Christ relates to us in spite of who we are.
Using the proper light of Scripture to view and expose ourselves, we
are then enabled to see the glorious nature of His unconditional love
for us. Thomas Watson rightly said, "Till sin be bitter, Christ will not
be sweet.
DYNAMITE LOVE: Encounter The Explosive Power That Will Change Our World. Written by a young lady that I knew as a teenager at church and have had the joy of reconnecting with her through the magic of Facebook. Amber has grown into a wonderful, godly wife and mom and she's a good writer too! Available on February 1, 2017 in eBook format. I've pre-ordered mine and can't wait to read it.
As many of you know David lost his job after 25 years of service on
9/29/2014. It has been a long and bumpy road. I want to thank everyone
who has helped us in any way over the past 2 years.
Finally
things are really looking up. BUT this means that for the next year
David will be very tired and not home much at all. Would you please
pray for him for physical strength and health?
When you're in the midst of a trial it's hard to see past the seemingly mountainous problems.
Things such as a water heater going out, dryer going out, car trouble,
etc. But when I take the time to reflect on what we've faced and how
each and every time it was resolved I can clearly see the hand of my
Heavenly Father. And he used friends and family and even strangers to
bless is.
What an Awesome God we serve!
Clara likes to help
Do you know how hard it is to play the piano when the cat wants to be there too?
I think this is Katy's lap that Clara is sleeping on
This post came about after a person posted in one of my migraine facebook groups that all we need to do is pray harder and have more faith and we will be healed.
I have no doubt that God still heals in a miraculous way. But not everyone who prays for healing will receive and it is not biblical to say that they will.
Here is my facebook post...
I've
prayed for healing for years. So have my family. So have my friends.
It is not always God's will or plan for us to be healed. To say that
"you will be healed" is wrong on so many levels.
I have a friend's who have lost children this year, hundreds
prayed for healing. They were not healed on earth. They were healed
in heaven. To tell a person they don't pray hard enough is just wrong.
Christ prayed so hard he sweated blood. He was not relieved of his
mission. If the holy, perfect, sinless son of God had to suffer to
fulfill the fathers will how can I, a sinner, expect to be healed no
questions asked?
That doesn't mean I will stop
praying and lose my faith. But I will choose to accept that at least
for now it is not God's will to heal me. Then I pray for strength to
get through the next day, for wisdom, for meds that help...
In
the final countdown to the 2016 election I urge all my fellow followers
of Christ to pray.
For the current leaders.
For the candidates.
For
the election officials and volunteers and
for our Nation.
2
Chronicles 7:14 "if my people who are called by my name humble
themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their
land."
Bible reading for tonight is Proverbs 15:19-33. Proverbs 15:19-33English Standard Version (ESV)
19 The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway. 20 A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man despises his mother. 21 Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense, but a man of understanding walks straight ahead. 22 Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed. 23 To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is! 24 The path of life leads upward for the prudent, that he may turn away from Sheol beneath. 25 The Lord tears down the house of the proud but maintains the widow's boundaries. 26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord, but gracious words are pure. 27 Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live. 28 The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. 29 The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. 30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes[a] the bones. 31 The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. 32 Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. 33 The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.
It is talking about honoring your parents.
Pastor Roy Mack from Grace Fellowship Church, Warren , OH has this to say:
"Think about how you are going to give an answer before you
speak. Don't let your mouth pour forth hateful and hurtful words.
Decide to give honor. Verse 33 says, "humility comes before honor."
When there have been harsh words spoken, decide with humility to
demonstrate honor and respect. This leads to healing. "
I got a call this afternoon claiming to be the IRS with a final notice to pay my outstanding taxes from 2009-2014.
They had enough information to worry me so I called my tax guy first to
get his input. Ted wasn't in the office so I went ahead and called
them back.
They told me that I had received 2 letters in the mail
that I had ignored and that they were going to go after my house, car,
bank accounts.
I talked him into
re-sending the letters. And at some point one of them told me they had
sent the letters via registered mail. Which has to be signed for!!!
Then I got thinking. For all the faults our government has I don't
believe that they call from noisy call centers using a number from NY
and arguing that it's the citizens fault that they didn't receive the
letters.
So I called back and spoke with a different person with
the intent of getting more info from them. I gotta say, these scammers
are good. They know how to intimidate a person and if they don't like
the way the conversation is going they hang up on you.
So I
called back again. I figure if I'm tying them up they cant harrass
another person. Anyway I called back 5 times. Each time speaking with a
different "employee". I even asked for a supervisor. It was hard to
not laugh. The final straw for laughing was when he told me his name
was "Peter Parker" I know, I know... But I asked him anyway, "You mean
like Spider Man?"
Thinking about it now it may have been the
same person I was talking with several times and the background noise
could have been taped or on TV.
But each time I pressed for
more info they changed some detail. As of now whoever this is has
blocked my number and all I get is a busy signal.
I'm tempted to call from my cell phone but at the same time don't want them to have that number.
Here is the phone # they called from, in case you want to help harass them...
347-906-8670.
Too bad Daniel wasn't home he would have done a better job of "trolling".
I had a great time visiting with my sister Michelle Wilson, niece Jenna Wilson, great-niece Autumn and Jennas niece Ladaya (spelling?) yesterday. They came over so Jenna could talk with me about homeschooling Autumn for at least her pre-kindergarten year.
BUT, I forgot the most important piece of info. Jenna Wilson, you need a homeschool mom uniform!! Denim skirt and Birkenstock shoes, lol.
There's a story here. when Grandma and Grandpa found out we were going to homeschool Daniel Gibson and Sarah Gibson Grandpa asked me if I was going to start wearing denim skirts and birkenstocks. Well, I had already started wearing the shoes because I had ruptured my plantar fascia. But I told him I didn't plan to wear skirts. Fast forward to about 5 years ago and I made the switch to skirts. Not becasue I homeschooled but because for the most part I find them more comfortable and flattering. ( I do own 2 pairs of jeans and 1 pair of nice shorts that I seldom wear).
And that is the story of the homeschooling "Mom Uniform".
I just read an excellent article by Steve Brown of Key Life about suffering.
Crosses & Crowns
It is worth it to take the time to read the entire article, don't worry it's not too long, and the scriptures referenced.
Here are my notes on the article.
1. Suffering is a fact.
2. Remember that Christ suffered first, 1 Peter 3:18, Hebrews 4:15
3. See how Christ dealt with pain and do likewise.
A. Submission, Matthew 26:39. "There is no value in suffering per se. The difference lies in how you respond to the suffering. Strike against it or become bitter by it and you will become bloodied. Accept it and you will become Christ like."
B. Recognition. "Christ suffered with recognition- that God's plan included the suffering and that even such suffering had meaning."
C. Affirmation- God is good. God is love. 1 Peter 4:1-2. "Suffering teaches, cleanses and changes the believer who accepts it with the same attitude with which Christ accepted it."
4. God doesn't leave us alone in our pain and struggle. His comfort is ours. Psalm 34:4 & 18, Isaiah 40:27-31 & 41:10, Matthew 11:28-30, 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
" Father, I don't know what this day holds for me. I hope that it is laughter and joy, but I know that it may be pain and suffering or hurt and humiliation. Whatever You have for me, teach me to accept it the way Christ accepted it."
It is my prayer that I will be able to remember and focus on this in the midst of the pain.
I love makeup products that do double duty. With all the redness that I usually have in my face from the violent vomiting episodes with my migraines, I quite often have to use several products to tone the redness down.
Today as I put on my makeup I decided to try the ELF Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick in Pink Umbrella as both a blush and for my lips. This color is a good nude for my lips and worked well as a creamy blush.
To me it's always worth a try and if I don't like the effect, or if David doesn't like it, I can always wash it off and start over without to much trouble.
Other makeup products that I recently tried and like are both by L'Oreal. They are the Magic Anti-Redness correcting primer in green and the true match super-blendable crayon concealer in fair/light.
The concealer works best if some type of primer has been used prior and the primer is in a pump bottle, but those are the only negatives for me. And with the primer one pump is MORE than enough to correct my entire face. most of my redness is on the left side but it is an area about the size of my hand.
Would you all please pray for me? I have a pinched nerve in my neck, C2-C5, and I'm in a lot of pain right now. With David out of work I've been seeing the chiropractor and using ice, heat and pain meds to keep going. I'm pretty sure I need surgery for this but that is not in the cards at the moment.
So would you please pray that David gets a job soon, that I can get the inflammation in my neck under control so that I don't need surgery? And that we will continue to be able to pay the bills?
Every believer should take 5 minutes and listen to Mark Hall of Casting Crowns expound on Psalm 1 and his song "Slow Fade". Then take 5 more minutes to pray and think about it. I'm preaching to
myself too.
Be careful little eyes what you see Its the second glance that ties your hands As darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go For its the little feet behind you That are sure to follow
Its a slow fade When you give yourself away Its a slow fade When black and white are turned to gray
And thoughts invade, choices are made A price will be paid When you give yourself away People never crumble in a day
Its a slow fade Its a slow fade
Be careful little ears what you hear When flattering leads to compromises The end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say For empty words and promises Leave broken hearts astray
Its a slow fade When you give yourself away Its a slow fade When black and white are turned to gray
And thoughts invade, choices are made A price will be paid When you give yourself away People never crumble in a day
The journey from your mind to your hands Is shorter than youre thinking Be careful if you think you stand You just might be sinking
Its a slow fade When you give yourself away Its a slow fade When black and white are turned to gray
And thoughts invade, choices are made A price will be paid When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day Daddies never crumble in a day Families never crumble in a day
Oh, be careful little eyes what you see Oh, be careful little eyes what you see For the Father up above is looking down in love Oh, be careful little eyes what you see
On October 30 my doctor added a new migraine preventive to my meds. This past Tuesday was the last day I had a migraine until last night. I know what triggered this one and won't be eating that again but right now my migraine and nausea are bad and I could really use your prayers. It's so bad that I laid down at 11 a.m. to try to sleep it off and didn't wake up until 4 p.m. and I wouldn't have then if Clara hadn't started meowing for attention.
I had so much I had planne...d to get done today while Sarah and David were gone for her engineering class and now the only thing I will manage is getting dinner ready so they can eat when they get home.
I mentally hold my breath on the good days wondering when the next one will hit. I'm tired of having almost constant migraines and nausea. That Tuesday through Friday migraine-free period was the longest one I've had in quite a while.
Stress is adding to it I'm sure, but I don't see how I can eliminate any of it. David's now been out of work for 14 months. We've managed to hang on but I don't know how much longer that will be possible. Sarah is working about 24 hours a week on top of all her classes in her senior year. Daniel has started a new job and is in the process of moving out.
I just needed to vent a little and get my thoughts down. Thanks for reading
