Strong in Believing

     I said before that a few of these posts were going to be directed specifically to the girls.  More specifically, my sisters in Christ.  Why?  Because I have nothing to offer you other than Christ.  I know of no other place to point you for strength, hope or purpose.  If you don't know Jesus and the power of His salvation, please seek Him.  

2 Timothy 1:9-12

"He has saved us and called us to a holy life- not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace.  This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.  And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.  That is why I am suffering as I am.  Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.

       

        There is an endless supply of advice on how to be a strong woman. A strong mother.  A strong wife.  Tips to make life easier.  Catch phrases to inspire.  I know I've been guilty in the past of trying to sooth a friend's cry for help with a worldly, worthless solution.  We just want the miracle cure.  That one mysterious thing that makes "her" so perfect.  That makes "her" so happy.  My friends, it's not out there.  For all of our searching we surely would have found it by now!  There is only Jesus.  He is the answer.  He makes every difference.

         For so many of us though, our relationship with Jesus just becomes more tasks to add onto our already overfilled lives.  I'm supposed to take my children to church every week.  I'm supposed to read my Bible.  I'm supposed to pray.  And I'm supposed to like it.  Rarely do we see women living lives filled with peace and purpose.  And it makes me wonder, what do we really believe?

        I remember clearly a conversation years ago with a friend who was going through a challenging life event and I remember her saying "I know that God will do what He thinks is best, but I just don't trust Him right now.".  That one moment impacted me profoundly.  Because it made me look into the depths of my heart and decide.  I encourage you to do the same.  What it forced me to determine was that if I truly believed Jesus to be who He said He was and that He loves me how He says He does,  than that must have an impact on my daily life.  Meaning, my life must look different because of what I believe.

       If I believe that God is all powerful, then I must believe that nothing in my life is beyond His control.  

       If I believe that He is all knowing, then I must believe that He understands my life, my circumstances and my deepest desires and highest good.

       If I believe He loves me completely and perfectly, then I must believe that He will always accomplish the perfect and best in my life according to His perfect knowledge and complete power.  I can trust, always, that His good plan is being brought about even when I can't even glimpse it. I can trust that He cares about every detail of my life.  Really cares.  That He holds me tenderly and His heart loves me.  I have to just reflect on that for a moment.  He loves me, with all the affection I can possibly relate to, plus infinity.

       If I believe that He is coming again and that whether I die or He comes again, one day I will go from being here on earth to suddenly being in His presence, that must alter me.  It's real.  I believe it to the core of my being.  One day I will go from this tangible, broken world to standing before my King.  I will see with my eyes what I long to see now.  All my hope is wrapped up in that.

        What do you believe, dear sister?  It matters.  It changes who you are.  The apostle Paul could sit in his Roman jail cell awaiting execution after giving everything for the gospel, because he knew whom he believed in.  I have a friend in whose company I get to enjoy almost every week and she knows who she believes in.  And it's an inspiring thing.  She's ready to give, to sacrifice, to be daring, to be still, to be changed, to be called home, all because she believes.  Spend time with people like this!  

         Believe what is true.  Then believe with all of your heart.  Be strong!!!

Whole 30 Day 30!!!!!

     I can't believe it's here!!!  It's actually day 30 of the Whole30!!!  Here is a quick list of the top ten things that made this journey all the more doable.  In no particular order~

Ghee

Ghee is simply butter with the milk solids removed.  Because of ghee I never felt in the whole thirty days that I was going without butter.  It's super easy to make on your own and you discard only the tiniest portion so it's only a fraction more expensive than just using butter.  

Bulletproof Coffee

           Oh joys!  I love my coffee.  But I'm a coffee wimp.  I like my coffee creamy.  It doesn't have to be sweet, but it must be creamy.  Day two of the Whole30 I tried coffee with coconut milk and almost burst into tears.  B I T T E R!!!  Enter bulletproof coffee.  It's this magical experience of blending (in an actual blender) your black coffee with about a teaspoon of ghee or coconut oil and it becomes frothy and creamy.  No joke.  It's amazing.  I add a good splash of coconut milk for flavor and more creaminess and it's downright delicious.  Now, while this is totally "on plan" they really discourage you from drinking your calories so I saved this for now and then times.  To have coffee that I enjoyed made the whole experience a little less hostile though!

Homemade Mayo

Super good.  Super easy.  I can still have mayo with my asparagus.

Homemade Sausage

           We found plan approved sausages at Costco, but to be honest, we really didn't love them.  We especially didn't love the price tag.  Especially while trying to feed eight people.  It took us a couple of weeks to discover that it was incredibly easy to make our own homemade sausage patties and ground sausage from ground pork.  Super discovery.

Sweet Potato Apple Bake

            I know I mentioned this before, but this stuff is amazing.  The plump, sweet raisins with the crunchy baked walnuts.  Yes please!!!  We had this about twice a week and my kids always jumped for joy whenever they saw it brought to the table.  I may have done a little happy dance in the kitchen myself.  This is one they have begged to keep on the menu in the future.  The recipe is here.

Sweet Potato Mash

            It goes like this.  Bake some sweet potatoes (when I say sweet potatoes, I mean yams.  The yummy orange ones.  I know I'm wrong.  I'll never be right.).  Dump the baked insides in a bowl.  Throw in a tablespoon or more of ghee.  Sprinkle in some salt and cinnamon.  Blend with an immersion blender.  Devour.  So, so good.  I was voted mom of the universe whenever I brought this to the table.

Frozen Grapes

        These were my fail proof weak moment get out of jail free card.  Any sugar cravings, late night tummy rumblings, "I just can't do this" moments were quickly and easily resolved with a couple of delicious frozen grapes.  I know a huge part of the program is to break the bad food habits you have like needing to snack all the time, and I feel like I made huge strides in this, but every so often it was so helpful to have a safe place to indulge.  Frozen grapes are possibly the best things ever.

Publicity

           I really tried not to become the next Whole30 spokesperson.  But the people who were around me much knew I was doing it.  Anyone here on this blog obviously heard about it.  Once you tell someone that you will be eating a certain way for thirty days it becomes exponentially harder to simply cheat and ruin the whole thing.  Tell someone if you are planning on doing this.  It's accountability and it works!

Motivation

       I want to be healthier, which for me means figuring out the health issues I'm dealing with.  My desire would be to have another baby someday.  That's pretty good motivation for doing something hard.  Hopefully it's a single step along the road to those hopes.

Participation

    I really don't think I could have accomplished the full thirty days with no cheating without my family's participation.  No, they didn't stick to the plan fully when they were out and about.  But at home we ate only Whole30 meals which made it a breeze for me.  I wasn't constantly tempted and the work load was much smaller (though not the grocery bill) than if I had to cook two breakfasts, two lunches and two dinners.  And they were TERRIFIC sports!  My husband and kiddos never complained.  I'm so, so, so blessed.

Only a couple of days into it, my mom decided to do her own Whole30 so that made it all the more fun as we traded recipes and encouragement!

      So here is the final recap.  In all I lost eight pounds, which for me and the way I work is pretty good.  I felt "better" but not significantly so.  The energy I thought I was gaining didn't amount to too much and I even had some head aches return.  I think what I discovered is that I don't have any great food sensitivities.  I am very interested in looking at how food effects your hormones though as that is where a lot of my issues lie.

     To me this was a wonderful experience.  I have friends who finished it and said they hated it.  I thought it was amazing.  To learn that for an entire month I could put only food in my mouth that was healthy and beneficial kind of blew my mind.  We ate delicious food.  And there was plenty of it.   I feel super encouraged by the good habits that were developed over this period of time and I'm eager to see how things go moving forward from here.  I could easily see another Whole30 in the future!

My Dear Sisters, Let us be Strong

        My brother told me recently, " I wasn't sure when you started your blog if would be all about girl stuff."  Sorry brother, this one's for the girls!

        This has been pressing on my heart for some time now and I've not been sure what the right way to express it is.  We live in a culture that promotes "strong women".  We hear it every day.  But as I go through life what I see in my own life and those around me is very similar.  Fear.  Doubt.  Defeat.

       This life is not what we thought it would be.  If only we'd known before we signed up for this.  I'm failing.  If only I could find the miracle solution to make things easier.  Am I wasting my life?

      I'm raising five daughters in this broken world.  What I want for them is what I want for myself and what I want for each of you my dear sisters.  Not to "know yourself" or to "be free" or to be "self-sufficient.  This is my prayers for us all.  That we would,

Be strong in believing

Be strong in joy

Be strong in vision

Be strong in righteousness

Be strong in gentleness

Be strong in humility

Be strong in persevering

    

     We'll take time in the days to come to look at these more carefully.  For now,  I'm praying for you, and myself and my daughters, that we would begin to be courageous.  Today.  In what the Lord has prepared us to do right now.  

February Reading Wrap-Up

      Another months past.  Another several books read.  I feel the need to clarify that these reading wrap-ups are simply what I read this past month, not my recommendations to you!  Reading recommendations can be tricky things depending greatly on personality, interest and personal conviction.  If you have a question about a certain book please just ask away!

        Books #1 and #2 were The Wide Window  and The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket
     

       Half the people I talk to find them horribly depressing.  The humor is genius though.  I've grown quite attached to the poor, dauntless, loyal, quick witted Baudelaire orphans.  

      Book #3 was The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan.

           It is the second book in the Wheel of Time series.  These books are not ideal for a cozy curl up book.  They are long, scary and delve deeply into a whole new fantasy world.  I enjoy them, but they wouldn't quite make my favorites list.

          Book #4 was Twelve Baskets of Crumbs by Elisabeth Elliot.

       This was another book of short chapters covering a wide range of Christian life topics.  If you're only going to read one, I preferred "Keep a Quiet Heart" over this one, but it was still excellent. Elisabeth Elliot is quickly becoming one of my favorite people ever.  I admire her greatly.

         Book #5 was The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer.

        This is one of my all time favorite books.  It's one that I try to read through once a year. It was the first spiritual book that I ever read that simply staggered me.  Reading through it for the "I have no idea how many" times, I came across so many quotes and prayers that have actually been instrumental in changing how I think about God.  It's main focus is who God is.  And as Tozer says, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.".  I would recommend this book to everyone!

         Book #6 was It Starts With Food by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig

         This book is the "why" behind the Whole30.  If you are considering trying our this program, be sure to read this book.  Even if you do it half way through your thirty days like I did!  The information is easy to understand and really makes you question your food choices and how they are affecting your health.  I found it encouraging though, not condemning

        Book #7 was Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.

         My oldest three girls have been reading Oliver Twist in school this past term and I hadn't read it since high school.  All term I had intended to get it read but hadn't gotten around to it.  Enter my amazing reading buddy!  We decided to read it individually together (make sense?).  We read 100 pages a week and finished it in four weeks.  It was so much fun to do it together and got us both through at a nice brisk pace.  

         I love Dickens.  His characters are so very colorful, beautiful, disturbing, pompous, pure hearted, or evil.  Such an artist of the written word.  There are several Dickens novels I have never read so we'll see what the rest of the year brings.

        Book #8 was Heir of Novron by Michael J. Sullivan

       This was the third book in the Riyria Revelations Trilogy.  These books have a high degree of violence and magic and I would not recommend them to just anyone.  I greatly enjoyed them though.  The completion of this series left me pleasantly depressed that it was over.  Loved the twist ending and totally didn't see it coming.  Though I probably should have.

         Book #9 The Case of the Missing Moonstone by Jordan Stratford

           I picked this randomly off the library shelves to see if it was a good one to pass on to my girls.  Meh. I wasn't a huge fan.  Nothing really wrong, just nothing really right.  

           Book #10 was The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence

           This another book I attempt to read once a year.  This rivals any other book I've ever read as the most life altering.  Written by and about a 17th century monk I'm always inspired, encouraged and challenged.  I can't get enough of this one.  Please read.

           Book #11 was With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray

       I had never read this book before but was abundantly encouraged and challenged.  I've never considered my prayer life as soberly as I have these past couple of months and this book was a perfect addition along my path of learning how to honor Christ and grow my faith through prayer.

       It feels funny to end here since I'm already into some pretty great books.  I guess that just means I'll have a good list for next month!  

Whole 30 Days 12-23

    Wow!  How did that happen?  The first couple of weeks passed rather slowly but once we hit the teens the days have flown by!  I'm continuing to feel pretty good.  I can't say I've got "dragon blood" flowing threw my veins yet, but I feel better than I did before.  As much as I would have loved to see a huge transformation, this has been a good first step on the path of figuring out my health issues.  I can't believe there is only one week left!!!!!

     I'm not going to recap all of our meals, mostly because we've been figuring out what we really enjoy eating and are repeating meals more and more.  At the end I'll highlight our favorites!

Whole30 Days 8,9,10 and 11

      Running behind here so I'll keep it brief!  Whole30 is going awesome!  To be honest, days are passing pretty slowly.  But as long as I've got a plan and stick to it, it's pretty breezy!

     We encountered our first whole day away from home this week which I was pretty nervous about.  I was asked to bring soup to the meal so I just made sure to bring something on plan and there were plenty of fruits and veggies available as well.  It wasn't difficult at all to just eat what I was supposed too.  I think that's the beauty of the "no cheating or you start over" rule!  It's pretty motivating to just stick to the plan!

      Speaking of rules...... they are also pretty strict on their "DO NOT weigh yourself until the end" rule, but full disclosure~  I'm breaking that rule.  If you really want to know why I'll tell you.  As a result I know that I've lost a couple of pounds (which with what my body has been doing is a huge encouragement!), I'm continuing to be headache free, I really think my energy is getting better.  I added exercise back into the routine after giving myself a break for the beginning.  It's going good so far and not totally zapping all of my energy reserves!  So overall, I'm excited!!!

     Sorry for the awful food pictures!  My camera battery charger is LOST!!!  I feel like crying!  My ipad is a terrible substitute but at least it's something!

Day 8~

Breakfast~ Butternut Hash   with fried eggs and pineapple

Lunch~ Leftovers

Dinner~ Mongolian with Zoodles  (YUM!!!)


Day 9~

Breakfast~ Breakfast Casserole (substituting asparagus for brussel sprouts and sausage for bacon)

Lunch~ This was our day out of the house so we ate apples, walnuts and larabars on the run!

Dinner~ Rustic Beef Soup    


Day 10~

Breakfast~ Sweet Potato Apple Bake  ( Our currant favorite!)

Lunch~ Jerk Chicken, Spinach Salad, Red Potatoes and Fruit Salad

Dinner~ Guacamole and veggies, fruit and leftover chicken

Day 11~

Breakfast~ Scrambled eggs, sausage and honeydew melon

Lunch~ Curried Shepherd's Pie  (without peas!)

Dinner~ Baked chicken, mashed sweet potatoes, green beans

Whole30 Days 5,6, and 7

        Popping in quick for an update!  I'm still feeling amazing.  No headaches.  Less fatigue.  Not really any cravings to speak of either.  Day Six brought the beginning of the mental challenge though.  Yes, we have amazing food to eat, but we've been eating the same thing for six days.  How are we going to make in another 24+?  God abundantly answered my prayers for my body going into this so my prayer now is for my mind.  And again He's answering.  Today was surpassingly better!  One week done!  Yippee!!!

Day 5~

Breakfast~  Asparagus Benedict and Zucchini Latkes

Lunch~  Leftovers

Dinner~ Chicken Cutlets, red potatoes, carrots




Day 6~

Breakfast~ Sweet Potato Hashbrowns, Fried eggs, Sausage and Fruit

Lunch~ Chicken Vegetable Soup

Dinner~ Steak, Red Potatoes, Asparagus


Day 7~

Breakfast~  Sweet Potato Apple Bake (So, this may look not very appetizing.  Oh, my, goodness.  Maybe this is just Day 7 talking, but this was incredible!!!!)
 
Lunch~  "Throw Everything In" Salad! (Leftover chicken cutlets, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, pumpkin seeds, pineapple and Whole30 ranch.  With leftover sweet potatoes!

Dinner~  Thai Meatball and Egg Drop Soup  Another recipe I was skeptical of, but this was a home run as well.  I only put in about half of the hot pepper it called for and it was still borderline spicy for us.  Yum!!!!!

(I feel like making all of these exact meals over again tomorrow!!)