Our Miracle…

A Post in Which I Try to Recap 4-5 Mths.

I don’t like starting posts after I have been absent for a really, really long time. But I know there are many of you who are waiting to hear the results of my last testing, so I will try to update you. But first I will have to go back a bit…

Last fall I could tell my health was starting to go downhill again. And I didn’t know why. And it seemed the more I tried to figure it out, the worse I felt. I did GAPS intro again, it seemed to help for a short time. But then I knew it was not the whole answer. I had a wk here or there of feeling better, and then I would crash again.

There are bits in here I am not going to share, but to say, I was going through a lot of emotional stress too. I felt like my world was all upside down and there was no way to put it to rights.

So in January I began digging again… looking for answers and yet scared of what I may find. The friend I had went to in FL for cleanses winters of ’11 &’12 let me know she was now sending her cleanses and doing it remotely via skype. So we tossed that idea around. It would be a rigorous 8-10 mths, but sounded hopeful. And I found a nutritionist in CA who goes by your blood results to help you.

But before we made any decisions one way or the other we heard about someone who does live blood analysis. So we decided that would be one simple place to start. And I wanted to see what Collin’s blood looked like, to know if we were doing the right things for the boys.

If you have never had a live blood analysis done, it is VERY interesting to say the least!!! Collin was fascinated to see all the moving living things in a very tiny drop of blood (from his finger).

That showed us a lot of things, mainly a bunch of puzzle pieces that we now are starting to fit together. I will just name off the highlights of the things we found… (and I am sure I am forgetting a few, as this was done the end of Jan.)

~Liver congestion – which I already pretty much knew, it just confirmed it

~ Rouleaux -Rouleaux is the French term for “cells in a row.” Rouleaux or rolls, is the tendency of red blood cells to aggregate or stick together and form long rows that look like stacked coins. Causing your cells to not be able to absorb nutrients or oxygen. One of the many reasons I don’t have energy.

~Yeast -Or candida. Collin and I both had it. And if one has it, figure the rest of your family does too.

~Parasites -Yep, what we all don’t like to think about and most don’t realize we have. Or think it’s not an issue. Well, parasites are part of life, and they can and do easily get out of control in the body!! We have actually been doing parasite cleanses regularly and we still had a lot of them. I know some of it has to do with the fact we are on a farm and we eat a lot of pork.

~Protein linkage – Which shows I am not digesting my food properly. No surprise. I figured that. And knew I had issues with digesting gluten/grains. And just in the past month realized just how much I can NOT handle corn!! It goes straight through me, sorry if tmi. But it’s the truth. And it’s sad!! I LOVE corn!!!!! So we have not been eating much corn or corn products around here.

~Kidney stress was shown too.

I think those were the main things. The rouleaux is the most thing to be concerned about. It is a sign of a very unhealthy body!! We did things like parasite cleanse, yeast cleanse, and liver cleanse (pills this time), and tried to improve things in general. But I felt like I needed to do more. My body was not responding very well, or in a way I was hoping to see.

Feb. and March were very stressful months for us. Again, for a number of reasons I will not disclose right now. And I was having more bad days than good days. But most of the times was I just feeling good enough to get the basics of house upkeep done, wash, dishes, meals and general upkeep (very loose standards). I didn’t do much cleaning, but by spurts, if I had a burst of energy I’d vac the carpets. Or sweep the kitchen floor, etc. Nothing was ever done all at one time.

We made plans the end of Mar. to get some lab work done, through a nutritionist in CA. I talked to her on Tues. evening. We had actually both been thinking thyroid problems, but the results showed very good on thyroid and not so good on other areas that point to adrenal fatigue.

And a bunch of results indicating the same things we had seen on the live blood analysis. The liver, poor digestion, inflammation in my body (which I know, my hip still bugs me), and something new, VERY low blood sugar. Along a deficiency in folate and vit. B12, which could be from something else that we will need to get tested at some point as well.

What does that mean?? Mainly it all points to adrenal fatigue. And we need to do more testing to find out just how bad that may be. The adrenals are the stress hormones, primarily adrenaline and cortisol. And play a huge part in balancing the blood sugar levels in the body and maintaining the correct electrolyte balance of salt/water for proper cellular function.

I am not going to go into all my symptoms and such. If you want to study it, there is plenty to look into online. At this point I am not sure when we will do more testing, but are going to start doing some adrenal support. And I am being much more conscience of when and what I eat.  I found it very interesting, I read a post of someone on GAPS and she lost energy after a few months or so on it. GAPS is not really a low carb diet, but it does tend to lean that way. So I after thinking I should eat more the GAPS way, it’s sorta hard to think of eating other foods again. But at the same time, I could never totally take myself away from them. Things like rice, sweet potatoes, and some oatmeal. And I could never stop dairy!!! And I am sure that was my body’s way of telling me, I needed those carbs!!

It is hard for me to eat, consciencely every 3 hrs. It’s easy for me to feel nauseated as my blood sugar levels go down, and then I don’t want to eat. And that is a very common place for me to be, so I end up not eating much through the day and by late afternoon am feeling pretty rough. I need to figure out some easy snacks of things my body needs. Right now it has been meat & cheese rolled up in lettuce leaves.

And the number 1 thing I need to do is reduce all the stress I can in my life. hahaha Yep, hear me laugh. This wk knocked me pretty flat!! I was not expecting to find this answer, so I have been stressing out about it all and researching like crazy. Wed-Fri. I wasn’t out of bed much, just felt completely wiped out and very weak and shaky.

Everything makes so much more sense now, as that is how I have been feeling for a while. And I would just push my way through everything. Which is NOT a good thing to do!! I need to STOP when I start feeling that way. It doesn’t take much to bring me to tears, just ask my family. And I would feel so overwhelmed with life and trying to raise the boys, etc.  I’m too much an all or nothing person and it has caught up with me.

I must say I have learned a lot since some events in Feb. But learning to continually apply them is not easy. It’s not easy to learn new things, to think in new ways and live life in a random and carefree way.

So pray for us, as we look into options, and seek God’s will in the coming months. And as I try to not do too much… and we have a couple of VERY busy months coming up!!! God has taken us through high waters before, I know He will lead us again.

Here are some links with more adrenal fatigue info if you are interested in knowing more…

Dealing with Adrenal Fatigue - A good well-rounded comprehensive post on adrenal fatigue, it’s symptoms, causes and what to do. (There is a link here, not sure why it’s looking funny!)

Treating chronic fatigue and adrenal fatigue naturally -  a shorter post stating the basics.

What is adrenal fatigue?

Adrenal Fatigue: Help and Resources for Healing

New Year’s Memories 2013

My house is quiet. The boys have gone outside to play in the few remaining hours in which it is to be warm yet. This afternoon it is to start dropping and by morning be around 0*. Right now it’s more like 40*.

So I will post pictures from our New Years party, with my Gingerich Family. Or the ones that were there. It was mostly local people with few others coming from IA and CO. But it’s always so fun to be with whoever comes around for Holiday’s. I was delighted when my hubby agreed to go. We had just hired a couple new guys and I didn’t think it would all work out.

We headed up there Sunday afternoon, getting there in time for supper. I love how our get togethers revolve around games, games and more games. There is always a new ‘favorite’ that gets played the most, but there is also the old favorites. And often there was some one reading stories to the littles.

The house was always too warm, but this year the basement was too cool. Growing up, Grandpa had a wood stove down there and it was always so HOT!!! But we still had many wonderful cousin games to warm up the atmosphere if nothing else. Good fun laughter, banter and conversations are enough to warm any one!!!

There were plenty of Great-grands running around. Once Uncle John came down to the basement to get something from the kitchen and was tackled by a mob of children. He did all he could to get away, but just couldn’t!! There were at least 3-5 kids per leg!! Finally one of the guys came to his rescue, intending to pull him out the door to a snow bank. It didn’t take long and kids were letting go.

Monday found talk of going out to the ravine. Our Uncles use take all the cousins out to a back pasture to sled & tube in ‘the ravine’. Soon some of the ‘in-laws’ were lamenting that they had never been back there. My hubby being one of them. We are not sure what happened, but no one has been back there in over 10 yrs to go tubing. So it didn’t take long and we decide to go.

Oh, the memories of piles of coats, hats, gloves & mittens, along with the boots and toe stompers that came back. No one could find their stuff very easily and I’m sure Mom’s felt frustrated by the time 27 cousins filed out the door. (Just to all come with a wet, soggy mess 2 hrs later.)

Soon a few loads of cousins, littles and some Uncles were piled in pickups, snowmobile, and gator. And we were standing at the top of the old ravine. Oh, yeah!!!

My boys had never been tubing or sledding on such a steep hill, the prefered to ride down with someone, mostly Mom. So you know how many times I went up and down??!!?!?? Gave me a good workout that’s for sure!! My Uncle John did use his gator to take people back to the top if they wanted to.

We made ‘Trains’ and had ’Train Wrecks’. While the littles watched their parents and other grown-ups acting like little kids… Oh, it was fun!!!

 We had a good laugh at Jevan when he went down the hill, when he wasn’t trying or wanting to go down. I was trying to get him to go with me, and he was running away. He happened to step on a sled, and was soon heading down the hill, head first, and his sled was backwards. Yes, he made it to the bottom just fine, much to the amusement of the ones watching from above.

My cousin Mary Emma, pictured with her sister, who also is fighting a battle with lyme was able to go out that afternoon and again that night. I was so happy for her, to enjoy some ‘normal old time’ fun!!! She even rode the snowmobile back to Grandpa’s when we were done.

That evening a bunch of us cousins decided to see the New Year in out at the ravine. Along with snacks and a bonfire. Oh, did I mention it was -10*!! Yep, minus 10 degrees!!! Call us crazy, but that’s what those Gingerich Cousin’s are!! And I was the only one crazy enough to take my 3 boys out there to join in the fun.

They loved it to say the least, although none of them ever went down into the darkness of that deep ravine. (It didn’t help that certain cousins of mine had told them there would be coyotes waiting for them at the bottom. Ggrrr)

The full moon was lovely, the fire hot, conversations uplifting, hot chocolate & hot tea warming, the cheese was frozen, the air exhilarating, and blankets comforting.

The rides down the hill were fast, and you could hardly breathe it was so cold. And one didn’t waste time at the bottom of the hill… and the run back up to the inviting fire, did start to warm you up.

We counted down to the New Year, and then made fast tracks back to the warm beds calling for us. It has been a number of years since the last time I seen the New Year in. And we made sure it was in for real, as we stayed up ’til 4 am. Yeah, not a good idea when the kids had all been in bed hours and hours earlier.

New Years Day we actually went out tubing again. And had a bonfire for those who missed it the night before.

We didn’t wanna leave the party and family, but home was calling. So we headed south around 5 that evening.

The boys beg to go camping at Grandpa’s, in fact when we told them we were going there for New Years, the first questions asked were if we were gonna go camping again!!! Yep, the 2014 Gingerich Family Reunion won’t come soon enough for them!

Most of these pictures were taken by my cousins. I had forgotten my camera, so got some from them. Thanks, Meg & Verena.

My Grain-Free Menu Ideas

As most of you probably do not know… We decided to try going grain-free for the month of Jan. The boys have been having lots of ‘issues’ with their health and character, and I felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere with it. I have known about GAPS for a long, long time, but could never just bite the bullet and do it with them. GAPS is limited dairy, no grains and no starches, limited sweeteners, and limited fruits, LOTS of broth and probiotic. And more ‘rules’.

I had done another Master Cleanse in Oct. And followed up with doing the GAPS intro diet for the next month. I really felt good through the whole thing and felt like it did me a lot of good. I have stayed off grains ever since. (Well, I should say, I did try eating oatmeal, as that was the hardest for me to give up. And that really backfired. So no more oatmeal!!!) And I discovered I am very allergic to soy!! Namely soy lecithin in chocolate!! I haven’t really played around with other foods to see just what it is, as I don’t like soy in the first place. It is hard on your hormones, not to mention 99% of it is GMO. So I like to buy the Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, for our chocolate treats now and then. It is soy free, gluten-free and a natural sugar. And tastes REALLY good!!!!

So anyway, we told the boys that if they would follow the GAPS diet for 4 wks, we would take them somewhere really fun!!! Here we are on day 15 and they ate soup for supper (so now this was last night, didn’t get it posted when I thought I would). That may not seem like a small claim, but it was not taco or chili soups, which has been the only soup they will eat in a long time!! But rather it was a butternut squash soup, with carrots, onions and lots of seasonings. They knew soup was coming and were not really excited, until they sat down. Collin right away pipes up, ‘But it doesn’t really even look like soup.’ I just smiled!! I knew how I needed to do, I was just building up to it in baby steps. And tonight, they LOVED it!!! Rylen even ate 2nds. (Jevan did need a bit of prodding, but he did it!!) How did I do it?? Cooked the squash, onions & carrots in broth until really soft, puree it all, and then added the meat. I put in some seasoned pork. But any cooked meats will do. So it was a thick goop with meat chunks.

It looks like we are well on our way to going somewhere fun next month. And my goal is to remain pretty much grain-free for a long while. And maybe one day do the GAPS Intro diet with them. Until then, we will just keep playing around with being grain-free as much as we can.

I will add in here, we are not 100% grain-free or 100% following the GAPS diet. I am doing the best I can for right now and letting their bodies absorb all the nutrients it can right now. It’s so hard to be 100%, but I would say that we are close to 90% or more!!

We did a parasite cleanse the first week of Jan. Of which my boys dislike greatly, but they do an awesome job at plugging their noses and taking nasty taking stuff. (Not that they really do plug their noses, just metaphorically speaking, they pretty much do hold their breaths though.)

So here are some of the meals we eat around here now…

Breakfast Ideas:

Banana Pancakes - This is 1 banana & 1 egg mashed together and fried in fat. I have added cinnamon, vanilla & salt. Another way to remake and stretch it is to add coconut flour, squash and more eggs. Here is the recipe use, from Kitchen Stewardship.

Breakfast Cakes – I started making different flavors of breakfast cakes this month. We had a routine of Baked Oatmeal on Sunday mornings. And other times when they really wanted it, as it is/was a favorite!!! So the Breakfast Cakes made a good G/F replacement. You can find these recipes on my Pinterest GAPS Board. The ones I have made, are marked with a date.

Eggs - Of course we eat lots of eggs. Scrambled, fried, omlets & custards. We had a new one yesterday, Banana Coconut Baked Custard. It doesn’t seem as filling, but I think I will make sausage patties or some other side of meat to add for breakfast. (Btw, how do you get your chickens to lay more eggs?? I know mine are getting a bit older, but they should still be laying better than 3-5 eggs or less a day!! And I have about 20 birds. I keep telling the boys they need to squeeze those chickens harder. One day I was scared they were gonna actually gonna do it.)

Smoothies - We love smoothies. And they are easy & simple, and yet filling.

Coconut Flour Crepes – We LOVE these!!!! And even use them as tortillas now & then. They are super, simple and very good!! I sorta combined a few different recipes… so if you wanna check out other recipes it’s fine with me.

This is the one I have been using. 2 TBS Butter or Coconut Oil, 6-8 eggs, 1 tsp Honey – optional. Blend with stick blender. Add a dash of salt, 1/4-1/2 tsp Vanilla, 1/3 C. Coconut milk or Milk, 2-4TBS Coconut Four. Blend with stick blender again. (Coconut flour tends to be clumpy, so the blender works best.) I say the honey is optional, because if we use them for something savory use we don’t want it sweet. Anyway, melt coconut oil or butter on frying pan. Pour about 1/8 c. batter on pan. Swirl pan to spread it really thin!!! Let fry until lightly brown, just a minute or 2. Flip and fry a half-minute or so more.

We butter one side. And serve with my sugarfree jams and apple butters, adding some homemade yogurt and maple syrup now & then. It is also good with fresh fruit. Or you could make a berry syrup to serve on it. (Sometimes they roll them up, other times eat them as a pancake.) It takes a lot to fill them up.

Tropical Traditions has a recipe about like mine.

Lunch Time:

Leftovers - Our main staple for lunches. And no, I don’t have a microwave. So it takes a bit of thinking ahead. Either getting it in the oven ahead of time to warm for half an hr or more. Or in a crockpot, or just reheating on the stove top. It really is not as bad as it sounds. It took a bit for us to get used to, but now we don’t think anything of it.

Tomato Soup - It’s my own home canned. I experimented with trying a G/F version of our favorite recipe. And it is really good. My boys just really miss the toasted cheese sandwiches we used to eat with it. Maybe I should try a cheesy crepe substitute.

Cheese & Meat – We have our own summer sausage, or ham or whatever other meat is on hand, and sliced cheese.

Lettuce Wraps - This is something new for us. And one Delvyn & I like better than the little boys, Collin loves them. It’s best to use romaine lettuce (with big leaves), and add lunch meat, & cheese (may add homemade mayo if you wish.) Roll up and eat.

Other filler ideas - Egg Salad, Fish Salad, Fajita’s, Hamburgers. We pretty much just replace our bread with the lettuce. I don’t mind it so much as my hubby does. He misses his breads more than I do.

Supper Ideas:

Squash, squash and more squash, that’s what we have been eating a LOT of!!! Mostly butternut squash, and spaghetti squash, but I have fun trying other kinds as well.

Butternut Squash Casserole - The boy’s favorite!!! (I have not used this exact recipe, most times I just throw stuff in, and skip the topping. But figured you all would like a recipe. And I’ve never added sour cream, so I would say it’s optional.)

Spaghetti – With spaghetti squash. I just bake a spaghetti squash for 45-60 min. (After cutting it in half and scooping out the seeds.) Then shredding out the squash with a fork. It really is in strands, sorta like noodles. I make a meat spaghetti sauce to serve over the noodles. And a side of some veggie. I made it the other night, with the biggest squash yet and they almost ate it all!!!

Stir Fry - I LOVE a good stir fry, with LOTS of different veggies. But my boys don’t care for it that way. We had been loving it served over rice. So if stir-frys are new for you, try making it to serve that way, (unless you are going grain-free.) I have found my guys like it with a sauce poured over the veggies. Here is a simple, yummy sauce: 2TBS cornstarch or Arrowroot Powder, 1 C. Broth, 2 TBS Soy Sauce or 1 tsp Salt, 1 TBS Lemon Juice. Bring broth to boil, and add rest of ingr. Stirring constantly, cook until thickened. Pour over stir fried veggies. My boy’s veggies of choice are onions, peppers and carrots, I like to chunk squash into it too.

Roasted Veggies -  Choose whatever veggies you want, cut them up, combine oil, seasonings and veggies, tossing to coat. Then roast at 425* for about 45 min. Seasonings to use rosemary, salt, pepper, my herb seasoning mix, or whatever you wanna put on. Learn to season your foods with herbs, they will tastes so much better!!!

Fajita’s - Another favorite of ours. And I serve it on a lettuce wrap. Recipe – 3TBS Oil, 1 lb Chicken breast, cut into thin strips, 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp oregano flakes, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 2 TBS lime juice, 1 large pepper cut into thin strips, 1 large onion, sliced. Mix seasonings and pour over the chicken strips, coat well. Fry in the oil until almost done. Add peppers & onions on top of meat. Fry until tender crisp, (as I do.) Or you may steam the veggies by adding some water and covering for 5 minutes or so. Serve with lettuce, sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese. Optional serving the traditional way with tortillas. (The recipe can be found in the Healthy Choices Cookbook.)

Shepherds Pie - This one would be really easy for you to get lots of veggies in a picky-eating-child. There many different versions out there. I found one that is GAPS, and uses cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes, which are not on the diet. My boys seen me chunking up the cauliflower, but didn’t see me process it. So they happily ate ‘mashed potatoes’. (I didn’t bother informing them otherwise.) Recipes are on my GAPS Pinterest Board. This was one recipe my boys loved with the mashed potatoes on top.

Meats – We eat lots of meat. Chicken, pork, & beef mostly. Fish once in a while as a treat.

We also eat some fermented foods. I made my own sauerkraut. Delvyn loves it, I think it’s ok, and the boys tolerate the spoonfuls I give them each meal. Oh, I just give them the liquid, no cabbage. I wanna try more with other veggies soon.

We eat lots of fruit, and veggies. The boys think it’s great fun to peel their own carrots for a snack. And don’t cut it up, by all means. It’s way more fun to hold a big ol’ carrot.

I do tend to use Coconut Flour as my favorite grainfree/gluten-free flour. It is the most frugal that I have found. It does NOT take much flour to replace in recipes, as it is a VERY thirsty flour and a little bit goes a long ways. It has taken us a while to get used to gluten-free foods. But Sunday I had made coconut flour cupcakes and even my hubby loved them. They are more crumbly, but it was still tasty.

Here are links for grainfree eating… for those of you who asked and are looking for more ideas…

Nourished & Nurtured - There are a lot of good recipes here. And some of them are linked to in this post.

Grainfree Foodies – A blog I browse now and then.

GAPS Diet Journey – I have found some ‘keepers’ on this blog.

Elana’s Pantry – Has lots of good baked things. But more of your uncommon ingredients. I just started using her cookbook a lot.

Any more ideas you have to share in the comments?? Or more questions?? I hope this helps some of you who asked…

(This post maybe a work in progress, I’ll probably add more things as I think of them.)

Smashing Smoothies & Raising Men

It all started when I was making smoothies for a snack the other evening. I had made one for my hubby that morning for breakfast, he had liked it so much he asked for it again as a snack that evening.

(Picture above is Collin with the last pup of the litter. Yay!!! We hope our Momma dog is DONE having pups, each litter has gotten bigger. This batch had 8. They are so cute, if they would just stay little.)

I enjoy good smoothies, my boys vary in their preferences of liking them or avoiding them. Collin declares it makes him too cold, of which I do agree. Why do smoothies have to be so cold anyway?? We can’t drink hot chocolate or latte’s or other such ‘normal’ hot winter drinks. So it’s either hot tea or cold smoothies.  Some how tea just isn’t very filling, nor does it stay inside very long. Necessitating the need for little boys to have the trots, when they are to be closing their eyes.

Anyway, back to our smoothie making. Collin had just put his pj’s on, and was still adjusting the shirt. ‘Mom, this shirt has a hole in it. Right back here.’ He points to the back of his shirt’s neckline. I am busy getting the ingredients for our smoothies out of the fridge & freezer. Blueberries, strawberries, banana chunks, and peanut butter. One of the other boys has pulled the stepstool over to the counter so he can see what Mom is doing.

‘Yes, Collin,’ I mutter. ‘ALL your clothes get holes when you wear them!!’ And I am thinking of all the patching his pants need. Not to mention the worn-out necks and sleeves and well, just plain the whole shirts he wears out so fast.

He grins up at me. ‘It’s cause I’m a MAN!!’ He catches me off guard. A MAN??!!??!?!? Not yet!!!! You have to be big. And tall. At least as tall as I am BEFORE you are a MAN!! ‘Hmmffff’, I sputtered. And then blurted, ‘You are NOT a man until you can look me in the eye!!’

Quick as a wink, he nimbly steps up on the step-stool that was between us. Looks me in the eye, and says, ‘Now I’m a MAN!!!’

*Sigh* Where is my little boy going?? He already stands about at my shoulder.  And it won’t be long and I really will be looking him in the eye, without the need of a stool. He delights in knowing he is growing and his Mom isn’t. I don’t wanna think of it that it will only be a few more years of having him as ‘my little boy’.

But it is a delight in seeing those manly character traits coming out of him. And a challenge to realize it is up to me to train him to be a gentleman to the only female in his house, (Me). I have to let go, let him step up and do the things that I have been doing for him for so long!!! I no longer have to literally do everything for him, he can do a lot of things for himself!!

(This picture was taken last week while I was sick. He had the job of doing a HUGE stack of dishes. And he got creative in his drying tactics, my wire cooling racks.)

He can do the laundry, he makes his own eggs for breakfast, he does the dishes, sweeps my kitchen floor, and vacs the carpets. He feeds calfs, collects eggs and oversees the chickens, he hauls out garbage, and cleans the garage. And he is learning the fine arts of holding the doors for others, helping others before himself. He wants life to be fair and is always overseeing his brothers play and being sure they are being fair. He delights in telling you all he knows and is learning about in the barn. (His wisdom is quite deep if you will just take the time to listen.)

I love my boy who is becoming a man. A man, who likes a beef-ed up smoothie!!

The new smashing smoothie had a tablespoon of peanut-butter added to it. And it was a ‘Smashing Hit’!!! I know I have seen it added in other recipes before, but just never had tried it. So if you’ve haven’t tried it either, why wait any longer?? You may find you really like it too. (We make our smoothies with kefir, and frozen fruits. And I will add in a few other things to make it more nutritional, like nutritional yeast, ginkgo powder, and more probiotics. Whatever sounds good, or I feel like we are needing at the time.)

Jevan – 5. He had asked for a snack of an orange. I told him he may have one. A bit later he is wandering around the house looking for his sunglasses. “I thought you wanted to eat an orange for a snack.’ ‘I do! But I need my glasses.’ He went his way, I went mine. Until I came back into the kitchen and seen this… I got a merry chuckle out of his eye protection from those stinging squirts from peeling oranges. He is smart!!!

Rylen’s new favorite snack, a ‘high one’. I love little kid talk!!! Anything he wants full, big, tall, whatever… he wants it ‘high’!!! So he had a ‘high one’ carrot. In other words, it is not cut up. He will carry the big thing around the house, munching away. Oh, and I should mention most of the fun is in getting to peel it yourself. (We won’t mention the wake of carrot peels across the kitchen counter. But it is so much better if you get to do the work yourself!!)

Yep, these are the 3 men I am raising… And I am having fun!!

Well, I should run… I have been listening to the HealThy Mouth Summit this week. Wow, what a wealth of information in there. I don’t know if you could sign up for the last few days yet or not, but it might be worth a try if it sounds like something you are interested in.

It’s A New Year

…And I’ve been bugged about blogging again. I have thoughts and ideas rumbling in my brain for posts, so you just might see more things on here again. (Don’t hold your breath, I’ve said such things before.) I was also asked for some of our meals, using less grains. So maybe in the next few wks I can try to get some things posted.

Right now we are on the mends of a flu bug that went through some of us. So I thought I’d try to do a quick update on our lives…

I’ll start with the last months or so… the busy months of Nov/Dec. that was just plain crazy for us!! I barely had time to stop and think. In some ways it was good, in others it wasn’t. I felt like I didn’t know if I was coming or going at times. And the boys were more than ready to have Mom back to her full-time Mom job.

The end of Oct. I consented to doing a Christmas Program/Play for the children and youth at church. It was about the same time one of the guys from our youth group announced he was getting married the middle of Dec (in PA). So we did as much practicing as we could in Nov. And the end of Nov. decided the program would suit everyone best on the 9th (of Dec.). Yep, I had lots of work to do in 2 wks time!!! But everyone cooperated and it went really good. We kept things pretty simple, and had fun too. But I was happy to not have to worry about that any more. (I don’t have any pictures of that, as I was busy directing the whole thing. So those of you who have pictures… I’m over here. *waves*)

In the middle of all that, I was busy sewing Christmas gifts, but in reality cleaning out my fabric stash. I have too many garbage bags of jean pants waiting to be repurposed. So I was having fun making a bunch of different tote bags of different sizes & styles. I also made 6 sets of pjs for my 3 boys and 3 nephews. They are all matching, and I didn’t get a picture taken. And I forgot to take a picture of all the jean bags I made too. But for the few I took with my phone to show a friend. So I will post those.

And we made a few other things as well… guess I’ll post my phone pics of those too. (I did my sewing/crafts in the basement. My camera was always upstairs. I used my phone to take pictures. End of story.) I love seeing the things others make, so I will show you mine. They are not perfect by any sense of the word, but we had fun making them.

I seen this idea on pinterest, and told my hubby it would be a fun, cheap thing to make for his Christmas gift. (My side had a $$ limit, and were encouraged to make something/be creative. I love challenges.) I asked him to find me a tree to cut up, then spotted one out my bedroom window we could use. (Yep, it was growing out of an old stump.) It was to snow in the next 24 hrs and I put the pressure on. He went and cut it down one night in the dark, before coming in for supper. Collin and I cut everything off we could with a brush trimmer, then hauled it out to the shop and the chop saw. And soon had our hooks. Delvyn found the old board somewhere around the place and screwed the pieces on. So fast & simple really!!!

Other things were the glass block with lights inside and I used my sis-in-laws cricut to do the letters. I made a puppy hooded towel for one of my nephews, a jean purse with matching pjs. I appliqued a tractor to a shirt to match (no picture), for my only niece. It also matches the blanket I had made her last year.

And I have no clue how to add pictures on my posts now. Either they changed something, or something didn’t load right. I’m all confused, but at least they are there for you to see. Even if they are tiny. (If you click on them, it will make them bigger. But takes more work to do it that way.)

So I thought we were getting better… but I guess not. I’ll do another health update post in a day or two. This is long enough. (I really do want to get back into blogging. But there are bigger things going on in our lives right now, and it’s hard to find the words to say. Maybe one day the dam will break loose and I will be free to write again.)

I know I’m late, but I will wish you all a Wonderful and Happy New Year!!!

Just Our Daily Life…

So I’ll grab a few minutes to sit, while my men are all outside feeding calves and finishing up chores. All while it is dark. I must say my boys are brave, I would have never went and fed calves in the dark in a shed without any lights (opps, my hubby told me there is one flood light that he has on, runs extension cord over from barn), by myself with just a brother or a sister. But my boys do. (Can you tell there is pride in my voice?) There are many blessings to living on a farm, and there are many disadvantages too. Like the change of chore schedules, so some nights we are eating supper at 5:30 and the next at 7:00. So it leaves me to try to shuffle the meals and routines and whatnot. I am still adjusting to that one… Like needing to get more of the evening work done before supper, not try to cram it all in the hr before we head for bed. But my hubby and boys have been doing great at just overlooking the undone work or pitching in to help get it done.

The other not so ‘fun’ part of food making this past month, has been my going on the intro GAPS diet. So not only do I make my men meals, but I make a whole separate one for myself. Some evenings I am eating long after the others. (Although it is better than it had been.) I am not sure how much is has helped, but one thing I do know, I miss my rice and oatmeal!!!! I have been primarily eating squash, with other veggies and lots of broth and meat!! I have not had as much broth as they recommend, most because I had burned myself out trying this stuff one other time. So if you ever do the intro, do it right the first time. Don’t stop and start!! But in other ways this month has been much better. I had bought an e-book out together by a mom who came up with lots of recipes for her kids when she put them through it. One day I wanna put the boys through the whole intro diet. But we will see. I told them they could have a big reward if they would do it for a month.

I have one kid on board with the idea, Note IDEA!!! Another loves squash, and asks me for it. And the other does NOT want any changes in his diet!!! So who knows when or how it will all go!! But I feel it would really help them. They still get really moody and have bad character habits that come out really strong when they eat too much dairy, glutens, etc. So I know they need to step it up.

I have had pretty good days, but can tell my energy isn’t what it was this summer. I had done another liver flush a couple of wks ago and was feeling really good that I didn’t pass many stones. So thought my days of cleaning my liver are over. But then there were a few HUGE ones, much larger than any other I got rid of. So now I am not sure what to think. Guess I will do a couple more yet and see what happens. I can’t imagine what I’d be feeling like if I would not have done so many flushes this past yr!!! My ‘filter’ was very, very clogged.

Today was one of those days you count your blessings and count them twice. I actually got my whole house cleaned at one time. It’s been a long while that I have been able to do it. Between being super busy, being gone or whatever… I would do a quick vac here, wipe the worst of the floor there, and scrub the pot before someone came quick, etc. So nothing ever feels completely clean at once. And I never like that. So it is an awesome feeling to have the floors all cleaned at the same time. It doesn’t feel like I am tracking dirt from living rm carpet to kitchen or kitchen to bedrooms. Plus I even scrubbed my tub, top to bottom!!!! I really need to do it more, with 3 boys… yeah, you don’t wanna know. It’s amazing we all were still getting clean.

Oh, we got lots of school done today too. It has been sorta hodge-podge for the past couple wks. So it was nice to get a good day in. He is WAY ahead in his math. As in he only has a few lessons left in the book it was to take him all yr to do. So I will order the next book after Christmas. He loves it, but does have a few concepts he is struggling with. I am amazed with his reading… he doesn’t like it, but he is catching on quite quickly. And I love it when he amazes himself. You can just watch all the lights come on, and everything clicks and connects. I never knew there would be so many little blessings that come with home education. Yes, it takes extra time, but you soon learn to juggle it all. We do school anywhere and every where, from the bedroom, to the bathroom, from livingrm to kitchen. He doesn’t sit still for anything… and when he memorizing you can find him like this…

(sorry its a cell phone picture). I think it’s a good thing he doesn’t have to sit in a classroom.

We had some snow flurries the other morning. The boys were so excited. But nothing really stuck anywhere. And that was a huge disappointment. They can’t wait to wear their snowboots and snowpants. Not sure why, they can’t stand wearing their heavy winter coats now. I have to force them to put on sweatshirts and boots. The other day they were out barefoot. Guess as long as they have good immune systems…

Last Fri/Sat we butchered 11 pigs. We had around 48 people here to help. And it makes the work go so much faster. All in all, we figure we had 9 hrs total of work, from squeal to freezer. So this wk I was rendering lard, and seasoning the hams and bacons. They will get smoked sometime. I love having my freezers all full again. But am so ready to put away my stockpots for a while. Just seems I don’t get done this yr.

I would tell you about my next big projects coming up… but well…

Did you know Christmas isn’t very far away?? Jevan had his 5th birthday last wk and he just told me tonight, ‘Mom, I can’t wait for my next birthday!’ *sigh* if it’s not birthdays it’s Christmas. I am trying to keep their attention on the proper meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas. I wanna do some fun giveaway projects with the boys the month of Dec. I’ll have to keep you posted on how it goes… I am just hoping I am not biting off more than I wanna chew. So I am trying to not set unrealistic goals.

Well, it’s getting late… supper has long passed. The boys are now in bed, and I should be heading there soon too. The man of the house is sitting at the table with me, he’s reading a farm paper and I sit here typing. We both yawn, but are just enjoying the peace a quiet, while listening to the hum of the fridge and the thumps and bumps of restless feet ‘resting’ in their beds. I need to post another of the boy’s quirky stuff they have said lately. I just love the way they word their stuff.

Good night, I gotta go to my other computer to add the picture, then I’m off to bed.

How-To: Liver Flush & Liver Support

The liver is a filter and if a filter is full of junk, it doesn’t work very well.

As I said yesterday, I will do a post on the ‘how-to’s’ for a liver flush and some helps for a healthy liver. If you missed that post and wanna know the signs of a stressed liver, and the things a liver does, go back and read it.

First: some tips on light detoxing and supporting your liver, which will help it work more efficiently. As I mentioned yesterday, there are tinctures you can make or buy, that will help your liver. And it may flush out the stones, but I am sure it would take longer, than just doing a flush. But if you don’t feel up to the flush, and don’t have poor health, I am guessing it would be fine. I struggle with saying that, as I know there are so many toxins in the world, our livers are working overtime to try to keep up. I really feel a flush is of your best interest.

- Start the detoxing process by cutting down/cutting out all sugar, cutting out artificial sweeteners and trans-fatty acids, re-evaluating your need for over-the-counter pain relievers, discussing healthier alternatives for prescription medications with your doctor, and getting your colon working properly.

- Eat lots of fruits and veggies. Some good foods are cabbage,. broccoli, cauliflower, onions, garlic, carrots, pumpkin & other squashes, red & green peppers, yams, avocados, raw nuts, almonds & cashews, sprouts, alfalfa, wheat and barley grass. Eggs, whole grain breads (I hesitate to say that one), citrus fruits, pears, raw and dried fruits. Good fats and oils are Olive oil, coconut oil, flax-seed, dandelion and rhubarb. (I don’t mention meats, as it does make more work for your liver. For me, I’ve been limiting it. And try to stick with chicken and fish more, limiting the red meats.)

- Take garlic capsules, as directed or 2-3 cloves daily for 3 mths. Garlic may help the liver detoxify chemicals before they can exert their toxic effect on the body.

- Exercise, even a 20 min. walk 3-4 times a week.

-Limit the toxins in cleaners, body products ie. shampoos, body washes, etc. Laundry Soaps, (I make my own), and watch for the toxins in foods.

The reason I hesitate on the breads, is that grains will slow digestion down and so many people have troubles digesting them. Be it the gluten, or grains in general. Try taking them out or limiting them and see if that makes a difference in how you feel. I know a lot of people are going gluten-free and/or grain-free because they feel better not eating it. But I personally think it is because their gut health/flora is so messed up, they can’t digest it. And they are not preparing their foods properly, so their stomachs are not breaking it down and the body is not able to use the nutrients in the food. GAPS can heal that, and you can go back to eating some of those foods, (although for some it maybe limited and needs to be properly prepared).

It is also highly recommended you do a parasite cleanse before doing a liver flush. Parasites are hard on the liver, adding an additional load and some even live in the liver.

- Now for liver flushes -

I have done 10 liver flushes this yr, starting with 2 in FL. So I guess I would know a bit about them. {smile} The liver flushes I did in FL are a bit different from the ones I’ve been doing on my own at home. I like mine much better, plus I found out Dr. Lindsley changed his choice of fruit and it is now better yet!! Here is the link to Dr. Lindsley’s protocol. (I would recommend reading it.)

The liver is made up of 4 chambers, each flush cleans another one out. So it is recommended you do at least 4 in a row. 1 every 3 wks. For someone like me, who has had a disease, or someone who has cancers or other such major health issue, the liver will be full of junk. It took many more flushes to get out all the build up of toxins. I passed many, many liver and gall-bladder stones. Yes, you can see them. (Sorry if TMI again, but I got rid of some large stones, the size of my thumb, knuckle up. But most are the size of a pencil eraser. And no, it does not hurt to pass them!!!)

When you plan to do a flush, give yourself 2 days. The first one to prepare and do the flush, the second to rest and recover.

I have some tips and suggestions to do before hand, but it is just from my experience and is not something you have to do. I recommend limiting meats the wk before you plan to do the flush. Like not even eating meat once a day, it gives your liver a break. And then the couple of days before, eating light meals, mostly veggies and fruits, well cooked. The day of your fast, eat no fats, dairy or meats. Just veggies, oatmeal, or fruit. You may also shower just prior to taking the oj/oil solution, warming up your body good. And using an electic heating pad wrapped around the liver area is also a good thing. (It was done in FL, but I’ve not done them since I’ve been home.) And then limited the meats again for the wk after the flush. Some of this is so your colon is properly working and able to keep flushing stuff out. You will be flushing out toxins for a while from your liver, so it’s important that they don’t stay in your body, making you sick.

When you start moving toxins around in your body, you have to make sure you are getting them out. It can make you really sick!! So a first step before attempting a flush, is to be sure you are ‘moving’, and not clogged up!! Drink LOTS of water too!!!

What you will need: 4-6 oranges or grapefruits, good quality olive oil, epsom salt, water

You may not eat or drink after 2 o’clock, if you do, you could feel quite ill later.  And sometime before 5, prepare your epsom salt juice. It tastes best well chilled. You drink your first solution at 6pm.

- Epsom salt solution - 3 c. fresh squeezed orange juice or grapefruit juice, 4 TBS epsom salt. You may use water, or even do part water part juice. Optional is grapefruit juice. But since I have done OJ, wow, it is much better. The saltiness is already bad enough, then dealing with the sour is about more than I can handle!!:) Store in a jar, shake well.

- Then at 6pm, pour out 3/4 C. Drink. You may suck on a few ice chips, or drink tiny sips of water, if needed.

- At 8pm, repeat above step.

In the next 2 hrs prepare for bed, get evening stuff done, as at 10pm you drink the olive oil solution and have to lay down right away. You will need to prepare your solution for this as well. I like to make all the solutions at one time, then just pull the OJ out an hr or so before I need it to warm up.

And remember to stay fairly close to a bathroom. Those epsom salts may have an effect on you. I found when I first started, I didn’t need to go much, if at all that night. But by now, I need to be close to a bathrm by 8. I think the more I do, the better my body moves.

- Olive oil solution- you need 1/2-3/4 C. fresh squeezed orange juice. Just before ready to drink, add 1/2 c. olive oil. The better quality you have, the better it will taste. And the better you will be able to drink it down. Shake the oj and oil very well,

- And drink, at 10pm. I find using a straw works best, and room temp is a must!!!

- Go right to bed. I was told in FL to lay on right side, Dr. L. says flat. So I guess you have 2 options. I like to prop against my hubby, so I’m half laying/half on my side. (It’s the way I sleep most nights anyway.)

And hold still. You may get nauseated. Just try not to think about it and go to sleep. Expect to be awake from 1-3, or at least sleep more restless. This is when your liver does its daily recharge. So on a flush night, it is flushing stuff out!! You may feel the need to up-chuck. It’s fine, if you need to, go do it. You are getting rid of toxins that way too. (Dr. Hulda does have something for you to take so you sleep good all night. I have never bothered to take it, much less ever research what it is or where to get it.)

Any time after 6am, drink another 3/4 c. of the epsom salt solution. And then 2 hrs later, drink your last one.

2 hrs after your last solution, you may begin drinking. I recommend chamomile tea first. It is soothing to your stomach, and you just were hard on your body. (In a good way!! Your body will thank you for it later!!) I will admit that I will begin sipping tea about an hour after that last solution. By then you are feeling pretty parched and very weak. And me being a mom, my mornings are not very relaxing!!!

And again, you will need to be close to a bathroom!! As you begin to ‘clean out’, you may start to see green and brown stones (they float). I find it very intriguing to see what was inside. Every time I did a flush I would literally pass well over a hundred stones. And to think that all that stuff has been clogging up my liver. After all the liver is a filter and if a filter is full of junk, it doesn’t work very well. I’d hate to know what my liver looked like 2 yrs ago when we began this health journey of ours.

This is also based on Dr. Hulda Clarks research and liver flush she developed. Please read that link as well as Dr. Lindsley’s. In case I missed something.

I personally feel this has played a huge part in my feeling better and helping my body to fight the lyme bacterium. If your body is in good health and has it’s immune system built up, you will feel much better, be able to fight off infections, and keep diseases at bay!!

The Liver {Our Filter}

‘You can never achieve true health without a healthy liver.’

Our liver is an important ‘factory’, it houses highly specialized cells that clean the blood, stores fat and produces bile. And it keeps the blood free of damaging poisons. It is key in digestion, formation of blood and defending our bodies against infection, Any thing the body absorbs is intercepted by the liver. It is then accepted & neutralized, or is transformed or is rejected. It manufactures proteins, synthesizing, storing, and processing (metabolizing) fats (used for energy), metabolizing and storing carbohydrates, which are used in blood that red blood cells and the brain use, forming and secreting bile, and absorbing vitamins A, D, E, and K. The liver also eliminates the potentially harmful biochemical products produced by the body, detoxifies drugs, alcohol, and environmental toxins.

So you see the liver has a very important job in a person’s body. But it is also hinged on a properly moving colon. If you are not eliminating 2+ times a day, you are not going to be moving toxins and wastes out of the body. It is actually slowly building up.

If you are on a normal SAD diet, Standard American Diet, it will take some time to build and repair the colon walls. Processed foods & grains don’t have much by way of fiber. Think of store-bought white bread and how you can ball it up in a gummy, nasty mass. What is that doing inside of you?? Nothing is going to move. (Sorry if TMI, but I gotta say it. I was once there myself. And now that I have changed my eating habits, the other ‘habits’ have changed as well, and I realize now how much better I feel!!!)

The average liver is about the size of a football, and is the largest organ in our bodies. Many people live with less than three-quarters of their liver working. Did you know that it is not only an organ but also the largest gland in the body? Your liver is one of the most important components your body has. It is also the only organ that can rebuild itself. To rebuild a liver completely takes 18 to 24 months, because that is how long the liver cells live.

‘Disease begins in the colon. And wherever disease and disorder exist, you will find an unhealthy liver.’ Life can get bad quick when your liver is not working well because your blood passes through your liver but does not get recharged properly.

-Signs a liver is stressed and needs help-

- If you are moody/have fast mood swings

- If you have brainfog

- Suffer with allergies & skin rashes

- Have digestion issues, gassy and nausea

- Headaches

- Have had gall stones or under rib pain on right side

- Have bad metabolism & weight gain issues

- A lack of energy & poor immune system

- Have blood sugar highs and lows

When you have poor liver function, your body feels like it is struggling to keep up,as it is trying to give you the energy you are demanding of it. But there is hope… There is such a thing as liver flushes and a liver cleanse tincture. And they are a great place to start.

I first learned about the importance of liver health when I went to Fl for the intense detox treatments I did there, almost 2 yrs ago, Feb ’11. But then I thought I could only do it there and under supervision. I had went back in Jan ’12, and did more liver flushes, and would feel so much better, for a few months. Since there was no way we would be able to move to FL to continue the program there, I started looking for my own treatments for the liver.

And in March I learned of Dr. Lindsley. He has a protocol for a liver flush. And he gave me more info on doing my own. So since Jan. of this yr I have just completed 10 liver flushes (they need to be 3 or more weeks apart). And I think that will be the last one for a while. I didn’t pass many stones, and I am so tired of them. So I will wait ’til late Winter or Spring to do some more again. Unless I feel the need to do a couple sooner.

It is a stretch to do a flush. It is not easy to drink the solutions, hard to sleep that night, and you don’t feel very energetic the following day. But the results in the long run are worth it. This post is getting long, so I will do another post tomorrow giving details in how to do a liver flush, and other things to help detox and support your liver.

More info – Fatty Liver & Ugly Toes

You can buy liver cleanse tinctures from a couple of places I highly recommend…

Mountain Meadow Herbs, premade, and Bulk Herb Store, in bulk, dry herbs to make your own.

{I am not affiliated with these companies and get no credit for linking to them. It is companies I use and feel I can support. They have excellent products!!)

Time for an Update…

Roses from my Hubby the other week, aren’t they lovely!?!?!?!?!?!!!

…and one I am not sure where to start or what all to say. I know I have been pretty quiet on here, but I didn’t know just how quiet until I logged in and seen there is only 2 posts in Sept. and the one I just did in Oct of our Fall Hike. Don’t worry, I’ve posted many updates, ranted many subjects, displayed pictures and gave many inspirational thoughts. It’s just too bad it never left my brain!!

I have purposely been quieter on here, I feel like I have been going through a lot in my life. And that is not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well. I am so thankful God doesn’t give up on His children when we stumble and fall so many times. He has given me so much grace, and I am not thankful enough. Every time I think I have finally learned my lesson, I somehow forget it and need to take it all over again. Please don’t tell me I am the only one like that!! So lately I have felt like I don’t have much to offer here, God has been growing me. And it has not been easy, and I haven’t finished letting go of some areas that He has been working on. Some of those corners are deep and dark and all too scary looking at times. So slowly, and at times painfully, God is cleaning this ‘house’ of mine.

I was also reminded that there are those who want to hear more of my lyme journey. I must admit I went quiet on that one too, as I wasn’t sure how my summer was gonna go, and I know there are those who question our choice method of treatment. So I will try to bring you up to date on what my summer held.

The beginning of April I went to a new Dr. He is a chiropractor who practices kinesiology. I will just be honest and upfront, I don’t understand it (the kinesiology that is). I found a recommendation for him through another blog. Dr. Lindsley has a lot of experience in lyme, he had it himself and formulated an herbal tincture to kill off the lyme bacterium. I was a bit sceptical myself when I first read of his claims, that you will be feeling better in a month, with most of the active lyme gone. (But it held true for me!!)

Well, I had a rough month of April, when I first started taking the tinctures he gave me. But knowing what all I know about lyme, I knew it was a good sign, in a bad way, that the spirochetes were dieing. Dr. L. also gave a very detailed description of how lyme works and messes up the body, organs, and all that goes with it. I found it very fascinating, as it matched all I had studied on it, plus went deeper.

One thing he explained is more about the liver… how the lyme lives and hides in there. It is very important to do liver flushes to feel better!!! So for most of the summer I was doing a liver flush every 3 wks. I did 6 of them from April to July. Yes, it was a lot. But with each one I felt so much better.

I lived a very full and active life this summer. It was the best I have had in a long, long time!!! I realize now, looking back, that I did have my ‘low days’. But they were so minor that, at the time I didn’t think of them as my body asking for a rest. I would take a day or two of not doing as much and then be ready to hit life full blast again. It really was amazing. I should mention, that I could tell I did not have the stamina that I once did, or strength in my muscles, but I am sure with time that will build again.

By the end of August I could tell that things were really starting to slow down in my body, and my hip was bugging me again. I wasn’t sure what to do. So finally decided to see Dr. L. again. (One thing I really like about him, that is so very different from all other Drs. I’ve seen through this lyme case, is that he doesn’t want to see you very often!! I have been to see him 4 times now, since the beginning of April. Everyone else was every 2wks, or at least once a mth!!) Anyway, after he heard what I had to say, he decided that some of the lyme had reactivated again. If you know about lyme, when you start attacking the spirochetes and killing them, they will go into a hard cell-form where nothing can touch it. Then when the attack is over it will become active again. So I started attacking it again. (Read more here.)

I guess I will add this in here too… Over the summer I could tell whenever I ate the ‘wrong thing’, I get a stomach ache. But I can never pinpoint just what it is. I have had a problem with these itchy pimple like spots, that I knew were food related, but could never seem to figure out just what is causing it, along with some blotchy skin colors. So after our trip to PA in Sept I jumped into the 10 Day Master Cleanse/Lemon juice diet. After the fast I had been very careful in what I ate and watching how I felt. I could tell foods were not sitting so well, even though I didn’t have dairy or gluten. I had some fiber balls one day but could tell that didn’t sit too good.I tried soaked oatmeal for breakfast, and it was fine. So I knew more measures were needed.

Enter GAPS Intro Diet!!! After only a couple of days of eating food, I decided that I have come this far, why not just do a month on the GAPS intro. I was just so happy to be able to eat, I didn’t care that I was greatly limited on my foods. A strange side note, when I was on the Master Cleanse I lost 4-5lbs, but stayed there. Family and friends would tell me how much weight I was loosing. Now on the GAPS I have lost even more, and yet look healthier and they are not so concerned. So I guess that is a good thing, and I know I am getting better nutrients while eating this way.

So far I have not seen a huge change, but I know my body will take a bit to detox. I have felt  a bit more drug down the past 2-3 wks, but I know it is because I am detoxing and getting rid of a lot of ‘junk’. So I just live from day-to-day, and do what I can. My energy levels are coming back up, but it is slow. I know my thyroid is still a mess and I need to figure out what to do more to help that. Oh, I no more itchy, pimple type things!! Yay!!

It has been just over 2 yrs since we jumped in with our whole diet change and found out I had lyme. And I during that time have done much research on the many diets that are said to help and to heal the stomach/gut flora. It is a hard path to take, choosing to not eat what the main stream does. And to buy foods that require more work to prepare. I very, very rarely buy any processed foods, and get organic what I can. I am not a firm believer in the organic hype, but I am sure it does contain fewer chemicals and additives and such. So that is why I do get what I can. But I don’t stress over it. I am very careful in buying processed stuff, as so many additives are known to mess with a persons hormones and so much more.

And while it’s hard to believe that 2 yrs have passed, it seems like only yesterday our ‘nightmare’ started, and yet so much has happened. So many times when we were in the middle of it all and were not sure which way to turn or what to do, & we felt like we were all alone and lost, someone or something would come our way and God would clearly show us the path He wanted us to take.

I know my journey is not over yet. We take it one day, one step at a time, as I have said many times. We see light at the end of the tunnel, and that makes us smile. My Fall is full, I am hoping I didn’t bite off too much by volunteering to do the Christmas Program with the kids at our church. I don’t regret it, at least I won’t once I get all the songs/poems/plays figured out. And I have other things I am going to do before Christmas, as I have time. I am just one who focus’ on everything I need want to do and then panics, instead of going step by step and doing it one thing at a time!!