365 days of change: New products we use for better health and less of a toxin load

Last year was a year of change - big time. Not only did our eating habits change but almost every other facet of our lives changed too. We changed everything from pots and pans to make-up and cleaners with the goal to get as many toxins out of our house and cleared from our bodies. We want to stay healthy as a family and we want to give our kids a fighting chance in this polluted world.

It has taken time for the changes due to research and financial constraints but overall we have made some pretty dramatic lifestyle changes.

This is a lengthy post but you can read it in sections if needed. I start with kitchen items then household items and some miscellaneous. After that I talk about toiletries and cosmetics. At the end there are links to all my pinterest boards in various categories.

I am not going to talk about food in this post but a quick note of change is that my family eats Paleo along with me now. The kids always eat gluten free and eat mostly Paleo. My husband eats mostly Paleo but is not fully GF. When there is that occasional pizza or cookie at work he partakes. Baby steps... He has seen many health improvements from eating about 95% Paleo though. I have seen positive health changes in my boys too and you all know my story. If you don't, search GAPS labels at the right side of my blog.

I will share the rest of the changes in random order. I pray that this post is a great resource for you if you would like to make some changes too. *Please note that we have not "arrived" or are not completely there. This is a journey like everything else in life. These are things that we use regularly but we are not perfect in lack of contaminants in our home. Personally I don't think anyone can ever be that way in their life on this earth in these days.

~1~ We no longer heat our food in plastic or serve heated food or drinks in plastic containers or serving dishes. When heat is applied to plastic it actually sends toxins that are harmful to our health into our foods or any item that comes in contact with it. Drinking hot drinks from a plastic straw is also a big no, no. We prefer to have the least possibilities of BPA contamination in our home. We use Snapware glass dishes for hot food storage now. I would like to get another set eventually. On my next Amazon order I will be ordering these stainless steel straws too. They also make glass ones but I think I will pass on those with my boys. I'd prefer they didn't drink broken glass after they broke their straws!

~2~ We all used to drink out of plastic water bottles too. We ditched those and use Life Factory Glass Water bottles now. We love them so much! They are nice too because you can use essential oils in your drinks (which I will talk about it a bit) and they wont react since they react with plastic (actually breaking it down) because of their potency.

~3~ We purchased a new set of stainless steel pots and pans this year. I have to be honest and say I have not gotten rid of every single piece of my nonstick set, I have two left because I like their size. When I find stainless steel ones that compares I will get rid of my nonstick ones. Anyway, we got an amazing deal at Kohl's on this Cuisinart Pot and Pan set and we had been looking for a while to make the switch. We did add two pieces to this set - a big deep dish dutch oven and a bigger saute pan than comes in the set. Also, we received a free set of stainless steel bowls. It has been nice because I rarely use my plastic mixing bowls now and of course I never use them with hot foods. Stainless is wonderful. I had to get used to using them a bit but low heat and good cooking fats are your friends with stainless.

~4~ Something else we have implemented is juicing. While most of my family still really gravitates towards the really sweet juices like apple, carrot I have noticed that Cody really likes my juices. I make my juices with one or two carrots but the rest greens and cucumber so it is generally less sweet and more on the bitter side. Once in a while I will add a small piece of fruit to mine but I tend to stay away too much from the overly sweet because the blood sugar spikes for me are terrible for my immunity. I love our juicer because it extracts the juices full of vitamins and minerals and gives my family a way to absorb these vital nutrients very easily. I would like to experiment more this year with different kinds of fruits and vegetables for making juice. There are many options to try! I also love our juicer because it makes nut butter and baby food too! A VERY generous good friend just gave me this juicer because she was not using it! Praise God. If you want a juicer I highly recommend the Champion 2000. It is wonderful and the juice is excellent.

~5~ The last kitchen item I wanted to mention that has aided in some changes we have made is my yogurt maker. Each week I make a quart of homemade 24 fermented raw milk yogurt from cow's milk we get from our farmer. GAPS side note * when you ferment yogurt for 24 hours the good bacteria eats up all the lactose which is what a lot of people can't digest and have an intolerance too. Any less time and there will still be milk protein (lactose) present in the yogurt. * My family eats this served with nuts, fruit and raw local honey. Sometimes we put homemade Paleo Granola on it (which is grain free.) Sometimes I allow my kiddos to put GF granola on it too but I hate doing that because I know grains give them adverse reactions. I always serve yogurt with a protein and a fat. Yogurt spikes your blood sugar because it has a lot of sugar naturally occurring and then you add fruit and honey and the sugar levels rise. Protein and fat help the body to metabolize the sugars slower and not spike your blood sugar levels. An example would be a piece of sausage and/or bacon or side of avocado with the yogurt.

This yogurt is so easy to make and the yogurt maker makes it even easier. All I do is put a quart of milk in a ball canning jar then add 1-2 TLBS of Nancy's Organic Plain yogurt (for a starter.) I whisk it up and put it in the yogurt maker. It turns out great. The Yolife yogurt maker is great because it comes with a high lid to be able to make big amounts of yogurt. It also comes with 7 glass yogurt sized jars to use. We love this because it is such a good way to get natural probiotics into our bodies and it tastes good too! For natural probiotics I have also started making my own sauerkraut this year. I have enjoyed the end result with that.

~6~ Our household cleaners have changed too. Although I still own some of the nasty ones with terrible and harmful chemicals in them I very rarely use them now. To clean our kitchen and counters I use a mixture of vinegar and water along with some doTerra Lemon and doTerra Onguard essential oils. It smells good, cleans well and sanitizes all at the same time.

Anything I purchase as a household item like dishwashing detergent, hand soap, dish soap as well as cosmetics and toiletries (which I will get into later) has to clear the EWG site first. Environmental Working Group is a site that rates thousands upon thousands of products for their toxicity. It defines what is toxic in the product and why. It then rates them from A-F and some of the items get a number rating with 0 being the best. I swear by this site and am so thankful for it. Nothing new comes into our house that does not have a low rating like between 0-2 and A or B. They also have pocket guides for the clean fifteen and dirty dozen foods and many other resources. I love, love, love this tool.

For our dish detergent I use Ecover
For our dish soap I use the Ecover brand too.
For our laundry detergent I use Ecover as well.
For our hand soap I use Dr. Bronners. I get the big containers and fill our soap dispensers all over the house.

I feel like every little bit counts. As we continue to purge our house of toxins the load lessens and lessens and gives our bodies a fighting chance. It we are always trying to detox big loads of chemicals from our bodies, sometimes more than our bodies can handle, then our immune systems will continually be compromised and we will get sicker more often. Obviously we don't want this!

~7~ Last year I also started to take a look into my thyroid medication as well as the supplements that I take. It was imperative to me to get any and all potential products, ingredients and chemicals out of my body, off my body and out of our house. My medication and supplements were a hidden source of contamination.

I now have my T4 and T3 created specifically for me at a compounding pharmacy. I didn't know until I researched that Synthroid which is what I was taking contains SUGAR, CORNSTARCH AND FOOD DYES. Different colors for different dosages! All those ingredients go directly against GAPS and Paleo diets and would have been a detriment to my healing. Cytomel which is another one I was taking (T3) has starch in it. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride says in her GAPS book that you don't want to hinder your progress by taking a pill and I wholeheartedly agree with her. That is when I started having my prescriptions made for me. The only ingredients in mine are the levothyroxine and/or liothyronine and microcrystaline cellulose. Much better than all those other additives! The goal is that I will eventually be off these but I am glad I have an alternative with ingredients that wont hinder healing in the mean time.

This discovery in my medicine made me take a better look at the supplements I was taking as well. A lot of them had dairy, starches like rice bran filler or cornstarches as well. Usually I would see maltodexterin which could be gluten too. There were also a lot of ingredients that I couldn't pronounce which was a red flag to me as well. I have revamped my supplements and only take safe ones now. I wont post these individually because we all take different supplements but if you have a question or want to know something I take, or the brand please comment and I will let you know. Please take a look at ALL labels of products that come into your house - supplements and medications being two broad areas!

~8~ Here I will be talking about our toiletries that have changed. Really each one of these could be a whole post in and of itself but I will keep it brief by just sharing what I use. I unknowingly was using preservative filled, chemical laden toiletries and cosmetics on mine and my families skin daily. This was so unhealthy. Here is what we changed over the coarse of a year...

Toothpaste The ones we were using had triclosan in them (among many other harmful ingredients.) Tricolosan is used as a pesticide and an antibacterial and can cause skin irritation, endocrine disruption, and antibiotic resistance. Also, another harmful ingredient was sodium lauryl sulfate which was one of the things causing my kiddos to get frequent canker sores. It is also an ingredient that is harmful to us. We use Nature's Gate toothpaste now. (Not everything this company makes is safe but overall this toothpaste is. If I had my druthers it wouldn't have carrageenan in it either though.)

Hand Lotion The previous lotion I was using from a well known direct selling company touting safe skin products you can even eat. Well, among other bad ingredients they put dimethicone in their body lotion. Dimethicone can cause skin irritation and allergic reaction. Kind of ironic for a "safe" skin product, huh? There were other ingredients too but for the sake of time I wont go into them. I discovered a company called Salon Naturals and they offer quite a few products that are safe and have health promoting ingredients in them. They also have a section on their site highlighting Gluten Free Products they make. One of the lotions we use is their Organic Rooibos tea Hand and Body Lotion. It works well and I feel good about putting it on my skin. We mainly use if for our hands. If you would like to get some comment to me because I can get you a discount. I am not affiliated with them though.

Face Lotion I also had a hard time finding a moisturizer that actually worked and didn't have unhealthy ingredients in it. As of right now I use pure Shea Butter and Pure Cocoa Butter with jojoba oil. I plan in the future to make my own using those ingredients along with some essential oils. For now though I use these. They are probably not for everyone because the shea butter especially tends to be a bit greasy. It soaks in quickly and works for me though. I love the cocoa butter because it smells like I am putting chocolate on my face!

Face Soap For a long time I could only wash my face with a wash cloth and water. Anything would irritate it. As soon as I started healing internally (search GAPS label on this site for more info) I was able to start using a mild soap on my body. Finding the right one took a while. This was actually recommended by a friend and it has proven to work well and clean well. I use Tilvee Shea Butter Beauty Bar for my face. It has all clean, wholesome ingredients in it. I also use the mandarin remedy balm stick (not on my face but any dry patches like lips or neck. It is soothing.

Body Wash In this category my family was using products that were so harmful to our health as well. My husbands body wash was the worst. Every single ingredient was bad in his body wash! He now uses Dr. Bronners Citrus liquid soap and the boys do too. Sometimes I use Salon Naturals, the company I mentioned above and mostly I use a bar soap made by One with Nature. I like the lavender kind but they have a variety of choices.

The other thing I implemented last year (at first by force and now by preference) is Epsom Salt Baths. I really have never been a bath person but these are wonderful. I put epsom salt and certified pure therapeutic grade Lavender Essential oil in to my bath. It is so relaxing and a great way to get magnesium which is a mineral that almost everyone if deficient in. The epsom salt and lavender oil take away aches and pains as well as headaches and general tensions in our bodies. I have grown to enjoy these baths especially when my kids aren't knocking at the door!

~9~ Since my face was one of the parts of my body with the worst symptoms the first thing I had to change was my makeup. Actually, for a while I didn't even where any. I wasn't going out of the house anyway.  I was previously using products that had many harmful ingredients in them although they were marketed to be "all natural." I found Ava Anderson Non Toxic make-up for my foundation, blush, lip gloss and mascara. They sell other things too but I haven't tried them yet. I use Gabriel Cosmetics ZuZu for my eyeliner and lipstick. I can't say ZuZu is all pure though. It still has titanium dioxide in it but compared to what I was using this is a breathe of fresh air!  The mascara from Ava Anderson has titanium dioxide in it as well.

Cosmetics are a really big area to be sure you are checking your labels. If you are putting something on your skin essentially you should be able to eat it. It is the largest organ we have and a barrier to our insides. If we are putting toxins on it that absorb inside (which they all do) then we are increasing our toxic levels.  Be very careful with what you choose to put on your skin, especially your face.  I have a pinterest board linked below that has many different companies that sell safe cosmetics. I hope you check it out and start following. I update it each time I find a new company that is truly pure.

One thing I did want to say about Ava Anderson Non Toxic is the foundation is a sheer coverage which is fine for me now but before when my skin was horrible I couldn't have used it. Also, they need to add more foundation color choices. I hear that is in the works though.

~10~ The last item I want to highlight other than my pinterest board links is our usage of essential oils. My husband, kids and I just started using these this year and absolutely love them. We use them in cooking, cleaning, topically on all of our bodies, internally and in a diffuser for aromatics and to get the benefits of them by breathing them in. The possibilities are endless with them and they are powerful. They have the ability to do thousands upon thousands of things in our bodies for our overall wellness. They can relieve headaches, help you breathe better, help with allergies, stave off colds, disinfect, help with arthritis and asthma, kill parasites, make you sleep better, detox you, reduce and eliminate tumors and I could literally go on and on. The best part is that they are 100% pure! Not all oils out there are pure. A lot of them have filler oils in them mixed with some essential oil. Those are not safe for your body. The ones we use are all safe enough to eat and safe enough for our skin. That being said though, you need to know how to use them because they are so powerful. Some of them have to be diluted a certain way before applying topically or used on kids. It is really like an art to use Essential Oils properly. However, we are learning so much about them and how to use them. It is so much fun. In fact, I just used them on my little one who was coming down with a sickness and he was better the next day! Please comment if you have any questions or would like to get some or find out more about them.

We use doTerra Essential Oils and swear by them. I highly recommend them. They can literally replace EVERYTHING in your medicine cabinet. Wow! One of them that we use often during sick season (as well as in our household cleaners is OnGuard. It is amazing. Not even MRSA can withstand this oil blend.

For now that sums up my post on changes we have made over the past year. It truly has taken time and please don't think any of this happened quickly. It has been worth it though because we have seen less sickness and better health overall due to these changes. Plus I feel good and not guilty about the products we use and what my kiddos are going to grow up with. If at all I can help it I don't want them to have to fight autoimmunity like I have had too.

Below you will find links to all my pinterest boards. I would love it if you followed me on Pinterest or became a follower on my blog. I know I have readers because my stats say so I just don't know who most of you are. Please feel free to say "Hi" in the comments!

Pinterest Boards:
Safe Cosmetics and Skincare
GAPS, Ai Paleo and Paleo
Fermented Foods
Clean, Whole Food Facts and Info
Canning With Honey
Healing with Herbs and Spices
Homemade Toiletries and Household Products
Safe Gluten Free/Paleo Whole Food Resources
Excellent Articles and sites on Thyroid Issues and Gut Health
Book I Want to Read
Essential Oil Info and Ideas

I pray you are able to make some changes this year to help yourself with better overall health! Remember it takes baby steps. None of this happens overnight.

~Blessings~

**Except for doTerra, I am not affiliated with any of these companies and do not make money for promoting any of these products. I just like them and use them.

One year since my rock bottom: GAPS update and a summary of my healing

Today marks 365 days since I was as sickest I had ever been in my life. This time last year I was not functioning at all. I was literally in bed (after my pointless visit to the ER that day), able to do nothing and almost without hope. My face was swollen beyond recognition, red, burning and itchy. My arms were covered in itchy, bloody scabs. I had lymph nodes popping out all over the place, some of which were the size of eggs. They were very tender and painful. I had been diagnosed with Mono (EBV Virus) and was also dealing with adrenal fatigue, low progesterone and the autoimmune condition I had had essentially untreated for six years - Hypothyroidism with Hashimotos. There were a lot more symptoms too. To see more of an extensive list you can scroll down to the blue card with bullet points of all my symptoms and diagnosis before GAPS. That list isn't exhaustive either.

I was reading through my GAPS posts and it brought back so many not so distant memories of where I was at and how I was feeling. It also made me grateful for where I am now just one year later. Praise God!

If you want to read about my journey click on the following links:

60 Days on the GAPS Diet: Reflections including a progress report
90 Day GAPS Summary: A piece to the puzzle (part one of three)
90 Day GAPS Summary: A piece to the puzzle (part two of three)
90 Day GAPS Summary: A piece to the puzzle (part three of three)

I found and implemented the GAPS diet about a week after I hit the bottom. I ended up having to stick with GAPS very strictly for 7 months. I had to stay on the intro (stage 1-2) GAPS for almost 3 months! Hard is an understatement. I kept searching the web and seeing people only on intro for a couple of weeks. My body was just not handling that. It was frustrating. I got through it though and have seen amazing healing. I have also learned SO much over the past year. I have probably learned more about our bodies, health and nutrition this past year than I have my entire life combined.

Since this post is a look forward, let me tell you where I am at now. I am grateful, in hindsight, that I only had to be on GAPS for 7 months. Some people have to do it for years. My goal was to finish out GAPS and transition to eating Paleo or AI (Autoimmune) Paleo. Within 7 months of GAPS I was able to start transitioning to eating more Paleo foods. I eat full Paleo now and weave in some GAPS basics like 24 hour fermented raw milk yogurt and bone broths everyday. I am able to tolerate more of a variety of foods and it is such a wonderful feeling. I went from being so sensitive to any foods and not being able to eat things like onions or garlic because of the sulphur content, antioxidants and detox affects to being able to bake with coconut flour and eat all vegetables - even sweet potatoes! It is truly glorious. That transition didn't happen overnight though. I still had to trial each food to make sure I didn't react. Sometimes I was more diligent than others about only doing one thing at a time so I could pinpoint where the reaction came from. That was one of the hardest parts though. Cheating was not really an option ever for me because it would cause such sever symptoms that would affect my entire family because I couldn't function again. I would feel like I was on my death bed again. I really didn't cheat. Now I do occasionally have too much honey or Paleo treats and regret that but my symptoms are nothing like they used to be.

Even though GAPS allows lentils, I still have never had those. They would be too hard on my digestion because I am still not fully healed. I also do not eat nuts. Through trial I realized that nuts were certainly a food that caused my immune system to attack itself. I would get cracked, bloody and itchy knuckles. I pray this is temporary because I do hope to enjoy some nut butter again someday. The Paleo Mom has a good article about nuts and the components that can be good and bad for autoimmune conditions. To read it click here. I can eat 24 fermented GAPS Raw Milk Yogurt and seem to tolerate that well. It is not something I can have everyday though or I start to get symptoms. Once in a while I have a piece of Raw Milk cheese but it doesn't sit well with me so it is not something that I would continue to eat. I have been able to have two small cups (total) of organic decaf coffee in the past two months. I use coconut milk and honey in it and it satisfies me. I would like to try a little ghee in it since having it with coffee is beneficial in certain ways.

Since I have been able to transition into full Paleo now it has been freeing. When I feel symptoms rising up a bit I get a bit more strict and eat the Autoimmune Protocol for Paleo and I still do not incorporate tapioca starch in my diet because of it's gut irritability. I do love to eat this way though. I feel satiated and healthy. I don't feel deprived at all. I did have to go back on intro GAPS for two weeks around the holidays. I thought I was going to be back in the same boat as last year at that time because some wacky symptoms were coming back but it turns out I was having a reaction to Cod Liver Oil after reintroducing it for four days. My body rejects it and I cannot have it. I have tried Blue Ice Fermented, Carlson and other brands and it doesn't work for me.

I am able to socialize and not feel left out with food now. I can have food to eat (that I bring) and I get to introduce people to new foods and ways of cooking. It is so much fun. I also get chances to indulge in Paleo treats that are nut free. There are so many wonderful recipes out there. Here is a link to my Pinterest Board for GAPS/ AI Paleo and Paleo. I will do a post sharing some other recipes in the future.

Quality, clean, whole food has literally saved my life. If you clicked on any of my "journey" links above you will know that food is only a piece to the puzzle BUT it is a very big piece.

Personal Suggestions for those looking into or starting GAPS: GAPS is a diet you have to be wholly committed to. You have to be determined to heal and have the willpower to stick it out often when it is unbearably hard. You have to be your own advocate and do your own research. First and foremost rely on God and His Power to heal you because he certainly can. He is bigger than our health issues. Be sure to form a support system of those that are knowledgeable in GAPS and will encourage you to stick with it, not cheat. God puts people in our lives for many reasons and he does not want us to be alone in the things we deal with. There are a lot of people out there going through the same thing and can relate. There is a lot of support on the net and I have many websites linked up at the right side under "GAPS/SCD and Grain Free websites." Check them out. In this endeavor you MUST be assertive NOT passive if you want to heal. The choices YOU make will either affect you positively or negatively. It is up to you.

This Friday I will have a post highlighting other things that have changed in our lives. We have literally revamped almost every area of our lives. From pots and pans to cleaners and even make-up. I will be sharing what I use and why we changed to certain products as well as all my pinterest boards with some very resourceful links.

Stay Tuned....

~Blessings~

Reflections

It is the last day of the year and it is inevitable that we take inventory of the year past. What worked and what didn't. What was hard and what was easy. What we learned and what we did or didn't accomplish. Then, usually, we make plans or goals for next year. This year, instead of sharing my goals and plans I am going to share with you my reflections of 2013. At the end of this post I am going to highlight four books that I read this year that were perspective changers for me.

Here are six words that describe my 2013~
Healing
Trust
Growth
Discipline
Determination
Grace

The following are things that in no way have I mastered. These are convictions, challenges, motivators and good things that have come from my past 365 days.

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Keeping a Thankfulness journal is therapeutic. There were so many days in 2013 that I woke up feeling awful. Feeling like I didn't want to get out of bed. Physically in pain not wanting to move. Depressed at my life's circumstances. Wanting to give up at times. Getting up and coming down to read my bible, do a devotional and write in my thankfulness journal almost always changed my perspective. There were always things to be thankful for. In fact, I live quite a blessed life in spite of autoimmunity and health problems. Those mornings it was challenging to make the choice to be thankful but when I did it forced me to think on the good things.
Philippians 4:8 says Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
There is a reason why God tells us to "Think on these things." They have power to change your mind and thoughts. I really recommend keeping a Thankfulness journal. Record a few thoughts or sentences each day of the things you are blessed by, what you are thankful for, or what you are grateful for. You can also record answered prayers which is a faith builder in and of itself!

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My family eats 100% different from the way we did at this time last year. What we eat (or don't) is radically different. This was not by choice, but in hindsight and presently I am grateful for the change. It has been a very long, hard journey (really that started almost three years ago) and there were many days when I didn't want to eat this so different. It can be inconvenient, time consuming, expensive, frustrating and require a lot of self-control. However, rewarding times in our life are never easy. They are always hard. We have seen major rewards from this change of eating an organic diet without grains, legumes, dairy, processed foods and refined sugar. I always eat full Paleo (and started on Intro Gaps early January) and my boys almost always eat Paleo and occasionally have Gluten free items (which include GF grains.) My husband eats Paleo except at various social times. The rewards have been major weight loss, lower blood pressure (in a family history of high blood pressure), great cholesterol labs, spinal inflammation in my husbands back is gone, healing in myself so that I can function daily with a above average energy level most days, & a lot less sicknesses from flu's and colds in our house. These things have made it all worth it. The rewards far outweigh the hardships and inconveniences.

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Daily time spent in God's word (The Bible) is vital to my life. This year I have developed a deep hunger and thirst for The Word and for God. I desire to know Him better, to learn from Him, to learn about Him, to trust in Him, to follow Him and to wait in Him and on Him. My desire has deepened - dark valleys do that. The valleys of the past 6 years have been dark, lonely (at times) and depressing but over time, through refinement by God, I desire to earnestly seek Him. I certainly fail still at times but my heart has started to become molded and crafted by His hands. This will take a lifetime and is painful but necessary. Through seeking Him daily, by spending uninterrupted time in His word and praying, I have deepened my relationship and understanding of my best friend- My Lord Jesus.

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I learned (once again) not to put anyone pedestal. Family, friends, celebrities, anyone that is a h.u.m.a.n. If we do this, we will always be let down. Always disappointed. We are human. Fallible humans. Not one is better than another. Acts 10:34 says God is not a respecter of persons. Status or worldly success or talents don't matter to Him. Galatians 3:28 says- There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. In other words, we are all equal in God's eyes. God created us equal and sees us that way so why should we hold up and create various "levels" for the human race?

It is not wrong to look up to someone or admire someone but know they are fallible and check your heart as to where you place them in your life. The only person infallible, trustworthy, worthy to be idolized and placed "above" is Jesus. Live for Him. Let Him be what motivates and guides you - not h.u.m.a.n.s.

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Don't miss relationship and special moments because of being sucked into a screen. Email, Facebook, blogs, pinterest, surfing the net and time spent with technology which is always ALL around us can be a HUGE distraction and opportunity killer. Balance must be found. Our families lives can fly by (unnoticed) while we are enveloped in technology. Relationship becomes void. Actual time spent is priceless and where relationships are built. Virtual time is so empty and ultimately SO lonely.

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Following mainstream societal ways can be a big detriment to our well being (in many ways, but I will be focusing on health here.) Following God's path as opposed to the worlds is what God calls us to do. That means we have to be different. Romans 12:2 says - And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

If I followed my full Western Medicine MD Doctor and her advice (or lack thereof) I would be dead this year. Literally. Either that, or I would be on ten different drugs that would be a mask to the cause of my health issues. These drugs would eventually give me other symptoms that if they didn't kill me then, they would later. A slow death. A life of unnecessary suffering. God did not make our bodies to be pumped full of daily drugs, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. God made our bodies to heal naturally with the good things He has created and given us. So how do we not "conform?" We ask God for direction. Just because it is easy to go to the doctor and get a pill doesn't mean it is the right thing to do. Just because we can call up a friend for advice and it is easy doesn' tmean that is what God wants us to follow. Ask God what His will is for your life, for your health? Ask Him in what direction you should go to feel better? He will make it clear. If I didn't do this I would never have found GAPS. This is what God used to get me on the path to life and vitality rather than a life of merely surviving and going from one ignorant, greedy doctor to the next all the while medical bills piling up higher and higher. (Sorry if you are a doctor but this is my personal experience.) I do have two doctors (who are investigative and functional medicine doctors) that I highly respect and do help out. Anyway, follow God's ways rather than what society or mainstream media or your friends say to do. Pray, Pray, Pray. God has the ultimate wisdom and knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows our past, present AND future. What better person is there to seek wisdom from? Please don't get me wrong here. I am not saying that since I use natural healing I am more holy or "better." I am merely saying don't just do something or follow a certain way because someone else is. Our actions in our lives should reflect the beauty of the Lord and His good and perfect will for our individual lives. Seek. HIM. Daily. That is what it means to be "different."

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Memorizing Scripture and storing it in our hearts (especially as parents raising children) is imperative. There are so many reasons that memorizing scripture is important. This is how the Holy Spirit can speak to us. Since the Word is truth we can speak truth to our children when needed like in times of discipline or encouragement. We can share the Truth with others. We can help bring unbelievers to the sweet Grace of God. (Hebrews 4:12) The Word is active, it is sharper than any double edged sword. It pierces our hearts. When we store up the scriptures in our hearts, it challenges, convicts, encourages us and give us hope. What if someday we don't have the luxury of having a bible? What verses will you have stored up in your heart?

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This last one is the deepest reflection of them all! Always, always, always have bacon and bacon grease on hand! They are the building blocks of life. They are joy. They are love. They are tasty. Bacon makes everything better!

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Here are four books that changed my perspective this year and I wholeheartedly recommend to you to read:

This book is written by a former shepherd named Phillip Keller. He has an amazing, eye-opening look at the relationship between a sheep an their shepherd and how it parallels our relationship with Christ (since we are His sheep.) He walks you through Psalm 23 in ways that I have never even understood or considered before. It is a small book and relatively quick read but there are many places you will want to stop and ponder and think on the the thoughts and insights he shares.

This book is written by Phillip Keller as well and is an even smaller book than the first. I literally read it in a few hours. Phillip talks about his relationship in training this wretched outcast of a dog to be an amazing sheepdog. He parallels the training and discipline Christ gives us in our lives and the refinement it brings as well as the discovery of what our true purpose is here on earth. When my oldest gets a little older it is a book we will be reading together. It truly helps the reader to see their relationship with Christ in a different light, through different glasses - through the lens of love.

We read this book by Sam Wellman together as a family this year. It was a life changer for me. I literally found myself thinking about Corrie's life and her faith for weeks and months after we finished reading the book. Corrie's faith in the worst possible conditions of World War II Nazi concentration camps is astounding. You will learn about her family growing up, her sister Betsy who is also an amazing hero of faith, and their victories and trials in their walk with the Lord. Once you have finished the book, I recommend watching the movie The Hiding Place. In the movie you actually get to see her in real life and hear her faithful words. Don't watch the movie first though! The book has way more detail. Corrie's understanding of the Lord will challenge you and at times bring you to your knees. Her endurance and courage are incredible. She is certainly someone to admire and glean from.

This last book by Pam Forster is really more of a devotional or a checklist. It is only about 20 pages long. It is meant to be a continual resource to come too and get back on track with the biblical and Godly way of parenting. There are six areas of focus: Love, Prayer, Instruction, Protection, Provision, and Example. In each section there is a bible verse describing the topic, and a checklist of questions followed by verses to evaluate how you are doing in this area of parenting.  I took a verse each day and read it in the Bible in context, journaled about it and wrote my thoughts and convictions on it. It was a very fruitful time. It is a book I have come back to time and time again for the gentle reminders through scripture of my calling and the Biblical guidance of "how-to" when it comes to my ministry as a parent.

I pray you have a blessed new year and that you might be able to think back on your year personally and reflect on the triumphs, valleys, victories and challenges that came along!  Cheers is too many more reflections to come for the next 365 days!

~Blessings~

I made new craft room curtains!

It has been so much fun to get back into sewing here and there again. I used to sew a lot. I am decent at making anything but clothes. I tried clothes and the dress I made was hideous and fit terribly. Not my thing. So I will stick with home decor and other items for now.

The material I showed you a couple of days ago here: "Time to create again!" has been transformed into one of my favorite home decor items yet. I made curtains for my craft room.

I am slowly getting my craft room in order and this was one big thing I needed to complete. I had to make these curtains with a liner because it gets cold here. The windows let in a lot of cold air and let the heat escape through them so liners help with that.

Here is what they look like...

They are so bright and cheery for the room and they have two of my favorite colors in them - blue and red!

The only thing I still want to do is sew button holes and three buttons on each outer edge so that when you open the curtains you can do it by buttoning the buttons in the holes.  I will do this instead of having ties or hooks.  That will probably get done in the next 9 months - Ha!

Here is a close up of the material. I just love it.  I am already starting to get some cute decorations to go with these curtains too! I bought a sign that is turquoise and says "It is well with my soul."  I also got a wire flower wall art that has teal flowers!  Sorry for all the exclamation points (one of my pet peeves) but I really am excited about the addition of these curtains. I actually went downstairs to the craft room the morning after I finished the curtains to just look at them.

Thanks for sharing in my excitement.

~Blessings~

Time to create again!

I am so excited to share with you my latest project. I bought this material in our local mountain town in May and intended to use it soon after that. Life happened and I am just now getting to my creation! Time flies and I cannot believe it has been almost seven months since I have had it.

I absolutely LOVE this material and the color combination and really love how the final project turned out. Stay tuned this Friday for the big reveal of what I did with these beauties.

~Blessings~