I haven't written for a long time. I guess the things I had going on were things I really didn't want to write about. So I sat silent.

Well, no more of that! I have been painting, and the past week I started up a studio where I can paint to my heart's content. I have decided to call it "Through My Own Eyes." I am taking commissions for pastel portraits (people and animals) and acrylic landscapes. I am really excited about it! If you want to take a look, I have a blog I started for my artwork at http://PortraitsByTracyRies.blogspot.com Feel free to visit! I also have a facebook page (Through My Own Eyes - Portraits by Tracy Ries) where I will be posting progress and news bits as I work.

As for me, I am VERY grateful 2013 is done. That was a tough one. We had some precious blessings, like the births of two of our grandchildren. They are precious to us, and we are so grateful to have them in our lives! We also have had the privilege of teaching the greatest preTeens on the planet, and they bring us both great joy and great challenge. Otherwise, we saw far too many intense medical crises and while we are so grateful to God for carrying us through, we are ready to get back to living.

So I stand, I look up to my Father in Heaven, and ask Him to take the lead through this year. Let me hear Your voice, Lord, and give me the strength and grace to follow wherever You lead. I want more of You!!!
Amen.

C25K

I have lost a tremendous amount of weight in this first 1.5 weeks of doing Weight Watchers, and that is because I had been carrying alot of water weight. Tonight is my first official weigh in at WW, and I will start using their measurements as my official weight.  It will also allow me to see how their scale's readings compare to mine here at home. My home scale says I have lost 15 pounds already. Now it should slow down, since I seriously believe that was just getting excess water weight off.

The following is what I wrote on my Weight Watchers blog today:

When I was a child, I was chunky, but I was strong and fast. I played soccer for years and loved almost every minute of it! I could run faster and kick the ball farther than most, and I was respected for it. I still got called names for being overweight, but never on a soccer field. I loved running, riding my bicycle and generally moving. May have had something to do with hyperactivity, but I won't really go there...

Fast forward 30-something years. I am still strong in some ways, but I am afraid physically is not one of them anymore. I still can't believe I allowed this to happen. Sure, I can blame it on something. Years of intense pain. Injuries from car accidents. Herniated discs. Fibromyalgia. Anemia. Insomnia. WHATEVER - I still allowed it to happen. I really want to turn around now, so my youngest child and I have taken on walking together. She is 10 years old and quite precious. She loves this time with me, and I love my time with her. We have been walking briskly for 30 minutes at a time, several times a week, for two weeks now, and we are going to work it up to an hour soon. I think this is the longest she has stuck with something like this. I desperately want to make walking in the outdoors a lifelong habit! We fully intend to lengthen the amount of time we spend walking as well.

Today we tried something new (to us.) I downloaded a Couch to 5K app to see if there was any way possible I could learn to run again. You see, all of this weight has changed me. My once-strong legs are not so muscular anymore. My knees and ankles have felt weak. Oh, and there's the quick breathlessness that a sedentary lifestyle endows upon you... I have been literally afraid to try to run! (Part of that is because of the herniated discs in my lower back, so I really do need to be very cautious...) The course today was simple. It would be a 30-minute session. The first 5 minutes are spent warming up by walking, then you start alternating periods of jogging and walking.


After the first full minute of jogging, I thought I was going to pass out. Then it suddenly occurred to me that I had finished that full minute when I had thought I wouldn't make it past 5 steps!!! I do believe the first hurdle has been overcome! My daughter stuck it out with me. We'd finish a 1-minute period of jogging and both say we didn't think we could possibly do another, but when the time came to start jogging again, we did it! We jogged every single time the command was given. VICTORY!!!!!

I have to be honest and admit that I wondered how utterly ridiculous I must have looked on many occasions. I have to admit that I probably could walk faster than I ran. I have to admit that is was so hard to keep going.

But I kept going.

Is it silly or stupid for a grown woman to rejoice because she jogged a total of one-half of a mile and walked another 1.6? I don't care if it is. I count it a personal victory and I celebrate it! I need to determine how often I am supposed to do this. I would love to get out and walk every day. I guess I will have to figure out how to accomplish this when it is 20 degrees outside, too. I hear it is supposed to actually get cold soon... Any tips appreciated!

Feeling Good

What a journey!

This week is starting off at a hefty pace. Yesterday was Stephen's MRI, so that meant we traveled. And traveled. And traveled... Stephen's doctors are at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC. We live about 90 miles away, so it can take us anywhere from 1 hour 45 minutes to 4 hours to get there. Yesterday it took 3 hours. The appointment was in the evening, so we had already had a busy day before we even left. We left just after 3PM, but due to crazy traffic issues, we got there a few minutes after the scan was supposed to have started. (I did call them on the way and let them know what was going on.) 

Scan days are hard on Stevie, because he HATES getting shots and IV lines. There is the traveling, which he usually sleeps through, but he also has to have an IV for the contrast administration during the scan. It has been so heartbreaking in the past to deal with this, knowing it is coming, trying to encourage him to not fight it. For the first time, he did REALLY well getting the IV started! This scan was unique in that they did his scan in a machine that had a really neat video system integrated into it, so he watched Pirates of the Caribbean while the scan was running. It is really important to stay perfectly still during this time, and this was the first time he succeeded! We got out of there at about 8:30 and got home around 11.

We will go back next week for follow up with his doctors. 

On a different topic, we started Weight Watchers here this week. It has filled us with excitement, and we are doing well. I have already lost 10 lb, and I think that is because of the sheer volume of water I have been drinking each day. It's really exciting!!! Jon has lost 11 lbs already. That's my baby!!! I will be attending meetings with Rachel on Monday evenings and we are all encouraging each other on this road. We have GOT to get healthier!!! I was excited tonight because my daily points allowance actually went down! WHOOT!!! It did remind me, though, that as I lose weight I need to be sure my thyroid meds are adjusted appropriately. I gained so much weight after surgery and treatment that I am sure I have not been getting enough lately. I have had signs saying so... But I hope to be back down to that weight in a few weeks and look forward to actually having the dose adjusted downward!

It's late. Jon is home, boys are back from Scouts, everybody is in a great mood. I think we are going to go sit together for a while. This is good. 

New Beginnings

²² 

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.

²³ 

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

²⁴ 

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,

“Therefore I hope in Him!”

-Lamentations 3:22-24, NKJV

Every day I thank God for new beginnings. Scripture says that God's mercies and compassions are "new every morning." How encouraging it is to know that the mistakes, shortcomings and disappointments of yesterday do not rule my today, nor do they necessarily predict my tomorrow! New beginnings are possible each day, and they are possible spiritually and physically. Today marks a wonderful new beginning for me!

Several years ago I had an encounter with God concerning my health. I was absolutely miserable... fibromyalgia and many other ailments had debilitated me. I was on so many medications... at one point the count was 14 concurrent meds! That was ridiculous, and needed to change. I went to God about it and He directed me to write down the events of the past year. I started writing, and as I went on it became clear that He had never left my side. He had carried me through the hardest times, led me around some traps, held my hand and fed me through His Word. He had been there, and was not the cause of my pain. He pointed out to me that He could continue to heal me over and over, but I was bringing myself back into sickness by the way I was eating. So after research and prayer, I decided to cut animal products completely out of my diet. 

How wonderful that change was! It was not as hard to do as I had imagine, and the results were amazing. My pain was completely gone after a very short time. I had more energy, my skin and hair were better, I lost some weight (not a whole lot, but any was a great help...) and I learned so much about how much priority I had given my appetite in my life. That was changing, and it was a good change. I lived the mostly-raw vegan lifestyle for three years, and for the most part it has served me very well.

This past year had a few challenges of its own... I discovered I had thyroid cancer, so I had it all removed. My mother's family has an unbelievable rate of thyroid disease and cancers... After the surgery I had the radioactive iodine treatment and have been taking thyroid replacement medication ever since. I know the cancer is dealt with. Right about the same time that I was going through that, though, it was determined that my son had a recurrence of cancer in his spinal cord. It was quite a whirlwind, so much happening at once. (Spoiler: the tumor has grown very slowly, and at this time Stephen has still not had to undergo new treatment for it. He will have his next MRI on Monday and if there is any new growth, they'll decide treatment at that time. They are talking surgery and radiation. I'll post the results when I know them. Our Faithful God has taken care of him this far, I trust Him completely with my son!) 

We have had to make so many trips into Washington, DC for Stevie's tests and to meet with radiation oncologists. Unfortunately, those trips in addition to the cost of my surgery and radiation treatment have made it nearly impossible for me to continue to eat a strictly vegan diet when no-one else in my family has any part of it. Since I could not afford to buy the quantity of vegetables, fruits, grains, seeds and nuts that I needed, I discovered I was starving myself in order to feed the rest of the family. I didn't even realize I was doing it... I didn't have enough for myself and was not going to eat what the rest of them were eating, so I just didn't eat much. My health began to suffer again. So, with a cautious heart I have put the veganness on hold for now. I am focusing on providing a single, "healthy" menu that will serve the whole family. 

The downside of this dietary change and thyroid changes are that I now weigh more than I ever have. So in an effort to make good changes and form great culinary and lifestyle habits, I have decided to go through Weight Watchers to help me relearn it all. My daughter, Rachel, is doing it with me, so I have an accountability partner in the process. My husband, son-in-law and children are all going to be making these changes and I have HOPE that good changes are coming.

The most difficult person to feed in this family is my son, Stephen, The chemotherapy he went through when he was 3 caused changes in his tastes, and the boy just refuses to eat anything that is good for him. I am praying that this will work for him. His diet will not be restricted, like mine will, but will present him with many more healthy options to the few things he likes to eat. (Read that as Oodles of Noodles, Oodles of Noodles, and, oh yeah! OODLES OF NOODLES.)

So here we are, starting on a journey together. When Stephen was rediagnosed with cancer earlier this year, I felt very impressed to journal this trip. I totally forgot about my blog (I guess that is obvious...) but I think this will be a great way to document both his healing and our family's dietary changes and improved health. I purpose to write, even if no one will ever read it. I purpose to change my eating and activity levels, even how food is brought into the house and stored! I purpose to give food, eating, and appetite in its proper place and teach good habits to my kids. I purpose to encourage my husband in his own effort to lose weight and regain his own health. So, here's to New Beginnings! I greet you with hope and love and great expectation!

Easter Play at Church

I won't waste our time writing about how much has happened since my last post... ~sigh~

There is much happening right now. Probably at the top of my list is the Easter play at our church. My daughter, Rachel, is directing the play and I am taking care of all of the background stuff... like the stage setting, props, costumes... I am not DOING it all myself, goodness, no! But I am trying to see to getting it done.

The backdrop will consist of 2 scenes. Each scene will be 24' wide. We are painting two 9'x12' cotton dropcloths for each scene, so there are 4 panels total. I have had help from several artists within the church already, and they are coming along beautifully! So far we have 2-1/2 panels done.

In order to make the tomb, my son-in-law, Patrick, built a wonderful frame out of 2x4's. He developed a fantastic hinge system to keep the pieces together, and we will cover them with chicken wire to frame the "rock", then papier mache it. We will also do this for 4 or 5 rocks that the women can sit upon to rest.

Still need to make a cross... I was thinking foam rubber. Since it is a children's play, we will not actually have Jesus up on it, so that makes the foam a viable option. I just have to figure a way to support it so the angels can dance around it...

Costumes are the typical period tunics, with a handful of Roman Soldiers thrown in for good measure :) My husband is helping me with the armament there...

So it's a big project, with a few weeks left. I am totally enjoying myself, and so glad to have the help of my brothers and sisters in the church!!! They are *amazing*! I am looking forward to a fantastic performance, with many coming to know Jesus as a result of it!!!

Halfway through November - ALREADY???

In my mind, time truly does have wings. There is no other explanation, except maybe the fact that we in this day and age tend to have far too many things on our itineraries...

On the knitting front - I finished my Dr. Who Scarf. (Season 12.) I took it to church and this fine TALL young man wore it around - totally perfect! Let me see if I can find the pic...

So the scarf came out great! Very happy. Now I'm working on a sweater for my mother. Of course, I got 8" into the cabling pattern and realized I had made a mistake 4" back. I finally settled on frogging it (rip-it, rip-it,) and when I took the needles out to begin ripping, I decided I needed to make it in a smaller size. So, I ripped it all out and started over. Kinda lost some momentum at that point, but I'm working on getting it back.

On the classroom front - Ugh. *Too*much*stuff* I still have too many books, so I'm going through them to see what we can live without, lol. It's so hard to let go of books!!! On the brighter side, though, I recovered all but one of the chair seats that go in there and they look fabulous!!! One of the seats was particularly difficult to get the old layers of fabric and plastic off of, though, and I ended up wearing a blister into the palm of my hand - right in the middle. OWIE! So the last chair will wait until tomorrow.

On the family front - Becki is coming to visit on Friday, and I am anxiously awaiting her arrival! It will be so wonderful to see my babygirl. I know Rachel is excited, too!!! She will stay through Thanksgiving, and I suspect there is Black Friday mayhem in store for us.

Have I ever mentioned that I *hate* to go shopping? I also *hate* crowds. Going Black Friday shopping is 100% sacrifice for me, but I will do it for them :) I won't have any money, though... Is that weird or what?!?!?! (Note to self: take your cell phone this time!)

On the church front - I have played the bass guitar during worship for the past few weeks, and it is coming back to me. Hallelujah!!! I totally LOVE doing this! I'm severely out of practice (it's been about 5 years since I played last) but it is coming back. YES!

On the home front - our new residence is feeling like HOME now. I do love this old house - I feel like it was made for us. I don't know how long we'll be able to stay here, as is true whenever you rent someone else's house, but I am quite happy here. Thank God for a new lease on life, and for giving me the opportunity to take my life back! Feels like healing to me...

Happy Anniversary to Meeeeeeee

My husband and I celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary on the 23rd of October. Childcare was not to be found, so we decided to take the kids on a daytrip down Skyline Drive in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We had a LOVELY day! I took photographs of the colorful fall leaves (my favorite thing about Skyline Drive, next to the bears.)

The color was amazing. Looking up, you could see the canopy of bright reds and yellows...

There were several places along the route that touched my heartstrings... park benches, unique tree groupings, plants... Jon and the kids worked on their orienteering skills and we had a picnic at Elkwallow Picnic Grounds. It was wonderful.

28 years. On one hand the time has flown by, but on the other, we sure have been through it! I am glad to have my honey and am looking forward to many, many more years together with him.

Thank You, God, for my husband and my family.

Still getting moved in

It is really taking a long time to get unpacked. I'm not enjoying this part anymore. I really only have one more room to unpack, but it's a really intense room: the classroom. It will double as the craft room on occasion, but its primary purpose is school. I am SO looking forward to having the kids back in a classroom setting rather than crashing in the living room... Unfortunately, the hardware for the table was misplaced during the move and I am gonna have to go rig it somehow. I'll figure it out; I always do.

I picked up a new raw foods book at Borders this weekend. It's Ani Phyo's (latest???) book and I *love* it. The book is downstairs and I am not. I don't remember the name of it, other than the fact that "Raw Foods" is in the title. Sheesh.

My van is in the shop and it needs serious work. Honestly I wish I could get a newer van, but that does not seem to be in the works for right now. Maybe it's time to talk to my Daddy about that...

Dr. Who Scarf

Thanks to Netflix instant stream, I have rediscovered the Doctor.

Thanks to my knitting friends, I am now knitting a copy of his scarf.

I am just over 1/3 of the way into it, and already it is over five feet long. I'm just over 5 feet tall (5'4") so you can just imagine how totally yummy this scarf is going to be when it's finished! It is 14" wide and wonderfully squishy. To top it off, it is a simple garter stitch, no thinking required. Nothing but pure kniting therapy.

Ahhhhhhh.

I'm lovin' it!

What a tremendous difference it has made restoring routine in our new home! Wow. The kids have settled down drastically.

Here are some of the things we worked over:

Chores: All of us have to work together to make and keep our home comfortable. I am asking the kids to take care of their own breakfast and lunch dishes - from counter to cupboard - and have split them into teams of two for dinner duties. We no longer have a dishwasher, so each night one kid will wash and one will dry/put away, while the other two clean up the dining room. Jon and I will obviously be helping out in both areas. We also agreed to split the living areas of the house into 4 zones, and right after school is done the kids will devote just 15 minutes each weekday to their zone for the day. On Saturday it will be 1 hour each for a thorough cleaning (although I doubt it will take that long in the zone.) They are all responsible for their own living space in their rooms, which they can tidy up in a few minutes before going to bed.

Play time: After the 15 minutes chore time is done, they can play indoors, outdoors, whatever. this includes computers and Wii, board games, etc.

Reading: mandatory 30 minutes per day, after dinner/before bed. We'll be working on rotating kids through showers during this time.

Laundry: we are continuing with assigned days for laundry :) Loving this! The kids all do great with their laundry.

Personal care: stepping up on this one. Some of the kids need reminding and prodding in this area, and we are hoping that having a set time for it will help.

There are other areas we discussed and are working on, but those are the biggies.

Another area of change is that the kids are now doing scouting. It turns out the boy scouts and cub scouts meet across the street in the Methodist church, so they can still go even if their dad isn't home from work. I like this alot! I sent a message to the girl scouts leader for Lydia but haven't heard back yet... We'll see about that.

Having a sense of routine has made so much difference in the kids' attitudes already. I am so grateful! I woke up the other morning, and the first thought that came to my mind was that the kids were missing the order we had finally established before we moved. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for that breath of inspiration. I may be really dense sometimes... Glad I heard this one!

Monday, Monday (dah dah, dah da dah dah)

It's raining this morning. Welcome, refreshing rain! Clear out the dust and the pollen and the stinkbugs, and let your gentle rhythm soothe the tensed up soul today.

I feel SO stupid sometimes. My kids have been driving me crazy since we've moved with all their fighting and strife. It only NOW hit me that - DUH - they need their days restructured. The classroom is still a horrid mess since I am not done unpacking (hard to do it all by yourself when it seems there is a house full of crazy people demanding your constant intervention.) So homeschool has been off-kilter. Time to set up the new regimen.

I really believe the kids will welcome this. I know I will.

What a Ride...

I've been on a really wild ride lately.

I am finally coming through!

I love it that darkness cannot abide the Light, and that God's thoughts and plans toward me are for a future and a hope. I really love that!

We have moved, after losing our home to foreclosure, and we are definitely in a new season. This has been severely humbling, and yet amazingly enlightening. I feel like ten thousand pounds of weight has been lifted off of me!

God has refreshed a vision in my heart, a dream of ministry. I had backed off from my dreams when my son had cancer, and when our precious little friend died, and when I was in so much pain for so long that I could barely move. When you back off of your dreams, they shrivel up and die. When I realized that I had let that happen, of course I wanted to shrivel up and die... but God has re-energized me. How can I possibly thank Him enough for that?

I have several dreams. Closest to my heart is to worship Him in song and bring others along for the ride... next is to begin a mentoring ministry within the Body of Christ. Teaching the younger women what just isn't being taught anymore: How to become intimate with God and build a successful home and family. I am finally stepping out in this, knowing full well that I am not the master of it all, but pulling together resources and starting on lesson plans. I am very excited about the potential here and look forward very much to seeing what God will do when I let go of myself and allow Him to work.

A Creating Mommy Is a Happy Mommy!

I don't get to pull out my loom as often as I would like. It is huge - over 4 feet wide and about 2 feet deep when it's folded up. It opens up to a depth of nearly 4 feet, and you add to that the space it takes for the weaver to sit on her bench while she weaves. My precious friend who blessed me with this loom said that she was tired of having it take up her livingroom. I can see why, but I don't mind. I'm grateful to have it!

My loom sits in my livingroom, too, so I can always be inspired to use it. I am always inspired, but it is not always possible to do anything with that inspiration. Fortunately, it doesn't seem to bother anyone else in the family to have the space taken up in this way. They love the things I make, and know beyond any shadow of a doubt that a creating mommy is a happy mommy!

Prepping the loom for weaving can be a daunting task if you are not totally in love with your craft (we all know how difficult tasks become so much more enjoyable when you love what you're doing!) The very first thing you must do is the math, calculating how much warp yarn you need -how many strands to cut and how long to cut them. The warp is the yarn that goes from fron to back in the loom, the stationary yarn. Knowing how long you want your finished piece(s) of fabric to be, you must calculate how much yarn to have ready for the weft (the yarn that you weave side to side through the warp.) Once your warp is measured, you need to string each piece of warp yarn through the beater's reed and individual heddles in the appropriate harnesses. The warp needs to be wound onto beams and kept at a consistent tension across the whole width. After all of that, which takes HOURS, you might be ready to start weaving.

My loom currently has a scarf and some placemats on it. (I haven't been able to weave in a few days, so it sits...) I figured I wanted to use the same yarn in pretty much the same configuration of colors for both projects, so I strung up the loom to do all of these pieces on the same warp. It saves yarn in the long run, and it definitely saves time, since I don't have to go through beaming the warp the second time.

Can you imagine cutting 160 pieces of yarn, each 9 yards long? I am so blessed to have a warping mill to make that task so much easier! You cut a piece of yarn the length that you need and wrap it around the mill however many times it takes and anchor each end of the yarn on posts. This creates sort of a trail to use to measure the remaining pieces, spinning the mill back and forth while wrapping rather than standing there measuring piece by piece. Thank GOD for warping mills!

The weaving is generally the easy part. You get into a rhythm, rocking back and forth with each shot of of the shuttle through the shed (the space between the raised warp yarns and the lower ones.) You watch your fabric grow, and in almost no time, you have a finished cloth.

The fabric shown in these photos is my current project. It is woven in a simple weave using a linen/rayon boucle. In this photo, the fabric is approximately 12 feet long. The warp is initially wound around the back beam, and as it is woven, the fabric is wound around the beam in the front. When it is finished, I will cut the warp strings approximately 2" from the edges of each of the placemats and 4" from the edges of the scarf, then tie them into a nice fringe. I have not decided whether the scarf will be worn or become a table/dresser runner. We will see!

I've Got Three Words For You:

Cherry. Banana. Smoothie.

Eat to Live

I found and tweaked new recipe:

I saw a casserole recipe on vegweb yesterday and loved the thought of the combination of flavors it could contain, so I made a soup along similar lines. This was the first time I have ever tasted or used dark miso (barley miso) and I absolutely loved it! It is a COOKED soup. It would not be too difficult to convert this to a raw recipe!

Let's see if I can remember how I did this:

vegetable broth

a couple tbsp dark miso

small amount of olive oil or grapeseed oil (I used olive this time)

1 onion (it was all I had! Next time I will use a couple of onions)

2 ribs celery

2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced

1 can organic red beans. drained and rinsed

about 1-1/2 cups raw cashews (these were halves.)

1 can petite cut tomatoes (I was out of fresh.)

Heat some water to boiling. Remove from heat, pour about 1 cup of it over the miso and stir gently until mixed well. Set aside.

Chop onion and celery; cook gently in olive oil until the onion begins to go transparent. Add crushed/minced garlic and heat, stirring, until onions and celery are tender. Stir in cashews, cook a couple of minutes. Add beans tomatoes and enough vegetable broth to make the soup (I used one quart this time. Next time I make MORE!) Cook over med heat until heated through.

Stir in miso and remove from heat. As I understand it, you don't want to boil miso.

This was amazingly delish! Jon said it was perfect :) Next time I will definitely add mushrooms and probably more garlic. I might also add some bell peppers and zucchini, some thyme... who knows! The kids really liked it, so I know they'll eat it when I make a larger batch.

I got some new toys:

I have new toys in my kitchen, thanks to our tax refund! They are used every day, and I feel they will pay for themselves in absolutely NO TIME whatsoever.

The first is a dehydrator. I got the Excalibur 9-tray dehydrator and I now feel like the opportunities for raw vegan deliciousness are totally unlimited! I have made sunflower seed burgers, nut loaf, eggplant and zucchini chips, dried apples, and KALE chips (which are out of this world!) so far. It would be very easy to keep it running 24x7. I am gearing up to make some raw bagels and some raw corn chips in it over the next few days. YES!!!

The second is a Blendtec blender. It is super-powerful; in fact, it is so powerful I was really afraid to use it at first. Oh, I love this machine! You can do so much with it, and it is much easier to use than I initially feared. I now use it every day, so I am creating a dedicated space for it on the counter. The kids have their own smoothie machine and cups, which they LOVE, but this thing outdoes it by far. I have no problem drinking green smoothies made with it, since there aren't leaf shreds left floating in it when the cycle is done. YES! It also seems to attack raspberry seeds with a vengeance, so I can throw berries in my drinks, too! I have always had a severe aversion to foods with bitty little seeds in it. My daughter loves my Blendtec blender so much she got one yesterday, too.

I guess I've gone on long enough... I guess this one's all about the eating. Maybe I'll dedicate the next one to knitting... or spinning... or weaving... or something crafty! Then again, maybe not...

Oh, and I am down 22 lbs now :)

I'm a new Me!

Feelin' Groovy, Baby!

I really need to get on here and write more often. So much happens every day, and even if no one ever reads it, it would be helpful for me to have a record for future reference.

Feelin' Groovy - Health

I * Feel * FANTASTIC!

I am so excited about how my body is responding to the raw vegan way of eating. Like, WOW!. I have been eating this way for 4 whole weeks now, which sounds like nothing, and in the grand scheme of things probably IS nothing. Still, in this 4 weeks I have not been hungry, nor have I been weak or in any pain (other than when I bump into things!) I have had no cravings other than for particular vegetables or fruits, which I find amazing. I am drinking much less coffee, although I haven't given it up completely. I am not missing the meat at all!

To top it all off with a sweet avocado and grape whipped "cream," I have lost 14 pounds so far. I am totally thrilled!!!

I had the most wonderful wraps for lunch today and want to make sure I don't forget about this combination:

• whole grain tortilla (raw is best)
• romaine lettuce leaf
• zucchini strips
• fresh guacamole (avocado, lemon juice, garlic sea salt, cilantro was all I had in it today)
• alfalfa sprouts
• tomatillo style taco sauce

Layer the ingredients in the romaine lettuce leaf and roll up in the tortilla for a totally DELISH treat! I ate two of them and Danny had one. YUM!

Another super yummy treat recently was "stir-fried" brussels sprouts. Yes, I know, they were cooked, but I can treat myself to some cooked foods once in a while. (I am aiming for 85% raw foods in my diet.) I used a green pan and carmelized some onions, added in the brussels sprouts, garlic, Tamari soy sauce, fresh ginger root, and a few drops of sesame oil, once the sprouts were crisp-tender. YES! A definite keeper. Even Jon loved them! He has referred to brussels sprouts as "elephant boogers" for as long as I've known him. Score!

Feelin' groovy - Textiles

I got my hands on some linen/rayon blend yarn (approximately dk gauge, but it is actually much lighter. This will have a lovely drape to it.) I got a tremendously fabulous deal on these cones and they are calling out to me, "Weave, Baby! Weave!" I think I will break out the loom this week and weave up a nice wrap (or two or five...) I will take some photos of the yarn and upload them into this post later. I also have a hankering to build a triangle loom and make a shawl. That will be fun!

I am still loving my spinning wheel. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to make yarn and fabric in so many ways! I don't remember the exact words, unfortunately, but I saw a quote by President George Washington on a placard at Mount Vernon that described the vitality of textiles and textile artisans within a country. A group of people who cannot make their own clothing must rely on other groups of peoples and will never be truly free. Now, I know that some folks would use this as an argument for national nudity, but we all know that would be the end of this civilization, wouldn't it! Anyway, I pray we don't forget the importance of textile skills!

I have really been thinking so much lately about the Scripture in Titus that says that older women should mentor the younger... I would love to put that into action. I wonder if there would be ANYONE who would be interested in learning? Apathy and an attitude of just depending on everyone else to give you what you think you deserve seems to be the reigning attitude of the times... I'd love to mentor young women - Not just the textiles, but cooking, relationship building, child-rearing, housecleaning (as soon as someone teaches me!!!) gardening, decorating, etc... God, can You use me in this area? I'm not old, but I'm oldER... I love to teach, I love to make, I love You... Let me know if this is what You have for me.

Feelin' groovy - Music

Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE to worship God in song? Of course, I have! It is one of the greatest joys of my life! This house was far too silent for far too long, so the kids and I are putting an end to that! We've been turning the keyboard on each day now and I am starting to teach them how to play. Lydia and Stephen are learning keyboards, Danny is learning guitar, and I'm not sure what Zack is going to do. I've offered to teach him the bass guitar - or whatever he wants. Maybe viola? He strikes me more as a bass player. I don't think he strikes himself as a player of anything musical, yet, so I'll wait on him. Too bad I don't have a sax! I bet he'd really dig that! (Plus I'd have to learn how to play it to teach him! :D How's that for an angle!)

Feelin' groovy - Wrappin' it up...

Life is good. I am the healed, and it is SO WONDERFUL to finally be walking in the manifestation of that healing! I love taking walks each day with the kids. I love eating fresh fruits, veggies, grains and nuts and seeds... Lovely stuff! I love having music back in the house on a daily basis - thank You, LORD for that! I am rejoicing, because God's word of Victory in my life is being fulfilled on a daily basis now! I really do want to do a better job of documenting this, so I will try to write more often. I just have a feeling that if I do, it will become more of a recipe book than anything else, lol! That's okay, isn't it? Sure!

Lovin' life, feelin' groovy...

The times, they are a'different...

Greetings from someone who is feeling FANTASTIC! I have been doing very well ever since "meeting with God" while writing my New Years Eve blog post. Awesome stuff!

On the HEALTH front:

Who'd a thunk it! My husband and I have gone vegan. Yep, you read it right - vegan. Truthfully, my husband eats vegan at home and whatever he wants during the day at work, but his at-work eating has improved drastically!!! I, however, have dived in, face-first. I have not only cut out everything that came from something that either had a face or a mother, but most of what I am eating is raw.

What? Did you say that it sounds terribly BORING? Salads, day in and day out? Ah, not so! If you know me, you know I love to cook. Okay, it's mostly "Prepare Food" now. I am not about to get bored. There is so much I can do, and I am stoked. I am also juicing several times a day. My favorite blend so far is carrot, broccoli and apple. Totally delish!

The best thing I am going to do is get better!!! I truly believe that this will be my answer to kicking fibromyalgia and arthritis and depression and high blood pressure to the curb. You heard me - OUTTA THERE!

The sites I am visiting most so far are:

• http://www.hacres.com (Hallelujah Acres)
• http://vegweb.com
• http://goneraw.com

These are great sites which are all building up databases of vegan recipes. They are also inspiration for me to create recipes of my own to share. That will happen soon enough!

On the KNITTING front:

I've been a busy little beaver with my knitting and spinning. What a blast! I just finished knitting an Olympic Reindeer Hat. The pattern was on Ravelry (must get the link and post it here - oops). Here's a pic:

The hat took me just a few days. Thank God for that Fair Isle class I took last year!

I now have a favorite designer! :) Tabitha's Heart considers herself a novice designer, but she has come up with some of the most beautiful designs I've had the privelege to knit. I also get to test knit for her once in a while, which is totally bonus! Of late she has been designing items inspired by the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I recently finished her pattern, "Aragorn Scarf," which I made for Patrick. I am working on another one for Jon. Here's a pic of it blocked:

You can see the beautiful pattern moving up the length of the scarf. Totally gorgeous. I am in the process of knitting what started out as a mystery knit-along (KAL) and has now been revealed as a Sargassum Scarf, patterned after some seaweed. (Told you she is talented...) Here's what I have so far, although I must admit I think I will frog it and start over with some more appropriate yarn:

It's the first time I've done any knitting with beads, and I am enjoying it!

There is a new sock book out, and the beautiful thing is that it is a book on CD - computer CD - called "50 Socks for 50 States." It has patterns of socks for each of the 50 states, plus Canada, Mexico, and US Territories. I recently finished a pair of "Two Season Boot Socks" (the sock for Michigan.) I wear them all the time and have started a second pair. Not a great pic, but here they are: (One day I will learn to use SOLID colored yarn for patterns with any motif in them...)

Last, but not least, did I mention here that I got a new spinning wheel? I got my settlement from my car accident, and what didn't go to my recovery went to paying bills and buying me this AMAZING spinning wheel. I haven't named her yet... any suggestions? She's a Mach II by SpinOlution. Love, love, love! Here she is:

and this is some of the yarn I've spun with her:

I passed my old wheel on to a precious friend, and she is spinning away! Now THAT woman spins some *beautiful* yarn!

So that's it for now! Blessings!!!

Write It on the Wall

I am beyond thrilled to be able to attend church more regularly now. I have to give God the glory for taking my pain away New Year's Eve!

Pastor Carlton has been preaching about changing our attitudes: developing a WINNING attitude. As I was writing my 'year in review' blog post, I sensed God telling me that this is going to be a year of Victory- I think I even wrote that in there! I love it when He tells me something that He is telling others at the same time. The confirmation is SO uplifting!

Okay - back to the sermon this past Sunday. It was awesome, as it usually is. I thought I would record the parts of it that really jumped out at me here so that I can find it readily for review.

First and foremost, the best way to change for the better is to spend time with God. Dwelling in His presence changes me! He renews my mind, through his Word and His Spirit.

Pastor talked about Caleb (Numbers 13 and 14, and Joshua 1,) and how he had a RIGHT attitude, a WINNING attitude. He saw the giants just like everyone else, but he also saw the milk and honey, so to speak - the amazing land and produce. He knew that with God, they could take the land. Forty years later, when Israel finally entered Canaan, Caleb spotted the land he wanted for his family and took it. He had a winning attitude! Caleb had a can-do attitude!

When God looks at me, He sees every potential He created me to fulfill. He sees Himself in me. In order for me to walk in that potential, to fulfill the purpose He has for me, I need to listen to and obey the Holy Spirit, and meditate on the Word day and night.

What vision has God given to me? How many of His visions have I let go of simply because I don't remember them, or don't set out to walk in them? What am I believing God for in my own life and that of my family? Pastor's message was this: WRITE THE VISION! Write it on the walls!!! Keep the Word in front of your eyes. Then it is up to you to go in and possess the land. You will make your way prosperous, you will have good success! (Joshua 1)

Here are the six steps to success:

1) Have goals. What are you asking God for? What has He told you He has for you or wants you to do?

2) Write them down!!! Put them in the open where you an see them regularly - keep them in front of you. Write the vision!

3) Spell out a plan of action. Include a timetable! Set cumulative goals... this week, this month, this year... Your plan will, if you use any wisdom, dictate your choices.

4) Surround yourself with the right people. Successful, wise - bigger than you! Then, be teachable.

5) List the benefits and rewards that you will get as you press forward. In 1 Cor 16:9, Paul said that a great door [of opportunity] was open, but that there would inevitably be many adversaries. Have a Caleb spirit!

6) Talk about it! Praise God for it!

The whole goal-setting and planning aspect of success has been absent in my life. THIS is something I will change. Thanks, Pastor, for this amazing insight!

Home Cookin'

I love it when I have dinner ready for my honey when he gets home from work, and even better, so does he. No matter how hard a day he has had, the smell always cheers him up, and he heaps praises on me for the rest of the night. What a great way to end a day!

Lookin' back....

I make a point of not writing about bad things, bad times, bad attitudes. Those are easy enough to remember without having a permanent written record. This year has been...

Okay, so in order to leave any kind of review of my year I will have to write some things I wouldn't normally write. I feel it is important, for my own sake, to do so - this time. I am extremely grateful, though, that there were at least a few events of this year that have totally blessed my socks off! While this year has been truly horrible in so many ways, between physical pain, depression, and certain individuals who have sought to try to destroy our family, it has had some sweet moments. I think for my own healing I need to reflect on this year, including its horrors - partly to move beyond it, and partly to NEVER allow it to happen again.

I came into this year wounded from a car accident that I had just before the previous Thanksgiving. Yes, Lord, I thank You that You guarded my life in that accident! I don't really understand why the pain, but we do rise above when we have to, right? Right. I began physical therapy in January. My spine was twisted, I had ribs severely out of place, my neck was locked up and still had the after-effects of whiplash. I could barely walk. I found out I had scoliosis. Fibromyalgia was making things worse, and for the first time in my life, it began to affect my upper back and neck. All this because a man who wasn't licensed to drive and had had few drinks was driving a company van, and decided to drive across my side of the road even though I was there. It was awful. I thank God for my physical therapist, Rachel. She worked and worked and worked for 8 months this year to get me beyond the effects of that accident, and taught me much about how to care for my back.

One of the most precious events of this year was the birth of my granddaughter, Isabella Rose, in March. She is truly precious to me and makes me so happy. What a great girl she is! Very quick to learn, very agile, very happy. Truly a precious baby! I believe she is a gift, and I do cherish her, and I thank her precious mommy for letting me have so much time with her. She is good for my soul! :)

One of the horrors of this year has been an inability to get out to church. I think I have only been able to make it about 7 times and that is devastating. Now if you really know me, you know that I believe God is my Healer, my Strong Tower, my Refuge. My trust - and my HOPE - is entirely in Him. Still, something happens when you can't fellowship with His people... it's like you have to work harder and harder to remind yourself of His promises. Then you begin to doubt yourself and your ability to shine with His light and love. You get lonely, even though you are never alone, and it is horrible. You become convinced that everyone else thinks you have turned your back on Him, and when you feel like you are clinging to His neck with every ounce of strength you have, it cuts you to the core. Very few people call to see how you are anymore, and those who actually do call tend to say things like "you don't have to be sick, you know..." Yes, I know! I know, I know... I am the healed! I am the whole! Body, catch up with this Truth! Truth trumps facts!

The fact was that I was hurting and growing more tired and that is an awful place to be. I still had to run to others' rescue on a nearly regular basis, yet I found no rescue of my own. I guess you can tell I sunk pretty low.

Then something new came up, something exciting, something creative, something fun. My daughter has a photography business and she and I began to work together to photograph weddings. I had helped with a few weddings last year, but this year I became an integral part of the company. I cannot tell you how very much I LOVE it! I feel useful, and even though it can be exhausting, it is so rewarding. We have photographed some of the most beautiful weddings you can imagine. How refreshing to have this outlet! My sweet friend Yvette also sat as a model for me so I could learn how to work with Rachel's fancy camera. That was so much fun! I have a vision for down the road to run Naturally Captured Photography for Rachel, doing portraits, weddings, whatever! THAT will be FUN!

I spent much of the year knitting. It's one of those things that I can do to distract myself from whatever else is going on. I got so depressed because of the constant pain and my inability to get to church... Knitting truly helped me get past that! I have been truly blessed to make friends through the knitting experience. There is a local group of knitters whom I had the distinct pleasure of meeting through a website called Ravelry. They are such unique and wonderful women, and I loved the few opportunities I've had over the past year to get to meet and know them. There are also a couple of women in particular whom God has used to brighten my life significantly. I am so grateful! I call us "Evil Triplets." We are totally NOT evil, of course, but we sure do all think alike and enjoy similar things. It is so odd to forge friendships through the void of internet... You have to be so careful! I know, though, that these girls are a Godsend. And I thank Him for them!

In July, just as I was finally able to start using my TENS unit less (electrical pulses that help block pain signals) I had a huge setback. I went to pick up a cup of coffee off of the table and blew out two discs in my lower back. The pain was down both of my legs and was excruciating. Again. I had my physical therapist begin to concentrate on that instead of my upper back. I was sent to a pain center and took a series of shots in my back that were supposed to help the pain go away. After all these months I am glad to say that the pain has decreased a good deal, although I still feel it every day. I am looking forward to complete relief in that area!

In October I was in another car accident (not driving this time.) I ended up breaking several ribs. We were on our way to photograph a wedding when it happened, and I could not bear to ruin the bride's special day, so rather than go straight to the hospital, we went and took care of the wedding first. That was a unique experience! I praise God that my ribs have pretty much healed up.

I need to brag on my grown daughters for a minute. I am so proud of them both - they are amazing young women! Rebecca is the worship pastor in a church in Cincinnati, and she is the creative director at a Christian radio station up there. I am often stunned at how much she does, and how well she does it! God's hand is strong on her, and it is beautiful. Rachel, who had a baby and found it absolutely necessary to have to leave her husband this year, has continued to do very well in school. She has been accepted into the pre-med program at Shenandoah University and will be starting there in about 2 weeks. She is studying to become either a physician's assistant or a doctor, and I know she will succeed at either one. I am so proud of her!

I do have to say that Thanksgiving, my second favorite holiday of the year, was so nice. We had a peaceful day, I didn't go super-crazy cooking like I usually do (although it was still amazing!) We enjoyed each other's company so much. I loved that! Also, Christmas, my absolute favorite holiday, was wonderful. This is the very first year in a very long time that we were able to buy gifts for our children.I know, it's not about gifts, it's about the Giver of Life. We honor Him at Christmas before all else! It was still nice to be able to get the kids gifts. Also, we had a terrific two-foot snow storm that week, so our Christmas was white! We haven't had that in many, many years! It brought everyone in this house a great amount of joy!

There have been some very serious heartbreaks and betrayals this year that I cannot write about because they involve other people and their bad decisions, attitudes and actions. I can't bring myself to spread other folks' business, or gripe about their evil deeds in writing or in public... We'll just leave it that this year has not just been hard for me, but hard for all of us. Still, deep inside us we are convinced that God is greater - bigger - stronger - more loving... Nothing can take that from us!

I need to mention one other thing. I have the most wonderful children, like EVER. Oh yeah, they have their typical rotten moments (don't we all,) but I stand amazed at how dear they are, and how much (and how often!) they show me that they really love me. A game, a smile, a song, a picture they drew, a surprise breakfast in bed, a joke, a cleaned up room... these are some of the precious ways they try to cheer me up, and it works. Some of my favorite memories of this past year of horror have been those times that my kids have spontaneously come up to me and laid hands on me and prayed for my healing or for my heart to feel better.

I wish I had done a better job of blogging this year! It truly is easier to remember the negative stuff. I know there have been positive things, but I am still somewhat overwhelmed by all of the physical pain of this year that i am having a hard time pulling the good report together. That is so disheartening! Although, Rachel just stopped by, and I asked her to help me remember the good times of this year, and she drew as much of a blank as I have. It has been a horrible year for us.

*BUT*

We are determined that we are victorious (because Jesus causes us to walk in TRIUMPH according to His Word!!!) and that 2010 is going to be a whole lot different! How can we say that??? Here's how:

1. Ask, Believe, and you shall receive

2. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God - I bought myself a new Bible, since my dog decided that my old one made a better bed than book, and I am digging into it! My Bible says that I am more than a conqueror, I am FRIEND of God, I am healed, whole, prosperous, inspired by Him! It says that when praisers have led the way into battle, the battle was won! I AM A PRAISER! It says that when you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, you have all that you need! It says a whole lot more, and I believe it.

3. New beginnings. Each new day is a new beginning.

So, 2009 - you stunk. Royally. I'm glad to see you go away! 2010, I have high hopes for you. By the grace of God, you will be awesome!!! And, Lord, I know You will never, ever leave my side. I love You with all of me!