"Patience, Iago, patience."

Waiting on God is easier said than done. I am a 'doer'. I like to get stuff done, so I can play. Our family is in the middle of a huge transition and I am in a situation where all I can really do is wait. The more I try to do, the more God seems to say, 'Wait'. It can be confusing and frustrating. But I believe, like all situations, there is a lesson for me to learn. 
I am grateful to God for prayer, friends to listen, give advice and help, and most of all for God's word.


Ps. 5:3 says, “In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” 


Ps. 27:14 tells me to, “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” 


Ps. 130:5 encourages me with these words: “I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.”

2 Chronicles 20:12

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹²O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."

Oh My Gosh! What is My Problem?

First of all, I want to thank all of you who have read any of my blogs. I am honored and flattered that anyone takes time out of their busy schedule to read my ramblings. So, it has been a month and a half since my last post and I am still battling the same issue of my weight, my organization and my 'carbon footprint'(whatever that is!) My plant is still alive, super proud of that! I am still 5 pounds down from the first of the year, but like David Spade says in Tommy Boy,'I can just hear you getting fatter.' Well, since I got back from Disneyland with my family, I can just feel me getting fatter! And, I am still trying to figure out how to get and stay organized. So, I found my password and started blogging again, 'cuz I realize that is really why I blog, to be funny(as often as possible) and to be held accountable somehow. I love finding out who reads this. It has been so encouraging to hear from friends all over the country who read it and have a chuckle. It makes me happy. Until next time...

Look What I Did This Afternoon...

A little craft project for my sweet daughter's room. Thanks Martha!

WHAT HAPPENED?!?

I'm not sure what happened, but it seems like I fell off the blogging map. I realized last night that I WANT to get back to it because I like it. It is therapeutic for me on some level and I can use all the therapy I can get.

So... today I went the 7th acupuncturist that I have ever seen in my life and boy was it a doozie! I have been getting acupuncture off and on for 10 years for a herniated L4-L5 disc. Well, being 42.5 years young, I am officially premenopausal, which means I am even MORE emotional(if you can believe that) and I get more and worse migraines. So, I go to see this guy and he sticks a needle in my eyelid, in the soft tender spot near the tear duct. I cried like a baby! I have NEVER, in all of my hundreds of treatments had a reaction like that. But he said that I had a "blockage". I was just thinking that that is why we don't stick needles in our eyes. Hopefully I am cured of premenopause. :)

I Am Back

Wow, what a crazy couple of weeks it has been. Ok, so I have been focusing on prayer this month and it has been great. I am reading a book about all the prayers of the Bible and have been loving it! So cool to see that in Genesis men just spoke to God, God just spoke to men. They walk with God. It wasn't this formal, forced thing. It wasn't a timed thing. It was a need thing, a relational thing. I love that. So, I scratched the pray for an hour a day deal and I am focusing on disconnecting from technology to be connected to God. A fast so to speak. Spending time with God before spending time on the computer, phone, Facebook etc. I have focused on listening to God first, stilling my heart, my mind and MY spirit, so I can better listen to HIS Spirit. I have been trying to be creative and dancing with God, holding hands with God, singing to God and laughing with God, crying with God. My best prayers, as of late, according to me, you'll have to ask Him if he feels the same have been me just asking over and over, "Please help me. Please help me."

On a continued note, I am eating better than I did a year ago, my plant is still alive and I am buying plants for Valentine gifts for my kids instead of chocolates this year. Pretty leaner and greener if you ask me.

Pray for Me!

OK, so I am feeling led to have month long focuses to help keep me on track for my pursuit of the disciplined life. The month of January was my detox, the month of February, I am feeling led to do prayer and March exercise. The thing about my prayer life is that it reflects my free undisciplined nature, 10 minutes here, 2 minutes there, a sentence here, a thought there, a request here, a thanks there. I do believe there is biblical backing for that 'style' of a prayer life. 1 Thessalonians 5:17
pray continually,

But I also believe the culture and climate that we are living in contributes to this distracted, disrupted mindset. With the technology of texting and social media, our communication is becoming short little bursts of thoughts and encouragements, etc.

So, I believe God put it on my heart to devote the month of February to prayer. And the first thing that came to my mind was to pray for an hour a day. Now, I don't know if I thought that because that is what my husband has been doing and he has been a great example and has been sharing about it. I don't know if I thought about that goal because that is what God wanted me to think. I don't know if I thought about that because it seems super challenging to me to pray an hour a day. It was one of those Ghostbusters moments, like, "Oh no, not the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man." So, I am praying about it.

I have identified that the reason praying for long periods of time for me is hard for me, is the boring factor. Again the repetitious discipline of anything is challenging to this Sanguine Person(ality). So, maybe a half hour of solid uninterrupted prayer combined with a half an hour "popcorn prayers" as I have heard them called. Either way, I am going to study out all the prayers of the Bible this month and books about prayer. The purpose of prayer, the power of prayer, passionate prayer, other 'p' words and prayer. :)

Anyhoo, I do believe the true key to my being 'Cleaner,Leaner,Greener without being Meaner' is this, my reliance on God for help with true, sustained change.

Pray for me...

You CAN Do It!

I am so encouraged when you write!! I am so encouraged to hear that anyone reads my ramblings and am even more encouraged to know that it encourages you! I pray that God will use it to glorify Him even if it is just to make someone smile. If I were to do the detox thing again, and I do think I will, it would be for a much shorter amount of time. There are great 3, 7 and 10 day detoxes that are healthy, beneficial and reasonable. There is a great phone app called diet2go that gives different detox options, shopping lists and menu plans. I will probably try to incorporate some kind of 3 day detox into my monthly routine as a good disciplinary practice. It is not easy, we are fighting genetics, our culture and our sinful nature, but we can make changes if we continue to pray, be open with someone we trust and that will encourage and challenge us and try.

My New Favorite Thing!

I like new things, until the next new thing comes along. My new favorite thing is the Livestrong website. It is my new favorite thing because I can keep a daily journal of what I eat, for FREE!!

It gives me a caloric goal according to how much weight I want to lose in a week. It also takes what I actually eat and breaks it down according to calories, fat, protein, and carbs and shows it on a pie chart. I love that!! I am a very visual person, so the pie chart and the calorie graph are very cool and helpful. It is super helpful as I lean back into a non detox diet.

I will say, the greatest thing so far about my detox experience is that I really take time to consider what I put in my mouth, when I put it there and why I put it there. I am noticing I am being much kinder to my body and really considering being good to it by what I eat. Yay me!

Detox Update

The first time I ever visited a whole foods store, I went in and walked around and took it all in. I just wanted to experience it without purchasing anything. It was beautiful. When I left I said to my self, 'I wish I could be like that'. Meaning, I wish I could be healthy, organic, a natural eater. My next thought was am I just wishing to be a fish when I am a lion? Or a chubby lioness?

Well, I think for me changes come in the little steps.

My detox has been hard but good, definitely not perfect. The wheels started coming off the bus when my husband was gone for a week on a business trip. It is hard for me to be disciplined, period, thus the resolution and blog. I learned extended extreme discipline is near impossible for me. I have not lost 20 pounds in 20 days like I had hoped(I tend to be optimistic or unrealistic depending how you look at things). I have not been cured of my chronic pain i.e. my fibromyalgia, tmj, pms, migraines, and chronic lower back pain. But I did prove to myself that I can go 24 days(Sunday is my last day) without red meat, soda, chips, fries, sugar, processed food, fried food, alcohol, anything worth eating, bread, etc. Which if you know me, is a miracle in it self. I do feel better, have lost some weight, have learned and experienced a lot of different things that I knew little to nothing about 24 days ago.

I have gained profound respect for my friends who are allergic to certain foods, especially those they love. It has been spiritually enlightening to think about the Israelites and the fact that they went from the abundance of Egypt to JUST manna and quail! I am a spoiled rotten American that thoroughly enjoys all the options. That is what I am battling at the heart level being content and grateful and not greedy no matter what is put before me. I do believe I have become a much more conscientious eater. It is January 26 and I am still focused on my New Years Resolution. Now that is something to celebrate!

Jack LaLanne dies at 96

So Jack LaLanne died yesterday. He lived to be 96 years old. That's great for him but I don't want to live that long! I really don't! I know it is all in God's hand, but the sooner the better as far as I am concerned. I have so many Christian friends, especially mothers, that literally gasp out loud when I share that fact. Like there is something non-maternal about me wanting to go to heaven and be with God as soon as He is willing to take me. They say,'Don't you want to see your kids get married', of course I do. Honestly, I love my life(most of the time) but all of the time I want to be with Jesus, deep down in my heart! I appreciate the impact Jack LaLanne made on this world, I have his juicer on my kitchen counter for pity sake. If I can make an eternal impact on just a fraction of the people he has, I will be eternally grateful. Here's to Jack!

Accidental Suicide

In my attempted to get healthier, I almost killed myself, on accident of course. So, I read somewhere that Fergie drinks Braggs apple cider vinegar to melt belly fat. Well, I want to melt belly fat. So it says on the Braggs bottle to take a table spoon of the vinegar before every meal. Being the obedient student that I am, I measure out a tablespoon of the murky, smelly liquid. I open my mouth and throw the juice down the hatch. Well, the stuff hit the thing that hangs down in the back of my throat and felt like battery acid hitting raw flesh. My throat immediately closed up and I began to choke and gasp and tear up. The sad thing was there was no one there to save me. I couldn't breathe and my poor little uvula(I just googled the name, look I'm no medical major) was searing with pain. No wonder Fergie has no belly fat, I'm surprised she can eat at all after choking that stuff down. I'm just saying'.

All Things Juicy

So, I bought a Jack Lalanne Juicer at Costco last week and used it for the first time this morning. Both my teenagers are sick and so I made them real apple juice with organic apples, which I also bought from Costco. So my daughter tastes the juice and she says, 'It tastes like an apple. No, like eating a real apple.' And I said,' I know, I know. That is what it is supposed to taste like, that is why I bought the juicer.'

Then I proceeded to make this 'Green Juice' I saw on a morning show from Kris Carr. She is a young woman who has gone from being a 'junk food junkie' to a 'green machine' to combat her cancer. The juice consisted of 5 organic kale leaves, that look and smell like the grass our cows would eat in the summer, when it is juiced. 4 organic celery stalks, 2 organic cucumbers, 1 inch of ginger, 1 green organic apple, and 2 organic stalks of broccoli.

It was not appealing to this beef feed, farm girl's palette.

But I choke it down because 'it is good for me'.

Last night I also made my first VEGAN meal, Chili with Quinoa.

Needless to say, I was the only one who ate it, but I actually really like it. I will make it again but probably with wagyu beef.

And this is where my dilemma comes in, I am a carnivore through and through. I come from a heritage of Tillamook Dairy Farmers and Wagyu Beef Ranchers. I was raised with a philosophy of, 'You only have so many heart beats, so you might as well enjoy them all'. I daily battle 42 years of eating, thinking and drinking while on this 28 day detox. 17 days down, 11 to go.

I Love My Team!

Who is on your team? Who is your support system? My immediate support system is my husband and my sister. My two teenagers are my cheerleaders! My husband and my sister are the ones who daily keep me grounded and sane as I waffle back and forth in my decision to be on a 28 day detox as opposed to a 3,7,10,14, or 21 day one. I am like a ping pong ball going back and forth but they speak the balanced truth to me about my decision and I am very grateful for their love, grace, wisdom, strength and conviction in my life! Go Team!

What Motivates You?

One of the greatest things about God, in my opinion is that He created us in His image and yet we are all different. Just sit and ponder that for 60 seconds...pretty amazing isn't it? At this moment on the World Population Clock(I didn't know there was such a thing until right now) the current population is...


               6,867,959,537


Plus the 6 billion souls that lived before now, that is AMAZING creativity. We are knit together so uniquely and yet God loves us so individually.  


So what motivates you? Praise or challenge? Encouragement or discipline? All of these or none of these? Me? I am a praise, encouragement and approval junkie. So, this morning when I got on the scale and saw that I had lost 6 pounds in two weeks of not eating and drinking the way I normally do, well, lets just say I was very motivated to continue my detox. I actually looked at vegan cookbooks at the bookstore and started to read about the continued benefits of eating wheat, dairy, meat and processed food free.  I began to count the cost of giving these things up long term. 


I don't want to get ahead of myself, which I tend to do, so one day at a time as they say.


We will see what happens when February 1st rolls around and I want to celebrate my 28 day detox with a number two, no onion, extra spread, cut in half with a coke to be eaten in my car. 

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” Frederick Douglass

I do not like struggle.  I like things easy and fun.   Half the time I am happy and half the time I struggle.  I believe life is filled with 50% struggles and 50% progress.  Last night our family and a couple friends watched the movie, Coach Carter.
A true story about a high school basketball coach that brings discipline to an undisciplined bunch of high school athletes.  His unconventional methods bring wins and good grades.  But, even with those great results, he is met with opposition.  So it is with life, life is not fair but it is still good!

Matthew 6:22-23 

   ²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eyes are unhealthy,your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!


I believe the battle is won in our heart and our mind.  It is determined on how we view things. Whether we see things as half empty or half full.


Change is hard, change is good, but change is not easy.

This is just my own personal pep talk for the struggles I am facing in my life right now.  Everyday I ask my self why I am doing what I am doing(the detox) Everyday it is a different answer depending on what else is going on in my life. I have yet to have a perfect day but I am still in the battle, still striving to do what I believe is best for this body at this time in my life. I trust that God will continue to lead me in the direction that He wants me to go.

My Dirty Little Secret

I am a very disorganized individual. I am a pile maker. I have learned over the years how to keep my house presentable but I can never seem to tame my office.  So I am "eating the elephant" so to speak, one bite at a time, while maintaining the clean that I achieve. Wish me luck!

The thing I am learning is that every little bit helps. I will never be perfect and I will never be able to do 100%, 100% of the time(nor do I want to for that matter). But, every scrap of paper, every pen, every book that is picked up and put away leads to an organized office. 

Getting Rid of Toxins

Getting rid of toxins is a painful, yet necessary process. When the body is in the process of healing, the unhealthiness has to come out before the body becomes completely well.  This takes time and can be very uncomfortable.  Normal side effects to a detox are headaches, flu like symptoms, and insomnia.  The best way to deal with these symptoms are continuing the detox, don't give up, stay the course. It may get worse before it gets better, just remember the pain is worth it in the end.  Your goal of a healthy body is worth the struggle.

Getting Back and Getting Back on Track

I realized this weekend that I am like Pigpen(from Snoopy) without the dust.  What I mean is that I am so disorganized as an individual that I always have piles of "stuff" that just follow me everywhere. I will get to that later...


I know I have been focusing a lot on the Leaner portion of my resolution and it is primarily because I am on day 8 of a 28 day detox.  So, being at a retreat I did not have as much control over my food choices.  That being said, I did surprisingly well.  I bent the detox both mornings by having a scrambled egg. Considering the enormous cinnamon roll, coffee, milk, etc., that I passed up, I reasoned that two eggs would not set my detox back too far.


I will say that I have been super charged in the energy department, which was a deficit in the sleep department for two nights.  It literally felt like I had electricity surging through my body. Almost like I was withdrawing from drugs.  I have read that the Standard American Diet(SAD) is like a drug to our brains, in the way they process it, like heroin.  So, it makes sense that giving up my drug of choice, In-n-out burgers, is having an effect on my body as I detox. I guess that is why I am subjecting my self to this torture, just kidding.  It has been a very beneficial process so far.

Spiritual Retreat

This is why I haven't published a post in the last couple days, I went on a Spiritual Retreat with about 30 friends to Lake Tahoe, Nevada. IT WAS AWESOME!! Love connecting with God through His creation and His people! 

Made a video, tried to upload it, almost lost my "Spiritual Retreatness" to my lack of technical know how. So just imagine about 10 more beautiful pictures with Acappella's  version of "His Righteousness". It is truly beautiful. If I can figure out how to upload the silly thing I will in the future. Enjoy.

SO...

So
So love
So love arugula
So love the way I feel AFTER working out
So LOVE the jacuzzi 
So LOVE the sauna
So LOVE GOD who created it all!
So don't love the cost of organic

Panera Please...

So I woke up this morning not wanting to do my detox. I had another headache and I am "PMSing" which means I don't feel good and want to eat something "BAD" for me. Something eggy, cheesy, and fatty; you get the picture. I wanted to go to Panera and have the artichoke souffle, a cup of coffee and a coke(even though they only have Pepsi, I make an exception because of the souffle) Well, I have cut out coffee, soda, eggs, dairy, and wheat, so that rules out Panera's artichoke souffle. Well, at least until February first.


So instead, I will treat myself to room temperature lemon water...

What I Do Daily During My 28 Day Detox

*Read my Bible
*Pray
*Drink 12oz of room temperature bottled water with the juice of one organic lemon squeezed in and a dash of cayenne pepper
*Drink 2 cups of detox tea
*Walk for at least 20 minutes
*Drink 64oz of H2O
*Take vitamins: 2 fish oil, B complex, Calcium with D3 and a multi
*Drink Green Juice
*Drink Red Juice
*Take at least 10 deep breaths
*Bought a house plant


What I DON'T DO:
*Eat Red Meat
*Eat Dairy
*Eat Wheat
*Eat Sugar(except for 1 dove dark chocolate)
*Eat Processed food
*Watch TV( except for Parenthood with Hubby)


I have to say, I am glad I am doing this for the discipline and the health benefits, but I get headaches every day around 3 and I wake up with one. I'm not sure if it is because I am still releasing toxins or that my body is just prone to them because of my TMJ and Fibromyalgia. But I am only on day 3 and I think I need to stay the course and give it time.

Black is the New Brown

For years I have heard about the nutritional properties of brown rice and how much better it is than white rice. The taste and texture of brown rice leaves something to be desired as far as I am concerned. I would eat it, at times, just because it was "good" for me. Well, there is a new rice in town and it is even better for us than BLUEBERRIES when it comes to antioxidant effects on our bodies, it is black rice. The great thing about it as far as I am concerned is that I really like the taste of it and so does my family, even my 14 year old son who tries to avoid healthy foods at all cost.
I made it last night with wild salmon and steamed organic broccoli. Talk about a plate of multi colored super foods! It has almost a sweet flavor and pleasant texture. Give it a try, I bought mine at Whole Foods and it was called "Forbidden Rice".  It use to be only for Emperors of China because of the health benefits and long life that it brought them. Luckily we live in an era that good health isn't reserved just for royalty!

 

Whole Foods Grocery Bag

Just in case you haven't read the side of a Whole Foods Grocery Bag, I thought I would share their Healthy Tips and wisdom: 


SALAD IS THE MAIN DISH, BUY A BLENDER, STRETCH YOUR BODY, FRUIT IS A DESSERT, STOCK UP ON HEALTHY OPTIONS, DRINK WATER, LEARN TO COOK,MAKE EVERY  BITE COUNT, MORE COLOR,MORE NUTRIENTS, EAT MORE KALE, YOU CAN'T BEAT BEETS, TRY NEW RECIPES, FRESH IS BEST, PACK A HEALTHY LUNCH, WHEN IN DOUBT, EAT A SPROUT, LOVE WHAT YOU EAT!


What this teaches me is there are lessons to learn everywhere, if you are looking...

Lemonade for breakfast

So this morning I woke up at 5:40, laid in bed and prayed. Got up at 6, drank 8 ounces of room temperature Alhambra water with the juice of one organic lemon squeezed in it, read some articles on the computer about the Holy Spirit. Got dressed, went for a 25 minute walk. Came home, rubbed my cold skin down with organic sesame seed oil and took a shower.


 I have been reflecting on why I have decided to write this blog. I think, first of all, it is public accountability that I need to achieve my goals. I tend to get really excited about an idea and within weeks, or even moments, I loose steam. Secondly, I hope that it will be entertaining to me and others. Thirdly, I hope to share my life in such a way that will inspire others to learn.


It has already taught me and inspired me, helped me and entertained me. So far, it is fulfilling its purpose in my life.

Turning over a new leaf... Part Deux

Genesis 1:12
The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

God clearly knows what He is doing! Having house plants are a good thing,

"The good news is that a classic NASA study found that common house plants could improve air quality. In fact, they reported that houseplants were able to remove up to 87 percent of air toxins in 24 hours. The recommendation? Use 15 to 18 "good-sized" house plants in 6- to 8-inch diameter containers for an 1,800 square-foot house." (www.sixwise.com)
So, I thought I would start with one.

The only problem with this new found plan, is that it is already attacking the "green" in my pocket. This beautiful plant set me back 23 bucks.  The lovely container was $13. The organic lemons for my hot water to detox my liver tomorrow morning were $3.99. The detox tea $3.98. Just sayin'.

 

Turning over a new leaf...

So here goes, my first blog. A internet journal of my year long journey to become Cleaner(more organized), Leaner(lose some lbs.), Greener(better to the planet) and not become Meaner(be kinder) through the process.
So today on the way home from church I will buy my first house plant. It will be my first because I have never owned one because of my propensity to kill plants by over watering and under watering. But the books I am using to guide my detox recommend a house plant for oxygen and beauty. I look forward to the challenge...