Merry Christmas 2012!

Merry Christmas EVERYONE! 

My Christmas blog is up on my photo blog! http://memorycatcherbykmc.blogspot.com/2012/12/merry-christmas-2012.html

Friends, Family, Food, and Fellowship

Okay, so almost a month ago I promised everyone I would post pictures from Thanksgiving Day. This is me finally getting around to it. :-) 

First off we have a set of pictures of what all we were doing. :-) 

 Natalie, and Shelby did a FANTASTIC job decorating the door! We wrap our door every year! I try and stay far away from this project as I tend to "ruin" things like this. 

                       

 A big round of applause goes to Seth, and Tim for putting up the outside lights! Thank you guys!

 It was so nice outside that the kiddos enjoyed sitting on a blanket and watching the guys work!

 Grandma enjoying those Grandbabies of hers. 

 Lindsay giving the guys a helping hand.

 Toria preparing food.

 Joanna helping with food prep.

Grandpa entertaining Maggie for us while keeping his foot elevated. 

 Tim, Joanna, and Leah enjoying playing cards later in the day.

I enjoyed watching others play this game. We used to play Castle Risk growing up with the Brown Boys... But it's been a long time since I even played that. I think I had only played Risk once before... So it was fun to just watch and get a feel for the game. 

Alrighty, time for FOOD! 

 Fruit Salad

 Red potatoes mashed with garlic, pepper, and some other seasonings. These were just for me. (We made real mashed potatoes with butter, heavy cream, and salt for everyone else)

 Carrot, raisin salad

 Wild/black rice

 Apple Pear salad

 Our nice table! 

My plate. I enjoyed the meal a lot. 

 Okay, this was one of the many things on the table I did NOT eat, but we smoked our cornish hens this year and they looked so pretty I had to share them with you! 

Then at the end of the day we all stood outside and admired the guys handywork. :-) 

Thanksgiving was so much fun and a huge blessing to see each other, spend time together, and relax. I was really low key that day as I felt pretty bad, but even that was a blessing, because then I didn't feel bad about everyone eating things I couldn't. Because I didn't really feel like eating anyways. See, blessings in disguise. 

That's the update on Thanksgiving. Now for how I am doing right now. 

Well, currently I am awake and blogging because I'm in a lot of pain and can't sleep. So I thought I would blog and ask for prayers. I haven't changed my diet, or done anything new that I can tell... The only two changes I can think of are I haven't been sleeping well, and the weather has been much colder. Neither of those things can I control. So for now, I am praying and taking each moment as it comes knowing God has a plan and He IS in control. Thank you so much for taking the time to check in with me and read the blog! 

Philippians 1:12-13

¹² But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, ¹³ so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; 

Endurance

I have been really busy since my last post. Photo sessions, quilting, and working at the Queen's Pantry.

 

 

This week I opened and closed at the Queen's Pantry while my friends, who own the shop, were in NYC!

 

 The paper pieced Christmas quilt I am making to go on the coffee table. I already made two log cabin table runners. One for the buffet in the dinning room and the other to go on the piano. :-) I'm very excited to decorate for Christmas this week!

 

Another thing I enjoyed was going to the Veteran's Day Parade here in Leavenworth, KS. We stood outside of the Queen's Pantry and enjoyed talking with people as we watched the parade! It was REALLY cold, but we survived! The cold did make my joint pain a lot worse so that will have to be something I take into consideration this winter and plan on not being outside much once it gets cold here.

 

 Two of my favorite things (now that watermelons aren't in season anymore) Unsalted Potato chips... No nutritional value... but not really bad for me either. It's a great snack when I get tired of eating "my way"

 

 

 My Brother -in-law took this picture the last time he was over. He grilled the vegetables to perfection! Thank you Seth! Grilled veggies just seem so much bettter to me than stir frying them. I'm not sure why, but I certainly enjoy them grilled a lot more.

 

 

 My favorite meal this last week:

Algerian Wedding Rice:

Brown Rice, sliced almonds, dried apricots, and pine nuts sauteed in a skillet on the stove with a tad bit of low sodiom vegetable broth. Than add a few dashes of Bragg's amino acids.

 I've eaten it three times this week :-)

 

A newfound discovery! Whole foods has Spicy Italian Quinoa Burgers that I can have! They are super spicy so it actually makes drinking my veggie juice easier which is a huge plus. Not something to eat every day, but a fun little treat on occasion.

 

How I am doing:

 

I've been really tired, and I've had headaches every day. Plus, my awful cold sores are back again. This Sunday my joints started throbbing and my back spasmed up on me. Now while this has not been fun to go through again, it is certainly a lot better than it used to be when I would have these set backs. I haven't had to spend any days in bed... In fact, I haven't had a nap in a week. Which might be part of the problem as I haven't been sleeping well at night either.  

 

God is good though, and I've had a lot to be thankful for this month! So much that I usually take for granted. So although it has been difficult, God is good, and is constantly helping me through as He strengthens me.

 

With these problems this last week I've decided to try and stick fairly closely to my diet over Thanksgiving instead of splurging. Hopefully I will remember to post pictures of our Thanksgiving for you. I'm looking forward to spending time with Seth and Lindsay and their kiddos! PLUS Tim, Nat, Logs, and Sabs!

 

 

Hebrews 12:1
   Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Great Report!

I know it has been a little while since I updated... I'm sorry, lots going on so here I will try and sum up what all has been going on health wise ups and downs. :-) 

Here is an up!

 This is an apple dessert that Toria made this week! SOOOOO YUMMY! It looks kind of gross in the picture, but I assure you it was VERY tasty! 

and here is a down...

 Okay, I just thought I didn't like cabbage rolls before the new diet changes... now I really don't like them. Other people in the family didn't mind them though, so perhaps it's just me. 

Another UP! 

 I found out that I am not only ALLOWED to drink Rooibos it is actually suggested that I drink it! 

The downside is that I can't put any sweetener of any kind in it. So in my eggnog Rooibos I've been putting a dash of Pomegranate Cranberry juice in it to sweeten it. It tasted really good. Kind of like a mulled spice drink. In my Lemon Souffle Rooibos I've been putting Pomegranate Blueberry juice. The Marzipan Rooibos I've found I can drink without any sweeteneer. All of my Rooibos I buy at The Queen's Panty Founding out I can drink my Rooibos now as the weather is turning colder has been SUCH a JOY! 

and the UPs keep coming!

 We finally have found a GREAT smoothie combination! This is becoming more important as the good fresh fruit is harder to come by. 

 Stir Fry was never something I enjoyed before... But I find I really like it now. So that is a huge blessing! 

A few weeks ago we had company over for dinner and I was so worried about serving someone what we were eating. We did the stir fry, and company was very gracious. I had been so sad that week that watermelon season was over when lo and behold what should our guest bring to dinner?! 

 WATERMELON! It was SOOO good too. I love it when God sends the little things in life to bless our lives! Such an encouragement! 

Irish White Bean Cabbage Stew! This was VERY good tonight! 

1 large onion chopped, 3 ribs celery chopped, 3 cloves garlic minced, 1/2 head cabbage chopped, 4 carrots sliced, 1 1/2 pounds potatoes cut in large dice, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 tsp caraway seeds, 1/2 tsp rosemary crushed, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

6-8 cups vegetable broth, 3 cups cooked great northern beans (2 cans, drained), 14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Place vegetables, seasonings, barley, and broth into a large stockpot. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, check seasonings, and add more herbs if necessary. Simmer uncovered for at least 15 minutes before serving. 

Okay now for the health update: 

Since my last update about the latest flare up I have really struggled with the fatigue, seeming to have a hard time getting back to where I was. A friend kindly sent me info on a B-12 (methylcobalamin). After reading up on it I decided it was something I should try. I ordered some and started taking it yesterday. Today I certainly felt better, but it is probably to soon to confirm whether it is the B-12 or not. We shall see as time goes by.

Now for the GREAT NEWS! I went to the Dr today and all my blood levels are in normal range (kidney, liver, and inflamation) for the first time. So this is a huge encouragement that the diet is indeed working! God is good, this is such a great blessing. I was starting to feel pretty discouraged this week with the low energy levels after everything I have done, but I know this process has taken some people 1-3 years of being on the diet, so it is very nice that I am seeing such good results already. So, I want to thank everyone who has been keeping track of how I am doing and has encouraged me and prayed for me. It has been so nice to have some support through family and friends. We still have a ways to go, but it's nice to see something positive. :-) 

1 Chronicles 16:36

New King James Version (NKJV)

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel

From everlasting to everlasting!^[a]

And all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord.

Am I resigned?

 Hello, I had a friend ask me last week if I was resigned to this eating style. They wanted to know if I enjoyed eating this way and if I was planning on this being what I eat for the rest of my life... I've had several people ask if I had gotten used to eating foods without salt and such. In the back of my mind I thought "I bet a lot of people are wondering this same thing!" So I'm addressing it here for all of you! :-) Do I enjoy eating this way now that I've been doing it for 3 months? No, not in the least! Even after 3 months food still tastes odd. Yes, there are some things we eat that I prefer over others, but generally there isn't much in the way of food that I truly LIKE to eat in the same way that I used to like chicken fried steak and gravy, biscuits, chili dogs, pancakes, PIZZA! Just to name a few. 

HOWEVER! This is what I feel God has called me to do so I try to focus on that and not dwell too much on what I can't have. I try not to think about this being a forever decision and try to just focus on the here and now. Right now my focus is trying to use the tools God has provided me with to the best of my abilities in order to be as healthy as I can be. My mom will certainly tell you that there are days where it is a real challenge to get me to eat anything at all. Those are the days I end of having to drink twice as much veggie juice to make up for "skipped" meals. ;-) So you would think I would learn not to skip my meals. (chuckling to myself) I am by far NOT PERFECT! 

 A new recipe for this last week was this spanish rice. It was a success. I love it when we find new recipes to add to our small list of favorites. :-) However, I'm not usually brave enough to experiment on finding new recipes. So I'm very grateful to my family who keeps trying to find "good" things for us to eat to change things up a bit. Even before this diet change when I would go out to eat I would tend to order the same thing every time I went to a restaurant. I tend to be very predictable this way. :-) 

Salad is still the main course for us at most meals. This fantastic salad I had while eating out with my Mom and Dad this last week. It was nice to be able to get such a good salad out, and it was nice to get time with Mom and Dad. 

 

Time for the big question! How am I doing? Well prior to this weekend things were looking fantastic. Usually my pain levels on a "good" day are around a 4 or 5. However, for the first time in  a long time they have been at 0 on my good days. and I had a few weeks of them there in a row. What a tremendous blessing! So yes, I have faith that everyone's prayers, and this new diet are actually helping. 

On the other hand, this weekend my body decided it was time to fall apart again. I had photo sessions scheduled on Saturday, but as you can see in the picture above.. our Saturday was horribly gloomy with high winds and tons of rain. So I rescheduled those sessions, which ended up being such a good thing for me as I ended up not doing the best that day, and then Sunday was pretty awful. Sunday was a day in bed and pain meds. However, it's days like that, that continue to make me so grateful for the fact God has been taking care of me and that He has been blessing me with so many good days lately. Because there was a while there where living in bed and on pain meds was a normal thing for me. So it was nice to have Sunday be simply a small detour. Yes, it has left me a little more sore still this week and my pain levels have pretty much stayed at a 5 since then, but I have hope that it will be getting better. :-) 

Just like the bad weather came and went, leaving us to enjoy the beauty of fall. 

Okay, I think that is all I had to share this time. Feel free to ask any questions you are curious about! 

Psalm 25:15

New King James Version (NKJV)

My eyes are ever toward the Lord,

For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.

Another week. :-)

Hello! Just wanted to update on life. :-) 

My sister, Victoria has had a rough time recovering from having her tonsils out. I ended up spending the night in the hospital with her earlier this week. I have been thanking God for His great blessing in the fact that I have felt so good. I have been able to help, and haven't had to worry about my health. It's been a HUGE relief and blessing to me. It has certainly encouraged me in the diet choices I've made. 

Quinoa Bean Salad

We tried this last night. I LOVED it! It actually tasted like "real" food. Something I probably would have liked even before making all these changes. :-) 

 Ingredients: 2 Cups Quinoa cooked in low sodium Vegetable broth, 1 1/2 C cooked white beans (or 1 can low sodium beans drained), 1 Cup grated carrots, 1 Cup currants, 1/2 C raw walnuts chopped, 2 plum tomatoes chopped, 1 small red onion thinly sliced, 1/2 green pepper chopped, 1/2 red pepper chopped, 1/2 orange or yellow pepper chopped, 3 cloves garlic minced, 1 Tbls chili powder (I only used 1 tsp.) 2 tsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos or low sodium soy sauce. 

Directions. Cook quinoa according to Pkg directions. Place all other ingredients in a large bowl and mix. Add cooked quinoa and toss together. Refrigerate overnight. 

 No, I still don't like oatmeal, but this morning it tasted pretty good. I think I might be a bit hungry after all the rushing around to the hospital this week. :-) 

Okay, I haven't liked bananas since I was much much younger... however this has become a new snack of mine. Salt free brown rice cake, cashew butter, and sliced bananas. It tends to be a filling, high calorie snack. :-) Leah loves this with raisins and cinnamon on it. 

How am I? I'm doing great! I'm a bit sore, and tired, but nothing compared to how I was feeling before. I'm functioning well above how I was functioning over the last year for sure. 

I'm happy to have my prednisone down to 10mg (hoping to go down more after my next Dr. visit) 

Down two pills of my Methotrexate

Yes, I've still lost a bunch of weight, but it seems to have stabilized and now that I'm feeling better perhaps I'll put some back on... if not perhaps I'm good where I am. :-) 

Praising God for His infinite Mercy and Grace! He has truly been faithful through all these challenges, and I know He will continue to be. Thank you for all the prayer support. I know I would not be doing this well without all of you praying for me. It means so much to hear that I was brought to mind and you prayed for me. God is so good! 

1 Peter 1:13

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹³ Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Did I survive Indy?!

 #1 question people have asked me about my trip "Did you survive?!" 

Yes! I did survive! It was a great week of conference! 8500 women gathering together to seek and praise the Lord! Even though I was busy photographing, I was still immensely blessed by being there. 

Mom, and us girls! 

 Friends from MD met up with us at the conference! Fun times! 

(photo taken by random stranger with my Mom's phone)

#2 Question people have been asking me about my trip is "What did you eat?" For meals I had salads because that was the easiest thing on my diet to find. 

 I carried around a bag of cashews with me all the time in my camera bag, just in case I needed something to eat. 

 Fruit! Here was some rasberries from our car ride. 

Blackberries from an Aldi store. 

Did I stay 100% on my diet... ummm no. One night (after the last conference) I ate lettuce wraps at P.F. Changs... it was incredibly good! I can't even begin to tell you... 

and then we found these veggie crisps that were pretty close to being on the diet. The only thing I couldn't have that was in them was a little bit of oil. So I enjoyed some of those during our car ride home. 

How did I fare healthwise? Well, I was in a lot of pain a few days, but nothing ever got bad enough that it hindered me from doing what I needed to do. I did a LOT of walking and a LOT of carrying gear around. WAY WAY more than I've done in such a long long time. I could feel peoples prayers for me. SO thank you! I never would have made it through on my own strength. God got me through the conference hour by hour. 

 The drive home... Mom and I were so tired... We kept having to change out drivers almost every hour trying to stay awake. It took a long time to get home because of all the stops we made. I also needed to walk around a little bit because my body was hurting pretty bad during the ride home. 

 We did finally make it to Home Sweet HOME! 

And my sweetheart, Archie, was sooooo EXCITED to see me! :-) I missed this guy!

So yes, I had a great trip, and God was extremely faithful and gave me exactly what I needed when I needed it to get me through! 

What am I doing now? Now, I'm back to not only being 100% faithful to my diet, but also trying to eat high nutrient foods, to build it back up in my system... Also back to drinking tons of veggie juice. :-) A huge thank you to those praying for me and checking up on me. It means a lot to me. I know I wouldn't have made it through the last couple weeks on my own strength. I'm feeling very blessed! 

Psalm 45:2

New King James Version (NKJV)

You are fairer than the sons of men;

Grace is poured upon Your lips;

Therefore God has blessed You forever.