Food and Resolutions

I have stopped and started this post a couple of times now.  First it was going to be just a Happy New Year post.  Then it was going to be a post reflecting on the passage of time.  But what I REALLY want to talk about is food.  

And a little about Resolutions. 

I usually don't make "New Year's Resolutions". I figure if I can't make a change in June I'm not going to make it in January either.  I'm either committed to making a change or I am not.  I either have a compelling reason to make a change or I do not.  Just knowing that making the change (whatever it might be) is or would be good for me doesn't convince me to follow through with it.  I have to have decided deep down in my mind and will that it needs to be made.

I think I'm there.

I have a lot of things not functioning properly in my body and for the first time I'm going to get really specific right here in writing.  

#1 - I have recently come to understand that the chronic condition I have struggled with since I was 8 years old is an auto-immune disease.  That is psoriasis.  NO ONE, EVER, suggested that diet could help. NO.ONE. In my recent reading I have learned that people with auto-immune conditions should avoid nuts, nightshades, eggs and dairy.

 

Huh. 

Have I ever mentioned my favorite sandwich is fresh tomato and cheese slathered with mayonnaise?

#2 - and on that note...about a year ago I learned that I have non-celiac gluten intolerance. 

Yeah.

Scratch the favorite sandwich off the list.

#3 - Since last December, when I had surgery on my nose, I have been struggling mightily with fatigue issues.  It was finally determined that due to the anesthesia and subsequent use of pain killers that my adrenal function was...well...not functioning. In other words I simply do not produce an adequate amount of cortisol to function optimally.

#4 - I also, while technically in the "normal" range on lab tests, have a low functioning thyroid.

Yeah...that will make you tired too...and fat.

#5 - and let's just top it all off with a little IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). 

I take vitamin B supplements, probiotics, natural thyroid medication, vitamin D, 5-HTP, Milk Thistle,  iron and Beta-Carotene.  I've known for awhile that what I really need to address is my diet.  And so I have been reading and implementing little changes here and there.  

I've read about the GAPS diet.  

Very briefly it is very restrictive but has been shown to be a way of healing the gut.

I'm just not mentally ready to go there...or I'm not quite desperate enough yet.  Though I probably should be.

I've done the "Candida Diet" in the past.  Because that is something I struggle with too. 

I just bought The 21 Day Sugar Detox book and recipe book.  

This is definitely a direction I want to head but I'm not ready yet. 

So.

So what is it I am going to do? 

Yep that's the question I have been asking myself.  

Because I'm not the only one in the family that needs to address gut and dietary issues.

Well, at this point, a Paleo path looks do-able.  I can eliminate most of the foods I need to and still eat tasty, healthy food in satisfying quantities. And I can prepare food the rest of my family will enjoy.

Because if there is one thing I have learned in the past it is that cooking two separate ways for every meal is daunting and discouraging.

And then there is coffee. 

I love the comfort of it in the morning.  I love sharing it with a friend or loved one.  

I love to think of it as my treat and the end of a big grocery shopping trip.

But.

But I also like to load it with creamy sweetness.

So it ends up being two drugs rolled into one....sugar and caffeine.

Two drugs I need to get out of my life.

So pray for me if you think of it.  This is a struggle that I am going to be working on this year to not be struggling with.  

My "resolution" is to get healthy this year.

Food and Grace

I have had a post rattling around in the back of my mind for several days now.

It has to do with food, food sensitivities and grace.

In the last year I have been struggling with finding food I can eat without feeling horrible afterward.  I have found myself declining perfectly scrumptious looking food offered to me by people who have lovingly prepared it for my enjoyment.  I have struggled at the food court in the mall figuring out what I might be able to put in my mouth without repercussions the next day.  I've stood, mildly embarrassed, in line at Subway while they prepared my gluten free sandwich.  (It requires that they change plastic gloves, get out special knives and toast the gluten free bread. All while someone behind me waits a little longer than usual to order their sandwich.)

I have stood in my own kitchen, 

hungry, 

trying to decide what to eat that will not only be good for me but satisfy me. 

It's a challenge.

And I write all this, not to complain but to give you a picture of what it's like inside the body of someone who struggles with food in this way. 

I have not always had these kinds of dietary difficulties.  I used to eat just like everyone else.  I ate fresh baked bread (I miss that A.LOT.), enjoyed cheesy macaroni casseroles and had two hard boiled eggs every morning for breakfast.  

I'm not saying it was always the most healthful eating but at least I could eat without feeling sick afterward. 

Then about six or seven years ago after having a treatment of antibiotics for a sinus infection, I had to treat a candida overgrowth in my gut.  I adhered to a strict meat and veggie diet for about two months.  I eschewed coffee, milk, sugar, breads, cheeses, pickles and mushrooms for two entire months!

I felt so much better and actually returned, slowly, to regular eating with ease.  

Then we went to Africa.  

And it wasn't anything I ate in Africa that changed things.  No.  It was the six weeks of being on anti-malarial drugs and the powerful antibiotic I had to take when we returned home that did me in.

(And the reason I had to take the antibiotic was because of some bug caught on our 18 hour flight from Africa to the U.S.)

My gut was a wreck.

My gut still is a wreck. Maybe not as a big a wreck, but a wreck nonetheless.

I could go into all the gory details for you but I don't think you really want to know.

So what am I hoping to accomplish in writing this post for all three of you who will read it?

I supposes I am laying out a blanket apology for refusing your wonderful looking and smelling food.

A lot of people these days are going gluten free to help them lose weight.  While that is a great by product of being gluten free, it is not my reason. 

Some people are dairy free for the same reason, instead using soy, almond, rice or one of the amazing variety of "milks" on the grocery shelf. 

Again that is not my reason...I would love to drink some of the delicious raw milk we purchase every week from our local dairy farmer, but my intestines rebel.

And then there are eggs. 

 We have six lovely biddies.  

They faithfully produce eggs for us on a daily basis.  I can sort of handle the eggs if they are baked into a gluten free something.  I cannot handle them by themselves.

I should tell you that I am not allergic to any of these foods.  I simply have sensitivities to these foods that warrant avoidance.  And I have found that when I do eat them I usually end up feeling pretty awful for a few days afterward.

"Now..."

you may be asking, 

"Why is she telling me all this?"

Well, you know, it's that time of year.

Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream

Apple Pie ala Mode

Turkey with Bread Stuffing

Buttery Dinner Rolls

Cookies

.....and the list goes on and on.  

I will be saying no a lot. 

And I am asking that you please not be offended.  

It's not your wonderful food.  

It's my lousy gut.

Be assured I am doing things and eating healing foods that may allow me to one day enjoy these foods again.  And I look forward to that greatly.

And I am learning....learning about graciousness.  

Learning about extending grace to others who seem to have odd or picky tastes.

Learning about extending grace to those who get frustrated with me because I seem picky.

Learning that God is close to me always.

Learning to lean on Him.

Learning to draw my strength from Him.

And learning that there are others who have walked the path before me.

Learning to listen and learn from their experiences.

And trusting...

Trusting that He will work all things out for my good and His glory.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

~Romans 8:28

  

Sooooo long.

Not as in good-bye...

But Soooooo long as in...

It's been Soooooo long since I blogged last.  

Why????

Well (sigh) I've been a little busy.  

Busy raising children.

I admire people who can write right through the raising part.  I seem to need time to reflect.

Reflect on where we have been....

What has happened...

What have I learned in this busy season?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

Lean not on your understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will direct your paths.

~Proverbs 3:5-6

When things are uncertain...

Trust.

When people are lost...

Trust.

When the day is dark...

Trust.

When hard choices need to be made...

Trust.

When I have no control...

Trust.

When I don't understand...

Trust.

When I am tired and wrung out...

Trust.

Trust Him.

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, 

I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

~Isaiah 41:10

Selah

I continue to muddle along. 

After I had Sweetpea there was a feeling of renewal; of starting over. 

I thought perhaps after bringing home Bouncy I might have a similar feeling. 

Instead I feel overwhelmed pretty much on a daily basis.  I can't keep up with everything...at least not to my own satisfaction. 

I would like very much to be like the newest feline member of our family, Rosie, (that's her above) and be able to chase a bit of fluff and feel absolutely content.

I keep reading things about finding my joy and strength in Jesus Christ by keeping myself utterly focused on Him.  I get it.  I've had times in my life when I've done that.  I have verses hidden in my heart to help me with that.

You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You.

 Because his mind is stayed on You.

Isaiah 26:3

Be still and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.

Psalm 46:10

I am trying to do that now.  But (you knew the 'but' was coming right?), I am having a hard time. 

I'm exhausted for one thing...constant intense parenting will do that to you.  And when you adopt...you sign on for constant intense parenting.  And not just your adopted child.  Our bio kids need extra parenting too. 

If I weren't able to remind myself that this is all God's plan.  If He had not blessed me recently with seeing what the adoption road looks like nine months down the road I think I would huddle in my bathtub in a puddle of tears. 

I am so grateful that He has allowed me to see what things look like as time goes on.

I am so grateful for promises like this.

The LORD of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Selah

Psalm 46:11

Selah

Snow

This is what we really need around here. 

Snow.

Since we have been home from Afric@ we have had one day of precipitation. 

Rain, that is.

And according to friends that was all the rain that has rained since the end of October.

It's getting a little dry.

So.....

We are praying for rain and snow. 

I really wouldn't mind a little snow for the kids to play in.

  And we would all like to do some snowshoeing this year.

So let is snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Wishes

Needlework

This is what I wish I was doing.  I wish I could ignore all the dusting, vacuuming, laundry, dusting and cooking.  I wish I could just sit by the fire and embroider or crochet or practice knitting.  I also wouldn't mind doing some sewing.  I want to hibernate...by myself.

I love my family and I really would not want to go a day without them.  I just wish I had a housekeeper to do all the stuff I don't want to do.  All the stuff I feel like I need to do BEFORE I can sit down and do the stuff I want to do. 

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{sigh}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Back to reality with the broom, duster and vacuum.

Where Have I Been?

A view from our veranda.

Where have I been?  I finally return to blogging, blog twice and then disappear again!

Well, I've been on the other side of the planet...literally, I've been on the other side of the planet. 

On October 28th my husband and I boarded a British Airways flight and began a 10,000 mile journey to Ug@nda, Afric@.  Twenty-eight hours later we landed and began a 6 week odyssey to obtain legal guardianship of our third child, a little girl.  She is officially eight years old and I will call her Bouncy here in my blog. 

Right now I am not ready to delve into a lot of the details of our trip.  It really does take a while to process all that I've seen and experienced.  We were in a totally different world from our everyday world.  We were challenged in ways we had never been challenged before.  We grew in ways we never knew we could or would.  And now we have a precious little girl that has joined our family.  And we are being challenged in all kinds of new ways!

As time goes on I hope to share some of what we experienced and some of the things God is teaching us in this new world of adoption.  Truly I never thought it would be something that we would do but God had other plans.  Adoption is what He does everyday with each of us and now He is letting us in on that, and showing us His heart.

Well, I really am here today just to check in.  I hope and pray each of you are enjoying your Christmas and looking forward to the New Year ahead!

Ordinariness

~The true test of a person's spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exiting happening.  ~Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Ordinariness is where life is lived. It is the day to day of life. It is the getting up each morning, doing one's loving duty and the sweetness of the evening with those we love. 

There are always events in life in which one's character is revealed.  We (I) often think that it's the big events of life that test our (my) character, but I think maybe not always.  Might it be that the true testing is in the day to day of life?  In the ordinary times?

An event, good or bad, may be the beginning of a time of trial and testing, but I think that it's not the event that is the test.

Paul says in Romans 5:3-5, "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance, character; and character, hope.  Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

In my own walk with the Lord it has been the day to day of life after an "event" where I am tested.  Can I still get up in the morning?  Can I still make the bed?  Can I still do the laundry, the dishes, prepare meals, teach my children, love my husband, clean the bathroom, vacuum the floor, do the grocery shopping, teach my children and love my husband?

It is in the ordinariness of life that I lean on Jesus because I have learned that in my own strength I can not carry on.  In the ordinariness of life I learn that God is to be trusted and that His burden is light.  In the ordinariness of life I learn to walk with God. 

And in the ordinariness of life God transforms me (Romans 12:2).

Oswald Chambers says in My Utmost for His Highest (October 12th),  [God] has different ways of doing things, and we have to be trained and disciplined in His ways.   It was said of Jesus - "He will not fail nor be discouraged..." (Isaiah 42:4) because He never worked from His own individual standpoint, but always worked from the standpoint of His Father.  And we must learn to do the same.  Spiritual truth is learned through the atmosphere that surrounds us, not through intellectual reasoning.  It is God's Spirit that changes the atmosphere of our way of looking at things, and then things begin to be possible which before were impossible."

It is in the day to day things of life that God begins and continues to work in me through His Holy Spirit, changing the atmosphere of my heart and mind, renewing and transforming me.  Changing my "me" centeredness to Him centeredness.  Changing my dependence on myself to dependence on Him, ultimately leading me to hope in Him, joy in spite of circumstances and a peace that passes understanding.

Hello Again

After a long time away from blogging I have decided to give it a try again. Before I began though I did some hard thinking about what kind of atmosphere I wanted to create here at Walking Faithfully.

I decided I want it to be a warm, loving and encouraging place to come to. I don't want to spend a lot of time on analyzing or discussing the state of affairs in the world, unless, of course, it is in the course of bringing encouragement and glorifying God. There are plenty of blogs out there that do that sort of thing and do it in a much better way than I ever can. I tend to just get up on a soap box and rant. That is not very warm, loving or encouraging.

Like any place one has been away from for awhile a little dusting and sweeping are required in order to get things liveable again. That's what I've been doing here today. I uploaded a new background and header (which were fun to find and make!) and deleted some old posts that were not in keeping with my new direction in blogging.

I also don't intend to spend a lot of time on the blogging thing. I mainly want to write. I have been in dire need of a creative outlet. At my current season in life I don't really have the time or energy to drag out sewing projects, crocheting projects or any other project for that matter. Blogging is one of those things I can do that does not create a mess or take up space that I will need later so that we can have dinner at the table.

I am also still homeschooling our two children. Legoman, our 15 soon to be 16 year old son, is now in high school and keeping up with his education is a bit of a challenge for me. I also probably worry a little about how well we are doing in covering all the bases for him, yet at the same time I know we will get there and have a sense of accomplishment for a job well done.

Sweetpea, our 10 year old, is an amazing joy! She genuinely loves to learn. She doesn't always love the tasks it may involve but she loves learning! She especially loves her science. We are currently doing Apologia's Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology. Today she made a model of her blood using Karo Syrup, Red Hots, sprinkles and one white Jelly Belly. Our little two year old friend came over today, saw the canning jar full of sugary goodness(?) and wanted to eat it. All I could say to him was, "Yucky!"

'Cuz I'm sure it is...yucky I mean.

We also have some amazing and wonderful things coming up for our family that I hope to share in the not to distant future. For now though they will have to remain a mystery to you dear reader. But if you do think of me and feel led I would surely appreciate your prayers on our family's behalf.

So that is my "hello again". I hope you will come and visit again. Please comment and let me know you stopped by!

Blessings!

"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the indertance; for you serve the Lord Christ." ~Colossians 3:23-24

Happy Trails

Well, in case you hadn't noticed...I've more or less quit writing this blog. I've found in the last couple of months that I really don't have any desire to write here. I don't have a lot I want to say. And, as evidenced by my last entry, it's not particularly edifying (in the way I would like it to be).

You see, at this season in my life there are people that require a lot of concentrated attention. Most particularly my children. We homeschool them and blogging is a distraction for me in concentrating on their schooling and on their over all upbringing. Raising them is the most important thing I will do in my life. I don't want to screw it up. Getting distracted by blogging or really anything that averts my attention from them....well for me, that would be a screw up. Truth be told...I'm easily distracted, and it requires extra-ordinary discipline on my part to stay focused on what is really important. For me, in the grand scheme of things, blogging isn't all that important. It's not what God has called me to do.

I'm going to leave this blog up for now. I may perhaps come by every now and then and post something.

One thing I do want to do before I disappear into cyberspace is to say thank you to all the really wonderful gals who have commented here. I would venture to name you all but, even though there are not a lot of you, there are enough that I would feel badly if I missed anyone. And while I'm not going to be writing a blog anymore I imagine I will still be reading them occasionally. And I'll likely comment.

So blessings to you all and thank you for coming by and visiting me!

Happy New Year and The Holiday Travel Hangover

Hello everyone!

I'm back...and boy what a Christmas and New Year's we had. We traveled....a. lot. I think that it's quite possible that if we had driven in a strait line we would have driven at least halfway across the United States. Yes...that's how much traveling we did.

And we never left that state we live in...now that's not really saying much as we do live in one of the larger states in the Union. But it did make us decide this was the absolutely last year we are doing this.

Traveling, I mean.

We've been married for eighteen years and for those eighteen years we have lived at least five hours and more away from our immediate families. And for eighteen years we have packed ourselves and our gifts up and traveled to see family.

Now don't get me wrong. We love our family. But friends...I would dearly love to stay home for Christmas. Home. The place where I live. Because after eighteen years home isn't where I or my husband grew up.

I could get all sentimental right now about never being able to go home again, or about home being where the heart is, or home being where my husband and kids are. But this is not a Hallmark moment I'm having. I just don't want to travel that much during the holidays anymore.

And sleep in a variety of beds.

And eat at weird hours.

And eat rich food (which tastes really good but doesn't always settle well).

And go to bed too late.

And get up too early.

Because at forty-three...the recovery time is...errr...shall we say a lot slower than it was at twenty-five.

But having said all that we did have a wonderful time with our families, and were blessed in a myriad of ways, not just with presents. I hope to write a little more about that in the next couple of days...I'm still just letting my thoughts and feelings about our Christmas gel a little before I write about them. God showed me some really neat things this year and I'm still thinking on them and processing them in my heart and mind.

So anyway...Hello again! It's good to be back and I hope everyone of you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's Day!

I Think I'm Going On Hiatus

Well, as we count down to the big holiday, and Husband, kiddos and I prepare to make our visits to family, I think I am going take a little bloggy break.

I may jump once or twice in the next two weeks to say, "Hi!" if I get the chance.

I hope and pray that you all have a wonderful and blessed Christmas and New Year!

Merry Christmas!!!

Bon Bons and My Lightbulb Moment

So I've gotten my first batch of Bon Bons dipped and ready to go. Unfortunately I think I'm going to have to do another batch. They are the only thing I'm making this year....however, it just occured to me that I could do a batch of fudge in order to supplement goody gifts and that would be a whole lot easier than making another batch of Bon Bons. Yeah, I think I'll do that.

ANYWAY...as I was saying I just finished dipping my Bon Bons and I had some melted chocolate leftover. I hate to let chocolate go to waste(...that's a mortal sin isn't it?) and I was contemplating what to do with it when I had a light bulb experience.

BING!!!

Dip some marshmallows and plop them down on some graham crackers. Wala! S'mores! And happy children and husband. I drizzled some of the last bits of chocolate over the whole thing. They were absolutely yummy!

So if you have some leftover melted chocolate and some marshmallows and graham crackers hanging around...well these take next to no time to make and they make you look like a gourmet extraordinair.

Oh and by the by...if you are feeling ambitious here is my Coconut Bon Bon recipe! Enjoy!

Coconut Bon Bons

1 large bag of Angel Flake Coconut
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 - 2lb. bag of powdered sugar
1 Cup of margarine
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 Cups of chocolate chips ( I use Nestle Semi-Sweet)
1/3 cube of kitchen parafin (The kind used for sealing jelly sometimes. It can usually be found where canning supplies are in your grocery store.)

In a large mixer, cream together milk and margarine. Add vanilla and coconut. Now slowly add powdered sugar (This can be tedious and messy, I frequently end up mixing in the last of the powdered sugar by hand.) When thoroughly mixed together, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.

The next day cover some cookie sheets with wax or parchment paper. Form coconut mixture into small walnut sized balls and place on cookie sheets. When finished filling a cookie sheet cover and put back into the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours.

Next comes the dipping. In a double boiler put chocolate chips and parafin. Heat until melted. Prepare surface next to stove top by laying foil or wax paper down. (I use foil.) Now it's time to dip the coconut balls. Plop them gently in the melted chocolate one at a time and use a dinner fork to lift them out and put them on your prepared surface. Allow the bon bons to cool and firm up for several hours. When they are firm, enjoy! Give to your friends to enjoy because this recipe makes about 120 of them!

Lots of Linky Love

The Lemonade Award

Which recognizes blogs that reveal great attitude and/or gratitude.

I want to thank Robin at Be Still and Know... for honoring me with this little blog award. Robin showed up at my blog last spring on a post for which I received a couple of really ugly comments (that was before I reviewed my comments). She offered me encouragement and consolation and renewed my faith in the blog reading public. And now she's gone and made me blush!

Now, the directions with this award are that I go on and honor some more great blogs that show great attitude and/or gratitude. But like Robin and Skoots1mom before her I'm not going to do the full count. However, here are a few blogs that fit the bill for me.

All Things Bright and Beautiful

Lynn had me when I first saw the name of her blog. She is a faithful wife and mum who writes honestly and openly about her life in England. I love going and finding out what lovely thing she is up to each day.

Red Wellies, Rainbows and Cinnamon Whirls

Tina is a bright ray of sunshine right out of Scottish moors (you do have moors in Scotland, right?). She just went through a kitchen re-do and such a good attitude about it too!

Grace and Glory

Jen is my friend in real life. And everything about her is real. She and her husband have open hearts and an open home. Just go read the wonderful things she is thinking about and praying about!

We Lift Our Eyes Up

Shawna is also my friend in real life. She and I are kindred spirits in so many ways. Her writings are always helpful and challenging. Her latest post is about time management, it offered me not only a challenge but a tool to meet that challenge.

Simply "Jenn"sational

Her "sub-title" kinda says it all, "Because my life needs it's own word." I see a happy, loving, sunshiny person in her blog. She is also real about her life. And she loves to decorate!

Grace for Gayle

I just recently found Gayle via her other blog The Grocery Cart Challenge. She is witty, funny and just has a great attitude about things in general. She also manages to keep her grocery bill to between $200 and $250 a month. She's my hero.

So there are my nominees for The Lemonade Award. I hope you will visit them all real soon.

Now for the rules that go with this little award:

• Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
• Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
• Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
• Share the love and link this post to the person from whom you received your award.

Blessings to everyone who stops by here!

Relieve Some Christmastime Stress

By now you are probably like me. In the midst of Christmas preparations and in need of a good laugh. Well check out these two sites, lolcats.com and i can has cheezburger then take a look at Son's version. He is very proud of his handiwork. :)

I was laughing out loud at some of the pictures....remember laughter is great stress relief!

A Little Walk Down Memory Lane

My Mom loves to sew. When I was younger she did a lot more clothes sewing than she does now. Now she is a quilter mainly. Though she has been known to make some clothes for Daughter.

My Mom is also a saver. I think she has saved every pattern she ever bought and the fabric as well. As I dug through boxes under the stairs at my folks house this past Thanksgiving, I was taken on a trip down memory lane. There were fabric scraps that I distinctly remembered from various clothing items either my Mom or I wore.

And let me tell you there were boxes...as in multiple boxes. One could almost classify them by decade, based on the print styles. It was...amusing, because that "I can't believe I wore that" thing comes up.

But, you know, there are styles that are classic...they don't suffer too much in the translation. Especially now when people dress not to conform so much as they do to define who they are. And since I'm kind of a traditional sort of retro sort of girl, and the patterns my Mom had are in my size so I thought, why not use them!

So without further ado let me show you what I found. And this isn't everything. Blogger would only let me post five pictures.

The blouse on the left reminded me of some of the tops you see in the stores right now. Made in a knit fabric I don't think anyone would know the pattern was from 1964. My Mom and I had matching dresses made from the pattern on the right...well her dress was made from that pattern...mine was from a smaller pattern I didn't find. I do remember they were a light pink, double knit polyester fabric. Somewhere there is a picture of us...but that was another hunt.

I don't think my Mom ever made either of the above patterns. The contents to both are still in tact. I could probably make a killing with them on e-bay! They are priced .75 and .85 cents. My how things have changed!

Now the pattern on the right above is one of those classic ones. McCall's classifies it as "Easy, Recommended For Beginners". It is priced at .50 cents U.S., .60 cents in Canada. I think I will actually be using that one. I might even be brave enough to make the one on the right as well...it's not that outdated is it?

More classics, the pants make me think of Laura Petrie (aka: Mary Tyler Moore) in The Dick Van Dyke Show.

I think I will be making both of these as well. The drawings make look dated but really, the styles are simple and, once again, classic.

So there you have it. Well, not ALL of it. Like I said I could only post five pictures on this post. These are just the sewing patterns. I still have to show you the knitting and crocheting stuff I found! But I'm going to save it for another post. :D

You know there are draw backs to saving everything, but in this case I'm really glad my Mom didn't get rid of anything. And she was glad that I will be able to make use of them again. Ooooo, it just makes me all frugally and warm inside!

Walking Faithfully - The Whiner Edition

So here is how it has been going for me. I have a cold, a UTI and Aunt Flo came to visit (and if you don't know who Aunt Flo is you are either not a woman or you are too young to be reading this).

Yeah, it's been great.

For most of the week I've felt like I've been hit by a Mac truck and left for dead. Daughter has been wanting to decorate the house for Christmas and little by little we've been getting it done. Poor thing, she's so excited and her Mama has been so wiped out.

I actually feel better today. The cold symptoms are subsiding. All I'm left with now is an over abundance of mucus...and I'm running out of tissues....both in the box and on the roll.

I started on some antibiotics for the UTI yesterday. They also gave me a medicine to relieve the symptoms...that was a welcome relief! I've drunk enough cranberry juice this week to support Ocean Spray for the rest of the year. Not to mention water...oy!

And Aunt Flo, she packed up her bags and more or less left yesterday. That was the biggest relief of all.

So....just to let you know, I did find some cool stuff under the stairs at my parents house. I'll get some pictures taken this weekend and post them on Monday. I'm sure I'll be feeling better by then! I hope!

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying your Christmas season. I'm done whining now.

Excuse Me While I Collect My Thoughts

I'm coming, I'm coming....oh just let me get my thoughts together...excuse me...oh I dropped a page....heh, heh...

Just Writing To Say Hello!!!

Hello Everyone!

I'm hailing to you from somewhere in the lower 48 but for security reasons I can't tell you where! ;)
Specifically we are at my parents where my husband is at this very moment enjoying Monday Night Football in 52" HDTV.

Yeah...he's a happy man.

I can't quite get my thoughts together enough to really write something pithy right now, but maybe that will happen later on this week...maybe...

Right now my parents under stairway closet is calling my name, because somewhere in there are numerous vintage sewing patterns and crochet magazines. I hate to think of them as "vintage" because that would make me somewhat "vintage" as I remember when they were all new. Of course I was only a kid when they were new...still....

Anyway, as you can tell, I can't quite finish a thought and I think I better go answer the siren's call. Hope you are all having a great week!

P.S. I'll try to post some pictures of what I find this week...if not this week then next week when I get home to my own computer!

It's Not A Lot, But It's My Life

There are so many inspirational blogs out there. Just look at my blog-list and you will see some of the blogs that inspire me. They are blogs about home keeping, child-rearing and walking with the Lord. I love them all. They all are encouraging to me. Sometimes they are sad, sometimes funny and sometimes just, you know, everyday. I love that too. Because sometimes there is really nothing all that exciting to share about life.

You get up, get dressed, take care of what ever your day holds, and go to bed. That may be an over simplification, but you know what I mean.

And I love reading about it. Because there is joy to be found in the everyday things of life. Because that is mostly what life is made of. The everyday.

I mean, let's face it. Cleaning out a chicken coop isn't exactly earth shattering. Stinky maybe, but not earth shattering. Yet that was a part of my otherwise completely ordinary day yesterday. And I loved it.

In it's own way it was fun. Not the kind of fun I imagined when I was sixteen and seventeen years old, but fun in finding out our chickens were stealth. Fun in figuring out how to thwart their egg-hiding efforts. Fun watching them get excited about the new layer of straw we put down in their coop.

Taking joy in the everyday things of life can be hard sometimes, especially if you find yourself yearning for something more seemingly vibrant and exciting. But I have found that when I stopped looking over the fence at my neighbors lawn, or life, or whatever, I am much more content with my own life. Comparing my life to someone elses gets me no-where but depressed.

Jesus had an answer for this sort of thing. This comparing we do. In John 21:21 Peter asks Jesus about the future of John's (the disciple whom Jesus loved) life. Jesus says to Peter in verse 22, "...what is that to you? You follow Me." I just need to do what God has put before me. I don't need to be worrying about or comparing myself to anyone else.

And therein lies the secret to contentment and, dare I say, happiness.

So to quote a famous ant, "It's our lot in life...it's not a lot, but it's our life!"