happy new year

Here it is. The beginning of a new year. A year of new beginnings.

2014 was a doozy. I can say that I am glad, heartily glad to see it go. It was such a hard year, trying my soul and spiritual mettle to breaking. And my dreams and goals have grown and broadened.

We rang in the new year with Alex and the Horn kids. We had watched all nine hours of the the LOTR extended trilogy and ate lots of snacks. It was a great start to 2015!

GROWTH
I was asked what is my WHY several times, especially towards the end of the year. It is a question that the Young Living hierarchy beats on their encouragement drums. I read my first MLM business-building book in October. The Four Year Career by Richard Brooke was a quick yet inspiring read. I look forward to expanding my knowledge about essential oils, as well as building this business.

As I thought about my WHY, I discovered several things about myself. First, I am not as organized as I would like to be. I have spent many hours over this holiday sorting through piles of paperwork, receipts, mail, old bills, and school papers that should never have been allowed to accumulate. I can do better than this, I know.

The second thing that I realized is that I cannot do everything. I cannot do more than I can do. And sometimes, I need to sit and sip a cup of hit tea and think about nothing. It's not about how groomed my yard is, or how beautiful my garden is, whether I get everything done that I need to do, making an "A" on every paper and test, or signing up new YL members at every class I teach. It is about trusting God and taking each day as it is given to me.

A BETTER ORGANIZED LIFE
I am starting my journey towards a more organized life with a 2015 Calendar Planner. I purchased it today and am excited to use it. I confess, I have never used one. Ever. I have always journaled and blogged in various levels of writing fervor, but I have never, to my knowledge, written down my goals, appointments, and busyness.

CIAS & MY CAREER
During October's FCCPSA training workshop, I learned several new organization tools that we have already implemented and will continue to develop. I designed and published a brand new CIAS website. I am very proud of it. I spent over a month this past summer working on it, deconstructing the old one and creating a fresh new advertisement profile and informational website. For the very first time, we also transitioned into online reporting system. I am not entirely pleased with the record-keeping website that we chose (it was the only one that I knew of at the time), but I have since found another that I think will better suit our record-keeping needs. I also created a professional profile for the school (to be used for NCAA and such) and wrote a new Scope and Sequence manual, complete with learning objectives for each grade level. There is more to do on it, tweaking it to my liking, but the first edition is published.

Getting the last graduating class through school was quite a feat. Many of them were unmotivated, and some have just finished this December. Prom in April was a bomb in more ways than one. I was asked, by the organizing committee, to leave the premises twice. The gall of some people. I had forty students with me and have always stayed to watch over them. Other that that poisonous sting, it was a fun evening. But...the kids have decided that we will throw our own prom this spring. Oh, boy! There will be more about that to come, I am sure.

Summer was largely absent from school this fall, as her mother was in the last stages of cancer treatment before she died in October. Kristen has been my right hand woman, especially since Tricia has not been at 100%. One noted miracle of the year happened on one day that Kristen could not come to work, and that next morning, it was as if Tricia rose from a deathbed to teach again. I was in awe of Jehovah Jireh!

FINANCES
I have been working very hard to pay off all my credit cards. I hate my debt, and I hate that I let myself get into debt. Student loans are bad enough, without having my former spending habits haunting me. I have been gaining control and have been doing so much better, each year gaining  more and more control and disciplined over my finances. I started working on paying it all down/off three years ago. In 2014 I have paid off three two cards completely, and they are now out of circulation, so to speak.

Tricia finally qualified for disabilities. Poor thing. She can't work very much anymore, her physical body is so weak and stiff. But her disabilities is a pittance. I want her to get a lawyer, and her neuro suggests it. So I have taken the brunt of supporting the family. I barter with one of my school families, and their boys help me with landscaping and yard work. So the yard is getting tamed, more to my liking. And Tricia gains strength and continues to maintain the bookkeeping and taxes and all her accounting duties. Things I have never had the patience for.

I also refinanced the 2110 house this year (Okay, I HAVE gotten a lot done this year!!!). We are saving ourselves several hundred dollars a month now, and Sarah has kept renters all year, but I have profited little from that income. I have funded several home repairs and remodels at the 2012 house in 2014. That is where I live with Mom and Tricia. Half the house is unused, so we cordon it off to save money. We finally had the tile shower finished in the newly combined bathroom that Daniel had started so many years ago, as well as a dozen other projects that Bryan M fixed for us. Daniel came over and ran my dryer lint hose out the back of the house, so that it would not continue to blow into the rec room and make a mess. It is so much nicer, and I am thankful to him.

HEALTH, OR LACK THEREOF
Tricia and her bushel-full of health issues almost swallowed the summer in its entirety. What an ordeal she has been through, and what effort Mama and I have put out to save her health!!! In March, I put Tricia on a stricter Paleo diet, and in April I joined Young Living to use essential oils on Tricia. By the time May rolled around, Tricia was off her feet. By June, she was bedridden. After 90 days, we began to see results from our drastic efforts. It was a very difficult three months. Thank Hashem for His mercy and grace throughout that trial. I thought I was going to have a heart attack from all the pressure.

She was finally diagnosed with a general diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis and is now on methotrexate to help with pain, swelling, and stiffness levels. Her colonoscopy report came back good for the first time since diagnosis: no ulcers (last report, her colon was "fully involved"). Her MS is not currently active, although its effects are ever present with a stumbling gait and neuropathy in her legs (burning). 

I have continued to maintain weight loss throughout the year. THM has been a God-send! I have pulled down 75 pounds all together so far, and I have kept it off. I am sixteen months into my THM and weightloss journey. Over the holidays, I felt very good and had lots of energy. I am so pleased that God has shown me what to do to get healthier.

FAMILY
Our nieces continue to delight us. It brings great joy to me to see them grow up to be sweet, kind, and loving girls. Corrie Lynn has accepted Jesus as her Savior and is such a sensitive doll. Juliana Mae has been learning to be sweet and more tolerant of others. She is a determined and cheerful girl, and her impromptu kisses and declarations of love are heart-melting. Leah Kathleen is our baby, and she knows it! Her main phrase now is, "I don't like it." She loves baby dolls, so Mrs. "Aubee Santa" put together pink bunk doll beds and a high chair for Little Miss' Christmas. It is so cute to watch her play with them!

We are glad Cori and Brian are close by in Magnolia Springs. It makes for a better aunti-life. And Cori's emotional support has been a life-saver for me! :-)

Sarah started dating a fellow named Mark Garcia in August. They are now engaged and planning to be married in March. On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we all went with her to find a wedding gown. She will be lovely on her special day, and I am one of her maids of honor. This has been a growing experience for the family nucleus and will continue to be so, I believe, as time passes. I love my baby sister and am determined to have the mind of Christ in all things.

I did not quite get my Christmas tree decorated this holiday. We bought a beautiful tall Noble fir right after Thanksgiving, and I put lights on it. But ornaments? No. I was sad that I had no time, and when I did, I did not feel well or had other, more pressing things to do. I told Cori that I should hire her to do my decorating next year! :-) We did put out the lighted Christmas nativity in the yard ( for the first time in many years) and candle lights in all the front windows. And also decorated the school quite nicely earlier in the month.

Mama continues to age. I feel for her increasing feebleness. She helps me care for Tricia and is our main chauffeur. Right now, she has injured her knee, so I am driving them around. I do not like that role, as I am not used to going out so much.

PERSONAL
I am plugging away at my psychology degree. I love my psych classes, as well as my Biblical studies classes. This fall, I took Theories of Personality (loved!) and then Intro to Philosophy (hated!). This spring I take Cognitive Psychology and Psalms. I should love both! I have begun searching for a Masters program that I am interested in, since I am near the end. I am tossing around pursuing a MSW. Regent and Liberty are on the block. Student loans mount, but my trust is in the Lord. He knows what I need and when I need it.

Adding essential oils to my daily routine has been life-saving. I feel better and was able to overcome a bout of depression that tried to oppress me this fall pretty quickly. I am on a better routine of supplements now, as I can afford them.

Instagram and Facebook both saw quite a bit of me, snatches of time here and there. I started The MaryBeeBuzz profile for my Young Living business, as well as established a Young Living website. I read 50% of the Bible through. I had wanted to read it all the way through, but I did better than last year, so that is what I focus on. I did not get to read as much as I would have liked, mostly due to my studies. Most evenings are consumed with reading and writing for classes. I am thankful for holidays and summer terms, free from the grind.

I have decided to make new five and ten year plans. I had thought that by the time I am 45, I wanted to foster or adopt (if I am unmarried). But now I think I will focus on finishing a Masters and then begin familial pursuits. Then maybe I will work on a doctorate in counseling. That could take me to 50, eleven years from now. And my dream of running a family counseling center could be realized.

PLANS FOR 2015
My remodeling project plans for 2015 include the sun porch and lighting and flooring for the kitchen. For the sun porch, it will need tiling, replacing its window, blinds, and painting. I would also like to move towards a total remodel of Cori's old bedroom, removing paneling, putting up drywall, and putting down carpeting, replacing the window and lighting fixtures.

I need to clean out the attics and the second story of the storage shed. These are projects that I hate to tackle on my own.

I have bought a ticket to go to the August Young Living convention and am looking forward to it. In September I will be 40; it seems hard to grasp that I am this old. I do not feel it. I may do something special to celebrate, or go somewhere. Cori and Brian seem to take yearly trips to the Tennessee mountains, so I may treat myself to an early bday gift in the spring.

I will complete 12 more credit hours as well, inching me towards my educational goals. I am also looking forward to several Bible studies, the first of which is Priscilla Shirer's study of Gideon at Hillcrest BC starting in several weeks.

More about my New Year Resolutions later...
Hello, 2015!

let's talk supplements

Those of you who know our family know that some of us are invariably chugging a pile of vitamins and supplements down. This, along with a healthy diet, active life, and presence of the Holy Spirit, has contributed to our health and vitality over the years. The combination of all this has enabled us to successfully run our businesses and live full and happy lives.

Our journey into supplements began when Mom had a stroke in 1993. It was a wake up call. We immediately dove into juicing massive poundage of veggies, grinding and baking with whole grains, drinking purified water, and learning about all the nutrients that not even the best diet can provide. Mom started researching and learning. I remember many late nights pouring over the Drs. Balch books, Prescription for Dietary Wellness and Prescription for Nutritional  Healing. It was not only a wake-up call; it was an education.

So that the why. Here is how we got to where we are now with all this.

Over the years, our supplement-taking ebbed and flowed. Some of us girls went away from home. Periodically we would receive big boxed of supplements and Barley Green powder from back home. Then wjhn back at home, I invested several years into establishing gardens and a chicken brood. As I began to get busier and busier with the school, I had less time to spent on these hobbies and less time to plan meals and organize my health better. It just slipped to the wayside as unimportant. And I started to gain weight and have aches and pains.

Then in 2004, Hurricane Ivan hit. And I developed sciatica in its cleanup aftermath. Let me tell you, that was no picnic. I tried everything, from ice packs & heat pads to anti-inflammatory teas to meds and chiropractor adjustments and finally an ND who knew just what to do to relieve the pain. Now I use Young living essential oils to maintain my pain-free existence. To God be the glory for pointing me in the right direction.

And it was my last visit to Dr. Garry Hendricks, N.D., in Ft. Walton that prompted what came next. As I lay on my stomach on his table during the adjustment, I felt really obese for the very first time ever.  It was fall of 2012. By Christmas I had joined Weight Watchers and lost 15 pounds in 3 months.

And then nothing for the next 3 months. I was faithful to log my food/points, yet nothing was happening. The point logging was time consuming, and I hated it after awhile. Then over the summer I gained it all back. In February I had attendees an Above Rubies ladies treat, where Nancy Campbell mentioned the new book her daughters had just written, Trim Healthy Mama. I bought the book and shelved it. Later that summer, at the prodding of my sister Cori, I read it and started THM officially in August 2013. I have, over time, added to my vitamin and supplement regimen. As my endocrine and digestive systems "reset" themselves, I needed more help with balance and nutrition. So I would hear about "X" that could help with "Y," and I would add it in to see if it helped. And that is where I am at right now.

Here is the how.

Start out small. Five years ago, I started my current regimen with Vitamin C, Barley Max, and a cheap multivitamin from Walmart. Slowly I added to my "bottle basket," including supplements that I knew my body needed. This is what my morning dose looks like now. Now that I have lost almost 60 pounds on Trim Healthy Mama, I know that my health and various body systems DEPEND on my obtaining optimal nutrition from the food I do eat. As I gain strength and energy, I know that I need to fuel my body properly. 

So, I hope that you take the supplement plunge. The research that we did before settling into the brands that we purchase was extensive. They are from the best sources, the most usable and absorbent products for your body, as well as GMO-free and gluten-free as possible.

Take care of yourself, so that you can gain the energy and vitality to take care of those you love. And treat God's Temple right!

devotion

"Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them." -Hebrews 13:9 (ESV)

My sister Tricia shared this verse with me this week. I had her send it to me because I wanted to study it in context and explore what the Lord might want to say to me. I came to several conclusions.

1) I do not want to be devoted to foods.
I do not want to be devoted to anything, saving Christ. Not THM for me. Not paleo for Trish. Nothing but Him. Jesus as Lord.  Good, fresh, healthy, chemical-free, organic food is very important and is essential to living an active life. It is. But my passion and devotion belong to Jesus.

2) I want my heart to be strengthened by God's grace.
Which is sufficient. I have to trust that, not just believe it. Sufficient...enough...words that grow in meaning and depth the longer I live. My strength does not come from human sources, but from my Creator.

3) I do not want to be led astray by "diverse and strange teachings."
In all my learning and studying and exploring remedies for Tricia's diseases, I will never compromise my faith in Almighty God to save, deliver, and heal. I will not dabble in the reflexology, or any other heathen or humanistic practice that is present in essential oil instruction or any other treatment that I explore.  Thankfully, my local group and upline in YLEO is not into all that!

4) I am thankful.
I an grateful for the THM lifestyle, paleo eating plan, essential oil education, and all other tools for living a healthy, courageous life, but my lifeline and source is Jesus Christ in whom and by whom all things exist. My life depends on Him, my Sustainer, not on what I eat.

So I don't agree with something like this:

my THM journey so far

When I read Proverbs 31 and Titus 2, passages that specifically list the accomplishments, activities, labors, ministry, and industriousness of godly women, it makes me think that maybe we as the Church have missed something very powerful...God wants His daughters to be equipped and ready to fulfill our ordained roles, doing His work. If we are too heavy (weight and spirits!), depressed, discouraged, sick, diseased, and energy-less, how can we fulfill all of this?!?! 

I love THM and all that it has brought back to my life! Thank You, Lord!

I bought the $35 book at an Above Rubies Ladies Retreat at Camp Baldwin in Elberta, Alabama, last February. Nancy Campbell prayed over me that week, that God would send my Boaz soon and enable me to birth children for God's glory, not just have spiritual children in my line of work/ministry. I spent last summer reading, working in my garden, and catching up in the office. Then Cori (older sister) asked me if I had heard about THM, that she had already started on the THM journey. I laughed and told her that I had the paper version, but hadn't started it yet.

I started reading the 600+ page THM book pretty soon afterwards. The rhema word that the Lord used to spur me towards this was that He wanted me to clean my body-Temple out, in the same fashion as He had commanded the priests to clean the Tabernacle and Temple out daily. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body" (NASB).  He told me that His Temple, my body, has been trashed, and that I had done it. I knew He meant business, so I spiritually saluted and dove in. 

I started on my Trim Healthy Mama journey officially on August 5, 2013. To date, I have lost 45 pounds, the first 35 pounds dropping off pretty fast as I cut out my coffee creamer, breads/muffins/rolls (all white flour products), white potatoes, corn, and tandem fueled home-cooked meals. My cravings started to disappear, especially my evening after-work cravings. Drinking coffee without my go-to creamer was the most difficult change, but after three months or so, I had made that transition smoothly with help from some good flavored K-cup flavors.

I have renewed vigor and valor, energy and strength. I feel good, good, good!!! Basically, THM is a low-glycemic index diet, not low carb or low fat. It is based on the idea that our bodies are NOT made to tandem fuel all the time (there is a place for "crossover" meals but just not constantly). So my meals are either fat-based (S meals) or carb-based (E meals). Delicious food and a new way of cooking and eating for us all the way, baby!

As a side benefit (and since I do most of the cooking and meal planning), Mom has lost about 40 pounds, and Tricia has lost over 25. No more fast-food lunches, no more shakes and donut treats, no more feeling yucky. Yes! to a variety of salads and wraps, dark chocolate and nuts, homemade smoothies and signature drinks. I am not hungry. 

In the beginning, I received a lot of recipe help from bloggers like Gwen's Nest and Stacy Makes Cents. Then Pinterest recipe boards started popping up, and other food bloggers took up the gauntlet. The FB support group for THM is tremendous (although HUGE now!), and Cori and I have hosted several local support meetings for the ladies in the Florida Panhandle area to meet and encourage one another. The next one is coming up in June. I am fueled by a desire to help point women towards what the Lord has helped me to do, get their house--their Temple--in order for the Lord, to empower them to do what He has called them to do, and fan into flame His gifts that have been latent within their hearts. To God be the glory, great thing He has done...and is doing!

My weight loss is not just a few pounds, nor is it baby-weight or other short-term weight. My weight is lifelong weight. I have been almost 6 feet tall and over 200 pounds for almost twenty years now. What has taken a long time to accumulate should take awhile to come off if it is to stay off. 

I've come a long way, and I am not done yet!

egg roll in a bowl

Since I cannot find this exact recipe anywhere on the internet, and it's posted only on private THM groups or as an empty pic on Pinterest.

Here is the original THM FB post for it: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152036145069673&set=gm.555898607816628&type=1

I can't tell you how delicious this dish is! My fam asks for it regularly, and I know better than to not make extra for lunch the next day! Braised cabbage is delicious and full of sulfurous goodness. The convergent flavors of this dish are delightful to my foodie palate.  Enjoy!

Praise the Lord for Diana Rodbourn and her Eggroll in a Bowl recipe! Here is a tweaked version of it, as made in my kitchen. :-)

Egg Roll in a Bowl (S)

EGGROLL IN A BOWL 
By Diana Rodbourn
(S on THM) 
Same great taste you get in an eggroll, minus the deep fried wrapper! 
Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients: 
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 lb. ground turkey sausage, or ground pork
6 cups finely sliced cabbage- a combo of regular green & purple (about 1 medium head) 
1 cup shredded carrots 
1 medium onion, chopped 
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced 
2 green onion stalks, finely chopped 
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger or ginger powder
¼ cup Bragg’s Aminos or coconut aminos or (if you have to) soy sauce 
Salt and black pepper to taste 
Optional: 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes adds a nice kick! 

Instructions:

1. Brown the meat in large frying pan (a wok or iron skillet works well!) until fully cooked. 
2. Turn heat to medium-high and add chopped onion (not the green onions yet) and sesame oil.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, ginger and coconut aminos and add to pan, and then immediately add the sliced cabbage and stir. 
4. Cook for a few minutes, stirring often, so that it doesn’t burn and so all cabbage slightly wilts and reduces in size. 
5. Then add shredded carrots and cook for another few minutes.
6. Turn off heat, add chopped green onions, salt and black pepper to taste, stir one last time and serve warm. 
7. Enjoy!

it's the 1st!

How do I express the gratefulness that I feel adequately for 2013? Yahweh has done great things in my life, and I am glad! This has been quite a year to remember, and 2014 promises to be even better.

 Here are my New Year's Resolutions for 2014:
1) Continue the THM journey and lose more pounds, on my way to a healthy life and body

2) Start T-Tapp, adding it into my regular lifestyle routines

3) Complete another round of Wellspring Ministry's "I Found Freedom" (Bibical Foundations of Freedom) workshops/studies

4) Read Eric Metaxas' tome, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy

5) Finish reading Randy Alcorn's book Heaven

6) Plant both spring/summer and fall/winter gardens

7) Get some much-needed repairs and painting done on/in the family house and property

8) Listen to one online sermon per week

9) Read the Bible through this year, at least once


~To know Him, and make Him known!

2013 Reminisces, Part 1

It's been a while since I have blogged. A long while. My hiatus can be explained by a determination in late 2012 to spend more time in the Divine Word and less time spinning words of my own.

In the spirit of thinking about the old year disappearing and the new year coming up, I am setting some new goals for 2014. One of those is to begin blogging again, at least one post per month. So that may mean twelve posts, or perhaps more. Who knows...2014 awaits!

Looking back on 2013 over the next several days, I intend to list the adventures that we had, the pain that enlarged in our hearts, and the healing that took place.

Reading  for the Year
I read quite a few online articles coming form a wide variety of sources. I especially enjoyed some brilliant repartee in the form of a theological battle between two current Church leaders over the Charismatic movement in the US. Dr. Michal Brown waxed eloquent and pontificated a rebuttal to John MacArthur's denouncement of the movement and its contributions as a whole: Authentic Fire vs. Strange Fire: It's Not About Winning an Argument

I learned more than I ever had before about the baptism of the Holy Spirit while doing research for a Bible class. And this article by Bill Hamon further explained some things that Derek Prince's informative book did not: Why Speaking in Tongues Matters

The books I read and enjoyed mostly included books required for uni research. This summer I read Brennan Manning's The Furious Longing of God. Intense stuff right there.

And then came Trim Healthy Mama. I bought that book in February at a Nancy Campbell Above Rubies ladies retreat but didn't start reading it until July. Six hundred pages of scientific diet advice and recipes. God immediately started dealing with an area of sin that has largely been unaddressed for many years in my life: gluttony. It's been a lifechanging journey so far, and I have documented it in pictures on Facebook along the way. Since August I have lost thirty-five pounds; thank You, Jesus!

To be continued... ;-)