Health Findings - Part 1

Today I wanted to cry pushing my cart through the grocery store as familiar packages looked at me from the shelves and I walked on by, not putting them in my cart. It was almost as if they were calling my name, but I had to say no. No, I'm not dieting, but I need to make a change in my diet. This realization has brought to light the reality that I am addicted to food. I love it. Yes, there is nothing wrong with loving food, but I love food that is bad for you.
Recently, I have experienced some health issues and my immune system doesnt seem to have what it takes to recover, and so that has sent me on a search of what I can do beyond get on yet another antibiotic.
I've decided to record my journey here and allow others to benefit from my research and trial and error. You may not agree with all that I decide to do, but gather what you can and let the rest go. Are you ready? Here we go.

1. A friend, Cecelia Mainord, recommended adding Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar to my life. I've imbibed the water and apple cider cocktail, but apparently the key is getting raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar. Bragg's just happens to be what our stores carry. So now I drink Bragg's in my water three times a day. One of my struggles is sinuses, and raw apple cider vinegar helps thin the mucus. If you want to check out the other benefits, check out the Bragg's website.

2. Reinstate regular (twice a day) the use of the netipot. I am using a baking soda and Kosher salt mix in the pot to flush out my sinus cavities. Its not so fabulous to do but it does help me from getting overly congested and cleans me out. After suggested by my friend, Jen Rachal, I now use it in the morning in the shower; its a bit easier that way. If you don't know what a netipot is, it looks like a genie bottle, and you mix water and the mix listed above inside and then breathe through your mouth and pour the water into one nostril and let it flow out the other. Fun huh?! (Sarcasm)

3. Did you know that excessive dairy consumption can cause chronic sinus infections? Well I am the dairy queen. I love cheese, yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, butter, milk, ice cream...you get the picture. So apparently I will need to cut my dairy consumption (more on that later).

4. Due to being on antibiotics and nursing my son, I have gotten thrush, which results in overproduction of yeast. So that begs the question, how to get rid of the yeast? There are homeopathic and medical ways to resolve the problem. I am trying a bit of both. I've heard some disagreements on diet. Yeast feeds on sugar, so some have said cut my sugar and carb consumption so the yeast will go away, but others have said not to, because then once I reinstate my old eating habits, the resurgence of sugar will cause the yeast to come back.

I am taking Acidophilus and L-Lysine and have gotten Infant Probiotics for my son. I am also taking the Diflucan pill as prescribed by my doctor as well as a Nystatin Cream. I am cutting my processed sugar intake, but still eating limited fruits and carbs.

That is all for now, but I have had two enlightening conversations with two good friends that have shared what works for them and their solutions are drastically different. Stay tuned for those conversations in my next entry.

Connecting with Jesus in a New Way

Today while reading "Walking With God, God's Way" by William Wyatt, I read that our purpose is to be transformed into God's image. Because God doesn't need us, our steps in ministry are to walk alongside God in what he is already doing. Each step of life is about knowing God and becoming more like him. I also read that when we go through awful things (the author shared a story about a missionary rape victim) we get to share in just part of the suffering Christ experienced on the cross. It just got me thinking. The horrible experiences are a connection with the horrible suffering our Savior lived out on the cross. Its an offering of intimacy. Now I am not saying God zaps us with tradegy. Don't forget our God is good, but he allows it and hopes that through it we will find him and know him in a new way.

I have a story that captures some of this, it may be something I've already written about in a previous post. Many years ago, my mom was married to a man named Kurt. Kurt had a difficult childhood. He was exposed to pornography and child abuse from his dad. His mom would just sit back and watch while this would occur. Kurt drank. That is how he coped with tumultuous emotional agony he journeyed. When he drank, he hit my mom.

Our lives with Kurt included hiding, yelling, fighting, pushing, hitting, and inappropriate touching. However, Kurt found God through our life with him. Fast forward about 20 years. Kurt was sick, and dying. Eventually he died. My mom officiated the funeral. Weird, yes, but amazing at the same time. Kurt at one point almost killed my mom. As a girl I watched him try to stab her with a screwdriver after beating her mercilously. Years later she had to have back surgery as a result of the injuries she incurred in that marriage. She will forever be marked physical due to the marriage, but God has healed the heart. God replaced pain with forgiveness and empathy for a hurting man. As I walked through my emotions during all of this, God revealed to me that the worst years of my life, were the best years of Kurt's. I realized that those years showed him God, and I came to a place in my heart of gratitude and acceptance. It was worth all the pain if Kurt found God through it. Those feelings weren't there for any other reason except God put them there.

I felt the amazing glow of 2 Corinthians 4:7 in my own life:

"We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves." (NLT)

My suffering in those years (and a few other issues in my life) have allowed me to share with others and be empathetic to the life experience of those around me. May God bring you to this place as you have walked and continue to walk in a place of pain. May God be your rescue, your guiding light and your sacred companion. Let that light shine through your cracks, and may you find comfort in his understanding as he held all of that pain on the cross.

What's For Dinner?

I tried something new tonight! It was good, so I thought I'd share.

I bought thin chicken breast fillets to skip a step. I made a filling in my Cuisinart food processor (cream cheese, garlic, baby bella mushrooms, fresh basil and Italian parsley), prepped the chicken with olive oil and salt and pepper, put a dollop of filling in center of breast, and fold chicken. Wrap bacon around breast opposite from the fold in chicken to hold in filling. Place in greased baking dish, pour red wine over breasts and cook at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

While it's cooking, cut zucchini and more mushrooms and salt and pepper, when theres 10-15min left on chicken, cook veggies in olive oil and red wine. Then when they are almost done add any leftover filling to veggies.

The First Year Happens in A Flash

Okay so this is 6 months overdue, so I am finally publishing this. I was waiting for more pictures, but I will just do a part 2 later with more pictures. This was so fun!!! A great theme for sure! - Carrie

Caleb's party was completely fabulous! I had a lot of fun with the photo themed party! I loved the "It Happens in a Flash" launch to a photorific party. I must say while I added my own touches, I definitely benefitted from the fabulous ideas of other bloggers. Hostess with the Mostess and Pennies on the Platter aided me with their parties of the same theme.




The photo backdrop was almost identical to that of Pennies on a Platter, but it came in a three pack at Target and was a great match to our color scheme.




The theme was seen on the self made labels for the water bottles & in labeling the food.







The kids loved Pixie Sticks and I loved the play on words, "MegaPixies."

The rest of the menu included popcorn, fruit, dips, pizza bagels and a few other things. I also placed food on picture frames to go with the theme.





The one deviation from the theme was a family tradition being passed down, the cake. It was the Kaleidoscope Cake, which was a cake I had as a child and once my mom did it, became my cake every year. The colors of the cake was what decided the color scheme of the party.

We had a kiddie corral with toys for little ones, a bounce house, and a kid table covered in butcher paper with crayons.







The tables were decorated with pictures of Caleb and photofetti




I made some collages of Caleb and put them around the room. It was easy with Costco Photo - you could add up to 30 pictures on one 8x10 or larger size picture so I made 4 - Sir Smiles A Lot, Sleeping Prince, Silly Caleb, & Family Photos. They made great keepsakes for the grandmothers.

I made a timeline of birth to 12 months, month by month that hung over the food table and had a time capsule for people to write notes for Caleb to open on his 18th birthday.



Though the most fun was the photobooth. It was a blast. The best was my dad with my mom and step mom.

Our Family!

Carrie in the Kitchen

I typically cook most nights of the week. I usually plan meals for an entire 2 week pay period, I don't always stick with it, but it makes it easier if I have a plan even when I deviate. Here are a few of my deviations this past week. Monday was Memorial Day. My husband said he would barbeque some tri tip and make twice baked mashed potatoes (delicious by the way) if I would take care of the vegetable. I chose to make a garden salad and my Aunt Julia's bean salad (black & pinto beans, cilantro, green onions, frozen corn, red bell pepper tossed in a dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, cumin, salt and pepper, & oregano), and an old favorite of mine - Chocolate Zucchini Cake (orginally from Saveur Magazine)! So here's the cake recipe: 2 medium zucchini, trimmed and grated, then wrung out in a cheese cloth

Then Preheat oven to 325. Use a tbsp of butter to grease a 9" cake pan. Sift 2 3/4 c flour, 1/4 c unsweetened cocoa, 1 1/4 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt Set aside Beat 8 tbsp of butter (at room temperature) and 1 1/2 cups sugar with electric mixer until fluffy, add 1/2 cup corn oil, and 2 eggs - 1 at a time, add in 2 3/4 cups flour and 1/2 cup buttermilk (in 3 alternating batches), then stir in zucchini.

Pour batter into pan and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes clean (1 hour, 20 minutes).

Remove from oven and set aside to let cool. Invert onto a plate and dust with confectioners' sugar. Eat!

The other deviation was to my mom's quiche lorraine recipe. I didn't have all the ingredients so instead of swiss cheese and bacon it was bacon, mozzerella, brie cheese and artichoke hearts with fresh thyme. It was fabulous!

Pinterest project

I saw the post tutorial of how to turn a v neck t shirt into a one shoulder shirt. I tried it with a scoop neck, but I think it turned out okay! Check it out!

My Latest Project - Garage Mudroom

I've wanted an area for all our incoming junk for a long time. We enter the kitchen through the garage and there is really no place to put stuff aside from the floor and kitchen countertops which ends up getting cluttered, fast! My neighbor gave us a bench toy box for Caleb that we really don't have a place for just yet (he still have a nursery, not a big boy room), so I thought why not use it for my entry station for now. So I set out on my plan. Here's all the before shots:

I first painted the bench with a combo of black spray paint and chalk board paint (had some leftover from another project).

Then I decided to use the rest of the chalkboard paint to do the wall behind the bench. I bought a 1" foam pad and got a cute gray and white chevron fabric and made a bench pad. Since it opens at the time, I attached the pad to the bench with velcro and because its in the garage, I made the cover like a pillow sham so that I can slip it off and wash it. Next I got a wall letter hanger (great deal at Marshall's) and some cute paper I had and labelled each slot, then used a old creamer container, cut it down, washed it out and painted it to use for chalk holder. I got some hooks and two cute cabinet knobs to hang stuff up on the wall. There you have it.