New Couch

We sold our sleek leather couches, it was an impulse decision, but one that i am glad we made. They were great couches that lasted 6 years, we tried to keep them in good condition, except for Sammie Dog and her claw marks when she got mad that we left her in the house alone. If God does ever call us to buy an RV park, then we want to be ready to go without having a ton of furniture to take with us. So we listed all our living room furniture and TV Cabinet on Craigs list. It sold in 24 hrs. Maybe the price was too low, but oh well. I have been looking in furniture stores and consignment/thrift shops, but couches are expensive no matter where you look. We didn't want anything to grand, just something besides a bean bag to sit on. (literally)

Last night, we rode bikes up to Coconut Point to hang out, visit West Elm (just dream shopping), eat dinner, and go to the playground. When we walked into West Elm, all my hopes and dreams were dashed to see the couches at more than $1000. EXCEPT the items in the back hallway :) they had a floor model couch on sale. The guy ended up giving us another $100 off the Sale Price. Then when Mike went to pick it up from the store, they had a brand new one still in the box that they let us take. So we got a Brand New Couch for a TON off the asking price. which made it the cheapest couch we had looked at thus far. Unheard of. Praise God!!

I like the new look!

Blackberry Crumble

This is for Carly!!!!!!

I have had my Dessert Book for sometime now, and when i made this delicious Blackberry Crumble recipe, I thought of my friend Car. One, because she (and mostly Kevin )are Crumble fans of any kind. Two, because of this post and this post and this post.

Wish i were closer to you and i would let you borrow my book any time!

Mel

What I am Learning right now

It has been just over a week since I have began new thyroid medication, began consuming an enormous amount of supplements, and began overhauling my eating habits. The first 3 days, I had a light constant headache, next two days, felt pretty good, and the last two days i have been exhausted. Took a few 3 hour naps over the last few days and still couldn't get out of bed. The Armour Thyroid that I switched too was a small dosage for the first week then it increases over the next two weeks. Being this tired, i can tell that i need a higher dosage. The vitamins I am taking are from Life Extension Labs. They consist of a multi-vitamin, super EPA/DHA, CoQ10, Ester C, Magnesium, Vit. D, and Selenium. Because of my Blood tests, the doctor recommended I take these certain ones. I think my blood tests showed that I was low in magnesium and Vit. D. It also showed that my thyroid levels and my aldosterone levels were way off. I need to get a blood test for my hormone levels too, but have to wait another month or two due to my miscarriage.

My diet has consisted of Gluten Free eating. I have been eating 5 small meals a day, snacking on fruit, nuts, berries, and veggies. I always considered myself a bread lover, but never noticed how much better I would feel by deleting it from my diet. After eating I don't get the full/bloated feeling that seemed so normal before. I am hungrier more often though.

I decided to research Bromine since I have been told to stay away from that too since it works agains the thyroid. There are a lot of websites that talk about the negative affects of Bromine on the body and in laboratory animals, particularly cancer causing affects. It is scary to read about it, i won't link to the websites because some of them look pretty sketchy, but the main thing i read is that It is a de-caking agent found in most flour products. It is listed as Potassium Bromide or Potassium Bromate and is such a harmful chemical that the World Health Organization and the European Union have banned it, but the good ole USA still allows it to be used in our foods. There are a few flour companies that make un-bromified flour; King Arthur is one of them and also Pepperidge Farms makes un-bromified bread.

Whoever may be reading this, I am not offering medical advice just simply documenting my life. So please consult your doctor before diagnosing yourself and taking your condition in your own hands.

Here is to a healthier life!

Our Life Song

I have been obsessed with listening to the new Mat Kearney CD, "City of Black and White"

One of my favorites is track number 8, listen to it here on You Tube.

It is just where we are in life right now.

These are the Lyrics:

We got our feet on the wire

Talking 'bout flying
Maybe we're diving in over our heads
Scared of what I'm feeling
Staring at the ceiling
Here tonight

Come on and lay down these arms
All our best defenses
We're taking our chances here on the run
The fear is an anchor
Time is a stranger
Love isn't borrowed
We aren't promised tomorrow

We'll never be ready if we keep waiting
For the perfect time to come
Hold me steady, we'll never be ready
When we don't know, though we can't see
Just walk on down this road with me
Hold me steady, we'll never be ready

You're OK here with me
Here in the silence
With all of the violence crashing around
Saying we can't go
Saying we don't know
This road that is narrow is the one we should follow

We'll never be ready if we keep waiting
For the perfect time to come
Hold me steady, we'll never be ready
When we don't know, though we can't see
Just walk on down this road with me
Hold me steady, we'll never be ready

Steady my hands this one could turn around
Steady my heart, it's beating faster
Steady my hands this one could turn around
Steady my heart, it's beating faster
Beating faster now

We'll never be ready if we keep waiting
For the perfect time to come
Hold me steady, we'll never be ready
When we don't know, though we can't see
Just walk on down this road with me
Hold me steady, never be ready

Hold me steady, we'll never be ready
Hold me steady, we'll never be ready
Hold me steady, we'll never be ready

Pool Crazy

I think one of my favorite things to do with my boys is go swimming.

They obviously enjoy it too. Here are some pics from the pool at Ft. Wilderness.

Strawberry Jam

I have been wanting to make homemade strawberry jam forever, but never knew how. I didn't realize how easy it actually was. A website called Intimate Weddings caught my eye because they had a recipe for strawberry jam that looked really simple to make.

We have made it twice now and it is WAY better than store bought jelly

I halved the recipe that was listed on the website, because they jarred theirs. I just keep mine in a tupperware container in the fridge because we eat it so quickly. I base my food around whether I can add jam to it (seriously). I would like to jar some soon that way when strawberries are all out of season, I can still have some in my cupboard. You can click on

The ingredients:

6 cups of fresh strawberries

3 cups of sugar (i used turbinado)

1/4 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice

The directions are simply to mash the strawberries in the pot then add the lemon juice (through a strainer) and sugar. Boil for 20-30 minutes, stirring constantly. Skim the foam off the top periodically. Keep checking for thickness then remove from heat. To check for thickness their idea was to spoon some jelly on a plate and if it runs like syrup it is not ready yet; but do not overthicken. For more detailed information you can read their post.

Haircuts, Yay

1. Before

2. During

3. After

1. Before

2. During

3. After

It is not a drastic change, but it is nice to have a good, clean cut.

Share the Road

This is not that big of a deal, but we just finally got our tag for our new car. We went with a semi- personalized tag. It says "Share the Road"; the proceeds from these license plates are donated between Bike Florida and the Florida Bicycle Association. This is an example below.

We didn't go for the "vanity plate" that is so common in Va. When I lived there, just about everyone in Va. had a personalized vanity plate. It is still only $10 in Va. for your plate, so why not i guess. When i googled crazy Va license plates, this one appeared and made me laugh.

Prayer Request

This Family could really use our prayers. Maggie Stinziano was a 37 year old woman of God who lost her battle to breast cancer on Sunday, July 5th, 2009. She is survived by her husband, Jordan, and their 4 young children. Maggie and Jordan were the first people to invite us over for dinner when we started going to Summit Church. I also had the privelege of helping Maggie with Physical Therapy treatments before they moved to Syracuse. Her amazing faith in God has been such a testimony to me. When talking about Maggie, Jordan explained how Maggie would say she didn't want people to pity her because she was always taught that the Joy of the Lord was her strength, why would it be any different now just because she had cancer. You can read some recent posts on Jordan's blog here. Jordan is the pastor at Missio Church in Syracuse, NY.

Exciting News

The brides maid dresses are ordered!!!

Wedding is 6 months from today.

There will be six of us gals; some wearing strapless, and some wearing straps

the color is spiced wine

and they are from JCREW

thanks Hopey, i love 'em!

Crazy Days

Since i have been working more, the boys have fallen in love with Kylie, their babysitter!

The other day she brought over a slip-n-slide which they thought was the coolest thing ever.

Naturally, I let them play on it the next day too, because i figured it would be great for capturing pictures. I am not too fond however, of the boys calling me Kylie instead of mommy. Although it is probably a compliment to me, because she is gorgeous and super sweet.

Today was a crazy day and i feel just like C looks in this next picture......frazzled!!!

I went to Dr. "G" today and learned all kinds of things about my thyroid problem that I never new. 1. stay away from SOY and WHEAT, 2. drink only reverse osmosis water (never chlorinated water), 3. no Bromine which is found in flour, 4. No Caffeine, and 5. use Sea Salt instead of regular salt

My thyroid is enlarged, so i had to have an ultrasound test on it. then i also need to do a 24 hr. urine sample, a blood test, and a basal metabolic temperature test ( think that is how you say that). He actually listened to me and all my crazy symptoms for 30 minutes then at the end of our time, he prayed with me. I had tears in my eyes. I have been on a form of synthroid for over a year and although i feel better than i did before i went on the medication, my recent miscarriage and hormones have gotten my body and system all out of whack again and I think he will help me get back on track....without the use of a bunch of prescriptions.

Meanwhile i have had this darn heart monitor since 3 pm yesterday and it will come off at 3 pm today. The palpitations have stopped but my discomfort and chest tightness hasn't.

I have felt more like a 73 year old than a 33 year old today and I am ready to be normal again.