Daniel Fast: Day 21

WOW who knew this day would come? I thought it
was a great possibility that I would have thrown in the
towel by now. While not perfect I held out and I did not
give up. All glory goes to Him who saves and changes
lives. God is Moving and Working and my fast has, I
believe, played a huge role in not just opening my heart
but my husband's as well. God used my fast to speak
to my husband in a time when he needs God's heart more
than ever.

Today is not it. I have started to read a book by a
wonderful pastor named Steven Furtick called
Sun Stand Still. Want to have a life changing
experience go on line to his church, Elevation church
and listen to one of his sermons. Does not matter
which one. He has the Lord's power coursing
through his body. He preaches the word and it is
not always warm and fuzzy but it is what we need
to hear. Sun Stand Still will leave you feeling like
your mind has been blown. And I have only read 4
chapters.

All this to say I realized most of all during this fast
I need to be in The Word and in my Lord deeply
everyday and not just when I am fasting. He wants me
be to be restless until I rest in Him. He wants to move
everyday with me and He has a plan that I want to
be a part of. I don't want to just go with the flow sleeping
through life. I want to live life and all for His glory and
His plan.

Please Dear Father,
       Help me to keep this sense of vision and passion
even though my fast is over. Help me to be constantly
searching for you and your will. Help me to rest only
in you.
Amen

Daniel Fast: Day 20

Day 20 and one more to go. I will not lie this is
probably been one of my most difficult days on this
fast. Tonight will be my 3rd night of work and
knowing I will not go to bed probably until tomorrow
night at about 9:00 feels very daunting on my soul.
Never during this fast have I wondered how I am
going to make it to the finish line as I do today.
I cannot see how I will make it through tomorrow
without caffeine and how I will make it through the
day tomorrow without crying all day. I tend to
cry when I am sleep deprived and good news it has
already started.

But this low and completely depleted state I know is
right where God wants me. Despite the fact that it
completely sucks, I know He has moved and still has
more for me to hear in this next day and a half. I
probably could not hear if I were rested and normal.
God often brings us to a place of complete desperation
right before He speaks.

Daniel Fast: Day 17

It happened to me the last time I fasted.
It has now happened again. That Ahhhhh moment
when I realize one of the big reasons why
God wanted me to fast. It is unbelievably
amazing to see how God has worked over the 
last 4 weeks to get me to here so that His
plan would work out. 


One year ago our pastor left and 9 months 
ago our church formed a committee to 
search for a new pastor. My husband was
chosen to be on the committee. He is the
youngest in the group and I must say I
am so proud of him for taking this on. I
will not lie it has often been a real
sacrifice for our family. But I know 
that he is supposed to be playing a part 
in this. Well we are down to the final 2. 
They are still trying to decided.
Aaron has gone back and forth and then 
yesterday he heard a clear word from the 
Lord. He is having a renewal in his heart. 
A new vision about who we are to be about in 
the Lord. It is so awesome to see God
work in his life and to see his vibrance.
I know that my fasting was all part of
the plan to get us to here. Today I feel
a sense of renewal in my fasting. I feel
like I can make it until Sunday because
this fast is not just about me.


This morning I got up to go run and
I got out on the path and I saw a lady with
a BIG dog. For those of you who don't know,
I am deathly afraid of dogs. I have had
several incidences with them throughout my
life and it has never been good. So I was 
immediately feeling the fear. Turns out the
dog was not the lady's and she was trying
to get it to go away. So I decided to get
myself home and try to run this evening.
Any who my honey and I got to spend some
time together and the kids actually slept
in. He said, "We never get to do this, it's
nice." It made me realize I was not meant
to work the night shift forever. Nights
work well for us, but I know God has a plan
for me that involves sleeping and working 
normal people hours. How I am going to get
to that I am not sure yet, but God knows. I
feel encouraged today that God is working
in all areas of our lives. We just need to
be awake and ready to be with Him and move 
when He says move.

Daniel Fast: Day 16

I realized it has been almost a week since I posted about
how my fast is going. Today is day 16 and I am still
in this!! Yesterday as we know was the 4th of July.
AND our family had a cook out. Steak, Hamburgers,
chips, and Wonderful homemade vanilla ice cream.
None of which I had :( I have been dying for a cheese
burger and fries and so that was a tough one. And the
ice cream looked amazing. All of the family said it
was just horrible as they got their second helping.

I have read the food cravings and hunger pangs should
be gone by now. I must admit that mine are actually
getting worse. I believe it is because my thyroid is
starting to make the adjustments from my weight loss
and I am starting to go into hyperthyroid. I will be having
a blood test next monday when I am all done to see where
things are. My Doctor and I discussed this and I knew
that this would be a possibility. So this is not a
surprise.

I thought not focusing on my website for a few weeks
would make me go nuts. And while I am thinking of
new ideas and such, it has been really nice to take a break.
I have found my thoughts going to a different place and
it has opened my eyes to what God has really been
wanting me to see. Is it what I want to hear? Some yes
and some no. My husband and I have had the wonderful
opportunity to play a role in starting a mission church in
the last 18 months. Several of us are feeling a tug lately
a refocus if you will on our mission. On God's vision for
our church. My thoughts, desires and prayers have been
much about that and what is our next step and what part
do I play in it. I am excited by this. So what is the part
I have not been happy about? Well I thought I would be
hearing a real clear word about my website. I still have
5 1/2 days left. So I know God is not through with what
He needs to say to me yet. I also know one thing He has
made clear is that I need to be patient and stay the course.

What is the course? Delving into Him and His word. That
should be our primary focus. Getting to know Him so deeply that
everything else does not matter.

Daniel Fast: Day 9

Day 9!! I am almost half way through. I am not sure
how it is for the rest of you but waking up with a cold
is one of my most Unfavorite things ever. Today was
one of the most difficult days. Tomorrow marks one week
that I have been sick and I was hoping to be dramatically
improved by now. I can function it is just getting 
annoying. 


BUT my study is becoming increasingly intense and at
every turn the Lord is speaking to me. We know that God
speaks to His believers through His word, through other
believers and through the Holy Spirit. This has been the
case in multiple ways over the last 24 hours. Yesterday
I was knitting and I felt a strong tug to read the first 
chapter of Proverbs. Many resources I have been using
during this fast suggest Proverbs as a good daily reading
because it is 31 chapters and you can read it in a month.
I have read Proverbs and love it. It gives such in depth
wisdom and knowledge and really makes you think about
your heart and your actions. So I read chapter one.
Today I turned to one of the devotionals I have chosen
to read during my fast and what was the suggested 
reading for today? Proverbs chapter 2!!!!! And of course
everything I read from the 2 completely unrelated 
devotionals were related and what I have specifically 
started this fast to find out. 


Also my friend Jacque gave me a book by Francine Rivers
called A Lineage of Grace. It is actually 5 different books 
she has written that was put into one. They are 5 different
stories about women in the Bible who lead amazing lives
of faith for God and each was in the lineage of Christ
the last story being about Mary. Yesterday I finished
the first book and it was about Tamar. I tell you our 
teenage girls could learn a thing or two from this girl.
Women in Biblical times were treated as the weak ones.
Well they were not weak. Actually we all could learn a
thing or two from them. They were strong and lead
very hard lives and if they were not married and if they 
did not produce sons, they ended up being beggars and 
prostitutes. 


Tamar really inspired me. She was patient and she waited,
and waited and waited and Then she waited some more
for her right to be fulfilled. Until finally she saw her 
opportunity to move and doing such meant that she 
could be killed and she almost was. But she had faith in
the God of the Hebrews and He used this young teenage
girl to bring a grown man back to Him. WOW!! I highly
recommend you read her story in the Old Testament.
She inspired me that if she can wait for her rights
to be fulfilled for almost a decade, I can do this
for 21 days. Her life was beyond hard and yet she 
remained faithful. 


AND Jacque's husband Sean sent us a blog he had read
from a pastor in North Carolina. Completely related to
several areas of my life that I have been looking for 
answers. The summation of the blog: we often have to
take small steps to get to our Big goal. We cannot forget
that the small victories are just as important and give us
just as much reason to celebrate and praise God as 
meeting the Big goal. We are a society of getting what we
want immediately, Me included. But Look at Noah! Oh
my how long did he build the ark? 100 Years!!!!! God
gives us a vision to do something for Him and we get
antsy when it does not happen right away! It is so hard
for me to keep my eyes fixed on the prize. Tamar, Noah
so much of the Old Testament shows us when God calls
us to something it is probably going to be hard and take
time but He who began a good work in us, He will be
faithful to complete it!

Daniel Fast: Day 8

Yes I am still hanging in there with my Daniel Fast!
Days 4-7 left me a bit discouraged. The end of day 3 it
was clear that I was coming down with a cold. Then I
had to work the next 2 nights. It never fails I always
get sick when I am about to work. Never when I am
off for 5 days. Then day 6 I got about 2 hours of sleep
before I had to get up and go to a funeral and then
immediately to a birthday party. I will not lie I did not
follow the fast completely on Saturday because of the
birthday party and today is our anniversary but we
celebrated on saturday night. It is extremely difficult
to be sick and do this. Every fiber of my being wants a
cup of hot tea to sooth my throat and chest and NO warm
water with lemon will not cut it. Every fiber of my
being wants a bowl of chicken noodle soup. NO
vegetable soup is not going to cut it.
I have come to realize that next time I fast I will fast
from one major food group instead of 3-4. My husband
made an excellent point last night. He said just fasting from
caffeine alone would make a huge impact. I fear that I am
so focused on the food that I cannot have and the physical
woes that I am feeling that I am not getting the full effect
of the spiritual aspect. I am hanging in there for now. I
really want to see this out. I keep thinking that once I am
no longer sick I can really focus on hearing the Lord. Which
please do not get me wrong, the Lord has spoken and I have
been shown some things that I have issues with. Not things that
are really a surprise to me. Once again my wonderful husband
made an excellent observation, would these be things I would
have seen if I would have just spent the time studying more
like I have in the last 8 days. Last time I fasted it was intense
and the Lord really hit me right between the eyes with some
huge things I was not facing and not really aware were an issue.

So I have been brought back to my original theme that I know
the Lord placed in my heart to be my main focus and that was
Being Still. Well being sick would most definitely make me have
to rest and be still. I have not been able to do my running program.
I have not been able to do my Wii Fit. I have not been able to
do much but the everyday things to keep our family and life
going. I will give this more time. I will continue to pray for
healing and rest in this. I know this is what He wants me to do.
Time to Be Still.

Daniel Fast: Day 3

Ok Day 3!!! I won't lie! Today has been the worst yet!!
We took my dad to Cracker Barrel for his Birthday. (Our
son calls it the Chicken Bucket). And I had a bowl of 
pinto beans. Yes beans at the most wonderful mac and 
cheese, mashed potato, and biscuit place ever. THEN my
mama ordered a carmel ice cream mug sunday!!!!!!!!!!
All the way home I questioned my Lord about the 
ludicrous decision I have made. Why would anyone in 
their right mind eat only pinto beans and a glass of 
water at the Cracker Barrel??


This is what Satan wants. He wants me to question this
so I will stop. I have a wonderful book by a great lady
named Joyce Meyer called Straight Talk: Overcoming 
Emotional Battles With the Power of God's Word. Last
week as I was preparing to start this journey I was
reminded of this book and I pulled it out. Today's 
reading was about Satan. The section was entitled 
Keep the Devil on the Run. Wonderful scripture she 
referred to "Greater is he that is in you, than he that
is in the world." 1 John 4:4. Then she said "He comes
like the lion, but he is not the lion." What empowering
words!!! 


Why Fast? Why put myself through this? You don't really
have to do this for 21 days do you? If I had a little
bite of one food I am not supposed to it would be ok
if I messed up a little wouldn't it? Sheesh!! I feel 
like Eve in the garden!! 


There is absolutely no doubt that I am called to do
this. God has shown Himself to me time and time again
through this journey affirming that this is what I 
am to do. I know He is going to tell me some things
that I really need to hear. But I also know that as
long as I am being held up by this food issue, I will
not be able to be still and hear His voice. This is 
what I believe fasting is about. We have to be 
completely broken so we can finally let Him work. 


Well tomorrow is a new day and a new challenge.
Tomorrow night I work. I will be up for about 24
hours with a nap, hopefully, and I will have no
caffeine of any kind. One day at a time! Right?

Daniel Fast: Day 2

Today marks Day 2 of my Daniel fast. It has been strange to me
which foods I really missed. I Knew that Coffee would be the
thing that I would be dying for. But I think since I have been
weaning myself off for a few weeks now, it was not the problem
yesterday. The problem food? Sweets. There is absolutely no sugar
on this fast!!! But last night I threw some pineapple slices on the
grill and they were so good it almost felt like I was cheating.

Today I am feeling better than yesterday. However yesterday
started out well and ended with me being very irritable. Which
my endocrinologist warned me would happen when trying to
stop coffee.

Amazing that several times I have thought, "How am I going to
do this?" But once I sit down to The Word or a devotional, I am
immediately renewed. I once again feel like I can do this.

Again why am I amazed? but God brought forth 2 devotionals this
morning that really spoke to my heart. One contained one of my
favorite Psalms. "I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will
sing praise to my God while I have my being" Psalm 104:12,33.
The other spoke of believers being consecrated for a purpose.
We are to be about the Lord's work. For those of you that do not
know me, I am a singer. I sing on a praise team at our church
called The Hill. I am constantly under attack by Satan about
my singing abilities. It is such a strange line to walk to be
giving all of my talents and abilities to the Lord and at the
same time being in front of people. You have to in a sense
perform but at the same time you can't be just performing.
I was reminded today that I have been given a gift. No I am
not the best, but it is not for me to decided that because I am
not the best I will not sing. God uses what we give for His plan
and His purpose. He wants me to praise Him and He will take
care of the rest.
It is has been the case that the Lord will give me a song that
is kinda like a theme song when I fast. This fast I know that
my focus needs to be on being still and listening to His voice.
My song for this fast or at least one of them is a song called
Restless by a wonderful artist named Audrey Assad. She really
inspires me. Want to have your heart blessed beyond measure
today? Listen to this song!!

Daniel Fast: Day 1

I have recently been feeling a call to start a fast. I had done one a
little over a year ago. During that time I had read about a fast called
The Daniel Fast. It is a 21 day partial fast. You abstain from dairy,
meat, all sweeteners, all leavened bread, all refined and processed
foods. So you Can have fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds,
legumes, quality oils and distilled or filtered water. Oh and I did
not mention- NO COFFEE!!! A wonderful Christian woman
named Susan Gregory wrote a book about it and it is very helpful.
But when I first read about this I said "NO Way!!" There was no
way in the world I could ever take on a challenge like this. But I
believe that God uses time to bring us to where He wants us and
about 10 days ago I was brought back the The Daniel Fast and
realized it was time.
It should never amaze me, but it does, how God brings everything
into alignment to fall into place at the exact right time. I found out
about 2 weeks ago that coffee and thyroid medication do not go
well together. I take an extremely high dose of medication and we
have been exploring reasons why. So in effort to find out if coffee
is playing a problem, I have cut back drastically. Then along came
this fast where I am to drink no coffee. And I had been feeling a tug
to do a fast and I had read about this fast over a year ago. I just
do not believe in coincidence. Everything has fallen into place for
me to do this.
SO today is day One!! Susan encourages you to get up as early as you
need to, to spend time with the Lord, maybe exercise and start the
day out right. Making sacrifices that you may not usually make. So
I got up at 6:15 and went for my run/walk. I am starting week 4 this
week of a 12 week program to go from 0-30 minutes of running in
12 weeks. Then I came home filled up my water cup and sat down
for my quiet time. Again I am not sure why it amazes me, but it does.
I read the devotional that Susan provides in the Daniel Fast book.
Then I read a short devotional from a book that my friend gave me.
AND they were almost exactly the same. The one that was not in
the Daniel fast was about Nehemiah and how he fasted. Both about
not getting so caught up in life that we forget to put God first.
God has been so faithful at every step of this process!! I can't even
begin to imagine what this 21 days will bring. I know that God
has already began to speak. It is going to be awesome!!

Paper Beads Bracelets Series: Day 1

Our Etsy shop has had me a bit busy lately so I

have not been so good about the blogging.

In an attempt to make up for the lag, I am 

going to do a series on some different paper

bead bracelets. 

My Friend Kelli brought me several colors of

scrap book paper and card stock to make her

some bracelets. So I thought I would kill 2

birds with one stone and do a blog about the

bracelets I am making for her. All of these

bracelets will start with beads I have 

already made. So if you are completely lost,

you will need to go back and review the blog

where I taught you to make paper beads.

I of course made several of the bracelets in

my stretch cord and glass bead combo like shown

in my previous blogs. But lately I have been

working more with jewelry wire and crimp beads

and clasps so I thought I would try it with

my paper beads.

Materials Needed:

-Paper Beads (this bracelet I used 9)

-Seed Beads 

-Jewelry Wire

-Clasp of your choice (I used a bar and circle set)

-2 crimp bead tubes

-crimper tool

-wire cutters (not shown)

First you will cut a length of wire. I

cut about 3-4" more the than finished size I wanted. 

When you measure your wrist for bracelet size you 

will add 1/2" to that for your bracelet size. This 

whole crimping business is new to me so I hope I do 

not confuse. Please post questions if you need 

clarification. You will put the crimp bead tube and 

one part of the clasp on one end to start. You will 

then thread the end of the wire back through the 

crimp bead making a loop around your clasp. You 

will then use your crimping tool to flatten the tube.

Then you will use your tool to crimp the 2 flattened 

ends together. Please see the video for more specific

teaching.

Once you have the crimp bead tube crimped you will

cut the excess wire as close as you can making sure

not to cut both wires.

Now you can begin to string your beads. I started

with 3 clear silver lined seed beads and then a 

paper bead. I continued in this pattern until I 

reached approximately 6 1/2". Keep in mind the

clasp with add about 1/2-3/4" to the entire length.

Finally you string the other crimp tube and the 

other part of the clasp and crimp and trim once

again.

And there you have it!!

Etsy Artisan of the Week!!

I saw this weeks Etsy shop and I was immediately in LOVE!! 
Not only is every item as adorable as they come but this shop
owner also has a message and a mission!! 

This week's shop is Maple Shade Kids owned by a kind woman

named Wanda Hirsch. Wanda is the mother of a 10 year old 

daughter and 7 year old twin sons. She hales from the beautiful

state of New Hampshire. As already stated ALL of her items are

precious and perfect for our homes. BUT she also is doing her 

part in the process. With every product purchased she donates

to Trees for the Future to plant trees. AND she is a shop owner 

that strives to keep her products natural and safe for children.

OH MY where to begin with a couple favorite items?? So if you

know me, you know I think anything with owls is sweet! I have

been known to make an owl hat or two in my day. I love her 

animal decorated peg racks and I think the ones with owls

are my favorites!

If your kids are like mine, then they have sweaters and jackets

a plenty. A rack like this would come in very handy. Only problem

is deciding which one you want because they are all so darn 

cute!!

How many of us parents have art all over our fridge and some

to boot? Problem solved!! Wanda makes these perfect little

art hangers that come with clothes pins to hang up all the 

art projects!

If you take a look at her site you can see that you could coordinate

a theme for your child's room. She has the peg racks, she has 

shelves, she has the art hangers, and she has collage art hangings.

I really like her art collages because every detail has been given to 

using recycled and/or safe products. Check out the elephant and

blue bird collage.

We have now come the the Don't Take My Word for it portion of my

blog. With a 100% positive feedback at her shop there is no problem

finding people who are nuts about her work!!

-Excellent customer service! Beautiful packaging! The birds are darling!!! I love them so much and can't wait to start displaying my girls' artwork in a cool new way!! Thanks so much for the extra bird magnet...it's great!!! Definately will be back for more items in the future!!!

-Really lovely work! Exactly as pictured - extremely smooth and FAST transaction! Will definitely purchase from again!

-They are the most beautiful things in my baby's room! LOVE IT!

-I love it! Thanks for the excellent product and communication and quick shipping. You have a new return customer.

You cannot go wrong visiting Maple Shade Kids!! With every item created

beautifully and safely, you only have to choose!!

But I can tell you now, you will not be able to pick just one item!! 

Visit Wanda's shop today  www.mapleshadekids.etsy.com 

And Wanda takes part of an Etsy group called Natural Kids Team
and they have a blog too!!  Natural Kids Blog: 

http://natural-kids.blogspot.com/2009/04/friday-feature-with-maple-shade-kids.html

Child Allergy Topics: Food Allergy Awareness Week

There was a time in my life, before kids, when I made fun of that
nerdy little boy or girl who appeared to be mothered to death
by their mom because of their "food allergies". HAHAHAHA and
now look at me!! I am the mother, mothering my child to death 
because of his "Food Allergies". You don't realize how crazy it is
until you try it!! But because I am a mom of a child with Severe
Food, Drug and Environmental allergies, I want to get the word
out there about what it is like to live in our world.


This week is food allergy awareness week sponsored by a group
called FAAN- The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network! I just
received an e-mail from this group last week and until then I had 
never heard of them before. Their goal this week is to get as much
information out to the public as they can about food allergies. 
They have a lot of info aimed at helping parents get information
into their schools about what it is like to have allergies and what
we do about it in our homes. Let's face it sometimes kids can be
mean when someone else is different. But once we give them
education and open up a discussion, they feel more at ease. 


FAAN has on their site something that I absolutely Love!!
A Myths page!! It addresses a lot of topics that people have
questioned me about and questions that I have asked our allergist.
That page can be found here:
http://www.foodallergy.org/page/myths?

I highly recommend the FAAN site to everyone who wants to know
more about Food Allergies. It is a helpful site for me as well because
they are not just about education but they also take part in research
to help people who live with allergies. 


We have come to a time when we all will come in contact with 
someone who has food allergies. Why not get educated and learn
more about what it means to have food allergies?

Thyroid Thursday- Signs and Symptoms

As stated in my last Thyroid Thursday post, I did not realize

that I was having low thyroid symptoms. Probably for several 

years before I was diagnose I was feeling symptoms but I 

think a lot of people get busy and don't realize something is 

wrong until it is really wrong. Even now I am not the best at

recognizing that my medication dose may be off. 

Physical symptoms:

• Weight gain (due to fluid retention)
• Dry skin
• Yellow skin
• Hair loss, including the eyebrows
• Swollen face, hands, legs, ankles or feet
• Feeling cold
• Aches and pains in muscles or joints
• Hoarse or raspy voice
• Constipation
• Heavy menstrual bleeding or irregular periods
• Fatigue

Looking back I now see that I had several physical

symptoms:  fatigue, constipation, irregular periods

and aches and pain. Did I have dry skin? Well living in 

New Mexico that is pretty much a given so who knows.

I did have times of weight gain due to water retention

but I actually had lost a lot of weight because college

life allowed me to eat really once a day if I felt like it

Cognitive and mood-related symptoms:

• Slower thinking
• Trouble remembering things
• Slower speech or movement
• Feeling down or depressed

I normally struggle with the feeling down and depressed.

I have read that people with Hypothyroidism often

struggle with feeling unmotivated and this is often true

for me. Also my endocrinologist will ask me when my 

medication dose is too high if I am feeling anxiety.

I tell him I have 2 children and I work nights and I am 

often sleep deprived and yes I often have anxiety. But

who knows which one it is from.

Symptoms you might not be aware of:

• Enlarged thyroid gland (your doctor can check for this during an exam)
• Changes in cholesterol
• Slow heart rate 
• Infertility

My thyroid is enlarged and that is how my CNFP initially

found that something was up. Other wise these are

not things I deal with. I have my cholesterol checked 

because this can be an issue for people with Hypothyroidism.

Also I have read many times that women who are having

difficulty conceiving or carrying a pregnancy for any 

length of time will find that they have a low thyroid.

I will discuss in more depth in another blog about 

Hypothyroidism and pregnancy. But it is vitally important

if you have a low thyroid and are pregnant to have your

levels checked often. 

Research I have read says to keep in mind that even if

you have any of these symptoms it does not mean that

you do have Hypothyroidism. AND people can have it

and not have any signs and symptoms. So this is why

getting a yearly check up is important. We come from

a thought process that if it is not broke don't fix it.

But we need to change this lifestyle and be proactive

about our health.