Are you ready, Atlanta?!

In less than two months, Dave will be here! Get your fist pump going! If you're on the verge of wanting/needing to make some big financial changes in your life, this is the event that will kick your butt into gear. I know I've mentioned this before, but it wasn't until we saw Dave live two years ago that everything really *clicked*. But no matter where you are with your money, this show is for everyone. And the icing? It's incredibly entertaining and hilarious. It will change your life. Promise.

Reader Question: How do you find peace?

Yay for Fridays off! I only have two more after this week, so I'm really trying to soak up the fun while it lasts. What will I do when I have to return to 5 day work-weeks? Goodness. The hub is doing some PT work today, so it's just me and the girls at the house. I've got some small projects on the to-do list, but nothing crazy.

So last week I got this great email from Jenn over at Living the Good Life asking how I manage not to lose my cool when money seems to be leaving a heck of a lot faster than it's coming in (story of our current lives!). Here's a bit of her message...

"My husband and I have paid off all of our debt with the exception of one car and our house. We're now working to pay that car off and save up as much money as we can so that we can move in the next year but it seems like one bad thing after another keeps happening and I feel like I'm going to have a panic attack watching our savings dwindle down! It's really the most depressing thing. Since the end of May we've had to pay $7k in miscellaneous expenses (car repairs, plane tickets to a family member's wedding, getting a nice family of bats out of our attic, the list goes on and on.)---how do you keep from totally freaking out when it feels like you're just hemorrhaging money?? I know our savings is there for emergencies, but I have such anxiety over all of the unwanted and unnecessary spending. Any advice for me?!"

I totally don't consider myself a money expert by any means, but the hub and I have been to hell and back when it comes to figuring out how to win with money. So for that reason, I'm very passionate about the subject and freaking LOVE to talk about it. So I always welcome any questions on the matter and if our story can help others in some way, bring it. And by the way, being a CPA doesn't mean you're good with money. I mean haven't you seen doctors and nurses outside the hospital doors smoking? Yeah.

We're currently held up in what I call our stuck-in-mud phase of our plan. Which makes it hard to move forward, but we are. Creeping, but moving. As most of y'all know, the hub and I are total Dave Ramsey groupies. Me especially. It's like Jesus, then Dave. And we're currently on Baby Step #2, paying off all of our consumer debt (everything but the house). The hub has been unemployed for about 10 months now - which of course has turned our debt busting shovel into a flimsy plastic spork. So we're really just in survival mode right now until the hub is able to find full-time work. We have been really blessed with some great part-time opportunities that have helped along the way. I didn't think we'd make it past 2009 on my income alone. And here we are, knocking on the door of August 2010.

I can very much relate to Jenn's anxiety. Our situation isn't the same, but you know we girls tend to *freak OUT* when it comes to money (or the lack of really). It's a security issue for us, while it's a pride issue for the guys. So it's totally natural. But how do I keep from letting that anxiety and fear overtake me? I shared with Jenn what have been three personal mainstays in my life over the last couple of years that have helped me maintain peace in financially stressful times...

1. Tithing. Back in October 2008, when we ran our very first (EVER) monthly budget together, we decided then and there to start tithing (giving 10% off the top of our income to our local church). The hub and I have always loved to give when able, but we were never intentional about it before. We don't tithe because it's some item on a checklist of "things Christians do." We don't do it because God needs the money (ha!). It's simply about trust, and that's it. "God, we've obviously been idiots here, so we're going to do it your way from now on and trust YOU and not ourselves." We've been doing this for almost two years and the hub and I agree that is the single best decision we've ever made together. It has truly changed our lives. It looks ridiculous on paper, but that 10% comes right off the top - no matter what. No. Matter. What. We've never faltered on it, not even in months where we had no idea how we'd make it to the next. I can't even put into words the tremendous peace this has brought us. It is not an easy change to make. But nothing truly good comes without great sacrifice.

2. Worry not. Ha, easier said than done, right?! Oh how that worrisome fear can be so overpowering and crippling sometimes. And that's why I must continually drill this passage into my head...

"Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. " Matthew 6:31-34

3. Pray. My daily prayer to God is that I seek his wisdom in my everyday decisions with money. That we take all of this one day at a time. That we look to him for strength instead of being handicapped by worry and fear. And to recognize how truly blessed we are that we've made it this far, for the amazing life lessons we've learned along the way, and for the work God has done in our hearts. When you feel overcome with fear, the best thing you can do is get down on your knees.

So there you have it. And yeah I know it's completely engrossed with God stuff. But hey kids, true peace is only found with God so for me, there's no other answer really. I know lots of people out there are struggling financially for many reasons... Maybe it's an income crisis, like us, or perhaps you've got a big storm coming that's going to suck up all your savings, or maybe you've lost everything but the shirt on your back. Whatever it is, terrifying as it can be, there is always hope. You always hear about these people taking their lives over financial crises. Fear really can take your life. The trouble is, they had no hope. There is always hope. You have to succumb to the fact that you can't do it on your own. So get on your knees and ask your Father for some help.

I hope you all find true peace!

Funnel Cakes for Breakfast!

You know, it's probably a really bad thing that we figured out how easy these are to make at home. But it's too late now! Anyway, so the hub was after something *fun* for breakfast this morning and out of the blue he came up with the idea of making funnel cakes. Like when was the last time you ate a funnel cake? Seriously. I don't have much of a sweet tooth myself, so after a few bites I've totally had my fill. But the hub LOVES them.

So we looked online for recipes and found one that used pancake mix. Check! We've got that. And we happened to have powdered sugar on hand too. This was all the hub's doing really. I was the powdered sugar sprinkler. He tweaked the recipe some (it called for additional sugar in the batter and we both think it was totally NOT needed).



Homemade Funnel Cakes


You'll need:

- 1 cup pancake mix (we used Krusteaz)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup water
- powdered sugar (however much you want to sprinkle or dump on top)
- cooking oil (enough to fill the bottom of your skillet about 3/4 inches deep)
- squeeze bottle or large ziplock bag
- old school paper plates (for that true carnival experience)


Directions:

- Combine the pancake mix, egg, and water and pour into a squeeze bottle or ziplock bag. If using a bag, snip off one of the bottom corners so you can easily pour the batter into the pan through a small opening.

- Heat the oil in a 10-inch frying pan (we actually used a smaller one and it worked totally fine). You want about 3/4 inch of the oil in the pan. Once the oil is hot, do a couple of test dribbles of the batter to see if it quickly fries. (It should fry them up very fast, but the oil should not be so hot that is starts splattering.)

- When ready, squeeze out the batter in a circular pattern into the frying pan. Do this quickly as it will cook within seconds. So it doesn't look like a big blob, leave some open spaces as you're pouring in the batter. Once it's golden brown on one side, use tongs to flip it over and cook the other side till it's golden brown.

- Remove from the oil and transfer to a paper plate. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately!

Makes 4-5 funnel cakes.


OK so obviously these are not at all Moo Goo friendly. I ate my normal breakfast of one boiled egg and some turkey sausage. But I did have a few bites of one of the cakes. Maybe more than a few. I kept saying, "Well, the batter is really spread so thin... I'm really eating a very small portion of the non-Moo-Goo-friendly pancake batter." But, diet or not, I gotta say these TOTALLY tasted like the real deal! I did not take any pics, but I'm tellin' ya they looked exactly like the one above - paper plate and all. They were ridiculously good - too good. Duh, it's fried. But they are super easy to do and would be a very fun once-in-a-blue-moon treat. I told the hub, "oh when we have kids this is totally gonna be their birthday breakfast!"

Not at all healthy, but a crazy treat now and then won't kill ya I don't guess. Though the hub remarked, "Hmmm... that sure did use a lot of oil. I'm not sure where it all went!" I replied, "into your arteries!"

It's going to be a great day!

Since I haven't made it on here to post much of any substance in the last couple of weeks, here's another video I can't stop watching. I've probably rerun it on Tivo like 30 times. It makes me do my ugly snort laugh...



Have a GREAT day!

It never stops being funny.

I had totally forgotten about this video until I saw it posted by Jen over at Maybe if You Just Relax. God bless these girls... I love it.

A final letter to my buddy.

My sweet Charlie,

It's an unspoken understanding that when you get a dog, you know someday you'll have to say goodbye. I don't know why dog years are so much shorter than human years, but I didn't make the rules. We knew the day was coming... we had hoped you would get better and stay with us a little longer, but we couldn't watch you hurting anymore. I don't think I ever would've been ready to say goodbye to you, buddy. But we knew you were ready. I remember sitting with you at the bottom of the stairs a few days before when you were breathing so rapidly. Through tears I asked you to tell us when you were ready to go home.

All that weekend I kept asking your daddy, "do you think he knows how much we love him?" I hope you knew how big our hearts were for you, buddy. I always say that doggies are one of the most tangible glimpses of God's unconditional love for us. (In a sweet, furry package.) And you were the epitome of that... you loved us so hard and wanted nothing more than to be with us. The days that followed your last were a constant reminder of that. With you gone, I became acutely aware of how much you had been a part of my daily routine.


You were always the first to wake us up in the mornings. Always so eager to get outside and do your "lap" back and forth across the yard, you'd stand by my bedside and stare at me with that goofy face of yours, whimpering slightly till one of us got up. Sometimes Belly would join you, but the girls usually would just roll over and sleep in a little more. Whether I was taking a shower, cutting up fruit, unloading the washer, or blow-drying my hair, you were right by my side. The house just felt very, very still without you. Very quiet. I guess I never realized how independent our girls were... but I found myself doing all my normal daily things without anyone at my heels. And that was heartbreaking. Coming home from work for the first time, knowing you wouldn't be there to greet me, felt so weird. Going through that first 24-hour period without you was really tough. It just felt wrong.


But that's just something your daddy and I have to go through. We miss you so much and it hurts. Your funny little face brought us such joy and endless laughter. We only had 6 1/2 years with you, but what sweet years they were. We always joke about how silly and goofy you were... you would come and sit before us and just look at us with this look of anticipation, as if to say, "OK, what's next?!" You were absolutely terrified of water. Whenever we'd go to the lake, you'd hide behind me as if Daddy couldn't see you. He was always trying to get you to face your fear, but that never really worked, did it?! We laughed that your little corner of Heaven must have NO pools, rivers or lakes anywhere (because those are so scary!!!)... only a big bowl of drinking water for you to vigorously gulp and dribble everywhere. And oh, I bet there's a feast fit for a king for you up there... you did love to eat. You were the sweetest of boys till someone messed with your food! (I think you got that from me.)

The days leading up to our goodbye were precious. Despite you not feeling well most days, you were able to perk up a bit on Father's Day. What a good day you had! We all went out for ice cream - our last little family outing with all three of you. And you got lots of love from Grandma and Grandpa that day too during our Father's Day dinner... what a treat! It was a great day full of family. We didn't know it was your last full day with us, but it was a great last day, wasn't it, buddy?


Your daddy and I had discussed a while back how we would say goodbye to you when the time came. It's something we hated talking about, but we wanted to have a plan in place. We wanted to be ready when you were. And just like I asked you, you told us that Monday morning that you were ready to go. All that fun you had on Father's Day caught back up with you... you were so pitiful and weak. I hate that I had to go on in to work and leave you for a few hours. You should know I was fighting back tears all morning long and all my thoughts were on you. I was so glad to see you feeling a little better when I got home that afternoon. We were able to enjoy a little sunshine together in the backyard. It was so surreal following you up the deck stairs, and then watching you nose open the back door... for the last time. I knew at that moment that I'd never see you do that again. Something I've seen you do a million times before.


We had your vet come to the house to help us say goodbye. We knew how much you hated going to the doctor... we didn't want your last moments to be at the vet's office. It was important for you to be here, at your home, surrounded by your family - even your silly sisters. We wanted you to be as comfortable as you could be, and I think you were. I hope you were. Daddy just kept giving you peanut butter and you just kept licking away. You still had peanut butter on your tongue when you finally fell asleep. So if you still have the taste of your favorite treat in your mouth, that's why.


I keep replaying the image of us laying down your sweet head... we were holding it together as you passed away. The bitter sweetness of that moment makes me smile but also haunts me. Running my hands over your beautiful coat one last time and kissing your sweet head... it'll never be enough. I hate that you're not here with us. I hate it. I miss every part of you... the lines on your face, your mysterious missing tooth, your floofy bent tail... all of it. I miss spooning with you at night. I miss watching you dart across the yard yelping at each corner because you can't pee fast enough to dart back to the other side. I miss your grunts and sighs. I miss your goofy stare - how intently you'd look at us. You were such a sweet little man... so stately. You had such a kind spirit.


Later that same week, we took your ashes and spread them along your path in the backyard - did you hear us yelping and barking as we did it? I'm sure the neighbors thought we had lost it! As painful as saying goodbye was, you know I wouldn't change our time with you for a second. I can still remember standing behind your daddy at the computer in our first apartment, looking at your puppy picture on the rescue agency's website. It was love at first sight. There was never much discussion when we got married... your daddy and I knew we'd have to have a dog. We adopted your sister, Belly, very soon after we got married. And we fell in love with you and brought you home later that same year. What a joy you were to us, buddy. Both your sisters loved you (even if Belly won't admit it) and we can tell they miss you. Belly is just now getting back to her old self. You were her security blanket. And I know Gertie really misses her wrestling partner. We all are missing a little piece of our heart because you took it with you when you left us. But we are so glad that you are in a better place, feeling good and running free of any pain or discomfort.


People have asked me if we're going to get another doggie. And I just smile... because, buddy, you know we never really intended to have three dogs. Life just kind of happened that way. So we're just going to stick with the two girls. It's amazing how different the atmosphere is without you... we're learning to adjust. But new dog or not, there's just no replacing you, buddy. You were something very special and we'll love you and miss you forever. I hope you know that. I find myself grabbing your collar every once in a while... closing my eyes and holding it up to my nose. It's the only thing we have left that is full of your sweet smell. To most people, it smells like a dirty dog. But to me, it's Charlie.

Missing you,

Your momma

All of the above photos were taken on the day we said goodbye to Charlie. He passed away in our home on Monday, June 21, 2010, licking peanut butter from the hub's fingers until his last breath.

Happy 4th (holiday)!

Hope everyone had a fabulous 4th weekend... we sure did! Been running around since I left work Thursday afternoon. But we had a great weekend with friends and the weather was perfect. Saturday night we had a neighborhood block party and I actually ran back to our house to grab a FLEECE once the sun went down. On July 3rd. Crazy! The hub ran the Peacthree Sunday morning while I stayed at home with the girls. Then we had a cookout over at our friends' house and watched the fireworks up here in Buford. All in all, a great weekend full of celebration.

I'm officially on a week-long staycation right now and loving it. I've got a few projects on my to-do list but honestly I'm just looking forward to a restful and relaxing week of pretty much nothing inparticular. Sounds dreamy, right? So I probably won't be on the 'puter much but I do need to get my final Charlie post up. I've been putting it off because I've just been busy or not in the right place to do it. We are doing lots better but still miss our boy so much. Thought about him lots this weekend because he was always SO terrified of fireworks. Honestly, I'm glad he wasn't here to witness all the boom-boom-pow while he was feeling awful. That might've done him in!

Enjoy this first week of July... I'll be back soon!

Missing my boy.

I don't usually post personal (people) pics on here, and don't really intend to change that... but I just love this picture. This was taken maybe a half hour or so before we said our final goodbyes to sweet Charlie. He was awfully sick Monday morning but after a couple of pain pills and some peanut butter, he had some energy to get outside for a bit and catch some sunshine.

I can't describe the pain I feel for this boy. I knew letting him go would be hard, but goodness it hurts. Monday night and all of yesterday was incredibly rough. I was constantly reminded of how much Charlie was a part of my routine at different parts of the day. There were traces of him everywhere. And coming home last night, knowing he wouldn't be there to greet me broke my heart again.

We miss him so, but of course are so grateful for the life he had with us and that he is not in pain anymore. I will write more on him later - there is so much to share. There's so much that I miss. But for now we're just trying to heal a bit. Thank you SO much for all your kind words and prayers. Every comment here and on twitter means a lot to me and the hub. We are hanging in there!

My buddy.

Charlie Heath Ledger Rogers

July 2003 - June 21, 2010

We love you, buddy.

Summer Concert Series

OK so I just heard from the hub - sounds like we are definitely on for the concert tonight. This is the 3rd of a month-long series of free concerts at a neighborhood/community up here called Sterling on the Lake. We went a couple of weeks ago to the '80's night one and it was so fun! You can bring in coolers, chairs, and whatnot - some people go all out with tents and tables. Only cost is a $5 per car parking fee. Each concert has a theme - tonight's is country. I'm not a huge country fan, but our friends sure are. It'll be fun. They have a great amphitheatre area on a big lawn, so it's a great casual venue for an outdoor concert. Tons of kids there and doggies are welcome too!

So if you're up in the Gwinnett area, definitely check it out. It's a fun, cheap evening for the whole fam. Tonight is kuntry and then next week (the last one for the year) is Motown.

Hmm... guess I'll have to shower afterall.

Look Mom, No Hands!

Aw, bust.

That's my high-flying husband. We were on the lake last Sunday - had a great time! Everyone was wake boarding, but I was just sitting pretty eating my Moo Goo snacks and soaking up the sun (a la SPF 45 of course). No rigorous exercise for me, thanks. And slamming my body into the water at high speeds sounds a bit rigorous.

No lake this weekend, but it's a fun one. Last night we had our couples' small group over for an in-home cooking class with a professional chef. SO fun! And hello, we got all the leftovers! Didn't even think about that when we volunteered to host, but hey... bonus! Of course, I can't have any of them - ha. But the hub's happy. Y'all would be so proud... I mean we are talking all these fabulous appetizers (our class was just a bunch of different appetizers) and like 75% of them involved cheese. Sad! But I was good. I brought out my own Moo Goo friendly crackers so I could have some hummus and fruit salsa. And there were a couple of meat dishes I could partake in - some flank steak skewers and some teriyaki chicken wings. Ugh, and she made this delicious looking Sangria (y'all know how I love me some Sangria!) and I had to stick with my room-temp water. Boring, but I managed. It was such a fun time anyway though. And our small group also declared that for our next meeting we're all bringing Moo Goo friendly snacks (we all bring an appetizer/dish to share at group meetings)! So sweet! Guess it'll be lots of meat... ha!

Though I have discovered that I can have corn tortillas. I'm not a big fan of them, but hey - that means I can have enchiladas and I guess hard taco shells too. Finding all the things I can eat at a Mexican restaurant has been essential. Anyway, so I bought stuff to make enchiladas and I think we'll give that a go tonight.

Tomorrow we're putting together a Greek-themed menu for Father's Day. My parents are coming over for dinner. I'm going to attempt Baklava for dessert - I found what looks like a really good, simple recipe. Working with filo dough is the hardest part! I think I'll have to try a small bite once I make it... I mean, the dough is paper thin and all. Just a bite though!

Alright... gotta put together my grocery list and get moving. Feels so good to have a clean house today and not have to worry about any of that! We may go to a free concert tonight with some friends... I'm not sure what the plan is. But if that doesn't pan out, I'm totally cool with chillin' a la casa tonight too. Shoot, I may not even shower. *Gasp!*

Food Fantasies

Man, my Moo Goo will was really tested over the last few days!  I was out of the office for CPE (continuing ed) on Thursday and Friday.  So I was confronted with all kinds of goodies...  delicious breakfast buffets full of savory biscuits and other cheese-covered goodness.  Bagels and all kind of breakfast pastries and muffins.  Coffee bar!  You should know that days at CPE are those that I drink more coffee than any other day of the year.  So I was stuck with fruit and water. 

 

Lunch was the hardest.  We eat in a big banquet room and are served a plated meal.  So our salads are already sitting out when we're seated.  Can't eat salads... so I'm just like twiddling my thumbs and hoping no one's really noticing that I'm not touching mine.  The main course is doable... it's usually a meat and at least some veggies.  The second day was a filet with veggies and polenta - sweet!  I could eat it all!  Except for the cheese mess on top of the filet.  I of course had to pass on the dessert each day - which is just sitting there behind my plate during the entire meal, staring me in the face!  Luckily, neither dessert from either day really did it for me.  So I wasn't missing much!  (I'm really weird about desserts - there are only a few I like.)  But not getting to eat certain things at lunch wasn't hard - it was the attention that I hated!  "Do you not like salad?"  Yep, I knew that was coming, so off I went explaining my Moo Goo diet to a near stranger.  It's funny - some people are totally fascinated by it and others look at me like I just told them I'm thinking about joining the circus.

 

Oh but the worst?  The afternoon snacks!  OMG.  First day they had ginormous cookies.  Not too hard to pass up, but next to those?  This gorgeous tiered display of all these fab cheeses.  I could live on cheese alone - this was killing me.  Goat cheese, gouda, brie, bleu cheese, and everything in between... Lord help me.  But I was good.  I passed on it.  And the second day?  Giant baked pretzels with mustard.  Those are fun, but easily passed.  But then...  ice cream.  Freaking Ben & Jerry's ice cream.  Are you kidding me?  Once again... I ate fruit and sipped on my room temperature water.

 

This weekend we also had a party to go to and party food has always been my weakness!  Chips and dip...  bring it!  But there are very few chips I can eat.  They have to be all natural, etc.  And dips?  Yeah, considering most are made with some form of dairy, there's few of those I can pig out on too.  So really, Moo Goo is not all that bad - all of my true "weaknesses" when it comes to food have pretty much been nixed from my diet.  BUT the party hosts happened to have crackers that I *can* eat along with hummus and guacamole (both of which I can eat!)... that was such a fun surprise!  And the main feast was BBQ, which I can also eat my fair share of...  I know the sauce and whatnot most definitely has some sugar and other crap I'm not really supposed to have, but I honestly don't get that severe with it.  So I was able to gobble up some BBQ pork, baked beans, and potato salad.  Had to pass on the flowing wine (swoon) and brownies and ice cream for dessert (double swoon).  But I had a full belly - I was happy.

 

So yeah, I find that challenges really come when I'm not in control of the food.  But I'm dealing - it's all good.  And I feel great, so it's all worth it.  Plus, I'm picking up some new recipes!  We tried out a great turkey meatloaf recipe last week.  Loved it!  I went by the book but for the bread crumbs (used oats instead and you totally can't tell!).  And I tried a black bean cake recipe.  It was OK, but I was missing some of the ingredients.  I'm going to keep experimenting with those - I think I can find a really good one.  If y'all have one, do share!  A lot of them call for sweet potatoes, so I want to try one of those.  Oh!  And I also made chicken salad for the first time ever!  Not hard, just never had actually done it before!  It turned out great - I truly surprised myself.  I just boiled chicken, shredded it and mixed it with some light mayo, celery seed (I can't do raw veggies, so seeds it is), black pepper, sunflower seeds, and some bacon.  It was great!

 

Not to pat my own back, but pat pat!  I am doing great sticking to this diet.  Which surprises this food-obsessed girl!  Many people have asked if the hub is doing it along with me.  He definitely offered but I told him no way - that is silly.  Plus, his needs are different from mine.  This diet is specially geared for me and my issues/needs.  But he has given up the coffee.  Our poor Keurig is collecting dust right now!  I've been on the hunt for some teas but haven't found any decaf varieties yet that really appeal to me.  Any suggestions out there?

 

And one thing I find oddly fun and strangely satisfying is discussing food fantasies with the hub.  We'll just be driving somewhere and I'll randomly say, "OK I want a mint cookies n' cream milkshake from Steak and Shake.  YES!  OK as soon as we get pregnant and are in the 'safe zone' I am having a mint oreo milkshake!"  When do I ever eat milkshakes?  Um, never.  Talk about a calorie buster.  But I just keep coming up with these off-the-wall food items that I decide I must have.  So I've started a food fantasy list and it looks something like this...

 

- The obvious mint cookies n' cream milkshake from Steak and Shake, sans whip cream and cherry (those take away from it, if you ask me)

- A big ole bottle of my favorite wine, Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc, chilled to perfection

- All the corner pieces from a pan of Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Brownies (best brownies in the world!!!!)

- Cheese dip and a big carafe of red Sangria from La Paz all to myself

- A Carvel chocolate ice cream cake (Not sure when or why that one came up!  Random!)

- A big pitcher of frozen margaritas and fajita nachos at our local dirty Mexican joint

 

And the list keeps growing...  it seems to revolve around cheese, alcohol, and chocolate.  Haven't had any coffee fantasies.  Guess I don't miss it all that much!  Ha!  So what's your food fantasy?  What's that one thing you can't have because of diet restrictions or illness or whatever that sounds like pure heaven?  A girl can dream...

Three Cheers for Moo Goo!

I had acupuncture session #5 yesterday afternoon.  This time Dr. Liu put needles in my belly!  Craziness.  She was talking a lot about how opposite the needs for men and women are.  Women need warmth.  Men need cold.  Women who live in warmer climates live longer.  The opposite is true for men.  Those pesky monthly cycles?  They actually prolong our lives, girls.  Because we're continually "cleaning out" our systems.  Even diet needs are so different for men and women.  Yesterday she mentioned oysters...  good for men, bad for women (well, good thing I don't care for them).  And she also told me to eat fresh pineapple the day before and the day of ovulation.  It's full of enzymes that help an embryo implant.  Perhaps this is why the pineapple is the international symbol of welcoming?  Ha... maybe.

 

I'm so, so fascinated by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) right now.  I'm finishing up The Infertility Cure (finally) and I'm just eating this stuff up.  The doctor who wrote this book incorporates both Chinese and Western methods with her patients, so it in no way dismisses Western medicine.  But what's so interesting is how different the approach to wellness is between the two.  Western medicine zeroes in on a problem and attacks that problem with a hammer.  TCM backs up and looks at the whole body...  as in, particular symptoms are the result of an imbalance somewhere.  So let's get the body back in balance and the symptoms will go away.  TCM is all about balance... Yin and Yang.  Like for me, I have a Kidney Yang deficiency (among other things).  You can have areas of excess or deficiency in your body, and TCM identifies those areas based on everyday symptoms (crazy stuff like the color of your tongue, or the temperature of your belly, or how sweaty your palms are).  And then a combination of herbs, diet changes, and methods such as acupuncture are used to correct those imbalances and restore the body to health.

 

It's seriously wicked cool and I *wish* it was more embraced over here as a true form of treatment - for whatever ails you.  There's so much proven response to it with fertility cases, but TCM can treat so much more.  Unfortunately, it's not cheap and most health insurance providers won't cover it.  Each acupuncture session I have is $90 and the herbs are more on top of that.  That's just not practical for most people, and that sucks.  Everything has its place, but I think Western medicine dismisses so many symptoms we all experience as "normal" without a second thought.  I was reading about our menstrual cycles, which was so eye-opening.  All these symptoms that many of us have before and during our periods that have always been labeled "normal?"  Cramping, bloating, breast tenderness, spotting... all that?  NOT normal according to TCM.  Doesn't mean there's something hugely wrong with you, but there is an imbalance somewhere.  Something's off.  And how long or short, heavy or light your cycle is says A LOT about what's going on with you.  Honestly, it makes you wonder how the hell anyone gets pregnant because so many things have to be in check for a successful pregnancy to take place and stay put.  It's amazing - only God, y'all.

 

So yeah, I'm obviously loving this whole new path we've taken.  We've been at it for over 3 weeks now and I already feel like a new person.  The diet changes have been tough, but really not so bad overall.  As long I can control my meals (i.e. pack my lunch, cook dinner, etc) it's really not that hard.  It's on days like today - where the office had lunch catered in - that it's difficult.  Deli sandwiches and salads... sounds easy right?  Not when you can't eat anything *cold* or any refined carbs.  So that leaves out any of the breads and the pasta salad...  none of the raw veggies on the sandwiches...  I ended up picking a chicken salad sandwich and eating it open-faced.  They did have a carrot salad but Lord knows it was full of sugar - oh well.  And I grabbed a honkin' huge pickle.  Ate only half of it because those suckers are loaded with sodium.  So I'm not feeling very full, but whatever.  I've got plenty of Moo Goo approved snacks here in my food drawer.

 

Diet issues aside, it's all worth it.  The herbs I'm on have me feeling great.  They are all in pill form, but I take 91 pills a day.  I seriously have a spreadsheet to keep up with it - it was very overwhelming at first, but now it's nothing.  I can't have any caffeine at all, but I truly don't need it.  Sure, I sometimes miss the taste and warmth of coffee first thing in the morning, but I certainly don't need the upper.  And almost immediately after starting the herbs, I noticed that 2pm slump went away.  Those slow afternoons at work where I was like, "Oh geez, I need a diet coke."  Not anymore.  And with taking 91 freaking pills a day, I by default down a ridiculous amount of water.  So I know that helps too.  All I drink now is water.  At room temperature.  I've learned to order "water no ice" whenever out.  I asked about hot teas at the doctor yesterday so I think I'll check some of those out.  I'm a big fan of hot tea, but just haven't gone there yet.  It's got to be decaf, so I'll need to do a little experimenting there.

 

Overall, I especially feel like my hope for a baby has gotten a big steroid boost.  Totally renewed.  The fact that we're doing something period makes a big difference, but I truly, truly believe in this method and what it can possibly do for us.  It's all about preparing your body for a child and taking care of yourself.  We of course don't know if this is our answer, but we certainly hold out great hope for it and are going to give it all we've got.  Even if we don't conceive naturally here, we can still incorporate all of this with IUI or IVF.  So there's really nothing to lose. 

 

And my greatest revelation so far?  Yesterday afternoon a friend forwarded me ultrasound photos.  The subject of her email read, "Thought I'd share." In the email, before I opened the attached photos, she said, "And can I ask how you guys are doing?"  So I kind of had an idea of what the pic was before I opened it.  I'll preface this with saying that my initial reaction to emails with pregnancy or baby news of any kind is usually a huge eye roll.  It feels like someone is running me over in a minivan with one of those obnoxious "Baby on Board" stickers.  And then backing up and doing it again.  Hate them, hate them, hate them.  Delete, delete, delete.  BUT, when I opened these pics I can honestly say I was genuinely excited for her and immediately showered her with congratulations.  It didn't hit me till a few minutes later how unusual that reaction was for me.  It's really impossible to communicate that difference with someone who's never struggled with infertility for years.  But it is huge.  What a sense of peace, really.  And this morning I just praised God for that moment - such a huge moment for me.  And prayed that it was not a one time thing, but a sign of a renewed attitude with all of this.  I know I gripe about my sorry attitude with fertiles sometimes - but you must know how much I hate that I feel that way.  So this little email was very enlightening for me personally... I hope it's something I'll continue to see happen.  I fully credit my Moo Goo plan.  I think it's opened me up some emotionally - like the other day I just burst out into tears and let all this stuff out with the hub.  Came out of nowhere!  It was like this huge release.  Maybe it's just an upswing for the time being, but I'll take it.  Time will tell. 

 

Alright, off to down some more herbs...

Hosed.

Summer is Belly's favorite time of year... cuz Dad breaks out the water hose and kiddie pool. She's our water baby, that's for sure. The other two? Not so much. Gertie will occasionally wade in the pool, but Charlie will get as far away from the water as possible - if he's not inside, he's usually on the deck with his nose pressed against the door.

Charlie is doing great, by the way! He finally had some beautiful *normal* dog poo this weekend after a long week of not-normal dog poo. He hasn't thrown up since late last week and he's been eating well. He's still very very slow eating, but he eventually gets it done. And he takes his pills like a champ - probably because we coat them in peanut butter. But yeah, big improvement over last week, so we are hopeful that this past episode was really just that - an episode that's about over. Still keeping a close watch on our buddy, but we're grateful he's wagging that tail again! Thanks for the prayers!

Change of Plans

Today was supposed to be a let's-hurry-up-and-get-out-of-town Friday, but it has turned into a lazy Friday at home with the dogs. We had planned to head up to Knoxville this morning to visit the hub's parents for the weekend and we were really looking forward to the little getaway... but poor Charlie has been sick again this week. After taking him to the vet yesterday and changing up his meds some, we decided it'd be best to stay home and keep a close eye on him.

He has been sick on and off all week and very iffy about his food. Again, his #1 favorite thing in the world is food. So if he's not eating, we know it's bad. Of course we're always thinking, "is this it?" whenever he gets sick because his cancer could return at any time. The vet thinks his issues this week though may be the result of some ulcers forming in his stomach because of the combo of meds he's been on the last couple of months. With his new meds, we should know in a couple of days if it's something that'll clear up or if it's indeed the cancer coming back with a vengeance.

Like we've said from the beginning, we just want to keep him happy and comfortable as long as possible. We've already had the tough talk about our "plan" for him once the time comes. Ugh, that's such a not-fun topic. I hate thinking about our home without our fuzzy boy. I'm praying this is just ulcers or whatever - something that will go away after a couple of days. We know we're on borrowed time with him, but oh let's please just stretch it out a little longer, Lord!

Well speaking of Charlie... I've got to run and give him his morning dose of pills! Boy needs his own pill box for crying out loud.

Hope y'all have a fabulous Friday! I'm off - weeeee!!! Just enjoying some time at home with the hub and our silly pups.