Grace in this Journey: The Do's

OK, so first things first.....

This beauty had her 22nd birthday yesterday,

and we celebrated on Wednesday 

because she worked a 12-hour shift on her birthday.

Which Sir Cuteness just didn't get AT ALL!!

"GRANDMA WHY IS SHE WORKING ON HER BIRTHDAY!!??!!!!???"

GASP!!!

Well, Sir Cuteness

because she is responsible like that.

She is just the best thing, this girl.

I love her to bits.

TO BITS!!

And she and her lovely sister,

are SO supportive of this new adventure of mine.

They are just the best girls I'm telling you.

They just want me to get better.

They both work in an exclusive orthopedic hospital,

so the wisdom they lend to me is priceless.

And all it costs me is love.

I've got loads and loads for these girls,

in fact, it never runs out.

I totally hijacked this pic from FB =)

but are they not THE most beautiful girls you have EVER seen?

I know Rebecca Jo,

You want to photograph them. 

Yep, I SO wish you could.

I would love to see their Scrabble words =)

anyway.....

I love these beauties!!

Ok, so onto the Do's.....

This is what you can eat on the Arthritis Diet.....

Fish: 3-4 Oz of fish twice a week

Salmon Tuna Herring Anchovies & Scallops

Nuts & Seeds: 1.5 Oz of nuts daily (one Oz is about a handful)

Walnuts, Pistachios & Almonds

Fruits & Veggies:  Aim for nine or more serving a day

Cherries, Onion Family, Broccoli, Spinach, Lettuce, Kale

Cabbage, Blueberries, Blackberries, Strawberries 

Olive Oil:  2-3 Tablespoons a day

Beans:  About one cup, twice a week or more

Red Beans, Red Kidney Beans, Pinto Beans, Black Beans,

Garbanzo Beans, Black-eyed Peas

Other:  

Green Tea, Turmeric, Ginger, Cinnamon, Holy Basil, Rosemary

So see, LOTS of really yummy things on the DO list.

(I don't know exactly what Holy Basil is

but I want to look this up and grow it

in my garden.  I consider all of the 

beautiful organic things we grow out there 

Holy, because God kisses them,

but I'm pretty sure this is a specific Basil.

If you know, oh do please tell).  

I am focusing on these things.

There are other things like honey and agave

to add, and a whole host of veggies not listed here.

This list is NOT exhaustive,

just a quick peek to help me stay on target

and helps if I get a little off target or confused.

Which happens with me.

a lot.

ahem.

SO there you have the Do list.

Now armed with the DO's and DON'Ts,

our fun can begin.

I will be posting recipes,

perhaps a video or two,

and updates.

And the first one I will be posting very soon, 

with how things are going and the differences I'm 

seeing in such a short time.

So, here we go.....

Oh and btw, THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME!!!

Grace in this Journey: The Don'ts

There are a list of do's and don'ts

associated with this diet.

Things that you should eat,

and should not eat.

And I set about making a list 

of both.

I keep a journal.

Well several really,

anyway.....

in this particular one

I wrote down one page of don'ts

and then facing it on opposite page

I wrote the do's.

I kept it simple.

It is great to reference these pages.

One thing that i wanted to do

was to not be focused on what I couldn't

eat, but to completely immerse myself 

in what I could eat.

It is much easier that way.

But for the sake of you knowing what to eat

and what not to eat,

I will share with you today the don'ts.

Just don't get hung up on them.

It seems like you can't eat anything.

NOT TRUE.

Its just different things,

that is all.

Still good.

Just different.

Don'ts:

1).  Fried and Processed Foods

(I know.  There went the typical American diet.

Right out the window.

Just kick it to the curb).

2).  Nothing cooked on a grill,

high heat,

fried or pasteurized.

(There went whatever was left of the American diet.

I'm telling you people,

the curb,

kick it)! 

3).  Sugars and refined carbs

4).  Dairy Products

5).  Alcohol and Tobacco

(No problem for me, since I am not a partaker of either).

6).  Salt and preservatives

(Really on the salt?  UGHHH!!!)

7).  Corn oil

8).  Night Shade family of veggies:

Potatoes, Tomatoes, Peppers & Eggplant

(Don't even get me started!)

9).  And Gluten.

I know this list seems quite exhaustive.

It isn't.

Just kinda read over it if you'd like to follow along with me on the diet,

just don't obsess over it.

Just be familiar with it.

Focus on the do's people.

The do's.

Which are coming up next!

Stay tuned.....

(The DO's post in two hours)
=)

Grace in this Journey: Beginning

For those of you that 

have known me here for a long time,

or who know me outside of

this beautiful blog world,

You know that I deal with chronic pain

brought on by arthritis 

I have had since I was a child.

It is rare.

Childhood arthritis.

My doctor said that he had never

seen knee surgery in such a young girl.

I was seven.

That is young.

And I underwent traction first.

Excruciating.

And then big needles in my knee.

Scary.

It turned orange 

and swelled to unreal heights.

That was cool.

And then it was determined that my knee

would have to be operated on

so I could straighten it out again.

It was locked.

I was seven.

And so it began.

The arthritis has now become much more systemic.

I deal with pain, stiffness and pain

on a daily basis.

This summer it has gotten much worse,

and I got sad.

And mad.

And did I mention there is pain involved?

So.....

I decided to do something about it.

I went to the doctor to get on 

Arthritis meds.

If you know me,

or have read my blog for very long,

you know that is a big step

as I DON'T LIKE MEDICINE.

But I went hoping for relief.

My doc ran tests and gave me some 

meds.

The meds work BTW.  

I don't like taking them,

but I like taking them.

I can at least sleep without being

woke up in pain every night.  

And they are not narcotic.

I like that too.

But the swelling has gotten crazy in my left knee,

and the pain has gotten more intense,

so the doc did some X-rays and 

it showed that there have been

changes in my knee.

Enthesopathic changes.

It involves the point at

which the ligaments meet

at the Patella.  

It kind of acts like tendonitis.

Yes indeed.

This knee is a hot mess!

So my doc suggested that I contact

Mayo Clinic and be seen by

my doctor there again.

The thought of that long drive,

and then possibly surgery again

and so forth,

I just couldn't hardly stomach it.

So, I got busy.

Well, google and I did.

And I started researching out

the Arthritis diet once again.

I have looked at it before,

but never wanted to do it

because it cuts out the entire nightshade

family of veggies.

I like them.

I have never wanted to give them up.

Until now.

If it will help,

I'm in.

And also as a part of this diet,

I am doing something I said I would

never do.

(Note to self: STOP SAYING THAT!)

I am going gluten free.

Yep.  At least for a month,

and then will evaluate how things are going.

People with arthritis can have a sensitivity

to gluten.

Not everybody does,

but if you have a lot of swelling in your joints,

and I do,

then it is suggested that you go gluten free as well.

So I am.

Gluten is in a lot of stuff.

I thought it was just bread.

Boy was I wrong.

I am learning.

A lot.

And not just about bread,

but also about Grace.

Grace in this journey through life.

I am a pilgrim ya know.

Just passing through.

Wanting to be pleasing to the Father

as i sojourn.

Even if that sojourning brings pain,

there is Grace.

And I am okay.

Holding the hand of my Father all the way.

So would you like to follow me on this journey of Grace?

If you would,

just pop over here for the next month.

I'll be sharing things that are helping.

Things that are not.

Recipes.

Funny anecdotes.

Grace.

And baby steps.

I love you so!!

And so it begins.....

Day 15 ~~ Days of Thankfulness ~~ Pain

Today, I am so thankful for pain.

Weird huh?

But I truly mean that.

Pain has been a blessing in my life.

Especially arthritic pain.

It is constant a lot of days.....

It is generally hard.....

But the lessons it has taught me:  priceless.

I know what it is to move through it.....

I know what it is to have pain and smile and no one even know that I am in

excruiating pain.

Seriously, some days you would never know,

unless you are my husband.

He knows me.

Knows me well.

He knows when I hurt.

He feels my pain.

Sometimes I think literally.

He is such a tremendous Blessing to me.

Lately, pain is been pretty constant.

I am back to trying to control it with ibuprofen,

which is pretty much a no-no for me because of my ulcer issue,

but right now, it is knocking the edge off.

I don't tell you this, so you will feel sorry for me,

or even wish it different.

I tell you because I want you to know

GOD IS ABLE!!!

HE IS ALL I NEED!!!!!

HE IS THE SUSTAINER!!!!!!!

HE IS THE HEALER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HE IS MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AND I AM HIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Through pain, I learn to be steadfast (my word for this year).....

I learn to be constant in my walk with Abba.....

I learn to be content.....

I learn to be peaceful in the storm.....

I learn He is ALWAYS present.....

ALWAYS.

So today, I am thankful.

I am Blessed.

Even in pain.

***********************

Here is a video I did yesterday.

WOW I wish I could control what picture they put up.

I look sick.

I'm not.

But I'm not wearing much make-up here either.

Okay.

Enjoy.

I love you ~~

Have a Super Blessed Day ~~

Day 8 ~~ Days of Thanksgiving ~~

So I must tell you ~~

I AM OVER THIS KNEE.

OVER.IT.

Ok, so having said that,

I am also

SO THANKFUL FOR IT!!!

The lessons I have learned and keep learning from these knees are priceless.

Priceless.

Let me explain,

At church Sunday, during prayer time, my ligament on the outside of my left knee popped and it hurt so much.

After that, it was NOT a good knee day.

I ended up icing it that night,

and oh.my.stars.

That was SO painful!!

Obviously you are NOT suppose to ice ligaments,

well unless you want intense seasing up and pain.

Not.fun.

So after Mr. Winslow got it warmed back up,

it just went back to pain and annoyance.

Well, yesterday it was better, just really tight.

I told my husband on Sunday,

as I limped in from church.....

I.AM.OVER.THIS.KNEE.

To which he smiled and said,

"I'm sorry sweetie."

It helps because I know he really is.

Well, today as I think about thankfulness,

I'm thankful that I can still walk.

I am thankful for my husband, who traverses the daily pain and issues that knees like mine seem to produce.daily.

He is such a trooper.

So in being thankful for my knees,

I have to remember that this is where I have come from.

When I have difficult days like Sunday,

I try to remember that this is the way it was about a year ago. 

This.was.bad.crazy.bad.

Those blisters drove me CRAZY!!!

I show this not to gross you out, but to remind me of how far this knee has come,

especially when I get discouraged.



So as I lift my hands to the LORD today, I will remember from hence I came.

And I was much worse looking than this knee.

Yep, I was a.mess.

And God picked me up out of the muck,

saved my soul,

and set my feet on the solid Rock of Jesus Christ.

I am very changed and very grateful.

I am thankful for Jesus Christ, today and every day.

I love you all so ~~ Have a Blessed day ~~

A Year in the Life.....

Of my knee!!!

Saturday marked the one year anniversary of my left knee replacement.

Yep me and this girl has had quite a year.

It has not been easy, but I do not regret having this surgery.

I know it was the right decision for me, given all my knee arthitic issues through the years.

So I thought I'd show you just a few pics of then and now.....

then.....

This was just about 2 weeks or so after surgery. 

Look at that girl.

All the scabs are from the nasty blisters I got from surgery and medicine reactions.

ICKY!!

 This was my reality for quite a long time.

Me and my walker.

I was thankful for it and it helped me get stronger and stronger.

 And here I am almost a year later.....

Who'd have thought I'd be hiking in one of the toughest hikes in our area and getting lost

and hiking 12 miles in 13 hours up and down moutains, bluffs, through tarantulas and copper heads EEK ~~ and making it pretty well considering :)

I didn't even swell very much the days following that journey.

If I only had one thing to say to sum up this past year it would be:

GOD IS GOOD!!!!!

Please hear that, because NO MATTER WHAT my God knows EXACTLY all we go through on this earth and He understands our pain, because He walked it.

God knows, He understands, and He NEVER left my side this whole year.

 I am certainly not done with my recovery.

I still have more work to do.

Sometimes I still get frustrated.

I have gained weight in this last year because of the limited exercise,

but let me just say,

God has really done a work in my life in this regard.

My weight has been an issue for me for practically my whole life, and right now, I just know it is okay.

I'm really okay with it,

And that is such a Blessing!!!

So that is where my knee is right now.

Still not always easy.  It still hurts every day, but I'm moving on.

God is so good and He loves me.

This I know.

He sees me.

This I know.

So I press on toward the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus!!!

Amen?  Amen.

I love you all ~~ Have a Super Blessed day ~~

Press on.....

Yesterday, was pain Doctor day.  That is always a hard appointment and makes for a difficult day.  The people that are in the Pain Doctor waiting room are well, in pain.  And it makes for a difficult day.

I feel so sorry for anyone in that office, because I know they are a patient or a loved one of a patient.  Sometimes I wonder which is harder.....to be the one in pain, or to have to sit with the one in pain and know there is nothing you can do to help make it go away.  You feel helpless.....I am convinced, that is worse.

The news at the Pain Doctor was not good.  I wish it had been, but no.  Again, not good news. 

I told him the topical was helping, but I had to keep up with putting it on, 40 drops - 4 X's a day - it is quite a regimen, but one I am SO willing to do if it will help.  I was explaining to my doctor that I had noticed if I miss a dose, I am in more pain, even missing one dose.  This apparently is NOT good news.  He said that he hopes it keeps working, but he wants to see me back in three months for a re-evaluation and see where we go from there.  Apparently, if you can't go even one dose without it hurting, that is a sign that it may not keep working.  (At least that is what I took away from it....)  Bummer.

You see, these days of pain and less pain and then pain again, could wear on a girl.  That is if she were looking at the situation and not on her God, but this little girl is choosing Christ.  I love Him so and I know that He loves me more than I can even imagine.  It is a beautiful thing.....

So.........

I Press on.....

Please don't take this to mean that I am in any way super human.  I.am.not.  I struggle daily.  Sometimes momentbymoment is how I must take this thing, but I know that choosing Christ is ALWAYS THE BEST WAY.

So.....

I Press on.....

And I believe that today He wants you to know that whatever you are facing, choose Christ.....  choose to Press on in Him.  Don't look at the situation, look to God.....not to be controlled by circumstances, but rather look to the One who calms the seas and is in the midst of your situation, guiding, leading, helping you to.....

Press on in Christ.

I love you so ~~ Have a Beautiful Thursday ~~

Me and my knee ~~ The Video =)

Have I shared with y'all how much I am lovin' the new and improved, working with me, blogger?

It is making me smile right now.

Why? You ask?...  Well, because I went to download the video that I made for y'all yesterday and there it was.  Right in youtube, and I could go right to my account.  How cool is that?

So I made another video yesterday tell you all about my doc's appt, but it is so windy, I just have to laugh at myself.  That and the fact I'm still learning angles.  But anyway, it was fun to do and I hope you can hear it alright with all the wind.

I mean it was SERIOUSLY windy yesterday. 

But anyway I hope you enjoy it ~~

And I know ~~ a lot to take in, but I TOTALLY have a plan, okay let me rephrase....

God TOTALLY has a plan and I'm following that One.  It is the ONLY ONE that makes ANY sense. 

I needed this appointment to really put this whole thing in perspective.

My plan?  Oh yeah.........

Well you'll just have to stay tuned.....

As I am a work in progress =)

Love you all ~~ have a Blessed day ~~

Random Friday ~~ Lots of fun Edition ~~

Well, have we had a fun week, and it was all captured (well most of it =) in pictures!! I've gotten to where my camera or my "Pod" makes the trip just about every time I leave the house.

So let's begin with a little scrapbooking inspiration.

G and I were at a local nursery and found this beautiful color combo.....
Check this out .....
I am lovin' the yellow and blue and the red mushroom in the background. I mean seriously.....
Loved it SO much that I wore yellow and blue the next day.....
And it will find it's way into a scrap project.....
Always looking for inspiration.....

Here is Sir Cuteness playing with the kitty that was at the nursery. (We know the guy who owns it).

He just loved this kitty.....until he got a little close.....

Then the kitty hissed and sent Sir Cuteness scrambling for the rock.....

But all was well and after that Sir Cuteness kept a healthy distance from said kitty.....

This picture is just the way things are right now with this knee. Notice how I am not putting hardly any weight on it. Just the way I roll right now.....

But it's okay........... I am finding Blessing in this thorn because I am choosing Christ with every step. It makes it all better. I am so thankful for Him.....

****************************

Okay, so this next set of pics (a lot of pics) are of our little excursion on Memorial Day.

My Mr. Winslow is working 6 - 7 days a week and worked on Memorial Day and so did Chase (Sir Cutenesses daddy), so since Dak didn't have to work, I called mom and asked if she'd like a day out. She was SO excited!!!

We had the best day!!

My pics are all out of order, but that's okay.

We went to McD's for lunch and then to the park and tennis courts and then to Cruisin' USA for ice cream. It was such a fun day.....

First of all, here is Cruisin' USA on the inside.

My mom LOVED this. It's like a 50's fantasy world.

This was my mom's era and she was eatin' it up!!

Look at this phone.....

Some of the wall hangings.....

Me and my mama ~~ a little blurry, but I still LOVE this pic!!!

My sweet mama.....

Me and my wonky hair..... =)

Ahhhhhh........my sweet boys.....

Here they are playin' tennis.....

They had so much fun.....

Sir Cuteness cracks.me.up.

Hahaha.....

He is so stinkin' cute.....

Whee!!!!!

Oh my stars.....

My sweet baby.....

I don't know..... =)

Me gettin' in on the act.....

Ride 'em cowboy.....

Just a swingin' ..... =)

Granny and Uncle KoKo sittin' in the shade.....














Yep, he is definitely a risk taker.

He walks to the beat of his own little drum.....

all the while, climbing and jumping off of ANYTHING!!!!!

Yep you have to watch this one closely!!!!!

Getting ready for his backwards descent.....

Oh my.... can any one say.....

Scrapbook page =)

A little McD's fun.....

Me and Dak at McD's.....

Ahh is he ever silly.....

Apparently he is not the only one.....

Heehee......

I wonder where he gets it?

hahahahaha.....

Ahhhh.....

Giving me a thumbs up.....

We had such a fun day!!!!! Wish my man could have joined us.....

Hope you all have a Blessed and Beautiful weekend,

Updates.....

Ok, so let me start with some fun stuff. Dak started his new job at Price Cutters today. I have a few pics I took before he left, but I don't have my camera cord right here, so I'll post when I get those downloaded. He was so cute in his "uniform".





He just texted me a few mins ago and said he was on his first break and had had his first customer. He said she was a little old lady and was really patient with him. He is so cute (have I told y'all that? heehee) He was eating a piece of pound cake on his break, so he was one happy boy. He loves all things pound cake =)





***********************





Sir Cuteness is off his breathing treatments and doing just fine. We are so thankful that it cleared up.





************************





Joplin is still in HUGE need of our prayers. I am including a link that is just heart breaking. It is a before and after look at some of the buildings in Joplin, like the Wal-Mart and Home Depot and neighborhoods. It is devastating. Please go over to this site, and please pray for our dear friends in Joplin.

******************

I went to my knee doctor yesterday and he said that my knee is still very stiff and to give it SIX MORE MONTHS. That is all I will say about that.....

I go see him again in November.....

hmpff.....

******************************

I'm hoping to find that camera cord and get some fun pics and fun Random Friday stuff up tomorrow ~~

Have a Blessed Day ~~

I am NOT doing this well.....yet.... but change is a comin' .....

Oh my, where do I even begin?

Let me start with the obvious: sitting is hard. I am bad at it. Beginning to wonder if I'll pass this test and it has only been one week today since I started. Oh my!!

Yesterday, I did not set well. You see, I feel so obligated to my life. Does that make sense? My husband works hard all day and it is just so hard for me to have him come home to a wife who has done NOTHING all day long but sit.

So, yesterday I thought I'd help him, and me out and just do a little. Little I tell ya. I put dishes in the dish washer and did 3, 3 not 30 but 3 loads of laundry. And guess what? It was to much. About 8 PM my knee started burning, bad. And hurting and swelling and me...tears. Even this morning tears. I'm mad at myself. I'm mad at my knee. I want normal knees. I ..... I ..... I ..... disgust me. (Just keeping it real!)

This is one of the moments in all this that I want to remember..... need to remember that God is in control and I am not......need to remember that He has my back and He knows how much this hurts and He is NOT surprised by my feelings in all this......He loves me still.......

I want to do it all. Well, guess what? I can't. I can't do it all. I can't. Last night was proof of that. Yep. Total proof of that. Can I just tell you that I'm a little concerned about my knee right about now. I seriously didn't do that much yesterday and yet last night, it was not well. The bone burning and pain, terrible. Me? sad.

So we went to bed and I started (for the second night in a row) feeling pain in my rib cage. I tried to ignore it. I tried to just rest and relax, but the pain kept increasingly getting worse. I knew what was happening and I knew what was coming. Remember a year ago August when I was rushed to the hospital with what we thought were heart problems, yep it happened again last night. Dick saw me struggling and came to my side of the bed because I was about to pass out. Hmpfff..... Dick got me some water and Maalox and a cool rag and I started getting better. So I know that this is esphageal spasms and it HURTS. And I know in me what is causing it: stress.

Stress. Ugly, awful, me not-trusting, stress. It is hard. There is so much going on in my life right now. Things I wish I could change, but they just aren't up to me to change and other things that I wish would just get better already: hello knee!?!! But in it all, I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED AND AM PERSUADED THAT HE IS ABLE TO KEEP THAT WHICH I'VE COMMITTED UNTO HIM AGAINST THAT DAY!!!

I know He loves me and is working to help me every.single.day. This I know. It's just hard right now.

So where do I go from here. Umm..... to my chair or couch or anything that involves sitting. I am now convinced that I MUST do this. Yes, I am stubborn, but I can be taught!!! And I do listen, eventually =)

Thank you for your prayers and comments......
I love you all so ~~

~~ The Knee Update ~~

So....where to begin..... I went to the doctor yesterday for a check-up on my knee. I was really hoping to have a little more leash given my way, but that was not to be. In fact, just the opposite.

He came in and checked the knee out and we talked a bit. I prayed before he got in that he would be able to spend a little time and not be to rushed (he was running behind). Well, he did. He sat and talked to me and was so kind (as usual), but he told me that for the next 2 months.....wait a minute let me make this a little plainer..... TWO MONTHS (maybe three, but let's not talk about it =) I have to sit. Sit, like in a chair and DO NOTHING ALL.DAY.LONG. Yep that kind of sit.

WHAT IN THE WORLD?

Breathe Dawn....its okay..... 2 MONTHS DID I HEAR HIM RIGHT?

Well, when I stopped looking at him like he'd just grown a third eye, he continued. He said that I am just over doing it. He said that my continued and worsening bone pain is because I am on it entirely too much. And for some reason, I am a slow healer.

Now he has been stressing since the surgery that this was A REALLY BIG SURGERY. He did it again yesterday. He said so much of my knee had to be replaced because of the severe disease in it, that it is just seriously going to take an extreme amount of time for it to get better.

I asked him about walking for exercise (because just maybe I went for a walk on Sunday.... okay it couldn't even be considered a real walk, it was LESS THAN a mile for crying out loud!!) to which he told me that I could bike or swim (not for another 2 MONTHS and maybe three) but NO WALKING FOR EXERCISE!! NONE. WHAT IN THE WORLD?!! Again he tells me that this was just such a HUGE surgery and that it is just really to much wear and tear on the knee.

He did tell me that it looks innocent and doesn't think that there is anything wrong with it, except for over use and slow healing. And I just need to be still. WOW!!! That is so tough. Why is that so tough?

So I am now a sitter.....at least for the next 2 MONTHS and maybe three..... have I mentioned that?!! On Thursday, Dak and I have a college visit. In the info pack they sent us, it said to wear walking shoes because this is a walking tour of about 1 1/2 hours. So yep you guessed it, I will be on crutches. Hmpff..... I just cannot risk any more damage to this knee.

I am taking this very seriously, and today I've been sitting.....quite a bit anyway. My mom came by and wanted to take Sir Cuteness and I to Charlies (here in our quaint little town) for lunch. So we went up there, but that wasn't much walking. It was a nice lunch. It is just how it sounds. Sir Cuteness had a Cheeseburger and almost ate all of it. He's not much of a red meat eater, hence the anemia we battle with him, but today he ate so well. Mom had a BLT, and I had a grilled cheese and fries. It was yummy!!!

Now I am on my bed with my laptop and surrounded by scrapbook material for the projects I'm working on.

This will give me much time for studying and reading and reflecting and being still and scrapbooking. So I'm trying to make lemonade out of these lemons.

I've been thinking about this knee a lot and the pain that has been involved with it. God is teaching me some deep lessons about pain and about Him. I love Him so!!! I'm sure I'll be sharing more about that in days to come.

Thank you for praying for me and my knee and for my family.

Have a Wonderful Afternoon,

Stinkin' "Thinkin' ~~ Love is a Verb Day 21

So I must tell you that lately I have struggled with pain. These knee is kickin' my booty, to say the least. I guess I am just tired of hurting every.single.day.

So this morning, me and my bad mood, got up. And I CHOSE joy!!! Please hear me clearly on this ~~ I CHOSE JOY!!!!! ~~ this morning it was a choice. I woke up and the Lord put this verse on my heart: "This is the day the LORD has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!!" Yep, He was asking me to choose joy in my pain.

Well, as you can imagine, I didn't sleep good, so my mood was VERY stinky, but God was very near me today. As I got in my car to go pick up Sir Cuteness, I put my Playlist on entitled "Wonderful" and I pushed "Shuffle" and one song after another was a Praise song. God was intent on me CHOOSING joy. So I SANG AND SANG loud and raised my hand and I'm sure that if you passed the silver car with the lady raising her hands and singing at the top of her lungs, I wasn't waving to you; sorry. Nope I was praising my Jesus and CHOOSING JOY!!

So what in the world brought all this on? Well, this weekend has been a difficult one for me and my Dak. I don't like hard weekends, but I know they are necessary and inevitable when raising a teen.

This child of mine has the sweetest heart, but he is given to "stinkin' thinkin' " A-LOT!! It drives.me.crazy. He knows better....but his mind will go crazy on him and he will get caught up in thinking ALL the wrong things. So as this was happening yesterday, I stopped him and told him that what we think is SO important and that "stinkin' thinkin' " gets us in SO much UNECESSARY trouble. He agreed. It was a break through for sure.

As I was explaining to him how it works with our thinking and how it becomes actions, I was reminded of days past, where I would have to explain things on much simpler terms, and now that my boy is transitioning into a man ~~ tear. ~~ I can speak plainly to him, and he gets it, because I KNOW the LORD is at work in his heart.

So this morning when I got up after a difficult night of sleep, and chose joy, God started working on my heart about my own "stinkin' thinkin' ". What we think is vitally important to how we act. So I picked my little bad mood self up and got about my day and even delivered some cinnamon rolls to someone I knew would need a nice, sugary breakfast =)

And then I stopped and got Dak a Frapp on the way home, and again was SO glad I did. He was very appreciative. And I was choosing joy!!!!!

So, CHOOSE JOY!!!!!!!!!

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Bible Study ladies ~~ I will be putting the questions up today and sending you an e-mail with a link. I am so looking forward to Bible Study tomorrow evening.

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Have a Blessed day,

Writing a Beautiful Testimony.....

Today, Gretta's beautiful 7-year old daughter Sidney, is having a big surgery on her ear. And Gretta has asked that we spread this story so everyone can be praying for her beautiful daughter, Sidney. So please go here to read her story and to see a picture of this beautiful girl.

In this post, Gretta said something that really struck me. "I told Sidney the other night at bedtime when we were talking about her upcoming surgery, that God was just writing a beautiful testimony for her to tell later in life and help others see Christ through what all she has been through in her short 7 years."



You know I must tell you, I can relate to this. You see I had my first knee surgery at 7 years old. My knee locked up and stayed that way at home for a week, so when they took me to the doctor, he put me right in the hospital and on traction (which is very painful, by the way) to try to get this knee to go straight. Yes, you read that right, in those days, they tried to force a locked knee straight. OUCH!!! I was in traction for a WEEK!! And then when that didn't work, they stuck a HUGE needle in my knee and it swelled great big and turned orange and then they took me to x-ray. They found in x-ray that I had torn cartiledge that would require surgery. So the next day it was off to surgery for me.



I was in a cast for 6 weeks and couldn't go to school. YAY!!! ahem..... and had to have a tutor. double YAY YAY!!! ahem......... and wow what a cast that was. It went from my hip to my toes, and man did it itch. I remember sticking butter knives and various and sundry other things in there to scratch. Of course, my mom kept getting on to me, but that baby itched. =)



When the cast came off my little leg looked like it had shrank. I had a hard time with it for a long time. I remember my dad taking me to school in the mornings and carrying me up the flights of stairs to my classroom and then picking me up in the afternoon and carrying me back down, because I wasn't allowed to do stairs and elevators were not required back in the day.



So I can truly say that God has been weaving a beautiful testimony in my life with these knees since the tender age of 7. One that keeps pointing back to Him. I have many people ask me, especially in PT, if I've had a TKA (Total Knee) and when I say yes they look at me with the look (you know the one) and say I'm so young for that, but then when I explain about all my knee surgeries (7 now) and that the first one was at age seven, they just look at me and ususally say something like, "You poor thing", which totally opens the door for me to say, ahhhh but God has seen me through and I am a well-Blessed woman because of adversity.



Pain is hard. Pain hurts. Hurt is the nature of pain, but God in me is my strength and He gives me strength every single day to endure this pain. I am learning so much. This pain is a Blessing in my life. It has taught me to be sympathetic toward others and it has taught me humility. Yes pain is a Blessing to me.

I have not always been able to say that. I have thrown myself many a pity party over these knees, but that ship has sailed, and now I am on the ship headed toward the mountain of strength. I know I still have a ways to go to get there with these knees, but God is with me every beautiful and painful step of the way.

So head on over to Gretta's blog and love on her and her precious daughter and family as they go through this crises.

Thank you so much ~~ I love you so,

Another First Last.....Doc's Appt......AND Bible Study Info!!!!!

WOW now that's a lot to cover in one post, but we will get it done =)

So here we go with another, A BIG, first last. Yesterday was Dak's first day of his last Semester of High School!!! Breathe, just breathe mama. It is going SO fast!! But I'm just so excited for him and so proud of him. He is continuing to work hard, even though he probably could be a slacker at this point and get by. No, instead he traded Life Sports (easy, gravy class) for Art IV (hard, only four students accepted in this class kind of hard), and he has NEVER taken an Art class in High School AT ALL. But he was accepted yesterday and gets started right away today. He is a talented dude, my boy. Okay could I brag more? Oh, I could, but I'm afraid your eyes would get stuck at the top of your head for good =) So we'll carry on.....

Oh speaking of Dak, I just had to include this picture of him and his grandma from CHRISTmas. How adorable are these two? Love them. (Oh yes RJ, his hair is a different color again =) I knew you'd notice =)

Doc's Appointment: I had another follow-up for my knee yesterday, and I was expecting him to want to manipulate it to get further range of motion, because he had mentioned it in my last appointment. But this time, he was so pleased with my progress. He didn't even mention manipulation. Praise You Jesus!!!!!

He said that even though my numbers (range of motion) are the same, he can tell a difference from this month to last and that I'm doing good. So he gave me more pain medicine for night time (I'll be glad when it doesn't hurt at night anymore. Yuck.) and he ordered more PT. I tried to talk him into just two days a week, but in the end he wrote my script for three again, for the next four weeks. So that's okay too. I'm not sure what this will do to my PT schedule, but we'll see.

Also in other knee news, The Mayo Clinic sent me a packet in the mail last week saying that they wanted to see me. What?!! Yep it is time for a follow-up on the right. You see, the surgery I had on the right fell under research, and we had to sign papers that we would do follow-ups etc. But the good news is that they said if I couldn't travel up there right now, that I could fill out the paper work they sent (three pages) and have x-rays done. They were VERY specific about the x-rays they wanted. So when I was in talking to Dr. R yesterday, I asked him if that was something I could have done there. And he said no problem and ordered them right there. So I have the x-rays and now I just have to fill out the paperwork. Isn't God good?!! Yes He is, and all the time He is good!! I love Him so!!!!!

So I have PT today and we will see how the next four weeks will look with that. I was so excited when I left yesterday that I was praising Jesus all through the hall thinking that if someone would see me they would think I was crazy but I didn't care!!! His Name be praised!! Lisa, I was thinking of you sister as I praise walked through the halls of that Dr.'s office =) You are SUCH an inspiration to me girl!!

Bible Study: Our next Bible Study is set to start next Tuesday evening. I can hardly wait to get started!!! It is Beth Moore's "A Woman's Heart: God's Dwelling Place".

We will start next Tuesday evening at 6:00 PM (CST). The time has changed from 7:00 PM (CST) to 6:00 PM (CST). If this time does not work for any of you that would like to participate, then we can change it back to the original time.

This is how it works. We meet every other Tuesday over at Chatzy. I don't have the link up yet, but by next Tuesday, I'll have it up and running again, and I'll let y'all know when it is up again.

On each Tuesday of study, I will post Questions pertinent to the last two weeks of study. On our first meeting, since we haven't study out of our book yet, I pose a few questions that we discuss on that first evening, just to get our feet wet. =)

Okay, so I'm off to get Sir Cuteness and have breakfast. Oh I can hardly stand it =)

Have a Blessed and beautiful day!!!

Psalm 27:13-14 "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD, be strong, and take heart and wait for the LORD."

Love you,