The Fair

    

Our baby girl is in town for a few days doing wedding hair.  Having her back home is a treat and we wanted to do something special.  Well that something special ended being the fair.

I can't remember the last time I've been. 

I know I chaperoned our youth group years ago when my girls were still at home. But that's not always fun…Trying to keep up with 20 kids….making sure everyone is where they should be and having fun and that no one is being left out or barfing in the corner somewhere from riding too many rides..

No, this time was different.

No agenda. No one to run behind. 

It was just pure fun. 

Magical even.

I'm thankful for a man who sees the value in splurging every now and then on something  I would normally consider wasteful , sometime even "junky" depending on where you go…..a night at the fair.

From the moment I walked through the gates, I felt like a little girl again.

The smells, the sounds, the lights, the food.

There is nothing quite like the fair.  And I had forgotten how special they are.

Now I had this sweet romantic picture in my head about me and Nick riding the ferris wheel together.  Mind you, somewhere along in my adulthood, I became deathly afraid of heights.  I wasn't always this way.

  But the fear is real. And I was ready to conquer it. 

With my man.  In a sweet ferris wheel. 

 While he's holding my hand and stealing kisses and all that stuff that makes for incredibly romantic moments.  (or at least that's what I've seen in the movies)

But to my dismay, there were no sweet ferris wheels to be found.

Only mutant ferris wheels that are not sweet and not conducive for romantic moments.

Their only existence is to spin you round and round in their little torturous, unromantic cages while you also spin around in a big circle way up high in the air.

Um…no thank you.

So with my ferris wheel dream smashed in the fairground dirt, I had to figure out another plan.

Enter this great idea.  The Ali Babba or something like that. It goes back and forth until it gets enough momentum to make a circle. I remembered liking this ride a lot a long time ago.

That's us on the back row waving and all happy and excited.

Now this is me once I was totally strapped in and Lydia then tells me how she "sometimes" gets sick on this ride.
What?!  Get me off.  I've never had a bonafide panic attack but I think how I was feeling at that moment could have been the closest thing to one.

Two things I learned that night.

1. Don't get on this ride 30 minutes after eating Mexican food.

2. Don't get stuck on the back row…..can you say CLAUSTROPHOBIA? 

It was fun for the first 5 or 6 swoops back and forth.

Then it quickly became not fun… at all. 

I literally was praying out loud for Jesus to get me off without me getting sick.  When I looked over at Lauren and she was white with sweat beads all over her face, I knew it was serious.

Well, God honored my pleas/screams for His mercy and we made it off without loosing our chimichangas.  #thankyouJesus

So now I had to scope out a ride that didn't spin me in any kind of circle whatsoever.

That pretty much left this one.   

"Atmos Fear"

We stood there watching it a few times first….I wasn't gonna be hasty after my last episode.

It slowly, slowly, slowly  goes up to the top.

And then it drops you.

I felt like I had to get my money's worth for my armband so I strapped myself in and went for it.

That's me and lauren in the front there.  The worst part of this is the slow ride up and the anticipation of knowing you are about to plummet to the ground at any second at a speed that is probably not smart. The drop only last for a couple of seconds but it was AWESOME!!
I rode it like 4 times!!
If I could have just done the drop without the climb, I probably would have done it 40 times!

That person you hear screaming/laughing is me.

So much fun.
So many memories.

When I have fun nights like this and one of my girls is not with me,  there is always a little part of me that aches for them…wishing they were here too.  I missed Elizabeth so much and could only imagine how much fun it would have been to experience this magical place through the eyes of my grandchildren.

But life is not to be spent pondering the "if onlys".
It's meant to enjoy each moment we've been given.
And that's what I did.
At the fair.
On a Tuesday night.

How about you?
Are fairs junky or magical in your book?
Do you ride the rides?
Have you ever had a romantic ferris wheel moment?

I'm dying to know.

Stitch Fix No. 13: "There's a first time for everything"

Somehow in the midst of life I got behind in sharing my fixes with y'all. Heavens…not just my fixes but things on my heart in general.  Maybe it was in-between moving one daughter to Florida or visiting another daughter and my grand kids in North Carolina.  I don't know how or when it happened.  But it did.

I'm trying to get caught back up.  Not so much that I think you're hanging on the edge of your seat in suspense,  but because I have so much I want to share in this strange_wonderful_sometimes lonely_ but mostly glorious season I'm in.  And also because this is Stitchfix stuff that was sent to me  in August and now it's October and  I'm ready to bust out some outfits with boots and tights and scarves.


So here is Fix # 13 in all it's glory.

I will be completely honest.  This is the first time in 13 fixes that I did not keep a single thing! gasp! I don't know if it was my frame of mind when the fix arrived or if I was just tired or what but I didn't "love" any one piece enough to splurge.  Fix #12 was my favorite and I kept every single piece so maybe it was just a hard fix to come behind…who knows.  However, looking back on some of the pictures, I'm wondering if I made the right choice.

First up was this black and white tie-died sweater.  I am not a fan of tie dye. At all. So I automatically turned my nose up to this before I even pulled it out the box.  But looking at the pictures, I'm kinda liking it. It was a very flattering cut and was super lightweight.  I really like it with the pop of blue too.

Next up was this high low top.
I kind of felt frumpy in this one.  Like maybe people might mistakenly think I was expecting.  Have you ever been asked when your baby was due when you weren't pregnant?  I have. And it's not my favorite. So I try to not wear clothes that are questionable. lol.

Then there was this dress.  First, what I loved about it was the color!  It was bright and vibrant.  I loved how comfortable it was and the length.  But what I didn't like was how clingy it was.  It was not very forgiving and if I had taken a pic from the side YOU might have asked me if I was expecting.

Next was this sleeveless top.  I wasn't crazy about the print. It had lace trim which was kinda cute. But this just didn't have any pizazz for me.  But I adore my vintage black pleated skirt that I thrifted a few months back.  I wear it with everything. It's like black yoga pants but much cuter.  It has an elastic waist and I love wearing it with my favorite tees.

The last piece was the one I wish I would have kept.  In fact I'm kind of sad looking at the pics.  If it had fit me a a tiny bit bigger, I would have kept it without hesitation.  I think it's unique and so versatile.  I adore the crochet overlay!  And I love the black and white stripes!

I just felt like it was a tad snug and I probably would not have been comfortable wearing it by itself.  I mean a cardi would like adorable with it but this top deserves to be worn alone so you can see all of it's cute elements it has going on all over.

Well, what do y'all think?
Should I have kept any of it?

Either way…it's SO much fun when that box shows up and I get to see what my stylists picked out for me.  Even though this was the first time in 13 fixes that I didn't keep a single thing, I still enjoyed being stretched to step outside my comfort zone and try on stuff I probably wouldn't have looked twice at in the store.  Returning everything was so hassle free.  I just popped it all in the postage paid bag they send with each fix and dropped it off at the post office.  Super easy..

Just click the "get started" button below if you'd like to check it out for yourself.




I gotta run.  I'm changing sheets on the bed getting my nest all fluffed for the return of one of my chicks for a few days.  That is always my favorite. I hope to share with you soon some of the things we get into while she's here.

Purchasing with Purpose x2

If you've been following me for some time, then you already know about my love and admiration for Noonday Collection.  The idea that I can purchase amazing jewelry that I absolutely adore, knowing that my purchase it is literally changing lives of families on the other side of the world is incredible.  If you don't know much about Noonday and how they came about, I encourage you to go check it out here.  You will be blessed.

(This pic was taken last weekend on my trip with my besties.  We love Noonday y'all. Wish all of this was mine. Or that they lived close enough we could raid each other's collection on a regular basis. )

But the best blessing is that they allow you to host a trunk show to help support the wonderful_scary_expensive_amazing_journey for families who are adopting. Which means instead of receiving hostesses rewards, they will give your credit, in cash, to an adoptive family!!  So awesome.  Well, when our schedules worked out and I finally had a chance to host one (my awesome ambassador Emily is driving FIVE HOURS to come make this happen!),  I knew exactly whose adoption I wanted to support.

Years ago (as in 18 years ago), when Nick and I first moved to Meridian because of the Navy, we didn't know the Lord in a personal relationship yet.  But He began to work in our hearts and we ended up at an incredible church called Northcrest. It was there that Jesus interrupted our lives and rocked our worlds in the best kind of way.  He saved us and called Nick into ministry and our lives have never been the same!

The people of Northcrest will always have a special place in our hearts because it was there that the Lord grew us so much as He was preparing us for ministry.  And there was this adorable teenager that had a smile as big as Texas.  Her name was Jamie and I loved her and her momma from the get go.  Well, she has grown up now. She and her husband serve wholeheartedly there at Northcrest and I've been so blessed keeping up with how the Lord is working in their lives.  They have recently answered the call of adoption for their family and I am beyond excited for what the Lord is doing in their lives!   This child the Lord has created just for them has no idea what kind of fierce love he or she is about to experience.  I can't wait to watch it all unfold.  I asked Jamie if she would share a little of their story with me so I could share it with y'all.

After you read it, if you would like to be a part of bringing their baby home, you can shop the Noonday trunk show I will be hosting for her.  I will have the link at the end of the post!

J.D. and Jamie’s Adoption Story!

This is the first time I’ve written our adoption story. I’ve journaled a little here and there in order to remember the basics, but to be honest, this is the first time I’ve had the guts to sit down and look at the story as a whole. Adoption can intimidating, scary, beautiful, heart-breaking, fulfilling, lonely and lovely all at the same time. I suppose there are a lot of things in life that are that way. Thank you for caring enough about our little story to read this. In that way, you’ve made this less lonely, and I really appreciate that. Here goes!


The day I turned thirty, I begged the Lord for some direction. I had married the most wonderful man several years prior. I had a great job. I belonged to a life-giving church. I had wonderful friends. But
I lacked direction. I always thought by the time I turned thirty I would have a couple of little Ainsworth babes and a clear cut direction from the Lord. But I was listless, and kind of wandering. J.D. and I have a fantastic marriage, but the topic of children was a hard one for us. We were wading through are-we-or-aren’t-we ready territory. 

I can distinctly remember praying whole-heartedly. ”Lord, I just want to be yours, all in. Please give me a direction. A call. I want to answer you, whatever you want for my life, I want to do it.” It was a really simple prayer, but it was true. I look back at it now and almost laugh because I had NO IDEA what God was about to do in my life, J.D.’s life, and our marriage.

Don’t pray prayers you don’t mean. God will rock your world!  While praying that prayer, I waited to see what God what do. The desire to be wherever the Lord wanted me was starting to grow more and more, but I knew He’d show me what He wanted of me when the time was right. Then my friend Kaitlyn mentioned to me that she would be leading a group of people from my church to work in an orphanage in the Philippines.

It was like I woke up from a dream. I knew this was it. Yes, the Philippines is half way around the world. Scary! I don’t even like airplanes! But who cares?! I wasn’t missing it after I had begged for it! Convincing J.D. was a little harder, but ultimately he drove our team to Atlanta and put us on an airplane and there we went. 

The orphans, the street children, the beautiful people. I can’t explain how my heart felt when I first laid eyes on little Mikey, who was kept in isolation due to sickness. Or watched my teammate, Micah, pour his clean water into the mouths of street children like they were little baby birds. Or when I was allowed the honor of praying over a newborn baby. The list goes on and on. And every day, J.D. and I Skyped and he saw my face and surroundings, he heard my heart in my voice. I told him about the babies and the people. Being half way around the world from the love of my life was so hard. But so necessary for what God was doing in us as a family. 

When it was time to say goodbye to the Philippines and our orphanage babes, I was crushed. Will they find families for them? What will happen to them? What happens when they age out? Will I ever see them a!gain? Truly, I felt like my heart was being torn.  We arrived home on a Friday night, and I believe it was Sunday when J.D. said to me, “How do we get one of these kids? This is what God wants for us.” At least I’m pretty sure that’s what he said because I was screaming and jumping up and down inside. While I was in the Philippines, God had been working on his heart about orphans as well, and after praying together, we both knew this was IT. This was the way the Lord wanted us to start our family. I want to take this moment to be clear about something. This is our first choice. It’s possible that we could have biological children, but we KNOW that adoption is the call on our family, and we want to obey. Once that was clear to us, I wanted to SING! I wanted to tell EVERYONE! Was this sort of like pregnancy? It was going to be a long one.

That was mid-January. It was May before we had the money to start. Adoption is expensive, y’all. But let me tell you. Our adoption as sons and daughters of God was expensive too, but did He shy away from paying the price? No way. We know that God will never call us to do something He won’t provide for, and so far every single time we have needed to make a payment, He has provided. We have seen miracles where the money for this adoption is concerned. He has used people and avenues that we will be in awe of forever....just another part of the intricate and beautiful story. 
So...we prayed and called many agencies and finally we chose Christian Adoption Services, located in North Carolina. Our social worker, Jenica, has been very kind and helpful. She has helped us complete our dossier and send it to the Philippines. We also had to have a contract home study done by Lifeline Children’s Services. Our social worker there is Mrs. Vicki, and she’s wonderful! We joke and say that she is family, because she literally knows more about us than our family. There are so very many things you have to do to adopt a child....and every bit is absolutely worth it. A few of those things are: many home visits, psychological evals, health evals, adoption classes with testing, books to read, many sets of fingerprints, every question you can think of about every part of your finances/marriage/childhood/family, background checks, and your middle school best friend’s name. (Just kidding about that last one, I think.) Currently, we have completed our dossier and it is in the Philippines. We have no idea how long it will be before we get a referral. It could be a long time. 

There have been moments on this journey that my heart has soared, and there have been moments that my heart has broken. J.D. has been a rock and I’ve been really thankful that God put me with him. I can’t say enough about his gentle spirit. All this waiting can be really hard on a future mama’s heart, and there have been times I’ve been pretty stressed out. Basically, adoption is a big ole unknown, like most things in life. But, I KNOW that the Lord has set us on this path. He has already answered my prayers. We LOVE Him. And we TRUST Him.

Oh my goodness!  Isn't it wonderful and inspiring to see people step out in faith and trust God?  I am so honored to have a small part in helping build their faith in how God is providing for their adoption every step of the way!  Even through something such as jewelry and fashion!  God is so creative!

If you are local to the Meridian area and would like to join me on Saturday, Oct 11th for the trunk show, please email me (honeyholden25@gmail.com) or send me and message on Facebook and I'll give you all of the details.  Jamie will be just getting home from her mission trip to the Philippines so I can only imagine how special this time will be!

If you aren't local but would like to purchase something to help support Jamie and J.D.'s adoption just click here and then choose HOLDEN for the trunk show and they will get the credit.  It is such a great way to get a little Christmas shopping done while you are purchasing with purpose times two! Such a blessing.  Please make your purchases by next Saturday so that they will get the credit.

I'm praying that God does exceedingly above all that I could ever think or ask for on behalf of the Ainsworth family!  He is able!

Ephesians 3:20

Thank y'all so much!  Y'all are the best.

Stitch Fix No.12

I've been dying to share with y'all what I got in my 12th fix which marked my one year anniversary with Stitch Fix!  And ironically, one year ago today is when I shared my very first blog post about it.   My goodness.  I love looking back and seeing how my taste has evolved and my look has changed over this past year.  I think that has come with finally learning to be comfortable in my own skin.  I'm loving my 40's.  I'm loving getting on track with my health and grasping the fact that our body "flaws"are exactly what make us unique and beautiful. I'm at the age where I've learned to just accept certain things that are inevitable.  Crows feet, loose skin, gray hair, pouchy areas….I could keep going but I think you get it.  I mean don't get me wrong, I'm not just "letting it all hang out", lol,  but I'm good with them.  I'm taking better care of myself now than I've ever had before and I've made some major changes in the way we eat and exercise around here.  I'm at a place of really appreciating this "shell" the Lord has given me for a season.  This temporary tent I have as I'm passing through.   In short…I like what I see now when I look in the mirror!  Not in a vain way but from an appreciative heart seeing my reflection in an eternal light.  And it is really liberating!  This new freedom spills over into the way I dress now and that confidence makes my true style shines through.

I also think that this year of receiving boxes filled with clothes from a total stranger whose job is simply to style me even though she doesn't know a thing about me other than my body measurements and all the outward stuff has been really interesting…in the best kind of way.   It has encouraged me to try new things that I never would have before.   And 9 out of 10 times I liked the look.  More than anything though,  through answering the questions in my profile so they can "get a feel for who I am" and as I've had to be descriptive in my explanation as to why I did like the clothes I kept and I why I didn't like the clothes I sent back, it has helped me to really focus on my style and not just fashion. There is a major difference.  I've discovered that one good piece of clothing that is quality and fits great and makes you feel great wearing it, is better than a handful of trendy pieces that will be dated this time next year.  It has been a fun journey.  You can check them all out if you'd like to.
 (my hair has evolved along with my style. lol) 
Fix 1, 2, 3, 4 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

   Fix number 12  was my favorite of all my fixes.  I loved everything my stylist chose for me.

First up (and my absolute favorite) is this gray boyfriend tee.

I know it looks plain jain but I wear it with everything.  It's got a dressy, kind of stretchy fabric and it's a little longer in the back.  I love it!

I threw this kimono on with it to dress it up a bit.

And yes, I totally still wear my white jeans after Labor Day.

  I love the simplicity of this look but with a little fun on my feet.

Next up was this coral pink open cardigan.  

Honestly, this was my least favorite thing as I was pulling them out of the box.  I thought it was ho-hum and not anything to write home about….that is until I tried it on.

It is super comfortable and very flattering.  I love the fabric. It's a bit stretchy and it's a little on the fitted side.  At first, I didn't think I liked the fact it has short sleeves but actually I LOVE that it does now that I've been mixing it up with stuff in my closet. It's perfect in the summer heat when you want to wear a little something more over your tank top.  

This is just another example of why it's so fun to have a stylist.  

I would have never looked twice at this, much less tried it on.

The third piece in the fix was this embroidered tunic.

I adore it! It can be worn a ton of ways. The denim vest is from a previous fix. It's probably the 80's in me but I throw that little baby on with all kinds of stuff.  I also like it with the shrug too.  I'm think it's gonna look so cute with boots…which I will be busting out soon by the way!

The fourth piece was the black leggings I'm wearing.  I love that she sent something so practical too.  These are great quality and they hold me in in all the right places. 

I wore it here with jeans.

I also recommend having a cute grand daughter at your side.  That immediately makes everybody look cute.   :)

And the last thing was this top. It has crochet right down the middle of it.

I tried it on here with a shrug so I can wear it into the fall….

But my favorite look for the top is this.  And I miss my tan.

Oh hey hot  husband/photographer of mine.

Ain't he a cutie?

Sometimes we match. Not on purpose. But I think it's cute when it happens.  Like this day.

Well what do you think? 

 Did you love what my stylist chose for me as much as I did?

I thought she nailed it.  

If you'd like to try it out yourself, you can click here to get all the details. Or email me with any questions. (honeyholden25@gmail.com)  In a nutshell it works like this. A personal stylist will select five pieces of clothing and accessories based upon your profile that you fill out.  You pay $20 for your stylists services.   If you keep any of the items, the $20 will be credited to the cost of what you decide to keep.  If you don't like any of it, you pop it all back into a postage paid bag they provide and send it back in the mail within 3 days. The stylist will then keep the $20.  It's easy peasy.

Another cool thing is that you can earn referral credit and build up enough credit to purchase your clothes!   It won't hurt my feelings if you use my referral when you sign up.  But if you don't, that will be ok too.  I'll still love you. xxoo

    

Coming Full Circle….and a few things I learned along the way

I can't believe that I am even typing these words, but my oldest grand daughter started kindergarten this year.  Life has truly come full circle as we celebrated this milestone in her life.

I mean it was just yesterday that it was her mom who was posing for pictures of her first day of school.

There has been quite a few milestones since this picture of Elizabeth.

When she lost her first tooth…her first sleepover…her first trip to the mall with a friend without me…getting her drivers license… her first date….her first dance….graduation….when she got married….when she became a momma.

And over time I've learned a few things since that first time of letting my child go.

Letting her be away from my constant care and influence and be surrounded by other people whom I didn't know. And a new authority figure who would do things differently than me.  Who would be the one who would praise her hard work.  And console her when she fell down…

I remember that feeling of unknown all too well.

I haven't figured it all out since that season in my life but here are a few things I did discover along the way.

• There will be teachers you love and teachers you don't.  God will use them all. 
• The world will not come to an end if you don't send homemade treats to the class party.
• It's ok to sleep in every now and then and be late.
• That pair of hideous shoes she is insisting to wear with her outfit ain't a hill worth dying on. (think second grade Elizabeth and those knee high tube socks, long shorts and big t-shirts)
• You are not a bad mom if you let your kids eat lunch in the cafeteria or ride the school bus. (although, a word of caution…after round three of the dreaded lice we quit the bus after we discovered they sat three to a seat and tried on each others hair accessories on the way to school. After we nixed the bus, we never had a bug problem again. We all survived and none of my girls died from embarrassment. Three rounds of lice is no joke.)
• If you forget to send in money (or are flat broke) for that school tshirt, book fair, ________, …..your child will not die from being the "only kid in class who didn't have one" syndrome.  This is a hard one but I promise they do survive.
• And apparently if you send your kids in wrinkly clothes that need to be ironed and their friends tease them about it all the time, they will survive that too.  (some things you don't find out about until your kids are grown and they tell you and then briefly you are mortified and then you both laugh til you cry so it all works out in the end)

I also learned how to trust God in ways I've never known.

I learned that praying over a matter is far more productive than complaining about it.

That the greatest thing we could ever do for our children while they are in school is storm the gates of heaven in prayer on their behalf.

While my girls were still in public school I was part of a ministry called Moms In Touch. (it's now called Moms In Prayer)  There was just four of us who met faithfully every week for one hour and prayed for our children, the other students, the teachers, the principals, and anything and everything that took place on that campus.  We watched God do the seemingly impossible.  We pleaded with Him for the salvation of teachers and students and watched Him answer our prayers.   We watched Him honor our prayers over school activities that were unwholesome just dissipate due to "lack of student interest".  We witnessed our children have victory in academic struggles and work out "situations" with classmates without ever having to get involved….just four moms bringing our petitions and concerns week after week to the Father's throne and laying them at His feet.  

The teachers knew we were praying for them too.  Each of us would take a different teacher to pray for by name and we would send a card of encouragement to them.  Many would often give us requests to be praying for specifically.

I will forever be thankful for those three other moms who saw the importance of prayer.  Yes, we were all involved in the other aspects of school too….doing our part to volunteer on campus in various ways such as the PTA and stuff like that.  But there was never anything else that I  participated in where I saw such results, nor gained the peace, in the midst of all kinds of situations that involved my girls through their years of school, than I did when I prayed for one hour once a week with three moms who were warriors.

Now please excuse me while I kick into grandma mode for a second and share a few pictures of my little kindergartner.  As of the writing of this post, we have made it through 2 successful weeks of school.  Our after school FaceTime chats hearing her tell me about her day are my fave.

(her amazingly talented mom took these pictures)

Four generations.
Aka:  Rosalyn's personal prayer warriors.

There is a lot that I still don't know about life. I pray I'm a willing learner until the day I die.

But the main thing that I do know now that I didn't know then is Jesus.
Knowing Him is a game changer. 

He makes all the difference in everything.
I can't wait to see what His plans are for this little lady He has given our family on loan to guide and teach and pour truth into her little heart and mind.
I know it's gonna be amazing.

"For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

My man. His health. Our journey.

A while back I shared this post about when God sometimes rolls back the curtain of what He has been doing in our lives that we aren't aware of.  Quoting John Piper, "God is always doing 10,000 things when we can only see 3."    I had been on a weight loss wellness journey that had changed the dynamics of how we eat around here and then we found out that Nick had type 2 diabetes. You can see how high his numbers were in the post….it is still amazing to me that he did not have a heart attack or something while we weren't aware of what was going on in his body. (607 triglycerides!! YIKES)  He was diagnosed in early Janurary and  I wrote about it in February. He  was already on the right track with his diet and was determined to not be dependent on medicine to control the diabetes.

Well, it's been six months since then and Nick went back for his check up and had more blood work done recently.   His numbers are astounding.  And on top of that, he's lost about 50 pounds.  I am so proud of his self control and desire to live a healthy life.    Together we have lost right at 100 pounds!

 I will let you read his thoughts on it in his own words.  If you follow Nick on Instagram then you know how gifted he is with taking a picture of something ordinary and then tying God's truth to it to teach a point.  This is what he shared last week about his results. 

Blood... your blood, my blood, our blood tells a story. A few months ago we shared with you that my blood was telling me that it couldn't keep up with the burden that I was giving it to carry. It was doing all that it could to supply life to my body but I wasn't helping it do what it was designed to do. I was filling my veins with sugar and my blood was begging and pleading with my doctor to do whatever was necessary to place it into the "witness protection program." When the scrutiny of the lab finished its investigation, both the analysis and polygraph validated the blood's story... I was found guilty and convicted for attempted murder against my own life and was sentenced to life with no possibility of sugar and carbs. What evidence did they have against me? My blood told them about my numbers --- and the numbers don't lie: 
(1) Blood Sugar: 285 (High)
(2) A1C: 10.1 (off the charts)
(3) Cholesterol:  222 (High)
(4) Triglycerides: 607 (Extreme)

(5) Blood pressure: 140/90
Well, I had a gracious Judge and He reduced my sentence down, ordered me to educate myself about my blood and He put me on probation... until my next blood test. Skip a few months, and after some lifestyle changes, cleaning up my act and folks like you praying for me, my blood was questioned again recently. This is what it said: 
(1) Blood Sugar: 98 (Great)
(2) A1C: 5.4 (Good)
(3) Cholesterol: 157 (Good)
(4) Triglycerides: 112 (Glorious) 

(5) Blood pressure: 100/60

I'm grateful for friends who have prayed and encouraged me through this... and so thankful that the blood still speaks... yours, mine, and most importantly, Jesus'. What's yours and His saying to you? Blessings friends... let it speak! Hebrews 12:24 

Is that not incredible!! I share all this to encourage someone who needs to make changes in their diet for their health's sake. You CAN do it. Nick and I love food.  We love cooking food.  We love eating food. We  love to fellowship with people around the table and food is just a big part of who we are.   So we understand the pull that food can have on a persons life!  

But I'm here to testify that you can still enjoy food and eat lots of it if you learn how to eat the right stuff.  We are proof of that.   We have introduced ourselves to new foods and have discovered new ways to cook old favorites that are more healthy..  it can be done.

Now grant it, gone are the days of baking my own bread, and having yeast rolls or biscuits or corn bread or  fresh, hot melty french bread with every meal.  But I can honestly say I don't miss it.  I will occasionally enjoy a roll or a po-boy on french bread when we eat out but we never keep them at home anymore. 

At first such choices had to be thought about consciously.  Now, it's second nature.  It has become our way of life.   We don't even go down the chip aisle anymore at the grocery store but instead by huge bags of almonds to eat for a snack. Our refrigerator is always full with fresh fruit and vegetables and now my pantry has lots of room on its shelves because we buy limited cans and stuff that comes in boxes.  And y'all.  We feel so much better.  

For you ladies who have husbands who are not on board with your desire to eat and cook healthy choices, I understand that makes it harder but it is still doable.  It is our responsibility as wives and mothers to make the right choices of what we feed our families…even when it comes with resistance.  As I stated in my first post, I shudder to think what could have happened to Nick had I not started him reluctantly down the road to eating healthy when I did.   My own dad died of heart disease at the young age of 43.  So I get the reality of what poor food choices can bring.

But I will say this….it is a thousands times more fun now that Nick is walking with me on this journey.  In fact, he's running way ahead now pulling me along!  He's the one who gets in the kitchen and experiments with new ways of cooking foods and I am so thankful.  God did exceedingly and abundantly more than I had ever imagined or hoped for.  So ladies, pray for those men of yours.  Be persistent and keep making the best choices you can on your own and let God do a work in his heart.  It may take something major to get him on board…like diabetes did with Nick.  But, don't give up.  Just keep offering yummy alternatives with a smile and a whisper in his ear of how you want him healthy enough to grow old with you. Because as I've said many times before…Paw Paws are sexy!

(cuff by farmgirlpaints.  Thank you Home Slice. xxoo)

I'll leave with you some great before and after pics.
Because sometimes seeing is believing!

 He has gone from wearing a size 38 to a size 33!

Woah!

We were "puffy". lol

This one kills me. Puffy and blondie.

I'm so thankful beyond measure of this new journey the Lord us on.
I'm thankful we woke up and began our "temple maintenance" before it was too late.

What about you?  Today is the best day to start taking care of what the Lord has entrusted to you.
Your body and your family.

I'll be praying for you!  You can do it!