Christmas Behind the Badge

"We all have a role to play and joy awaits each one of us. The Lord appoints and anoints as He chooses and we should delight in our individual callings."- Patti Tingen, A God For All Seasons.

It's the Christmas season and we are busy getting ready for the holidays. 

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care.

My husband took all the older kids out on his birthday on the "great Christmas tree hunt" while I stayed back with the baby.

(Here is my husband with four of the kids when we started cutting our own Christmas tree at a nearby Christmas tree farm in 2008.)

It's a tradition we started because we didn't have the extra money to buy a tree one year, so we cut one down in the woods behind our house on my parent's property. Now we can't imagine buying a tree when cutting our own has turned out to be quite a lot of fun!

(Here is our "second chance clan"all ready for Christmas.)

So our tree is up inside. I made a wreath from its trimmings and hubby hung it on the front door. He hung lights on our growing fur tree outside. Every year the tree grows and we need to buy more lights for it. It looks magical in the evening when the moon shines high above and is then reflected by the crisp, white snow. Magical indeed. I love that tree!

Our kids are growing too. All seven of them, each with different talents and gifts and abilities. There's never a dull day here homeschooling these precious kiddos for sure! (I love it when they try to help each other too!- They don't know they are actually learning MORE by teaching their siblings!)

(My oldest daughter, age 7 helping her younger sister, age, almost 5)

With all the busyness of this most wonderful time of the year though my heart is very heavy.
Two police officers were executed in New York for simply doing the job they signed up to do, to protect and serve. My heart is broken for the families having to get through the holidays without their beloved officer. It's so hard to understand. I watched the wife of one of these officers sobbing on t.v. and my heart was with her. I may not know her personally, but I know her. Every time the phone rings in the middle of the night and my husband puts on his uniform, I pray. We are sisters in these moments.

(May these officers lives not be forgotten. R.I.P. Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos)

I don't write about my husband's job on my blog usually. It is his chosen profession and his calling. I have supported him through 21 years of marriage while he worked as a military policeman and then as a small municipal officer, to where he is currently serving as a Maine State Trooper. We've been through a lot together. I know what it feels like to have officers show up at my door and not know whether my husband was going to survive.

(This is the car accident my husband survived in 2006

with thankfully only a broken arm and leg and cuts and scrapes.)

I've pushed him in a wheelchair and cared for him while he recovered from a terrible car crash while on duty nearly nine years ago. He has also seen me through seven c-sections, several knee surgeries, an appendectomy, and a tubal reversal. He is my rock. He keeps me going when I want to quit. All the while he, himself works tirelessly to provide for our growing family as he puts on his blue uniform and performs the often thankless job of protecting and serving in our State. He usually works Christmas on call too. Thankfully this year he was able to get the day off. We are so excited to be able to have him home with us for Christmas!

 So as we celebrate the birth of our Savior and prepare to ring in the New Year let us remember the fallen as well as the officers out there working around the clock to protect us so we can sleep in Heavenly peace. They are NOT monsters, and hateful people. Many of these officers are like my own husband, just trying to come home safe to their wife and kids at the end of each shift. Just trying to carve out a little peace, a little hope, and spread little more love than hate.

We leave a candle glowing blue in our window each night to remember the fallen and those who currently protect and serve our great country nationwide.

 How will you show your support to your local police and stop the spread of violence and hate?

 Thank you to all our officers who put on the badge each day to protect and serve our great country!

May you have a blessed Christmas and a peaceful New Year!

Week One On My Trim Healthy Mama Journey

I have been reading too many success stories from women who are not just getting healthy from reading and applying THM but are losing weight, a lot of weight. After my pregnancy, this being my seventh little blessing, and getting ready to turn 40, I am determined to not just be healthier but to actually LOSE these stubborn baby pounds for good!

So I dove in and bought the book on kindle e-version last week for $19.95. It was cheaper than the hard copy version at $35 and I can carry this massive book (it's over 650 pages!) right on my windows tablet wherever I go. I really want this to be the beginning of my own THM success story but I have my doubts as to how dramatic my own weight loss journey will be. All I know is that we eat fairly healthy with occasional treats now and then. Even though I exercise and have used some wonderful DVD programs I never really seem to be able to blast away the fat I have carried for nearly 18 years! I have had success losing inches and pounds through running and a fitness program, but again, the really stubborn fat remains.

The answer has to be in the way I am eating. Duh!

                                      

I know I need to drink WATER, LOTS OF WATER! Especially since I am a nursing mama.

I think I'm ready to shake things up a bit. Stop feeding my body what I've been feeding it and give this THM diet a try! I've already been adding Stevia to many things thanks to a NuNaturals product review I was fortunate to be a part of with Christian Women Affiliate.

Here is one of my reasons to get healthy, little Julia is four months old and I still look four months pregnant!

I am loving this book so far. I love that the authors actually WANT me to eat butter!

But we also have to incorporate healthy foods too of course!

But I get to eat CHOCOLATE!!! Yes, it's part of this "diet" too!

More Skinny Chocolate Recipes Here!

You see, because this really isn't a diet. It's a way of reshaping the way you eat and consuming it in the way our bodies can process it!

So if I am feeling like bacon and eggs for breakfast, great!, I can have bacon and eggs then! I can even add veggies and cheese to those eggs and I have myself what THM calls an "S" meal. "S" is for Satisfying and boy are they ever satisfying!

You know what? If I'm feeling like toast for breakfast but I still want eggs, I can do that. I just need to not go crazy on the carbs in my toast by choosing a lower carb version or make my own and forget about the bacon and only use 1-2 tsp of butter on that toast to keep the fat content down. This would be an "E" meal. 

I am not going to even try to touch "FP" (Fuel Pull) meals/snacks or crossovers until I feel confident in the "S" and "E" meals. More on these at later time.

But this is only my first week and I've made a ton of mistakes, but I'm learning!

I've learned that I don't eat enough protein. I've also learned I need to eat more frequently to keep my body fueled. I also eat way too many carbs and sugar, well, that's just a given. I have a sweet tooth!

I've even learned about these really cool noodles made from the konjac root called Miracle noodles.

They are calorie free, gluten free and make a wonderful substitution as pasta or rice so you feel full but not all loaded up on all those carbs from pasta and rice!

I've also learned how to make bread in a mug! Yes, you read that right, Bread in A Mug!

The basic recipe is found on page 265;:

These are the basic ingredients

Ingredients: an egg or egg whites * golden flax meal and optional almond flour * baking powder * coconut oil or butter * sea salt and other optional seasonings

I even let the kids make their own bread in a mug muffins yesterday. These low carb babies literally cook up in one minute in the microwave! I'm not kidding, try it! You can google Bread in a Mug recipes and find all sorts of great blogs out there of ladies doing this THM diet and find TONS of free ideas and recipes and even printables to actually make the leap into this Trim Healthy Mama way.

I started at this lovely lady's site; Gwen's Nest.

I also found these and I plan to add more so I can remember where they are.

BIG TASTE TRIM WAIST

The Laundry Moms

Heavenly Homemakers-Ranch dressing recipe

Sheri Graham

Stacy Makes Cents

Traditionally Me

Pinterest has tons of sources for inspiration too!

This mornings' favorite change I made thanks to THM is switching out my coffee and vanilla flavored non-dairy creamer (yes, I know they are not good for me but I can't resist them...until now :) ) I found a recipe thanks to my FB THM Beginners group called "Bulletproof" coffee. Now I haven't read this far in the book yet to really research "Bulletproof" coffee but let me tell you, it is AMAZING!

I made mine with vanilla stevia and it was just so good!

Here I am 16 months ago after my 6th baby. Still carrying a gut and heavy in the thighs. Feeling happy but, oh the fat in the thighs, it's just got to go! THM has taught me that I am basically eating myself into this fuller figure by all the carbs and sugars I consume.

Now here I am at the end of week one with THM after my 7th baby. The scale says I lost a pound or so, but mostly I am happy I can fit back into my favorite black pants. I really hope this THM diet will finally be something that will work for me!

TRIM HEALTHY MAMA WEEK ONE

(Four Months Post Partum Baby Number Seven)

Changes and purchases I hope to make next week:

Grass-fed butter for my "Bulletproof" Coffee

Protein powder to start FP meals/snacks

Peanut flour

Glucomannan powder

Almond flour

More Miracle Noodles

Naturally sweetened jam

More eggs, my chickens aren't laying well right now and I went through all my eggs I just purchased!

Are you ready to get healthy and try the THM lifestyle too?

Get your book today and get started!

Trim Healthy Mama Website

Click Here to follow my journey to Week Two!

Click here to learn how I got started using CPTG ESSENTIAL OILS for weight loss too!

On A Quest For Christ Review

 

"Understanding your personal journey opens a door to new spiritual growth. "On a Quest for Christ," a 30-day devotional, will help you trace your steps from the first whispers of faith to resting in God's arms. Gentle questions guide the telling of your story while prayers and comforting scripture enrich your reflections. The "Christ Quest Time Map" helps you see the path ahead as you look back on your journey. Experience healing and hope as you deepen your spiritual self-awareness and find Christ at critical points in your life.

Lisa Are Wulf is a fresh voice with a pure and transparent heart. "On a Quest for Christ" invites you into her own journey with personal vignettes to guide you in tracing your spiritual path. Let her lead you to places along the way where Christ was at work in your life. As she says, "Your spiritual story is significant. Who you are makes a difference. The impact of your life is incalculable."

About the author:

As a ministry leader and Fuller Seminary graduate, Lisa Aré Wulf has a gift for creative communication that touches hearts and transforms lives.

A mid-life convert to Christ, Lisa's articles have appeared in dozens of Christian publications. She has spoken to women's groups and churches across the country.

Before entering the ministry, Lisa served eight years on the Colorado Springs City Council. She is also a retired CPA, a former radio talk show host, an accounting professor, and was a violinist.

She and her husband, Calvin, have four children and are happy empty-nesters. They currently reside in Colorado.

My thoughts:

I really liked the set up of this book. It opens with, "Whether you know it or not, you're on a quest....What is a quest? It is simply a journey toward a worthy goal, the seeking of a noble end." The author explains that there's a catch though when you're on a quest for God, there are bound to be obstacles and challenges. The author seeks to help the reader to trace his footsteps and map out their quest for Christ. Through 30 chapters that can each be read easily in 30 days such as "Birthing", "Belonging", "Striving", "Turning", to "Healing", "Losing", "Serving", "Moving Forward", and many other great titles, the author draws the reader in to explore our past, mistakes, triumphs, and really listen to times of spiritual self-awareness and reflect and document our thoughts right in the book. At the end of every chapter is space to log our own story, reflect, and a special prayer to help us give the issue over to God. The author closes the book by quoting Augustine of Hippo,

"God, you have made us for yourself,

and our hearts are restless,

till they find their rest in you."

She encourages us to fulfill our journey to press on even after the book has been finished to complete our journey until we meet Jesus face to face! Maybe we've made some wrong turns, but we can always turn back to Christ. I like how she sums up chapter 30, "It's never too late to discover God's purpose for our lives and to walk the path he has laid out for each of us." This was a great book to walk through. I recommend it to anyone wanting help in tracing their own steps of their spiritual journey. I think it would be a wonderful way to share with our children how we have walked out our faith and help our children as they begin their very own journey with Jesus!

You can purchase your own copy at Amazon. 

I received a free copy of this book to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.

My December 14th

Every year at Christmas time I struggle.

Even though I love the sights, the sounds, 

the reason for the season!

I fall in love with Jesus all over again!

 As I have become a mother myself, I ponder what Mary must have thought as she felt my Saviour kicking inside her womb. So young, and not having been known by any man, yet with child. What courage! What faith! What pain and hardship she endured to bring us our Redeemer. She could never have fully understood when she said "yes" to God how her actions would effect so many lives for eternity. I love Christmas!

But just eleven days before Christmas, when I was just eleven years old I was faced with something no eleven year old should have to go through. I was home alone for the morning babysitting my two younger brothers when my mischievous four year-old brother accidentally set fire to our house. He never escaped the home. The fire fighters found his body hidden under his bed in his bedroom upstairs. The smoke was too toxic. The heat was too intense. My eight year-old brother and I made it out alive though. Despite my best efforts to reenter the house twice, I could not save my baby brother.

For 27 years I have lived with this horrific memory. This is the reason for my struggle with the holiday season. I do love this time of year though. I love to celebrate Jesus, but I am also reminded that my brother didn't make it out of that house alive. I have faith however, that he is now WITH Jesus.

This is my December 14th.

Last Spring, I had a nightmare. I have not had, thankfully, any really scary dreams since losing my brother. But this dream was vivid and in full color. I was being chased by a woman with long dark hair. She had a gun.

I was running from her.

I realized I would not outrun her.

I stopped.

I decided to face her, even though I knew she had a gun.

She stopped chasing me and walked closer.

She smiled, a twisted, evil smile.

She raised her gun and pointed it at me.

I shuddered.

She shook her head as if to say, "no".

She smiled again, that same twisted, evil smile.

She began to hand the gun to me.

I refused!

She forced the gun into my hand and raised my hand up to the side of my head.

She wanted me to pull the trigger on myself!

I immediately dropped the gun and cried out...

and then I woke up....

When I got up that morning and told my dream over to my family it was then that I realized that the woman in my dream was my guilt. She chases me and hunts me down, she tries to get me to destroy my own life at my own hand. I refuse to live in guilt even though she is always there. I have guilt not only because I was the one babysitting when my brother caught fire to the house, I have a second form of guilt, survivor's guilt. How can I live when I know that my brother is gone? It makes me sick in my stomach some days. A piece of my heart is stripped from the fabric of my being. My brothers tiny little voice echoes in my head, "Jen!" The last words he ever called to me before he drew his last breath.

Just in the last few weeks, my nightmare has begun to stare me in the face. In other words, I can see my dream of the woman chasing me while I am awake as clear as I did when I was dreaming it. My dream is haunting me even while I am staring at the t.v. watching a show. It isn't all the time, but it's enough to take me back, and remember, and pray. I move on. I take another breath. I live.

Then in the midst of planning my husband's 40th birthday party my Facebook began to light up with comments about yet another school shooting. This time it is children, lots of little children. Children my own children's age. Children similar to my brother's age when he died. There is a man, with a gun. And he is real. And the horrific events that followed are just tearing me up inside. My own vision of a woman with a gun tries to press in, guilt mixes with grief. A deep, deep grief.
I draw my beautiful daughter closer.

 I hold her tight and try to study her. Try to make every single moment of her life matter to me. Her smile, her laughter, her likes, her wants, her needs, her graceful dancing, the way she hugs her baby brother, and takes her younger sister by the hand for tea parties, how she begs her older brother for piggy back rides, I drink it all in. I soak in my blessings of my daughter. I get to tuck her in at night knowing there are 20 families that won't get to do what I do each night as routine. It is all a miracle. Our children are all blessings.
Why God? Oh why? We all cry it, we all want answers. But no other answer can comfort more than the fact that I have faith that God knows us. He sees us. He meets us, right where we are at. He put on human flesh and came into our stinky world in order to save us from it. To save us from ourselves.

  "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:35)



So we put on our faith. Faith that God was there even in the midst of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. Protecting many from harm and holding the wounded. Yes, God was there. Evil may have raised it's head, but God was there.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1).

There is evil all around us. But its days are short lived. God will be victorious. These children no longer suffer but rest peacefully in the arms of our Heavenly Father's loving embrace.

But as so many of us weep for the tragic loss of twenty little precious lives...who weeps for the more than 3,200 babies who are murdered EVERY DAY before they ever get to take their first breath? Who weeps for the baby torn limb from limb every 23 seconds in AMERICA? Who weeps for the little ones, unplanned, unwanted, yet still perfect, created in the image of our God, yet tossed in the garbage bins? Since Roe v. Wade it is estimated that there have been more than 54 MILLION babies lost to abortion. Who weeps for them? God does. God cares. God sees. He says vengeance is His alone.

"Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord." Romans 12:19

 I will trust God does not stand silently by allowing our country to murder our own children, there will be Justice. In what form, in what time, I do not know.

Residents of Newtown, CT will heal with time. They are a beautiful community and they will find a way to honor the dead and move on, even though their lives may never be the same.
Twenty-seven years have passed since the loss of my brother. Time does heal a great deal of the pain. Special dates force us to remember. My December 14th is now America's December 14th.
We will never forget.

Justin R. Chute

January 9, 1981-December 14, 1985

We will never forget!

Crowned By The King

I was sitting in church this past summer and had the most incredible experience. 

I was standing there, eyes closed, hands raised, and as I sang praises to Jesus, I encountered Him in a very personal way. 

Now this wasn't the first time God had met me here like this. I had had two other very emotional visits with Jesus and the Holy Spirit over the last few months. One of those I received the gift of tongues, and another, Jesus set me free from some sort of a prison I had been unaware I had kept myself locked in. But back to this moment.

I saw Jesus, step down off the stage where we were worshiping him. He was smiling and swaying with all our praises, keeping step with the beat of the music. He was so happy with us! He started coming down the center aisle and began to sway and walk in my direction.

 Again, still smiling. I looked away as he locked eyes on me. He couldn't be looking at me! I opened my eyes and looked to my left and saw my family standing there worshiping God, so I closed my eyes again and lifted my praise to God even higher. Jesus was closer than ever! He came down the center aisle and stopped at my row! He leaned in and began to lift the most amazing crown from his head.

photo credit

(It didn't look anything like this, but you get the point!)

 It was royal and clearly the most amazing crown anyone would ever lay eyes on, covered in jewels and very regal looking. Jesus, smiled, and began to lift the crown from his head and toward me!

I opened my eyes and again looked away from my vision to my left where my family was still standing and worshiping. "This can't be!" I thought, so I closed my eyes again wondering what on earth this was all about and sang and worshiped my Jesus with all my heart and soul and strength. But Jesus was closer than ever this time! He leaned in and placed His crown on my head!  

"This can't be!" I thought again, but Jesus kept smiling and said, "this is for you!"

So I have been trying to process this "crowning moment" all summer. I've been trying to figure out why Jesus wanted to crown ME while also trying not to figure it out and just embrace the moment and relish the fact that Jesus wanted to meet me in a real way, even though no one would probably believe me! 

Then last month I was introduced to this amazing necklace ministry called, "Crowned By The King".

I was chosen to be a part of this amazing ministry to encourage women to remind them of their beauty, their value, and their purpose in Christ.

When I received my necklace I fell in love with it!

I wanted immediately to give one to every woman I know, including my daughters, my mother, my sister, my cousins, my friends! What an amazing necklace to remind us that we are daughters of the King of Kings! 

But the one woman I knew in my life whom I wanted to give this necklace to I knew could really use it. She had just recently had to step down from leading our moms group at our church in order to take a full time job. Sometimes life can be difficult and while her heart was still very much with us moms this amazing friend has stepped back from leading our moms group in order to provide for her family. I know this has been a difficult time for her. She has spent the last three years running our moms group and raising her two children while working part time. To work full time meant giving up all the things that she loves to do with her children like story time at the library and reaching out to new moms and inviting them to our moms group. While her children are in good hands, I thought my friend could really use a "crowning moment".

I pulled her aside after church today and thanked her for all she had done in the past for our church's moms group. She shared her joys and a few of her struggles with her new job. I told her about my own "crowning moment" and that I wanted to "crown" her. I was wearing the crown necklace and so I told her I wanted to give her my necklace. She told me she thought she was going to cry! As I took it off her she told me that she really needed this encouragement. My timing couldn't have been better and she asked me to put it on her. I was so thrilled she accepted my necklace!

I shared with her how much I appreciated her and all the things she has done to bless our church with our moms' group and thanked her. I shared with her that I thought she might be the perfect one to carry this "Crowned By The King" ministry forward, simply by being who she is and sharing her love for God and love for people. I shared with her how this necklace might just be the centerpiece and conversation starter she might use to help her at work or wherever life takes her! I gave her a  little bit of information about the ministry in case she wanted to know more about the necklace as a ministry.

It was just about one of the most amazing moments of my life being able to not only thank this amazing woman but to also encourage her and lift her up before God and remind her how much God loves her!

We shared several hugs and then I had to leave. I plan to pray for my friend and her new necklace that she will cherish it enough so that one day she would be able to give it away to someone who desperately needs to know how much God loves them!

If you would like to hear another testimony to another "Crowned Moment" you can see the video below.

Here is one woman's testimony after receiving a necklace.

If you'd like to know more you can check out the website, Crowned By The King.
Here you will find out about How the ministry works.

You can also like them on On Facebook or On Twitter


 I received two free necklaces. One to give away and one to keep. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.