Happy Easter

Good morning. Happy Easter!

Jesus has risen, and because of Him, we have hope for eternal life with our Heavenly Father. That’s so awesome to know when we’re surrounded by the chaos of this world.

The verse I am sharing with you today is one that is dear to me. I’ve definitely written this one on my heart, and I access its promise over and over.

Have you ever been in a situation where you weren’t sure what to ask God for? I’ve been there many times: at the bedside of a sick friend or family member, during a crisis at work, during financial difficulties, during times of extreme fatigue, when I wasn’t sure I could continue on the same path that I was traveling on, when my strength was failing, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, when I didn’t know which road to travel….

The list goes on and on. I would guess that life has brought you many similar situations. Perhaps, you wondered about a promotion, or when that pregnancy test would be positive, or when you wouldn’t miscarry again, or if that adoption would go through, or if your marriage would survive. There are so many difficulties we face in this life. The thing is, we know to expect them.

Jesus told us in John 16:33, “….In this world, you will have trouble….”

It’s taken me a long time to really get that. When these troubles come along, I sometimes find myself not knowing what to do. I pray, but I’m not sure what to ask for. I just know I need help, and I usually need it fast.

Though it’s taken me years to understand, I’ve discovered one of God’s many gifts to us. As the verse above says, “the Spirit himself intercedes for us.” Not only does he go to God for us, but he intercedes “with wordless groans.” That’s an amazing picture in my mind. The Holy Spirit takes our pain, our yearnings, and our needs and translates those emotions of the heart to our Heavenly Father. That image of the Holy Spirit is yet another way that God demonstrates His beautiful love for us.

Next time you find yourself in a bind, and you’re hurting, afraid, or worried, take those emotions to God. Ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for you to pray for what you need. God always comes through for us in His timing and in His way. We just have to ask. Having the Holy Spirit go to God for us is an incredible gift!

More of Denise’s favorite reads

In my last blog, I shared some of my favorite reads with you. Here are several more. Some of them have Christmas themes, but others don’t. If you want to hear a wholesome story with depth, humor, heartache, and human soul, these are for you. You can find them all at Amazon.com. Here’s the list:

The Bachelor Prince, by Debbie Macomber

Twelve Days of Christmas, by Debbie Macomber

A Bramble House Christmas, by C.J. Carmichael

Moonlight over Manhattan, by Sarah Morgan

Merry and Bright, by Debbie Macomber

The Ladies’ Room, by Carolyn Brown

The Strawberry Hearts Diner, by Carolyn Brown

The Mistletoe Inn, by Richard Paul Evans

The Christmas List, by Richard Paul Evans

Denise’s favorite reads

Good morning. A couple of days ago, I took pictures showing that Spring was on its way:

 

Here are a couple of pictures from our first day of Spring yesterday in Kentucky:

Several school closings are already posted today. If you have lived in Kentucky or the tri-state area for any amount of time, this weather is no surprise to you. Don’t worry, the spring weather truly is just around the corner. 

Since today is a good reading day for those of us inside, I wanted to share with you some books I’ve enjoyed reading. I tend to lean toward a good story line with a sweet love story intermixed. I like romance, but I can do without the smut that enters so many books. Here are a few of Denise’s good reads. You can also purchase these as audiobooks (which is my preferred venue, since I have a two-hour commute to and from work). A few of these stories are centered around Christmas, but if you don’t mind reading off-season, I’m sure you’ll love them. 

https://www.amazon.com/Noel-Diary-Novel-Collection-ebook/dp/B071RBQ9XQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1521619484&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Noel+diary

https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Noel-Richard-Paul-Evans-ebook/dp/B000JMKVLC/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1521619484&sr=1-2&keywords=The+Noel+diary

https://www.amazon.com/Mistletoe-Secret-Novel-Collection-ebook/dp/B01CO34DGM/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1521619484&sr=1-4&keywords=The+Noel+diary

https://www.amazon.com/Gift-Novel-Richard-Paul-Evans-ebook/dp/B000SEVWU0/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1521620170&sr=1-3&keywords=The+gift+Richard+Paul+Evans

https://www.amazon.com/Guestbook-Madrona-Island-1-ebook/dp/B008VUR7ES/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1521620573&sr=1-1&keywords=The+guestbook

Spring forward

Can you believe we're already past the first week of March? Although the temperature this morning is 23 degrees, with a high of only 47 degrees today, I can see hints of Spring's arrival.  So, as the first day of Spring approaches, I can't help but feel hopeful.  As much as I appreciate every season God has given us, I especially look forward to Spring.  After the stale, cold days of winter, I love to step out into the freshness of each Spring morning.  

Spring brings our senses alive: the smell of fresh air, the sight of flowers blooming and green grass, and the sound of birds chirping their sweet songs. All of nature is waking up offering renewal and hope.  

Isaiah 40:31 says, "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

I remind myself that Spring is one of the ways that God renews all of creation.  I'm thankful for the hope we have in Him, and I'm grateful that He shares such beauty with us.  Please take the time to enjoy the beauty of Spring and the fresh start it offers.  God offers us hope in many ways.  Don't forget to "Spring Forward" this Sunday, 3/11/18, by setting your clocks ahead one hour. Have a great weekend!

Homeschool

     My husband and I started homeschooling our second grade daughter a month ago. She had been enrolled in the same private school since kindergarten, and although we loved the school and the teachers, we wanted to spend more time with her.

Teaching new concepts to “the class”

   Mark works a night shift schedule as a Peds ER nurse, and I work several 24-hour shifts a month as an OB Hospitalist. He and I were both finding it difficult to find quality time to spend with our daughter because of our sleep schedules. Most of our parenting was revolving around evenings and homework.
     Aside from the safety issues in schools, and the fact that we wanted to spend quality time with her, we also wanted to be present as parents. Homeschool seemed to be the most logical solution to these issues.
     We have adopted a 4-day school week which extends our school year into the first week of July this year. If we keep this same schedule for third grade, we will do year-round school. That may not sound palatable, but it works out great. Our every day curriculum starts at 8:30am and usually ends by 1:30pm. The same structure is used every day:

0830 Bible (Lesson, prayer, Bible Verse, tests)
0900 Spelling (Writing words, worksheets, tests)
0930 Arithmetic (Lesson, review, doing problems on the board, worksheets, flash cards, games, tests)
1030 Lunch
1100 Letters and Sounds (Phonics lessons, worksheets, tests)
1130 Language (Lesson, worksheets, tests)
1200 Writing (Cursive Lesson, practice worksheets, journal writing)
1230 Snack/break
1245 Reading (Carpet time, reading from reader)
0115 Science/Social Studies/Music/Art/Health & Safety (rotate these weekly)


Some days we are finished earlier. Those days we have the option for a trip to the library, the science center, Barnes & Noble, or any desired field trip. This week we planted a “fairy garden” and learned about plants. We are starting to see the sprouts come up already. We have several science experiments planned, and we are gearing up for some fun art projects.
     I’ll be honest.  When we first started this, I worried. Would she get the proper education without getting behind? Everyone worries about socializing their child when homeschooling. Would she end up not liking it? Would Mark and I be too tired to maintain a school and the required structure?
     Since we pulled her out of traditional school mid-year, I’ve been able to keep in touch with her teacher to know what milestones she should be achieving. We are blessed because our daughter loves to learn. We are using the Abeka curriculum with a few substitutions. The curriculum gives you a daily work schedule that is quite honestly too aggressive. Despite the fact that we’ve slowed things down a bit, we are still ahead of schedule and having a fun time learning.
     As for socializing, our daughter takes swim lessons every week with a friend. We have planned tennis clinics. She spends time with her cousins as often as possible, and we have play dates with friends her age. We don’t have a regular homeschool group at this time, but we don’t seem to be needing one.
     Our daughter has “adopted” several baby dolls that she considers to be her children. Every day at school, she is allowed to bring two dolls to class as fellow students. They even have their own desks. They participate in class by asking questions, solving problems, and getting in trouble (I am their voices and personalities). This approach allows our daughter to take a teaching role every day. She likes to go up to the board and show them how to solve math problems, or how to write a word in cursive, or how to spell a word.
   

    This week after school we even had a spelling bee for her dolls. Our daughter made up the words herself. Homeschooling our daughter has been a little challenging, but it’s been so worth it. We love seeing her learn a new concept and be excited about it. We just love being with her, teaching her, and helping to shape her into the person God wants her to become. If you are considering homeschool for your child/children, be sure to look up your state’s laws for homeschooling. There are many more specifics I can help you with if you’re interested (attendance records, grading, work portfolio, etc). We plan to homeschool until middle school. We will reassess putting her back in private school at that time.

Hope

Hi Friends,

Happy March! There are many days I find that the news is not an uplifting part of my day.  The negativity in our world can sometimes become overwhelming.  Today, I wanted to share some of my good stories that offer hope and a smile.  I hope you'll share a story or two with me as well.

 

As many of you know, my mom and I have both survived breast cancer.  I'm 18 years out from my diagnosis, and my mom, with more advanced disease, has been with us since her diagnosis in October 2016. She is doing great, and each day that I get to see her and spend with her is a blessing.

  

My friend, Barbie, has survived two primary breast cancers. She is incredibly courageous.  She is a BRCA carrier, and her battle has been rough. She is more than a survivor, though, and God has blessed her. She is doing great! The woman is fearless and all "sass," and I just love her!

This is a picture of me with my daughter a couple of years ago at Christmas.  My husband and I were blessed to be able to adopt her eight years ago.  She has brought so much joy to us.  I'm thankful to her biological parents for having the courage to adopt her out. God has been gracious to us.

This is my dear friend  from medical school, who lost her husband to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in February 2015.  It was such a heartbreaking time, and she battled her loss and her grief with perseverance and determination.  Today, she is engaged to marry another wonderful man! She is with my daughter in the first picture in 2015.  The second picture is more recent, after she became engaged.

 

This little guy, Bryce, was born prematurely at 23 weeks.  His life is a miracle and still is.  He will be 5 years old this March.

This beautiful young lady is my stepdaughter.  She was just accepted at Boise State.  So proud of her!

This silly, young man with my husband is my nephew.  He came to live with us a year ago, and he has been a blessing to our family.

This is my dad. A few years ago, at the age of 70, he fell 25 feet from a roof while building his house (hobby). He broke several ribs, punctured his lung, and told me how he had started to feel the peace of entering heaven. It wasn’t his time to see God, yet. He was only in the hospital for a few days. He healed completely and was back to building in a short time.

 

This is Zoey, our dog, with my daughter.  We adopted Zoey into our home 2 years ago.  She was a rescue dog.  She is still as sweet as she looks.  So is my daughter :)

I hope these stories bring you a little joy today. Have a great day!  Please post and share your stories with me!

For your safety...

Greetings Friends,
I wanted to share with you something that recently happened in a public place that scared me and my daughter.  I hope that by sharing this, you will be more cautious when you are out and about.

My daughter and I were at the Evansville Target about two weeks ago.  It was around 4pm and we had just gone through the toy section to pick out one item.  We were in the check out lane behind two other people.  I didn't notice anything strange at first. I paid for the toy without incident, and while waiting for the lady to put the toy in a bag, I noticed a guy standing over by the carts at the entrance/exit.  

At first, I saw a woman and a boy near the carts, so I thought he was with them and was getting a cart for the three of them.  Then I noticed he was not with them, and he was "straightening up" the carts.  So then, I thought, "he must work here."

As my daughter and I walked to the exit, I could see him out of the corner of my eye.  He wasn't wearing Target employee attire, and as soon as we walked past him, he followed us.  As I was walking through the exit doors holding my daughter's hand, I was very aware of his presence behind us.  My big purse was on my outer arm, and I thought for sure he was going to steal my purse or maybe something worse.

My heart was racing, and I knew something was up.  On the sidewalk outside the exit, no one was around.  I quickly decided to say out loud to my daughter, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe I forgot that," and then I proceeded to make a direct U-turn back into the store.  From the corner of my eye, I could see that he paused, as if he wasn't expecting that.  Then he turned and walked toward a white SUV with dark windows.  

My daughter and I waited inside the store near the carts at the entrance, hiding.  I waited to see what he would do.  He sat there for awhile.  As I started to think I needed to talk to the store security officer, the guy drove off.  I should have reported him.  He hadn't purchased anything.  He wasn't carrying bags.  He had been waiting at the exit, loitering.

Several  years ago, my husband ran after a guy and tackled him after he stole a woman's purse.  This was at the Target at Tinseltown in Louisville.  The lady was lucky, since my husband was fast and has a black belt in Jiu Jitsu. He was able to take the guy down and subdue him until the police arrived.

Moms, be aware of your kids and your belongings at all times.  I've heard too many similar stories like my own lately.  

Improved results with ketogenic diet and Pruvit keto supplement

Hi everybody! I wanted to give you some follow up on my ketogenic diet and Pruvit KETO//OS supplement. In September of last year, I had a lipid profile done along with a hemoglobin A1C. As you may know, a lipid profile tells you about your cholesterol and triglycerides. If they are high, then you are at increased risk for heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes.

At the end of September, I started a ketogenic diet, Pruvit KETO//OS supplement at least once a day (sometimes twice), KREME coffee supplement (adds fat and vitamin B12), and yoga two to three times a week. I wanted to lose a little weight (I was 132lbs), and I didn’t want to have to take cholesterol-reducing medication (my internist threatened me with it).

So I reduced my carb intake to less than 50 carbs/day (most days) and took the supplements and exercised moderately (some days only stretches). Here are my results as of 1/23/18, four months later:

Total Cholesterol went from 206 to 219. Normal is 0-200. Yep, it went up, but I’ll explain why that doesn’t matter in a minute. My triglycerides went from 130 to 84!

My HDL (good cholesterol) went from 58 to 87. This is the protective cholesterol. You want this number to be high. This number is the one that boosted my total cholesterol. 

My LDL (bad cholesterol) went from 122 to 115. 

My overall cholesterol number improved significantly from an LDL/HDL ratio of 2.1 down to 1.32. The lower the better, and optimal is less than 3.5.  A higher number means a higher risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes. 

In addition, my diabetes risk dropped, since I dropped the sugar/carbs. My hemoglobin A1C went from 5.19 to 4.9 (normal is 4.8 to 5.6). 

My weight has stayed between 124lbs and 126lbs. Keep in mind that I’ve only been at this change in lifestyle for FOUR MONTHS!! I plan to stay with it, and stay healthy. My husband has also joined me on this diet and supplement for weight loss around his middle. He is a cyclist, and as Spring approaches every year, he cringes at the thought of trying to burn his winter belly fat to get down to a more comfortable riding weight. In only two weeks, he had lost 20lbs. Don’t tell him, but that quick weight loss irritated me a bit! How do men do that, right? But he sure looks good!

               

  

The first picture was taken in August last year. I was 132lbs and he was 230lbs. The picture at the top of this post was of me a few days ago. This second picture of my husband was a week ago. We are both very pleased with our results. Our favorite KETO//OS drink is the raspberry lemonade. My husband also drinks the orange dream flavor. It contains fat and helps to curb his appetite. Every morning, we both put the KREME supplement in our coffee. It’s delicious and contains vitamin B12. By the way, my vitamin B12 level was great when I had my blood work done in January. 

It’s definitely possible to improve your health with the ketogenic diet alone, but it’s really hard to eat less than 20 carbs/day and get proper electrolytes and vitamins. We are loving this supplement and how it complements our lifestyle. The numbers don’t lie. I thought you might want to know. 

For more info on Pruvit supplements, go to dashcarbs.pruvitnow.com.

What has happened to our hearts?

A tear escapes my eye and runs down my cheek onto my pillow. It’s 3:30 in the morning.  I had awakened to get a drink of water. As I lay back down, my thoughts replaced my sleep with sadness.  Actually, it’s more than that.  It’s heartache. In the last few years, I’ve watched as our world has slowly started to fall apart. People have become mean, hateful, and angry to the point of killing other people. I can’t help but feel cynical about our future because the news is full of stories of hate, child neglect, pornography, drug addiction, and murder. Children are killing other children for reasons that only used to cause a disagreement. We have seen examples of this. When a teen girl and boy “break up,” the disgruntled teen doesn’t cope with the situation by rising above, seeing that the relationship was toxic, and moving on to better things in his or her life. Instead, he or she gets a gun and kills someone. Many kids and adults today have no ability to cope with conflict. How did this happen? We’ve seen recent examples of this where kids or adults haven’t been able to address and defeat bullying or hurtful situations. Their solution has been to commit suicide, hurt someone, or kill someone. 

In just the last month, I have read news stories about home invasions where murders have been committed during a robbery; a mother who killed her five-month old baby; a mother who purposely parked her car in front of an oncoming train in order to kill her children who were inside the car; multiple child pornography arrests; a foster dad who killed his foster child; drug addicts who endangered and neglected their own children by exposing them to danger, drugs, and no parenting; a mother who was beaten just outside her home while her four-year old daughter was kidnapped; children who have shot and killed other children with guns; and the list goes on and on. There are so many more, gut-wrenching and unnecessary killings. It’s overwhelming. 

Why is the value of life declining so rapidly in people’s minds? When we are born, and as we grow up into young people, it is the responsibility of parents and other adults to be present for children and teach them right from wrong. Where are these responsible, effective parents and adults? 

There is a moral code that works well, and it’s ancient. The code comes from a book that was written so long ago, yet it has stood the test of time. But that moral code is no longer being taught or even recognized in many parts of our society. People want to remove God and His Word, the Bible, His effective moral code, from our government and our schools. So this is what we get. We remove teaching of right from wrong, effective and present parents, prayer to God who is able to intervene, and fear of effective consequences, and this is the inevitable result. We get a society where wickedness and evil run chaotically through our streets. We get to live in fear of being harmed at a concert, at church, at the grocery store, or at school. 

When God created us, He gave us the choice to love Him, obey His laws, which keep us safe, and to choose right over wrong. He does not force us to listen to Him, and many do not. The consequences of not living by His laws and commandments, again, given to us to protect us and let us live in harmony, are apparent in our world today. Just look at some of the commandments He gave us. They are simple, yet when followed, are so effective. Don’t steal, don’t covet, honor your father and mother, don’t murder, and only worship God and no other gods (anything on this earth, i.e., wealth, pride, powerful positions, other relationships, etc).  God gave us these simple commandments in order to keep us safe and to keep us from giving in to the evil of hurting each other. 

In Deuteronomy 4:2, God refers to the Ten Commandments and says, “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.” Verses 6 and 7 say, “Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?” Verses 9 and 10 add an important warning, “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”

Our society is catapulting rapidly into a futuristic science fiction movie. It’s becoming that movie where the apocalypse is the impending doom, where people have turned against people, where communities have failed, and where truth and moral code no longer have an effect. Have you seen enough wickedness yet, because I know I have. God did not mean for us to live like this.  Jeremiah 29:11 is quoted quite often because it tells us what God really wants for us. It says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God really loves us and wants good for us. The thing is, we cannot reject Him. Imagine trying to have a relationship with someone, but you decide that you don’t want to talk to that person, interact with that person, or listen to anything that person says to you. In addition, the friend code between you where you honor and respect each other is removed. There is no code, no law that governs the way you treat each other, and you can’t talk to each other. By definition, no relationship can exist in those conditions. This is what is happening in our society. Relationships are breaking down. 

We can’t reject God’s moral code, The Bible. We need to pray. Prayer is not a formality or a prayer book or a religious code.  It’s a conversation with God. It’s talking to God.  Imagine reinstating that code to our society and living by it. Imagine what that would look like. Do you want to see less of these evils? Me too, and it starts with each one of us. We have to commit to being effective parents and adults.  We have to teach our children God’s moral code. We have to set an example and live by it. Relationship with God, like any other relationship, takes effort. We have to set some time aside to be with Him. We have to talk to Him — to pray. We have to read the moral code book He gave us, the Bible, and write those words on our heart so that we can live by them. Our children watch us and learn from us, even when we don’t think they are paying attention. My challenge to us is that we start living an example of what we want other people to be. This is not an easy task, but it’s worth a self-evaluation.  We all make mistakes, but what matters is that we get back on track no matter what. God loves us and wants the best for us, just as He said in Jeremiah. Those words are for all of us.  

As cynical as this world makes me feel sometimes, I take comfort in the fact that ultimately, no matter what happens in our world, God will overcome the wickedness, in His timing. He has promised this to us. Revelation 22:12 says, “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.” Verses 14 and 15 say, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” Perhaps that sounds simplistic, but I take comfort in knowing that God will ultimately bring justice. He has given us a simple and effective moral code to live by.  The question I leave all of us with is this: “What change can we each make that will help to reinstate moral code and goodness back into our world?” Everyone of us shares this responsibility by living out our own lives with goodness, doing what is right according to God’s moral code, and loving each other.