Lights, Camera, Decorate!

First Fall Harvest

This morning after weeks on neglect we found our garden had produced quite a plentiful bounty.  We were so excited to harvest kale, beans and lettuce this morning.  Snap peas, squash and carrots are in bloom as well.  We made smoothies with our picked kale.

Anna & Abby

 I had the lovely privilege of photographing my sweet friend's new twin girls.  They are 2 weeks old and sweet as sugar.

Coco & Decor

Tonight we started to decorate for Christmas.  We always complete the tradition with hot chocolate and a viewing of the Polar Express movie.

Worship Quest Fall 218

Thanksgiving 2018

Thanksgiving this year was full of delicious food, family, and friends.  Eric made his infamous turkey, my stuffing actually turned out and the girls made an apple crumble in the slow cooker in lieu of apple pie.

Family day

Eric took today off to spend with the family before the rush of the holiday weekend.  We saw the new Grinch movie with the kids and it was so very good.  The kids also slammed 3 oversized buckets of popcorn.  Afterwards, we went to Olive Garden for an early dinner.

Gymnastics Tuesdays

We have switched our gymnastic day to Tuesday b/c we have been wanting to get Coach Josh as our teacher.  He works with the competitive team and can also work with Mathias on more "boy" moves like the rings.  He's been such a great switch and really requires another level of excellence from the kids during their class.  He also has 2 baby twins that run around the gym during class and are so cute!

Piano Master Class

Thursday night the kids had their final Mast Class/holiday parties for piano.  It wasn't really a performance more than it was an opportunity for the kids to play for other kids and have cookies and treats.  Now they are on winter break but will continue to practice through the holidays until they start again in January.

Another month. Another round.

My disappointing results have prompted another round of treatment.  I have no doubt that the previous treatment worked on something b/c I had signs of "die-off" but my pain is as intense as ever and my food reactions are the same. This time we are focused on treating my pancreas b/c all of the symptoms (especially the pain).  Antioxidants to fight the free radicals that cause inflammation.  Lower fat diet with limited red meat, processed foods and no alcohol.  Tons of fruits, veggies, juices, smoothies and soups to relieve the stress on my organs during digestion.  Small amounts of lean poultry, low fat yogurts, probiotics, adrenal support and digestive supports, etc.  I am also looking at alternative workouts.  Nothing strenuous, no heavy lifting, etc.  This process will take a while.  We are looking at probably 6 months.  Lord grant me grace and endurance during this process.

The temp drop

These are old pictures but I thought they were completely fitting to celebrate the fact that we have our sliding doors open today due to the drop in temp!  Hallelujah!  Tomorrow is suppose to be even cooler and I plan to leaven them open all day and into the evening.  We are sipping on hot tea and munching on toast and tea snacks and trying to not dwell on the fact that this is a short-lived respite and hoping that the lizards don't sneak into the house.

Mondays

Pastor spoke on loneliness yesterday at church.  I struggled to remain composed the entire time.  Nearly everything he spoke on struck a deep resonating chord in me.  

Today we are off to piano after a full morning of school and chores and discipline.  The kids have been very squirrely today and have required a lot of hands-on attention.  Probably because it's Monday.  Luckily, the girls have managed to complete all of their work before lessons so they have the rest of the afternoon to play and put away their clean laundry.  Mathias has a bit more.  I am trying to figure dinner out and squeeze in rest time.
I've completed my 2 month protocol and I still feel terrible.  The pain that's in my side and radiates to my back can be completely debilitating.  But life continues to move forward and I with it.  Grateful for a new week and potentially cooler temps finally!  The never-ending heat makes the days blur into themselves with no respite.  I miss the seasons.