When our daughter was five years old, my sister-in-law noticed that there was a dip in her chest.  I didn’t think much of it and wrote it off as my daughter being overly thin.  At her next check-up, our pediatrician diagnosed her with a condition called “Pectus Excavatum.”  Since that time, she has been followed by a pediatric surgeon and we have expected her to have surgery when she was around twelve.

This is a CT scan of a typical chest that I found online:

This is my daughter’s CT scan:

She has what’s called a “Haller Index” (which refers to the proportion of width vs. depth of her chest) of 3.58.  A typical person’s Haller Index is 2.5, and anything over 3.25 is considered “severe” and a candidate for surgery. Notice that the heart is squished and moved out of position and how narrow it is from her backbone to her sternum.

And, here it is.  This Thursday.  July 7, 2016. 7.7.  She will have a surgical procedure called a “Nuss Procedure” to insert a metal bar into her chest.  The bar will remain in place for approximately 3 years and then be removed.

Please join me in praying for God’s blessings of healing and incredible peace for Noelle and our whole family, as well as wisdom and insight for the doctor and the medical staff.  May God be glorified in all we say and do.

Save

Save

Save

“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locusts have eaten.”
Joel 2:25

Lord, there have been so many years that the locusts have eaten, both before I knew You and after. I pray that You would bring beauty out of those ashes and restore the fruit that the evil one has stolen. May my life be a walking testimony of your Goodness and Kindness and Patience and Abundant Mercy. Amen

Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
Romans 2:4

Thank You, Good Father, for Your kindness and forbearance and patience toward me.

Good sense makes one slow to anger and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
Proverbs 19:11

Eternal wisdom for today.

“The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers.For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper.

And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.

“Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.

Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’

You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

And if you forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God.”

Deuteronomy 8:1-20

Thank You, Lord, for Your abundant blessings on my nation and on my family and on me. You, Father, are the giver of every good gift. You have caused me to hunger and thirst, and you have fed me with the Bread of Life and quenched my thirst with Living Water. Thank you for every single circumstance and situation that You have brought me through. Amen.

“If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me and your right hand shall hold me fast.”
Psalm 139:9-10

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them they are more than the sand.

Psalm 139:17-18a

“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you,
making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.
Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path;    
for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you,
delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech,
Proverbs 2:1-12

On May 13th, my oldest daughter graduated from community college and the next day, my oldest son graduated from homeschool high school.  What a very, very blessed weekend.

Now that our summer break is in full swing, I’ve been giving lots of thought to my own “time management” – as well as my children’s time management.

Simultaneously, I’ve been spending time preparing to lead a small group of ladies in a weekly summer “Bible study 101” group.  Interestingly, I came across this note scribbled in a margin: “Time Management = Me Management.”

On top of that, this week we will begin memorizing 1 Timothy 4:7b-8, “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

And it came to me – Father, let me not get so consumed with eating nutritiously, exercising my physical body, and abstaining from sinful desires, that I miss out on seeking first the Kingdom of God.  He is my greatest treasure and I am His workmanship.

May we all keep our eyes focused on Him, exercising self-discipline, that we would live in daily devotion to His will.  And this summer, instead of using my extra free time to stay up late, sleep in late and relax by the pool (though there will be some of that!), I pray that I would use it to spend time growing in my own walk with the Lord, and loving well those God gives me.

By His Grace,

TWIG

In case, I’ve piqued your interest for joining this journey, I’ll share with you a few of my favorite things and some of my shopping list.  I made this to share with some local friends who will be joining me on a journey to eat food that is nutritious, as well as yummy.  I confess that some of my purchases are NOT “Whole30” approved.  I have chosen to deviate a little in order to afford a healthier lifestyle which sometimes means it’s not grass fed, or organic, or that it does have some kind of preservative.

At Costco I buy

• PRODUCE  apples, fresh clementine or mandarin oranges, avocados, bananas, kale, carrots, Brussel sprouts, mushrooms, zucchini (if they have it),
• MEAT  ground beef, beef roast, pork tenderloin, chicken, sausages – any kind – in the meat area not the frozen area,
• IN THE FREEZER-FRIDGE AREA  bacon, frozen broccoli, frozen berries, eggs
• IN THE CANS AREA  olive oil, coconut oil, unsweetened applesauce in big bottles, almonds, garlic stuffed olives, canned tomatoes, canned green beans

At Kroger or Walmart I buy

• PRODUCE Organic Lettuce, celery, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, cauliflower (try grating it and cooking it in a skillet – look up cauliflower RICE)
• REFRIGERATED AREA   Califia farms toasted coconut almond milk,
• IN THE REST OF THE STORE coconut almond milk in a box (it’s cheaper but doesn’t taste quite as good as Califia farms), Barney Bare almond butter, Herdez jarred salsa (mild and medium), sauerkraut

At Aldi I buy nuts, carrots, bananas, dried fruit (Warning – probably has sugar in it)

Try rotating what you buy so it doesn’t spoil or you don’t spend too much. So like, one week I stock up on beef and apples, next week I stock up on chicken and oranges, and the next week I buy pork tenderloin and Brussel sprouts & carrots. Then, each week, I freeze what I don’t use that week for the future meals.

I make my own meatballs and individual meat loaves in bulk and pop them in the freezer

La Choy soy sauce is gluten free always, but Kikkoman has gluten in it, so we buy LaChoy. I’m not sure if you can have it at all during Whole30, but we did.

I buy Ghee (clarified butter) at a local Indian grocery

I love Mural of Flavor seasoning from Penzeys spices and White Cranberry Peach vinegar from a local oil shop.

For a sweet treat try a Smoothie made from a frozen banana + frozen blueberries + almond milk.

I couldn’t bear to drink black coffee, so I found that I really liked unsweetened peach or chamomile tea.  Plus, I drank Teeccino with coconut almond milk, and little cans of Izze Sparkling Juice.  And lots of water, with or without lemon.

For an afternoon snack try an apple or celery with almond butter + dried cranberries

Try zucchini noodles.

Try cauliflower rice.

Try making bone broth from leftover chicken carcasses.

I noticed when I started that I was really not feeling good after I ate. I needed more carbs with a meal so I started including fruit with my lunch and dinner. It really helped! I don’t get a sugar rush if I eat fruit with a meal and it gave me some sustaining energy.

Hard boil eggs to take with you for protein.

Try making a layered salad in a quart size mason jar. (Look online about this)

When you eat out, try grilled chicken with a salad with vinegar and oil. Or consider a meaty no-bean chili,  or a steak with grilled veggies. Subway has a yummy chopped salad that I get with grilled chicken and tons of veggies that’s pretty cheap and quick. At McAlister’s I can order a salad and chili combo.

I have discovered that this journey has largely been about breaking the hold that food has over me.  May “My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.” (Psalm 63:5)