Tulip Festival in Mount Vernon, WA

Melissa and I
The kids all digging in Grammy's garden.

Elijah and Will

Baby Joy and her Aunty

Hailey and Sophia

Joy (8 months old)

The gang down at the river

Here are some pictures from our trip to Montana. We had a wonderful time. I'm so thankful that I was even able to make a trip like this. Only a few months ago with my health it would have been totally impossible. But I feel GREAT now!!! So off I go!

And my garden is tilled up and I have some veggies already planted, I'm getting a jump start on things this year. I have a feeling it will be a good growing season this year, although hot, but we'll see. Planted so far: peas, spinach, lettuce, carrots, radishes, cabbage, green beans, and swiss chard.

Update on being RAW: It's much easier to be 100% then any other %. So that's the way I need to be. And I always feel so much better when eating only living foods, my body just functions better, more energy, faster healing, better skin and hair, you name it, I just feel good.

A great book for everyone to read, whether eating RAW or not, is "The Live Food Factor". It has a lot of great research behind why we should incorporate more living foods into our diet. And another book I just got, and love, is "Green for Life" which is about humans eating more greens.

Here's a great easy green smoothie that we all like and you can't taste all the greens in it.

In a blender add:

large handful of washed spinach leaves

one banana

strawberries or blueberries

coconut milk (optional)

protein powder (optional)
ground flax seed

water

Blend well and enjoy!

So easy, so simple, yet soooo yummy! Drink it often and you'll notice more energy and less cravings for sweets and other cooked food.

Ahhhhh....... (with a big smile on my face) family time!!

I know, I still need to post finished pictures of the bathroom.

But I'm jumping forward. Isn't it funny how my life is so busy I can't even keep up with sharing my doings on my blog. On to the next thing!!!

Anyway, the kids and I had a glorious, but too quick, of a visit to Montana to visit family over the weekend. (Yes, I need to post pictures). We stayed Friday night at my brother and his wife's place in Spokane, then hit the road again in the morning and headed over to Montana to my mom's house where my sister and her three kiddos (8 m, 4yrs, and 6 yrs) were visiting from North Dakota.

We had a wonderful day Saturday just hanging out at the river, soaking in the sunshine, and just having a great time. All the cousins got to play together in the sand and build a fort in the bushes near the water. We packed down dinner for the evening and roasted hot dogs over a fire and ate yummy salads and munchies. Then we went back up to the house and made another fire and the kids roasted marshmellows for smores. It was a wonderful trip!!

Then on Sunday we headed back home. The kids did great on the drive, but they sure missed there cousins. My little sweet heart Hailey was crying on the way home because she missed her cousins so much already.

Well, that's all for now. I know everyone likes pictures, so I'll get them on as soon as I have time. It's spring afterall, I have a garden to tend at home after work. And my new blueberry bush, raspberry plants, and strawberries will be coming in the mail anyday.

Trudging along!

Here's the bathroom coming along, and the workers. We're actually finished it before spring break (that was the goal), but I'm just behind on the pictures. And I don't want to give them to you all at once. Well, now you know the color!! By the way, it looks fantastic! I can't wait to share the finished pictures. I smile every time I walk into the bathroom. Sigh!!

Bathroom in the works!

I'll have to dig through and find some of the first torn apart bathroom pictures. These are after it's been sheetrocked and mudded.

Spring has sprung !!

I need to get a few pictures posted on here of the bathroom. It's coming along well. The last few day the joints have been taped and mudded, the tile on the floor grouted, and the base coat of paint applied.

Saturday the sun was finally out and the kids were out jumping on the trampoline most of the morning and then in the afternoon we went with some friends/family to Skateland in Olympia and skated for 1.5 hours. I was so happy to be able to skate and enjoy myself and not be in pain or have lack of energy. The kids were a different story though...... Poor kids jumped on the trampoline all morning then skated at Skateland for their first time. Well, needless to say, they were feeling it the next day. They were walking around like I used to, sore and complaining. But their soreness was from lactic acid (and blisters) and working out their legs a lot, not from an illness.

Sunday we went up to Kingston to visit Dad and Malia. Dad has his new hip in and is doing well, walking around with the cane the kids and I bought him over the summer, and he looks well.

Tonight we plan on putting on another coat of base paint, since the first coat is being sucked into the drywall. Then tomorrow paint the color onto the walls. I'll keep the color a secret for now, and I'll have to post finished pictures when I'm done. I'm so excited to have a nice bathroom in the house! The only downfall is it makes the rest of the house look like it's in worse shape.

I'm doing another round of anti-viral meds. It seems that about two weeks after I stop the meds, I feel some of the symptoms creep back in (although slightly, but I need to stay on top of things). So I'll do another round and then take a low dosage for awhile and see if that's enough to supress the virus.

I bought some seeds for the garden and I'm ansy to get things growing, but we're not done with this freezing weather yet! It's ok, I have other projects to work on. : )

Happy Monday and have a great week!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Well, things are going wonderful with my health. I'm so excited to be doing better.

After much procrastination, lack of motivation and then health issues I have put off my bathroom remodel for about a year now. Well, I have no more excuses anymore, at least not lack of energy and health issues. So, without further adoo...... my bathroom is finally being put back together. Two weeks ago I finished the wiring and put in a new outlet. Last weekend Keith and I hung the sheetrock (but not mudded yet). The easy fix on the toilet turned into a bigger project then anticipated. The flange was old and corroded, so it had to be replaced. The rotten floor under the sink has been fixed and a new sub floor in. Tonight is hardibacker on the floor, caulking, and tile cut. Tomorrow affix the tile to the floor, and grouted the following day.

WOW! What a difference it makes to have the energy to get things done!

Today I went in for another fasting glucose test, the short version, not the four hour one. And it was NOT low, yippy! but right where it needs to be. I've added protein in the mornings and space my food throughout the day, and make sure I don't eat many sugars and it's made a big difference with my low blood sugar.

Oh, and I started working out again, and working my way back into doing cardio, and weights. It sure feels nice to have a workout burn in my muscles and not a flare-up burn. Way different feeling, and way different pain.

Also, now that I'm feeling better I'm functioning better at work. My colleagues joke that they won't be able to keep up with me, once again, like before I got sick.

Well, I'm off to get more things done.

Thanks for reading!!