Saturday, September 15, 2012

Just Know That I'm Still Good

Hello all,

It has been awhile since I've written but just know that I'm good - I still look and feel great. I have embraced the new "little" me and am excited to continue living the healthy me that I've become.

I will be ordering the Blood Cleanse from April sometime in the near future but in all seriousness, I am worried about losing more weight - the last time I completed the blood cleanse I lost 8 pounds and I honestly can't afford to lose another ounce. As it stands, one of my sisters already told me that I have "noassatall" (if you don't know what that means, break apart the 1st 2 letters, then the next 3 letters, followed by the next 2 letters, and lastly the last 3 letters). Yup - and she's absolutely right but I'm not worried about it, again, I look, and more importantly I feel great so I'll take it!

Until I begin the blood cleanse followed by the liver cleanse, my posts will be sparingly - I am back to work and the beginning of the school year is always hectic. My load usually lightens up as I become more and more acclimated with my class but I have a sneaky suspicion that this year is going to be a little different. My objective is for my students to show more and more GROWTH and I've been researching a lot of different strategies and ideas in order to help them along this journey; and that means a lot more planning on my part. So just in case you don't hear from me for a lonnnnnnnnnnng while, just know that God's got me and that I'm still flourishing in good health.

So my journey began as a 60 day detoxing journey and this hasn't changed. however, my journey just has some excursions along the way; with some being more extended than others.

I thank you all for your continued support and I will continue to keep you posted as I JOURNAL THROUGH HEALING.

  • Oh, by the way, my mom began her 2nd round of detoxing but this time she's doing the capsules as opposed to the liquid and let me tell you - she is pooping like 7-10 times daily. She lost 6 pounds in 2 days and while I'm worried and telling her that she needs to call April, she's ecstatic about it.  
  • My older sister began her 1st round of detoxing by way of the capsules and tomorrow will be a full week for her, so I will touch base with her to see how she feels, and what she's observed so far.
  • My parents' neighbors (a husband and wife) also began detoxing this week so I can't wait to hear about their progress as well.
  • Several of my co-workers have inquired about the detox and I have given them April's website and contact information as well.
It's not too late for you to take that 1st step to better health by visiting April Chapman's website and scheduling your free 20 minute phone consultation. The direct link to scheduling your consult is http://www.basichealthylivingtoday.com/products--services.html, scroll down to Initial Consultation and underneath you will see Free-Schedule Here. Click on it and schedule yourself for 20 minutes of much needed you time.

Be blessed.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Did I Forget to Mention...

I'm not sure if I mentioned in my last post, when I was sharing about the fear I felt with the surfacing of a rash and having some swelling. Well BOTH MY RASH AND MY SWELLING ARE GONE! I had a moment of fear, doubt, and anxiety BUT GOD INTERVENED and reminded me of His goodness, His mercy, His love, His grace, and His healing. God is not a man that He should lie, and what He has for me is for me.

So be encouraged - don't pay attention to what "it" looks like, or how "it" feels", but TRUST GOD and have the FAITH to know that He's got you. "And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him." (Hebrews 11:6 NLT)

I asked God for His forgiveness, and I will rebuke fear, doubt, and anxiety, the moment that they knock on my door - they will not be allowed to come in.

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME, AND ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD.

Trust Him and know that He's working "it" all out, whatever your "it" is. Have Faith and know that "it" will work out for your good. If God said it, it will come to pass.

Be blessed.

Lyrics to Richard Smallwood's song FAITH

Verse 1:
There are times when adversity
seems to over take your life.
Doubts and fears seems to cloud your mind
and confusion's all inside.
But there's a message for you my friend
and I know this word is true,
just have the faith of a mustard seed
and there's nothing you cannot do.


Chorus:
(If you have the faith) you can move mountains.
(just keep the faith) nothing is impossible.
(hold on to your faith) you shall overcome
(according to your faith) just believe and it shall be done.
Verse 2:
Your river may seem too hard to cross
and your mountains too hard to climb,
but you can conquer your circumstance.
If you keep this thought in mind:
faith is the substance of things hoped for
and the evidence of things not seen;
if you walk by faith and not by sight,
you can realize your dream.

Chorus:
(If you have the faith) you can move mountains.
(just keep the faith) nothing is impossible.
(hold on to your faith) you shall overcome
(according to your faith) just believe and it shall be done.

Bridge:(Faith) faith,
(faith) gotta have it.
(Faith) faith,
(faith) really need it.
(Faith) without faith it's impossible
(it's impossible to please the Lord)

Chorus:
(If you have the faith) you can move mountains.
(just keep the faith) nothing is impossible.
(hold on to your faith) you shall overcome
(according to your faith) just believe and it shall be done.


Vamp:
Faith (3x),
mustard seed

Lyrics from: http://www.elyrics.net/read/r/richard-smallwood-lyrics/faith-lyrics.html


If you would like to listen to this song click here: http://www.elyrics.net/read/r/richard-smallwood-lyrics/faith-lyrics.html

Sorry...It's Been Awhile and Not With Good Reason

I have to be honest, apart of me hasn't written in awhile because I returned back to work and have been extremely busy. But a bigger part of me hasn't written because of fear...yes, fear. FEAR TYE? What you talkin' 'bout Willis? Look, I am a child of the most High God, and I know that He hasn't given me the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7) but in my flesh, there are times when I (like many of us) allow just a shadow of fear and doubt to appear. The victory at that point comes when you rebuke it as soon as you feel that spirit coming on, and not allowing it to take up residence...well, I allowed it to take up residence. It wasn't a continual residence but I did allow it to come; I would cry a little, then rebuke it...it would show up again, I would cry some more, and then rebuke it. TYE, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? Here's what I'm talking about...

I did a 3-day full day training from Tuesday to Thursday of last week (Aug 28th-30th) in order to get myself acclimated to the nuances of the upcoming school year, and to just become remotivated for what was on the horizon...I still felt and looked great. On Friday, I decided to go to my school for a full day in order to begin setting up my classroom. I was literally on my feet (I shared this with you) from 8am to 4pm in my classroom, and then had a hair appointment that night which ended up having me out from 8:30pm until 4:00am the next morning. When I got home, my feet were so swollen. I texted April and she said that it could have been a couple of things:
- she asked if I had been on my feet a lot...CHECK
- she said it could be water retention

She advised that I get some celery and juice it - this is good for water retention.  She also said to drink water, and to listen to my body and REST! I haven't seen much rest since I've returned to work but am listening and going to bed (be it 7:30pm) when my body tells me too.

So the swelling had actually continued into this work week but what I didn't mention is that along with the swelling, a rash surfaced. Now I've gotten rashes throughout the course of my healing journey but it was more along the lines of a bite of some sort, which went away. Well, at one point it didn't appear that this rash was going to go away, it seemed like it was here to stay, and going to morph into those same kind of rashes that I would get when I was sick. Of course it didn't help that this was coinciding with my return to work and all I could think about was the fact that I would have to be out of work sick again - especially when I know my adminstrators are scared of this very thing as well. So, I allowed doubt and fear to cloud my mind (as Richard Smallwood mentions in his song "Faith").  I didn't tell anyone, I just kind of went through the motions on my own. My husband noticed my ankles swelling and became very concerned - this of course was the icing on an already doubtful and fearful cake. He just told me to be careful and not to overdo it. In fact, he was so concerned that he told me not to worry about my duties at home for a few months, and to only concentrate on work, so that I could rest when I needed to, and to take care of my health.

I reached out to April on yesterday to inform her that someone would be reaching out to her regarding detoxing. Being the sister that she is, she texted back, "oh OK. Are you okay? How are you feeling?" Well, I decided to share with her eveything that I had been experiencing the last week or so, and how I had been a little scared. This is what she texted back, and for anyone of you that has been folowing my blog thus far, this is very important:
"First things first...lets arrest fear. No matter what goes on with your body, you've come too far to deal with fear. I've been doing a lot of study lately with the emotional and spiritual root causes of disease. Did you know the rashes are rooted in fear, anxiety and stress? Many of us have surpressed fears and anxieties that manifest physically. So when one pops up ask yourself "what am I afraid of. What am I anxious about? What is causing me stress? Fluid retention also had the same spiritual root cause - fear, anxiety and stress. Glaucoma and asthma also share the same root cause."

This was a WOW moment for me because in my flesh I wanted to feel some type of way, but my spirit immediately kicked in and revealed to me that I did have some subconsious fears and things I was anxious about. I said that I was casting my cares all on Him, and truly believed that I was - I've been fasting and praying about some things since June - but I guess I've also been surpressing some things that have been coming to the surface all summer long and I didn't recognize the root. When I came to this revelation, this is what April said next:
"Well consider this: Faith and Fear cannot occupy the same space. Its easier said than done. You trusted God to heal you. You weren't afraid to stop your meds. You weren't afraid to try something new. Pull from that strength and faith and trust God to work on your behalf. Its out of your control and fear and anxiety WILL affect your health."

What an "AH HAH" moment that was. Wow! I believe that April may be walking into another gift (wink) but I truly thank God for her. WE all need friends like this - who aren't afraid to keep us in check, or to encourage us in the Lord and to remind us of what He says, and what He's already done. Satan is cunning and if we're not careful, we will revert right back to the place that God has delivered us from, and what kind of witness will that be? I'm thankful that even though I did allow fear and anxiety to cloud my healing for a week, in His mercy, God revealed His truth and allowed me to once again walk in His victory.

I AM HEALED..I AM HEALED...I AM HEALED...I AM HEALED...I AM HEALED...I AM HEALED 

I asked God for it in 2008, He tested my faith on December 18, 2011, and healed my body in June of 2012. It's already done in the spirit and in the physical so I need to continue walking in this healing daily, and not allow anything that I physically see or experience to cloud this truth. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1). God has already shown me what He will do if I have faith that He will do it. Therefore I'm going to continue walking in that faith.

Be encouraged...if you are on a healing quest and ready to be healed, stand on your "now faith" and take the first step to becoming medication free, worry free, pain free, and just FREE FREE. Visit April Chapman's website at www.basichealthylivingtoday.com and schedule yourself for a free 20 minute consultation.  I believe she may still have some 20 minute slots available today. The direct link to the scheduling page is http://www.basichealthylivingtoday.com/products--services.html. Scroll down and find "Initial Consultation", click on "Free-Schedule Here".

I thank God for a friend in Jesus, who has allowed me to have a friend and sister like April.  I hope that all of you will commit to your healing and know that when fear, doubt, and anxiety show up, so does sickness, defeat, and ultimately betrayal of the One that you know will get you through and not only get you through, but KEEP YOU THROUGH. God has not brought me this far to leave me, and I need to remember this and rebuke the hand of the enemy the second he shows up.

Be blessed.

Monday, September 3, 2012

All Good in the Eatin'/Juicin' Neighborhood

It's been 2 days since I've finished the detox and it's been GRRRRREAT!  I've been eatin' good and juicin' good in the neighborhood. On my 1st day detox-free, you can probably guess what my 1st warm meal was...you guessed it... SALMON!!!! It was delicious if I must say so myself:


Silverbrite wild-caught Salmon with garlic red beans and rice

Besides eating good, I've been using my juicer more and more and let me tell you, I've been enjoying some of the best juice that I've ever had in my life. April sent me some juicing recipes and they are simply scrumptious. The first was called the Bromelain Special, which consisted of a whole pineapple with the skin (minus the top) and 3 peeled oranges. It was truly hmmmm hmmmm goood! Here are some pics:





When I tell you that this juice was tasty, it was. But for some reason, my body reaches its limit with pineapple. I don't know if I have an allergy of some sort or what the problem is but after I've eaten pineapples, after awhile, my body will reject them and I literally can't eat anymore - my tongue begins to burn and it literally hurts to eat.

The next juice that I made was called Passion Cocktail, which consists of 3 strawberries, a large chunk of pineapple, and a bunch of black grapes.  Again, deeelicious:





This was also very good - it made me think of being in the Islands. Unfortunately, because I had already reached my pineapple limit, I couldn't enjoy it as much, because with each taste my tongue felt like it was about to fall off. I don't think I'll be consuming pineapples for awhile; I need to give my body a break.

I left a little of each juice in the fridge hoping that my husband would want to taste some. So far, NOT so good. I told him that I would make a deal with him - if he tried my juice and didn't like it, I would never offer him any of my homemade juices or smoothies again...it didn't work. I won't give up - one day I'll trick him into tasting it; I'll make him think that I bought it from the store and when he tells me how good it is, that's when I'll reveal that his wife made it :-)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))  Shhhhhhh, it'll be our little secret ;-)

If you noticed, I included another element to my juicer this time:


I added a plastic bag to the large pulp container so that when I'm finished juicing, I can just throw away the bag - this is one less part to clean.

Let me tell you, this juicer is one of the best gifts that I could have received during this time in my healing. This is just going to allow my healing to reach the next level. GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME AND ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!

Well, tomorrow is my official 1st day back to work, even though I've been attending workshops since last week. I want to be as rested as possible so I am going to turn in. But follow me as I continue to JOURNAL THROUGH HEALING.

Be blessed.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Last Day: Whole 'Lot of Juicin' Goin' On

WHOOO HOOO! I've made it to my 20th day which is the last day of my full body detox. I've already purchased my Salmon for dinner tomorrow night. I guess because today is the last day, I didn't keep track of POOPS, or anything else for that matter. That's also probably because I had a loooooooooooooooooong day yesterday, and when I say it was looooooooooooooooong, that's exactly what I mean. I'm in back-to-school mode so I arrived at my school at 8am in order to begin setting up my classroom. Wanna know what time I left? 4pm and that was only because they kicked us out at that time. I got a lot accomplished though, but I was literally on my feet THE ENTIRE TIME and I'm paying for it today...my ankles are swollen. That wasn't the end of my day. Let's just put it this way: after being on my feet for 8 hours straight, I had some other things to do and didn't get back in the house until...anyone care to take a guess????? 4am...yup, you read right, I didn't get in the house until 4 o'clock in the morning. I was seeing double by then and could only make my way to bed. You'd think I'd be able to sleep in after that loooooooooooooooooong day, right? NOT - I was up and about before 10am cleaning and then had to go food shopping; needless to say I'M POOPED!

But I wasn't too pooped to try out my new juicer that my fairy health mother (April) bought and had shipped to me. I took that bad boy out of the box, washed all of its parts, and was ready to juice my very own juice:


Ready, Set, JUICE!

It looks real clean, shiny, and new right? Well wait until you see the next few pics - it was put to good juice use:





Here was my very 1st homemade juice - carrot, parsley, and apple

I actually made the above juice in between shopping trips: I went to Corrado's to get all of my fresh fruits and veggies, came home, put most of them away, and made my juice with the other ingredients. Then, I figured that I was already on a juicin' roll so I may as well continue...so I did.





Oh yeah, I was on a juicin' roll. I only made carrot, parsley, and apple juice today and bottled some up for tomorrow. Remember when I said that I wanted to incorporate some sort of carrot juice into my daily routine, well, I'm back on it.  Tomorrow I think I will try some other combinations that April sent to me; oh yeah, she's full of resources.

Even though today was my very first time juicing anything, I began to feel like a juicing queen...ok, maybe a juicing princess. But I will truly be on the throne once my husband commits to drinking some of it. When I was first experimenting with making smoothies, I attempted to make a strawberry smoothie in my smoothie maker and it wasn't very good - very watery and bland. So of course, this is what he remembers and he's not trying to add to his memory collection. One of these days though, he will try either a homemade smoothie or juice and it will be good - THEN, AND ONLY THEN WILL I BE A JUICING QUEEN - my husband is very picky and a hard sell.

Well, I am extremely tired as I pointed out earlier, so I'm getting ready to turn in. But not before I encourage you to commit to a healthier you. Detoxing isn't the end-all-be-all to optimal health, however it is a first step; if you're willing to do the work and continue on a healthier path, then you will feel and look better than you've  probably ever looked and felt before. Reach out to April Chapman by visiting her website at www.basichealthylivingtoday.com. See what she has to offer and take that first step, you deserve that much don't you think? Here's to a healthier feeling, healthier looking, healthier thinking, healthier being... YOU! Cheers (put up your imaginary cup of water and drink to that).

Be blessed.