Yet Another Surprise

So everyone knows that my blender went kaput awhile back, and I got a text message on the 20th stating, 
"I was reading your blog today and saw your blender broke! I have an extra one that I'll send to you."

So I'm thinking and replied, 
"Oh wow! Thank you so much. What a blessing...you just don't know ;-)))))))))))."

So I'm thanking God that He blessed this person with an extra blender and that they're willing to pass it along to me. Cool right? So I get another text message on the 27th saying,
"Hey lady! Look for a package from me sometime this week."

So again I'm thankful and express that in a reply text. So today I get this message,
 "Gm. I tracked the package and it will be coming today. UPS."

So I reply with, 
"Alright! Thank u so much. The minute it arrives I'll let u know 😁."

So at around 12pm I hear the doorbell and I dash downstairs as I know it's UPS. I see that the box is from Bed, Bath and Beyond. Now I'm puzzled...I look around the packaging and see my name but no return name. So I'm wondering what this is all about?! I get the box upstairs and slice open the seal while thinking to myself, "maybe she had this box lying around and used it to put the blender in." So I'm continuing to open the box...now I see decorative tissue, wrapping paper, and a card...I'm totally confused.

 


I open up the card and here's what it says...



I'm in total shock at this point and the tears are in shock too. I continue opening and behold...



I couldn't believe it! I've been tricked. So in the midst of emotions, I pick up my phone to call but knew the tears would really flow then, so decided to send another text which read, 
"Ummmmm this does not seem like an extra blender that you had lying around the house. This is such a wonderful surprise Kenyaboo...thank you...I mean it, thank you 😅".

To which Kenya McFadden (affectionately known as Kenyaboo by me) replied,
"Surprise!! Lol Once I saw your blender broke I wanted to get you one. You've been very inspiring!!"

Can you believe that? Kenya went out and bought me a blender because I've been an inspiration, and she wanted to help me on my journey. What a blessing! 

God is so good and faithful. I'm inspired by the love and support that I've been receiving during my journey. God is great and greatly to be praised. Now I'm gonna read the manual and figure out how this contraption works LOL.

Kenya, I truly do thank God for you and your generosity - and for your willing heart to help me ;-). You just don't know.

STAY TUNED as I continue to journal through healing.

Be blessed!

Finger lickin' good

Well guys I tried chicken for the first time since May and it was SLAMMIN'! My Boo-Boo put his foot in that bird. So far so good.

Although it was tasty, I'll probably still stick with my seafood and may occasionally eat chicken. I will also look into some vegan alternatives.

Hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas and I hope you have a Happy New Year!

STAY TUNED because I have one more post coming your way very soon.

Be blessed!

FANTASTIC...AWESOME..AMAZING

I am finished with my detox and the comments are endless. The most common adjectives that I hear are, "you look fantastic!" "You look awesome!". "You look amazing - even your face looks younger". All I can say is that my God is FANTASTIC, AWESOME, and AMAZING as He's the one that has made these results possible.

Here's an update on my results:
•Weight - I began the detox at 135 and now I'm 125...a total of 10 pounds shed.
•Waist - when I first measured my waist before the detox it was 32 inches. Now it's 28 inches...yup a whole 4 inches lost.
•Skin - even though I didn't steam and use the clay as often as I could have, I still see improvements. I would show a pic but I'm very red from blowing my nose and don't want to take a pic looking so much like Rudolph. 

                         

I didn't think it was possible for me to get any smaller than I already was but yup, I managed to do so; but I think I look great even though some believe I'm too small. Here are 2 pics of myself from this week:

What matters most is that I FEEL great, with the exception of this cold but I'll ride it out.

I have decided to add chicken back into my diet - not a lot of it, but just as an addition to the seafood that I'm already eating. April said that one thing I need to be mindful of is acidic foods, and trying not to put too much acid into my system. I looked up a chart that includes the pH levels of foods and discovered that pork and beef are the most acidic (I'll continue to stay away from these foods), but noticed that fish and chicken are similar in levels so I figured I may as well try it. My first time attempting it will be tonight for Christmas Eve dinner. I'm going to try baked chicken and the white meat and see how agreeable it is to my system. If it doesn't agree, then it may be the last time I try but we'll see.  I'll keep you posted.

Well folks, that's all for now. If I don't get to blog before Christmas, please have a blessed and Merry Christmas, and a prosperously blessed New Year.

STAY TUNED as I continue to journal through my healing.

Be blessed!

This is it

Well this is it my good people - my final day of detoxing WHOO HOO! I will update you tomorrow on my results.

Be blessed.

Another Milestone

God has brought me to another milestone...on this exact date last year, I was sitting in church, my body writhing in pain, and I heard a voice clearly say, "if you want your healing, stand up."

At first, I thought it was Satan playing tricks on me because who would ask me to stand up, knowing how much pain I was in, and knowing that I could barely move?! Then it dawned on me...God would test my faith by making this statement in order to see if I truly would have faith in Him. Once I came to the realization that it was God, I went ahead and stood up. It was in that very moment that all pain was gone and I was able to clap my hands, stomp my feet, and actually remained standing for the remainder of the service. Now when I got home, the pain returned but I believe it was this step of faith that enabled God to know that He could heal me, and that I would give Him all of the glory.  

One whole year later I look great, feel great, and owe God all of the praise, glory and honor. I have been claiming my healing since 2008 and God began to show me the manifestation of it last year. 

I believe that I am still embarking on my healing journey, and will one day allow my doctors to test all of my blood so that I will finally have the written proof that I seek. In the meantime, I'm going to continue to do my part and detox, eat healthy, and not put foreign drugs into my system.

I will continue to keep you posted as I continue to journal through my healing.

Be blessed.

Acidic Revelation

Today is day 9, it's my 3rd time doing the full body detox, and I have come to an acidic revelation. When nourishing myself, I need to ensure that alkaline foods make up the majority of my meals and that I limit my intake of acidic foods. Beef and pork are very acidic...so is coffee, cheese, white bread, eggs, white milk, etc. So I need to make sure that the majority of my meal consists of greens, greens, and more greens, along with some fruits, and more.

I also just discovered TODAY that fish is just as acidic as chicken. April said that I OD on fish; and I thought I was making a healthy choice to only eat seafood. So with today's revelation, I'm not going to focus so much on what to keep in or take out of my diet; I'm just going to focus on making sure it's balanced and that the majority is alkaline.

This is definitely a learning journey, and education definitely is key. So, I will be adding chicken back into my diet but will balance it and fish with alkaline foods. I will also continue to investigate to see what other foods/meals will work best for me. April also recommended that I look into some vegan cookbooks so I will look into that as well. I definitely don't want to cause my body to become acidic again so I will be sure to use extreme caution and to seek God's wisdom.

I'm sure that this won't be the last thing that I'll learn before this detox is over but I welcome it. I'm toasting my herbal tea to better health. TO HEALTH!!!

Well...that's all folks. Continue to stay tuned as I continue to journal through healing.

Be blessed.

Halfway Point

I have made it to day 10 with 10 more days to go. I've been experiencing some chest pain/discomfort and asked April about it - her response was this:

"that's formula #2 at work it's dissolving mucus. Does it feel like burning in the chest? Nothing to be alarmed about. Drink more water and green juices; green juices are alkaline and will help. Just ride it out. It's also a sign that circulation is improving."

Then she dropped a bomb on me...here it is:

"After this detox lay low on seafood. It's not as bad as meat but it's way too acidic for you especially since you are still healing."

After inquiring further, she said that I can still eat seafood but shouldn't eat it anymore than twice a week. Shucks! It's good to know that healing is still taking place; I'm glad I detoxed again. I've been eating fish just about everyday since May, so I'm not exactly sure what to do. My sister-in-law just bought me some salmon and tilapia yesterday...it's just waiting in my freezer until the 21st (first day off the detox).

Oh well, I'll have to investigate some other food options. That should be fun...no really, I'm serious. I like investigative work ;-). My husband will be happy as he absolutely forbade me from frying anymore fish (it was fried in olive oil so it's healthiER but I know fried is not good). He'll be glad to see that I'm trying other things, even though I do cook other things for him when I make fish for me.  Oh well, let the adventure begin. I have 10 days to look into other options.  I will keep you posted. 

Well I'm getting ready to turn in.

STAY TUNED as I continue to journal through healing.

Be blessed.

Bitter SWEET

Well, as far as the detox is concerned, today is day 9 and things have been going pretty good. I had some other things that took place this week that has been bitter sweet but I'll share that with you in a moment.


As for the detox - I've lost a total of 8 pounds, 4 inches from my waist, and am feeling great; with the exception of still being tired.  April commented that I needed to ensure that I'm eating my share of greens...which I thought I was doing, but one thing she said I should do is to juice my greens. I've been drinking green smoothies (well, I was until my blender went rogue again but that's another story for another day). So this week besides eating salads at lunch and dinner, I made a kale and apple juice which was deeeeeelicious, and then I made a dandelion and carrot juice which...well...let's just say is still sitting in my fridge. You definitely have to have an acquired taste but I will finish it...on second thought, maybe not. The only thing that I can say when I drink that juice is, "Whooo"!. 

Here are some pics:


   Kale and Apple Juice - YUMMMY!!!

                          

Dandelion greens and Carrot Juice - WHOOO!!!

So onto the bitter sweetness of my week. 

God allowed my husband and I to build our 1st home in PA in July of 2008. We had planned to look for jobs close to home but things didn't pan out that way, so we both commuted daily to NJ. We were both driving 120+ miles daily, putting massive wear and tear on our cars, spending countless hours on the road and away from each other. After I became increasingly more ill, along with difficulties with my husband's health, we made the decision last October to sell our home - my doctor made it very clear at that point that it was either going to be me or our home. We decided that God would bless us with another home but He would never bless us with another "Me" so I took precedence. 

With the housing market being what it was, we owed more on our home than the house was worth, which meant we had to enter into a short sale (which is actually the longest sale in history) - this allows us to accept an offer on our home for less than the house is worth, with the bank's approval; the bank also has the right to make you owe the balance or in our case (thank You Jesus), they forgave what we still owed on our loan.  So on Friday, December 7, 2012, this short sale was finalized and we had to attend the closing on the sell of our home. Initially we had opted not to attend the closing because, although we knew this was the decision that was best for us, who wants to sell their home under these types of circumstances? But, being that this was buyer #4, and we wanted to close prior to us having to winterize the house (fill up on propane so that the pipes wouldn't burst), we had to attend the closing. So we got to meet the buyers of our home and sign off on all of the necessary documents. It was bitter because we will miss our residence; we had some good times there HOWEVER it is SWEET because we know that God closed this door in order to prepare us for our house-blessing that will be close to our jobs, and won't require an hour + commute. We did this commute for 3 years and although it almost killed me...lesson learned.  I also thought it was SWEET how the closing took place on the 7th day - the number 7 is said to represent completion. God completed this journey in our lives (7 is also the number of years in which my healing came) and He is preparing us for our next journey as the number 8 symbolizes "new beginnings". God has already begun anew in the Hilbert household ;-).

God is taking us to new heights in Him and we are so thankful. 

STAY TUNED as I continue to journal through healing.

Be blessed.

Aromas and Cravings and More...OH MY!

Aromas and Cravings and More...OH MY!
Aromas and Cravings and More...OH MY!
Aromas and Cravings and More...OH MY!
Aromas and Cravings and More...OH MY!

My goodness! I don't ever remember me experiencing this through my last 2 detoxes - every smell of food is calling my name and singing to me...wait a minute, as I'm typing this, it's sounding very familiar...maybe I DID experience this same thing. Every single item of food, I can smell and not just smell but absorb its very fibers. I'm not having cravings so much as I want to eat foods that I haven't even eaten since before detoxing - all-the-way hot dogs, tuna fish, egg foo young (which I've never eaten in my life) but I see it or smell it, and I want it. It's so bad that I have to remind myself that not only can I not eat these foods as a result of detoxing, but I've given up much of these foods PERIOD. Even chicken and turkey and ham...I just want it ALL.

And I'm still so very tired. I feel like I need a whole week or at least a couple of days with nothing but sleep.

Oooooooh guess what?! I finally got my Boo-Boo to taste one of my homemade juices - I convinced him to try my carrot, parsley, and apple juice. He sipped it...made a slight smile...and then said, "humph". I said, "it's good right?" He answers back, "it's alright it just tastes like parsley". I mean, can he give a sista credit? He knows that juice was good.

I made apple juice for the first time tonight as well but maybe it'll taste a little better chilled.

I have lost another pound which brings my count to 7 lbs in 4 days. My mom saw me today and although she noticed the weight loss, she commented that I look good like this. I think I do too - I just wish my derrière didn't have to completely flatten as apart of the detox territory. Oh well...it is what it is.

Well my faithful followers, it's time to drink my activated charcoal and go nite-nite. I should have been in the bed but...I'm not.

STAY TUNED as I continue to journal through healing.

Be blessed.

The 2 P's

Anyone care to guess what the 2 P's are that I'm referring to? If you said POOPED (tired) and PARASITES (pimples) you would be correct. As you know I've been steaming and applying the clay daily and I looked at my face today, and thought I saw some improvement...and then I saw THEM - PIMPLES; which, if you've read my blog previously, you know that April enlightened us and said that these are actually parasites coming through the skin. So yup, I'm doing very good with the releasing of toxins.  I am still extremely tired so this post is almost done.

I did receive one compliment today - my student teacher complimented on my complexion looking lighter and my skin appearing more radiant. Everyone else is looking at me as if I'm disappearing before their very eyes LOL. I know that I'm thin but I'll take thin and healthy over fat and sick any day.

I do want to share that I've lost an additional pound, which totals 6 pounds lost so far. It seems like my weight loss is dwindling down, which is great! The detox says you'll lose between 10-50 pounds so maybe I'll only lose 10. Right now I'm at 129 lbs and my clothes (the size 2's and 4's that I was blessed with) are beginning to get loose so you know what that means...I'll be cinching my belts even tighter and using safety pins. What?! Did you think I meant that I would be purchasing new clothes? Negative. God will allow me to make due with what I have until He again blesses me with more.

Well folks, that's all. I'm getting ready to drink my activated charcoal, apply my clay, and get ready for bed.

Toodles and STAY TUNED as I continue to journal through healing.

Be blessed.

Mood Swings = Whoo hoo!

I know I had to leave my last post prematurely as my emotions were on 10 at that moment. My poor husband... He always gets the brunt of it SMH.

Just in case there are any new readers that's not familiar with detoxing, mood swings are actually a good thing - it's an indicator that the detox is releasing emotional toxins. It's also common to experience a healing crisis - if you've suffered from pain or ailments of any sort, they generally get worse while detoxing as you're releasing physical toxins as well. But believe you me, it gets much, much better. In order to get to the victory on the other side, you have to go through the struggle, sacrifice, and pain.

In addition to emotional toxins, I'm also currently experiencing the release of physical toxins - headache, extreme fatigue, soreness of muscles...oh yeah, it all comes with the detoxing territory.

April commented on my FB link that it seems like this time around it's more intense and I'm hoping that means the results are going to be even more outstanding than before; which is hard to believe because I've experienced TRUE HEALING and have been feeling GRRRREAT!

So I'm saying Whoo Hoo to these mood swings, as I'm sitting here growling through my face mask. Yup...it's definitely time to turn in.

Night night - STAY TUNED as I continue to Journal Through Healing.

Oh and by the way, I have lost a total of 5 lbs so far...from 135 to 130 and counting.

Be blessed.

Day 3 = MOOOODY!

Well I have successfully made it through another detox day and it was pretty good until...MOOD SWINGS surfaced. I'm telling you, they didn't even kick in until about 5 o'clock this evening. I mean, WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?! I was having such a blessed day. I had a plethora of fruits and veggies, as I posted my menu for today in my post last night. Then I got home and BAM! It was all she wrote...literally, I'm done writing. I can't even continue that's how bad of a mood I'm in.

I'm done.

Be blessed.

Only Day 2

Is it only Day 2? Phewww! It feels like I've been detoxing longer than that LOL. I guess because I was more tired today and was in church for most of the day as well. Despite my fatigue, today was successful as well...

• Poops...CHECK
• Water...CHECK
• RAW Fruit...CHECK
• RAW Nuts...CHECK
• Green Smoothie...CHECK
• Large salad...CHECK
• Juicing...CHECK
• Exercise...well, if you count getting my praise on in church...CHECK
• Steaming...I'm getting to it. The water is actually boiling as I type so FUTURE CHECK
• Clay face mask...hopefully, probably for at least 15 minutes so FUTURE CHECK

DRUM ROLL PLEASE.....................................................................................

I have lost a whoppin' 3 pounds from yesterday to today. If this is the trend, then I'm on tap to losing at least another 14 pounds, as the last time I detoxed, I lost about 3 pounds each day for 3 days straight and then it tapered to about 1 pound a day. We'll see what the overall result will be this time around. 

I am more than ready for tomorrow...

• I have a large salad consisting of kale, baby spinach, power greens, and a NEW veggie - dandelion greens and boy are they strong! But April tells me they're AWESOME for the liver.
• I have 2 containers of fruit packed - 1 with grapes and the other with strawberries
• I plan on eating a banana, pear, and apple on my way to work in the morning
• I have a FRESHLY made bottle of orange juice and a combo juice of carrot, parsley, and apple - I MADE THEM MYSELF ;-) Care to see?????

HOMEMADE ORANGE JUICE

HOMEMADE CARROT, PARSLEY, APPLE JUICE

MY GRAPES, SALAD, AND STRAWBERRIES

I will create my green smoothie with a banana, strawberries and kale in the morning and will drink that at some point during the day.

Well, as I previously stated, I feel like a detoxing pro but today I'm a POOPED PRO so am going to steam, apply my clay face mask, and go to bed.

Stay tuned as I continue to Journal Through Healing.

Be blessed.

Detox Pro

Well, well, well, I have had a successful detoxing day thus far. I almost feel like a detox pro. It helps that this is my 3rd time around so I'm pretty familiar with the dos and don'ts, and what works for me. I understand that this is only day 1 of a 40 day journey so I'll save my victory detox pro report until then.

I woke up a little after 6 this morning and went right to the scale - I weighed 136 lbs before my 1st poop, and then pooped, and reweighed myself...135 lbs.. So my start weight is 135 lbs and I'll continue to track it daily. After my weigh in, I took my 1st formula, got dressed, and then headed to Corrado's to get my fruits and veggies for the week. Although I've been through this process before, I still refer to my detox materials from April - shopping list, menu for the week, instructions, etc. Part of being successful in this venture is making sure you have everything that you need and access to a great support system.

Here are a few resources at my disposal for a successful detox journey...

                                                    
GINGER, GRAPES STRAWBERRIES, CARROTS       KALE AND ASPARAGUS

                          
APPLES, ORANGES, PEARS                            BANANAS, PINEAPPLE



APRIL CHAPMAN - NUTRITIONIST AND HOLISTIC HEALTH PRACTITIONER www.basichealthylivingtoday.com


When I returned from Corrado's, I ate 2-3 fruits as recommended: I chose an apple, pear, and then a banana. My husband fixed my blender just in time for my detox (remember how it was resting in pieces from the last detox?) and so I made a green smoothie and it was deeelicious and it was GREEN! It was comprised of a banana, some strawberries, and a handful of kale. I told you I feel like a pro.

Here are some pics of my green smoothie in the making...

                               
                       

         

After drinking my smoothie, I continued to drink more and more water, and lots of herbal tea. I also ate a baby spinach and power green salad with sweet Italian dressing. I also ate some raw nuts and seeds as a healthy snack. Oh, and of course I had to get my nap in ;-)

Guess what else I included in my 1st detox day?! I steamed my face for 15 minutes and followed it with a clay face mask and peroxide pat. See? There goes that detox pro feeling again.

Here are some pics...

                                                 
BEFORE STEAMING                                                AFTER STEAMING
                   
                                             
      APPLICATION OF CLAY                                    FACE MASK DRY   

I FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE AFTER THE PROCESS...LO SIENTO (MY APOLOGIES)


Even though I truly I believe I began with a bang, there's more that I want to incorporate on tomorrow like juicing and exercise. Aside from not including those 2 very important variables, I would say that I'm off to a great start.

Now I'm getting ready to drink my activated charcoal and turn in for the night. Oh...I forgot to mention that I started drinking the activated charcoal last night so that my body could empty out this morning, which it did.

Well, that's about all folks. I will continue to keep you posted as I journal through healing so STAY TUNED...

Be blessed.