Check-In

I promised you guys that I wouldn't wait a whole month to check in again, so here I am- although I realize I am cutting it a bit close.

I've had some good days and some not-so-good days.  In the past week, there have been more "not-so-good" days.  I really don't know what to say.  Things were looking up and all the sudden my muscle twitches are back, my lymph node is swollen again (and hurts like heck!), my mood sucks, can't sleep and I'm very tired again  Same old crap.  It's very strange.  I'm beginning to think that some of these issues aren't connected to the Vitamin D deficiency.  I cannot WAIT until my appointment with the Endocrinologist in April!  I'm praying I will start getting some answers! 

Now that I've gotten that out of the way....

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day!  I had a bouquet of chocolate waiting for me when I woke up, so I was a happy girl.  Chocolate makes everything better :)

Being super tired and having insomnia has it's perks.  I've been able to get caught up on all my DVR'd shows that I was behind on.  I'm 100% caught up!  I've even started watching a new series on HuluPlus that I've been wanting to watch for a while now.....Prison Break.  I'm addicted to this show!  And Wentworth Miller is my new celebrity crush.  How have I not seen or heard of this guy until now?!?! 

Anyway, that's what's been going on with me.  Not much, obviously.  Just wanted to briefly check in with y'all.  Thank you all for your support and love.  I'm very thankful for all my readers and supporters. 

Here's a thought I'll leave you with. 

I've been in a dark place lately, but there's always someone out there that is going through something much worse.  So no matter what.....I'm always grateful and thankful for all the good in my life.  I am trying to learn to be grateful for the bad as well because I know that in the end, I will be stronger for it. 

Much love to you all! 

Until next time...

Things ARE Getting Better!

Yes, yes indeed, they are. 

I have felt vastly better this week.  Especially the first half of the week.  The past couple of days haven't been quite as good, but still.....SO MUCH BETTER!  My muscles are feeling stronger, my body isn't aching as much, my tremors (or muscle twitches) are decreasing, my lymph node is no longer swollen.  Lots of good news!  But more than anything, it feels good to feel better emotionally.  My mood has been steadily getting better and I feel the depression leaving.  To finally see some light in the darkness....well that feels better than any physical improvement I've had.  Things are definitely getting better. 

In fact, I've felt so much better that I started working on an art project a couple of days ago.  I got out my canvas and paint and started working on creating something that is very personal.  I don't know exactly what the end result will be, but so far it's been very therapeutic.  I can't wait to see how it turns out because I'm trying something new and I'm hoping it works out on canvas as well as it works in my mind.  I guess we'll find out :)

Oh, and we found out this week that our little man made honor roll.  I'm so proud of how hard he has been working and I LOVE having such an important part in his education.  This just added to the happiness of an already happy week :)

Thanks to all of you that prayed for me and kept me in your thoughts.  I definitely felt them and I'm blessed to have such wonderful supporters.  You guys ROCK!

Until next time...

Things Will Get Better

That's what I keep telling myself.  Things will get better.  Things will get better.

Life is full of ups and downs.  I prefer the "ups" myself, but the "downs" are inevitable.  Do you ever feel like things couldn't possibly get any worse?  I would guess that most of us feel that way as some point in our lives.  We're human.  Lately, that's how I have been feeling.

My health has been getting the best of me and honestly....I'm just sick and tired of being sick and tired.  I'm taking my meds and waiting for them to kick in.  I know that good days are ahead, it's just hard to see it right now.  I look in the mirror and I don't even recognize the reflection I see.  Mainly because I don't FEEL like myself.  I feel like a totally different person.  It's not a good feeling.  I am so ready to look in the mirror and recognize myself again.  But, until that happens, I will keep waiting for those meds to kick in and deal with it the best I can until I go to the Endocrinologist in April.  Things will get better.  Things WILL get better. 

Now that I have vented about the bad going on, I want to take some time to recognize the good.  Yep, amidst all the pain and troubles going on, I have had some rather good accomplishments over the past month that I'd like to share. 

Since Christmas day, I haven't had ANY sodas or meat.  I have cut back tremendously on dairy and artificial sweeteners as well.  I don't think I've dropped any weight (mostly due to my low Vitamin D levels), but I've made some great changes that I'm proud of. 

I had a couple of good days this past week and I took advantage of them.  I started the C25K again.  It was rough and I definitely paid for it the days after, but it was worth it.  For that one day, I felt like myself again and it felt good.  Next week will be my second week on the prescription so I am very hopeful that things will start looking up really soon.  I can't wait! 

So, that's what has been going on with me.  I haven't been posting much because I didn't want to seem like a Debbie Downer.  I always want to be real with my readers.  Things aren't always peachy in this life and to pretend that it is....well, that just isn't being real and I always want to be real with you guys.  So any prayers or good thoughts you can send my way will be greatly appreciated.  It's just a matter of time before things start looking up. 

My husband and son have been so good to me during all this.  My husband has been helping me out around the house and my son always has a way of cheering me up.  God has blessed me with the best family and with great friends that lift me up. 

I promise not to wait another month before I post again.  I am working on putting a post together about grocery shopping on a budget.  I have had to start couponing again to save money, so maybe I'll share some of my tips with you guys.  Thanks for taking the time to read and share this journey with me. 

Until next time...

Hungry For Change

Hello, my friends!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! 

We had a wonderful Christmas at the McCorkle House :)  Santa was good to all of us so we must have all been good this year. 

Are you ready for the New Year?  Man, this year went by FAST!  I can't hardly keep up anymore.  Are you making any New Year's Resolutions? 

I don't really do resolutions.  If I did, I'm sure (like most everyone else) that my New Year's Resolution would be to get healthy, lose weight.....same old yada yada as every year. 

Since Halloween (or a little earlier, actually), I have severely let myself go.  I probably gained 10 lbs or more and it feels like it all went to my FACE!!  Christmas is always the hardest holiday (food wise) for me.  I like to make candies and drink lots of hot cocoa and seasonal lattes from Starbucks.  It's all part of the holiday season, right?  Well, it doesn't have to be.  Maybe one of these days I'll conquer that hurdle. 

Now that Christmas is over, I have started back eating healthier and smarter.  I don't wait until New Years to start back....never do.  I also don't have a "plan".  No diets or gimmicks.  They don't work.  I've tried them all, so I should know. 

I've been trying to do some research and educate myself as much as possible about food.  Not any diet in particular, just food.  I watched a documentary yesterday called "Hungry For Change".  It was very informative and gave lots of great information about food and how food has become more about convenience than health.  We all know that, right?  It's obvious that overly processed foods have become the staple diet for most Americans.  We know that.  Then why don't we do something about it? 

Well, it's because all these major food companies are putting all kinds of addictive chemicals in our foods....and we just keep going back for more.  Why do we keep going back for more?  Not only because it's addictive, but also because all this cheaply made food is....well, cheap.  It costs a lot more money to eat the right foods.  Food is no different than anything else.  If you want good quality, you have to pay for it.

I am learning that everything I "thought" I knew about food is wrong.  Dead wrong!

I have decided to try and focus more on REAL food.  Food fresh from the Earth.  More fresh raw veggies, fresh fruit, organic beans, healthy fats- like avocados, nuts and seeds.  I'm not going to eat meat for a while and I'm going to cut back on dairy products.  I can't completely cut dairy out right now (I like cheese too much!), but I hope to eventually fade it out.  I'm cutting back on sugar, too. I'm not going to be counting calories, fats, carbs or anything else.  Just focusing on eating good, healthy foods and cutting back on portions.  That's what it's all about. 

It's not going to be easy, because where I'm from....casseroles and barbecue are the norm.  Vegetables are just something we throw in a casserole that's filled with sour cream, mayo, butter, cream of "whatever" soup, and cheese.  Vegetables are cooked in animal fat, everything is deep fried, and bacon is everything around here.  When we gather for holidays, church events, or parties....we don't do "healthy".  I don't really know anyone here that eats the way I am attempting to, not personally anyway.  It will be tough.   

I'll be continuing to juice and do smoothies for my son and I.  He doesn't eat veggies, but he will drink them in combination with fresh fruit juice. 

So, if you can call it a plan...that's my plan.  Focus on good foods.  Easy enough, right? 

I want to leave you with this thought....

Why not you?  Think about it.

Happy New Year, y'all!  Please be safe and I wish you all the best for the coming new year :)

Until next time...

Merry Christmas, Y'all :)

Merry Christmas, y'all!  I appreciate you guys taking the time to read my blog and I love you all.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, my friends :)

Until next time...



Me....Flaws and All

Hello, everyone :)

I mentioned in one my posts a while back that I am a HUGE music lover.  One of my favorite singers is Rachel Taylor from the band He is We.  She is a huge inspiration to me.  She has overcome a lot in her life and she is a prime example of perseverance to the fullest.  Anyway, a couple of weeks ago she blogged about learning to love your skin.  She posted a picture of herself with no make-up, no hair products.....nothing.  Just herself in raw form.

She is encouraging women and girls to post pictures of themselves that way, too.  Now, for me....that is beyond scary.  We live in a world that makes it easy for us to cover up the things we don't like.  Make-up, photo editing, plastic surgery, etc...it's all a "normal" part of life now.  Society screams and obsesses over perfection.  Though we all would love to be perfect, it's just not real.  Perfect doesn't exist.  Some may come close, but true perfection is unattainable.  So why don't we learn to love ourselves, flaws and all?  I am the world's worst about putting myself down.  I'm very hard on myself and it's hard for me to accept compliments without saying something that counteracts it.  I don't why I do that!  I think a lot of women are the same though.

Beauty that comes from within is so much more attractive than outer beauty.  I know that sounds very cliche`, but I really do believe that.  Some of the most beautiful ladies I know are ones that have the most loving and caring hearts. 

So, I am going to accept her challenge and post my own "raw" picture.  This is a picture of me with no make-up, no cover up....nothing.  I dried my hair, but that's all.  No products, straight ironing, or anything.  So, here it goes....

Eeeeek....that was terrifying!!  No going back now!  Well, I guess I could but mama didn't raise no sissy, so there it is.....flaws and all.  A big part of me wants to verbally pick this picture apart, but I am going to refrain and just let it go.

I work at home and don't go out as much as a lot of women, so this is what my husband and son see almost everyday that I don't have to go out.  They love me this way, so why is it so hard for me?  Maybe this can be MY first step at learning to love my skin....just the way it is. 

Although this was super scary, it was also very freeing.  My hope is that all women (myself included) will learn to love their skin and themselves, just the way they are.    

Until next time...

Christmas Memories on a Budget

Hello, all you beautiful people ;)

Well, it's December.  And man, did it get here fast?!

I love Christmas time.  I love everything about it.  Well, there might be one thing I'm not that fond of.  I'm not crazy about all the money that we spend at Christmas time.  Buying gifts alone is a struggle here at our house.  Let's face it....holiday fun can be expensive, especially when you have kids. 

Last year, we went on a "Polar Express" train ride.  While it was fun, it cost $30 per adult and $20 per child....not to mention the extra cost if you wanted the "hot chocolate" package and the gift shop (filled with toys and such) that was conveniently located where the hot chocolate and snacks were.  That's really expensive for a few hours of fun. 

If we let it, commercialism can take over the holidays.  I thought I'd share a couple of ideas and traditions for holiday fun that won't break the bank.

1.  Drive around your town and look for Christmas lights.  Or better yet, walk around your community if possible.  We do this all the time!  We make a game out of it......who can spot the lights first.  We also bought some holiday specks a couple of years ago that we love using when doing this.  They look like 3-D glasses and it makes all the lights look like snowflakes, Santa heads, reindeer heads, and snowmen.  They are very cool :)

2.  Turn on the Christmas tunes and color with your kids.  My son and I do this a lot.  You can buy Christmas coloring books very cheap at the dollar store and you can't beat the quality time that you are spending together.  I have some very fond memories of doing this with my mom as a child.  Funny how, as a child, I begged for toys at Christmas and now....I don't hardly remember a single toy I got for Christmas.  I remember the memories.  Material things will come and go, memories last a life time. 

3.  Bake cookies or build a Gingerbread House.  Kids LOVE helping bake and decorate cookies!  We bought a Gingerbread train kit this year and I can't wait for us to do it.  My son is going to love it!

4.  Have a pajama movie night.  This doesn't have to cost a thing.  So many Christmas movies come on TV this time of year.  All you have to do is record them to your DVR and there you have it.....a free movie!   Christmas movies + popcorn + pajamas = my kind of night!

5.  Elf on the Shelf.  If you have kids and do not have an Elf on the Shelf, you don't know what you're missing.  This is so dang fun!  I believe they cost around $30, but it will last a LONG time.  Use it again, year after year.  I wish we had gotten one sooner.  It's so fun to see the excitement in my son's eyes when he wakes up everyday and tries to find his elf. 

6.  Make Christmas ornaments and decorations.  You can make them out of paper, old cookie cutters, etc.  The possibilities are endless.  Popcorn garland is another fun and thrifty Christmas decoration.  You could do this with the leftover popcorn on Movie Night- if there is any left :)  Go crazy!  Your kids will LOVE making them and seeing them displayed around your house.

7.  Make a Christmas gift for someone, instead of buying one.  There are TONS of great homemade gift ideas out there, just google it.  It's usually much less expensive and, to me, it's fun. 

8.  Do something nice for a friend or neighbor.  There's always a lot of sickness going around this time of year, so make a big pot of soup for a sick neighbor or friend and take it to them.  Rake an elderly neighbor's yard or pick up pine cones for them.  It doesn't matter what you choose.  Showing your children to think of others is really important.  These are lessons that they will remember when they grow up and have a family of their own. 

9.  Go to a Christmas concert or play.  There are usually lots of community events this time of year.  Go out and hear a choir concert, watch a Christmas parade or a play. 

10. Have a craft day.  Kids love doing crafts!  Search pinterest.com for ideas.....there's a ton of them!

The last thing I want to say is, it's okay to say NO sometimes.  Our December calendar tends to fill up pretty fast.  Many events have costs involved.....like Christmas parties with gift exchange, etc.  It's okay to say NO.  I'm not saying you should be anti-social, but don't schedule so many things that you will be too busy to remember the season and too broke to enjoy it.  Making memories is what counts!

So, go out (or stay in) and make some memories! 

Until next time...