Renew 2014

                 ---------Go Spread Joy-------------

The definition of RENEW is to resume an activity after an interruption. How fitting is it that this is my word for 2014! My life truly interrupted the continuing of my blog. Had to laugh to myself when I went to dust off the cob webs from my blog, to RENEW it and discovered that I was missing all my headers. In the year since I last tried blogging I have forgotten how I even create my header and the dear girl who helped me does not have my file any longer.... So for the first blog post in a year it will look as if my blog needs to be RENEWED! Pray along with me that God gives the time and know how to fix this quickly...the pictures were 2 years old...so it needed updating. Anyone for helping me let me know =).

So how have I been doing in the past year? I am still in my New Normal after surgery and still seeking help from Physical Therapy for ongoing health, pain issues. Now it is in my knee, yet I do not let this stop me from exercising and trying to continue to stay healthy. I have lived almost completely without dairy and gluten for much of a year in hopes to help my body heal. It has been so much fun to discover new recipes with our family. I will start including some of our favorites here once a week. Yes that seems realistic to blog at this time in my life.

Part of how God has used the word RENEW is in an area I never imagined...I now substitute teach 2-3 and at times 4 days a week in my children's school district. This experience was necessary when we lived in unemployment for 8 months which is when God began his showing me what needed to be RENEWED. This is one of the many changes and blessings that came out of our my RENEWAL. I have gained such appreciation for what my children's teachers go through and have to do to be successful. This winter we have endured a lot of snow storms and missed school so this has made for LONG days to make up. Which is another part of RENEW, how to work and still manage to feed our family healthy and now economical meals.

All that to say that most importantly, this year has taught me to daily RENEW my MIND with time in the WORD. I have so enjoyed doing two online bible studies with Good Morning Girls and YouVersion app https://www.bible.com/! I am about to sign up for a new one to prepare for Easter.



RENEW is how God is working in my life in 2014...He continues to show me how I must renew my heart, soul, mind and body for His purposes each day. I have loved for Lent how I have RENEWED my looking for and writing down the JOYS he is Spreading in my life. One of those is my Weight In Wednesday on Facebook where women connect from all over the country about food and faith. Not all of us have pain, some have weight to lose, some want to maintain, not all are as verbal about faith, but we all connect and find the one thing women do best...TALK and ENcourage. 

Here is to the RENEWAL of my blog and my embracing where God has me in the year 2014. Below is my verse for the year and one that He daily writes on my heart when I want to complain about all the changes in my life, he gently and yes sometimes boldly reminds me to not grow weary!

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31

This is the picture I have on my phone from one of our frozen bushes this winter and I see it every day to remind myself to RENEW my mind and spread joy in this new year!

Keep Spreading Joy,
Shari

Wellness Wednesday--on Thursday

It seems my hopes of blogging every week seem to get impacted by LIFE! How dare my life to get in the way of blogging. Any tips from those of you who make this a part of your week would be wonderful to know. Lately with all the dietary changes it is enough to get to dinner and then add the kids activities and homework loads and well....NO BLOGGING.

OK you have heard enough about how I would love to be able to blog more about my Healing Journey...my New Normal. For the first three weeks I was really noticing a positive change in my energy level and pain level was going down. As of late I am experiencing my pain level increasing. I am pretty sure it is directly related with how I handle the stress in my life. I also notice a decline in energy with me not fitting working out in...even my slow walk on the treadmill makes a difference. So to highlight what I believe needs to be part of my New Normal to feel optimal results is:

1. 8 hours of sleep each night
2. 64 + ounces of WATER a day.
3. Limit caffeine intake to once a day first thing in morning.
4. Stop trying to replace my sweet fixes with baking gluten free/dairy free treats (this has become a little passion of mine).
5. Be certain to have my InflamaCore smoothie as breakfast or lunch because it keeps me full and satisfied and fighting the inflammation internally.
6. At least 30 minutes of stretching and walking each day.
7. Prayer throughout the day to hand my concerns of the day to God and lower stress level.
8. Be Thankful!
9. Look into doing WHOLE30 after Spring Break to cleanse body of sugar and other addictions.
10. Take more pictures to be reminded of how God uses creation, people, and moments to spread joy into our lives.
11. Start linking up to a new Wellness Wednesday

There you have it...now that I have blogged all this I can be held accountable to it. I would love to hear from some of you about how you stay committed to your wellness. I have been so inspired by reading others blogs and hearing the stories of how God reveals our best to us. Below are some pictures of how my New Normal has impacted packing kids lunches, what I take to bible study pitch-in, and others. So glad you stopped by to see how we are spreading joy at the Walpole home. I will hopefully have many moments of joy to share after our Spring Break.

This is my first attempt at a crumb cake. All gluten/dairy/oat free.

So amazing how much I love Coconut Oil!

Finished dish smells so yummy. Next time I will not cook it as long since it was a little too dry.

 This is what I made on our SNOW DAY IN MARCH this week. My kids favorite french
toast is with Croissants. I of course made me two pieces from my
Udi's bread and enjoyed all the other items.

 This is my amazing K-Bug. The girls love to do fashion shows and take pictures.
She looks so beautiful and grown up here!

Aaron and his class buddies. They were learning about Economics and
had to create a product to earn money. They made a candy wheel.

 

Emma is the fourth one in on the left. This is her club volleyball team.

They ended their season with 2 matches won and 1 lost. She loved it so much!

 

 

Thanks for Stopping By,

 

Shari Walpole

 

My Journey to a Healthier/Stonger Me

So I still struggle with keeping up on my posts. If you only knew how many blogs have been written in my head during my quiet time or when I am stretching and walking at a snails pace on the treadmill.

I am committed to begin blogging about my Healing Journey with my New Normal where my desire is to be healthier and stronger and yes hopeful to be free of Chronic Pain. Where this journey began I have blogged about before so I will not repeat here. However, God has expanded my boundaries of this New Normal.

First, I attended the Great Banquet two weeks ago. If you are not familiar with the Great Banquet I can tell you that it is worth the weekend away. You are unplugged from the world with no clocks to demand your time and no phone to distract you. It took me about a day and a half to really allow the Lord to penetrate my heart. My most important learning point was to Steadfastly Beholding HIM in the midst of this JOURNEY. I discovered I do not want my Chronic Pain to define me and so desire to Spread Joy during this slower season in my life. God showed up and showed me how much I need to TRUST him and meet with Him in the morning (not just doing my bible study) and just REST in HIS presence. These pictures of what our kids did on Valentines day showing their love for us is such a perfect picture of how God showed me HIS LOVE during the Great Banquet.


Second, I finally visited a new Dr. and she ran 27 tests to figure out what is going on internally that is preventing me from healing from surgery. Why are my nerves and muscles from neck to ankle on Right side of my body not realizing they do not have to be in FIGHT mode. The tests revealed a Revision to my New Normal. In a nut shell I am on a dairy free, gluten free, oats free diet for at least 6 months. I am on 8 different supplements and a few other meds for thyroid, adrenals, and hormones. OK when you realize that everything your body uses to regenerate your nerves, to allow your body to heal is not working....humbling. So for the first time in years I am on a diet that is stretching me. WHAT DO YOU EAT?

THIRD, the new way of EATING. The hardest part has been trying to find something I can put in my coffee which I gave up for 7 days to go through a Detox of my liver. HARD 7 days, but feeling better as far as my energy. So I made a homemade coconut creamer. Sorry forgot to take a picture but I got the recipe from http://followingmynose.com/2010/10/a-primal-non-dairy-coffee-creamer/  . I know I was worried about the raw egg but it has not made me sick. I decided I need to switch to a Light Roast coffee so I am not drinking my breakfast calories in my first Cup of Joe.

Third (cont)....I have never been successful at making menus. It sounds as if it is a great idea. However, the idea never gets beyond an idea. I have no choice now since almost all I have cooked for 17 years in my married life is full of dairy, oats, and gluten. So I have found that the Paleo diet is similar to what they are asking me to eat (with the exception of dairy). I have found some great blogs about making Paleo food. My favorite so far are:
http://practicalpaleo.blogspot.com/ Practical Paleo has extensive shopping list at all the stores I love and how to save while eating the way I have to eat.
http://stiritup.me/ Stir it up has awesome recipes. Can you believe how much you can do with Cauliflower?

Here a few pictures of my Healing Journey so far:

I have to take the InflammaCore every day with 1,000 MG of Vitamin C. I love my smoothie with Power Greens.

Funniest comment so far was from Kathryn when I was telling the family, "I have so many supplements and meds to take I am going to need a pill sorter." Kathryn says, "Like the ones OLD people use?" We all laughed. Here is my pill sorter.

My salads actually look similar to Kim's who I am up linking   She has been such an inspiration for me as I discover my New Normal.

 

On this Healing Journey I am also learning it is OK to slow down because my health needs that right now. I have found such Joy in looking at the little gifts He gives us each day. Here are a few:

 



Kids playing TRIGGER and trying to be KIND while losing.

Emma has a beautiful voice and I LOVE
when she sings to me our favorite
PRAISE songs.

Kathryn took this picture. Aaron is so eager to learn
how to be the Man of the House.

Kathryn is my simple child who never asks for much.
While we were out on a Mom/daughter date she tells
me she has carried the same backpack since 2nd grade.
She asked to pay half for a new Vera Bradley one.
LOVE THIS GIRL!

Kathryn is jumping for JOY because God answered her
prayer to have some changes at school...stay tuned
for those to be revealed.

Thank you for stopping by to see how we are Spreading Joy,
Shari

My New Normal Week 3

Two weeks ago I posted about my New Normal. I am in the third week of learning to think, act and believe in my New Normal. I am amazed at how when we set our minds to doing something it can become a reality. I feel as if I am having to hit a reset button deep inside of me. This is harder than I imagined. As many have posted we have to discover the deep root of why we crave what we crave. Then we have to retrain ourselves to crave what is right and better for us. Exercise has never been a problem for me to crave, however in my New Normal it is what can derail me the fastest. I am discovering so much of who I have identified myself with is what I am able to do physically.

So as I mentioned in my last post my goal is really not to gain any weight and to get strong and healthy. I have learned from my surgeon that I do not have any new nerves being compressed in my lower back, PTL! However, the physical therapist told me to think of it this way, "You have had a grand piano sitting on a plush carpet for many years. The piano has just been removed, however the imprint is still left on the carpet." So my New Normal is learning to stretch my nerves and undo all the tightness which has developed in my right leg and foot. As I mentioned earlier this has been the hardest part for me. I just want to go and walk 3 miles with Sadie and not hurt. However, I can only walk 3.3 pace on treadmill and at most 1 mile.

So I am learning to retrain my physical craving with new healthy foods, finding the joy around me each day, being thankful I am on a journey to being strong and not giving up. I so appreciate Weigh In Wednesday because I get new ideas and challenges I can modify to keep me motivated. If you need to lose a few pounds or are like me and want to get strong this is the right place to start.

I loved that this week I drank more water than I ever have and craved some of my unhealthy choices less because I was so full from the water. I love how Kathryn timed me doing planks this week and encouraged me. Here are a few of the moments that keep me going in my New Normal and the foods...

 After a particularly long day of taking Kathryn to Orthopedic and preparing to teach bible study

Mark surprised me with these flowers to say, "Thank you for all you do,"

 



I love RIBBON! I love how it cheers everything up, even
a hard study on Fear of Man. These are the verse holders
I made all the ladies in our bible study.

 

"Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me,
and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from
me you can do nothing." John 15:5

These are the flowers I carried on my wedding day. Emma took this beautiful picture.
 They smell so good and bring such JOY!

Do you think she knows how cute she is and how much JOY she brings me?
 I love that I found this pictures on my camera today.

This is one my new favorite lunches. I love smoked salmon and this is a healthy way to eat it!

I also love POLKA DOTS! Yummy lunch!

I would love to hear about your journey to being a healthier you. Thank you for stopping by to see how we are Spreading Joy,

 

Shari 



Where Joy Abounds...

It is Monday Moments with Kim.

First, thank you Kim for having your Link Up moments because they get me blogging and hold me accountable. I missed last weeks due to the revolving sick kid door here at our house.

Second, I love how through years I find God brings a theme to my quiet time. I could just say that I noticed a theme, or I could realize it is God speaking to me through His word. I am learning to hear Him, apply His teaching and rest with Him in this theme. The past week I have been studying fear. I am a co-leader at one of my church's bible studies. This semester we are going through the book the fear factor by Wayne and Joshua Mack. Studying fear can make you do one of two things, deny you have any (which could mean I have a bigger PRIDE issue) or acknowledge God is trying to show me what type of fear he does and does not desire in my life.

 

From this study by Wayne and Joshua Mack I have been learning we all have natural fear, for instance if a lion begins to run after you, God has made us so we will react with a natural fear and run. God makes us aware throughout scripture that we are inclined to Sinful Fear. This is the fear that causes us to not do what God commands. This type of fear springs from an intense focus on self. We have probably all heard of Fear of Man. This is one type of Sinful Fear when we worship what others think of us or want from us more than God. The place God has shown me a theme is in the fear he commands which is Holy Fear. As the psalmist wrote in Psalm 119:161:

 

 My heart stands in awe of Your words.

 

This study said it so beautifully..."Holy fear is to be a spring of joy". God asks me to be inclined toward Him not myself. He asks me to dwell on His word. I can only do this if I am in His word and if I know what verses to dwell on. He continues to show me how connected Trust and Joy are to following His commands. So here is the theme....I desperately need to be dwelling on His thoughts (word of God), on what He thinks I should be thinking about, I am to trust Him with my circumstances whether in or out of trial, I need to be encouraging others with His word, I am to comfort others with the comfort He gives me and I am to look "Where Joy Abounds". One of my favorite verses I have dwelled on for years is Philippians 4:8-9. This verse tells us exactly how we are to be thinking, on what we are to dwell:

 

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:8-9 NLT

 

Since I am a simple gal, I love when God gives me a verse to rest in and He just keeps bringing me to this place again and again. So how I dwell on this is to literally ask myself:
"Is this thought true according to God?", "Is this thought or action honoring God?", or "Is this choice Pure?". I have just learned how to apply this verse to fear, "(Sinful) Fear often comes from doing just that--thinking on things that are not true." When I take the time to place my fears of health (insert your own) against the truth found in Philippians 4:8-9 I can find peace. Knowing how inclined I am to not be an encouraging spirit I have challenged myself to take this one step further and look Where Joy Abounds in my life. This past week I also rested the following truth:

 

You will show me the path of lie; in Your presence is fullness of joy;
at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11

 

Below are pictures of where I found joy abounding in my life over the past two weeks. Learning to not believe the sinful fears about my health future and put on His truth is bringing my eyes to notice the Joy around me.

I made these for all my small group friends and love the reminder to
Choose Jesus, Others and then You.

Kathryn's Viper swim meet swimming her favorite stroke, breaststroke. Love to she her swim.

Kathryn's Secret Garden diorama for Reading class. Notice the grass is coconut...yes we ate some.

 

Emma's first time at Wyldlife Christian Club. She had fun and was a good sport with the pie.

Kids at Newport Aquarium in Kentucky on MLK day.



Girls and I having Sushi on our girls day.

Sadie sits here almost all day longing to catch the rabbit. Love her!

Aaron has played Fall and Winter lacrosse and I find joy
watching him love this sport!

 

 

Mark getting to be at the awesome Butler game with good friends.

Thanks for stopping by to see how we are Spreading Joy,
Shari

 

Weigh in Wednesday- A New Normal

I have been inspired by Kim, who has invited me into her FB group called Weigh In Wednesday to make different health choices in 2013.

I have only been truly seeking what my New Normal is for one week. If you were to see me you would probably say as many, "You do not need to lose weight."

Me with my girls this summer at Lake Michigan.

 

While this might be true, my quest in 2013 is not necessarily to lose a lot of weight, but to get strong and healthy. As I mentioned in a post last week I had back surgery in November that has brought me to the word of 2013.......
TRUST...

Psalm 143:8

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,

 for I have put my trust in you.

 Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

 

The way to go for me is so different than before my surgery and at times I can lack confidence that I will ever be strong enough to enjoy the activities I love. I know this is why God gave me the word Trust for 2013. So as I trust him to show me the way I should go, I am discovering my New Normal.

 

It means choosing to have healthier snacks and meals so I do not gain weight while I am unable to burn calories the way I use to before the surgery.

 

These are some of my favorite snacks. I also make sure I eat them veggies and lots of Water.

For me this New Normal knits my faith tightly with my health. There are four people who are my biggest fan to get strong again and be able to sled with them, run the beach with them, jump on the trampoline, and just be healthy for what God my choose to bring our way. 

 

 

 

 This is one of my favorite new meals. Mini Turkey meatloaf and roasted veggies.

My New Normal forces me to Trust the Lord when I am only able to burn 100 calories after walking for 30 minutes and try not to long too much for being able to do more intense workouts. Trust begins with being content where God has me. I am Trusting Him to continue to show me my New Normal and am thankful for all the accountability of Weigh in Wednesday.

I am so grateful for how God weaves our triumphs and trials together for His good. Last year my word was JOY and I sought him on how to live with Joy and Spread Joy. I truly believe my verse from last year is so tied to this years word and health struggles. Before I can have complete JOY I have to trust Him.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy
and peace as you trust in him,
so that you may overflow with hope..."
Romans 15:13

So my hope is to embrace this New Normal, continue making healthy eating choices, continue being accountable on FB, continue moving on the treadmill slower than I prefer, but thankful I can move.

What are your 2013 health goals or your New Normal.? Tell me in the comments and if you want to join us over at Kim's FB group let me know as well. To my FB friends...good luck and I am cheering you on.

Spreading Joy for Him,

Shari

 

 

 



 

Monday Moments

I am a blogger because of the friend who I am linking up today. At Home with Kim is the friend who inspired me to start sharing my heart with others and create a blog. Here goes my first link up....
 

My moments with God have spanned across almost twenty years since I did not come to know Him until my mid-twenties. OK that gives away my age (ha, ha). Seriously, my time with God is something I crave. I know that I am a better wife and mother if I have spent time before others rise with the one who made me, knows me, loves me unconditionally, and forgives me. My favorite place to meet with Him is my chair in the family room. I long each day to meet Him here and allow Him to uncover what He has for me for the day.
My favorite type of quiet time is just going through a book of the bible unpacking it verse, by verse. I will use the verses to journal and pray to the Lord from the same verses. For instance, I am currently going through Hebrews with our couples small group. So we are on Chapter 8. So I commit to reading a few verses each day. Then I take those verses and answer, "What does this say about God?", "What does this say about me?", "What do I not understand?", "How can I apply this today?", "Who can I share a verse today?".

 

 

 I am amazed at how He speaks to me, how I have learned His character by studying His word. I also am currently helping lead a women's bible study so on alternate days I am reading the material and answering the questions for each week. I love how they weave together and give my heart variety in learning about God. I personally love journaling and have for years. I am not able to do it daily, but make it part of my week. I also love pretty journals that my girls and I make such as the one below.  

 

 

 

We all have busy lives and can walk away from our quiet time and not live as if we ever had it. So I have learned how to help myself remember what He has shown me throughout the day. One way is to write a verse from my time on the plate you see in the picture above. This plate sits on my island, the center of our home, and all who sit to partake see it. I love to talk about these verses with my kids before they go off to school or as they return from school over their snacks. I also always have my favorite devotional beside it for a quick intake of His truth during the day. My favorite is Experiencing God Day by Day by Henry T. Blackaby & Richard Blackaby. I have seen the following verse lived out in my life when I commit to reading His word:

 

"For the word of God is living and powerful,
and sharper than any two-edged sword...
and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart."
Hebrews 4:12

 

On my own my thoughts make me overwhelmed, my heart leads me astray, but Jesus says,

 

"Don't let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God and trust also in me (Jesus)."
John 14:1 NLT

 

I have learned through the years the only way to Trust in God or Jesus is to know their character, their promises, and the truth. The only way to know these aspects of God is to know the Word of God, to regularly meet with Him. I hope this encourages you to make the time for Him the one who can calm the storm, bring pure joy and heal our wounds. Also I have learned if I do not take the time today, His mercies are new tomorrow.

 

Spreading Joy for Him,

Shari