Author: Thegracefulhomemaker

I'm a lover of Jesus, married to my best friend, homeschooling mama of four. I love health and all matters that involve my family. We have been blessed with friends and family that surround us on all sides. I enjoy working from home and excited for this Adventure God has placed before me.

Getting to the root

This is the way I think. I understand best when I apply my everyday circumstances to what I believe the Lord is trying to teach me… or bash me over the head whichever the case.

So a few weeks ago my daughter… or was in my son? doesn’t matter. They broke the glass in my French press. In the midst of cleaning the glass up and inspecting the frame for small fragments. I cut myself…. yup you guessed on a left over piece of glass. It was stuck in my finger. At the time I did what I could to get it all out, however I stopped searching for more left behind and I had an uneasy feeling about it. Sure enough over the next few days the pain was pretty bad so I tried again. To no a veil. My husband told me that I needed to give it some time. To see if the pain was from a piece left over or if it was just from having a deep puncture wound.

Can you see where I’m going with this? How many times is it like that in Life? How many times are we hurt so deep by something going on in our life. We do what we can in the moment to start the healing process, but we are so caught up in the pain of the initial hurt that we have this uneasy feeling we aren’t getting to the root of the problem. Am I way off base? maybe this only  makes sense to me

Anyway, days and weeks past, the pain was getting more bearable… but I was very aware of how much I use my middle finger on an everyday basis. The past couple days I’ve had to relieve pressure in the infected finger, and I’ve been feeling pretty lousy with a low grade fever.

Again how many times can this apply to different areas of our lives? How many times are we hurt or bothered by something and instead of getting to the root of it we let it fester in other areas. Take our health for example, how many times do we just put a band aide over our health concerns by using chemically filled lotions or prescription drugs that do more harm in the long run, or even over the counter allergy meds we think we “need” but that really just put a cover over it. This even applies to other areas like our relationships

So today was the day. I was determined to get to the root of my finger issue. So I went to work. Turned out not to be so hard. It didn’t feel so good, but I believe so worth it. The piece I Pulled out turned out to be quite big , I can’t believe I missed it to begin with. Now its pretty painful, but as long as the finger is allowed to heal and there isn’t anymore fragments in there, its all good

Our health can be the same. We need to get to the root of the issue before we can really function the way God intended us to. I think so many times we don’t think about ourselves as having “issues” we just have had this for so long it become like second nature and we think it is just normal to feel this way. Some people think that our health should change over night… but does anything change that quickly? It takes time, detox and there needs to be healing at the root before significant changes are made. That’s not always fun and can seem counter productive, but so worth it in the end.

Isn’t it like that when the Lord is trying to mold and shape us? Think about it. It’s not so easy in the middle of it, but when we really think about it, it’s necessary and so rewarding in the end. What is the Lord trying to teach you? What is he molding in your life to be more like him? What is he healing at the roots so you can function the way he intended you to? Maybe the most important question…. Are you Letting him?

21 days of prayer for my business Day 1

I’m linking up with Monique to her 21 days of prayer for your business. What a great idea. My business is so new (6 months fresh) and this will be so good for growth and letting go and Letting God take hold of my business. Day one is just that Letting God take control… oh how many times do we try to take on what we think we can handle only to find out later that we are not capable, when all we really have to do is look up and ask God to take the controls… then let him!

 

http://www.youinfuse.com/blog/day-one-21-days-of-prayer-for-your-business

Breia Bird

My sweet Breia is 4. She has a love of all things beautiful and tranquil. While she is quick to join an argument, at heart she desires to live in peace with everyone. I like to describe her as a basket of roses and a box of chocolates all wrapped into one. She is learning how to help around the house. She is my daily reminder to slow down and take in every moment.

 

Prime Rescue

Another day here in the Moser Household and the morning started off just like any morning. Bug was helping with the toast, Bird was cracking the eggs in the pan, mommy was trying to corral bee and Buddy.

“crash”

Oh how a mommy with littles shrieks when that sound is made. Partly because its’s just one more thing to clean up and partly because the idea of glass all over the floor when littles are around is enough to make any mother cringe.

I enter to find Bug standing over my French Press… or what was left of it.

Now… I have read enough parenting books to know that my reaction to broken or spilled anything is crucial. So my hand immediately went to my mouth.

Ha… I laugh about it now but as I think back on it that hand over my mouth was a desperate attempt to keep my mouth shut. 🙂

So the Tears began to Flow…..

Yes that’s right I love my french press… and no i do not have another way to make coffee. So I’m blubbering away  meanwhile not saying a single word. I didn’t have to my children know and share my love for coffee.

See my love affair with coffee use to be because I needed the caffeine to get through my day…. then after I began Plexus Supplements I lost my need for caffeine but didn’t loose my love of the flavor.

So I’m cleaning up the mess and my girls are quiet… they knew mama needed silence from them *I have taught them well*

 

Then Bug pipes up “mommy maybe we can glue it”

Of course it took much strength not to laugh at her as I threw the shattered glass in the garbage. “that won’t work sweetie, it’s broken in too many pieces.”

Oh and then My angel Bird came in

“Amazon Prime to the rescue”, she shouted with her arm in the air like she won a battle of some kind.

This child has a knack for breaking the silence and knowing what to say to make anyone laugh. Laugh I did, out loud for sure.

So that’s what I did 7:30 am ordering a replacement carafe for my french press.

Meanwhile this afternoon I am drinking caramel coffee that was made from a regular tea pot and strained… not ideal but it will do.

Be blessed!!

thegracefulhomemaker

 

Charcoal and Sinuses

Today I’m talking about a victory that is so exciting to me. I have a deviated septum, and it causes me to be prone to Sinus infections… not fun. I can however feel them coming usually. Generally they come when the pressure changes and anyone local knows how often the weather and pressure changes around here. I first feel it in my foot, then it moves to my sinuses shortly after. So my victory in progress began a week ago today. I woke up and spent the entire day sneezing. For anyone that has heard me sneezing knows how this must have affected my day.  #Blowout.

See I’ve become smart over the years I’ve been able to function through these sinus infections with the natural remedies… fire water was a big one, charcoal poultices was a very effective one, simple salt water *sniffs* I called them (you can imagine what the *sniff* meant):-/. All of this worked to keep me functioning without antibiotics.

So needless to say I knew it was coming. However I also knew that this was the second infection I had gotten since being on Plexus Supplements. The first one I was very green with the supplements, so I survived through weeks with that one too, but this one was going to be different.. I had done my research… I was ready.

So I began my *treatment* right away that Wednesday a week ago. Ease capsules and extra x factor along with our body cream on my sinus hot spots. Every four hours for the supplements and cream whenever i could remember. I know enough about the ingredients to know I needed to be consistent and persistent or this wasn’t going to work the way I wanted it to.

My game plan… Pray for the best…. be consistent…. don’t go down without a fight.

Wednesday night I went to bed feeling ok but very tired. Woke up thursday morning (New years Eve) with more pressure, headaches and the start of a foggy day. BUT again I was determined (as usual with my natural remedies because that is the only way it works) so I went on with my *treatment* every four hours with the supplements and cream whenever I thought of it. By supper time Thursday I wasn’t worse but I wasn’t better either.  We decided to go to church, mama wasn’t too bad. BUT we were reluctant to think that the following day we would be able to go ahead with our plans… cause this mama knows how it usually goes. I went to bed…

Praying for the best…. being consistant… and determined not to go down without a fight

Friday morning came and so did the pressure headache 😦 But the foggy feeling was gone :-0… So I started my *treatment* again. Got ready for the day. We were going to see how it went. I put my cream on.. as usual and went to help Jeremy with Breakfast (yes my husband took the day off, and yes he cooks… two HUGE shockers for those of you that know him).. I tend to like my lotion to dry and then go back and finish with my makeup. so I wasn’t completely ready yet. We were expecting company for our annual brunch at 10 and this was 8:30. (yes I remember the time, you would too if you knew what was going to happen next.. are you ready?

………

I was picking up a usual mess my son makes when he is “helping” in the kitchen and it happened…..

My face started burning…. um that really is an understatement, my face was on fire, and it hurt sooo very badly. I said something to Jeremy and he was like..

“Uh… yeah… maybe you should see what it looks like”

I went in the sinusitis_s1_woman_sinus_cavitybedroom and at this point tried to take a picture but no picture would do it justice. All around where my sinuses connect it was bright red and splotchy… did I mention on fire? cause I was in pain. This picture shows exactly where it was red and Oh and it was BURNING!!

 

Not really sure what to do, I put more cream on and then I covered that with another cream I have, works really well for relieving skin issues. So at his point I’m like.. oh dear we have company over in an hour and I look like a creeper and my face feels like it is peeling off…. then I’m like

wait a minute… my pressure headache is gone… my foggy feeling is gone… DETOX

It’s so hard for me to explain the excitement I had in that moment of realization, I was so excited I wanted my skin to fall off if it meant that this was going to be the beginning of the end of my infection. If anyone has struggled through a severe sinus infection before you know my feeling on this. I’ve been doing natural health for years and I know that natural healing takes longer, but in the long run it’s so better than the antibiotic. I guess you could say I have trained myself to put up with the long drawn out sicknesses so that my immune system can build instead of starting over with a dose of antibiotics.. I am not willing to loose all the progress I have made in myself or my children….So at this point in the morning I thought

Bring in on!! burning red splotchy face or not our company was going to come over and I was going to love it, cause this was the beginning of the end… after TWO days!!!

It also helped that our company coming for brunch was another natural health family, so I knew I could explain that I had charcoal on my face and that it was helping my sinuses, and that mama would understand. I went on with the morning pretty excited but still

Praying for the best… being consistant…. and determined not to go down without a fight.

Time was drawing near and I asked Jeremy “how is my face?” he said it wasn’t bad but when he gave be a peck on the cheek he said it was warm to the touch… maybe because it was still BURNING!!!! it’s now 9:30 and it had been burning for an hour.

We went on with our morning, comapany came and I did have the chance to talk with this mama about what was going on with me, she is a mama who loves everything Natural but does not want anything to do with Plexus, so it was more like

“Oh yeah that makes sense the charcoal would do that.”

with me Like

“Yes I know isn’t it great after all those Charcoal poultices, this cream with the mixture it has, it finally worked?”

“It’s Plexus isn’t it?”

“Yup”

we exchanged knowing smiles and moved on.

Over the next few days i would experience a headache ever so often, but I’m still amazed at this amazing victory I have experienced yet again through these products… Baby is crying gotta rush… would love to talk to you more….

Blessings

thegracefulhomemaker

 

 

 

 

Dish Soap and Cat Poop

I suppose the title of the post actually gives it away for sure, but let me paint some back ground for ya. Sitting at the table looking on Amazon Prime (my new/old obsession) for this new all natural soap a a dear friend uses and I’m in love since I used it while doing her dishes a few days ago. I was in love not only did I find the dish soap but there was a laundry detergent, a dishwasher detergent, a hand soap, fabric softener and More I’m missing I’m sure but that is what I remember. If that wasn’t  cool enough there were all kinds of different scents. I was hooked and like a true window shopper I was shopping and loving every minute of it. Supper was over, Daddy was taking a trip with our bug and the other three were chasing the cat around the house. (yes we have a cat… and he loves getting chased) Meanwhile as I am sitting there enjoying my shopping experience, buddy comes in a just jabbers, then he would run out… .few seconds later he was back jabbering.

Mind you this is not uncommon, he is quite the little jokster… much like his father of course. Then Bird come running in and says

Mom, I saw the cat using his litter Box… he never does that does he?

She is right, He prefers to go outside.. apparently he thinks he’s a dog.

I’m not sure if you can see where this is going…. Yeah!…

For those of you that haven’t gotten it yet I’ll keep going

So I go on shopping through the window of my computer.. did I mention I was in my glory? All natural Soap at a decent price that works… I’m like drooling. Ok… then I hear

yikes I’m getting out of here

then…

No… yuck.. yuck… don’t touch me

Followed by a shriek that only those little girls can do when they are being chased.

Naturally my head perks up and I turn around. Buddy is chasing his sisters… not un common of course. BUT he has his hands out like he is trying to get them dirty with something (this is not the first time he has chased them in this manner so this mama has learned) I run over to find…..

 

Yup it’s on his hands…cat poop…. Ew ew ewwww So gross. I’m nearly gagging and Bird comes in

Mommy its all over the laundry too….

So I put buddy in the bath, and prepare a few loads of laundry. (The laundry was washed, dryed folded and ready to put away from today’s pile) kallenAnother day in our graceful home with much love and GRACE.

I leave you with this adorable face I just can’t deny

P.s. That is not what you may think it is in his hand… 🙂 This was taken after he was all cleaned…

Blessings

 

 

Faithful (Originally posted July 9 2012)

I was so looking forward to getting away from the everyday. We rented a camper and for a whole week, we enjoyed the great outdoors. I thought “getting away” was going to solve my problem. Help ease the pain, that is so deep I wasn’t even for sure I knew all that was there.

So, I made a camp fire (by far the best part of camping, even during the day). I remember as a teen I always did my best thinking by a campfire. I sat curled up with my bible, ready to hear what my father had to say. I did this all week and I came home feeling high. I thought that was just what I needed, a week to get away.

NO! What I needed was to be completely open to God and his teaching. Getting away from my everyday wasn’t what made my pain subside. Seeking Christ and is purpose for all my pain, that is what made me feel better.

Coming home was an eye opener. Seems something so little as looking at my calender brings back all too well my relentless feelings of helplessness, and complete and utter failure.

I quickly learned that I can’t run away, all my pain was there.

I felt the Lord tell me:

“Be faithful in the little things and I will give you the strength in the big things.”

The little things huh? Did that include looking at my calender and seeing dates I was dreading? Yes. Does that include holding those babies I have been dreading holding? Yes. Does that mean talking about all that “stuff” that is buried inside this heart of mine? Yes.

If I do this and more than when those days come, God will give me the strength I know I won’t have.

So today I am updating my calender for the first time in five months.

The next time I see a baby I’m going to steal it away from its mother (I’ll give it back of course).

I am finally going to bring to light all that sadness in a post I’ve been dreading. (Bear with me this may take me a while)

I know these next couple months will be hard. I also know that God is a God of healing and he’s on my side!!

I will run to you (Originally posted July 31 2012)

Once again my thoughts are shifting toward those topics that we just don’t discuss. There are feelings and emotions that are so raw no amount of words can help heal. No matter how hard I try I can’t seem to get past the grief. No matter how much time I have, it will always slap me in the face. Just when I think I have it together, those are the moments my face hurts from the slap I wasn’t expecting. In those moments when I’m still trying to grasp onto what just happened, I know, somewhere deep inside there is healing taking place. One day I pray my pain won’t be so bad. I do pray, however that I never forget. I never want to forget these days, I never will forget these moments that I needed to be carried. Like this aching in my foot reminds me of how fragile my body is, I pray my heart will ache as a reminder of the lose I suffer everyday.

A very dear friend recently told me I am grieving. I wasn’t really sure how to put my feelings into words. But she did, she knew what was embedded deep inside. She could identify with my emotions. She didn’t tell me I need to get over it. She didn’t tell me to be thankful for what I had. She didn’t tell me that she knew what I was going through. She didn’t try and out feel me. She didn’t feed me that spiritual lingo so many others think is comforting. She didn’t cliche my situation. I was a person with ligitament feelings and I deserved to be treated like I matter. She just listened and shed those tears for me that I can’t seem to let come. She validated me and put her own trials aside to listen to my heart. She prayed with me. She knew I needed prayer more than anything. She knew that I knew all that she was going to tell me, so she didn’t try to comfort me with words. She was my angel.

I heard a song today, seems I’ve been hearing alot of songs lately. Sometimes lyrics really speak to me This song by Kari Jobe really summed up my feelings today:

Wish it could be easy
Why is life so messy
Why is pain a part of us

There are days I feel like
Nothing ever goes right
Sometimes it just hurts so much

But You’re here, You’re real
I know I can trust You

Even when it hurts, even when it’s hard
Even when it all just falls apart
I will run to You ’cause I know that You are
Lover of my soul, Healer of my scars

You steady my heart
You steady my heart

I’m not gonna worry
I know that You got me
Right inside the palm of your hand

 Each and every moment
What’s good and what gets broken
Happens just the way that You plan

You are here, You’re real
I know I can trust You

Even when it hurts, even when it’s hard
Even when it all just falls apart
I will run to You ’cause I know that You are
Lover of my soul, Healer of my scars

You steady my heart
You steady my heart

And I will run to You
I’ll find refuge in Your arms
And I will sing to You
Cause of everything You are

You steady my heart
You steady my heart

Even when it hurts, even when it’s hard
Even when it all just falls apart
I will run to You ’cause I know that You are
Lover of my soul, Healer of my scars

You steady my heart
You steady my heart

I’m not gonna worry
I know that You got me
Right inside the palm of your hand

Who are you running to?

How well can you see? (Originally August 4 2012)

“What do you see?”

A question you do not want to hear when you are looking in a mirror. The last thing I want when I am looking in a mirror is to be reminded of everything I see.

At this particular moment I was getting dressed for one of my hubby’s ball games. I really can’t seem to put on my belt without a mirror. I know it sounds funny, but I always need a mirror to put my belt on. So this is what I was doing, when my husband walks in. Apparently I was looking very intently at the mirror because I did not hear him come home. He startled me a bit and and I contemplated his question. He broke through my thoughts with a startling comment:

“I bet what you see and what I see, are very different.”  

I smiled at him and he flashed me one of those “ha ha that was a good one!” looks.

As the night went on, that question kept burning in my mind. “What do you see?” I could come up with all kinds of things I see in the mirror and I’m pritty sure none of them would be very nice or pleasant to think about. I was up most of the night and this question was burning a hole by now. So, I made a list of all the things I see in the mirror.

It was a very long list so I won’t share it. I will say this though, I was disgusted with myself for even thinking some of the things I wrote down. I would never speak of anyone else that way, or even think it, shouldn’t I give myself the same respect? How about more?

More Beautiful You

“…There could never be a more beautiful you
Don’t buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you…”

Johnny Diaz says it so perfect

This list was not what I was meant to be. This does not define who I am as a daughter of Christ. All this list does is hinder me  from becoming the women of God I am called to be, the mother, the wife I am and want to be. So I had a burning ceremony, in my kitchen sink.

Father, I know you created me for your purpose, forgive me for being selfish and putting down the body that you gave me. I am yours!!