Kristin's Day 41-It's been real, it's been fun, and now we're done!

Well, I broke my fast at 6:30pm. I got word that Kelly, Dallas, and the boys landed in Charlotte!! I hope that their first night as a family is FANTASTIC! What a beautiful family. God is SO good.

Before I ate a normal dinner, I went out with my YL friend, Jordan. We had a great afternoon chatting and shopping thanks to my mom for watching the kids. Life is so busy, but I live spending time with family. I got to eat my first dinner with my sister and her kids.

I am still spending time on my knees for YL and our camp trip this year. That will never stop 😉

It's been quite a journey. It has been awesome. It's been real. Peace love and hugs - me

Kristin's Days 39 & 40 - Green Grass Dreams and Shattered Screens...

This is it. Only 24ish hours remain. What a journey this has been!

Yesterday, I went with my YL friend, Amanda, to Starbucks. They have a new line of products called Evolution. It features all natural cold pressed juices and freeze dried fruit/veggies. I was amazed that I could get something other than hot tea, so I tried the green juice out...

It tasted TERRIBLE. Like straight up grass with a hint of lemon. If you dig that kinda stuff, great, but at $6 a bottle???? I took it home. I hope to use it as a base for a smoothie. Yuck.

So...at club last night...this happened.

Someone stepped on it during a skit. It was a complete accident. This tablet is less than six months old. Here's the thing. I was not the least bit mad or upset. Like...not at all. I LOVE how God reminds us we're His and that he's changing us from the inside by things such as this.

Let me explain. Three years ago-this would've made me upset. Five years ago-this would've made me mad. (I used to cry hard core when Tally puked on our white carpets). Ten years ago-this would've made me unglued. I'm not the same person anymore. God is changing me.

I still have a LONG way to go. It's gonna take my whole life.

There's a song I used to sing as a kid

He's still working on me
To make me what I ought to be
It took him a week to make the moon and stars
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars
A line I can't remeber
He's still working on me

Kristin's Day 38 - Slim pickin's

I did not go vegan shopping this weekend because...I will not continue to eat like this for long. I have some canned Hominy, spinach, 1/2 can of refried beans, bean threads, and some other stuff to get me through to Thursday evening when Kelly, Dallas, and the boys land.

I do not like what I'm eating. It does not taste good. It is not appealing.

I am tired of making everyone else's food and then my food. I am sick of seeing everyone enjoy food that I love. Then I get on Facebook and see this...

Eh ok...ok. It's worth it. I will shield my eyes from that bag of Starburst, ahem.

Kristin's Day 37 - I will Vegan journey on...

Kelly and I started this journey on March 1st...37 days ago. We stripped our lives of most food for the single purpose of pressing into God. We stood together during some hungry frustrating times over the last 37 days. We were pressing into God because we were believing and praying for things - things only God can do - to happen

Kelly and Dallas left today so they can bring their sons home! It's a miracle. This adoption process seemed like it would never end. There was one unexplained roadblock after another. We stripped our lives of most food and pressed into God to bring them home.

I am still believing God for miracles for many of my friends in YL. Despite my fast, I have gone on YL dates to Panera, Sweet Frog, Starbucks, Chipotle, Chinese, Pure and Simple, Friendly's and more. I even had a sleepover with yummy food, lol! It is possible to do a ministry such as YL during a fast. It was NOT easy, but it's possible. I have met with more girls during this fast than I have the entire semester. I don't think that's a coincidence. I am still believing God to fill our camp slots for Lake Champion this year. I still want to take 24 girls. So far, six are signed up. We stripped our lives of most food and pressed into God to change the lives of WASHS students. I am still believing this will happen.

I will continue on. Pray for me as I journey alone for the next few days...unless you'd like to join me?

Made it through six "TO DO" lists in four days~Kelly's Last Beyond Vegan Day

It's been a long week.

Some days I forgot to eat breakfast.

Some days I forgot to eat breakfast AND lunch.

One day I basically ate an entire bag of chips for dinner.

I have no idea what my family ate or who fed them, except on either Wednesday or Thursday.

Caroline fed Darby.

That much, I know.

It all began on Monday. Our boys went down to Port-Au-Prince to the US Embassy for their Visa appointment. I have no idea how that went. Maybe I can ask the boys when we get there, but Monday afternoon, we got "the call." We were told that we had travel dates of April 7-10. Yeah...ONE WEEK, FOLKS! I can't even tell you how quickly I snapped into scramble mode and still haven't come out. If I rattled off everything I've done today, you'd never believe me. It was supernatural strength and power. Not of me. All credit goes to the One whose timing is perfect.

In more Hills family news...you can go ahead and nominate me for "Mom-of-the-Year" award. Because, as I prepared to bring two MORE children into my home, I neglected the ONE who was home with me that day. You can guess which one felt the need to bathe her Barbie dolls. Hint: It's the one who is not yet in school full day. Life goes on, folks...even when you're in hyperdrive.
It goes on.

So, at some point, tickets were purchased, boys were added to our health insurance...tick, tock, tick, tock...my house was cleaned, clothes were purchased, twenty meals were made...tick, tock...two soccer practices, two gymnastics practices, agility training and two soccer games that were two hours away were attended...tick, tock, tick, tock...a yard was mowed, a garage was purged, bags were packed, plans were made for the kids, a rare phone call was answered, laundry was caught up...tick...tock...and it's Saturday night. I've been up since 5:30am. I'm beat, but I'm finished...and as ready as anyone could ever be who is planning to travel to the third world with one week's notice.

Things I did NOT get done include:
Yoga.
Dog grooming (as it turns out, they don't take expired rabies vaccinations...whatev.)
Rug purchasing (I guess I needed more than 10 minutes to pick out a rug for the dining room.

This means they're coming home, folks.
Things you can pray for:
~Transitions for our sons-out of the orphanage and into the guest house with us on Monday.
~Our time at God's Littlest Angels Orphanage~that we would ask the questions of the nannies etc that will help us know our sons better at home.
~That our flights would not be delayed on Thursday coming home, and that our trip through Immigration wouldn't be too painstakingly long.
~For our children that we're leaving stateside, and the families who have stepped up to care for them: The Whites, The Draholas, The Doughertys, and the Kleins
~That everyone would be WELL while we're gone!

Then, of course, there was my breakdown in the ethnic haircare aisle. I've since calmed down about it...a LOT. Turns out, it's really no biggie, and some things I'm going to try and like, and some things I'm going to try and not like, but MAN! Am I ever thankful for my friends who chimed in with tips!

There was my phone call with Tamera that led to this list-for Thursday alone. Thankful for organized people to help me think through things!

And, there was my 4 page dissertation to the caregivers for my children and dog.

And, there were all THESE lists...
...let's just say that I was a maniac list maker, and The Pixie decided to add to my "TO DO."
I think the list on the left says, "Get the Barbies and soap out of your tub, and you might want to turn the water off."

I know y'all have been praying for me this week. There is no other way I could have gone from 6am to 11pm every night and blown through my entire list of TO DOs in one week.

As humbly as I can say this, I'm so thankful that my fast will end tomorrow. I'm MORE thankful that Kristin has decided to stay the course until we all come home. I don't even know what to say about that. Entirely humbled.

Anyhow, we will have intermittent power (at best) while we're down there, I'm sure. That's how it all went down last time, but I will do my best to at least post short FB status updates, so y'all can follow there.

For the last time as a "Beyond Vegan"...
Grace and Peace!
~k

147,000,000-2~Kelly's Day 34

I ran from sun up to well after sundown every day last week. Yesterday, I woke up at 3:30am wondering why malls weren't open 24/7...that way I could get more done Friday. 

I didn't have time for breakfast, but I made time to scarf down a burrito bowl from Chipotle in record time. 

I also are 3/4 of a bag of Kettle Chips for dinner while I composed a four page dissertation detailing my children's agenda, contact information and medical details for my team of professionals that rallied around us to make this trip happen. I couldn't be more thankful or humbled that everyone just stepped up to make this happen. We are truly blessed.

Right now, we are heading down for two soccer games, and then it's home to pack and wash sheets! I can't believe the day is FINALLY here! Our boys will be home Thursday evening! When we step off the plane in Miami, our boys will be American citizens!

There are 147,000,000 orphans in this world. In America, we are separated from this staggering statistic because we don't consider the Foster System to be full of orphans, but the reality is that every night, all over the world, there are little children going to sleep each night with no bedtime story, no prayers or blessings. No Mommy or Daddy to tuck them in. Monday morning, there will be two less.

A Father to the Fatherless is God in his Holy Dwelling! 

Though it tarries, wait for it. It will SURELY come to pass!

Amen.

Kristin's Day 34 - A sports injury?? I don't play sports...

I subbed at the high school on Tuesday. Then it was the track meet, then made dinner for the family and guests, then club. Crazy day.

Wednesday, I went to the doctor. I found out two things about myself.

1. I have lost approximately 5lbs. WHAT?

• I look thinner. At least I thought I did.
• All of my before being pregnant clothes fit
• No - I have not gained muscle.

I'm sorry. I thought I would've lost SO much more. Humph. It's just a number. My clothes fit. I need to get over it. WHATEVER. I mean...I have lost almost 30lbs in the last six months. Why are we so obsessed with that number????? Dude.

2. I have tennis elbow in my right elbow

• I do NOT play tennis
• I thought this was a sports injury. Sports and I have a mutual agreement...we are not friends.
• This has been bothering me for two months. When will this get better?

Again. Like seriously? I got a brochure on tennis elbow. It says that this is a sports injury, but you can also get it from having weak muscles. AWESOME. Ugh, I signed up for Body Pump today.

My energy levels have been pretty decent during the fast this time. If I have a full day, I find that my back/shoulders ache with exhaustion, but I am doing so much more this time versus two years ago when we did this fast. Does your body just adjust or remember stuff like this? It's amazing.

I got this new book. I probably should've bought it about 40 days ago, but hey...I'm not a planner lately.

Word of caution - if you don't handle cursing well - don't get this book. BUT, it's FULL of recommendations of great swap outs for those going vegan. Did you know that they make vegan chicken wings with nonGMO ingredients? There is so much that I have not discovered, but that's ok. This fast is more about seeking God for big things.

God is so good. Kelly's boys are coming home. I'm still believing for 24 girls to sign up for camp. We currently have 3. Good thing I don't focus on the numbers in this case (I know, I know - it's not transferring the weight number yet). God's got this. I'm praying and trusting.

Scramble mode-Kelly's day...I don't even care what day, I'm in scramble mode

I'm in scramble mode.

...I am not in Haiti yet. 

...I have not come up for air since Monday.

...I'm exhausted.

Ps-I forgot to eat breakfast and lunch today.

Pps-The Man brought me Thai Cucumbers for dinner.

...he's a good man.

The hair care aisle~Kelly's day 33

I'm not sure my focus is on the exact right thing right now, but I have Easter baskets for five kiddos, curtains for my bedroom, sheers for Naomi and the Pixie's rooms, a dining table bench on order, and picture frames for the kids' school pictures. I'm in hyperdrive, and I'm not even drinking coffee or energy drinks! This is the worst case of nesting I've ever been through, although thankfully, someone else did the cleaning his time!

Rewind to earlier in my day, would ya?

I'm in Target looking for Easter stuff and some way to organize five kids' toothbrushes and toothpastes in one small bathroom when I remembered that I'm out of shampoo which then prompted me to buy toothbrushes and toothpastes for my new sons. Can I just stop here and tell you how incredibly difficult every single decision is when it's crunch time and you're trying to figure out things like "ShouId I really get an electric toothbrush? With all these new things, do they really need a vibrating sensation in their mouths? Oh, please, Jesus, give them an adventurous spirit!" And, then I remembered that I need specific hair care and skin care for their beautiful chocolate skin...and, WHOA. I had a flashback to watching Chris Rock's documentary entitled "Good Hair," and as I strolled into the ethnic hair are aisle, I heard that silly man's voice echoing through my brain, rattling, if you will, "the African-American hair care industry accounts for 80% of spending on hair in America every year." Friends, I walked down hat aisle, and every insecurity I have regarding being a white mother of young black men in America came boiling to the surface. I was paralyzed and couldn't even ask the two women in that aisle for help. I wanted to cry, scream, and/or vomit all at the same time, so I texted and facebooked my beautiful friend, LaTonya, in a frenzy. I should have you know, I also called her he other day when I was shopping for the boys-just to make sure I was buying colors that would look good on them. Thankfully, I have some Brothers and Sisters-in-Christ who I happen to be comfortable enough to humble myself and ask these "white mom" questions to. I cannot tell you how very thankful that God has put so many amazing African-American women In my life who I can call on to ask these questions. Trust me, this has been an uncomfortable and completely humbly naked place for me. Thankful doesn't even begin to explain what I feel for LaTonya, Leah, TK...my respect and love for them is abundant. Back to the hair care aisle...I left empty handed. I was THAT stressed out, but I think I know what to do now.  I had friends of all color, shape and sizes giving me hair care advice! So thankful! And, if all else fails, at least I have curtains for my bedroom, right (I'm shaking my head at myself right now)? 

This "hair stress," as I've coined the term, stems from my adamant mindset that I will NOT allow my boys to have bad hair and ashy skin. 

After I spent too much of my morning staring at the hair care products, I realized I didn't really have enough time to do the other important things (like buying three picture frames), and I called my friend, Caroline in a slight to moderate panic, "Are we still on for a play date after school?" She was, and then humility had to kick in again. "Would you be willing to pick Darby up, and I'll meet you at the park?" She was, and she even took Darby's lunch order. 

If you don't know me very well, you are not aware that I am the absolute WORST at asking for help! In fact, I think I've asked for help more times in the last two days than I've asked in the last 1-5 years. It's humbling to the extreme for me. 

I can tell you that God has worked more "stuff" out of me and truly humbled me more in the last 33 days than He has in the last ten years. If you like uncomfortable places such as the Refiner's fire, you should adopt. The process of adopting ushers you through tons of biblical lessons whether or not you want to or are ready to learn them. It's ugly and beautiful and peaceful and stressful, and God will show you His mighty hand in action over and over, and when you get to the end of your rope, He will lift you up. I know this because I've burned through so many frayed ends of long ropes in the last three years, and each time, He has proven Himself faithful. He has shown me that I am not alone, that He keeps his promises and that what He begins...He carries out to completion.

Twenty-four hours~Kelly's Day 32

Twenty-four hours ago, I was in a cerebral scramble. I didn't know where to start, who to ask, how things would piece together to make our trip to Haiti happen, who would watch the dog whose vaccinations expired roughly five years ago, how I would get my house clean, how I would get all he garage sale stuff out of my dining room..the list goes on and on, and those were just the concerns that would enable us to leave Lake Wylie.

Today, one friend is watching two of my kids. Another friend is watching the Pixie-pray for her. Her name is Britta. She's German. She can handle the redhead. Another friend is carting Tate to and from soccer. Yet another friend is carting Naomi to art lessons and to her school chorus concert next Tuesday (which we just found out about today). This friend is going to sit through not one, but TWO second grade concerts that night..AND, she's watching our old lady dog. That saved me a last minute trip to he vet. Another friend is sending her son over to pick up all the stuff in my dining room to sell at his youth group's yard sale fundraiser for their missions trip to Honduras. I called the cleaning people to come do a hard core cleaning tomorrow. Our tickets are booked, and I made and froze twenty meals today.

Kristin called today, and we had a pretty quick but humbling and inspiring conversation. A few people have asked me if this fast was for Lent. My answer has even confused me. "No."  I have not had an answer as to why we began before Ash Wednesday and will finish before Easter. It's just how God worked it out. For some reason, when Kristin and I hashed out when to begin, there was no real method to the starting line. However, as the adoption stuff ironed out, we both saw that God was bringing our boys home on the first day after we break fast. She asked me today when we were going to finish up, and I told her that I was going to end my fast April 6th because God will have answered and honored my fast. My plan from the beginning was to fast for forty days OR when we go to pick the boys up. It would essentially be impossible to continue this fast in Haiti since last time I was in Haiti, I had no fruit or vegetables the entire time I was there. 

Here's the kicker.

Kristin is finishing this fast on April 10th. 

She said she will continue on until she gets a text from me telling her that our boys are home.

HOME.

She is going to pray us home.

Humbled doesn't even begin, folks...

God created us to be in relationship. He says, "rejoice with those who rejoice, and mourn with those who mourn." He says two are better than one. If one falls, the other will pick him up. He says, "a rope with three strands is not easily broken." We are meant to do life together. I'm blessed to have people near and far that I felt comfortable asking to watch my kids, cart them around town and watch my dog (although, I'm considering not ever picking the dog up). I'm doubly blessed to see how clearly God has pieced this all together at the end. I'm blown away at how perfectly this all timed out! I know That God allowed me to clearly see His timing so that I will remember His faithfulness when things get hard. 

'Tis Grace that brought me safe this far...and Grace will lead (them) home.

Kristin's Day 31 - A blow-up. Mommy style.

Tonight was ROUGH. Andy doesn't get home from work on Mondays until 8pm so I get to handle the kids, homework, baths, dinner, and the like. Most of the time we do just fine but tonight was just hard. I was trying to make shrimp and veggies tossed with pasta and lemon butter sauce. I can't even eat it, but I still cook for the family.

 Micah was SCREAMING, Nastassja and Peyton are scream fighting, and Nate wants me to bathe him immediately. I'm attempting to make a new recipe for lemon butter sauce that calls for clarified butter. That takes time I didn't have but whatever.

I put dinner on pause, bathe Nate (while the others are still screaming), and while I'm in the kids bathroom, I find Nastassja's clothes strewn on the floor, toothpaste cemented to the sink, and a pink ring in the toilet (cause they never flush it...ahem). I take a few minutes to clean and return to dinner. I bring Micah in the kitchen and give him a spatula to play with and finish up cooking. The kitchen now looks like a lab experiment.

I call everyone for dinner and as Nastassja descends the stairs I hear
"Mom, I only get one shrimp?!!"

I had a physical reaction to her statement. You know...that explosion that happens behind your rib cage. I wanted to lay into her. I wanted to...UGHHH!!!!

I yelled at her and told her what she should've said. I reminded her of ALL that I had done today and how she should be more grateful. Gesh. Micah starts screaming again. Joy.

Then the boys came up and started playing some game around the table instead of sitting down. Again I yelled. I told them what they needed to do.

At this point I'm frustrated with myself . I'm supposed to be in able to handle some stress and not lose my cool, right??

Nope. I'm still gonna mess up...all the time. Tonight, as I reflect on the day, I know that God is still working on me. I'm not who I used to be, but I am continually leaning on Him to mold and shape me into who I'm supposed to be.

On another note: I am SO SO SO SO SO excited for Kelly and Dallas. Their precious sons will come home next week!!!!!!! God is so good.

Out like a lamb~Kelly's Day 31.

I don't even know what to say about today.

March was tough. The whole "In like a lion, out like a lamb" thing totally pertained to March this year. We had a rainy...RAINY... March. It messed up our soccer practices and games. It delayed our landscaping plans. And, I thought Mary Poppins was going to float in for Tate's soccer games yesterday. I actually think I still hear the wind today. However, this 31st day was beautiful. bEAUTIFUL! Not a cloud in the sky.

Beautiful temperatures.

And, today was our boys' visa appointments at the Embassy in Port-Au-Prince.

I got that crazy call that every adoptive parent dreams of this afternoon. It went something like this: 

Kristi: "Kelly, I have some good news!"

Me (thinking I was just going to hear that the visa appointment went well): "Okay?"

Kristi: "God's Littlest Angels has proposed travel dates of April 7-10th!"

Me (After I picked my jaw up off the floor, screamed a silent scream, and was quickly brought back into earth time when I saw a cop radaring people): " You mean, MONDAY?! WHOA!"

I immediately threw myself into scramble mode:

Where do I put my kids?!

What do I do with all this garage sale stuff in the middle of my dining room?!

How am I going to check our soccer team into the tournament?!

Is it too late to hire someone to deep clean my house?!

I wonder if I can make 20 more freezer meals before we go!

Man! I need orphanage gifts!

Naomi needs a tea party dress...

Wait! I still have a dog! What am I going to do with the dog while we are gone?

It rolls on...

...the internal monologue rolls on.

Interestingly enough, when God ushers you into something new, it's usually scary, and Satan would be remiss to resist an attack considering our potential weakness. I am always careful to blame Satan for something that God might be using to refine me, however, after Pastor Steven's preaching on Crashing the Chatterbox, I'm more aware. For instance, MY GOD will never use my painful past to cause me to question my future. MY GOD is FOR ME!  He will not bring my past up in order to well guilt up in me. I learned that He will ALWAYS guide me through my past by gently taking my hand and saying, "Kelly, we've got some work to do. Let's do this together." After God and I have worked through these things together, it's not my job to allow someone to try to drag me back into it. I can ignore that accusatory voice because it is NOT OF GOD. Satan, THE ACCUSER, comes to steal, kill and destroy. JESUS has come that we may have life to the full.  I owe no explanation to man for what God has called me into or away from.

God has prepared me mentally for this season by the amazing teaching I receive Sunday in and Sunday out by my pastor, Steven Furtick. God has prepared me by ushering me into this fast. Kristin and I quickly learned that God was honoring my obedience by speeding me toward the finish line of this three year marathon we like to call "adoption." After I became aware that God was going to finish this thing, I became confident in Him. My faith was made stronger. I felt confident enough to pay for soccer camps for the boys this summer in June. I stepped out in faith and signed them up. After that exercise in faith, I bought tickets to our soccer club's new professional team's first home game May 16th. I bought 7 tickets, sure that the boys would be home by then. He honored all of that.

I'm sure God is teaching and refining Kristin as well, but I'm simply blessed to have a friend who would sharpen me and nudge me toward Gods calling. I needed my friend to finish this race with me. It's humbling to me to know that she went through this Beyond Vegan thing with me AGAIN to hold me up. Tonight, I wanted to celebrate with a toast...just one glass of wine. I asked The Man what he thought, and I got mad when he told me I should hold to the fast. Now that I have, I'm glad I did, because it's just one way I can honor my friend who sacrificed in order to usher me in to God's wide open arms. 

Two ARE better than one.

Yes.

When one falls down, the other will lift him up.

Thanks, honor and praise be to the Father to the Fatherless.

He is absolutely relentless.

His love is absolutely relentless.

Kristin's Days 28-30 - YL, movies, and pudding

Sorry I am not able to blog everyday. It's hard! A lot has happened over the last few days.

I have met with my YL friends everyday, sometimes a few appointments in the same day. I love these girls. I love talking and spending time with them. I love sharing life with them. I feel like God is doing and going and working in ways I cannot fathom. This fast is helping me remember that. My physical body is not so happy with me, but my spirit is thriving and wanting more!

We are praying that our YL friends will accept the love God has for them and that His love would transform them from the inside out. We are praying that we can take at least 30 kids (that's a human goal - our God goal is 48 kids) to camp this summer. YL camp is like paradise on earth for teenagers. It gives them an opportunity to unplug from the digital side of life, experience fun on an epic level, and hear/process the Good News all in one week's time. Every kid we've taken has agreed that it's the best week of their life. Please help us pray that fill our spots soon!

Saturday I went on a date with Andy. We went to Sitar of India in Hagerstown. I had this cauliflower potato dish without rice. It was good, but I wanna go back when I can eat Naan (awesome bread). After dinner we watched 'God's Not Dead'.

I prepared myself for the typical Christian movie...ahem. Surprisingly, it was really good. If you haven't seen it yet, please do. It was completely worth the ticket price. If anyone wants to go, I'm willing to see it again!!

As far as food goes, I'm not eating anything new. I did make Chia Seed pudding using the recipe that Sarah Miller gave me. I substituted pureed Medjool Dates for the maple syrup. It was really good!! Thanks Sarah! Breakfast for the next few mornings is taken care of!

Here you go - Vanilla or Chocolate Chia Pudding by Sarah Miller
1 cup soaked cashews - overnight
2 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup maple syrup
2 vanilla seeds (or 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch sea salt
 2 TBSP of cocoa powder if making chocolate chia
1/3 to 1/2  cup chia seeds
What I’ve discovered is that the secret to the texture I want is soaking your cashews overnight and the amount of time you blend your cashews and water.    I want it as close to a cashew milk as possible. 

Take 1 cup of cashews and 2 1/2 cups water and blend in your Vitamix or blender.  Allow this to blend until you barely see any remains of the cashews.  To this mixture add 3/4 cup of maple syrup, (less if you don’t like it as sweet) a pinch of salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and cocoa powder.  Blend for another 1-2 minutes.  Place this mixture in a bowl and add your chia seeds.  If you want it thicker add more chia, thinner add less.  Place in refrigerator and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes then stir it again. Chia will clump together if you don’t stir it and you’ll have a difficult time getting the right consistency!  Place chia mixture back in the refrigerator and allow to set overnight.  Enjoy for breakfast in the morning!

Kelly's Day 28

I woke up this morning with a throbbing headache. I think I might be getting sick.

After I got the kids off to school, I went to TOWN on my house. I gutted the drawers, closets and crevices of the three bedrooms upstairs. Gutted my closet and part of our attic. Did four loads of laundry....all before noon. It's official. We need to have a yard sale or rent a dumpster...or have a bonfire. Anyone have ingredients for s'mores? Oh, wait...

I finally got my Haitian Sensations' sizes, so I was able to organize dressers and assess the situation to figure out what I need to get before we go grab our boys in a couple of weeks!

When the kids got home from school, we left for gymnastics and soccer. On Fridays, we leave at 2:45 and get home after 7. Today, it was raining. Thankfully, I had just restocked he car with enough new umbrellas to go around, so I whipped out this brand new umbrella, and I heard a "DOING" noise. The umbrella part popped off. Can I please now take a moment to tell the world that THIS is what happens to me when I try to bargain hunt? Thank you. 

We got home around 7:20. I got the kids all cleaned up and dried off, and as I look over at my trash to treasure heap in my dining room, I can't help but feel accomplished!

Breakfast was a bunch of peanut butter and some OJ.

Lunch: 3/4 of a bag of snap peas...totally unsatisfying.

Snack: tortilla chips. I don't know why I keep going back to those. They continue to do me wrong the next day in yoga. I'll let you know how tomorrow morning goes.

Dinner: a large order of fries from Chick-fil-a and more OJ.

That's all she wrote for now!

Grace and Peace!

~k

Lost in space~Kelly's day 27

I feel like the last few days has been pretty redundant in the food intake arena.
Breakfast: peanut butter
Lunch: can't remember.
Dinner: Amy's lentil vegetable soup, avocado, and some OJ.

This morning, I went to a power yoga class. I drank probably 40 ounces of water afterward. That is how much sweat that class produced.

I flipped my dog into wheel, and then "got lost" and couldn't figure out which way was up or down. Don't you love it when you get into a pose and can't figure out where you are in space or how to move your arms or legs? It's happened to me twice in the last week. I don't think that's related to my fast though. Today, when I was trying to figure out how to turn out of wheel the way turned into wheel, and last weekend, when I was trying figure eight for the first time and was literally (verbally) coaching my legs to straighten...they wouldn't.

Tonight, I went to my favorite Holy Yoga class taught by my friend, Kyla.  It wasn't easy, either.. I don't know what I was thinking trying to take both of their classes in the same day.

I have seen some moves of God in the last couple days...even in "small" ways. One example would be that He sort of clued me in to an issue involving our soccer schedule before a somewhat stressed out sounding coach called me about that exact issue the next morning.  See?  Our God in in the details!

That's a wrap!
Have a great Friday!

Kristin's Days 24-27 - You Kombucha Mucha??

SO! It's been a few days. Monday night I literally fell asleep at like 8:30 and then Tuesday and Wednesday? I did not stop from the time I woke up until the time I went to bed.

I got to try some new stuff though. Everything else is the same.

On Tuesday, I ate carrot, ginger, cashew soup from Pure and Simple (took some YL chicks) it was pretty good. I have never thought of soaking/pureeing cashews to thicken soup. Huh.

I also tried this weird fermented stuff...Kombucha. I was shopping and it was on sale in the 'organic' section of Martin's. I heard it was good for you? So I bought it. I got Raspberry/Chia, and on the drive home, I cracked the bottle open and chugged some down with a few handfuls of nonGMO kettle chips lol. I called my friend, Millicent Frick, and asked her what I was drinking. The chia seeds made this taste kinda like raspberry flavored snot. It smelled weird.

Millicent told me that Kombucha is a fermented mushroom that is excellent in helping you detox and aids in digestion. Fermented mushrooms?? Who comes up with this? Eh. It tasted ok. I got two bottles and I'll probably buy more someday.

I also went back to the YMCA. It's been almost a year since I've been there so I thought I'd try a Yoga class and I took Sh'bam this morning. Working out during this fast is NOT easy. I didn't eat enough before my two hour workout this morning (Yoga ad Sh'bam back to back) and I thought I was going to faint at the end of Sh'bam! I promise I'll eat better before workouts next week (;

Today I thought I could really eat like this forever. That train of thought lasted approximately 5 minutes. I love cheese. It tastes darn good. I will eat it again.

Short and Sweet ~Kelly's Day 26

This was a pretty busy day. This morning, I shoved enough peanut butter in my mouth as I ran out the door. After I got the kids to school, I ran out to Starbucks and grabbed a Peppermint tea so I could study up on my Holy Yoga stuff. After that, I ran home to eat lunch (guacamole and chips and...hmm...huh. I guess that was my lunch?) Then, I grabbed the Pixie from preschool and went to Chick-Fil-A, where I had some fries (Oh! Good! I had more than chips and guacamole!).

Later on today, I realized that I had time to run to yoga tonight, so I held off on dinner. Those tortilla chips didn't sit well during yoga. I'm seeing a trend here.

I just finished my Spicy Thai Cucumbers that The Man got to go last night.

Nothing new under the sun today. I'm a little worried about my yoga class in the morning. Last time I went to this instructor, I was sore for four days...and that is when I was still eating regular food (I think)! I don't know how to prepare for this class, but I have my regular Holy Yoga class tomorrow night, so I'm a little scared for tomorrow.

Anyhow, sorry this post is short and has no real meat. I guess that's fitting though, seeing as how *I* have had no real meat today. Da-dum-Cheesh! Oh dear...

My Birthday~Kelly's day 25

Day 25 was my birthday. I knew it going into this fast that there would be no cake. No yummy birthday dinner. No wine, but when the day actually got here, I was seriously disappointed. 

I love birthday cake.

Actually, forget the cake.

Just gimme a bowl full of buttercream frosting and let me go to town.

I think I just drooled a little.

(Joke)

My birthday began with a breakfast of my least favorite:

celery and peanut butter.

In my opinion, celery, when teamed with peanut butter, just ruins the peanut butter.

Judge if you wish.

A friend of mine sent me a birthday picture of HER celery and peanut butter snack.

I am seriously considering unfollowing her on Twitter.

The Man surprised me by asking a few of my friends to come out for my birthday dinner with us! Pictured below in order from shortest to tallest is me (with my birthday water), my friend, Jen (with her wine), and my friend Britta (with her wine). Taking the picture is The Man (with his beer-maybe that's why it's blurry). I have no idea why I had a kung foo grip on my glass, but doesn't my wrist look ripped? I just love these girls! They always love to have a good time, and the times are always positive and happy!

Jen and Britta brought me a birthday present: A Starbucks gift card and a box of nuts! I mean, is that so awesome, or what?!

Maybe it was because I was still recovering from lack of sleep over last weekend, but exhaustion set in on my birthday. I tried to take a quick nap in the morning, but my feet were freezing, and I gave up. Maybe it was because I'm not able to get enough calories. Maybe it's because I'm not getting the right kind of calories. Maybe I'm getting sick. Who knows? But, I was tired. I hope I wasn't a party pooper at my own party.

We (and, by "we," I mean "they") ordered this amazing appetizer. I had a small taste of the guacamole. It looked amazing. I can't wait to go back and try it!

It's not just the lighting here, folks. I had edamame for my appetizer. It was just your typical edamame. Nothing new under the sun. 

So much work.

Three little beans.

So much "stuff" to clean up afterward.

Why do people eat these, again?

Does anyone just crave edamame?

I mean, is it anyone's FAVORITE food?

I don't get it.

AND, for the main dish, I got an order of...drumroll, please...

...SPICY THAI CUCUMBERS!!!

...and Jen shared her sweet potato fries with me.

...that's what friends do.

...especially when you put in your own order for sweet potato fries, and they never come.

So, I called Kristin earlier in the day to say this:

"I'm back in Beth's pants."

That means, I've officially lost a size.

She has, too.

But, since it's not about the food or dropping weight, I don't even care.

I told Kristin I was pretty ticked because I couldn't have my birthday cake, REAL food, or wine on my birthday, and she reminded me that God has honored my commitment to Him through my eating, and to look back at what big things He has done since this fast began! She's right, but I still wanted my cake. Even so, the temptation to have a glass of wine on my birthday was great. It's pretty hard to turn your birthday into a day that is NOT about you. In America, our birthdays are supposed to be "OUR DAY." I mean, there's a song about it..."It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to..." I have a friend who celebrates the entire MONTH of her birthday. While celebrating life is a good thing, and it's great to feel special on our birthdays, yesterday was "the Lord's day." It was just another day. A special day where I was getting texts, phone calls, FB "Happy Birthdays" from friends of old, and special birthday dinners with new friends, and whereas it was the day that the Godhead created their favorite child of all, it was just another beautiful day in God's Kingdom...a day where I felt completely loved by my friends near and far.

So, thank you for making me feel special!

Thank you, Kristin, for reminding me that I am second!

Thank you, Brooke Boon, for reminding me that *I* am God's favorite (even though we all know that YOU are God's favorite)!

Thank you, Dallas, for loving me through my ugly!

Thank you, Jesus, for sending ARMIES to fight fights that I'm unaware of!

New Jersey~Kelly's days 21-23

I have been in training to become a Holy Yoga Instructor. This past weekend, I was blessed to head north to New Jersey for an Arm Balance workshop and Holy Yoga touch training. I can now massage and help work stress out of your body if you dare (wink, wink). The Man is my practice "dummy" for now. I was excited to go because it was me, and 30ish if my Holy Yoga sisters at a beautiful bed and breakfast that was less than a block from the ocean. I could see it from my bed.

On my way into this cozy ocean side town in NJ, I was reminiscing about the days of old. The days when The Man was a pilot in hue Air Force, and we were stationed in the Garden State...the days when we had season passes to Six Flags...the place where Tate was born...where we met our best friends who introduced us to Jesus...where we learned what Young Life is...the place where I gave my life over to Jesus...when I passed the lake that my pastor wanted to stop to baptize me in. After we realized it was on Six Flags property, we just continued on down the highway until it ended...at the ocean. When we found the end of he road, we got out, and I was baptized there. Memories, memories! But, when my GPS took me to he very end of the highway, I was there again. I spent the whole weekend in that little ocean side town where I was baptized ten years ago. I had come full circle as God moves me into a new ministry. 

The whole weekend was about Jesus. He was the center of it all. He took his seat of honor as we basked in he salty sea air in the gorgeous town.

I learned some new arm balances that I need to clean up now that I'm home! Check out my hummingbird!

I took tons of food and drink that helped me get through the weekend, but it was pretty easy to find food that fit into my fast. First night, I had a taco at Surf Taco. Corn tortilla, black beans, spinach and avocado. Lunch on Saturday, we hit this little vegan restaurant! God is so good to me! He even put a vegan restaurant there!

However, the WORD that I left there with came during a Gentle Holy Yoga class. Because the light was shining in my eyes when class started, I turned to face the opposite direction of the other women in my row. Later in the practice, we were instructed to hold hands with our Holy Yoga sisters, but because I was facing the other direction, I had no one to hold hands with. I got to thinking and praying..."isolated again, God? HERE?! I'm already isolated at home. I can't take this here. I might as well leave now." In fact, I wanted to get up and run out of there right at that moment. In that moment, sweet Diane knelt down by my side and held my hand, and I heard God whisper to my spirit, "Lo. I am which you always, even to the ends of the earth." Promise.

I went to New Jersey expecting to learn some new arm balances, and I did. I went expecting to meet some new friends, and I did. I went to learn how to add massage and touch to my classes, and I did. I did not expect to meet with God in such a powerful way, but He ushered me into town as I literally drove down memory lane to get here. His promises and faithfulness never end. 

...they never, ever end.

Kristin's Day 23 - What is love?

Over and over we are told in the bible to love God and love others. Those are the greatest commandments. We are to love as he loves, we are to be his hands extended, and are to represent him. What is love?

We say hate the sin, love the sinner (I HATE that quote cause we twist it up all kinds of ways), but we still end up pointing fingers, saying mean things that hurt others, and then wonder why no one wants to experience this LOVE - this God - that we believe in.

I was scrolling Facebook tonight and saw two things...

At first I judged. I thought...man...that's disgusting. Then I thought about it for awhile. This guy did this because he wanted to. Then I really thought about it. He was created in the image of God, just like me. Yeah, I personally would not choose to do what he did on my body, but that doesn't make him any less of a person. In our culture/society, it would be difficult to get a job in most places. I don't  know if blaming the government is the way to go, but blaming our culture as a whole? Maybe.

Then I see this.

 

It was posted by someone I respect very highly. I know that they did not mean any harm in posting it and it is true to a point, but if I didn't understand God's love and read this?

Before scrolling FB, I had an awesome time with four beautiful YL friends. We went to Sweet Frog and talked, joked, and laughed. On the way home our discussion turned deep. Friends, people listen to what we're saying, they hear what we say to and about others, and it makes them question and doubt their faith rather than affirming it. What is love? What does God mean when he says love God and love your neighbor as yourself? 

 

Do we judge others? If you say no I'm calling you a liar. What were your thoughts when you saw the first picture? If that were me, I would want someone to love me. I want to love others to the truth. I'm still learning how to do that everyday. Are you learning too?

Food for today? Eh, same old...same old, EXCEPT

Portabella mushrooms caps. They say they're like steak? Ah...no they are not. BUT, they will do for now! Pretty tasty dinner!!

Kristin's Days 21 &22 - It just occured to me...

This week has been beyond crazy. Wait, let me rephrase that. The
last month has been beyond crazy. Andy and I are booked solid and we only see each other during transitions. Nuts.

Since we married in 2002, we try to do a date night once a week. Some of you think that's crazy - like who has time for that? Technically, we don't but if we do not connect with one another at least once a week? Everything in our relationship starts to get stinky. We get shorter with one another. We do not communicate well...it's like a snowball. Date night (although it's become quite a cliché) is essential for our marriage.

So, that's why it's kinds hard to blog everyday. I either do a really short one or I'm typing when I should be sleeping!!! I think I might try to blog earlier in the day or something. We'll see how it goes.

There were some hard food choices in the last two days. I took Colleen to Panera yesterday. They did not have my black bean soup, so I got garden veggie soup. Ugh. I picked out the pasta, but ended up eating the barley. Barley is too hard to pick out. For dinner Andy and I hit up Waynesburger (it's awesome) before going to see Damn Yankees at WASHS. I ordered a salad without cheese, hummus, and French fries. Have you ever tried hummus on salad? Not bad...not bad...

Late last night, I had a sleepover with my YL friends. They brought food, most I couldn't even eat, and we stayed up till 3am talking, watching movies, and playing games. This morning I made the girls Belgian waffles and bacon. I made myself some tea and a smoothie...

Tonight, I went to my YL friend's 16 birthday party. It was held at Rolling Mill Tavern in Rouzerville. They have some yummy food and this spread was equipped with burgers and wings...ugh. I ate potato chips, veggies, and actually rolled French fries in leaves of lettuce. Hey, I was trying to make the most of things!

 

As I was driving around this evening it just occurred to me that Jesus' disciples didn't 'get it' until he left and the Holy Spirit came. At one time, Jesus had hundreds maybe even thousands following him around, but in the end, even his closest disciple had a temporary case of betrayal, and the ones who once followed him around turned around and wanted to murder him. 

 

Friends, I have the privilege of working with some of the most amazing teenagers ever. They are just incredible. Sometimes I wish I could make them understand the love God has for us and poke that change God does inside to come along. I want them to experience what I have experienced. God completely and totally changed me - heart, mind, soul, and spirit. He gave me confidence where I lacked it. He gave me a new identity that I never would've saw coming.

 

It just occurred to me that even Jesus couldn't make that understanding come for his disciples. He had to wait until the Holy Spirit opened their minds and gave the wisdom and understanding they needed.

 

In the end, I have to pray, be there, and be willing but it's God who does the work. We say that ALL the time, but do we understand what that means? Do we live that out as we interact with the ones we have the honor to love?

 

THAT FRIENDS, that lil tidbit of info was my meat today. My physical is certainly craving all kinds of food right now, but my spirit needs nourishment. I've been getting some bit by glorious bit. Fasting is hard, but the benefits for the soul/spirit? TOTALLY WORTH IT.

Kristin's Day 19 and 20 - The roles have reserved and it's SO weird.

Last week, I looked at my husband wide-eyed and completely baffled. Then, it happened again Tuesday and Wednesday. Shocked. Amazed. Oh...and a bit weirded out.

Let me explain.

As a newlywed and young mom I was...how you say...OCD, anal, crazy clean lady, mirco manager. When it came to the kids, house, and any youth activity Andy and I were assigned to - I led the charge. I gave the orders. I issued the reminders. I became impatient and angry when Andy messed up or forgot or did things late. I felt like he didn't hear me sometimes or he did what he wanted before doing what I asked.

Well friends. Kids happened. More kids happened. Several moves happened. Young Life happened. Then, even more kids happened. God started changing me. I worried about the house less, yelled at the kids less, and starting forgetting just about everything. I don't think the forgetting thing is God? I don't know.

After Micah, pretty much all my OCD, anal, crazy clean lady, micro manager just ran out. Sure I still like a clean house, clean kids, and everything organized but really - as a wise woman once said - Ain't nobody got time for that! I forget to do things 5 mins after Andy asks me. I do not do things in a timely manner for YL events half the time. Andy feels like I don't hear him sometimes. He asks me five times to do the same task.

Last week, I looked at my husband wide-eyed and completely baffled. Andy got miffed when I did not do things in the manner that he wanted before YL one night. I ran behind schedule, I forgot stuff...I...I...WAS LIKE ANDY WAS 10 YEARS AGO! Well, shoot. The tables have indeed turned. Now, here's hoping we find a good balance in these reversed roles. Oh my word.

Food the last two days? Completely and totally uneventful and frankly boring. Folks...I'm eating the same stuff all the time. I get these awesome recipes, but most of them have flour, or grains we're not eating, or sugar. UGH. I love y'all, but I can't eat half of what you send. I'll be sure to try it in 20 days lol.

The highlight of my food choices?
1. I mastered baba ganoush!
2. I made uncooked stuffed peppers with guacamole.
3. They finally got sea salt pop corners back in stock at Martin's - it's the little things.

I'm in a fog ~Kelly's Day...19?

Went to Starbucks with a friend this morning. She learned all about my fast. We go to dinner about once a month or two with another friend. I was running a little behind, so I poured a huge glass of OJ for the road. When I got there, I has a mint tea. Later on, my friend posted that we need another girls night out, and the restaurant that was suggested is of the vegan sort! How sweet was that?!

After Starbucks, I ran to Target to try to find some BV approved food to take with me for my weekend in New Jersey with my Holy Yoga sisters! We are staying at a Bed and Breakfast, and I'm so pumped to take an arm balance workshop and Flow class with Brooke Boon, Founder of Holy Yoga Friday night!  I'm a little nervous about food.

Another perk of my trip is that I get to spend a little bit of time with my Bestie, Elizabeth, and get to meet Baby Macy and see her kiddos and Stewart. No amount of time is ever enough when you're with dear friends, but I'm looking forward to it.

Lunch...
Avocado
Peanut butter
Celery sticks
I think I ate something else, but the fast fog is in full force.

For Dinner, I got to thinking that I haven't had enough calories today, so I popped open a jar of olives open and ate half of them. Then, I...wait. I had the avocado for dinner, not lunch. I officially don't know what I had for lunch. I also ate a bunch of French fries, which I refuse to study the ingredient list for. I'm 97% sure it has "bad stuff" in it.

I'm sure you can throw in a couple more cups of OJ.

I know this weekend is going to be great. I know it will be good to be with like minded people within the Holy Yoga community. I know the training I will receive in massage and touch techniques will be amazing. I'm sure the people I will meet will be lifelong friends. I'm a little torn because I'm missing my son's soccer tournament and tryouts and practice. I know I need to remember that "I am NOT that important!" I know everything will go smoothly. I tried my best to set everything up to make it easy for everyone.

I know this is pretty disjointed. My brain is going in three or four different directions today.  Better luck tomorrow after I've had time (6hours to be exact) to think/pray.
Grace and Peace!

Breakfast of Champions~Kelly's Breakfast

Nothing about being Beyond Vegan is convenient. There is no such thing as "fast food."

Kristin's Day 18 - Bean Dip, Bean Threads, and Jelly Bean Toes...

I am trying to develop a liking for beans. Beans are a good source of protein for me right now. I don't really eat them often cause I'm not a huge fan, but right now? I'm trying to befriend them.

I had a banana for breakfast and then I rushed off to WASHS to teach English 10.

After first block, I had bean dip with blue corn chips. I can get down with the spicy refried beans. You can get the vegetarian kind, but most add sugar. It took me a bit to find one without the sugar.
Thank you again, Martin's of Maugansville.

After most of third block, I ate the third lunch shift. I ate some more of that mashed potato sauce stuff...yuck, and an apple with almond butter

After school I had some more corn chips...

For dinner I made the family chicken, rice, broccoli, and gravy. I ate that bean thread vegetable soup I made last night. Let me just say at this point in the game, crushed red pepper makes everything taste better!

After dinner I had salsa and...you guessed it...chips. LOL maybe I need to add more beans and less tortilla chips? Oh my word.

Tonight was YL club. One of the games was Jelly Bean Toes. Girls use their toes to extract jelly beans from  water, then they put said beans directly in a boy's mouth using, yep, their TOES!

THOSE BEANS ARE FUNNY!!!!

 

So, there you have it!! Nothing really awesome...I just spilled the beans is all. Beans can be black, red, white, jelly, or wait...why are navy beans not blue? Oh well. That's enough on beans for now.

McHales Irish Pub and Nonviolence~Kelly's Day 18

If I told you about my morning, you would understand why I forgot to eat breakfast. In short, I drove to our Elementary school twice and got stuck in school traffic twice, which translated into me driving for almost an hour before 7:40, and the only thing I had to show for it is that my children were at school, Chris Stombaugh's signature, and twenty bucks to pay Coach for tournament per diem.

When The Pixie and I finally got home, I had to jump on a Holy Yoga prayer call. The gal officiating the call accidentally overslept, so I sorta led it.

Ran Pixie to school.

Ran to yoga.

Ran to REI.

Ran to the mall.

Ran to World Market-scored big time.

Ran to pick Pixie up.

Lunch:

1 Avocado

Couple of handfuls of Cashews

Amy's Black bean soup

By mid afternoon, I was running WAY LOW on energy, but mid afternoon is typically when my day just gets fired up, so it was homework, then down to Rock Hill for agility training.

We went to this Irish Pub for dinner. I thought I was going to get stuck eating French fries for dinner. I mean, when you think Irish, you think fish 'n chips or potatoes, right? I guess I had a 50-50 chance.

Turns out, I had a pretty good selection to choose from. I might have gotten a little excited when I ordered. I ordered steamed broccoli, a side salad with no cheese or dressing, and a plain baked potato. It was awesome! Meanwhile, The Man threw down fish'n chips, and the kids had your typical kid stuff.

the Man ordered an appetizer called " Leprechaun Balls."  They appeRed to be some kind of jalapeño/velveta looking cheese balls that were breaded and deep fried. They were a big hit among the cheese eaters...even Darby, who typically reacts to spicy things as one would react if they had been set on actual fire.

Interestingly enough,in my yoga class this morning, the teacher was talking about an idea called nonviolence that those who associate yoga practice with Eastern religions would subscribe to. While I do not choose to associate my yoga practice with Eastern religion, but rather, with Jesus, I respect other ideas and try to see if there's anything God would have me learn through my teachers...just as I would seek to learn through interactions with any other person in my life.  Today, the one thing that stood out is that she said we should not be "violent" against ourselves...including our thought life and self talk. I think my jaw dropped when she said that, because that definitely aligns with the Crash the Chatterbox series my church just finished up. I even told her during class that "I can't do half moon pose." I can do other poses which I consider "harder," but half moon is my nemesis, and it kicks my butt every time! She (rightly) corrected me by reminding me that "I'm working on it." I realized that as soon as my instructors say " half moon,' I instantly hate life and start all the negative self talk. What God wants is for me to see myself as He sees me...I am more than a conqueror!  I think we should all exercise a little more love toward ourselves, knowing that our confidence is not in ourselves, but in The Lord!

And then I had a tall glass of orange juice.

Selah!

Kristin's Day 17

Today was completely uneventful. We had more snow, another snow day (Andy included - he works near DC), and I literally wanted to lay down and be lazy all day.

PS - laying down and being lazy with three kids and a 6 month old is impossible...don't try it.

Breakfast: Dehydrated apples (disgusting I need a good recipe or something) and PB

Snack: Tortilla chips

Lunch: I made myself mashed potatoes with unsweetened Almond milk, salt and pepper and poured some Indian type sauce on it. Not so tasty.

Dinner: I made the family Pasta Cabonara and ate an avocado

Snack: 1/2 of a can of spicy Beyond Vegan Approved refined beans and nonGMO blue corn chips

Before bed - a ez-peel kid orange and a spoonful of PB

I made myself spicy vegetable bean thread soup tonight. I have learned that bean threads are SO much better the next day. So I'll let you know how that goes after lunch tomorrow.

Tomorrow and Wednesday I get to sub for an English 10 teacher at WASHS. I LOVE subbing for English. Can't wait!!

I used to teach in Howard County Public Schools about 12 years ago (man...that makes me feel OLD). Teaching in the special education field takes a toll on you. The paperwork, meetings, more paperwork, testing, and more paperwork was just ridiculous. Substitute teaching allows me to be in the classroom without all the back work. It's like the best job for me. I am so thankful that I get to do it!!