The Homemaking Warrior

Westcott Beach State Park

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Westcott Beach State Park

In Auguest, my husband and I took a short RV trip to Westcott Beach State Park. Westcott Beach is located on Lake Ontario in Henderson, NY. We were very pleased with our stay, so much so that we can’t wait to go back!

Even though it was just a short two night stay, it did not dissappoint. Westcott Beach is filled with beauty all around. The park has two different areas for camping. We stayed on the plateau loop, which is locted across the road from the beach up the road a ways. We loved how sicluded

Arriving to Westcott Beach State Park

When arriving to the park there was a check in booth on the beach side of the road. Then we drove back out of the park and across the road. Once across the road there is a quick right turn, which takes you to the campsites. Just before getting to the campsites, there is a small parking area called the Lookout, which has a spectacular view. Then a liitle further up you come to the campsites.

About the Campsite

Our Campsite

We were very impressed by the size of each campsite. Each campsite had an electric hook up. There were also four water hook ups available for any one to use on different parts of the loop. Each campsite also had a fire ring and a picnic table. In the center of the loop is a bath house and a play ground. The road way around the loop is paved, so it’s great for walking, biking or what ever else has wheels these days! No ATVs or Dirt Bikes allowed though. The park was very clean and the most we heard were children at play and some music playing, but not at all obnoxious or disturbing. Quiet hours are between 10pm and 8am, which everyone respected and abided by.

Higghlights of Our Trip

One of the highlights of our trip was walking the beach. You can’t go to Westcott Beach State Park and not go to the beach, right? Of course, if swimming and playing in the sand is your thing, then there was plenty of space to do so even if there would be many people.

As you drive down into the park, there is a toll booth(the same booth where you check in as a camper). When going to the beach, we showed the paper we were given when we checked in as a camper. It is free access to the beach for the duration of your stay.

Toll Booth

Then you drive down into the parking area. After that is a huge grass area before even making your way to the sand and water. We waited to go until 6pm to just walk and enjoy the beauty of it. We felt like it was the perfect time to go because there were not that many people. Of cours, if swimming and playing in the sand is your thing, then there was plenty of room even if there was a lot of people.

Bath House

When facing the water, there is a little peninsula to the right at the end of the beach area. On the peninsula is a rocky trail. Definitely recommend walking it to take photos. The second and third photo below are from the peninsula.

Another highlight of the trip, and my favorite part, was watching the sunset at the Lookout area. We walked from out campsite down to the Lookout to watch the sunset. I believe it took us about 15 minutes to walk there. Definitely plan on at least 45 minutes to watch the duration of the sunset from beginning to end. There is only one bench so you may want to consider driving or bringing chairs if you have lightweight ones that carry easily.

Sunset at the lookout

We saved ourselves a little light to get back to our campsite. On our way back, we walked the road where the rental cottages are because the road was lite up for some of the way. There is a sign and you can’t miss where the cottages are.

Signing Out of the Park

Check out time is 11am. When it was time to leave we just made sure there was nothing on the ground and drove over to the toll booth to let them know we were leaving. As long as you leave by 11, they actually don’t require you to check out. Then we made a pit stop at the dumping station which was included in our stay. We made sure we were earlier than 11 so there wasn’t a line to wait at the dumping station. Then we were on our way.

My Stroke Story

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The Day the Stroke Happened

Four days before we were to leave for a trip, I started having pain in my head and neck. I thought it was just a pulled muscle because I had been doing a lot of yard work that week. On Thursday, May 10, my husband, mom, Mimi and I headed out on a ten hour trip to Ohio for my cousins wedding. During the trip, the pain escaladed and I just kept taking tylonal Twenty minutes before our destination, I started experiencing dizziness, nausea and vomiting. I was unable to stand. My legs felt like Jell-O. I had dizziness to the point where my body couldn’t hold itself up and I felt heavy. My family got me inside our hotel room and the symptoms eventually started to cease. I was determined that I was just car sick and had a migraine. I did notice that my right eye was blurry after getting settled, but I figure it was from the migraine.

Little did we know, that what I had expierced was really a stroke. Typically, when having a stroke, one should act fast and get that person to a hospital because every minute counts.

At a rest stop when we arrived in Ohio before the stroke.
After the stroke, at the wedding.

Days Leading Up To Diagnosis

Not knowing I had a stoke, I woke up in the morning and got ready for the day. We headed to town to get hair cuts. Yup, I got a hair cut with my head throbbing and vision in one eye. We also went to walmart where I think I bought sunglasses. Then we went back to the hotel so I could rest for a couple hours. Somehow, I mustered up enough energy to make it to the wedding. I stayed as long as I could, but my head was pounding and not being able to see out of one eye was really throwing things off.  The fatigue was really hitting me and I was desprite to just lay down.

The next day was the longest, most agonizing trip of my life. Tylenol wasn’t touching the pain in my head. The pain reminded me of the nerve pain I had from shingles 18 months prior. I remember yelling out in pain because it would get so intense.

On Sunday, our first day back home, we went to a local hospital to get me checked out. I was told it was a migraine. I think about that now and it makes me think they must of thought I was such a whimp for yelling out in pain for a migraine. I was perscribed migraine AND anxiety medication. I never took the anxiety meds. I don’t even remember be prescribed them. 

On Monday, my husband went back to work and I made an appointment to see the eye doctor because my eyesight was not improving. I wasn’t able to get an appointment until Wednesday. I have no idea how I managed for those following two days alone while my husband was at work. It’s a miracle I survived.

On Wednesday, when I saw the eye doctor, he said that my eyesight was fine. He suggested I go to my primary care doctor. We made an appointment with my primary care doctor for that afternoon.  It was there that my primary care doctor saved my life. She ordered a CT scan, which first had to be approved by the insurance. So we sat in the parking lot and waited. Looking back now, it’s amazing that it was approved in less than a couple of hours because usually it takes days or weeks. The only way to get something done like that the same day is by way of going to the ER. Remember that we tried that on Sunday and no tests were done. It was now Wednesady. Six days after the stroke occured.

CT Scan and Results

So, once it was approved, we were headed to a near by medical center for the CT Scan. After the scan, we were sent to another waiting area to wait for the results. It was there that my husband got the phone call. As soon as he got off the phone, he grabbed my hand and started walking me out the door and down the large empty hall way. I said, “What did they say?”. He said something about taking me to Upstate and that there was someone waiting for us. I stopped him in the hall and I will never forget that moment when I said, “Why? What’s going on?”. He proceeded to tell me they said there was a mass shown on the CT Scan. I responded with, “No, there isn’t”. That’s all I could say over and over. No, there isn’t. He told me we just have to go see what they have to say. I wanted to fall on the floor and kick and scream like a child at that point. My husband continued to just say positive things to me and somehow that got me to move from that spot in the hall and to the truck.

I really thought that it was going to be “clear”. That there wasn’t going to be any news except good news. That there was nothing to show on the scan. It was something out of a movie or a really bad dream.

As we got in the truck to go down the road to Upstate, I lost it. Honestly, I was full of fear and I was thinking the worst. I was uncontrollable and yet my husband had to keep it together to get me to Upstate. In that moment, I thought I had a brain tumor. Let’s face it, when someone tells you that there’s a mass on your brain, that’s usually the first thing that comes to your mind. I literally was thinking I only had a couple weeks left to live at that point.

So, instead of meeting someone like we thought, I had to go through the normal process of being admitted to the ERl . As I sat in the waiting room, I finally snapped out of it. All of a sudden, I was overcome with so much peace. Peace that surpasses all understanding. Those horrible thoughts immediately went away. In that moment, I already knew it would not be a brain tumor.

Once admitted to the ER, I had an MRI done. Then the wait began. While we were waiting, Christopher’s sister, Katherine and her then fiance’, but now husband, Layne, who is also a nurse, came, which brought comfort and got our minds off of things.

With every doctor that came in to talk to me, there was no fear. There was no turmoil. I couldn’t even cry. I felt fearless. I felt confident. I felt brave. Then the doctor that came in to actually give us the news was really hard to read. He asked me one question. I don’t even remember what it was now, but it immediately made me think the worst all over again. At that point, I did break down a little. He kept asking me questions and I kept trying to answer him. All the questions just made me more confused.

Finally, the nurse came in and announced that the MRI revealed that I had a blood clot. I smiled and said, “oh good! That’s a relief!” I had no clue at that moment what the words ‘blood clot’ really meant.

After hearing the news, I thought I was going to be able to go home, but then I was told that I had to be admitted. I pretty sure at that moment I didn’t fully understand what was going on. Not sure when or who told me, but I had a Cerebral Venous Thrombosis stroke.

Admitted To The Hospital

In the ICU part of the stroke floor.

So, there we were waiting until almost 2am before transport to my room. I had no idea what was ahead of me. I was just tired and wanted to sleep. When I arrived in my room, I was greeted by the sweetest nurse. I was able to have her for two different night shifts. She never lost her pep from 7 at nite till 7 in the morning. She was like a ray of sunshine I needed in a very uncertain time. 

The first thing that my nurse did was go through a registration process again. I thought was weird because I had already gone through it in the ER twice. Why that info wasn’t already in the computer is beyond me. At this point, Chris was answering so it wasn’t like a test to see if my memory was good or not.

My Hospital Experience

The first night and entire next day, I never slept. Every time I turn around someone was coming in asking me questions. The same questions. They all asked the same questions over and over again…

-My name

-Birthdate

-Where I was

-Month and Year- at first I said July 2016, but when they would say “July?” I was able to correct myself.

-President(asked last 3 days)

-Squeeze my fingers as hard as you can. (Their fingers must hurt after a while)

-Put your hands out in front of you.

-Touch your nose with your right hand… now your left.

-Lift your right leg… now your left.

When I got home from the hospital, it dawned on me that all those questions made me feel like I was a preschooler. Was this payback for all the years I taught preschool and asked them questions like this? LOL

On the first day I was there, two student nurses came in and had me do things like marching, going up and down stairs with alternating feet, walking on my tiptoes. Yep, I was in preschool!

That first day, Christopher had left to go home and get some sleep and bring me food. I refused to eat the hospital food. Those hours alone were agonizing and depressing. Random people would walk by and look through the door at me, but never say anything. It was very uncomfortable. I must of had a look on my face of discussed because someone finally told me why so many people were looking at me. I can’t tell you now what that reason was though. When my husband got back, I told him I didn’t want to be left alone again and I wasn’t. Between my husband and my mom, I had someone with me 24/7. My Mimi also stayed with me the last night.

I, also, had a PICC Line put in my arm on the first day. I didn’t want to go through with it at first. As you can imagine it would be kinda scary to have a procedure done like that. Their was a group of ladies that came in put in the PICC Line. The ladies were commical! It was like a routine they had rehearsed for a show. The humor of it all put me at ease. Once it was in, I was so grateful I went through with it. I didn’t have to deal with any IV’s or pokes from lab work. The lab tec would come in during the wee hours of the morning and I would barely know they were there.

I still had to deal with the blood pressure cuff and all of the other cords attatched to me. The first day was blood pressure ever hour. The second day through the fifth day was every two hours and they let me take the cuff off my arm. My husband was really good about keeping track of the time so we knew when to put the cuff on. It took a while to get used to having all the cords on me. Every time I went to the bathroom, which if you know me, is a lot, Chris unhooked me and plugged me back in. We got a good system down and my mom and Mimi learned, too. The hardest part was being woken up during the night so they could do the neuro assessment… all those questions I talked about. Some nurses woke me up more than others. Everyone was different. There were a couple reports of me answering in my sleep when asked. I guess that was a good sign. lol

I had a team of doctors and other medical personnel  come to my room between 10 and 11 each day. They dressed in white coats and each had a lap top they wheeled around on a cart.  You could tell that research is a big part of what they do.  I really appreciated how they communicated and stayed on the same page with each other.

Me and my hubby,.

Treatment and More Tests

Other than the MRI in the ER, I had several other test done. They were 4 CT scans, EKG, Ultrasound, and EEG. The worst and most unpleasant was the EEG. It is used to record electrical patterns in the brain. I stayed right in my room for the test. First my head was marked with chalk. Then some kind of cream was applied to my head/hair. The technician then attached electrodes to my head/hair. Then I sat in the dark for quite a long time until the strobe lights started. The strobe light would come on and I would have to open my eyes for so many seconds and then close them.

Are you picturing this?? All I could think was how am I going to get this out of my hair!! As soon as it was over, thankfully the hospital has a shower cap that washes your hair. It still took days to get it all out of my hair!

I could not believe I had to go through that when my head was still hurting and very sensitive. Having someone press on my head and have bright lights in my eyes was not exactly fun. Especially after being in excruciating pain for days. It’s definitely an experience that I will always remember!

​ The only medication I was on for the duration of my hospital stay was heprin. On the last day, they took me off of it and gave me my first dose of coumadin/warfarin . That way so they could regulate my levels before leaving the hospital.  In fact, the last night in the hospital, I wasn’t hooked up to anything and they allowed me to sleep with out anyone coming in.

My six days in the hospital were certainly a memerable one. I truly had a great experience considering the circumstances. Little did we know those days in the hospital were actaully the easy part.

The room I stayed in when I left the ICU.

Crohn’s and Bloodthinners Don’t Mix

I left the hospital very fatigued and with a perscription for coumadin/warfarin. It took a good month to regain my strength and the blurriness in my right eye to go away. Being on coumadin required me to get my PT/INR levels checked at least once a week. When my levels were to high or to low, I had to get them check two or three times a week. Three month into being on coumadin, I started having a Crohns flare. You can read My Crohn’s Story here.. I will just mention here that PT/INR levels are regulated by what you eat. Being in a Crohn’s flare, made it very hard for me to eat a well balanced diet. It also put me at risk for bleeding, which did happen a few times which led to very life threatening circumstances and hospitalizations. 

I countinued on coumadin until the summer of 2019. I was convinced that coumadin was the reason that every medications I tried in the last year would not help my Crohns symptoms. So, I asked my nuerologist to switch my blood thinner. We decided to switch to Plavix. I didn’t have to get my PT/INR levels checked being on Plavix. After starting this blood thinner, my inflammation levels were going down, so at the time it seemed like we were headed in the right direction and I made the right choice to switch blood thinners.  One week after Thanksging in 2019, I had another life threatening abdominal bleed. This time around this occurance actually propeled my health in the right direction. You can read more about that in My Crohn’s Story. I will just say here that during that hospital stay for the abdominal bleed, I was taken off Plavix and from that day forward I have not taken any bloodthinners. I was also released from my neurologist in 2019. I do get an occasional migraine, but I’ve learned how to combat them.  

Conclusion

It was never determined why I had a stroke. When I was in the hospital, their guess was dehydration.  I’m fine with not knowing all the answers. I’m just grateful to be where I’m at right now. I know that most people that have a stroke don’t go off bloodthinners and most deal with life long struggles. Its hard to think about that season in my life, but its good to remember how far I’ve come and how God has redeemed it all.




5 Things To Declutter Quickly

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5 things to declutter quickly

An easy way to gain momentum when decluttering is to focus on things that dont’t take a lot of thought. In this post, I will cover 5 things to declutter quickly. If you are a beginner at decluttering your home, this post is for you. If you are a person that declutters their home once or twice a year, this post is for you.

No matter what stage you’re in, I hope this gives you a jumpstart to motivate you to go further as a beginner or inspires you to do a quick refresh as a seasoned pro.

What you need to get started

Before you get started, you’ll need to gather some garbage bags and boxes. It will make the process more efficient and you’ll only have to touch something once.

The Five Categories

The five categories that will be covered in this post are big and broad. They categories are Consumable Products, Clothing, Kitchenware, Hobby Supplies, and Paper. It gives you the potential to really get rid of a lot. These five categories are a great baseline for decluttering whether it is the first time you’ve decluttered or if you’ve decluttered your home several times before. I personally make sure I cover these five categories once or twice a year. It has made a huge difference in taking care of our home and because I make it a regular thing to do it doesn’t take a lot of time.

Consumable Products

Consumable products are things that we eat, use on our bodies or in our homes. Below I will list all the items to cover when decluttering. Anything expired or no longer being used can easily and quickly be tossed. Anything unopenned, that you haven’t used and don’t plan to start using, can be donated to places like a rescue shelter.

  • personal hygiene items
  • makeup
  • medicines/suppliments
  • cleaning supplies
  • pantry items
  • freezer food

Clothing

Clothing can be one of the hardest things to part with. We like to hold on to clothes in hopes of being able to fit into them again one day. So, keep in mind this doesn’t have to be done in one declutter of your closet. It has taken me a couple of years to get my closet down to a place where I am happy with it. Even now, I have a few things that I’m still unsure about. The goal for right now is to just get rid of the stained and worn pieces. Focus on the things that are a no brainer so it’s an easy and quick process.

Kitchenware

Kitchenware is where it gets a little more challenging, but you can do it! This will cover small appliances, dishes, utensils, and kitchen gadgets. Take it one drawer, cupboard, or space at a time. Take everything out and ask yourself how often do I use this item? Have I used it at all in the last 6-12 months. Did you remember you even had it? Do you have the space for it and if not can you live with out it? If you really are not sure on some items, you can set it aside in a seperate box or bin. Put a time limit on it. If you don’t use it within the designated time then it is safe for you to donate the items.

Hobby Supplies

Hobby Supplies might just be the hardest category of them all. For a lot of us, we have things saved in hopes of some day. We have great intentions to do them, but we just never have the time. When we do have the time, it’s usually the furthest thought from our minds. Maybe it was something you enjoyed years ago, but now you are in a different season of life. It’s ok to let those things go and let some one else enjoy them. If it’s a hobby or project you work on from time to time, maybe you just need to get rid of the things that you keep passing over and never use.

Paper

Paper clutter is the most dreaded category for me. This one takes brain power. It can very easily get over whelming, but the goal here is to do this quickly, right? So, let’s just go through and find the things that we don’t have to read over to see if it’s a keep or discard. You’ll be surprised what you find that can be discarded with out reading over documents at length. Don’t forget about receipts, magazines, and even books. Magazines can be donated to doctors offices and books can be taken to a thrift store.

The After Effect

After decluttering quickly through the five categories, your home should start to feel different and run more smoothly. Imagine what your home could feel like if you take in another step further. When I did this for the first time several years ago, I didn’t want to stop here. It gave me the ambition to go beyond just a quick declutter. I felt like I was only scatching the surface and wanted to go deeper. So, my journey continued and still continues on today.

For more decluttering inspiration and tips, click here.

My Crohn’s Story:

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Part One: The Day It All Started

In June of 2014, I got done with a temporary teaching job being the preschool teacher at the christian school my husband and I graduated from. I was thankful for that job and how it helped me grow. I loved teaching. It was a dream come true.  I was ready for a break, though. I was going to miss getting a pay check, but I figured something else would come my way when the time was right. When I was working, I had been able to pay off a snowmobile and grow our savings. We didn’t necessarily need my income so I enjoyed the time off and waited for what God had next.

Little did I know, by December, I would be living a nightmare.

That December my body betrayed me. It was literally like turning on a light switch. The evening everything went wrong… I don’t think I will ever forget it. That day I cleaned our entire little apartment, showered and even made dinner. 

I remember being so full of joy that day. Thinking about hosting Christmas at our place that year and all the fun Christmas things planned for the month.Then we ate dinner that night. Nothing has been the same since after I ate that meal. You better believe I have thought more times than I can count, “if I just didn’t eat that meal, I would be fine”. Of course, it wasn’t what I ate, but when something like that happens to you, you just want something to blame or to be able to pin point the reason why it happened to you.

In June of 2014, I got done with a temporary teaching job being the preschool teacher at the christian school my husband and I graduated from. I was thankful for that job and how it helped me grow. I loved teaching. It was a dream come true.  I was ready for a break, though. I was going to miss getting a pay check, but I figured something else would come my way when the time was right. When I was working, I had been able to pay off a snowmobile and grow our savings. We didn’t necessarily need my income so I enjoyed the time off and waited for what God had next.

Little did I know, by December, I would be living a nightmare.

That December my body betrayed me. It was literally like turning on a light switch. The evening everything went wrong… I don’t think I will ever forget it. That day I cleaned our entire little apartment, showered and even made dinner. 

I remember being so full of joy that day. Thinking about hosting Christmas at our place that year and all the fun Christmas things planned for the month.Then we ate dinner that night. Nothing has been the same since after I ate that meal. You better believe I have thought more times than I can count, “if I just didn’t eat that meal, I would be fine”. Of course, it wasn’t what I ate, but when something like that happens to you, you just want something to blame or to be able to pin point the reason why it happened to you.

Part Two: Denial to Acceptance

As December ended and I continued to feel more and more lousy, I knew I needed to do something. I decided to try cutting out gluten. That seemed to help some, so I thought may be I was gluten intolerant. 

At the end of January, I had a pain in my right side that was different than the two times before that happened in December. I went to urgent care and then to the hospital for lab work and an ultrasound. I also had a follow up visit with my NP at the time. At that appointment, she reviewed the lab results form the hospital which reveled I was anemic. The results from the ultrasound showed that everything was normal. At that appointment, I had more labs done to test for Celiacs Disease that later came back negative. I also told my NP about the constant burning in my gut after I would eat anything. She prescribed me an antacid, which I only took for a month. She then referred me to a GI doctor.

When I went to the GI appointment I was still very much in denial and wasn’t ready to face what ever was really wrong. The doctor wanted to do a colonoscopy before doing anything else. I was mentally not ready for that.  After that one appointment, I never went back. 

I tried to continue being on a strict no gluten or dairy diet. I gave up on it because I just seemed to get worse. I lived on crackers because it seemed to be the only thing that didn’t cause me pain. I also took imodium every other day to be able to have a real meal or be able to go somewhere. 

By the end of the year, I desperately wanted  help, but I wanted to be treated naturally. I found functional medicine doctor in Terrytown, NY and made the appointment. We traveled hours away to see this doctor at the beginning of January 2016. While there she did labs and spent two hours with us. She wanted me to go back on a strict no gluten, dairy, sugar, corn, or soy diet. I also left with a ton of supplements. 

When I went to the GI appointment I was still very much in denial and wasn’t ready to face what ever was really wrong. The doctor wanted to do a colonoscopy before doing anything else. I was mentally not ready for that.  After that one appointment, I never went back. 

I tried to continue being on a strict no gluten or dairy diet. I gave up on it because I just seemed to get worse. I lived on crackers because it seemed to be the only thing that didn’t cause me pain. I also took imodium every other day to be able to have a real meal or be able to go somewhere. 

By the end of the year, I desperately wanted  help, but I wanted to be treated naturally. I found functional medicine doctor in Terrytown, NY and made the appointment. We traveled hours away to see this doctor at the beginning of January 2016. While there she did labs and spent two hours with us. She wanted me to go back on a strict no gluten, dairy, sugar, corn, or soy diet. I also left with a ton of supplements. 

The test results from the doctor visit in Terrytown showed there was inflammation present along with a ton of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. This doctor could not officially diagnose me, but she did encourage me to do so. At this point, I was stubborn and not ready

I finally gave in and decided I needed to find a new GI doctor in May of 2016. The doctor we were referred to was a God send. He could see how weak and frail I was and he did not want to put me through a colonoscopy. Instead, he ordered a CT scan.

June 24, 2016, I had the CT Scan. I went home and waited for the call to confirm what I already knew in my spirit. When I got the call, I was alone, laying on the couch, praying. I was completely at peace. The person on the phone told me the results. She said the results showed signs of Crohns Disease. I didn’t even shed a tear. It was a relief to finally have it confirmed. I needed this diagnosis so I could get help and get my life back.  I had already accepted the outcome before I even knew. I was ready to face it head on.

Part Three: Deciding Treatment

 ​Next step was meeting with the doctor to discuss treatment. I was pleasantly surprised that the doctor wanted to try a pill option first which was called Pentasa. If I remember correctly, it required me to take it several times a day. He also prescribed Budesonide to take along with it. After one dose of Pantasa,  my body didn’t react well. My whole body felt weird. I was told to stop taking it and to just continue with the budesonide until my appointment that was less then two weeks away.. We would then have to discuss other options.

At the appointment, it was up to me what I wanted to do. I choose Remicade infusions as my treatment. I was already familiar with it and knew other people that had success with it. My doctor also put me on prednisone because the budesone wasn’t cutting it. By the time it was approved by our insurance, we already knew that my husbands employer was going to be switching our insurance plan. The new insurance started Oct 1st. I had to wait for it to be approved all over again. As soon as I got word it was approved and called to make an appointment, they were booked till the middle of November.

​That five months of waiting was tough in some ways, but I’m grateful it was put off till November. Not only were we in the process of buying a house that summer, but my papa went into the hospital at the end of July and went home to be with the Lord at the end of August. In September, my brother got married and a few days later we closed on our house and moved. Then I unpacked our lives and we had a small housewarming party in October. Finally, life calmed down a bit and my first treatment was in November.

​I didn’t enjoy being on prednisone for those 5 month, but to be honest I couldn’t have gotten through that season of life with out it. Being on it, my gut didn’t hurt anymore, I was eating better, and it felt great to have energy again. In fact, I had so much energy, I was barely sleeping at all. I took full advantage of it. One night, I had so much energy, that I was up all night packing until my husband woke up to go to work. That was the first and only time I’ve greeted him in the morning with a smile and chipper “good morning!”. ​LOL

Part Four: Life On Remicade

I will never forget the day I had my first infusion. I was so nervous, but at the same time I was anxious to feel better and couldn’t wait. Being the first time in a new place there is always a lot of uncertainty, but this was next level. I remember once I got in my room, the tears were falling and I just wanted to run. My husband was always so good to gently remind me, I tried everything else. This was the right thing to do.  

One the IV was in my arm and I  was hooked up, I calmed down. We were very impressed with the whole experience. The nurses were so caring and gentle. Every one had their own little room with a reclining chair and TV. There was also free WIFI, beverages, and crackers. They also offered blankets and pillows which was great with the cold fluid going into your body. The infusion lasted two hours.  

It didn’t take long for Remicade to start giving me relief. After the first dose, I felt a difference. Unfortunately, after the second dose of Remicade,  I had Shingles brake out on my face. It was a long healing process and I wasn’t able to get another Remicade treatment for eight weeks, which means I missed the four week loading dose. When the Shingles broke out, I was tapering off Prednisone. I was put back on a higher dose of prenisone during my duration of Shingles. It did help my Crohn’s symptoms to stay at bay during that time, so I was able to eat well.

Once I got back on a normal eight week schedule with Remicade. I found that it was wearing off between five and six weeks. When I talked to my GI about it, he switched me to every six weeks. That made a huge difference in the way I felt between treatments. During the last week before treatment, I was careful about eating raw veggies or other foods that might be more aggravating just as a precaution. Other than that I was symptom free between treatments. I gained all my weight back and you would never know I had Crohn’s. 

In March of 2017, I started getting iron infusions once a week for 10 weeks. By summer, I was feeling really great. I was able to put all the pain and suffering behind me. I was enjoying foods I thought I would never eat again. I was able to do things like eat out and go blueberry picking. Stack fire wood and can salsa. I looked forward to family gathering and holidays, instead of dreading them. Everything felt like a gift. I thought it was smooth sailing from here, until my world came crashing down again in May of 2018. I had a stroke on May 10, 2018. (You can read the entire story here.) It was the beginning of seeing all the progress I had made completely stripped away and I became even worse than before I was diagnosed with Crohn’s.

Part Five: A Choice That Changed It All

After the stroke, it was unclear what caused it to happen. I was concerned that Remicade could of been the reason. I made a very bad choice that summer. I threw my health away.  After a stroke, you should not be allowed to make big life altering decisions.

I did not have the mind capacity to make a logical choice when presented with the option to try Entyvio or go back on Remicade. I made the decision to switch. At the time of the appointment in July when I made that decision, I was not symptomatic. By the time August rolled around I starting feeling things start to flare up.  I tried CBD oil in hopes that it would be enough to not have to start Entyvio, but it wasn’t enough. 

So, I started Entyvio thinking that it would work immediately just like Remicade did. I quickly found out that not all medications work the same. Some take longer to kick  in and start working. It was then I knew I made a big mistake. It was on this mediation that I had my first abdominal bleed which led me to the hospital with barely a pulse. After that I begged my doctor to let me go back on Remicade. At the end of December, I went for my first dose. My body quickly remembered what to do with it. I finally got some relief.

My symptoms were gone and I was getting back on track.  In March, my Remicade treatments were only lasting 4 weeks. That wasn’t unusual because that is what happened when I started Remicade the first time around. So, I knew all I need to do was notify my doctor and have him switch me to every six weeks instead. The answer I got back was very unexpected. That was the last straw for me with that doctor. I decided to switch to someone else. Once I was officially switched to the new doctor, they called with an appointment date, but it was to far out. So, I emailed the doctor and explained the situation. He got me in the next day, but what happened next surprised me. 

He did not agree to switch my dosing to every six weeks. He wanted blood work done to see if I had developed the most dreaded thing you don’t want to hear when you have IBD.  He wanted to test for antibodies. I was sure that I just needed my infusions more often, just like last time. When I found out the results that I did indeed develop antibodies to the medication that literally gave me my life back, I quickly went into denial. I didn’t want to believe it and I held out hope for so long that it was just a mistake. I was on blood thinners because of the stroke, so I blamed that. I thought that being on the blood thinners must of made the test a false positive. Every doctor I asked about it was sure that blood thinners couldn’t interact with a test like that. 

I had to move on and choose a different medication yet again. So, next I went with Stelara. My doctor assured me that it would start working quickly. Well, that may be true for others, but that is not what happened for me. I felt no difference at all. I was beginning to think that the bloodthinners I was on had to be the reason why nothing was working. Instead things were just getting worse. 

I explain in my stroke story that I switch my blood thinners from coumadin to plavix. After that switch, I saw a glimmer of hope. My inflammation markers started to go down. I was still very sick every day, but the numbers showed that Stelara was working. Then things took a turn for the worst in November.

I was being to have more pain than usual a couple weeks before Thanksgiving. I was still determined to have a normal Thanksgiving that year after missing out on so much all year long. I took imodium the day of Thanksgiving, but it didn’t work as it usually always did. After eating I did not feel well at all. I still had the rest of the day to get through and some how I did. Once I was home that night, the pain really kicked it and I started vomiting. Long story short, I ended up taking an abulance ride to the hospital. At the hospital, I had a CT scan which revealed I had a partial bowel blockage. In Part 6, I talk about how and why that happened.

After just one night at the hospital that let me go home, but it was not even a week later and I was back at the hospital again. 

What happens next, in part six, is the most real and raw part of the story. 

**Warning: lots of “potty talk” and near death experience that could be triggering in the next part.

Part Six: From Bad to Worse

I thought I was on the med. I had gotten off so easy with only one night in the hospital. I was was on prednisone and I felt like it was helping with the pain. I talked to my doctor over the phone and he got the ball rolling on starting a new medication. I thought within a week I would be starting Ciimzia, but a few days later I started bleeding. Part 6 of my Crohn’s Story is going to be a little different then the rest. The next part has been copy and pasted from what I wrote the week these events happened. . . .It is very real and raw. It a part of my story I’ve never told anyone. The closest people to me have never even heard this part. I am glad  that even as hard as it was, I wrote this down when it was fresh in my mind.  It’s long and very detailed. Warning: Some parts may be hard to read if you don’t like “potty talk”. There is really no way to sugar coat Crohns Disease. LOL 

I had four days that I felt really good after staying in the hospital one night. I came home feeling like I got off so easy and I was so grateful.

I called first thing Monday morning to talk to my GI about getting the ball rolling on Cimzia. In my head, I thought two days was enough time to get this done and at the most I’d be waiting till Friday to get my first dose.

When I called Wednesday, it had just been submitted to insurance at 11:30am. I had expected that to be done Monday and it wasn’t. I knew then it was going to be at least Monday or even Tuesday before this got done and I was in the office for my first dose.

I was feeling pretty good. I accomplished all of my normal house work and rested plenty. I was eating soup, pudding, applesauce, and sipping Ensure. I was at the most having 2 BMs and my pain was very minimal.

Wednesday, I cleaned a bathroom, showered and got dressed all cute and festive because I felt up to at least putting the lights on the tree. Chris got home and I was ready to get the lights up. As soon as we got done, I instantly felt like I needed to sit and be done.

I was going to eat and take prednisone, but I felt my bowls moving and before you know it I was on the toilet. When it came out, I looked. I said “uh oh”. I instantly thought this can’t be happening. No this isn’t happening. It can’t be.  There was blood… I wasn’t going to worry. I was going to fight this with everything in me. 

I started bleeding. It’s a battle to not let myself think the worst. The enemy instantly thinks he has his foothold. My body starts going into a tail spin as I imagine what is going on inside of me. I keep trying to shut them down. Fighting for peace, but I can’t find it.

I have enough sense about me to know what I need to do… I ask the church to pray and I go to battle myself. I lay on the couch in the living room. I put on the song In His Presence by… I soak it in. I let his presence fall heavy on me. Suddenly, peace comes over me.I start to feel a difference.

My husband joins me as he kneels beside the couch. He lays his hands on me and we pray together as the song plays again. I continue to feel something happening with in my body. Something good! I let my husband doss off to sleep as I continued to pray and rest. At 1am, we went to bed. I had the most restful peaceful sleep. 

13 hours had past with no bleeding. I truly thought I was in the clear. When I got up the next morning, I even felt pretty good, but then my bowls started to move. I was so hopeful it was going to come out clear. Unfortunately, there was blood. I was very lightheaded.

I called Christopher in case I passed out, he would know. Then I called my GI office. This was about 10:30am Thursday. My message for my dr was that I had started bleeding last night but didn’t have anymore until 13 hours later. I’m not sure what I should do….

I expected I would hear from him around the lunch hour. I thought he would see it as an urgent matter. The lunch hour came and went and I thought may be he would have time sometime during the afternoon sense obviously he must of been so busy he worked through lunch and didn’t see my message

The time kept creeping by and no call. I hadn’t had any more bleeding so there was no reason to go to the hospital. Chris had come home about 11:30 that morning because we wanted to be ready to do what ever the doctor said to do. We just laid on the couch and watched Christmas movies all afternoon.

​It got to be after 5 o’clock but I was still hopeful he would call even after hours. How could he ignore something so serious? By 6 o’clock, I decided I would have to be my own dr. I was going to take prednisone every 8 hours instead of 12 because that seemed to be keeping the bleeding under control.

So I took it at 6pm. It wasn’t long after that, I started feeling really bad. My heart was pounding really hard and I was having more abdominal pain. I seriously believed they were side effects of the prednisone.

As the hours continued, I checked my bp/pulse at resting and every time I got up to pee. It was normal every time. We went up to bed around mid night. I should of know then that something wasn’t right. I felt very light headed going up stairs. I laid in bed for 3 hours in so much pain. It was like really intense gas pain. It felt like there was a lot of air moving around.

3am hit. I hadn’t peed in 3+ hours and I was thinking we should go to the hospital. I sat up and was very lightheaded. Chris was awake and we were trying to get me to the toilet. I had him wheel me in a computer chair as far as the chair would allow. Then got up and got myself on the toilet as fast as I could. He held me up and the blood came out and I started to fade…

I couldn’t speak. His voice sounded like I was under water. I felt myself get very hot and clammy. At one point, I went completely limp. Then I peed a lot. I started to come back. Chris was pressuring me for answers. When the lightheadedness started to subside and my hearing became normal, I was able to speak. I wanted the Ambulance. I needed the rescue team again. Twice in one week. This time more serious than the last.

I wiped myself up and Chris helped me up. I got myself quickly to the bed. He went to call 911. I laid there completely at peace that help was on the way and this would be easier than trying to get down stairs by myself and to the truck. I did that last time and I barely had a pulse when I got to the hospital. I knew I could get some life back into me during the ambulance ride. Immediate attention is what I needed.

They arrived and once again I wanted to sell our house. Why in the world I thought buying a house with steep stairs was a good idea, I will never understand. They were unable to use their chair lift because of the way the top of our stairs is constructed.

They decided to strap me to a chair and carry me down. I trusted them to get me down. I had no reservations about that, but was afraid of how I knew I would feel sitting up. It was not going to be a quick 30 seconds to get me down. It would be several minutes. I quickly realized that as long as I layer my head back and They put me in more of a reclined position, my head and heart felt fine. I was able to instruct them to keep my head back and they were able to do just that.

They lifted me gracefully off that chair and on to the gerny right in our living room. Wrapped me up and wheeled me out… again for the second time in less than a week..

The man that was taking care of me in the ambulance was great. I was feeling well enough to answer all of his questions. He put an IV in and started giving me fluids. I was so grateful when we arrived at the hospital that he stayed and did all the talking so I didn’t have to explain a thing. I needed that because Chris hadn’t arrived yet. 

Part Seven: The Turnaround

So many questions were answered during the second hospital stay. I truly believe it had to come to this to get answers, real help, and find true healing.

The first person that came in, to talk to me about my case, gave me life changing news.  The team of doctors working on my case took my med list and found out the migraine medicine, I have had to take 3 times in the last month, can cause bowel obstructions. It was prescribed to me well over a year ago and I’ve always just suffered through migraines because I avoid popping pills as much as possible. After my last appointment with my neurologist, she said it wasn’t good for my brain to just suffer through it and I needed to catch them when they first start. With the weather change, I was having them frequently. So, this explains why the little improvement that was seen with my inflammation markers skyrocketed again.

Next, I started to have what felt like sinus pressure my second night and then pain in my neck and head just like when the stroke happened. Tylenol didn’t take it away. I couldn’t sleep. I was so nervous about my head and the nurses could only do so much in the middle of the night. I told my nurse I thought we should get neurology involved.

At that point, t was the forth day off the blood thinner because of the bleeding.  The trauma I had gone through was a lot of stress on my brain. This was a recipe for another stroke. I didn’t understand why no one was coming to check me out the next day. I wasn’t just a Crohn’s patient, I  was in stroke recovery. When I’ve had pain like that in the past and have  gone to the ER, I am immediately checked out. There’s no signing in and sitting in the waiting room for hours to wait my turn. So, it was confusing to me that no one was coming.

The enemy was really trying to get a foothold here. When I finally snapped out of it . . .I knew lack of sleep never helps and can trigger the pain. My body was under a lot of stress which can, again, trigger the pain. I also had my head tilted back for a few hours when I arrived at the hospital.  They assured me in the morning someone from neurology was coming, they just didn’t know when.

Waiting to see the neurologist was so worth it! The enemy tried to induce fear and turmoil, BUT God turned my pain into good news and answered prayer! The doctor told us that with the type of stroke I had, treatment is usually 6-12 months on Coumadin and then keeping an eye on the clot there after. As long as there is no change, it should never be a concern. I had been on blood thinners well over 12 months and my recent scans determined the clot was stable. 

This is what I had longed for! Prayed for! To be off of blood thinners that had been causing so many issues with my gut health. Finally, I talked to a neurologist that believes me. I have been so over doctors telling me that there is no data to back that up. 

This doctor was a God send whom I never would have met if I didn’t go through another bleed. The bleed was stopped in its tracks much faster than when I had one a year prior. A miracle, in itself, is that I did NOT need blood OR iron infusions! I have been anemic for years. I always need iron when I go to the hospital or when routine checks of my levels are done. I’m always needing to go for more iron infusions. I lost blood, but my levels held at 8.4! That is still low, but they don’t give blood or iron until at a 7. That in itself is shocking to me considering my poor on going diet month after month and having the blood loss. 🙌🏼

During that hospital stay, I was released from the blood thinners (by GI) and migraine medication. I was put on prednisone, which helped tremendously with the gut pain.  I was able to consume more food and add new things into my diet.  It held me over until my new medication was approved. 

Part Eight: Completing The Puzzle

In the hospital, I had the best doctor and I knew I need to switch to her as my GI. She listened to me and truly cared. She fought for me when the other doctors wanted me to go home.  I definitely feel like she is a better fit than all of the other doctors I have had. So, this is another good thing that came from that hospital stay. 

When I was still in the hospital, my doctor and I discussed  treatment options. I choose Cizmia, but after a two week battle  between the insurance company and the doctors office, it was decided by the insurance company that they wanted me to try Humira first. If that failed, then they would approve Cizmia.

At first that really made me angry. Our insurance company had never done anything like this before. In the past, what ever was recommended was approved quickly with out questions. What I realized later, is that it was God intervening and setting me on the right path. 

​I did not like the idea of having to inject myself ever two weeks. That’s why I had choosen all of the other options. My husband so graciously offered to be the one to do the injections. On December 17th 2019, I had my humira training and first dose, which was administered by my husband. I could feel a difference just two days after the first dose. That is when I knew this was it, This was the one that would work and give me my life back. 

We had the best Christmas that year. Enjoying it to the fullest being able to eat and not be in any pain. By January 1st, I was eating  raw vegetables again. On January 16, I was weighed and found out I had gained 9 lbs since December 12.  On that day I also scheduled my very first colonoscopy for February 19. The results of that colonoscopy revealed that I was already in remission. Less than three months after having a bowel blockage, I was officially in remission. After 18 months of flaring, barely eating anything, loosing 35 lbs, and basically being bed ridden, I was in remission. God redeemed it all.

Part 9: The Night I Blacked Out

We had a little scare Sarurday evening. . .well, actually it was a big scare for my husband…At one point he thought he lost me.

At about 8:30 Satuday evening (Februsry 27, 2021, I started to have severe lower abdominal pain. 

I’m going to get a little candid here. There is no way to sugar coat this with out loosing some of the story. So…here I was on the toilet. My hands had become numb. From there I don’t remember much of what happened. I know at some point I kicked off my pants and underwear which makes the story even more interesting.

According to my husband, he said I asked for the waste can, spit a couple of times, and went into what looked like a seizer. At first, my eyes went behind my head and then they came back as I was shaking on the toilet. He was holding me up so I didn’t fall over and hurt myself. When I stopped shaking, he propped me up on a laundry basket and called 911. At this point, I started to come out of it and I gave him a wierd look, jumped off the toilet and started yelling  with out words. He was trying to talk to me and I wouldn’t respond. I eventually grabbed him and gave him a hug. After the loving embrace he sat my bare butt on a chair out side the bathroom. 

That is where I was sitting when CAVAC arrived. I’m really glad I don’t remember this part because even after all I have been through that is humiliating. The lady paremetic helped Christopher get my underwear and pants on. After this, apparently,  I was giving them all a hard time about getting in the ambulance. Chris said he was telling me I had to go to the hospital to get checked out because I was having a seizer. Then I would say, What? A seizer? No! Then I would ask again and we were stuck in this endless cycle because I would forget.

The only thing I remember is when I saw a familiar face standing in front of me telling me I was going to be ok. (Thank you, Mike) When I got into the ambulance, I still wasn’t completely coherent. I don’t remember any questions being asked as they normally do. I know I must of been calm and still because an IV was inserted. It felt like it only took five minutes to arrive at the hospital. 

Another IV was administered. because they don’t like to use the one from the ambulance. At least that is what I was told once. I do know in severe cases that like to have two different IV sites to use as well. Fluids were given for a few hours and labs were drawn. Meanwhile, my husbands mom came with him to drop off my purse so I had my phone. They decided to stay at his sister and brother in laws house instead of driving all the way back to our house. Now that I had my phone, I was able to talk to him and let him know what was going on. The part I only vagely remember was the doctor using my phone to talk to him and get the details of what happened. I only remember her handing the phone back to me. I don’t remember any dialog. At some point after this I went for a CT scan of my head and abdomin.

It was a little before midnight when the doctor came with the results of the CT scan. I was shocked to find out I wasn’t in Crohns remission anymore. The CT scan revealed a small flare in my lower abdomen, which explained the severe pain. I felt so confused by this. I said something to the doctor about being in remission and that is when she told me that SHE has Crohn’s, too! She assured me that this is normal and it’s just how Crohn’s works. It’s a rollar coaster. You think your off it and then you just end up getting back on. 

The good news is, I didn’t have to suffer. I had no clue anything was off with my gut. other than  feeling more tired than usual and experiencing more frequent headaches the last three weeks, I have been eating great with no complications. I am very grateful I was able to get my head checked and to find out everything looks good. For those that don’t remember, I still have a partial, but stable blood clot. I haven’t been on any blood thinnners since November of 2019. The last time I had my head checked was September of 2019. It was good to get it check especially with all the migraines I have been having. 

At 12:08am, I was givien a steriod and released to go home with a perscription for prednisone. They had me wait in the waiting room,which was pretty empty for a Saturday evening. I believe we arrived home a little after 1am. It was the shortest experience I have ever had in the ER. It wasn’t very busy at all so I was able to receive quick care. 

The technical term for my diagnosis, and the reason I “blacked out”, is called “Vasovagal Syncope”. It also says on the discharge papers, ‘exasperation of Crohns Disease”. Yup, that is a great way to descripe it. Crohns, you exasperate me! 

Chris said I was acting really scared and upset before I got in the ambulance, but all I can recall is being at peace the entire time I was in the hospital. It didn’t even bother me that I was alone. I found out after that our church family had us covered and that is the power of prayer.

Living on this earth as a child of God doesn’t make us exempt from pain, but God is there in our pain. I had this writen down in my phone. I have no idea if its a note of something someone else said of if it’s my own thought, but I think it’s worth sharing and quite possibily the point of sharing all this.  This was not a fun thing to go through, but I am grateful I found out what was going on now instead of suffering. I’m grateful the doctor in the ER could relate to what was happening to me and was a source of comfort. I’m grateful it was a short visit and not an over night visit. I’m grateful for a husband that works well under pressure. 

When we arrived home, I insisted on taking a shower and I need time to flush out the contrast from the CT scan anyway. We slept in and watched our church at home. Got ready after the service ended and drove to church for the annual meeting. We missed the catered meal celebrating 40 years in our current buliding. It was also the last meal in our current buliding, before we move to our new one,  but we made it for the meeting, at least. I honestly think it helped us both to get out and be able to talk to people of that support system. It was also great to hear all the good that was still able to be done in our church during 2020. Things may of not haappened how we planned or envisioned, but God still moved and prepared us for what is to come. ​ 

Part 10: ER Visit and Lab Work Experience

Today was my last dose of prednisone.It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions the last few days. I don’t want to go back to the way I feel with out it.

I actually thought I was feeling better than ever before having to go on prednisone, but as usual it proves me wrong. It always takes a round of prednisone to make me realize the state of “good” I think I’m in, is in fact not good. Just because I’m eating and my gut is functioning properly, does not mean one is “good”.

The warning signs were there, but I didn’t think anything of it until I was headed to the ER. I fought it and tried to do everything I could to avoid going to the ER. After 12 hours of suffering through the pain, I had to give in.

~Fear Go, Holy Spirit Come~

This time I didn’t have to go by ambulance. 🙌🏼 We arrived and what a relief it was that the ER wasn’t busy. I didn’t even have to sit in the waiting room. Everything was going as routine until I heard “COVID test”. I said, “why is that necessary?” One of them said, “You have to have one in case your admitted. . . And you probably will be going upstairs.” With this look on my face: 🤨 and NO mask on my face (because they had given me something to drink for ct scan)… I was thinking…Women, you don’t know my God. That’s not happening.

~Fear Go, Holy Spirit Come~

So I jumped through their hoops because I was in to much pain to make a scene. I could tell by the look in my husbands eyes he was reprimanding me to behave. 🤣 It was a good hour or longer before I had my scan done. During the waiting time, they sent us to the waiting room. They were waiting on some lab results before ct scan could be done.

After the scan, the dr came in and said he took a look at the imaging himself and to him it looked like there was an inflamed area, but no blockage or anything serious like that. We would wait for the official results before we made any final decisions, but he said I wouldn’t have to be admitted unless I wanted, too. When the final results came back, we decided on a dose of steroids and he prescribed 30mg of prednisone. Then I was released.

This experience showed me that although they are short staffed, there are people that still care and provide quality care. The hospital was actually quite empty and quiet. I didn’t have to have my mask on the entire time. I had it off more than on and I clearly never wear one because I had it upside down most of the evening. 🤪 we’ll just blame that on the pain. I was asked if I was jabbed which wasn’t a surprise. No question or comment was made after asked, but I’m sure it was filed. . . I hid under the radar for as long as I could. This is the reason why I was so hesitant to go to begin with.

It was an all around pleasant experience, unlike the experience I had at the local lab last week(December 8, 2021). I had to get routine labs done for an appt coming up. Before we left the house, I asked my husband to get me a disposable mask out of his service truck. He said he was all out and forgot to get another box at work. Alright, I’ll just have to get one at the drs office.

So, I get there and before walking through the door to come into the building, I look through the glass door and there is no box of masks sitting there. .. like there always use to be before COVID. Ok, maybe the lab has some. So I zip up my coat as far as it would go and it conveniently covers my nose and mouth. So I go in and go over to the lab door, look through the window. No box of masks and no one sitting at the desk. So I go in and let myself breath because at this point my glasses are all fogged up and I can’t see. I wait a couple minutes and I hear someone coming down the hall so I put my coat over my face. I immediately ask, do you have a face mask I can put on? I don’t have one with me. The person says no we don’t and you have to wear one. Ok …So if I wear my coat like this can I still get my labs done or do I have to leave and come back? The person says something about the sign on the door. Ok I’ll just wear my coat like this or do you think the drs office may have one? The person throws their arms up like I don’t know, sits down and starts typing at the computer. The person did not give me a straight answer. There was no yes or no answer. So I just stood there. They didn’t tell me to leave. I thought they were logging into the computer to put me in the system for my labs. A couple minutes went by and the other staff member came in the room. The person that basically treated me like scum, said to the other person, “do you have a face mask for this women. She refuses to leave”.I was thinking…Umm you didn’t tell me to leave. There was no refusal. I asked if I had to leave. The person didn’t respond. I figured the coat over my face was sufficient. Thicker and less breathable than any mask. So what do ya know… the person says… sure sweetie, I’ll go get one. Somehow a face mask magically appeared. while the person was getting the face diaper, the rude person told me to wait in the hall until I got the mask. Thankfully the other staff member did the lab work and was extremely kind and respectful.

Yup, I know this could of been avoided if I brought a mask with me, but I don’t own any. I got rid of them a long time ago. If I wasn’t stuck in this sick care system, I’d never have to deal with this ridiculousness. Yes, I realize these people have to enforce the rules, but I think there is a better way to go about it. Was he not allowed to tell me …Sorry ma’am, you’ll have to leave and come back with a mask? Is this not acceptable protocol? I mean I guess I learned my lesson to come with a mask, but I thought they would have them available like they always have. I could of just walked in there bare faced and not asked at all.

It’s infuriating that Im stuck in this system. I can’t believe I have to deal with this. The thing that gets me the most is this was a small office. I was the only patient in the place with two staff members. Basically, no mask = no service. Yet in the hospital they didn’t enforce it. No one ever said to put my mask on or you have to leave the ER. We even saw staff that put their masks down when they were away from patients. In the waiting room people had it off. Again I had it off more than it was on. I only had it on when directly talking to staff . In the beginning when I was drinking the stuff before the scan, I had it off even when they were in the room. I guess I just needed to see for myself how it really is out there.

So there you go. Take it how you want. This is just my experience. It’s a good thing I live in a bubble because I think we would have had to move a long time ago. I could not do this every day. You all put up with way more than I ever could.

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My Favorite Organizing Tip

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Today, I’m sharing an organizing tip that will hopefully make your de-cluttering process easier. The organizing tip I will share today is the thing that took my de-cluttering process to the next level. It was at this point where it became more about simplifying instead of just getting rid of stuff.

After going through the whole house, and getting rid of the things that didn’t take much thought, I still wasn’t satisfied. It was getting to the point where I could see and feel a difference, but I still felt like there was so much more that I could do.

The Best Orgainizing Tip

I started to use this organizing tip I learned called “the boundary”. I heard about this method from Dawn of The Minimal Mom. This idea is originally called the “container method” from Dana of A Slob Comes Clean. Once I put it into practice, I quickly realized how life changing this was. For me, it has been the best organizing tip that I have found and use..

Setting a boundary means choosing a drawer, container, shelf, etc. as your boundary. You then have that amount of space to fit like items, or items that go together. If you are dedicated to a certain space then it helps to narrow down your choices. It takes things you have in large capacity and minimizes them down to a manageanle amount.

My Favorite Organizing Tip: The Boundary

Examples of using a boundary

Below, I highlight some of my own experience with setting boundaries.

Kitchen Towels

My kitchen towels were out of control. I only have one drawer I can dedicate to towels in my kitchen so I kept the over flow in the upstairs linen closet. They were taking up to much space, so enter ‘the boundary’. First, all of the Christmas ones got put in with the Christmas decor. Then I separated the towels into each season/holiday. From there I got rid of any that were worn or stained. Then I realized I had towels I never used because I didn’t like then. From there I had the amount that I was satisfied with and would fit with in my boundary.

Once all of my towels are worn out, I do plan on going to a neutral color that will work all year round. That will allow me to down size to just the drawer in the kitchen. So much easier which is what I’m going for -Simplicity.

Christmas Decor

 I had three totes full of Christmas decor, but year after year there were things I wouldn’t use. When I put my decor away this year, I decided to make my boundary one large tote and one small tote. It was a success! I just put away the things that I actually put out and it all fit nicely.

One thing I realized, in decorating and undecorating, was its was easier for me to quickly put it all away and not deal with the excess. For example, I had bulbs and other ornaments I would never use year after year They were just taking up extra space. You can see, from the pictures below, how I went from a box and a tin, to just the tin.  Now I know that every ornament I have goes on the tree.

It was the same with the bulbs shown below. The first picture are of the ones I actually used and the second is of the excess I haven’t used in 10 years. What was I waiting for? Time to donate!

Before
After
Keep
Donate

DVD’s

In an age of so many different streaming services, I can image there are a lot of DVD’s collecting dust these days. My first thought when dealing with our DVD’s was to get rid of all of them because they are never used. My motto when de-clutter has become “Use it or Loose it”. So it made sense to just get rid of them all. Well, I admit that there were some I could not get rid of and my husband wasn’t ready to part with any of his. I decided it made the most sense, at this time, to at least get then off the shelf and out of there cases. So, I took Dawn from the Minimal Mom’s advice and bought a storage case. (See pictures below.) That became the boundary. I had done this years ago with my CD’s, Yes, I still have those, too! Wish I had thought to do this with the DVDs back then. It would have made moving them into our house a lot lighter to carry. I will link the DVD case that is pictured here and a smaller option here

DVD Case

Sentimental Items: Paper

This is a hard one for me. I have been saving greeting cards for half my life, I do look through them from time to time, but needless to say it was unnecessary to keep them all. 

I decided to allow my self 3 different boundaries. One for myself, another for my husband and one for us together. Doing it that way felt doable.

In the one for my husband and I together, I put cards we’ve given each other through the years, wedding and anniversary. cards, as well as some pictures from our younger years together.  Is anyone laughing at that? I seriously just laughed out loud.  I know, we are still young, but we look sooo young in photos from 15 years ago. Any way…There is plenty of room to be able to add to it through the years.

The one for my husband includes pictures for his school days, some cards he has gotten in recent years, his teen Bible and a current event book he made in high school.  

As you can see below, my boundary is the biggest. My goal was to get everything in with plenty of room to spare for adding more through the rest of my life, but I may need to enlarge the boundry one of these days! Baby steps are sometimes better than nothing, right? At least its all in one place now.

Boundary Options

I hope the ideas from my own experience were helpful and spark some of your own ideas.

I’ve linked some storage options down below that could be used for making a boundary.

More Inspiration

Also, I linked a video from the Minimal Mom that will be helpful to you, as well. I see the title says it’s her favorite tip. too! I’m sure if you start putting this into practice it will be your favorite, too.

I highly recommend checking out the Minimal Mom. I have learned so much from her. She is the source of my inspiration. When ever I need motivation, I watch one of her videos and then get to work. Happy organizing, friends!

This post includes affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I make a small commision at no extra cost to you.

For more de-cluttering posts you can click here.

Valentine’s Day Gift Guide 2022

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Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for Women

Valentine’s Day Gifts for Women

Valentines Day Gifts for Men

Valentine’s Day Gifts for Men

Valentines Day Chocolate Gifts

Valentine’s Day Chocolate Gifts

Valentines Gift Ideas for Girls

Valentine’s Gift Ideas for Girls

Valentines Day Gift Ideas for Boys

Valentine’s Day Gifts for Boys

Valentines Day Books for Kids

Valentine’s Day Books for Kids

Classroom Valentines

Classroom Valentines

Valentines Day Ideas for Couples

This post includes affiliate links.That means I make a small commision for purchases made.

Indoor Toddler Activities

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I had the pleasure of spending some days this past summer with my nephew. So, I thought I would share some of the fun indoor toddler activies that we did. Especially with Christmas right around the corner, they could give you some gift ideas. My nephew is two, but I think these indoor toddler activities could work for preschool aged kids as well. All these activities can work for either boys or girls.

*This post includes affiliate links.

Indoor Toddler Activities

Indoor Toddler Activities

Play-Doh Kitchen Creations

Play-Doh Kitchen Creations Flip’n Pancakes #ad

This Play-doh Kitchen Creations set is one of my nephews favorites! The set comes with everything you need including roller and 8 small containers of different colored play-doh. It also has 4 differnt shaped cutters, spatula, utensils, frying pan, egg stamper, syrup extruder, and 2 plates that have stampers on the bottom for bacan, sausage, and fruit.

With this set, they’re so many learning oppurtunities and endless fun. My nephew has learned the shapes circle, star, and heart for using this set. There were oppurtunities for counting and learning colors that were unfamilar to him, like tan and white. We even used the play-doh in there containers to match the lid color with the color inside. Working with play-doh, in general, is good for fine motor skills and pretend play.

Floor Markers

Floor Markers #ad

These colorful circles are called floor markers that children sit on during school settings. When I saw these colorfuk circles, I saw so many possiblilities! For my nephew that is two, the best use I found for these floor markers is letting him place them on the floor and then as he picks them up, he tells me the color. Once he gave me some of the circles, I ask him if he could find a specific color by showing him the color and saying its name. This was a great way to introduce matching to him. They are also velcro so they not only stick to carpet, but to clothing as well.(as you can see below)

Another idea is placing them on the floor in a huge circle, put on some music and have your child/children walk on them as music plays. Then turn off the music and have them freeze on one circle. Ask them to tell you the color they are standing on and then start the music again and repeat the process. They also work great if you play action songs that require walking around the room. They can follow the path of circles while doing the action songs. For example, The Wheels on the Bus works great for this. It gets them moving and more active than jusr standing in place.

Potato Heads

Playskool Mr.Potato Head #ad

So basic, but kids still love the classic Mr. Potaot Head. It’s a great tool to help kids learn the different body parts and the right placement. Of course, It’s fun to make it look silly and not put the pieces in the right spot, too! Depending on the age of your child, it could be hard to put the pieces in the holes. This can be a good learning oppurtunity as well. You can ask your child to pick out specific body parts and have them choose where they want them placed.

Roll and Play Game

Roll and Play Game #ad

The Roll and Play Game is designed for 18 months and older. It helps develope gross motor skills, color recognition, and cognitive thinking. It comes with a plush cube and 48 action cards. Works great in a group setting or with one child.

Dots Markers

Dots Markers #ad

This Washable Dot Marker Kit comes with 8 bingo daubers and a 30 page marker pad. With these daubers, the creativity is endless. It fosters hand eye coordination, color recognition, and even matching the cap to the correct colored dauber.

Fishing Game

Fishing Game #ad

This colorful fishing game comes with 2 fishing polls, 2 nets, and 30 different fish and sea creatures. Everything fits in a bag for easy storing. Each fish or sea creature is magnetic and attatches to the fishing poles. This pool toy can be used in the bathtube, water table or even on the floor or a table. Fostors hand eye coordination, color recognition, and pretend play, as well as, learning the names of the sea creatures.

Melissa and Doug Pizza Party Set

Melissa and Doug Pizza Party Set #ad

The wooden pizza party set, from Melissa and Doug, comes with 54 pieces. The toppings that go on the pizza have velcro on them to easily attach and remove. The pizza slices also have velcro on the sides so they stick together. The pizza cutter that comes with the set easily cuts each slice. Not only is this a great set for pretend play, but it also acts as a puzzle which is a great problem solving skill for early learners.

Silicon Placemat

Silicon Placemat #ad

I wanted to include this product because it was shown in the first photo with the Play-doh Kit. This silicon placemat suctions to the table so it doesn’t move around. It has worked great for meal times and working with play-doh. Easily wipes down for easy clean up.

More Posts Like This

This was a lot of fun to put together. It made me miss my preschool teaching days. I will definitely do more posts like this in the future. I have a lot of other ideas up my sleeve that could be helpful to the homeschooling parent or early education teacher.

*All links to these products are under each product photo.

Ideas For Food Storage

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I want to give some ideas for food storage that could help in preparation of the 30-50% inflation and supply chain issues that is right around the corner. Honestly, this is more of a guide for preparedness before things get overly priced and sparse. I don’t have all the answers, but I want to share what we have done so far and what we plan to do in the next month to prepare.

I hope these ideas for food storage and preparedness will help people get ahead of this to avoid major stress later. Feel free to share this and share any tips you may have in the comments.

Ideas for Food Storage and Preparedness

Make a List:

Usually I would tell you a great way to build a food storage over time is to buy one for now and two for later, but in this case I think it would be best to make a list of things you will need for at least three months. Make a list of meals you already make and the ingredients used for those meals. Start with the nonparishable items and think of the items that were hard to find last year and start there.

Bulk Stores

A really easy way to stock up quickly are bulk stores like Costco. I have the ability to buy a lot of things that are shipped right to my door in two days. A membership is required, but the convience factor is totally worth it. I’m even able to find a lot of organic stuff at affordable prices. You also can’t beat there prices on paper products. Costco also carries things like motor oil if you can’t find it at your auto supply.

Online Stores

The first one is an online wellness club. They don’t plan on raising there prices or running out of things. Everything is made is the USA, so you don’t have to worry about these products be out to sea somewhere. There products are also natural and safer for the whole family. They have over 500 products that include a lot of essentials that you’ll want to remember to stock up on. Below is a list of just some of the products they have.

  • Vitamins
  • Hair Care
  • Soaps
  • Toothpaste
  • Lotions
  • Make Up
  • Cleaning Supplies
  • Essential Oils
  • Protien Shakes and Bars
  • Laundry and dish detergets
  • First Aid Supplies
  • Coffee and Tea
  • Baby products
  • The list goes on and on!

If you are intersted in hearing more about this online wellness club send me an email at jenstpierre@my.com.

This next one I just heard about recently. It has a lot of great long term food storage supplies. I’ve never ordered from them. Like I said, I just heard about them, but they come highly recommended by Lance Wallnau, if you are familiar with him. If you have a large family it maybe something to consider investing in. www.mypatriotsupply.com

Another one I have shopped at for years is Thrive Market. They have different catagories you can shop under to make shopping easier. They include gluten free, paleo, keto, whole30, organic, dairy free, and vegan. I have a referral link you can use to get 30% off your first order. When you join, you can get your own referral link to share with your friends, too. My link: http://thrv.me/7P18St

Freezer Food

Think beyond what is in the freezer section of your local grocery store. Obviously, stock your freezers with meat and your other freezer favorites, but there are so many other products to consider as well. Below is a list of things that freeze well. You can easily look up how to store these things properly, as well as, other items that can be frozen beyond this list. I also like to double recipes to freeze or just extra meat to have on hand to make cooking meals easier.

  • Butter
  • Bread
  • Nuts
  • Shredded cheese
  • Cream cheese
  • Milk
  • Yogurt
  • Eggs
  • Flour
  • Herbs
  • Celery
  • Peppers
  • Onions
  • Bananas
  • Berries
  • Pizza Dough
  • Avacados
  • The list goes on and on!

Other Essentials

Other essentials to consider are things that you would need as maintainence aroud your house and for your vehicles. This is the step we are on and I thought we just needed water filters, oil change supplies, and additive for the tractor until my husband said he might need new tires in the next year. That was not what I wanted to hear. I’m just gonna have to trust the Lord with that one!

  • water filters
  • salt for water softner
  • motor oil
  • additive for disel fuel
  • vehicle parts
  • tires
  • light bulbs
  • batteries
  • wood and pellet stove supplies

Indoor Garden

An indoor garden may sound a little crazy, but if you crave fresh vegetables and can’t imagine living with out them, you may want to consider doing one in some capacity. There are lots of different way to go about an indoor garden. You can literally just use what you have around the house which was my original plan. We decided to go big and try a hydroponic garden system. Our plan is to grow cucumbers, tomatoes, banana peppers, lettece, parsley, basil and strawberries. I hope to grow enough to share with our families and neighbors. There are plenty of youtube videos on how to do this that you can refer to. I’m sure I will eventually do a blog post on it as well, but that will be a while.

Other Tips

Try not to use a credit card. The intereset rate is sure to go up on those.

Now would probably be a good time to consider using some of your savings.

Try to sell anything around your house for some quick cash.

Roll your loose change and cash it in.

Ask your doctor for a 3 month supply of medications.

Don’t forget about your pets and/or livestock. Stock up on their needs for at least 3 months.

Prepare your budget for increases. In other words trim the budget.

Be resourcefull and only buy what you will actually use.

Don’t panic. There is still time.

Have fun with this! It has been such a joy to prepare and it has brought such a peace to our lives.

Remember we will get through this.

The Word

I will end with this…

6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines (food shortages) and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. -Matthew 24:6-8

Laundry System That Saves Time

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Systems For A Tidy Home

Systems are the key to making our homes run smoothly and stay organized. Another word for a system is routine.  You probably already have systems or routines set up in your home with out even realizing it. I like to think of them as habits, as well. The goal was to create systems that would get the task done faster and more efficiently. It’s also been my goal to make sure everything has a place so it’s easy to find and put back. For example, when you walk in the door you probably have a set place to hang up your coat and put away your shoes. Another example, could be in your kitchen where you have a spot where everything goes and you put each thing back in its place when its done being used. If you have children, you probably have bins or shelves for their toys.  For this post, I’m going to focus on the laundry system I use and how it has saved time.

My Laundry System

Laundry is one thing that can easily pile up and become overwhelming. It’s a never ending chore. Personally, I do one to two loads of laundry a day, five days a week. I wanted to make things go faster and be more efficient. It wasn’t the washing and drying process that was the issue. It was the folding and putting the laundry in all of the designated areas. I wanted a system that would allow me to get the clothes from the dryer to being put away in the quickest way possible.

My Inspiration

It was Dawn, from the Minimal Mom, that came to the rescue once again. I highly recommend following her and subscibing to her youtube channel. She has taught me so much about simple living. In one of her videos, she shows how she uses cloth storage cubs to organize most of her families clothing. She has these storage cubs on a shelf right above her washer and dryer. When the laundry comes out, she sorts out the laundry into the cubs with out folding anything Their are still some clothes that she hangs up, but the majority of the clothing goes in the cubs

Putting it to the test…

I have put this laundry system to the test with my husbands clothing. The laundry system I had previously put in place was crowded and everything had to be folded to fit just right. Honestly, if everything was washed it wasn’t possible for all of the towels to even fit. Plus, my husbands work jeans did not have a spot in the old system. At one point, I had a wooden stool that his jeans set on. When  I decided to use that stool for another purpose, his  jeans ended up just sitting on a chair. It was time for a new and better laundry system.

We already had a shelf that wasn’t being used that this system could work for.  I decided the best place for it was our down stairs bathroom and the same spot as the old system. I also already had the storage cubes that were the right size. Three cloth storage cubes were used for his clothing.  Then there was still enough room on the shelf for his towels which I still fold. We also moved the old system to another wall which now gave his jeans a proper home. We only needed one crate instead of two. I use the top to store extra toilet paper and paper towels. See before and after pictures below.

Before and Afters

Laundry system that saves time.
Before photo of the old system.
Laundry system that saves time
After picture of the new system. Everything is hidden away in the cloth storage cubes.
Laundry system that saves time
I used part of the old system so now there is a place for the jean and storing other necessary items.

This system has been life changing! Who would of thought not folding laundry could do that? It’s extremely quick for me to get the clothes put away and with out much effort. Mission accomplished! The folding part was always the part I would put off, but now its done with out much thought or time. 

I have linked The Minimal Mom’s video down below where she explains her laundry system in more detail.

Some links in this post are affiliate links. I receive a small commision if you purchase from those links, but at no additional cost to you.

How To Start Decluttering

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How to Start Decluttering

When it comes to how to start decluttering, sometimes the hardest thing is just to get started.  There is no right or wrong way, obviously, but there are some methods that could help you figure out where to start when decluttering.

First, I’ll share where I got started and then explain the two methods of de-cluttering that I used.

Where I Started Decluttering

The first place I decided to start with was the smallest drawer in our kitchen. Its a drawer that has random things in it, like scissors, tape, batteries, random papers and stuff you just don’t know what to do with.

Some people might call this their junk drawer or utility drawer. Whatever you call it, I’m sure we all have one. It seemed like the easiest place to start for me. It was the one place I knew needed a good tidy anyway. 

Quick Wins When Decluttering

For me, getting that one drawer done was a quick and easy win. It felt satisfying and made me what to continue on to the next drawer and then the next.

My point is, choose a spot that is going to be a quick win. Starting small will help you stay motivated. If you tackle a big job first, you may quickly feel overwhelmed and you may want to give up entirely. Remember it is a slow and stead journey, not a race to the finish line.

Gather Supplies Before You Start Decluttering

Before starting, I do recommend you pull out those boxes you saved from Christmas and  have some garbage bags handy, as well. From this point on, any time a box comes into your home, that gives you permission to fill it back up with things to get rid of. Now you never have to wonder what to do with all those Amazon boxes again. Your welcome.

Where to start when decluttering.

Methods of Decluttering

Now on to a couple of methods that could help you figure out where to start when decluttering.

I am only going to be highlighting two different methods in this post. Mainly because they are the two methods I have used.

30 day Minimalist Challenge

30 day minimalist challenge

With this method, you would start on the first day of the month. You start by getting rid of one item on the first, then two items on the second, and so forth. You end with 30 items on the last day. In total you get rid of 465 items! There are also several different 30 day challenges on Pinterest. Each day of the challenge highlights a different thing to focus on de-cluttering.  It covers most of the bases so it will give you a good start. 

This is the method that started my journey. It got me hooked!  When I completed the 30 days, I wasn’t satisfied. I wanted to keep going. I wanted to get rid of more. So, this is a warning. Once you get started, more than likely, you’ll be hooked and you wont want to stop.

Onion Method

Onion Method of decluttering.

​With this method, you think of your home as having layers. In short, for example, you start with what you can see. Then you start going through cupboards, drawers, and closets. The first time around, you mainly just getting rid of old or expired products, things that are wore or stained, things that make you say, “why was I saving this?” or “I didn’t even know I had this”. This is the easy layer that doesn’t take much thought. Then when you go back around again, it may take a little more time and thought. You keep peeling away layers, in a sense. You would be amazed at how you will find stuff every time!

After going through a couple of layers, I thought I was done, but at some point my mind set really changed and I still saw so much more I didn’t want or need. 

My Experience When Decluttering

The process of de-cluttering has been slow for me. Being in a Crohns flare for 18 months, there was a lot I didn’t use. So, I couldn’t base my decisions off of if I had used something in the last year or not. I’ve had to live out a year of my life normally to see if I would utilize certain things. I think that is why the onion method worked so well for me. 

For some, you may just want to go through each area of your home once. More of a one and done method.

I hope these methods sound helpful and inspire you to get started. Let me know in the comments what method you would want to give a try.