Halloween 2013 Perfect Fall Weather!

Halloween. Addy chose to be a white tiger.  She picked out a witch hat for me to wear and since she couldn't wear a mask to school and wouldn't let me paint her face the first few photos are her school costume attire.  The photos with her with her mask on were pre-trick or treating photos.  Daron had the brilliant idea that I go as Little Red Riding Hood and Opal Luna could be my wolf.  Daron had been fighting a cold all week and wasn't feeling great so he went as a Raiders fan.  Our cat Bella took a safe high view on the front porch. 

The HEADACHE Update

Since I have been getting a lot of questions about my headaches I thought I would give an update.  A HAPPY update I am HAPPY to say! I finally found a hormone specialist who took a lot of  blood.  A LOT of blood.  On our first meeting she quickly surmised that I had Estrogen dominance.  I started progesterone immediately.  Progesterone is an anti-inflammatory.  HELLO!  Headaches are inflammation in the blood vessels in the brain.   I also was having muscle burning especially in my chest muscles.   The progesterone decreased my inflammation therefore decreasing my headaches and muscle pain.  Hallelujah!  Can I get an Amen?

In addition she check my blood work and although I was on thyroid medicine the T3 was still low so she changed the thyroid meds.  Finally I felt my energy come back. She also said my adrenal glands were that of an 80 year olds.  This was great since I felt like I was 80 years old.  Magnesium, vitamin D, Ashwagandha and a prescription vitamin B pill should help restore the adrenal function.  The best thing is that I have had a four to five day headache in months.  I haven't been bed bound even one day in months.  I can bend over without throbbing in my head.  My neck pain has lessened considerably and my friend said I was way more social.  I have even made it to book club and when I hike I walk faster!  I am also teaching yoga again at a local herb store.  I wish I had found the hormone nurse practitioner about 3 years ago but better late than never.  I am glad I don't have to revisit the neurologist or local doctor who put me on meds that made me feel worse and didn't help!

I found this awesome little story that I think was written by Dr. Wayne Tompkins of Tompkins Wellness Center.

The Twisted Sisters: The Female Hormone Saga

Once upon a time there were two sisters who had to live together and get along. One of the sisters was very bossy and had a domineering nature. Her name was ‘Estrogen’. The other sister was quiet and submissive and named ‘Progesterone’. Estrogen tried to run the show and didn’t know her boundaries. Unfortunately, she had all the connections and received a lot of help and support from outside the house. She hooked up with her evil friends like Toxin, Stress, and Pollution. With supervision, Estrogen really shined, but left alone, she made poor choices in choosing her friends which upset the restful order in the home.

Progesterone, on the other hand, was pretty smart, but she needed lots of help. When Estrogen and her evil friends ruled the roost, she tended to shut down and not stand her ground. However; she knew what it took to create an environment that was inviting and safe for new little inhabitants in the house. With some support from her friends, Rest, Nutrition, and Purification, she harmonized marvelously and stood her ground with her often dominant sibling.

Now you’ve probably figured out this house is your body and the story is not a fairy tale from ages past. It is present day reality and describes a condition commonly known as ‘estrogen dominance’ ... when estrogen has the upper hand. Estrogen’s friends are what are known as, or false estrogens. They are toxins, food dyes, preservatives and noxious chemicals. They are very good imitators of actual estrogen and easily latch on to its receptor sites. The result is hormone imbalance and a dominance of estrogen in the body.

Christmas Shopping on Etsy

Mouses, Dogs, Kids and Pizza

Addy (behind the IPad) and Opal on Sunday Morning

I want to keep it Mom

Saved from the claws of Bindi

Mom was sick so the dogs comforted me

The Mouse in the Fairy Garden

homemade pizza crust - artichokes and sun dried tomatoes

Addy cheese and Daron Pepporoni

Cute girl going to school

Addy did a dinner dance performance for Kim and Chuck

These grew by our house in MI and I just saw them here in UT

Opal and the girls

Fall and my closest friends moves away! ACK!

Addy and her shadows

Fall Hiking with the dogs

My BFF Kim leaving for North Carolina

The boy who stole her away

Happy for her!

Sad to see her leave though!

Walking to Kindergarten.

Addy walking to school. Just kidding. Just a hike near our house. We have roads here. Paved roads.

 Addy and Daron trying out our new mastication juicer.  Kale and apple and carrot juice.  Daron and Addy created a juice called PARROT juice - pears and carrots.  Brilliant!

 Sunday morning.  Daron made Addyson and I egg and cheese biscuits.  yum

Fall - our FAVORITE time of year

old sliding door with a cat door insert

new energy saving doors whoot whoot

old kitchen window

new kitchen window

Doors open and fire in the fireplace.  Ahhh Daron

movie night at home

road runner painting for a friend.

Zion/Springdale Music Festival

The Springdale Music Festival was a hoot!  Just the backdrop alone was worth the trip.  Not to mention a BOUNCE HOUSE!  Addy had a blast, and even scaled a rock wall for the first time I think.  Only problem was the 1.5 hour line to get her face painted.  She was very patient though and goter done.  I think we'll be back next year.

Mainlining Pesticides and other fun stuff ;)

I have wanted a juicer for a long time but I am too cheap to buy a good juicer.  I talked to my doctor who has balanced my hormones and increased certain vitamins to get my adrenal glands working and she uses a juicer.  She said a masticating juicer is the best because it keeps more of the nutrients.  I looked it up and it says that the masticating juicer operates by using a single gear or auger that literally chews up the fruit into pulp. Unlike the centrifugal juicer, a masticating juicer operates at a much lower speed at about 80 ~ 120 RPM, producing minimal heat and least air oxidation which does not disrupt the cellular structure of the fruits and vegetables. This eliminates oxidation to the juices, therefore, preserving most the precious enzymes and nutrients. Some models can even be used for vegetable juicing , thus making it a good kitchen companion.

I have been trying to increase the  amount of vegetables we eat as a family.  I have grown increasingly more frustrated as much of what I make is not eaten because of the vegetables. This has caused me to stop cooking all together since I walk in circles around the grocery store going "WHAT THE HELL SHOULD I BUY?"

I don't want processed foods so that takes out all the middle isle of the store.
I don't want to eat factory farmed meat so that takes care of the back isle.
I don't want to eat fish that maybe has mercury or destroys the ocean environment.
I don't want to eat vegetables with pesticides.
I am the only one that will eat certain vegetables.
I leave with white bread which has no nutritional value, lunch meat for Daron's sandwhich which is probably full of nitrites - The preservative sodium nitrite fights harmful bacteria in ham, salami and other processed and cured meats and also lends them their pink coloration. However, under certain conditions in the human body, nitrite can damage cells and also morph into molecules that cause cancer. YUM.
I leave with lots of cheese because all of us will eat this.  I try not to think about the cows that produce the milk for the cheese and how they have to stay pregnant so that they continue to produce milk and then there are stories like this - An investigation of a farm tied to the producer of Cabot cheese found that calves' heads were burned and that cows were electro-shocked in the face. Double Yum.

I buy buffalo meat  from a local farmer and I picture the buffalo grazing just outside of Zion National Park although I am not sure if that farm is the farm they are from.

I buy apples, carrots, corn and other veggies wondering if they are genetically modified. 
A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. Organisms that have been genetically modified include micro-organisms such as bacteria and yeast, insects, plants, fish, and mammals. GMOs are the source of genetically modified foods, and are also widely used in scientific research and to produce goods other than food.

I have only read a little about GMO foods.
As evidence for this assertion, he points to an independent 2011 study by a team of doctors at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Sherbrooke Hospital Centre in Quebec, Canada.
The study looked at the prevalence of Bt toxins in female patients, finding that the chemicals -- which are often implanted into GMO crops including corn -- were found in the majority of those who were surveyed.
The study looked at a small sample of Canadian women and determined that of those who were pregnant at the time of the survey, 93 percent of them had traces of Bt toxin in their blood, and 80 percent of their umbilical cords contained the chemical.

Most of the world’s advanced nations -- from the European Union to China and Russia to Saudi Arabia and Peru -- require that products containing GMOs be labeled as such, while the United States, Mexico, Canada and others have failed to institute such a requirement on manufacturers.


I think like anything there are good and bad so both sides.  I don't like the fact that you can't plant a seed and have a plant grow in many cases due to genetic modifications.  I think God had a pretty good system in place. 

Hopefully our bodies are adapting to all these environmental changes and toxins but I would think it would take a couple of lifetimes for that to happen.  Any substance that is in our food, environment, shampoo, lotion etc. can affect our hormones.  A hormone is a chemical released by a cell, a gland, or an organ in one part of the body that affects cells in other parts of the organism.
 A variety of exogenous chemical compounds, both natural and synthetic, have hormone-like effects on both humans and wildlife. Their interference with the synthesis, secretion, transport, binding, action, or elimination of natural hormones in the body can change the homeostasis, reproduction, development, and/or behavior, just as endogenously produced hormones do.

SO THIS IS THE CRAP THAT GOES THROUGH MY HEAD WHILE SHOPPING.  NOT. FUN.  Even if you say we can't help it and eat a little of everything it still in my head.  Besides if you know me I eat the same thing for about 3 months and then switch to something else.  Addy only eats noodles, cheese, green beans, corn and eggs.

Then I saw this commercial and looked up the website.


All of us decided a juicer will help us get our nutrients and I figured what the hell it is a great way to mainline those pesticides, toxins, chemicals and listeria. 

We will simultaneously get healthier and unhealthier.