Allergic Reaction, Life lessons, and Happiness

So I have the MOST amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe that I made up myself. ( I know, bragging is rude, but seriously, these are made with PUDDING! Amazing!!!) The cookie gets cooked all the way through but stays super soft and the chocolate chips are mini, so each bite is loaded with flavor!! I used some new organic eggs we got.

 In Maine we had our own chickens, and organic eggs are amazing! Although I HATED cleaning out the chicken coop, they just smell sooooo yucky! Also, our llama would back be into the feed room and shove her face in the feed bin and she was crazy strong, so not the fondest of farm chores.

Organic eggs or fresh eggs have an almost orange yolk, the white is a bit thicker, and you can practically see the delicious yummy protein goodness, so that is a plus. And they have a slightly different and stronger flavor, I highly recommend them!


So I also am in love with Cupcake Wars, and would love to have a bakery someday called the Pink Stiletto ( I have the shop, uniforms and menu already planned out ;) ) I've been trying to learn how to make my own cupcake batters that are original, so after I made some cookies I decided to try to turn the batter into cake batter by adding whipping cream. It worked very well, the cake is very moist and fluffy, but the middles fell, they didn't puff up. Surprisingly they didn't turn out dense or weird, they just didn't have much volume.

Does anyone know how much baking soda I should use in ratio to the flour? I think that will make them puff up instead of sink down.

But here's where things get exciting! So after eating 1 cookie, I see these weird spots on my thumb. It kind of looked like I had left my hand on something with a pattern that caused an indentation, but it wouldn't go away, and then I started to get worried!

 

I called Ken who was 20 minutes away donating platelets and plasma which takes FOREVER but saves lives so it's amazing that he dos that, but if he leaves before they are done, they can't use his blood. Then I got this rash.

I am so grateful to have an amazing and thoughtful husband, for his prayers for me, and for all the other prayers from friends and family on my behalf! I'm doing great!

 

It's a little hard to see in this picture but my skin started turning pink all over and these little red bumps started to appear. Then, my fingers, hands and wrists started swelling right in front of me, and fast! So I called Ken and as I was talking to him he said " Rachel, go unlock the door and sit down, you are sounding really confused, I'm calling 911". So I did, and the fire truck came! ( In less than 3 minutes too, we have an awesome fire station)

My chest started to get tight, I had a little fever, the rash spread and the itchiness got worse. Then my ankles started to swell and all these nice firemen and paramedics were there, calm as cucumbers telling me it was ok since I was still able to talk. I had taken Benadryl but it hadn't set in yet so they took me to the hospital.

 

Ken had to go get the kids so he came to the hospital for like 5 minutes then went to get the kids from school. My friend who is a PA was on shift so that was cool to say hi! They gave me some more antihistamine medicine and some nausea medicine, and just watched to see if the reaction would calm down. It did so I got to go home! exciting huh?! I told Ken not to eat the cookies or cupcakes and what does he do? Eats some!

 

But he didn't have a reaction so the doctor said that our bodies change about every 7 years and you can develop food allergies, so I just have to o one of those skin allergy tests and stay away from eggs!

 

So life lesson: don't be afraid of paramedics and firemen, they are very helpful, call 911 if you get a strange rash and have chest pain, and let your mom come get you and take you home. It just makes everything less stressful!!

 

So yesterday was exciting! I'm very happy to be fine and that the reaction was not worse. I'm also very happy to be using Thrive, because I had plenty of energy, had no discomfort besides the itching, and was able to think clearly about what I was allergic too, even though I was a bit confused from the reaction. Thrive isn't a magical cure, but it provides your body the necessary nutrients for it to function at it's best. I can only imagine what would have happened had I not been using my Thrive!

 

And Ken liked the cupcakes and is probably going to eat them all. If you have any egg free yummy recipes I'd love to try making them!! oh, and Benadryl is an excellent thing to have on hand, especially if you don't know you might be allergic to eggs!

 



 

Thrive Week 1 Results!!! Miracles, total Miracles!

So, I started a log to see if this Thive Le-vel stuff really works. You be the judge. I dare you to try it for 5 days, and I guarantee you will be on it 5 years, or most likely the rest of your life!

2/12
weight= 170 lbs
inches around the most swollen part of my belly (making me look pregnant)= 43"
Inches around largest part of thigh= 24"

 

Yes, this is a maternity shirt, because my chronic inflammation makes me look pregnant, and no, I cannot have children so you can imagine how difficult this is.

 

 

Normal discomfort level including stiff joints, muscle cramping, headaches before Thrive= 8 (on over the counter anti inflammatory)

 

Normal swelling of belly ( as seen above), hands, knees, ankles, feet and the discomfort level of that before Thrive- 8

Now my normal discomfort level taking Thrive Le-vel of the above swelling and general discomfort- between a 2-4 daily. That's down 4-6 whole points on the number scale!!!!

 

Ken and I decided before we tried Thrive that if it took either my discomfort levels or swelling down 2 points on the number scale we would consider it a success. We both feel these results after just one week are not only a success, but a miracle.

 

 

Weight= 167lbs unwavering. ( throughout the day it will dip lower, so I chose the highest number that it never goes above)

Waist at most swollen part right under belly button= 41"

Thigh= 23"

 



General improvements noticed within the first 3 days that have just kept getting better!

1.  Sleeping through the night, falling asleep quickly, and if woken by the baby fall back to sleep quickly. (Before Thrive I wouldn't be able to fall asleep until 3-4 am, which makes for a grouchy mama bear).

2. Energy at a high 8-10 daily compared to my previous 2-4. Now I can give my foster kids a run for their money, no tired mama here!

3. Mental clarity- my eyes do not tire easily anymore while reading. I can plan meals, organize ideas and think through chapters for the book I'm writing, keep paperwork organized and stay on top of what needs to get done when ( This is especially critical as we have started our ADOPTION paperwork!!)

4. Confidence! I can't tell you how much more confident I feel when I get up in the morning. I feel like superwoman again, like back in my high school days! Today I'm going to change the world! And I'm doing just that, service that I've wanted to do for friends, teach my foster kids important lessons, plan ways to participate in my community, run errands, make healthy dinners- there is life changing power in healthy dinners!

5. Not grumpy! I have so much more patience with my kids, I get less annoyed over little things and take moments that can be annoying and turn them into teaching opportunities. I think a lot of that has to do with actually resting well!

6. Not needing a nap when my kids go down for a nap. THIS IS HUGE! This started on day one taking Thrive and it threw me for a loop, I got so much done in those 2 hours where I normally need to nap to keep up with my family!

7. Fit into smaller clothes. I don't need my maternity shirts anymore, I wear a size Large now at Target! Awesome!!

8. Able to stand, walk, run multiple errands and still keep my discomfort levels below a 4!!

9. My stomach works! I'm not craving carbs and sugars, but healthy foods, and I'm not going back for seconds and thirds. I'm getting the right kinds of foods and nutrition needed and don't need to snack all day long or find carbs to feel full.

10. My body is reacting less severely to things. It's difficult to explain, but I feel amped and ready for any challenge, and my body feels calm and ready to face stressful things that may come up during the day.

 

I love Thrive, it's changed my life, and I can't wait to see the results Ken has after his gets here!! This is life changing and I'm so grateful to my friends Denise and Dexter who weren't afraid to help me find it!

 



 

Life of Miracles

Ken and I have had many trials in our short little lives, but we have also had amazing miracles. They are very special to us, so I keep them recorded in a miracle journal, but I wanted to share a few simple ones that mean the world to us. And add some happiness to your Sunday!!

Today I was called to be Primary Chorister in our ward. In our religion no one gets paid, it's all volunteer and we are asked by our Bishop if we would like to serve in a specific calling or capacity. Like leading the music in Primary. Primary is where the children 3-11 come and learn about our Savior and I get the privilege to teach them amazing and beautiful songs!

Right now we are working on a song that talks about how we know our Savior lives and loves us. I am so grateful for this opportunity. I love music, and love being able to work with these amazing and sweet children. I pray about how I want to teach the songs, and I work with an amazing pianist and other primary leader to make sure things go great. We sing fun songs, songs that are peaceful, do activities, and most importantly I try to help the Children know how much Heavenly Father loves them.

I say this calling is a miracle because it is. It takes a lot of prep work during the week, and is very tiring to do each Sunday. But I feel so wonderful and at peace while I'm teaching, and feel the Spirit so strongly, which is wonderful. Also Heavenly Father has made it so my body doesn't poop out in the middle of my time teaching. We have been very blessed.

And the new supplements I'm taking from Thrive have been helping calm my inflammation and discomfort levels at an amazing rate, and I'm able to think and focus much better not being so uncomfortable in my own body, which is also a miracle!

Another miracle is that things with the adoption agency and paper work and timing of the progress of our current foster children are all falling into place. We are so blessed and know that Heavenly Father is watching over us and helping us. The children are reaching their milestones and doing very well. Ken and I are so happy with our decision to foster and adopt.

And another miracle, it will be a year in a few weeks that I lost my first baby. And I'm ok. I am ok knowing that I can't have children, and I am looking forward to adoption, and not fearing it. I know and have seen the Lord guide us to people, place friends in our path, get us on the right track of information to be ready, and the fear of the unknown with adoption is all but a little flicker of nervousness. I know our children that are meant for us will come to us at the right time, the Lord's time.

I have been so blessed with an amazing and supportive husband who believes in me. I have been blessed with Friends Denise and Dexter who have changed my health and wellness forever, and I have been so blessed by our Heavenly Father to have so many miracles, tender mercies and incredible experiences. I love knowing that Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer. I love the opportunity I now have to teach beautiful special children just how special they really are and how much Heavenly Father loves them. I can't wait to see and experience the miracles that are sure to come this year as Ken and I try our best to listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and make the best choices we can.

Don't be afraid to recognize and live a life of miracles!!

Holy Cow THRIVE!!!

So I'm conducting an experiment to see if I can get my body feeling at it's best. I started the Thrive 8 week challenge TODAY. It's a nutraceutical product full of vitamins, minerals, probiotics, and all natural ingredients. I wanted to try it to help mainly with my overall inflammation and immune support. And boy am I HAPPY with it!


 My friends Denise Dexter introduced it to me because they know about the different health and wellness issues I've struggled with. My body has constant inflammation which causes severe discomfort and swelling. I have trouble focusing when reading for long periods of time which gives me headaches, I don't sleep well at night and I have busy days trying to take care of foster kids so I can't afford not to feel my best.

I called to say thank you to Denise and Dexter, told them about how amazing I'm feeling already, and was asked to share the incredible change in my body in just this first day! I'm going to share how Thrive has made a difference on a thrive experience call.

I would really love it if you would listen in and support me as I offer support and my experience to others! It's Wednesday the 18th at 7:30pm MST. The phone number is 605-562-3140 with access code 559464#  you will be on mute and get to hear me! ahh I'm so excited and nervous!!

Here's me Thriving! It's so easy and I can't even begin to tell you how great I feel. I'm going to take detailed notes on the amazing changes I see in my body. It works differently for everyone and is for anyone at any health level. I'm so excited to see "The Places I'll Go!"

Greif, Adoption and Gratitude

Sorry it's been a month since I've posted!!! January has been very eventful! I have lots of pictures and videos of our foster kids being adorable that I wish I could show you! I decided to fill you in on our process, where we are for adoption, what our goals are, and what's been happening!

First, Grief. It will be a year next month that I lost the first baby. Christmas and basically all of December was extremely difficult for me. I love our foster children but they will be going home, which is always a great thing, but I felt so empty on Christmas day. We were supposed to have our own baby in our arms to celebrate the holidays and be happy and enjoy every aspect. Christmas day was very difficult for me. I just wanted the present of our very own baby, the one who should have been born by then. So the holidays were very difficult.

We just got home from our trip to Utah so we are super tired!

 

I thought that after enough time would pass the grief would lessen, but it's only changed. I think one of the most disappointing factors is knowing that since I was 14 I was told me endometriosis would be cured when I had a baby, and that I would have no trouble having a baby. So not only did we lose 2 babies right before 6 weeks, we also lost the hope of ever having a baby, and having my endometriosis cured.

Grief is weird. I have learned about the stages of grief, but didn't understand that you can go back and forth between stages!! And there are several friends I know who have recently experienced great loss. My friends, I love you and we have been praying for you! I am so grateful to know that we have a loving Heavenly Father who watches over us, and that families can be together forever.

On to adoption! This has been very scary for me, and a little sad because I really LOVE LOVE LOVE newborns, and we may not get one to adopt. But I am learning to accept that just because I don't get a child 2 minutes old doesn't mean it won't be our child. And I've realized what a blessing it is to have Heavenly Father plant the seeds of hope and wanting adoption in my and my husbands hearts. Maybe we wouldn't be thinking adoption if we could have our own children.

I love this painting, it reminds me of how our Savior loves each of us so dearly!

 

The other big thing that many people don't understand or have even been rude to me about is the child we are looking to adopt. One day I said to Ken, " I think Heavenly Father wants us to adopt a child with Down Syndrome" and he said, " that's what I've been thinking too"!!! It was wonderful to us because we both felt it was the right thing. We have been working with an amazing woman named Gina who runs Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona. She has been amazing and has been keeping us in her mind and heart, trying to find our child. Please check out the web page and see all of the amazing things this woman has done!!!

We don't know what other children we will adopt, or if even the first child we adopt will have Down Syndrome, but we have seen time and time again the Lord's hand guiding us, sending us to the right people, inspiring us to reach out to the right resources, and we have seen many blessings!!

Gratitude!!! We finally found a state agency that will let us continue fostering with our current agency and just do adoptions through them. We are so excited! We have begun to fill out the initial paper work, and they are going to help us get on a specific file at CPS where there is a list of children ready to be adopted, and if any children come through our home and are available for adoption they will help us there. We tried to contact so many agencies, but they all wanted us to switch to foster with them as well, and we absolutely love our foster agency. Everyone is so nice and treats us like family.

We only have to take 3 classes, all in march, to get our adoption license since we are already licensed foster parents for disabled children. And did I mention that this agency is actually able to help you adopt a child with disabilities?!!! Almost every single other agency would only do foster children not considered disabled. I was so amazed at how much harder is it to adopt a disabled child than one with no disabilities. But we are so grateful to have an agency, and hope they take us on. Based on the initial paperwork they still could say no to adding us to their adoptive families, so prayers would be much appreciated!!

We are so grateful to have such wonderful children in our home. We did close down the Sutton Station Depot, but I felt it was a great success. I am so grateful I had toe opportunity to run it, and that even though only 3 foster families showed up on the day I gave everything away, a church who is starting a charity was able to come and take and use all the left over donations, so thank you so much to those of you who came and those of you who donated.

I love being sealed to Ken for time and all eternity! I love that we will be together in heaven, and our adopted children will be sealed to us and we will be a forever family even after this life That knowledge takes away the sting of death and grief.

 

 

I am so grateful to know that there is life after death, that Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer, and that despite all the trials we have faced in this last year, Heavenly Father has blessed us immensely. We know that the Lord has a plan for each of us, and as I look back at the past I see how He has been preparing me for the trials I am facing now. I know life may seem so difficult or lonely, or maybe you are dealing with grief or other trials, but please know that the Lord is there to guide you. I love the poem footprints in the sand, where a man asks the Savior why are there one set of footprints along my path? Why did you leave me Lord? And the Savior responds "I did not leave you, there is only one set of prints because I carried you along through your trials".

At the Salt Lake Temple Visitor's center!

Merry Christmas Love the Suttons!!!

Hello Everyone!!
Merry Christmas! We can't show you pictures of our foster kiddos but we can tell you about the whopper of a year we've had!

We had the twins we fostered go to a distant relative, and are now getting adopted by that amazing relative!!! We were so heartbroken to lose them, but are so happy they have a forever family!!!


Then we got 3 new foster kids, all siblings! They are very cute and very fun!! We aren't allowed to show their faces but maybe you can see their cuteness from the blurred photos!!!

 

 

 

 

This is for the baby's first birthday!

 

 

Here the baby is with cousins and auntie Carrie! Thank goodness I'm sometimes blurry with taking pictures because I can post this!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Then we had 2 pregnancies which ended in miscarriages. Our baby would be due any day now, and I'm surprised that the grief has returned. I guess once you experience grief it can become a constant silent companion. But with the help of the Lord we can get through it.

 



Here I am excited at Easter knowing our baby would be coming around Christmas. Only a few days later our dreams were crushed.

 

But life of course goes on, and we have tried to press forward, figure out how to fix my endometriosis, and are trying to get the paper work ready to adopt!

 

We started a charity called Sutton Station! People donate gently used toys and clothes and then foster families come and get what they need! Check out our facebook page!!! If you have toys or clothes you'd like to donate, just let me know!!!!

                              Ken and I have grown closer together through this very trying year.

I had surgery to remove my endometriosis and try and find the cause to our infertility.

We can't have children, so like I said, we are trying to adopt!

 

This year Temples have been especially huge blessings in our lives. We go there for guidance, comfort, and to serve.

Our new phoenix temple!!!

The Gilbert temple where our friends got sealed!

A trip to serve in the Phoenix temple!!

 

Ken and Me with the oldest at the Phoenix open house. Sorry you can't see her cute face!!!

 

Ken and I serving at the Phoenix open house!

 

Our 2 year wedding anniversary! Here we are getting married in our Superman Shirts!!!

 

Our 1st year Sealing anniversary!!!!

 

 

Up next for us! Trying to adopt- taking forever. Fostering- tiring, frustrating, and the best job in the world. Our dog Rylee is doing amazing. Our Christmas tree is decorated with paper ornaments colored by the foster kids!!

 

 Rachel is seeing an amazing physical therapist and making huge strides overcoming the issues her body has been dealing with. She's lost 42 pounds and is still going strong!! Getting off fertility medicine was the best thing! We think we have figured out why her body decides to be difficult, which is exciting, and we love herbal medicine!!

 

 

Ken is a stay at home dad and full time student! He is doing amazing in the pathway program and is now a BYU Idaho online student! He built an amazing swing set for the kids, built shelves for the charity so Rachel could organize, built a mudroom station as a nod to Rachel's love of the East coast, built shelves for food storage, learned more about happiness, morals and economics and ancient American history from his favorite books and speakers, and is the best dad and husband in the world. He mastered the art of homemade onion rings, and spiced ketchup.

 

 

We hope your year has been filled with Love and Peace and that you have an Amazing Christmas! Sorry we can't do a family photo!! Hopefully your trials and sorrows will be more light and the amazing gift of our Savior will light up your holiday season and throughout the year! Love to you all!

 





 

 

Time out for women

             The amazing Hilary Weeks! I love this song! She sang it at Time our for Women!!!

Time out for women. I know, at first I thought it was kind of a rude title, but it's actually very fitting. This is an amazing event where inspirational speakers come to uplift and strengthen women in all the roles we fill. It really is a Time Out from the rest of the world, from the every day struggles we all face, and it is a place of learning. Whether you are a Mormon or not, this event happens yearly, and it truly is life changing. My lovely friend came with me, and I must say I may have learned more from her than any speaker there!

Something that really struck me from this weekend was a quote saying "the vision is true, but the time may be long to get there" ( Emily Watts). I'll elaborate a little more on this in a moment.

The theme for this year was Inevitable Light. I wasn't sure what that meant until the speakers said different phrases and reminders that triggered in me a remembrance of strength, self esteem, and courage. The inevitable light they spoke on was  the light of Christ which is in each of us and stirs a yearning to do good and grow closer to the Savior. They also spoke on how each and every person has spiritual gifts. And they spoke on what kind of gifts we may have and not even notice. The personal growth and journey this past weekend was amazing, and I can't wait to go next year.

 

                                                 Hillary Weeks singing on the big screen!

 

The beautiful backdrop behind the speakers

You may be thinking, how can a conference of inspirational speakers inspire those feelings in you? Easy! By teaching truths I already know and rejuvenating my spirit! We heard talks from John Bytheway, Elaine Dalton, Hillary Weeks, Emily Freeman and others. The weekend was to remind us how special each and every one of us is to our Father in Heaven. Spiritual gifts are unique to each person, and how we chose to use, grow and develop them is up to us. As we develop these spiritual gifts and talents, our light shines to others who look to us as examples, for help, love and support.

So, the vision in true, but the time may be long to get there. What does that have to do with spiritual gifts or allowing the Light of Christ of the Light of your personal example shine? It reminded me to have hope in the promises of the Lord, and not to get discouraged when the things we have prayed for don't happen on our time table. I never thought being patient with the Lord's time table was a spiritual gift. I'm not very patient, when I want something and feel it to be right, I want it right now. But through trials and tears and waiting and waiting for different miracles or blessings (which always come) I realized that the Lord was blessing me to develop the gift of being patient with Him.

The weekend pointed out traits and attributes that come from trials and adversity that make us better, stronger, and grow closer to the Lord. Some examples were the gift of long suffering, the gift of empathy, the gift of rediscovering yourself, the gift of seeking what is righteous, the gift of caring for others. Some may seem obvious to you, others may be puzzling. How are these spiritual gifts? Well, with the Lord's help we grow these gifts and they act as a beacon of hope to others and ourselves as we traverse through the rocky and sometimes dark nights of life.

 These gifts bring us closer to the Lord, they make us better people, and as we work on developing them and seeking out new gifts and developing those, we will be greater beacons of hope and service to the world. Our spiritual gifts are as much for the people in our close circle of connections as they are for ourselves. Think of a time when someone called you when you were having a rough day, and they said the very thing you needed. Or when you just had an idea to go help someone, or talk to someone suffering. Perhaps you were an answer to their prayer.

I can think of countless times the Lord has used angels in my life to cheer me up, help me through difficult times, and when He has allowed me the privilege to do the same for someone else. I know He always answers our prayers, maybe they aren't when we want or expect them, or how we want them. But the answers we NEED always come when we need them.

Over the weekend I found a renewed desire to pray and discover what else the Lord has been trying to teach me, and how I can grow these special gifts I have, and how I can help serve those around me. This is a life long pursuit for everyone, and we can always pray for spiritual gifts we feel we may need, like patience with a difficult child or having our hearts easily forgive.

I know the Lord and the Savior love each one of us very much. I'm so grateful I got to go to this amazing event and learn more about myself. I can't wait for next year's Time Out for Women!

Me by the sign, maybe just a little too far away from it though....