Desk Into Changing Table

Our church needed a changing table for our small bathroom. We bought a red desk from a vendor mall for $39 and decided to transform it.

I am an amateur DIYer to say the least, but I decided to give this table redo a try for our church. Instead of repainting the entire table we decided that we would paint a white stencil pattern on top. 

We found a quatrefoil pattern stencil and a "Love" stencil at Hobby Lobby and used some white acrylic paint.

 I do not know anything about painting a table or painting with stencils, so I just jumped in and went for it. 

I positioned the stencil and used masking tape (I forgot blue painter's tape and did not have the stencil adhesive) to keep it in place. I used a sponge brush and a regular small paint brush and just went to town. 

It turned out pretty good, but the stencil did bleed through. But to my surprise, the bleeding looked like it was supposed to be there. Next time I will not be so generous with the paint. 

The finished product turned out great and it works perfect in our small church bathroom. 

Living with Lupus

5 Helpful Online Resources for Researching Lupus 

1. Molly's Fund

2. What Doctors Don't Tell You

3. Plant-Derived Medication

4. Lupus Research Institute

5. 75 Lupus Facts

I have included some alternative as well as traditional resources because I like to research both sides. Sometimes it's hard to determine who is right or wrong (especially when traditional vs. alternative views can differ dramatically on some Lupus topics such as treatments) but I think it's important for me to at least know what each side is saying, and then decide for myself what is best for me. 

However, if you are experiencing a major Lupus flare and you know it, my advice would be to follow the care of your rheumatologist until you can at least get the disease under control. 

14 DAY NO SODA CHALLENGE---UPDATE

I am doing great so far. I have had no headaches from coming off the caffeine and really have not had any major cravings for my beloved Pepsi!

I am still in the tale end of the third week of my no soda challenge but I think it's safe to say--I made it!!

Bye, bye soda!! (Except for once a week as my treat:))

If you are looking to kick the soda habit, here's the plan I used that worked great for me.....

14 Day No Soda Challenge (Week 3 Optional)

Week of March 23

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	Brkfst – normal Lunch – normal Dinner – Replace soda w/ caffeine free version	Brkfst – normal Lunch – normal Dinner – Replace soda w/ caffeine free version	Brkfst – normal Lunch – Replace soda w/ caffeine free Dinner – Replace soda w/ caffeine free	Brkfst – normal Lunch – Replace soda w/ caffeine free Dinner-Replace soda w/ caffeine free	Replace soda w/ caffeine free for all meals	Replace soda w/ caffeine free for all meals	Congrats! You are caffeine free! Now keep going!
2	Brkfst – Caffeine free soda Lunch – Caffeine free soda Dinner  - Replace caffeine free soda w/ juice	Brkfst – Caffeine free soda Lunch – Caffeine free soda Dinner  - Replace caffeine free soda w/ juice	Brkfst – Caffeine free soda Lunch – Replace caffeine free soda w/ juice Dinner – Replace caffeine free soda w/ juice	Brkfst – Caffeine free soda Lunch – Replace caffeine free soda w/ juice Dinner – Replace caffeine free soda w/ juice	Replace caffeine free soda w/ juice for all meals	Replace caffeine free soda w/ juice for all meals	Great job! You are now officially done with soda! Now keep going if you wish to add more water to your diet!
3	Brkfst – Juice Lunch – Juice Dinner – Replace juice w/ water	Brkfst – Juice Lunch – Juice Dinner – Replace juice w/ water	Brkfst – Juice Lunch – Replace juice w/ water Dinner – Replace juice w/ water	Brkfst – Juice Lunch – Replace juice w/ water Dinner – Replace juice w/ water	Replace juice w/ water for all meals	Replace juice w/ water for all meals	Awesome! You are now drinking plenty of water and no sugar! You should feel much better!

Inspiration from The Word

Recently I was throwing a "holy" pity party. I mean it was me and God and a whole lot of my complaints! Somehow I had ended up in this pit of discouragement and I wanted an answer and I wanted it NOW!! 

Well, I didn't get my answer at the end of my tantrum. (Go Figure!) But someway, somehow I made it through to the next day, and the next day, and the next. (God's Grace)

With the Easter holiday coming this week I decided to do some reading in my Bible about the crucifixion. I was thinking about all the pain and darkness our Lord Jesus willingly endured for all of us. 

I wonder when He was being tortured beyond imagination and taking on all the SIN of this world, did he throw a temper tantrum and demand the Heavenly Father do something NOW?? If He did, then Satan and darkness would have won. 

As much as it hurt, and as dark and as scary as it might have been for our precious Savior to endure the cross, He did just that -- endured. In those times when Jesus may have felt like He could not continue or like giving up on all humanity, I like to think that the Heavenly Father was whispering.....

PUSH HARDER
DIG DEEPER 

It will be worth it all!!

And just like that there is my answer!!

PUSH HARDER
DIG DEEPER

Pray more, read more, seek more, praise more, love more!! 

It may not be the answer you want....
But it is absolutely the answer you need. 

Confession Time....I LOVE SODA!!

Reality Time....SODA IS BAD FOR YOU!!

And for me, soda is really, really bad, because I have systemic lupus nephritis--meaning my kidneys are not the best anymore. 

So in order to try and take more control of this disease without all the toxic medications, I have decided it is high time to put an end to this soda addiction once and for all. 

I am giving myself 14 days to kick the habit! Here's my plan....

Supplies Needed.....

1. My favorite soda (Pepsi)

2. Caffeine free version of my favorite soda in the can (for some reason caffeine free is better in the can)

3. Juice (to replace the craving for soda)

14 Day No Soda Challenge (Week 3 Optional)

Week of March 23

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	Brkfst – normal Lunch – normal Dinner – Replace soda w/ caffeine free version	Brkfst – normal Lunch – normal Dinner – Replace soda w/ caffeine free version	Brkfst – normal Lunch – Replace soda w/ caffeine free Dinner – Replace soda w/ caffeine free	Brkfst – normal Lunch – Replace soda w/ caffeine free Dinner-Replace soda w/ caffeine free	Replace soda w/ caffeine free for all meals	Replace soda w/ caffeine free for all meals	Congrats! You are caffeine free! Now keep going!
2	Brkfst – Caffeine free soda Lunch – Caffeine free soda Dinner  - Replace caffeine free soda w/ juice	Brkfst – Caffeine free soda Lunch – Caffeine free soda Dinner  - Replace caffeine free soda w/ juice	Brkfst – Caffeine free soda Lunch – Replace caffeine free soda w/ juice Dinner – Replace caffeine free soda w/ juice	Brkfst – Caffeine free soda Lunch – Replace caffeine free soda w/ juice Dinner – Replace caffeine free soda w/ juice	Replace caffeine free soda w/ juice for all meals	Replace caffeine free soda w/ juice for all meals	Great job! You are now officially done with soda! Now keep going if you wish to add more water to your diet!
3	Brkfst – Juice Lunch – Juice Dinner – Replace juice w/ water	Brkfst – Juice Lunch – Juice Dinner – Replace juice w/ water	Brkfst – Juice Lunch – Replace juice w/ water Dinner – Replace juice w/ water	Brkfst – Juice Lunch – Replace juice w/ water Dinner – Replace juice w/ water	Replace juice w/ water for all meals	Replace juice w/ water for all meals	Awesome! You are now drinking plenty of water and no sugar! You should feel much better!

*****After completion, I plan on allowing myself one soda per week as a treat*****

When I say "normal" on my chart I mean the normal soda I would have for that meal. 

I plan on starting this challenge Monday, March 23. I will keep you updated on how it goes (I'm sure it won't be as easy as I planned) and if I feel a difference in my body once it's over. Until then....:)

My Hair Before Lupus

For anyone who has Lupus, hair loss is one of the many symptoms of the disease. For me, it was very hard to get used to this constant battle with hair loss. 

The picture above is my hair a few years before my diagnosis with Lupus. My hair was long, thick and full. Once the disease set in my hair began falling out in several strands daily, and then eventually it would come out in chunks. 

I have had to cut my hair extremely short (I'm talking like Pixie short) several times over the past ten years. This was very hard for me since I had always been used to long hair and felt long hair looked best on me. 

After every cut, it would take about two years or so to grow my hair back to its original length. However, the texture and fullness of my hair has never been the same since being diagnosed with Lupus. 

Recently, my hair had started to fall out in strands again. I decided to try a hair loss product to see if I could keep from having to drastically cut my hair again. 

I have been using a product called Nioxin for about a year now, and my hair loss has slowed dramatically. I still have a few strands coming out daily, but not the huge chunks like before. Also, the patches of hair that had already fallen out are now starting to grow back! 

Even with using this product, my hair will never be the thickness and fullness it was in the picture above. But I am glad I have found an alternative to the drastic Pixie cut. I now feel I can deal with the hair loss a little bit better. :)

Homeschooling Momma

Hi everyone! I'm Christina. The oldest of the three sisters.

I've been married for almost seventeen years to my amazing husband! He's my best friend and he supports me in anything I do. We have two of the best boys in the world.

My oldest son is fifteen and just got his permit (LIFE CHANGING!) I'm not taking this change very well. My youngest is seven and full of life! There's never a dull moment with him. My family is everything to me and God has blessed me with the opportunity to be a stay at home mom. 

The best part of being a stay at home mom is that I get to home school my boys. We've been homeschooling for four years and we love it!

I love that I can choose what they are learning and most importantly, that we learn and talk about God everyday! 

We have good and bad days, and some really bad days, but we keep going. Believe me, there are days when I'm like what did I get myself into!! But when I hear my boys talk about God and recite the scriptures they've memorized that all goes away. 

I know that God has placed a desire for homeschooling in my heart, and I can't wait to share our experiences and ideas with you through our blog!

I saw an interesting saying on a t-shirt that was posted on Facebook it said:

"Some people never get to meet their biggest inspirations; I raised mine."

That's exactly how I feel!!