A divine inspiration...

God put this piece on my heart to create.  From his hands to mine.
Look closely.  Pray for our once great nation to be restored, pray for revival on our land.

Yesterday was my birthday.  Normally I would eat cake, lots of cake but that's a no-no now for me.  My daughter did make cupcakes for the grandies with candles so I could blow them out while they sang.  It rally was for them though.  I took the day off and took two naps and didn't work.
Felt strange but good.  Today is day 10 on the vegan eating plan.  Oh, I almost forgot, I dropped 6 lbs. in the first week so that's a plus!
Enjoy your day,
Maureen

Warm enough for pumpkins!

First I must say, Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there as well as those that have passed on.  God blessed me with amazing parents and then an amazing hubby and now my son is also an amazing dad as well!  So much awesomeness! lol
Well, it's been a warm day and pretty steamy in between the raindrops and sun.  Working on my new pumpkins.  I'm hoping to have this pattern done in a day or two.

Tonight for dinner I made "pasta" (zucchini) with lots of chopped basil, topped with a roasted red pepper "cream" sauce and grilled mushrooms.  TOTALLY vegan!  The sauce was so delicious, I could eat it with a spoon alone and there was no dairy at all in it.

Bon Appetit!

What's goin' on?!

It's been quite some time since I have visited my sorely neglected blog  :(  First it was the whirlwind of holiday activities, then came COLD winter and I dealt with health issues for months.  No flu, not a single cold or cough.  More like chronic illness.  By spring I was at my wits end with the cold winter and the never feeling quite good enough.  And the migraines too.  I have colitis and diverticulitis.
I've also been suffering from reflux for the past few years.  Let's add high blood pressure to the mix.  :(
The Drs. have prescribed meds. for all of these but it seems as if I am not getting any better.  Two months ago I had a bad bout of reflux that had me wheezing and even coughing.  It stayed with me and never left.  My Mr. suggested I see the Dr.  Not another med.  No, nope.  WHY ARE YOU TELLING US ALL THIS, you might be asking?
 Well, I have decided to dig in my heels and take back my life.  First I lil bit of history  :)
I've been a vegetarian since the age of nine.  Most nights my sister and I would be sitting at the table, long after everyone else was done.  My plate would still have meat, and hers, vegetables.  When no one was in the room, we switched plates and got it done! 
Later on, after my teen years, my Mom became a vegetarian as well.  While we did not eat animal/fish/egg products, we still ate dairy.  Cheese, give me any kind of cheese! 

So, you would think that I am healthy, right?  Wrong!  With a demanding business, it seems that I am often eating "on the go".  Never sitting properly down to eat a meal but rather grabbing something from the cupboard or fridge that I could hold in my hand and chomp on while I worked.  Many times it included garbage food. Cookies, crackers, chips, sweets, etc. 
I love to start my day with a cup of coffee and some sort of sweet roll or bun.  Then  I would skip lunch, snack on something fast in the afternoon, and eat dinner.  After dinner there was always something to munch on as well.

It all seemed to come to a head about 3 weeks ago when I just could not get well.  Migraines, stomach cramps/pain, reflux, you name it.  I did some research on the internet and I have decided to make some radical changes in my eating lifestyle. 
I will become a Vegan, I proudly told myself.  This should be easy, I already am almost there.
NOT!
I began my new life on Monday, June15, 2015.  Yes, at this point it's only been 6 days.  First day went off without a hitch.  Second day was okay, I craved cheese with my meal.  Wednesday, I was miserable.  Thursday I REALLY wanted some cheese, a cracker or two, however I didn't cave.  By Friday I had a migraine but I think it's really just caused by my body flushing out the toxins.  Today, again, I have a headache but I'm telling you this, I have not had reflux since Monday and that is the first time in months that I can say that!  There are no stomach pains or bloating.  And I have such a feeling of accomplishment that I actually made it to the weekend without eating any of the garbage foods.

So, I am reviving my blog, as a way of keeping myself accountable for staying the course!  It's a lot harder to cheat when you have an audience!  I will continue to update on my life and work as well.
So, follow my journey with me, through the ups and downs, twists and turns!
With my new eating plan, I no longer am allowed sugar, oils of any kind, meats/fish/dairy, no butter, no cheese, no white flour, etc.  If you are interested in reading about the plan I suggest you do a search for Dr. McDougall.  He has several books available.

Enjoy this photo of my salsa, guacamole, and "chips"!