Making Changes

It has been too long since I last posted here. I am making changes in my life. As some may already know, I have both fibromyalgia and arthritis. The arthritis isn't too bad, but the cold weather affects it. Over the past couple of months, my body really seems to have been taking a hit. Everything from being sick for 2 weeks with a cold to being injured by our sheep when they were a bit ornery and territorial when the ewe was in heat. Now, with winter cold upon us, I am having to slow down and prioritize my activities to help prevent flare ups of the fibromyalgia. One of the problems with my fibromyalgia is that it hits me pretty fast. I have been medication-free, treatment-free for 2 years now due to changing my diet. I had found that something in the grain fed to commercially raised livestock causes my flare ups. So, I eat a vegetarian diet for the most part but also eat grass-fed meats which do not cause me to have a flare. The best meat that I have been able to eat without any problem is venison.

Last week, I had a rough week with pain. In short, I overworked myself. That is one of the few things that causes a flare up. I have been baking cookies and breads for my Beloved's co-workers who place orders with him at work. It has been a nice little way to earn a bit extra for the family. Last Monday, I had a large order which involved making 4 full batches of cookies. Only one was a type that didn't require the cookies to be shaped before baking. This meant a lot of standing, which is something I cannot do. By the time I was done, my pain level was very high and I had difficulty walking. My Beloved very lovingly hugged me and let me know that we would no longer take any cookie or bread orders. It is just too much. His concern was that now that winter is upon us, the number of orders would go up.

Another change that I am making is that I will only be using my blogs at blogger. The homestead blogger account was my oldest blog, but this account is much easier to manage. Between the two blogs (this one and my recipes blog) I will be kept busy enough.

One of my Beloved's and my goals has always been to simplify our lives. I am finding that it is time to do it in other areas of my life also. My first responsibility it to my relationship with my Lord, then my family, then other things. In an effort to do that, I am not going to be participating in groups or forums, with the exception of the homesteading one that my Beloved and I have at Yahoo. If you are interested in it, you can find the link to our group on our family website. There is much to keep me busy here at home. Besides seeing to the more common needs of my family, I also am working on sewing clothing items for all of us.

I will still be sewing and crocheting items to sell through our family website and our Ebay store. These will be ready-made and I will not be taking orders. This will allow me to focus on my family first without the stresses that come from meeting deadlines on orders.

May the Lord's blessings be with thee.