Lots of Updates!

    WOW!  The last month has just FLOWN by for us!
 Zoey is doing very well!  We have started going up to Mt. Horeb every 7-10 days for physical therapy, which she just loves!   She's only been twice, but this week she went for her first walk in the underwater treadmill.  She was a bit confused about it at first, but figured it out pretty quickly and was a very good sport about the whole thing.  We appreciate your support and are very excited to see her healing so well - there is still a lot of travel left on this road though, we have another 7 weeks of extremely limited mobility... which means she can't do steps alone, is never allowed off-leash outside of the house (and sometimes needs to be on a leash inside too!), and will not be allowed to do any type of running for roughly 10 more weeks as I understand it.  
   Then, after we get through those 3 months, we are set to do it all over again with the other leg! =D
So - while we are encouraged that she doesn't seem to be in any pain and her mobility is great, we are struggling to keep her from exploding due to lack of exercise! (lol)  But she really is doing great and we are very happy with the surgery results so far! :~)

  My diet changes are going quite well!  I've been "Dairy-Gluten-Egg-Corn-Oat-Poultry-Cranberry-Mushroom and Peanut-Free" for almost nine months - and I'm alive!  (lol)  I've gotten used to eating around my allergies, for the most part, it can still be stressful at times, and I still miss things like butter burgers and cheese curds, but I don't really crave them anymore.  :)  My last hormone panel looked better, not perfect or even 'normal' yet, but I think it was better than the last one!  (We'll see what Dr. Georgia says at our appointment next month!)  I pretty much feel better overall - more energy, better sleep, less crabbiness/mood swings, and generally more focused.  So I'd say it's been worth the trouble so far - our plan is to do a re-evaluation in January to decide if it is something we want to 'stick with', but honestly I can't really see going back at this point.

  SO - some of you may have heard already, but just in case you haven't - we are starting a longarm quilting business!  I've launched our official website now (www.simplyolmstead.com), which this blog was parked on for a little while while I got things worked out better over there.  the site is far from completed - specifically I need to add prices and a better design gallery, but it is a start!  =D  
  If you don't know what longarm quilting is, I'm excited to tell you - but you'll have to wait for another post because I'm once again out of time tonight!  (And instead of saving this as a draft, I'm just going to leave you hanging... hehehehe!)
   So - check back again soon for a better post about our new business!  And if you are a quilter - pull out some of those quilt tops that you haven't had quilted yet and get them ready to send to me!

Zoey's Surgery

This is Zoey, you've probably met her already.

Yet Another Year (Aug 2016)

     

    August 7th, 2014,  I realized that I was in the middle/at the end of a miscarriage. Two years ago.

 I have so many mixed emotions about this anniversary...

Grief, that we aren't holding our baby, celebrating her little life in our family.  Peace, knowing that her life had purpose in God's plan and that our pain isn't pointless as He works all things for good.  Hope, looking forward to meeting her in glory.  Trust, in God's sovereign plan for her life, as well as ours; Joy, in the faithful love of Jesus, that doesn't let go.  Gratitude, for the healing He has worked in my heart since last year, and for the rest He has brought me to in Himself.

  This miscarriage was devastating to me.
We had planned on 'starting a family right away', and had even joked about planning on having 7 kids in five years.  Since I was a little girl I've wanted to be a Mom, and still feel that is what I'm called to as my 'primary occupation'.

  So after 16 months of detailed charting, temperature tracking, counting days, and prenatal supplements... realizing that I had 'missed' all the signs and not realized there was life inside of me - was absolutely crushing.


 I believe that life starts at conception, that every life is created by God and so every life is precious.  And so it is our child's life that I want to be remembered,  the fact that she existed. Even though we didn't know it at the time - God did!  He planned her tiny existence to last only a few short weeks. He delighted in His creation. Her tiny heart beat solely for His Glory - and He took her home.

I can not imagine the joy that she experiences in the presence of her creator. Nor can I comprehend that the God of the universe "takes thought of me" - that He took thought of our child, even though I, her mother, was unaware of her very life... He knew her by name, called calls her by name.  

Spontaneous Road Trip!

Thought y'all might like to see the space we booked through AirBnB last weekend! 

  

We requested the booking on Friday around noon, just before we left home.  We had only decided to go on the trip that morning, and had kinda figured we would just find a cheap hotel room...

One Day - Short Film

Over the first weekend in June, I was blessed to be makeup-artist on the set of "One Day"!

  It was an awesome week, filled with hard work, fabulous people, new friends, old friends, long days, short nights, delicious food, camera's, bright lights, lots of water bottles and makeup!   

One Day - Short Film

Over the first weekend in June, I was blessed to be makeup-artist on the set of "One Day"!

  It was an awesome week, filled with hard work, fabulous people, new friends, old friends, long days, short nights, delicious food, camera's, bright lights, lots of water bottles and makeup!   

Church Campout!

  This post is a bit overdue... however I wanted to add more photos before posting!

 

I didn't.  I just decided to post it and fill in the pictures 'someday'. (Yes, I know that means I"ll probably never get around to it - but there's always a chance!)  

Our church hosted a campout at lake Le-Aqua-Na State Park, in Lena, Illinois, last month! We had a wonderful time, even though the weather turned out to be a bit on the chilly side! 

  By the time we arrived on Friday, the rain had started... It wasn't terribly hard rain, but it persisted long after dark!

 
  So we spent the evening playing euchre with another couple (in their camper this time), my team won the first game! ... But Mike's team won the next two.  They kept getting great hands in Spades! (Literally, the same suit, over and over and over... ) But we had fun anyway! :)

  Friday night was a chilly one outside, but we stayed nice and cozy in our Scamp with a mini-electric heater running. Zoey seemed comfy too, no shivering in the night this trip!

  The morning was super peaceful and relaxing... A breeze made the shadows of the oak behind us dance on the curtains as the early sunlight filtered through the branches and the birds sang cheerfully and flited fun branch to branch.

  Mike is far more of a morning person than I, so he took Zoey for a walk, practically as soon as his eyes were open!

  I, however, appreciate the coziness of staying buried in a pile of warm blankets, listening to everything else wake up - first the tiny chatter of birds, which grows louder as they start moving more... Then starts the campers as the "good morning" whispers start to stir, a tent un-zips in the distance,  and the rhythm of a single pair of tennis shoes on still-damp pavement marches quietly past...

  Camper doors open and close, and fires start to crackle... The light is strong now as the sun has finished rising, and the early-bird people are making their way back to their campsites or taking their dogs for a walk...
   But the coziest place to be is still wrapped up in the blankets, watching the shadows of tree branches dance on the curtains (or tent walls, 'cause that's pretty awesome too), and listening to life wake up all around you.  It's a lovely reminder of how good my Jesus is, and how blessed we are to be alive!
 
  I heard footsteps approaching, accompanied by the patter of paws on pavement, and I knew this cozy morning was coming to an end... Mike and Zoey returned from their morning walk, so I had to crawl out of my cozy cocoon and pack up all that cozy-nes to set up our table again... But, oh, what a lovely morning it was!

  We had 'Blueberry-Breakfast-Cake' with vanilla-protein frosting, for breakfast, yummy... At some point I set up my laptop and got pictures transferred into my hard drive, sorted, and imported to Lightroom... Then took Zoey for a run with our bike, while Mike joined the guys at the fire outside... I returned and met the ladies (who were warm in one of the campers ^_^ - love it!)
  

  Then Zoey was cold so I took her back to the scamp and worked on some photo editing in the coziness of our warm Scamp!

It was a really peaceful trip, accompanied by good fellowship and fun!  

(I do have lots more pictures to share... just have to find the time to upload them soon!)

Thank you, Rhonda, for organizing it for everyone!

Copycat KIND Bars | Blueberry Pecan

A.m.a.z.i.n.g.

Copycat KIND Bars | Blueberry Pecan

#RockYourHandwriting Challenge - June!

So I'm a few days late in joining this, but I'm so excited!
    I started a bullet journal this month, and I LOVE it!  One of the things I found when looking into starting a bullet journal, was the #rockyourhandwriting challenge on Instagram, hosted by @boho.berry, @decadethirty, @prettyprintsandpaper, and @tinyrayofsunshine,  the challenge is simple...

 just follow the hosts on Instagram, write whatever the prompt is for that day, and post it on your Instagram with the hashtag "#RockYourHandwriting" =D  So simple, right!?!

Here's the challenge for June 2016...

     And to make it even simpler for me, I'm copying this chart right into my bullet journal!

  (I'll do a post about my bullet journal in a couple weeks, so I have enough stuff in the journal to make it worth reading! lol)

      What do you think?  Are you going to join the handwriting challenge for June???

  If you do, don't forget to tag @SimplyOlmstead to let me know, and I'll follow you!

PS - Not on Instagram?  Not a problem, the challenge can be shared on any social media, or not shared at all - it's totally up to you!

Here are snapshots of various days from the challenge!

May 2016 Pictures

Pictures from May 2016...

One..

One.

That number has been heavy on my heart this week.

One life, is all we get.

One chance, to make a difference.

One second, and everything can change forever.

One year, is how old our baby would have been today. 

Happy {Belated} New Year!

Happy {Belated} New Year Everyone!

It's hard to believe that it is already MARCH!!!