A Walk to Listen - a Micro-Film

My friend, Ivy, and I are partnering with the ladies over at Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet (Find them on Instagram!), and producing a micro-film that corresponds to the Adoration theme of each week! =D

Zoey's Second TPLO...

It's been a week Since Zoey's Second TPLO....

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.