New Year (I found my post!) I'm so excited

Ok...it's New Year's Eve and as I look back over the past year, I am overwhelmed at all the blessings God has bestowed on me. He brought me through some scary times when it looked like I would need to be on the heart transplant list. He has watched over me every day and I know that I truly need him each and every day. I am nothing without God in my life and I am so thankful for all the trials I have been through. Each and every one of them have brought me closer to God and have truly shown me his great love, power and mercy. Just like Nathan preached on Sunday....we have to rejoice in the bad times and in the good times.....rejoice at all times. this is something I truly learned how to do this past year. I kept going even when things did not look that great for my health and that is only due to the power of God in my life. As you look back over this past year, rejoice in the good times and rejoice in the bad. Our trials truly do make us better people if we trust in the Lord and not allow them to make us bitter. I am thankful that God gave me the strength to become a better person and not a bitter person. I wouldn't trade where I am today for all the health in the world. I have learned that there is NOTHING IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD! He is all I need. I'm off to spend some time with friends this evening to celebrate what God has done in all our lives this past year. We have some great stories of trials and triumphs and it's nice to get together and talk about them from time to time. Keep the faith if you are going thru a trial today. Faith gives you hope, hope gives you strength, strength gives you courage to go on each day! Another fav song by Richie McDonald. Boy, am I glad he now sings Christian music. His music has blessed me over this past year and helped me through lots! I think I just may have to pop him an email and let him know that! Have a safe and wonderful new year and may we richly bless God! He is good, all the time, he is good!

Make Memories!

Yesterday, December 21st, was my 47th birthday. yep....I'm not too proud to tell my age. You see, 7 1/2 years ago I didn't know if I would ever see another birthday. I was 39 years old when I was diagnosed with CHF and cardiomyopathy. You know, most women dread their 40th birthday. I have to say 40 was one of the sweetest birthdays I ever had. It was a true celebration of life as each and every birthday since that day has been. My diagnosis has truly taught me to appreciate everything in life, even the little things that happen along the way. We only get one shot at this life. That reminds me of a song but at the moment the name of it escapes me. That happens alot when your my age! Anyway, I just wanted to share what a great birthday I had this weekend. It really started on Saturday. Steve, Jocelyn and I went Christmas shopping then came home and relaxed a bit. That evening we went to dinner at Cracker Barrel with my parents. We were supposed to go to Hammel House in Waynesville for lunch but they were closed on Saturday! The nerve of them! That is my absolute favorite place to eat and Steve has promised I still get a lunch there in the very NEAR future! If you have never been there.....go shop and eat. You'll have a great time. The food is all homemade at the Hammel House and they have a great tomato soup that I have beggged for the recipe, but have not succeeded in getting! ok...back to my birthday. Anyway, yesterday was actually my birthday. We went to church and had a great service and the out to lunch at our usual spot....Culvers. After church, Jocelyn and I made cookies all afternoon. We had such a great time. Actually, Jocelyn made all the cookies. I just instructed her on what to do. She's a great cookie maker. We had so much fun giggling and making a big mess! Jocelyn had flour every where and on her face. Steve put up the Christmas tree while we baked and then I'm pretty sure I heard him snoring a few times! After that, we made plates of cookies to take to people for Christmas. Jocelyn went to her small group Bible study and we went to see friends that live close by. We had a great time sitting around their table with the fire place roaring. We sat and shared storied, admired their beautiful Christmas tree and ate popcorn and cookies. Steve and I both had a great time. Then, before leaving, Peggy gave us some goodies that she had collected while in Africa. They are in my curio cabinet now and I will treasure them. When we got home that evening, Jocelyn and I decorated the Christmas tree and we just relaxed the rest of the evening. It was a great birthday. The stuff memories are made of and I will cherish them! Life is good.....LIVE IT! Create memories that your family will remember forever. That's what it's all about! Merry Christmas!

Watch the Sodium at Christmas gatherings!

Ok....once again it's that time of year for Christmas parties and gatherings. For those of us with heart failure, it's very hard to eat many of the items on a typical Christmas "menu". All those yummy cookies and treats that are tempting at Christmas can be very high in sodium so eat in moderation. The best thing to do before going to a Christmas party is to eat something before you leave so that you don't overdo at the party. Watch the dips that are out for veggie trays, etc because just a couple of tablespoons can be a source of high amounts of sodium. Do the veggies without the dip or be very careful about high much you put on your plate. Don't go back for seconds! If you also have to watch caffeine like I do, avoid the chocolate! Chocolate does have caffeine so be very careful. You don't want to throw your heart into a dangerous rhythm for a delicious taste of chocolate. I've actually learned to live without chocolate. At first I just thought my doctor was nuts when he told me I have to give up chocolate but I find now that I no longer crave it and if I do eat a nibble here and there, it doens't have the same taste. If you do eat a nibble of chocolate......eat dark chocolate. There's not as much caffeine in dark chocolate and it has many health benefits. But like everything else, moderation is the key! A small square of dark chocolate every day have great health benefits and is actually good for your heart! So, if you are attending Christmas and New Years parties, take along a low sodium dish so there is at least one dish you know you are safe in eating. Don't overdo.....Enjoy you time with friends and family and remember to take time to celebrate what this season is truly about. Christ came to live among us. He came to feel what we feel, to experience the heart aches we experience, to show us how to love one another but most of all..........he came to die so that we might live. Celebrate his wonderful birth. It's the best gift we will ever receive. Merry Christmas!

Stem cells growing new heart muscle

ok...this is very exciting, especially for those of us living with heart failure and with very poor heart function. In Utah, they have finally opened up the study for those with dilated cardiomyopathy caused by unknown reasons. The study in the past has only been done on people with heart failure caused by a heart attack. In this study, they use stem cells taken from a patients own body so there is nothing controversial about this procedure. Adult stem cells have shown much more promise than embryonic.....in fact, embryonic has shown zero promise but politicians still want to make this an issue and still want to sink money into research, even though it has done nothing in the past. That's what worries me with Obama.....that's one of the first things he wants to change when he is in office. He wants to sink more money into embryonic stem cell research, even though it hasn't shown any promise. Ok...off my rant. with adult stem cells, there is no chance of rejection because the cells come from the patients own body. With embryonic stem cells, a patient would be on anti-rejection drugs the rest of their life. Embryonic stem cells are also programed to grow, grow, grow so all they have done in studes is grow tumors. There have been absolutely no break thrus using embryonic stem cells and many break thrus with adult stem cells and cord blood. My fear is that money would be taken from what does work to fund something that has shown literally no promise. In doing this, approval would take longer for what is working due to a decrease in funding and I believe lives lost in the process. People really need to get educated on this topic. Also, I believe that when we honor God's creation in our research, he will honor us with results and it is happening! Stem cells (adult) from a patients own body have shown great promise in treating many diseases. It actually will grown new heart muscle in people with heart failure and help their heart function better. They are doing the research in Utah right now on people with my exact heart condition. I'm going to have to check with my own doctor to see if this study has opened up in the Cincinnati area. I was told years ago as soon as it opened up for people like me, they would put me in it. If so, I want on the list! The stem cells (adult) are injected thru a heart catheter into the heart thru a minimally invasive procedure. I was so excited to see this article in the paper to see it has finally opened up for people like me! Anyone out there reading this that has dilated heart failure that you have from unknown causes......check into this! You have to be your own advocate so do not be afraid to ask questions and insist on things! This treatment could cease the need in the future for heart transplants and is very exciting!

Hidden sources of sodium

Webmd has an excellent slide show that talks about hidden sodium in foods you don't think about being high in sodium. Go to www.webmd.com/diet/slideshow-salt-shockers
and check it out!

Take Time to be Thankful

Ok, with Thanksgiving tomorrow I just wanted to take some time out to be thankful for all God has done. If you were to write a letter to God, what would you say. I wanted to give this a shot due to a song I heard by Richie McDonald (formerly of Lone Star). If you don't have his debut Christian cd.....it's great and worth buying! He has an awesome voice and I'm so glad he's now using it for God! Anyway, he has a song on his Chrisitan cd called "Hey God" and that is where I got this idea. After hearing this song, I wanted to write my own letter to God and since it's Thanksgiving, it's the perfect time to do it! So here goes,

Hey God...I just want to thank you. There was a time when the doctors said I wouldn't make it, but because of you I pulled through. That was 7 years ago and these 7 years have been the sweetest of my life. Hey God, I want to thank you for my family. For my husband, whom is the love of my life. He is a precious gift from you and I can truly say, I have been loved. That is so important and I don't take that for granted. Hey God, I want to thank for my beautiful daughter. She's 14 and I know I may be a bit prejudiced.......but I think she is beautiful, not just on the outside, but on the inside also. She truly has brightened my life and brought me joy. 7 years ago I didn't know if I would have anymore time with her. You have truly blessed my life. I will do my best in raising her because I know she is from you. Thank you for entrusting her life to me. Help me in raising her and help me to help her make wise choices. Hey God, you are the best and my truest friend. I look back and see your hand in my life in every step of they way. I am so grateful that my life is in your hands and not human hands.

Hey God, I want to thank you for taking care of my father when he had his surgery. Thank you for giving me more years with him. God, you know his numbers are starting to go up again. I know you will take care of him but you know God...I want him here for a long time yet so my prayer is that you give the doctors wisdom and that they act in a timely fashion. I am so blessed to have my father with me at my age. I know so many don't have their parents in their life and I pray you be with those families during the holiday season. Hey God, I also want to thank your for taking care of my mom during her recent surgery. You have blessed her with a speedy recovery. You also blessed her with that spunky spirit that helps during recovery....thank you for also giving me that same spirit! I am so blessed to have both my parents with me this Thankgiving. Hey God.......thank you for giving me the parents you did. They have been awesome parents to me my entire life. If I'm half the parent they are, I'll be fine. I remember seeing their face at every activity I was involved in as a child and they still come to see what I'm up to today! I couldn't have chosen better parents! Hey God, a simple thank you just doesn't see like enough.

Hey God, I want to thank you for the time I was able to spend with my own grandparents and for the knowledge they came to know you before they passed in this life. Thank you that I will see them again. Hey God, thank you for my entire family. My brothers, sister-in-laws, neice and nephews. I have to say, they are pretty nice people and I enjoy spending time with them. Thank you they are all healthy. When you go thru hard times, you see what you're family is made of and how much they love one another. They are always there when you need them and I thank you for mine.

Hey God, I know this may sound strange to some people but I want to thank you for my trials. They have truly taught me that "nothing is impossible with God" and they have brought me closer to you today. I wouldn't have it any other way. I have no regrets and nothing I would change. You are awesome God and you are always good. Your ways are not my ways and all I ask is that you walk with me thru each trial ahead like you have aready done and I know I will be better having gone thru them. To quote a few words from this song that I love from Richie McDonald's "Hey God", this sums it up.

YOU HAVE YOUR WAYS YOU HAVE YOUR PLAN
SOMETIMES MYSTERIOUS AND HARD TO UNDERSTAND
BUT I’M HUMBLED BY YOUR GRACE
AND EVERYTHING YOU DO
HEY GOD HEY GOD I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU

SOMETIMES I FORGET TO STOP AND BOW MY HEAD
AND REMEMBER THAT I HAVE BEEN BLESSED

Everything I have gone thru, good and bad, have made me who I am today. I am yours God and I have been blessed. Thank you!

I could go on and on with this Thank you letter because there is so much more to be thankful for. Take the time to be thankful and take the time to tell God how grateful you are. That is what this season is all about. May you all be richly blessed.

Eating low sodium on Thanksgiving!

Ok....for all those out there that need to follow a low sodium diet, you know that Thanksgiving can be difficult. Eating low sodium on Thanksgiving can be done.....but I think you pretty much have to do the cooking or let whomever is cooking know what to look for when cooking for you. I find that difficult, so I do the cooking! Here are some tips to eating low sodium on Thanksgiving.

First off, the turkey. You are really better off buying a fresh turkey if you can find one but beware, not all fresh turkey's are the same. You must see the words, "minimally processed" on the packaging. Free Range turkey's at times do have the salt solution injected into them making them very high in sodium. Also, a Turkey that says "all natural" can also have the salt solution added them them since salt is a natural perservative. So, be very careful when picking out your turkey. Make sure it does say minimally processed. If so, it should have around 65-70 mg sodium per 4 ounce serving. That is the natural sodium in the turkey. Don't brine your turkey....I hear so many people say you can't cook a juicy turkey if you don't brine it........that is hogwash!

ok....vegetables..........use fresh or frozed vegetables. Canned vegetables are very high in sodium unless you find the ones that say "no salt added." Watch though because I have seen frozen vegetables that have added sodium to them. Make sure and check you labels. If you use butter, use no salt added butter.

If you make a sweet potatoe casserole..........just leave the salt out of the recipe. It will never be missed!

Make your own mashed potatoes.....don't buy those packaged ones that you just pop in the microwave because they are loaded with sodium. Even the new frozen steam and mash potatoes are high in sodium. You are better off making your own and using no salt added butter. The milk has some sodium but they will be much lower and doable on a low sodium diet if you make your own.

dressing or stuffing can be tricky! Breads are loaded with sodium. If your grocery sells a low sodium bread, use that with low sodium chicken stock.

Gravy....again.....make your own but do not add salt. Use unsalted butter also and the turkey drippings from your low sodium turkey. I don't even miss the salt in my gravy. Store bought gravies are extremely high in sodium.

Ok....your desserts.....not much you can do about those but just remember, eat small portions and you should be ok. It's hard to find low sodium pies/cakes so just don't over do them. If you keep everything else in your meal relatively low sodium, you are fine to indulge in a dessert but just don't overdo!

rolls are also very high in sodium. I have found that Hawaian rolls ae pretty low in sodium. You just really have to shop around and look at labels. If anyone knows of a low sodium roll, let me know please because I'm still searching on this one!

Use low sodium chicken stock and no salt butter in things that need these ingredients.

Remember, when cooking low sodium..........your guests can always add salt to anything they need but you can't talk salt out! Enjoy the day and take time to be grateful for all your blessings. God is good!