More Wins | Staying in the Lake Cottage

One busy week in August, Elsa and I made the spur-of-the-moment plan to spend a night at the lake. Not only is it a huge win to be able to plan and pull off something quickly again, but we hadn't stayed in that building for at least 10 years due to mold sensitivities. 

Our garden made for colorful meals to pack. And though we forgot to bring a bouquet from home (the tradition among the family was Grandpa's favorite tea-roses), the Mountain Ash berries from the side of the cottage worked well in an antique from the kitchen shelves.

After spending the afternoon and evening with us, including watching a family of four loons and taking our first pontoon ride in a couple years, Mom and Dad went home while we enjoyed a fitful (damp) fire and a few more loon calls.

What a novelty to wake up in the loft my uncles added onto Great-Grandpa's tiny cottage 25 years ago, when indoor plumbing was also added for the first time!

Elsa's early morning splash convinced me to try this refreshing (chilly) mode of starting the day as well.

A later swim was warmer after a bunch of sweaty cleaning. And then home again with more "wins" under our belt on this healing journey.

Where Has July Gone?!

Where has July gone?!

It began by celebrating 250 years of independence along with 90+ relatives at the family lake.

Next came a chance for a quiet afternoon and evening with just the 4 of us at the lake. A thunderstorm only made it more beautiful for us, though it caused severe damage on a nearby lake.

July also brought several times to help out my older sister's family as they are super busy remodeling a house in the country before moving.

Meanwhile, I have been busy painting at home too. I grew up with this Hoosier cabinet at the other lake cabin (no longer in the family) built when my dad was little. The cabinet was not new then, and it is high time to paint the insides and replace a few rotten areas to cut down on the old smell - especially on humid summer days.

It has been fun using this old piece as my new office space, but I look forward to fully moving in after a bunch more painting and rebuilding is complete. If you remember my years of crippling sensitivities, you will realize how huge of a win it is to be tackling a project like this, starting with scraping and sanding!

Also at home, harvest has begun!

Meantime, annual doctor's appointments made for a long, hot July day of travel. But we even took a little chance of sightseeing!

 As we look at our calendar and manage to run out to the lake for yet another quick break, we marvel at how far we have come from the decade spent in deep disability and isolation.

"Thank you, Lord..." is a frequent refrain.

Refilling Our Library

The day after Thanksgiving 2024, I emptied the last box for our main library shelves! There are still plenty of boxes of school books and family history which don't fit in the refinished, rebuilt shelves in our basement. But all the books we were missing during three years of storage due to mold remediation and the long rebuilding process are now accessible once again. 

This sight still makes me smile and thank the Lord for a beautiful, new basement! 

We have a lot of good reading ahead!

~ Hannah

Brain Rewiring Newsletter & Encouraging Phone Wallpapers

 I have only mentioned Brain Rewiring a few times on this blog, but it is still a daily focus in this healing journey. So much so that I am just starting a newsletter for those who are interesting in learning more about healing the Limbic System and lowering the Chronic Stress Response from a Biblical perspective. 

This monthly [at most] offering contains:
- Mindset & Brain Rewiring Tips
- Biblical Encouragement
- Free Phone Wallpaper Download

You are welcome to sign up here: Hannah's Newsletter

As it says at the above link: 

Nearly a decade into her chronic illness journey, Hannah was led to Brain Rewiring to begin to heal her Limbic System which was stuck in the Chronic Stress Response. Due to the intricate brain/body connection, this focus on healing at deeper levels is having positive physical impacts and helping Hannah get back to LIFE!

The Autumn Push

Though we don't farm any of the miles of fields all around, late summer-autumn always meant a seasonal rush of work even in our family. Dad had to fit most of the plowing in of telephone cable after the crops came off, but before freeze-up.

And though that work was sold with the telephone company, these have been extra full weeks again!

Besides garden harvest, the post-mold-remediation house-rebuilding entered a new phase of finish-work. Dad spent days and weeks sanding and spraying paint and finish on woodwork in the shed until it got too cold. 

Then the work moved into the basement (through the window) where Mom and Elsa joined the action.

Meanwhile, Dad had prepared the new subfloor in the porch for tiling. He and I laid the tiles together, and I am still working on cleaning up in preparation for grout.

I also took two trips to town to get our Toyotas serviced - spending a couple hours in the waiting room each time (good knitting time) and running errands, which are huge wins in this healing journey - unthinkable a year or two ago!

It felt so strange to drive through town traffic and enter the grocery store I hadn't seen in probably a decade. To fight the rising stress responses of overwhelm, disorientation, and even grief over "lost" years, I chose to praise God and focus on the progress.

Then another rare event was my driving alone the hour to my sister's house for some lively family-time. The largest, multi-pronged carrot from our raised bed gardens was a hit with the littles!

Back home, I mowed lawn twice this year... a huge win.

A couple days ago Dad and I also got the roses covered for winter. First dirt, then leaves.

Mom and Elsa cleared vegetable and flower gardens.

And I picked in a basket full of bouquet-makings just in time.

This morning we woke to snow! 

Activated Charcoal for Detoxing

Did you know charcoal is good for health?! 

I don't mean the kind used in grills... but Activated Charcoal made from natural sources such as coconut hulls.

Why take Charcoal internally? Because Activated Charcoal is a "Binder"!

According to Dr. Josh Axe: "The porous surface of activated charcoal has a negative electric charge that causes positive-charged toxins and gas to bond with it. These nooks and crannies that enhance toxin elimination inside the body are the result of a heating process, which is what allows the charcoal’s 'activation.'" *

This means that a good quality capsule taken daily can help attract and carry out toxins from our bodies. This includes a wide variety of mycotoxins which come from toxic molds in our homes, foods and environments.

"In addition, activated charcoal can be used in cases of food poisoning when nausea and diarrhea are present." *

G.I. Detox (the charcoal capsule I take) also contains Zeolite Clay - another binder effective for a variety of toxins. And at the same time I take Chlorella Pyrenoidosa to bind yet more toxins.

The main tips to keep in mind when taking binders is to drink lots of water, keep them at least an hour away from any foods and three hours away from medications. 

Foods waste the binders, and binders waste the medications!

Why bind anyway? Well, my family has a genetic detoxification issue (and many of you likely do as well). When our crippling symptoms prompted integrative MDs to run mold tests - mycotoxins were at very toxic levels in our bodies.

But we were unable to handle the prescription drugs used as binders as they made us so much more ill. Instead we take natural binders as many days as possible.

In treating chronic illnesses, the old adage rings true: Slow but steady wins the race!

Have you taken binders? What for? Chime in below!

*https://draxe.com/nutrition/activated-charcoal-uses/

Charcoal Photo by Adrien Olichon on Unsplash