I've Moved

JrnniferSaake.com

It's only been a 6-year process (don't ask), but I am so very excited to unveil JenniferSaake.com tonight. It's finally live!

JenniferSaake.com

Go enjoy. :)

JenniferSaake.com

Why I No Longer Practice Full Time Head Covering

Remember when I posted about headcovering a month ago?

There is still much I agree with in that post, all of my core points in fact.

There is also much I have changed my views on. Details about personal implementation. 

Nearly forty intensive hours of counseling, all packed into one week, can do that to a person, dramatically change some perspectives!

Profound movement of God, like I just experienced in the healing of my deafness, can make a girl re-evaluate opinions too.

So, I reiterate this point from my last post, "For those who already believe Jesus died and rose for you personally, have accepted Him as your Savior, I in no way wish you to feel I’m adding the weight of legalism. Christ died for your sins. No works are needed to finish His saving grace in your life! Jesus is enough!!! Just like neither baptism nor communion are requirements for salvation, rather God’s desired observances for his people who already know and love Him, I absolutely do not feel head covering to be a requirement for a Christian woman when it comes to the soundness of her faith in Jesus Christ as her saving and forgiving God of grace!"

I stand by my statement that, "I believe that Christian women [who] in the church [where] are called to cover [what] for prayer and prophesy [why]."

Where my views take a sharp turn away from my prior post concerns the how section of my prior post. Actually, all five of my thoughts listed under "how," other than my thoughts on staying fully covered at my children's school (a small part of point 5), are still valid. It is in personal application of those points that my view has radically changed.

Tonight. Outside my front door with an uncovered head!

I no longer feel compelled to practice full time head covering. Friends who have never seen my hair before are seeing it for the first time. This change in my practice of head covering in no way reflects abandonment of faith. In fact, my relationship with Jesus Christ is firmer than it has ever been!

On January 1, 2016, I posted this picture, saying, "My hair has grown a LOT, but [2015] was also the year, mid-year, when I decided that in addition to headcovering for spiritual reasons, I would also adopt the purely personal/cultural choice of no longer wearing my hair loose in public, saving it for my husband's viewing. Nothing to do with my faith, just a personal gift from me to him, so this as as "down" as you see it now:"

Sadly, as the months past, my personal "gift" did get totally entangled with my faith and views of head covering!

It is fascinating that I ended my last article with the statement, "I would simply caution against legalism. Whatever covering you are wearing should not become a source of piety, religious pride, a meaningless ritual, or covering for the sake of covering tradition rather than as a reflection of a heart seeking submission to God’s order of authority. Once the issue of if to cover gets settled in my spirit, my attitude behind the act of covering needs to be regularly taken before God in order to assure that my motives stay glorifying to Him!"

A legalistic attitude is exactly what I was developing. It took just a few questions from my counselor and another two questions from my husband, for me to realize I had developed a pharisaical spirit. I knew what I believed to be true, yet I had imposed further restrictions upon myself than God had ever asked of me. I was practicing false humility, feeling that if I concealed my glory (hair) full time, I was somehow bringing more glory to God.

This week.
I (butterfly top, to the right) am wearing a headband just because it is pretty (butterfly lace!) and wearing my hair down for the very first time these long time friends have ever seen it.

I was stunned to re-read my the bolded portion of my second "how" point/tip after I started thinking on the questions that were posed to me concerning motive. I wrote the words, but still wasn't getting the idea! "I don’t think God objects to cute or stylish head coverings, but simple would want us to be mindful of not detracting from Him, not trying to draw undo attention to ourselves. He loves us. He created us. He created beauty. He gave us hair for our glory. He isn’t trying to take anything from us, make us feel frumpy or self-conscious! It often takes some practice, time to explore our options, but if there’s a head-wear style that makes you feel beautiful but still focuses eyes (our own as well as the eyes of those around us) on Christ, when we find something we can wear with comfort and confidence in Jesus, that’s what we are looking for."

I feel I've been set free from a weighty burden. I still believe in and practice head covering for corporate worship, but that is joyful. When I stopped trying to add my extras to a simple instruction, my heart became so much lighter.

Want to read the story behind the story? Core Deep Lies will give you further background on this decision!

Not Impossible Afterall

Our 13-year-old has worn glasses for years. Last year her eye exam got WACKY results and the doctor, one of two optometrists in town, called me in, told me my child was emotionally disturbed, the results she was giving them had his entire staff convinced she was legally blind but he wasn't buying that because the kinds of answers she was giving were an "impossible" combination, and that she was outright lying to us and there was nothing he could do for her. Between my strokes and the intensive genetic workup (nothing found, but the workup involved many hours, nearly a dozen different doctors, 3 states, and a year and a half of stress!) she was undergoing, I figured there honestly might be an emotional element to her issues, so stuck with our previous prescription and let things ride. 

This week we went to a simple opthamologist (a step DOWN in medical training!) at our local WalMart and he got the same type of test result. When he started to tell me, I inwardly groaned, preparing for the lecture again. Instead, he gave me the bizarre results and immediately explained how rare her combination of answers were but that he though he knew what was medically going on with her eyes. He did a whole 3 more hours of unplanned work with her (for the single price of the original exam!) and by 6 last night we finally had a working prescription that corrects her eyesight to nearly 20/40 vision (yes, not 20/20, but she has apparently never been corrected to a perfect 20/20)! This will be HUGE for her! Now praying the glasses will actually preform as expected when they come in early July.

She's giddy to have a doctor who actually worked with her eyes to find a solution and I'm so relieved to both find her the needed help and not be told she is impossible again! Thank you Walmart Reno - Damonte Ranch Pkwy!

Saake Summer 2016

I haven't abandoned this blog. Life has just kept happening!

Let me hit the highlights.

In September, 2015, I had my second hysterectomy (finished up everything left behind seven years before, cleaned out new endometriosis growth, took my appendix). Is it ever wonderful to be rid of all that pain. I was so bloated and miserable!

Swollen much? My pre-surgery tummy!

The same month I made a decision, after 3 prior less determined attempts, that I was going to cut all wheat from my diet. (I'm happy to report that I'm still what-free, now migraine-free, down 20 stubborn pounds from my post-op appointment weight (when swelling was already greatly diminished!), and generally feeling much healthier.)

Earlier this spring, 2016.

This year, our 10-year-old earned best behavior in his entire class (measured in "Falcon Feathers" collected throughout the year). The school took him and a few other class winners to a day of mini-golf. Today is his very last day of 4th grade already! He will have a week with grandparents, a vacation Bible school (VBS) week, and a week away at church camp this summer. I'm excited to have several weeks to spend with him myself before school starts again in early August.

Our 13-year old won a generous cash prize (enough to pay her tuition to a special math and science camp she wanted to attend in July) by taking first place locally, then second at state, in an essay contest on patriotism and freedom. The week before math camp, she will be taking a trip (her first time ever to fly as an airplane passenger, though she has been in the co-pilot seat, typically in control of the flight stick, of private planes since she was 8-years-old) to Oshkosh, Wisconsin to attend airplane camp! She won that trip due to a second winning easy through her flying club. She plans to have enough flight hours to earn her pilot's license next year when she is old enough to qualify. She finishes up her year of free voice lessons (from the talent show she won last year) this month and is already begging to take up horseback riding, as she finally got her first taste of the sport this past weekend. She plans to dissect a frog, a fish, several other small animals, and teach her little brother to dissect a worm, over her summer break. She will also spend a week helping direct crafts in my mom's church's VBS.

Our 16-year-old just finished his Junior year of high school. He is spending nearly 9 week living 5 hours from home, interning at Stanford University in a medical office. He left Tuesday morning. We hope to take a weekend trip over to visit him over the summer. He is going to be so changed, so grown up, after a summer of full-time working, research, and managing his own laundry, budget and meals! He may take a evening college course or two as well, while he is over there. For several months we were thinking he might skip Senior year and start college this fall, so I'm thrilled to know he will be moving back home for another high school year at the end of July! When he gets back to Reno, we should finally have time in his week home before the start of the new school year, to get him to DMV to get his driver's license!

Rick started a new job with Nobel Studios in February. He also serves as family logistics implementation and taxi driver! If anyone deserves to earn a trip (or a  new car, or lawn service for the year, or a personal chef who actually knows how to cook...), it is this amazing, dedicated guy! Satan wanted to destroy our marriage through my strokes. I'm so thankful God won!!! I am blessed beyond words to be married to this man.

I am still doing water therapy at least twice a week (sometimes 3 times) and riding an exercise bike, gifted to me by a couple at Sunday School, several non-pool days. I've made myself very sore with a couple of 11 or 17-mile mornings, but I typically average 7-9 miles, 2-4 times per week. Tuesdays are my dedicated writing days. Thursdays have been Bible study mornings, then lunch with the girls, so I get home about the time my kids get off school. (I'm taking the summer off to be home with my kids another day per week, though.) So each week has just one week day for fitting in doctors and dentists and errands and chores. It is a full and busy rhythm, but I am so thankful to be at the stage of stroke recovery where I no longer juggle a dozen or more medical appointments each week! Considering that I "should" be dead or lying in a nursing home, that I get to lead this life is beyond amazing!

My rose garden this morning.

The past couple of weeks I haven't been riding my bike much at all, managing only 3-5 miles when I do. I've missed some water therapy too. In fact, I'm not really even managing to keep up with laundry and dishes and writing and meals well, as my stroke nerve pain as well as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) seems to be in a bit of a flair. For example, I took an amazing week-long trip to the Mount Hermon Christian Writer's Conference in March (total God provision, read about it here) and did amazingly well physically, both there and upon return, but the weekend trip I just took for Memorial Day is hitting me harder than that whole week! My doctor is assisting me in the last 20-30 pounds I need to loose to get back to my pre-stroke range and I really don't think this medication plays nicely with CFS, but I'm willing to pay the price as I know my weight-loss treatment is short term.

From our Memorial Day weekend. 37 of us gathered at Lake Tahoe to celebrate Rick's aunt and her best friend, for their 70th birthdays!

Other recent exciting happenings around here are that our van decided to commit suicide (throw a piston rod, and we had already decided at last major repair it wouldn't be cost effective to repair another catastrophic issue in that 18-year-old vehicle) on our way home from our Tahoe weekend. Thankfully, when we lost power to both both steering then breaks, Rick was behind the wheel (and handled the emergency SO WELL, I must add!), not our student driver! Thankfully we were already off the freeway and close to home, so Rick managed to limp the poor thing into our cul-de-sac, smoke billowing (too bad it didn't catch fire and take car of disposing itself!) and fluids hemorrhaging, where it died, never to start again. Always wanting to be a mom of many kids, a minivan was always my "dream car." I guess that life chapter is now over. We are now car (or small SUV, something that easily accommodates my walker or wheelchair, along with 3 kids) shopping.

And last, but not least, I wanted to share that as excited as our daughter was to learn to ride horses, I confirmed a new passion this weekend as well. I have wanted to take paining lessons since before I had kids. Water color, I thought. On Sunday I had a chance to try acrylic paining on canvas (one of those sip and paint party places). I felt like a whole new world opened up to me, a brand new area of my heart came alive! To say I loved the experience would be an understatement. I'm not skilled, but the feeling of swiping vivid color across clean, white canvas, just wow! Took me by surprise in the intensity of emotion!!! I'm officially hooked. When and where can I sign up for lessons?

Our daughter's dedication to me on the back of her own painting. :)

Small Businesses #30DaysOfThanks 11 (Shopping Guide)

I'll be doing a whole post about vets on my Daddy's birthday (Thanksgiving Day this year), but couldn't let today pass without at least some mention.

I'm trying to get really creative with "thankfuls" that benefit and bless others as much as I have been blessed. With holidays coming, it is my hope that I can help boost business a little for my courageous friends, many of whom have been part of my own journey for years. Thus today's post about small business women in my life and their books, curriculum, art, music, family businesses, etsy or eBay pages, or other business affiliations. I thank you each for the long nights, tears, family stress and long hours you put in to make your businesses both emotionally and financially profitable. Thank you for sharing your help, lessons, tips and encouragement along the way!

Christmas is nearly upon us already! If you are looking for gift ideas, please support a family business this year! In a moment, I'll be sharing a wide range of resources you may wish to choose from! (Please note, company/product names are the clickable links, so touch the name of the goods and services to go to owner websites.)

Over the years I've tried all kinds of home-based business from cleaning supplies and vitamins/nutrition to gift wrap to dolls and stuffed animals to a couple lines of mineral makeup to some jewelry. Basically, when I found products I loved, I bought in, to be able to purchase for myself at consultant discount and to make a little money as well! A couple years back, I wrote about the process of God pruning me. Just before my strokes I had felt God firmly guiding me to resign from all but one business I was involved in. It made no sense to my mind at the at the time, but after the strokes, I was so thankful for His wise leading!

I do still have my Lilla Rose hair clip page as the maintenance of this page takes little to no ongoing effort on my part  - figure 8 or Flexi clips, AMAZING little gadget that actually holds your hair, doesn't slip and doesn't pull!!!. (See YouTube to understand what makes them so unique! And here is sizing help.) 

Two friends who are more actively selling Lilla Rose are my friends Kendra D. and Kristi Bothur (who does the whole inventory-on-hand, shows, parties, etc. thing). Kendra, my stroke buddy, learned this great tip for left-handers, if you want the pin to slide in from the left side on any pin that has a clear top to the design, "after you place the order, immediately email them with the order number and item number and ask for it to be made left handed.".

This is a passionate issue to me as my husband and I owned a small store for the first few years of our marriage. That business failed. I want the best for my friends. If you are putting yourself out there into the competitive world of commerce, this is my token of support and thanks today. Every woman listed here could really use your support and encouragement! I've tried to cover lots of friends, but am sure I left many good friends off, so I ask for your forgiveness if you should have been included and I accidentally left you off this list. Please reply in the comments with an explanation of what you do and your link!!! 

When I think back over my own years of business ventures, it was the message boards at Christian Work At Home Ministries (CWAHM) where I made many of my connections. Thank you Jill Hart!

Women like Carissa Wooten Fulkerson (now) of Stone Street Soaps (amazing soaps and body products, both in look and feel, hand crafted, family made, packed and shipped, including specialty items and special orders) is the first to come to mind, for we entered so very many business attempts together before she invented her own fantastic business!

 

Yes! These are soaps!!! I gave several as gifts last year and everyone raved!

Leesha Heins sells Pampered Chef. I am currently hosting a party for her. Orders may be placed through Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015. (If you are on Facebook, please join the show page. While you don't need to "be there" at any set time, Leesha will be posting information, specials, and answering questions there!)

I am also hosting a Perfectly Posh event for Kathy Owens, open through noon this Saturday, November 15, with fun pampering products like "The Caffeinator" skin stick to "Wake up sleepy eyes and tired skin with a perky jolt of caffeine." Karen shares a promotion from corporate, available on purchases of $25 or more (excluding perks and other discounts) and only while supplies last:

Perfectly Posh

So far, neither of these shows have any orders placed, besides my own, so please grab your favorite drink, then drop by and take a look!

The following loved ones aren't posted in any kind or order, neither alphabetical nor by business/product type. As friends sent me links, I added them. With brain injury, this has become a full 3-day project, so I apologize to my fellow OCDers but this is what I could manage, so please see my heart in seeking to share these girls and their enterprises with you! I also see I got some of the background messy with all my copy/pasting. I've fixed as much of this as I can figure out how too. I'm sorry it still looks messy in places!  If I got anyone's details wrong or messed up links, please let me know right away and I'll be glad to edit in changes.

If something interests you, even a little, please visit the link. And if you can find it in your heart and pocket book to make a purchase or three, even better! Don't forget to open the comments to either add your own business or check to see what other links might already be added there for you to visit! ;) 

Shelly Benoit Hendricks has just published 3 beautiful new books on living with chronic illness (or with someone who is ill) including So You're Chronically Ill, Now What (look for a more in-depth review, information, links and give away upcoming on my illness blog, hopefully next week).

Bethany sells Jamberry "Gorgeous nail wraps that last up to 2 weeks on fingers, 6 weeks on toes. Latex-free, vegan, gluten-free, made in the USA. Less than $4/mani or pedi! Over 300 designs, so there's something for everyone."

Mandy Forster Stevenson also sells Jamberry. :) mandyrae.jamberrynails.com

My dearest friend, Susan, introduced me to her friend Laura Mizzell Baker and Paparazzi last year. I was HOOKED quickly. All necklaces come WITH matching earrings for the single price of only $5! Kids jewelry is only $1. Let's just say this makes for some great gift giving!!! For anyone on Facebook, Laura has also teamed up with Theresa Daniels to launch a private, invite-only (I have permission to invite my readers ;) ) The Sparkle Boutique, a WIDE variety of inexpensive jewelry, and they will research your interest to find exactly what you are looking for! Much there is in the $5 (or less!) to $12 range as well.

My friend Tammy sells an adorable clothing line called LulaRoe. I plan to do an in-person pop-up boutique with her once I loose more weight and am excited to see my living room turned into a clothing boutique for a few hours while friends visit and try on favorites! Until then, or if you don't live near me, order through her facebook page at /groups/tamimajtanlularoe/ or visit the main company page at www.lularoe.com then email her at lularoetamimajtan@gmail.com. In the Reno/Sparks, Nevada area, Tammy invites you to "stop by [her house] and shop, which has a much larger variety then the website. But if they see something online they want, they can use this code for free shipping: TAMIMAJTAN."

Kim, mom of twins with a degree in Childhood Development and a preschool teacher in a classroom setting for 12 years, is the author of LessonPlansPlus, where she has "taken our expertise in planning preschool lessons and shared it in an easy-to-follow format.  Our goal is to provide you with fun, flexible, educational preschool lesson plans for use in any setting.  Whether you want a few extra ideas to freshen up your current preschool lesson plans or you need an entire curriculum from scratch, we have what you need..."

Gratefulfoodie, Caroline Moassessi, is a personal friend and hero of mine (and she car pools my kids every afternoon too!) food allergy and asthma blogger.  I'm excitedly watching for more news from http://www.gratefulfoodie.com/.

Conny Hutchinson is a consultant with Mary & Martha (a faith-based company, related to DaySpring)

Terryl Hicks sells Thirty-one.

Suzanne Anderson Boyd has Anderson Square Jewelry Studio or facebook.com/AndersonSquareJewelry/?fref=ts

Abby Morton is the owner and designer behind "Mavora" Art and Design, started in 2006, offering custom stationary and supplies (like custom bags) and party invites (showers, weddings, etc.). The company is named after a group of lakes in New Zealand where Abby met her husband Tim. Abby is a real-life friend who greatly gave of herself and blessed me after my strokes, but has since moved. I miss her! 

The gift Abby made and brought me in the hospital. (Please forgive my poor photography.)
She also designed the header on my Given Me A Thorn blog.

Melissa Bogue writes, "I promote and sell an incredible, life changing line of products by LifeVantage! Protandim is an incredible all natural health supplement. We also carry a few other lines including an awesome skin care line called Life Science and a supplement for dogs called Canine Health."
"You can learn more about Protandim right here: www.abcliveit.com. If you watch the first video that comes up (just push the PLAY button in the middle of your screen, you'll have the chance to watch a short 12 min. video that explains about a truly phenomenal product that was featured on ABC's Primetime Investigation. Please message me back if you have any questions about this, as I will be happy to answer any questions, or help in any way possible."


Melissa Bogue also says, "I am a single Mama of three young children and am providing for them 100% on my own. I am an associate with Legal Shield and sell very affordable pre-paid legal plans and Identity Theft Protection that covers each member of your family. I am here to help, so please contact me today with any questions!" http://melissabogue.legalshieldassociate.com/

Lisa Copen of Rest Ministries has created (and makes) her own line of inspirational jewelry, GutsyGoodness. facebook.com/Gutsygoodness

Nancy Peters is a Beachbody coach. Please join her at Getting Fit with Nancie and you are welcome to message her on facebook with any questions.

My friend Kathy (who helps clean my house ever since my strokes) sells Amway. She asks that you help support her son, Justin, in his new Amway business.

Julie Ann Farmer Anderson sells Usborne Books and More.

Mel Vogt sells Arbonne.

Stephanie Ross sell Norwex.

Stephanie Glayton Burrage is a friend an incredibly talented photographer. To order a 2016 calendar of beautiful central California in the spring (pictured below), paypal $20 (includes shipping!) to  stephanieburrage@gmail.com via Paypal. You may reach Stephanie via facebook at /stephanie.burrage.

Barbara Burke Vandervort owns Vintage Rose Fashions and is just getting started again after several years off caring for a family member. https://www.facebook.com/Vintage-Rose-Fashions-38932566710/

Jennifer Davy Cameron selsl handmade greeting cards. - "I will post Christmas cards after Remembrance Day. Here is a link to my Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/Cameron-Cards-336779916413715/?ref=bookmarks&hc_location=ufi "

Michelle Clausen Glassmaker owns and makes adorable hair fashion (even custom requests) at Cotton Candy Bows. https://www.facebook.com/Cotton-Candy-Bows-147882571894458

Michelle Glassmaker also sells Plexus.

Jennifer Smith Adams owns ReedemedCoverings. Facebook.com/redeemedcoverings

Sharon Hope Betron Delabar sells affordable headcoverings and much more at NOVEILNOEVIL.COM "I'm still adding inventory!". 

My friend (and former writing group leader) Jeanette Hanscome, already has a few published books (including co-authoring of RUNNING WITH ROSELLE, and the writer of GIFTS, Volume 12 of The 12 Days of Christmas series), but I would especially like to highlight her upcoming devotional, Suddenly Single Mom:

Suddenly Single Mom, Jeanette Hanscome

And once again,

#30DaysOfThanks

#30DaysOfThanks 10 1/2 bonus post

As happens each day, I no more than post my daily thankfulness picture than I think of others I should have included too. Usually I just let those ideas go, possibly to be used again later in the month, often just to store in my heart for the day (knowing I won't remember them again in a few days since I didn't record them right away)!

But today there is a special thanks that I simply cannot let pass without recording!

While I have already spotlighted my hubby, please allow me to express thankfulness for him, for our marriage, once again. If you have followed along since my strokes, you may know that our marriage was hit HARD by my majorly messed up emotions, thought processes, and how we each reacted to the shock and strain. We still have some healing to go, on both side of the fence, but we are getting closer and closer to restored unity, by God's grace!

The past several weeks have been amazing to be the recipient of Rick's intentional, over-the-top kindnesses, his restraint from anything but encouraging and self-sacrificing words and actions toward me, that just keep coming and coming. I am feeling rather overwhelmed by so much grace! It makes me more keenly aware of the love that God lavishes upon us, undeserved! I have tried to express my feeling directly to him, but since I think better through my fingers than my mouth, I wanted to share this abundant blessing in my praise list today.

Last night was cold and stormy, soup weather. When Rick got home from work, in addition to our soup, I had cinnamon and vanilla (two of the only scents I can tolerate, along with some fruity smells like most citrus and mint, that we tend to avoid because too much mint triggers migraines for Rick) oils melting, the fireplace turned on, Christmas music playing (yes, already, I'm one of those people and make no apology for my choice!) and it just felt cozy and bright in here while so dark and damp and blustery outside. Rick came in stressed from the blowing, icy snow drive home, but came in and gave me a big hug, letting our littlest man present me with a bouquet of roses (my favorite flower) on the very day my rose garden was bedded down for the winter!

I need to record one additional special gift. On Sunday (Rick's birthday) he spent the whole day driving and running us to church then from one scheduled activity to the next. Seriously, he had a whole 10 minutes of down time, mid-afternoon, plus some quite time to himself (he will be the first to tell you he is very introverted and needs alone time to recharge!) after 8pm. In the midst of all this, he made time to take us to my favorite thrift shop so I didn't miss their 50% off sale, not only for once, when he took the whole family for an hour and a half, but AGAIN took me back a second time that evening, because I regretted not having purchase a specific dress earlier in the day. (And he was the one to find it still on the rack that evening too!) As our daughter put it before we went, "Daddy must REALLY love you to take you back to Savers for a second time in one day! If it were me, I wouldn't take you back again and I even like shopping and that specific store!" How right she is. Thank you Rick!!! I love you too.

One of several outfits Rick bought for me on his birthday.