September, 2012 | Saved By Grace

Before and Afters

September 26, 2023 By Christine 8 Comments

Many of you are asking me what my new “look” is like. As promised, I have some pictures of me before and after my breast reduction surgery now that I am feeling better. Of course these are fully clothed pictures. After all, this is a family-friendly and a Christian based blog.

It may seem silly, but I really do like the work my surgeon did. I feel weird saying that about my breasts, but it is true. It has been a lot to adjust to. My clothing fits better and the release of tension on my neck, back and shoulders has been an immediate noticeable factor. I am almost having to ‘re-train’ myself how to properly sit back and stand and walk. I used to walk somewhat hunched over because it relieved some of the pressure of having the larger sized breasts on my chest. This led to a curvature in my neck, shoulders and back and I am hoping to get some of the alignment back by sitting and standing straighter.

So, here is a picture of me before my surgery. I wish I would have taken some pictures in the same outfits so you could see the difference I see when I put on my clothes, but this will have to do.

As you can see, I was carrying around quite a lot of extra weight. As I said before, I was about a 46-48 H.

Here is me now. After a lot of the swelling is down, I am now at a 42-44 D-DD depending on the bra. I have been told my swelling will continue to go down before I will settle into my new size. While a D or DD might still seem large to many of you, it is small compared to where I used to be. In fact it is about half of what I used to be.

As far as pain goes, I am off pain meds and slowly getting used to this constant ache I will probably be putting up with for quite a while. I quit taking my pain meds because I found I no longer needed that kind of strength for pain. Tylenol works just fine. I actually hate the way pain meds make me feel. Who wants to live in a cloud all day? Not me! There are still areas that are quite numb, but the feeling is slowly returning.

I cannot tell you how excited I am to finally have back some of my energy and some of my self esteem. While many think having the attention larger breasts create would make me feel good. It didn’t and it actually made me feel bad. I used to try to hide them under baggy clothes and sweaters. I am still a modest woman, but I no longer feel ashamed of my body and I am excited to be able to work out soon. I am re-claiming my life!

Filed Under: Breast reduction Journey

Cook Safe in the Kitchen

September 25, 2023 By Christine 8 Comments

I am sure most of you know that I have a passion for food. Something else that is a passion of mine might seen kind of strange, but the two are very related. One could almost say I am obsessed with this other subject; Cooking Clean. What most people call the “stomach flu” is usually due to eating food that is not properly prepared and then the germs get spread.

When preparing food for yourself and others to eat, it is VITAL that you use some precautions. Cleanliness in the kitchen is not just about wiping things down and doing the dishes. With just a few simple changes, you can make your kitchen a “clean cookin’ machine”!

First lets start with the basic. It may seem obvious to you, but hand washing is essential when cooking both before, during and after.

Here are some other tips of mine:

Never “re-use” a cutting board for a different task without washing first, in hot soapy water. Many people just flip over the cutting board and use the same board for chopping both veggies and cutting up meat. This is a huge no-no! This is called cross contamination and is the #1 way food is made unsafe for consumption. I have actually have two different colored boards for these jobs. One is for meats only and the other is for veggies etc. Make sure to disinfect the counter after cutting up something on a board to prevent juices from other foods getting into your RTE (ready-to-eat) foods.
Keep meat on the bottom of your fridge and always place it on a plate to prevent spillover of juices and blood.
NEVER eat food that requires refrigeration if it has sat out at room temp more than 3-4 hours and always cool down food before placing in your fridge (more on that in another article). If you put hot food in your fridge, it can alter the temp in the fridge and cause spoilage of other foods.
When re-heating, always reheat to 165 degrees F internally. Get in the habit of checking foods when you reheat them and buy yourself a thermometer.
Make sure you cook meat to proper internal temps. Many people don’t know what the proper temps for foods are so I have included it here for some common foods. It isn’t enough to just visually see that you think it is done. Place a thermometer in the meat and see what temp it stays at for 15 seconds.
Don’t just wipe up messes, disinfect them with bleach and hot soapy water before moving forward. This goes for your hands, too. If you cut up veggies, wash them thoroughly before moving onto your next task. It only takes 30 seconds!

Proper meat temps:

For Chicken, always cook to 165 Degrees F

For Ground meat like beef, its 160.

I suggest keeping this chart from the Food Safety website handy.

Clean cooking really is about just making small changes to your routine. Happy cooking 😉

photo via palindrome6996 via flickr.com

Filed Under: Homelife

Surgery update

September 18, 2023 By Christine Leave a Comment

So it’s been a couple weeks since anyone has heard from me on my little blog and I can tell you it has been a nightmare. As pretty much everyone knows, if you have been following along, I got a breast reduction. I would love to share some before and afters (fully clothed of course!) but to be honest, this lady feels pretty ill and I am not up for pictures right now. I promise soon enough though.

First of all, my surgery was a success. My surgeon was able to take 1600 cc’s and 1400 cc’s respectively which took me from a size H to what I think is a large C or maybe a D. This is a huge difference in size and I feel a significant change in just how much lighter I feel and I never realized how tense my neck, back and shoulders were.

The problem started for me, when I got home from the hospital. I started running fevers and felt terrible. It turns out I contracted a staph infection in my surgical wounds. That staph infection turned into an abscess on one side, which I had to get drained. I spent a good part of this month so far in the hospital on IV antibiotics. The trouble with me is, I am personally allergic to so many “good” antibiotics for this type of infection that they had to resort to the big guns and put me on stuff that made me violently ill. I have lost nearly 10 lbs this week alone due to lack of food intake.

I am still on about nine more days of antibiotics, and they do make me ill and I feel like every ounce of me is drained, but I hope to be back to my old blogging self soon enough. I have some wonderful reviews to write soon and a new perspective.

Thanks for all the love and support I have received thus far. It really does mean the world to me.

photo via flickr.com by rosmary

Filed Under: Breast reduction Journey

Is it Kind?

September 6, 2023 By Christine Leave a Comment

Today’s Guest Post is by Natalie at Newswahl.com. Her post is on Being Kind. I hope you enjoy it!

My son’s school has a program called Be Kind. It was started by parent’s of a child named Josh who was killed in a car accident, and has become quite the movement in our school district. The aim of the program is to reward children for being kind to one another and prevent bullying. My son loves it, and is often rewarded for going out of his way to be kind. We love the program because it teaches our son a value that is central to our faith and beliefs.

We recently had a family discussion about language and how we can use language to hurt or help. Our son picked up a lot of crude and disrespectful language at summer camp this summer, and so it is important that we teach him alternatives to such behaviors, and the reasons why we would choose not to engage in them. We all signed a pledge to use kind language and avoid crude, vulgar, or profane language. The questions “is it true, and is it kind?’ are central to helping to change the feel of our language and help us all to be better. The dictionary says profanity includes language that is disrespectful and irreverent. So even common phrases that are used in a hurtful or angry manner can be included under the definition of profanity. I find that I too have been guilty of using a lot of unkind language this summer, and am determined to change.

I have worked with a bunch of young, school-age boys all summer at summer camps. I have found that teasing, and crude language are how they try to be “cool”. This trend is destructive and frustrating to me. Several children were teased to the point that they left the camps early. Others were turned away or made fun of because of differing abilities. I did my best to mitigate such incidences and teach the children to use kind words and to be respectful towards one another, but it was a difficult task.

Our society is trending towards selfishness, and humor at the expense of others. It is of little consequence to make fun of ourselves and others. In fact, most comedy is aimed at ridicule. George Washington said that profanity “is a vice so mean and low. . . that every man of sense, and character detests and despises it.” How we have come to accept insults and crude language as humorous or even acceptable is beyond me. I do not wish to see this trend continue. Bullying in our schools is a real problem, and it is because we accept such language and behavior as being funny, or socially necessary to fitting in, however, it is not funny to the one who is the center of such behavior.

I work a lot with children with disabilities. I find it a blessing that many times they do not understand the intent or full impact of others language and behavior towards them. Those that do have demonstrated frustration and anger that breaks my heart. My son has been targeted at times, and will come home in tears. Children are not to blame. As parents and a community we set the example of what is acceptable. Television and media both glamorizes and shuns bullying, crude and hurtful language, and profanity. This is a trend that as parents and a community we must fight to change. My challenge to readers is to please look at your language, and the example you set. Examine what you allow to be said and done in your home, what media you allow. Is it uplifting. Does it create the environment that you hope to cultivate for your family? If not, then take our pledge and change that.

About Natalie

My name is Natalie. I am the mother of a wonderful ADHD 7-year-old, and his crazy teacher father. Think Bill Nye and the absent minded professor rolled into one and you have my life. I was just “diagnosed” with my 5th rare illness. Hopefully this will be the right one. It is called autoimmune hypophysistis, or failure of the pituitary gland, which apparently regulates all hormones necessary for normal life. This blog will share my journey, and my families fun, and anything that can make life better since we are all just muddling through.

Filed Under: Christian Living

Looking for the perfect gift?

September 5, 2023 By Christine Leave a Comment

Photo via flickr by asenat29

Australian residents,

With the Holidays just around the corner, a lot of people are starting to think about the perfect gift to give to their loved ones. There are always some loved ones on just about everyone’s list that can be hard to shop for (my husband is one of these on my personal list!) and leave you puzzled as to what to get them.

Gift Card Planet, a leading personalized gift card company has your gift giving solution!

On Gift Card Planet, you can create your own gift cards that can be used anywhere EFTPOS are accepted! Its like sending cash to your loved one with the convenience of a card! You choose the amount you want to load and your loved one gets to spend at their favorite stores. This way, they can get whatever they want and the stress is off you to pick that perfect gift.

On Gift Card Planet, there are tons of already made themes and images to choose from for your cards for men, women, kids, holidays and other events.

In my opinion, this would also be a fun gift for just about anyone on your list! Kids especially love these since it makes them feel like a grownup having their own card to swipe and money that is all theirs! Also, everyone loves to receive “fun mail” (rather than bills!) and Gift Cards are a great surprise to send in the mail!

I think it would be fun to use the “Make Your Own Card” feature on the website. You can have a picture of YOUR choice on the cover of your card. This truly makes it personalized and your loved one will love to see a personalized image on the front of the card. It would even make a great keepsake.

Make sure for your holiday season that is coming up (or your loved one’s next birthday!) you consider doing it the stress free way this year by going to http://www.giftcardplanet.com.au/ and sending them a gift card! Check them out of Facebook as well!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

{Guest Blogger} ‘Not Tuna’ Noodle Casserole‏

September 4, 2023 By Christine Leave a Comment

Todays Guest blogger is Liberty from Naturally Frugalicious!

In our family we eat predominately vegetarian. Several of my children are vegetarian by their own choice and much to my omnivore husband’s chagrin, I prefer a mostly vegetarian diet as well. Thankfully a Veggie diet is also frugal in nature so I get away with serving my die-hard meat eating husband more meatless meals than not.

Being a busy mom, I am always on the hunt for easy recipes that can feed my family without keeping me in the kitchen for hours (though admittedly, I do like to put on a good spread from time to time for our friends and family). Casseroles meet this need and typically are very inexpensive to throw together.

One of our busy day favorites is a mock tuna casserole. You don’t really miss the canned tuna (who would really?) and this recipe leaves room for interpretation and use of healthier or vegan ingredients.

If you don’t live in a vegetarian household this may be a great way to implement Meatless Mondays with your family.

'Not Tuna' Noodle Casserole Recipe

‘Not Tuna’ Noodle Casserole

Ingredients:

1 - 12 oz bag of egg noodles
1 onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
10 oz baby Portabella mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 - 16 oz carton Portabella mushroom soup**
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1 - 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbs nutritional yeast
1 egg
¼ cup mayonnaise
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs

Directions:

Heat oven to 375ºF. Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
In a stock pot over high heat, bring 4-6 quarts of water to boil. When water comes to full boil, prepare egg noodles according to package directions. Drain and place back in the pot, setting aside.
While noodles are cooking, add the EVOO in a saute pan and heat over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and mushrooms. Saute the vegetables until the mushrooms begin to release their juices; about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat.
In a food processor, add the garbanzo beans and parsley, pulse until they’re chopped into small pieces. Add the soup, nutritional yeast and mayo. Pulse until blended. At this stage, taste the mixture, add salt and pepper to taste. Add in the egg and pulse until well blended.
Pour the garbanzo bean mixture into the egg noodles. Add in the cheese and vegetables and stir until well combined.
Spoon the noodle mixture into prepared 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle the Panko breadcrumbs on top of noodle casserole for the crust.
Bake for 45 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

**If you can’t find the soup in a 16 oz size container, you can substitute with a can of cream of mushroom soup and a little bit of water or milk/non-dairy creamer if you find it needs a little bit more liquid.

—

Give this vegetarian ‘Not Tuna’ Noodle Casserole recipe a try and be sure to let us know what you think!

Liberty Ann is a photographer extraordinaire, life coach, and blogger who has a sometimes snarky and irreverent approach to life. Her personal blog, Naturally Frugalicious, offers perspectives on healthy eating and frugal living through recipes, tips, and DIY projects. When she isn’t blogging or elbow deep in her photography, Liberty can be found drinking a glass of wine and getting lost in Pinterest.

She can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and Google+, as is Naturally Frugalicious.

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes, Frugal Living, Recipes

{Guest Blogger} Cheddar Broccoli Chicken Casserole

September 3, 2023 By Christine 1 Comment

Hello Sweet Friends,
I am Belinda of Pinterest Fanatic and also Giveaway Fanatic. I am thrilled to be joining you all here on Saved by Grace. I chose one of my favorite recipes to share with you today: Cheddar Broccoli Chicken Casserole. This recipe calls for a Rotisserie Chicken which not only saves you time, but makes it so yummy!

Here is what you will need:

Rotisserie Chicken
1 Can Broccoli Cheese Soup
8 oz. Sour Cream
Zatarain’s Cheddar Broccoli Rice
6 oz. of Crispy Fried Onions

The Sour Cream is optional… but it does make the Casserole extra moist. As you can see below, I did omit it this time.

Lightly grease your Casserole Dish (I use a 9 x 13) and Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare the Zatarain’s according to the package directions. While that is cooking, shred/cut up the chicken while removing the meat from the bones.

Mix in the Broccoli Cheese Soup and Sour Cream.

Once the Zatarain’s is ready, add to the chicken mix and top with the crispy fried onions.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

About Belinda:
In addition to recreating pins on Pinterest Fanatic, you can join Granny, Belinda & Alesea (Yes, 3 Generations) as they pass along old & new family recipes, create original projects from sewing to mod podge and reward you with tons of GIVEAWAYS! Belinda also shares a Giveaway and Product Review Site called Giveaway Fanatic with her Teen Daughter. Here you will find Hot Tips, Fashion Advice, Recipes & the Best in Beauty.

Make Sure to Check out Belinda:

Filed Under: Recipes

ACE cat furnature

September 3, 2023 By Christine Leave a Comment

Cats are amazingly funny and entertaining animals. As far as dog person vs cat person, I am most definitely a cat person.

I tend to spoil my cat a great deal. He has over 10 different flavors of treat bags in this house, including some freeze dried shrimp. I was very happy to come across a website that will allow me to spoil Mr. Whiskers more!

Ace Cat Furniture has probably the biggest selection of cat beds, trees, scratching posts and tunnels I have ever seen! I was sent a couple scratching posts for my kitty along with a cozy bed for him to try. The posts and bed are both of superior quality.

I loved that the larger scratching post that I was sent has a ball (I am guessing!) inside that makes noise. My big guy had fun using his hind legs to kick it and get a great sound. I wish I had taken video of it. It was so hilarious! The smaller scratcher is perfect for hanging on a doorknob.

I was also sent a great bed for him. I personally love that it matches our decor in our home and that it looks very comfy. I also liked the suede outer section. The inner cushion is not attached and this is great for laundering!

Ace Cat Furniture sells a huge selection of items for your spoiled little kitty! I loved the “Cat Clouds” products. I consider myself a little over in love with my cat and I have this dream of one day being wealthy enough to have a room just for him in my home and that would be one thing I would put in there.

Make sure you check out Ace on Facebook as well!

And now, an entertaining video of my cat enjoying his new bed from Ace. Don’t mind my silly baby talk to him. I told you I was on the verge of crazy cat lady.

Filed Under: Product Reviews

{Guest Blogger} All Things Work Together For Good

September 1, 2023 By Christine Leave a Comment

Romans 8:28

New International Version (NIV)

²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[a] have been called according to His purpose.

I am sure that many of us have heard this verse as we have grown up in the church. Or even if you came to faith in the Lord later on in your life, you probably heard this verse quoted. It is one of those verses that we cling to, but I sometimes wonder if we truly believe it.

A family member is diagnosed with cancer. A friend decides to sever ties with you. Your marriage falls apart. Your child rebels. Your family turns against you. These are things that many of us have experienced, at least in part. I am currently going through some of these things. I thought I had met the man of my dreams more than once in my life. I have been rejected by so many people in my life that I sometimes wonder what’s wrong when people are actually accepting of me.

When I am in the midst of difficult situations, I sometimes find myself questioning if I have missed God’s best. Maybe I did something wrong, and now God is punishing me. Or maybe my mistake will thwart God’s will of my life. All these thoughts go through my mind.

Now, why is that the case? After all, the early Christians suffered, so why should I be surprised when God allows suffering to happen to me? I have not been asked at this point to die for my faith (I have sometimes told God that would be easier!). As a Christian, I have not been promised an easy life. So why do I not go back to this verse?

The easiest answer to this is that I have bought into the American church mindset. Everything will be just fine in your life as long as you follow the Bible. Nothing bad will happen, and if it does, then I have done something wrong. My faith isn’t strong enough. I missed God’s will. I sinned.

Let me tell you a story. My daughter and I lived far from home for several years. I went through a terrible divorce, and I was certain that I would never come back to the Pacific Northwest. Imagine my surprise when God brought me back. And He allowed me to go to at least four or five interviews. I was certain that just as in the past, God would provide a full-time job for me. After all, I came home to help my mom out, so I was doing the right thing.

I can remember the day I was driving back from an interview, and I knew I did not get the job. I was afraid for the future, and I nearly convinced myself that I had missed God’s best. God must not have wanted me to come back here. How could it be His will for me to not have a job?

Through being a substitute teacher, God began to bless me. I was certain He would provide a full-time job for the next school year. He did not. And then my family began to fall apart. How could any of this be God’s will? I was sure that I had messed up big time, and now I was reaping the consequences of being out of God’s will.

Remember what the verse says? All things work together for good. This means that even if we miss God’s best, it is no surprise to Him. He is such am amazing God, that He is able to work every single thing in our lives (if we are truly His) for good. And I have some personal evidence to back it up.

A couple years ago, when I discovered that being a substitute teacher could become a way of life for me, I decided to start my own blog. It began slowly, and here, two years later, God has brought my blog to a place where I never could have guessed I would be. My blog has actually been able to make me some extra money. And if nothing else, I have a purpose in life. God has given me a bigger ministry that I ever could have dreamed possible.

Today, I can assure you that had I never faced unemployment and only working part time, I never would have had the time to start this blog. I realize that it is a small example, but isn’t that how God often works? We always look for the miracles and the big things, but God works daily in small ways in our lives. If we aren’t looking for His hand, there is a good chance we will miss Him.

So remember, my friend. If you are truly the child of God, He will cause everything in your life to work together for good. I am not asked to understand that. I am merely asked to accept it by faith. Don’t give up during the hard times. God may just work in a way you hadn’t expected, and He is able to take the worst experience in your life and use it for good.

Ruth Hill is a blogger and substitute teacher in ten Pacific Northwest districts. She lives in Yelm, Washington with her parents and her 9-year-old daughter, Martha.

Filed Under: Christian Living