Bed Resting~ Hot Flashes~ Shows Keeping Me Entertained

Well, I have been put on bed rest for a few days as we wait on my scheduled-out surgery in June. They are trying to get my hemorrhaging to slow or stop by me resting and taking medications. So, far it has not worked 100. I need to get my iron up to do the surgery, yet I need the surgery to keep my iron from dropping more. I am in a bit of a conundrum. 

Anyway.... it is so funny. Funny in the fact that there were years all I wanted to do was rest and do nothing and now that I am that place, I am anxious and do not like it. Oh, the grass is never greener on the other side, like we think sometimes, is it? LOL!

Me totally not feeling it today. I am posting for my memories. LOL! Basically, I will rest and take the medication and when my "flow" stops I can get up for light duty but if it starts back I have to get back to resting. SIGH!

So, what have I been up to, you ask?! Nothing... truly....

I have been watching lots of shows, listening to an audio book, and sleeping. I am so exhausted. I sleep around 10-11 hours a day at this point. 

Just now in the last two days I have been able to get up and cook some basic meals like tacos and spaghetti. I have had to utilize grocery delivery WHICH I DESPISE. 

One of the series I have been watching. It really is good and clean so far. It is hard to find clean shows nowadays.

I like dark mysteries as well. This has been a great series. I have been watching this show for years. 

If you are squeamish, Silent Witness, it is not for you! This is solving murders from a coroner's angle.

Another favorite I usually like is Brokenwood Mysteries. I just wish they didn't start pushing hidden agendas this season. It has always been a clean and nice show, but this season has been different. 

I do not normally sit around and watch so much on my computer. I do not have cable or anything. I watch stuff off my laptop with streaming, but I can't focus on reading. I can't really do puzzles or diamond painting in the bed. So, this is where I am at the moment. 

I have been doing a lot of research on perimenopause and menopause. Trying to research foods, supplements and other helpful things to help me during this time and to be prepared for after my surgery. I am pretty overwhelmed. I do not like to be put under. I do not like medications because I have so many sensitivities and allergies. 15 to be exact. Sigh. 

I have been watching Dr. Axe on YouTube for perimenopause and menopause information. I love his natural approach. 

I also have been watching Dr. Mary Claire Haver M.D. She isn't a holistic natural doctor, but she is very realistic and informational about hormone care.

Anway, not much really interesting in my world, but I want to post for posting sake and for myself. So, I can look back and remember this moment and season in my life. 

I am reading and learning more about certain healthy diets and supplements that I believe would be beneficial. I have really let my diet go in the past year due to all the symptoms I have been dealing with. So, I need to get back at better nutrition and slower paced living. I used to be this way when our kids were home and I was homeschooling, but I have lost a lot of discipline once the nest became "empty" or I wasn't responsible for the now young adults. I have not found a daily routine and rhythm without them and schooling, I don't cook as much as I used to, and I fill my days with stressing things to not deal with the fact the house can feel empty and lonely feeling at times. 

Empty nest season and then entering perimenopause has been very difficult for me. Lack of sleep, sugar and carb cravings, weight gain no matter how much I walked and hiked, hot flashes and sweats. Increased anxiety and mood swings. DID I MENTION THE HOT FLASHES!!!!!!!!!! The never ending sweating. Sick to my stomach from it. The aversion of meat I have. Constant long 30–40-day heavy periods. 

It has not been fun to say the least. Hopefully, there is HOPE around the corner at some point and until then I am going to try to see how I can make it somewhat tolerable by changing some things in my life. 

ANY TIPS would be appreciated!!!!

Yes, I am in my late 40's but my grandmother was 39 when she entered menopause. My mother was 48. It has become more and more common for women in their late 40's to deal with symptoms beforehand or even younger. 

Until next time....

Chrissy T

Happy Mother's Day

For all my USA and any other area readers that recognize Mother's Day on May 10th, 2026, I want to wish you a Happy Mother's Day! I know this can be a hard day for some but let us find some joy or peace no matter what the circumstances are. I pray you have a lovely day.

With Love, 

Chrissy T

Mississippi Petrified Forest

 

Hello all.  My husband and I took a little stroll at Mississippi Petrified Forest a bit back and amidst all the LIFE (check yesterday's post) I haven't shared the memories. So, today is the day. 

This is a piece of petrified wood that looks like a frog! :) 

All that on the ground around the tree is petrified wood. It is amazing how this is stone. So fascinating

. 

This little squirrel kept following us. LOL!

It was short 1/2-mile stroll. The weather was 70 and the sunshine was perfect. It was a beautiful day. We finished up with ice cream at a local ice cream place. I got German Chocolate Custard. It was super delish. 

Before our wandering we had lunch at new Italian restaurant, and it was fabulous. I ordered a new dish which I never hardly do. Usually, I stick with my normal favorites because it is usually safe and good. This time I ventured out and tried a pasta with sundried tomatoes, alfredo and rigatoni and bacon. It was delish. 

Thanks for popping in!

With Love,

Chrissy T

When Life is "Lifing!"

Hello everyone. It has been a week and two days since my mother-in-law passed unexpectedly and tragically away. I will not share details for personal reasons, but I will say that it has been a difficult time. Then two days after we buried her, her sister passed away unexpectedly as well. It has been a real hard time for Derrick's side of the family. In the midst of that I have had some serious health problems. I was standing for hours during the visitation, and I began to have female issues. If you are a consistent reader, you will know that I have anemia. Well, I began to hemorrhage which led to emergency care for this and many doctor's appointments and female biopsies. 

To say Life is LIFING is TRUTH here in this season of my life.

I have said that saying for years... way before I knew it was coined a modern slang. 

According to google...

Meaning of “Life is Lifing”

“Life is lifing” is a modern slang phrase that means life is actively happening — often in intense, unpredictable, or overwhelming ways — and you’re fully experiencing it, whether it’s joyful, chaotic, or challenging.

I will say I feel the chaotic and challenging part ever so much right now. 

I have to have a hysterectomy and I am terrified. I will be down for quite a bit and to be honest, my anxiety is through the roof. I know I try hard to keep this space positive, uplifting, joyful and encouraging. I like to post all our adventures and special memories. BUT THIS SEASON (look at my blog title) is different. All the plans I had for this spring and summer seem to be floating away. My new part time job has been put on the back burner because I can't even stand for long periods, walk down the block, or lift anything heavy because of my current hemorrhaging. My iron is dangerously low, so my breathing is labored by the simplest of tasks and my heart begins to pound just taking a shower. 

So, while I do like to keep my blog drama and "woe is me" free; this season I am rolling into is not void of that. We will have to roll into this next season and embrace it. I am sharing here because this is what my life looks like right now. I love sharing the good memories and all my fun goals BUT life is taking me on a different path. I will try not to share much about it all on the blog and my blog posts may seem a tad less interesting but for my sanity, comfort, and only form of creativity I will keep on posting as I can. 

With love,

Chrissy T

Prayers Please~ A Loss

Hello everyone. My husband's mother passed away last night. We got a call she was being rushed to the hospital at 5:15 p.m. yesterday evening. He began to drive that way. We were under the impression that it was dehydration. Unfortunately, that was not the case. It was a long ride to the hospital from where she lives and by the time they reached the hospital she coded. Sad to say after many traumatic hours of coding 6 times in 3 hours and trying to save her she could no longer hold on. I made it right before she passed. Two of our children were pulling in. It was almost a 2-hour drive for us. She was 72 years old. Her name was Carolyn. It was so sudden and totally unexpected. She apparently had pulmonary embolisms in both lungs, and one went to her heart. She never mentioned she was feeling any certain way. She just said she didn't feel good, but she had her teeth pulled for dentures recently and we all assumed it was pain and not feeling good from that. 

My husband lost his dad a few years ago to cancer. While death is never wanted and you are never fully prepared for loss; we had time to say goodbye and talk to him before he passed. We all knew he was passing away and was there at the time. This time with his mom was so different and so shocking. 

He just keeps saying I can't believe my mama is gone. So, if you could please lift up our family at this time I appreciate it much. 

With Love,

Chrissy T

Sunday's Special Moments ~ Birthday Lunch, Hosting, and Time with Jesus

 

Hello everyone! Today was full day but special. Lots of cooking! Lots of food! Lots of laughs and a nap! Let's start from the beginning. This is our oldest son, Ethan! We had his birthday lunch today after church. He will be 26 tomorrow (April 27th) and we are teasing him that he is close to 30. He is refusing to accept that. 

This morning started at 5:50 a.m. ONLY because we had a terrible storm last night that kept us up all night. I finally decided to get on up and start cooking because I had lots to do. We had our son's lunch as well as we were also hosting a small group of men from church for a Men's Bible Study and Taco Night. 

I had to lead worship today so off I went after cooking lasagna, MY SPECIAL green beans and preparing the home. 

Heading out the door!!! You can see Ethan's gift behind me!💗💜💚

My husband had put up this below on our monitor at church today. I loved it and needed the reminder!

Now, after a beautiful time with the Lord and our church family I headed home to get lunch served. All the kids came over and we celebrated Ethan. He is a HUGE and I really mean HUGE St. Louis Cardinal fan. He watches the entire season! He has loved them since we took him to his first ball game in St. Louis when he was 4 years old. So, his gifts reflect that. We lived in the area for 15 years before moving to Mississippi.

Here is Ethan, Hannah and her boyfriend, Clayton.

Our youngest son *KYLE* is NOTORIOUSLY always late. Like always. We even tell him an earlier time to help him be on time but usually he is still late. :) He did end up arriving... EVENTUALLY. We love him though. HE BRINGS THE LAUGHS! ALWAYS! It isn't that he wants to be or being selfish. He has ADHD so schedules and timing is very difficult for him. He does try, bless it. :) 

 Kyle and Ethan!  

He loves honey buns! He has lost almost 100 pounds this past year, so this is a special treat. Hannah wrote some funny things on the box, and we all got a laugh! She gifted him these and a sweet card!

It was a nice day. The lasagna was a hit. It was probably one of my best homemade ones I have made yet. 

After we cleaned up and everyone went there way. I headed to the bed and slept for two hours. I needed it so much! I am so thankful. 

THEN ROUND TWO!!

I set up for our Men's Small Group this evening. They are studying being Battle Tested men and it has been a great enjoyment for the group.  My husband (aka...THE PASTOR) liked the taco bar our ladies did last week so we did that this week for the men.

I made a Queso Rotel dip. It was good. It was with queso Velvetta white cheese not the normal yellow block. They seem to have liked it. 

Here are a few snapshots of the men that attended. Oh, yes, they know I took pictures and that I am posting the pictures. 

My husband is in the green shirt!

It was great and busy day! I am thankful. Thankful for the ability to be able to serve, host and bless my loved ones and church family. I am thankful I had the means to do it and that I had the strength. To be honest, it has been a few hard months physically for me. I am so thankful for the energy to do what I needed to do. 

NOW.... I am blogging and drinking a nice cold coke. (yes, I know, it isn't healthy 😆) and I am about to watch some of my favorite hiking and camping youtubers. 

A great way to end my Sunday!

Blessings and with MUCH LOVE,

Chrissy T

Weekend Happenings! *Car Camping Items* *Hannah's Yellowstone Trip*

 

Hello friends! Hannah is back! It was a short trip, but she packed a lot of wonderful moments and sights at Yellowstone. I picked her up tonight (Saturday) at 7 p.m. from the airport. Look at those big ole bison she had to pause for!!!!

She Face Timed me so I could see an amazing trail and waterfall. My heart smiled and was so excited for her and for her thinking of me. She knows I love nature. 

 

Hah! I was at work! Yes, I answered the phone because when baby girl FACETIMES me... I answer! I wanted to make sure she was okay. She left her bear spray, and I knew she was hiking. Can you see me? I love technology AT TIMES.

I hope to see Yellowstone one day in person myself. If I do not, I am happy Hannah did and sent me these beautiful pictures. She said it was soooo cold. She did an internship for Rocky Mountain National Park area in Colorado for a few months. Thankfully, she isn't a novice to cold, but it has been a few years. When she left and returned to Mississippi it was 80 degrees.

Alright, back to real life as she got in my car after I picked her up. I laughed because I know that feeling all too well. 

Other happenings....

I was off today! BUT that meant cleaning, errands, and preparing for things for the church. I had to practice music because I am leading worship this Sunday. 

I grabbed a unique drink along the way at a coffee shop next to the church. I do not normally treat myself often to coffees or special drinks, but this week has been a RARE exception. 

Today, I tried a German Chocolate Cake Frappe with no nuts. IT WAS FANTASTIC. Did you know I am allergic to nuts?

Yep, I developed the allergy at around 31 years old. I had always been able to eat nuts up until then. It was a sad adjustment. I loved peanut butter, almonds, and so many desserts with nuts.

Here I am taking a selfie as I was about to practice singing a song for tomorrow.

CAR CAMPING ITEMS came in! I am ordering things here and there. I am building up supplies as frugally as possible. It may take me a while before I can go "exploring and adventuring in my car" but until then I will get things here and there. I also will be doing this very frugally because I would not want to spend money and then go solo camping only to discover IT IS NOT FOR ME! LOL! So, I am just doing some cheaper basics until I see if it is something I end up liking. If not, I will pass some to my sister who does camp often or sell it. 

I purchased two things. One was a small butane stove burner for cooking. It was on sale for half off. I spent $22 on it. 

Second, I purchased window shades for blocking light and protection from someone being able to see inside my car at nighttime. 

The first picture is BEFORE I added the block out coverings. As you can see, you can see my backseat pretty clearly.

Now I added the shades/coverings and total black out! 

They also came in a very nice durable bag storage bag!!!

I am planning to save and get two more items. A tent for a decoy and for privacy when changing or maybe even sleeping in it. Then I need a sleeping pad for the car/tent. 

I am still doing some research on both. I want something durable but also want it frugal in case I do not like the experience. 

Anyway.... moving on...

Thanks for visiting me! I want to also thank all of you who have commented and encouraged me during this season I have been in! I have become appreciative of this community. Life can be lonely at times for someone in ministry. It is hard to explain as a Pastor's Wife. I do appreciate this space to be able to be a little transparent, share my dreams and record our personal memories. I do not do social media other than this blog. I love having a platform to share my memories as well as connect with others. 

Sunday we are doing a birthday dinner after church for our oldest son. Homemade Lasagna is on the menu along with garlic knots, green beans, and chocolate cake and ice cream. 

I made the cake tonight. :) It will be a busy day tomorrow for sure. 

I hope you all have a lovely Sunday!!

With Love,

Chrissy T