Suzy Levi's Daily Dose

Trials do turn to gold! Happy New Decade everyone!

Thanking God for Triumph and Trials

    For me 2009 was a good year. The decade? Not so much. Since I am trying to take my own advice, I must focus on the positive but I can't ignore the negative.

    I learned a lot about my self. One of my dads quotes will sum it up nicely. "When you laugh the world laughs with you, when you cry, you cry alone!" So I shall now make good out of it all, and laugh!

    I find it amazing that the decade started with us using up our water jugs and canned goods that we had "just in case". Better to be safe than sorry huh? Other choices we made were not so safe. One thing that I know is that it was God that kept us alive through it all.

    The most important lesson of the decade though was the house. We bought our dream house. It had everything. Fireplace, Hot tub, wall of windows, a deck and a front porch to die for. I won't even start on the kitchen.

    It was beautiful. It was a beautiful nightmare! It was everything that I ever wanted and I hated it. The 5 years that I lived there were among the worst of my life. If you ever saw the movie The Money Pit I can say that our experience was similar. We couldn't work on it because we were too busy paying for it ( And our 2 rental properties)

    We were starting to experience stress that our hot tub couldn't soak away. I think you get the picture. This house was starting to cost Paul and I our relationship. Pretty bad huh?

 

    Now here comes the blessing. Through it all I managed to thank God for every trial. Sometimes with some strong questioning. I realized that God did not choose that house for us. We did. We did not even ask him. We wanted beautiful house and we got it! The blessings started the day we moved out. We left with our relationship. Thank God.

    The house was over 100 years old and we talked to all of the previous owners or their relatives. It turns out that every couple that owned Big Beautiful House divorced when they lived there. That is not all, They all met financial disaster and alcoholism. Coincidence? You decide. I think not.

    As paul and I settled into our recovery zone we had alot of work to do on us. Slowly the stress faded away and we saw how God preserved what was really important. Our relationship with Him and our family.

    To the world we may have looked like failures. It was our fault. How easy it would have been to blame our troubles on God. How easy it was to blame each other. It took a while to stop that.

    As we recover we still have a hot tub and a fireplace, they are just at the club house. So we walk a little.

    Now we are starting to look for a house again. I will put my big ideas in pencil, and ask God where He wants us. I hope that I have learned enough from last decades trials  to choose the right house.

    In conclusion for my new decade resolution, I resolve to make big decisions way more prayerfully!

    That and to lose 20 pounds!

    Thanks for reading,

    Suzy Levi

   

Lets give props to our children!

My Judy, My Daughter, My Friend

    Judy turned 15 when Taylor Swift had the hit "15". Ironic? Nope. Fate!

    It freaks me out that she will have her temps in a couple of months. Will I need a helmet? Will she watch the road when she is cruising around with her friends? So much to consider as she races towards adult hood.

    As all mothers of teenage girls know there are times that you wonder how some storms developed. "Who are you, and where is my daughter?" And so the problems are out of the way, this is why I think that she will survive.

    Judy was born talking. Not yakking but talking. You may think I'm crazy, but I know that she said hi to me when she was 2 weeks old. To this day she can explain herself in any situation. I have never made a choice for her. I have given her plenty of choices though. ( Do you want to clean your room or would you rather clean the bathrooms?) She saw the benefit of making the right choices quickly.

    Some may think that I am wrong about this. My thinking is that If God won't make choices for us who am I to make choices for anybody else? I much prefer to help and guide her into making right choices. Sometimes I have had to tell her what to do (move away from the street) and I have made some of her choices more difficult ( milk or water for dinner?) but I have not controlled her.

    I have also had to give her a dose of vitamin N. No I can't drive you all over town. No you and your friends can't sleep on the trampoline it's 5 below out there! No I won't spend the house payment on a shopping spree at Beachwood Place!!!

    As she approaches her sweet 16 I am relaxing more and more about her future. I see her making mostly right choices. Not only am I relieved but I find myself impressed by her grace and understanding. She genuinely cares. Thank God!

    I am writing this post so that in years to come she will know that no matter what, she has been a blessing to me the majority of the time. I can also show it to her when she is mad at me for seeming to take her sisters side. This post is not a brag fest. It is a reenforcement for future encouragement, witnessed by you!

    I would also like to encourage everybody to write about how they appreciate there children and let them find it! Parenting is sometimes more opinion than fact (grey areas) and I know that 100 people can agree with me but if only one does no,t I will lament over it. Perhaps that is where I grow. After all, I am the one who wrote an article on how it is right to be wrong!

    Thanks for reading,

    Suzy Levi

Not smoking only the positive stuff!

The Bright Side of Not Smoking.

    Ok so we always hear the reasons why we should quit smoking. It's bad for you, causes cancer, second hand smoke, expensive, and so on, and on and on. This post Will not find me on that soap box. When I was a smoker I heard it all, and all as it did, was make me feel worse. Guilt and fear are no encourager's.

    I knew what I was doing to my self yet I couldn't stop. I was hooked. When  somebody would walk in to a  restaurant or store lugging an oxygen tank, I saw my future. I wondered if I would ever live to see my  grandchildren. Once again, for me, negativity is no motivator. Whenever I felt bad, I reached for my cigarettes.

    Before I kick off my New Year South Beach Diet program, I think that it is important to remind myself that this weight gain is the result of a positive life choice. It is my prayer that you find encouragement from this post, whether it is smoking, weight loss, or anything that prevents you from truly enjoying life.

    I have compiled a list of the benefits only, of not smoking. I found that reading things like this helped me through cravings the  best.  

    1.The feeling of accomplishment.  Surprise. This one trumped any physical benefit that I am experiencing. I feel that I can do anything now. When I smoked I always loathed myself for doing it. Now that is replaced with a generous dose of self respect. This is proof that the main battle is in the thinking.
   

    2.I can breathe better.  The first thing that my husband noticed ( besides how good my hair smelled) was that I was no longer hacking all night long. Now when I take a deep breath there is no pain when my lungs fill. This enables me to do my favorite thing painlessly...Laugh! Now my laughing no longer turns into a excruciating fit of coughing!
   

    3.$$$! More money. If I spend my last dollar (or five) I no longer panic that I can't get more cigarettes. This is huge to me. I spent so many years scrimping and planning and saving for my next smoke. I even rolled pennies a time or two. I experience no negative emotion when the price of tobacco rises anymore. And the extra money? Well they opened up a great smoothie joint across the way and I can enjoy a healthy guilt free Guava Lava. Yum!
   

    4.I don't have to leave joyful situations for a fix. Now I don't have to leave the Monopoly game to go choke myself. When I am at the movies I don't look forward to the end so that I can smoke. I can enjoy any event more thoroughly with no preoccupation.
   

     5.I feel like a good example. It it a real pleasure when someone tells me that they want to quit and asks me for advice. Wow! You cant buy that feeling.
   

    6.I smell better. Now I can detect a smoker in a heart beat. Yikes did I really smell like that?
   

    7.Now when I do healthy things I know that I am not canceling it out with a smoke.This is the last benefit that I will list although I am sure that I can find hundreds more. Now when I drink my healthy teas and eat my Organic veggies I know that they are doing me good and not just undoing the damage. The proof is in the putting, I feel great!

    Thanks for reading,

    Suzy Levi

Jingle Bills (to the tune of Jingle Bells)

Dashing to the mall

With my shrinking pay

Forging through the crowds

So many in my way

I can't afford a thing

Cause money's real tight

I have to use my credit card

So the bills won't come tonight!

    (Chorus)

    Jingle Bills Jingle Bills

    Oh how will I pay?

    I'm maxed to the limit

    Can I use the lay away?

    Jingle Bills Jingle Bills

I wish they'd go away

    Then I'll have more money

    Have a happy holiday!

If I don't find good gifts

I'll want to run and hide

Christmas is tonight

Time ain't on my side!

I'll buy anything

Though it may cost alot

I want to please the In-laws

Hope they like electric socks!

    (Repeat Chorus)

My Daughter wants a Bike

My Son wants a guitar

never mind what I want

My husband needs a car!

Prices are too high

My bank account is low

Can't I bake a fruitcake

It won't cost me any dough!

Everybody

Jingle Bills...

Thanks for reading,

Suzy Levi

This Winter coat Must Go! It is the Only ill Effect of not Smoking.

    More than 5 months ago I finally said goodbye to cigarettes for good. This was after a 33 year battle. The method I used really worked. No gum or patches or drugs of any kind. If you are still battling nicotine I recommend "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking" by Allen Carr. I used the CD's but the book works too.

   It truly was a God send. I think that the reason it worked so well is because it helped me change my thinking from dread, to excitement! Yay I'm free!! The mind is a powerful thing, and determination is key.

    Now about this winter coat. You see food tastes so great now that I have packed on 25 extra pounds. That is a lot for my 5'2" frame. I am going to apply the same method that I used to quit smoking and go on The South Beach Diet. I will be documenting my progress and trials right here on my blog. I will start after the holidays so that I don't have to deny myself my Mother-in-Laws potato casserole. Yum.

    I would really like to hear your success stories on stopping smoking or losing weight or both. Meanwhile you can find me at the crowded gym on New Years Day!

    Thanks for reading,

    Suzy Levi

   

Oregano can keep you healthy this winter and beyond!

One More on Winter Wonder Herbs, Oregano. (Hyssop- hyssopus Officinalis)

    Now here is one that really works. I call it the biggest enemy of viruses. Some studies have shown that oil of oregano kills 99.9% of all germs in petri tests. That is a mighty wallop against all illness.To be most powerful I suggest wild crafted oil of oregano such as Oregonal or OregaRESP. If used correctly it can kill germs, bacteria, and most manners of food poisoning.

    Here is what it does: Expectorant, relaxes peripheral blood vessels, promotes sweating, reduces phlegm, antiviral, antibacterial, and antispasmodic.

    I have a bottle of OregaRESP and I take 2 drops under the tongue at the first sign of illness. 9 times out of 10 it knocks it out right away. If not I repeat every 4 hours. (As you know I am not a doctor and if you have a serious condition please consult a licensed practitioner that you trust. This is clearly my educated opinion.)

    That said, I believe that this little bottle has prevented us many trips to Urgent Care. For further reading on the Benefits of this miracle remedy read Natural Cures For Killer Germs, by Dr Cass Ingram.

    Also some things to keep in mind while using Oregano are quite important. Due to its antibacterial nature, I suggest taking a probiotic an night before you go to sleep. I also do not recommend mega dosing as it could cause convulsions. As with any natural supplement and medications, I find that prayer is the most important element in healing.

    Thanks for reading,

    Suzy Levi