Keebler Shananigans: Elf Adventures 2013

Many people have a personal Elf on a Shelf. Many people post about great places to hide them. Keebler, our elf, finds himself in humorous or interesting places at the wrong time. Hoping you enjoy his adventures in each yearly blog post!

Keebler has returned! Finding him is half the battle ... NOT touching him is the other! #ElfOnTheShelf#NaughtyElf #ElfAdventures

Keebler tries to wrangle a wild horse that is OBVIOUSLY way out of control. ‪#‎ElfAdventures‬ ‪#‎ElfOnTheShelf‬ ‪#‎NaughtyElf‬ ‪#‎XmasFun‬

Looks like we might have a party-elf on our hands... ‪#‎elfadventures‬‪#‎elfontheshelf‬ ‪#‎naughtyelf‬

The repercussions of having an ‪#‎elf‬ taking on a second job as an actor.‪#‎ActorSyndrome‬ ‪#‎PriceOfFame‬ ‪#‎ElfOnTheShelf‬ ‪#‎NaughtyElf‬‪#‎ElfAdventures‬

Bathroom mirror + note = cleaner teeth! ‪#‎elfadventures‬ ‪#‎elfontheshelf‬‪#‎XmasFun‬

As if by ‪#‎XmasMagic‬, this ‪#‎elf‬ is flying high above the kitchen table.‪#‎elfontheshelf‬ ‪#‎naughtyelf‬ ‪#‎xmasfun‬ ‪#‎elfadventures‬

In the ‪#‎Xmas‬ tree stand, Keebler was ready to shoot any ‪#‎reindeer‬ he spotted ... with his CAMERA of course -- since he eats strictly sweets!!‪#‎elfadventures‬ ‪#‎elfontheshelf‬ ‪#‎xmasfun‬

Superhero Anonymous group photo ‪#‎elfadventures‬ ‪#‎elfontheshelf‬ ‪#‎xmasfun‬

"These friends are the best listeners!" thought Keebler ‪#‎elfadventures‬‪#‎elfontheshelf‬ ‪#‎xmasfun‬

‪#‎Elves‬ don't get sun damage, but then again elves aren't normally in the sun! ‪#‎elfontheshelf‬ ‪#‎elfadventures‬ ‪#‎elfonvacation‬

LadiesElf sure knows how to whisper sweet nothings in Barbies' ears!‪#‎elfadventures‬ ‪#‎elfontheshelf‬ ‪#‎naughtyelf‬ ‪#‎xmasfun‬

Damsels aren't in distress any longer. The roles have reversed!‪#‎elfontheshelf‬ ‪#‎elfadventures‬ ‪#‎MightyGirl‬

Due to the mittens that ‪#‎elves‬ wear, their games are limited up at the North Pole. ‪#‎elfontheshelf‬ ‪#‎elfadventures‬ ‪#‎XmasFun‬

"Best looking elf in my family, I know!" ‪#‎elfontheshelf‬ ‪#‎elfadventures‬‪#‎xmasfun‬

Jealous much, Keebler? ‪#‎elfontheshelf‬ ‪#‎elfadventures‬ ‪#‎xmasfun‬

Believing T-Rex is an herbivore, Keebler might have pushed his America's Got Talent audition tape too far... ‪#‎elfontheshelf‬ ‪#‎elfadventures‬ ‪#‎xmasfun‬

They are all big fish in a small pond around here. ‪#‎elfontheshelf‬‪#‎elfadventures‬ ‪#‎xmasfun‬

Ladies loooove the tub!‪#‎elfontheshelf‬ ‪#‎elfadventures‬ ‪#‎xmasfun‬

Shhhhh... Let him believe you can't see him.. ‪#‎EntertainingTheElf‬‪#‎elfontheshelf‬ ‪#‎elfadventures‬ ‪#‎xmasfun‬

Tired of that elf getting all the glory, the army men have decided to take over & capture the ‪#‎elfontheshelf‬. What will become of the ‪#‎elfadventures‬? Will there be anymore ‪#‎xmasfun‬?

Of course, sometimes #ReindeerGames and#ElfGames overlap. #elfontheshelf #elfadventures

After watching Frosty the Snowman, Keebler knew how to foil that bad magician from ever trying to melt Frosty again! ‪#‎elfontheshelf‬ ‪#‎elfadventures‬

Can you find me? Just hanging out. Best part: photo by elf's BFF ... upside-down! ‪#‎elfontheshelf‬ ‪#‎elfadventures‬

Keebler realized being a Scout ‪#‎elf‬ alone wasn't cutting paying the bills. So he took on a second job. ‪#‎elfadventures‬ ‪#‎elfontheshelf‬

In ‪#‎elf‬ fashion, it's always important to be fondly remembered.‪#‎elfadventures‬ ‪#‎elfontheshelf‬ ‪#‎UntilNextYear‬

That concludes the 2013 year. As long as she believes, Keebler will return!

Keebler Shanigans: Elf Adventures 2012

Many people have a personal Elf on a Shelf. Many people post about great places to hide them. Keebler, our elf, finds himself in humorous or interesting places at the wrong time. Hoping you enjoy his adventures in each yearly blog post!

Mine ... all mine!

Keebler, the lady's man, caught on the Barbie couch watching tv. 
Quite the Romeo... or should I say "Juliet"? (Check out his attire.)

I see London, I see France, I see Keebler got into some ... (!)

Seems he is somewhat of a "tree hugger."

Keebler thinks he is a stunt double. 

Anyone want to book him for your next Mission Impossible movie?!

True Love

Good camouflage ... But we found you!

Silly elf it's BELOW the mistletoe to reap the benefits!

Caught in the blinds!

Wild night of cards with the ladies and Ken -- Who will be the Old Maid? Can you spot it?

With no opponent in sight, Keebler choosing to joust the other reindeer with no rider.

After a long night of flying to and fro N. Pole, it's just good to unwind a little.

Vacation, all I've ever wanted ... Vacation, having to get away ... !

Gone fishin'

TPing can happen inside the home too...

When you're the new kid, you might face a bit of hazing from the jealous peers. (Note band-aid over mouth too)

Marshmallow snow ball fight!

Initially thinking a pet dinosaur was a unique and fun idea, Keebler quickly learned some animals are better left untamed.

Until Next Year!!!

T minus X

Photo credit: Gulfu via compfight.com

T minus X.

Not exactly sure when "X" is, but it's sometime in September. It's when I can take the next "spit test" to learn how far I have come or not come in re-balancing my hormones. For those of you who might not have read the other posts concerning this personal issue I have been living with, I have had 4 miscarriages within less than a year and a half period of time. Rather than waiting around and trying again and again getting the same results, I have decided to take my health into my own hands and looking into alternative methods. So I went to a holistic nutritionist, Dr. B, who learned of my hormonal imbalances. Through holistic supplements and organic foods (otherwise known as the foods most 35+ year olds grew up on), it's been a 6 month journey to re-adjust my body back to where it's supposed to be. I have learned that I have a genetic mutation that causes a lot of symptoms I experience and dismissed. Turns out, a sibling also has the same genetic mutation. Other siblings have been notified that they could have attained this, but no word if they have ventured into researching.

As I'm getting coming on the 6 month mark, another spit test will evaluate my hormone levels and (im)balances, I'm finding myself wondering if I'm going to pass. This is not something you can study for, this is not something you know how well you're doing or not doing. I cannot cram for this test. But I am fearful that with my non-organic meals or days, I will fail - and it will be all for nothing.

The fear sets in. The stress is rising which I am aware could ruin the tests for me. Stress is not doing me any good. But to deny the existence of my stress would only be shoving it down further. So instead I am trying to embrace all the bads and goods of how I am feeling and going through. It's a much easier route.

Now the next questions from "what if" arises:

What if I don't pass? What's next? I cannot afford to continue the hormonal supplements. I will continue the organic food (they taste SO much better).

What if I do pass and my hormone balances are corrected? Do I have the energy for another child? It's only been about a year since I have had my last miscarriage - I cannot afford emotionally to have another miscarriage. My child-on-Earth is such a gem, don't I want to keep it as it is?

So what drives my fears? Change? No change? It seems to be simply an unknowing state. I don't know WHAT I'll find out and I don't know WHEN I'll find it out. Deep breath. It looks like I need to change what I feed my brain too, not just my body. Time to live in the present and take on a meditation class or two...

Photo Credit: N4n0 via Compfight cc

It's in your gut - literally!

It's been a long time since I have written in my blog. In the meantime, I have been taking tests, waiting on results, then waiting for an appointment to get back into the doctor only to learn what I have known all along - it's my hormones.

The take away is eternally - TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS!

From the start I asked my doctors if they thought my hormone levels were off. Both of them denied it would be anything like that. I wanted them to look into it further, as much as anyone could without seeming like the crazy patient who was telling her doctor that her intuition is greater than his experience. After all, I doubted myself after two doctors shook their heads.  We have been brought up to listen to authority and don't question experience. We are taught to be sheep and follow. There is a certain good to following the path that others create. But if something doesn't feel right, why jump off the same bridge your friends are?

But I was right. At least for now, I appear to be onto something.

After being recommended a Holistic Nutritionist here in town and meeting with Dr. B, I had to do a "spit test" to learn of my hormone unbalances. I also went to another doctor to draw blood to review how much time I had left before menopause (plenty of time). This saliva test had me spit (yes, from my mouth) up to a level in a tube. Starting the first day of my cycle and ended sometime after my next one. Interesting that they could pull so much information from saliva. Who would have thought?

The saliva results came back, but apparently I didn't do one right, so they had to pull one of the vials from the set. Then re-ask for the results. Long story short, the results FINALLY came back in and I had to meet with Dr. B again. At my physical age, I didn't think I had a lot of time left to correct what is wrong, so this waiting period was killing me.

After meeting with Dr. B, she announced that we have answers. We can fix it, but now it's up to me to work on the rest. With the other doctors, I never got answers, just adhesive-strip type fixes for what they were guessing was wrong. My OB-GYN had never experienced my multi-miscarriages, so he referred me to an "at risk" specialist who gave me the same progesterone remedies my OB-GYN was prescribing. So, if it doesn't work once, try it again mentality was only wasting my time.

Dr B explained that my hormones were completely off. Hoping I explain and understand it correctly here, my estrogen priming is above normal than crashes quickly - it needs to be more steady. My testosterone doesn't make it high enough when it needs to later on in the cycle. Basically, my hormones cannot sustain a pregnancy. Then with the progesterone I was given from the other doctors, my body is not set up in such a way that it can absorb the hormone, so it kicks it out of my system and can never absorb it. It's as though I'm trying to fill a bucket that has a leak in it in a sense.

Dr. B cautioned that this is not about pregnancy and miscarriages anymore. This is about my risk of cancer skyrocketing when I was menopausal. This is only about 6 years away. Cancer? It seems more people I know have had or are going through cancer. If you're lucky, you make it through - so many people I know are still fighting the battle and will for the rest of their lives.

So now the hard work comes in. It's time to do what I always wanted to, but thought I had time to decide when it would be. Time to buckle down and change up my dietary lifestyle. It's true, what you put into your body is the fuel, along with all the remnants, that your body uses. If you put clean food in, your body can function. If you put GMO type foods, your body will have to alter according to the input. Often, your body rejects and causes issues, sometimes small issues, other times not.

Growing up in the 1970s-1990s, the food was wholesome. I am not a scientist or historian, just guessing these decades of "good" food. We ate real food. Less processed, chemicals, hormones, pesticides, antibiotics remnants of large companies trying to save money and make more profit. Less fast food and more homemade sit-down-at-the-family-table dinner. I know the speed of life has changed, but sadly so has our health. It seems more children are physically growing up faster, cancer is becoming the norm not the exception, and more GMOs are being consumed as we drive from activity to activity, not sitting at a dinner table.

A Personal Journey

But this post is not about my struggle with society and how it has changed, we have changed for some of the better, after all. It's not about large corporation believing that we are guinea pigs. This post is about how I have to change my habits and how my world (and my family's) has been shaken up.

I am now on the path to finding my sources for real food. An organic chicken is least expensive here ... organic produce from there ... clean condiments way across town ... ! The planning, taking time out of my seemingly busy life, to lower my risk of cancer. It's not about pregnancy anymore. It's about saving my life before trying for another child.



The best part is, my friends are coming out to support and assist me in my endeavors. Through discussions with my health-conscious friends, I'm learning where their sources are. When you're starting out to change everything you knew, it's overwhelming. But "a thousand mile journey begins with a single step." I am stepping into realm that is new to me and I am excited to take my health back. I have learned of online healthy food sources, local organic stands, relatives who have grass-fed beef and will sell you half a cow (sounds awful, doesn't it?), and even Costco has organic lettuce!

So onward and upward I travel; through the forest of research and holistic nutrition I hike. My goal is to be hormonally adjusted in 6 months or so. My other goal is to help someone who struggles like I am now sometime in the future. But, just like any endeavor, the hardest part is to start and persevere.