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Daily D.O.S.E. of HAPPY

Let’s talk about happiness! Happiness is found in the Lord!

Sometimes, God sends people into our path to show us something at exactly the right time we need it most.

I am SO excited to share this, I want to shout it from the roof top to the whole world.

Patience, is not my best virtue but I’m working on it. First things first, let me start at the beginning with a little of the back story.

I had my third baby at the age of 37 and that was five years ago. I lost all the 20 pounds of baby weight immediately. About two years later, as I approached my 40th birthday, the weight was coming back. Snacking, grazing, sweet tooth and a love for cooking was piling on the weight. Needless to say, by the time I turned forty-two, I had gained about 38 pounds in 3 years. The stress of a difficult marriage didn’t help either.

About a year ago, I began to read facebook post of someone I had gone to high school with. He and his beautiful wife were literally the happiest most positive people I had ever seen. At first, I thought this must be a FB mask. Always putting the best foot forward kinda thing! But I was definately intrigued by there constant positive post and encouragement of others. For the first few months, I completely missed the undercurrent and hashtagged #happycoffee references. Then one day, I noticed it, in every beautifully written positive post or picture, the tag #HAPPYCOFFEE!!!! Now friends, I too love coffee but I cannot credit my coffee for happiness. OR CAN I ???

I dug into their (call it stalked if you must) facebook page. Then I found their youtube testimony. To summarize their story, The husband told his story of depression and anxiety. As a result their marriage had been struggling and a friend shared a product with them. The product was a plant based natural coffee that helps the brain release its four “happy” hormones. Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins D.O.S.E. for short! My friends credit this coffee saved their marriage, and I 100%believe them.

At the time that I heard their testimony and many others, I too was trying to help my husband with his anger. I was also carrying the hardships of life. Life was not exactly joy filled! Plus the weight!

In November, I ordered a tub of this wonderful coffee from a company called Elevacity. I researched it first, and admit, I was skeptic at best, but the voice inside me said, try it! So I did!!

IT IS AMAZING!!!!! TOTALLY AMAZING!!!

In three months, I have lost 20 pounds!! TWENTY POUNDS people! and still going. I feel so great! This is not a diet. I still cook and eat everyday. To best describe it, the fat craving sweet tooth is gone. I no longer snack on crap as I walk through my kitchen. I have NO desire!! I feel an overall sense of well being everyday. My focus is clear, energy to get my daily work done, and I am truly HAPPY waking up every morning. I can’t explain it! Truthfully, I’m going through a difficult marriage situation right now (he refused to drink the coffee) but I’m not falling apart. Sure, I feel the natural feelings of pain going through divorce, but I still have abundant happiness everyday for my life. Every week the consistent weight loss of 2 pounds a week. For the past two years, my right foot pain was so bad that by the end of a day, I limped. Pain is GONE!! I simply can’t remember when it stopped. I’m sure dropping twenty pounds from my frame did it.

Mine is just one story. There are so many amazing testimonies on the website and youtube of folks regaining their lives from disease, depression, obesity, you name it.

Because I love this coffee so much, I joined up with this business. These people care and love people! Want to help as many lives as possible. One life at a time!!

If anything I have written has resonated with someone out there, please watch these testimonials and product description at

ahappydose.com

If after to listen to others stories you want to try happy coffee please go to

http://elevacity.com/BrandiMcCauley

Please ask me any questions. If I do not have the answer, I know the people who do!

This is LIFE CHANGING!!!

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shifting

Sometimes the miracle is being able to trust God when His will is different than what you wanted! -author unknown

My life has shifted.

I did not choose this turn nor do I welcome it, but if this is God’s will for me, then He will equip me for the journey ahead.

My husband has left our home permanently. The truth is, he has left home more times than I can count. Looking back on the years, he was always leaving me. From the time we married, just a few weeks into it, he would throw his wedding ring and declare divorce in his fits of rage. These events have gotten much worse through the years. You see, I am married to an angry man. A quick to anger man that loses control and later does not remember his cruel words or actions. In his mind because he doesn’t remember, I shouldn’t remember them either. I should not remember hiding in the laundry room while he stands over me, berating me with gritted teeth. I should not remember that my children have heard it, and seen him verbally and emotionally abuse their mother for years. I shouldn’t remember…

I write these words as I come to terms with the abuse I have lived under for all these years. I did not always see abuse for what it was! I would make excuses for him in my mind. Beg forgiveness that I must of done something to trigger him. My eyes have been opened. God is healing the wounds inside me. I am forgiving him and moving forward. Unforgiveness is a poison to the soul. I refuse to be bitter. I refuse to allow satan to take my joy for life.

Too much of our real life is filtered these day. Hidden and masked with happy pictures that don’t speak truth. Well, this is my truth.

The evil has left my home now. No more walking on egg shells, afraid to speak for fear of his reaction. Daily hoping he has had a good day and will come home peaceful. I’m not afraid to breath anymore.

With God’s grace, my life is shifting and I shift with it.

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bees are gone

happy bee hive

My bees are gone and for a moment, I am heart broken. One minute I am in happy bee and honey supply world, the next, it’s all gone. The bees and the greedy little things uncapped the honey and took it with them.

empty 🙁

I check the bees every two-three weeks and things were going good. They had filled up three supers of beautiful, golden, delicious honey. I know because every so often I would sneak a taste. This morning I new something was wrong when only a few stragglers buzzed around the front. My heart sank and I just knew, something is not right in there. Being the naive newby beekeeper that is me, I suited up, lit the smoker, and silently prayed please let them still be in there.

It’s called swarming! When they become uneasy, over crowded, or infested with some bug, they pack up and get out of dodge. That really stinks! What I didn’t know before today, is that they take the honey. When I checked them a few weeks back the honey was thick and capped to store up. These little workers uncapped all that sweet miracle and packed it in their saddle bags and disappeared. I’ve searched my land all day. Looked in every tree or stump, or anywhere ten thousand bees plus honey might be hiding. I’m not giving up! Tomorrow I will continue the search.

After searching all day, I went back to inspect the boxes. Wondering what could have gone wrong? Ants, Ants, ANTSSSS big mean carpenter Ants ran my girls right out of their cozy home. I was so mad at those ants. There may have been a fit.  I may have smashed some bully ants while cursing their species. After all the display and tears…I cleaned up the empty boxes, moved them to a new area, and set them back up. Then I turned to the modern encyclopedia, known as YouTube, hoping some bee expert had some wisdom to share. Lemongrass essential oil, smells similar to a queen bee. Did you know that? So, my boxes are now lightly scented with lemongrass and I am hoping.

Keeping bees has turned out to be a real investment of time, heartache, and money. I live on a modest income here on the homestead. I saved up for months to get the hives and supplies. Then saved again several more months to get the Nuc of Italian honey bees. I cared for them like babies. Filling their sugar water bottle everyday while they were getting settled.  Then they drop me cold! Catch ya later Brandi!! Not if I catch you first bees 😉

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hey y’all

My name is Brandi.                                                                                         

A little about who I am.. wife, mother, and trying to be homesteader. I say “trying” because this is my second summer gardening on this land, and both summers labor was washed away with three months of heavy downpours. grrr  I am a real person with real problems. But the deepest part of who I am, is a follower of Jesus. My journey with the Lord is the only thing that is certain in life. Three years ago, I had a heart desire to homestead, but no plan or money of how to go about getting started. I lived in a house on a sand lot in central Florida. Nothing really grows in sand, well…maybe cactus, but I wanted to grow food. I tucked four laying hens into a corner in the backyard, hoping no one would find out about my dirty little cluckers.

Although I didn’t know it then, but my fire was lit and growing. I started praying and seeking His wisdom. Guess what? God showed up big time, just like He always does for them that seek Him.