Monday, July 26, 2010

My Grandmother

This is my grandmother.  She served in the Women's Army Corps back in WWII.  She was a young girl during the Great Depression.  She worked hard to raise her children.  She was a loving mother to two children.  She has eleven grandchildren. 
As a teen, I spent some time visiting with her several summers.  I really enjoyed getting to know her and hearing the stories she would tell.  She told me stories about my father as a young boy.  She told stories of her time in the WAC and the experiences she had in Germany in a post-war era.  She once told me how, as a young girl, she had two outfits.  One was for everyday use and the other was for church.  (No stories about walking two miles uphill in the snow or anything like that!)  She was full of energy and spunk. 
I am grateful for the upbringing she provided my father.  She raised him to be a wonderful man.  I am so grateful to have been blessed with such a beautiful, loving, faithful grandmother. 

Friday, July 16, 2010

What do you eat?

If you have read all of my posts (way back in the beginning), you probably know that I have been trying to change our eating habits and lifestyle to become more healthy.  I got the Yoga Booty Ballet DVDs and did those for a bit (I still intend to use them but it interferes with my running program so it will have to wait until after the race in November).  Along with that, I was trying to cut back on sugar and introduce more vegetables into our diet. By diet, I mean what we eat, not a period of time when I starve myself.  After a long bout with post partum depression, I decided to try an alternate means to combat it than taking pills.  I went to a Naturopathic doctor.  The main thing that I was told would help was my diet.  I could control depression with what I ate.  I was introduced to eating foods based on blood type.  The biggest thing I got from the blood type way of eating was that you avoid ALL processed foods.  It also suggests that certain foods should be avoided, but it doesn't cut out yummy foods. 
In moving to our new area, I met someone who is, in many ways, a lot like me.  She introduced me to the Weston A. Price foundation and the book Nurturing Traditions by Sally Fallon.  I have looked into it a bit on my own, not having read the book.  Based on what I know from previous dieting, nutrition research, and the eating for your blood type experience, I think the best thing for myself and my family is to eat healthy foods we prepare in our home from whole foods. 
I will have to really focus on learning new recipes.  I am no longer going to be buying boxed cereal (or bagged for that matter) for my kids.  Who wouldn't want pancakes, muffins, waffles, or eggs and homemade toast for breakfast every morning?   Maybe one day my kids will even come to love oatmeal!  No more cheap sandwich bread from the store for their lunches.  Instead, they can have filling, wholesome sandwiches made with real meat (not salty, processed lunch meats) or homemade peanut butter (because I know that is all Ashley will eat) on homemade whole grain bread.
I am making a sourdough starter and am going to learn to make all sorts of things with it.  Did you know you can make sourdough waffles, pancakes, muffins, english muffins, and even cake?  Crazy!  Once my starter is ready, I am going to do it- it takes 2 weeks to get it going but will last for generations (that would be my kids and their kids, and their kids...) if you feed it properly.
Of course, Jeff is such a trooper.  He told me he will eat anything I make!  I promise I won't make lima beans, though.  I know how much he does not like them.
I think all of this means that I will probably be spending a lot of time in the kitchen.  It probably also means I will be spending a lot of time on the computer finding recipes!  Add that to keeping up with one very active baby and I think I will be pretty busy.  I will share recipes as I make them, as well as how we are enjoying (or not enjoying) this new adventure in becoming a healthy and happy family!

Monday, July 12, 2010

Arizona

We headed down south for the 4th of July weekend.  It seemed everyone was escaping the heat and heading north, but we didn't mind- less traffic for us!  We visited my sister Rebecca and her family.  While in Arizona, we headed up to Sedona.  It is beautiful up there!  It is also much cooler at that elevation.  We found some water to play in and had a barbeque.  It was a great visit!
Kids getting wet!
Drew loves the water
the rocks under water were very slippery- we had to help the kids get across
you'd think they owned the place

my girls
proof that I was there
Rebecca and her boys (her daughter was off somewhere else)
just chillin'


my boys

too cute!

my sis
her daughter
 being shy
teenagers!
Cathedral Rock
windblown



For the 4th of July, I made the kids patriotic outfits.





Hope you enjoyed the 4th of July!  I am so grateful for this country and all of our freedoms.  Let's do our part to keep it great!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

10

Ten years ago, Jeff and I were married.  We have had our ups and downs, but we hung in there!  I am so excited for the next 10 years (and many, many more after that).
 exchanging rings

wedding picture taken later that afternoon

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