Thankful.

We are all sick.  Well, everyone except Ashley so far.  This bug is a doozy!  Poor little Drew got it the worst.  Jeff and I were so worried about him.  He didn't even have the energy to whine for two days.  He was losing weight.  He barely kept any liquids (let alone solids) for four days.  Thursday night we decided that if he wasn't showing signs of improvement in the morning we would take him in.  Friday morning he woke up hungry!  That was an improvement.  We had to give him tiny little sips of water every 10-15 minutes for most of the day to help him get a little more hydrated.  He actually cried and whined (normally this would not be appreciated).  He doesn't have his old appetite back, but he's working on it.  I am so grateful that he is recovering.

 

Natalie was also very sick.  I walked in to the house on Wednesday afternoon and could tell just by looking at her that she had a fever.  Jeff said she hadn't moved from the chair since I left 6 hours earlier.  That is extremely unusual for her!  That night I noticed hives on her wrist from across the room.  I decided to investigate.  I found hives all over her back.  They continued to spread.  Her eye was even affected- swollen so much she couldn't really see out of it.  It was heartbreaking.  Her fever broke a little bit later and the hives began to die down.  The next day she was almost completely her normal self.

On Monday evening Ashley crashed her bike and sprained her thumb, injuring her wrist as well.  On Tuesday it was worse.  She had scrapes on the back of her hand, but we hadn't noticed the thumb and wrist the evening before.  We headed out to Herbally Grounded to get some herbs for a poultice.  She was eager to try it out.  She slept with it on her hand/wrist that night.  When she woke up in the morning the bruises were gone, the swelling was hardly noticeable and range of motion for her thumb was much better.  We did a poultice the following night.  On Wednesday morning she was practically good as new!

I am so grateful that God gave us things on this earth to help us, heal us.  I am thankful that I am able to learn about them.  I am grateful for so many others who are willing to share their knowledge!

Jeff and I got sick later in the week.  On Saturday Alona started showing symptoms as well.  We are dosing ourselves with Infection Fighter (a tincture).  I feel that it is helping and hopefully it will shorten the length of this.  Hopefully we will all be back to normal very, very soon.

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!

In honor of my mother:
I will get healthy so I can be here for my children and grandchildren. (In an effort to do so, I will be training for the Eugene Half Marathon this coming spring. Training starts a few short weeks after the baby is born!)

Sunny Weather and Morning Sickness

For anyone who hasn't noticed the new icon in the sidebar, I am pregnant!
I have always gotten extremely sick when pregnant. Now, I know you might think I am just saying that. But I am pretty good at tolerating pain- it is probably the only thing I am good at tolerating! But throwing up every two minutes is not pain. It is sheer torture. Your body wasting away. That is never fun. I lost 25 lbs in the first trimester with my first two pregnancies. Thanks to modern drugs (zofran), I didn't have to suffer through that anymore. But the doctor was still shocked to see me losing weight while on the medication. I am hoping this time won't be so bad - since it IS a boy. And it IS a boy. That is all there is to it!
I spent all week in bed or on the couch. I wasn't to the point of actually getting sick, but I felt nauseated and didn't want to push it. Not to mention that I get light headed when I stand up for more than a minute or two. Jeff told me that sometimes he thinks I should just get up and do as much as I can until I throw up. But the he is afraid that once it starts, it won't stop. I'm afraid of that, too! After all, that is how it has worked in the past. At 6 weeks I start feeling light headed and a little sick. Over the next two weeks it slowly gets worse until I start throwing up when I eat. Then it happens more and more often until I am finally able to keep nothing down. And then it gets worse. I end up with a minute or two to rest between puking! Sorry for grossing you out!

Now, on to better things! The clouds parted, the sun shone brightly. Birds were singing. And lawn mowers were buzzing!
Yesterday, I felt okay in the afternoon. So I got up, hoping it would not go away. I went to the store with Ashley and then dropped her off at a birthday party. They got to run around and play outside in the nice sunny and 63 degree weather! Then I came home and started working on a sewing project. It lasted for just over 4 hours! I was so happy to have some relief!

Today is even better! It is 73 degrees out right now and so sunny! I think the moss in the backyard might die off. Half of the yard is covered with moss instead of grass. Nice, huh? We have gotten our garden beds finished. Planting ensued. We have herbs, veggies, lettuce, strawberries, raspberry bushes and blueberry bushes. The kids are really excited for all the berries. Too bad it will be a couple years before the raspberries and blueberries bear fruit. But it will be so nice when they do! And I am excited to have fresh basil and tomatoes this summer!
I wasn't feeling so great today, so I got to rest on the chaise lounge Jeff got for me so I could lie down outside. But then, I drank lots of water. That really did help. I have been feeling a bit dehydrated. But water seems to make my stomach feel worse. So, I just went for it. Drank a couple of cups full. Imagine my surprise when it made such a difference! I am getting very hopeful for this pregnancy. I think the sun might be coming out on this one!

Stay tuned to find out how it goes!

Chocolate Chip Spelt Cookies

I made these cookies today. Spelt needs less liquid than wheat, so I didn't quite get enough in there this time. I think I usually use about 1/4 cup more flour in this, but I think I didn't due to measuring mixups.

This is a recipe that originally called for all purpose (wheat) flour. I only changed the flour. Here is the recipe:

Chocolate Chip Spelt Cookies

Yeilds approximately 3 dozen to 60 depending on size

Ingredients:

* 2 1/2- 2 3/4 cups spelt flour (you can do any combination of white/whole flour)
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 large eggs
* 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
* 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

TIPS:
I used 1/2 white, 1/2 whole spelt in this batch. I have used all whole spelt and they were delicious.

Because spelt has a nuttier flavor than wheat, I don't use nuts. I probably wouldn't anyway. The spelt gives them a REALLY good flavor - in my opinion.

I am pretty sure I used 2 1/2 cups of flour this time, so maybe I usually use 1/4 extra spelt per 1 cup when replacing wheat flour.

I use the middle sized Pampered Chef scoop when putting the cookies on the cookie sheet. You can get a similar sized scoop at any kitchen store. I think it is about 2 tablespoons. I do not round the scoops.

I usually cook them for about 8 minutes. This gives a fairly soft cookie. I am not into cripsy cookies.

These are not puffy cookies. They are very flat. The chips stand up above the cookies. They are so delicious.


If you are looking to use spelt flour, it can pretty much replace wheat flour in a recipe, you will either need to use more flour or less liquid (and eggs and oil count as liquid). In breads, you will get a lower, more dense loaf. Spelt should also not be overworked. It is more fragile than wheat. It does make wonderful baked goods!

Remember, wheat has been changed to be more readily grown and used. Spelt is pretty much what it originally was. It doesn't grow anywhere under any conditions, like wheat. If you want a grain similar to wheat that isn't a highly changed hybrid, spelt is your grain!

Primed

I primed the vanity today while the kids were at a playdate. It's coming along. Hopefully I will be able to finish painting it tomorrow.

SAD

So, out here in the Pacific Northwest we get a lot of rain. And it goes on and on and on. For about 9 months of the year. It starts in October (November if we are really lucky) and ends sometime in June. The days stay cloudy and gloomy. It is like living in grey! Yuck! Yeah, sure. Its green alright! The grass stays green. All the evergreens stay green. Who cares. I would rather have dry dead grass if it came with sunshine! Of course, I get SAD (seasonal affective disorder) which pretty much equates to depression. It is pretty bad. If the sun is out I am in a great mood. But the second the sky is grey, I am like a different person. I don't want to get out of bed. I have no energy. I can't even bring myself to get out to do grocery shopping. The other day, I got the kids in the car and drove to the store. As we pulled in the parking lot, it started raining (the sun was peeking through the clouds at my house when we left). I kept right on driving out of the parking lot and came home. I was very discouraged and never wanted to leave the house again. Of course, I have left the house since then. I just don't want to most of the time.
Anyway, I will continue to endure the horrible State of Oregon for as long as Jeff has good employment here. I will try to make the best of it. But it does get difficult at times. At least today was decent. The sun shone this afternoon and it was in the 50s. It was a nice change. I look forward to Florida on Thursday!

New blog for half marathon progress

I have a new blog to track our progress in training for the Half Marathon. Check it out! I will do occasional updates on this blog, but for more regular posts, check the other one.

Half Marathon-what?! I must be crazy!

Yesterday, I was looking at an old high school friend's blog. She is a hardcore athlete. It got me thinking. I have been thinking it would be such an awesome goal to run a marathon. Now that is quite a stretch for me at this point. I think it would take quite a bit to get there. So I looked up training for a marathon on google. I found a website that gives instruction/advice for training. It has a week by week training schedule for 5k, 10k, half marathon, and marathon training. When Jeff got home I asked him if he would either do the 5k or half marathon with me. He said the 5k sounded good. Until Josh reminded him it was only a little over 3 miles. That's too easy for Jeff, so he agreed to the half marathon. So training is 20 weeks and it is in 21 weeks. Guess we are starting! This is quite the challenge for me, so I'm going to have to work hard. I have some foot problems, so I am hoping they won't make it impossible. I can handle a little pain anyway, right?
So now you can pick your jaws up off the floor (cause I know it is quite the shock that I am planning to run any length at all being the only family member who didn't run track in public school) and get behind me. I'm gonna need lots of encouragement and support! It will be at the beginning of May and I am planning to keep track of my progress here on the blog! So stay tuned! My only goal for this half marathon is to finish. I will work on time goals for any future runs I do.
Wish me luck!

Sprains, food poisoning, and colds!

Last week was a nightmare! It started off with my cold. It was now the second week of my cold. It was getting better, but now I was coughing like crazy. Tuesday, the 14th was my Mom's birthday. I went on a field trip with Ashley's class. We had a good time. I got back around 12:30 and went to pick up Alona and Natalie. My friend made a pork chop for me. I haven't had pork in at least 2 1/2 years. That night, I started feeling sick. I woke up in the middle of the night with food poisoning! It was awful. I lost 8 lbs on Wednesday. Thursday I was feeling better, but still weak from dehydration and lack of food. Ashley came home from school that day with tears in her eyes. She had twisted her ankle at recess. The teacher forgot to look at it when they got back to the classroom. I didn't think much of it since she had just walked home from the bus stop. But a little while later I looked over and could see how swollen it had become. I called her doctor and talked with them about it. Since we don't currently have insurance due to Jeff's contract position for 6 months, I didn't want to do an x-ray if it wasn't necessary. We decided to wrap it with an ace bandage, elevate it, and ice it. The nurse said it wouldn't make it worse if it was broken, but it probably wasn't broken from just twisting it. I talked to my brother Charles. He had just learned about sprains that day. We decided that it didn't really seam to be broken. She is doing much better now, but we have to keep her from trying to run and play too much!

On a positive note, I went to Portland Friday and Saturday for Time Out For Women with some friends! We had a great time. It was very motivational and uplifting. And it is always great to spend time with friends!

Sick, Sick, Sick!!!

For the last week, everyone in our family has been sick! Alona and Natalie started getting a cold last week. On Sunday morning, I woke up with it! And boy, did it hit hard! I woke up at 10:30 Sunday morning and then napped from 1-3:30! Monday morning I woke up sounding awful. I had a fever and ached all over. Tuesday was more of the same. Wednesday, the fever and aching were gone, but it was still bad. Now I am starting to feel a bit better, but the coughing! Oh, the coughing! I feel like it will never end! Jeff has it now and it is just starting to get bad. He woke up with the fever and aching yesterday. Ashley has gotten off easy so far with just a little congestion, but we'll see if it ever gets worse for her! I feel like we live in a sea of tissues! Hopefully next week we will return to normal so I can start doing things again. I miss kickboxing, my morning walks, sewing, eating....

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. My mother passed away five years ago due to breast cancer. Her birthday, which is also the day she died, is in October. She was 50. Last year, the girls and I wore pink October 1st through 14th (her birthday). I am going to try it again this year (it may only be small pink items). I have to make sure we have enough pink clothes. Happy Birthday Mom! We miss you!

It's been awhile!

I know its been too long between posts! I have just been so busy.
I have been going to cosmetology school to be a Nail Technician. It is only on Saturdays, but I go during the week when I can get Jeff to stay home. I am almost done! I can hardly wait.
In May, I started out by hosting a baby shower for a friend. Everything we did ended up taking more time than expected. We made the invitations. She likes monkeys and especially one that is on a rug at Target. So we printed out the picture from their online store and used it as a pattern for our monkey invitations. They looked so cute! But, oh, the hard work! Kristi loved them and that is what counts. We planned a brunch shower. We only got 3 RSVPs. We ended up having about 13 people attend. We had quite the spread of food. It was so good. Especially the crumb coffee cake. It is from the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook. I recommend it! It has about 5 sticks of butter, but it is so good! My friend Jenel made it because she offered to help and I was running out of time. I made scones and biscuits along with a sweet butter and strawberry butter. I made 2 omelet rolls (pampered chef recipe) and deviled eggs. We also had apples with a peanut butter caramel dip. My friend, Jessica, and I planned the shower together. We made homemade bath salts and put them in mason jars with fabric decor on the top. It was a lot of fun. The grapefruit salts smelled the best!
The following week was Jeff's vacation. He accrued so much vacation time that he wasn't earning any more. Of course, I spent the week going to school in the afternoons, sewing a prom dress for that Saturday, and getting strep throat! What a week! Friday night I stayed up working on the prom dress. I went to bed at 6:30 Saturday morning and then got up 2 hours later for school. I had appointments all morning. Then I had a break in the afternoon, so I went home and worked on the prom dress. I went back to school and finished my last pedicure, only to go home home and finish the prom dress. Her dad came and picked it up because we were leaving to buy a tent before the store closed. That night we went to see Prince Caspian at about 10:00. I finally got to bed around 1 am. The next morning I got up for church at 9. I was really tired, but I went anyway. Cassie wore the dress to church, so I got to see her wearing it. She looked beautiful in it! It was a vogue pattern that was rated average. Average for vogue is not the same as average for other pattern companies! If I had known that, I would not have committed to finishing it in a week when I had school! It turned out well, and the girl a made it for loved it.
We were supposed to go camping over Memorial Day weekend at the coast. But as the weekend got closer, the weather report got worse and worse. Saturday was a nice day, but then it rained that night. Sunday was rainy as well. Monday started out okay, but then got more and more overcast. We had a barbecue with the Daltons and the Bostocks. That was a lot of fun. We even had smores! We toasted the marshmallows over the grill! The kids loved it.
This week I am trying to finish all of my school work. That will leave the testing and the state boards.
I also plan to do the quilting on the quilts I started for Ashley and Alona 3 years ago! I borrowed a quilting frame from the church, and just need to set it up. That will clear a lot of room in my sewing room. Quilts take up a lot of space.
I will try to update my blog more often. It is a constant struggle!
Oh, I guess I should mention that I have lost 7 1/2 lbs so far this month. Watch out Ruth! I am working towards those clothes you promised!

Getting motivated!

So, I have been watching the tv series I Can Make You Thin. It has been very motivational. It was only five episodes, so it is over now.

In the first episode (which I missed) you learned to
1.eat when you are hungry
2.eat what you want (no diet foods necessary)
3.eat consciously (pay attention to your eating and nothing else-don't read or watch tv)
4.stop when you are full (satisfied).

These seem like obvious things, but do we really do this? I definitely don't have a problem with the second one. It is not a quick fix diet, it is a change in your life- how you view food and yourself. It was really motivating- not just for eating better, but now I feel motivated to do the laundry and clean the house. It has definitely helped me so far.

I just finished cleaning the kitchen! It looks so nice and it makes me wish the backsplash was done. I also started some laundry, folded the laundry Jeff did yesterday and put it away. Jeff will be excited to know he doesn't have to fold it.
I am trying to finish organizing the sewing room (previously the play room). We bought wall cabinets and hung them, but they need to be loaded up with all my sewing and craft supplies. I don't know where to start. I just want all the extra stuff to disappear. I have too much. (I should be thankful as there are man who probably have too little) I wish Catherine would come and help me clean out all the things I don't need. She is the voice of reason (but probably not to herself as no one ever really does that for themselves).

I am also trying to make the curtains for the girl's rooms. They go to be when it is still light outside and they have a hard time falling asleep. The hardware is expensive- probably $50 for the roman shades and then I need a curtain rod for Natalie's curtains. I wish I could just hang up a sheet, but that would look horrible! At least I already have all the fabric (I've had it forever it seems).
I will post pictures when I finish.

I am also hoping to finish the slipcover for the sofa. So here is my review:
1. put sewing room together
2. make curtains
3. finish slipcover

I am giving myself till the end of April! Hope I can get it done. Check back for pictures of the finished products at the beginning of May. I will do it.

Laura's progress (if you could call it that)

I have been walking 4.5 miles 5 to 6 days per week at a good pace. I went to the Naturopath on Monday. She suggested eating for my blood type. No tomatoes, avocado, chicken, wheat unless sprouted. There are more things as well, but I won't list them. I should eat lamb, rabbit, and venison as meats. Lots of fish too, but no shellfish. I can eat lots of low fat dairy, veggies and fruits. The grains aren't too bad, just no wheat. But I have discovered spelt. It is an ancient ancestor to wheat. It has a nutty flavor and isn't bad. I made pancakes with spelt flour this morning. We used pure maple syrup since that is okay. It wasn't bad. I think it will take a little time to get used to it, but it can be used in place of wheat flour in most recipes. Unfortunately, the waking just doesn't seem to be making me lose weight. Maybe the change in diet will.

Its been awhile!

Okay, so I have been a little busy lately.
Last week was spring break, so I didn't get much exercise in. I am still losing weight (very slowly). We put in a new sliding glass door at our house and got the linen closet door put in as well. Jeff and his dad started on the upper cabinets for our kitchen. They have two walls worth of cabinets done. Only one left to go on the uppers. We even got the cabinet for the fridge. I can't wait! We even tore up a few of he tiles. It is slowly progressing!
I am so excited for my trip to Florida with my sisters next week! I think it will be quite fun, and maybe we can all dye each others hair to cover the gray while we are there. Look out Florida, here we come!

Torturous diets

I started the 7 Day Dancer's Diet that came with the YBB workout DVDs. It is very strict, but you only do it for 7 days to kick start your weight loss and get your metabolism going. I was fine until after dinner. We spent the morning getting ready for church, and the afternoon at church. It was easy not to think about eating then. But an hour after dinner, I was quite hungry. You know that feeling you get in your stomach when you haven't eaten a long time? I had that. It had only been and hour! I even ate more food than was allotted. How will I ever survive the next 6 days? But then again, it is only 6 days, and then I never have to do this again. I suppose I can do it. I will do it. I can do it! Check back next Sunday to see how it went.

Progress

Today was a beautiful day here in Oregon! The sun was shining and it was about sixty degrees. I went walking with Kristy L. We work out Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. We walked for 50 minutes pushing the kids in strollers. It was a great day to be outside. Such a wonderful break from the rain we usually get.
Yesterday morning I did my workout with Kristy D. (I know, it gets confusing with all the different Kristys in my life). We did one of the YBB (Yoga Booty Ballet) DVDs. They usually run about 45 minutes and are pretty intense. We work out at 6:30 am. Crazy, I know, but we have to start our day sometime, so why not early.
So far this week I am making good progress in my working out. Hopefully it will show in my waist soon!

Starting Over

So I am trying to lose weight and get in shape. I bought some workout dvds and they are great. I have two different friends who work out with me a total of 5 times per week. It is great! I am really trying to get healthy. I actually really enjoy the workouts. It is called Yoga Booty Ballet. It sounds kind of funny, but it is awesome! So far I have only lost 3 pounds, but anything is better than nothing. I am not forbidding myself to eat anything, I just try to limit it when I do have something that is not so great and try to eat more fruits, veggies, and whole grains. This way, I don't go crazy after awhile and eat tons of junk.
I will be tacking my progress over time.