Above Rubies

A friend just gave me some magazines called Above Rubies.  I have never enjoyed these before and they are amazing.  It is a magazine for godly wives and mothers.  There was even an article on Red Palm Oil as an alternative to butter.  I ordered some this week, we'll see how it is.  But the articles on infertility, families, etc. are very fun to read and inspiring.  Anyone else enjoyed them?  They have a website at www.aboverubies.org 

 

 

Eat to Live

We went to a small group this summer on eating healthy.  And, man, have we had a transformation.  We read a book, which I need to finish still, called Eat to Live.  It was very insightful.  We also watched a video that really spelled things out for us.  It showed someone's blood who eats mainly fruits, veggies, nuts, whole wheat etc. and then it showed someone who eats meats, fried foods, dairy, etc.  You could literally see the fat being pulled out of the veins.  When we eat meat, that fat literally stays there for 4 hours.  But for some it would be never-ending having that fat in there if each meal there is something with the fat & cholesterol.  This is not even a tip of the info we learned and to be honest, I can't remember or explain it all.  I am looking forward to finishing the book.

 

All this to say that we agreed to try out the lifestyle for the six weeks of the class.  We did it and can't believe how we don't want to go back to our old ways.  We even drink rice milk!  We eat salads everyday.  We thought that we would get tired of it by now, but let me tell you, when a salad is your main meal it is loaded with yummy stuff.

 

Here is an example of a yummy salad that we eat regularly.  Lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, sweet corn, walnuts, raisins, pineapple and balsamic dressing.  Oh, and any bean is scrumptious like black beans, pinto, white beans etc. 

 

And I need to go shopping, my jeans are too big.  I had to wear a belt today so they wouldn't be too loose.  I thought my husband would be sick of salads for lunch everyday, but he actually really looks forward to them and so do I.  He will be going shopping soon, too, I think.

 

And fruit, we have tons of fruit in the house now.  I used to just buy whatever was cheap, mainly apples and bananas, sometimes grapes.  But, if I am encouraging my girls to grab a fruit for a snack, I gotta make more yummy choices for them.  We have enjoyed pineapples, pears, strawberry smoothies, mangos, plums, and pink lady apples are so good!

 

I gotta tell you that my mom is so very excited.  She has always wanted us to eat healthier.  I never thought we ate that terribly before, but I see things through new eyes now.  My mom, I know, has held her tongue on several occasions with the food we used to eat.  So, when I told her about our lifestyle change, do you know what she said?  "That is such an answer to prayer!!"  Thanks mom for praying and for holding your tongue when I know you wanted to comment so bad before!

 

Just so you know, we are not considering ourselves vegetarians, just more of a 90% lifestyle of fruits,veggies, whole grains and the rest whatever we want on occasions.  So, still feel free to have us over for dinner.  We will greatly enjoy a big, juicy steak with you or some ice cream.  It has affected us, though.  We can tell how our bodies don't like it when it has been used to having such good food!

Camping with Daddy

I took the girls on a last minute camping trip for 1 night.  I was to meet some friends of ours and then travel south on a one lane forest service road called Big Creek.  At the end of the 12 mile rough terrain road lies a small lake.  It sits at about 5000 ft in elevation.  We got there and the girls took turns fishing.  They both had a great time with that and even Ellie had a turn at reeling in a trout.  They were mostly around 10 inches or so but good little fighters and tasted good too.  I had mixed feelings about staying the night there but I did bring the sleeping bags and necessities just in case.  At first it was a bit cold but with a good fire going the girls got used to the clean cold air and ran around with the other two children that were there.   We ended up staying the night there, it was about 32 degrees when we went to bed and frost was forming on the trucks.  Inside the tent it was a cozy 60-70 degrees due to the wood stove that the tent has.  We awoke to a pristine morning with no clouds and the sun was just comming up.  James and I were up first and got another fire going, then the rest of them came slumbering out of the tents.  Coffee was on and we were talking about taking the quads (atv's) for a ride.  James and I had a great time riding and we rode up to about 6500-7000ft.  The view was breathtaking and we were actually looking across and down at a Mtn Ski resort.

The girls loved being outdoors and having limited facilities didn't bother them a bit.  This is the beginning of my tradition with my jewels.

To Immunize or Not

Okay, so I want your opinions and facts and books you recommend for or against immunizations.  I read one book called What About Immunizations?  by Cynthia Cournoyer and it makes me want to pass on all the immunizations.   It questions whether they even work.  And it goes on to argue that you are putting your child at greater risk by exposing them to the vaccine.  You are taking your chances once without getting the vaccine, but you are taking double the chance with getting the vaccine--you are exposing your child to the risk of complications with the vaccine (and if it doesn't work as she claims), you still have the normal risk of someone not vaccinated at all.  So, why put your child at risk for no reason.  She has a lot of studies and research to back up her information.

 

So, my question is what books can anyone recommend and what do you do for your kids?  I don't just want to blindly give my child immunizations because that is the norm.  One should know by now that we are not afraid to go against the norm.  But I also don't want to not give them out of fear unless that fear is valid.  So, I would love to get my hands on some more info.  Anyone????

My Sienna

I love the thoughtful heart my daughter has.  When we got back from Maui she had flowers waiting for me (that she bought with her own money) and was so excited to give them to me.  Sienna loves flowers herself.  The day we were leaving to come back home from my family's house, she grabbed the flowers and placed them in my room to make sure that I didn't forget them.  She didn't say a word.  I made sure that I packaged them for traveling home to let her know that they were special to me.

 

And yesterday, I wanted to make banana bread and I asked her if she wanted to make it for me.  (She loves to bake or cook.)  She did the whole thing herself!  I even asked her to double the recipe, which she did (I helped her know the measurements).  And they turned out great.  I might make baking a weekly responsibility for her (somewhat healthy recipes, most of the time.)  She reminds me of my friend Karen's oldest daughter who makes wonderful things for her family.  I want to encourage Sienna in this as she loves to do it, she might as well shine!

Getting Home

Maui was fun, but being all together as a family is better than anything in the world!  My dad picked Toby, Ayla and I up from the airport and when we got back to their house Sienna came running out to us all screams and excitement.  Then Ellie came out of the door and saw me.  I called for her and she stood there and burst into tears just about.  I could tell she had held her emotions in from missing us the whole time and now they could come out.  It made me cry, too, to see she felt so much.  I did feel bad for being gone from her so long at only 2 1/2 years old.  So next summer will be a family vacation for sure.  Ellie stayed close to me for a few days, wanting me to hold her and being extra sweet to me.  We were all sitting at dinner back at home and she was way across the other side of the table and thought that I might like the side dish that was near her.  She got up, walked all the way around the table and brought it to me and said, "here go mom."  She was just so mindful of me.  It really made my heart glad as she tends to be a daddy's girl normally.  Sometimes a mom needs to know how much she is really loved!

 

Here is Toby's rendition of coming back home:

 

Hey Family,                                                                          Sat. Morning w/coffee at my side.

 

Its nice to be home,

 

Its not so early rising for the eastern washington family, say oh after 9am.  I awoke to the hum of lawnmowers making paths across neighboring lawns.  I remembered that I havn't mowed mine for over 3 weeks (grown).  The two older girls and I watched Star Wars the original one last night and munched on popcorn.  Getting them to bed after what could be scary in the eyes of a almost 3 year old April and I split up and I took Ellie to the basement bed while Sienna joined April and Ayla in our room.  My price for sleeping with Ellie in the basement is a short but sought after back scratch and hair massage until her arms relax and the heavy breathing kicks in. Did I mention its nice to be home?

 

Today I have to work a couple of hours at my day job and then its over to Queen to finish up some of the landscaping and trim work within the home.  I will try to take some pictures for those who have not seen the little home for awhile.  Its been a big job from eviction time to the selling time but we think it will work out just fine.

 

I know M&D know that I bought Bob's trailer last year and have been putting a lot of time into rebuilding it and now it is finally done.  I completely repainted it ran all new wiring for lights and built new sides and the floor for it.  I just sealed the sides with the fence stain that I had left over.  Sadly now I have to clean up the ol' chevy and sell it.  I will try to take some pics of the trailer and some parting shots of the truck to send to all.

 

We are having James and Jessica here for the weekend for Issac's wedding and will have a full house. Did I mention we are home?

 

I met with Todd on the Parway home project and it sounds like it is moving right along.  We got a bunch of paperwork from the bank and have to send it back this week.  Todd and I are going to put together a LLC for sanity and protection sake.  I never really looked at it from a business partnership before so I need to research about it (Dad if you have any wisdom on this let me know).  We have to come up with a name which will be fun.  I wonder if it would be wiser to start my own LLC and include the other rental homes as well.  Like I said I need to do some research.

 

The weather has changed a wee bit from when we left for vacation, I have noticed it has been chilly in the mornings and warm but not scorching like it was.  I am looking forward to fall which brings the changing of the leaves on the street trees, windy evening walks, apple harvest at Greenbluff, soups and stews for a quick dinner, chamois shirts and jeans.  Oh its good to be home.

 

Boy after reading through my email I think maybe we need another vacation.....anybody up for watching the girls?????????..

 

Ha just kidding I think we will enjoy them for a while.

 

Love to all and Thanks again for taking care of my jewels while we were gone.

 

Toby

 

 

(I love reading my husband's emails.  He should write some books!)