It's A Christmas Miracle!

I know it's only September.  But something amazing has happened. 

I have finished reading "The Maker's Diet."

This book is a very challenging read for several reasons.  I hope that I can give you a careful evaluation & honestly represent the spirit in which the book is written.

I love a good, gripping, dramatic story.  The author, Jordan Rubin, begins his book by telling the story of his own very desperate health crisis.  He was a healthy young man until he went to college.  As happens for so many young people, once he was away from home & fully in control of his schedule & his eating choices his diet was not what it should be.  The big difference between the author & most young people is that instead of just gaining some weight, he became deathly ill.  They diagnosed him with ulcerative collitis & began treatment.  Unfortunately, in the United States 'treatment' usually means drug therapy.  Don't get me wrong, I work in the pharmaceutical industry; I believe medicine is important & life-saving - in some cases.  His doctors treatments only seemed to exacerbate his problems so he ended up going to live with a man who was an 'eccentric nutritionist' who believed that the illness was caused because he was not eating the diet of the Bible.  Thus began the author's journey to health & his development of 'The Maker's Diet.'

There are a lot of things in this book that scared me, frankly.  Over the past year or so as I have regularly read several different foodie blogs & as I've seen family members struggle with some different health problems, I've become more & more interested in learning more about what I am eating & where it comes from.  I thought I was making a huge step when I started buying milk that said it was growth hormone free.

I had no idea how complex this whole food situation is.

As I read through the beginning of the book I had to set it down on several occasions.  I was just overwhelmed.  First of all, we should be buying meats that are hormone & antibiotic free.  We should be buying organic fruits & vegetables that aren't tainted with pesticides.  All of that makes sense to me & it seems to be something worth trying for, at the very least.  Then it gets more complicated...the animals should be fed the way the Maker intended them to be fed (grassfed).  And the fruits, vegetables, grains that we consume should not be genetically modified.  I did not realize how many GMO (genetically modified organisms) foods are out there.  Seedless watermelon = GMO.  Huh.  Now it's getting tougher.

The author also has a lot to say about how the conveniences of this modern age are definitely adding to our health problems.  We just don't have to work as hard for anything.  And foods of all kinds, many laden with extra fats, sugar, & salt are far to easy to come by.  I see evidences of this in my own life as I go through my day to day activities.  I've come to be grateful for the fact that our washer & dryer are in the basement, causing me to work that much harder to get the laundry done.  It's good for me!

Another point the author made that sticks out in my mind is his encouragement to play in the dirt.  The dirt has many components that are actually good for us - enzymes & other things that actually help nourish us (through the food that is grown in it) & other organisms that help with allergies & asthma.  I found this part to be very interesting. 

The author breaks down the different types of fats we should be consuming & gives information about how to get those fats in our diets.  He also discusses the benefits of raw dairy (that was another one that set my mind reeling).  He discusses fiber, carbohydrates, & proteins.  I learned so much about the composition & function of food - it's kind of like chemistry class!

The author also takes several opportunities throughout the book to talk about the whole man.  Our bodies are not independent of our minds, emotions, & souls.  The whole system must work together in harmony.  The body will evidence the ill effects of unrest & tension within the mind, emotions, & soul.  This struck a chord with me.  I know that if I am not right with God, am dwelling on angry or anxious thoughts, & do not have  my emotions under the Holy Spirit's control that I do not feel good physically.  It just makes sense that they are all inextricably joined together.

Mr. Rubin also points out the necessity of proper rest, regular fasting, & regular exercise.  I must confess that I stink at resting properly.  I am constantly paying for it.  It has become a matter of prayer for me; that I would learn to be obedient & rest.  The section on fasting was interesting to me, too.  He doesn't recommend 40 day fasts or anything extreme.  His suggestion is to fast through breakfast & lunch & then eating dinner.  It makes sense that this would give the body some time to heal or reset & also give me time to focus my mind on the Lord.  He advice when feeling the hunger pains of fasting to turn your mind to prayer.  I like the idea of something physically reminding me to pray.  I try to be conscious of my need to be in prayer but if I am honest, I fail many times to do it.  We all know that if I fast, my stomach is going to growl & I'm going to feel hungry.  And then I'll be reminded to pray!

When Mr. Rubin discussed exercise I found I could not wholeheartedly agree with him.  He strongly advises against any sustained cardiovascular exercise saying that it is harmful & often leads to injuries of overuse.  He advocated using 'functional fitness.'  As I read through his suggestion I could not really get a true definition of what it was, just that our exercise should mimic daily activities.  Then the reader was referred to the appendix where there were resources listed for videos, information, etc.  The author also stresses the importance of walking, suggests rebounding on a mini trampoline for exercise, & deep breathing exercises.  I think some of his ideas are valid, but I personally have received too many benefits from running to lay it aside.  When a runner takes the time to warmup, stretch, & cool down properly many injuries can be avoided.  It is also important to listen to your body no matter what the exercise or there is great possibility of injury.

There was also a chapter at the end of the book that discussed spices & essential oils.  This was very intriguing to me but I'm not sure it's something I'll have the opportunity to explore in great depth.  I kind of wish I could pull this section out of the book to keep on hand for future reference.

Finally, there was a theme throughout the book that I kept picking up on that did not sit very well with my spirit.  My personal desire in evaluating my daily diet & health is to keep my body as healthy as possible so that I may have the strength I need to best serve the Lord.  I also want to live with the knowledge that I am accountable to the Lord for the way I care for this body He has given me.  I am called to be a good steward.  Mr. Rubin does mention this.  But far more often he mentions 'the long-lived' people of this society or that society.  His point seems to be that we clean up our diets & our health so that we can be long-lived people.  That's not really my goal. 

All in all, I would recommend this book.  There were parts that made me cringe with a bit of fear about how messed up things are & how drastic changes in my lifestyle may need to be.  But that kind of evaluation is good for us.  I really learned a lot.  This was a difficult book for me to trudge through, but I'm very glad I finished it.  The public library is glad too, because it's way overdue.  I've got to get it returned or they are going to come asking for our firstborn child!

Nothin', Nada, Zippo, Zilch

Lately I've had this little thought niggling in my mind.

It seems like we just don't ever leave anything alone.  How many things do we change from their original state so that they are more appealing to us?  It's kind of like we have lost the appreciation for many things in their natural state.  The way they were made is just not good enough anymore.

And that kind of bothers me.  Not in an angry way.  In a wrinkle-between-the-eyes-from-pondering kind of way. 

I believe that God made this world & I believe that He made each one of us.  And that includes all of everything.  And who am I to say that He didn't do a fantastic job?

So why do we feel the need to enhance just about everything under the sun?

For example, when I read through a blog post that enumerated the many beauties of the flowers this spring, I really enjoyed it.  But then I noticed that every single picture in the post had some sort of filter enhancement.  It just seemed kind of incongruous, in a way.

And it got me to thinking...we enhance all kinds of things.  We enhance our food.  Are you familiar with MSG?  We also enhance our music.  I'm sure I don't really know all the ins & outs of the music recording industry but I'm pretty sure that if I were to attend a concert of nearly any artist there would be some major differences between the show & the CD.  And there are innumerable ways that we can enhance ourselves - hair dye, breast augmentation, make up, colored contact lenses - we can fix our complexions, our gray hair, our 'defincies', & even our eye color.  If we think our own fingernails (or even toenails!) aren't good enough, we can have fake ones put on. 

Don't get me wrong - I employ quite a few of these enhancement.  I wear makeup; I dye my gray hair.  I use Instagram to edit photos & make them shiny & bright.  And I don't intend to quit any of that any time soon. 

But I do hope that I quit underappreciating the way God had made things.  Goofy as it seems, the fact that God made our food in a certain way makes me feel even more determined to limit the amount of processed foods we eat.  He intended our food to be a particular way & I'm sure that's the way it will best nourish my body.  And I hope that I can quit feeling like I MUST dye my hair, I MUST have makeup on before I can leave the house.  God also made me in a particular way & while I have no intention of 'letting myself go,' I do feel like I need to be a little more at peace with the way He created me to look. 

And so I'm going to be brave & post a pic of myself in my natural, relaxed state - old race t-shirt, no makeup, hair pulled back & the frizzies flying out.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully & wonderfully made. 

Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

Psalm 139:14 

My New Favorite Thing

Recently I participated in an International Craft Swap & in the process I found a new toy.

I adore this new toy.

I'm not afraid to admit that I like to doodle, note take, list make & so on.

And I love chalk boards.

We have two in our kitchen.

On one I usually write our menu for the week.

On the other I usually write a verse or appointments or a thought provoking something.

I used to struggle with chalk because I am a fine point pen kind of gal.

Chalk is NOT fine point.

Not to worry, my friends.

Thanks to the project that I completed for the swap, I found Bistro Markers.

They are like chalk in a marker.

They are fine point.

I am a happy chalk board doodler!

My Monday - By The Numbers

I had a crazy day at work today.  The little collage above tells a story.  The moon was shining on me at 5 a.m. when I clocked in & got behind the wheel.  The top right shows the sun coming up as I tool on down the road.  The bottom left shows my view on the world at around noon.  The bottom right was taken at 4 p.m. when I finally parked it for the day.  Whew!

My personal theory is that Mondays are supposed to be gentle days that ease you back into the workaday world calmly & softly.  That is not what happened in my world today!  Here's my Monday - by the numbers:

5 ~ a.m. when I clocked in to work
11 ~ hours in my workday today
465 ~ approximate number of miles I drove today (mind you, I got nowhere; I just drove in circles, slowly losing my mind as I made deliveries)
4 ~ % of battery strength I had left on my phone by the end of the day
1 ~ number of gas station hot dogs I ate for lunch (I know, I know, but it was free so I ate it!)
2 ~ loaves of apple bread I made
4 ~ loads of laundry that got washed, folded, & put away (victory!)
2 ~ miles that I ran
1 ~ mile that I walked
1 ~ life changing phone call we received (Mike's uncle went home to heaven tonight; we mourn but not without hope - we will be together again one day)
1 ~ joy inducing email (congrats on your happy baby news, Erin & Jeff!)
6 ~ tomatoes that I picked
1 ~ weary PharmGirl that needs to go to bed very soon

So how was your Monday?  I hope it was gentle...

SOMETIMES...

*I wonder why it took me until I was like thirty years old to discover that cherries are so wonderfully yummy?

*I wonder why I make such stupid mistakes?  And then when I make the mistake it's like I get frozen in mind warp & I have no reaction.  Which looks like a bad reaction of indifference.  Then I wonder why I beat myself up about it for hours afterward.

*I wonder why workdays go so slowly while time at home goes so quickly my head spins?

*I wonder why I do things like buy an immersion blender?  Hello, I don't NEED to be able to make milkshakes at the drop of a hat!

*Sometimes I put on my pants & wonder how they could have gotten so snug...might have something to do with that doggone blender...& then I wonder if I will ever dry my clothes in the dryer again?

*Sometimes I wonder why I write 53 blog posts a day in the secret confines of my mind but I barely manage to get two or three a week actually posted?

*Sometimes I wonder why do we text so much?  Sometimes I miss the sound of familiar voices.

*Sometimes I wonder why something simple like watching "Pride & Prejudice" (again!) can make for such a enjoyable evening?  Try it; it works, I promise!

*Sometimes I wonder if I am the only one who has marinated chicken in a ziplock bag & then spilled the raw chicken yuckiness of said bag all over her kitchen?  And then I wonder if my kitchen drawers (where the marinade very unkindly decided to seep in) will ever be safe?

*Sometimes I wonder at the good grace that my kitchen knives aren't all that sharp.  I'd be missing some fingertips if they were!

*Sometimes I wonder why I have SO MUCH?  It would have been easy for the Lord to put me in a place where I wouldn't have a lot of things.  And yet, here I am. 

You know, some days I just wonder...do you?

My Nightstand Has Been Hijacked AGAIN & Other News...

I know that once upon a time, now long, long ago I promised you all that I would read a book entitled, "The Maker's Diet."  I have not forgotten that promise.  I am indeed reading that book.  The problem is, it is so full of stuff.  Complicated stuff.  Stuff I haven't thought about before & frankly, some stuff that is a little over my head technically.  I've gotten slightly overwhelmed a time or two & taken some time away from reading to mull things over & discuss them with Mike.  It is definitely a good book, a good resource & someday - hopefully soon - I'll tell you all about it.

Until then, my nightstand has been hijacked again, this time by the book, "The Daughter's Walk" by Jane Kirkpatrick.  I'm not sure how I found this book at the library.  It seems to me that I read about it on The Pioneer Woman's website under the homeschooling tab some time in the far distant past.  I try to keep a list on my phone of books that are recommended to me & this one was on the list, our library had it & so I checked it out.  Then I spilled an entire glass of water on it & kind of wrinkled the pages up something awful *sigh*

Anyway, this is a fascinating story.  It is based on a true story about a mother & her oldest daughter taking a walk all the way from the west coast to New York City.  They were supposed to wear 'reform dresses' which were scandalously shorter than the accepted fashion - they were just above ankle length *gasp*  The purpose of the walk was to prove that women had the same strength, stamina, courage & common sense that men had & that they should be recognized as full citizens.  It was the very beginning of the sufferage movement.  They were also supposed to promote the dresses as the newest mode of fashion with the shorter length making it easier to walk & ride bicycles.  The mother insists on participating in the walk even though her husband doesn't want her to; the daughter participates in the walk completely against her will because her mother makes her.  The sponsors had pledged to pay them $10,000 if they completed the walk by the deadline & the family needed the money to save their farm from foreclosure.  They embark on their journery & experience every kind of excitement & difficulty imaginable. 

The book follows the daughter, Clara all through the walk until basically the end of her life.  The walk caused so much strife in the family that Clara & her mother were forbidden to speak of it & there was a long estrangement.  Because of this discord, many of the details of the remarkable walk & the rest of Clara's life are very vague.  I'm sure the auther completed many hours of research & still had to 'fill the holes' as best as she could.  The end result is still a compelling read.  I truly love to read a story of someone else's life.  The Lord sends His children down a myriad of paths; they are all interesting.  If you get a chance, I think you would enjoy reading this story.







In Other News...

Largely because of all this reading I've been doing regarding diet & nutrition, I started scoping out some different places to see if I could purchase grass fed beef.  I'd read that it was a much more natural way to grow cattle, that it was healthier for us to consume & that it even tasted better.  Much to my delight, a family in our church that runs a CSA has grass fed beef for sale right now!  They don't always have it but this summer they do.  I went out to the Farmer's Market & got us some.  Then I picked up some organic crushed tomatoes & the zucchini that my sister's garden grew & I fixed us some Zucchini Hash, a family favorite!  It is just the beef, tomatoes, & zucchini cooked up together in a big skillet with some oregano, basil, garlic, onion - whatever you like!  I top it with cheese & YUM!  And you know what?  I'm not really a beef person, but grass fed beef DOES taste better.  

And for those of you wondering how my procrasting little self was doing with my International Craft Swap project, here's the low down.  We just started it on Tuesday.  When I asked for input on what I should make, everyone voted for the same thing - the chalkboard candleholder.  Mike & I had a Lowe's gift card (that I actually purchased with Discover card cash back bonus!) that we used to buy the drill bits.  Mike ended up getting a set rather than just the one we needed because the whole set of 10 was only $10 more.  He got new tools to play with so he is happy *grin*  So far we have cut the board to size, drilled the candle holder holes, sanded, primed, & applied one coat of chalkboard paint.  I'm hoping to apply another coat of paint tomorrow & have that bad boy ready to be shipped out on Monday!

Making progress!

And that's what's going on around here.  This weekend is going to be a blur of cleaning, project finishing, cooking, & celebrating my momma's birthday.  Lots of activity but I'm ready for it! 
What's on your weekend agenda?

My Dream Garden

I've joked a lot this year about our 'yard tomatoes'.  They can't be called garden tomatoes because they didn't grow in a garden.  They just happened to spring up in various places all over our yard (which makes for a strange sight, trust me).  Personally I don't think they just happened to spring up all by themselves or whatever.  I think those five tomato plants are the direct result of a conversation I had with the Lord early this summer.  You see, the past several summers I have had a major case of Garden Envy.  I would love to have a garden.  I would love to grown tomatoes (obviously!), green beans, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, corn, onions, garlic, vast amounts of basil, green peppers, potatoes, blackberries & even have a small apple orchard.  I know, I know...I have no ambition *grin*

Anyway, there are several roadblocks to my gardening plans.  Number one, Mike isn't really into it.  He's just not much of an outdoorsy guy & he doesn't really enjoy yard work.  I don't think he would need to be too involved once all the ground work was done but...Number two, we have some stinky stupid soil.  It's full of broken bricks, glass, terra cotta pipe & good old rocks.  And it's sandy.  It would take some elbow grease to get a garden plot ready & prepped to grow well.  Number three, I can't hardly get my chores done as it is. 

So, I had a heart to heart with the Lord a while back.  I said, You know I want a garden.  You also know that it's just not going to happen at this time.  I'm going to try (please help!) to maintain a good attitude about it - especially when I see other gardens or read about them on my friend's blogs.  Amen. 

Fast forward to now & I have five thriving tomato plants that I think the Lord gave us.  We have so many tomatoes that we almost can't eat them all.  But we're working on it *grin*  And the Lord has been super gracious to help me with my Garden Envy.  I even took a bunch of pics of the garden that my sister & her husband planted - I didn't even pout as I pointed & shot.  It's a fabulous garden - the stuff of my dreams!

Look at those lush green leaves! 

They have a whole row of blackberries & this is the first year that they really produced well.
They shared with us; I can't wait to use them!

See that sweet baby zucchini?

Since they live out in the country surrounded by farm fields they have a little deer problem.
Under that bucket is a radio set to a rock music station. 
It scares the deer away!

Alas, it doesn't scare the coons!  They ate all of their corn this year. 

Maybe someday Mike & I will have a garden like this...or maybe the Lord will just give us some more 'accidental' plants!