"Beam-ectomy should precede all mote micro-surgery. Just saying." Ginger Conrad paraphrasing Jesus Christ.

Paradigm Shift

“The list of health problems I think it would very hard to live with is SO much longer than the list of foods I previously thought I couldn’t live without,” Merrill Alley.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

big week

Praying For...Cole, a very nice almost young man. With very little of the little boy left about him, he radiates light and truth and joy. As he moves into his tween years, I pray he will not take the path of rebellion, that he travel in Jesus' way, that he will know the joys and safety of living as Jesus lived.

Jesus' Word..."Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid," John 14:27. It is true; the peace Jesus gives is not peace as the world understands it. At this moment, I think of the peace He gives through the temple. I know my family will be together forever if we all choose to accept the grace of Christ's atonement and keep His commandments, because we've been sealed in the temple. That brings me much peace.

Dr. Ginger, Medicine Woman...You know; it's not just eating right, exercising, getting enough sleep, and herbs that can make a person feel great. Doing things you love that bring you wholesome joy, you get a boost in happy hormones. This boost in turn gives you more desire to do more interesting and important things; so the cycle goes. My list of wholesome joyful recreation includes: painting watercolor, sewing little ditties, puttering in the garden, reading real books, writing on real paper, playing my instruments, walking in the woods (or any nature really), studying scripture and other thoughtful books, biking on trails, and pursuing homemaking like I used to do.

Also, read more about using yarrow, rosemary, and nettles in the hair. Apparently, for best results, the infusion needs to be messaged in and left on. So...my herbal shampoo has changed to only bouncing bett, cardamom, and fennel seeds. Then I condition with apple cider vinegar and honey. Then I message in the afore said y, r, n infusion. It works pretty much the same, but will supposedly help with some of my hair issues after a couple months. Even if it doesn't, I like the way my hair looks, except it doesn't like this dry climate yet.

Bibliophilia...My grandma and I share much in common. We both raised large families, because we wanted to raise large families. Both of us love Jesus Christ and talking about it. We like to visit loved ones and read...this week I went to visit. Currently, visits to Grandma are kept to about five minutes, because she cannot cope with anything longer. As soon as I got there she asked me to go to the thrift store near her and buy a bag. Since she can't visit, go anywhere, or watch movies anymore, reading is her last way to pass the time. Her poor little body is shrinking away. Without any energy, she still has her mind. It's rough to watch. At the thrift store, I bought an Avi book and a Janette Oke book. While I haven't yet read the former, the latter was a typical JO read, simple, clean, and a bit preachy. As usual, I enjoyed every minute of the fluff. After spending the week unpacking boxes, putting things in order, and taking things to charity, I needed a bit of fluff to help me relax.

Garden Gate... putting in a secret garden: espalier apples, mulberry bushes (not trees), mango, grapes, hibiscus, tree collards, runner beans, kiwi, bee balm, gogi, yarrow, lupine, cajanus cajun, and strawberries with dwarf trees according to a high density plan. I love to play in the dirt. Hoping to get in grey water, too, but maybe not quite yet.

Cucina Fresca...Some have warned that I will tire of my high salad lifestyle. Maybe that is the case if you make the same one over and over and over. Since I love fruits and veggies, I like to experiment. With salad, it's even easier to come up with good recipes than with cooked food. First, it's pretty hard to mess up a salad. Second, their are hundreds of ways to vary this, so far, favorite dish. This week I made a salad from romaine, mango, tomato, green onion, yellow bell pepper, carrots, fresh basil and parsley, snow peas, unsalted mustard, dash of cayenne, fresh OJ, fresh lemon juice, and a generous shaking of Mrs. dash seasoning. It was so good to be almost sinful.

Movement...After nearly 4 months, I'm still going strong with Essentrics and doing some of the harder workouts. A couple weeks ago, I tended my grandchildren (6 and 8) in another city. We toured the city at breakneck speed all week, because busy children are happy children. I was tired and thought I would crash for a week as was my MO in the past. After a Sunday nap, I felt fine. Last week I moved house ahead of my husband, driving 1400 miles alone in 2.5 days. This also didn't make me crash nor did my unloading and unpacking, while maintaining my daily workouts. I continue to walk and bike to spend less time in mindless, meaningless night time vegging. I can say with surety that the benefits are not flash-in-the-pan but sustainable and cumulative. AND I love the convenience of Essentrics TV especially while traveling. Just like Amanda's book says, I think I'm aging backwards.

Teaching Little Children...I got to teach Primary today to five very well behaved six year olds. They were cute as can be and so very smart.