don't fear bumps in the road...journal #3-1/30/2011

On My Mind...strangely lovely and warm weather all for January and Southern Utah...
Celebration...see above...
Praying For...Those that serve Jesus all over the world. The leaders of nations that their hearts will be softened and will desire to do right. Our Sweet Sammy...a darling little lady, grandchild #3 and 1st child of Emily. Like her mother, she is a precocious learner and beginning reader at 4. Also like her mother she has a mind of her own. I pray for her protection, safety, joy, and health and even more so for children caught in dangerous circumstances around the world. Our son-in-law, Jarrod , married our dear Lizzy. Wonderfully laid back and friendly, he is hard working and a great dad. We pray for his health, joy, inspiration, success, security, and happiness as the husband of our girl and the father of two sweet grandchildren. Praying for charity to inhabit the hearts of mankind.
Commitment to Health...Deliciousness...I made a menu board from an old slate and some magnets for the fridge. It is so fun to write the planned dinner menu out to cause anticipation and participation. Now that I buy fruits and veggies daily, I know immediately what I have and what I need to get on my walk to the market. Serendipitously, I let the lima beans cook into mush, so the only use for them was some sort of puree. This is what I came up with and is now on our 10 list.  
Gardener's Pie (I couldn't call it shepherd's pie, could I?)
1 large onion, diced
8 oz. crimini mushrooms, small dice
5 oz. other mushrooms, small dice (I used oyster.) 
1-2  stalks broccoli, florets cut pinkie sized, stem peeled and diced
1/4 head cauliflower, cut in pinkie sized florets
1 carrot, grated
1/2 c. fresh minced parsley
1 T. other fresh or 1 t. dried mild herb of choice  (sage or thyme are good choices)
1 c. frozen peas
2 t. good quality Hungarian paprika
2 T. water or veggie broth
1/2 t. braggs liquid aminos2-3 c. cooked white beans of whatever variety you have ready, drained 
2 t. Mrs. Dash or other no-salt seasoning
1/4 c. nutritional yeast 

In a large saucepan, steam fry onion, celery, and mushrooms until they are soft and beginning to brown. . Add broccoli stems, cauliflower, carrots, parsley, herbs, peas, water, and paprika. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Add broccoli florets and braggs. Put in small casserole dish.  Put beans in a blender with Mrs. Dash and nutritional yeast. Blend until smooth and fluffy adding more water if necessary. Carefully spread bean mixture over veggie stew, making sure to completely seal veggies to edges of casserole. Sprinkle top with a dash of paprika. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes or until bubbly. I serve this with California Kale and A Little Ginger and Strawberry Sorbet.

Commitment to Health...Movement...doing both  TTappCore and Basic Plus DVDs , taking daily walks to the grocers for fresh veggies, and using Stretching Anatomy at bed time, my back has mended and body firmed up a total of 8.25 inches. I've lost that weak feeling in my muscles that I've had for years. It's amazing how many layers of sickness nutritarianism, forgiveness, great relations, and mindful movement can cure. I wonder what is next!

Commitment to Modesty...Appearance...to keep up my commitment to movement, I began sleeping in workout clothes. This made me feel pretty immodest out of bed. I made two v-necked jumpers to wear over top of my workout clothes, each from two men's T-shirts. First you find the right size colored T-shirt to give a nice fit. The chest size of the shirt should accommodate your hip and chest measurements, and buy the tall or regular variety as needed. Cut one T-shirt off right below the arm pits. With stretch and sew techniques, attach the cut T to the intact T, using the hem stitching as your stitch guide. You can stop right here for a crew neck t-shirt dress that is very cute worn belted. OR...Turn the cut T top inside out and place it directly over the uncut top. Pin to keep in place. Trim the two tops together into a basic jumper style round, square, or v-necked. Don't forget to trim the armholes a bit wider. Stitch these two together. Zig zag around the raw edge of the cut top. turn right side out. Top stitch around arm and neck holes. Within an hour, you can have two fun and functional jumpers to work or sleep in for less than $10. They allow me to wear workout clothing with more modesty, too. Can't wait to see if they are functional in the garden...

Scripture Meditations..." Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." Isaiah 41:10 If is submit my will to God, he will strengthen me, guide my days from grace to grace, accept my repentance, make up the difference between what I am and wish to be, and carry me in His ever loving arms.

Towards a Real Education...I've narrowed my focus to include only my herb courses until next summer, since all my assignments, projects, and tests need to be completed by May 10 to make me eligible for the Master Herbalist Seminar and Final Exam week June 20-25. I have to finish memorizing the 100 herbs list, too. Yikes!

What's Coming...a new calling in the gospel...

Simple Pleasure...re-reading the Love Comes Softly series in the evenings. My grandmother and I both enjoy this author work but particularly this series very much...conscious meditation is a good tool to clear my head before prayer...

Natural World...loving my daily walks in th sun and getting a little healthy color to boot...

From the Apothecary...my Tummy Tea with added chamomile worked better than Nyquil for a case of the 24 hour flu. With no side effects, it eased nausea, muscle aches, headache, and restlessness without any side effects. It had my patient resting like a baby for 14 hours...I've amassed quite a few dried herbs and had quite a time pawing through them to make my concoctions. I spent yesterday morning organizing them and putting the in labeled jars. I'm going to get one more shelf made and install a piece of rubber stripping along the crack between the cabinet doors to block out the light and give me enough shelf space to finish the job properly. It looks fantastic and smells divine, when I open it. The next step is to spray paint the lids pink and print clear labels for them.

Commitment to Loveliness...having a system for everything frees me from stress, which causes wrinkles inside and out. A clean, streamlined, orderly environment is the key to an aloha smile and cheerful attitude. Then when bumps in the road come along, they are easier to handle.