To web or not to web, CD drop and roof departure...

i promised some 'non food' posts, now didn't i?


I mentioned that it's almost Leland's birthday... i know everyone says this, but i honestly can't believe that we have an almost 4 year old. we have been in charge of a person for 4 years and he's still chugging along. He is definitely in a trying stage- full of his own ideas, concepts and adventures. I keep having to remind myself that this is a training stage and he's not done becoming a person! Even so, i love the person he is so far- helpful, energetic, loving and excited about everything.


(pics by my friend Annie, the first one including Leland's betrothed Brooklynn :O)

He is insisting on a Spiderman cake.... this is not on my list of approved party themes. hahaha. i'm not a big character person and while i don't mind "boy stuff" i prefer boy stuff like fishing, hiking, making stuff, pirates, cowboys etc... we were already planning on just having a small get together as opposed to a big party and he had previously requested a Bobby's frozen custard cake.
i'm trying to decided here..... go with the spiderman cake and get over it, or do the custard cake and get some spiderman plates? or .....?
bah.

Last night in STL my brother in law Owen Pye had his final of four CD release concerts! It was really great and i know that Joel loved playing with him again. Owen, my sister Jillian and nephew Cash are leaving for the first leg of tour REALLY soon. they will be gone for a full month! We will sure miss having them around but are really excited for them. Just in case you missed it you can check out the stop-motion music video that Jillian put so much love and work into HERE and Owen's new cd is available HERE. good stuff friends, good stuff.

AFTER the concert the weather decided to get down with it's bad self too. We had a pretty insane storm come through around midnight. Usually we watch the radars, listen to the warnings and sometimes decide it doesn't warrant waking the kids up and huddling downstairs. this time we could tell it was going to be different. right before the alarms went off we decided to get the kids and not too much later we were holding them (still sleeping), us wide eyed and opened mouthed as we listened to the crazy howling and tried to imagine the damage. i honestly was picturing our roof flying right off! it was that intense.
fortunately we have little to no new damage and the kids went right back to sleep.
I, of course was still up making sure the Tornado watch didn't turn back into another Warning. Joel was snoring away in no time :O) it was so dark that we couldn't really tell how bad it was out there- but we could see this big lump of something out in the middle of the road... looked kind of furry so we were hoping somebody's big old dog didn't get taken for a ride.
This morning Joel went over to our church for an elder's meeting-- the church can be seen out our window-- super close.
Turns out a big section of the roof over the sanctuary was torn off, all the way to the BEAMS! Open air, like a HUGE dripping skylight. All the stuff in the road and in our yards turned out to be insulation. here's a little news clip 'bout it- it looks way worse from the inside!
Roofers are already over there trying to board it up before more damage is done, and luckily not too much got totally ruined because of all the pressure keeping most of the rain out. kind of unreal!

the clean plate club

last night we had spaghetti sauce and spaghetti.
i asked Joel what he was in the mood for and he said pasta..... guess what? there are no pasta recipes in Nourishing Traditions. Namely because wheat that hasn't been soaked is very hard for you to digest and pull nutrients from.
But they know that you will end up making it anyway so they suggested brown rice past or buckwheat flour pasta and included two spaghetti sauce recipes. here is the one we used:

2 lbs ground beef or other red meat
2 onions peeled and finely chopped
1 green pepper seeded and finely chopped
3 tomatoes peeled seeded and chopped
1 small can of tomato paste (i did 2 because i didn't think Joel would think it was saucy enough)
1 cup beef stock (i used chicken because i haven't made the beef yet)
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 lb chicken livers
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon each dried thyme, rosemary, oregano and sage
sea salt and pepper


saute meat in large pot until crumbly and pink is gone, while sauteing livers in butter until cooked through. but into a fine dice. add liver and all other ingredients to the beef, blend well, season to taste and simmer, covered for about 1/2 hour. serve over noodles.

they had the coolest trick for peeling tomatoes: boil some water and use a large slotted spoon to dip the tomatoes in for 5 seconds each. After you dip one in the peel slides right off! dip then peel, then repeat.
super easy. maybe everyone else already knew this but i would have been going nuts trying to peel those things!

Yes, i put the liver in. Yes you could taste it, but barely. Joel knew it was in there but liked it a LOT anyway- which is a small miracle. The wine flavor was pretty strong but flavored it well. Leland saw that there were onions and other "weird things" but cleaned his bowl anyway.

sweetest comment of the night that made this week of trying to figure out nourishing foods worth it goes to Leland.
when i was getting ready to dish it all up he said "mmmmmmmmhhhhhh, momma. you cooked up a good smell!"
and Joel thanking me afterwards for giving a hoot was pretty sweet too.

I had enough left over to send a huge serving with Joel for lunch and keep some for lunch for me and the kids today or tomorrow- plus 3 quarts to freeze for next time Joel's in a pasta mood.
we used half gluten free corn/rice noodles and half regular noodles we had.

not as easy as opening a can and warming it up, but very satisfying :O)




more (non food) news to come later today or tomorrow morning.
it's almost Leland's 4th birthday!
Owen and Jillian are almost ready to leave on the first month of tour!
getting ready for a Home Educators Expo!
Emory's potty watch is broken.... AH!
until then.

easy ways to start...

I am working my way into cooking completely by the concepts in the book Nourishing Traditions. I'm hoping to get my hands on a copy of What the Bible Says About Healthy Living. Seems like a good place to look, huh? :O)

The book talks a lot about how many things need to be treated before we eat them to help with digestion and bring out the nutrients or neutralize things that aren't beneficial in them. For example- grains need to be soaked, sprouted, sour leavened etc to deactivate the enzyme inhibitors. Enzymes are complex proteins that act as catalysts in almost every process that takes place in the body. When we treat our grains the enzymes are able to help our digestion and the nutrients are more readily available.
Meats that are marinated or well aged present less of a strain on our digestive system because of the 'predigestion'.
(not my words, poor summation of one of the sections in Nourishing Traditions)

Anyway- i'm attempting to explain a little bit of the WHY to you in hopes that i will understand and retain it better and maybe help you out in the process.
As i am relearning and changing my perception of "normal" eating there are some easy things that i've started or continued that you can do too!

Veggies are an area that we can probably ALL branch out in... here's another piece of info from the book for you "Of the 4,000 or so edible plant species that have fed human societies at one time or another in the past, only 150 are widely cultivated today and just three of them provide 60 percent of the world's food. That seems crazy to me! There is such diversity in the plants and animals God created and different nutrients that we need from them. Try to be adventurous and check out some options besides corn and peas :O)

Easy Peasy veggie number 1: Butternut Squash.
if you are trying to buy locally and in season this is great in the fall/winter in the midwest.
wash your squash well, cut it in half, fill a baking dish with less than 1 in of water and lay the halves down on the flat side. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. turn over and put a few dollops of (real) butter and some fresh rosemary on top, bake another 5 minutes. enjoy! my kids loooove this, Joel thinks its okay.
another option is to put raw honey & butter in a container bath of warm/hot water (with out letting the temp reach 118 degrees) and then poor into the cavities of the squash when it's done cooking.
Here's our most recent squash.


Easy Peasy veggie number 2: steamed Asparagus.
wash your asparagus well, cut the bottoms off and put into your steamer. My mother in law knows how much i like asparagus and actually bought me a tall steaming pot specifically for asparagus :O)
steam for about 5 minutes until bright green and easily pierced. transfer to warm serving dish top with butter, lemon juice and maybe some sea salt. DONE!
Emory, Joel and I love it- Leland doesn't like that it has "hair". he's definitely in the if it looks strange i don't want it stage, but he still eats a few pieces of the stalk.
this was the best bunch of asparagus i've ever bought- nice and fresh!


I made my own chicken broth last week or the week before and put it away in mason jars in the freezer for future use. of the 7 jars i have 3 left, i think. If you want to know how to do it go here. i used a whole chicken with organs because i didn't have a bunch of chicken bones lying around, silly me :O)
it was a stretching experience but by no means hard. It kind of made me feel accomplished and hardcore, haha.

Since i had that stock available making Chicken and brown rice soup was no big deal. Recipe here. You can basically put in whatever sounds yummy. We did carrots, celery, snap peas and chicken because that's what we had. this is gluten free also if you or family happen to have an allergy.






I promise i'll only do one or two food post a week so you aren't annoyed or overwhelmed by it :O)
This week we are on budget crunch (come on tax refund!) and will be cooking with what we have in the freezer... so some of it will be very healthy (wild crab legs!) and some of it will be less healthy. Luckily now i know that marinating does more than just make it taste better so i will have options for our meat. Our fresh food gets eaten so quickly that we might be getting sparse by pay day- lets see how far we can stretch it!

hoping and praying you have a good week that is deliberate, focused and joy filled.

you will notice...

Leland and Emory are growing up way too quickly.
Last night Joel was putting Leland back in bed after a "i'm scared" room escape and they had this little dialogue:

Joel: you need to stay in bed pal, goodnight.
Leland: I'm just scared with no person in here with me.
Joel: You sleep in here every night by yourself, we are just in the other room.
Leland: You will notice that i've been coming to sleep with you in your bed.
Joel: (stifled laughter)

He actually *has been waking up early morning and snuggling in with Joel. I have no idea where the "you'll notice" came from. what a riot.

Emory received a Potty Watch from Granny this past week and it is working like a charm. You set it for 30, 60 or 90 minutes and when it goes off a song plays and lights blink. She screams "Emmy peeeeeeee!" and runs to the toilet. It's so funny and its actually working. She was dry all morning yesterday and is doing great so far today. Just have to remember to take it off during nap time and car rides or she has a heart attack because there isn't a potty available. I'm loving it... but 30 minutes comes really quickly when you are trying to fix diner, take care of other kids, etc.


I made quite a few baby gifts last month and was in such a hurry i didn't share them. i love the color combos and am excited to do some boy ones coming up soon.







This past Sunday Joel and I had the joy of taking Leland to the Saint Louis Symphony at Powell Hall for the family concert of Peter & the Wolf. They also played a few other pieces such as the Overture from the Barber of Seville which Leland recognized from a Backyardigans episode and Joel recognized from Bugs Bunny. We all loved it- the conductor was excellent and they did a great job of making the whole thing kid friendly. We got a good deal on the tickets so we were able to sit in the orchestra section (although the back) but of course Leland wanted to go up and explore the balcony afterwards.





Joel and I are very excited to return in the beginning of April to enjoy the scores of the Lord of the Rings movies.
I was very proud of my boys- Leland was so well behaved and started conducting along because he was so intently watching & listening. Joel loved checking out the microphones and explaining to Leland the way the room was designed for sound with its curved and textured walls. He will be such a good homeschool dad :O)

I'm really excited about a new adventure with Katy over at No Big Dill.
(she's so sweet- and don't get me started on her five precious daughters) You may have seen the button regarding Once Upon a Thread... It's a whole month devoted to sewing inspired by children's books. Two of my favorite things organized by one of my favorite bloggers! Check it out, i promise you won't be disappointed. It officially starts in March but we get a few weeks to hear about it and prep for it.

I am still feeling wonderful and you can look forward to hearing all about the new foods we are trying in future posts.
So far i've made my own chicken stock (no MSG!) , chicken and brown rice soup, raw cheese cake with almond & fig crust (gluten free) and a mess of veggies. I still have a LONG way to go and this blog The Nourishing Cook is helpful as well. She is cooking through the Nourishing Traditions cookbook and giving tips and family ratings on each recipe they try. Check it out!

Until next time dears.

he went walking and leaping and praising God

do you know that song from Sunday school back in the day?
About the man who was begging....

Peter and John went to pray.
They met a lame man on the way.
He held out his palm
And asked for an alm
And this is what Peter did say:

Silver and gold have I none,
But such as I have give I thee;
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth
Rise up and walk!

And he went walking,
And leaping, and praising God!
Walking, and leaping,
And praising God!
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth
Rise up and walk!

you can youtube it if you don't know the tune and care to.
It was one of my favorites growing up, and it's so funny because today i feel like that man :O)

i mentioned in my last post about SPD that i was reading a book about nutrition. Nourishing Traditions- It's actually a cookbook but has lots of information in the beginning. If you'd like to take a peek Amazon has a cool feature that lets you read some of it online.



Its not your normal nutrition book, that's for sure. One of my favorite parts of the book so far is the explanation of the different processes used in processed food. When you read about cell structure changes, extreme heating etc its not hard to understand the lack of health in our society and the rise of disease.

Anyhoo! if you know me, you know that i LOVE milk. I could drink it all day long.
I actually didn't drink milk until i found an alternative to the normal gallons that you see in your supermarket. 4 days. That. is. unheard of.

Now we have switched to Oberweis, which is still pasteurized but very gently so that the nutrients aren't destroyed. Here is their farmer's pledge if you are interested.
We are also drinking less milk and more water, which i didn't think was possible since i was already chugging water constantly.
We are only eating REAL food and focusing on locally grown fruits and veggies, pasture fed meat, raw butter and cheese.
It's been very challenging for sure!
we already ate pretty well but still had way too many things in the house with high fructose corn syrup, sugar, white flour etc.
I told Joel he could eat as much real butter as he wanted but to stay far away from soda.
here are some of the foods we've had this week:




just fresh stir fry with fruit and roasted butternut squash with rosemary.

both things we have had before, but in conjunction with the way we've been eating the rest of the week has made a difference.
It's going to be really challenge to implement a lot of the ideas and concepts in the book but the easy stuff like this will make it doable.

All of this has been leading up to..... drumroll please......................

i feel GREAT today.
WONDERFUL.

i was actually able to sleep last night with no pain.
i feel normal this morning.
no pain, no discomfort.
no nothing.

i feel like the beggar!

now, i'm fairly certain that as the day goes on i will start to get achey and feel some pain.
but the only thing has has changed is the way we are eating/drinking.
i really wonder if it has to do with hormones in typical store bought milk.
a bit more research is required.

***UPDATE- i just read that one of the 6 hormones that the modern day "super freak cow" beef/milk can contain in excess is PROGESTERONE. the hormone that i suspected i have an over abundance of which causes the relaxation and stretching of the muscles in the pelvic girdle and also loosens the intestinal track causing it to slow. ***

Even if it comes back later today or tomorrow, i am praising God that i feel so amazing today :O)

Also, my friend Alyssa found a physical therapist in STL that specializes in this area so i will probably still meet with her to get some strengthening help.

So excited!

So are Emory & Leland.





sorry for the kooky layout on my blog right now, i'm trying to get it fixed asap :O)

growing.... pains

warning: pregnancy related post. if words like pelvis or pubic bone bother you, skip towards the second half of this post :O)
i wrote a little note about this topic on Facebook so i apologize if you are getting this info twice.


i may have mentioned here before that i have pretty easy, boring pregnancies & deliveries. i have been SO blessed to have no real complications or scares with my babies' health or development.

One of the challenges i *have run into is pain and pressure in my hip, groin, and inner thighs.
It's been something that i tried to write off as normal pregnancy discomfort but it always seemed like it might be something more complicated.

With Leland there were days where i would get out of bed to get ready for work and i just fell down because my hips/core muscles wouldn't work. this was not in my late late pregnancy so i'm sure my boss was like... um, okay... when i called in.
i had a severe waddle from 15 weeks on and just felt an insane amount of pressure in my pelvic region.
i did some physical therapy to help with the sciatic pain.
With Emory i didn't have as much sciatic pain but had the pelvic pressure increasingly and even more so pain, stabbing pain in my... well what felt like internally in no man's land- if you catch my drift. didn't do any physical therapy because we were still paying off the therapy bills from Leland.

this time it started about 10 weeks, more intense and because i was trying to figure out WHY and HOW i started to put together better ways of explaining the pain. Which made googling it easier and find an article about what was going on possible.
Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction is the culprit and here is the article if you are interested.

essentially, the whole pelvic girdle (the muscles that connect to the pubic bone) is not working well and the joints of the pelvis are not staying aligned. So the pain that feels internal really IS internal- its pubic bone pain. And all of the muscles that go through the groin and inner thigh attach there. The sciatic nerve also goes through the SI joints which is why there is sciatic pain at times as well.

what this means daily: ouch.
hahaha.
extreme pelvic pain, inner thigh discomfort, motor weakness, and hip pain.
lifting a foot to dress, stairs, moving in bed, not keeping my core/hips/pelvis completely aligned at any point, sleeping, driving, sitting in a hard chair, sitting up straight, etc causes pain.
carrying laundry, carrying Emory or Jane, sitting on the floor to play games, driving more than 5 minutes... all bad ideas.

I'm not telling you all this to complain, but more or less as a way to tell you about where our family is right now in our growth and relationships, plus to ask for prayer. Also, now if i just say "today was a rough SPD day" you know what i mean with out lots of explanation.

I am realizing that in order to keep/get our house/family functioning well i have to use the time/energy i have very effectively. which means more lists, more planning and more thought put into just getting daily things done. This is a good thing for me because i desperately need more "type A" skills in my life :O)
i know i will only have enough energy/pain tolerance to get a certain amount done so i have to be deliberate. This means more actually gets done than normal!! unless its a particularly bad day.

This has also been a catalyst for research into healthier eating/cooking habits. Other complications i've been having are digestive issues. As a result we are eating a 50% raw diet and i am doing lots of research into a more natural food selection/lifestyle. (if you need some encouragement to eat better ask me to tell you about how margarin is made. you will probably never touch it again)

Joel is going above & beyond as hubby/daddy. He is such an encouragement to me. He has been sleeping on the floor next to me (i'm sleeping on the couch) for about 4 weeks now, of his own free will and with out complaint. he lifts my legs together to help me get on the couch to lay down so that it doesn't hurt as badly. he knows the right things to say when i'm feeling discouraged about how much longer we have of this or how annoying i must be to him.
He has grown SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH as a selfless, considerate, sweet husband. He used to be... not aloof, but just kind of unaware. Kind of in his own little world. I am so thankful for the way he has stepped up and is loving me through this time.

We are also more appreciative of the health that we generally do have. Some of our friends from college are going through this in a much more extreme way, Lorrie has the severe version of SPD where her pelvic bones have all severely seperated. She can't hold her kids, can't walk with out a walker, has to stay in bed most all day and doesn't know what the treatment will be. After having her second daughter, instead of healing, she got worse. She is a wonderful and strong woman, gracious enough to help me with my questions and i pray for her daily because i know her burden is heavy.

So! am i enjoying this pregnancy? not so much.
recently i read the BabyCenter "how you feel this week" spiel and it said "You're probably feeling pretty comfortable these days. You're not too big yet, and the usual discomforts associated with early pregnancy are, for the most part, gone. If you're feeling good, relax and enjoy it while you can — the third trimester may bring with it a new crop of complaints.""
i wanted to punch somebody in the schnoz. hahahaha. it was just ironic :O)
but i am so thankful i'm not throwing up, i don't feel "sick", i can still (mostly) function, and it will all be worth it for this sweet little boy.
I *AM* enjoying the growth it means spiritually & personally for our family.
We are all thinking less of self and more of each other. We are helping each other the best we can. We have sweet sweet moments together and moments of pain that we try to laugh through as well.

Tonight we went to Pappy's BBQ in STL and just enjoyed each other, life and really great food.
(seriously, if you are in the area you MUST get some Pappy's)




so that's where the S family is this week. One of the reasons that laying around on Facebook all day is so hard not to justify:O)
but it's been so much better and healthier to limit my time and get some reading, studying and family time in, instead of escaping into the interwebs :O)


this week we have read or are reading:
It's Not About Me by Max Lucado (owned)
Grace Based Parenting by Dr. Tim Kimmel(borrowed)
Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon(owned)
Heirs of Acadia series: The Noble Fugitive (book 3) The Night Angel (book 4) by T. Davis Bunn(borrowed)
Acts of Faith series: The Centurian's Wife (book 1) The Hidden Flame (book 2) by T. Davis Bunn & Janette Oke(borrowed)


( i admit that christian fiction is escape reading for me- easy to get through quickly and still encouraging and helpful in your daily walk. i have to make myself put it down to read nonfiction studies and the actual Bible.
see what more you can get done when you aren't stalking facebook?!
any of the books listed as owned you can borrow if interested, as soon as we finish.... the Nourishing Traditions one will take me a while, so much info to process. )

Hope you had a good week limiting your online time and being productive... lets see if we can keep it up :O)

oh winter.

i enjoy seasons. i really do.
i love that here in good old IL we get to experience 4 very different times of year.
but winter, oh winter.
you encourage me to be lazy.
you suck all the motivation from my bones with the lack of sunshine and opportunity to be out in the little there is.


i get all fired up, and on the right track and then....... what was i doing? taking a nap on the couch? staring mindlessly at Facebook? hmmm.. that was not the plan.

it makes me think of a C.S. Lewis quote:

"Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

now, granted- in this context it would read- "fooling about with ice cream sandwiches and naps and facebook" - but the idea is the same.
my passions are too weak in the winter, my discipline lacking.


so for the rest of this week i am challenging myself (and you if you feel it seems necessary) to close the computer except for one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon/evening.
GASP.
for some of you this may seem silly.
i will guess that is the percentage of you that actually leaves their home and converses with persons over the age of 3.
There is SO MUCH reward in being with your children, but also such need for relationships and communication with the outside world. so this will be a challenge.

we are also currently stuck indoors due to the inclement weather sweeping the midwest- though we don't have tons of snow at this point- mostly ice.

so, i will be forced to tend to the MOUNDS of laundry i cannot catch up to, the unorganized chaos that i can't escape from and the self discipline that i seek and yet throw off everyday.

hopefully i will spend much time reading, writing and praying as well as meal planning and cleaning.
even if i spent all day just playing and learning and being fully *present* with the kids, i think the week will have been a success.

a few other things that are a bit more exciting to tend to before i go and limit my online time:

I spoke with my darling cousin Isaac on the phone today. we have so many beautiful memories growing up and he is currently living in San Diego because he's in love with a girl named Gabriella. i'm an awkward phone talker so i had to convince myself to call him for a chat (so silly), and then i didn't want to put down the phone.
i am coming to a point here, promise!





Miss Gabriella is has a fabulous food/baking blog that i love to read over and drool over and thought you would all enjoy.
You can find it here and don't forget to peek at the gourmet ice cream she is getting ready to launch- heaven's to betsy- it looks amazing! and if you go to the about me section that tan dimpled fella is my cousin.

Also, my brother in law Owen is about to release his new album and begin touring again!

you can check out his weekly video blogs (every tuesday) here and also check some of the early tour date on my sister's blog so you can catch up with them at a show!


Our sweet friend Annie is getting very close to delivering their sweet baby Ollie Faith- just next week!

please take a moment to see how they are doing on Annie's blog and say some extra prayers for a healthy heart, no further medical complications and better weather as they will be traveling from Shelbyville to STL.


alright guys!
this is it- starting tomorrow..... i'm kicking the winter blah's in the butt. hopefully :O)
here we go!