Animal Vegetable Miracle



 

 



I just finished Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Barbara writes a lot of fiction but this book is a nonfiction about how her and her husband wanted to change their life and how they eat. They left their busy city life to move to the country where they raised their own food or bought only locally grown food. What started as a one year quest turned into something bigger. In the process they found the passion to save long forgotten seeds and started Seed Savers Exchange. The passion she has for the finding and saving long forgotten seeds of flowers and vegetables is just inspiring.

It definitely made me more aware of the difference between heirloom and hybrid. I'm going to use a lot more heirloom vegetables this summer. I'm not so sure about the saving seeds part...one step at a time. But I loved the book!

Here is the book description from Amazon:

Author Barbara Kingsolver and her family abandoned the industrial-food pipeline to live a rural life—vowing that, for one year, they’d only buy food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves, or learn to live without it. Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is an enthralling narrative that will open your eyes in a hundred new ways to an old truth: You are what you eat.

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To check her out go to:
www.kingsolver.com

February Fail

 

Well February was a complete fail but that's OK. I will pick myself up and try for a better March. I don't know if it was the stress of kids and school but those rotten little words just kept slipping out. When I was aware of it I was able to control it but when the chaos was swirling around me I just couldn't control it. Maybe I will try again later this year when the weather is warmer and I can garden and exercise to relieve some stress.

As for the compliments....they were few and far between. So this month I'm going to try and not complain (as much). To completely stop complaining would be almost impossible but I'm going to try and be aware and just shut me mouth! We all complain whether it's about the kids or the weather or the messy house and we do it without noticing. Can we be a little more happier if we don't complain? Hmmmm we will see. Wish me luck!

You can buy happinesss....and it's cheap

I just finished the book "You can buy happiness (and it's cheap) by Tammy Strobel.

I really loved this book. It was so inspirational. It's about the life of a couple who is living the American dream; they have a nice place to live full of lots of stuff and own nice new cars. The problem was that they were commuting an hour or more to work a long work day to pay for all their stuff. So they decided to make a change: move to a small place, get rid of their stuff and sell their cars. Their goal was to live in a tiny house and live a simplified life.

 

 

They now are not living the American dream. They are living the simplified dream. No more long commutes or long hours. They have a very affordable house (tiny house), enjoy life, bike everywhere, and live simplified. We should all take away from this that we don't need lots of "stuff" to make us happy. Lets live the uncomplicated, simplified, self-sustaining dream.

If you want to check her out, she has a website
www.rowdykittens.com

Valentine Treat

How about a little treat tonight. This looks so good! I'm going out to get the stuff to make these tonight and I might even drizzle a little chocolate over them for some extra yumminess.

Thank you Cat Davis for this wonderful treat idea. Visit her sit at:  www.foodfamilyfinds.com



Here's the link for the recipe which is easy peasy.
https://plus.google.com/109897673704625552088/posts/EC3Yg7nyVqA

Inspirational

 

 

I found this wonderful quote from Inspiration Daily.

Just what I needed!

 

 

 

https://plus.google.com/u/0/106705076012970768283/posts/N1zV3rUMm9F

 

 

Feelings of failure

 

 

 

 

Well the last few days have just sucked! I don't know if it's the weather or just the stress and frustration of everyday life. I haven't complimented anyone yet and I have done quite a bit of cursing the past few days. Yesterday was the worse because my computer was acting up and I was trying to finish an assignment.  

I need some encouragement to get back on the road to success. I need to find a better outlet for my frustrations. Hmmm....eat? If I have my mouth stuffed I can't say anything. It's a great concept but I already have a bunch of "winter" weight to lose. Guess I will have to give it some thought.

On a brighter note, I'm just finishing a book by Tammy Strobel called "You Can Buy Happiness (and it's Cheap)"
Stayed tuned for a summary and a review.

February's Challenge: Double C's

Well the "no news" for January went well and I think I will continue it onto February. I feel that my life is more simplistic and less complicated not knowing everything. The "no weather" was a fail but I have cut down quite a bit.

This months challenge will consist of 2 things (the double C's): to stop all cursing and to compliment people. I'm going to try and compliment people that I come into contact with. Everybody needs to feel good in this world and maybe I can make a few people feel special. I'm usually pretty quiet in public but I'm going to push my boundaries and try to say some kind of compliment to random people. I'm also going to compliment friends and family either in person or on facebook .... so just be warned (it could be worse, I was considering a month full of hugs). I'm hoping this will bring some spiritual enlightening to my life and make somebody's day feel better.

I'm also going to go cold turkey on cursing. I don't curse real bad but when I feel overwhelmed, frustrated or angry the words can come right out. So this month I'm going to try my hardest not to say ANY bad words. So if I happen to be having a bad day and you hear me start....just kindly remind of my months mission. Wish me luck!

One Day Left......

Well, I have one day left of this months challenge. Even though this months challenge was short, it was a challenge. To cut out all news is really harder than you think when we live in a "got to know" society. And the weather...... I had good intentions but that I failed. What is it about wanting to know the weather every day or every few days? I have to say I don't watch it several times a day anymore but I do like to know what the week brings. I guess it probably has to do with hope. Hope the weather isn't this cold for too much longer.

So, in one more day I start something new. The possibilities are endless and I have a lot of ideas. If it would have been warmer out I would pick something that would require me to go outside but after a 60+ degree day the day before, we are back to reality that it is still January...nuts! I was really hoping spring was here in balmy northern Illinois. So stay tuned and find out what challenge I'm going to try in February. You should pick one and try it for a month. It's purpose is to get you out of a comfort zone and get in touch with yourself and the spiritual world.

A Little Crocheting.....A Little Weather..

 

Well the no news month is going good but I gave up on the no weather. Just couldn't do it. But, I only watch every few days which was better than what I was doing which was watching every day. I feel good about not watching the news and at first I thought I couldn't go through with it but it did get easier. I might continue not watching the news when my month has ended. Soon I will have to decide what I'm going to cut out next month. So many possibilities. I'm thinking about trying to stop complaining. Any ideas?

So to pass some of the time, I decided to get out the dusty crochet needles and do a little crocheting. I found this cute little heart pattern at www.ravelry.com and decided to give it a whirl. It was a little confusing at first and I had to rip it apart several times but I finally got it and I like how it turned out. I actually made it into a bookmark and am using it for that purpose. I want to thank undisthreadness.blogspot.com for her cute pattern. I'm going to try a couple of different hearts before moving onto something else.
For this heart pattern go to:
http://undisthreadness.blogspot.com/2006/02/litle-granny-square-heart.html 

Dreaming of planting

 

On this very cold day, I'm just sitting here dreaming of warmth and a start to the growing season. We had a good crop last year and I managed to freeze shredded zucchini and make some sweet pickles. So today I'm going to browse through my seed catalogs and decide what I want to plant. I need to find a better variety of corn. We planted Golden Bantam corn and it was ruined by Japanese Beetles. And our other corn wasn't touched but was lacking in size. I tried the heirloom lemon cucumbers, which gave a bumper crop, but I didn't find they had a lemony taste. I probably won't do them again this year.

 

 

I also want to do a little landscaping. I have been admiring these bunny tails which are from www.seedsavers.org. I love this catalog!  I'm going to try a few more heirlooms this year but hardly know where to start since there are so many. So today I dream and in a few weeks I will start seeds and encourage my new little ones to produce an abundant season.

I hope to make this a very productive year so that I can enjoy my harvest well into the winter.

Watch the Presidential Inauguration?

Today I had to contemplate whether I was going to watch the Presidential Inauguration. Does watching it violate my no news quest? It is part of history in the making but it is news in the moment. Well, I chose not to watch. There are people on my facebook talking about it and it sounded like quite the show. At the end of my no news quest, I may look up a summary of it just to see what I missed.

The weather, on the other, I couldn't resist watching it the other day. On the good side, I knew that this frigid weather was coming but it certainly doesn't make it much easier to tolerate. It is very, very cold and I don't like it one bit. I try to keep telling myself, "this too shall pass". Maybe I should start looking at gardening catalogs and plan my garden. It might help take my mind off these unbearable cold days. How long is this going to last? I don't know because I haven't violated the no weather rule in a few days. Going to hold tight for the moment.

Ok I Cheated...

OK I cheated. I had a weak moment where not knowing was eating away at me. So I did it...I watched the weather. Just the weather. Just briefly. Just to find out what I didn't want to know. Yeah it's cold. Yeah it's going to get colder. Do I feel better knowing? No! Now that I know the 3 day forecast, I can avoid it again. Hopefully in 3 days I will not look again. Spring please come early...

To keep my mind off the weather today, I'm going to start a list of more monthly challenges. Maybe thinking about next months challenge will keep my mind off the weather.

Withdrawls anyone?

Who would of thought that such a concept of not watching news or weather, would be so difficult. The first few days it seemed like it was pretty easy. Now I'm feeling like I need to, I want to, I must....why? Not sure. Maybe I'm starting to feel disconnected from the world. But how can I become more connected without knowing every nasty detail and wrong doing in the world? And then there is the weather...it's really cold. A part of me wants to watch the weather to see if it's ever going to end. Duh...it's winter, it will end in the spring.

Yes this a quest for becoming more spiritually aware; looking for a sense of peace and to appreciate the world. It's a long road and a challenge but I will keep chugging along. God give me the strength to keep on this quest.

To My Amazement!

This whole journey of no news or weather, is not only challenging but rewarding. After several unseasonably warm days, all of our snow had disappeared. When I awoke yesterday, I was amazed by the sight of SNOW. Usually I get excited for the first snowfall because it has been months since I seen it last, but then you get used to it being there and then it's gone. I truly felt amazed by the sight. Not knowing brings your senses to a new level. My senses are also freezing. I don't know what the temperature is but I do know that it's darn cold out.

The news bombards our minds with too much information and worry. My daughter-in-law called and asked if I had heard about the flu being real bad. She said her dad was freaking out and wanted her and the kids to stay home so they don't get sick. After hearing that, I thought that's precisely why we don't need to watch the news. It's flu season! Well then wash your hands, eat right, rest, and pray you don't get it. So the next challenge is to let everyone know (who watches the news and weather), I don't want to know. Yeah they will think "crazy woman" but I know that my mind is becoming clearer, I am becoming more at peace, and I feel that God is making me notice all his wonders in the moment.

News Everywhere

Day 4 and I'm doing really good. The Sam Champion withdrawls are getting better but I'm finding that avoiding the news is definitely challenging. I was in the car yesterday and there was talk about some singer. My daughter-in-law asked me if that was considered gossip or news. Well, I'm not sure. I contemplated this for a bit and decided it could be both. News can be good or bad and so can celebrity "updates". Yeah somebody got divorced, married, had an affair, or had a baby. Do I really need to know this? No! Even though I didn't pay attention to what they were talking about, the next time I get in the car, I will change the channel quickly.

Another challenge is my Yahoo homepage and facebook. Yahoo has news everywhere! So I find that when I click on Yahoo to get to my mail, I just keep my eyes towards the top to quickly click on my mail icon. I have changed my homepage to facebook but what happens when a friend mentions some news event? Even though I haven't had that happen, I have wondered what I should do. I will cross that bridge when I get to it.

And as for the weather, yesterday started out sunny with some clouds but by evening it was raining. So I take it it was above freezing or the rain would have been snow. Today its foggy and a little chilly but no frost on the ground so again above freezing. Observation is a wonderful thing and God has provided me with a another day of discovering life. And who knows what tomorrow brings but I will wait in excitement to observe the day.

No News: Missing Sam Champion

Day 2 of the no news challenge is definitely a change. My usual routine in the morning consists of waking up and turning on Good Morning America, while in bed, to catch up on the news and weather. This morning because I chose not to watch the news, the television stayed off. My second routine in the morning, is to let all the pooches out and then pour myself a bowl of cereal and watch the news. I ate my cereal this morning without turning on the television. Oh how I miss Sam Champion's smiling face so early in the morning. But, this challenge will go on and I hope it brings my spirit to a new level.

And today's weather, by observation, is sunny and a bit chilly. I don't know what the high is going to be or if we have snow in the near future but that's alright. God has provided me with a beautiful day and I will enjoy it!

Day 1: A year of peace and spiritual discovery

This year I'm starting a new mission. A year of challenges for peace and spiritual discovery. I'm getting a late start but at least its a start.

My first month challenge: January 2013

I chose to cut out media news and weather. Our minds are constantly subjected to the wrongs of this world on a daily basis. Every day something bad happens. This creates inner fear and unhappiness because we can't do anything about it. Why do we need to know? Media over exposes everything...like the school shooting about a month ago at Sandy Hook Elementary. The media was there constantly feeding our need to know everything. What kind of peace did that give that community? Everywhere they went, everywhere they looked, there was someone in their face wanting opinions or updates. Let them grieve and heal in peace.

So start your new year by cutting out bad news.

Don't even watch to get the weather. Why do you need to know what the weather is going to be like today or by the end of the week? It's going to be what it is. In the early 1900's, when you wanted to know what the weather was going to be for the day, you looked out the window. So look out the window and notice and feel what God has given you today.

Simply So Good: Crusty Bread

 

 

 

Simply So Good: Crusty Bread: I must try this bread! It may take awhile to raise before baking but it mixes in minutes and looks so delicious. And you can also add in flavors such as cheese and garlic. Thanks to the Simply So Good blog for this recipe!

"One Thousand Gifts" Book Review

Tonight I finished reading "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp. At first I didn't care for her writing style, which is more of a poetic style, but after getting into the book, it grew on me. The book is about her journey to find "grace" in a life filled with tragedy and stress and writing down one thousand things to be grateful for. I would highly recommend this book; it is good. If you have difficulty with her "way of writing," read 2 or 3 chapters and then go back. It kind of grows on you after awhile.

In her last chapter, after her long journey on finding Gods grace, she wrote something very powerful.

" I can hear Him, what He is telling the whole world: this is for you. The earth under your feet, the rain over your face upturned, the stars spinning all around you in the brazen glory: this is for you. These are for you---gifts---these are for you---grace---these are for you---God. So count the ways He loves, a thousand, more, never stop, that when you wake in the morning you can't help turn humbly to the east, unfold your hand to the heavens, and though you tremble and though you wonder, though the world is ugly, it is beautiful, and you can slow and you can trust and you can receive each moment as grace."

You can check out her book site at www.onethousandgifts.com  or her blog where you will get a feel of her writing style at www.aholyexperience.com

Finding Joy

The definition of joy is: a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. It's hard to find joy in our every day lives when we have kids screaming, televisions blaring, bills stacking up, fears of losing everything,  or jobs we hate..... you get my drift.  So let's start searching for the joy in our lives. As Ann Voskamp said in her book One Thousand Gifts: " The brave who focus on all things good and all things beautiful and all things true, even in the small, who give thanks for it and discover joy even in the here and now, they are the change agents who bring fullest Light to all the world."

Starting today let's write down at least one joyful thing; something that gave you that feeling of pleasure. Try not to be repetitive, pay attention, really open your eyes and truly see. As Annie Dilliard said, "Unless I call attention to what passes before my eyes. I simply won't see it." We need to open our eyes and write down those joys; before you know it that one joy will add up to at least 365 joys. After writing down your joy, give thanks, and you will begin to see the world in a more positive light.

Alternative to killing your husband!

As I start on this journey of looking at the brighter spots in life, I hit upon a bump in the road. A day of annoyances from my husband. I have been fairly calm and good natured for quite some time now but today I was trying to get the dishes done, the floors washed, some laundry done, make his lunch and dinner (with absolutely no assistance) so that I could start on my homework, which is quite a bit of reading. What's he doing? Watching a movie that the whole neighborhood could hear!

So, in my spare time today, I picked up my Redbook magazine that I got a couple of days ago, and I start reading. I came across this cute article about putting your man on craigslist and what would you say? I read this and laughed out loud:

                                                    Free Husband
                                                      Sitting by the curb
                                                 In front of 1234 First Street.
                                                  If this posting is still up,
                                                      he's still out there.
                                                                 by Rachel Bourbois

All is calm now. I laughed my frustrations away. And what's even funnier.... he would be out there for a long time! (But I still love him).

Awakening the Heart

Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach has a wonderful entry for January 13th. I have had this book for awhile and I decided on January 1st that I should to commit to reading the daily entry every day. When I read it today, I thought of so many people that are experiencing problems with money including myself. It was one of those "wow" moments.

Today's entry talks of how we all yearn for financial security, which makes us depressed because in today's economic reality, there is none. Instead of focusing on financial security, we should focus on financial serenity. Here's a quote from today's entry: "When I surrendered my desire for security and sought serenity instead, I looked at my life with open eyes. I saw that I had much for which to be grateful. I felt humbled by my riches and regretted that I took for granted the abundance that already existed in my life. How could I expect more from the Universe when I didn't appreciate what I already had?" She goes on and makes an inventory of her life's assets, which doesn't include money, and finds she is very wealthy.

So, in today's contemplation, lets stop yearning for more and look at what we have. Make a list of all the wonderful things in your life that you are grateful for and smile because you have so much. I am grateful for my wonderful husband of 26 years, my four boys, my soon to be 4 grandchildren, my cuddly pets, all my family and friends, and the food and shelter I have, which so many do not have. So, in reality, I am truly very wealthy.