Some Great Healthy Eating Tips for the Holidays

Since Thanksgiving is at my house as of yesterday (and yes, I am actually excited), I don't have time to think original thoughts. So I'm stealing from others. Enjoy this. I'm all about the healthy eating, you know.

I May Start Liking Country Music After All...

Gross

Two months (less two days) ago I ran a marathon. Today I received a lovely post-marathon gift.

I lost my first toenail.

In case you were wondering (or worrying), my toenail (or lack thereof) will not be my picture of the day. You can thank me for that however you like. Cookies are always accepted.

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For your viewing pleasure...

More pictures of the day! Yes! I know you're thrilled!

Monday, Nov. 2
Finally! With couches for the great room and chairs for the dining room, we decided we didn't want to wait another day to see our long-lost friends, so we had dinner with the Grandview bunch. We had a wonderful night with some of the most wonderful people on earth.


Wednesday, Nov. 4
My current favorite bread: Light Oatmeal Bread. Oh so yummy. (Katrina, I'll post the recipe soon.)


Thursday, Nov. 5
I can't get enough of the sunsets here. (Notice that! Something so so postive! Aren't you proud of me?) I wish my pictures did them justice. The striking shades of pink in this one were awe-inspiring.


Friday, Nov. 6
Christina came up with Ez and Evy to take a walk on the trail. The boys enjoyed throwing rocks and I enjoyed a wonderful long conversation with my dear sister. (OK, I guess technically she's my sister-in-law, but we've been sisters for most of our adult lives, so I think she qualifies as near-blood.) I so often come away from a conversation with her determined to improve in some area in my life, but in a positive, affirming way. I have been very blessed in the in-law department. I'm glad my brothers have such great taste.


Saturday, Nov. 7
Kate had her first Concerto Federation at the U. She played well. She was nervous, and prayed a number of times in the days leading up to the performance that she would play well. I love her sweet faith. I also loved listening to her chatter in the car on the way there and back and watching her with her daddy. I can't stand how quickly she's growing up.


Sunday, Nov. 8
Ben loves syrup. And sugar.


Monday, Nov. 9
Ben went to Malisa's daughter Sarah's princess party for her 3rd birthday. I thought he'd want nothing to do with his "prince hat." I was very wrong. He wore it for two days straight until it was sadly crushed by a cello in the van. Happy birthday, Sarah!


Tuesday, Nov. 10
David bought a blue shag rug for the great room. It's fun and funky and very soft. Once Ben discovered the softness factor, he started stripping his clothes off (except his diaper, thank goodness) to roll around on the rug. On this night he said, "Mommy, lay here. It's very comfy." What else could I do? I laid down next to him and read him books. He's so squeezable. (Also, he's sick AGAIN today.)


I know I'm still not caught up, but that's OK. You can just have all that happy anticipation waiting and wondering! So exciting!

Freedom

It's Veteran's Day and I am feeling so grateful. I'm beyond thankful for those who have served our country (past and present) to allow me to have the freedom to disagree with those in power, to voice my opinions strongly, and to allow all Americans (even those who disagree with me) to have those same freedoms. For all of the problems we're fighting in our country, the basic premise of government of the people, by the people, and for the people is miraculous and powerful and wonderful.


This is my brother Chad. (Ummm, Chad? You were a baby in this picture. Wow.) Before Chad left for Iraq a few years ago, Josh was in love with GI Joes and all things Army. When Chad left for Iraq, Josh's little heart was torn up. He wanted to love his GI Joes, but he somehow understood the reality of war in a way that I thought he was too young for. He cried and prayed and worried about Chad. We all did. He came back to us, and words can't express our gratitude for his safe return, but there have been so many who haven't come home, who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.

America is flawed. Its people are flawed. But the basic premise of liberty and justice for all is not.

Feeling Grateful

It's come back! I'm feeling grateful again! Isn't that lovely?

I'm not sure what's been going on in my head over the last month and a half, only that it hasn't been pretty. It wasn't flowers and sunshine in there, friends. It was more like when you leave chili in the fridge and it gets pushed to the back and you forget it's there and a month later you find it and see that it's growing. Yeah, my thoughts have been like that. Festering. Not lovely. (Actually, month-old broccoli is worse than month-old chili.) (And yes, I have recently cleaned out my fridge. How did you guess?)

So my fridge and my brain are newly cleaned, and it feels good.

Here's the key. (Spiritual stuff alert. Click away if you hate spiritual stuff.)

Saturday I had to run 10 miles. I'm still determined to run my 1000 miles in 2009, but my determination has slipped Big Time. It's just so much harder to run without my running partners. It's so much harder to get up when I don't really like running uphill for the first mile. It's so much harder to run with a brain full of rotting chili. So thank goodness I've had the goal, even if I've been cursing myself for making that goal back in the rosy beginning of the year.

I didn't want to run. I couldn't find all my gear. It was very late in the day and I hate running late in the day. I was mean to one of my children for losing something I needed for the run. Something was blocking me, trying to keep me from that run.

But I did it anyway. I drove down to the Legacy Parkway Trail because I figured I needed the easiest possible route since my brain was in such bad shape (not to mention my sluggish body. Yikes. I have NOT recovered from the marathon.) I listened to music for a while, and then I turned on a talk by Camille Fronk Olson (Spiritual Strength in Challenging Times.) (Yes. I am a nerd who sometimes listens to church talks while I run. Now you know. My cover is blown.)

Long story short...there was something in there that I needed desperately to hear. It taught me a truth about myself and about my relationship to God that I'd forgotten, or perhaps that had never sunk in. The truth? I am an unprofitable servant. That's the human state. Somehow, I'd started feeling that if I worked harder, did more, acted better, was less of a consumer, got out of debt, had more self-control, didn't yell, ate perfectly, lost those last 5 (OK, 10) pounds, got enough sleep, were less selfish, you NAME it, that I would be who I am supposed to be, that I would be good enough. But since somehow I could never get there, I really wasn't good enough.

But there's the kicker...No matter how much I tried or how hard I worked, I'd still be an unprofitable servant. That sounds negative, but it's not. It's so freeing. What it means is that all of us are not good enough on our own, but through the grace of Christ, we are made good enough to do what He needs us to do.

I know. Elementary Christianity. But STILL...I'd yet again missed the practical application somehow. The practical application is that I turn my heart to God and let Him know I'm willing to do what he asks of me (even if it includes moving to a new place and being happy once there), and then trust Him. Find joy in the process. Forget myself and my weaknesses in doing His business.

It's a much happier way to live. I am reminded daily that He is in charge, and that He can help me overcome my weaknesses, when and if he wants me to. Do I wish I were perfect? Oh my, yes. I'm tired of fighting some of these same battles year after year after year.

But I can still be an instrument in His hands, imperfect as I am.

I'll try to remember that more resonantly this week.

A Happy List

So I stole this idea from Rockstar Diaries.

It's like my gratitude posts, but different. No pressure, just the joy of finding

10 things that make me terribly happy

(Forgive me. Unlike Taza, I will not use italics and different sized fonts. I am no longer 23 (as much as I think I should be), so I will act my advanced age and be very proper in my typography.)

1. The trail. Bonneville Shoreline, to be exact (the picture is me on said trail.)
2. Baking in my new convection oven. Hello, delicious cookies
3. David and his mad decorating skills
4. Fresh oatmeal bread with butter
5. My sweet JP Pramberger. Don't know JP? You will. I'll be talking about him later
6. Nephi's Psalm (need a cheat sheet? 2 Nephi 4:16-35)
7. Sunsets
8. Children playing hide and seek on steroids (see yesterday's post)
9. Spontaneous kitchen dance parties
10. Have I mentioned the trail?

The New Hood

Thanks to a lovely (unseasonably lovely) November day, I decided to make David proud (well, really, shock him to the core) by cleaning out the car, so I pulled it out to the driveway and went to work. At one point I looked around and counted 17 kids on the lawns to either side of my house. That didn't include the three that were playing inside my house.

They played some version of hide and seek on steroids until dusk hit.

They were happy.

And that made me happy.

Maybe we're going to make it.

(Kate did cry heartbreakingly at bedtime, worrying about having to move to a new Primary class at church on Sunday. She was put in the wrong age group accidentally, and is devastated about changing again. David said he'd go with her. I think I need to find a playdate for her with someone in her class to make the transition easier.)

Build a Bridge and Get Over It

I cried my river, and I'm working on the bridge to get across that salty mess. It's coming along nicely, thank you very much.

I am really blessed in the friendship department, and I appreciate you all so very much. I've been pushing myself too hard too fast for too long and then two things combined to knock me over, and so while I blame much of my exhaustion and emotion on the move, there were other things that pushed me over the edge.

But...

I'm going to be OK. I'm actually excited for a new beginning. I'm going to be happy about my new life. I may want to whine here and there, and I reserve that right. I am really un-thrilled about having to drive to two different schools, and I hate how far away everything is, and how lame is it that North Salt Lake does not yet have a RECYCLING PROGRAM? There. I whined. But on to the good. My kids enjoy the other kids on the street. Josh likes his junior high better than his old one. My piano? It's so so good. I love my convection oven a super lot. David decorated our bedroom like you wouldn't believe unless I posted a picture. Maybe I'll post a picture tomorrow. And there's more good. There's sure to be more and more and more good, if I look for it.

So here are my catch up pictures of the day. You wouldn't even know I'd had a breakdown if I hadn't gone all public with it. Maybe I should have gone to bed instead of telling the world how miserable I was.

Friday, Oct 23. My piano moved in to my living room. Sigh. It's lovely.
Sat., Oct. 24. I got to see three college friends for a late lunch. My friend Heather was in town presenting at the Music Teacher's Convention, so she stayed with Laurisa, and Cody & I joined them for lunch. I miss the practice room days. Everything was simpler then...
Sun., Oct. 25. I made a nice dinner and set a lovely table and a Viking in pajamas with a hammer came to visit.
Mon., Oct. 26. My sweet Kate was thrilled about her pumpkin. I was thrilled that it was such a gorgeous day. I was not thrilled that I still had two sick kids at home.
Tues., Oct. 27. Remember how lovely and fall-like the last picture was? Welcome winter. Yikes.
Wed., Oct. 28. We carved the pumpkins! It was a glorious night of pumpkin guts and drills.
Thurs., Oct. 29. Breakdown. No pictures.

Fri., Oct. 30. Kate's first concerto recital. She rocked the house! She was fantastic. She played Haydn's Little Concerto Mvt. 2 and was charming and sweet in her ruby slippers swinging back and forth under the bench. I got to accompany her. She was proud. Sophie took video.
Sat., Oct 31. HALLOWEEN! I completed the Dorothy costume at 4:00. JOSH finished the Superman costume for me. He was so amazing. Josh is a stick figure, if you can't figure it out. It looked very cool in the dark.
Sun., Nov. 1. Dinner at Malisa and Daniel's, complete with delicious pork and potatoes and moving around a piano.
As you can see, life is moving on. We're finding our new normal. All will be well. And if it's not, at least I've got great friends to keep me centered.