In the garden...
...tulips! Insane! I told them to stay in the earth because it was going to get cold, but they didn't listen. Now they're out there shivering. Actually they could be tulips, daffodils or crocuses, and the crocuses just went in the ground in early December, so I hope it's not them.
The birds and other wild life are feeding all day every day and they have quite a buffet to eat from: peanuts (fed once a day mostly for the jays and squirrels, though the woodpeckers like them, too), thistle, sunflower seeds, dried mealworms, cracked corn and mixed bird seed. Don't you want to come and eat from my deck, too?
Faith has names for all the squirrels -- this one is "stubbykins" because he has no tail.
I'm thinking about...
...too much. The New Year is difficult for many people, including me, because, yes, I have goals, but I don't proclaim them. It's also still Christmas, and I don't want to forget that, but I have a lot of Christmas detritus that needs sorted through and put away -- wrapping supplies, receipts, food (thrown away!). The tree and decorations will come down this weekend.
I am wearing...
...a black skirt, black leggings, white knit top, black sweater and gray scarf -- my winter colors.
I am reading....
...The Word Game by Steena Holmes. Still working on The Word Game, but listening to Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg, chosen randomly from my library's audiobook resource.
I watched Tracks the other day on Netflix and now I have reserved the book from the library. It was a really good film, based on a true story, with Mia Wasikowska (Jane Eyre) as the lead.
I am creating...
...a 15 decade wire-wrapped rosary for a friend who is a Dominican Friar. That keeps me busy during the day. In the morning I am working on a new scarf, in gray (what else?), and at night I work on a baby sweater in green (I never get tired of knitting that pattern).
In the kitchen...
...lots of changes. I'm trying the paleo way of eating to see if I feel better on it. So far no dairy is really hard. I see now that I really depended on milk as my meal substitute. All I have noticed so far is that I'm hungry -- like real belly-growling hungry. It seems ridiculous that a glass of milk can satisfy me more than a plate of vegetables and meat or egg, but it does. I haven't felt satisfied yet and I'm not sleeping well. Hmmm. The only thing I am not avoiding is legumes, because I don't eat them often enough that they could be causing my problems, and they are a decent source of folate since I have to be careful how many leafy greens I get.
Sunday's dinner was popular -- Danielle Walker's Glazed Pork Tenderloin, and roasted butternut squash, turnips and mushrooms
At the school table...
...a rough start from the break. Every start after a break is hard for Faith. It's like I'm torturing her. More like she's torturing me.
Around the house...
...Christmas decorations and messes here and there and every where. The only thing under control is the laundry because my only resolution (if I were to say I make resolutions, which I don't) is to keep the hampers from getting to the top.
Here are a few pictures of the Christmas tables and my nativities on Christmas Eve (BBJ -- before baby Jesus). The kids' table (no one there is a parent, so they are kids) is the long one -- 11 kids. We are way outnumbered and they, except for Faith, are all adults now. Weird.
The tables are not very pretty without plates -- we were eating buffet style.
This one has my Christmas candle in front of it -- it's made with frankincense, so I only burn it at Christmas.
Plans for the rest of the week...
...just getting back into the swing of things. My husband has to go out of town over the weekend, so hopefully I can get some of the messes cleaned up before he returns.
A few of my favorite things...
...the Epiphany and blessing the house
...a really good movie
...projects
...smelling my favorite oils from my new diffuser
Prayers sent heavenward...
...for my husband and children, to do God's will every day
...for all priests and religious
...all babies whose mothers are contemplating abortion, for a change of heart
...for friends who have asked for prayers
We have had trees blooming since before Christmas! It's really crazy, and I wonder what spring will be like. Not as colorful as usual, I expect.
ReplyDeleteThe shawl pattern is pretty. I'm kind of off lace since my last ridiculously hard lace pattern that I frogged.
You know, I felt great when I did the Whole 30, and I didn't intend to stop it, but I did after the 30 days. Giving up dairy was a revelation; I think I need to give it up again. If I reintroduce it, it will be just raw milk or yogurt, not cheese. If you are really hungry, you probably need fat; that's the macro that most people are reluctant to increase, and it's THE macro that needs to increase when we go paleo. I love butter, so it was hard to always get enough fat. I don't care for the taste of ghee, so I only used it rarely. best of luck!
This shawl gave me fits at first, but now I can tell from the stitches on the needle, what I should be doing. But I have to pay attention, hence not knitting on it at night.
DeleteI rarely eat cheese, it's just milk. And in the summer, ice cream as the rare treat. I have no idea where to get raw milk, and it's illegal in Ohio, so how does one find it? I'd probably have to drive an hour or so to get it by buying a share. I feel like I'm eating fat -- some nuts, eggs, a little bacon (trying not to go overboard on meat fat), and avocado. My coumadin really forces me to watch what I'm eating. Even though I thought I was keeping my greens the same, my INR dropped an entire point to almost normal -- which is danger zone for me.
BTW, I made my own ghee and it tastes a lot better than the jarred kind.
Deleteraw is illegal in GA, also. It is sold as pet food, not for human consumption, but you have to know the farmer. :-) Eatwild.com is a resource for farms, but my farmer isn't listed there, so I'm not sure.
DeleteBelieve me, I know how hard it is to give up dairy! I did it for our dairy intolerant children for quite some time. They only recently have been able to add it into their diet. Oh, happy day!
ReplyDeleteSlowly and reluctantly is how our schooling is going this week too! Commiserating over here.
The knitting is lovely, as always.
I don't know if I really want to stay dairy-free, Jenny. It sounds really whimpy, but I know how short life is, and my heart is just not into uber sacrifice (I really was very strict with my diet before this). That sounds petty because I'm not going hungry, but I also have no idea if this is going to help me because I really have no idea what's wrong with me.
DeleteHave you noticed any improvement yet? I will continue to pray that you can figure out your troubles.
DeleteMy stomach is a mess right now. I am drinking Mylanta straight from the bottle every day, sometimes multiple times a day. It is no fun I tell you.
No improvement at all. I have heard of some people who feel the difference in 24-48 hours, but not me. And I haven't lost a pound.
DeleteI'm sorry your stomach is upset. Is it acid reflux?
I got an email from a local strawberry farm saying they had some pop up strawberries for purchasing! It was 85 here on Christmas.
ReplyDeleteAs for milk. I'm expecting #6 and while the fog of morning sickness lifted a long time ago, the food aversions and joys that go with that are still here at 16 weeks. I have found that milk is a great help for it. It really fills me up and keeps me from crashing.
A few years ago, I tried doing paleo or a modified paleo, taking some of the ideas from it and it's really helped me. In the end I just avoid over processed foods and sugars, not quite what they had in mind, but I need grains and dairy.
I was off processed foods (but not sugars) before I started this. Now nothing but honey or maple syrup (a few recipes call for coconut sugar, but to me that's pretty much getting processed). I was eating Ezekiel bread when I had any. Not much in grains, but some. It didn't help cutting back from processed foods, so I think that's why my heart's not in this.
DeleteTulips trying to come up? Uh oh!
ReplyDeleteThe table decorations were pretty.
That paleo diet? I lasted four days. It made me a very mean person. Sigh..
School. I had to chuckle over your commentary about who was torturing whom! Lol
Thanks, Patty. And I so get the mean part. I'm tired of thinking about what I should eat. When the rest of the family won't eat most of what I'm eating, I'm double cooking. Sigh...
DeleteWhat if you just cut out wheat? Have you read "WHEAT BELLY"? When my anxiety erupted 2 years ago,I was desperate and totally didn't miss wheat. I was surprised how quickly the weight dropped.After awhile, as my symptoms decreased, I was back on wheat. The weight came back.For weightloss, the best trick for me is everything in moderation..portion control. Not easy, but it works.
ReplyDeleteI cut wheat out a couple years ago, Gwen. And then added it back in when nothing happened -- another reason why my heart's not in this. I had a glass of milk last night. So good. It helps me sleep. I really don't eat much -- normally. But I am hungry all the time now. Tonight I had paleo meatballs and sauce over roasted carrots and mushrooms. More nutritious? Yes, but not nearly as satisfying as spaghetti.
DeleteI know..nothing like good ol spaghetti :) Portions are a real struggle for me.
DeleteI have to hand it to you for trying a new way of eating. I hope you discover something that helps you to feel better. Prayers are with you!
ReplyDeleteThe roast looks amazing! I love these updates you give and they inspire me...also enjoyed seeing your Nativity scenes. I have one in almost every room during the Christmas season and find it helps bring the real reason for Christmas into focus. Kylie would love your Precious Moments Nativity...she collects Precious Moments.
ReplyDelete