Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Our old website...
After waiting several weeks for our old website (http://caryirma.weblog.nl) to come back after their move, they finally put it back online. That is, 7 posts out of the hundreds of posts from the past 6 years. I was also very disappointed with the new format and its limited options. Apparently it is no longer possible to show all our photos on the first page, and people would have to individually click each post to read it. I think weblog.nl has made a huge mistake with this move and they leave me no other choice than to permanently move to this blog. I will try to post weekly pictures like I did on our old website. I don't have much time to post other things, but I may occasionally post random things that are on my mind. I really hope weblog.nl will put all our old posts back online soon so I can leave a link here for those of you who would like to view our old pictures. Thanks for hanging in there with me!
Monday, September 5, 2011
Taming the Tongue
No, this is not about eating or dieting!
Have you ever tried to find a Bible verse to show someone else how wrong they are? And instead have God point out how wrong you are? Well it sure happened to me the other day when I read James 1:26-27.
See, I'm working on the second part. But I fail miserably on the first part. No matter how many Meals on Wheels I deliver, or how many bad TV shows I don't watch, it's worthless when I can't keep my tongue under control! I am ashamed at some of the things that come out of my mouth sometimes. God, please help me to say only things that honor You and those around me! More in James 3:2-10.
A few more verses:
Have you ever tried to find a Bible verse to show someone else how wrong they are? And instead have God point out how wrong you are? Well it sure happened to me the other day when I read James 1:26-27.
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
See, I'm working on the second part. But I fail miserably on the first part. No matter how many Meals on Wheels I deliver, or how many bad TV shows I don't watch, it's worthless when I can't keep my tongue under control! I am ashamed at some of the things that come out of my mouth sometimes. God, please help me to say only things that honor You and those around me! More in James 3:2-10.
A few more verses:
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.
(Proverbs 12:18,19)
Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.
(Psalm 34:12,13)
The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.
The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.
(Psalm 37:30,31)
He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.
(Proverbs 13:3)
Weight
I am happy to report that after 2 weeks on my new diet, I have lost about 8 pounds. I now weigh 150 lbs (68 kg), which has been my goal weight for years! I always seemed to get stuck around 153, but now I've finally done it. Of course the main reason for losing weight is not just the diet itself, but also having trouble coming up with things I can eat! Which is why I'm getting the cookbook Nourishing Traditions, which was written by the president of the Weston A. Price foundation. I can't wait to start experimenting with new recipes!
We are also planning on joining a raw milk co-op in the area. Which means we take turns with other families getting our raw milk from a local farm. The milk is only $2 .50 a gallon! Right now, we're paying $8 a gallon. So this is great considering that with our new diet, we're going to need 4 gallons a week instead of the 2 we've been getting. I am going to use about 1 gallon of the milk to make yogurt, cream cheese, whey and kefir. For my Dutch readers: 1 gallon is almost 4 liters. We drink a LOT of milk!
We have been getting raw milk cheese and spouted grain bread from our health store the past couple of weeks. I find it interesting that they taste so much like Dutch cheese and bread! It's obvious most Dutch people eat healthier than most Americans (Holland has a 10% obesity rate, in the U.S. it's 30%). I think a lot of that has to do with the Dutch habit of eating simple, homemade meals, lots of dairy products and smaller portions. Also, eating out is very expensive over there, so it's something they only do on special occasions. No fast food on every street corner or pigging out at an all-you-can-eat buffet for under $10! No wonder that one of the first things I always notice when I go back, is how thin the people are!
We have been getting raw milk cheese and spouted grain bread from our health store the past couple of weeks. I find it interesting that they taste so much like Dutch cheese and bread! It's obvious most Dutch people eat healthier than most Americans (Holland has a 10% obesity rate, in the U.S. it's 30%). I think a lot of that has to do with the Dutch habit of eating simple, homemade meals, lots of dairy products and smaller portions. Also, eating out is very expensive over there, so it's something they only do on special occasions. No fast food on every street corner or pigging out at an all-you-can-eat buffet for under $10! No wonder that one of the first things I always notice when I go back, is how thin the people are!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
New Diet
Last week, I got the book 'Cure Tooth Decay (Heal & Prevent Cavities with Nutrition)' by Ramiel Nagel. I have read many good things about this book and the Weston A. Price diet it promotes. Since I've been having teeth problems, I thought this would be a great thing to try - cheaper than a dentist and better for our overall health!
A description of the Weston A. Price diet can be found here. Some of the things we will be doing at our home are:
-take cod liver oil (hoping to try fermented CLO soon)
-eat and drink raw dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, butter - the latter two I will try making myself)
-eat meat from grass-fed animals and eggs from pastured chickens
-eat healthy vegetables, most of them cooked
-limit our fruit intake to fruits that are naturally low in sugars, like raspberries, kiwis and green apples
-limit sweetened and/or processed products to special occasions only
-baking our own breads from sprouted wheat berries (will have to buy a grain mill soon, for now we're trying Ezekiel Bread)
Some healthy groceries we bought today (we get our meat and raw milk elsewhere):
So this week I've been trying to stay away from sweets (candy, cookies, ice cream, desserts, chocolate, sugar and other sweeteners) and grain products (bread, rice, pasta, cereal). Monday through Wednesday I only had a very small amount of chocolate. Yesterday and today no sweets at all (I did eat some Ezekiel bread today).
Apparently you can go through sugar and carb withdrawals, which means I've been feeling exhausted and somewhat jittery and anxious all week. Today is actually a little better. I did eat small amounts of fruit (yogurt with raspberries and cooked pears with raw cream - both unsweetened). They say your taste buds will adjust and things that don't taste very sweet now, will taste sweeter after a while. Can't wait! I hope I get over these sugar withdrawals soon as well.
As part of this high protein diet, I've also started exercising, which apparently is a good thing to do. For now that means riding my exercise bike. I'm slowly building it up, today I'm doing 3 x 15 minutes.
Anyway, after a week of almost no sugars and carbs, I have lost 4 pounds! And weight loss wasn't even my goal (but I did gain 4 pounds recently, so that's great!). And I think my teeth are feeling less sensitive, which is great too! Hopefully I will start seeing and feeling more good results soon!
A description of the Weston A. Price diet can be found here. Some of the things we will be doing at our home are:
-take cod liver oil (hoping to try fermented CLO soon)
-eat and drink raw dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, butter - the latter two I will try making myself)
-eat meat from grass-fed animals and eggs from pastured chickens
-eat healthy vegetables, most of them cooked
-limit our fruit intake to fruits that are naturally low in sugars, like raspberries, kiwis and green apples
-limit sweetened and/or processed products to special occasions only
-baking our own breads from sprouted wheat berries (will have to buy a grain mill soon, for now we're trying Ezekiel Bread)
Some healthy groceries we bought today (we get our meat and raw milk elsewhere):
So this week I've been trying to stay away from sweets (candy, cookies, ice cream, desserts, chocolate, sugar and other sweeteners) and grain products (bread, rice, pasta, cereal). Monday through Wednesday I only had a very small amount of chocolate. Yesterday and today no sweets at all (I did eat some Ezekiel bread today).
Apparently you can go through sugar and carb withdrawals, which means I've been feeling exhausted and somewhat jittery and anxious all week. Today is actually a little better. I did eat small amounts of fruit (yogurt with raspberries and cooked pears with raw cream - both unsweetened). They say your taste buds will adjust and things that don't taste very sweet now, will taste sweeter after a while. Can't wait! I hope I get over these sugar withdrawals soon as well.
As part of this high protein diet, I've also started exercising, which apparently is a good thing to do. For now that means riding my exercise bike. I'm slowly building it up, today I'm doing 3 x 15 minutes.
Anyway, after a week of almost no sugars and carbs, I have lost 4 pounds! And weight loss wasn't even my goal (but I did gain 4 pounds recently, so that's great!). And I think my teeth are feeling less sensitive, which is great too! Hopefully I will start seeing and feeling more good results soon!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Soccer Mom
As of last night, I am officially a Soccer Mom. Wow, I feel so American saying that! Gabriel had his first soccer practice yesterday and we all enjoyed it. Most weeks, his soccer practice will be on the same night as my church's Life Group. Which means Cary is going to be a Soccer Dad on those nights. But of course I will be going to all the Saturday games! And the occasional soccer practice when it's on a different night when I don't have Life Group.
Anyway, Gabriel had a blast and told me last night that he wants to play "100 years, until I die." I guess that's a good sign ;) He had a little too much fun at times, but I'm sure with time and practice, he'll learn the rules of the game! Here are some pictures and a video.
Gabriel while watching this video: "That's my best friend!"
Me: "I thought Anderson was your best friend."
Gabriel: "Now I have 3 best friends, you, Anderson and that boy!"
Anyway, Gabriel had a blast and told me last night that he wants to play "100 years, until I die." I guess that's a good sign ;) He had a little too much fun at times, but I'm sure with time and practice, he'll learn the rules of the game! Here are some pictures and a video.
Gabriel while watching this video: "That's my best friend!"
Me: "I thought Anderson was your best friend."
Gabriel: "Now I have 3 best friends, you, Anderson and that boy!"
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
After 2 years and 4 months....
...I'm going to try and start blogging again! I updated the design today and hope to officially start posting again soon.
What's new with our family? Well, Gabriel is now 4.5 years old and we recently started homeschool Kindergarten. Cary is still busy with his swimming pool company, right now just trying to get through the ridiculously hot Summer! I finally got my driver's license 4 months ago and have been enjoying my new found freedom. We also found a new church home (Legacy Bible Church in Sherman, TX) and we love it! Here is a recent picture of the 3 of us:
Stay tuned for more...!
What's new with our family? Well, Gabriel is now 4.5 years old and we recently started homeschool Kindergarten. Cary is still busy with his swimming pool company, right now just trying to get through the ridiculously hot Summer! I finally got my driver's license 4 months ago and have been enjoying my new found freedom. We also found a new church home (Legacy Bible Church in Sherman, TX) and we love it! Here is a recent picture of the 3 of us:
Stay tuned for more...!
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1 Peter 5:7
