Walking with Kendall

Lately Kendall and I have been able to take our morning walks before the sun gets to warm. We are averaging 3 miles 4 times a week. Pretty good for a Grandma pushing her grand daughter. Today was especially fun, a lot of people were out in their yards and most of them had to say "hi" since Kendall was hollering at them to get their attention. 

When we made it to  the canal road, Kendall had fun telling the ducks in the canal to "get". I assume that is what her mom or dad says to their dogs or goats. But she really has it down, her voice got low and loud sometimes the ducks would fly into the air. We thought that was pretty funny.

My heavy breathing from pushing the stroller in the cinders must of tired out Kendall as much as it did me but I wasn't able to take a little nap like some one else:)!

Tomorrow the rain is suppose to start for a few days, I sure hope we are able to get in our daily walk before that happens. I will always cherish these moments and will never take them for granted.

  

Take-a-Detox-Bath!

I am currently on at 42 day liver purification, this is day 23. Did you know it takes 21 days to form a habit, I personally did not know that until this program. The first 21 days you can consume all the vegetables you want and they should be as close to raw as possible, 1/4 the amount of fruit and 1/4 the amount of green lentils. Also included is a vegetable based protein drink you take twice a day. As of yesterday I am to add one healthy food item back into my diet every 3 days or so, like fish, chicken, beans, etc. I am to stay away from dairy, grains like bread, sugar and no processed foods. Well has my life turned upside down but you know I am doing really well, I feel 100 percent better, my headaches are gone and I can almost feel my body healing in one way or another. Needless to say the weight is coming off right along with all the other positives.

Since I am on the 2nd half of this purification it is very important I sweat wether it be from exercise, heat, or a DETOX BATH. This is really what my post is about today; I found this perfect DETOX BATH on pinterest I have posted the website below but here is the breakdown.

Fill your tub with warmer to hot water
add 2 cups epson salt
2 cups baking soda
1 tablespoon ground ginger
you can add fresh lavender, or whatever oil you like that is calming
Soak for 20 minutes minimum, 40 minutes is better
When you get out dry off then wrap yourself in a cotton blanket, sit down and relax for another 20 minutes and drink some water!

You will feel amazing, if you look up the website it tells you what the different ingredients do to your system but really you have to trust me it's amazing.. I will be doing this every sunday evening as part of my second half journey ritual.

Here is the website I got the information from

http://m.wikihow.com/Take-a-Detox-Bath

Purification or Detox every once in awhile; it is GOOD THING!

Glenn's Birthday camping quilt

When I asked Glenn to clean out his closet of old jeans and tee's he doesn't wear anymore, I really had other intensions. Making my first rag quilt, using denim tested my patience and made my hands sore sore sore! Cutting up the tee's made me smile, watching how all the pictures and symbols all came together. I decided to personalize some of the denim squares with embroidery so 4 months later the quilt is done just in time for Glenn's birthday!

"kickin it old skool"!

kickin' it ol' skool Share on twitter Share on facebook Share on more
	kickin' it ol' skool can imply many different things, but there are two main definitions: 1)Doing something like it was done in the '80s  2)(The most popularly used version): Hanging out with a good friend that you've grown up with.

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Yesterday Glenn and I set out to find Glenn his birthday present. He had his hopes set on a portable camping oven, ( yes you heard me right Mr. Camping Minimalist) wanted a oven to take camping. So off to Costco we go, when we finally saw it out of the box he thought it was to big to take camping, he then tells me he would like a new out door grill, OK! Off to Sportsmens, Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, Fred Meyers and Big R. In that Order which will have somewhat of an importance at the end of the story. 

Glenn wanted a small compact propane grill made in the USA! Oh God does that even exist??? Well not one that we could find here in Central Oregon. Probably could of ordered one for a pretty hefty price but that wasn't an option for us yesterday. It almost became a quest for us to find that perfect grill, or should I say it did become a quest. 

The first store after Costco was Sportsmen's Warehouse, they probably had the best grill selection, but we did travel to each of the other stores but just like Murphy's Law states you seem to get the first one you looked at...Glenn's criteria for a grill was not quite all filled, but boy is he happy with what  he FINALLY chose. 

Take a look: compact check, grill check, and MADE IN THE USA check!

Glenn's 59th Birthday Present "THE ALL CAST IRON, MADE IN USA, ASHFORD HIBACHI"!

There you have it, and this is how 2 "empty nesters" spend their day on a saturday..

Happy Birthday Glenn!

The Snow Child By EOWYN IVEY - One of a kind story!

It's interesting how my oldest step daughter knows me, Amanda brought over this book, left it on my table and said something like, this is a good book I think you will like it..Boy was she ever right, this book takes you to the very place that is described chapter by chapter. When I was reading this book in bed I would have to put on socks  because my feet would get so cold from feeling the winter chill as it was describe in such great detail. 

The story takes place in Alaska in a cabin in the woods in a very remote village/town. I almost feel like I know this area and have been there a lot! I find it very strange and exciting to be able to say that just from reading a book for pleasure.  

For about a week after I had finished the book I would think about the little girl in the wool blue coat with red mittens and a fur hat, with her friend The Little Fox beside her. I missed them!

I would recommend anyone who reads to read this book, truly it is one of a kind. Amanda thank you so much for knowing I would like this book. It was a real pleasure to consume myself in. 

Happy Reading, Betty Jo 

Today's Thoughts: Learning something new and relearning something all over again!

Kendall Jay one year later...

Relearning something new!
I have had the pleasure of watching Kendall during the week while her mom and dad work for the past year now.  During my job search Kendall has helped me understand (over and over again), you need to be patient and just take things in life one step at a time. It has been a real treat to watch her grow into a toddler from just a new born baby, she really is good to me when it comes to understanding that I am just her grandmother so let's figure this out together:)...

Learning something new!

I have also taken on a few projects to get me through the winter time, mostly in the sewing area. I have been working on these pot holders, which we need desperately. The ones we use now have really been through a lot and really need to be replace. Here is why I am talking to you about these pot holders...As silly as it sounds so far, all 3 of them have been sitting on my desk waiting for me to complete the next step...BINDING! Which is also the final step. I have never "bind" anything before and for some reason it really intimidates me to do it.

I am going to try and follow this seamstress tutorial; http://www.flickr.com/photos/8244232@N08/7113404587/in/set-72157602048418660/.

She has set up 22 photo's with the steps you need to take to bind something correctly. If there is anyone out there who has a better website or advice on this topic by all means TELL ME.. So until I get the courage to complete these very cute potholders here is a picture of them just sitting on my desk waiting for me.

Cute aren't they, the embroidery on them was fun and simple, now the challenge "binding"..Ouch that hurts....wish me luck!

Anti-inflammatory cooking and Me!!

When you are asked by the person who is guiding you through your health issues and aging concerns to go on a anti-inflammatory diet what do you say?  YES! And your life style with eating begins to change, now I am not saying I am perfect when it comes to being "strict" with what I put into my mouth but I will tell you I am giving it a pretty darn good try.

I was talking to my acupuncturist about how I could only eat so many raw veges with out ranch dressing, Lol (she really didn't laugh). Since you aren't suppose to have ranch dressing how about trying eggplant dressing, she says?. I don't recall ever having egg plant what really do I have to loose, I was pleasantly surprised how inexpensive egg plant was, since I could just be throwing it away, right.

I have to say Roasted Eggplant Dip has become my go to dip for everything. It is one of the 3 foods or recipes I have experienced for the 1st time since I have taken this road and enjoyed. The 2nd food is Hemp Seeds! Where have you been all my life? Amazing stuff, I can't believe my son never mentioned hemp seeds to me before this, but in all honesty I probably wouldn't of tried them until now:P)..I was really curious about hemp seeds so I found an article that pretty much told me all I needed to know. The article is attached with the website at the end of this post. The 3rd food/recipe is mashed cauliflower, omg I love mash potatoes and I knew I wouldn't be seeing them anytime soon. After trying mashed cauliflower I am sold, tastes and feels just like mashed potatoes but GOOD FOR YOU. I didn't want to ruin the good in the cauliflower by adding butter so I made a "balsamic vinegar reduction" drizzled a small amount on the mashed cauliflower, BAM!

Try this you won't be sorry;  Roasted Eggplant Dip
- cut eggplant in half length wise
- cut slits in mean and slide pieces of garlic in
- Brush the meat with olive oil
- bake in over 400 between 40-60 minutes depends on size of egg plant 
- take out when flesh is soft
- scrape the meat into a food processor, discard skin
- add seasonings, i.e., red peppers flakes, pepper, mrs dash, cayenne, turmeric, lemon juice, etc. plus more olive oil as needed for consistency of the dip.
Dip keeps in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Delish 


 

http://www.hempseed.ca/high-protein-food.ihtml

Hemp seeds can contain up to 36% protein. In the 1950s, scientists worked to determine lab models for foods, the vegetable protein model was derived from hemp seed and was called edestin. The protein in hemp seed is comprised of approximately 65% of edestin and can be found only in hemp seed protein. Edestin aids digestion, is low in phosphorus and is considered the backbone of human cellular DNA. The other one third of hemp seed protein is Albumin, another high quality globulin protein similar to that found in egg whites.

One of the common arguments against hemp is that soy has a much higher total protein count than hemp seeds. But hemp seed protein is free of the tryspin inhibitors which block protein absorption that is found in abundance in soy. Hemp protein is also free of oligosaccharides found in soy, which cause stomach upset and gas.

Hemp protein contains all 20 known amino acids including the 8 essential and 2 semi-essential amino acids (EAAs) our bodies cannot produce. Proteins are considered complete when they contain all 9 essential amino acids in a sufficient quantity and ratio to meet the body's protein requirements. This makes hemp seeds perfect for vegans, vegetarians or anyone who is looking to reduce the meat content of their diet, hemp seed protein can supply all of the protein requirements without the bad fats in meat and without the stomach upset from soy.

This makes hemp seed the perfect high protein food. With a complete collection of amino acids, with ultimately the best digestibility of any vegetable protein, with the added bonus of Essential Fatty Acids, lacking the items found in soy that cause gas, hemp is truly the perfect vegetable source for a high protein food.

If you are looking for a high protein food for a high protein diet but you would rather not eat meat, or are not interested in bulking up on whey or soy, hemp as a high protein food is perfect for you. With just a couple of handfuls equalling a full days worth of protein, it is the ultimate high protein food.