Curry, Freezers, and Female Empowerement

Last night we defrosted the new freezer and got everything organized.  I am such a boring person, this new freezer space makes me giddy.  I will be able to save so much more time and money!

I also got my new cpap mask, oh it is so much more comfy.  Still I wish I did mot have sleep apnea at all.

Big for me today is this video:

Please watch, it is wonderful and to the point.  The world we live in is so hazardous for girls and their self esteem and we need to do something about it.  Women have the greatest capacity to effect change in their environments and these 'sexy' trends are systematically destroying that ability.  I wish I had the power to get this video to more than one or two women.

I am grateful to my religion for standing up to the objectification of women.  We may not hold the same positions as men, but I believe it is in large part because the positions we do have are so much more important.  As wives, mothers, sisters, friends, we are the thread that binds lives and families together and without that you have no society.  This is not to say the role cannot be reversed, some men are better suited to staying home and some women better suited to being the proverbial breadwinner.  But still a healthy strong family is created with at least one nurturer, best with two who work together.

Going to stop here to keep from rambling...

Today I am making curry for dinner, with pork and Brussels sprouts. I am out of Vermont Curry which is our favorite but I have some other brands of Japanese curry mixes I am going to try.  I am going to stuff it full of veggies too.

Sunday and Kefir

Sunday was a busy day.  We picked up a commercial upright freezer from a friend who is moving cross country for just $75, I am so excited to have it!  My freezer that is paired with my fridge is always packed tight and it is like playing jenga to get anything out.

Then we went to church (late) and ate meatball oven dinner when we got home.  Meatball oven dinner has been a family favorite since I was a kid, since my mom was a kid.  And after 8 years of cooking for my hubby I finally made it for him and he loved it.  So I am happy.

Had a fun conversation with my fellow ward librarian Karen yesterday.  We talked about kefir which I mentioned on Saturday.  Here is a Wikipedia article that gives you the basic idea of what it is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kefir  Most common is milk kefir, but I use water kefir because it is less maintenance for me.

So my method is this:  I keep 2 pitchers on my counter, one for the kefir and one for tap water set out for the chlorine to evaporate from.  This is important as the chlorine can kill the kefir grains.

Every couple days I get my jug and my Plastic Mesh Strainer (metal is hard on the grains, use glass, plastic and wood when you can), then I strain the grains out as I am pouring the water into my jug.

I then Rinse the gains a little with the prepared water, fill the culturing bottle with about 1 quart of the prepped water and add 1/4 c. organic sugar and a teaspoon of molasses stirring with a wooden spoon.

Then the coffee filter gets elastic-ed over the lid to keep dust and things out.  I set it in a shady place or in a cupboard then add some flavor to the finished kefir and put it in the fridge because I like it cold.

This site has a lot of info on Kefirs as well as sells the grains:  http://www.culturesforhealth.com/kefir

Why do I go to the trouble?  Because I have a bad case of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and nothing I had tried previously helped it.  My sister recommended kefir and I tried it.  For the first time since I was a child I was able to go days, weeks, and even months without and attack as long as I was drinking the kefir.  I will never go back to those painful days.

Off to figure out what to make for dinner and then to clean and organize my new freezer.  ;D

Saturday Slump and Probiotics

So I feel awful today.  Just finishing a monthly ritual (aka my period) that has kicked my butt.  I am so worn out I have been on the comp playing games and researching things and doing nothing difficult all day.

I was minding my own business when I stumbled upon this video about "the American Parasite", it is long but very informative about candida, sugar, probiotics, and their effects in your body.  It is a pretty good and relatively well researched and a well documented video.
http://keybiotics.com/video_toon17a.php

And it is kind of cool to watch the drawing, so I kept watching.  And wow, just wow.  Not only has it described my physical symptoms, but it attributes them to candida, something I have suspected, and in my personal health experiments, blame for many of my ailments.

I was very skeptical as I watched until I realized just how accurate it was matching my physical symptoms (fatigue, headaches, IBS, depression, and many more) to what I have researched as a possible cause of my health issues.  I am not saying that this is the one answer, as there is rarely just one thing that causes the engine that is our bodies to malfunction.  I am just finding out that this is a big one, and one that we can deal with.

So much of our health is what we take into our bodies, and the over processed crap and high sugars we are accustomed to eating is killing us.  I have not cut sugars completely from my diet, but I have found that I am much healthier and happier when I steer away from them drastically.  Also with preservatives, I make my own sauces and soup mixes instead of using canned soups.  It is just a little step I take everyday to manage my health and the health of my family which is my full time job. (working vs stay at home wives is an entirely different topic for another time)

Now everyone has a system they want to sell you to deal with this (in this case a probiotic pill).  You don't need it, you just need some knowledge (unless of course you have the money and want a faster solution).  Look what is in your food, become familiar with what names sugar and  preservatives hide as, and be willing to change your habits.  Learn about your good gut bacteria and get your probiotics (Kefir is awesome!).

I am not even going to start on the probiotic soapbox today (I Love my water Kefir!).  I think I will save that for Monday as Sunday is a day for a different kind of study.

Do watch the video.  If nothing else it will get you thinking about ways to feel better.  And that is the first step.

Take 2...

So I am not off to a smashing start...  But little happened the past few days.  Here are the highlights:

Got to spend more time at my families house with Tami and Amberly, I adore my sisters.  I am so proud of Sara, she has been working hard at Wally-Mart and has lost 20lbs.

Steve (hubby) likes my Marinara sauce so much we had it 2 nights in a row for dinner.

Tim did finally get to present his final report in Utah History (he is in 7th grade).  After having computer problems the first try then losing the thumb drive and having to redo his paper cause he didn't save the file anywhere on the hard drive.

Ordered a new cpap mask after wearing my current one into the ground.  My mask style is$80 to replace, yuck.  Also got to order a few books on my favorite culture:  the Minoans.  Looking forward to reading about them.

Now that I write it all down, my life has got to look really boring to the casual observer.
Still doing this for me not anyone else.

Also moved into the 21st century with a smart(ish) phone upgrade.

New Years Project and Day One

So about 10 years ago I stopped writing in my journal daily because I developed some health issues which forced me to drop out of college and into a massive depression.  I didn't write anything for 10 years, all the lessons I learned, the good times I had, the memories of my grandma, lost because I was too depressed to write them.

So, my only goal for this year is to write here everyday.  I will not be fascinating everyday, some days may only be a sentence and I do not expect anyone to read it.  I just feel I need to do this and keep a place I can exercise my thoughts and record my experiences.

Anyone who takes the time to read them will be greatly appreciated and know that I feel so much of the support you send, and send it in return.  There will be art reports, dinner reports, kid reports, hubby reports, mental and emotional reports, gratitude reports, etc.

That being said here is todays entry:

Didn't sleep soundly last night, but I did get up at 7am to make breakfast.  To explain, it isn't an attempt to be a supper mom, I get up and make breakfast for 3 big reasons.  First, because I need to eat.  I feel so much better all day long when I do eat in the AM (It is a blood sugar thing).  Second, to save money on cereal.  And lastly it is to see my household off to a good day.

So as usual I made oatmeal with toasted pecans and cranberries.  Stayed up with April until 9:30, we did some of the activities in her Christmas princess book together (she is a very smart kid and my sis Tami is an awesome teacher).  Went back to bed as usual since I cannot function with less than 10 hours sleep (Thanks health issues...)  And didn't get out of bed till 3:30 PM.  I hate days when I sleep so much, makes me feel useless.  To be fair I needed it after the weekend and Monday I had, they just wore me out.

I am about to go make dinner, sausage and peppers with cabbage and butter potatoes.  Yummy yummy!

Best news today though is that I am feeling mentally alert and emotionally fantastic.  This is in large part to getting to spend time with my sister Tami, she fills my bucket.  And to the patience of my family and hubby who is awesome.

Oh and Tim just brought up a basket of clean towels, what a good kid!  I do love folding clothing, odd I know.

Great Pen & Ink: 6 Jack Kirby

This month I am highlighting Jack Kirby.

First off please read and respond to this article: "As 'The Avengers' will Make Millions, Creator Kirby May Get Squat" 
To stand up and help out check these:
A Buck for Jack
The Jack Kirby Museum

Jack Kirby, the man responsible for creating and illustrating so many iconic comic book characters.  In fact his art is large part what made them iconic.  Captain America, one of my long time fav's he created with Joe Simon in the 1940's.  Check out the following:

Jack Kirby was insanely prolific and highly creative.  Jim Vadeboncoeur Jr.'s article on him at JVJP's Illustrators site is wonderfully done and very informative (see link below).  My favorite thing about Kirby is his ability to narrate a story visually and how he uses subtle cues in layout and motion to lead the eye through several frames.

For further reading and to see more art check out the following:

JVJ Publishing Illustrators
Roc's Nest

Wikipedia

The Jack Kirby Museum

Great Pen & Ink: 5 Joseph Clement Coll

Great Pen & Ink: 5 Joseph Clement Coll

Nice to be back at this art appreciation thing ;). 

So today we have Joseph Clement Coll, an illustrator from the golden age of illustration at the early part of the 20th century.  His style is fantastic, flowing, and dynamic.  With nothing more than lines his work conveys passion, violence, and wonder.  Sadly he did not live a long life and these days his amazing pieces are barely known.

For further reading on the man and to see more art, check the following:
Wikipedia
Illustrators
Flesk Publications Gallery