Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Coconut Oil




My blog would not be complete if I didn't get on my soapbox about coconut oil!
Coconut oil has really helped my low thyroid problem and improved my energy level. I try to get around 2 T. a day of the oil and other natural coconut products. I originally found out about the benefits by reading an article in Above Rubies and through the Weston Price Foundation.

I think the coconut is one of God's greatest gifts to us (in the way of food). It's funny because I never liked coconut when I growing up because it was the fake kind! Once I tried the real thing, I loved it! My latest love in coconuts is the young coconut. They are super good for you. They different from the "old" ones. The young ones have more juice and the "meat" is soft. My younger kids fight over the "meat"!

Coconut oil is also great for losing weight because it speeds up your metabolism. The people in the world who still eat a lot of coconut and their traditional diet are some of the healthiest people on the planet! No cancer, heart problems etc.

My favorite way to eat coconut lately is with a little lemon or lime with salt. "Put the lime in the coconut ..."
Here's a recipe from Nourishing Traditions which I have used many times for an easy pie crust so I can get a good amount of coconut:
Coconut Pie Crust
1/2 C. melted coconut oil
2 Cups dried unsweetened coconut meat, finely shredded (I buy the bagged organic kind)
Mix coconut with the oil in a small bowl. Transfer to a buttered, floured 9 inch pie pan and press firmly and evenly against the bottom and sides. Bake at 300 for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool.
I fill it with homemade chocolate pudding. Yum!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Lately...
























I'm currently without a working camera
so here's some old baby Mikey pics


Lately, I'm loving:

cooler days
lots of helpers with Mikey
going to my new workout place
lots of hummingbirds at the feeder
great times with the family
fresh eggs from the chickens
good friends
fresh goat's milk
chocolate (dark)
walking to 7:30 am Mass
time with the Lord


What I'm not loving lately:
bad bug bites all swollen, red and infected
when kids are quarreling
vet bills
other bills




Hey, the good outweighs the bad! :)

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Birthday Getaway











Michael and I took a trip up to Bird in Hand, PA. to visit a Amish area for my birthday. We had a wonderful visit there and it was such a beautiful time of the year to visit! I love being around the Amish and they are so friendly and helpful. We bought honey, cheese and produce etc. I enjoyed going into Amish homes, looking at their quilts and seeing their gardens. They're amazing!




We found a great store run by the Amish called BB's. It's a discount store with "bents, bumps and a bunch of bargains". I could not believe the incredible prices. I would love to go there again!

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Happy Birthday!!!







Happy Birthday, Michael!
I hope you had a wonderful day!!
Love always from me and the kids
P.S. Some of these pictures really remind me of Mikey :)

Sunday, July 19, 2009

New words



I am real happy with how Mikey is progressing! He's been very interactive and seems to be picking up speed with his language. He's starting to put some verbs with all the nouns he knows. I'm so happy to hear "fox running", "lion swimming" and "Mikey's turn", etc.

He's repeating a lot of words that we say and recently went from "hippo" to "hippopotamus". He seems real proud of himself to say this big word. He continues to be fascinated with animals (especially wild animals from Africa).

I realized recently that he can sight read several words. I was writing some down and he started reading them off to me. He also goes around spelling words: fox...f o x .


I'll save the negative stuff he's been doing for another time :)

Saturday, July 18, 2009

More Purple Martins



I visited my neighbor's purple martins today. What a thrill to see so many martins flying in the air! Now to get them over my way...

Monday, July 6, 2009

July Pics








My sister, Caryl, from Washington state came to visit me this past week! We had a great time (often talking until the early morning) and we enjoyed the 4th of July together. She's such a great sister and a help. She is like having my own personal Supernanny. She's helped me to see things with Mikey that I would not have seen otherwise. Thank you, Caryl, I love you!


I'm including some goat pictures. "Sweet-tart" is giving plenty of milk and I milk her twice daily. I took the pics when she was ready to be milked. She was telling me to stop taking pictures and get over here!