Grandpas

I've had the privilege of growing up with all four of my grandparents living and still married (in pairs). My grandparents have all had quite a large amount of health problems. After our wedding in December of '06 my Grandpa on my mom's side got a brain tumor which was operated on in January of last year. Then he went through radiation and it caused him to go into brain atrophy and he died June 2, 2007. That was really hard because I was really close to him (I grew up about 20 miles away). Anyway, then my Grandma on my mom's side got kidney cancer. She's gone through chemotherapy and is now on radiation. She's doing fine now, but the cancer will come back in a few years and then they won't be able to do anything about it.

On to the real current news. My Grandpa on my dad's side has had only one kidney since age 23 (I think he's 84 or so now). The last few years he had to go on dialysis because his kidney wasn't functioning well at all. His quality of life has been going way downhill and on Friday he decided to go off dialysis, which means he has about a week to live. My dad flew out to Wisconsin today to be with him and my Grandma until the funeral. They're all okay with him dying because he really hasn't been doing well at all. 

If you think about it, pray for my grandparents (Avery and Bertie) and family this week as they're going through this. It's not easy to let someone go, even if it is the best thing. All of my grandparents are believers, both of my Grandpas were pastors.

The Shack

If you haven't read The Shack by William P. Young, you have to! I finished it in two days, and it is an incredible story. A lot of people are saying that it's a work of fiction, but I'm not sure I would go so far as to say that. I believe that God can do anything that He wants in how He wants to show Himself to people. I don't want to limit Him by saying that it all didn't really happen. That being said, as I read the book, I cried. A lot. It's heart wrenching and life changing at the same time. Since I finished it yesterday, I have read my Bible differently, I have looked at other people through God's eyes of pure love, I have been truly honest and real with my husband, and I have been praying for my future children. This book will touch your soul.

Jeffrey's mishap

A few months ago we decided that Jeffrey was old enough to be out and about in the house while we were gone. He's usually in the kitchen with a bed and his toys. So we let him wander the first time, and when we got home it looked like he had slept on the couch the entire time. Good test run. The next time we went somewhere, we let him wander again, but this time it was for about 5 or so hours, much longer than the first time. When we got home, our dear boy had chewed a rather large hole in our carpet right next to the back door! He was in huge trouble and hasn't gotten to stay out by himself since.

The real big deal... we did NOT want to call the landlady and tell her. But we knew we had to. So we waited, and waited, hoping the other person would have the guts to call. I'm very proud to say that today I finally got up the courage and made the call. It turned out to not be that big of a deal, she told me where she got the carpet and that they could probably fix it with carpet from the closet or something. I was very relieved.

How many times do we do things like that?? Sin and then are afraid of taking it to God, or we try to hide from it. I've gotten inspired by this little mishap to come clean with a lot of my junk. To God, to Andy, etc. As we all know, honesty is the best policy.

Life in the small town

I got a gift certificate to a little drive through burger joint called Gold Rush Burgers for my birthday. Last Monday (our day off) we went there at about 3:30 to get some burgers and they were closed. The sign said open M-F 11-7 (??). What's the deal? So a lady came out and said that they close at 3 on Mondays, so we went home. Today we decided we were hungry and went to get our burgers at 2:45. We got there and again it was closed. Andy knocked on the door and a guy came out and said that they close at 2:30 or 3 on Mondays. AAAHHHHH All we wanted was a nice burger (we've heard they're good). If I didn't have a gift certificate I wouldn't ever go back to this place that can't even advertise accurate hours. But since I do, maybe we'll try tomorrow. Hopefully they'll be open until 7. Stupid Gold Rush.

Survey

I found this little game on a random blog. If you want to do it, just post this list on your blog with your one word answers, then let me know so I can see them!

1. Cellphone: silent
2. Relationship: solid
3. My hair: crazy
4. Work: boring
5. My sibling/siblings: lovable
6. My favorite thing: hugging
7. My dream last night: disturbing
8. Favorite drink: water
9. Dream car: saab
10. The room I’m in: bedroom
11. My shoes: off!
12. My fears: drowning
13. What do I want to be in 10 years: mother
14. Who did I hang out with this weekend: husband
15. What I am not good at: handwriting
16. Muffin: blueberry
17. One of my wish list items: Vita-mix
18. Where I grew up: Grenada
19. Last thing I did: Music
20. Wearing: pj's
21. Not wearing: makeup
22. My pets: Jeffrey
23. My computer: macbook
24. My life: busy
25. My mood: stressed
26. Missing: Portland
27. What I am thinking about right now: Andy
28. My car: Civic
29. My kitchen: tornado!
30. My weather: odd
31. Favorite color: yellow
32. Last time I laughed: 7:30pm
33. Last time I cried: weeks
34. School: done!
35. Love: forever

To drive a mile...

It's official. Gas has gone over the $4 mark for us here in the middle of nowhere. And this is not premium or plus gas, but the regular cheap stuff. We're constantly trying to use less of this precious (although very bad on the environment) liquid. We walked to our favorite coffee shop the other day with Jeffrey, which was nice. We try to drive our small honda instead of our large volvo wagon when we can. You get the picture. I just wish we lived close enough to work so we could bike there. But it's 12 miles one way, so that would take at least an hour. Maybe one of these days I'll try it. Oh wait, I'd have to get a bike first, or at least get Andy's bike fixed, and a helmet. I hate money (or lack thereof).

My lunch

Today I had the best lunch! It was chopped salad from a recipe in Natalia Rose's book "The Raw Food Detox Diet" (which I recommend). It's very colorful and one of the most delicious things I've had in a while, except for my raw chocolate cake. So here's a picture and the recipe.

Classic Chopped Salad

Makes 4 Servings

1 cup fresh haricots verts (green beans)

3 ears fresh corn, kernels cut from the cob

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

2 cups grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1 zucchini, chopped

3 tablespoons fresh chives, minced

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.

Andy even liked the salad, except for the bell peppers and zucchini.

Mondays

I love Mondays. It's our day off so I get a chance to do things like laundry, cleaning the house, paying the bills, and I always find time for something fun. Today I'm going to WalMart to buy a puzzle. I haven't done a puzzle in a very long time and it sounds fun. Here's one of my other latest Monday projects: an herb garden in my kitchen window sill. They're doing quite well and they're the first things I've been able to grow and not kill. I'm very proud. The herbs are as follows:

Oregano

Parsley

Sage

Thyme

Basil

I can't wait until they're big enough for me to use on delicious food!

Here's another wonderful thing. I got 3 ranunculus plants for my Birthday from a friend, so I took some pictures of the flowers. They're similar to roses, and I actually like them better than roses. I'm going to plant them in an ugly (it's ugly now because it has no flowers in it) barrel in my front yard. I think it gets lots of sun there, which is what these things need.

Birthday and Rich Chocolate Dream Cake

Here's a picture of my beautiful rich chocolate dream cake. It's almost all raw and very delicious and indulgent. It's sweetened with agave nectar and maple syrup (both with a low glycemic index). So yes, Carla, I made myself a raw Birthday cake.

I had a wonderful Birthday yesterday. Andy took me out to breakfast at a wonderful little cafe in Ashland. I had lemon ricotta stuffed french toast served with warm berry sauce. Not raw but absolutely delicious. Then we met my sister and brother at a bowling alley in Medford and went bowling (there's not too much to do around here except bowling). I got second place with a score of 99. My 3-year-old nephew Quin got 70 (with bumpers, but still impressive). Then Andy and I went to a movie - we saw Vantage Point, which was pretty good. Go Dennis Quaid.

Then Andy took me home and my whole family was at our house for a surprise party! I sort of knew about it, but I didn't think that my sister and brother would be there. Then a bunch of people stopped by throughout the evening to eat food, hang out, and to wish me a happy birthday. It ended up being a wonderful day.

As per Emily's request, here is the recipe for my Rich Chocolate Dream Cake:

For the Crust:

1 Cup Almonds

1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder (Cacao Powder)

2 TB Agave Nectar

1 Tsp. Virgin Coconut Butter

2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

1/4 Tsp. Sea Salt

Step 1 In a food processor, grind the almonds and cocoa powder together until fine. Do not over-process. Then add in the sea salt, vanilla, coconut butter and agave and pulse a few times.

Step 2 Press into bottom of 7″ Springform Pan and set in the freezer.

For the Filling:

5 oz Bittersweet Organic Chocolate (Green and Blacks or a raw brand)

1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder (Cacao Powder)

2 Cups Young Coconut Meat

1/4 Cup Virgin Coconut Butter

1/2 Cup Cashew Butter

1/2 Cup Maple Syrup

1/4 Cup Agave Nectar

2 TB Vanilla Extract

Step 1 Melt the chocolate over a pan of hot water in a heat safe bowl (double broiler), or in a dehydrator.

Step 2 Add everything to a high speed blender until smooth. Pour into the springform pan and set in the fridge or freezer until firm.

Vita-Mix

Since starting a raw food diet, I have come to realize that my Oster blender is not nearly powerful enough to blend most of the things that I'd like to blend. For example, today I made a rich chocolate dream cake (all raw, of course and good for you! I'll post pictures of it later). The Osterizer had a little bit of a hard time with all of the coconut meat, cacao powder, cashew butter, etc. It actually started to smell bad and I was afraid it was going to start smoking. But it didn't. I often have to stir with a long handled spoon to make it blend even my green smoothies.

Now I'll tell you about the blender I am currently coveting in a huge way.

The VITA-MIX Blender!

Not only is it the best blender that you can buy, it also doubles as a food processor, it kneads bread dough, grinds up grains, makes fruit juice, etc. They make me feel like I can't live without one. Of course I can, but I still want one badly. The only down side: they cost at least $350, and that's for a refurbished one of last year's model. They do come with a 7-year warranty, which is awesome. I guess I'll have to start saving up my pennies to get one in 5 years or so. By then they'll probably cost $500. Sadly, money doesn't grow on trees.

Work...

I'm just finishing up work right now. When I work on Tuesdays, I'm the only one in the office and it's kind of boring. I have lots to do, but it's always nice to have someone to talk to while you're doing things. Fridays are better because my mom's in here with me. I like my mom.

Our dog

I love our dog Jeffrey. He keeps us sane. These are his two favorite things to do on the couch: look out the window, and lay down. I'm glad we have a basset hound because he's lazy. He's not always hyper and he loves to nap.