What's in your food?

I know that lots of you don't even care. BUT YOU SHOULD!!!!
And I know some do.
Do you know that 90% of the food in the grocery store is processed?
It contains preservatives (it sits in salt and yucky chemicals) and it lacks the live enzymes that your body needs to function properly. These include:

•canned foods with large amounts of sodium or fat
•breads and pastas made with refined white flour instead of whole grains
•packaged high-calorie snack foods such as chips and candies
•frozen fish sticks and frozen dinners that are high in sodium
•packaged cakes and cookies
•boxed meal mixes that are high in fat and sodium
•sugary breakfast cereals
•processed meats
 (Just to name a few)

And the food that is NOT processed? I know you are wondering.
Well, that would be the fruits and vegetables at the front of the store that have been harvested prematurely (not at it's peak of ripeness when all the nutrients are available), then are sprayed with a plant chemical to help them ripen unnaturally, then shipped across the country or countries, then they sit on the shelf for a few days before you and I go into the store to purchase them.
Um...exactly what kind of nutrients are left?
To be honest, I don't really know but I know it's greatly diminished through that process.
Sounds gross, huh? Well, it does to me. 

Why am I blogging this you ask.

Well, I'm promoting growing your own. I'm sure someone somewhere has started a "grow your own" revolution. Be part of it! Grow what you can and do it ORGANICALLY! That seems to be a popular and fun word to say lately but do you know what it means and why it might be important.
Here's a definition on Wikipedia.
Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.
For the vast majority of human history, agriculture can be described as "organic"; only during the 20th century was a large supply of new synthetic chemicals introduced to the food supply. The organic farming movement arose in the 1940s in response to the industrialization of agriculture known as the Green Revolution.

Yikes! I know that there are some studies that link the pesticides and chemical fertilizers to tons of different medical conditions.

Do you know how they do things in other countries? Did you know that in other countries Mac 'n Cheese has different (more simple) ingredients than the Mac 'n Cheese sold in America?
Someone I know said that she bets that "Mr. Kraft" doesn't feed the American Mac 'n Cheese to his kids.
I would guess the same thing.
ALSO...
In France and other countries they garden all year round. This is nothing new for them. Why isn't this more common in America? Heck if I know.
So, here's the info. I'm reading this book called Four-Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman.

You can harvest your own fruits and vegetables all year round. No, really, it's true!
By the way homegrown tastes a MILLION times better than store bought!

I'm not only for growing your own fruits and vegetables but your own meat too.
I don't do that YET but when we get settled somewhere I'm pretty set on getting chickens (for eggs and meat), maybe a few ducks, a cow (who knows). We'll see.

Bake your own, you'll know exactly what's in it because you put it there.
Use a popcorn popper to make popcorn instead of the microwave.

I know what you're thinking now. BUT I DON'T HAVE THE TIME! (for gardening or baking)
I'll tell you one thing everything worth while takes some time.
I'll do another post on saving time later but for now get your garden going if you haven't, make and bake your own, and try organic.

By the way, not saying we don't eat processed food sometimes...we do. We just try not to eat so much of it and we (by we I think I mean me) try to spread the word. FOOD IS GOING DOWNHILL FAST!

"Taking Chance"

So, the other night I watched a movie.
The title "Taking Chance".
I admit I am a fan of romantic comedies and comedies by themselves (although it's rare to find one these days that is clean enough to watch with kids, so I don't watch them) but this was a good movie.
There is no comedy in this movie, it's a pretty solemn movie, very moving, and filled with respect.
It is about an officer in the Marines returning a fallen soldier to his family.
It showed the process the fallen soldier went through to be prepared to return to their home town.
I was impressed by the respect and honor they showed to the soldier from the very beginning of this process.
He was cleaned, both body and personal effects.
Every time the casket was moved on or off a plane or to or from a vehicle the fallen soldier
was saluted, hats were taken off and a reverence was shown.

I haven't known anyone personally whose life was taken in a war or serving our country but I do know people who have served in the Marines, Army, and Navy. I have to say I have felt grateful for all who served but never more than after I watched this movie.

My Bishop is an old Marine. He doesn't talk about the war itself (none of them do) but he does talk about sand in all the food he ate and the Lord sparing his life several times.
My grandfather was in the Navy and the only story I know of came from my mother.
His life was spared also.

Just want to say THANK YOU to all those who have served, are presently serving, and those who plan to serve our country. May repect and  honor follow you where ever you go.

Deep in the heart of Texas.

It's a superhero thing. (and sort of dirty and slobbery)

This too!



this too

and this.



My new cute neice Olivia.

My other cute new neice Ember.

My mom will have 4 new grandbabies with in a year. 2 down , 2 to go.



This is one of memaw's favorite book and it's tradition for her to read it to the grandbabies.

Horton Hatches The Egg.

The boys helped grandpa wash the car.

We helped grandpa with his square foot garden on Earth Day! Yep, we're green.

We went to San Antonio for Time Out For Women. (Well, the girls) We all fit in the small elevator.

We ate Mexican food. Yum! They just don't have Mexican food in PA.



Noah fell asleep at dinner with uncle Josh. He carried Noah all the way back to the Hotel.

We saw the Alamo. It's part of Texas history. I'll let you google it.

Me with my Sister-in-law, Sommer. We are just a few weeks apart. Apparantly, her husband (my brother Josh) has put on some sympathy weight or he might be pregnant too.

Noah wore this helmet most of the way home from San Antonio.

Asher has red long johns. When grandpa got home we found out that he has some too.

We had an Easter egg hunt but my pictures were all terrible.

Heard Sherri Dew speak at Time Out for Women.

She's great!

I've seen all my family here.

I've been with my mother to buy a dining room table.

I got sunburned helping put in a square foot garden.

I had a miagraine after I mowed my sister back yard.

It was fixed by essential oils and reflexology (which is amazing because if I don't have good meds I'm usually in the ER with a 2 day hang over)

I've read good books.

Learned a little bit about aquaponics and solar gardening.

Missing my husband.

Glad my mom is retired.

Glad my sister does awesome research on everything.

She found stainless still baby bottles. cool, huh?

The boys like to run around in their undies (and diaper) in the warm weather.

My dad stepped in dog poop today.

I watched a good movie (What If) with my mom.

I've heard ya'll, thank ya, and been around a lot of nice southern folks.

I got a few books I can't wait to read.

I made burp cloths and a baby blanket.

Went to a rain harvesting class with my dad.

ate BlueBell ice cream.

Missed a months worth of Biggest Loser.

Did I miss the finale?

My mom got me the first baby girl onesies.

I think Asher weighs 23 pounds now. I know!

Pretty sure we are moving back to Utah.

and just so you know I'm not going to proof read this. It's taken too long with pictures and such.

That's all I guess.