EKjourney Backup

I shared a bit about my health recently after my annual blood draw and how I was surprised to find several things crop up.  Over the past several years, I struggled with severe anemia and very low Vitamin D levels (which made me feel like I was living in a fog of exhaustion!).  My weight has steadily increased and I was not pleased to see that I had gained 10 pounds over the past year.  I am terrible about exercise but I eat "better" than most and I would not expect this to yield the results that it did.  So here Phil and I are, middle aged, both of us with issues (him high cholesterol and fat around his liver), both of us with some weight to lose.  It is clear, that we can't just eat better than most and expect to remain healthy.  That we have to be super diligent in starting a life long healthy lifestyle - both food and activity.   So, for the past month this has looked like:   *Less than 45 grams of carbohydrate per meal (and trying to stick to...

I happen to think this is one of the most darling picture books EVER!  Evi worked on this for several days and it really has a very sweet story line....all told through pictures.  I would like to get the pages photocopied (rather than these yellowish tinted ones!) and turned into an actual book for her.  

Our lives are not terribly exciting during the Winter months.  The days are short and gray and rain soaked.  We don't have adventurous outings and tend to hole up here at home.  Although, we have so many activities that home for the day is a rarity.   We are adding 4-H for the older 3 children.  There will be a monthly get together with activities around "homesteading" and they will make something to enter into the county fair.  I am really excited about this opportunity for them.  It feels like it meets another need for those extra curricular activities and elective credits (things I might not have time for after the basic school subjects).  We will meet in the afternoon and I will either stay and help or find something to do with the little ones.   We are often asked about sports (Phil particularly, I think his colleges find his career in public schools and larger than average family that homeschools "interesting").  Truthfully, that p...

Soup Stock Simmering I have been meaning to write this post for quite awhile but haven't seen to be able to find the time.  Phil is picking up milk with some of the children, so I figured I would squeeze in a blog post while dinner is cooking. Phil and I try to go in for physical exams every year now that we are in our 40's and we always ask for an extensive blood panel so we can really asses our health.  Phil has struggled with cholesterol for the past couple of years.  We both have a little extra weight that we are carrying (Phil15-20 pounds, me 25-30).  And I have had issues with vitamin and mineral deficiencies.  We both have sedentary jobs.  Phil is in front of a computer or in a meeting or in the car between schools, I spend a lot of time sitting during our school day and my hobbies are sitting ones.  The last thing that we want to do is spend an extra 1-2 hours apart from one another to try and fit in exercise (in the dark, in the bad weather). ...

The second week of Christmas Vacation allowed us some actual clean up time and rest...a chance to catch up from the craziness of being sick the entire week of Christmas, a birthday, and of course all the preparation work (left to the last minute) for Christmas.  Christmas Eve and Christmas day were very nice and it was good to take a week off to just recover.   The girls and I went to a friend's house on a cold and clear morning and we made fairy dolls (these are so much fun to make, we use pipe cleaners and a wooden bead and wrap the pipe cleaners in yarn and then made clothing, wings, etc..) .  Our friend's have a lovely view as we drive up into the hills surrounding our little town.   Winter Landscape I made several pairs of fingerless mitts and some boot cuffs in the weeks proceeding both commissioned work and to get some things into the White Oak for those last minute Christmas shoppers.  I was so excited to make enough this month at the White Oak to buy a ...

January 2nd, Brighton turned 6!  He was so excited to have a birthday and had so many plans from his favorite meals (cold cereal, peanut butter and honey sandwich, pasta), to wanting to go to Phil's classroom, and hoping for more lego sets (we have an insane amount of legos - every birthday, every Christmas, and birthday money).   (I love this picture!) How did this boy turn 6?  It seems like he has always been the little boy, and now, all of the sudden, I am realizing that he not 2 or 3 anymore.  I think perhaps his language skills trapped him in the younger years a lot longer than for most children.  I am so glad that he is communicating better....sometimes I feel like I have missed out on so much of what he has been thinking about, feeling, learning...because he hasn't been able to tell me...we haven't been able to talk about it.  Just today, he was talking to me about heaven.  He is actually quite concerned with death, afraid of missing those he lo...