Food for Thought

So our conversation yesterday morning started out with death by hotdogs and fish & chips. My hubby is gleefully awaiting my trip to Oregon so he can go on a food frenzy, but I reminded him that he woke up with chest pain this morning, sheesh! So he comments on the Spam I served him for breakfast to which I pointed out that he asked for it and then he wanted to know if he said he wanted a hole in the head would I comply to which I said yes. So I told him he was going to commit self inflicted death by fish & chips and he accused me of assisted murder by Spam. I know it's not a joking matter, but what do you do with a man who is addicted to junk food???
Which takes me to an article I read in a 2003 Ensign. The author was raised in Russia and had no religious background. He went to medical school where a friend shared with him that the same dietary practices that can prevent and treat heart disease that they were being taught, had been the centuries-old health code of the Russian Orthodox Church. He became interested in the Bible He read the story of Daniel and his friends refusal to eat the daily provision of the kings food and wine, and asked to be able to eat their "pulse" and water.  Daniel and his friends were blessed with better health and greater ability to think and act. As this man continued to learn he discovered that the Russian translation of "pulse" was vegetables, but knew that man could not survive on them alone. He later discovered that the word also meant grains and seeds. To make a long story short, it has been known for centuries that eating less meat, and eating more wholesome grains, fruits and vegetables is a healthy and wise diet. The promise is found in the Word of Wisdom that if we do so, we shall receive health in the navel and marrow in the bones and shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures. (D&C 89:18-21) Just some food for thought.

Happy Birthday Emmett!!!! We love you!!

I can't believe you are already 3! Wow, time flies. We sure miss you little man, with your super smarts. We miss seeing you read all the letters on signs, and saying the numbers you see in grocery ads. We miss your laugh, your ability to make everything fun. We miss your wink, your imagination, your hugs, and the way you can blow us kisses. Take care of Mommy and we hope to see you soon.
Happy Birthday!!!!!
Love, Grandma and Grandpa

Monday's Muse - Regarding Virtue

As I ponder the topic of virtue I think of young women who do all they can to stay morally pure and ready for a sacred marriage covenant. One of my favorite authors is Sheri L. Dew. Here's some quotes from a talk she gave at the World Congress of Families V in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Aug. 10, 2009.

"No society can be stronger than the moral fiber of its people. There is power in virtue. Said Clare Boothe Luce: "There can be no public virtue without private morality….And there cannot be a good society unless the majority of individuals in it are at least trying to be good people….A nation that is traveling the low road is a nation that is self-destructing. It is doomed, sooner or later, to collapse from within."
She goes on to state this, "Virtue, especially moral virtue, builds strength of character. A lack of virtue damages one's moral compass until ultimately that person can't be trusted. Consider the adulterer. If someone can't be trusted to honor the most sacred promise they'll ever make, who and what will they honor? Benjamin Franklin said it well: "There was never yet a truly great man who was not at the same time truly virtuous."
 What got me thinking about all of this is a blog post and video regarding 7-8 year old girls at a dance competition. I won't post the video link as I don't want to add to the damage done in these little girls lives by thoughtless parents and dance instructors. I will say this though, that the outfits they wore were skimpy, tummy baring tops with spaghetti straps and low slung short shorts that showed their little fandangos. They had fishnet stockings on as well as heels and looked the part they were playing. These little girls were gyrating and bumping to a popular tune and making moves you might see a pole dancer use.
Sister Dew goes on to share this information,
"University of Chicago studies compiled in 2006 illuminate the problem. Premarital sex among men and women has increased. Adultery? Increased. Cohabitation without marriage? Increased. Number of sexual partners? Increased. Out-of-wedlock births? Increased. Sex among teenagers? Increased. Only one statistic decreased: the age at which youth are having sexual relations.⁷
C. S. Lewis was no doubt right when he called chastity "the most unpopular of the Christian virtues." Global violation of this virtue has become its own kind of pandemic such that anyone who dares advocate chastity risks being accused of intolerance and even fanaticism.
Yet history tells a different story. One civilization after another has caved in under the weight of its moral debauchery. A stable society is not likely to be destroyed unless it has weakened itself from within. Will and Ariel Durant, who spent four decades writing an eleven-volume history of civilization, concluded that "sex is like a river of fire that must be banked and cooled by a hundred restraints if it is not to consume in chaos both the individual and the group." Such controls are best provided by fidelity in marriage. Anything short of that undermines marriage, and there is something fundamentally sick about a society where marriage is treated as a throwaway item. "
There is so much in her talk that we would all do well to heed. Here's the link so you can read it in it's entirety.  The Power of Virtue
May we all look to our inward hearts and consider the virtue of our little children and the blessing of raising them to know true happiness.

Foodie Friday - Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad

One of my favorite magazines for tasty recipes without a lot of fat and sugar is Eating Well.  We tried this recipe out last night and loved it! Fresh, with just a bit of bite, this is a great Summer time recipe that would compliment any meal. We enjoyed this along with Spam fried rice and my husband was in heaven.

SPICY THAI SHRIMP SALAD
Whisk 2 T. lime juice, 4 t. fish sauce, 1 T. canola oil, 2 t. brown sugar and 1/2 t. crushed red pepper. Toss with 1 lb. cooked shrimp, 1 c. thinly sliced bell pepper, 1 c. thinly sliced seeded cucumber and 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil, cilantro and or mint. Calories 172/ Great source of vitamins C, A, and Iron.

We did have just a bit leftover, even though I cut the recipe in half for the two of us, so I cooked up a few rice noodles, and made a bit of sauce with 3 T. peanut butter, 3 T. soy sauce, and a drizzle of honey that I whisked together. I tossed the sauce and noodles with the leftover shrimp salad and plan on enjoying that for dinner while hubby finishes off the rice. Bon Apetite!

A Mother's Hope & Prayers

 Today as I sat in church watching the Primary children sing to their mothers I thought about all of you and wanted to share my feelings with you. I remember when you used to sing the same songs and it really tugged at my heart and brought back sweet memories.

My Dearest Bryan,
From the moment I first held you in my arms I could feel the gift of God in you. A shining light had been sent to us and we hardly knew what to do with you. Born a little man, so strong, so quick to develop both physically and mentally we surely fell short of the blessing you are to us. Even though I had siblings I never knew a baby who could make his way across the floor when only a month old, or who could pull up when told to at 2 months old. I surely wasn't ready for a baby who found me, where ever I was in the apartment, and just wanted to hang out at my feet. No, you didn't want me to hold you, you just wanted to explore. You saved the holding for nursing times, and when your dad came home from work. You two would fall asleep in the rocker and I would wonder why you couldn't do that with me during the day. When you started pulling yourself up on the furniture at 6 months and then crawling 4 days later I was starting to think I'd given birth to a little superman. You could down a whole peanut butter and jelly sandwich as well as a banana at one sitting! At 8 months you started sounding out words and by 9 months you could tell me that you wanted chee, juice, appew, and nana. Thank goodness you walked at 10 1/2 months as I was fairly far along with Stephanie and you weighed 25 lbs by that time. The only reason it took you so long to walk on your own was that you were so fast with crawling and running around the edges of furniture you didn't slow down long enough to learn to walk, so we made you! :-) At 2 you were "reading" stories back to me in amazing accuracy, and could counter my saying 1 with 2, and when I would say 3 you could say 4, and so on up to 10. I know we certainly fell short of giving you all the learning experiences you needed as you were a born sponge when it came to learning. You could read from the scriptures, KJV, by the time you were 5. You have been blessed with talents beyond measure! You have been a blessing beyond measure in my life.

Dear Sweet Stephanie,
You were such a breath of fresh air in a tiny little angel after 16 months of trying to keep up with Bryan! So sweet and good natured, you rarely cried. I would sometime wake up in the middle of the night and touch your tiny body laying in the bassinet beside me as you were so quiet! When you did wake up, even as a tiny newborn, you would coo and chatter with such abandon and always seemed so happy. For months we worried over your continual ear infections, but you rarely if ever fussed or cried even when sick. So quick to smile and giggle, you were so wonderfully a baby in every sense. Soft, sweet, cuddly and loving. You were very forgiving of your brother when he would try and take toys away from you. I could always count on finding you in a box or a drawer somewhere, sitting there playing by yourself, happy as a lark. You would give me that funny lopsided smile and keep on playing, not wanting to be bothered. The queen of mud pies, you could make a mess better and bigger than your brother ever thought of doing. As you got a bit older you struggled a bit with shyness, for no reason I should add. You turned your shyness into a strength when you broke free of it through singing. You have a voice I always wanted, with a full range where I'm weak. You have a way of drawing people to you with your sociality and friendliness. For whatever reason, people just like to give you things, as you must surely give them something they need. You have a way of looking at things that make us all think a little differently and open up our minds a bit more to other possibilities. Your joyful giggle and crooked smile will always melt my heart!

My Amanda,
So different in some ways from your older brother and sister, with a unique spirit as similar and yet individual as they. My Indian baby I've always called you as I knew you were meant to be, just like they were. I saw you in a dream one day with very dark hair so when you were born, I knew we were done having children as you were to be the last. Champion to small animals and lost souls, you have always had a heart so soft it would break at least once a week if not more. I still remember the little pet cemetery you created at the side of our driveway, and how you would make little caskets for your deceased pets out of soda cans you cut open. You would make a soft bed of tissue and gently lay your little furry friends in them, and then pull the cover over and bury them, marking the graves with sticks and wildflowers from the yard. Christmas was always a wonder with your excitement. Taking you to see Santa was a highlight as you would yell through the mall, look there's Santa! and run up to him fearless. The first time we took you trick or treating you were so amazed at the generosity of people you would run back to the van, "Look Mom and Dad, they gave me candy, they gave me candy!!!" We could always tell when Spring had finally hit North Pole as you would run inside the house yelling, "A bug, a bug, it's a bug!!!", as you fled the mosquitoes that inevitably showed up. We could always count on you for drama, as if something was really, really, great, then other things were really, really, awful! You still make us laugh, cry and feel with you as you agonize over friends and loved ones.

To all of you here are my hopes and prayers. I hope and pray that you will remember the goodness of God, and the gifts he has given us. I hope and pray that you will realize the talents you have so fully been blessed with, and will continue to nurture those tender feelings you have for those around you through your talents. I hope and pray that you will remember the touch of your child's hand on your face, or the tiny arms around your neck and know that they are gifts of angels. I hope and pray that you will pray, and ask for divine guidance, as I know without a doubt that your prayers will be answered and you will find peace and joy as you turn to God. I hope and pray that someday we can all be a celestial family as I know that families are meant to be forever, and that God has so much for us, if we will choose his gift. I hope and pray, that you will know how much I love and cherish you. I hope and pray that you know how you have all made my life so much richer, because you are a part of it. I hope and pray that you will know how much I wish I could see you and talk you to and spend time with you. I love you more than you really know.
Love,
Mom

Green Is Good!

So getting outside is considered a "green" way to elevate your mood now. Depending on the time of year, this can be true. I love being outdoors gardening, hiking, taking walks, bike riding, or jogging, actually that should be plodding along. I guess I've been PC forever when it comes to finding a "green" way to be mentally fit :-) Here's the link to the article discussing this. 5 Minutes In The Green to Elevate Your Mood.
Having said that though, what do you think the reason getting outside helps with your mood? Is it the sun, fresh air, the actual activity or all of the above? Maybe like me, you don't really care about the why, you just know that you enjoy being outdoors. Here's to getting outside more!