Sunday, March 20, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
The Kitchen
Here they are!! Some pictures of our newly renovated kitchen. I've been meaning to put these up for a while .... Oh, how I've been loving this new fresh clean space! It took us about three years to finish the bulk of the renovation but it was well worth the wait. We were able to spend the time hunting for good deals on everything from lights to tiles, think through designs we liked, and slowly make the transition from one kitchen to the other. There were times when I wondered if we would ever get this done, feeling overwhelmed or discouraged as I ushered friends and family into my unsightly kitchen. I learned how to be thankful for what I had and be gracious despite the stand stills. It was a good thing for me to go through... I'm sure thankful for things I never thought I would ever be thankful for like... a dishwasher!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Being Free
I've been meaning to write this post for some time now but I really am not very good at figuring out the best way to share so please bear with me here...
When I first started going to my holistic physician I was sure I was still struggling with Lyme Disease. I was tired, run down, and moody as all get out. I was tested and the only things I was having trouble with was a depletion of certain nutrients, minor structural issues and problems with sugar, wheat and black tea. I had known about the sugar being a problem but wheat and black tea was something I wasn't expecting. Getting off of black tea was really not that big of a deal but wheat? How was I going to do that!? Now let me just make it clear I'm not allergic to wheat or gluten but my body doesn't process the stuff very well and over a long period of time it can suppress my immune system cause all these weird emotional side affects and lastly if left unchecked can cause things like diabetes to take hold. Mind you that's like years and year down the road.
I didn't like the idea of going off of wheat. I'm Greek for heaven's sake I've been eating the stuff since i was born and my uncle use to hide bread in his cheeks when he was a kid so he could have a morning snack! Pasta, breads, pies, phyllo dough, puffed pastry, cookies, crackers oh the list goes on. Of course I gave the wheat free diet a try but when I got pregnant with Louis I threw caution to the wind and started eating the the forbidden food again. It took until this past Christmas for me to realize I needed to get rid of wheat again.
My brother was super sick on Christmas eve and since he was making dinner for the family we all inevitably got what he had. It was a nasty bit of sickness and I took myself off of everything that would be offensive to my body including wheat. When I started to feel better I knew I needed to stay off of wheat and restrict my sugar intake. I was feeling so much better and I wanted to stay that way. Its been almost three months now since I've been wheat and gluten free. Its not as hard as I thought it would be. I do on occasion get a slight craving for the stuff but then I remember how crummy I feel when I eat wheat and I regain my convictions with new zeal. I also have started going to a support group, you know like AA, to help me feel more normal or at least keep me encouraged to eat right.
The only thing I noticed was that since I wasn't allowed to eat wheat any longer I got things like gluten free brownie mixes and devoured the sugary stuff. I still felt really ill and I figured out that even though something is gluten free doesn't mean that its going to be good for me. After some research I found out that sugar is a huge problem. One table spoon of sugar will suppress your immune system for about 5 hours! It also changes the pH of your blood and so your body has to work hard to become balanced again. Sugar also causes nasty things like joint pain, irritability, cravings, blood sugar crashes, full blown yeast infections called candida, and a slew of other problems. This is totally frustrating and I am a long way from getting completely away from sugar but at least I know what it does and how much I can handle.
I am now more aware of what I am putting into my body. Not because I want to be in a group of people who are snobby about what they eat or feel a sense of worth because of it, but because I want to be a better person, I want to be a blessing to my husband and children, I want to function well, live vibrantly! If that means staying away from a few things so be it. I've been able to broaden my culinary horizons so to speak and enjoy a vast array of things I would have skipped over if I was able to stuff myself with bread. This isn't easy but its a choice I'm making everyday. I probably will have my lapses, I've already given in a few times in the past, but that doesn't mean I won't keep trying.
When I first started going to my holistic physician I was sure I was still struggling with Lyme Disease. I was tired, run down, and moody as all get out. I was tested and the only things I was having trouble with was a depletion of certain nutrients, minor structural issues and problems with sugar, wheat and black tea. I had known about the sugar being a problem but wheat and black tea was something I wasn't expecting. Getting off of black tea was really not that big of a deal but wheat? How was I going to do that!? Now let me just make it clear I'm not allergic to wheat or gluten but my body doesn't process the stuff very well and over a long period of time it can suppress my immune system cause all these weird emotional side affects and lastly if left unchecked can cause things like diabetes to take hold. Mind you that's like years and year down the road.
I didn't like the idea of going off of wheat. I'm Greek for heaven's sake I've been eating the stuff since i was born and my uncle use to hide bread in his cheeks when he was a kid so he could have a morning snack! Pasta, breads, pies, phyllo dough, puffed pastry, cookies, crackers oh the list goes on. Of course I gave the wheat free diet a try but when I got pregnant with Louis I threw caution to the wind and started eating the the forbidden food again. It took until this past Christmas for me to realize I needed to get rid of wheat again.
My brother was super sick on Christmas eve and since he was making dinner for the family we all inevitably got what he had. It was a nasty bit of sickness and I took myself off of everything that would be offensive to my body including wheat. When I started to feel better I knew I needed to stay off of wheat and restrict my sugar intake. I was feeling so much better and I wanted to stay that way. Its been almost three months now since I've been wheat and gluten free. Its not as hard as I thought it would be. I do on occasion get a slight craving for the stuff but then I remember how crummy I feel when I eat wheat and I regain my convictions with new zeal. I also have started going to a support group, you know like AA, to help me feel more normal or at least keep me encouraged to eat right.
The only thing I noticed was that since I wasn't allowed to eat wheat any longer I got things like gluten free brownie mixes and devoured the sugary stuff. I still felt really ill and I figured out that even though something is gluten free doesn't mean that its going to be good for me. After some research I found out that sugar is a huge problem. One table spoon of sugar will suppress your immune system for about 5 hours! It also changes the pH of your blood and so your body has to work hard to become balanced again. Sugar also causes nasty things like joint pain, irritability, cravings, blood sugar crashes, full blown yeast infections called candida, and a slew of other problems. This is totally frustrating and I am a long way from getting completely away from sugar but at least I know what it does and how much I can handle.
I am now more aware of what I am putting into my body. Not because I want to be in a group of people who are snobby about what they eat or feel a sense of worth because of it, but because I want to be a better person, I want to be a blessing to my husband and children, I want to function well, live vibrantly! If that means staying away from a few things so be it. I've been able to broaden my culinary horizons so to speak and enjoy a vast array of things I would have skipped over if I was able to stuff myself with bread. This isn't easy but its a choice I'm making everyday. I probably will have my lapses, I've already given in a few times in the past, but that doesn't mean I won't keep trying.
Forever Friends
"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live."
--Acts 17:26
Did you catch that? It's no mistake that you are living in this century, this decade, and this very year. It's no accident that you are residing in your town, living on the street where you live, and with the neighbors you see every day. And is your circle of friends just coincidence? No way. God has determined it.
Just think. You could have easily been born in another time, another place. Or you could have been raised on the other side of the country-think how different your life would be growing up with a whole new set of childhood friends and neighbors.
Of all the billions of possibilities, of all the millions of people with whom you could have been best friends, God determined the exact time and place where you should live. When you consider this amazing fact, your friendships take on a new and profound significance. God has a special reason, a unique design in each friendship. He chose to surround your life with these certain and treasured dear ones for good reasons.
As Christians, these are the people with whom you will live for eternity, enjoying an even greater dimension of friendship. Because God has placed you together on earth at this time and in this place, you and your friends have a chance to get a head start on God's eternal plan.
Father, I stand in awe at Your wisdom and ways. You could have placed me anywhere on this earth, but You determined that I should live here and now. Teach me what this means. Show me Your special design for my friends and family. And thank You that each person You put in my life is precious in Your eyes.
Blessings,
Joni and Friends
www.joniandfriends.org
--Acts 17:26
Did you catch that? It's no mistake that you are living in this century, this decade, and this very year. It's no accident that you are residing in your town, living on the street where you live, and with the neighbors you see every day. And is your circle of friends just coincidence? No way. God has determined it.
Just think. You could have easily been born in another time, another place. Or you could have been raised on the other side of the country-think how different your life would be growing up with a whole new set of childhood friends and neighbors.
Of all the billions of possibilities, of all the millions of people with whom you could have been best friends, God determined the exact time and place where you should live. When you consider this amazing fact, your friendships take on a new and profound significance. God has a special reason, a unique design in each friendship. He chose to surround your life with these certain and treasured dear ones for good reasons.
As Christians, these are the people with whom you will live for eternity, enjoying an even greater dimension of friendship. Because God has placed you together on earth at this time and in this place, you and your friends have a chance to get a head start on God's eternal plan.
Father, I stand in awe at Your wisdom and ways. You could have placed me anywhere on this earth, but You determined that I should live here and now. Teach me what this means. Show me Your special design for my friends and family. And thank You that each person You put in my life is precious in Your eyes.
Blessings,
Joni and Friends
www.joniandfriends.org
Monday, March 7, 2011
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