We converted to this lifestyle just a few months ago and are feeling great, losing weight and staying healthier than ever. Just recently we made a commitment to continue eating this way permanently and to buy as much food as possible locally. We shop at our local farmer's market first and for whatever else we need we go to our Costco warehouse or a couple of local groceries stores that sell bulk foods. Here is mostly what we buy: A variety of fresh fruits and vegetables (bought weekly). We'll buy canned and frozen during the winter when we can't buy fresh. All natural chicken, pork, fresh seafood, occasionally lean beef and/or buffalo Whole grains such as quinoa, barley and brown rice, as well as dried beans Whole grain pastas, whole grain flour, whole grain breads Olive oil, nuts, avocados, olives, peanut butter, canned albacore tuna (in water) Eggs, plain yogurt, 1% milk, low fat cheeses such as mozzarella, goat, feta, etc., along with some cheddar and/or jack. Wine (consumed at dinner only), tea and coffee 100% fruit juice for my daughter along with occasional ice cream or frozen fudge bars for the familyI think that just about covers it. Blessings, Lucinda

Yes, even when writing that particular phrase in my post I was aware that our decision was part of the consequences he'll be suffering from because of decisions that he, himself, made. Along with that because I am a believer I also realize that God loves him, faults and all, and wants to heal his life. I can't help but wonder if that adds to the burden I feel. I'll always remember his face and his name and I want to pray for him and his family just as much as I want to pray for the man that he hurt and damaged during his series of crimes. Thanks friends. You are all awesome. :grouphug: Lucinda

and I feel so sad about the verdict, but it had to be made. We were with the case two full days days and it was challenging to catch every little detail, take notes, etc. My head hurts from such intense focus over two days. I'm so glad I'm not a judge or a lawyer!! The jury found the defendant guilty on three counts. It was nearly unanimous, yet we each felt a heavy sense of responsibility knowing that our decision was going to effect a man and his family for years to come. I know I did the right thing with my votes, but I still feel so sad today. There was violence and drinking involved and a lot of testimony from people with messed up lives. My heart feels heavy for broken lives, homes and families anyway, so at the end of the day I feel even heavier hearted than before. This experience reminds me that I need to pray for my community more than I have been. Wow, the letdown I feel is harder than I imagined it would be. I just needed to get this off my chest today. Thanks for giving me a safe place to share. Blessings, Lucinda

Whenever you check the time you'll be reminded of the ten years of service and feel good about the recognition it represents. It is also something that will be only yours and it will (with proper care barring any defects or accidents) last longer than the handbag. Pretty jewelry is something most of us don't buy for ourselves, and to me that would be a real reward. You are the one that has earned this, so don't feel guilty to get something just for you that you will really enjoy and appreciate. Second vote would be take the cash, but buy something along these lines that you choose personally for yourself. Don't spend it on anyone else!! Blessings, Lucinda

Oh my goodness :scared: !!!!!!!!!!!!! I just ordered glasses from Costco yesterday and wish I'd read this post first. Costco (Sam's Club in some areas) is one of the least expensive stores to get glasses, but YIKES what a difference. Here is the cost breakdown for my new glasses from Costco: Exam & Prescription $60.00 Frames 64.99 Progressive Lenses with Transition Gray 129.99 Anti Reflective Treatment 29.99 Edge Polish 9.99 TOTAL $294.96 Add to this the fact that they will arrive in 7-10 working days and I have to go all the way back (23 miles) to get them. FWIW, Lucinda

Ever since I was very pregnant with my first child I have had a thing about being crowded and becoming claustrophobic. When I was nearly nine months along I was in a crowded grocery store during Christmas season. I suddenly had panic attack and left my cart in the aisle as I ran out of the store. Ever since that moment I have disliked crowds. I don't panic anymore, but I stay away if at all possible. Blessings, Lucinda

These sound really great. Another addition to this list might be a bit of diced mangoes. Yummmm! Blessings, Lucinda

DD 9yo is a definate candidate a dawdling throw down! I'm seriously checking out the rainbow timer in the other post. Looks like a fantastic tool to me! Blessings, Lucinda

I've been putting off getting new glasses for this very reason, but my frames were cheap last time and I've developed an allergy to the metal. Along with not seeing my best, I have sore ears all the time too! We checked with our local Costco store and found that the exam and glasses are about half of what we paid for good quality glasses in the past. I'm finally going tomorrow to get it started and I can't wait! Blessings, Lucinda

No offense intended, DB. We each have to deal with these things as we are faced with them in our circumstances. My previous marriage also included abuse and other complications that added to the pain. I do know that God has walked beside me through everything and it all contributed over time to the deep, abiding spritual relationship I now have with Him. Blessings, Lucinda

I think I am looking forward to two little green squares because it means I'm part of the team here. Team work is essential to my personality type for some reason. I guess recognition is part of it, but also the feeling of inclusion. BTW, I'm at 97 right now too. So close!! Blessings, Lucinda

Perhaps DB has never been cheated on. It is a noble perspective, but IRL quite different. I was in a marriage where my spouse cheated and it was worse than stabbing me in the heart with a knife. We reconciled, restored the marriage and then it happened again, and again until finally I could bear no more. I had three children to consider and I was not a martyr. Blessings, Lucinda

Not the kind for calloused feet, but for house cleaning! Thanks. Lucinda

I loved Trinity by Leon Uris. It's a great epic novel that deals with the history of the catholic and protestant conflicts. Blessings, Lucinda

Pardon the highjack, but I would like to comment on this because it can be closely related to the issue of young people getting married. I agree with the above quote, and it is possible! In rare cases if restoration is just not going to happen, the abused partner must remove themselves and the children from the situation without feeling shame. Family, church and support network need to wrap their arms around these people in either case. Jesus was not in favor of divorce, but He had a bigger issue with remarriage. (He was also filled with love, compassion and grace toward the woman at the well who had been married, divorced and remarried many times.) Blessings, Lucinda

I agree with this up to a point. I don't think parents should go too far with this. Marriage is for mature people and should be planned out carefully by both parties without too much input from parents. That's the purpose of marriage isn't it? Starting your own life together, leaving parents and having a family of your own? The saying is often true that "Two heads are better than one". Couples should figure out how to manage their finances, jobs, management of children, etc. together. It's been done very well by couples even in college without Mom & Dad's help. Oh, I don't mean Grandma and Grandpa shouldn't help with childcare and advice when it's asked for, etc. Family support is a wonderful gift. As hard as it is though, it is a parent's job to LET GO. No one ever told me this so I wasn't prepared with ds #1 grew up. It is painful, but it is our job. Help and support, yes, but we need to respect boundaries. Even when our kids get married young, we as parents enter a new season of our lives that is rich and rewarding. I had a taste of it for a couple of years before dd age 9 entered the family and it wasn't too bad, I'm telling you! It just takes a little getting used to. Blessings, Lucinda

Feelings come and go over the years, so in marriage the definition of love is often expressed by commitment. It is like being in a boat and hanging on, staying in the boat through the rough waters as well as the calm. The goal is simply to stay in the boat. Any long term relationship is like this -- you have to look at the big picture instead of the day, the week, or even the month or year you are in. Feelings of love will be there over the years, but they will surface and be very strong in some seasons while weaker or less obvious in others. Feelings just aren't what it's all about though. So many people in our culture just don't understand that. I think people can be perfectly ready for marriage at a young age as long as they can comprehend this idea. Our grandparents did and most of them stayed in the same marriage for life. In fact, my parents met when they were 13 and 17 and they married 4 years later when my mom was just out of high school. They were the only ones for each other until my dad died 46 years later. They really loved each other and understood the big picture thing. My husband and I are survivors of painful pasts, divorces with children, and the whole nine yards. We each had very good reasons for what happened, and would have stayed in our previous marriages if that had been an option. We made a commitment to each other with this marriage, however, that we will never divorce no matter how hard it gets. Neither of us ever want to go through that kind of hell again. Just knowing that we've promised this to ourselves and each other has given me so much peace in this marriage of 14 years. We even have a big beautiful certificate signed and framed to remind us of that commitment to stay together for life. Blessings, Lucinda

I'm not sure about buying a pumice stone, but as for the price of the laundry detergent it is very inexpensive. I think you should be able buy the washing soda and the soap for about $5. I usually buy several bars of Fels Naptha because it is so cheap and then we grate it up 2 bars at a time. The box of soda lasts for several batches. Oh, another tip is that if you have one of those long paint stirring paddles on a cordless drill, it works really well to stir it once the soap mixture is in the big bucket. The whole detergent making process is fun for kids to help with. Some groups of kids in our community actually make and bottle up this stuff to give to a local helps ministry. It is distributed to the needy along with other household products. Blessings, Lucinda

The recipe I listed for laundry detergent yields 4 3/4 to 5 gallons. :) Lucinda

I think I'm a twisted knicker roller kind of girl. Loosely translated I think that means I can get irritated at the unexpected, but I get over it and roll with the punches. This tendency has helped me out many a time in my life, I'm telling you! Blessings, Lucinda :lol:

Laundry Detergent Recipe You will need: 2 – 5 ½ oz. Bars Fels Naptha Bar soap 1 ½ cups Arm & Hammer Washing Soda 6 cups water 4 ½ gallons hot water (from the tap) Cheese grater Funnel 5 gallon bucket Empty gallon-size milk jugs Large stockpot Grate the Fels Naptha soap and mix with the 6 cups of water in stockpot and stir over low heat. Stir constantly until all grated soap is dissolved. Pour mixture into the big bucket and add the hot water. Next, stir in the washing soda and mix well. Leave overnight in bucket to set up into a gel. Pour gel into gallon jugs for storage. Use 1 cup per load of laundry. NOTE: Fels Naptha soap can be found in the Laundry aisle of most groceries stores. It is a brown bar wrapped in parchment paper. Washing soda should be located nearby on the same aisle, and comes in a yellow Arm & Hammer box. Blessings, Lucinda

That is one of my favorite quotes too. Thanks for bringing it to us today! Please keep those posts coming. Blessings, Lucinda

Yes, give it a try at the grocery store. Here in the PNW I can find it at nearly all grocery stores on the top shelf near the laundry products. I also find Fels Naptha bars there in the same area. Washing Soda and the Fels Naptha together make a great laundry soap that is cheap yet effective. If anyone wants the recipe for liquid laundry soap made with these ingredients I'll post it on this thread. Just let me know. Blessings, Lucinda

These are all great tips, friends. Thank you! I'm anxious to try them. Anyone else? Lucinda

I am self-taught at the piano because I wanted to learn so badly when my parents could not afford lessons that I saved my own money to buy sheet music. I would buy something that was challenging and would go through it measure by measure until I could play the whole song. Then I would go buy another piece of music, a bit more challenging than the last and so on. The point is that I wanted to play. No one made me do it. I remember my parents standing in the background in awe at my passion to learn. They were encouraging, but they never pushed me at all. I knew they were very interested and proud, but I also knew that they were leaving it up to me. As an adult I realized a great dream by putting myself through art school. I studied hard for four years, year round, until I graduated and got my Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. One very valuable lesson I learned (while I was there on my own dime, not my parents') was that I had to grow out of the notion that I had to "feel like it" in order to be creative. I remember slow starts to studio classes when I had no other choice but to push through the fog and produce art work. I realized how much I was paying for those classes and that the time with my professors and fellow students would not be available for ever. Through this experience I learned that I could push through my emotions and work at my craft. Whether I'm making art today or standing in front of students teaching, I hold on to that valuable lesson. Again, it was a lesson I had to learn on my own with no one guiding me. Art IS a very personal thing. It should be gently nurtured and encouraged, but not forced. From my own experience and those of others I've met along through the years I think that the very best artists are the ones that were driven by their own passion rather than someone else's. I hope that you will keep encouraging your dd to draw and even buy art supplies for her when she needs them, but please don't force the issue or she may shut down and stop all together. Blessings, Lucinda