Category: healthy lifestyle

One Foot in the Present and One in the Past

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Do you ever get that feeling that you are living in the wrong period of time.  Don’t get me wrong I love all the new modern technology.  A lot of technology has helped me in this world. Digital hearing aid, streamers, and personal loops have made a huge difference for me.  I also love the internet.  What I am getting at is crafting, cooking, gardening.  I know people do these things now in time but I don’t believe it is as prevalent than generations before us.

I enjoy having my garden.  Snapping peas or beans, making a BLT with a homegrown tomato is wonderful.  It sure beats a store bought any day of the week.  Seeing the plants grow, getting to maturity get me excited for canning.  Another skill that is declining.  I love to water bath can and to pressure can.  Knowing we have food and meals on a shelf is a satisfying feeling.  You never know when money may be tight, storms and you can’t get to a store, or a zombie apocalypse.  All very plausible and canned goods would be imperative.  Can you tell I am thinking spring!

Cooking from scratch is another lost art.  There is plenty of people that cook but there are so many box meals, take out, fast food.  Don’t get me wrong we do that also but I am trying so hard not to.  I want to use basic whole food ingredients for my family.  I want and enjoy making a meal from start to end.  Can be a little stressed on nights where there are evening activities but I get it accomplished most nights.  Knowing what is in our food I believe is the first step in trying to get healthy.  Slow and steady wins the race I have been told.  Call me old fashioned but I feel if I am home before my husband it is my job to make a meal for us all.  Minus the tablecloth, good china, a dress and a string of pearls.

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Lastly is crafts.  I love crafting.  I love seeing something in a magazine or online and trying to make it.  If that would be painting, jewelry, or decorating.  My main craft I go back to for almost 30 years is knitting.  For a birthday when I was a teenager I received a wicker basket with knitting needles and blue and yellow yarn from my aunt.  She taught me to knit and I made my first scarf that was an homage to my Swedish heritage.  I have left knitting behind at times but it is like an old friend and always welcomes me back.  When I attended college in New Mexico blankets were knitted for people.  It was a good past time.  Scarfs and hats have been made for my children.  For a while I knitted and sold my items under, Ausome Knits.  My knitting needles have been out again this winter.  A new scarf for my son, a couple birthday gifts are being made.  Tonight at church we are having a crafting night.  Bring what ever projects you are working on and we can fellowship and work on them together.

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Now there are some skills I wish I could get a little stronger at.  Sewing, I have a couple sewing machines.  I would like to boost my skills in this area. Also small needle crafts like cross stitch.  I have never done this but I think it looks like another good past time.

Could I live in another time period.  I think I could.  It wouldn’t be as easy as now but heck I have never owned or had a dishwasher so that dreaded chore would be the same.  Going to have to live one foot in the present and one in the past.

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A New Year

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A new year has seemed to creep up on us. 365 days seem to be a long time but when living, working, and enjoying life a year is fleeting. The holidays were a great time of family. We traveled across the state to spend time with my family. We had a wonderful time visiting with everyone. I had a realization when visiting this time. It wasn’t home. Yes my childhood home and early married life. This time it felt like a visit not coming home. When driving back to the land of the flat that was home. It was like I was outside looking in. I enjoyed my visit but it no longer seemed like a place I want to go back to. We have established a life on the other side of the state. In saying that we had a great time. We shopped, visited, went out to eat. We went to a morning movie complete with recliner chairs. That was a first for Chad and I. It was quality time with family. 

I took each child individually and we did a little early morning exploring. Greta, I took her to downtown Stillwater. We drove around and checked out the ice castle that was being built. 


Henry I took to the Bayport park to check out the St Croix River. This was a place I spent almost everyday. I swam in the river everyday and we played on the ice in the winter. One of my favorite spots. 


Christmas Day was at my grandmas house like everyday since ever. We have moved up in technology. This year was a group selfie picture. 


Always a great time with everyone. Christmas Eve was at my parents house. I absolutely love watching the kids with their cousins. 


We travelled back and headed to the farm for the Lundquist Christmas. Again a very fun gathering. I can truly say I am very blessed with having 2 great families. 


Now we are in 2017. I am not a big one to make resolutions. I at least don’t say them out loud. I want my family to be healthy. That is a big one for this year. I want more unplugged times also. Games, reading, and outside time. I have taken knitting up again. Greta is playing here ukulele she received from us. Henry is planning World War 3 with nerf guns. Chad always has his nose in a book. Just need to make these things more prominent. 

So the year marches on. Henry is in basketball and bowling. He is my sports lover. Greta is in knowledge bowl, speech and numerous other activities. We are busy and that is good. 

I wish you all a happy New Years! 365 days will go fast. 

Working on ME

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At the end of last school year I received a card, I should say my husband received a card in the mail from his employer.  It was a program that assisted you in healthy living and changing habits and losing weight.  Chad wasn’t interested in the program but I was so I signed up and it has been great.  Everything was online, even a scale that they sent me sends everything through WIFI to track your progress.  I happened to start the program the week we moved to our new house.  So it was truly new beginnings.  I have a lot of weight to lose.  Not that extra 10-15 pounds you hear women complain about consistently.  I have told very few people I am doing this program just because of fear of failure and how much I need to lose.  I am not using shakes, surgery or supplements.  Not that these things are wrong but I wanted to try and make life long changes.

I have finally had a few people come up to me and ask if I have lost some weight.  I am a tad over 50 pounds lost.  I have a lot more to go but I am proud of the progress I have made.  I notice I have more energy and buying a couple new pieces of clothes have been fun.  I hope to keep a slow and steady pace for the future.

I have been walking more and more.  I want to add in some strength exercises so a kettle bell was just purchased.  I am excited to be able to do more and more and my kids are excited to go with me and walk with me.

A good friend of mine has reintroduced me to yoga.  I did yoga when I was in college and really enjoyed it.  A couple weeks ago we went to a yoga session in Morris.  I loved it!  I kept waiting for it to get really hard to the point I couldn’t do it but that wasn’t the case.  It was a meditation yoga and I was able to do the full class.  I would love to go back to that class once or twice a month.  Last night we went to a regular yoga class in town.  Oh my, I made it through but it was so tough.  I am not in shape.  I have about zero balance so doing these things in class I felt like I was going to die.  I finished the class, let me tell you there was more than once I wanted to get my mat and walk out the door.  One thing I really learned last night is I am not at that level.  I need beginners yoga and work up to that.  Yes I pushed myself and I got a good work out but I felt lost and extremely awkward the whole class.  In saying that I am proud I stuck with it to the end.

To add to the stress of trying something new is trying to understand what the instructor was saying.  Squaring your body with the mat and turning to watch her talk was tough.  A lot of times her back was to us while she talked or her face was down to the mat while talking.  Add in some music playing- if you are deaf/hard of hearing you get it.  You aren’t going to get anything out of what is going on.

I will try again.  I am not sure if it will be that class or a more beginner class.  I won’t give up.  I give huge virtual hugs to my friend, Beth.  She has been such an encourager.  I don’t think I would be where I am now if it wasn’t for her.  She is always giving me a compliment or a little push to do something more.  I am very thankful she is in my life.

So I will keep walking, and working.  I love cooking and canning and that works great for this because I can make my family food with no preservatives, no dyes, no added items.  I am changing my whole family without their direct knowledge.  My youngest who used to be so picky has learned to love grilled chicken that was marinated in a light italian dressing.  My oldest loves to cut all kinds of veggies for a stir fry.  My husband who was a 6 cans of soda full of sugar guy, is down to 2 cans a day and one is diet.  It is slow baby steps but they say slow and steady wins the race.

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