where to begin…? whole lot of random things happening here in the damme life. guess i’ll just get typing and see where it goes.
x. ransom is 19 pounds 11 ounces and 26 inches long. he makes for a very big boy. he’s wearing 12 month clothes at 7 months. i’m not ready for my little to be so big… : ( but at least he’s really cute. see:
doesn’t he look so tough in that last one? : ) my mom let us bring home her rubiks revolutions for a while and i think ransom likes it as much as daddy does! in other ransom news, we’ve been getting more used to solid foods, including a pepperoni from donatos last week:
still no teeth, but that doesn’t stop him from gumming food to swallowable size! he rather enjoyed his first taste of pizza toppings. he also likes chunks of cheddar cheese, which makes mom and dad happy because we do, too and we eat some nearly everyday; it’s fun to share with the little man!
he’s also very into crawling all over the house discovering things. it’s kind of fun to watch him wander his way from object to object. i’m not really into babyproofing my house and we’ve been working with ransom on “no” for weeks. we’re finally seeing results and it’s wonderful, especially considering his growing curiousity for things above his reach like the christmas tree and outlets. his fingers are too big to fit in the outlet holes, but we still want him to understand that they are dangerous for when we’re not paying attention and his curiousity gets to him. he responds really well to our “no”’s, but occassionally we just have to grab him and move him, which is fine since that teaches consequence. he’s learning and he’s very smart. it’s fun to watch him grow up (i just wish it was slower!).
x. in other news, we’ve been reading a lot about food lately. well, mostly i’ve been reading and repeating highlights to darin, who is totally riveted, plus we watched food, inc. together, which features a few of the authors whose books are in my hands often. we’re trying our darndest to get back to what our great-grandmothers ate for a number of reasons, health being the main one, and we’re absolutely loving it. the amount of misinformation out there about the components of our foods and the ridiculous amount of industrialized food products being marketed and consumed are literally killing this nation (and other peoples subscribing to our “western diet”). everything down to the milk we drink is endangering our health today, and it’s a really sad reality.
x. along those lines, we started our food journey with acquiring raw milk. there will likely be a handful of people out there reading this who’ve bought the idea that pastuerized and homogenized milk is better for you and will say our raw milk consumption is wrong, unhealthy, dangerous, whatever. but the facts are there. pastuerization and homogenization destroys everything in milk, so much so that they have to fill it full of synthetic chemicals and vitamins just to make it kind of seem nutritious again. in fact, most low-fat milks are just reconstituted powdered milk, which causes cancer because the fats have oxidized. it’s sad. raw milk is alive with good bacteria that fully take care of the bad bacteria, making it a completely safe food, provided that the farmers who draw the milk are using clean and healthful practices (pasturing the cows, ensuring cleanliness of equipment, etc.), and i don’t know of any raw milk farmers out there who aren’t trying to do their best, especially since they are some of the most scrutinized folks in the world (raw milk is the only food that is illegal to sell in certain states, NC included, and the law does everything they can to shut down raw milk farms, despite the truth that raw milk is in every way safe and beneficial). we get our raw milk just across the border in SC, along with literally hundreds of other people, at a milk drop from a farmer who sends a truck up the I-85 corridor weekly with fresh raw milk, cream, and buttermilk. it’s a lovely arrangement and we’re beyond blessed to live this close to a resource of pure milky deliciousness.
x. if you’re interested in changing your life, health, and food happiness, check out these books: In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, Real Food by Nina Planck (my favorite so far!), Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, and Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price. totally worth your time. yes. i didn’t get paid to type that out either, for the record. i’ve just been changed by what i read and want to share!
x. in related news, my weight loss kicked into gear after making food changes these past few weeks. it’s been lovely to eat real food and watch myself get and feel healthier. all that mess about low-fat foods helping you lose weight is really a ruse to sell low-fat food industrial foods and it is killing scores of people slowly. but not this people. we like oil on our salads and we like to cook in butter. and our hearts will be healthier for it. really. truly. i made steaks for us earlier this week and cooked them to about mid-rare on the stovetop in my cast iron skillet. they were drenched in garlic herb butter and they were scrumptious. and a day later, i had lost weight, not gained it. take that, modern advice. anyhoo, here are my newest stats:
Weight: 190 lbs.
Waist: 32.5″
Hips: 43.5″
Progess: 4 more lbs. lost! .5″ more each waist and hips!
Pounds to Ideal Weight: only 34 left!
it’s become kind of fun to eat again. right now, i’m working on a lovely lunch of herb salad coated in homemade asian salad dressing and a dash or two of crushed red pepper flakes. delish. and we’re having breakfast for dinner with real milk from grass-fed cows, real eggs from pastured chickens, pork sausage, biscuits, and country gravy. i’m excited.
x. in non-food related news, God is good! in addition to the awakening happening at IHOP, we’ve been blessed by God this month with some surprise finances. two days ago, we were more than broke. we got hit with over $170 of extra bills this past month due to end of the year property taxes in two states and a half of a phone bill we are not accustomed to paying. it just wiped us out. we went in the red in our bank account and there was no money coming in from anywhere. we paid some bills with my credit card and stopped paying on my college loan just so we could funnel that money elsewhere. it was a fairly bleak situation. all of a sudden, eight dollars unexpectedly came in from rewards on our debit card and some more money came in from family who learned of our situation. we came out of the red, were able to pay our bills, buy some groceries, and even got on top of what we will owe for this month’s round of medical bills. bless God! and thanks to family with giving hearts to help us in our need!
x. in other news, darin has taken up disc golf. thankfully it is free to play because he plays nearly every day provided it is not raining. ran and i go to watch him sometimes to get out in the sun and enjoy the beautiful parks, which is good because days are shorter now and sun is hard to come by out here. perhaps someday i’ll play, too, and then darin will be happy to have a wife with mad disc golf skills. yes.
x. my friends dan and bethany cox are landing in key west tomorrow! they will have successfully kayaked the entire east coast tomorrow upon landing–how cool is that? i mean, seriously! what an adventure! check out their site and leave them some congratulations for making it all the way! woohoo!
well, i reckon that’s enough news for now. blessings on your head and, as always, thanks for dropping by!
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