Hey everyone! It's been a crazy day taking our 12 year old to the beach, then helping out a friend — thankfully our awesome daughter made dinner. Tomorrow we're going to see Toby Mac in concert, YAY!!!
I've got a few health/real food goodies to share first today, AND then further below, some not-totally-related things to share, but I thought you might be interested in what's been going on around here this summer…
First, about MENTAL health and stress:
- I feel like such a failure some days and so ill-equipped for this parenting gig. I love it and wouldn't trade it for anything, don't get me wrong, but I can't believe how many tough dilemmas are coming at us every day. Things like…
- Praying they'll grow up loving the Lord <– that's the link to a post about how to raise kids to be committed Christians from my other blog. There are no guarantees and it's scary! (I know I know, pray like crazy and trust in Him, I keep reminding myself…)
- Dealing with screen time issues (Ugh, aren't you so sick of it?! Thank God at least for safety options like this case to block cell phone radiation and this to protect what they see online.)
- Friend problems.
- Homeschool stuff (I'm not even CLOSE to being ready and it's mid-August, yikes, why do I do this to myself every single year?!)
- Balancing work and home with kids — sometimes I'm good at that and other times NOT.
OH. MY. GOSH guys. I need HELP. That whole rant is just my way of saying that I'm excited to dig in to this latest parenting book bundle and see what's there for me. Click here to look it over. (It's only available for 3 more days!)
- One more to add to the list of parenting issues to figure out: Vaccines. What a job figuring out WHAT in the heck we should do as parents on that one. Doctors say they're necessary, and parents of vaccine-injured kids say no-way. Thankfully these free videos are live again soon, just in time before school starts when they'll start asking you things like, “Are your child's immunizations up to date?” Sigh… Click here to sign up so you don't miss the videos while they're free.
- Did you hear the sad news of Rami Nagel's passing? He was the author of the book that has helped so many: Cure Tooth Decay. I was able to meet him at a Weston Price conference, and also when he came and spoke to our local chapter a few years ago, and I know he will be greatly missed by his wife and kids. 🙁 Read this Q&A I did with him a while back.
- I wanted to show you a couple of old recipes I found in my Mom's recipe box that I was going through the other day. Note that they weren't all like this, and some of the good ones I'll be sharing in future posts here on the blog, but these were a couple zingers… First, one from a diabetes cookbook. It's not surprising that they're promoting things like reduced-fat sour cream and fat-free milk, but it is quite the bummer that they're not more enlightened on real food.
This one is a carrot cake recipe that I think was from my Grandma to my Mom (looks like her old typewriter font) — note the date Mom wrote on the top (she dated everything and now I do too, lol) — corn oil and oleo had weaseled their way into recipes all the way back in 1968, wow.
- Hey my hot flashing friends, you'll love me for this one — it's only my latest favorite BEST hot flash gadget: a remote control for your electrical outlets! I'm telling you guys, it's awesome because you can connect your fan to it and in the night you don't have to get up to turn it on, then when you're done combusting and you are freezing again, you can just pop it back off — it's the best $12 I've ever spent!
- Last weekend we ate some GOOD food around here… Our oldest son was home so I picked up some grass-fed steaks and made a sauce that I thought was béarnaise until I watched a Julia Child video, and now I think it was hollandaise, but whatever it was, it was so. stinkin. YUM. So of course I'm going to share the recipe here soon! 🙂
- This one is for diabetics from my Facebook page recently, please share this with those you love who have diabetes!!! Click here to read it.
- Lastly, my nephew is getting married this fall, so I've been shopping for a dress to wear to the wedding. I'm just the aunt, so I know it's really no big deal what dress I wear, but I just thought it would be fun to try out a Stitch Fix. Have you guys heard of it? It's basically a personal shopping service, so you tell them about yourself, including what you like and your measurements (and any special events coming up or special requests), and the stylist sends you a box of clothes to try. It's so fun to see what shows up on the porch! You have 3 days to decide what you like, and you don't pay for any clothes unless you keep them (and the $20 shopping fee comes off your purchase) — whatever you don't want, you pop into the bag they give you, seal it, and drop it in the mail. It's SO easy, I love it. The $20 shopping fee isn't something I'd pay for often, but I think it's worth it once in a while not only for the convenience, but also because it's fun to see what someone ELSE picks out for you, especially if you tend to go for the same styles all of the time and you want to mix it up a little. SO, I asked for only dresses in one of my orders, and I wanted to get your opinion…
The one on the left and the right came in my stitch fix. The one in the middle I actually got at a local store. It's funny the reactions I got over the middle one. My sons hated it and didn't use this word, but basically thought it looked slutty. One of my friends agreed. Another friend loved it. Kent and I both just weren't sure about it, but based on our son's reactions, I probably won't wear that one. I thought the one on the right just wasn't me, plus it was too long. The one on the left I thought was just okay, and I kept it to wear to church, but I think I'm going to keep looking for something I like more for the wedding. (The other items in the box I didn't like, including a pair of shoes.)
Oh and here's a top I kept from my last box, but I think it's cuter ON:
What do you guys think? Be honest, I can take it! If you want to try a stitch fix, click here.
That's all for this mix-up, God bless you guys and have a great weekend!
Geri says
Love the middle dress on you. It must look different up close. But, from your photo, it looks like it shows your figure off nicely.
Debbie says
Hi, where did you hear of the death of Rami Nagel? I haven’t heard anything about this and can’t find any news about it online. Do you have links to this news? Thanks!
kitchenkop says
Debbie,
I can’t find an obituary online either, but I heard this from some of his close friends, both privately (via emails) & publicly (via Facebook).
Kelly
Sharyl says
Well, this was fun. Thank you for sharing your pics and what was sent to you. Personally, I love long dresses and smaller prints, but felt the third dress didn’t have enough pizazz. Yeah, the neckline of the middle dress just doesn’t do it for me—also makes me think ‘cheap’ rather than ‘classy’. This is a personal thing, but I approach ‘louder’ prints with caution because I believe it ‘works’ best with a more pronounced facial feature such as a big nose, dark hair, strong lip color, striking hairstyle or some other feature to balance the print since they can be overpowering. I can’t see your face in these pics, but I think your features are ‘softer’. That said, I think the dress on the left flatters you the most and is more classic and looks nice on you.
Anna says
The middle color is really good on you, definitely the best color of the three, but the dress looks tawdry. It reminds of cheap clubbing dresses that young women’s stores sell.
shuvanidev says
I like the dress on the left and the one in the middle – both were flattering. The one on the right was just okay – it didn’t do anything to flatter and as you said it was too long. But right or middle were both lovely – the one on the left is pretty classic and classy. The one in the middle is trendy and fun, flirty – it depends on what sort of an event it is.
Jeannette says
I agree with your sons. No one wants to see their Aunt’s cleavage either. Eeeew! It’s not something I would think would be reverent/appropriate to wear inside a church. Honestly I didn’t like any of them. Clothing really should draw attention to your face which is more of who you are. Choose a color that compliments your complexion and a cut that is stylish, flattering to your figure but also modest which always comes off looking classy. Think Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly. Also don’t forget a slip and slimmer for underneath. Both make a huge difference in the classy department. Oh and make sure to look at yourself in the dress from all angles in a full length mirror and sit down in it to see if you like the way it looks on you while seated. Best of luck and I’m sure you’ll look lovely and make your sons proud at the wedding!
KitchenKop says
I agree on the cleavage, that was one thing I liked was that this one did not show cleavage though, but otherwise just still wasn’t sure it was me. (I actually can’t stand seeing cleavage on anyone, I think it looks like they’re trying too hard…)
I agree that I want something classy. 🙂
Thanks Jeannette & everyone so far for your honesty!!
Kel
Sue says
First time I’ve written to you! Fun? I read your stuff pretty often…. Ok, dresses. I like the middle more than the others. The dark colors didn’t do anything for you in my opinion…find one w personality is my first thought?
I buy a lot of things in nice thrift stores and often find brand new things there that I think we’re sent just for me! The town we live in is pretty high end I’ll admit, though, so some of the stuff is pretty cool! (We aren’t in that category…..?) Just another thought….!
On the church note….a great new book is out by a wonderful author ‘Jesus is Family’, by Jon Zens. It seems like something you might appreciate?.
Have a good time finding that fun perfect dress!
Sue, from Michigan before Utah!
kitchenkop says
Thanks Sue for writing & sharing your thoughts, also thanks for the book suggestion!
Kel
Kathy S. says
Find a nice Fair Trade dress to wear, it helps the poor and the common good. Some Fair Trade dresses are also made of organic cotton or hemp.
Jill Boman says
I actually like the middle dress the best! Both the color and the cut are very flattering on you! Is it the neck style your son didn’t like maybe? You could always just take mental note of the overall cut, length, and color as you’re dress shopping in the future!
Elaine says
Love the dress in the middle – sorry to your son. Don’t like the other two, especially the one on the right.