Think you're doing great avoiding MSG in foods?

Well, think again.

Here's an article by Dr. Mercola which exposes how MSG--under different names-- is added to foods. The names are listed at the end of the article.

It's always something, I know.

But more and more these kinds of things are convincing me to just buy basic foods. You know, the oft-mentioned fruits and vegetables, and then things like peanut butter where only peanuts are listed on the jar (seeing 'organic peanuts' listed is even better). And canned tomatoes or beans where just tomatoes or beans are the only ingredients. Or frozen blueberries which have only frozen blueberries in the bag.

But have you noticed how difficult it's become to find such simple foods?

In other news... Remember how Tom and I were going to race to see who could lose 5 pounds first? Well, that lasted 3 whole days. But alas! I began writing, "Tom bought snacks" on the calendar each day he brought them home and suddenly he stopped lugging in the sherbet and chips and chocolate. Having his sins up there on the refrigerator for all to see bothered him, I think. As it should. :)

So that helped--and one more thing. This winter Tom's noticed me hobble off the couch (often) all stiff in my joints. I told him I believe it's partly because of our icy/wet/annoying weather and partly because sugar and fats are two of the worst inflammatory ingredients known to man. I told him we would both feel better (Tom is always stiff and sore due to his polio issues) if we cut wayyyy back on processed sugary foods, fatty ones and even dairy and nightshade vegetables. All stiffness-inducing culprits.

And you know what we've found? When we eat better, Tom and I feel better. Can you fathom such a revolutionary thing?

So today I'm feeling grateful for our stiff joints. No, really. They just might be the final wake-up call we've needed to plain ol' grow-up in our eating habits and to treat these bodies God gave us the way He asks.

And it only took us a half-a-century to get here.




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To read more about inflammatory foods go here.

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James 4:17 "Therefore to him that knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin."

Rain, rain, rain. Sigh.

But yesterday was gorgeous! And you know what? I dragged the lawn mower from the barn and mowed the front yard, the orchard and the side yard. Felt great to get outside and work like that. I broke it up into 20-minute segments which made it easy, coming inside between times to rest.

So Tom arrived home last night around 7:00 and before he came into the house he spoke with our neighbor. Rob said, "Debra got out and did all that mowing today."

Tom said, "Yeah, Debra's a hard worker."

I smiled when he told me that because, no, I'm not a hard worker. Not really. Mostly? Mostly I take 3 or 4 days off a week, doing only the tiny things which must be done lest the house fall down. The rest of the time I do a special project or two, things usually I've been procrastinating for ages.

Yet why does Tom think that I work hard? It's because of Grace. Grace makes me look good.

Grace stops me from spending all my energy doing ten things which don't (currently) matter, and instead, she directs me to the one or two things which, if I do them, will accomplish the most. And make the biggest impact. And keep me from falling behind.

Grace is amazing that way. When I follow Grace, rooms get painted and rearranged and cleaned. Lawns get mowed and garden beds get dug and stone patios get created. And thousands of blog posts get written, emails get answered and bills get paid on time--fun work, much of it becomes, therefore making it not feel like work.

Oh, a tiny part of that is me--the use of my hands and feet and head count for a part. But always I'll give Grace and God the biggest amount of credit. Not just because I'm 'supposed to', but rather, just because that's the way it really is.

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2 Corinthians 12:10
"...for when I am weak, then am I strong."

At my house this morning the sun is shining and we are due for 82 warm degrees by this afternoon. I've washed the dishes and straightened all rooms but one (the one I never straighten, the one I avoid because it's out of control. Do you have one of those?).

I'm playing the crooner music station and I washed a load of clothes and am feeling like every crisp, pretty housewife I ever saw on old tv shows (though I'm not looking crisp and pretty, myself, since I'm wearing gardening clothes). But I feel Like June Cleaver and her ilk, what with all the crooners and jotting down my list for the milkman and the sunshine and our warm gold dining room and our sunny front porch where Lennon The Cat and I sat for awhile drinking pretend coffee (well, Lennon didn't drink any, but both of us smiled like Cheshires).

And at my house this morning I'm planning to step outside into the country air and country scents where I'll weed the orchard trees and the flower beds beside the house and dig and fertilize and look around me a lot. And fill the birdfeeders (goldfinches are gold again!) and then take some extra Bison baseball tickets for Sunday afternoon (which Tom got from work) to our neighbors. And eat cold birthday pizza for lunch and not worry about the swine flu, even though tv people are suggesting hard that we should all worry.

Instead, I'll appreciate and celebrate and thank the One from whom all blessings flow and flow and flow.



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On Saturday I finally painted the above corner post in our dining room. I like it.

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Tom really appreciated your birthday wishes. He thanks you.