This is me, my husband, and kids with my husband’s mom, sister, and niece. They popped in for a visit and we walked around the Bountiful temple grounds.

I started my online Zion Finishing School last Friday. It was great! I have always had a call to be a teacher, that’s partly why I homeschool. But I like the feeling I get from sharing with other women. This coming week we discuss Eve and also gardening. You are all welcome to still sign up. It’s a a lot of fun! Go to http://treeoflifemothering.ning.com/page/an-online-finishing-school-for

Sunday my parents had a big shindig at their home. It was my dad’s birthday plus Father’s Day. My dad said that 49 years ago it was his 19th birthday, Father’s Day, and his missionary farewell on the same day, wow! That means he’s old, and I am old too. Next Sunday my oldest nephew related by blood has his “departing testimony” non-farewell. I can remember when he was born and when he used to watch Barney and only wanted to wear a diaper and sandals. How time flies! Now he’s had a year at BYU and will soon be a missionary in Brazil.

 I finally checked out the book Eat Fat, Lose Fat from the library after hearing about it from my nutrition mentor Caralee. It’s really fascinating! The authors, Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon, say that if you eat fat, the right kind of fat, like cream, butter, and tropical oils, you will actually eat less because you will feel full longer. The fat slows down your absorption of carbs. To lose weight they recommend having a tablespoon of coconut oil 20 min. before you eat your meal and said you will eat less because you will be sated sooner. So I went off and got myself some coconut oil.I am on a Sally Fallon kick, you may have noticed if you saw the new videos I added to the video page on this web site.

I finally got a pic of my daughter and her older look a like cousin together.

For a long time I have wanted to try the HCG diet. My daughter’s TJYC mentor did it and lost 30 pounds.The thing is you also have to restrict your calories down to 1400 a day and I just don’t think I could do that. I love food too much. I’ve been wanting to practice by limiting my meals to one serving of the main dish at each meal but I was always so hungry and gave in to my hunger. Well, since I started on coconut oil I do feel full after one serving. It’s amazing! Mary and Sally (hey, those are my sisters-in-laws’ names) go on and on about how miraculous coconut oil is. They make it sound like the cure all for everything. Maybe it is, I don’t know. They say it helps stimulate an underactive thyroid. I have wondered for years if I have an underactive thyroid because I always feel cold, have cold hands and feet, and have kept weight on.

At my parents’ family dinner on Father’s Day we got there right at 6 but none of my other siblings had arrived. I felt starving and was hoping we could eat as soon we got there. I was looking forward to the delicious tender shredded pot roast and veggies that I had brought. All I had eaten so far that day was two tablespoons of coconut oil, a piece of toast, and one bowl of oatmeal. I’ve found that 9 AM church is easier if I just serve toast for breakfast and then have one big meal, or dinner, at either noon or the evening, and for the other meal  keep it very simple. Since we were having this big dinner in the evening at my parents I planned oatmeal for lunch.

I took my coconut oil which I had remembered to bring and then 20 min later when we finally sat down to eat, I wasn’t able to eat as much as I usually do. So I ate more than 1 main dish serving, I fudged and had 1 and 1/2 servings of the pot roast/veggies. I had two helpings of salad and then one small brownie of the Famous Sheet Cake Brownies that I fixed from my friend Tammie Duggar’s cookbook http:///nourishingfamilies.blogspot.com. (She doesn’t have the brownies recipe there but she does have some other recipes for oatmeal cookies and other goodies to satisfy the sugar cravings. I do quibble with her use of canola oil, I don’t think canola oil is a whole food. Use her suggestion of coconut oil instead.) Usually I can eat a lot more.

So I am starting to believe this book. I do feel more satisfied in between meals and don’t eat as much at meals. Now if the weight would just come off then I will be a total believer.

We’ve been having lots of fun weeding. I have been wanting wood chips every summer to cover up the flower beds once we get them all weeded (the project every morning for me and the core phasers) but I never feel like I can afford the 5-6 bags that I need to cover up all the space. This year I got the bright idea, why don’t I just use grass clippings? I have plenty of that. So we started using that and it looks OK. Now the weeds won’t grow back. Now we will just hope that the wind doesn’t blow too hard.

I am still looking for my camera I lost at Youth for Freedom. Now I am reduced to using my cell phone camera. I am not ready to give up looking though. I keep calling the lodge and the Youth for Freedom people. I read a true story about a woman who lost her wedding ring while fishing at a lake. Twenty years later her friend that she had recenty met playing church bingo found the ring and gave it to her! I’ve had two false alarms but am not giving up hope.

I had an interesting conversation with my sister-in-law about natural family planning this morning. Maybe I will blog about that soon.