fresh vs microwaved...interesting experiment....UPDATED

added today (8/31): we started 6 more plants....2 will be watered with fresh tap water, 2 will be watered with microwaved water, and 2 will be watered with stove top boiled water...will be interesting to see how it goes this time)

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A couple months ago I had read about someone planting a couple items...then they watered one with water that had been microwaved. The other they watered with regular water. It said that the one with microwaved water did not grow at all but the one with "regular" water flourished. I didn't think this was true and I suspected there would at least be some growth in both pots.

I decided to try this experiment with my our kids. I bought 6 small planters and some marigold seeds along with some soil. I let the kids decorate the planters, then they filled their pots with soil and planted their seeds. We then took two water bottles and labeled them..one with water that I had microwaved for 5 min and let cool to room temperature, then the other with fresh tap water that was also left at room temperature. We set them in our kitchen window seal...3 on one side and 3 on the other. We watered them daily with the same amount of water with the only difference being 3 were watered with fresh water and 3 were watered with the microwaved water. Here are a few pics during our experiment. There was an OBVIOUS difference. Check it out.........

The top row are regular water

the bottom row are microwaved water

(very obvious difference)

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microwaved water (upper photo)

vs

regular water (bottom photo)

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regular water on left
microwaved water on right

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Final photos....look at the huge difference.

The flowers that were watered with regular fresh water obviously grew at a much faster rate than the flowers watered with microwaved water. The fresh water flowers had much fuller and healthier looking leaves then the others. They also had many more flowers than the microwaved ones. Makes you think twice about what you are eating that comes out of a microwave. Surely makes me want to use my microwave less. This is proof that the microwave damages the food and things we put into it.

( I had decided to do 3 of each...to be sure the results were consistent...which you can see from the pics that they were)

Tostada for lunch....

Another good one. I was in the mood for some "Mexican food" for lunch, and this was close enough. A couple days ago, I had cooked some pinto beans in my crock pot nearly all day. I let them cool and put them in the fridge. This morning, I put some in a pan along with a little water and onions and let them heat..then mashed them with a potato masher to make refried beans. I also had some ground turkey breast cooking in another pan. I found some organic tostada shells that have nothing more than corn, lime, canola oil, and one other thing..I cant remember what it was. But I knew it was something I could have. So when everything was done cooking, I layered the tostada with some beans, ground turkey, the shredded up fresh spinach (you could use whatever lettuce you want..but spinach is good for you. I use it for all my lettuces). I don't have any tomatoes but if I did, I would have added tomatoes as well. I topped it with some salsa verde and chipotle salsa both from trader joes. Neither of them have any foods that I cannot have. It turned of so good...full of flavor and without all the added garbage you would normally be eating when making a tostada. I only had one and I am pretty full.

Just tossed it together..but was very good.....

Tonight, I decided to toss a few things together which turned out to be a very tasteful meal. I know some of you out there are attempting to eat whole foods, natural, organic, and maybe have specific foods you need to avoid, etc etc. I have been on that path now for over a month. And although it has not been easy all of the time, I am slowly learning and enjoying it. I am starting to see th ebenefits of eating much healthier. This meal tonight turned out so well...and so full of flavor. It has no MSG, wheat, gluten, dairy, eggs, or meat. It would be very good with some chicken or whatever meat you chose to use. I did use an organic spaghetti sauce, but you could use your own spices and tomato paste or whatever you chose. Here is what I used to make this pasta:

about 8 oz organic brown rice pasta fusilli from trader Joes

about 2 cups frozen spinach (you could use fresh but I am out)

about 1 cup frozen pepper strips (again out of fresh)

4 oz organic mushroom pieces

minced onions to taste

about 1/3 of a 24 oz jar organic Muir Glen roasted garlic spaghetti sauce

2 TBL olive oil

I boiled the noodles in one pot. In the other pan, I sauteed the mushrooms, onion, pepper strips, and spinach in 2 TBL olive oil (good fat). I then added the spaghetti sauce to the sauteed mixture. I then just drained the noodles and tossed it all together. This would be very good with chicken added to it, or whatever your meat of choice might be. I used all organic ingredients, but you can alter it as needed. If there is something listed here you don't like, just take it out. You could also add so many other items. This is just what I had on hand, and I really enjoyed it.

Isnt she pretty......

Here is one of our favorite chicks. Isn't she pretty? She has some cool markings for sure. Most of the white will disappear or be under feathers, but for now, she is one cool chick....

would any of you be interested?!?!?!

We are thinking of setting up a new drop point for this place called azure standard. They have many whole foods, natural foods, organic foods, cleaning items, health items, etc. They have a huge catalog. You can get such a variety of foods from them. And their prices are very very good. They are better than anywhere around here. You have the option to buy in bulk at this place and save even more, but you do not have to. If we set up a drop point, we do NOT pay shipping on our orders. In order to have a drop point, you need at least a $500 order. That means total combined cost of everything that everyone orders. But, each order has to be at least $50. So if you were interested in ordering and having your order delivered to a drop point (which would be my home), you would need to order at least $50 worth of items..does that make sense? But you could have a $300 order..it is just that every individuals persons contribution to the total order needs to be at least $50. We are thinking of setting up the drop point for only once a month. Possibly twice a month but most likely once a month.
So, I am wondering if any of you would be interested in ordering foods and other items from this place if we had a drop point at my home. You are welcome to browse their online catalog and see if it is something you would be interested in. We would need people that would be willing to order once a month routinely..so that we had our $500 minimum. If you are interested, let me know..and if possible a rough estimate on how much you think you would order monthly in dollar amount. The prices are very good...and they have so much to offer.
They also have a huge selection for people with food allergies and such. Take a look and let me know. I am completely willing to have my house as a drop point. Then you would come pick up your order at my home once it got delivered. And, I am sure I could bring things to people once in a while if needed. So, check it out and let me know:

http://www.azurestandard.com/

****Just an FYI..there will be a limit in the amount of people allowed in the drop point and there are a couple people already interested and on the list. so go check out their website, and let us know. July will be the first order.

5 Pound Burrito Challenge....

Back on Cinco de Mayo, Josh decided to take their 5 POUND BURRITO CHALLENGE again for the second year in a row. They give you 30 min to eat this 5 pound burrito...and if you are able to eat the entire thing in those 30 min, it is free. We have to much fun watching him eat this burrito..it is always filled with much laughter. Maybe not for him...but it surely is for those of us watching. We took so many photos that day...but I thought I would share a few.....next year we are hoping someone will be brave enough to join him.....that would be a blast....















Ha Ha!!! Have fun trying to eat all that in 30 min

First bite...yummy.....

Attack the burrito....

The cheering squad....

Grr....I will conquer you burrito.....

Ho hum......still eating.....

Water......

ughh..what was I thinking....

Second wind.........2/3 way there.....

Ughh....not feeling so well.......

So so close........

The lasr few bites are the hardest......

But at last....last bite.....

Not much time to spare but...made it!!!

Yah!!!

10 years ago today........

10 years ago today, I had the absolute privilege of becoming Mrs Joshua Long. What an amazing 10 years it has been. The Lord has blessed me with a husband who loves me unconditionally.

My husband loves the Lord, loves me unconditionally and he loves his children as well. I am thankful that he allows me to stay home with our children. I love to watch him interact with the kids. You can tell he loves his role of being a Daddy. He isn't afraid to get in there and get dirty while caring for the kids, even if that means helping me with one of the worst diaper blow outs ever. We laughed so hard that we couldn't even change the poor kid as we had him dangling in the air. precious memories for sure. It truly blesses my heart to watch my husband with our kids.

















I am thankful for a husband who is one of the handiest men that I know of. I am thankful that the Lord has given him a great sense of being a handy man. He is so incredibly good at fixing things. Whenever I want things done, there is no one that I would rather have do it than my hubby. He does such a good job at things. Well, he does an amazing job. I don't know how he does some of the things that he does.










I am thankful that my husband is so very funny. He can be very quiet if he does not know someone well, but at the same time, he is so very funny. I will never forget standing in line a Kmart once trying to buy some shoes that were marked down. Those who know the story....it was hilarious. With that said, I am so thankful that we can laugh and have a good time.
















I am thankful that my husband is a very hard worker, who has been blessed with an amazing job. He works long hard hours to provide for our family. Although I do miss him terribly when he is working long hours, I am so thankful that the Lord has provided him a great job...and that he is such a hard worker. Let me share with you a little about his job. He is a machinist and is also in the Navy reserves. But I will share about his job as a machinist. Every job that he does, from my understanding, is allotted a certain amount of man hours to complete. If a job on average is supposed to take 24 hours to complete, my husband can get the job done in 4 or 5 hours. Does that make sense? He is so talented at his job that he saves the government thousands of hours of man power by being able to complete the job early and quickly with much precision. In no way do I say that to boast my husband, but rather to share how thankful I am for what a great worker he is. Not only does his talent bless our family, but it blesses the thousand of people that benefit from the parts that he makes.














I am thankful for a husband who loves me unconditionally and always tells me so. To my husband, I am beautiful day and night, when i am ugly and stinky, and even when I am not so nice. He seems to love me with my faults and (which are many). My husband will do anything for me.....and that includes one time "fixing" my hair in a tons if tiny little braids, or another time giving me a "pedicure". Again, priceless memories.











I am thankful my husband is a great comforter. When my dad passed away, my husband was so very caring and comforting. With the birth of our children, my husband has always been right there by my side. I can remember with my second c-section, I was laying on the table, feeling ill and told him I wanted to just go home NOW. He sat there as he has with all of our children, and just stroked my hair and rubbed my hands comforting me. My husband is a big teddy bear an I love him!! He is a tall, dark, and handsome teddy bear!!



















I am thankful that my husband likes to go places. This may sound silly to some, but it is not to me. Most things we do, we do as a family.



















I could go on and on about everything I am thankful for about my husband. I have been blessed beyond measure..I truly have. Don't get me wrong. my husband has his faults as we all do. But he is perfect for me..and the Lord knew that. Through the valleys and the mountains, praise the Lord we continue to stand strong as one after 10 amazing years. I am excited that my husband chose me to be his wife 10 years ago. And I am excited for what is to come
THANK YOU TO MY HUSBAND FOR 10 YEARS OF BEING THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN MY LIFE HERE ON EARTH. I LOVE YOU TONS!!

New Baby Chicks......

For those of you who have been asking to see the new baby chicks, here are a few of them....

All Aboard the Daddy Express.....

The kids and daddy were playing today. They were each taking turns riding on him. We decided to pile them all on at once. So here you go...they all boarded the daddy express.

Such a sweet boy

Last week Nathan spent a couple days in the hospital. He had been struggling for nearly a week and rather than getting better, he was getting worse. Through it all, he was such a sweet boy. We have a wonderful pediatrician, who we are very thankful for, that was on top of his care. It was a very long couple days and we were so thankful to come home. But he is doing very well now....back to himself. There was a time while Nathan was sleeping (the first two pics), where tears were just streaming down my face as I sat there and watched him. I am so unworthy to be the momma to the 5 precious children that the Lord has given us. It is my desire that our boys know how much they are loved. There are so many children that die lying in a hospital bed...never knowing what it was like to be loved and cared for...and never having anyone by their side. I could not help at that moment of thought to be in tears. Never once did I leave Nathans side as he was in that bed, and as scared as he was, he knew that mommy was there. To God be the glory!!! I am so blessed!!
Here are a few pics from his stay......