Neptune Subs, aka the reason Spencer likes going sailing

So sailing is relaxing and peaceful and educational and family bonding. None of those reasons rank very high on Spencer's priority measuring stick. BUT, after a good, or cold sailing adventure, we have a TRADITION! (I love traditions, and tradition is a very Jewish thing) It's called Neptune subs. It is a little sub sandwich shop that makes really yummy sandwiches. And the boys all like getting a hot roast beef, which is loaded with the meat. So sailing is tolerated and then comes the good stuff!:) Poor Sr. D and I. We used to share a hot roast beef, but now, sniff, sniff, he gets a plain baked potato and I get a dinner salad that is iceburg lettuce and tomatoes, and a soup, which Sr. D likes to dip his potato in. But that's ok. Life is still beautiful.

Here we are inside Neptunes.

This is the outside of Neptunes. Sr. D and Emily are posing.

Now, do you see the poster above the Janis Family members? It is a poster of a partial BALD guy. They change these out every month or so. And they are all known bald guys. Sean Connery I believe was one of them one month. Here is a little closer look:

It says Bald Monday. Now you might be wondering, "What is Bald Monday?" or you might be wondering, "What am I going to fix for dinner tonight?" but I can only answer the first of the questions. Inside, they have fliers that explain what Bald Monday is and I took a picture of it for you!

The man who started the operation is bald and I guess celebrates it and it's just got character! So sailing isn't complete without a stop at Neptune Subs, if time permits!

You Are What You Eat

Once the fattening holidays were past, Damon (to be known in the blog world now as Sr. D) changed his life. He needed to get his cholesterol level down in order to get life insurance which had expired, and January came with that goal. Last spring, when Uncle Brandon's family came for a visit, Aunt Mindy brought a book that has changed the way I eat, and it is what Sr. D is now abiding by. Fastidiously! For him, it's all or nothing, baby. This book is called Original Fast Foods and it has the most understandable, make-sense education on health and body systems I've ever read. (Not that I am a doctor or scholar on the subject or anything) Anyway, I have been mostly dairy and egg free and have cut back a lot on sugar and meat this past year. I am pleased about my waistline, and a chronic infection that has plagued me for 20 years has not returned this whole year.

But when Sr. D started in, it was even more drastic. He went raw for two weeks. Nothing cooked, all vegetables and fruit, nothing else. By two weeks, he was weak and constantly hungry. Then it was our Friday night date and he was pretty depressed about where we would go to eat and so took us to Souper Salad. They had gross baked potatoes (the kind that are sticky) and he ate it dipped in a little salsa. He was so happy! It was like someone had just put a Prime Rib in front of him. He felt full for the first time in forever.

So now he is enjoying life in a new way and food as well. Let me take you to our kitchen for a very brief look at our culinary changes.

This is Sr. D making our morning fruit smoothie breakfast. (One of the wonderful changes is that he is making me meals for breakfast and lunch!) He plops an apple, banana, orange, frozen blueberries, a little water and ice, and any other fruits sitting on the counter into the blender and presses "liquefy." He pours a cup for Emily then he grabs the tub of greens and shoves a couple of handfuls into the blender to whiz it up. Yum yum! I look forward to it every morning. It's like pouring life into my system. (Spencer is our photographer here and standing taller than ever on the counter for some creative shots.:)) Cheers!

For lunch he has found some great treats. A vegetable red curry over rice. It has coconut milk, red curry paste, pineapple chunks, tomato chunks, peppers, and bamboo shoots. Ooh good! He also shoves a salad into a wheat pita pocket with a touch of balsamic vinaigrette. Pictured here is a fresh concoction he created with a sliced tomato drizzled with the vinaigrette, chopped fresh basil leaves and a bit of crumbled goat cheese. We found these crackers or flat bread that add a lot of good crunch to the meal. Sometimes we add a slice of avocado to it.


On to dinner (with snacks of nuts and fruit throughout the afternoon). This next picture is a homemade marinara sauce from the Original Fast Foods book that I made last week. It was ok. A little different. Damon liked it and I was ok with it. It had canned tomatoes, sauteed zucchini, carrots, onion, garlic all whizzed in the blender. For the kids I made meatballs that were less than desirable. I had one. So my plate is pictured.


So a couple of questions that might just come up: Results? and How are the kids eating? Well, the results are really great! Sr. D has gone in to a health clinic and had his blood drawn each week so he could see results of his sacrifice. His cholesterol has come down from 318 to 232, his triglycerides have dropped more than half. And he has lost 13 pounds since January 3, 2009. He isn't snoring like he used to and because of that, I think, he sleeps better. He has more energy throughout the day. He teaches early morning seminary and last semester his body was shutting down around 8:00 every night, including weekends. Now he is still going strong at 10:00. His clothes are starting to get baggy too. Sr. D applied for life insurance and a nurse came out to take his blood. (It took 7 pokes to finally get some! Heather can relate! Sorry Heather, that must be where you got it!:)) He is confident he will be accepted.

As to the kids. They are being educated and understand the principles taught in the book, and are eating the dinners I make. They still like and eat junk, but I think overall, they are trending towards healthier eating habits. They don't like the green smoothies, but Taylor wasn't feeling too good this morning and so asked for it. Spencer has gone off milk and loves crushed Corn Flakes and almond milk that I make (virgin; no honey or vanilla. Just soaked or unsoaked almonds and water whizzed in the blender and strained).

So there you have it. A scientific study being conducted in the Janis household with good results. This has been a rather major focus of our lives this past month and finding new and delicious recipes will be a life long pursuit.

The EXTRA LONG Christmas blog post

Well, it's been a long while and I have to post or I might never get back to it. December was a flurry of family and celebrations.

We celebrated sister Whitney's graduation. A BYU trivia game, a chocolate cake and the cougar fight song!

Then we celebrated Hanukkah. Menorahs with candles burning, potato latkes sizzling in oil, the miracle of lights story, and a dreidel game made for a magical evening.

Then came Christmas Eve and the celebration of our Savior's birth. Great actors (shepherds with fashionable towels and robes, angels with silver garland halos, Elizabeth, Mary, and Joseph who did their part to the tee, and a darling babe in the manger) great singing and an especially great spirit!

Then a fabulous Christmas morning! I have never seen so many presents! It was glorious and a bit overwhelming. But we made it through the unwrapping and enjoyed our time on the phone with missionary brother James in Cicily!

December 26th we celebrated cousin Christian's birthday. I was too wrapped up in Christian's party to remember to take pictures except when cousin Julie was deep in decorating a fuzzy wuzzy teddy bear cake! I did get Christian after his nap on Aunt Val's lap on his b-day though, and some group shots too.

December 27th was a day I had been anticipating since Damon Jr. turned 8 years old: an Eagle Court of Honor. And this was the day of all scouting days, the culmination of years and tears, a triple Eagle court. We celebrated my three sons advancement to the rank of Eagle Scout. Grandma and Grandpa Janis, Uncle Roark and Uncle Daron's families came out, and the whole kaboodle of the Scott family (minus a much missed missionary) joined us in our grand celebration. TV cameras were there and an interview after the ceremony made me a bit tongue-tied. So many hands helped set up the dining hall and prepare foil dinners, which I can't say a big enough thank you to. I wish there was room enough for the slide show of the boys growing through their scouting years to be posted here. It was shown at the ceremony. I am so proud of my boys and their accomplishment!

It's Me! Taylor!

Taylor turned 15 years old on Saturday. It's been fifteen wonderful years of watching him grow, learn, and develop. He works hard, has self discipline, has a great sense of humor, befriends everyone, is dependable, optimistic, talented and successful in anything he puts his mind to. I love this guy! He is my friend.

I am going to do what Amy does and go down memory lane a bit with Taylor. The first picture is 2000, the next is 2001, and so on.

Count Your Many Blessings

I've had some realizations lately. One is that I am a complainer. That is a hard one to admit. But I am and I have a trophy case for some of the past complaints that I like to get out and polish occasionally. But General Conference, Thanksgiving, a sacrament meeting, and the scriptures have helped me see that I won't complain so much if I am grateful. In Alma 34:38 it says after a powerful sermon: "live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you." My heart has been more full and grateful since. I have also learned that if you are grateful, even in trials, your heart has more room for faith and trust in the Lord, and life is just good.

So we celebrated Thanksgiving and had an all-out feast! Shelby and Jeff and family came to share it with us and we had a great time! Spencer peeled a ton of potatoes, and Emily and Julie got to make the pumkin pies with Rachel watching every step. Shelby made "Rita Rolls" and brought her freezer strawberry jam. Everything was so good! Even the white meat was juicy.

After dinner, we gathered and sang Count Your Many Blessings and each got a peice of paper and we counted our many blessings and shared some of them with each other. Everyone had very thoughtful lists.

I am grateful to have such a marvelous family. Each of you and your love makes my life wonderful! I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the knowledge that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and has a plan for me. That He sent His Son to pay my debts that I may stand clean before Him. That we have a prophet to guide us through this world of chaos, and that He gave us the Book of Mormon and other scriptures to hear His voice. And I am grateful for this beautiful, beautiful world.

The pictures are from our ward's annual Turkey Bowl, where it's Aaronic vs Melchizedek. The first picture has Spencer, Taylor and Brian in it. The second is Taylor playing QB (he got to be QB the three last hikes.)  and the third is our Thanksgiving table.