The start of a journey begins with a single step......

Welcome!  I  chose to start this blog with a famous quote because we all tend to forget about the small steps that can change our lives.  And that is ultimately what I am trying to do for myself, my family, and hopefully you will join us and aim for a better life.  

So who am I and what is this blog about?  My name is Lori Keller and I live with my family in the country in Southwest Mississippi. I am a devout Christian so expect that to be an ever-present theme. I will post about my family and the host of animals we lovingly call pets, but I am truly starting this to journal the improvements I want to put into place throughout the year for myself and my family. 

I am approaching my 40th birthday and that has produced some changes to my life.  I began the Summer of 2012 getting in better shape increasing my exercise along with my family.  We have always been somewhat conscientious about what we ate and this was increased over the past summer.  Our diet saw a reduction of carbohydrates and our protein source switched over to mostly beans.  The summer afforded us lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.  All of our breads and pastas were whole wheat. We are the picture of good health, right?!? I thought so although I knew deep in my heart that I wanted to feel better than I do now.  Then during a conversation about diets, someone mentioned the new book, the Wheat Belly book by William Davis, M.D. I was intrigued and checked into the blog, www.wheatbellyblog.com  His research made me view my pantry as a toxic landmine.  I felt guilty as I fed my family whole wheat toast for breakfast knowing that I was dooming them diabetes and obesity because of the presence of dastardly wheat. The next step was the purchase of the Wheat Belly Cookbook.  

That brings us to this blog.  When I chatted with a dear friend about my plans for changing our diet and other plans to become more self-sufficient with the start of the New Year, she nearly insisted that I start a blog.  So we'll cover a myriad of topics over the coming year: diet, food, cooking, recipes, menus, family, pets, friends, home, lifestyle, reading, target-shooting, hunting, God and anything else that I find interesting. I hope you will enjoy the ride.