We made it!!! Chris and I have successfully gone fifteen days without eating any food, living only on fruit and vegetable juice. This did feel like a long stretch to fast, but I have never felt better and I am so proud of us for making it through. I don’t think about food often throughout the day, and the times I do are when someone mentions food, or I see or smell it. I am usually the coffee in the morning to get through type, but even without coffee- I have had more energy than ever! Chris and I both lost weight, and we’re going to do all we can to keep it off. I would highly recommend this fast, and want to mention the website that has inspired us: Reboot your life. I have run into a few questions while doing this fast, and I wanted to address them here for anyone else interested. If I haven’t covered a question that you have- feel free to ask, and I’ll answer as best as I can. Continue reading →
This fast has been quite a journey so far. The first full day of juicing I stood in my kitchen and wondered why in the world I had decided to get us into this. Half of the reason I mentioned it in a blog post or on Facebook was so that I couldn’t just back out without people knowing. Fifteen days seemed so unrealistic and tortuous and all I wanted was to eat a giant burrito with extra cheese. On day two and three I really felt the effects of the detox. I had a headache the entire day three that even an afternoon nap wouldn’t cure. I wasn’t hungry, but my mind was completely filled with visions of food. I dreamed about it. I fantasized about what I would eat after the fast was complete. I could taste it. It was hard to think about anything else, so I tried to keep busy all the time to distract myself.
After day three of only juicing, I had resolve of steel! I had heard that the first three days were the hardest, and when we made it past those, I knew we could complete this. Since day four, I’ve really felt great! I have had energy, I’ve been alert, and have lost a few pounds. Visions of food have only taken over my mind a few times a day, and it is much easier to push them to the side. I’ve been much more positive about this fast, and the option of “cheating” and eating some food doesn’t even cross my mind. Chris and I seem to go back and forth with being strong. When I am having a rough moment, he is there to talk me through it and encourage me. Chris has been having a couple rough days lately, but I have been strong and we’re making it through. When we stop and really think about it, we both feel good about completing this, but wow- a hamburger would be good right now! I can’t even deny that. Continue reading →
I’m posting this mostly because I’m hungry.
I’m trying to keep occupied and not think about snacking… or ordering pizza… and half-melted ice cream… and lo mein… and a million other things I’ve been thinking about today. Actually, I’m doing alright, but it helps to be looking at fruit right now instead of anything else.
I bought a juicer a couple months ago with the intent to substitute a meal or two each day and have really enjoyed it! We would drink one or two juices each day throughout the week and it was great. The bad part of this routine was the weekend “celebration” where we would reward ourself by eating something not-so-great-for-us. This celebration typically lasted three days… at least. We both love food, and our healthy attempts would get weaker and weaker as the weeks past.
This is officially the week we take the plunge into complete juice fasting for 15 days. The purpose of this is to loose a few extra pounds we’ve been unhappily carrying around, detox after our Thanksgiving spread, and begin a new way of eating. I love juicing and intend to continue drinking juice daily after the fast, we just need something drastic to kickstart us into being more health-conscious, EVEN on weekends. Continue reading →
I love making stuff from scratch, so when I saw recipes for DIY bath and beauty products, I couldn’t help myself. I have begun a full juicing fast (which I’ll get to later) and it feels great to rid my insides of chemicals, toxins and other products generally harmful to my digestive system. I figured this was as good a time as any to pay closer attention to what gets worked into my body through the outside. There is a sort of motto among the health-conscious that states that you shouldn’t put any products on your skin that you could not eat. This made a lot of sense to me and got me thinking about all of the lovely smelling, albeit potentially harmful chemicals I put ON my body that inevitably ends up IN my body. If I am going to put in the effort to cleanse the inside of my body, I am going to make sure I’m not absorbing bad stuff through my largest organ-my skin! Now, I haven’t completely cut off all of my routine. I do still use several products, but I am working in more natural brands, or making my own when I can.
I made moisturizer, bath salts, and body wash (sort of) with a few natural ingredients, most of which I found in my kitchen. I used my new bath salts last night and I love them! Making this concoction is surprisingly simple, and can be customized to your liking. Here is how I made mine:
- 1 lemon
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp orange essential oil
- 2 cups coarse ground sea salt
Slice a lemon thinly, and put it into a bowl. Add the olive and essential oil and toss with the lemons to coat the slices. Add the salt and mix everything up well. Let the mixture sit for five minutes before using. Toss a small handful into a running bath, then relax and enjoy! Anyone who knows me probably knows that my measuring habits are usually sporadic to non-existent, but this recipe lends itself to adjustment and tweaking according to your preference. I’d love to hear what you come up with too!
I will post some other products I make as I get the chance.
After living in the area for almost five years now, it’s about time we made it to the Denver Art Museum. The first Saturday of each month offers free admission and we were in the area, so we spent some time wandering the halls, soaking in the artwork. Chris and I both graduated as art majors, but life has kept us busy, and creating artwork has taken a back shelf for far too long. It has been said that when literature majors graduate, they stop reading, and when art majors graduate, they stop creating art. It’s a sad saying because it rings true far too often. Continue reading →
The Book Arts League at the Ewing Farmhouse in Lafayette had an open house yesterday, and we were there to see it! The league is a great resource for people looking to get into printmaking and learn about the craft. We met two wonderful ladies who showed us around the restored farmhouse, the print shop, give us a brief history of the league and ran one of the presses.
We are planning to take a class in a couple weeks and begin making prints of our own. Setting type is more than a bit technical, but right up our alley. There are several cabinets with dozens of drawers, each which contain hundreds of letters and numbers (known in the industry as “sorts”). Each font, size, letter and punctuation mark have their spot, and are stored meticulously, being brought out when a print requires it. Printing has turned into a beautiful art form and I look forward to getting to know it. Continue reading →
I have officially been on a hunting trip.
In my lifetime, I have shot several small animals, all ones that were out to harm our livestock. Raccoons, groundhogs and other creatures have fallen prey to my “hunting prowess”, but these small kills came out of necessity, and my hands were usually shaking. Last week my husby and I packed our cold weather gear, some dehydrated meals, elk scent, guns, and headed to the mountains for a real hunting trip. Now, before anyone gets upset with me for killing an animal, know that anything we would have harvested would be strictly for food, and we do not take this lightly.
We went with our good friends Bob and Myrna, who have hunted this area for years. They have their own names for certain hills, rocks and areas of forest, and it was fun to get to know Smily Rock, Dry Bones Valley and other places they have come to love. We drove three hours into the mountains, packed in about two miles into the woods to set up our tents, and then hiked each day to wherever we decided to hunt. The drive itself was amazing. We drove through rain, sunshine and literally through the clouds to get to our hunting grounds. The mountains have an incredibly mystical quality when the clouds hide sections of the road and trees, and driving through them is a beautiful experience. Continue reading →
Posted in great outdoors
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Tagged bear, elk, hunt
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It’s difficult to write this post without including a bit of my history for those of you who may not know, but I’ll make it brief for those who do.
I grew up in a very conservative church, as did Chris. Week after week, month after month, year- you get the idea… We are so thankful to our parents for instilling the importance of church in our lives, but neither of us cared to invest much at a young age. We both attended the same Baptist college that strictly required our attendance to their church on campus, and we graduated with more than a few war stories. After school, Chris and I both wanted to get involved in a church that we could call our own. We wanted to commit to a body that we supported and loved, and not simply attend because we had no other choice. Six months after we married, God gave us exactly that. We moved west to help start a church called Castleview Baptist located in beautiful Castle Rock, Colorado. We threw everything we had into the church plant and were involved from the ground up. We have seen it grow and mature for three years, and had the unique opportunity of seeing God establish a church.
We moved to Castle Rock for the express purpose of helping to start a new church, and we wouldn’t have traded the experience for the world. We have learned so much about how a church operates, were deeply involved, made lifetime friends, and have seen people come to know the Lord. It has been an incredibly valuable experience. The church has grown and has reached the point where it no longer depends on our involvement for each service, as God has blessed. Castleview is no longer “starting up”, but is functioning on it’s own, and even supporting other ministries. About a year ago, we felt an unrest and the need to decide if Castleview would be the church we would call our own while we are here in Colorado. With months of prayer and consideration, we decided that it was our time to leave Castleview and find a church that is more suited to us. The church celebrated it’s third Anniversary in August, and we felt it was a wonderful time to wrap up our time there. Continue reading →
The Coda Vintage is a classic twist on a modern dress. There are dozens of looks that can be achieved with this dress to make the elegant look that you want. This dress is covered with a beautiful black lace, and you choose the colour you want underneath. The one-size-fits-most Coda Standard and Max are both available with a beautiful lace overlay, and I’ve also posted a custom size bridal gown option for all the brides who want to wrap and twist their own dress on their big day.
The lace overlay adds a touch of elegance to the Coda, and just one more option for a gorgeous wedding party! Click here to see the Coda Vintage wrap dresses.
Posted in Coda, clothing, wedding
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Tagged bridal, bridesmaid, coda, dress, gown, lace, tie, vintage, wrap, wrap dress
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Chris and I were able to go to Canada in December for my little sister’s wedding. It was a beautiful day, the ceremony went smoothly, the bride was glowing, and the Tim Horton’s coffee warmed all of our insides :] I am so happy for Leah and Norm, and trust that their’s are lives of long lived happiness.
Click here to see the rest of the photos.
