Shine

Courage

2012-01-01T12:27:00.000-06:00

From dictionary.com:

Origin & History
* circa 1300
* from old French corage
* from Latin cor or heart
* a common metaphor for inner strength

Definition - World English Dictionary
1. the power or quality of dealing with or facing danger, fear, pain, etc.
2. the confidence to act in accordance with one's beliefs
3. to nerve oneself to perform an action

Synonyms: fearlessness, spirit, dauntlessness, pluck

"...give me the courage, to be what I am." - Johnny Cash, The Gospel Road movie (sung as Jesus carries his cross)

Courage for me, as opposed to sullenness, is being willing to share who I am more openly, to not allow depression to creep back into my life, to be less passive (and more action oriented).

I'm sure there will be many more ways that this will unfold throughout the year. I'm actually feeling less excited about my word. It really will cause me to step out of my comfort zone. And yet I know that once I do, there will be some good things unlocked inside of me.

Happy new year's day!

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My Word for 2012 - Courage

2011-12-31T14:38:00.001-06:00

Inspired by Mandy Steward at Messy Canvas, I thought and prayed and realized that I do have a word for 2012. My word really did pick me. I tried to run away from my word. I gave myself other suggestions but as I began to research my word, I realized I should embrace it. The (not) ironic part about my word is that I don't really like the idea of sharing it with people.

That amazing Spirit spoke to me, told me my word is courage, and that I'm sullen and too thoughtful (to the point of not acting) and that I should "go for it". If I'm sullen, it made me wonder if my word should be "joy". This really didn't make sense to me, so I began to search the words sullen and courage online and found a few things that opened my eyes to my current state of being. For me cowardly is not the opposite of courage... sullen is my opposite, in a figurative sense.

I found this excerpt written by James Matthew Barrie, written around 1922 (emphasis mine):

In so far as this attitude of yours is merely passive, sullen, negative, as it mainly is, despairing of our capacity and anticipating a future of gloom, it is no game for a man or woman. It is certainly the opposite of that for which I plead. Do not stand aloof, despising, disbelieving... we have shown a good deal of courage; and your part is to add a greater courage to it. There are glorious years lying ahead of you if you choose to make them glorious. God's in His heaven still.

This was my first clue as to how sullenness relates to courage. I was then reminded of Fiona Apple and her song, Sullen Girl. The first verse does reflect me in ways right now.

Days like this, I don't know what do do with myself
All day and all night
I wander the halls along the walls and under my breath
I say to myself
I need fuel to take flight

Sullen from the World English Dictionary

unwilling to talk or be sociable, sulky, morose
(literary) sluggish

Synonyms: glum, cheerless

Wow, how all of these describe me. So long, 2011.

Grad School

2010-01-18T13:41:00.001-06:00

My husband just found out he got accepted to his top choice for music composition! This means we will be moving out of the state, at least by June or July! So many plans to make and much prayer ahead =)

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Test Blog

2010-01-17T23:04:00.000-06:00

1 2, 1 2

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Convoy of Hope - Haiti

2010-01-16T00:39:00.003-06:00

In case any of you are considering a monetary way to help Haiti, I recommend Convoy of Hope as one of your options. Convoy of Hope has been working with Haitians for quite some time and were able to immediately disseminate 50,000 meals after the earthquake, along with water and medicine. Water purification units are also being implemented.

Like many of you, I'm not in the place to make a sizable donation. I encourage you to consider making a small donation to your charity of choice on a monthly basis for a set amount of months. I will be making a small donation to Convoy of Hope for the next 10 months. I think that spreading out my donation will also help me to remember to keep the people of Haiti in my prayers and remember that there is much work to be done after the shock of this disaster has worn off a bit.

Keep Haiti in your prayers and I hope all is well with you and yours!

2010 An Intentional Life

2010-01-04T12:02:00.010-06:00

I have had a lot on my mind the past few months...so much so that I've defaulted to not doing all I should be doing to take care of myself and keep my life running smoothly. I saw someone had created a vision board on a blog that I read and I remembered that I made one last year that helped me keep a little focus...at least for the first part of 2009! (Scrapblog is a wonderful tool for a dream/vision board.)

I realize more and more that we have to create our lives. I do trust God in that process but I can't sit and wait. I have to actively be who I want to be. Laziness and lack of motivation is a constant battle for me. I know I could be worse (I do have my bursts of productivity) but I don't like the inconsistency. I want to be more consistent, if even in the smallest of ways.

I'm ready for a little change!

Giveaway at Walk Slowly, Live Wildly!

2009-12-15T20:46:00.002-06:00

Wow, I haven't blogged in forever....but there is a really awesome giveaway going on at Walk Slowly, Live Wildly.

She is giving away two prizes sewn by these two beautiful mama's: Indigo Inspired & One Love Creations.

Two winners will be chosen on December 21st!

True Woman Make-Over: Update 3

2009-04-19T19:06:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was day 21 of the True Woman Make-Over series. Day 20 was the last day of teachings on 1 Timothy 2:9-10. Overall, I believe the teaching was great, but I don't agree with some of the stipulations of modesty that were discussed because they seemed to be more opinion based. I do know that there are some things I need to work on concerning having a modest heart, attitude and appearance.

For the last 10 days of this series, I will be studying Titus 2:1-5 (NASB).

1 But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine.

2 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance.

3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good,

4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,

5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.

You can click on the picture above to see the teaching for day 21 on sound doctrine. If you are interested in the entire teaching on Titus 2, you can click here: God's Beautiful Design for Women: Living Out Titus 2:1-5, to see the teaching from the beginning.

30 Day True Woman Make-Over

RawFu: Brutal Truth Edition

2009-04-13T17:59:00.004-05:00

I will be joining Bunny Berry again and the RawFu community in another 100 Day Raw Food Challenge.

I know that when I eat mostly raw, my body feels its best but sometimes it is easy to slip back into old habits, which has happened to me. I've been unmotivated the past month or so. But for the last week I have been more motivated and a little less lazy (and more aware of my laziness or idleness). It's time to feel good again!

In other food news, instead of always asking my husband to make a few choices for the better to improve his health and diet, I'm making more food for him. And not just vegan dishes that we can share but other whole food dishes that include meat, chicken or fish. I feel good about this because I know he is eating healthier food (rather than just always making canned chunky soup and boxed macaroni, pasta and rice-a-roni). I would prefer that he incorporate whole foods for heart and brain health. As I increase the amount of foods I am making for him, hopefully he will feel a difference in his body. I think it will help improve his mood and energy levels.

Note: We don't often make food for each other or eat together because we have very different schedules. I'm gone 60 hours a semester for the time being. He works at night and sleeps in the early morning when I am leaving for work. This should change by mid-May.

True Woman Make-Over: Update 2

2009-04-08T22:33:00.004-05:00

Day 11

I am truly being blessed through this series with Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I thought that we would only be using her teaching for the first 10 days, but it looks like this whole True Woman Make-Over is a project of Revive Our Hearts, which is Nancy Leigh DeMoss' ministry to women.

Even though I am outside of the home for over 60 hours a week, I have found that I do have time to serve God within in my home. Simply being appreciative of what I have been blessed with and praying God will help me to be the wife that my husband needs has gone a long way.

It has helped my husband immensely during a rough time in his life, just by me giving more to him. He has done sooo much for me this week to show his appreciation, like doing more household work since I am out of the house so often. Not that he never did chores, but he is more willing to help, since I am doing more in keeping the house nice. Praise the Lord!

Tonight I will listen to today's teaching from her series "The Attractive Christian Woman: Women in the Church".

1 Timothy 2:9-10 {NASB}

9 Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments,

10 but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.

I am interested to hear what she has to say about this as I never really took this verse exactly literal, especially concerning the braided hair.

True Woman Make-Over: Update 1

2009-03-31T20:40:00.004-06:00

I'm being reminded that as you receive teaching, you must take what is true and let go of what is merely opinion.
I am enjoying this study of Proverbs 31 but I must admit that I have come across a few sayings of Nancy Leigh DeMoss, that just don't sound right to me. True Woman Make-Over uses her teaching for the first 10 days of this 30 day make-over.

I think I know what she means on some of things that stick out to me, it's just how she says it that bothers me.

I thought I would use this as an opportunity to remind myself and anyone reading this, to always check what you are reading by the scriptures...no matter what you read or learn.

I really loved what she said here:

That word virtuous or excellent is a difficult word to translate from the original Hebrew language. The word has to do with strength. It’s often translated “army” or “wealth.” It’s talking about a woman of moral strength, a woman whose character is strong.

A woman who has godly character is a strong woman. The world would have us think that a godly woman is a weak woman who just gets run over, and she never has any opinions, never has any thoughts, never says anything. This is how the world would caricature the godly woman.

The world has it all wrong. The godly woman is a strong woman. She’s able. She’s valiant. She’s a woman of valor.

Making Your Home A Haven: Bedtime

2009-03-30T17:45:00.003-06:00

With the exception of Friday and Saturday, I would like to go to bed by 11p (12a at the latest!). I wake up around 7a on most days, and I know I need to exercise more discipline in my daily routine because when I do, I have much less of a stressful day.

Concerning the morning routine...that goes hand-in-hand with this bedtime challenge. For instance, last night I didn't go to bed until after 1:30a. I was super sleepy when I set my alarm, and though I set it, I didn't turn it on. So that means all I had time for was a quick shower and grabbing a few easy foods (a banana, soy yogurt and a tupperware of mashed potato carrots). And I was nearly 15 minutes late for work.

Social Work

2009-03-30T16:49:00.003-06:00

Have you ever thought about being a social worker? Check out the link above, where you can explore the very different careers of 50 social workers.

Jobs in social work range from working at the:
individual clinical level to
management and administration to
education and research to
legislation and policy and
community organizing and advocacy

To see a range of other issues that social workers work within check out Social Workers: Help Starts Here.

I will be graduating with my BSW this May! Some areas I am interested in working in include:
healthy parenting
eating disorders
stress management
healthy lifestyles
disability issues
HIV/AIDS issues

Within those areas, I would like to work at the community organizing and advocacy level or work directly with individuals or groups in a clinical setting.

True Woman Make-Over

2009-03-29T17:34:00.006-06:00

Recently, I've been hearing a lot about biblical womanhood and femininity. It's been a blessing to me to apply some of these scriptures to my life more consciously and I plan on spending more time studying these ideas. Today, I happened to come across a link to the 30-day True Woman Make-Over.

I will be reading Proverbs 31 for 30 days in a row while going through a guided study of the proverb. I believe the study also includes spending some time in 1 Timothy 2:9-10, and Titus 2:1-5.

Proverbs 31 {NASB} (I'll be reading the entire proverb daily but for the purpose of the blog, I'll quote from v10 on.)

10 An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above jewels.

11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
And he will have no lack of gain.

12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.

13 She looks for wool and flax
And works with her hands in delight.

14 She is like merchant ships;
She brings her food from afar.

15 She rises also while it is still night
And gives food to her household
And portions to her maidens.

16 She considers a field and buys it;
From her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17 She girds herself with strength
And makes her arms strong.

18 She senses that her gain is good;
Her lamp does not go out at night.

19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hands grasp the spindle.

20 She extends her hand to the poor,
And she stretches out her hands to the needy.

21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household,
For all her household are clothed with scarlet.

22 She makes coverings for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies belts to the tradesmen.

25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
And she smiles at the future.

26 She opens her mouth in wisdom,
And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

27 She looks well to the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children rise up and bless her;
Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:

29 "Many daughters have done nobly,
But you excel them all."

30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

31 Give her the product of her hands,
And let her works praise her in the gates.

Making Your Home A Haven: Morning Routine

2009-03-29T00:01:00.003-06:00

Making Your Home A Haven: Morning Routine

I'm hoping this will get me back into a good morning routine, just planning out the basic things I need to get done. I usually have about an hour and a half to get ready in the morning because of my work schedule. I've gotten pretty lazy in moving around in the morning. This is my morning routine (in order).

1. Get dressed and ready for the day.
2. Bible.
3. Pack for my practicum.
4. Pack lunch.
5. Green smoothie.

The James Challenge

2009-01-27T12:45:00.010-06:00

I will be participating in The James Challenge, and I'm so excited! For quite a while I've pondered on the benefits of memorizing scripture, but haven't dedicated very much time to the practice.

My goal is to memorize James 1 in the next 9 weeks. At that point I will decide whether to continue or not. I've memorized verse 1 today.

James 1:1 NASB
James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.

I will be using a method used by John Piper, from his book, When I Don't Desire God. Sara from Walk Slowly, Live Wildly mentioned this method in her post. You read the scripture 10 times, then you repeat it from memory 10 times (peeking if you need to). You add the previously learned scripture to your new scripture daily.

Go by the Walk Slowly, Live Wildly blog if you are interested in taking part of this challenge with a community of others. She has created a Yahoo group to host discussion.

Full Schedule!

2009-01-22T20:20:00.010-06:00

A few weeks ago, I typed up a rough-draft schedule to follow once my internship got started. I knew I would be sooo busy, and the only way to get everything done and still be somewhat sane was to follow a schedule. I started following it last week, before my internship started, to help me transition. My internship ended up beginning today, a week after I had expected and I didn't keep up with following my new routine.

I came across the Biblical Womanhood blog, and decided to set a goal, based on the Rising Early blog post.

My goal is to stick to my schedule as closely as possible. I've made a few tweaks, that involve me going to bed earlier some nights, than I had originally planned.

So, here is THE schedule!
Mon
Wake 6:30a
Yoga 6:30-7:15a
Get Ready for Day 7:15-8a
Smoothie Breakfast 8-8:15a
Breakfast & Prepare for Dinner, Pack lunch
Leave for Internship 8:40a
Internship 9-5
Bible Study 6:30-8:30p
Sleep 10:30p

Tues
Wake 6:30a
Personal Devotion 6:30-6:50a
Yoga 6:50-7:10a
Get Ready for Day 7:10-7:55a
Breakfast & Prepare for Dinner, Pack lunch
Leave for Internship 8:40a
Internship 9-5
Work 6-9p
Sleep 10:30p

Wed
Wake 6:30a
Yoga 6:30-7:15a
Get Ready for Day 7:15-8a
Smoothie Breakfast 8-8:15a
Leave for Class 8:45a
Class 9-11:50a
Work 1-2p
Pack for overnight
Work 3-5:30p
Bible Study 6:30-7:45p
Work 8p-7a
Sleep 10:30p

Thurs
Wake 6:30a
Personal Devotion 6:30-7a
Yoga 7:05-7:25a
Get Ready for Day 7:25-8:10a
Breakfast & Prepare for Dinner, Pack lunch
Leave for Internship 8:40a
Internship 9-5p
Work 6p-7a
Sleep 10:30p

Fri
Wake 6:30a
Personal Devotion 7:30-7a
Yoga 7:05-7:25a
Get Ready for Day 7:25-8:10a
Smoothie Breakfast 8:10-8:25a
Breakfast & Prepare for Dinner, Pack lunch
Leave for Internship 8:40a
Internship 9-5p

Sat
Chores
Errands

Sun
Wake 8a
Get Ready for Day 8-8:40a
Church/Prayer/Cleaning/Lunch 9-1p
Groceries
Dehydrator Prep, Seed/Nut/Grain Soak
Make Salads for 5 Days Lunch
Work 5-6p
Work 8-9p
Sleep 10:30p

Book Giveaway

2009-01-12T13:32:00.004-06:00

Practicing Hospitality: The Joy of Serving Others is being given away at the link posted below. Post a comment to have a chance to win the book! Lindsey will be hosting a book study on this book, beginning in February, so if you don't win, but are interested, check back in at her blog!

Practicing Hospitality Study & Giveaway!

Vision Board 2009

2009-01-07T13:24:00.007-06:00

Inspired by Bunny on RawFu, I created a Vision Board for 2009. I've become lazy over the past month. I don't have a lot of specifics in my goals, because when I get super specific I set myself up for failure. But basically I want to spend more time seeking Jesus, doing yoga, and eating salads and smoothies. Each aspect is an important part of my spirituality. This is a simple start. I may do some more vision boards that each focus in on these and other aspects of my life.

I do have some goals that are more specific, but for now, I'm keeping that part to myself.

Adding a Picture

2008-12-17T13:48:00.000-06:00

Test from phone.

Easier Blogging

2008-12-17T13:42:00.001-06:00

This is a test to see how mail-to-blogger address works using my phone.

My Raw Journey

2008-12-17T08:48:00.006-06:00

I suppose it is time for update on how I did adding more raw foods into my diet!

Actually, two days later (July 27th), I accidentally came across the RawFu 100 Day Raw Food Challenge. It was exactly what I needed! Bunny Berry created this site to help people who wanted to add more raw foods to their diet. She uploaded videos nearly everyday, featuring guest speakers, recipe demos and much more. It was truly a great experience. And something that really surprised is that there were more than a handful of Jesus followers on the forum, it helped me remember my intentions for joining the challenge.

The 100 day challenge began on August 1 and ended on November 7 or 8, I can't remember. I actually ate predominately raw for the duration.

At first, I didn't notice any differences when I incorporated more raw foods in my diet. So, I naturally began going back to eating more cooked vegan foods....and some cheese. Then I began to notice the differences in my body!

Warning: Graphic!
Things I Noticed When I Ate More Cooked Foods: (i.e. things that disappeared when I ate raw)
--heartburn
--acid reflux
--shooting pains in uuper back and chest
--larger stools, with some bleeding during bowel movement
--increased body odor
--eating to finish meal, even when not hungry (stuffing myself)
--stretching/ripping sensation in the intestine area

So, now I am beginning to wonder exaclty which cooked foods cause some of these things to happen. I'm leaning toward thinking it has to do with dairy and breads, but I'm not sure yet.

At the moment, I'm not really eating much raw. On the last day of the challenge I was celebrating my birthday and I had a majority of cooked foods. I plan on getting back on track by mid-January. That is when I start my internship. I plan on having a green smoothie on the weekdays for breakfast and bringing a big salad for lunch everyday. I'm not sure what I'll do for my dinners yet. I don't want to plan too much, I'd rather start slow.

Been feeling the need to...

2008-07-25T19:12:00.007-05:00

...eat almost exclusively raw again.

1 Corinthians 6:12-30
12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.
13 Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.
14 Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!
16 Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, "the two shall become one flesh."
17 But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
18 Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
20For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

The question, "do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?", has opened up a huge door for me in my life in seeing that it is important to take care of your body. This was something I was always interested in, but when I started following after the teachings of Jesus, I wanted to know what the scriptures had to say about it. Taking care of the body properly, I believe, includes a balance....being careful not to neglect your mind,your spirit and your heart.

Mark 12:30
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.

These verses from the letter to the Corinthians reminds me that my body is a member of Christ body. Sexual immorality is the example used and I believe it goes beyond that. Anything I do to my body, I am doing to Christ body. My body is a precious temple of His Holy Spirit. As a follower of Christ, I believe I must prayerfully develop within myself, a nurturing care for His temple. I must give it nourishing, nutrient-dense foods and treat it with respect. If I live in a state of poor health that is avoidable, how can I have the strength to engage my mind in learning, helping, giving or even keeping concentration during prayer? I can express my love to the Lord by taking care of all aspects of myself, taking care of this vessel that God has breathed life into. It is an act of worship. It is a concrete way to show my thankfulness.

I'm tired of overly processed foods and convenient take-out. I want to keep these things to a minimum, but I will partake in the occasional fellowship that involves going out for a meal together. And the occasional cooked vegetarian/vegan with a mix of raw foods meal. I'm ready.

Yoga Mat Bag and Draft Snake

2008-07-24T10:17:00.007-05:00

I finished my yoga mat bag, a couple of weeks ago and never got around to posting the pictures. Again, this pattern is from Lotta Jansdotter's book, Simple Sewing. It truly was simple and I am very pleased with the results. The picture doesn't show it, but there is a small pocket, big enough to keep your yoga strap tucked in or even a cell phone!
Sorry for the pattern 'overload' in the pictures!

I also made a little draft snake to put in front of the door in the prayer room, so that we can hear each other a little better while the worship band is practicing. It muffles out a little of the sound but it also adds to the warmth in the small little room, as the air conditioning doesn't have a vent to this room! This is also from Simple Sewing.

The Story of Stuff

2008-07-11T21:41:00.001-05:00

Have you seen this video? This is a really good video that discusses extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal. Annie Leonard breaks down a number of things to help people understand the process, even if they don't know much about it. Check it out!

Feeling Down

2008-07-09T13:38:00.003-05:00

Feeling down right now...I hate that usually the first thing I want to do when I feel like this is go buy food. I don't even consciously think, "if I go out to eat, I'll feel better". I was sitting here moping and all of a sudden vegetarian sushi sounded soooo good. But I don't have money to spend. And I don't want to have to buy something to make me feel better. So, I'm distracting myself by blogging about it and hoping that by the time I am done with this entry, I will crave something that we already have in the house.

....Nope, I don't crave something else, but have let myself realize that it is much more practical to stay home. Each time I can pull in the reins a little, I can learn how to better deal with my stress and emotions.
Plus, I'm soothing myself with the thought that I get to go grocery shopping later today or tomorrow and I can buy food to make yummy recipes then!

Dessert and Dinner

2008-07-07T21:34:00.009-05:00

No guilt in eating my dessert first! I blended up about 1/2 of a bag of frozen organic mango(probably about 1 1/2 mango's worth) with about 1/2 cup of soy milk to make a delicious, creamy frozen dessert. I love this stuff, it is so good. If the mango pieces end up not being very ripe, I add a little agave nectar. Yum!

For dinner I made a very simple Okra and Tomatoes recipe that I found in my Good Housekeeping Cookbook. I didn't have any parsley or oregeno, so I used 1/2 t dried basil instead. Also, I used frozen okra, though the recipe calls for fresh. It turned out pretty tasty!

Okra with Tomatoes
prep: 20 min, cook: 35 min, makes 4 side servings
2 T olive oil
1 med. onion, chopped
1 sm. green pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery w/leaves, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 c water
1/2 t flour
1 can diced tomatoes
1 T chopped fresh parsley OR 1 t chopped fresh oregano
1/2 t salt
1/4 t coarsely ground black pepper
12 oz okra

--heat oil over med. heat, add onion, green pepper, celery and garlic, cook 15 mins.
--in sm. cup, blend water and flour
--stir in tomatoes w/juice, parsley, salt, black pepper and flour mixture. bring to boil then simmer w/lid for 15 mins.

Enjoy!

Mustard Green Smoothie?

2008-07-07T16:42:00.006-05:00

I will never try that again! I never had mustard greens before and didn't realize that they had a distinct taste when blended up. When I opened up the top of my Vita-Mix I literally drew my nose away...it smelled mustard-y (and mustard with strawberries and bananas just doesn't sound good to me)! After a minute or two the smell kind of diminished so I stuck a straw in there to take a small sip.

It seriously had a burning type sensation in my mouth...I don't know if I just had them in my fridge too long or what, but I will never do that again! Now I am off to find a recipe to make with the rest of my mustard greens!

Fruit and Veggies.

2008-07-07T01:16:00.003-05:00

A few things have changed since last year concerning what I eat (see posts below). I still have my off days but I also feel like I've made some good attempts at eating more healthfully.

One thing I had trouble with last year was getting enough fruits in my diet. Now that I have been introduced to green smoothies for several months now, I get a lot MORE fruits in my diet! For a while I was drinking a green smoothie daily, for about 35 to 40 days straight. Now, I have about 3 a week, but I would like to get back to having one daily.

I enjoyed the smoothies so much that I purchased a Vita-Mix, and I love it!I have been trying to focus on making more meals and using less processed foods. With school out for the summer, this has been much easier.

I also ate about 90% raw for two weeks in a row. I actually really did enjoy the foods and preparing the foods with my hands, but I really need to get a dehydrator and food processor before I move any further in that direction. I know there are many who eat predominately raw without the dehydrator but I really crave things like flax breads and sandwich patties.

My goal this summer was to really incorporate more raw but before I get myself more educated on eating healthfully on a raw diet, I need to work on some other things at the moment, like getting rid of fleas, giving away and throwing away extra 'stuff' and my online class. I'm just glad to be cooking more and not relying so much on processed foods!

I got it.

2008-07-06T17:57:00.006-05:00

A Diva Cup! I finally decided to buy one and try it out. The fact that it is reusable is great, but what really made me decide to buy one was my monthly trip to the health food store to buy organic, chlorine free, applicator free tampons. I realized that 4 boxes of those cost the same amount as one Diva Cup that can last me for one full year. I would spend about $90 a year for tampons but only $30 a year for the Diva Cup...not bad at all!

I'm sure many of you have heard about the Diva Cup, I've seen it all over blogdom, but for those of you who don't know, I'll fill you in!The Diva Cup is a small silicone cup that you wear during menstruation. It doesn't need to be pushed into the vaginal tube as far as a regular tampon, which is nice, and it holds all of your menstruation fluid, etc. You empty the cup every 8 to 12 hours depending on your flow. If you have any questions about how to clean the Diva Cup, and how to clean while you are out and about, check out their website.

I started using the Diva Cup yesterday afternoon and I haven't had any problems yet! No leaks, though I have been wearing a pantyliner just to make sure, until I feel more comfortable that I have it in correctly. I have not really had any discomfort but I did have to trim the stem about 1/4", according the tips included in the directions. It also comes with a great little pouch to hold your Diva Cup while you are not using it and little lapel pin! Also, be sure you check and make sure you are buying the right size, the box will give you directions.

Any other Diva lovers out there??

Fleas

2008-07-03T18:17:00.006-05:00

We’ve been battling this off and on for at least 3 years now, if not more. There are a few natural recommendations that I still need to try but some natural oils that I have tried, have not worked for my cat. We’ve tried chemical store and vet bought sprays. Some really expensive house sprays…They didn’t really work any better than the Raid Flea spray.

I went to the pet store and bought spray for the house, spray that goes directly on your pet and a flea comb. The flea comb seems to work pretty good. I take him outside, and after each swipe, I dip the comb in a cup of detergent-water to drown the fleas.

I thought the spray worked pretty good. Well, it does work pretty good. As soon as I sprayed him, I could see the fleas rising to the top of his fur. This was after I had already gone over him with a flea comb. So, I used the comb again to get all the fleas showing up.

About 2 minutes later, my cat starts breathing really loud with his mouth open. At first I thought he was hissing at me, which he NEVER does, not even when we have to give him a bath. That really freaked me out that the spray could be really damaging to his health.

Everything was fine until we left for 4 days on vacation.

My plan as of now, is to try to vacuum twice day, empty out the vacuum, flea comb him daily along with brush his hair. I’ve already got the sheets in the washing machine today, and I am going to spray the house in a few minutes.

Craftiness

2008-06-26T11:54:00.005-05:00

Well, I never got to posting about any of the craftiness I had been up to last year, so I thought I would do a little mini update on what have been working on....which is probably more than I need to be. I have a tendancy of starting new projects before I finish older projects.

Last night I just cut out all the pieces I need to make my yoga mat bag, from Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter. I love the fabric! It is Belle by Amy Butler for Rowan Fabrics.

I am also knitting a moss green Basketweave Headband by Carissa and the Brea Bag by Berroco in a pretty turquoise cotton-wool blend yarn by Mirasol.

Over a Year!

2008-06-25T20:45:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it has been over a year since I posted to this blog! I guess I don't really feel like the blogging type, but I'm going to try again. But not now, because I'm off to work...

Monday's Menu

2007-06-04T09:57:00.004-05:00

Breakfast (9:55a): scrambled tofu (red bell pepper, zucchini, onion, mushroom, fresh garlic and sage), orange juice

Lunch (2p): "soy"sauge w/chili powder, black pepper, onion, lettuce & cheese on whole wheat tortilla, raw broccoli, slightly stale but edible tortilla chips, salsa, soy milk, 2 waters, women's multivitamin

Yesterday I Ate

2007-06-04T09:06:00.004-05:00

Breakfast(10:30a): coffee

Lunch(12p): 6" Jimmy Johns w/avacado, provolone, cucumber, tomato & lettuce, cantaloupe, honeydew, strawberries, blue tortilla chips, spinach dip, carrots, snow peas, cherry tomatoes, lemonade

Snack(5:30p): 3 chocolate chip cookies, water

Dinner (7:30p): leftover lentils and risotto

Exercise: 6-mile bike ride

Things I Ate

2007-06-02T18:50:00.004-05:00

I need to start making myself wake up a little earlier to get breakfast in...

Lunch (12:30p): leftover lentils w/spinach and garlic egg noodles, corn, orange juice

Snack (6p): string cheese, piece of swiss, triple berry muffin

Dinner (7p): broccoli, mushroom, onion, & spinach risotto, fire roasted tomato & olive oil triscuits, cream cheese, soymilk

Snack (10:15p): several spoons of natural peanut butter, a pear, 2 waters

He Just Wanted Me to Tell Him

2007-06-02T08:50:00.005-05:00

So yesterday I finally confessed about the problem I had been having while reading the scripture. Confession is the first step to repentance. I knew God knew. But he wanted me to talk to him about, to come to him and say, I'm sorry, I messed up.

I know what it is like to be in the darkest struggle -- to make it through by studying and meditating on scripture. And God led me to Proverbs 26, with the first 10 or so verses talking about foolishness and wisdom....Lord, I need wisdom! To know that something will remove you from a dangerous or uncomfortable position, but not doing it, is foolishness. Wisdom learns from the past and applies the lessons learned.

I listened to Beth Moore this morning on the topic of "My Determined Purpose, 5/21". This is what she said

We haven't had a fresh work of God in months and maybe years because we're waiting for Him to have a fresh work in somebody else's life and He's going "You know what, they're praying for you!"
So tonight we're just going to do the 'my' thing - just 'my'. If you catch yourself even applying this to another soul, ask God to just stop you in your tracks tonight. Because this is about you and me. We cannot determine anybody else's purpose for them...

Today's Menu

2007-06-01T22:14:00.002-05:00

Lunch(12:45p): string cheese, peach soy yogurt, wild rice, couscous, a pear, orange juice, 2.5 waters

Dinner (7:30p): salad w/italian dressing, a lot of egg noodles w/garlic salt, pepper and country crock, natural boca chik patty w/champagne mustard & provolone on two 100% whole wheat, soymilk

Snack (8p): 2 triple berry muffins

I kinda mixed breakfast and lunch together today, I was in a rush this morning. Also, I think I'm going to go snack on some veggies now, because all I had was lettuce w/some carrot shavings....not exactly full of vitamins! And I think I'll throw in another piece of fruit too.

Laziness

2007-06-01T10:27:00.007-05:00

The past week I've been so lazy. I have been cleaning up around the house. I have been going to work. I have been going out with friends. What I have not been doing is spending time in the Word like I had been. It's not like I was pouring over the Bible for hours a day, but I was reading at least some scripture daily, working on a bible study, reading a book on prayer. Even as I sit here, I feel as though I need to get back on track.....not because God is mad at me or out of some kind of religious duty....I truly miss that closeness and intimacy that I feel when my day is started with Him.

I think part of the reason I've drifted away from my reading is because it's really been hitting me how much I've been applying what I read to other people and not to myself. I would love to say that I'm taking those amazing words about patience, perseverance, love, hospitality -- and applying them to someone I love. But to my own shame, I'm using scripture to say "so and so doesn't do this or that". It makes me feel absolutely sick inside. It honestly brings tears to my eyes.

I do have a glimmer of hope beyond this negative attitude that has been creeping into my mind. All things are possible through Christ who strengthens me. All things. I believe the Lord has magnified my awareness of this judgmental attitude that is in my heart -- so I can see it how he sees it. It makes him feel sick to see his children even think of each other that way. It hurts when the light shines on your own darkness.

Food!

2007-05-31T18:26:00.004-05:00

Breakfast (10:30a): 2 morning glory breakfast patties on 2 100% whole wheat bread, strawberries, string cheese, OJ

Lunch(12:30p): couscous w/ veg. boullion, broccoli, and spinach, soda

Dinner(7p): wild rice, pan fried breaded okra, lentils w/spinach, tomato, crushed red pepper, garlic and lemon juice, soymilk, water
(recipe for yummy lentils and spinach)
I usually don't get enough liquids or fruit, so I'm trying to keep myself accountable. Also, I work weird hours, and don't always remember to bring snacks or meals, so hopefully this can help me get a little more organized!

Snack (9p): Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream, a banana, water

Snack (1a): toasted cheese ravioli, spag. sauce

How many times??

2007-05-31T11:36:00.002-05:00

I keep trying to do this blog thing but have never managed to have more than 2 posts, so I'm going to try again. This is more like an online journal I guess. I feel so "anti" though. I don't want to have some cleverly written page. Because all the cleverly written blogs look the same. I'm afraid even that comment is too clever.... Oh, well. I will be attempting to chronicle what I eat; my attempts at living a healthier life that treats my body as the temple of the Holy Spirit; my growth in awareness of how much we need to care for the very creation that exemplifies God's glory--our little planet, Earth; my own growth in knowing my Creator and projects that I am working on. Maybe this time, my blog thing will work!

**Shine**