Cleanse: Day 5,6 & 7

apple cake. s'mores. fresh tortillas. fontina. cherrios. italian cream cake. blueberry pancakes with butter pecan dressing. goldfish crackers. it all started with the goldfish crackers.

I blew it.

ABSOLUTELY. POSITIVELY. blew it.

Friday went swimmingly until it was time to go, go, go! packing, and cleaning, and dropping puppy off. where are the toothbrushes? Seven bucks for a cantaloupe?!?! my body was tired, my head fuzzy, and Sela spilled the goldfish crackers for the second time. I popped two little fishies in my mouth and my brain took a deep breath for the first time in days. As I ate slice after slice of apple cake I swore I had NEVER NEVER EVER felt so great, everyone within shouting distance heard how delighted, thrilled, and positively tickled pink I was to quit my cleanse. I was welcoming old friends with an open mouth.

Today I am starting again. Crazy, eh? Maybe. While I was on the cleanse I loved that I actually listened to my body. I was eating just enough, and it was the right stuff, too. I thought about where my food came from and every meal had a purpose, not just to stuff my face and my belly, but to nourish my family, and to do it well. Cooking felt like art, slightly restricted art, I just had to kick up my creativity a few notches.

I'm going to start a little slower, but my goal is to cut gluten and animal products from my diet 3 days a week and sugar for 5. I hope that I can continue to be aware of what I am putting in my body, how it made it to my plate, and effects it has on the environment.

Thanks for following along with me on my SUPER short journey, and I'll be sure to post more yummy recipes as I find them!

Happy Hippie Friday: The Sometimes I'm An Idiot Edition

So I love Mackin Ink. Truly, truly. And it seems as though she is taking over Hippie Friday, but in reality I wanted to apologize for the name mishap...her name is Karey, not Karen, and I'm an idiot. So sorry.

But it was on her beautiful blog that I found this video, and it made me so happy that I cried a little. And then I read his website and I laughed a lot. Here's to dancing in public and to smart ladies named Karey.

Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday!

Now I'm A Believer

Yesterday, while in the restroom at Gygi's, I discovered Mrs. Meyers Clean Day hand soap in Geranium. I washed my hands 3 times. And my upper arms twice. It was all I could do not to strip down and use the entire bottle right there, public restroom and all. You see, if it isn't Western Family brand, sold in bulk, or available at Wal-Mart, Utah County does NOT carry it. I have heard the wonderful rumors of Mrs. Meyers, and hoped they were true, but seriously doubted that I would run into her, especially in the restroom of a catering supply store. But I did, and I'm in love. I can't even wait to clean my bathroom with her absolutely delicious cleaning supplies.

Does anyone know where else I can find her?

Cleanse: Day Four

So Dooce stopped the cleanse. I so want to use her experience to justify putting brown sugar in my oatmeal this morning. But I don't really feel sick. Yeah, I get headaches in the evening, I'm a little more tired than usual, and my body feels different. But different in a good way, in a quiet way.
Yesterday went surprisingly well, despite the fact that I wasn't at home and had to eat out for one of my meals. The most shocking part was realizing how much of my eating is a ritual. Not eating because I'm hungry, or because the food is necessarily good, but just because it's there. We went to IKEA and it was so hard for me not to get a cinnamon roll. They aren't that great, I wasn't hungry, I just ALWAYS get a cinnamon roll EVERY TIME we go. I stared with longing at the people lining up for their $1.00 gooey cinnamon treats, bought Brian his favorite candy, and left. For the first time, I left IKEA without a cinnamon roll.

Menu
Breakfast: oatmeal with almonds and cinnamon
Snack: apple and banana
Lunch: Spinach salad and Split Pea vegetable soup
Snack: orange and Wasa crackers with almond butter and cinnamon
Dinner: Corn tortillas with beans, grilled peppers, green chilies, and enchilada sauce
Dessert: Smoothies

Bread & Honey

This is the yummiest, prettiest, most wonderful blog I have seen in awhile, the pictures are gorgeous! It was absolute torture looking at all of the deliciousness while I'm on the cleanse, but I have big plans for us when my 21 days are over!

They are both super talented, creative, young mothers and I want to be their best friend.

via kirtsy

Cleanse: Day Three

Blah.....that's how I felt all day yesterday. My body felt heavy and lethargic, my head was killing me, and I walked around groggy fog all day. I was able to take a pretty long nap in the afternoon and that seemed to help a little, and by the evening I felt just fine. I really hope that doesn't carry on through today and the rest of the cleanse, because I was CRANKY and miserable all day...blah.

Menu
Breakfast: oatmeal with almonds and blueberries
Snack: Cantaloupe
Lunch: Mediterranean Chopped Salad
Snack: Wasa crackers with hummus and avocado
Dinner: Vegan Boca Burgers with horseradish Dijon mustard, tomatoes, lettuce, and onion
Dessert: Banana, mango, and pineapple coconut juice smoothie

Dear Brian,

Will you re-create this wooden sculpture for me in warmer wood tones?

Have a great day at work!

Love,

Rach

via desire to inspire

Cleanse: Day Two

Day two went really well, only a slight headache before bed and lots of tummy rumbling. I think the rumbling is part of the cleansing process, so I'm glad to see that it is working. The biggest change I've noticed so far is the amount of time I spend thinking about and preparing food. Many of the new recipes that I have made require more preparation and time, and the results are well worth it. I've been pleased with both of the recipes I found on Oprah's website, the Mediterranean Chopped Salad might be the best meal I've ever made.

Menu
Breakfast: Oatmeal with blueberries and almonds
Snack: Orange
Lunch: last of the Potato and Leek Soup
Snack: Hearty Rye Wasa Crackers with cinnamon and apples
Dinner: Mediterranean Chopped Salad
Dessert: 100% Pineapple and Coconut juice

A Little Rest And Relaxation

What a great view! I would love to have a little retreat somewhere quiet, secluded, and absolutely gorgeous like this place.


Via Style-Files

Cleanse : Day One

One day down, 21 to go....
Yesterday went pretty well, it really opened my eyes to just how mindlessly I have been feeding myself. While I was preparing Sela's lunch I was thinking about how I can't eat any cheese, and I popped a piece of cheese in my mouth without even realizing it. I chewed it once and spit it out, so shocked that I didn't even notice what I was doing. How many times a day did I do that before?!?! Yikes! I had a few trouble spots, the usual 2:30 pm sugar attack and the evening cravings. There were a few moments of pacing and a killer headache in the evening, but I managed to make it through day one.

Menu for day one:
Breakfast: hot cereal with blueberries, walnuts and honey
Snack: Apple with almond butter
Lunch: Potato Leek Soup
Snack: Orange
Dinner: Potato Leek Soup, mixed green salad with tomatoes, avocados, and walnuts with olive oil, garlic, and lemon dressing
Dessert: Apple slices with honey and cinnamon, microwaved for 2 minutes and topped with walnuts....yum!

image via Daisy Chain

Cleaning Up

I'm jumping on the bandwagon. Oprah did it. Dooce is doing it. So like any good American woman who is active in popular culture, I am doing the Quantum Wellness Cleanse. Well, sort of. I don't have the book, so I'm basically just staying away from animal products, gluten, and sugar. I'm already a vegetarian, and I don't drink alcohol, coffee, or soda. Halfway there. I'm actually not doing it so much for the health benefits,(even though it will be nice to hopefully break my addiction to sugar) but more to s-l-o-w down and realize what I'm eating, where it came from, and figure out new ways to nourish my body. I didn't even become interested in cooking until I became a vegetarian, and I have high hopes that I will strengthen my culinary skills even more with my new vegan diet.

I'm going to post about my 21 day cleanse, and hopefully it will help keep me motivated despite my annual family camp-out this weekend, 3 birthday parties, and the 4th of July celebrations that span the next few weeks.

Last night we had some friends over for dinner, and I made all of my carb-loaded, cheesy delicious, and homemade ice cream favorites. The weather was great, the food turned out well, the company superb, and I ate waaaaaaay too much ice cream. It was a pretty good farewell party, and I'm excited to meet some new favorites.

Good-bye, delicious cheese. Good-bye, s'mores. Good-bye, warm bread with apple lavender jam.

Hello, veggies, veggies, and more veggies.

Happy Hippie Friday

Fear is a powerful force. Fear coupled with ignorance is a paralyzing and effective tool. I can think of countless nights I have spent frozen in my bed, listening to nameless noises outside my window. My mind and heart racing, frantic terror creeping in from every corner, and every horrible thought and story from a lifetime of news programs, Law & Order episodes, and a (slightly) over active imagination. Fear has the power to conquer and rule over us.

I had an opportunity to live in Mexico in the Spring of 2006. It seemed everywhere I turned, someone had a story of corrupt government, drug lords, kidnapping and ransom, and bodies of Americans found buried in the desert. Determination and my rebellious spirit outweighed my fears, and I finally made it to Mexico. Los Ayala is a small farming and fishing community on the Pacific Coast, and it was a safe haven for me. I was surrounded by beautiful, smiling faces, laughing children, and curious adults. The love and friendship they showed me in the short time I was there, opened my eyes and I slowly learned to replace my fear with love.

Today I want to share with you a post by Karen M. from Mackin Ink. Karen lives Jordan with her husband and three daughters. Her blog is beautiful, funny, thought-provoking, and absolutely brilliant in every way.


A Love Letter

there's no place like home. there's no place like home. there's no place like...

home.

i've been homesick. achingly exceedingly homesick. because there's no place like it, right? home is, after all, where your heart lives. and my heart lives in america.

but i've been asked to list what i love about the place i currently call my home. jordan. so i started thinking. about here and there and somewhere over the rainbow. this is what i love...

i love the endless stream of wide-eyed visitors. especially americans. when we meet by chance, i always fight the urge to pat them on their backs, tell them i'm so very proud of them. for choosing jordan over hawaii. or disney.

because this is an awfully long way from home, and it must take no less than heaps of courage to travel to a place nearly all your friends advise you to avoid. i love these travelers on sight because i just know that their heads and hearts are overflowing with greatness. optimism. enthusiasm. and an unwavering faith in the world.

it's worth it, an adventure to jordan. it's so worth it. there's a reason why petra is one of the new seven wonders. if you ever lose your sense of awe, if you ever stop believing, or if you find yourself unmoved by the sheer beauty of the world...come. you'll find it all again in petra.


but is it dangerous? always, always, this is the first question i'm asked about our life in jordan. truly? i'm in constant awe of the safe haven this country offers. especially when you consider the rough neighborhood in which she lives.

to me, jordan's like that house on your childhood street. the one where the parents were cool, and where all the kids wanted to hang out. the one where everyone was welcomed with open arms. no one would dare misbehave at that house, lest they be asked to leave.

do you remember what it feels like to wholeheartedly adore...admire...trust those who keep the care of your country? i absolutely love the love jordanians have for their king and their queen. in every shop, there hangs at least one photograph of king abdullah. sometimes with his queen, rania. sometimes with his children. sometimes alongside the king's daddy, as esme calls the beloved late king hussein. every shop. every. shop.

don't be fooled. this is not a blind faith. it's not. it's an unwavering faith. and i envy it.

do i feel safe? i've been known to grab my girlies upon arrival in the states, put my face smack in front of theirs, and, through clenched teeth, deliver a warning that scares them and anyone else who happens to hear...don't you dare leave my side and don't you dare talk to strangers and if someone tries to steal you scream with all the screams in your little bodies and just keep your heads down and don't make eye contact with anyone BECAUSE WE ARE NOT IN THE MIDDLE EAST ANYMORE, GIRLS!

jordan, you make me think. you make me feel. you make me see. and, for the first time in my life, you make me question.

i used to see the world through my television, while i snacked on one point of view like candy. because we didn't have satellite, much less cable. and now? jordan, you have changed my view.

from the dudes at the fish counter who laughingly scare the girlies with octopus and eels, to the men on our corner who run to sell us lillies and roses as we drive by...and still keep their smiles even when we tell them not today...to the girlies' friend at the make-up counter who always gives them samples. her hair is covered, and she dresses modestly. traditionally. but all i see is a woman with my three-in-the-making, giggling together over glosses and shimmers. gets me every time.

there are the iraqis, who've lost it all and desperately hope to find it again in jordan, just until they can return to their homes. trying so hard to create new lives, all the while with that unmistakable look in their eyes. i'm not sure how to describe it, but i know it when i see it. believe me.

and then there's the dentist who rescued lillie's front tooth. it had chipped right in half. we chose him from a list of names, and met him at his office just thirty minutes later. it was his holy day, and his home was full of lunch guests, but he took all the time in his world to soothe a little girlie and make sure she'd smile beautifully again. he talked as he worked, and mentioned he was from palestine.

do you visit a lot? lill asked brightly. because she is the master of small talk, but painfully unaware that there can never be small talk when it holds a sizeable word like palestine.

i can't...i don't go back, he told her with some kind of wistful smile. someone else is living in my home. so my home is now jordan.

my homesickness is ridiculous next to his.

all the people we've met, all the families who've adopted us...they've each taught us something important. i once hoped that this time in this region would help to show my girlies that they are just like us. and now? my hope is that my girlies see that there is no such thing as they. or us. it's we.

jordan, you break my heart. which may be a good thing, if home really is where your heart lives. makes it easier to be two places at once.

Thank you, Karen, for showing love instead of fear, and bringing understanding where there is ignorance.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Oh, That Kitchen!

I really like the warm, clean feel of this home.....but I LOVE the kitchen. Brian and I have been looking at houses lately and all I can think about it ripping out and donating all of the upper cabinets. I have a serious love for open shelves and non-kitchen-y kitchens.

via style files

Genius

I was so tempted to save this for Hippie Friday, that's how inspiring I found it. Every time I watch it my heart just sings. I am so happy that we have so many creative and brilliant people in the world.


This guy made this video for a job interview. He had it projected on his chest. I would so hire him.

via cup of jo

Headboards

I love the the idea of using over-sized artwork as a headboard! This is the Anemi Hotel in Greece, and their color choices are just gorgeous! That shade of gray is my absolute fave.

Treading Water

When Brian came home on Friday night, we both just stared at each other; exhausted, frustrated, and numb. Working hard and getting nowhere has a funny way of stripping away feelings of security and leaving you empty handed. We have been trying to take "the next step" for months now, but have found it impossible. The harder we work, the harder it seems to make any sense of our situation. Relatives and friends kindly say, "You just have to take a leap of faith," our faith is ready and waiting, but we can't seem to find the right direction to leap. I watch others who have made the transition from poor college students to whatever it is they are doing now, whether it is grad school, moving into a house, a family, or their first real job, and I wonder what steps they took that we are somehow missing.

There are also so many options to choose from. We live in world where anything is possible. We often find ourselves trying to decide between the good, better, and the best choice, and worrying all along the way if we have truly made the right choice. It seems that all of the opportunities that have come our way have ended up feeling more like obligations, and put us right back where we started, albeit a little more discouraged.

So, I need your advice. How did you transition? Did you find there was a time where you were treading water, so to speak, before opportunity came a-knockin'?



ps it appears that my creativity has taken a break to allow room for a nasty head cold, so posting will be light. Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow.

image here.

Happy Hippie Friday

Mark Bittman: What's Wrong With What We Eat

This talk is incredibly funny, intelligent, and straightforward. Mark Bittman is a food writer for New York Times.

Happy Weekend!

Jewels

I first spotted Armelle Jewelry at the Beehive Bazaar, and I have loved it ever since. Her designs are really classy and fun.

One of the Best Moments in Television History

A big fat thanks to my sister-in-law, Lauren, for introducing me to the mindless, wonderful world that is Ugly Betty.

Girls of Summer

More lovely ladies from The Sartorialist.

Farmhouse Wares

I really like the look of this recycled glass, hand-blown water bottle and glass set.

Everybody Loves A Bargain

West Elm has really great prices on these pretties, hurry before they are gone!

Everything I Want To Be

Ok, so remember my loooooong list of dream careers? There is actually someone who does more than half of them, and she does them all very very well. I'd like you to meet Erinn Valencich from Omniarte Design. Erin is an Interior designer, writer, television host, stylist, chef, and most recently my hero. Here is just a teeny tiny taste of her portfolio, click here to check out more of this lovely lady's talents!






via desire to inspire

Kiehl's is Kickin'

I just picked up these products this weekend and they seemed to have solved my yucky skin problem that always shows up during the change of seasons. The moisturizer is really fabulous for extremely dry climates, hot or cold, so hopefully I can keep using it during the winter.
Sela has decided to boycott sleep for the time being, and so I've been jumping on the band-wagon, too. My eyes have been puffy and exhausted for the past few weeks (14 months), and I've been in need of decent eye cream. Hello, Eye Alert! This is actually from the men's line, but it works like a dream!

( I apologize for the seemingly misplaced apostrophe in my title....)

Boodalee

I love boodalee's line of children's bedding, especially this pink and teal bedroom. Those lanterns are really sweet.


Jeanice Skvaril created this company when she couldn't find any decent toddler bedding (read: everything is covered in bright characters), so she designed some that fit her style. The bedding and pillow collections are pretty swell, and I'm pretty sure that this is one of the sweetest mom + baby photos I've seen!
Jeanice and her little man.

Happy Hippie Friday

"There is nowhere to go. There is nothing to do. There is no one to be."
-one of my favorite Buddhist sayings

I'll be back in the swing of things on Monday. Thanks for reading and have a happy weekend!

more gorgeous photos here.

When I Grow Up I Want To Be...

a different thing every single day. Seriously. I am so interested in so many things that I really can't decide what it is I want pursue. College was a bit crazy with tons of English and art history classes, anatomy and physiology labs, yoga workshops, environmental clubs, and taking every course they offered in women's studies. Here is a list of all of my "career obsessions," past and present:

-fertility specialist
-writer
-midwife
-teacher
-doula
-chef
-yoga instructor
-interior designer
-graphic designer
-photographer
-florist
-textile designer
-wedding planner
-paper maker (?)
-art museum curator
-honey farmer
-fashion icon (if Stacey London can get paid for it, I can too)

As you can see, I have a multiple career personality disorder, and I'm about to add another one to the mix: Interior Stylist. It is no secret that I am infatuated with magazines and my absolute favorite past-time is to pretend that my apartment/future house is going to be featured in ______ (insert any magazine here). I plan out all of my tablescapes, pillow placement, make a mental note of things that I could add to the space, and yes, I am the biggest nerd ever. But all of this "training" might pay-off in the future when I land a super sweet job working with a photographer to create gorgeous glossy magazine spreads. In all seriousness, how exactly does one become an interior stylist? While we are trying to figure out the answer, here is the lovely portfolio of Melanie Molesworth:



all photos are from decor8. Holly also has lots of other interior stylist interviews if you want to check them out!

Back Again

We are back! What a wonderful weekend! We did absolutely nothing, and it was great. Lots of yummy food, long naps, great company, and stunning scenery. Here are a few things that we picked up on our trip:

Sela has had a fascination with rocks lately. It doesn't matter that we have a backyard full of grass, she runs right to the nearest gravel pit and plays for hours. The illustrations by Peter Parnall are really interesting and beautiful, and the story is funny and lovely.
here.




I have had my eyes on these pretty notebooks for months, they come from the Italian company
Alfabet Ecologia e Colore. They are made from 100% recycled materials and they are gorgeous, I especially love the Juliette series.

I Love You More Today Than Yesterday

Happy Anniversary, Love!