Long time, no see!

Oh my gosh! I haven't posted in a month and a half! I needed an internet break. I'm trying to get back in the swing of things.

I'm still doing the raw food diet. Over two months now. I eat about 80-90% raw. It's hard when you go to a restaurant. At home I've learned to make gourmet raw dishes. So Yummy!

Right now I'm saving money to get a Vitamix (pictured above). They are amazing. A must have for a raw foodist. I've discounted everything in my shop so hopefully I will make some extra money. Wish me luck!

Christy

Shop Update

I finally did a shop update! Yea! The elves (well, one elf) have been working furiously this week to get some projects complete. I have to say, I am well pleased with the results. I have listed 3 of my new Market Slouch Bags in my esty shop. They are upcycled from designer sweaters. I'm offering free shipping on these through the end of the month. I also have sweet lavender sachets that make great gifts. I have a few other things to list also, like earring that I made from vintage japanese cabachons. I have to retake pictures. We haven't had a sunny day in two weeks.

I'm still working on my Christmas shopping. I'm almost finished. I want to be done before the kids get out of school so I can enjoy time off with them doing family activities. We plan on baking cookies and candy, going bowling and maybe ice skating, and definitely going to see The Tales of Despereaux. That was the sweetest book. If you haven't read it, you really should. My kids loved it.

Still on the raw food diet. I have "cheated" about 3 times. I enjoyed it though and I hopped right back on the wagon. I can't be perfect! I do feel better. I attribute it to the "green" drink that I have twice a day. I will post the recipe and a picture of it soon.

Have a nice day and remember the Christ in Christmas!
Christy

SuperStar Sunday

I can't believe I'm finally posting for my first SuperStar Sunday! This is exciting for me. I knew right away who would be featured first. I chose my best friend and husband, Bryan. I know it sounds corny but he's really a great guy. He has the best character and integrity. He would do anything for his our children and me. I love him and I know you would too sooo.........here he is!

So tell us a little about yourself and what you do for a living.

Well, my name is Bryan. I'm 42. I work for the Federal Government protecting the lives of people. I can't say anything else about my job. Well, I could tell you exactly what I do but I'd have to......... you know how this goes.

What are some of your hobbies?

I have a few. Reading, working out, sports, hiking, and cooking.

What are you reading right now?

Extreme Measures by Vince Flynn

What is your favorite thing to cook?

That's easy. My Cincinnati chili.

If you could take a family vacation anywhere, where would you go?

Hawaii because we all seem to like the beach.

Where would you go if you could take only your wife (me)?

Italy, because it's romantic and there's a lot of history and architecture to see. It would be nice to go to Florence and Venice.

What would you say is your greatest accomplishment so far?

I would say being married and being a father and taking care of my family.

What is something you would like to accomplish before you die?

Retire young enough to enjoy retirement. Oh and climb the highest Mountain in America.

Who is your hero?

Superman because he's strong, has good character and he doesn't let you down.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Hopefully, smarter and wiser. Living out west still taking care of my family.

Thank you for letting me interview you honey. I had fun asking you all these questions. Now, about that trip to Italy...........

Healthy Update

I'm now on day 7 of my raw food diet so I wanted to give a little update. I'm happy to say that I'm not hungry ( I thought I would be). I feel really good actually. I'm not craving sugar. My mood feels really even and I can handle stress wayyyy better. I also fall asleep much easier. This so far has not been too difficult.




Keeping it real, I have to say that preparation of the salads and juicing has been a little tedious. I have been to the grocery store 3 times this week. It takes a lot of veggies to make juice. I think this will take time to figure out. I STILL crave diet Mt. Dew (addictive stuff!) at least once a day. And it feels weird to be the only one in the house eating like this. That said, my hubby is very supportive and seems to be interested in the information I'm reading. So I will continue on this path since it's working for me and I'll update again soon.





This week has been so busy with wrestling matches, cheerleading, two sick kids. and a trip to the doctor ( 3 trips to Krogers). I'm really wanting to get in my studio and make something! Anything. I have a few unfinished projects and some fun clay and cloth dolls I have been working on. I hope I can update my shop by next Friday. My fingers are crossed.





My Etsy shop will be featured on a cute blog next weekend and I will be participating in a giveaway on that blog. More info to come.



I will be posting tomorrow for SUPERSTAR SUNDAY. My first person to be featured will be none other than my best friend and sweet husband, Bryan.




Have a great night!

Living Healthy

I don't know if i mentioned it before but I'm totally into healthy living. I eat healthy, exercise regularly, and keep up on the latest health news. I'm the kind of person that gets really cranky if I go more than two days without working out. Annoying, right?

Well, after indulging in wonderful Thanksgiving dinner that lasted about 3 days (leftovers), I decided to lighten up on the food a bit. I hate feeling blah after a heavy meal. Screws up my digestion too. I picked up this book at Barnes and Noble and was hooked. At first your thinking there's no way you can eat a raw food diet. But when you actually read it you'll see that it's not all raw food. (raw being fresh fruits and veggies, and food not heated over 118 degrees) It's really quite doable when you start at the appropriate level for you ( take a quiz in the book to determine your level). I'm doing level three which is raw until dinner and then I have a cooked (healthy) meal. I'm on day three and I feel pretty darn good. I've also quit drinking diet soda. It's definitely my worse habit. I hope I don't give in to the soda anymore.

I've also really kicked up the intensity of my workouts. I think I really love spinning. I sweat like nobody's business. It feels great. It make my weight training better too. I actually feel stronger and more energized after spinning.

Why am I doing all of this? Well, I'm a 37 year old mother of 5 (ages 19 months to 16 years). I gotta keep up with them and I want to see my grandchildren and maybe even great grandchildren one day. And dang it, I don't want to get old!! A lot of things are out of our control. But our health isn't one of them. So many diseases and illnesses can be prevented by taking care of ourselves. I'm going to continue to do the best I can to take care of myself and be a good example to my children.

I'm going to periodically post about how this is going. I'm also working on giving up meat and dairy. The meat is not so hard but I love cheese! We''ll see. More on that later. If anyone reads this and has experience with this detox diet, I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

If you want to know more about this book go here.

Computer Trouble...........

I just wanted to say that my computer is ill. I am in the process of troubleshooting and fixing the problem. In the mean time, I will take a break from blogging this week to spend time with my family for Thanksgiving.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Christy

SuperStar Sunday

I wasn't going to post today but I just can't get these thoughts off my mind. What better way than to tell a "few" friends. So here goes...........

After attending my church today, I kept thinking about all the amazing women (and men) that I have the privilege of knowing, either personally or casually, through church or anywhere for that matter. I'm sure if you just sit and think about the people you know you would feel the same way. Right? There are so many good, good people in this world doing so many great things. Ya know? You just don't hear about the "ordinary" people. This world is so blinded by the media that the REAL people get lost.

Well, Hollywood............. move over. The real Superstars are here!

I will be featuring one person every Sunday on my blog. I want to introduce you to my friends, family, leaders, and heroes. Mothers, fathers, teachers, and kids that are just too flippin' amazing for words. So many negative images are thrown at us on a daily basis. Well, the world is awesome. We live in a great time! I feel hopeful. I feel hopeful because of my faith, my family, and all the other beautiful people in this world that strive everyday to be the best they can be. So Please join me every Sunday right here so that I can introduce you to some of the wonderful people in my world that are making a difference. Is it a date?

Hope you have a peaceful Sunday!

Christy