Craft Your Happiness: Find Balance

The other day I was ready to tackle the world of Superfoods. Most likely a response to what's happening in my world of work (losing my job).

After reading most of the Beauty Detox Foods, by Kimberly Snyder and spending about $100 at the health food store I've decided to quit.

Why? Because I couldn't find an acceptable recipe for cookies. I bought many of the suitable substitutes; stevia and  Ener-G Egg replacer. But couldn't bring myself to buy xanthum gum (what?) or arrowroot starch. I also couldn't find a replacement for flour, which apparently is second place to poison in regards to what it does to the body.

Cookies and potato chips aren't what I call weaknesses. They're foods I use for strength. I'm not talking about eating a whole bag of Lays or giant Costco size box of cookies, that's a disorder. This isn't about food addiction or illness.

It's about enjoying chips and dip with a glass of wine with friends before dinner. Or having a couple of frozen thin mints from the freezer when we get home. These are things in my life because they bring joy, not because they bring guilt or high cholesterol.

Eating healthy has always been my goal and I'm sticking to it.

However, since I own the book I might as well stick with some of the recommendations.  I'm hanging onto the  green smoothie recipe, reducing caffeine, dairy and soda intake adding Bee-Pollen and eliminating soy products (by-by tofu- nice knowin' ya!)

That seems like a good balance. What keeps you balanced?

Craft Your Happiness: Finding Passion After Losing Your Job

I'm losing my job. Not sure if the world at large cares about this news, but it's disturbing to me and the other folks I work with. Our office is shutting down and redistributing the work to our counter-parts in California and Texas.  California and Texas are great but I'm not interested in moving.

The initial shock still lingers but I have a  few months left and a little bit of severance-pay to figure things out.
What better time than the present to pursue my passions (once I identify what they are).

Today I'm motivated to get started, tomorrow I might be heaped in a ball unable to get out of bed, which has been the case for the last week. 

First thing. I've always wanted to be really, really healthy and be in really great shape. Seems  Kimberly Snyder  is the current trend setter in this area. Or at least in the celeb world and what better reliable cluster of people to get this informtaion? ha.

Her current book The Beauty Detox Foods is hard core and intimidating. But, wasn't it my very own Friday Groove post that claimed, "In order to get what you've always wanted, you have to do something you've never done".  I'm officially putting my money where my mouth is, or blog-post, that is.

Today I'll put together a menu for the week and get started, once I get out of my pajamas.
Apparently her Green Smoothie is the big deal.

Craft Your Friday Groove: Words to Live by

Friday Groove is brought to you by JD Houston. Today's goal is identify something you've never had, but want,  and do one thing you've never done to get you closer to that goal. 

What I've never had, but always wanted is a summer drink to enjoy all year round. So, I'll be sampling new drink recipes this weekend with ingredients found in any type of bar- upscale all the way down to dive.

No one said doing things you've never done before had to be hard!

Craft Your Cozy Cottage: Hanging Flower Baskets

The side of our cottage is bare and white. In fact, the entire outside is bare and white. Its been this way ever since we moved in, and been on my mind ever since we moved in.

My first instinct was to make quick changes, 'cause I like to get shit done.  It's soo much easier to walk into Home Depot and purchase whatever they have in stock. Instantly gratifying but a few weeks later it's usually buyers remorse.

This time I pumped the breaks (my new favorite phrase, btw) did some research and found exactly what will work best.

Hanging flower baskets. Apartment Therapy had a bunch flower ideas.

Testing the waters, we started with three hanging baskets.

We're not really green thumb people (see below, our Arborvitae from last year, bit the dust) so I'm gun-shy about adding too many plants requiring a lot of  TLC.

Right now, I'm really loving how this looks and hope to add more hanging plants after passing the "no-kill" test. Are plastic plants tacky? just wondering.