It's all apples and oranges!

It's Day 1 of eating a processed free diet. I've done mucho research on the internet and I think I can do it! :) Although, I already made a mistake. I had a baked potato for lunch and then not thinking I put butter on it. Well, butter is processed. Opps! This is going to be a little trickier than I thought, but I really want to learn to truly eat completely natural and "raw" as they call it. My goal eventually is to become a vegan, but I will ease myself into that. I'm scared I won't get enough protein that I need at first. I am trying to teach myself which foods are a good source of fiber and which are a good source of protein, etc. It really does amaze me how food can affect you so.

Also, I am taking the water challenge - to drink a gallon of water a day! Don't think it sounds hard? Well, give it a try. A gallon is a lot more than you think. And when you're not drinking water, you'll be running down the hall to the bathroom. :)

Another improvement I am making in my life is composting. Now you may think I've gone crazy, but it is a great way to reduce the amount of trash your family is taking out. It is great for the environment and for your garden! Right now I have my food scraps in a ziplock bag but I need to go buy a airtight container to keep my scraps in. So all the scraps of the natural fruits and veggies I'll be eating on my whole food diet will decompose and go back into the soil for nutrients for more plants- just as God intended. And the world will be a better place! :)

If you are not familar with composting, read this blog for detailed instructions. It really is quite interesting.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Today is Fat Tuesday 2009 and I am staring at the biggest king cake I have ever seen. Unfortunately it is not gluten free, so I will not be partaking in the cake this year. However, I am having a few friends over to enjoy it! I can't wait!

Even though I'm not Catholic, I do love Mardi Gras time! I thought I would share a little about the history of Mardi Gras today for those of you who are interested. It's really quite a neat history.

(Mardi Gras history taken from this website. )

Mardi Gras most likely originated from the Romans and Greek from their mid-February celebration known as Lupercalia which honored the god Lupercus. This celebration was very similar in nature to the Mardi Gras today, with drinking and eating and satisfying "pleasure of the flesh." In fact, the term Carnival, often synonymous with Mardi Gras, is derived from the Latin expression meaning "farewell to the flesh."

As many pagan traditions, Lupercalia was converted to a Christian festival and was and still is celebrated today in conjuction with Lent. The carnival-like celebration of Lupercalia thus morphed into a last "fling" before the beginning of the Lenten period. Lent refers to the 40 days of pertinence and purification celebrated between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. During Lent, the religiously faithful refrain from a number of indulgences of the "flesh", including eating meat.

in other words, it's the big party before a time of fasting and sacrifice. (as in giving something up, not like sacrificing as they did in Biblical times..)

Anyway, even though I am not Catholic, I usually try to give something up for Lent. Being from Louisiana I was surrounded by Mardi Gras and Lent at this time of year. My friends in high school always celebrated with a king cake, followed by the challenge of giving something up for 40 days following Fat Tuesday.

My 40 day challenge: (I can't believe I'm actually writing this down.) I will not eat any processed food or drink for 40 days. My proposed outcome is that I will feel tons better having NOT put chemicals and additives in my system. If I do, in fact, feel better than I will hopefully continue this in the future. Over the past few years, well, mainly since I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, I have cut out a LOT of processed foods and have started eating more natural foods...but I have never gone without them entirely...until now.

Can I do it? We shall see.

Recycle Those Phones!

I recently had an interesting conversation with a guy who refuses to recycle anything and therefore, since he is in a position of authority at his workplace, refuses to make their building a "green" office. This conversation arose when I simply asked where, how, and IF he recycled old cell phones. His response was that he used to, but now he simply throws them away. I literally felt my stomach cringe. I can just see all the billions of cell phones in land fills all over the earth because it is easily to throw them away rather than take the five minutes to recycle them. It angers me! And cell phones is only the beginning.

If you have an old cell phone laying around the house, please do NOT throw it away. There are many places and people that would LOVE to have an old cell phone- battered women shelters is a great example. Many of their phones were taken by their abusive spouse, if they even had one at all.

I found Qwest through The Daily Green website. Go Green for Schools is a new and innovative cell phone recycling initiative brought to you by Qwest. By recycling your cell phone with Qwest, you keep unused cell phones out of landfills and reduce green house gas emissions. This recycling program also helps raise money for public school districts and preK-12 educational initiatives.

This website makes it so simple to mail in your cell phones. It gives you step by step instructions and even gives you a PREPAID mailing label for your box or mailing envelope. How much easier could it get?! So before you chunk your old cellies in the garbage, give education a second thought. Help out our schools and RECYCLE THOSE PHONES!!!

Boys Will Be Boys!

This past weekend I drove down to Shreveport to spend the weekend with my cousin Lauren, her husband, and her little boy, Trey. We had the best time! It was so relaxing and Lauren is a great cook. It was just the mini-vacation that I needed. Friday night we just caught up and chatted before falling asleep at 11:30pm and realizing that I am now officially old.

Saturday morning I woke up to a fresh bowl of fruit all chopped and ready to go! Trey and I enjoyed our fruit together before talking a walk to the near by park. We played in this huge field of clover and just had the best time watching Trey be silly. When we were leaving the park we found tons of lady bugs...that was really neat for Trey to see.

Since Shreveport has the famous Humphrey's Yougart I swung by to get Lauren and I a cup at Counter Culture! Man, I wish we had one of those in Little Rock. I would literally each one everyday! I could have left happy at this point, but Lauren surprised me with gluten free pasta for lunch and STEAK for dinner! We settled in Saturday night and watched a great movie on TV.

Sunday morning we loaded up and went to another park down by the Red River. It was fun to watch Trey be a typical boy picking up sticks and rocks and wishing he could go play in the river.

I had the best time! Next time I decided that my babys will come with me: Buie and Conner. I know they would enjoy Shreveport with the Wests as much as I did.

I think my favorite part of the weekend was when Trey got into my makeup. He had it all of his face! hehe.

me and my cousin, Lauren

my favorite picture of Trey from the weekend

giggles...

"Here, smell this!"

Trey, playing in a field of clover!

Trey found my makeup!

I think he got hot so he was taking off his jammies...

My Funny Valentine

"You know you want me"

"You're smoking hot!"

"Bananas for you!"
"My main squeeze"

"You knock me out!"
"I'm horny"
"Can't get enough"
In honor of the upcoming holiday this Saturday, I've been browsing around for cute "love themed" items. These were particularly cute and caught my eye. Found at Bumble Ink.

We are in this together.

Found here. I thought this print was just darling! I want it in my house. It is perfect for a wedding gift for a new couple or for your sweetheart for Valentine's Day. I know it reminds me of my sweetheart... and brings a smile to my face.