I love the color (or absence of color) white.
It is soothing unlike any other color. I love waking up to a new snow and breathing the fresh crisp air. Just like I love waking up to white sandy beaches and breathing the salty sea air.
Or the clean smell of a bar of soap with and abundance of happy floating bubbles.
White calms my soul and cheers me.
I love the way they play together.
Above is not a great example of it. She is in the basket.
He wants to hold her all the time. She is happier if he is near. He asks to hold her everyday and if he hasn’t gotten to in a day, he will cry. He likes her best in just a onsie or a diaper. She does too.
She is getting heavier and harder for him to hold, but he still tries. He loves to love her.
This is JJ and potato blossoms. Potatoes fresh from the garden are so good. Did you know you can plant the ones that are growing legs in your pantry. That is what these blossoms are from.
I love The Seed Savers Exchange. They have a million kinds of seeds and a farm out in the middle of somewhere you can go and sample the produce. Oh, how I would love to be there during tomato season to taste all the amazing varieties. They have all sorts of them. Green ones, purple ones, striped ones. So much heavenly goodness.
This year I placed our order early so that I could get the peas that we love. Here is our current list of goodness:
Eden’s Gem Melons
Rosemary
Russian Tarragon
Jacob’s Cattle Gold Beans
Painted Pony Beans
Poona Kheera Cucumbers
Kenearly Yellow Eye Beans
Anise
Genovese Basil
Fin de Bagnol Beans
Amish Snap Peas
Blacktail Mountain Watermelon
I can hardly wait to get started this year.
Shoesday continues. Have you heard of 6pm.com. I heart them. Kateka hates when I say that.
6pm.com sells shoes that are not selling well at Zappos.com for a discounted price. I love to peruse their selection of Simple, Keens, Pikolino Boots and shoes for Gentry. Of course, Gentry has opinions about this sort of thing and wants to wear the ugliest thing available. Preferably with IronMan or blinking lights or the best option would be some hideous thing that contains both. It is a battle.
I would love to get him these cute Keens. He had some last summer that he never wore though. So maybe we can compromise and get a pair of semi-hideous Crocs.
This detox is a lot more complex than I originally thought. I think though, that if you take some of the advice your quality of life with be greatly increased.
Day 22: Include high quaility Omega-3 fish oil, specifically EPA and DHA, in your diet. Fish oils benefit heart health, diabetes, depression, and even brain development. When it comes to detoxification, EPA and DHA have the ability to be incorporated into cellular membranes, thus improving cell function.
Day 23: Reduce you your consumption of sugar (substitute stevia, honey, xylitol, or agave nectar) and consume more complex carbyhydrates. In addition, you should eat less meat and, when you do, make sure it hormone-free, organically grown meat.
Day 24: Eat ample amounts of fresh, brightly colored fruits and vegetables, when have naturally occuring antioxidants that act as direct antioxidants and support the production of glutathione. These antioxidants include vitamin C (asorbic acid), carotenes (such as lycopene and lutein), polyphenols, and dozens of other phytochemicals.
Day 25: Eat 1/2 cup per day of cruciferous vegetables, which include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, collard greens, and rapini. These vegetables contain a number of important nutrients, making them extremely beneficial for general health. They are high in vitamin C and soluble fiber, but, more impressively, they contain multiple nutrients with well-known anticancer properties. These include diindolylmethane, sulforaphane, and selenium.
Day 26: Eat one clove of garlic per day and a handful of cooked onions. Onions and garlic are rich in a variety of organic sulfur compounds. Sutdues show both of these vegetables help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, regulate blood sugar, and provide antibiotic effects.
Day 27: And orange a day keeps the doctor away. Lemons, oranges, and limes have had a long history of use for internal cleansing, and are high in vitamin C and bioflavonoids, phytochemicals and powerful antioxidant effects. These compounds can quench free radicals and thus support the body’s detoxification pathways.
Day 28: Eat red fruits. Pomegranante, raspberries, and strawberries contain ellagic acid, a phenolic compound that has some excellent detoxification properties. Ellagic acid not only acts as an antioxidant, it also has liver-protective effects. Some research suggest that ellagic acid may help prevent cancer.
Day 29: Eat 1/2 cup (combined) of liver-friendly foods. Artichokes, dandelions, and beets have all been shown to help move bile more efficiently. Bile is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder. One of the important functions of bile is to move toxins from the liver to the gallbladder and eventually into the duodenum. Artichokes contain cynarin, which not only improves the flow of bile in the liver, but also helps lower cholesterol. Dandelion has a long history of use in liver conditions and has been shown to enhance the movement of bile from both the liver and the gallbladder. Animal studies have also show dandelion to significantly increase the clearance of toxins. Beets also improve detoxification.
Day 30: Drink at least 8-ounce glasses of purified water daily. Science tells us that the human body is anywhere from 55 to 75 percent water, depending on body size. To function properly, you need to replace the water lost through sweat and urination on a daily basis. Although our recommendation is for eight 8-ounce glasses per day, the precise amount depends on the level of activity, temperature, humidity, and other factors.
Day 31: Get your beauty sleep. It turns out that not getting seven to eight house of sleep per night can have some serious health consequences. In a landmark study at the University of Chicago, researchers found that people that slept 6.5 hours or less had a 50 percent increase in the insulin blood levels compared to those that 7.5 to 8.5 hours per night. Make sure that you get your eight house of sleep each night to ensure optimally functioning physiology and improved detoxification.
These tips are a bit depressing because all my favorite foods are made by Satan and shipped from Hell itself. Entemanns donuts. I miss you already.
Day 15: Go for smaller portions. Reducing overall body fat helps the body release stored toxins.
Day 16: Eat at home. What do fast-food restaurants and the processed foods we buy at the supermarket have in common? They all contain added chemicals to preserve the food, enhance its flavor, and make it look better. All the more reason to save some dough and pack a lunch.
Day 17: Become aware of the foods you consume. Begin eating organic produce that is free of pesticides and herbicides-the cost is not much different. If you can’t get organic, make sure you wash all your vegetables with natural cleaning solutions and peel your fruit.
Day 18: If you are going to eat meat, begin shifting to organically grown meat free of hormones and chemical additives. Be aware of the fish you consume and stay away from farm-raised salmon that have high PCB counts.
Day 19: Avoid the following: alcohol, coffee, soft drinks, hot chocolate, refined carbohydrates (found in cakes, cookies, muffins, doughnuts, and ice cream), sugar, chemical additives, preservatives, processed meats, fried foods, trans fats, and artificial sweeteners, dyes, colors and flavors. (Um, what is there that is left to eat?)
Day 20: Trans fat is by far the worst type of fat. Read labels and rid your fridge and pantry of trans fat-containing vegetable shortening, margarine, salad dressings, cakes, doughnuts, microwave popcorn, cookies, french fries, chips, and snack crackers. Start using healthful fats instead, such as coconut oil for cooking and olive oil for salads.
Day 21: Dietary fiber is critical for binding toxin-laden bile and carrying it out of the body. Add more fiber to your diet. Try oats, barley, legumes, fruits, vegetables, wheat, bran, and whole grains.
Should Tuesday be renamed Shoesday? I think it would be a lovely change of pace. Especially since I get daily shoe emails from Piperlime.
Dear Shoes,
I heart you very much.
Love, Makayla
The other night I was awoken in the middle of the night by a crying baby. In my drunken midnight stupor I bought these boots. In the morning I could not remember if it was a dream and checked my email. Sure enough, I had an email confirmation and could not find the cancel policies. So I kept them coming.
I love them.
:: Crispin the Terrible ::
:: Waiting for Winter ::
:: Papa, please get the moon for me ::
:: The Mummy and other Adventures of Sam and Alice ::
:: Sail Away, Little Boat ::
:: sweet baby smiles ::
:: pikolinos ::
:: baby sleeping all night ::
:: crochet hats ::
:: decorative storage ::
Here is the continuation of the 31-Day Detox.
Do you know if you need to detox? If you answer yes to more than 5 of the following questions, your bodies detoxifications system is likely being overwhelmed. By addressing these symptoms and warning sisgns now, you can ensure better long-term health.
• Do you feel that you are not as healthy and vibrant as other people your age?
• Do you have low energy levels?
• Do you often have difficulty thing with clarity?
• Do you often feel depressed?
• Do you get more than one or two colds a year?
• Do you struggle with your weight?
• Do you suffer from lack of interst in life or sex?
• Do you have digestive disturbances?
• Do you have dark circles under your eyes?
• Are you constantly hungry?
• Do you have trouble getting to sleep or do you want to sleep all of the time?
• Do you feel anxious or stressed out most of the time?
• Do you suffer from premenstrual syndrome, fibrocystic breast disease, or uterine fibroids?
• Do you crave sweets?
• Do you suffer from allergies?
• Do you have bad breath or body odor?
• Do you suffer from chronic postnasal drip or hay fever-like symptoms?
• Do you have sore achy muscles?
Day 8: Produced by mucous cells, mucin is a viscous liquid that not only protects the integrity of the intestinal cells, but also protects them from the acidic environment of the stomach. To improve the quality and quantity of mucin, DGL is probably the best natural ingredient available. Chew two tablets 15 minutes before meals and as needed between meals.
Day 9: Optimize bowel health by getting enough fiber in your diet. Dietary fiber is essential to normalized bowel transit time, blood sugar levels, and blook cholesterol levels. It also supports detoxification mechanisms. When looking for a fiber supplement, make sure it contains a high-quality combination of both soluble and insoluble fiber.
Day 10: Get plenty of antioxidants to help combat free radicals and cellular damage. There are a number supplemental antioxidants that can help. These include milk thistle (Silybum marianum), vitamins C and E, selenium, N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), resveratrol, CoQ10, and pomegranate.
Day 11: Detoxification is the biggest user of energy outside the brain. Supplementing with 100 to 200 milligrams of Coq10 per day is beneficial because it will enhance overall energy levels.
Day 12: The liver hs the most important organ for detoxification. Support the liver in its daily detoxification work with milk thistle, turmeric, artichoke extract, and dandelion root.
Day 13: The best way of reducing toxic metals is to ensure optimal glutathione levels in the body. A few ways of ensuring optimum levels are through taking milk thistle, NAC and alpha-lipoic acid.
Day 14: Incorporate daily exercise into your routine. Exercise helps lymph fluids circulate throught the body, which removes toxins and other harmful materials. When you go for that long walk, hike or bike ride; when you life those weights at the gym or putter in your garden, you are loosening up some toxins. The more intensely you do these activities, the more toxins are released.
