Healthy Cleansing

It is no secret that I am a girl that needs to lose some weight. But I am having a hard time getting motivated. I want to lose weight, but I want an easy way to do it which isn't the right way.

To get (hopefully) give myself a jump start, I started a cleanse. This particular cleanse gets rid of the candida in the gut.

Since I haven't done a cleanse before, I don't have a lot of expectation. I would like to lose a few pounds, but I am not expecting to lose a ton of weight. I would also like to start to feel better and not so sluggish.

So here is what I am doing. In addition to taking all pills that are a part of the cleanse, I am being pretty restrictive with what I am eating. I am going to do meal replacements for breakfast and lunch and eat a healthy dinner with lots of veggies. doTerra does have a shake mix that I am using. It isn't bad and is such a quick thing to whip up.

The next 30 days may be a little rough, but I need to keep my focus as best as I can. I will be going away twice in July and I know that will be a challenge. But I am going to do my best to stay on track and start being a little more healthy.

Learning to Breathe, Pt. 7

I can't believe how fast this year is flying by. The Fourth of July is this weekend and after that, it seems like the summer goes right down hill even though it has barely started. Summer is not my favorite time of year. I don't care of the hot humid weather, but I do enjoy being able to be outside and all the fresh fruits and veggies that summer brings.

On June 25, I saw several people post that it was 6 months until Christmas. That made me really happy for a couple of reasons. One is that I absolutely LOVE Christmas! The decorations, the food, the smells, everything! The second reason is that it will be cold outside. I am winter girl and love being cozy.

As I started thinking about the 6 months to Christmas thing, it made me realize that it defeats the purpose of me trying to breathe in the moment that I am in. While I know Christmas is coming in 6 months, I can't put all my focus on wanting it to come faster.

I have things to enjoy and that will be exciting this month. I am meeting my newest niece next weekend. I want to savor that time because she isn't going to be this small ever again. I will also get to spend time with my other niece and she is growing into such a sweet little girl. The time I get to spend with these cuties is precious and I don't want to rush it.

While my favorite time of year is still yet to come, I am trying to learn the fine balance of being content in the moment I am in and wanting time to move faster.

Snapshots Into My Life

What I am seeing through my lens this week.

We have a yummy cupcake shop in Toledo called Cake In A Cup. I picked up a few and they were so good!!

Luna lives such a charmed life. There are times when I wish I could sleep and run around and have fun all day. But someone has to pay the bills.

My mom and I are a part of a CSA and we picked up our first bag of locally grown vegetables. Everything looked great and I can't wait to see what else pops up over the summer months.

Strawberries Everywhere

My mom and I went strawberry picking on Saturday. We have a local farm that has a pick your own section and we were able to stock up. Whittaker's Berry Farm was such a nice place to pick. Even with all the rain we had, the rows were covered in straw and everyone was so nice and helpful. I would definitely go back again next year.

The plants were loaded with strawberries so it didn't take long to fill up our boxes. We were given boxes to use. My mom used one box and I opted for two. Can't say that I will do that again.

I may have overdone the picking. I ended up with around 20 pounds. It was hard to stop picking because there were always more yummy looking strawberries.

I spent the rest of the day in the kitchen making all things strawberry. I did make these wonderful looking Strawberry Swirl Pound Cakes. These are both packed away in my freezer. I also made two batches of freezer jam. It is so easy to make and so yummy! I use the directions in the Sure Jell package.

Luna does not like when I ignore her all day, so she tries to make sure I don't forget her. She often stands between me and the counter when I am cooking or baking.

Even at the end of Saturday, I still had an abundance of strawberries. It was a little overwhelming. By mid-afternoon on Sunday, they were all put away. I was so strawberried out that I didn't even keep any out to eat.

Luna and I felt the same at the end of such a busy weekend. I definitely wasn't ready to go back to work on Monday. But I love have a freezer full of summer strawberries!

Reflections On Joy

Pinterest Recipes To The Rescue

If you are like me, you have a ton of recipes pinned on various Pinterest boards that you have never tried. But the intention is there because they were pinned after all. I am working on trying to change that. There are some amazing recipes out there and this one that I tried is a keeper - Dr. Pepper Slow Cooker Roast Beef from Add a Pinch.

I really had a craving for a roast of some kind. It had to be super easy and not require a million ingredients that I would have to go out and purchase. And this roast fit that bill. It took all of 30 seconds put together and it made a ton. I even froze some of the leftover meat for later use!

I served the roast some mashed potatoes and roasted Brussel sprouts and had a super delicious meal! Definitely give this roast a try!

Backyard Un-Beauty

One day, I hope to have a post titled Backyard Beauty. One day....

That day is not going to come unless I put quite a bit of sweat equity into the backyard I have now. I have a big backyard. It is a great size and of course, Luna loves it. However, it is far from being a relaxing hang out. There are few things that needs to be taken out like the rusted clothes hanger. Every time I mow, I am terrified that I am going to hit my head.

The previous owners of my house were an elderly couple, who I believe kept their yard up while they were physically able. I know they even had a garden for a while. Unfortunately, the remnants of the garden are still visible. I even found some rhubarb growing along the fence this year.

Last spring during my first backyard clean up, I found several barren spots where leaves had sat all winter in addition to the huge barren area on the right side. Late last fall, I discovered why the grass may have stopped growing. Because of the trees in my yard, as well as my neighbors' yards, a thick carpet of fallen leaves covers the ground.

This pile of leaves is all from my backyard. Thankfully, they were out by the curb in time for the city to pick them up.

This year, I am seeing a little bit of growth where there had previously been nothing. I am going to put grass seed down in the fall and probably again next spring. In the meantime, there is plenty of work to do as my yard moves forward to become a backyard beauty.