Fine Living

2009

2009-01-02T08:17:00.000-08:00

I am really going to try and write more this year. It is one of my "goals" in 2009. I have kept journals since I was 11 years old. They started as the lock and key diaries and over the years grew into beautiful journals with silk and flowers and paper that felt so soft and satiny...so nice to write on. I would usually fill a journal a year. I would always know I could go to the end of a journal to find out what I was doing in December. Well I don't have such a journal for the last couple of years which is devastating because the last two years have been the best two years of my life! I met my Sean, my husband and I don't have much of that documented. I will start now.

It is amazing how I can look back over the years and read an entry in a journal and it would bring me back right to that moment...the smell in the air, the mood I was feeling when I wrote that entry, what was going on around me. Sometimes it was wonderful and other times it would send chills up my spine to know that is the life I chose to live. I am so thankful that we have a Father that forgives and heals and loves unconditionally.

This blogging journal is new to me. I have always been more of a pen and paper kind of girl and I would say that I absolutely still am. I will start a new journal this year right here on the little gray box I hold in my lap and the pretty satiny one that I will use my own handwriting in.

I have images of our children when they are grown looking through my beautiful journals and looking at my handwriting and reading about my life. I would give anything to have journals from my mom, to see how she wrote, to hear her fears and joys. I can't imagine a better gift. Proof of life.

This Christmas and New Year's was one of my favorite. My heart felt so big and filled with joy I thought it was gonna bust. I am so blessed and I want to document it so when I think I am having such a bad day or time in life and I can read back and know how blessed I really am.

I am documenting right now that I really love my life!

Pilates

2008-07-21T07:58:00.000-07:00

I have been teaching at Harmony Pilates and Gyrotonic Studio for two weeks now and it has been amazing to say the least. The site is new, so check back when we add bio's and fun stuff. One of the best things about being back in the studio is introducing my own body to this method again, I mean really diving back in. People think because I teach pilates that I work out all week long and am in great shape. Don't confuse "thin" with "in shape." I tell my clients this all the time. My body was starting to be unhealthy. My spine and my muscles were becoming weak and my mind was becoming sticky.

The worst part was getting started, having to stay after work and get on the equiptment and actually work out knowing I was not as strong as I used to be or that I was in worse shape than I was last year this time. That can be a real damper on jumping back into a routine for yourself. I did stay the first couple days. I looked at the clock every 4 min wondering "was this enough time? Can I go home now?" Those first few days were rough, but crutial. It's the first few days or couple weeks or months that make it hard to jump into a routine or to start the change of lifestyle for yourself. It is even hard for me a pilates instructor.

I can't tell you how amazing I feel now after only a couple of weeks. My spine feels like it is working for me and not against me. My mind feels like it is ahead of me and not lagging behind and I feel strong and attractive again after only a few sessions. Oh my this method rocks!!

So if any of you are stuck trying to get moving...just do it and if you are really stuck, let me help. I would love to help and get you moving and keep you motivated. Be encouraged. Our bodies were made to move and be strong and healthy for a really long time. I promise you will feel like a million bucks once you start. I would love to hear how some of you stay motivated. Tell me your tips and tricks for workouts and how you stay healthy and moving.

I will keep you posted on the progress of my new movement, but for now I have to go and get the haircut. (previous post)

A new relationship

2008-07-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

Today I will be starting a new relationship (maybe) with a new hair designer. I had a friend of mine who has cut, highlighted and designed my hair for years and she is no longer around. You know that fear that sets in when you now have to find a new "designer." A designer that will put you at ease and make you feel like a million bucks from a simple hair cut and highlight, what a gift they provide for us women...if it's right. They just know what you need and want and you just sit in the chair with faith and trust that they will take care of you. Don't think I am crazy. Most women know exactly what I am talking about.

Today I will find out if it is right. Oh so scary. It has been so long now that I have been out of a salon that I look like I am growing my hair for a role in a play, a play that requires people to have super long straggly hair that is two or three different colors...a classy play.

I will let you know if a new relationship starts today.

Do you have this same anxiety with finding a new hair stylist? Please say yes even if the answer is no, I don't want to be the only one who has this sickness.

Well, I am off to meet Kelly.

Still here!

2008-07-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

I have not abandoned my blog...well almost, but I am back. We have been moving into our new apartment in Shadyside and let me just say how our quality of life has changed for the better. Yes our rent is a little more for a smaller space and our taxes are a bit (or more) higher but Sean and I are loving our new space and our new neighborhood or as Sean likes to say "our hood." We walk everywhere and just loving being around people. We are smack in the middle of the main shopping/eating drag on Walnut so there are always people our walking, eating and shopping. I love it to say the least!

We encountered some stress during this move and I will admit that there are still some boxes that need unloaded and some things that are not in their permanent spot, but at least they are no longer on our living room floor. We had many, many trips to Ikea to purchase new furniture that would fit in our new space and many nights building and organizing. For those of you that have experience with Ikea furniture...you know how fun it is building drawer sets. My wonderful husband built our dresser and it looks great! I will try and post some pics when we are done. I also got ill, really, really ill for about 2 weeks in the middle of all the moving. Just not fair, but I am feeling better now.

It has been such a blessing for us to be here. Our dear friends the Melders just moved in the next neighborhood and it takes us 10 min to walk there, it is great! We had a July 4th picnic here yesterday and it was great!

I start back at Harmony Studio this week and I will admit I am a bit nervous to go back to teaching pilates with these brilliant teachers, but I am excited too! It is an honor to work with them and it will be good to get back into that world. It has been a while since I have taught full time and it is time I get back to it. I am sure I will catch the pilates bug again and be writing about all sorts of fun stuff to keep us all healthy and in shape. I am guilty of not keeping up with my own workouts so this will force me back into it.

I hope everyone had a lovely 4th of July!

Fruit Bowl

2008-05-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

I have meeting tonight for work and I am taking a fruit bowl. Since we are in the process of moving I bought a watermelon and grapes and used what I had in the house to complete my bowl. Here is the fresh fruit I used.

Pineapple at the bottom of the bowl. Try this cool tool to slice fresh pineapple. I have the plastic version which cost about $10. This stainless steel one looks nice though. You will never be intimidated to buy fresh pineapple again. It is so easy.

Mango chunks ( I buy the organic frozen mangoes and put them in frozen to keep the bowl cool and then it cuts down on prepping your fruit to put it in the bowl.

Watermelon (seedless)

Green grapes

Strawberries

Frozen raspberries to keep it cool.

The frozen fruit mixed with the fresh fruit will keep the salad cool and it won't have such a heavy juice content, so the fruit will not get all mushy. You want to make it ahead of time so the frozen fruit thaws enough to eat when ready. If you are going to sit the bowl outside you don't want to make it too far ahead of time. The hot sun will do the trick to help thaw.

I didn't mix the salad together because I liked the layered look and I did not want the delicate raspberries and soft watermelon to get bullied in the bowl. It will mix once we scoop it out.

Yummy!! I hope I make it all the way to the meeting with the fruit bowl.

Naked Fruit:Buying Orgainic Produce

2008-05-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

I am enjoying a Sunday morning with my husband and I happened to stumble along an article about buying organic produce and thought I would share with you. It is not the best article or information on the subject, but it is worth reading. I am happy to share some better books and resources if this is something you are interested in. As most of you know I have been eating organic for about 13 years now. Yes, since I was a teenager. People ask me why we eat organic and how we afford it. It seems like a no brainer to me. My health and the health of my husband is way more important to me than our bank account. I had to learn how to "afford" it and how to make it work, but let me give you hope that it is doable. The article was only about produce, but as you read along I also want you to think about your meat and grains being organic as well.

A good rule to follow when you are starting to eat and buy organic produce is to ask yourself..."do my fruits and veggies wear clothing?" Let me explain. Peaches, strawberries, apples, pears, peppers, carrots, lettuce are all "naked." I mean they don't have a coat to protect them from the tons of pesticides that are poured on them when they are growing. So when you are trying to make this work for your household start small and don't get overwhelmed. These would be fruits and veggies you would for sure want to buy organic. I buy a lot of my fruit in the frozen food section and thaw them in the fridge and they are yummy. My favorite is blueberries. Frozen fruits and veggies have about the same nutritional value as fresh fruit and can be cheaper and they are yummy in smoothies! It is good to buy frozen when a certain fruit you may want is not in season. Generally fruit is frozen in the height of their season so they are the sweetest and yummiest.

There are some others that are a bit more protected because they do wear some clothing. Pineapple, mangoes, watermelon, onions, avocados have a bit of a coat to them so they are a bit safer from the heavy residue of pesticides. This does not mean they don't have any pesticide residue, but just that their flesh is protected a bit more.

Here are some of the things people say to me about buying organic.

" The amount of residue on the fruit and veggie is so small there is no way that it could cause a health concern."

This frustrates me the most. Would you feed you family or yourself a little side of rat poison or chemical pesticide with every meal. I mean not enough to kill you or cause a disease after that one dose, but just a little everyday? What is the big deal, it won't kill you or cause an immediate problem? Ahhhh!!! I just don't get it. A little bit of something put into the body every day will eventually cause a big problem. It's just not worth it.

"I would rather have the pesticide than have a worm hole in my food, gross."

I don't know any real statistics on this, but I am pretty sure I have not heard of a case that worm poo killed a person or caused cancer. That is all I can say about that.

I would love for some of you to check your area and see if there are local organic farmers around. Do some research and see why you would want to start eating organic. Do you care about the earth and where your food comes from and supporting the local farmers that are trying to keep our soil the way God intended it to be? Do you want your children to be free of all those chemicals? Do you want to protect you own body and prevent illness and cancers in your body? What we put in our bodies is so important for our health, our health now and our long term health. Before you eat, ask yourself where you think this item came from or how it was produced. I am pretty sure if you become conscience about this you will change your eating habits quickly.

Be careful not to become overwhelmed by all of this, it can be fun and it will be a life saver for you and your family and not to mention organic food taste way better than chemical laden food.

I will receive our first basket of organic produce from Kretschmann Farm on June 4. This will be the first year we get our produce from a farmer. I will let you know how it goes. Do your research. I am happy to help in anyway I can.

P.S. Thanks for the image pwinn .

Recipes

2008-05-21T18:51:00.000-07:00

Some of you know that I went on an elimination diet about a month ago so I could test to see if I had a food allergy. I will say it has been great, don't get me wrong when you know you can't have the creamy alfredo sauce or the chocolate brownie you want it even more. I am not even a big brownie person, but it's a mental battle. I made it through and felt great doing it. I would recommend a 21 day cleanse if you will to anyone. It was such a great discipline and such a great break for my digestive tract. Yes you eat the whole 21 days for those of you who think I have not eaten for 21 days. I just had things I had to take out of my diet to make it work.

Anyway, I had some great recipes to use during this time and I wanted to post them for anyone who has allergies or just wants to try to make a healthy version of some traditional snacks. I used all organic ingredients.

Applesauce Bread

1 c. teff flour
1c. oat or rice flour ( I used brown rice flour, organic of course)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 Tbsp. safflower or sesame oil ( I used safflower oil)
1/2 c. brown rice syrup or fruit juice concentrate ( I used apple juice concentrate) Just go to your freezer section and buy the frozen apple juice in a can and let it thaw in your fridge and use that.
Egg Replacer equal to one egg ( to make egg replacer you will use 1/3 c. filtered water and 1 Tbsp. whole or ground flaxseed, I used ground. Just put them in a bowl and let them gel together for about 5 min, this becomes your binder. This recipe is equal to one egg.)
3-4 Tbsp. Apple butter (unsweetened)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine the wet ingredients in a small bowl and mix into the dry ingredients. Pour into an oiled 9 inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. Enjoy!

Banana Bread

1/4 c. walnuts, ground finely in food processor
1 3/4 c. brown rice flour
1/2 c. arrowroot
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1 1/2 c. ripe mashed bananas
1/4 c. safflower oil
6 Tbsp. apple juice concentrate
Egg Replacer ( equal to two eggs, egg replacer recipe above)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Juice of 1/4 fresh lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix finely ground walnuts with flour, arrowroot,baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the chopped walnuts. In a separate bowl, mix together the banana, oil,
apple juice, egg replacer, lemon and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just moistened. Do not over mix. Pour into a greased 9"x5" loaf pan and bake for 55-60 min or until cake tester inserted in middle comes out clean.

I left my bread in the dish and let it cool and just cut a piece as we wanted. Sean even loved this recipe and we will continue to make it even know I am not still on the diet. It is so good for you and it was yummy!

I also made lentil soup which I am about to make a second batch because it was so good and cheap to make even with all organic ingredients.

Lentil Soup

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large carrots, sliced or chopped ( I used 4 carrots and did not use celery, I just wasn't in the mood for celery)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 1/2 c. red and/or green lentils, well rinsed (I used both)
2 quarts water or broth ( I used 1 qt. organic vegetable broth and 1 qt. water)
Pinch of thyme or any herbs of your choice
Salt to taste

Combine first 6 ingredients and bring to a boil. Add seasonings. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until lentils are soft. Green lentils need about 45 min to 1 hour, while red lentils only need 20-35 min. I used both and simmered the soup for about an hour and it was great. If you want a creamier soup you can puree half of cooked soup in a blender. I did not blend my soup.

Tonight I baked oatmeal banana cookies. They have a texture of muffin, but they were yummy.

Oatmeal Banana Cookies

2c. oat flour (you can find it at a health food store or use rolled oats and blend them in a good blender to a very fine powder) I used 3/4 cup oat flour and 1/4c. rolled oats not blended.
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 overripe bananas
1/4 c. sunflower seeds (I used chopped walnuts and just a bit of sunflower seeds, I wasn't crazy about the sunflower seeds so I will only use walnuts from now on or maybe almonds next time.)
1/4c. dates ( I used medjool dates and chopped them)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper lightly oiled. Combine oat flour, cinnamon, baking soda, walnuts or sunflower seeds in a bowl.

Blend bananas in a blender until they are very smooth and put in a bowl and add dates.

Combine all ingredients and mix in a bowl until blended together. Spoon out a tsp. batter onto baking sheet. Bake for about 12 min.

I found this recipe here.

Well, let me know how it goes and if you have any cool recipes to share or let me know if you tweaked them at all so I can try too!

Moving

2008-05-18T18:01:00.000-07:00

Sean and I are in the process of moving these next couple of weeks. Today my wonderful in-laws came in and we all went to church together and then they helped us move some furniture. We successfully moved all the furniture and boxes we had planned to move and even managed to execute some of our "stretch goals" which always makes my husband happy. He is a bit of a plan maker and I do my best to help execute the plan which does not always happen being the free spirit that I am, but we always get it done.

The apartment we are in now is a bit empty which is a good thing and quite a mess, but as I was making dinner for us tonight I realized I am the happiest girl alive! With all the stress of moving and learning how to be a married couple that comes from two different backgrounds ... I have never felt so in love with Sean.

It is such a gift to grow with someone and learn from them and how you will work together forever and a day, what a blessing.

We will be in our new apartment on June 1st and we are so excited!

Life Wish

2008-05-01T19:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I watched David Blane hold his breath under water for 17 min 4.4 seconds on the Oprah show. No illusions, or magic just his mind and his body keeping him under water for 17 min 4.4 seconds. He broke the Guiness Book of World Records. The last man who did this was from Switzerland and he just made that record in February 2008...bummer for him. His time was 16 minutes 32 seconds.

Anyway watching him do this yesterday made me think. I almost didn't watch it because I thought "Oh come on you are going to die on live television!!!" I watched...he didn't die. It made me think how powerful our bodies and our minds truly are. Our God gave us theses amazing tools to be able to do amazing things. All we have to do is take care of it. It usually means a change of lifestyle which for most of us is not so fun, but too bad, it is important.

I have been on an elimination diet for about 5 days now to rule out a food allergy I may have. The first couple of days were great and the next couple of days I realized that I am making a big life change and I also realized how bad I wanted a cheese burger with a nice cold beer and a chocolate brownie for dessert. I can have none of these, but it is for a good reason and hopefully temporary. I am trying to heal my body without taking some pill that will take away a symptom and make me feel like I am all better...sorry I can get a bit fierce with the drug companies.

I have a book that I LOVE called Healing Foods Nutrition for the Mind, Body and Spirit by Michael Van Straten. You should all have this book and you should challenge yourself to know what you eat and what it does for your body which is your temple.

David Blane trained for months to get his body in the perfect condition for this mind blowing event. He made his mind and body complete the task and all with diet and exercise and meditation. I am fascinated by that. It made me think my 2 or 3 month elimination diet is nothing compared to that...bring it on!

Oprah asked him if he had a death wish on the show and he chuckled and I think he thought she was crazy. He said..."no, I have a life wish." I loved that.

What do you have a life wish for? Do you know how powerful your mind and body really are? What are you putting in your body to keep it strong and healthy? Keep track of what you eat in a day or even a week and know what it is doing for your body. Do you eat it just because it taste yummy or because it is vital for your life? Do you pack your diet full of "fat free" or "diet" products? Please don't, they generally are terrible for you. Just eat stuff that is fat free naturally like fruit. Of course I eat because it is yummy. For those of you that know me, you know how much I love food, I mean I really love it. If I am going to eat a cookie, I don't want it to be fat free, I will just eat less of them.

Right now I have a banana bread in the oven that is made with rice flour and no eggs or sugar. I will let you know how it is and pass along the recipe if it is yummy. I will tell you it will be the healthiest banana bread I will ever eat and I love that I know every ingredient in it and what it will do for my body.

I hope you take on this challenge. We usually are more particular about what we put in our car and not what we put in our mouth, that is scary. I am happy to help with this challenge if you have any questions. I have been using food as a healer for my mind and body for almost 15 years now.

My bell just went of for the banana bread...we'll see.

Gilmore Girls

2008-04-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

Sean is in San Francisco this week and we just now had a chance to talk on the phone to say "hi" to each other. I have been at work all day and did not have a moment to sit or even send him a text. And he has been running all day there too. I am so proud of him. I miss him when he is gone (9 whole nights this time) but I just think of him being there and doing what he does best and it puts a smile on my face! I can't tell you how blessed I am to have such an amazing, gifted, selfless, thoughtful, brilliant husband. I admire him so much!

I will say though that it has been a good week so far. I had my 5th class in homeopathy all day Saturday and we had such a brilliant, well seasoned doctor there to lecuture all day. It was great!! My sister has spent the night at my house (since I don't stay alone at night) and that has been such a great blessing. We stayed up on Sunday night until 4 am watching season 6 of Gilmore Girls. We couldn't stop. At one point (3:15 am) we went in to go to bed and both looked at each other and I said " we could bring my computer in here and watch one more and then fall asleep." We both knew at this point it had turned into a sickness, but we were okay with that. Sure enough we watched one more episode and then fell asleep. Can you believe that girl got up the next morning for school...she is amazing and her brother in- law would be proud.

I on the other hand was sick most of the day from lack of sleep. I feel great now, but I just can't hang like I used to. We only stayed up until 1:20 am on Monday night to continue the season. I made it to work today and felt great. I could never put in words how precious she is to me. It's a love that is hard if not impossible to explain and I will treasure this week that we have been together.

I should get going to bed now and attempt a good night's rest. We took tonight off from Gilmore Girls, but I am sure we will continue strong tomorrow.

Pilates Week Update

2008-04-12T13:06:00.001-07:00

Well I just got home from the soccer field where I was watching the Urban Impact kids play soccer. Oh my gosh they were so stinkin cute!! Just imagine a 4 year old with shin guards on layered in clothes kicking around a soccer ball! We had a blast. I have to be honest when I say that pilates week did not have as big of a turn out as I would have liked, but their were some amazing relationships that were built from the week.

I had 5 girls that really embraced the week and some that came on the free night and still gave a small donation which was great. I will say the week for me was a big blessing. I enjoyed myself so much and I loved getting to know some of the girls better. The small classes this week allowed for some great one on one time.

I will definitely put together another pilates donation week sometime in the future. One of my favorite parts was watching the little kids kick around the soccer ball. There are not new pictures from this season yet, but you should visit Seth's blog to take a look at some pictures of the kids who are involved at Urban Impact. http://seth-reichart.spaces.live.com/

I am hoping to take another trip down to the field to watch them play and even kick the ball around with them. They are there every Saturday from 2-4 pm. They are always looking for volunteers for their day camp, so it is a great way to check out their ministry and see if it is something you would want to be apart of.

Thank you to all of you that were praying for this week and just pray that God will bless this ministry abundantly with this donation.

Pilates Week

2008-04-06T18:39:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I start Pilates Week at our church. I teach a free pilates class at church every Thursday at 6pm and it has really turned into an amazing class. I decided to have this week of class for a donation of $20 and donate all the money to Urban Impact which is an inner city ministry right here in Pittsburgh. www.urbanimpact.org

They are still working on their site, but you will get an idea of who they are. My husband and I are friends with Seth and Niki who work for Urban Impact and really got a glimpse of what an amazing ministry this is.

The week is planned like this...

Monday 7 pm
Tuesday 7pm
Wednesday 7pm (this night will be taught by Sarah who is one of the girls in the class who is an aerobics instructor, we decided to mix it up a bit and besides, she rocks!!)
Thursday 6 pm (followed by hang out time with the girls and of course snack time)
Friday NO CLASS
Saturday 11 am (followed by a lunch and then a trip to watch the kids from Urban Impact play soccer)

I planned the week on short notice so I am praying for a great big turnout so we can have a great donation for Urban Impact!

This class has turned into such a great ministry and a huge blessing in my life. I love Thursday nights and am looking forward to this week so much!

I will keep you all posted as to how it goes. Please pray that we have a great big turnout and great fellowship with all the girls and just have a great trip to Urban Impact. I would be happy to answer any questions you have and if you would like more info on Urban Impact I would be glad to put you in contact with Seth.

2008-04-04T19:09:00.000-07:00

Miami Beach

2008-04-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

Sean and I just got back last night from a long weekend in Miami Beach. I have to say we are sad to be back. We were able to go for a long weekend and stayed with my dear friend Kristy who lives there. By the way she is an amazing photographer and you should check out her website even if you don't need a photographer because her photos are great to look at. www.kristyfurg.com

For those of you that know me I have been trying to get back to Florida ever since I moved back from there 5 years ago. When I got married to the most amazing man ever it didn't seem to be such a big deal because I could live anywhere with Sean and be so happy! We both love Miami Beach. It has a bit of an urban feel to it, so even know you are on the beach it has a bit of a busy, fast paced feel to it. It is a young, exciting area.

Sean and I spent a lot of our time with Kristy and her boyfriend Spencer. We sat at the beach and had amazing dinners. One thing Sean and I LOVE is that we sat down for our dinner at 11:30 pm and the place was packed and still packed when we left after 1am. We can't have dinner here past 10pm unless we are at eat n park....so sad.

I always travel with my vitamin C for my daily take, but especially if I get a bit of sunburn (which I did.) I use alba sunscreen spf 15 with aloe vera. I LOVE this sunscreen!! I will never use anything else. My husband has never been able to wear sunscreen because he reacts so bad to it and his skin would just peel off the instant he would ever put sunscreen on and this works for him! You should check them out, I use a lot of there products. I also could not live with out there body oil. It is also part of their Hawaiian line of products. www.albabotanica.co m

I make my own body scrub to get ready for the beach. You always want to exfoliate your skin, but especially this time of year to get rid of all your winter skin and get that nice glow. I make a sugar scrub. I use organic raw cane sugar and pour that into a cup and add 2Tbs of organic honey and 2 Tbs of the alba organic body oil. You can use any oil you have in your kitchen. Olive oil or almond oil will work great too. You don't have to be so exact with your measurements either. If you are using it in the shower and know you are using if for your whole body then make what you think you will use. This is such a great way to use what you have and then you don't worry about the pricey stuff you buy at the store with preservatives in it and you don't pay for the packaging and it is great. The alba oil has a yummy beach smell to it, but if you want to add a plain oil and still have a nice scent, then add a couple drops of you favorite essential oil like lavender or peppermint.

Make sure to shave AFTER you exfoliate or it will burn. You want to stimulate the hair shaft and get rid of all the dead skin and you will get the closest, smoothest shave ever. Exfoliate first, shave second.

Make sure to always finish with a nice lotion, cream or oil when you get out of the shower. If you are using an oil, make sure you are not completely dry when you apply it or you will end up a bit greasy. You should apply it before you towel dry.

Well those are some of my beach tips. I hope they help. I would love to tell you I read some great book while we were gone, but I didn't. We did a bunch of nothing which is so important to do. We had a fabulous time and can't wait to get back!

Good Friday

2008-03-21T21:21:00.000-07:00

My husband and I had such a lovely day today! We did not have to be to work early so we got to sleep in a bit and then went to lunch together at our favorite place...Tomato Pie. Don't bother looking for them on the web, he doesn't even take credit cards. They are in North Park and they are yummy!

We separated for the afternoon, he went to the office and I went to Whole Foods to grocery shop for Easter dinner which we will have at our house this year. I am making lamb stew and will post the recipe soon so you can make it...oh sooo good!

We met back home at 6 pm and then left for a Good Friday service at our church. The room was dim with candle light and there was a somber feeling in the room. It was beautiful. Sean and I walked in late and the room was so full we had to stand in the back. It's hard to describe the time in words. It was humbling, emotional, sad, yet safe.

My heart swelled a bit to know that Jesus loves me so much that he died for me a brutal death. He died for all of us that brutal death. How can that be? It just is and I can't wait to go back to church on Sunday so we can finish the story. He is risen!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter!

The lemon

2008-03-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

Some of my friends have labeled me a "food snob" or "no preservatives queen" and I am okay with that. I have used food in my life to heal and sustain me and I can speak from experience that it works.

This is the time of year when we can't wait for spring to come. We want to be outside and put our flip flops on and have that yummy, glowy skin and of course we want to be in good shape to wear those spring/summer clothes. We put away our heavy clothes and our bulky shoes and bring out our bright colored clothes and tank tops...yay!!!

We should do the same with our food. About this time of year is when I attempt to clean out all the "winter" in my body and bring on the "spring." It is detox time!

Start simple but powerful. Lemon water is your friend. When I say lemon water, I mean no drinking anything else...only lemon water. Now if you are a coffee drinker or wine with dinner drinker, that is fine, just not in excess. Herbal teas are fine to drink too. Lemon is so powerful for your body and immune system and skin. I try to drink 3 liters of lemon water a day. Use your whole lemon too. If you have a garbage disposal put your lemon in there and it will make the kitchen smell yummy and the acidic properties in the lemon will be a great disinfectant for your disposal. I also grate the skin of my lemon and put it in a small bowl on my window seals when I can open the windows and it will fill the house with a nice lemon smell with no toxins. You can have that lemon smell when you can't open your windows. Just slice your lemons and heat them in water on the stove, let it come to a boil and then take the heat way down to let it simmer.

I don't use chemicals in my house so these are great ways for me to get that great smell with out spending the money on products that can be dangerous to me and Sean. God gave us this great little lemon...we should use it.

I guess this post has turned into the super lemon post. I have even know people who have squeezed a lemon and use the juice with a cotton ball to apply to their face for acne. You can dilute your lemon juice with warm water (half and half) and use it as a facial wash. I use lemon water in a squirt bottle in summer for my hair for natural highlights. I also use my lemon on my cutting boards with just a touch of water and salt to clean and sanitize them. They are wood so cannot go in the dishwasher so that is a great way to clean with lemon.

Well now that we have used our entire lemon we should get back to detox. Like I said, start simple but powerful. Don't take it all on at once. If you can't be disciplined to drink water with lemon in it and take out all your soda and juice then you will never be able to change your diet of food. Oh and by the way...don't put sugar in your water, that defeats the purpose. However, you can heat your water and put a bit of organic honey in it if you like the sweetness.

Let's see how it goes. I will be picking up my lemons tomorrow!

Chris Solomon

2008-03-17T18:40:00.001-07:00

Today was a sad day. My mom had to put our family dog of 14 years to sleep. His name was Chris and we got him from the pound 14 years ago. The good thing is that this dog had never been sick a day in his life. He became ill quickly and we were going to put him asleep 2 weeks ago and when my mom came in the kitchen to get him, he jumped up off his blanket and barked at my mom and then after not eating anything for more than a week he ate lunch meat...he wasn't ready to go.

Today he was ready to go. He is buried in my uncle's back yard under a big oak tree. This is for sure going to be a big change for my mom and sister. She loved that dog so very much.

Changes

2008-03-16T21:08:00.000-07:00

Well for the three of you that are reading my blog...I changed the template again. I am still learning all the cool stuff I can do and I decided today to take some time to change it up. I am sure I will change it again at sometime, but you will never be bored that is for sure.

Tonight Sean and I went to Northway to say goodbye to John and Jenny Huber. He has been one of the pastors at Northway for 12 years and I met him while he was the middle school pastor when I volunteered with the youth a few years ago. Their family has been called to Kansas City to work with a church there. It was great to see some of the kids I used to hang out with in middle school. These kids are getting ready to go to college now....what?!?! Change is crazy!

Working with the middle school was one of the biggest blessings in my life. I learned so much from those kids. I loved being on missions trips and just getting to watch them grow. I learned a lot from John over the years so it is sad to see him go, but I know he and Jenny will be such a gift to Kansas.

I have never been a person that is crazy about change, but I could also say that I crave change. My mom and I used to move almost every year when I was younger and every apartment we would go to we would cry until it felt like home. It always did in a few weeks, but it took time to make it ours, it took time to make it through the change.

Sean and I are moving to a new apartment in Shadyside in June. We have been waiting to move since we moved in here, but he is ready for the emotional afraid of change Jen to come out a bit in the summer. It will be home soon enough.

# 2

2008-03-11T19:52:00.001-07:00

My husband is in the air right now on his way back from sxsw in Austin Texas...YAY!!! I figured while I wait for his midnight arrival it would be a good time to work on my second blog post.

I did have the birthday party with dinner and yummy cake and most important my family and friends...a priceless gift. Pictures of course are still sitting in camera, coming soon!

The pilates class I teach at Oakland was great too. I enjoy teaching that class so very much. As a pilates instructors we run into all kinds of "politics" with this method called Pilates and when I am teaching at Oakland it is pure peace. My goal is to meet their goals and have fun doing it, it is just a great time.

I had a sad moment this week when I had to cancel a trip to visit my dearest friend Leah Leach in Detroit, MI. Both of our husbands were out of town and it was a perfect time for me to drive up to visit her in her new city (she just got married in January) but I couldn't go:( I had some responsibilities that I had to deal with and I realized a few days before my trip that my license had expired as well as my inspection on our car. Boy, do I know how to stay on top of things. Everything in me wanted to say "who cares, I am going" but then the responsible side of me stepped in and said "no you should stay and get this stuff taken care of " craaaaap. I miss her dearly and can't wait to see her asap. I wish everyone could have a friend like Leah. She is one of the biggest blessings in my life. For those of you that know her...you know exactly what I mean.

She is a blogger too so you can see for yourself how great she is... leewards.blogspot.com

long time coming

2008-03-06T10:42:00.000-08:00

My first blog post!! I have been wanting to start this blog for a while and have not had any idea what to call it so I waited...no excuse. Here I am blogging and so far so good. I was watching the Fine Living Network today and I love the whole network and I thought "I am totally going to steal from them" and I took the name! I honestly have been racking my brain to think of a name that would perfectly suit this blog and what I would want to write about. I would have never started. I enjoy fine living. I guess everyone has their different idea of "fine living" and I would love to know what that is for everyone.

My husband registered my name as it's own domain for my birthday and that is what pushed me to start, really start! He is awesome and wonderful and so brilliant and talented so if I could be 1/1,000,000 as computer savy as him...I will take it. I figured blogging would be a good place to start.

Tonight I will be teaching a free pilates class at our church in Oakland. I teach it every Thursday night at 6pm and I love it!!! I wanted to start a ministry for our new satellite campus church so I figured this would be good. We have such a good time. http://www.northwayoakland.org/

After class we will go to my mom's to celebrate my birthday (which was last week) and my aunt Char bday with cake and good food. I will post some pictures if I remember.

I think I am really going to enjoy this blogging thing!