Organic Living: Update

sorry it has been so long friends... 

I haven't "officially" announced it on here yet, but I am going through a work adjustment... and it hasn't been easy for me. 

The family I have worked for for the past 2 1/2 years is moving two hours away from where I live. Though I would love to pack up and move with them, I simply can't. And I can't add another hour+ onto my drive to work. I guess I have been avoiding talking about it on here. my heart feels broken. I have fallen in love with Madeleine and her parents. They treat me like family, and I feel as if we are family.  I will visit miss madeleine often. 2 hours isn't a horrible drive. but not being able to see her everyday is going to be rough. I am used to seeing her everyday, but occasionally, I will have a Friday off... come Sunday around 2ish, i look at Cury and say, "I miss Madeleine. I Can't wait to see her tomorrow."  

...more on that later... if I am able to talk about it... makes me sad... 

here is an update on our gluten-free/wheat-free life ... ... ...

C U R Y
+down 16lbs. 
+happy

K E N D R A
+ready to move forward to the NO SUGAR phase! 
+consistently feeling the same. 
+happy 

T O G E T H E R
+we have discovered some delicious new products
+we have become full of knowledge on this topic >>again, all thanks to the generous women out there who's blogs I read. I thank God for you every time I read your blogs and learn from you<<  
+motivated
+basically, we have been able to maintain all of the benefits that i have mentioned in previous posts. I think now that our bodies have adjusted to this new lifestyle, and it is in our systems... we won't be experiencing too many new changes.

...links to the blogs that have helped me...

>> Meghan Newsom

>> Lacy and Meg

>> Catherine

...product reviews by Cury and me...

 justin's "snickers"

okay, this product shocked me. i have tried many all-natural candy bars. some are good, but i aways think, "noting beats the original" well, this candy bar tasted just like a snickers bar except no high-fructos corn syrup, gluten, or any of the other "bad for you things" don't get me wrong.. I'm not saying this is healthy, but it is a much healthier option when you have a craving. our only problem with it was that poor Cury couldn't have it. He is allergic to tree nuts :/ 

You can find this at most health food stores for about $2.75

taste ***** cost **** convenience ****

  

 Amy's gluten-free cheese pizza

Cury and I have always been fans of Amy's pizzas, so we had to try this on last week. It was really good. I have only had one other gluten-free pizza in my life, it was made with "bob's all-natural flour" This one was obviously made with rice flour. We both agreed that it was tasty and fully capable of giving us that  pizza fix that we occasionally need. We added our own toppings 

-spinach, garlic, mushrooms, and gluten-free Applegate bacon- 

I seemed a little bland without the toppings, so I would suggest doing that if you try this product. 

The texture if the crust was a little different from what we are used to... a little "spongy"..if that makes sense :) 

You can find this product at Whole Foods for $10.00

taste *****  cost **  convenience ****   

Justin's Almond Butter

 I thought these were very tasty. My personal favorites were the chocolate and classic. (the also have maple) I tried these because they are gluten-free. I didn't buy a whole jar because I haven't been able to find gluten-free bread that I really like. I just bought these little packets to taste them. It's great on Apples! 

You can find Justin's almond butter at Whole foods and other health food stores for $10.00 a jar or $3.00 for one of these little packets.

Taste *****  Cost **  convenience ****

Applegate Gluten-Free Bacon

Cury and I love all the Applegate products we have tried. this is the bacon we added to our Amy's pizza. Cury has always been a fan of bacon. while I like it.. i can always do without it. we both thought this bacon was much better than any other bacon we have had. very tasty! plus hardly any fat!

You can find this brand in most grocery stores(yay!)for around the same price as other bacons. 

taste *****  cost*****  convenience *****

We have several other products at home waiting for us to try and review for you :) 

Thank you for reading! my life currently doesn't allow me to "get out much" so It's so great to meet new friends on here :) 

 

"Don't let your dreams be dreams"

hello, my dears :) 

Happy Monday to you! and I do hope it's a happy one. 

while I am always so inspired by other amazing blogs I read, I do not steal ideas or posts. I feel that each individual has a special story to tell, life to live, and blog to write. No matter how in love I fall with these beautiful people and their beautiful lives, I have my own beautiful life that God has so gracefully given to me. 

however, all that being said... I read a blog post from a while back written by Meghan Newsom. Link to blog here.I don't think I have ever seen God so vividly in someone's life than I have in hers. She's a beautifully talented lady with a heart full of love for others. 

She wrote a blog post this past May on dreaming. While I have tried to sum it all up in my own words to share it with you, I just can't. She said something that stood out to me and challenged me. I am just going to have to quote her... 

"I believe that God has put in our souls big dreams and big yearnings, and if the spirit is living within us, than those dreams are of Him. He knows what makes us come alive." 

These statements may not mean as much to you as they did to me. but let me share a little with you why they mean the world to me. 

I grew up in a strict, old fashioned, baptist church. I attended the school the church had, and was 100% involved in everything {so involved that I listened to them over my parents} "full-time Christian service was always preached... like, if you're not working in a church full time, you might as well not even go to church because you're obviously not "right with God" It was a lot of pressure to put on someone. I certainly wanted to be right with God, but I never felt that I was supposed to work in a church my whole life. I remember thinking, "why can't I serve people out in the world full time?" I was 16 and I wanted so badly to go to a culinary school after graduation. "why can't I help people while being a chef?" Well, I only asked that question once. The response I got was, "Go to Bible college and find out what GOD wants you to do instead of what you want to do." 

I was so frustrated thinking, "What if GOD wants me to do what I want to do? Why can't GOD want someone to do something other than work in a church?" but being the naive/good girl that I was, I went to Bible college for three semesters. 

NOTE: please don't get me wrong, friends. I admire people who work in church or live on the mission field. In fact, my husband and I work part time at our church right now. We are in charge of the children's ministry. We have many friends in full time church work, and if asked, they would say that what they're doing is their dream. I just don't know why it is the only full-time service that is preached...

From the ages of 12-20, I had always done what was preached there. Not just because I wanted everyone to be proud of me, but because I was told that any other way was wrong, and I didn't want to do wrong. So, any desire, dream, or yearning I had to do something, I shoved it away. I was told that it was the devil trying to distract me from GOD'S work. Crazy, right? As easy as it would be to get bitter over those 8 years, I have just tried to thank God for His grace. Everyone was trying to keep my eyes shut, but He opened them anyway. I feel as though I have been blind my whole life and God is giving me sight. I feel Him showing me what is right. I have never had such certainty {as I do now} in what I was created to do. 

I have these huge dreams burning in my heart. I would have normally asked God to take those dreams away and show me what I am "supposed" to do... it sounds so silly now- knowing full well that the dreams I have are of God! 
I had always felt as though I had been sitting around waiting on God to finally "show up" in my life. Now that I know the truth, I find myself getting on my knees thanking God for these dreams yet asking Him to slow down a little so I can keep up with Him. :) 

Meghan said it so perfectly, "and if the spirit is living within us, than those dreams are of Him."

I don't know where you are in your life, friend. But wherever you may be, don't stop dreaming. And don't let those dreams be dreams! Bring them to life. 

I would like to share some of my dreams with you... 

+become a photographer/be an artist/work from home(for myself) 

       *I'm kind of in the making of this dream.

+meet new friends through this blog

+help people. I want to give to others in all the areas God has blessed me abundantly in.

+write a children's book

+become a regular volunteer at U of M hospital

+work from home

+be debt free! 

+have children & adopt children- I want to teach them to live in God's grace and love. 

+donate my hair to locks of love 

+become a vegan

+travel the world... the U.S. and all of Europe 

+open a "wedding barn" with my sister, Lexi

**my dreams get bigger and bigger the farther I go... but I have to leave you with some suspense ;)***