one percent: hearts over mirrors

Hi friends. Today, I asked one of our sponsors, Kelli from More Bang for your Bucks, to share some more 1% changes with us, since her contribution last month was so inspiring! I hope you're as blessed and challenged by this post as I am! Also, if you're interested in being a sponsor on Naptime Diaries - email us or check out more details here! 

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Hi ladies! Good to see you again. Last month I shared with you about seeking small changes in our spending habits in order to help others. I hope you were able to implement some of the ideas and make a difference!

Today, however, I have something much different on my mind. 

These girls. I love them so much. And already I am thinking about how they will be as teeneagers. (eek!) How I want them to pursue inner beauty instead of acclaim for their outer beauty. (Which as their mama, I do believe they possess some of that as well!)

This got me thinking a lot this past week.  As women in this culture, we are constantly bombarded with advertisements to look better, be skinnier, and appear younger than we really are. Constantly. There is a multi-billion dollar beauty industry. Women obviously put a lot of stock (literally!) into their appearance.

And I love getting prettied up for my man. Every woman I know likes a sincere compliment from the people in our lives. But really, in the grand scheme of things, this massive effort some of us put into our beauty regiment is so unimportant! It won't lead souls to Christ. It won't feed the poor. It won't make our children happier.

I want my girls to have a healthy view of outer beauty. Because it could all go away in an instant. A car wreck. A fire. Whatever. But nothing can take away the work we put into our hearts, unless we let it. So. Am I modeling this concept to them? Do I put more focus on my face and clothing size-  or whatever it is that distracts me- than my heart? This doesn't even necessarily mean pursuing beauty.

Ladies? Let's examine our hearts each day, before we scrutinize ourselves in the mirror. Ask God to show you what he would have you weed out. I am going to join this challenge with you. Because honestly, most days, the first thought on my mind is what I am going to wear for the day (At least before kids it was. ha!). What the kids will eat for breakfast? What 1389382083 things do I have to do today.

But really, what I should do is ask God what he would have me do that day. Check my heart to see if my motives in pursuing my activities are pure and God-honoring. If they will have eternal significance.

Join me in this challenge, will you? And let me know how it goes.

PS- can I let you in on a little secret? He makes ALL things beautiful in his time. I can't wait!

PPS I have launched a new line in my newly (re)opened Etsy shop called Pure Reflections. They are small mirrors featuring Bible verses pertaining to inner beauty. I would love if you would check them out. I really feel God put this desire in my heart to make art that will remind women what is important. I am so excited about this!

In keeping with my original blog theme of saving you money- I am offering a 20% discount to readers. Just enter the code NAPTIME when you checkout! This applies to custom orders as well.

1% change, out of the overflow.

Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Luke 6:45

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.Philippians 4:8

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.Ephesians 4:29

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We know these verses. 

We might have taught them to our kids or have them framed in our home. We clung to them when the Lord rescued us from gossip or slander a few years ago or from cussing incessantly after we became a believer. Oh, just me? That's ok. 

But this is what I want to talk about today. 

Our exceptions to these verses. 

Because we all have them. 

Our husbands, our REALLY close friends, our REALLY bad days. In those situations, all ties to these verses - our devotion to righteous speech fly out the window. When we've truly been wronged or frustrated or let down. When we're hungry or when we're tired. 

We break our rules. 

But here is something else I've found, with myself and others. The ultimate rule breaker: THE INTERNET. There is something about typing something instead of saying it, that makes it seem innocuous or anonymous or fleeting. And it truly isn't. It speaks discouragement, death, malice, anger, frustration, complaint, and offense into the world when you could be speaking life, encouragement, peace, reconciliation, or beauty.

So when the Lord started pricking my heart about this, I paid attention to myself and my words. Here are some things I had to ponder: 

- What was I trying to accomplish by complaining, proclaiming, or venting? 

- If my children complained as frequently as myself & my twitter followers did, what would I say to them? When my children are hurt, frustrated, sad, discouraged, or mad - I do not encourage them to sit a circle and discuss it, to egg one another on it. 

- If I'm "venting" about some sort of hurt, even if doing it anonymously - is it really innocuous? Doesn't Matthew 5 tell us that when we are angry in our hearts, it's the same as murder? What if we're producing that feeling in others by allowing them to side with us? 

- Do my complaints lead others to stumble because they'd be overjoyed to have my burdens? Complaining about our homes, meals, cars, children, husbands, etc. can be crazy discouraging for people who don't have those. 

And this is all not to say I think I, or we, as women need to be senselessly fake or overly positive on the internet. I think that would be disingenuous and probably just as damaging to present a false picture. And I think that there is so much profit in emailing some girlfriends for prayer, tweeting a piece of scripture in a time of discouragement, and calling your online community to come around you or aid you in all types of hardship. 

I just think, sadly, that's rarely my first motive. 

Usually, I just want to complain. 

I got to hear my wonderful brother-in-law preach this past week and he made such a good point about when people die nowadays. Now, when people die unexpectantly, we rush to their facebook page. So we have that legacy to consider now. If today, you went to be with Jesus, would you want your legacy to be a complaint about the heat or an almost-murderous statement about your landlord or even a grumble about something that you're incredibly blessed to have to begin with. 

And as all other issues of righteousness - cleaning this up for the sake of our image or to feel cleaner is just stupid. But the point is, when we're grumbling and sinful in our hearts - we're not glorifying Him. And we feel gross. And it speaks all sorts of grossness into other peoples lives INSTANTLY. If you have 300 twitter followers and 600 facebook friends, how quickly can you speak death across the world. So quickly. With that much influence (or more or less), how quickly could you bring Him glory? Bless His name? Encouraged another believer? 

So in all things, grace, ya'll.

I'm praising God for His grace as I cringe thinking of the internet-complaining I've done. 

And I'm asking for wisdom to walk forward in this (maybe larger than) 1% change:
Speak life only on the internet. 

And I think the heart of the issue is not just cleaning up what I put out in the world, but paying attention to why it's there in the first place. 

Because it's only the overflow of what's in the heart anyhow. 

1% change, from Rachael

Hey ya'll. My last little summer "vacation" is almost over, but one more guest post. 

Here's my sweet friend Rachael from Letters to Ames. 

I LOVE when people do guest 1% changes for me and take

 it to a place that is TRULY challenging to me. 

(looking at you, Kelli). Here's another one. 

Thanks for putting it plainly Rach. 

Love you guys & miss you! 

Entered the giveaway yet?!

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Side note... err... Top note. Before I even get started, I want to say something. Jessi sat in my living room about a year ago and told me her theory on the 1% change concept. I think it was new to her at that time, and she was still in the processing stages. 

Can I just say, Jessi, that I am so proud of you?! You stuck with this idea and fleshed it out here on your blog, allowing us to share it with you on a regular basis. You are an inspiration on how to make healthy living (be it physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual) less intimidating and more feasible in our families. Thank you!

Now, I will share about a little family victory in our home.

Our 1% change for healthy living has to do with groceries: GO FOR IT.

We made a commitment to buy organic, vegetarian-fed meat. So we do. It's not available everywhere, and it's ridiculously expensive. So we just buy a little less, or a little less often. But we stick to our commitment. 

We committed to eliminating high-fructose corn syrup in our house (with the exception of ketchup, because the organic stuff was JUST NOT CUTTING IT). Anyway, whenever we see something we'd like, we read the label. If there is corn syrup in it, it goes back on the shelf. We take a minute to mourn, because that item would have surely been enjoyed. But it's not coming across our doorstep. Because we committed to it.

Sure, healthy eating has affected our budget. But I refuse to accept "organic is just too expensive" as an excuse to buy yucky stuff. We simply find ways to make it work. We meal plan more efficiently, which means we grocery shop together, which means the right side items accompany the right entrees, which means we save money, which means we don't stress as much about food or finances, which means we enjoy sitting down to dinner as a family. So basically, committing to something and sticking to it makes for a healthier marriage and a healthier family! Right?

........

I say RIGHT. What do you need to just go with? Just do? 

Do it. 

And tell us about it. 

1% change, FINANCE

This is Kelli. She is precious. 

She has a wonderful blog on great money 

saving tips and I am so thankful for her!

1% Change- finances

Hi everyone! Don’t you just love Jessi, and this great community she has created here? I know I do, and I love how she challenges each of us to better ourselves, a little at a time. 


My name is Kelli and I am very excited about sharing a 1% change you can make involving finances, which in turn, can help us accomplish a goal with eternal benefits. Read on to find out what that goal is!  


I think so many times we get stressed out about bills, keeping up with the Joneses, pursuing the American dream, or whatever it is we want to do that our focus becomes severely egocentric. Anyone still with me? I would venture to guess we can all give up something, or change one habit, that will enable us to change by 1%- or even more! So. What are a few ways we can effectively cut our budgets? Here are just a few.  


1} How many of you LOVE to drive through Starbucks, McDonald's, whatever, and grab iced coffee? I know I'm raising my hand! But this can add up so quickly. I don't think you have to give up the restaurant coffee all the time, but set yourself a budget. Give yourself $10 a month in cash, and when it's gone, it's gone. Then, learn to make iced coffee (or whatever kind you like) at home. Then sit down and enjoy it instead of slurping it down in the car. :)  


2} Downgrade {or even cancel} your cable. Ouch. I know this can hurt. But do you really have time to watch 250 channels? Or need to? And if you have kids, do they need access to what is out there? Can I let you in on a little secret? My husband and I have been married almost 10 years and have never had cable. And I really don't want it! {except for Food Network- that would be nice!} And it is a treat when we get to go to a hotel and have cable! It makes watching the Food Network special for me. In the last year or two, we have also subscribed to Netflix. For only ten bucks and some change, you can have lots of movies and shows at the ready, for much less than a cable plan costs.  


3} Shop at "dollar stores." I have a blog dedicated to this very thing that can help you see what items you can purchase at these stores that are a good deal, and those that aren't. But just for a sampling, did you know you can get children's acetaminophen {generic Tylenol} for $1 at Dollar Tree? Or a great pair of sunglasses for $4 at Dollar General? Or even pregnancy tests? There are so many items we can get on the cheap if we just take a little time to research. Dear sisters, can I be lovingly honest here? 


If we are not being wise stewards over what God has given us, we are not only being selfish, we are being disobedient to his word. I think it is easy to slip into the mindset of this is "my money," and "my needs," but God reigns over all of it! And, he will bless us when we are faithful to obey him.  


So, now that we have discussed ways to help out our budget, and you've saved a little cash, what is this eternal goal that I speak of? It is to help others! There are soooo many ways to help out that I can't even begin to touch them all. Here are three that can get you going, though:  
◊ One way is to support a child through a great organization such as World Vision or Compassion. For just about $40 a month {hello there, 8 coffees, or 4 movies, or one pair of shoes}, you can help give a child clean water, food, education, and best of all, access to the Gospel. 
◊ I know that not everyone will be able to spare an extra forty dollars. It just isn’t there. But there are still ways to help! Jessi has a great idea about helping others here. Just taking a meal to someone can be HUGE.  
◊ Know any single moms? Take their kids out and buy them a pair of shoes. Give them a giftcard to Wal-Mart for groceries. If you can't do something financially, let her kids come over for an evening so she can get some stuff done. {and for you precious single moms reading this, you are in my prayers. You do SO much and I admire you. } 


If none of these ideas spark your heart, do some research. Look online, ask a minister at your church, or simply look around your neighborhood. Most likely, someone close to you could use some kind of help. In conclusion: Do I have this all down pat? Absolutely not. Are there days when I would much rather get a mocha Frappuccino (with whipped topping, of course) than to make my own? Absolutely yes. But I think the important lesson is to GIVE more than we are giving now. A little at a time. 


I would love to hear of other creative ways you have to save money, as well as to help others!
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thank you so much, Kelli.
I'm on board and super challenged.
Save the money so you can steward it, so you can give it. Amen & Amen.

this post is a place holder

my mama's porch. Amen. 

This is the first summer in my whole life that I've felt filled with the spirit of summer. Sidebar: my husband might email me about this semi-sacrilegious statement because a of all - I'm filled with the Holy Spirit and b of all - he hates summer. Not even kidding, he hates it. 

I could hold baby Asher for hours

friends and family dinners

Anyhow, I'm loving summer this year.
Living in a city with sweet friends, three kids, a few hours away from friends in all directions, multiple families living at different beaches, family living at a farm, and kiddos who could play in sprinklers for hours. Loving it. 


So I sort of feel like the kids and I are on a South-East tour. I keep calling it vacation, but can you call it vacation when you get up at 5am over and over again and you keep doing it each week? We've gone to Charleston multiple times, Pawley's Island, Charlotte, Shelby, back to Charleston and we're heading back to Shelby next week. (shelby is a small farm town outside of Charlotte that my dad grew up in)

alll my sister's and I's kids and our sweet pop

good community, good food, great summer

Anyhow, I feel torn about how to handle the 1% changes. I love 'em, but I got no new ones right now! So this post is a place holder for you all who want to link up. I'm out trying to live mine and I can't wait to update you when I'm not chasing kiddos around fountains or sleeping in the same room with my two boys who want to party all night instead of sleep. 


I like ya'll tons and I'm so thankful for your 1% goodness.
Can't wait to read! 
Jess

ps - I need to say something REAL quick. Ya'll. I'm really thankful for this place on the internet. I am SO EXCITED about what God is doing here and about what's ahead. This month's sponsors are blessing the heck out of me and we have so many fun new ones for August. If by any chance you missed it, will you check out Sara's post from last Saturday. She is a beauty in so many ways. Also, if you're interested in sponsorship for August, the spots are filling up! Please email me ASAP and you can also look here for details.   

one percent change is BACK.

Hi friends! I've sure missed sharing some one percent changes with ya'll. 
True story is - I've been making some like 13% negative changes rather than 1% changes towards the more healthy. Randomly, in the midst of early pregnancy, I was feeling super spurred on towards good health. I was so excited to walk through pregnancy mostly vegan, exercising, running, rather than my normal nine months of ice cream overindulgence and cellulite accumulation. But as soon as I found out we lost the baby, em.... I kind of lost focus. Then two weeks of miscarrying/procedures/pain medication truly set me back in the exercise department. I'd decided to do a little juice fast to cleanse out my system during the time  I couldn't exercise, but you know what you want to eat when you've just had a d&c and you're pretty sad: NOT JUICE. 


So, I'm taking baby steps back to healthiness myself and here is my 1% tip
(to hopefully help myself)
join a team. 
Here are some examples I'm pursuing this week: 

real life picture of me after the shred.  it's short, but fierce. no idea why i took this.

- Before I took my little health hiatus, I'd teamed up with a group of women on twitter who were all doing the 30 Day Shred and encouraging each other! I was a few days in and it help me accountable so much to see their tweets coming in throughout the day. Now I'm about two weeks behind, but today - NO MATTER WHAT - I'm jumping back in, doing the shred, and tweeting them about it! 
- I've told ya'll before I'm trying to learn more about/pursue more raw food eating. My friend Steph just happens to be a few steps ahead of me, already transforming her diet and feeling great while eating a majority of raw. So I'm going to ask her questions, borrow some books, and pick her brain. Teaming up in healthy eating makes it much less of a chore and much more of a fun adventure! 
- Lastly, I'm going to start training for my next half marathon, possibly first full marathon. Running and talking running with friends is always way better than running alone, though! I have a few friends running the Rock n Roll half in Savannah and I'm going to jump on board.  I have more than enough time to train for it, but I'd love to run this half in under two hours so I'm going to start training early and work on my time! And depending on how the half goes, I'll start thinking/praying about this bad boy. Hm...... 


And now, I can't wait to hear ya'lls 1% changes! 
or your ideas about how to team up with others for steps toward healthy living! 
Link it up friends! 

sponsors & CUTE CUTE CUTE giveaway

Hi friends! So June is coming to an end and July is just around the corner. I have loved our June sponsors and I'm SO EXCITED about some other sponsors joining Naptime Diaries for July! I love being able to tell ya'll about businesses, blogs, organizations ran by these women who are really wonderful. If you're interested in advertising with Naptime Diaries, click below for more info or email me at jessi connolly at gmail. I've got a few spots left and you've got a few days left! 

But today, two of our sweet sponsors are teaming up for one last giveaway of absolute CUTENESS. If you've got a little girl, if you know a little girl; you gotta enter this giveaway. Tiffany from Lalalu is giving away one of these precious headbands (for babies OR adults) & Katie from Top Knotz is giving away three sweet bows! 

I also asked these girls to tell us a little bit more about their shops: 

Hi All! I’m so excited to be a part of Naptime Diaries today. I’ve always been encouraged by Jessi and her love for the Lord, and feel so honored to be featured today! I hope you all enjoy the giveaway’s today :-) 

My name is Katie, and I’m a wife and stay at home Mom to my beautiful daughter. I love Jesus, and love making bows! I started making bows when I was pregnant, in part because I was nesting like crazy and also because I couldn’t seem to find affordable and adorable bows in town.  After making tons and tons of bows for my friends and family, I decided it would be a lot of fun to start Top Knotz Bows. Since then I’ve begun to sell my bows locally in boutiques, and now online. 

La La Lu Designs, has combined two things that I have always loved: Painting & Crocheting. My daddy taught me how to draw and paint, and my grandma-in-law taught me how to crochet! I never thought I would actually have a shop! I just had a lot of friends (like 7) pregnant all at the same time, so I made things! Everything from blankets, to paintings and even a giant cupcake pillow!  I now have fallen in love with making headbands and clips!! They are so much fun to make, and can be worn with so many things! I like everything to have its own unquie quality, so once I make a certain headband that's the only one made that way! I think people should love what they have and have something that is totally unique to them!

Aren't they the greatest?!

So, giveaway UP TILL FRIDAY AT MIDNIGHT. 
All you have to do to enter is leave a comment naming what sweet lady (or little lady) in your life you'd bless with these bows/headbands (even if it's yourself)! For extra entries, you can like Naptime Diaries on facebook or Lalalu Designs on facebook. 


Want to sponsor? Email me. 
Want some cuteness? Enter below. 

PS: one percent changes back TOMORROW! 

Link up if you like! 

one percent, a call to action

In total honesty, I'm reaching a little. 

This has a TINY bit to do with healthy living, definitely a good amount to do with spiritual & community health, but it's maybe more like a 7% change. Meh, maybe 4%. 

You decide. 

So I know we already have a 1% change club, right ladies?! 

(that's my best beyonce voice)

(oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ohh oh oh oh oh)

But can we start another club?!
I've had this on my mind for awhile and this is my official call to action. 

I wrote about this a year and a half ago, but here is my official challenge. 

My initial club meeting and you're all invited. 

Will you make a meal for someone just because?

If you're single or childless, please don't tune out. If you're in college, stay with us. 

If you're a mom or wife or taker-carer-of-others or just a WOMAN, you know what 4 or 5pm looks like on a random hard Tuesday. Maybe you're sweating over all you have to do, or you're discouraged or lonely, or tired. Or frustrated with yourself. Or just disillusioned with Tuesday. The answer is always Jesus, to let Him do the fulfilling, but can you imagine if a friend called at 4:11 and say, "hey girl! Oh I'm just listening to Beyonce, prepping dinner, and thinking, I should really bring you some food tonight!". 

Would it change your life a little? 

Would it change your life a lot? 

So what if on a Tuesday or a Wednesday (or monday, thursday, fri, sat, sun.... ) that WASN'T the hardest for you, you just doubled up on what you had and took it to a friend. Single moms, moms to sixteen kids, not yet married friends, EVERYONE. Not just for a special occasion where everyone is already thinking to serve (new baby, adoption, death in the family), but for the person no one is really thinking to serve. 

It won't cost you much, but Lord willing - it will change your heart and theirs. 

And He'll get more glory. 

To get you started, I have the EASIEST (read: non-gourmet), CHEAPEST, filling recipe that can be doubled and made for two big families (or many portions for less people). 

vegetarian enchilada casserole

what you need: two cans black beans, two cans corn, two cans of diced tomatoes, some tofu (optional), chili powder & cumin, flour or corn tortillas, shredded cheese. 

Take two casserole dishes and layer like a lasagna: 

- diced tomatoes

- tortillas cut & pieced together to make casserole dish shape

- black bean/tofu/spice mixture mixed in food processor (or by hand with fork)

- corn

- cheese

- diced tomatoes

- tortillas

- bean mixture

- corn

- tortillas

- cheese

(bake at 350 for 20ish minutes) 

You can get crazy, mix it up, this just works best for me. 

Throw some fun ingredients in there, cilantro or fun veggies or meat if you so desire! 

This is just the CHEAP and EASY version. 

Grab a bag of tortillas for your friend and drop it off before dinner time. 

It won't make you any holier, but if you can spend some time praying for her/him while you make it, your heart will be inclined to them and the Lord. And you may just avoid your own 4pm slump. 

Will you try it? 

My goal is once a week, but they may be way too much or too little for you. 

Can we start a club? 

Will you ask your friends to join?

I think we should. 

Alright, despite my semi-reaching 1% change, I'm still so pumped to hear ya'lls. 
Link it up, ladies!

raw recipe numero uno

If you've got a one percent change, feel free to link up here! I'm not going to list one today, and I may switch off one percent changes with healthier recipes every week or so. 

It's getting a little hard to keep sharing GENUINE one percent changes, but feel free to keep linking up! 

I told ya'll a few weeks ago that I've been loving raw food and it's true, true, true. The more I read, the more I prepare (cause I'm sure not cooking it, hahahahaha) the food, the more I eat it, the better I feel. I haven't found too many great raw recipe sites, at least not any as great as some of the more well known vegan sites. 

(for reference, once again, my two faves are Peas & Thank You and Oh She Glows) 

But, without further ado - here is my favorite new raw recipe for 

RAW CARROT CAKE. 

Now, in full disclosure - this DOES NOT TASTE LIKE CARROT CAKE. It does taste like you're trying to make something healthy to associate with carrot cake. 

However, how great you feel after eating it and sharing it with friends or family is a feeling better than carrot cake. 

(crust) 

blend/process the following until you get a crumbly mixture - 

4 carrots

1 apple

1/4 cup almonds

4 dates

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

3 tablespoons lemon zest

(top with)

cashew cream

(blend/process: 1 cup cashews, 1/4 cup water, handful almonds, 

little vanilla, 3 tbs sunflower oil)

raisins, chopped cashews

Spread crust on plate and top with cashew cream. Refrigerate for a few hours or freeze for 20-30 minutes to help harden. It will still be soft and a little mushy, but ooooooh so delicious. I hope you super, super enjoy it! 

Ok, putting a link up - feel free to link up with 1% changes or just recipes to share!

Can't wait to see what you share! 

1% change, live a little

A while ago, I picked up this sweet little book that is old and wonderful. 
It's called, "The Hidden Art of Homemaking", by Edith Schaeffer, and it's nothing that you'd expect. Get it amazon NOW, it's super cheap.


It was written in the 1971, and it's not just for stay at home moms, or moms, or married women. It's written for all women and it basically spells out the way the Lord is at work in all aspects of our life, and how as women, we're gifted to tap into some of those areas and really experience the fullness of His presence. 

a little crafting

Reading it for me took the idea of cooking, crafting, gardening, art, etc... from talents or gifts that I could either boast in or feel bad about, and turned them into these broad ideas of feminine creativity that the Lord could reveal Himself to me and to others in. Cooking became more about nourishing my family and less about getting it done. The idea of crafting had always been something in my mind that women used to hoard over one another, and now I saw it as a beautiful way to display the glory of God in my home. And gardening, well - I've never kept a plant alive and never planned to, and after reading the chapter on growing things in the ground, I longed to see dirt under my nails for the first time. 

the Connolly kids after a hard morning in the yard. 

So, my 1% change this week, is live a little. 
Grow something or make something. Some bread totally for scratch, some basil on your windowsill, a diy scarf or headband. Something. It will be good for your walk with Jesus to see Him grow something in you and by your hands, and it will be good for your health to simplify. 

I'm planting my own first little flower bed this week and beginning the transfer of my very-ignored-front-yard-that-could-double-for-a-landfill and hopefully by God's grace it will slowly start to look like a fun play-yard-for-kids-with-some-sweet-little-plants-growing. 


Here are my favorite quotes from the book, you should still buy it: 
(here she's talking about our homesickness from heaven and our longing to decorate)
"It is stupid to try and be 'hard', 'brave', or 'stoical' about that emotion called 'homesickness' or 'lostness'. A continuity which can help in the midst of tremendous upheavals in life is a continuity of things with which one is surrounded, even small things."

(thoughts on gardening) 
"A Christian individual or organization should not move into a property and turn it to shambles. The opposite should be true. It should grow and blossom into a place of beauty, demonstrating something of the wonder of the One who made plant life to produce seeds into the first place."


So, those are just my favorite two. 
I'm doing my best this week sister,
to live a little. 
Let the Lord grow some of His own glory through my hands, however unskilled they are. 
Amen and amen. 
What's yours? Link it up!

1% get raw, and a dangerously cute baby

You know what one of my healthiness-downfalls is? 

The afternoon slump. 

When I'm tired, I've been up since who-knows-how-long, I need to make dinner and live my second day (5pm-11pm is a whole nother beast), I don't crave carrots. I don't want freshly slice cucumbers or a quick stretch. I want a massive coffee, a snickers, and a magazine. 
But how would those things leave me feeling? Not so hot. 

Couple this problem with my brand spanking new food processor and library book mistaken checkout and you get today's one percent change! Last week I though I was getting a vegan recipe book, when I really grabbed a raw food recipe book and I was more than intrigued and kept reading. Enter mother's day gift of food processor and basically, my afternoons have taken a direct AND POSITIVE change. 

My 1% change for today, get a little raw. 

The research seems pretty misleading about whether or not a totally raw food diet is healthy for most people and let's be honest - that's no 1% change! That's like a 2,000% change. And probably one we shouldn't all be making. But what I've found is replacing some kind of yucky snacks with a some raw snacks boosts my energy, leaves me feeling MUCH better, and makes me feel like a pro in the kitchen (which is all a facade, it's just the food processor). 

Read here about some of the benefits of raw foods. 

I can tell you the benefits for me are just plain feeling better. The 4pm slump is nonexistent and I'm ready to live my second day full of husband hanging out with, exercise, blog writing, email answering, and laundry doing. 

And the kids, they're LOVING the raw. 

patience & focus. 

My tip for starting with raw snacks is just make some balls. 

Use any of these ingredients and food process (or blenderize) your own different combinations until you get a doughy-ish ball. Make many smaller balls and then either refrigerate them or freeze them until they form sweet little snacks. You can even coat them in coconut or flax seed or nuts to make them more beautiful! 

Some ingredient suggestions: almonds, walnuts, cashews, any favorite nut, coconut, flax, carob, carrots, ginger, dark chocolate, apricots, dates, raisins, etc! Go nuts! 

pensive & wary 

handsome

a fan of the energy balls! really, he ate like 3 and loved them!

Here is my favorite recipe so far. I like to eat one or two mid-morning INSTEAD of grazing my kid's lunches when I'm starving. Then I pop one or two in the afternoon while I'm cleaning & prepping dinner. And, if I'm feeling crazy, I'll munch another one after p90x time with the husband as I head to bed. Without further ado, 

my favorite energy ball

five or six carrots

few tablespoons of flax

tspoon of coconut

1/3 cup of almonds

1/3 cup of raisins 

3 dates

1/5 cup of cashews

It's like carrot cake, but not as delicious, and WAY better for you. 

How's that for honest:)?

And, to prove it, here is the most precious Benja I've ever seen. 

Right after I got done with my energy ball photography session, Benja climbed up to the table to partake. And you see the picky eating husband grabbing one too? Uh-huh. 

It's no carrot cake, but it will please the men in your life. 

I'm rambling and scrambling. Get me another energy ball, stat!

Link it up! I want to hear your 1% changes!