One Way to Make Your Rainy Day Better

I've got another off the cuff, written in real time post for you.  I wanted to share this right away because it's relevant now.

Last week, Pandora suggested I take a listen to their Brazilian radio station.  I didn't know what I was expecting, but I know I was surprised by what I heard!

The relaxed, sexy, breezy sounds of this music makes me feel like I'm in a French movie.  I've played it while cooking dinner, and I feel more put together and more chic.  I'm playing it right now as I go through some very mundane tasks at work on this dreary day, and I feel a calm motion carrying me forward.

How I feel about Rainy Days:

Brief Update

Most of my posts from the last few weeks have been pre-written and scheduled so I could take a break from blogging during Lent, but I wanted to check in to add some real-life human interaction to the scene.

• I volunteered as a leader for D-Now again last weekend and had another amazing time, this time with a small group of high school girls.  (Here's the story from when I led in 2011.)
• I fell sick with a nasty cold last weekend, too, and I should have stayed home on Monday and Tuesday last week (but didn't).  Thankfully, my co-workers were all very understanding and helped me in the office by answering the phones so I could rest my throat.
• Tonight, Caleb and I are going on a date!  He's been spending most of his evenings working on an extra project that will help him at work, so we're taking this evening to spend time together over Japanese food at Miso Izakaya, and then we're going to see The Grand Budapest Hotel!  Besides Fantastic Mr. Fox, this will be my first Wes Anderson movie, and I'm very excited.

I Want to Be a Health Nut

Late last year, I discovered the Wellness Mama blog.  Reading up on how easy it can be to go natural with face wash and deoderant challenged me to make the jump to cutting out the harmful things I put on my skin every day.  I put a few projects like this on my 101 Challenge because I wanted to challenge myself to actually make these changes instead of just talking about them.  Well recently, I've found a couple more reasons to not just jump but leap from the products I've been using.

Check out this article from Food Babe about deodorant.  Yikes.  The aluminum zirconium used in deodorant blocks up the sweat ducts in your skin and prevents sweat from exiting your body.  This stuff is a potent neurotoxin, and the manufacturers use lots of it to make their product such great antiperspirants.  Not sweating is nice, but all of this is not good for your body.  Also, there are lymph nodes there in your arm pits, and having all of the toxins near them can affect the immune system.  I bought some coconut oil from the DeKalb Farmer's Market, and I will start making my own with this recipe soon.
(For the record, Caleb thinks the deodorant stuff is BS, and I know some chemicals have been engineered to help the human body, but natural sounds better, dang it!)

So that deodorant article was the last straw on the camel's back, so to speak.

I realized that this health stuff is important.  Really important.  Heck, considering all the cancer causing additives I could be excluding from my diet if only I would eat healthier things, this health stuff if vital!

But a girl can only afford so much change at one time, and I'm talking about the "afford" that involves money.  An organic lifestyle is an expensive one, and while I'd love to be able to know that what I'm putting into my body is pure goodness, I have to take little steps for now.

The good news is, not only are there gentle steps I can take toward better food, there are also other things I can do for my health.  I just bought the ingredients to make my own dry shampoo last month.  I read about the detriments of sitting a while back and found an app that I've programed to ding every half hour so I can be sure to stand up, even if it's just for a minute.  Caleb and I have made it a point to add Juice Plus into our budget, so we're getting all of our fruits and vegetable vitamins (the gummies are so yummy!).  I have fruit, coconut milk, and spinach smoothies a couple times a week.  I've also started having tea at least once a day to help me drink more water.

Things for My Home

Caleb and I have been following Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace principles, and I am so proud that we are almost finished paying of one of our debts!  One of the things our personal financial counselor suggested was to celebrate once we reached one of our goals!

Caleb and I have decided that for each of the small loans we pay off, before we move that debt money on to help pay for the next debt, we're going to take one month to spend  that money on something for us.  In April, we're going to take the money we've been using each month to pay off our car to buy some home improvement things.

I won't be the only one making these decisions, and we should really buy another set of silverware and plates (we only have 4 of each thing), and more towels that match our color scheme, but here are my other, more fun ideas.

ladder via Martha Stewart  |   sconce via IKEA  |  tower garden via Juice Plus  |  bedding set via West Elm  |  photo frames by Lucy Call via Design*Sponge

Welcoming Spring

After reading this short article from Darling Magazine, I am inspired to do my own springtime rituals!  What greater things deserve a harbinger than warmer weather, new flowers, warmer weather, and warmer weather?!

I hate the cold.

The only problem is, the only way I can think to celebrate is to vacuum the carpet.

(Ha!)

Do you have any ideas?

Beautiful Music Alert

Remember when I cried during Jiro Dreams of Sushi?  This is the piece that played during that scene.  It makes something unknown course through my body, just underneath my skin.  Beautiful, melancholy, and full, this piece was the most gorgeous thing I've heard in a long time.  The entire soundtrack was excellent, but this, this one has the most ...mm.

Do you love it?

Observing Lent 2014

I had never observed Lent until I was in Korea and attending Jubilee Church during the spring of 2012.  I am Protestant, and Lent always seemed like a strange Catholic ritual, but thanks to Jubilee, I have such a greater appreciation for it.

If one is truly devoted to something, something you know is good, it makes sense to develop a thirst and a need for it (e.g. exercising, drinking water, learning).  In my spiritual journey, this constant desire for God is something I've rarely had.  As I observe Lent, I will fast from something I love and feel that I need in order to turn my heart to what I should love and truly need, but participating in Lent last time didn't automatically made me a better Christian (or whatever you'd call it), and this will always be my struggle.  In fact, when I fasted from social media in 2012, I just found other time sucks to occupy myself with.

Second Sushi Date

This time we didn't learn to make sushi, but we did get to eat it.

Thanks to a Facebook ad, I heard about Ra in Midtown.  I signed up for the the emails and got a $20 gift certificate for my half-birthday month!  So, on one of the last days of February, Caleb and I headed off for some sushi.  After an appetizer of potstickers, we ordered the Salmon Asparagus roll (fresh tasting and yummy), the Rainbow Roll (my favorite of the night), and the Viva Las Vegas Roll (just stupid, do not recommend).

The restaurant's atmosphere was cool and sexy.  It has some great happy hour deals that don't just include drink, which is pretty neat.  We chose our appetizers and sushi rolls from the discount menu and got everything for a great price!  Unfortunately, we didn't find out until after we'd eaten everything that the gift certificate didn't apply to discount food, but it wasn't too expensive, so it was all good.