Recommended for October

I haven't pushed out a lot of these posts lately, mainly because I haven't been exploring that many new recipes, and I always want to leave you with someone tangible instead of just links to read in your spare time.  In lieu of new foods to try, I'll probably be sharing some songs I enjoy instead.  The main thing, though, is that I have been coming across a lot of interesting information, beautiful work, and exciting discoveries I've wanted to share.  Without further ado, here's another edition of Recommended!


^ First, this is a new song for me.  I have this on my Sky playlist where I keep my light and positive songs, and I love the whimsy in the melody and the sweet vocals.  Do you like it?

Did you know you're not supposed to refrigerate tomatoes and that orange juice isn't really that good for you?  Check out these new food facts.

Instagram has made a new, amazing change!

Speaking of social media, did you see that Vine is shutting down??

I had the pleasure of listening to this beautiful piece read aloud this morning on a podcast from The Liturgists (which I also recommend), and I encourage you to read it through when you have a chance. It's about the beauty, strength, and dignity of a woman's body throughout her life, in the context of a Christian environment, which, as many of us know, isn't always known for responding well to the feminine.  I shared further on a Facebook post, and I wanted to share here, too:

The idea of women being less has been a strange, unfortunate struggle I've been working through for many years. It's not constant for me, I'm not routinely put down due to my sex by any means, and many of the offenses I do receive are results of miscommunication, cultural, or personality differences. I consider my story to be moderate, but I know that my moderate story isn't the story of all women. There are many who have lived through overt and predatory assault and also subtle and insidious lies about their worth as women. There are many, many ways we as a culture, a society, And We As A Church need to change the story. I don't have all the answers, in fact, I'd really like to hear what you think about all this, but I do think this piece could be a starting point of changing our perspectives.

I follow Kimi Werner's aquatic adventures on Instagram, and last week she taught me that the chemicals in our sunscreens are harming ocean life!  Even though beach weather is on it's way out of the Northern Hemisphere, I wanted to pass along her recommendation of Avasol's sunscreens, which are good for you AND the planet.

This piece of encouragement

What a happy, amazing, and adorable story!

These thermal nails are amazing.  When I asked, the artist responded saying she "layered the colors and then used polish remover and a Qtip to take away" the layers.  I could never have that patience!

Having a healthy or unhealthy gut will affect your brain.  Our bodies can be so bizarre, and I guess it's time for me to start having yogurt for breakfast again.