Charity:Water

So tonight started out like every single night in our house. Jay asking have you thought of anything you'd like for dinner? Me saying, no. Nothing sounds good. I'm out of ideas. Then we throw a simple and very nutritious dinner together while complaining that (while it's tasty) we need to find some new dinner ideas.

As we sat in front of the tv, chowing down on a very healthy version of stirfry and drinking crisp clean water we tuned into a special on 20/20. Did you catch it? It was called Be the Change: Save a Life. Well, we both cried. It's not that we're naive and don't know what is going on in the world. It's just that we get wrapped up in our own world and our own problems (that seem pretty trivial in comparison). Sometimes we just don't know where to start. There are so many people that need help. We figure what's the point? I can't afford much and where would my measely 20 bucks help make a difference?

The stories that hit me the most have to do with clean water. Seeing what other people are forced to drink is just...heartbreaking. There's no reason for it. It's bubbling up from this earth for crying out loud. Watching the show I learned there are 1500 wells across Africa that are OUT OF SERVICE because of maintenance issues. We have donated money to a charity that digs wells before but I've never once given a thought about the maintaining of those wells. They talked about a charity called Charity: Water. Basically they ask you to give up a birthday. Take that birthday (Christmas, wedding, etc) money and donate it. 20 bucks will give one person clean water for 20 years. 20 YEARS people! That's amazing. And so easy.

For more information or to donate to Charity:Water click here.  For information about the other stories from tonight's show and different causes to help support click here. 

One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.   Proverbs 11:24-25

Turquoise Makes Me Happy =)

I LOVE the color turquoise. (And robin's egg blue, Tiffany blue, watery-green) They just make me smile. Since I currently reside in a beige dungeon I have to get my fix looking at beautiful pictures. Here are a few of my favorites...



image via Country Living

If I had a closet that wasn't stuffed to the brim with totes and a million other things I would definitely try recreating this workspace. 

image via Country Living

If I were a single girl this bedroom would be mine. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. My manly man would not go for that headboard though. But when I have a little girl someday this will be her room so I can lay in there and pretend it's mine. :)

Creamy cabinets? Check. Marble counter? Check. Amazing bar stools. Check. Check. What's not to love about this kitchen?



image via Country Living

My eyes didn't know where to look first when they spotted this beauty. That fridge. Oh my. I think I would sit in the kitchen for hours just staring at it! The color on the walls and that island are amazing. I normally don't like chandeliers but this one keeps whispering, "Look at me...look at me. I'm spectacular."

image via Sarah Richardson Design

Those dining chairs will be mine someday. Mark. My. Words. I can't imagine walking past them and being in a bad mood. You just have to smile. 

Homemade Facial Mask

I thought my days of oily, acne prone skin would leave me when I reached my 20s. I was wrong. I'm in my early 30s (eeks!) and I'm STILL battling craptastic skin issues. I've tried every product out there and they only make my skin break out more. I have been doing a lot of research on what would be best for my skin and have found a combination of things that I think will work. You'll need:

1 ripe strawberry

Strawberries contain natural salicylic acid to help remove dead cells, clean pores, and calm acne. They are high in antioxidants to help repair skin damage. And packed with vitamin C which will improve texture and help fight cancer cells.



oatmeal

Oatmeal is great for cleansing and exfoliating. It also has anti-inflammatory properties.



1 teaspoon honey

Honey has natural anti-microbial and antioxidant properties to help protect from skin damage. It's a natural moisturizer which will help keep wrinkles away. Honey absorbs impurities from the skin which will help with acne.

1 teaspoon plain yogurt

Yogurt has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties which will help with acne. Also contains lactic acid which helps reduce wrinkles, soften, and hydrate skin.

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Helps absorb oil and leaves skin silky and matte.

Mash the strawberry up and then mix in the honey and yogurt. Stir in the cornstarch and then use the oatmeal to thicken it up. Slather it on (don't forget the neck and décolletage!) and take a relaxing bath or cover your pillow and relax. Leave it on for 10-15 minutes and then rinse with warm water.



Barley Risotto with Butternut Squash

This was so delicious - and healthy! The pearl barley provides 50% more protein than standard rice. It also has 3 grams of dietary fiber per serving (long-grain brown rice only provides 1.75). The butternut squash is an excellent source of vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, potassium, and fiber. We enjoyed this as a side dish with turkey breast the first night. The next night we added mushrooms, spinach, and shredded chicken to the leftovers for a one-dish meal.

Barley Risotto with Butternut Squash
From: Country Living Magazine

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups peeled, chopped butternut squash
2  tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
         salt and ground black pepper
5 cups low-sodium chicken or veggie broth
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
2 small garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups pearled barley
3/4 cup dry white wine (I used a Sauvignon blanc)
1  teaspoon fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
         zest of 1 lemon
3/4  cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (we didn't use cheese and it was still delish!)


1. HEAT oven to 400F. Toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a baking pan and roast until tender, about 25 minutes, turning once halfway through. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring broth to a gentle boil: then reduce heat to low. In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add onion, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add barley and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add wine and stir constantly until absorbed for about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup broth, 1 teaspoon thyme, and lemon zest; stir frequently until liquid is absorbed.

3. Repeat with remaining broth, adding 1/2 cup at a time, until barley is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Gently fold in the squash and garnish with thyme.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving


(Lizelia Augusta Jenkins Moorer)

Let us give thanks to God above,
Thanks for expressions of His love,
Seen in the book of nature, grand
Taught by His love on every hand.

Let us be thankful in our hearts,
Thankful for all the truth imparts,
For the religion of our Lord,
All that is taught us in His word.

Let us be thankful for a land,
That will for such religion stand;
One that protects it by the law,
One that before it stands in awe.

Thankful for all things let us be,
Though there be woes and misery;
Lessons they bring us for our good-
Later 'twill all be understood.

Thankful for peace o'er land and sea,
Thankful for signs of liberty,
Thankful for homes, for life and health,
Pleasure and plenty, fame and wealth.

Thankful for friends and loved ones, too,
Thankful for all things, good and true,
Thankful for harvest in the fall,
Thankful to Him who gave it all.

 

Random Things I'm Lovin' This Week

It's been a week full of doctor appointments, procedures, and hospitals. Ugh. I was starting to feel a little down and overwhelmed today so I decided to indulge in some things I love!

1. Lavender. If I could be anything I'd be a farmer and grow fields of herbs and spices.

2. Wedgwood Vase in Black Basalt. LOVE.

 3. Le Creuset. Enamelled cast iron cookware in my favorite color. Someday these beauties will be mine! Someday....

4. Jason's pumpkin cheesecake. One more day and this will be melting in my mouth. Yum. Can't. Wait.



5. Peppermint Mocha Ice Cream. I'm so addicted to this flavor. I dream about Starbucks Iced Peppermint White Mocha drinks on a regular basis. I have issues.

6. Gorgeous fall/winter wreath. I need to get crafty this week and make my own.

image via Lula Boutique

7. Jadite..and milk glass. We went to the thrift stores last week and the only jadite we found was a set of canisters for...wait for it...$1000!!!



8. Mr. Bean. I dunno why but this picture just cracks me up!

Training for a 1/2! Whoot!

I'm so excited! My dear friend Heather called last week and said she was going to be running the Disney Princess 1/2 marathon in February and that I was going to be running it too! =)  I've been wanting to train for a real race for quite awhile but just haven't been healthy enough to put in the time and effort. I'm nervous and excited. I hope I can finish. I'd like to finish with a good time but I'll be pretty happy if I can just cross the finish line.


I think I'm more excited about the fact that while she's here we are going to see the new Harry Potter park at Universal!!!! Yeah....I'm a dork. I'm a Harry Potter fan. I can't hide it. You can take one look at me and know I'm a nerd. =)


I really need to figure out a training schedule that works for me. I also get an upset stomach when I run so I need to figure that out too. 

Oh! And I figured out something pretty awesome today. I've been running this same loop around our apartment complex that I thought was 1 mile. In my mid distance runs (say 4-6 miles or so) I've been REALLY discouraged with my times and pace. I couldn't figure out for the life of me why my times were just so dang slow. I went to map my run tonight and found out my 1 mile loop is actually 1.2 miles. Not a big difference at first.  BUT when you realize that a (previously thought) 5 mile run is actually 6 miles...whoo hoo!!!! My times aren't so shabby now. =)


I kept losing track of how many miles I was counting in my head today. I decided I either did a really bad 3 or a really great 4. We'll say it was a great 4 miles. Haha. I really want NEED one of these babies. Right now Walmart has them for $138. I'm trying to explain to Jay how essential it is that I have one for training. Wish me luck! =)