Thankful Thursday

I'm so thankful for our pastor.

He is one of the people I couldn't have been without during my cancer.  I have been crying on and off since the day I heard he was leaving us.  I will miss him SO much.  We are so blessed to have received so many sacraments and blessings from him.  I get so emotional thinking about how I will continue on with my cancer battle without him.  I dread going to see him that one last time.  I know we will keep in touch and we will be able to visit- but still I will miss him.  During my struggle with cancer I knew whatever was going to happen with me he would be there and guide me and do whatever need be for my family.

I love you father

Thank you and God Bless

Celery Salad and Move Your Body workout!

Veggie Wedgie Wednesday

It doesn't get much easier than this

This is a light salad that would be great with something heavier for your main course- BUT if you are hungry for something light and good for ya have it for a snack.

Here is the recipe I used- and revised because I don't have champagne vinegar- instead I used nice wine vinegar.
Since I did that I also swapped out the olive oil for truffle oil.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Organic Celery Heart, trimmed and cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices (about 3 cups)
1/3 cup snipped chives


Place the oil and vinegar in a small glass jar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Seal the lid and shake vigorously to combine.

Place the celery slices in a bowl and add 1/3 cup of the vinaigrette, tossing to coat. Let the celery marinate at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

To serve, arrange one or two romaine leaves on each salad plate. Spoon the celery onto each leaf, adding a drizzle of the vinaigrette if needed. Season the celery with salt and pepper to taste, then scatter each serving with some of the chives. Serve immediately.

Our 1st Lady teamed up with Beyonce to get our kids off the couch with a workout routine Move Your Body. Schools all over performed a FlashMob of the workout on May 3rd. Watching these kids is great- I LOVE kids! Makes ya wanna cry.



You can watch the instruction video HERE

Happy Summer

wanna laugh

LOL

 

Like mother like son

fun with cam wow

Fashion Friday

These one shoulders are great for a right sided mast. girl ;) 

LuLus- Madison Square One Shoulder - $38.00

Chinese Laundry - Hotness Pump - at Zappos - $59.00

 

Alexander McQueen - I believe it's last year -  around $1500.00  :(

It's nice to look at

LuLus - Just Luster One Shoulder - $57.00

Chinese Laundry - Hotness Pump - ON SALE at Zappos - $47.20

Revamp Productions - $395.00 yikes

Babygirlboutique has a red one



Why are purses SO expensive?- I guess cuz we LOVE them.

Veggie Wedgie Wednesday

WOW

It's been a couple of crazy weeks.  Tonight I was actually able to make something good and colorful for dinner and it felt so good.  Rob hasn't been feeling well and it ended up being Lyme disease so I really wanted to make sure and make something beautiful as well as healthy.

Last week when mom and I were in the city we ate something similar to this in the park and it was so yummy.  I love tomatoes when they are lightly cooked- they pop of warm delicious flavor in your mouth.

So tonight I put on a pot of pasta

chopped some of Uncle Al's home grown garlic

quick boiled some broccoli

opened a can of artichoke hearts

washed up some adorable grape tomatoes     

and it was SO yummy

I used one of my new pans......a Christmas gift from mom and dad and it was nice! 
I sauteed the garlic watching very closely not to cook it too much because I add the veggies to also cook in the Olive Oil.  NO ONE ever wants to burn GARLIC.  It's a sin!

I really enjoy this Sea Salt

After the veggies are done- you mix it all together maybe add some parm cheese and 

ENJOY! 

honestly that heart piece showed up on top like that- how weird...........I was going to have a who can find a heart in their dinner contest, but forgot due to shoveling in all the good stuff.    

Cheap Trick Tuesday- $1 Bus ticket to NYC

Well for the 1st time on a trip to NYC we asked about the MidWeek Special and yes there is one- BUT you must ask for it.  Instead of paying $80 we paid $72.
Mom asked about the CHEAP SEATS- like $1- WELL there is such a thing.  What you must do to get these is book your ticket on line at Megabus.com and you have to have set times!
MegaBus is available in other cities too.

So here you'll see for my next doctor appointment I can get $1 up to $41 ticket booked on mega bus- depending on the time.
CLICK HERE

Now in Binghamton we don't actually have a MEGABUS so it would just be our normal buses.

Traveling by bus can be nice if:
You travel with someone- cuts out the ~who will I sit with~ thoughts
Have an ipod
Have a book/magazine
Have snack
Collapsible water bottle would be really nice
Go to the bathroom before you leave
Get there early so you can get your pick of seats
There are no stops or stops depending
Bring a scarf big enough to be a blanket/pillow- the Buses can be COLD   

Veggie Wedgie Wednesday

Yummy Salad- I've linked to the recipe! YUMMY.

click on for recipe

Go get this recipe for a Salty Dog- I can't have grapefruit- it just looks so pretty!

 And how about this ad- I love that top and skirt and lipstick!

Cheap Trick Tuesday

Piperlime Sale- 20% Entire Site- Sale items too
FREE SHIPPING- CODE- SUMMER


Well do you know what to buy at the $1- what's the 5 things you should buy?

1. Cleaning Supplies   
Example
Drano- $1 comparable- AmeriKing Plumber
Murphy's Oil- $1 comparable- ProPower Oil Soap
Tide- $1 comparable- Trend

2. Gift Wrap- We all know this one!

3. Snacks- Popcorn, Chips, Soda

4. Shampoo
Dove Moisture Shampoo- $1 comparable- Anvie Deep Moisture
and they also sometimes have Vo5 - which has been around forever

5. Kitchen Accessories
Especially - Wooden skewers, Can Openers and so on.

Other Great Deals Around:

Walgreens:
40% off photobooks, posters-
CODE- GRAD40
Ends tomorrow
(Father's Day Idea)

Lord&Taylor
25% off most regular priced items- no min. purchase
5.95 shipping
CODE- FRIENDS
Ends June 13th

Espirit
40%off
shipping 4.95
CODE- JUNESALE
Ends June 12th

Sunglass Hut
50%off Select
FREE shipping via Next Business Day
CODE- JUNENEXTDAYSHIP

Piperlime
20%off Everything EVEN Sale Items
FREE shipping

Kenneth Cole
24.99-20%= 19.99

 There were plenty of cute shoes already on sale and with the 20% off it's a great deal with no shipping!

Monday Motivation

Natural eating............Clean stuff............Wake-Up Scub
I'm working on organizing my kitchen!

I can look at kitchens all day long

look at this little one

I'm hoping to get motivated to BUY good FOOD and EAT good FOOD more often! 

An organized kitchen should help with that- RIGHT?

At WholeLiving Body and Soul they have a great printable checklist for Natural Staples- click on the picture to check it out.

I'm still trying to figure out the best buying practices for eating organic.  This week at Weis cucumbers and peppers (bell) were on sale 10 of $10 so I bought them even though they are not organic.  The cuks go fast in my house when I'm juicing - I just MAKE SURE to PEAL if not organic.  Bell peppers are low in pesticides I just make sure to use my veggie wash on them. 

BUY these Organic
Celery (worst)
Peaches (worst)
Strawberries (worst)
Apples
Blueberries
Nectarines
Bell Peppers
Spinach
Cherries
Kale/Collard
Greens
Potatoes
Grapes (Imported)


The Clean 15
least amount of pesticides
Onions (best)
Avocado (best)
Sweet Corn (best)
Pineapple
Mangos
Sweet Peas
Asparagus
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Sweet Potato
Honeydew
Melon

It's going to take a bit of research to really figure out the best places to pick up organics.  Food in general is so expensive these days so it's worth the research.  Down to Earth has some really great specials monthly and I want to check out the Co-Op at the University that is open to the public.

EATING BETTER TAKES PREP WORK!

and after all that work a little pampering can't hurt 

Here's a nice scrub from over at WholeLiving

Wale-Up Scrub

Nothing rouses you in the morning quite like the smell of coffee, so go ahead -- slather some on. A skin-softening body scrub made from coffee grounds and aromatic plant essences is a traditional treatment that's used in Thai and Balinese spas, and it's a luxurious way to start the day.

This recipe couples a rich, smoky coffee aroma with the sweet scent of peppermint -- known in aromatherapy for its mentally stimulating, energizing properties. Thanks to raw sugar crystals and olive oil, which exfoliate and moisturize, your body gets a pick-me-up, too. It makes enough for two to three applications.

Tools and Materials

1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup pure turbinado sugar
15 drops peppermint essential oil (Mentha piperita)
1/2 cup used coffee grounds from a freshly brewed pot


Wake-Up Scrub How-To

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; using a fork, thoroughly blend. Transfer the scrub to a wide mouthed jar, and store in a cool place until ready to use. The scrub will keep for one to two weeks, longer if refrigerated.

2. While showering, apply handfuls of the coffee scrub to wet skin in circular motions, starting at the feet and working up. The scrub contains oil, so it's best to do this over a rubber mat to avoid slipping. Pay particular attention to rough spots such as heels, ankles, knees, and elbows.

3. After scrubbing, cleanse skin as usual using a mild natural soap or body wash. Pat skin dry with a fluffy towel, and follow with lotion to seal in the moisture.

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Wake-Up Scrub