"Thank You Firefighters" Love, Boulder

Three other great ways to Support the Fires in Colorado!

1. Buy a 'Thank You Firefighter' poster at Art Source International on the Pearl St. Mall. 13th and Pearl. 60 percent of proceeds going toward fire relief efforts. Businesses interested in hanging a poster can request one for free one from the site.
2. Wild Fire Tees, $20 and all proceeds to to Colorado Wildfire Victims 
3. One-hundred percent of mobile donations will benefit the Boulder County Firefighters Association.  Text 'FIRE' to 27722 to give $10!

 

Or donate to The American Red Cross! 

CALL TO ACTION: Fundraising for 2012 Colorado Wildfires!

It just keeps getting worse, nearly a dozen Wildfires have broken out across the state of Colorado. Lives lost.  Hundreds of thousands of acres set ablaze.  Tens of thousands of people evacuated. And a growing unnumbered amount of homes lost.  We must help the firefighting efforts and the families affected! I want to charge you to do two things, Pray & Donate!  

You can donate directly to the American Red Cross- Colorado Chapters:

(Designate to the Boulder Fire)

Power Smoothie

Ingredients
1 cup frozen mixed berries or strawberries
 ½ cup baby Spinach
Fresh lime juice from ½ of lime
Fresh lemon juice from ½ of lemon
½ cup cold water
½ scoop of Green Superfood
1 Tbps. Chia Seeds
1 Tbps. Flax seeds

Combine in a blender and enjoy this healthy, power smoothie! At 400 calories, it makes a great breakfast!

So why Green Superfood, Chia, & Flax Seeds? I’m glad you asked… 
Green Superfood 

 Ingredients include green tea extract, spirulina, wheat grass powder, barley grass powder, spinach powder, broccoli powder, just to name a few.  Eating fresh, greens is not always easy for those on the go, yet it's crucial to our health. One scoop of this superfood equals 5 servings of vegetables, aka TWO POUNDS of green veggies! Who does that?  No one does that.... but we should! It is important to eat greens because of their antioxidant powers, which help fight cancer, premature aging, and heart disease! They also provide an energy and immunity boost!  Lastly, this green superfood helps clean your blood, which means it helps carry oxygen to essential internal organs and it detoxifies your body by helping the metabolic waste leave your system more efficiently.

Chia Seeds

Chia seeds provide your body with fiber, omega fatty acids, calcium, antioxidants, and protein! Fiber helps to normalize bowel movements, lowers blood cholesterol levels (fight heart disease), & control blood sugar levels (prevent diabetes).  Omega fatty acids play an important role in brain function and may aid in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Calcium helps to build strong bones and even aids in weight loss! Antioxidants again helps promote regular cell functionality, thus preventing disease.  Protein is essential for building muscles and a strong immunity!

Flax Seeds

Flaxseeds are a a great source of fiber & magnesium. Magnesium treats migraines, insomnia, and depression, among many other things! Flax seeds also help lower cholesterol, prevent cancer (including breast cancer and melanoma)

Unique & Odd Running Tips of the Week!

1. Smile & say “Good Morning” to everyone you see: On my 70 minute run this morning, I had plenty of opportunities to say hello to people I came across! Of course, a few people avoid eye contact and have their headphones in so they don’t hear you, but others are pleasantly surprised! I love when a person has a scowl on their face, and then my “Good Morning” makes their entire face light up! It’s the best motivation when you can be kind and make someone’s day! 


2. Call a friend with the best stories: I like to use my headphones with remote mic,  for hands-free chatting.  Half- way through my run, I love to call my mom, my boyfriend- Jeff, or my best friends- Janelle, Emily, & Stephanie.  Now, I normally would be out of breathe to make a phone call while running, however, these specific people are great talkers with the BEST Stories! It seriously makes the time fly by! 


3. Have someone drop you off # ("goal") miles from your destination:  I haven’t tried this one yet, but I thought of it during my run this morning, when I tempted myself 3 times to just turning around before the half-way-point.  If you are the goal distance away from home, you will just have to run all the way! And if you do bring your cell phone, don’t you dare call someone to pick you up! Unless you are in danger of course! 


4. When all else fails, “Run for Your Life”: Hahaha, my friend recently suggested this race where you run from Zombies while trying to maintain your "health" (think flag football).  Afterwards you are invited to An Apocalypse Party! Check it out by clicking on the picture:

Races will be in Indiana, Colorado, Washington, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Toronto, So Cal, Maryland, Florida, & Texas! Hopefully you are lucky enough to run this crazy race!  

I’d love to open the floor to your unique running tips of the week! Post a comment! :)

Chalkboard Wall Decal!

I recently purchased a Chalkboard Wall Decal from Amazon! It is so amazing! I write inspiration verses, quotes, & song lyrics on it every week! Strategically placed above the kitchen table for optimal viewing by myself and my guests! It also a good way to make time to read the bible, look up uplifting quotes, or listen to good music! Take 5-10 minutes out of your week to pick a theme to live by! Below are special appearances for the past 5 weeks in my home!

 

Budgeting and growing your money safely!

Living in Boston is not cheap! $5 for Cheerios! Yup, I have not eaten those in a year! However, I can happily say that I’m employed and financially stable with a great credit score! It’s not easy though, especially with my shopping habit, however I would like to share how I manage to make it work!

I have accounts at 3 different banks:

1. Bank A- 1 checking account & 1 savings account 
2. Bank B- 2 checking accounts, 1 savings account, 1 rewards credit card
3. ING- Orange savings accounts

So why so many accounts!?!?! Like I mentioned early, the shopping habit (problem?)- I needed a way to control my spending! I have direct deposit that deposits enough money in my Bank A account for the following:

1. Checking Account: Money dedicate to all bills that must be paid.  For me this means rent,     electricity, heat, internet, student loan payment, and gym membership. I also transfer a little money into my savings account as well!
2. Savings Account: This is savings, this is not to be touched, and I keep enough money here for emergencies.  Providing easy access to transfer the money to my checking account.

Next, I also have my paycheck direct deposit into Bank B:

1. Checking Account- Groceries/Food: I never know how much money I’m going to spend on    groceries or food so I have a dedicated account for it. By putting a certain amount of money here, I limit the amount of money I can spend on food.  However, if I don’t spend it all, I can easily transfer the money into my fun checking account! I never let this account get lower than $100, In my mind, $100=$0 (This is for security of course!)  
2. Check Account- Fun: Here is where the fun happens! I can do all the shopping, decorating,      wine tasting, racing, and adventure seeking I want……until there is no more money here of      course! Again, I try not to let this account dip under $100!
3. Savings Account: I keep money here to save up for vacations or big purchases! 
4. Credit Card: 1% cash back on purchases, 2% on groceries and 3% on gas! And it makes           banking fee-free!

Lastly, I have an ING Orange savings account! My favorite because I earn .8% Annually!  I also, make sure that I’m always transferring money automatically from Bank A & Bank B into this account in order to continue to grow my money! Do you, want to earn $25 and start earning money through ING, leave me a comment and let me know so I can send you a referral to ING Bank!!!

And that folks, it how you safely budget and grow your money!

Apple Cinnamon Whole Wheat Vegan Pancakes

Ingredients:
Dry:
1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
3 tbsp White Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
Mix the dry ingredients well and set aside.

Wet:
1 1/2 cups Almond Milk
2 tbsp Whole Flax Seeds
3 tbsp water
3 tbsp Applesauce
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 cup apple peels (I keep apple peels in the freezer after making apple pie for recipes like these or potpourri)

Mix together the wet ingredients and add to the dry. Mix gently until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Heat a nonstick pan on Medium. Smear lightly with a few drops of canola oil. Pour about 1/8 cup of the batter on the griddle and let it cook until bubbles appear at the top of the pancake and the underside is golden-brown. Flip over with a spatula and cook the other side until it is lightly browned. Serve hot with cinnamon sugar, butter (vegan butter if you are a vegan), and maple syrup

 

Okay, maybe not the prettiest, but it was delicious!  

You’re Something Real in a World of Fake!

“The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”

– 1John 2:17

Wow, how incredible true is that statement.  We see things in this world leave us every day, things that once made us happy, now are not good enough, and even people who we love dearly are taken from us!  We cannot get caught up in obsessing over this world, and all the things that will undoubtedly let us down.  And to top it off, this worldly life is the smallest fraction of our entire life of eternity.  The good news is that even in this world of FAKE, we have Jesus, the one thing that is REAL, PURE, & HOLDS TRUE TO HIS PROMISES! Luckily for us, the bible provides us with these promises and guidance:

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

 - Hebrews 13:5

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.

-        1 Peter 3:3-4

“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”

-        1 Corinthains 6:18

“For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.”

-Proverbs 23: 21

^“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”

-Proverbs 16:18

All of these verses are not to take the fun out of things, they are merely warning signs that if you fall for the desires of this world, you to will fall and be unhappy.  In my mind these verses are like the “mother knows best” phrase. I truly believe that God wants us to enjoy this Earth, be happy, and full of love, but we must be living in his honor and not get consumed & obsessed with the things of this fleeting world!

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

-Psalm 37:4

“And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

-Luke 11:9

Quahogging, “Qua-what-ing?”

Being from Colorado, I had never heard of quahogging (pronounced ko-hog-ing), however New England has yet again opened my eyes to something new!  Quahogs are clams typically found between Cape Cod, Massachusetts and New Jersey.  Quahogging is the act of searching for clams by hands, feet, and tools in sand and mud during low tide.  In my quest to be the “Ultimate Clam Digger”, I used a rake, teeth face down and dragged it along the bottom of the sand until I hit what I thought to be a clam, and quickly flipped the rake in a motion that would unearth the quahog.  Turns out I’m really just the “Queen of the Rocks & Seaweed!” However, in my defense, I did brave the iced-cold water for a couple hours and was able to find 5 clams! I was pretty proud!  

One thing to be aware about when quahogging is the rules and regulations (especially since they vary by jurisdiction).  In Mattapoisett, MA, where I went, you must have one license per basket, and you can only harvest one basket per week.   Uniformly across jurisdictions, the clams you catch are required to be a minimum of 2 inches in length! So we had a metal square measurer: If the clams fit through it, we tossed ‘em back!

So the reason that I mention the rules.....well we had a little encounter with the ranger! I went with Jeff and his brother, Jon, however we grabbed the licenses of Jon’s father-in-law and brother-in-law.  Unfortunately Jon and Jeff cannot pull off the whole father-son thing.  Once we got wind that the ranger was coming (thanks to the bell ringing of everyone back at the house), we consolidated our clams from the 2 baskets into one! When we got out of the water, the ranger still gave us a hard time, and said we couldn’t have two baskets with only one license! Luckily, with lots of apologies, we avoided the $50 fine that we each would have received! What a memorable first time!


So what do you do with the clams you catch? That’s easy, you eat them! Check out the recipes below (Wherever it says to use canned claims, look at “How to Cook Clams” first and use the ones you have caught!)

• How to Cook Clams

• Clam Chowder

• “Stuffies” (Baked Stuffed Clams)

• Fried Clams 

"Dream Mysteries Decoded"

I recently read an article called “Dream Mysteries Decoded” by Lisa Collier Cool, and I was instantly intrigued! 

1. Is Lucid Dreaming for Real? 
In a study called “Practicing a Motor Task in a Lucid Dream Enhances Subsequent Performance: A Pilot Study,” 20 participants were asked to toss dimes into a cup in the evening, then try to do this task in their dream.  Seven volunteers were able to successfully do so and thus, the next morning were able to be more success at tossing coins than those who were unable to practice in their dreams.  


I definitely need to practice winning the lotto in my dreams! TONIGHT!

2. What don’t you remember your dreams? 
Dreams escape us quickly after we wake up, according to scientists we forget 95% or more of our dreams! And if you do remember your dream, 90% of their content is lost within 10 minutes of waking.

With this said, I have been blessed (or cursed!) with frequent dream remembrance.  Thus, for your enjoyment, over the past few weeks I have been writing down my dreams right when I wake up!  I have intertwined them below.

3. What triggers nightmares?  
Nightmares may indicate a call to action-- you know, those unresolved issues that make you fearful or anxious.

I recently had a nightmare, which involved a project I’m currently working on.  The president of the company was explaining to me that he accidently showed our current client a chart with information that they shouldn't have known, and he turns to me and says “That’s it, this project is going to fail!”  I really really hope this dream doesn't come true, as this particular project has been a source of pain & anxiety for me!

4.  Why do some dreams seem so real that you wake up laughing or crying? 
Vivid dreams tend to occur near the time you wake up, and some areas of the brain, that process emotions and visual images are actually more active when you’re dreaming = emotional smack in the face.  That is why you can waking up laughing and crying!

I’m sitting here (about 5 minutes, 47 seconds) and for the life of me I cannot remember the last dream I had waking up crying or laughing, I guess I take back my commentary on #2! Dang fading dreams!

5.  What are recurring dreams telling you? 
“One technique to unlock the hidden meaning is writing down the recurring dream, plus the first three experiences, events, or stories that pop into your mind when you think about the people and objects in the dream, even if the three stories don’t seem to be obviously connected to your dream. Then analyze the stories for recurring themes and emotions.”

I have a recurring dream about a math class in college/high school where I keep forgetting to go to class and if I do remember it’s on a test day and I don’t know any of the material and ultimately fail.  This leads to me not graduating! It I used the technique suggested above, this dream makes me think of my senior year of college where I never showed up to a class because it was pass/fail (Don’t worry, in real life, I passed!).  This dream also makes me think of anxiety and it makes me think of home. There ya go- now all of you can psychoanalyze me!

6. Can dreams predict the future?
Lisa Collier Cool, a health reporter, has interviewed many people who were alerted to hidden health problems due to recurring dreams that they were dying or ill.

No dreams about death of illness for me….“PHEW!”

DIY: Transforming an old t-shirt!

 

Shout out to the boyfriend, it's his old t-shirt!

 

 

The Finished Product! A Cute Gym "T"

Thanks "Creating Laura" for the idea!

And more amazing DIY ideas at