Dogs and Shoes...

I came across this picture today and it reminded me of Malone, my sweet, obedient doxie. You've heard the story of Reba and her trash can escapade. Well, Malone decided he was tired of being the good one and rebelled.

I had taken Mom to the hospital at 5:00 am that morning so our normal potty-walk time at 6:00 am was moved up to 4:30 am. Most dogs love schedule and mine are no different, so the early rustling out of snuggled blankets came as quite a surprise for these furry little ones. Especially since they know their mama is a night owl and not a morning person!

I placed them in their safety zone, puppy-proofed things and made sure puppy pads were down in case they needed to go to the bathroom since I wouldn't be back until after 6 pm that night. Mom's procedure went well and she was giggling on the phone with her favorite sister (her only sister), so I felt good about leaving to tend to the pups.

I arrived home with my furry ones to greet me...and then I noticed it. A pile of something on the vinyl (thank goodness on the vinyl!!) and not on a puppy-pad. Yuck! Upon cleaning up the mess, a closer examination revealed this was not a potty break, but someone coughing up something that shouldn't have been in their stomach!

Then I noticed one of my leather boots, much like the one in the picture with the pup above, nestled on Malone's blanket. I reached over to pick up my boot only to find half of it missing!!!!! That stinker had eaten my boot! He's fine now and things came out in the wash, if you know what I mean...my little stinker! He's sooooo good, but when he rebels, he does it well!

Cleaning Out the Kitchen...

Okay...it's official. My house is 100% totally raw! Yes! Today I spent time getting rid of anything that won't fit in the new eating plan. I always keep my pantry stocked with organic goodies, but after clearing out all that stuff I have TONS of space!! My kitchen is small and it's always been frustrating not having enough storage space. But no more! And since I no longer use the stove or microwave they have now become "storage cabinets" too!

A good portion of my diet has been raw for a little while now, but cheese and soda are my two weaknesses so I haven't technically started the 100% raw diet until today. I mainly drink filtered water, but once in a while Dr. Pepper calls and I just have to answer! But he's out of my system and I'm ready to commit!

I've been reading Alissa's book over and over again and the recipes are awesome! I've started by keeping things simple, but will be adding more recipes as I go. I really think this is going to be the first eating plan I continue! I don't crave food like I used to and don't really think about it much either. If I'm hungry, I eat. I've also noticed that stuffed, bloated feeling after eating isn't there anymore and sleeping is much better at night...I'm actually sleeping!

Will keep you posted!

Raw Food Diet

Well, Alissa Cohen's book arrived! It didn't take very long to get here, but let me tell you...it's one HEAVY book! Thank goodness for free shipping!

I am so excited about beginning this new plan and have already plowed through 150 pages. This is more about preparing myself mentally than anything else and so far so good. I love most of the recipes and the idea of being able to eat whatever you want without counting calories is a blessing. Really listening to your body and allowing intuition to kick in is the key. The more I read, the more I like. We'll see....I'll keep you posted.

Snow Day!!

Finally...Snow! It seems everyone in the nation was getting it except us! We don't get much snow here, but when we do we embrace every opportunity to enjoy it! My nephews were sooo cute. This will be their first snow, or should I say the first snow in which they could actually play! Had to share the photo!

My Sweeties...

Meet Malone (left) and Reba (right). These are my sweet ones, or scoundrels depending on the time of day. Never underestimate how an animal can change your life or inspire you. Let's take Reba for example. She's 10 lbs, 16 years, spry as a 2 year old, very determined, a little stubborn and never misses an opportunity to surprise you! Ah...so much like her mama! Except for the spry part!

Take a couple of days ago. There were several errands to run, so in usual fashion I secured the dogs in their crate, checked the rest of the house to make sure it was puppy proofed - just in case - and then headed out the door feeling quite comfortable that things were tightened down and put safely away from curious little paws.

Imagine my surprise when I arrived home to find Malone peering out at me from the front window, as if his job was to be the lookout! Oh my...what would I find inside? But I had prepared and puppy-proofed things so there should be no worries...or so I thought.

Upon entering the house I found my sweet pups running around the sofa in delighted play, oblivious to the fact that something had just occurred that mommy might not be too happy about. I then began to find evidence of foul play...the breach of garbage and recycling cans!!

Now, this was no easy task for Reba because my cans are all on wheels and have latching handles. As I stood there upset at first, my thoughts quickly shifted to appreciating what just happened here. A small, obviously disobedient, strong-willed pup did the unexpected. She succeeded her goals in the most challenging situation.

Hum...what can I learn from this moment? 1) More obedience training and 2) take a lesson from your furry low-rider!! Our pets are more our teachers than we realize (;

Weight Loss and the New Year...

Mighty fine in 2009!! That's my motto for this year. After so much change in our family and within my own life, focusing on health always seems to be pushed on the back burner. But after Mom's health scare and a focus on trying to get her better, she's lost close to 70 pounds and only a few pounds away from the weight she was in college!! Now, I wouldn't want to do it the way she did, but it's helped me to see there are more important things than eating a pint of rocky road in one sitting!!

Food has always been a comfort for me, especially in chaotic times. I put on a considerable amount of weight over the years while helping to care for my Grandmother and just never took the time for myself to change the old habits.

But no more!!! This is a new year! A new day! I've eaten organic for quite some time and thought the next step would be to begin a holistic eating plan. But I found myself becoming more food obsessed than ever before. The plan required measuring everything, eating certain foods on certain days, and eating at least 5 to 6 times a day! I understand the theory behind each step, but it became too cumbersome and overwhelming. So once again I gave up.

Then I came across several blogs discussing the benefits of a raw diet. One in particular that helped begin my search was Sara's blog Walk Slowly, Live Wildly. She's such an awesome nature mama and so inspirational! Her blog has a wealth of info and I recommend you stop by her site!

Another site I happened upon belongs to Alissa Cohen. After reading part of her book online, we seemed to have the same type of experience toward food so I thought I'd give it a try and ordered it! I'll let you know how things go, how I get started and my progress. Here's to a new year and a new lifestyle!!!

The Legacy of Love

Good gracious! I can't believe it's been so long since my last post! Not long after beginning my blog journey Mom became quite ill. At the time we weren't sure what was going on, but after months and months of massive TLC, awesome doctors, several hospital stays, and lots of prayers, Mom has made a great recovery. She still has a little bit more to go before she's a new woman, but we're ecstatic with the progress she has made!

But with all of this great news, we did have some sad news along the way. Both of my Grandmother's passed away over the holidays. Mom's Mom passed on Christmas Eve and Dad's Mom left us on January 7th. These beautiful, strong, Christian women will be missed and we are forever changed for knowing them.

I was especially close to Mom's Mother...Mary Etta Brigman Shaw. There isn't a more beautiful name! She saw the heart of people and had the uncanny ability to love no matter how she was treated. She is a true inspiration and mentor. And she could laugh!! Grandmother Shaw had the best sense of humor and wasn't afraid to show it! If you didn't have a good belly laugh at least once every other day around her, you weren't paying attention!

Dad's Mom, Willette Ritchie Yates...ahhh! Now that's where I get some of my creative passion and romantic outlook on life. You could give Grandmommy Yates (yes, I'm 39 and I still call her Grandmommy!! It wouldn't sound right calling her anything else!) a scrap of fabric and some ribbon and the woman could make an entirely new outfit!

Well...this was harder than I thought! I think I'll stop posting for now...but will return soon enough.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18