Refreshing Limeade For A Hot Summer Day

I ended up with a ton of limes from my recent Bountiful Basket, so I decided to make a pitcher full of refreshing limeade for a hot summer day!

Refreshing Limeade

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

3 cups crushed ice

3/4 cup agave nectar

1 1/2 cups water

Combine everything in a blender and blend until nice and slushy!  Pour into a glass and enjoy!

This totally hit the spot on a hot summer day!  It was seriously sooo refreshing!  Kind of reminded me of the lime popsicles we used to buy in Brazil back in the day.  Now those were amazing!  They really quenched your thirst!  I haven't found one like it here in the States yet.  But this is just as tasty as I remember those popsicles being!  Mmm!  You've got to try it!

Special thanks for the mention and feature of this recipe over at Where Women Cook.   

All the recipes look fabulous and now I'm getting extremely hungry!

My Bella Bird Cardi

So I bought this cute Bella Bird cardi from Walmart last week in a soft yummy butter color!  Anything with a cute little added detail like those flowers make me swoon!  It was a little hot to wear it right now, but it was so cute I couldn't resist!

I'm now noticing I have a few greasy stains on it {not sure if you can see it in the pic or not!} so I either bought a bad one from Wally {so double check if you're purchasing one!} or I was a little, um, shall we say, messy that morning!  But I swear I wore my apron while fixing breakfast that day!   What can I say ~ just trying to keep it real for you peeps!!!  :D  And also why I don't necessarily like to spend tons of money on clothes that I might accidentally ruin because it somehow seems to happen to me.  A lot.  I tend to be kinda clumsy at times!  Or the toddler somehow gets me! ~sigh~  But I am kinda bugged that it has spots on it after the first wear!  Grr.  Oh well!

Btw, that sundress is also from Wally!

And I wore it with these fabulous earrings from Kohl's:

Who says high fashion has to be expensive?

~wink~wink~

Btw, I have had a few people ask me how the Bella Bird sizes fit.  I think they run a little on the small side.  For instance, I can wear a large in most brands, but the Bella Bird I had to size up and get an extra-large.  So there you go!  Hope that helps some of you! 

I'm also editing this to add that I was able to get those stains out of my new cardi and it looks just as good as new now.  Hip, hip, hooray!!!

This cardi was submitted to Everybody, Everywhere.  Hop over to see other fabulously fun yellows!

Bubble & Bee

Before I get to some of the interesting things I learned at the LDS Holistic Living conference, I wanted to tell you about something from last years conference.   I attended a class on female hormones and Xenoestrogens.   Basically, xenoestrogens are synthetic ingredients that act like estrogen to your body.  Not cool if you ask me.  And they are in tons of things.

A year ago I wasn't ready to jump in and start changing everything in this department.  I was already in the throes of changing my family's diet and working on my fitness level.  I believe in taking things a step at a time.  A little here, a little there.  I can't make too many drastic changes at once or I crash and burn and give up.

The lady who gave the class was an owner of this cute little store called Bubble & Bee.  All of her products are free of all that bad junk ~ hip, hip! 

So lately I've been feeling like I'm ready to start taking a few more steps in this direction.  And I decided to head down to her store to see about trying some of her products and switching some of my others out to something a little healthier for my skin.

Her store is super cute!  

And her staff is super helpful!

The products are packaged so fun!

{You know I love the Bee's!}

Mmm!  Yummy handmade soaps!

So I now have some new 

facial creams and other fun stuff

and hopefully I will have a review for you soon!

 ~ ~ ~

If you're interested,

you can read some brief information

about xenoestrogens here and here.

~ ~ ~

Do you use any natural skincare products?

If so, I would love to know your fav's!

B. Featured

Wow, I was so excited to open up the The Holistic Kitchen cookbook and see that they included three of my recipes in there!  So fun!  I'm honored!

If you are coming to my blog from the cookbook or the LDS Holistic Living conference I just want to say a warm hearty welcome!  I'm so glad you're here!

Here are links to the recipes that were featured:

The Becanini Sandwich 

 No Bake Apple Snowballs

Chocolate Covered Bananas 

The cookbook is available on Amazon if you would like a copy of it for yourself with lots of other tried and true recipes that are sure to please.

I can't wait to dig in and try some of the other recipes featured in the book!

Simple Breakfast

Cantaloupe Blueberry Bowl

Cut a cantaloupe in half and scoop out the seeds.  Fill the center of the cantaloupe with fresh or frozen blueberries.  Take your spoon and scoop a slice of cantaloupe and berries to pop in your mouth and enjoy!

And shocker of all shockers!  My toddler will now eat it because I told him that the cantaloupe will make him run fast and blueberries will give him the brain power to be a really cool superhero!  

SCORE!!!

{I'm so sneaky!} 

~wink~wink~

Btw, The Tod took the pic for this post!

B. Happy

Wow!  I've been so busy this week!  In lieu of any longer posts at the moment, I'm just going to give you the top 5 things on my mind!


1.  Bella Bird, a new modest clothing line at Walmart.  I think it is regional to Utah and Idaho, but hooray for more fun and stylish clothing options that cover without revealing too much!

2.  This sweet flower someone gave me.  And the "vase" my son put it in!

3.  I'm finding I am still dreaming about opening my own healing, health and fitness spa some day.  Or maybe I'm just really, really needing to go to one for some rejuvenation!  :D

 via

4.  At least I was able to go get pedi's with my girls this week!  Hooray for starting summer off on the right foot! ~wink~wink~

5.  I'm excited about attending this conference on Saturday and that I won an extra ticket from Progressive Pioneer so that my daughter can attend with me!  I love learning healthy and natural ways to achieve great health!

via

Well, that's all for now folks!  

Hope you are having a fabulous summer!!!

Sooo Excited!!!

Look what came in the mail!

Plans for my own chicken coop!

Isn't it adorable???

My hens would be sooo stylish!

I love all the detailing!

Even storage space for the feed

was thoughtfully {and stylishly} included in the plan!

I'm still trying to talk The Hubs into it

{I've been trying for about 5 years now!}

But I figured I would go ahead 

and order the plans anyway!

He has looked at the plans though.

I think I even saw him analyzing the yard a bit! 

{with plans in hand!}

Someday I will have chickens!

Mark my words!

{Hopefully sooner rather than later!}

~ ~ ~

You can order these adorable plans from Heather Bullard here!

And for a limited time, you can get free shipping!!!  So hurry!!!

See Yourself As Beautiful

I seriously cannot wait for the Dressing Your Truth Celebrate Your Beauty Event this summer!

Imagine being among so many women who honor and appreciate each other for being their own unique beautiful selves!  It will be amazing!

Even if you can't come,{but I really hope you can!} you can participate in a little of our homework preparation ahead of time.  Just watch this video and create your own personal beauty mantra.

Have you ever thought of creating your own beauty mantra?

I thought it was an interesting exercise.

Here is what I came up with for mine:

I am a breath of fresh air and sunshine that offers hope and brightens the world around me.

That is the life message I want to send about myself.  That is what I want my beauty to emanate.

This is just another reason why I have loved getting involved in the Dressing Your Truth system.  Once you begin to know and understand your own truth, you will shift your old beliefs about what true beauty is and come to realize just how beautiful you already are.  I love how it is changing the way women see themselves. It is truly changing lives.

So please join us in this cultural revolution!  

Refuse to join in the pity parties!  

Please don't put yourselves down.  

You are beautiful just the way you are.  

Create your own personal beauty mantra.

Incorporate it as a life message.  

Make it your own.  

Identify the truth of your own beauty. 

"Because girl you're amazing!  Just the way you are!"

{You know I can't resist throwing a song in here!}

You can read others beauty mantra's over on the Carol Tuttle Beauty Profiling Facebook Page.

~ ~ ~

Do you know the truth of your own beauty?  You can.  And it will change your life.

Regrets of the Dying

In my life I know people who are battling colon cancer, brain tumors, and a dear friend who just had her second kidney transplant last week {so far she seems to be doing great!!  Hip!  Hip!  Hooray!}. 

Well, a good friend of mine sent me a link to Regrets of the Dying the other day.  {I think she must have been inspired because I doubt she knew of all the people in my life who are facing these serious health issues.}  It is about five of the most common regrets of those who are dying.  My favorites from the list:

I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. 

and

I wish that I had let myself be happier.

People experience an incredible amount of growth when they are faced with their own mortality.  And everyone's time here is limited.  We only get one shot at this life.  Why not learn from their experiences and realize that your life is all about the choices you make.  You are creating your own experience here on earth.  You have the choice to choose love and happiness.  You can choose to be true to yourself and be who you were meant to be!  Go for your dreams!  Improve your life!  You can live a life without regrets!  Don't let your dying days be the ones when you realize these truths. 

Life is a choice. It is YOUR life.
Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly.
Choose happiness.

Please, go read the article.

{soon to be a book!}

What can you learn from those who 

have already faced their own mortality?

And because I can't resist a great song:

 

Stop the Car!!!

Sorry for the extended absence my dear friends! And thank you for the concerned emails from some of you ~ no, I did not die from the illness I had and no, I wasn't completely ignoring the world while watching Monarch of the Glen either!  I had taken some darling young girls to a church youth conference and was without internet for a week!  And I lived to tell the tale! 

We were merrily driving down the interstate, when all of a sudden, what to my wondering eyes should appear!  But a sign from Beaver touting their #1 water in the United States!!!

Shut up!

Stop the car!!

I have to taste this water!!!!

We made a quick exit!

Pulled into a gas station.

Ran in and looked around.

Hmm.

All we found were these:

What?

No Beaver water???

We left and I was determined

to find some the next time

we passed through.

And this time...

I had an evil little plan!

This evil little plot included

a trip to Tar-jay to purchase

an incognito {yet very cute and stylish!} 

insulated soft cooler.

{They look like they could be cute 

diaper bags, you know?}

Said plot also included

water bottles and

a nifty water dispenser
{to go inside the cooler!}.

So we drive back into Beaver on the return trip.

We decide we are going to go to the

cheese factory {that we also saw a sign for},

because hello, cheese???

YUM!!!

via

We stock up on cheeses.

Chat up the cute cashiers

~ they were seriously so nice!

And get our water.

From the tap.

Oh yes!

I got a cooler full of water!!!!

And as if that wasn't enough!

We hit the drive through for lunch

and order ice cold waters

with our meals!!!

We chanted as we drove out of sight...

Bea~ver Wa~ter!

 Bea~ver Wa~ter!

Bea~ver Wa~ter!

~dreamy sigh~

It was a great day!!!

And now, I can relax at home

and savor the tastiest water in America!

So, how did it really taste?  While I don't know the criteria that is used in real water judging, I would definitely say that it was tasty water.  It really did win a water contest in 2006.  Beaver was named because of it's many nearby springs {and I'm guessing beavers too!} which is where their tasty water comes from.  It tastes cool and fresh!  Definitely worth stopping for!  And I would totally stop again!  In fact, I'm thinking it is a must stop location every time we go now!

Thank Heaven For Netflix

I have been pretty miserably sick the past few days.  Fortunately I have Netflix to keep me company.  I have been sucked into the world of Monarch of the Glen, a show about an old troubled estate in the Scottish Highlands and a young {and dashing} Laird who is trying to restore the financially troubled estate back to prominence.

Why yes, wouldn't you love to help restore the place too?  I have loads of ideas for them, if only I could really live in a place like that.  You see, that's the lifestyle I was meant to be born into ~ the landed gentry.  Just ask my mom, even as a youngster I wanted to marry a farmer but hire everything out to be the "gentleman farmer" if you will!  And I'm still trying to convince my husband that we should purchase a country home rather than a cabin.  However, I think the trip to LBJ's ranch earlier this year is helping him see the merits of my idea. 

There is always something funny happening in the show.  I mean, you have to put up with crazy antics by these two for one thing:

 But the show is filled with quite lovely people that are really just enjoyable to watch:

This is the mom. I love it because she says everything with a smile on her face ~ and even things I would never be able to get away with saying!  :D 

I love looking at all the wardrobing choices though ~ I'm such a sucker for the tweeds, wellies and scarves they wear!  I also really liked this fun little outfit as a rainy day inspiration:

And of course, the dogs!  This lifestyle would be incomplete without the dogs!

I love seeing a dog that can roam and run around to their hearts content.  That's what our old chocolate lab always wanted to do.  She didn't want to be confined in our yard.  She always wanted to escape.  She was always happiest when we were out hiking, camping or hanging out by the lake ~ that's when I liked her the most too!

Anyway!  I have about 40 more episodes left to go!  This show has made my convalescence so much more enjoyable!  ;)  Thank heaven for Netflix!

The At Home Workout Club: Month 6

How can we be half way through the year already???  That is craziness!

I am feeling like I got run over by a truck the last few days, so I am going to keep it simple this month.  My little sister wanted me to post what is currently on my workout ipod, so I'm going to give you my current playlist. 

These are tunes that totally inspire me with their words!  Most of them are Christian rock songs ~ when I'm working out it is my time to meditate and get in the zone with God.  It works for me.  I feel centered and healthy all at the same time.  Some of the beats may seem slower than you'd like for a good workout, but trust me, when they are pumped up loud they still make me want to jump {or run} for joy!  I just hit shuffle and off I go!

~B.'s Workout Playlist

• We Are Loved by the David Crowder Band
• Oh, Happiness by the David Crowder Band {btw, this is my toddlers favorite song!  He will just break out into singing it at random times!  I love it!}
• Hold Me (feat. tobyMac) by Jamie Grace
• Shine by the Newsboys
• Joy by the Newsboys
• Awake and Alive by Skillet
• Forgiven by Skillet
• Feel It In Your Heart by Abandon
• Search My Heart (Radio Version) by Hillsong United
• Forgiven by Relient K
• To the Sky (From "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole") - Single by Owl City
• Sticks & Stones {from How to Train Your Dragon (Music from the Motion Picture)} by Jonsi
• You are Loved by Girls with Glasses
• One Step Away by WakeUp Starlight
• Here I Am by downhere
• This Is Your Life by Switchfoot
• He Lives In You (Reprise) Original Broadway Cast recording from The Lion King
• Reach - Single by Peter Furler
• Tonight (feat. John Cooper of Skillet) by tobyMac
• Friend Like That by Hawk Nelson

If you haven't ever heard some of these songs, then you should definitely check them out!  I've tried to link them all up to iTunes so you can at least hear a sample of them.  They are fun with a great message!

What are your favorite workout or uplifting songs?

Send me your playlists!

I think it would be fun

to feature them on here!

P.S. ~ My cute little sister has a Shabby Apple giveaway going on over at her blog for a cute bracelet.  You should all hop over and enter!  Or don't {because then I have better chances of winning! Wahaha!}  Did I just say that?  ;)  Just kidding!  Go enter!  The bracelets are too cute!  {Love you seester!  Mwah!}  :D