Dandelions on the Wind, The Quilted Hearts Series #1 : Book Review

Picture from http://waterbrookmultnomah.com

Dandelions on the Wind, The Quilted Hearts Series #1

If you like to read a good read, I suggest you read this book. Dandelions on the Wind by Mona Hodgson, is the first novella in the Quilted Heart series, and you won’t be able to put it down. The book is about a mail order bride , Maren Jenson, who has come to America from Denmark. But the man she is supposed to marry, leaves her when he finds out about Maren’s ailment. She finds a home with Ms. Brantenberg , and her young granddaughter, Gabi.

But the winds change when Gabi’s father shows up. Maren finds herself falling in love with him, and his daughter Gabi. But the strain between “Wooly” and Ms. Brantenberg is strong and the tension is high. One great lesson this book shares is that “Grace cannot be earned, only given”.

I found this book to be a great read. The only downside is that it’s short. Also there needed to be more about the characters themselves to help the reader feel as if they knew them. The lessons on grace and forgiveness in this book is nice and refreshing.  Also the last few chapters of the book don’t talk much about Maren’s ailment. Overall this little novella was an inspiring book, with lessons on grace and forgiveness throughout the book.

* I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review*

You can purchase this book through Amazon here.

More information about the book here.

Fruit Infused Water

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   So today i made lemon blueberry infused water. I wanted to have some flavor without all the chemicals of store bought fruit flavored waters.

So this is what i did : 

• Take 1 Lemon and squeeze juice and pulp into a glass 
• Take a handful of blueberries and slightly squeeze them and put them in the glass
• Let sit for a few hours in fridge. 

  Then you have a nice refreshing drink, plus added vitamins! It's great for those warm summer days. 

You can add any fruit you want too! I wanted lemon for the detoxing benefits and blueberries for taste. Enjoy!

Weekend Adventures

Okay, so it's been awhile since I've blogged last. So sorry! Let's just say things have been a little crazy the past few weeks. This past weekend my husband and I, and a few other people went to a city about 3 hours away to help with a political campaign. On the way up though, as i was driving, my tire decided to, well shed some weight, and got rid of some tread WHILE I was driving. But after finding a tire shop that made an emergency run out and $50 later, we continued on to the campground we were going to stay at.

Remember how i said that Vitamin D is really important? Well for some reason when I get natural (sun) Vitamin D for to long, it take revenge and turns my skin red. Like, that really red nail polish you only wear on your toes cause it's to bright type of red. We were door knocking (again for a political campaign) and one guy that opened the door said this to me "Did you know you got sunburned?" I wanted to reply this "Oh is that why my skin feels like it's burning right off of me? Wow! Thanks! I had NOO idea!". Lets just say, i'm STILL red... 5 days later. Oh the woes of a fair ish skinned girl.

And so this past weekend we were camping right? And I wake up at 5:30 to a sanctuary of birds. Pretty cool. But we leave to go get work done, and came back during the day to jump in the river. Well... the campground was PACKED. Like people all up in our space type of thing. So we go hop in the river, cool down, and pack up again to head to town. But we are worried that all the drunk people will do something to our tents. Well, I was worried. And as we are discussing this, a guy hops in his car and pulls up a foot from one of the tents. Like, hello?! To many people in my personal bubble here. Well most of the loud people were gone that evening so it ended up being ok.

Healthy Foods : Real Vs. Garbage

 

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   Eating healthy is the biggest thing right now. You see it everywhere "eat healthy", you see labels that say "natural" and in your mind that means healthy. But not all food labeled "healthy" is actually healthy. Here are my personal guidelines to real healthy foods.

• Does it come from the ground, plant, or tree? If yes, most likely it's healthy.
• Is it in its natural state? Such as "does this fruit actually look like this?" If it looks odd, most likely it's not healthy.
• Are there added hormones, pesticides, bleach, chemicals, or fillers? Most chicken fresh or frozen is bleached! Gross! Try to avoid chemicals in food and added hormones. If you want beef, get grass fed, no hormones or antibiotics. Hormones and antibiotics stay in the meat and then you ingest it. Especially if you are a woman, you don't want those added hormones. And lets face it, antibiotics will mess up your digestive system, making you gain weight!
• Does it contain corn or soy? If it does is it organic? If it is not organic chances are it's GE (genetically engineered) which means someone has messed with the DNA of that plant, and most GMO's contain pesticides INSIDE the plant so when bugs eat it, they die. No, we don't want to eat that stuff. 
• Does it say low fat? If yes, it's most likely NOT HEALTHY! Unless it's a fruit or vegetable, low fat products or actually some of the worst foods to eat if you want to loose weight. Low fat means lots of chemicals! Avoid these foods!
• Does it say "No Sugar Added" ? If yes check ingredients and see what they put in it that makes it sweet. Avoid these: Corn syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Beet Sugar, Fructose, Sucrose, Aspartame, Aspartic Acid, Acefultame Potassium. Want to know more? You can find info on why these are bad Here. 

These are just a few suggestions on what to look for. Now if you want to loose weight by eating healthy consider cutting out wheat, sugar, and processed foods (anything in a box, can, or package). If you are looking to loose weight by eating healthy, I suggest doing a cleanse. Get those toxins out of your body first! Toxins are stored in fat when your body can't get rid of it quickly enough. 

So what should you do if you want to eat healthy and loose weight? 

Detox

Exercise

Eat Clean

Check labels!

You don't want to eat garbage, so take care in what you put into your body. 

Some good articles and sources

Overview of plant based diets.

6 Foods to help you loose weight

Getting rid of sugar addiction

False marketing food industry tactics

10 False "healthy" foods

Falling In Love With Vegetables

© Pesto314 | Dreamstime Stock Photos &Stock Free Images

  And the struggle continues. I am not noticing much weight loss, but I am feeling a lot better!! Honestly, I will take feeling better over losing the weight. I have probably lost some, but since I do not have a scale, I can't weight myself and see. But continuing with the workouts, and a green juice a day has helped in energy levels, alertness, and overall feeling of wellness. Sometimes I get jealous of thin people eating junk food, but then I remember that with eating healthy food I won't have to worry as much about health issues, and I will feel GREAT! Like strep throat went around this winter, and I didn't get it! I've actually never had strep throat as far as I remember. Now some people say that they want to eat the food they want and die early and be happy. But are you REALLY happy when your body is wasting away? Most likely not. See, for me I would rather eat healthy, live longer, and be happy, instead of eating crap, dying earlier, and feeling miserable (but pretending to be happy). See once you switch to eating healthy, it's addictive. You don't want to go back to the way things were because you feel so good, and if you do go back, you realize that you don't feel good anymore and it's not worth being sick over.

  Once you train your taste buds to LOVE fruits and veggies again, you won't be able to get enough! Now you can "splurge" once in awhile, but most likely, after the splurge you wonder "why did I do that?!". It all comes down to priorities. Are you putting your health first when you choose to eat something, or are you putting those harmful cravings first? Once you realize all the chemicals, sugars, and fake stuff you are eating instead of living, nutrient dense foods, you can't go back! When i drink my green juice, I actually FEEL my body absorbing the nutrients. I know it sounds odd to say that but my mind cleared, my eyes opened up more, I had the energy of a 8 year old, and I just felt healthy. Well that is my little rant for the day, I will post later this weekend or next week on what foods are ACTUALLY healthy.

Day 13

   It's been 13 days, and in that time it has been a very hard struggle. Between being very busy, traveling, and finals, my exercise plan last week suffered. But, i did juice some radishes and carrots today for breakfast! My supplements came in this week, so now i can get started on my minerals and hawthorn to help strengthen my heart and replenish minerals back into my body. I still feel that my thyroid is swollen some, so i'm still on my herb formula for balancing the thyroid.
  Now you are probably wondering why I juiced radishes. Well, i read that they are great for balancing the thyroid! And mixed with some carrot juice, it was really good! I juiced the radishes and the greens. Here is my recipe i used here:

3-4 Radishes with greens
4-6 Carrots

  A very simple recipe, and pretty good too. Depending on how hot the radishes are, of course. Mine were very mild, because I bought them at the farmers market, and we have had a lot of rain lately, which makes radishes more mild. Less water = hotter radishes , More water = Mild radishes.

Day 3

  Today is day 3 of my challenge. I woke up sore, and did not want to work out, but I made myself, and now I'm glad I did. I am really starting to crave my salads now. If you are trying to lose weight, make sure you drink LOTS of water. Especially if you are working out, or have an active job. It is very important to drink lots of water to flush out the toxins, waste, and hydrate your body. Saturday (tomorrow) is the farmers market! If there is a farmers market near you, go visit it! You may find great produce that is local, and possibly organic. I try to do as much organic as i can, because i know that they don't have all the chemicals. May you all have a splendid weekend!