107



psalm 107

:4,6 some wandered in desert wastelands...He delivered them 

:10,13 some sat in darkness...there was no one to help...He saved them

:17,19 some became fools through rebellion...suffered...
He saved them...He healed them...He rescued them

:23,28 others went out...He brought them out of their distress


he is always there...

never does he leave
never does he forsake

he is always always always there

what would it look like to always be there for someone?
to forgive them through everything?
to love unconditionally?

to give up yourself?

we get in binds all the time...

discouraged...

let down...

and sometimes we turn to no one...
or the wrong one

looking for an answer
a way out
a way through

and he is there

to deliver

to save

to heal.

to do for us what we cant do for ourselves
or each other .







so im enjoying this overcast saturday.
already been to the market, 
cup of tea in hand. 

just relaxing prior to having to go to the gym. 
(although after the gym i get to relax-ish in hot yoga)

i turn on the television and my favorite actress is on...



sandra bullock...

i wish we could be friends. shes so down-to-earth. 

anyway...

my LEAST favorite movie of hers is what im watching now.




PREMONITION


the movie begins (sorry for those who havent seen it) with her husband dying and throughout the movie she keeps flashing back to just prior to his death. 


in trying to prevent it from happening she actually is the cause of the accident. 


just doesnt make any sense to me!

i love words and thought that googling the definition of premonition might help me get this a bit more...


premonition [ˌprɛməˈnɪʃən]
n
1. an intuition of a future, usually unwelcome, occurrence; foreboding
2. an early warning of a future event; forewarning



ok, so i knew thats what it was, duh, but i still cant grasp that an intuition actually....


you know what, 


nevermind. 


the director did what he wanted to do. 


so now i turn my premonition understandings to God.


we have this book that forewarns us of future events. 


both good ones and bad. 


we have an ability to see and understand where our existence  is heading. 
what the future holds.


so why dont we listen to it more closely?
why not rely on it and heed its warnings?


i just dont get it...


the bible is a blessing. God didnt have to tell us anything


what does He owe us? 



and yet we keep this book hidden in our nightstand collecting dust. 


its our owners manual. 


we need to address it daily and see what new revelations God blesses us with...


which direction each day is headed, 


each year,


 each lifetime, 


until the premonitions God put into place come to pass.





ok post my liver flush i TRIED to maintain a 100% clean eating/vegan diet...
i wont lie...
i failed. 


sometimes you just can't deny yourself that yummy, gooey, choc chip cookie.


i do have, though, a 90% plant based diet and im still trying to decide which foods my body functions better on. 


not so easy but i think ive determined that dairy doesnt suit me well. 
lame. 


while on my flush i searched the internet high-and-low to find recipes for a new eating lifestyle and i came across these two that i fell in love with...



and





fiber-girl.


gone raw has a plethora of recipes for raw eating. now i know that a total raw diet just isnt possible for most of us. 
its pretty time consuming and quite socially limiting but we can snatch up a few of the recipes every once-in-awhile. 


i really like the concept of raw desserts like this 




TIRAWMISU...





click HERE for the recipe. 


or look into higher fiber foods for healthy weight loss as fiber-girl.com suggests. 
here's an excerpt from her website explaining this in detail. 




High fiber foods contain "sneaky" calories. Not only are the carbs (and therefore the calories) in fiber indigestible, but each gram of fiber burns calories as it works its way through your digestive tract! Watch how it works with this apple - that apple contains five grams of fiber, and that fiber has four calories per gram that are not digested or absorbed in humans. So you can actually subtract twenty calories from the original one hundred. Each gram of fiber causes your body to burn seven calories,Apple
so metabolism negates thirty-five more calories (5 grams of fiber times 7 calories per gram), giving you a net retention of only forty-five calories from your one-hundred-calorie apple. Only 45% of the calories absorbed! 


WOW
looks like im living on popcorn and apples now..LOL


this year, a new you may mean new food. do what suits your body best and remember to just be active and choose food wisely to maintain optimum health. 


and.....


enjoy that cookie every now-and-then!!!!









we all wish we had loads of money, i know. 


i wish i lived a carrie bradshaw, sex-and-the-city existence
full of menolo blahniks




and dolce & gabbana






unfortunately though most of us cant spend 800$ on  a dress.
thats why there are designer bargain websites offering the same amazing styles at a fraction of the cost!




hautelook has these amazing alexander mcqueen sunglasses that retail at 295$ for only 109$




what a deal! also sites like 




and




offer great designers like zac posen and vivian tam on the cheap.


(well...cheap may not be the case ALWAYS but comparatively cheap for sure.)


i was in the market for an amazing leather bag, since someone broke into my car while i was at the gym and took my francisco biasia, and i came across gryson bags on gilt
for less that half the retail price!





so in todays economy, and with just plain smart thinking, its best to visit these sites when searching out quality pieces for a reasonable rate. after all, these are pricier because theyre built better and everyone needs a few key splurges!!!












whats the old saying.... new year, new you?
i like it.
so...
 i think im going to reformat my blog...


i like the idea of posting everyday and i thought that having a format for each day would work for me.
it does and it doesnt:)


i dont want to post something that im not inspired about just because its what that day calls for and i was feeling like at times that what was happening.


makes sense, no???


so....


im going to post things that truly inspire me
motivate me
encourage me
(hopefully daily)


sweet finds, deals, recipes, thoughts, etc. 


and it starts NOW...


(well....seeing as im tired and slightly unmotivated lets start tomorrow)






so this Christmas Eve all i had to bring to family dinner was a side dish.


seems so miniscule but i had been crazy baking lady the whole week prior so i was ok cooking a bit more low key.


i, unfortunately, didnt realize until last minute that i had to bring a side...i was gonna bake dessert 
(surprise surprise) so i had few options since i couldnt make it to the market. 


i did have butternut squash




and some apples






so i made a "squapple" salad :)


ingredients:
1 butternut squash peeled & cubed
4 apples cubed
cinnamon
sugar or stevia
walnuts
dried cranberries
lemon


*put squash & apples on baking sheets and sprinkle w/ cinnamon & sugar
*bake at 400 degrees for 25-35min (until tender but not too soft)
*last 10 min place walnuts on baking sheet in oven to toast
*remove from oven & let cool
*place in bowl and top with walnuts and cranberries. squeeze 1/2 lemon over top.


so simple and it tasted soooo good!






whats in style is a constant question on my mind and


every now and again i come across the most fashionable finds....
finds that i MUST share with you all.




last saturday i think i found my answer to any holiday style dilemma...








who ever said holiday sweaters were ugly???
(obviously joking)


theres whitney & i...we both adorned red sweaters all by ourself!




                                            


ryan, whit, and i with all our holiday cheer!




                                         


this is josh..he doesnt wear glasses but he should. they look so studious.


my sweater was adorned with fabric i cut in circles and pinched then pinned...just like the coffee
filters. i also affixed gold tool around the collar. when i got there people said that my sweater wasnt ugly enough!!! ha.







he may think his blazer is cool but apparently i dont LOL
id like to think that this would be what Carrie Bradshaw might wear to an Ugly Sweater Party.




merry late christmas to all and to all a good night