Feeling grateful for so many things this Spring

Things I'm loving right now:
  1. California
    • the weather which allows me to exercise outside all year long!
    • the farm fresh produce all around
    • the health culture all around from others who are trying to live clean, healthy, green, toxin-free lives
  2. Technology and, of course, a husband who understands it all 
    • Google Wallet - saved me recently when I lost my debit card and have to wait for a new one to come in the mail. So easy to use and an efficient way to balance money.
    • Google Shopping Express for handling some of tedious errands and giving me more time on the weekends instead of grocery shopping. 
    • Really Google, in general, for improving our lives in so many ways, especially for allowing us to use Shopping Express for free.
    • My husband, who is always scouting out different apps, extensions and technology that is going to make my life better or just make me happy. 
    • Spotify - changed my life! Allows me to create playlist after playlist of hundreds of songs from different periods of my life without costing me a dollar. No longer am I sad about cds I've lost along the way. Almost every song I want is already on Spotify. 
    • My Chromebook, which I can easily take anywhere I want due it's small size. A perfect solution for my little 4-year-olds at church. 
    • Mormon Channel - allowing me to listen to the scriptures or Ensign articles each morning while getting ready. I've also been into listening to the Enduring It Well series and learning how others deal with their trials.
  3. Uplifting people!
    • My sister - Tori - the researcher, who takes the time to share her findings about food, home products and makeup. If you know me, you know I don't like to take time to research things. I prefer to talk to "the experts" and work from their knowledge. Thanks to my sister's blog and info she shares, I'm improving my life in small, simple ways from making homemade bread weekly, trying sulfate-free hair products and even doing what I never thought I would...wearing homemade deodorant that works better than store-bought crap.
    • My mom, who is one of my best friends, and loves to spend time with me and talk to me, even if I call her every day - sometimes for no reason.
    • Friends here who workout with me during the week making exercise more enjoyable. 
    • Friends who love to craft, allowing me to workout some creativity while also talking my face off :)
    • Friends who love to dance with me because besides Matt, there are not many things I love more than shakin' my booty.
  4. Nicolette's granola - My friend and previous co-worker, Nicolette, shared her homemade granola recipe with me a year ago which I make a large batch of every couple months tweeking the recipe for me a little each time. I eat it for breakfast every morning along with honey Greek yogurt (introduced to me by Sharee) and it makes the beginning of my day so happy!
  5. Trader Joes and Sprouts - I seriously love both of these grocery stores and get also giddy visiting them. 
    • The bulk bins at Sprouts that supplies almost everything for my granola along with the best gummi bears I've ever had - a staple in our home.
    • Dark chocolate covered almonds which Matt and I eat six of every day (since a doctor suggested this a good source of daily antioxidants and will do better for you than any diet pill). Since I lived in San Diego and started the tradition with my roomie, Dawn, I have tried to eat sweets only on the weekends which I do pretty faithfully. Having these tasty little morsels after dinner is a nice treat and gives me something to look forward to.
    • Trader Joe's whole wheat pizza dough which is preservative-free and has inspired Pizza Fridays in our home - but instead of ordering Papa Johns or some other crap, we make our own custom pizzas.
  6. Homemade fruit/veggie smoothies that I learned to make from my sister-in-law, Johana, which even Matt will drink. Perfect for a day when I need a healthy snack between meals or don't want a big meal.  
  7. Matt's new love of sushi which helps me incorporate more delicious sushi in my life :)
  8. Amazon Prime which also saves time in my day with their free shipping.
  9. NetFlix which has not even made my miss TV and makes me feel like I'm sticking it to "The Man" at that horrible company, Comcast.
  10. Running - I'm in love with it right now and look forward to doing a few runs each week while listening to Spotify or Mormon Channel (on Sundays).
  11. Opportunity to learn how to manage a team at work - although I often have a love/hate relationship with it most of the time, I'm grateful for the chance to learn how to admit and handle mistakes, balance accountability with sensitivity and lead through service. I'm so much more aware and appreciative of those who have had to manage me throughout my career - and life in general. 
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LDS Women's Meeting


Tonight was the Annual LDS Women's Meeting which was a historic event this year incorporating all women and girls from eight years old and up. It was weird and inspiring to see the mixed audience and know the program was tailored to women of all ages.

 Since I pay attention more when I'm taking notes, I decided to create a blog post as my notes. 

 Here you go:

 A 12 year old girl gave the opening prayer which was amazing to me. There is way I could have done that when I was 12. I probably would have giggled through the whole thing. 

 Rosemary Wixom
  • Asked all girls 8 years old to stand up and asked them to sing "Teach Me to Walk in the Light",  which they did and sounded adorable. 
  • Our journey in this path is personal and well lit by the Savior's love.
  • As individuals we are strong. Together, with God, we are unstoppable.
Bonnie Oscarson
  • The adversary would have us be critical and resent each other.
  • We, as women, can be hard on ourselves and compare ourselves to others.
  • We cannot continue to call ourselves Christian if we continue to judge others, and ourselves.
  • There is no age barrier when it comes to Christ like service.
  • May we realize how much we need each other.
Multimedia presentations throughout the meeting - theme of unified sisterhood throughout the church, the world - all women eight years and up. So refreshing to have the added media - I feel like the younger audience influenced this decision.


Linda Burton
  • We are to lay aside the things of world, come unto Christ and follow him.
  • We cannot do difficult things without the help of Christ and the hands of others.
  • We are to be disciples of Jesus Christ.
  • Help Wanted! *I was at Heather Rice's house watching this and I cracked up when she said this phrase would be all over Pinterest by tonight.
  • Help Wanted: those who live the gospel daily in small and simple ways.
Henry B. Eyring
  • Prepare your children like Alma...behold, here are the waters...come unto the fold of God.
  • When you keep covenants, Heavenly Father pours out His Spirit more abundantly.
  • Your trials and opportunities were chosen perfectly for you, but He will help you through them.
  • We are the favored few - a daughter in the covenant.
  • Heavenly Father taught you and prepared you before you were born. He knew that it would be too hard for you to make the journey without help.
  • Keep the commitment to give comfort to others, and do it with a smile.
  • He sees not only what you are, but what you can become.
  • Heavenly Father sees greater potential in his children than even we, or our earthly mothers, see in us.
  • He expects us to treat every person we meet as a child of God - of divine inheritance.
  • You are more alike as daughters of God than you are different.
  • The Lord is lifting sisters to higher and higher levels of spirituality.
  • While the world is tearing down women, The Lord is lifting us up!
  • Consider Eve.. She did what needed to be done. Adam was wise enough to do likewise. We are blessed by Eve's courage and wisdom for partaking of the fruit. She helped her family see the path home. Every daughter of Eve has the opportunity to bring the same blessing to her family that Eve brought to hers. Eve recognized the way home to God. Eve faced sorrows and disappointments but she also found joy.
  • Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
  • God watches over us in love. We are his daughters in the covenant. He will provide the help we need as we journey upward back to his presence.
While watching this year, I also decided to reference the Twitter feed as well to help capture phrases I liked. This helped me feel more thorough about my notes, but I found a problem with this were the occasional negative/bitter posts throughout distracting me from the inspiring talks.

Overall, I thought they did a great job of helping to re brand the women of the church to include all ages. I found the topics relevant and necessary for today's challenges.





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The Salty Six Foods

Eating too many salty foods can create all sorts of health problems, including high blood pressure.

Sodium overload is a major health problem in the United States. The average American consumes about 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day – more than twice the 1,500 milligrams recommended by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. That’s in large part because of our food supply; more than 75 percent of our sodium consumption comes from processed and restaurant foods.

As you gear up for your next grocery store run or order from the menu, keep the Salty Six in mind. All you need to do to make a heart-healthy choice is to look for the Heart-Check mark. Another helpful tool is the Nutrition Facts label on the package and calorie labeling in restaurants, which together with the Heart-Check mark helps you make wise choices for the foods you and your family eat. Make the effort to choose products that contain less sodium. It’s worth it!

At a recent seminar I was in, the chef mentioned that if the food you are about to consume has more than % of your sodium intake, it's too high in sodium. Read the label!

Check out the graphic below to learn about "The Salty Six" – common foods that may be loaded with excess sodium that can increase your risk for heart disease and stroke. 

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A Fork That Slows You Down and more...

More great healthy info to share:

Nutrition 

  • Healthy meal planning guide:
    • Try these time-saving tips to make eating healthier simpler for you and your family
      • Plan out two to four weeks of healthy meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
      • Use the weekend to make menus.
      • If you work during the week, cook over the weekend and store leftovers in the fridge or freezer.
      • Cut up vegetables and keep them handy in the fridge.
    • Stock up on ideas for practicing healthy habits in your kitchen and at the grocery store:
      • Shop sales, clip coupons and buy fruits and vegetables in season.
      • Skip the ready-made foods.
      • Replace high-calorie or high-fat favorites with nutrition-rich ones one at a time.
      • Remember that there is more than one way to shop for healthy produce.
      • Make your own healthy snacks — it’s healthier and cheaper!
      • Involve the whole family in mealtime.
    • For the full article go here: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyEating/A-Little-Planning-Helps-Your-Heart---and-Your-Budget_UCM_425124_Article.jsp



 Obesity





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Get Fresh with Fruits and Vegetables

Here is a wonderful infographic from the AHA that I wanted to share: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyCooking/Simple-Cooking-with-Heart-Storing-Produce-Infographic_UCM_461378_SubHomePage.jsp

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