Beer and Flowers

Hey there peeps!!!

We are experiencing a day in Texas that shhhhhhh "feels like fall".  I'm whispering, I don't want to scare it away!

I've thrown the windows open, letting some fresh, cool air inside and later I'm going to put the Halloween decorations out!!  Woohoo, I won't be pouring sweat while doing it!

We have a delightful little brewery here in Ft Worth, well technically  we have a lot of breweries in Ft Worth, but this one is new-ish and we happen to know some of the "silent investors" of the place.  We have not managed to get there but I follow them on social media and I saw a class being offered and thought.... 2 birds 1 stone.  

I signed my friend KD and I up and yesterday we took a little trip to Funky Picnic Brewery for a floral arrangement class done by Alice's Table.

     Before we get much further I must tell you that neither Funky Picnic or Alice's Table has a clue who I am so this post is not sponsored in any way.  It's just me, telling you about an awesome afternoon.

Let the bombardment of photos commence and also, these are not my photos, they belong to our delightful instructor and I swiped them from her Facebook page, Hello Adorned.   She also has an Instagram and a blog by that same name.   She was a sweetheart and very knowledgeable!    That's her over there in the flowers, say "Hi!!!"

This was the table when we arrived.   The white containers are our vases for the arrangement, and there was an apron to wear, floral scissors to use as well as a rose stripper.    The black buckets in the middle are garbage buckets.   It's tough love in the flower world!

These were the gorgeous fall flowers we worked with yesterday!

See....I told you this place was adorable!

First we started with our greenery base.   Hey, did you know your shrubs work double duty as the base for your floral arrangements and for your landscaping!  

Next up, we added the ornamental kale.  I'm telling you, I had my doubts about that kale when we were at this point but in the end it worked out perfectly!

Now the fun part....we learned to strip the roses.  Ya'll I already got me one of those rose strippers in my Amazon cart!   (note the concentration)

It was so much fun, too bad roses are expensive or I'd buy a bucket just to strip them!

We're working on our arrangements, building and smooshing and jhuzzing as we go.

Stand up, sit down, looking from all angles to make sure you have no holes.

Our class, perfect size!

My friend, KD and I.   Note we also enjoyed some Beer cheese fondue along with some of their beer.

The sweet girls across from us ordered the Blackberry Bruschetta and let me tell ya' I was drooling over that!!

When we were all done we moved over to the super cute lounge area to take our photos. 

Of course, we all agreed the PROST sign had to be in the pics!

 '
They all were beautiful and we're pretty sure that we are all qualified to work at a florist now!  haha
Truly it was a wonderful afternoon and we're trying to figure out if we can get to her Winter Evergreen wreath class or even round up enough peeps in our neighborhood that would want to do a private party with her.   I think that could be SUPER awesome fun!!!

One final photo that I posted on Instagram last night because, you can never see or have enough flowers and to be super honest....I was really proud of myself!   

Don't forget to enjoy the little things my peeps!!

Peace, Love & Flowers!

Daily Supplements with Young Living

Good Morning Peeps!!!

I know many of you are still in bitter cold but it has been amazeballs weather here so far this week.   Don't get too jelly because we turn back into winter after today.   In case you somehow missed it, my birthday was Monday and I realized ya'll I'm 54 years old and I take ZERO prescription medications. Zero...Zilch....Nada.   That is amazing when you really stop and think about it because my diet isn't the best, I try but I fail a lot too, and I work really hard to meet my fitness goals on my watch everyday but there are some days, like Monday, where it just doesn't happen.   What I'm trying to say is that we have to stop treating our symptoms and start preventing them from occurring to the best of our ability.  I mean there are some things we have zero control over and we need Western medicine in its finest so don't think I'm hating on the good doctors of the world.  But there are a lot of common issues that we can control so how do we do that? Good diet and exercise and preventative healthcare, come on people it's nothing we don't already know.   One thing I did almost 3 years ago is start seeing an acupuncturist.  If you talk to me then you know I will sing her praises all day long!!  I initially started seeing her because of my seasonal allergies but now, once a month she and I chat on the sofa about what's going on in my life, my body and my mind.   Then she fills me full of needles! haha   She is a certified acupuncturist, a registered pharmacist and a certified Chinese herbalist so I always feel very confident with her treatment choices but I'm also VERY honest with her about what I'm taking, eating, doing in my life.   NEVER lie to your caregivers my friends, brutal honestly is the only way to be with your healthcare providers.

Now, one of the things we can do to take care of ourselves is to supplement our diet with various vitamins, minerals, oils and such.   I'm a Young Living distributor so you'll always see me use one of their products first because I KNOW WHERE IT COMES FROM.   Be your own advocate, do your own research and stop putting crappy chemicals in your body.   (lecture over)     I thought I'd show you what a routine day of supplements looks like for me.

First thing out of bed, I run some warm water and plop a drop of Lemon Essential oil in my water.  I also have me one of those KidScents MightyPro, my adult pixie stick.  Give them to yourself, give them to your spouse, give them to your kids but don't give them to the dog.  No really....BAD for doggies.  

Now that we've got us a big glass of water in us we can move through the day with our current supplement choices.  Yes, folks these change and evolve as my body needs them. 

So let's cover each of them and when I'm taking them because that's equally important. 

As you can see there are quite a few supplements so I need to get my "old lady" pill case out. I picked this one up on Amazon and it works perfect for me.   All those containers fit in a nice little pouch that is easily packed for travel or I can toss the days worth in my purse.   Each of the days case has 4 slots labeled: Morn-Noon-Eve-Bed

Let's move through the contents of each one:

Morn:    Allerzyme - a vegetarian enzyme that supports digestion

              Super C - contains 1440% of the recommended dietary intake of vitamin C along with rutin, citrus                   

               bioflavonoids, and minerals to balance electrolytes and enhance the effectiveness and absorption of                                            

               vitamin C.  Essential oils added may help to increase the bioflavonoid activity.   

               Both of these are usually consumed with that glass of warm water!

Noon:   Endogize- supports a healthy and balanced endocrine system in women.

             Multi-Vitamin    this one will be changing as soon as I finish this bottle. It's a great vitamin        

             but since I'm getting a little more balanced with other supplements I will be switching to 

             these and adding this this powerhouse.

Eve:     OmegaGize-  this is an amazing blend of Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin D-3 and CoQ-10.  

             I'm currently still taking the old formula for these and ya'll it makes  

             me fish burp! BLEK, but they are not cheap and I shall power through this bottle and then

             re-order so I can get the new formula which is now fish burp free.  

Bed:      Thyromin - nutritional support for healthy thyroid function

              Super Cal Plus - excellent source for calcium, magnesium, Vitamins D & K

That is pretty much every single day, does it seem like a lot to you?  Maybe but like I said this is constantly evolving and changing as my needs change.  The Allerzyme was added after my gallbladder removal and has supported my digestion immensely while adjusting to life without the ole' GB.    Speaking of that, there is one other supplement that I take religiously when eating out. 

Essentialzymes-4:  Essentialzymes-4 is a multi-spectrum enzyme complex specially formulated to aid the critically needed digestion of dietary fats, proteins, fiber, and carbohydrates commonly found in the modern processed diet. The dual time-release technology releases the animal- and plant-based enzymes at separate times within the digestive tract, allowing for optimal nutrient absorption.

I started taking these 2 times a day about a month after my surgery and I stand firm in my belief that these helped me resume a regular diet so quickly.   I reserve their use now for eating out at restaurants  and I will say that I can definitely tell if I forget to take it.  Things move and groove so much better when I have these in my system.  

One final daily routine that is literally a week old but i don't think I see it going away.  I pretty much already consumed 2 oz. of Ningxia Red every day already but Dr. Peter Minke has this thing called Minke's Red Drink and if you want to research, I think you'll be as blown away as I was about all the goodness drinking this every day will do for you.  You'll need the Ningxia Red, Sulfurzyme Powder and Lime Vitality oil and a 25 oz glass bottle (you can use an old Ningxia bottle) and filtered water to finish it off.   Drink this throughout the day every day.     There are rarely days where I don't get a minimum of 64 oz of water, most days are closer to 80 but if you struggle with the water if you can get that 10 oz of warm water with lemon oil and this 25 oz of red drink you've met half your water goal for the day already and another 3 glasses seems much more manageable.  

Oh my gosh....I totally almost forgot my favorite supplement ever!!! 

This has to be refrigerated but seriously it's the best Probiotic I've taken and believe me, I've tried them all!!!   Life 9 is a proprietary, high-potency probiotic that combines 17 billion live cultures from nine beneficial bacteria strains. It helps promote healthy digestion, supports gut health, and helps maintain normal intestinal function for the overall support of a healthy immune system.*    

I take this one sometime between dinner and bed, since it stays in the refrigerator I'm usually getting stuff ready for the next morning or cleaning up after supper and I'll grab it and wash it down.  

That's it folks...now that doesn't include the essential oils that I use.  Those change daily based on how I'm feeling and what my body tells me it needs.   Speaking of that, learn to sit quietly and meditate each day (even for 5 minutes) and listen to what your body is saying.  Don't argue with it but just listen and adjust.  Some days mine says "hey lady...I really need you to back off the water we're reaching flood stage" and some days it says "you're gonna need that second cup of coffee".   Nothing is right or wrong, it's just what YOU need in that moment and when that's different 6 times a day, that's ok too! 

Be Kind to everyone including yourself!

What's Samma Reading 2018 Review

Hey There Peeps!!!

I used to do a What's Samma Reading post pretty frequently but it got away from me and well.....I figured I'd just do a year recap in pictures.      These screenshots are all from GoodReads.   If you are on GoodReads then look me up because I love to see what others are reading when I get in a rut.
My goal for 2018 was 35 books and I finished with 41.  This year I upped my number to 45 but I can tell you I'll probably blow past that one and should finish in the 50+ range.  The biggest difference is going to be audiobooks.    I've just recently been sucked into the world of Podcasts....yeah, I'm no trendsetter for sure! haha  I found a great one called Levar Burton Reads and he reads short stories during the podcast.  Most of the podcasts last 45 minutes to an hour so I can listen while I work on things at my desk or during upcoming tax prep work or even while in the car.   However in the car I prefer to listen to My Favorite Murder or And That's Why We Drink, Levar has a pretty soothing voice and I might fall asleep.   Anywho, when you keep track of audio books in Goodreads it counts toward your reading goals plus lots of folks count audio books as "reading", I have mixed feelings about that but any who....    back to 2018!

That was my initial snapshot from GoodReads.

I did read Children of Blood and Bone and it was quite a departure from my normal reading genre's but it was good and I'm looking forward to the sequel coming out this year.   

On this screen snapshot I can tell you that Killers of the Flower Moon was a HUGE genre departure for me but I did enjoy it.  However it made me understand why Hoover is so disliked and very heartbroken for the Osage Indians.  Another note on this page is the Voice Inside by Brian Freeman, it was the 2nd in his Frost Easton series.  The 3rd installment comes out next week and I'm really looking forward to it.  

This screen shot has several good ones:   Killman Creek is the 2nd in the Stillhouse Lake series.  The second one creeped me out much less than the first in the series and I believe there is a 3rd book coming soon.  I LOVED the Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz, it was a bit Agatha Christie-ish to me and I loved that!   

This screen shot also holds some good ones:  MatchMaking for Beginners might have been one of my very favorite books in awhile.   I could honestly read it again!   It's been awhile since Nelson Demille had something new and I enjoyed The Cuban Affair although we did get bogged down a few times in so many details about Cuba.   Children of Blood and Bone, we've already talked about.   The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson was a solid read.  I was very pleasantly surprised!  

This screen had my emotions everywhere:   A Killer's Mind by Mike Omer so seriously grossed me out in a sexually perverted kind of way a few times.  I had a hard time reading parts of the book and did find myself skimming some parts.  Apparently this is a new series for this author but I'm not sure I'll keep reading, the main character Zoe Bentley didn't give me warm fuzzies.  We'll see, maybe if I hit a rut I'll read another.   John Grisham, The Rooster Bar: well, let's just say total disappointment from the author who used to be one of my favorites.  Come on Grisham, get it together and write like you did in the earlier years!   It Ends With Her was a 3.5 star read for me, once again sometimes too sexually creepy and the emotional abuse dredged up some icky memories.   

On this last screen is The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.  I WANTED to love this book so much but truthfully it took me over a month to read it.   I'd fall asleep out of sheer boredom and I kept telling myself it would get better.  It didn't AT LEAST for me, however I've since discovered that the people who've read this book fall in two categories:  Love or Hate.  I appreciate and respect the incredible intricacy of the storyline but geezum it bored me to tears.   

I'm sitting on 2 books read, 1 audio book completed and I'm at the 90% mark on Discovery of Witches so I'll finish it in the next day or so.   Which is good because that should be just in time for the new Frost Easton to come out or to squish in a cozy mystery or two.  

What are your reading goals this year?   Any good reading challenges you're participating in?

Read on!

Subscription Box - Fall Causebox

Hey Peeps!!!

We're moving from books to the Fall Causebox.  I reported in earlier in the year here or Instagram or somewhere that my love of the FabFitFun box was waning and my Causebox love was growing.  

The Fall Causebox arrived and once again I LOVED it!!!

This is the description for Causebox straight off the website:

Each season, you will receive a limited edition curation of beautiful and useful products from socially conscious brands — each box is filled with at least $200 in value!

Spring will be the next box shipped, although I think they now have a Winter Welcome Box that is available.  The Winter Box I received and will review later was sold out.  

The boxes always arrive beautifully packed with a "magazine" to tell you all about the products and companies involved with the box items. 

Here's everything in the box after it was all opened.

First up is the Kalos Day Dream.  It is a ph balancing and brightening moisturizer.  

After I started writing this I wondered where it had made off to so I went looking to refresh my memory.   I applied some and I can tell you it smells deliciously of fresh oranges!!   I am pretty loyal to my Young Living products but I had actually popped this one in my travel bag.  It's a 2 oz size so it is perfect for taking with me on the plane.   

This was a handmade paper stationary set from Paper Source.  I personally love note cards like this with no pre-printed sentiment.  It's nice to have some pretty notecards to use for any occasion.  I think these are just gorgeous and I'll use them for sure. 

This is a beautiful scarf from Bloom & Give    I love the colors and the feel of the fabric, it's an ultra light cotton fabric and the mission story of the company is heart warming indeed.

You can't see it but there are actually tiny metallic threads woven throughout the scarf which makes it seem special but not overly fancy.  

I've received tons of tote bags from various subscription boxes and hands down this is the nicest and most sturdy of all of them!  This beauty comes from October Jaipur, it is a printed canvas and leather tote which takes over 16 hours to hand make.  It is so roomy and I can't wait to travel with it! 

This next item was not slated to be in the box but boy am I glad it was! There was supposed to be a beautifully crafted cheeseboard and I was super mega excited for that but problems with the company and shipping prevented it from making it to the box.  The curators of Causebox scrambled to include this 30 oz...yes, 30 oz  S'well stainless steel bottle.  I had a rather unpleasant experience with a different glass water bottle in yoga class that left me (and the floor) with a wet behind.   Thankfully this bottle has been a life saver with its SCREW ON top and large size because by the time I leave my Strengthening Flow class I'm one thirsty girl!!  

The last item is from Real Her.   I honestly wear makeup about half the time and eye shadow is something I wear maybe 2 or 3 times a month at best.   This was a beautiful color palette and I'm pretty sure I gave it to MereBear.  If she's reading this and I didn't then I really honestly had no stinking clue what I did with it.  Hopefully she has it because it was a really nice set with a brush to go along with it.   

I "think" I have pictures on my phone of the Winter FabFitFun and the Winter Causebox so hopefully I'll do a review of those.  I can tell you that I did not renew my FabFitFun box this month.  I usually do the annual subscriptions because it's significantly cheaper AND you get to select more specifics on some of the items (color-style-etc), the Winter FabFitFun box was the last of my annual subscription and I cancelled after that.    I have one more Causebox remaining on this subscription, Spring box, and unless it's just a complete miss for me then I'll be doing an annual renewal on that box. 

Take care peeps and hold tight....I've got more posts loaded up and ready to go!

  

Subscription Box - Coffee and a Class October 2018

Hey there Peeps!

I've got another peek at my October selection of Coffee & A Classic subscription box.
This one was from October of 2018 and honestly the last one I have received.  I have one coming for the month of January but I skipped November and December.

Here's the Story Card and you can see I picked Classic Literature once again and this month was Dracula by Bram Stoker, quite appropriate for October wouldn't you say?

Opening the box to get a sneak peak.

This month we had a Dracula inspired candle.  I honestly can't tell you what the scent was because I burned it all and tossed the tin.  That's a good thing right?? 

You can't see this very well but it's a bar of glycerin soap.  No lie, it smelled like dirt. 

Seriously, straight up smelled like dirt!   I couldn't decide if it was cool, weird, gross or a combination of all the above.  I used it to shave with so hey, it was useful!

When I opened this bag of popcorn all vampires within a 50 mile radius disappeared.  SERIOUSLY!! WAY TOO MUCH GARLIC.   We threw the bag out and then had to take the trash out because it was so strong! haha  If you really like garlic you would've loved this!

This was Dracula's Brew coffee.  At first glance I saw whiskey, vanilla and butterscotch and was intrigued.  I'm not a butterscotch fan so I don't have to tell you which flavor I tasted the most?!    Another one in the trash and the next lesson is from now on we get Tea and not coffee as our beverage selection. 

You're gonna get a couple of shots of the glass because it was really hard to photograph.  

It was a cool mug because of the wording and it's perfect for Halloween.

Not my favorite mug for coffee but it'll be a great tea mug for sure.  It's packed away with the Halloween decorations so it won't make an appearance until October.  

See, it's pretty cool looking and a nice heavy glass mug.  

I have a LOT of mugs and seasonal ones get packed away with other decorations.   I tend to "love" them more when they only come out for a little while each year. 

Here is the book and it is a very nice book.   Once again it's the "hard" paperback version but very nicely done and something worthy of a bookcase.  

I've never actually read Dracula so hopefully at some point this year I'll get to this book. 

And there is always a bookmark that goes along with the book which is really nice since most of my books are on Kindle and I don't have a lot of bookmarks laying around.  

Like I said earlier, that's the last of these reviews until late January when the next one arrives.  I'm still undecided on whether or not these will continue.  It's a little pricey for a book, mug and bookmark but if you are interested in building a nice library of classic books then I would highly recommend it!