Christie's Silver Lining

Please welcome the newest (temporary) member of our household!

On Sunday, we met our new foster dog, Nami (the black and white Shih Tzu…. yes, as in… Shih Tzu Nami!  :-) He is a very sweet, well mannered dog and was clearly part of a loving household at some point.  A man found him on the side of the street by his home and neighbors said he’d been roaming the neighborhood for nearly 3 weeks.  He was looking very rough with matted fur and mud all over him.  He’s underweight but eating like a champ!  (You should see him down his food - it’s impressive!)

He’s approximately 6 years old - Too mature to play puppy with Nash.  Nash is pretty protective of his toys and his mom but he’s transitioned pretty well.  

Nami will find a “forever home,”  as the rescue agency says, very quickly!  He’s house broken, loves walks, calm, quiet, cuddly, well-mannored, knows the “sit” command, can stay in a kennel… I mean this is the ideal rescue dog!  I’m happy and sad to say he will probably only be staying with us for another 2-3 weeks or so.  In the meantime, we’re happy to have him! 

The theme of this year: living more intentionally.  So why not put my money were my mouth is!  Since I only shop for health, hygiene and food products, I want to support the those companies that share my beliefs.  I want to be INTENTIONAL about what/who I support.  

My husband and I have already been using natural cleaners (check out Seventh Generation: http://www.seventhgeneration.com/ ) but have recently decided to look at all of the products we use to see what chemicals are in them.  With the help of a friend who has done lots of research - thank you, Alison! - we are replacing our lotions, soaps, deodorants, shampoos, body washes, etc with as many natural, organic, and chemical-free products as possible.  The main reason is obvious - we want to be good to our bodies.  The secondary reason is that we want to support companies who care about helping people and the earth!  

Here are a few brands that we have chosen to try out:

Aubrey Organics:  http://www.aubrey-organics.com/   (I use their face products.  They also have great shampoo and conditioner.)

Pangea Organics: http://www.pangeaorganics.com/

100% pure:  http://www.100percentpure.com/default.asp

Hugo Naturals https://hugonaturals.com  (I use their deodorant: aluminum-free!)

Kiss My Face: http://www.kissmyface.com/  (I use their tooth paste: fluoride-free!)

A few tips:

Since it’s expensive to buy products, consider switching one at a time.  As you run out of something, try a greener, healthier option instead of going back to the old brand.  

If you switch all of your products over at once, consider donating your old items to a local non-profit or rescue mission who need the items regardless of their ingredients.  

Check out your Whole Foods calendar: Whole Foods often has days where you can bring your old disinfectants and cleaners to switch them for new cleaning products.  Everyone wins: You get to try a new, green cleaner for free!  Whole Foods promotes their products!  The Earth is happier!

Why do we focus on regrets?  They creep into our mind and suddenly we find ourselves dwelling over every detail of what we did wrong.  Often this is over something so small that it hardly matters to the grand scheme of things.  

After focusing on my mistakes for hours yesterday, it suddenly hit me - At the end of my life, my biggest regret may be focusing too much on my regrets!  (did you get that?!)  While analyzing our mistakes can be beneficial to improving ourselves, dwelling over them can ultimately become the biggest mistake of all.  Lost time.  Lost self-esteem.  Lost joy.  

The answer: Start focusing on our gratitude. On what’s going right.  On what we’ve done well.  

I’ll start with this: I’m grateful for my mistakes.  They have made me more accepting of others.  Thank you for the opportunity to be more understanding. 

This week’s vacation to Arizona has been simply amazing. No words or even pictures could capture the beauty and adventure the we have experienced this week.

Each day, I feel more alive. Going new places, learning more culture and history, adventuring to new heights (literally! More pictures to come!)

My precious baby (a.k.a. my puppy!) is one year old today!  Happy Birthday, Nashie!  

2 above photos:  The day we got him at 6 and a half weeks old!  2.4 lbs

Nash with his new birthday toy!  1 year old today! 

This past Monday, I had the opportunity to be a part of the miracle of life!  My sister and her husband asked me to take photos during the birth of their new baby boy.  I am so thankful that they invited me to be a part of such a special moment.  The first tiny cry.  The first site of their new baby boy.  The announcement of his name.  The overwhelming amount of love pulsing through the room.  It was a thrilling, joyful experience that I’ll never forget!

Please welcome baby Ethan into the world!