I went on blogging vacation without the vacation

I haven't blogged in over a week and a half due to problems with my eyes. These sweet little things apparently are not producing enough natural tears during the day which is causing my pupils to strain at night. Which then causes my eyelids to switch and make my lashes cut my eyeballs... Lovely.

At least that is what I told my optometrist after he surveyed I had multiple abrasions on both my eyes. " lovely, is this something I will have to deal with the rest of my life?" Maybe but it could be worse. A couple of eye drops 6 times a day is nothing compared to needing medicine and not being able to afford it. Or not having a clinic to even go to when you are sick or in need. Which bring me to my next topic.

Who falls under the need for unconditional love? Everyone.

Japan. 

This country has always been special to me I have found the asian culture and their customs to be particularly beautiful in their simplicity. The country is known for their innovative growth in may different industries and are one of the strongest countries in the world. They have some of the oldest people in the world records books mainly do to a life of daily meditation and healthy diets. They are hard workers and peaceful people. The gardens and Tokyo sites in Japan are what visitors flock to. And the original tattooing began with the Japanese starting from the original design the Koi fish. 

 Japan has been hit with another huge hit from the devastation from nuclear power. This is why we are trying to help in ways we can from over seas. We have donated to the Red Cross, which is an amazing organization and now we are partnering with a wonderful woman who is originally from Japan and has friends and family there who have been effected. We are having a community garage sale where ll proceeds will go to this group helping the local Japanese people. If you have anything you'd like to donate let me know and I will be glad to meet you. 

Remember how silly it is to desire a new dress for spring or that cute accessory for the home when people have been living in ruble and hoping for a meal. It makes me really appreciate my life. 

urban farmgirl: shabby apple giveaway!

urban farmgirl: shabby apple giveaway!: "I am so excited to share another giveaway with you today! When the girls over at Shabby Apple contacted me to ask if I would collaborate w..."

Lights, Camera, Mason Jars

I am thrilled to be starting my newest project!!!! This will be a family collaboration which makes it even more special. To all of you know who me I am a sucker for Pottery Barn. It's all so fab and I can't help but like it. side note: ( I will say if you are wanting to invest in frames, they have the BEST by far. Higher quality than most frames and only $8 or so more than Target frames) I also heart antiques because of the curiosity I have that each unique piece has a story. And it's a great way to reuse rather than invest in buying new. We only buy new when we have to. 


But as one friend so eloquently put it, " I feel like they are raping my wallet with those prices!" Crude but true, you know who you are so thanks for the great quote! ; 0 This is why I will be making a version of one of their newer chandeliers. That is priced at a whopping $399! Yikes, PB what economic state are we in? I will make you wait no longer and see the awesome chandelier PB has and when ours is done I will show you side by side or better top by bottom. Sorry, my template can only do so many things right now. 

I am going to be tweaking the light a bit by adding an old plank wood for the frame piece that attaches to the ceiling.

Wish my the best, I'll keep you posted...

literally! 

The Betsy Etsy!

People have been asking me a lot about different products we use and wear to find them. So I thought it would be good to write a small list of my top fave websites for all things awesome:


( no particular order)
1. Etsy.com ( a flea market, farmers market, antique store, boutique all rolled into one.)


2. http://www.zrecsguide.com/products/category  (safe small kitchen appliances)

3. http://www.finearttips.com/2010/03/go-green-clean-purify-the-air-in-your-studio-or-office-with-house-plants/ (beneficial plants for the home)

4. cosmeticdatabase.org  ( skin and body products)

5. Reuseit.com (enviromentally friendly storage for the kitchen, home and living)

I am currently ordering a new drawing for Quinerz from a lovely artist we used 2 years ago. Her name is Annette and she made this one for our girls and now you can buy it in print form. Browse through her shop if you please. 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/65764061/avalyn-print

Wordless Tuesday: at the park

Foot Detox Day 4... What the Face?

We have some disappointing news. After getting 4 of our friends to try the detox Ion Spa yesterday Richard decided to test it out without anyones feet in the bath today. The results were very disappointing. We had my friend Abbey try earlier in the day. Then we had Tom, Jenni and Brian later in the evening try it out. Ashley and Caroline didn't try it out. One person we couldn't get to budge, Caroline. She made a point to say she thought it was a hoax. Well between the product not being FDA approved & people getting similar water color results, Richard really wanted to see what would happen if he just turned it on and left it.... You guessed it the water turned the same murky brown that it did for everyones foot bath.

Richard Did some research n the company and why these ionic footbath companies claim that the water changes based on toxins. They agreed that a long relaxing footbath was a traditional practice of stress relief but had NO evidence to prove it was actually releasing toxins out of the body. And considering some people have paid as much as $1,000 for this product, you might want to save your money and get a pedicure at your local day spa. Though it is not a scholarly source reading further might help put to words what we saw.  For more information please go to this website http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=567466 

How close are we to living near the shore?

Aloha,


When we started contemplating moving almost a year ago Richard and I first asked ourselves " If we could choose where we wanted to live not based on a job where would it be?" We love the mountains BUT only for a visit. We are naturally wimps in the cold so we had to rule out The Rockies and all that came with it (my sister). Once we threw out the idea of Hawaii it was uphill from there. We prayed, felt assured, felt God was continuing to open doors through friends support, friends contacting friends who lived there at some point. Then a curb ball ( a series of HUGE bills) would happen or one of us felt confused about our future. Then Richard landed a job making slightly more money where we could start saving again. And came my part... praying,research, praying, researching, packing, praying some more.

When we arrived to Honolulu in December it was like I got hit in the chest. I assume this is not something someone feels every-time they visit Hawaii but it is something someone should feel when they are in they right place for them. I had told God I just wanted to know within 24 hours of arriving if this was a killer vacation or where I would be moving my family. Bold right? I'm a bold person. I ask bold questions and I make bold statements. In my relationship with God I have accepted He is exactly who He says He is. I have an open wave of communication with Him as much as I have with anyone I talk to. Therefore when I felt this feeling, I was almost put to tears.

I had endured a 3 1/2 flight, then a 9 hour layover, then a 6 hour flight, I had been thrown up on, pooped on and was running on less than 4 hours of sleep in 30 hours. Yet I had an energy once we arrived that was not of my own. We packed up I went grocery shopping and drove us to our condo. The entire trip was surreal, I kept waiting for it to end. But 2 1/2 weeks takes a while and I was so grateful it does. When you have been praying about something and God just drops it in your lap and says " Okay, here's what you've been waiting for." It almost feels like you second guess how ready you are for it.

Now that we've been back for two months we can honestly say we miss it. Being in the environment where you are being lead to grow as individuals and as a family, it moves you. We are seeing what will work for the move and won't work furniture, clothes, habits. Ohana means family in Hawaii and here is a real sense of it there. I was born and raised in the suburbs of Atlanta. I have traveled to parts of Europe, Africa, all over the country, the Caribbean and never has a place left such an impression on me. We aren't sure what date we will be heading over, though our lease is up at the end of May. I'm still hopeful to see what God will do from now until then.

This isn't some sort of ploy to get all the readers to move to Hawaii, I am just expressing what it's like to have prayed about something and to not settle, not to believe you deserve anything less than the best and then to receive confirmation. Be confident in who your are, Love better than you judge and keep growing, nothing healthy stays stagnant. Mahalo for reading & have a great weekend.
  "If we are to be a really great people, we must strive in good faith to play a great part in the world. We cannot avoid meeting great issues. All that we can determine for ourselves is whether we shall meet them well or ill." Theodore Roosevelt 

Aloha!

Things come better in 3's

It's tiring being so cute.

 

 Our girl is three years old today! This is a special birthday because she gets to celebrate  with her brother and her sister (3 Lee kids) She also was born on 03/03 and now she's 3. She was named after my Great Grandma Ava. She owned the first boutique in their town, so fashion runs in her blood and name lol. Also by my sister Alyssa. When my sister was born she was given my middle name Nicole. Now the girls share Lyn & Lin in their names in honor of Alyssa and I sharing our middle name. That's about as traditional as I get.

We have such a beautiful daughter. She is lovely with her bright blue eyes and silly smile. But her heart, her heart is enormous. She is considerate, genuine, loving, passionate, nurturing and a great verbalizer. If you need a hug or want a boost Ava is your girl. Our baby has been given a wonderful older sister.  She is also the best little sister to her brother She thinks he's a rockstar and he doesn't even realize what a confidence booster it is for him the ways she follows him around. 

I loved reflecting on 3 years of her life today. She changed me and our family in such a short time. 

Painting our dining chairs

 We currently have a beautiful farm kitchen table that I grew up with so it's extra special to me. It has two drawers on each side where I used to sit and put food in when I didn't like the meal. Ahh, memories. We also have 6 distressed espresso chairs with rye seating. We are feeling the need to give our dining bunch a new wardrobe.  Our top colors our as follows but not in choice order  

 Distressed for all:

sea foam/aqua blue

burnt orange

earthy but not bright shade of green

mustard yellow & antique white
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/10/affordable_low.php 

                      Our table is a rich mahogany and we have considered painting the bottom half and leaving the top the wood stain but I'm not thrilled with that idea. Keep in mind the natural slightly butter shade of rye on the seating(this will not be painted)We also have curtains with a deep crimson and rust orange pattern. Our accessories in the room are a red, orange, espresso drum, black distressed frames, multi color brown weaved bowls and masks from Africa. PLEASE give me some input! Thank you!

Our journey with the Ionic detoxification Footbath

 Side Note: I used to run around barefoot all the time as a kid. I spent most of my summers in the country. Little did I know how non-beneficial this could be to my health. I read an article a couple of months ago in Parenting magazine that discussed the shocking findings of lead in most lawns  around the country. If your home was built before 1980, your home was probably painted with lead paint. Over time the lead seeps into the soil from weather and we absorb this lead for years on our shoes AND our feet.  As cute and nostalgic being barefoot might feel and as rude as you might feel asking your family and friends to remove their shoes at the door think again before your feet go nude. 

Day 1: So shout out to Wellspring products Ion Spa @ wellspringproducts.com . We our borrowing the footbath from my pops and Richard couldn't get his sandals off fast enough to try it out. If you don't know what a detox footbath does, here is some information. You have the largest pores on the bottom of your feet, this is why using a bowl of hot water, fine grain sea salt and the ionic bath uses electromagnetic field draw out the heavy metals through your pores. Can we say this together " A-MAzing! " 

The chart tells you what colors of material is being detoxified out of your pores! I had heavy metals, joints, blood clot materials, and yeast detox signs. 

Delish... JK.

We will be continuing to detox each day for a week and see if the results change. Feel free to follow!

A picture says a thousand words

This weekend the kids had the privilege of sleeping in a tent that Richard whipped up for them. The big boy was very proud to have this displayed in his room and therefore started giving out rools and guidelines to his sisters if they wanted to visit his tent. Needless to say he was suffering from a little Napoleon complex and we had to assure him that even though it was built in his room it was for the whole family. Richard proved this later in the day when I found him trying to take a nap inside the tent.

Yesterday baby had to go to time out AGAIN for hitting and laughing. I think I captured her remorse quite well. 

These are some of the new items we have purchased from Etsy. The kids are non stop wanting to help me cook. Am I complaining, well sort of. I LOVE that they are interested in food and how to prepare it. I hope by the time they are ready for college they can make couple of things with confidence (because I could not.) This kitchen is the best I found for the quality and price. Cheryl is such a sweet woman! 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MamaMadeThem?ref=pr_shop_more 

We also received these wooden pirate swords engraved with his name on them for his 6 birthday. He even wrote a note to our son telling him he hoped he gets many years of play out of the swords, cute right?


http://www.etsy.com/shop/SmileMoon?ref=top_trail