House Tour!

It has been awhile since my last home tour. Shortly after taking these photos Miss K had a nasty allergic reaction to a medication that landed us in ER and I forgot about the photos until recently. So before sharing more current family happenings with you here's some home inspiration that I hope you will enjoy...

Usually I'm drawn to the character of older homes, but once in awhile there is a builder that puts some nice details into their designs. I like unique details! :)

All photos except the first 4 show the work of Zome's Construction. (Thanks for letting us tour your gorgeous home Kevin!)

Summer Fun

A few random photos of our summer...

Our summer went by all too quickly. It was a busy one and I didn't get near what I wanted to accomplished but we still managed to have some time for fun and more excitement is coming. K couldn't wait to get back to school this morning and start first grade and I'm looking forward to an upcoming mini getaway with my husband to celebrate 11 years of marriage! Wow, time flies and oh my goodness this will be the first time away with my husband since we had K! Really I wouldn't mind taking her with on our adventure but it isn't very kid friendly and I'm sure she will have lots more fun with grandma and grandpa. Just hope there won't be any more wasp stings or other scares at the farm. :)

Plein Air Paint Out

Last weekend I was able to attend the Plein Air Paint Out in SD. The event consisted of 50+ artists who were creating art on/around the homestead on Friday and/or Saturday and then there was an art show and sale held on Sunday. It was the sixth year this event has been put on and my second year attending. It is a lot of fun and the people putting it on are so nice and welcoming. I love spending the day outside, petting animals, walking around the grounds taking photos and being able to create something without being interrupted by a six year old. :) Even though I got rained on a few times and I was completely windblown, it was wonderful!

I am always drawn to the horses. My mixed media painting, Spirit (posted about HERE), came about from the first Plein Air I attended. This year they even had a tiny pony about the size of a large dog. So adorable! This was the little one's mama...

Here is a glimpse of the piece I created on the grounds... and it sold on Sunday! Yay!

I have several more photos for inspiration on later paintings and drawings. I'm looking forward to working on them.

Simple Homemade Toothpaste

Awhile back in my "Makes Me Happy" post I mentioned about trying out homemade toothpaste. Since that post I have tried out two different homemade versions and am now sticking to a very simple and easy recipe that works great! Not only does my six year old enjoy helping make it she also loves using it. She likes the salty taste. :)
The great part is, there's only 3 ingredients and they are safe if swallowed! I have been determined to live simply and as healthy as possible.

Here is how we make the toothpaste:
1 Tablespoon organic extra virgin coconut oil {anti-bacterial and anti-fungal}
1/2 Tablespoon fine grain HimalaSalt {gentle abrasive that neutralizes acids in mouth and prevents bad breath and tooth decay; Himalayan sea salt is also rich in essential minerals}
1/2 Tablespoon baking soda {cleanses and whitens; also helps in the prevention of bad breath and tooth decay}

One can add essential oils, stevia or xylitol for taste but I choose not too. I believe the simpler ingredient list in our household the better.

Mix together and use a pea size amount for each use. A little bit goes a long way so we don't make much at once. We store our toothpaste in a reused ghee glass jar and use a knife to apply the paste to the toothbrush.
Even though this recipe is so simple, in my opinion it works better than any store bought brand I've tried. I am so glad to say goodbye to all the questionable ingredients in the store bought brands. I don't need any extra negative chemicals in my body! No matter what kind of toothpaste and toothbrush one uses the most important way to achieve strong, healthy teeth is by eating a clean, low sugar diet.

Here are just a couple links on why I wanted to try making my own toothpaste:
How to Reverse Cavities Naturally and Heal Tooth Decay by Dr. Axe
What are the Harmful Ingredients in Toothpaste via Livingstrong.com
Is Fluoride Destroying Your Smile by Dr. Axe

All product items are linked to what I use. They are the best I have found in quality and price.

Ready for the Worst {Health Scare}

It is no secret that my health has been one big roller coaster for the last few years. The last year and a half I've been spending a lot of time working to heal my own body through food and herbs. There has been a lot of improvement but there continues to be bumps in the road. When you work so hard at something and then still have a problem, frustration and discouragement set in. Over the Fourth of July I had another big health scare... probably the biggest so far. I knew my thyroid medication wasn't right as body tremors were racing through me once again. I absolutely hate the shaking feeling, sometimes you just feel it under the skin and other times your body (arms, head, legs) will literally be shaking. Heart will race. Legs weren't wanting to work right. Not fun. I knew what was causing it though, my thyroid medication was off and all I could do was wait for blood work results. Then came the night I was spitting up blood once again. I had tried to bring back a food and then this happened. I always get a bit scared when I see blood and it is discouraging. I was also having stomach pain that was getting worse. That night while laying in bed I felt a big hard lump right under my rib. I quickly felt my husband to see if he had one in that location and no, he didn't. I was SCARED! I've had other lumps in my body. They've been checked and not believed to be cancer since the lumps move. A doctor wanted to cut the neck lump out but I've been able to gradually shrink it by eating healthy food and taking oil of oregano (powerful herb!). I have had so many health problems already the only thing left on the list was cancer, so I was thinking the worst. That weekend I was researching every free moment I got. The more I read about Chemo the scarier it sounded. Spending tons of money to kill all the good cells in my body, among many other things did not set well with me. I truly believe our bodies can heal itself given the right foods (vitamins, minerals, herbs). The doctors office was booked for a month but with my issues I was rushed to same day appointment. On the way there I was thinking the worst news but I trusted God. I even told my husband, I trust God more than any human. He can heal me from food He provides. If I have cancer I might allow them to cut out as much as possible but I wouldn't do Chemo. I was following my heart. Of course I didn't want it to be cancer and I was praying God would take care of me, and I had some family praying. (Thank you guys!) And my appointment came and Thank the Lord there wasn't cancer. My large intestine was not happy and going a bit crazy with a squeezing pain. Body is still fighting Candida in my gut along with the food intolerances from leaky gut. Apparently my intestines are scratched easily and this was the reason for spitting blood. The lump was actually the back of my rib that you could feel from the front. My thyroid levels were off so much that I was having my Graves Disease symptoms and was losing weight again... so much I was under 100lbs. Blah!
But thank God, I was so happy for that news!!! I thought with my thyroid symptoms I was getting too much thyroid medication but turns out I was too hypothyroid. Crazy body! So my thyroid medication was upped. I'm currently doing better and so very thankful.
I wanted to share the praise. I believe no matter what is going on in your life, good things will come if you put your full trust in the Lord. Even if I had cancer and if the worst came, I was okay with the Lord taking me home to the most magnificent place. It would have been extremely hard saying good bye to my daughter and husband and thankfully I don't have to at this time. Right now I can continue to fight the demons in me... the Lord will help and guide me! :)

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." 

~Isaiah 41:10

Fargo Street Fair!

Fargo, ND Street Fair is going on now through the 19th! If you are near the area be sure to check it out!

Last week I was busy restocking art for Unglued who will be at the Street Fair and have their shop open on Broadway. They have such a wide range of unique handmade items and they also have such fun events going on regularly. Check out their site to see what all is happening: ungluedmarket.com

{image from last year's fair via HERE}