Cleansed

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions, so this year Adam and I are going to try something a little different.  The idea came to us when Adam found an article in Men's Health about a body cleanse that helps to remove toxins from your body, decrease your craving for "junk food," strengthen your immune system and just make you feel healthy.  Let me tell you, when this idea came up, I was absolutely not interested.  I was not about to spend 21 days sitting around drinking water and juice, while feeling like I had no energy to do anything else.  BUT, I found out there was more to this plan.  This cleanse includes a daily meal as well as a couple snacks, so you still have energy and are less likely to stray away from it.  A day includes:

Breakfast- Smoothie and herbal tea

Mid-morning: Snack or herbal tea

Lunch: Full, healthy meal (with restrictions of course, not just anything)

Mid-afternoon: Snack or herbal tea

Dinner: Juice or a soup

Sounds a little scary, but I think it's do-able.  I love to cook and this still allows me enough opportunity to try new things on a daily basis.  Plus, everything is made from natural ingredients, no canned or pre-packaged items, which means I'll be busy making everything from scratch.  

I'm definitely interested to see how much better this will make us feel and I hope it becomes more of a lifestyle change.  We do a pretty good job of eating healthy foods now, but I have a problem with snacking too much and Adam tends to grab junk food more than he'd like.  So, this should help us in decreasing some of those tendencies.

This new experiment begins Monday.  Until then we will be trying to eat up nearly everything in our pantry and fridge, buying a juicer, stocking up on fresh foods and making tons of coconut milk and nut milk for all the smoothies we will be drinking.  Sounds delicious huh?  

Things I'll miss:

Caffeine- Tea and Coffee

Wine

Goodies sitting around the office

Carbs- bread, chips, cereal, pasta

Dinners out 

Sushi

For more on this cleanse check out the book "Clean."

I will keep you updated on how it all goes.

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2011

With the New Year comes so many things to look forward to, and so many new projects- this blog being one of them.  But I couldn’t be more exciting and new ideas have been churning in my head since we got in the car to head back from Christmas in Missouri.  We received so many great things this year, and now all I can think about is, where will it all go?  For those of you that haven’t seen our house, it’s not the largest, but it’s so cozy and perfect for our little family of three.  Due to it’s size we have to get creative with storage, and I love finding new ideas for this.  In looking through all our gifts, here’s what I’m thinking…

Gift #1- My first sewing machine

It’s been a long time coming, but I finally decided I need my own machine.  Asking my Mom to make pillows and curtains for our house is just not going to work anymore.  But, before I start sewing I need somewhere to do it.  It would get old constantly hauling this thing up to the dining room table, plus all the fabric and thread that will come along with it.  I had a couple ideas for this- an armoire with pull out table, a desk surrounded by some shelves….and then I remembered this amazing gateleg table I'd found.

It couldn't be more perfect for the space!  It folds right up to be a small table for displaying pictures and we can unfold it for game night or extra dining space.  All I need to find now is the perfect shelf or bookcase for storing the machine and all my other craft supplies.

Gift #2- China

Our collection of china continues to grow!  We registered for this when we got married, and luckily our families haven’t forgotten about it.  Currently it’s being stored in a buffet piece we are using as our bar area in the basement, which you’ll see needs some tweaking due to gift #3.  Luckily I’ve already purchased a new, tall china cabinet for this at an antique store (below).  Now I just need to actually re-finish it as well as the rest of the dining room.  

Gift #3- Wine Cooler, Wine and Wine Glasses

Adam and I have been taking a wine class with friends for the last month and absolutely love it.  We used to always drink the same types of wine- Syrah, Pinot Noir and maybe Chardonnay in the summer, but this class has really helped us to branch out and find a love for so many other types.  We still have another few months left to complete the class.  This was such a great gift for us!  And if you are interested in the class, let me know.  It's a set of DVD's and is taught by a Master of Wine.  Such a great winter activity to do with friends in your own home.

Now, if I could just finish my china cabinet and add some corner shelves in the dining room this weekend, I could make space for all the dishes that have taken up our bar area!

Thanks to everyone for ALL the wonderful Christmas gifts!  We are both so thankful for everything we received- whether we had a place for it in our house or not.  Now, I'm off to Starbucks to get some reading done on my new Kindle!

In the Beginning

I’ve heard the buzz about blogs for a while now, but to be honest it was never anything I was interested in and didn’t think I’d have the time for- but I’ve changed my mind.  My husband, Adam, and I moved to Denver over three years ago and one of the things I’ve learned over this time is that I’m terrible at keeping in touch with people.  There are so many family and friends I’d love to call and chat with more often, but I just never seem to actually do it.  So I figure this is my chance to put it all out there and keep everyone (who’s interested of course) updated on the Clapp’s in Denver.   Hope you all enjoy it!