tidbits :)

Just a few random things I've learned over the past month or so... :

1) Did you know that it is illegal to drive with snow on your car?
                      and no, I did not learn this by getting pulled over for it ;) Though I did drive with snow on my car before learning it! I thought, well, it's just a little bit on the roof, should fall off before I make it out of the neighborhood. Well, it did not. And I learned the hard way why it's a bad idea to do this, aside from the whole potentially endangering other drivers by flinging snow at their cars thing. I went to my parents house, dropped off Cadence, and was on my way back before the snow came crashing down at a yield sign and absolutely covered my windshield!!! Of course, it was 2 inches thick and too heavy for my wipers. So thankful I was already stopped! I had to throw it in park, jump out, and swipe it off with my hands! eeeeemmbarassing ;P Since then I can't tell you how many cars I've seen, on the interstate, with several inches of snow on top of their cars (SO dangerous!) not to mention one in Chesterfield whose rear window was totally covered in addition to their roof...yikes! So, before you get pulled over for it, take a few minutes to clear your car before leaving! I promise it will take less time than getting a ticket or causing an accident ;)

2) Did you know that coffee creamer (International Delight, CoffeeMate, etc.) has no actual CREAM in it??? I guess I've just been buying it for so long that I never thought to look at the ingredients, I just assumed it was basically half-n-half with a flavor shot. nope. would you like me to share the ingredient list that turned my morning world upside down? well, here it is:
(from Coffee-mate, The Original) -
water, corn syrup solids, partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil, sodium caseinate (a milk derivative), dipotassium phosphate, mono-and diglycerides, polysorbate 60, sodium stearoyl lactylate, artificial flavor, carrageenan.
(and Coffee-mate Belgian style chocolate toffee) -
water, sugar, partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil, natural & artificial flavors, nono-and diglycerides, dipotassium phosphate, cellulose gel, collor added, salt, cocoa processed with alkali, cellulose gum, carrageenan, sodium casseinate (a milk derivative), disodium phosphate.


Would you like to know what's in my now-staple (currently Horizon) organic half-and-half?
Organic Grade A Milk & Organic Grade A Cream. *free of antibiotics, added hormones, pesticides, etc.
plain, simple, and delicious ;)
Some other yummy alternatives could be coconut or almond milk! I think I'll be trying these when I run out of flavored coffee!

3) Did you know that when a flower company delivers they do not put water in the vase? I'm pretty sure I already knew this but it totally slipped my mind until my Valentine's Day flowers from Nathan were looking sad just a day or two after they arrived. Makes sense considering they have to drive them around...but couldn't they just put a lil bit? Or a note that says "hey, you might wanna put some water in this vase if you want to enjoy your beautiful flowers for any length of time"? lol.

Do you have any tidbits you'd like to share? Or a comment about the three above? I'd love to hear them!

WALKIN ON SUNSHINE :)

okay....maybe ONE more blog post before I sign off to get my life organized ;) Just because, in the middle of all of this wintery weather,  I can't help but share how absolutely in love I am with the color YELLOW right now!!! Aahhh...the color of sweet sunshine <3

I am all for yellow  ~  for bedrooms, clothing & accessories, and even weddings!

Here are just a few reasons why:

How could you not love these bedrooms from Warpedeco Home Improvement ?!

These two are from Decor Pad :)

And I LOVE yellow & gray together for clothing/accessories, so why not for a bedroom?!

Check out these fab accessories from Target:

 ~ Not to mention the million and one stunning things to do with yellow in a wedding ~

From She Walks in Beauty, Tempting Weddings (noted on photos), and shoes by J.Crew :

and Inspiration Boards from With This Favor / Snippet and Ink

and With This Favor / Stylish Events

And of course, because I never stop shopping for Cadence, check out these finds I'm eyein at

The Children's Place:

I am so in love with this embellished yellow cardigan!!!  And the dress w/a blue cropped sweater would be oh so sweet :)

how PRECIOUS are these accessories?!?

and bc I'm lovin the blue and yellow, and blue really brings out C's eyes, wouldn't these be adorable together? Maybe with little blue and white polka dotted leggings under the skirt and some little white patent leather maryjanes? oooooohh ;)

and I'm lovin the idea of these layered together, maybe with the little dark wash dressy jeans I just got her :)

 

hey look - it must be a good look bc I found a pic of it! hehe. Though I still like the idea of it w/her jeans ;)

See why I am so in love with yellow???

So, green may be my favorite color, with turquoise in a close second, but I think both go swimmingly with sunshine yellow :D

You Are What You...Wear!

Okay, it is definitely true that you are what you eat (as I have been reminded by my recent "I'm getting ready to start a new workout routine so I should eat all the bad stuff now" decision - poor choice!). And though I began to give it some thought in college, I didn't justify beginning to switch over to organic foods until I found out I was pregnant. I haven't turned back, only gained momentum and even gotten my hubby on board! In fact, he even catches me off guard some times now! If you're looking into it, here is some great information on the best foods to start with and your local farmer's market is an excellent resource!
 However, we should not only think about the things we put IN our bodies but also the things we put ON our bodies. Have you ever looked at the ingredient list on your shampoo? Considered what's actually in your deoderant? Your body is absorbing those chemicals every time you apply them. Scary, I know. You can thank Jill Reid, my Human Bio professor last semester, for increasing my obsessions over natural choices. I have always given serious thought to anything that touches Cadence's body but gone with the "whatever, I've been doing it for years" load of crap when it came to my own. HELLO! Aren't I suppose to be the one setting the example? And it feels soooo good to switch over! Though I admit, there's a price difference on some things, I don't think you can really put a price on good health (plus, I actually use much less of my natural shampoo and conditioner than I did of the other stuff so I think it balances out a little). I hear over and over again "our parents gave us X and we're fine"...well, we're still in our 20s - how fine are we going to be in our 60s? Have you noticed the cancer rates?
I could go on and on about the reasons we should be conscientious of what we're putting both in and on our bodies and the downfalls of a capitalist society that says "give it to me now, consider the consequences when it's too late" but for now I will leave you with the strong recommendation to read Silent Spring by Rachel Carson and to check out your products on this link.
I also just remembered to become a fan of Reid's Ramblings on facebook, which I'm sure is full of tons of info on this stuff!
Stay tuned for an upcoming review of some natural products I've been using! (Though I am swearing off the internet for the next week or two to get my house and life in order, this will be one of the first posts when I come back!). And remember, every time you make a purchase, you are casting a vote - VOTE NATURAL. It is so much better to pay the grocer now than the doctor later!