Miss me?

I know, I know, I've been out for awhile. And I don't even really have a good excuse {although, this is my blog and excuses are not needed for blog sabbaticals!} besides the fact that I just think my life is boring right now and there isn't much to update. Anyways I have had a few ask where I've been so I thought I would check in. Although I won't tell you all of what we've been up to, I will share some ;) I've been busy busy busy with photography like usual. This summer I'm only shooting weddings {june-august} I won't be shooting any individual sessions...so I'm getting in a lot this spring and am busier than usual. It will be so nice not to be running around as much as I was last summer! I've also been working on a new blog design for my business and that took a lot of my time. I'm a busy little bee these days. Also with tax season approaching work has been crazy, and it just adds that much on top of my already full pile of to-do items. The only thing pulling me through is the beautiful spring weather we've been having. The other day I actually woke up to birds chirping!

This weekend is the big 7k, yikes! I'm nervous and feel like I did not prepare enough. I've been working out everyday though and I feel great. My body is in good condition... I just haven't been running as much as I should. Yesterday Jay ran almost 5 miles in 33 minutes--yep, I'm doomed.

Other than that we've been laying pretty low. We're still working on our downsize and have made giant steps in our progress. When I walk in the door every night it feels great not to see clutter every where. There are still so many 'things' we don't need but it's a work in progress and we are slowly but surely selling them off. We've also been big on coupon use lately. It's actually been fun to watch the sales and clip 3-4 of the same coupons and get a great deal. So far we've gotten about 8 free bottles on contact solution and a ton a free cleaning supplies {these are the main items we scout coupons for because they tend to be the most pricey for us}. It's kind of fun when you start, you can't stop.

Oh and also, I've been making & wearing my own deodorant. I've been wanting to do this for awhile now and finally got the courage to try...because, don't lie, I know you are judging me right now ;) at first I thought it was weird too. But then I found out a friend from highschool who is 24 years young, just got diagnosed with breast cancer. Crazy, I know. It opened my eyes to realize that our health is all we have-and I need to take care of my body the best that I can. Aluminum is an active ingredient in most store bought antiperspirants, and it's linked to breast cancer and alzheimer's. Parabens are another active ingredient in antiperspirants-and are also linked to cancer.

What we put on our body directly affects us. There is an interesting study in Living Green, by Greg Horn that proves this point. Rub a sliced clove of garlic on the sole of your bare foot and within 15 mintues you'll taste garlic in your mouth. Crazy. So I decided to try a safe & effective alternative just in case...it can't hurt right? Plus it's a green and cost effective solution. And for all you mothers out there who breastfeed-if your baby has a tendency to put their hands in your arm pits while feeding & then later stick them in their mouth, they can be exposed to toxic chemicals!

So the recipe is simple and takes about 5 minutes to prepare. Baking soda {for the smell}, Corn starch {for dryness}, and coconut oil for the faint scent and the consistency you need for deodorant. I saved an old deodorant stick and washed it out and then re-packed it with my homemade recipe. It has the same consistency and look to store bought, but costs me about 10 cents per stick (instead of $3-4 at the store) and is completely natural. The only difference I note is that you don't need very much of it and it can melt easier than store bought. Here is the recipe I used. And yes-it is very effective. Most of the time I don't smell anything under there-it's really crazy because I feel like store bought deodorants always just tried to mask my body odor and sometimes after hard workouts or stressful days did not smell so good after only a few hours. I also sweat a lot less & it is the best deodorant I've ever used. Here's to a healthy, natural solution!

See...I told you our life is boring =)