this month, it will be one year since my husband and i became a couple of veg-headed vegans. i know it can be a controversial issue, and so i encourage you to read the reasons on why we decided to make the switch in the first place. today though, i only want to share with you why it’s been the best decision of our lives. the results that we’ve experienced from the change is undeniable. tomorrow, i plan to share with you why i believe it is also incredibly easy. stay tuned!

{sweet cherries}

you can read the reasons why we decided to become vegan, but in short, here’s our story. we decided to be vegetarians about 7 years ago, a decision we made in efforts to avoid the antibiotics and hormones found in meat, for promised health benefits and to do something to alleviate the horrid practices of factory farming and environmental distress. several years later, we realized that we were relying heavily on cheese, milk and eggs, especially when we ate out. in our case, that meant that about 90% of the dairy we were consuming was not organic and came from who knew where. there we were, still eating antibiotics and hormones, being unhealthy and supporting the factory farming business of dairy cows and laying hens (which are absolutely terrifying, ask if you want more info!). so we made the switch, here’s why it was the best decision i ever made!

just to clarify, we don’t take supplements and don’t believe you should need to. we eat a well rounded, balanced diet full of incredibly tasty and nutritious things

1) i haven’t gotten sick now for the longest period of my life. it’s been one year with no sickness, woo hoo!
2) i feel better than ever. my energy is up and my eyes are bright.
3) i’m more eager to wake up and get going in the morning. seriously! i have felt a decrease in my ‘sluggishness’.
4) i’m more focused. i have found a noticeable difference in how focused i am and how much more productive as well.
5) my skin has finally cleared up, completely. i’m off all of the creams my dermatologist had me on and use no particularly special routine for my skin for the first time in my life.
6) my fitness has improved. i feel better when i run and have seen quicker results in my endurance than ever.
7) my body odor has decreased. not sure how to explain this one, but it’s true. better breath and no need for deoderant.
8) my nails and hair haven gotten stronger and prettier.
9) i have a sense of responsible about my lifestyle. like i’m making a difference in my health, my future health and the health of our planet.
10) i’ve lost weight. not much, but 7-8 pounds, effortlessly.
11) i love cooking vegan! no spoiled dairy, no germy meat. i haven’t had to disinfect my kitchen in a very long time.
12) my digestion is better and noticeably healthier than it was before.
13) i love being a part of the community. it’s (mostly) filled with inspiring, supportinve and truly lovely people.
14) i have less headaches. i used to get frequent headaches and occasional migraines, and haven’t had hardly any at all this year.
15) as soon as we cut out all the fillers (meat, cheese, eggs) our diet expanded tremendously. there are so many grains, beans, fruits, veggies, nuts, sea veggies and seeds that we never had tried before!
16) my allergies have gotten better. again i can’t really explain this but studies agree that cutting out dairy and meat can help alleviate allergy symptoms.
17) we save money. we don’t waste as much money on eating out (though it is easy to eat out if we want, i’ll tell you why tomorrow!). and we don’t buy as many snacks and unhealthy filler foods at the store.
18) reduced PMS symptoms. something about eliminating dairy does this!
19) i’m not as sleepy in the afternoons. i haven’t felt the need for an afternoon nap in months and months.
20) we’ve increased our awareness of the foods we put into our body. each food makes us feel a certain way, and we’ve become much more aware of it.

i will say that many of these benefits weren’t noticeable right away. it’s something you have to stick with. i lost the weight after 6 months, my skin cleared up after 10 months. but, i started feeling better almost instantly. give it a try, but be prepared to stick with it for amazing health benefits down the road.

tomorrow i plan to share with you why i also believe that it’s incredibly easy. stay tuned!

gotta question? comment? are you a vegan? do you have any benefits you’ve experienced? please share them with us in the comments section! i’ll ‘meat’ you there. :)

wrap up: {best} {decisions} {diet} {lifestyle} {living} {reasons} {simple} {vegan}

happy friday, friends! i am so excited to share with you the most beautiful yoga clothing today! i am so honored to have recently teamed up with one of my favorite yoga instructors, mary kay west, to help get her amazing yoga clothes on etsy. aren’t they beautiful? i have several pieces myself and can personally vouch for their comfort, ease of wearing and incredible tailoring.

as a long time yogi herself, mary kay west has made each of her clothing pieces to not only stay in place during your practice, but make you look great at the same time (who wouldn’t want that?). she also specializes in pieces that can take you right from the yoga studio to the market and out to dinner with ease. with simple additions like long cardigans and versatile pieces, you won’t be stuck running errands looking like you just got off your mat. tailored to fit just about any body, she has longer tunic tanks, flattering yoga pants and summer blouses that are to die for. click on over to her shop and let us know what you think!

pssst… not a yogi? don’t worry, she also make stunning blouses and dresses!

wrap up: {blouses} {clothing} {dresses} {lifestyle} {market} {practice} {tanks} {yoga}

hello, lovelies!! guess what. WE FOUND A HOME!! let me tell you, it is magical here. however, the rental scene is pretty grim here in santa ynez, california. we looked and we looked and not only are there no rental signs posted anywhere (i mean, not even one), but the cost of living is as expected, pretty outrageous.

after a hard afternoon and a long prayer, the nifty craigslist app on my phone notified me of a new listing. a converted barn, in our price range that included EVERYTHING on my wish list. God is good.

our little piece of heaven is a vine covered renovated barn with a trellis front and a screen door. a front and back yard for toaster, mature shade trees and several perfect spots for veggie gardening. fruit trees surround the property and it’s just over a mile from david’s work.

they were doing a little bit of construction so the inside pictures aren’t quite the best, but this is our view looking out from the living room and open kitchen. it’s a one bedroom, one bath with a full kitchen and a loft for guests to sleep in. we’ll be looking for an old ladder to set up as access to that, so the local thrift stores will be seeing me very soon.

this is the view from our porch. the house sits right on a vineyard and rolling hills are just off in the distance. ahhhh.

and this is yet another little gem that’s on the property. the house is only about 1000 square feet, so we’re really excited to have some outdoor living space. i’m thinking an old table with mix and match chairs could make this the perfect outdoor dining area. what do you think?

tomorrow i’ll be sharing with you more of the town so you can see just what kind of place this is. it’s full of lavender farms and strawberry stands. you’re going to love it.

wrap up: {barn} {california} {converted} {lifestyle} {our new house} {santa ynez} {vineyard}

 
yesterday, i got the iphone 4. for many of you, this phone is old news. however, since verizon is the only company that gets service in our sweet little (and very remote) hometown, we’ve been hearing about the joys of the iphone from all of our at&t friends for, well, seems like forever now. i recognize how silly it is to ‘have‘ to have something that didn’t even exist a few short years ago, but what can i say. i’m a sucker. so when we heard that the ‘phone that changed the world’ was coming to our network, david and i bundled up and headed out to the store with high hopes (but not too high) that we would have success. and we did!

as a long time mac user, it just made sense to add this little guy to my lineup. one of the features i’m most excited about is called facetime, where your calls become video calls between you and the person you’re talking with. the reason i’m so excited is that my mom has ordered the iphone as well (go mom!), and we will soon be talking face to face, even though we’re halfway across the country from each other. how amazing is that?!  plus i’ll be able to see my hubby’s pretty face anytime i call him, and that just makes me happy.

so you might ask, “that’s cool and everything bonnie, but why are you telling us about it?”. welp, that would be because i need your help! you see, apps overwhelm me (a statement i’m sure i’ll be laughing at in about a year). there’s just so many, and no way to find the ones i need that i don’t even know i need! i would like to create an app just for searching for other apps. or maybe there’s already an app for that? ah!! anyways, do you have any suggestions for me? oh smartphone, droid, iphone, ipad users??
here’s what i’m looking for:

- apps that would help streamline my business (blog, etsy, paypal, etc).

- best blogging apps (i’m using wordpress here).

- creative essentials

- photography, editing and design apps

- ways to be more efficient (streamlining tasks, etc).

- anything else i need that i don’t even know i need

- or… anything you have that you couldn’t live without

(here are the apps i’ve already added, just so you know: pandora, twitter, places, ibooks, simplist, dropbox, hipstamatic.)

can’t wait to hear about all your favorites! {smooches & hugs} bonnie

wrap up: {apple} {apps} {business} {iphone} {lifestyle} {mac} {phone} {verizon}

{it’s beginning to feel}

hello friends! though i have spoke about tif fussell before, her world never ceases to inspire me. her home is full of beautiful vintage and eclectic finds and her style is distinctly whimsical. join me for a glance!

 

 

 
her shop, dottie angel, is full of little whimsies. all of which are handcrafted, vintage, eclectic, original, or recycled in some way. pretty colors pop on a neutral slate and feminine, dainty touches welcome you.

{wishing}

living in a quaint cottage with chickens and some lovely pups, she is definitely a gal after my own heart. visiting her space makes me happy, brightens my day and inspires my creativity.

explore dottie angle more by visiting her shop, beautiful blog, website and photo album.
 

wrap up: {dottie angel} {eclectic} {handcrafted} {handmade} {lifestyle} {original} {recycled} {tif fussell} {vintage}

my mom surprised me yesterday with amy butler’s midwest modern lifestyle book! isn’t she sweet?  my jaw dropped as i flipped through all 224 pages of amy’s inspiring images and story lines.

page after page, she lets us into her whimsical home and studio, beautiful kitchen and outdoor gardens.

she talks about her life, her business and design process and gives us an inside peek into what inspires her work.  with how-tos in every chapter she draws you in with incredible images and design work.

if you look to nature for inspiration or love learning about successful artists, amy butler’s midwest modern is a must read.  i’ll be flipping through it’s pages many more times as it left me feeling uplifted and creative.  enjoy!

wrap up: {amy butler} {artist} {book} {inspiration} {lifestyle} {review}