cff June 2014 | Simple and Serene Living

Friday, June 27, 2014

a simple healthy choice

Summertime, summertime, sum...sum...summertime...


One of the things I think about when I think of summer is fresh squeezed lemonade, and while I do love my lemonade I don't always want the sugar.

Lemons are so great for your health and I always use them in my morning green juice. You can read my recipe here and an updated version here

I drink a lot of water. I don't consume caffeine and I don't drink sodas or alcohol, so that leaves me with good old water. Let's be honest, water can get pretty boring and I figure if I am going to drink it I want some added health benefits. 


Lemon water is such an easy way to get so many great health benefits. I found a great article at Conscious Life News. You can read the entire article here, but here are the 12 benefits they list for drinking lemon water.

  • 1. Immune-boosting benefits of vitamin C help ensure your body can fight off illness.
  • 2. Despite lemons being acidic, they can help keep your pH balance in check.
  • 3. Pectin fiber is great for your colon and digestive health.
  • 4. Encourages the production of bile.
  • 5. Dissolving uric acid, lemon water can help reduce pain and inflammation of the joints.
  • 6. Good for your skin.
  • 7. Helps to maintain eye health and protects against eye disease and damage.
  • 8. Helps replenish the body after a tough workout.
  • 10. Helps detoxify the liver and kidneys.
  • 12. Can reduce the occurrence and aid in the treatment of urinary tract infections.
I think those are 12 good reasons to drink lemon water and as someone who doesn't like ice in my water it was great to find out that it is even better for you warm.

A pretty glass can trick you into thinking you are drinking something fancier.

Bottoms up!!



P.S. I always ordered lemon in my water at restaurants, but now that I found out most restaurants don't wash their lemons and they have a lot of bacteria I save my lemon water (with organic lemons) for at home drinking.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

crushing on cottages

I am in love with cottages and bungalows. They always feel so serene.

source unknown
I literally spend hours looking at photos of cottages. I love porches where you can sit and rock, where neighbors stop by to chat, where you can work on all those little projects you've been wanting to finish. (most of my projects are still in the imagination stage)


source
It would definitely be okay not to have a porch if you could step right out your front door onto an old brick paved street,


source
or how about walking out your front door to this. It is so unbelievably amazing that it doesn't even seem real. Does someone actually get to live here? Of course my first thought was how do you water those flowers in the boat. Maybe it rains a lot there.


Add caption
Okay, that was a real flight of fancy. 

I think cottages with picket fences and cutting beds are the best.


source
This is my absolute favorite. Not only does it have the porch, the picket fence, and the flower beds, it has a rose covered trellis. Absolute perfection.


source unknown
Yep, I am definitely crushing on cottages.

Oh, and I actually decided to create something last night. It does happen occasionally. I'm not finished with it yet, but as soon as I get it done and if it turns out not to be some wonky thing I will definitely share it. 

post signature

Monday, June 9, 2014

women speak: do you fear change?

Week Two


Are you afraid of change? Do you fight it? Change is inevitable, so why do we fight it? Change causes stress, and it does so even if the change is good. Why does it cause stress? Because it moves us from our current environment into a possibly unknown realm. 

Our brain tells us things should stay the same and when we are faced with change it may put up roadblocks to that change. So we tend to seek out people and environments that will reinforce our current beliefs. However, if we don't allow change to happen, we can't move forward. We become stuck.


In order to get past the roadblocks that our brain sets up, we may have to allow ourselves to do a little freaking out, and then we have to change the way that we are looking at the change. Hmmm, I think there were two changes right there. 

I have faced so many changes in my life and yes I have fought many of them, but I had to learn to accept the changes so that I could move forward. We all face changes. Some small and some really huge. Last week we talked about becoming "Suddenly Single". You can read that here. That is one of the huge changes we may face in our lives. Getting married, getting divorced, having children, becoming an empty nester, going back to work, losing a job, retiring....... These are all major changes, but small changes can also be difficult. Should I change my toothpaste? Should I wear a different hairstyle? Should I change my daily routine?.......... Well, you get the picture.

Change. It's inevitable.

I would love to hear how you face the changes in your lives. Do you need help now facing a change? Do you have advice to other women facing changes in their lives? 

Let's talk.

post signature