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Links I Like

This is very cool.  I would love one from August (my cancer diagnosis) to now, as we are at the end of my big treatments.  My journey in facebook statuses and comments–pretty cool!

Loved this post, especially loved reading the comments. 
 Women trying their best with what they know and what they can afford.  
The queen of gift giving writes an awesome post, giving 7 tips. 
 Love how she stores her stuff!  Love the containers made from milk cartons..

It is snowing out and my girls are bored.  Going to do this with them today.
This is a great idea!  For larger planters, a wine bottle would work well!!
3 minutes to make, 30 minutes to set up in the refrigerator. 
 Sometimes unhealthy is just necessary!:)
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I Need Your Help–Please?

As I am coming close to the end of my treatment for Breast Cancer,
 I find myself thinking about the “now what?”
Part of that “now what?” is New Nostalgia and figuring out what it should look like. 
 Not just aesthetically, but content, too.
I will be doing a redesign of the blog, and I need your help in deciding what to include in this blog.
The above picture of a lovely kitchen and a tagline that says… 
“My quest to recapture the simplicity of yesterday and apply it to today”
…just does not cut it anymore.  

I still love simplicity, but I am not on a quest for it anymore.

I am on a quest to LIVE!  
To apply what I have learned from the past and remember that I have been made NEW!  
How to live new on a daily basis, in all those little moments that add up and create LIFE!
New Nostalgia!! 

Yes, living simply is part of that, but only a piece.

Cancer has changed me.


I am a completely different person than I was 7 months ago when it all started.
I am finding that what is important to me now, 
and how I want to spend my energy and time is different than before.  
My focus is different than before.
Because of this change, there has been some change to this blog, including medical updates of my journey and posts that bear my heart and soul at times. 
They are deeper than before, and at times, heavier.

———-
Here is where you can help…

Would you mind giving your vote in the sidebar poll as to what you most enjoy reading here at New Nostalgia?  You may choose more than 1.

This will really help me know what keeps you coming back to this little speck in the world wide web!  I am so honored that you do come visit– humbled and honored.
**along with your vote, I would love to hear any suggestions or thoughts you have in the comments!

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What’s Up With Me?



Laughing at:  this video of my nephew, Micah

Seeing: how different God made us all and the beauty of it

Hearing: Birds Chirping–c’mon spring!

Tasting: Pepita Sun Butter atop Granny Smith Apples slices

Smelling: husbands cologne–he’s getting ready to take me out tonight!

Feeling: grateful for a quiet Saturday


Wishing: my whole house was clutter busted and minimalized

Loving: little girls enjoying sleepovers

Craving: the desire to feel motivated

Liking: this thing that makes my greens dizzy

Anticipating: the end of radiation

Thinking: that my eyebrows are seriously out of control


Books/ Healthy Eating/ How-Tos/ RECIPES

My Favorite Food Rules

Food Rules: An Eater's Manual
by Micheal Pollan
I am a big fan of Micheal Pollan.
He was the first one that I have read who was able to take the incredibly complicated question of
 “What Should I Eat?”
 and answer it in just seven words:
“Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
 I read his first book, In Defense Of Food, a year ago and just really jived with it.   I was so happy to see that he came out with a short, easy to read, manual that expands on the answer.
Each page gives a simple tip on what to eat.  I read the book in 30 minutes and loved it.
Here are some of my most favorite tips from the book:
#2 Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
 
(for example–neon colored tubes of flavored gel called Go-GURT!)
 
 
 
#3 Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry
 
(ethoxylated diglycerides??)
 
 
 
#4 Avoid food products that contain high-fructose corn syrup
 
(it is a reliable marker for a food product that has been highly processed)
 
 
 
#5 Avoid foods that have some form of sugar (or sweetener) listed among the top three ingredients.
 
(exception to this rule, are “special occasion” foods–see Rule 60)
 
 
#6 Avoid food products that contain more than five ingredients.
 
(another sign that it is a highly processed food)
 
 
 
#7 Avoid food products with the word “lite” or the terms “low-fat” or “non-fat” in their names.
 
( Refined carbs can make you fat.  Sugar makes you fat.  Many low-fat or no-fat products boost the sugar and salt to make up for the flavor lost when removing fat)
 
 
 
#10 Avoid foods that are pretending to be something they are not.
 
(imitation butter-aka-margarine-is the classic example.  Artificial sweeteners..)
 
 
 
#11 Eat only foods that will eventually rot.
 
(real food is alive food…therefore it should eventually die)
 
 
 
#12 Eat foods made from ingredients that you can picture in their raw state or growing in nature.
 
(read ingredients on a package of Twinkies or Pringles and imagine what those look like raw or where they grow…ya can’t!)
 
 
 
#19 If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.
 
 
 
#22 Eat mostly plants, especially leaves
 
(antioxidants, fiber, omega- 3 fatty acids, energy dense!)
 
 
 
#23 Treat meat as flavoring or special occasion food.
 
(become a “flexitarian”–someone who eats meat only a couple times a week)
 
 
 
#25 Eat your colors!
 
(colors from nature are full of polyphenols, flavonioids, carotenoid, which all fight disease!)
 
 
 
#34 Sweeten and salt your food yourself.
 
(you will find you are consuming a fraction as much sugar and salt as you otherwise would–example oatmeal–buy plain not flavored, sweetened or colored!)
 
 
 
#36 Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk.
 
(ha..like that one.  It’s kind of a “duh”)
 
 
 
#37 “The whiter the bread, the sooner you will be dead”
 
(I expand on that here)
 
 
 
#39 Eat all the junk food you want, as long as you cook it yourself.
 
(if you made all the french fries you ate, you would eat them much less often!  Too much work!)
 
 
 
#57 Don’t get your fuel from the same place your car does
 
(Gas stations have become processed corn station.  Ethanol outside and high-fructose corn syrup inside!)
 
 
 
#60 Treat treats as treats.
 
(special occasion food is great as long as every day is not a special occasion.  Save them for weekends or for true special occasions!)
 
 
 
Food Rules: An Eater's Manual
 
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
by Micheal Pollan
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What’s Up With Me?

 

What I’m doing?

~catching up on my Google reader,

 ~writing a few posts for the week, 

~working on a second blog that will be focused on- “Finding Calm In The Crisis Of Cancer”

 

What I did today?

Took my dog-lovin’ daughter to a dog expo, then spent 4 hours at the mall looking for the perfect jeggings for her. I’m pooped!

 

What I’m listening to?

City Impact Boys Video Game Club  Jr. high boys, 

hanging out in my basement and making my daughters belly laugh.

 

What I’m tasting?

Scooters Carmelicious Latte

 

What I’m smelling?

Dog.  No, we don’t have one, but I can’t get the smell out of my nose from the expo!

It was not that bad, I just have an ultra-sensitive nose.

 

What I’m thinking?

that writing this post makes me feel a little self-absorbed

 

What makes me laugh?

 City Impact Video Game Club boys doing “Just Dance” in my basement.  They not only dance but sing along, too.  Sooo funny!

 

What I’m planning?

I WISH I were planning an Oscar party.  I’ve never had one.  

Maybe next year, when my energy level is up.

 

What I hope for?

a very long and fulfilled life;)

What I’m excited about?

being asked to speak at our church’s Women’s Retreat

 

What I dread?

being in front of everyone speaking at our church’s Women’s Retreat:)

 

What has surprised me?

how forgiving my husband is.  I just snapped at him.  He so didn’t deserve it… 

 I apologized. He forgave.

What I’m thankful for?

a warm home full of people I love, & recorded television

oh…AND this awesome moisturizing face cream– 

J.A.S.O.N Natural Cosmetics Vitamin E Creme 25000iu

LOVE, LOVE, it.

What melted me?

pre-teen daughter showing affection to me IN PUBLIC–at the mall!  Awww!

This would usually horrify her…

What I’m wearing?

jeggings, gray shirt, black hoodie, striped gray & black scarf, silver hoop earrings, gray hat and

 black boots

My dreary outfit matches our dreary weather!

 

What I wish was different?

the length of my hair–it’s starting to get to me!

I’m a hair stylist–I miss using hairspray.  

I DID use some wax today and did a fo-hawk.  

It stuck up about an inch–oh yeah, baby…its a start!!

 

What I’m hungry for?

blackberries

 

What I ate today?

~This amazing oatmeal concoction–we call it Banana Oatmeal Chia Pudding.  

~Soft Pretzel at the mall

~Cherry On Top Frozen Yogurt topped w/kiwi, strawberries, blueberries and pineapple

~other boring type food…like chicken and fresh vegetable juice

 

What I want?

Troubled marriages that I know of, to heal and succeed.

 

 

How I’m feeling?

Good…and relieved!!  I thought this weekend would be “ugh” because of this.

 

 

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$10.00 for $20.00 Worth At Barnes & Noble!

Have you seen Groupon’s current deal?
You can use the Groupon online or in-store.
If you’ve never purchased from Groupon before, it is easy to create an account.
Click this link to get the deal (you can’t find the deal from Groupon’s pages).
You won’t regret signing up!  You will get a great deal, one per day, mailed to your inbox.  Todd and I have had many dates for free or at least half off thanks to Groupon!!  Love it.
Limit one Groupon / person. This deal is available until Monday (2/7).

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. When you use them, you help support this site. Thanks!

Healthy Eating/ RECIPES/ Sides

Balsamic Vinegar + Pomegranate Mist For Salads! Yum!

I have been eating soup and salad almost daily since my diagnosis.  It is a great way to get most of my vegetable servings in.  I have loved experimenting with my salads, the goal always to have lots of different colors going on for maximum health benefits.

I have been on the lookout for the perfect salad dressing, and have not been too happy.  There are so many in the grocery store that have high fructose corn syrup in them, or bad oils that I do not want cloggin’ up my body.  The non-fat versions crank up the sugar, in an effort to add the taste back in that is missing, once fat is removed.  The few that I did find that were healthy enough, lacked in the taste department.

Because of all this…I AM SUPER EXCITED ABOUT MY NEW FIND!!

Hello

I was at my local health food store and a cool- looking mist bottle among their salad dressings caught me eye.  It said “Balsamic Vinegar + Pomegranate.  I love both flavors.  I looked at the ingredient list and guess what is in it??

~100% Barrel Aged Balsamic Vinegar from Medena, Italy
~Pomegranate Juice

Just 2 ingredients! Isn’t that a beautiful thing??  Another beautiful thing is that each bottle contains 384 servings!  They are super fun to use–pump 5 times and then spray.

The mist bottle is very cool. So very convenient.  I looked it up on Amazon.com to see if I could get it any cheaper, and if it comes in any other flavors.  It does.  They have just plain Balsamic, Balsamic and Raspberry, Olive Oil Mists, ect.  I noticed they also come in a half size, which would be perfect to throw in your purse to use on the go.

I cut some pepper strips and broccoli florets for a snack, and had a whole bunch of fun spraying them.  It is really, really tasty– so much flavor!  I plan on drizzling my salads with some olive oil, then giving them a mist.  Simple and healthy.

It is a bit pricey- I paid 7.99 for it- but the amount of servings in a bottle helps justify that, plus I plan on re-using the bottle by filling it up with olive oil or my own balsamic vinegar.  I’ll make up for the pomegranate part by sprinkling my salads with pomegranate seeds.

If you wanted to save money, you could skip the Gourme’ Mist all together and just purchase  a spray mist bottle like this one, then fill it with your own Balsamic Vinegar.

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