Today has been lovely so far.

This morning we went to Black Magic for Break Fast Breakfast! I had egg whites with tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach and feta. AND a pumpkin chai made with almond milk. It was so delicious. Of course, it was followed by a walk down the pier to talk to strangers and watch the waves.

After, there was garden supply shopping. Cilantro. Lavender. A mini orchid. And so many seeds! I am going to make my thumbs green if it's the last thing I do!

Then I went grocery shopping! It's been awhile and I spent a lot of money! I bought practically everything in the produce section. And treats for the cat (Snickers) who lives outside - I got her to eat one straight out of my hand! When I finally got done putting away all of my purchases, I made a DELICIOUS smoothie - strawberries, blueberries, peaches, bananas, cranberry juice, spinach and vanilla yogurt. And while I was sippin on that, I whipped up a batch of Whiskey Walnut Blondies for the brother.

And this where you find me now. In between dirty dishes and episodes of Gilmore Girls. Before yoga class and before my work meeting this evening.

I'm not sad my juice cleanse is over, but I'm glad I did it. I feel lighter and like it was a good restart. My body is still trying to figure out everything I put into it today, so I'm being careful, but I'm ready to start cooking! (Who thought three days would feel this long??) I'm going to make all sorts of nonsense this week - sweet potatoes, burrito bowls, avocado & corn salad, brussels sprouts, and there is going to be RAINBOW carrots with hummus. Ooooh - maybe this Farmer's Market Skillet! I'm so thrilled about food!

Well, that's all I have for now. I'm going to make my way back to the kitchen to clean up! And then outside to sweep my porch. Such a domestic goddess today... What are you all up to this weekend??

This is Day 4 of 100 Days of Blogging.

xo.

Last night, I saw Silver Linings Playbook and I LOVED it. Please do yourself a favor if you haven't seen it yet.

Today is my final day of juice cleansing. I hate it less today. I also ate a handful of almonds. I don't feel bad about it. I'm so ready to be eating again though. I think that I'll definitely be thinking more about what I put into my body after this. I don't believe in forbidding food groups, but everything in moderation.

I have today off from work. It's been raining all.day.long. James Island turns into a lake when it rains this much. So, how does one spend a rainy day off? I went to yoga, cleaned, read a few pages in my new book (The Fault in our Stars), visited with the brother, and watched reruns of Kourtney & Kim take Miami. Don't judge me. I got a lot done today - I deserve trashy tv shows. And tonight, I'm going to bake with a friend. No, I won't eat the cookies, but I will tomorrow. Hooray!

My life is good. My life is calm. And I like it this way.

(This just in - Kim is drinking Pressed Juicery juice on the show. I'm just saying.)

Also, I had a dream last night that I went back to San Diego. I was visiting my lovely Megan, drinking coffee in the sun, eating fish tacos and tanning on the West Coast beaches. I need to go back.

I also need coffee, sun, fish tacos and the beach. I NEED SUMMER! Haha. I'm a desperate woman.

Oh hey, I'm going to learn run again. Glo Run in May! Yay!

This is Day 3 of 100 Days of Blogging.

xo.

I hate juice cleansing. I miss chewing and things that have salt. I don't remember hating this last time I did it, but I've been informed that I did. Note to self: Don't do this again.

Yesterday my juice didn't come until 1pm because the company accidentally used the wrong address. I tried to patiently sip on hot water with lemon until I ran out to greet the FedEx man. Literally, I was waiting on the porch for him.

I immediately ripped open the box and started guzzling a bottle labeled "1".

Juice 1 is a Green Drink consisting of kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, cucumber, celery, apple and lemon. I was satisfied.

I got all of my bottles put away in the fridge and went about my day and the rest of my juices.

Juice 2 is a Citrus Drink consisting of grapefruit and mint. That's all. I love it. Tart, but refreshing!

Juice 3 is a Roots Drink. I feel like that says enough, but I'll tell you the junk is made of carrots, apple and ginger. I abhor ginger and this drink.

Juice 4 is another Citrus Drink. It's a blend of pineapple, apple, lemon and mint. It's good, but very sweet. Yesterday I drank it straight up, but today I mixed it with water to cut it a little bit.

Juice 5 is a repeat of Juice 1. Liquid salad. Thinking of it that way makes it difficult to stomach. I'll try not to do that tomorrow.

Juice 6 is the savior! Ah! Vanilla Almond Milk. This delight is made of almonds, dates, vanilla bean and filtered water. I add about 1/8 tsp of cinnamon to it and shake it all up. This is my favorite. I wish I had tried the chocolate one now because it's sort of like a healthy and delicious melted milkshake.

Mmmm. Milkshake.

Anyway, in addition to these 6 juices, I have Chlorophyll Water and Aloe Water. Chlorophyll water is to keep you extra hydrated. (Because six bottles of liquid is not enough.) Also, it tastes faintly of grass. The Aloe Water is to, um, keep you moving. It tastes like cucumber water.

Yesterday, I gave away Juice 5 since I had begun so late in the day. Today, I'm drinking Juice 6 before Juice 5 because I'm dying for some substantial.

So, what is the lesson I've learned from all this? When you go on a cruise, don't have hourly ice cream and don't visit the pizza bar.

That's certainly not to say I only did this cleanse because I felt bad after a week of vacation eating habits. Cleanses are an excellent way to reset your body and mind. Also, I've spent a lot of time trying to decide if I should go back to my vegetarian ways. I've done a lot of learning about vegan cooking. I'm reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and articles like Carnivorous Vegetarian to try and figure out the healthiest and tastiest way to eat. I want both.

Although, right now, I would settle for anything that involved chewing.

But if you all have thoughts on the matter, then I would love to hear them. Right now, I'm going to take a little nap and then go see Silver Linings Playbook with one of my loveliest friends.

This is Day 2 of my 100 Days of Blogging.

xo.

It's that time of year again. Spring is coming! It's time to get out of the winter funk and into the summer fun. I'm a little more on board with the idea because I just came back from Florida & a cruise, but I promise - it's coming. (The groundhog didn't see his shadow, so it must be true!)

It's also that time of year where I do a crazy things like only drink juice for 3 days. Eh? Right. So, my Pressed Juicery 3 Day Cleanse should be arriving shortly. 3 Days. 18 Bottles of Juice. Lots of yoga. This should all amount to a healthier and happier, post-cruise Erin. (Because you can't really say no to 24 hour pizza and ice cream.)

Internal spring cleaning leads to external spring cleaning. And all sorts of cleaning usually leads to new ideas, crafts and resolutions. Maybe spring is the new New Year? Probably not, but I will tell you spring is my best time of year. I'm excited to see what it holds. The people in my life are very motivating, too. I'm sure they're going to make 2013 the best spring/year yet!

Speaking of motivating ideas, my friend Mandy is doing 100 Days of Blogging as a challenge for her creative juices. I've decided I would also like to take part in a challenge such as this. Why? My blog is something so dear to me that I've let fall by the wayside. I'm hoping this challenge will jumpstart me back into it. It doesn't have to be big or incredibly insightful. I just have to post. Consider this Day 1. 

Well, now I have to start cleaning. I have quite the to-do list today:

Yoga. Pick up Recycling Bin. Go to Goodwill. Go to Costco. Get a mani/pedi. Clean out my car. Clean the house. Start reading The Fault in Our Stars. More Yoga.

Busy busy little bee. I'll see you all here tomorrow!

courtesy of joy the baker & her bp experience

Hi Friends.

It's Tuesday. But not just ANY Tuesday. It's the Tuesday that I begin my Blueprint Cleanse! Why? Because it's supposed to be amazing for your body... and I like a challenge. Also, because I'm highly susceptible to advertising - Joy the Baker, Tracy Shutterbean, Andrea with the Hyperbole, and Nicole is Better have all endorsed this juice drinking campaign.

And I believe in a TREAT YO' SELF lifestyle.

Ok, so it was actually really hard for me to buy this. Why? BECAUSE IT WAS SO DAMN EXPENSIVE. I could have bought a juicer and done it myself, but I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into. But sometimes in life, you need to go on a juicing adventure.

So, now I'm waiting for the FedEx juice deliverer. If they don't show up before I leave for work, then I'll have to start tomorrow. I hope they get here soon because I'm hungry! Meh.

... this was a good idea, right?

Right.

And don't worry, I will let you know how it goes!