First night at the cabin.....

So tonight was officially my first night at the cabin since we have moved out of the house in Roswell. Mike is in Utah, doing some 4x4ing, backpacking, and camping with his friend, so I am alone with the fur kids. 

Since the whole point of moving to the cabin was to slow down and "be still", I decided I would forgo unpacking boxes and instead I drove around and picked wild flowers to make a bouquet for my kitchen sink window! After a stressful weekend and week so far, it was exactly what I needed! 

I ended the night by sitting on the deck reading and checking out an awesome sunset!

Movin' to the Country, Gonna Eat A Lot of Peaches.....

Well it's official, Mike and I are moving to our cabin in the north Georgia mountains. I can't believe it's happening! Our move date is April 27th. 

We have owned the cabin for 2 years and for the last 2 years Mike has been trying to get me to move up there. I have never had any interest in moving up there full time. 1. It's about 25 minutes to the nearest grocery store and that grocery store is wal-mart (gonna miss trader joe's, whole foods, super target, and publix) 2. Refer back to number 1!!

Recently we were thinking about renting out the cabin because we are so busy that we don't have a lot of time to spend up there. We had a realtor come over and tell us what we needed to do to get prepared for that....it was a long list. I started thinking about and knew that if we tried to rent out our place in Roswell it would be much easier. I mentioned to Mike, what if we moved up here for a couple of years. It would get us over the 2 year mark for capital gains taxes if we ever tried to sell the place and it would give us time to fix it up while living in it. And then remember that part where I said we don't go to the cabin very much because we are so busy, well living up there would really help that. 

So we decided to pray about it. The next weekend I went to a woman's retreat with my church. Ann Voskamp, the author of One Thousand Gifts, which happens to be a book I LOVE, was the speaker. She lives way out of town on a farm in Canada. That weekend she talked of "Being Still". Talked about how we plan so much in our lives and are constantly going and get overwhelmed. That is me to a T. I constantly have something going on. I am always busy and it stresses me out and overwhelms me. I  really felt like that was the answer to my prayers about moving to the cabin. 

We have already rented out our place in Roswell to a really awesome family. They move in on May 1st. I am really going to miss our neighbors and having my sister and niece so close to me. That will be the hardest transition of all. Then of course the shopping and convenience. I can't just pick up and go get milk really quick while I am in the middle of cooking something! (good thing I stopped buying milk!) Living so far out there will be a tough transition at first. 

We don't plan on getting cable so that will leave more time to read which I will love. Mike plans on starting a garden, the only thing about that is the deer, bunnies, and bear might eat it all. If that happens, there are over 6 apple barns not to far from us that sell fresh season produce all year long. I plan on taking up canning!! I told my grandma that everyone might be getting homemade apple pie filling and peach preserves from the north Georgia mountains for Christmas ;)

We also plan on doing a lot of remodeling while we are up there which should be fun!

I am looking forward to this time to slow down, be still, and simplify a little.

Here is my view on the way to town!! :) 

Here is my home for the next 2 years!

Crossfit

Well, I am now into my 2nd week of Crossfit and let me tell you.....it's hard. It's oh so hard, but very worth it. I have never worked out so hard in my life. I thought Jillian's Ripped in 30 DVD was hard.....crossfit blows that out of the water.

If you have been thinking about doing crossfit, but have been scared I am here to tell you....if I can do it, YOU can do it. The coach at my gym said..."you just have to embrace the suck!" Everyday I go in there I think, I can't do this, but once it gets going I am so glad I did! Try it out!

Grilled Citrus Tuna with Avocado and Spinach

So I made this incredible recipe tonight. It was OHHHHH so good! The only thing I changed was using coconut crystals instead of sugar to make it clean and used Bragg Amino Acids instead of soy sauce since it's so much better for you.

I know a lot of people buy their fish in bulk in frozen bags. I don't recommend that for this since you are cooking it rare. I bought my tuna at Whole Foods and although it was $24 a pound, I felt better eating a quality piece of fish rare. It was SOOO dang good!

Click Here For The Recipe 

Grilled Citrus Tuna with Avocado and Spinach

Photo Courtesy of Bev Cooks 

Verse of the Week

My latest craft! I made this for my best friend for her birthday. She had pinned it on pinterest recently. 

I already had the ivory spray paint, the chalkboard spray paint, and ribbon. I bought the frame for $4...it was half off at Michaels. I bought the back board for $4 and the gold paint pen for $4 at Michaels. I will be able to use the paint pen for many other projects, in fact I am using it right now!! This little project came out to less than $10. It was very easy to make. The hardest part was writing with the paint pen. I have THE worst handwriting on the planet and I was so nervous I was going to mess it up! 

I only got this picture with my old cell phone. You get the idea though!

Apple Ginger Ale Juice

Made another juice tonight for dinner. Using the same picture from yesterday since it looks exactly the same! This one has ginger in it which is good with all the beans we have been eating lately!! :) 

Apple Ginger Ale Juice

1/2 of a fresh beet ( antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification support)

3 small gala apples and 2 small granny smith apples (regulate your blood sugar and good fiber source)

3 stems of kale (cholesterol-lowering, risk-lowering benefits for cancer, support for the body's detoxification system, avoidance of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress)

1 tbsp size of fresh ginger (alleviating symptoms of gastrointestinal distress, very potent anti-inflammatory compounds, may also inhibit the growth of human colorectal cancer cells, kill ovarian cancer cells by inducing apoptosis, Immune Boosting Action)

1/2 of a lemon (Phytonutrients with Antioxidant and Antibiotic Effects, help fight cancers of the mouth, Protection against Rheumatoid Arthritis)

Red Pineapple Juice

I love to juice. It makes me feel good. When I juice I feel like I am drinking a salad bar and can feel myself get healthy right away!

My husband and I have been juicing for a while. We bought the Jack Lalane Juicer about 7 years ago. It's not something we do often, but I intend to try it at least once a week from here on out. 

The best part about juicing for me is that I get to put veggies in my juice that I would NEVER eat. Plus, you are eating these vegetables in raw form. 

Red Pineapple Juice (Makes 2 glasses) 

1/2 of a fresh beet ( antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification support)

2 cups of fresh pineapple (Anti-Inflammatory and Digestive Benefits, Antioxidant Protection and Immune Support, 

3 gala apples (regulate your blood sugar and good fiber source)

4-5 stems of kale (cholesterol-lowering, risk-lowering benefits for cancer, support for the body's detoxification system, avoidance of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress)

Add all to your juicer and Voila! All those benefits in a glass! And, it tastes amazing. Trust me, I wouldn't drink it if it wasn't good!