Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

Zach and I have become very interested lately in where our food comes from and how that affects what we eat. We haven't given up on chain restaurants or grocery stores at all yet, but our goal would probably to be there eventually. There is a newer book by Michael Pollan called "In Defense of Food - An Eaters Manifesto" and to tell you the truth, I haven't read it yet, nor I have I read his older book "The Omnivores Dilemma", but I have listened to quite a few podcasts, as well as a talk he gave in Kansas City last week and my way of thinking about food is beginning to change.

Food, such a weird thing. A necesity to survive, yet it can be a catylist to your health? Why is it so hard to eat well? And not just well by the standards of normal Americans, with diet foods, prepackaged lunches, sugerfree alternatives, but well as in REAL food. Food that grow from the ground. Food that grows from the ground without using chemicals to enhance growing rate and size. Whole wheat breads made from scratch without sugar. Meat from animals that are grass feed, and not corn fed then pumped with antibiotics which emit ghg's (green house gases). Why has our society embraced the selling of all of the crap that is on store shelves? There is no research for this, but how much do you want to bet that half of the crap on the shelves in the supermarkets end up in the trash? I would guess at least half.

Eating natural, WHOLE foods, has to be a better way to live. Eating meat that is from only grass fed animals has to be a better way to live. Composting your leftovers and eating foods that are compostable, has to be a better way to live. Reusing and recycling your containers has to be a better way to live. All of this is better for our world and our lives. This is just a small part of life, but a huge part at the same time. God has called us to live better lives, and our food effects our eath and our bodies! That is huge! This is just the beginning of what I want to learn/how Zach and I are learning about this, etc. More in the future....

If your interested heres the book/author:



http://www.michaelpollan.com/

Oh you know...

just a few shots from our new CAMERA!

Boston being cute. I have learned that when you don't have kids but you have a dog, your dog becomes your kid. And this is evident in the amount of photos we have of Boston.



Zach being himself while I play with the awesome flash we also got.


This is the final product of the wedding invite I did for my friends. What do you think?

you say it's your birthday....

It's my birthday too!

I can't think of a better way to start my day than with my two favorite things: Starbucks and Chick fil a!

***Coffee not actual size. Sandwich is actual size.  

What a great day it will be! :)

invisible children

THE RESCUE - APRIL 25, 2009 - KANSAS CITY, MO
Help rescue the child soldiers of the LRA.
More info.

Spring Weekend

We had a very productive weekend! Zach did a lot of work but I definitely helped out as well. We spent almost 2 whole days out in our yard. Zach put together a compost in a corner of our yard and went through and cleared a ton of brush. I re-potted my tomatoes, green peppers, and basil into longer taller pots so that they can start bearing fruit. We also went through and cleaned out a bunch of leaves on the side of our house where some daffodils or some sort of flower have started to pop up. It felt great to just be outside of the house working on things. I also spent Saturday and Sunday evening working on our friends' save the date, invite and rsvp. (See below.) What a good weekend!

Save the Date

A save the date I designed for my Friends' Wedding in June! Lovely.

Weekend in St. Louis

Zach and I took a weekend trip to St. Louis to visit my fam. I REALLY needed it. I definately came back revived and ready to face the next 2 months. I have been making this trip for last 6 years, and it seems like over the last year it has been harder and harder to leave my family and come back to KC. But it is something that has helped me grow into a stronger person.

Thats all for now. There may be pics soon. Zach and Gabrielle were like 2 peas in a pod this weekend, it was precious, so I need to get those pics up soon.

It's Monday, but Friday will be here before we know it.

high five escalator

I first heard of Improv Everywhere through "This American Life", a show on NPR ... yes I listen to NPR ... almost everyday, it makes work go by faster. They did a story on them and some of the skits that they do to make everyday life a little bit more interesting. This is a recent one that makes me laugh, because I know if I took a subway everyday and saw this, it would have made my day a little bit better. Check out the video.

crazy sexy wool

I am in love with this yarn store that opened in New York City ... I wish it was here in the midwest and that I could afford to shop there. It is the perfect type of yarn for what I knit.


So great...look at how chunky that yarn is! I love it!

missed an important date!

I forgot to add that we celebrated our 1 year anniversary as a married couple! We have now been together for 5 years! It's amazing how time flies. I was recently asked if I still love Zach as much as I did when we first got married. My response? "I think I love him more."

3 month wrap up

This is the problem with blogs. I start them but have a hard time being consistent with them. Christmas was great. Zach and I got to spend the day with my family in St. Louis. It was such a great long week off for both of us to enjoy each side of our family. January and February flew by just as fast as usual. I have been knitting like crazy. I feel like in my evenings, it's the only thing I enjoy doing because I can relax at the same time. I have even sold one of my favorite scarves on etsy. I really hope she enjoyed it, she sent me a very nice note about how great the photos made it look!


I really need to catch up on my freelance work for the salon materials I am working on. I am very far behind. Each day seems to come and go and by the time I would actually start working on stuff, the evening/weekend is almost over (hence tonight). Zach is gone for a week. Which makes me really sad. I already miss him and is only been like 20 hrs. or something.... I truely hope I can take advantage of the time that I have this week and that my mind is not always on missing him.
On another note. He finishes grad school in 2 months!! We can't wait. Below are some tulips my love gave me for valentines day. Aren't they beautiful? I love happy tulips!

featured!

I had my first item featured on the twitter of MyMom'sbasement.



It was for their handmade holiday hotlist! Very exciting.

Check out their etsy shop here. Lots of fun handmade jewelry and prints. It feels great to be connecting with the handmade community.

Out on a limb.

I have officially opened my first etsy store. cristinrae.etsy.com! I am very excited to see where this will go. I am starting with some small creations and hopefully I will find my nitch in the handmade world eventually!

I also have decided to sign up for Free People's Winter Craft Shop! I am excited to create a gift for someone else, who I don't even know, just to make them smile.... This will be neat! What a great way to get my feet wet in the crafting world. woo-hoo, I am excited!

New Season New Home

So, Zach and I have finally moved into our first home! :) Well not technically ours...we rent, but it's still great!


I will add some photos soon. But right now we are still in unpacking mode.

Let me tell you, we have a LOT of stuff! It doesn't help that I am an artist and have way too many supplies and then on top of that have a ton of my work from college and then all of our books. We have soo many books.

This is a great test for the future. Our future bought home, we will need at least 3 bedrooms! One that can be solely dedicated to my art and books.

Also we need much more closet space - 2 total closets (no coat closet, and no linen closet) is not enough.

But we are learning and it is so great that the inside is almost all brand new. The whole house was gutted and redone with new drywall, cabinets, bathroom fixtures, everything. It is great. And our little Boston has a fenced backyard, and we have a great big deck to entertain...all we need are some chairs. Above everything else, I have a 5 minute commute to work. Literally. This is a great change from the varying times of 30 mins. to 1 hr and 30 mins. that it took me in the past.

All in all, home sweet home.

six months and counting

6 months down, 60 years to go! we have enjoyed our lives together so far and can't wait for what is to come. i am hoping that this can become a way to share what is going on in our lives and also sort of a creative side project for myself.

we are beginning to reveal the simple joys of life, discovering how we should be caring for God's earth and learning how to create a heaven on earth for others.

this may sound cheesy, but some of that comes in the creative minds and designs of others. little things like a small clay flower pot, an abstract painting, or a simple idea of how to recycle something creates inspiration and helps make life a little more enjoyable. what else can make those things better? experiencing these things with others...