Words are incredibly important to me.  The power they hold has the ability to breathe life or destroy.  The words we choose to use & the order we put them in can determine how we feel, how we move, how we love, and what we do.

Most of my life I have studied words.  I’ve learned Spanish & American Sign Language….for fun.  I love the way that learning a different language can shape your thoughts.  Discovering that the sign for the word “grace” in ASL is actually the word “guilt” turned upside down was nothing short of life-changing for me.

I love playing with words & word sounds when writing songs.  For example, “just defy your thoughts” sounds like “justify your thoughts”…both powerful, both different.  Why do we hear one over the other?  Yes,  I am a word nerd.

The words that we CHOOSE to use become the structure in which we build our houses.  I used to use the term “my fibromyalgia” often.  One day my husband lovingly called me on that.  ”Why do you say that?  It’s like you are owning it.”  He was right, I was.  I was making it a part of my being.  I recently heard this quote, “Whatever you add after ‘I am’ comes chasing after you.”  I would say the same thing about the word “my”.  What words are you owning?

Sometimes we let words that others have chosen become a part of our beings.  ”You’re fat.”  ”You’re stupid.”  ”You’re worthless.”  The sharp edge of the tongue.  We can have 20 people tell us opposite & still struggle to believe the truth!

When I was in college, I had a 45 minute commute to school.  I always used that time to pray.  Once I felt like God was speaking to me, but I got really upset & began to ask, “How do I know it’s YOU?  How do I know it’s not just my subconscious?”  In my mind I heard clear as day, “Rhema.  You will know it’s me.”  My response?  ”What the heck is a rhema?”  At that point I thought I had lost it.  I abruptly ended the “conversation”.  Later that very night I attended a Bible study.  The pastor handed out our first worksheet entitled Rhema: The Word of God.

Words.

Last year I decided to choose a word for the year.  I tried & tried, but nothing would come to me, nothing would resonate…until my husband said “limitless”.  In many ways that word came to pass.  I started believing that limitations were only set by my own fears – that if I just pushed through, there were no limits.  I did things last year I never imagined, including speaking & playing my music in front of a huge crowd, forming & fronting my own band and, not to mention learning to love myself in profound ways.  There are no limits.

This year I have once again struggled to choose my word.  I think it is because I KNOW the power it can hold.  I RESPECT words.  I once prayed to be fearless.  A friend of mine told me that was a very brave prayer.  Little did I know!!!  That word sent me flying in a 10 passenger plain over the Rocky Mountains to share my college research project with 100 audiology professors!  Yeah, fearless.

I’m feeling….let’s say…a little less brave this year!  I would say “adventure” sounds like a great word, but 1) there are many types of adventure!  & 2) I’m the kind of person who finds themselves in adventure naturally.

I was very close to choosing “grace”.  Ahhhh how I LOOOOOVE the word “grace”!  You really have no idea.  Anyone who thinks that grace is meek & mild doesn’t get the word.  I almost think grace is the remedy for anything that ails us.  However, “grace” just didn’t resonate.

The word I have settled on is the word that keeps coming back to me again and again.  The word strikes a deep chord in my system and permeates my being.  The word terrifies me in ways that I don’t even understand.  The word I have chosen for myself for 2013 is “home”.  That’s right, the girl who’s favorite word is “wanderlust” who has lived in 5 states and roughly 22 different houses in her lifetime is choosing the word “home”.

Okay…let’s be honest, it’s not like I’m going to stop traveling or going to concerts or having grand adventures.  But, I DO want to focus on making my house a home…a loving, cozy & welcoming environment that breathes life into all who enter…a place to imagine, create & where dreams are birthed.  I’m sure I will spend all year discovering the different ways the word “home” plays out, and that scares me beyond belief.  But, it feels good & it feels right. So, there it is.

Be warned that you will probably see pictures of redecorating and rearranging from here on out!

After all of that, what is YOUR word for 2013?

Much love, many blessings & HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Your skin can be AMAZING!

1.  GREEN SMOOTHIES!  I promise you, without a doubt, if you add more greens to your diet, your skin will SHOW it.  The same people who are grossing out because you’re drinking something that looks like sewer sledge will be begging you for the recipe once they see your skin glowing.

2.  Lemon water first thing in the am.  It’s detoxifying & anything that is detoxifying will usually beautify.

3.  GET MOVING!  Exercise increases circulation, which increases oxygen in your system, which brightens your skin!

4.  Eat avocados!  Shoot, add them to your smoothies!  They actually make them creamy & delicious.  I avoided this for a full year because I thought it sounded so nasty, but I don’t want a smoothie without one now!

5.  Eat at least 70% RAW fruits, veggies & nuts.  Your skin will thank you!

6.  Do what you LOVE!  Nothing makes the skin duller than a dull life.  If you are sad, mad or otherwise had, your skin will show.  When you are doing what you love, you seriously RADIATE.

7.  Ditch the nasty chemicals!  It will take a little while for your skin to adjust to this, but I promise you, it will be worth it in the long run.  Go for more natural make-up.  Try using pure coconut oil as a moisturizer.  I’m in LOVE with Dr. Hauschka’s line.  You can try free samples at Whole Foods.

8.  Use raw honey a little bit of baking soda as a scrub & apple cider vinegar as a toner.

9.  If you’re having serious acne, your body is probably trying to tell you something.  It’s amazing how our skin can be like a warning light. 

10.  Tap into your SOUL BEAUTY!  Learn to LOVE yourself!  I PROMISE you, if you can do this, you will absolutely GLOW!

Much love & many blessings!

I’m sorry to be the bearer of  bad news, but I’ve had to postpone this class until early 2012.  I’ll keep you posted though, don’t worry :)

Get Your Glow ON!!!

Want GLOWING skin? This is the EVENT for you!!!

Want to learn the secrets of how nutrition makes a difference in your skin? What skin care products are the best? How to make your own affordable, AMAZING skin care products from ingredients found at the grocery store?

Class includes: 15 minute mini-massage, delicious dessert, your own sugar scrub, recipes to take home, & a free gift certificate for a 1-hour health & wellness evaluation from Soul Carrot Health Coaching!

All for only $25!

Class will fill up quickly!!!!

SO, take a break from holiday madness to PAMPER yourself! Bring a friend & let’s have a blast!!!

***Clients of Soul Carrot Health Coaching can come & bring a guest for free***

Today I ran out of deodorant & have to make more.  Don’t worry, I had enough to make it through Zumba, so if you see me, you shouldn’t have to stand too far away!  But, I thought I’d bring up an oldie, but goodie for you :)  Soon I will be offering a class on how to make your own natural skincare products!  Stay tuned!  You won’t want to miss it!

*******************************************************

“You do WHAT?”

You read right!  I keep my deodorant in the refrigerator.  Why, you ask?  Well, here’s the deal – years ago I learned about how horrible deodorant is for our health, especially for women.  Commercial deodorants contain ingredients such as aluminum and parabens, both of which have been linked to breast cancer.  So, I started my journey trying to find a natural deodorant that actually worked.  My conclusion?  Well, you could probably smell it!  Half way through Zumba, I’d be stinking it up!

So, I thought, maybe I could *make* my own deodorant!  There has to be a way.  So, I googled “homemade deodorant recipe” and I found a coconut oil based recipe.   I thought, “What the heck!  I’ll give it a shot!  If it doesn’t work, at least it’s super cheap!”  I happened to have the ingredients on hand.  So, I found an old deodorant tube, cleaned it out, made the recipe, put it all together & stuck it in the refrigerator.

The next day would be the ultimate test – Zumba!  I made it out smelling tropical instead of toxical (Okay, I know that’s not a word.  But, it sounded better!)  I’ve never looked back.  I’ve even added yummy smelling essential oils to the mix.  If you’re not a fan of coconut smell, there is unscented coconut oil.  I think it’s best to buy organic coconut oil if you can.  I think you can buy coconut oil that is solid at room temps, but I just used what I had.

So if you’re ever at my house and look in my refrigerator, you won’t think I’ve totally lost it.  (Although I’m sure some of you reading this think I already have!)

I love baking soda!  I sure do!  And before you to thinking I’ve lost it, let me explain why.  This substance is amazing!

• It’s the easiest, non-toxic, most effective cleaner I know of.  I use it to scrub kitchen & bathroom.  It brightens and deodorizes!
• Mix a couple of tablespoons with a couple of squirts of dish soap, a cup of hot water, and 1/4 cup white vinegar, and you have a great shower cleaner.
• Sprinkle it on your carpet and let it set for a couple of hours, then vacuum for a great, non-toxic carpet freshener.
• Place a dime-sized portion of baking soda in your palm, then add some of your cleanser.  You automatically have a great exfoliator!
• Use it to make deodorant!

Check out this website for a few more uses :)

And stay tuned for the coconut oil edition!!!

There are certain products that I absolutely love, and I thought I’d share them with you all!  What we put on our bodies, and what we put in our air, can really impact our health.  I have tried a lot of different products in the past, and these are just a few that work for me:

Kiss my Face Aloe Vera Whitening toothpaste is probably one of my favorite toothpastes of all time!  I was nervous buying it because of the aloe vera.  How could that taste good?  But, it DOES!  I promise.  In fact, when I run out, I go into panic mode!John Master’s Blood Orange & Vanilla lotion is AMAZING!  Probably pretty much because it smells like cupcakes!  What’s not to like about that?!  Plus it works really well.  I have to be careful about scents, because they can be so overwhelming.  A little of this goes a long way.  And of course, scent is very individual.  But, if you find yourself at Whole Foods, give this a try!

Charlie’s Soap is my all-time favorite laundry detergent!  It makes your clothes feel so soft!  And it’s natural to boot!  No chemically smell!  It also takes the musty smell out of my high efficiency washer.

My Shark Steam Mop.  I love this thing!  Mopping is probably one of my least favorite activities!  It just grosses me out!  lol!  This makes it so easy in so many ways!  It was worth every penny!

The next one is kind of complicated!  I LOVE Method’s dish soap dispenser.  It was life changing, I tell you!  It makes doing the dishes, well, happy!  But, the soap itself contains dioxane, which isn’t so good for you.  So I bought the dispenser & refilled it with Seventh Generation dish soap.

There you have it.  Hope you like a few of them!  Leave a comment and let me know what your favorite products are!

If you are ever wondering about the safety of a product, the Environmental Working Group is an amazing resource.

Much love & many blessings,

Christy

P.S. Don’t forget to enter Soul Carrot’s first contest to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!