Communication is Key

By Claire

Today, I'm going to write about something close to my heart at this moment in time: communication. It's one of those things everyone talks about being important in a relationship but never really explains how to go about doing it. Well, a year ago I had just finished taking a class on marriage prep. In that class, we discussed communication, especially "active listening".

Basically what "active listening" is, is not only acknowledging that you are listening by nodding or saying "uh huh" but also making sure they understand that you understand what they are saying. So, this means re-stating what they are saying in your own words. This can be very effective in communicating with your partner, parents, siblings, children, friends, etc. It shows that not only do you care enough to listen, but you are willing to prove you are listening.

So, what I guess I'm trying to say is that holistic living doesn't just apply to everything else we've discussed thus far. It also covers our relationships and our overall lifestyle. Communication is always key. Learn it, practice it, use it.

Love,

Claire

Monday Morning Positivity

By Claire

I am trying something new and different with this blog. I'm going to journal every day for a month or two as a writing exercise. This should hopefully help me to always be thinking of something I can write about, help me to think outside the box, because who needs the box anyway, right?

Today I'm going to talk about having a positive outlook on life.

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I'm a generally positive person. I like to look on the good side of things. I don't generally like thinking negatively, and if I have a negative thought I like to turn it around. But sometimes, it's really hard to do this. And, to be honest, I didn't always have a positive outlook on life. I used to be a negative person, a glass half empty type of person.

So, you're probably wondering: How did you change your mindset so drastically, Claire?

I'm glad you asked! I just realized one day that by thinking negatively I attracted negativity to me! Basically, I was perpetuating the cycle, allowing it to continue. One day I decided I'd had enough, I started to think about all the things I had to be grateful about:

1. I have a roof to shelter me.
2. I have a bed to sleep in.
3. I have food in the cabinets and in the fridge (so even if it seems like I have nothing to eat, I really do, I just need to think outside the box!)
4. I have family and friends who love and care about me.
5. I have a boyfriend who cares about me and wants me to feel better when I'm not feeling very well.

So really, what do I have to complain about?

I challenge each and every one of you to spend a week writing down everything you have to be grateful for every day. Look at that list when you are feeling blue or just feeling like crap and remind yourself that you have SO MUCH! Seriously, love yourself and love your life. There will always be bad, but you don't have to give it power over your emotions and your life.

Love,

Claire

Taking a moment to meditate on how amazing my life is atop a pyramid!

Claire 9/14/16 "I Guess this is Goodbye"

By Claire

I guess this is goodbye.

A couple years ago when I came up with this idea, I never thought I'd actually make it happen. But then a year ago, I finally talked Katie into doing it with me and it was fantastic, we had a ton of ideas and the time to do it. (Or at least, we made time). But now life has gotten away with us. She is busy with work and with her writing, and of course her husband. I just got back from Mexico and found a job working part-time as a nanny here in Salt Lake City and am also focusing on my writing and editing. Unfortunately, writing this blog just doesn't seem to be in the cards for us, at this moment (and maybe never, I guess only time will tell).

I want you all to know that I will continue posting anything holistic or healthy living related here on this blog, it just won't be regular like before.

Also, I will be posting regularly on my personal blog. Definitely check that out.

You can also keep track of Katie on her twitter and on her Facebook.

I hope you all find life as amazing as I am right now!

Love always,

Claire

Katie 6/24/16 “Garden Update”

Hey guys,

Sorry we've been MIA for... a few weeks. WE ARE ALIVE!

Since Claire is in Mexico, I've been a big slacker. Hold the rotten tomatoes, please.

To appease the masses, here is a visual update of my garden! It's doing pretty well, considering I'm battling a million earwigs and I didn't have any good ground this time last year.

Lettuce going to seed and tomatoes

Kale, peas, potatoes, young tomatoes and peppers

Look at that dead grass!

Monstrous potatoes

Can't wait till it all gets BIG

Onion, garlic, carrot, beet, rutabaga

Onion--he's getting bigger!

Squash blossoms, so cute!

Some pretty mint, makes good sun tea

Anyone want some free tomatoes or tomatillos? I have a ton!!!

Live well,

Katie

Katie 5/20/16 “No More ‘Pooing”

By Katie

I picked up my conditioner bottle today and was pleased to feel how empty it was. Right on time, my shampoo and soap are also running out. Why am I pleased by this, you wonder? Because I can dive in to the no ‘poo!

“Katie, that’s super gross!” you are probably saying. I’m not talking bathroom humor, though! Wait, I totally am. I’m excited to implement the practice of not using chemical based products in the shower anymore. This method is commonly called “No ‘Poo”, which is just short for shampoo. See? I wasn’t being gross!

I’ve read a few different articles about people who starting washing their hair with baking soda and conditioning it with apple cider vinegar. They’ve seen some great results, like softer, healthier hair, having less oily skin, and not washing their hair everyday. When harsh chemicals aren’t stripping our oils out, we can go a lot longer without scrubbing our scalps. It’s cheaper than hair products and healthier for our skin and hormones.

Another great benefit is how easy it is. Rinse out your shampoo and conditioner bottles and fill them with a baking soda and water solution in one and diluted ACV in the other. Bam! Healthy products in a minute!

I also made my own toothpaste with coconut oil, baking soda, and OnGuard essential oil. It is gentle and leaves me with cleaner teeth than I get with toothpaste. I’m really looking forward to eliminating more chemicals from my life.

If you don’t know anything about the harm caused by most hygiene products, I suggest you take a day and read the copious amounts of articles about shampoo ingredients, fluoride, aluminum and deodorant, and other products that are harmful to our bodies. I couldn’t even begin to compile a list for you. Remember, skin is your largest organ and absorbs anything you put on it. Treat your body right, and it will treat you right.

Wish me luck with my ‘pooing, and good luck to you on your personal journey to perfect health and happiness. I’ll let you know how mine goes!

Live well,

Katie

Claire 5/13/16 “Through Small and Simple Things”

By Claire

Hola! I have officially been in Mexico for two weeks as of tomorrow (and in my city as of this upcoming Sunday)! I am in love with Mexico, it is so beautiful, and the people here are wonderful and so full of love for everyone. I kind of feel like I’m back in Rexburg when I walk down the street, not because of what the street looks like, but because everyone says hello and wishes you a good day, even if they don’t know you. And when I go to church, they are always so warm and welcoming. It’s pretty amazing down here! But I’m not here to tell you about my trip, as awesome as it is. If you want to read more about my trip down here I have a blog specifically for that (including pictures!).

If there is one thing I have learned in the last couple weeks, it is patience in all things. I’ve taken many years of Spanish classes, but I was not prepared for speaking with native speakers. I imagine I feel as lost as anyone who has ever learned English as a second language in their home country and then gone to visit America. The way we speak is way less formal than how they are taught in the classroom and we talk so much faster that sometimes even though they know the words we are speaking it doesn’t really sink in. I feel that ALL the time here! Slowly and surely, I am picking it up.

Another difficult thing I am dealing with (or enjoying) is teaching English to children here in Mexico. It is hard to not judge how well I am teaching by how well-behaved the children are, or how well I keep their attention rather than how well prepared I am or how well I am learning to teach. My head teacher noticed this, which is something she struggled with in the beginning as well. It’s all in how you think: Do you judge how well your day is going by things you can’t control? Or do you judge how well your day is going by how well you are dealing with what you can control? I like to think positively in all things.

President Gordon B. Hinckley (Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 90’s) had this to say: “The course of our lives is not determined by great, awesome decisions. Our direction is set by the little day-to-day choices which chart the track on which we run.”

So, as you go throughout this weekend and next week, remember that it is the little things, the simple things, that set your direction. Be nice to yourself. Be patient with yourself as you learn new things. And, especially if you are learning something as complex as a language, remember that it took you all your life to become proficient in your native language and you still aren’t there yet.

Live well!

Claire

Katie 5/6/16 “God’s Got You Covered”

By Katie

Mankind loves revolution. As a race, we have worked hard to progress to our current level of luxury, education, and convenience. One of our earliest achievements was the agricultural revolution, thousands of years ago. We had an industrial revolution in the 1700’s, and in our own era, a mind blowing technological revolution. These big steps have greatly benefitted us, but I’d like to bring up the elephant in the room.

Sometimes progress is too much progress.

There are free public schools, but high dropout rates and a loss of practical skills, not to mention the toll standardized testing has taken on the upcoming generations’ ability to think freely.

There is access to produce in the stores year round, with season barely affecting crop availability. On the same hand, those crops are often genetically modified or covered in toxic pesticides and herbicides, grown in depleted soil, leaving a low nutrient product at which even your dog turns up his nose. Consumerism demands thousands of products and we get them all for the cheap price of being in a few million lifetimes of debt to China. Oh, and the amount of waste is so extreme we ship it to other countries.

However, do not despair! We are the ones riding the wave of the new revolution. The revolution of reconnecting to God, reconnecting to nature, and reconnecting to our higher, spiritual selves. In general, it’s a spiritual revolution. People are waking up to see the damages caused by leaning on man’s understanding instead of acknowledging God’s power. I am excited to be here with you to share in this new era, laying the foundation of a better world for our children.

I write to you today about what seems to be the newest craze in gardening, but is in fact ancient and eternal. Many affectionately call it “Back to Eden” gardening. The idea behind it is when you rely on the Lord, He is able to answer you in his perfect creation. People realized the madness of tilling their fragile soil, putting expensive chemical fertilizers into it, and receiving ever decreasing yields of produce despite the myriad of “miracle” products used. Slowly, farmers have turned to God, asking why they are failing. He answered. He always does.

In nature, we have a powerful example of redemption and abundance from lack. No matter the climate, something can grow there. God’s design works despite challenges, whereas man’s design fails without challenges. What’s the difference, you ask? Go walk where man hasn’t polluted, such as a forest or prairie. What do you see? I’ll tell you what you don’t see, and that is uncovered dirt. God covers the soil with plants and fallen organic matter. Man is faithless and only believes there is dirt to be had if he can see it!

In the Back to Eden method, gardeners understand the need of this covering. In the fall, God covers the earth with leaves and twigs and needles. The winter rain and snow aid in breaking this organic matter down, and when spring comes, gorgeous, rich soil has been made under that mulch covering. No wonder spring blossoms so incredibly! The trees and flowers truly spring up with growth!

If you imitate this covering, you will see how quickly worms and fungi move in, turning everything beneath into useable soil. You can use anything to cover your soil that you have on hand, such as grass clippings, leaves, straw, manure, or woodchips. The traditional Back to Eden garden features woodchips, which are comprised of green matter from branches, leaves, and needles. They tend to be more absorbent, don’t break down as rapidly, are unaffected by wind, and work wonders for cleaning up wet spots.

I will briefly describe how to create a covering and then go into the benefits.

First, mow any grass or other plants in your desired garden space. Lay down a couple layers of newspaper or cardboard over the space. Avoid cardboard with any sort of laminate, gloss images, or lots of ink.

Now that you’ve created a barrier to kill the grass and such beneath, apply any organic matter you have. Make a layer of some lovely compost if you have it. Take a note from the Creator when you do this and always layer, never mix or till. God doesn’t mix or till in the forest. He layers and it is perfect. We have been taught incorrectly, and this is us trying to rewire.

As your final layer, put 4-6 inches of woodchips on top of your compost, manure, etc. When it rains, this will make compost tea for you. Free and abundant. You don’t have to break the bank buying compost tea. All of God’s gifts are free, and the garden is no exception.

That’s all well and good, you think, but what’s the big deal? I’ll tell you! The soil is a living organism and must be covered, the same way we are covered with skin. Now that it’s protected, it can flourish.

Here is the good part.

Year after year, this organic covering will break down and build better and better soil. It will balance out chemically, eventually reaching a neutral 7.0 pH. Both alkaline and acid loving plants flourish in neutral soil. Because the soil is covered, it doesn’t dry out. You get to remove irrigation and sprinklers and drip lines and all the other desperate contraptions you employ to keep your plants hydrated. The covering keeps it moist down there, even in the midst of summer. It also doesn’t suffocate roots or trunks. In extreme temperatures, it is insulation against both cold and heat. Hello, winter crops!

The covering supplies nutrients to the soil, giving you high levels of things like potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, iron, and such. Your food gets tastier and plants healthier, especially if you save seeds and start to breed a superior strain. Another great relief is that crop rotation is no longer necessary. The soil is never depleted now that it’s properly nourished. You can plant again and again with the same results.

Another amazing benefit is freedom from pests. The plants are so full of water that insects drown when they nibble. They need cellulose, not water. Pest control becomes very minimal over time as everything improves together.

Say goodbye to backbreaking weeding, too! New weeds are easy to pull out of the woodchips, since they’re so light and full of air. Some gardeners take a rake and brush them out. It’s a cinch! I just told you that your biggest problems are erased. How do you feel?

Whether you are a seasoned green thumb or a hopeless, self-dubbed “black thumb”, anyone can have bountiful produce when this return to God’s method is employed. I hope you are inspired to pursue this. God’s yoke is easy and his burden is light. So can yours be, if you use His creation to your advantage and cast off your burdens.

Before I let you go, I’d like to briefly share my own experience with this method. I live in a suburban neighborhood and have a small backyard. I wanted a garden, but wasn’t sure how to achieve it since the yard is all grass and I wasn’t in a place to buy dirt. My mom discovered the Back to Eden method online and shared the YouTube videos with me. It was truly an answer to prayer. I got a few free loads of woodchips from a local tree service and started my covering! (Note that tree services often have to drive a distance to the dump and offload their chips. You are doing them a favor by asking for the chips!)

All winter my woodchips sat, percolating. I finally couldn’t resist and had to check out beneath the chips to see if it had worked. Immediately beneath were gorgeous, moist chips and white threads of healthy fungi. A little deeper were worms, creating precious vermicompost. Even now, no weeds have peeked out of my chips, except for a few that blow in on top. My vegetables are happily growing, and I am so excited to reap a plentiful harvest!

What are you still doing here? Go watch these videos and call up your local tree service! You have an amazing journey ahead of you!

Live well,

Katie

Chip delivery websites: abouttrees.com and www.chipdrop.in

(This blog post to be featured in a magazine soon! I will link it up as soon as I can!)