happy day project:::setting goals for the summer

this is what my fingernails have looked like a lot lately.
i'm not one who likes to get dirty, but when the job calls for it, i neatly dig in.  :)
we have been spending an incredibly large amount of time outside lately, busily working on our landscaping and gardens, as money and time allow.

***school is still in session over here and seems to be lingering on like the nasty black bean smell in my fridge(no joke), but ya gotta make hay while the sun shines, right?***

God has been so good to bless us with the desires of our heart.
one of those desires was/is to tidy up the outside of our home.
and as i'm sure you know, it's not cheap!
we live on a dead end road with only one person past us, but we want to be good stewards of what He has given us, and be a good testimony to out friends and neighbors.
we also want to use the land that we have to raise our own food, and live off of that for the summer.
in a few days, we have SIXTY chicks coming.
Lord help us!

i'm joining alicia today  for her summer goals/list happy day project.
the challenge this week was to make a list of your summer goals.
here are a few of mine.  or most of them!

1.  keep working on my landscaping/rock edging and keep up with weeds

this is the front of our 70's ranch that i have been working really hard on.
i  love beautiful cottage like gardens with simple flowers that pretty much take care of themselves.
my plan is to plant a few more things over here, and then let them do their thing.
i have spent hours collecting rocks and making this border with them.
first i dug out the edging, lined it with cardboard, put each rock in snugly, and then filled it back with dirt on one side, and mulch over the top of landscaping felt on the other.
i do not want weeds to come up here!  :)

2.  plant herbs in herb garden and use them!

we recently embarked on the journey to making a raised bed garden in our front yard.
or, a potager, as i like to call it.  (nathan rolls eyes)
actually, this whole project can all be accredited to my husband.
he is the master planner carry out-er.  :)
we grabbed supplies, hauled them home, and i'll let the pictures say the rest.
this leads to me to my next goal.

3.  plant, maintain, and USE fresh garden goodness and continue to make the 'potager' pretty

i would like to add a focal point to the center of this area, add pea gravel eventually, and make it a beautiful work of art in our front yard.

my goal really should be, "work on patience", because it definitely will not happen overnight. 

4.  keep up with my supplements and experimenting with protein shakes

i am a die hard supplement girl so this one will be easy for me, but eventually  i would like to share some of the recipes for shakes that i use and love.

this chocolate peanut butter protein shake was a hit with my whole family.

i really want to devote a whole post to our faves.

please remind me to do that!

5.  continue running with my man

goal: 12 miles a week

6.  eat 90% raw food

no sugar

pray  hard

i want you to know that eating raw is totally do-able, but it doesn't have to happen overnight. 

i started about three months ago,  and have slowly collected recipes and ideas.

i don't do it to say that i'm a raw foodist or vegan, but it really is so true that i feel more alive when i eat live food.  great concept, huh?  :)

i avoid dairy, meat, sugar, gluten and really try to stick to raw fruits and vegetables only.

my exceptions are organic corn chips and sprouted bread.

oh!  and we ate out at a mexican restaurant last night and i ate EVERYTHING that i shouldn't have, so i am a normal person.  :)

people come before food, so if we are eating at someone else's house, i eat what they serve because it's not that important and i don't have health issues that require this type of eating.

i hope to share some of the recipes below with you, too...let me know if you're interested in any of them!

and let me tell you...i am a recovering sugar addict(like from last thanksgiving until february, i think that's all i ate. :/   hello detox!).

like i really, really like chocolate and sugar, but it became a problem, so it's just better if i stay away from it. then i don't crave it.

did you know that your taste buds are new every 7-10 days, so they are easy to retrain?

so far, i have made a raw chocolate tart, halvah, and i eat a lot of fruit to curb my sweet cravings.

carob candies sweetened with barley malt make a good substitute for sugary candies, too.  :)

most importantly, i want to take good care of this temple that God has given me and that He dwells in.

i don't think i honor Him when i treat it poorly by gorging myself with junk.

eat to live, don't live to eat.

7.  cover up outside and wear sunscreen

i don't wear this hat to be cute, that's for sure!
i have super sensitive, fair, freckled skin, and i've been burned too many times VERY badly.

hat: check!  sunscreen: check(gotta order it)!   long shirt to cover my backside:  check!
this one might be hard for me.  i'm trying hard, sweet husband of mine!

i'm seriously going to need a lot of prayer to keep this up, but i know i can do it!
you know why?

 ^"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Phiippians 4:13

what are your goals for the summer?
you know, one thing i forgot to mention is meal planning and getting a  good GINORMOUS calendar.
i'm not a great list maker, but i need to become one.
grown ups shouldn't miss dental appointments and always be late.
i also cannot afford to run to the store every other day for food.  that gets crazy expensive!
someone wanna help me meal plan?
starting is half the battle for me...drifting off into unknown territory is scary.
like when did this happen?
i used to be so good!!!  :)

i hope you have a great rest of the week, darlings!
i'm off to do laundry and plant those heirloom tomatoes.
so exciting!

xo,
mary