Places and Spaces: Palo Duro Canyon

It has recently come to my attention that I never "officially" blogged about Palo Duro Canyon. Last September we traveled 6 hours to the Panhandle of Texas to visit this great place and to celebrate our two year wedding anniversary. Since we are quickly approaching our third (September Fourth) I figured, now is as good of time as any! 

Did you know, Palo Duro Canyon, located in Canyon, Texas, is the second largest canyon in the United States! Second, of course, to the Grand Canyon. Palo Duro is 120 miles long, and in some spots, 20 miles wide! The maximum depth is 800 feet. Compared to the Grand Canyon, at 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and 6,000 feet deep. 

We had a blast during our last visit and I would love to go again! This place is grand, beautiful and in the middle of nowhere! There isn't much up there in the Panhandle, but this State Park is a true gem. If you are ever passing through the area, I highly recommend stopping. The views in this park are worth the visit! -Ruth-

Avocado Smoothie

Avocado Smoothie. Believe it or not, I've never had one. I know! Hard to believe coming from a girl who drinks a smoothie most days of the work week. So, when my husband surprised me Friday afternoon with a new Ninja Blender ,I decided I must immediately make myself a avocado smoothie! This is what I did...

Avocado and Banana Smoothie

1 Frozen Banana

1 cup raw Spinach

1 whole Avocado

1/4 cup orange juice

1-2 tbsp. Honey

Ice

Simply Blend and Enjoy. -Ruth-

Lavender Linen Spray DIY

I have had a problem with the clean linens in my closet smelling, well not so fresh when it comes time to use them. What can be more annoying. I mean, I went through all the trouble of washing all of those sheets an towels, folded them, and tucked them neatly away in the linen closet. When it comes time to use them, the smell stale! What is that about? Does this ever happen to you? Please tell me I'm not alone.

It's no secret that I am a sucker for all things homemade. I am also really into things being really simple. The less ingredients, the better. Well, I've tried to combat said issue with putting Seventh Generation All Natural Dryer Sheets between my linens while tucked away in the closet. That helps, but hasn't solved my problem completely. So, I decided to make some homemade linen spray. After I put the sheets on the bed, I spray them down...heavily. It seems to really help freshen things up. While they are still a bit stale right out of the closet, I think I've found a solution that I can live with.

Homemade Lavender Linen Spray

3 oz. spray bottle

1 oz. Rubbing Alcohol

3 oz. Distilled Water

15 drops of Lavender oil

Simply combine the ingredients and shake well. You can print this cute little label I made and stick it to your bottle. I used the printable address labels, found the template in MS Word, and inserted my image. Simple and easy, just how I like it!!! -Ruth-

Make today beautiful

|| Download ||

Seventh Generation Skin Serum

Y'all, when I was chosen to review a Seventh Generation product for Lucky, I was so excited! I love Seventh Generation products, so this was a no-brainer! Obviously, I am in love with all things natural and all things sustainable! Needless to say, this was a perfect fit. 

For the last two weeks, I've added the Skin Serum Boosts to my daily routine. I went about my normal routine, but instead of using my moisturizer, I used one pump of the serum. I found that to be the most effective way to apply the serum. When applied directly to the skin it didn't make my skin feel greasy. In fact, it felt better than using my moisturizer! After a few days, my face felt softer and was less greasy by the end of the day.

I also found this product to be an effective to in combating the brutal Texas sun! My face is exposed to a lot of sun and I felt like the serum helped to alleviate some of the complications that accompany all that sun exposure! Read sunburn! 

I will definitely be keeping Seventh Generation Skin Serum Boosts as part of my daily routine. It is such a perfect compliment to my already all natural hair and make-up routine. I can't wait to try out the other serums, particularly the Tea Tree (my favorite!) You can pick yours at Walgreens.

#AllNaturalStyleSecrets

I received a free sample of this product from Lucky and Seventh Generation for use in connection with this blog.

Simple Portrait Retouching for Bloggers | Video |

Good Afternoon! I made my first video tutorial! I wanted to share with you a simple, quick, and effective way to retouch portraits for your blog! I am not a professional and this is by no means a professional photo retouch. In fact, this barely scratches the surface of photo retouching. However, it is a few basic tips to get your faces glowing! I hope you enjoy!!!

Hey, and please leave me some feedback, advice, or even any other types of videos you might want to see. -Ruth-

Maxi Dress Options

Okay folks, I need your advice. What is your favorite design? I have mentioned a few times what I  do professionally. You can check it out  here here, and here. One of the draws to working with sublimation is that anything is possible! Because the artwork is first printed onto special paper and then the ink is impregnated into the fibers using high temperatures, the garment will never crack, fade, or peel! And the colors are incredibly vibrant! How sweet is that? 

So, I decided that I wanted to design myself a dress. I figure I will just have my factory sublimated the panels and then send them my way and I'll sew it up. (Read less expensive.) But, first, I need to pick a design! Please help! What's your favorite?

A simple and meaningful life...

Happy Monday y'all! Lately, I've seen several posts relating to self-worth, self-image, and self-confidence. I'd like to share with y'all a very simple tool that I use on a daily basis to stay positive and in love with myself and my life. Affirmations. It's as simple as that. What you pay attention to, thrives. Where your attention goes, energy flows. I could list a million rhyming, cliche' sayings to get my point across. But, I will spare you this time.

Honestly, I feel that this is one of the most important keys to happiness. It sounds silly, I know. But, it's so simple, it's obvious. Your thoughts matter! Whatever you are thinking, good or bad, will most certainly manifest itself in your life. For example, if you wake up thinking that it is going to be a terrible day. What kind of day do you think you will have? A good day? On the contrary, my friend. Your mind has already been pre programmed to expect the worst. 

Every morning, on my way to work, I sip my smoothie and I talk to God, pray, and I say my affirmations. I find the more I repeat this behavior, the more naturally it flows throughout the rest of the day. I will find myself thinking a negative thought, and almost on autopilot my brain STOPS the negative thoughts and turns to more positive ones. I find myself repeating "I love myself, my body, and I love my life!" or "I am healthy, happy, whole, and complete!" You know, something along those lines. My words sound so corny..but, I cannot stress enough, HOW THIS BEHAVIOR WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE! 

Sure, sometimes we find ourselves comparing our lives to others or feeling down about a situation. That's totally normal! That's what it means to be human. God made life hard, but, he also made it beautiful and rewarding. So, reward yourself! Go dream up some positive affirmations and put them on repeat in your mind and amazing things will happen for you! I promise! -Ruth-

Why I love Dentistry and why I left the practice.

I don’t talk a lot about the last decade of my career as a dental professional here on the blog. I think most of you are aware of it, but…I don’t really share much about it. No particular reason, just that it's part of the last chapter of my life so to speak. But, that's not to say that it didn't profoundly shape me as an individual and as an employee. And there isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss it! I miss my patients, my co-workers, "selling" health, and having a concrete, structured, and routine day job. Today, I want to discuss what it is about Dentistry that I love, and why I decided to leave the profession.

Dentistry is one of the few areas of health care that focuses more on prevention rather than the treatment of symptoms. That is the number one reason why I love the Dental field. It's so encouraging to see an entire industry focusing on education and prevention! What a beautiful thing to have been a part of! If we could get that mentality to cross over to the general health care  industry that would be the beginning of an amazing paradigm shift in this country. People may begin to realize that we create our disease, anxiety, and general malease. Then, the collective could learn how to prevent these terrible conditions through being educated on the causes, rather than focusing on the symptoms. 

I'd like to share with you so not so obvious life lessons I learned in my ten years as a dental professional. 

_____________Click here to read more_____________

All One.

|| Download ||

Insta-Recap || July

Seriously? July has come and gone already! Oh well, it was a good one! I got to spend time with my folks and my granny at the beginning of the month. That was fabulous! I can't wait to see them in November for Thanksgiving. I made my first Pavlova, leg of lamb, and an awesome Chicken Marsala. All of which were major success stories! The attempt at French Macarons, not so much of a success. But, on the bright side, they tasted amazing! 

I've also gotten my studio fully stocked and ready to open my Etsy shop. I was debating moving forward with it some time ago, but it's official now! My husband and I have taken the leap and invested a decent amount in getting the garage converted into a proper studio. I have all the necessary power tools to get the job done right! And that's a good feeling! 

I also have decided that I'm in LOVE with Wen hair care and I think Chaz Dean is a genius! If you follow along on Instagram or Twitter, you've seen photos of my "transformation". I think YOU should try Wen too! You just might fall in love! 

So, overall...July was a pretty successful month and a lot has happened. Stay tuned for the official announcement of when the Etsy shop will be opening and for a fancy deal! -Ruth-