1 – OLD HOME LOVE 2 – HOUSE OF BRINSON
⋅ONE ROOM CHALLENGE Have you been following along this round? It’s week two and has been fun to watch from the sidelines this time. The last two rounds we did our man cave and sunroom. I have some very talented friends participating, and some people who’s work I admire from afar. I can’t wait to see what Erica, Julia, Christine and Nicole do. I know House of Brinson and Old Home Love will leave me inspired.
⋅WHOLE30 Micah has been asking to do this for several years now, and we are planning to take it on this next month. My diet fits under the Whole30 parameters until about 2:30 in the afternoon when I eat 5-7 cookies, so that’s sure to be a struggle. Any tips, tricks, and recipes would be appreciated! Because I’m working out and nursing all the time I know I’m going to have to step up my calorie intake to stick to it!
⋅HAIRBRUSH I got a lot of responses on Instagram when I proclaimed I hadn’t washed my hair in 7 days. You’re either amazed or completely grossed out right now…it’s ok to be both. One thing I didn’t have was a nice hairbrush, but a reader recommended this one and I’m really liking it so far. You can see more of my hair tips here.
Amanda Brooks English Country Home
⋅ESCAPE TO THE COUNTRY My current watch on Netflix is this delightful show that takes couples house hunting in the English countryside. They typically see three homes, and it’s fun to see what ancient building many date back to the 17 and 1800’s with acreage they pick. It’s like House Hunters without the speckled granite, espresso cabinets, and open floor plans. Oh, and without the American drama.
⋅HOUSE RENOVATION Today Micah comes home from a project he’s been working on out of town for the last two months. Parenting solo has been a challenge at times and kept renovations at bay…that baby thing might have something to do with it too. While the last five months without any major makeovers have been really nice weekends filled with family time instead of sawdust I’ve been anxious to get back at it. And just because we haven’t been swinging hammers and laying tile doesn’t mean I haven’t been planning. We’ve got our backyard on the brain. If all goes according to plan we’ll be tackling a lot of it in the coming months.
Darcy Sexson says
Jen Hatmaker has a bunch of great Whole 30 recipes on Plan To Eat (my new favorite website that makes grocery shopping and meal planning a breeze). 🙂
themakerista@gmail.com says
Ooh, I’ll have to check it out. Thank you, Darcy!
Carmen says
I love that show too! If it’s British, I’m on board. Give me all the period dramas and current shows! ??. As for whole30, I considered it for about 5 minutes ? Those afternoon sweets get me through the day!
themakerista@gmail.com says
Ha, my problem is they feel like they’re getting me through the day, but then I crash. I’m open to trying it, but I have very little willpower when it comes to food, so it should be interesting!
Emily says
Speaking of hair…..I’ve switched to New Hair shampoo and a couple of their other products, and I must say, it’s amazing. It gets some getting used to, and an adjustment period for your hair, but I find I can go almost 3 days without washing with this product, and no it is not gross! Go to hairstory.com to learn more, and I hope you will share what you do with your backyard!
themakerista@gmail.com says
I’ve never heard of it, I’ll have to check it out…thanks, Emily!
Julianne says
I have done the Whole 30 and it was easier than I thought it would be. Lara Bars (a lot are Whole 30 approved) and Dates would be good substitutes for the cookies. Towards the end of the Whole 30, the dates were too sweet for me.
themakerista@gmail.com says
I love dates and thanks for the reminder! Before this cookie kick that was my go-to sweet too. 😉
Wendy says
We just finished Round 1 of Whole30. Its a big commitment, lots of prep! Plan ahead. I love the recipes from Paleo Running Momma, she is on FB and has a website, all of hers have turned out perfectly. We start Round 2 on Monday. Happy Easter and Good luck!
themakerista@gmail.com says
Thanks for the recommendations, Wendy! Hope you had a great Easter!
Kim says
LOL House Hunters without the speckled granite, espresso cabinets and open floor plans! But are there still people who can’t see past paint color?
Good luck with Whole30!
themakerista@gmail.com says
It seems there are! Thank you!
Angleine says
Have you watched Grand Designs (Netflix)? I love the lack of drama, like you pointed out, or, in some cases, more restrained drama :). I also thought the following were good from Amazon video: the latest season of Room to Improve, Dr Thorne & The Durrells (watched them on PBS, but worth watching again) and The Marelous Mrs. Maisel (waiting for new episodes, those apartments!) Best wishes on your projects and keeping up with your little ones!
themakerista@gmail.com says
I haven’t, but have added it to the list. Thank you for the other recs, I really enjoyed The Durrells but haven’t seen the others!
Linda | Calling it Home says
Hi Gwen, thanks for the mention. I need to investigate that Netflix show. Whole30….good luck! I know my limits and that sounds hard.
themakerista@gmail.com says
Ha, it’s not always been easy but I feel much better about what I’m eating. 🙂 Man, so many great spaces, hoping to highlight some on the blog soon…hope you’re doing well!
Kristin says
I did the Whole 30 last year and it was really hard at first, but got easier an easier for me as it went on. For a sweet tooth I agree with having dates and Larabars on hand, and frozen grapes are surprisingly delicious. I would eat them at night and pretend it was ice cream. What worked best for me was having a routine with meals. I always prepped a big pan of an egg/veggie/meat bake on the weekends, so I could grab a square and go in the morning. Lunch was salad with protein, or leftovers from dinner. Dinner was often protein cooked in the crockpot and a sweet potato or regular potatoes. They don’t recommend snacking on the Whole 30, but I never would have survived without it. I ate a lot of fruit and veggies for snacks. Other lifesavers for me were buying ghee to replace butter, using canned coconut milk a lot, and whatever the substitute for soy sauce is that they recommend. I used both frequently. Oh, and I never got used to drinking my coffee black, but I did it for 30 days! Good luck!
themakerista@gmail.com says
Yes, I’ve never tried frozen grapes before, they are very refreshing! Thanks for all of your tips, they have been very helpful, Kristin!
Joan says
My husband and I did Whole30 for one round, sort of. We cut out everything as noted except alcohol……my husband still lost 15 pounds, even though weight loss isn’t the goal. I got through the sweet cravings with Lara bars and a lot of fruit. First few days I wanted cheese and crackers, grains, etc. but it definitely subsided. I read the book “It starts with food” and that helped me understand why certain food is forbidden. I’m not good with the whole meal planning thing, so I basically went to the grocer almost every day. Biggest challenge for us was lunch. I want to do it again, I could feel a difference. (Sorry for going on and on!)
themakerista@gmail.com says
That’s how I feel! I’ve gone to the store like 10 times a week, ha. Well, to three different stores because I can’t get everything I need at one. I appreciate you commenting and glad to know I’m not alone with the lack of planning, Joan! 😉