Friday, January 2, 2015

Friday Five

I'm not totally sure I'm ready for the return of normalcy and the five day work week after the holidays- it's been pretty great having Johnny home to hang out and eat lunch with and I don't think anyone dislikes having an extra day off. Ah, well- all good things must come to an end!

Here's what's been on my radar this week:

ONE Lee Baines III & The Glory Fires


Ever since I read a write-up of Lee Baines III & The Glory Fires on the digital magazine Bitter Southerner, I've been meaning to check out their music. I finally put it on play this week, and I'm so glad I did. It's fiery, slightly twangy rock & roll full of great imagery and insight about the South. Dereconstructed is available to listen to on Spotify, so there's no reason not to check it out.

TWO What Are The Best Breeches For You?

Let's face it: breeches aren't always a flattering garment. Some things that affect our ability to look good in skin-tight stretchy pants are beyond our control, but Dressage Different's guide is a great place to start in the quest for the something that doesn't make you look like a sausage.

THREE Cavalor Leather Shine

Confession time: I'm not overly picky about my leather care products. I have a vast array of them at home and feel like I use a different product every time I clean my tack. A couple of months ago I received a sample of Cavalor Leather Shine in my monthly Horse Box. I used it to clean my dressage saddle, then rode it in the next day. Whoa. If you're looking for something that makes your tack just slightly grippy, this is it. My saddle didn't feel sticky to the touch, but once I got on, it felt like I was wearing full seat breeches. I'm making this stuff a regular addition to my saddle cleaning equipment!


I like making resolutions and setting goals, but sometimes, I get a little too vague or way too specific. This guide on setting effective goals and forming a strategy to achieve them is great. It essentially boils down to asking yourself why you want to accomplish something, and using that as a motivator. Good advice!

FIVE Whole30


I started my second Whole30 yesterday, and I'm really excited about it. Last March, Johnny and I completed a Whole30; both of us felt great about ourselves and the way we felt and looked. If you're unfamiliar with it, it's a sort of nutritional reset eating program. For a month, you eliminate sugar, dairy, grains, alcohol, and legumes. Many people use it to discover food sensitivities and allergies. While Johnny and I don't seem to have those, we both found that we felt more energetic, lighter, and mentally better when we left those things out of our diets. It also helped us control how often we ate out, which was a huge help to our health and our wallets. (Don't ask me about how often I dreamed of Whataburgers.) We're back on track with clean eating and I'm super pumped. (Ask me how I feel three weeks from now, when I can't bear to make my own mayonnaise or eat another banana with almond butter.)


5 comments:

SheMovedtoTexas said...

I've been off since the 23rd of December, so basically I think I will explode when I go back to work on Monday. I want to try the Whole30 but I'm also kind of terrified to cut that much out.

Stephanie said...

You could totally do it, especially if you are a person who enjoys planning and cooking. It wasn't too hard for us- we are big on meat and vegetables anyway, so we just had to adjust to cutting out things like quinoa, rice, and beans. Not eating out was the most difficult for us; if one of us gets home late, we are very likely to just order pizza or go to Whataburger.

If you want to do it, I am happy to offer you as much moral support as you want!

Jen said...

Second what Stephanie said! I've done it also, and even before I did that I did something very similar (getting married to a low-carbing husband) and that taught me I had a wheat intolerance I'd had my whole life and never known about. Now it makes me incredibly sick to eat it, who knows what it was doing to my body all that time. Whole30 is a great tool!

Stephanie said...

Super cool to hear!! It's crazy to think about how different foods can make you feel! I don't feel like I have any true sensitivities or intolerances, but I definitely feel better when I limit how much dairy and wheat I eat.

emma said...

ooh interesting!! i need to get a leather saddle so i can start slathering grippy stuff to it lol

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