Recapping the City of Refuge Hygiene Kit Drive!

Hi Friends! I hope you are having the HAPPIEST day!

I want to share a few photos and say a big THANK YOU to all of you who were a part of The City of Refuge drive we did at the end of 2017. I know it's taken me a while to share about this, but I actually kept receiving items for the kits through January, so the final set was finally delivered this week. Hooray! This drive was really close to my heart, and I am so excited that you guys were so connected to this initiative as well. I am honestly STILL overwhelmed by how many of you gave, especially in the midst of the busiest and most expensive time of the year - you guys are rock stars!!

Behind the "Why":
I originally read about The City of Refuge drive in my church bulletin back in late November. My church, Bethel Atlanta, was collecting items to be compiled into hygiene kits for mothers who were coming out of crisis situations - either abuse or sex trafficking.

I knew immediately that I wanted to get involved and leverage my online friends (YOU!!!) because I've seen how powerful and wonderful and kind-hearted everyone is in this community is. My first thought was to collect enough items to fulfill 20 kits, but I immediately felt God nudging me out of that "comfort zone" and pushing me to to do something that felt impossible. Something that required faith, and not just my own ability. So I said, alright, let's try for 25!

The "What":
Each kit needed to contain the following: 2 in 1 shampoo + conditioner, deodorant, lotion, lip balm, tampons + pads, toothpaste and a toothbrush. I created a Target registry for these items because I wanted to make it as easy as possible for people to give. Based on my estimations, each kit cost just under $25, so I knew going in that I was going to have to cover some portion of the $625 investment if I couldn't get enough items donated. Hence the leap of faith.

The Execution!
I shared about the initiative here on the blog and also on my Instagram, and I was so thrilled at how excited you all were to get involved and make a difference! After several weeks of many Target deliveries, I was flabbergasted to receive enough items to compile 35 kits - 10 more than my original goal! Seriously, you guys are heroes. I wish I could send you all DoTerra oils aplenty (aka some of my favorite things) as a thank you!!

My sis-in-law Lauren was kind enough to help me deliver the kits on Dec. 20 to The City of Refuge. Lauren, thank you for taking the trek with me! While we were unloading the boxes, I couldn't help but be completely amazed (and distracted!) by the incredible scale of the operation itself. City of Refuge is HUGE, and not only provides a roof for immediate needs to be met through safe housing and meals, but it also provides ongoing education and avenues for self-sufficiency. You can read more about everything City of Refuge does here.

A Story.
The night before I delivered all the kits, I was checking out at Target at around 9pm. The cashier started asking me questions about the items I was purchasing (it was multiples of more deodorant and toothpaste), and I shared with her about the drive and the mission of City of Refuge. She welled up with tears and asked me for the name and number of the shelter. Then she went on to share with me that her daughter had been caught up in sex trafficking and she has only recently gotten back in touch with her - and that her daughter is only 15 years old. She wept as she told me that her daughter was caught up in a really rough crowd, but she hoped that City of Refuge could provide her with the kind of resources that could help turn her life around. I was stunned. For as much as I hear about the ongoing efforts in Atlanta to address this issue of human trafficking, I just never had a touch point with someone who had been affected by it or who had a family member entangled in it. Her mama heart was broken for her little girl and I stood there in line with her, weeping for her daughter's safety. She held my hands at the end of our check out time and she looked me in the eyes and said, "God is good. I know he is good. What you people are doing is good."

The look in her eyes is burned into my memory.

I want to tell you, friends, what you did in assisting with these kits isn't some far-off distant charity work. It impacts the lives of daughters, mothers, sisters and all of their friends and families. It impacts people around you, even if you don't have an immediate touch point. Just know that what you are doing is so, so SO good, and I am proud to have partnered with you in this incredible endeavor. It was my first drive of this kind, but it certainly won't be the last!

Thank you all so much for your support, encouragement and gifts! Your investment, no matter how big or small, made an enormous impact! All my love to you, friends! xx

White Pork Chili (a Whole30 Meal!)

Taken and slightly adapted from Danielle Walker's Against All Grain Cookbook

This is my favorite recipe discovery from the past year. My sis-in-law Katie made this White Pork Chili for our family when I had just had Daxton, and it was the BEST thing to have during that cold month and newborn life. So I definitely associate this meal with feeling super loved and nourished. However, I happen to have a penchant for stews. I love one-pot meals, because they're so easy to make, and I especially love a hot bowl of soup. The original, paleo version of this recipe can be found in Danielle Walker's book, Against All Grain, however, I've changed it up to make this particular version Whole30-friendly. Don't let the lengthy ingredient list scare you - this stew is SO WORTH making. I promise you will love it. Omg I think I'm going to have to make more this week after drooling over these photos while I edited them.

Ingredients:
- 2 pork chops, grilled or oven-baked until medium done, cooled, and then diced
- 1 small jar tomatillo salsa
- 1/2 cup cashew butter
- 2 poblano peppers, deseeded and chopped
- 2 large sweet potatoes, diced
- 2 large zucchinni, diced
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp. garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. ground oregano
- 2 tsp. turmeric
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1 bunch fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Method:
1. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic together until soft and fragrant.
2. Add the peppers, sweet potatoes and all the spices and saute for another 5 minutes or so, until the vegetables are soft.
3. Pour in the chicken stock, then add the zucchini.
4. Add in the rest of the ingredients and cover the stockpot. Return every few minutes to stir, as the cashew butter will need to continuously mixed in.
5. Once the vegetables are soft and the pork is warmed all the way through, this is ready to eat!
6. Top each bowl with a handful of parsley and a fresh squeeze of lime.

There you have it! This meal stand alone beautifully by itself. If you aren't doing Whole30, you can add a splash of white wine to the broth. You can also serve it with some delicious baked bread to sop up all the savory goodness. Oh gosh, this is SUCH a great winter stew, I hope you super love it! Let me know if you decide to make it! xx

Lets talk about our pits.

Thanks to Earth Mama Organics for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.

Resurrect the word "Natural"!
I've been on a journey to find the perfect, natural deodorant. And when I say natural, I mean it in the purest sense of the word - natural. It's very confusing these days because "natural" is slapped on the front of any and every product as a sales tactic and I'll bet most people have become jaded to that word. Is it so much to ask for a truly natural deodorant that is free of chemicals, especially aluminum and artificial fragrances and other toxic fillers? Unfortunately these ingredients are sneakily added into products we use every day.  Don't believe me?

No #Fword
I dare you to pull out your current deodorant and take a look at the ingredient list. What do you see? A bunch of terms you can't pronounce? I'll bet you see the term "fragrance". It might say "artificial fragrance", "natural fragrance", "botanical fragrance" or "nature-identical fragrance", but it all means the same thing. Fragrance (aka "parfum") is often an ingredient in deodorant and an umbrella term that is used to hide the presence of thousands of chemicals - from parabens to phthalates to artificial preservatives like formaldehyde - say WHAT?! It's true. When the term is used, there's no way to know which chemicals are masquerading beneath that phrase. There is no further disclosure. My hope is that you don't see this word "fragrance" in your deodorant ingredient list, because to be blunt,  it's basically the F-word.

My Conviction.
My grandmother lost her life to lymphoma, a cancer that is rooted in the lymphatic system of the body. Lymph nodes are located throughout the body, with a cluster of them residing in the armpit region. Your lymph nodes are linked to the blood stream - do you hear what I'm saying here? I take it very seriously what I put on my body, but especially what I put in this part of my body, because I really wish I had my grandmother in my life today. It's not even a myth that chemicals lurk within our everyday lifestyle products and are linked to traumatic cancers and diseases. It's time to take responsibility for what we put on our bodies, friends! I want to be healthy, strong and AWESOME for when my grandchildren have their own littles. It's why I eat healthy. It's why I work out. It's why I care about the ingredients in my mascara and my moisturizer. And it's why I'm critical of what kind of deodorant I put on my body. I'm sure it's the heart of every mother to be present and healthy for their families. I've realized as a mama that the choices I make today (even the seemingly small ones like the kind of deodorant I swipe on) can make a significant impact on my future.

What's a girl to do?
This brings to me Earth Mama Organics' new line of deodorants. They are FREE of everything we discussed above, including propylene glycol, artificial fragrance, parabens and aluminum. They are specially formulated for all the phases of motherhood - pregnancy, breastfeeding and sensitive skin. Hallelujah. And there is even the option to purchase a mini kit of all 4, which I especially like, because they're super easy to toss into my purse and take on the go. I'll be honest, as with most natural deodorants, these are most effective if they're applied more than once a day, so I like to keep at least one mini with me in my purse, diaper bag and gym bag. When I reapply my lipstick or gloss after lunch, I do a quick swipe of my deodorant, too! The set contains Calming Lavender, Bright Citrus, GingerAid (my personal favorite) and Natural Non-Scented.

Organic = Happy Mama.
Not only are these deodorants free of all the garbage fillers and "the F-word" we talked about above, they are also certified organic with a fully-disclosed ingredient list. It's actually many extra steps and added cost to any company that goes through the process to become "certified organic", but I sure appreciate when I see this label on the products I purchase. Because let's just be real - I want to smell good. And I want to put good stuff on my body. End of story.

Many of you know that I've been in the process of transitioning my beauty routine over from conventional products to natural and organic ones. I am thrilled that so many companies, like Earth Mama Organics, are committed to creating products that are safe and nurturing, especially with focus on the different seasons of motherhood. We mamas have enough to think about - what we put on our pits shouldn't be rocket science.

Your skin soaks it all in. So toxic ingredients in deodorant? That's a hard no. Want to know why Earth Mama deodorants don't contain fragrance? Learn more: https://earthmamaorganics.com/blog/no-f-word-fragrance-in-personal-care-products/ Get the new organic deodorants here!

Shop the Deodorants:

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SNOW DAY!!!

We had legitimate snow last week here in Georgia. It even stayed on the ground for days! Of course, school was cancelled the entire week and things got a little cabin fever-esque over here, but the snow sure was fun. Everett and I made a hideous snow man that just melted two days ago. He was more like a snow lump. And we made snow angels! And then we had a legit snowball fight and I felt like I was living a scene from a New England novel, but nay - we're in Georgia ya'll! It was so fun. It was so cold. I think it hovered around 20-25 degrees on the day this day that the snow fell, so we played very quickly and then got inside to sit by the fireplace. Whole30 didn't allow me a mug of hot chocolate, but that's what I dreamed I was having while I really sipped on flavorless tea ;)

I hope you are having a happy Tuesday, friends! xx

Red Candy Striper.

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Outfit Details:
Urban Outfitters Skimmer Cardigan (similar here and here), Sonnet James Reese Dress in Red, Sorel Tivoli Snow Boots, Diffusing Mamas Lotus Necklace

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I scored this dress on sale during a December promo, and I keep finding reasons why I should wear it at least once per week. It's just so comfy and the color makes me feel really happy, like the happiest version of myself. It's perhaps the most versatile item in my closet right now. I've worn it with flats, heels, boots and with tights, under sweaters and completely by itself. I LOVE IT. I've had a long-standing adoration for Sonnet James since this brand started up a few years ago, and I truly think Whitney is an incredible artist with a powerful personal story. The motto of this brand is "Playful Dresses for Playful Moms", and I really connect with that mantra. I'm not always a playful mom, but when I remind myself of who I want to be as a mother, I am so much better at it. And everytime I put on a Sonnet James, I tell myself I am a playful mom! And then I'm happier and my kids are happier and then we usually eat ice cream because we're all just celebrating the happiness.

As for the dress itself - I love the fabric - it's a heavy-weight rayon blend and it just hugs the curves in a way that doesn't completely grab at your love handles, just nicely skims the bod so you feel like your best self. I'm serious when I say that I put this on and just feel so good about myself - I want to buy 10 more dresses in this fabric and cut. And while we're gushing, lets just take a minute to talk about this playsuit - I mean, how radical and whimsically fun is that? It's on my wish list. I could play real good in that.

Sonnet James is always a crowd pleaser in my closet. Although since I've gotten rid of so much lately (thanks a lot, Marie Kondo), it's not really crowded in there at all.

Happy Friday to you, friends! xx