merry christmas photo shoot

i believe in you!

today

enjoy the journey

work hard

be honest to yourself and others

be thankful

have fun

love one another

take responsibility

clean the edges

eat your veggies

dont wish it were easier

be someones miracle

for the love

For the Love

of the sport 

one of the greatest joys in my life is watching my daughter do what she loves most...gymnastics.  i love watching her flip around, but most of all i love the smile on her face while she is in the gym.  she is happy there, really happy!  she is excited for every practice like its the very first one.  she works so hard for every new skill she learns and embraces conditioning because she knows it will make her stronger and better.  her competition season is about to begin and she is ready.  she is ready to shine and show us what she has worked so hard for, that this sport is hers and always will be.  

it is the most nerve racking and emotional sport to watch, but she is always calm and collected on the competition floor.  as i watch her i always have tears in my eyes and warmth in my heart.  the struggles she has faced in life come to a screeching halt because she holds her own with confidence and poise that most adults can not display.  she makes us believe that we can do anything if we only believe.  

she has found her gift and i have found mine.  a happy heart, a healthy child, and a beautiful sport that fills our lives with joy.   thank you to the unexpected miracles that change our lives forever.  

life

sometimes i just need a reminder;)

august...

where has the time gone??  we had a jam packed super crazy summer up here in the last frontier.  it was one of the warmest, sunniest, and beautiful summers i can recall.

sports, time in our travel home, work, a visit from family, growing lettuce and doing laundry at the rv park is what our summer consisted of.  

the start of the school year looked completely different for our family.  the transition to middle school for one and home school for the other has gone pretty darn smooth.  my little ones are happy and content with their new learning environments.  

as i love this little space i call believe, i am so frustrated that i fail to have the time to create, write, share.  this time in my life is sometimes overwhelming, but i am searching for my own time to do the things i love, and still provide for my sweet family.  

my new year starts today and one of my items on the list is to bring more to this space.

lots of love 

kenzi lu is now on Facebook my friends...

i am so excited to announce that kenzi lu loves a cause is now on Facebook.  please head on over, like us and find out new and exciting kenzi lu news. 

  

run a little

hello!!!  after i am all better from this little shingles and cellulitis episode i am battling right now.  arrrrggggg!!!  i am not a good patient.  i dont like to sit and i just have way too much to do to sit down and nurse myself back to health.  i am going to start a marathon training routine.  anyone want to join me???  i am super exciting and it is something i have always wanted to do.  along with the training i will also be changing up my eating routine.  i have been indulging in too many sweets lately and that will come to an end.

there are tons of these training programs online to choose from.  i thought this one looked good=)  i will let you know when i start and what my exact plans are.  

i am also going to do a little but of this crazy workout!!! Heres to a happy healthy spring=)

20% off

i absolutely love anthro dresses and was thrilled to see that all new dresses are 20% off until sunday.  here are a few of my favorites=)

love

i do

simple words

-live your dreams
-avoid the drama
-live your life so when someone says something negative about you no one believes them!!!!

do something amazing!!  wow!!  to see this everyday as you walk out the door...perfect.  such simple words with enormous meaning!!  i want to do amazing things in this life of mine.  one of those amazing things is kenzi lu.  kenzi lu is a little foundation founded by myself and two of my close friends, kimberly and jessie.  we all have special places in our hearts for this cause and are so excited to share it with everyone.  

i believe that staying as positive as i can and letting the negative go is so important.  be happy, find the good in everything (well almost everything) and be kind to others.  

sending you lots of love on this wednesday=)

little update

this weekend we traveled to our favorite little artsy town of homer for my work party. every year its a blast and we love having time with my fun loving work family.  

our bosses spoil us with gifts, good food and a nights stay at a resort on the water with the most beautiful views!!!

its also a fun time to get a little dressed up and have a few glasses of wine=)

< LOVE >

...this little space of mine is about to become more active with the launch of some pretty exciting stuff from kenzi lu. a new food contributor and lots more on my mission to make my life as homemade and simple as possible!!!!

happy sunday st patricks day!!!! 

congrats ashley and zack

a friend of mine from work married her sweetheart last month in hawaii.  they had a beautiful ceremony on the beach and returned to alaska for a reception with friends and family.
aren't they sweet!!!

juice????? YES PLEASE!!!!!

i am so lucky to work with some pretty amazing people who have become pretty amazing friends.  a few of us share the joy of healthy eating and with each others support we are able to stay on track in this fast food, msg, high fructose corn syrup world that we live in.  our winters are long and the lack of sunshine is a battle this time of year. so we decided to take on a juice cleanse.  (please watch fat sick and nearly dead if you havnt already seen it) my friend sarah and i chose to do a 3 day cleanse and another friend chose to do a 14 dayer!!!  it was way easier than i thought and the juice was oh so tasty.  
give it a try!!  i am a juicer for life;)

****a toothpaste update
i added some peppermint to my little recipe and through it in the vitamix!!  let me tell you....its pretty darn good!!!!!

i will be sharing soon my homemade deodorant and bronzer!!!!!  

my vegan life...

after people find out i am vegan they always ask about dessert.  here is a pretty fabulous and super easy recipe that i even let my kiddos eat for breakfast!  they are named breakfast bars, but are perfect for lunch and after dinner.

i took these to a new years party this year and they were a hit!!  everyone was a little scared to try but once they did they had all sorts of questions about what was in them and they all wanted the recipe.  

i wrapped them up with if you care unbleached wax paper and bakers twine!!

yum!!!!

flowers at the fair

i have lived in alaska since 1996 and had never been to the state fair!!  i am not really a fair goer, but this year a friend of mine invited my kiddos and i while our husbands were out of town.  we loaded up in her motor home and headed to palmer for two days of the fair.  i enjoyed it so much more than i ever imagined and am so excited to go back next year!!

one of my favorite parts was the flower and vegetable exhibit.  wow are the flowers beautiful, here are a few pics.

wish i had pictures of the veggies.  oh my they were big!!!!  there is nothing better than alaskan grown veggies!!  

i was worried that i would have a hard time finding healthy food options, but was pleasantly surprised to find some vegan options amongst the tradition high fat fair food.

cheers to the alaska state fair, it was fabulous!!  happy tuesday!!!

simplify...

brushing my teeth

continuing to simplify our lives, the next product i wanted to tackle was toothpaste.  i read a few things online about toothpaste and taking good care of our precious teeth.  i did not find one particular recipe that i fell in love with or one that worked well with my new simplified outlook on everyday life.  soooo with all that here is what i did to make my very own toothpaste.  i havnt convinced the rest of my family on this one yet, but i know they will come around.  i am not going to bash companies that sell certain products with certain ingredients, but i urge you to check whats in your products the next time you use them.  

ingredients:
baking soda
coconut oil
hydrogen peroxide
water

i did not use any specific measurements.  this recipe is a add each ingredient until you get the right consistency kind of recipe!=)  i used a little mason jar and started with the baking soda (about a 1/3 of a cup).  

about a tablespoon of the peroxide

i melted little bits of the coconut oil at a time and slowly added it to the mixture.  when i found my desired consistency i let it cool and harden.  after it had hardened i added some water to liquify my toothpaste a bit for ease of getting it on my toothbrush=)

next weekend i am going to make some for my kids and husband, but will add some mint essential oil.  i dont think they will be big fans of the baking soda flavor!!!  it was a little hard to handle the first few days, but now i am used to it and even taste the coconut oil more and more!!  

happy brushing