Georgia Apple Festival

Hubby and I brought the munchkin along to the Elijay Apple Festival last weekend. For some reason, I was expecting more apples and more apple related thingamajigs. They had camel rides, which was kind of weird, and lots of food and drink, such as $6 homemade root beer that I wanted to try but didn't because I am too cheap. I did try the cider though and it was delicious. There were also many arts and craft-ish types of vendors. My favorite was by far Going Green Lanterns, a group that creates lanterns out of old wine and liquor bottles, which they collect from friends and find at the local recycling center. I even got myself one!

Repost - Healthy Monday: 8 x 8

Today's healthy living tip is a simple one: drink water!

For years, we've all heard the "8 glasses a day" or the "8 x 8" rule. And while many of us have it ingrained in our head, few of us heed the advice. (According to one study, that seems to be all that it is - "advice". Not doctor's orders or an essential dietary requirement, simply an "urban myth.") However, conventional wisdom tells us water aids in our health by cleaning out toxins, protecting our organs, lessening the burden on our kidneys, and carrying nutrients and oxygen to cells.

According to an article on Mayo Clinic , you don't need to actually down 8 glasses of water a day to make sure you're getting your full intake. Tomatoes and watermelons are actually about 90 percent water and many other liquids, such as juices and milk contain water. Not to mention it's inexpensive and calorie free, so switching your daily soda with a daily water might not be a bad idea!

Personally speaking, I think water does make a big difference in health. I feel healthier and I don't experience the sugar crashes and caffeine withdrawals I've experienced with sodas and coffee. Not to mention there is also one other small, but important fact: water is essential to our survival. We may be able to survive days, weeks, even months without food, but only two to ten days without water. I can't think of any living thing on this earth that can survive without water, so Mother Earth must know what she's doing.


Sources: Reuters, Survival Topics, Mayo Clinic
Photo credit: Miss_CM

For Friday

The weekend is upon us! Oh happy, happy Friday! Hooooooot Hoooooot.

According to The Owl Pages (now that's a straight and to the point website name), owls were a symbol of wisdom and helpfulness in early Indian folklore. There are sooo many owl necklaces available on Etsy, you could get one for each of your oh-so-helpful bridesmaids and even one for your wise mother. :)

Do you have plans ahead of you? Planning on enjoying October weather? Shopping for a Halloween costume? Or just going to relax?

Toot Toot:Majorly, big, huge thank you to Southern Weddings Magazine for featuring this
blog in V3!

Engagement Photos: A dog, A Fiance, and a really cute outfit.

Real Wedding: Amazing, blue and yellow craft happy wedding.

Giveaway: At Fine Little Day

Join: The Slow Food Movement

Shameless website mention: I've started my own Tumblr and uploaded some pics and video of my cutie pie baby, Sophia.

Photo: Vintage owl necklace from A Common Thread

Create Your Own Chocolate Bar

Forget the nuts, add the raspberries. Or add the nuts and the raspberries. Or go really crazy and add nuts, raspberries, basil, ground coffee beans, and gold flakes! I love this idea and I love this site. Organic and fair trade chocolate bars with a dizzying array of toppings you can add yourself. Become a fan (or, "liker") on facebook because once they reach 1000, every fan gets 20% off!

Chocri takes bulk orders for your wedding favors. But what a cute holiday gift idea too!

Lovely Lovelies

Oye vey! I have to make this a short post! I am about to run out the door to meet my mom for lunch and now that I have a wee one, it takes twice as long to get my butt ready. Enjoy these lovely, lovely, lovely earthy boutonnieres (I still don't know how to spell that right - spell check, I love you!) from Pomp and Plumage.

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Decided to do a little blog cleaning up. I'm still going to keep the Earth Friendly Weddings address, but I ultimately feel it's a bit of a misnomer, considering I sometimes post about more than just weddings. So it's still a work in progress. Bear with me. Occasionally I'll incorporate more tidbits about my life and I won't be censoring myself so much. That doesn't mean more cursing, just less restraint in how I write. Less business-y, more personality.

Font-ify Your Projects

Many of you like to create your own invitations, stationery, announcements, etc... I highly suggest exploring some of the wonderful free fonts out there. There is only so much you can do with Times New Roman and Papyrus. Get font-ified at Abduzeedo. Fresh free fonts, featured every Friday.

Repost: Healthy Monday - A Spoonful of Alternative Sugar

Ah, refined sugar. Its ability to satisfy our sweet teeth is nearly unmatchable, but it's ability to provide anything of substance is zero. Have you wondered why exactly? Here it is - plain and simple. To aid in digestion, the body has to borrow nutrients (good nutrients we need, such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium) from other foods previously eaten in order to break it down. Once broken down, it's converted into glucose and absorbed quickly into the bloodstream; your pancreas then has to start working overtime to send out insulin, which calms down the glucose levels. This is one of the causes of Type II Diabetes. Ugh, that's nice, isn't it? To top it off, it can cause... (cue scary Jaws music) ...weight gain. So what's a gal to do? Don't go for the fake stuff, it's even worse for you. Unfortunately, short of cutting sweets out entirely (Gasp! The horror! And no, I'm not being sarcastic!), there aren't a whole lot of options. Raw brown sugar, honey, and agave nectar may satisfy your sweet craving. While they are still empty calories, Sarah Delaney of Divine Caroline does point out that they are natural and a good alternative when consumed in moderation. Delaney says your best best is Xylitol or Stevia. This is what she says about both:

Stevia comes from a South American plant and has been used in South America for over twenty years with no negative implications. It is currently not FDA approved as an additive but you can purchase it in packets at the supermarket. (I don’t know how much FDA approval is worth, considering they approved saccharin.)

Xylitol occurs naturally in some fruits and plants. The kind sold on the market in the U.S. is extracted from birch bark. Xylitol has been approved and you can find it in very few foods and in chewing gum at the health food store. One of the benefits is that it is healthy for the teeth. Now that is certainly a 360 from sugar.

So as you can see, the options are limited, but the benefits and payoffs of treating your body the way it deserves to be treated are well worth it.

photo credits:
Top Photo - Nisa on Flickr
Bottom Photo - Craig ! on Flickr

Unique Eco Friendly Wedding and Engagement Rings

Wouldn't it be something if instead of comparing diamond sizes, brides compared minimal impact and eco-awareness of their engagement and wedding rings? If they did, and said bride was wearing a Green Karat ring, she would definitely win the competition.
I love the fact they put such thought and effort behind their unique designs, giving you more than just a ring but a work of art. For instance, the Quark ring is explained with the following:

Let us then examine the elementary particles of matter called quarks. When shot with a particle accelerator through a bubble chamber, they leave ionization trails like those illustrated on this ring. Those visual trails tell us volumes about the particles, and produce a natural work of art that we have rendered to a canvas for you.

The Precious Stone ring is particularly unique in that you can send them a pebble, perhaps one that has special significance and they will slice it and set it in the ring for you. Forever preserving a beautiful memory to wear around your finger.

Using Dried Flowers

Great green idea here! Use dried flowers for your reception, as this couple did, and then send your guests home with the pretty arrangements. And it eliminates the headache of creating your own arrangements on your own wedding day, since it can be done months in advance. Although re-usable totes seem to be a bit hackneyed these days, it's still a favor that I think most guests appreciate. At least that guest (bottom right pic) really likes his tote! Yummy vegetarian fare featured above the tote lovin' guy.

Full Wedding at Seattle Metropolitan Bride and Groom
Photography by In a Frame