it's worth it.

"I want to be in line by 7:00 a.m. for breakfast."

Last night, before we turned out the lights in our hotel room in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, we decided we would try to be on the road by 6:15 this morning.

And we did it.  

We headed out to Pawhuska to visit the Pioneer Women's Mercantile.

We stepped into line, waited no more than 10 minutes, and were seated to browse the breakfast menu.

Let me stop right here and say a few words about an amazing book I've just finished by Melissa Hartwig, called Food Freedom Forever.

Whole30

Some of you might know about my recent journey on the Whole30 program.   About a year ago, I happened up on a program called the Whole30, created by Dallas & Melissa Hartwig.  I read a book called It Starts With Food and my life was changed. 

You can find a summary of the Whole30 program here, but to put it in a nutshell (a cashew or an almond shell...no peanuts), by eliminating certain food groups (sugar, grains, dairy, and legumes) for 30 days, you essentially "reset" your body.  

During this reset, you learn to listen to your body's hunger signals and really pay attention to how specific foods affect your body.

After the 30 days of elimination, you begin to introduce foods back into your diet and see how they affect your body.  You take notes and make observations to see how you felt physically and mentally when you added back in a specific food group.  

My first few rounds were amazing.  Thirty days of hardcore focus and great results.  I had never felt better.  I lost weight, felt less bloated, and had a clear mind. 

However, after that reintroduction phase, I would slowly go back to eating how I was before.  I was met with fatigue, digestive issues, and just a "blah" feeling.

When I got to feeling bad enough, I would do another Whole30 and reset again.

Enter Food Freedom Forever.

In her newest book, Melissa Hartwig talks to her readers about how to have that feeling of being able to be successful at maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

It all boils down to being intentional about our food choices.  

Keep that Whole30 "reset lifestyle" going for the majority of the time, unless you come to a food choice that you deem "worth it" for going off of the plan.  

Make it a special occasion.  
Think long and hard about your feelings in that moment.  
And jump confidently into your decision...free of guilt or questioning.
Enjoy food!

French Toast Croissants & United States Maps

Marie Kondo inspired me to simplify our possessions.  
To be intentional in the items that we allow to take residence in our home.  
To ask ourselves if the belongings we own currently and any we purchase in the future really "spark joy" for us.

Dallas & Melissa Hartwig inspired me to be intentional in my food choices.
To think long and hard about whether the food items that we are putting into our bodies are really worth breaking our reset.

This morning, at the Pioneer Woman Mercantile at 7:15 a.m., we broke our Whole30 reset on day 24.  

​And it was so worth it.

So I got the Croissant French Toast and Ashley got Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes. 

We were extremely happy with our breakfast decision.  
No hard feelings.  
No guilt.  
No feeling like we had "ruined our diet" with a "cheat" or a "slip up".  
Nothing.

Pure joy that we have the freedom to make a food decision responsibly every once in  awhile.

ANYway, enough about our amazing breakfast choices.

Let's talk about what I found for the farmhouse today!!!  

First of all, my MAP!!!  I had been pinning all kinds of cool United States map ideas for the girls' new playroom.  I couldn't really find what I was looking for and was almost thinking I would just create the quilted map look for myself someday.​  But we left breakfast and headed to the Mercantile and there it was.  Waiting for me.



I found this Red Poppy Buckwheat Flour tin close to the map.  In the farmhouse, I'll have space above my cabinets in the kitchen and this seems like it will fit perfectly in there!  Truth be told, I was looking for a strawberry tin...but I love talking to my girls each year about the Buddy Poppy program for United States veterans.  I thought seeing this "Red Poppy" tin in the kitchen every day would be another reminder to pray for our veterans and active military men and women.

After we left the Mercantile, we walked down the road to some antique and boutique shops.  I found a few goodies for the girls, along with this amazing cast-iron cow skillet to hang in the new kitchen.  It was $10.  I had to buy it.  I cannot wait to show it to Mr. Farmhouse when we get home Sunday.




This afternoon, we came back to the hotel and hung out for a while.  

Until Mom wanted to take a little trip to WalMart.  She likes to see what kind of different items we might find at WalMarts in different towns and states.

At this particular WalMart, I found this adorable pallet-type wood wall-hanging for the playroom.  It'll look great next to the map and the galvanized tin crossword of the girls' names that I can't wait to share with you when we're all moved in and settled.

Oh yeah...I bought myself four wonderful shirts on clearance today.  I love them all...joy-sparkers all around!  The one on the left has CAMERAS on it!  Yes!  Cameras!

And I also picked up a Benjamin Franklin finger puppet at the Mercantile for my third grade classroom.  Who doesn't need a Ben Franklin finger puppet?

It was a great day.  

It's late and I'm tired, but it was all worth it.  So worth it.