Vegetarian & Vegan Eating

Are we still Vegan/Vegetarian? The answer is YES! We've been non-meat eaters for over three years. Now, from time to time we do eat seafood. I personally like wild caught salmon. (I try my best to find the best quality.) Ryan likes shrimp and crab. It's hard for people to keep up with all of this terminology but when you eat seafood, you're considered a peskiterean. Honestly, I am a bit tired of using labels but I guess I do understand it gives people an idea of what you eat. For the past year I really was trying to focus on eating whole foods mindfully, as Dr. Caroline Leaf put it. In this blog I wanted to share with you what I learned through this process and 5 tips that can help you start your journey.

Eating Wholesome Foods

I think this has became a lot clearer for me while we were in this season. I found a lot of local farms that are not too far from me. It's always an adjustment when it comes to making a new habit especially if you're so used to shopping in a certain super store. Eventually you try something new and you realize that you're not only doing this for your health but also for your community.

How is eating locally helping your community? Let me explain. When you support local businesses, you keep the money locally. A lot of food that you buy in the supermarkets are unfortunately sprayed with preservatives and pestisides. They do that so it looks like it was freshly picked for you when the truth is that it was picked way before it's time and then sprayed so that it is preserved until you buy it. Farm fresh food doesn't stay fresh long. It actually starts rotting in a few days time. This doesn't sound like a good thing but it is because that means that it is in it's freshest form which means that your body will actually get nutrients from it. I know that it may take some effort to research and find places where you can get this food, but trust me it is worth in the long run.

Because of this diet, I’ve been able to add so much more variety into my meals and I can tell you that my body is very grateful. So don’t be afraid to explore and try new things. :)

Eating Food Mindfully

Did you know that if you eat food while you’re not feeling good emotionally, that it is actually bad for you? There is a mind and gut connection that is happening when you‘re eating. Ever heard of emotional eating? Well, it is the same concept. You are basically eating because you’re sad or happy and that can cause you to overeat or have indigestion. This is why taking the time to eat and not be distracted by a screen or work is so important. You stop what you’re doing and you savor every bite. This helps you to make a conscience decision about what you’re eating and how much of it you’re eating.

Supplementing

I personally believe that it is pretty difficult for an individual to get all of the nutrients that they need in a day and therefore good supplements are a must. Now I know that the vitamin industry is a billion dollar industry and therefore not all supplements are good for you. In fact, some can actually cause more harm than good. I read it in the articles too often about certain vitamins that were tested and came back with high levels of heavy metals. I‘m sure that certain companies don’t really care about your health or well being and just want to make a quick buck by making a supplement that’s ‘affordable’ but are just made cheaply without the lowest quality ingredients. So because we are non-meat eaters there are certain things that our diet needs to have like essential amino acids and B12 vitamin. I personally tried several kinds of vitamins and these are some of my favorite that I take daily.

(All of the vitamins are linked. Also on any Gaia supplements, use my discount COLE20 to get a discount gaiaherbs.com )

Another great test that you can do to test your nutrition is to get a micro-nutrient test that backtracks 6 months. This is basically done by taking your blood and sending it to the lab. They will send you an extensive report on all of you levels. This can be super helpful as every person is so unique and it can really give you the right direction that you should take when it comes to eating a specific diet and supplementing with good vitamins.

Being Active

I personally have fluctuated in my weight quite a bit in my 30 years although I consider myself very active. Even when I don’t consistently workout, I am always on the move. One thing that I‘ve learned in this season of my life is that it is very important to take care of myself. I am learning that it is not selfish. This not only benefits me as an individual but my family that I am taking care of. I can tell how my mood is affected when I am active versus not. Being active really helps me push through the challenging days.

The last 8 months have been really hard on my body. I experienced a lot of grief and stress. Quite frankly I am still recovering. This past January I decided to quit caffeine and really hydrate myself. I am ashamed to say that I had 6 shots of espresso every day for the past 6 months. I decided that I was going to be consistent and workout every morning for at least 25 to 30 minutes. This is going on the second month and I feel so much better and so much stronger. Even when you don’t see that scale drop as quick or even when you still see a lot that you need to work on, think of how much stronger you’re getting and how it really helps your mind in the process.

My personal choice for eating more plant based is that I feel better. My skin no longer breaks out. I don’t have indigestion and I have so much more clarity and peace of mind. At the end of the day, my suggestion would be that you don’t follow a popular diet, but you find something that works for you that you can maintain as a lifestyle. Jumping from diet to diet confuses your body and can cause you to be more frustrated. Consistency does so much for your mind and body so whatever diet that you choose to follow here are my top five tips:

1. DO IT FOR YOU

2. THINK MORE IN THE LIFESTYLE TERMS

3. EAT WHOLE FOODS MINDFULLY

4. SUPPLEMENT

5. BE ACTIVE

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 HCSB

Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.

Much Love :)

Create Coleture, Be YOU

Viktoriya Cole

DIY | Modern Paned Mirror

One of the things that I learned while being a homeowner, is that it actually is better to piece things together in your home over time. I have rushed before and bought things just because I wanted to fully furnish the home, only to regret some choices later. This is probably why I enjoy making things myself because it’s custom and it’s exactly what I want for a fraction of the cost.

Y So today’s project recap was this beautiful paned door mirror. Here is a sketch of how I constructed this piece. I also linked all of the tools that I found helpful below.

The first thing I did was attach the 80 inch lattice onto both ends of the door (right on top) and then used my staple nail gun to attach it to the door. (see product below) Although I based my measurements off of what the tag at Home Depot said that this was a 2” lattice, they ended up being 1.5” instead. So I had to get an extra one to double up in the middle. Before attaching the two middle ones, I would highly recommend taking one of the 12 by 12 mirrors and carefully place it against the door. Let it be the guide so that you know where to attach the two middle lattice pieces. Because the mirrors are the last things to go in, you want to make sure that you’re framing it around the actual mirror. Let it be your guide. Once I attached all 4 lattice pieces, I sliced the outdoor 1” lattice into 12 inch increments.

TIP: Before cutting all the 12 inch increments, I actually placed it against the door, in the area where it would be glued to, to make sure that it‘s slightly under or over 12 inches. (One thing that I learned about woodworking in general is that wood is not perfect and sometimes things can be a bit wonky. This is why you measure twice and cut once.)

So because they didn’t have a flat 1“ wood lattice, I had to go with the outdoor one which is plastic. So because it’s plastic I didn’t want to use a nail gun so instead I went with an adhesive. I allowed one of the mirror squares to be the guide for the placement of the 12 inch increments. You can use a pen or a marker to mark the line, move the mirror down, and glue the piece to the door using that line as the guide. I also used that same mirror square to measure the frame of that area once the frame was done to make sure that the mirror square will easily pop in once I am ready to attach the squares. Repeat the process until the full front of the door is framed out. I patched the areas where I used the nail gun and then sanded the whole door down before painting.

If you paint after you attach the mirrors, you will risk breaking one of the squares just because the whole piece will become heavy. Also, it’s important that you‘re able to paint all of the creases as the mirror will reflect any imperfections and then you will have to do a lot oftouching up.

I personally like Behr paint. So because I am bringing a little bit more of the black tones into our house, I decided to paint this mirror black. I usually go for a satin finish as it still looks more matte or muted than glossy but it will be easier to dust and clean without leaving streaks behind. I painted three coats and then I used a water based polyurethane to give it a more even finish. (Also in satin.)

Once it cured, I popped the mirrors in one at a time. I used a caulking gun to dispense an adhesive on to the back of each square. Some of the framed out squares came out to be to tight and that‘s ok. This can happen after painting because it adds thickness. I simply used a flat tool to lift the 12 inch increments and then re-glued them. I had to fix just two.

There was some touch ups that I had to do but not nearly as much if I haven’t painted the creases of each frame before attaching each square.

TIPS FOR TOUCH UPS: You don’t have to go to the store to get a specialty brush. I usually just pick a small make-up brush that I don’t use and I go back and do the touch ups. They work really great. You can also try q-tips.

If this is going to be a hanging mirror make sure that you attach appropriate hardware to it. (There are a lot of options in majority of your hardware stores.) Because I leaned my mirror against the wall and I have young toddlers, I attached a heavy duty hook in the back and then attached it to the wall just in case if they decide to mess with it, it won’t fall over on them.

All of the tools and items I used for this project are linked below minus the lattice which you can find in your local Home Depot. (Where all of the trim is.)

If you’ve been searching for oversized mirrors, you know they can be up to $500 depending on the style but this is just a great way to create something that looks stylish but is also affordable and do-able.

If you re-create this project be sure to tag me on your social media. :)

Create Coleture, Be YOU

Viktoriya Cole

The Legacy of My Father

This is not a supposed to be a soppy post but it may turn out to be. Since this is a lifestyle blog I wanted to give you an insight into what was going on in my life for the past six months and why I stepped back from posting as much as I did before.

Some of you may know that my father passed away January 1st, 2021. The irony of it all. I guess he wanted to make sure he stepped into the New Year with us. He was diagnosed with glioblastoma which is the most aggressive form of brain cancer about 6 months ago but I personally think that he must’ve had something going on for the past two years. I am not going to go into all of the details, but he was scheduled for a brain surgery within a few weeks of the diagnoses because the two tumors were causing major swelling in his brain which brought on severe headaches and everything that it comes with. We still didn’t have the diagnosis at that time so we stayed hopeful that they would be benign. The surgery took 9 hours but my Dad did so well after that they released him on the third day because he literally started walking the next day. Not only that but we got the good news that they were able to take out 99% of both of the tumors. Of course we were offered chemotherapy and radiation right after but with this kind of tumor unfortunately there was really no hope even going through treatment. We were devastated a week after surgery when we found out the full diagnosis.

It is very uncommon to have a tumor that starts growing in the brain. We were told that usually it is somewhere else in the body and it makes it’s way to the brain. In my Dad’s case, he had it only in his brain. I think that any form of cancer is brutal. From the stress and anxiety to the side affects of the disease and to the treatment. It‘s horrible to see your loved one decline and suffer in the way that my Dad did.

In September, we scheduled a family trip which we haven’t had since we were teens. (And that was a long time ago) We knew somewhat that this could be our last trip with our Dad. We celebrated his 59th birthday there and just really took the time to relax and be with family.

It’s hard to know what to pray because part of us wanted to be hopeful but there was this other part that was undeniably there. You can tell my Dad started to withdraw from the present. He really did try to do everything that he could. He went on a plant based diet. He fasted. He did a lot of research on what could help and how he can try to do everything holistically. I am really proud of him because I was concerned that he would get overwhelmed with people’s opinions on what to do and what other herb to add to his diet, but he really stuck to what he believed would help him and did it to the very end.

The last 6 weeks were incredibly hard. Every couple of days there was a new symptom. He went from limping to needing assistance walking, to not walking at all. We had a lot of moments of thinking this was it, but he was strong and kept holding on to life. One thing that my Mom prayed for was that he would pass away in his right mind. He would recognize us as we would take turns helping Mom care for him. Even when he didn’t have the strength to make out a sound, he whispered. Hearing from him, even if it was single words, was comforting in a way. As my younger brother said at the funeral, ‘It is feels good to be acknowledged by your Father!’

He took his last breath on January 1st, 2021 at 1:12PM, while Mom was reading the word of God and we were listening to a hymnal instrumental playlist. The song ‘Halleluyah’ just came on and he took his last breath. I remember looking out the window and seeing the rain slowly drizzling away. It was so peaceful outside, meanwhile, my Mom was so distracted reading that she didn’t notice that he passed away. We had our grieving moment. It was sadness mixed with relief because we just didn’t want him to suffer any more.

One of the last Bible verses that my Dad shared with us was Psalm 16:6. It was in response to my Uncle who said that if Dad could just wake up from all of this and have the ability to express to us what he has seen already, it would be so much amazing revelation.

“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places, surely I have a delightful inheritance.”

Although, I am sad that he won’t see my children grow up, that he won’t be present at our family gatherings, or bring me more mulch for my yard (lol), I‘m so thankful that I know where my Dad is. I am blessed to have had a Father who loved God and displayed that daily. He wasn’t a perfect Dad. We didn’t have the best of the relationships but I understood him better when I became a parent and attained a different appreciation for him. He made it a point to say I love you before he passed several times and he always reached to hug us with his functioning arm and to kiss us when he had the chance.

I love you Dad. You are missed!

Viktoriya Prikhodko-Cole