30 Day Snap: Day 26

30 Day Snap Day 26...

The Colorado Renaissance festival!! One of my favorite childhood memories and still a favorite to this day! 

30 Day Snap: Day 25

30 Day Snap Day 25...

My sweet husband likes to bring me pretty flowers! 

30 Day Snap: Day 24

30 Day Snap Day 24...

30 Day Snap: Day 23

30 Day Snap Day 23...

I have a serious shoe addiction. So today feeling a bit blue, I stopped in to try on some shoes. If I could have got them I would have, but my pocket book and shoe addiction don't alwyas add up when the shoes are over a hundred bucks! So I took a picture to remember them. They are so PRETTY! 

30 Day Snap: Day 22

30 Day Snap Day 22...

Got a new planner today and planed out as much of the year as possible. Yes I am that person. 

30 Day Snap: Day 22

30 Day Snap Day 22...

So beautiful

30 Day Snap: Day 21

30 Day Snap Day 21...

Watched the movie Contact, Space is beautiful. It is an interesting thought on what is out there. I personal believe there is more. One day we may find out. If not, the beauty is still magnificent. 

30 Day Snap: Day 20

30 Day Snap Day 20...

My recent obsession 

30 Day Snap: Day 19

30 Day Snap Day 19... 

(The date is wrong on our camera) 

 such a beautiful day, and a beautiful walk. 

30 Day Snap: Day 18

30 Day Snap Day 18...

Collage memories and day at the zoo with my beautiful nieces. 

30 Day Snap: Day 17

30 Day Snap Day 17...

30 Day Snap: Day 16

30 day snap day 16... 

Today was laundry and cleaning day! So very boring and now I am very sleepy! 

30 Day Snap: Day 15

30 day Snap day 15...

My day has been filled with work and with seaweed! Writing and getting other things set and underway! At least I have a comfy set up, as I am on my bed! The joys of working from home!! 

30 Day Snap: Day 14

30 Day Snap Day 14...

This is how I spend my day after church!! This is one of my favorite movies when I need a good laugh. well done Sandler, you never fail to bring laughter to my day! 

30 Day Snap: Day 13

30 Day Snap Day 13...

It is throwback Friday! These pictures are about a year to two years apart the one above was taken three years ago. We where at this parents for Christmas, I was a good 50 pounds heavier. I love this picture and looking through this pictures today just reminds me of how awesome my husband is! 

So the one below wont load and its late. I may come back and edit in later! 

30 Day Snap: Day 12

30 Day Snap Day 12...

Oh collage! It is hard to believe we have not been at SVU for over a year. I miss the wonderful people and the beauty that was that school and town. It will always have a special place in my heart and looking through these today, I just had to share the beauty of this historic school. 

30 Day Snap: Day 11

30 Day Snap Day 11...

Yes I crochet, and yes I an 80 year old at heart. One of my favorite things to do is to make a blanket for all of my friends who are having babies. It also helps with anxiety and it helps my mind stay sharp even when I am just watching a movie. 

30 Day Snap: Day 10

30 Day Snap Day 10...

Went to the zoo today! i love animals and the zoo has a special place in my heart. It always brings me such happiness to go to any zoo, but to go to "my" zoo is one of my favorite family night memories. 

30 Day Snap: Day 9

30 Day Snap Day 9... 

Looking through some old pictures today I found this gem, my mother on the top left, my grandmother and the right. Me on the bottom left and my great grandmother one bottom right. So sweet to come across, and I was a very cute kid! 

30 Day Snap: Day 8

30 Day Snap Day 8... 

One of my loves is to read, and one of my favorite stories are the Harry Potter series. For the last two years that the movies have stopped I have missed these stories. So I decided to read them through again. Just finished the first one and I am so happy I get to read these stories over and over again. 

30 Day Snap: Day 7

30 Day Snap Day 7... 

I am not a fan of the summer time. My heart belongs in the fall and winter. So on my day off I decided to get crafty and make a fall wreath. I think it turned out well. 

30 Day Snap: Day 6

30 Day Snap Day 6... 

My mom and I love to play games together. Tonight's game was backgammon. Not only was it fun, but if you look closely you can see the crazy roll we both rolled at the exact same time!  

30 Day Snap: Day 5

So I am late getting the 30 day snap photos up. The last few days the internet connection has not been working so I had no way to post, so sorry I am late, but i am going to post a few posts tonight and get back on track. 

30 Day snap Day 5...

I love playing games with my dad. We are basically the same person. The phrase " The apples doesn't fall far from the tree" was written about us. We cracked up all night! 

30 Day Snap: Day 4

There are two pictures for today's snap! One was from work and the other is of my dad and I. In honor of Father's Day I am trying to spend more time with him this week. So here they are, the photos of June 13th, 2013. 

This was my sight for most of the day! I am a nanny, so this little one's head is all i see. LOL. 

My dad and I! I am trying to spend as much time with him as I can this week. After all, time is the best thing you can give someone, but he will still be getting a gift this Sunday! 

TGIF! We are almost free everyone! I hope your Friday is great and that you have an awesome weekend! 

-Megan

30 day Snap: Day 3

I love my dad! I am so very grateful for him, I hope everyone is having a good week, only two more days until the weekend! 

-Megan 

30 Day Snap: Day 2

For day 2 of the 30 Day Snap!...

I spent the day with my mom out in her back yard planting flowers! We were going to on Mother's day, but we had bad weather and then it just kept being put on the back burner. So today we went out and bought her favorite flowers and we planted them together. I love spending time with her and I love having flowers around. 

I hope everyone is enjoying their spring; I sure am! Have a wonderful week everyone! 

-Megan

Sprinkle of Glitter's 30 Day Snap

You should go check out Sprinkle of Glitter and her 30 Day Snap post! See

http://sprinkleofglitter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/the-30-day-snap.html if you are confused on what the 30 day snap is! I just got a chance to catch up on a few blog pots that I had missed, saw this one and wanted to hop on board! As always I am late to the party but I am doing it nonetheless, I will just end on the 10th of July! You should join in also! 

For today's picture...

I love to be crafty and find new things to create. I found a picture of these bows online and had to make them! They were actually simple to make: just some ribbon, needle and thread, a hot glue gun, and an alligator clip! I will do a more detailed post one day! Oh and you need a jewel or button for the middle. This one turned out the best and I gave it to a friend of mine for her little girls. I want to make some purple and yellow ones for the summer time! 

I hope everyone is having a lovely week and that you all do the 30 Day Snap as well! 

-Megan

Workout Tip

Because of swim suit season, the last few weeks more and more people have been asking me what workouts I do. I have problem areas, like my thighs and love handle areas, so I work out so that I can keep them under control. My one tip that I always tell everyone is that it is not just about working out; it's also about what you eat. Yes, what you put in your body is a contributor to what your outside looks like. Trust me I know. One day I will post a before and after shot, but I used to weigh close to 200 pounds and I am only five-foot-one. I know! Now I weight 120. I did that by taking care of my body inside and out. If you eat fresh lively things your body will look that way, but if you eat french fries every day your body will look mushy and greasy. Eat organic as much as you can and eat things that come from the ground or a tree. It's also important to eat what is is season. If you make samll changes in your diet, you will see big changes in your body. Drink lots of water and keep your body active. All three are the magic combination to a bikini-ready bod!

Have a great Sunday everyone! 

-Megan

Quick Tip: Tea Tree Oil

There are so many wonderful things that you can do with tea tree oil, or if you use the doTERRA brand, melaleuca. It is anti-fungal and anti-bacterial, meaning that if you have an infected toenail or a pimple on your face tea tree oil can help pull out the toxins and help it to heal. Recently I have put a few drops in a spray bottle of water and used it as a cleansing toner on my face; it has been working wonders. I will do a post on that next week. It can help clean out minor cuts and wounds, and I also have heard it can help with infected peircings. 

Here is a true story for you on how tea tree oil or melaleuca can help cure so many things, including burns. I nannied five kids in Virginia, and I love those kids like they were my own. One day the youngest boy, only one and a half at the time, burned his hand on the iron. His mom rushed to get his little hand under the water to take out the sting, but the cold water just made it sting worse. She then put on essential oils: lavender and melaleuca. In a few minutes he stopped crying. It had taken out the sting. Then we wrapped it to make sure no more bacteria could get in the burn. We continued to put the oils on his hand for over two weeks. If we did not have the oils we would have had to take him to the ER. We were so grateful we had them. Now you look at his hand and there is barely a scar. This may seem a little fa-fetched to some and that's fine. Some may say we're crazy and should have taken him to the hospital. I say that I am so grateful to have had the oils on hand so he could be treated right away without harsh chemicals and an expensive trip for the parents to the hospital. I'm not saying tea tree oil will solve everything. I'm just saying give it a try. It's cheap and cannot hurt to use, especially since it is natural and far less expensive. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! And you can expect that DIY tea tree oil toner post soon! 

-Megan 

Sick Day in with Netflix

I woke up this morning with a sore throat and a stuffy nose. I went about my day for most of the morning, but came home and crawled right in bed when I got the chance. The only good thing about being sick is curling up in bed and watching some of your favorite shows or movies. It just so happens that the third season of Pretty Little Liars came out on Netflix this last week, so needless to say I had a date with the ladies of Rosewood. I hope I feel better after a day of rest and a good night's sleep. I hope everyone is doing alright! Have a wonderful weekend! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful brother! 

-Megan

Quick Tip: Easy Way To Cut and Cook A Sweet Potato

Last week I was running short on time for dinner and all we had where sweet potatoes, and we all know they are not the quickest thing go cook. So I figures I would just cut them in to wedges and bake them quickly, but the pan was not out of the dish washer. So I cut the sweet potato in thirds, lined a cookie sheet with tin foil and place the sweet potato pieces and baked them at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. When I checked on them they where soft and ready to go! I was so excited! a fifteen minute dinner is alright by me. Here are some pictures of how I chopped them, and a bonus qick tip is that you want to very carefully use a very sharp knife. The first one I used was not  sharp enough and was so hard to cut them. So use a clever if you need to. ;) 

It is so easy and delicious! I hope you guys try this and are having a great week. 

-Megan 

Healthy Tips: Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water

Not only is Lemon water very refreshing, but it is actually really good for you. Lemon acts like a cleanser to the body. So any toxins in your body or any infections, lemon water can only help. Lemon water can also helo if you have candida, witch is a yeast infection. Not just woman get them and they can be really painful and annoying, but so can the medications that treat them. I know a great cleanse and I will post it some time soon. The best part for me about drinking lemon water is the fact I hate drinking water plain, I usually add some lemon and it helps me drink more water in a day. Drink some lemon water and get your eight oz a day and help cleanse your body. I hope everyone is having a great week. 

-Megan 

Graduate School

Today has been a day of celebration! Fair warning, this will be a short post. Jer got accepted to Northern Arizona University for his Master's Degree!! I am so proud of him that I cannot even express it in words. Luckily he was able to work it out with them so that he can do his degree online while here so we can stay with my same doctors. I feel so very blessed that he is able to make his dreams a reality and that we are well on our way to making mine come true. Luckily we both have our biggest dream that came true in each other! Sorry I got all sappy! 

Have a wonderful week everyone!

-Megan

Insat Grocery Store Haul

We have had such a busy weekend and the only time I got to even think about the blog was when I came home and saw all the fresh produce I got and wanted to share it with you guys! So here is an insta grocery haul! 

See tons of fresh fruits and veggies. all organic and all delicious! Nectarines, apples, tomato, sweet potatoes, almonds, and my yellow mustard and vegan mayo!! Oh and I almost forgot the Almonds! and here is how much all these organic food cost me.... 20 bucks! Not to shabby! 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! 

-Megan 

Vegan Recipes: Homemade Almond Butter

I for one am not a fan of peanut butter (it is too oily for me and I just prefer the taste of almonds), but if you have been to health food stores you will know homemade almond butter is expensive! I'm talking 6 oz can cost you up to seven bucks. It is insane how much they charge. So I knew that there was a way to make my own. I searched online and all of my cookbooks, but all the recipes called for sugar, which is not all-natural and I'm not going to put white refined processed sugar in me. So here is the recipe I came up with for me. 

Here is what you need:

I use a magic bullet, but you can use a blender or a food processor. Also almonds, obviously, then a small glass jar. If you only have plastic that's fine, but glass is way better for you and the environment. For those who are like, "How does that help the environment?" Well, when it breaks or gets damaged and you throw it away it can actually break down back into sand, whereas plastic cannot break down. Then you will need some olive oil to soften the almond powder so it thickens into paste. 

Slowly blend a small amount into the bullet or food processor until it is powdery, then add more almonds until all the almonds are a powdery substance. Then add a tablespoon of olive oil and blend; do this until you get a thick paste. 

Add the almond butter into the glass jar and you are good to go!! It is so delicious. I didn't add salt or anything, but if you want to add salt or even cinnamon and vanilla to make it sweeter, go for it! It's so tasty this way though. My husband took some downstairs with him it was so good! I mean like half the container. LOL. Then add the lid and you have almond butter. 

If you try this let me know! Have a great Friday everyone! 

-Megan 

Vegan Recipes: Kale and Avocado Salad

Tonight for dinner I was running like a chicken with my head cut off trying to figure out what I was going to fix. I am one who is not too shabby in the kitchen, and I can whip something up from whatever is in the fridge and have it actually taste good. Tonight was one of those "see what you have" kinda nights. There was kale, tomatoes, avocados, almonds, and some of my favorite seeds: sesame, chia and flax. Looking at everything I knew it would make a great salad, so I de-ribbed the kale and diced the tomatoes, poured on the seeds and sliced up the avocado. For the dressing I did something a little... strange. I whipped up my Veganaise with some organic yellow mustard. It actually was delicious on the salad. 

(Sorry about the pictures, I took them with my phone so they are not the best quality.)

It was so delicious. On the side Jer had a bowl of strawberries and I had a nectarine. I love all this fresh fruit we are getting from this time of year! 

My whole reason to share this with you is to show you that you can whip up a vegan meal even in a few minutes. Keep the essentials on hand, do a little preparation before the week starts and you will never have to eat out and you will love your food! 

Have a wonderful week everyone! 

-Megan

My Tips on Becoming a Vegan

I love eating a plant-based diet for so many reasons, and recently there have been friends and family of mine that have wanted to dip their toes in the vegan pool. The only problem is that it can be kind of overwhelming to make that transition from a Big Mac to a tofu salad, so I have a few tips and items that might make your transition or even just your experimentation period much smoother and tastier. 

1. Read The Kind Diet, By Alicia Silverstone. Yes she is a nut job who feeds her kid like a wackadoodle, but she knows her stuff. Plus, that book has some amazing recipes! Her apricot chocolate coins are my favorite treat ever! 

2. Switch out your butter and milk for vegan alternatives. Earth Balance Original costs me four bucks and I only buy it every six weeks. It is way better then butter and won't stick to your booty. Then make the switch to coconut milk. My husband drinks the chocolate coconut milk for breakfast and loves it. You will be surprised at how yummy it is and how cheap. I buy these cartons for under two bucks and we go through it every week. Make sure you do the unsweetened or sugar free so that you only get the natural sugars from the fruit and not the other crap that will stick to your booty. 

3. Cut out red meats. All meat would be amazing, but red meat is terribly hard on your digestive system and is expensive. I tell my buddies who say being vegan is expensive that no, actually it's not. My food bill is the exact same and maybe even cheaper. When you don't buy a 4 dollar organic chicken breast per person or a 5 dollar log of beef you can do the four dollar butter and even make the steps to the vegan mayo called Veganaise. 

4. Eat out less. I know that's hard; we all got crazy lives, I get it. So what I do is make bulk Sunday and Mondays so that I have food that lasts till Friday, then Saturday we shop and then the cycle repeats. You honestly need to just get organized if dinnertime is crazy. Plan a few days ahead and maybe just cut your veggies up that night and eat an apple while you are doing crap. 

5. Cut the crap. Go through your cabinets and pantry and throw away everything you know will cause a heart attack. I mean those Twinkies and Tastykakes are not doing you any good. I suggest giving the food to a shelter or food pantry so it's not wasted, but get it out of your house. Then DON'T BUY IT! It's easier to walk by it at the store then to walk away from it at home. It is hard, but after awhile the word "no" becomes your friend. 

6. Snack healthy. Potato chips may fill that craving, but they make you feel like crap about yourself after. So if you are like my dad and I and need to be snacking, choose better snacks. I eat almonds like they're crack. Almonds and apples are my go-to snack, but any nut and fruit mixture will do. Then choose a crunchy veggie like carrots or snap peas while you're watching TV that will give you the satisfaction of eating and the crunch without the nasty chips. Then again my kale chips are amazing and I eat them just as much as the almonds. 

7. Make goals. If you are not accountable to yourself you won't do it. If you are like, thanks but being vegan is not my thing, then at least you really tried it. I first set a goal to cut out all dairy (easier than I thought); then there was eggs (a little trickier), then all meat. If you slowly make steps to your end goal you will be better off than quitting cold turkey. Most times when someone just quits they mess up and eat a Big Mac or down a pint of ice cream. So make goals. 

There are so many more tips I would give you but it's late and this blog is long enough! Haha! I hope everyone has a great Memorial day! Have a great week everyone! 

-Megan 

Another Photo That I Love

Photo Blast from the Past

It is not often I get to look through my mom's pictures. I found some great ones of me, my family, and my husband! I figured I would share a few with you.

Jer and I 4 years ago! We were a few weeks away from getting married and took a break from all the wedding crazy. I love him! 

Again, weeks before the wedding 4 years ago at the zoo, he always gets food I think is nasty! 

Me in high school showing off my new peacoat. 

When we where engaged, doing one of my favorite things. Carving pumpkins! 

One of my favorite wedding shots. We look so weird, but I love it. 

Sophomore in high school on my trip to England and France. 

I hope you all enjoyed some funny blast from the past pictures of me!! Have an awesome Memorial Day weekend everyone! 

-Megan