Chocolates, Roses, and Candies, Oh My

Temptation, temptation... it is everywhere the days leading up to Valentine's Day. From those boxes of chocolates to the candy hearts, everywhere you turn sugar awaits. But with my body being allergic to... well, everything... I can't enjoy these delectable treats, which makes Valentine's Day kinda sad. When you buy your husband chocolates and you get fruit... I mean, the roses are great, but I want something delicious. So I have made a goal for this Valentine's Day to come up with a vegan goody that I can eat and not have to worry about making my butt a planet. I plan on tackling the best chocolate chip cookie recipe and even chocolate  peanut butter cups. I was so excited tonight when at the grocery store I found vegan chocolate chips. This will make my adventure much easier. Wish me luck on this adventure and I hope you are all as excited about Valentine's Day as I am. 

-Megan

A Little Something Different: Get to Know Me

 

I thought I would try a little something new today. I thought I would let you guys get to know me a little better. So here are fifteen things about me: 

1. I am extremely messy. 

2. I love animals, just not in my house. 

3. I don't have a favorite color. 

4. I love to play board games. 

5. My weakness is television. 

6. I would rather read a book than go be around people. 

7. I love going to the movies. 

8. I would rather stay home than go be with other people. 

9. I love my husband more than anyone else in the world. He is amazing. 

10. My siblings are amazing. So proud of them all. 

11. I am a night owl. 

12. Movie nights at home with my husband are my favorite. 

13. My favorite food is a gluten-free, vegan, BLT sandwich. 

14. I would move back to London in a heartbeat. 

15. I hate flowers; get me a video game instead. 

I hope I didn't boar you all to tears, but on my third sick day this is all I could come up with. I hope you are feeling much better then I am. 

-Megan 

My Favorite Vegan Products!

(Warning, this will be a long blog.) 

I went to the store yesterday and picked up my essentials, so I wanted to share my favorite vegan food, beauty, and bath products. Let's start with my favorite food products! 

Organic nectarines, Fuji apples, and bananas are our fruit must-haves; my husband and I go through more fruit then anything. 

Follow Your Heart Vegenaise, Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread Original, Raw organic tomatoes, and Soyrizo Meatless and Gluten Free Soybean Sausage. I made the best sandwich today using the sausage, vegenaise and tomatoes. It was a weird combo I know, but so delicious! 

Ezekiel 4:9 bread is delicious! My husband and I both love it and I can actually eat it! 

As for my last food favorite...

Agave nectar is amazing; it is a natural sweetener so that your body can actually use the sugars, unlike the white processed crap! I accidentally got the Hazelnut flavor so I need to go take it back. Yeah, I'm that scatter-brained. 

Earthly Choice Organic Quinoa is amazing. It is my favorite grain. If you are not familiar with quinoa, it is a whole protein by itself, it is gluten free, and it's amazingly filling and very healthy. Not to mention it tastes amazing! 

Broccoli is amazing; I love to eat this with brown or wild rice! I forgot to add rice to my list this week, but it is also on my favorites list! 

Now on to my favorite "bathroom products." 

(Warning: I do include lady products.)

Okay, ready for this huge list!! 

Deodorant: Tom's Of Maine Natural's with the scent Apricot; smells amazing and works all day. Toothpaste: Nature's Gate Peppermint toothpaste. Toothbrush: Radius Source toothbrush; it's amazing they come with replaceable heads and are made out of recycled plastic! No BPA's and better for the environment. Natracare pads: with all the chemicals in regular pads it messes up my PH so much, and I can't have kids anyway so I don't want to screw it up even more... plus it's made with 100% cotton, so it's so soft and you don't feel like you are wearing a diaper. Shampoo and Conditioner: Nature's Gate for dry and damaged hair in the scent Chamomile and Lemon Verbena. Its amazing, cleans so well and is very hydrating. Plus it smells amazing. 

So now you guys know how much of a granola hippy I am. Everything down to my deodorant, pads, and toothbrush are all cruelty-free, no animal byproducts, and all natural ingredients! I feel so much better without the crappy chemicals in my body. I am still sick so I am going to make some herbal tea and hop in bed. I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday! 

-Megan

[Note: I took all of these pictures myself.]

Vegan Recipe: "Egg Rolls"

I love food, and Asian cuisine is my favorite (especially egg rolls), but I am a vegan now and gluten intolerant... so sadly, I had to give them up. Until the beautiful minds of my mother and me came up with the best vegan egg rolls. The best thing is they are specific to you: I mean that with mine I love quinoa and broccoli, but my mom adds cheese and turkey to hers. You can put anything in them and they will be delicious, I promise. Now let's get on to the recipe. 

Ingredients:
(You can find all these things at a health food store; I found all this at Sprouts.) 

 ~ 2 cups quinoa, cooked in a rice cooker. (Cooking quinoa is the same as cooking rice; I cook mine in a rice cooker. For every 1 cup quinoa add 2 cups water. So if you put in 2 cups of quinoa you will need 4 cups water, but I also add to the water vegan vegetable bullion for flavor.) 

~ 2 bags of organic broccoli fillets, steamed. (I use my rice cooker: just put the steaming attachment on top and cover with the lid.)  

                                                      

(Just an example of my rice cooker/steamer combo.)

~ You will also need rice paper for the outer shell. 

How to assemble: 

Carefully take the rice paper and a bowl full of warm water; dip the sheet of rice paper in the water for 5 to 7 seconds. Once you have let the water drip off the rice paper, lay the rice paper out on a flat surface. Add small amounts, about a tablespoon of the quinoa and the broccoli, in the middle of the round sheet of rice paper. If you are like my mom and want more to go in your rolls go ahead and add more. She likes cheese and turkey; you can add anything you want to these. Then fold one  side in and turn and fold the rest of the sheet of rice paper into a roll. 

Now you can go ahead and just eat it if you want the wet paper to stick to itself, but I like to put them in a pan of olive oil until they're brown on the edges. They should look like this! 

They are so delicious!! They give you whole grains, protein, and veggies. I usually add an apple to my meal and almond milk. Give these a shot, they're amazing and they are really filling. Even with my meat-eating husband, he thought they were amazing!

I hope you all have a wonderful week! 

-Megan

Favorite Vegan Snacks!

I love food, it just doesn't love me, so I have been on the hunt for amazing food that not only tastes good, but is also good for you. So here are my favorite vegan snacks! 

1. Vegan popcorn. 

2. Organic black re-fried beans, organic salsa, and gluten free corn tortilla chips. 

3. Peach, lemon, and almond milk smoothies (tastes just like Sprite). 

4. Gluten free puffed rice cereal with agave nectar and almond milk. 

5. Baked sweet potato fries.

6. Raspberries.

I love food so much and there are tons of vegan meals I have but I am too lazy to make them most of the time. So I love having the stuff to make these snacks around so I can have something delicious but super quick. I am sick so I am going to turn on a good movie and rest in bed. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 

-Megan

Movies I Love: The Mummy

I love when it's late at night and you can't sleep, then you turn on the television and see that one of your old all-time favorite movies is on. Tonight is was the 1999 flick The Mummy starring Brendan Fraser and Rachael Weisz. The story in a nut shell: Evelyn (Rachael Weisz's character) and her brother Jonathan enlist the help of Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser's character) on a trip to the lost city of Hamunaptra, a lost ancient city in Egypt. After saving him from being hanged they set off on their journey, but when they have finally made it to their destination they realize they are not the only group who are in the lost city. The others are diggers who stumble upon a tomb, but once they open the tomb they unleash a curse. Now that the mummy is awake they have to do all they can to send the High Lord Imhotep back to his grave. 

I remember seeing this in theaters; this is a wonderful movie and I recommend all to see it. Sadly it is not on Netflix, but you can by the trilogy (yes there are three) at Walmart, from what I recall, for fifteen dollars. I know that I must go and buy these, why I have not in the past is beyond me but I love it and can't wait to snuggle up with my husband and watch. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 

-Megan

How I met Your Mother: Review

    My brother Tim says that How I Met Your Mother is his favorite show, so while I was on Netflix a few months ago I decided I was going to give it a chance. It turns out that like my brother I love it as well. I watched all of the seasons and when I was finished I had to get my husband to come watch it with me. We are still on the first season together but he really enjoys it as well. If you have not seen or heard of the show, it is basically about Ted telling the stories of his and his four other friends Lily, Marshall, Barney, and Robin's adventures in New York as he tells his kids how he met their mother. It is so funny because in all of these seasons we have never actually found out who the mother is, but the episodes are hilarious, kinda crude at some points but all in all it is a great and funny show. If you want to go check it out I would totally recommend it. 

-Megan 

Movies in 2013

So I was looking through a list of the upcoming movies in 2013. I have to say that I am really excited about some of them. In just a few weeks Beautiful Creatures comes out, and even though it may not be your thing, I am really excited to see it and maybe even read the books. The others on the list include Oz the Great and Powerful coming out in March. In May Iron Man 3 comes out, and Robert Downey, Jr. is too funny and amazing in this movie not to go check it out, especially if you are a superhero or comic book fan. The Great Gatsby is also coming out in May; looks amazing with Leonardo Dicaprio starring. If you are a fan of the Hangover movies the third installment is also hitting theaters in May (May is going to be a good movie month). Now on to the summer movies. June has Man of Steel coming out and I don't know much about it, but by the title I think it will be another superhero movie. July brings us some awesome ones as well. For the kiddos and kiddos at heart Despicable Me 2 is coming to a town near you. If you are into Adam Sandler Grown Ups 2 is also coming out in July, along with The Wolverine and The Smurfs 2, both of which I will be seeing for sure. If you are a teenage girl you might be interested in seeing the One Direction Concert Movie coming out in August. In September Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones re-releases, which may be fun for some to take their kids to, or if you are a super nerd like me to take my husband. Also in September Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 comes out, so be sure to bring your kids to that. In October (my favorite month) if you are in to the Sin City movies there is a new one heading your way. Also re-releasing Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith; again, will be seeing. Also they redid the movie Carrie; I am not into horror films, but for those who like to not be able to sleep at night or go downstairs alone you will want to see what this movie has to offer. November may be the best movie month this year, ready for the amazing list. Ender's Game: not only do I have high hopes, but this is a sentimental story for my husband and I so I am thrilled, tickled even that they have made this into a movie and that in the year of 2013 I will be seeing it. Also, a new Thor comes out titled Thor: The Dark Worlds; I will take a wild guess and say this will be amazing. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire also makes its way to theaters in November; there are a few movies that I have been looking forward to more than the rest and this is one of them. I hope they do the story justice. December brings us maybe my favorite story-line of all time: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug comes out. This is my favorite story-line that of all the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit stories has a special place in my heart. I know this movie like the first will make my heart jump right out of me into the screen (dramatic, yes.) 

I am super excited about all these great films coming out this year. These are just a few; I couldn't write the whole list, but if you are curious go ahead and take a look for yourself at http://www.movieinsider.com/movies/-/2013/.

This looks to be a great year in film and I can't wait to see as many as I can. Let me know which ones you are excited for. Have a wonderful night! 

-Megan

Best popcorn ever! (Vegan)

It's movie night!! I love movies, but not the crowds. So at-home movie nights are the best, and what makes them even better is the movie snacks. Popcorn is my favorite, but as I am a vegan I can't do butter. But then I found Earth Balance brand butter spread. I also pop my own popcorn; it's strange but my mom taught me this when I was little. 

Best Popcorn Ever! 

*Take a half cup of popcorn kernels and place them in a brown paper bag, then fold the top over two or three times, stick the paper bag in the microwave, and push the popcorn button. 

*When popcorn is done, put a half cup of Earth Balance Butter Spread in the microwave for 30 second intervals until it's completely melted. 

*In a medium bowl mix the two together and have a ball eating a guilt-free movie night snack. 

I love this popcorn! I could eat it every day! I hope you guys give it a try. Now I am going to go make some and enjoy my night with my husband! 

-Megan 

The Seven Deadly Sins

My mom and I were talking about the seven deadly sins today. Random, but a very interesting conversation. We decided to pick two that are the hardest for us. The seven deadly sins are: 

1. Lust 

2. Gluttony 

3. Greed 

4. Sloth 

5. Wrath 

6. Envy 

7. Pride 

After looking at it for about a second I knew the two I have the hardest times with are Envy and Wrath. I always see that the grass would be green on the other side, and think others should be grateful for what they have, and they should. But so should I. Wrath on the other hand is mostly because I get annoyed really easily. Everything and everyone tends to annoy the crap out of me. After realizing that I may be the meanest person on earth I decided to take some small steps to get better at these two things. For Envy I am going to write in my journal ten things I am grateful for every day, and they can't all be the same things day after day. And for Wrath I am going to simply decide to not hate things as much. We will see how this goes. If you are thinking you should work on one of these, you should do it and let me know how it goes. I think there is always room for improvement. I hope you all have a wonderful week and let's try to be better people, when in reality we all kinda suck. 

-Megan

Breakfast for dinner!

    On nights when I am far too lazy to actually cook we do breakfast for dinner. To be honest we have had breakfast for dinner twice this week. The only problem with breakfast for dinner for me is that I am a vegan, so your usual bacon and eggs are a no go for me. Even your traditional pancakes or waffles are not happening because I am gluten intolerant. But the wonderful makers of Van's Natural's make the most amazing dairy, egg, and gluten free waffles ever. The blueberry ones are my favorite. There are other parts about the waffles I had to alter, like syrup and butter, and I for one love peanut butter with waffles. But I found wonderful alternatives to all of these: instead of syrup I use maple agave nectar, for butter I use Earth Balance original, and then for peanut butter I usually go to the Whole Foods of Sprouts and make my own or buy their 100% made in store brand. I was out so I used sunflower butter. Honestly I can't even tell the difference. I love food, I just am sadly allergic to most of it, but with all of the wonderful new foods being introduced it's making my life a whole lot easier and yummier. Anyone should try the Van's Naturals waffles, they're simply amazing. If you're not a vegan or health nut, smother those things in butter and syrup. Either way they are delicious. 

(Don't judge the fact that I use a spoon)

Amazing combination. 

Tastes the same without my booty and heart exploding. 

See, even vegans can have a delicious breakfast or dinner. Speaking of which, I am going to go enjoy my waffles now. Give some of these a chance; maybe you will like them better. Have a great weekend! 

-Megan

Review: Silver Linings Playbook

         I have been wanting to see this movie since before it came out. Tonight I had the opportunity to go and see it. I had high expectations, all of which where met. I absolutely loved this movie. Don't judge, but I related to this movie on some levels, and was pleased with the outcome. I also thought that Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper definitely earned there nominations and their wins. The acting was amazing and the story was so original and funny, it was refreshing to be surprised at a movie for once. The only thing that I wish was different was the amount of cursing. Some was in my opinion reasonably necessary, but there may have been too much. So if you are not a fan of cursing you may want to skip. It is not nearly as bad as let's say "Super Bad," but "f*#$" was used a fair number of times. But if you are a fan of good movies and terrific acting and a few swear words here and there I would fully recommend this movie. I will be buying. Well done Silver Linings Playbook! Go and see it, and let's see if it takes home any Oscars at the Academy Awards!

-Megan

Essie nail polish review: It's Genius

I try to only put all-natural and organic products on my body and skin, but all-natural nail polishes kinda suck. So my go-to nail polish brand is Essie. At Walgreen's the other day I was just looking around the Essie nail polish section and found the most amazing color! It's Genius is a great in-between purple, not too dark but not lilac either, with swirls of gold. On the nail it reminds me of a dark rose gold. I don't think the camera will pick this up as well as if you would have seen it in person, but it's a beautiful color. 

On the nail it reminds me of a darker rose gold. It is so pretty and I will for sure be buying this again. 

I tried to get a good picture of  the polish on my nails. As you can see in the pictures I am wearing it and it is beautiful. I just couldn't get a picture of all my nails that caught the golden undertones of the polish. It also appears to be darker in the pictures as well. But this is the closest picture I could get to its true color. 

Next time you're at the drug store, go check out It's Genius by Essie! I hope you all have a great day! 

-Megan 

P.s. I took all pictures

Memories

I love looking at pictures from old trips and from when I was younger. Asking questions like, "Why does my lip always look like it's swollen?" or "What is Tim wearing?" can be one of the funnest things to do. With my mom last night we stumbled upon pictures from my 16th birthday, and it was so funny I almost fell off the chair. We'd gone to a Mexican themed restaurant that has a waterfall with a dive, and a gorilla that chases you. As you could imagine those pictures are hilarious.  We also looked at pictures from my trips to London and Paris, one of my favorite times in my life and I would love to go back. So looking at all the pictures made me very happy. I recommend that you go take a look back at your old pictures. You will ask yourself "What was I thinking?" "Why did I wear that?" or say, "I should burn that dress." 

I hope you are all having a wonderful Wednesday! 

-Megan

Black Bean Brownies (Gluten Free & Lactose Free)

I have been gluten intolerant for years, and the thing I miss the most is brownies, so I was determined to find a way to get my chocolate fix. I looked all over the internet and found a recipe that I had to modify a bit, but these are amazing. 

Ingredients:

1 15 oz. can black beans (rinsed)

3 eggs 

1/2 cup cocoa powder 

3 tbsp. spoons olive oil 

1/8 tsp. salt

1 & 1/2 tsp. baking powder 

1 & 1/2 tsp. baking soda 

1 medium ripe banana (cut in quarters) 

1 tsp. vanilla extract (pure and organic tastes so much better) 

1/3 cup agave nectar or honey (I use a mixture of both) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a food processor or blender mix all the ingredients together until completely smooth. Then pour it into an 8 x 8 inch pan lined with parchment paper. Then bake for 30 to 45 min. (checking regularly to see if it's done). It should look a little something like this. 

Then you want to wait until they're cool, which usually takes 20 minutes; but if you want them gooey and warm I would wait just 10. Then remove the brownies with the parchment paper and put them on the counter. Crumbs will stick a little to the parchment paper; that's fine. Then with a sharp knife cut it into squares. I usually put them on a pretty plate, but I only had a second throwaway pan to put them in to bring tonight. Ha, they usually don't look so tacky but hey, it works. 

I love these so much, they are so amazingly delicious and the best part is that when you eat the whole pan by yourself you won't feel nearly as guilty and your butt won't become its own planet. If you try these let me know; they won't be for everyone but my family loves them. Have a wonderful Monday night!! Happy Birthday dad, I love you! 

-Megan

The 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2013)

Of course I tuned in to the Golden Globes last night; I watched the red carpet arrivals, then the shows, and then some of the after party madness. I loved the fashion, loved the hosts (except their outfits, and their lack of participation), and loved the wins and acceptance speeches. 

There were so many amazing dresses last night; the trends on the red carpet this year where amazing. Anne Hathaway and Sofia Vergara rocked the sequins and Julianne Hough and Kristen Bell sparkled in their jeweled dresses while Naomi Watts, Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Lawrence sizzled in red. The black dresses where also a hit this year with ladies like Kate Hudson and Rachael Weisz. Then there were the white dresses with ladies like Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, and Megan Fox looking so elegant and beautiful. Then there were some who missed the mark... sorry Lucy Liu, Haley Berry, and Jennifer Lopez, we just have different styles. 

The show was amazing. I was so happy when Jennifer Lawrence won and her acceptance speech was so wonderfully funny. When Anne Hathaway won she was so happy and her speech was so heartfelt that you couldn't help but be happy for her. Ben Affleck won for Best Director and I love how much he loves his wife and how awkward it was when he talked about the "rough patch in between," but I'm so happy for him. Speaking of awkward, when Jodie Foster made her speech I could hardly even follow what she was saying, but as long as she is happy with it that's all that matters. My favorite win though had to be when Brave won for Best Animated Feature Film; I loved that movie so much and it was by far the best in its category. 

The after party specials make me laugh; most of the ladies change in to dresses that are so much better than the ones they wore to the awards. But it looked like they all had a good time. I loved the show and I can't wait till February 24th to watch the Oscars on ABC. Well, I am off to watch The Carrie Diaries so I hope you all have a wonderful night. 

-Megan

My Bucket List.

 My Bucket List:

1. Take my husband and parents back to London. 

2. Have children. 

3. Own my own home. 

4. See a show in Vegas. 

5. Attend an award show (Oscars, Golden Globes...). 

6. Be an organized person. 

7. Be a kinder person. 

8. Be a healthier person. 

9. Sky dive. 

10. Get a massage. 

11. Go to Hawaii. 

12. Go to Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. 

Today I am sick and couldn't think of anything interesting to write, so I thought I would share my bucket list with you all. There are other goals that I have, but these are the ones that I feel I must do before I pass on. I hope everyone has a great weekend and I hope if you are an award junkie you will watch the Golden Globes on NBC Starting at 8 EST / 5 PST. 

-Megan

SNOW DAY!

I love the snow and I love snow days. When it is cold and windy out, if you are like me you have no interest in stepping outside. Hot cocoa, a good boor or movie are a must! I think everyone's vision of a fabulous snow day is to be in comfy sweats cuddled up on the couch with a warm blanket, maybe a fire crackling in the background, sitting next to an uncovered window looking out at the beautiful white wonderland. 

Today we got a lot of snow really fast. I loved it, after living in Virginia for almost three years with very light winters. So I was not opposed to a real winter this year and I am sure getting it. Winter may not be my favorite season, but it is a great time to get caught up on your reading or your favorite television shows. I have been watching a lot of the E Network. Its forecast says that the weather will be below freezing through Tuesday. Hope I get to go sledding, or make a snowman with my husband because he grew up in Alabama and didn't get very much snow, so I hope we get to have some winter fun. Oh and maybe even do a little skiing. I hope you all have a wonderful day and, whether you're in sunny California or frigid Alaska I wish you all a happy winter. 

-Megan 

Award Season!!!

I am an award show junkie. I am not a super girly girl, but I love every part of award shows and those amazing gowns that make you wish you were wearing them. I am also a movie and television junkie. So pretty much everything about them I love. Last night was the first award show of the year, The People's Choice Awards hosted by Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco. She did a great job last year and this year she did even better: she was funny, smart and very entertaining. The show had great presenters, and though I was not pleased with all the outcomes I am glad for all the winners. The show also had three great performances. The first was by Alicia Keys and she sang her song "This Girl's On Fire." She was amazing; she has an amazing voice and really knows how to captivate an audience. The second performance was by Jason Aldean. Now, I am not a fan of his music and I can't pull the song that he sang out of my head. I may not have enjoyed it, but his fans sure did and I am glad that they did. His band sure seemed to be having fun as well. The third and final performance was by Christina Aguilera, who performed a brand new emotional song off of her new album, coming out soon. There is no doubt that that girl has some pipes on her, but I just wish she would take better care of herself. All in all I really enjoyed this year's People's Choice Awards. 

I am also looking forward to this Sunday because the Golden Globes will be on and I will for sure Monday post on it. Then in January the Academy Awards will commence. I am very excited for the next few weeks, not just for the award shows but friends' birthdays, and fun date nights. I hope you all enjoy your evening. And if you watched the People's Choice Awards or are planning on watching the Golden Globes let me know! 

-Megan 

Movie Review: Butter

The movie Butter has you following a few different story-lines, all involving butter carving. One woman named Laura (played by Jennifer Garner) is trying to uphold her family's name when her husband, who has for the last fifteen years been the Iowa State butter sculpting champion, decides to leave the butter carving world. She takes matters into her own hands and enters the competition herself. Then there is the story-line of Destiny, a young girl who has been passed from foster home to foster home and feels that she is not good at anything. But when she gets placed in her new home with soon to be adoptive parents she finds that she has a talent for butter carving. 

I had high hopes for this movie seeing that it has a great cast, including: Hugh Jackman, Olivia Wilde, and Ashley Greene. But I wouldn't say this is a movie I would recommend. It has so much unneeded bad language--don't get me wrong, I say curse words here and there, but not every time I open my mouth. I just didn't feel it needed that much vulgarity, or crudeness. But I did love that you got to see Destiny go from having no home and never unpacking her suitcase, to her having her own room and a family of her own that she never has to leave, nor feel unloved or not good at anything again. The acting was not bad. If you are into movies that are quirky and have a lot of sex and bad language you would be into this movie, but if you are like me and find it unnecessary I wouldn't recommend this movie to you. 

I give it a 4 out of 10. 

If you want to see this movie I saw it on Netflix and you can go watch it there or rent it at a Red Box. Im off to watch the People's Choice Awards. 

-Megan 

Crocheting Baby Blankets

I get invited to a lot of baby showers, and in a few weeks I am even throwing one for a friend. I love to crochet, and I rock at it. I'm not good at spelling or math, but crafty stuff I feel I am good at. So I love crocheting baby blankets for my friends, and it seems like all of my friends are pregnant right now. I have three more I have to make in the next few months. But for my friend who I am throwing the shower for I have already decided I am going with a purple theme, and with that I made her blanket an orchid color (a darker purple). For girls I always do a ruffle around the edge, so this blanket turned out super cute. 

                                             

For those of you who are crocheters, for the blanket I used a single stitch. Then for the edge I did my own version of a triple stitch. 

I am very happy with the way it turned out and cannot wait to take it to the shower. I will for sure do a post on the shower. I hope you all have a lovely day! 

-Megan

Working out and rabbit food.

I know I am not the only one, but if I could eat an ice cream cake every day I would.  But if we did that everyday we would be very unhealthy and very overweight. I know we all want to look good, but we see that chocolate bar on the other side of the room calling to us. I'm a believer of not depriving yourself. But I am also a believer of everything in moderation. So have a piece of that chocolate bar, but not all of it (though I have eaten a whole yellow cake with milk chocolate icing by myself so I can't judge). I try and fill my diet with lots of lean meats like turkey and chicken. Also, lots of fresh organic fruits and vegetables, and grains. Now, I'm lucky I'm lactose and gluten intolerant, so I can stay away from whole processed flour and loads of milk. But I still have oats and rice, gluten free of course. I know it's rabbit food but it's good for you, so just try changing one snack a day to some celery sticks or an apple. 

Now on to fitness: I love working out. Everything from kickboxing to dance. I used to weigh a lot more, and for a while I had no clue what to do about it. But it is honestly just diet and working out that can take that fat off and keep it off. I started doing lunges slowly, then worked up to an hour-long cardio routine. I love to dance, so sometimes I will just go all out and do whatever I want for an hour. My favorite workout is to put Just dance into my Wii and go at it. It is so fun you don't even feel like you are working out. I do add arms and abs to my workout, but only 3 reps of 20 for arms and 6 reps of 8 for my abs. I don't want to be a stick--no complaints to those who are, I bet you rock it. But for me some meat on my bones looks better. 

Whether you do yoga in the morning or run marathons, lets all support each other in being healthy, staying away from processed foods, and staying active. But don't forget to treat yourself with something every once in a while. We all need some chocolate once in a while, or my favorite caramel. 

-Megan

You've Got Mail

      One of my favorite things is flipping on the T.V. and seeing that one of my old favorite movies is on. Tonight it was You've Got Mail, starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks from 1998. It is one of the best romantic comedies I have ever seen. If you have not seen it I highly recommend it. I got to watch it from start to finish, though granted with movies that have been modified for television they have to edit some things out. So I will soon have to go and watch the VHS tape. My favorite scene is when Meg Ryan, who is Kathleen Kelly in the movie, is closing up her book shop. When she is about to leave the store she looks back and has a memory of her and her mother, who had passed away, dancing. See the book shop was originally owned by her mother, and when she passed it was left to Kathleen. For 42 years the shop had been running so well, until a big bookstore chain called FOX Books opened up and put her little store out of business. Whilst all this is happening, Kathleen has made herself an AOL pen pal, or should I say email pal. Little does she know, the wonderful person who she is emailing is none other then the owner of FOX Books: Joe Fox. He finds out when they decide to meet and he is to know her by the book Pride and Prejudice and a single crimson rose. He sees who it is and goes in, and she is just appalled to see him there and has no clue this is actually the man who is slowly stealing her heart. See Kathleen, as you can imagine since he shut her store down, didn't like Joe at all. But as her store closes and she is now writing her own children's book (which, through their emails, Mr. Fox had encouraged her to write). They keep running into each other and slowly their friendship is no longer computer-based. Then it is finally time for them to meet. In Riverside Park there is a bench with a garden. When Mr. Fox and his dog Brinkly show up she says one of the best lines ever: "I wanted it to be you, I wanted it to be you so badly." It is simply beautiful. 

Of course there is so much more to the movie, this is just a small summary of one of the movies that built me. I love movies, everything from the acting to the music. This movie has everything. Again, if you have not seen it, do! I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday. 

-Megan 

Aubrey Organics Lip Gloss Review

I try to stay as all-natural with my beauty products as I can. Everything I have is mostly all-natural, from my shampoo, to my eye-shadow, to my deodorant, so I was super excited when I walked in to my local Farmer's Market and their beauty section was on sale. I went in thinking, "I'm just looking." But then I saw this.

I have been looking for a plum lip gloss for a while now and this beauty met all of my requirements. It is a beautiful color, long-lasting, not going to break by budget, and all-natural. I did a few swatches of it on my hand at the store and was really impressed with the formula. It was not too dark of a plum, very smooth with a very nice fruity scent. The only problem that I could see was that it may not last very long.

I also thought the packaging was really beautiful.

(Sorry this one is super close up.)

I wanted to wait a week to use it and see if I actually liked it, so I have been wearing it out to the store, playgroups, and finally tonight on a date. I love it. It is the best color, and through all the eating, drinking, and laughing it stayed on my lips. The whole time (which was about two and a half hours) I only had to reapply once. 

I love it so far and I will be trying more products from the Aubrey Organics line. You guys can go check them out here:

http://www.aubrey-organics.com/

I wanted to show you a picture of me actually using the lip gloss so you guys can see how beautiful the color looks on the lips. 

I love it! I hope you lovely's have a wonderful Saturday and let me know if you try out this line!! 

-Megan

[Note: I took these photos myself.]

Friendship

Friendship used to mean little to me. I like being home with a good book, watching a fun movie, or playing games with my family. But I have grown to realize that having a few good friends does a girl some good. I'm not good at expressing emotion that is not sarcasm or a snide comment, so knowing friendship comes with sharing real feelings scared me. But I have found that with someone who you can trust, letting someone in can be easy and fun. Like today: I went out to run errands and have lunch with a friend, then we shared our favorite shows with each other. Friendship to me is more than hanging out and going to lunch: it is about finding someone you can be open and honest with and them back to you, and you both except each other for who the other one is, and have each other's back no matter what. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful night... maybe you should go out with some friends. ;)

-Megan

My lack of follow-through...

        I'm awesome at getting things done when they need to be done, the key word there being need. Your idea of need may be different than mine, but I'm going to give you an example of my lack of follow-through. Take 2012 Christmas cards for example: I got the cute cards in October, then by November they where all addressed and ready to go out the first few weeks of December. But it is the 2nd of January 2013 and they have not gone out. I think it is because I got them so early that by the time December comes around, everyone expects it and I have already moved on to the next thing because I got them done so long ago. They no longer seemed like a need in my life. So the simple answer for next year will be... wait until December to even think about them. 

Then there is the whole issue with the laundry. I'm awesome at getting the laundry done on laundry day, getting it all nice and folded while it is still warm I might add. But when I get to dragging it up the stairs into our bedroom, I set down the basket and move on to the next thing without putting the clothes away. Then when I actually do put them away, I totally forget about the clothes that I have and wind up buying new clothes. I may be a little absent-minded. But I have found a simple answer to this problem. I got a book shelf—yes, a book shelf—to put my clothes on, and it works surprisingly better than the dresser; not perfectly, but it is getting better. 

I don't make New Year's resolutions because, as you can plainly see, I have an issue with making it to the finish line. So no, this is not my resolution. This is simply something I wish to do better at and so I'm making changes, small ones but changes none the less, to get better at actually following through with something. 

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Eve and have a great 2013, and if you are anything like me, let's hope we don't leave our heads at home on our way to work anymore. 

- Megan