Happy Easter

I am a big fan of Easter. Yes, spring is wonderful with all its new beginnings, but what I love most about Easter is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If you are not religious and are not interested in religious things this post may not be for you. One of my favorite memories as a kid was always Easter Sunday. We always had a great day at church, and I always got a new fancy dress. Then we would come home, eat dinner as a family, and read the scriptures on the crucifixion and resurrection. It always filled my soul to know my Savior loved me enough to give his own life so I could live mine. I'm not going to lie: getting candy was sweet! Easter is an all-around great holiday that brings us into the warmer months, and brings new life. Just today we had a funny incident. We went outside to see a small tail sticking out of our grill. Flipping open the lid, we saw a nest of baby squirrels. Honestly these things that happen to my family have always cracked me up, but this one may take the cake. Instead of trying to remove them, they were big enough that if we just left the grill open we figured they would move. And move they did. Easter is more then just candy, bunnies, spring, and cute little new animal babies. It is first and foremost about Jesus Christ, so sometime today take a few moments to give thanks for all the blessings you have, including the life Heavenly Father gave you. 

I hope everyone's Easter is wonderful!

-Megan

Movies I Love: A Cinderella Story

So after a long journey home I finally made it home safe. After being gone for two weeks I am so glad to be home. After taking a bit to adjust back and unpack, Jer and I sat back to relax and eat some dinner together. We flipped on the television and one of my favorite movies was on: A Cinderella Story. I remember all my friends and I getting together to watch this movie when it came out on video. If you are not familiar with this movie it is a different take on the Cinderella fairy-tale only in a modern-day setting with a young girl (played by Hillary Duff) named Sam who works at her father's diner that her stepmother has torn apart after her father died. She goes to high school and is basically her family's servant. The only thing that she has of her own is a cyber relationship with a boy who shares her dream of going to college at Princeton. Though they have no clue who each other are in real life, they do know they go to the same school. So they set up a plan to meet at the Halloween homecoming dance at 11:00 p.m. in the middle of the dance floor. She of course dressed as Cinderella and he was and is the prince, and when she leaves it is not a shoe she leaves behind but her phone. In the middle of all this she watched her stepsisters flip her life upside down and expose her to the prince. But of course, as it happens in every Cinderella movie, it all works out in the end in the best way. 

I love movies, and my favorite are the ones with great happy endings! Plus it brings back good memories. I am so happy to be home with my love and to snuggle up and watch a movie with him; I am so blessed. I feel as if I have my own fairy tale. I hope everyone's week went well and that you have a great Easter weekend! 

-Megan 

(Beware, the movie is cheesy.) 

Headin' Home

This one will be a short one. I'm heading home. I can't wait to see my husband. I hope you're all having a good week.

-Megan

Making Healthier Choices

I will never tell everyone to stop eating meat and dairy and convert to my vegan ways. You should do your own research and make that decision based on your life and wants. But I will tell you to try and make better choices when picking what you will eat. It is spring time and everyone wants to have a hot bikini ready, or in my case a classy vintage one piece. It just happens that spring comes right after the Holiday season where you cheat on your diets and take that extra cookie and say "just this once," but that tends to happen more like every day. Everyone is dieting and on a health kick so they can feel good during the warm weather. So here are some ways to make better choices.

At the store:

~ Stay away from the freezer isle. I know this is weird, but if you stay away you won't be tempted to pick up the processed foods and that frozen pizza.

2. Buy alot of raw fruits and vegetables. Organic is best, but go for non-organic too. Just get those vitamins and minerals in there.

3. If you are not into "make me drip sweat" workouts just take a 30 minute walk a day. It is warm enough to take your kids out or not eat at the cafeteria at work and walk down to get a salad.

4. Take out red meats. No one ever should eat red meat. Your body can't digest it. But if you are a meat eater try lean chicken or turkey. Much better for you and 9 out of 10 times I have people tell me it tastes better then beef or pork. Just make sure you buy local fresh meats that are naturally fed and well taken care of.

5. Don't eat out as much. When you eat out you have no clue where you food came from or if it has been treated in the right ways. Plus it is temptation city!! That burger may look good on the menu but won't look good on your butt.

6. Drink tons of water!!!! I mean 3 large smart water bottles a day alot. Water weight stays on because of the sodium you eat and the lack of water you take in so drink up and you will notice you are less bloated.

7. To go along with water, cut back on the sodium! This is my problem; now I only use Himalayan pink sea salt, but I use alot of it. Sweets don't draw me in, but you show me a dish I can salt up to the max my mouth waters and I have to really control myself.

8. Research the things you are eating. Yes, this will scare you and disgust you, but you should know what goes into your body and on it for that matter, because your body absorbs 60% of what you put onto it. Read that lotion bottle and you will scream.

9. Get outside into the sun. The sunlight clears up skin and studies show that sunshine makes people happy and less stressed. When you are stressed your body stores fat, so take some of the stress out of your life and get some sun.

10. If you are a soda drinker, switch to a Stevia soda or a natural cane juice soda. Plus cut back on your soda intake even with those sodas.

I hope that these gave you some ideas on how to lose those few extra pound and be comfortable for spring. Your size really has nothing to do with looking hot; it has to do with being comfortable.

It's Thursday! I hope everyone has had a great week and only one more day till the weekend!

-Megan 

Movie Review: The Croods

As you know I am out of town watching my nieces while my sister is at a wedding. At one point there were 7 children here, 7! It is amazing to see them all but I honestly don't know how my sister does it. But I did my best. So I thought taking them to see The Croods would be a good idea. There were 9 of us all together and we took up the whole row, but we really enjoyed the movie.

The Croods is about a family of cavemen who only venture out of their cave once every few days to hunt for food. Everyone in the family is fine with this except for one: their daughter Eep. She loves the light; she is also a bit mischievous, and one night while the rest of her family is sleeping she sees a strange light and decides to sneak out and follow it, only to find a torch being held by a boy named Guy. Guy warns her that the end of the world is coming so Eep, her family, and Guy set out on an adventure to find a new home away from the disasters.

I really enjoyed this movie; it is a great kid and family movie. All my nieces were cracking up and really enjoyed it. It wasn't my favorite movie of all time, but I was impressed by the cast. Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, and Ryan Reynolds all made the list. I most likely won't purchase this movie, just because it is not my kind of humor, but most likely my husband will want to see it so we will rent it from Redbox when it comes out. All in all I give this movie 6 out of 10, because they made me uncomfortable. That's weird I know, but I didn't like how they dressed the daughter. Yes it is accurate, but I thought for a kids' movie let's cover her up some more and not have her be so curvaceous. I also thought that it was a bit predictable; yes it's a kids' movie, it all ends happily ever after, but I felt I could have told you exactly what would have happened before I had even see it. It was a nice uplifting story and I saw firsthand that any kind of kid would love this movie. If you go see it let me know what you think: you may love it!!

I hope everyone is having a good week!

-Megan

Photos: Springtime!

Husband Withdrawal

So it is Saturday night and I have only been gone for 5 days out of 11, and I am already missing my husband so bad! Don't get me wrong, I love my sister and her wonderful family. I had a great day all day long, but once the night comes I'm so lonely! I only have 6 days left; I can do this! I may never leave my husband again after this, but I am enjoying myself so it will be a fun week. Then Friday night I am off to Jeremy's arms! 

I hope everyone's weekend is awesome! 

-Megan

Family Game Night

As you know we are out of town visiting my sister and her family. Tonight we played games together and watched The Hobbit (as you know that's my favorite movie). We had a great night! This trip has been so much fun; I love my family. 

I hope everyone's week was wonderful! Have a great weekend!

-Megan

Road Trippin'

I love to go on road trips, listening to fun stories (almost always it's a Harry Potter book), eating yummy food, and seeing weird sights along the way. My mom and I made the 13 hour drive to Minnesota and had a blast! It is a great way to know if you can stand someone. Luckily it was my mom and I on the trip and we get along great, but it made me think of people I actually could go on a road trip with and the list was very short. Haha, oh well. My all-time favorite road trip was also a trip to Minnesota with my mom and dad with me, and my brother Tim; we where 8 and 9 and watched the Jimmy Neutron movie like 12 times. We had a blast playing cards and eating snacks. Also the 4 of us went to Utah once and that was a great trip too; we had a huge Ford Bronco, so we put a futon in the back and played games the whole 8 hour drive there. 

Tell me your favorite road trip! 

-Megan

Holy Garden

A few blogs back I showed you the start to my veggie plants growing. Well, it seems like overnight they got even too big for the container. I though I would show you the madness. 

Look as this!! I am so excited: super yummy veggies are in my future. If you're wondering, we just got cheap paper pots and transferred the small plants into them so they would have more room to grow, and boy did they. 

I love the spring and gardening. Hope everyone's week has been great so far.

-Megan

Wedding/Party Gift Boxes

Last Thursday my mom and I threw a birthday party of sorts for the sisters in our church: 72 people. Wowza!! Needless to say we had a lot of work to do. One of those many things that we had to do was make small party favors for the ladies who came to the birthday party. That became my job and here is what I went with. 

So I got the boxes at Michael's Craft store; they came in a box of 1100 for 20 dollars. I got the ribbons at Michael's as well: 5 different colors at 1 spool for 75 cents each. Then I cut each spool into pieces about as long as my hand (granted it's tiny), so about 2 feet. After I put what I wanted to put in them I tied the ribbon around each box, like you would a Christmas present. I thought they needed something more, so we painted clothespins bright colors and when they where dry, added a magnet strip on the back and pinned one to the ribbon of each box. I think they turned out so cute! I was super happy with them. 

They are great for any party! Let me know if you try them, and have a wonderful week. 

-Megan

Lavender Laundry Detergent and Fabric Softener

I stopped using your ordinary laundry detergents and softeners a while ago, but couldn't go all the way to making my own. So one day I was at one of my local health food stores called Sprouts and saw that they sold more natural laundry products, so I thought that I would give it a go. I love it. Lavender is one of my favorite smells; it just reminds me of spring time. Also I know that only the best and safest products are going into my laundry. I have to say though; it is not vegan. I wish it was, but it's not. I'm still working on finding one that is, but for now this one works fantastically. 

(Don't judge my laundry room.)

It is perfect for sensitive skin and has no harsh chemicals or dyes. It also has all-natural fragrances from essential oils. My laundry room smells like a meadow filled with lavender flowers. It's amazing. Sometimes when you go natural you can see that it doesn't do the best job at cleaning, but I have no complaints on the quality of cleanness with this detergent, and my clothes are so soft and fluffy. I'm super happy with this and if it were only vegan it would be the best detergent ever. 

I hope you all have a great week. On Wednesday I am off for my spring vacation! YAY! 

-Megan

Movie Review: Oz the Great and Powerful

I know it opened over a week ago, but today I was able to go out with my husband and see Oz the Great and Powerful, and I loved it. If you are under the misconception that this is a remake of The Wizard Of Oz you are wrong. It is actually a prequel, showing us how the wizard became the wizard and how the wicked witch of the West became the wicked witch. It was cast so well and the actors were amazing. This was a huge cast and sometimes when you have a huge cast it is a total bust, but this was a great movie with unexpected surprises. The only thing I could say I wished was different is if I had read the book before I went to see it. I will be reading the book as soon as I get my hands on it. My biggest question now is if they plan on remaking The Wizard Of Oz. I for one hope they do. It would be amazing. I think they should, but I bet there are plenty of you who disagree with me. So if you loved The Wizard Of Oz and want to find out what happened before Dorothy's house landed on the wicked witch of the East go and see this movie. I hardly can see anyone disliking this move; if you did let me know why. But I think everyone should see it. 

Have a great Sunday everyone!

-Megan 

Top TV Shows Of All Time

You all know that I love to cuddle up in bed and watch some good television. There have been some amazing shows that I watch over and over again. I thought I would share my favorite T.V. shows of all time. 

~ Friends

~ Pretty Little Liars 

~ Boy Meets World

~ Buffy the Vampire Slayer

~ Charmed

~ How I Met Your Mother 

~ Psych 

~ Mythbusters 

~ Thundercats 

~ Bones 

~ Castle 

~ Raising Hope 

~ Veronica Mars

Just to name a few. Share some of your favorite shows with me and if you have not seen some of my favorites, give them a try. It's Friday!! Have a great weekend everyone! 

-Megan

Road Trip!

So my mom and I have the opportunity to go out of town for a few days. It honestly could not have come at a better time. My mom and I have had a long last couple of weeks, from baby showers to dinners to just our own lives. We get to take off and relax for a few days and see my sister and her kiddos. It is going to be so nice to see them. This time next week I am going to be on my way to relaxation. It got me thinking about all the fun road trips I have been on in Florida, Minnesota, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Alabama, Tenessee, and Colorado. Every kid goes on road trips and loves them. My brother and I had such a wonderful time watching movies and playing games, then as adults listening to books and music and eating yummy food and stopping at awful gas stations. Once my brother Tim and I ran through a corn field and when we came out we were covered in hives; we took Dramamine and we were knocked out for the rest of the trip to Minnesota. 

After reminiscing a little and thinking about next Wednesday I realized I hadn't blogged today, so I figured I would blog about fun road trip memories and let ya know: starting Wednesday, for the next ten days after that the blogs will be a little boring. I will try to do a few cool ones and save them as drafts so they're not all boring and photoless. 

It is almost Friday everyone!! YAY! 

-Megan 

"Have I Done Any Good?"

The past three days have been so long and tiring, but instead of saying these days sucked and I hated them, I decided to say, "Wow! I did so much service for others. I think it is a wonderful thing to do for others." By no means am I saying I'm perfect at this--to be honest the only person whose feelings I actually care about is my husband. But I feel if we keep trying to do our best to serve and do for others it will bring great blessings to our lives and joy. I think this song says it best. 

 By no means do I own anything, it is just a great song that I am trying to do my best to live by. I think we all need to do a little more for others. Some may say, "I don't have time to do everything for myself and my family, let alone theirs." I feel ya; I saw my husband for about 30 minutes today and he is the only person I like. But I promise it will bring so much more to your life that you never even knew you were in need of. 

I hope everyone has had a great week and that we all can grow as people in service together. 

-Megan

Kissed By The Sun

I was super busy today getting ready for a woman's dinner party of 72 people. So this will be a shorter blog. But I am so excited for spring, today it was the warm enough to go to the park. we all went home with pink cheeks that in the morning will look like we have been kissed by the sun. I am so ready for Spring and Summer. Who's with me!! 

I hope every one is having a great week! 

-Megan 

Beauty Review: Reviva Labs Hypoallergenic Mascara

I have been looking for an all-natural mascara that actually looks good and stays on. I have found others but they seem to wear off within an hour or so. I mean sure, you can reapply over and over, but I'm lazy and I only wear mascara, so I would like it to be a one-time "don't need to think about it" thing. I was at Vitamin Cottage the other day getting new shampoo when I thought I would take a peek at the beauty section, and what do you know? I found a new mascara!! I was excited to try it mainly because of the price: 4.89! Holy crap!! You have to pay almost $10 for the ones at the drug store with all the nasty chemicals and fillers in it. So I picked up two of them. On the website it is $8.00, so either way it is not as expensive and so much better for you! So I was excited to go home and give it a try. This was last Tuesday or Wednesday I think. 

(All photos have no filters and are not edited so you can see the full effect.) 

It is now Monday of the following week and I have used this everyday including today, and I have to say it is amazing! 

The formula is creamy and soft, and when it dries it does not smudge at all. I swatched it on my hand the first night I got it and forgot to take it off before I went to bed; I woke up the next morning and it hadn't moved a bit. I love that the company is all-natural and cruelty free. The only thing that I don't like about the mascara is the size. It is a bit small... but you don't need as much so it all evens out. 

If you are looking for an all-natural mascara or just looking for a new mascara at all you should go check it out! If you do, let me know what you think. I know that I have found my new favorite mascara. 

-Megan 

Vegan Recipe: TLT Sandwich (Tempeh, Lettuce and Tomato)

One of my new obsessions is tempeh bacon. Tempeh is a meat substitute made from non-GMO organic soybeans. There is a certain brand that makes "Fakin Bacon": basically tempeh seasoned and cut to taste like bacon. I was so happy when I found it because one of my favorite meals before I was vegan was a BLT, so now I get to still have them and feel great about it. So here is how I make my TLT sandwich. 

What you will need:

~ Ezekiel bread, flourless and amazing 

(or your favorite bread).

~ Veganaise 

(or you can spread half of an avocado on the bread).

~ Tomatoes.

~ Lettuce, kale, or spinach. 

~And of course your tempeh bacon. 

You will want to but the tempeh bacon in a pan with olive oil and crisp up the edges a bit, and then after that make your sandwich, cut it in half and enjoy!! 

Now I am hugry and want a sandwich! I hope you all have a nice Sunday! 

-Megan 

Snow Day Movie Marathon

So it is snowing here and this was my day off, so my mom and I got together and are having a Twilight movie marathon. You may not be a fan, totally fine, but I personally love them. We have a fire going, made some yummy drinks, and are enjoying our snow day together. Sorry this post is so short, but as I said it's my day off. I hope everyone had a great week and enjoy your weekend! 

-Megan 

Spring Forward

I love the fall and winter seasons, but spring and summer brings me so much joy because of all the new life and new beginnings. Mostly I get to start growing my garden again. I love the flowers and all the delicious veggies and herbs growing. Last year my family and I planted a huge garden. We didn't get as much from it as we would have liked; we think it was because we planted the seeds, so this year we are planting in small containers and are going to replant and hope we will get a better outcome. So I thought I would show you some of our sprouting veggies and (above) some of the flowers we will be replanting. 

We got a container that holds 75 little plants. We move it into the sun during the day so it gets lots of sun and there is an opening on the side where you pour in water. It is such a cute container and it sprouted so fast. I don't know why, but I love watching the new plants come to life. 

I hope we get so much from the garden this year. We planted everything from kale to squash. All organic and delicious, and the best part is it is so much less expensive. I will let you all know how this "crop" works out. 

Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour at midnight on Saturday! We are springing forward! 

-Megan 

"There Is Beauty All Around"

Its a short one tonight guys! Its been a long day, and on long days something I love to do is watch the Sunset. So I sat back and relaxed and watched a beautiful sunset. 

Sometimes we just need to sit back and take a good look at the beauty that is all around us. 

I hope everyone is having a good week so far! We are so close to the weekend, YAY! 

-Megan 

Monthly Favorites: February 2013

February was a very nice month: Jer and I had a great Valentine's day (I love my husband). I got some answers that I needed and we are moving forward. Here the things that I was loving in the month of February 2013!

Food:

~ Peach lemonade smoothies 

~ Vegan waffles 

~ Grape tomatoes 

~ TLT (Tempeh, Lettuce, Tomato, and Veganaise) 

Entertainment:

~ Pretty Little Liars 

~ Cirque Du Freak (Book Series) 

~ The Hobbit 

~ Crocheting 

~ Serving others 

~ Hocky games 

~ How I Met Your Mother 

~ Red Box

~ Netflix 

Beauty:

~ My (non-leather) leather jacket

~ My jeans

~ Sweatpants

~Scarfs 

~ Chunky flower necklace

~ My riding boots 

Random:

~ My comfy bed 

~ Learning German

My forever favorite:

~ My incredible husband

The February round up: got in a car accident, started more fertility tests, got teeth pulled, had a great Valentine's day, and spent time with my amazing family. 

I hope everyone had a great February, that March is just as amazing, and that we all "spring" into the spring season wonderfully! 

-Megan 

Vegan Recipe: Kale Chips

Just like everyone else, I love potato chips! But also just like everyone else, my butt does not. But I still love chips, so I searched the web for chips that I didn't need to feel guilty about, and then there it was, a shining beacon of hope. Kale chip recipes. Actually healthy and extremely tasty. So I figured I would share it with all the other vegans out there who want to get their chip on. 

You will need:

~Organic kale 

~ A bowl 

~ A sink/water 

~ Tin foil

~ A cookie sheet

~ Salt

~ Garlic chips 

First what you will need to do is get a bundle of fresh organic kale. Take your kale off the stems and break it into bite-size pieces, then place them in a bowl. 

Then you will want to rinse the kale well. I usually rinse every piece because I'm scared of eating bugs.

You can see in the picture I moved the kale into a colander so that it rinses more evenly. After the kale is well-rinsed move it back to the original bowl. Make sure the kale is dry, then add olive oil, salt, and garlic chips and stir with your hands. Then on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil dump the kale chips on the lined cookie sheet, spread them out evenly, and bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. Just check on it now and then to make sure they are not burning. 

After the chips are done baking, pull them out and let them cool for a bit, then pour them in a bowl! 

Enjoy!! they are amazingly tasty and wonderfully guilt free! 

I hope you all have a good week and give these a try! 

-Megan 

How To: Make A Diaper Cake (For a Baby Shower)

I threw a baby shower for a friend today; I have been preparing this for a few months. I didn't want to do a real cake, just cupcakes, but I thought we should still have a cake so my Mom and I made a diaper cake (she is so creative!). So we came up with our own way of doing it and I thought I would share how to with you guys. 

Here is what you will need:

~ 40 Newborn Diapers. I used the Earth Balance kind, free of chemicals and dyes and 100% cotton. Costs the same, but far better for your baby.

~ 4 receiving blankets, gender specific. Costs about 6 dollars at Walmart. 

~ Tulle. Again, at Walmart about 2 dollars. 

~ Then use the ribbon that comes with the blankets. 

~ 1 large bowl.

~ 1 medium bowl.

In your bowls, lay your diapers over each other in a circle all the way around, then roll up one of your receiving blankets and stick it in the middle to make a solid layer for your diaper cake. Do this for both the bottom large layer and middle medium layer. 

For the top layer you can just overlap them in your hands and tie it with the tulle and ribbon from the blanket packaging and it will look so cute. If you need stuffing in the middle use the packaging from the diapers. 

For the lower two layers you will wrap a folded (long ways twice) receiving blanket and a piece of tulle around the outside edge to hold everything together and make it super cute. 

It should look like this:

So now it is time to add your accessories. For this shower our theme was a fairy enchanted garden (obviously she was having a girl), so I added a flower on top with added tulle and butterflies. But if you are doing a more baby theme, add a plastic pink safety pin or bottle or even a rattle. Here is how mine turned out. 

I thought it turned out super cute!! The shower went well and I was happy with it. It has been an eventful week so I am going to take a long shower and head to bed early. I hope you have a great weekend! Also let me know if you like the crafty blogs; I'm a crafty person and would totally do more of these. 

-Megan

50 Random Facts About Me "Tag"

1. I love peach lemonade. 

2. I love going to the movies. 

3. Halloween is my favorite holiday.

4. I am not a people person.

5. I don't have a favorite color.

6. Sweet potatoes are my favorite food.

7. My husband is everything to me. 

8. I'm a vegan. 

9. Tooth pain kills me, and I have broken 20 bones.

10. I love animals, but will never be a pet owner. 

11. Open water is the most terrifying thing to me.

12. I am a nanny. 

13. I'm a very addictive person. 

14. Vegan waffles are my guilty pleasure. 

15. I am allergic to so many things, a shorter list would be things I'm not allergic to. 

16. I would rather stay home than go out. 

17. I am always putting on chapstick.

18. I am a very hairy person. 

19. I have an amazing family.

20. Scarfs have me happy 

21. London is my favorite city.

22. I'm LDS.

23. I'm obsessed with fluffy socks.

24. I'm a huge nerd; like, no joke. 

25. I hate to be cold.

26. I'm not a fan of skiing or snowboarding. 

27. I have a hard time falling asleep.

28. I love to help others whenever I can.

29. I may not ever be able to have kids.

30. I don't use any heat or product on my hair.

31. I love to travel, and want to see everywhere.

32. If I am home I am in PJ pants.

33. I once peeled 37 oranges in one sitting. 

34. I fear natural disasters.

35. I hate being alone.

36. I hate cleaning. 

37. I love to read.

38. I want to live in the woods with my husband and work from home. 

39. I love to garden.

40. Math is not my forte.

41. I love to dance.

42. I love to learn, but hate school.

43. I'm crafty. 

44. I'm an amazing crocheter.

45. I love going to the store at like 2 a.m.

46. Still like to watch Disney.

47. Try to always be kind to others--doesn't always work.

48. Summer make me anxious.

49. Spelling is also not my forte.

50. Being organized is not my thing.