Monthly Favorites: April 2013

The month of April was wonderful: the start of a new season and wonderful adventures. Also, I found some awesome new things and places that I want to share with you guys! So here we go: here are my April 2013 favorites. 

Makeup:

~ Reviva Labs black hypoallergenic mascara

Food:

~ Kale chips 

~ Sweet potatoes 

~ Tomatoes 

~ Ezekiel bread

~ Peach smoothies 

~ Coconut milk

~ Herbal teas 

Entertainment: 

~ The Cirque Du Freak book series 

~ Raising Hope

~ How to Live with Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life

Random:

~ Jerusalem's Restaurant in Denver, Colorado 

~ My new haircut

~ Spring skirts 

~ Spring and summer sandals

It may not seem like April was wonderful, but it was. I am a happy lady and I am so grateful for the life I have been blessed with. I thank the Lord every day for the many blessings in my life, most importantly my family. I hope your week is going well. 

-Megan 

Choose To Be Happy

I have a lovely friend who challanged me to look at my in a new way. Every morning she picks three things in her day to be excited about. She challanged me to do the same, it have such a huge change in my outlook recently. Some days just suck, trust me i know. That being said, to me it is a fact that you can choose to find the good in your life. You can choose to be happy! So I give you all the same challange! See what new joys come in to your life. 

I hope everyone had a great Monday, and that your week is wonderful, find the joy in your life! 

-Megan

Date Night In

Jer and I decided to watch the complete season 3 of one of our favorite shows, Raising Hope. We love spending time together, but I'm a home body and Jer works so much that Saturdays are the days for us. Today we spent a few hours on the couch watching a great show enjoying leaving all the crap of life behind. Saturdays are my favorite days! 

What are some of the things you like to do with your significant other? Have a great Sabbath. 

-Megan 

The 5 Foods That Should Be in Your Diet

There are a lot of foods that should be in your regular diet, but here are the 5 that I think everyone should eat more of. Plus they're all things that you can find easily that are cheap. 

1. Sweet Potatoes 

2. Almonds

3. Kale

4. Sesame Seeds

5. Apples 

All of these foods are high in vitamins C, A, and some are high in iron and calcium.  They help your skin and hair, as well as your digestive system. Water should also be on the list but it is not a food—it's a drink—so count it as a bonus item, just like oranges, dates and bananas are. Also, as long as they are organic, because otherwise they soak up the chemicals that are sprayed on them, red and orange peppers are wonderful as well. Basically, anything natural and colorful you should be eating. 

If you are looking for a cheaper way to eat healthier, plant a garden. It does not have to be anything big and you do not have to grow anything crazy. It is just a great way to eat organic veggies without the cost. I hope everyone is having a great week!! It's almost Friday! 

-Megan 

Health Benefits of Herbal Tea

Herbal teas are not only delicious, but have some amazing health benefits. Herbs have been used for years to help cure sickness, infections, and diseases. Not only do they help your throat feel better when you're sick, but when you drink herbal teas on a regular basis it helps boost your energy, and most act as an anti-inflammatory to help with inflammation or swelling in your body. They have wonderful antioxidants, help with anxiety, level out your blood sugar, reduce fevers and help with colds. Most help to detoxify your body. Some are even anti-fungal. For those of you who are like me there are even ones that can help boost your fertility. Red raspberry and Vitex are the most common ones to help out with that, and sage tea is one that I drink on a daily basis; it helps even out my blood sugar and ease my anxiety. I have mentioned these already, but I figured I would give you some of my favorite teas. I drink red clover tea, which also helps with fertility. Chamomile helps when you are having those restless nights; drink chamomile tea and it will help you fall right to sleep. There is also a tea with melatonin in it; melatonin is what your body naturally produces that tells your brain that it is time to go to bed. There are other benefits to drinking tea that are not totally health related... well, maybe to mental health. Herbal teas are inexpensive, which is awesome because I'm not a soda or juice drinker and water can get boring, so adding some natural flavor with health benefits and no calories is one of my favorite things to do. Drinking tea throughout the day also helps you stay hydrated. That is one of the benefits that I didn't know about that was a very pleasant surprise. I know that drinking herbal teas is not everyone's thing. Take my husband for example: he calls it dirty water and refuses to drink it. I told him that if you sweeten it with agave nectar it can be very delicious, but he does not go for it even then. Just give it a try; I can't promise you will love it, but your body will. 

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week. Mine has been awesome! Let me know what your favorite herbal tea is!! 

-Megan

Favorite Snack Foods of the Moment

I try to always carry snacks with me because I have a tendency to forget to eat. Recently I have been eating some yummy snacks and thought I would share them with you! They are all super easy to throw in my bag and take anywhere. 

1. Almonds

2. Orange or apple slices

3. Baby carrots

4. Pumpkin seeds

5. Hazelnut milk box

I usually have these ready to use for the day the night before. You guys should let me know what your favorite snack foods are and I just might have to give them a try! I hope everyone is having a great week! 

-Megan

I Need a Vacation

Last week was very long and stressful. Now I need a vacation! That thought process got me started on what my favorite vacations have been. I used to go visit my dad's side of the family in Florida and then my sister and her family in Minnesota, then in high school I went to California to see my aunt. Then I was lucky enough to go to England and France. More recently I went to North Carolina to see the Biltmore, then visited my in-laws in Alabama and Ohio. 

 (Taken by me at the Biltmore in North Carolina in 2011.) 

I loved all those vacations, and the memories are amazing! I loved visiting my nieces and getting to know my dad's family. Visiting my in-laws saved me when I was so far away from my family. But the non-sentimental and fun vacations were to London and Paris. London is my favorite place in the world. I would live there in a heart beat. I was lucky enough to go with one of my best friends at the time with a group from school. It was awesome and I would do it again in a minute. 

(Took this picture outside of a pub in Central London, 2008.) 

Paris is where most people dream about going. It was amazing! The beauty and the history took my breath away. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit such a breathtaking place. 

(This looks like a photo of a photo, but it's not. I took this under the Eiffel Tower in 2008.) 

Thinking of all these amazing memories makes me want to take another trip right now!! I want to go everywhere I can: all around Europe and Asia to India and Greece. If I get the opportunity I will take it. After the last few days I have had, I might make the opportunity happen. 

Let me know what your favorite vacations were! Also let me know where I should plan my next trip!! Have a wonderful week everyone! 

-Megan 

Longest Day Of My Life

Tonight's blog will be very short. I have been up for almost 24 hours and i am very sleepy. Just want to wish everyone a wonderful weekend and a happy Sunday! 

-Megan

Lord of the Rings Movie Marathon

For those of you who do not know, the Lord Of The Rings movies are my favorites! They hold a special spot in my heart. My mother on the other hand doesn't hate them, but she usually fast-forwards through the majority of the movies, so this time she promised me she would watch them all the way through with no fast forwarding. I'm in heaven because she asks questions and I loving geeking out on her. So all day I have been watching the movies and had a blast! What did you guys do??

Have a great weekend everyone!

-Megan

New Hair and Facing Fears

I bet that everyone that has had long hair feels a little nervous chopping it off. In October I cut my hair; it was to my butt and I chopped off over a foot to make it a little longer than to my shoulders. It grew a few inches after that, but then I have had this itch the last few months to chop it off!! My hair now sits in the middle of my neck!! So scary! I love my hair now. It's not that I didn't love my hair before because I really did. I have really nice hair. It's easy to work with and is not too thick and there is not too much of it. So, going into the chair this morning I about had a heart attack. I have a round face, and I was terrified that it was going to make me look like a ball if I got my hair cut short. I was wrong! I love it!! 

The reason I am sharing this story is to encourage you to face your fears. There are many fears of ours that honestly don't include a lot of the bad things that could happen. My fear of open water is real; it makes sense that getting a hair cut shouldn't be that scary. The worst that can happen is it looks awful... but it's hair. It grows back. Write a list down of your fears and try to pick one or two that you will face. It is liberating to not let fear run your life!! 

I hope everyone is having a great week; it's almost Friday, which means it's almost the weekend, which means for most, no work! Not for me; this week I work some on Saturday, but I'm lucky I have such a great job. Face your fears and be good to one another. 

-Megan 

Workout: Summer Arms

I am one who is pretty confident in my body. Would I change a few things? Yes, but I love and embrace the body the Lord gave me! I do my best to stay in shape and to eat healthy. One of my areas that need some work are my arms. They have a tendency to wave back. Hahaha, I think there are a fair few of us who have this problem. So I set out on a journey to fix that problem; by no means is it perfect, but it is one that I have been doing for a few weeks now and I am seeing major results. I will post before and after pictures and let you know how long it takes once I am satisfied. With this arm routine I have gained definition and my arm only jiggles back instead of whacking the person behind me. Yes that is a bit dramatic, but come on, it feels that way! So here is what I have been doing.

(I don't know all the workout lingo, so don't judge.)

With 3 pound weights I do:

50 arm curls divided into 2 parts. 

25 sideways , which means I bend over and, with the weights, open my arms and then close them. 

125 arm ups separated into 5 sets of 25; all you do is take your weights and push them up 25 times, then take a rest. Repeat 5 times. 

Then the hardest, most painful one, but of course it is the one that gives the best result. 

50 push backs, 2 sets of 25: let your arms hang by your sides then move them straight back and do a kind of curl but only in the back. So if you are facing the front your arms should be behind you and the reps should have you reaching farther back behind you. 

I hope that makes sense; I'm not good with the lingo, just good at figuring out what to do for the result that I want. I hope you are all having a great week, and let me know if you try this arm workout. It kills. If you feel like you need to add more weight do it; I will be going to 5-pound weights here soon and if I feel I should go up more I will. Just do what you feel is best for your body. If you can do 20, heck, more power to ya, and feel free to add more reps to the workout as well. These are just the techniques that I know work but make it your own! 

-Megan

Summer Plans

I am so excited for this summer. Rockies games, theme parks, the zoo, museums, and my favorite: the Renaissance festival. I'm sad that my hockey season is over, but baseball has a part of my heart. When I was a little girl my dad would take my family and I to the stadium and we would have the best time watching the game. The zoo also is one of my favorite places. I have been going to the same zoo for 20 years and don't plan on stopping anytime soon. Elitch's is awesome and carries with it some of the best middle and high school memories... but my favorite event of the whole summer is the Renaissance Festival. I am a huge nerd for those of you who do not know. I'm not that girl who says, "Oh yeah, I love video games. That one with the sword, amazing..." I'm the girl who has had every game system and owns all the Zelda games. Not to mention I know every song that goes along with Zelda as well. So going to a medieval festival where you dress up and there are knights and princes around, I go bananas! I took Jer for the first time last year, and he is without a doubt my soul mate, but the fact that he loves it just as much as I do brings this sick joy to my heart that I just cannot explain. All in all this summer will be AMAZING! 

What are your summer plans, and what are your favorite things about summer? Hope everyone is having a great week! 

-Megan

Product Review: LARABAR (Gluten free, Dairy Free, and Vegan Fruit and Nut Bars)

Last week at Sprouts I found these amazing fruit and nut bars! They are called Lara Bars, or on the box: LARABAR. They are so delicious, and they only have the best and simplest ingredients. One of my favorites is the Peanut Butter Cookie. It literally tastes like a peanut butter cookie, but only has three ingredients: peanuts, dates, and sea salt. The other flavors are amazing also! The Lemon bars are amazing, and all of these are actually good for you. Yes they do have a high sugar content, but it's all natural sugars that your body can use. If you are an active person you will just love the taste! They have an Apple Pie flavor that makes me with it was Thanksgiving. Then there is the Blueberry Muffin flavor... oh my gosh... I have never tasted something so wonderfully vegan that tastes like the real thing!! The price is not bad. About a dollar per bar. I eat them for breakfast on the go, so for a whole week of breakfast I spend seven dollars. To me that is not bad at all for all the nutrients you get and how wonderful they taste. You also find them anywhere: from Safeway to Target, they're everywhere!! The only downside to me is a lot of them have cashews in them. I'm sightly allergic to cashews. So that is a downside to someone with that allergy or a nut allergy in general. You should go and give these a try; they're amazing and so yummy! 

I hope you guys enjoy your week! 

-Megan

Photos: Garden

We put these plants into the greenhouse. I can't wait to plant them in the garden!

Awkward Moments

Tonight I went to pick up an early—and when I say early I mean like 3 months early—birthday gift for my husband! I was in date night attire, which means I felt that I didn't look awful and was a bit more confident then usual. So as I was looking at a new gadget for him, the sales guy comes up and almost touches me. First of all, I hate when even my friends touch me, so after that when he decided it was appropriate to stand extremely close to me, I moved to the left... and so did he. We had almost done a complete 360° when I said thanks and grabbed the gadget with my left hand intentionally so he would see the wedding rings on my finger, in the hopes he would back the hell up. But no such luck. I'm not a fan of people in general, so to escape the awkwardness I said thanks and walked away. Made for an interesting night. 

Tell me some of your akward moments!! I have plenty more that I could share but lets just stick to the one tonight. hae a great weekend everyone! 

-MEgan 

"Magic Beans"

I am so stoked about our garden this year! I shared a few posts on how it is coming along and how they were getting big. Now we have had to re-pot everything into bigger containers. My house looks like the inside of the rain forest exhibit at the zoo. 

Look at this!!! It's insane! And this is only half of all our containers. We think that the last frost will be soon, and then we can plant! I'm so excited to get to grow our own organic veggies again! Here are some more pictures of what our dining room looks like at the moment. 

I love to garden and look forward to all the wonderful fruits and veggies we are going to get out of it! LOVE IT! 

Hope everyone enjoyed their week! 

-Megan

Beauty Review: No Miss Cosmetics Vegan Nail Polish

I have been searching for a vegan nail polish for months. Not just any nail polish, but one that would look amazing and last without nasty chipping and, most importantly, come from an honest cruelty free company and have ingredients that are not going to harm my body... and I I did it! I found it! No Miss Cosmetics has an amazing line of vegan nail polishes in beautiful colors: I chose the color Bellglades Barefoot. 

I am very impressed by this nail polish. The formula is thick and creamy so you don't need to add loads of coats. The thing that I am most impressed by is the staying power. It adheres to your nail so well that I don't even wear a top coat and it's days before any of my nails start to chip at all. Also, the colors are amazingly pigmented! There are reds and blues and pastels and nudes. I went for a more peachy gold nude. I'm not a fan of super bold nail colors; I like a simple but beautiful color that goes with the seasonal colors, so I choose a great golden peachy nude color that reminds me of the sun. 

There is only one downside to this, which if you are like me and were buying Essie and OPI nail polishes before anyway won't even be a factor, but if you only want to spend a few dollars you may be sad to hear it is about 8 dollars per bottle. I think it is worth it, and to be honest it would be worth it even if cruelty free wasn't a factor. It is an amazing polish and I think everyone should give it a try; you may be converted like me!! I'm no good at doing the actual manicure, but I'm so happy with this company and I look forward to trying more from their nail and makeup lines. 

Let me know if you try these polishes; I would love to hear how you liked them! I hope everyone's week is going well... and don't judge my bad manicure skills. 

-Megan 

Late Night Guilty Pleasures

It was a snow day today, and lucky for me I even got a snow day because it was my day off from work!! So it has been a relaxing and cozy day. The nail polish review I wanted to post didn't happen because I didn't take pictures today, so I will do that some time tomorrow, but tonight I was reminded of some of my guilty pleasures. I am a talk show junky. For some reason I can watch them all; it doesn't matter who the guest or the host is, they all do it for me. Tonight I'm curling up with yummy kale chips and a cup of herbal tea, watching some of my favorite late night talk shows, and heading to bed!! I hope everyone is well and having a good week, and look out for tomorrow's vegan nail polish review!! 

-Megan

April Showers Bring May Flowers

We have been having some crazy weather today! It was been wonderful and warm for the past two weeks, then we found out yesterday that we will be getting 10 to 12 inches of snow tonight. They have already canceled school. Before the snow started to fall we got a nice thunderstorm which made me think of how after all this moisture we are and will be getting most people's flowers and plants will bloom. Hence the saying, "April showers bring May flowers." I hope everyone is loving spring as much as I am! 

Have a wonderful week everyone! 

-Megan

10 Random Facts about Me

1. I have never been to a night club. 

2. I pick friends very carefully.

3. Sweet potatoes are my favorite food. 

4. Daisies and freesias are my favorite flowers. 

5. If I could travel anywhere I would go back to London.

6. I'm terrified of open water. 

7. I don't have a favorite movie. 

8. Natural disasters are my biggest fears. 

9. I look 5 years younger than I really am. 

10. The smell of cooking beef makes me sick. 

So today was a very lazy stay-at-home day and I didn't have anything planned for tonight, so I figured I would think of 10 random questions in my head and give you guys the answers in a random facts blog!!! YAY! I hope you enjoy my weirdness. Have a great weekend everyone! 

-Megan 

Photos: My Favorite

This one's my favorite!

Movie Review: Playing for Keeps

I wanted to see this movie so bad when it came to theaters, I just never got around to it. So when I saw it at the store I knew I just had to watch it. Luckily my dad was with me and bought it for himself and my mom, and he was kind enough to let us borrow it. And I am so glad I did! 

I thought this was a great movie. Jessica Biel and Gerard Butler are amazing in these roles. I sometimes forget what a great actress she is, but I was reminded by her amazing job in this movie. The two leads were not the only big stars of this cast. Dennis Quaid, Catherine Zeta Jones, and Uma Therman are all in this movie and all do a great job. The movie in a nutshell is about a father who used to be a professional soccer player who fell in love and had a son with Stacy. George screwed up this relationship after their son was born and Stacy moved herself and Louis back to the States from Europe. Now, years later George wants to set things right with not just Louis but Stacy as well. He hits a few snags on the way, but when you feel that way about someone you always will. 

I don't think this movie is for everyone; I know that there will be a few people who think it's a little dull. It's a long movie and doesn't move very fast, and if you are not a parent you won't get some of the main points of this movie, but for those who are parents (or better yet, divorced parents) you will appreciate this movie. Or you'll be one of the others who love it, like me. It shows that even when things are hard you have to learn to sacrifice for the ones you love the most.  It is a very sweet movie and the best part was the wonderful acting and the happy ending. You should try it out. It's a great movie that is funny and sweet. 

I hope everyone has had a great week, I am so tired; I am going to head to bed. Have a great Friday everyone! 

-Megan

Beauty Review: DAGOBA / Eco Lips Chocolate Lip Balm

For a few weeks I have been looking for a vegan eco-friendly lip balm that tastes good and I found it! I was a little skeptical since this is a chocolate lip balm, but looking at the ingredients I was ecstatic to see there are no animal products or byproducts. Also, the whole company is certified with the Rain Forest Alliance, which is really cool: they only use the best products but they are doing what they can to protect the rain forest. There are three different flavors: lavender, raspberry, and mint. I have been using the lavender one for the past week and love it! The only thing I don't like is that it doesn't say dairy free or vegan on the actual package, which makes me nervous. The ingredient list on the other hand tells me there is no reason to worry, so I'm going to keep on using it. It makes my lips so moist and soft. One of the biggest pluses is that chocolate is one of Jeremy's favorite things, so it is kinda funny that it's the flavor of my lip balm. I think the formula is amazing and it smells so good! I hope to try the other two flavors after this one. So, if you are in the market for an organic and all-natural lip balm go ahead and give this a try. You will love it, and if you don't like the lavender oils in it try the other ones. I bet the chocolate mint one is to die for! 

Let me know if you try this and I hope everyone's week is going well! 

-Megan

Vegan Recipes: Seed and Nut Brittle

As I was searching for some vegan treats at Vitamin Cottage I came across a yummy seed and nut brittle bar. There were pumpkin, sunflower, chia, flax, and sesame seeds with almonds and pecans all stuck together with all-natural maple syrup. Honestly it was delicious!! The only drawback was how expensive it was. You only got a few small pieces for 8 dollars. Yeah... I don't care how good something is, I'm not going to spend 8 bucks to get 4 pieces of what is basically bird seed. So I made my own recipe that was expensive to get all the ingredients for, not going to lie, but it pays for how much I have used the seeds and how many times I get to make the brittle, so here is how I made my own seed and nut brittle! 

What you need: 

Chia, flax, and sesame seeds, almonds, quinoa,  blue agave nectar, a large mixing bowl, and an 8x8 inch pan lined with tin foil and sprayed with olive oil. 

I used 1/2 cup for all the seeds and a full cup of almonds. Then I just eyeballed the agave nectar. 

After everything is mixed together, and if you want add more seeds and nuts of your choice I just could afford to get more. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. After you have filled your pan and leveled it all out, place the brittle in the oven until the edges and top are a little toasted. 

When it is all toasted and done let it cool and slice it into bars. then enjoy! Just so you know it will be sticky! 

Let me know if you try it and whether you liked it or not. 

I hope everyone has a good week! 

-Megan 

Tag: I Heart Spring

I saw this tag going around the YouTube beauty community and figured I would do a blog version! 

I <3 Spring Tag 

What is your favorite spring nail polish?

This color is a very light peachy pink color and looks so light and pretty on the nail. The nail polish is from an all-natural cruelty free brand called No-Miss Cosmetics. They are a chemical free company that have nail, lip, and eye products. I found this polish at Vitamin Cottage. I love this color and it will for sure be what I am wearing well into the summer. 

What is your must-have lip color this spring?

 During the Spring and Summer months I tend to only wear lip balms, but I like to have a little tint here and there. I love the color of my lips but this all-natural organic lip chocolate (yes I said chocolate) lip balm is brown and brings this great rose color to my lips. The company DAGOBA is mostly known for their chocolate candy bars. Most people don't even know they have these lip balms; that is because Eco Lips teamed up with them and created this masterpiece. There are 3 flavors: mint, raspberry, and lavender. I chose the lavender one because the packaging was my favorite. I will for sure go try the other two when I am finished with this one. Great hydrating organic lip balm with great color payoff. 

Show us your favorite spring dress! 

I got this dress at Christopher Banks on sale for Easter. It is comfortable and super pretty! Sadly the dress is not made out of natural materials, but one day I will get to the point that all my clothes are natural too: just not there yet. This dress is modest and classy; I usually pair it with a black cardigan. I will be wearing this one a lot this spring! 

What is your favorite flower?

Now tulips are not my all-time favorite flower, but in the spring they are. When I see them I simply think of the spring time! The purple tulips are my favorites! 

What is your favorite spring accessory/scarf? 

I love necklaces!! I tend to not wear them during the fall and winter because they get covered up by coats and jackets, but in the warmer months I bust them out! 

What are your favorite spring trends this year?

I am loving all the floral prints. It's so feminine and fun and my eye always catches them in the store. Also love all the blush tones out right now! 

What is your favorite spring candle? 

I have a few as you can tell; I got these all from Vitamin Cottage they are all non-GMO soy wax and smell AMAZING! The top left is called Chai Spice and literally smells like the chai tea from Starbucks! May not be a spring scent to you, but to me it's wonderful. The top right is mango; smells heavenly, just like when you first slice open a mango and you get a nice whiff of the fruit. It smells just like that. Then the four on the bottom are all Orange and they are my favorite! Smells just like oranges and I love it. All of these were super cheap and smell great. 

What is your favorite fragrance of perfume for spring?

I don't wear your normal perfumes; I wear essential oils. Usually I use a company called DoTerra. They are the best for oils, but I didn't have time to place an order so I ran to Vitamin Cottage and picked this one up!! It smells wonderful and lasts all day. Lemon scents always remind me of spring and summer. 

What is spring like where you live?

I live in Colorado and we are lucky enough to have all four season distinctly. It is getting warmer and new life is starting to show itself in the animals and plants. We get great rain storms and warm but not too hot days perfect for hanging outside. 

What is your favorite thing about spring?

I love all the new things happening around me. Seeing flowers and plants and trees bloom and new baby animals around. To me spring is a time of new beginnings. 

Are you a spring cleaner?

Nope. 

Any spring break or vacation plans?

I just went to Minnesota to see my sister. Then we are headed to Utah to see my brother. Then we may go to Ohio and Virginia to visit Jer's family. 

I hope you all liked this fun tag post!! You guys should join in and do it to! If you do, post your page below and I will go check it out! Happy Spring everyone! 

-Megan 

(I will be doing reviews on most of this stuff individually later, plus all photos were taken by me and were not edited.)