New Camera!

Guess who got a new camera {finally!} THIS LADY! I have become quite the crazy person, lugging it around everywhere! I think my family has gotten used to having it in their faces all the time :)
Here are my favorites so far-jus the kit lens so far-a new lens is already on the wish list :)

                                              

Enjoy your day!

Hugs,
Sam

My Decision

Alright friends,
 Here's the deal, I just left a long message on a friend's blog about a decision I have made. I'd like to share it with you:

I am going to stop looking at working out as a way to loose weight-but instead to be healthy. 

My dear friend Elisabeth told me this a while ago-she works out of course so she can look amazing, but also to be healthy! She has an older daughter, who she wants to never look at exercise as just a way of loosing weight; but as a way to stay healthy, keep your heart strong! You do only have one after all! 

  Having children has only increased my desire to change things about myself. Gosh, these kids are hard on our bodies! It seems with each child your body shifts a bit, weight sits differently even after they're born. Then, when the weight is gone, you are left with saggy boobs and maybe some stretch marks. When you are out in public, no one knows that you've had one,two, or four kids-they just see someone that has a pooch, and some flabby arms. The change that is going to happen, is that I am going to try and be happy with who I am-because I know how I became the person I am. 

   I feel like just maybe, not watching the tick marks on a scale, or stressing out about calories-I just might loose some extra weight. Exercising included, of course! Lets face it, we all are much happier people when we exercise, and sweat a little bit!

  Elisabeth has me hooked on a new workout dvd by- Tracy Anderson. The one I have specifically fallen in love with is the Post Pregnancy dvd. Although, you don't have to have just had a baby to get results, and to "enjoy" it. There are some great ab and leg exercises! Tracy believes that as women, we shouldn't lift more than 3 lbs, ever! Of course, that means more reps-which also means we get a leaner muscle tone! I don't know about you, but I am not in the business of bulking up! Now, Tracy's workout is about an hour long, so it is a little bit more of an investment in your time, but I know you won't be disappointed!

  If you are short on time, I also love Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred! Three different levels, cardio, strength, and abs in each level. All done within 20 minutes! It's an awesome, quick workout-I really enjoy being done after such a short time :) 

   I am a HUGE snacker, and i have a terrible sweet tooth! I've found that keeping a bag of dark chocolate chips (i have 60% cacao) in the fridge helps a TON! When I have a hankering for something sweet, I allow myself to have about four chips. I have never had much self control, so telling myself that I can have some is a good thing-versus "no you can't have that at all!" 

Before I had Ava, I was (and still do) worry a bit about how she will see herself. I was almost admitted to a clinic when I was younger for an eating disorder. I have never been happy with the way my body looks, even when I was at my fittest (thank you soccer and horseback riding!). So, by making this decision-I am hoping that maybe Ava, and the boys, will enjoy exercising and staying healthy. 

Here's to being healthy! 

Cheers!

Cookies!

Helllooooooo!!! WOAH! So, between tj's graduation, family coming and going-and just the day to day stuff; I have been a total slacker on the blog front!
  I came across this recipe for Vegan cookies yesterday, and man are they good!! I tweaked the recipe just a bit-for some added protein I put some Almond meal/flour ( 1/4 cup per cup of flour that the recipe calls for)-and also some oatmeal (about 1/3 cup or so). I also, didn't have the Oat flour the recipe called for-soooo I just used what I had on hand, white flour (don't judge me-lol)...
 Also, the recipe says bake for 35 minutes! Say whaaaa? I'm not sure if it was because I put the almond flour in or not-but it only takes these babies a good 13 or 14 minutes to bake. I also only had my oven at 320 degrees-not 350 like the recipe asked. My oven can be a bit goofy sometimes-so I always put the temp down a bit!

Here's the original recipe

Cannot for the life of my find my camera- so see the cookies on the website? Imagine those, only better :)

Enjoy,
Sam

Sleepy Baby

Absolutely had to share these! Wouldn't you just love to be able to fall asleep like this?! I mean that in a few different ways: 1.) Wouldn't you love to be given the time to fall asleep in a chair? and 2.) Wouldn't you love to look this cute doing it?! 

Tex-Mex

Heyo!
  Ok-so last night, I ended up making the Tex-Mex meal from my previous post. MAN was it good! I made a few additions- I sauteed some onions in some butter, then added them to the browned ground beef. I also topped the meal with some sour cream, and some shredded cheese! Let's just say that there weren't any leftovers! YUMMO!
Make this tonight-ok, maybe tomorrow! :)

Great Dinner Ideas

Most of the time when you grab a flyer at the store, it ends up just being tossed in the trash (or the recycle bin, hopefully!). 

However, the flyer at Whole Foods is so awesome! It of course has a ton of coupons, and on the back on the current issue-TONS of meal ideas! 

  This week has been really stressful for some people, trying to figure out if they were going to get their paychecks etc. So, I found these ideas really helpful, because they are inexpensive, and they only have a handful of ingredients. They have ideas for making your meal: Irish, Cajun, Asian, Tex-mex, and Italian.
Hopefully this is easy to read-the link wasn't working so I just had to type it out. I like how it also tells you how much it costs per serving. It's nice to think about, if you went to Chik Fil A or your choice of fast food, and got a meal-you can compare how much you're spending. You're getting a great home cooked meal, sitting down at the table with your family-for a great price! Now, these prices are based on shopping at Whole Foods-so I think that makes this EVEN better! Healthy, grass fed beef meals, for under $5.00/serving! Can't get much better than that! 

grass-fed beef skillet dinners for four

family-friendly, budget-friendly, quick and easy

These are great for weeknight meals or in simple homage to events such as Mardi Gras or St. Patrick’s Day. Each one begins with a pound of ground grass-fed beef. Feel free to substitute ground turkey or, for vegetarian versions, replace the beef with tempeh and a little canola oil.

    Seasonings: 

SEASONING

Irish : 1 cup chopped onion + 1⁄2 cup lager or pilsner beer (after browning meat and onion)

Cajun: 11⁄2 tsp salt-free Cajun/Creole seasoning

Asian:  2 TB soy ginger sauce + 2 TB water

Tex-Mex: 1–2 TB chili powder

Italian: 1 TB Italian seasoning + 8 thinly sliced oil-packed sundried tomatoes

Veggies: 

Irish:  2 cups thin-sliced organic green cabbage

Cajun:  1 cup chopped onion + 1 cup thinly sliced celery + 1 thinly sliced red bell pepper + 11⁄2 tsp more salt- free Cajun/Creole seasoning

Asian:  1 cup pineapple chunks + 1 chopped red bell pepper + 6 thinly sliced green onions

Tex-Mex: 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes + 1 (15 oz) can rinsed and drained black beans

Italian:  1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes + 1 bunch thinly sliced lacinato kale (tough stems removed) + 2 tsp chopped garlic

TO SERVE

To Serve: 

Irish:   spoon over 4 baked potatoes and top with 1⁄4 cup grated Irish cheddar

Cajun:  toss with 4 cups cooked brown rice + 1 (15 oz) can rinsed and drained kidney beans + 1 tsp more salt-free Cajun/ Creole seasoning

Asian: toss with 2 cups prepared and drained rice vermicelli noodles and serve in lettuce cups

Tex-Mex:  ladle over squares of cornbread from our bakery, top with diced avocado and serve with lime wedges

Italian:  spoon over or toss with 3⁄4 lb pasta, cooked and drained

COST PER SERVING*

Cost Per Serving: 

Italian : $3.73

Cajun : $2.66

Asian : $3.99

Tex-Mex : $3.68

Italian : $3.18

GO ORGANIC!

Go Organic! 

Irish : only about $1.19 more per serving using organic potatoes

Cajun : only about 33¢ more per serving using organic red bell pepper and rice

Asian : only about 28¢ more per serving using organic red bell pepper

Tex-Mes : only about 32¢ more per serving using organic tomatoes, beans, avocado and lime

Italian : only about 27¢ more per serving using organic sundried and diced tomatoes, and pasta

Food from last night

Salad was a huge hit! Nolan loved it, he is such a good eater! We ate almost half of it! 

Pulled Pork!  I used this bbq sauce (the burgundy packaging), and it was DIVINE! Honey bunny is a great company-Made with canadian organic clover honey (not sugar) Gluten-free, kosher certified, and no preservatives. If you can't find this at your local store-I found it at Whole Foods, you can find it on amazon! :) 

Man were these good-and sooooo easy, just plop it in the crock pot, with some Mug Root Beer (i've found this is the best tasting one)---drain, and then add the bbq sauce. 

No excuses, but....

Ahhh, i was doing so good-updating and blogging! Ok so, i know this isn't technically a good post-but here is what we are having for dinner tonight---I am super excited!
  This yummy Layered Salad, and these babies

I will try and take some photos of everything when it's finished! I'm sure they'll be wonderful-one of my favorite, go to cook books is The Pioneer Woman. So many scrumptious recipes, just like i'm used to! Butter, butter, and maybe a bit more-don't forget the cream! Shoot, I could even use the cream that I find in the awesome new milk that we are drinking! But, that's a topic for another post! :)

Last night we had this awesome casserole for dinner-i would highly recommend it! It was super easy to assemble, and tasted so good! Everyone loved it!

Cheers!

Ch, ch, ch...Chia! (yes, like chia pets

Let me introduce you to... Chia seeds! Chia seeds, friends-friends, Chia seeds!

 Though TINY, these little boogers are PACKED with goodies! Did you know that just ONE tablespoon, you can get 150% of your daily value of omega-3, and 4 grams of fiber?!! That's right, in just ONE tablespooon! They also contain five times the calcium in milk, two time the potassium in bananas, and three times the anti-oxidants in blueberries! 

  Where do they come from? The typically grow in Southern Mexico, and are a part of the Mint family. 

Chia seeds were a main component of both Mayan and Aztec diets and served as the basic survival food of Aztec warriors. It’s been said that a single tablespoon of the seeds could sustain a warrior for 24 hours.  

        You can do pretty much anything with them- put them in salads or in a protein shake, I use the Arbonne protein powder. It's vegan, it's chocolate (also comes in vanilla), and it tastes darn good! 

Now, here comes the goofy bit-if you add Chia seeds to a liquid, they will become kind of Tapioca-like in texture. If you are a texture sensitive person, mixing them in a drink may not be the route for you! However, don't be afraid to just eat them plain! They are about the size of a poppy seed, and taste kind of like a sesame seed-kind of nutty! 

But when it comes to managing appetite, chia seeds—which have a mild, nutty flavor—are true superstars. The reason? When added to water, within minutes chia forms a gel (tapioca like!). In the stomach, this gel slows the body’s process of converting carbs to sugar. Because of the way they form a gel, the seeds also produce a feeling of fullness in the stomach, so those who eat the seeds soon feel less hungry

             Need to know where to get them? I got mine in the bulk aisle at Whole Foods-LOVE that place! You can also get them Here . A friend of mine also uses chia powder! She also found it Here - she uses it as a flour substitute in things like muffins and bread! If your kids are like my oldest, you have to be a bit sneaky with certain things. If he sees one speck of pepper-he pushes half of the dish aside-where did that kid come from?! Anyway, you can also just half the flour-and replace with the chia powder, GENIUS! When I get the recipe, I will share it! 

The next morning...

Ok, here it is-the long awaited morning after picture-ha, just kidding. I forgot to mention in the previous post, that I have rosacea-around my "t-zone." The mask doesn't do much for the rosacea, although it does seem to calm it a bit.

Without further adieu: 

Significantly less red, still a bit splotchy-BUT not too bad after only one use! 

Keep an eye out for my next post-I am going to tell you a bit about Chia seeds!

You are what you eat...

Pure, Safe, and Beneficial

That's Arbonne's motto! 

I don't put anything on my face, or the rest of my skin for that matter, other than Arbonne. Arbonne's products are botanically based-meaning made from plants and other things from the ground! 

 I've learned over the course of the year, that for lack of better words, you are what you eat. 

    What I eat will show on my face-lots of sugar? BOOM, break out! Lots of water, and little sugar? Nice, even skin-you get the idea. 

  Stepping off soap box

So- the past few days I haven't been eating well, and haven't had enough water. I thought I would be brave and post a few pictures of my skin before, and a few after I've used Arbonne's  FC5 Deep Cleansing mask. This mask, I tell ya is awesome! It goes on so smooth, it doesn't freeze your face in place, and it also rinses off easily. 

 When I have a few problem spots, I dab a little of the mask on-and then the next day-gone. It's like magic :) 

 I can't say enough about this product---so i'll just leave it up to the pictures!

Before the mask, problem areas: Forehead, chin, cheeks, nose-the whole enchilada!  

Right after applying the mask

Before rinsing off the mask

Tomorrow I will post a picture of how my skin looks! I also put Arbonne's FC5 Intense Hydrating mask on afterwards, and I also prep my face for the night (eye cream, and night cream). 

Find these Products Here

Cheers!

I can't wait until I can see this everyday! I love when Tj wears his uniform! I have been around the military my entire life. My grandparents served in WWII, and they both made the Army their career. My dad was also in the Army, he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. Now here I am, married to an Air Force man. I am so thankful to him for what he is doing for our country, for our family, and also for himself. I know that he loves his job, I know he loves helping people-"giving them bandaids" as Nolan likes to say. 

I am also super excited that I might not have as much laundry to do-thank goodness for that! 

Peace and quiet...laundry!

Ahhhhh... Nice and quiet! Tj is working a 12 tonight, so I am having a great time eating bon bons and lounging on the couch....

HA!

I think I have a couple loads of laundry left to do, then I am finished-at least for today. Good Lord, I think i've probably done 5 or 6. I have no idea how we manage to  accumulate so much laundry! 

 In other news, I took the kids to Home Depot today-we picked out a few paint swatches for the new house. I am so excited I can hardly stand it! I have for sure picked out the color for one of the bathrooms, it is called Beckoning Sea. 

 I thought that I had picked a color for Ava's bedroom, but as i'm researching more about the colors, they are turning out to be different than I thought. So, back to the drawing board! :) 

  

Friendship

Ever since I was young, I can remember always being a very eager to please person. I always wanted everyone to be my friend, and I would do almost anything to keep them. Even the ones that treated me terribly...

           As i've grown older, I have realized that, unfortunately you go through a few cycles of friends. First, when you get married, when you have children; and then of course when you move a couple times. You find out very quickly who will keep in touch and who won't. 

 I have a handful of friends in my arsenal, that I know that I can call on for anything. Each one of them has helped me grow into who I am, and who I want to be. 

         I have also realized that it's the little things that count the most-it may sound cliche'-but whether it's a note in the mail saying hello, or gift card for a coffee, or the fact that you can stay on the phone for hours. Sometimes, not even talking to one another; almost like you were in the same room, what a comfort that is. 

       Over the last two years, I have learned a lot about myself and about my relationship with my husband. Since we have been off base, I haven't had a lot of friends-whether that means the friends you can run to for a cup of sugar, or someone to tell your secrets to. 

  I have learned that my husband is truly one of my best friends, I never saw him as such before. Which is where some of our problems started. I have learned to lean on him more, to trust that even if I don't have anyone else around, he is just what I need. I love having him around, now that's not to say we get irritated with one another. It would be too artificial if we didn't! :) 

   I think one of the reasons I want to live off base at our next duty station, is because I enjoy our time together. I enjoy when he comes home, we all hang out together-we don't have people around constantly. I know that it is going to be a bit different when we move, and I want it to be. I want us to have people around, but I also want us to still be around one another; enjoying each others' company. 

      My beautiful, kind friend Sarah posted a video on her blog the other day. It was about God, and how He is always there for us. No matter what. If you are away from Him for a time, decided to come back-He is there. No questions asked. 
                I was very apprehensive about going to church with Tj when we got married. He is Catholic, and I was raised in the Methodist church. Everything, and I mean everything was different. It was the fear of the unknown-but once I was allowed to see for myself, and make my own decisions-I realized that I needed God in my life. 
          I am so thankful to Him for strengthening my marriage, my love for my children, and of course my beautiful friends. 

                I have been trying to pray at nighttime before bed. I used to find it difficult to pray-we never used to pray growing up, at least before bed. I always wondered, how do you pray? Is it ok to ask for help on an exam? To make you a better mom, cook, wife? Is it selfish to ask for things for yourself? Even if it's money, maybe going down a few pant sizes? 

 I've always felt a bit uneasy speaking to God-but each time I find it easier and easier. 

  All of my friends believe in God, and know God. My relationship is growing with Him, and with my beautiful group of friends, I think it will only grow stronger. 

 I love you all, I am thankful for you all-I pray for you all every night. I thank God for you every night. For making me a better person, for making me believe in myself. I can only hope that I am as good of a friend to you, as you are to me. 

Love,

Sam

Round Two

*Breathe*

Alright, let's try this again! I started a blog a couple of years ago, and managed to let it slip. A few forgotten passwords, and here we are! A fresh, new start! 

  

   A lot has happened since the last blog- we've moved to Maryland for TJ to attend nursing school. He is in his last semester, hallelujah! He is doing so well-we all knew he would. He is so smart, and has such a way with people. He will be a great asset to any hospital he works in.

       We also had a daughter! I finally have my little girl! She was born in June, her name is Ava-and goodness is she a peach! It is so much fun to have a little girl! 

  Gabe is in preschool, he loves learning and playing with his friends. Nolan is 2 1/2 now, he has such an amazing vocabulary! No conversation is safe around him-he will repeat anything you say.

   

Then there's little ol' me- I have been busy taking care of the kids, working at Gabe's school, finding new and exciting recipes, and trying to make sure I can squeeze a shower in every other day...or two.

    So, after Tj graduates in May-we will be moving to San Antonio! We are so glad to be moving (a little) closer to home, closer to the friendly midwestern people, and just a change of pace...