Flax Seed

As of November of last year (yes, I remember the month!), we started adding Flax seed into our diet and have not regretted it. I read somewhere that it was really great for you so we did some research.  We went to Costco and found a HUGE bag for a great price, so we tried it out.  We put it in our morning smoothies, in our cereal, in anything we bake... It's so versatile!  The best part is, it can replace eggs in your cooking! I tried it last night by putting it in the cookies we made since we are on a new Vegan diet and they turned out well!  Definitely a new staple in our diet, now.  I have heard that chia seeds are also really good for you but they are a bit more costly. We are only on our second bag of flaxseed now... it lasts FOREVER!  The nutritional benefits are so awesome and it's so easy to use.

Great Deals!

I just wanted to share some of the deals we got last week.  If you know me, you know that I do shop a lot but I'm pretty cheap.  I never pay more than about $15 for jeans, $20 for shoes/boots, $10 for shirts.... things like that.

Please forgive the quality of the photos... I took them with my phone since that's the fastest way.

I went to Plato's Closet in search of boots for Brett. They had no boots.... but they DID have an entire rack full of clothes tagged with red dots. These red dots meant that these items were.... $1!!! Those racks seem to have some strange items, but if you look closely, you might find some great steals!  

I found: plaid capris, two shirts, 2 skirts, one dress, a purse, and a pair of skinny jeans. EACH was $1.  So this entire picture was $8 + tax! What a STEAL.  I will show some closer views of my favorites....

   messenger bag purse- $1

 Entire outfit- $9. This includes boots, shirt, messenger bag, and skinny jeans.

I am also quit thrifty with Vera's clothes. Pictured here is a $7 trip.  She got: a pair of jeans, sweatpants, shorts, a leotard for gymnastics, a pair of footed pajamas, a long sleeved shirt, and a dress for her 2 year pictures. Got it all at a place called "Children's Orchard" here in Ann Arbor.  They are very similar to Once Upon a Child.

 The pattern on this dress is a little wild.... but it was $1 at Plato's Closet. Thought I would take my chances.

 AND my favorite purchase of the weekend.... my $6 boots from the Children's Orchard, where I got the stack of Vera's clothing!

My tip is to just keep a list of specific clothing items you are looking for.  My next finds are hopefully going to include some mint skinny jeans, some cardigans, and some casual dresses.  I wont buy these unless they are an extremely AWESOME deal. Trust me. None of these are important enough to have right now so I can wait.  I have also signed up at a few stores to get their e-mails on events.  This way, I can go when I know there will be great deals.  I know that Target ALWAYS has some awesome steals on shoes so I look there when I go.

What awesome deals have you found lately and where? Feel free to share!

Coming up.....

I'm a little behind lately but it is because I have so many ideas and do not know where to begin! Here is a list of what I will be blogging about this week:

Flax seed
Our vegan journey
A few neat pictures I have taken
Family budget
Monthly menus
Some great deals I have found....

That may be it for the week. Don't want to get too far ahead of myself.

A few near future blog subjects I will be working on are:
Freezer meals
Dealing with infertility and the loss of a child
And autism. This last particular subject will be me sharing a few stories of people I personally know. I anticipate elaborating on the general subject further down the road.

Thanks for reading and be sure to let me know of any feedback you may have or suggestions on future topics! I am incredibly excited for this upcoming week of blogs!

Heart Day

Well, it's February 14th ... also known as "Valentine's Day". 

I know that the day often gets a bad name and is sometimes claimed "the hallmark holiday."  I can't say that I agree, but I will respect others who feel that way.  

To me, today is just another day to remember and celebrate. Unlike most others, I don't feel that the day is just for partners. To me, it's about love, in general. Surely there are people you love in your life? Why not use today to take an EXTRA step for them. An EXTRA attempt to show your loved ones just how much they mean to you. Yes, these things should be done EVERY day and not just on this holiday. However, if we're going to be realistic here, how many of us are awesome about showing your love for others EVERY day? I'm certainly not perfect.  I sometimes take my loved ones for granted and forget just how awesome they are.  

Valentine's Day isn't about getting expensive gifts from your partner. It's about taking that EXTRA step to show others that you love and care about them.  Sometimes it's not even about receiving the love.  I know that those who are not in a relationship think negatively about this holiday on occasion.  It doesn't HAVE to be that way.  You know that awesome feeling you get from brightening someone else's day? Try that!  Sometimes, it's not all about us.  I remember when I was younger, my grandpa made it a point EVERY Valentine's Day to make me feel special. He always surprised me with balloons, flowers, a card, candy, a stuffed animal, etc.  He knew the true meaning of the holiday.  I loved it. I miss it.  I miss how kind and thoughtful he was.  I miss how close we were. However, I learned a lot from him.  Since Brett and I began dating almost 10 years ago, I have tried to make the holiday a special one for him.  Even just with tiny things like a card that says "I love you." It doesn't have to be elaborate.  Just knowing that I thought of him, is enough.  We have done big things like taking trips for Valentine's Day and stayed in cabins.... to tiny things such as a letter, that I asked for this year.  Brett doesn't enjoy writing so I knew this would be tough for him. However, he remembered. I got my letter, and it made me cry.  For those of you who know me... I am not a crier.  He has also written me songs and played them on the guitar.  Even though this is our 10th vday together, we still make that extra effort for each other. I think it's so important.

Some may think it's over rated... but it doesn't have to be. It is what YOU make it to be. It doesn't mean that you have to spend a ton of money... it just takes an extra second to let someone know that you love and care about them. It's as simple as that. 

To all my friends and family, those people I care about SO much... Happy Valentine's Day. Today is not only special for my husband and daughter, but YOU as well. You help to make me who I am. Thank you, and happy Valentine's Day. Celebrate! Or for those of you who just despise the idea of love.... what about your health? It IS happy HEART day... so go work out ;-) Celebrate your HEALTH, instead!


thought I'd share this card once again because I LOVE it.

Little Model

Brett, Vera, and I were out in Ann Arbor one day to have lunch at Zingerman's and to visit the farmer's market. While we were there, we parked the car and as soon as we got out, I saw this amazing building with an awesome brick wall. Of course, I forgot my camera... so I had to use Brett's camera phone. I asked Vera to stand by the wall for a picture and she did just that. She has a sassy little look on her face like some kind of toddler model. It cracks me up!  

Thought I'd share:

I can't wait to edit it!

What Does Your Future Hold?

I hear this question a lot...  "Where do you see yourself in 2 years... 5 years.... 10 years?"

It's quite a specific question in one way, but broad in another.  I think about this question a lot for myself and my family.  I am what you call, a planner.  I am completely aware that life doesn't guarantee  much, and plans do stray, but I don't see that as a reason to dismiss planning all together.  Planning helps my mind a bit.  It gives me a release from the every day stressors.  It gives me a little mini vacation, some time to dream of the future.  Of course, it is very important to not stress about the future and enjoy the present day... but I see no harm in having dreams and goals.  I feel like planning is inspiring, exciting, and helps me make it through my tough days.  I also love looking back on these words and my own thoughts and comparing where I thought I would be, to where I am.

Where do YOU see yourself in two years? 

For me, it is hard to imagine but it will probably go something like this:  Brett will be graduating in two years with his PhD. I am hoping we wont have too terrible a time finding him a job and selling our first home.  There are several options, though... he could stay here, which is unlikely.  He could do a postdoc research program somewhere else for a few years... or he can find a job straight out of graduation.  The good thing, is that he believes his program will let him do research until he does find a job.  Even in two years, our future is so unpredictable with the many possibilities. Some may think it's frightening, but I love it! I love change although I am usually hesitant at first.  I love knowing that what I am doing right now, isn't forever. I love knowing that I have room to grow, learn, and find another passion of mine and follow it.  I love knowing that I'm not stuck in this house (although I absolutely LOVE it) forever and that I am not stuck in this area for the rest of my life.  However, if we choose to live here beyond his graduation, things will still differ.  I love knowing that although I love planning, there isn't a written down concrete plan of our future. I love knowing that we have several possibilities.. that we may not even be in this state anymore, even though it is by far my favorite.  I love that we are very good at adapting and can handle anything thrown our way. We have certainly had uncountable changes in our lives and it has helped to form who we are today, and I am happy with that.

In 5 years?

Hopefully we will have the living situation figured out and Brett has a job he loves, that is what is most important.  I picture us being closer to friends and family for the longer part of the journey, but there is no guarantee. Brett's goal is to get a great job right out of school to be able to pay off our glorious student loans....(everyone's dream, right?)  We may be onto our next home journey by this time but I imagine renting for a few years will be ideal until he finds a more permanent working situation. I picture myself homeschooling Vera until we figure out where we would like to stay. I really don't want her switching schools the way I did. I know how tough it can be.  As for more children, I can't picture anymore in the future, at any point. However, Brett is fairly certain there will be siblings for Vera. In that case, we will listen to God and welcome another child. Honestly, that's all I can picture in 5 years right now!

in 10 years?

Hopefully we will be in a permanent place, student loans and car paid off, and living life.  I'm sure it wont be easy...and we have a lot of long term goals at the moment, but in 10 years, they could all change.

Planning helps me to feel organized and to chart what is most important to me at this point in life.  I feel refreshed when I'm finished with it.

Where do YOU picture yourself within these time frames? Feel free to share... or just brainstorm on your own to see what is most important to you.

Food for Thought

I was listening to a comedy bit this weekend...and while I did find humor in it, what I heard really got me thinking.  Every day I hear and see complaints about seemingly little things. I am guilty of it as well.  This comedian joked about how people complain that they have to "press" a button on the ATM for English.... when in reality..... that is the least of our worries. He stated that in America, our lives are so great that we have to make up things to be upset about.  Something as little as a button on the ATM makes us upset and complain about it to others.  People hear this often, but there is always someone that has things worse than you.  I have caught myself complaining about my broken kitchen appliances... or leaky roof... but some people don't even have those things.  I have no idea what gives me the right to openly complain about them.  How hurtful it can be to others who can not live with such luxury.  Sometimes, I complain about my job, and how stressful it is. In reality, it's paying our bills and making sure we all have food in our bellies and don't go hungry.  I can't even imagine what that would be like.  I can't imagine being hungry past a few hours. I can't imagine not having a warm house to live in. I can't imagine not being able to pay bills or live without the other "necessities" we have.  Really, I should just be thankful my child is healthy and that my husband is dedicated and chooses to come home to us daily.  Some people don't even have that!

My point is... we all have stressful days, stressful lives, things go wrong, we become annoyed, we're only human! However, this comedy bit this weekend reminded me of just how lucky I am.  It reminded me of WHY I try to find the positive and that it would do some good in everyone's lives to seek out the positive.  Some things just do not seem fair in life... although I would have to say, I don't deserve any of the wonderful things I have in life some days with my bitter attitude.  

I am certainly not perfect, and I will catch myself complaining on occasion.  This is one of the many ways I wish I could be more like my husband.  He doesn't "sweat the small stuff." I strive to be more like that.