Flax Fix

I found a new additive for my afternoon smoothie... Coming in at 270 calories I find this TOTALLY worth it :)
- 1 scoop whey protein (vanilla)
- 1 cup silk vanilla light
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
- 1/3 frozen banana
- 1 tbsp flax seed....
Can you say yummmmmy? Even in the winter drinking this in the afternoon I'm full until dinner. :)

New Found Inspiration

Recently I've been looking at re-doing my daughters room. Well, every room really but with my budget I've gotta go one at a time... Ha. I'm thinking very shabby. Here's some things I've come across that I'm considering, what do you think?

Renergy Baby

Rener Gracie is.... Awesome. He's hilarious, great at what he does and he knows a thing or 50 about nutrition. I love watching his YouTube videos. Not only are they insightful, but they're also over the top sarcastic (which I love). Anyway, he has a sandwich that he makes quite often and it's what inspired my lunch today :). Google 'renergy sandwich' and you'll find his exact instructions. Mine are modified to what I had on hand, but it was delicious nonetheless and packed with nutrients. Here's what was in mine:
• bread (whatever you have/like)
• pb ( or almond butter is good too)
• 1/2 avocado
• baby spinach
• raw kale
Now don't be afraid to play around with this and make it work for you. Rener does it a little different, but both are bomb. Try it and see :)

Kids Art

Soo... I'm one of those moms that save EVERYTHING! My kids are in pre-k and 1st grade and I already have 4 huge tubs filled with art work and meaningful things that I want to save. I'm literally over flowing with art in our house. I found a great way to save some of my favorite things the kids do in a cute way that's innovative, confidence boosting for the kids and just creative. We go to the dollar store, pick out frames for them to paint and then we frame our favorite things to hang in their rooms. This way they get to see what they've done, and really be proud of displaying it. :) it's fun and you can recycle pictures, or trade them out every so often... Whatever works for your home :) What are some things that you do at home with your children's saved items??

We are on STRIKE today

We are on STRIKE today

Everyone: Prepare to Strike

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1. If you have a Twitter account, tweet about the #SOPASTRIKE and ask your followers to get ready. You can follow us on twitter for news as the strike gets closer. Go to Blackout SOPA to add ‘STOP SOPA’ to your Twitter image.
2. Post this SOPA Strike page to your Facebook account by clicking here.
3. Get ready for January 18th! Email and tweet at your friends, tell them to tell everyone about the strike. When the day comes, call Congress, tweet like crazy (#SOPASTRIKE), and help the strike appear everywhere!

On Jan 24th, Congress will vote to pass internet censorship in the Senate, even though the vast majority of Americans are opposed. We need to kill the bill - PIPA in the Senate and SOPA in the House - to protect our rights to free speech, privacy, and prosperity.
See this timeline of SOPA and PIPA events and the activist backlash.

Please do your part.

List of senators with contact information.
It's important to write a message or call your senator today. The Senate vote is rapidly approaching.

Feel free to use or adapt this note:

Dear Senator,

I am concerned about the implications SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, and PIPA, the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011, have on our nation’s stance on freedom of speech, in addition to its prospects for economic growth. These bills pose a real threat to every online business in the United States. Furthermore, these bills contradict the United States’ foreign policies, which encourage greater Internet freedom.

Technologists and small businesses have been shut out from the bills’ formative process, and have been denied an opportunity to communicate the issues inherent in this form of legislation. The lobbyists supporting this legislation represent a single portion of this nation’s economy; it is out of bounds to force compliance in a manner that taxes legitimate businesses.

I oppose SOPA, PIPA, and other bills of this nature.

Thank you.

I Need This!! :)

Instant space in your kitchen! I want a white one of course, so I can add moulding, change the knobs and add a thick butcher block top... Photo is from the January HGTV magazine. What do you guys think? It'd look awesome in my kitchen right?? ;)

Awesome Workouts

These are the workouts I LIVE by! They are sooo awesome, and will truly kick your booty! These are all customizable and they're different everyday. :)

Another Green Secret

Mmm... When I want a filling, decadent, sweet smoothly? Say yes to pb, banana, spinach and soy milk and hello to satisfaction. Whoop whoop. :)
- 1 tbs peanut butter ( its enough I promise)
- 1 banana frozen or not, your call
- cup or so of soy milk
- handful of spinach

Almost All Raw Lunch

Yummmm! Way to pack in the fruit and veggies... Yeeaaaa!! ;)

My Go-To Breakfast

Love this on the go! Simple and delicious!!!
- bagel thin
- natural pb
- sliced strawberries
Mmm mmm good!!

Lean Green Machine

If I could have the same green juice, every single day, I would. But since the health experts recommend varying our diet, I try and do that. This is my green smoothie when I'm too lame to pull out the juicer or if I want some banana in it since banana doesn't exactly juice well...
• a cup or a little more of apple juice
• a frozen banana
• handful of baby spinach
Blend... And consume. You're now officially ready to tackle the rest of your day :)

Flower Pots DIY

Super cute way to grow your herbs in the window sill, nurture a baby plant, or give away. :)
• paint a can, any can :)
• seal with poly... Or you'll get rust
• add some drainage holes with a drill bit
• decorate and plant something :)

Easy Simple Valentines Boxes

These are soooo easy and fun for the kids. For mine I modge-podged the foil on tissue boxes and then let the kids decorate the outsides with stickers and decals. :) Easy. Quick. Fun.

Homemade bread in 20 mins + bake time

Looky what I made tonight.... I looked through some recipes and decided on my own version. My husband was teaching us how to make butter out of whipping cream so I decided we needed some homemade bread to go along with. This is what I did:
• Roughly 6 cups of flour
• Tsp of salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of sugar or honey
• 1/2 cup oil ( I used veg)
• 1 pack active yeast
• 2 cups of hot water
Mix sugar or honey, yeast, oil and water. Let sit for 5-10 mins. Add in eggs, then dry ingredients. Let rest for 15 and then knead for 5. Bake at 350 until golden brown and serve it up plain or with the topping of your choice :). Now I'm going into a bread coma, haha, try this and let me know what you think :) xo

Afternoon pick-me up :)

This afternoon smoothie is PACKED with anti-oxidants and good for you nutrition. I love this after a good hard workout or just when I'm hungrier than usual in the afternoon and can't tear myself away from the kitchen. This smoothie is filling and pretty much amazing! Here's what I use:
• handful of frozen banana pieces
• maybe 1/4 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• enough vanilla soy milk to reach the consistency I love!
I throw it all in the blender and I'm good til dinner ;)

Lamp Shade DIY

So I previously posted the lamp shade from mama says sew's blog... And I finally got around to re-doing the lamp shade for my daughters room. :) This was the $1 lamp I had picked up from the thrift store, and I wish I had taken before-before pics because it was a HIDEOUS brass color before. All I did was spray paint the base, and I used a shade that I already had. I picked up about 1.5 yards of burlap and used my hot glue gun... it was MUCH messier than I had anticipated, but I'm thrilled with the results! I followed "mama's" instructions with a few exceptions and I think I made mine slightly fuller. But it was a great tutorial and I hope if some of you attempt this you'll let me know how it turns out :)

Final Product :)

After

Before

Newspaper Nails DIY

These are so fun and easy to do! Mine aren't perfect in this picture, but you get the idea. The ink comes off your skin easy with soap and water or polish remover. :) They last as long as your polish and take just a couple of minutes. 1. Paint your nails (light colors work best) 2. Lay newspaper over your dried nail and press down with a cotton ball soaked with rubbing alcohol. 3. Once you've done the nails you want, seal it in with a top coat and enjoy your awesome new look! This method transfers images and color as well so experiment and have fun ;)

Jar Soap Dispenser

So I know everyone has see the mason jars used as soap dispensers, but I just LOVE it. It really dresses up a space. And actually, mine isn't even a true mason jar, it's a spaghetti jar ;). Just use a drill bit in the top for your hole, and push the pump in. Then fill with whatever soap you want and remember you can color coordinate this too if you like. Don't forget to cut the pump stem slanted if it reaches the bottom and voila!! Beautiful :). Much better than the plastic bottles sitting sink side... Oh and any pump will work- mine came from a conditioner bottle haha.

DIY Photo Transfer

It's super easy to transfer your own photos, and it's really cheap too. All you need is:
- canvas or scrap wood
- gel medium (craft stores carry this)
- paint brush
- water
- rag or towel
All you need to do is cover your canvas or wood with a coat of gel medium ( a little heavy) then put apply your picture face down and remember the image will transfer backwards... Smooth out all the bubbles with anything you have really. I used a dry roller brush. Then let this dry overnight. In the morning you'll want to take a damp rag or towel, not too wet, and gently rub at your picture. The paper in the back will peel up layer by later. It's kind of messy, but worth the effort I think. These make cool, thoughtful gifts and it's super cheap. :)

Teacher Gifting Ideas

Here are some gifts for teachers that I've done in the past and they're really easy and fun to do. :)

Next inspiration project

I bought a lamp for $1 at a thrift store yesterday for my daughters room... I'm currently trying to reinvent it to something shabby chicier ;) I found this lamp as an inspiration for what I want to do so before and after pics are soon to follow!!

One of my DIY projects :)

So I originally got this idea from pinterest, and fell in love!! This whole project cost us $16 and we're loving it!! It's soo easy and honestly it turned out gorgeous! What do you think??

I <3 Snow

Snow snow everywhere!! I waited for a white Christmas alll year and when that didn't come, I was so sad! :( But low and behold, this is what we got to wake up to.... Good morning Missouri!!

My Very First Post

So... this is definitely my first time in the blogging world. I don't know that I'll be any good or have anyone that cares to read my rantings but I feel like this is a good therapy to be able to put down somewhere the things I love and am currently working on. I guess its like a time-line in progress. :) I plan to post things that I am DIY-ing, cooking, crafting or new things I'm trying out. I am LOVING pinterest and I've tried out so many of those ideas that I am dying to share with anyone that will listen. So thanks for stopping by and I'll try not to bore you to death with my rantings. ;)