It Has Been A Week of Downs - Seasonal Affect Disorder

Lately, I have been walloped by Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD). It started earlier this week and slammed me like a freight train. All at once, I was experiencing depression, self doubt, isolated feelings, and insecurity.  Yes, I have suffered from this for many years. Honestly, I do not remember not being effected.

This year it was different. This year it all hit me in one day! Thought I was just having a bad day. I sat in my car on my lunch break shaking and in the midst of a panic attack. No reason. Anyone who has an anxiety disorder understands there is no need for a reason.  The the "all I want to do is go to bed" feeling. At 2 O'Clock in the afternoon no less! And finally, the crying jag. What????? What is wrong with me?

I thought I was getting a cold, my migraine was bad that day, you know reasoning it away. Something WAS wrong, pain and getting sick. Nope, two days later, the feeling is still here. And I feel lonely. I am missing hubby more than usual. It is no new thing working shifts that makes seeing each other almost impossible. We have dealt with it our whole relationship. But damn I really miss that man!

I already take Paxil for anxiety. For the past year, I have taking half a dose in the morning and half at night. And it has worked beautifully. I take 2000iu of Vitamin D.  As of tomorrow, I am using UV Spectrum lights, upping my Vitamin D, and taking a full dose of my Paxil in the morning!  I will give these changes a month. If I do not feel much stronger, I will discuss with my doctor.

Some people may say, turn yourself around. Others, don't let things bother you. And still more may look at me like I am weak and displaying a weakness.  To that my reply is fuck you! I am stronger than you could ever imagine! I wake up every day and do what needs to be done no matter what.

I have survived molestation and come out stronger! I have Asperger's and believe it has given me it's best. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and persevere. I have a migraine every fucking day; and have for 16 years and I have Fibromyalgia. AND I GET THINGS DONE! And I am a giving, loving, selfless person- IN SPITE of all of this.

Do not ever think I am weak. Not for one second.  This is illness, just like everything else. And guess what? I will STILL do what needs to be done and do it damn well!

I just want to get this out there, no stigmas, no judgments.

Tie Dye Coffee Filter DIY Wreath

I have a ton of coffee filters I bought over the Summer for the pure reason as they made me money as overage on a coupon at the Commissary. We have a reusable filter in our coffee pot (and if you don't I highly recommend one!). I looked at them the other day, and decided to use some dye we have from our handmade tie dyes on them. I had no idea what I was going to use them for, but hey not risking any money, why not?

Well, I found out what I would use them for, when I spotted a foam wreath form at Dollar Tree! Of course, I hopped on Pinterest to see just how I might go about this. I found so many tutorials that I was able to "wing it" in my own way!

For the first step, I decided to use some leftover ruffle yarn I had from a scarf project, and wrap it around the form.  I wasn't sure how the foam would hold up to constant use of my hot glue gun, so I wanted a barrier.

After that was secured, I tied a loop of the yarn, so I would be able to hang the wreath.

From there on all I did was fold the filters in quarters, pinch the bottoms, and fluff them up a bit to give an almost flower effect. I did a bunch at a time.

I then put a small dab of hot glue on the pinched end and pressed the filter onto the form. Put A LOT of them in there to give a full effect!

You can see here how it looked halfway through:

And the finished product:

This was such a fun project! And I was able to finish it (other than the drying time for the dye) in about 1 hour.

Lessons From My First Craft Fair

Recently, my friend Maria and I ventured onto a new adventure - a craft show! Neither one of us had ever done this before, but we had received many compliments on our tie dyes at the company picnic this year. Many suggested we sell them. So when the opportunity to do just that at a charity craft fair, we jumped at it!

We started right away with building an inventory, but it wasn't until we signed up for a second craft fair next week that we decided maybe we should do some research. Um, can you say overwhelmed! Between a crash course in  pricing, booth design, business cards, packaging, and phew even starting the bare bones of an Etsy shop, we felt like our head's were spinning!

I think we did an amazing job with the time we had! The picture above shows our set-up today. Looks pretty good, except our measurements were a bit off and we should have brought two tables. Less clutter on the table and better use of space! 

Here are some lessons we learned:

A craft fair is not always busy. Actually this one was very slow. Not that many people came. It was not the fault of the coordinator. It was well advertised. It's just that we had a gorgeous day and there were more outdoor events going on in the area.

Bring something to do! Even better if it is in your power to work on some of what you sell to replace what might sell. Now we sure can't tie dye at a craft show, but a book would have been nice.

Do not take it personally if your items do not sell as well as another crafter's. For THIS fair, your items may not be what the majority are looking for, bu next time might be your opportunity! Kinda goes along with you can't please all of the people all of the time.

Do not wait until the last minute to prepare! This is pretty self explanatory. We were pretty exhausted today.

Get a brand. Make what you do stand out. OK, so tie dye pretty much stands out all on it's own, but everything else should go with what you are hoping to represent. Notice the table cover, sign, etc.

Socialize with the other crafters! We got so much encouragement from others there today. And we learned about their crafts, processes, and of upcoming fairs! We met some lovely folks and it made the event a bit more fun.

Did we do well today? Not really. We only made $36. We sold a baby onsie, 2 towels, a candle holder, and 2 child's shirts.  Traffic was slow, what can you do? The fact that items DID sell in a low traffic environment, when others around us did not make any sales was pretty encouraging.

I Thought Pressure Canning Was Faster

As I sit here at 11:00 PM, I am still waiting for the chili I started preparing from scratch at 7 O'Cock to be done in my brand spanking new Pressure Canner! It took me a about an hour and a half to chop, dice, simmer, and all that other jazz. And then the canner.....

You have to heat it up, vent it for 10 minutes, put on the weight, wait for it to rock, regulate the temperature and THEN you get to start timing! In this instance AN HOUR AND A HALF! What? Yeah, you read that right.

I still have 35 minutes left! I am tired. I want to go to bed. Yeah, so I am not a wild and crazy thing up until all hours on a Friday, so what? You probably already figured that out by the fact that I am canning homemade chili on my Friday evening anyway.

My day started at 5:30AM. I walked the track before work and put in my full 8 hours. I went to Target after work.... and then THE CHILI....

I thought this thing worked faster than this! Should have done some major homework. I mean pressure "Cooking" is known for it's time saving qualities, right?

All I can say is this better be some damn fine chili! (OK I know it will be as I always make it this way, but you know what I mean).

I did manage to get some crafting in, so the whole night has not been devoted to the chili!

The Most Intimidating and Exciting Gift Ever! I Have A Pressure Canner!

Last week was my Birthday and hubby surprised me with a pressure canner! I have wanted one for years, but would never spend the money. In my eyes, there was always something we, as a family needed more. Yes, I know, in the long run a pressure canner will save us a bunch, but it was always that initial investment that held me back.  Our income is about half what it was 5 years ago and we do feel the pinch!

I tried a small batch of pears I got free, as hubby's friend has a pear tree. I figured if something went wrong, no big loss.  I will tell you, my heart raced throughout the entire process.  It was not the smashing success, as 2 jars did not set. But, that was my error. I did not leave enough head space and the liquid got on the jar rims. But, nothing blew up either!

I am already planning a huge batch of chili this weekend. I cannot wait.  This is going to be fun! And what  better, more hearty meal in the winter? Plus all we will need to do is grab a jar and heat it. Perfect for when it is my son's night to cook.

Anyone have any hints or fantastic tips for me?

I have read the instruction manual at least 3 times and am scouring Pinterest right now.

My Second Botox Treatment For Chronic Migraine

Two weeks ago I received my second Botox treatment for my chronic migraine. Again, I received 31 injections in my head, neck, and shoulders. This time I had a major migraine when I walked in the office.

I already knew from my first round of injections that the treatment, ironically enough, will cause a migraine. I did not know just how bad it would be this time, already having one.  I could barely function that day.

Now, I am sure the big question is "How's it working?". As it has only been two weeks, this is difficult to say with certainty. That said, I have had a couple of days where I have needed less of my pain meds. More surprisingly, to me, is there have been several days where I did not need a pain pill upon waking!!! I have needed to take a pain pill within an hour (more often than not a half hour) upon waking, every single day for over ten years!!!!

I am hopeful, but afraid to have too much hope.  Those who live with chronic pan will totally understand where this fear of hope comes from.

For now, I am keeping my fingers crossed!

For more information on my Botox treatments, check out my first post.

I Need To Do Better With Meal Planning!

Do you plan your meals for the week? Or are you the super human that can actually pan for the month? I want to be you! I am tired of coming home from work and looking at my son and both of us wondering what the heck is for dinner!

Here is our scenario:

I cook Monday and Wednesday
Jayce cooks Tuesday and Thursday

No one ever thinks ahead as to what we will have that evening. No one thinks to take anything out of the freezer. So we just waste time trying to figure out what sounds good at 5PM every day. Not a good way to eat well rounded meals!

So, how do we start? Well, we are going to need to get together really soon and hash things out. Jayce starts a new semester tomorrow, so having a meal plan will certainly make both of our lives easier!

If anyone has ideas, I am grateful! Keep in mind, I work full time and he goes to school full time. He, nor I are fantastic cooks, but we do not like to eat a bunch of processed foods either.

Tie Dying The Evening Away

As I mentioned in my last post, my friend and I are renting space at a craft fair.  Our primary focus will be tie dying.  Last week, after work, we spent a few hours getting some of our offerings prepared.

I love how these all came out! We have here 6 bandanas, 3 pair of socks, 2 heavy weight dish towels (these were my favorite!) and 11 T-Shirts. It's a good start and will be followed up with a few more sessions. The best part? Our bottom line is soooooo low!

The materials for dying were all leftovers from the company picnic. My manager let us keep packets and packets of dye, about 8 large bottles of already mixed dye, elastics, and gloves. So those materials were all free.

The dish towels were just .50 each on clearance! The T- Shirts averaged 1.27 each, the socks were .50 per pair on clearance, and the bandanas were .99 each!

So far, out investment for everything is under $25 and another $30 for the space.  That $30 will be donated to help NF Childhood Cancer.

Planning For An Upcoming Craft Fair - First Time!

My friend and I are participating in a craft fair for the first time ever. I am super excited and a little worried. Excited to have the possibility to earn a few extra bucks doing what I love, creating stuff. And worried because, well it is my first time and I want to make sure my overhead does not exceed the sales.

We will be offering a variety of handcrafted items, with a focus of tie dyed items. They are an item that seems timeless and so much fun to make! My friend is amazing at this and I can certainly hold my own.  I will also be doing some smaller crocheted items, such as washcloths, coasters, and cup coozies.

We do not have a "business" so I do not feel that limiting my offerings by sticking to a "branding" attitude is needed here. I just want to spotlight the various things I love to create.

I have quite a few ideas and some time to work on them as the fair is a bit over a month away.  I was thinking of offering handmade gel air fresheners, sewn kitchen towels, and I may just leave it at that.

We have an 8'X8' booth with a table and I am bringing a clothing rack for the tie dye clothing.

Has anyone had experience with this? Any ideas?

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Our First Family Picture in 8 Years! Graduation Day

This is the first picture with all three of us in it since 2006! Talk about a treasure :) .

Hubby hates to have his picture taken, so we usually have to be in stealth mode to capture him. This generally means, the picture does not do him justice and one of us is the photographer in stealth mode!

I am so glad to have this picture!

How Do You Say Goodbye To A Childhood? Graduation Day!

Today my son graduates from High School and this Mom is having a much harder time with it than she thought she would. I mean, how do I say goodbye to the childhood and hello to adulthood for this boy?  He is my only, my baby. The baby that towers over me, sure. But, nonetheless MY baby.

Am I a helicopter Mom? Not so much anymore, but yes, I was for years. This is the child they told me I would never be able to conceive.  This is the child who has Asperger's Syndrome and went through hell to get a correct diagnosis at 8 years old.  This is the child that was bullied for years. The child that is introverted to a point that we genuinely worried. The child that spoke his first word at 5 months old, spoke complete sentences before he could walk!

How do you say goodbye to Dinosaurs, Pokemon, and bird fascinations? Goodbye to the word Mommy? Goodbye to being the one to fix things? Skinned knees? Bump on the head? Bad nightmare? It's OK, a hug a kiss and a Mom will protect you and make it go away always worked. Not so anymore!

This is my child, and I am so proud of every accomplishment he has ever made - especially when the odds were stacked against him. I am amazed every day with the young man he is!

He has learned so much in the past few years - self worth, pride, and courage. Oh the courage! Here is my child, bullied through High School, taking his Senior year at the Community College, showing up for his Graduation practice in a place where the very bullies exist- with his head held high and doing it of his own choosing!  He did not have to take part of the ceremony to get his diploma. They would have mailed it.

But he chose to attend, because he EARNED it, he DESERVES it, and those bullies have no impact on the happiness he has found.

Yes, I guess the child is mostly gone and the adult is doing a wonderful job in forming itself.

As I shed my tears tonight, they will have a dual meaning - mourning and celebration!

But, damn, I will always miss that child- even while I embrace the adult.

GMO Foods and Some Of My Basic Thoughts

It is a hot and heated topic these days. GMO safety, labelling, etc. Unless you have been living under the proverbial rock, I am sure you have at least heard something of the debate.

Here are my basic thoughts on the subject:



My issue is not that the foods are modified. Scientists and others have been modifying plants for so long. My issue is the Roundup and other pesticides they spray on them in mass quantities. Sure the PLANTS can grow with them, as they are altered to do so. However this does not change the fact that the pesticides HAVE been sprayed on them. 

I also have a huge issue with the fact that our pollinators, bees, are dying en mass due to this. Do people understand the ramifications of this? Sure I loathe bees as much as the next person, but they are a necessity in agriculture. What happens when they are gone? How long until we are no longer eating actual food?

Should we label them? Yes! We should label GMOs and much more. What are "Natural" flavors and "Natural" colors? Secretions from the anal sac of a Beaver? Oh sure it IS natural, they are not lying. But do I want to eat that? Same with the crushed beetles that are used. Ewwwww.....

Of course these are my personal feelings. Again, I am aware foods have been modified for years. It is not necessarily the modification per se I am concerned about here. It is the pesticides that are KNOWN carcinogens. I have lost too much to cancer.

Just Applied For A Big Promotion

Those who know me, know I am currently pretty underemployed. Sign of the times, I know. But, still very disenheartening. The bills do not decrease over time. Everyone knows this too.

Today, I decided to go for broke and apply for a pretty big promotion in our corporate office. I am very nervous about this. See, I am a very outgoing person and I am excellent with communication skills. These two skills would make me an excellent candidate for this position. I am also very detail oriented, a research junkie, and eager to learn just about anything.

BUT........  I interview horribly! I walk away thinking "Who the hell was that?"

Hopefully this will be different this time. Hopefully, the two years I have spent with the company has afforded me the comfort level in its players to just be myself.  I am hopeful!

My Botox Experience - Migraine Therapy

I have been diagnosed with "Persistent Chronic Migraine" by my neurologist.  This is a diagnosis 16 years in the making. When the headaches first started, my doctor diagnosed me with Cluster and Tension headaches.  I have had 3 MRI's, with and without contrast, many CT scans, an EEG and tried so many medications, diets.....

Basically, I have run the gamut of options. That is, all except two:

Botox Therapy  and Surgery to interrupt pain receptors.

Today I had my first Botox treatment. See the red dots on the picture above? They represent each place I had to receive an injection! And, let me tell you, it hurt. Oh my.... did it ever! Then the burning. And after the 4th injection, the forced migraine began. Now tell me, is this supposed to help of cause them? Of course I know the answer and was prepared for the possibility, but it still sucked.

All I know is I am putting a lot on the line hoping this is my "magic bullet". It costs $813 per script. That is $813 every 3 months! Oh, yeah, and that is with prescription coverage. And the process is very painful.

That is all I know right now. Hopefully I will have many more updates in the coming months.

But I Am Just A Receptionist! Planning A Company Outing

My current job is a receptionist for a very large company. At my location alone there are 450 people! There are over 30 locations across the country and I am the "default operator" for all of them. By that, I mean if you call ANY of our locations and choose zero on the phone tree, you will end up speaking to me.

You would think I would be much busier than I feel. But the truth is, I do have downtime (most days, anyway). When that happens, I generally reach out for a project. I am a part of the Human Resources team, but my "projects" do come from varying departments.

Two weeks ago, I was tasked with redeveloping and implementing the 10 bulletin boards around the building. It was a huge undertaking, especially since I get limited time away from my desk. I have finished the redevelopment part of that, and implementation will take place soon.

This week I have been handed the task of planning all aspects of my location's company outing this Summer! Whoa!!!! I have never taken on anything like this before, so I am both excited and a bit over my head (I think) on this. Choosing a venue would be a natural first step. But, nope! I have chosen a theme first. I want a 1960's hippie theme.

Let me explain.  My company was founded off the back of a truck in the 60's by, you guessed it - a hippie! So, I think it is fitting. It goes to many of the core, crunchy granola loving, principals that are still in place in our work force.

I am hoping that we can use a State Park as I think this would be perfect! Again, nature as a backdrop. What is better than that?

I have decided on a few things I would love to have for our party:

• Company T Shirts that we can all Tie-Dye
• 
  
• Peace Sign Bean Bag toss
• 
  
• Face Painting station
• 
  
• Ring toss using mini daisy chains
• 
  
• BBQ and Vegetarian options for the food
• 
  
• Music from Woodstock and similar
• 
  
• Groovy Bingo using phrases of the era

If anyone has any other ideas for activities, that would be most helpful!
Also, any ideas on keeping a park setting "safe" in case it rains!!! Our outing would be in late July, early August.

Would You Like Some Urine With That Coffee????

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Yeah, you read that one right! This was pretty much how my work day started today.  I am still feeling a bit, I do not know, violated, disgusted, incredulous....

So, here's the story:

A few guys from the IT department asked if they could use my Kuerig as their's was broken. Of course, being a coffee addict, I get the NEED for coffee, so I said of course they could.  Now, I have a machine I purchased myself on a cabinet at my work area.  I am the Receptionist, so obviously, my desk is in a public area.

I opened the lid to the water well to see if it needed for water and the water in it had "stuff" floating. So, thinking it was just because that water had been in there since I left work on Friday, I told them I wanted to run that through and another cupful of fresh water to flush it out.

Imagine my surprise to have a foul, amber yellow liquid in my cup after brewing! This stuff was RANK! My whole office reeked.  And, I knew, I just knew it was URINE! WHAT???????? Yep, smelled like 10 guys decided that the "If it's yellow, let it mellow" rule was a great idea on a 100 degree day with the lid closed, was a great idea! Remember I heated this offal to near 145 degrees by brewing it!

WHO THE HELL DOES THIS?!?!?!?!?

Needless to say, my boss is the HR manager and I called him down to report this. He was not thrilled I saved it for him to smell :)

Well, obviously, I threw the entire machine away! Arghhhhhhhhhh......
Don't worry, work will be replacing it. But how can I trust it there.

I am still trying to process this!  Again, WHO DOES THIS????

I Made Yogurt- In A Crockpot- And It's Delicious

I have been dying to try my hand at making yogurt forever!  At first, I worried about the safety factor.  But, the more research I did and read about people who have made their own for years, the less of a worry it became.

Last night I decided to go for it. I am so glad I did!  I may never buy store bought yogurt again.  Not only was it tasty, but it was relatively easy.

I used ideas from many different recipes that I found on Pinterest. You can click on the word Pinterest in the previous sentence to see some I looked at.  I knew I wanted to try the crockpot method, so mostly that is what I looked up.

Some recipes rely on timing and senses. I wanted to rely on temperature to be extra safe.

Here are the materials you will need:

• 
  
• 1/2 gallon whole milk
• 1/2 c powdered milk
• Cooking thermometer
• Crockpot
• 1/2 c store bought plain yogurt w/ live active cultures
• Something for stirring
• Large Towel

Here's what I did:

1. Pour milk into the crockpot
2. Add dry milk and give it a stir
3. Leave on until milk temperature reaches 180 degrees (about 1.5h on high, but could vary widely depending on your crockpot, so please use a thermometer
4. When that temperature is achieved, turn off the crockpot. Remove the pan part from the heating element and take the lid off.
5. Give a stir to mix throughout. 
6. Let the mixture decline in temp to 115 degrees (no worries if it gets as low as 100). Stir occasionally.
7. When this temperature is achieved, take out a cup or so (no need to actually measure) of the milk and pour into a small bowl with the store bought yogurt (Make sure it has live, active cultures- the carton will say it on it!).  Mix together and pour back into the crockpot.
8. Now cover the crockpot again, wrap with large towel and place in oven without turning it on! 
9. Let it sit there for 8-12 hrs
10. Viola yogurt!

At this point, the yogurt should have a texture similar to the picture above.  To make a thicker yogurt (Greek style), place cheesecloth (coffee filters, paper towels, or napkins can do the trick as well) in a strainer with a bowl underneath.  You are filtering out the whey. Many people use the whey in place of water or milk in baked goods as it is very good for you.

There you have it!

Spoon this into small Rubbermaid type containers, mason jars, or what you have handy.  Be sure to take out 1/2 a cup to use as your starter for your next batch!

Flavor as you like.  Right now I am eating mine with fresh pineapple and a honey drizzle- YUM!

Homemade Ginger Ale Is So Cheap, Easy, and Amazingly Delicious

I have always been a ginger ale fan.  What I didn't know, is there was very little ginger in any of the store bought ones.

Being a crafter (not a fantastic one) and a Do it yourself-er, I looked for recipes online. I was amazed by how many there are! I tried a few and decided to take components of a few, plus my own added touches to "create" my own. First you will make a syrup.

Now, I do not follow a strict recipe; I rarely do! But here is a really good idea of what I do:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped fresh ginger
• 4 cups Water
• 1/2 Cup lemon juice
• 2 cups sugar ( for this I mix regular with brown sugar equally) You could use date sugar, coconut sugar, any kind you like to your taste
• 1/2 T  Red Crushed Pepper Flakes

Directions:

• In a saucepan, bring to a boil all ingredients.  
• Let boil, stirring often, for about 5 minutes.
• Reduce heat and simmer covered for another 20-30 minutes. You really want to get all of that ginger out of the root!
• After simmering is done, strain the mixture into jars (I love mason jars for this). It should yield about 5 cups.

This is your syrup. The next step is to mix with seltzer.  I have a Soda Stream, so I fizz up my water and fill the rest of the bottle with my syrup. And I am done!

Without the Soda Stream, you can use bottled seltzer. To make one glass, mix in a ratio of 5 parts seltzer to one part syrup.  You can customize the ratio to your liking.

Sit back and enjoy this healthy, crisp treat!

Why All The Anger?

                                               Photo courtesy of breathezy.com


Anyone who knows me, knows I am not an angry person. Sarcastic, jaded, optimistic, goofy, big-hearted, flighty, scattered? Sure! But Angry? Nope, not me.

So why over the past 3 days, have I felt this deep anger? I do not get it. I can speculate, but I just do not know. Is it coincidence that this feeling has escalated since my diagnosis of persistent chronic migraine? Maybe.

All I know is, I do not like this. I think I need a time out, seriously. Just some time for exploring the feelings and trying to see the root. If I cannot find that, I need to at least find my way out of this.

New Diagnosis For Unending Headaches

Yesterday, I went to my neurologist and got very surprising news. Luckily, my EEG and MRI results were normal. At first, I felt devastated by this, but you would need to understand my story to know why that was my reaction.

You see, for 16 years, I have been suffering from debilitating headaches. No one could figure them out. I have had CT Scans, MRI's, and tried more medications than I could list off the top of my head here. We tried the usual Migraine meds, the anti-seizure meds, muscle relaxants, and dietary changes (no gluten). I have been on Fiorecet for 14 years and have build quite the dependency on them. I have also, just learned the difference between dependency and addiction. In my case, thankfully, it was tolerance and dependency!

I would have a headache all day, every day. And in addition, would suffer the debilitating type at least half the month- every single month! For 16 YEARS!

Finally, I realized I could not live this way any longer and decided to see a neurologist. He, of course, ran all the tests. He also did a very thorough symptom check, med check, and medical history. He went through the timeline of my attacks and gave me a diagnosis of persistent, chronic migraine. Essentially, I have been riding the same migraine for all this time.

How on Earth did my doc miss this? Well, apparently it is very easy to miss as it is rare. About 2% of the population actually suffers from this type of migraine. Go figure!

So, the ruling is Botox treatment. I am hoping my medical will cover it. It is quite pricey! And, frankly, we can not afford it if the medical will not cover it.  It is also scary as all heck! 31 injections all around the head, face, and neck every 3 months! However, I know I must at least try.

Has anyone had any experience with Botox treatment associated with chronic migraine?

My Favorite Muffin Recipe

Don't those look yummy!

I wish I could tell you that both Jaycen and I wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed in the mornings, but that would be a lie. Neither one of us are morning people (total understatment!). And neither one of us is much for breakfast either.

I like for him to eat breakfast in the mornings, a rarity.

The problem is, unless it's something totally simple like his favorite a Pop Tart he will not eat it. Many a morning I wasted my time heating up pancakes.... Well, I learned my lesson. And on a Sunday night, it's easy enough to make a large batch of these muffins and freeze most of them. You can tailor them to your liking, add whatever you like. I did chocolate chip (I know not the healthiest) but it'll get him back in the habit of eating breakfast a little easier.

Here is a base recipe (found in The Tightwad Gazette)

- 2 Cups Flour
- 2 Cups Milk
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 Cup Oil
- 1/2 Cup Sugar
- 1 Tbs Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp salt

That's it! Just mix it all together and bake for 20 minutes at 425. 

Ideas for add in's include:

• Raisins
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Cinammon and Walnuts
• Cranberries (or Craisins)

You can totally customize these! That is the beauty of this recipe. And there is no High Fructose Corn Syrup or artificial ingredients.

I Just Bought An Aquazinger From Zing Anything!

I am a Pinterest addict! And for months I have been seeing all kinds of pins featuring fruit infused water recipes.  Intrigued, yes? But have I MADE any? Nope not one single recipe!

Now I know the benefits and all that jazz. And I agree. It is a great way to encourage yourself to drink more water while adding some additional benefit of the fruit. All I could imagine is how, well, watered-down it would taste. I just do not do too well with that "essence" of a fruit thing.

The other day, I bit the bullet and bought an Aquazinger. I have been using it for a couple days, and yes my water intake is sooooo much better. My problem? The watered down taste, just as I suspected. 

For now, I am adding a little sugar and loving it. My goal is to be sugar free by the time Summer comes.

So far I have only used clementines and I do have a grapefruit to use.  What fruit combos are your favorites? And how do you adjust to the hint of flavor?

What I Am Loving Right Now

Wow, it has been forever and a few days since I posted! Well, hopefully, I will be more ahem regular in this in the future.

So, what has been occupying my time? What are some of the things that are making me happy lately?

Obviously, family takes a huge first place! It isn't always easy connecting with some face time when hubby and I wok different shifts and the kid is involved with all things school, friends, and computer- but we all make an effort.

Here are some things (in no order) that are on my love radar right now:

- Crocheting- I am relearning this craft and getting a bit obsessed with it. And I absolutely have the yarn to prove it :)

- Gardening- I am spending tons of time learning how to have a much better garden this year. We had some successes such as the cucumbers, radishes, and  tomatoes.  But also some huge failures like broccoli, spinach, green peppers.  Not to mentions the string beans that fried when we went on vacation during the hottest week of the year.

- Canning- Hopefully I can swing a pressure canner this year.  I am learning a bunch more on the intricacies of canning and would love to broaden my horizons!

-Pinterest- How on Earth did I ever come up with so many ideas before this!

So, what are some of your recent passions?  I only say recent, because I know with myself they can change on a whim :)