Quick and easy...seriously I will influence you (smile).

If you are reading this than my title captured you (insert bwah-haha sinister laugh). Just teasing. I've never once claimed I wasn't an odd one.

Anyhoo, here are some quick and easy potpourri things to influence your life...to hopefully entice you to try it once, save money and perhaps never go back. Are you scared yet? Again, just kidding. Sorry, I am in one of those silly moods.
Normally, my blog isn't about the following, but well I can't be all honest and not include these. Below you will find everything from breadcrumbs, to no deodorant, to growing the easiest thing on the planet. Take a look:

1. Lettuce: So versatile and wonderful and healthy. Super duper easy to grow! Have a sunny window? Grow it indoors in a pot or outdoors in a pot or well, even in an old boot outside. It doesn't require fertilizer if planted in good soil and can be grown as early as the end of February (accept perhaps in the upper North of the country unless you start it indoors and have a warm/sunny place). You can even use the stump of store bought lettuce to start growing some in your house on a windowsill
Go here for that method (which I have tried and it works)! http://thisbighappy.blogspot.com/2012/06/re-growing-romaine-and-celery-from.html

Or buy seed (cheap), follow seed planting instructions and put it in some good potting or organic amended soil, water it and watch it flourish.

Make your own Bread crumbs:

    Toast your own store bought or homemade bread in the toaster. Use your food processor or something similar and voila, you have instant breadcrumbs...you will know what is in your breadcrumbs this way too!

No deodorant- NO, I am not telling you to adopt a smelly agenda. Seriously, if you use 70% rubbing alcohol on your pits every day, you won't need deodorant EVER again-it does work. Cheaper that way too. If you tend to perspire a lot, then look for homemade recipes to combat that and you will still save money and it is better for your health. Try this recipe: http://yinmomyangmom.com/2013/01/04/natural-antiperpirant-deodorant-recipe/

Sweet Potato Chips: YUM! Preheat oven to 350. Peel potatoes. Use the slicer on your food processor or other nonelectric slicer and slice up the sweet potatoes. Place them on a metal sheet pan (or you can use foil or parchment paper if you are worried about them sticking). Bake for 10-20 Minutes depending on how thick you made the potatoes. Check them after 10 minutes so you don't overcook or burn them. I like them slightly soft. So delicious. Enjoy! Great for healthy eating.

Super healthy, no dairy, low fat smoothie: Great if you are Vegan, vegetarian, need gluten-free or nondairy foods, and or are a rawist.

   An handful or more of spinach, frozen banana and mango or other fruit (do not use sweetened, frozen fruit b/c it is loaded with processed sugar) and a cup or more of  unsweetened or sweetened almond milk or you can use other nondairy milks like, soy, rice or coconut.

Pour all of it in your blender on smoothie setting or food processor. You can also add ground flax or ground Chia seeds for other health benefits. Tasty and under 400 calories. This is a meal so don't use it as a snack. I make enough to fill a large, plastic glass and have it for breakfast or when I need to eat, but I want something light and tasty.

No oil or egg, whole wheat muffins: Add these items to make your muffins way healthier and you can use less sugar and actually taste the batter without getting ill! Use unsweetened applesauce instead of oil. Use ground flax-I got a big bag at Sam's (one Tbsp of flax with 3 Tablespoons of water) instead of one egg and use a mashed up banana and or sweet potato to cut down on the sugar amount in your muffins. Banana goes great when added to blueberry, or cinnamon flavored muffins. Use at least half whole wheat flour or all whole wheat to cut down on unnecessary sugar spiking. Better for you too. Enjoy! Really cuts down on fat tremendously as well as no cholesterol and less calories as well.

Last, but not least-Cheap entertainment to try:

Go Geocaching.  Especially fun for adventurous children. It is basically hiking and finding treasure. You need a GPS or similar system. Go to this site http://www.geocaching.com/ to learn more and find a geocache near you.

There ya have it! Some easy tips, recipes to try. A way to save money and be healthy. Who could deny the goodness of that?

 Your turn: Share your favorite recipe or tell me your results from above.

Always room for one more...

Want to do something different on your blog? Try the exercise below and go here to learn more and join Lisa-Jo's fun community!

Writing five minutes on the word: Friend

There's always room for one more friend...at least in my heart. I don't believe one more is just too much. I just know this me needs a variety of personalities to stretch me, love me, "get me", encourage me and be okay with this definition of me. 

I met and made a friend, finally after being in this Colorado city for two years and now God is moving her family 4 hours away to Denver. Her name is Morgan. She so gets me.

I want to throw...okay I have thrown a bit of a fit because I am going to miss my new friend. But, instead of writing to pout, I am going to tell you why I will miss having her here in my life daily.

Morgan writes a blog (go here http://snapshots-morgan.blogspot.com/) and she writes pre-teen stories and well, she just writes well. She understands why I write. She kept me accountable when I didn't want to send my children's stories that I wrote in...

           Morgan knows how to encourage and you feel that she cares about you.

You feel that momma love that she so readily displays to her four beautiful children.

She inspires me to be that kind of momma.

Morgan GETS my humor...no, really, I-don't-have-to-explain my self and she doesn't shift uncomfortably at my odd way of seeing things because she sees them and she plays right along. Sometimes she is the one cracking me up.

Morgan knows God and her family, her husband do too. And they are moving because God wants them too and he is providing a career shift for hubby...and they trust God, they pray to him, and they know him. And I get that because that is why we are here on the west side of Colorado instead of on the east...

I trust God for my friend, but I am going to miss her!

I hope God brings me another friend like Morgan soon...there's always room for one more.

Sad, where I am strong is where I am weak too.

I am not sure what the problem is I just know that I feel sad. Okay, I know a little...

Change. I feel it coming. See this is where I am strong and yet, where I am weak at the same time. Does this not contradict? If you don't know me well, this is typical. I tend to clash myself. I am a Gemini. No, I don't believe in that literally, but I seriously am divided in certain areas of my life.

Change=weak=strong.

Here's why:

I like change because it makes life interesting. It keeps me from 

feeling bored. It can be exciting and adventurous. It means God is about to reveal a piece of his plan or use me.

Then, the other side of me loathes it. Words such as transition, new, waiting, loneliness,

unfamiliarity, and out-of-your-comfort zone come to mind and I want to run away 

with fingers in ears.

That last line seriously shows my bratty, scared kid side. Oh, well, my blog is all about being real and raw so at least I am keeping up with that huh?

I am sad because one of the changes that is coming isn't actually about me, but it affects me. It hurts.

Then, there is the change I can't stop or hold onto that is dangling in front of my face and taunting me. There's change that is about sacrifice and it is necessary, but it doesn't make it easy.

I need the Father to really hold my head and heart. I ask the Father to hold those whom the change is affecting far greater than me. I am praying for God sized courage and enthusiasm as I fasten my seat belt once again for this ride called, life.

What about you? What do you do with change that is inevitable? What changes do you feel weakest? Where do you feel strong?

Linking up at Soli Deo Gloria

Hosting some Traveling Stones

Okay, so I was reading this awesome bloggers page: http://www.notjustanothermotherblogger.com/search?updated-max=2013-02-27T03:30:00-06:00&max-results=3&start=42&by-date=false
about her receiving a traveling stone.

Traveling what you ask? Let me explain...the journey started in Canada in late 2012 when Traveling Stone founder, Darlene received two stones-one round pink pearl and a rectangular purple rock-at a function.

Well, to make a wonderful story short-these two stones have since been split where the pink pearl has traveled from Scotland, to Australia to Texas and now, me!

The pink pearl is in near the top left corner of the box.

Now, on to the juicy journey part!

After receiving the stones, they first met my children
(they just wanted to touch and play with them of course) :)

Don't you just love the one blue-eyed and the one brown-eyed mix?

Then, I took them to visit my  awesome friend, Andrea as we both met up in Glenwood Springs, Colorado- a beautiful mountain town surrounded with forests, but I didn't see any bears!  The Stones insisted that they take all the photos so you won't see them on this trip, but they were there...trust me.

   We decided to take the stones to see the infamous, and historical cemetery where Doc Holliday was buried. Below are some pictures of the town and cemetery.

Is it just me or does this bench right next to the edge of a steep cliff feel a bit sadistic...wrong?

The Pink pearl really loved this tombstone and remarked that she felt a kinship ( I get it).

My friend, Andrea (right) and I on the path to the cemetery.

 Back at home, when I thought Spring was here...The pearl (whom wanted to relax by our mini-pond) and I got a nice surprise of snow! I know, welcome to Colorado stones! See below:

Hard to believe I am wearing a sweater in the middle of April!

So to prove the traveling stones made it to Colorado...I am including a snippet from a postcard and a decal sticker. I think the stones were happy to be here and have enjoyed seeing mountains, and a semi-arid part of west Colorado!

WAIT! Don't go...

I NEED YOUR HELP! 

The stones need a new host! If you would like to host the traveling stones, please put your email in the comments box and I will send them to you.

I'm linking to Traveling Stones ! Go here as well for more information and to keep track of the stones journeys.

Tripping Women (3 ways we do and how to stop)

I don't intentionally stick my foot out to trip other women, but it happens. Not on purpose.  Sometimes I am just being me and sometimes it is literally who I am physically that causes another woman to stumble. Or when they brag or I brag or when they share or I share-just a tiny too much...our insecurities and emotions collide until what's leftover is one colossal mess.  Where's the love, huh?
AND we say men are competitive? Um, well, this is hard to admit, but us ladies like to strut
our peacock feathers too (yes, I went there)!

So I write this message today because the more I open myself up to other women, the more I find bruised hearts and elbows needing bandaging. I am discovering how painful it is sometimes to be friends with women and that if we choose, one by one, we can stop tripping each other. We always have a choice.

So here are three ways I think we trip others and what to do instead:

1. Our voice. Ugh, our comments leave much to be desired don't they? Our statements can make another woman feel compelled to duck and cover to survive the verbal vomiting.  Okay, I have been known to let the motor mouth run way, way too much. We need "think before you speak tape" that magically appears when we need to keep our statements to ourselves. It is absolutely okay to not express our opinion and to not tell someone something you shouldn't. Gossip is a killer tripper.

2. Our false and negative assumptions- ANY time we believe something about someone without proof, or getting to know them...well, we've made something true that probably isn't. When we peg people as this way or that, we take away their freedom and ours to be ourselves. For example, we assume a mom is a terrible parent because her child is choosing to have a melt down in the middle of the store. When we assume, we judge and we destroy the essence of relationship. I find that almost 99.9 percent of the time, my beliefs about another person's intentions, what they do or don't eat, lifestyle, parenting, etc. is dead wrong!

3. Comparing- You know the stare down she gives you. You know the "this is how I do it" tone. You know the comments on how little or how much food is on your plate or the "you must exercise everyday" statements. Us women (including me, gulp) are horrible at feeling insecure when a thinner, tighter bummed, perfectly flowing hair woman crosses our path...we can either not let it bother us, or we feel bad about ourselves. We know our man noticed because if he didn't than he must have had something in his eye! This is just a problem ladies. And pretty, thin women are not to blame. Okay, now if you are fortunate to be a "looker" I would kindly appreciate it if you wouldn't display so boldly your uh-hums so that my hubby would trip on them too. Modesty doesn't have to mean old-fashioned moth-ball living.

-Where's the grace and love that this insecure, broken and imperfect world needs? That is the solution to this tripping we all keep doing to one another. My closest friends are my closest friends because they give me SO much grace and love. They let me be me and I let them be them.
   We don't let any green-eyed monsters stand in the way of honest to awesome friendship. Let's face it, us women NEED each other. God created us to love and if we aren't careful about tucking our feet in more often, then we are just hurting others daily-on purpose or not.
     So practicing the art of loving others to me is the best cure for the stumbling we create with each other.

Your thoughts?
What has someone done to cause you to trip? How can you show love today, right now?


Linking up today with Jen and other SDG awesome women at SDG

Celebrating victory, when you need a victory...waiting.

She had a placenta tear and bleeding and trauma. Her baby and her in jeopardy. And I prayed almost every day and sometimes twice a day. I prayed for hope, healing, and for protection. A few weeks later,victory: 7cm to 5cm and then the tear gone! A few weeks more...no bleeding. No danger. And my heart is bursting with praise and joy and I want to shout to the world that the Lord hears us. That sometimes he truly DOES heal! That life isn't all about trials. We have triumphs too!

Somehow, even in my joy in this miracle for my friend, I am finding joy in a healing that hasn't occurred. Well, maybe not yet. See, I am waiting for healing for my hubby. I am at the point of begging for mercy, for answers, to not feel lost. We want to quit playing Russian Roulette with his health. It is hard to watch my spouse suffer with headaches, nausea and other discomforts and not know what God is doing, but I still have joy in what God is doing.
   As Eileen Pollinger says in her book, Building Christian Discipline...we look forward expectantly that God will do something. We are holding back from solving the problem ourselves...we don't have a solution anyways.
We are at our weakest: waiting for God to move.  We have done some research and seen doctors with no real hope in those systems. We've talked to friends with similar symptoms and seen God use them.
Perhaps it is wheat intolerance? Some other allergy? We can only ponder and wonder in our waiting.

We are available and ready for when the answer comes and it might not be the answer we hope for, but I feel closer to my husband more than ever. I am exercising and joyfully fulfilling my helpmate role. This is good, so good for our marriage. 

We need a victory and it will come, but oh how hard waiting is, huh?

Your turn: What victory are you celebrating, what victory do you need and are waiting for?