Misc. Archives - Page 2 of 12 -

What I’ve Been Up To

Post author:Melanie
Post published:July 8, 2014
Post category:Blog / Home Life / Misc. / Young Living
Post comments:4 Comments

Lately, I’ve been a little distanced from the ol’ blog.

This is partly due to summer being so fun and busy…

Partly due to working hard to finish the basement so we can start on the baby room.

And partly because I have been devoting some of my time to is a business that I have started up with six other gals.

As I’ve mentioned, I’ve fallen and I’ve fallen hard for Young Living essential oils. My passion for these oils has led me to become part of an incredible team of young women who have come together to start a business in order to help spread the word on the goodness of oils. We call ourselves crazy for coconuts.

We started a website and a blog where we talk all about oils:

Why we chose Young Living
What are essential oils
How do you use them
Our favorite oils
Recipes using oils
How to buy oils
And more

The website is: www.crazyforcoconuts.com

We are constantly chatting with each other about new ways to use oils and we have a blast!

If you have any interest in essential oils, I highly recommend you head over to our website and check out our blog too! I feel like not sharing information about oils is like cheating someone out of a really, really good thing. I have so much knowledge to share about these oils and my passion is growing by the day.

In the next few months in preparation for baby, I plan on making a whole bunch of baby products:

Baby wipes
Diaper rash cream
Baby shampoo
Moisturizer

I am so excited to share these recipes with you as I go!

If you ever want to chat oils with me, do not hesitate to reach out. I am thrilled when people ask me about oils. I want to share the love!

Have a great Tuesday!

xoxo

Happy 4th of July Weekend!

Post author:Melanie
Post published:July 3, 2014
Post category:holidays / Misc.
Post comments:1 Comment

Well hi ya’ll!

I am celebrating over here because yesterday was my Friday and I am now off of work for the weekend! Hooray for vacation!

I just wanted to wish you all a happy fourth of July weekend. I hope you are able to kick back with family and friends, eat some delicious food, share some laughs, and maybe even catch some fireworks as we celebrate the independence of our country.

I’m including a link to a a whole bunch of insanely good-looking patriotic food items that I put together lsat year. Feel free to check them out:

10 Independence Day Recipes

There may be one in there that would make the perfect contribution to your weekend get-together.

Anyway, Happy 4th of July my friends! Catch up with you soon!

xoxo

Marathon Weekend Photo Recap

Post author:Melanie
Post published:June 23, 2014
Post category:Events / Family / Misc. / Travel
Post comments:5 Comments

This weekend I was up in Duluth to watch Grandma’s Marathon and the Garry Bjorkland Half Marathon. Our friends Nate and Adam were running the half-marathon, Dana was running his first full marathon, and Kevin his second! I was incredibly excited to cheer these guys on!

We got up there on Friday and took a stroll down to the water. We battled the wind and the cold air but still managed to steal a few beautiful views. Friday was chilly: high 40’s and drizzly.

Friday night we all tried getting some sleep after an awesome baked ziti dinner.

Saturday morning it was time to get our cheer on. The temps ranged from high 40’s to low 60’s throughout the course of the day.

We watched the half-marathoners come in at the finish….

Nate!

Adam!

Then we made our way to the marathoner’s 19 mile mark.

Kevi stopped for a quick little stretch…

Dana at mile 19. I was so happy to see them both at this point.

Kev at mile 24.5….

At the finish!!

Dana at the finish. Both guys looking great still!

Seeing my guys come across the finish made me all emotional again. I am so darn proud of them. What an amazing achievement!

Congrats to ALL of the runners this weekend. You rock my socks.

Confessions

Post author:Melanie
Post published:May 15, 2014
Post category:Misc.
Post comments:17 Comments

I’m not sure if I’ve ever written a “confessions” post but I thought it might be fun so I gave it a whirl to see what I could come up with.

1. As much as I love creating new and healthy recipes, I dislike actually writing down the recipe measurements. I’m not one to usually measure so it’s just one extra step that hinders getting the food into my mouth. 🙂

2. I have a serious problem with dirty teeth. If my teeth start to feel too scuzzy and I am not able to brush them, it can really mess with my mood.

3. It’s rare that I swear, but get me stuck in traffic with inconsiderate drivers and you might hear a couple naughty words slip out of my mouth. Then I immediately apologize for swearing and put on some music to distract myself. Pull yourself together, Melanie.

4. I am terrified of spiders in my house. I am lucky to have a husband to kill them for me but when I’m home alone and I have to kill them myself, I am a nervous wreck. I grab five tissues and go crazy on the 8-legged creepers. Poor guys.

5. It’s rare that I actually try on a piece of clothing in the store. For some lazy reason I would rather bring it home, try it on, and then bring it back if it doesn’t fit. This defeats the whole laziness theory so I just don’t understand why I do it. If it’s a store that I rarely set foot in however, I will often try the piece on. Target on the other hand, I NEVER try things on in the store because I know I’m more than likely going to be there within the next two days anyway.

6. I truly LOVE Young Living Essential Oils and I literally want everyone to know about them but I never ever, ever want to be pushy about them. I just want everyone to know the amazingness that is EO’s!

7. I hate clutter. It gives me total anxiety. This is getting worse as I age. Living in a completely clutter-free home isn’t realistic, but I try to put things away and keep them in order to keep myself somewhat sane. Anytime I can organize areas in my home, I feel immediate gratification.

Those are my confessions for today! That was fun! I might have to do these posts more often!

I am linking up with Amanda and Thinking Out Loud. Thanks Amanda for the link-up!

Happy Thursday! What are YOUR confessions?

May Day Poem

Post author:Melanie
Post published:May 1, 2014
Post category:Misc.
Post comments:5 Comments

April showers bring May flowers.

We’ve had a lot of showers so there better be a lot of flowers.

source

May is here let’s all give a cheer,

for warmer days and flip flops are very near.

(these are adorable!)

Go paint your toenails and put away your gloves,

May will be full of sunshine, which we all surely love.

I’ll end this poem now, as it seems my skills are lacking.

I haven’t written a poem in years, if I’m tracking.

Happy May day my friends, let sunshine into your day.

Believe that wonderful things in life are coming your way.

xoxo

Healthy Snacking with Blue Diamond

Post author:Melanie
Post published:April 28, 2014
Post category:Fav Products / Gluten-Free / Misc. / Snacks
Post comments:6 Comments

Remember this box of snacking goodness I received a few weeks ago from the wonderful folks at Blue Diamond? If you don’t, here’s another glimpse…

That’s a lot of delicious loot, right? Blue Diamond asked me how I get my good going now that the weather is finally starting to warm up.

The summer is crazy. We all know that. Especially those of us who live in the Northern climates who only get to enjoy warm weather for 3-4 months. We pack everything we can into those 3-4 months. Camping trips, hiking, bike rides, vacations, weddings, and of course, shopping for new summer clothes. There is so much fun to be had!

The days can be busy (in a good way busy), and so I always make sure to have plenty of snacks with me wherever I go. I stash snacks in my car and in my purse because you never know when hunger will strike and no one wants to encounter hangry Melanie. This is where Blue Diamond snacks come in to play so perfectly. They offer so many fun flavors of almonds and their snack chips are a household staple for us!

Here are some snacks that I like to have on hand…

Trail mix with roasted salted Blue Diamond almonds. In this mix I threw together the almonds, a dried fruit combo that I had of craisins, blueberries, cherries, and raisins, and Corn Bran cereal. Use whatever you have on hand and make your own trail mix to go. It’s a fun little snack to have around. Kids love it too!

One of my all-time favorite Blue Diamond almond flavors: Salt n’ Vinegar. I stash these in my car and they are perfect while out running errands. They don’t need any accompaniments if you ask me. They are so good by themselves! Mmmmm!

A true snack staple in our house is Almond Nut Thins. These crunchy snack crackers are gluten-free too! These would be great for a picnic out with friends or family. Grab a box and top it with your favorite spread: hummus, laughing cow and muffuletta olive spread, cheese, cottage cheese, guacamole, salsa. Get creative!

Don’t leave the house without throwing some Blue Diamond almonds into your purse or car. They are the absolute perfect snack for your super fun and jam-packed summer!

Disclosure: I was given free Blue Diamond products to sample and review but all opinions expressed on the products are solely my own.

If you could only choose ONE flavor of Blue Diamond to eat ever again, which would you choose?

I would have to say salt ‘n vinegar or roasted salted! Black pepper rosemary is really good too though!

We’re Talking Sunshine

Post author:Melanie
Post published:April 17, 2014
Post category:Misc. / Travel / Vacations
Post comments:4 Comments

Minnesota got snowed on yesterday if you haven’t yet heard. This isn’t out of the ordinary for April seeing as we got snow in MAY last year, it’s just never welcomed. I can’t complain a whole lot because where I live we just got a dusting of snow, but the northerners got up to a foot! Yikes!

I am looking forward to this weekend because it is supposed creep back up into the 60’s. I’m ready for the summer dresses and flip-flops!

So I was thinking, in lieu of Throwback Thursday, and due to the fact that I am dreaming of warm and sunny weather, I am putting together a post of some of warm weather memories. Let them take you to a warm sunny place in your head (if you’re in the cold climate like I am still) and dream of days soon ahead full of sunshine. Some are from last summer, some are from warm vacations.

Turks and Caicos

Warm sand between my toes, refreshing clear blue water, stand-up paddle boards, and lounge chairs.

Miami!

Bienvenido a Miami! I always find it so amazing that I can take a three-hour plane ride which brings me to such warmth and sunshine. I love Miami!

Eating desserts outside and getting free wine with two of my favorite blends!

Need I say more?

Dinner at Mill Valley Kitchen followed by a family photo in our lush backyard!

When the weather is warm, I love eating outside!

Bike Rides

Picnics

Camping and hiking

I have a love/dislike relationship with camping. I love it when the weather is perfect, I dislike it when it monsoons on us and a moat forms around our tent.

Spring weather will be here soon!

What are you most excited to do in the warm weather?

What I’ve Been Noshing On Lately

Post author:Melanie
Post published:April 16, 2014
Post category:Dinners / Fav Products / Lunch / Misc. / Restaurants / Snacks
Post comments:5 Comments

Instead of my usual “what I’ve been eating lately” title, I thought I’d switch it up a bit. Just like my other WIAW posts, this one highlights some of my eats over the last week or so.

What I’ve Been Noshing On Lately…

I didn’t want an actual Olive Garden entrée, I just wanted the salad that comes with it, so that’s exactly what we ordered for pick up. Have you guys ever had Olive Garden’s house salad? It is seriously so good!

Fruit and nut “cereal” bowl complete with blueberries, strawberries, banana, sliced almonds, raisins, and almond milk. So pretty!

Grilled burger loaded with mushrooms and onions with steak fries!

Croque monsieur, croque madames and French onion soup. We had our friends over on Friday who we went to Paris with (I know, I know I still need to do a recap Paris), and we had a reminiscent meal of our trip there complete with baguette, European beer and Perrier. A croque monsieur is basically a grilled ham and cheese with extra cheese on top, and a croque madame is a grilled ham and cheese with a sunny-side egg on top. These were better than the ones we had in Paris! So was the soup!

Taco salad made with ground turkey. Have I mentioned how completely obsessed I am with tacos?!

I’ve been happily snacking on Blue Diamond almonds and crackers thanks to the wonderful folks at Blue Diamond!!

Banana soft-serve (straight, no mix-ins) made by Dana. This stuff is so stinking amazing. Please, please make it if you haven’t. Grab your blender, throw in a bunch of frozen bananas, a splash of almond milk (or whatever kind of milk you have on hand) and let the blender mix it to a soft-serve consistency. You have to stop in the process and scrape the sides, so it takes a little bit of work, but it is completely and totally worth it so do it!

Homemade meatloaf made with grass-fed beef and LOTS of ketchup obviously.

Chicken and steak shish kabobs from the kitchen of Kathy and Tom (mom and dad). Kabobs scream summer to me and although it was only about 40°F when we ate these babies, I still got that summer feeling.

Broccoli and cheese soup from Panera annnnnd I had $1 off because I use my Panera points card every time I go which made it taste even better. Um…yes!

Breakfasts are almost always still my go-to smoothie: frozen blueberries, frozen banana, kale, almond milk, peanut butter and raw cacao powder. When your breakfast tastes like a peanut butter chocolate shake, why would you want to break away from it?!

I think my body is trying to fight off a cold so I’m trying to feed it lots of good healthy and nutritious foods. Or maybe it’s just allergies? I’m not sure.

Questions:

What’s the best thing you have eaten lately?

Have you ever had Olive Garden’s salad? Do you love it as much as I do?

I am Grateful

Post author:Melanie
Post published:April 11, 2014
Post category:Health / Home Life / Misc. / Moose / Travel
Post comments:5 Comments

I’m grateful for so many things, and I don’t express my gratitude nearly as often as I should. As always, I am so grateful for my family and friends. You make my life wonderful. I am thankful for the warm sunshine. It rejuvenates my soul and feeds my body with the Vitamin D it so needs. I’m grateful for Moose. Even though he annoys me like no other sometimes, the majority of the time he is hysterical and keeps me smiling. I’m grateful for my passion for cooking and experimenting with healthy ingredients and creations (like this sweet potato gluten-free crust). I’m grateful for all of the opportunities I have to travel and explore the world. There is so much to see and do, I can’t wait to see it all! I am grateful for Young Living Essential Oils. They have opened my world to a new way of treating headaches, anxiety, cold and flu, etc. Let me know if you want me to order anything for you! I am grateful for my chiropractor who keeps my spine in line and helps me to feel my best. I am grateful for my acupuncturist who I see weekly. My sessions help me relax and ease any tension that I may be holding on to. My list is much greater than this but it is a start. I have a lot to be thankful for. Now, it’s your turn. What are you grateful for?!

Treat Yourself: Sweet Treats, Sunshine & Clothing Bargains

Post author:Melanie
Post published:April 8, 2014
Post category:Friends / Home Life / Misc. / Moose / Snacks
Post comments:12 Comments

Happy Treat Yourself Tuesday! It’s been a while since I’ve linked up with Becky’s TYT and I have some fun things to share with you all, so today I am linking up!

To read about Becky’s Treat Yourself Tuesday, head on over here and learn why Becky is a firm believer in treating yourself on a weekly (and even daily) basis.

Since the weather has been amazingly beautiful, I have been treating myself to extra time outside. I am loving the Vitamin D and Moose is loving my company outside.

This was a total random purchase as are most of my clothing purchases, but I happened to stumble upon the clearance section at Gap and found this adorable polka dot blue sweatshirt. It fit me just perfectly so it was meant to be. I snagged it for just $9!

I am treating myself to a huge container of Driscoll’s strawberries. They are so sweet and perfect! They scream summer to me.

From healthy strawberries to a not at all healthy doughnut. I enjoy a doughnut I’d say maybe once or twice a year. We had a free doughnut coupon for a doughnut shop in our neighborhood so…….guess what happened. A long john, that’s what happened. I was bummed they didn’t have any long johns with chocolate and sprinkles but I made due with just the solo chocolate and it sure was tasty still. #allinmoderation #doughnutsaredelicious This maxi dress from Target. I wanted it ever since I saw Becky post about it but this one is the one I wanted and it was no longer available online and it wasn’t at my normal target. BUT…..after acupuncture last week I stopped at a different target and lo and behold…my dress! I also found a 15% off coupon on Cartwheel and got an extra 5% off by using my redcard. Boo ya.

On Sunday my mom and I went out for a nice long walk. It was sunny, it was peaceful, it was lovely. We chatted away and talked about how we wish we could meet up for walks everyday! That walk was definitely a treat.

How did YOU treat yourself this week?

What’s your favorite kind of doughnut?

Thanks, Becky again for the link-up!