Weekend Wanderings 11.13.11

Hope you are enjoying the gorgeous weekend.  We ended up turning our heat on Friday afternoon, even though I was fighting it, because the low for that night was 30-something.  The great thing is it is a little chilly (cold for these southern people) in the morning and warms up to the 60's or 70's by early afternoon. I love that I have had my windows open for weeks.  Most of the time in Kansas there are not many weeks that allow for the windows to remain open all day and all night!

Enough about the weather! Here are some posts I have found over the past few weeks I thought were worth sharing.

Christian Yoga? It's a Stretch : Not sure how I feel about this article but I thought I would share it.  I participate in yoga classes. In the recent boot camp class I took we did yoga out by the lake early in the morning.  It was  a beautiful, cool morning.  It was great to see the beauty of God's earth while stretching. I'd love to know what you think of the article.

Modern Alternative Mama:  31 Real Food Baby Steps  This is a great post on things you can start doing to eat more real food.  Transforming your eating from processed to real food does require baby steps, it will not happen overnight. 

Healthy Home Economist: Video Introduction to Traditional Eating.  Sarah shares her video introduction for a series she worked on for the Dr. Weston A. Price Foundation. 

The Dr. Weston A. Price Foundation is a great resource for eating a more traditional/real food diet. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! 

Thoughts from a Military Wife

Source: beliefnet.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

A friend recently sent me this poem and I thought it was fitting to share it on Veteran's Day. 

Military Man's Promise
written by Megan Williams of To Love a Soldier

I cannot promise you every night of my life.
I cannot promise to be beside you for every difficult moment, every trial, and every hardship.
In truth, I can promise you that I will not be with you for most.
I will leave you at inconvenient times.
Any special date to us may be tainted with the anniversary of the death of one of my friends.
I will ask you to take over whatever life we have built together for months and years at a time.
And will then crash back into that life that you have used your sweat, your tears and your heartache to keep together, and try to take it back as I knew it before.
I will shut you out at times because it will be the best way for me to hold it together at that moment.
I will lie to you.
I will tell you I don't know things when I do.
I will not always tell you where I am going, when I will be back, or who I am with. 

I may not call you for weeks and months and you will not be able to call me.
You will ask questions that I won't answer.
You will know answers to questions that you will hope you never need.
I will share things with my brothers that you will never understand.
They will know things about me that you never will.
They will be a support to me in some things that you cannot be.
I will miss birthdays.
I will miss anniversaries.
I may need time to process things that seem natural to everyone else.
It will seem that someone - or something - will always take precedence over you.
I will uproot you and ask you to re-establish our family anywhere in the world, in any season, 

at any time - over and over again.
Sand and mud will be tracked through your halls from the boots I am too tired to take off.
I will leave you when you beg me not to. I will stand at attention while you cry beside me.
I will not turn my head and I will walk away.
I will knowingly break your heart.
And I will do it again - and again.
I cannot promise you all of me.
I cannot promise you much of anything.
But if you will have me, I can promise that as I march away from you, 

it is not without sharing your heartache.
I promise you that every time I break your heart I will be breaking mine.
Every time that I cannot answer you I will be protecting you.
Whenever you want to call and you have no number to dial, I will be wanting to do the same.
I will protect everything that we have created together with every fiber of my being 

while you do the same back at home.
I will honor you in everything - every moment that we are apart and every moment that I am with you.
I will fight harder and push further knowing that I do so for you.
And I will carry you with me in everything, until my boots once again sit just inside our door.

Being married to B the past 9 years has allowed every word of this poem to become our life.  Military life does not allow us to plan ahead, the days and nights leading up to deployments are always filled with too many emotions to process, knowing he has experienced & seen things he will never tell me, going weeks without talking when he is away, and spending countless holidays without him by my side are all things I knew when I married a military man.  I would not trade this life for anything, even with all the things a military family endures.    

On this veteran's day remember all the men & woman that have fought for our freedom.  Fly the American flag proudly and thank a soldier & their family for the sacrifice they make allowing us the freedom to live in the USA.

I had to share one video with you also that I just love.

Random Thoughts Tumbling Around My Brain

I have so many things I have been meaning to blog about that this will be a random post. 

I finished boot camp last Friday and on Saturday I ran the Spooky 5k.  It was a tough run with hills and wind. It is rarely windy here and of course it was blowing pretty good they day of the 5K!

Before leaving for the 5K.

After 5K with a Vanilla Latte.  B was a sweetie and came to cheer me on (not sure if he did any cheering!) and had a latte waiting for me at the finish line!

Some of the girls I ran with in the 5K. The third person from the left is my trainer! 

I had my followup appointment with the naturopathic doctor last week.  My hormones are definitely not where they should be. In an effort to get them back to normal I'm taking 4 supplements, taken several times throughout the day.  To help me remember I had to download a vitamin reminder app on my phone!  I will take them for the next two months and then have another followup.  I am hoping and praying it works so we can have a baby Merrigan!

I went to my first Zumba class last night and really wished I had a pair of these instead of my running shoes!  These are definitely on my list to find his weekend.  Zumba is really fun and I recommend it to anyone that wants to sweat alot,  burn calories, have fun, and shake those hips!

I wish I was going to the Wise Traditions 2011 Conference. Maybe next year I can make it and meet some bloggy friends! 

Well that is all I have for today. Check back tomorrow for a couple of recipes. 

Till next time,

Menu Plan Monday 10.31.11

Happy Halloween everyone! I am being a scrooge and not handing out candy tonight! I just didn't want to spend money on sugar, but now that I hear kids throughout the neighborhood I am having second thoughts.

I am trying something new with my menu planning & grocery shopping. I have always planned for one week at a time and shopped every Saturday. I hate spending my weekend running errands when I should just be enjoying the weekend off doing things I want to do, which is not menu plan or grocery shop. So this week I have my menu planned from for almost two weeks. I will make a trip to the store after work one evening towards the end of this week to get everything I need for next week's menu. I may have to go one time next week to stock up on produce and milk.

My challenge will come when I need to go to the commissary (basic pantry items like bread and the few organic items they have in stock), Publix (buy all my meat and organic items here), and the health food store (everything I can not get at Publix). This may take some time to figure out how to work it into my weeknight evenings, especially when I have to drive at least 20-30 minutes for Publix and the health food store!

I added a column to my menu sheet that includes prep work to be done the night before. I find this helps me get dinner on the table quicker. The prep work never takes long and can usually be done while dinner is cooking.

Here is my menu for the next two weeks.
Menu Planner 10.31

Click here to print

I will be sharing the recipes from above in the days that follow, so check back for some great recipes! 

I am linking up with I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday and Keeper of the Home's Plan It Don't Panic Challenge.

Till next time,

Weekend Wanderings 10.30.11

I just typed up an entire blog post and lost it somehow, UGGGGHHHH!  So let me try this again and hopefully I wont forget anything! 

Kelly the Kitchen Kop: Farm to Fork Dinner Fiasco (Your Jaw will Drop).  This is a story about what government is doing to local farmers. It is a long read with several videos but very worth your time!  I find this to be sad that America is more concerned with what local farms are doing, growing healthy local food and feeding local families, rather then spending time and effort on MUCH more important issues that need attention.  This is just one small story but these things are happening all over the US.  I encourage you to start shopping local and support local farmers. Check out the Eat Well Guide (see look up tool on my sidebar) and Local Harvest to find local farmers markets, CSAs, co-ops, and much more!

Simple Bites: 25 ways to use up Pumpkin Puree.  Great ideas!

This Shine Project:  Saturday Giveaway.  I never win giveaways but maybe this one I will win since it includes a Starbucks gift card! 

That is all I have this weekend. Hope you are having a great weekend. 

Till next time, 

Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Pumpkin!

Source: frugallivingnw.com via Andrea on Pinterest

Fall is my favorite season! I have always said that if there is a place on earth that has fall like weather ALL year I would live there.  I haven't found that place yet, but I'm still looking.

Fall in Alabama is so much different then Fall in Kansas.  Kansas has a crispness in the air and the trees all turn gorgeous colors.  I have not smelled that crisp air in AL yet and the trees do not all turn beautiful colors.  So it is hit and miss on seeing beautiful fall tress with the deep reds, oranges and yellows.  It also is not a cool fall, as most days the highs are in the 80's.  I am definitely not complaining, I am enjoying the warmer weather here in the south!

Another part of fall that I love is pumpkin!  Here are some of my favorite pumpkin inspired things.

Source: number17cherrytreelane.wordpress.com via Deanna on Pinterest

Source: kerryspapercrafts.com via Jill on Pinterest

Source: allrecipes.com via Stefany on Pinterest

I will be sharing my favorite pumpkin recipes in the coming weeks, so be ready with lots of pumpkin on hand!

What is your favorite season and why?

Have a wonderful Saturday.  See you tomorrow for Weekend Wanderings.

I'm linking up for October Follow Fest with Casey!

It's Friday!

Source: happythings.tumblr.com via Andrea on Pinterest

I am so glad today is Friday! My work week has dragged on VERY SLOWLY even though I have way more work then I can cram into my week.

I'm excited about my weekend plans....Haunted Hay Ride tonight (B is working the event), 5K run on Saturday, possibly a date night with B at the drive-in theater, corn maze, house cleaning, laundry, Etsy shop preparations, and SOOOOO much more!

Have a fabulous Friday and a great weekend. What fun plans do you have?