Things I Love Thursday: flaxseed

I love flaxseed! My friend Lisa introduced me to it about a year ago. I can't believe all the great health benefits that come from just a little tiny seed! Flax seed is high in omega-3's (the good fats), it's high in fiber, and new studies are even showing that it helps prevent things such as heart disease, diabetes, and even breast cancer...sounds good to me! The thing that I really like about flax seed is I can hide it in just about anything. My husband and daughter don't even know they are getting it. What can I put flaxseed in? Well...we often have it in our pb&j sandwiches, I just made oatmeal cookies today and threw some in, I throw it into mac & cheese, oatmeal, pancakes/waffles, bread, or yogurt. I buy the pre-ground and keep in my fridge.

For more things to love today pay a visit to the diaper diaries

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Things I love Thursday: Online Shopping

I'm a big fan of online shopping, this year especially. I love being able to shop from the comfort of couch at 11pm at night. It sure beats standing in line at store after store trying to find just the right thing (although I did some of this too :)). I can do it while my busy toddler is sleeping, instead of dragging her in and out of stores in the midst of the frigid winter weather. I don't think that I paid for shipping on anything that I bought this year online. I always google the store name plus coupon code and usually get a code for free shipping. Sometimes I can even double up on codes...it's been great! In one case it was even cheaper for me to buy the item online than it was for me to go to the store! Still have some last minute shopping to do? Did you know that today is free shipping day? Head over to Mom for Him to find out more details.
For more things to love head over to The Diaper Diaries!

Things I Love Thurday: My Birthday!

My birthday comes at a wonderful time of year! I love fall..the colors, the traditions, the food, the crisp air, the decorations, and my birthday...I love it all! Today is my actual birthday, but the celebrating began on Tuesday. My wonderful husband called me in the afternoon and said that I should be ready to go at 5:00 when he got home. He had even arranged for a place for Hannah to spend the evening, and set the time aside for us to go out to dinner. Hannah went to play with her friend Joshua and Seth & I enjoyed a lovely dinner at The Macaroni Grill. It was so sweet to see Hannah and Joshua play together...and so nice for us to get a night out!

to read more about my fun night with Joshua you can go to his blog

Today has been wonderful. We slept in this morning. Then, enjoyed coffee and conversation. Seth went into work late today so that we could have some extra time together this morning :) He gave me my birthday present which he was nervous about..but he did a great job.

I really want to get my house more organized...something that I have been thinking about a lot. I put an organizing book on my 12 books in 12 months list, but didn't have one yet...he was very thoughtful to get me this book. It looks like it will read like a magazine...which is perfect for me! I love the candle holders that he picked out himself and look forward to finding just the right spot in the house to hang them..thanks honey! :)

I was able to enjoy lunch with friends at my favorite lunch spot, Panera. I had lunch with Denise and Beth (who I just found out yesterday shares the same birthday!) we had a great time.

When Hannah and I got home, I found these beautiful flowers on the front porch from my dear friend Rachel. I LOVE fall flowers...they look so pretty on my table...what a treat!

I put dinner in the crock pot this morning, so I don't even have to think about cooking tonight. Hoping to enjoy a walk with hubby and Hannah when he gets home.

My birthday is a great time to reflect on life many, many blessings. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and sweet baby girl, a wonderful family, church family and friends. I love our home and the ministry God has placed us in. I love my heavenly Father, who is the giver of these many blessings. May He receive all the glory and honor! Thank you Lord!

For more things to love & a giveaway, head over to the diaper diaries

Things I Love Thursday: Natural Peanutbutter

Have you ever wondered about what is in your peanut butter? I've been thinking a lot about what peanut butter is the best for us, esp. since little Hannah has just started eating it and loving it. The frugal side of me has been resistive to trying any other kind of peanut butter. I can usually get peanut butter for $1 or even less for a jar using coupons or buying the store brand on sale. However, after talking to some other mom friends, I have been enlightened about what all is in that peanut butter that I can get for a steal. I have learned that "regular" peanut butter has hydrogenated oils and sugar in it. The hydrogenated oils keep the peanut butter from separating and increase it's shelf life. It also makes it harder for the system to digest. The sugars suppress the immune system and depletes vital vitamins and minerals. I'm not opposed to a little sugar, nor will we never eat "regular" peanut butter again, but if this is what I'm giving little Hannah for a meal, I want it to be healthy and of good nutritional value.

At our last MOPS meeting we had a gift swap of something from your home that you "just can't live without". It was really fun to see what other moms brought in: Anything from parchment paper to ice cream to razors :) I brought my favorite cinnamon plus spice blend to share and went home with a jar of Trader Joes natural peanut butter. I was so excited to get to try it for free! Hannah and I actually had it for lunch that day. Guess what the ingredients are?! You guessed it...peanuts! Peanuts and salt...that's it. Yeah for natural and nutritional! No additives, no sugar, and minimal processing. I was excited to see that Aldi is starting to carry natural peanut butter too for $1.79 a jar. It is more than I'm used to paying, but for Hannah's lunches, I think it just might be worth it :)

I've been really working through the balance on keeping my grocery bill down and still feeding my family the most nutritional food that I can. In most cases, I try to keep the processed food down to a minimal and cook from scratch as much as possible. And I'm just trusting that the Lord will take care of the rest. I want to be a good steward of the money that He blesses us with, yet still feed my family as healthily as I can. I would love to hear from you...how do you keep your grocery bill down, and feed your family healthy?

For more things to love...head over to the diaper diaries

Things I love Thursday: Skype

I just have to say...with having both of our families out of town...skype has been such a wonderful thing! Last Mothers Day, we bought webcams for both of our moms...and us too. Hannah has loved getting to see her family "on the computer" and I think they love seeing her even more. It's great when she wants to see one of her Grandma's or Uncle J...we just call and say see you on skype in a few! One day this week, Hannah woke up from her nap and said "Uncle J....I see him". How fun..when she actually got to see him and talk to him on the computer. We even got to find out the sex of our nephew via skype. Cody and Erica called us up and showed us the outfit that they had bought...it was so much fun to see the HUGE grin on Cody's face. Do you have family out of town? Let me tell you...what a great tool skype is for your children to keep in touch!

Here's a video of Hannah calling out to her Grandma while we dialed her up on skype...so exciting!

For more things to love visit the diaperdiaries :)

Things I Love Thursday: Cinnamon Plus Spice Blend

I love spices...and probably my favorite spice of them all is cinnamon! I love pampered chefs cinnamon plus spice blend! I put it in my coffee grounds every morning for a great cinnamon taste in my coffee. I also use it any time a recipe calls for cinnamon. Makes for some delicious fall desserts!

For more Things I Love Thursday (and a giveaway) visit the Diaper Diaries.

Things I Love Thursday- My grill basket

I love cooking on the grill in the summer! Actually, I should rephrase that,
I love when my wonderful husband cooks on the grill in the summer. I always get everything ready for him, and he willingly cooks it up. I was so excited to get a grill basket, and let me tell you, there is nothing like fresh grilled veggies! Even Hannah eats them right up! Cut up your favorite vegetables, toss them with some olive oil, basil, italian seasoning, or whatever you like and grill them up...so delish (and healthy too)! :) For more Things I love Thursday head over to the Diaper Diaries.

Things I love Thursday- Gymboree Bubbles

One of Hannah's many favorite things to do is play with bubbles. She asks for them several times daily and gets so excited when we get them out. We play bubbles inside, in the bathtub, and outside...she just can't get enough! I recently discovered gymboree's bubbles (thanks to my friend Rachel). They are a little more costly than the 3 pack of soap bubbles that we can get at dollar tree (we still use these too)...but the quality is so much better, and hands down worth every penny (we got a small 2oz bottle for 1.99 and then 30% off that). They have a sugar base which keeps them from popping as quickly as the soap bubbles do. This is especially great for my little one who is still learning how to pop bubbles. It give her time to pop them while they are still in the air, which is great for her eye-hand coordination, and they don't pop right away once they hit the ground. We also have fun blowing them near a fan...they will float and swirl in the air for minutes...so much fun! The wand is also just her size, and she is already a pro at blowing the bubbles herself! We have hours of fun with gymboree's bubbles! For more Things I Love head over to thediaperdiaries.

Mimicking Housework

I bought Hannah this baby sweeper with her birthday money. Teri gave me the idea..and I thought that it would be a great way to involve her in "helping with the housework". I was so excited when I brought it home...but Hannah was so scared of it. I had never seen her scared of anything before, but when I would turn it on, she would run over to me, cry, and squeeze me tight. We left it out with the toys so that she could see it but didn't really play with it for a while. I pulled it out again the other day...she still doesn't car for the sweepers voice, but if I keep it turned off, she enjoys pushing it and helping me vacume. Here's my little helper:

It seems appropriate to quickly write about one of the things I love for Things I Love Thurday in this post. I LOVE my shark vacume sweeper! My wonderful mother-in-law bought this for me for Christmas. I use it multiple times a day...what a great gift! It's wonderful because it doesn't plug in, so I just keep it in my front closet and can quickly sweep up the messes that happen throughout the day. It plugs in to charge (but keeps a charge for a long time) and emptys with the click of a button. I can use it on floors and carpet...such a great tool for busy moms!