No-Bake Energy Bites

I've been in a very snacky mood lately, and this is the latest of the delicious snacks that I've attempted from Pinterest. (Yes, it contains chia seeds, another current obsession of mine.)

See, told you I'm obsessed with chia.

Ingredients lined up looking pretty.

No Bake Energy Bites:

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal
• 2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 Tbsp. chia seeds 
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

You literally just mix everything together and then let it chill in the fridge for half an hour. Then roll the dough into small balls (about 1") and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. (Trust me, they won't last that long. :)

I did not have coconut flakes, so I added, rice krispies. It added a really good crunch to these. You could add any number of things to this, as long as you make it balanced. I also ended up adding dried cranberries (which made them taste like a peanut butter jelly sandwich in the end-YUM!) and used half chocolate chips and half white chocolate chips, instead of all chocolate chips. They turned out SOOO good.

Here's a list of the original poster's substitution ideas in case you are out of any of the ingredients listed above:

Ali’s Tip:
Substitution ideas can abound for just about any of these ingredients! Feel free to substitute in your favorite nut butter (almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.) for the peanut butter. And you could also add in some wheat germ in place of some or all of the flaxseed. I would caution, though, against substituting agave nectar for the honey, as the honey’s thickness helps hold things together.
Some other fun substitutions for the chocolate chips (or an addition to them) could include:

• chopped dried fruit (apricots, dates, raisins, etc.)
• dried berries (cranberries, cherries, etc.)
• chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, or sunflower seeds
• other chips (butterscotch, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, M&Ms, etc.)
• other grains (different kinds of oatmeal, rice cereal, etc.)

Update: Many of you have asked about substitutions for other ingredients. The joy of these bites being “no bakes” is that this recipe is super flexible. If you end up needing to omit one of the dry ingredients (such as coconut or flax), just add in some extra of whatever other dry ingredient is remaining (for example, the oats). If you feel like your energy bites are too dry, add in extra honey or peanut butter. It’s also not required that you refrigerate these, but I find it helps them stick together much better. And for some reason, I love things like this a little bit chilled. Enjoy!!

Check out the original recipe here. I'm really glad I made these, I think they'll be a snack staple in our house for a while.

Quick and Easy Overnight Oats

I got a bug up my butt a few days ago to start incorporating chia seeds and flax seeds into my diet, so I hit up Pinterest for some yummy recipes. I made this recipe last night and ate it this morning. It was so delicious!!

Here's the lowdown:

1 banana, peeled and smashed
1/3 cup of oats
1 cup of almond milk
1 Tbs of chia seeds (I bought mine at Costco)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
sweetener of your choice (I used maybe 1 Tbs of sugar, I'd probably use a little less this time)

I combined all of these things in a big bowl, and then let it sit overnight. I served it up cold the next morning with some blueberries and sliced bananas on top. You can serve it up warm or cold, and top with really anything you'd like...any sort of berries, brown sugar, a little bit of whipped cream, whatever! Check out the original recipes for more ideas on how to serve it. And enjoy!

Potty Training Day 1 (& So Much More)

I have been so excited about this day for WEEKS. Jonah and I picked out his big boy underwear (Cars and Toy Story) and we borrowed a few of the extra-padded Gerber ones from our buddy Maverick, for the first few days. We got extra potty seats (the kind you set in the big toilet), an extra stool, some plastic covers for going out and about, and Nana picked up some jelly beans (Jonah's favorite treat) for rewards. I showed him his underwear, talked it up for days, and last night, I told him that tomorrow we weren't wearing diapers anymore and that he finally would get to wear his big boy underwear!

I woke up this morning, with a game plan. Double-layered underwear (an extra-padded underneath and a cartoon character one on top so he would be motivated not to potty on them). Set the timer for every 15 minutes and at least go sit on the potty and try. Up the fluids so he could have a reason to potty. One jelly bean for pee and two jelly beans for poop, in the toilet of course. Ready, set, go!

I put him in his underwear as soon as he woke up and we started our timer, and our day. He went pee on the toilet, every time I put him on there for about two hours. I was feeling REALLY good.

And then, the first accident happened. It was kind of my fault, because I thought since he was doing so well, that I would let him try playing alone in his room for a little bit. Less than five minutes after I closed his door, I heard him yell potty and sure enough, he had peed in his underwear. From there on, we had three accidents in a row. Two of them being on the couch. AHHHH!

From then until nap time, he only had one or two accidents, but the seed of doubt and fear had been planted in my heart. You see, I struggle with really bad anxiety. It's a long story, that I'd love to share in full on here someday (or am almost always willing to talk about it in person). I'm on medication for it, but I guess the overwhelming nature of today (taking him to the potty every 5-15 minutes, bending over a lot and squatting a lot which was causing a lot of bad back pain, getting frustrated with Jonah when he kept having accidents or when he didn't feel like going potty again) just sparked that anxious, panicky, emotional feeling in me again and it scared me big time. It IS scaring me big time.

I think this is one of the first times since this anxiety came back (not long after I got pregnant) that I've felt this overwhelmed again. All I want to do is cry. Cry because I miss our carefree days of just playing, cleaning, running errands, going to friends houses, etc. etc. AND IT'S ONLY BEEN HALF A DAY OF DOING THIS! The logical side of me knows that it's gonna be okay. It's only his first day of doing this, for Pete's sake, and he needs extra grace and love. This is an even bigger change for him than it is for me! It sure can't be easy or particularly fun. And it's not going to last forever. My Momma always tells me that when I'm in the middle of a trying phase, whether it be sleep-training or teething or sickness or whatever. This too shall pass.

I think that's one of the most frustrating things about this "anxiety" that I suffer from. I feel like when it hits, it hits HARD. There is no middle-ground where it just picks at me a little and it's more annoying than it is overwhelming. When I feel anxious, I immediately want to give up. Drop it all, go back to how it was before, and never ever change anything again. But you know what? That's not life. That's not how it works. I need to strengthen my "anxiety muscles." I need to build up my mind, soul, spirit and heart muscles so that when IT hits, I can say to myself "This is tough. No lie. But I can and I will get through this. It will get better. I will survive...and not only survive, but be happy! I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me...whether it be depression or potty-training, budget-issues or road rage, attitude problems from toddlers or fights with my husband, not having the energy to clean the house or not having the motivation." He is with me in the little and the big, and I've got to get better at remembering that when I feel good and when I don't.

I'm so thankful He doesn't give up when the going gets tough, because chicken-little, mere-human me, wants to. I'm so thankful that He isn't human so that He can hold me up when my strength is lacking. Even when it's over something silly like Day 1 of potty training.

So pray for us as we continue on this potty-training journey. Jonah really is doing a pretty good job. Right now, he can pee/poop on the toilet when the timer goes off and reminds him too, but he can't remember to do it on his own. We'll get there...right?? :)

And just to end this on a happy note, here's a few recent photos of my Bug and I few things I love SO much about him.

 I love how he (very) occasionally just asks to hold my hand.

 I love how when you ask him to make fish lips (stick his lips out) he puts them in instead.

 I love how when you tell him the name of something, or someone, he almost instantly remembers it.

 I love how he gives squeeze hugs.

 I love how he can sing three (almsot four) lines of Jesus Loves Me by himself now.

I love that he has so many people who love him (and us) so so much.

Love yours truly (and painfully honestly),
Alyssa

Master Bedroom: Now In Progress

When we first moved into our house, I was relieved that our master bedroom was painted a decent color all over, so that we didn't have to paint it before moving our furniture in. We picked out our bedding and curtains around our wall color...using mostly greens, browns, tans, and creams.

Looking into our master bedroom.

The pillows on our bed.

Quote above our bed.

Curtains on our one window.

From our room, looking into our bathroom.

My dresser (which is opposite of our bed).

Chad's dresser, on one side of our bed.

Hubby's nightstand.

There was nothing in particular wrong with our room, it just was kind of dark and blah. So when a friend of mine was getting ready to quit her job at Target, I took the opportunity to use her discount before she left to purchase a new duvet cover, quilt, sheets set, and some accent pillows. One pillow, I'd had for forever, I got from Goodwill and when I was switching the colors up in my room, I felt like I still went with the colors/theme well.

My lovely Goodwill pillow.

I picked out a white duvet cover (brave, I know) so that if I ever want to switch up the colors again, it won't involve painting walls and/or buying ALL new linens. My sheets are a light blueish/teal color and I have a tan and a coral/pink colored accent pillow. My plan was, in time, to paint the walls a different, lighter, color...it just took me a long time to figure out what I wanted that color to be. :) I considered yellow, gray, white...and finally settled on a light, creamy tan. Like my white duvet cover, I wanted to keep things kind of neutral and just accent with different colors (making it much easier to change up the look of my room quickly and cheaply.) :)

After months of indecision on color and trying to find the right time, we're finally painting my room TOMORROW!!! I'm so excited. I'm gonna be up super early to grab breakfast (more specifically, donuts...yum) and start painting with my Momma. We have more family coming later in the morning to help get 'er done and then we're gonna top it all off with a mid-day barbeque.

I'll post in-progress photos tomorrow night (maybe?) and when we get the room all out back together, I'll post some more. It won't really be finished until I find (and acquire) some new curtains, bath towels, and spruce up some of our walls a little. The whole room needs a little polishing and primping, so I have a feeling it will be a little while before I'm ready to consider it DONE.

P.S.-I did NOT inherit my mother's gene for starting having an idea, putting into action, and then wrapping it up. I'm kind of awful at finishing an entire room or heck, even having a solid "theme" for that room in the first place. But I think that might be something I could do an entire post on another time. Haha. For now, I'll just leave you on the edge of your seats, not knowing what in the world my room is going to end up looking like. (I'll be sitting right there with you! I don't really have a clue either! ;) )

P.P.S.-I'll also try to take better photos of our room this time around. What in the world was up with the lighting/flash on those pictures up there?? Sheesh!!

Love,
Alyssa

Decisions, Decisions

Looooong story short, I received a promo offer through our bank to get a free Kindle Fire. Well, when the promo code came through, it turns out I had several options to choose from, not just a Kindle Fire. There were iPod Nanos, iPod Touches, a fancy scale, a panini press, a Kindle fire, and a few different gift cards...one of them being a $200 Amazon gift card.

So here's what I was trying to decide between...was just getting the Kindle Fire OR getting the Amazon gift card and buying a more basic model of Kindle. I'd heard pros and cons for both. The Kindle Fire is basically a tablet, so it can do a lot more. The Kindle Paperwhite (the slightly more basic model) is easier on the eyes. The other idea that I came up with, was saving up my money and using the gift card to help pay for an iPad Mini. My mom has one and I love it. It's a great size and a really quick little tablet, with the ability to download the Kindle reader app. I just couldn't decide which one I really wanted!

What it came down to for me, was that I really did not want a tablet. It took me a couple hours of thinking to figure that out, but when I thought about it long and hard, my phone does everything a tablet does. Yes, it's small in comparison, but I can surf the web when I'm not at my computer or look stuff up just fine on it. Plus, I am eligible for a phone upgrade soon, so when I have that brand new phone, I really won't need a tablet.

So, I went with the Kindle Paperwhite. I'm really happy with the decision that I made. :) With the remaining amount on the gift card, I'll but a case for it and (yes, this is super lame, haha) a steam mop. I currently have a Swiffer mop with a reusable cloth pad, and I just feel like I wet it and it just pushes my mopping solution around. I don't actually feel like it cleans anything! I did a lot of research into steam mops and I feel really good about the one I picked out. It basically heats up water really, really hot and uses it to clean off any stuck on or dirty residue on the floor. Our floors get kind of gunky (especially under Jonah's chair...wonder why?) so I think it will help get our floors so much cleaner. So there. I'm totally giddy about buying a steam mop and I'm not afraid to say it.

In other news, I haven't been very good about taking photos on the regular camera lately. It's always more convenient for me to just grab my phone and snap one with that, so that's where most of my pictures are. But I have an AMAZING camera, so I do need to use it. I'm really jonesing to take some classes and maybe get another lens, in an effort to beautify my everyday photos a little bit. Maybe someday, I'll even shoot in manual! If I know how to use it right, and well, I feel like I'd use it more.

But, until then, here's a few recent photos from my phone. Because blog posts are just kind of boring with no photos. :)

He loves pasta!

I have a good crockpot! FINALLY!

The newest member of our house. Minion 1.

Setting up his car ramp from Uncle Dude.

My sweet sissy bought me pretty maternity tanks.

Nightly view.

13 weeks pregnant. Heaven help me, I'm gonna be huge. :)

He is such a boy.

My bedheaded little drummer boy.

Kid only wants to take showers now.

 

I'm itching for another tattoo...looking at a tree to go with my birds.

Successful Pins

There are SO many pins on Pinterest and it's hard to tell which recipes are going to turn out good, with DIY cleaning products are actually going to work, and which crafts are going to look good when you're finished with them. So I thought I'd share a few of the pins that I've tried that have actually been successful! :)

If you're interested in following me on Pinterest, my profile is here.

If you need an invite, let me know!

These breakfast sandwiches were amazing. I had to adjust my cooking times for the eggs and bacon because of the altitude, but I loved the ease in which I could whip up a yummy, high protein breakfast for the week. No splattery, bacon mess and few dishes...my kind of recipe. :) (Here's the original website if you don't have a Pinterest account.)

This is my "top-secret", uber-delicious salsa recipe. It's seriously delicious and easy. Maybe try a Serrano pepper instead of a jalapeno for more spice?? (Here's the link if you don't have Pinterest.)

I made this for my Momma and best friend for Christmas this last year. It's somewhat time-consuming, but a great way to take time every day to write down a memory or something you're thankful for...and it looks so cute when it's all done. :) (Here's the link for non-Pinteresters.)

I made this floor cleaner and it works really well on my hardwood (and even linoleum) floors. Now if only my mop worked as well as the floor cleaner...(And for non-Pinterest people...here.)

This worked great for cleaning my washing machine. I am a sucker for almost anything vinegar. (Non-Pinterest people, go here.)

I did this in my son's room. It didn't work out nearly as well as hers did, but it does look pretty dang cute. (Go here. You know why.)

I made this for Jonah when he was younger, and it provided many hours of entertainment. It was super easy to make. I only used things I had on-hand (with the help of a friend who lent me some extra fabric. :) (Here if you don't have, you know...)


So there you go! A few of my favorite (successful) pins. Do you have any that you want to share with me??

Love,
Alyssa

Welcome-We're Back!

Hey all, I'm back!!
 

I used to blog over at In the Land of Lou, albeit not very frequently. :) But sometimes, just like you need to shed that pair of jeans you've been wearing for weeks on end without washing, you need to move on from what's comfortable and embrace something new. My blog was something I started not long after we first got married (a whole three years ago, haha) and something that, through sporadic posts and sharing photos of my cute, little family, carried us through one phase of our lives and into another.

I needed a new place...a new place to put down some of the thoughts rolling through my brain, a place to share those sweet, everyday moments that comes with having little ones, a way to let others get a glimpse into what we're up to. I believe one of the biggest ways we can be lights for Jesus, is to come alongside each other and be a community...live our lives together, help each other out, celebrate with one another, and lift each other up in prayer when it's needed. This blog, can be a place of community, if I let it, and if you'll join in with me. Talk with me, share with me...and I promise I'll do the same. Transparent honesty is NOT something that I'm good at, but I'm working on it.

For now, I'm gonna try my hand at prettying this place up. Is anyone around here any good at html coding/website design?? I don't know one lick about any of it. :)

And just to thank you all for coming back and checking the new and improved blog...here's a few photos of what we've been up to lately via Instagram. :) If you follow me there, you've already seen them...but they're all I've got edited for now. I'm so behind! Ah well, such is life. Enjoy!

9 week ultrasound. Baby measured at 8 weeks,

Haircut and belly.

My silly, serious man.

Handsome boy on Easter.

Shoveling.

Riding on the four wheeler with his best buddy.

Riding on the trash can with Daddy.

Getting so big!

On a walk to see the backhoe loaders.

Love,

Alyssa