11 Monday Feb 2013
Posted in Creative Crafting, Daily Notes
08 Friday Feb 2013
Posted in Daily Notes
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Happy Friday! Hope you enjoy this funny little commercial. Stick it out – it’s worth it!
07 Thursday Feb 2013
Posted in Daily Notes, Life As I Know It
So if you’re here in the Nashville area, you may have heard that Billy Joel was on Vanderbilt’s campus last week. No big deal…But the really HUGE deal is that one very bold freshman music student asked if he could come up and play with Billy, and Billy said YES!
I wish I had been there, but this video of it will just have to do. Also, be sure to check out the article from the Tennessean.
06 Wednesday Feb 2013
Posted in Daily Notes, Life As I Know It
I’ve always been a little nerdy about my budget – I like to know where all of my money goes each month, and how much I will be able to save. Jonathan has been the same way, so now that we are working towards combining our budgets and sharing our expenses, we have to work together (no more flying solo!) to figure out the best way to manage our funds.
So we found a great free app! I highly recommend it, and wish I had been using it all these years. We are able to link it together, so whether I spend on groceries or he spends on groceries, we can log them and know exactly where we are at for the month. It’s great!
The app is called HomeBudget. The app is $4.99, but we actually use the “lite” version for free, and it is plenty for what we need. I stole a couple of screen shots from the app site to share with you:
Pretty cool, right? So if you are a budget nerd like me, I highly recommend you check it out. It even has pie charts!! Who doesn’t love a good pie chart?
05 Tuesday Feb 2013
Posted in Daily Notes, Mmm...Food...
I’ve tried to step up my protein intake recently, in the hopes that I might actually start to build a little muscle from my weight workouts. So, I’ve been eating a Pure Protein Bar after most of my workouts, as my breakfast. My favorite is, not surprisingly, the Peanut Butter Chocolate.
These bars are only $1 each at Kroger, so you get a pretty big bang for your buck, including 20 grams of protein and only 2 grams of sugar. But still, you know how much I like to make things, so I decided to try making my own protein bites of some kind. And without doing too much research, I adapted this recipe from Women’s Running. Here’s my version:
Protein Bites (makes 18)
Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/8 cup flax
1/4 cup pitted dates
1/4 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
1/4 cup chocolate chips
Add 1 cup oats, agave, peanut butter, and coconut to a large mixing bowl and set aside. Next, place dates, 1 cup rolled oats, and flax in food processor. Pulse ingredients until dates and oats are finely chopped. Add processed mixture to ingredients in the large mixing bowl and blend until combined. Finally, add chocolate chips and stir until well mixed.
Refrigerate mixture for at least 30 minutes before scooping heaping teaspoonfuls into your hands to roll into small bites. Recipe yields approximately 18 bites. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks.
Here’s the thing. They are delicious if you enjoy peanut butter and oats, but for what you are getting, they are way higher in fat and calories, while also way lower in protein, than the bars I was eating. So ultimately, I don’t think it’s worth it. Here is the side by side comparison.
One “Pure Protein” Bar:
Calories 200
Total Fat 6 g
Saturated 3 g
Cholesterol 10 mg
Sodium 200 mg
Total Carbs 16 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 2 g
Protein 20 g
Two Homemade Bites:
Calories 247
Total Fat 11 g
Saturated 3g
Cholesterol 0 g
Sodium 29 mg
Total Carbs 31 g
Dietary Fiber 5 g
Sugars 12 g
Protein 8 g
Final thought. Many of you might be saying, “well, there is health value in making something homemade, and knowing that it is not a processed food item.” Well it’s true, and I agree. But at the same time, I just can’t argue that a calorie is a calorie, and a gram of protein or fat is simply a gram of protein or fat. I also do not eat very many processed foods, beyond these protein bars, so I think I’m okay.
Anyway, if you want to have a go at it, let me know if you come up with some creative ways to boost the protein and lower the calories / fat (yes, I know, you can get rid of the chocolate, but what else). Happy Tuesday!!
04 Monday Feb 2013
Posted in Creative Crafting, Daily Notes
Exciting news today! I have finally done something that I have wanted to do for a very long time…I opened an Etsy shop!!
It is called “Sew Sweet by Meghan.” For now, I have just posted a couple of simple, sweet buntings I’ve made. I hope to expand it over time, but for now, you have to start somewhere!
The first two listings are for a fabric bunting, which of course can be customized, and a burlap bunting, meant to be customized with words, dates, or really whatever is needed!
You probably remember these sweet buntings from Heather’s baby shower…
And burlap bunting is oh so popular, and so versatile. Here’s one of our engagement pictures with the date bunting I made…
Though it can always be made with sweet words as well…
I hope you will check it out and add me to your favorites if you are a regular Etsy user! If you told me you were a Megster Meter reader, I would probably give you a discount…just saying 
30 Wednesday Jan 2013
Posted in Daily Notes, Thoughts in the Faith
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You know how sometimes, you’ll be sipping coffee, listening to your ipod, and a song you’ve heard a hundred times just hits you a little differently? And it moves you, and you want to share it? Is it only me this happens to?
This morning, that song is “To Bring You Back” by Paul Alan. The lyrics that hit me today are…
I left the ninety-nine to find the one,
and you’re the one.
I walked a thousand miles in this desert sun
only to bring you back.
It is such a powerful reminder for me today – I am the one. You are the one. God knows and loves every single one of us, beyond our flaws and our indiscretions, and FAR beyond our understanding. Remember this today. Be thankful, and rest your burdens on Him, because everything He did for us, He did for you.
10“See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.a
12“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.
– Matthew 18:10-14
29 Tuesday Jan 2013
Posted in Daily Notes, Life As I Know It
This reason bajillion why I love my man. The other day, I asked him if he would grab me a banana and some peanut butter from the kitchen…and this is what he brought me. Always making my day.
Oh, and P.S., we are getting married 5 months from today! Holy cowbananas!!
28 Monday Jan 2013
Posted in Creative Crafting, Daily Notes
It has long been a goal of mine to learn how to read a knitting pattern. So of course I went to Julia to recommend a fairly simple patern to start with. She pointed me to this great chevron baby blanket, and I have loved it so far. It’s simple, but I’ve really learned how to do a few key stitches (are the called stitches in knitting?) and of course love its theraputic nature.
So here is my progress so far:
Not too shabby, right? Since this pattern calls for seven collors total, I’m picturing creams and rich purples yet to come. I will be sure to keep you posted on my progress!
25 Friday Jan 2013
Posted in Life As I Know It
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So it’s the end of the day on Friday, and my pal Jamie sent me this great article, including this perfect video. Yes, it’s an ad for Microsoft, but like the article says…if you were born betwen 1984 and 1988, you should really be able to appreciate this. Enjoy!
