One of those weekends........

Maybe I just should have went back to bed Saturday morning when things started happening lol. I do all of my major cleaning on Saturday morning, I work for hours getting all the rooms spotless and all in order. A lot of the time, I try to get little things done that I don't normally think of....like cleaning that little filter on the front of the front loader washing machine....on mine it's right down in the bottom right corner. I cleaned it one time last year...so I thought wow it's time to clean that! I pulled it out and water comes out everywhere but it was manageable...I got it all cleaned out and then go to clean the filter and surprisingly there was hardly anything on it...I read on the little door that says make sure you tighten it to prevent leaking...so I turn it clockwise like it says until it stops...tightened.....I put a load of clothes in and go out in the other room and start to vacuum....as I am vacuuming I look over and see a puddle of water coming towards me! I start to cry..I can't believe this..I flooded the whole bathroom downstairs and now part of the family room. Gage woke up from hearing me crying and asked me what happened. He went and got me more towels and I used every single one of them. My husband just got in the door from work and helped me, we had to pull the filter out and let even more water out in order to put it back in. What a mess! We had to move the washer and dryer and get behind there to clean up all the water, but within an hour, everything was back to normal and I was washing clothes again...I don't think I will ever clean that filter again :)

Then I went grocery shopping at Walmart and decided to make a deposit while I was there. The teller was a young man and when I handed him the 2 checks and the savings book, I could tell this wasn't going to be easy just by the way he took it off of me and it was almost like I was his first customer ever. I am a very patient and super friendly person so 10 minutes of standing there wondering what he was doing really got to me. I said I am sorry what is taking so long for the deposit and he said I made a mistake. He said what is your balance, I got really angry and I said what do you mean what is my balance! He said was your last deposit a big one, I said it shows you right there in the book what the last deposit is, he was making me a nervous wreck! When it comes to money, I am tight and down to the penny on things. I know if something is a penny off, I am the type of person who will go back for a few cents if I am shorted. Money adds up. So anyways he hands me the deposit receipt and the last digit is hand written on the account number! I said what is this! I said you can't write over the receipt, I need a receipt showing my account number with this deposit. I logged in my phone right there to see if the deposit was there and it wasn't and I said that to him and then he said he it should be now and it was. I said I am sorry if I have been rude but this is serious when it comes to money. He didn't even apologize or anything. I came home logging in my account to make sure my balance was right and it was. Wow!

After I brought the groceries home from Walmart because it was hot outside, I went to Aldi's. Someone gave me a buggy and told me to pass it on when I was done. I went to give my buggy to a lady and she had just received one as a pass on and told me to just leave it by the buggies someone would take it. As I got in my car, I saw the buggy heading towards parked cars!!! OMG I did not make it in time and luckily it didn't hit the cars it went between them and stopped, I tried to do a good deed and almost made more of a mess.

Yesterday was a bad day but everything is fine today, just a lazy day here. We drove to Wexford last night to the Whole Foods Market they just opened up, it's an hour drive, quicker then Cleveland. It's depressing that we have to drive so far for groceries. We bought 2 cases of Field Roast Hotdogs and Sausages. If you buy anything at Whole Foods in a case, you get 10% off.  I also went to Dick's Sporting Goods and tried on running shoes. I tried on Asics GT 2170, Mizuno Wave Rider 15, Brooks PureCadence, and Saucony Kinvara 3. The most comfortable ones were the Saucony Kinvara 3 but I did not like the style, the next ones in line were the Brooks PureCadence, so I came home and ordered those online with the Finish Line $20 off coupon and 10% cashback to my Discover. They are cute and comfortable. I run on the front of my feet while Tom runs heel strike first and told me that's how I am suppose to run, I tried so hard to and couldn't, I found out last night talking to the guy it's better the way I run on my body so I needed a shoe that goes with how I run. I never knew so much about running shoes. I also ran on their track to make sure I was running in the right shoe. I am glad I tried them all on and compared them, I tend to try to pick the cutest ones out instead of the comfort, that's what happened with the Under Armour ones.

Mizuno Wave Rider 15 on left (awesome yellow and built with quality) Brooks PureCadence on right (feel incredible and very light and style is great)

Brooks PureCadence, Mizuno Wave Rider 15, Asics GT 2170

Saucony Kinvera 3 -These felt the best out of all the shoes but I just didn't like the design

 

Case of Field Roast Sausages

Case of Field Roast Frankfurters

Today's Father's Day Dinner (homemade Vegan Chili, Field Roast Frankfurters, Homemade hot dog buns)

Incredible!!! Best Chili Dog I ever had!

Tom Chili Dog

Tom and I both bought a container of SO Delicious Vegan Ice Cream. I bought Butter Pecan and he bought Mocha Fudge, we had a small bowl last night but finished the containers a few hours ago :) it was SO Good! I just worked out super hard on the treadmill to make up for it. I might have to buy this by the case at Whole Foods next time. They have so many varieties there, we carry only Vanilla and Chocolate around here so it was a real treat!

Weekend Update

It's been a little while since I wrote my last post. I have been so busy at work, it's Football Season for us so it's going to be a busy season. (I work at a ticket printing company). So when I get home, I get some cleaning done, my workout and before I know it, it's time for bed. When working overtime, I like to go in early to get out earlier. My son Gage is working with me again this summer. Last year he worked in bindery, this year he is helping with the data. I can't believe how smart he is, I mean I can but I show him one thing and he memorizes every step. 

My vacation is 2 weeks away from today! I am SO excited! We had just went to Florida in April and that was wonderful, but something about our road trips to many states and cities, I love that the most. We usually fly into a state out west and explore as much as we can, so this is our first Northeast trip, so many places I have never been to! The idea of this trip came up a few years ago when Tom saw so many places on the Food Network that he wanted to eat at. Drive Ins, Diners and Dives and Man vs. Food. The problem now is, he is no longer eating meat or dairy but he told me he is going to try the Philly Cheese-steak at Geno's and Pat's. I just hope he doesn't get sick, Philadelphia is our first stop. My son Gage asked him if he will eat Pizza with him at some of the pizza places on our list and he said he would. When he asked me, I said I can still get a pizza without cheese. We have been making our own at home and honestly I love them! Once you get used to not eating something, you can fall in love with other foods and tastes just as much.

Last night Tom and I went to the Outlets in Grove City and returned our Under Armour RC Charge Storm shoes. After running in them for over a week, he had a lot of issues with his feet feeling numb and heel hurting. I loved the style of mine and I think I was hoping I would not have a problem with them but after a week I realized they weren't working for me. They were comfortable to walk in but not run. For the price we paid $119.99, they just weren't worth it. Tom replaced his with the Asics 2170 and loves them. I am still looking for the right shoe. I have had a lot of opinions say that Mizuno is a great brand (I  never heard of them until now) and last night I tried on the Brooks PureCadence below and it felt great compared to the Asics 2170, Merrel Pace Glove (closet to barefoot running), and a pair of Nike Air running shoes.

Brooks PureCadence $120.00 @ Zappos

Tom bought these ones below at Finish Line, regular price is $110 but I found a coupon for $20 off then I linked through my Discover Card and received another 10% back, so he got a deal on his. 

 

Asics GT-2170 Men's Running Shoes

I bought a few things at Madewell this week and I love them. I wanted a big bag for vacation, something I can carry everything in and get to quickly so I bought this Canvas bag. I had a coupon for 10% off my purchase so the bag came to $55.80 and I love the bag but that still was a little high for it, it's very roomy and also has a zipper enclosure on the inside.

The Caravan Mailbag-Seaweed on sale now for $62 marked down from $78

I also bought these shirts below that are SO comfortable and I love the bright colors!

Last weekend Tom and I drove over to Cleveland to get groceries again. We stalked up on so much hoping to last a few weeks, except for the fresh produce. When we were at Whole Foods, Tom asked if they had any Field Roast Frankfurters in the back and they were all out, Tom was joking with the employee telling him he was going to burn the place down, lol. These vegan hotdogs are the best ever and Tom said if he is going to eat this way, he has to have the substitutes that taste so good and so far this brand has really been the best I have ever tasted, even better then real meat from long ago when I ate it.  I have had Vegan meat before and most of it is disgusting and has a bad texture, this brand makes the best tasting hotdogs and sausage ever! If I could set up a little cart and make tons of them and pass them out for people to try, I would, I guarantee people would love them!

This week for dinner we had home made pizza with Field Roast Italian Sausage and tons of veggies, olive oil and garlic.

I can't believe this but my husband ate Tofu! He made Southwestern Tofu Scramble with the Field Roast Italian Sausage and fried potatoes. It was SO good and isn't it crazy how much it looks like scrambled eggs! The yellow is from the spice turmeric. Below he made homemade wheat bread without yeast. The buns he has been making have made us so tired and I read that yeast can do that, this bread is great and so easy to make.

 I have been making so many smoothies! We got a lot of blueberries and they really make them yummy!

This was made with Frozen Strawberries, Blueberries, Vanilla Almond Milk, Frozen Banana, and Flax Seed Ground Meal, It was SO delicious!

We almost had a dog last Sunday. When we got home from grocery shopping we saw this lady driving to our neighbors house with a little dog asking everyone if they knew who owned it. When she got to us, I told her no but I would post it's picture on Facebook to see if anyone in our town knew. My husband said we should keep it, I said we have 5 cats in the house, there is no way we can have a dog also, and we agreed before as much as we travel, it would never be fair to a dog. I did tell my husband to go find the lady and we would help her by taking it until we found a home. I called my mom and my little brother came and got it and took it to Club Pet a no kill shelter. Here it's an Apricot Poodle, male, 5 months old and as of right now almost a week later no-one has claimed the little guy. He will for sure find a home quickly. I told Tom if we were to help out a dog, we would adopt an older one that has been at the shelter for years, there are some dogs that have been in shelters for almost their whole life :(  Right now though we have enough love with our kitties! 

Well I am off to clean the house and get laundry caught up. Graham is going to camp for a week tomorrow. Have a great weekend!

Nutmeg can be toxic!

Sunday night Tom and I were in the mood for something sweet. Other than the Smoothies we have been making, we haven't made any desserts for a few weeks. Tom has made a Apple Crisp dessert that is so good made with Oats, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Apples, Lemon Juice & more. He changed it up a bit and added strawberries in replace of some of the apples. We were so excited to try it, we went on our workout and came home as it was cooling down. The taste had a very bitter taste, almost not edible, but at the same time some of it was worth eating so we ate it. We thought that the lemon he had squeezed for the juice was just tart. I hate two little bowls full of it and he ate a few also. Then 2 hours later we went to bed.

I woke up SO dizzy and SO out of it. I have had sugar hangovers before when I have had too much sugar, I have ran into things when walking and it affects me a lot. We have been eating so clean with hardly any sugar so I thought the symptoms I was having was from this. I looked in the mirror and my eyes were so puffy and bloodshot. I was SO tired and also felt like I was buzzing from alcohol. I felt drunk in a way. I knew that I could not even drive the way I was feeling. My son was going to work with me, so luckily he was driving. All day at work I felt so bad, so thirsty, so nauseated and the whole day felt tired and that drunk feeling. I talked to Tom and he was feeling the same way. I came home and took a nap and started to feel a little better as he was starting to feel worse because he finished off the dessert that morning. He was telling me over and over how horrible he felt.

I then started to make a batch of porridge for the morning, it takes Buckwheat Groats and you soak them in water for at least an hour, then you drain them and put them in the blender with Almond Milk, Agave nectar, Cinnamon and more. I went to measure out the cinnamon and the smell hit me, I thought this is what our dessert smelled like last night, it was so strong, I turn the jar around and it's Nutmeg! I said Tom is this what you used for the dessert and he said yes, I used 2 tablespoons! I looked it up right away, Side Effects of Nutmeg, and you can have hallucinations and so much more, I think that we didn't get that much of it, but we defiantly got enough to make the next day feel like we were drugged or drunk. I finally today right now feel better, this morning I was still so tired. It really shows when you detox your body of all the bad stuff and then slip and eat something that is too much, the symptoms are havoc on your body. It was a very bad day yesterday for me, I couldn't even workout last night. Here is one link on how bad it can be for you.

One good thing though, Tom made another dessert SUGAR Free and NUTMEG FREE!

This Raw Strawberry Cashew Cake is INSANE! It's SO SO SO SO good and looks so pretty! We need to get a spring-form cake pan to make it perfect but it came out lovely and so tasty! Here is where I got the recipe

I can't wait to make this with blueberries, raspberries and cherries!

Field Roast Frankfurters - SOOOOO YUMMY!

Wow this Vegan hotdog is the best hotdog I personally ever have had and Tom said it was his 3rd, he puts Heid's Hotdogs, Liverpool, NY and Otto's in Portland, Oregon as his top 2 then this one which is Vegan, so that says a lot about these. I don't usually eat Vegan meat because I don't miss meat, but I have had a few Vegan hotdogs and they are pretty much plain and rubbery and not worth eating. The brands I have had are Morningstar (discontinued) and Tofurkey Veggie Dog-both were not good at all unless I put tons of mustard and onions on them.

But this Field Roast brand is remarkable! It taste so good and it's scary how much it taste like a real hot dog. We also had their Apple & Sage Smoked Sausage and Mexican Chipolte Sausage, the Apple one was unbelievable! We are going to stock up on these when we go back to Whole Foods Market. You can check out Field Roast here.

Random stuff this past week and weekend....

This morning Tom and I got up early and went Strawberry picking at Pete's Berry Farm in Clark, PA. It was $4 a quart already picked or $3 a quart when you pick. We picked 8 quarts. We plan on freezing a lot of them and using them for smoothies. I like that this farm doesn't spray them with anything. We had to really look out for holes in the berries from bugs, there were a lot of them.

My youngest son Graham graduated 8th grade this past week, makes me sad how fast my boys are growing up. Gage will be a junior and Graham a freshman.

Last weekend I made Carrot Cake Bread and when I opened the Applesauce it exploded! It wasn't yet expired but the apples must have went bad and fermented causing gases inside. It was an open jar in my refrigerator for a few weeks. When I opened it, it sounded like a gun shot and applesauce went everywhere, on the ceiling, cabinets, all through my eyes. I cried and screamed, not knowing what happened and then after rinsing my eyes out many times I was fine. I still can't believe that happened. Thankfully it was a plastic jar and not glass. The Carrot Cake bread came out so good!

Tom and I have been walking and starting to run now, so we ordered new running shoes. I ordered the new Under Armour RC Charge Storm shoes for both of us. I wear a size 8 in all shoes but with my New Balance running shoes I wear a size 8.5. I called Under Armour and also did an online chat with them to see what they said. One told me my true size the other said 8.5. I went with the 8.5 and Tom's normal size for him. His fit him perfectly, mine felt a little big, they are supposed to fit snug. I went up the outlets in Grove City yesterday and tried on the 8's. I felt like they were too snug for me, even though they were saying the shoe will form around the foot, I just decided I rather have a little room at the toe then feeling like it was going to push through. I love the colors and style, they feel good too. They have an outlet store up there and Tom and I bought some shorts, some pairs were only $7.97 and $9.97, for Under Armour, you can't beat that.

Well I tried for 1 week with a deodorant that is aluminum free and I had to go back to using Secret Clinical. I am still going to try out others. I tried Tom's of Maine Apricot long lasting deodorant. It says it gives you 24 hours protection, I would have to say 3 hours at the most. I had to keep reapplying it before I thought it would wear off. I had used it at home at first and realized the only way I can use this is if I reapply, otherwise it was like I wasn't wearing any deodorant at all, not good. The deodorant smells great, goes on smooth, some-days I felt like my underarms were burning, other days were fine. No staining of clothing. I just can't risk forgetting to reapply it, jeez that would not be good, lol.

I read on another person's blog that they had tried many aluminum free deodorants and the only one they said that worked for them and lasted was Malin + Goetz Eucalyptus deodorant

found here, but $18 is a lot for deodorant. I did spend almost $12 on the Secret Clinical which is the 2.6 oz, so I might give this a shot. I have read so many bad things about deodorants with aluminum in them, I am trying to find replacements, but they have to work for me.


Here are a few of my kitties :)

Haystack just looking pretty :)

Sadie & a chipmunk having a staring contest

Sadie

A little bit about me..............

I thought I would make this post about who I am and a little bit about my life.

I grew up in Sharpsville, PA. My mom divorced my father when I was 3 years old and has been with Mark ever since. My mom had my brother Bill with my father who is 3 years older than me and then two more children with Mark, who are my brothers Kyle 23 and Matthew who is almost 20. I had to visit my real father in Franklin, PA every other weekend growing up. Even though it was a 35-40 minute drive, it felt like I was forever away from my mom. I was always homesick on the weekends and my dad thought it was fun to tell me I wasn't going home, which I believe has affected me somewhat today, meaning I get homesick or worry a lot if I am far away. Luckily, my dad's girlfriend had a daughter that was a year younger than me so we played together when I would visit.

I spent most of my summers in Dallas, Texas with my two aunts that live there. Those 3 months, I was homesick but they kept me so busy everyday. One aunt loved to party and take me to the pool, the other aunt was more serious and strict so they both balanced me out. I believe I am who I am today because of my more strict aunt. She taught be to be cheap with money and she made me do chores every summer that I was there, and she loved to travel. We went to Europe together when I was 16. My mom is very relaxed and laid back so I never did anything when I was at home, which I regret now, but you know how we are when we are teenagers.

I have always loved animals so much, most of all cats! I have 5 indoor cats now and 1 outdoor cat. My heart is so big and I have so much love to give animals. I wish more than anything now that I would have went to school for something that had to do with taking care of animals.

When I was 6 years old, I remember talking to my uncle in Texas on the phone and I remember telling him I can't wait to get married someday! I always wanted a boyfriend who I was with for so long and then get married. I went through so many silly boyfriend/girlfriend relationships that don't even count as serious, but finding someone to spend my life is what I always wanted.

I met Tom in high school. We both went to public schools for grade school and middle school then we met at Kennedy Christian high school, a private Catholic school ( we both aren't Catholic). He was a sophomore and I was a freshman. He was the bad boy type and I was the good girl type. Something about him, I liked. He wasn't snobby and didn't think he was better than anyone else.We were total opposites and that's what I think attracted us to each other. The end of my sophomore year, the last day of school, he took my phone number. I was going to Texas and Europe all summer so we never did talk until I came back my Junior year. I had spent the night at my friend Megan's house and went to school with her the next morning. There was a van that would take them to school and it picked us up at Mister Donuts. That's where I sat across from Tom. From then on out we have been together. He proposed to me my junior year but we married right after I graduated. I got pregnant with Gage on my honeymoon and got pregnant with Graham when Gage was 13 months old. We have gone through so much together and have worked out everything. I believe marriage is something you need to give and give and give. I can't ever imagine being without him.

I went to Thiel College when Gage was 5 months old. I started out with my degree in Elementary Education and the 2nd year changed it to Management Information Systems and Business Administration. I have always been very good with computers, so this felt like what was meant for me.

I worked and went to school full time and raised two little boys, I don't know how I did all of that back then. My great aunt and my mom helped watch my boys while Tom worked and I was in school. We were lucky to have them to help us. Tom and I both worked our way up from 3 apartments to our third house 4 years ago. We have been lucky to travel to many places over all of these years. We take our sons with us on almost every trip. I want them to see as much as they can of the world. Time goes by way too quickly and I want to treasure every moment with them.

I am now Vice President at Paramount Ticket in Wheatland, PA. We print and produce tickets of all sorts for events all over the United States. I love my job, it never gets boring. The stuff we do is very cool, but also very private, so I can not talk about it on here.

My personality is very somewhat shy at first, I am getting better as I get older, but always have been shy until I get to know you and then I can talk forever. I get very hyper and act silly, but am very mature when I need to be. I care so much about people's feelings, in fact I get taken advantage a lot for the way I am. I can't seem to stay mad at all, I cry easily but get over things very quickly. I find that to be a bad thing only because people hurt me and I seem to forgive. I don't have any real girlfriends, too many have back-stabbed me so it's hard for me to trust women. That is a sad thing, I see so many people with great friendships,which I used to have when I was younger, but now it's hard when you have a family and I want to spend all of my free time with them. I do miss having a girlfriend to confide in and talk to, but again I have had a lot of issues with this. As I said before I love animals and want to hold and cuddle them,this can be bad when I want to hold and cuddle a wild animal lol, I don't but I want to :)

That's all for now :)