Almond Milk {recipe}

So, if you've been to my house at all in the last six months, you'd probably notice that I buy almond milk. And since it only comes in half-gallon cartons, I tend to buy in bulk. We're talking 5 or 6 half-gallon cartons every 2 weeks.

At almost $4 a carton, it gets pretty expensive.

So in order to save money, I decided to look for recipes to make my own. I found so many online via Pinterest, so I chose one and gave it a go.

I bought 2 one-pound bags of organic raw almonds at the store for about $6 total. Water is, of course, free.

You'll need to make sure to soak your almonds in water with a little bit of salt before using them to release and break down the phytic acid, making them easier to digest. I soaked 2 cups of almonds in 6 cups of water for 12 hours, drained them, and rinsed them well before using them.

I placed one cup of almonds in my Ninja blender with 6 cups of water and blended until they were a creamy, milky texture. However, I would definitely do this in smaller batches. It made a bit of a mess for me. I've also seen that a lot of people use up to 9 cups of water for 1 cup of nuts, but I like my milk a lot thicker, so that's up to you.

I didn't take a picture of this because it was very hands-on, but once your almonds and water are blended, you're going to want to strain them with some sort of cloth. (Nut cloth, flour sack, etc.) I didn't have any of these handy, so I used my spaghetti strainer and a coffee filter. It took a while, but worked just as good. Whatever you use, be sure to squeeze any excess milk from the almond pulp. You can either save the pulp to make almond flour or throw it away.

I only used half of the almonds I soaked, and I got about 3/4 of a liter out of it.

This was the next morning, after chocolate milk and breakfast was made. It separated a bit overnight, but it wasn't anything terrible. A quick stir fixed that right up.

The almond flavor is a bit stronger than in store-bought milk, but I love it. I've used the homemade almond milk in mashed potatoes, oatmeal, coffee, and iced lattes. I prefer it unsweetened, but you could add honey or organic sugar to it (just pour the filtered milk back into the blender with the flavor/sweetener of your choice and give it a whirl).

This is definitely something that is going to be part of my weekly process. I love healthy food and drinks, and if I can make them in my own home, even better.

-lindsey

One Year Later

There are things I find myself thinking about still.

I wonder if Rowan would have been a boy or girl. I always think boy, but that's probably because I already have 2.

I wonder if Rowan would have the same hair and eye color as the boys. Maybe Rowan would have ended up with dark hair and light eyes, the exact opposite of the boys. 

Last month I went through and got rid of a lot of baby clothes and found myself crying because my baby would have been wearing them. Now I only have a small handful of tiny onesies and outfits left to use if there is ever another baby in my future.

I made this a couple weeks ago. It feels good to have something on my wall to look at and remember Rowan by. But it hurts, too. 

Most days, I'm okay. There are some days I'm not. Today is one of those days.

Sper Turns 2 (Recap and Recipe)

This past Sunday my baby boy turned 2.

This was the first time we've ever had to celebrate one of the boys' birthdays without their daddy here, so that made for an interesting time. Thankfully, my little sister was here to help, so that was good.

We started early, opening presents at 9 AM while daddy was on Skype. Sper had alternating interest in the presents, but he seemed to enjoy it.

He made out like a bandit. He got a new Cloud B star turtle, several new cars; new shirts; new plates, cups, and bowls; a Cozy Coupe; and a HoHo (from www.littlebitfunky.com).

After presents and a donut breakfast and nap time, we all loaded up and went to Walmart. (We picked up school supplies for my sister and looked at toys.)

We did something a bit different for cake and birthday dinner. For instance, we did cake first, and then picked up dinner on the way home.

I had several people ask for the recipe for my cupcakes on Instagram.

These cupcakes are egg-free and oil-free, and are so easy to make. All you need is a box of cake mix, a can of pumpkin, an avocado, and some milk (we used almond milk).

There isn't anything particular about what flavor/brand/variety of cake mix you need. We've used vanilla, white, yellow, and several different chocolates, which we prefer. We've also used organic and gluten free and we haven't had to adjust for anything.

If you have a blender, blend your avocado and a 1/2 cup of milk until creamy and lump-free. Mix this together with your pumpkin and cake mix until you have a nice thick batter. Scoop into a cupcake pan and bake at 375* until cooked thoroughly. We topped our cupcakes with 2 ingredient chocolate buttercream, and they were perfect.

All in all, Sper's second birthday was amazing and crazy. He has gotten so big, and has learned so much just in this last year. I'm so proud to be his mommy.

LB

Giftaway

I love giveaways. I love hosting them, I love participating in them, I love winning them. (Who doesn't?)

On Saturday, I set up a different kind of giveaway on my Instagram. I called for people to nominate others to win, calling it a "giftaway." 

Turns out, not many people were into that. Oh well, then.

The rule of the giftaway was to nominate someone who was in the adoption proces

The winner would get a wood slice painting of the country or state they are adopting from.

I chose the winner this morning, and out of the three entries, April of Marine Parents (nominated by Ines of Discovering Ines) won!

I want to do another giftaway in the future. Hopefully next time, more people will participate, simply because giving is the best.

Vacation

A lot of stuff has happened in the last month.

• I put the shop on vacation.
• I finished my first semester of college.
• Bear had his very first last day of school.
• So many appointments.
• Husband came home for two weeks of R&R.

Back in May, I had a sale over on my Instagram account that didn't go over so well. A lot of paintings were posted at a discount, and only a handful of people bought anything. I'm not going to lie and say that it didn't bum me out, because it did. But I also learned a lot from it.

After the sale, I put the shop on a very much needed vacation. I was getting burned out, so I took a break. I'm really glad I did, because I have had the opportunity to fine tune some designs and practice some other things.

The shop is opening back up this week, and I'm really excited about it. I've opened an account over on Society6 to sell some of my designs, and they'll be available as shirts, coffee mugs, and even shower curtains, if you're feeling quirky enough.

I've also made changes to the way custom paintings are ordered, in an effort to make things a bit more streamlined. I love the way that Etsy has added little options in the listing, and it will really help me be a bit more organized.

Also in May, I finished my first semester of college. Between January and May, I took 6 classes. Out of all of them, my lowest grade was a B. I'm so proud of myself for following my dreams, even though some days all I want to do is cry from the stress. I'm taking one class during the summer semester to give myself a bit of a break, and I'll go back up to my normal amount in September. I'm hoping that by taking an extra class or two during the summer semesters, I'll be able to finish up my Associate's degree a bit early, but only time will tell.

Bear also had his very first last day of school. He has learned so much since starting preschool back in January, and I cannot be any more proud of him. He has the sweetest little personality. He's done with school until late August/early September, but he and Sper still have speech and occupational therapy twice a week.

 We have also (finally) got the ball rolling on ABA therapy for Bear. ABA is an in-home behavioral therapy that is very common for children with Autism to have. It helps with dealing with stress, changes in plans and environment, and other everyday things. We are very excited to be doing this, as we've waited over a year to hear back from our case workers.

Sper has been going to the audiologist once a month since for the last 6 months. There are some anomalies in his middle ear that may be affecting his hearing. It's really hard to tell, though, because every time we go in to get his hearing tested, he ends up screaming and fighting with the audiologist. We have to figure out some plans for Bear and then get an ABR test for Sper, and hopefully then we will know for sure what we will have to do from there.

We also had Husband home for two weeks for R&R (Rest and Relaxation). He got to come home because his deployment is longer than the average deployment. It was so nice to have him home. I loved having the extra hands to help with the house and the boys and the appointments. We arranged his R&R so that he would be home for our 5th anniversary.

 

We went to the Oceanside Pier, ate lunch at Ruby's Diner, went to the Mechanized Museum on base, watched movies at home and at the theater, went on walks, played games, visited the stables and saw ponies, and generally enjoyed having him home.

 

The biggest and coolest thing we did, though, was go down to San Diego and get tattoos. They are written in Elder Futhark, the runes that the Norse/Viking people used to write with. It reads "Come What May," which have been the words that we as a couple and a family have lived by basically since we met. (We got the words from the film "Moulin Rouge!" And here.) We have plans to make it a larger piece on each of our arms, each with meaning for us individually and as a couple.

We took him back to the airport last week. It's been rough readjusting to having him gone. Lots of tantrums, trouble sleeping, and all-around grumpiness has been had by all. But we've passed milestones in this deployment. Once things get busy again for us, the time will fly and then we'll be welcoming him home for good. (Well, not for GOOD good. But he'll be home for a while.)

I can't wait have him home, to get back to school full time, to have the shop open and selling again. I plan on taking full advantage of every opportunity I am given, and without everyone in my life being supportive and caring, I would not have them. Thank you!

All Geek To Me

Alright, everyone.

I'm kind of freaking out right now.

Earlier this month, I did an interview with Kait from All Geek to Me, and today it went live.

This is such an amazing opportunity, and I am so lucky.

I just wanted to take a moment and say thank you to Kait, and to everyone at AGtM.

You can read the interview here.

100 Happy Days

Honesty time.

I suffer from clinical depression and PTSD. I am unmedicated. I'm managing and thriving most days, but sometimes I would rather stay in bed in my dark bedroom. When it gets like that, I have a hard time finding the good things about my day.

I've noticed on my Instagram feed the 100 Happy Days challenge: people listing one thing a day that makes them happy. 

After a particularly rough couple of months, I decided to join in. Even on the worst days, there has always been at least one thing that makes my day better, and finding something that helps me keep track of it is great.

100 Happy Days (http://www.100happydays.com) is a simple website where you sign up, customize your hashtag (or not), and they track your progress. 71% of people who started the challenge were unable to finish. My goal is to not only finish, but appreciate the things, both big and little, that make me happy.

Day 1: Got an issue with an order sorted out in under three hours, including a replacement shirt.

Day 2: My father-in-law sent me this picture of a baby Bear.

Day 3: My indoor garden is blooming. It's right above my kitchen sink, so I see it multiple times an hour.

Day 4: My boys are so amazing. Sper is learning so quickly, and constantly tells me that he loves me. Bear insisted that he was Elsa, wrapped a blanket around his waist, and sang "Let It Go" non-stop for three hours.

Day 5: I met Max Brooks and got him to sign two books for me and Husband. We are big-time zombie enthusiasts, so this was such an amazing opportunity. When I walked into the store, I didn't even know he was gonna be there. He snuck me in when no one was at the table, and told me he liked my shirt. 

I'm only 5 days in, and already this challenge has helped me out. Looking for this things, noticing them, has kept me a bit more optimistic throughout the day. I'm looking forward to see how the next 95 days make me happy. 

If you want to stay updated on my #100happydays challenge, be sure to check out my Instagram. (@bearandsper)