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

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!

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)

Good Things

Mondays suck. Like, they really suck.

I dread Mondays with the burning intensity of a thousand white boy suns. I've never had a good track record with sleeping, thanks to chronic insomnia and bad dreams, so Monday mornings are really hard for me. Waking up early to take Bear to school after tossing and turning for hours is a bad way to start the day, let alone the week.

So this morning I decided to start keeping track of the good things that happen to me on Mondays.

Some good things that have happened to me on this otherwise crappy Monday:

-My financial aid request got approved, which means I start my next three classes on March 31.

-I got a gorgeous piece of happy mail from Mandy of Mandipidy.

-The shirt I've been waiting for came today.

-I resisted the urge to stop in at Wendy's and grab a burger. I rewarded myself with coffee.

-I mailed off 2 custom orders.

-I'm married to this amazing, understanding man.

-I was told by a good friend that she is making me a gift!

-I captured this gorgeous sunset in photo.

-I get to take the night off and just relax.

So despite all of the things that make Monday bad, there are also things that make Monday good. I'm going to try and focus on that more often.

Make sure you check the goodthingsonmonday hashtag on Instagram, and tag the good things that happen to you!

Rough Weeks

If I were one to lie, I would say that this week has been pretty smooth sailing.

Unfortunately, I don't like lying, even if it means coming clean about the fact that I've spent more time this week crying than not.

I've got a lot on my plate, and I don't get a day off. My day to day schedule looks like this:

-Wake up and take Bear to preschool

-Do homework while Sper eats breakfast and plays 

-Pick Bear up from preschool

-Lunch and playtime with the boys

-On Wednesdays, nap time is pushed back a couple of hours so that the boys can go to speech and occupational therapy

-During nap time, I clean and, if my homework is all caught up, I work on orders and talk to Husband on Skype 

-After naps, the boys get to watch a show while I get dinner ready and clean

-Dinner, baths, and more cleaning or homework

-After the boys are down for the night, I work on orders and finish any homework I have

-Fridays are a bit better, since Bear doesn't have preschool, but I do have to take them to therapy still

All of this, with errands and shopping and appointments mixed in. The weekends are best because I don't have to go anywhere.

With all of this, I'm surprised that I haven't broken down before now. But I did. I ended up calling Husband at midnight my time crying. 

I've been so incredibly blessed this deployment. I get to talk to my husband almost everyday, schedules are mostly  predictable, I'm able to go to school, and my business has been picking up. No one has been seriously sick or injured since we came home from Utah, and my boys are angels (they're toddlers, though). 

Sometimes it gets to be too much. I wonder if I've taken on too many projects, if I need to cancel some appointments, extend production time. I've actually stepped back from a few things because the thought of doing that, too, has sent me into a full-fledged panic attack.

I'm so thankful that I have such a good support system of friends and family that I can talk to when it gets to be too much. I even have a place to escape to when I need a façade of me time. Everyone needs someone to support them, even in the tiniest ways. It really is a good thing.

Changes

In an attempt to unify all of my social media under one name, and to minimize the amount of social media accounts I have, I have decided to change the name of this blog.

Although I will still be posting our Life at 314 posts, I will be using this blog for my business. I am excited for this new venture, and all of the opportunities it has already brought to me and my family.

I have also updated all of my pages above, and they will lead you to everything I use, all with my new username: @bearandsper

Thank you for your support, everyone. It means more than you know.

Valentine

I don't know about you, but I've never really been a huge fan of Valentine's day. I always complained, sighed, groaned, and rolled my eyes when February rolled around.

Of course, that was before I met Tay. Our first "vday" together was nothing memorable. (I was 2 months pregnant and he was in school and working...I literally don't remember it.) Our second vday was spent apart, since he was in tech school in California while Bear and I were in South Carolina. From 3,000 miles away, Tay sent me the BIGGEST teddy bear I've ever seen, and I got super dressed up for myself. Bear and I went out shopping and got me some Starbucks, beginning a cute little tradition.

The next year was spent apart again, this time with Tay deployed. Bear and I (4 months pregnant this time) spent the day shopping and drinking Starbucks (he got hot cocoa) and had pizza for dinner. I got flowers from Tay that made me a hormonal mess.

Last year was nothing special. I took the boys for Starbucks/hot cocoa and shopping, and we ordered a pizza. (Or went out, I can't remember. Pizza was definitely involved.) Tay worked, but was home that night. It was a normal night. (I will admit I was upset that I didn't get a gift. For as much as I complain, it had become expected and anticipated.)

Vday this year has been awesome. As per tradition, I took the boys out for coffee and cocoa (not Starbucks this year because there is not a drive through in Oceanside) and shopping. I got a gorgeous necklace this year from Tay, as well as an amazing surprise when I got home. I got to Skype with him for a bit, too. 

I still dislike how commercial everything about vday is, and how much it's pushed. But I love having three amazing guys in my life to celebrate it with in our own unique ways.

(And, yes, I do get Tay something every year. He always gets a card and candy and something obnoxiously covered in glitter, as well as cheesy and slightly inappropriate vday cards on his facebook page. This year I got us matching tags for his keychain/my necklace.)

(Both my necklace and the tags are from Spiffing Jewelry.)

Art and Love

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter or Facebook, then you might have seen that I've opened a shop to sell my paintings.

Thanks to Annie of Spiffing Jewelry, I have a decent (i.e GORGEOUS) banner, support, and advice. Annie has run her own successful business for over 5 years, and is such an amazing friend. 

I've dabbled in trying to run my own business before, and didn't really get anywhere. I now realize that, like anything in life, you have to give it your all, every single day, to make it work. That's what I'm doing with this.

I love art. Painting, photography, sculpting...these were my favorite classes in school. My art teacher inspired me to go to school for art, and that's what I'm doing now. I'm working on becoming an art teacher, and I hope I can inspire another student the way I was.

But I have a long way to go before I get there. Even so, I still want a way to share my passion with the world. That's where my shop comes in.

I love beautiful, unique works of art, and that's exactly what I offer. I paint each and every single piece of art by hand. I paint what I love, which includes geekery. I'm inspired by shows, movies, comics, books, and places I love or want to visit. The shop itself is named after my babies, two of the most important things in the world to me.

I hope everyone takes a moment to visit my shop, just to browse or buy or share. It would mean the world to me.

I've already gotten some attention on Twitter when an actor from one of my favorite shows (Battlestar Galactica) retweeted and commented on one of my paintings.

Needless to say, I freaked out a little bit.

Thank you all for everything.

Bear and Sper

#studentlife

As most of you know, I've started school! I'm taking online courses and working towards my Associates in Art & Humanities. After that, I hope to get my Bachelors in Education, and become an art teacher.

I've just got to say: textbooks are ridiculously expensive. Just to RENT 2 books cost me over $100 (special thanks to my mother-in-law for renting the third one). And that was the cheapest I found them. I had several people suggest different places, and I looked and compared prices. I just don't understand it.

But so far, I'm loving my classes. Right now I'm taking Art History, Art Appreciation, and Humanities Through the Arts. They are mostly self-paced classes with suggested dates to do things like quizzes and lesson reviews. Which is good, because I couldn't get my books for almost two weeks after classes started.

I wish I could have taken an actual art class (painting, drawing, sculpting, et cetera), but those had to be done in person, and I just don't have the time or gas money (or a babysitter) to fit all that in. 

I'm already trying to figure out what classes I'm going to take next semester. I'm leaning towards another Art History class, as well as an English and a Psychology class. We'll have to see, though.

Playing Catch-Up (AKA Photo Overload)

I suck so badly at this whole blogging thing. I just have a hard time sitting down and writing here when I have so much other stuff I like doing. I like doing this, too, though. Sigh.

Anywho.

What's been happening here at 314:

We celebrated the Winter Solstice (also known as Yule) on December 22. I made the boys gifts, made a delicious meal, and we got dressed up and spent the shortest day of the year outside.

For Christmas, the boys got some pretty rad stuff from their grandparents, aunties, and uncle.

My littlest sister came and stayed with us for a week (including New Year's Eve). We had fun hanging out and going to the beach and the mall.

We got our family photos done. They were taken on cell phones, but hey, they're cute.

Bear started preschool!

Husband left for deployment in January. He will be gone for 12+ months.*

Less than a week after Husband deployed, my sisters and I (and the boys) drove to Utah for almost a week to be with our dad, who was in the ICU.*

That's what has been happening with us so far. Hopefully I will be able to sit down and start writing here at least once a week (that's the goal).

*Future posts coming soon.