September 21, 2016

Protect Your Eyes

Did you know that your eye doctor can detect chronic systems diseases before they get too out of hand? And if your vision problems are left untreated for too long, it can stunt your eye development resulting in permanent visual impairment. Per-ma-nent.

As a person who has particularly bad eyesight (Hubs' eyes are even worse than mine are, so our future kid is screwed), I've always made it a priority to keep my prescriptions current and follow all the "rules" of keeping your eyes healthy. I don't want my eyesight to deteriorate so quickly or badly that I am declared legally blind before I'm old enough to rely on the friendly (hopefully) nurses at the old folks home.



There are several things you can do to keep your eyes healthy in between eye doctor appointments.

1. Keep your glasses clean and the screws tightened. 

I mean with soap and hot water folks, not just the hem of your favorite shirt. By doing this you combating the germs that get on your frames from your hands throughout the day. Maintaining your eyewear can help you save money if your prescription doesn't change at your next check-up. A pair of glasses that are well taken care of can last two to three years or more!


2. Clean your contacts case regularly.

I never thought about this much until I started living with my husband. He gets very dirty at work and everything he touches proves it. One day I looked in his part of the drawer in the bathroom and was shocked to see how dirty is contacts case was! Now I clean his and my case every 2-3 weeks. Again, combating those pesky germs from getting into your eyes. I use regular soap and hot water with a spare toothbrush to get in the grooves.


3. Take vision supplements.

Not all of us can get every single recommended vitamin and mineral from the food we eat on a daily basis (hellooooo donuts!). Over the counter vitamins and supplements to the rescue! The most important vitamin that keep your eyes healthy is Vitamin A, but make sure you are getting it from plant based sources so it doesn't get stored in your body (too much stored Vitamin A is toxic). There are a number of options to choose from, eye drops with Vitamin A in them, the vitamins separately, and there are also multi-vitamins specifically for eye health. Check this list to see what might work best for you.
Disclaimer: I am not a healthcare professional. These are options that work for me, so please contact your doctor to make sure these options are safe for you.

4. Wear Sunglasses

Did you know that your eyes can get sunburnt? Yep. Plus those nasty UV rays aren't great for them either. So whether you get a cute, cheap pair from Target or buy a flashy, expensive name brands, WEAR THEM when outdoors and in the car.
"But what if I wear glasses? I can't see without them." - There is an option for you! Online glasses shops offer a much more affordable selection of prescription sunglasses (and regular glasses if you need those too!). I got mine from GlassesShop.com, and they have a "try-on" option where you can upload a photo of yourself to see what the frames will look like on your face. Cool right? All you do is choose from a wide selection of glasses frames and sunglasses, input your prescription & pupillary distance (you can get this by calling your eye doctor), and they ship them out to you in a neat case with a cleaning cloth. Easy peasy. Use the code GSHOT50 to get 50% off your first pair.

Disclaimer: I received a pair of prescription sunglasses in exchange for my honest recommendation and review of GlassesShop.com


5. Take breaks when working on a computer (or phone or tablet or video games).

If your eyes get used to focusing on one plane too long it can affect your vision, give your headaches, and tire your eyes out quickly. So get up for 5 mins each hour and exercise your eyes by focusing on different objects at different distances aways from you. You can remind yourself to do this by setting a timer or an alarm every hour or so. Plus we all need an excuse to take a break while at work, and now you have a legitimate reason to.


Do you wear contacts or glasses? If so, have you thought about any of these tips before?

September 19, 2016

DIY Fall Tree

My second favorite time of year for decorating is Fall, and for me, Fall starts on September 1st. That's when I break out all my pumpkins, sunflowers, marigolds, gourds, mums, scarecrows, and turkeys. My house goes from calming blues and grays to pops of orange, red, and yellow. 

If you've been around these parts long enough and you stalk my Instagram, you'll know that I make a lot of the decor for my home. Wreaths, flower arrangements, chalkboard signs, mailbox bows, picture frames, among other things. And every year brings something new to the mix. This year my mom was  telling me about her fall tree. Basically a Christmas tree with fall type decor on it. While I wasn't about to pull out one of my four trees, I thought about how I could still have a fall tree. Then I saw a craft post on either Pinterest or Facebook, I don't remember where, and BOOM. Fall tree idea. 




What you need:

Tomato Cage
Floral Tape
Hot Glue Gun
Roll of Floral Wire
Lots of leaf garland
Ribbon (optional)
Orange lights (optional)


Directions:

You want your tomato cage to be upside down, with the big circle on the bottom and the loose ends on the top. Then hot glue the three ends together into a point. 
Take a long length of floral wire and make another vertical post in between each of the tomato cage "legs" between the bottom and middle circles. Then you'll have a total of 6 posts to wrap the leaf garland around. 
Wrap and wrap and wrap your leaf garland around the tomato cage, securing with floral tape where needed. You want to make sure you don't have any large gaps. 



Then you can add other stuff like ribbon or lights to make it your own! Cool right? After I made mine, I got an awesome idea for Christmas and had to run out and buy another tomato cage. So you've got that to look forward too!


Do you make any of your season home decor? 

September 9, 2016

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies


Pumpkin Spice Season has begun!!!!
While I'm not a fan of the lattes, I do enjoy the candles and I like to include pumpkin in my recipes. Ever since I discovered these easy oatmeal cookies, I've been experimenting with other flavors and combinations. It takes a little trial and error, but I finally perfected a Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie recipe.

Ingredients

1 can pumpkin
3 cups oatmeal
3 tbs Cinnamon
2 tbs vanilla
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
pinch of salt
1/4 cup Coconut Sugar (or brown sugar)
1/2-3/4 bag Diary Free Chocolate Chips (you can use regular chocolate chips)
1 cup dried cranberries (optional)


Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F
Mix together all dry ingredients, except chocolate chips and cranberries, in a large mixing bowl.
Add the vanilla and pumpkin. Mix until evenly blended.
Add Chocolate Chips and Cranberries if you choose, mix well.
Spoon the "dough" onto a foiled and lightly greased cookie sheet to form the cookies. These cookies do not spread or rise, so however you shape them is how they will come out.
Bake for 8 mins.
Let cool and Enjoy!

*store in the refrigerator



These cookies are perfect for a snack on the go or re-heat in the microwave for a sweet treat after dinner. I like to portion them out in baggies for easy access.

Are you excited for fall? Do you like all things Pumpkin Spice?

September 6, 2016

Hubs Joins Me in the 30 Club

Today is the best day. You wanna know why?
My wonderful husband was born 30 years ago today.



Hubs' birthday is better than our first date. Better than when I moved to Missouri. Better than our first cruise. Better than when we decided to expand our family with a tiny human. Better than when he proposed. And, yes, better than our wedding. I know you're thinking "What?!?! No way!" But, for me, it's true. None of those amazing things would have happened without today. So today is my favorite day.

Happy Birthday, Turtle.