Suzanne McGrath Photography

Six on Sunday

For only having one soccer game, this weekend just flew by!  So here goes...

1.  Remember how I talked about my great run last Sunday (#2 in Six on Sunday)?  Well,  crossing my fingers didn't work - my foot was sore all week.  So bad I broke out this bad boy again...  

Yep.  I don't need an X-ray to be about 98% certain I now have a stress fracture.  I couldn't walk normally until today - a full week later.  Which means there is practically no way I will be ready to run 26.2 miles in two weeks.  

I am definitely bummed.  But I always knew, in the back of my mind, that this was a risk.  Afterall, I only missed four long runs and 3 weeks of workouts after I broke my foot in July.  I think I just didn't ease back into things slow enough.  So...I will most likely go and cheer on my training partners!  Life goes on and I don't want to waste my time crying over something I can't change.

2.  We had dinner with friends on Friday night and had a blast!  Here are the three littlest ones:

I went around their house taking pictures of all the awesome frames Chad has built for their artwork.  And I have to say I am excited to give a couple a try.  I have two pictures I LOVE but they each need a special frame.  I am up for the challenge.  (After I wrap up the kitchen, that is.)

3.  Speaking of the kitchen...we made some great progress today.  I drilled all the hinge holes which is more than I can even count (but definitely more than 20 holes).  That's a lot of drilling!  Of those doors, we were able to hang six which makes me really happy.  I think we'll be able to wrap it all up next weekend. WooHoo!

Here is a sneak peek of a finished corner:

I am so loving the gray and white combo.  Timeless and elegant and modern.  

4.  As I mentioned above, we only had one soccer game this weekend.  One.  That's practically like zero in our house!  #2 played at 8am this morning.  It was 46* when I rolled out of bed.  But by the time the game was over I had shed my jacket and was only wearing my sweatshirt.  I have to say, it was a really beautiful morning for a soccer game.  Here are the dads getting set up while the girls warmed up:

I swear that picture does not do it justice.  Gorgeous.

5.  We decorated this weekend.  Quite a bit.  I added a couple touches of fall:

And a LOT of Halloween.  I didn't have time to properly shoot everything, so you'll have to settle for this one:

Plus, I'd like to add just a couple more touches - a ribbon here or there.  But I didn't want to ignore No-Spend September so I think I'll pick up a couple rolls of ribbon this week and put the finishing touches on later.  But I have to say, I'm excited.  I think it looks GOOD!

6.  It's that time of season - Photo Shoots.  I had a senior picture shoot and a family picture shoot this past week.  I'll show you one of each.  

First, here's Andy.  Class of 2014 from Blue Valley West.  (And my neighbor.)  Love him.

And my running partner's three boys.  So cute!

Phew!  That's it.  My week in review, if you will.  I hope you all have a fantastic week!

 

Project Life Week 31

Welcome to Project Life Week 31.

Week 31:  July 29 - Aug 4.

Full spread:

Left side:

I will say, my broken foot makes an appearance or two in this week's photos.  Such is life.

I have found that I failed to take very many pictures during the week in the summer.  I am trying to get better at it now that fall is in full swing.  Let's do this thing!

I loved the rain jacket picture and had to highlight it.  A couple letter stickers and I was done:

 

Yep, I documented the broken (or not?) foot.  But of course.

 

It's not every day a girl gets balloons and gift cards to Twisters.  You know I had to document it!

 

Right side:

 

I think it's fun to include Facebook status updates every now and then.  Who knows what we'll be using in a few years so it's kind of cool to include it:

 

And this concert?  So, so good.  It had to be documented.  A lot.

And lastly, the tickets.  I'm almost positive that in a year or two paper tickets will be obsolete.  We'll just use our phones.

And there you have it.  I'm now updated into August.  Plus, my pictures are off my camera and into the computer.  Maybe I'll get caught up yet!

My Fall Mantel

I'll be honest, I've been itching to decorate for fall OR Halloween since Labor Day weekend.  It's true.  But when it was 90* plus outside, it just seemed stupid.  Plus, it was too early anyway.  But not anymore!  It's officially fall and I pulled a few things together tonight to celebrate.

Since it's still No-Spend September, I just used what I had around the house and in the yard.  But you know what?  I like it!  No, really.  I'm pleased.  Plus, I know I'll change this out for Halloween in a week or so which is another reason not to get all crazy.

But enough chit-chat.  I'll let the pictures do the talking from here on out...

Last one...

Have you done any fall decorating lately?

 

P.S.  I'm linking to Thrifty Decor Chick for fun!

 

 

 

Six on Sunday

It was another typical week around here.  Nothing too special.  So let's get going...

1.  Sports Update:  Yesterday the little girls each had a soccer game.  It's been so nice that they play back to back so we just stay out at the complex and don't have to drive back and forth.  In that sense, it has been really easy to add #4's soccer schedule to the mix.  I'm very thankful for that!

#3 absolutely LOVES playing soccer and she's definitely a mover and a shaker out on the field.

#4 still isn't so sure about it.  But I promised her a trip to McDonald's if she plays the rest of her games without whining or throwing temper tantrums.  It worked like a charm yesterday!

#2's game was today (they WON!) and unfortunately I forgot my camera on the kitchen counter.  Bummer.

#1 is LOVING swimming.  She swims 5 days a week now.  That meant she had to swim yesterday morning at 7am because she missed Friday night.  It was all her idea.  I'm very proud of her dedication.  And yesterday she got pulled aside by the coach and heard some really encouraging feedback.  I think that really made her feel good and boosted her spirits even higher.  I think this will be a fun year for her.  

2.  This morning I ran 20 miles (or 21 POINT ONE - depending on whose GPS was correct).  Sarah and I ran together and our friend Carmen set up our aid stations for us.  We really couldn't just carry our own water because we would have run out about halfway through.  Plus, I really don't enjoy carrying my own water.  It's not fun.  

It was a beautiful morning for a run - 54* at the start!  We started at 5:30am and it took us about 3 1/2 hours.  Our pace (according to my app) was less than 10 minute miles which I was really happy with for 20 miles.  Plus, we had several big, big hills.

And Carmen's aid stations???  Phenomenal!  Each one looked like this:

But did she stop there?  Oh no.  She had our favorite post-run drinks ready for us at the finish.  Diet Mt. Dew for Sarah and Starbucks venti latte for me (extra hot, even!).  She really made it a fun 20 miles.

HOWEVER, my foot is not so happy with me right now so I'm hoping it will feel better after some ice and a good night's rest.  Fingers crossed.  Because if not?  Chicago?  Marathon?  Hmmmmm...

3.  Friday night we had a rather impromptu gathering with two of my girlfriends from college and their families.  My kitchen is completely torn up but I figured, why not?  Who cares what it looks like as long as we can all hang out.  And so we did.  I also had my niece and nephew for a sleepover that night so we had 9 kids running around!  (It would have been 11 but our oldest and Kristen's oldest decided to skip out in favor of more teeny-bopper things.) 

It was so fun to catch up with everyone because it had been too long since we had seen each other.  And that's what I love about old friends - it doesn't matter how long it's been since you've gotten together - because when you do it feels like you never skipped a beat.  So fun.

And the kids were fabulous!

4.  I showed this photo on Instagram but I just love flowers.  And I also love milk glass.  So I combined the two:

5.  Our garden has been delighting us for the last month or so?  This was our catch from the last few days.  And the funny thing here?  I hate tomatoes.  I've tried to like them.  And I cook with them because they are so pretty.  But I only eat them if they are blended.  I bring a lot to work but this week I'm thinking of trying my hand at salsa!  I'll let you know if I get around to it.

But, I'm so glad we did this.  The girls have taken such an interest in the garden.  I think next year we'll move the tomatoes to the deck and try some other veggies.  Should be fun!

6.  I managed to get most of the drawers back in this weekend.  However, three of them are being glued as we speak so I'm not completely done with them.  Here is a sneak peek:

I'm loving where this is headed.  I'm hoping to be able to install most of the doors this next weekend.  

 

And THAT is THAT.  It's all I've got, folks.  Have a fabulous week!

ThriftyThursday...How to Reupholster a French Chair...(a Tutorial)

OK.  I've been putting this one off for over a year.  As I looked for pictures, I realized I purchased this chair back in the spring of 2011.  Then it sat, untouched, for about a year.  I wish I could say this is not typical; but alas, that would be a lie.  I do this ALL THE TIME.  In fact, I've been known to hide furniture in my friend's basements or garages so the hubby doesn't realize I've made yet another Craigslist purchase.  Oh yes.  I am one of those.  But I must say, he almost always comes around in the end.  After shaking his head.  And rolling his eyes.  

So, this is what I purchased for $40.  And let me say, that was say too much.  I should have paid half that price.

The gold was not pretty.  Trust me.

Obviously, the first thing I did was strip everything off the chair.  Can I just tell you how gross that was?  The foam underneath was just disintegrated.  I should have worn gloves!

Once everything was removed, I was left with this:

It was in such bad shape I decided to just remove all of the strapping.  Then this happened:

I told you I shouldn't have paid $40 for this thing.  It was so wobbly I just took it apart so I could re-glue it and add some screws in there.  To hold it together, I tied a rope around it as tight as I could while the glue dried.  Ingenious, no?

Now the fun part!  First, I simply spray painted it black.  I think every room can use a little black, afterall!

I actually did the back of the chair first, but I'm going to start with the seat since it was harder to do...

First, I had to add new webbing (is that what it's called?)  Anyway, I bought it at Hobby Lobby and attached it with my my dad's pneumatic staple gun (which is worth it's weight in gold).

Notice how I folded the ends underneath before I stapled.  Then I put in the webbing going the other direction:

The next step was cutting the foam to fit on top of the webbing.  I think I used 1.5" foam and cut it larger than the seat itself:

After the foam was in place, it was time to layer the batting on top.  I generally use the thickest loft batting I can find or I double up.  It just gives it a nice finishing touch.  I cut the batting around the back of the chair as you can see here:

I also cut the fabric as well.  This was by far the trickest part of the chair.  I had to get my staple gun down in there quite a ways.  Cutting the batting and fabric allowed me to get it as tight as possible.

Then, you just stretch the fabric around the sides of the foam and staple.  Generally I staple the front and back, then the sides and then fill it all in evently.  This time I started with those two difficult spots and then did the front, followed by the sides.  This chair was very easy to staple because there was a "ditch" for me to staple.  So I knew exactly where to aim!

I followed this same process for the back of the chair.  There was a piece of cardboard I re-used, stacked foam and batting followed by the fabric and just stapled.  The top was really a piece of cake!

The back of the chair just had the fabric over the cardboard.  It is meant to be very flat so that was really simple to do.

You can see the staples up close here:

The almost last step after everything is stapled is to cut the excess fabric.  And really, get in there good and tight.  I start with my sewing scissors and then I got back and trim any excess fabric or strings with a cuticle scissors.  For real.  It works great b/c it's so small and can really get up in there!

The last thing to do is cover up the ugly staples.  I just buy trim and glue it on.  It's amazing how it transforms the piece at the very end!

And for this chair I actually added a few tacks to the back.  I love how it turned out:

And here is the final product!

It's so funny to show you this picture because I took it over a year ago (last May to be exact).  Now we have new floors and painted cabinets and it looks nothing like this!  But...I still love the chair!  And since the fabric has so many colors in it, I think it'll still work in the "new" kitchen.

Edited to add:  Linking to Miss Mustard Seed!

 

Six on Sunday

Hello!  I can't believe it's time to sit down and write Six on Sunday.  This weekend flew by...

1.  We are definitely into the swing of crazy season.  Yesterday we had two soccer games, soccer pictures, a playdate, and a birthday party.  And that was just the little girls!  Today we had two more soccer games.  I really need to bring my big girl camera to next weekend's soccer games.  If I'm not careful I won't get any good pictures of the season!

#3 played a game yesterday and today.  That kid loves soccer!  She is fast and she is agressive.  She's fun to watch even though she's only playing 1st grade soccer.  

#4 played a game yesterday.  And she had fun!  She is FAST.  She even scored a goal (let's just pretend it was for her team).  It was really cute watching her yesterday.

#2 played today.  The game was really fun to watch.  Her team won which is a new phenomenon this season and they were intentional with their passes.  I do enjoy watching this sport and really seeing the girls get better.  It was FUN.

2.  Do you have fruit flies?  We've had them for awhile.  Well, I finally found a remedy!  Here is the proof:

I was so excited I texted a picture of this and sent it to the hubby who was in Philadelphia this week.  I may have even quoted a Die Hard movie.

What is it?  Fill an open mouth glass half full with apple cider vinegar.  Then put a drop or two of dish detergent in the vinegar.  Finally, fill to the brim with water and it will get really bubbly at the top.  The flies are drawn to the apple cider vinegar and then get caught in the bubbles and DIE.  It truly is awesome!

3.  I got up to 16.5 miles this weekend!  And I was pain-free, thank goodness.  I ran 10 miles dark and early Saturday morning (5:30am to be exact).  Then, I met up with my girlfriends and we participated in the Helen Gold run/walk.

The run support Parkinson's disease.  Our friend's dad, Wally, has Parkinson's disease and she (Sarah) organized a HUGE group of us to run or walk to support her dad.  It was really cool to be a big part of the race.  All told Sarah said there were 83 of us there to support her dad.  This cause is also near and dear to my heart as I have an uncle living with Parkinson's disease.  (Hi Jim and Kathie!)  I couldn't be more proud to have competed in that race yesterday.

How'd I do?  Not too shabby, considering I had already run 10.3 miles beforehand.  I ran it in 57:47 which is about a 9 minute 20 second mile.  I'll take it!

4.  The kitchen progress continues.  This is what my kitchen looked like for half the week:

And then I completely emptied the drawers so I could paint them.  This is what my garage currently looks like:

14 drawers are completely painted and just curing.  There are three other drawers that need to be repaired before I can paint them.  I didn't know they were broken until I pulled them out and saw that the joints were loose.  Great.  But not really.

As for the doors?  Yeah.  I haven't actually started painting those yet.  I figure the drawers are most important to get back in place since everything housed in those drawers is currently scattered across my kitchen and dining room.  I'm not kidding when I tell you I looked for my pizza cutter for FIVE minutes Friday night.  It's not fun.  So that is priority number one.  Since the drawers and cabinet frames are completed I can now focus on the doors this week!  I can feel it getting closer and I'm getting excited.

5.  We are still going strong with No-Spend September but I will admit I am counting the days until October.  I'm totally going to buy myself a pair of brown boots this season.  I was doing fine until the cool weather showed up and now all I want to do is shop for fall clothes.  

The girls are finally getting it, too.  I think this is doing them good to realize all the things they usually just take for granted.  At least I hope so! 

6.  I haven't posted a menu in awhile so I thought, why not post one tonight?  Plus, I'm out of things to write.  Here is our menu:

    Sunday:  Crockpot Bourbon chicken Sammies with Crunchy Apple Slaw + fruit

    Monday:  Salmon burgers (fish sticks for the three littles) + green beans with almonds

    Tuesday:  Black Bean Burgers (hot dogs for the kids) + fruit/veggies

    Wednesday:  Skinny Creamy Italian Skillet + salad  

    Thursday:  Spaghetti + chicken breast + yellow squash

    Friay:  Chili (if it's cool enough outside ) + broccoli

Wow!  I guess I really like iowagirleats.  But whatever.  Her recipes are great and even the kids get on board.  Like tonight, #3 loved the chicken but she just ate it plain - not on a bun.  #2 loved the chicken on the bun but without the cheese.  #1 ate hers just like the recipe.  And #4 had a bowl of cereal.  Oh well...you can't win them all!

And with that, I'm outta here!  If I can keep up my momentum, I may even paint a few cabinet doors after I put the littles to bed tonight.  Have a great week!

Thrifty Thursday...How to Make Instagram Magnets

I admit it!  I am late to the party but these were SO FUN to make!  I wish I had more magnetic surfaces in my house.  I perused a few different instructions on the internet so but I learned a couple things so here goes...

First things first, pick out your pictures.  I re-sized mine to 2"x2" which is just about the size you see them on your phone.  I made a grid in Photoshop and uploaded that sheet to Costco.  I'm sure you could easily re-size them on a free app, too!

Once I had my pictures back I cut them with a ruler and an xacto knife.

Next, I cut mat paper (used to mat pictures so it's fairly thick) into 2"x2" squares as well.  I found mine at Michael's.  

Now the fun begins!  First I used regular Modge Podge to attach the pictures to the squares.  

Here is where I screwed up.  I just sort of slapped it on.  But I should have taken my time and made sure all the corners were covered!   This is what I ended up with - fly-away squares!

Oh well.  While it bothers me, it's not enough to make me want to do them all again.

Now the really cool part!  I used Modge Podge Dimensional Magic and applied a thin coat to the top of the picture.  It looks foggy until it dries.  You will likely end up with small bubbles after this step.  Just use a toothpick or a pin to pop the bubbles.

Once they were dry, I attached the magnet.  I bought a large magnetic square with peel-off backing.  So I just cut my magnet into strips and stuck them on the back of the picture.  Ta-da!  That's it.  You've got an adorable Instagram magnetic!

This is the final product (the phone is there to give you an idea of sizing):

You guys, this is so easy and fun!  Buy the supplies and save this project for a rainy, fall afternoon where football is playing in the background and the kids are bored.  It's rewarding and easy!  Enjoy.

 

Project Life: Week 30

Welcome to Week 30.

Week 30:  July 22 - 28

Full spread:

This was the week the big girls were in Arkansas with my parents.  Just as a reference!

Left side:

 

The girls had a sleepover so of course I had to document it!  I just used a Martha Stewart label I picked up at Staples and cut it in half to add a little journaling to the picture.

 

Admittedly I was a little low on pictures this week.  Sticking in the playbill from the Little Mermaid was perfect filler and it just looked good!

 

Right side:

 

I just made a little homemade flag for the lake picture.  It even looks homemade but I suppose that is part of the appeal?

 

You KNOW I had to document my broken/not broken (?) foot, right?

 

Sometimes technology pisses me off.  (Remember when we used to actually take vacations without bringing along a phone and a computer?!)  But sometimes it's sort of cool - this being one of those times.  My mom texted me this picture of the big girls while they were in Arkansas.  It easily allowed me to document part of their week, too.  

 

This shot just perfectly summed up these two playing together.  The story of the summer, really.  A little journal card cut up and attached to the side allowed me to add a few words about them.  So easy.

And there you have it.  Week 30!

 

Project Life: Week 29

Finally...I'm catchin up.  Again.

Week 29:  July 15 - 21

Full spread:

As you can see, I stuck in race bibs again.  I can't seem to stop!

 

Left side:

We spent a few hours at the mall one day and I couldn't resist slipping in these pictures of #3 and #4 on the merry-go-round.  So cute.

 

Right side:

 

I loved this picture of my four girls and just wanted something simple to highlight it.  Mission accomplished.

 

I walked into the kitchen and caught our cat licking the butter.  Yuck!  But than again, I thought it was kind of funny so I highlighted Darby this week:

 

My friend, Christi, and I took our kids to the Color Storm race.  The kids had a blast and we're now documented permanently.  I simply used a cut-up journal card to showcase the "before" and "after" pictures.

 

Last, but not least, I captured Lori's last run.  Of course I wanted to document our time together!

This week was super simple.  That's just how I roll.  Some weeks I feel like adding a lot and other weeks I'm fine leaving it simple.  This was one of those weeks.

 

 

Six on Sunday

I'm back to blogging on Sunday night.  Labor day just threw me off my game, man.  So here goes...

1.  It's hot.  Like, disgustingly, open-the-oven-door kind of hot.  I did not want to spend time outdoors this weekend.  But yesterday I was outside.  A lot!

I started off the day with a 14 mile run at 6am.  And honestly, it wasn't as brutal as I thought it would be.  So that was a silver lining.  Plus, I made it 14 miles and didn't die.  So there's that, too.

Then, I high-tailed it home and took off for #3's soccer game.  At that time it was hot but bearable.  My parents brought her cousins to the game which she loved.  Don't all kids love an audience?!  

We all went back to our house for lunch and a break ( and to refill water bottles) before driving back to the fields.  Again.  this time I went first and took a couple kids with me to #2's soccer game.  A short while later the hubby took #4 to her soccer game and a couple kids tagged along with him.  Meanwhile, my parents showed up to watch #2's game.  (Keeping track?  OK, good.)  The game had only been going on for about 15 minutes when I got the dreaded text message, This isn't going very well.  I asked if I should head down there?  Uh, yeah, probably.

I kid you not - I was at the northern most field in the entire (gigantic) soccer complex and #4 was on the southern most field.  Did I casually meander down there?  Oh no, not me.  In my attempt to be super mom, I ran down there.  Did I mention it's been disgustingly hot?  Anyway, I expected to find #4 in a heap on the field but she was actually passing the ball with another girl!  Hot damn!  And she participated in the coaching AND played in the game - multiple times.  That's right.  She actually played this time.  I was so proud of her!  I'm sure it helped that her grandparents, cousins, and a sister came down to watch her, but I'll take it!  And you know what?  That kid has some wheels on her.  Like, she is FAST! 

I did not make it back to watch #2's game but that is life with four kids.  You can't be everywhere at once.  But in the end it worked out!

That was as much outside time as I needed.  I spent the rest of the day inside!  I was even able to watch the Husker game uninterrupted thanks to movie night for the girls (on the other TV).  All in all, a busy but fun day.

2.  #2 and #3 ride the bus home.  Last year they were one of the very last stops.  It took them nearly 30 minutes to get home.  Did I mention #2 gets carsick?  Yeah, not fun.  But, I can't always be there to pick them up.  I'm not kidding you when I tell you they HATED the bus.  For reals.  

This year they are on another bus.  And they are the SECOND stop.  Plus, they each have friends on the bus.  I can't tell you how awesome that is for me.  They don't mind riding the bus at all.  I haven't heard them complain once.  It is such a relief!  I still pick them up when I can but I've been so busy lately that hasn't happened very much.  At least now I don't hear complaints.

3.  Do you want an update on No-Spend September?  So far so good.  We had to buy a drill, like I told you on Tuesday, but other that that, no slip-ups.  I think it helps that we were so busy this weekend there wasn't a lot of down-time.  And we don't eat out that often, either.  But I'm just glad we're still doing this.  

4.  Today we hung all the cabinet doors that were ready to be hung except for one.  I am so happy!  The top half of the kitchen is really starting to come together!

That tall cabinet you see above is the only pantry I have.  And I have shelves attached to the inside of the doors themselves which hold quite a few items.  That means those items (canned foods, mac-n-cheese, pudding mixes, etc) were being stored on my dining room table.  So it felt really, really good to be able to put all that stuff away today!

These cabinets used to have frosted glass but I traded out the frosted for clear glass.  I'm really happy with the change:

Admittedly, it is a little hard to focus in on the top cabinets because the open bottom section is so messy.  But I'm just keepin' real and showing you the progress.  

I'm not quite sure I'm going to keep it like this because the right side is bright and happy but the left side is very white and glassy.  Eventually I'd like to paint the back walls of the cabinets but until everything is finished and I have my accessories in here, I'm not sure what color to go with.  So for now they stay white.  Any suggestions on how to switch the left and right sides?

The hardware.  Oh, how I love the hardware.  It's brass and I just want to cuddle up with it!

The drawer pulls are even better.  But I don't have any finished drawers yet!

Lastly, I think I found my gray.  I tried Trout Gray by Ben Moore but it was just too dark.  Since I had already bought a gallon of it, I took it to the store and had them lighten it as much as they could.  I think I like the new version.  Here it is on the desk:

Thoughts?

5.  #1 did fitness testing at school last week.  The kid is already 5'6"!  Can you believe that?  She's got an inch or less and she's going to be taller than me.  I'm entirely sure that will happy before the end of the year.  And it will be so weird to have to look up at my daughter when talking to her!  I think I'm still in shock.  

6.  #3 had another soccer game today.  When we pulled away after the game our car thermometer read 102*.  And let me tell you, that turf adds a minimum of 10*.  Add to that the hot wind that truly felt like opening the over door and it was a miserable 36 minutes!  

When we got home, I decided I should hang out in the kitchen to beat the heat.  What the...?!  Anyway, I did.  I made a double batch of lazagna but split each batch into 2 smaller pans.  That equals FOUR dinners, people!  FOUR.  I am so happy.

Pssst...if you are in grad school, are a single mom to two grade school kids, work full time, and need to study, I may be able to sacrifice one or two of these meals.  Just sayin'...

While I was doing that, #1 made a batch of chocolate chip cookies.  Since the cookies were covered, I thought I should make a batch of Energy Bites that my mom makes.  I love them.  Seriously, so, so good!

So easy and relatively healthy.  Here's the recipe:

1 cup old fashioned oatmeal

1 cup toasted coconut flakes (I find them by the chocolate chips.  I spread out a cup on a cookie tray and bake at 300* for 5-7 minutes)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup ground flax seed or what germ

1/3 cup honey

1 tsp. vanilla

You just mix it all up, throw it in the refrigerator to cool, and then roll it into balls.  I store mine in the frig but I think you could easily freeze them as well.  And I have to say, I HATE coconut.  I have a serious aversion to it but I can't taste it in this recipe at all!  So now when I want a cookie, I'll just grab one of these.