Oh Boy! Does this Mama have Joy!

Secret Ingredient...

2011-05-24T09:45:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to make French Toast for breakfast, but with a little twist...I had received a coupon for a free pint bottle of Breve Creme coffee creamer, now I don't drink coffee, but after seeing all the flavors of coffee creamer, I wanted to see if I could get away with using it without coffee! So I decided to try something that I had heard from their website; substituting it for milk in French Toast!

Here's my recipe:

Breve Creme French Toast
1 egg
1/2 cup Breve Creme (I used Vanilla Caramel Cream)
Beat with a fork until mixed.
4-5 pieces of bread

Heat pan to 300. Dip bread into egg mixture, covering both sides and put into hot, greased pan. Cook until brown on both sides (about 2-3 minutes per side). Enjoy!

To make things even more decadent, I added bananas and whipped topping. YUMMY! You could taste a little extra sweetness from the Breve Creme, it gave it a vanilla and caramel hint to it, making the French Toast almost like a dessert rather than a breakfast! With varieties like Hershey's Chocolate Caramel, Almond Joy and Southern Butter Pecan, the possibilities are endless! Here's the link for .55 off of one bottle.

ENJOY!

Covergirl Product Review

2011-05-20T20:21:00.000-07:00

I am a BzzAgent and I am given the opportunity to try products for free from time to time. This time I am happy to tell you about the new COVERGIRL NatureLuxe Collection. I was given a Gloss Balm in the shade of Sandstone and a bottle of Liquid Silk Foundation in the shade of Chamois to test and give you my honest opinion.

Here's the facts:

silk foundation

*Provides a smooth, silky feel
*Contains refreshing cucumber water to help balance the creaminess of the application
*Made with hints of jojoba and rosehip extracts
*Available in 14 shades ranging from light to dark toes
*Oil-free, SPF 10 and dermatologically tested
*Suggested to retail for $11.99

gloss balm

*Combines the sheer color and shine of a gloss with the soft moisturization of a balm
*Available in 16 versatile, beautiful shades
*Formulated with SPF 15 for added protection
*Suggested to retail for $6.49

Here's the Inside Scoop:
"As Global Creative Designer Director at COVERGIRL and a creative force behind the new COVERGIRL NatureLuxe Collection, world-renowned make-up artist Pat McGrath knows a thing or two about what looks good. And when she's not creating avantgarde make-up looks for the shows of Dolce & Gabanna and Christian Dior or travelling the world creating the next new look, she's helping to bring these looks to you. So what does Pat have to say about the lightweight luxury of this new collection?

"silk foundation: "In make-up, we're seeing Luxe-Simplicity influence a light, fresh yet flawless look which is both luxurious and radiant; i call this the 'naturally polished' look. Think of a beautiful and radiant glow as if you've just been to a spa and have been pampering your skin. This is not a 'no make-up' look; this is full coverage yet naturally polished, a light yet confident look."

Of course, Pat isn't the only one touting the lightweight look and feel. We're fans for the high quality, polished look and the affordability. In fact, even the $180* make-up can't beat COVERGIRL NatureLuxe Silk Foundation for a lightweight feel! So you can look good and feel good about wearing it.

*avg. price based on US data from the NPD group.

I have always love COVERGIRL stuff and was very happy to try these new NatureLuxe Collections products. To start off, I must have picked the wrong shade, because the Liquid Silk Foundation is to dark for my complexion. Oh well. Other than that, I loved how smoothly it went on my face, and the smell was not like any other Foundation that I've used. The smell was very pleasant, almost fruity like. It also came off very easily, which was good seeing that I had the wrong shade!
The Lip Balm was just the right shade for my light complexion. It also had a very nice fruity smell to it, almost like Strawberries. Smells to me are very important. If something has too strong or too weird of a smell, I won't wear it. I also love how the Lip Balm has sparkles in it. It gives it a very chic flare, making one feel like a little girl, but sophisticated enough to make you feel very elegant. I would recommend these two products to everyone who asks!

*these opinions are all my own honest opinions! I was also given coupons for $2 off the NatureLuxe Silk Foundation for any of my readers who would like to try this product!*

2011-05-09T14:41:00.000-07:00

Today is D-Day, or also known as Diet Day. Today I can officially start my diet! I am so excited to start exercising again! I will post my before pics, but for now I'm going to tell you my goal for the week; no sweets except for on Sunday's. That helped me lose lots of weight before, so I figured what better way to kick off my diet week!
Tonight I also start exercising. I am so excited to start up Zumba again! Wish me luck! Enjoy!

HOPPY EASTER!

2011-04-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

Making Bunny Pancakes!

The finished Bunnies!

YUMMY! Happy Easter! Hope yours is going well too! ENJOY!

My Poor Babies!

2011-04-14T09:01:00.000-07:00

We blessed our little smoosh on Sunday, which should have been the day we should have stayed home! My little girl had a fever and a cough! After wards we headed to my mom's for food and all my little girl did was cry, mope and sleep.

Fast forward to today. My husband and oldest son have pink eye and colds, my little girl has just a normal cold now, no fever (hooray!) I have a cold and a really bad sore throat (no white spots, thank goodness) and little smoosh has a cough and a little congestion. This whole week I've been trying to keep him healthy, but unless I actually LEAVE, there was no real way to keep the older kiddos away! So today in order to keep the pink eye at bay, my little girl is headed to baby animal days with my sister and her kiddo, and little smoosh is well, tied up for the day! (don't mind my hair, yes I'm in my jammies, and am not wearing makeup!)

I LOVE this thing! I got the idea from a lady at JoAnn's Fabric one day. I am eternally grateful to her for telling me how to make one, and then teaching me how to tie it! To make your own, find a material that is the same on both sides (a homespun) and get 6 yards, or 5 if you are petite. Remember to USE A COUPON if you have one and if it's not on sale! (p.s., if you have a smartphone, JoAnn's has a coupon app that you can upload weekly coupons to. Which I think is awesome, because who likes to have to remember your coupons!)
You can either cut it into 1/3rds or I just folded it in half and sewed it together. There are many sites you can go to, to learn how to "wear your baby"! A few of my favorite are; wearyourbaby.com, and mobywrap.com, or you can just google it!

Something Fun for Easter!

2011-04-07T09:22:00.000-07:00

I found these HUGE marshmallow bunnies at Walmart when I was there the other day!

I took them over to my mom's house to show her, and my little sister wanted to make rice krispie treats with them, so we took a shot at it and they turned out really cool!

Jumbo Bunny Krispie Treats

3 TBSP butter
23 Jumbo Bunnies
6 cups rice krispie cereal

Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl. Swirl butter to coat bowl. Put marshmallows in with the butter and microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds. DO NOT STIR DURING MICROWAVE TIME!! Dump cereal in and fold into marshmallows. Press into a greased 9x13 pan. Cut, Serve and ENJOY!

Other variations we've tried and LOVE:

Add a few boxes of nerds to the cereal before stirring it together
Strawberry Marshmallows
Chocolate chips for swirls of chocolate

Conference weekend and a YUMMY Dessert!

2011-04-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

How was your weekend? Here at my house our weekend was filled with spiritual uplifting! It was what we call Conference weekend. Every 6 months, we tune our t.v.'s to our beloved Prophet, President Monson, his counselors, and other members of various organizations, speak to us about what we as members need to work on. (click here to watch videos, text will be available on April 7) The talks that were my favorite were by Elder Quentin L. Cook from the Saturday moning Session about LDS women, and Elder David A. Bednar from the Sunday morning Session about light and revelation. I can't wait for the conference version of our Church Magazine the Ensign to come out in May so I can read all of the uplifting and inspired talks again!

Sunday, after Conference was over, I made a FABULOUS cream cheese dessert that I found here. Even my picky hubby told me that it was great!

Cream Cheese Squares

Ingredients

2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
Press one can of the crescent rolls into the bottom of the prepared pan. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Spread over the crescent layer. Unroll the second can of crescent rolls and lay them on top of the cream cheese layer. Do not press down. Pour the melted margarine over the entire pan. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over the top.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is crisp and golden.

I cut the recipe in half, which was a GOOD thing, because I'm pretty sure the whole 9x13" pan would be mostly in my tummy by now! You'll have to make it and tell me what you think! ENJOY!! (original recipe found here)

April Fool's Day Food Ideas!

2011-03-31T10:47:00.000-07:00

Since my kiddos are all under the age of 4, they won't quite appreciate April Fool's Day Pranks, so I am steering in another direction; FOOD!

I LOVE making themed food for holidays, so here is what I'm going to make for tomorrow (click on names for recipe links):

Dinner:

Meatloaf Cupcakes

Ice Cream Mashed Potatoes

Dessert:

Faux French Fries

and

Shamburgers!

(photo courtesy of here)

All these fun ideas (and photos) come from FamilyFun.com! I just searched up April Fool's under the recipe tab! What kind of things do you do for April Fool's Day? ENJOY! and don't forget to share!

Yoplait Yogurt!

2011-03-29T08:56:00.000-07:00

March is National Nutrition Month and what a wonderful way to end the month by heading over to Yoplait's facebook page and clicking "like". They are kicking off a campaign about getting your family healthy for the summer! Here are some great ways to get started!

"Explore the many nourishing options that Yoplait has to offer - with varieties like Yoplait Light, Yoplait Original, Yoplait Fiber One, Yoplait Kids and Yoplait Delight Parfaits. Each product offers different benefits, and loads of variety, to make eating well a no-brainer. Here are five great ways to ‘get your snack on’ with Yoplait this March!

Start spring off right with Yoplait Light’s Two Week Tune Up Plan – Replace breakfast and lunch with a cup of your favorite flavor of Yoplait Light, a whole grain and a piece of fruit and you could lose 5 pounds in two weeks. Go to Yoplait.com for full diet details.
Get more calcium with Yoplait Original style yogurt - Now with two times the calcium of the leading yogurt (50 percent of the Recommended Daily Value) in one convenient 6-ounce cup*, Yoplait Original style yogurt is committed to women’s health, offering a product that has even more of the calcium women need for strong, healthy bodies. Grab a free cup while supplies last during the Million Cup Giveaway on Yoplait on Facebook!
Try the newest flavor from Yoplait Fiber One – Yoplait Fiber One’s new Blueberry flavor yogurt is packed with filling fiber, calcium, vitamins A and D, real fruit and the great taste of blueberries. With only 50 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 0 grams of fat, this deliciously creamy yogurt won’t break your calorie bank.
Stress less over snack time with Yoplait Kids yogurt – With a wholesome and fun snack like Yoplait Kids yogurt in the fridge, you can feel good about what your children are eating at snack time. Yoplait Kids provides an excellent source of calcium and vitamin D, and has 25% less sugar than the leading kids’ yogurt**. With yummy flavors, and favorite friends like Dora and Lightning McQueen on the packages, Yoplait Kids is a hit with moms and children alike.
End the day with a Delight Parfait from Yoplait – Even with two luscious layers providing a double shot of rich and creamy yogurt, these 100 calorie indulgences from Yoplait contain only 1.5 grams of fat per serving. Now available in two new flavors, Chocolate Éclair and Cherry Cheesecake, you can enjoy a dessert that’s 100 percent guilt-free.

*Leading yogurt has less than 25% Daily Value calcium per 6 oz.

**Yoplait kids has 9 grams of sugar per 3oz. the leading kids' yogurt has 13 grams of sugar per 3oz.

***Coupon offers for Yoplait yogurt are not valid in all states."

Information and facts provided by yoplait and myblogspark

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins!

2011-03-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

You know these muffins are really good when my picky hubby tells me that they are really good! My mom used to make these all the time while I was growing up! A few weeks ago, I got the recipe from my mom when I was at her house. The next day my sister called me up wanting the recipe, but I had misplaced it! A few weeks later I found it just in time to have to use up my mushy bananas.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins!

2 ripe bananas                                                     2 1/4 c. flour
2 eggs                                                                 2 tsp. baking powder
1 c. packed brown sugar                                     1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. margarine, softened                                   1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla                                                        1 c. chocolate chips

Mash bananas. In medium bowl, beat the mashed bananas, eggs, br. sugar, margarine, and vanilla until well blended. In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in chocolate chips and the banana mixture. Stir just until blended. Spoon into greased muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool.

When I was making these, I realized that I didn't have chocolate chips! So I searched in my pantry and came up with about a 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1/4 cup white chocolate chips and a pile of hershey kisses that I chopped up and added to the batter! They were mighty yummy! I doubled the batch and it made 24 large and 12 mini muffins. There are 12 big muffins and 2 mini muffins left!

ENJOY!

Have you heard...

2011-03-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

of AmazonMom? It is a fabulous way of getting most everything you already order from Amazon.com shipped for FREE! By signing up, you get free 2 day shipping on amazon prime eligible items, without having to pay a membership fee!
What are the eligibility requirements you might ask? Well, for starters, you DON'T have to be a mom! I signed my husband up because he is considered a caregiver for our children. You can also be a grandparent, an aunt, an uncle, or just someone who cares for kids.
At first I was under the impression that the items you would get shipped for free were diapers, wipes and other assorted baby items, but since I've signed up, I've gotten free shipping on cupcake rings, party favor gift boxes, and now I'm looking to get a blessing outfit for my new baby!
Also being signed up for AmazonMom, you get discounts on items such as diapers and wipes, with an even more discount if you sign up for their Subscribe and Save! Have more questions? Their FAQ page answers all!

So head on over and sign up and start ENJOYING FREE SHIPPING and DISCOUNTS on things you already have to buy! ENJOY!

UPDATE: Apparently free shipping only lasts for 2 months unless you continually have qualifying orders of $25 or more, then they extend your shipping one month at a time!

Well that didn't last long!

2011-03-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

This is what we woke up to this morning!

Did Spring last long at your house? I guess now that it doesn't LOOK like Spring, I can put off my Spring Cleaning for one more day!

Also, come join in on a wonderful webcast hosted by 24/7 moms! It is every Tuesday night at 7pm PST/ 10pm EST AND 9pm PST / 12am EST (or for those of us who live here in the Mountains, that's 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.) By joining in on the discussion, you can win any of the fabulous prizes they talk about! It's a blast and I know I will be there!

ENJOY!

Spring is in the air, do do do do do do do!

2011-03-21T16:41:00.000-07:00

Or something like that! I can feel it, can you? and with the feeling of Spring comes the strong desire to clean! That's why I am glad that I have been given the opportunity to try out some cleaning products from SC Johnson and tell you all about them! They have titled their campaign "SCJ Smart and Easy Spring Cleaning" which fits their products perfectly!

The products that I was given to try were:

These lovely ones, plus coupons! So far I LOVE the scent of the glade candle, have always loved using pledge growing up, and LOVE how the glade plugin makes my house smell so fresh! We tried the scrubbing bubbles cleaning gel and have decided that it definitely makes your whole bathroom smell fresh every time you flush the toilet! In my opinion, the smell is too strong. As for keeping my toilet clean longer, I guess I can say it works until the gel has dissolved. So about a week and a half! We haven't had the chance to use the foaming shower cleaner yet, but I'm pretty sure that I'll like it based on previous scrubbing bubbles products that I've used.

SC Johnson and BzzAgent have given all of my followers a link for a coupon for a glade plugin to get your Spring Cleaning underway! For those who live close to me, let me know if you would like some of my coupons to start your cleaning!

(I am a BzzAgent and was given free products to try and coupons to share. The opinions in this post are all my own!)

We had a baby!

2011-03-16T17:15:00.000-07:00

We just added baby number 3 to our family and are so excited about it! That *should* make up for my absence the last couple of weeks! :)
Every time I got pregnant, I would think that I would try to go natural. Then more pregnant I became, the less desirable that idea became. This time was no different, I talked myself out of it half way through, deciding that I was too much of a worrying, fretting person and that the calming effect the epidural had on my nerves out weighed being able to prove to myself that I could go natural.
We headed up to the hospital on Tuesday for a voluntary induction and got the process started. I started at a 3.5 dilation. The pain started to come, still manageable, so I put myself on the waiting list for the anesthesiologist to come and give me an epidural, figuring that by the time he got to me, the pain would be a lot worse.
He finally came, 1 1/2 hours later, but I didn't care. I was ready for him. He started and I immediately decided that this was the absolute WORSE epidural that I've received so far! It hurt going in, it hurt while he was positioning it, kind of like I was hitting my funny bone over and over again. I was shaking so bad by the time he was done. He then started the meds and I got comfy, waiting for the numbness to wash over me. Only it didn't completely. I could mostly feel from the knees down, and I could still move my legs. My hips and thighs were completely numb, and I couldn't feel the contractions anymore so I figured I was in the clear.
My nurse came in and checked me. I was a 7! But current problem decided to present itself at that moment; I could feel my nurse checking me and it kind of hurt. Shortly after that, I started feeling pressure; lots of painful pressure that I wasn't planning on or expecting. Apparently my epidural worked everywhere but where it needed to work! And to boot, I could feel my blood pressure drop every time I had a contraction, and it became hard at times to breath. By that time, it was too late to try and get more epidural in me, I was a 10 and ready to push. Thankfully I was able to push him out in a few but very painful pushes. I also tore during the process and could feel every other stitch that my doctor would do to fix me up.
To those of you who do it natural, I salute and admire you, but know now that I will never have the desire to choose the natural route. You can tell me that I didn't have enough preparation to be able to do it right, but I will tell you that I enjoy my calm, epidural state of labor vs. the panicked natural way that I experienced.

How do you guys have babies? What works for you?

Thanks for reading, and ENJOY! (consistency should be headed this way very soon!)

It's Friday!

2011-02-18T09:58:00.000-08:00

The time gets way from me sometimes! I hope you've all had a fabulous week, cause I know I have! Here are some FABULOUS sites if you are interested! My line-up of 3 favorite things this week consist of:
***Hip2save.com: a couponing/free/dirt cheap items site! I don't know about you, but I sure do love a deal!

***247moms.blogspot.com: A great site for ideas on how to talk to your kids, what new products are out there and ideas for having more fun with your kids! And every Tuesday at 9pst, for an hour (8 mountain time and 7 east coast time), they have a live show that you can watch and participate in. If you log in and participate (either as a guest, or through your facebook account) you are eligible to win any of the products that they talk about that night! Impossible to win you say? I've won 2 things so far from participating! These ladies are hilarious to talk with even if you don't win!

***Prairie-mama.blogspot.com: Is a blog that a friend of mine is running, and currently she is hosting a giveaway of a prize pack from Kleenex! Head on over here for the giveaway! Kim is a stay at home mom who does everything from homebirths, to sewing and currently homeschool! She is funny and fabulous to read!

Have a good week and we'll talk with you Monday!

Wordless Wednesday!

2011-02-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

FUN WITH ICE CREAM!

My weekly Menu

2011-02-07T09:19:00.000-08:00

I LOVE to cook, but I really, really HATE choosing what to cook. In the past I would frantically search through my recipes looking for ideas for dinner, usually at around 4 p.m. not giving me a whole lot of time to prepare right? I would find something that sounded good, look over the ingredients only to find that I was missing one or 2 of the ingredients! FRUSTRATING! I would quickly load the kids in the car and run to the nearest store and pick up my one or 2 items and usually a few more...head home and cook my meal, barely finishing by our designated 5:30 dinnertime. Sound familiar? If not, then you are amazing!

We put ourselves on a budget at the beginning of the New Year, because we moved into a new apartment and it's a little more than what we were paying for in our old place but much, much nicer. Our budget is through an app we both have on our iPhones called HomeBudget and the nice thing about it is that you can personalize it, add things to it and both phones will see the change. Thus preventing miss-communication of how much money there really is left. We have our Grocery budget on a weekly cycle, and if I go over one week, it takes it away from the next, and if I go under, the next week I'll have more!

Every Saturday morning (if I remember, if not then Monday morning) I write out my upcoming weekly menu. I usually follow this simple breakdown for ideas:
Monday is Taco/Mexican night
Tuesday is Pizza/sandwich/pasta night (my husband is burnt out from all the pasta that I've cooked in the past, so I usually limit it to once a month)
Wednesday is Soup night in the winter and Sandwiches during the summer
Thursday is Meat and Potato night
Friday is what my mom calls "Yo-Yo" night, or You're on Your own! Usually date night, leftovers or cold cereal :)
Saturday is Breakfast for dinner
and Sunday is something in the crockpot, usually from my FAVORITE cookbooks titled: "101 things to do with a slowcooker" and "101 more things to do with a slowcooker"

And some of my favorites sites to look for recipes are: pillsbury.com, kraftfoods.com and bettycrocker.com

So without further ado, my menu for this week;
Monday: Southwestern Cheese-stuffed Chicken Roll-ups (found here) and fiesta rice
Tuesday: Alfredo Pizza pockets
Wednesday: Baked Potato Soup
Thursday: Bbq Pork Spare Ribs with Cheesy Bacon Scalloped potatoes
Friday: YO-YO
Saturday: Eggs and Bacon English Muffin Sandwiches
Sunday: We are having Fondue for a Valentine's Party at my Parent's house

If you have any questions, please comment! ENJOY!

Houseparty.com

2011-02-03T22:13:00.000-08:00

If you have never heard of houseparty.com you are missing a lot! All you have to do is head on over, sign up to join and start applying to host some parties! Parties right now range from
***A Mardi Gras party sponsored by Zatarain's with a host package consisting of:

Zatarain's Authentic New Orleans-Style Products
Zatarain's Coupons
Zatarain's Mardi Gras Tote Bag
Mardi Gras Menu and Party Guide
Mardi Gras Masks & Beads

***A PHILLY dinnertime Dilemma Party with a host package consisting of:

For the Host:

4 Gratuity coupons for PHILLY Cooking Creme
1 GreenPan^™ Signature Stainless Steel Skillet
1 PHILLY Cooking Creme Oven Mitt

For Hosts and Guests:

16 PHILLY Cooking Creme Coupons
16 PHILLY Cooking Creme Recipe Booklets
16 PHILLY Cooking Creme Notepads
16 PHILLY Cooking Creme Magnets
16 PHILLY Cooking Creme Wooden Spoons

***Johnsonville Italian Inspiration House Party with a host package consisting of:

Coupons for free Johnsonville Italian Sausage
Coupon for free Prego Italian Sauce
Coupon for free Sargento shredded cheese
Coupons for $1 off Johnsonville Italian Sausage
Johnsonville recipe pamphlets
Napkins and plates
Spaghetti scoop
Apron
Oven mitt

***And an AARP Celebrate Life @ 50 party with a host package consisting of:

Fleece blanket for the host
Tote bags
Travel sets
Water bottles
Exercise bands
Luggage tags
AARP^® exclusive membership
offer for hosts and guests
AARP^® membership
information

Right now I am the host for a "Pull-ups Potty Training Party". This is my 3rd party I have been chosen to host and I am very excited to be doing this! All the requirements are is that you host a party, invite people and take a survey before you host the party and after you host. Simple as that. You can also use their party planning site, post pictures and post on forums about your upcoming party. This is a fabulous, free way to have parties with the stuff you love!
ENJOY!

Expiration Dates

2011-01-31T11:15:00.001-08:00

How far past expiration dates (or sell by dates) are you still willing to eat something? Are there certain things that you are willing to eat more than others?
I have heard that dairy products are usually good for a week after the date stamped on them, and things like steak sauce and other items with vinegar in them just don't seem to expire!
Do you base things off of how long they've been opened, or the date?
I am just wondering this because I've used week old cottage cheese and yogurt over the last week and seem to still be alive! But I refuse to even try milk if it's coming at all close to date!
Input would be wonderful!

ENJOY!

You missed me, I know you did!

2011-01-27T19:11:00.000-08:00

I have decided that I miss my "being me" blog, so I am coming back! I'm still in the process of finding out exactly what I want to blog about so bear with me!
Currently I am 33 1/2 weeks pregnant and I am in the process of thinking about potty training my just now turned 2 year old little girl! I have heard from a few people that I should wait to potty train her until after I've had the baby for various reasons. I want your opinion, so please share!

Thanks for reading and ENJOYING!

Winner, Winner!

2010-09-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

Ladies and well, ladies! We have a winner! According to the random generator on random.org the winner is comment number 3! That winner is Alisha Brown Platero! Congrats! Thanks to the four of you who entered and hopefully we'll be doing this again soon!

It's a Yoplait Giveaway!

2010-09-06T14:22:00.000-07:00

I remember growing up when Go-Gurt came out with their transportable yogurts. My mom would only buy them for us on special occasions, but when she did, they were gone in an instant! I thought they were the best frozen, like a popsicle! It made it easy to take to school, for a refreshing treat in my lunch.

Now that I'm a mom, my kids have discovered Go-Gurt and I can't keep them in my house for a long period of time! It even makes me laugh to see my husband sucking on the end of one!

Go-Gurts are a great way to get extra calcium and vitamin D! They also come in a variety of flavors like Strawberry Splash and Chill-Out Cherry. Try them frozen or right of of the fridge for a great snack!

I received a Yoplait Go-Gurt Keeping Cool in School gift pack full of great things for school. Even though my kids aren't in school yet, it is still great to throw a frozen one in a picnic lunch and head off to the park, knowing that I will have a healthy snack for my kids for later. The pack came with everything in this picture!

And MyBlogSpark is kind enough to let one of you lucky followers win the identical pack! All you have to do is enter with your name and email address (if you're comfortable leaving it). Everyone is eligible to win!
For additional entries,
(1) post on facebook, your blog, or tweet about it and leave me a message or a link telling me about it.
(2) become a follower of this blog

This giveaway will close on Tuesday September 14 at 11:59 p.m. Utah time, and a winner will be announced Wednesday September 15!

Thanks for entering, and GOOD LUCK!!

(The Yoplait Go-Gurt, prize pack, information and additional prize pack to give away were all given to you from Yoplait through MyBlogSpark, but all the opinions in this post are all me!)

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-08-25T10:38:00.000-07:00

My cleaning kids!

Make it with me Monday!

2010-08-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

Here is the first Make it with me Monday post. My little boys 3 Birthday was awhile ago and I made him a Star Cake because his favorite song is "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" He LOVED the cake!

Star Whipping Cream Cake

(recipe adapted from this recipe on Bettycrocker.com)

1 angel food cake

Sherbet, any flavor (I used Rainbow)

Frosting:

1	pint (2 cups) whipping cream
1/2	cup powdered sugar
1	teaspoon vanilla

Pull Sherbet out of freezer to soften. While waiting, cut your cake in half horizontally, then cut each half in half again horizontally, making 4 equal pieces. Place bottom piece of cake on a cookie sheet or large plate. When sherbet is soft, spread some on bottom layer, place next layer onto of sherbet, spoon and spread more sherbet. Repeat with next layer. Place top piece on and put the cake in the freezer for about 1 hour until sherbet is firm.

Meanwhile, make shapes for decorating.

Ingredients:
1 pkg. hard Jolly Ranchers (or other similar candies)
aluminum foil, or parchment paper (DO NOT USE WAX PAPER, IT MELTS IN THE OVEN!)
Cookie sheet
Cooking spray
Cookie cutters (i had 3 different sizes of stars, but only one of each size. I wished I would have had at least 2 or 3 of each size)

Preheat oven to 350. Put aluminum foil on pan, and spray with cooking spray. Separate candy into like colors, open pieces, put in a ziploc bag and smash into small, powder like pieces. Dump into a pile on sprayed aluminum foil. Melt in oven for 3-5 minutes or until completely melted. Immediately take out of oven and press cookie cutters in melted candy. Leave there until candy starts to harden, remove cookie cutters. You can remelt the scraps and reuse.

After an hour, take cake out of freezer. In a large bowl, beat all frosting ingredients together with an electric beater on low until soft peaks form. Beat on high until stiff peaks form, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Frost top and sides of cake (doesn't have to be smooth) and freeze for atleast 30 minutes.

Pull out, decorate with candy shapes and serve!

ENJOY!

Ode to Mothers

2010-08-11T09:32:00.000-07:00

To those of you who have been

pee'd on,

pooped on,

thrown up on,

spit up on,

slept on,

hugged upon,

cried upon,

sat upon,

and even jumped upon,

thank you for all you've put up with to raise such wonderful kids!

It sure makes me appreciate my own mother even more!

Happiest to the Crappiest

2010-08-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

Today was supposed to be a good day. My husband was getting ready to fly out to Florida to sign our house papers, making us homeowners once again. I was finally starting to feel okay about this whole moving to Florida thing because I would have a house to move into.

This morning started out like any other. My husband got up, got ready for work, kissed me goodbye and left. Only this time I knew I wouldn't see him until tomorrow. 10 o'clock came around and my husband came through the door with awful news. Stuff out of our hands had happened and now our whole house process was gone. I was dumbfounded. He left to go and talk to someone about the whole thing to see if there was anyway we could revive it, and I was left alone with my thoughts. I called my mom in tears, and talked with her about it for 30 minutes. The whole time I was on the phone crying, my little boy was trying to comfort me, he was hugging me and asking me if I was okay. I have decided that I am okay, and that this is happening for good reasons. We won't have to worry about the upkeep of the house, the mortgage for that house and the rent for the apartment we are currently residing in, and we will just rent when we finally get out there. Sometime in the next 6 months. It's hard to come face to face with things I know I have no control over.

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-08-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

All I can say is...

(she is eating diaper rash cream!)

YUCK!!!
ENJOY!!

My Crazy Week!

2010-08-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

You're all probably thinking, "man, this blog is hard too keep following, cause she's so spastic and can't keep up with her blog posts!" Well, I apologize profusely. The weekend after my last post, my laptop was taken to my brother inlaw's house to get fixed. It won't stay open, which makes typing difficult. I do have another computer, but my t.v. is hooked up to it and I usually blog while my children are watching Curious George.
Then the following week, I had a Birthday Party and an enrichment activity to plan, and my time just got consumed between those things. I am not a very organized person, so certain things get pushed aside and sometimes forgotten.
The following week after that, I had a ginormous family reunion that was a four hour drive away up in Ashton ID. My dad's family did the reunion, and all his brother's and sister's and most of their spouses were able to come. We had a ton of people, but it sure was lots of fun. I wasn't planning on staying for very long, just Friday night, Saturday and then go home with my husband on Sunday. My parent's were to come up on Sunday because my sister is in marching band and had parades all weekend. We headed over to my other grandma's house who lives in Rexburg to visit them before we take off to Florida. On our way there, my mom texted me and ended up convincing my to stay longer. I ended up staying until Thursday. I'm glad I did because we did lots of fun things like white water rafting, going to Yellowstone and Old Faithful (both of which I've never been too) But come Thursday, I was very ready to go home and be with my husband, and my wonderful bed! I had lots of JOY spending time with my family all week! So that is my reason why I haven't been around lately. That and I can't find my camera cord again, so all the posts I want to do are getting pushed aside until I can find it!
How was your 24th weekend? and What are your upcoming plans for the new month?

ENJOY!

I'm Back!

2010-07-14T12:32:00.000-07:00

My trip to Florida was fabulous!

Wednesday was pretty good. I was busy all day cleaning, packing, and making sure that my kids were ready for the 4 day stay at Grandma's houses. My Joy for the day consisted of buying these babies.

I did it, I finally splurged and bought myself a nice pair of sandals. I decided one day that I needed them because we were moving to Florida, then all I had left to do was convince my husband that I needed them. Tuesday night I just flat out asked him if I could buy some new shoes (since the shoes I currently had consisted of flip-flops and tennis shoes) he said Yes. So Wednesday before I dropped the kids off at my mother inlaw's house, I headed over to Al's Sporting Goods and tried on a few pairs til I found the ones I like. I would have preferred blue, but green is my favorite color too. What makes it even better is that they were on sale for 30% off! JOY in fabulous new shoes!

Thursday we headed over to the house so I could finally see it in real life. Then we spent all day trying to find an insurance for the house (well actually my hubby looked, and I napped.) with not much luck. So after a depressing day, we headed over to a Walgreens for a restroom and decided to get some Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. I got Peanut Butter Cup and my hubby got Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. That was a fabulous dinner! Ice Cream sure does bring me JOY!!

Friday we headed over to the M&M's factory over in Orlando to use a gift card that I've had for the last year. I could've used it on their website, but the selection is kinda sad, and who wants to pay $9 shipping? I got a new visor, and then my hubby picked out a candy holder for the kids. Of course we had to buy M&M's to fill it with. Boy were those the most expensive M&M's I've ever bought! 12.99 a pound! Oh well, the kids love it!

Saturday we went to the Kennedy Space Center all day. It was long, hot and what made it worth it was our funny tour guide! We did a 2 hour tour, then rode the rocket takeoff simulator thing, then left.

For dinner we had CHEESECAKE FACTORY! It was delicious!

And my most favorite JOY of all, we were able to talk to the kids on our webcam! I am so grateful for modern technology that makes it possible to talk to someone face to face even though you are thousands of miles apart! The kids were excited to see me, and the first thing my little boy asked was "where's dad?" I was able to take snap shots of them while I was talking to them.

Free picture collage generated with Smilebox

Sunday we flew home. Need I say more?

Monday my brother just younger than me got engaged! We are all so happy for them. She is so cute and fits right into the family. They are getting married on Sept. 24th in the Logan Temple!

Tuesday I took my little girl to the eye doctor, because her pediatrician was concerned about the "red reflex" in her left eye. This could mean tumors. The JOY I had was being able to hear that it wasn't tumors. The down side is that she is developing lazy eye. The JOY is that we were able to diagnose it really early. The bad news is she has to wear a patch and glasses. The JOY is that she doesn't have to get them now. The bad news is that he doesn't recommend waiting longer than 6 months. The sarcastic JOY is that apparently it is genetic! The real JOY is, is that he said that she passed every test he gave her, which means that her eye sight isn't failing and that it will be reversible! HURRAY!!! ENJOY!

I'm leaving, on a jet plane! (or airplane)

2010-07-06T21:56:00.000-07:00

My husband and I are going to be flying to Florida tomorrow so I might be blogging off and on while were gone. We are headed to look at our new house! I am so excited that I get to see it finally.

My Joy on Sunday consisted of playing Spoons with my brother's girlfriend/almost fiance. You see, my family has this tradition that we play spoons with the new future spouses. It all started with my aunts and uncles and now we have played it with my husband, my sister's husband and now my brother's almost fiance. (he is trying to find a job to buy a ring, and then he will propose!) Anyways, we fight dirty, but have lots of fun playing. When all was said and done, we broke 2 plastic spoons, my husband had a large scratch on his arm from my dad's flat wedding ring, I broke a nail, and I think we all have bruises all over! I just love playing games with my family, it is so much fun and I have missed it and will miss it now that we are leaving. What kinds of games are played in your families?

Monday consisted of going to Willard Bay with my husband's family. We rode on a wave runner and I am very sore! My husband wanted me to drive it, so he got us out away from other boats and I took control. I drove for awhile and then let my husband go for it. He liked driving in circles, splashing water all over us, and then eventually tossing both of us off! Getting back on that thing was difficult. Then it was my turn again. I gunned it and then went to turn and forgot to slow down, thus throwing my husband and the key off the back end! I was stuck about 15 feet away, watching as he slowly started to swim back to the wave runner. Needless to say, I was done! I take great JOY in spending time with family! How was your weekend?

Tuesday came with a scare and then JOY. I had just gotten back from riding my bike to the store with my two kids, and I was unloading some groceries into the house. My little girl got out and was playing around in the backyard, so I left her for a minute to run my groceries into the house with my little boy tagging behind. I went back outside to get her and she was gone. I started to look for her everywhere I could think, I even went back inside and looked. By this time I was panicking. I just kept thinking to myself that I was so stupid to leave her outside for a minute. I ran back inside, then out again only to find her waiting in the driveway. I was so relieved and thankful that I had found her. I can say that I will be having a better eye on her, especially in a strange new place when we move. Moving outside of sheltered Utah is scaring the daylights out of me. All I can think about is what bad things might happen! Oh well, I will survive and I will make the best of my situation. I really want to make this work!

p.s I am going to try to take pictures of my daily JOY's happening and post them so that way you can look and don't necessarily have to read!

ENJOY!!!

Thursday, Friday, Saturday and a "Dandy Giveaway!!"

2010-07-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

Thursday: I had my little niece over so her mom could get some housework done for when her husband came home on Friday! He is in the Army and we are so excited that he was able to come home for a weekend trip to see his family. JOY in helping out my sister!
Friday: We went to fireworks! My little girl didn't like them at first, but then warmed up to them and yelled "Boom" after every single one! I loved it! We also rode our bikes up to the stadium so we wouldn't have to fight traffic coming home. The hills were beasty, but we made it up, and then we soared back down. It was fabulous!! JOY with bikes and fireworks!
Saturday: Today I spent a lazy day with my family. We took naps, rode our bikes around, had pizza and did fireworks! My little boy sang "twinkle, twinkle little star with his sparkler, it was so cute! I even got a video of it with my phone but haven't figured out how to upload it to blogger. Help? JOY with lazy days!

***A great blog that I follow is having a giveaway from essentialswimwear.com. A great place that has fabulous modest swimsuits for really good prices! Head on over to dandygiveaway.blogspot.com and enter to win a great swimming suit! You have until Sunday! ENJOY!***

Wenesday's Joy!

2010-06-30T21:13:00.000-07:00

On Monday when I went to Zumba, I about died from heat! We Zumba in an older building, and so there isn't a/c, just floor fans which barely get enough air movement through the whole room. Add that to 40-50 hot sweaty bodies and you have a big heat disaster! So today I decided to experiment. I took a bandanna and got it wet with cold water and tied it to my forehead. What a difference that made, I was amazed at how cool, and how less I sweated because of it! I will never leave home again without my bandanna! Today I found Joy in an extra oomph of energy at my Zumba class! I highly recommend it!! ENJOY!

Winner of Got2b Sample and Monday's Joy!

2010-06-29T20:02:00.000-07:00

The winner and only entrant to my giveaway for a free sample of Got2b Smoothing Lustre Lotion is:
Tracy Pine! Thanks for entering Tracy!
Today I had the opportunity to go VT and I decided that in spite of all the heat, I wanted to walk to my appointments, which were just around the corner. It actually wasn't too bad because there was a little breeze. Maybe I feel like I need to get myself ready for all the humidity I will have to experience, so a walk in 100 degree weather will seem like no big deal! Today's JOY was going on a walk with my two fabulously wonderful kids!

Here is a picture I took of the temperature in my car about 5 minutes after my walk (don't mind the weird reflection of my hand and my cute purse, it was the best I could get!):

Hurray for getting laundry done!

2010-06-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

Today my Joy took all day to accomplish, but I did it. I finally caught up on my laundry since we've moved into this apartment! I haven't exactly put it all away, but it's all washed, dried, and mostly put away. It's a short lived Joy, because laundry doesn't stay done for very long, but until then, WAHOO!

Wednesday-Saturday

2010-06-27T14:33:00.000-07:00

Wednesday: My sister took my kids for a couple of hours so I could work more on unpacking boxes, and so I could clean up for a Shelf Reliance party that I was hosting on Thursday. Joy in uninterrupted cleaning!
Thursday: We went swimming up to Bear Lake. My little sister is on the marching band council and they had a retreat to a cabin in Bear Lake. My mom went with and invited us to go too. The kids had a blast! I got a sunburn on my back and the back of my shins, oh well! Joy in Swimming!
Friday: Watched the movie "Extraordinary Measures", and "The Spy Next Door" (this one with my little boy) Both good movies. Joy in relaxing and watching movies!
Saturday: I took my kids to a free craft at Michaels (join "the knack" for special coupons, and a newsletter letting you know when there are free crafts to do at their store!) They had so much fun!! Joy in Crafting with my kids!
My husband flew out to Florida to look at one of our possible houses and we have decided that we are going to get it!! I am so excited that we are done searching. Now we just play the waiting game, and hope that we get all the types of loans we need, and don't have to deal with the one's we don't want to do! It has 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a swimming pool, 3/4 an acre of property and is almost 3,000 square feet!!
Here is a picture (half the house is hiding behind those trees) Joy in a HOME!

Spreading some JOY!

2010-06-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

Today I've decided that I'm going to share something with you that gives me JOY. I have had the opportunity to try got2b Smooth Operator Lustre Lotion for your hair and can I tell you that it is fabulous! I love being able to wake up in the morning and rubbing it in my hair, knowing that it's going to give me smooth hair for the rest of the day. I have a free sample for one of you lucky followers with a coupon for $1 off a full size bottle! All you have to do is comment with your name, and tell me what you do with your hair when you wake up! Also become a follower if you haven't already. (not required to enter) Drawing will take place on Sunday June 26 and announced on Monday, June 27 Thanks! Enjoy!

(Free product was given to me to test from bzzagent.com, opinion is all my own!)

Monday and Tuesday!

2010-06-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

Monday I found Joy in the first day of Summer, which is also my younger brother's Birthday! Happy Birthday to him (he just turned 22!) We actually celebrated his Birthday on Father's Day, but I still was able to wish him a Happy Birthday yesterday. And another Joy is finding my camera usb cable! Now I can upload pictures from my camera and I won't have to keep using my cell phone!

Tuesday's Joy has come early, and that's why I'm posting about it already. My 18 month old daughter slept through the night! She was doing great until we moved, then she started waking up 2 & 3 times a night. For the last week she's been down to only 1 night a week and finally last night I got a full night's sleep. I haven't had one of those in awhile. She woke up crying, but as soon as I got her, she was all loves and kisses. What a way to start my day! She went to the fridge and wanted her bottle, after she was done she put it in the fridge and wanted a yogurt. She loves yogurt! So I guess you could say that I found JOY in a happy, sleeping through the night baby and she found JOY in a cup of yogurt! ENJOY!

This is a video, click on it to watch!

Friday, Saturday and Sunday!

2010-06-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

I am trying so hard to keep up on posting about things that give me joy, and so far I'm not doing so hot!

Friday: I spent the afternoon with my mom and my sister and we walked around the Summerfest. It's basically a mini fair, but with art booths and food. Yummy, yummy food! I found Joy in a deep fried TWINKIE! It was divine! So crispy, sweet and fattening! If you've never tried one, I highly recommend it. I don't like twinkies, but if I deep fried them, then I would eat them every day!

(picture copied from here.)

That evening, my husband and I had a date. We went to the Temple. We tried to make it a goal at the beginning of the year to go monthly, but the last couple of months have been kinda hectic, so we finally made it on Friday. Afterwards we had Quiznos for dinner, and Cold Stone Ice Cream for dessert. YUM! I found Joy in spending time with people I love!!
Saturday: Saturday I found Joy in taking my little boy to Toy Story 3 in 3D (I don't recommend 3D movies for kids under the age of 4, they just don't get that they have to keep the glasses on!) That movie was pretty funny!
Sunday: Father's Day. How was your Father's Day? Mine started off with me making these for my hubby for breakfast:

If you can't tell from the picture, they are Huckleberry cheese cake crepes. They were so good! I got rave reviews from my hubby! I ended up giving him a travel neck pillow, an iphone seat holder thingy so he can watch movies on his phone while he's traveling (flying), and a $10 gift card to Cold Stone. What'd you give your Father? I gave my father a $15 gift card to itunes, and a $10 gift card to Cold Stone too! I found Joy in celebrating! ENJOY!!

Wednesday and Thursday!

2010-06-17T21:31:00.000-07:00

Wednesday's Joy came in the form of my visiting teachers. I just love them and I am going to miss them the most. They came and shared a message about renewing our sacramental covenants, and being able to pay more attention to the sacramental prayer, something I need to do more of, and something that is harder now that I have kids.
Today (being Thursday) found Joy is swimming. My inlaws had a swim party with the investment company they are involved with and invited us to go with. The kids had a blast! I have never seen my little girl so excited in the water, splashing so much and getting the rest of us drenched! We had so much fun and purple kids by the time we were done!

And here's a little something for Father's day. Free downloadable scrapbook pages for your father! go here, For a limited time though, so hurry on! Enjoy!

Tuesday Two for Joys!

2010-06-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

Tuesday brought me JOYS in a summer smoothie Enrichment activity! They were absolutely delicious and fantastically refreshing! Here is one of my favorite recipes:

Yogurt Smoothie Recipe

1 small container of any flavor yogurt

fill the empty yogurt container with milk and add to blender with yogurt

add frozen fruit (or fresh, but add ice) about a cup

Blend until smooth, Enjoy!

Also, Jamba Juice is having a screaming deal on their new 5 berry smoothies; a 16 oz one for only $1!!!  Go celebrate! 

Another Joy came that night when we had a thunderstorm! I just love thunderstorms and I guess I hear I'm in for a real treat with moving to Florida. I hear the thunderstorms there are amazing! Gets me excited just thinking about it!!! ENJOY!
p.s. does anyone know how to get a 3 column blog? I want one, but I'm html challenged. HELP!

Monday!

2010-06-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, I've just started and I'm already a little behind. Monday was great. I had peaches and milk for breakfast, and then I cut up Apricots to go with dinner. yum! So yesterday, I found Joy in fresh fruit!

Saturday and Sunday Joy!

2010-06-13T20:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday I shared a yogurt with my baby. She loved it! The look on her face was worth every bite I gave her. Her smiling and laughing every time I gave her a bite was pure JOY!

Today I had to stay home from church with both of my kids. So my joy came when my husband came home from church, put both the kids down for a nap and told me to take one too! Do you know how long it's been since i've had a nap??? My JOY today came in the form of my husband!! Thank you!

Enjoy!! Comment, please?

Finding Daily Joy!

2010-06-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

I am a woman on a mission. For the next 30 days, I am going to find Joy in something everyday, whether it's with my kids, with cooking, or just because, I am going to find it!
Thursday I had gone to see my mom where she works, and there were cupcakes up in their break room. My mom fed my little girl a purple one, she loved it! After visiting, we headed over to Walmart to get a few groceries, and before I knew it my little girl was barfing. Purple! I hurried and cleaned her up and hurried to finish shopping. She threw up once more before we left. I blamed it on the cupcake. That night she woke up for a bottle, drank it and then proceeded to throw it up all over me! I quickly changed both of us and put her back to bed. She was up off and on for the rest of the night with a fever. Then my little boy woke at 5 with a nasty cough. I was up with him for an hour until he fell asleep.
The next day, I just kept on giving her advil and tylenol every three hours to try to help with her fever. She didn't throw up the rest of the day. (thank goodness) That night, I put her down for bed and she fell asleep without any problems, but then woke up at midnight. My husband and I weren't in bed yet, so I went to get her, and gave her to my husband so I could make her a bottle. He wanted to feed her, so I gave him the bottle. After she was done, he snuggled with her on the couch. Then he stood up and walked out of the room with her. I thought he was putting her down. I finished up what I was doing and got ready for bed. Just as I was about to lay down, I noticed that she was in bed with him and they were both asleep! My husband is so wonderful! I took her and laid her down in the pack and play, only to have her wake up again. I gave her the rest of her bottle, but couldn't get her to go back to sleep. I finally went and laid her down, and then laid on the floor next to her bed. She fell asleep shortly after.
She woke a few more times throughout the night, and again I laid on the floor next to her and watched her go to sleep. Every once and awhile she would say "hi". So cute!
Through all of that, I found joy in watching my baby sleep. It made me smile just watching her, and it made me laugh everytime she would tell me "hi"! I challenge each of you to take a look at your days, and find something that gives you joy, think about it throughout your day and please share your thoughts with me! Thanks for following and commenting! EnJOY!

I want to talk about something, and then I'll get to Bizarre Holidays!

2010-06-09T14:41:00.000-07:00

Today I had to do something out of my comfort zone. I had to stand up for something I believe in and I had to do something about it. Leaving your children in a car. I don't care if it's overcast and cloudy, you just don't do it!

Today I went to the post office with my sister so she could drop off a package, and I could watch her little girl. We pulled up next to a car, and I noticed there was a little boy in the car, not much older that about 2 years old. The windows were rolled up, and there were no keys in the ignition, so I told my sister I was going to call the police on this person. She went in and I proceeded with my call. After giving dispatch my whole background, I gave her the car description and information. She told me that they were sending an officer and that I was to make sure that the car didn't leave. About 2 minutes later, the dad came out. He looked at me and smiled, and I felt awful, but I gave him the "hold on" hand signal. He instantly knew what I was doing. A few minutes later an officer pulled up and I hung up with dispatch. The officer went over and talked with the guy, then came over to me to get more information about me, then asked me how long the boy had been left in the car, I told him that I had only been there for about 5 minutes. He went back to the dad, then came back to me and told me that he was going to give him a warning, because I had no proof that the boy had been in the car for more than 10 minutes. I wasn't really trying to get anyone in serious trouble, I just wanted the dad to know that what he did was wrong, and possibly dangerous.

I know we've all wanted to do it, but please, no matter what, don't leave your children in your car! Thank you!

Now Ill get off my soap box and get back to this week's Bizarre Holiday's!

Today: Celebrate National Donald Duck Day! Pull out your old classics, sit back and relax to a Donald Duck movie!

Thursday: National Yo-Yo day! Can you "walk the dog"? I know I can't!

Friday: National Give Someone a Hug Day! Find a Friend, Give a hug and all day you'll have a HUG!

Saturday: Machine Day: Tell you're favorite machine (whether it's a washing one, a drying one, an answering one, or even a faxing one) Thank you for all it's hard work, and you wouldn't know what life would be like without one!

Sunday: National Juggling Day: Maybe this will be a great day to improve your skills, or lack of! Try juggling fruit, or find a friend and juggle between the two of you!
and National Kitchen Klutzes of America Day!: You know who you are! I know I am a klutz in the kitchen sometimes, dropping eggs, using baking powder instead of baking soda! Please share a klutz story!

Monday: "All around the Mulberry Bush, the monkey chases the Weasel, the Monkey thought "oh this is fun!" Pop Goes the Weasel!" Happy "Pop Goes The Weasel Day! Check out this article from Wikipedia about the history of the Nursery Rhyme, pretty interesting!

Tuesday: You got/gave a hug on Friday, now it's National Smile Power Day!: Give one to someone for the heck of it and see how they react, either that or Smile like you're up to something, it makes people wonder!

ENJOY! And please share how you celebrated!!
(bizarre holiday information found on http://library.thinkquest.org/2886/)

Come, Make This with Me!

2010-06-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, I love to participate in a live webcast every Tuesday at 7 PST from 24/7 moms! Well, this last Tuesday they had Mandy from Gourmet Mom on the Go. She shared a fabulous recipe for making edible crayons that I thought I would share with you! I am so excited to try these, since my little girl already eats crayons, why not make them really edible! Thanks 24/7 moms! ENJOY!

How To Make Edible Crayons

Edible Crayons make a fun end of the school year treat.

Ingredients:
1 Bag pretzel rods
1 Bag candy melts ( any color) Wilton makes these.
Crayon Wrappers ( download free ones below)
Wax paper

Directions:
1. Cut Pretzel rods into 3" pieces ( use serrated knife)
2. Place 1/4 to 1/2 of candy melts into microwaveable bowl.
3. Melt bowl of candy melts in Microwave - Stirring every 30 seconds until melted
4. Dip each end of pretzel rod into melted candy melt.
5. Place on wax paper to dry.
6. Wrap dipped pretzel rod with crayon wrapper once completely dry

Labels:

Free End of the School Year Labels - Click here to download now.

Additional FREE labels from Gourmet Mom On The Go. Click here to get your labels now.

(recipe copied from 247moms.blogspot.com)

Week of upcoming Bizarre Holidays to celebrate!

2010-06-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

(bizarre national holiday information taken from: http://library.thinkquest.org/2886/)

Wednesday: National Rocky Road Day! Is that in Ice Cream or actual roads? I would pick ice cream! Go on and celebrate with a friend, driving down a rocky road, eating rocky road ice cream. What a way to spend a day!

Thursday: National Repeat Day! Wouldn't it be awesome if we could repeat a really good day, over and over again? In celebration of this day, sit down and watch Groundhog Day! a really funny movie starring Bill Murray, about a guy who gets to repeat Groundhog's Day over, and over, and over again!

Friday: National Old Maid's Day! Play Old Maid with your kids! Or just clean, your choice!

Saturday: Festival of Popular Delusions Day! Good Luck with this one! Tell me which one's are your favorite!

Sunday: Teacher's Day!: Tell a teacher you know that you appreciate them (I personally think that this one should be during school, and not right as school is ending for most of us)
National Applesauce Cake Day!: Substitute Applesauce for oil (straight across) in any cake recipe for a lower fat dessert (texture is a little different, but still pretty good) Here is a recipe for an Applesauce Snack Cake (looks divine by the way, I might just try it!)

Applesauce Snack Cake

(recipe and picture found from Bettycrocker.com)

Cake

1 2/3

cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2

teaspoons ground allspice

teaspoon baking soda

1/2

teaspoon salt

1/2

cup applesauce

1/3

cup chopped nuts

1/2

cup water

1/3

cup vegetable oil

teaspoon white vinegar

Apple Cider Sauce

1/2

cup packed brown sugar

1/4

cup butter or margarine

1/4

cup apple cider or orange juice

tablespoons whipping cream



	Print these coupons...





	About Concordance™

1.	Heat oven to 350°F. In ungreased 8-inch square pan, mix flour, 1 cup brown sugar, the allspice and baking soda with fork. Stir in all remaining cake ingredients until blended.
2.	Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
3.	In 1 1/2-quart saucepan, heat all sauce ingredients to rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly; reduce heat slightly. Boil 3 minutes, stirring frequently. (Watch carefully; mixture burns easily.) Store sauce in refrigerator.

Monday: National Chocolate Ice Cream Day!: Fabulous! Another excuse to eat ice cream, Chocolate this time! Here is a family favorite recipe:

Homemade Ice Cream

1 pint Heavy Cream

1 can evaporated milk

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 qt. whole milk

1 sm. pkg. chocolate pudding (or vanilla)

3/4 c. sugar

4 tsp. vanilla

2 lg. candy bars crushed (optional)

mix and put in ice cream maker!

Tuesday: National Name your Poison Day! Ummm...I pick Poisonous Apples like off of Snow White. That way I can be kissed and live happily ever after!

(picture from www.cartoondollemporium.com/disney/snowwhite7.jpg)

Enjoy Celebrating for the week and please share what you've celebrated! Thanks! And tell your friends to come and follow me, only 5 more and I will do a giveaway!

They make me laugh!

2010-05-30T15:43:00.000-07:00

I didn't even teach them to dip fries in their frosty. They discovered it all on their own. That and dipping chicken nuggets!

ENJOY!

taking a quick break!

2010-05-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

I am packing and cleaning my house this week, so I barely have time to sit and think, so I am going to take a break for awhile until we get settled into our apartment. Thanks for everyone who comments and visits this blog! I just need 5 more followers and then I will do a fabulous giveaway! So send your friends this way and I will see you sometime in the near future. Until then, please enjoy another funny video!

ENJOY!

p.s. don't forget to join 24/7 moms tonight for a live webcast!

"Every Tuesday night 24/7 MOMS goes live with a packed night of Momversation, Keeping it Simple ideas, giveaways and so much more FUN.

Join moms from across the country who come together every Tuesday night for a creative, chatty and contagious Webcast designed by MOMS for MOMS.

7pm PST or 9pm PST at www.247moms.com ( TV on your computer)

This Week 24/7 MOMS Live Features:

- Jennifer Dotson from Thrifty Northwest Mom

- Summer Traveling Tips & Free and inexpensive things to do while traveling with kids
- 24 Must haves & 9 Organize its, for a crafty summer

- SWEET of the week
- Fabulous Giveaways

The #1 MOM Webcast goes live every Tuesday night at www.247moms.com

Put your kids to bed - Grab a hot cup of your favorite beverage - Surf over to channel www.247moms.com on your computer and join us.

Join the chat to WIN prizes ( instructions are posted at www.247moms.com every Tuesday at 5pm PST)

Tweet, TXT, Facebook , invite all of your MOM friends to this weeks 24/7 MOMS Live Webcast."

(copied for 247moms.com)

p.s.s I am 5pennies!

Funny But True!

2010-05-21T18:10:00.001-07:00

ENJOY!!!

I Won! and Easy French Dip Sandwiches!

2010-05-18T21:39:00.000-07:00

Today I remembered that I wanted to participate in 24/7 mom's live webcast chat tonight, and boy am I glad I did! Every Tuesday at 7p.m. PST and 9p.m. PST there is a webcast that you can participate in and discuss loads of things from what to have in your car at all times (snacks, emergency supplies etc...) to crafts and books! Then at the end of the 7p.m. chat, they give away fabulous prizes for items they discuss on the show. All you have to do is participate in the chat and they draw from all the participants and if you are lucky like I was tonight, you win a prize! Tonight I won a $20 gift card to shop.puma.com! I have never heard of it, but I have looked around and can't wait to chooses my prize! So join me next week on Tuesday for the next chat! Hope to see you there! My chat name is 5pennies!
Tonight for dinner, I made French Dip Sandwiches for dinner. My husband has come up with the easiest and best way to make these!

List Of Ingredients:
1 lb. Roast Beef Deli Meat sliced thin
1 AuJus Packet mix
Hoagie buns
Cheese (we like sliced swiss)

First you get a pound of Roast Beef from the deli (we like italian roast beef the best, any brand will do), buy Western Family AuJus in a packet (we have tried others and like this one the best) make the AuJus according to the packet directions. When it starts boiling, add slices of meat and cook til meat is heated.

Put on a hoagie, add cheese if desired, I toast mine and then pour AuJus in a cup, dip and ENJOY! (sorry the pictures don't look that appetizing, my phone does okay)

Bear Lake

2010-05-17T07:44:00.000-07:00

Right now I am at Bear Lake enjoying a timeshare that my husband bought from a guy at work. The Lake water is too cold to even wade in, but they have a swimming pool and a playground, so that is what we've been doing every day since we got here on Friday.
We are supposed to be here until Friday, but with two small kids that get bored very easily, I'll be surprised if we make it that long!
On Saturday, my husband took a walk to look around and was gone for an hour, so the kids and I pulled down the hidden bed in the living room and played on it. We had so much fun jumping and bouncing, and they loved it when I threw them onto the bed too! You see, my bed at home is a Tempurpedic, and if you own one you know what I mean when I say you can't bounce on that bed! You hit the bed like a belly flop, a sudden stop then you sink! It's a great bed to sleep one, but not one to bounce on! So this weekend I found joy in jumping on a bed! ENJOY!

Rain Brings Me Joy!

2010-05-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday it rained off and on for most of the day. I just love how rain smells and how it makes me feel. I can just stand outside in it all day long and just let it pour all over me, washing away all my cares, and my stresses. I remember a time when I was little and it was pouring outside. I wanted to go out and play, so my mom let me. I remember how fun it was splashing in puddles, letting the water from the roof and the gutter pour all over me. I was drenched, but I was happy. Yesterday I found joy in rain! What's something that gives you joy? ENJOY!

My Mother's Day Weekend was Great! How Was Yours?

2010-05-10T21:27:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we headed over to my husband's parent's house to celebrate Mother's Day (hers) My father inlaw's Birthday (May 25) Sister Inlaw's Birthday (April 22) Sis inlaw's husband's Birthday (April 29) and sis inlaw's youngest son's Birthday (May 23). Wow what a lot of celebrating! We had barbecue meatballs courtesy of me and Dutch oven potatoes, sweet dutch oven carrots and rolls. Very yummy. Then we had spice cake with frosting and apple pie filling spooned over the top. That was pretty good too. Then present's were opened and then we played outside in the yard then went home.
My husband was a sweet heart and took our little family out to dinner at a local barbecue place. It was okay, the food was better the first time we went. Then we got home and I was later taking care of my little boy who got hurt when my husband came inside the house. He sat at the top of the stairs and called my little boy to him, gave him a card to give to me and then had him carry over a big box. Inside the box was a vegetable tray! I have been wanting one for 2 years now and he found me one! Wahoo!
The next day we got flowers from church, and a ink handprint with a poem from my little boy from nursery. Then we went to my mom's house.

I made her a rotating photo box and then we gave her a webcam that way we can call her when we move to Florida. We had dinner, marinated chicken, rolls, corn, green beans, and fruit. For dessert I made huckleberry cheesecake bars. Very yummy!

My mom gave each of us girls a present. I got the Worldwide Ward Cookbook mom's favorite recipes, 101 things to do with chocolate cookbook, and a spreader knife. My sister gave me a recordable picture frame with lotion and body wash. Then I got to talk to my brother who is on a mission! What a great way to end a fabulous day! Hope you all had a great Mother's Day too! ENJOY!

My unsung weekend heroes!

2010-05-06T08:44:00.000-07:00

My husband and I took a trip to Florida this past Friday-Monday to look for a home to live in. We didn't have much luck finding something that works for us. All the big houses in our price range need lots and lots of work and the small houses are well, small, smaller than what we are living in now, but for more money. Here I thought the price of living was a little cheaper there!
Anyways, our weekend went really well, but it sure did have some problems, but thanks to the men and women out there that do everything they can to make sure we are flying as happy as possible! We got to the Airport on Monday about an hour early, got through security and were on our way to board a plane home. The t.v. screen said that our flight was on time and that we would be taking off at 6:35. The time came and we boarded the plane, only to have to unboard the plane 15 minutes later. The weather was bad in Dallas (which is where our connecting flight was) and there were no planes going in or out at that time. We were delayed for an hour. The flight at the terminal next to us was also flying to Dallas, and they had already been delayed for mechanical problems. We boarded before they did, and waited about 20 more minutes and then took off. There was quite a bit of turbulence the whole way. Our connecting flight was supposed to leave at 9:10, but was delayed til 9:45. We landed in Dallas at 10 and were told that our flight was delayed until 10:11. The flight attendants got on the speakers and told everyone to stay seated unless they had a connecting flight to stay in there seats. We stood up, along with about 1/3 of the plane. Most everyone in front of us let us past, but one guy wouldn't let us past. He told us the people in front of him were moving fast enough and that we could wait. Finally off the plane, we had to sprint to a shuttle that would take us to our terminal.
My first hero was a soldier. He was waiting for the shuttle too and could see that we were in a big hurry. He asked where we needed to be, we told him and he said we would make it no problem. We boarded and then he proceeded to tell us that as soon as the shuttle stopped to head right and we would make it. We stopped and ran. We found our terminal. Our empty terminal. I started to panic and started to cry. I asked the lady's at the desk next to ours and they said that the plane had already left. My husband ran down to the window and saw that the plane was still there. He yelled back to me that it was still here, and that's when I saw this guy running out of the corner of my eye.
My second hero then proceeded to run down the ramp towards the plane, then about 20 seconds later came running back up. He was no small guy either! He came out of the door, asked us if we had our boarding passes, we said yes and then he told us to run and that they were waiting for us! I thanked him and ran.
My third hero was at the end of the ramp. He told us to stop running so we wouldn't trip and that we had made it, he told us to find an empty seat and to keep our bags by our feet because all the overhead compartments were closed. My fourth hero was inside the plane opening up the compartments one by one to find us an empty hole for our bags. He was funny the rest of the flight also. He made me laugh and feel a little more relaxed.
We flew into Salt Lake at midnight and had planned on going to Bag Claim to tell them that our bag had not made it on the plane because we had barely made it. My husband waited there and I went to the carousel to check to see if by some miracle our bag had made it. My next hero whoever it was, had put our bag on our plane and it was about the 10th bag out of the carousel in SLC. I am so appreciative to all those people who helped get us home Monday night.
My other heroes are my mother inlaw, my sister and my mom. They took my kids over the weekend for us, so we wouldn't have to worry about them. My sister took them Thursday night so we could leave at 3 a.m. to catch our flight. My mother inlaw had them Friday afternoon to Saturday evening, and My mom had them Saturday night, Sunday, and first thing Monday morning, then my sister had them until my mom got off of work. My mom had them the rest of Monday, and then told us she would take them Monday night also so we didn't have to get them at 11 when we were originally supposed to get home. Because she had them, we didn't have to worry about picking them up at 2:30 a.m. when we finally pulled into our driveway.
Back up a little. We were driving home from the airport and stopped at a McDonald's. We pulled up to the drive-thru and were told that they only accepted cash. We then drove to the Maverick next door and pulled out cash, drove back over and were told the same thing. We ordered and were told to pull to the first window for our total. We got there and didn't see anyone, so we pulled up to the next window. No one there either. I looked out the rearview mirror just in time to see a head poke out of the first window. We pulled back only to find no one there again. A head poked out of the second window. We pulled up there only to find no one there again. Sure enough, a head poked out of the first window again. My husband went to pull back to the window, I told him to wait, and sure enough there he was at the second window again where we were waiting. He told us he had been chasing us back and forth, we told him we had been chasing him too! I was laughing so hard at that point I was crying! Thanks to you, whoever you were for ending my day laughing!
Thanks also to everyone else who made my weekend wonderful! ENJOY!

Cinco De Mayo!

2010-05-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

Today is Cinco De Mayo! I just love any excuse I can get to party and eat food! So what exactly is it that we are celebrating? I searched up Cinco De Mayo on Wikipedia and this is what it had to say:

"Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a voluntarily observed holiday that commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.^[2]^[3] It is celebrated primarily in the state of Puebla and in the United States.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7] While Cinco de Mayo has limited significance nationwide in Mexico, the date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.^[8] Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day,^[9] the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico.^[10]^"

^{I guess it sounds like we are celebrating a great victory! In celebration, here is a great and easy recipe:}

^{Microwave Chicken Enchiladas}

^{6 flour tortillas}
^{1/4 cup chopped onion}
^{1 minced clove of garlic}
^{1/4 t. ground pepper}
^{2 T. butter}
^{3 T. flour}
^{3/4 c sour cream}
^{1 cup grated monterey jack cheese}
^{1 1/4 c. chicken broth}
^{1 small can green chilies}
^{1 1/2 cup chopped cooked chicken}

^{1. Place the chicken in a pan of boiling water and cook until the chicken is white completely through the center (check with a knife). Approximately 10 minutes. Remove from water and cut into bite size pieces.}
^{2. In a large glass bowl, microwave cook the chopped onion, garlic, pepper and margarine uncovered, on high 2-3 min. or until tender.}
^{3. Stir flour into sour cream then add to onion mixture. Stir in 1 1/4 c. chicken broth and green chilies. Cook uncovered on high for 5-7 minutes or til thickened and bubbly. STIRRING EVERY MINUTE!}
^{4. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese}
^{5. For filling, place 1/2 of the sauce cooked above in a bowl. Add the chicken that has been cut up into the sauce. Place about 1/4 cup filling on top of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas and put seam side down in a greased glass casserole dish.}
^{6. Top with remaining sauce from glass bowl. Cook covered with plastic wrap, on high for 12-14 minutes or til heated through, giving the dish a half turn once. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve with lettuce, tomato, olives and green onions.}

^{What are your favorite mexican food recipes? Have fun celebrating! Enjoy!}

SNOW!?

2010-04-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

Here it is April 28 and we are still getting snow here in Utah! That's okay though, because it was all gone and melted in 3 hours!

Makes me even more ready to go to Florida on Friday! My husband and I are going house hunting and we will be gone Friday-Monday. I am so excited! My mom, sister and mother inlaw are watching my kids so we don't have to take them with us. YAY for close family!

Here's a random question for you, what are you getting your mom/mother inlaw for mother's day? I am at a loss for what to get them. I am going to do something about the grandkids for them, but I wanna do something else too. ENJOY!

Happy National Free Pretzel Day!

2010-04-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

Monday April 26 is National Free Pretzel Day and Pretzel Maker and Pretzel Time are giving away free Pretzels with or without salt! All you have to do is mention that it's National Free Pretzel Day! Or if you don't have time to run and get a free pretzel, stay at home and make some with your kids! Here is a recipe for homemade pretzels. ENJOY!

Mini Soft Pretzels

(taken from pillsbury.com)

1	can (11 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated breadsticks
1	egg, beaten
	Kosher (coarse) salt, if desired

DIRECTIONS

	Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll dough; separate into 12 breadsticks. Cut each in half lengthwise. Roll each breadstick lightly to form 10-inch-long rope.
	To shape each pretzel, shape rope into a circle, overlapping dough about 2 inches from each end, leaving ends free. Take 1 end in each hand; twist once at point where dough overlaps. Lift ends over opposite side of circle. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush each with beaten egg; sprinkle with salt.
	Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, in small microwavable bowl, mix cheese spread and milk. Microwave on High 1 minute, stirring once halfway through cooking, until melted and hot.
	Remove pretzels from cookie sheet.

Kernal Seasonings

2010-04-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to cook up some broccoli, and I don't know about you, but when I eat steamed broccoli, I have to have cheese with it. Broccoli and cheese go together like carrots and ranch, and celery and peanut butter! My dilemma being, I am on a diet and cheese is really, really high in calories and fat. Especially the good kind, the stuff that melts real nice. So i tried for awhile eating it cooked plain. Then I added garlic salt. Not the same. Then I remembered that I have these babies in my cupboard. The flavors I have are: White Cheddar, Nacho Cheddar, Parmesan and Garlic, and Ranch. (other flavors are: butter, carmel, sour cream and onion, popcorn salt, kettle corn, jalapeno, apple cinnamon, chocolate marshmallow, barbeque, cajun, chili lime, and salt and vinegar)

Normally I have used them in the past for popcorn to give it flavor, but on the back of the bottles it says "Great on vegetables, eggs, salad, potatoes, pasta" (They also have a website here for recipes and ordering info) I sprinkled some of the Nacho Cheddar one on my broccoli, and I'll tell you, I'm sold! I am excited to still be able to have broccoli and cheese without the guilt! Hurray for sprinkle cheese! Maybe next I'll try broccoli and ranch powder...hmmm...doesn't sound as good, but you never know! You can buy these at most every grocery store, Walmart, Maceys(associated foods) they run about $4 a piece. ENJOY!

Like my new title?

2010-04-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

Saturday was my hubby's birthday, so his family is celebrating it today. We are going over and having dinner and dessert. I am in charge of the meat, so here is what I'm making:

Marinated Turkey(or chicken) Breasts

2-12 oz cans lemon-lime soda

1 1/2 cup soy sauce

1 1/2 cup oil

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. horseradish (for a little kick, I never use it though)

Combine in a big bowl and dump in 4 turkey breasts (or use tenders, as many as you want, just make sure the marinade is still covering the meat)

Allow to marinate for two hors at room temperature or evernight in the refrigerator.

Place turkey breasts on the middle or top rack of the gas barbecue and grill over a low flame setting for 30 to 45 minutes or to desired degree of doneness.

These are my favorite, and I can't wait until we can cook them! ENJOY!

My Winning Luck!

2010-04-16T03:38:00.000-07:00

I just think that my winning luck is turning around! I am shocked at the wonderful things I am winning lately! I just won a $25 gift card just by playing Olive Garden's instant win game on their website! (it might be because I was on at 3 a.m.) but anyways, a win is a win! I am so giddy with excitement! I also won free hair care products from Dove's instant win Glee game, and a free 5x7 for spinning the wheel at Snapfish's 10th Birthday Extravaganza! (which is now over by the way) hmmm...with my new found luck, what should I go and enter to win today?
And thanks for everyone's advice for the whole Florida thing. I think we are going to close our eyes and jump at the chance for a new adventure! I am just praying that it is not rocky at the bottom! Now on that note...Does anyone want to buy a house? and head over to a friend of mine's blog (she is actually my aunt!) who just joined the Party! She is a little late, so hurry and join her party! ENJOY!

Also Check out the poll on the left of my blog. We are jumping, so wish us luck! In doing so, I think my blog needs a new title, a more fitting one. Please vote! and if you choose other, leave a comment with a suggestion! THANKS!

I know this was awhile ago...

2010-04-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

But thanks for everyone who voted and gave advice on what color we should paint our bathroom. We decided to go with a more neutral color. We decided on a color that is called "coffee creamer" and I love it! Here is a picture of the finished product. ENJOY!

Making a Decision

2010-04-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

Decision making is not something I like doing, especially if it's going to change the course of my life in a major way. My husband's work is opening up a new shop in another state. Florida to be exact. I need to make a decision by Friday as to whether or not I want to move my family. The problems are;

1. I have never been far away from home
2. I am a family girl. My whole family is here.
3. It wouldn't be temporary, it would be a permanent move
4. I am afraid of changes
5. My whole family is here!

I have been praying and fasting, but I still don't feel like I know what to tell my husband. I am scared. I know this is a wonderful opportunity that would never happen unless we move. I just wish it was a little closer, then maybe it would be a little easier. It would be a great new experience, an adventure nonetheless. I have lived in Utah my whole life, and I am afraid of what the world has out there.
My husband has a sister that will live about 8 hours from where we will be located, so we could visit her for holidays or other gatherings, and I have an aunt that lives 2 hours beyond that. But other than that, all my family is here, within 3 hours of here. Any thoughts? Anyone living in Orlando Florida that I could get to know to make my move a little less scary?

Ideas

2010-04-12T21:56:00.000-07:00

I want to have a weekly schedule for my blog so I can always have something to write about. Here are some ideas I have:

***Since I am getting fresh produce weekly from Bountiful Baskets, I want to do a weekly vegetable/fruit challenge. I want to come up with a new recipe or a new way to try these.
***My weekly crafting shenanegans
***Diet tip of the week
***Thought of the week
***Kid activity of the week
***Funny story contest of the week (if you submit one, you might win a homemade something or other!)
***Freebies/contests I find online for you
***Other blog giveaways

Have any other ideas? Vote for your favorite ones so I know what you guys are interested in! Also, please head on over to a friend of mine's blog. She has written a touching post about Breast Cancer and BlogHer will donate a dollar for every comment she gets about it, and if you go into KFC and buy a pink bucket, they will donate .50 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Please show your support! ENJOY!

I'm Joining the Party!

2010-04-10T23:06:00.000-07:00

There's a Party going on over at 5minutesformom.com and I am joining in on the festivities! I am so excited at how fun this is going to be! I want all of you to also join this party, so to get the party started I will tell you a little bit about myself.
I am a stay at home mom to 2 adorable children. A boy who is 2 (3 in July) and a little girl who is 16 months. Yes my children are a little close together in age, but I wouldn't have it any other way! My husband and I have been married for almost 4.5 years. We started dating back when I was 19 and we dated for a whopping 5 weeks then we got engaged. We were engaged for 2.5 months and then got married, and have been loving it and each other ever since!
My husband is a machinist. He works for a company that makes medical implants and the tools the doctors use to put these implants in you. We are currently residing in the state of Utah, but his job might take us to Florida. We won't know for atleast another week if we are going.
I am a homebody and have never lived to far away from home. I have no degree of any sorts, but would eventually like to get one someday. I did marching band in high school for 4 years, and I competed in solo and ensemble competitions for 3 playing my flute. I love music and am constantly having songs playing in my head. I love to sew, and am just starting to get into the crafting swing of things, and I love to cook. Hate picking what to cook, but love cooking it, oh yeah and eating it!

Thanks for joining my party! Come follow me and hopefully you will read and learn something new! ENJOY!
I would love to win the prizes: US5, US7, US18, US19, US39, US83, US105, US112!

Aren't these adorable?!

2010-04-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

I have a baby shower tomorrow for my aunt. She is finally having a girl after having 4 boys, including a set of twins. I decided to make her some shoes from this cute pattern from Simplicity. They are so easy to make and they turn out so cute! I was so excited to get this pair done, now I just have to finish the last pair. The lady bug ones! I am so glad that I am finding time to sew, it's lots of fun! I need to do it more often, because yesterday as I was getting the fabric ready, I couldn't remember what the Selvage Edge was. I had to look it up on line! I felt so dumb! Oh well, now I have an excuse to sew more, so I don't forget how to! Let me know if anyone would be interested in buying a pair. ENJOY!

A few fabulous instant win games!

2010-04-08T08:29:00.000-07:00

I have been playing some instant win games daily in hopes to win something, but so far nada. But it's still fun to try!

It is Snapfish's 10 birthday, so they have 10 days of deals, plus a chance to spin and win 3 times! You have the chance to win 1 of 6 prizes:
$50 frame certificates
HP Web, all in one printer
5x7 photo book
Photo Notebook
Hp Mini laptop
16x20 collage poster
Even if you don't win any of these, you still get a coupon code for 10 free 4x6 prints! wohoo for free stuff!

Olive Garden is giving you a chance to win a Culinary Tour of Italy! I don't know about you, but I love food and vacations, so this is perfect! Or you have the chance of winning a $25 gift card. Just enter your email address, watch the video and at the end of the video, they tell you if you've won. Easy as Pie!

Best Foods Mayonnaise (or Hellmann's) has teamed up with Bobby Flay to spin and win some fabulous prizes daily! Just enter your email address, spin the wheel 3 times in hopes you might win something like a Bobby Flay cookbook, a portable grill, or even some free mayonnaise! Plus everyday you try, you are entered into a sweepstakes to win a $500 grocery card, or a gas grill! Spin it to win it!

One last one. Johnson's baby oil is giving you a chance to win a Caribbean trip for 2 to Barbados! Sounds exciting, I could use a little sun after this long winter! Just enter your email to win one of 160 go-together prizes packages! These include Coach Handbag + Wallet to a Spa Finder gift card + yoga mat, plus lots more! Just watch the little video, pick a product and spin to try to match the product you picked, and just for spinning, you get a $1 off coupon!

Let me know if you win anything! ENJOY!

Happy National NO HOUSEWORK DAY!

2010-04-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

WOHOO FOR NO HOUSEWORK! I wish. Wouldn't it be fabulous if one day in the near future I could actually celebrate that day with no housework? We just put our house up on the market yesterday, so I have been working from waking to sleeping slaving over the dang house. (ok, so I over exaggerated a little) But I have been cleaning a lot more than normal just to make sure that the house will be an easy clean up at the drop of a hat. I will be so happy when somebody says those 3 little words...WE'LL BUY IT! Until then, I will spend my days entertaining kids and making sure the house is presentable! I'll pay full price for whoever comes up with a self cleaning house! ENJOY! How do you make your house stay clean longer? please share, I need ideas!

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

2010-04-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

If you're wondering, no I do not watch family guy. That would be my brother who does. He sings this song all the time, so needless to say it is his personal ringtone on my cell phone.

Anyways, that's totally besides the point! Today is national Peanut Butter and Jelly Day! (info found on this site) Wohoo for Peanut Butter! oh yeah, and jelly too. I just love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They are my absolute favorite kind of sandwich. I eat them at least everyday for either breakfast or lunch. Plus it is a great "grab and go" meal. Especially when I am running late to church and need breakfast...
Here is a fabulous recipe that I found that I can't wait to try!
They are called

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

from FoodNetwork.com by Ina Garten

Ingredients

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups (18 ounces) creamy peanut butter (recommended: Skippy)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (18 ounces) raspberry jam or other jam
2/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.

Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don't worry if all the jam isn't covered; it will spread in the oven. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.

This week has also seemed like it's my week for winning things too! I won a crayon roll from june.b homemade This girl makes some pretty dang cute stuff, so head on over! I also won a free Photography session when I entered on a local girl's facebook giveaway, and I also won two things, a free block of cheese and a free lunchable from playing a daily win game from here. You can enter once daily, but can only win twice. Good Luck to you if you enter!
Also, I hope you all had lots of fun pranking people yesterday. Please share, I would love ideas for future use! I did my same ole' telling my parent's that I was pregnant. I had my mom going for awhile, then she remembered that I pulled this last year. And the year before. April Fool's will be a lot funner as soon as my kids get a little older. Bwahahaha! Just make sure your joke doesn't come and bite you in the butt later. After I told my mom I was preggo two years ago, I found out 3 weeks later that I really was! Not this year though...I think... anywho.

Now I'm going to go and have myself a good ole' PB&J! ENJOY!

Being able to enjoy

2010-03-31T09:10:00.000-07:00

The weather here where I live is teasing us. It has been warm and really nice the last couple of days, and today it's SNOWING! It's snowing enough to stick to the ground even! I knew that I shouldn't start getting used to the warm weather, but it was so nice. Any ways. Today is the last day of March. Where is the time flying off to in such a quick hurry? I think It should slow down and stay awhile, at least long enough for me to enjoy it!
A week ago, I had just finished my Zumba class, when I picked up my phone and saw that my mom had texted me. I read the text only to find that it bore terrible news. Long time friends of my parent's had just lost their 16 year old boy to a terrible roll over accident. He went to school with my little sister, and she was just getting to know him. She was devastated. I can't even imagine what the parent's are going through, and I hope to never have to. It has just made me realize even more that I need to stand back and enjoy the little things, and not continually stress about the big things all the time. This post has been a long time coming, but I haven't known where to begin. I'm not writing it to get sympathy or pity or anything like that. Just for you to listen.
A couple of months ago, we found out that my dad has a blood disorder. One that will eventually kill him in 10-15 years. He has Polycythemia Vera. It is a disease that thickens your blood and will eventually lead to heart problems that eventually kill you. He already has experienced a lot of the symptoms and it scares me. It scares my whole family. I have never had to deal with death in my family. I only really personally knew one of my great grandma's, but she died when she was 95. I have all my grandparent's still and all my aunts and uncles. Death scares me.
My mom has decided that she needs to spend all the time she can with my dad, and to never have any regrets. She is enjoying life with him. They are taking a cruise this year to Alaska. Something my mom has wanted to do again, this time with my dad. (She went with my dad's sister's last time) Today is their Anniversary. They are celebrating 27 years together and my mom has enjoyed every minute of it!
So if you are going to learn something from this, learn to slow down and just enjoy the moment. Find joy in the little things. ENJOY!

BABIES! (the movie) Review!

2010-03-28T20:49:00.000-07:00

Have I got your attention yet? I bet you are wondering just what BABIES is. BABIES is a new documentary that is coming out Mother's Day weekend, about 4 little babies from birth to 1 years old. I am not a documentary movie watcher, but I can tell you, I will be first in line for this one. It has everything, humor, touching scenes, and of course BABIES!

Meet Bayar, an adorable little boy from Mongolia. Just makes me want to smile!

Here is Hattie. She is from San Francisco California. Isn't she adorable?

This is Mari. She is from Tokyo Japan. Don't you just love her little cheeks!

And last but not least is Ponijao. She is from over in Opuwo, Namibia. I think I have decided she is my favorite, because I can relate with the relationship she has with her older sibling. My kids do the same!

Alright, alright. Now that you've met the babies, I will let you view the trailer. Let me know what you think!

Makes you laugh huh! Watching this has made me not only baby hungry again, but has made me take a step back and realize that I am not in this motherhood thing alone. There are women all over the world doing it, some in less than ideal circumstances, love their babies no less. You can see just from watching these babies the love that they are given!

As if you haven't seen enough of these babies yet, I am going to share with you a movie poster, just to make sure that you don't forget! I love how at the bottom of the poster it tells you to "Celebrate BABIES-Make plans to see it with someone you love." So make sure that you set apart some time Mother's Day weekend to LOVE YOU SOME BABIES! I know I am!

Help spread the word and send people over to my blog so we can spread the BABIES LOVE! Make sure you comment so I know what you think! Brought to you from Nicole aka fivepenniesplus1; BzzAgent! ENJOY! p.s. They also have a facebook page!

Can't we all just get along?!

2010-03-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

My son and my niece fight like brother and sister. Worse sometimes! They can't be in the room together for longer than 10 minutes before they are at it. They push, hit, try to bite, kick, yell, and anything thing else they can come up with to go at each other with. They fight about the dumbest stuff too! This morning it was an empty space in my entertainment center. They both wanted it and they just can't seem to share! But when they do get along, which they actually are right now because they are watching Curious George, they are actually quite nice to be around, but it doesn't last long. I am hurrying and typing this because I know that something is going to happen and soon.
I used to babysit my niece so my sister could go back to work. They got along really good at first, granted they were only 1 at the time. It gradually escalated and now I can't watch them for more than 2 hours before I am ready to tear my hair out! But they love each other. They cry when they have to leave and are constantly asking for each other daily, we feel bad but don't want to get them together often for the sake of our sanity.
Aren't they adorable? This was when they used to get along for longer periods of time! (this was taken last May!) I love them both, just not together at the same time, BY MYSELF! I guess we are just getting revenge from the heavens for the way my sister and I acted when we were younger!

Things that happened!

2010-03-21T21:16:00.000-07:00

There were a few things that happened this week that I have to look back at now and just laugh. This last week or even in the upcoming week everyone should be receiving their census. I received mine, filled it out, put it back in the envelope and put it aside to try to remember to put it in the mailbox. I forgot the next day and found it the following day, so I set it on the back of the couch so I could see it to mail it. I went into the kitchen and next thing I know I heard ripping. I ran into the living room just in time to see my little boy ripping it open! I yelled and grabbed it from him, hoping to be able to fix it. I was lucky and caught it before too much damage was done.

Shortly after that, I was getting ready to fix breakfast. I had a handful of fruit loops in one hand and an egg in the other. I dropped a piece of cereal and went to catch it and through the egg on the floor in the process. Whoops!

The next day, my little boy got ahold of my womanly products and stuck them randomly around the house. Before I found them, I caught him in the bathroom trying to stick one on his diaper, guess I should make sure the door is closed from now on when I use the bathroom. I found one on the hallway closet door, and one on the cupboard door in the bathroom. I just had to laugh. Too bad they didn't have wings or they could have been airplane stickers!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2010-03-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

I love this holiday because of the fun things I am going to do with my kids! For breakfast we are going to have green eggs and green juice, (just add blue food coloring to your eggs before you scramble them, and to your orange juice, or just get limeade!) For lunch I have green jell-o and I am having a green salad while my kids are having peas, kiwis, and little sandwiches cut into hearts and arranged to look like a clover, and for dinner we are having green kool-aid, a vegetable soup with Cabbage in it! (I am not a fan of corned beef!) I am also making rolls that are shaped like clovers and we are having sugar cookies and green frosting for dessert. I am afraid to change my daughter's diaper tomorrow!

Here is my Vegetable Soup recipe (actually I got it from my mother inlaw, and my husband loves it!)

1 lb. ground beef browned
1/4 c. onion
1 clove garlic
2 stalks celery
1 c. cabbage shredded
1 c. potato
1 Tbsp. parsley
1-2 pinch cayenne pepper
1 qt. tomato juice
1 qt. beef bouillon
salt to taste
1 c. peas (added last)

Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are soft. Add peas and serve.

Since I have done the Bountiful Baskets Co-op, I have had lots of new opportunities. I get things I would normally never try, so I am having lots of fun being able to find recipes for things such as: cabbage, radishes, celery and cucumbers! So if you have a recipe that you like for either of these things, comment and let me know!
Here is some interesting tidbits about 4 leaf clovers that I heard on a t.v. show I was watching the other day. They are a genetic mutation that occurs 1 in every 10,000 clovers! I read on Wikipedia that each of the leaves have meaning too. The first means hope, the second means faith, the third means love and the fourth means LUCK! I have been lucky to find about 3 in my life, but it hasn't seemed to have brought me more luck than normal...but they are still fun to find!
ENJOY! and don't forget to wear green so you don't get pinched!

Why I hate potty training!

2010-03-16T17:27:00.000-07:00

Today I decided that I really don't like potty training. My son just does not like doing it some days! Today we fought about him not wanting to wear underwear. He wanted to wear a diaper, because he knows that if he wears a diaper, he doesn't have to tell me that he needs to go potty if he doesn't want too! We fight about this at least every other day. So we went through the day with no peeing accidents, just the other kind. I don't know how to get him to realize that he needs to poop in the potty and not in his underwear! That's the reason why I do disposable diapers, so I won't have to clean up poop! So I cleaned him up, and washed out his underwear. I went downstairs and got him some clean ones. We fought putting those on too. He ended up taking them off and was trying to put a pull-up on! I told him no pull-ups either. Boy was he mad. I finally convinced him to put a different pair on. The other struggle we have is with wearing pants. He doesn't like to wear them either, we struggle putting those on too. I finally got some pants on because we were having someone come over, and not 10 minutes after our guest arrived, I was having to clean up pee'd pants! Now looking back and reading over this you might think, man she is complaining about nothing. But let me tell you, this is tipping the iceberg. This is one of the better "bad" days we've had! One day I had to clean up poopy pants 4 times! Any advice on potty training? What has worked for you? ENJOY!

Free Stuff for my Birthday!

2010-03-14T21:55:00.000-07:00

My Birthday was this month, and boy did I get a lot of free stuff, and great savings! Some things I got via email such as:

Ruby Tuesday: Free Handcrafted Hamburger of my choice
Cold Stone Ice Creamery: Free Like It size with one mix-in
Texas Roadhouse: Free Appetizer or Sidekick of Ribs
Baskin Robbins: Free Scoop
Michaels: 20% off my entire regular price purchase
Wendy's: $1 off
E.L.F: Free earrings when I spend $20
Birthday wishes from: Betty Crocker, Homemade Simple, Vocalpoint, Spark People, and My 99.5 f.m.!

Other things I got in the mail:

Hallmark Gold Crown: Free pen and calculator pocket thing and 20% off my purchases
Birthday wishes from: My dentist (I think I should have gotten a free whitening or something else too!)

Plus when I went to Chili's with my brother for lunch, I got a free dessert!
Then someone emailed me a list they had compiled of other things you might get for you Birthday (thanks freesamplefreak.com and webfloss.com). All you have to do is sign up for their newsletters/Birthday Clubs and wait for the emails to roll in the week before your Birthday! You also might look up any other restaurants you have in your area and sign up there too, and who knows what you might get!

Here is the List:

Abuelo’s Free Entree
Academy Sports & Outdoors Free $5 Gift Card
Ace Rewards $5 off $20 coupon
AMF Bowling Center Free Birthday Gift
Applebees Free dessert
Arby’s Extras Free Food Items w/purchase
Auntie Anne’s Free Pretzel Item when you buy a Pretzel
Austin Grill Free Meal
Baskin Robbins Free ice cream
Benihana The Chef’s Table: $30 Gift Certificate
Benihana Kid’s Club: Free Souvenir Mug
Bob Evans Kid Times Birthday Club Free food (12 and younger)
Border Rewards Free dessert and 15% coupon
Buffalo Wild Wings Free Dessert with $5 purchase
Burger King Free kids meal
California Pizza Kitchen Free meal (10 and younger)
Captain Ds Free Kids Meal and an Aqua Agent color changing straw
Chevy’s Free dessert and Sombrero
Chuck E. Cheese’s Free tokens (12 and younger)
Cold Stone Creamery Free Ice Cream
Culver’s BOGO Sundae
Dairy Queen BOGO Blizzard
Dave & Busters Free $10 Powercard
Denny’s Free meal (10 and younger)
Dunkin Donuts Free ice cream
Famous Daves P.I.G. Club Free Food
Fuddruckers Free shake w/purchase
Geoffrey’s Birthday Club Free toy with $3 or $5 coupon (ages 2 to 10)
Hard Rock Cafe Free dessert
Houlihans Free Coupon for an entree next visit (valid one week from birthday)
IHOP Free meal
Joe’s Crab Shack Free Appetizer (up to $6.99)
Krispy Kreme BOGO dozen
Lone Star Steakhouse $15 gift card
Maggianos Free Dessert Birthday Month
Melting Pot – Free Chocolate Fondue for Two!
Noodles / Company Free Birthday Dish
O’Charley’s Free dessert
Olan Mills Free 8×10, 5×7 and 4 Wallet Birthday Portraits online Birthday Club Valid up to 3 yrs.
On The Border (Club Cantina) Free food
Orange Julius BOGO Drink
Qdoba Mexican Grill BOGO Entree
Quizno’s Free cookie
Red Robin – Free Gourmet Burger ages 13 and over
Ruby Tuesday Free dessert
Sephora Free Birthday Item
Smoothie King Free 20 oz. Smoothie
Sonic Free Regular Creamslush, Medium Drink, or Tater Tots at Sonic
Target Birthday Club Random Items
Texas Roadhouse Free Appetizer
TGI Fridays Free Birthday Dessert
The Children’s Place Coupon for 15 or 20% off
The Old Spaghetti Factory Kids Club- free meal (12 and younger)
Tony Roma’s Free Entree
Wendy’s Free Kids Meal
Wing Stop 10 Free Wings

ENJOY!

Double Stuf Oreo Cakesters and DIGIORNO 200 Calorie Portions

2010-03-11T11:47:00.000-08:00

I am a KRAFT First Taste member. Because I am a member (it's completely free by the way) I get opportunities to try some of Kraft's new products that they have out. Every month they put out coupons, and it's first come first serve to see if you get a coupon. If you get a coupon, you get to try that product for FREE! This last month, I got coupons for Double Stuf Oreo Cakesters and DiGiorno 200 Calorie Portions.
(image courtesy of kraftfirsttaste.com)

When I got my DiGiorno coupons in the mail, I immediately went to my favorite store to get my free food, only to find out that they didn't carry the DiGiorno 200 Calorie Portions yet! So I headed over to Wal-Mart. Now you see, they not only send you the free product coupons, they also sent coupons for money off, so I got 1 free one, one for $1 and one for full price (which was only $2.50) of the DiGiorno 200 Calorie Portion pizzas. The flavors I had to pick from were Pepperoni, Cheese and Tomato, and Chicken and Peppers. I brought them home and cooked the Cheese and Tomato one for my 2 year old in the microwave. The tantalizing aroma wafted through the house, making me hungry! I almost didn't want to give it to him! After it had finished cooking and it was cooled, I cut it into pieces for him. He ate the whole thing, with the exception of the corners, which became kind of hard when it was cooked in the microwave. The next day my husband ate the pepperoni ones. He cooked them in our toaster oven. Again the delightful aroma of pizza filled my kitchen. He had the same complaint about the corners of his pizza.

A couple of days later, I had my chance to eat the last pizza. The Chicken and Peppers one. I decided to cook mine in the oven. I discovered shortly after, that no matter where you cook it, the corners will get kind of hard and crunchy. Other than that, I got rave reviews from my husband, my son and myself! So if you were wondering if these "diet" pizzas were good, I will gladly tell you that they are good enough to buy! (image courtesy of kraftfirsttaste.com)

Now onto the Double Stuf Oreo Cakesters. I like the original Oreo Cakesters, but I wasn't too impressed with the Double Stuf ones. They were not low in calories at all. Each individual cakester had 170 calories, and if you consumed the whole package, that was over 340 calories! They reminded me a lot of whoopie pies. (image courtesy of wickedwhoopies.com)

The cake was kind of dry and had an interesting flavor to it, and the filling was not my favorite. You don't have to take my word for it though, each person is entitled to their own opinion. I personally won't be buying the Double Stuf Whoopie...ooops, I mean Oreo Cakesters again. Granted my children loovved them!

Make sure you head on over and become a member, because the food to taste this month is Kraft Philadelphia minis! I'm excited to get my coupon. I just love cream cheese! ENJOY!

Pull-ups Potty Training House Party!

2010-03-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

bout a month ago, I hosted a House Party! What's a House Party, well, it's a site that you can go to and fill out an application to host a party. These parties range anywhere from a DiGiorno pizza party, to a Poise ladies who laugh party. All you have to do is sign up, fill out an application for a party you would like to host and wait. They will email you if you are chosen. Then about a week before your scheduled party, they send you a party pack full of coupons, a few supplies if needed, and a fun host/hostess gift. For hosting a Pull-Ups Potty Training party, I received a coupon for a free package of Pull-Ups, and a digital picture frame keychain!

At my party, I decided that I wanted a theme. The theme of my party was A Potty Training Safari! When the guests first arrived, we started with a craft. All the kids had fun making foam animals.

The kit to make these animals was only about $5 at Wal-mart! After all the kids were done making their animals, we went on an Potty Training Animal Safari. I hid animals around my playroom before everyone got there. Each of the stuffed animals had something that would show the kids what they needed to help them with potty training. So I had each of the kids get out their "binoculars" (we just used our hands) and we all looked for the animals.

1- A hippo showing us that we need a potty for potty training

2- A turtle showing us that we need either a Pull-Up or big kid underwear

3&4- A giraffe showing us that we need a sticker chart and my little boy finding the giraffe

5&6- A frog showing us that we need stickers, and one of the moms and her little girl finding the frog

7&8- An elephant showing us that we need the "Potty Training Success" DVD, and some of the kids looking for the elephant
9- My niece showing everyone the DVD
10&11- The George Monkey showing us that we get treats when we go potty! And my niece finding George
12- Two of the kids looking at everything we have found so far, and eying the smarties!
13- The ferocious Tigger! Showing us that when we fill up our Sticker chart, and we stay dry, we get a prize!
14&15- Looking for the Tigger
16&17- All the kids picking out a prize!
18-20- Everyone playing with their loot

Then we did the Pull-Ups Potty Training Potty Dance. All the kids had lots of fun learning and doing the dance. Then we moved upstairs and had treats. Sandwiches, animal crackers, carrots, string cheese, pretzels and juice all with animal themed plates. All the kids went home with a Potty training Starter pack.

The goody bags contained: Sticker chart, stickers, treats, Potty Training Success DVD, Coupon for pull-ups, Coupon for 3 free issues of Parenting Magazine, Coupon for free music downloads, crayons and coloring book, and treats!
Whether or not the kids had fun, I sure had fun planning it! I hope you enjoyed this long post!

Shhhh, it's a secret!

2010-03-07T14:06:00.000-08:00

I just discovered this amazing thing earlier this week. Has anyone ever heard of Bountiful Baskets Food Co-op? I never did until Monday morning. What they are is food co-op that gets produce from Arizona, (which is where they live) and they get it sent to places in Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Nevada and Washington. Want to know how you can get fresh produce weekly for cheap? Go to bountifulbaskets.com and register as soon as you can to make it quicker. Tomorrow (Monday) at noon, (for Utah and Idaho) or Tuesday at 9 am (Nevada, Arizona, and Washington) get online and sign up for a basket near your location. They have a ton of pick up sites, so find one and pick one, then you can add other things to your basket like bread, tortillas, cake, granola, or whatever they might have offered for this next week. Pay only $15! (you will pay $3 more for your first time) Then on the following Saturday, you get to pick it up! I got THREE reusable shopping bags full of produce. It changes weekly, and you don't find out what your getting until on Saturday, but this last week I got Apples, Mandarins, Concord Pears, Strawberries, Blueberries and bananas, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Red Leaf Lettuce, Cabbage Head, Asparagus and Spinach. You get 6 fruits and 6 vegetables, and can I tell you they are awesomely delicious! I am so excited to sign up tomorrow just to see what I get on Saturday. Please visit and sign up. It's a great way to get fresh fruits and vegetables for a small price. You save $35 just in doing this. Enjoy! and let me know if you have any questions, or just visit their site and explore. I hope this post makes a lot of sense. I find I don't make a lot of sense when I am excited!

My Body!

2010-03-03T21:48:00.000-08:00

I have decided that my body is wonderful. It does amazing things, like carrying a baby for 9 months, bouncing back the best it could afterwards (still bouncing though) and then nursing my babies for the months following. AMAZING I TELL YOU! I am starting to come to terms with the way I look. I am trying my hardest to love the skin I'm in, and I am doing pretty darn good if I do say so myself. I am breaking out of my shell, and enjoying life more. My body sometimes likes what I do and other times it doesn't, but I love it none the less. So everyone out there reading this, whoever you are, stand up and say "I AM AMAZING, and I LOVE MY BODY!" Enjoy!

Vote for my bathroom color!

2010-03-02T10:52:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all who helped us choose our new kitchen floor. We ended up going with laminate wood flooring and it looks fabulous and I love it! Now I am facing a bathroom color dilemma. We got some paint awhile back to redo the bathroom, and we hate it. It is lime green! Not what we were expecting. I bought a border to go in the bathroom and want your opinion on what we should paint it. The choices are:

Another shade of green
Blue
White
Gray
Or your choice

Here is our wall border to give you an idea of what were looking for.

Please comment and tell me your choice!

Happy Peanut Butter Lover's Day!

2010-03-01T10:56:00.000-08:00

This is my day. I absolutely LOVE Peanut Butter! Especially chocolate and peanut butter. YUM! Just writing this post is making me crave peanut butter. I would be so sad if one day I found out that I was allergic to peanut butter. I think I would curl up into a ball and cry I just love to open the jar and just smell it, cause it's a smell that makes me happy! Peanut butter and banana sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, peanut butter and peanut butter sandwiches...he he he!
One of my favorite peanut butter recipe is peanut butter cookies. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies to be exact!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

6 Tbsp. butter softened

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup milk chocolate chips

In a small mixing bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Add egg; mix well. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake 350 for 10-12 minutes until starting to brown.

Here is a link for some more FABULOUS peanut butter recipes from Studio 5!

My absolute favorite though is peanut butter M&M's. If you can get them to where they are just starting to melt, but are still M&M shaped, I just love to pop them in my mouth and they just squish, or squish them between my fingers and then pop them into my mouth. YUM! What's your favorite peanut butter indulgences? ENJOY!

I think my husband has the right idea!

2010-02-26T13:02:00.000-08:00

Sorting through socks takes a long time. Don't you just hate it when you are all done folding socks and come to find out you are about 3 single socks short? That drives me bonkers. I try to put them in a basket so I can keep track of them just in case their mate shows up. I have a small pile of lonely socks that I am afraid are never going to see their mate. It makes me kind of sad. My husband on the other hand goes out and buys like 20 pairs of the same white boring socks. He has even told me that when I go through his clothes, all I have to do is grab his pile of socks, turn them (I do that out of the kindness of my heart :)) and put them all in his drawer, unmatched and unfolded. He could be missing socks, but he'll never know! I would love to do that, but I just love my holiday socks, my stripey socks, my just all around fun socks! Except toe socks. Can't stand toe socks. I don't even think I own a pair of white socks! I think funny socks is my "secret" way of being daring and rebellious. Anyone else have a "secret" way they are rebellious and daring? Please share and ENJOY!

Why I like being called "mom"

2010-02-25T08:02:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago, my son was not feeling good. He had thrown up and was just kinda mopping around all day. As soon as I put my daughter down for a nap, I picked up my sick little boy and just rocked him. I went and sat on the couch and just held him for about 2 hours. He wasn't sleeping, just enjoying being held.
Last night after I came home from Zumba and after I showered, I went into my room and heard my little girl through the monitor. It was 10:30 and she was still awake. My husband had put her in her crib about an hour before, and she was just in there talking to herself. I went in there and snuck up to the crib. She heard me, turned towards me and gave me the biggest grin. I picked her up and she hugged me. We walked around her room while she hugged my for quite awhile. The I sat down and fed her. We got really goofy and we were laughing and having fun instead of trying to go to sleep. It's moments like that, that I just love spending with my kids.

I know this isn't what you care to read about...

2010-02-23T07:03:00.000-08:00

But I can't help myself, I have been doing really good with my diet and exercise. I have only missed my Zumba class once because I was sick. I just weighed myself the other day and I have lost 12 pounds total since I started! (8 of that is from what I gained over the dang holidays) WAHOO! I am so excited! I feel lots better about myself. I feel good, not worn down, and excited that I am seeing results. It's nice to feel that I am not working my heiny off for nothing. How's everyone else doing?
A way that I also find that works, is my son just loves to dance. He'll turn my husband's clock radio on and says "mom, dance." And do we dance. It is a fun and easy way to burn a few extra calories. Also, MAKE SURE YOU EAT A GOOD BREAKFAST! It not only is the most important meal of the day, it will help you eat less throughout your day. I heard somewhere that you should eat like a king for breakfast, a queen for lunch and a pauper for dinner. Most of us eat the exact opposite. I know I am guilty of doing such. I have also been trying not to eat so late. If you are going to eat late, try not to eat within 2 hours of going to bed. That way it won't just sit in your stomach. ENJOY!

What they'll remember

2010-02-22T14:10:00.000-08:00

The other day I was thinking to myself about what my kids will remember after they've grown up. Will they remember mommy always being to busy cleaning, on the computer or sewing? Or will they remember the fun things we did like building roads, coloring, playing catch or even cooking? I hope they will remember the fun things, I just need to make more time for the fun things though. I have been busy lately with cleaning, sewing and blogging. Yesterday, I made time for my son while my husband showered and my daughter napped. We ran from the living room to the kitchen and slid across the floor on our socks, and threw popcorn in the air and caught it in our mouths. We were laughing and having a ball. So if my posts are a little farther in between, don't worry, i'm still alive, I am just playing with my kids!

Cleaning

2010-02-19T08:04:00.000-08:00

Lately I feel like I am not making any headway with cleaning. I get something done, work on something else, and all I feel like is that I am moving backwards. You know, 1 step forward and 2 backwards? Yeah, that's me. Especially now that we are trying to get our house put back together in order to put it on the market come the middle of March., it's not just "normal" cleaning I am doing, it's also things like scrubbing walls, sandpapering window sills so we can paint, and de-cluttering areas that people might look when they come to see the house. I am so excited to move though, that I am not minding the cleaning so much. I JUST WISH THAT ONCE IT IS CLEAN, THAT IT WOULD STAY CLEAN FOR LONGER THAN A DAY! So if any of you want to come and help me clean...or have any ideas on how to keep my kids from making a mess, let me know! I love comments, so please share. Something. Anything! ENJOY!

My current crafting shenanigans!

2010-02-18T09:23:00.000-08:00

This is a bow tie that I made for my little boy for Valentine's Day! So easy to make, and plus he looked adorable, kinda like Bill Nye the Science Guy!

We are having a crafting activity for my ward, and I am demonstrating how to do pin cushions! Here is one that I kind of made up.

This is a pop cap pin cushion similar to one that I learned how to make when I was in 6th grade.

This cuff pin cushion I learned how to make from here. So easy to make too!

If I have a high interest in viewers wanting to know how to make any of these, I will post later about doing these. Just let me know! Or even if you want to special order any of these (for a small price), email me or comment letting me know, and I will be happy to fill your orders! ENJOY!

Food!

2010-02-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

I suck at the whole "diet" thing. My discipline sucks! I eat when I'm bored, I eat when I'm stressed, I just love to eat! And to make matters worse, I hate to see food go to waste. If I make cookies, I have to eat them all (not in one sitting of course) just to make sure that they don't go bad. So with making and baking sweets, I just don't do it. My husband won't eat sweets, so if I make it, I eat it! No wonder my husband is so skinny. When I diet and try to cut things out that are unhealthy, I start to crave those things. I have found that what works for me is to give myself ONE day a week. Not necessarily to gorge myself to death, but to have what I want (within reason) without having to write it down. This works for me. It may not work for everyone, but I recommend trying it if you are having a hard time sticking to your diet. That and make sure you exercise lots too, that way if you do have a bad day, you won't gain weight because of it! Anyone else have things that work while dieting? I am all ears and would love to hear your stories! ENJOY!

My Valentine

2010-02-15T08:27:00.000-08:00

My husband is a wonderful Valentine. He makes me feel special and loved. I have always been self-conscious about my looks, I've never been skinny, and always worried my whole life if I would find that "special someone." In high school, I never dated. (dances to me don't count, it's not a real date!) So when I got out of high school, I planned to go to school and to work until I turned 21, then I would serve an LDS mission, come back and finish school and then I would see where my life lead me at that point. What I never planned for was Scott. He came out of nowhere. I met him first as my sister's home teacher, then she left on her mission and I didn't see a whole lot of him for about 8 months. Long story short, I had been dealing with a boy, who I had no interest in what so ever, but he kept on calling me, wanting to talk. One day, my younger sister answered a phone call from a boy. The phone was for me, but I didn't want to talk to that boy anymore, so I answered it and it was Scott. I felt a sigh of relief. From our first date to the day we got engaged, we dated every day for 5 weeks! I knew that I would be okay, when for one date we played raquet ball and I was all sweaty and he still wanted to touch me and be near me. More than 4 years later, and he still makes me feel special and wonderful. I love him more now than I did then. I am on a diet right now, and his way of showing me that he loves me just the way I am, for Valentine's Day he bought me chocolate. Now to any other person, they would get offended. But not me. I know that his intentions are not to make me fat, but to show how much he loves me. He is wonderful! I love him!

Just a reminder!

2010-02-12T22:34:00.000-08:00

Remember this? You still have time to head on over to Prairie Mama's site to enter to win this if you haven't already! You have until Sunday, February 14th. Or not, and I will have a better chance at winning it!

Don't forget to also check out all the possible FREE SAMPLES! I have been loving all the samples I have been receiving so far! Make sure you head on over for some great free samples, and let me know what you think of this great site! HAVE A HAPPY VALENTINES DAY AND I'LL TALK TO YOU ON MONDAY!

Rice

2010-02-12T08:15:00.000-08:00

My favorite thing on this BEAUTIFUL Friday morning is...RICE! I made rice to have with dinner last night, and I accidentally made too much! But oh well, cause guess what? I LOVE RICE! I LOVE IT IN THE MORNING, AND IN THE AFTERNOON, I LOVE IT IN THE EVENING UNDERNEATH THE MOON! SO SKIDDLE-A-RINKY-DINKY-DINK, SKIDDLE-A-RINKY....oops, sorry. I got a little excited there. I love waking up in the morning, putting lots of rice in a bowl and warming it up in the microwave. I them add sugar and milk to it. And no. I don't consider this rice pudding. I don't like rice pudding, too mushy! And some days, when I am feeling a little daring, I add cinnamon! All I have to say is YUM!
I have found out over the years though, that rice is not everyone's favorite. Take my husband for example. He won't eat plain rice. He says it's too bland. To each his own!
My love of rice comes from my mom. She would go to her grandma's house all the time and eat rice. She ate so much rice that her grandma told her she was going to turn Chinese! I thought that story was just so cute growing up.
So go make some rice, and Enjoy!

Potty Training...Again.

2010-02-11T15:24:00.000-08:00

Today we are hitting the whole "potty training" thing hard. We have been trying to do it for the last couple of weeks, and my little guy has just not shown complete interest. I would ask him all the time if he needed to go, and half the time he would say no. We tried the whole pull-up thing, and he just didn't care. So we stuck to diapers, because every time I would put him in his "big boy underwear" he would sit there and bawl. So I kinda just slowly gave up. Yesterday I decided I was done with the whole diaper thing, so this morning, when I went to change him after he woke up, we just happened to "run out" of diapers. Not really, but he didn't know that. He didn't believe me, so he checked all the diapers to see if any of them had a number 4 on them, and sure enough they only had 3's on them. Size 3's are my little girls diapers, so he knew he couldn't wear them. I got out his underwear and we fought for a little bit, but I finally won and got him to wear them. He has not had an accident all day! Though every time he goes potty, he thinks that his underwear are dirty, so I have been rotating through them so he thinks he's getting "clean" ones. He is just really getting previously worn clean ones. What we do for our kids! He gets a treat and a sticker on his chart every time he goes, so he knows he's doing a good thing. He thinks it's great getting tootsie rolls and smarties all day long, and I get him to go potty! Hopefully this won't take weeks before he gets it down, I don't think my house can suffer any more not cleaning it! Any Potty Training tips from my readers? P.s. I am throwing a Pull-ups Potty Training House Party sponsored by HouseParty.com and Pull-ups nest Saturday at 11 am for moms and their potty training kids! If any of my readers want to come, fire me an email and I will get you my info! ENJOY!

A fabulous local carpet cleaner!

2010-02-10T07:35:00.000-08:00

As soon as I so you these pictures, you guys are going to be so jealous and want to leave near me! We just got our carpets cleaned the other day in preparation to put in a new laminate floor. We had the dining room cleaned and then tore out the carpet, so we can use it to replace the stains in our living room. I took some before and after photos of my living room so I can show you the fabulous job this guy does!

Before

After

And guess how much it cost us to have the dining room, the living room, the hallway, the stairs, landing and lower half of the stairs? Anyone? How about $60! He only charges $15 a room and does a better job than a previous carpet cleaning company we had clean our carpets. Jealous?

Here is also a picture of our new laminate flooring, and how much we have left to do. My husband is so handy!

My superbowl spread!

2010-02-09T10:52:00.000-08:00

In my family we LOVE to party! We celebrate everything from Chinese New Year, to the Superbowl! We aren't Chinese, and only my dad and my brother inlaw watch football! I couldn't even tell you who played, or even who won! We party for the food! We are food eating people! I made 3 very delicious things to take to my parent's house. I made bacon wrapped little smokies (very evil), a Butterfinger crumb cake, and a fruit and yogurt salad! I will be nice and share the recipes, along with pictures to entice you.

Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies

(courtesy of my sister inlaw)

1 pkg little smokies

1/2 lb bacon (estimated)

1 bottle any flavor bbq sauce

brown sugar

Cut bacon into 4ths. Take each slice of bacon and wrap around little smokies. Place in pan bacon seam down. Cook in oven or microwave until bacon is cooked. Dump bbq sauce over the little smokies. Cook til heated. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top, and brown under broiler. Serve with toothpicks.

Butterfinger Crumb Cake

(101 things to do with a cake mix)

1 chocolate cake mix

2 small boxes vanilla instant pudding pudding

4 cups milk

2 large butterfinger candy bars chopped

12 oz (I used 8 oz) whipped topping

Prepare and bake cake according to instructions on box in a greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Allow cake to cool, then crumble into bowl.

Mix instant pudding with milk until set. Pour half the pudding in the bottom of a large glass bowl.

Sprinkle half the cake crumbs over pudding. Pat cake into pudding. Sprinkle 1/3 Butterfinger crumbs over pudding and cake crumbs.

Layer remaining pudding, then press the rest of cake crumbs into pudding. Sprinkle 1/3 butterfinger crumbs over cake. Spread whipped topping over cake. Sprinkle remaining Butterfinger crumbs over whipped topping.

Yogurt Fruit Salad

(adapted from a kraftfoods.com recipe)

1 can pineapple chunks, drained all but 1/8 cup juice

2 bananas sliced into chunks

3 large apples sliced into chunks
1 tsp cinnamon

Put sliced fruit and pineapple juice into a big bowl.

Dump Vanilla Yogurt into the bowl and stir til all the fruit is coated. (you can add more yogurt if needed)

Stir in cinnamon. Variations: use grapes, kiwis, or any other fruit. Just use lemon juice to prevent fruit from turning brown.

Other foods we enjoyed: pizza, chips and bean and corn salsa, quesadillas made with a quesadilla maker
ENJOY!

A fabulous giveaway on Prairiemama's review blog!

2010-02-04T09:40:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine is doing a fabulous review and a giveaway from a company called Artistic Sensations! They specialize in room decor. I wandered over and took a peek at what they sale, and can I tell you it looks like fun! They have things ranging from bedding, to wall hangings, and furniture! They also have items for school, like backpacks and dang cute lunch bags. Makes me wish I was still in school. Prairiemama's giveaway from Artistic Sensations is a Blue, Red & Hot Yellow Bunk & Loft Curtain!

We have bunkbeds for our kids, and this would be fabulous and fun to have for! I might be playing down in my kids's room a lot more often if we win this! So wander on over to Prairiemama's blog, and enter for your chance to win not only the cute loft curtain, but a $50 gift card to their shop! I am so excited and hope I win! Good Luck to you, and ENJOY!

Changing Diapers!

2010-02-03T09:57:00.000-08:00

In my few years "experience" I have with changing diapers, I have come up with a few ways that have made it easier, and well, less messy! Kids are wiggly. That doesn't change just because you need to change their diaper. You can't change what they're doing, but you can change how you change a diaper. First, I make sure that I am prepared. I grab a diaper and the wipes, and a changing pad. I then grab out about 2 wipes, and I spread open the diaper, and I find a small toy that I can use to keep exploring hands busy. If you are really worried about your child peeing once you remove the dirty diaper, stick the clean diaper underneath them, open and clean, then pull out the diaper, and viola! You can quickly do up the clean diaper. Enjoy!

I'm Ba-ack! and The 14 days of Love!

2010-01-31T16:03:00.000-08:00

Last week was just a blah week for posting on this blog. Oops. I have reasons, I have excuses, you name it! I have been getting headaches on almost a daily basis. My mom suggested that it was because I might watch too much t.v. I hardly get to watch t.v. so I didn't think that was it. Well, the computer screen is like a t.v., so I spend time on the computer, hence the headaches. I stopped blogging for awhile to see if it made a difference. I didn't really get a chance to test my theory, because now I have a cold and the headaches that come with it. So maybe another time. So bare with me while I sit here blowing my nose and typing about how I am ready for winter to be over so my poor little family can be done being sick! We just seem to be getting better, then BAM! It hits us like a ton of bricks! {sigh} I don't think our noses can take much more of this. Thanks for listening, now onto The 14 days of Love!

When I was a little girl, my mom used to do all sorts of cute and creative things for us. At Christmas, we would get a candy chain countdown for Christmas, we would get pizza delivered to our school on our birthday's when we were in elementary school (atleast my sister and I did. My brothers had summer Birthday's! hehe!) Then when we were in high school, she would send balloons! Talk about embarrassing, but I loved every minute of it! Another thing she would do was the 14 days of Love. On Feb. 1, we would get some sort of something, (usually a small trinket, a candy bar, a balloon, curly straws, or strawberry milk) every day until Valentine's Day. I loved it! And with each of the items, she would make up a saying to go with it. They were corny, but she came up with them all on her own. Now that I am married and have kids, I am starting to do this also. I try to pick stuff I know my husband and kids will either use or eat. So far I have peanut butter cups, conversation hearts (my husband loves these!) animal crackers, beef jerky, strawberry milk, and I even bought a pink chocolate chip pancake mix to make for Valentine's Day! Anyone else have fun traditions they do as a family? Please share, and ENJOY!

Harder than i thought!

2010-01-27T08:24:00.000-08:00

Wow, thinking of things to post about on Wednesday's is getting kinda hard! I know I'm supposed to post about making your life a little bit easier, but man, I am drawing a blank. I start thinking on Monday about what I want to post and by Tuesday night, I still don't have anything! hmmm. Well here goes for today. My item of choice to make you life easier is also one of my favorite things! Killing to birds with one stone here! Anyway, my way to make your life easier is with one of these:

If you can't guess what it is, I'll tell you. It's a bread maker! Now I'm not telling you to go out and drop a hundred dollars on one, because who has that kind of money lying around? Not me that's for sure. I got this idea from my mother inlaw who loves to use her bread maker. She also loves to shop at the D.I. So when I first started out learning how to make bread, I followed her advice and went to the D.I. and picked up a pretty nice on for $10! They had about ten to choose from too! The nice thing is if it breaks down, you aren't out $100 on a nice one, you are only out $10! (I've had my D.I. one for over a year and it still works wonderfully!) With a bread maker, you just dump all the ingredients into the loaf pan and turn it on. You might have to try it out to see which settings work for you, but once you do, you will want to have homemade bread all the time! Each loaf takes about 3 hours from start to finish. Don't like the square loaf you say? Throw all the ingredients in there still, but put it on "dough cycle" and when it beeps, pull out the dough, shape it and put it in one of your pans, let it raise and bake it for 30 min at 350. Instant homemade, yummy bread! The possibilities are endless what you can do with this baby. You can pull out the dough and make homemade rolls, cinnamon rolls, breadsticks, or even homemade pretzels! I have found a bread maker recipe site that has tons of recipes for you bread maker. It's bread-maker.net. I have tried a couple of the recipes, and they are yummy! Who doesn't like fresh out of the oven bread!

Here is my Mother inlaw's bread maker recipe:
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. oil
3 1/2 cups flour (if you like wheat bread, use about 2 cups wheat flour and 1 1/2 cup white, or mix and match til you find a measurement of flour that suites your taste)
1 tsp. yeast

Dump into your bread maker, push the start button, and get ready to enjoy fresh made bread in about 3 hours! If you have anymore questions concerning bread makers, feel free to comment or email me at nicolecvgs@gmail.com and I will be more than happy to answer your questions! Enjoy!

2010-01-25T22:21:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, my best friend from high school came home from her mission! We had a welcome home party for her on Friday evening. Needless to say, I was late, such is the life of a mom! Atleast I have an excuse! So I got to the party, only to find out that the guest of honor was going to be another 45 minutes! Better late than never! I saw some friends that I haven't seen in years, and needless to say, I am the minority among my friends! Being married and not having served a mission, I sometimes feel left out. They all went spanishy type language speaking too! Anyways, my little girl and I had lots of fun at the party. Everyone loved her, and she loved all the attention! The hostess took some pretty dang cute pictures of her and I, so cute that I changed my profile pic to this one!

We played a game called "boxers or briefs". If you have ever played apples to apples, then you have to play this one! Everyone has 5 cards to begin with. You take a turns rolling the dice. Whatever number is rolled is the sentence on the card you get to choose from. You can either choose a funny one or a serious one that describes that person. They then have to choose a card that is true about them, and a funny one. We were laughing so hard! Needless to say I rock at that game! (to win you have to have your card chosen 3 times as a funny one and 3 times as a true one. I had 5 true and 3 funny!) Half way through the game (it was about 9:30 p.m., what, I never get out, so I lost track of time!) I got a text from my husband wondering if I was upside down somewhere in a ditch! I left about 15 minutes later and drove home. Thanks to my hubby for letting me get out of the house once in awhile, without both of the kids!

Funny finds

2010-01-22T11:36:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things is Studio 5. They are a local talk show that is on at 11am every weekday morning. They talk about anything from food to crafts, and even what men are thinking about! I try to get crafty inspiring ideas from watching this, but so far I still am crafty incapable. This morning they talked about these:

These are baby high heels! I thought these were absolutely hilarious! If you are interested in buying these (these are for a 0-6 month old baby) then visit here. Apparently two long time friends thought that it would be "heelarious" to put high heels on a baby! I personally wouldn't buy them, because I myself don't wear high heels, and plus weak ankles run in my family so my children are doomed klutzes. I guess that children wearing high heels is also a celebrity thing also. Katie Holmes is seen with her daughter Suri sporting some one inch heels. To each his own! ENJOY!