Donna's Daze...

Joke for today

2012-01-03T15:44:00.002-05:00

A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgeon. As she laid her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, 'I'm so sorry, your Duck, Cuddles, has passed away.'

The distressed owner wailed, 'Are you sure?'

'Yes, I am sure. The duck is dead', he replied.

'How can you be so sure?' she protested. 'I mean, you haven't done any testing on him or anything! He might just be in a coma or something.'

The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room, and returned a few moments later with a black Labrador Retriever. As the duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head. The vet patted the dog and took it out, and returned a few moments later with a cat.

The cat jumped up on the table and also sniffed delicately at the bird from head to foot. The cat sat back on it's haunches, shook its head, meowed softly and strolled out of the room.

The vet looked at the woman and said, 'I'm sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck.'

Then the vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman. The duck's owner, still in shock, took the bill.

'$300!' she cried, '$300 just to tell me my duck is dead!!'

The vet shrugged.' I'm sorry. If you'd taken my word for it, the bill would have been $100, but with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it's now $300.'

I Heart (puppy) Faces

2011-12-13T19:10:00.001-05:00

Have you ever seen the I Heart Faces website? It's full of lots of good photography tutorials and lots of fun contests. This week's is a furry face contest. This is one of my favorite pictures of Scarlett, taken when she was about 3 months old. It wasn't planned, I just walked in on her and she had the wrapper from a bag of dog treats in her mouth. It was so cute that I just had to grab my camera. Unfortunately for me, I lost the original pic when my computer died, but I was lucky enough to have saved a copy to my FB profile.

My ghost story for you...

2011-10-30T15:05:00.000-04:00

A man is walking home alone late one foggy night...

when behind him he hears:

Bump...

BUMP...

BUMP...

Walking faster, he looks back and through the fog he makes out the image of an upright casket banging its way down the middle of the street toward him.

BUMP...

BUMP...

BUMP...

Terrified, the man begins to run toward his home, the casket bouncing quickly behind him.

FASTER...

FASTER...

BUMP...

BUMP...

BUMP...

He runs up to his door, fumbles with his keys, opens the door, rushes in, slams and locks the door behind him.

However, the casket crashes through his door, with the lid of the casket clapping.

clappity-BUMP...

clappity-BUMP...

clappity-BUMP...

on his heels, the terrified man runs.

Rushing upstairs to the bathroom, the man locks himself in. His heart is pounding; his head is reeling; his breath is coming in sobbing gasps.

With a loud CRASH the casket breaks down the door.

Bumping and clapping toward him.

The man screams and reaches for something, anything,
but all he can find is a bottle of cough syrup!

Desperate, he throws the cough syrup at the casket...

and,

(hopefully you're ready for this!!!)

The coffin stops!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

My update

2011-10-08T22:15:00.001-04:00

Wow- not sure how it happened, but it's been almost a month since I last posted. Time has gotten away from me lately. I'm working night shift again and I've come to the conclusion that I am just too old for this stuff! One 12 hour shift (which is really closer to 16 by the time I add in the commute) requires 2 days of recovery.

I do have several Fall projects planned that I hope to get to this week. I want to decorate my porch and get it ready for Halloween. I have a fun wreath planned to greet the trick or treaters. Once things settle down, I hope to get some homemade Christmas gifts under way, too.

Bad puns; part 2

2011-09-13T19:09:00.000-04:00

Because you can never have too many bad puns... If you missed the first part of this post, you can find it here.

11. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

12. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.'

13. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

14. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'

15. The midget fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

16. The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

17. A backward poet writes inverse.

18. In a democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes.

19. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.

20. If you jumped off the bridge in Paris , you'd be in Seine .

Never Forget

2011-09-11T10:42:00.000-04:00

Menu Plan Monday 9/5/2011

2011-09-05T21:06:00.000-04:00

Happy Labor Day, everyone. I hope you all had an enjoyable day.

Storms are on the horizon for most of the week here, along with lots of long days for me. I only have a partial week of menus planned, for some reason I just can't kick it in to gear today.

Chicken Pot Pie
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Crockpot Beef Stew
Spaghetti and Meatballs
White Chicken Chili
Albondigas (Meatball Soup)

Lunches:
PB&J
Tuna
Egg Salad
Left overs

Breakfasts:
Pancakes
Scrambled eggs
Cold Cereal
Blackberry French Toast Casserole, courtesy of Mrs. Jones (Saturday morning)

Have a wonderful week!

Pollo Bowls (Chicken Bowls)

2011-09-02T08:00:00.002-04:00

El Pollo Loco is probably my favorite fast food restaurant of all times. Marinated, grilled chicken with yummy rice, beans and tortillas. It doesn't get any better than that. Unfortunately for me, the nearest one is about 30 miles from me (insert sad face here).

Luckily for me, the basic recipe for my favorite treat, the pollo bowl, is pretty easy to replicate at home.

All you need is grilled chicken, mexican rice, pinto beans, onions and SALSA. Lots of salsa.

Start with some citrus marinade like the ones you can find here or here. Marinate 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts for at least 4 hours, preferably over night.

Next, make your Mexican rice. I make mine in my rice steamer. If you've ever made Mexican rice, you know it can be kind of tricky to do on the stove top. Making it in the rice steamer is fast, easy and almost fool-proof. Here is how I do it.

2 Cups Long Grain Rice- rinsed and drained.
1 Can Rotel Tomatoes with Mild Green Chiles
1 Can Low Sodium Chicken Broth
2 tsp Minced Garlic
1/2 White Onion, chopped.

Heat 2 teaspoons Olive Oil in your Rice Steamer. When hot, add your rice and "fry" it slightly until the translucency changes, stirring frequently. Add your onions and garlic and continue to cook slightly. When the onions are soft, add the Rotel Tomatoes.

Now, depending on your Rice Steamer directions add the chicken broth to the appropriate mark on your cooker. For instance, my directions say for 2 cups of rice, add water to slightly above the 2 cup mark (this isn't actually an accurate 2 cups, it's just the reference line used by the manufacturer. I've found with the Mexican rice, that if I hit to exactly on the 2 cup line the rice comes out better and not mushy due to the extra fluid in the tomatoes.

Set your steamer for the recommended settings (on mine, I just hit the 'white rice' button). Approximately half way through, open your lid and stir the contents quickly then allow the rice to finish cooking.

While your rice is cooking, fire up the BBQ and grill those chicken breasts. When done, let the chicken rest for a few minutes and then cut in to bite sized pieces.

For the beans, I use a can of pinto beans that I have simmered with a small amount of garlic until the juice starts to thicken up.

Layer your bowls with rice, followed by beans and topped with some chicken. Add a bit of salsa (I prefer a pico de gallo), chopped onions, cilantro or what ever else strikes your fancy to the top. This will make 6 generous servings.

This is a fast family favorite around here. Left overs reheat well for a low fat and flavorful lunch at work.

Bad puns for the day; part 1

2011-08-30T13:07:00.001-04:00

Yes, I admit I am corny. I love puns. I'm not very good at making them, but I enjoy them when I see them. Here are a few I'd like to share with you today.

1. The fattest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.

2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian

3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.

4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption.

5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.

6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

7. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.

8. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

9. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.

10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

Have a ~~pun~~ fun day!

Things My Parents Taught Me

2011-08-19T20:15:00.000-04:00

My mother passed this on to me and I want to share it with all of you. How many of these can you relate to?

1. My Parents taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE .
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside.. I just finished cleaning."

2. My Parents taught me RELIGION .
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My Parents taught me about TIME TRAVEL .
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My Parents taught me LOGIC .
" Because I said so, that's why."

5. My Parents taught me MORE LOGIC ..
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My Parents taught me FORESIGHT .
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My Parents taught me IRONY .
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My Parents taught me about the science of OSMOSIS .
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My Parents taught me about CONTORTIONISM .
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My Parents taught me about STAMINA .
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My Parents taught me about WEATHER .
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My Parents taught me about HYPOCRISY .
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13. My Parents taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE .
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.."

14. My Parents taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION .
"Stop acting like your father!"

15. My Parents taught me about ENVY .
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My Parents taught me about ANTICIPATION .
"Just wait until we get home."

17. My Parents taught me about RECEIVING .
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My Parents taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE .
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way."

19. My Parents taught me ESP .
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. My Parents taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

21. My Parents taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT .
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My Parents taught me GENETICS .
"You're just like your father."

23. My Parents taught me about my ROOTS .
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My Parents taught me WISDOM .
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

And my favorite:

25. My Parents taught me about JUSTICE .
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you !"

Menu Plan Monday 8-15-2011

2011-08-15T08:00:00.001-04:00

School started back last Thursday. Yay! But the downside to that is my kids come home starving. I need to have my dinners ready to serve early to meet their needs. Meal planning is more important than ever. I am also starting a new job next week and will be working night shifts. That means even more pressure on me to have easy, ready to heat dinners. In addition to my plan this week, I need to throw together a few freezer menu items to meet our needs. Here is my plan for this week:

Hamburgers (grilled), salad
Ground Beef and Potato Tacos, mexican rice
Grilled Chicken Fettucine, salad and bread sticks
Chicken Enchiladas, rice and beans
Tortilla Soup, salad
Chorizo and Eggs, tortillas
Polish Pancakes, fruit

Frugal Window/Glass Cleaner

2011-08-09T15:20:00.003-04:00

Not my windows, but still pretty shiny!

Recently Diva decided to wash her bathroom mirrors. With soap. And then she let it dry. Still covered in soap.

I needed to clean the mirrors, but I was out of the good ole blue stuff. Enter the frugal, and very effective, replacement. All it takes is 3 ingredients.

Water
Rubbing Alcohol (left over from here)
Ammonia (left over from this fiasco)

Here's what you do. Mix 1 cup water with 1 cup Rubbing Alcohol. Add 1 Tablespoon non-sudsing Ammonia. Pour into a recycled spray bottle. Don't take a whiff- this stuff is strong! Just take my word for it. Spray on your dirty mirrors and windows and let sit for about 30 seconds before wiping off. This stuff cut through all the greasy, grimy mess and left the mirrors and windows sparkling and squeaky clean. For improved results, use newspaper for a streak-free finish.

I'm not sure you could call this a "green" cleaner since I'm not sure what happens with the ammonia. I do know that it's "green" in the sense that it costs just pennies per bottle. Try it and let me know what your think.

I'm sharing this post at:
The Grocery Cart Challenge
Hope Studios

New Silhouette Studio Design: Baby Feet

2011-08-06T17:36:00.000-04:00

My neighbor is having a baby any day now and I'm putting together a present for her. I wanted to use my Silhouette SD to cut out images of baby feet for my project.

I'll share the finished results in a few days, but thought I would share the Silhouette file for anyone who would like to use it. I think it would be really cute to make vinyl cutouts or even a stencil for a T-shirt or Onesie.

You can download the file here. Enjoy.

Organize a "Back to School Supplies" Drive

2011-08-03T10:56:00.001-04:00

We are trying something different in my neighborhood this year. Every year we organize a Back to School Ice Cream Social held the afternoon before school starts. This year we are adding a little something new; a drive to collect school supplies.

Every year we get a long, long, long list of supplies the kids need to bring in to the classroom. We get the generic school list, and then a second one comes out with specific things the teacher is requesting. It's enough to give you heart palpitations when you start adding up the cost. For some families, it's just too much to handle so kids go to school without and are embarrassed by not having the little things that make the start of the school year so much fun. A new box of crayons, fresh pencils, a new lunch bag.

Right now, many of those needed items can be purchased for less than a dollar at the big chain stores. Think about organizing a drive in your neighborhood and throwing an extra item or two in your cart to help a child get the school year off to a good start.

Update: I was asked where I would distribute the supplies we gather. In our case, my local elementary school has a long, long list of students in need and not enough supplies to fill it. The school counselor is going to make sure the supplies get put to good use. Other options you might consider are delivering the supplies to a local food bank or women/children's shelter.

I'm sharing this post over at:
We Are THAT Family

Home made Sun In (hair lightener)

2011-07-28T18:08:00.000-04:00

Ahhh, summer. The lazy days. Pools. The lake. Shorts. The tans.Nothing says "I spent a week lounging on a fabulous beach while you were stuck in the office" more than sun streaked highlights in your hair.

It's easy to replicate those delicate highlights even if all you have is the afternoon pulling weeds in your garden. My grandmother swore that adding lemon juice to the final rinse of my hair would make my blonde hair even blonder. Later, I tried the commercial product Sun In and drove with the top of my convertible down. It worked a little too well and I ended up looking like Billy Idol, complete with not so blonde roots.


Billy Idol. Fun to listen to, but not great to look like	.

As my hair has darkened over the years, I found the commercial products would end up leaving me with more of an orange striped look than the light blonde highlights I craved. So it was back to revisit Grandma's idea. I make my own highlight spray using lemon juice and water. Just spray it in to slightly damp hair and comb through. Avoid saturating the scalp because it can make your scalp sensitive. Then go outside and enjoy the day by the pool. Or the garden. Either way works for me. The sunlight works with the lemon juice to accelerate the natural highlighting effects of the sun.

Homemade Sun-In

1/4 cup lemon juice. Fresh is best.

1/2 cup water.

Put in a spray bottle, spritz it in to slightly damp hair and comb through. Avoid saturating the scalp because it can make your scalp sensitive. Then go outside and enjoy the day by the pool. Or the garden. Either way works for me. The sunlight works with the lemon juice to accelerate the natural highlighting effects of the sun.

Then go back to work and make all your co-workers jealous.

Good idea/Bad idea- The pet version

2011-07-21T14:07:00.000-04:00

MckMama had a funny post yesterday comparing her good ideas with, let's just say, her not so great ones. In the spirit of her post, I thought I would do my own version using my household menagerie as inspiration.

Good idea: Dog sitting for a neighbor.
Bad idea: Leaving my interview shoes down low enough for said dog to chew them up the night before my interview.

Good idea: Having 4 dogs because I thought each one needed their own special buddy.
Bad idea: Having 4 dogs because I'm out numbered when the door bell rings.

Good idea: Deciding that it was cruel to crate a dog at night.
Bad idea: Laughing the first time Rhett stole my pillow. Now he does it every night.

Good idea: Buying identical chew toys for the dogs.
Bad idea: Not realizing that no matter how many I have, they will always want the same one at the same time.

Good idea: Having the two smaller dogs sit beside me on the couch while I type so we can have some quality time together.
Bad idea: Having them sit beside me while I'm using the computer because they like to walk across the keyboard.

Good idea: Joining a board about the specific breed to learn more about them.
Bad idea: Joining the board because now I spend far too much time on it.

Good idea: Writing this post.
Bad idea: Writing this post because I can't do it as well as Mckmama does it.

Cleaning Burnt Pans

2011-07-15T09:29:00.000-04:00

My daughter is not good at multi-tasking. Especially when it comes to cooking and texting.

Exhibit A: My good stainless steal pan after she burned popcorn in it. Ouch.

This is after she and my husband tried to clean it out. The lid was just as bad; I was counting this one as a goner. No amount of soaking or scrubbing was doing the trick. As a last ditch attempt, I tried a tip I had read about previously, although I didn't have much faith it was going to work.

The magic trick? Ammonia.

Yep. The stinky stuff your grandmother used to clean up greasy messes. The stuff that will knock you out or wake you up if you get too big a whiff of it.

Just take a small glass bowl and put some ammonia in it. Set it inside your pot and put the lid on. If you don't have a lid or it's not tight fitting, you can put the whole thing in a garbage bag and seal it up.

Now, let the whole thing sit tight for a day or two out in the garage or back yard. Don't peek. It's the fumes that cause this trick to work.

When the time is up, dump out your ammonia and scrub gently with an S.O.S. pad. The mess should come off like buttah...

The same process works for messy grills or your oven.

Now, if only this trick would get rid of the gunk in my daughter's room...

Vegetables as Civil Disobedience

2011-07-13T14:30:00.000-04:00

Would you go to jail over broccoli?

I had to share this link with you. A woman in Michigan is facing 3 months in jail over, get this, a vegetable garden. It seems the city planners in Oak Park, Michigan have a problem with certain types of vegetation grown on private property. Or rather, the location of said vegetation.

For her part, home owner Julie Bass does not see why growing vegetables in well maintained, raised beds in her front yard can be considered a crime. Is Oak Park really such a bastion of safety orderliness that tomatoes and cucumbers are considered a threat?

We aren't talking about a master-planned community with cookie cutter front lawns required by strict HOA rules. Her neighborhood appears to be a working class area with a mixture of single and multi-family units.

Can and should the government control what you consider to be useful or decorative? Is this a case of big brother knowing how to better run our lives than the individual? Or is this a town with too much money and time on it's hands? In an age with the government trying to tell us what we can and can't eat, shouldn't a vegetable garden not only be encouraged but lauded?

What do you think?

Greener Cleaning Part 1: Homemade Soft Scrub

2011-07-10T20:04:00.000-04:00

I've started experimenting again with some homemade cleaners in an effort to use fewer chemicals and reduce costs. Many of the recipes I've run across have been rather disappointing. No matter how cheap it is, if it doesn't work, I'm not going to use it.

This recipe, however, does work well for me. Chances are, you've got all the ingredients sitting in your kitchen right this minute. Are you ready for the list? Here it is.

Liquid dish soap

Baking soda

That's it.
To make your homemade version take 1/2 cup of baking soda and mix in enough dish soap to make a creamy, frosting like texture. If you want, add in a few drops of essential oil to scent. This mix scrubs well, but rinses easily. You can easily adjust the proportions if you prefer a thinner or thicker mix.

For my experiment, I used some 7th Generation Free and Clear Dish Soap. I added a couple drops of tea tree oil just to help scent it, but it really isn't necessary. Store in a recycled squeeze bottle ( I used an old ketchup bottle.)

Happy cleaning.

The Casey Anthony verdict: Justice or Joke?

2011-07-05T15:21:00.000-04:00

I'm generally a big believer in our legal system. But today, just as I was nearly 16 years ago, I am dumbfounded by the lack of common sense exhibited by the jurors on this case.

Mentally, I had prepared myself for this possibility. I didn't think the prosecution was doing a good enough job of breaking things down and making it simple for the jurors. I said as much to my husband. But while I thought the jury wouldn't come back with a death penalty recommendation, I did truly believe that they would see beyond the bs and realize that the only person responsible for the death of Caylee Marie was her mother.

But hearing the verdicts announced as "Not Guilty" today gave me a sick feeling in my stomach. Once again, the people who were responsible for protecting Caylee failed. 12 jurors let that little girl down just as surely as her mother did. That is absolutely unacceptable in my book.

Casey threw everyone and everything under the bus to try and get away with murder. And get away with it she did. But I know she killed Caylee. Her parents know she killed Caylee. SHE knows she killed Caylee. But most of all, Caylee knows Casey is guilty.

I'm just sick after all of this. A man in my neighborhood shot a dog (the dog survived the injury) and got 2 years in jail. A football player shot himself in the leg and got jail time. But another mother murdered her child and will walk free.

This is all a sick joke, right?

Seems Casey Anthony and her bozo defense teams are the only ones laughing.

Menu Plan Monday 7-4-11 Sour Cream Coffee Cake

2011-07-05T10:22:00.004-04:00

Sweet, sour-creamy goodness.

Ok, I know it's Tuesday. But I still need a menu plan for this week and better late than never. Did all have a nice 4th of July? I did. It's also my mom's birthday so we always spend it with her and my dad. It rained here last night, so fireworks were out of the equation for us.
Here's my plan for this week:Tacos, rice and beansLasagna, salad and bread sticksChicken pot pie, saladMonte Cristo Sandwiches, fruit saladGrilled chicken and veggiesChicken ceasar salad and bread sticks
Breakfasts: Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Scrambled Eggs, cold cereal, oatmeal

This morning, I needed something sweet to kick off my day. Sour Cream Coffee Cake is an easy winner around here. It's fast to throw together and smells heavenly while baking.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake1 1/4 Flour2 Cups packed brown sugar1/2 cup butter1 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon cinnamon1 egg, beaten1/2 cup sour cream

Mix the first 3 ingredients until crumbly in a large mixing bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup of the mixture. Add the baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon to the mixing bowl and stir. Add egg and sour cream, beat until smooth.
Pour in to greased 8x8 pan. Top with reserved mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

I'm sharing this post over at: Hope Studios , Tip Junkie

2011-07-02T22:12:00.000-04:00

He's got the red, white, and blue flyin' high on the farm
semper fi tattooed on his left arm
spends a little more at the store for a tag in the back that says u.s.a.
won't buy nothin' that he can't fix,
with wd40 and a craftsman wrench
he ain't prejudice he's just, made in America.

Joke of the day

2011-06-29T21:37:00.002-04:00

An elderly couple is attending church one Sunday. The wife leans over to her husband and whispers "I just let out a silent fart. What should I do?"

Her husband says to her "Put new batteries in your hearing aid!"

Things that get on my nerves...

2011-06-25T17:40:00.002-04:00

*Warning- I'm feeling kinda crabby today. Don't bother reading if you are someone that is easily offended or are one of those perpetually perky people who never gets annoyed by anything*

Just a few of the things that bug the heck out of me:

People who are late. If you expect me to be on time, so should you. It's not my privilege to wait for you.

People who tweet (or FB) too much. I really don't need to know that you are having tacos for lunch. And spaghetti for dinner. And a snack before bed. I really don't.

People who need a calculator to figure out what 50% off of $14.99 is.

Road construction going in to down town. On a weekend. During the day time hours. When there is a Braves Game, concert and convention all going on at the same time.

People in front of you in line at a fast food place who can't make up their minds about what they want. While there is a long line behind them. Move aside, let the person behind you go while you are pondering the choice of a cheese burger or a double cheese burger.

Chain emails. I truly don't believe I am going to win a million dollars and find the love of my life if I forward this email to at least 25 of my friends.

The way the volume of commercials is at least 10 decibels louder than the program you are watching.

Reality T.V. It's not reality. It's not entertaining. And the idiots are NOT stars.

People who don't know the difference between "there", "their" and "they're".

News websites that don't know how to utilize a dictionary. If that basic little fact can't be verified, why should I believe anything else they put there?

Tailgaters. Trust me, if you decide to ride my bumper, I'm going to slow down just to tick you off.

People with too tight face lifts. It's just not natural to look as though you've stuck your face in a wind tunnel. Joan Rivers and Kenny Rogers, I am speaking to you.

Seeing someone's underwear. I really don't want to know that you have an affinity for butt floss (thongs) or briefs.

4 A.M.- that one is pretty self explanatory.

Creativity: Is it inherited or learned?

2011-06-20T17:24:00.000-04:00

Creativity. What comes to mind when you hear that word? Does it only apply to things artistic? Are everyday things creative? Is creativity inherited or a learned skill?

I believe everyone is creative, it's just that some people are better able to display their creative endeavors. My husband is a very talented architectural designer. No one would question whether or not he is creative.

Me? Not so much. I can't draw a straight line even with a ruler. My sewing attempts are feeble at best. It's not that I don't have (what I think are) good ideas, I just lack the talent for implementing them.

Then there are my daughters. Today I walked in to Diva's (very messy) room to get something. There, on her guitar, I found this:

It was a song she had written. We've just lately noticed that she loves to write stories, really detailed stories. She also loves Taylor Swift. So her writing a love song at 10 years of age shouldn't really surprise me.

Then there is DD2. Like me, art is not her forte. But she can spin fantastical tales that keep her friends in stitches. For an entire school year, she had a story going on that had the tag line "take the popcorn out of the microwave...". All she had to do was say that and her friends would bust up laughing. Even her school work isn't exempt from her humor. During her culinary class this year, every assignment she turned in had to have a touch of a pirate theme. Her teacher told me that she always looked forward to seeing DD2's assignments just so she could see how pirates would somehow be related to grilled pineapple.

And then there is DD1. During her sophmore year of high school, she was voted the most talented female writer in the county. She's written several short novels that she hopes to publish someday. In the mean time, she's going to nursing school so she can support her writing habit.

So, did the girls inherit their creative abilities from their dad or did we just give them the encouragement and room they needed to find their own niches? All I know is that they didn't inherit any creative genes from me.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-18T21:47:00.000-04:00

Storing the Blow Dryer

2011-06-15T12:53:00.001-04:00

I had one of those "duh" moments while getting ready for my clinical rotation at 4:30 in the morning.

My blow dryer has been a fixture on my bathroom counter these days. My hair is too wavy to let dry naturally and too short to pull back in to a pony tail. The babies I'm working with deserve to not be scared by the Bride of Frankenstein when they open their little eyes. The blow dryer, therefore, is a necessary evil in my life.

The problem with that is it's always in the way. It takes up a lot of counter space, but taking the time to let it cool and curling up the cord so I can store it in the linen closet takes too much time (and I'm too ~~lazy~~ busy to actually do it.)

Don't ask me how I missed it until now, but I finally realized there is a loop on the back end of mine, hence the "duh" moment.

The answer was a simple binder ring. You know the kind I'm talking about. Lots of people use them as key rings to hook on to the strap of their purses. This kind:


The lowly binder ring

They are cheap (about 3 bucks for 8 of them) and come in a variety of sizes. I used a 3/4" to do this:

Voila. The dryer now hangs from the shelving in my linen closet in the ackward space created by straight shelves and an angled wall. The unusable dead space. The "what on earth was the architect thinking?" space.

Best part is, I don't have to wait for it to cool down or even curl up my cord if I don't feel like it. Which I don't. Because it's 4:30 in the freakin morning.

I'll be sharing this post over at We Are THAT Family.

Menu Plan Monday 6/13/2011

2011-06-13T11:11:00.000-04:00

Here we go again. The last week seemed to zip by and this week promises to be even busier with the start of my clinical preceptorship. This week's meals will be a combination of fast and easy. I made a total of 14 meals during my freezer cooking session last week, but I only plan to pull out one during this week's plan.

Stuffed Bell Peppers, green salad
Shredded beef burritos, rice and beans *
Chicken Enchilada's with left over rice and beans
Spaghetti and Italian Sausage with Garlic bread and salad
Polish pancakes (basically big crepes) with fruit
Hamburgers on the grill, corn on the cob
Baked potatoes with clean out the fridge stash.

Lunches: Turkey, PB& J or Tuna Sandwiches. Fruit and chips.

Breakfasts: Cold cereal, pancakes, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, toast, english muffins and fruit.

* From my OAMC session

As always, I will be sharing this over at I'm An Organizing Junkie .

Marabeth's Sloppy Joes

2011-06-10T07:00:00.003-04:00

My DH is the oldest of 5 kids, all born in rapid succession. Needless to say, my late mother-in-law was busy. Dinners had to be fast, cheap and feed a lot of mouths.

One of my husband's favorite meals was sloppy joe's. As a part of my freezer/OAMC plan this month I made a batch. The recipe can easily be doubled and cooked all day in a slow cooker for Potlucks or just kept warm to deal with busy schedules. This version is a very mild, unspicy form of sloppy joe's and is always a big hit with my kid's friends when I make it.

Marabeth's Sloppy Joe's

2 pounds ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 can Campbell's Vegetable Soup
1 can Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soup
1 can Pinto or Kidney Beans
Salt and pepper to taste
1 package hamburger buns

Brown ground beef in pan with onion, drain fat. At this point, you can either transfer to a slow cooker or continue cooking on the stove top. Add the vegetable soup and cheddar cheese soup (don't add any water to either can) and beans. Mix thoroughly. Cook over low heat until warm or keep in crockpot on low until serving time. Add salt and pepper just before serving.

To serve, just scoop on to the hamburger buns. Easy enough for a kid to do.

Before & After: My first furniture refinishing project

2011-06-08T07:05:00.007-04:00

I will admit that I am in absolute awe of people like The Thrifty Decor Chick, Kimba @ A Soft Place To Land, the Nester at The Nesting Place and even my real life friend Mrs. Jones. These women are the queens of furniture refinishing. They have the magical ability to take an unwanted, discarded and ugly piece of furniture and turn it in to beautiful pieces for their homes with no more than a little elbow grease and a can of paint.

I am not one of these women.

I am, however, in the possession of the internet and an indomitable sense of "if they can, so can I" idealism.

All of that leads me back to this project that I started several months back. And by several months, I mean 3.5 months. I bought these ugly little end tables at a thrift store on my way to a Girl Scout Cookie Booth Sale.

Yep. Ugly. Mismatched. Beat up. Stained. Scratched. But cheap! Less than $20 bucks for both pieces. Of course, just my luck, the very next weekend the store was going out of business and I could have picked them up for even less.

Unfortunately, the dressers had stickers all over them. I put out a call for help on how to best remove them and got several great tips. One site I found suggested using WD-40 to remove the stickers. Of course, I was out of the stuff so I decided to use what I had in my garage. Armor-All fit the bill. I pulled off the paper part of the sticker and then soaked the sticky stuff with the Armor-All.

After about 20 minutes, I was able to scrape off the left over bits with the flat edge of a plastic scraper. Unfortunately, what I found was the sticker I was removing had been placed to cover up an earlier sticker removal that took off part of the laminate. Ugh. After the stickers were all removed, I took off all the hardware and completely cleaned to the furniture with a mixture of dish soap and water and then let everything dry completely.

A few days later, I did a light sanding to give the surface a bit of a "tooth". At first I tried a 100 grit sandpaper...that was too heavy and left marks in the wood. A 220 grit roughed things up just enough without taking the laminate off. I filled holes and gouges with wood filler and let it dry completely before doing a final sanding. Clean the entire piece with a tack cloth to remove the dust.

Next came the primer. After consulting with Mrs. Jones and tweeting the Thrifty Decor Chick, I decided on using Kilz Primer. According to the salesman at Ace Hardware, I didn't even need to sand, the stuff should stick to anything.

I used about 3 cans of spray primer to cover both pieces and all 4 drawers. I wanted to make sure nothing would peel off, so I did 2 light layers and then let several ~~weeks~~ days pass before putting a final coat on.

See what I mean about not using a heavy grit sandpaper? But even with just the primer, the pieces were already looking 100% better. Let the final primer coat dry a couple of ~~weeks~~ days before going on to the final painting step.

I decided to use Krylon Spray Paint for the top coat. It's fast, but in hindsight, I should have probably used a roller or brush. White paint over white primer makes it difficult to tell which areas needed to be painted.

Finally, I added new hardware. Because the set was unmatched, I wanted to swap out one drawer in each dresser to make it look like a matched set. Luckily, they were the same size and it worked perfectly. Unfortunately, the single pull was an odd size that my Home Depot doesn't carry. I opted to fill in the holes and place two single pulls to mirror the other drawers.

Ta da! There is one in place. My next step will be to have plexi-glass cut to size for the top so my daughter can place picture under it.

One last look:

Menu plan Monday 6-6-2011, OAMC Plan

2011-06-06T10:58:00.004-04:00

This is my last week of summer vacation. I start back to a full-time clinical rotation next week. I alternate between being excited, scared and very sad.

One of the unexpected benefits of getting injured was the chance to be a full-time mom and wife. Other than a couple of brief maternity leaves, I had never had the chance to experience that. What surprised me the most was that I really, really liked it. I liked being there at the bus stop. I liked being able to take my daughters to dance classes and softball games every week.I liked being room mom and going on class field trips. I liked being able to drop everything at a moments notice to go pick up a sick child, and then spend the day cuddled on my bed watching cartoons.

Unfortunately, our circumstances have changed and I am forced back into the looking for work force. So, staring next week, instead of picking up and going to pool, I'll be putting on scrubs and feeding someone else's child. Instead of listening to the frogs, I'll be listening to heart and lung sounds. Instead of half-done, hair brained craft projects, it will be timed tests, scheduled meds and deadlines. And instead of a leisurely "what sounds good for dinner?" it will be a rushed eat and get ready for bed affair.

Menu planning and Once a Month Cooking has helped me in the past. I'm hoping it will in the future. I'm also hoping that by throwing myself into this during this week, it will help take away some of the sadness I am feeling right now. Cooking as therapy.

So here is my plan:
Prepare 3 meals worth of hamburger patties
4 dozen meat balls
2 meat loaves
2 meals worth of taco filling

2 chicken pot pies
Cook shredded chicken for sandwiches

2 meals of Chili Colorado

Bagged meals for crockpot:
2 dinners of Crockpot chicken cordon bleu
2 bags chicken pasta Alfredo
2 bags beef stew
2 crockpot lasagna

Other bagged meals:
Orange chicken with rice

Breakfasts:
Blueberry muffins
Egg & cheese muffins
Pancakes
Waffles

That should keep me busy this week. I plan to do the ground beef cooking 1 day and all the chicken cooking the next. Today, however, I need to go clean out my freezer!

I'll be linking to :

Ban on Breastfeeding: Needed or Just Pathetic?

2011-06-03T12:28:00.000-04:00

Forest Park, Georgia has a newly passed city ordinance that bans breastfeeding in public of children over the age of 2. The city says it's needed to try and limit public nudity.

Excuse me?

I always find it hilarious the way the minds of some work. Breasts on display are perfectly acceptable if you are walking around with a shirt cut down to there. But using them the way nature intended is considered offensive.

Georgia already has pathetic statistics on breastfeeding. According to Kaiser State Health Facts, Georigians breast feed at a rate far below the national average (64.8 vs 75%). By the time a child is a year old, that rate drops to 17.9% versus 22.4%.

There is no disputing the health benefits of breastfeeding. I know that there are also reasons that some women either can't or choose not to breast feed. But in an era that is espousing an overhaul in healthcare and supposedly touting the need for a healthier life style, does it make sense to put restrictions on breastfeeding?

Is the ban even really needed. I haven't been able to find a reliable statistic, but how many people are still breast feeding their child at 2 years old? I assume it's far less than were doing it at 1. For laughs, let's assume the rate is 50% of the 1 year rate. That would put the rate at approximately 9% or less than 1 in 10 women in Georgia. Now, let's look at the population of Forest Park. A 2008 Census estimate put the population at approximately 22,000. Let's say half are women. So of 11,000 women, how many are of child bearing age? Let's be really generous and say half. Now we are down to 5500. Of that 5500, how many have a child of breast feeding ages at any given time? Again, let's be generous and say 50% again. That brings it down to 2750. If a generous 9% were still breast feeding a 2 year old child, that would be about 247 women.

Is a law aimed at 1.1% of the population really necessary? Are the other 98.9 so traumatically effected by the sight of a woman breast feeding in public that Police Officers need to be on the look out for the offending parties?

Really? Seems like in a time of budget crunches, tax dollars could be much better spent somewhere else.

BTW- It's still perfectly acceptable to wear your pants down to your butt crack and wear a shirt that's cut down to your navel in Forest Park.

Just don't breast feed.

Easy Peasy Bruschetta

2011-06-01T12:50:00.004-04:00

Yummy!

I love to go to Buca di Beppo. Love, love, love that restaurant. The sights, sounds and smells of the place is just heavenly. One of my favorite things to eat there is their Bruschetta. Lovely, ripe tomatoes mixed with onions and other seasonings. So cool and flavorful, especially on a hot day.

With summer time in full swing, tomatoes are available in abundance around here. I've made my own version of a quick bruschetta using my food processor. If you prefer a chunkier version, just chop the tomatoes and onions by hand. For the best results, let the mix sit in the fridge for at least half an hour so the flavors marinate. Longer is better.

Easy Peasy Bruschetta

6 Roma tomatoes, washed and quartered

1/2 onion, red or white as desired, sliced

Garlic- either 2 tsp minced or 2 whole cloves crushed.

1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Balsalmic Vinegar

1 Teaspoon dried Basil

1 pinch Kosher Sea Salt

Put all ingredients in to your food processor bowl. Process in short pulses until mixture is desired consistency. I like mine thinner, more of a salsa consistency so I process it about 10-12 pulses. Chill in fridge for at least half an hour.

When you are ready to serve, take slices of good Italian bread and lightly brush with Olive oil and pop under broiler for a couple of minutes until lightly toasted. Watch this like a hawk! The bread will go from being toasted to burnt in the blink of an eye if you aren't careful. If desired, top bread with a small amount of mozarella cheese and return to broiler until melted.

To serve, spoon Bruschetta mix over the toasted bread. Yummy!

This is an easy and fun dish to make. My daughter likes to help make it, so it's a good activity to get the kids involved in. I'll be linking this post to the following sites:

We Are That Family
Tea Rose Home
Grocery Cart Challenge

Too sweet not to share.

2011-05-28T15:58:00.000-04:00

This is probably one of the sweetest videos I've seen in a long time. Enjoy.

Sunburn Treatment- Bring on the oatmeal!

2011-05-27T16:19:00.001-04:00

Summer means sun and that can mean sunburns. Obviously, prevention is the best thing. But if you've had an oopsie and either forgot your sunscreen or stayed out a bit too long, relief is waiting right there in your pantry.

Oatmeal.

Yep, the stuff your mother made you eat for breakfast growing up. The stuff touted for helping lower your cholesterol now.

Who knew it could help you feel good on the outside, too?

Several companies make oatmeal soaks (such as Aveeno) but they are pricey. It's fast and easy to make your own. Just grind about 1 cup in your blender or food processor until it is a very fine consistency (almost like flour). Make sure that you are using the rolled or raw oats and not the instant variety! You can test if it's right by dropping a small amount in a glass of water. It should dissolve instantly and give the water a milky look to it.

Just add the powder to your (warm)bath, mixing with your hands to make sure there aren't any clumps and then soak for about 20 minutes. This is also a great treatment for itchy skin from things like chicken pox, eczema and bug bites.

One word of warning: the collodial properties of oatmeal will make the tub slippery. Use care when getting in and out.

Crazy Daze of Summer- Free or Cheap things to do around Atlanta

2011-05-26T08:50:00.001-04:00

There are 77 days until school starts back again. Not that I am counting or anything. That means 76 more mornings of "what are we going to do today?" and "mommmmmm, I'm bored!"

It's time to line up plans of things to do in the area that don't cost an arm and a leg. Fortunately, living near Atlanta gives us plenty of opportunities for fun things to do without needing to take out a second mortgage.

Movies: Movies 400 in Cumming is offering their free movies every Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 10:00 a.m. Popcorn and sodas are available for $1.00. If you bring a canned good, you can receive a free popcorn. Space fills up fast, so be sure to get there early. A full listing of movies can be found here.

Do it yourself clinics: Lowes and Home Depot both offer free crafts on certain Saturdays of the month. The kids have a great time using tools and building something to bring home. Check your local store for the craft list and dates.

Tour the Federal Reserve Bank- Learn about how our money system works. The Federal Bank offers non-scheduled tours for groups of 10 or less, and scheduled tours for groups of 10-30.

Are you a Bank of America customer? BofA offers free admission to several Atlanta area museums the first full weekend of every month. The High Museum of Art, Atlanta History Center and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum are part of that list. For more information, visit BofA's Museums on Us.

The Fernbank Science Center offers free admission to the science center, and $4.00 admissions to the planetarium.

Centennial Park offers free events several times during the week. Take a picnic dinner go play in the water feature while listening to music.

The World of Coca Cola Museum is a bit pricey ($16.00/adults $12/youth 2-12). But if you are a soda fanatic, you might enjoy seeing the history of the fizzy stuff. For an even better deal, combine the tickets with the Inside CNN tours for a $4.00 savings.

The BEST deal is the Atlanta City Pass. For $69.00, you can visit the Georgia Aquarium, The Coca Cola Museum and CNN, as well as either the High Museum or Fernbank and Zoo Atlanta or the Atlanta History Museum over 9 days.

Take me out to the ball game: The Atlanta Braves offer a Family Value Pack starting at $69.00 for 4 tickets, 4 hotdogs, 4 soft drinks, a game program, a parking pass and a $5.00 Chevron gift card.

Screen on the Green at Piedmont Park- as of this writing, this popular program may not be available because it's major funder has backed out. Fingers crossed, they will find a new partner.

.

Gossip Girls

2011-05-24T08:00:00.005-04:00

I love blogs. Blogs about parenting, crafting, cooking, pets, interior decorating, blogs about blogging. Yes, I will admit, I even love (some) gossip blogs.

Not too long ago, I ran across one that was on a topic I have a passing interest in. I started reading it and I found that most of the posters were quite funny and very passionate about the topic. I even chimed in more times than I care to admit. I wasn't completely comfortable there, but I really didn't see the harm of participating.

Something happened though this past weekend. A new comer joined the blog and proceeded to tell everyone she was an insider on this particular topic. The blog owner did her due diligence to make sure this person was who she said she was. Immediately though, I began to feel uncomfortable with her posts. It wasn't so much what she was saying, most of it was pretty innocuous stuff. No, what bothered me was the mere fact that she was saying it.

To me, it felt like a huge betrayal of the subjects trust that the person would come on and give their opinions on various things. Even if what they were saying wasn't harmful, it just doesn't feel right to me to discuss things said/done in private with the blogosphere.

Now, if my kids want to jump on here and tell you the truth about how I don't make my bed even though I make them make theirs, that's their right. After all, it's their lives they are discussing, too. I may not like them spilling my secrets, but they have a personal stake in what is going on. However, I would be really upset if a friend of mine came on here and said the same thing. Why? Because, in my mind, it's a matter of boundaries. My "friend" wouldn't be directly involved in the situation. Rather she would just be repeating things she saw/heard and adding in her own personal bias about the situation. In a court room, it's called hearsay. In the blogosphere, we call it gossip.

I started to wonder about how the person who was the focus of the gossip would feel if he/she knew a "friend" was talking about them with strangers. How sad it must be to feel that you can't take anyone in to your confidence out of fear that they might choose to sell you out either for cash or their shot at 15 minutes. How hard would it be to always be on guard? How sad to never be able to be "real" with the people around you. How would you second guess yourself regarding your choice of friends knowing that they didn't have the personal integrity to not trade information on your life for their personal gain?

I caught some flack for speaking up. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, after all I WAS reading a gossip blog, no matter how nicely dressed up it was. But in the end, I can only do what feels right for me. I'm going cold turkey from the site, it's the only way to break the habit. I feel sad that I will be missing out on some really witty people, but I have to follow my conscience on this one.

While I'm working this through, I'll continue to tell you stories about my life. My kids are free to come and give you their versions, too. I'll also be happy to read stories about YOUR lives. Please, please, please keep telling me about how your laundry pile is threatening to take over your bedroom. Just don't tell me about how your neighbor hides the dirty socks under the couch when visitors stop at the door and how disgusting you think that is. If they wanted me to know, they'd tell me themselves.

Monday Menu Planner 5-23-2011 White Pizza Recipe

2011-05-23T13:47:00.001-04:00

I am soooo thankful that school is getting out this week. I'm ready for a brief rest before the crazy days of summer begin. I'm planning on doing a big freezer cooking session in the next week or so, but don't pin me down to a date yet.

Here is my plan for this week:

White Pizza and Salad
Hamburgers, sneaky mac and cheese
Spaghetti and meatballs, salad, garlic bread
Po' boys open faced sandwiches, fruit salad
Bean burritios, mexican rice
Grilled Chicken, corn on the cob
Chorizo and eggs

White Pizza:
1 pizza crust (either homemade or store bought)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
4 oz cream cheese, softened.
4 oz pepperoni
4 oz turkey sausage, browned and drained
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup mushrooms
1 1/2 cups mozarella cheese, shredded

Prepare crust as directed. After spreading on pizza stone, brush with olive oil and garlic mix. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately spread cream cheese over crust. Top with pepperoni, sausage onions and mushrooms. Cover with cheese. Return to oven for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted evenly.

Pool Party Scavenger Hunt ideas

2011-05-21T11:55:00.000-04:00

Scavenger hunts were always a favorite party game of mine as a kid. My neighborhood is having a pool opening party this weekend. My job was to come up with a scavenger hunt for the kids. I wanted to keep the items pool/summer related so the kids would stand a decent chance of being able to find things.

Because of the number of kids we are expecting today, I decided against having the kids actually collect the items, but to get a signature from the owner of the item instead.

Prizes for the winners include diving sticks, water guns, water balls, a kick board, sunglasses and swim googles.

I hope the kids have a good time.

Here are the items they need to findScavenger hunt:

1. A Straw
2. Ziplock bag
3. Fish shaped pool toy
4. Chapstick
5. Romance novel
6. SPF 30 sunblock
7. Stripped beach towel
8. Flip flops
9. Swim goggles
10. Inflatable swim wings
11. Water gun
12. Diving stick
13. Watermelon
14. Atlanta Braves Baseball Cap
15. Polka dot bathing suit
16. A pair of RED sunglasses
17. BLUE ink pen
18. A movie ticket stub
19. Pack of gum
20. Can of Coca Cola
21. An iPod
22. Swim Diaper
23. Pony tail holder
24. A band aid
25. 2011 penny

Update to "Mom gives 8 year old Botox" post

2011-05-17T23:06:00.000-04:00

You may have already heard this, but the mom who went on Good Morning America and bragged about giving her daughter Botox injections has had her daughter removed from her care by Child Protective Services. The child was not placed in the foster care system, but rather is being cared for by relatives.

What do you think is an appropriate outcome for this case? Criminal charges? For what? Child abuse? Practicing medicine without a license (remember, botox is only approved to be administered by doctors and nurses...she's an aestheticisan) ? What about the person who supplied the Botox? Should they face charges?

Mom gives her 8 Year-Old Botox

2011-05-13T17:46:00.000-04:00

Did you see this on Good Morning America? When I first heard about the story, I was in disbelief. After seeing the video, I am incensed, both as a mother and as a nurse. To me, this falls squarely in to the category of child abuse.

Tell me what you think.

2011-05-08T11:30:00.000-04:00

Happy Mothers Day to all who are Mothers, Moms 2 Be and those who have ever loved anyone like they were one of their own.

Mothers ROCK!

Stockpiling versus Hoarding

2011-05-05T08:00:00.002-04:00

It's no secret that I love couponing. I love getting a deal. Recently, TLC has begun running a show that takes couponing to the extreme.

Extreme Couponing follows coupon divas on their adventures towards getting fantastical savings. Each episode follows two people who spend literally DAYS each week getting ready for their trips. One lady last week spent 60 hours prepping for each of her trips! Each of these mega-couponers has food and items stockpiled in their homes. 1000 boxes of toothpaste. 2 years worth of pasta and chips. Enough shampoo and body wash to last through 27,000 showers. Their homes are over run with items. showers are stuffed with toilet paper. The underside of the kids beds are crammed with household goods. Cars don't fit in garages. Basements and extra bedrooms are crammed with candy bars, jars of pasta sauce and hamburger helper. Extra insurance is taken out to cover the retail costs of these mini-warehouses.

Some of the worst things I've seen on the show is people wiping out shelves of mustard (even though they don't eat it), diapers (they don't have any kids) and dumping hundreds of toothbrushes in to the cart just because they will be "free" after coupons. Very few of these 'extreme couponers' state they are donating items on a regular basis.

Ironically, the episodes of Extreme Couponing are flanked with episodes of Hoarders.

I stockpile some things, but I have a strict limit on what and how much. For instance, most of my stockpiles are no more than 6 months worth. Everything comes on sale eventually, I'll always be able to get more. I also have an aversion to the idea of eating cereal that has sat in my basement for 2 years. When asked, DH says he would rather have a usable shower versus 9 years worth of toilet paper.

So, my question to you is when does stockpiling cross the line and become hoarding? How much is too much? Is it not considered hoarding if it's organized?

If you stockpile, how much do you keep? What's a reasonable amount of something? When do you stop buying?

Cool Tools: Sign Up Genius

2011-05-04T11:00:00.000-04:00

Are you the mom who always volunteers to organize school parties? Are you the one in charge of getting people to help out with snack time for a sports team? Are you the one who ~~pulls their hair out trying to keep it all straight~~ who juggles too much trying to get it all done? If so, you are going to love this!

Signupgenius.com is a FREE website that let's you create and manage sign up lists. You can set up lists for snack times, volunteers, parties and so much more. You can even set it up to automatically send a reminder a couple of days before the event.

Do you need to be able to swap out a volunteer day or bring something different to the pot luck? No problem, just click a box and it's done!

The lists can be public or private. Need to send things to the same group of mom's? No problem again, just set up a "group" and with one click it's delivered to everyone.

Organizing a meal delivery schedule for someone who's just had a baby? It can handle that, too.

Keep track of RSVP's and the number of guests with just a click.

Seriously, this site is AWESOME. I recently used it to keep track of volunteers and attendees for a neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt. All it takes is a glance to know how many people are attending and what items we still need someone to sign up to bring.

No more papers tacked to my fridge!

Sign Up Genius works for me!

I'll be linking this post to We Are That Family, Works for Me Wednesdays.
*Disclaimer: I have not received anything from signupgenius.com in exchange for writing this post nor has anyone connected with the site asked me to review it. I just love this site!

Menu Plan Monday 5/2/2011

2011-05-02T08:59:00.001-04:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I know I did. I had a "date" with my Dh on Saturday. Dinner out and a movie (Water for Elephants). This is the week I start back to school, so I'm trying to get things set up to run smoothly around here while I am gone. Here is my meal plan for the week.

Chicken Scampi served over Angel Hair Pasta, Salad and Garlic Bread
Hamburgers, Sneaky Mac and Cheese
Bean Burritos, Mexican Rice
Quiche Lorraine, fruit salad
Ranch Chicken Tenders, Salad
Meat Loaf, broccoli and cheese
Grilled Chicken Breasts, veggies

Have a great week, everyone.

As always, I will be linking this post over at I'm An Organizing Junkie.

Under Construction...working on a new-ish project

2011-04-30T15:15:00.000-04:00

Let's just say that spray paint, breezes and Spring time bugs in the South are not a great mix.

I'm not really this pale...

I've been dying to get back to this project, but there has been one thing after another getting in my way. Mainly, bad weather. Today has been gorgeous, though a bit breezy. And with that breeze comes really tiny black bugs that seem to just luurrrvvveee wet paint.

One more coat and I should be done. I can't wait to see how everything comes out.

My grass, however, may never be the same .

Tornado's devastate the South

2011-04-28T15:01:00.002-04:00

Unless you've been living under a rock the past few days (and in all seriousness, that might have been one of the safer places to be!) then you are aware of the devastation that has hit the Southern states over the past couple of days. Yesterday alone, there were more than 100 reported tornadoes in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.

In my neck of the woods, we got lucky this time. There were tornadoes in the county directly to my West and North. One of the hardest hit areas in Georgia was Ringgold in Catoosa County. Current counts put 13 dead here.

But nothing comes close to the devastation in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, AL. If you haven't seen it yet, here is some AMAZING video shot by an amateur videographer. At about 2:39 in to the film, he rolls down the windows of his truck and you can hear the roar. At about 4 minutes in, you can see the debris field as it closes in on a shopping center.

How can you help? The Salvation Army has set up an easy way to give. Just text GIVE to 80888. $10 will be added to your cell phone bill. 100% of the donations will go directly to providing meals, clothes and shelter for the tornado victims.

Closer to home, here is amateur video of the tornado that hit Ringgold, GA. This one hit about 8:30 last night, just as the sun was setting. The tornados that hit during the evening/night hours are so much scarier to me because you can't see them coming until it's too late.

And they aren't done yet. The storms have moved up to South Carolina and further up the coast. Keep everyone in your thoughts.

Internet Bullying among "Adults"

2011-04-27T14:16:00.004-04:00

The internet is a fantastic place. Lots of ways to communicate, lots of information to learn. But there is a darker side to it all.

Bullying isn't a new phenomenon, it's been going on since the days of Cain and Abel. What is new is the internet has opened up new avenues for carrying out the bullying. Gone are the old days of writing something nasty on the bathroom walls. Slam books are so 1980's. Now, Facebook and Twitter gives you a whole new platform with a much larger audience.

And it's not just kids getting involved in the e-bully phenomenon. Normally well behaved adults will engage in things that would make a middle-schooler shake their head at in disbelief.

Recently I ran across a twitter account by Kate Gosselin. Now, I'm not a fan of reality shows in general. I fully believe that there needs to be strong regulations in place to protect children from the abuses of Hollywood. I would never open up my life to cameras and perfect strangers. However, there are some that choose this kind of life. And that's their right to make that choice. You know when you take that life style on, there will be some who don't like you, no matter what you do. You expect to have detractors in the press and on line. It's the nature of the game. There are few things America likes to do more than tear people down. Blogs are created both to support and detract from those who put their lives out there. TMZ, Radar On Line and People Magazine were created to follow the exploits of the famous and infamous.

Twitter brings things to a whole new level though. Hate in 140 characters or less.Twitter offers bullies a way to ply their venom in a semi-anonymous way. No real names required. No location. No requirement for backing up your claims. No over-sight. Just let those finger tips fly, truth and common decency be damned.

What struck me was the VENOM posted by some of these tweeters. Calling Kate the 'C' word, Speculations on an inappropriate relationship between her and her (married) body guard, Steve. Her manner of dress (she's a skank, a 'ho, she's trolling...) The way she quizzed the kids on their spelling test during the drive to school (watch out kids, mama khate might get po'd that you spelled a word wrong and drive the van in to the river).

Here are just a few (WARNING: Some of these are graphic and quite disturbing)

mojitosplace Mojitos Place
@support harrassment RT @Save8fromK8 RT @hugejardon1 @Kateplusmy8 Hi Kate, you overprocessed bitch. Have you slapped your kids today?

hugejardon1 Mike Johnson
@Kateplusmy8 Hey you possom haired wonkey eyed child abuser, animal abuser

EmeraldCityJazz Emerald
@chablis4u @hgraymommy @honeythekoala Kate doesn't have time for dumb; that's why she only spends 5 minutes per day tweeting her fans....

Stellamebaby stella fields
@Kateplusmy8 clip of NZ. Nauseating. How many X can you say I, I, I, me, my, I, I, I, I, me, my, I, I, I, I, me, me, I, I, I, I in one clip?

Stellamebaby stella fields
@Kateplusmy8 LPBW never had ratings that bad! Buh bye, bitch!

But it wasn't just Kate Gosselin who was the recipient of the rants. They were directed at anyone who tweeted anything nice TO her. Something as simple as "your kids are so cute" results in a multi-pronged attack, calling them child abusers and worse. My favorite, though, was one of the Twitter Twats who justified her rants by saying she was "Doing the Lord's Work". Really? Jesus WANTS you to be abusive and vile?

Some of these people call themselves "child advocates". Again, really? The definition of an advocate is someone who supports or defends. How is belittling someone an act of advocating?

The nice thing about Twitter is that if someone is harassing you, you can "block" them. Unfortunately, it's still there for others to read. Those "others" include children and teens.

Is this the example we want them to see? Is this how we want them to behave? Then why do we do it ourselves?

The news has been full of stories lately about teens committing suicide after being bullied on Facebook and Twitter. I can't imagine the pain they must have gone through prior to committing such a desperate act. How alone they must have felt. I don't think parents can truly understand how devestating these incidents are to kids. I got bullied all through Junior High. I remember the dread of walking down the halls to my locker. My defense became making fun of myself before anyone else could. I say it was a defense, but I was merely deflecting. Deep down it still hurt. To this day, I still can't take a compliment without either downplaying my actions or wondering what the ulterior motive is.

What are you doing to arm your kids against bullying? What are you doing to make sure that you aren't a bully yourself?

UPDATE: I expected to get flack for this post and I was right. Several lovely tweets. My favorite was this one:

PrincessDH Queen Sue Bee

@Donnas_Daze @HoneytheKoala @lisakn16 Just 2 clear thingsUp 4 Donna(since shes dazed)I assure U I am NO child advocate 4 any kids excpt MINE

Since she's not claiming to be a child advocate, that means she just enjoys being a bully.

I am laughing at the irony, though. The name Queen Sue Bee immediately brought to mind the book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman. The book is about girls and bullying and was the basis for the movie "Mean Girls". If you have teen/tween daughters, I highly recommend this book.

Here is another one:

Chablis4u Brooklyn

@Donnas_Daze @Marytgl @Kateplusmy8 @TrippenIn @LivinForLife Go back to your dumb blog you uneducated twit

Remember, these are people who are SUPPOSED to be adults. You really have to hope these type of people don't have children. Such great role models they are.

Banana Pudding Recipe and Menu Plan Monday 4/25/2011

2011-04-25T09:54:00.001-04:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend. We've got another busy week planned around here. I'm starting back to school next week, so I have a lot of things to get done in order to get ready and make things easier on my DH and kids. Here is my meal plan for the week:

Left over ham, potato salad and Banana Pudding.
Spaghetti and meatballs, salad, garlic bread
Ham and Cheese Quiche, fruit salad
Ham and noodles
Chicken pot pie, fruit salad
Hamburgers, mac and cheese
Baked Chicken, brocolli

Yum. Just hand me a big spoon...

Easy Banana Pudding

1 small box instant vanilla pudding
1 small box instant banana pudding
3 cups cold milk
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tub cool whip
1 box Nilla wafers
4-6 ripe bananas, sliced. Divided in 2 parts.

In mixing bowl, mix pudding and milk. Mix in sour cream, set aside and let set for about 5 minutes.

In 9x13 pan, place a layer of cookies to line bottom. Top with on half of the slices of banana.

When pudding has soft set, gently fold in Cool Whip. Spoon mix over cookies and banana slices. Top with remaining banana slices. Crush a few more cookies over the top.

Chill pudding in fridge for at least an hour before serving.

As always, I will be sharing this menu plan over at I'm An Organizing Junkie .

Adventures in Couponing: Friday Finals 4/23

2011-04-23T20:02:00.001-04:00

Finally breaking the 50% barrier!

Yes, I know I'm actually posting this on Saturday, but it's been a busy week.
There were some good sales this week at Publix. BOGO's plus coupons resulted in an average of 60% savings this week.

My first trip included 88 items, including 6 boxes of Dishwasher detergent, for a grand total of $101.93 plus tax with a savings of $163.86. My second trip to another Publix (for items the first one was out of last week) including 2 free bottles of mustard and 2 free body washes was a grand total of $10.70 plus tax with $16.02 in savings.

But my favorite buy of the week was at CVS. I bought 2 Olay Regenerist creams, using left over CVS bucks and a $3.00 coupon (for my birthday). In addition to the $3.00 off coupons I had for the creams, I had another coupon for a free Cover Girl lipstick with each Regenerist product. By buying $10.00 in Cover Girl products, I got an extra $3.00 in CVS bucks. So, I got paid $3.00 for taking home two free tubes of lipstick. Love those kind of deals!

Happy Earth Day 2011

2011-04-22T17:19:00.000-04:00

Happy Earth Day, 2011. What are you doing to celebrate? What one thing can you pledge to do today that will have a positive effect on our earth?

At A Billion Acts of Green you can pledge to make a difference. Some of the ideas others have listed there are:

Planting more trees
Using refillable water bottles
Carpooling more often
Donating to protect endangered species

We can all do something to help. What will you do?

Sunday Funnies: The Facebook edition

2011-04-16T21:37:00.000-04:00

Some of my favorite status updates:

Good moms let the kid's lick the beaters. Great moms turn them off first.

2 men in a bar. 1 says "I did your mom last night". The other says"Dad go home, you're drunk".

Marriage is like a casino...you go in all excited and optimistic, you stumble out broke, drunk and talking to yourself.

I'm off to go finish my book. I have a new box of crayons and only 12 pages left!

Some days 25 to life just seems like it would be worth it!!!

If my house is clean, it means that Facebook is broken.

Works for Me Wednesday: Cleaning Your Vacuum Cleaner

2011-04-13T20:26:00.000-04:00

Is your vacuum not working as well as it once did? If you've checked to make sure that there is no blockage in the uptake tube then the culprit could be a worn down or matted beater brush.

Hair, threads and even the occasional lose ribbon gets wrapped around the brush, making it less effective at kicking up the dust and dirt. If left, it will eventually wear the brush completely down.


Yuck!

Luckily, there is an easy fix and it's located right in your sewing box. The lowly seam ripper. Just use the seam ripper to cut through all the junk and pull it out.

Your brush will look &work (almost) as good as new in no time.

I'll be linking this post to We Are That Family WFMW post.

Menu Plan Monday 4-11-2011

2011-04-11T14:09:00.001-04:00

School is back in session (Yay!). Dh has to do some traveling, so it will be just me and the girls for a few nights. CRCT's also start this week, so we need to be in bed at a decent time and have good, hearty breakfasts to help fuel the day.

Here is my plan for the week:

Parmesan Chicken Tenders, Cheesy broccoli rice
Tacos, rice and beans
Buffalo Chicken Calzones, salad
Chicken Alfredo with Penne Pasta (make a double batch for freezing)
Hamburgers, Mac & Cheese
Chicken Pot Pie (make a second for freezing)
Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Lunches: PB&J, Turkey, Ham , cheez-its, granola bars, apple sauce, carrots with ranch dressing, apple slices

Breakfasts: Oatmeal, scrambled eggs and bacon, pancakes and sausage, cold cereal, milk and juice.

Like always, I'll be linking this menu to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

My week just keeps getting more interesting...

2011-04-08T15:14:00.000-04:00

* Gross post alert- Read at your own risk*

So yesterday I posted about my adventures in bed making. Today, life with my dogs has once again thrown me for a loop.

Scarlett, my 11 month old Yorkshire Terrier, was quite restless all night. This morning, she woke up with an upset tummy which she shared all over my living room floor. She also had some diarrhea. Upon cleaning it up, I noticed something in the mess that was yellow-brown and about 4 inches long. It looked like a worm. Gross.

I dutifully scooped it up and put it in a plastic baggie to take to the vet's office. I didn't want to examine it too closely because, frankly, it was disgusting.

When I arrived at the vet's office, I handed the baggie to the vet tech. My too my chagrin, she started laughing hysterically.

Scarlett had not passed a worm.

She had eaten and passed a SILLY BAND. Silly Bandz, if you are lucky enough not to know, are thin plastic bracelets that come in different shapes and colors. They clog up vacuum cleaners and cause little girls to break down in to tears if they don't have the "right" type.

Cute going in. Not so cute coming out.

I'm glad I provided a bit of amusement for my Vet's office today.

Reason # 426 why I don't like housework.

2011-04-07T14:47:00.002-04:00

Photo Credit: A Beach Cottage

Decided to change the sheets. Since they were off, decided I would switch out comforters. Moved mattress to take off bed skirt (so it would match the new bed spread). Noticed the dogs had chewed paper up under the bed. Moved box spring to vacuum up paper and found they had also chewed up an ink pen. Scrub by hand because carpet shampooer is broken. Give up because I'm making the problem worse. Go to store to buy new shampooer. Search for a philips head screwdriver to put it together. Finally get ink out (thank you Oxiclean). Realize that the cross bars that hold the box springs are loose. Screw them back in. Put the mattress back together. 6 hours later and the bed still isn't made...

Spring Break

2011-04-05T21:56:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure why the words "spring break" scare the heck out of me. Maybe it's because my kids like to give me a hard time because we don't go on any trips or do anything big. We are definitely low budget on the entertainment front lately.

Our "big" outing will be to the Atlanta Zoo. I'm really looking forward to seeing the baby panda, Po.

We went to see a movie the other day, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. My daughter loves the books and was really looking forward to seeing this. Surprisingly, my 2 older daughters (21 and 15) enjoyed it as much as Diva did. It's a story about the trials of having siblings- something we all relate to in this house. There is a cute website to go along with the movie, too.

Other than that, the only plans we have are to "try" and get rooms clean and to catch up on some sleep.

Yeah, we are a boring crowd around here.

How do you entertain your gang on a budget?

Who's your daddy?

2011-04-01T16:28:00.000-04:00

My little girl, Scarlett, came to a rescue with her mom and litter mates. No one was ever quite sure of who the sire was.

After much searching, the rescue is now convinced they have located her father and sent me a picture for confirmation.

What do you think?

Happy April Fools Day, everyone.

Works For Me Wednesday: Minimizing the soapy sink mess

2011-03-30T16:18:00.003-04:00

Bad picture, but you get the idea.

Ideally, I wouldn't have anything around my sink, I prefer a clean look around it. But ~~laziness~~ practicality commands that I have hand and dish soap around my sink at all times. The problem with that is they always leave a soapy film mess on my dark granite, making it look even messier than it is. I needed a way to keep the soap from spreading all over my counter and back splash.

Enter the lowly used, recycled frozen dinner dish. It's small enough to fit on the space behind the sink, yet big enough to hold a container of dish soap as well as hand soap. The fact that it was a dark color meant it blends in to my counter tops, too. If you have other colored counters, you could always use a decorative spray paint to make it match your decor. Krylon makes one that looks like brushed nickle as well as many other colors.

Now, the drippy messes fall in to the dish instead of the counter. And it's easy to clean the dish along with my regular dish load when it does become too messy.

I'll be linking this post to:
We are THAT Family
The Thrifty Home
Tea Rose Home
Sew Much Ado

The Bronx Zoo Cobra

2011-03-29T17:36:00.001-04:00

Have you seen this yet? It's a hilarious Twitter feed following the exploits of the wayward Bronx Zoo Cobra.

http://twitter.com/#!/BronxZoosCobra

Who ever is writing this is a comedic genius.

Menu Plan Monday 3/28/2011

2011-03-28T11:13:00.001-04:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks again for me. As I posted previously, I went camping with my Girl Scout Troop this past weekend. I think it's official, I am certifiable. I'll just leave it at that.

In addition to that adventure, our neighbors had a fire that completely destroyed their home the week before last. We kept their little dog until yesterday. I had 3 Yorkies running around and needing attention (Yorkies are attention hogs!) The house seems a little too quiet with him gone now.

Needless to say, my menu planning kind of fell by the wayside during all of this. But now I'm home and ready to get back on track. It's cold and rainy here (typical Spring in Georgia), and will be off and on all week. It's perfect soup and fresh bread weather again, so that will play prominently in my plan for this week.

Pasta Fagioli with Garlic bread sticks and salad
Meat loaf with mashed potatoes and broccoli
Grilled Burritos and Spanish Rice
Chicken Chili and corn bread
Waffles and Berry Sauce
Spaghetti and Meatballs, salad
Grilled Chicken, veggies

Have a great week, everyone!

Going camping...

2011-03-25T14:22:00.000-04:00

Going camping with my Girl Troop. 14 girls. Mountains. Thunderstorms in the forecast. What was I thinking?

Peanut Butter Dog Cookies

2011-03-19T11:56:00.000-04:00

Woof, woof.

This is an easy dog treat recipe for those of you who want to do something nice for your dog while avoiding all the fats and preservatives that come with regular dog biscuits.

2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 Tsp Baking powder
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Peanut Butter*
1 Tsp Vanilla

Mix all ingredients together, this will make a very soft dough. Roll the dough on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Cut in any shape you desire (I use a small round cutter and cut those in half).

Bake at 375 on a greased cookie sheet for approximately 15 minutes. These will burn quickly, so really start watching at about the 12 minute mark.

Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container. Will keep for about a week, but the cookies also freeze well.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

* I use the no additive organic or natural varieties, or you can grind your own peanuts if you prefer. Try to avoid the major brands because they are full of sugar and preservatives.

Sit back and enjoy some more unquestioning adoration from your 4 footed friends.

WFMW- An easy way to corral plastic bags

2011-03-16T18:31:00.001-04:00

In Georgia, we still have plastic bags available at the grocery stores. They haven't started charging us for them yet, although the legislature is kicking around the idea. I try to use the cloth bags, but sometimes I forget or I have more things than my regular bags can hold. I hate to throw them away, so I try to reuse them around my household. That means a lot of plastic bags gather under my sink.

Enter the lowly tissue box. I don't know about you, but I go through a lot of these every winter. It dawned on me a few weeks ago that the box would make a great way to contain and dispense the bags as I needed them.

The box stashes neatly under my sink. The small box holds about a dozen bags easily, which is just enough to keep me in free trash bags. Anything more than that just gets messy to me.

A recycled plastic bag holder works for me.

I'll be sharing this post over at Kristin's We are THAT Family and with Jennifer over at Hope Studios.

Menu Plan Monday 3/14

2011-03-14T10:51:00.001-04:00

Day	Dinner
Mon 3/14	Meat loaf, Mashed potatoes and broccoli
Tue 3/15	Chicken pot pie, Salad
Wed 3/16	Bean Burritos and Mexican Rice
Thu 3/17	Beef Stew, Salad
Fri 3/18	Waffles, Berry sauce, Fruit salad
Sat 3/19	Mexican Shredded Beef tacos
Sun 3/20	Buffalo chicken calzones

Reaching out to help from half a world away

2011-03-11T18:00:00.003-05:00

I was going to post a funny picture about gas prices today. At least, that was my plan when I went to bed last night. But this morning I awoke to news that knocked the jolly right out of me.

Of course I am talking about the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The images are horrific and one can only imagine the panic and sense of helplessness the people of Japan must be feeling right now.

As a nurse, my first and strongest instinct is to try and help; but how from this distance? Though it isn't nearly enough, we can all donate to the relief efforts. The Red Cross has a donation page up here. You can also donate through text messaging by sending "REDCROSS" to 90999; a $10.00 donation will appear on your cellphone bill.

American Red Cross

Save the Children is also mobilizing efforts to help with the youngest victims of today's disaster.

AmeriCares is requesting donations to help with medical supplies for the area.

Please keep the people of Japan in your thoughts and prayers.

Mexican Lasagna

2011-03-09T11:56:00.003-05:00

Walking through Aldi's the other day, I saw a frozen meal in their aisles that sounded yummy. It was also one of those things that I knew I could adapt and make myself. Mexican Lasagna. Layers of noodles, refried beans, seasoned beef and cheese with a spicy red sauce. Yummy. Here is my version.


My choice of ingredients

Mexican Lasagna

1 pound ground beef

1/2 small onion, chopped

1/2 package of taco seasoning (mild or spicy depending on your taste)

1 clove of minced garlic (I used the bottled equivalent )

1 1/2 Cups refried beans (either homemade or canned- if using canned, you may want to thin slightly with chicken broth)

1 small can red enchilada sauce, divided.

6 Lasagna noodles

1 1/2 Cups shredded cheese ( I used a Mexican mix of Cheddar and Monterey Jack), divided.

Cook Lasagna noodles as directed on package. Set aside. Brown your ground beef with the onion and garlic. Drain fat. Add half a package of the taco seasoning and 1/4 cup water. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

Spray 11x7 pan with cooking spray.

Coat bottom of pan with 1/4 cup enchilada sauce. Layer 3 noodles along the bottom. Carefully spread half of the refried beans on top of the noodles.* Layer 1/2 of the meat mixture and approximately 1/2 cup of cheese and another 1/4 cup sauce. Repeat layering with remaining noodles and beans and meat.

Top with remaining cheese and Enchilada Sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes, or until heated thoroughly. Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving. Makes 6 servings.

*Thinning the refried beans will help them spread on the noodles without ripping them apart.

This is an easy recipe to adapt. Use ground turkey instead of ground beef. Substitute any type of cheese you prefer. If you dont' want to use packaged taco seasoning, swap it out for salt, pepper and a bit of red pepper flakes. Use homemade enchilada sauce if you prefer. Have fun with your swaps.

I'll be sharing this recipe over at:

http://donnas-dayz.blogspot.com/2011/03/mexican-lasagna.html

"Not So Refried" Beans

2011-03-06T15:32:00.000-05:00

I love Mexican food in case you've never noticed... One of my favorite parts of a good Mexican meal is the refried beans. In fact, the quality of the refried beans and rice is one of the ways I judge the authenticity of a restaurant.

Consequently, I can't stand the refried beans that come in the cans. They are too thick and pasty for my taste.

Beans are naturally low in fat and good for you. But to get that "just right" taste, most recipes call for either either lard or bacon fat to get that creamy texture and taste. I'm trying to reduce my overall fat intake, so I wanted a way to reduce the fat, but still get most of the flavor of the authentic style. Here's what I do.

Not So Refried Beans

2 cans of pinto beans, drained and rinsed.

1/4 cup Chicken broth

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup reduced fat or fat free cheddar cheese

Salt and Pepper or Adobo Seasoning (to taste)

Place the beans in a sauce pan with approximately 1/4 cup of the chicken broth. Heat over medium flame until beans and liquid start to bubble. Stir in the garlic and continue to heat for another 5 minutes. Add cheese and stir till melted completely.

Place bean mixture in food processor and blend to desired consistency in short pulses. The kids like it smooth, but I like some larger pieces or even a few whole beans left in there (you can reserve a bit while you are processing and then add them back in at the end. Mix in a small amount of either the salt and pepper or the adobo seasoning to taste.

If the mix is too thick, add more chicken broth a teaspoon or so at a time. If it's too thin, you can put it back in the sauce pan and heat until it reduces slightly. Serve warm. Top with a sprinkle of additional cheese or salsa if desired.

Don't you wish you were as cool as your dog thinks you are?

2011-03-03T10:39:00.001-05:00

Corn Dog Casserole

2011-03-01T17:43:00.000-05:00

This is one of the easiest recipes that I guarantee your kids will love! A neighbor gave me the directions for this a few years back and it's become a family quick staple for those crazy type of nights.

Corn Dog Casserole

2 boxes Jiffy Corn Bread Mix
4 Turkey hot dogs, sliced lengthwise and then in to bite sized pieces.

Prepare corn bread mix as directed. Coat an 8x8 baking pan with cooking spray. Spread mixture in dish. Drop your hot dog pieces in to the mix, pushing them down slightly.

Bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in to the middle comes out clean. Cool for approximately 5 minutes, then cut in to 6 servings.

Serve with a veggie side or salad.

Sunday Funnies

2011-02-27T11:38:00.001-05:00

A man and a woman were driving their cars down the road, coming toward each other.

When the woman passed the man, she yelled "PIG!"

The man yelled back, "WITCH!"

Then the man drove around the curve and had an accident when he hit the giant hog sitting in the middle of the road.

Moral: Men should listen.

Sneak Peak at my new project (and help needed!)

2011-02-24T13:11:00.000-05:00

Diva (who want's her new nickname to be Bubblez (with a backwards 'z') has the misfortune of being the youngest of 3. That means she has inherited a lot of mismatched, hand me down furniture. But one thing she didn't get is a bedside table. She's currently using a 50 gallon plastic paint bucket from HD to store her stuff on. I know, I know, bad momma.

I've been on the look out for a couple of side tables to refinish. I didn't want anything new because I want to use them as a test subject for repainting all her other mismatched stuff. After much searching, I finally found two at a local junk store.

Lovely, no?
Ok, not really at first glance. But take a closer look.

Much prettier now, aren't they?

There are a couple of problems I'm hoping you can help me solve. The first is how to get off those lovely stickers that cover the front drawers.

Any suggestions on a good adhesive remover?

The next problem is that the tops are type of laminate over press board. I know I will need to sand them down, but what is the best type of primer to cover everything in before I paint? I'm open to any and all suggestions.

Adventures in couponing 2-22-11

2011-02-23T12:58:00.003-05:00

Have I mentioned recently that I ♥ Publix and couponing? I really do. I love to combine the BOGO deals with manufacturer coupons and the in-store flyers. Yesterday was one of those good days. I spent $147.00 (including tax) on $285.00 worth of items.

Although you can't see everything, there is meat and veggies in that pile, too. My best deals at Publix were 6 2 liter bottles of Diet A&W. I had a BOGO rain check from a couple of weeks ago. The sodas were 3/$5. I bought 6, so I got 6 for $5.00. Then I was able to stack an in store flyer coupon that gave me $2.00 9off the purchase of 3. I used two of those coupons and got 6 bottles for $1.00!

Another one of my deals was the Advil. They were on sale for $4.49 each. I had two coupons for $1.00 off. Then the instore health and beauty flyer had $5.00 off if you bought two. So the two bottles came out to $1.98!

I also made a CVS run and got two bottles of John Frieda shampoo, 2 colgate tooth pastes, a bottle of pinesol a bag of jelly beans and a small bag of cadbury eggs for $5.00 out of pocket by combining coupons, sales and Extra care bucks. (you can find that deal outline here) I also have an additional $3.75 in ECB's for next week.

What good deals did you find this week?

Menu plan Monday 2-21-11

2011-02-21T14:11:00.000-05:00

My menu plan for the week. Simple and quick is the theme for the week.

Beef Stew, salad
Chicken Enchilada Soup
Meat loaf, mashed potatoes and broccoli
Homemade Pizza, salad
Roasted Chicken (from the grocery store), potato salad

Weekend Funnies

2011-02-19T10:51:00.000-05:00

A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn't find a space with a meter. Then he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: "I have circled the block 10 times. If I don't park here, I'll miss my appointment. Forgive us our trespasses."

When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note "I've circled this block for 10 years. If I don't give you a ticket I'll lose my job. Lead us not into temptation."
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A cowboy, who is visiting Wyoming from Montana, walks into a bar and orders three mugs of Bud. He sits in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. When he finishes them, he comes back to the bar and orders three more.
The bartender approaches and tells the cowboy, "You know, a mug goes flat after I draw it. It would taste better if you bought one at a time."

The cowboy replies, "Well, you see, I have two brothers. One is in Arizona, the other is in Colorado. When we all left our home in Montana, we promised that we'd drink this way to remember the days when we drank together. So I'm drinking one beer for each of my brothers and one for myself."

The bartender admits that this is a nice custom and leaves it there. The cowboy becomes a regular in the bar and always drinks the same way. He orders three mugs and drinks them in turn.

One day, he comes in and only orders two mugs. All the regulars take notice and fall silent. When he comes back to the bar for the second round, the bartender says, "I don't want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer my condolences on your loss."

The cowboy looks quite puzzled for a moment, then a light dawns in his eyes and he laughs.

"Oh, no, everybody's just fine," he explains, "it's just that my wife and I joined the Baptist Church and I had to quit drinking. Hasn't affected my brothers, though."

This is how my day is going...

2011-02-15T13:36:00.000-05:00

This is my work space right now.

See the papers all over the kitchen table? See the desk that's covered in too much junk to work on in the back ground? Can you see why nothing gets done easily in my house?

DH is starting his own business, which means, by extension, I am his secretary, book keeper, consultant and whipping boy. This morning he needed siding samples sent from a vendor to a partner in San Diego. That meant me wading through websites trying to find the right form to get the right products sent. That's normally not a difficult thing for someone if they at least know a little bit about the business. But remember, I'm a nurse by trade, not an architect. It took several rounds of "what type of siding?" "7 or 8/5 inch reveal?" "cedar or pine?" and "what type of stone?" to get the order right. Seriously, if he had done it himself it would have taken 5 minutes instead of the 30 it took me.

Next came the emails. Low and behold, I couldn't open the page for the emails because he didn't remember his password. Some how or another, that was my fault. Because, somehow, the password works just fine on his computer but not mine. He didn't believe me when I told him it's because the password is stored on his computer and blackberry, so all he has to do is hit 'enter' and he gets in. Nope, he's convinced I somehow messed up his passwords. So, it takes another 20 minutes to reset all the passwords and change them in his blackberry. By this time, I'm getting a little peeved. Now, I'm not a fast typist by any means, even less so since I hurt my wrist. But DH forgets those kind of things when he starts dictating. It took several rounds of "slow down" and "what was that part about Cal Trans, again?" before we finally got things right. At least, I thought we had things right. He didn't know the email address of the landscaper he wanted the whole thing sent to. He had a website address, but no email. So I had to call the office. New problem: there is a 3 hour time difference between the East and West coasts. Some how, I'm to blame for that, too, because there is no one there to answer the call. Sigh.

Now, on to my own problems. See all the pink on the computer screen? Those are my appointments this week. Dress rehearsals for school plays, orthodontist appointments, etc. In the middle of all that pink, I need to find out exactly when I'm supposed to pick up 2000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies. My delivery confirmation slip says Tuesday, Feb. 16th. Except, today is Tuesday and it's only the 15th. Another round of panicked phone calls ensue, only to find out that we have been changed to Thursday at 4:00. Hence the new problem; our Girl Scout meeting is at that same time. Now I have to try and round up parents to help me pick up cookies and cover the meeting. This isn't going to be fun. I still can't get them to cover all of the spaces for the booth sales that our leader signed us up for. And if the spots aren't covered, guess who gets to sit out there in the cold during those empty spots? Yup, me. I'm never, ever, ever volunteering to help with cookie sales again.

So, here I sit, at 1:30 in the afternoon, still in my PJ's. Literally nothing has been done around the house. I don't have my stuff even out of the freezer for dinner. The dog has pee'd on the floor because I didn't see him to the potty dance during the frantic phone calls. The sweet little girl dog has chewed through the corner of a throw pillow while I wasn't looking.

I think I'm going to get Diva off the school bus (after I put on some clothes, of course) and then crawl back in to bed. Maybe I'll try this all over again, tomorrow. Or maybe not.

Menu Plan Monday 2/14

2011-02-14T19:21:00.002-05:00

Up a little bit late today, but better late than never.

Carne Asada Nachos (left over grilled Carne Asade with chips and melted cheese)

French dip sandwiches -

Ham and cheese quiche

Spaghetti and meatballs

Buffalo chicken calzones

Hamburgers, Mac & Cheese

As usual, I'll be sharing this over at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Last Minute Valentine Gift Bags

2011-02-13T19:24:00.000-05:00

I made these with little Diva this afternoon. They were quick and easy with the Silhouette machine and the 8 piece scalloped heart set 3. The goodie bags were from the dollar bins at Target.

I used Print and Cut to make the inner hearts with the wording and cut those out of white cardstock (that's such a cool feature!) Next, I cut the larger heart with the scalloped borders out of various shades of cardstock. A quick swipe with a glue stick and they were done. Easy Peasy.

"Windows" Shopping

2011-02-10T20:37:00.000-05:00

I love to shop. I love walking through stores like Pottery Barn and William Sonoma, but the temptation to buy things is just too great. So I settle for using my web browser. The thrill of seeing something I would love to have and knowing I can make it myself (for a whole lot less) is addictive.

Take these pillows from Pottery Barn for example:

Caaauuuute, no? But not $49.00 worth of cute. I can do these, no problem, with the help of my Silhouette SD. I'll show you my version soon.

And how about all those fancy candles that are so popular right now like these, also from Pottery Barn.

Jen over at Iron Violet Designs shows you how to make your own and save $29.00 in the process.

And how about one of these as a hostess gift?

Easy Peasy with a bottle of glass etching cream and your Silhoutte, Cricut or even a trusty old xacto knife.

What has inspired you lately?

Menu Plan Monday 2/7/2011

2011-02-07T11:46:00.001-05:00

How was your weekend? Ours was busy, like usual. I spent a huge chunk of it trying to get caught up on Mt. Washmore. We did take some time out to watch the Superbowl. Well, I watched the commercials and not the game so much. I still have a chip on my shoulder over the way Green Bay treated Brett Favre :(

I'm trying something new with my menu plan this week. Say Mmm is a web based meal planning site that lets you plan out all your meals and even puts together shopping lists for you. You can store up to 100 recipes there for free. Go check it out.

So, here is my plan for the week.

Spaghetti Carbonara, Garlic bread and salad.
Chicken and Biscuits
Homemade Waffles with pureed berry sauce
Beef Fajitas, rice and bean
Creamy Lemon Pepper Chicken and pasta
Chicken Enchilada Soup
Chorizo and Eggs

I'll be linking up to I'm an Organizing Junkie with this week's plan.

Spaghetti Carbonara
* 1 pound spaghetti
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 8 slices bacon, diced
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
* 4 eggs
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
* 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti pasta until al dente. Drain well. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook chopped bacon until slightly crisp; remove and drain onto paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat; add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and heat in reused large skillet. Add chopped onion, and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add wine if desired; cook one more minute.
3. Return cooked bacon to pan; add cooked and drained spaghetti. Toss to coat and heat through, adding more olive oil if it seems dry or is sticking together. Add beaten eggs and cook, tossing constantly with tongs or large fork until eggs are barely set. Quickly add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and toss again. Add salt and pepper to taste (remember that bacon and Parmesan are very salty).
4. Serve immediately with chopped parsley sprinkled on top, and extra Parmesan cheese at table.

Print Recipe | Printable grocery list

Are you ready for some FOOOOTBAAALLLLL? Black Bean Queso Dip

2011-02-06T13:15:00.000-05:00

I'm not a huge football fan. I only watch because my husband loves it. I do, however, like to watch the Superbowl, mainly for the commercials.

This evening, I will be serving this as we see creative minds have come up with for our amusement, and hopefully, to get our money from us come Monday morning.

Paula Deen's Black Bean Queso Dip

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped onions

1 (4 ounce) can green chilies, chopped

1 tomato, diced

2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1 teaspoon paula deen's house seasoning *

1 (15 ounce) can black beans with jalapenos

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 (4 ounce) package Velveeta Mexican cheese, diced

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, diced

Directions:

Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 20 mins

1 Melt the butter in a skillet.
2 Add the onions and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
3 Add the green chilies, tomato, cilantro and House Seasoning and cook for 5 minutes longer.
4 Add the beans and cheeses, and simmer until hot and bubbling.
5 Serve hot with white-corn tortilla chips.

* House Seasoning Mix

1 Cup Salt

1/4 Cup Garlic Powder

1/4 Cup Pepper

Mix together and keep in a spice shaker for everyday use.

Sneaky Mac & Cheese Recipe plus Cool New Menu Planning Tool

2011-02-02T20:14:00.000-05:00

I have a confession. I hate veggies. Actually, hate is not a strong enough word. I LOATHE them. So, in order to get my requirements, I have to be sneaky. My oldest two will try just about anything. But my youngest is just like me.

About a year ago, I purchased the book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. She has lots of good recipes that hide veggies in very clever ways. Her secret is to puree the veggies and then hide them in mixes of flavors your kids will normally eat. She's got everything from Chicken Strips made with Sweet Potato puree to Brownies with carrots and spinach. One of my favorite dishes is homemade Macaroni and Cheese. Jessica has two recipes in her book, one that uses beans to up the protein content and the other uses butternut squash. They are both very good, but they are a bit on the thick side. I prefer a slightly thinner one. Here is my twist on her recipe:

8 oz Shell Macaroni
1 TBS Olive Oil
1 TBS Flour
3/4 cups non-fat milk
1/2 cup carrot puree (about 10 baby carrots)
2 cups shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
2 oz low fat cream cheese, cut in to cubes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Prepare carrots by steaming for about 10 minutes. Puree in a food processor until smooth. You may need to add a spoonful of the steaming water to the processor to get a smooth mix. Set aside.

Prepare macaroni per package directions.

While macaroni is cooking, spray a large sauce pan with cooking spray. Add oil and heat slightly over medium heat. Add flour, stirring to form a thick paste, continue to heat for about a minute, being careful not to let the flour brown.

Add milk to mix, stirring frequently until it begins to thicken up (less than 5 minutes). Add the cubed cream cheese and stir until it starts to melt. Add remaining cheese, puree, salt and pepper and stir until thoroughly melted and heated through.

Drain pasta and add to sauce mixture. Stir until pasta is completely coated. Enjoy.

Now, I received a link today to a really cool meal planning tool. It's called Say Mmm. The site brings together recipes from all over the blogosphere and helps you plan out your meals for the day, week or month. It even puts together a shopping list for you. You can import your own favorites from all over the web, too. Did I mention the site is free? It's really awesome and you need to check it out.

My Menu Plan Monday

2011-01-31T16:20:00.002-05:00

Sorry this is late getting up today. I fell down on the job of planning and shopping this week. I'm in a funk and just can't shake it for some reason. Maybe it's the weather. Maybe it's because I'm feeling really home-sick for San Diego and my old friends lately. IDK. What I do know is that I need to snap out of it.

So here is my plan for the week:

Lasagna and salad
Chicken Enchilada Soup
Hamburgers with Mac 'n Cheese
Chili and Cornbread
Polish Pancakes (basically, big crepes that you roll up and eat with your hands)
Quiche and fruit
Grilled Chicken and veggies

Hope everyone has a good week.

Fabulous Finds #4

2011-01-30T12:37:00.001-05:00

I'm late getting this up this week. Sorry, it's been kind of crazy around our house and 'hood. But these recipes are really worth the wait!

I can really tell I'm on a diet. All of my favorite blogs are posting recipes that look like they are to die for. Mommy's Kitchen shared a recipe for Sour Cream and Cherry Coffee Cake that sounds absolutely decadent!

Pizzazzerie has a recipe up for Red Velvet Whoopie Pies, just in time for Valentines Day. How cute are these?

Pizzazzerie.com

In case you aren't in the mood for sweets, head on over to Alli n Son for her version of Chicken Enchilada Soup. Chili's has always had one of my favorite versions of it, but the ones around here don't sell it anymore. This version appears to be similiar and looks easy to make. It sounds absolutely delicious and I will be trying it this week.

On a more somber note, All Doll(ed) Up had a post that EVERY parent should read, entitled Breaking the Silence. If it moves you, please find a way to get involved in your area. Be a voice for those who have none.

I hope everyone has a good week.

Recipe review- Sour Dough Bread and Cinnammon Rolls

2011-01-27T17:39:00.001-05:00

Last week I found a recipe from Our Seven Drwarfs for a sour dough bread that I wanted to try. All I can say is "I'm soooooo glad I did!". The starter was easy to make, and it amused my kids with the sounds it gave off while fermenting. Patience is so not my strong point, and the starter requires 5 days before it's ready to use, but it's worth it. In the last 6 days, I've made 2 different batches of dough that were used for bread and the cinnammon roll recipe. If you were even thinking about trying it, just break down and DO IT!

These were the Cinnammon Rolls from the first batch. They were ooey, gooey and absolutely delicious. They got rave reviews from my kids, dh and even my parents.

Don't count calories- just enjoy!

Here are the mini-loaves of bread I made today. The original directions call for baking for 40 minutes. Because I used the mini-loaf pans, I found 30 minutes to be perfect.

The bread is light in texture with a crispy crust and a slightly sweet taste to it. Thanks so much for sharing it Jill!

Silhouette Tutorial and 2 Free Valentine Designs

2011-01-25T18:41:00.008-05:00

I've been having a blast with my Silhouette SD machine. If you haven't already found them, the official Silhouette blog is here. Kelly from Finding Time to Create has another fantastic blog with tutorials here. A couple of weeks ago, the Silhouette blog offered a tutorial on Compound Paths and Word Welding. I followed the basic instructions to create 2 Valentine designs.

Using Adobe Photoshop Elements, I created a heart shape that I imported into Silhouette Studio. Using the auto-trace feature, I created a heart.

I resized the heart to my desired size, and then created an internal offset using the corner option. Then I selected the 2 hearts and right clicked on "create compound path".

Next, I copied the single heart again. Then duplicated it 3 times. I resized the hearts so that I had 2 medium and 1 small version.

Next step was to move the 3 hearts in to my desired postion along the edge of the larger heart. When I was happy with the placement, I selected the scalpel tool and sliced just inside the the smaller hearts through the larger heart (this is why you need to make the larger heart a compound path).

Delete the clipped areas from inside your hearts.

Select all shapes and weld together. Don't forget to save your hard work!

I created another heart in a similar fashion.I knew I wanted to use it to make a card, so I created a rectangle in the size of small valentine I want to make for my daughter's class.

Using the scalpel tool, I split the heart in half.

I took one half of the heart and dragged it to the edge of my card, overlapping them slightly. I then selected the half-heart and the card and welded them together.

I dragged the remaining heart half on to the card and lined it up, leaving a space between the two halves.

Finally, I drew a line where I wanted my fold to be. I selected the line, went to my cut settings and chose to perforate.

Here is they both are after I sent them to my Silhouette and cut them out. I cut a smaller piece of white paper to fit inside the card so that my daughter can write her Valentine's wishes to her friends.

Free Silhouette Studio Download Here

Heart Design Here

Have fun!

This post is linked to:

Menu Plan Monday 1/24/11, Ground Beef Stroganoff

2011-01-24T06:00:00.001-05:00

It's going to be another cold week here. That makes us want to hunker down with lots of stick to the ribs meals. We also have elections for out neighborhood HOA this week, so there are several events planned that I need to work our meal time around. It's going to be a week of modified freezer cooking to help get us through.

Breakfasts:
Scrambled eggs, oatmeal, pancakes and Cinnamon Rolls.

Dinners:
Shepard's pie
Tacos
Sloppy Joe's
Grilled Chicken
Cheese Ravioli
Ham and Cheese Omelettes
Ground Beef Stroganoff.

Ground Beef Stroganoff

1 lb lean ground beef

1/4 packet onion soup mix

1/2 cup water

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup sour cream

White rice, cooked.

Mix first 3 ingredients together in a bowl until completely blended. Add to sauce pan and brown over medium heat. Drain fat. Add in one can of Mushroom Soup and 1 can water. Heat thoroughly. Just before serving, add sour cream and stir until mixed. Serve over hot rice.

This post is linked to:

Adventures in Couponing

2011-01-22T09:00:00.003-05:00

One of my goals this year is to get my grocery budget back under control. In order to do that, I am combining couponing with stockpiling. I had a good trip to Publix yesterday. I had a 48% over all savings on my trip, even though I needed some things that I didn't have coupons for and weren't on sale.

I spent $67.69 and saved $63.48. Some of my best deals were the Stay Frees (75 cents a piece!), toothpaste for 50 cents, 2 free boxes of band aids, 2 free 4-packs of yogurt and a free jar of Visine eye wipes.

To keep track of my savings and spending, I've created a simple spread sheet.

If you find it helpful, you can download it for free here:
Savings Tracker (Excel 2010 Version)
Savings Tracker (Excel 97-2003 Version)

Fabulous Finds #3

2011-01-21T21:55:00.002-05:00

It's been a busy week around here, so I didn't get to spend as much time around the blogosphere as I would have liked. But there were a few things that caught my eye that I would like to try.

Ashley at Make It and Love It made a beautiful T-shirt using her Silhouette Machine and Freezer Paper. The technique looks super simple, and so much faster than hand cutting the stencils the way I've done it in the past.

Kelly, from Finding Time to Create made an awesome welded word tutorial for the Silhouette Machine. This is something I've been dying to learn how to do. Thank you so much for taking the time to create this tutorial! In fact, I was able to do a couple of my own. I'll share them next week.

And last, but not least, Louanne's Kitchen shared a recipe for Red Beans and Rice that sounds delicious and simple enough that I can follow- no pressure cooker required!


Yummy!

So, what inspired you this week?

Mexican Meatball Soup ( Albondigas Soup)

2011-01-17T21:01:00.003-05:00

This is a fast, easy and very flavorful whole meal soup. Pair it with a nice loaf of bread or some tortillas. Yummy.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped (divide in half)
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 pound ground sirloin beef
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 carrot, cut into rounds (about 3/4 cup)
1 serrano chile, whole
1 potato, skin on, diced (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8 cups vegetable stock
2 zucchini, diced (about 1 cup)- yellow squash would also be a good choice.

In a medium bowl, mix together half the onion, rice, cilantro, ground meat, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Shape the meat mixture into 20 to 22 (1-inch) meatballs and set aside.

In a heavy large pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Combine the carrots, whole serrano chile, potato, tomato paste, and vegetable stock in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs and zucchini and simmer on low heat until the meatballs are cooked through, about 20 minutes. When you first add the meatballs, stir gently to keep them from breaking apart.

Season the soup with salt and pepper, to taste. Top with a little crumbled queso fresco and chopped cilantro.

This post is linked to:

Menu Plan Monday 1/17/11

2011-01-17T13:34:00.000-05:00

Last week was an unplanned snow week. We couldn't even get out of our house until Friday. My menu plan saved the day again, because I was all stocked up and ready. We didn't have to worry about running out to the store for a forgotten item. Though we aren't expecting any major weather incidents this week, I'm looking forward to again knowing that dinner is under control.

Here's my dinner plan for the week.

Albondigas Soup (Mexican Meatball soup)- I'll post the recipe later this week.
Bean Burritos
Chicken Burgers
Waffles
Pasta with Spinach and Sausage
Crockpot Pot Roast
Left over Smorgasbord.

As usual, this post is linked to Laura over at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Sunday Funnies: You Can Be THE Man of Your House

2011-01-16T10:50:00.000-05:00

Tony had just finished reading a new book entitled, "You Can Be THE Man of Your House." He stormed to his wife in the kitchen and announced, "From now on, you need to know that I am the man of this house and my word is Law. You will prepare me a gourmet meal tonight, and when I'm finished eating my meal, you will serve me a sumptuous dessert. After dinner, you are going to go upstairs with me and I will have my way with you. Afterwards, you are going to draw me a bath so I can relax. You will wash my back and towel me dry and bring me my robe. Then, you will massage my feet and hands. Then tomorrow, guess who's going to dress me and comb my hair?"

His wife Gina replied, "The funeral director would be my first guess."

Fabulous Finds #2

2011-01-14T21:51:00.004-05:00

It was another good week in the blogosphere. Lots of great tutorials out there. Here are a few of my favorites from the week.

Shannon and Jill from Our Seven Drawfs shared a recipe for sour dough bread starter and a bread recipe. I am dying to try this one. My mom had one going for ages in her kitchen. We even named the starter "Herman". No, I don't know why we named the starter, but I do know that Herman was very, very tasty.

Jen over at Iron Violet Designs created a Pottery Barn Inspired Candle. She used sheet music as her inspiration, but I think it would look as lovely with a page from a favorite book or a poem.

From My Tiny Kitchen shared directions for a Grilled Pizza. Doesn't that look delicious? My family is a bunch of pizza fanatics. I'm dying to try this one when we can make our way to the snow covered grill again.

And finally, Sew 4 Home posted directions for a simple 9 pocket door caddy. I've been wanting one for my coat closet door. But all the ones in the stores are too wide for my ~~dinky~~ compact closet. I have some cute fabric remnants in my basement that I'm going to drag out to make one.

What inspired you this week?

Kitchen Aid Make-over with help from my Silhouette SD

2011-01-12T22:37:00.025-05:00

I love, love, love my Kitchen Aid Mixer. I bought it several houses ago at an outlet center when I had an all white kitchen. My latest kitchen has a lot of black and stainless steel, so it kind of sticks out like a sore thumb on the counter. I'm also a huge fan of Alton Brown. He's got an awesome Kitchen Aid personalized with flames painted on it.

Photo credit: Food Network
Good Eats

So when I saw Maria's Kitchen Aid makeover with paint at You Craft Me Up, I knew it was something that was doable. Maria went all out and painted her white mixer black.

Photo Credit: You Craft Me Up

That was a little bit more than I wanted to tackle. I didn't want to commit to a color that I might not like in few years. Plus, I wanted the option of being able to change the design as the mood strikes me.

Enter, my Silhouette SD. I've raved in the past few weeks how much I love this thing. I knew I would be able to use it to cut my vinyl to create a great big sticker for my project. I chose a flourish from the standard designs that come on with the machine. Hint: a design with lots of curves will transfer better on a curved surface such as the Kitchen Aid than one with lots of straight edges.

I then re sized the flourish to fit within the open area above the band. In my case, that was 7.5 inches wide by 2.5 inches high.

Once you are pleased with your dimensions, replicate the design below the original.

Select the new flourish and mirror it horizontally.

Because I was going to use a scrap of left over vinyl from another project, I decided to attach the vinyl to the carrier sheet. Pieces of painters tape in the corners help it lay flat and keep it stuck more securely to the carrier sheet.

When you are ready, choose the appropriate cutting settings and send your design to your Silhouette SD .

After your vinyl has been cut, remove the excess.

Cut a piece of transfer tape big enough to give you a border around your edges. This will help you with positioning later on.

Once you have secured your transfer tape, go ahead and cut the two designs apart.

Now, on to your machine. Clean it thoroughly before trying to adhere your vinyl. After I did the usual cleaning, I followed up with rubbing alcohol and a rough wash cloth to make sure there was no oily residue on my transfer area.

Now you are ready to adhere your vinyl. Play with the placement of your design until you are happy with it. If you've left a good border around your paper, you will be able to pick it up and reposition it at will. When you are satisfied, remove your paper backing. Use your flat edged tool to help adhere the vinyl pieces to your mixer.

Remove the transfer paper and Voila! A whole new, personalized look for your Kitchen Aid.

This project is linked to:

Truly Lovely with the Lanely Sisters.

Snow Days!

2011-01-11T14:33:00.000-05:00

We are still snowed in, or rather iced in. The storm ended up dumping about 7 inches on us, which was fine. What's not fun is the layer of ice caused by the freezing rain that came in behind it. Roads are impassable. The schools are closed again tomorrow. I seriously doubt we will be getting out of here much before Friday.

I'm so glad for my meal planning and stockpiling. I may run low on some stuff, but I don't have anything missing.

So all, we can do here is play in the snow. Stay warm and dry. And curl up with a good book. Hmmmm... maybe these snow days aren't so bad after all.

Ok, it was fun the first time, but this up to the chest stuff is getting ridiculous.

Please, please, please...can we go inside now?

Don't I look adorable in my pink coat?

After the freeze comes the thaw.

My less than graceful exit off the sled.

Menu Plan Monday - 1/10/2011 Oatmeal cookies

2011-01-10T02:00:00.004-05:00

I did my shopping early this week in order to be prepared for the snow that is supposed to come our way today. The colder weather makes me crave heavy comfort foods, so that's what's on my menu this week.

Breakfasts:
Oatmeal, waffles, scrambled eggs, cold cereal

Lunch:
Buffalo Chicken sandwiches, grilled cheese, chicken noodle soup, left-over pasta fagioli

Dinners:
Beef Burritos made with my Mexican Shredded Beef
White Chicken Chili
Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken and Dumplings
Ham and Noodle Casserole
Shepard's Pie

Desserts:
Left over Cheese Cake
Oatmeal Cookies (see recipe below)

Ingredients

3 eggs, beaten
1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a large bowl, cream the butter, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla and white sugar together. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, and baking soda; stir into the creamed mixture. Then stir in the raisins, rolled oats, and nuts.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an unprepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Yummy!

Hop on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for more Menu Plan Monday posts.

Preparing for Snow, Southern Style

2011-01-09T05:57:00.005-05:00

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Snow is forecasted again for the Atlanta area on Monday. Record snow. Maybe as much as 6 inches. Much to the amusement of those who live in places such as Wisconsin or Wyoming, when the South gets hit with snow, the whole world stops. Atlanta has a total of 8 sand trucks for the entire Metro area. Schools close. Grocery stores run out of items. Emergency crews can't get to anything. Power lines go down.

So, with that in mind, I have compiled my list of Emergency Snow Management items.

Run out to the store at the first mention of flurries and buy toilet paper. In bulk. Something about snow evidently loosens Southerner's sphincters.
Gather the following items while you are at Publix: Pop Tarts*, Beef Jerky, Coca Cola, white bread and milk.
Buy enough salt to completely coat your driveway at least 1 inch thick. Pay no attention to the fact that once you get out of your driveway you won't be able to go anywhere because the roads are all iced over.
Buy all the rechargable flashlights you can find. Ignore the fact that once the power goes out you won't be able to recharge them.
Don't forget to stop at the Package Store on the way home. Heaven forbid you run out of beer or Jack for 24 hours. Prepare to buy extra in case the snow storm is scheduled to hit on a Monday, since all the Package Stores are closed on Sundays.
Fill your car up with gas. Again, refer to item #3.
Make sure you forget at least one crucial item on your list so you can go back to the store at the beginning of the storm only to be upset that it's sold out.

*Think I'm kidding? When Hurricanes or other weather events are forecasted, Wal Mart says the number one thing they sell out of is Strawberry Pop Tarts.

I'm sure I'm missing something on this list. After all, I'm only a transplanted Southerner from Southern California. I haven't been let in on all the secrets yet.

Fabulous Finds: Cute things floating around the web

2011-01-08T06:00:00.007-05:00

There are lots of cute things floating around the web this week. Here are a few of my favorites:

AliLilly made these adorable Valentine wreaths.

La Maison Reid made these Pleated Pouches for gifts. Wouldn't they look awesome in some Valentine fabrics?

Judy at What I Live For made draft stoppers. I'm definitely going to have to try these, my house has the worst drafts even though it's only 5 years old.

And Small Fine Print showed off her handy work with her Silhouette SD machine. Now that I have one, I can't wait to start doing some projects like this.

What inspired you this week?

2011 Goals for my Home

2011-01-06T20:27:00.000-05:00

Home Sweet, Disorganized Home

The Nester challenged us to come up with goals for our home this year. That's a new concept for me, I've just always kind of winged my projects. But, at her urging, I decided to sit down and come up with a few concrete goals.

1. I will get my dining room table back and stop using it as a catch-all for unfinished projects.
2. I will find a paint color for Pumpkin's room that we both can live with. And I will put up real curtains in her room.
3. I will finish the trim in the bonus room in Diva's bedroom.
4. I will organize my craft area in the unfinished basement.
5. I will clean and organize my bedroom closet. I'm tired of having things fall on my head.
6. I will play with the furniture layout in the family room until I finally get one I like.
7. I will get some useful lighting in the family room.
8. I will either paint or refinish the coffee table in the dining room.
9. I will find an end-table for Diva's room.
10.I will get my bedroom turned in to an inviting sanctuary. No more piling stuff on the dresser and allowing the dogs to use it as their personal chewing spot.

So, those are my goals. It's a lot to do, but I figure if I take it one spot at a time it will be do-able. What are your home goals this year? Go check out the other posters over at the Nester for more ideas.

Home Made WFMW: Carpet Deodorizer

2011-01-05T21:34:00.008-05:00

The best way to keep a carpet smelling fresh is to ~~not have kids or dogs~~ vacuum it frequently. I'm not a big fan of the heavily perfumed carpet deodorizers that are on the market. They are too "perfumey" for me. All the chemicals in them don't do much for me, either. I prefer to use plain old baking soda to do the job. I keep a shaker jar full of scented baking soda to sprinkle when the mood strikes.

All you need is a box of baking soda and some essential oils. I generally add about 10 drops per box, though you can certainly add more or less to suit your preferences. I like the scent of lavender, so that is what I usually add to my mixes. Just combine the ingredients in your jar and shake,shake,shake, shake, shake til it's thoroughly mixed.

*Hint* Use a piece of plastic wrap to keep it from going all over the place while you mix it up.

To use, sprinkle liberally over carpet and allow to sit for at least 15 minutes. Vacuum completely.

If you live in a humid climate like I do, you may want to keep a piece of plastic wrap over the opening of the jar between uses to minimize clumping.

Cost Savings:
Baking soda 50 cents/box
Essential Oil for scent less than 5 cents
Total 55 cents per refill

Compare it to commercial brand at $2.00/box

This post is linked to We are THAT Family
And Somewhat Simple

Donna's Daze...

Joke for today

I Heart (puppy) Faces

My ghost story for you...

when behind him he hears:

Bump...BUMP...BUMP...

Walking faster, he looks back and through the fog he makes out the image of an upright casket banging its way down the middle of the street toward him.

Bumping and clapping toward him.The man screams and reaches for something, anything,but all he can find is a bottle of cough syrup!Desperate, he throws the cough syrup at the casket...and,(hopefully you're ready for this!!!)

The coffin stops!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

My update

Bad puns; part 2

Never Forget

Menu Plan Monday 9/5/2011

Pollo Bowls (Chicken Bowls)

Bad puns for the day; part 1

Things My Parents Taught Me

Menu Plan Monday 8-15-2011

Frugal Window/Glass Cleaner

New Silhouette Studio Design: Baby Feet

Organize a "Back to School Supplies" Drive

Home made Sun In (hair lightener)

Good idea/Bad idea- The pet version

Cleaning Burnt Pans

Vegetables as Civil Disobedience

Greener Cleaning Part 1: Homemade Soft Scrub

The Casey Anthony verdict: Justice or Joke?

Menu Plan Monday 7-4-11 Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Joke of the day

Things that get on my nerves...

Creativity: Is it inherited or learned?

Happy Father's Day

Storing the Blow Dryer

Menu Plan Monday 6/13/2011

Marabeth's Sloppy Joes

Before & After: My first furniture refinishing project

Menu plan Monday 6-6-2011, OAMC Plan

Ban on Breastfeeding: Needed or Just Pathetic?

Easy Peasy Bruschetta

Too sweet not to share.

Sunburn Treatment- Bring on the oatmeal!

Crazy Daze of Summer- Free or Cheap things to do around Atlanta

Gossip Girls

Monday Menu Planner 5-23-2011 White Pizza Recipe

Pool Party Scavenger Hunt ideas

Update to "Mom gives 8 year old Botox" post

Mom gives her 8 Year-Old Botox

Stockpiling versus Hoarding

Cool Tools: Sign Up Genius

Menu Plan Monday 5/2/2011

Under Construction...working on a new-ish project

Tornado's devastate the South

Internet Bullying among "Adults"

Banana Pudding Recipe and Menu Plan Monday 4/25/2011

Adventures in Couponing: Friday Finals 4/23

Happy Earth Day 2011

Sunday Funnies: The Facebook edition

Works for Me Wednesday: Cleaning Your Vacuum Cleaner

Menu Plan Monday 4-11-2011

My week just keeps getting more interesting...

Reason # 426 why I don't like housework.

Spring Break

Who's your daddy?

Works For Me Wednesday: Minimizing the soapy sink mess

The Bronx Zoo Cobra

Menu Plan Monday 3/28/2011

Going camping...

Peanut Butter Dog Cookies

WFMW- An easy way to corral plastic bags

Menu Plan Monday 3/14

Reaching out to help from half a world away

Mexican Lasagna

"Not So Refried" Beans

Don't you wish you were as cool as your dog thinks you are?

Corn Dog Casserole

Sunday Funnies

Sneak Peak at my new project (and help needed!)

Adventures in couponing 2-22-11

Menu plan Monday 2-21-11

Weekend Funnies

Bump...

BUMP...

BUMP...

Bumping and clapping toward him.

The man screams and reaches for something, anything,
but all he can find is a bottle of cough syrup!

Desperate, he throws the cough syrup at the casket...

and,

(hopefully you're ready for this!!!)