Without Rain There Would Be No Rainbows

Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.

... Lord Byron

Salisbury Steaks

What you need:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup fresh mushrooms or 1 small can of mushrooms
Splash of worchestershire sauce
Squirt of california french dressing
Mix ground beef with onion soup. Form into patties and brown in a large skillet. Remove patties from pan and drain well on a paper towel. Pour grease out of pan.
Add can of soup, mushrooms, worchestershire sauce and squirt of french dressing to skillet, stir well. Add patties back to skillet with mushroom gravy and simmer for 15 minutes.
*stock photo from Google*

FREE Skating For Kids

Get 2 free passes per week all summer long.
Check here for a participating location near you.

30 Minute Weeknight Meals...

FREE e-cookbook containing quick, easy to prepare meals.

Yummy Low-Carb Lunches...

Check out this FREE Kindle book, containing lots of low carb lunch ideas. Great healthy choices for kids too.

A Little Something My Mom Shared With Me...

 After a While

by Veronica A. Shoffstall

"After a while you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul and you learn love doesn't mean leaning and company doesn't always mean security.

 And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts and presents aren't always promises and you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and and your eyes ahead with the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child.

 And you learn to build all your roads on today because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.

 After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much.

  So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers And you learn that you really can endure, that you really are strong and you really do have worth and you learn and you learn, with every goodbye, you learn."

Though, as a teenager, I  didn't fully understand or appreciate what this poem meant, I do now and I can not thank my mom enough for sharing it with me.

Easy Skippy Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup Skippy p.b.
1 cup sugar
1 egg slightly beaten
1 Tbsp vanilla or almond extract.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl & roll into balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet & bake at 325° for 8 minutes. (These cookies will not spread out much while cooking, so don't worry if they still look round after 8 mins)
*stock photo from Google*

It's Official...

Summer break is definitely in full effect! You're probably already being inundated with complaints of boredom and/or constant hunger.
Here's a few  family fun ideas to help keep yourself relatively sane, until school starts back.
Have a backyard scavenger hunt. It's free, easy and will keep the kids entertained for a while. Especially if you put items on the list that are not present in your backyard.
Watch a movie together. Let your favorite child pick out a movie and force the others to watch it. (kidding)
Play a game of Uno. Because of it's simple color/number matching format, Uno is a game most kids can learn fairly easy. It's way easier than trying to explain to a kid why a straight beats 3 of a kind.
Go to the park and feed the ducks. (if your park doesn't have ducks, feed the pigeons or squirrels...improvise)
Most of us are within relatively close proximity to a park that has ducks. This is a cheap way to keep the kids from killing each other, if only for an hour. Check out your local bread store and ask if they offer discounted bags of day old bread. I affectionately refer to this as "duck bread". At my local bread outlet,  $1 will get you a bag filled with enough day old bread to choke a small army of ducks. (not that I reccomend choking ducks, with bread or otherwise)
Contact your local bowling alley. Alot of them offer free bowling for kids on certain days.
Find a friend or a relative or a friend of a relative or a relative of a friend, that has a pool and invite yourself over.
Pitch a tent in the backyard. Light a fire in the grill, roast marshmallows and tell the kids stories of "back in the olden days, when I was your age". You'd be surprised how little things like the story of your first heartbreak, or not getting picked for a team or being picked on for your spikey Bart Simpson hair do (not funny), mean to your kids. It makes you more relatable & almost human to them..  (it also gives them ammo against you in future arguments, so you might wanna be careful what stories you decide to share)
Bake cookies with them. Yes, it'll be way messier than if you just make 'em yourself, but the memories you're making and life skills lessons you're teaching are so worth it. Besides, you can always make them help clean up. Isn't that why we had 'em in the first place?!
Play a board game. Yes, kiddies, there are games that do not require electricity. Board games are great and teach kids lots of great skills. How to take turns, how to count, how to tell colors and most importantly how to be a good sport regardless of whether you win or lose.
Water balloons and water guns can be either a whole lotta fun or a whole lotta drama. If your kids are scared to get wet or assaulted, this is probably not for them.
Summer is a time for your kids to relax and unwind and a time for you to make some great memories. As I've learned the hard way, our kids are only kids for a little while. Before you know it, they're seniors in high school, getting summer jobs, driving cars and all of a sudden,they don't have time for you, so make the extra effort and spend some quality time goofing off with your kids this summer.

Spoon Rolls

I will probably never know my mom's secret to fluffy, crispy, buttery biscuits... And now that I know how to make "spoon rolls”, who cares?!
What you need:
1 cup s.r. flour
1 cup evaporated milk
2 Tbsp sugar
Pinch of salt
Mix all ingredients well, spoon into well greased muffin tins 1/3 full. Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes or 'til golden brown. Brush tops with melted honey butter, while still hot.

Fruit Cobbler

This is by far the simplest, no fail, dessert recipe ever. To switch it up, you can use different flavors of pie filling, even chocolate.
What you need:
1 stick of butter
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup s.r. flour
1 can pie filling (any flavor)
While oven is preheating to 375°, put a stick of butter in the bottom of a glass baking dish and melt it, in the oven.
In a seperate bowl, mix together milk, sugar and flour. Pour into dish containing melted butter.
Pour can of pie filling in the middle. Do not stir! Bake for 45 minutes or 'til golden brown.
Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!

Good ol' Fashioned Sunday Dinner

There's nothing better than sitting down to eat a big, hearty, Sunday meal with your family.... Unless you're the one that spent ten hours cooking aforementioned big, hearty, Sunday meal.
With a few easy shortcuts, you can cut hours off your cooking time and still end up with a yummy meal you can be proud to serve to your family.
Instead of sitting around, snapping beans for hours you can cheat, just use canned instead. Same goes for carrots. Nobody will know you used canned, unless you tell 'em.
Fried chicken is so time consuming and unhealthy, so instead, fake it and bake it. Less work and healthier... Two birds, one stone.
No self respecting southern meal is complete without some kind of bread. Try making  spoon rolls instead of traditional roll and cut biscuits, it saves time and cuts down on the inevitable flour mess that comes along with making biscuits.
What's dinner without dessert?
Preposterous, that's what!!!
Cobbler is a versatile, easy dessert. Heck, it's so easy, you might even get the kids to help you with this one. You can use any flavor of fruit you have handy, throw a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and you are good to go!
Now, there's no reason why you can't do this, for your family this weekend.  They will thank you. It'll probably be an unspoken "thank you" (or if you have boys like mine, it might be phrased in the form of a loud raunchy burp), but a "thank you" nonetheless...Glass half full.
: )

Oven "Fried" Chicken

While it's not quite as good as the real thing, it's way better for your heart and waistline.
What you need:
1 pk boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg (beaten)
2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese
2 Tbsp corn meal
Garlic powder (2 Tbsp more or less)
Onion powder (2 Tbsp more or less)
Salt & pepper to your taste
Olive oil Pam cooking spray
Cut chicken lengthwise, into tenders. (it cooks faster & goes farther this way)
Toss chicken in beaten egg til well coated.
Mix remaining ingredients, minus olive oil, in a large ziploc baggie.
Add a few pieces of egg covered chicken to the baggie and shake 'til all pieces are well coated. Repeat 'til all chicken is done. Place chicken on baking sheet sprayed with non stick spray. Give chicken a light spray with olive oil pam & bake at 425° for 25-30 minutes or til done.

Sunday Green Beans

You don't have to slave all day in the kitchen, to get "Sunday dinner good" green beans. Using canned, you can make this "ghetto fabulous" version taste just as good as if you'd spent hours.
What you need:
1 can green beans (undrained)
1/2 medium onion (minced)
Sprinkle of garlic powder
Pat of butter
Handfull of bacon bits
Pinch of black pepper
Add all ingredients to medium saucepan & simmer on low for 30 minutes. Enjoy.
*stock photo from Google*

Carrots, just like mama used to make...

... But easier. With a little bit of "doctoring", you can make your canned carrots taste as good as fresh.
What you need:
1 can baby carrots
2 pats of butter
2 spoonfulls of brown sugar
Pinch of salt
Pinch of nutmeg
Pour can of carrots into a small saucepan, juice included. Add all other ingredients and simmer on the stove for 30 minutes.
*Stock photo from Google*

Crab Rangoons

I loooove these yummy, creamy, fried, pockets of crabby heavenly goodness, but to shell out 5 bucks for a 6 piece order, seems ludacris to me.
Here's how you can make 'em at home for a fraction of the price.
What you need:
1 block of cream cheese (softened)
1 pkg wonton wraps
1 pkg imitation crab
1 bunch of green onions (chopped)
2 Tbsp sugar
Mix cream cheese, green onions, crab & sugar in a bowl.  Spoon a small amount of the mixture onto the center of the wonton. Using your fingertip, moisten the edges of the wonton with water and fold into a triangle. Fry at 350° 'til golden brown, aprox 2-3 mins. Drain on paper towels. Enjoy!
*Photo courtesy of google*

The price of happiness...

... Is exactly $12.00 and can be bought at your local Dollar General store, according to Micah.
: )

Love Starbucks?

I love Starbucks™ iced coffee drinks, but I'm not too fond of the prices.  Instead of giving up my favorite guilty pleasure, I decided to try to make my favorite iced coffee drinks at home.  Common sense would say, just brew coffee & add ice... Not really the best way to go. The ice melts quickly and waters down the rich coffee flavor.  So after some research & trial and error, here's what I found works best.
What you need:
1 cup ground coffee (flavored or plain)
2 qts water
Empty half gallon milk or juice container with lid
Add coffee to container and fill with water. Shake a few times to get the coffee completely saturated. Leave out on the counter, overnight.
In the morning, strain out the grounds with a wire strainer, lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter.
That's it! Pour coffee over ice, add your favorite creamer, enjoy.
You can make lots of different flavors by mixing coffee flavors & flavored creamers. My personal favorites are, toffee flavored coffee with caramel macchiato creamer or mocha flavored coffee with white chocolate raspberry creamer. The possibilities really are endless.
: )
*stock photo from Google*

Vocalpoint

I love Vocalpoint! It's a huge community of women, sharing ideas & tips to make life easier. They often give out samples and high value qpons too, but you must be a member first.
Head on over & sign up, it's free and If you sign up now, you'll receive a 1$ off qpon for Bounty paper towels and napkins.
: )

Easy Guacamole

What you need:
A couple of ripe avacados (cut into small pieces)
A few Tbsp sour cream
A few Tbsp salsa
Splash of lemon or lime juice, to prevent browning
Mix all ingredients, chill well & serve.

I love this recipe, it's super easy and versatile, you can make as much or little as you want... Hence the lack of exact measurements.

: )

Lions and Tigers and Bears...

As we were discussing our previous day's events, this morning, Mike very nonchalantly informs me that we have a mouse in the house.... Or at least what he "thinks" is a mouse.
"What do you mean, you think it's a mouse"?  "How can you not know"?!
"Well I saw something scurry across the floor, really fast when I flipped the light on, I assume it was a mouse".
I pressed him for more specific information... How big was it?... What else do you think it might've been?...
Where'd it scurry from and where did it go to? ...
His response was NOT what I wanted to hear... "Well, if it wasn't a mouse, it was the biggest, fastest spider I've ever seen".
Mind you, we do have spiders here quite often. I've killed a black widow in my storage shed and I'm constantly bombarded by grass spiders all over the house. Through the years, I've come to grips with it,  kinda made peace with the fact that the spiders are here... Until I see one.
Not wanting to believe that the Godzilla of spiders is creepy crawling around my kitchen, I school Micah on what a mouse is and what one looks like, in case he's in the kitchen when it shows back up.
The more I looked at the pictures, the more ok I was with this furry little devil being in my house.
Cut to an hour or so later...
Mike leaves and it's just Me & Micah, in the house. I get up to check out the place in the kitchen where the mouse/spider was seen the night before. I find no traces of mice being around... no droppings, no food half eaten, no nest built out of stolen household items, nothing.
Feeling slightly relieved at the thought that the mouse/spider hasn't taken up permanent residence in my kitchen, I go to the bathroom. I had no sooner sat down, when Micah starts yelling "bug", repeatedly. Knowing Micah is somewhat of a tricker, I ignore him and continue my business. That's when I saw it...the Godzilla of spiders was crawling out of the bathroom, into the hallway. OMG! What am I gonna kill this thing with?! I grab the closest thing, which happened to be the toilet paper holder, and try to squish it... It's barely out of my reach. I pull up my shorts & do a "not so graceful" gymnastic maneuver into the hallway. I plant the base of the T.P. holder squarely on spiderzilla's  body & push down firmly. I lifted up the holder, expecting to see the mangled body of spiderzilla, when he took off like a bat outta hell, apparently I had only stunned him. I once again aimed & struck, leaving the T.P. holder on top of him until I found a more suitable weapon... Steven's flip flop. With surgical precision, I lifted & squished with one fail swoop.
I did it!!
I had battled spiderzilla and won!!!
In conclusion, I say...
Watch out Mr. Mouse, Mama's feelin lucky today.
: )

Chicken & Spinach Enchurittos

What you need:
Flour tortillas (burrito size)
1 Pkg boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Cans green enchilada sauce
8 Oz sour cream
1 1/2 Cups shredded cheese
1 Carton frozen spinach (cook according to pkg & drain well)
Boil chicken 'til it shreds easily with a fork. Mix together, shredded chicken, 1 can enchilada sauce, 1 cup shredded cheese, sour cream and spinach. Spoon mixture onto tortillas and fold over. Lay folded side down in a 9x13 dish. Continue 'til all the chicken mixture is used. Cover with remaining can of green sauce & 1/2 cup cheese and bake @ 350° for 30 minutes.
: )

My Mama's Chicken Tetrazinni

What you need:
1 pkg Boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 Med onion (chopped)
1 Can cream of chicken
1 Can cream of mushroom
16 Oz sour cream
1 Box thin spaghetti (cooked & drained)

Cut chicken into bite size pieces & sautee with onion, in a pan.
Add cooked chicken & all other ingredients to a big bowl, mix well. Transfer mixture to a 9x13 dish & bake @ 350° for 30 minutes.

Chicken and Dressing Casserole

I was raised on casseroles. I love 'em. They're versatile, filling, and super easy to make. Here's one of my favorites, I really don't make it very often tho, because I tend to eat way too much of it.

What you need:
1 Med. Onion
1 Pkg Boneless skinless chicken breast
1 Box Stove-Top stuffing
1 Can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 Cup milk
8 Oz Sour cream

Cut chicken into bite size pieces and sautee with onion. Mix all other ingredients (minus stuffing) in a bowl. Add cooked chicken and onion to mixture and stir well. Spread chicken mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Prepare stuffing according to pkg directions and layer it evenly over the chicken. Bake @ 350° for 30 mins.
Goes nicely with potatoes (sweet are great too) and a side salad.

: )

Your feet will thank you!!!

As a member of Bzzagent, I get to try out lots of cool stuff, from food products to diapers and everything in between. Anyone can be a Bzzagent, all you need is an opinion and the willingness to try new things.

The latest product I was given, to try,  is the new high heel insoles from Dr. Scholl's.
I was very excited to try these out, but I had a few concerns too. All other insoles I'd used in the past, really weren't all that impressive. Especially in my more fashionable shoes. I'm not a big fan of high-high heels, I'm more of a fan of cute wedges with an open thong type toe. I find them way more stable for us "more mature broads", but the design doesn't work well with an insole. They usually slip, or they show or they just plain don't provide much cushion. I am happy to report, I had none of those problems with these insoles!!!
They are made from a cushy gel material and have a sticky adhesive backing, that works great at keeping it in place. The design is perfect for open toe shoes, as well as all other kinds of heels. The instep is built up in the middle to take extra pressure off your foot and feels really stable.
I gave these insoles a workout over the weekend, at a wedding reception (in the rain), at the beauty shop and a kids' birthday party, and I must say, I'm very impressed with their performance.  Although, I wouldn't reccomend wearing these in the rain. If your feet get wet, they have a tendancy to slide.
They'll never take the place of my good ol' flip flops, but they definitely make wearing my "dress up" shoes way more comfy!

: )

*Disclaimer*
I was given a pair of insoles, to try, for free, but the opinion I share is my own.

Bbq Wraps

Use the crockpot pulled pork Bbq for these quick, yummy, lunch wraps.
What you need:
Bbq
Flour tortillas or flat bread
Shredded lettuce
Shredded cheese
Ranch dressing
Assemble wraps with lettuce on bottom, followed by bbq, cheese and a drizzle of ranch dressing. Roll up & enjoy.
: )
*Picture courtesy of google

Bbq Pizzas

These pizzas are another way to use the crockpot Bbq in your weekly rotation of meals.
What you need:
Pizza crusts.... I like the mini ones from the dollar tree 2/1$, everyone can make their own & it gets kids involved in cooking.
Ranch dressing
Shredded cheese, preferably mozzarella, but cheddar will work
Bacon bits
Green onions
Lightly brush crust with olive oil. Drizzle a spoonfull of ranch onto the crust and spread it out with the back of the spoon, add a layer of cheese, spread the bbq over the cheese, top with green onions & bacon bits, bake according to package directions & enjoy!

Intentional Leftovers...

Intentional leftovers is exactly what it sounds like,  when you make a dish with the specific intent to use it for more than one meal.
Pulled Bbq, made in the crockpot, is a great example of how to work "intentional leftovers" into your weekly menu plan.
What you need:
Pork roast or boneless chicken breasts
1 to 2 cups of NON DIET Root beer (depending on the amt of meat you use & the size of your crockpot)
3 or 4 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1 med onion (chopped)
Bottle of your favorite Bbq sauce (I prefer Sweet Baby Ray's) or your own homemade.
Add the first 4 ingredients to your crockpot and cook for 4-6 hrs on high or 6-7 hrs on low. When it done,  (you'll know it's done when you can shred it with a fork)  strain all the juice off the meat, add the meat back to the crockpot & add 1/2 (more or less to your taste) bottle of your favorite sauce, shred meat with two forks. Let meat cook about another hour and then serve.
This is great for Bbq potatoes, Bbq sandwiches, Bbq burrito wraps, Bbq chicken pizza, Bbq ranch bacon pizzas and lots more.
: )
*stock photo from Google*

ZOMBIE!!!

No, not the kind who wander through city streets aimlessly looking for nice tasty brains. The kind you find in your garden.
Yes, things that were once dead, are now alive in your garden.  It sounds too easy to work, but it really does. All you need is some store bought green onions. Use the green tips in your favorite recipe, then simply plant about 2 inches of the leftover white root ends in the ground. Give 'em plenty of sunlight & water and sit back and watch your zombies sprout.
These do great in containers & can even be kept on the counter, under good lighting.
You can also use the same method for growing garlic. Plant one clove of garlic, pointy side up, in a pot, aprox 2 inches deep. Cover loosely with dirt and water.  Viola... Zombie garlic. This one can take a while to mature. I'm not positive on growing times, but you can read more about it here.

Super Easy & Quick Dinner Idea...

BBQ Baked Potatoes are a huge hit around my house.

 

All you need is a few potatoes, one per person (I usually nuke mine, saves time & electricity)
*pulled bbq (pork or chicken are both fine)
*Shredded cheese
*Sour cream
*A garnish of green onions, which you can actually grow at home really easy.

There you have it, a super easy & delicious weeknight meal with minimal effort.
: )

What tastes better than Private Selection Angus burgers...

FREE Private Selection Angus burgers!
Those who know me, know there's a few things I just can't live without, two of them being my freebies & my backyard cookouts. Here's how I combined the best of both.

About a year ago, I signed up for an awesome W.O.M. (word of mouth) site, called Bzzagent.
Basically, they send you products (for free), you use the product and review them.
I've tried lots of new products as a member of Bzzagent. One of my favorites, was the Kroger Comforts for Baby™ line of products. The Bzzkit came with qpons for free diapers, wipes, snacks, 2 free sippy cups & a bunch of qpons to share with friends.
As a result of this campaign, I found a new brand of diapers I wouldn't have otherwise tried.  I actually switched from my high price diaper to the much more inexpensive Comforts for Baby diaper and still use them to this day.

The new Kroger™ campaign I recieved today, is just as exciting!
Kroger™ has an awesome line of store brand products called Private Selection.
Private Selection offers tons of great products such as...High quality Angus beef (great on the grill), wonderful artisan inspired potato and pita chips, gourmet ice cream flavors (sea salt caramel is to die for), bakery fresh pies, pizzas, desserts and lots lots more.
I'm usually very wary about trying store brands, as I've been sorely disappointed in the past.
The Private Selection line from Kroger™ did not let me down. The pizzas were loaded with high quality, fresh tasting ingredients. The ice cream is sooo good & has lots of flavors to choose from. The sea salt & black pepper kettle chips would go great with a hot and juicy angus burger fresh off the grill.
If you don't wanna miss out on the next awesome campaign, head on over to Bzzagent and sign up.  What do you have to lose?

**Disclaimer**
I was given free qpons to try some of these products, but the opinion I share, is my own.

: )

Quick Kitchen Tip...

Instead of using Jet Dry in your dishwasher, use plain white vinegar. 

It works just as good and it's way cheaper.

Quick Money Saving Tip...

With a house full of boys, there's always lots of dirty messes being made, which inevitably ends in handwashing.  As you can imagine, soap goes really quick around here. So here's what I've found that saves quite a bit of cash. 
Next time you're at the store, look for a foaming soap dispenser. I found this one (pre-filled with soap) at the dollar tree, but you can find them most anywhere. Buy it. Use it.
**Here comes the cool part**  When all the soap is gone from the dispenser, you can refill it with your favorite liquid soap diluted with water.
Add about a Tablespoon or so of liquid soap, then fill it the rest of the way up with water, give it a few pumps to get it started and....VIOLA.... Foaming hand soap.
With this tip, you could possibly save thousands of dollars a year on soap... Ok, I didn't really do the math, but it definitely saves you money nonetheless.
: )

Why blog?

As I was wracking my brain for something to write about, I thought to myself... "Why am I even doing this"?
Well, I guess there are several reasons.   I am not what one would typically call "sociable". I mean, I like people & people like me, but as I've gotten older, I just don't feel the need to "get out" as often as I used to. This platform helps me stay connected with the people in my life that I don't see as often as I'd like.
It's also a great way to share my favorite recipes. When I'm in the kitchen, making a dish, from a recipe I got from my mom, I often think about Kaylee (my "daughter from another mother") and how to best pass my recipes along to her.  Kids are so tech savvy nowadays, so I figure this can serve as a great digital recipe book for her to use.
It gives the right side of my brain something to do.   As I've gotten older, both physically & mentally, I've noticed my brain (and body, for that matter) just isn't quite as quick as it used to be. (I blame the boys) 
I have a horrible memory! If you ask me what I had for dinner last night, I'd be doing good to remember. I can blog about all the things I want to remember & come back and read it at a later date... It would be almost like doing it all over again. lol.
I've read, when you do creative things, such as painting, singing or writing, it's like a workout for your brain.  Since my painting skills are like that of a gang of drunken mexicans (personal experience, not racial bias), and my singing is only good, in the shower, after a few drinks (on your part, not mine), that only leaves writing! So here we are.

Today's Adventure...

The day I've been dreading, for weeks, has finally arrived. I can put it off no longer...Micah needs a haircut.
So we pile in the car, Mike, Micah & myself and head to the local beauty college. Yes, beauty college. Where else can you get a 5$ haircut nowadays?  Besides, what better way for the students to gain experience than to let them practice on my sweet little angel.  Did I mention that my "sweet little angel" despises having his hair cut?
So while the students are in the back, drawing straws, to see who gets to cut Micah's hair, Dad & I begin the bargaining.
"Are you excited to get a big boy haircut", I ask Micah. He responds with an emphatic "Un Uh". (At least he's honest)
"Are you going to be a good boy while you get a big boy haircut", Daddy asks. Again, responding honestly, he says "Un Uh".
At this point, I begin to pray for the poor, unsuspecting, girl who is about to try to cut this child's hair, while Daddy bribes young Micah with promises of candy.
Our victim... Err, I mean stylist approaches, with obvious trepidation. "Is this his first haircut", she asks with a shaky voice.
"No, it's his second", I respond apologetically.
We walk over to her chair & he's still maintaining his composure. (probably just saving his energy for the big event that is yet to come)
She puts the little paper strip around his neck, draped the cape over his shoulders & gets the water bottle. So far, so good. I was almost convinced this might actually be ok... Then it happened.... She squirted his hair with water.  The tears started flowing as he tried to free himself from the confines of his plastic prison.
I offer comforting words & both of my hands to hold...but she "man'd up" & kept cutting. (kidding)
He reached out,  grabbed my hands and began to calm down a little. The next 15 minutes were filled with a few more tears, requests for candy and pleas for help.
After it was all over, Micah came out of the ordeal, no worse for wear, with a decent haircut (which ended up costing 10$, because Mike felt so bad he gave the poor stylist a 5$ tip for her troubles) & a nice big pack of M&M's.
: )

One man's trash...

... Is another man's repurposed baby wipes container.
I hate throwing away perfectly good containers. I have a collection of empty baby wipe boxes, plastic crystal light canisters & sour cream bowls that would embarass most people, but not me! lol I see them and think... "Hmmm, what could I use this for"?  I usually have no idea, but keep them anyways knowing a use will pop up sooner or later.
The Crystal light canisters, come in very handy for storing small amounts of leftovers. Since they're tall & slender, they stand nicely, side-by-side in the fridge, taking up only a small amount of space.
The baby wipes containers are great for storing all kinds of stuff... Manicure supplies, make-up and all those stray pens & pencils. My favorite use tho, is to store plastic bags in them. The top is perfect for one at a time, popup dispensing.
: )

My husband laughed at me...

Until he tried it. This is possibly the coolest thing I've done, in a really long time. (besides creating a human life) 
All you need is an empty produce bag, like the one oranges or onions come in & a piece of string.  Flatten the bag out. Fan fold it, accordian style. Fold it in half & secure it with a string, work with it & fluff it out a bit and... Viola...A handy dandy pot scrubber.

Definitely worth checking out!

2012 Family Guide to Groceries under $250 a Month:Amazon:Kindle Store

Yummy Dessert.....

Here Is What you need:
2 packages instant vanilla pudding mix
1 container frozen whipped topping, thawed
3 cups milk
1 package graham cracker squares
1 package prepared chocolate frosting
In a medium bowl, thoroughly blend the pudding mix, whipped topping, and milk. Arrange a single layer of graham cracker squares in the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking pan. Evenly spread half of the pudding mixture over the crackers. Top with another layer of crackers and the remaining pudding mixture. Top with a final layer of graham crackers. Spread the frosting over the whole cake up to the edges of the pan. Cover, and chill at least 4 hours before serving.

There's an app for that...

With all kinds of smartphone apps on the market nowadays, it's hard to know which ones are worth downloading. Here's a few that I think are really useful.
*Kindle for Android. It's totally free & everyday you can find free books to download.
*Free Stuff Times. Also totally free. This app provides you with links to sign up for "freebies" and samples. They also post daily lists of hundreds of free kindle books.
*Big Oven. Free. This is an awesome recipe app. It has access to hundreds of thousands of recipes & also has a handy "to try later" bookmark option.
*Kroger. Yes, Kroger has an app and it's free. You can link your Kroger plus card to the app & load E-qpons directly to your card. You can also look at weekly sales circulars & monitor your fuel points and $ saved, all from your phone. SCORE!
*Blogger. Yep, free.  For all those blog posts that just can't wait til you're at your desk.
*Weekly sales & circulars. Free. This app has saved me sooooo much time!!! It's kinda simple actually, it uses your gps location to pull up all the stores within a specified distance from you & displays their weekly ads. Keeps you from having to do individual searches.
Now, if only I could find an app that washes your dishes for you.

Easy Crock Pot Greek Yogurt

 This is the recipe I followed, her directions are way easier than mine!


Over at Julie's: Easy Crock Pot Greek Yogurt

Houston, we have yogurt...

So I woke up this morning, expecting a gloppy stinky mess, but what I found was smooth, creamy yogurt. IT WORKED!!! I was so excited, I fixed Micah a bowl for breakfast, with blueberries & he grubbed it down real quick.  The texture is still a bit runny, so I'm gonna re-strain it, but other than that... It's perfect.

Let the inoculation begin...

Today's adventure arose out of necessity... Micah has been on a crazy yogurt kick lately, going through almost a whole box of the "tubes" in a single day. After reading the ingredients and adding up the cost, I thought "There has to be a better way" (besides buying stock in the company who makes "the tubes") So as I read lots of D.I.Y. yogurt recipes on google, mostly consisting of warnings of strict temperature requirements and the like, I became discouraged. Thinking I was doomed to forever be a slave to "the tubes", I gave up... Until I found the easiest D.I.Y. yogurt recipe EVER!!! It consists of 3 things... A crockpot, milk & a "starter". In this case, the starter is 1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt. I am 6 hours into my yogurt adventure, and we'll know in the morning if it worked. If it turns out as wonderful as I imagine, I'll post a link to the recipe. *Fingers crossed* :p