tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67090469527142173872024-03-14T00:08:29.520-06:00Out of Focus for now...30 day challenges for 2012
<br> a little of this and a little of thatUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-1124045381915934972012-07-28T06:00:00.000-06:002012-07-28T06:00:02.818-06:00New Recipe: Number 15 ~ Zesty Italian PotatoesI saw a picture of these Potatoes on Pinterest (no surprise) and decided I needed to try them. It just so happened that I had every thing on hand to make them and so I did.<br />
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Cast of Character:<br />
-Red Potatoes<br />
-Italian dressing packet<br />
-Salt & Pepper (to taste)<br />
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil<br />
-Parmesan Cheese (Garnish)<br />
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Preheat oven to 400˚F. Cube the potatoes (leaving the skins on the potatoes). Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and seasoning packet. Place on a baking sheet and pop in the oven for about 45 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Garnish with Parmesan and serve.<br />
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These turned out great and the family loved them. Super easy and I think pretty fool proof.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-89469917490017103482012-07-27T06:00:00.001-06:002012-07-27T06:00:13.180-06:00Donations: Day 7 ~ Girls Clothing Size 6-10I have about two kitchen sized trash bags of clothing from purging Kiddo #3's closet.<br />
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We got rid of clothing between girls size 6-10 most of it being in the 6-8 size category.<br />
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If there is anyone in need, let me know. First dibs to the local blog readers and then it will be sent off to a local charity.<br />
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Let me know if you need anything. There is a little of everything in this pile: shirts, pants, shorts, skirts, dresses, sweats, swim suits, leotard, pjs...and much more!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-75487257676957571822012-07-26T08:35:00.002-06:002012-07-26T08:39:29.482-06:00Organizing: Day 8 ~ Purging clothingThe one thing that has been the most difficult about blending a large family is laundry. There is always laundry to be done and we just have far too much! Three preteen/teen girls and of course me equals way too many clothes.<br />
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This has to change.<br />
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This week we decided to do a room swap. We moved the two youngest girls upstairs to share a room and moved our son downstairs. The big problem with this is the room downstairs is much larger, which was why we had the girls sharing it.<br />
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Now, my preteen girls have to share a smaller room with a smaller closet. Though it makes sense to have them upstairs for many reasons, the closet alone made the decision seem rather...well to say is simply: stupid!<br />
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We needed a new approach to the closet. After spending time with one of my closest friends, who lives in a house with NO clutter (and I really do mean no clutter), I decided to use some of her suggestions to make this work for me.<br />
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She never has more than one week of clothes for her boys but for preteen girls, that's a bit extreme. I thought about it for a while and assessed the space and decided on two weeks of clothes and two weeks of uniforms for school. That essentially equals about one load of laundry for uniforms and just over one load of laundry for other clothes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xG6nIp0dotQ/UBFUqyF3GLI/AAAAAAAABgY/OzXoEp_eqro/s1600/DSC_3288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xG6nIp0dotQ/UBFUqyF3GLI/AAAAAAAABgY/OzXoEp_eqro/s320/DSC_3288.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Not a small job<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Living in Colorado Springs, we have experienced seeing around 400 families that have lost everything to the Waldo Canyon Fire. I think it's a great time to go through what we have, purge and donating the unneeded items to the Fire Victims.</span></div>
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I sat down with kiddo #3 (deciding to take it one kid at a time) and talked through how we were going to do this. She brought all her clothes to the living room and then exclaimed, "I'm a little embarrassed at how much I have." Wow! That's a great way to start purging. I think the fire victims having nothing is in the back of all of our minds.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1EZqDCHL9Uo/UBFUliGpMHI/AAAAAAAABgQ/coW0u9FRSiM/s1600/DSC_3287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1EZqDCHL9Uo/UBFUliGpMHI/AAAAAAAABgQ/coW0u9FRSiM/s320/DSC_3287.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huge pile </td></tr>
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This is what we did:<br />
<ol>
<li>Folded all the clothing into like items piles</li>
<li>Made a list of the items</li>
<ul>
<li>Tank Tops</li>
<li>Short Sleeve Shirts</li>
<li>Long Sleeve Shirts</li>
<li>Shorts</li>
<li>Capris</li>
<li>Pants</li>
<li>Sweats</li>
<li>PJs</li>
<li>Leggings</li>
<li>Hoodies</li>
<li>Underwear</li>
<li>Socks</li>
<li>Dresses</li>
</ul>
<li>Came up with a reasonable number for each item without looking at the piles, letting her know that no item could exceed 14 (she came up with the number not me...and was really reasonable)</li>
<li>Sorted through all the clothing and only kept the number of items on our list</li>
<li>Filled one laundry basket with the keep items</li>
</ol>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donation Pile</td></tr>
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Viola! I have a kiddo with only one basket of clothes to keep. She has some laundry to do and will have to purge from the those clothes too, but so far so good. One girl down...two more to go.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One basket of keep items</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side by side keep and donate</td></tr>
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Hopefully someday, I'll win the laundry wars by getting what we own to a reasonable amount.<br />
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-26312523372379448772012-06-08T06:00:00.000-06:002012-07-25T14:50:27.380-06:00Organizing: Day 7 ~ Pantry part 2I actually have a really large completely useless kitchen. I have cabinets everywhere but not many of them are very functional. I have an entire wall of home-made cabinets. These may be the dumbest cabinets I have every seen. They are all different sizes but only slightly. The drawers are just stuck in a hole. Because of all of that, some things only fit in the cupboard if I put it in on the left side and twists till it's in half way and then twist it again to get it in the space. Then I have to put other things in front of it in the strange leftover space. I am constantly taking things out to get things out or in the cupboards.<br />
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Then there's the pantry. It is also completely dumb. Thanks 1983 for your dumb cupboards that make you think you have lots of space but really you just used an entire wall for a tiny little shelf! Welcome to the world of owning a home 30 years old. For some stupid reason, the 80's came up with really great ways to waste space.<br />
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Okay, all the ranting to say that I actually have an entire wall of small cabinets for a pantry. I have to reorganized this space on a regular basis. It seems every time I go to the grocery, there isn't room to put what I just purchased and yet I really don't have anything in the cupboards.<br />
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If you remember, a few months ago, cleaning the top cupboards of the pantry is what got this whole blog going. Now I've moved to the bottom (one side of the bottom). I think it looks really great now but then again, my kids haven't touched it yet. I may have to reorganize this space again. I didn't get rid of anything (except the trash the kiddos left behind) but I cleaned and reorganized and I feel good about it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a8n0TIBgP-s/T9EvGRFcKnI/AAAAAAAABdo/jTJi23FKN2s/s1600/DSC_2344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a8n0TIBgP-s/T9EvGRFcKnI/AAAAAAAABdo/jTJi23FKN2s/s320/DSC_2344.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yuck!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FRN2sgsQ9Tk/T9EvLKySYBI/AAAAAAAABdw/ykcJU4kERXw/s1600/DSC_2345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FRN2sgsQ9Tk/T9EvLKySYBI/AAAAAAAABdw/ykcJU4kERXw/s320/DSC_2345.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feels so much better.</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-80986312171109477262012-06-07T13:20:00.000-06:002012-06-07T13:20:06.108-06:00Green/Clean: Day 3 ~ Shaving Cream CleanerI hate to even show the pictures on this project...mostly because I'm showing the world my dirty tub. I will say that hubby is a mechanic, so my tub pretty much looks this dirty within days of cleaning it. With that said, I found a cleaner that is WAY cheap and super easy to use. When I told a friend this, she asked if it was the Magic Eraser (by Mr. Clean) and I laughed and said, "No, I said cheap." I know most people may think the Magic Eraser isn't that expensive, but when you have to scrub "Mechanic Slime" off of your tub every week, it's certainly not cheap anymore.<br />
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My new saving grace in the bathroom: Shaving Cream.<br />
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Okay, I just have to say, this came from a bit of a discussion in the bathroom during a deep clean one night. I was telling hubby it would be nice if there was some sort of bleach foam that would get into all the cracks and crevices that didn't cost an arm and a leg. I was using vinegar and baking soda and was making some headway, but certainly not the kind I needed to make. I'm really on a natural/cheap cleaning supply kick. I've discovered about 1,000 ways to clean with vinegar and/or baking soda and it has been AMAZING. Somehow, this miracle concoction was just not cutting through the slime and oil that hubby brings to my tub every day. I was using all the elbow grease I had and then hubby started to jump in and help and believe me when I say he has far more elbow grease than I and still wasn't making the dent I was wanting.<br />
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All of a sudden, in a stroke of genius (not sure if it was hubby or I) but we remembered using shaving cream as a kid on our desks at the end of the year and how much dirt it cleaned off of the desks (that we cleaned most everyday). It was just what we needed to get into all the corners and crevices in the tub.<br />
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We sprayed some cheap shaving cream that I think I get for a dollar a can for hubby and used way less elbow grease and produced a sparkly, clean tub!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/---nqz6SHiPw/T8ThUwplDkI/AAAAAAAABbQ/OkzY8wv7UqA/s1600/DSC_1515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/---nqz6SHiPw/T8ThUwplDkI/AAAAAAAABbQ/OkzY8wv7UqA/s320/DSC_1515.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dirty Shower...yes, I see that grime.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-64a5wRXHWto/T8TghzZ0eSI/AAAAAAAABas/Nod3aXcHNvE/s1600/DSC_1518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-64a5wRXHWto/T8TghzZ0eSI/AAAAAAAABas/Nod3aXcHNvE/s320/DSC_1518.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was after trying to clean it with vinegar & baking soda.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PJKq4Ew5snM/T8ThZcdI4QI/AAAAAAAABbU/hgzn2irlFg4/s1600/DSC_1519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PJKq4Ew5snM/T8ThZcdI4QI/AAAAAAAABbU/hgzn2irlFg4/s320/DSC_1519.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shaving Cream</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RMUWaERA1d8/T8Tgyma-8YI/AAAAAAAABa4/ivJ-_ixCi9k/s1600/DSC_1520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RMUWaERA1d8/T8Tgyma-8YI/AAAAAAAABa4/ivJ-_ixCi9k/s320/DSC_1520.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hubby's Elbow Grease.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RrDOzynYUHo/T8Tg36qIjlI/AAAAAAAABbA/jFMFnavnH7c/s1600/DSC_1523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RrDOzynYUHo/T8Tg36qIjlI/AAAAAAAABbA/jFMFnavnH7c/s320/DSC_1523.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rinse.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FpcbJwxfqw4/T8Tg8Nep93I/AAAAAAAABbI/wbgCjotV3QE/s1600/DSC_1524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FpcbJwxfqw4/T8Tg8Nep93I/AAAAAAAABbI/wbgCjotV3QE/s320/DSC_1524.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AMAZINGLY CLEAN SHOWER!!!</td></tr>
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It's certainly not perfect and living with a mechanic I have resigned myself to every having a perfectly white tub again, but it is so much better and made little birdies sing in my head the next morning when I showered...and that is PRICELESS.</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-71786263757985240542012-05-31T06:00:00.000-06:002012-07-25T14:50:14.107-06:00Donations: Day 6 ~ American Girl Doll BedMy donating heart has spread...a mother could never be so pleased.<br />
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My eldest daughter has been cleaning her room for the past year. I'm really not exaggerating here. She is a "stuff" kiddo and has a room full of stuff. She is constantly cleaning her room. Every day I walk by and can't imagine how she cleaned her room for hours the day before and needs to clean it again.<br />
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On one of her recently hour long cleaning sessions, she decided to let a large item go. She's a teen now, so somethings are just not as important to her anymore. She decided to donate her American Girl Doll bed. I set it out in the living room for a couple a days to see if she still felt that way as time passed. Then about two weeks after we put the bed in the living room, the girls had a friend spend the night and she brought her American Girl doll.<br />
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Within hours of the friend being over, my eldest daughter asked if she could give the bed to her friend. My heart swooned. I asked her if she was sure she was ready to give it away. She said yes with a huge smile and said she would rather someone use it and love it then it just sit in her room taking up space. That afternoon when the friend's mom came to get her, I made sure she was okay with this transaction being it isn't a small item. Mom said yes and the friend had a wonderful new bed for her doll.<br />
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Life is good. We experienced the joys of giving and letting go and freeing up space and purging and cleaning and I'm SO HAPPY for my daughter. She still has a lot of stuff and still always needs to clean...but one thing is gone. Every little step counts!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-30124708268533288922012-05-30T06:00:00.000-06:002012-07-25T14:49:54.316-06:00Organizing: Day 6 ~ Nail Polish StashHaving three daughters has created quite a nail polish stash. Years ago, I put up a cute little shelf in their bathroom that had three shelves (one for each). They lined all their nail polished on it and wow was there quite a collection.<br />
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Recently I went to paint their nails and discovered a few things about the collection. Some where junky little kid nail polishes that rub off in a few hours and where really too young for my pre-teen and teen girls. Then there were ones that were so old they separated or were so crusty you couldn't get the lids off of them.<br />
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We went through each nail polish and cleaned out the old. I think we got rid of about 20 nail polishes. Then we did nails (just another thing to do when you have a kid laid up with a broken leg).<br />
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I'm hoping that after all of this, my girls will just throw away the ones that are no longer good as they come to them. We'll see...<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-62074411312157933822012-05-29T08:15:00.000-06:002012-05-29T08:15:46.035-06:00New Recipe: Number 14 ~ Frozen Yogurt DropsIt was Spring Break and having one kiddo with a broken leg, I tried to find a few things to make our days a little fun. This was a simple thing I found on <a href="http://pinterest.com/iamqtpa2t/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>. It's not exactly cooking but it was a new thing so here it is. I know...we did this on Spring Break. If you haven't noticed, I haven't really found the time to blog. I'm back (I think).<br />
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I used a yogurt drink but any flavored yogurt would work.<br />
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I put some yogurt drink in a zip baggie and snipped on corner (very small snip). Then I just pipped some yogurt on a baking pan lined with wax paper. I stuck it in our deep freezer for about 15 minutes.<br />
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Viola, a wonderful frozen snack and the kids thought it was fun. We discovered the smaller drops are better. You can just suck on them. The big ones are like taking a huge bite of ice cream and can be very cold and very overwhelming. We'll definitely be doing this again. It was just too easy!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-89022384332431156362012-04-05T06:00:00.001-06:002012-04-05T06:00:10.942-06:00Random Acts of Kindness: Day 3 ~ Compliments to the ServerWith one kiddo in a full leg cast, Spring Break looked a little glum around here. Hubby and I decided to take the kiddos out to eat at BJ's Brewery to kick off what would be a low key Spring Break.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0SiIBJPfYAs/T3o_r88GBgI/AAAAAAAABV0/bj-qdzBr8qY/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0SiIBJPfYAs/T3o_r88GBgI/AAAAAAAABV0/bj-qdzBr8qY/s1600/unnamed.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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I had been but the family had not. Well...I must just say, it was an amazing time! I cannot begin to brag enough about our evening. The food was great, the timing was excellent, and the service was a 10 out of 10! I'm really not exaggerating. The first dozen jobs I had, were in full service restaurants. It is not brain surgery but I will say our town is really laking on great service.<br />
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It was so amazing that I asked our server to get her manager and come back with the manager. She looked really scared. When we first sat down I ordered a drink I dislike and sent it back to get something different. I think she thought I was going to raise hell about it.<br />
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When the manager came over, I seriously just gushed on our service. I told the manager I was really impressed and though I had brought my family to try their wonderful pizza, it was our server that would have us coming again and again. They just created regular customers and I could not think of one single thing our sever could have done differently to make it any better. I watched our server's face go from complete worry to absolutely beaming.<br />
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He thanked me for sharing the praise. I said I'm sure he was used to only talking to customers when things go wrong and people were unhappy. He asked that I never stop doing that because it really made their night and he planned on bragging about our server at the close of shift.<br />
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My kiddos and hubby were really excited to see how happy it made them. It made our night too. It's expensive to go out to eat and we've almost given up going out to eat because it's such as waste of money to get mediocre food and poor service. This night was amazing and I hope it was an encouragement to them.<br />
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We'll definitely be going back and we'll be asking to sit in Christina's section!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-78491795632825374342012-04-04T06:00:00.001-06:002012-04-04T06:00:14.211-06:00New Recipe: Number 13 ~ Corn Beef & Cabbage Egg RollsWe celebrated St. Patty's day at my parents' house, therefore I had a corn beef brisket in my fridge and needed a fun recipe to make it. When I asked my hubby if I should throw it in the freezer or make it (so we would have corn beef twice in one week) the Irish in him leapt out and said, "Make it."<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ciw1LJUTDqE/T3o58MrdGJI/AAAAAAAABVk/LmMqNJmsjhY/s1600/DSC_1464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ciw1LJUTDqE/T3o58MrdGJI/AAAAAAAABVk/LmMqNJmsjhY/s320/DSC_1464.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corn Beef & Cabbage Rolls</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Ingredients Roll:<br />
-Corn Beef<br />
-Cabbage<br />
-Onions<br />
-Egg Roll Wrappers<br />
-Egg (beaten for egg wash, can substitute water).<br />
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If you've never purchased Egg Roll Wrappers before, you can find them in a couple different places in the store, but always in a cooler section. They will either be near the produce or the yogurt but is almost always be the tofu. Most Egg Roll Wrappers are made of tofu.<br />
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<b>Cook Corn Beef:</b><br />
Cook the corn beef in the crock pot on low for about 6 hours. Pull the corn beef from the crock pot and let is rest on a cutting board for about 15 minutes. Shred corn beef and put into a dish and refrigerate (for about an hour till the meat is cool).<br />
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<b>Sautee Onions & Cabbage:</b><br />
Sautee about one sliced white onion in a frying pan with a little butter (butter not oil...very important). After the onion becomes clear, add in sliced cabbage (try to make the onion and cabbage slices about the same width). Add some more butter (at this point I think I used a total of 4 tbsp). Saute onions and cabbage until cabbage shrinks down stirring to make sure all the cabbage gets cooked evenly. When the cabbage is all withered down, stop stirring regularly and allow the onions and cabbage to caramelize. Allow the onions and cabbage to remain in the same place in the pan for 5-10 minutes before moving things around and letting it sit for 5-10 minutes. Continue to do this until the cabbage and the onions brown and may even blacken in some areas (though you do not want it all black). Remove from heat and place in a dish and refrigerate for at least one hour (I try to put it in around the same time as the corn beef so they will both be ready to use at the same time.)<br />
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After both the cabbage and onion mixture and the corn beef have cooled, it's time to roll.<br />
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Rolling egg rolls may seem hard, but it's really quite easy. Lay down an egg roll like a diamond with points up and down and side to side.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JYLl5htyGQA/T3o5ignxJCI/AAAAAAAABUk/37nJVuRNwcU/s1600/DSC_1449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JYLl5htyGQA/T3o5ignxJCI/AAAAAAAABUk/37nJVuRNwcU/s320/DSC_1449.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Place Corn Beef in the bottom 1/3 of the Roll.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t8t9PkLPbJM/T3o5mMXdF7I/AAAAAAAABUs/BlQ9FIzS5Ds/s1600/DSC_1450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t8t9PkLPbJM/T3o5mMXdF7I/AAAAAAAABUs/BlQ9FIzS5Ds/s320/DSC_1450.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Place Cabbage on top of beef.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cjfyaz6V45c/T3o5pDymrXI/AAAAAAAABU0/oCzwdq3QQmk/s1600/DSC_1451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cjfyaz6V45c/T3o5pDymrXI/AAAAAAAABU0/oCzwdq3QQmk/s320/DSC_1451.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fold up bottom corner.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-azqk-L3Mjlo/T3o5r6Dxz4I/AAAAAAAABU8/pxPenDtXA18/s1600/DSC_1453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-azqk-L3Mjlo/T3o5r6Dxz4I/AAAAAAAABU8/pxPenDtXA18/s320/DSC_1453.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roll part way.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ym4txEKseU8/T3o5unvi_aI/AAAAAAAABVE/_R8edaiIAIw/s1600/DSC_1454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ym4txEKseU8/T3o5unvi_aI/AAAAAAAABVE/_R8edaiIAIw/s320/DSC_1454.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fold in one side to the center.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ftpiW_cEdtY/T3o5x7mDkzI/AAAAAAAABVM/HLFd1_Ymu0M/s1600/DSC_1455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ftpiW_cEdtY/T3o5x7mDkzI/AAAAAAAABVM/HLFd1_Ymu0M/s320/DSC_1455.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fold other side to the center.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FZZT854hEDs/T3o51d44BXI/AAAAAAAABVU/pBTy_nqH49E/s1600/DSC_1456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FZZT854hEDs/T3o51d44BXI/AAAAAAAABVU/pBTy_nqH49E/s320/DSC_1456.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egg wash the top and fold over the middle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8tMcubA7aQg/T3o559UpA1I/AAAAAAAABVc/8gEr6uzQcKQ/s1600/DSC_1457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8tMcubA7aQg/T3o559UpA1I/AAAAAAAABVc/8gEr6uzQcKQ/s320/DSC_1457.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viola...beautiful rolls.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> After the rolls are complete, I used my deep fryer set at 375˚ and fried until golden brown (or fry them in a frying pan turning them often to ensure every side gets crispy). They can also be baked in the oven at 350˚ for about 15 minutes with egg wash on the entire roll but they do not get very crispy this way.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2EjkdJNyYrg/T3o5-XF12cI/AAAAAAAABVs/CgBKQFPjJQ4/s1600/DSC_1469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2EjkdJNyYrg/T3o5-XF12cI/AAAAAAAABVs/CgBKQFPjJQ4/s320/DSC_1469.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Served over sauteed cabbage & onions...and believe it or not ~ soy sauce.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-42947019948162647602012-04-03T06:00:00.000-06:002012-04-03T06:00:02.573-06:00Reading: Book 4 ~ Water for Elephants<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EkyqZrZi19E/T3o0ASr6GOI/AAAAAAAABUc/R054jqIJrkU/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EkyqZrZi19E/T3o0ASr6GOI/AAAAAAAABUc/R054jqIJrkU/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Water for Elephants</div><div style="text-align: left;">By Sara Gruen</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I loved this book and would recommend it but with caution. This is not a book for young readers. There are some very adult scenes in this book (of sexual and explicit nature). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The main character in this book is an elderly man (in his 90s) and goes back and forth from him in present in the nursing home in which he now resides and back to his youth when he unknowingly became part of a traveling circus.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">This book definitely kept my interest and was not only easy to read but I could set it down to get things done around the house (unlike "Hunger Games"). This book was made into a movie that came out just about a year ago and I have yet to see the movie. In the notes from the author, it seems this book was semi based on several different recorded circus stories from this time period. Throughout the book there are several pictures of circuses from this time period. It was definitely a different world.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I enjoyed this and recommend it (to adult readers).</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-77270443336922114562012-03-25T06:00:00.000-06:002012-03-25T06:00:06.413-06:00Knitting: Project 3 ~ Hemp HatI used The Rikke Hat (free pattern available <a href="http://happyknits.com/blog/free-pattern-rikke-hat/" target="_blank">here</a>) as inspiration for this hat. I used another <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/" target="_blank">Ravelry</a> user's notes (link <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/blythie/rikke-hat" target="_blank">here</a>) to make the decrease for my hat, being I did not like the star like swirl the original creates. I wanted this hat to be for a guy and the star, swirl decrease look girlie to me.<br />
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This is a garter stitch hat (which in the flat is knit every row) but being it was knit in the round, it is actually knit one row, purl one row. It's a great slouchy hat and super comfy. I was looking for a hat to make from hemp yarn because of a request from a friend. Hemp yarn can be difficult with which to work being it works more like cotton and can be stiff. I was able to get a nice slouchy, soft hat from hemp with this pattern.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CG-DygbgsAs/T2p6rvpVDeI/AAAAAAAABSU/R2WauLREpSQ/s1600/DSC_1392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CG-DygbgsAs/T2p6rvpVDeI/AAAAAAAABSU/R2WauLREpSQ/s320/DSC_1392.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 11px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Front view</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lU26_EGD9yc/T2p57DIF55I/AAAAAAAABRs/DXw_ttfeOQM/s1600/DSC_1376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lU26_EGD9yc/T2p57DIF55I/AAAAAAAABRs/DXw_ttfeOQM/s320/DSC_1376.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 11px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Back View</td></tr>
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p7eOR5_VZk0/T2p6AzsMWgI/AAAAAAAABR0/CHL6ECoPdoE/s1600/DSC_1379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p7eOR5_VZk0/T2p6AzsMWgI/AAAAAAAABR0/CHL6ECoPdoE/s320/DSC_1379.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 11px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Side View</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-whnztHF8kow/T2p6Qu2pPuI/AAAAAAAABSM/id3mAgEw0cg/s1600/DSC_1398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-whnztHF8kow/T2p6Qu2pPuI/AAAAAAAABSM/id3mAgEw0cg/s320/DSC_1398.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 11px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Close up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Materials:<br />
-US size 4 16" circular needle<br />
-US size 8 16" circular needle<br />
-US size 8 DPN<br />
-Stitch Marker<br />
-Darning needle<br />
-2 Skeins Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy (153 yards each), held together. I used contrasting green yarn.<br />
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Directions:<br />
-With larger needles (I used two sets of US 4 needles, to make sure the cast on is nice and loose) CO 85 sts using the German Twist Cast-on Method (holding both strands of yarn together for entire pattern) *There are some great youtube videos on the German Twist Cast-on Method. I linked the one I used at the bottom of this post.<br />
-PM to indicate end/beginning of round<br />
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Brim<br />
Using smaller needles<br />
-Round 1: Knit<br />
-Round 2: Purl<br />
-Repeat 14 more times for a total of 15 garter stitch ridges<br />
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Body<br />
-Change to larger needles<br />
-Round 1: Knit<br />
-Round 2: Purl<br />
-Repeat until hat measures 6" from cast-on edge<br />
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Decrease (switch to DPNs as needed)<br />
-Round 1: [k2tog, k3] repeat to the end of the round<br />
-Round 2: P<br />
-Round 3: K<br />
-Round 4: P<br />
-Round 5: K<br />
-Round 6: P<br />
-Round 7: [k2tog, k2] repeat to the end of the round<br />
-Round 8: P<br />
-Round 9: K<br />
-Round 10: P<br />
-Round 11: K<br />
-Round 12: P<br />
-Round 13: [k2tog, k1] repeat to the end of the round<br />
-Round 14: P<br />
-Round 15: K<br />
-Round 16: P<br />
-Round 17: [k2tog] repeat to the end of the round (16 sts remain)<br />
-Round 18: P<br />
-Round 19: K<br />
-Round 20: P<br />
-Round 21: [k2tog] repeat to the end of the round (8 sts remain)<br />
-Cut Yarn and use darning needle to thread through the remaining live sts, pull and close the hole<br />
-Weave ends into the hat<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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German Cast-on Method<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BfFadEumBak" width="420"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-51919740196039149482012-03-24T06:00:00.001-06:002012-05-29T09:13:20.531-06:00Random Acts of Kindness: Day 2 ~ Out and AboutI've been seeing and hearing a lot of amazing ideas for doing Random Acts of Kindness (RAOK) or ways to Pay it Forward. I've been wanting to have my family participate in this for quite some time so while we were running errands, we just decided to start.<br />
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When we pulled into the Target parking lot, I saw a gentleman sitting with his dog and a sign by the parking lot entrance. I've seen him many times before today. I really only remember him because of his dog, which is a very sweet looking Pitty.<br />
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I decided to tell the kiddos we were going to start the RAOK today by getting a few things for that man and his dog. They loved the idea. It took us a bit longer than expected to get what we needed and by the time we came out of the parking lot, he was gone.<br />
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My kiddos were so sad. I wasn't going to let that stop us. As we pulled out, there was a gentleman with one of the signs for a "Buy your Gold" store. You know the sign guys, waving and dancing on the side of the road. Well, we just pulled back into the parking lot and I told my eldest to take a bottle of water to him and tell him, "This is a Random Act of Kindness. Have a nice day." and then just walk back to the car. She did it and had a blast!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EKxSg9-LSIo/T2ppt3PUMHI/AAAAAAAABRQ/gbQVhKzisR8/s1600/IMAG0743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EKxSg9-LSIo/T2ppt3PUMHI/AAAAAAAABRQ/gbQVhKzisR8/s320/IMAG0743.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water for the Sign Guy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Well we still had a Dr. Pepper, some Goldfish crackers, some protein bars and dog treats. I just kept driving. I realized we were right next to the library so I gave the Goldfish crackers to my youngest. She went in (I walked with her) and decided to pick the security guard and told him the very same thing and handed him the crackers. She was giggling when we walked away. Her response was, "I love being random!"<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bk3HV34rYko/T2pptypfuII/AAAAAAAABRQ/LOPjjbl2BTQ/s1600/IMAG0745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bk3HV34rYko/T2pptypfuII/AAAAAAAABRQ/LOPjjbl2BTQ/s320/IMAG0745.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goldfish for the security guard at the public library.</td></tr>
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Next we had a Dr. Pepper and I wanted my kiddo in the cast to just hand it to a kid walking. She didn't feel comfortable doing it, so my eldest jumped out of the car and ran up to a kid walking down the street and handed him the Dr. Pepper. I think the shock on his face was priceless. As we pulled away, my youngest said, "It's so nice to just randomly pick someone. Usually you only get little presents if you do something good or you get hurt and not just because." It made my heart melt to hear that.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T5DGK03bQPo/T2ppt6A9xKI/AAAAAAAABRQ/LrBOgXnAMe4/s1600/IMAG0746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T5DGK03bQPo/T2ppt6A9xKI/AAAAAAAABRQ/LrBOgXnAMe4/s320/IMAG0746.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Pepper for the kid walking</td></tr>
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As we pulled on our street, we saw a family playing on the tennis courts at the apartments up the street from us. The kiddos decided it was my turn. I pulled into a parking spot and jumped out with the box of protein bars, went into the courts and announced the same thing and walked away. As I got into my car, I heard one of the kids yell, "Thanks so much!" When I got in my car, the kiddos said they were doing sound effects as I did the RAOK. I asked what that sounded like and they started narrating the entire event. I just had to laugh.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7M4gTrRFd7M/T2ppt0wiwGI/AAAAAAAABRQ/7FmGgwTteAs/s1600/IMAG0748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7M4gTrRFd7M/T2ppt0wiwGI/AAAAAAAABRQ/7FmGgwTteAs/s320/IMAG0748.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Protein bars for the kids at the tennis courts.</td></tr>
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We had only the dog treats left. There is a path back by a creek in our neighborhood where many people walk their dogs. Of course, this would be the only day I didn't see a single soul. It was even a nice day out. As we pulled away from the path, we saw the neighbors that live behind us going into their house. I had my eldest jump out and give them the treats being we know they have a dog. Apparently, the dog was at the door when she ran up. They seemed really thankful. (I didn't get a picture of the dog treats...use your imagination.)<br />
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We didn't get to give to the guy at the side of the parking lot but that turned into 5 separate RAOK. In some ways that was really nice because it was far more random. We'll put together another bag for the next time we see that guy at Target. I still want to do something for him. My heart breaks when I think about how many months I've seen him at the same spot...so that will be another RAOK (only it's not too random since I'm targeting him).<br />
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All in all, it was super fun. It was a great way to kick off this idea. I saw many blogs of people that did it over one day for their birthday or spent one week. I think I want my family to do it throughout the year or for at least 30 times!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-3970812615709444412012-03-22T17:37:00.000-06:002012-05-29T09:13:07.495-06:00Random Acts of Kindness: Day 1 ~ World Water DayThis post was going to be on Saturday after tomorrow's post about our family doing Random Acts of Kindness (RAOK)...but today is World Water Day and I really want people to join the cause! All donations today are being matched, so a $5 donation turns into $10!<br />
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Our family made a donation to a wonderful cause featured on a friend's blog. My friend Mandy, is fundraising donations to hire well mechanics in India. It takes $550 to train a mechanic. One mechanic with care for 50 wells and that will bring water to 5,000 people. This is an amazing adventure and I pray they meet their goal.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zHM8WW-P6pQ/T2tC9LIDmMI/AAAAAAAABSc/6akqqiZMm1E/s1600/4f4475454ed4c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zHM8WW-P6pQ/T2tC9LIDmMI/AAAAAAAABSc/6akqqiZMm1E/s320/4f4475454ed4c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Check out Mandy's blog: <a href="http://houlehouse.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Houle House</a><br />
She has already raised enough money to train 3 mechanics and is going for 4!<br />
Give <a href="http://tapwater.causevox.com/teachamantofish" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Right now she is doing a raffle and the prizes are amazing. Some are local to Colorado Springs to receive the items and others can be nation wide. A small donation can make a world of difference. Please consider donating today. I am donating a hat I created to the raffle as another part of this RAOK.<br />
The raffle is <a href="http://houlehouse.blogspot.com/2012/03/jobs-water-hope-raffle-round-up.html" target="_blank">here</a> and just message her the item on which you want to bid!<br />
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Today's Random Act of Kindness was also Paying it Forward. This blessing will keep on going. There are many ways as a family we want to do our RAOK and sometimes, like today, I didn't even leave my bedroom. A couple clicks today will help change tomorrow.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-21586094962527291482012-03-22T06:00:00.001-06:002012-03-22T06:00:11.703-06:00How to: Do a Dinner Co-op<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-69f5IiaWiTw/T2pkSQtsmsI/AAAAAAAABRI/Jx2imae2Rjg/s1600/DSC_1296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-69f5IiaWiTw/T2pkSQtsmsI/AAAAAAAABRI/Jx2imae2Rjg/s320/DSC_1296.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 11px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">60 Dinners on my Table!</td></tr>
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I joined a dinner co-op created by a friend of mine. This is just the information on how we operate our co-op. There are many ways to do it but this seems to work for us.<br />
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<ul><li>We have 2 groups </li>
<ul><li>a large family group (servings are 6-8 people) </li>
<li>a small family group (servings are 4-6 people)</li>
</ul><li>There are 12 participants, 6 in each group</li>
<li>Our group meets once a month for 3 months</li>
<ul><li>A small commitment works well so people are not overwhelmed if they discover it doesn't work for their family</li>
</ul><li>We meet one time before the rotations begin to fill out likes/dislikes/allergy information to be shared</li>
<li>We have three rotations: Beef, Chicken & Vegetarian (or non-meat)</li>
<li>We only make the main dish</li>
<li>Each month, each participant is assigned one of the rotations </li>
<ul><li>by the end of the 3 months they will have prepared one beef, one chicken and one non-meat dish</li>
</ul><li>Each participant, each month makes 5 meals & comes home with 5 different meal</li>
<ul><li>Participants can make 5 identical meals to share or not just as long as they follow their meal assignment (meat, chicken, non-meat)</li>
</ul><li>Our group decided to purchase Glad Ovenware large sized pans (just smaller than an 9x13)</li>
<ul><li>They are technically disposable but can be used over and over</li>
<li>This saves the hassle of returning dishes to the correct person</li>
<li>It also makes it easier than having to store or purchase 5 baking pans</li>
<li>These are more reusable than the thin tin pans used for catering (which are truly disposable)</li>
</ul><li>Because we come home with 5 meals, most of the participants freeze their meals to bring</li>
<li>Each month we have someone volunteer to host at their home for exchange</li>
<ul><li>We plan to meet for an hour if you'd like to hang out (a bit of a social time as well)</li>
<li>You can just drop off your meals if you don't have time</li>
</ul><li>The people assigned to the Vegetarian meal that month, bring a dessert to share at the exchange</li>
<ul><li>Normally that would be 4 desserts to share with 12 women</li>
<li>We only ended up with 2 at the first one and that was plenty</li>
</ul><li>The host provides coffee/tea </li>
<ul><li>I volunteered to host the 1st month</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">It was amazing to see my dinning table full of dinners!</li>
</ul></ul><ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bNFGONbMS8w/T2pkNDbXa2I/AAAAAAAABRA/0CiRovj8pJA/s1600/DSC_1295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bNFGONbMS8w/T2pkNDbXa2I/AAAAAAAABRA/0CiRovj8pJA/s320/DSC_1295.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ladies chatting & visiting with coffee around the table.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></ul>At the last minute our group was short two people. We corrected this by having two of the participants be in both groups. I was one of them and the other is my friend that has a family of 10, half of them are adults! Therefore, I make 10 meals each month and come home with 10 meals! I love it!<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>I have a family of 6 and my hubby eats more than most because he works physically hard for a living 10-12 hours a day 6 days a week. Some of the "small family" meals need to be stretched but a salad, some pasta or potatoes seems to make them work for us.</div><div><br />
</div><div>This is my first time participating in this dinner co-op. I used to belong to one that we assembled meals together and all pitched the same amount of money. It took far more coordinating. This seems much easier and I hope it works for us over the next few months because I would love to do it again. It definitely saves me time and we thought it many not save us money, but cooking in bulk is a money saver!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Pros:</div><div><ul><li>I don't have to cook every evening</li>
<li>I don't have to plan a meal</li>
<li>Cooking in bulk does save money</li>
<li>Making 10 meals in an assembly line was far easier than if I was making 10 different dishes for my family</li>
<li>Right after this, we needed to save a lot of money quickly and having 10 meals in my freezer reduced the stress of the need to save</li>
</ul><div>Cons:</div></div><div><ul><li>I did invest in the Glad Ovenware which was about $2.50 a piece</li>
<ul><li>Though it's not a lot of money, it wouldn't have been something I would have purchased</li>
<li>I do prefer it this way because I don't have to worry about my dishes getting back to me</li>
<li>One has already cracked to the point that it will need to be replaced</li>
</ul><li>I do not get to choose dinner</li>
<li>I don't usually cook for an entire day</li>
<li>Not everything is fitting for my family's tastes</li>
<ul><li>My family has been very gracious and though there have been a few they didn't love, they knew it was a huge blessing to me and finished everything on their plates</li>
<li>I don't think this would work for a family that is terribly picky or has lots of allergies</li>
</ul></ul></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-65358394665201767032012-03-21T06:00:00.004-06:002012-03-21T08:47:38.349-06:00New Recipe: Number 12 ~ Taco Bread Bake<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I joined a co-op dinner group. It makes my life so much easier. I made this recipe for the group & for us. I found it at this <a href="http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/2010/06/taco-braid.html" target="_blank">Fabulessly Frugal </a>blog when I was searching for good freezer meals. I'll share how we do our co-op tomorrow.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I, of course, tweaked the original recipe to my likes. We made ours a little different then the 10 meals I made for the co-op. This is the recipe to make just one dinner. I simply multiplied it by 10 to do for the co-op.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V2OfcHVBmXk/T2lUKXTYSII/AAAAAAAABQA/QHeK62khCAg/s1600/DSC_1372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V2OfcHVBmXk/T2lUKXTYSII/AAAAAAAABQA/QHeK62khCAg/s320/DSC_1372.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taco Bread Bake</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ingredients for the Family:</span><br />
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<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 lb ground beef</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 white onion</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tbsp <a href="http://www.tastefullysimple.com/shopourproducts/allproducts/garlicgarlic163108.aspx" target="_blank">Garlic Garlic</a> (Tastefully Simple)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spices: onion powder, chili powder, cumin & <a href="http://www.tastefullysimple.com/shopourproducts/allproducts/fiestapartydipmix232106.aspx" target="_blank">Fiesta Mix</a> (Tastefully Simple)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 can of Rotel </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cheese (for this Irish broad, we can only agree on a nice Irish cheddar which may not make sense in a Mexican dish...but that's us!)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Loaf of bread dough</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Crushed Red Pepper Flakes</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Egg (beaten for an egg wash)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cookie Sheet</span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Directions:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brown ground beef with onions,<a href="http://www.tastefullysimple.com/shopourproducts/allproducts/garlicgarlic163108.aspx" target="_blank"> Garlic Garlic</a> & spice mixture (I use spice to taste). </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mix can of Rotel into the meat. Roll out bread dough and spread meat mixture in the middle third.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fl8Od_QyEn0/T2lIfVOcPVI/AAAAAAAABOw/U02lEjY1vSM/s1600/DSC_1288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fl8Od_QyEn0/T2lIfVOcPVI/AAAAAAAABOw/U02lEjY1vSM/s320/DSC_1288.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roll out dough...use flour to keep it from sticking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zszxhlKVHJ0/T2lTfuoQarI/AAAAAAAABPY/pRMrBcGszn8/s1600/DSC_1364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zszxhlKVHJ0/T2lTfuoQarI/AAAAAAAABPY/pRMrBcGszn8/s320/DSC_1364.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meat mixed with Rotel</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cover with cheese. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cut each side into 8-10 strips and then fold them over each other (best to just look at the picture).</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vdxnvcBK0uI/T2lTnIz1ApI/AAAAAAAABPg/8_q_tKQtaaI/s1600/DSC_1365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vdxnvcBK0uI/T2lTnIz1ApI/AAAAAAAABPg/8_q_tKQtaaI/s320/DSC_1365.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sides sliced to be braided on top.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G9PVF5JX23A/T2lTuDLl8fI/AAAAAAAABPo/LEoWG0kOaMA/s1600/DSC_1366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G9PVF5JX23A/T2lTuDLl8fI/AAAAAAAABPo/LEoWG0kOaMA/s320/DSC_1366.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Braided on top,</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sprinkle with Crushed Red Pepper Flakes and Egg wash. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aeFuVbuAmkE/T2lT2ig-tmI/AAAAAAAABPw/ICZDmKZIEaY/s1600/DSC_1368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aeFuVbuAmkE/T2lT2ig-tmI/AAAAAAAABPw/ICZDmKZIEaY/s320/DSC_1368.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red pepper flakes & egg wash.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bake 350˚ for 25-30 minutes (just long enough to cook the dough being the meat is cooked.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sUOKFXHwruQ/T2lUAuHCmNI/AAAAAAAABP4/hnsreHL6s_g/s1600/DSC_1370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sUOKFXHwruQ/T2lUAuHCmNI/AAAAAAAABP4/hnsreHL6s_g/s320/DSC_1370.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautifully baked!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To Freeze:</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After assembling (omitting egg wash until right before cooking), wrap in plastic wrap and then tin foil and freeze. To prepare after freezing, allow it to thaw completely, apply egg wash and then cook as directed above at 350</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">˚ for 25-30 minute.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I made this for our co-op, I altered the ingredients a bit. Our co-op rules are no spice and we also fill out sheets for allergies, likes & dislikes.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ingredients for the co-op (10 dinners):</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times;"><ul><li style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5 cans of refried beans</span></span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<li style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9 lbs ground beef</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Taco Seasoning (used my big container from Sam's Club & followed directions for the amount of meat)</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10 can of Mexican Tomatoes</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 large bags of Mexican Shredded Cheese from Sam's Club</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10 Loaves of bread dough</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Glad Ovenware large container</span></li>
</span></ul></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UZk8Hdm0yTs/T2lIql7V7eI/AAAAAAAABO4/1abMzPNllbg/s1600/DSC_1289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UZk8Hdm0yTs/T2lIql7V7eI/AAAAAAAABO4/1abMzPNllbg/s320/DSC_1289.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Refried Beans</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vnv5CLUiY_8/T2lI3KZPYKI/AAAAAAAABPA/cIR1wSIOgO8/s1600/DSC_1291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vnv5CLUiY_8/T2lI3KZPYKI/AAAAAAAABPA/cIR1wSIOgO8/s320/DSC_1291.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ground Beef</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-alZ55uM0gSo/T2lJDHUuFYI/AAAAAAAABPI/f_2CFYSYj4s/s1600/DSC_1292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-alZ55uM0gSo/T2lJDHUuFYI/AAAAAAAABPI/f_2CFYSYj4s/s320/DSC_1292.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mexican tomatoes (forgot the cheese picture)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jDNx2zfG1Vo/T2lJMP8QygI/AAAAAAAABPQ/RdFjfBujp6U/s1600/DSC_1293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jDNx2zfG1Vo/T2lJMP8QygI/AAAAAAAABPQ/RdFjfBujp6U/s320/DSC_1293.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wrapped ready for freezing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did not do the braid for this large amount. I assembled by spreading about 1/2 a can of bean on the bottom, then meat and tomatoes and then covered with cheese (sorry, no picture of the cheese). I folded the sides over, wrapped in plastic wrap, flipped it so the seam was on the bottom and then put them in Glad Ovenware large sized dishes. I froze these prior to bringing them to co-op. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The instructions included: thaw completely, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">remove plastic wrap,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> brush with an egg wash or melted butter and bake at </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">350˚ for 25-30 minutes (or until golden brown).</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-33231743951579222712012-03-20T06:00:00.002-06:002012-03-20T06:00:15.891-06:00Knitting: Project 2 ~ Watermelon Fingerless Gloves<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DjbOoWpsHp8/T2dve-ddSoI/AAAAAAAABOQ/bLapnzpBxnE/s1600/DSC_1359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DjbOoWpsHp8/T2dve-ddSoI/AAAAAAAABOQ/bLapnzpBxnE/s320/DSC_1359.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watermelon Rappers</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been wanting to do some fun arm warmers for my girls. I used <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sweet-striped-arm-warmers" target="_blank">Sweet Stripped Arm Warmers</a> (free pattern available on <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/" target="_blank">Ravelry</a>) as an inspiration for this fun project but then of course tweaked it quite a bit to make it work for what I wanted. These are modeled by my youngest (she's 10 but very petite for her age) but I have also worn them. I think they could be easily considered pre-teen to small adult in size.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Watermelon Rappers</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Arm warmers, juniors gauntlet size </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yarn: Caron Simply Soft</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Color A:Watermelon (pink) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Color B: Limelight (green)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Needles: US 8, 9" circular </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Knit bottom up and in the round.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With Color A, co 32 stitches with a long tail cast on.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rows 1-4: [K2, P2] to the end</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rows 5-9: K</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Row 10: Color B, P</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rows 11-19: K (with color B)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Row 20: Color A, P</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rows 21-29: K (with color A)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Row 30: Color B, P</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rows 31-39: K (with color B)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Row 40: Color A, P</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rows 41-49: K (with color A)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Row 50: Color B, P</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Row 51-52: K (with color B)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rows 53-57: K 24, turn work as if working flat, P 32 (working in the thumb hole)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Turn work back and forth for 5 rows</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rows 58-59: Rib 2x2 rejoining work in the round</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bind off loosely</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Weave in ends</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the second one: I reversed the colors starting with Color B and ending with Color A for a fun funky look. It's like the mismatched sock fad ;)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">*A couple of notes about this: I carried the yarn along weaving it back and forth in the stitches to prevent a solid line up the work. This did cause it to look like the yarn is pulled like a corset. I liked the look but of course you could join the yarn each color change to avoid this look.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">*You can use any thumb hole method but I prefer this one so I don't have to seam later.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">*I'm not sure how much yarn this uses, the pattern from which my inspiration came said only 80 yards of each color. I didn't make mine as long and didn't do the increases she had in her pattern. I would guess that mine used around 50 yards of each color making it a great stash buster!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u0JU6POqUuU/T2dvadFFPnI/AAAAAAAABOI/duEzj7Blyro/s1600/DSC_1353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u0JU6POqUuU/T2dvadFFPnI/AAAAAAAABOI/duEzj7Blyro/s320/DSC_1353.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carrying along the string caused the stitch to weave.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cQVHe66ybvo/T2dvX76TKeI/AAAAAAAABOA/3DJ_vQyvny8/s1600/DSC_1351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cQVHe66ybvo/T2dvX76TKeI/AAAAAAAABOA/3DJ_vQyvny8/s320/DSC_1351.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f_-14XQlFC0/T2dvgzFlKSI/AAAAAAAABOY/DwPdkIof2HE/s1600/DSC_1360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f_-14XQlFC0/T2dvgzFlKSI/AAAAAAAABOY/DwPdkIof2HE/s320/DSC_1360.JPG" width="280" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-40793019473851243542012-03-19T06:00:00.001-06:002012-03-19T09:30:15.223-06:00Green or Clean: Project 2 ~ Adhesive remover<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-scZ8aWS49o4/T2dQUcejvXI/AAAAAAAABN4/hca4MH3mrlE/s1600/DSC_1342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-scZ8aWS49o4/T2dQUcejvXI/AAAAAAAABN4/hca4MH3mrlE/s320/DSC_1342.JPG" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adhesive Remover</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">We have an old Honda that needed a back wing window. My wonderful hubby found one but it was covered with window tint. None of the other windows had window tint. He took a razor blade and scraped all the tint off the window. The problem is that is left the adhesive all over it.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Recently, I had been on <a href="http://pinterest.com/iamqtpa2t/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> and had seen several natural adhesive removers. I ended up using some furniture oil, Murphy's Oil, which is an all natural vegetable oil. I used an old rag and rub most of the adhesive off the window with the oil and then followed it with white vinegar and a different rag to clean the window. It took a couple of times but worked like a charm. It highlighted the few bits of tint left behind so I could gently remove them with the razor blade.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Here are some other natural adhesive removers:</span></span><br />
<br />
<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">mineral oil, baby oil or orange oil (any natural oil, possibly even vegetable oil) followed by white vinegar to clean off the oil</span></span></li>
<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">These are generally safe on wood and when used on wood do not need to be followed with vinegar</span></span></li>
</ul></ul><ul><ul></ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">white vinegar, it seems you may need to soak the adhesive for a few hours</span></span></li>
<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">This is safe for most surfaces but because it needs to sit for some time, not usually best for wood</span></span></li>
</ul></ul><ul><ul></ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">rubbing alcohol</span></span></li>
<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">This is not safe on porous materials such as wood. Works great on removed bandage adhesive from skin (as do oils).</span></span></li>
</ul></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-77390675942003304272012-03-18T06:00:00.000-06:002012-03-18T06:00:01.425-06:00Dating the Kids: Date 2, Kiddo #1 ~ Coffee before school<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sZ16MlHgS8A/T2Sp_a97I1I/AAAAAAAABNE/hZDN_YC-dFc/s1600/IMAG0731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sZ16MlHgS8A/T2Sp_a97I1I/AAAAAAAABNE/hZDN_YC-dFc/s320/IMAG0731.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She went for the iced coffee & I went for a white mocha</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My eldest had the dumbest schedule last week because the schools were doing the State's standardized testing last week. She's in 7th grade and didn't have as many tests as the 8th graders and therefore, the school didn't want them there until almost two hours after school began. It really wouldn't be that big of a deal except I needed one kiddo at school by 8:15, the 7th grade to her school by 9:35 and my kiddo with a broken leg needed to get to school to do testing at 12:30 pm and then pick her up at 2:30, get the 7th grader at 3:00 and the last kiddo at 3:30. </div><br />
The first day of this, I ran back and forth. The second day and told my 7th grader she was just going to have to go to study hall after I dropped off her sister at 8:15, I could not waste gas doing all that driving. The third day, I decided I would take my 7th grader out for coffee after her sister was dropped off at 8:15 and that would give us a little more than an hour to chat over coffee.<br />
<br />
We got coffee and sat in Starbucks (my least favorite coffee place in the world but the closest to the schools). There were probably three or four other parents and kids from her school doing the very same thing. It was just perfect. We sat at a table and talked about everything: friends, homework, boys (yep...but just the one that counts), dating, careers and just life. We talked about our best friends moving away and cried a bit. We talked about my mom (who was very close to my eldest when she passed away 3 years ago) and cried a bit more. We talked about horses, she wants to jump horses and do barrel races for a living. We talked about what subjects may be very important for that kind of job to include the one she hates right now, Latin. She talked, I listened and then I talked and she listened and the we both just chatted.<br />
<br />
It had been far too long since her and I had that kind of talk. I learned a lot about her that I didn't know (new information in a pre-teen world changes so quickly). I learned about new friends. I learned about the boy she likes (though I already knew who he was). I learned about some of her fears. It might have been the best date every. I can't wait till we have another. An hour over coffee can make a world of difference in a mother/daughter relationship during the teen years.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-51197572228550634072012-03-17T08:54:00.000-06:002012-03-17T08:54:17.519-06:00Reading: Book 4 ~ The Help<div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uJ7Nhs0EhWQ/T2SjdVsDWTI/AAAAAAAABMo/btaTsz8Pl9I/s1600/help-201x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uJ7Nhs0EhWQ/T2SjdVsDWTI/AAAAAAAABMo/btaTsz8Pl9I/s1600/help-201x300.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>The Help</div><div>by Kathryn Stockett</div><div><br />
</div><div>To try to keep on my reading this year, I made a list of books that I wanted to read. The first three books were in a series and hard to put down, so I finished all of them in just over a week. Then I took a break for a bit. When I went back to reading, I decided to pick a book off my list that was on the New York Times Bestsellers list. I figured if that many people liked reading the book, it would be "easy" to read...plus I really want to see the movie and I won't watch the movie until I've read the book (the Harry Potter series being the only exception to that rule that I can remember).</div><div><br />
</div><div>I think this was an excellent book. Though it definitely deals with civil rights issues, there is so much more to this book. The three characters highlighted in the book give it a nice well rounded feel. It depicts a time in the early 1960's and tells the story of two black maids and the white women that interviews them to tell their story.</div><div><br />
</div><div>It was another book I just could not put down. I read it over a few days. I can't wait to see the movie and plan on adding a little post about the comparison between the two though I have heard it keeps to the story fairly close until the ending. </div><div><br />
</div><div>I would definitely recommend reading this book.</div><div><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-31758422572348113162012-03-13T10:59:00.000-06:002012-03-13T10:59:34.181-06:00Dating the Kids: Date 1 Kiddo #4 ~ The SalonDates have been difficult this year. We have four kids and our third one broke her leg at the very beginning of February. She's in a full leg cast. Because of this, she isn't able to go school or really anywhere. She and I are prisoners to the house. It makes going out on dates difficult and really going out at all. She did finally decide this past weekend she'd getting along well enough to go to her grandparents. That meant this past Saturday, we actually had a day when just our youngest was home.<br />
<br />
Kiddo #4 is a 10 year girl. She's our youngest. She has very fine, soft, fly-away hair. I have been cutting the girls hair for years. It's just a straight cut so nothing to it. Well, that wasn't working anymore for her. She needed body and layers and was ready for a more grown up style. That was feeling a little beyond what I was comfortable doing.<br />
<br />
Well, it was time to take her to the salon. On Saturday, I planned some time to do that. I didn't make an appointment because I wasn't completely sure exactly what time we would be able to go. We stopped by a couple place with nothing available so we headed to the mall.<br />
<br />
We went to a couple places and found a place that could get cut her hair in just under two hours away. That meant we needed to "kill" some time. The date was to be a hair style and a coffee but once we got to the mall, she changed her mind and decided on Orange Julius. We got our drinks and notice my brother, sister-in-law & my nephew where there getting lunch at the food court. We joined them and chatted while they eat and we drank our not-so-wonderful drinks (next time we'll stick with coffee).<br />
<br />
Then we walked around the mall a bit and went into store she liked. We looked at purses and jewelry and other such stuff. We found some interesting snacks we like (didn't buy them but now we know where to get them). Then it was time to head to the salon. Her stylist's name was Star. She was wonderful. It was a match made in heaven and Star even gave Kiddo #4 a free bow barrette for her new style. I'm not sure she could have smiled any bigger.<br />
<br />
It was a good day. I even made an appointment for eight weeks out, so we already have another date on the books (but hopefully another one in between). Hopefully when kiddo #3 gets her cast off, I'll be able to go on more dates with the kids. Until then, we'll squeeze dates in when we can.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-te8ee4IzTD8/T197o-hc8rI/AAAAAAAABIs/huDLmIcTpl8/s1600/DSC_1274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-te8ee4IzTD8/T197o-hc8rI/AAAAAAAABIs/huDLmIcTpl8/s320/DSC_1274.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Salon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ai7kDE1chAw/T197tAWg4hI/AAAAAAAABI0/P7qwBq23QAI/s1600/DSC_1275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ai7kDE1chAw/T197tAWg4hI/AAAAAAAABI0/P7qwBq23QAI/s320/DSC_1275.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting the hair cut.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TjpV3zbB86E/T197x-fsgAI/AAAAAAAABI8/T-PISydYPSM/s1600/DSC_1282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TjpV3zbB86E/T197x-fsgAI/AAAAAAAABI8/T-PISydYPSM/s320/DSC_1282.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting the style. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cwvU6GA88Vs/T1972ICUvZI/AAAAAAAABJE/5c-Evb9MUMQ/s1600/DSC_1285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cwvU6GA88Vs/T1972ICUvZI/AAAAAAAABJE/5c-Evb9MUMQ/s320/DSC_1285.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cute free bow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-70772133418177393192012-03-10T06:00:00.001-07:002012-03-10T06:00:04.136-07:00Explore Colorado: Place 1 ~ Mt. Princeton Hot SpringsOur family decided to take a mini vacation over President's Day weekend. We had recently been up at my step brother's house in Denver for his beautiful wife's bridal shower. The kids really wanted to stay the night in a hotel but didn't understand that by the time we checked in we would be sleeping and leaving (not swimming & having fun like they imagined). We had some really sad faces when we told them we were heading home. It took me a moment to realize why. Our kiddo #4 had really never stayed in a hotel. We take vacations, but our vacations are usually camping.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_78oBTHlCoI/T1gRQsx69fI/AAAAAAAABH8/eiAbyvfN--M/s1600/DSC_0982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_78oBTHlCoI/T1gRQsx69fI/AAAAAAAABH8/eiAbyvfN--M/s320/DSC_0982.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt. Princeton Hot Springs</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
We began to plan a little get away and hubby suggested Mt. Princeton Hot Springs. He had gone many years ago, but our family never had been. We booked a private cabin and then just days later, kiddo #3 breaks her leg and is in a full leg cast. We decided to go ahead with the vacation and thought if nothing else, a change of scenery would do her good. We went up Sunday mid morning and stayed the night. We even found a little pizza pub in Buena Vista that was wonderful. I even got hubby to take me to the yarn store in Buena Vista and have some fabulous yarn for a future project.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_hnHpoEk0F0/T1gRAFnbtoI/AAAAAAAABHs/vGsFJfDNFG4/s1600/DSC_0972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_hnHpoEk0F0/T1gRAFnbtoI/AAAAAAAABHs/vGsFJfDNFG4/s320/DSC_0972.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Private Cabin</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e2jX9PToo0I/T1gQ3sIG5II/AAAAAAAABHk/EtGaL4zymzo/s1600/DSC_0957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e2jX9PToo0I/T1gQ3sIG5II/AAAAAAAABHk/EtGaL4zymzo/s320/DSC_0957.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6NtuOpSuCZ4/T1gQr0XiNuI/AAAAAAAABHc/mcMI5AqljJs/s1600/DSC_0949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6NtuOpSuCZ4/T1gQr0XiNuI/AAAAAAAABHc/mcMI5AqljJs/s320/DSC_0949.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It had a loft with two queen beds</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--LwPzAJsqng/T1gRIntgVZI/AAAAAAAABH0/l1YQg3uT8-c/s1600/DSC_0981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--LwPzAJsqng/T1gRIntgVZI/AAAAAAAABH0/l1YQg3uT8-c/s320/DSC_0981.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful view from our front porch</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Mt. Princeton hot springs are natural springs and they're odorless (which it a plus for sure). They have a nice creek that runs along side of the hot springs pools. The creek has little pools that have been made by rocks making little coves. We were even able to get kiddo three (with a trash bag on the leg) to sit in the creek and enjoy the hot springs while the other three kiddos played in the hot springs pool. It was really fun to swim in the winter and it even snowed Sunday night.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-6073652257747336852012-03-09T06:00:00.020-07:002012-03-09T06:00:13.640-07:00Green or Clean: Project 1 ~ Homemade Laundry Detergent<div class="t-title" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">I added a new challenge this month: Green or Clean. I'm going to find 30 ways to make my family more "green" and make natural cleaners. This recipe is one our family has been doing for years. It's not only a great natural cleaner but also a HUGE money saver.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap</span></div></div></div><div class="t-title" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div></div><div class="t-title" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Front or top load machines & HE washer safe</div></div></div><div class="t-share" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="st_sharethis_button"><span class="stButton" style="color: black; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; text-decoration: none;"><span class="stButton_gradient"><span class="chicklets sharethis"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div></div></div><div class="t-body"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Ingredients:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><ul><li style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">4 Cups - hot tap water</li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1 Natural soap bar (unscented) (I use </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://lotionbarcafe.com/" target="_blank">Lotion Bar Cafe</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">'s Naked Bar</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span id="goog_2141071315"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span id="goog_2141071316"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">. She doesn't have it listed on her site but you can send her a message for naked soap. It's only $5 & supports local small business). Most recipes call for Fels-Naptha soap bar. I personally like Lotion Bar Cafe's better.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1 Cup - </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.meijer.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=117533&parentCategoryId=1498&categoryId=1582&subCategoryId=1587" target="_blank">Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">* (Usually found in the laundry soap aisle)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1/2 Cup Borax (Also found in the laundry soap aisle)</span></li>
</ul></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J_4xfZMI-Pc/TlPPj4H99nI/AAAAAAAAAP4/JqDCXgnNneg/s1600/DSC_0250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J_4xfZMI-Pc/TlPPj4H99nI/AAAAAAAAAP4/JqDCXgnNneg/s320/DSC_0250.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 11px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Laundry Soap</div><div><br />
</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. (I use my food processor to get it done quickly.) Stir <b>continually</b> over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water (I use filtered water to prevent smells-there is a lot of chorine in our water here). Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken. Mine usually looks like jello.</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use (will gel). I use empty gallon jugs (milk jugs work great). I make sure to mark the bottles with a red X on the tops &amp; label the sides so they aren't ever mixed up as food containers.</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil. We don't do any because of skin & fragrance allergies.</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons. 10 gallons lasts our large family about 9-10 months. It costs around $15 to get started (purchasing all the materials). Then the next batch is around )$0.25 a gallon. It's around a $15/month savings for us or $175 a year!</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads) I bought a plastic measuring cup specifically for the wash and marked 5/8 cup on the side with a marker.</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">-Front Load Machines- 1/4 Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">-For odor removal, I add 1 cup of white vinegar to every load. 2 gallons of white vinegar are less then $4 at Sam's Club. I found this very necessary being we do not use scent in our detergent because of skin allergies. It will also work as a fabric softener.</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased <a href="http://www.meijer.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=117533&parentCategoryId=1498&categoryId=1582&subCategoryId=1587" target="_blank">online here</a> (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_carbonate" target="_blank">sodium carbonate</a>!!</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I borrowed this recipe from the Dugger Family (19 kids & counting) from this <a href="http://www.duggarfamily.com/content/duggar_recipes/30455/Homemade%20Liquid%20Laundry%20Soap-%20Front%20or%20top%20load%20machine-%20best%20value" target="_blank">recipe</a> & added my own little touches.</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-83421867340594525032012-03-08T06:00:00.002-07:002012-03-11T18:12:48.688-06:00New Recipe: Number 11 ~ Ground Beef & Sliced Potato Hot Dish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Okay, I'm from the Midwest and I now I just gave that away by using the words Hot Dish instead of Casserole. I think the first time I said Hot Dish out here in CO, my friend looked at me and said, "What's a Hot Dish?" Of course, my response was it a Hot Dish. Well that cleared it up. Hot Dish is what Midwesterners call Casseroles...okay is that clear?</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w29qu3kZ8dQ/T1f9UHFESjI/AAAAAAAABHM/XqqkCKAWsts/s1600/DSC_1061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w29qu3kZ8dQ/T1f9UHFESjI/AAAAAAAABHM/XqqkCKAWsts/s320/DSC_1061.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hot Dish"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anyway...on to the new recipe, so I was struggling with what to cook for dinner one night and did a FB shout out for the mama's out there to suggest a dinner that used ground beef and potatoes. Just as I feared, the very first response was shepherd's pie. Not to say that shepherd's pie isn't good, it just isn't something my family likes. I have a hardy Irish brood (well and a bit Asian) over here and they wouldn't touch an English dish with a 10 foot pole. I used to work at a wonderful little English tea room and luncheonette and learned to cook several standard English dishes. Each time I've tried to make them, my family has revolted. My husband says "his people" fought long and hard to not be English and he certainly wasn't going to start now...whatever that means because his family though they may be Irish have lived in America for generations. Okay, off track again...the recipe.<br />
<br />
I didn't find a great suggestion in time and jumped on <a href="http://pinterest.com/iamqtpa2t/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> (evil sometimes). If you need an invite, <a href="mailto:outoffocusfornow@gmail.com" target="_blank">email me</a>, it's a wonderful site to store recipes, organizational tips and all kinds of inspiring nonsense. I found a link to this recipe, "<a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/hamburger-potato-casserole/detail.aspx" target="_blank">Hamburger Potato Casserole</a>" on <a href="http://Allrecipes.com/">Allrecipes.com</a> looked it over and then created my own version and doubled it because we have a big family (plus I was hoping for leftovers because I was going in for dental surgery the next day).<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
-1-2 lbs of ground beef (depending on how meaty you want it, I only used 1 lb)<br />
-6-8 potatoes peeled and sliced thin (I used my food processor)<br />
-6 cloves of garlic minced<br />
-2 tbps <a href="http://www.tastefullysimple.com/shopourproducts/allproducts/oniononion180105.aspx" target="_blank">Onion Onion</a> (Link to order from Tastefully Simple)<br />
-2 tbps <a href="http://www.tastefullysimple.com/shopourproducts/allproducts/baconbacon159106.aspx" target="_blank">Bacon Bacon</a> (Link to order from Tastefully Simple)<br />
-2 cans of green beans<br />
-2 cans of cream of mushroom soup<br />
-2 cans of milk<br />
-Parmasen cheese<br />
<br />
Preheat the oven to 350˚.<br />
<br />
Brown the ground beef with minced garlic and <a href="http://www.tastefullysimple.com/shopourproducts/allproducts/oniononion180105.aspx" target="_blank">Onion Onion</a> seasoning. Salt and pepper meat to taste.<br />
<br />
In a pan with oil on medium heat, lightly cook the potatoes with the <a href="http://www.tastefullysimple.com/shopourproducts/allproducts/baconbacon159106.aspx" target="_blank">Bacon Bacon</a>. They don't need to be cooked all the way but I like to cook them a little for texture it gives them. If you put them in raw, you will just need to cook the "Hot Dish" longer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xj2iUUBh64k/T1f86kSATmI/AAAAAAAABG0/vcg4ROVHbrs/s1600/DSC_1055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xj2iUUBh64k/T1f86kSATmI/AAAAAAAABG0/vcg4ROVHbrs/s320/DSC_1055.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Potatoes to be sliced in the food processor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>In a medium bowl, mixing the cream of mushroom soup and the milk.<br />
<br />
Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Layer the potatoes, meat, beans, soup and cheese. I made 2 full layers, starting with some soup on the bottom (to prevent sticking) and ending with the rest of the soup on top with a nice layer of cheese.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3zY61_mwI5E/T1f9DsVwYhI/AAAAAAAABG8/rLjt02ZFUb8/s1600/DSC_1057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3zY61_mwI5E/T1f9DsVwYhI/AAAAAAAABG8/rLjt02ZFUb8/s320/DSC_1057.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Layered yumminess</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Cook for 30-40 minutes if you precooked the potatoes. Cook for 60-75 minutes if the potatoes are raw (or until the potatoes are tender).<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yeVvC6OMs4g/T1f9LHAiyxI/AAAAAAAABHE/RQjiFp6K6Qs/s1600/DSC_1058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yeVvC6OMs4g/T1f9LHAiyxI/AAAAAAAABHE/RQjiFp6K6Qs/s320/DSC_1058.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the oven<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ho3Uo1BVJ3o/T1f9cdYUp5I/AAAAAAAABHU/-NdbMXLT8M8/s1600/DSC_1062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ho3Uo1BVJ3o/T1f9cdYUp5I/AAAAAAAABHU/-NdbMXLT8M8/s320/DSC_1062.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 11px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Dinner is served.<br />
<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709046952714217387.post-45010785636130572422012-03-07T06:00:00.004-07:002012-03-11T18:12:30.875-06:00New Recipe: Number 10 ~ Biscuit Cinnamon RollsI just have to start this post by saying...I LOVE PINTEREST! If you haven't check this site you, you absolutely need to do so. You'll need to be invited, so if you need an invite, <a href="mailto:outoffocusfornow@gmail.com" target="_blank">email me</a>.<br />
<br />
I found this recipe on Pinterest and it was fabulous. We had it for dinner, yes, I said dinner. Cinnamon Rolls make great dinner!<br />
<br />
Link to inspiration blog post: <a href="http://stamps4fun.blogspot.com/2011/10/traditions.html" target="_blank">Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring</a><br />
*Her pictures are so much more fabulous<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
2 Pillsbury Grands buttermild biscuits<br />
3 Tbsp. butter, melted<br />
1/2 c pancake syrup (I used Aunt Jemima Lite Butter)<br />
1/2 c packed brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar)<br />
1/2 tsp. cinnamon<br />
<br />
Directions:<br />
Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 375˚. Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside (it almost looks like caramel). In another bowl, combine brown sugar & cinnamon. Pour about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan and then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top of that. Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges to form a ring. (Inspiration recipe only used 1 1/2 cans of biscuits but I used 2 so they were very closely overlapped). Top with the remaining syrup and brown sugar mixtures. Bake for approximately 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7LTV21QFEls/T1JVihlfytI/AAAAAAAABFc/VEm_7g_gBpA/s1600/DSC_1013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7LTV21QFEls/T1JVihlfytI/AAAAAAAABFc/VEm_7g_gBpA/s320/DSC_1013.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to stick in the oven.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oa26KnrPDXI/T1JVscawBeI/AAAAAAAABFk/kE9tprcDlt8/s1600/DSC_1032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oa26KnrPDXI/T1JVscawBeI/AAAAAAAABFk/kE9tprcDlt8/s320/DSC_1032.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cream Cheese Frosting makes is so wonderful.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0