My face hurts

Oy. This morning I woke up with a huge sinus-pressure cold kind of thing.  I dosed myself with some Day-Quil to no avail.  I still have a majorly stuffy head.  I'm in misery I tell ya.

This is what I looked like when I got up this morning.  Pretty doggone scary, and yet, people wanted me to make them breakfast.

I could go on at length about how crummy I am feeling.  I could also go into how this weekend The Man has had occasion to invite a cornucopia of his family members over. Many people in and out of the house, and me sick and unshowered.

However, I am sucking it up, and am not going to whine and complain. I'm going to try an be like my blood type--B+  Reasons why things don't totally suck even though my face hurts.

1. It's just a cold, it will pass.
2. I didn't have any Tastefully Simple Parties on my schedule this weekend.  Given that, it was a good time to get sick, relatively speaking.
3. The man went to Walgreens and got me Original Halls, as I requested.  Not Honey Lemon, Sugar Free or Store Brand Cough Drops will do for me, I highly prefer good-old Halls Mentho-lyptus.
Click Here to Link Yourself to a Halls Coupon from Vicks.com
4. No school for kids 2morrow, So I can sleep in-ish.  You know I don't really get to sleep in, it's more of  a 'I choose not to open my eyes and leave bed for a while past when I can hear the kids are up' thing.
5. Well actually, I've got nothing for five. I do hope no one is going to expect me to make them dinner.

Too bad I haven't got my new Tastefully Simple Tonight Collection--7 products plus recipe cards/shopping list and freezer labels to make 10 meals.  If I have that I'd have 10 meals complete with cooking labels sitting in the freezer.

Then when The Man says "What is there to eat?" like he is wont to do on a daily basis, I could raise a weak and feeble hand and point to the freezer.  "Meals. In. Freezer." I would say, and then he would open the freezer, review his choices, and BAM! dinner-To-Done!

Can't wait to get the collection and put together my meals. Can't wait for my face to stop hurting!

The other day before I caught this cold I made a really good stew from Family Circle Magazine.  Two thumbs up for sure!

Beef Stew With Mushrooms, Rosemary and Tomatoes
Ingredients

• 4 pounds boneless beef chuck, well trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil   I used Tastefully Simple Roasted Garlic Infused Oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped I used Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 cups beef broth
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 cup chopped canned tomatoes
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 1 bay leaf<< I dont like bay leaf at all, so I left that out.
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 pound white button mushrooms, quartered
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

I followed the directions and then realized that I didn't have enough time to cook it in the slow cooker so I cooked the stew on the stove in a large stock pot for about 1 1/2 simmering and then added the mushrooms as per below.

End result very yummy!   Paired very nicely with Flip Flop Cabernet Sauvignon. Fun Flip Flop Fact: not only does it have a handy twist top, the company donates some of their profits to Soles4Souls.


1. Pat beef dry with paper towels. In a bowl, combine flour with salt and pepper to taste. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and toss until lightly coated.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add beef in batches and cook until browned on all sides, about 20 minutes total. Place meat in a large slow cooker.
3. Add onions to skillet and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste. Add wine and cook, scraping the pan, until liquid comes to a simmer. Pour contents of skillet over meat. Add broth, carrots, tomatoes and herbs to slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or until beef is tender when pierced with a fork.
4. When beef is almost ready, melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are golden, about 10 minutes.
5. Stir mushrooms into stew and discard bay leaf. Serve hot, sprinkled with parsley.

Catching Pre-Spring Fever!

I can't wait for Daylight Savings. I like my darkness later in the day and I don't care if the sun is up before 8am. Since we have had a very mild winter, I have already decided that Valentines Day was the last day of winter. Now it's pre-spring.

I'm going to look into trademarking that one. It's not the doldrums of winter, it's "Pre-Spring" TM. Speaking of savings, I had to survive several internet-less hours over the past few days due to The Man switching us over to XFINITY.

  I wonder if we will actually save much money when we get the bill--with all the fees added on to it. Have you perused a bill telecommunications bill lately. You would think with all the fees added on, and how no one can live w/o phone/cable/internet/cell phones in this day and age, that our Government would be in the black due to the monthly Govt Fees.

Fees. Eric Northman Does Not Approve.
















With all the fees, we all need to find savings everywhere we can. Savings Star is coupon company that you sign your store loyalty card up with and when you purchase certain products you get the coupons as cash. It's like Upromise, but you aren't saving up for college. They have a nice Quaker Products deal in Feb. See Below. Do you belong to Savings Star? If so you can get $5.00 back

Spend $15.00 on Quaker products in February, and get $5.00 back all at once or in many trips!

Free Health Full Bread Already Gone

The man already ate our free loaf of bread from the bzzagent campaign.  Jewel in our area carries Brownberry and I got the 10 grain because that was in stock.  I want to get the flax & fiber next because The Man is a fan of Flax Seed.

What I really liked about the bread is that unlike other hearty widepan breads, this is sliced thin.  It comes in at 80 calories a serving and one slice folded over with two slices of Sara Lee Honey Ham, didn't fall apart and wasn't way too much bread for the kids. 

60% of the time when I give Bryce a sandwich, it comes home uneaten. The days he had Brownberry Health Full, he actually ate the sandwich.  A victory!

Next time I get the bread, and it will be soon, since it is currently on sale at Jewel for $2.49, I want to try this recipe.  The Greek Goddess.

* My disclosure: As I mentioned above, I got a free Health Full Bread coupon for a free Brownberry/Arnold or Oroweat and coupons for discounts off bread from Bzzagent . Join Bzzagent and you can be the first to try new products!

Some great freebies from around the net!

Free Sample of Ecover Laundry Soap! Via The FB page!

Nice earth-friendly products!

There was a giveaway for Betty Crocker Members, but those are all snatched up.  You can still go to Betty Crocker's Website and become a member.  As a member, which is free of course, you get access to member only coupons, recipes and a monthly free sample (limited to the first 10,000)  Next month's free sample is going to be Cheerios, the new peanut butter ones.

This is a pic of a Members Exclusive Recipe for Veggie Enchiladas. Yum.


You can also head on over to Facebook, as if you don't already have a tab opened to Facebook right now and like Quaker Oats Squares and get a free cereal sample!
Thanks to freebie shark for the scoop!

I need to find a website devoted to catchy blog post titles.

Aside from setting aside the time to put together a blog post, the hardest thing for me is the damn title. Mostly I look at the blank title line and think: 'I got nothin'.  Today is no exception. Tomorrow we are going to get our taxes done, then off to open a new checking account because we have finally given TCF Bank the heave-ho.  I also need to get in a run, or in my case, more like a slow jog. Ideally, I will manage to carve out time to run 5 miles.  It seems that there is something else I need to go do tomorrow, but I am not able to recall at this point.

What I would like to do is sit around, watch a movie and have one of these.  As I said on facebook, this dessert is completely pinterest-worthy.

It's made up of : layers of chocolate pudding with Kahlua, vanilla pudding with Bailey’s Irish Cream, crushed Truffle Fudge Brownie bits and roasted almonds.

Even better than the above would be to hear that we'll be getting some money back on our taxes this year.  That would be lovely.  The Man is sure we will, but I am not convinced, it was a weird year.

He is working with an outplacement firm that specializes in helping corporate types such as he transition to a new job or career.  Today I suggested he try beekeeping.  It was a no go.  Though he did suggest that I could feel free to give beekeeping a go. Why beekeeping? Honestly, I don't know. I saw that the Cook County Farm Bureau is having an Intro to Beekeeping Class.  It sounds interesting. Then I can sell Honey right? I wonder how often beekeepers get stung. 

Good stuff I got in the mail this week.

So I say why talk about bills and more bills. Let's talk about the good freebies I found in my mailbox this week. When TMOTH (The Man of the House) has been downsized, a family find that their income is seriously downsized!  With that, I do a little happy dance for all the freebies and income I bring in to our household.

First off I'd like to say, if you haven't checked out Smiley 360, you should! Smiley 360 Be heard. Be Happy   Smiley 360, you sign up and they have promotions where they provide you with a nice free sample and some high value coupons. You try the products and then share with your friends if you like them.  Easy peasy!  This week I received a free package of Knorr Homestyle Stock  and $2.00 a package coupon.

I have been wanting to try the Knorr Homestyle Stock so to get to try it for free is awesome!  My free full size package equals 4 meals and saves me about $4.50.  With the package from Smiley 360, I also received a recipe guide.  I am looking forward to making the Slow Cooker Pulled Pork!

SERVES 10

PREP TIME: 10 Minute(s)

COOK TIME: 4 Hour(s)

INGREDIENTS

3- lb. boneless pork shoulder 1 tub Knorr® Homestyle Stock - Chicken 1/2 cup ketchup 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 10 Kaiser rolls or hamburger buns

PREPARATION

1. Arrange pork in slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients except rolls and pour over pork; turn to coat.
2. Cook covered on LOW 8 to 10 hours or HIGH 4 to 6 hours or until pork is tender.
3. Remove pork; reserve juices. Shred pork with fork, then stir into reserved juices. Serve on rolls.

See nutrition information for sodium content.

NUTRITION INFORMATION per serving
Calories 410, Calories From Fat 90, Saturated Fat 3g, Trans Fat 0g, Total Fat 11g, Cholesterol 80mg, Sodium 900mg, Total Carbohydrates 45g, Sugars 15g, Dietary Fiber 1g, Protein 31g, Vitamin A 2%, Vitamin C 6%, Calcium 10%, Iron 20%

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I also got another full size product and coupons from Smiley.360.  Children's Advil. This one is liquid medicine for kids ages 2-11.  Our box from Smiley 360 came at the perfect time as we were babysitting my niece and nephew (twins age 4) and my nephew had a fever  and an ear ache. When his dad came to pick him up, we gave him the Children's Advil, and he was able to administer it to his son, and the poor kiddo was able to fall asleep without pain.

But wait there is more!!! I had a great Tastefully Simple party last night so that paid for this weeks groceries AND I earned a nice drink bucket scooper!  More good free stuff!  I can't wait to scoop some Margaritas this Spring!

PLUS here is another great site that let's you try something free and then tell your friends about it, if you like it--and give them coupons!  For this one you could scroll down on the left hand side and find the link for bzzagent.com or you can click the link here and check out the campaign I am doing now. Today I picked up a loaf of the Brownberry healthfull, free from the Jewel! This is super handy because I had a super limited budget and The Man like a nice hearty bread that isn't loaded with calories.  So this totally fit the bill.  He has already had about 3 ham sandwiches. 

For the finally income for the week, I received a little secret shopping check today!  This means the kiddos can have the fried chicken from Jewel feast for Superbowl tomorrow. 

It's Tuesday, let's talk about food.

Since we are in the throws of reduced income due to The Man's current unemployment, there is no eating out. Now if I could eat out tonight, I'd love to grab some lemongrass chicken. I'd go over to Chi-Tung in Evergreen Park, IL and get that along with a tossed salad with their amazing ginger dressing and big Mai-Tai.  I hope your mouth is watering!  I know mine is now! 

Clearly I don't get out much because when I went to their website to grab the link above, I see that they have built a Hibachi Steakhouse since I've been there last.

All is not lost however, I can start a "Going Out To Eat" fund with money I earn from reorders and make plans to go to Chi-Tung in February.  In the meantime, I found a relatively easy recipe at Food & Wine Magazine for Lemongrass Chicken that I will share below Wish me luck, I think I will attempt to pull it off on Saturday this week, or maybe even on Superbowl Sunday.  We don't have plans for the Superbowl.  We'll just stay home.

Turns out Americans take in an average of 2700 calories (which includes an average of 6 beers consumed) at a Superbowl  Party. I'll just take a pass on that and save those calories for another day or two. 

And in the world of Stuff-Kids- Like-To-Eat, I got a great email from Psst..from General Mills. It is something I signed up for and they send out newsletters and coupons for General Mills products. In today's email it said:

"Moms know that "Trix are for kids," but now she can give them a snack that she'll feel good about too. Yoplait Trix yogurt has been reformulated and now has no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, or high fructose corn syrup. "

Great news for me. The kids love the Trix yogurt and I don't like buying food chock full of artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and HFCS. Plus I think there was a link to print a coupon!  Wahoo! Yogurt is on the top five favorite snacks at this house.

LEMONGRASS CHICKEN FROM FOOD AND WINE MAGAZINE

Ingredients

1. 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
2. 3 garlic cloves, crushed
3. 1 tablespoon mild curry powder
4. 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5. 2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
6. 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
7. 3 tablespoons water
8. 3 tablespoons canola oil
9. 2 fresh lemongrass stalks, tender inner white bulbs only, minced
10. 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
11. 3 serrano chiles, seeded and minced
12. 5 cilantro sprigs
13. Steamed rice, for serving

1. In a bowl, combine the fish sauce, garlic, curry powder, salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the sugar. Add the chicken to coat.
2. In a small skillet, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar with 1 tablespoon of the water and cook over high heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Cook without stirring until a deep amber caramel forms, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of water. Transfer to a very small heatproof bowl.
3. Heat a wok over high heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the lemon­grass, shallot and chiles and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken and caramel and stir-fry over moderate heat until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and top with the cilantro. Serve with rice.

The little things

Sometimes it is the little things. The little things that you can scribble down in your gratitude journal.  The little moments you just want to box up and put on a shelf and open up a grey day down the road.

In the laughter department, here is something that just makes me laugh and laugh--in my head.  I really should correct the kids on this; however, I don't. For no reason, Anna and the B Man think that the word for nipples is nibbles.  This comes upfor example when one of the kids wonders why boy have nibbles since they don't need them.  I mean nipples.  Kids, as we all know, say the funniest things.

In the awesome deals department, Jewel had special coupons in the paper today that you can use to double your coupons.  Double Coupons!  It never happens at Jewel. This is huge.  The question now is, what should I use the special coupons for?  Chocolate or Prego Spaghetti Sauce?  *Sigh*  it's going to have to be the Prego.

In the TGIM department, that would be Thank God Its Monday, The Man has an appointment with an outplacement firm.  Wahoo!  Hopefully this will help him to uncover the next phase of his career.  I have been giving him all kinds of motivation advice and goal setting books to no avail. I'll bet if the outplacement firm tells him the same stuff, then he will try it.  Men.

In my work department, I'm wrapping up a good January sales and parties-wise.  This is really good because January can set the pace for the year.  If you don't have sales in January, it's much harder to reach your sales goals the next month.

And lastly in the yummy department, I've discovered a new breakfast:

Take 2 corn torillas, warm them in the toaster oven for 4 mintues.
spread liberally with Peanut Butter. We have Smart Balance Creamy Peanut Butter on hand because it is on sale this week, plus there are coupons for it as well.  Just click the link above this and you can get some coupons as well.

And top it off by spreading on the Tripleberry Fruit Spread!  It's delish and much more filling and lasting than when I have oatmeal.  Oatmeal doesn't stick with me. I'm hungry in about 1 hour if I have Oatmeal for breakfast.  Weird, right?

Veggies, Veggies, Veggies

Before I go into my 3 veggie related items, I have to share excited news!  I got this email today:

"Welcome Victoria701,

Congratulations and welcome to Top Mommy Blogs! Please take a moment to read over this email."
and then there was a bunch more stuff, but the point is my blog was accepted!  Yippee!  I have a link on the left where you can click to 'vote' for me if you like this blog and also you can check out many other great blogs by moms!

Now back to Veggies X 3:

This morning I got my daily email from Freebies 4 Mom and she shared that you can get a coupon good for a free can of Red Gold Tomatoes when you go to their facebook page and like them!  Here is the link to her post.

Veggies #2
 I was on Pinterest and thanks to Glenda of Busy-at-home.com I found the most wonderful site for starting a garden.  On a scale of 1-10 this website gets an 11 for ease of use.  It's called Sprout Robot . You put in your zip code and tell the site if you want to have a container garden, a small garden or a large family sustaining garden.  Next you pick what you want to grow in your garden and it sets up a time line detailing when to plant and how to plant based on your zip code.  Best part, step by step illustrations!

Simple, Easy, Do-able!  Yesterday I added "cultivation: vegetable garden in 2012! Arugula,Herbs and more!" to my 2012 Vision Board, so finding this site was perfect timing!

Finally on my Veggies theme, Last night I made Roasted Brussel Sprouts with a super simple recipe from Ina Garten.  Click or read below!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt ( I like these salty like French fries), and serve immediately.
Serves: 6; Calories: 109; Total Fat: 7 grams; Saturated Fat: 1 gram; Protein: 4 grams; Total carbohydrates: 10 grams; Sugar: 2 grams; Fiber: 4 grams; Cholesterol: 0 milligrams; Sodium: 269 milligrams

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Frugal and Green

I was reading the blog Busy-at-Home and she did a review and is doing a giveaway for a great product that is all the things I love:
1. Locally made in the USA by a working at home woman! (and she is from Hoffman Estates, IL!)
2. Frugal,the wool dryer balls last for years and helps not only get rid of the dreaded curse of static cling--but it also reduces your dryer dry time! Thus saving you $$ on your electric/gas bill and reducing energy consumption.
3. Its all natural! the balls are made from wool sheared off sheep. A renewable resource!

So click below to check out the review of this product and enter her giveaway. You could win some nice woolen balls. *insert giggle here*

Maple Hill Wool Dryer Balls: Our Review and Give Away!!! @MapleHillDryer

Two weeks from tomorrow, I'll be at the only thing I look forward to in the dreadful month of Feburary.  Tastefully Simple On Tour!  This is where we get to see other consultants we haven't seen in ages, get great training to help increase our income and the most fun thing of all--we get to try the new line of Spring/Summer Products!  I can't wait!  I love the Spring/Summer unveilings, it makes me start getting so excited for Spring and Summer.  Remember when it used to be sunny outside and you could have a nice salad with chicken kabobs off the grill.  Ahhh yes.  And frosty drinks..

Wahoo Wednesday!

Today is Wednesday! Wednesday is my favorite day of the week. Why? Because on Wednesday I schedule my life so I don't have to leave the house. Many people, such as The Man, don't like to spend the day at home and like to go out at some point during each day no matter what the weather. That is so not me.

Now just because I am home all day and wearing 'loungewear' doesn't mean I don't do anything. Earlier today, I clean out all my file folders in preperation for taxes and set things up for 2012 paperkeeping. This evening I will make business calls. I make most of my client calls during the day, but make it a practice to make calls one evening a week. The reason for this is common knowledge says that more people are available to talk in the evening. Mostly I leave messages, I think that common knowledge may very well be outdated. No one answers their phones much anymore.

I also spent some time today trying to figure out how people earn money via their blogging. I have to say, I wouldn't mind making some money for blogging. We could use it, The Man is still job hunting and career re-thinking. So that is why I put a coupon.com link on the top of my blog.  I like coupons, maybe people who read my blog will use the link and I'll make a few cents. Speaking of alternative ways to make money, here is one for you.

On Facebook I belong to a local buying and selling group. It's a brilliant idea, and I'm sorry I don't know who to thank for it. The group covers a smaller geographic area and people post albums filled with pictures of items they are looking to sell, such as clothes, toys, appliances, etc. It's perfect for stuff you have laying around that is worth too little to list it on ebay or craigslist.

Then members post if they are interested in an item and make arrangements to pick it up from you the seller (for the most part). Payment is cash, no shipping fees and less 'stuff' taking up your space. Via this group is how I bought my last 2 pairs of shoes and how we got our latest washer and dryer. There is no overhead for the group, it's easy to participate, earn some money, you can also post "In Search Of" for stuff you need.

Oh, plus it is green! Gotta love that! It's reusing and repurposing!

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So far this week the mailman has brought me 2 freebies--coupon for a free Twix bar and a free Schlick Razor. Want something for free? You can click below and get a free mini pack of Kleenex and give a pack to a friend at the same time. Perfect if you and a pal are going out to see "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" or is it "Incredibly Close and Extremely Loud"?


Send a Pack, Get a Pack

Gluten Free SOTU

As I mentioned on Facebook already, I like a good State of the Union (SOTU).  I was actually looking forward to enjoying it with a nice cheap glass of Cabernet Savingnon this evening. My opinion is that it's nice to have the President, whether Democratic or Republican, give a rousing speech focusing on what is going right and what we are going to do next. To be sure, much of what the President says is going to happen most likely won't, however I like a good dose of flag waving when the gloom of January is upon me.  To that end, I think we could all do without the rebuttal speech that follows the SOTU.

You might say, "Please, you are only saying that because you are a democrat."  Tis not true, I didn't like when the democrats came on and bashed George W. Bush's SOTUs either.  It's a real bummer to have the opposing side knock down all the positive spin. It's so much the worse when it is an election year.  I wonder if anyone in the Congress will figure out that we the people are tired of the fighting and not getting anything done. It's not looking good.

Another thing that I find myself doing at the beginning of most years, is trying something dietarily (is that even a word) different.  A couple of weeks ago, when I was researching Patrick's allergy to cold, I noticed that some thought there is a link between gluten intolerance and this weird allergy to cold.  I decided to try and eliminate gluten from Patrick's diet as much as possible.  Basically just reading labels and if a produce contains wheat, I don't offer it for his consumption. This is not a big deal for him as he doesn't like bread, cookies, cake, pasta and mac & cheese. Coincidence? Probably not.  Good thing we have an appointment coming up with the allergist. 

When I decided to eliminate gluten from Patrick's diet, I thought it would be good for me to do the same, so I would get a feel for what contains gluten and what doesn't. Guess what?  It's so not easy for me!  I like bread, pasta, cookies, cake and mac & cheese.  I am giving it a go however, maybe I'll lose weight as a result--or go completely off the gluten-free thing and start an all pizza diet. 

Of all the shows on Television...

Of all the crap on TV,  why I am letting Anna and Tom watch The Bachelor? I should really put a stop to this and change the channel.  The Bachelor is not only lame because the relationships are just set up for failure in 'the real world' it also and more importantly does a disservice to all women everywhere.  I don't think that is an understatement do you?  Okay, channel being changed.

On a completely different topic, Patrick has to go to an allergist and the soonest we can get him is 2/10.  In the meantime, we are supposed to keep Benedryl on hand and the doctor advised that he not drink or eat cold drinks/food to avoid anaphylaxis.  I know. I'm a bit freaked out and he is bummed he can't have any Sprite. Good news on the Sprite front is that since we are working on budgeting and living on less--no restaurants + no fast food x I stopped drinking reg and diet pop= Patrick hasn't had any opportunities to drink some nice ice cold Sprite.

Friday was the biggest snow of this winter *so far* so I made a nice Pantry Vegetable Soup (Pantry as in I used what I had in the Pantry) Here is what I did:

1 tbsp Tastefully Simple Roasted Garlic Infused Oil in a nice stock pot, heat on high and then turn down and cook for a few minutes 1 chopped onion, 4 stalks chopped celery, 4 chopped carrots.  Then add 2 cups choppped potatoes.  Then I added 6 cups of vegetable stock (just bullilion and water) and 2 cans of diced tomatoes. The diced tomatoes I had were fire roasted and diced w/basil/garlic & oregeno.

Mixed that all together and then added 1 1/2 tbsp Garlic Garlic and 1 tbsp Seasoned Salt .  Then I added a new secret special ingredient...ready for it?  1/4 cup mild Giardinera.  Simmer for 45 minutes and serve in bowls with bread if you please!

Renew Your Intentions

I signed up to get a Conscious Box you can click that link to see more about it and here is a blurb from the company:

Conscious Box is a monthly delivery of pure and sustainable products that are handpicked from businesses that care for the planet—just like you.

It's a box full of cool samples of green/sustainable products I wouldn't likely run across and it was great fun to open the box. It's like when you have a stocking full of goodies on Christmas.  I signed up to get the box because I had a discount from a blog or a webpage, or mamapedia or something.  However, I can't remember where the heck I found it...

In the box was this card, I share the words of wisdom now with you :-D

January is a time for celebration, reflection and renewal.  Take the month to acknowledge the accomplishments & challenges you experienced last year. Create new intentions for a future filled with your dreams of today--manifested into the realities of tomorrow.

"Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is. --Mary Anne Radmacher.

Patrick

When the fall was here, Patrick went to the nurse's office during Gym because he broke out in hives.  I figured it was a laundry detergent reaction. Then it happened a couple more times, and both times he went inside (because Gym was outdoors) and down to the nurse and was better in about 40 minutes. Time passed, Patrick complained the he didn't like walking to school because he got super itchy and when he got to school kids would make fun of him because of his face being red.  Tom lost his job, and needed stuff to do, so he began taking  Patrick to and from school.

Then we went to Georgia over the holidays. While we were there, we went on a family hike.  Patrick didn't want to go, but we told him he had to go with us.  So he did, and it was about 48-52 degrees. This time I got to see the hives first hand.  He wasn't exaggerating at all.  He had hives on his face. We had some Benedryl in the car and gave him that to help quell the itching. I didn't 'make' him go outside too much for the remainder of the trip.  Some going outside and playing, but I didn't tell him he'had' to go outside.

This past weekend, I thought to google 'hives in children from cold' and guess what?  It's a real condition--and serious. Here is a link to the info on cold hives:  I'd link to the Wiki page, but Wikipedia is dark today!

Tommorow Patrick has a doctor's appointment, to make sure I am right, but I know I am.  Have you ever heard of such a thing?  Allergic to cold.  Hopefully he will grow out of it, as that is a possibility.

Good Freebie from Suave!

I got this in an email from Freebies 4 Mom today:  Suave Beauty is giving away 50,000 full-size Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion line products .  You just go to Suave Beauty on Facebook and click on the giveaway button after you 'like' them.  It took a little while to load, but I filled out the form and looks like I am good to go.  So they are not at the 50K limit yet!

Subscribe to Freebies 4 Mom for more

 

And Speaking of saving money, my copy of  "The Money Saving Mom's Budget" has arrived and guess what chapter one is all about?  Setting Goals.  How timely!  That is what I am working on right now.  So my goal is to implement a budget for our family for 2012.

 

If you go to her webpage today 1/17 she has a post up to enter to win a copy if her book!  I got mine by clicking her link and ordering it from Amazon with my $25 gift code for Amazon I earned from using My Points--so my copy was free, woo hoo!

I need to work on getting together meal planning, lately I have been trying to figure out a way to organize my coupons....

And yesterday I found a great way to organize recipes, goals and things I want to look into online.  It is called Pintrest.  Online bulletin boards, fun to make, fun to use, and probably a big time waster...

Here is my page.  I do hate the clutter of recipes cut out of magazines, so Pintrest can definitely help with that, as well as keeping an accessable list of books I want to read. So many ways to waste time, so little time to waste. 

 

2012 Giving a Dream a Deadline--That makes it a Goall

Do you do resolutions?  I like the blank slate of possibilities that a New Year brings.  I have found that resolutions dont' seem to work very well for me.  For me, I like a Vision Board to show what I want more of in the coming year.  Now writing that reminds me that I don't have a Vision Board.

Note to Self: Do a Vision Board. 

What is a Vision Board?  Well it can be anything you want that is a visual representation of your goals.  For me it is a 12x12 collage with labels showing what I want to focus on in the coming year.  It encompasses Family, Business and Personal Goals.

This year I've got a big big goal to reach with my business.  The goal is a promotion to Team Mentor.  I've been 'trying' to reach that goal for several years..without success--and that I believe is because it's been a goal w/o a focus. So this is the year!  My team and I are moving up!  We will have fun and much success.  I mean really, when you sell great food, everyone is always happy to see you.

Some freebies to start the week!

Grab the freebies before they are gone.

If you like Crystal Light on FB you can get a free sample of the new Crystal Light Energy!  Only 8043 more samples remain as I type this.

Free Crystal Light

Coffee more your thing?  You can like Hills Bros Cappuchino on FB and get a free sample from them --flavored instant coffee.  Free Hills Bros Sample  You can also give a sample to a friend via their FB page.

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Today is National Clear off Your Desk Day!  If you are up for some organizing this 2012, you can score a free ebook !  I heard about this from Freebies 4 Mom  The book is available on amazon for the kindle as well as some other formats.  Absolutely Organize Your Family!

Isn't it Swell? It's 2012!

Tomorrow begins a long awaited day.  The children finally return to school!  This has been the longest Christmas Break, or Winter Break if you prefer, ever. To be sure, we did do a ton during the break.  We drove down to North Carolina & Georgia to see my family. Then we caught a cold for the New Year, drove home and still had a few days left of break! The kids have spent the rest of their break, ahhh fighting.  Super glad they go back tomorrow.  Super. Glad.  Of course this is tempered by the fact that the kids have an early dismissal on Wed and are off of school on Friday --and Monday. 

What I don't think anyone can complain about is the amazing weather we've had up here.  It's a Christmas dream come true for me, one who doesn't care for winter.  I'm not going to focus on the inevitable below zero temps to come.  Is it too early to countdown to Spring? --the days are getting longer! Only a little over a month and it will stop being dark out at 5pm.  WooHoo!

While we were driving home from our trip, to pass the time I was thinking up a motto for me for 2012.  I don't know that much rhymes with twelve, so my rhymes are a bit off.  Here is what I came up with:

Things are gonna gell in 2012!
Don't Dwell in 2012!
Life is Swell in 2012!

or What the Hell, it's 2012!

Free Books! A Little Giveaway!

A while back, on a budgeting blog, which one I don't recall?  Maybe it was Money Saving Mom (TM) or Dealicious Mom?  I am not sure, anyway, I saw that you can join Harlequin Ambassadors and they will send you free books to read and share. I like books and I really like happy endings. I know that when reading a romance from Harlequin I'm going to get my happy ending, guaranteed.  So I signed up a while ago and forgot about it. 

Then yesterday, I was walking out to the mailbox, hoping that I'd find chocolate.  Well, I didn't have a package of chocolate, much to my dismay.  I did have a delivery from Harlequin Ambassadors. A book called "A Cold Creek Secret" by RaeAnne Thayne (USA Today bestselling author). The book is from "the special edition series featuring contemporary romances where heroines juggle life and relationships on their way to true love." It's a short easy read, great for a respite from the holiday mania, or good for having on hand when you are stuck in a waiting room at an appointment.  I have four copies looking to find a good home.  Want one?  Just leave your email in the comments and I'll contact you for your mailing address.  I'll be shiping these media mail so it may take a few days longer, but free is free! 

Oh before I forget here is the link for Harlequin Ambassadors.  Now I am off to find some more freebies, and yes I really should be working on Christmas presents...

Say, Have You Seen My Christmas Spirit?

How many days is it now?  Christmas is two weeks from Saturday!   I am completely unprepared.  As I wrote in a previous post A Preowned Christmas , my plan for this Holiday Season was to purchase items that were made from repurposed items, bake some gifts, and check out ebay and resale shops for great deals on new to me stuff.  Great idea, right?  Turns out it's a bit harder than I imagined, and really if I want to do Christmas that way, I should have started looking for presents back in oh say, June. 

Maybe it is the lack of shopping, and my skipping of Black Friday that has stymied my Christmas Spirit.  Maybe it is because the weather has been 'too' warm for December (but great weather for running!).  Maybe it is because I have been busy doing craft fairs, ladies nights and open houses selling Tastefully Simple and this has cut down on my Lifetime Holiday Movie watching.  I imagine you are thinking what I am thinking: D, All of the Above.   Yep, that sounds about right.

 Of course the big Scrooge event of December first did not help at all.  That is the day that my husband's corporate job was lost in end of the year downsizing.  He is very positive about the future, but I have been freaking out.  Given that it has been a week, I've decided the time to freak out needs to end. Time to build a bridge and get over it. We've got some things going for us. First, I'm my own boss, so I already had a talk and requested extra hours from myself . Secondly, I can take advantage of health insurance offered through Tastefully Simple.  Lastly, the kids only want three things each for Christmas, which is very doable, and I was quite relieved that no one is looking for a new gaming system.

That settles it, we will decorate the tree this weekend, make some Christmas cookies and watch Christmas Vacation, a surefire recipe for Christmas spirit finding.

Looking for a Special Gift for that Hard To Buy For Person? Consider this..

For the nominal fee of $1 you can purchase a copy of Patrick Hamel's 1 page story:  The Golden Sword and The Sword of Darkness.   Each story is illustrated with a pencil drawing and each of the 10 copies thus far printed of the story has a unique picture.  Shipping for each story is .44 per address. 

"Behold the story of mideval times about the most powerful swords in the Universe!"
-Patrick Hamel

"It's two stories rolled into one!"
-Patrick Hamel

One of the illustrations .

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So this is what Patrick worked on this morning. Now he has the copies of his story in a folder and is looking for an outlet to sell them.  He asked if he could go sell at the Speedway Gas Station.  Obviously I had to say no to that idea. I wonder if he could technically list it on amazon.com....

How to make your Thanksgiving Feast A success by Patrick Hamel.

Tips on planning your Thanksgiving  from Master Patrick Hamel

Today we were in the car going to pick up The Man from the Train and I flipped through the radio station and found that WLIT 93.9 has turned on the Holiday Lite.  This means from now until 12/26 it's all Christmas Music all the time. Patrick does not approve:

What You Should Be Doing Now by Patrick:

Well you know they shouldn't be playing Christmas songs now, and like, you shouldn't be focusing on buying presents for Christmas now. 

You should be focused on food. What kinds of food you are going to buy?  Get dresses and clothes if you are going to be fancy for Thanksgiving.  Don't forget to get silverware and Thanksgiving decorations like pictures of pilgrims.  You should invite family members and people over for Thanksgiving and get everyone nice and clean for it.

*****
On the Turkey front I see that Target has turkey for 79 cents a pound (Limit 2) and wait here I have a flyer for a small local supermarket, Fairplay, and they have Premium Butterball Turkeys (and a mighty fine website) for 98 cents a pound. (Limit 1).

Or you can go totally organic and free range with your feast, by having a special Thanksgiving Box of Organic Fruit, Veggies, Herbs and a plumb free range turkey delivered from Timber Creek Farms out of Yorkville.  We get an organic produce box delivered from Timber Creek and it's always full of great stuff to play with even if I don't know what the heck it is that I going to be cooking with before it arrives at my door.

Mystery Squash from a Timber Creek Organics box.  I roasted it with just a sprinkling of Seasoned Salt and it was delish!.

Grocery Shopping Woes

I need to go grocery shopping, not the grab a few things kind, but the overflowing cart kind. A shoebox stands in the way of me shoppping.  Why you ask?  Well the shoebox is full of all my coupons which need to be gone through and organized and I need to match up the coupons with the deals. I can't go to the store and buy a few items knowing that in the shoebox is a coupon for say 50 cents off.  I just can't!

And then there is the Thanksgiving factor! When can I get 'the best' deal on a Turkey?  That time is not here yet.  But it is coming, I know it! I love a yummy turkey dinner, so I'd like to plan my shopping to allow for purchasing two turkeys at rock bottom prices.  And then I've been thumbing through the beautiful chock-full-of-awesomeness that is the Food Network Thanksgiving issue.  So many sides and so little time!

This leads me to rant-like statement.  You know what I don't get?  Meat in stuffing.  Why put sausage (for example) in stuffing?  It's a side dish.  Side dishes should be meat-free--only exception being the addition of some bacon.  Bacon is always welcome.

Lastly I have one major wrinkle to consider in this weeks shopping, and that is that the microwave has gone kaput.  Poorly played Kenmore Microwave.   Just when it's your time to shine as we make our way through the whirlwind that is holiday cooking, you go and kick the bucket! 

Quick Recipe
We had a couple uncarved decorative pumpkins so today I cut the top off one and Anna scooped out the guts and we made a batch of late-season Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Totally Tastefully Simple
1 batch of washed pumpkin seeds
2 tbsps of  Our Roasted Garlic Infused Oil
a sprinkling of our Seasoned Salt

Mix the first 2 ingredients in a small bowl then take a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam and spread out the pumpkin seeds.  Sprinkle on our Seasoned Salt and roast in an oven for about 15 minutes at 425.  The seeds are done when they are golden brown and a little crunchy.  Watch time, do not let them overcook because they are so much better before they are burnt. :-D

How's Your Holiday Shopping going? Of Grandmas and Applesauce

But before I chat about shopping, I would like to share a picture from my recent trip to see my Grandma in Youngstown, OH.  If we are friends on facebook or you are a subscriber to my Gabby Gourmet Newsletter then you have probably seen my 2011 Four Generations picture, so please bear with me.

Thinking about this picture showing 4 generations of women in my family, I have two thoughts.  The first is, I really should have done something with my hair. 

The second is that I am reminded of late summer 2004.  Why then you ask?  Back then my mother organized a little party for my parents wedding anniversary and at that time Anna was an infant, and we have another one of these pictures. A casual picture outside the restaurant where the Wedding Anniversary party was held.

The day before the party, other pictures had been taken as well. My mother declared that  for her wedding anniversary she wanted a family portrait and scheduled a photo shoot. My mom doesn't frequently make requests, so obviously it was important to her.  During the shoot, I remember several unruly toddlers on the scene. Oh yes, they would be my boys. I also recall that Anna was a couple months old and I didn't have any non-maternity clothes that fit.  Icing on the cake of the ill-fated family photo was that my brother Karl wasn't able to come in town to be part of the picture. 

Now here we are 7 years later, and I realize,  I've never seen the family photo shoot pictures.  Since they have never seen the light of day, hanging over the mantle at my parent's home, I can only assume they much be terrible pictures.
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How is your holiday shopping going?  According to a news report I glanced at, most shopping is done during November.  Last week I was at a large shopping event in Evergreen Park held to benefit Christmas 4 Kids .  As you know, I'm commited to a preowned Christmas, so I stayed at my table and shared the Tastefully Simple with everyone who stopped by and avoided shopping myself.  Well, except for one purchase, and I think you'll be with me on this.

Have you ever heard of Chicago's Finest Applesauce?  It's made by Officer Jim Mullen, he was injured in the line of duty and paralyzed.  Being an amazing entrepreneur, and creator of one most awesome applesauce, he is the owner of Mullen Foods.  His's very enthusiastic marketing director was at the event sharing samples of the all-natural applesauce.  One little spoonful and I knew I had a grab and jar and do some kitchen experimenting. 

Now the Man-of-the-house got ahold of my jar and helped himself so when I made the recipe below I had about 1/2 a jar left.  So we know it is acceptable to even the pickiest of palates.  If you want to try some for yourself, you can check out the retail locations that carry Chicago's Finest Applesauce on the website for Mullen Foods.

Baked Butternut Applesauced Squash

1/2 a jar of Chicago's Finest Applesauce
1 med to large butternut squash peeled and diced, feel free to make the chunks the size you like.
1/2 a teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-2tbsp Tastefully Simple Caramel Cinnamon Sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, my oven runs cooler, so if your oven runs hot, try cooking at 375.
Spray 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan with Pam.
Mix the first 3 ingredients right in the pan and then bake for 15 minutes.
Take out the pan remix, enjoy the delicious smells wafting in your kitchen, sprinkle the caramel cinnamon sprinkles on top and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the squash is tender.

Serve with a nice pork chop.

Heading Out Of Town

Happy Halloween, almost.  Well I think we can all agree that most of the festivities for Halloween will be had this weekend, so let me say Happy Halloween! 

Above is a Jack O Lantern Tastefully Simple style.  It is a cheeseball rolled in crushed doritoes with a Blue Aztec Corn chips face and the stem of a green pepper for the pumpkin stem. 

I am getting ready to head out of town with Ms. Anna to visit my grandma.  We are leaving today, just her and I, and heading over the river and through the woods all the way to Youngstown, Ohio.  Looks like we will have good weather and I've taken a nap.  Plus the Tollway in Ohio upgraded to Starbucks so I see an evening latte in my future. 

The boys will be here this weekend and I am hoping the homework will get done any maybe when we get back Sunday night there won't be a pile of dishes.  I have so many things I feel I should be trying to do before we leave in a bit that it's very hard to put together a nice blog post.  Yet here I am!  I'm clinging to my lappy as in about an hour I will be heading out and w/o any of the technology--except a very basic cell phone for over 48 hours.  *sigh*  how will I survive. :-D

Driving Driving Driving

Tales from the Frugal Side

If I had a dollar for everytime someone I saw in my daily travels remarked upon how bad the economy is currently; I'd have a nice Christmas fund at this point. Maybe I should get a portable credit card scanner, see if I can collect on that "if I had dollar for everytime." Much to my dismay, I'd have to say the odds of collecting those dollars would be very slim. So let's get onto my patent pending Tales From the Frugal Side.

  This week in Frugalville* had it's ups and downs.

1. Once again this year, I used a few coupons and purchased Halloween candy well in advance of the holiday. Once again I planned to hide the candy. Once again this year, the candy I bought is gone before Halloween. The lesson here is that planning ahead when it involves chocolate or Twizzlers is a bad idea. Procrastination has its place.

  Score on purchasing Halloween Candy with coupons: C

2. I met The Man for a fine dining secret shop at a steakhouse downtown. The requirements for what needed to be ordered were not in line with the reimbursment. I will only be reimbursed for about 50% of the total cost of the meal, which is not the goal. The goal is to be reimbursed for the meal as a payment for a detailed report. Icing on the cake was that the steak wasn't good and the service was subpar. We could have had a fantastically yummy meal at  Coopershawk Winery AND  Chucks Southern Comforts Cafe!

Speaking of Chucks, clear your schedule and set the DVR! Chucks Southern Comforts Cafe will be on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Monday October 24th at 9pm! If you have ever been to Chucks you know Guy Fieri is going to love everything!

Score on secret shop steakhouse: D

Score on Chucks being on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives A+!

3. Making bread from scratch. Many a frugal living blog talks about how much cheaper and awesome it is to make your own bread. I was looking in the cabinet and saw that I had 2 packets of active dry yeast that were fixing to expire. Normally I don't say fixing, but making your own bread will turn you all kinds of country. I googled 'easy homemade bread recipe' and I was off to the races. All went well until I noticed my bread wasn't rising. At this point I could have thrown in the towel and threw out the dough, however, since I had spent 10 minutes kneading the dough, I wasn't ready to quit. I returned to google 'my bread won't rise.' and found out that if your bread won't rise it can be salvaged! You have to take more yeast, one or two tablespoons and mix that with a teaspoon of sugar and 2 oz of warm water and mix that together. Next wait 10 minute to make sure the yeast gets foamy, that's how you know it is active. It was active! The next step was to mix that into the dough. This step was gooey and icky. But it worked!

Score on Baking Bread: B- (great sense of accomplishment, but time consuming!)




*Frugalville where are the women are Couponers, the men cut their own grass, and the children wear hand-me-downs.

Hallo-Win-A-Kindle and More Giveaway Time!

I have teamed up with Jennifers Savings and Angela Newsom, author of the Coupon Quick Start Guide, to provide you with this wonderful giveaway of many prizes! The Grand Prize will be a Kindle, a free eBook of the Coupon Quick Start Guide, and a $20 Amazon.com Gift Card!!! The blogs participating in this have provided $25 Restaurant.com Gift Card, L'Oreal Youth Code Serum Intense, $25 Paypal Cash, $25 Restaurant.com Gift Card, Fully-Stocked Coupon Binder, Conair Purple 1" Curling Iron (new in box), Starbucks reusable tumbler and gift card, $25 Amazon.com gift card, Avon watch-Mother of Pearl face and "diamond" accents, $15 Target Gift Card, Cozy Comfort from Tastefully Simple, and 4 more of Angela Newsom's eBook: Coupon Quick Start Guide!!!! As you can see, we have got some great prizes! This giveaway will run from October 19th through 12:01am on October 31st. Good Luck to everyone! Make sure to do the mandatory entries first, then do all of the optional entries too for your chance to win one of these great prizes!

It's almost time for the Hall-O-Win a Kindle and More Giveaway! My first blog hop!

Very soon the little halloween'y button  will be active and you can click and enter to win a Kindle as well as a bunch of other prizes including my contribution to the the giveaway, some yummy Tastefully Simple .  So click and enter, the odds are way better than the lottery!

Chilly outside, Chili inside!

Today was good chili weather so I threw together a veggie chili with what I had in the house:

Here is the easy peasy recipe:

In the Slow Cooker:

2 small onions chopped.

3 nice red bell peppers chopped

1 tomato chopped.

1 can chili beans

2 cans roasted diced tomatoes.

1 can light red kidney beans (rinsed)

1 capful of Wahoo! Chili

and our Seasoned Salt to taste.

Cook all day and serve over noodles if you like or add in meat if that is your thing or top with sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.

Wahoo! Chili is a complete must have in my kitchen, it is the key to a great chili around which I build my everchanging chili meals.

We have finished Olivia!

You had a chance to see the before pumpkin pic...and I have a reprise of that picture below. 

And after some supplies picked up from WalMart during a mad dash through the store last week while Bryce was at Cub Scout Den Night....along with zealous assistance (aka nagging) from Anna... we have created our pumpkin version of the much beloved book character Oliva!

There she is hanging with her biggest fan!

Perhaps you view the pumpkin and think, really that's it, how hard was that?  Let me tell you, I'm feeling very good about this achievement.  The literary pumpkins aren't even due until next week, We finished way before the due date!  But wait there is more!   So far this month I have managed to get Bryce his Weblos uniform and even put the patches on in the right places.  Patrick finally got a haircut and we even got him a few blue highlights.  Both boys finished their book report projects and turned those in on friday. Tonight I ironed-onto Anna's brownie sash the troop numbers. And last but not least, I have everything ready for Patrick to make his Diary of a Wimpy Kid pumpkin this week as well as the carving supplies for Bryce to carve his pumpkin. 

Most of the time, I am thisclose to feeling completely overwhelmed with all that I should be doing and with that, some of the little things get over looked. Something like an optional school project would fall to the wayside and that would make Anna, Bryce or Patrick disappointed and meal feel like 'the worst mom ever'.

I have no clue how so many parent manage multiple activities for multiple kids.  I'm happy to tread water with school and one outside activity per kid.