Happy Girl

Farm Rich Review - Mini Quesadillas

2011-12-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

I was asked to review a product from Farm Rich. Farm Rich is a line of ready to heat and serve snack foods - everything from french toast sticks to cheese sticks. For a complete listing of their products click here. For this review I decided to sample the Mini Quesadillas. In general my family really enjoys Mexican food so quesadillas were an obvious choice for us.

One very nice thing about this product is that its so easy to heat that my 12 year old made them for herself and her friend that was over to the house and me - they enjoyed "cooking" for themselves! It was nice to have a snack that I didn't have to prepare for a change! Their products are well made, tasty, and a reasonable price. They offer a really big variety to choose from so you could easily feed a crowd with plenty of variety.

I have to be honest - this is not the type of product that I would normally purchase. I tend to be a "from scratch" or at least "semi-homemade" kind of girl - most of the time. There are those occasions when you either didn't know you were going to have company or maybe you just don't have time/ingredients/etc to whip up just the right treat or in our case a 12 year old that loves to cook for her friends (and her Mom). I have to say that given the right situation and need that the Farm Rich line is a great way to prepare something quickly that is yummy and satisfying.

* This is a sponsored review of the Farm Rich line *

Blog Hop!

2010-09-16T08:02:00.000-07:00

I love a good blog hop, it's a great way to find really cool blogs to add to my reader! Check'em out...

My name is Mandy and I am a Shoe-a-holic, and I need help!

2010-09-16T02:16:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I hope you are all having a fabulous Thursday! I'm off to an annual bazaar on here that I had idea was coming until very recently or I would have got myself a booth to sell at. Oh well there is always next year. I'll post some photos of it later.

Now, on to very important business...shoes! Awhile back I heard about ShoeDazzle a site that was started and is run in part by Kim Kardashian. The basic idea is that you take a profile survey and every month they personalize selections for you and then mail you your choice. It's a simple yet brilliant idea because I've seen the selection and I have to say that it looks fabulous!

Now, here's the part I need help with. Has anyone every used this site? Do you know someone that has? I really want to know if the quality is as good as "they" say it is because I don't want to waste my money on shoes I wont wear (I already have enough of those, just ask my husband...wait don't ask him because then he'll be reminded of it. So yeah... never mind about that asking part.) Ok, so I really want to know more about this site, if you have ANY information good or bad (hopefully not) I'd love to hear it!

Happy Thursday!

Moisture Makes Everything Better

2010-09-15T07:26:00.000-07:00

Two things that make me a Happy Girl are All You Magazine because they have tons of great advice for real women. They have great outfits that are made of pieces you can afford to buy, recipes that have ingredients you can actually find in your grocery and a lot of input from other readers that are actual real women with real lives just like you and me...and so much more! I love it and you should too!

The second thing that makes me a Happy Girl are free samples! All You has daily free samples! Today's free sample is a Free Tub of Cottonelle Fresh Flushable Wipes. If you are like me and have a little one that is just getting ready to potty train then a this is a great sample to try out. Also, if you just like a nice clean bottom after you've conducted "business" then this is for you too!

Just click here and follow the link on the All You page, fill out some super easy info about you, recommend it to a friend (as it turns out I have a potty trainee and a friend that loves a clean bottom after her "business" so this was win-win for me) and bam...free bottom wipes! Ok, well they send you a coupon for a free tub which is just as sweet!

Enjoy!

Random Thoughts #2

2010-09-14T01:57:00.001-07:00

So it's been awhile since my last, and coincidentally first, random thoughts post so it felt like time to share some random thoughts I've been having lately. Here it goes...

1. Blogs with disgusting photos of food - This on is especially disturbing to me because I love blogs and I love cooking - I just hate people that write blogs about what wonderful recipes they have. I'd like to say that most of the recipes really aren't that healthy to begin with, strike one. Then to make it worse they take photos of their "delicious" food that makes it look like a pile of vomit and have the audacity to post them for all to see, strike two. Then they goosh about how they love that they are a modern woman that takes care of their family and cooks all their meals at home, because after all they are perfect, yet their food is full of crap you should never eat like processed garbage they got on sale for 29¢ a box that can feed 10, strike three.., now get a clue feed your family something nutritional and learn to take a photo of your food that doesn't make me what to run for the trash can.

2. Card catalog - I was driving the other day past the newly remodeled and recently reopened local library the other day. I got to thinking about the library and the fact that I never go to the library anymore. You see I was the very happy and super duper luck wife that got a Reader for Christmas a couple years ago and I love love love it! So I don't have a need to go to the library to check out books. My oldest daughter uses the library at her school and my youngest is just now old enough to go to the library and sit for story time and understand borrowing a book.

(Note - This does not mean that she has not been exposed to books, she loves to read but we've got a good selection of children's books at home. So if your blog falls into category 1 for today don't even think about using this as a chance to point out my short comings as a Mother, I do that very well on my own.)

So as I was thinking about the library I was thinking how I miss the card catalog. You see i love to do research and I always have, yes I am THAT exciting in real life! So the catalog was so exciting you had to LOOK for something, it wasn't as easy as typing a few words into a search box and getting 10 million results. I love the cards, the thrill of the hunt, and the excitement when the book you were looking for was there! Don't get me wrong I love technology, but I something childhood things you can't forget.

My final random thought for the day. This occurred to me when I was at the doctor's office and of course there was no clock in the room I was waiting in. I got to thinking about places that don't have things that you were expect that they would be.

3. Las Vegas - A Mini Bar Free Zone - Really?! Ok I get that the casinos want you downstairs gambling because let's face it that's how they make money. However, I do not see how a well stocked mini bar, or even a not so well stocked bar, could destroy one's desire to gamble so much that it's completely unheard of in Las Vegas hotel rooms. Seriously, what if I'm on the fence if I want to go out late or not. If i have a drink or two it might get me in the mood to party. What if I just want a Snickers bar while I'm getting ready to drop it like it's hot? Seriously Vegas, you are missing out on a great opportunity to make some more money and that is what you really like to do isn't it? I want to give you MORE money so that I don't have to go down to the bar to get a drink to take it back to my room so I can drink it while I'm getting ready to go back down to gamble. Duh. Take my money! By the way, that glass that has your name on it that I got when I went down to get a drink so that I could go back to my room with it so that I could drink it while I was getting ready to drop it like its hot...yeah it looks great in my kitchen cabinet.

Random Thoughts

2010-08-24T03:56:00.001-07:00

Do you ever have those days where you just have a ton of odd random thoughts? I had one yesterday. Here are just a couple of my many random thoughts for the day, in no particular order...

Bing. Seriously? I want to know who was using Google and one day decided that it wasn't good enough for them with all of it's fancy high technology, add ins, and user friendly pages. There is seriously nothing you can't do with Google. If you are that guy that decided you could do something without Google and set out to create your own monstrosity of a search engine to try to prove it I'd like to tell you that you failed, miserably. Bing is like a discount store with a lot of stuff that looks oddly familiar...could it be that it looks JUST LIKE GOOGLE? Seriously take a look at the list that pops up if you search something on Bing and it looks just like a Google list. Needless to say I am a huge fan of Google, and rightly so because, it - does - everything. We don't need useless search engines that don't work, at least not when I have tried to use it search for...anything, so just go away.

Now that I am off my soap box about that enormously irritating waste of time and resources that I like to call Bing lets move on to something much more important. I was driving home from dropping off my rented movies and I saw a couple of teenagers resting in the grass on the side of the road. No big deal. As I saw them I though - Oh look a gaggle of teenagers on the side of the road precariously close to the road/sidewalk. Then I thought, it's actually only 2 teenagers, so is that technically a gaggle? So of course I had to look it up and WikiAnwers, and yes I know how "completely reliable' it is as a source, says that to have a gaggle you have to have at least 7 geese. Now I know that gaggle is only reserved for geese but I like the word and I use it. But I can't help but wonder why 7? I mean is is based is science or is it just a personal opinion? IF anyone knows the answer to that one I'd like to know.

I had one more random thought but I'm not ready to randomly type it yet so I'll save it for later. Happy Tuesday!

Happy Mail

2010-08-20T12:14:00.004-07:00

A while ago I talked about a new blog/service that I had found called Happy Mail. I have been doing Happy Mail for several months now and I have to say that I really love it! Happy Mail makes me happy, it's exciting waiting each month to see who your new partner is and what you will get in your box. Then there is the fun of putting together a box for your partner, I love this part because it's so much fun trying to find things that will make your partner happy and who doesn't love making someone else happy? I love it so much that I have the button right over there (--->) and I even listed Happy Mail on the list of blogs I love, and as you can see there aren't that many so to me that means a lot.

Happy Mail is a service run by a great lady named Jamie (Hi Jamie!) . Basically, it's a group of people, I think all women but not because it's limited to women that's just who is involved, and each month you get assigned a new partner. You send out a card/letter and a box valued at least $10.00. What goes inside the box is totally up to you, however each person has filled out a survey that you get at the beginning of the month so you can try to send items that are of interest to them. You get to have the fun of the shopping and a little help too so you can make it special for your partner like they are doing for you.

I have received some really interesting things in my boxes and some things that I can't use, but I can share those items with others so that's a nice part of it too! Here's a small list of some of the items that I have received:

Notebooks
Glitter
Stickers
Handmade scrapbook items
Books
Paints
Fabric
Yarn
Cards
Paper
Ribbon
Buttons
Earrings
Tshirt
Hat
Candy
Stationary
Postage Stamps (used stamps for many different countries)
Tons of misc paper supplies (these are some of my favs!)
...and much much more...

If you love crafting or swapping then I suggest you take a look at Happy Mail. Originally when I signed up for Happy Mail it was a free service and then with all the hard work Jamie puts into the site she started charging a very small fee, I think I pay $2 per month, which I think is more than reasonable for all she does. There are even giveaways on her blog that everyone gets to enter into.

I have had some really great partners each month and it's been so great to meet new people and make new pen pals, if you are looking for more ways to be a Happy Girl then I suggest you take a look and sign up for Happy Mail and spread some happiness.

Aeropostale 50% Promotion

2010-08-19T06:29:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I last blogged, why does this feel like I'm at confession? lol So I thought I would start with some good news. If you have younger tween aged kids or teens then this is a great deal - Aeropostale is having a huge online sale - 50% off everything except Clearance and Fragrance items!

This is a great deal, especially if you live some where like we do that is already cool enough for jeans and sweaters. My girls all love this store and their prices are reasonable to start with so 50% off is a great deal. Happy shopping!

New Starbucks Sizes!

2010-04-01T00:18:00.000-07:00

Anyone that knows me will tell you that I LOVE Starbucks - it's not even about the coffee....really. The coffee is good but its the experience and the ascetic of the place that I really love. The chipper mood in the place is infectious and I love it!...oh yeah and the lemon pound cake...what what!...totally love it.

So...since moving to Germany the closest SB that I have found is the kiosk-ish one in the airport in Frankfurt and the staff...well less than chipper. Especially the French guy that works there, I think he thinks that making coffee is so last season. He never smiles. To console myself that so far I have had to drive 2 1/2 hours to Koln to get my quintessential SB experience that I love so dearly I'm super excited about the new Starbucks sizes! Check it out HERE on their website. I think I'm definitely going for the "Plenta" so my experience can last and last....

Enjoy!

btw....HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY! Oh yeah that bit about the French guy in Frankfurt...totally real.

FREE Signature Collection Shower Gel from Bath and Body Works

2010-03-30T05:02:00.000-07:00

There are several great offers from Bath and Body works at the moment. If you check out their site HERE you can take advantage of $3 shipping on all orders of $50 or more. I noticed that they also have Wallflowers on sale for $6!

Now for the free stuff you can either print the in store coupon HERE or if you prefer to take advantage of that $3 shipping enter the code SAPPHIRE online for you free item.

They are also having a contest for a tropical getaway for two to your choice of three awesome locations; Cancun, Mexico - St. Lucia - or Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! Click HERE to enter, good luck!

M.I.A. and a Giveaway!

2010-03-04T00:31:00.000-07:00

So sorry that I was gone for the last week or so, the internet was down at our house. Funny thing about that I totally got the run around from the company that we have service with (they really aren't that bad usually so I was surprised). Then again we aren't in the US so some services just aren't a top priority like I'm used to. I called on Thursday to report the issue and they asked if I could call back on TUESDAY to get a service call scheduled....seriously! Thankfully I was able to fix it myself, turned out to be a splitter that was bad. Apparently it's a common issue because the 5 person that I talked to asked me if I tried a new splitter, which they hand out for free at their office, and that turned out to be the problem.

Now for the giveaway! - My online friend April over at April Showers is giving away a free blog layout to someone that comments on her Facebook page HERE. Become her friend and leave her a comment and you could win one of her SUPER cute layouts! Even if you aren't looking for a blog layout, by the way she also does logo design, custom cards and tons of other really great stuff!, you should still become her fan on Facebook. She does HILARIOUS videos and has tons of really funny content...you wont be disappointed!

Ebates & Other Online Rebate Sites

2010-02-25T05:30:00.000-07:00

So I have been posting about different online sales that I can find since we live overseas now. While there is a decent selection of stores in some of the larger cities they aren't the stores that I know and love. To be honest it's been a little bit of a challenge to find some of the things that I need (or want) in the local stores. So I have to turn to the internet to get those items.

One site that I have been using recently, just the last few months really, is Ebates. Ebates is an online rebate site that you sign up on, it's free, and then when you want to shop you simply go to their site - sign in - find the store you want to shop at and click on the link.

So I know you are thinking, it sounds to good their must be a catch. Well, the only catch that I have found is that they are tracking shopping habits as well as clicks, as in what you are clicking on to view. Sites like these are designed to track what you are buying and the information is resold to companies looking for real marketing data from actual users. So if you don't have any weird shopping habits, or if you do and you don't care that someone is tracking it, then you really should give a site like Ebates a try.

Here are 5 reasons why you should be using Ebates:

1. CASH - that's right I said it...you get CASH. Ebates pays the cash that you have earned on your purchases once a quarter. You can get your cash either by check in the mail or direct deposit into your Paypal account (this is what I do since I don't like going to the bank and it's one less thing on my to do list).

2.Stores - There are hundreds of store on the list to choose from and good ones too. These aren't stores that you've never heard of unless you haven't heard of stores like Old Navy, Target, or Ebay...that's right Ebay. The store are not just for clothing items, there are also jewelery, travel, finance, electronics, office supplies and a lot more!

3. Percent - When you look at the list of stores it will tell you right next to the name what percent they store is currently offering. I personally love Old Navy and they give really good discounts! The lowest I've seen any store is 2%. Now this might not sound like a lot but over 3 months if you shop online a lot like I do you will see it really add up. Old Navy has had the highest percent back that I have seen and it was 10%! Actually, they've done that several times in the last few months.

4. Free Shipping - Most of the stores offer free shipping of some kind on their website occassionally, generally with a purchase of a certain amount and for a limited time. With Ebates you can get free shipping codes to use in addition to the percent back - even when they aren't offering it on their website.

5. Double Cash Back - Everyday a different store is featured as the "Daily Double". Today's "Daily Double" is The GAP at 8%! I do love the GAP and it can get pricey but when you have 8% cash back it's a lot easier to treat yourself to something nice!

Like I said before the only down side I know of for this site is that they do track your shopping habits, but to me that's ok, especially if it means that the companies that I like to shop online will offer even better discounts and coupons in the future.

Happy shopping!

Olay!

2010-02-22T07:26:00.000-07:00

Since we've moved to Germany I've had a lot of changes and one of the hardest changes was giving up shopping/great deals that I could find in my weekly Sunday paper. So in order to continue to get great deals on all the stuff that I know and love I have started searching the internet for special online coupons that I can print out. Here is one that I found today, Olay is offering a $15 REBATE! Just click HERE to print the rebate form.

I know that I have been considering using some of their products for my face, not that I have wrinkles or anything *clears throats nervously*..I just want to fight aging you know "before" it starts!

Happy moisturizing!

Touching PSA

2010-02-17T06:20:00.000-07:00

You all know that normally I post really funny videos that tend to be commercials, I just love a really good commercial, I guess that's why I majored in marketing lol. Anyway, today I thought I would do something a little different and post this really touching PSA that I came across today. I love my family and this is just a reminder of why it's so important to buckle up.

Wawee and the May Men

2010-02-12T08:40:00.000-07:00

I have to start by saying that my baby girl is the cutest thing I have ever seen. She is almost 18 months old and acts much older than her age. She talks non-stop and already fights with her big sister who is almost 11. She loves to make people laugh and she will do almost anything to make it happen. I think we might just have a comedian in the making with this child! lol

My littlest angel loves to talk she is always repeating just about anything I say. Seriously....that is one of her words. I guess I say it a lot and one day not too long ago she looked at me and said, "Seriously!" in her super cute tiny little voice. I almost died on the spot, I was sure that it was the cutest thing I had ever heard. Then again I also thought that same thing when my older daughter asked me about my "boobie pants" when she was 2 1/2 or so. By the way, boobie pants = bra.

Most little kids her age have a hard time with hard sounds like "t" my baby girl is no different. But, when she was asking me for some water instead of just doubling up on the easy sound "wa" and asking for wawa she decided to take on the whole word and it came out "wawee". So now when she wants a drink she asks me for wawee and it's just so cute that I can never say no.

Every night when we sit down to dinner and our older daughter says the blessing for the meal our sweet baby girls sits quietly with her hands together, she even bows her head from time to time. Now I am impressed by this for three main reasons. First, she is only 18 months and to be able to sit quietly during the blessing and not say anything or be disruptive is a huge thing to ask of someone so little yet she does it everyday without fail. Secondly, this child is just like her big sister and her Mother - she doesn't like to sit still for very long and she definitely loves to talk, that she gets from her sister lol. Lastly because she doesn't know what her "inside voice" sounds like because she's never in her life used it, she is one of the loudest children that I know...but at least it's generally happy sounds. It makes it a lot easier to smile at people in the store and explain that she is just so loud because she is excited than it would be to smile and beg their pardon for a child that is just screaming to screaming (we've all been there). At the end of the blessing this sweet little child with all the conviction she has at her age says loud and proud, "May men!" and waits for the clapping and affirmation of a job well done to begin. lol

What would I do if I didn't have such sweet little girls to fill my life with so much entertainment and laughter?!

What's your Swedish Furniture (aka Ikea) name?

2010-02-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

In need of some silly fun for your Saturday? Click HERE to find you what your Swedish Furniture Name would be if you were a piece of furiture at Ikea. Mine was MANTII lol. Ahh it's the simple things in life that amuse me so....Happy Saturday!

Don't forget to comment and tell me what your silly Swedish Furniture (aka Ikea) name is!

Valentine's Day Strings

2010-02-03T07:50:00.000-07:00

For some reason I have really been in the mood for Valentine's Day lately. I generally like the holiday, I mean who does't love chocolate and flowers and a date with their special one, but it's just not something I really get in to like other holidays. I usually don't decorate for Valentine's Day and I would say the chances are very slim that I would be wear something red deliberately on that particular day. I'm not a Scrooge about the day, I just don't go all out for it. Something is different this year and I haven't been able to put my finger on what it is. But, I have been able to make some time to do a little V-Day crafting.

Over the long weekend, it was long for us because my daughter was out of school on Friday for a grading day, and it was snowing all weekend which of course is the perfect crafting weather! My oldest daughter and I decided to make some decorations for our front windows.. I got this idea from How About Orange with a few changes to the way we constructed the strings. I always try to use what I have on hand to make crafts and I love to use recycled materials!

What you will need for this project:

Paper - Varying colors and styles will add interest so just use what you have on hand! You only need a about 6 hearts for each string so the amount of paper will vary depend on how many you plan to do.

String/Ribbon - Anything you have on hand that isn't too wide will do.

Adhesive - Any type of general craft adhesive will do. Glue will take some time to dry so it wouldn't be my first choice but if it's all you have it will certainly work! Glue dots, scrapbook mounting square, glue stick etc...

Scissors - Make sure to use kid safe scissors if you plan to have your children help you with this project!

Ruler & Pencil /Paper cutter - If you happen to have a paper cutter that is the easiest way. If you do not have one then a ruler and pencil to mark and measure with will do fine also.

Here is what we did:

Measure & Cut - We took several different colors of paper; white, pink & red all in varying weights (it doesn't really matter what type of paper it is as long as it can hold a crease. Measure and cut into 3/4" strips. You will need 6 for each string so cut as many as you plan to do. To make this even more interesting you can cut some pieces in varying lengths and widths so your hearts will vary in size.

Fold - We folded the paper in half to make a crease.

Curl - Then we used a good old fashioned pencil to curl the ends of the paper towards the center.

Cut - We used scissors to make a tiny cut in the crease we made,

Placement - I used standard old 1/8" craft ribbon in white. To place the hearts I simply put the ribbon through the cut at the bottom of the heart that we made and then placed a glue square on one of the curled ends and then I stuck'em together on top of the ribbon like a little sandwich. Super easy! Just place about 6 hearts in random placement along the ribbon and you're done!

You could easily add giltter glue, buttons or beads to make this project even more fun - we just didn't have any that day. Use what you have to make what you want...

Happy Valentine's Day!

The Coolest (Valentines) Thing EVER!

2010-02-01T07:12:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I was reading all the blogs that I follow today and I happened upon one that included a conversational heart at the end of the post, and the author was nice enough to put up the link to the BEST and COOLEST Valentine's internet thing I've ever seen....Seriously who does't love those cute little conversational hearts!

Here's are a few I made....

So much fun! For those who are Anit-Valentine's Day there is even a Goth theme!...

If you want to make your own conversational hearts click here.

The Pink Stamper Cold Day Challenge #2

2010-01-31T05:30:00.000-07:00

Robyn at The Pink Stamper has been having some very cold weather where she lives, just like we are having here in Germany! So this weekend since many of us are stuck in the house while it's very cold and icy outside she has been posting Cold Day Challenges for everyone to have fun with. Here is my project for day @ - The Spring challenge....I made this card to send to my Aunt the has just had surgery for the second time in less than a month! I'm missing her and wishing I could have been there to help - but at least I can worry and think of her from anywhere!

Give Away at the rikrak studio!

2010-01-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

If you don't follow the rikrak studio blog you are missing out! This blog is full of great craft ideas and tons of really good information too. I love this blog! Seriously, you need to check it out! If my highly regarded opinion isn't enough to convince you then how about a super awesome GIVEAWAY!....Click HERE to see details.

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 53

2010-01-28T07:07:00.001-07:00

Earlier this week I was poking around online and I ran into this fabulous blog called the sweetest thing. The day that I found this blog the first post was a weekly challenge called the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge. The idea is that a basic layout of a card is posted and everyone makes a card based on that layout with their own interpretation!

I was sooo excited that I finally have a reason to use my Cricut, not that I have needed one yet, but this was a really good reason to get to know it better! You see I got my Cricut for Christmas and I have been playing with it but so far I have not had a reason to really put it to use, and honestly I'm still learning the best and most efficient ways to use it. So here is the challenge sketch for this week...

...and this is the card that I made...

I even made sure to make the inside pretty to look at too...

Not too bad for my first project with my new Cricut. I have to admit I had very little time to work on it and as soon as I was finished with what I was doing I thought about all the other things I could have added to it to make it "better" so I'll just count that as a lesson learned.

While I was working on this card I had several more ideas for this layout so I had to write them down quickly so I wouldn't forget them. I think having a direct is really helpful when you are trying to be creative. I can't wait to do this every week - I'm so glad that I found the blog!

April Showers Blog Design

2010-01-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

My friend April of April Showers does custom graphic design and is working on a layout for my other blog Confessions of a Travelista. I'm super excited for the new layout and when it's done I plan to have her work on a layout for Happy Girl too. Check out April's work via her Facebook page, she really is awesome. She's currently doing a promotion for a giveaway to two people - if she can get to 400 friends by the end of the week she's giving out two $100 gift certificates!

Now I know you are thinking to yourself, "self - I don't blog why do I care about a girl that lives in Idaho that designs blog layouts?" Well let me tell you the reason why, you see April does MUCH more than just blog layouts. She does it all including things like business logos and custom card orders. So please give her a look and become her friend - you might even win $100 gift certificate!

Craft Hope

2010-01-25T01:42:00.001-07:00

I wanted to share this information with everyone on how you can help Haiti and get something wonderful for yourself or as a gift for someone else. Etsy has a shop called Craft Hope for Haiti where all the items are donated by the other stores and 100% of the proceeds will go directly to Doctors Without Borders. So far they have raised an amazing $20,000, please give their shop a visit. You can also visit them at www.crafthope.com .

Thanks in advance for your help! This site will be taking donations from Etsy stores again in a couple weeks and I will be donating to the site, I'll let you all know when they have to new items added so you can take a look.

Have a great day!

Mandy

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MrsDixon

Etsy and my new Etsy Store!

2010-01-22T04:28:00.001-07:00

For those of you that do not know what Etsy is, its a site for crafters and artists to sell their handmade items as well as some very nice vintage items as well. It's a little like Ebay but the community is less businessy and more friendly - connections - handmade (woot!) and just plain lovely. It's full of other sellers and buyers that want to help each other, support each other (financially as buyers and emotionally lol) and is just a great place to sell your handmade items, which as anyone who make things by hand will tell you is totally done for the love of making things by hand. If you sell that's great, and really the whole point of the site, but the reason crafters and artists do what they do is for the love of doing it!

I just started my Etsy store a few days ago and while I don't have a ton of items in it yet I am working on it everyday - slowly but surly I will get my store stocked full! You can view my Etsy store right here by clicking on my Etsy user name mrsdixon. You can also look to the right -----> and you will see a few of my items listed just down the page from this post...

Oh and just incase anyone wants to send me something super cool and cute for my upcoming birthday you can check out my favorite items on Etsy via my Facebook page here. :)

2010

2010-01-09T14:01:00.000-07:00

Generally I am not one to make a bunch of crazy New Year's Resolutions that I know I will not be able to keep up with past February. That also means I'm not one of those people that swears in the New Year I will be a perfect parent, 20 lbs lighter, and find the exact perfect color and style for my hair that will make me an instant sensation at the new PTA meeting (in fact I don't even go to the PTA meetings so I know for sure that will never happen!). I am however saddened deeply that after starting my blog last year that I did such an abysmal job of keeping up with it once my life started to get a little crazy and we moved to Germany.

Today when I opened my dashboard I noticed that its really been since October since my last post....OCTOBER. It doesn't seem to me that its been that long however I must say that I am feeling sufficiently deficient in keeping up with the blog. Therefore, I am setting 1 NYR this year (hopefully not to be forgotten by February) I will stay on top of my blog and post on a very regular basis. I have after all many interesting stories and lots of interesting things that I take photos of to post so this shouldn't be a problem.....laziness however is. So, I guess my actual New Years resolution is to not be too lazy to type....(yes I know that it's totally sad that I am that lazy most days)....

A walk on Ramstein AB Germany

2009-11-08T08:38:00.000-07:00

This morning we took a lovely walk in the woods with the kids and the dogs. These are some of the photos that I took with my new Google phone...

Homeless Anxiety

2009-10-29T11:26:00.001-07:00

Today we cleared the housing office on base and now we are officially homeless and are currently staying in the TLF (Temporary Lodging Facility) on base. Our dogs are living at the kennel this week and our cats are going to be staying with my parents until they come to visit us in a few months. We are a family separated and divided up temporarily. During all this planning, packing, donating, and being prepared to move I was diligent in my efforts to not face the reality of being homeless, separated from my furry children, taking my older daughter from her friends, and moving from all our family. While I knew that all those things would happen I had plenty to do to keep me busy and not thinking about it in terms of reality.

My husband has been nice enough to point out to us lately, this is the last time we'll (fill in the blank) every time we do something for the last time. This morning I was nice enough to point out to him that while it doesn't really matter to him if we leave Tucson and this base because he is not from here it is very hard for those of us in this family that have lived here most or all our lives. He was then nice enough to remind me when we left our home for the last time, that it was indeed the last time we would be there. I guess my comments to him didn't make the impact that I had hoped it would. Perhaps some of that has to do with the fact that I myself was avoiding the reality on an emotional level. Either way I am now faced with it head on and I want to embrace the move but the next 4 days that I have left in my "hometown" are going to be full of lasts and that is going to be the hardest part.

While I am confident that Germany will be full of very nice people and that we will make new friends, none of those people will be able to replace the ones we are being separated from. The people we know the best and love the most. The places that we love to go, restaurants that we love to eat at and the comfort of familiarity in your surroundings. I know that we are very luck in this age of technology that I will be able to keep in touch with the people we care about the most with the internet, webcams, instant messaging, cell phones, and email. I'm trying to keep a positive outlook on this move and I was REALLY excited to find a Subway restaurant on Google Earth the other day. Now if they just had a Starbucks this move would be so much easier.

100 Blogs to Read

2009-10-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

So I've been pretty busy this week with the move and getting a ton of things in line before we leave, in less than a month...yikes!, and I haven't had a lot of time to sit down and read all the blogs that I follow. I usually read them daily and a few at a time, children permitting of course. I just checked my reader and I can't believe it...I have seriously like 100 posts just from the last few days to read.

To make matters worse I haven't even had time to post my own blogs. I mean seriously, what have I been doing that I can't find the time to read a few blogs and write something interesting to post? Errrrg! Frustrating. So now I really need to read, type till my little fingers can't type anymore, and update BOTH of my blogs. I'm in the middle of a 10 post series on things I will miss about Tucson. If you have never been here, I promise you'll want to come after you read the series...that is if I ever get it done! lol You can read them on my Confessions of a Travelista blog.

Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head Commercial

2009-10-03T14:41:00.002-07:00

My Mom remembered this ad from the Super Bowl. HILARIOUS!!

Proud Not Angry Mom

2009-10-02T03:07:00.000-07:00

Recently my husband received an email at work that came down from Brigadier General Timothy Byers, USAF Civil Engineering. This email was sent out to all personnel regarding an email he had received from a Mother that had recently lost her son in the war. This email is a shinning example of the stories of this war that go untold, the proud people that are not angry when they more than anyone have the right to be. This family understands that there son and brother was not only proud to serve but was willing to give his life so that the people of the United States could continue to live as we do day to day. He was willing to give his life so that those who oppose the war can continue to stand outside the main gates of military bases across the country and protest the war and many times those that are serving. They PROTEST those men and women that are willing to give their life so that they have the right to PROTEST. How ironic.

This is the letter from the Mother of SSgt Bryan Berky, she was proud of her son when she could have easily been angry and in losing her son she found something she didn't expect. Family.

From: Sonya Berky
Sent: Sunday, September 20, 2009 12:11 AM
To: Byers, Timothy A Brig Gen Mil USAF AF/A7C
Subject: Our Son Bryan Berky

I'm so sorry, I don't remember if we meant in Delaware, Gainesville or both.
This past week has been a blurr. We just wanted to say Thank you. Through
this whole tradgedy the AirForce has been with my family every step. We could
not have made it through this without you. I am not talking the financial end
of things although that has been so very generous. John (can't at this time
remember his whole rank and such) was a God send to my Daughter in law,
Grandson and us. All any of us had to do was look his way and he was right
there ready to help, be it with a question we had or holding us up. We lost
Bryan on Sept.12 and at the same time gained the largest family possable, the
Airforce. We are honored to be a part of this.

Thankfully we have only run into 2-3 negative people. I caught on to their
game pretty quick. Like this war is wrong or there was no reason for Bryan to
have been there etc... I'm sure you have heard them all. My answer to them was
"The Airforce did not take my son. Bryan chose to serve and protect this
country and us after 9-11 happened and loved his job. Bryan made the ultimate
scarafice. They should be angry at the ones that took my baby from us (and all
the other brave soliders) not their own country. It's because of the military
you can stand here or anywhere you please and say this, I would end with Thank
you for coming." I know they were surprised I did not see eye to eye with them
after all I had just lost a son and it left them speechless. I had to smile
because I knew this is what Bryan would have said amoung other things. Like
kiss my a** why are you here? Go over there and live if you don't like all the
freedoms we have here. That would be my baby. Of course he would used the
really colorfull words.

I have to admit that last weekend I told Jeremy that he was not going in the
Airforce as planed. Jeremy and Bryan have had many talks about Jeremy
enlisting. Jeremy told us Tuesday he still wants to enlist. What can a parent
say after everything we have been though this week? We had lost our first born
already and the fear of losing another is unbearable. We sucked it up and and
said it was his choice and we support his decision. Look for another Berky
sometime after the new year. Jeremy will be finishing his AA from Santa Fe
Dec.11 and as he said "Depending on how we (Mom & Dad) are doing decides when
he goes in." We could not be prouder of our boys. Bryan was so very proud to
Serve and we have always been proud of Bryan. Bryan's Airforce family meant so
much to him.

You have a great bunch of men and women serving and may God bless each and
everyone of you for the scarafices you all make everyday on behalf of this
Country.

I'm sorry I am rambling but I had to let you know just how much I appreciate
the love and care you have given my family.

Thank you for your time,

Signed not an angry Mom but a very proud one !!
Sonya, Bill and Jeremy Berky

Hilarious commerical of the week!

2009-09-20T13:00:00.002-07:00

I personally think that the E Trade commercials are some of the funniest I've seen in a long time. Here's my favorite...

Hilarious commerical of the week!

2009-09-11T21:10:00.001-07:00

I love, love, LOVE a good commercial so I decided that I will start posting a new one each week. That way we can all have a great laugh at least once a week.

Halloween Cats

2009-09-09T20:03:00.000-07:00

When we were shopping at Target a few days ago we found these costumes for the cats. Let's just say...they were less than happy to be playing dress up lol.

Paris the Chicken

Abbie the Jester

Ahhhh, you gotta love Halloween! I wonder if I can get more candy if I take them along for trick or treating with the kids? lol

Proud Mama Moments

2009-09-08T21:13:00.001-07:00

Today was one of those days when I had several what I like to call "proud mama moments" with my baby girl Shelby Grace that is one year old. I've been watching her the last few weeks and I've noticed that she has really started to physically transform from being a baby to being a toddler (so sad that she's growing up so fast!). Aside from the part where she learned to walk she has also started doing many things that she never did before just because it didn't occur to her to do them, like being silly for the sake of being silly. Watching her try to make jokes or do something just to make me laugh is so much fun! She's become Mama's little help, she likes to take things to other people for me and to help me clean up her toys. It's super sweet that she loves to help me so much.

This afternoon I let her go outside to the cul de sac and play with her big sister and the other kids from the street that were out. One of the other kids is her age so it works out well for them, they love to play together. I thought that instead of her having to hold someone's hand the whole time, she does walk but she still like some help when its a new place or new terrain, that I would take out her walk that she loves. I left her outside for a few minutes with her sister to check on dinner and when I went back outside she was running, as fast as her tiny legs would carry her, across the circle to chase the big kids. I couldn't believe it! My little baby that is just 1 was playing with all the big kids and running around and having the time of her life. Now, I know what this must sound like, I left her unattended playing in the street?!....uh NO. There were a ton of the big kids from the neighborhood ranging from 10 to teenagers in the circle at the same time and there were other parents on the drive ways all watching the kids. Perfectly safe.

When it was time to come in I did not have a "proud mama moment", she had the biggest fit! She was not ready to stop playing and she definitely was not ready to come inside and have dinner. It was so cute to see her try to have this gigantic fit. I was trying not to laugh at her as she was kicking and yelling and trying to get out of my hands so she could continue to run the streets with the other kids. It didn't last long but it was cute while it lasted and I won, she came in and she had dinner and so all is good.

Shelby is getting to the point where she wants to do big people stuff and she wants to do stuff for herself. It's not easy that she's growing so fast and while I do love watching her learn and get big it can be sad too. The hardest part of being a Mama is having to let go of your kids and let them do for themselves. But the biggest reward is watching them learn to do for themselves and grow to wear they don't have to rely on you 100%. She's not a baby anymore and she's becoming a loving little toddler with lots of spunk and strong opinions that wants to do things her way. I can't imagine where she gets that from!

Computer venting...

2009-09-07T22:37:00.000-07:00

So I was having a ton of issues with my laptop recently and it ended up in the repair shop. It was 6 years old and it was getting slow and slower by the moment. In it's defense I did have a lot of stuff on it that I was in the process of cleaning up, after all I did use it for college and personal and business for those 6 years so it was doing more than its fair share of the work. To make a long and tradegic story short and sweet, my laptop got a REALLY bad virus, even with a CURRENT Norton download, and then the repair dude (he's seriously like 14 so he's a dude not a guy) got all my photos and other data off of it and the entire system had to be trashed and will have to be downloaded again.

So out of the fire comes the Phoenix, aka my new HP desktop! This computer is so much faster and has literally more than 8 times the RAM of the laptop, more storage than you can shake a stick at and I can now run all of the programs and email that I want without having to close anything at all so that I can blog! I love my new computer. So I have no more excuses for not updating my blog on a regular basis...that is until my "stuff" gets packed up and shipping on a slow boat to Germany.

The big cleanse

2009-09-03T06:09:00.003-07:00

My best friend's brother owns a company call BioFusion that makes health supplements. They are great products and there is a wide variety of stuff that the make from daily supplements to pain cream for hard workouts and everything in between.

Today I am trying the 4 day cleanse kit aka Internal Restoration System. It's designed to help clean out all the toxins that we put into our bodies everyday from food and drinks to the air we breath. The system is easy, it's mostly just drinking stuff and it does all the work for you!

Here's what the website says about the kit....

"Internal Restoration System is Biofusion’s most comprehensive full body organ recovery program; it is the most complete, gentle, effective rejuvenation program that allows your body’s internal system to rest, restore and rebalance itself. This results in weight loss, mental lucidity, increasing metabolism, and re-shifting the body’s hormonal axis.

Biofusion’s IRS system gives the body’s internal organs and cellular tissues photochemical and nutrients they need for optimal function.

The IRS is an easy to follow 4 – day program

Internal cleansing is a natural, everyday process of the body. Eliminating toxins is essential to our survival. It is the doorway to optimal health. In today’s highly polluted world, our bodies can be easily overwhelmed. When this happens we begin to accumulate toxins and tax our internal systems. Our bodies try to protect us from these toxins by storing them in our cells, mucus, and fat, waiting for a time when they can be eliminated. Unless we periodically help our bodies by cleansing, this accumulation can lead to a toxic overload."

I'm excited about the next 4 days and I'll keep everyone posted on my progress!

If you see something on the website that you like let me know and I will have it shipped directly to you!

Day 1 Recap: Ok, so here's the deal on the cleanse. You don't eat for 4 days while you are taking all the vitamins and drinking lots of juice and water. I did well most of the day, but by the night time my head was really hurting from not eating enough. I am hypoglycemic so I think that has a lot to do with it because everyone else that I know that has done this was fine. So today I will probably have one or two small snacks like fruit because its what my body needs. I'm sure that it will affect everyone differently so I'm hoping that with the small adjustment today I will not see the same result. Stay tuned to see what happens!

Days 2-4 Recap: Ok, so the not eating for 4 days did not work for me. I made sure to eat a little something each day so that I could function. I'm not sure that this cleanse was for me, but I do know MANY people that it did work wonders for so if you want to give it a try anyway please let me know and I will have it sent to you.

2009-08-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, so my husband and I are moving overseas to Germany and there are SO MANY people asking me questions all the time about the move that I started a new blog. The new blog is called Confessions of a Travelista and it will feature the stories of our move, currently in progress, and our new life in Germany. Happy Girl will continue to be my daily life and trials so don't stop reading! In fact you can count on a lot more posts on this blog as well as the new blog.

This is the part where I beg for referals!....so sad I know. I am really looking to make my new blog a HUGE success and while Happy Girl doesn't have a lot of followers that's because most of the people reading it are spoiled (you know who you are....lol) and I just send them the link when I post something new. Please please PLEASE....click on the "follow" button so that people know that I am interesting and worth reading. Also, if you know anyone that might find what I have to say interesting and maybe even have some helpful information for me please refer me to them as well.

I hope everyone has a fantabulous day!!

M

Big Changes

2009-07-31T09:21:00.003-07:00

Hello all! I'm sorry that I've been M.I.A. for the last 6 weeks, it's been crazy around here with the kids out of school and the baby is getting so big I've been spending a lot of time playing with her while she still wants to play with me lol.

So we have some big changes coming up in the next few months. In case you don't know our big news, we are moving to Germany! My husband is in the Air Force and we are being transfered at the beginning of November. There is A LOT to do to get ready so I've also been running around doing that.

We had to sell my husbands truck and his beloved project car because the AF will only move one car for us. So as of today we are a one car family, that's going to be fun and interesting.... But we will get a second car when we get there so that my handsome husband can use it to go back and forth to work daily. We also got a new car, I sadly traded in my Escalade that I loved. We got a Volvo XC90 that luckily still seats 7 so all our kids will still fit and it has most all the same options that we had with in the Escalade....most importantly heated seats for those long cold Germany winters!

We are also working on clearing out all the stuff that we don't want anymore. We've had 2 yard sales and sold a lot of it. After the last one we just donated the stuff that didn't sell. I would like to actually PARK in my garage for the last few months that we live in this house. It's only been 3 1/2 years that it's been too full to park in.

While it is going to be a HUGE change for us, we are really excited about it! There will be a lot of exploring for us to do and we are looking forward to traveling Europe and seeing some really cool stuff. I plan to write about all of our travels and I will of course post tons of pictures too.

See you all again soon with an update on our progress!

Sweet Deals - Having a Yard Sale

2009-06-26T08:20:00.006-07:00

Ok, so I LOVE a good yard sale. There is nothing like getting something you want or need at such an awesome deal....really there just isn't anything as exciting.

But, now that I am about to have my own yard sale I'm dreading it. We aren't even having it at our house where the kids and sit in comfort and I can get some peace by sending them to the back yard or to their friends house to play. We are going to a place that is having a big community sale. So while this might help getting traffic to the sale I'm worried because it’s a long sale and all the kids, including the big one (aka my HUSBAND) will be there. I can hear the complaining already lol.

I have been working on cleaning out all the closets, cabinets, drawers and the garage. I look at the boxes of stuff in the garage that I have already sorted and tagged and I realize I still have too much stuff staying IN the house. So, its back to the closets, cabinets, and drawers to see if there is anything I missed. I need my house to be less cluttered, I don't like clutter at all...it makes me a little nutty.

So while the baby is napping I should get back to work. I know that I need to do this, but I'm starting to get lazy because I'm not looking forward to the long day tomorrow.

Here are some before picture of what I have collected already for the sale....

Running a Marathon

2009-06-24T06:24:00.010-07:00

I was talking with April at April Showers last week about running. We were talking about how it's hard to stay motivated when you have obstacles in the way of your goals. I told her LAST week I was going to start this post for updates on my training schedule, but it didn't happen last week because...well I don't know, it just didn't. Probably because I didn't get much running in. (oops!) lol

I love to run and recently, after baby number 2, I started to run again. Somehow my best friend, who also happens to be a personal trainer and instructor of many fitness classes, talked me into training for the local marathon in December. Well ok I admit it's the 1/2 marathon. I agreed to do it knowing that I would be able to talk (aka "sucker" him into it LOL) my husband into doing it with me. He's in the military and he loves to run too so I knew I would have company in my quest to finish 12 long miles. lol

Now I figured I would start a post about my training and how it's going, the only problem is that I haven't been running that much in the last week! So basically the "training" is somewhat stuck in the planning phase. I have however been taking a lot of classes so I consider that to be part of my training, my strength and endurance training is what I like to call it. For example the yoga class I took last night, that will help me to relax when I hit mile 5 and want to stop....at least that's what I'm telling myself right now.

Part of my issue is that in Arizona in the summer it's HOT, really hot. It's going to be over 100 all week, actually it's supposed to be "cool" this week and only be around 102-103 each day. Now I don't point this out for pity I've lived here most of my life so I'm used to it, BUT it does make the time I can go outside to training very limited because I have to take the baby with me. That's 30lbs of weight I have to push around in the heat if I want to train! I do go to the gym but I have to do it when my husband is home to watch her because the gym doesn't have a daycare....but they do have these awesome new treadmills that have a built in fan...*love it*

So, this is my first post/update on my marathon "training" and I haven't really even got started. I can run a decent mile but the speed isn't the problem for me it's the endurance to go 12 miles that is. So I'm putting this out there for all to ready so that the peer pressure of knowing I'm accountable will get me going! LOL

I have all the tools I need to get going, I got some new shoes....I generally go with the Asics brand because they are the BEST running shoes, but this time I decided to try something new, well Nike's aren't "new" but they are to me because I never wear them.... so I'll let you know how they work out for me. I also got a Polar watch that has a heart monitor and will track my time and all the information I need to know to get "training'! I have no more excuses. I've never told my best friend that I'm going to do something that I didn't do my best to accomplish and I don't plan on it now.

If anyone else is training for a marathon or is just a runner because they love it, stop by and tell me your story. I can use a good motivational story right now, of course I could also use a lemon pound cake from Starbucks...but that's not going to help my "training" any! lol

The American Homemaker Summer Swap

2009-06-23T06:50:00.008-07:00

I participated in The American Homemaker's Summer Swap. This was my first swap so I wasn't sure what to do or expect but I was very excited to join in. My partner was Arya. I received my box today and it is full of wonderful things, she did a GREAT job! I'm so glad that I participated in the swap and I can't wait to do it again.

My package was filled with wonderful treasures. A beautiful sugar bowl with a lid that I LOVE, adorable little bird salt and pepper shakers, note cards, ribbon, and FUDGE!

The tin box was filled with homemade peanut butter fudge. I had to try it so I had a piece for breakfast this morning and it was fantastic! The recipe can be found on her blog.

Thank you Arya, I love the things you sent me! The sugar bowl and the birds are a lovely addition to the antique china hutch in my kitchen.

What have I been?

2009-06-16T16:32:00.002-07:00

I don't know what's going on but we've been traveling on and off for the last few weeks and I've been totally MIA. I have soooo much to tell everyone and I don't know where to start. I can't wait to post some pics from my vacation and show everyone what I've been up to. I hope you are all doing great!

Why I LOVE Blogging

2009-06-03T16:24:00.003-07:00

I am currently 1 class away from finishing my degree in marketing. I am taking classes online and the class that I am taking at the moment is an eBusiness class. It's been really interesting to learn in more detail some of the concepts dealing with eBusiness that I was already some what knowledgeable on and because I am in the process of trying to start my own eBusiness the timing couldn't be more perfect!

This week the instructor posted a note about blogging and how to get started for the class. I just started my blog a few weeks ago so I added my two cents in on the topic. I thought that I would share with everyone else what I love about blogging.

I am very realistic that not every person that blogs is as excited about homemaking and crafting as I am. I also know that not everyone wants to make their own laundry soap or bake fresh bread but the beauty of blogging to me is that there is a community out there for everyone. No matter what your interest is there are other people out there that are also interested and they are talking about it.

So far those have been the only topics I have touched on and because my blog is so new people probably think that is all I am interested in. I realized when looking over the posts that I have so far that I haven't really posted much that is the rest of who I am. I am a much more than just a homemaker and a Mom and from now on I am not going to resist the urge to speak up when I see something hilarious or outrageous, because I know that there is SOMEONE else out there that will find them just as hilarious or outrageous as I do.

This is the true beauty of blogging, there is always someone that has just as weird of a sense of humor, same religious beliefs, same political opinion, whatever it is you want to talk about… as you! There is a community online for everyeone and a way to connect with those people is blogging. I highly suggest it to everyone, because they said on the news the other night that we replace 1/2 of our friends every 7 years and that the number of overall friends people have is directly linked to the number of opportunities we have to meet new people. I'm a Mom with 4 kids, I stay home with them all day....I need some friends! lol

Housekeeping - Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent

2009-05-29T07:46:00.005-07:00

So I was looking around on the blogs and I found a great recipe for homemade powder laundry detergent at Evening Shade Morning Latte. When I went to make the detergent I didn't have all the same ingredients so I had to make some substitutions and I was very pleased with the results. Here is what I used:

3 pk Ivory soap, 12 oz total
4 C Borax
2 C Washing soda
2 C Baking soda

I used a hand grater for the soap and then put it into the food processor to chop it up very fine.

Note: You could use the grater blade on the food processor but mine is missing for the "old" processor that I use for crafts and stuff like this, so I just did it by hand.

I slowly mixed in the borax, washing soda, and baking soda until everything was mixed well. For normal laundry I used 1-2 tablespoons. I love this recipe, the Ivory soap makes it smell great and the the baking soda also helps freshen it all up. The clothes are also VERY soft. I keep it in an air tight plastic storage container.

For a printable version of this recipe please click HERE. If you try this recipe, I'd love to know what you think!

Delicious Recipes - Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

2009-05-29T07:21:00.011-07:00

This was the first time I made this particular recipe. I loved it, such a great flavor but I think the next time I will make a minor change, see recipe for all the info. I highly recommend this recipe...definately give it a try and let me know what you think. It's super delicious and not too bad for you if you swap out the bacon for turkey bacon.

What you'll need:

1/3 C Dijon Mustards
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary
2 Tablespoons fresh ground pepper, or coarse ground if you don't have fresh
4 Extra sprigs of rosemary
2 Cloves garlics, minced
2 (1) lb pork tenderloins, if you get one large loin cooking time will greatly increase
4 slices bacon, whatever kind you like

Directions:

In a small bowl whisk the Dijon mustard, black pepper, rosemary and garlic.

Mix well. Rub the mixture over tenderloin and then wrap in plastic wrap. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place the extra rosemary springs in the bottom of the roasting pan.

Remove the plastic wrap from the tenderloins and top each loin with 2 slices of bacon. Tie with kitchen twine to secure.

Bake for 25-30 minute or until the internal temp is 160 degrees. Let the meat rest 10 minutes on a cutting board. Remove the twine, slice and serve. Enjoy!

For a printable version of this recipe please click here. If you try this recipe I'd love to know what you think of it! Enjoy!

Note: The one thing I would personally do different would be to wrap the loin in bacon and not just put the bacon down it, we like a lot of bacon!

Traveling To Texas

2009-05-29T07:06:00.014-07:00

This weekend we'll be traveling to Texas, that's where my sweet hubby is from, to get my step daughters for the summer and visit some family. It's a long drive and my sweet hubby likes to makes sure we are riding clean in the car so he spent some time washing it and getting it all ready. I was in charge of making sweet tea and supervising the project. lol

Supervising is a hard job!

Delicious Recipes - Peach Tart

2009-05-25T20:14:00.016-07:00

This recipe was based on Paula Deen's recipe for a peach tart that I saw on her show a few days ago. It looked so delicious that I couldn't stop thinking about it so I just had to make one of my own. As with almost any recipe that I come across I always make changes to it and this one is no different. So here is my version of the Peach Tart...

For the crust you will need:

1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons part skim ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon low fat heavy cream or milk (whatever you have on hand)

Preheat the over to 375. Place the flour, butter, ricotta, and cream in the food processor and pulse to combine until it forms a ball.

When a ball is formed, remove it to a lightly flour surface. With a rolling pin, roll it to fit into the pan you are using. Lightly spray the pan with non-stick spray. Place the crust into the pan and with your fingers press it to fit the pan.

Bake the crust for 15 minutes until it is set but not brown. Once done set it aside to cool while you prepare the filling. Lower the oven temperature to 350.

For the filling you will need:

6 fresh peaches peeled, pitted and sliced OR 1 lrg can of peaches in light syrup
3 lrg egg yokes
3/4 C part skim ricotta cheese
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C all-purpose flour

Place the peach slices in the crust, I prefer to face them all the same direct to get maximum coverage on the crust. Combine egg yolks, ricotta cheese, sugar, and flour in a bowl and beat until smooth. Pour over the peaches.

Place the tart pan in a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, until the custard sets and is a light golden brown. After baking let it cool completely.

For the glaze you will need:

1/2 C confectioners sugar
1-2 tablespoons water

Drizzle the glaze over the cooled tart. Slice and serve!

For a printable version of this recipe please click here. If you try this recipe I'd love to know what you think of it! Enjoy!

Sweet Deals

2009-05-24T21:22:00.019-07:00

Wow, what a great week for yard sales! In Arizona we are lucky enough to have sales all year because the winter days are generally nice, but this winter with my husband gone I wasn't able to get out as often as I liked with the tiny baby. So, this weekend was such a thrill! So many great deals I can't believe it!

I wanted to find some things for the little girls, both 10 years old, to be able to play with this summer. Something new to add into the mix and give them a chance to be silly and have fun. I got all 8 of these leis for 25¢!

The little girls are in love with making up cheers so I couldn't pass up these sets of pom poms both 25¢ each.

The one thing the little girls love to do more than anything is TALK lol...so a set of Walkie Talkies in almost new condition for 50¢ was too good to pass up, they are going to love these!

I was also on the look out for some craft projects to do this summer. I still can't believe that I found this sweet deal...this box of sewing patterns, was marked 15 for $1.00 or 10¢ each. I asked if they would take $2.00 for it all and they said yes!...Acrylic box included! I counted about half and there are over 40 in there. Everything from childrens clothing to pillows and window treatments, and tons more I didn't even look at yet. Some of these I'll keep and some will go into my eBay store.
Here's another great steal from the same place as the sewing patterns, I can hardly believe this deal still...there are 6 large and 2 smaller counter cross stitch kits in this picture. I paid $6.50 for them all! They are all new and unopened and average in price at $16.00. These are also going in my eBay store.

I found these matching vintage wall decorations at a Girl Scout fund raiser yard sale, they match my pink and green theme in the kitchen that started out of no where about 10 days ago. lol I asked the lady how much for them because they weren't marked and she said, "just make them go away" ....so I got both for $2.00! My husband was sweet enough to hang them for me the same day so I could take a picture of them.

My husband and I want to take the girls camping this year, so we couldn't believe it when we found this Weber grill at a yard sale on base just around the corner. The people are moving to a new base and just wanted to get rid of stuff. This grill is in excellent condition and will be perfect for camping this summer, we got it for $5.00!

Now for what has to be the most awesome deal we found all weekend....my husband loves a rocking chair on the front porch. We have one and he was wanting a second one so we could sit together and enjoy the summer evenings togethere. We found this chair at a church sale, they were moving to a new building and wanted to get rid of tons of things they didn't want to move with them. We found a lot of great stuff but the chair was an awesome deal, in almost perfect condition we got it for $25.00! We were looking at them last weekend and the new ones at the Base Exchange were $80 and off base they were more than $100...so $25 was a great deal and my husband loves his new chair!

Don't forget to stop over and see the other awesome deals that were found this weekend at Southern Hospitality and 2nd Time Around.

My New & Greatly Improved Garden

2009-05-23T14:38:00.015-07:00

Such a busy weekend, between the SUPER AWESOME yard sales deals my sweet Husband and I found and the garden that we drastically enlarged and enclosed it's been really busy. But, I'm lovin' my new and improved garden and I can't wait for my veggies to mature.

Let's take a tour in the garden. First we have the previous garden.... This happened out of necessity while my sweet Husbad was still deployed. I planted all my summer veggies in pots because we live in Arizona and not only is it really hot, the ground isn't what I would call "garden friendly" lol. So its way easier and better to plant in pots and actually get your plants to grow instead of die within days! Mostly this tiny little space happened because I needed to keep the Prairie Dogs out of the veggies, they were eating them faster than I could get a fence up! lol

Previous tiny garden space...

So, my wonderful Husband went to work and built me a much bigger garden space. Not many military husbands would willing go through the trouble of building a garden like this when they live in base housing. I'm such a lucky girl!

Here is the very beginning of the new fence around the new improved garden area...

The actual fence going up...

I even got a little "gate"...!

I still have a few more plants to finish planting so I'll keep everyone updated on the progress of my fabulous new garden from my wonderful Husband!

Some of the plants in their new home...

I'm finally here!

2009-05-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

It seems like forever that I've been reading the blogs of everyone else thinking to myself, someday I'll have something like this wonderful outlet for my creative juices to flow freely. Then yesterday I realized duh I can write a blog too and experience the joy of sharing creative ideas, recipes, and life's little adventures. So here I am! Eagerly looking forward to becoming a part of a community with people that share many of the same interests as myself.

That leads me to who I am. I am a Mother, military wife, crafter, avid viewer of cooking shows, in home "chef", homemaker, entrepreneur, gardener, dreamer, and a Happy Girl. I was for many years a Mother that worked outside the home because the older girls were all in school, but with the recent addition of our baby girl my husband and I both agreed that we would be happiest if I stayed home. It has been my dream for years to be a homemaker to finally see this achieved was thrilling and terrifying at the same time! We went from two incomes to one, and a military income at that, so I had to become the homemaker I always wanted to be, on a budget.

I'll admit that it was a scary thought to be at home all day, being the homemaker and thinking that my home must be in perfect order at all times. I still have the occasional moment of Oh My Goodness, there is a dish in the sink! But I am getting better everyday and learning to balance it out. As my baby girl gets bigger we've come to a daily routine and even with trial and error we've come through it and learned how to make it work for us.

The hardest part of all of this change for me was having my husband being deployed to Iraq for the second time. He has been gone for almost 7 month total and he is due back home this Wednesday! We are very proud of him and the job that he does but mostly we are looking forward to wrapping our arms around him and giving him a big hug! Baby girl was only 2 months old when he left and she changed so much in the last 7 months, growing and learning and her distinct personality is showing more and more everyday. My husband is excited to see her and kiss on his littlest baby girl that he loves so much. He will be home just in time for school to be out and will have some time off to spend with all our girls, and we are looking forward to a lot of fun and creative craft projects this summer. As we complete the projcts I'll make sure to post them for all to see, I hope they are able to inspire some great projects for everyone else to try!

The last thing I have to say is that for years my Mother has been a homemaker, and at times working outside the home as well, and she has been the one that has taught me and inspired me to be a great homemaker. While we do have different styles of doing things the basic idea of doing for yourself and using your own talents and skills to make a wonderful life was the most important thing I could have learned. So what I'm really saying is that without my Mom's influence I wouldn't have the courage to be a homemaker, my dream job!, and I wouldn't be here. So ...thanks Mom!