Rain and more Rain

Remember how yesterday I was saying that it was so hot here and we could really use some rain?

I guess my wishes were answered because by afternoon we had this huge fluffy dark clouds moving in and then the wonderful sound, you know the thunder and the cracking of the lighting followed by the scent of earth and big fat drops falling all over.

I was so happy to see that rain, I think for me, rain will always be one of my simple pleasures.

It rained all night and then it rained some more this morning, now it's gone but I can't help feeling sad and wanting more.

I'm just waiting to see the skies turn this beautiful color again.

So you may be wondering what I've been up to, I haven't exactly been blogging much or visiting any blogs have I? I'll try to catch up with everyone today.

I've been taking it easy, enjoying the last few weeks of Summer before schools starts again, spending loads of time with my kiddos, cooking and baking, watching movies and old tv shows and reading....boy have I been reading.

There's a ton of book reviews coming up for you guys soon and some of them you even have a chance of winning a copy for yourself, for now you can go and enter my current giveaway which is running until Sunday. I also have some great Christian books to read and review, I'm super excited about sharing those with you all.

Life just flies by, there's days that I feel like there are not enough hours for everything I want to achieve, but I've learned to just let it go and not fuss about it, there's always tomorrow.

A couple of you emailed me and asked why my blog doesn't get as many comments as it used to and quite frankly I have no clue. It may just be the summer and people being busy and not having time to read or maybe tastes have changed and some have moved on?

It doesn't bother me, it used to, when I first start blogging I wanted so badly to make sure I posted something that would try and garner a bunch of comments but then I quickly realized that even with blogging, there's cliques and groups and it's something I've never enjoyed and steered clear of in school so I'm about to embark on that now.

This blog is a reflection of me and what I do on a daily basis, it's a place for my family and catch up and stay up to date and I think that's what I concentrate on, just being me and if I get a lot of comments that's great but if I don't that's fine too, there are some ladies who have been my readers for years now and they drop in often and I think that's what matters, right?

I'm stepping off the soapbox now, I'm so not into speeches LOL

I'm off to get dinner started, I'm making Chicken Pot Pie and for dessert a Blender Pie, then it's more laundry folding and ironing, cleaning up and bathes and bedtime and tv and all of that.

I do hope you're all having a blessed day and enjoying your summer!

Happy Homemaker Monday

<a href="http://familycorner.blogspot.com" title="hhm by jasnicmommy, on Flickr"><img width="150" alt="hhm" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3362/3608789834_4d1bac04e0.jpg" height="150" /></a>

The weather in my neck of the woods:
Hot, as usual...just wish we would start getting some rain


One of my simple pleasures:
Drinking a hot cup of tea at night before bed.


On my bedside table:
The Forgotten Garden - such a good book


On my TV:
He's just not that into you
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
Little House on the Prairie


On the menu for tonight:
Carne Estufada - Portuguese Pot Roast with fried potatoes


On my To Do List:
Laundry
Clean the bathrooms
Pick up after the weekly weekend tornado


New Recipe I tried last week:
Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken, just something I threw together but MAN ALIVE it's so so good.


In the craft basket:
Just yarn, I finished my crochet bag so I'm deciding on my next project.


Looking forward to:
Watching more Little House on the Prairie


Homemaking Tip for this week:
When making a salad I usually cut double the lettuce and put it in ziploc bags for a quick lunch during the week.


Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other):
Didn't get much reading done last week, so I'll just point you in the direction of my Book Review and Giveaway which I think every mother should enter.

Favorite photo from last week:

Lesson learned the past few days:
That just because no one in the family got sick the past 3 months doesn't mean you're immune to getting a little summer cold.


On my Prayer List:
My children and husband
My family
My bloggy friends


Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Ephesians 4:29

If your kid eats this book - Review and Giveaway!

Oh do I have a good book to talk about, I mean the title itself is so cute. "If your kid eats this book, everything will still be okay" by Dr Lara Zibners.

I had the pleasure of getting a copy of the book while I was on vacation, it was waiting for me when I returned and with all that has been going on, I didn't have a chance to open it until this weekend.

I think this is a book that should be on everyone's bookshelf, parent or parent to be, even grandparents. This is THAT good of a book and one of you will get a chance to win a free copy after the review, how about that?

This is not a boring medical book just filled with information and scary medical terms, it's written by a pediatrician with training in pediatric emergency medicine. It's not about basics, like all the other pregnancy and kid books, it's not about bathing and feeding etc. This is a little of what Dr Zibners says:

The intent of this book is to help parents avoid the stress and expense of a potentially needless visit to the doctor or ER. How are parents supposed to know when a kid needs to be seen by his pediatrician and when he just needs chicken soup? What should they do if someone drops the baby? If his sister puts household bleach in his bottle, is he going to be okay?

If you want, you can read an excerpt from the book HERE. Dr Zibners has a great website too and you can read more about it there and ask questions etc. It's a great place to visit.

Just this past weekend we all came down with what seemed like a 24 hour stomach thing and my poor children had the runs. Usually I know what to do for it, but I grabbed the book and read about and what I love is that Dr Zibners explains the different causes of gastroenteritis but she does it in such a way that it seems like I'm talking to a friend.

She talks about how you get gastroentritis, what the virus does and the symptoms etc.

I really do think that every one should get this book, I have only just read it very lightly but I'm going to sit down with it today again, there is so much useful information in here, and I think my favorite part is the one about Colic. Boy how many mom's out there can relate to colicky babies and not knowing what to do with them? You feel so helpless while the baby screams in pain.

I wish I had a copy for every single one of my blog readers, but unfortunately I don't. I only have one copy to giveaway and it could be yours.

All you need to do is leave me a comment and let me know if you're going to use this book for yourself (if you're a mom or a grandma) or if you plan on giving it away as a gift to an expectant mom or a friend.

The contest is open to US and Canada. Please remember to leave me a way to contact you.

I will draw a random winner next week Sunday. Good Luck!

Feeling a little blah.....

I'm not sick but I'm not 100% either, I have this semi congestion thing going on, it's giving me headaches and just making me blah.

So I've decided to just get the kids to bed and then climb into mine and watch movies, I'm not exactly going to sleep, I'm wide awake and not tired but I'm in the mood for a good ol' movie watching marathon.

You ever have one of those on a Friday night or on the weekend?

If you need me for anything, I'll be in bed with all of these next to me, now I'm now saying I'll get through every single one but a few at least and hey, if you've seen any and want to let me know what you thought, I would appreciate it.

3:10 to Yuma

That classic Western spun a tale of captured outlaw Ben Wade (Glenn Ford)--deadly but disarmingly affable--and the small-time rancher and family man, Dan Evans (Van Heflin), desperate enough to accept the job of helping escort the badman to Yuma prison. Wade, knowing that his gang will be along at any moment to spring him, works at persuading the ultimately lone deputy to accept a bribe, turn his back on "duty," and go home safe and rich to his family.

Little Ashes

About the young life and loves of artist Salvador Dalí

Ghost of Girlfriends Past
A bachelor is haunted by the ghosts of his past girlfriends at his younger brother's wedding

Love Takes Wing
Wounded by the recent death of her husband, Dr. Belinda Simpson (Sarah Jones) arrives in the tiny town of Sikeston to take up the post of town physician. Once there, she discovers that many of the town’s residents, including children at an orphanage run by Miss Hattie Clarence (Cloris Leachman), have fallen ill to or died from an unknown ailment. Soon, Belinda begins to worry that she is in over her head, despite reassurances from her best friend, Annie (Haylie Duff), and the town's blacksmith, Lee (Jordan Bridges).

S Darko
Two young women on a cross-road trip find themselves entangled in a dangerous glitch in the time space continuum.

Autumn
The virus was fast, airborne and without warning or discrimination. Whole towns died within minutes. Most of the world's population dropped liked leaves and was gone within a few hours. The shocked and unprepared survivors could never have been ready enough for such devastation. This global holocaust hit survivors with such a force of impact that few could possibly have possessed the mechanisms or life experiences to know how to cope. Survivors wondered how they were to make it through as the Northern Hemisphere began to move into winter.

He's just not that into you
The Baltimore-set movie of interconnecting story arcs deals with the challenges of reading or misreading human behavior.

Knights of Bloodsteel

The film's world, called Mirabilis, is dependent on the rare metal called "bloodsteel," a precious element that is the source of all magical power. But the bloodsteel is running out, and the forces of evil—led by the ruthless and powerful Dragon Eye —are descending on Mirabilis to take control of the remaining bloodsteel.

Acting on an ancient prophecy, the elf wizard Tesselink (Lloyd) recruits four ordinary people to save Mirabilis: a human vigilante, John Serragoth (Elliott); an elf bounty hunter, Perfidia (Malthe); a goblin with extrasensory powers, Ber-lak (Dru Viergever); and a young con man, Adric (Christopher Jacot). Together they become the Knights of Bloodsteel and undertake a quest for the mythical Crucible, reputed to be the source of all bloodsteel.

**************************************

I think I have quite a few and there's a bunch more that I can't even remember the names right now LOL

But yeah, I'm not feeling that great so I'm heading to bed, I'll visit all the Slow cooking links tomorrow ok?

God Bless!

Slow Cooking Thursday

Don't forget to add your name to Mr Linky and a link back to your SCT post so others can come by and see your recipe too.

As always, share your slow cooking recipes but if you REALLY REALLY don't have one and still want to participate, then you can share any kind of recipe.

Crock-Pot Breakfast Casserole

* 32 oz. frozen hash browns with onions and peppers
* 1 small red pepper, diced
* 1/2 lb. regular bacon or vegetarian bacon (optional)
* 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
* 12 eggs
* 1 cup milk
* 1 tsp. kosher salt
* 1 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
* 6-8 drops hot sauce
* 1 tsp. dry mustard


1. Spray the slow cooker stoneware with cooking spray.

2. Place hash browns in the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with diced red pepper.

3. If using, cook bacon until crisp. Crumble on top of the diced red pepper.

4. Top with cheddar cheese.

5. Whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour evenly over the mixture in the Crockpot.

6. Cook on low 10-12 hours.

The Pink Elephant in the Room......

OR the post where I complain about my weight and the fact that I'm reaching the point where I am starting to feel better with myself and not worry so much about what I weigh.

Do you want to join the discussion or should we get rid of the elephant and move on to happier subjects?

I mean, we could, but I think it's something all women struggle with in some capacity and I for one blame society for this image that we need to be a certain size and look a certain way, if we don't fit the bill, then there's something wrong with us.

Before I got married I weighed 115 lbs, too thin I may add, but now a marriage, 2 children, dogs and deployments and moves and whatnot later......I'm at 140 lbs. I'm not scared or ashamed to say it, it's part of who I am.

Boy have I struggled with this issue for years, to the point where I started hating meal times because every single bite that went into my mouth made me cringe, made me start calculating the calories and pounds and if it would stick to my thighs or migrate to my behind. It became painful for me, it became almost like a prison, I couldn't enjoy food anymore and for someone who loves cooking and loves food, it's a sad way to be.

As the years have gone by, I've tried diets, I've tried exercising and I've tried to watch what I eat but that is all short term and temporary because once the weight dropped, it came back just as fast and brought some friends along.

So as I sat at the kitchen table yesterday eating dinner and clearly still hungry after my little portion, I eyed the remaining food and cursed myself for wanting to eat more and then it hit me....WHY?!?!?!

Why do I need to go hungry just because I think that I need to loose weight?

My husband is happy with the way I look, so are my kids, so why does it bother me that much?

And right then and there I made a decision, I made the choice to go in for seconds and to actually enjoy the food, to savor it, not just chew it fast and will the metabolism to start working right away.

This doesn't mean that I am going to overdo it or that I'm going to pig out, no, for me, it means that I will still try to eat healthy but I will no longer think of mealtimes as a horrible ordeal. I will sit down at the kitchen table and I will eat and not once think about how much, or how many calories or weight that bite is.

It was a wake up call for me when my 10 year old daughter turned to me the other day and said "I need to loose weight". This from a tiny little girl who weighs less than her 6 year old brother and when I asked her why in the world she would say that, her reply was that because the girls on tv always talk about being thin and she wants to be like them.

But it also hit me, it made me start thinking about what she may be watching me do or say, what will she remember years from now? Her memories of dinner time would probably be mommy eating a tiny portion of dinner and complaining the whole time that she needed to loose weight. Nope, I'm done doing that to myself and to my daughter.

Please don't think I'm saying this is how it should be for everyone, but if you've known me for a while and have been one of my long time readers, you know that I'm very honest and very open when I blog and I'm not scared to talk about things that others may not.

I have to say that just that little shift in my mind yesterday has made today seem brighter, I sat down for breakfast and drank my coffee, ate my bagel and smiled, feeling relieved and refreshed and like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders...how ironic is that?

If any of you have struggled with weight too or want to add anything to what I've said, feel free to do so. :)

Today flew by and Menu Planning

I wish I could say I was in some really cool place doing some super neat activities or something, but I wasn't. I was at home, reading and watching tv and doing absolutely nothing, which might I add feels so good.

So how is everyone doing tonight? Anything interesting going on?

Come on in and sit with me a bit, we can have delicious Buttery Pound Cake and some coffee or tea, if you prefer.

I've been sitting here getting my menus planned for the next two weeks and the grocery list too, tomorrow is payday which means I need to run errands and buy groceries and all that other stuff that comes with running a household.

Now speaking of Menu Planning, I've talked about it before on my blog but I recently had an email asking me just how I do it, if I go by what is on sale or what I have available in the house or what. I thought I would answer that today.

I don't really go by what is on sale, maybe I should start doing that but the way I Menu Plan is for two weeks at a time.

I will sit down a day or two before payday and I'll draw up a Menu, I used to just do dinner but I've actually started adding in lunch and breakfast too, now mind you those two meals are simpler and easier than dinner.

For breakfast we usually have either pancakes or waffles, cinnamon toast or cereal or french toast sticks or whatnot. So when I plan the grocery list I just make sure to add in a couple of breakfast items and the same thing for lunch which is usually sandwiches, chicken nuggets, ramen noodles, leftovers, quesadillas etc.

Dinner is where I spend the most time on, I like trying out new recipes but they have to be quick, simple and not include any weird or gourmet items....personally I just don't like dealing with that, I prefer comfort food, trusted family recipes etc.

So I use my cookbooks and online recipe sites and old family favorites, I do use what I already have on hand and check the pantry and freezer etc while I make the menu so that I can use up what is available. I am not one of those that has a full pantry overflowing with all sorts of different things, I have the basics and what I need for the two weeks of groceries.

Menu Planning may not work for everyone but I've been doing it for over 11 years and just can't see getting by without, it cuts down on prep time because I look at the menu every night and pull out whatever is needed for the next night and also saves me the time I would take trying to figure out what to cook. Let's not forget the time and money saved when you know exactly what you need to buy and don't just go to the grocery store and throw a bunch of things in the cart.

I really could go on and on about Menu Planning but I think you get the idea.

Do you Menu Plan too?

Well I'm out, I need to finish this list and then get the kids ready for bed. Hope you're all having a great night!

God Bless!

Happy Homemaker Monday

<a href="http://familycorner.blogspot.com" title="hhm by jasnicmommy, on Flickr"><img width="150" alt="hhm" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3362/3608789834_4d1bac04e0.jpg" height="150" /></a>

The weather in my neck of the woods:
It's already 91 degrees and it's going to be another scorcher here, I really wish we would get some rain.


One of my simple pleasures:
Ironing, believe it or not, I do enjoy it and find it relaxing.


On my bedside table:
Wizard's First Rule - Still haven't finished it.
The Forgotten Garden - LOVE this one, just started it the other day and am enjoying it so much.


On my TV:
Hearts of War
Little House on the Prairie


On the menu for tonight:
Teriyaki Steak


On my To Do List:
Put away 2 loads of laundry
Clean the bathrooms


New Recipe I tried last week:
I tried it yesterday and will have the recipe up later, it's for a Buttery Pound Cake. SO good!


In the craft basket:
Just yarn, I finished my crochet bag so I'm deciding on my next project.


Looking forward to:
Library Summer Reading Program on Thursday, there will be some Zoo animals for the kids.


Homemaking Tip for this week:
Fold the laundry as soon as it comes out of the dryer, it saves on having to iron a LOT of clothes later on.


Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other):
Baking Bread without an Oven from Codlins and Cream. What a great post!

Favorite photo from last week:

Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwiches.....to die for.

Lesson learned the past few days:
That there are never enough hours in the day and enough days in the week and enough weeks in the month. It seems that Summer just started and yet we're starting to get ready for school again.


On my Prayer List:
My children and husband
My family
My bloggy friends


Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Hebrews 13:5-6

It's done......

I'm so happy with the way it turned out, I do think it's a itty bit big and I may just make it smaller next time but, I love it, everything about it.

I love the color combination even though at first I wasn't sure if just using 4 colors would work since all the others I've seen have so many, but I like this.

I think the handles need to be a little bit longer too, at least for me, so I'll also change that with the next bag I make.

The flowers have got to be my favorite part of the whole bag, instead of making them all the same, I changed out the colors so each one is different.

So quick and so easy to make, you really do need to give it a go.

I also changed the handles, I made them thinner than Lucy's, hers were 7 rows and mine are only 5, not that much of a difference.

So there you have it, my crochet bag completed and it only took me 2 weeks and that's because I was on vacation, if I actually count how many days I worked on it, then it was 5 days. Not bad for such a cute project huh?

What do you think? Are you ready to try it out for yourself?

This and That.....

and a whole lot of nothing in particular.

This post is just that, a bunch of mumbled subjects, a little of this and a little of that and just me being me, rambling about everything and anything.

I hope I don't bore you or at least put a few of you to sleep, I would hate to be blamed for those keyboard marks on your foreheads. *snicker*

So anyway, come on in and sit with me, let's chat for a bit.

The first thing I want to tell you is that my new Review Blog is not really getting as much traffic as I thought it would and I really only started it because I didn't want to overload this blog with reviews but seeing that it's not working out, guess what? Yeah I know, you're probably cringing but, you'll be getting reviews on this blog again. HA!

Oh don't worry it's not that bad, I promise to spread them out and really most of them have great giveaways attached which you'll be missing out on, like my Build a Bear Giveaway that just ended today and which not many signed up for.

Anyway, moving on from that, if you'll notice on my right sidebar, I added a little poll to see what people wanted more of on my blog. I see some of you want recipes and cooking but that's what my Food Blog "Full Bellies, Happy Kids" is for, sure I'll point you in that direction when I post something but other than that I'm afraid that is about the only cooking/recipes you'll see on here, quite frankly I don't even know why I put that option up on the poll LOL

Boy I do seem to be coming off as cranky this morning don't I? I apologize, I truly am not in a foul mood and I don't mean to seem like the mean teacher standing at the blackboard with a wooden ruler in her hand just waiting to smack the unruly pupil.....though if anyone is in the mood for a good smack.....nevermind, I'm just kidding LOL Forget I said that!

Last night I watched a really good movie, actually I had seen a previous version from Netflix before called Victoria and Albert, but this latest one I watched is called Young Victoria (watch trailer here)and it's also the story of Queen Victoria which I thoroughly enjoyed. If you haven't seen either one, I suggest you do, they're so good.

I have a few movies to watch this weekend like Knights of Bloodsteel, Push, The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, Defiance and Revolutionary Road, plus my latest Little House on the Prairie from Netflix. I've heard that the movies are all good, but maybe I'll have a different opinion once I've actually sat through them?

I noticed on my library post that a lot of you were interested in The Forgotten Garden and wanted to know what I thought, well, guess what? I started it and I'm loving every single word Kate Morton wrote, I'm only a few pages in but what a great book it is so far, I can't put it down, though I have to because I'm working on finishing my crochet bag which is almost done, you should see how adorable it looks, I will have to show you once I attach the last little flower.

Of course it also catapults me into more crochet projects, like this little beauty I found on Flickr

How adorable is that and so easy too.

Are you still with me or did you drop off already? If I tempt you with a goodie will you stay and read til the end?

Will a Snickerdoodle Ice Cream sandwich do it? I'm sure you're probably staring at the screen and wondering where I bought these, but I didn't, I made them and you too can make these super easy sandwiches, all you need are Snickerdoodle cookies and Cool Whip. If you want to make them healthier just use the Light Cool Whip.....but either way, slather on a bunch between two cookies and then freeze them. YUM.EE!

And we've made it to the end, see, I didn't bore you that much did I?

I'm off to putter around here, get some laundry done, wash some floors and then indulge in some reading, movie watching, crocheting etc. It's way too hot to go out, we're under a Heat advisory and I doubt the kids, or us for that matter, want to go hang out in 115 degree temperatures.

Have a wonderful Saturday ladies and don't forget to check out my Paperspring Review just below, you can get 15% off by using the code in the post. Enjoy!