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.

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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.