Housewife Eclectic

Letters to My World: Wonder Pets and Regina Spektor

2012-01-28T11:25:00.001-06:00

Baby Gorillas and M&M + link up your favorite shots

2012-01-26T10:13:00.002-06:00

I am getting into a rhythm with my 365. Feel free to link up any shots you have posted from the last week.

January 20th- My daughter colored on her foot with pen, purple marker and decided M&Ms went between her toes all on the same morning.

January 21st- a cool little crocodile at the zoo.

January 22nd- My dying little aloe plant. I am nursing it back to health. Does anybody else have a black thumb like me?

January 23rd- I love felt. Felt and I are secret friends. Don't tell my husband.

January 24th- A scuba diver at Bass Pro Shops. This led to a conversation with my father who wants my husband to get certified so they can go scuba diving together. They both think this is a great idea...

January 25- A mamma gorilla and her baby at our zoo. Yes, we really like the zoo.

What is your favorite shot from the week?

WoW: Digital Exfoliation

2012-01-25T12:51:00.000-06:00

Welcome to another Wednesday! How did your exfoliation go? I hope yours was fantastic because...

...mine was AWESOME. (That is 4 boxes and a garbage bag, stuffed full of things to get rid of - not pictured are the 4 big loads of trash and recycling!)

I had gotten far too used to the odds and ends of clutter that had accumulated on just about every horizontal surface in our home, and it makes me SO happy to have (most of it) gone. It's like a breath of fresh air!

I exfoliated waaay more than just 50 things, but I desperately needed it. And, thanks to Freecycle, people are stopping by my house to take my junk off my hands... can't beat that!

So, now that we've exfoliated in real life... let's exfoliate digitally:

That's the challenge for this week: get rid of 50 things from your digital life that you no longer need, use, or love. You could....

clean up your desktop, or wherever your dump your digital junk
go through your photos and get rid of all the blurry ones that you've held onto for some crazy reason
unfriend (or just hide) friends on Facebook (you know which ones...)
trim down the blogs in your blog reader
uninstall the software programs you no longer use
unsubscribe from the emails newsletters that you never read anyway

Happy exfoliating!

Lu (or Lorene if you prefer) is the mom of two sweet little things (except on the days that they aren't) and the wife of a singing and dancing elementary teacher. She is the proud author of this weekly Wednesdays on (or off) the Web (WotW) segment here on Housewife Eclectic and spends the other days of the week blogging about life and crafts and whatever else comes up at just Lu.

Camri Flower- a felt flower tutorial

2012-01-23T09:59:00.002-06:00

This delightful felt flower, named for my niece, looks complete and intricate but is actually simple to pull together. I love this flower on a clip for my daughter to wear in her hair. I used blue and purple, because we never seem to have a blue hair clip when we need one, but this flower would be pretty in so many color combination, yellow and orange, pink and white. The possibilities are fabulously endless.

You will need:
Felt in two coordinating colors
scissors
hot glue
a center for your flower, I used a pearl button.

The first thing you need to do is cut your circles. You will need five of each color. You will cut your largest and smallest circles from the same color. My large circles are an inch in diameter and my small ones are a quarter of an inch in diameter. I cut one circle of each size and then used it as the pattern for the other four.

You will also need SIX circles of the middle size in another color. My middles are a half inch in diameter. You need five to be middles and the sixth to be the circle that you glue your petals to.

Glue your middles to the bottom edge of the largest circles. Then glue your smallest circle on top, also to that same bottom edge. Repeat for all five petals.

Pinch your petals together at the bottom where the circles meet and hot glue to keep them that way.
Glue all five petals onto the last felt circle you have remaining.

Add your favorite center to the middle of the flower, whether it be a pearl, button or rhinestone. Then glue your flower to a headband, or pin and you have a gorgeous way to complete an outfit! What would you use this flower for?

Letters To My World, Panties and Sushi

2012-01-21T14:02:00.000-06:00

The Amy Flower- A felt flower tutorial

2012-01-20T11:03:00.001-06:00

This beautiful, full flower, named after my baby sister, is one of my absolute favorite felt flowers. It is easy to put together, but it looks exquisite. With three simple supplies, you can make as many of these statement flowers are you want.

You will need:
A least a sheet of felt in one color
hot glue
scissors

The first thing you need to do for this flower is make your center. You do this by taking a strip that is about a half inch wide and a couple inches long and folding it on itself. After you glue the fold to itself, roll the rest of the strip around the fold to create your center.

After you have your center created, you will need to cut your base and petal. Cut a medium sized circle, an inch or two in diameter. This circle will be what you glue all of your petals to.

You will need eight petals to create this flower. Four big ones and four small ones. There is not a pattern for the petals, rather just create small curvy clouds. The large ones should be 2-3 inches across and the small ones 1-2.

After you have cut your curvy clouds, fold them in on themselves and glue, like in the photo above. You will then layer them on the felt circle. Glue the large petals about the circle and then glue the small petals on top of the large petals. Finish my glue your center to the middle of the small petals.

Complete your flower anyway you want, with a hair clip, pin or head band glued to the back. This finished flower is larger, about 4 inches across and so it makes quite the statement!

Toys fighting over boys + Link up your photos.

2012-01-19T10:57:00.002-06:00

Week Three of January already. I always feel a slight sense of relief when January is over. Something about this month always seemed difficult. I think it because I make like 50 resolutions ever year. Here are the photos for the week. What did you take this week? Even if you aren't doing a 365 project link up your favorite photos!

Day 12- The yummy reason I should break all my New Years Resolutions.

Day 13- Sushi we made for friends. We have a sushi problem. We ate it twice this week. My husband even got me to eat full on raw fish sushi. He was proud of himself, I was fine as long as I didn't think about it. It tasted good, but the thought made me slightly nauseous!

Day 14- Working on still life. I like photographing people so much better!

Day 15- Tamales, man I was obsessed with food this week! A wonderful friend brought us 4 dozen tamales. I don't think she will ever know how perfect her timing was with these.

Day 16- Some books I found for .25 a piece at a used bookstore. I can never pass up a good used bookstore.

Day 17- One of my good friends moved away from Texas this week. I am sad. She left me with these beautiful flower pots from one of the fruits stands down here to make me feel better. It worked a little. :)

Day 18- Apparently Flynn Ryder had Tiana and Rapunzel fighting over him. Prince Naveen is going to be crushed!

What did you photograph this last week?

WoW: Exfoliate stuff (off the web)

2012-01-18T15:13:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned in this post a few weeks ago, I've decided to shift the focus of my Wednesday posts to cover all of the good and important things in life, both on and off the web.

Inspired by by Wake Up Wednesdays (and Super Heroes of Service) over at I Am Momma - Hear Me Roar, many of my posts will be challenges -- things to do this week and report back next Wednesday. I'm busy, you're busy, we're all busy, so these "assignments" (should you choose to accept them) will be something small and simple and easily accomplished in just a few minutes.

So, this week's challenge:

exfoliate 50 things.

Last year as part of the Housewife MacGyver series over on just Lu, I featured and interviewed Jess from Makeunder My Life, a blog all about living life with purpose and intention. The driving philosophy behind a made-under life is that whatever isn’t serving a positive purpose in our lives is hiding our best selves. (You can read more about Jess' philosophy and her awesome 4-step make-under plan here, and the author who originally inspired Jess here.)

So, grab a box and start exfoliating. I'm doing this too, and I am a major pack rat, so if I can do it, you can too! If you'd prefer to start smaller, start with just 10 things, or you can start with what Jess calls an end of the week exfoliation, getting rid of one thing each week.

However much you decide to exfoliate, how do you decide if something is worthy of exfoliation?

If you no longer need, use, or love it, exfoliate it.

“If you don’t know what to do with it, or where to put it or why you ever bought it in the first place, or if looking at it depresses you, throw it out! Never keep anything that makes you look heavy or feel heavy.”-Gail Blanke, author of Throw Out Fifty Things

Fifty things seems like a lot, but break it down -- 10 things from 5 rooms in your house, or fewer things if you have more rooms. From my son's toy box alone I already have close to 20 things that he and I are no longer needing, using, or loving. :)

I'm dividing my 50 things into 3 boxes:

list on Freecycle or donate to the local thrift store
throw away or recycle
give away (to a specific person)

Next week, I'll show you my boxes -- I've only just started and already it feels fantastic to be getting rid of things, even for my pack rat self!

Happy exfoliating!

Lu (or Lorene if you prefer) is the mom of two sweet little things (except on the days that they aren't) and the wife of a singing and dancing elementary teacher. She is the proud author of this weekly Wednesdays on the Web (WotW) segment here on Housewife Eclectic and spends the other days of the week blogging about crafts and whatever else comes up at just Lu.

Simple Felt Rose :Tutorial

2012-01-16T09:40:00.000-06:00

This simple rose can be whipped up in just a couple of minutes and just needs a few easy supplies. It looks cute as a brooch or on a headband.

You will need:
felt in a flower color
green felt
scissors
hot glue

First, cut a strip of felt. About half an inch tall and about two inches long. Fold it in on itself and then roll the rest of the strip around it, gluing it at the bottom. This will be your center.

Cut strips about three inches long and an inch tall. After you have your strips, take your scissors and cut waves across the top of your strips, as below.

Wrap the wavy strips around the center with the waves on top creating your petals. Glue at the bottom as you go.
Cut a small strip of green felt. Wrap this around the bottom of your flower. Glue in place. If you want to cut a leaf, you can. Just glue in place when you have a leaf that you like.

There you have it, a simple felt rose that you can whip up in just a few minutes. What would you use a felt flower for?

Letters to My World: Reboot

2012-01-14T13:44:00.001-06:00

Letters to My World has always been one of my favorite things to do on my blog. For one reason or another they have gotten lost in the shuffle for the last year or so, but today they are back and hopefully for good. Enjoy!

365 project Week 2 + Link up

2012-01-12T11:16:00.000-06:00

This last week, my goal was to plan my photos. I had a ton of pictures that I needed to take of my little girl. My parents gave her oodles of dress ups for Christmas and I am slowly going through my favorite pieces and doing a photo shoot. It worked some days, but I took my workouts from once a day to twice a day this week and sometimes I was honestly too sore to do much more than snap a few randoms.

I hope your second week was as wonderful picture wise as mine and if you haven't started yet, jump in right here where we are!

Day 5- This beautiful blue necklace is from the Mebbie Made Etsy shop. I was lucky enough to win it last year. It is one of my favorite pieces because it reminds me of this talk given by a member of my church. It helps me to forget not to be happy now.

Day 6- My daughter was in an awesome mood and I got fabulous pictures in three different outfits. The super hero photos are my favorite, although I can't get enough of my fairy princess. I seriously love this LONG white shirt. My MIL found them. All little kids shirts should be this long.

Day 7- The roses my husband gave me for our anniversary, taped to the wall and drying.

Day 8- I hardly pulled out my camera this day, just once to take this picture. My daughter shattered my vase. I loved this vase, dang it!

Day 9- Another photo shoot of my daughter in her Jessie costume that Lu made. Yes, she MADE it.

Day 10- We have been attempting potty training in our house this last week. It was a disaster. Big disaster. Sunday night my daughter accidentally dropped my itouch in the toilet, completely frying it. I cried, my husband yelled. Big disaster. My mom as usual came to the rescue. A package came this day from my mom full of potty treats, new panties, a book and some toys to use as rewards. I went and bought some squinkies and things have been SO much better ever since, I mean who wouldn't want that Mickey Mouse Mr. Potato Head?

Day 11- My little girl dressed as a princess. That hat is pretty much her favorite thing ever. .

What pictures did you take for your project last week? Don't forget to link up and visit the other links!

WoW: Resolving on and off the web

2012-01-11T16:31:00.002-06:00

Hello, friends! I, Lu, am back at long last. I had a wonderful break, which was extended an extra week thanks to both me and my computer being sick last week. :) Thanks for reading!

It's the resolving time of year. The time we resolve to all become perfect people by the end of the calendar year.

Source: someecards.com via Lorene on Pinterest

There are many different ways people go about organizing their resolutions. Some people start with a big ol' list of things they want to change/do. Some people set goals in several different categories. Some people choose one over-arching concept to be their guide to what they do in the year.

And then there's ~~crazy masochist~~ people like me who do all three. :)

I make lists of goals, in four different categories, following a single-word "theme" for the year. My typical success rate with my resolutions is around 50%, but I figure that 50% of my 50 goals is still better than 100% of 10 goals...

I'm sharing my one single(ish) word over at my blog today, and I'll be sharing the rest of my goals there later (not because you readers actually need to know or particularly care, but because then I feel a little more accountable :) but I thought that I would share one goal here with you all today because it applies to what I do here every Wednesday.

Nope, not the rambling - the webby stuff. I know my own limits and I don't think I could ever resolve to stop rambling in blog posts. ;)

My last post back in December was about some changes that I'm making here to this Wednesday segment, making Wednesdays a day about being both on and OFF the web. This is inspired by one of my personal goals this year: to spend less time online.

{gasp} I'm sure you've never heard anyone resolve to spend less time on the internet. I only resolve to spend less time on the internet two or three times a week, myself. But this time I've decided to really work on making it stick by making it more specific:

to spend only as much time online as I spend enjoying my children.

So, the 20 minutes I spend reading the same Thomas the Tank Engine board book fourteen times "earns" me 20 minutes on Pinterest clicking "see more pins" fourteen times. :)

Source: sstorywindow.blogspot.com via Laura on Pinterest

I'm not pulling out the stopwatch just yet. So long as both areas of my life feel fulfilled, with my kids coming first and Pinterest (and its online friends) coming waaaay after and in smaller doses, I'll consider the resolution fulfilled.

Now I want to hear from you: What are your resolutions and goals both on and off the web? I'd love to be able to share resources and ideas to help you fulfill all myriad types of resolutions! And if you haven't made any resolutions, please tell me what your secret to already living a perfect life is. :)

PS - If you're looking for some online resources to help you track your goals, check out my post from this time last year.

Lu (or Lorene if you prefer) is the mom of two sweet little things (except on the days that they aren't) and the wife of a singing and dancing elementary teacher. She is the proud author of this weekly Wednesdays on the Web (WotW) segment here on Housewife Eclectic and spends the other days of the week blogging about crafts and whatever else comes up at just Lu.

Delicious Tomatillo Salsa

2012-01-10T11:11:00.002-06:00

Have you ever wondered how green salsa is made? The answer is in the tomatillo. The process of making this salsa is similar to others, with a little bit more prep work. This delicious salsa is worth it.

You will need:
1 lb tomatillos, husked
1 1/2 jalapenos, stemmed
1/4 white onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, diced
1 TBSP salt
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 limes
vegetable oil

Place tomatillos, jalapenos, onion, garlic and salt into a pot of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes until the tomatillos are soft, but have not burst.

Drain the liquid into a container, saving the liquid for later.

Place the vegetables in blender with the cilantro and the juice of the limes. Pour in 1/4 a cup of the drained water, slightly cooled and then blend into a puree.

Add more salt, cilantro or lime juice to taste. For more heat use 1 jalapeno and 1/2 a serrano pepper. Serve with chips.

A Memorable Bridal Shower Gift with Free Printable

2012-01-09T11:50:00.001-06:00

Bridal Shower season is upon us. Typically wedding season lasts from March- August give or take a few months, depending on where you live, which means bridal showers are starting to happen. I usually like to give a nice gift to the couple at the reception, which usually leaves me with a small budget for the bridal shower. My husband helped me come up with this book of love and advice. Every bride I have give one has loved it. They are simple, unique and cost less than $10 to make.

You will need:
a small photo album, how much you spend on this is up to you. You can get them as cheap as $1
4x6 prints of the printable attached to this post
markers
permission to bring the advice cards to the shower

Bring copies of the 4x6s and the markers to the shower. Have everybody right words of love and advice on them. When you get home slip them into the photo album. I always take pictures at the shower and so if I have extra spots at the end of the album, I fill it with photos from the event.

Tie a ribbon around it and you have a unique gift to give to the bride that she will treasure.

Here is the bride's dress photograph for the advice cards. It is meant to be printed as a 4x6 photograph and not much bigger. To obtain the photograph for printing, right click on the photo and save as to your computer. You can then take it to the place you typically print your photos and get copies for the upcoming bridal shower.
This gift won't take you very much time or cost you much money, but it will be a gift to remember!

365 Photo Projects + Link Up Your Own Project

2012-01-05T12:25:00.000-06:00

You have probably heard about 365 project, a project where the a person takes a picture every single day for the entire year. This year, for the first time, I have decided to complete one. I have always thought I take a lot of pictures, and I do, but I realized this past month that I miss a lot. A lot of little things. I have thousands of pictures of trips and parties but I miss our every day life. I went looking in my archives for a photo of a place that we used to go all the time when we lived in Utah but I never took one. I saw this place almost every day and I don't have a photo of it. Sad.

This year, I am focused more on capturing the every day. Our lives together. The big and the small. Here is a small glimpse of my project so far. I am incapable of just narrowing things down to one image, so there are at least two for each day. Probably breaking some fundamental project rule there, but oh well.

Day 1. My husband and I's hands, as we sat talking and my little girl's golden ringlets.

Day 2. An artificial snowman, my daughter begs for snow, so we bought one of those little kits of artificial snow to make a snowman and my daughter walking around in the shoes meant for her Mulan doll.

Day 3. My daughter on the trike she got for Christmas. She lost it for a week after running me over, so she was thrilled to have it back. The cute hair clip that my friend Ashli from Belle Fleur Bowtique made in Christmas colors with a jingle bell and my girls from the youth group at church with the notebooks we decorated.

Day 4. My silly girl and the cute manicure set my parents gave me for Christmas. I am in LOVE with this manicure set.

All of the pictures are not of huge important things, but they are pictures of moments that would have been forgotten without this project.

So what do you say? Are you going to join in and start a 365 project? If you are, or you just have some great pictures from your week, create a post with your images in it and link up!

E-licious, an E-cookbook giveaway

2012-01-04T12:33:00.000-06:00

To me, there is nothing more frustrating than reading a cook book with a dozens of ingredients that I have never even heard of before. I like my recipes for every day, to be simple, with easy to find ingredients and of course delicious. Today I have the opportunity to give one reader a copy of this E-cookbook, E-licious.

E-licious was actually written by a reader, Jenna, who has created such recipes as Thai Turkey Tacos and Hearts of Palm Salad for her book. E-licious has more than 45 recipes with ingredients everybody is familiar with. I personally tried the Creme Brulee from the book and it was delicious.

E-licious is an E-book that you can download. You can purchase it by going here and entering the code ELICIOUS20 at checkout to receive 20% off making the book just $4.00.

One reader will receive a copy of E-licious to keep. To enter all you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite food is.

*Extra Entries* 2 chances, leave a comment for each

1. You can be or become a follower of Housewife Eclectic

2. You can be or become a follower of Newlyweds. ( The blog of the author.)

This giveaway will end next Tuesday night, January 11th at Midnight, central.

(I was given a copy of this e-book for hosting this giveaway.)

Spaetzle- A delicious soft egg noodle

2012-01-03T09:49:00.000-06:00

Usually the recipes that make your raise your eyebrows a little come from my side of the family with our typical Norwegian foods, but this yummy soft egg noodle comes from my husband's. My father-in-law lived in Germany for two years when he was younger and this German recipe was something my husband grew up on. It is fairly easy to make and you can use a ricer, actual spaetzle press, or a metal colander to shape the noodles.

You will need:
2 cups flour
1 tsp. Salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 c. milk

Mix the ingredients well, into a batter. Press the batter through a spaetzle press or metal colander into boiling water. I like to use my food scissors to cut the noodles as they come out of the press/colander to make them a little smaller. Boil for 3-4 minutes. Now this is where my husband and I differ in presentation. He thinks spaetzle should be served with brown gravy, with pork chops and I think spaetzle should be served with chopped up fried bacon and melty cheese. It is good either way you serve it, but mine has bacon in it and we all know that makes the world better.

Glitter Shoes and how to make them

2012-01-02T08:00:00.000-06:00

Apparently if you say the words glitter and shoes in the same sentence to a 9-year-old on Christmas Eve, you will find yourself, like me, racing to glitter shoes before Santa could show his face that night.

This Christmas, my wonderful parents and my nine-year-old sister spent a couple of weeks with us in Texas. As most nine-year-old girls are, my sister loves glitter shoes and begged me to make us matching pink shoes. Who can resist the idea of sparkly shoes? Not me! They ended up being super easy to make, the hardest part being just waiting for them to dry before slipping them on your feet!

You will need:
Shoes to glitter, we bought two pairs of white flats at the thrift store
Mod Podge
a damp rag (I like using baby wipes)
Glitter (It uses surprisingly little glitter after you collect the excess but you will need more than just a small container.)
wax paper
newspaper or magazine pages
Foam brush

First take a damp rag, or your baby wipes and clean up your shoes really well. Stuff the insides full of newspaper and tuck the bows in if you have them.

Place your shoes on your sheet of wax paper. Using your foam brush, coat the shoes in a thin layer of Mod Podge. Shake glitter over the shoes until coated. Allow the shoes to dry completely. Use the wax paper as a funnel and dump the excess glitter back into your container. Repeat all of the above steps at least 1 more time and maybe 2, until your shoes are completely covered in glitter. After your shoes dry the last time, cover them with a medium thickness coat of Mod Podge and allow to dry overnight. This is your sealing coat and VERY important or your shoes will drop glitter everywhere you walk.

After your shoes are sealed and dry, you can spray them with a layer of clear varnish if you want to really seal the glitter but it is not absolutely needed. Put your glitter shoes on and if you made red ones, make sure to click your heels together, because everybody knows, "There is no place like home."

Cameras and Cowboy Boots- Most Popular Posts of 2011

2011-12-31T08:00:00.000-06:00

I can't say that I am too sad to see 2011 go. It was a hard year in many ways. I am excited for 2012 and all the happiness I am hoping it will bring. According to Google Analytics, these are the top posts from Housewife Eclectic this year, some are even holding strong from last year!

1. How to make a Camera Lens Pal.

2. Spray Painted Cowboy Boots

3. How to Make 3D Origami Star

4. How to make Marshmallow Flowers

5. How to make Spanish Rice in your rice cooker.

6. How to make a Car Organizer and How to make a 10 minute Car Organizer.

7. How to make Satin Flowers.

8. How to make a satin flower belt.

9. How to make origami roses.

10. Halloween Outfits for the Free Paper Doll Template.

Happy New Year! See you in 2012!

Confessions- Goals edition

2011-12-30T02:00:00.000-06:00

I confess I am the type of person who takes down their Christmas tree the day after Christmas. My tree is killing me. I want to take it down so bad.

I confess I plan on letting my little girl stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve. It is one of the ways I earn cool mom points.

I confess my parents just went home a few days ago and I miss them already. Sometimes living thousands of miles away from you family just plain sucks.

image source

I confess I am setting so major goals as New Years Resolutions this year. I wonder if I was actual keep them?

I confess I am not sure I even want to touch on weight as a New Years Resolution. Does anybody keep those goals anyway?

I confess I am setting a goal to read more books this year than I have in any year past. Hope I get the book worm bug this year.

image source

I confess my major goal? Keep my husband, my child and myself out of the hospital/doctor's office this year. It will make those financial goals so much easier to keep. ;)

Here is to 2012 being better than 2011!

Check does not include gratuity

2011-12-29T21:43:00.000-06:00

Hi, y'all. My name is Seth (Debra's husband) and I'll be your server this evening. Can I get you started with some drinks?

Eating out - the great American pastime (I know you baseball junkies will be all over me for saying that, but really, what's more American than paying someone to wait on us hand and foot?). It's one thing my wife and I really enjoy doing whenever we get the opportunity.

It's been awhile since I last took my wife out to a sit-down restaurant. Part of that is a tight financial budget, but mostly because it's hard to get a decent sitter for the wildness we call a daughter. This past Wednesday, we got an opportunity to go out for our fifth wedding anniversary. We chose a nice steak joint and settled in for what promised to be a good meal. As I sat there, waiting for the waitress to take our drink order, I started to think about how strange restaurant culture and etiquette is.

Going out to eat is an interesting arrangement. Basically, you agree to pay someone to serve you food that is at least three times what it costs to make the food yourself. In exchange, you hope for an enjoyable and tasty experience. But there are a number of things that can effect that experience. And this ties into restaurant etiquette.

Like all forms of etiquette, there are rules that must be followed by all involved in the exchange. I believe the restaurant staff have rules of etiquette to follow, as do customers. Unfortunately, this etiquette is increasingly disregarded, making the special occasions that are eating out into something more mundane.

image source

Etiquette 1 - Sit 'Em Down and Get 'Em a Drink
This falls under the restaurant staff etiquette category and seems so basic that it's amazing it has to be brought up, but I'm baffled by how many restaurants have incredibly long waiting times for seating and do nothing to give a time estimate or make the waiting customers comfortable. It's understandable that a restaurant can't control the number of patrons currently eating, but they can give a fairly accurate time estimate and hand the waiting customers a menu. This keeps the customer occupied and will speed up the ordering process later on, thereby getting that customer out faster for future customers. Makes sense, right? But so few restaurants do it.

Once you're seated, your waiter should be by to take your drink order in no less than five minutes. It's a simple gesture that tells the customer the staff cares and is there to assist. After all, the customer is who the restaurant is trying to please. Unfortunately, it seems all too often the customer is little more than a nuisance to the staff, who just want to see them out the door – oh, and leave a good tip on your way out.

Nothing drives me more crazy than having to wait an excessive amount of time to get a drink. And I'm not even talking alcohol. I'm just after a glass of water. Seriously, how long does it take to write down a drink order, fill it and bring it back? That should be top priority.

Etiquette 2 - Know What You're Going to Order
Pouring over a menu can understandably take some time, particularly if you're at a place you've never been before, but once you tell the waiter you're ready to order, actually be ready to order. I hate going out to eat with other couples who say they're ready and then spend the next 10 minutes changing their mind about what they want. Pick something and order it. Really, it's that simple.

As an addendum to this rule of etiquette, please order for your children. I hate watching families with multiple children order food. Invariably, the kids have no clue what they want and the parents and waiter spend a ridiculous amount of time going through the list of possibilities with them. Figure it out before you order and order for your children, thereby speeding up the process.

Etiquette 3 - There's a Reason It's Not on the Menu
I'm not sure everybody understands the purpose of a menu. Let me explain. It's a listing of things the restaurant specializes in and offers to customers. That's what they make. If you don't see it on the menu, then they probably don't make it. Yes, I know there are soups of the day and manager specials and whatnot, but those are usually told up front by the waiter (or at least should be). So, the moral of the story is if it's not on the menu, they probably don't make it, so don't ask for it. I'm not talking about asking for dressing on the side or extra sour cream. I've seen people request things that aren't even in the same vein as the specialty of the restaurant – asking for tacos at an Italian restaurant.

Again, kids are particularly bad about this. Kids menus are notoriously small to begin with, but then again, so our children palettes. When asked what they want, the kid will shout out something ridiculous. Of course, the restaurant doesn't make that, so they try again, and again, and again. If you don't see apple juice on the list of drinks, they probably don't offer it. Take the Sprite and be happy.

Etiquette 4 - Be Specific When You Order, Not After the Fact
I'm a pretty easy going guy when it comes to food. You have to really mess something up before I complain about it. But I know many people who will order something and if it's not to their precise specifications – which, mind you, they've never actually voiced to the waiter – they send the meal back and demand something better. Is food really that atrocious that you have to send it back? I understand in a rare instance you may have to send it back again, but it seems there are certain people who always find something wrong with their food and demand something better.

This problem stems from two things: age and lack of communication. I've noticed the older people get, the more picky they become about their food. Maybe older palettes are more tender, maybe they get pickier, or maybe they're just grumpy. Whatever the reason, older people are picky. Don't believe me? Stand behind an elderly person at a Wendy's and time how long it takes them to order their meal.

The second, and bigger problem, is lack of communication. People are not specific when they order. If you want your salad dressing on the side, say so before they bring it out. What a monumental waste to have them take it back and get you a new plate. They can't serve that food again, even if you never actually touched it. If you want your steak done a certain way, be incredibly specific before they bring the meat to you. It's really hard to undo an overcooked steak. Ask before ordering.

Etiquette 5 - Customer-Waiter Interaction
This is a tricky area. I've found almost everybody has a different standard for how they want to interact with the waiter. Some people want the waiter to stand close at hand so they can bark at them with every whim they might imagine (again, more noticeable with older customers). Others want the waiter to keep the drinks filled, but otherwise leave them alone. The rest fall somewhere in between. It's got to be incredibly difficult for a waiter to assess the type of customer, but it's important that they do.

Personally, I hate the overly talkative and intrusive waiters. You know, the ones who come right next to your table right as you've shoved a huge bite into your mouth and ask you how everything is tasting. I'm eating it aren't I? If something was wrong I would have flagged you down. If it was vile, I would be worshiping the porcelain god rather than masticating.

While we're on the topic, drinks are a must. If my drink ever hits empty, my tip is automatically decreasing. On the other hand, if a waiter keeps my drink level up throughout the meal, I make sure to put in a little extra. Most restaurants keep waiters serving in a geographically confined area. This should make it easy to keep an eye on drinks. I give some slack on super busy nights, but it kills me when I see waiters hanging out with one another, shooting the breeze, while my drink hits empty. Guess what? Your tip's heading toward empty too.

Etiquette 6 - Tipping
While we're on the topic, tipping is one of those strange areas of restaurant etiquette/culture. Every couple years it seems the going tip rate goes up while the quality of service goes down. This tells me the concept of tipping has lost all meaning. Essentially, a tip is an acknowledgement of a job well done. It's something that should be earned, not expected.

Unfortunately, that's not how it works. Most waiters act like they somehow deserve an amazing tip for the mere fact that they wrote down your order and brought it to you. Wow. A programmed Roomba can do that. If you want a good tip, earn a good tip. Go over the top. Don't know how? Here are a few tips:

Be friendly and smile. It's not hard and makes people instantly want to do something for you.
Keep the drinks filled. We already went over that.
Get the orders right. Personally, I don't mind a waiter writing down my order. I rather prefer it because I know they got it down and aren't just winging it while they're really thinking about the next American Idol candidate to vote off.
Find something extra to do, especially if the customer has kids. The best waitress I ever had was at Outback. She did everything right, which was impressive, but the thing that set her apart was how she picked up on the little details. She noticed my daughter was picking the tomatoes off my wife's salad and eating them. Without saying a word, she soon returned with a small bowl full of tomatoes for my daughter. It didn't cost them hardly anything and made a world of difference. Guess how good her tip was?
If you see we're almost finished and there's still a lot of food, ask if we might need a to-go box. It shows you're attentive and saves that awkward moment when a customer has to admit that their eyes were bigger than their stomachs, but they still want the food.
Bring the check in a timely manner. I hate waiting forever for a check. I understand that it takes awhile to wait to run the register, but surely it can't take that long to bring me the initial check so I can get payment ready.
Leave something to be remembered by. This can be as simple as writing, "Thanks, [your name]," on the check. This shows a personal touch in the otherwise cold affair of exchanging money for a meal.

None of those things are all that difficult to do and when waiters do them I am fully willing to shell out at least a 20 percent tip (though, in what other industry do people pull down such an excessively high tip for doing their job?). Sadly, most people don't view tipping in that capitalist way, so they take two approaches to tipping. One, they shortchange the waiter badly, figuring it's their job anyway. On the other end, you have the people who toss out the default amount, no matter how good or bad the service was. Both are bad approaches. If people really tipped based on performance, you'd see a lot more motivated waiters out there and better quality service.

Etiquette 8 - Eat Your Food and Get Out

Part of the restaurant experience is the food, but another critical component is the ambiance. You should enjoy the time out. However, there is a fine line between enjoying the experience and overstaying your welcome. This particularly bothers me on busy nights. It's no fun to wait in line forever, so it would seem common courtesy to eat, enjoy yourself and get out without spending an excessive amount of time. Yet, I know plenty of people who thrive on spending multiple hours at a restaurant, even though they've finished eating long ago. If you want to talk for hours on end, go somewhere else when you're done eating.

There are dozens more etiquette tips that could and should be employed at restaurants, but these are just a few I've been thinking about. What would it be like if people followed these? Oh yeah, a meal worth the hefty price tag.

What etiquette rules are a must for you?

Easy Cream Cheese Cherry Tarts

2011-12-27T08:00:00.000-06:00

These semi-homemade tarts my friend Megan, taught me to make, are some of the easiest cheesecake like tarts you can possible make. They come together quick and you won't be able to stop eating them. I could eat a whole batch by myself if I let myself. :)

You will need:
2 8 oz packages of cream cheese (softened)
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Nilla wafers
Cupcake wrappers

Mix all of the ingredients, besides the wafers, until they are smooth. Place the wafers flat side up in cupcake wrappers, in your cupcake tin. Place several tablespoons of filling on top of each wafer. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Allow the tarts to cool and then top with cherry pie filling. Then try not to eat them all at once. :)

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T18:15:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to take a minute away from our festivities this year (and talking to my baby brother who is a missionary in England!) To wish you all a very Happy Christmas this year. I hope all of your Christmas wishes came true and you are having a truly magical day.
Love,
Debra

Secret Confessions- Christmas Edition

2011-12-23T02:00:00.000-06:00

I confess I may or may not have coerced my child into her Christmas list. I had a long conversation with the big guy at the North Pole and he told me what he was bringing her, so I have spent the last month telling her every day that she wants Santa to bring her dress ups. She bought into it, so I'm good.

image source

I confess I may have been slightly ticked at the man in the toy department at Wal-mart the other day when he told my little girl if she was good Santa would bring her the Rock N' Roll Mickey Mouse. Sorry kid, Santa's budget this year didn't include a $50 stuffed animal. Dressups anyone?

I confess I bought my own Christmas presents. It stresses my husband to buy for me, so I usually just stick my presents in an Amazon cart and he hits check out. Hey, it works for us and he usually gets one surprise in there.

I confess my husband told me my presents for my parents were lame. My husband isn't very sentimental and the presents were VERY sentimental. So now I am giving them "cool" gifts and the "lame" ones, we'll see which ones they like better... (And yes, I did my husband that he is lame for thinking my gifts were lame.)

I confess I already have the best Christmas present ever! All I wanted this year was my mom and she is here! I haven't seen her in almost a year, so my parents and baby sister came down to be with us.

image source

I confess I HATE wrapping paper. So much so that my husband and I don't wrap gifts for each other except on Christmas. Heck, we didn't even wrap my little girls birthday presents last year. Feel bad for our child, she never gets the joy of opening things.

I confess that every time I do wrap something I hear my dad in my head telling me how he was a professional wrapper at one point in his life. I always wondered why if he was a professional wrapper, why he made me wrap all my mom's gifts...

Stuffing Balls in the Crockpot

2011-12-21T08:14:00.000-06:00

Take a break from traditional stuffing by forming it into balls. These portion-sized balls are great for entertaining at parties and quick serving at Thanksgiving or Christmas.

You will need:
1 loaf of bread
3-4 celery stalks, washed and diced
1/4 c. onion, finely diced
3/4 stick of butter
1/2 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
.1 egg, beaten
1/4 can of chicken broth

Tear all of the slice of bread into small pieces and dry in a 325 degree oven until the bread becomes crispy like a crouton.
Soften the butter and cut into cubes. Toss the butter, diced onion and celery with the dried bread. Sprinkle the sage, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper over the bread and toss.
Drizzle half of the beaten egg over the bread. Toss the bread, the drizzle the other half of the egg over the bread. Drizzle the chicken broth over the stuffing.
Form the stuffing into balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Place in a crockpot on low for 6-8 hours. Serve each person their own ball of stuffing!