Tales of a Trophy Wife

Fresh Mint Brownies-2 Ways

2013-06-18T15:38:00.000-05:00

I put have some fresh mint growing in my garden, but I don't do very much with it. I thought I would try and make some brownies out of it:

#1
3/4 cup butter
A few sprigs of mint
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp bkg pwdr
1/2 tsp salt

Melt butter and let mint leaves. Let mint soak in butter on low for about 5 minutes. Add rest of ingredients and bake in greased pan at 350 for 40 minutes.

The mint flavor was very subtle.

Make brownies, except leave out the mint. Bake in mini-muffin tins at 350 for 8-9 minutes.

Allow to cool.

Southern Living's Cream Cheese Frosting

8oz soften cream cheese

1/2 cup butter softened

16 oz powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.

And a dollop of frosting to each brownie bite and garnish with chopped fresh mint.

Enjoyment of the brownies seemed to be divided along gender lines. The girls in my house loved both brownies. The boys hated them and acted like I was ruining perfectly good brownies by topping them with salad.

What I'm Reading Wednesdays

2013-06-12T07:32:00.001-05:00

I love summer, because instead of trying to get each kid to their separate activities, all of them do summer swim team. I wisely spaced them just far enough apart that I can be there for all 3 hours of practice.

Normally, I am a little anti-social at my kid's practices. I'd rather read a book than make friends with the other parents. However, about a dozen of my friend's kids are on the same swim team, so I spend the time gabbing instead of reading.

This week I read Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare. It is the final book in a trilogy about a group that fights demons and demonized automatons in Victorian England. I like these books more than a woman my age should. 4/5 stars

I also read Milo 2.0 by Debra Driza. It is about a girl that discovers she is really an android created by the military. It was fine, but the first in a series and I don't know if it is good enough to read the entire thing. 2.5/5 stars

It seems like no one can write a book, everyone has to write series these days. I think that at the beginning of every series, the author should write a few pages of plot and character summaries of previous books so I can remember what the heck happened. Am I the only one?

Best book you've read this month?

Patriotic Pillow

2013-06-10T14:16:00.002-05:00

Today marks the 60th anniversary of the birth of one of the most wonderful women on the planet. She's done many amazing things, but mostly I love her for being my husband's mother-no easy job.

To honor all of the contributions she's made to the planet, I made her a pillow (didn't quite seem enough to me either, but it's all I could come up with).

I was inspired by this cute little printable over at infarrantlycretive.net. I really like her multi-colored buttons, but I don't have her fancy tool and had gold buttons on hand.

Did you know if you iron a piece of freezer paper on the back of some muslin, you can run it through your regular printer?

I think linen looks more expensive than muslin, but it was too heavy and wouldn't stay stuck to the freezer paper.

For attempt #2, I actually used packing tape on the edges to secure it, but it made even a bigger smeary mess, so I went with muslin. I think that if I stuck one of those page sized labels it might work, I'll keep you posted if I ever do it.

I cut some red fabric into 3 inch strips and then blue into 1 and a 1/2 inch strips.

Then I used some embroidery floss to sew a button on top of each note.

I sewed the pillow using my tutorial here.

I made some patriotic pillows a few years ago, but they have not faired well under the hot Texas sun, and so I am going to make me one too.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Nana Belle Apron

2013-06-07T15:14:00.000-05:00

I have mentioned before that I used to get to plan a monthly activity for ladies at church. Due to recent staffing changes, I now teach 8 year olds, but I had already worked on June's activity. We were going to do a "Princess Academy" theme with mini-classes from a Fairy Godmother (make-up tips), Princess Tiana (healthy cooking), and Belle (how to get the most out of her favorite book-the scriptures). My Mom teaches a religion class and is a bit of a character, so I thought she'd be perfect for Belle.

She said she'd only do it, if I made her some sort of a costume (I told you she was a character) and that it needed to be the blue outfit, because "yellow is not my color". I was inspired by these fun Disney Princess aprons here . Here's what I came up with:

Front

Back

She was horrified to be photograph from the rear-so props for bravery Mom:)

Aren't moms just the best?

I have a step-by-step tutorial that I will eventually blog about.

Quick poll question: Who's your favorite princess?

My Top Favorite Beach Reads

2013-06-05T08:17:00.005-05:00

Full disclosure: I don't enjoy reading at the actually beach much. Between the sand, and the breeze, and trying to make sure one of kids doesn't drown or get eaten by a shark, I just can't focus on a book. I prefer to read in my bed, late at night, when all the kids are asleep. However, I still enjoy the occasional "Beach Reads" which I feel must contain:
1. Romance
2. Happy Endings
3. Fun

Here's my list ( I am forgoing the usual book covers and plot summaries because just thinking about lying on the beach makes me lazy):

Charms for an Easy Life by Kaye Gibbons
Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
Austenland by Shannon Hale (skip the sequel)
The Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares
Lucy Valentine Mysteries by Heather Weber
The Crowning Glory of Cala Lilly Ponder by Rebecca Wells
The Princess Bride-William Goldman
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town-Kimberly Willis Holt
Enchantment-Orson Scott Card
Fairest-Gail Carson Levine
Bella at Midnight-Diane Stanley

Anything by:
Fanny Flagg
Sarah Addison Allen
Janet Evonovich
Mary Higgins Clark(if you're desperate)

If you can handle something a little darker, and need a good suspenseful book to get you through a boring plane ride, I recommend Harlan Coben

If you find post-apocalyptic worlds entertaining, check out my Mom's Guide to Dystopian Lit.

What are your favorite beach reads and other guilty literary pleasures?

So You Think you want to be a Landlord?

2013-06-03T13:20:00.000-05:00

I hope you are not looking for a post about to get rich in real estate, because I can't help you there. However, if you want to know how to break even,keep on reading.

We bought a home in Maryland in 2007, expecting to be there 4-6 years. When the Air Force decided to move us in 2010, our house had lost 35% of it's value. Without buckets of cash, selling it was simply not an option. I didn't know where to start to be a landlord and was in a complete panic, but it seemed like a better idea than bankruptcy. I also thought I'd see if we could rent in on our own w/out a management company to save money and so far so good. Three years later, I am still no expert, but here's what I've learned:

HOW TO FIND RENTERS:
We prefer to rent to military members and so have only advertised on militarybyowner ($80 for 180 days) and ahrn.com (free). (Both of our renters have found us through militarybyowner.com). There are dozens of other sites.

I actually set up a blog about my house (http://6444leopard.blogspot.com/) with as many details as I could think of: neighborhood, schools, room dimensions, commute times etc.
Since I live half-way across the country from our rental home and don't use a realtor, I ask our current tenants to show the house to prospective renters. I realize this is a hassle, and so I offer to pay them $25 per showing.
Since finding new renters is such a pain, I actually offer $100 less if they will sign multi-year leases.

Management companies were looking for about a month's rent to list it for us, and so we planned on using one only as a last resort. We may just be incredibly blessed and I don't think this is normal, but we found our first renters 2 days after listing it and in about 9 days the second time.

HOW TO SCREEN POTENTIAL RENTERS:

Have them fill out an application (mine's here) and do a credit/ background check. There are several online services. I use Smart Move. It's super cheap ($12), but I require the tenants to pay. If the couple isn't married, or there are other adults living there, check out every individual over 18.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

SECURITY DEPOSIT
Require 1 month's rent in security deposit. Unless you're independently wealthy, you can not afford to be nice. (it will be hard-stay strong) Do not listen to people's sob stories on why they can't pay this. If they struggle to come up w/ the deposit, they may struggle with coming up with rent money each month.

The deposit is not your money and legally it should be kept in an interest bearing account separate from your other personal accounts. If the tenants fulfill the agreements on the lease be prepared to return %100 plus interest of the deposit.

LEASE
Have all parties sign the lease (especially if it is a friend or family member). It clearly outlines expectations and keeps everyone legally protected. Here's mine.

PETS
They are risky, and I would consider each case individually. I would require a refundable pet deposit, letters from vets, and previous landlords. Have a pet addendum to the lease. Check your homeowner's policy-mine prohibits Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, wolf mixes, and Akitas.

EMERGENCY FUND
If at all possible, have 3-6 months worth of mortgage payments stashed away. Real Estate is risky and you may need to use this emergency fund to cover stuff like broken A/C's (good times) or gaps between renters.

DON'T BE A SLUMLORD
Promptly make repairs. If there is a serious problem with the house give them a break in the rent. Our A/C broke, and our poor renters had a few very hot days, and so I gave them a 10% break in the rent for that month.

HANDYMAN
Find a good handyman that the tenants can call if needed. If he can't handle the repairs, he will know who to refer you to. I have him bill me directly.

WHEN THEY MOVE OUT
Have a good check-out list. Deduct any repairs from the security deposit. Since we don't live there, our handyman actually uses the same check-out list to determine if any repairs need to be done. Since he will be doing the work, he knows exactly how much it will cost.

Utilities: Do not return the security deposit until they can show proof that they have paid all bills in full. You will be held responsible for any of their unpaid utility bills.

TAXES: Keep your receipts because so many expenses are tax deductible-repairs, advertising, and even a trip out to visit the property. Also you will need to file taxes (even if you are losing money) on the state the property is located in, even if you are military.

There you have all of my 3 years of knowledge in one blog post, hopefully it will help you avert a panic attack of your very own.

Lemon Cookies

2013-05-29T07:06:00.002-05:00

Since it's Wednesdays, I should be blogging about books, but I am in a little bit of a reading slump and haven't read anything blogworthy. I started Clockwork Princess last night, which isn't any literary masterpiece, but lots of fun.

I had some friends that needed some treats, and I wanted to make them look special. I used a paper sack, some scrapbook paper and stole this super cute graphic from Sweetopia.

I searched Pinterest for a recipe that used lemon cake mix and I stole one from Organized Island. They were yummy!

I only spent $1.25 for a goodbye gift for 22 kids!

2013-05-27T09:56:00.002-05:00

A few years ago a mom made end of the year wish bracelets for my son's class (here). I loved the idea so much, that I stole the idea. I raided by scrap pile and found some twine, so I only had to buy the star buttons. Since I had a coupon, I bought 25 star buttons for $1.25. That makes them a grad total of 5 cents a piece!

You could even go all out and make them super fancy, if you don't have a million end-of-the school things to do. Since my life is crazy, I went with printing the saying out on my computer and gluing them to random scraps of card stock.

My 17 Favorite Books

2013-05-22T07:41:00.001-05:00

Different books have meant different things to me in my life, but these books (in no particular order) are my very favorite.

Mother-daughter relationships are complicated and beautiful. This tells the stories of 3 generations of women during WWII and I am charmed by it every time.

Jeannette Walls tells the story of her difficult childhood without whining and complaining, and if anyone has earned the right-it's her.

Such a great metaphor for life and love.

Harry Potter=book perfection.

It is beautifully written with wit and heart and tells the love story of a woman falling in love with a child. Made me happy to be a mom.

Abuse, racism, and justice all told from the perspective of a child. Literary genius.

Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different member of a missionary family in 1959 in the Belgian Congo. If you have never read it, you really should.

A smartly funny fairy-tale satire. Don't skip the glossary at the back-it's the best part.

Best coming of age story EVER! If you've read it, the part about the "bed of roses" makes me cry every time:)

Cinderella story in the pioneer west-it makes me cry too. Every little girl should be read this book aloud.

The story of how a mother raised 10 kids on 25 words or less.

How a senior devil teaches a junior devil the art of temptation.

Ever wonder how one of the most civilized and cultured countries readily followed Hitler? This book, told from the perspective of a young dwarf, answers that question.

Coming of age tale set in 1687 Connecticut.

White girl writes about the lives of the black "help" in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi and it is amazing.

While searching for their missing father, children learn how to "wrinkle time" so they can travel through space and time.

The grandfather of all Dystopian literature.

There's my list-what's yours?

Marriage Therapy

2013-05-20T15:01:00.001-05:00

Pre-run: We joke that we look like the "before" models of an Adidas campaign.

A little over a year ago, a friend invited us to join 5 other couples in running a relay marathon (Beach to Bay in Corpus, Christi) and so we started running together for the first time. It's been great (except for the actual running part). We have been surprised by the unexpected benefits of running together as a couple and now refer to our weekly runs as "marriage therapy".

I googled it, but I couldn't find any studies of how running strengthened marriages, but here's what I've learned.

1. Running is awful (anyone who says otherwise is a big fat liar), and doing awful things together brings you closer and makes you feel more united.

2. It provides a great uninterrupted chance to chat.

3. Taking care of yourself, is another way of telling your spouse you love them.

4. You always feel better when it's over.

Self portrait-Action Shot

The race was last Saturday, and it was fun ( I don't know why, but it was). We ran 4.69 miles in 47 minutes and 12 seconds. We play a little game where we give ourselves a point for every person we pass, and lose one for every person that passes us. Our goal was 50 and we finished with 61 points! It was also a bazillion degrees and neither of us collapsed from heat exhaustion, so we're calling it a win.

Post run: I love this group of people!!!!!!

In lieu of scientific studies, here are 6 couples (5 of which hate running) that would all say running together makes our marriages stronger.

Do you run together?

Good-bye Party-There's No Place Like Home

2013-05-16T13:51:00.000-05:00

I am lucky enough to work with a group of ladies at church, whose job is to put on a monthly activity for the rest of the ladies at church. Since we have 7 ladies moving this summer, we decided to do a good-bye dinner. Because everything is better w/ a theme we chose Wizard of Oz.

Here's what a group of amazing women can do with a guest list of 40 women and a budget of $100.

Did you know that after Dorothy went back to Kansas, the Tin Man opened up a potato bar?

I failed to get a picture of the tin-foil wrapped baked-potatoes and the "toronado" (sour cream). I also made a "Great and Wonderful Salad (aka spinach salad) that also didn't get photographed. I dug through the toolbox to find spare bolts and screws to make the little signs. We also had melted witch punch made my Amber at Mule and Nag. (We normally call it Yoda Soda at my house full of boys).

It is a tragedy of epic proportions that I didn't snap another pick of the dessert table fully loaded with the full rainbow of 500 cupcakes. We had orange creamsicle, key lime, pina colada, PB chocolate, and red velvet -all amazing.

I did manage to snap a pic of the "table legs" I stole from here. The wicked witch is apparently having some water retention issues.

I made them from an old pair of shoes I sprayed w/ glitter paint and old soccer socks that I stuffed w/ grocery bags and striped white.

I don't know if these turned out exactly as I envisioned, but we here's our table decor spotlighting HEART, BRAINS, and COURAGE.

I did about a 2 minute devotional on the things I've learned from the Wizard of Oz:

It’s better to be a good witch than a bad witch

Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable

There’s no place like home (our eternal home).

Do not confuse courage with wisdom.

Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don’t they?

That all it takes is one little girl to destroy wickedness.

You’ve always had the power to find your way home.

And finally,

A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.

Life is a journey, and just like in the movie, it is only possible with the help of good friends as they share their brains, courage, and mostly their hearts with us.

Ahead of time, we assigned someone to spotlight each lady that was moving and how she had been an example of courage, heart, and brains. There may have been a few tears.

We gave them each a twix bar covered w/ the wrappers that I made: (pdf here)

To finish off the night 2 woman sang the song "For Good" from Wicked and everyone got to leave w/ a bookmark with the lyrics.

It was an OZ-SOME night!

What I'm Reading Wednesdays-Nothing Good

2013-05-15T08:57:00.000-05:00

It was a hectic week and so I just went for something mindless. They also ended up being not great.

London is a girl who only "remembers" the future. Her brain resets each night and anything she did not write down is lost to her. The concept was a little hard to wrap my brain around and so the book lost some points there. My biggest complaint is that it just stops just about the point the big mystery is going to be revealed.

2 out of 5 stars

Ronnie is forced to leave New York and spend the summer in North Carolina with her father. She spends the summer protecting an endangered turtle's nest and falling in love with a local boy. It's about as good as you'd expect a book written especially with Miley Cyrus in mind.

Anyone see the movie?

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

So now I'm looking for something at least 4 stars. Suggestions?

Choffy

2013-05-08T17:19:00.001-05:00

Have you ever heard of Choffy? My good friend Susan is a distributor and I will let her tell you all about it:

Looking for a healthy and delicious chocolate drink?

Healthful and simply delicious Choffy is something for you to sip into! Choffy is 100% ground and roasted cacao beans.

I found Choffy this summer when I was looking for a "soda in the morning alternative". It has 20 calories, 3 carb, 0 sugars, 0 fats, and 0 chemicals. Choffy has Theobromine which is the gentle long lasting stimulant that gives you a lift without the crash and addiction of caffeine. Choffy is full of antioxidants; one 8 oz cup has as much as 2 cups of bluberries! I brew my morning cup of "cho" by boiling water, steeping the grounds in a french press for 10 minutes, and then adding creamer and sugar. I also enjoy Choffy after dinner when I want to avoid a calorie filled chocolate dessert.

To learn even more healthful benefits or to order your own bag of Choffy go to www.drinkchoffy.com/crazy4chocolate.

If you would like to try a sample of Choffy, LIKE our facebook page,
Choffy: Crazy4chocolate- Susan Davis! Private message us your contact information and we will send you one.

What I'm Reading Wednesday's-The Lunar Chronicles

2013-05-08T12:44:00.003-05:00

When I tried to describe the plot of these to my husband, it sounded so ridiculous, he thought I was kidding, but here it is:

Cinder is a young mechanical protege cyborg living in post-apocalyptic Beijing. She meets the handsome prince when he asks for his help repairing his android. Of course, there is a little romance and he even invites her to attend the royal ball.

Scarlet is a young women trying to find her missing grandmother with the help of a man named Wolf in the same post-apocalyptic world as Cinder, but in France.

I told you they sounded ridiculous, but I actually really enjoyed them both and am looking forward to the next one. I love Meyer's retelling of the classic story tales of Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood, and it was fun to see how she would interpret various aspects of the story. They won't change your life, but are lots of fun.

Mommy Warning: Fairly clean PG rated

4 out of 5 stars

Easiest way ever to "frost" a cupcake

2013-05-07T08:57:00.001-05:00

My daughter invited about 20 of her closest friends over to celebrate her 15th b-day. Since she didn't invite boys, I knew those girls would eat A LOT!

Martha Stewart made hers homemade, but I just used a box mix. After I baked the cupcakes, I stuck a marshmallow on top of each and stuck them under the broiler for 1-2 minutes. I used the back of spoon to flatten them.

I may never frost another cupcake again. Thanks Martha:)

What I'm Reading Wednesday-Code Name Verity

2013-05-01T09:45:00.000-05:00

Out of fear of over-hyping this book, I will try to keep all gushing under control and won't tell you how very much I loved it.

It is the story of an unlikely friendship. Maddie is a working class Jew and Julie is from a wealthy Scottish aristocratic family. They meet as female members of the WAAF in WWII. The Nazis shoot their plane down and one is captured and held as a POW. The story is actually her written confession to the Nazis and it is smart, funny, heroic, and tragic, and chocked full of literary allusions. If Lorelei Gilmore was ever a Nazi POW, this would be her story and I loved every single page.

..

Quotes I like:

"Don't you think it makes them stronger when you give them someone to despise? They look at me sniveling in the corner and think, "Mon Dieu. Don't ever let me be like her".

"It's like being in love, discovering your best friend."

"I have heard a good many people say that is (the war) is leveling hte British class system. Leveling is prehaps too strong a word, but it is certainly mixing us up a bit."

"You know, I speak German because I love German. What good was a degree in German literature going to do me? I was reading it because I loved it. Deutschland, das Land der Dicther und Denker, land of poets and thinkers. And now I will never even see Germany, unless they send me to Ravensbrueck-I will never see Berlin, or Cologne, or Dresden-or the Black Forest, the Rhine Valley, the blue Danube. I hate you, Adolf Hitler, you selfish wee beastie of a man, keeping Germany all to yourself. YOU RUIN EVERYTHING. "

I've actually lived in Germany for 11 years and adored the beauty,culture, food (really big fan of the food), the history and feel the exactly the same away about the Nazis. How could one country produce Beethoven, Saurbraten, beautiful castles, kinder Eggs big soft pretzels, and Hitler? We all agree Nazis were evil, but even though Hitler died 30 years before I was even born, I take what he did to Germany a little personally

Winston Churchill said, “In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.”

Mommy warnings: It's about WWII, so there is some violence, but I didn't find it overly graphic. There is some language.
Have you read it? What's the best book you've read lately?

This would be great for book club-here's some questions (Some of them from here. WARNING: Don't read them until after you read the book or it will spoil it.

Why is SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden keeping "Verity" alive and imprisoned at the Château de Bordeaux? Why do you think he is willing to give her so much time to write her confession?

At the beginning of Code Name Verity, "Verity" starts her confessional story from Maddie's perspective rather than her own. Why? Were you surprised when she reaveals herself.
In "Kittyhawk," part two of the book, the author changes narrators from "Verity" to Maddie. Does this change your expectations of what's going to happen? Does having two narrators detract from the story or strengthen it? Why?
Throughout the book, the author makes a number of allusions and refers to a good many poets and authors. What are some of the most significant allusions? How do you think these literary and historical influences help deepen your understanding of the characters? Did it remind anyone else of the Gilmore Girls?

How well do we really get to know Julie ("Verity")? What of her confession is "true"? She ends her confession by repeating and repeating "I have told the truth." What truths has she shared?

What are your impressions of Anna Engel? Is she a sympathetic character? Why or why not?

Maddie makes a life-or-death choice that you will probably never have to face. Given a similar bond of friendship, what would you do if you were in a situation that required you to hurt someone you loved?

If you were Julie's mother, how would you have reacted to Maddie's choice?
Would a romance between Jamie and Maddie work out?
If you were living at France at the time, would you have been a member of the resistance? Would it make a difference if you had children?
SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden has a daughter very similar to Julie that he supposedly loves. How do you think torturing Julie effects him? Is is an evil sadist or just following orders?
Through-out the book, both girls list and then change their 10 fears. What are some of your fears and have they changed since you were a teenager?
"I have heard a good many people say that is (the war) is leveling the British class system. Leveling is perhaps too strong a word, but it is certainly mixing us up a bit." (p. 119) thoughts?
Julie could endure every manner of torture, but could not deal with being called "Brittish". Do you think it was an act?
How could the same family produce Etienne and a large part of the local resitance?

Tons of great stuff about the book (inculding the fact that the author is a pilot herself) here

Catch Me if You Can-What I'm Reading Wednesdays

2013-04-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

I remember seeing the movie "Catch Me If you Can" a few years ago and was excited to read the Frank Abagnale's biography for my bookclub.

In case, you missed the movie, Frank Abagnale was a teenage con artist that wrote about 2.5 millions of dollars worth of bad checks in the 1960's. He also posed as a Pan Am pilot in order to score free trips around the world. He may have also posed as a lawyer, doctor and professor.

Overall it was an interesting read, but I had a few problems with the book:

1. Frank Abagnale is pretty much a liar, womanizer, thief and complete dirt bag. The book is pretty much just about him, and I didn't like him very much. Supposedly he's now reformed, but he does sell this book on his website, so he is still profiting from his crimes.

2. Many of his schemes were fairly repetitive and I found myself skimming.

3. Many of the claims in the book are gross exaggerations or even lies. This bothers me because it is supposed to be a work of non-fiction. His disclaimer:
"I was interviewed by the co-writer only about four times. I believe he did a great job of telling the story, but he also over-dramatized and exaggerated some of the story. That was his style and what the editor wanted. He always reminded me that he was just telling a story and not writing my biography."

4. It ends shortly before he was caught, which is a horrible way to end the story.

It was a great choice for bookclub and our host did a great job researching and doing "truth checks" for us. If you are looking for a book that will spur on a great discussion, this will be perfect for you.

Puff Pankcakes

2013-04-22T14:21:00.001-05:00

Here's my suggestion for a quick and easy meal:

Sometimes people call these German Pancakes, but since I wasn't served them once the entire 11 years I lived there, I call them Puff-Pancakes.

Directions:
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 Tb butter

Preheat oven to 450. Place butter in 13x9 pan and place into oven until melted (watch closely so it doesn't burn). Beat remaining ingredients together and pour on top of melted butter. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake another 5-10 minutes until it looks like this:

We are pigs so I double the recipe

I like them best sprinkled with powdered sugar or topped with strawberries and whipped cream, but you can serve them with your favorite pancake toppings

Author Review Sarah Addison Allen

2013-04-17T10:01:00.000-05:00

In an effort to add some sort of consistancy to the blog, Wednesday's are now going to be "Book Day".

Lately, I've read all of Sarah Addison Allen's books. The Peach Keeper (review here) was my favorite and the Girl Who Chased the Moon was my least favorite.

One critic harshly labeled her a one trick pony. Her books are all very similar, but I find it an extremely wonderful pony.

They all:
-are set in small North Carolina towns and are full of southern charm and wisdom.
-contrast who we were to who we are now
-have strong female relationships
-contain fantastic romance
-contain a smidgen of magic and mystery-wall paper that changes according to moods, food that causes emotions, ghosts, magic apple trees
- end in happily-ever-afters

Mostly I love Allen's beautiful writing style. For example, I would say, "The sun didn't go down until late because it was summer." She said,"Summer was a lady who didn't give up her spotlight easy." Fabulous.

I didn't take notes on most of the books, but here are some quotes I like from Sugar Queen.
In all my life, I've only been sure of one thing. Food makes everything better. At least until its gone."

“A hard cry could draw walls in, it could bend metal, it could turn a full moon into a sliver.”

“Sometimes what it is inside will change your life, but sometimes you don't have to read it. Sometimes it is a comfort just to have a book around.”

"I lost myself trying to find happiness in things that didn’t love me back.”

"It was always easier to be generous with people you didn’t know well."

Have you read any of her books?

Share-A-Tip-Night

2013-04-12T18:57:00.001-05:00

Last night we had a "Share-A-Tip" night at church. It was better than Pinterest-there was even strawberry shortcake-which we ate at the beginning instead of the end (b/c I was in charge and didn't have time to eat dinner and was hungry).

We decorated the tables with funny "tip jars" that said stuff like:
"tipping: bad for cows, good for us" and "My name is Inigo Montoya-prepare to tip" or my personal favorite-Darth declaring he "finds your lack of tipping disturbing".

We found 3x5 notebooks at the dollar store (5/$1) and just covered them with scrapbook paper so everyone could take notes.

Here's some amazing stuff people shared:

I shared my shower cleaner and garden slug killer.

-How to clean oven burners: place them in a ziploc bag w/ 1/4 cup ammonia and let them sit overnight. Wipe them clean-no scrubbing.

-Clean your microwave-Add a splash of vinegar to a bowl of water. Nuke 5 minutes. The steam will loosen the gunk, then just wipe it out.

-If you spray Listerine around your front door, it will keep the bugs away.

-Gently mist your make-up with rubbing alcohol to disinfect it.

-Power Volume Collagen is the best mascara for those of us w/ thin, short lashes.

-Biz is great for stain removal.

-To make cake flour, add 2 Tb of cornstarch to every cup of flour.

-To calculate the tip, just double the tax.

-WD40 will stop creaky doors and will clean your stainless appliances.

-Pull out your fridge and dryer every so often and vacuum.

-Clorox wipes are magic.

-Lipstick will help you feel better on bad days.

-When life seems hard, a little chocolate and a nap helps.

-Sprinkle baking soda and lavender essential oil on wet beds. Wait and hour and vacuum to remove pee smells.

-When life is the craziest-stop and take a picture. It can help diffuse the situation.

-Teach your kids to act not react.

-When your kids won't stop begging. Inform them they have "asked" and you have "answered".

-It's pretty easy to get on the nominating committees to elect people.

There were a few more, that I didn't write down, because I was probably chatting w/ the person next to me.

Pretty much a perfect night for me. I got to eat cake, hang-out with fabulous women and I even learned some stuff.

Food Stamps Made* Me Fat

2013-04-06T21:13:00.001-05:00

If you read the name of my blog you might assume that:
a. I am incredibly good-looking
b. My husband makes a ton of money
c. I spend hours a day exercising and undergoing intense beauty treatments.

If you know me in real life, you may see a little irony my blog title.

Truth be told, I haven't always lived in the lap of middle-class luxury that I do now. Yesterdays Hope Studio's Feedback Friday got me thinking about a time when I was the recipient of several forms of government aid and I wrote the following rant based solely on my experiences.

I believe our current welfare system is broken and will be one of the driving forces of our eventual national economic ruin. No nation can survive when half the country is trying to support the other half. Politicians that try and change the system are painted as money-hoarding heartless monsters who laugh maniacally as widows and orphans painfully starve to death.

Let's face it rich politicians just can't take benefits away from poor people, but they should and here's why:

WIC Made* Me to Stop Breastfeeding
After the birth of my first child, I taught high school. Trying to juggle a classroom and pumping breast milk sucked, but I couldn't afford formula. The school secretary suggested I apply for WIC to get free baby formula. We qualified, and received free milk, juice, cheese, peanut butter, tuna, beans, and baby formula.

WIC is supposed to promote breastfeeding, but by giving me free formula, they made it possible for me to quit. **

My baby drank every ounce of our free formula, but lots of WIC moms turn around and sell the formula and actually make a profit. Go do a search on Craig's List if you don't believe me.

WIC is supposed to provide nutrition classes to moms, but every class I had to sit through was a complete waste of time. Sometimes they provided information that was just plain wrong. For example, I sat through an entire class on why I should eat corn tortillas instead of flour ones. They kept saying that each flour tortilla contains 30 grams of fat.

Food Stamps Made Me Fat
When we lived well below the poverty level, we tried to keep our food budget to about $200 a month. We always had plenty to eat, but couldn't afford a lot of junk food or prepared food. Then we went on food stamps and we were given $485 a month for the 4 of us. We could then afford to buy ANYTHING we wanted. Ben and Jerry's ice cream?-yep! Frozen California Pizza Kitchen? -no problem. Steak and Brisket?-BBQ at our house!

I think I put on about 10 pounds.

What's your current food budget? Here's how much you could get on food stamps (source)

People in Household	Maximum Monthly Allotment
1	$ 200
2	$ 367
3	$ 526
4	$ 668
5	$ 793
6	$ 952
7	$ 1,052
8	$ 1,202
Each additional person	$ 150

We are finally (and gratefully) financially secure and our family eats very well on the current food budget of $500-$600 a month. Moms all over Pinterest put my budget to shame and feed their families for $200-$300 a month.

A family of 5 qualifies for $793 in food stamps. In addition to food stamps, that same family might also still be eligible for WIC and free breakfast and lunch at school for the kids. So basically they just need to feed the kids dinner and meals on weekends. How could you not overeat with that food budget?

(just b/c I am curious leave me a comment telling me your family size and current monthly food budget)

I used to think it was silly that you could buy soda at the 7-11 down the street as long as you waited until after you left the store to put a straw in the cup. However, now you can even eat out at restaurants. Recently more and more fast food places are accepting EBT (food stamps)-Subway, Dominoes, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and many many more. Here's a link to 17 pages of restaurants in LA that will happily take your food stamps.

(I couldn't find the source for this-but it is sadly true)

Food Stamps Made* Me Rich

In Texas, benefits come in the form of the "Lone Star Card" which acts like a credit card, except for the fact you don't need to show ID. This causes a huge problem with people exchanging their benefits for cash (and who knows what else).

Food Stamps Made* Me Lazy
There are people in tough situations that might actually starve without these benefits. There are also people that just don't feel like getting a job. Either way, the government will pay you for doing nothing.
I think if you don't get a job, your benefits are supposed to stop, but in my experience, it pretty much went like this: "You need to get a job or else...I will ask you again next time if you have a job".

Food Stamp Made* Me High
Many states are trying to require mandatory drug tests in order to receive benefits. I guess some are offended that our tax dollars may being used to get people high. There isn't a test that will tell us if people are spending beneits on alcohol, gambling, women etc? I personally don't think we can stop people from misusing benefits and that drug testing will just end up costing taxpayers more in the end.

(although I did see drug tests at the Dollar Store last night)

Here Are Some of My Suggestions:
1. Limit the amount of food stamps to $150/ person over age 10 and $100 under age 10. In certain areas with high costs of living, allow for additional benefits.
2. Don't allow for double-dipping. If a family qualifies for free school lunch, then reduce their food stamp budget accordingly.
3. Get rid of WIC altogether. One national food program is enough and most of the services they offer are redundant.
4. Limit what types of food a person is allowed to buy on food stamps to healthier options and there is no way tax dollars should be used to pay for fast food.
5. Require a picture ID for all food stamp purchases.
6. Require recipients to do something (anything) in exchange for benefits. They could volunteer in neighborhood clean-up projects, schools, libraries, city landscaping, nursing homes.....Just think of how this could change our country for the better.

I don't ever see the changes going into effect, but wouldn't it be wonderful if someone applied some common sense to welfare reform? I am sending a copy of the post (and all the comments-so add your 2 cents) to my congressman.

Rant over.

I will now return you to the regular program of projects, recipes, and the normal housewifey hodge-podge of stuff I usually blog about.

*Of course none of these programs "made" me do anything -playing the victim just seems so "in" these days.

** Please don't leave comments on how I poisoned my baby w/ formula. I realize breastmilk is best, but my formula fed baby is just as smart, good-looking, healthy and athletic as my 2 breastfed kids. Also being my only girl, she even has way better personal hygiene habits.

***I know they are no longer called Food Stamps,they are now SNAP, but if I kept talking about SNAP, many of you might think I was ranting about a blog conference.

Fun and Flirty Bow Shirt Tutorial (sorta)

2013-04-04T12:37:00.001-05:00

I am a little obsessed w/ bows. I am worried that I am too old to pull the look off, but I made this fun and flirty shirt for my daughter.

I used a cream chiffon w/ tiny gold dots. For the basic shirt I used Simplicity 2599. To snazz it up, I added a bow. If I would have known it was going to turn out this adorable, I would have taken some pictures while I was making it. Hope this makes some sense.

1. Cut 2 strips of fabric 18x6.5 inches (bow) and 3.5 by 4.5 inches (knot).

2. Fold each strip in half lengthwise. (right sides together)

3. Using a 3/8 inch seam allowance, sew along the unfolded edge. Don't forget to leave a space open to turn it inside out.

4. Turn them right-side out.

5. Fold the bow into a bow shape.

6. Put the knot in the middle and hand stitch the ends together on the back of the bow.

7. Tack into place where I put x's on the pic below.

It's not as fabulous as the front, but here's a pic of the back.

Standardized Test?

2013-04-02T10:35:00.000-05:00

source

It's standardized test week at all my kid's schools (maybe even the entire state of Texas).

I just got back from the elementary school and it is full of "Shh! We're Testing" signs. Facebook is equally full of rants and snarky comments about the general unpleasantness of all things testing.

I haven't got any good hate mail lately, so I thought I'd share a little secret with you:

I think standardized testing is a good idea.

I don't think it's a perfect system but here are 2 main reasons I approve:

1. Being a military family we move a lot (6 schools so far) and standardized tests are a good way for me to evaluate schools in an unfamiliar area.

2. My child could bring home straight A's all year long, but these tests show me that they actually learned what they were supposed to learn.

Of course, I think far too much time and money is wasted on these things. Here's how I would improve things:

Expense: Normally, I am against big federal government, but I think it would make more sense to develop one standarized test each year instead of 50 different ones.

Time: My kids will each endure 2 solid days of testing-which is simply too long. I think there should be 30 minute tests in each of the following areas: reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. They could even do one a day for a week.

Fairness: I think most states have allowances for kid's with special needs or learning disabilities, but if not, they should.

Relevance: Tests should be given the last week or so of school. There's still 2 months of school left.

Rant away blogland and tell me that I'm wrong.

Best Ever Carrot Cake Frosting

2013-03-28T13:15:00.002-05:00

Easter is on Sunday. (which seems crazy early to me).

I needed to make a treat yesterday, so I made these mini-carrot cupcakes. I just used a boxed mix-nothing special. We all know that no one eats carrot cake for the cake part-we just eat the frosting, because we would feel like totally pigs, if we just served ourselves a big heaping pile of frosting.

Sometimes the frosting is a little too sweet and heavy for me, but I found this recipe at Kraft and it is carrot cake frosting perfection.

All you need to do is beat the following:

8oz. cream cheese-softened

8 oz. Cool Whip- thawed

1/2 tsp vanilla

tip: if the cream cheese or Cool Whip are too cold, the cream cheese won't blend properly and it will be lumpy.

You can sprinkle a little cinnamon on top for flair.

I think they taste the best refrigerated.

Happy Easter!

The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe

2013-03-22T08:41:00.001-05:00

This is the true story of mother and son and the books they discuss and she undergoes treatment for terminal cancer. The mom is a superwomen who raised three kids, worked for Ivy League schools and devoted her life to the plight of refugees around the world.

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

The following quote pretty much sums up the book:

"They (books) help us talk. But they also give us something we all can talk about when we don't want to talk about ourselves." (58)

"Throughout her life, whenever Mom was sad or confused or disoriented, she could never concentrate on television, she said, but always sought refuge in a book. Books focused her mind, calmed her, took her outside of herself; television jangled her nerves" (25)
-me too:)

"It was as if you were critiquing a restaurant based on the decor, while she was talking about the food." (41)

"I often forget that other people's stories aren't simply introductions to my own more engaging , more dramatic, more relevant, and better told tales, but rather ends in themselves, tales I can learn from or repeat or dissect or savor" (50)
-I am so guilty of interrupting people-it drives my husband CRAZY! So I took this to heart.

..."he wore his learning so lightly and had such curiosity about other people that he had the ability to make everyone around him feel smart and well-read." (56)

"Secrets..rarely explained or excused anything in real life, or were even all that interesting." (58)

"If you want to work outside the home, you should. if you can afford not to and you don't want to, then you shouldn't." (72)

"The world is complicated. You don't have to have one emotion at a time." (88)

"Do you want me to ask how you're feeling" (99)
-I think this is great advice for dealing w/ someone with a serious illness.

"But I don't entirely approve of people who get advance degrees and then decide to stay home. I think if society gives you the gift of one of those educations and you take a spot in a competitive institution, then you should do something with that education to help others." (246)
-What do you think of this? I think it's stupid to take out hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans to pay for a degree that you don't plan to use, but I don't think any education can ever be "wasted".

I read this book over several weeks. It's just not the type of book that you devour in one or two sittings, but there is a lot of wisdom and insight and it is worth your time. 4 stars