Tenuous Thoughts of Candy

Celebrating Hump Day with Peyton Manning

2012-03-07T00:01:00.005-05:00

I shed a few tears when I watched Peyton Manning talk about his career as a Colt when announcing that he was now a free agent. Listening to a man I respect choking back tears gets me every time. Like Peyton (well, kind of) I have been a Colt my entire adult life. And, like him, I will always be a Colt. But, you better believe I will have a new Manning jersey from which ever team is lucky enough to grab him this year. I don't know if Peyton will come back this year full force. Most athletes don't after an injury. But, I do know without a doubt he is an offensive genius and any team would be lucky to have his head on their side. Of course I dreamed Peyton would retire as a Colt and become an offense coordinator for the Colts. I'll live.

Good Ole Rocky Top!

No body...

can do it...

like Peyton!

One of my favorite days ever.

Good day. Good good day!

Peyton, Archie and Eli Manning

Manning brothers at the ProBowl

Handmade Monday! Creative Chics on Etsy

2012-03-05T00:01:00.001-05:00

I get lost on (in) Etsy. I search for random things, or just browse by topic. Sometimes I click on something I like, then some clicks later I'm in an entirely different shop looking at something completely opposite of what I originally was 'looking for.' In one of my late night browsing sprees I stumbled on Creative Chics - 'Womens Handmade Aprons in Custom Designs; Classy, Feminine, Traditional, Sexy and Cute Kitsch.'

To sum it up... Aprons to die for! As I was looking through these awesome aprons I kept thinking ' I want a dress (or skirt) like that!

My favorite!!!

Love LoVe LOVE!!!

About Creative Chics (from their welcome page)

'You could say Creative Chics was “born” when Mom started making all of my childhood clothing, little girl dresses and cute outfits 40+ years ago. A few years ago we dusted off our sewing machines and started sewing together, enjoying a past time we had long set aside but never forgotten. And with that we forged a new mother/daughter relationship of love, honor and respect for each other.

So we (Mom Freda and daughter Debbie) decided we had to find a way to support our refound love of sewing, of compulsively collecting fabrics until our shelves were overloaded. Let’s face it, how many aprons can any single family member really want! And yet we couldn’t stop creating them. In that instant Creative Chics was born, the brain child of this Mother Daughter duo.

Then along came Carol, my Aunt and Mom’s youngest sister, who also loves to sew. We convinced her to join us as she had years of sewing experience too. Within months we welcomed Yuriko, my new daughter in law into the Chics. She came with no sewing experience but lots of interest and ability and soon had her own sewing machine humming right alongside ours. My closest girlfriend joined us as the 5th Creative Chic when she moved back from Texas and was trying to decide how to fill her days. We welcomed her in to our group of Chics.

Most of us have business or technical backgrounds working outside the home but all of us have always loved being creative. Our jobs just never afforded us a true creative outlet…until now.

So there are 5 Creative Chics in all, each with unique tastes in fabric and style. We all work out of our home studios and meet up every few weeks for a product photo shoot, show and tell of all our new creations, and swap stories over lunch. I think each one of us can say without hesitation this is the best job we have ever had hands down. We love the camaraderie and the laughter we share, we love the creative outlet and ideas, we love the challenge of running our own business and seeing it succeed, we love hearing how our products have affected and touched the lives of our customers. But the biggest gift it has given us is the gift of each other.'

With 5 ladies working only on aprons, and prices ranging from $18.75- $45, you are bound to find a new 'kitchen dress' that suits you!

In communication with the shop Freda (for all the chics) wrote: 'We believe Creative Chics is an inspiration to women and entrepreneurs and hope your readers would feel the same.' I'd say (for me, at least) she hit the nail on the head!

Here are a few more that I just had to share!

How cute!

Isn't this amazing!?

Something about those flowers.

Reminds me of old diners.

Simply adorable!

I just really love the yellow paired with black and white. Incredible!

I'm not crazy... these would make gorgeous dresses, right?!

Just as well, they are gorgeous kitchen dresses.

Tasty! Southwestern Chili Eggrolls

2012-03-01T21:42:00.000-05:00

This is my creation from years ago when I first heard about White Chicken Chili. I babysat a boy daily and his mom brought over a seasoning packet (with some groceries). Just a glance at the photo on the spice packet and I knew this seasoning was destined to do far greater things... in Candy Land at least.

I used to make it with chicken and am bent like a hockey stick on not using chicken, I'm just not crazy about meat, and I don't like using meat in a big pot of chili or soup because it starts tasting weird to me the next day. Heat, cool, refridgarate repeat is not my favorite thing in the world, especially when it comes to meat. I used tofu for a while in the place of chicken and finally just decided why bother. Beans have protein... I'm good.

These days I start with a soup pot on medium heat.

I add 3 cans of plain Northern (white) Beans very well rinsed.

I add one can of well rinsed plain Black Beans.

(Using dry, canned or frozen beans works just as well)

Add a packet of White Chicken Chili seasoning.

(I'm working on making this from scratch, I'm sure it'll be much cheaper!)

I add 2 handfuls of frozen spinach in a colander and rinse it until it's not frozen.

(Just throwing it it frozen is fine, just don't add as much water to the pot later.)

I also add corn. I use rinsed frozen... I just add it until it looks right, probably a cup or so?

I add a little water to the pot at any point. The water gets reduced and thickens a little to make this concoction chili like instead of a pot of veggies.

Give it a few stirs and let it cook through.

It's a super quick meal as is, but has a ton of possibilities.

I like toasting mini wheat bagels, scratching a clove of garlic over the toasted tops, spreading a little peppercorn ranch over the bagel then spooning a little of this chili over top.

I also like to spread some chili in a tortilla shred some pepper jack cheese in there and fold up like a quesadilla and brown both sides. I use pepper corn ranch alone or mixed with a little avacado as a dip. YUM.

This chili is awesome over a baked potato or fries, even sweet potato fries.

I like to get those scoop shaped tortilla chips, and spoon a little chili with cheese, ranch, avacado ranch or cream cheese for little snack .

I have a habit of using eggroll wrappers on an entire pot these days.

Eggroll wrappers usually have instructions on how to wrap them. I suggest letting your chili get to room temp before wrapping them up. The wrappers won't be so soggy and fall apart as easy.

I reheat them in the toaster oven, and don't refridgarate until they have cooled completely.

They are best when fresh. I like a little peppercorn ranch or avacado peppercorn ranch to dip them in.

Giveaway- Win $120 with Contest Chest!

2012-02-27T03:53:00.000-05:00

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Handmade Monday! Winking Owl on Etsy

2012-02-27T00:01:00.000-05:00

While searching Etsy for 'apples' I came across this very awesome tablecloth from WinkingOwl:

My eye was immediately drawn to the small photos of 'other items' from this shop, and totally fell in love!

Unfortunately these are out of my budget at the time, but I can drool right?!

I have a love for peacocks.

I love this color!

After I contacted Winking Owl I was sent a link to the above item. My 'apple' thoughts motivated her to take some photos. I'm in love with everything about this photo, including the lucky cat!

What Winking Owl would like you to know-

' 2012 is starting to show itself as a stellar year and we are excited about what the future will bring to our boutique operation. We started the year off by moving our studio into a larger and brighter space. This move is allowing us the ability to think big and design even bigger. Please make sure to follow us as we continue to evolve and grow our line. '

What I've found out about Winking Owl...

First, I visited this website and this blog. I found this facebook page.

What I discovered was a very loving and talented person. Someone who has traveled, worked hard for other people and someone who cares about helping others in ways I only dream of. I am more than just inspired by this shops beautiful items. I am inspired by the woman(women?) behind this shop.

I've also concluded that I was almost certainly a Mexican woman in a past life. The vibrant colors are exactly my 'style'. I love every single item from this shop, sure I have favorites, but would be proud too own anything from Winking Owl. One day, I will! But, first things first, I need my own home to display such gorgeous things! Until my day comes, I'll just drool... come drool with me, or better yet buy yourself (or a friend) something beautiful!

Tasty! Tzatziki Sauce and Chicken Chunks

2012-02-23T00:01:00.113-05:00

I usually make a big pot of brown rice at the beginning of each week and then eat off of it throughout the week. I made yellow (saffron) rice this week instead. Even if I want yellow rice I usually still make the brown rice too. I didn't feel like both this week, so I only made the yellow.

My son and I shared this plate. He thinks it's really cool to eat off of the same plate...

My favorite thing to eat with yellow rice is black beans.

I put a few cups of black beans on medium heat with a small amount of water, a little ground cumin, a little salt and pepper and a pinch of chili powder.

(These came from a can- I ALWAYS drain and rinse anything from a can a few times before cooking with it.)

Nothing goes better with black beans and yellow rice than Tzatziki. This is another item that is almost always in my fridge.

For my Tzatziki I pour a big tub (32oz) of Greek Yogurt into a bowl.

I like to drain it, but you don't have to if it's not dripping wet.

I peel, remove the seeds and chop half of a cucumber.

The cucumber will need to be drained. I put some white rice in a small bowl, add a few coffee filters, and sprinkle salt over the top.

I add minced garlic (maybe a tablespoon?) to the yogurt.

I usually use about a 1/8 -1/4 teaspoon of fresh dill.

I used dried dill for the first time ever this time, I had to use a lot more to get the flavor I wanted. Probably 1/2 teaspoon.

I know the fact that I don't measure is pretty aggravating, but we all have different tastes so I just think it's important to taste your food as you cook to see what you like. Always start out with a little, then you can add, once you add too much there's no turning back.

I add salt and black pepper to taste.

Then, add the cucumber once drained.

Sometimes I drain over night, this week I wanted my Tzatziki with my dinner so I only let it drain for about 30 minutes.

Mix it up and you're good to go. Like with salsa, the flavors get stronger as it sits in the fridge.

Chicken Chunks:

I like to make these for my son instead of giving him nuggets.

I clean boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Cut into bite size? (more like 2 bite sized) chunks.

In one dish I mix about half a cup of Greek (or plain) yogurt, pepper and garlic powder.

In another dish I mix wheat and white flour, and salt.

I roll the chicken chunks in the yogurt mix, then roll them around in the flour mix.

Then I bake or fry the chunks until they are golden brown and thoroughly cooked.

I place them on a baking sheet and place it in the freezer for a few hours.

Once frozen enough to not stick to each other I put them in a baggie or a freezer safe container.

Throughout the week I can give him 'nuggets'. 4 can be microwaved in 1 minute. Or baked at 425 for about 10-15 minutes.

I have tried to make pita bread so many flippin times and just am never satisfied with it! I've come SO close to great pita bread, but have not found my go-to recipe for it... so I just bought some from the store. While I was plating my food, I put a piece of pita on the burner the beans had been cooked on (heat off), flipping once, just to warm it up.

The yellow rice comes from a bag. I add a little olive oil to the water as it boils before adding the rice.

So that was some of what we ate this week!

Celebrating Hump Day with Charles Bukowski

2012-02-22T00:01:00.023-05:00

Charles Bukowski is my absolute favorite author ever.

Bukowski was born in Germany in 1920. His family moved to America when he was 3. He was first published when he was 20 years old, but it wasn't until he was 40 that his first book was published. Less than 50 of his published books are still in print.
He is absolutely hysterical. I am always laughing out loud when I read his work. I've never enjoyed someone's story telling as much as I do his. When I read Bukowski, I feel it. I get lost in his words and am unreachable to the world and I absolutely love him for that. A few of his books were made into movies. You can also find some movies of him reading and just talking about life. I'm not sure how many people could sit through it. But I'm so in love with him I watch every second and hear every word.

My collection includes these Bukowski books, one day I hope to have them all:

Notes Of A Dirty Old Man

Post Office

Factotum

made into a movie

Women

Ham On Rye
on of my favorites

Hot Water Music

The Most Beautiful Woman In Town And Other Stories

Tales Of Ordinary Madness

I love this one and gave it to a friend... I shouldn't have

The Movie: "Barfly"
Mickey Rourke plays Hank and is incredible!

Hollywood

Run With The Hunted

Pulp

Living On Luck Vol. 2

The Captain Is Out To Lunch And The Sailors Have Taken Over The Ship

Charles Bukowski Selected Letters Vol. 2 65-70

Charles Bukowski Selected Letters Vol. 4 87-94

Charles Bukowski new poems Book 1

Onthebus-Winter 93/Spring 94-Issue 13 (Onthebus- A New Literary Magazine, Issue 13)

Handmade Mondays!

2012-02-20T22:11:00.000-05:00

I spend a lot of time browsing Etsy. I LOVE seeing what people make... I also love vintage, so Etsy is pretty much my favorite website. I browse it almost daily and am constantly finding some amazing shops!

I have an incredible love for handmade. I buy handmade every chance I get because I just think it's an important part of social and economic life. I have always been pretty crafty, and usually my friends (when I have them) are crafty too. Because of that, I think I can understand and appreciate other peoples work and it's true worth.

I've decided to try 'Handmade Monday's' here on Tenuous Thoughts of Candy. My intentions are to feature a different shop, store, or crafty person each week.

Shops featured on Handmade Mondays are just shops or sites whose items or art caught my eye. These are not shops I've actually made a purchase from or have any type of review scheduled with. The purpose of these posts will be to highlight the things I'm finding and want to share with other people. If I make a purchase from a shop and/or review their products those posts will be titled with 'Tenuous Thought of...'.

I've got a few few shops interested and I will have my first Handmade Monday post next week.

If you know of a handmade shop who'd like to be featured here on Tenuous Thoughts of Candy, please contact me. Having an Etsy shop is not required to have a feature posted. I do ask that the shop/person is aware that a post will be made and prefer that the shop owner or creators write a small about us, or what we'd like you to know bit for me to include in the post. Any sales or coupon codes are welcome, and photos of actual products are required.

Tenuous Thoughts of the Cinnamon Bun Coffee Bar from Great Cakes Soapworks!

2012-02-20T06:18:00.001-05:00

Cinnamon Bun Coffee Soap

I ordered this bar from Great Cakes Soapworks for the kitchen. The smell is amazing! I actually don't smell the coffee, just the cinnamon bun. It is awesome! I cut my soap bar so I'm only using 1/5 of the bar. I have a 3 year old and if he gets a hold of a bar of soap it magically shrinks to the size of a quarter in no time. I'm not risking that with these soaps. 1/5 of the bar is plenty. Before I even used the soap the entire kitchen smelled amazing. So good that I got the rest of the bar from under my cabinet in the bathroom and put it on top of my TV so my room would smell yummy too. It worked.

Don't you just love that swirl?!

I was a little worried the cinnamon would burn my skin (I'm very sensitive).... I should have known better, Amy knows what's she's doing. No irritation, no redness. I didn't have a strong smell to clean up after, but my hands were a little greasy. I'm happy to report the soap took care of the grease. The lather is awesome. I was kind of expecting the smell to linger on my hands once washed, but it didn't. I mean, if I put my hand to my nose I still smell it, but I'm not a walking cinnamon bun.

All in all, I'm in love with this bar! Get yourself one (or a few) here.

Free Shipping this weekend from Etsy seller: NatsKnapSack!

2012-02-18T23:44:00.000-05:00

I was strolling through new items on Etsy today, because that's what I do with my time... and I came across these cute earrings from NatsKnapSack :

I think they are really simple and cute, so I 'hearted' them.

Shorty after, I got a message from Natassia letting me know that she was offering Free Shipping this weekend when you use the code 'justbecause' during checkout.

She offers simple, customizable jewelry. Here are a few more pieces that caught my eye.

Tenuous Thoughts of the Beer and Patchouli Shampoo Bar from Great Cakes Soapworks!

2012-02-17T23:21:00.002-05:00

I actually got my package on Monday (I ordered Friday night I believe). So, super fast shipping!

Amy packed it with care... this photo was an after thought... after I already tore through the tape and went digging into my goodies!

What was in the box?

these sample sized soaps were included in my Soap Grab Bag!

Amy added a sample size of her Natural Facial Moisturizer because I placed such a 'great' order! I won't argue with that!

As you can see, I got a TON of goodies.

I'm going to start my reviews of Great Cake Soapworks products with the shampoo bar. I'd like to give thoughtful and useful reviews, and if I pile reviews of every item I ordered this post would be so painfully long not even I would be able to sit through it. And, I pretty much don't get sick of talking about these soaps!

Beer & Seaweed Shampoo Bar- Deep Patchouli

I. Love. It. I'm a minimalist when it comes to hair care anyway, so switching from a regular shampoo to the bar was a piece of cake for me. I used to wash my hair with baking soda... yep... followed by an apple cider vinegar rinse. Using the shampoo bar is WAS easier than the whole baking soda ordeal.

My hair is about 5 inches past my shoulders. There is dye in my hair, but only towards the bottom, I dyed it a while ago to match my roots a beautiful (ha!) dishwater dark blonde/light brown with a newly noticed reddish hue... I'm trying really hard to get used to my natural hair color. It has changed so much since I got pregnant. Honestly, I have dyed my hair so much in my life I am just used to seeing me in something more fun- like purple! If there is any damage it is at the tips from a year ago when I used a flat iron on it about once a week, would blow dry it just as often.

I do not currently use products in my hair. I do not blow dry, flat iron, curl or brush my hair.

Now that you know about my hair, here is what I think about the shampoo bar:

The lather on this bar is amazing! When I used it the first time I sat in the tub and thought... did I not rinse all of the shampoo from my hair last time or something?... the lather was THAT good! I seriously thought for a minute maybe I wasn't rinsing the back of my head well enough when using shampoo. Then of course I realized, my shampoo didn't lather that much for me, so it had to be the shampoo bar!

With the first wash I did not rinse with vinegar because I wanted to know what the shampoo bar could do on it's own. While still in the tub I was able to get my fingers through my hair. After a light towel dry, I was still able to get my hands through my hair. Once dry, my hair had more body, more wave, but was a bit frizzy- not horrible at all, just noticeable to me.

The second wash (a different day) I used the vinegar rinse and my hair is just like it always was with regular shampoo and conditioner- just smelled better! No kidding! I can't wait to see how my hair does after more washes. I know I have residue from my commercial products. I wouldn't be surprised if after time I get a little more body out of my hair, once the residue is gone and not weighing down my thin hair.

I Skype with my sister on the regular, I showed her my hair today and she was shocked! She has been hearing about Great Cakes Soapworks from me for about a month. When I got my box I called her immediately and showed her on Skype everything I got. She doesn't know it yet, but I'll be sending her a few things. She is actually curious about the shampoo bars now too after seeing my hair today. She really could not believe it. I know when I was talking about the shampoo bar and rinsing with vinegar she thought I had lost my mind. Even though I have more soap than I can use right now, I'm already thinking of my next order. I have an addiction! I love her, but she's not getting my shampoo bar! I'll be sure to grab her one with my next order though.

UPDATE 2/20/12: I totally forgot to mention the smell of this bar. If you like Patchouli you'll love it. My whole bathroom smells like Patchouli (constantly). My hair also has the lingering smell of Patchouli. I love it!

Also, I washed my son's hair with this bar last night and the results were awesome! I actually don't wash my son's hair unless he has played outside or... he has paint in his hair, like last night. His hair is kind of long and tends to get knotty in the back. No conditioner needed, no tangles. I was very impressed.

UPDATE 2/25/12: These are my 'after' photos. After I used the shampoo bar for the first time. I did not do a vinegar rinse. I did not think to take a before... I also forgot I took these photos until I uploaded from my camera. I'm really bad about taking photos, and remembering to upload them. Forgive me!

See the frizz? You can see the in the other photos that it wasn't noticeable. If this is how my hair looks everyday now that I'm using this bar... fine by me! I think it looks great. With store bought my hair dried almost straight. All this wave and curl looks pretty awesome! And, with the AC Vinegar rinse the frizz is gone.

Tenuous Thoughts about Sneakpeeq

2012-02-17T21:54:00.001-05:00

I just made my second purchase from Sneakpeeq and wanted to share.

I really enjoy this particular daily deal type site. I am always finding something cool at Sneakpeeq. I just like to look at things, I don't have to buy anything... but sometimes I do!

My first purchase was a set of 4 organic fair trade dark chocolate bars I ended up getting for $1 shipped! I had planned on posting about them after I got them... but they were gone very quickly. I shared with my mom and son next thing I knew... nothing was left. I'm not into photography, so I have to make it a point to take a photo, and I just forgot until it was too late.

Today I bought 2 14oz glass bottles from Faucet Face on Sneakpeeq for about $14 shipped. I'm in love! I drink water out of a reusable stainless steel water bottle that used to have Batman symbols all over it... I use it so much (all day every day) that they wore off, so now it's just black... sigh... anyway. I drink lemonade at least once a day, and like to have lemon water to start my day, but I don't like the thought of the lemon juice and metal. My teeth hurt just thinking about it. So when I saw these adorable glass bottles I fell in love. They have lids so I can return unfinished drinks to the fridge without them tasting stale next time around.

Cute huh? I had a $10 credit I earned at some point for sharing or shopping, not sure which. If you are new to Sneakpeeq I believe you will get a $10 credit for signing up!

*If you click a link on this post to go to Sneakpeeq and register I may receive a referral credit.*

Celebrating Hump Day with Cee-lo Green

2012-02-15T00:01:00.009-05:00

I talked about him last week. I need to show him love. I friggin' LOVE Cee-lo.

Instead of telling you why I love Cee-lo, I'll just post some of his music.
...What you really know about the Dirty South... ;P

*warning, some of these may be considered explicit by some people, click at your own risk... if you hate explicit, you probably wouldn't love Cee Lo anyway :D*

Goodie Mob 'Free'

with Outkast 'In Due Time'

with Trick Daddy 'In Da Wind'

'El Dorado Sunrise (Super Chicken)'

'One for the Road' Explicit... some of my favorite rap lyrics out there

'Base Head Jazz'

Gnarles Barkley 'Crazy'

Gnarles Barkley 'Who's Gonna Save My Soul'

with Timbaland -I'll Be Around

Bruno Mars and B.o.B 'Other Side'

'Lonely Teardrops' by Jackie Wilson, one of my favorite songs ever, I was happy to find this cover

Giveaway- $100 Amazon Twitter Blast

2012-02-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the next segment of the $100 Amazon Twitter Blast where you can win a $100 amazon card provided by us to you. Take your time to fill out the form following the Twitter accounts as you go. As long as you have your Twitter name on one of the entry forms, you do not have to put it in all to make it easier for you to enter. Come back do them all, and you get a bonus entry! Are you a blogger that wants in on the fun? You can join in late here to this event, or you can sign up for the other ones combined in with this one at the same rate.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Attn Bloggers! Amazon Facebook and Twitter Blast Sign ups!

2012-02-14T00:56:00.000-05:00

Buy in to 4 events for $10 (that is just $2.50 per event) perFacebook & Twitter account. If you want to include an extra Facebook & Twitter account it will be another $10.

Facebook only is $5 and Twitter only is $5.

There will be two Twitter events and two Facebook events in an alternating fashion beginning at the beginning and middle of the event.

Prize (one for each event) $100 Amazon code.

So they say...

2012-02-12T19:50:00.000-05:00

Being an intellectual creates a lot of questions and no answers.
Janis Joplin

Tenuous Thoughts about Great Cakes Soapworks

2012-02-10T00:46:00.004-05:00

I have been stalking Great Cakes Soapworks for about a month. Gorgeous soaps and other wonderful bath goodies handmade by the very kind and helpful Amy Warden.

I was stalking because I wanted to place a decent sized order to really take advantage of shipping costs and a few things I wanted were out of stock or on the curing rack.

I'm dying to try her lotion, I have an issue with lotion. I really really need the stuff but have never found one I love. I hope I have finally found it. She offers her Natural Hand and Body Lotion in Stress Relief and Honey Almond. I chose the Honey Almond though I was tempted by the Stress Relief. (Who doesn't like the sound of that?!)

She just released Shampoo Bars. I used to wash my hair with baking soda followed by a vinegar rinse. Not the easiest task, but my hair really seemed to like the very basic routine. I'm hoping Amy's Shampoo Bars will produce similar results with less work on my part! She offers her Beer and Seaweed Shampoo Bars in Deep Patchouli and Lemongrass Herbal Mint. I chose the Deep Patchouli. I was dubbed 'The Rock 'n Roll Hippie' in my teens... I love Metal, Rock etc... and I love peace! I reeked of Patchouli in those days which was probably confusing paired with a 'White Zombie' tee. I wouldn't mind a flash back.

Next on my shopping list was facial soap. I'm having face issues these days and most products are too harsh. (Some, please tell my face I'm not 14 anymore, please!?) Amy has a section just for face care, once again not making my decision an easy one (in a good way!). The first soap that caught my eye was the Clarifying Facial Soap. EXACTLY what I need. Check. But... then there was the word we all dream of (or at least all of the we's inside my head) Dead Sea. Uh, yes please. She offers the Dead Sea Spa Bars in a Facial Formula (which will be discontinued once sold out, if I read correctly) and in the Original Scent. I ordered both. One for the sink, one for the tub. Can you blame me?!

I wanted to order 1 more bar... well 10 more... but, she runs a special when you buy 4 or more soap bars, you'll get a buck off each bar! So I decided I wanted something different. Something for the kitchen. Cinnamon Bun Coffee Soap! I considered the Lavender Lemon Bar, but decided on the Coffee. I don't drink Coffee but I love the smell of it. I always have Lemonade in the fridge. I've got my Lemon fix. So, Coffee won this time!

All set right? Wrong! Something so awesome I just had to try... a Soap Grab Bag. A few different sample bits of soaps and a sample of one of her bubble baths. I am as equally excited to see what I get as I was shopping her site. Dead serious. I'm bouncing off the walls here.

Almost all done. One beautiful soap was pulling at my heart strings. It was the bar that originally caught my attention on her blog. The reason I clicked through to her shop in the first place. A special Valentine's Day Soap, the man version, Brazen Buccaneer. Everything about it reminds me of Paul Newman, and she only had 4 left. I know I'm not a man, but I am not above smelling like one! In her description Amy says 'Brazen Buccaneer is a woodsy blend of bamboo, teak, rainforest, sandalwood and cedarwood.' Sign. Me. Up!

So today, I finally placed my order.

Ecstatic!

I will be sure to post once I get my package. You won't want to miss it.

You should go right now and grab some soap before they are all gone. There are products available that I did not mention. Face moisturizer, body butter, lip balms, foot scrub and insect repellent. Go take a look, I dare you! Not sure what you want? Contact Amy, she will answer your questions quickly with kindness.

I cannot say enough great things about my experience so far.

I do not know Amy (though she did respond to my million emails asking this or that). I was not given any special discount or any other compensation for blogging about her or her business. I am a genuine customer of Great Cakes Soapworks and wanted to share my experience and awesome find!

I signed up for the Preferred Customer Status (you'll get email updates about her soaps.) I received a 10% off coupon code in one of those emails!

Tasty! Stuffed Mushrooms and Fried Tofu

2012-02-09T22:47:00.001-05:00

I'm not a vegetarian, but I'm more than halfway there. I've always been. Even as a baby. I'll eat meat, but it's rare I actually like it. I made it through most of my adult life cooking chicken and am honestly just getting sick of the way it tastes. I'm scared to just be a vegetarian because I don't know what I'm doing. But, I've decided that this year I'm going to learn. So here are some of the things I ate this week that turned out good.

I'll warn you now, I don't write recipes. I don't measure so if you want to make exactly what I make- you'll probably be irritated reading this. If you are like me and just like to read about food, preparation and recipes you might take a little inspiration away from what I've made. Or you might have an idea about what I made that you'd like to share, I'd love to hear it!

Stuffed Mushrooms

preheat oven to 350

1 small 'box' of Baby Bella Mushrooms, wiped clean and stems removed.

(Don't wash mushrooms they'll get tough)

(Just grab the stem and give it a twist and pull- it'll come right out!)

In a small saucepan on medium low heat I added:

about half a bar of cream cheese

Italian bread crumbs

(maybe 1/4 cup? I don't measure I just add until I like the texture)

about a spoon full of minced garlic

a few sprinkles of a pepper mix

(I use it in place of black pepper- it has more flavor)
I cracked mixed peppercorns over the top a few times

and added a pinch of chili powder

I mashed this together until I agreed with the texture and taste.

You could mix this in a bowl with no heat, but it's easier to mix when it's warm.

Spoon mixture into mushrooms caps with overflow.

Place in a lightly greased (I used olive oil spray) baking dish.

Bake at 350 for around 30 minutes.

You should be able to look at them and tell when they are done.

Sorry, I'm not the greatest photographer.

I make a pot of brown rice at the beginning of each week and eat it at least once a day. I LOVE it.

So I had stuffed mushrooms and steamed green and yellow beans. There was mushroom juice at the bottom of the dish so I drizzled it over my beans.

Yum!

Tofu:

I used to visit Philly sometimes and there was a little market that sold Vietnamese Tofu hoagies for really cheap that were insanely yum. I figured out that soaking Tofu in Pad Thai seasoning, frying it and then putting it on a hoagie roll with fresh sliced jalapeno and carrots was the closest I'd get to eating that again. They had a red sauce that I have yet to figure out, but what I make is close enough. Unfortunately I have a crazy tongue and cannot handle all the heat of the fresh jalapenos, so I add those, close the sandwich and let it sit, then scrape off the jalapenos and carrots (I just don't like crunchy carrots). I ate it that way in Philly too.

So anyway!

No fresh jalapenos at the grocery last trip, and the hoagie just isn't the same without them. I had tofu cubes marinating in Pad Thai seasoning (I add a little chili powder). I had mushroom stems. I also had mung bean sprouts and leftover steamed green and yellow beans and carrots.

I decided to drain and fry the tofu like I usually do.

In a small saucepan on medium heat I poured the leftover Pad Thai seasoning over the bean sprouts and mushroom stems and covered.

I let that simmer while I fried the tofu and set it to drain off grease.
Then, I added the steamed beans and carrots to the saucepan and stirred it around a bit and let it simmer some. with the lid off.

I poured off most of the Pad Thai seasoning and added the tofu.

I let it cook together for a few minutes, until the liquid was gone.

I had intended on eating it on brown rice, but I had hoagie in my head.

So I piled some on a hoagie roll that I cut open on the top like Subway used to do. (Do you remember that?)

I was very satisfied. I ate these twice and then today for lunch my son and I both ate what was left of it and some brown rice.

I actually ended up eating it without the top.

I just won 25 points on the SuperLucky Button!

2012-02-08T19:56:00.000-05:00

I just won 25 points on the SuperLucky Button!: Superpoints is a members-only club where you earn great rewards for doing things online like taking surveys, watching videos or shopping.

Celebrating Hump Day with Bruno Mars

2012-02-08T02:41:00.002-05:00

Please don't throw anything at me! I kept seeing this boy pop up on YouTube. I finally clicked on him and I watched his video Grenade without listening to the song. This adorable little brown boy with a smile that'll fill your whole mind with sunshine reminds me of another little brown boy I used to know, who also brought the warm sun into my house just by walking in the door. When I saw the video for the first time I couldn't focus on anything but the guy that reminded me so much of the kid I knew. I miss that boy a little sometimes. I saw some quote somewhere that said something about how you may not remember specifics about your relationship with someone, but you'll always remember how they made you feel. That's whats up. He made me feel good. He just had good energy. Some people just have it like that, they walk in a room and people start smiling. I have a feeling Bruno Mars (Peter Hernandez) is one of those people.

First of all, any guy in 2012 who can pull off the James Brown/ Prince/Elvis fluffy stacked hair thing has style, swag, balls... and my attention. And, the boy has dimples... who doesn't LOVE dimples?!

He can sing his little heart out. Yeh, it may not be my kind of music, but he can sing. I found live videos and his regular music videos and you can't tell which is a recording. That's pretty awesome.

Guess what else I found out? Bruno wrote the song 'Forget You' (clean version) that Cee-lo put out. This girl LOVES Cee-lo. I'm talking since the days of Goodie Mob. Good grief I love Cee-lo... maybe I'll celebrate him next week... He is one of my favorite people ever. Anyway, I love that song, so to find out Bruno wrote it just gave him a whole lotta props.

I listened Bruno Mars' songs on YouTube all day yesterday and today. Not bad. He writes a lot of pop love songs. But, he offers me something I miss in love song singers these days... I believe him. When I hear him singing his lovey dovey lyrics I feel it, even though I don't relate. That's what Al Green does for me and when Otis Redding says 'make you wanna moan, say mmmm, moan for love, mmmmm mmmmmm' I want to moan for love. I don't think I'd put him in the same boat as them, yet, but if anyone was capable of that status- it'd be him. After my 'research' I can at least see why people are loving him. And, so what if I jump on that boat. He's good. You know what? he reminds me of Prince, without the makeup and tight clothes and I guess the overall femininity ... he also reminds me of Michael Jackson, I found a cover of Billie Jean set to Smells Like Teen Spirit... which was pretty flippin awesome!

this is a pretty great video:

Bruno Mars- Cover Songs

absolutely incredible performance:
tribute to Amy Winehouse 'Valerie'

I got a little carried away finding photos. There's a ton of them, it was hard to choose. I love this kid's style. Why don't boys wear suspenders anymore?

Inspired... Pearple Sauce

2012-02-07T00:01:00.003-05:00

I actually read this post over at Type A Housewife (one of my favorite blogs) over a week ago. I made my sauce a few days later... but, I had a horrible week and am just getting around to writing this. Sorry! So... I was pretty excited to try the Chai- Spice Slow Cooker Pear Apple Sauce for a few reasons. One, I love apple sauce and have never made my own. Now that I have, I can't imagine buying it from a store again. I love Chai spices.. yum yum yum. And, more important (and why this recipe really caught my eye) my son's father loved pears. My son's dad is no longer a living being, so I thought it'd be nice to have a recipe to remind us of dad without being 'Dad's favorite' that way there's no pressure to love it. Just a small reminder of Dad is good enough. Plus, the whole recipe just makes sense for me... a whole lotta momma (apples and all of the spices!) and just a little dad (pears). So, here's what I did...

Set the slow cooker on high.

Peel, core and cut 4 pears and 4 apples into chunks. I used 2 organic yellow/red apples 1 regular yellow/red apple and 1 green apple. Oh, and 4 regular ole pears.

I threw my chunks in the slow cooker and sprinkled lemon juice all over them.

Then I added sugar and spices.

The recipe called for 5 tsp brown sugar... I have no idea how much I used, there was only a little left so I used it all, pretty sure it was more than 5 tsp... but not much.

I added about a 1/2 tsp of ground ginger and cloves.

The recipe called for cardamom, but I had none, so I used about a 1/4 tsp of nutmeg.

I don't have cinnamon stick so I just used ground cinnamon, about 1 tsp... but who knows, probably a lot more, but I don't get sick of cinnamon and my son wanted to help so he was sprinkling cinnamon while I was added everything else... except the vanilla extract ... not because I didn't have any, just because sometimes I'm a moe-ron and totally spaced on it.

So I stirred this yummy goodness and wanted to eat it just how it was. But, I refrained and let it cook for about 6 hours. Me oh my it smelled amazing. Ah-May-Zing! I stirred it often just so I could stick my face in the cooker and inhale deeply.

Once it was done I scooped out some chunks to fill my measuring cup. (2.5 cups?) I poured the rest in a bowl and used one of those stick blenders to mash it up a bit, then I added the chunks and gave it another few pulses. I left only a few chunky chunks, I would like more but since I share with my son I decided the closer it looked to applesauce the better. Except... mine came out VERY brown. All that cinnamon I bet. It's delicious and I love the way it looks.

I ate some while it was warm because I couldn't help it.

I made a bowl of oatmeal and used it as a topping, and it was so good!

For lunch I toasted half of an Ezekiel Sprouted Grain English Muffin (yes, I'm very specific about these because they are the best things in the freakin' world!) I used this Pearple Sauce almost like jelly to top it and it's pretty out of this world.

I made a sandwich with pancakes and this sauce in between.
Y U M

I made my favorite yogurt snack using about 1/2 cup of Vanilla Yogurt, several spoons of this sauce, and a big spoon of !fresh ground! peanut butter. I swirl it together and good golly miss molly it is so delicious.

Please visit Type A Housewife if you love to cook! You'll be glad you did.

Plans... phfft!

2012-02-05T04:38:00.001-05:00

I'm one of those people with an idea about how things will go. I understand they may not go as planned. But, having some sort of plan helps me prepare for what may happen. I'm sick. I *might* have Fibromyalgia. I say might, because I've never had any tests done besides basic blood test. Anyway, I read a lot and based on what I've read, there's a really good chance that I'm a Fibro-gal. A Dr. gave me the diagnoses... based on nothing but me telling her I think that's what's wrong with me... but that does me no good. Anyway, because I'm 'sick' I can't do normal things. My life cannot just come and go day by day on a whim... yet it does in an entirely different sense... anyway... because I'm sick, planning helps. I can't sit too long, I can't stand too long, I can't over exert. Just because I can lift 5 boxes and move them from the floor to the bed and then back to the floor, doesn't mean it's a good idea. I'll pay for it. Maybe when it's time to go to bed and my body starts aching so bad I can't get still... and every little move hurts (yay!). Or, once I sit still my back will lock up and I'm in so much pain all I can do is laugh hysterically. Or, maybe I'll get lucky and two days later I'll have a bunch of random bruises. What's really fun is I don't know when I'll pay for my 'crimes'.

SO!

I planned. I had a week off of work (not by choice-there was just ZERO time available). I had decided what I could do during that week. Not much, but I have to plan breaks and recovery time so this week I wanted to clean. My son's room- totally clean it, touch up paint on the walls, removing old toys, a deep clean. I wanted to give my bathroom the regular week treatment but with a little extra- try to find something in there I wasn't using. My room... for goodness sakes... I cannot even see my sewing table. I need to sew. NEED to sew. Not just because there are things waiting to be made, but because I really flippin miss my 'girls' (machines). I wanted to clean out the freezers. There's one under the fridge and there's a big chest freezer. My son and I are staying with my mom for many reasons, and I have been without a kitchen too long. I rarely cook and I'm a Cancer. I LIVE for the kitchen. But, I can't store anything anywhere because there is just STUFF everywhere. The freezer is full of bread... I like bread as much as the next guy but seriously, I need veggies. These people don't eat veggies (not kidding). I can't keep scraping through the week on basic salads and expect to feel nourished. I had given my mom the advice of adding dead space to the freezer (because she's super short and couldn't reach the bottom of it) before I moved here... now we decided the dead space could be replaced with veggies- for me and my little guy. We also decided to bring in a little kitchen table and my two chairs from the shed. I like to sit down and eat, but I'm finicky about everything. If the glass is too heavy, I won't drink. If the fork is too heavy, I won't eat. I'm serious. I know it's ridiculous but I do it without even noticing. Except I do notice (eventually), because I'm observant and I'm honest with myself. I talk to myself a lot and that's how I know these things.

The point was I planned. I planned on an awesome week of cleaning up, clearing out and feeling like me a little more. Instead...

SICK SICK SICK

and I don't mean the sniffles, and I don't mean the Fibro (mostly) I mean SICK. Puking for hours (literally) until you have nothing left to give. That's how I spent my week. My mom had a stomach bug Friday. I HAD to work (especially because I was missing a whole week) so my son stayed with her- and I felt horrid the WHOLE time I was sitting in my room taking calls thinking 'Is this worth it? What if he catches THAT?!' But, I did my job, because that's what I have to do. I have to work to make money. So, my son caught it. I spent all day Sunday with him while he puked his little heart out. I felt FINE. I swear! I was all like I'm still good... even if he lays around tomorrow as long as he's not puking I can clean my room... his room, just stay close and clean. Nope... n o p e. I'm not so lucky. At about 4am Monday morning I died... yep. I puked out my soul for hours, until the sun came up and beyond. Hot and cold flashes, vertigo, dehydration and oh the pain! My body doesn't do the whole throwing up thing. Never has, never will. My WHOLE entire body has to be in on it. It ALL has to work together while I heave an ho and then finally produce my spit up and then for another 5 minutes it tries and tries and then produces a little more. *Someone... teach me how to throw up already!* I finally stopped around 2pm. Finally, I was able to sleep. I don't know when I woke up... but it was a few days later, and I'm not even kidding. I mean sure I rolled over a few times here and there to suck on ice (that a magical fairy dropped off at my bedside)... but I actually slept for a few days. It was horrid.

When I woke up I was so thankful that I did not live alone. My son is 3. I have no idea what he would have done. I'd like to believe I would have been able to come to, to feed him or at least call someone... I'm lucky I didn't have to.
I may hate living with mom. I may hate not having a kitchen. But, I love knowing my kid was okay while I was not.

So... my plans... phhhft! So much for those.

I did get a few things done. A basic clean in my sons room. The bathroom got the works- it needed it after what I put it through. I got the table and my two chairs in the house. I even recovered the two seats (the chairs still need paint... and the table). That's it. That's all I got done. But, I'll live. One day at a time. And, one day I'll see my sewing table again... right?!

So they say...

2012-02-05T00:01:00.001-05:00

Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.

Vince Lombardi

Superpoints Saturday! New Invites! (some worth 25points!)

2012-02-04T00:01:00.001-05:00

If you know 'me' at all you know I love Superpoints... LOVE LoVe LovE it!

I've cashed in for $35 in paypal in just a few months. Which I think is pretty incredible...

Anyway... I've got my mom and sister on board. And now I'm trying to get YOU on board!

What do you have to lose? Not a thang. it's free to sign up. If you hate it, don't do it... send the emails to spam... or just spin the wheel everyday, watch a video now a then, maybe even download a game or something to earn points... but be warned once you pop- you can't stop. My sister didn't 'get it' until she was bored one day and started exploring the site and called me up 'Guess how many points I've got!' So, I told my mom and she was all ' How did she pass me already?!' It can get a little fun to earn money for doing next to nothing... you've been warned... or, maybe my family is competitive.

Seriously though, I love Superpoints and I want you to join for you. So sign up, under me, under my sister, under another blogger or another one of your friends... I just dare you to give it a try.

Already a member? Want me to post your invite link? Just leave a comment with it.

I post invites every Saturday, so email me some invites on Friday if you want and I'll put them in the actual post.

Invite w08zvh *worth 25points!

Invite pxzgni *worth 25 points!

Invite qjld30

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Invite hoe1w0

Amazon Facebook Blast- Win It!

2012-02-01T09:00:00.007-05:00

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