Wyatt Family Farm

Dress and Rings!!!!!

2012-02-21T07:50:00.001-06:00

Jamie and I went to pick out my wedding dress the other day, we had such a good time. Even Jamie enjoyed himself, and we wound up with a dress that I just loved and looks like it was made just for me. It's beautiful with old world lace and tool, and a perfect corset back. I just love it! Jamie picked it out, and damn does he have good taste! I can't wait to wear it.
We also bought out wedding bands, and I love mine so much, its perfect!

Next on the wedding planning list is to finally decide on center pieces and to start making them as well as starting to create the invitations. I have a rough idea as to what I want to do for them, just have to mess around in illustrator and see what I come up with.

This is a busy week so I will check in when I can, next post should be another homemade cleaning supply.

Yummy Recipe ~ Soft Pretzels

2012-02-15T20:42:00.000-06:00

An update on my 5 year old daughter. She had a sever case of tonsillitis and spent a night in the hospital and a week and a half at home in bed from school. She is doing much better and back to school. Thank you for all your support!
Being a girl from South Jersey orginially I have a thing for soft pretzels!! I have tried so many different recipies trying to find one that I just loved and made me think of those oh so yummy Philly pretzels. Well I finally found one, and it is from non other than Alton Brown. I think that he is amazing and his baking recipies are so percise you can't screw them up, if you do exactly what he tells you, you will have perfection.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt
Directions
Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.
Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

These are so yummy and I love them with mustard! What do you like on your soft pretzels?

Recipe taken from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-soft-pretzels-recipe/index.html

Menu Plan Monday ~ 2/6

2012-02-06T12:09:00.001-06:00

It has been a crazy week last week as my little one was pretty sick. 102.5 fever, a bad cough, swollen adenoids, and a headache that brought her to tears a lot. We went to the Dr on Thursday morning and got some cough meds and antibotiocs, her fever then was only 99.9, not to bad. By Thursday night after taking the meds and some fever reducer her fever spiked to 102.5. So 1am Thursday night it was off to the E.R. She has never had a fever that high. And she was screaming and crying about her headache. The Er could not pin point what the problem was and told me to continue the meds and add cool baths, and popcicles to bring down the fever. My discharge papers said that if she started to throw up to bring her back.. So Saturday morning, he we go she wakes up in throwing up and with her head hurting more than ever. So back we go! They took a ton of tests and decided that it was either bacterial or viral. Well gee thanks I figured that much out on my own. Said that because she had already been on antiboitics for a few days the tests were inconclusive. Well why didnt they do the tests the first time! So they gave her a shot of anti botics and sent her on her way again. Today she seems a little better but her fever is up and down and her head is still hurting. So thats why I havent posted lol.

Anyway onto this weeks menu. Which is a simple week with some box dinners which I hate, but we have a lot of late nights with Girl Scouts this week and they are just so easy. Usually I make my own tv dinners the weeek before but I did not get the time cause of sick 5 year old!

Monday- box, mommy has a meeting
Tuesday- box, 2 oldest have a girl scout meeting
Wed- pork chops and buttered noodles
Thurs- box, little one has a girl scout meeting
Friday- Chicken and brocc
Saturday- Dinner Out
Sunday- Dinner at friends

Tackle It Tuesday ~ Master bedroom

2012-01-24T12:19:00.002-06:00

Ok so I have been doing the Flylady, and so far love it. This weeks zone is the Master bedroom, which honestly I have been dreading!!! Its a mess. I am going to be an open mommy blogger here and give you a peek into my master bedroom. Hubby is supposed to be making me a new bed that is going to be awesome, im just waiting for him to get around to it. So excuse the mattress on the floor!

Dosn't look to bad but it def. needs attention

OMG its just a cluster ...

Make that damn bed girl!

We do not need dressers because of the closet set up that we have but I am hoping that hubby will get me these nightstands to go with my new bed he will eventually build!

Added: 1:00pm central

My closet!

So here I go... Wish me luck I will be back to update with pictures of the progress when I am done!

DONE!!
After Shots!

Woot! There is a floor!

Lazy puppy watched me from the bed the whole time

Much better!

Video of cleaned closet!

Purex & Jockey Team up Review & Giveaway

2012-01-23T19:08:00.000-06:00

So I received another wonderful package in the mail from Purex insiders! This time it contained the Purex Crystals Tropical Splash which I love! I did a review on the crystals at the beginning of last year and loved it then. I have been buying it ever since. The Tropical Splash sent is my favorite sent from the collection so far. It smells clean and tropical without that coconut smell that is so often overwhelming in tropical scents. Again the clothes came out soft, not clingy, and smelling great! The scent lasts a long time as well, which I love! I washed my big blanket 2 weeks ago and used it and it still smells awesome and I have 2 dogs that sleep on the bed with me! Now that's lasting power!

You put the crystals in right at the start of your wash, and no need to go back to add softener and no need for dryer sheets either! Another great thing about these crystals is that they can be used on sportswear, it will not prevent the wicking process.

Now onto the sports bra! As a rule I am not a fan of sports bras, because I am rather large breasted and sports bras give me that uni-boob look. You all know what I'm talking about, I'm not sure if it is the way this bra is cut or the cups inside it but the uni-boob look is almost completely gone. I still would not wear it anywhere but to work out, but the silhouette is defiantly better than any other sports bra that I have tried over the years. This 2012 Jockey Sports bra was also very breathable, I did not feel like I was basting it in, which is also a huge plus. It also has a very convenient pocket for a key that is quite comfortable, though I use it mostly for my shuffle! I've washed it quite a few times, using the crystals and it is holding up great, still very supportive and elastic!!

On To The Giveaway

One winner will win both the Sports bra and a full bottle of the Tropical Splash crystals! Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter, winning entry will be verified and contacted on the 31st via email from me, so please make sure I have someway to contact you. So that I can get your contact info to the sponsors so they can get you your fab prizes!! Thanks for reading and good luck.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Menu Plan Monday 1/23/12

2012-01-23T14:26:00.000-06:00

As with a lot of things here on the farm we are getting back to basics. I'm actually cooking more, even did a lot of canning last fall. Ive also started planning my weekly meals. I find that it saves me tons at the super market and also saves me time during the day. When I wake up a lay out whatever I'm going to need to cook that day. When its time to cook no rummaging thru the cabinets and freezer looking for something. I already know what I was planning and get to cooking. I shop on Friday so my menus run Friday to Sun. Here is this weeks menu.

Friday- we did a fridge clean up. There was so much in there that it was time to eat it or pitch it. So whatever didn't get eaten got pitched. Pretty Fridge!

Saturday- Sweet Italian sausage, garlic bread and noodles with Emeril's home style marinara.

Sunday- Pizza Night

Monday- French's Crunchy Onion chicken with a Ranch pasta salad

Tuesday- Tiffany's Whiskey Pork (see bottom for recipe) with taters and green beans

Wednesday- Citrus Ham steaks and buttered noodles with sauteed onions

Thursday- Leftover night eat it or pitch it!

Tiffany's Whiskey Pork

So easy! I use boneless pork chops, seasoned with my house seasoning, salt, and pepper. I pan fry in a little extra virgin olive oil and butter. Then I add 1/2 to a whole cup of Jim Bean (use whiskey of your choice) and reduce it down to a flavorful sauce. Prepare sides, serve and enjoy!

Homemade Cleaning Series ~ Laundry Detergent

2012-01-21T10:01:00.000-06:00

I have been dying to do a homemade cleaning supplies series for a while now, but I had to tweak my recipes still and get them to how I wanted them. I decided to turn to homemade cleaning supplies not necessarily because they are better for my family or the environment, though that is a great reason as well, but mainly because of the cost. Cleaning supplies are outrageous, at least the good ones, and I have things I would rather spend my money on that gallons of Windex, tide, etc.. Right ladies, cleaning is not an area where we want to spend a lot of time let alone money!
My very first homemade cleaning supply was laundry detergent, I saw it on the Duggers and had to give it a go. I mean less than .3 cents a load and one batch lasts a month or more for my family of dirty 5 and 2 dogs. You just can't beat that with a stick, and it works just as well is not better than store bought products. I make the gel kind because I can not stand powders, I just do not think they clean as well or dissolve well since I wash in cold water. So I have finally have gotten my recipe like I like. It is a mash up of a few different recipes that I have come across on the net. Try it, tweak it and find out what works best for you. The way the Dugger's made it, it was still a little watery for my liking so I looked around and found a few other recipes that I also tweaked and came up with this one that gel's nicely.

Wyatt Family Farm Laundry Soap
Ingredients:
5 gallon bucket with lid & 1/2 cup measure
1 bar Fels Napa soap (you can use about any bar soap but this was my favorite)
1c washing soda (not baking soda)
1c. borax
about 4 gallons water
essential oil of choice

Grate the bar soap and put in a large pot, then pour in 6-8 cups of water and heat til soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax. Stir until dissolved and take off heat.
Fill 5 gallon bucket half-way with water, add soap mixture and stir well. I use a dowel rod just for this purpose! Now fill the bucket the rest of the way, leaving a bit of head space about 4 fingers. Stir! Add the essential oil, I used a whole bottle about 2 ounces I think. (That 30 drops other recipes called for just didn't do it for me, I like yummy smells, lol) Stir well and let sit for about 24 hours to gel!

Now I just use it right from the bucket, its a whole lot easier and a whole lot less messy then trying to transfer it over to other bottles.
The duggers also split this and mixed it with more water when they transferred to containers, but I use it at this strength and love it, because I do not think it works as well so watered down.
I think mine is thicken because of the extra 1/2 c. of borax and the fact that I don't split it again. It resembles jello when you open the lid, just give it a stir with your hand or dowel rod before each use.

Here is what mind looks like after each stir.

The Fel's Napa runs about $1 per bar here and The Borax maybe 3ish same for the washing soda. You can get I'd say 5 or 6, 5 gallon buckets of soap from the borax and soda so stock up on the bars when you get your boxes.

Happy Washing!

Pin it!

2012-01-19T19:50:00.002-06:00

This is such a cute hop hosted by my buddy at Mommy Only Has 2 Hands, and since I am totally addicted to pintrest I figured I'd jump right on in there. I spend so much time on pintrest it is not even funny! It's an invaluable tool, and has helped me clean up my bookmarks as well.

Here's what I've been pinning:

I love this idea for your wedding dress

DIY Bow Maker

So what have you been pinning? Make a blog post, add your pins and head on over to Mommy Only Has 2 Hands to link your blog and your pintrest so we can spread the word about this new meme!
It's a week long meme!

TILT ~ McDonald's Fries

2012-01-19T08:16:00.003-06:00

Things I Love Thursday

McDonald's fries are one of my ultimate pleasures, there is something about the hot crunchy goodness that I can not deny. I know they are children's food really but I do not care, they make me smile. I treat myself almost every Friday while running my errands, I stop by and get me a large.. Oh so yummy, just thinking about it makes me with it was Friday already. Everyone needs a guilty pleasure, this is just one of my many, LOL!

I also love menu planning, but we will save that for a Works For Me Wednesday.

Stop on by the Diaper Diaries and link up!

Follow Me or Subscribe to my feed, leave a comment with which you did and I follow back!

Other Hops for Thursday!

Stay tuned for a new series, Recipes, Tips and Tricks for homemade household cleaners starting with my laundry detergent.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Out like a light

2012-01-18T07:51:00.000-06:00

This is our newest puppy on her first day home! My 3 daughters and older dog wore her out!

Wyatt Family Farm Update!

2012-01-17T10:36:00.000-06:00

I know I've said it before, but where back. So much has happened, and we have been so busy!
My HCG diet did not really work for me, allthough I was losing weight in record time it left me sick and dizzy feeling most of the time and Jamie (almost DH) did not like that I was on it at all. So I have decided that it is not the diet for me, which does sadden me, because it was really working. I would have been at my goal weigh in one 45 day cycle! So I am still eating healthy as often as possible, but I do not deny myself nips of what I love. I have also started eating on a smaller plate so that it still looks full, but my portions are a lot smaller. Weight loss should be slow and steady this way and hopfully keep me from feeling like I am going to pass out.
Jamie and I have finally set a date (Oct 6, 2012) and I have been working on the plans for that as well. It's going to be so much fun, and all done myself. Jamie and I will totally be reflected in the celebration of our love. It's going to be a country wedding in our backyard, my colors are beautiful fall colors of pumpkim (burnt orange) and wasibi, with touches of browns and golds. One of my best friends Catherine is going to be my matrian of honor and my 2 oldest daughters bridesmaids with the youngest being the most adorable fashioista of a flower girl. I'll be blogging about the planning here of the wedding as well...
My house has gotten away from me, and I have started flying with the flylady and already my house is in a much better state of affair than it has ever been and I still have more time that when I was cleaning all day everyday. With her schedule I spend a total of maybe 1-2 hours a day of housework. Everything is in its place and the hotspots are hardly ever hot anymore. i love it.
Besides planning a wedding, being a girl scout leader for 2 troops, cooking, keeping my house, we got a new puppy a few days ago and she is just so sweet. Jake our older dog is trying to teach her to be a good dog, but she is finding the learning difficult. She is gonna be trouble I can feel it. We are also in the process of planning our garden for this spring, I am looking forward to it and I hope that I will be able to get a whole lot more put up that last year. As last year was an experimnent, I am hoping that it gave me the experience that I needed to be able to put up enough things like, salsa, banna peppers, pickles, jams, etc... for the whole year for my family and some gifts as well. Any hints and tips are appreciated.

My Tackle it Tuesday for this week is also a simple one, but one that has been on my to-do list for a few months now, and thats to blog again. I love blogging; it helps me keep my sanity and get things out that I need to. I hope that you all will start checking back again I miss chatting and interacting with my readers.

I love you guys and can't wait to catch up with you all.

hCG Phase2 Day6

2011-10-07T19:57:00.001-05:00

I have been on the hCG diet, pills not shots or drops. I bought hCG Activator at the Vitamin Store. Here is what I am using.

I started this diet 6 days ago with a 2 day gorge. The gorge was kinda fun, I had what I wanted when I wanted it. I lost weight even during those 2 days, it was minimal but still progress. Though the variety of food that is aloud what you can do with it is pretty vast. I am not left feeling hungry at all in fact I can hardly finish my meals which consist of 100grams of protein and 100grams of veggie. You can have fruit for a snack twice a day.
By day 2 of the actual dieting phase I had a massive headache that lasted about a day and a half, but I just figured it was because I quit drinking 6 cans of caffeinated soda a day. Once that was all cleared up all is good; no more headaches. No bad side affects at all actually, just the weight falling off.
As of today, day 6, I have lost a total of 8.60 pounds. As I said I am not hungry feeling and do not desire to munch. For dinner tonight I had a lemon garlic shrimp salad.

Tiffany’s Lemon Garlic Shrimp Salad

100grams of shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ teaspoon garlic minced
8ish tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup lettuce
*Use no butter or oil* cook garlic for 2 mins in a skillet
Add shrimp
4 tablespoons lemon juice
Sautee until, shrimp is cooked
Add 4 more tablespoons lemon juice
Let reduce a few minutes
Pour over 1 cup lettuce
Enjoy!

I am excited about the weight loss as well as motivated. Seeing it come off like that makes it so much easier to stick to the diet and not want to down an entire chocolate cake!!!! More updates to come.

Looking into new Diet ~ hCG

2011-09-28T20:19:00.001-05:00

One of my best friends was telling me today about a diet that she has started and wanted me to get in on it with her, since it is always easier and more fun to diet with a friend. So I spent the day looking into this diet, and I have to say that I am kind of excited; lord knows that I have tried a million different diets over the years and never was able to get over losing more than 10 pds at a time.

What happens?
You take 2 pills in the morning and 2 pills in-between lunch and dinner, while maintaining a 500 calorie diet, from a specific list of allowable food. hCG stands for Human Choriogonadotropin, “the hormone that is produced by pregnant women in the early stages of pregnancy.” Some more technical jargon goes here, but since I have been reading this shit all day my eyes have glazed over. Basically what it does is take the bad fats in your body and eats it. I know there is more to it than that but that is the jist. Many people feel that the 500 calories could be very dangerous, and where I do agree it is a risk I am willing to take, though I do plan to take a Women’s one a day as well as some B12.

Allowable Foods include:
Chicken
Apples
Coffee, tea, and water, no sugar, all day all you want
Lean Ground Beef
Cube Steak
Veal
Cod and other fish
Crab
Shrimp
Asparagus
Broccoli
Lettuce – all varieties
Raw Spinach
Grissini Bread Stick or Melba toast
There is more to the list this is just a short version.

Example of a Day:
Breakfast:
Coffee or Tea and 6 strawberries
Lunch:
Grilled Tilapia and asparagus
Snack:
Medium Apple and Melba Toast
Dinner:
Grilled Steak and Spinach
Orange and Bread Stick

I have read the reviews of this product, hCG activator, which can be bought at places like GNC all day. Pursuing forums till my eyes bleed, there were a few people that said that they lost nothing, but I suspect that they did not follow the diet, because the raves outweighed these negatives by like 100 to 1.
I look forward to giving it a try and bringing my Sexy back!!! Will update you as I go!! Lord knows the menu looks boring, but I could do with more fruit and veggies in my diet!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-28T07:49:00.001-05:00

Lion King 3D with my girls!!!

Tackle It Tuesday ~ Out of hand Office/Craft room

2011-09-27T00:01:00.001-05:00

It's Monday night and I am watching Dancing with the Stars, thinking what needs to be Tackled; At that moment I realized that my Office/Craft Room is atrocious. I could not find anything in there if I tried. My craft table is covered in Girl Scout stuff and my desk is covered with God knows what! If I am to do all the things that I volunteer for I need my office/craft room to be neat and efficient. So that is what I am going to Tackle this Tackle it Tuesday!
I have plenty of storage space in this room and there is no reason to have things laying all over except for the fact that it is easier to just throw it on the table then deal with it, but if you really think about it Putting in the extra time to put it where it goes at the moment it comes into the house saves a lot of time and makes your work much easier. So not only am I going to clean and organize I am going to convenience myself that I need to put things away and file them the moment they make it into that room. So I need to make a plan for that as well.

Craft Table

Desk, not as bad as I thought, but if u look close u see the pile of papers on the floor to be filed lol!

I will post an update once I have Tackled this after my coffee and morning news shows.

After Photos will be Here in a few hours.

My ongoing tackle is my yard. I have 8 acres most of which is field, but my backyard area has a beautiful hill and a fish pond and fountain in it. My hill is covered in Ivy, which I hate, so I am ripping it all out and looking for a pretty low growing plant that will hold the earth in place and look prettier than this Ivy attacking. As well as getting the fish pond cleaned out and running. This house was empty for a long time and the yard was not kept up very well, so I am slowly taking that on.
Any ideas on the plants for the hillside, its a pretty good slope and as equal sun and shade. I live in western Ky so it needs to stand up to cold winters and hot summers. It is irrigated.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-09-25T23:02:00.001-05:00

I am posting from my blogger app on iPhone so hoping this posts turns out nice! Wonder if it does HTML lol.

As I have always done in the past I am again participating in Menu Plan Monday hosted by
Org Junkie. The guidelines to participate can be found here
Menu Plan Monday

Monday- chicken Alfredo (not Lipton bags) made from scratch
Tuesday- Shake and bake pork chops, tarred, and hot dinner rolls
Wednesday- beef tacos
Thursday- something different with the rest of my pork chops. Any ideas?

I go grocery shopping on Friday. I'll be getting ideas from your menu plans this week so bring on the new ideas!

Menu Plan Monday @ Org Junkie Previous Posts

Wyatt Family Farm is back!!

2011-09-25T20:46:00.001-05:00

So much has happened, RL smacked us so fast. We finally found a house that we wanted to rent and we moved on it in like a weeks time! The house is great it's a 4 bed 3 bath on 8 acres and the beat part is mama (that's me) gets a craft room and everyone gets there own room! Woot!
I'm taking blogging back to its roots and blogging about my craZy hectic life! Well I'll update ya more later just wanted to say hi and see what's up!!!!

And The Winner is....

2011-03-18T10:56:00.000-05:00

Wendy for Entry 669!

Thank you to all who entered, and thank you to our other Co-Host bloggers for the monetary contribution to our winner!

P.S. Been very busy with spring, but look for a series coming soon with lots of great recipes and ideas for spring. Including an awesome old fashioned Easter craft!

Seems Spring has Sprung

2011-02-24T17:12:00.000-06:00

As the snow moves out and the rain moves in it seems that spring is finally around the corner. The grass is already greener and the air is a lot warmer than it was 2 weeks ago. I am excited, Spring Fever has hit and I am ready for camping, fishing, horseback riding, hiking and anything else my lovely family and I can get into!
What is your favorite part of Spring? How do you ring in the warm weather? Share with me and on March 1st a blogger will be chosen to be feature on Wyatt Family Farm. (via random.org)
So share with me in the comments below!

Get Lucky!

2011-02-17T23:00:00.003-06:00

Yep! You have your chance of winning $110 cash via paypal on St. Patrick's Day, March 17th. I've teamed up with nine other bloggers to help give you one awesome prize. CASH! Who doesn't love cash? You have 84 possible entries for this contest and we have provided an easy form to submit your entries below.

*There are no mandatory entries, but the more entries you do, the greater your chance of winning! You must submit all your entries on the form below for them to count. Each blog will display the form in their post or a link to the form to make it easier to submit your entries.*

1. Follow Heather from Mommy Only Has Two Hands on GFC. You must leave her a comment on this post for your entry to count and you must add your entry to the google documents form belowe. An easy way to find the post is to look for their Cash Prize Giveaway Button, click on it and it will link you to their post. (1 Entry)

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12. You can tweet/facebook this giveaway up to 3 times per day. You can use the tweet this button at the top. (Must provide URL to tweet and enter it into the form each time)

13. You can blog about this giveaway (worth 5 entries, provide URL of post or page in entry form. Fill it out 5 times.)

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Host the Cash prize Giveaway!

2011-02-09T22:44:00.002-06:00

Hello Friends and Fellow Bloggers!

So yes we are stealing the idea and want to know if some of you would like to jump on board our quest to gain more followers, fans, readers or subscribers and give one lucky winner a cash prize giveaway of $100 dollars. Heather @ Mommy Only has Two Hands recently entered the Super Bowl $200 cash prize giveaway and thought wow what an amazing idea. What those group of bloggers did was gather 15 people to contribute a little of their own cash to a lump sum for one winner so they could gain more facebook fans. I think its a splendid idea so Heather approached me about it and we will be hosting this event and would like to invite 8 other bloggers to help host the event.

The deadline to enter as a host is February 15th at 11:59pm AZ Time. We will announce the 8 winners on that day. On February 17th We will start the contest on each blogger's blog and contestants will have to fan, follow or subscribe to just one of each blogger's twitter, facebook, blog or newsletters for an entry. Blogger's must decide what they want as an entry. You can only have one as we don't want the entries to be too complicated for contestants.

So this will be a contest to be a host for this giveaway event. Entering your name on the linky form means you agree to submit $10 as apart of the giveaway. We will collect the money via paypal if you are drawn as a winner. Heather from Mommy Only has Two Hands or I will draw 8 winners via random.org and will announce the winners on February 15th. The winners will be contacted via the email they provide in the linky form and must respond within 12 hours, or another winner will be chosen to help co-host.

On February 17th the contest will open for contestants and a winner will be announced for the Cash Prize Giveaway on St. Patrick's Day, March 17th.

Each blogger will be given a button to display on their blog for the giveaway. This will also be an additional entry to any contestant for displaying the button on their blog. Each blogger will also get the code to the form that we will keep track of all the entries in via google documents as well as the general HTML code for the contest that will have all the entry information.

*Bloggers who host the giveaway are not eligible to enter the giveaway*

New Addiction

2011-02-08T10:05:00.001-06:00

Ok most of you may not know that I am a huge make up junkie. I have tons and tons of make up, I love it and collect it. Even though I have like every color known to man I seem to always were the same makeup, a purple smoky eye, with muted cheeks and lips. So I have spent the last few weeks combing through the Youtube make up gurus for inspiration for some new looks. I have become so addicted to these, they are amazing and some of there creativity would shock you, but they really look great. I have also picked up a few DIY makeup tips that are so cool. Watching these videos have totally refreshed my love for makeup and my inspiration and backbone to do some different looks. My favorite Youtube guru is Nancy Valentino, she is so adorable and she loves the smoky eye like I do and does it with all types of different colors. Plus a ton of other looks. I have also been out of the up to the minute makeup for a few years cause my little one was so young, but she has brought me up to date. you have to check here out.

And if you just want to laugh while you are learning some great tips from someone that is very accessible you have to check out jpmetz. All her videos make me die laughing, but beware she could insult. But that is just her online persona, take what she says with a grain of salt most the time she is just messing around. She is very out going and creative! You will laugh so hard that you cry.

She rants a lot, but most of what she says it what many people are even afraid to think, I love her!

Incase you didnt know you can learn how to do just about anything on youtube, I never really knew. I always thought that it was really just music videos, movie previews, and the like. To my surprise there are all types of gurus on it and they teach you how to do all types off things.
Another one that I love is SayanythingBr00ke she does do makeup but her specialty is quick, easy, adorable and very doable manicures. And her voice is very relaxing!

I love this manicure, I love Lisa Frank and have to try this.

I am working on a series about easy to do, everyday wearable makeup for us fast paced moms. I may even make it video tutorials like these if I can get my web-cam to work! It will be a lot of fun and I do use Mac, but I will try to either use more accessible makeup products to recommend a good dup for the mac that I am using so keep a look out for that. See you all a little later! Take care and stay warm, as we are snowed in this week with about 6 inches of snow that is now frozen and more due tonight. Thats a whole lot for my area!

2 Great Recipes

2011-02-01T09:35:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I have posted any recipes. My family and I tried 2 new ones this week and we loved them. So I figured I would post them for you.

Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas & Spring Herbs
Eating Well

4 servings | Active Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon flour, divided
1 pound thin-sliced chicken breast cutlets
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces sugar snap peas, cut in half (2 cups)
1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed
1/4 cup sprouted beans, (see Note), optional
3 tablespoons minced fresh herbs, such as chives, tarragon or dill
2 teaspoons champagne vinegar, or white-wine vinegar

Preparation

Whisk broth, mustard, salt, pepper and 2 teaspoons flour in a small bowl until smooth.
Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in two batches, adjusting heat as necessary to prevent burning, until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate; tent with foil to keep warm.
Stir the broth mixture and add to the pan along with snap peas, artichoke hearts and sprouted beans (if using). Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the snap peas are tender-crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.
Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it into the vegetables, and simmer until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in herbs and vinegar.

Nutrition

Per serving : 248 Calories; 6 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 4 g Mono; 63 mg Cholesterol; 19 g Carbohydrates; 29 g Protein; 7 g Fiber; 605 mg Sodium; 603 mg Potassium

This recipe was awesome, the flavor was great. The only thing that I would change is the artichoke hearts, I am not a fan of the canned, the were so soggy and very expensive. I like my artichoke hearts to be al dente, so when I can get them fresh I will put them in and when I can't I think I'll either just leave them out or use broccoli instead. My whole family loved it, even the picky 4 year old.

Carmel Apple Pork Chops

Ingredients:

4-6 Boneless Pork Chops
1 tsp oil
Salt and Pepper
¼ cup Brown Sugar
¼ tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ cup butter or margarine
2 Cups Sliced and peeled tart apples like Granny Smith
3 Tbsp Chopped Pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Sprinkle pork chop with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side just to brown the pork chop.
Place pork chops in a large baking dish.
In the same skillet add butter, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until combined.
Add apples to the skillet and cook until softened about 10 minutes.
Dump apple mixture over pork chops and place in oven for 30 minutes or until internal temp of pork is 160 degrees.
You may wish to add more sauce. If so, you can make it with more brown sugar and butter in the skillet.
Serve with sauce and top with chopped pecans if desired.

from A Few Shortcuts

These were great! I usually make my porkchops by pan frying them til they are almost cooked, and then reducing a shot or 2 of apple vodka down. I think the next time I do this I am still going to add my shot of apple vodka to help cut the sweet up a little, but this is a new family favorite!

My family and I are trying 2 new recipes every week, cause we have kinda feel into a rut of the same old things every week. So do you have any recipe ideas for me? Leave me a comment and let me know. Thanks all and I will see you tomorrow, I am going to post an awesome desert that is good for you and a little about where I have been and my new addiction!
Take care, and all of you anywhere near this horrible storm is in my and my family's prayers!

Apologies

2011-01-24T21:28:00.000-06:00

I know I have not been around a lot lately, and that is because I have had a lot going on, but I am in the process of trying to line up some exciting stuff for you all. This diet that I am on is taking a lot of time out of my life, I am already pretty busy, and usually spent 1.5-2 hours a day blogging, but now my workouts are everyday and 1.5-2 hours long. So I am currently trying to restructure my day to give me my blogging time that I so long for. Bear with me and wait and see the awesome things to come. I hope that everything falls into place soon.

I have lost a total of 13 pounds already, and am feeling great! I think I can do it!

Losing it Weight or Sanity

2011-01-12T14:31:00.000-06:00

Ok I have been on a diet for a week and 3 days now! I am doing really well, but I have to tell you, I am dying for something really yummie to eat! McDonald's French Fries are calling my name, oh the sweet nector of Salty Greasy Fries! I have been working out everyday, doing the P90X workouts. That Horton guy is INSANE! I am not so bad at the strength training, but the cardio workouts are killers, I think I am dying before the stretch is even finished! Its NUTS! And yoga, OMG I love yoga mostly, but the P90X yoga is a killer, even with the modifications, I am in agony! I have been living on Special K and chicken breast, my stomach feels like my throat has been cut!
Anyway, back to this P90X insanity, my body has been in pain glorious pain, since day one! I am not exaggerating in the least when I say that I am sweating like a pig and shaking by the end of the warm up. These workouts are 7 days a week, working a new part each day, and they are totally INTENSE!

The Good news is I lost 6 pounds!

The results are driving me forward, and I am hoping that I can look fab for summer! I am so tired of being over weight and out of shape!