Tuesday, March 31, 2009

My Ikea table

Another Craigslist find! I am so excited :)

Malört ~ schnapps flavored with wormwood

I am enjoying some laughter today from this awesome blog post over at The Presurfer!

I have never tried Malört and after this..I think I might just out of curiosity.

Check out this blog post which links you to a Flickr photo pool of people who drank Malört for the first time ~ this is fun stuff!

Monday, March 30, 2009

Contest Reminder

Guys~ you only have today and tomorrow to enter my contests. This is just a reminder to get in on the action! Don't forget~ you can get extra entries for following me, subscribing, and tweeting/blogging about the contests. Good luck everyone!!

Friday, March 27, 2009

Bread can kiss my ass

So I am reading the TRUTH about bread and I am pissed off! This American staple is killing me..it's killing you....it's insane and all along the government wants us to believe that our bodies need bread? It's baked into sinister delights such as cinnamon bread, slathered with cream cheese in the form of bagels, served up next to eggs as a morning must have and it's served as a hard piece of crap that's gonna break my teeth with my Panera Soup...shit the place is called Panera BREAD! AHHHHH! Bread is addictive. There is no doubt about it. I am wading my way this this awesome book my raw foodie sister sent me called 12 Steps to Raw Foods by Victoria Boutenko. Being a low carbie..I already knew bread is down right crappy for your body. What I didn't know, surprised me.........

Scientific research shows beyond a doubt that wheat contains addictive substances.

There are opiates in wheat that equal 1nM (nanomole) of morphine. While 1nM is really just a trace, it's still pretty significant to the central nervous system. The amt is also from a trace of wheat so those opiates add up especially when you are eating loads of wheat products. These opiates give us a feeling of pleasure and well-being. When it's said that we eat to numb the pain, this wasn't far from the truth.

Wheat is also dependency-forming and the opioid peptides from wheat notably influence our hormonal functions.

Of course we all know that bread is defunct of any nutrional value...this is old-school business. What we now need to realize is that we are literally sedating ourselves with food and causing an addiction....a neverending cycle which turns into spending, eating, medical issues, spending, eating, medical issues. We are raised on bread, we are thrown bread baskets left and right and an American favorite is a sandwich with bread. Grrr...makes me mad.

Hot Rod

"Who do you think would win in a fight between a a grilled cheese sandwich and a taco?"

"GRILLED CHEESE but only if it's a fair fight"

Although this movie did not get great reviews, I thought it was pretty darn funny. For any RAD fans, you will see some references in the movies as well as a parody on Footloose. I have watched this several times and each time I just laugh even more. The music is hilarious and even though it's all pretty corny and far-fetched.it's cute. Not to mention, Isla Fisher is uber adorable in it.

So yeah...just trust me..watch it

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Alice in Wonderland 2 part series

New additions to the online store!

Eye Candy

The awesome dishwasher magnets can be purchased from inkjet. The stickers are from AC Moore.

~Rocking Roller Party~

We had a lovely invitation for a roller skating birthday party last Saturday. Kylie wanted to make a tutu like hers to give as a gift. She included her own handmade card as well. We had a great time! This was Kylie's first time on skates so it took some back-breaking strength to try and hold her up...there were legs sprawling out every which way, splits going on and failed attempted for reaching for the railing.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Accepting Personal Responsibility

Until you are willing to accept personal responsibility for everything in your life, you have not yet awakened. When you accept personal responsibility for everything in your life, you and your world are forever changed and you have the power of the Universe in your hands. It is impossible to be a victim… once you know that you know.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Another Low Carb Giveaway!

WOO-HOO~ Another low-carb giveaway for all my friends out there! My first low-carb book giveaway has been receiving a lot of entries. It's still running up through March 31 so if you haven't entered please go ahead and do so now.

This giveaway is a little more MASSIVE!!!!! so get ready for some serious low-carb tools :)

PRIZE: The Low-Carb Day Planner book, Extreme Lo-Carb Cuisine by Sharron Long, The Ultimate Low-Carb Diet Cookbook by Donna Pliner Rodnitzky, The Low-Carb Cookbook by Fran McCullough and a rare, hard to find issues of Low Carb Living magazine which is now out of print.

To ENTER~

To enter this rocking low-carb giveaway, enter a comment below. You can say anything..why you want to win....why you want to low-carb...you can say Hi, you can tell me I totally rock!..whatever floats your boat (in case taste naturally) and be sure to leave me your email address so I can get in touch with you if you win.

For 1 extra entry each:

1. Follow me
2. Subscribe (enter your email to receive updates on new posts I have made)
3. Grab my button and come back and let me know where you stuck it!
4. Blog or twitter about this giveway and come back and let me know that you did and where I can find it. Be sure to put a kick-ass link back to me.

Contest ends April 24 2009 at 11:59pm. One entry per method per person total. Winner will be chosen by random.org and will be notified by email. Winner has 48 hours to respond or another person will be picked.

Thanks everyone and good luck!

Tackle a pile Tuesday!

I have been a subscriber to Cindysporch for awhile and I am always inspired by her emails. Today is "Tackle a Pile Tuesday!"

I conveniently found in this in my inbox as I was already cleaning and sorting in my craft room...hahaha which has become a dumping ground for boxes of things I haven't had a chance to go through yet. When I saw the title of the email...I thought OK..I can definitely tackle one pile. My style of cleaning is all over the place. I usually go back and forth and make an exercise game....walk one thing over here, walk back, walk one more thing over there but as I am sure you can imagine, it does get tiring.

We can each tackle ONE pile today even if that pile is freshly laundered clothing out of the dryer. I think one pile is wimping out so personally my goal is to tackle 3 piles today. And might I add that tackling does not mean, moving it to another location or hiding it elsewhere. You go through it, you toss stuff, you organize and you sort. You put things where they belong....if you could do this once a day, you would be ahead of the game.

Let's all take on the day!

Monday, March 23, 2009

Tuesday Thriftiness

Print a coupon for $4/10 Weight Watchers Smart Ones

Awesome guarantee to get in on but hurry up~ Try any flavor of 52oz Welch's AquaJuice and if your kids don't like it they will refund the price up to $4. Print your name, address with full zip and a brief explanation as to why your kids don't love it and mail along with the original receipt with purchase price circled to Welch's AquaJuice Guarantee offer, PO Box 1075, Grand Rapids, MN 55745-1075. Purchase must be made by 3/31/09 and pm by 4/15, must be received by 4/22/09.
(I tried this a month or two ago and we didn't think it was that bad.)

Get free samples of Kerasal products at www.kerasal.com

Print a coupon for free 12 pack of Diet Pepsi Flavor wyb two Diet Pepsi 12 packs. I think you can only print this coupon twice and make sure your store takes internet coupons.

Another internet print out (can only print twice) Print a $3 coupon on Renuzit Crystal Elements Starter Kit or Pouch (12/31/09). Click on "promotions"

Some Kmarts are doubling coupons this week. You can check on their website to see if your local ones is doing so. Great place to use up your coupons and score big!

Print a $1 coupon on FiberOne Yogurt, click here.

Get a free sample of Caress Evenly Gorgeous Exfoliating Body Wash, click here.

Get a free sample of Kotex Ultra Thin Overnight Pads with Wings, click here

Print out a $1 off coupon on Seventh Generation Baby or Cleaning product.

Print a .55 coupon on Country Crock Calcium. ( I love Country Crock to be totally honest!)

Get 2 free issues of Redbook, no credit card needed, click here

My Holistic Health visit

I had the pleasure of recently visting Healing Waters Wellness Center in Smithsburg, MD. What an incredible experience! I am honored to have worked with Linda and I thorougly enjoyed my session with her. She has an amazing energy and she really connects with her clients. This was my first time using the BioFeedback LSA and I was really excited about it. Overall, I would highly recommend her services!

The office was really calming with lovely music and flowing water...her secretary Susan rocks! I spent over 3 1/2 hours with Linda and felt moved by the screening and the energy connection she made with me. I am going back soon for some energy bodywork by her husband which I am really looking forward to.

Definitely worth checking out! Her services not only include the health screening and nutrition analysis but they also offer reiki, reflexology, massage therapy, ION foot cleanse and more.

More craftiness from yours truly!

Little Toast Magnet

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Let us all think about this and take action

As we approach yard sale season, Easter and more...let us think on this!

Words can't even describe how this video makes me feel...it sums up everything I have come to know already in this lifetime. Its very inspirational and I hope by watching this, you can feel the urge to take action and change your belief system.

I credit my sister for finding this and sending it to me. We were in discussion yesterday about how horrible it is that our lives revolve around buying the next big thing, working 40+ hours a week and being in this horrible rat race.

I told her: I don't want to live a lie anymore! My purpose of coming here was not to sit at a desk in an office with 100's of other people, with leashes around our necks for my whole life. It's not me, it will never be me and I am going to be one pissed off person if I die after loaning my life to a corporation to mold me and bend me any way they choose. What happened to family, what happened to farming, what happened to the joys in life that weren't found in xboxes and synthetic drugs? I get soooo angry and saddened sometimes that it's hard to bear. Here are some truths I have learned:

I am a spiritual being having a physical experience
I am in this world but not of this world
Money and possessions are not the be all and end all of me
Simplicity is better
and most of all..there has to be a better way

The Story of Stuff

i will not stand immersed
in this ultra violent curse
i won't let you make a tool of me
i will keep my mind and body free
bye bye minutiae
of the day to day drama
i'm expanding exponentially,
i am consciousness without identity

i am many things
made of everything
but i will not be your bank roll
i won't idle in your drive-thru
i won't watch your electric sideshow
i got way better places to go

i will maintain the truth
i knew naturally as a child
i won't forfeit my creativity
to a world that's all laid out for me
i'll look at everything around me
and i will vow to bear in mind
that all of this was just someone's idea
it could just as well be mine

i won't rent you my time
i won't sell you my brain
i won't pray to a male god
cuz that would be insane

and i can't support the troops
cuz every last one of them's being duped
and i will not rest a wink
until the women have regrouped

Friday, March 20, 2009

Mail Goodies!!

I love getting the mail especially when I have some awesome goodies coming from friends!

Eric Carle Google and Yummy Taco Mac n' Cheese

I am so digging Google today! Have you checked out the Eric Carle Google logo? If you haven't, you better to do before tomorrow morning when they change it. I love it! I love Eric Carle!

I made some awesome Taco Mac n' Cheese using this recipe . It seemed to go over really well with my family and it was defintely under $5 to make. I kind of tweaked it but I love the $5 dinners website so I tried to stick it as much as I could with what I had on hand. I cooked up my Granger beef crumbles with some diced onions, then added some garlic. I made my Kraft mac and cheese as directed. Then I poured some chili seasoning into the ground beef along with a can of diced tomatoes with jalepeno's and some leftover spaghetti sauce from the other night. I mixed all that up and added the mac and cheese and served. It smelled really good and it was fast and easy. All of my food items naturally came from Aldi's.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Little Red Riding Hood Series ~ tricked out dominos

Here are my upcycled domino magnets. These will be for sale on my Etsy shop in the near future. This is my "Little Red Riding Hood" series. Little Red Riding Hood is one of my favorite childhood fairy tales. I love how naive Little Red Riding Hood is to not recognize the wolf. I think this relates to how we refuse to see others faults....and it's a tale of opening your eyes to your surroundings. Sure, there are lots of sexual overtones in this story but it's open to interpretation. I think it's a story of how we cloud our judgment and we believe what we want to believe even if it brings us to our untimely demise.

This set includes 6 domino magnets perfect for your fridge.

My tissue box cover

This is why you're fat

My cousin sent me this website simply because he loves to make me laugh....and because he knows my food porn addiction LOL. Honestly, most of the pics made me either laugh or feel sick to my stomach but I have to admit the deep-fried grilled cheese kind of made my mouth water.

This is why you're fat

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

My new bookshelf

Finally Jer got me my bookshelf after many years! I am slowly getting it together and deciding how to fill all it's nooks and crannies. I am uber excited! I have been wanting the Ikea Expedit bookshelf for years :) I plan on getting one more for my living room...hopefully that won't take another couple of years lol

How to save money and clip coupons the RIGHT way!

There are tons of websites now that preach about how to save money with coupons and almost all of these sites are super informative. I am even a member of some of these coupon sites and frequent them often, so I am in no way bashing them. Some are out to make money off your subscription and others are free but at any rate, you can easily get your fill of coupon saving deals anywhere on the internet. HOWEVER, over the past 4 years I have learned more about coupons than I could ever imagine. I have lost money, saved money, spent money and tossed out bins of expired coupons. I have spent hours searching forums and cutting coupons exactly on the dotted lines...I have arrived at stores at 6am to get the deals...I have held up numerous line making sure the cashier rings up each coupon precisely...and although I have saved some money, I have also spent more than I would of, bought too many things that expired, thrown out lots of stuff I never used AND wasted countless hours I could have been making money only to save $12. Is your time worth $12 an hour?

I am an eternal deal seeker..I know this, it's in my nature. What else do Scorpio's do than dig and dig and find secrets?? I am the girl digging in bins, rummaging through yard sales and digging up dirt online. If there is a diamond in the rough, I will find it. So naturally, my obsession with couponing got way out of hand. Literally every Sunday, I would spend 5 hours preparing to go to the store. Even now, I can't go past a coupon and not feel the drive to take it home or attempt to use it. However, it's like an addiction and admitting this is the first step to recovery.

Coupons are like money and it's true..who the hell wants to throw money away? But if it's not something you would normally buy, then it's wasted money. I don't normally buy Hanover's frozen veggies....just because it might be on sale, doesn't mean I need to stock up on it and spend $4 while saving $8. That's still $4 I spent that I didn't really have to. Usually the store brand comes out to equal the same price..usually being the key word. Don't get me wrong, there are things you can get free which obviously are worth going after but if you are spending $20 in gas to drive around to 5 different stores to get it all, what have you honestly saved?? And how many hours have you wasted of your time to do so??

I try to be more selective now. I don't judge anyone who clips every coupon and goes after every deal..I have been there, done that. I don't have the time or patience anymore. I have found that I save more when I only buy things I really need and I only go to one store every two weeks or so. For someone like myself who works, has several hobbies and a family, my time is very limited. If I wasn't so scatterbrained, I could probably spend more time on clipping coupons.

Here are my coupon clipping rules for anyone trying to REALLY pinch pennies!

1. Do not pay for coupons unless it's something you always, always buy and it rarely goes on sale. For instance, I always buy Splenda. It rarely goes on sale and I don't normally shop at the store that sells the off-brand of it. If I see coupons for a dollar or less, I will purchase them in bulk. I have no know that they can save me an enormous amount to do so. I think it's crazy to see people buying coupons for almost what they are worth. Coupons can be scored for free at recycling bins, on freecycle groups, coupon exchanges on yahoo groups and from your friend and family.

2. Only clip coupons for products you can use and do use on a daily basis. Make sure it's something you would buy otherwise.

3. Always bring your coupons with you so you can use them in the heat of the moment.

4. Use a free site like www.afullcup.com to research sales and check your store ads.

5. Always pair a coupon and sale together unless you absolutely have to!

6. Find which stores have the best prices. Personally, I buy all my paper and cleaning products at Target. I love their store brands and even their grocery items are really good deals without sales. Aldi has the best all around prices for me however they do NOT take coupons. Taste and quality is important too and both Target and Aldi rock my world.

7. Trade coupons when you can and give away ones you don't want..it's good Karma. You never know who needs denture cleaner...

8. Always read the coupons correctly and make sure you understand them. Make sure they have not expired..see how many items it's for, etc. Nothing sucks more than getting to the cash register and realizing it won't ring because you read it wrong.

9. Coupons for saving 50 cents off 4 items is a media trick. Add it up my friend...50 cents is not that great and you have to buy numerous items which you might not have needed. Stick to coupons good on one item...especially if you can double them. It's such a better way to do it and you get more bang for the buck.

7. Try to use coupons at stores that double or even triple coupons. Martin's locally doubles all the time..but they also have higher prices on things.

Personally, WEIS stores blow! I don't care for Food Lion anymore...their produce is a joke to be honest. They are also a smaller store with limited options. I have found decent prices on meat there before but you have to be careful.

Outside of grocery stores, there's also CVS deals with coupons but to get started doing that, you have to spend spend spend to get ECB bucks. Then when you use your free ECB's, it's just like getting back some of the money you originally spent. I try to stay away from ECB's as I have spent hundreds of dollars doing this and have nothing but some make-up to show for it.

And my last rule is make meal plans and google leftover items in your cupboards. What use is all that food if you aren't going to use it? Clean your food stashes out monthly in the pantry and weekly in the fridge. Try to use everything before shopping again.

I may not have a stockpile right now and I might not have saved $40 on coupons but I have saved a load more than that by shopping at Aldi's this past month. I have used almost everything and was still able to try lots of new things without spending 8 hours doing coupons.

I still clip my coupons for anything I might buy at Target or Martin's IF I happen to be out that way but I always always always pass my leftovers to someone else to use.

What I am buying right now

What I am watching right now

Dame Edna just arrived in the mail from Netflix!!! I am so excited :)

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Legit Work at Home jobs for real people like us

Everyone has been asking me how I make money working from home outside of my job. This will probably turn into a series of posts but for starters, there are REAL work at home jobs out there if you know where to look. A LEGIT work at home job will never ask for money up front or have you pay to pass a test or anything like that. In my experience, MLM (multi-level marketing jobs such as Avon, sex toys, etc)will not make you tons of money. I am not saying it doesn't happen but it's rare. It's not something to bank all of your income on. Speaking of which, my # 1 rule is NEVER PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET! Sure, you could limit yourself and say well I make extra money on Ebay or I work at factory making doughnuts (yummy!)...but any of these things might not pan out or last forever. Hell, look at Ebay. I was selling like crazy on Ebay in it's heyday in the late 90's and early 2000-2003. Now Ebay has become a BUY IT NOW land of flea market new crap and the rules have changed. They have made it harder for sellers and the sales are down. If you put all your eggs in that basket, you'd be screwed. You always have to look for ways to make extra money and use the skills you have. Even if you don't make careers out of work from home jobs...even if you decide to do a texting job for 4 months and make $1000 on the side from it..that's $1000 you didn't have before.

Here are some known places that hire for work-at-home jobs. Some of these places may have gone out of business or might not be hiring right now. This is not a complete list..just a snippet of the places out there. You can look at www.wahm.com and www.workplacelikehome.com for more info on working from home.

Customer service phone work jobs:

Accolade Support www.accoladesupport.com/openings.html
ACD Direct www.ACDdirect.com
BRG Research Services www.brgathome.com/applyhome1.php
Connect2Agent www.Connect2Agent.com
eCallogy www.ecallogy.com (Utah Only!)
Grindstone www.Grindstone.com
JetBlue Airways www.jetblue.com (Utah )
LiveOps www.liveops.com
Niteo Services, Inc. www.niteoservices.com
NTI Central - www.NTICentral.org
O'Currance Teleservices www.ocurrance.com (Utah)
Secure Call Management www.sciathome.com
Service 800 www.service800.com
Sterling Testing Systems www.Sterlingtesting.com
Support Freaks www.supportfreaks.com
Time Communications www.timecommunication.com (St Paul, MN)
Ver-A-Fast Corporation www.Verafast.com
VIPdesk www.Vipdesk.com
VoiceLog www.Voicelog.com
Willow www.Willowcsn.com
West at Home www.Workathomeagents.com
Working Solutions www.Workingsol.com
XAct Telesolutions www.Xactservices.com

Transcription / Coding jobs:

Amphion Medical www.amphionmedical.com
Accurate Typing www.accuratetyping.net
Accuscribe www.accuscribe.net
Axolotl www.axolotl.com
Health Services www.healthsvc.com
Medquist www.medquist.com
Morning Side Partners www.morningsidepartners.com
MTjobs www.mtjobs.com
OSI- Transcription www.ositranscription.com
Rapidtext www.rapidtext.com
RTO stat www.rtostat.com
Spectra Medi www.spectramedi.com
Talk 2 Type www.talk2type.net
Tiger Fish www.tigerfish.com
Transcend Services www.transcendservices.com
Trans Health www.transhealth.com
United Tran www.unitedtran.com

Data Entry: I need to add that there doesnt seem to be many companies that hire for this kind of work. The ones that do are sometimes very difficult to get because it is a very competive field that A LOT of people are applying for. Dont let that discourage you from submitting your application or resume though.

Working Solutions http://www.workingsol.com/home.htm (they do more phone work but also hire for data entry)
Key for Cash http://www.keyforcash.com/?ReturnUrl...pg_signup.aspx
Palm Coast Data http://home.palmcoastd.com/pcd/pcdwe...d_t_index.html (CITY OF PALM COAST FLORIDA ONLY)

On Site Discovery http://www.onss.com/careers/
Cypher Contractors http://www.cyphercontractors.com/
Executive Secretaries http://executivesecretaries.com/careers.htm
Connect Plus LLC http://www.connect-dataplus.com/index.shtml
Axion Data Entry http://www.axiondata.com/
Net Transcripts http://www.nettranscripts.com/

Depending on the state you live in, you can check these out as well.

1-800-Contacts https://jobs.1800contacts.com/careers/index.asp
1-800-Flowers http://ww22.1800flowers.com/template...e8&page=9000#1
Ansafone http://www.ansafone.com/personal.aspx
ARO http://www.callcenteroptions.com/careers.asp
Auralog (Limited States) http://www.auralog.com/us/Customer_S...esentative.htm
Blue Zebra (appointment setting) http://www.bluezebraappointmentsetting.com/Careers.aspx
Catalog Teleservices http://www.catalogteleservices.com/main.html
Channel Blend http://www.channelblend.com:8080/eng...ns_aviable.php
Cloud 10 http://www.cloud10corp.com/
Connect2Agent http://www.connect2agent.com/c2aplus/careers.asp
GE Call Centers http://www.gecallcentercareers.com/
Hire Point TeleTech http://www.hirepoint.com/athome/index.html
InfoCision http://www.infocision.com/Careers/Pa...kFromHome.aspx
Jet Blue (yes the airline) http://www.jetblue.com/about/work/
J. Lodge http://www.jlodge.com/Employment.html
U-Haul http://jobs.uhaul.com/job_detail.asp...23698&%20mode=
XAct TeleSolutions http://www.xactservices.com/company/careers/

Are you good at writing?
Life Tips http://www.lifetips.com/about/careers.html
Helium http://www.helium.com/
Associated Content http://www.associatedcontent.com/
Constant-Content http://www.constant-content.com/area...guidelines.htm

Low Carb Peanut Butter Cookies

Here is the recipe for the awesome low-carb peanut butter cookies I have been snacking on lately. Now please be aware that these are crumbly..you can't expect them to taste and look just like REAL PB cookies. However, when this is like a huge splurge to your diet, they taste like heaven. Watch out~ they are addictive!!!! I mean it!!!

Ingredients

* 1 cup peanut butter
* 1 cup sugar substitute ( I use splenda)
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1.

mix ingredients in a small bowl.
2.

drop by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheet and press down with fork
3.

bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until set. I do about 15 mins and they turn out super crispy, your oven might vary so start watching around 12 mins.

Fashion Feen

I get totally sucked into Paula's blog~ Fashion Feen. Then again, I am a huge celebrity gossip fan. One minute turns into 5 mins and then 20..grrr...go check it out for yourself.

Regrets

It is never necessary to regret anything you have done from a place of not knowing, or from a lack of tools or from a genuine heart. Acting with intention, based on the truth to the same degree that you know it, honors your integrity and requires forgiveness of self as you awaken to greater truths.

If you are aware, you have everything.
You are alive, and you are in eternity.
You can see the dance unfold before you.
You know that everything,
every word and decision has a consequence,
either positive or challenging and none of it captures you.
Instead you simply make decisions and take actions that uphold
the grace and dignity of your own soul.
It is never about anyone else.
The quality of your life, depends upon one thing -
your level of awareness.
Once you have reached out beyond yourself,
you can begin to know that everything is a loving
teaching designed to move your soul forward.
The edges, separations, judgments and divisions soften
and are less discernible, less important.
There is only one of us
and nothing can be gained or lost in that.
Everything is simply love teaching us to be love.

Aldi's Score!

I went to Aldi's after officially clearing out almost all of my unused items. We managed to make a good bit of stuff over the weekend so most of the fridge was cleaned out (minus the beer :(

I did a shopping trip and as you can see, I got quite a few things. I got the basic staples for us (butter, cheese, milk, etc) and then some! I grabbed Mahi-Mahi, Tilapia, NY strip steaks, ground beef, Flounder, Kraft Deluxe mac n' cheese, canned sodas, fruit snacks, juice, cookies, and more! My total was $70!!! Here is just a snippet of what I brought home. I did also grab one of Aldi's new skincare products.. the Q10 face cream. I will try this tonight and let you know what I think of it. It was under $5 and comes in cute packaging. PS ~ never go to Aldi's without the handy-trusty IKEA bag..this thing is monsterous and holds insane amounts of heavy things. I use it for EVERYTHING!

Congratulations to the winner of the Intuitive Reading Giveaway!

Congratulations to gkstratos! She has won a free 3 question Intuitive Reading. Thanks to everyone who entered. It was a great success so I will be hosting another one next month. Stay tuned for more giveaways coming this week :)

Monday, March 16, 2009

Work in progress

I am so excited! I have been crafting, cleaning out everything from my fridge and cupboards and decorating my craft room. I am getting closer to the Grand Opening of my Etsy store and as soon as it's live, I will post the information here.

My diet is going fine. I had a couple small mishaps (mostly just hidden sugars) that I will try to be more careful with. Haven't weighed myself yet so it's hard to tell how much I have lost. My energy is great, I don't feel as bloated and I am not driven by my hunger anymore. I am struggling with meal plans, variety and drinking enough water.

I promise to post more this week...the last couple of days I have been so busy multi-tasking that it's been hard to juggle everything. I hope to be back in the ring this week :)

Sunday, March 15, 2009

The Attack of the Hello Kitty Toaster and Dumpster Diving in the rain

I don't have any pics of the bitch...but my Hello Kitty toaster attacked me this morning. Sliced my left index finger right open. I hid her in the cupboard and I am so mad that I am not letting her out for weeks. It's a good thing she doesn't have a mouth.....otherwise the neighbors would start to wonder. Luckily, I had some Littlest Pet Shop band-aids on hand or I wouldn't be typing this.

I had the pleasure of going Dumpster Diving with my friend Weird Chic last night. It was drizzling and had rained most of the day so we were skeptical but eager. After several hours of hitting some local stores, we returned with 3 giant bags full of Granola bars, a picture frame, a children's lamp shade, a kids sticker book, some lace fabric, and one unmarked canned good. I have asked Weird Chic to host a contest to see who can guess what is in the mystery can so please hop on over to her blog and post your guess. My guess is creamed corn and hers is chunked pineapple. Of course, we both laughed when we thought of the worst...canned dog food. Speaking of dogs, we also scored a couple bags of dog chews. I will be passing these on since I don't have any animals. Overall, it was a pretty interesting experience..a little scary but we pulled it off. Weird Chic has no fears....this girl has guts! She was the first and only one to jump inside the dumpsters and she wasn't squeamish about taking things home. I give mad props to her for running the show. I am sure she is going to post about what a wuss Kylie Ate Cake is but oh well...lol

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Low carb Nachos

I whipped these up really quick the other night using Mission brand Carb Control tortillas and shredded Mexican Style cheese. I added a chipotle flavored salsa and sour cream. They hit the spot!

The beginning of my craft room

I have broken ground on my craft room over the last couple of days. It's still a work in serious progress...still boxes to be unpacked, art work to go up and shelving to brought in. I snagged a purple Ikea desk off Craigslist and bought these adorable wall stickers at Target. The green pillow is my fave and I the owls are a handmade gift from my sister. Still lots of work to be done...

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Do you love your crockie as much as I love mine?

I love Stephanie's website ~ A Year of CrockPotting! If this doesn't get you inspired for organizing your fridge and cupboards, I don't know what will. Beware..this site makes you hungry....come on girls..let's fire up them crockpots!!!!!!!!!!

Weekly Fridge Zen ~ the art of reorganizing and calculating

It's that time again...my food supply is getting low..but I am too lazy to shop. I am also trying to pinch pennies so it's imperative that I use what I have before I go looking for more. Wise words if I must say so myself. Now don't be scared..I am going to post pics of my life in food.

On a weekly basis, I try to make use of everything I have without buying any extras. It has been hard since I started Atkins since almost everything required one missing ingredient that I DIDN'T have! I made two small trips to Weis (grrr hate hate hate that store) last week and ended up spending an extra $40 in groceries. That is not good :( Big mistake...and it was made worse by taking my daughter who begged for candy and cookies and oh look ma, i need this for my lunch. I do shopping alone...period.

What I strive to do is make a list of what I have available to use....all my freezer items, fridge items and canned goods. As you can see, I don't keep stockpiles of food in my house. I hope to use everything up quickly. I like things that look slightly sparse. Too much food is not good..if you fridge is so packed that you can't fit one more thing into it..or you have containers of take out everywhere...OR you can't even place a small tupperware container somewhere..anywhere in there...FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!! SOMETHING HAS TO BE ROTTING IN THERE and that's not kosher for the rest of your food. Pinching pennies and conserving are all good but let's be realistic. I get on my mom all the time when I visit her. Here are some random things I have found recently in her fridge (sorry ma!) ~

a half eaten sandwich kylie had 3 weeks ago when she came to visit
a small dixie cup of 3 sips of juice leftover from a week ago, no lid
one green bean cooked in a ziploc baggie
cups of chipotle guacamole, brown in color

I mean WHO does that?? My mother is the cleanest person I know..you could eat off her toilet, lick her spotless sink and here in the deepest darkest depths of her fridge are the scariest things that no one should keep around. I do not find mold in there but she doesn't think that microwaving something 18 times again and again and again has any affect on the safety of the food. I mean, just let it go.....don't save mcdonalds french fries for next week..they taste like ass 20 mins after they cool down...we all know that!

This is my freezer and as you can see, there's lots of room in there. We have some Popsicles, corn, mini pizzas for kylie, meat and such. Not too much going on and lots of potential. Also take note of the meat box in there..the white thing..that holds about 8 chicken breasts...from the time my mother bought frozen meat off the back of a truck that came to the door..yes, this is true...and embarrassing..$300 worth of meat..she doesn't even like meat that much. So alas, I stole this from her. A lot of my stuff is from Aldi's and as I mentioned before, I am quite pleased with their off brand items. We also have some bags of hot wings which sadly are breaded. I plan on using all this meat by next weekend, cooking the corn on the cob for dinner tonight, making my SO eat this breaded crap so I won't feel obligated to and the cheesecake..well i have a hot date with that tonight, sans the crust of course.

Now the door of the freezer..really sparse. However I am going to use all this! Pepperoni for extra on the mini pizza's and a snack for me..moving that down to thaw out. The frozen meals are for SO's lunches and there are frozen mini pancakes for Kylie. I have been putting off using these as I don't have any syrup but she will have to do without. I have honey..maybe she will eat honey on them. Hell, why not? With a small pat of butter, they will rock. Also PBJ sandwiches for her lunches..great cuz I am plum out of peanut butter..cuz i ate all that last week. Me and my sneaky low carb tricks!

Moving along to the inside of the fridge....

In here we have...left over pasta that SO refuses to eat again...tortellini is my fave and if I can't have it, someone else will. Sometimes I stare at it..and dream..wishing my diet allowed even one small taste. Notice the beer and take note.this is not mine. Apparently it's for someone Jeremy is working on a bike for...long story...the short story is that shit is moving out ASAP as it's taking up too much space. The one lone beer was mine..but only for making bratwurst with last week. No need for it now. We don't drink beer. There's my leftover Mahi-Mahi and broccoli that is my lunch for today. Also we have some leftover potatoes that will go into a breakfast meal along with eggs and the bacon. I have been using the bacon for some things though but I don't like the maple taste of it. I used it in my low-carb mock cauliflower and my massive cheeseburger. It also has some mad insane shelf life so I feel no pressure here. The ham is going to made into something shortly..that's on the list for this week. I am thinking of doing a breakfast for dinner thing...omelets with ham and cheese, potatoes (not for me)..something like that. I am pretty confident I can clear most of this out. And of course, tea..our fave. I use my Mr. Coffee tea maker almost every other day making this lipton concoction. I use Splenda..even when I wasn't dieting. We have adjusted to the taste and prefer it over regular sugar now. I use Splenda for everything. I also try to drink a lot of water which I usually keep at room temp cuz I am lame. I also have some chicken boobies thawing out for this week as well. I will see how many meals I can get out of those. The ONE thing I am clueless on is this small container on the far upper left that I got from Aldi's last week. It's processed pasteurized cheese spread...Parmesan prosciutto. Sounded interesting and fancy..even better with crackers. However, I am a little disappointed. It's very strange inside...weird texture. So I will be seeing what I can do with this without using crackers since that would set me back two weeks of low-carbing. I will make SO some tonight as a snack on crackers and see what he thinks. I would hate to toss it.

The side door is kind of uneventful as side doors go but probably more loaded. I am running dangerously low on butter so I have to watch how I use that. I love cream cheese which is why you see so much over there..plus it's a staple in a lot of LC (low-carb) dishes so I stocked up. Do not mix cream cheese and chicken..I learned this the hard way from recipezaar. I made something in my crockpot one time that was mixture of cream cheese and chicken..to this day, I want to vomit thinking of it. We all felt so bad about it that we stomached eating it but no one went for seconds. I ended up tossing it. I have also tried stuffing chicken with cream cheese..again, a no go. I like my cream cheese just like i like my men..cold, salty and stiff. When ya start breaking it down and warming it up..it just ruins it for me. Now cheesecake is an exception to EVERY rule..I don't care who you are...that's tasty!!!

I have a wide assortment of bottles..half this shit, I don't even know what it is so I will be doing a full inventory of these and seeing what I can do with them. If it's something I can't eat and they won't eat, I am tossing it. Easy as that! It will be an adventure to see what's left down here and what I can do with it.

Now it's starting to feel like the Dame Edna show LOL! If you haven't seen Dame Edna, watch her here and don't tell me I didn't warn ya! Dame Enda rocks my world :)

My cupboards are a little hectic, more than I would like them to be. Lots of soup...not sure why I am hanging onto this. If I can't use it by this weekend, I will donate it. I love soup personally but low carb just won't have it. Kylie won't eat soup not even chicken noodle..what a strange child. I also have tons of little packets..for things that I "think" I might need...of course when was the last time I roasted a WHOLE chicken..I mean, honestly, I can go to Martin's and get a cooked one hot and ready for less than $7. So I do have some housekeeping to do here. I also have lots of pasta packets which Jeremy enjoys. I also have spaghetti, another old favorite of mine. Hmm..this cupboard needs to be cut in half..so let's see if I can do that this week as well. I will do some googling on soup and what I can make with it. Also, some other ideas of using pasta. Of course, notice..the lack of food for me to eat in here. I can't think of one thing in here I am allowed to have. Wait..I was wrong..Splenda.

Argh!!! Look at all this bread! This is ludicrous! Who needs this much bread? I clearly overdid it last week. Since I have nothing else to use with the rolls right now, I think I will freeze them. The bread will have to be used for ghetto garlic bread this week or toast or I will make heart eggs..you ever made those? Use a cookie cutter and make a heart in the toast, then fry an egg inside of the heart. Very fun and cute. I will do that...as soon as I find my cookie cutters. You can use any kind of cookie cutter you want really or just make a hole in them. This cupboard has more irrelevant things in it..some low carb barbecue sauce I have never used, more canned goods, etc. Need to google some of these things as well to see how I can use them. And to the right is all of my cupcake goodies..sprinkles, cake icing and more. Just in case Kylie's school needs baked goods..or because I am a cupcake suckah!

I also have coffee samples..which I get as freebies. I keep these around and put a little in the bottom of my trash bags..it's my own odor protector. Makes the kitchen smell like yummy coffee. Once in a blue moon, I will make something that has coffee as an ingredient but mostly, these are a housekeeping thing. I drink coffee but not much and I don't brew at home..never liked it as much as I love restaurant coffee..never quite as good.

This cupboard needs no explanation..simply put..it's junk...all of it.

So what I do now..is GOOGLE. I google recipes on everything I can find until I find one that I have all the ingredients for. I try to use up everything I can..and if I can't, I pass it on or toss it. It will liberate you and you will learn new things..new dishes, new tastes. See what you can find in your fridge or cupboard? What is expired that you can toss out? What kind of room can you make? What recipes can you use this week? It also helps to make a weekly menu plan so you stay on task.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Giveaway!!! 15 Minute Low Carb Recipes

Since my blog has been looking "thinner" these days and I have been sharing my low carb story..I would love to offer to a lucky winner a new copy of the 15 Minute Low Carb Recipes by Dana Carpenter.

PRIZE: Paperback copy of 15 Minute Low Carb Recipes by Dana Carpenter.

To enter, comment below with why you want to win.

To gain one additional entry each:

1. Follow me
2. Subscribe
3. Blog about this giveaway and come back and post that you did
4. Tweet about this giveway and come back and post that you did

One entry per person please. Contest ends April 3 at 11:59pm. Winner will be chosen by random.org and will have 48 hrs to respond to my email. Be sure to include your email with your entry so I have a way of contacting you.

A reminder!

Last chance for the Intuitive Reading giveaway! Ends March 13 so you only have a few more days to enter. Don't forget I am also running a LUSH giveaway that ends March 31 and Rock N Rags has a giveaway for an awesome baby onesie that ends March 31 as well. If you are a member of Online-Sweepstakes, you will find my St. Patty's Day LUSH giveaway under Member Only MOC's and that ends March 17th.

Please spread the word on these giveaways and be sure to comment that you did.

My take on the movies...

Here are some movies I have watched recently through Netflix.....

The Orphanage ~ watched this last night, i am not into scary horror movies but this one was slightly more realistic to me. I love ghosts and spirits so it looked interesting. It was slow starting and the subtitles were kind of annoying but other than that, it was pretty good. The ending was surprising and a little creepy..especially with all the lights turned off.

21 ~ I liked the mathematics of it..i totally suck at math and people who don't are intriguing. overall, we liked it. if i knew how to count cards, i'd be in vegas right now. kate bosworth is not as uber hot in my opinion..she's very stick thin and there is something plain about her. kevin spacey is awesome which made this movie ten times better.

Penelope ~ I really liked this and thought it was cute. I was into it from the second it started. A fun romantic comedy..don't care for Christina Ricci but the leading guy is a hottie. Not really as moral of a story as I thought it would be but for a lazy afternoon, I had fun. The pig nose was really gross, I have to admit. Reese had a very strange role in this and I was confused on how she played such a back burner character.

I already watched all the seasons of Heroes and was very disappointed. Season 1 had me insanely hooked but I couldn't keep up with the episodes. I watched all of them on netflix in a matter of days to see what I missed. About midway through season 2, the show got really lame. Season 3 was even worse and I totally lost interest. I hate to say it but I won't be watching more of it. My sister is begging me to watch Lost so I will be getting that shortly.

Right now I am digging all my CSI episodes..I have been watching Season 8 and Season 9, not really in any particular order.

Loaded Mock Potatoes!

I lub lub lub mashed potatoes especially Grandpa Jim's mashed potatoes with sour cream and cream cheese. Since that would be an untimely cause of the end of my low-carb diet, I decided to make mock mashed potatoes with cauliflower. I am not a big fan of cauliflower in its own right..but when mixed with the right ingredients..it's takes on the flavor quite well. I used a basic bag of steam fresh frozen cauliflower from Aldi's..microwaved it and then put it in a mixing bowl. I added a tiny bit of butter, some sour cream, bacon crumbles and shredded cheese. I then put it back in the microwave just to warm it a bit more. It turned out fantastic and really filled my craving for loaded potatoes!!!!

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Rock N Rags Baby Tie Onesie Giveaway!

I first discovered Rock N Rags as I was cruising around Etsy late one night checking out children's clothing. I totally fell in love with the punk-rock look of these amazing tie shirts! I also adore the pink girls skull shirt. As a young mom, I love dressing my kid in stylish clothes that match ME! These are unique high-quality clothes made by a mom (Jenn) who loves having her children wear fun fashions that stand out!

Adorable onesies with ties on them!!! ~ say no more! Not only does she sell clothing, but she also has a wonderful assortment of hair bows! Best of all, her prices are very reasonable. I emailed the shop immediately and told Jenn how much I lub lub lub her creations! She was flattered and generously agreed to giveaway one 3-6 month

Blue Polk-a-dot Tie Onesie

to one lucky Kylie Ate Cake reader!!! I am stoked and uber jealous.

I had the lovely pleasure of speaking with Jenn and here is what she had to say about herself and her shop:

"First and foremost, I am a wife and mother of two beautiful children. They are my motivation and inspiration. I am a little bit skater & a little bit rock and roll. I have always loved to make things and now that I have kids I love making stuff that makes them stand out. I started making bows for my daughter and have been selling them locally at boutiques. I have been looking for something fun to do that would include my son. I had the idea to put a tie on a shirt one Sunday when my son refused to wear his tie. My son is 3 and loves attention, the first time he wore his first tie shirt, several people asked him about it and told him how cute it was. That was all he needed, now he loves his tie shirts, and the line has evolved from there.

PRIZE: One 3-6 month Blue Polk-a-dot Tie short sleeve white onesie from Rock N Rags!

To enter you must visit Rock N Rags on Etsy and heart Rock N Rags as a favorite seller and come back here and let me know that you did so.
If you don't have any etsy account, it's easy and free to sign-up.

For extra entries you can:

1. Follow me on blogger
2. Subscribe
3. Leave a comment on one of my posts
4. Blog about this giveaway and link to Rock N Rags and Kylie Ate Cake (be sure to come back here and provide me with your link)
5. Tweet about this giveaway
6. Comment on an item from Rock N Rags that is your favorite

Contest ends at 11:59pm March 31, 2009. One winner will be chosen by Random.org. Winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Be sure to leave me your email address so I can contact you if you win.

One of my favorite websites!

One of my fave websites... Shana Logic! This site totally rocks! I am madly in love with the Cupcake Love Ladies Tee. Check it out for yourself!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Tutu for Kylie Cakes

I made this fun easter pastel tutu for Kylie last night. It's made of shiny tulle in 5 different pastels...pink, white, blue, yellow and lavender with a purple satin bow.

Glamour Magazine

Glamour

I just saw on their website that they are
offering for a limited time a one year subscription
for $1.50. Expires March 15th.

Day 4

I am by no means trying to put myself into a little box as a low-carb or diet blog. I am a food fanatic so I am sure I will be sharing lots of recipes and they won't all be low-carb. For the time being, blogging about it is making me accountable. Even if you aren't low-carbing, these recipes are still really good. If you want to try low-carb, hopefully I can inspire you.

Day 4 ~ I have gotten over my immediate cravings..food isn't pulling me like a zombie to the kitchen the second I get out of bed. I can stare at a candy bar and have no desire to eat it. Also, very notable...my joint pain is GONE! I usually wake up in the morning and feel like I got run over by a bus. The last 2 days I woke up..feeling my age LOL! My skin hasn't been as dry (probably because I am drinking more water) and my mood swings have subsided. Now granted by the end of day 2, you would have thought I was in the midst of the worst PMS EVER! My head throbbed, my jaw ached, my hand shook...I was in essence detoxing myself. I had to go through withdraw no different than caffeine, alcohol or drugs. It was painful but once you get over the hump, it's all rainbows and unicorns on the other side. Yesterday I only ate some eggs in the morning, a salad for lunch and a small plate of my cheeseburger meal for dinner. I am not obsessively searching for loads of desserts to make. I am not counting my carbs because as long as I am eliminating starchy white foods and sugar..I feel good about what I am doing. Although Atkins Induction is 20 gms or less..I still know I will lose weight on less than 50 carbs. Not to mention, moving into next week will have my appetite lowered even more and I can focus on making better choices.

Warm weather weirdos and massively good cheeseburger

So I am driving with Kylie yesterday...sun is shining, it's warm and you can tell people are stirring. The car wash lines were insane and the kids were playing outside. The overweight man behind me in his car takes off his shirt..the whole thing, and then proceeds to pull his seat belt back over his hairy old chest and clips it. He rolls his window down and Kylie says "Mom, that man is NOT pretty!" Weirdo!!!!

Warm weather always brings out the weirdos.....

Speaking of warm weather I had a craving for a burger all day yesterday. I am huge fan of Uno's burgers but I didn't want to eat there by myself thus the massively large Pickley burger was born!!!

I created this for dinner....

I took ground beef and browned it, added cut onions and some 21 Seasoning Salute. Then I put it in a greased dish with a light layering of shredded cheese on the bottom. Next I made a thin layer of mustard and mayo..then shredded sharp cheese..then bacon. I put it in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes to melt the cheese. After it came out, I made another layering of mustard and mayo and topped it all off with sliced dill pickles. I would have added lettuces and tomatoes if I had had them. YUMMY~one of my favorite low carb dishes so far. I made fries to go along with it for the rest of the family.

Thrifting finds

A few small thrifting finds ~

I snagged Kylie some good deals today on clothing. I also found a copy of Dr. Wayne Dyer's book for children. You can check out the book here. I am so excited about this!!! It's a Scholastic book about teaching children to follow their own path, release anger and worries and to not be afraid of change. It rhymes too which is a plus..anything that rhymes rocks my world! I read this last night and am madly in love with it. It's one of those rare children's books that's really worth the cover price..and then gifting it with a personal signed note inside. I am a HUGE fan of Dr. Wayne Dyer's and I got to show Kylie that I am reading one of his big people books. Finding this book in a sea of shelves upon shelves of books..shows me I am on the right path. I love synchronicity :)

I also found this uber cute stuffed slice of cake....lub lub lub. Going in my room!

A Rockin' Party for Animals

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Etsy goodies in the mail today!

Etsy goodies in the mail=smiles and grins

My two orders from etsy.com came today. I am soooo excited about them!

I got this awesome magnet from cakespy.com! I lub lub lub it and will be going back to get more soon!

I also got this totally cool light switch plate from 3zart. It's going in my new creativity room which is in the works.

Freschetta Pizza Hack!

My oh so lucky perfect wonderful (can you tell how happy I am about this!) family got to eat pizza and wings for dinner....my fave :( Luckily it wasn't ny style greasy pizza or I would have been too sad to even post this. Since there wasn't too much else to eat or at least that I was in the mood for, I hacked Freschetta and made my own damn pizza......screw it, the crust isn't my fave anyway.

My low-carb pizza (again very fattening, just warning ya!)

The line up~ again almost all from Aldi's. I had pizza sauce leftover from when my little sisters visited and we made mini-pizzas so I am using that. I am also using the cheese I have (Italian & Cheddar)..you can use any kind/amount and I am using Trader Joe's (my other fave store) 21 Seasoning Salute.

And let me remind you of what the freschetta looks like BEFORE we hack it!

I swear I did't eat that piece.Kylie did!

So take some pizza sauce and spread a thin layer on a small plate.

Then add some 21 Seasoning Salute or whatever seasonings you want..I would have added oregano but for some odd reason it must not have survived the move. Grocery list check!

Now add your cheese (s)...

At this point, you can add mushrooms, black olives, anything you want..I opted for cheese but you will see why shortly. Now put it in the microwave for 1-2 mins, enough to melt the cheese.

To top mine off, I hacked the freschetta pizza and stole the toppings right off...that's right, folks..I plan on telling SO that they just fell off. Slid right off when I tried to take the piece.

Now if only I could get to that damn chicken inside!!! My breaded hot chicken wings hack gone awry!