Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Foreign Stamps are being added to shop


Lookie-Lookie~

My foreign stamp magnets are being added to my etsy shop. These are a lot of fun...and I have sprinkled them from my mother's fridge, to Boston and back. I love these magnets and I think you will too. You can visit my shop to purchase them.

Family Circle April 2009 knocks my socks off!


Have you seen this cover yet? I have to say I am insanely impressed with Family Circle this April. I get this magazine as a freebie from OLS but rarely ever read it. This month spiced things up totally for me. I am MADLY in love with the pastel cupcakes on the front. I am going to have to make some of these for the preschool at Easter time.


Also in this issue I found a fantastic burger recipe that I am dying to try (sans the bun)!

Southern Pimento Cheese Burgers




If the title alone doesn't conjour up dreamy smells of summer barbeques and ice cold margaritas..I dunno what will!

Makes: 4 servings Prep: 20 minutes
Bake: 5 minutes
Cook: 22 minutes
View Nutrition Facts
Ingredients

* Pimento Cheese:
* 1 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, at room temperature
* 1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, at room temperature
* 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
* 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
* 2 ounces jarred diced pimento peppers, drained
* 1 tablespoon bread and butter pickle juice
* 1/2 tablespoon creamy horseradish sauce
* 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
* Honey Slaw:
* 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1-1/4 cups shredded cabbage
* 8 slices thick-cut applewood smoked bacon
* Burgers:
* 1-1/4 pounds ground chuck
* 1/4 pound cured and smoked country ham, finely chopped (or chopped in a food processor)
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 4 potato hamburger buns, split
* 1/2 cup crushed kettle-cooked potato chips

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375°.

2. Pimento Cheese: In a medium bowl, combine cheddar, Monterey Jack, mayonnaise, cream cheese, pimento peppers, pickle juice, horseradish sauce and mustard; mix until well-combined.

3. Honey Slaw: In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, honey and cabbage; mix until well-combined.

4. Heat a 12-inch nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook 5 to 10 minutes or until crisp, flipping once. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Pour off almost all of the bacon fat from the pan, leaving a very thin layer.

5. Burgers: Combine the beef, country ham, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and form into patties to fit the buns.

6. Using the same grill pan, cook the hamburgers over medium-high heat for 8 to 12 minutes, turning once, until internal temperature registers 145° on an instant- read thermometer for medium-rare.

7. Meanwhile, place buns on a rack in the oven. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until lightly toasted.

8. Assembly suggestions: Spread a generous amount of Pimento Cheese on the cut sides of the buns. On each bun bottom, place a thin layer of Honey Slaw. Top the slaw with a burger, 2 slices of bacon and crushed potato chips. Add the bun tops. Place the completed hamburgers on a nonstick baking sheet and bake in the oven for 1 minute. Serve burgers on warm plates.

Chaos ~ french film

My brother recommended that I watch this movie called Chaos. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical at first. I am not into foreign movies and I don't get down with subtitles. I am glad I caved because it was a very interesting thriller. The acting was great and it kept my interest from the start. I would give it 3 1/2 to 4 stars out of 5..that doesn't sound great but it's still a worthwhile look. There were parts of it that reminded me of Crash which I really really liked.

Winners!

I love winning days :) It's so much fun reading all of the posts and watching Random.org picking the winner. The best part is sending out the YOU WON email! We have tentaive winners for the contests that ended last night. They have already been notified.

Rock n' Rags Giveaway ~ MAC MOM
Lush bath bomb and angel delight giveaway ~ AngelaH

Congratulations! Thanks to everyone who entered...I love the comments, suggestions and anecdotes. You guys are awesome! There will be more contests coming so please stay tuned.

There are 2 days left to enter my 15 Min Low Carb Giveaway!

Also, my other current running giveaway can be located here! It's a crazy kooky chance to win a huge lot of Low Carb items :)
Don't forget the additional methods of entry! Almost all of my contest winners have won from additional posts of either following, subscribing or tweeting about the contest. These give you a one-up on winning!

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.

Great sites for deals of the day

There are loads of websites out there where you can find what the deal of the day is. Some of them have great forums as well. This is not a complete list but can easily get you started.


www.dealsucker.com/
www.dodtracker.com/deals/
www.froomb.com/
www.zerodaydeals.com/
www.edealinfo.com
www.fatwallet.com
www.bargainjack.com
www.mybargainbuddy.com
www.gottadeal.com
www.dealighted.com
www.funtasia.net
www.fishingfordeals.com
www.slickdeals.net
www.flamingoworld.com
www.dealnews.com
www.woot.com
www.globalthriftshop.com/thriftycorner
http://www.greendealsdaily.com/


Travel Deals

http://mydealday.com/

Auction Deal of the Day - eBay

http://www.auctiondealoftheday.com/

Amazon Deal of the Day

http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/

Game Giveaway of the Day

http://game.giveawayoftheday.com/

Theme Ties Deal of Day

http://www.wildties.com/ties/WS216617.html

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.