Christmas in the Fall?

I know I have told you that some days it feels like Christmas around here. Well I am sharing my joy and luck with you again.  This last week I was so happy to see packages arrive for reviews and giveaway for you. 
And those are all things to come.  But I had a few other surprises in the batch.  One was that I had won a giveaway over at Is there a Bathroom on this Ship?    I love all the fun giveaways that are hosted there.  Here are her current giveaways if you want to go and get some goodies for yourself.
* Tropical Traditions Glass and Surface Cleaner (1 winner, ends 10/4/10)
* Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter (trade paperback) (3 winners, ends 10/9/10)

* Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer (2 winners, ends 10/9/10)
I had won in the Faber Castell- Creativity for Kids giveaway.  So it is now going to be fun around here.  Princess Emma will get to color in the coloring and ARTivity book with triangular color pencils.  And College Girl has already laid claims to the watercolor ecopencils for her design projects in theater.  It is always so nice to have extra art supplies around, don't you agree?  But on top of that I also had such a nice lil personal note from the Public Relations Manager, Lisa Bowdy of Faber-Castell letting me know this was my winning package.  Such nice manners and a personal touch.  She also invited me to check out Creativity for Kids. (Hint...go check it out!)  The have online activities, discounts, craft of the month and featured products each month.

My next snail mail goodie was from the Texas Beef Council.  Remember when I went to the Appetite for Inspiration cooking event this month?  Well they were so kind to send me a thank you note.  Again, manners are so wonderful.  Well that is enough to make me smile.  But she included a H*E*B $25.00 gift card so I could make one of those wonderful meals we were taught.  I think instead I am going to make the Orange Glazed Short Ribs that are on the Texas Beef Councils web site.  It is a crock pot meal and perfect with fall weather hitting.  You may want to pop it on for a Sunday Night Football dinner?
Now for surprise #3!  Yeah, three of them so far.  This last weekend we were at our local fair, the Comanche County Pow Wow.  Well so many companies and organizations have booths set up there.  I bought raffle tickets and picked up freebies of shopping bags and the such.  Well one of the places I entered was with a local Mary Kay lady.  This was something I was happy with.  I wear Mary Kay and did not have a local lady.  As a matter of fact I have been using Jana Leonard online, a fellow blogger at Life with the Leonards.  But, still nice to have local.  Well I now have a delightful lil card from Hitoni Bergmark here.  You see it, another nice note.  I am loving all the manners.  She let me know I won $20.00 of free products.  And a complimentary custom makeover!  I am going to use it one day that I have a hot date with Dear Hubby!  Great gift for me to feel so so so pretty.  I think I am going for the TimeWise® Age-Fighting Moisturizer (normal to oily) for my gift certificate.

This has been an amazing mail call, right?  Well, I am not done!  Nope.  Next still......(see I told you it was Christmas here today!)  I also had a package from Regina from Cottonfield Farm.   She has an adorable etsy shop too!  I had ordered a special necklace for my mom and Regina had gone way out of her way to make it for me.  In the game Hand n' Foot that Granny M is addicted too, a book of 7 sevens is worth 3000 points.  Well I asked for a tile necklace of that winning hand.  Regina did not have enough tiles of 7 cards.  So she went looking til she found more.  She ordered them and made my necklace.  Isn't that really going the extra step?  I also ordered a special necklace for my College Girl.  It is a glass tile necklace of a Morning Glory necklace.  That is our special wake up call.  My mom used it on me and I did the same with my girl.  Now we even have Morning Glories growing in our front flower beds.  It is a tradition for the ladies in our family now. 

The next item in the box was a cute lil purse mirror for me with a retro coffee cup on it.  I loved it!  Just right, coffee and the 50's feel to it too!  Perfect.  Well Regina, being the lady she is, sent me a lil note.  Oh all of this love is too much!  But she was so happy to sent me a second cup of coffee to share with a friend.  Yeah!  She gave me two of these lovely purse mirrors. Wow!  So since she said I could share one....I am going to do just that.  Yeah, I am going to give the second one to one of you!  Just leave me a comment with an email attached.  Tell me something that made you smile today.  Anything that put that warm feeling in your heart.  Or that twinkle in your eye.  And I will pick a winner, SOON!  So hurry....now....yeah, get going and leave me a comment.....I AM LOOKING!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Touching Lives (theysayimnuts.blogspot.com)
• 1950's meet 2000 (theysayimnuts.blogspot.com)
• I Got the Beef (theysayimnuts.blogspot.com)

Beat with 2 Winners Available Giveaway

I have had the kiddos here enough this last weekend. Was fun but need some time for me. The real me. That nitty gritty me. The one that has been pushing so hard on exercise, cleaning, getting the work around here done. So much so that yesterday I ended up walking 10 miles from all the task I had to accomplish. You bed my legs were sore.
But that is sometimes the way it goes. You know you can be mom, nonnie and that sweet lady at bible study for so long. Then that other you comes busting out. The one who longs for adventure, walking on the other side of the tracks. Well of course, I live my fantasy life in my books. That is why I am such an avid reader. And I adore a good mystery and thriller. Do you?

Well while I was reading my latest 'Beat', I have found that I am also going to give you a chance to win one of two of this book. I was taken with Hayden Glass who is not only a robbery homicide detective with the LAPD but has his own problem with trolling the internet looking for a fix for his addiction. Yes, like too many, he has fallen prey to his own job and is addicted to pornography. (Yes, you see that word here.) Like too many, this is an area that is pushed away from the surface and looked at only in the dark corners where no one is. But because of that, so many horrors can happen. Glass discovers that he has fallen into the trap of becoming involved and worrying about the object of his obsession. He finds a labyrinthine of crime rings and corruption in the sex-slave trade of San Francisco. And feels he has to not only save the girls involved. But better yet, he has to get a handle on his own addiction in order to be of any help to anyone else. It is hard enough to battle the demons outside but to do battle with the inner demons at the same time is a harder task.
I so enjoyed that this did not gloss over the parts of life we tend to ignore. But instead brought to life the humanity of our own deep obsessions. Weather it be to sex, food, love....whatever....there is so much that we want to be able to obtain. Often doing more harm to ourselves in the long run. Hayden Glass may be a hard nose cop but he is also human. And like us, wants to succeed in his own wars.
Stephen Jay Schwartz has done a great job of making Hayden Glass a full character. I think you would be drawn into his novel as much as I was. And to see if so, then you get a chance to win a copy of 'Beat'. I have two to giveaway to my readers. Of course all you have to do is leave a comment. Today's question for entry is, What is your demon you battle? Ouch, a hard one. But this way you too see we all have things to overcome. Mine? Depression and mental illness. I fight it daily. And some days I win even. Now make sure you leave me an email so I can notify you when you win. I will announce a the winners in two weeks too. Get ready to 'Beat' your problems too.
DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy of this book to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided.

Bedtime Books Giveaway

I told you that my grandbabes were here this last weekend.  Yeah, remember with me ending up with a fat lip!   Still ouches...but that must be the price of a really good hug.  It is now getting to the tender bruising part.  I am pretty sure the part that was busted open is healing though.  But with it as it is now.....kissing is out of the question.  Dear Hubby is being quite tender with me and going for the cheek.  Thank You Sir!

I was also reading to the grandbabes for bedtime this last weekend.  We had a trio of books to work our way through.  Of course you know that one book never does it so you have to have a lil stockpile.  And since we were reading to a 2 year old and a 6 year old then we needed books that went for both pretty well.  The interactive book of 'Tuck Me In!' was a great start.  First it was able to catch the attention of my young one so he would stay in bed with us.  Not up and down all the time.  Second it had a zebra on the cover which did it for the oldest.  This has become her latest favorite animal.  A simple lil tale of how each animal is ready for bed and needs to be tucked in.  You turn the next 1/2 page and it becomes the covers for the bed.  Cute and simple.  Perfect to start off with. Of course best that it ends up asking if the child itself needs to be tucked in.  So we are now all safe and snuggled in our beds.  See the end of this blog for a giveaway of this gem of a bedtime story.

Then on to a a bigger book of 'Moon Dreams'.  A wonderful illustrated story of where does the moon go when it is daytime.  Enjoying a bit of fantasy and a lil talk of where is the moon tonight.  Then we went on to explore why we do not see it in the daytime.  Of course in the book there is an array of fun ideas.  We did not dwell into the real science of it but into the fun imagination of the question.  My granddaughter really enjoyed helping think up ideas of where is the moon.

We ended with a well planned and thought out book of first bedtime poems.  "Switching on the Moon' is a nice size, bright illustrated and numerous poems to read in that lyrical fashion to lull a child to sleep.  Now this is a large book complete with an index of all the poems.  I love that I will be using this book for many years to come with all of my grandbabes, present and ones to come.  It is also a lil heavy so be ready to have a knee to help prop it up.  But it is perfect to help get that quiet tone to lull your sweet angels off to la-la land.  It worked like a dream for me.
So do you have favorite bedtime stories for you kids?  What was your favorite ones when you was small?   My first favorite is the all time good girl, Cinderella.  Later I was totally hooked on a twisted book of Outerspace Nursery Rhymes that came out of the 60's.  There is the ever popular Good Night Moon and the one I always cry to....I'll Love You Forever.  Well here is your fun chance to win 'Tuck Me In'.  Easy Peasy, just leave me a comment for the question I posed.  What is your or your childs favorite bedtime story.  I will draw a name in two weeks and you will have a new book to read to them.  Or better yet, for them to read to YOU!  Don't forget to leave your email so I can find you
DISCLOSURE: I received complimentary copies of these books to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided. 

Galxey of Winners Today

We have several winners today.  The first is for the Secretariat Winning Giveaway of  logo printed Image via Wikipedia

• Men’s T-Shirt
• Women’s T-Shirt
• Youth T-Shirt
• Hat

And the lucky winner is:
*LLL with Leslie* said...
    I Become a fan on Facebook.
    Leslie Malone
    livelovelaughwithleslieblog@gmail.com
-------------------
Our next 3 winners come from  Chicken Soup for the Soul: Tough Times Tough People 3 book giveaway.Image by Enokson via Flickr
By the way, Serenity was meant to win because Random number generator picked her number 3 times!
Serenity said...
    Lynette ~
   "What gets you through your tough times?"
    The fact that He sees the absolute utter best in me when everyone else sees the utter worst.
   "What was some of your hardest challenges?"
   The past 19 months have been a living you know what and there isn't enough space to put it all down here.
I follow you here and I am off to hunt you down on FB.
no_serenity13@yahoo.com
((((Hugs))))
PJ said...
    Hey Kiddo! MY final comment for this give-away. Earlier I stated that my biggest challenge is letting God have "FREE reign on my life to handle my problems, because I keep wanting to do it myself. Well, really I guess I got these questions out of order. What gets me through my Hard Times is Knowing that I do have a God to depend on. Knowing that things will be better off if I just leave them alone and go to God and ask Him to handle whatever the problems are. He already knows them but we have to invite Him into the situations or (our life) to intervene. I sometimes forget that part and wonder why He didn't just automatically do it. Of Course I know the answer to that, but that is for another "book". LOL!
    Love ya bunches!
    PJ
LoveMy2Dogs said...
   Well, for starters....If I didn't have a wonderful Hubby and a terrific Aunt Judy that I could turn to when times get tough I would probably be locked up somewhere in a Mental ward.
   jrandtam@columbus.rr.com
I will be getting email out to all of these ladies so their goodies will be on the way.  Congrats All!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Secretariat Winning Giveaway (theysayimnuts.blogspot.com)
• GiveAway: CSfS Tough Times Tough People (theysayimnuts.blogspot.com)

Touching Lives

Do you know Andy Andrews?  Well he is a bestselling author.  But more than that he is a genuine all around good guy.  Why do I know that?  From reading his books.  No one can point out the positive things of life without having a great outlook in life.  Other things I like about Andy?  Well we were both born on the 22nd.  And I have to agree Gloria Gaither is a very wise woman, Andy feels so too!  He is a big fish eater at least his favorite restaurants seem to show that.  Top it off he also does not like green bean casserole.  YIPPEE, I don't either.  Top it off he has a wonderful smile.  I can not look at a picture of him and not smile also.  Sorta makes me think of Mark Lowry with his wit and humor.  I adore this skit he has done. 

Andy also writes. Now he says he does not love writing by having written. In other words the finished product is pleasing. Gosh, I think we all feel this way. Proud and relieved once we have done our task. But often ready to get to the next one also.  I have two of his books right here.  One is going to be share with my Granddaughter for Christmas.  She is learning to read pretty well.  And I am sure we are going to be spending some time together as we travel through 'The Boy who Changed the World'.  I really love this as it is a book that shows that what one person does effects the next.  Noble laureate Norman Borlaug was able to hybridize wheat and has helped prevent starvation to billions of people world wide.  Now this is an amazing accomplishment and he should be quite proud of the fact he has made such an impact on this earth.  But it is then noticed that he was able to because of the people who effected the world before him.  From his own father to Vice President Henry Wallace to George Washington Carver to Moses and Susan Carver his adopted parents.  They saved George as a child from thieves.

Isn't that amazing.  This book shows the 'Butterfly Effect' that Andy has also written.  We do not always see that what we do will be the next step for someone else.  I am sure you have seen it in your own life in one way or the other.  Small things.  Like growing up my mom woke me by saying "Morning Glory" to me each day.  Of course, I said it to my own College Girl when she was a child.  Now all three of us will sit on our porch and watch the Morning Glories grow and each share in the love we have passed from one to the other.  Small but it is something we all adore.  I am even having a glass tile pendent of a Morning Glory made for College Girl's Christmas present.  Now this is a tradition passed down.  But in raising my daughter to be who she is, it is likely that one day she may teach (it is in the plans).  In teaching she can touch a life of a growing mind, maybe one who will make a new discovery or change or notice life just that quarter turn different than most do.  And on the effects pass.  You also touch many lives each day.  From your own family to neighbors to members at church to that person you wave at as you go for your daily walk.  And like the wings of a butterfly the slight flutter sets off a chain reaction through out the entire universe.  Have you thought about how you will be a part of that.
Easy way to start is to smile.  Show kindness.  Give love.  And take care of all the creatures and plants you can on this earth.  If it takes a village to raise a child then it takes a loving soul to nurture a life.
DISCLOSURE: I received complimentary copies of these books to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided. 

Related articles by Zemanta

• Children Grow through Imagination (theysayimnuts.blogspot.com)
• 1950's meet 2000 (theysayimnuts.blogspot.com)
• My Lost Daughter (theysayimnuts.blogspot.com)

Can You Keep a Secret?

I love my Dear Hubby.  You know I do.  I talk about him all the time.  And I try try try to make life easy on him.  He works so very hard at two jobs.  Doing it so he can provide child support to his two previous wives.  It is important, that is for sure.  But in doing all he does he gets very very very little comfort.
I try to do things for him.  Like rub his feet with Avon Cracked Heel Relief cream.  It makes them softer and heals them from all the walking and standing he has to do.  I also try to keep his medication box filled.  He doesn't have to think about what he has to take for his different ailments.  Just opens his hand and pours what we call the old age breakfast into it.  Not fun but needed.  Oh, in the winter, when he is in the shower getting ready for work.  I grab his uniforms and under clothes and run them in the dryer to get warm.  Nothing like getting out of the shower and having warm and toasty items to dress in.  Since we do not have heaters in our bathrooms it can get pretty drafty in this 100 year old house.
But, this year....I am not going to be doing that one anymore.  Why?  Have I had enough?  Am I rebelling?  Why would I not continue to treat a hard working man to a small creature comfort?  Why?????
Well because I have a special surprise for him.  I have an Infinity Towel Warmer from Warmly Yours to install in the bathroom.  This is a plug in model so just a few screws and all, then it will be ready to go.  I think he is going to be totally blown away with this.  He will have his own spa treatment.  Hang his clothes and towel on the Infinity Towel Warmer.  Plug it in.  Hop in the shower....and viola', instant happiness.  There are 10 bars to hand his items on.  And it only weighs 9 pounds.  So I am not worried about it pulling out of the wall once secured there.  There is also a 1 year warranty with it.   
Now I am going to show you a picture of it.  It is not hanging up here.  Not yet.  Remember it is a surprise for Dear Hubby.  No telling anyone.....especially you two guys....Skyler's Dad and Captain Dumbass....yeah, I know y'all want one of these too!  I am going to give it to him for Christmas.  Install it while he is sleeping and have it there Christmas morning.  Don't you think he is going to love it?  I do!
DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary Infinity Towel Warmer from Warmly Yours to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided.  But gosh, I thought this was amazing as it is.  Lucky me!

Penny Pinching or Smart Thinking

I have had several things going on today. The first I wish to share is my goodie bag I have from Nessa and Con Agra Foods and HEB Stores. I won in a giveaway over at Ramblings of a Texas Housewife. Look at all the goodies I received.

• A reusable ConAgra shopping tote
• $25 HEB gift card
• Peter Pan peanut butter
• 4 - pack Low Fat Snack Pack Pudding
• Healthy Choice Fresh Mixer
• LaChoy Creation Sweet n' Sour Chicken
• LaChoy Soy Sauce
• Chef Boyardee Whole Wheat Beefaroni
• Hunt's Ketchup
• Marie Callender's Homestyle Creation

The best yet is there is a $25 gift card in that photo. With that card College Girl is stopping at the HEB in the town where she goes to school. She can use that card and buy 4 items and we will get 10 items free. See the shopping list that I am getting this way.

1. H-E-B Fully Cooked Burgers 24 - 32 oz.
2. H-E-B Hot Dogs, 16 oz.

• GET 7 items free!
• H-E-B Dip, 8 oz.
• H-E-B Potato Chips 4 oz.
• Hill Country Fare Mustard, 16 oz.
• H-E-B Bake Shop® Hamburger Buns 8 ct., regular
• H-E-B Bake Shop® Hot Dog Buns, 8 ct. 
• H-E-B Soft Drink 2 L btl.
• ChefStyle® Chip Clips, 2 pk. 

1. H-E-B Fully Cooked Beef Meatloaf with Red Sauce

• get free!
• Simply Macaroni & Cheese, 20 oz.
• Pepperidge Farm Garlic Bread, 10 oz. 

1. 8 Piece Mixed Fried Chicken

• get free! 
• Hill Country Fare Buttermilk Biscuits 4 ct.

Now add that to the goodies in the bag and dear heart I have struck the mother load!  It adds up to 6 meals for my family and several items that College Girl can use for lunches at school.  And none of this cost me a red cent.  I have to say thanks so much to Nessa, HEB stores and ConAgra foods for helping me out this way!

Next is today's make it work lesson. First long story shortened. Lunch did not go the way I planned. We were going to have sliders. I had the hamburger meat, buns (or so I thought) and onions. So will at the store to drop off scripts for Dear Hubby I picked up a jar of dill pickles, sliced cheese and some lettuce. Well in our produce section they have discounted $1 bags. Today I snatched up a bag with a head of lettuce and 3 cucumbers. Now that saved me .29 cents on just the lettuce and made the cucumbers free. I went home and sliced up the lettuce for the sliders. Longer story there....did not work, did not have buns and hamburger meat fell apart cooking. So we had sliders in tortillas instead. Worked. Ha Ha.  Tonight the rest of the meat, lettuce and onions are going to help me make taco salad.  Have all the stuff here and will get another meal that way. 
But I used the cucumbers to make us 2 jars of homemade pickles for later use.  I sliced up the cucumbers and packed them into jars. 

Nice thin slices made with my lovely Yoshi ceramic knife. That was a birthday present this year and I adore it. Have not even cut myself which is the norm for me.

Next I drained the juice from the pickles I had bought into one jar. The other had 2/3 vinegar and 1/3 water in it.

I then added just a lil (oh about a tablespoon) of dill pickling powder that I already had to the first jar. The other jar I put in about 3 tablespoons of it.

Here is the Ball spice that was in the back of my cabinet already. Well I shook them up real well and stuck them in the fridge. I am going to let them cold pickle and hope to have two jars of pickles later on.

Well? What do you think? Are there things like that you do?  Ways to stretch the dollar.  Or ideas of gosh this did not work so what can I do with it?  Do you even try to cut corners.  Does it work or do you find that you just have to fix the "homemade" item with a store bought?  I know I really do try and stretch the almighty dollar and feed our family of 4.  With just this today I will have a total of 8 meals and the only extra cost was just under $5.00 today.  This is how we work to live frugally yet still be happy with our choices. 

Related articles by Zemanta

• Homemade Pickles (charlotte.news14.com)
• Recipes: Southwest Sliders with Avocado and Cilantro (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Pixie Dust and Princess Emma

 Oh you should have seen Princess Emma dancing around today!  She was no longer a princess in a long dress.  No today she was the greatest fairy of all time, TINK!  Yes, we were so thrilled to watch Disney's  Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue.  It was prancing, leaping and the sprinkling of magic fairy dust all around the room.  The paintbrush became her fairy wand and Emma's hair had to be put up in a bun on the top of our head.  I was quite admonished for not knowing how to make fairy wings for Emma.  But Granny M came to the rescue with a 'tailor made' green dress (over sized top and scarf for a belt) so that Emma would look the part. 

If you have not had the pleasure of seeing a movie through the eyes of a child then go out and borrow a kid soon.  Disney has always had the knack for letting us all become a child in front of the screen.  Weather we are fighting pirates, dancing at a ball or singing in the jungle.  Instantly our faces relax and our bodies start to bounce around.  Of course, Emma was even more so with today's show.  

Now for the show itself.  Years before meeting Wendy and the Lost Boys, Tinker Bell met Lizzy, a little girl with a steadfast belief in the power of pixie dust and the magic land of fairies. During the fairies’ summer visit to the flowering meadows of England, two very different worlds unite for the first time and Tink develops a special bond with a curious child in need of a friend. As her fellow fairies launch a daring rescue, Tinker Bell takes a huge risk, putting her own safety and the future of all fairy kind in jeopardy.  Now there is a whole cast to the fairies that live with Tink.  My favorite it Vidia.  But I always like the sneaky ones.  Emma also loves Iridessa and Rosetta.  Silvermist is especially beautiful.  And Fawn gentle as ever.  The boys Bobbie, Clank and Terenc help round up the crew.

We had to include how to make a Wind Wheel too.  Emma has made three today and they are now out in the flower beds.  She is convinced that there they will help the fairies make the flowers grow.   Thankfully we had painted newspaper here from Emma's latest art projects.  That we cut into the squares to make the pinwheels from.  Thus it is frugal and her own personal touch.  The sticks were just gathered from the yard.  That took a whole 15 minutes to find just the right ones.

See for yourself how the movie will pull you in fast. I am sure that it would be so much fun to watch with your lil ones too.  Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue debuted September 21st on Blu-ray Combo Pack (includes Blu-ray and bonus DVD of the film and movie download) and DVD.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy of this DVD to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided.

Related articles by Zemanta

• "Review: Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue Blu-Ray/DVD Combo" and related posts (southernbellaswaystosave.com)
• Yours Truly: Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (chicagonow.com)

Country Bob's Man Slop

Sponsored by Tomoson.com

After my trip to the Texas Beef Council last week, I have become more conscious of the food I am serving my family.  I want something that is tasty and brings in comfort for Dear Hubby.  He works so very very hard. Today for example he was up early and out the door.  I will not see him at lunch time as he has to stop at job #1 and run to job #2 to do the store order.  Right after work he is changing clothes at the plant then running to the store to put in his hours.  I know that once he hits the door here he will be hot, tired and very very hungry.  We are looking forward to seeing the opening show of Criminal Minds tonight too.  So I want to have a easy hot meal ready for him.  At the same time I want it to be healthy too.  Thankfully I have a recipe from Country Bob's that seems right up Dear Hubby's alley.  Country Bob's Man Slop sounds like a guys meal.  Nothing fancy but hot and nourishing.  I have two bottles of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce to use too.  I plan on using 95% lean ground beef like I learned about at the Appetite for Inspiration.  And I am changing a few things....I have to put my own spin on things.  I have some homemade vegetable soup here so that will replace the can of soup.  And instead of instant stuffing mix, I have plenty of bread and can make my own by cubing the bread and coating with my favorite seasonings and toasting them.  In this manner I am not dashing out to the store to get extras but using what I have at home.  I am putting up the recipe though as it appears on Country Bob's web site.  Go look around as they have quite a selection.  

I have learned a few things that will help others.  Did you know that Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce is gluten free?  Yeah!  So it is safe for those with allergies to use.  If you would like a vegetarian meal yet the flavor of a home bar-b-que?  Use Country Bob's!  Skewer your favorite veggies and fruits and then drizzle on the sauce.  Next place it on the grill or in the oven and yummy goodness in no time at all. There is an array of sauces, bar-b-que, spicy and salts.  They even have a cookbook to refer too.  And my all time favorite thing about Country Bob's?  They list that Christ is their CEO of the company.  Yes, a Christian company with good values.  So much so that they are willing to share.  How?  Well of course, they are giving sauce to one of my readers.  Who will it be?  Well simple this time.  Just tell me a recipe or way you like to use cooking sauces like Country Bob's so I can further my cooking expertise.  And when you do leave your email in the comment too!  I will pick a winner in two weeks time.  Don't wish to wait?  Well then pop over and fill out the form to try a bottle of your own for free!  YES, FREE!  So tell me, where is the negative.  You win one way or the other don't you.  

Country Bob's Man Slop

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 (19 oz) can of chunky vegetable soup
2 (6 oz) package instant stuffing mix
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce (or may substitute Spicy)

Methods/steps

In a skillet, cook beef until no longer pink, drain. Discard about 3/4 cup of juice from the soup and stir in with beef and Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce. Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions; spoon half into the bottom of a 2 quart baking dish, add the meat mix then rest of stuffing mix, top with cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated thoroughly.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary bottle of sauce to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided. Thanks to Tomoson.com for helping me find Country Bob's too.

This Product Was a Free Giveaway

Related articles by Zemanta

• Drooling About (theysayimnuts.blogspot.com)
• I Got the Beef (theysayimnuts.blogspot.com)

Focus on Daily Life and Strengths

I have shared with you that I live in a small country town.  All of 2 miles by 2 miles.  So you get to know everyone and they all know you...weather you thought they did or not.  Now being a city girl this was quite a change for me.  I remember when I first moved here, people seemed to think they knew things about me that just was not so.  I was so shocked to think that anyone would one, be even interested in me and two, notice that I was even here.  My Dear Hubby was here before me on the outskirts of town.  So he popped into town and out on a regular basis.  With his outgoing personality, he had made friends with so many.  While I was shy and withdrawn in a new place.

Now during all of this our romance was also blossoming.  Just getting to know each other well.  And it seemed all the while we were in a spotlight for others to watch what unfolded.  It was very much like a lil romance novel coming about in real life.  And thankfully it grew into a deep and loving permanent relationship. This time period brought back romance novels into my reading list.  I had not read them since my teen years.  But, of course, with my own love life growing I wanted to share others stories.  Even today I have a read or two of romances.  My latest was 'The Snowflake' by Jamie Carie.  Yeah, with our Texas heat I was ready for a lil cooling off.  Here I traveled back to 1897 and followed a adventure trip to Alaska.  Here in a world that only men venture the unheard of happens.  A determined strong woman is making the same trek.  Will this hamper the journey or can the different outlook on life help new answers come about?  I loved seeing how a deep romance based on respect and admiration grow in this story.  And of course who can falter a relationship that is brought to fruition by the hand of God?  I feel that very same thing happened in my own marriage.

Now as I have said we are in small town Texas.  It is over 100 miles to any large city and over 30 miles just to do a decent days shopping.  Needless to say I do not travel far.  Not even to shop.  So I find what I need here.  In the one grocery store, the lil dollar stores, our shops around the town square.  I have found that it is enjoyable purchase an ice cream cone and walk around the square and window shop.  There is great joy in hanging out with our neighbors sharing a bar-b-que.  Helping out with our local charities.  Life is easier, slower and richer for all around us.  While the economy is hurting so it has become important to draw in what makes our lives fuller.  And most often that is from family and friends.  I would pick a family game night over a trip to the movies any time now.  Having coffee with the locals as they share their wisdom of hard times is much richer than reading the big town papers of what is happening in the world.  I have found that same kind of thinking in the book 'Snow Day' by Billy Coffey.  He noticed a balance in rural America that shows that we are a community of neighbors, co-workers and strangers turned friends.   This is just like listening to the story telling my grandfather use to do.  Here during a particularly bad snow storm Peter Boyd calls in to work to take a Snow Day.  During this day his eyes are opened to the community around him.  And that becomes a reflection to his own life.  It reminds me of when College Girl was younger.  We had Dr. Mom days.  Times that we called in to school for a doctors appointment to really have a day with mom.  One that seemed to really bring back health to our own relationship that was important as a day learning in class. 
What have you noticed that brings your focus back to  your family, your marriage, your community?  How have you brought in changes to make family time focused back to your home?  Are you giving back to your community, schools and local charities?  Why did you make these changes?  Share with us so we can also learn new ways to focus.

Related articles by Zemanta

• God Blessed Us (theysayimnuts.blogspot.com)

Crazed Mind

My mind is going ninety to nothing today.  Not able to get one idea to stick and not race around.  Do you have days like that?
Well, my coffee maker broke.  I need coffee.  Can not function without it.  So I pulled out the reliable percolator from my mom's kitchen.  It was great to enjoy the fresh coffee as it bubbled and popped on my stove top.

I was feeling like I had made coffee from scratch....silly huh?  But at the same time I was thrilled when Dear Hubby walked in with a new Hamilton Beach automatic.  So the Corning Ware is back up on the shelf and the easy peasy one is working on the cabinet.
I also have to sweep every day.  With 5 dogs and 5 cats here it adds up real quick.  Top that off with the dirt and dust that blows in.  But isn't this just too much for one day.....every day.  I should not have a single animal left, they have shed enough to disappear.

I love this big ol picture hat.  But it is just not too fitting on our friend.

I think it is better fit for Princess Emma.

Well, I guess that is enough for today.  Top it off I am hungry too.  So time for a ham and cheese waffle sandwich.  One of College Girls favorites.  Pair it up with a cup of tomato soup and you have a peasant lunch that is every every so yummy.

Oh we also have a winner for the Percy book.

 The winner was drawn by random number generator.  And the winner is:

Jenn said...

I follow you on twitter ! I will be letting her know.  That way we can get her book off to her and her kiddo as soon as possible.

Drooling About

Ok I promised you much more on the great event from the Texas Beef Council and June Cleaver Nirvana aka Holly Homer at the Appetite for Inspiration. Again I have to thank Milestone Culinary Arts Center for allowing us to invade them. Mom bloggers all over the place and filled with food. You know we were all in our element. Also I have to give a nudge to my bloggy buddy and neighbor Nessa for going with me.
Erin Johnston of the Texas Beef Council welcomed us and introduced us to Angela Lemond. Angela is a nutrition consultant. You know what that means? That is the person who knows what we should be eating compared to what we are really eating. I wanted to crawl under my seat being so large....but Angela was so kind. She admitted that we all eat the no-no's. Just learn to do it in moderation. Angela is an active mother, so she is really noticing how hard it is for an active mom with kids, job and housework to get a good meal on the table. Short cuts are needed. So she shared some ideas with us. My favorite is to introduce your children to new foods all the time. Reintroduce those foods that the picky eater scrunchies their nose up at also. Remember taste buds change.
Next we watched this hunk of a top chef, Richard Chamberlin cook two yummy dishes for us. You can have some of his signature dishes at Chamberlain's Steak and Chop House in Addison, TX. The first dish was Beef and Heirloom Tomato Salad with Balsamic Syrup.  Here it is!  I have to say it tasted as beautiful as the colors show up.

Next was the Beef Pot Roast with Maple Sweet Potatoes and Cider Gravy. Now he had me here. I adore sweet potatoes. Toss in the Maple syrup and you are serving up a lil dish of heaven for me. This is what it looked like. The sweet potatoes are just behind that lovely pot roast.

Next we all played Top Chef. We had to draw for teams. I ended up with the Beef Brisket Tostados with Spicy Peanut Slaw. There I am, yes, the one with the busy print dress, but I was having lots of help from Shauna and Amy.  Our 'sous chef' was there to the left to help out if we needed it.

Now this was really easy. Since it was made with brisket which takes some time to cook. The chefs at Milestone had already cooked that for us. Even had it shredded too! So we were just mixing up the slaw and doing assembly. Not hard to do. I do enjoy the crunchy slaw on top of the juicy beef. Of course I was thrilled to see the peanuts in the dish. I live in Comanche Texas and we were known as the peanut capital of Texas for a very long time. Doesn't this look just amazing.

Now if you want a kid friendly and delicious dish then check out this one. It is the Sweet Hawaiian Mini Burgers. They used 95% lean ground beef. So your not introducing the fat into the dish. Add in the caramelized pineapples and it was just perfect.

I have to show you what Nessa made. She said this was easy peasy and a dish her kiddos would snatch right up. Chipotle Sloppy Joes with Crunchy Cole Slaw. These look great and not sloppy at all.

I have to thank June Cleaver Nirvana and Humphries Nation for the wonderful photos. They were so kind to share with me. I also want to add a list of the mom bloggers that were able to attend this event. They were all so nice to include us country gals to the shindig.

Screwed Up Texas

3P's in a Pod

Living Locurto

Fab Find Foodie

The Nerd's Wife

Mejorando mi hogar

Who Put Me in Charge of These People

I Heart Bowheads

Totally the Bomb

Mommy's Wish List

Save the Phillips

Burb Mom

Humphries Nation

DillyDally and Flitter

Books on the House

As Manny as We are Given

Mamma Contemporanea

Milk and Cuddles

Blah Blah Blog

Aunt Freddie

Mommy Upgrade
Savor the Days

Ramblings of a Texas Housewife

Related articles by Zemanta

• I Got the Beef (theysayimnuts.blogspot.com)