HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DO MY MAKEUP!!!!!

That is what my darling 2 year old daughter, Ariana, was screaming at me bright and early this morning. Is she serious? I mean my makeup isn't even done yet AND she's only two. Did I hear her right? Oh, but I did. Just in case I misunderstood her the first time, there she yelled it again, "DO MY MAKEUP MOMMY!!!" Last time I caught her in my makeup, she destroyed it, so I gave her her own to play in ( all the ugly colors someone must have gifted me) and I allowed her to look like a clown for an hour or so, but now here she is demanding I do her make-up. What does this all mean? Is she trying to grow up too fast? Will she be high maintenance? Well.... Nothing left for me to do than to quit crying like a baby and do this girls makeup:-)

Trial Run

Oh my goodness!!! Starting our new healthy eating ways on Monday must have just been a trial run because I only stuck to the working out part :-) I'll do my best, little by little. I think I was a little too "gung-ho" about it. I'll have to work up to it all, but am so excited so many other ladies are doing it too. WAY TO GO GIRLS!!!!!!!!!!

Get Ready for New Years

It's almost the new year. I am so excited!!! There's just something neat about starting a new year. I like to make New Years Resolutions, which I don't keep :-) They're still a lot of fun to make. The #1 thing on most womens list is.....WEIGHT LOSS! Well, what else would it be after gorging ourselves two to three holidays straight. I, myself am sure that I gained at least 500 pounds after Christmas alone. I'm starting my weight loss efforts today. Athough I love New Years, I never stay up til midnight to celebrate. I can't make it that late, so there's no worrying about over-eating in celebrating there. Candy, over at Keeping the Home has started a little weight loss support group if anyone is interested. I'm gonna do it. There's nothing like a liitle accountability to keep you going. She's doing Nourishing Traditions style. I'm just doing good ol' calorie counting and a nice cheat day on Sundays. I mean who doesn't over do it every Sunday, can't just be me :-)

Quick and Easy Cheesecake

Here's the recipe for the cheesecake we enjoyed so much Christmas day;

1 lg. graham cracker crust
1 lg. container of cream cheese
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 lg. lemon

Let the cream cheese set out until it reaches room temp., mix in the milk and lemon juice, place all in crust, add a little lemon zest to make it pretty, then set in fridge. That's it, YUMMY!!!!!!

Missed Ya All

Hi guys, I missed all of my Blogger Buddies and am so glad to be back. I'm sure I've missed so much and can't wait to catch up. We all had the most wonderful Christmas. Bakari sang so wonderfully in the choir at church. I am so very proud of him. It took a lot of dedication, practice, and time. He did it all with a smile on his little six year old face. We spent two days straight with family, that is my favorite thing to do. We're all tired and feel like over-stuffed turkeys, but it was all worth it. I have an awesome and easy cheesecake recipe that I'll post tomorrow. We had it yesterday and it was so good that I think I'll make it tomorrow. Until then........

Gone for a bit

Hi guys,

I'm taking a little break from blogging until after Christmas. I have a lot of preparations and fun stuff going on, so until 12-26..... HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!

Ornament Exchange

So I received an invitation to an ornament exchange . I have never been to one before so I excepting the invite with great excitement. Well I was on the hunt for the cutest or prettiest or most outlandish ornament AS you can see I had no idea what to look for. So I got prepared and went shopping,I searched up and down. ALL of a sudden it dawned on me CUTE ornament and I found what I believe to be the perfect one(its a secret I can't tell what it is.)
BUT another obstacle arose when I found it was a pot-luck too, sooooo dwelling on what I am to make I feel short of what to bring . SO I called up my Sister Amy for some advice(that always works) and SHE DID IT AGAIN! Santa Fe Soup it's the perfect thing for such an event .

I will take plenty of pics and put them on after the Exchange
Tootles till then...

Testimony Time!

Well Its almost time for Christmas and I am SOOOO Excited! I just can't stop thinking of the predicament my husband and I were in last year.... Anyone up for a story??

Ok so my Husband and I had very good jobs at a private firm, but all of a sudden due to legal issues the firm had to close its doors. Leaving my husband and I stuck in a rut. We lived off of our savings for a while and the savings went fast. So this time last year we had absolutely NOTHING .. Thank GOD that we are strong believers in Christ and knew He would work it out. We kept our faith strong through the bad and GOD is blessing us in so many ways. It's funny now because the simple things( like buying a piece of fruit) I can't help but thinking back to when we were eating Ramen noodles every night. I feel so blessed this year that we have overcome my husband has a great career and we have truly been blessed in every way.

Fish Tacos Anyone?

It seems like there are signs everywhere promoting fish tacos. When I think of tacos I think beef. The thought of fish in a taco shell really grossed me out. Well...... yesterday I intended to make salmon patties, so I took my can of salmon out and looked on the back for a salmon patty recipe and I was met with a recipe for.... Alaska Salmon Tacos!  I read the recipe and thought this doesn't actually sound too bad. I decided to experiment. To my surprise they were DELICIOUS! I think they even tasted better than beef tacos. Well here's the recipe in case there are more of you who are a little "adventurous" :-)

* 1 can salmon
* 1/2 c. salsa
* 12 corn tortillas
* 3/4 c. refried beans (Ii just used a small can)
* 1/4 c. cheddar cheese
* 2c. cabbage or lettuce, shredded
* 3/4c. fresh tomato, diced
* salsa to taste
* cilantro, to taste
* I also used a little sour cream as a topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix salmon with salsa and hold aside. Place the tortillas on sheet pans in single layer; portion beans and cheese evenly onto tortillas. Place in oven until warm and cheese is melted (5-8 min.). Remove from oven and divide salmon mixture evenly among tortillas. Top with cabbage or lettuce and diced tomatoes. Fold tortillas over and serve withextra salsa and chopped cilantro.

Decorating on a budget

Ok with a tight budget and a small amount of time ,I decided I wasn't going to decorate this year . So besides putting up the tree I was going to stand firm on my decision of (there are better things to do with your time and money.) Well that decision lasted all of 2 days before I realized that isn't what I wanted. I wanted a beautifully decorated home.
There's something about those pretty decorations that just brightens your day. So Think Think Think And I GOT IT!
I go all around my house oh yes I am on a scavenger hunt for real. I grabbed everything I had that was green, red and sparkly and I got to work. I hung tiny Christmas ornaments on my bland chandelier, Took red sheets and wrapped them around the bottoms of tables not to mention red sheets are my tree skirts. Anything You can find do it , and I did it. I even hung some stockings (that don't belong to anyone ) out side on the porch wall DECORATE DECORATE that's all I can say.
Heres a site with some decorating pics http://interiordec.about.com/od/christmasdecor/ig/Fast-and-Easy-Christmas-Decor/
Also while your redecorating your home don't forget your front door. Grab some greenery from outside your home put it on the door,pine cones flowers bows again anything you can find .
Just have fun and when your done Take time to appreciate your hard work

Chow for Now!

Snow, Snow Everywhere!!!!!

It is really cold and snowy here in Colorado, which makes for a pretty scene but causes a couple of  problems for me. I feel like there is no way I can get out from under my blankets in the morning, because even with the heat turned up I feel that I might freeze to death if my pinky toe comes out from hiding. I love walking around town in the summer and getting much needed exercise without even noticing it but in the snowy cold I don't even wanna walk to my mailbox. What am I to do? How's a mom to get a work-out if not by accident.  I offered some of this snow to the gals over at fivemomsandablog and either they didn't take any or not enough because it's still snowy cold :-)

Shape Up!

OK so I have to be honest I have not been sticking with my exercise routine; which is 3 times a week at the gym.(OK so it's out) But fortunately my body is still in shape so I wanted to let everyone know some simple SIMPLE techniques to do to stay fit this holiday and hopefully it will stick with you all year long.

First Sometimes you just don't want to get out of bed , it may be cold , you may be tired whatever it may be . Its OK everyone has those days but while your in the bed do some leg lifts and arm lifts. Easy enough your still covered up and cozy but you got a little workout before even rising out of bed

Second so you want to sit down and watch some t.v that's fine but try some squats in front of the tube or what I do is crunches or squats every time it goes on commercial that way when the shows on you get a break( believe it or not its like a Lil game that is also relaxing.)

Third got children at the house now (or pets) take them for a walk YES children enjoy and need walks as much as we do .

And Last but not least before you go to bed at night do some buttocks lifts or crunches (you should be in the floor kneeling to pray anyways) and if not you can do those in the bed too!

These are fun little things I do to keep in shape and I wanted everyone to know. After you get into a routine of doing simple exercises all throughout the day you will see the LBS dropping and the muscles tightening. Just remember DON'T MAKE IT HARDER THAN IT IS

and have fun with it.

Chow for now!!!

OVERWHELMED

Well as everyone knows the holiday season is right around the corner . As I start getting everything together I find myself a bit overwhelmed !You know with the Decorating,family planning,financing,sleep overs,vacations,meals,Seasonal doctors appointments All these things and more whew. Well remember what this celebration is all about Its about Celebrating Christ and how without Him our world would be wayyyyy different (in a not very good way)So as I relax and take in a few verses from my bible I have this thought . This year and every one after I will bake Jesus a birthday cake .If you feel overwhelmed think about what Jesus had to go through for OUR sins .

The Joy of the Lord

Sometimes I become overwhelmed with God's love and His goodness. He has brought me so far and I am so in love with Him. The love I have for the Lord is indescribable. I wish that everyone could know that love. I wish that everyone would choose to know and have a relationship with the Saviour.

30 Days of Dinners

It took me a little longer than I had expected to come up with these dinners, but I'm so very glad that I, along with a friend and a couple of my sisters we did it! Now these are just the main courses because I never plan out sides. I have lots of frozen and canned veggies, boxed Annie's Organic pastas, and  usually serve up some bread. The bread could be biscuits, bread-n-butter, garlic bread, or cornbread muffins. If I want something a little extra I'll make baked mac-n-cheese, potato salad, deviled eggs, or something along those lines.
Here we go:

1. taco salad
2. hamburgers
3. nachos (make topping with rotel dip)
4. chicken -n-dumplings
5. chili cheese dogs (good way to use leftover chili)
6. pork chops
7. lemon pepper wings
8. hot wings
9. chicken club sandwiches
10. salad w/ chicken and bacon
11. chili
12. omellettes(yes, these are so yummy for dinner too)
13. tuna salad sandwiches
14. chicken salad sandwiches
15. pot roast
16. pork burritos
17. fajitas
18. green chili
19. beef burritos
20. Santa Fe soup
21. bacon and bleu cheese burgers
22. gumbo
23. salmon patties
24. chicken enchiladas
25. lasagna
26. pork fried rice
27. shrimp fried rice
28. stuffed bell peppers
29. chicken quesadillas
30. baked ham, mashed potatoes, and green beans(this one is the only one with sides. Makes you think of a Thanksgiving dinner)

Lots Of Yummy Dinner Ideas Coming Soon

I'm getting together with my sisters and some friends and we are  coming up with at least a weeks worth of dinner ideas each. I hate getting stuck in rut making the same things over and over. So, I decided I would ask others what they usually make for dinner(over and over:-)) and we would compile our lists. The tricky part is is that there can not be any two days the same. So far we have come up with 18 dinner ideas. You guys just don't know how excited I am!!!!! I'll work today and try to complete the task so that I can post the dinners tomorrow.

God bless ya'll

Quick Sandwich Ideas

1.)Tomato Sandwich

Two slices of whole wheat bread

I whole ripe tomato cut into slices

Mayonnaise

Spread Mayo on both pieces of bread add tomatoes

and viola!

(you can also add other veggies,(bell peppers,cucumbers etc) and sprinkle on salt and pepper.

2.)Banana Sandwich

Two slices of wheat bread

I banana

Mayo

Follow the same recipe as the tomato sandwich but substitute the tomato with the banana

Yummy!

3.)Egg & Cheese sandwich

Two slices of whole wheat toast

Two Large eggs

Two slices of Velveeta cheese

Butter

Scramble eggs and place on plate, cover bottom of pan with butter and add slice of bread .When bread is slightly browned flip and add 1 slice of Velveeta cheese take bread out of pan and lay eggs on top . Place 2nd cheese slice on 2nd uncooked slice of bread. Place on top of sandwich and cook the entire sandwich in the pan . (un-browned slice of bread down) until bread is brown and

Your Done!

4.)Fried Egg Sandwich

Two eggs

Mayo

Tomato(optional)

Fry the eggs on the stove until done,place all ingredients on bread and you finished

You can salt and pepper for taste

5.)The croissantwich

One Can Pillsbury croissant rolls

16 slices of ham

4 slices Velveeta cheese

Cut Velveeta cheese slices in half (that way you have 8 slices of cheese)Follow instructions on croissants BUT instead of rolling empty place 2 slices of ham & 1 Half slice of cheese inside the dough and then roll. Place on a lightly greased pan and bake on 375 for APX 10 min or until brown.

The great part about this recipe is you can add anything you want!! Egg and cheese for breakfast.

Ham and cheese for lunch

And pepperoni and cheese for dinner

Have fun with it and send in Your croissant recipes....

A temporary good-bye to my good friend bread

I believe bread is good for you, especially if it's healthy homemade bread. Well, I think that I like the taste of my homemade bread a little too much. Once you are in the habit of making homemade bread it's just natural to make homemade muffins, pancakes, and waffles too. Well the taste is out of this world, especially if you allow the dough to sour a liitle. It's so good why not have homemade baked goods at every meal and snack on them too. Come on, I use all healthy ingredients. All my baked goods are made with soured whole wheat flour, ground flax seed, buttermilk, organic eggs, and raw and unfiltered honey. Well, my good friend bread loves me so much too that she decided to stick with me for a while, on my hips, belly and bum. Which she's now like a guest who has overstayed their welcome. We need a break! So, I had to kick my friend bread out, at least until my body is no longer affected by her stay and I can just visit with her casually without inviting her to stay all day.

Easier Flossing

I always have a hard time flossing my teeth You know with the floss running out, losing your grip,not cleaning enough ect.. Well I went to my dentist for a cleaning and he gave me some GREAT advice . Easy and great

Just take your floss and tie it into a circle

That way you can use the floss in its entirety.

Also after your finished flossing take your toothbrush dip it into some baking soda and brush brush brush. The taste of the baking soda can be chased with alittle bit of regular toothpaste.

Enjoy your squeaky clean teeth....

*Quick & Easy Oatmeal Cookies*

3/4 cup butter

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 granulated sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup of water

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups oats un-cooked

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Beat together butter,sugars, egg,water and vanilla until creamy. Add reamining ingredients mix well. Drop by rounded tsps on greased cookie sheet. Bake on 350 for 12-15 min.

ENJOY!