decoration traditions

This is my favorite time of year. I am sure we all have things we do each year. Being a mom of two little girls I have started each year buying them an ornament for the tree. It started when I was pregnant with Stella and got one with a mommy and daddy chicken, the momma was knitting. so cute. Last year Stella was really into Spiderman, and another year was trains. This year will be Little Mermaid and Irene is so into babies or fairies or hello kitty. I date them and save them. Maybe one day they will want them for their own tree's. Something that isn't too expensive to do, and makes memories each year!

apple yummy

A few people have told me about this and I just started making it. OMG it is so easy and SO SO good. I am thinking of new ways and different things to use in it. So far I have made it with peaches and with apples. Today I made it with raisins combined in the apple one.

here it is!

Ingredients

• 2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
• 2 (10 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle Mountain Dew ™ (i like orange juice instead)
  

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Cut each apple into 8 wedges and set aside. Separate the crescent roll dough into triangles. Roll each apple wedge in crescent roll dough starting at the smallest end. Pinch to seal and place in the baking dish.
3. Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Pour over the apple dumplings. Pour Mountain Dew™ over the dumplings.
4. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

daytime tv? say what? i have two little kids!!!

ok ok ok! I don't do daytime tv anymore... well until now. I have fallen in love with THE TALK. I liked the view for about 2 days. This show is so fun and just girly. I love Julie Chen and Sara Gilbert. The other women are good too.One of today's guest was Kathy Griffin. She cracks me up. SO now I AM DVRing it!!! Check it out and let me know what you think!!!


http://www.cbs.com/daytime/the_talk/

Okay there Momma's. I have now fallen in love with some taco shells. They are so so so good. Very thick and they are whole grain. I made regular taco's with ground turkey meat and used mrs dash southwest seasoning (no sodium) and everyone loved it. I also made some gordons fish (garlic herb) and made fish tacos with it. That one is still a work in progress on the sauce for it. The shells though are fab. Make sure you don't burn them. Only 3 mins in the oven. The kids were able to eat them, because they were thick enough and not to thin.

here is the link
http://www.ortega.com/products/products_detail.php?id=17185

my aunt hazel

Everyone needs an Aunt Hazel. She is the best at making you feel like you are doing everything right, even when you are at you lowest point. Mom's are great, but your mom always thing you are perfect. My Aunt Hazel is my Mamaw's sister. She just turned 90 yrs old this year and is amazing. She is probably the best cook ever and loves to share all her trade secrets. My girls call her grandma Hazel. She has no grandkids of her own, so she loves her new title. While at home visiting in TN this summer she taught me to make refrigerator rolls. They will never compare to hers, but they were okay and the girls loved them. So if you go home or have someone who is like an Aunt Hazel, make sure you make time for them... they won't be here forever! I LOVE YOU AUNT HAZEL!

shake shake shakel.. your pork chops

Who ever invented shake n bake deserves a big KISS! I love love love it so much!!! When I was a kid, my mamaw made it and I have rediscovered it. I make 4 pork chops with it and have one left over for the next day. SO YUMMMY!

Now they have more flavors and have generic brands. I prefer the shake n bake brand, but the others aren't bad!

http://brands.kraftfoods.com/shake-n-bake/

cheesssey rice yummmmmm

I just discovered this new rice that you microwave! Okay I am not into microwave food, but at this stage in my life we pick some hard things to make at dinner along with some easy stuff. This an easy thing. It is Uncle Ben's ready rice. They have lots of different kinds and it takes 90 seconds. My kids love it, they like the brown, long grain and the cheese ones the best.

http://www.unclebens.com/rice/ready-rice-creamy-four-cheese.aspx

best tip ever

A few weeks ago I was going on about how I can never keep enough milk in the house to the best neighbor ever! Susannah said... why not buy 3 gallons and put one in the freezer. What? Really? No F$%^*ing way!

So I did it. I love you Susannah!!! One of the Best Momma Tips EVER!

pb & j at its best!

shopping at the store is hard enough, but when you have two girls fighting the whole time, not to mention those blankin balloons they give them UGH! we were in the frozen section of the store and i am always in the look out for new things to do for lunch for them. i saw these smucker's uncrustables. they are peanut butter and either grape or strawberry sandwiches. the worst thing about them is forgetting to set them out 30 mins to an hour before eating. pretty cool cause my girls don't eat the crust and they are made in a way that the jelly isn't running down their faces.
ever inch of a clean body is needed in my day!

http://www.smuckers.com/products/group.aspx?groupId=3

lip smakers

I have a kinda crazy addiction to chap stick, lip gloss lips stuff. When I was in college I became a lip smackers freak. I loved the cotton candy kind the best. I also really like bath and body works that is peppermint with a tint of color. Not sure what the big obsession is, my friends always said cause I had big lips and they needed love.

Now with two girls I have realized they too love lip stuff. So maybe it is in their blood, or cause they too have big lips and they need love.

here is a link
http://www.colorandflavorshop.com/product.php?productid=50303&cat=3&page=1
http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2941778

matty burgers

When we were home at xmas, my brother in-law Matt (who we were staying with) was eating breakfast. He had these frozen sausage biscuits that you just microwave for 50 sec, don't go by the directions on this... I am now an expert! Stella had one and it was over. She eats them on most mornings. "Momma, can I have Matty burgers?" So now the whole family calls them Matty Burgers. Uncle Matty is so proud. :).

They are small and are in the freezer section at the store. We have tried two kinds, Jimmy Dean and Tennessee pride. I like the Tennessee ones and Steve likes the Jimmy Dean ones. The girls love both kinds.

here are the links:
http://jimmydean.com/products/snack-size-biscuits-sausage.aspx

http://www.tnpride.com/products_retail.asp?category=sandwiches

jelly bean me

We have been busy. Sorry to those 3 peeps that actually read my blog. I love you!

I never really liked Jelly Beans much, but now I love them. Kinda pick about them though. We like the jolly rancher, starburst and of course the jelly belly ones the best.

I have found great uses for these lil round things. Potty training... one for pee two for poop. They are also great for when your 18 month old is screaming and you have no clue how to resolve the issue, give them a jelly bean and all is right with the world. I have also found it helps with sharing. One for you and two for me... wait is that right momma?

Thank goodness it is easter time and we can store up for the rest of the year when they go on clearance.

wipe it up!

You ask how a person can get excited about paper towels? Well if you have a Steve, Stella and Irene you too would be excited. My fav's are Viva by Kleenex. They cost more than most, but I use less of them. They are very soft and never tear. Great for general cleaning and for messy people! I use them for napkins sometimes too.

here is the link
http://www.vivatowels.com/products/paper_towels.asp?WT.mc_id=VAG8

yum

Sorry to all you loyal readers... LOL I don't think anyone reads this, but we have been busy and I have fallen off the wagon of being good to myself. SO here is a new post.

One of my Favorite quick meals to make is a cuban dish. In the frozen section at HEB or Kroger you can get these pork Tamales GOYA brand and they have plantations too. Super easy to do just warm and serve really. I also make a can of black beans and some white rice. So yummy.

Cubans eat the tamales with ketchup.

here is a link:
http://www.goya.com/english/product_category/Frozen-Foods

girl scout cookies are the devil

It is that time a year again. Those little girls with the evil cookies. How can they not be your favorite. I got the thin mints, peanut butter sandwiches and the samoa's. Oh my! so good. I have to hide them from my husband, but we have them after dinner. I don't even eat them until then. They have lasted longer this way. Stella loves the thin mints, not the samoa's I wanted the lemonaid ones... those are really good, but the girl was all out. Maybe the I will get some at the grocery store, where they wait to sell you their devil food!

Girl Scouts to Cav Scouts

Pannies

Okay this isn't really a favorite thing... maybe it is. You can judge for yourself. We are potty training. Stella picked out strawberry shortcake pannies and spiderman undies (boys). The boys undies are so much better. Why is it that guy's clothing is made so much better, even at this age? boys shirts, undies and pants are made to last, girls not so much. Maybe because we are flowers or because we are ladies? Whatever!

boys pannies rock!

pearly whites

I have really BAD teeth. Cavities love to grow on them. Not because I don't brush, but because I have bad teeth. When I was a baby, I had gotten really sick and they gave me tetracycline that made my teeth grow in without enamel. So I have been to the dentist ALOT. I try all kinds of new tooth paste too. This is a new favorite. Aquafresh Extreme, when you get done brushing you don't want to eat, you feel too clean. (has helped with me loosing a few pounds). Try it...

here is the link
http://www.aquafresh.com/Products_Extreme.aspx

sparkel me pink

At my favorite grocery store they offered me some red sparkling wine. It is really great. I like it cold. It is sweet and a bubbly. Can be used as a desert drink, but I just have it after dinner or with. The name is Dulcis Rosso made in Italy. Try it you might love it too!

here is a link:
http://www.snooth.com/wine/san-silvestro-dulcis-rosso-2009/

who knew?

Last Xmas I got some skin care products from my sister in-law (Julie) and I never used it. I had packed it up cause we moved 2 days after xmas to texas from tennessee. So while unpacking some stuff I found the skin care products. I started using them and LOVE IT. It is philosophy skin care. I have the Purity cleanser I use it in the shower, Hope in a jar for my eyes and lips, then I use When hope is not enough. I have super soft skin, more than before.

here is the link:
http://www.philosophy.com/web/store/dept_skincare____23503?cm_re=navigation-_-mainnav-_-skin%20care

If you have an HEB you are so lucky. I have one and LOVE it. HEB is a grocery store, one that has a section where they cook food and give you samples, not to mention all the isles that offer cooked food. But they also give you samples of different wine. Mommy's dream place go to the grocery store, eat food you didn't have to prepare and drink wine. Need I say more? Hey I do what I can to treat myself, even at the grocery store.

PS go on a Saturday or Sunday without your kids.

lux-ur-ious!

I am not one to spend alot of money on things... but with my new years resolution of treating myself, I had asked for expensive sheets. My sister in-law Karen got me these chocolate brown 300 count sheets. They are so heavenly. My mom also got me sheets that I haven't tried out yet, she swears by them. She gets them at wal-mart and loves them.

here is the link
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11991649

you light up my life

Don't cha love the way candles make your house smell so yummy! What you hate are those candles that claim to burn forever and when you blow them out the smell funky. Well I have three favorites. The first is the Febreez candle. They are good burners and smell good. Then I tried the second favorite which is the one from Walmart, called Mainstay. They only cost about $3.50 and burn forever. They have 3 wicks and come in lots of smells Thanks Rita for telling me about them!

The last favorite is StellaMare and is the newest one I get. I found it at Kroger and I usually don't buy candles that cost $6.50. I liked the name and it smelled so good, plus I was down that day and thought hey you deserve a treat. I got Guava coconut, the box is very pretty and it is a soy candle, so it burns very clean and the sent lingers.

Here is the link
http://www.lotusco.us/SMare.htm

so southern

While at home, (Tennessee) I realized how much I had forgotten how much I LOVE pickled okra. I went to my cousin Teena's house and she being the hostess with the most-ess had pickled okra. Then when we went to the mountains with Steve's family we went to some shops that had pickled food. I got some okra. My first trip to the grocery store after I got back to Texas I had to buy some! If you like pickles you will probably like this. I like the hot kind, but to each their own.

here's the link
http://tabasco.com/tabasco_tent/mc_farms/okra.cfm

tea for me

When I was sick one day I had gone to Starbucks (my favorite place) and instead of my usual triple grande Caramel Macchiato I decided to get a tea. This was a few years ago. I became addicted to the Refresh tea. I went back the other day to get some of my favorite tea for my brother in-law's cold trip to NY and they told me they would not offer tazo teas any longer. UGH! I have checked at the store and have not found it yet. I am sure I can still order it online. Refresh tea has peppermint in it and is so good when you are not feeling well.

here is the link
www.tazo.com

eebee is my friend

If you have kids under 3 you have to check this out. In tennessee we had a show called Eebee on tv there. Stella loved it, she was 6 months old at the time. We bought her dvd's of him and now both girls watch the dvd. I save it for times I have to do very important things alone.... like go to the bathroom LOL

If you don't have kids, drink some wine and have a laugh.

here is the link
http://www.eebee.com/

sweeter than honey

OMG! When I was staying with my brother in-law and sister in-law (kate and matt), they were making hot tea and used this honey in a tub... like butter comes in. I said hey what is that and they made me try some on a spoon. I was in heaven. It is better than honey in the bear thing you get and better than butter. It is called whipped honey. I have tried it in tea, on toast and on english muffins. LOVE IT! I got some at Kroger, their brand.

http://www.foodservicedirect.com/product.cfm/p/114028/Sue-Bee-Honey-Spun-Honey-16-Ounce.htm

scrub a dub dub

Last year I fell in love with a new shower soap. It is Dove's go fresh energy. I have really dry skin, especially in the winter, this seemed to help alot. My cousin used it and it broke her out. I have pretty sensitive skin, so I was nervous it would break me out too, but it didn't. I stopped using it and got something with olive oil in it and I am going back to the go fresh stuff. It has grapefruit and lemongrass in it and it really seems to wake me up and make me feel alive! I need that after running after two babies! I also got the body spray and use it as perfume. (cheaper than the stuff I use to use and love it more!)

here is the link!
http://www.dove.us/?dl=/Products/BarSoapBodyWash/BB_White.aspx/#/Products/BarSoapBodyWash/BW_Energize.aspx/

christmas brings us all together

Bumble and Bumble
We stayed at a cabin with my husbands family this holiday. My sister in-law Karen had some shampoo and conditioner that I used. LOVED it! It was the seaweed bumble and bumble. It is kinda pricey for me, but I think I will splurge. It is for fine hair and made my mane beautiful. I have seen it at Target and Kroger.
Thanks again Karen for sharing!

Here is the link to their webiste. http://www.bumbleandbumble.com/product/spp.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CAT57&PRODUCT_ID=211