me again margaret... no one remembers that song... i alway quote it though

I always start with blah blah blah haven't blogged... blah blah blah. We all know it might be a while, but it is a new year and things can change. I am starting this things I love with some sappy stuff. READER BEWARE!

New years always get to me. I used to make resolutions and never kept them, I tried, but I have some sort of authority complex. Went to therapy and she fell asleep (another post sometime). Last year I made a sort of resolution. I said I would try to keep my mind open (no jokes on my ditziness please). So all year I really tried (TRIED keyword) to look at myself when judging others. I really wanted to say who cares! Let people be themselves as long as they don't hurt me or anyone else whey do we care? Who cares if the girl down the street's husband hit her. She made the choice to stay. Who cares if the guy at the Salon is GAY.... WHOOOO scary huh! Who cares if the lady in HEB has a crush on me? LOL

When it came to looking at others I stopped and looked at Mitzi. What do people see when they meet me? A crazy blonde (yes it is real LOL) who has two insane redheaded girls and one big nerdy hunky man? Or do they see a mom who adores her lil family, who loves art, loves all that is silly and funny and one who has her own skeletons in her closet?

That is what we all have right? If you are reading this and live in a glass house then just run for your life cause us screwed up folks are going to get you! bahhahahahah

I haven't been perfect at this resolution. I kept it to myself really. I didn't want to pressure. I did judge people when I shouldn't have, but it is really cause you are irritated with something in your own life or is it cause you are jealous your not as free or that someone pissed you off. It's okay we all do it, but the trick is to admit and try to change. It is a daily thing. I read facebook people! LOL

The point was to look at this is my life. My once chance to be MITZI MICHELLE HENRY BALES. I need to really try (TRY is the key word) to live up to that name. To be who I am and let others be who they are. If they judge me... yeah it might sting cause it is to close to home, but who really cares. Mamaw always said we all put our pants on one leg at a time... (I would always imagine this and wonder if she meant people without legs too... See I am screwed up... damn therapist)! LIVE AND LET LIVE PEOPLE LIFE IS SO VERY SHORT!

PS here is the link to the hello it's me again margaret.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPrQOiS_zLQ

Hi my name is Mitzi and I am addicted to coupons.

Let's not get crazy though okay people. The extreme coupon show is just overboard, although I am jealous that they are that good. I am in week 3 or 4 now, saving on average about $40 on a grocery bill once a week. Pretty good I must say myself. It is overwhelming when you start, but once you start it is like a drug (child of the 70's here I know!)

Shout out to my sis in law Julie (aka J-Dog), she sent a few websites my way to help get me started. She is much better at this whole thing than me! The site she sent that I so LOVE is southernsavers.com you can go on the site and choose your store. Then make a shopping list that will include coupons you need to clip. She even gives you links to sites to get more coupons to print.

I also started shopping at CVS they have a card called extra bucks. I went and bought toothpaste for $2.77 per tube with a $.75 coupon, but with the card I got all that money back, so over $5 on my next purchase at CVS. The cashier told me to buy the toothpaste first then use the $5 back on the rest of my purchases. I am not a big CVS shopper, but hey free is free right?

The same week I got a big high from not just my CVS visit, but also went to target. There I bought 2 hair color kits (no it is not natural girls!) The hair color was $11.99 each, alot more than I usually spend. Target had a deal that if you bought two of them, you would get a $5 gift card. The site I use told me to go to target.com print a coupon for each $5 and there was a coupon for $5 off in the news paper, one from my paper and one my friend gave me. In the end I spent $1.99 on each hair color and got a $5 gift card. Not to bad for a first timer LOL!

Here is my tip to you! Watch TLC's Extreme Couponing for fun. Don't think oh crap how can I do that. If I can save $40 a week you can probably save more!!!

the only thin thing i like

Ha ha ha... gotta
pretzel crisps are the best! i mean it! they pretzels and they are thin and they are so freaking good. i like the original ones with salt on them. i have eaten them with cheese... good... with tuna salad .... good .... with guacamole ... good with peanut butter... good. new project is going to melt some chocolate and dip them in for stella's party!

get some eat some and you will see! best thin thing this year!

http://pretzelcrisps.elsstore.com/

hamburger helper makes a great meal

Don't be a snob! REALLY!
Hamburger helper is cool and if you don't think so then let me change your mind! My new fav is the ASIAN (labeled in purple... if you knew me as a designer you will laugh at this comment). This one is the beef fried rice. Oh and it is gluten free for all those who have issues with that! It has peas and carrots in it. I made ours with ground turkey and you scramble two eggs and add them. I guess if you are a vegi only eater... you could use tofu. I also made some frozen eggrolls and those kids of mine had two helpings. Hubby did too!

check it out and prove me wrong! double dog dare ya!

blogger presents oh my!

this holiday season i received many items from my favorites blog. who knew it would be a hint to get gifts. i got smackers chap sticks, lotion from bath and body works, shampoo and conditioner and bath soap! thank you julie, katie and karen. so my new goal this year is to help everyone out with great things i love and maybe you too will love them....

so first item of the year!

my husbands family loves to amazon. i have started loving it too! we put up our wish lists. i have one, steve and both my girls. kinda fun with a 3 yr old to do. this is not only helpful for xmas, but for the birthdays. this year i had that i wanted battery operated sea salt and peppercorn grinders. my sister in-law karen saw that i wanted them and went on her own and got me an upgrade on the ones i registered for. they are stainless steal, use aaa batteries and get this they have a light on the bottom so if you are eating by candle light you can see what you are salting. ha ha ha... like that is going to happen at my house for about 20 yrs! but i adore them! they are very slim and sleek looking and super cool. everyone loves a little light on their nummy nums!

made by cole and mason

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