A Few of My Favorite things....

I know Im not Oprah, and there are not millions of people who care.  But here are a few things that make my life sooooo much easier, and that I have grown to love!
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This is one of my new loves.  It literally does what it says, takes all the baked on cheese, grease, BBQ sauce whatever has been baked or fried on your pan, and gets rid of it.  I let it soak, and I dont even have to use a brush just rinse and put in dishwasher.  It is AMAZING!


There was a coupon kick that I was on that landed me with lots of bottles of this, and I am now hooked.  The smell is super mild, and it keeps my dry skin in the winter soooo soft.  Love Love Love


I love to read, I have the older version, but I love my kindle:)! Now our local library has downloadable books, so it is soooo great!


Yes, old trusty simple rice cooker with 2 settings.  Why cook rice any other way?? Also cook Jambalaya in here, it is easy and awesome. Lemme know if you want the recipe.


Ok, so for our wedding we got the 100 dollar super nice coffee maker.  It broke in like 3 months.  Now, I have this $15 one, and I love it.  I can program it and wake up to the smell of fresh brewed coffee. And the BEST part is, it hasnt broken yet!


I have kids and messes, enough said.


Work just as well as the Cascade, and a couple dollars cheaper.  Love them!


Thats enough for today, try some of these out, they will make your life easier:)!

No, Im not Kidding

As of last Wednesday night, when my hubby brought my screaming little 51/2 month old girl at youth group to me to say "Liz she just wont stop crying, I've tried food, bottles, bouncing, riding in the car, there is something wrong."  My life has been crazy!  Well, G is such a good baby, that the only time she cries for more than about 30 seconds is when she is sick.  So, we knew it was coming.  Thursday morning, she woke up wheezing and with a runny nose, to the doctor we go, she has an upper respiratory infection, and an ear infection starting to show some its nasty head.  So, home with my feverish baby all the end of week, into the weekend when TS Lee decided to show up, and we lost power Sunday night.  Then screaming from JG room, he cant see.  Well not only could he not see because it was dark, his eyes were crusted shut, and he was burning up.  Oh wait, we are out of childrens tylenol (something I will never do again).  So the faithful hubs sets out to go to the nearest store (we live in the middle of no where)  and on his way back a huge pine tree falls across the road, literally inches from him.  He swerves into the ditch, van had to be towed, but thank God he is alive.  So then, 3 hours later, after John helped the fireman cut up the massive tree with chain saws in the TS Lee so he could pass (which had been marked for over a year that it was going to fall) he gets home with the Tylenol.  So, no power, kid whos eyes are matted shut with pink eye, both kids running fever, and a tropical storm causing limbs to fall all around the house, it was one of those moments where I wanted to scream.  So, after being home for nearly a week taking care of sick kids, we are finally back to work and school. 
So, why dont I blog at home?  Because John and I made the decision not to have internet at the house. Why??  because we live out in the country and would need a satellite internet, and we learned when we do have internet at the house, we spend alot of time on it, where now we have alot more time with our kids, without distractions.  Now, I do have a smart phone to check work emails and stuff, but I definitely dont spend hours on end reading websites, and the hubby isnt glued to fantasy football stats all weekend.
So after this week, I am more than ever convinced that being a mom is a vocation, and that we are called to sacrifice for our family and kids.  Also, during all of this, and not going to the grocery store, had to put together a little meal last night from random things, and it was good......Ill share the recipe

1 lb. ground turkey meat
1 can green beans
Mushrooms (fresh)
Instant Mashed Potatoes
butter
onion
garlic
grated cheese
Tony's Gravy mix
Tonys Chaceries

Sautee onion, mushrooms, garlic & Butter with ground turkey meat;  Make a gravy, then add a can of green beans;  Mix all together, then layer instant mashed potatoes on top, and top with grated cheese.  If you have a can of corn, and cream of mushroom soup, you can make 4 layers; 1) Meat and Gravy 2)corn, green beans, cream of mushroom soup 3)mashed potatoes 4) cheese;  Then, season to taste, cover and bake for 30 minutes. 

Hubby loves this recipe! 


= Shepard's Pie with a twist

Kink in the Plan

So, every Wednesday our local Kroger puts out their sales for the week.  Like a good little money saving wife, I try and match up sales with coupons, find the meats that are cheapest and make meals around those, and decide on which juice boxes will be cheapest.  Everything going great, then BAM, the many I married who usually eats anything he wants all the time, including jars of cheese dip and blocks of cheese for a snack decides to do the Biggest Loser challenge at work.

Kink in my plan

Used to cooking, rice & gravy, steak, potatoes, pork chops and crawfish fettucini, have now switched to:

Salmon steak with no olive oil or butter, just seasonings
wheat pasta
 brown rice
reduced fat everything
no bread
salad that is bigger than everything else combined, with low fat salad spritzer dressing

ok, so as i am supporting my husband on this venture to lose weight, without loosing my own sanity and maintaining calories for nursing, i just decided to sneak cheese and crackers and other yummy snacks before the hubby gets home.  (I have about 20 minutes from when I get home)  So as i am stuffing my face, cheers to all of you that eat healthy on a regular basis.  And if you have any good recipes for me PLEASE SHARE! 

Love, Liz