Wednesday, August 22, 2012

I won this amazing Cook Book, and...



I have decided to post how the recipe and meals go.  A few days ago, via snail mail, well Fed Ex, actually, I received a cook book that I had won for posting a comment to a blog post for the Crockin' Girls.  The cook book is HUGE!  After looking it over, the recipes both look good in the pictures and sound relatively easy to make.  It is a crock pot cook book after all, so ease is a big part of it, but most of the ingredients are things that are usually in our pantry anyway.

So, the first recipe I made for last night, was Salisbury Steak.  The recipe called for golden mushroom soup in a can, and since I have neither heard of, nor seem that, I had to improvise a bit.  Instead I added cream of chicken soup along with a small can of sliced mushroom, minus the can juices.  Also, I served the salisbury steak over egg noodles, and let me tell you...

It was a great big hit! With everyone, kids, hubby and me! We will be having that one again!

On tap for tonight, Cola Roast, and yes as the name infers, cola is added.  I am interested to see what the cola does to the meat.  My plan is to serve the roast with mashed potatoes.  I will let you know how that goes.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Buhlwinkles!

Okay, okay I know...The cartoon Moose is named Bullwinkle.  But, I am not talking about him!  There is a store here, similar to that of a craft mall.  Except, when you walk in this store, there are no booths where individuals set up their own stuff, instead there are "rooms" of things.  There is a kitchen, where you will find homemade hand stitched dish towels, sets of bowl, cook books and the like, there is a "baby room" where there are handmade blankets, handmade dresses, and dolls, etc.  This store is run by a very sweet woman, who knows mmembers from my in-law family, and so always greets me so warmly. 

Over the years, I have purchased many items from her.  Mostly for gifts for Christmas or Anniversaries for family that live elsewhere and cannot visit her store themselves, because a lot of the things available there are fun and unique.  In addition to buying things this time around, I intend to sell some items starting this Fall, and leading into Christmas. 

As mentioned in prior posts, I have been working on cross stitched Christmas ornaments, and Boise State and Idaho State ornaments for themed Christmas trees.  I have also made some baby burp cloths with sayings on them. 

I will be going over to Buhlwinkles in the next few days hopefully to chat with the owner about doing this, and also participating in the yearly holiday craft fair that she oversees.  This is an intimidating thing for me, but I am excited about it!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

I am happy for you, I really am...but!

How many of you have those friends on social media site who brag.  We all do right, but there is inevitably one or two or even more who seem to "pour it on a bit thick," right?  You know who I am talking about.  Those who are going on an amazing vacation, and share every single moment, or those who have a beautiful yard that you have only ever seen in architectural magazines, or those who take so many pictures of their children, that you almost want to say, "Enough, already!"

You see, I have wonderful friends and family and they mean so much to me, they really do, I would go to bat for them in a heartbeat, but come on! Seeing showroom photos of your newest car with a ribbon on it, seeing the cruise photos of not only the scenery, which is gorgeous bytheway, but seeing the pictures of the food you eat before and after, what is that about!  And then there are the numerous photos of your "precious" child in each and every new outfit that you just purchased for him/her at the most recent outing to some larger city.  Or better yet, all the Mommy and me, and the swimming lessons, and the library reading moments that you share.

That is not entirely what gets me though.  I love to see the pictures, but what puts it over the top for me are the descriptions.  The detailed descriptions of how much things cost, and how it is now a weekly thing or how "amazing" it is that you can go to the coast for the third time in 3-4 months. 

I am not saying that I am jealous, I am not.  I am truly happy that you and your family are able to do those things together, and buy those things.  But, for me seeing how well you are doing, helps me realize just how much we are doing without.  I use to try my best to "keep up appearances."  But that is just crazy.  So, when we visit you, or you come to see us, and you see my kids in the second hand of second hand clothes, do not let it shock you.  This is how we were before, we just never let you see it until now.

Next weekend, I have a friend from high school driving through and the plan is that we will get together for a while and catch up.  As if after 22 years, that is at all possible to completely catch up.  I never lied about our living situation to her, not at all, but I am a bit worried...if she comes to our house, what will she think, we live here, it is not a showplace.  If they want to go out to eat somewhere, can we afford it?  Will my kids let me pick out their clothes that day without WWIII happening, and so they do not look like they were just playing out back in the mud pile... Only time will tell!