Make it yourself Monday....Pea Salad

I found this idea at the local Fred Meyer Deli and because I couldn't justify paying $5.99/lb I concocted this version of the recipe by myself. I found it to be YUMMY! My MIL liked it as well. DH said it was a bit to pea-ey for his taste and suggested I add more bacon. But, who doensn't like more bacon? Here you go: PEA SALAD

* 1 bag of frozen peas thawed (tip: open the bag into your collander and run hot water over them while shaking, this will thaw them nicely)
* 1/2 pound of bacon, browned, drained and crumbled. (tip: I cut the bacon up into small pieces with kitchen shears while it's still raw, then I brown the bits)
* 2 Tbsp of diced dehydrated onion, you could also use fresh if you like
* 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
* 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
* 1/8 - 1/4 cup ranch salad dressing to taste
* 1 tsp black pepper

Mix up all the ingredients and let chill for about an hour before serving.

This is super YUMMY! Now go make it yourself!

But, I'm a nice person...

Dear Girl from Highschool who won't accept me as a facebook friend,

I have no idea as to why you won't accept my invitation to be your friend on facebook. I truly do know you and thought we were friends during school. Remember me? I had a locker assignment right next to you for many years because our school based assignments on birthdays and we happen to share the same one. And about that, are you maybe mad because we had to share the same room in the hospital the day we were born? Did it make you mad that I was always nice to you? Were you perhaps burdenend by the fact that we have known each other since birth and our families know each other too? Was that a bit of oblilgatory friendship that we shared in school maybe? If so, could you just write me a little note back and let me know? Because silly me, I thought you were really my friend who I had lost touch with and was genuinely curious as to how you are and have been for the past 12 years!

I truly do hope things are well for you and I truly do hope to hear back.

Thanks and take care,
small town city girl

So, I have to brag a bit...

My son is only 5. He turned 5 in March, so he is "just 5". Today, we were at Walmart and he wanted to get a Lego playset. He chose the police helicopter, with all of its 94 peices , instructions for big kids and all that jazz. So, I let him get it thinking it would be a great project for us to put together as a team. We get home and he immediately wants to tear into the box and start. I hesitate because I have a load of groceries to put away first, but decide to let him begin without me. The kid put the whole thing together without even the slightest bit of help! I was so proud! He was so proud! It was a great day!

This is what he ended up with. And yes, his really does look like this!

Make it yourself Monday...Applesauce

This is my family's favorite! Especially when served warm and over ice cream. I do have to make it the "hard" way as my mom says because I don't have a kitchen center like she does. It's still a lot of fun and it's so good, it's worth every minute! Enjoy!

Start with at least 4 pounds of apples to make it worth your while.

Quarter, core and peel each apple.

Dice them all up and put them in a big dutch oven pan, add about 1/2 cup of water, cover and boil for about 15 minutes. More or less until they are able to be mashed.

Remove the apples from the heat and mash with your potato masher until they are as smooth or chunky as you like. Then add BROWN SUGAR (about 1/2-3/4 cup) Cinnamon (to taste, we like lots! 4 tbsp) and a dash of nutmeg (about 3/4 tsp) Stir it all up and ENJOY!!

GO, Make it yourself!

Blah!

Tired, sore, grumpy and bored....yup, that about sums it up.

How are you?

The amazing capabilities of a blowdryer...

As I was blow drying my hair today, I was thinking. This little piece of machinery does a wonderful job of removing all the water from my hair. At the same time it is perfectly smoothing and straightening each and every strand. It's also triple timing by removing any lumps and bumps that might have been if I had let my hair dry naturally. This little machine truly ROCKS and I don't know what I would do without it.





Then I got to thinking....Do you think it could do the same for my thighs and rear? Wouldn't that be nice? Whip out the good ol' blow dryer and gone would be any trace of cellulite or imperfection! Ahhhhh, the world would never be the same, we would have no need for liposuction or lifts. Wouldn't that be GREAT?!? Maybe I'll figure out a way to make that work.

FREE Redbox code good today only...

Get a free Redbox movie rental with the code J89LA2. This code is good today only (4/13). Click here to find a Redbox location near you.

Almost to my 100th post...

I've almost reached my 100th post! When I do, I think I'm going to clean out my candle closet and do a give away. One of my lucky readers is going to get a care package of my most favorite Partylite candles. I'll make it good, I promise. My candle closet is full to the brim with wonderful little treasures.





For those who don't know (probably everyone except paisley penguin) I'm a Partylite consultant in addition to being a SAHM.

So, in the next couple of weeks be on the look out!

Q: What is the most annoying toy in the universe?

A: TRANSFORMERS!

We are up to a count of oh, 17 of these monster toys. I can honestly tell you that I am about done hearing the words "Mom can you transform him for me?". The little people (and I say little, because they have to have small hands at least!) who make these annoying toys must have some complete and udder hatred for all parents of small children. The age limits on these things are sometimes as young as 4 and on a few of them, DH and myself have spent more than an hour trying to "transform" one! Yes, ONE! The horrible part, my son is in love with them. So even in my most frustrated state, I will "transform him" just one more time.

Curse you, tranformer making guy! CURSE YOU!

Happy Easter.

What's normal anyway?

So, my mom has been visiting the past week. She just left this morning. We were soooooooooo busy. We went shopping many times, ventured to Ikea, packed a bunch of stuff to the consignment store, donated a lot of crap from my attic to charity, looked at some houses for her and my dad (they are moving this summer), and I did a bunch of cooking, dishes and driving! We even managed a trip to Costco in there. It was a wonderful visit. We both had a great time, but now the real fun begins. I get to put my house back together. UGH!

I did manage to finally sell all the stuff I listed on CL too, so at least my son was happy. He got to buy himself some new toys.

Hope everyone is great.

Love/Hate Relationship.

I've decided that I love Craigslist but at the same time, I hate it!

I cleaned out my son's room recently and we collectively decided upon a few things that need to be put up for sale. So, today I listed them on Craigslist.

I love many things about this wonderful web classified like:

• convenience
• the fact that it's free
• most people are generally nice when purchasing kids stuff
• the fact that it's free
• oh, and did I mention...it's free!

I also have decided that while there are many good qualities to this service, there are several that drive me nuts like:

• people who email you and ask only if you still have the item not leaving a name or any other information
• the same people; when you email back that you do and give contact information ie...a phone number, disregard said phone number and either never contact you back or email you again with another odd question.
• people who email saying they want your item and ask immediately for an address as if they can just waltz over any time without a pre-agreed upon meeting time and/or place.

So, my advice to anyone just trying Craigslist for the first time is to just be normal! When you email someone about a listed item, give your name. Ask when a good time to complete the transaction would be. Don't call a phone number after 9:00 at night! And for goodness sake, at least give the person the courtesy of a response if they ask you a question. Use your manners.

And please, if you think of it, send happy thoughts into the atmosphere for me on the few (4) items I currently have listed that they sell quickly and without having to deal with too many weirdos.