Just a little further away please...

Well apparently not only have I partially lost my mind over the last couple of years but now that I am 39 I seem to be having a extra vision problem!

I have been near-sighted my entire life.  I have had contacts since I was in the 5th grade.  Well recently I have noticed that in certain light things are a little blurry and...  wait for it...

I have to hold whatever I am reading a little farther away from me! eeeeeeeekkkkkkk!  My Mom said it started happening to her around 40 so I guess all I can say is reading glasses here I come!

Do you have reading glasses? Do you just buy the drugstore one or do you have prescription ones?

Simple Solutions to Christmas Stressors - A Guest Post

Now that we’re officially into December, most people will agree that the holiday season has officially begun. The stores are busy, radios joyful and soon Santa will be gracing the floors of local malls. While this season is famous for the parties, food and décor, it’s also well known as one of the most stressful times of the year. Expectations and emotions can run on high and the pressure to have everything just right can be seriously overwhelming. It’s true, lots of things can go wrong at Christmas, but this year you’re going to be one step ahead. These simple solutions to common holiday problems will have you laughing the face of stress so that you can sit back and enjoy copious amounts of homemade eggnog.

Your beige couch looks a strange shade of brown: It’s almost inevitable that at some point over the holiday’s you’re going to have visitors and, whether you like it or not, your furniture is often the focal point of a room. Children, pets and general wear and tear can have a huge impact on the appearance of your furniture. Luckily, cleaning them is a breeze with a few key supplies – with some rubbing alcohol, a scrubbing sponge and a soft brush and you’ll have things looking like new in now time. Check out these great directions from Robin over at Chris and Robin’s Nest for step-by-step tutorial.

Not one more thing can fit in your fridge: It’s crazy how full a fridge can get this time of year. Your goal in the days leading up to a big meal should be to have one full shelf that you can designate to holiday food items. Take an inventory of what you currently have and make a decision about what is absolutely necessary. Combine anything you have double of and remove things that don’t absolutely need to be in the fridge, like bread and some condiments. The key to making extra room in the fridge is to organize like things together. If you have a few extra plastic bins around the house, these are great for adding space – having small stuff in a bin will take up less surface area than if it was sitting there alone. Doing this also helps you to see what you have and what you might need. Jenn at Clean and Sentisible has even more great tips, as well as a picture of what a real, organized fridge actually looks like.

Via Clean and Sentisible

Thanksgiving dinner left your oven a black, charred mess: Stoves and ovens get a lot of use during Christmas season, so keeping them in fine form is very important. While they work really well, store bought oven cleaners smell absolutely horrible and are even worse for the environment. Instead, combine natural ingredients like baking soda, lemon juice and vinegar to create a paste that’s just as effective. Apply the paste to the areas of your oven with caked on debris, let it sit for 4-5 hours and then scrub off. To get rid of funky smells, place a sliced up lemon in a casserole dish with a bit of water and bake for 20 – 30 minutes. 

Your Christmas tree keeps falling over: You’ve bought the best stand, the sturdiest tree and still come home to smashed ornaments and broken trees. A great trick to keep Christmas trees in the upright position is to secure them by tying the trunk to a nail in the wall. While this isn’t always the best option for those who are renters, if you’re a home owner you’ll want to decide which is more inconvenient – filling a hole or cleaning up broken glass. If you position your tree in the same place each winter, you can camouflage the nail by painting it the same color as your walls.  

You forgot to turn on the turkey: First of all, take a deep breath and relax – you’re not the first person this has happened to and you certainly won’t be the last. The solution to your problems lies in pieces, literally. Take your turkey out and start cutting it up into chunks the same way you would a chicken. If you haven’t already, cover your turkey in spices and oils to keep the moisture in. Next, place each piece in a frying pan, searing each side for a couple of minutes. Place your turkey pieces into a casserole dish and straight into the oven at 350 degrees for roughly an hour - when it reaches 170 degrees internally, you’re all done!

You have the time - plan ahead: If you do one thing this holiday season, planning ahead should be it. While there isn’t always time to head out and shop early, or pick up the things needed for the big dinner, make an effort to squeeze in a few extra minutes for list making. Write things down, like who you need gifts for, what you need to buy, ingredients for your pie, rum for that eggnog and where you have to go to find everything. Having this information sorted ahead of time can mean the difference between a 30 minute shopping trip and a 2 hour one. If you do have some spare time in your day, it’s also a good idea to try out a recipe well in advance of when you’re going to need it. Knowing for sure that a meal is going to go off without a hitch will take a big load off your shoulders.

You can almost guarantee that something will pop up this holiday season, but keeping these quick fixes in mind should help put out a few potential fires. Regardless of what happens, remember that the season is meant for friends, family and fun … so relax and enjoy it!

Jessi is a guest blogger who is interested in all thing DIY and has a passion for the holidays! She comes to us from PartSelect.com, online resource dedicated to helping home owners with every step of a repair and retailer of major appliance parts including Whirlpool parts.

Tea - Cute clothing for my boys! - A Review

Travel opens anyone's heart and mind to people and places that we don't know. The clothing we create at Tea transforms the foreign world into a smaller, friendlier and more familiar place. We believe that we bring a little bit of that world home to you. - Emily Meyer, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer

Tea is a women and children's clothing company that travels to different destinations based on the inspiration behind their current line. How do I get a job there - right?

While preparing for this post I really enjoyed checking out the Tea website.  Here are some things I learned... The company was founded in 2002 in San Francisco. The name Tea was chosen because tea is a drink enjoyed all the world, the company Tea is about bringing people all over the world together. I am also pleased to see that they support a charity that helps children all over the world.  If you have a chance stop by their web site and look around.  Don't forget to check out the Modern Mexico pictures!

So I recently got the chance to try out some of Tea's boys clothing! I was very pleased with the cute soft and well made clothes.  When I pulled them out of the box and showed my 5 year old the Modern Mexico designs, his response was "awesome!"

Here is a picture of Hunter in his Modern Mexico holiday outfit...

I know, model material!!

 Here is my same big boys showing off some Star Wars characters! Just so you know he picked this shirt out himself!

 This particular outfit might make thoughts of needing a new baby boy just for Baby Boy’s Clothes enter your mind.

Love these pajamas! Cute cute cute!

Tea children’s clothes are available in more than 400 stores including Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Takashimaya, and fine boutiques throughout the US and abroad.

I did receive outfits to review.

Black Friday - not this year...

We had a great time at our 2 family Thanksgiving gathering yesterday.  Everything went pretty much as planned and well you can't ask for better than that!

JL has a nighttime cough going on and therefore I did not sleep very much at all the 2 nights we were out of town.  There were times I had the zombie thing going on.  I thought for sure I would "pass out" as soon as my head hit the pillow last night, but unfortunately that did not happen.  I did get a small nap in once we got home today and it is amazing what 45 minutes can do for you!

So, once again I did not participate in Black Friday.  I really think I want to one year.  Do you do Black Friday shopping?  How much money does it save you?  Are there certain things that you only buy on Black Friday, such as TVs, gaming systems, bridal lingere ...

I did look to see if a certain item I am wanting to get Brad was going to be on sale, if it had been I might had ventured out. Since he reads here from time to time I can't tell you what it is... Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. Don't forget that life is short and it is not all about us, do something kind for some one as often as you can!

I need a name for my psuedo casserole!

So here is a dish I made today for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow...

It has cubed butternut squash, spinach, some olive oil, Gorgonzola cheese and a bread crumb topping.

I am trying to fix something a little more fresh, whole and healthy.  I can't wait to see how it goes over with everyone.  I also need a name for it. I am taking some baby steps to healthy but it still has to taste good.  I am hoping that after my 2 meals tomorrow, I will not need to buy maternity clothes!  

I will put it in the oven tomorrow to heat and brown the top a bit.  Hope it is good!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving 2011

Wow how fast this year has gone.  And how Thankful I am for it (the year not the speed of it)!

It has been a crazy (along with me) year.  2 rambunctious boys in the house make for a long exciting day, everyday. I also added extra work hours which is one more thing I am thankful for. I think I am finally adjusting to a new normal.  I have found that normal doesn't have to mean everything goes smoothly.

I think I am going to make an A in one of my classes, I still have the chance to make an A in both but one is like a never ending time consuming Easter egg hunt.  Just not sure I can find all the "eggs" before I have to turn in my basket...  But I am very thankful for on-line classes!

I have noticed a thing going around Facebook, "what if you woke up tomorrow to find only what you thanked God for today." I think this is very profound.  I feel that sometimes I am so self centered and selfish and so worried about my family and my kids having more more more that I forget to stop and just be thankful for how much we have.

I look around and I see these amazing people that give so much of themselves to helping others and suddenly I feel so very small.  I think that one of my "resolutions" for the year was to be more helpful to others.  I don't think I have fulfilled this at all.  I may have written a few more checks and even though that is definitely needed, I don't know that for me it was a real sacrifice.  Yes, we are a paycheck to paycheck kind of family (trying to fix that as well) so an extra check here and there may be a small significance but I think I need more.  I think I need to see the difference.  I think I need to touch the difference.  So in an effort to be more appreciative and thankful I am going to do more hands on giving in the coming year.

So what am I thankful for?  God, Jesus, my husband, my boys, my family, second chances, love, you, people who sacrifice, freedom, soldiers, my home, my country, TV, seasons, school, pre-school, church, friends, food, clothes, kindness, generosity, patience (whatever that is), forgiveness, medicine, Benedryl, Sprout, on-demand, naps, emotions, therapy, and the list goes on and on and on.

What are you thankful for?  Are there things about the way you feel and give thanks that you want to change?

Quick, Easy and Yummy - Bread

Just because we are rushed, busy and maybe if you are like me not the best baker in the world, that does not mean we don't want fresh homemade bread!

So, I got this opportunity from Mom Select to have a Fleischmann's Simply Homemade Bread party.  Unfortunately, each time I planned to fix the bread for a get together, things did not work out.

However, I did get a chance to make this bread for my family! I also gave some samples to several friends but I have not heard back from them yet.

I should let you know that I love to cook.  However, when it comes to baking I am a bit challenged.  I don't know if I have just not had enough practice or if that really doesn't matter in my case.

Also, as you know I work and I have to young boys so time is always an issue around here!  I was really excited that this was homemade bread in an hour!  Everything you need is in the box and there are even instructions for those that have a bread maker.

So, I mixed it and I let it sit to rise (which I was pleasantly happy to see that it did - don't forget my baking handicap...) I then put it in the oven to bake...

This was my finished product.  In my case, I think I really needed to let it bake a few more minutes and I forgot to set the timer (maybe we are seeing my baking problem) and I kept checking it - which I probably should not have done.  However, it still tasted great and I am plan on using this in the future! 

If you are looking for some bread that you can make at home when you don't have a long time to let the dough rise, then Simply Homemade is the way to go.  There are 4 varieties - Country White, Stoneground Wheat, Multi-Grain and Italian Herb.  You will also find some great stir in ideas on the website!

I really like the thought of having homemade bread at your fingertips.  You never know when a meal might call for it and not having to run to the store for fresh bread it always a plus!

Stationery card

Joyful Memories Christmas Card

Turn your favorite photos into Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Are you ready for some holidays????

Well November has arrived and it is that time of year to get CRAZY!  I actually do love November and December, I love getting together with my family, the food, the laughs, the memories being created.  However, it is such a busy busy time that it is not hard to get lost in the motions.  The planning, the buying the organizing...

Hunter's birthday is also in December so there is the party to be planned there and of course gifts to buy.  However, I am going to try really hard to remember that the fact that I am "crazy busy" with all the plans and planning is such a huge huge blessing!

I am also going to make an extra effort to give more than I did last year at this time.  I should clarify that I mean give to those who are in need.  For some reason this particular thing - charity - has been on my heart a lot lately.  I feel like there is so much much much much more that I can/should do.  Gonna try this year to start stepping it up.

On a different note, I have been trying to clean up my computer a little bit.  I have been having a problem with my wireless internet connection dropping off several times a day.  So I got a new router and so far that seems to have corrected the problem.  I am still running slow at times and I am not a patient person! Plus, when you work from home this can be extra irritating!  So, hopefully cleaning off some unnecessary items will help, if not maybe I can find some dell home coupons and wish for a new laptop for Christmas!

So, whatever your holiday plans, I hope they go smoothly and sanely and that you do a little something for yourself as well as something for some one less fortunate! 

Honda Heads or Tails: Lighting Upgrades for your Vehicle

Though there are many parts of your car that technically light up, such as dash displays and interior overhead lights, there are two major lighting sections included on the exterior of every Honda: the headlights and the tail lights. Without effectively lit headlight or tail light arrays, not only will your Civic, Accord, or other Honda vehicle looks less appealing in the dark, you as the driver will also be putting yourself at greater risk of collision due to poor personal visual range and visibility to other drivers. So if your Honda needs some new lights for either its front end, rear side, or both, you won’t want to rely on the flip of a coin to see you upgrade through.

Headlights
There are numerous headlight upgrades you can make to your Honda vehicle that will result in improved on-road lighting. Simply changing out the stock halogens for a set of OEM replacements will fix lights that have dimmed over the years, though the actual lighting capacity of your vehicle won’t improve over the manufacturer’s standards. Using Honda HID kits, you can do those halogen replacements one better. Honda HID headlights are designed to shine up to 3x brighter than halogens, and can last nearly 10x as long. HIDs also provide improved peripheral vision at night for enhanced views of your surroundings, and the light will reflect better off of highway signs and road markers. Better yet, you can customize your Honda’s headlight array color, something that’s been popular in Civic tuning for years but can be done on any Honda model.

Tail Lights
Tail lights are tricky to maintain because it’s so difficult to notice when they’re out, thanks primarily to the fact that they sit at the rear end of the vehicle. These lights may not seem all that necessary at first, but consider how difficult it is for a driver to your Accord or CRV’s rear to see when your car is braking or even just where it is on the road after dark without well-lit tails. For tail light replacements known for their longevity and incredible energy efficiency, consider upgrading to LED tail lights. Ultramodern, sleek, and immensely bright even at a longer range, they’re about as hard to miss as any lights. Plus, LED lamps use most of their available energy to emit light, whereas incandescent bulbs can expend up to 90% of the energy they receive by converting it into heat. So for a ‘greener’ Honda, this is the right choice, though there are other popular options like Altezza lights available as well.

So whether you stick with replacement halogens, go for the Honda HID kit, or light up your Civic or Accord’s rear end with LEDs, you now at least know what the available options are, and what performance results they can provide you once used.

This was a guest post submitted by Rob Lobitz

My little Rant of the Month

Wow, Americans really let the banks know what they thought about paying $4/month. I guess when everyone decided to change to institutions that were going to save them $4/month, the banks had no choice but to reverse the fees.  Too bad we can't change Congress that easily - since they are unable to manage our "more than $4/month" we give to them.  Oh wait we can - it is called voting! Let Congress know how you feel about how they are spending your money.  Don't forget, the US government is not a business that "makes money" - the government's money is the tax payers money!