EARLY MORNING...

OMG Hi there! I am so glad this blog is back up and viewable! Last night I tried to check it out and it had been disabled. I was freaking out! OK, so how are you this morning? I am up real early obviously... can't sleep. My mind is running too fast... things I have to do, things I need to get from the store, gotta take hubby to the airport this morning, etc. When I get like this I have trouble sleeping. Oh well, it will catch up with me sooner or later LOL... one day, right Jean? LMBO! (Inside joke peeps...)

Ok, so the plan is simple... Once I take Frank to the airport at about 9 or so, I'm gonna go to the BIG discount store on the way home and knock out my small shopping list. Think everyone knows what store I mean... not sure if I can say it or if that's why I was temporarily lost last night?!? Hmmm... either way, we'll say the "W" store like my son used to when he was younger. I found out they carry my divided containers I use to make homemade TV dinners, so I have to go buy them out LOL... I LOVE those and haven't been able to find them locally in about 7 YEARS!

Gonna GOOD DEAL ALERT you (at least the people in my area) that in the mail I got a flyer from JC Penny yesterday. Its a 3 day shopping pass and the top one is $10 off a $10 or more purchase! YAY can you say free gifts? I posted on freecycle that I was looking for them and I already have 5 more so far! $60 in free gifts?! I think I can handle that!! So if you are in my area and you don't want them, let me know! LOL... I'll take all I can get! Ziploc coupons too! Shoot, think I'll place an order with my favorite processing center to get my multiples... you can get rebate forms, etc. And fast... I get my stuff pretty quick. I'll find out if I can link you, then if so I'll come back and post it.

OK, crafts... hmmm... crafts... what do we share today... hmmm LOL! I'm gonna do something fairly simple this morning. Hair Scrunchies!

Craft Idea of the Day: Hair Scrunchies
You know those little fabric rubber band things that women and girls tie their hair up with? Yea those things. They make a great stocking stuffer and they are EASY as pie to make! All you need is a little bit of fabric and some elastic and thread. That's it! Depending on how much fabric you have, the possibilities are endless on how many designs you can have! (I'll come back with a pic later on today) What you do is cut a piece of fabric about 5 inches wide by 20 inches long. fold it in half with the right sides together (so it is inside out people lol) and sew along the open side. Flip the tube you just made right side out. Then take a 3/8 in wide piece of elastic about 5 inches or so (depending on how tight you want the scrunchy) and feed it through the tube to where one end is hanging out both sides... gathering the fabric in the middle. With a threaded needle, sew the two ends of elastic together and secure closed. Make sure to "test tug" it to make sure it will not come apart! Then fold each end of the tube inside itself to hide rough edges and sew the 2 ends together. There ya go... you just made a hair scrunchy! Congrads! I know you can get roughly 12 from 1 yard of material, so ya see, you don't need too much!

So today seems like its gonna be fairly busy, so I need to plan something easy for dinner... I think Italian Sausage Soup sounds in order! Its like a 30 minute or so meal! Yea with maybe some corn muffins for a side... yea I think that is good. Here's some before-the-sun-comes-up morning goodness lol!



Italian Sausage Soup

Ingredients

1 pound Italian sausage
2 clove garlic, minced
4 (14 ounce) cans beef broth
2 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
1 cup sliced carrots
1 (14.5 ounce) can great Northern beans, undrained
2 small zucchini, cubed
2 cups frozen spinach - packed, rinsed and torn
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
½ cup uncooked orzo
1 potato, peeled and cubed
1 med. Onion, choppped

Directions

1. In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage with garlic. Stir in broth, tomatoes and carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.

2. Stir in beans with liquid, orzo, and zucchini. Cover, and simmer another 15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.

3. Remove from heat, and add spinach. Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves. Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes.

Well that's all for today folks. Fixing to go wake my chillins for school, get dressed (Yes I'm still in my PJ's LOL), deliver them, come back and take Frank to the airport, go to the store, etc. Tomorrow and Friday I'm gonna be home alone all day (YAY! LOL) so I plan on doing some major cooking and cleaning so I will have lots to share with you tomorrow and Friday! YAY! Maybe some "bonus" recipes and crafts! Aren't we gonna have fun! LOL... ya know what they say... when the cat's away... the mom still stays home and works! LMBO (yea I know that's not really the phrase but I was amuzing myself so hush LOL!). OK boys and girls... See ya tomorrow... HUGS!