THE TIES THAT BIND

Welcome boys and girls. How are you doing today? I am doing alright… its gonna be a busy full road ahead of u s, but you know what, I’m ready! For those of you who “know” my mom from here, you know she has recently had an injury that has left her needing a little bit of help around the house. Hense, me… cooking, cleaning, etc. Well, she finally got in to see her normal doctor and he was not happy with how people have treated her medically the last couple of weeks. Long story short, it’s a major injury and she’s gonna have a little while for recovery. F-A-M-I-L-Y… the ties that bind and make us strong! SOOO what we’re gonna do is show how much we care! Let her know… email, comments, snail mail, whatever… let’s show her she is loved shall we! Meantime, its gonna be some major mass cooking for awhile and that means more recipes for you! YAY! You get to benefit too! So get ready for some wild and crazy adventures!

Ok, I got an email asking me why I “sign” every post with the very last word “HUGS”. It’s kind of corny, but I’ll tell you. With so much misery and despair in the world today, I figure everyone needs a good old hug. So just like if you leave your mom’s house or your grandma’s house and hug her when you say goodbye, its my cyber-hug for you when you leave. Silly, huh? Oh well deal with it! LMAO… j/k!



Well don’t ask me how I did it, cause this basket gave me a heck of a time, but I pulled off the flirty basket. She wanted flirty sexy but not over the top raunchy sex, so that’s what I gave her. The recipient is a Gym teacher and he is into working out, etc. She wanted things to flirt with him but not fatten him LOL… healthy if you will. So this is what I came up with… really playing on words and packaging.

1. Feather Mask- Indulge in your “Secret Desires” was printed on the package.
2. Bare Naked Granola (the name was good enough for me LOL!)
3. Kiss Me, Its My Birthday Flashing Lapel Pin (Birthday: the gift, Kissing and flashing? Too perfect!)
4. Truth or Dare Coupons (You KNEW coupons were gonna be in there somewhere, right? LOL)
5. Red Hots- A Fat Free food (you got it he’s hot and spicy flirting right? LOL ok just checking)
6. Sexy Dice- “Roll the dice and take a chance ON me” (Couldn’t have said it better.)
7. Trojan (hey gotta promote safety Just in Case!!)
8. Fresh Pecans… (NUTS are always good LOL!)



I wrapped it all up in a cool looking birthday paper because she didn’t want anyone knowing her business (understandable) and put a bow with the guys 2 favorite colors on it. I think it turned out really well actually. I was quite impressed I was able to pull it off. Shoot, even the clerk told me it was a tough one at one of the stores I went to buy some of the “sexier” stuff at. He was right. BUT I did it and I’m proud. Just hope nobody else wants to be flirty sexy! LOL! I like the raunchy people… its easier to shop for! LMAO!

I took some meals out to mom and dad last night for the weekend so that I could free up for shopping. I need to go bulk items and fast! I have a few things to do this morning but I’m packing up the kids & DH and guess where we are off to today? Yep super shop-a-thon at the BIG farmer’s market. Gonna see if I can nab some of those 25 and 50 pound bags of produce for cheap. I’ll share pictures with you when I come back tomorrow.

Ok let’s get crafty, shall we? We’ve talked a lot about recycling and reusable shopping bags comes up a lot. Its like they are the new trend. BUT the thing is, I’ve been making them for years LOL. And I have learned that there are so many things you can make reusable bags out of. Today I am gonna show you how to make them out of a tarp.



Craft Idea of the day: Tarp Shopping bags

1. Cut a piece of plastic tarp 18 x 36". This will give you a finished bag approx 17"w. Fold this in half, right sides together, so that it now measures 18x18". Have it so the fold is at the bottom.

2. In order to make a bottom for your bag, you must fold up the folded edge of your bag half the width of what you want your bottom to be. So if you want a 4" wide base, fold up 2". Secure the fold and sides with tape. Sew both sides with a 1/4 to 1/2" seam. You can sew right over the tape. Remove tape after sewing.

3.Now the top of the bag is your only raw edge. Fold it over about an inch and sew all the way around.

4. Straps: Cut 2 strips of tarp 18" long by about 4" wide. Fold it in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, to get a crease. Open it out and fold the raw edges in and make crease. Tape and sew along edge. Attach straps at desired location on each side of the bag, maybe 3-4" from ends, where ever is comfortable. Sew to the bag securely. Sew over it a few times, since these will get lots of stress.

5. Turn bag right side out. Note: You could purchase webbing for the straps, or be creative and use rope, heavy twine, etc. The average cost of a 6x8' tarp in my area is $4, and I was able to make 8 bags out of it. This comes out to 50 cents per bag.

As an added strength, you could also buy some of the different duct tapes in a wide range of colors and put strips on one side (to be the outside) of the tarp. I recently saw some tie dye that was pretty cool.

And there you have it! Yet another way to recycle and have a unique conversation piece all in one! Ok, time to eat! Do you remember those chickens that were roasted and deboned? Guess what… today is their day to shine! As you know, there are a few things I really love… I have an obsession with my slow cooker/crock pots and I make a lot of soups and casseroles. When you feed as many as I do, it’s nutritious and inexpensive! I also have a thing for Rosemary and fresh garlic LOL! Anyway, here is something that you can complete start to finish in under an hour and it’s a crowd-pleaser!



Farmhouse Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

2 (6 ounce) packages stuffing mix
4 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of celery soup or cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup milk
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions; set aside. Place the chicken in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Combine the soup, milk, celery, onion, and pepper until blended; pour over chicken. Top with stuffing. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly.

Ok everybody, that’s it for me today. I hope you have enjoyed your journey to the center of my Earth LOL! I’m off to market to market but fear not… I’ll be back tomorrow for another cup of OMGisthatpossible! LOL. Be safe in your journeys, be happy, and be alive! Until tomorrow… HUGS!