SATURDAY SCATTERBRAIN

Well a big weekend Howdy do to you! Glad you could stop on in partner! LOL… ok so seriously, how are you? Well I feel like hammered… nevermind I won’t finish that LOL! Let’s just say I’m not feeling my best. It’s a bright and early… and somewhat warmer weekend morning here in Texas and I have plans to get a lot done despite my current conditions (plans doesn’t necessarily I will get it done LMAO)! So before I get plans for today, let’s talk yesterday… I really didn’t get too much done in the way of crafting, etc. I was not happy with myself LOL. There was so much going on that I had short spurratic moments of space left to craft and such. I got about 4 toppers/centerpieces completed yesterday.



This is the first one. Remember I told you I had a bunch of other St. Patty’s Day things and would make another topper? Well here he is! Isn’t he precious? I think I like this one better than the other one actually! It also makes me want a bowl of Lucky Charms for breakfast LMAO! Maybe making these will bring me some of the "Luck Of the Irish" LOL!



Then there is my little trick-or-treating Halloween skeleton. I thought it was cute… The skeleton was actually a toy attached to an old straw left over from last years party (it was a new straw so don’t worry LOL). I might go back and add some glitter to the black roses… I’m not sure yet. What do you think?



Here you have my Beach Combers topper. I know living here on the coast, a lot of people have beach theme parties or weddings even! Shoot, one of my brothers got married on the beach! This is made from real shells and I think its just precious. Makes me want to have a beach party now!



And finally the Fiesta one! I was loving the idea of this one, and I knew just what I wanted to do with it. Do you know how nearly impossible it is to find a mini sombrero around here?? OH I was so frustrated. So the kids said “Make one mom”. See my feeble attempt? It sorta looks like a Sombrero on acid to me LOL but its definitely colorful! LOL! Regardless, I kinda like this one a lot too LOL! And the mini maraca actually shakes and makes noise! YAY!



Then I completed some more garden spoons too. Remember the ones I told you I was painting Orange and yellow? Yea, well check out these ones! I made sure the peppers were the actual color that the plant produces… Red Cayenne, Green Jalapeno, and Orange Habanero (also affectionately known as a scotch bonnet too- but that was too long for the spoon handle LMAO)… aren’t they awesome?

So that was my crafts for the day yesterday. I think today I am gonna pull more stuff from the storage unit and start going through it all. Maybe I will find more “junk” to inspire me LOL! OMG now I have to tell you about my kitties! I love cats ok, and I have inside cats and I feed tons of outside stray cats… always have. So anyway I knew that one of the outside females has had a litter of kittens recently… 7 to be exact. Not sure if they are ALL hers but they travel with the mamma, so I’m gonna assume so. Ok, so anyway… yesterday afternoon about 3-4pm I hear this meowing at my front door followed by scratching. I open the door and about 8 cats scatter! Babies too! OMG! I rush to get some dry food out there. They scattered but I left the door open and stepped back in the doorway. They boldly came back up and were not scared of me!



So here you see the first one that came up. My DD and I have named her Harlequin… isn’t she beautiful? And unfortunately I think she is pregnant as well! YIKES more mouths to feed!! There are little tiny babies coming up as well… black and white twins but noticeably different. We are calling them tootsie and roll LOL! There is a white one with markings like one of my mom’s cats, and same demeanor so we are calling him Spazlet LOL!



Ok, so all of the sudden, as we are standing there, all these cats start coming up to the porch to get a bite to eat… A LOT MORE! I say “OMG I’m gonna need a bigger bowl! LOL… so I go to the kitchen and find the lid to an old cake cover (the bottom has cracked) and I put some dry food in it and I mix up a couple of cans of tuna in there. Big mistake… my inside cats start whining LOL so I had to give them their own tuna LMAO! Spoiled little brats! OK, so I get the food out there and they start growling… so I had to split up the food! I step back in the doorway and we had a total of 15 kitties on the porch chowin’ down! I was tickled pink really! I love kitties! A couple of the bigger ones look pregnant so I am really gonna have to be watching closely for newbies and missing kitties… but it looks like I have a whole new gang to feed hanging out at my house LOL!

Ok, so as for today I am hoping the crafting bug comes and bites me hard again. I am so happy when I am crafting. Not only does it make me feel good, but I get stock added to my things to sell and I feel a sense of pride ya know… like I am doing something useful that hopefully someone will want. Its very validating to me sometimes (when I’m in a weird mood LOL) when someone buys my things… it means they like it and I did a good job. I know weird… of course none of you will ever buy my things dangit LMAO because I am teaching you how to make them all! LMAO… just kidding… I thought it was rather amusing. So if the craft bug doesn’t hit me, then I hope to get some things out of storage and start housing them here in my home. I am giving myself until May 1st to get that storage unit cleaned out and that bill eliminated. So I will keep you posted on how that’s going!

OK so we have to eat right? Well since I am not feeling very spiffy and I’m really not in the “full out cooking mood” I think we are gonna have some Nachos for dinner! YAY! Nachos sounds real yummy with some chili and beans and cheese and yummmmm lots of peppers! But I always share a recipe with you, so here is something yummy for you today.



Tropical Grilled Pork Chops

Ingredients

1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pod cardamom seeds
1/2 teaspoon water, or as needed
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 mango - peeled, seeded and chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cilantro
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, minced
1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
3 pineapple rings, chopped
1 pinch white pepper
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
6 pork chops

Directions

With a mortar and pestle, mash together the garlic, chili powder, cayenne, and cardamom seeds. Mix in enough water to form a paste.

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in spice paste, and cook until it begins to bubble, about 30 seconds. Stir in vinegar; cook without boiling for 2 minutes. Stir in sugar until it dissolves. Mix in mango, salt, cilantro, lemon juice, and jalapeno; simmer 20 minutes. Stir in applesauce and pineapple; simmer 10 minutes more. Season with white pepper. Place in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

To prepare marinade, mix 2/3 cup of the salsa with soy sauce and 1/3 cup vinegar. Place pork chops in a large resealable plastic bag, and pour marinade over chops. Seal tightly, and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Drain marinade from bag, and heat in a saucepan until boiling.
Lightly oil grill grate. Place pork chops on the hot grill. Cook 10 minutes, or to desired doneness, turning once and basting occasionally with the boiled marinade.

Warm remaining salsa over medium-low heat. Serve pork chops topped with the salsa.

Well alrighty my little rodeo readers LOL… its time for me to get up on my horse and ride off into the sunset LOL… so I’ll meet ya back at this here barnyard tomorrow at the same time ya here? LOL YEEHAW!! Until tomorrow… HUGS!

THE CRAFTY BUG BIT ME!

Morning everyone… how are you doing this morning? I am not doing real good… and I had a few things I had to do this morning that were not real fun but now I am free YAY! I am glad to hear from my friends but I am not happy to hear of Jean’s bad times. Hun I hope things get better for you soon! Susan, I went back and fixed the link for the calendars… hopefully it works now. Ok, so I got majorly hit by the craft bug yesterday! It took a big ol’ chunk out of me and didn’t let go until about 9:30 or so last night… (about the time it was time for my nighttime meds LOL). So without further ado… check all this out!



First, remember I told you about the magnetic menu calendar? Well here it is. I stapled all the remaining months together and hot glued the lot to the scrapbook paper (ain’t it cute?). Then that was glued to a piece of poster board and a sheet of magnet glued to the back. I have yet to fill in all the days… but I think its neat.



From there, I started painting more cat litter buckets and I had an idea when I was sitting there painting… sticking with the decopauging theme from the other day. I had scrapbook paper with pretty bright strawberries on it, so I cut it the same size as the “labels” on the bucket sides and glued them to the bucket. Then I overglued with Modge Podge. Once that was dry on all sides, I coated with a clear coat of sealer. Isn’t it adorable?! I just have to drill the drain holes in it and it will be ready for my baby strawberry plants currently residing in my kitchen window LOL! I’m gonna hang these “designer planters” LOL from the rail on my front porch. I think they’ll be cute!



While I was outside painting the buckets, I figured I would get another thing painted. I had picked up this old fashioned wooden “tool box/crate” and I decided that might make a cute organizer for DD’s room. So after the buckets, I painted it blue to match everything else going in her room. I will be decoupaging music notes on that too! And if by some weird chance she doesn't want it, then I might decoupage some nautical stuff on it and give it to my Dad for the new "Man Cave" he's been building LOL!



So while the paint was drying on those, I came back inside and worked on more scrapbook pages. I just got a few done, but they turned out really cute. I love scrapbooking actually. It's a hobby I'm glad I got into, even though it can be very expensive at times LOL! I already had a sticker fetish and it made me develop a paper fetish too LMAO!



I also got started on my Famous People Flashcards for when I host my Italian Night party. I printed black and white photos of famous Italian People and printed out their names. I glued them to scrapbook paper with green and white (the colors of Italy). The names will be cut and put on the backs of the cards and the pictures hung up for people to guess during the game. I have about 6 more to finish making plus one bonus… so 7 LOL!



Then I was staring at this pile of old cd’s… and other junk that was just in boxes from storage… Cake topper time!! I got 9 completed yesterday and let me tell ya OMG they are just the cutest little things! I got holidays, etc… take a look!



Here is a Baby boy topper I made. I didn’t have a horse like I used in some others, so I used this cute little bassinet and the other baby stuff to decorate it. I always like having extras of these baby toppers because there is ALWAYS people around us having babies!



Here is the baby girl one I made. Again, out of horses, so I used this little buggy. I also used all the little girl things that I usually use. I just think these are absolutely adorable! Wish I had thought of them when I had my kids LOL!



Ok, so we have Easter coming up, and I always make big cakes for everything LOL so I had to make an Easter one. I just hope the Easter Bunny mistakenly tries to hide the eggs on it LOL!



Then I have this one which is absolutely precious I think. It’s a Breast Cancer Awareness topper. I made this one, not to celebrate cancer, but celebrate survival. I have had a lump removed that ended up malignant (yes I underwent radiation for it too), and I have had family members with breast cancer, so it hits close to home with me. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and I tend to make cakes, cupcakes, etc to remind people. I thought this would be pretty awe-inspiring!



Alright then there is my Homecoming one. People around here make a HUGE deal out of Homecoming… throwing parties, dances, etc. WELL, at a party there is normally CAKE right? And why not have a school colored cake topper to finish it off? I thought it was awesome and the kids here about blew my eardrums when they saw it! LMAO.



This next one is VERY special to me… it’s for my DD Madison’s Sweet 16th Birthday this year. So I HAD to make it awesome! I took one of the glitter notes (which is actually a Christmas ornament and we bought tons to decorate her room with) and some blue and white roses and made this. She looked like she wanted to cry and said it was the most awesome thing she had seen! Ya know I felt good after that!



Ok, then we have Christmas… I absolutely LOVE nutcrackers. For those of you who know me, you know I collect them. Well I had another Christmas ornament, the nutcracker, so I made it into a topper too!



Then, thinking about the boys and the Poker Night they want to have, inspired me to do a Poker topper! We have more decks of cards and excess chips around here than you can shake a stick at, so behold the image sent forth to me by the Poker fairies! If you make it, they will play LMAO!



And finally, with St. Patrick’s Day just around the bend (March 17th), I felt all green with giddiness to create this topper! I will probably make a different one because I have just so much cute things!

So you see, I had a serious crafting bug yesterday and I still have it today. I love it when I get like this because all I have to do is look at something and I get an idea. I get so much done and I feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. I love it! Now you know what I want to talk about? My other passion… FOOD! I think tonight I am going to make some…



Oh-So-Good Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

4 teaspoons olive oil
6 tablespoons sour cream
4 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
2 cups cooked white rice
8 ounces boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and diced

Directions

In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute mushrooms. Combine mushrooms, sour cream, cheese, salsa, rice, and chicken. Place in a greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 35 minutes. Top with sour cream and green onions if desired.

Alright kids… I’m gonna get off here for the day, go take some medicine, and get to work on some more crafts. I will see you all back here tomorrow… Happy Crafting and tons of HUGS!

THE LAST WEEKEND

Hi there boys and girls! Can you believe its already almost February?! Where DID the month go?? Oh well… so how does this crisp Saturday morning find you? I’m still feeling pretty yucky, but I thank you all for the well wishes! I checked my sugars last night and they were a little higher than normal so I’m not sure what’s going on. I’ll keep watching them closely. I’m sure it doesn’t help the weather keeps going hot-cold-hot-cold etc. It needs to figure out what it wants to do!

Ok so I was looking online for some party decorations for my daughter last night… see she turns Sweet 16 this year! And for once, she would like a big party. No problem I told her. Well she wants black, white, and blue with music notes… just like her room. (She is such a band nerd LMAO! But that’s ok, I think its cool too!) OK I think… no problem right? WRONG! I searched for about 3 hours and I could not find any ideas for things like centerpieces, except those cheaply made, expensive foil ones right? SOOOOO… I got frustrated and got up and cleaned a bit. I cleaned some of my craft area. I thought maybe by cleaning, I would get inspired to do some crafting.



Well I got the diaper cake I was working on done… complete with cake topper/centerpiece.



I think it’s rather cute and the DS18 was so amazed. LOL that’s the first one he’s ever seen me do! He said his teacher is gonna love it and gave me tons of hugs and pecks. Then he told me I do too much… for others and never anything for myself… HUH? I think he’s sneakin’ some crack somewhere LMAO! J/K! But everyone in my family tells me that actually. I don’t see it.



Anyway, I also made 2 NERDS candy fridge magnets and this may be my inner “nerd” coming out, but I think I want to see how many different little tiny boxes of Nerds I can make into magnets LOL! A regular “NERDY” collection if you will LOL! I also fixed a few things I had put on the table to mend. But no music decorations… not yet at least. I’m gonna work on the décor for DD’s room today, so maybe messing with all the music note stuff will give me inspiration! LOL.



OMG I so have to tell you about this infomercial I was watching LMAO! It’s for Time Life music collection called “Flower Power”… ya know 60’s Hippie times with the tye-dye and the peace signs? As sad as it was that I knew every single song they previewed, it gave me an idea! See I love bright cheery colors… and you can’t tell me all the psychedelic pinks and greens aren’t bright! Well all the 60’s décor, to me at least, is bright and cheery. My mom was a self-professed hippie too. Well I like all the 60’s stuff and I got the wild idea to redecorate my living room in 60’s décor… complete with lava lamps and everything! What do you think? I think it will be pretty groovy! LOL… yes I am seriously considering it!

Ok, now the infamous question… what’s for dinner? I have pork chops already thawed in the fridge, as well as one last whole chicken, and tons of veggies… hmmm. Well chops are always a huge success around here… NEVER any leftovers when I make them a certain way. Served with mashed potatoes and peas and a bread of some kind (I normally do croissants and hey I just happen to have a few left that I found on clearance, remember? LOL), this makes for a mouthwatering meal.



Crunchy Honey Pork Chops

Ingredients

Box of Corn Flakes
Eggs
Pork Chops
Honey
Pepper and Garlic powder

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Crush corn flakes to a fine/semi-course texture. Season the chops with pepper and garlic with just a gentle sprinkle on each side. Dredge in eggs and then in corn flakes. Place chops on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Drizzle honey on top of chop. Bake for about 10-15 minutes. Remove, flip chops, and drizzle honey on second side of chop. Return to oven and bake another 10 minutes or until done in the middle.

Its really one of those recipes that has no measurements but comes out great no matter what?! LOL like I said- in our house you eat them when they are ready or there won’t be any later LOL! As for me, today offers cleaning and crafting as I have a very important guest coming soon to look at my home for help with repairs and renovations. Gonna get all of Madison’s room done hopefully and I’m gonna assign everyone some chores for today to help! Stay warm and I will see you tomorrow… HUGS!

MONEY TIPS AND HINTS

Good morning mes amis! How are you all this morning? I’m doing alright I suppose. The swelling has gone down under my eye at least… except right in the corner near my nose. It’s rather annoying LOL! I want to thank everyone for the comments yesterday. They were great! Now, I’m gonna take a few moments to answer all of your questions…

To Melissa- Thanks for letting all your SAHM’s know about the blog. I want to say HI to all of them and glad you like the reading! Make sure you get to be a registered follower so you are eligible for the prize! There’s still a few days left! Now… when I don’t feel well… well you have to understand I have had medical issues since I was 5 years old, so coping with it and keeping going is something I have always done. Its like habit now LOL. Plus I always have had so many people depending on me for so many different things… ya know that old phrase “If I don’t do it, it won’t get done”? Yep… there ya go. LOL but if I need a lot of energy (like for cleaning and stuff YUCK!) I do every once in awhile drink a Monster LOL! I have never held a class on crafts or cooking before. And I have never actually thought about it LOL. I go to Farmer’s markets on leisure time. I have never considered selling at one because of the fact that I do go to festivals, fairs, and shows tailored for Arts & Crafts booths. Honestly, I don’t think I would enjoy them as much if I had to work them too. And finally… BABY showers… those can be so fun! I remember my baby shower for my daughter! There were at least 50 people there and I got so many things that I didn’t have to buy anything except formula for the first 6-8 months of her life! It was crazy! Gimme a few days and we will discuss it… is it foe a boy or girl?

To Jean- Glad you are still enjoying the posts LOL! Hope you continue to enjoy them as well. As for meal planning… I set up a general “month” calendar but its just a guideline. I print out a blank month and write a meal on each day. This gives me a general idea of what to make throughout the month. However, I’m flexible… maybe what I wrote down for that day doesn’t sound good or maybe I have more people coming than that meal will feed. No problem, I just pull something different out… switch the days around if you will. Remember that if you have a hard time deciding, planning ahead on paper may help. And you can always quick thaw some ground meat in some cold water if you finally decide at noon that you want meatballs and they need to be done by 5pm LOL! And lastly… soups. Girl, where have you been all this time? LOL J/K… During the course of this whole blog so far, I have posted 22 Soups & Stews recipes. Are you looking for something designed around a specific ingredient?

To Hazel- Thank you so much for your comment and I am glad you are enjoying the writings. If there is anything you might want to see, let me know and I’ll see what I can do!

Ok, so I was reading online some of the articles for “Money matters” online recently, and I found this article I wanted to share… Now tell me this is not an “oxy moron”… you have an author writing about money issues and his/her name is SHAM? Um…. Yea ok… anyway, I thought a few were pretty interesting and maybe you will too…

Top 6 Mindless Money Wasters

by Sham Gad

Most people will say they are interested in saving money. Money saved from one area can be spent in another area. Or even better, the money can actually grow as an investment for the future. But despite the benefits of putting some money away, most people take a passing interest in actually doing it. As young adults, they don't think much about retirement; then, as adults, credit card debt becomes a way of life.

But the tough economic times that hit the U.S. in 2007 through 2009 were a wake-up call for many people, causing the public's view of saving to shift. If you'd like to make regular saving a part of your life, read on to find out how to conquer the first step: finding that extra money. You can begin by paying attention to these top money wasting activities.

1. Convenience Stores
Many people don't think about the mark-up they pay for convenience store items. Here's a hint: it's huge. This is because these stores don't purchase food in the large quantities that a grocery store does and also because they make you pay more for the convenience they provide. So, unless it's an emergency situation, avoid shopping at convenience stores. The premium you pay for convenience is not worth the assumed convenience you get. For example, a Coke at a convenience store might cost you a dollar, while you can go to the grocery store and buy a 12 pack for $4. If you tend to pull over for a drink, buy a 12-pack and keep it in your car. If you visit convenience stores often, the annual savings of cutting out these visits can be tremendous.
2. Cell Phone Plans
Take the time to check your monthly cell phone bill - you may be paying more than you need to. If you are using fewer minutes than your monthly plan allows, switch to a lower-rate plan. If you are using more minutes than your monthly allotment, then upgrade to a higher minute plan. Before making any changes to your plan, sit down with a list of your cell phone company's offerings and compare and determine which plan provides the most value based on your needs. Most cell phone companies charge 40 to 50 cents per additional minute, so going over your allowed minutes by 100 minutes one month will cost you $40 to $50 in that month alone. With many minute plan upgrades costing $10 to $20 a month, they'll easily pay for themselves. You should also scan through your cell phone plan for added features like text messaging and mobile internet. If you aren't really using these features, get rid of them - they're costing you money each month!
3. Soft Drinks
This one is a sneaky money waster. Not only does ordering beverages along with a restaurant meal boost your total expenses, but soft drinks also have one of the highest markups of any restaurant item, and thus provide lower value for your money. Consider a typical family of four that eats out twice a week at fast casual restaurants (typical for a middle class family even today). Assuming an average price of $1.50 for a fountain soft drink, that totals $12 a week, $48 a month, $624 a year. Just cutting out this one item from your meal could mean significant savings that could go into something much more productive, such as a retirement savings plan. If you invest $624 at the market average of 9% a year every year, you would have almost $32,000 at the end of 20 years. So dine out, but opt for water!
4. Unnecessary Bank Fees
Many people unknowingly pay a lot to their banks in the form of fees. If you don't know what fees your accounts are subject to, spend a few minutes finding out. Some banks charge ATM fees for using another bank's ATM, for example. These can be as high as $5! This amounts to a 25% one-time fee for a $20 withdrawal. The key with this type of fee is simply knowing about it. You would be better off using a credit card to make the purchase. Go back and examine the rules governing your checking and savings accounts. Many people have accounts with a fixed number of withdrawals and deposits per month. You would be better off with an account maintenance fee of $10 a month than getting hit with two or three different fees a month. Also consider consolidating bank accounts, as often one account with a larger minimum can eliminate numerous fees that might otherwise exist.
5. Magazines
If you're the type of person who likes to occasionally pick up your favorite magazine from the local grocery store or newsstand, consider getting an annual subscription. Even if you don't want the magazine every month, a couple of issues at the newsstand are enough to cover the entire annual subscription. For example, a 26-issue subscription to Forbes Magazine will cost you less than $25, while one issue at the newsstand costs $5.
6. Annual Credit Card Fees
Unless you have a poor credit history, there is no reason to pay annual credit card fees. A host of Visa, MasterCard and Discover cards have no annual fee, yet many people pay up to $100 a year for the privilege of holding a credit card. Unless you're an ultra-wealthy, exclusive holders of an elite-level credit card with exclusive perks, most people should not be paying annual credit card fees.
And speaking of credit cards, make sure you make a payment on time every month, even if it's the minimum. Many credit cards charge $39 monthly late fee charges, charges which accrue interest along with your existing balance.
Be Proactive- Spend a couple hours and go over the above categories along with any other regular habits you may have accumulated over the years. The time will be well spent as it could mean hundreds of dollars of recurring annual savings.

Alright, now… here is another cute craft from recycled materials… those old CD’s. I found this on thrifty fun and I had to share!



Craft Idea of the Day: CD Cake Toppers Or Centerpieces
Cover an old CD with scrap fabric and lace. Hot glue figurines on top for a cute centerpiece or cake topper! Make sure to ask friends and check with local thrift, pawn shops, etc. and ask them to save the damaged/unusable CD’s for you. Figurines can be found all over- thrift stores, dollar stores, craft stores, and your own home! Have fun!

Ok, food… who doesn’t love food, right? Here we go with another slow cookin’ hearty winter-y soup recipe to add to the collection!



Beef Barley Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast
1/2 cup barley
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons oil
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables
4 cups water
4 cubes beef bouillon cube
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (28 ounce) can chopped stewed tomatoes
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a slow cooker, cook chuck roast until very tender (usually 4 to 5 hours on High, but can vary with different slow cookers). Add barley and bay leaf during the last hour of cooking. Remove meat, and chop into bite-size pieces. Discard bay leaf. Set beef, broth, and barley aside.

2. Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Saute carrots, celery, onion, and frozen mixed vegetables until tender. Add water, beef bouillon cubes, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, chopped stewed tomatoes, and beef/barley mixture. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 to 20 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

And there you have it… today marks another day of fun and food LOL! I think I’m going to go lay down for a bit cause my meds are making me sleepy! I’ll see you here tomorrow… HUGS!