SWEEPSTAKES BONANZA

Good morning everyone. How are you doing this wonderful morning? I’m braced up like Frankenstein, but I’m alive so we’re good! I hope you are all well. I want to thank my mother for that very touching comment she left me yesterday! You made me cry mom! LOL… but it’s a good cry! My family and friends know that whenever I can help, I will be there regardless of anything else! I’m glad to help! I love you mom! And today’s blog is in honor of that phenomenal woman who brought me into this world, taught me everything I know, and has always been there for me… my best friend! Thanks mom!

Well Earth Day is April 22nd this year and we should all do a little something in honor of it (I think anyway). My mom received this email and sent it to me. It’s from H-E-B and it said “Stop by your H-E-B on April 22 between 3-7 pm to drop five plastic shopping bags into our storefront recycling bin and get one reusable shopping bag free, while supplies last.” SO, if you have a H-E-B around you, call and ask if they are going to be a part of the Earth Day giveaway! I think it’s a great idea!

There are other things you can do in honor of Earth Day as well. I think the Arbor Day Foundation does something similar, but have you ever personally thought of planting a tree? Maybe a fruit or nut tree in your yard? Not only are you replenishing the trees, but you would get fruits and/or nuts to enjoy. Just a thought ya know… Google Earth Day and I bet you can find lots of ideas.

Another great idea, is again from my mom… sweepstakes. What harm can it do in entering and taking a chance to win something you might really need or just plain WANT! If it’s free, I say NOTHING! Did you know there are literally thousands of sweepstakes you can enter on a daily basis all over the place? I thought today, I would bring you a few of them here. Bookmark them and go back and enter for as long as the contest runs. Who knows, you may be the lucky one!

Enter to win Olive Garden's 2010 Win a Culinary Tour of Italy Sweepstakes. Win an 8-day guided trip for two to Italy! (Learn from Italian chefs at Olive Garden's Culinary Institute of Tuscany, Experience the local cuisine of Rome and Florence, and Explore the Rocca delle Macie Winery are just a few of the “highlights”). Every day you return, you could win a $25 Olive Garden Gift Card!

Then there is the “Easy Home Meals $10,000 SWEEPSTAKES”. Grand Prize Winner will receive $5,000 cash. (5) First Prize Winners will each receive $1,000 cash.

Visit Redbook Magazine online and pick from tons of sweepstakes you can enter everyday! From shopping sprees to books to shoes and more… Enter one or enter them all!

(I like this one!) Purex is giving away a $20,000 Green Home makeover plus a $1,000 daily cash prize! Also on the site you can get a free sample and a coupon too if you tell a friend. It’s a multi-make-me-happy website! LOL!

Want to take home a real collector's item? Here's your chance. You could ride away in the 1972 Monte Carlo from Martina McBride's video, "Wrong Baby Wrong." Visit CMT community to watch the video and enter to win the very car you see!

Ford Vehicles has a contest called “Invasion of the Bulls” and it runs through 10/10/10. Grand Prize is An All-New 2011 Ford Super Duty® and A lifetime supply of season tickets to the PBR Built Ford Tough Series (now that’s MY kinda prize! LMAO). In addition, 3 lucky finalists will win: Trip to Las Vegas for you and a friend, Exclusive VIP treatment and tickets to the 2010 Built Ford Tough PBR World Finals, and a Private lunch with top PBR Riders.

Win A Chevy Silverado HD courtesy of Fantasy Fishing (it appears). (1) Grand Prize: one (1) 2011 Silverado HD 2500 4WD Crew Cab 153” LTZ Truck (“Vehicle”). Approximate retail value $51,670. Contest ends 6/22/10.

Win A Dodge Challenger Sweepstakes * Must Be 18 Years Old To Enter * 1 Entry Per Person * Ends Nov.30,2010 * Winner Will Win A 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T * Worth $39,930 *

Fresh Express is offering FREE salad for a year contest (saw this on TV LOL). PRIZE: (30) Grand Prizes: of (52) Fresh Express salad coupons redeemable for a total of 52 bags of salad. Approximate Retail Value of each prize: $200.

These are just a few of the THOUSANDS of sweepstakes you can find online! Just do a search for sweepstakes and you will be amazed at the tons of great things you can enter to win! What do you have to lose right? It just takes a few minutes of your time and its free! Who knows, you might actually win something! It shocked the tar out of me when I won a gas grill from Marlboro one time! So have fun and good luck!

Guess what I did yesterday? You guessed it… I was back on the sewing challenge. I swear every time I turned around and looked in the green crate I found another pile of material that was pre-cut to make shopping bags LOL! I didn’t get an enormous amount done, but the ones I did get done were pretty snazzy I think! Check these out!



This is the Kitty Klaus tote bag I made from a pillow panel I found in the crate. I had 2 sets of the panels, so I made it into a bag. The sets had 6 different pictures, so I might make totes out of all of them or pillows or who knows yet LOL! But I know it had cows and dogs as well and something else I can’t remember LOL!



Here you see the Native American/Eagle shopping bag. It’s funny that I had enough to make a bag out of this one really. Now you see what my DH’s Christmas stocking looks like! LMAO! It’s actually a really cool fabric (SHHH don’t tell him I said that! LOL)



Now ya know, I had to do at least 1 patriotic print bag, right? Of course. I found this one rolled up on the side of the crate already cut and ready to go. Sew LOL I sewed it together and I think it’s actually pretty neat! I like the multi-colored webbing for straps. Gives it just that right amount of WHOA factor! LOL!



Ok this bag got my brain exploding with ideas! This is a purple Ronald McDonald fabric I found at Wal-Mart years ago, before they got rid of their craft section (which really depressed me btw LOL). They had this one and I have a red one too. This bag was already cut, so while putting it together I had an explosion of thought come into my head! I have to have probably 6+ yards of EACH of the McDonalds fabric right? Well remember those crayon totes I was making?? HELLO! Make some in the McDonalds fabric and fill them up with crayons and such when the school supplies are on sale super cheap and I have DONATIONS to the kids at the Ronald McDonald House!!!!!! I’m gonna start on those right after I get this challenge complete and I am actually going to ask my wonderful readers to consider helping with a small donation for things like crayons, coloring books, etc. You can send the actual items or you can send a financial “gift” (I can’t legally call it a donation, sorry). I’ll let you know more about this idea when I get it worked out better… still in the preliminary stages of this idea LOL!

Ok now, I want to talk crafts. With Earth Day coming up, we must be in the “recycle” and “earth friendly” mindset! So I am double duty-ing this craft project today! I am honoring Autism Awareness with the Puzzle and Earth Day with the recycling! This recycled craft project is a great way to recycle those old puzzles that have pieces missing. This project uses a Jumbo piece from a child's jigsaw puzzle.Check it out!



Craft Idea of the Day: Puzzle Photo Magnet

Supplies:

Large Puzzle Piece
Magnet
Cardstock

Directions:

Start by cutting a window into the puzzle so that you can insert your photo. You can cut it using some scissors or a craft blade.

Paint the puzzle piece then allow it to dry, You can finish it off with a spray of clear varnish.

Run some glue around the back of the puzzle and secure your card stock to the back of the puzzle piece.

Glue on your magnet piece, You can get magnets from your local craft store or use a recycled advertising magnet.

Cut your photo to size and you can now slip your photo into the frame from the front.

You can decorate your frame further by adding small puzzle pieces, cut out hearts etc.

Pretty nifty huh? OK ok I hear you… no not you… My STOMACH! It’s yelling at me and telling me it needs food LOL. So I am always ready to serve LOL! I’m in the mood for pancakes… but not just any pancakes- we are going gluten free today!



Delicious Gluten Free Pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup rice flour
3 tablespoons tapioca flour
1/3 cup potato starch
2 cups almond milk (or 2 cups water and 4 tablespoons dry buttermilk powder)
1 packet sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum or 4 Tablespoon gluten substitute
2 eggs
3 tablespoons canola oil or applesauce

Directions

In a bowl, mix or sift together the rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum. Stir in eggs, milk, and oil until well blended and few lumps remain.

Heat a large, well-oiled skillet or griddle over medium high heat. Spoon batter onto skillet and cook until bubbles begin to form. Flip, and continue cooking until golden brown on bottom. Serve immediately with condiments of your choice.

So are you drooling now? LOL I am… alright I am gonna get off here for the day. Time to do some more sewing, check my garden, and whatever else may strike my fancy. You keep safe, be happy, and I will see you back here tomorrow! HUGS!

HAPPY MARDI GRAS! FAT TUESDAY

Well WHO DAT be knockin at my bloggin door?! LMAO! Welcome to the Mardi Gras edition of my life LOL! Its gonna be a cold one, let me tell ya! Freezing temps must be combated by none other than what else?



Yep… A PARTY!!! Get the warm ovens and cookers going and the blood flowing and we’ll have no problems staying warm! So today is about decorations and foods for the last day of Mardi Gras! This year, Mardi Gras Day is on Tuesday, February 16, 2010. Mardi Gras begins on "Twelfth Night," (12 days after Christmas) on the 6th of January, culminating on Mardi Gras Day. Each year, Mardi Gras Day is 46 days before Easter, and thus is on a different date (although always on a Tuesday) each year. Mardi Gras which is French, meaning "Fat Tuesday", is the day before Ash Wednesday and the start of lent. For many, the celebration is highly religious, but for some, Mardi Gras is an opportunity to celebrate and be festive as much as possible before lent. Now, here’s a great article I read on Taste of Home… I couldn’t have written a better one myself, so I’ll share it here.

A Family-Friendly Mardi Gras Celebration

Bring the flavor of New Orleans to your home on Fat Tuesday with these party plans. It's easy to turn your house into a family-friendly French Quarter for Mardi Gras with a few decorations and most importantly, some Cajun cuisine.

Traditionally, Mardi Gras is a three-day celebration prior to Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. The final day of Mardi Gras is known as Fat Tuesday. It serves as the last big chance to "live it up" before forty days of fasting.

Here are a few ideas to make your party the hit of the season:

Send out paper masks as invitations to a masquerade ball. In New Orleans, invitations, not tickets, are distributed for attendance at Carnival balls during Mardi Gras season.

Use bright colors and shiny flatware for your table or buffet. The official colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green and gold. Lay aluminum doubloons or shiny chocolate coins around your table interspersed with sparkly, colorful beads and masks.

Bring the party to Bourbon Street by setting the mood with a little Zydeco, Cajun or Jazz music. Bands like the Funky Meters, Buckwheat Zydeco or Preservation Hall Jazz Band are sure to set the tone.

Pass out feathered masks or inexpensive paper masks and beads to guests as they arrive at your party, then ask the guests to add their names to an elaborate Mardi Gras-themed hat. Crown a king or a queen for the day by picking names out of the hat, then have the king and queen wear the hat for the rest of the party.

Bake your own King Cake (see recipe below) —a ring of twisted pastry or bread topped with purple and green frosting or colored sugar that contains a plastic doll hidden inside. The person who finds the doll is supposed to have good luck for the year and is crowned the "King of the Feast."

Have children follow a parade route through the house conga line-style. Give them colorful beads and doubloons to throw to the adults at the party, or vice-versa.”



OK so lets start the day off right with some “Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Pancakes!” Check out these I made for the kids! (I have 2 sick home today!) I even put their beads on the plate too… extra festive!



Now let’s talk crafts! Like the article said, the colors of Mardi Gras are gold (symbolizing "power"), purple (symbolizing "justice"), and green (symbolizing "faith"). You can find tons of cute and glittery decorations at most Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, JoAnns and other crafts stores as well as party stores like Party City, etc. But you know me and what do I always say? Where’s the fun in that?! Let’s get crafty and whip up some of these great homemade decorations!



Paper chain garland is always a simple decoration. Grab some scrapbook or construction paper in green, purple, and gold and cut into strips. Then glue, tape, or staple the “chain links” together, alternating colors.




Laying strings of beads on the table or hanging them for ceilings and walls can add a nice little flare to your decorations. You can also use Christmas lights to decorate.

You can make your own table runner in the traditional gold, green and purple colors for Mardi Gras. To do this all you will need is some glue, glitter, and a fabric in the color of your choice. Once you have the fabric run glue all around it and add the glitter to it to make it very decorative for Mardi Gras. Cut the fabric down to size for your table and then you can tape the edges down underneath the table. You can get these supplies at your local craft store for about ten dollars and you can use any fabric you choose including plastic or felt. This is a very simple easy homemade idea for getting your house ready for Mardi Gras.

You can also make a homemade Mardi Gras decorative bowl for serving treats. You will need a plastic or glass bowl and some paint in the gold, green or purple colors. Paint the bowl in the color of your choice and then let it dry for a day. This bowl can come in handy as a food serving bowl or you can fill the bowl up with beads to add flare to your house during Mardi Gras. This bowl will be perfect for Mardi Gras and can be made by supplies from your local craft store or retail store for about six dollars. Or you can use a bowl you may already have to save money! If you have a colored bowl, you can also simply dress it up with Mardi Gras and Carnival Stickers for a cheap & easy party prop!



Mardi Gras Shoebox Float
These mini floats make great table centerpieces and can even be made with special places to hold fresh flowers, foods like dips, etc.!

Materials needed:

Shoe box with lid (one for each float you'll make)
Scissors
Glitter, tissue paper, construction paper, aluminum foil, paint, paintbrushes, or other decorative materials
Glue

1: Pick a theme for your float. or use an actual New Orleans Mardi Gras Parades theme. Be creative when choosing your theme. It could be anything you like your favorite movie, political or current events or even Mardi Gras as theme itself.



Shoe Box Float Themes
Usually decorations on Shoe box floats followed simple themes from book report stories, Movies, favorite television shows of which represented story characters scenes and events, to serious themes like "Just say no to drugs", or "Hurricane Katrina Recovery" or "The kingdom of make-believe!" just as an example. These floats theme and design are limited only by your own imagination and of what you have on hand to decorate with.

Remember a Mardi Gras Float is rolling scenery or just a background for the riders. Some floats are castles others battlefields and places created from the imagination of the float designer. You can look up Mardi Gras Float pictures on the internet for lots of great ideas!

Take your box and cover both parts (the lid and the base) with the colored Christmas paperback foil wrapping paper or plain aluminum foil. Then, flip the box over and attach the lid to one side of the box using the stapler or, a hot glue gun, or tape.

2: Remove the lid from the shoebox, turn the box upside down on the table and glue the lid (so that it stands up) to one end. Now your float will have a back.

3: Decorate your float using tinfoil, tissue paper, glitter, paint, markers, and other materials. Toys and even Christmas cards or pages out of story books. Get creative and as they say think out of the box!



Mardi Gras Mask

You need:

Mask Pattern
Purple Craft Foam
Sequins and/or Gemstones
Feathers
Wooden Skewer or Dowel
Glitter
Metallic Pipe Cleaners
Low Temp Glue Gun

Instructions:

Print the Mask Pattern. Staple it all around the outside edges to craft foam. Cut it out. Paint dowel gold. Let dry. Decorate mask using gemstones, glitter and gold paint. Wrap pipe cleaners around a pencil. Glue with feathers to the back of the mask. Hot glue one end of the mask to the dowel.

You can also make some masks and leave the dowel off and hang on the wall for decorations.



Jester's Hat

You need:

Jester Hat Pattern
4 pieces of Craft Foam (green, purple, yellow or gold)
Low Temp Glue Gun
36 Jingle Bells - 3/8"
Scissors
Stapler

Instructions:

Cut a piece of craft foam into a 3" strips. Glue together using a low temp glue gun until you have enough to fit around the child's head. Print 8 pages of the Jester Hat Pattern. Staple to foam around edges and cut out. Glue each piece to the top inside edge of the foam crown. Glue two jingle bells on each point. Glue jingle bells all around the crown.

Mask Bouquet
Mardi Gras mask bouquets are easy and elegant centerpiece ideas. You can buy several different sized and shaped Mardi Gras masks from a local discount or online party store. You will also want to obtain a purple, green or gold vase, flower arrangement foam, a hot glue gun and several long, thin craft sticks.

Place the foam in the vase. Hot glue your masks to the craft sticks and place into the foam in the vase. Vary the mask lengths and placements. Tie a multicolored Mardi Gras ribbon around the neck of the vase to complete the look.

Treasure Chest
You can create a Mardi Gras treasure chest centerpiece that can also double for your guests' party favors. You will need one large box base, scotch tape, a stapler, gold, green or purple tissue paper, ribbon and glitter pen, Mardi Gras beads, doubloons, miniature Mardi Gras masks, feathers, a king cake and cellophane bags.

Begin by taping the colored tissue paper to both the inside and outside of the box. Staple the feathers to the rim of the box. Then fill the box with all your Mardi Gras beads, doubloons and other novelty items. Cut your king cake into individual pieces and place the pieces in cellophane bags. Tie the bags with a ribbon and use the glitter pen to write your guests names on them

If you plan on crowning a king and queen of Mardi Gras, be sure to have crowns, scepters, and royal purple robes. If you aren't going to have a crowning ceremony, these items would be great to create a photo-op area or just use for decorations.

Oh goodness… there is so much you can do for decorations… AND a menu too! Cajun corn chowder, seafood gumbo, crab cakes, Bloody Marys, Shrimp Remoulade, crawfish dip, Andouille Sausage, Jambalaya, Etoufee, etc. You name it! OMG I love Cajun food… and yes that INCLUDES alligator! YUM! Since there are TONS of great Mardi Gras recipes you can make, I want you to 1. Check out Taste of Home Mardi Gras Recipes for tons of awesome ideas and 2. Check out these recipes right at your fingertips that I’ve posted here… all courtesy of Taste of Home.



Chunky Crawfish Spread

Ingredients

1 package (16 ounces) frozen cooked crawfish tails, thawed
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 medium green pepper, finely chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 to 12 drops hot pepper sauce
Assorted crackers

Directions

Chop crawfish; pat dry. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add the peppers, onion, garlic, Creole seasoning, salt and hot pepper sauce; stir in the crawfish. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve with crackers.



New Orleans Jambalaya

Ingredients

1 pound smoked kielbasa or smoked Polish sausage,. cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed or 1 pound of shrimp, shelled
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups uncooked rice
2 cups water
1/2 pound fresh or frozen uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

In a Dutch oven, saute sausage for 1 minute. Add chicken; saute 2 minutes longer. Add the celery, onion, green pepper and garlic; saute for 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink; stir. Let stand for 5 minutes to absorb any remaining liquid before serving. Fluff with a fork.



Roasted Cajun Potatoes

Ingredients

2-1/2 pounds medium red potatoes
1/4 cup Crisco® Light Olive Oil or Canola Oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Directions

Cut each potato lengthwise into eight wedges. In a large bowl, combine the oil, shallots, garlic, salt, paprika, cayenne and pepper; add potatoes and toss to coat. Place in a greased roasting pan.

Bake, uncovered, at 450° for 45-50 minutes or until tender and golden brown, turning every 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.



Traditional Mardi Gras Kings Cake
(No Mardi Gras is complete without this cake LOL! A "King Cake," also known as a "Twelfth Night Cake," or "Twelfth Cake," is a colorful cake which contains a plastic doll (baby) baked inside. Originally, a bean was baked into the cake, but the plastic baby doll is more commonly used today. The most common New Orleans King Cake is rolled with cinnamon and covered with icing or glazing with green, gold, and purple sugar sprinkled on top. The person who gets the slice of King Cake with the baby must provide the next King Cake (or host the following year's "Twelfth Night.")

Ingredients

2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup warm 2% milk (110° to 115°)
2 egg yolks
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3-1/4 to 3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg, beaten

GLAZE:
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 to 3 tablespoons water
Green, purple and yellow sugars

Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 1/2 cup sugar, butter, milk, egg yolks, salt, lemon peel, nutmeg and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 16-in. x 10-in. rectangle. Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar; sprinkle over dough to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet; pinch ends together to form a ring. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Brush with egg.

Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. For glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and enough water to achieve desired consistency. Spread over cake. Sprinkle with colored sugars.

Ok, so today we’ve covered Mardi Gras… crafts, foods, and even a bit of history lessons throughout, right? LOL alrighty then… my work here is done LMAO! So I’m off to get dressed in my bestest beads, my brightest purples and greens, and have a crazy Cajun day! Ya’ll be safe and have an awesome day! HUGS!

CHAOS & CRAZINESS

Good morning to you my lovely lads and lasses! How are you this blissfully beautiful day? I am doing alright… a touch of fatigue and a lot of pain makes for an interesting morning! BUT… two of the kids are off to school YAY…which puts me in a good mood! My baby is very sick so he is home and I am keeping a close watch on him. He was up most of Saturday night since about 1am, so I was up with him all night. Then I cooked!

Ok, so yesterday I continued part 2 of the Weekend Cooking marathon! Check out this large amount of craziness!



I started the day by making pink pancakes for breakfast, but Alex wanted no part of those so I made him some normal buttermilk pancakes. I mixed up extra batter and made extras to freeze for him before school days so he would have a warm breakfast too! LOL I have requests now to make different color pancakes for each holiday LOL! They want purple this week too for Mardi Gras… Green for St. Patty’s Day, R/W/Blue for 4th of July, etc. They are CRAZY! I’m sorry but I’m not sure if I could do GREEN pancakes LMAO!



I got 4 packs of 3 small pancakes and 1 pack of 4 larger ones. Boom- in the freezer! Hey if Eggo can do it, so can I, right? LMAO



Then, I dug through the lovely deep freezer in the kitchen and found more cutlets YAY! So I made more CFS soup! YUMMMYYYYY! My DD and I had 2 BIG bowls for lunch and made ourselves sick… and VERY sleepy LMAO! I also made MORE Mulligatawny Soup that everyone was raving over… and pulled out more foods to make more TV dinners; sausage, ribs, etc.



I made Pricky Pear Cactus ribs for dinner. They didn’t last long enough to take a picture of them completed! So here they are marinating.



I also made mesquite BBQ ribs. I paired them all with roasted baby reds and garlic mashed potatoes and roasted baby carrots with a molasses and brown sugar glaze.



And, of course, I made the buffalo steaks for my hubby for his V-day dinner. He got the carrots and potatoes too!

I had to come to a brief stop cause the DS14 started running a fever and coughing and stuff, so I had to be nurse mommy. I get real nervous when he gets sick because of his medical history with the meningitis and autism and such. I gave him an Ibuprofen and some cough syrup and put a cool rag on his head until his fever broke. Then I maintained a vigil all night on him. So that makes the 2nd night without sleep, but its ok, cause I couldn’t sleep even if I tried! I worry too much.



For those of you who don’t know, he had a cold and ear infection when he was 10 months old. The pneumonia germ got into his spinal fluid through the ear infection and he got VERY ill. I took him to the ER and he was diagnosed with Spinal Meningits. He had a serious seizure and during that he had 2 strokes. It resulted in brain damage and they suspect the scar tissue on the brain is the reason behind his autism. But it is too deeply in his brain to even try to operate. Ever since then I am a nervous wreck when he gets sick… especially in the fall and winter months because that’s when it happened! I know its silly, after 13 years to be so scared, but it was a major stresser and I blamed myself for years… that maybe had I just caught it earlier, etc. So yea, I go overprotective overboard LOL! And we have become self-educated about Autism and big activists as well.

My legs are really paying for 2 days of cooking, so I don’t think my body minded that I had to stop cooking. Today is going to be sit-on-my-butt-and-take-a-break-day! I’m gonna declutter my desk and sort through a couple of boxes. I’m gonna sit at the table and work on finishing the started scrapbook pages for my DD and then maybe start some more. So like I said… its sit-on-my-butt day LOL! Of course I will be taking care of the DS too, so I won’t totally be on my hind end LOL! So there isn’t too much to share as far as crafts, etc. I (if my legs can handle it) need to finish up with my cooking cause I still have a few things left to use up for this round. But I do have a very interesting recipe I would like to share with you today… its for a side dish and it’s from The $5 Dinner Mom’s email… it’s a great recipe and I think you will enjoy it… especially if you like Rosemary (like she does and I do as well!)



Roasted Red Potato Salad
(Courtesy of Erin Chase & $5 Dinners.Com)

Ingredients

13 small red potatoes, diced
3 sprigs of rosemary
Salt and pepper
Drizzles of olive oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup milk
1-2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Directions

1. Dice the red potatoes.

2. Using your fingers, pull off the rosemary leaves by sliding and pinching your fingers down the sprig. Chop the rosemary leaves.

3. Add the diced potatoes to a baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and some of the chopped rosemary. (You’ll need more rosemary for the sauce.) Drizzle some olive oil over the top. Toss in the baking dish.

4. Roast the potatoes at 400 for 25-35 minutes, or until softened.

5. In a small bowl, add the mayonnaise, milk, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.

6. Whisk and then add the remaining chopped rosemary leaves. Mix in the rosemary.

7. Pour the sauce over the roasted potatoes.

8. Toss the sauce with the potatoes.

9. Serve Roasted Red Potato Salad warm…or chill for at least 2 hours and serve cold.

If you haven’t checked out $5 Dinners, I highly recommend it! Erin Chase has lots of great recipes, articles, etc. I get the email newsletter and she does a great job! She just put out a recipe book that I hope to get soon. I wish I could get it today as she is doing a book signing in Houston tonight at the Downtown Library from 6-8pm! I would love to meet her! As for me, well I think I’m gonna get off here and check on the boy. If all goes well, then I’ll hopefully get him to eat a little something and then we can watch some cartoons and do some scrapbooking! You take care and stay warm today! Until tomorrow… HUGS!