GroopDealz

Have you checked out GroopDealz.com? Every couple days they have a new featured item they are selling for a discounted price. Today they are selling TWO items. Wonderful Wordy and Love Stitch are offering two great items.  I have bought items from GroopDealz and have been very satisfied with the service and products.

Go here for the vinyl from Wonderful Wordy for a steal of $3.

Go here to see the Love Stitch Flower Necklace for a steal of $7. I am in love with every color of this necklace. I want one of each, but I think I might just get the cream one to wear with more items. The hot pink one would really pop with a black sweater!

Need a Laugh? Check out Handbags & Handguns

If you are thinking of having a child in the future, had a child or just need a good laugh check this blog out.

Handbags & Handguns - You've Been Warned

Happy Birthday Lacey!!!!

Twenty-Two years ago the most amazing person came into my life.  My brother & I had prayed every night during family devotions for a couple years that God would give us a baby sister or brother.  We just didn't understand when our parents told us they couldn't have any more babies that a miracle couldn't happen.  God performed miracles all the time, so why couldn't we have a miracle?

Well our prayers were answered!  The morning my dad told us we had a little sister I screamed, ran around the house and jumped for joy.  Billy was excited too, but was not happy with my in your face attitude that it was another girl.  He was SURE it was a boy. lol

Lacey brought us all so much joy over the years.  Some of the videos we have still make us laugh!  Lacey always had a joke to tell or something funny to say.  She never held back what was on her mind.  When Lacey was about 2 yrs old my grandparents were visiting.  My grandpa dressed her in an outfit that didn't match.  She went crying to my mom the minute she got home that her outfit didn't match and she needed new clothes.  She said grandpa wouldn't let me change. 

Over the years my sister has become my best friend.  We were attached at the hip until I decided to move half way across the country from my family.  Lacey would come spend the summers with me in CA.  The day she would leave was the worst day ever! 

Here are a few pictures of Lacey. 

Hope you have a GREAT birthday Lacey!!!!

St. Patrick's Decor

How adorable are these St. Patrick Day decorations?  I <3 both of these adorable projects.

Spare Time Sanity made the shamrock. 

Funky Polkadot Giraffe made the adorable rainbow out of buttons.  

Happy Birthday Grandma!!!!

Today is my Grandma's 81st birthday.  I have lots of great memories with her.  I wish I could have went to dinner with her & the family tonight.  She lives in ND and it's just a little too far to travel for dinner.

Kogi's Food Truck

I was in LA this past week.  My friend Krystal is always talking to me about the food trucks and I have been dying to try them.  Thursday night I was able to try Kogi's and it was OUT OF THIS WORLD good!!!!!!  They serve the BEST food.  These are not your typical roach coach or gross food trucks you see driving around.  There are new up and coming gourmet food trucks. 

I tried the short rib taco and sweet chili chicken quesadilla. Here is the menu for Kogi's. If you ever get a chance to try one of these food trucks GO FOR IT!!!!! 

Sorry for the bad pictures. I forgot my camera, so I had to use my phone.

What's for dinner at your house?

Art and I like to shop at the Mexican grocery store for all our meat.  Some of their stuff makes me sick to my stomach, but they do have the frestest meat around.  Here is one item that just makes me gag.  I had to take a picture to send to the family to see if they wanted to come over for dinner.  No one was interested.  HOW RUDE!!!! 

What a deal $4.51 for the entire package of pig snouts.  I can't even imagine what you cook with these or that they are even good.  The thought that people eat pig snouts makes me sick!

Moroccan Chicken

I made this recipe last week and we both really enjoyed it with couscous. I found the recipe in my Southern Living magazine from Campbell's.  You can find the recipe here also.

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
2 medium red onions, sliced (about 2 cups)
1 large green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 can (about 15 ounces) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Heat the oil in a 5-quart saucepot over medium high heat. Add the chicken in batches and cook until well browned on both sides. Remove the chicken from the saucepot.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions, pepper and garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until they're tender-crisp. Add the cinnamon and curry and cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the soup and heat to a boil. Return the chicken to the saucepot. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Stir the raisins and chickpeas in the saucepot. Cook for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the almonds.

Happy Valentine's Day!!! I use to refer to Valentine's day as HATE day. I HATED valentines. I thought it was such a commercial day & I never had a boyfriend on this stupid day either. Five years ago my hatred for valentines turned into love. One man changed it all!

I had given my phone # to this hot soldier I had been emailing for months, while he was over seas. When he came home he let me know and wanted to go out. I wasn't interested in dating at the time, but I thought what will a dinner hurt. He wanted to go out on valentines. I refused telling him I had plans, which I did and if he wanted to go out he could wait till Thur the 16th. I busy with friends the other nights.

He called me on valentines day for the first time. What a relief I felt when he sounded normal!!! Lol. We went to dinner on the 16th & have been together ever since that day. Five years later he is still as romantic as the first night when he had me eat a super hot pepper. I played it off like it was nothing and had him try the pepper. :) Now he jumps out of closets to scare me half to death! He does have beautiful taste in jewelry which makes up for the tricks he plays on me. My wonderful husband bought me a pair of gray & black pearls for valentines this year.

I love you Art!!!!

Things not to buy your valentine

Yes, those are double toilets side by side!

 Ho flask!

On Christmas Eve my dad and I ran to Target.  When I pulled into the spot there were 3 square bails.  I parked too close to the one, so dad couldn't open his door.  I said well let me move it, so you could get out.  I could barely move the huge things.  It was soooo full of water and heavy.  Finally I get it moved enough for dad to get out of the car.  The entire time dad was making fun of me that I was a whimp. 

This is how we left it when we went into the store.  Well the people next to us I guess couldn't get into their car because when we came back it was tight against our door.  Dad had to move it this time around.  He said oh wow I thought you were joking about them being heavy...those are some heavy bails.  See I am NOT a whimp.  It had rained for a week prior to Christmas and who knows how long the bails had been laying there.

Dad and I had such a laugh over the fact we are in the middle of the city and there are 3 square bails.  Dad thought he could leave the country, but it finds him no matter where he goes.

Iguanas Burritos

A couple weeks ago Art, Amber and I went to Iguanas.  They recently opened a small restaurant near our house.  They were featured on Man vs. Food.  The guy had to eat a 5 pound burrito I believe in less than 30 minutes.  This burrito is freakin HUGE!!!!  Art and Amber decided to share the burrito.  I order nachos. They have THE.BEST. nachos EVER!!!!

Sausage, Bean and Spinach Dip

Art Found a recipe in Southern Living again for me to try.  He asked me to make this recipe for Super Bowl Sunday. It was DELISH!!!!! Everyone loved it.  I sprinkled some mozzarella cheese over the top prior to baking.  We served it with homemade tortilla chips!

Ingredients

• 1  sweet onion, diced
• 1  red bell pepper, diced
• 1  (1-lb.) package hot ground pork sausage
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2  cup  dry white wine
• 1  (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 1  (6-oz.) package fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1  (15-oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2  cup  (2 oz.) shredded Parmesan cheese
• Serve with: Corn chip scoops, red bell pepper strips, pretzel rods

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Cook diced onion and next 2 ingredients in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 8 to 10 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in garlic and thyme; cook 1 minute. Stir in wine; cook 2 minutes or until liquid has almost completely evaporated.

2. Add cream cheese, and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until cream cheese is melted. Stir in spinach and salt, and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Gently stir in beans. Pour mixture into a 2-qt. baking dish; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

3. Bake at 375° for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with corn chip scoops, bell pepper strips, and pretzel rods.

Our visit to see our tax lady was like stepping back into 1980s in Beulah, ND. The office even had an old stale smell to the place. Orange vinyl chairs filled the small receptionist area. Where a small partition separated the tax lady from the receptionist area. You could hear everyone business while you waited!!!

I found out the lady in front of us was divorced, her ex husband paid her alimony & health care. She didn't get any money from the sale of the house.

A biker husband & wife waited while slurping coffee. The woman was poured into leather chaps with slick back thinning gray hair. While she talked to her husband she picked at his facial hair with left over food.

The receptionist looked like a home school mom in her permed hair, corduroy long dress lacking any shape, silk scarf, tights and round toe shoes.

The office was a mismash of office furniture each accountant brought with them from home or found at the good will store.

All the above was observed within 5 minutes of entering the office.

My very first piece of furniture I bought....is now SOLD to the first bidder!

Back in 2003 I bought my very first grown up bed and made my very first furniture purchase.  I worked very hard to be able to buy a nice bed.  One thing I didn't take into consideration when I bought a bed was would it fit in my bedroom?  I eyeballed and thought oh yeah that bed will fit with no problem.  WRONG!

When the furniture company delivered my bed to my parents house I couldn't shut my bedroom door.  The first thing my dad said was "did you measure the bed & the bedroom before you bought it?"  Ugh no dad why would I ever do such a thing as measure?....finally we moved the furniture around enough to close the door.  If I wanted to get to my closet I had to jump across the bed or squeeze at the foot of the bed.

When I moved out on my own I didn't make the same mistake twice.  I had my bed measurements with me when I went apartment shopping.  I measured each bedroom carefully to make sure my bed would fit.  BINGO I found a place with enough room for the bed that wouldn't break the bank.  

Fast forward a few years to when I get married and found an apartment with my husband. Time to move the bed again......the bed barely fit into our bedroom.  It fit...I didn't have to jump across the bed to the closet or squeeze around the foot of the bed.

Each time I moved the bed I was lucky enough to haev a moving company haul the massive bed.....well when we bought our house we were cheap and didn't hire movers.  I decided I wasn't going to move that bed one more time on our own!  It also looked like a twin bed in our massive bedroom.  We decided a couple months ago to buy a California King Size Bed = HEAVEN!!!!

I didn't want to sell my bed because it was my first big furniture purchase.  I hung on to it for a little while before I listed it on Craiglist.  Then I watched a few episodes of Hoarders.....People keep furniture because it was their grandma's, mom, first bed, etc.  That did the trip...I am NOT going to be a hoarder and keep things because it was the first bed I ever bought. 

Today I sold my very first piece of furniture on Craiglist.  It had taken up a large amount of room in the garage.  I made a deal with the lady if she would pick it up today I would take money off.  She showed up tonight and hauled my bed away. I didn't even feel bad because cash in my pocket felt better. :)