Time to Listen Up

Land of the Free, Because of the Brave: Opposition to the Release of Gitmo Prisoners

During the final question and answer round for the Miss USA title, Miss Louisiana, Brittany Guidry, responded  to a question about the release of five Gitmo prisoners in return for suspected deserter Bowe Bergdahl: 

Q: In recent weeks the U.S. has released five detainees from Guantanamo in exchange for one U.S. soldier held captive in Afghanistan. The U.S. policy is to leave no soldier behind. Do you think it’s fair to sacrifice or swap lives in order to uphold this policy?

A: I am glad that we got our guy back, however I do not feel it is right that we subject ourselves to these acts of terrorism. I do agree with our guy being back, but however, I do not think we should subject ourselves.

Proud of my Louisiana Girl!!! Geaux Brittany!

Of course, Judge Jeanine Pirro doesn't do such a bad job herself!

America: Land of the Free, because of the Brave!

And the mom of the year award goes to......

I've done some pretty strange things in my life. Don't get me wrong, I am NOT in line for sainthood by ANY stretch of the imagination, my husband & I fall short ALL the time in our parenting decisions and our skills are often those of first time parents of 6 children (two whom are grown with their own children). BUT, sometimes you just have to shake your head and think "What were they thinking?"

A Tennessee woman has set the Internet on fire when photos of her walk down the aisle at her wedding started spreading . In an effort to make her newborn baby part of her wedding day, Shona Carter-Brooks tied her 1-month-old daughter, Aubrey, to the back of her dress and dragged her down the aisle. It is actually a little less brutal than it sounds, as you can see in the photo above, but still…why?!

I'm all for including your children in your special day, and I'm also all for doing whatever you want when it comes to your wedding, because it is your wedding. But this is obviously something that Shona and her husband, Johnathan, could have & SHOULD have taken a second to think about before deciding that yeah, this would be special and not at all hazardous or upsetting for guest.

Facebook

While the couple’s friends and family have jumped to support their decision to trail their baby behind them in the ceremony, others have called for Child Protective Services to become involved— and honestly, I can’t say I blame them. There was no reason to exclude the baby from the ceremony, but putting her on the train puts her in harm’s way—all it would take is someone to trip or stumble, and poor defenseless baby would have been stepped on and seriously hurt or worse! 

To each their own, I guess, and I thank God I've never done something to be publicly ridiculed for with my children, but here are a couple other ways she could have included her baby into her special day:

1. Carried her down the aisle
2. Pushed her in a stroller down the aisle
3. Held her during the ceremony
4. Have her husband hold the baby as they both walked down the aisle
5. Had her pulled down the aisle in a buggy/wagon
6. Literally anything else besides tying a 1-month-old to the back of a wedding dress and dragging her down the aisle

If your children were at included in your wedding ceremony, how did you include them in the festivities? Would you ever consider something as extreme as carrying your baby in your bridal train?

I welcome your comments, but please be tasteful!

Easy Homemade Marshmallow Cream "Fluff"

Making your own homemade Marshmallow Cream "Fluff" is simple! The light, fluffiness is delicious when you pair it up with peanut butter or spread it over your favorite dessert.

Ingredients Needed:

3 egg whites

2 c. light corn syrup

1/2 tsp. salt

2 c. sifted confectioners' sugar

1 T. vanilla extract

Directions:

Using an electric mixer, in a large mixing bowl, combine egg whites, corn syrup, and salt. Beat for approximately 10 minutes on medium-high until thick. Reduce speed of mixer to low and gradually add the confectioners' sugar until completely mixed. Then add the vanilla extract and beat until well blended. 

Yields approx: 2 quarts

Storage: Store covered, in plastic container in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Freeze for up to 2 months.

 Linked With:
Savvy Southern Style
Fluster Buster

Personal Responsibility In Our Children

I've been thinking more and more recently about my children being "self-sufficient" & "personally responsible" adults in life. Scary, I know, considering Alyssa is 18 yrs old and I probably should have been thinking about this much earlier than now. But, alas, I haven't!

 



 

A series of events have lead to this post, the most recent being yesterday:

While I was working Alyssa (my oldest daughter) text me from school saying that she was hungry. "OK?" I thought. I respond "I'm working". She then proceeds to whine *yes, I could hear the whine through the text* about how she had been up since 6:00am, forgot her lunch, it was now 4:00pm and she wouldn't be done with practice until 7:30pm and she was *starving*.

 

My first thought was that of frustration. I mean seriously?!?! Is she for real? Did she really go ALL DAY without eating anything and now expects to have the energy to practice {colorguard}.... oh AND expects ME to stop working to bring it to her?

 

{I know the following should have been my first thought, but it wasn't, so sue me!}

My second thought was concern; after all, she IS a diabetic. Going all day without eating isn't good for anyone, but it especially isn't good for a diabetic. The horror of a low blood sugar then comes to mind.

 

But, I think the biggest thought was "Where is your personal responsibility?" and I responded as such! {I am a serious contender for mother of the year right now} "You should have planned ahead and packed your lunch and some snacks. You are 18, Alyssa! What are you going to do when you are on a college campus next year and you don't have mom to run something to you?" Her response you ask? "I dunno!"

 

Agghhhhh!!!!! I HAVE CREATED A LITTLE MONSTER! Now I do have to say, Alyssa is GENERALLY a pretty responsible & mature kid. She is actively involved with school, church, and her community. She maintains good grades, is Captain of the Rifle team for colorguard, coaches cheerleading, works with special needs children, helps me with her siblings, etc., etc. etc. She has been an active participant and day to day giver of her medical care for the past 10 years. But all of the sudden a light bulb went off for me......

 

So much of her "responsibility" is because MOM keeps her on schedule and gives her reminders. *oh, snap* Is she really going to be a self-sufficient adult? Is she going to "survive" without mom there to keep her on track? Well, duh, I KNOW she will... but could I have prepared her better? I still have 7 months before she leaves for college. It's crunch time!!

 

What about you? How have you prepared your children to leave the nest and fly on their own? HELP!

Linked To:
Raising Arrows, Easy Life, Losing My Gut, Turnips 2 Tangerines, Scrumptilicious 4 You, From My Front Porch to Yours, Sweet Haute

Two weeks go by fast

Its been two weeks since my last post. The holidays were just busy busy for our family. So a quick post now to share what "Santa" brought me.

 

Not one but TWO new Vera Bradley bags. Yes, I was a good girl this year!

Fitbit is amazing! I have several friends using this awesome fitness technology, and I must admit, I was jealous. Its just COOL! Sooo... this was my Christmas present to myself too! In addition to using my Fitbit now, I am syncing it with the My Fitness Pal app on my iPhone & iPad that I have been using for awhile now. At about $99, it was a great investment into my health and well-being. 

While there is a lot I like about the Fitbit Flex, I would have to say that the thing that has been the most intriguing is my sleep pattern! WOW.... no wonder I am tired all the time. This is my sleep log from last night:

Here is what the Fitbit website has to say about the Fitbit Flex that I got:

Flex™ Wireless
Activity + Sleep Wristband

• Tracks steps, distance, calories burned and active minutes.
• LED lights show progress against your goal.
• Monitors your sleep and wakes you with a silent alarm.
• Wear all day and night, even in the shower.
• Includes tracker, small and large wristbands, charging cable and wireless sync dongle.

Blessings from the Deep South!

Five things Friday

Five Things I Love In My Life....

 

I am sure most people are expecting: God, my children, husband, car and job. Nope. Not this girl. Those are UNDERSTOOD loves of my life [errrrrrr, at least they should be]! I'm going with the five things that I can't image getting through a day without. The things that keep me going and are always close at hand.

My iPad. I am an "i" junkie and I don't know what I would do without my iPad. I use it (and my iPhone) for nearly everything I do.

 



Diet Coke. Highly addictive and (most likely) preserving my insides as formaldehyde is known to do, it is a rare sigthing to see me WITHOUT one in my hand - just ask anyone who knows me. I know, I know.... pathetic and dumb. Thanks Mom, for getting me hooked on this stuff!

 

 

 

Wool Peacoat. Yes, I know its a crazy thing for a girl in the deep south Louisiana bayous to have on her "can't live without" list, but I am cold natured. I am always freezing and have always been this way. Rarely do I not have a jacket or hoodie of some sort on, but once the temps drop below a average of 70 out comes the peacoat - so pretty much October to March I live in the thing.

 

 

 

Crocs. Lord help me, but I am addicted to these things. I have all of these styles and a variety of colors. I will admit, the bubblegum pink Nadia boot was an "off" decision but man are they warm! I purchased them for a trip that I would be making to Washington, D.C. in January - 4 years ago. While not exactly the prettiest things I have ever seen, they certainly served their purpose [keeping my feet warm & dry in the snow]. SNOW! ME! *shudder*

 

 

 

Facebook. Yea, I am one of the guilty millions who is addicted. There are many things I like [and dislike] about Facebook, but the one thing I love the most is being able to get "news" out to a multitude of people at one time without draining my iPhone [see... the use of another idevice] battery a million times a day. I love connecting with my friends & family who I don't get to see on a regular basis and I will admit, I like to stalk peoples lives! I am a people-watcher by nature I guess, so Facebook allows me to do that without getting caught staring at people! 

 



So there you have it! A look into the world of Julie! 

 

Hugs from the Deep South!

 

 

  



SHARED WITH:

Four Seasons Blog Hop, Friday PinFest, Fitting It All In,

 



Homemade Chili (Stove or Crockpot)

 

Always on the search for a good recipe, a long time ago, I set out to find a match for Wendy's chili because it is one of my favorites. Since I am the self-declared "Google Queen" I started there. I then went to my other favorite option Pinterest.

Source

I tried several different recipes claiming to be "Wendy's copycat recipes". Let me just say that if Wendy's chili taste like some of these recipes posted and claiming to be a match in your neck of the woods.... I am SO SO sorry for you! Yuck-o!

 

Source

 

However, after many failed attempts I finally came across one that I liked. Unfortunately, I can not link to its original author because it was just an uploaded cell phone screen shot as a pin, with no link back. *I hate that* (If someone can show me the original website that published this particular recipe, I would be more than happy to link it to them.)

 

Anywho, I tried it and I loved it. Now that one of my dear friends and assistant Samantha has posted on her Facebook recently asking for a good chili recipe, I figured now would be a great time to share this delicious recipe.

 

So.... this one is for YOU Sam!!

Wendy's Copycat Chili

Ingredients:
2 lbs fresh ground beef
1 qt tomato juice
1 (29oz) can tomato puree
1 (15oz) can red kidney beans, drained
1 (15oz) can pinto beans, drained
1 1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1/4 cup chili powder (use more or less to taste)
1 tsp ground cumin (use more for added flavor)
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Stovetop Instructions:
In a large skillet, brown ground meat with onions, celery, and bell peppers. Drain fat & liquid. Place the meat mixture in a 6-qt pot along with all remaining ingredients. Cover the pot and allow chili to simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 15-20 minutes.

Crockpot Instructions:
In a large skillet, brown ground meat with onions, celery, and bell peppers. Drain fat & liquid. Place the meat mixture in crockpot along with all remaining ingredients. Cover the pot and allow to cook on low for 3-4 hours.


Blessings from the South!

 

 

 

Linked Up With:

Raising Arrows, Savy Southern Style, Fluster Buster, A Peak into my Paradise, The Style Sisters, The Happy Housie, Wonderful at Home, Four Seasons Blog Hop, Friday PinFest

 

Make A Joyful Noise

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. ~ Psalms 98:4

Tonight, our family had the honor and joy of watching my youngest daughter participate in our church Christmas program with her GAP (Girls Artistic Performance) group. This group of young ladies, in grades 4th-8th grade, praise The Lord with singing, hand bells, puppets, sign language, and more. 

This years' program was entitled:

Here is Jada-Grace with her group (Photo from my cell phone, but I have also fuzzed out the other girls in the photo to protect their identity)

Here is a quick video I shot with my cell phone during final rehearsal this afternoon: 

Blessings from the South!

Linked To:

New Life on a Homestead, The Modest Mom Blog, TwelveoEight, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, Boogie Board Cottage, Between Naps on the Porch, The Tablescaper, Nifty Thrifty, Twigg Studio, The Chicken Chick, The Heart of Your Home, The Dedicated House,

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Another Cool Weather Favorite.....

 

 

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

 

Ingredients
2 cans cream of potato soup
1 bag frozen vegetables (peas/corn/carrot/green bean mix)
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
4 chicken breasts,cooked and cubed

Salt & Pepper
1 frozen pie crust
1 egg, beaten

 

Preheat oven to 400°F

 

1. Sautée the onion and garlic in oil. 

2. Microwave the veggies until just under tender.

3. Add the chicken, cream of potato soup, vegetables and S&P to taste. 

4. Transfer to a casserole dish or four ramekin dishes. 

5. Unroll the pie crust on top of the casserole dish or cut to size of ramekins. 

6. Brush the egg on top. 

7. Cut a few slits in the crust and bake at 400°F for about 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

 

Note:

If you prefer a soupier consistency, add milk or cream. However, don't add too much, or it will spill over the top and cause the oven to have crusty burnt pieces things on the bottom of the oven. In this case, you will probably want to place the ramekins on a cookie sheet while baking.

 

Enjoy!!

 

 

 

Linked To:
New Life on a Homestead, TwelveoEight, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, Boogie Board Cottage, Between Naps on the Porch, The Tablescaper, By StephanieLynn, Nifty Thrifty, Twigg Studio, VGM206, The Chicken Chick, The Heart of Your Home, The Dedicated House, Time Warp Wife,

3 Fruits You Might Be Eating The Hard Way

[Image credit: FoodBeastTv]

We all know how to eat an apple the correct way, right? Wrong! Last week, FoodBeast posted a video entitled "How to Eat an Apple Like a Boss" that quickly went viral. From what the video shows, one should eat the apple from the top down, thereby eliminating the almost 30% waste from eating the apple from the outside into the core. So that got me to searching [yes I Google everything] to find what other fruits we may be eating incorrectly.

[Image credit: Crazy Bananas]

Crazy Bananas shows us that most people start peeling the from the longer stem, but if you peel from the bottom, it will be easier and the banana wont have all those stringy pieces left on it. Since this is also the way a monkey would eat a banana, it makes perfect sense to me.

[Image credit: Homemadesimple]

 

What about the pomegranate? Well there is a truly easy way to get all of the scrumptious seeds out using water. All you have to do is cut the fruit in half then submerge the fruit in cold water. This will allow it to pull right apart with very little mess. Perfect right?

 

 

 

 

 

 Time Warp Wife,

 

 

 

 



 

Mandarin Orange Chicken

This recipe can be made with chicken or tofu, but if you are making both chicken and tofu, but I think you have to keep a close eye on this cooking, since they don't cook at exactly the same rate. I personally don't care for tofu, so I have no idea what it would taste like in the recipe.

 

 

Mandarin Orange Chicken

 

Ingredients:
1 package skinless, boneless chicken breasts OR

1 pkg Extra Firm Tofu, cut into 1/4" slices
1/3 cup Soy Ginger Sauce
1 TB honey
1 small can mandarin oranges
1 TB olive oil
1 TB minced garlic
2 cups fresh broccoli flowerets
1 small can water chestnuts 

steamed white or brown rice

 

Preheat oven to 400° F.

 

Brush both sides of the chicken or tofu slices with sauce and arange in a 6 x 9 baking dish, overlapping as needed. Mix sauce with honey and spoon on top of the tofu or chicken. Top with orange slices. Bake 30 minutes, or until the tofu is lightly browned. In a large sauté pan or wok, heat olive oil and saute garlic until lightly browned. Add broccoli and water chestnuts and cook until crisp-tender. Serve over rice and baked tofu or chicken with additional sauce on the side.

 

 

Let me know what you think!

 

 

 

 

Linked Up With:
The Heart of Your Home, The Dedicated House, Time Warp Wife,

Recent Embroidery Designs

I bought an embroidery machine well over a year ago. Wow... its actually been nearly TWO years now that I think about it. My how the time has flown.

Because I am so busy all the time, I dont always get to spend time at my machine like I would hope to. However, I thought I would share a few of my favorite & most recent creations.

Bib & Matching Burp Cloth

 

Bib, Blanket & BabyWipe Holder

 

Another BabyWipe Holder

 

Bookmarks for the Kiddos

 

Candy Pouches for the Kiddos

 

 

 

Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad

I found  this great summer salad on Paula's Home Cooking, courtesy of my cooking idol, Paula Deen. Surprisingly, this particular P.D. recipe contains no Crisco, bacon fat or sour cream. [I looooove Paula Deen's fatty homestyle cooking, but unfortunately, my hips don't.] Now that Paula has been diagnosed with diabetes she is cleaning up her cooking, so many of her recipes are taking on a healthier nature.

 

 

Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad

 

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked corn, fresh or frozen
1 avocado, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup finely diced red onion

 

Dressing:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

 

Combine the corn, avocado, tomatoes and onion in a large glass bowl. Mix together the dressing ingredients in another bowl, pour over the salad, and gently toss to mix.

 

Enjoy!!