Spring Reading Thing 2011 ~ My List

It's time!  What time you say?  It's time for the Spring Reading Thing 2011!!  Woo Hoo!  I have participated in a lot of these reading challenges and I seem to get a lot of reading accomplished during them as well.  I love to read but there are times where I just don't read as much as I would like to. Which is probably why I like these challenges so much.

Here is my list of books in no particular order:

The Band that Played On: The Extraordinary Story of the 8 Musicians Who Went Down with the Titanic  by Steve Turner ~ I'm currently reading this book and will have a review up for this one soon.

You Can Too by Mary C Crowley ~ This book was lent to me by my dear friend Wendy with instructions of...You need to read this! So I will.

The Gift (Witch & Wizard, Book 2) by James Patterson ~ I finished the first book in about two nights.  Had a hard time putting it down and can't wait to get this one from the library!

The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride, Book 1) by James Patterson ~ Thought I would give another series of his a try. 

An Object of Beauty: A Novel by Steve Martin ~ I will be reading this book to do a review on it. Can't wait to start this one!

Well this is my list for now.  As in past challenges the list will either grow or change....or it could do both!  What are you reading this spring?  Join in on the challenge by clicking the button above!  You don't need a blog to do so.  Have fun with it and get to reading!

Wordless & Wordful Wednesday ~ Where Oh Where Is Spring?

No, it's not snowing here.  No, it's not cold here.  In fact about a week before Spring ever officially started we were up in the 80s!  Andy and I were remembering our first Spring here when we actually had Spring temperatures for most of the Spring season.  Last year we had a few weeks of Spring temperatures.  This year?  Forget Spring...let's go from Winter right into Summer.  Oh yippee....can you just hear the sarcastic tone in my voice? Sigh...wishing for Spring to be here now.

If you would like to see more Wordless photos head on over to Wordless Wednesday, 5 Minutes for Mom, Live and Love...Out Loud, A Beautiful Mess and J. Leigh Designz. Now if you're like me and sometimes you can't stay wordless head on over to see some Wordful Wednesday photos at Parenting by Dummies.  Don't forget to sign the Linky below.

Money Monday ~ Week 12 for 2011

Spring Break is officially over (sigh) and it's back to work here (bummer) and now the countdown to Summer is on (YES)! As I said last week I've been creating like crazy and have taken pictures but just haven't gotten them up on my etsy story as of yet. But I will work on that some tomorrow. For now....It's MONEY MONDAY! So link up!

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It's Monday and time to link-up and join in on the Blog Hop for Money Mondays. To read how Money Mondays got started check out my Money Mondays Page.

So here we go! Link Up your Etsy Stores, Websites, Photography Sites, ect. I'm enjoying hosting this blog hop every week and visiting all of yours as well. Grab the button above and place it on your site. Please remember to keep it family friendly. Explicit Sites will be removed.  Remember to grab the Blog Hop Code below to share with others!  Let's all have some fun, promote our own businesses and check out every one else!

Money Mondays ~ Week 11 for 2011

It's Spring Break here and I'm going to spend most of my time creating. I've written down a bunch of ideas and I can't wait to get to working on them. So make sure you come back here next week (or during the week) as I'll be posting them as I get them made. What are you creating?

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It's Monday and time to link-up and join in on the Blog Hop for Money Mondays. To read how Money Mondays got started check out my Money Mondays Page.

So here we go! Link Up your Etsy Stores, Websites, Photography Sites, ect. I'm enjoying hosting this blog hop every week and visiting all of yours as well. Grab the button above and place it on your site. Please remember to keep it family friendly. Explicit Sites will be removed.  Remember to grab the Blog Hop Code below to share with others!  Let's all have some fun, promote our own businesses and check out every one else!

Wordless and Wordful Wednesday ~ Books

I have to admit to you that I've already read most of these books and had this picture in my archives.  I'm sharing it here and being Wordful this Wednesday because...I LOVE TO READ! There is a blog that I follow called Callapidder Days and I'm so happy to find out that she is back and blogging and the fact that she is going to have her Spring Reading Thing 2011!  She has reading challenges twice a year and I look forward to them and was so happy to see that she hadn't disappeared. If you love reading as much as I do and would love to read along with her just head on over and let her know!  She's trying to see if there is enough interest and I thought I would help. You don't even have to be a blogger to participate. Basically you get a list of books that you would like to read throughout the Spring season and you see how many of them that you actually read.  There are no set limits but your own and there are no set books...you choose!  So...what are you waiting for? 

If you would like to see more Wordless photos head on over to Wordless Wednesday, 5 Minutes for Mom, Live and Love...Out Loud, A Beautiful Mess and J. Leigh Designz. Now if you're like me and sometimes you can't stay wordless head on over to see some Wordful Wednesday photos at Parenting by Dummies.  Don't forget to sign the Linky below.

Tasty Tuesday ~ Enchilada Sauce

Today is Tuesday so it's time for Tasty Tuesday! Today I'm going to share with you a Mexican Enchilada Sauce. This is a sauce that I found years ago once I realized that I could make it a whole lot cheaper than buying cans of it at the store.

Mexican Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients

3 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon oregano
3 cups water
1 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce

Directions

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Stirring constantly, slowly add enough of the water to make a thin paste.
3. Pour into pan and add rest of water.
4. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens.
5. Stir in tomato sauce.
6. Use in your favorite enchilada recipe.

The amounts on the ingredients are very flexible.  For instance, if you are feeding those that don't like "spicy" you can halve the chili powder and double the tomato sauce.  Experiment to suit your taste, but DON'T leave out the cocoa.  This recipe made enough for me to use it in a recipe for Chicken Enchiladas and have enough left over to save in this jar for the next time that I want to use it!

ENJOY!

Money Mondays ~ Week 10 for 2011

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It's Monday and time to link-up and join in on the Blog Hop for Money Mondays. To read how Money Mondays got started check out my Money Mondays Page.

So here we go! Link Up your Etsy Stores, Websites, Photography Sites, ect. I'm enjoying hosting this blog hop every week and visiting all of yours as well. Grab the button above and place it on your site. Please remember to keep it family friendly. Explicit Sites will be removed.  Remember to grab the Blog Hop Code below to share with others!  Let's all have some fun, promote our own businesses and check out every one else!

You Capture ~ Technology

This week over at I Should Be Folding Laundry the You Capture theme is Technology. I knew the perfect picture. You see our church has a theme that is going through this whole year and it is "God is big enough". One way I spread this them and remind my friends when they are going through a rough time is by texting it to them. So here is a picture of my phone with those wonderful words on it.

Wordless & Wordful Wednesday ~ Typical Week

Here is a typical week for Sam.  I take what's on his schedule and then re-do it for his week and usually add more lessons from the following week onto the current week.  At the rate he's going he'll be done with school by the first couple of weeks in May! For those of you that may not know he attends a virtual public school through Connections Academy and for the first time every he's a straight A student!  And he has been one all year!  WOO HOO!   

UPDATE:  I should add that he starts school around 9:00am and is usually finished around 1:30pm.

If you would like to see more Wordless photos head on over to Wordless Wednesday, 5 Minutes for Mom, Live and Love...Out Loud, A Beautiful Mess and J. Leigh Designz. Now if you're like me and sometimes you can't stay wordless head on over to see some Wordful Wednesday photos at Parenting by Dummies.  Don't forget to sign the Linky below.

Tasty Tuesday ~ Easy Meatloaf!

For this weeks submission to Tasty Tuesdays I thought I would share a recipe with you that I found a few weeks back. I was looking for a meatloaf recipe that would be quick and easy to do. I have one that takes a lot more prep time than this one but since I was going to be making this one for a friend who had just lost her father I wanted quick. And the bonus? It was AWESOME and it made two loafs!  I found the recipe here.

Easy Meatloaf Recipe with Oatmeal

Meatloaf Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3/4 cup uncooked oats
3/4 cup ketchup
1 egg
1 envelope onion soup mix

Meatloaf Topping Ingredients
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon prepared mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix all of the meatloaf ingredients (not including the topping) in a large bowl. Mix well, making sure to get the soup mix combined well with the rest of the meatloaf ingredients. Shape ground beef mixture into a loaf shape in a large baking pan. Glass baking pans are better, as the meatloaf doesn't stick as badly and you can see through the dish if the meatloaf is done. Place in oven for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix all of the meatloaf topping ingredients together in a small bowl. Mix well to avoid lumps in the brown sugar. A fork works best to mix up the meatloaf topping. After 30 minutes, remove the meatloaf from the oven. Spread the meatloaf topping evenly over the meatloaf with a spatula or pastry brush. Return the meatloaf to the oven at 350 degrees for approximately another 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Let meatloaf stand for about five minutes before slicing.

Serves 6
Meatloaf may be stored frozen for 3 months.

*Note: This meatloaf recipe uses more ketchup than most, so the meatloaf may have a reddish tinge. This is why it's important to use a meat thermometer to determine if the meatloaf is fully cooked.

MY NOTES:  I used two disposable loaf pans instead of one bigger glass pan as it said above.  Also...these disposable loaf pans are wonderful to bake these in if you are going to freeze one to use later.  My tip is that you freeze it in the pan you are going to cook it in...but first line the pan with foil before you cook it.  Once the meatloaf is cooled you can put it in your freezer. That way once it is frozen you can lift the meatloaf out of the pan wrap it up securely to put back into the freeze and you can have your pan back.  When you are ready to cook it again just defrost and slip it back into a loaf pan to warm it back up!  EASY!

Money Mondays ~ Week 9 for 2011

Well I've been busy crafting again and also planning new projects.  I'll also be doing a craft fair at the beginning of April so if any of you out there have any tips or ideas please let me know.  I can always use them.

Do you know of a crafty person that would like to link up? Send them this blog hop or promote it on your blog, facebook or twitter. Let's help each other out this year and we'll all succeed!

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It's Monday and time to link-up and join in on the Blog Hop for Money Mondays. To read how Money Mondays got started check out my Money Mondays Page.

So here we go! Link Up your Etsy Stores, Websites, Photography Sites, ect. I'm enjoying hosting this blog hop every week and visiting all of yours as well. Grab the button above and place it on your site. Please remember to keep it family friendly. Explicit Sites will be removed.  Remember to grab the Blog Hop Code below to share with others!  Let's all have some fun, promote our own businesses and check out every one else!

Wordless and Wordful Wednesday ~ Easy Recipe For You!

When I looked up at the clock and saw that it was already 5:45 tonight I realized that I hadn't started dinner yet.  So...I made something up from what I had around the house (see my notes below to see how I would change it).  Let me tell you we all loved this!

Here's what I did:

Italian Mac N Cheese Casserole

Made two packages of Kraft Mac N Cheese Homestyle Old World Italian with Parmesan & Romano Cheese. I didn't add the bread crumbs on the top yet.
Cooked two boneless chicken breasts in just a tad of olive oil.
Mixed the above two together in a pan.  Added 1 can of diced Italian tomatoes slightly drained and 1 package of frozen broccoli.

Put all of the above into a 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle the top with some shredded Italian cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Once done top with the bread crumbs.

Voila!  A great meal without much fuss.  Granted it may not be the best for you but...it's what I had and did on short notice.  Should have leftovers as well for Sam and Andy to enjoy.

NOTES:  It really could have used 2 cans of diced tomatoes and if I had had the time the chicken would have been wonderful marinated in some Italian dressing.

If you would like to see more Wordless photos head on over to Wordless Wednesday, 5 Minutes for Mom, Live and Love...Out Loud, A Beautiful Mess and J. Leigh Designz. Now if you're like me and sometimes you can't stay wordless head on over to see some Wordful Wednesday photos at Parenting by Dummies.  Don't forget to sign the Linky below.

Book Review ~ Love: Cultivating Spirit-Given Character//a six-week study

I love my new car.

I love the book that I just finished!

We love the movie that we just saw.

Oh my gosh I love your shoes!

But is this really love? In the book Love: Cultivating Spirit-Give Character explores the first Fruit of the Spirit.

My Review:

First off...I really enjoyed reading this book/study.  My favorite part actually came in the introduction.  He states, "Paul listed it first because it is a prerequisite for the other fruits of the spirit.  Without love, there is no joy, peace, patience, and so on.  Without God's love, we can never live up to our God-given potential."  This is so true and yet so forgotten!  Without love we have nothing.  This book/study was designed to be used in a group format but can also be used as an individual study.  In this study you will explore different aspects of this fruit.  Some of the aspects covered are Love Forgiveness, Love--Unconditional Longing of God and Love--God's Passion for His World.  Truly an amazing study and I can't wait to use it with my Sunday School class.  I would recommend this study to anyone...group or individual.

From the back cover:  

Love.  It's perhaps the most overused and misused word in our language today.  We love our cars.  We love sports.  We love Montana in the spring.  Somehow, we've come to understand love as a feeling that ebbs and flows or a "place" in life we're fortunate enough to land.  Yet the Bible paints a dramatically different picture of love.

Love is a characteristic of God.  Calvin Miller invites us to dive deeper into the biblical concept of love as the result of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us -- illuminating and transforming every selfishness so we can begin to reflect the image of Christ.

Love is one of the nine studies in this significant series on the fruits of the Spirit by author Calvin Miller.  Each six-week study guide is designed to focus your spiritual life on being like Christ by thoroughly exploring a different fruit of the Spirit.

You can get this book by either clicking the link provided below or by shopping my Amazon Store which is a tab above.  Enjoy!





Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Money Mondays ~ Week 8 2011

Do you know of a crafty person that would like to link up? Send them this blog hop or promote it on your blog facebook or twitter. Let's help each other out this year and we'll all succeed!

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It's Monday and time to link-up and join in on the Blog Hop for Money Mondays. To read how Money Mondays got started check out my Money Mondays Page.

So here we go! Link Up your Etsy Stores, Websites, Photography Sites, ect. I'm enjoying hosting this blog hop every week and visiting all of yours as well. Grab the button above and place it on your site. Please remember to keep it family friendly. Explicit Sites will be removed.  Remember to grab the Blog Hop Code below to share with others!  Let's all have some fun, promote our own businesses and check out every one else!

Wordless and Wordful Wednesday ~ Boy Scout

I now have a Boy Scout!  This picture was taken just as he had walked over the bridge.  Was just awarded his Arrow of Light and was being greeted by his new Troop.  It was a great night.  Makes a mom proud.

If you would like to see more Wordless photos head on over to Wordless Wednesday, 5 Minutes for Mom, Live and Love...Out Loud, A Beautiful Mess and J. Leigh Designz. Now if you're like me and sometimes you can't stay wordless head on over to see some Wordful Wednesday photos at Parenting by Dummies.  Don't forget to sign the Linky below.

Money Mondays ~ Week 7 2011

This week let's spread the word to all of those out there that might not know about this blog hop? Let's help each other out this year and we'll all succeed!

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It's Monday and time to link-up and join in on the Blog Hop for Money Mondays. To read how Money Mondays got started check out my Money Mondays Page.

So here we go! Link Up your Etsy Stores, Websites, Photography Sites, ect. I'm enjoying hosting this blog hop every week and visiting all of yours as well. Grab the button above and place it on your site. Please remember to keep it family friendly. Explicit Sites will be removed.  Remember to grab the Blog Hop Code below to share with others!  Let's all have some fun, promote our own businesses and check out every one else!

The Flower Shop in Coppell ~ GIVEAWAY!!!!!

I can't believe that it's February already! And not to mention that next week we'll be hitting the halfway mark for February as well. Which also means that Valentine's day is right there as well. YIKES!

Now...if you live in the Dallas/Ft Worth Area I've got a great opportunity for you to win! On Valentine's Day I'll be giving away a $30 Gift Certificate to The Flower Cart otherwise known as The Flower Shop.  So, if your looking for a dallas florist delivery for Valentine's Day or beyond, be sure and check out The Flower Shop in Coppell. You won’t be disappointed.  Here is all of their info: 

The Flower Shop, 600 E Sandy Lake Rd, Coppell, TX 75019, Phone: 971-393-0146, http://flowercartusa.net

One of my favorites is the Fifth Avenue Present.  Check it out below:

Lush red roses in a sophisticated polka-dot gift box all tied up with a brilliant red ribbon. Innovative, imaginative, impressive – puttin' on the ritz with a touch of glitz!

The ravishing bouquet includes red roses and red spray roses accented with fresh greenery. Delivered in a stunning polka-dot gift box with black and white water-resistant tissue paper set off with a bright red ribbon.

Approximately 14" W x 12" H. (description & photo compliments of The Flower Shop)

My other favorite has to be the Sweet Surrender as one of my favorite flowers is the Tulip.  Check it out below:

Surrender to the elegant, natural beauty of tulips. Over a dozen red and pink flowers are presented in our graceful Silver Reflections vase. It’s an understated presentation that highlights the tulips’ natural beauty – as well as your love and friendship, on Valentine’s Day and all year long

This gorgeous bouquet includes seven red tulips and eight pink tulips, delivered in our exclusive Silver Reflections vase, a metalized ceramic vase with a light pink tone.

Approximately 13" W x 16" H (description & photo compliments of The Flower Shop)

                                                                                                                                                       
Now that you have looked around their wonderful shop you are ready to enter the giveaway!  It will be super easy!  There will be one mandatory entry and multiple ways to earn extra entries. This giveaway will end at 11:59 P.M. on February 13th.  I will contact the winner on Valentine's Day!  The winner will have 48 hours to respond.  If I don't hear from them I will select another winner.  The winner will be selected by random.org.


MANDATORY: Leave me a comment on your favorite memory of either receiving or giving a gift. It doesn't have to be a Valentine's Day memory either.

EXTRA ENTRIES (please note that you do not need to leave duplicate comments for each one that you do.  In other words if you post my button on your blog you just need to leave me one comment not five...I'll do all the tallying.)

2 Entries ~ Subscribe to my blog newsletter via email as you don't want to miss anything including upcoming giveaways!
5 Entries ~ Post my button on your blog and leave a link to your blog
5 Entries ~ Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link
1 Entry ~ Become a fan via Google Friend Connect
1 Entry ~ Become a fan on Facebook
1 Entry ~ Follow The Misplaced Midwesterner via Networked Blogs
1 Entry ~ Follow me on Twitter and leave me your twitter ID
1 Entry ~ Tweet about this giveaway and leave a link to your tweet. You can tweet this once daily for 1 entry a day.

I was given a $50 Gift Certificate to purchase a flower arrangement to host this giveaway and to write up a review (review is forthcoming). I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.  If you want to read my full disclosure policy just click here.

Money Mondays ~ Week 6 2011

This week let's spread the word to all of those out there that might not know about this blog hop? Let's help each other out this year and we'll all succeed!

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It's Monday and time to link-up and join in on the Blog Hop for Money Mondays. To read how Money Mondays got started check out my Money Mondays Page.

PLEASE NOTE: When I was getting the Linky code it wouldn't let me edit it to make it a blog hop.  I will keep trying to change it.

So here we go! Link Up your Etsy Stores, Websites, Photography Sites, ect. I'm enjoying hosting this blog hop every week and visiting all of yours as well. Grab the button above and place it on your site. Please remember to keep it family friendly. Explicit Sites will be removed.  Remember to grab the Blog Hop Code below to share with others!  Let's all have some fun, promote our own businesses and check out every one else!

To join in on the blog hop please use this code: get the InLinkz code

Wordless and Wordful Wednesday ~ Watch Where You Walk

Back when Sam and I went to tour a dairy and cheese farm we were walking over to see their new building that was under construction and as one would do on a farm I was watching where I was stepping...this is what I saw at my feet.  Don't know if it was a new tag that had fallen off or an old one.  Either way I liked it.

If you would like to see more Wordless photos head on over to Wordless Wednesday, 5 Minutes for Mom, Live and Love...Out Loud, A Beautiful Mess and J. Leigh Designz. Now if you're like me and sometimes you can't stay wordless head on over to see some Wordful Wednesday photos at Parenting by Dummies.  Don't forget to sign the Linky below.

Chicken Taco Soup.....YUM!

Thought during this cold winter blast that we are currently having I would share with you a recipe that a lady from church shared with me a few weeks back.  Yes, I did get her permission to share it will all of you...Thanks Kim! I've been meaning to share it with you but I'm just now getting around to it.  If I had all of the ingredients in the house right now I'd be making it again tonight.  But alas I don't.  Oh well.  And silly me forgot to take a picture of the soup in it's entirety because we were all so hungry that we ate it down to just this small container of leftovers.  I'm telling you it's that good!

Chicken Taco Soup

2 cans chicken (or cooked chicken breasts)
1 can Rotel
2 cans of beans (any kind)
1 can of corn (optional)
1 can chicken broth
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 packet of ranch dressing mix

Bring to a boil and serve with chips, cheese and avocado.

MY MODIFICATIONS:

I cooked a chicken breast and then shredded it up and had way more than what would have been in 2 cans of chicken.  I used black beans that I had precooked in bulk and had frozen in the freezer in 2 cup portions.  I did use the can of corn and would recommend it.  I ended up using 2 cans of chicken broth as with the extra chicken it just needed more broth.  We also used tortilla chips crushed up in our soup.  YUM!  Also...a note from Kim (yes, it really is another Kim and not me) is that you can use ground beef if you don't have or want chicken. 

Other than the modifications that I made to the recipe (which weren't much) this is an AMAZING soup and even more amazing is that Sam loved it and asked for seconds and had most of the leftovers the next day.  Seriously...don't forget the avocados as they add a wonderful layer of flavor to the soup.  Oh and the leftovers????  The flavors are just that much better the next day.

Would you like to see more recipes?  Click the link below and find more!