Wordful Wednesday & Wordless Wednesday - Schools Almost Over

It's hard to believe that the school year is almost over!  Only 8 more weeks of school.  This picture was taken on the first day of this school year.  Sam was walking into school on the first day of the last year in Elementary school.  


If you would like to see more Wordless photos head on over to Wordless Wednesday, 5 Minutes for Mom, Live and Love...Out Loud,  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 Seven Clown Circus.


Please sign the MckLinky below so I won't forget that I'll be sure to stop by!

Happiness Project - Cooking

This week I don't have a picture to share with you. Instead I have a recipe to share. Cooking makes me happy and I thought I would share one of my sons favorite meals. It's not the healthiest meal I could make but when you have a son that needs to put on the pounds and doesn't like to eat most meals I go with what I can. This is probably one of the easiest meals that I make and I make a double batch because Sam will even eat them for his snack. I'm telling you...he begs for this meal. The thing is he doesn't even know what I put in them.



Pancakes with Veggies


Take any pancake mix or make pancakes from scratch.
Add one 4 oz jar of Stage 2 Sweet Potato Baby food (trust me)


Mix together.


Cook as usual. Serve warm.


See I told you it was easy. Not to mention he also gets his veggies. The sweet potatoes makes the pancakes and you can't even tell they are in there.


To see more Happiness Projects just click the button above.

Spring Reading Thing 2010 - Update

Thought I would give an update on my Spring Reading Thing 2010 today.


Here is my original list:


1. Donut Days by Lara Zielin
2. E is for Ethics by Ian James Corlett
3. Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently by John C. Maxwell
4. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (I'm re-reading the whole series)
5. Little House in the Ozarks: The Rediscovered Writings edited by Stephen W. Hines
6. Masterpiece by Elise Broach
7. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
8. Sunny Holiday by Coleen Paratore
9. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris


Now for my revised/updated list. I've added some books to it too!


1. Donut Days by Lara Zielin ~ DONE review coming and a giveaway!
2. E is for Ethics by Ian James Corlett ~ DONE and don't forget to enter the giveaway!
3. Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently by John C Maxwell ~ DONE
4. Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman ~ DONE
5. Fireworks over Toccoa by Jeffrey Stepakoff ~ currently reading
6. Little House in the Ozarks: The Rediscovered Writings edited by Stephen W Hines ~ currently reading
7. The Revolutionary Paul Revere by Joel Miller ~ currently reading/review coming up
8. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
9. Masterpiece by Elise Broach
10. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
11. Sunny Holiday by Coleen Paratore
12. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
13. The Host by Stephanie Meyer


There are more books but I'm going to wait to list them here.  Don't want to get to far ahead of myself.  Hopefully by next time I'll have my links up.  Sorry I don't have them now...I'm running on about five hours of sleep and I'm heading to bed when I get this done. 


Are you participating?  Do you want to? Just click on the button above! It's a lot of fun and I find myself reading more and more during these challenges. You can join at any time too so don't let the dates hold you back. If you don't have your own blog it shouldn't deter you from participating...leave your list here in my comments! I'd love to see what you are reading.

Weekend

I looked up at the clock awhile ago and wondered where did my weekend go!  It's been a good weekend but I feel as though I've spent my weekend not doing much and just being lazy.  Sam spent most of Saturday waiting for the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice awards and watching Nick most of the day.  He's been waiting and talking about it for over a week now.  Andy did work off and on during the day.  Me?  I was glued to a book (which I'll review for you later this week with a giveaway!), the couch, a few TV shows and movies, baked some bread and made some great enchiladas.  Today was spent at church, reading some more, laundry and I finally sat down to watch the movie Twilight.  Andy took a nap and Sam spent the afternoon in his room playing with his Lego's.  Now I sit here and wonder where did my weekend go...but you know...there will be some Sunday nights where I'll sit here and wish I had a weekend like I just had.  So for now I'm going to enjoy the rest of my weekend.  


For those of you that may be interested the enchiladas that I made the other night...were awesome!  I had some leftover pork tenderloin that I didn't want just sitting in the fridge.  So I took stock of what I did have in the fridge and pantry.  It's been forever since we had enchiladas and so I thought I could throw them together.  I didn't have any enchilada sauce and I actually prefer homemade as to canned.  So I pulled out my recipe.  I don't remember where I first found it but I do know that the person that posted it got it from their grandmother that grew up in Mexico City, Mexico.  So even though I can't credit that person I thought I would at least share it here with you (see below).  Once the sauce was made I took the pork and cut it into small bite size pieces, shredded some cheese and then I took a package of tortillas out of the fridge and opened them and threw them in the microwave and heated them in the bag for about 30 seconds or so to soften them up.   To put them together I sauced a tortilla, put some pork and cheese in the middle and then rolled them up and placed them into a 9x13 baking pan.  I then put them into a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  I think that between the homemade sauce and the freshly shredded cheese (you really could taste the difference in the cheese) these were some of the best enchiladas I've ever had!



Enchilada Sauce


3 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cocoa powder (trust me on this one, it's what makes the sauce)
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon oregano
3 cups water
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce


Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl.  Stirring constantly, slowly add enough of the water to make a thing paste.  Pour into a pan and then add the rest of the water.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens (which sometimes can take me about 15 minutes and it really doesn't thicken that much).  Stir in tomato sauce.  


This recipe made enough for my enchiladas and I have enough left to keep in the fridge for the next time we have enchiladas.

Unconscious Mutterings

It's time to get that brain of yours working!  Every Sunday over at Unconscious Mutterings she puts up a list of words and you respond with your first thought.  It's amazing how different and how alike our responses can be.  Here's mine:

1. Bow out :: gracefully
2. Relationships :: are great!
3. Facebook :: old friends, new friends and finding family
4. Items :: junk drawer
5. Ours :: theirs
6. Sting :: ouch
7. Hangover :: never had
8. Contacts :: need to be changed
9. Lonely :: sad
10. Seven days :: a week

PhotoHunter - Fresh

This weeks theme over at PhotoHunter is:  Fresh.  This week I went with the first thing that came to my mind.  Fresh eggs.  I had a picture of some eggs that I had just boiled and was running some cold water over them to cool so I went with that.



If you would like to see more PhotoHunter photos just click on the button above.

Friday Follow

I have met so many wonderful bloggers and I am looking foward to meeting many more (hi all!) by participating in Friday Follow every Friday. If you haven't tried it you really should. It's so easy!

Friday Follow celebration is hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades! We invite you to join us every Friday to get more blog followers and to follow other interesting blogs. It is all about sharing and having fun.

Here's how YOU can join the celebration:

--Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.
--Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.
--Follow as many blogs as you'd like.
--Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you're from Friday Follow.
--Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow.


The Blog Hop is the same at each of our three hosts blogs so you do not have to add your blog at each site. Just one - but you can follow each blog. Follow a few or follow them all.


The list is new each week. The links do not carry over. Please link up each week for new participants to find your blogs. The list is only open to add your blog links on Fridays. It will be visible all week to visit the blogs listed.

Looking At The Sky On Friday

Head on over to CrAzY Working Mom to see more beautiful sky photos! Put your own up and link up so we all can see it!

Wordless Wednesday - Fire Bellied Toads

Okay...so maybe I'm not going to be wordless today. We have some new family members. Sam has been asking to have as a pet either a frog or turtle for quite some time now. Welcome to the family our new Fire Bellied Toads.



 
If you would like to see more Wordless photos head on over to Wordless Wednesday, 5 Minutes for Mom, Live and Love...Out Loud, J. leigh designz,


Please sign the MckLinky below so I won't forget that I'll be sure to stop by! 

The Happiness Project - Week 4

Tonight Andy ran to Kroger and came back with a "new to me" candy...Wild Cherry M&Ms!  These are now my new favorite and made me very happy tonight!  So I share with you my happiness of the evening for my Happiness Project photo.

If you would like to see more Happiness Project photos just click on the button above.

Spring Break 2010

Spring Break has ended and school started back up again. We had a great time this past week and ended up not doing much at all, which ended up being a welcomed change. Sam and I usually go up to Springfield, MO, and spend the week with my parents but this year we opted to stay home. It worked out really well as Sam was ill starting the Tuesday evening before Spring Break was even here. He was out of school Wed, Thurs and Friday. He was sick to his stomach one day, had a fever the next and then he had a low fever and body aches on the last few days. I would say that by last Monday he was finally feeling better which was a good thing because it was officially the first day of Spring Break. I kept pleading with him so I could get out asking Sam if there was something he wanted to to do like possibly go hiking, take him to a movie, biking, park, or just plain ole get out of the house. Nope! Here is his answer, "I want to spend as much time as I can in my inner sanctum". I know, I know...HIS WHAT? But that's what he said. So that's what he did. He played games, built with his Legos, watched TV and movies that we had here at home at his Inner Sanctum, drew pictures and just plain ole rested.


Fast forward through the week...my dear friend Rachel (Go over and visit her!  I'll wait...) and her three boys came up from Houston for a visit. They moved from here this past summer and we haven't seen them since. Sam invited David, Rachel's oldest, to spend the night on Friday night while they were up here visiting and when I told them both that there was no official "bedtime" they decided that they would stay up all night long. Guess what! THEY DID! Let me tell you...we had two tired boys come the following morning. They stayed awake until almost noon on Saturday and then crashed big time out in the living room.







David all curled up on the couch and Sam all snug down in his sleeping bag where no one could see him. They slept until almost dinner time. They were still tired when they woke up but once we got dinner down them they were more human again.


Andy was so kind to watch all four boys while Rachel and I went out shopping on Saturday morning. We had fun for sure and we both came home with new purses and a stop at Starbucks! What a great morning! 

Now?  ONLY 10 MORE WEEKS OF SCHOOL!

Everyone Communicates Few Connect

Every single one of us communicates every day, whether it be in person, on the phone, in a text message, emails, someone reading your blog or maybe even social media.  But at the end of that communication has it ever left you feeling as though you never really did connect with that person?  In John C. Maxwell's new book Everyone Communicates Few Connect: What The Most Effective People Do Differently he explains how to actually connect with those that you are communicating with.


From the moment I started reading this book I was hooked.  It amazes me that no matter if you are trying to communicate with an individual or a large group Maxwell will walk you through it.  At the end of each chapter you will learn how to apply what you just learned.   One of my favorite lines from the book is:  "Yes, people are people.  And wherever you find them, they desire to connect with others!"


Maxwell's book is divided into two parts: Five Principles and Five Practices. Some of these include finding common ground, keeping your communication simple, capturing people's interest and staying authentic in all your relationships.  This book is a great resource for anyone who needs to communicate, which is pretty much everyone.This book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson as part of their BookSneeze program.  I was not required to write a positive review.   To see my full disclosure just click here.

Unconscious Mutterings

It's time for Unconscious Mutterings again!  She speaks and we think.

1. Burrito :: YUM!
2. Spike :: Hair
3. Tougher :: than Nails
4. Mock :: Tease
5. Slurp :: End of a Chocolate Shake!
6. Knock :: Knock...Who's There?
7. Conference :: Call
8. Madness :: March
9. Minds :: Think
10. Connection :: Internet

Want to play along?  Just head here.

Ebates - Coldwater Creek

Have you heard of or tried Ebates?  If not you should.  Here is just one reason why. 
I had fun shopping the Coldwater Creek Outlet section online where I found some great deals. I shop through Ebates to earn 2% cash back.  I used the coupon code WHH1634 to save $25 off my $50 purchase. This coupon expires on Wednesday, March 24 at midnight (ET) and it can only be used once per customer. Thanks goes to Smart Couponing for this coupon code alert!

So...if you love Coldwater Creek as much as I do but sometimes find that you just can't afford shopping there THIS IS THE WAY to be able to get some nice items for not much and you earn cash back!  Here is what I did.  Go to Ebates, sign up if you haven't already, search for Coldwater Creek, click on their outlet section, then shop away!  Don't forget to enter your coupon code!

Spring Reading Thing 2010

I can't believe that it's time for the Spring Reading Thing 2010 already! I had planned on having my list up a few days but I completely forgot. The SRT runs from March 20th through June 20th.


So here's a start to my list. I'm going to revise it in a few days and hopefully add a photo and links to go with it!


1. Donut Days by Lara Zielin
2. E is for Ethics by Ian James Corlett (there will be a review and a giveaway coming with this one!)
3. Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently by John C. Maxwell (review coming up)
4. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (I'm re-reading the whole series)
5. Little House in the Ozarks: The Rediscovered Writings edited by Stephen W. Hines
6. Masterpiece by Elise Broach
7. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
8. Sunny Holiday by Coleen Paratore
9. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

Are you participating?  Do you want to?  Just click on the button above!  It's a lot of fun and I find myself reading more and more during these challenges.  If you don't have your own blog it shouldn't deter you from participating!

PhotoHunter - Three

Today's PhotoHunt theme is:  THREE.  At first I had no clue as to what I would take a picture of and then yesterday night (around 11:30) I was sitting on our couch and looked up at our mantel and saw that I have three candles sitting together.  My question was answered.  If you'd like to see more PhotoHunt photos just head on over by clicking the icon above.

Friday Follow

I have met so many wonderful bloggers and I am looking foward to meeting many more (hi all!) by participating in Friday Follow every Friday.  If you haven't tried it you really should.  It's so easy! 


Friday Follow celebration is hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades! We invite you to join us every Friday to get more blog followers and to follow other interesting blogs. It is all about sharing and having fun.


Here's how YOU can join the celebration:


--Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.


--Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.


--Follow as many blogs as you'd like.


--Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you're from Friday Follow.


--Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow.


The Blog Hop is the same at each of our three hosts blogs so you do not have to add your blog at each site. Just one - but you can follow each blog. Follow a few or follow them all.


The list is new each week. The links do not carry over. Please link up each week for new participants to find your blogs. The list is only open to add your blog links on Fridays. It will be visible all week to visit the blogs listed.

Welcome to TEXAS!

It's my day!  There is a great site called Blog Trotting and today it's my turn for them to stop by my little corner of the world and visit.  You really need to head on over there and check them out if you don't know about them.



Welcome to our little corner in this big state called TEXAS!  As you can see from the title of my blog we are Misplaced Midwesterners.  My husband and I grew up in Kansas and Missouri.  After we were married we lived in two places in Joplin, MO; moved to Nashville, TN; then to Eau Claire, WI; to Lisle, IL (right outside of Chicago); back to Nashville, TN (lived two places there); back to Springfield MO (where home really is and lived in two places there); down to Bossier City, LA; to Arlington, TX, and yes, we are in our second home here.  We moved here on Labor Day weekend (September) 2007.  Please go ahead and read all about our move or should I say our pilgramage here from Louisiana (where we only lived 9 months) here.  I'm sure you will find it quite humorous as we do now looking back on it.  Even though our address is in Arlington, TX, we feel as though we really do live in Mansfield, TX.  If you look at the map below towards the bottom you'll see the city of Mansfield.  We live less than a mile from the city line of Mansfield.  Our son goes to Mansfield schools, we shop in Mansfield and we go to a wonderful church in Mansfield.



As you can see from these maps TEXAS is big and we live in one of the biggest metroplexes in the state.  We are the 5th largest metroplex in the United States. It really is a great thing.  We have the feel of a smaller city (Mansfield is just a little more than 50,000) but we have all the benenfits of living near/in a big city.  I know that 50,000 may not be small to some but when you put it in perspective with the fact that the DFW area is over 5 million you can see why we feel like this little corner is small.  Arlington itself is right around 1/2 million!  So either way where we live it seems much smaller. We live equal distance from Fort Worth and Dallas.  In fact we live the exact number of miles away from the Fort Worth Zoo and the Dallas Zoo.  I love that we have 2 great zoos right here.  We've only been to the Fort Worth Zoo so far and it was great the times we went.  Here is one of my favorite pictures:



Arlington, TX, is now the home to the Dallas Cowboys.  Yes, they are called the "Dallas" Cowboys but their new stadium is here in Arlington.



Not to mention that right down the street from this new stadium we have the baseball team the Texas Rangers:



Go down the street a little bit further and you have Six Flags Over Texas!



Now imagine that all three are open at the same time.  Yes, it does happen.  When it does happen it's not fun trying to find a place to park.  That is when we stay completely away from that area of Arlington.


A little bit about us:  My husband, Andy, and I have been married for 18 1/2 years and he truly is my best friend.  We adopted our son, Sam, when we lived in Nashville, TN, and he was only 4 months old.  He is the light of our lives.  He is in Cub Scouts, a book club at school, the drum club at school, a running club at school, not to mention the activities at church.  I have quite a few hobbies myself but one of my favorites that I like to feature here on my blog is my love for photography. I also love to read and in fact coming up very shortly I'll be doing some review on some pretty awesome books and with most of them there will be a giveaway.  So you know that you'll want to put me in your blogroll/fan me/follow me so that you'll know when those are.  I also do some products and have some of those coming up too.  In the meantime here is just a small handful of my favorite photos:









There really is so much to see and do in this little corner of TEXAS that I can't even begin to put it all in one post.  So, please take a few minutes and peruse around this little blog of mine and get to know me a bit better.  I thank all of you Blog Trotters (and anyone else as I love all of my visitors) for stopping by and I'll be by your place really soon!

P.S.  And yes, we've been down to Waco and have visited the Shrine!

Wordless Wednesday - Bread I've Baked This Week

Want to see more Wordless Wednesday photos?  Head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

Gardening

Sam and I will be starting a garden pretty soon.  I think that we'll be starting some seeds here inside the house so that they will be ready to move outside when the time comes.  By starting this early I'm hoping that if we have any mishaps I'll still have time to restart them.  I'm thinking that we'll grow tomatoes, peas, beans, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, assorted herbs and zucchinito start.  I'm sure there will be something else but I can't think of it right now.  Not only will I have a garden in our yard but I'll also have some in some containers for the summer months.  You see it gets so hot here that most of what I would have in a garden in our yard would die.  We have no shade at all and with the temperatures during the summer staying up in the 90's I have no other option except for building some sort of portable shade structure.  And quite honestly...I'm not going to do that.  I will keep some plants going but I would still like to have some in containers where I can control the temperature.  Once fall gets here I'll start a fall garden too.  I know that it will be hard work but I can't wait to bite into some homegrown veggies!

I have found an amazing program as far as gardening is concerned and I would love it if you all would go over and check it out.  If anything you can request free seeds or make a contribution to them.  The site is called The Dinner Garden.  You can also follow them on facebook and twitter.  It's amazing what they are doing.

We can end hunger! from Dinner Garden on Vimeo.

The Happiness Project

I missed last week but I'm jumping in today...although late.  I couldn't find what I was looking for to take a picture of so I am "borrowing" one from the web this week.  One thing that makes me happy is a good:

If you'd like to see others please click on the button above. 

Marley & Me

We're sitting here this evening as a family watching the movie Marley & Me.  It's a great movie!  But I have to say that it's really hard to watch the end.  For all of you animal lovers that have ever had a pet that was a member of your family you know what I'm talking about.  They are a member of your family.  They are your best friend.  A companion when you're having a terrible day.  They are forgiving for everything that you do.    If you give them your heart they will give you theirs no strings attached.  Their unconditional love goes beyond any that I know. 

US Census Bureau’s “Snapshot of America”

Have you seen the commercials for the US Census Bureau’s “Snapshot of America”?  I think that they are GREAT and humerous too.    Here's one that you probably haven't seen yet:



Andy and I received our Census 2010 in the mail last week and have filled out the required lines and have mailed it back.  It only took a few minutes to do and all you are required to fill out the number of residents in your home.  How simple!  Have you filled yours out yet?  If not...what are you waiting for?


**Thanks to Business 2 Blogger for connecting me with again another great opportunity!  I was compensated for this blog post by receiving $15. For more information please read my "Disclosure Policy".

Unconscious Mutterings

It's free association time! She says and I think:

1. Children :: Offspring
2. Saddlebags ::  Pouches
3. Restraint :: Hold down
4. Awake :: Not really
5. Blood :: Red
6. Shutter :: Shake
7. Posted :: Submitted
8. Corn cob :: Summer
9. Flagrant :: Offensive
10. Fart :: BOYS!

Want to see more mutterings? Click the icon above and have some fun!

Precious Minutes

So all you moms out there...okay...dads too....

I love the comic strip Adam @ Home and this was one from this week.  How often I find myself wanting to find those few precious minutes.  My question to you is how would you spend those precious 15 minutes if you were given them?  I know it's not much time but sometimes just those few precious minutes can make a difference in a day.  Me?  I'd either read some, take a nice hot shower (not enough time for a bath), or take a walk.

PhotoHunt - Spiral

   

This weeks theme over at PhotoHunt is:  Spiral.  I went with some spiral pasta that I have in a jar.  Head on over to PhotoHunt to see more "spiral" photos.

The Misplaced Midwesterner

Looking at the Sky on Friday

 If you'd like to see more Looking at the Sky on Friday photos head on over to CrAzY Working Mom and look around!   I think that spring is in the air!

Friday Follow

If you are here from Friday Follow...WELCOME to The Misplaced Midwesterner!  I'm glad you're here.  Remember to follow me and leave me a comment and I'll do the same for you.

It's FRIDAY!

Downside of this past week is that Sam has been sick since Tuesday afternoon and has missed three days of school this week.  Today he seems to be doing better but he is still tiring pretty quickly.  Hopefully in the next couple of days he'll be back to his usual self.

The upside?  Spring Break is next week!  I don't think we're going to go anywhere this year.  If you've read my blog for some time now you know that the past three years Sam and I have headed back to my parents house and we've had something go wrong with our vehicle.  I've spent roughly $900 because something went wrong with our vehicle every time we went up there.  That's not the reason we're not going this year but hopefully we'll break the streak we have going here.  The main reason is that we haven't spent Spring Break together as a family these past three years.  Andy has always had to stay home due to work and/or pets.  So I think we're just going to stay together.  If by chance we do decide to do something it will be at the end of the week.  I think we'll do some day trips.  It's getting really nice here weather wise and I'd love to take us hiking again.  Sam and I miss doing it and I'd love to take Andy to where we've been.  I'd love to take a day to hang out at the lake but I don't know if we will or not.  I think we're also planning on taking Sam to a movie.  It will be at one of the cheaper movie theaters as far as price (second run movies) but it won't be a second run movie for us.  As long as the weather holds out I know that we're going to hopefully clean out the garage and reorganize it...maybe even make space for a car!  WOW!  When we moved in here just a little over a year ago we did it all in a week (due to our landlord being foreclosed on) and we lost space so a lot of things were just put into the garage.  It will be nice to get it done but I will admit...I'm not looking forward to doing it.

But I must say that I am looking forward to it being Spring Break.  I think we're all ready for the break.

Booking Through Thursday

It's been forever since I've participated in Booking Through Thursday and I thought now is as good of a time as any to get back into it. 

This weeks question:

How do you feel about illustrations in your books? Graphs? Photos? Sketches?


I think that it truly depends on what type of book you're reading.  If you're reading a non-fiction books like a biography or an auto-biography it helps to have illustrations.  If it's a text book then of course graphs are okay.  When it comes to adult fiction books I like to develop the characters in my mind as opposed to having an illustration telling me what they should look like.  Now if it's just an illustration at the beginning of the chapter that has nothing to do with what a character looks like then I fell like that's okay.  If you're talking about juvenile fiction then I really do like illustrations.  To me those go hand-in-hand and I would be disappointed if they weren't there.  I have a hard time deciding whether or not I like illustrations in and that is young adult fiction. I think my thoughts on young adult fiction tend to lean more towards how I feel about adult fiction books.


How about you?

Thursday 13 - TV Shows

For this weeks Thursday 13 I thought I would list 13 of my favorite TV shows.  These are in no particular order and some are from now and others are from my childhood.  I could go on and on but it is Thursday 13.

1.  NCIS (both of them)
2.  M*A*S*H
3.  House
4.  Two and a Half Men
5.  Glee
6.  Caprica
7.  Little House on the Prairie
8.  Biggest Loser
9.  Amazing Race
10.  Modern Family
11.  I Love Lucy
12.  Bewitched
13.  Bones

Doteasy - Business Hosting Network

Have you been looking for a place to host your web site? If so here is a place for you! Head on over to Doteasy and take a look around at where your next web site home will be. For now you can enjoy domain registration of any .COM/.NET/.ORG domain for only $7.95 and you can get one year free web hosting service (see the coupon code below)! Doteasy free web hosting features include 1GB transfer and 100mb storage, store up to 10 emails and host multiple domain names. As far as handy web tools and applications they offer a web site creator, a hosted photo gallery and hit counters just to name a few. These features are included in all of their web hosting plans. The other part that I love is their customer service as Doteasy offers free email support, free chat support, and free telephone support.

From their web site:

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And my favorite part?

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Interested? Head on over to Doteasy and sign up now! When you are there you'll need this coupon code: 1003BPM.

**I was compensated for this blog post by receiving $30. For more information please read my "Disclosure Policy".

Wordless Wednesday - Playing Knights

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5 Minutes for Mom!

Splurge

Through the wonderful relationship of Business 2 Blogger I was connected with Splurge Salon.  

I have not had my hair cut since I got 12 inches cut off of it and donated it to Locks of Love (see the picture to the left) almost a year ago.  My hair has grown roughly 6 inches since then.  When they cut off all of that hair I never got a style so when it grew out it was looking kind of rough. 

Unfortunately I left my camera at home!  For those of you that have been reading for awhile you know that I have my camera with me at all times (so I'm going to use some photos from their site).  But that was the only bad thing that happened that day because let me tell you I have found the SALON for me!  From the moment that I walked in I knew that I had found the place!

I loved the look of the salon and that is the main reason I'm kicking myself for forgetting my camera.  I wanted to show you how great it looks.  So here is a picture from their facebook page.  They even have a waterfall wall. 

The first thing that my stylist did was to sit me down and ask me to tell her about me.  What a wonderful surprise this was.  I told her that I was a mom to an active 10 year old boy, that both hubby and I both on the go, and the fact that I am a crossing guard so most mornings I don't have time to do much with my hair and that it usually ends up in a ponytail and a ballcap goes on.  So from there she knew that I needed a hairstyle that was easy to do, quick to do, and could still be pulled back if needed.  Once that was discussed I knew that I could totally trust her to do whatever with my hair. She then took me back to wash my hair and I have to tell you that the message that I got while she was washing was the best EVER!  I was so relaxed by the time she was done I could have curled up and gone to sleep.  From there was the actual cutting of my hair followed by styling.  The conversation flowed and it was very natural to talk to my stylist.  I have to say that this is the best haircut/style that I have ever had!  Take a look for yourself:

It moves when I move, it's easy to style and the best part is that I could dry and style it in roughly 10 minutes if I need to!

This is a quote from their website:

Splurge Salon is where premier designers and world class color experts heighten your confidence and enhance your style. Splurge is "North Texas chic" with a French connection, combining creativity and talent with salon innovation to give you the advantage of looking your very best!

I can tell you that after being there this is so true!

One of the wonderful benefits is that Splurge offers a Client Loyalty Program. If you refer customers, they will give you a discount on your next appointment. How cool!  Check out the program here: Customer Loyalty Program

If you are looking for another great reason to head right on over to Splurge you ought to check out their  First Time Client Coupon.

When you arrive there please let them know that Kim from The Misplaced Midwesterner sent you.  I know that you won't regret it!  I know that they have a new customer in me. 

And yes, for those of you that know where I live (DFW TX) I did drive over 30 minutes to get there and I'll do it again because they are worth it! 

**I was compensated for this blog post by receiving this new haircut and style for free. For more information please read my "Disclosure Policy".