Friend Makin' Monday...

Welcome to FMM! I'm sorry I'm just now getting this post up. I'm on vacation and we forgot to bring the computer so I had to track down a computer. Right now I'm at a hotel that we aren't even staying at hoping they don't figure it out and kick me out! Ha! The things I do for you girls!!!

Anyhoo...Today's FMM is being hosted by my sweet friend Shawn over at Seriously! She is so sweet and fun and always good to help you have a wonderful laugh! So please head on over there and join in her fun topic of 4th of July goodness!

I love 4th of July and I can tell this is a Fun FMM. Of course I would expect nothing but from Shawn!!!

Thank you Shawn!

Well I'm off (before they catch me!)!!! Don't forget to take a FMM button and if you're new I am so glad you are joining us! I love friends and to tell you the truth some of my best buds I have made through FMM! I love you girls!

Thanks and Have a Great and Wonderful Day!!!

(I will be getting in touch with a few of you this week about hosting FMM while I'm out of town. So be thinking of some FMM goodness in case I call upon you! Thanks!!!)

I'm sinking...

That is how I feel right now! I feel so busy right now that I feel like if I take one more thing on I might lose my ever lovin' mind! Have any of you ever been there?

I am so sorry that I forgot to post a FMM post this last Monday! I hope you all will forgive me! We left last Thursday and went to my sister's until Saturday night. We brought my nephew back with us and on Sunday afternoon we left and went camping. My nephew is staying the week with us. We've been canoeing, camping, swimming, Vacation Bible Schooling it, and today we are going to pick blueberries. Frankly I'm worn out, and Sunday I just forgot to post FMM until we were out camping already- my bad ya know!!!

We leave tomorrow to go on vacation with my side of the family for 4 days and then we leave next Friday for a WHOLE Month road trip just the four of us! Can you believe it?! I'm excited but a lot nervous too! I mean 2 kids in the car driving for long hours and lots of activities could go many different ways?! California or bust Baby!!!

While we're on the road we will have internet. Hubs is getting some thing where we can have it in the car and of course some in the hotels with Wi-fi. So I will be able to keep up with all of you and my blog on the road. However we will be going non stop so I would like to ask some of you to host FMM for me while we're gone. I will set up posts to be posted directing people to your sites for FMM. So if you would be willing to help me out please let me know by leaving a comment or emailing me!

I'll post some camping pics later today. Have a great day and thanks you girls! and sorry about FMM this past Monday! I told you all I didn't have it all together! Have a great day and thank you for understanding!

I am the Champion my Frie-ends *dum,dum,dum*...

That is supposed to be the song by Queen ya know!

Anyhoo...guess who entered a baking contest this past weekend and walked away with 1st place?!

YEAHHH!!! ME, Me, Me!!! YAY!

Guess what I won!

$250!!!

Who doesn't have to spend the grocery budget now!? Me, Me, Me!!!

The only rule was that it had to be a dessert made with some sort of berry.

My loving husband encouraged me to enter and found the perfect dessert for me to make (he found it online):

White-Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake! and it was so Yummy!!!

I had never made it before and didn't even get to taste it until after the judging! Talk about anxiety!

Here is the lovely Champion herself (the cheesecake, not me)...


Look at all the fresh raspberries, raspberry sauce, and white chocolate shavings! Yummy!!!


I garnished it with some fresh raspberries and mint from our garden on the side. Isn't she pretty!

And in case you're a hater and you don't believe...


They broke out the BIG check for me!!! Yay for sugary goodness!

Friend Makin' Mondays...

Hello everyone! Sorry I've been out for a while. We've been super busy and out of town. But I made it back just in time for:


Yes! It's that time again. You can go HERE for the rules and stuff. I am so glad you're here. FMM has become so much bigger and better than I ever imagined because of all of you!

What kind of friends would we be if we didn't confide our deepest darkest secrets with each other? My sister made the comment the other day that from my blog I sound like I have it all together. Well, do I have news for you!: I am so not!

So today's task is Confessions! Spill you guts and I'll start...

1. Monday of this week I ate 2 and 3/4 regular sized Sonic Blasts. No this is not a regular thing I do, but because I try to eat so healthy all the time, sometimes I have moments of weakness, and this particular day I had a few moments!

2. Sometimes I put a movie in for my son to watch just so I can sit down and do nothing for a while!

3. Sometimes if I'm busy doing something else and the baby wakes up and is happy in her bed...I leave her there for a while so I can do what I need to do.

4. Sometimes when my husband upsets me I say hateful things and then immediately regret them but then continue to say more hateful things only to have more regret and guilt. It's a vicious cycle.

5. I am super anal about my house being clean, but I do not remember the last time I cleaned my shower. I know it's gross.

6. Sometimes I spend some of the grocery budget on fun things like clothes and stuff, and then I tell the hubby that I just don't know how we went through the budget so fast.

7. I keep up with our eating out money too, and sometimes when we go out to eat I purposely forget my wallet so that I don't have to admit that I've already spent that budget when it's only half way through the month. (honey, if you're reading this, I'm making this all up for the sake of a good read. *wink-wink*)

8. I was engaged once before the hubster. We broke up 1 month before the wedding because the thought of being married to him literally made me ill, and the fact that he was cheating on me with a 16 yr old didn't help either. Sometimes I think of eat your heart out things I would say to him if I ever ran into him again.

9. I have lived in my house for a year now and there is not a room in it that is completely finished (okay the little man's room is done but only because my mother-in-law came and finished it for me). My bedroom hasn't even been painted yet but has a nice big paint mark of blue that I just wanted to see so I could decide if I liked it or not. That was last summer.


Okay! Share your guilt here! I can't wait to read about it all!!! Don't forget to sign in with the weird Mr. Linky that I don't like as much as the old one, but whatever!



I am looking for friends that would be willing to host an FMM Monday in July. If you would be willing to help me out let me know and I will get with you. Thanks!!!

Friend Makin' Mondays...

Hi Everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

It is time again for another FMM! You can go Here to get the rules and such.

I got this idea from my friend Marci's blog.

This week's task is to tell us 10 things you love about summer!!!

So here I go:

1. I love swimming! Not laying on a raft in the pool, but actually swimming around in the pool, sometimes I even wear those big dorky goggles so I can see where I'm going. I also love to do tricks off the diving board. Love it!

2. I love how the days are longer and it just seems like you have more time to do things.

3. I love vacations!

4. I love to take jars outside and catch fireflies in them.

5. I love how it feels and looks right before the sun goes down in the summer. It's my favorite part of the day and the best time to be outside!

6. I love corn on the cob grilled on the grill!

7. I love family cookouts!

8. I love driving with all the windows down with the music turned up really loud and just cruising!

9. I love all the fresh fruit! I could eat my weight in it hourly! Watermelon, blueberries, strawberries, honey dew melon-I could go on and on! Not to mention eating fresh out of the garden tomatoes like they were an apple! Yum!!!

10. I love how the hubby has the whole summer off and just gets to be with us!

What's your favorite things about Summer?!

Mr. Linky is giving me lots of grief. If you are
participating please be sure to leave me a comment telling us.
Then we can just get to your blogs via your comments. Thanks!!!

Zucchini Muffins the Healthy Way...

Here's another great, healthy muffin recipe for you!

Zucchini Muffins

Dry Ingredients:
4 c. whole wheat flour
2 T. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 c. brown sugar

Wet Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. nonfat milk
4 egg whites, slightly beaten
1/2 c. applesauce
3/4 c. honey
1 c. grated zucchini
1/2 c. raisins

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease muffin tins lightly with oil or spray with a non-stick cooking spray, or line muffin pan w/baking cups (I do this).

2. Combine dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

3. Mix the wet ingredients together. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just barely moistened. Batter should be lumpy. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full with batter.

4. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes right around 2 dozen, and like a lot of my recipes these can separated and frozen until you want them. Most of the time I try not to buy store bought treats so these are great to snack around on or for breakfast w/ some fruit and ice cold milk!!!

This recipe is actually my revised edition. For the original you can go HERE.

Hope you enjoy!

Take A Tour Tuesday...

I'm taking a tour with Shawn over at Seriously today. She wants to see our Guest Rooms. Well, I don't actually have one so instead I will show you my daughter's room where I have an extra bed for guests to sleep.

I plan to paint a canvas with her name on it to go over her bed. I just haven't gotten around to it yet though.

I embroidered this pillow and then...

...sowed the bows on.

I bought this headboard and footboard at an antique store for $50. It was black. I sanded it and spray painted it pink. It's my favorite thing in the room.

I plan to paint a bible verse above her bed when I get a chance. Every-night I rock her in this little chair the same way I did Kane when he was little.

I got these white frames at Hobby Lobby and took an old brown frame and spray painted it pink and stapled on some ribbon for these.

"SSShhhhhh!!! I'm trying to read!"

Eventually I want to paint something on this dresser. Any suggestions?

I got my first precious moment when I was in the 10th grade. And my mom as bought me a few since. I have saved them until we had a girl.

This is my newest and my favorite.

I bought these white, shear curtains at Wal-mart for-I think about $4 and then I sowed the ribbon on and tied bows around the rod. It was super easy!

This way cute rod came from Target! Where else!

I hope you enjoyed the tour! Ruthie says, "Thanks for coming by!" Have a great day!

Friend Makin' Mondays...

Hello Friends!!! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

I hope FMM helps you look forward to your Mondays a little more than if there wasn't FMM. I know it does me!

You can go HERE to get the rules and stuff for FMM and don't forget to take a cute little button for your FMM post. It can be found at the bottom of the right hand sidebar.

Today's task is to share as few or as many everyday, little tips that you use to make your lives easier. You know- all those special tricks you might have to cook, clean, raise kids, work in the yard, and on and on!

Have fun and I can't wait to learn some new stuff from you all!

1) In an attempt to drink enough water (you know...8 glasses, 8 ounces each or something like that), I sit a cup next to the sink and every time I walk through the kitchen I try to down one.

2) I keep a basket next to my dryer to throw stray, lonely socks in, and then every so often I go through and see if any mates have found there way in there.

3) I fold laundry on my bed that way it has to be put up before the day is over (hello, I can't get in bed with clothes all over it, although the hubs has been known to just put it all on the floor, sheesh!)

4) Yes, I make all my own bread...in a bread machine! Dump it in, push a button, wait 2 hrs, bread! Yes, it's that easy.

5) I make my 4 year old son clean the play room and his room. Sometimes we stop in the middle of playing and I make him clean it so that it doesn't get out of control and then we resume playing again. If it gets too messy and crazy out of control I can't enjoy myself and he will whine that it's too much for him to do and then I end up doing it. And I'm not the maid!

6) A lot of times I double recipes so that I can freeze some. It is so awesome during basketball season (my husband's a coach) and when we're busy to just get something out of the freezer, warm it up, and have a home cooked meal without having to take the time to make it happen. (things that freeze great are: soups, bread, lasagna, beans, red beans and rice, I'm sure the list could go on and on)

7) When I make cookies I roll them all into balls and then only cook the amount I want to eat. Then I take the rest and put them into a plastic container with a lid (separate each row with wax paper so they don't stick together) and freeze them. When we want cookies I pull the amount we want out and cook them and put the rest back in the freezer.

8) Did you know you can substitute applesauce for oil in baking. It's healthier and just as yummy. (equal applesauce for oil)