Taste Of Home Cookbooks Just $5 Each!

I love Taste Of Home Magazine. I've made a lot of their recipes and they are almost always wonderful! If you've been trying to figure out something new to cook, you'll love the special Taste Of Home emailed me about yesterday.  It's going on now through March 5.

You can choose from some of their favorite books such as Healthy Cooking, Favorite Brand Name Recipes, the Ultimate Chicken Cookbook, and many more!

But these go fast! So, hurry over to ShopTasteOfHome.com, choose your favorites, and use Suite number T3072 to get this deal!

That Spot On Your Back Just Might Be...

Or this post could have been titled, "how to get rid of blackheads".

A friend of mine, who shall remain nameless, told me this story the other day and I laughed so hard I had tears rolling down my face.

One night her husband was rubbing her back when he stopped and said, "There's a new spot on your back, and you should probably go have it looked at, it's black and raised and odd shaped."

Twist as she might, she couldn't see it and so she called the dermatologist. She told them why she needed to see the doctor and they got her right in the next day.

Once at the doctor he asked what the problem was, she told him and he took a look. And looked, and looked, and then said, "I don't see anything odd, other than this big blackhead here." Then he proceeded to take a tissue and a q-tip and squeezed it and out the blackhead popped.

My friend looked at him and said, "I just spent $30 to have a blackhead removed? You will tell no one about this. You will not put it in my chart. OK?"

Needless to say, she's never let her husband live it down. And, she found out in a later visit to the same doctor that the diagnosis of the spot on her back was, "Huge Blackhead"!

What I Learned From The Olympics

The Olympics will be finishing up tomorrow night. Have you been watching?

My husband became obsessive about the sport of curling and recorded the matches every day. He's so in love with the sport he keeps telling me we need to find and join a curling club and that he can make his own curling rink.

OK. Whatever.

It is a somewhat interesting game. Kind of a combination of shuffleboard and bowling on ice. However, all I really got from the sport was a few days of not having to share the laptop and a little eye candy in the form of curler John Morris who was on the Canadian team.

 

 

I just happened to mention that he had pretty eyes. Next thing I know hubby is calling him, 'your cute boy'. OK. I didn't know he was mine, but whatever. Then he proceeds to tell me that he's a firefighter and not married. I really began to think hubby was the one with the crush on Mr. Morris - not me!

The only other sport I even witnessed was the bobsledding finals. And, all I took away from that sport is that men should not wear skin-tight spandex suits. Those suits leave nothing to the imagination! You either have to be very self-confident, or well-hung, and if you get excited - everyone is going to know about it!!

Personally, I can't wait for my regular shows to return next week. I miss the Biggest Loser and the Office and apparently I'm just that shallow and would rather watch something other than true sports figures. -- Go figure!

Missing Your Shoes?

Thinking about starting your own consignment shop? Looking for a way to get designer shoes free? Live in South Korea and missing a pair of shoes?

It's custom in South Korea to take your shoes off before paying respects to the deceased. But, when a man walked off with three pairs of shoes from a funeral parlor a few weeks ago, police began an investigation which lead them to someone identified as Park.

Park was arrested after officers found over 1700 pairs of shoes, many of which were designer brands, in his home!

This reminded me of the episode of Sex In The City when Carrie's shoes get stolen at a baby shower and the hostess shames her because she paid so much for them. Carrie then sends her invitation to the marriage of her to herself and announces she has registered at Manolo Blahnik - thus getting the hostess to buy her a new pair of shoes.

Which made me think it is a shame that we only register for weddings and babies. I know someone like my mother (divorced with no thoughts of remarriage, past child-bearing years) would find registering for gifts to be a blast! (Maybe I should throw her a 'marriage to herself' party. Wouldn't that be a hoot?)

And, if you're in South Korea and are missing a pair of Manolo's or Cole Haan's, check with the police station - they may have found them!

Hitting The Bourbon Trail - In Style!

I mentioned in a previous post that the day before my 'PMS Pshyco day' was actually a great day. We spent the entire day celebrating our friend's 25th Anniversary. And, boy did we have fun!

The day was planned by their 16 year-old daughter. (What a great girl to make this happen - or even care at her age!) It started early! Way early! We met at 7:45 at their subdivision's clubhouse and went and surprised her father (our friend) when we showed up in their drive (16 of us) in a Hummer Limo! But 7:45, meant I had to leave at 7:00, which meant getting up at 6ish, and for a night owl that's not easy.  And I was so afraid I'd be late I'm not sure I ever really slept.  I tossed and turned and looked at the clock ten times.  I guess I really should have taken some sleeping pills, but instead I just suffered through the night.

Our first stop was breakfast.  I had an incredible breakfast burrito and a coffee with a little something-something in it.  What a way to start the day!

The next stop was the Buffalo Trace distillery.  Not only did I actually learn about bourbon, (which KY produces a ton of - that, race horses, and tobacco - what a great state! *sarcasm*) but we received a tasting of two bourbons and their newest product which is a bourbon cream.  It's a lot like Irish Creme but with bourbon.  Even though I'm not a bourbon lover, it was quite tasty!

Traveling on, we visited Wild Turkey next.  At this tour we got to see, and they even let you put your fingers in the fermenting mash... but no tasting!  That's alright, since we brought our own and had a drink in the Limo... (Well, as I said, I don't like bourbon so I had something else - ok, you broke me, it was a vodka drink.)

And then it was back to our cars to get ready for their actual party where there was food, cake and dancing!

You can see a few more of the better photos from our day by visiting my photo blog at Angie's Photo Blog.

As Seen On TV - MEme Monday

It's MEme Monday again and this week's theme is:

* Share with us your favorite AS SEEN ON TV products ... ones you've actually purchased ... make it like your very own testimonial.
* Make a Wish List of AS SEEN ON TV products that you'd buy for yourself ... or for that someone special in your life.
* Or tell us a funny story about an infomercial product gone wrong.

I have to agree with MommyBrain, there are some really intriguing products out there, and the commercials make them look so good, I want to try them all!

And some I have!

My favorite is the Hercules Hook! These things really do work. They hold up just about anything and only leave a small hole in the wall. And, they are easy to install - no screwdriver needed! I keep these in stock in my home now!

I have tried some 'not so good' ones though, such as the Ultra Smooth Hair Removal.  You know, the one where you rub your hair with these sandpaper like sheets - it don't work.  Well, that's not exactly true, it worked on my arms, which have very fine and soft hairs, but there's no way it would remove my coarse leg hairs!  I'd have to rub for days, and maybe take some skin off, to get it to do anything.

Oh yeah, and then I remember the Egg Wave Microwave Cooker.  It cooked scrambled eggs 'simply, and easily, in the microwave.' Well, it did cook them.  They were edible. But those silly egg shaped cookers were so hard to clean it wasn't worth the trouble!

Now, what would I like to try?  Well, I told you I'm on a cupcake kick - so how about the Big Top Cupcake -- it makes cupcakes that are 25X bigger than a normal cupcake.  O.K., so it's just a cake shaped like a cupcake... but this way I can say it's just a cupcake when I eat an entire cake!

Or, my son could do acne treatments review if they'd send me the DermaFresh Microdermabrasion System... but then again he might end up without a face.

And finally, I can't talk about AS SEEN ON TV products without mentioning the funniest! I've posted about it before, but here you go again, with a critique from Ellen:

Ramblings Of A PMS Physco

It was not a good day for me. Yesterday, on the other hand was great and so I'll write another post about it later. But as for today, not so hot.

So, you are wondering did something bad happen, some tragedy strike? Not exactly. I just have a severe case of PMS this month!

Seriously!

There are months when my moods barely fluctuate throughout the month, but then there are (thankfully not as many) months like this one. When I feel like my nerves are on the outside of my skin. When I wanted to ram the back end of the car in front of me that was going to slow and even thought that if the guy on the motorcycle behind me hit me and flipped his bike, he would deserve it for following me too closely.

And poor hubby. I know he was tired tonight and maybe a bit curt in his reply, but he's having to live with a psychopath today so maybe he has right.

I know It's my hormones when I don't like the way he drinks! Yes, I said it, I found the way he was drinking so annoying that I left the room.

Yesterday I was on edge but it was just enough to actually help me get some things accomplished. I used to love days like that when I had my desk job. On those days, I got so much accomplished! I didn't care what anyone said, I wasn't taking 'no' for an answer. I could have run the company alone on those days... but then they get replaced by these days when everything bothers me. Days like today.

My son shaking his leg during the talk at our church, my dog licking himself, the way-to-loud music in the tanning place (I could hear it with my headphones on and a fan blowing on me!) even the fact that I can't figure out how to getting rid of blackheads at the age of 40+ - it was all making me insane.

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention what happened when I went to the tanning bed. Go ahead, tell me how bad it is for me. I decided I didn't care a few weeks ago. It's not that I love the tan look, it's just that it's cold, gray, and depressing here. I just wanted to spend a few minutes with warmth and sun on my body, faux that it might be. Either that or stay in bed 24-7. I opted for the former.

Anyway, I was in there all of 20 minutes. In that time my phone rang 6 times!! 4 of them were from my home. It seems the world really does fall apart when I take 20 minutes to myself.

Which reminds me of the episode of The Middle a few weeks ago when the mom turned off her cell phone and locked herself in the bathroom for 15 minutes and in that time chaos ensued.

That was exactly what happened to me! My son couldn't find his ankle brace, hubby didn't know if he should buy meat from the guy with the freezer in his truck that showed up at the door, and a friend had to make sure I received the message she left earlier in the day.

Finally, every one is in bed but me and the dog who is now looking at me wanting to go out and potty - wouldn't you know it, someone else needs something!

Blast From The Past: Oh, Mickey - Music Monday

I've been remiss, or basically busy with other things, and haven't posted to Music Monday in a while. But we were talking about 80s music at my friends 25th Anniversary party last night and this song came up. Can you even say the name Mickey without breaking into this? It brings back memories of big hair, leg warmers, oh, and my pet rocks! Man how I miss those days!

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.





PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Dessert Woes

I don't understand people who don't love food! I know that you should get to live... but don't desserts make it so much better to be alive?

I recently subscribed to Taste of Home's Cupcake Of The Day. I'd love to open a small coffee shop that also sells gourmet cupcakes and muffins. Or how about pies?

I love a good piece of key lime pie and recently stumbled upon a post at Tablespoon.com that brought together 10 key lime recipes. Not only pie, but how does key lime cheesecake or (for my coffee shop) key lime cupcakes sound?

But, alas, I don't bake often any more because I end up eating the majority of what I make (DH is strange and doesn't like many sweets) and then I either have to workout or live on weight loss drinks to get them off my thighs!

Just Dance & Friday Follow

I just watched the funniest cutest homemade video on a blog I happened upon through Friday Follow. It's at Things I Can't Say and it's of Shell showing us the new Wii game, Just Dance.

As silly cute as her video is... it made me want the game!! I love dancing around the house. Just ask my family! who adores it too! And, I bet, in addition to fun, you could burn a few calories with it!

So, if anyone out there wants to send me it... or, wants me to review it (even better) I'll even go as far as to post my own goofy cute video of me using it. (But I might have to get a wide angle lens! ha ha ha!!)

Oh, and speaking of Friday Follow, I just found it and I'm joining in for the first time! It's hosted by Rita @ One 2 Try Tami @ Hearts Make Families and Lynn @ Midday Escapades. Join us every Friday as we celebrate followers! Click the picture/link below to join in!

So, welcome to any new friends... I seriously hope you don't mind my rambling, I tend to get wordy at times! :-) And, please post a comment and I'll follow you back - I try to follow from the gadget... but sometimes I can't figure out who's new and who isn't and what their URL is. (I'm simple-minded apparently, so I'd appreciate it if you leave a comment!)

Looking For A New Cleaning Job

Well, it looks like I lost one of my cleaning jobs this week. (No, I'm not a bad house cleaner - he just decided he can't afford it right now.  And, honestly, this man really didn't need it...  his house was cleaner when I got there than mine is on a good day! lol!)  I only have a few, but with them and blogging and my Mia Bella biz, I make enough to keep from having to get a 9 - 5 office job.

Actually, I was offered a office job a few weeks ago and turned it down. A friend of ours had an opening at the company he works for and knew I had done accounting for many years and figured since they kept me for 13 years I must be decent at it. He even offered to pay me what I was making when I left my last job (Well, it left me - the branch closed) and to only have me work 3 days a week.

But, after hubby and I discussed it, I just couldn't bring myself to take it for a few reasons. First, I can't imagine punching a time card again! I'm just not a morning person - or a punctual person for that matter - and having to be there at 8 or 9 in the morning sounded painful.

Second, Hubby loves to go, go, go. By that I mean, he gets 7 weeks of vacation and likes to go away for long weekends throughout the year - on the spur of the moment. To the lake, to Florida, camping, you name it, if we are invited, we'll probably be there!

Third, why forego 1 & 2 when I'm making about the same, working fewer days and hours? Yes, it's hard work! Very hard! But, it pays well and I look at it as getting paid to workout! lol!

So, I'm on a cleaning job search. If you know anyone in the Louisville, KY area that needs their house cleaned every other week contact me! I'm thorough, flexible, (with times, but not so much my body) and have references!  (But, NO!!! - I won't be dressed like the cleaning hottie in the picture!)

I Think My Lashes Are Thicker And Longer!

I'm so mad! I've mentioned before that I'm a Bzz Agent, and I was recently chosen to try and review L'Oreal's new Lash Boosting Serum and Mascara. I was very excited to get this assignment, and I took photos the day my kit came of my lashes while they were clean and then again after using the products. I was then going to compare those photos...

But my 'before' photos were deleted!

Yes, I took them with my son's camera, so maybe I shouldn't be so surprised. But, if you saw photos of my eye in your camera, wouldn't you ask why they were there before deleting them?

So, anyway, I have nothing to compare my 'after' photos to, but I still wanted to post them anyway. And, to let you know how much I love this product! Just look, even the clean versus the 'with mascara' photos make the biggest difference in the world!

My clean lashes

My lashes after applying Double Extend® Lash Boosting Mascara

It's so easy to do too! You just sweep the serum on your lid - like you would eyeliner, in the morning under your mascara and in the evening after washing your face.

Then you apply the mascara in two steps. First the primer, which also has serum in it, and then the ultra-lengthening mascara.

Some serums I found can cost as much as $100, but L'Oreal's is very reasonably priced - and works as good! It contains good stuff (Centella Asiatica Extract and Arginine) that reinforce, condition, and protect your lashes. And, I really did notice a deference in the thickness of my lashes! I don't think I lost nearly as many as usual, and even my husband noticed making a comment about my lashes one day out of the blue!

Give it a try for four weeks and see for yourself the difference -- but don't leave the photos in a camera that someone will delete the pictures off of!

Spring Must Be Close, NASCAR's Back!

Hubby and I don't particularly care for the same music and he won't watch many of my favorite shows, such as Gilmore Girls, Amazing Race, Biggest Loser, etc., and he's into football when I'm not.

But, one thing we do have in common is NASCAR. Many Sunday's you can find us on the couch together watching the race, usually while munching on some Buffalo Wings!

So, to me, NASCAR means summer! Yes, it's already started and there's still 6+ inches of snow on the ground here, but seeing those cars go around the track, I know that summer is just around the corner.

This weekend we spent Saturday afternoon watching the Nationwide race in which Danica Patrick made her debut. I really wanted to see her do good, and she did, until a wreck happened in front of her. She swerved and almost missed the two cars spinning on the track, but there just wasn't enough room on the track and she hit one of them and then was slammed into the wall like an Anilox roll over a printing plate.

Favorite Quote(s) -- MEme Monday

It's Monday, and though I forgot last week, I'm joining in SupahMommy's Monday Meme again!  And this week it was pretty easy...  The theme is, "What's your favorite quote and why?"

I have a favorite quote, and then one that I also quote quite often. So here are both:

My favorite quote: (it makes me laugh every time I hear or say it... but unfortunately, it's oh-so-true!)

God is great, Beer is good, And People are Crazy!

nuff said!

The quote I find myself saying most often though is:

If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride!

It was quote from a Nursery Rhyme book I had as a child.  Meaning, basically that it's useless to wish for something futile.  (The poor when this was written couldn't afford horses, so if wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.)  --Silly, but you'd be surprised how many times I find myself saying this - such as today when I WISH this snow would go away and spring would come!!!

Thank Goodness For My Friend And The Cake Mix Doctor!

One thing my husband and I didn't have in common when we first got married was the fact that I was a home-body whereas he always wanted to be going somewhere or doing something.

When we were younger I'd just send him on his way with his buddies to ball games or fishing trips, but as we've gotten older we've both met somewhere in the middle. I've learned to enjoy going, even on the spur of the moment, and he's learned that it's okay to stay home and watch T.V. once in a while.

During the summer finding something to do is easy. We go to the lake, go camping, go to the beach, go to the fair, go to cookouts and picnics and the list goes on...

But the winters are more of a challenge. Fortunately, for the past two weekends we've managed to find some fun things to do.

Weekend before last our friends had us and another couple over for dinner and games. She baked a ham and had mashed potatoes, green beans, baked pineapple and yeast rolls. And then the piece de resistance was the chocolate raspberry cake she baked! It had chocolate ganache in it, which I find to be one of the most delightful flavors in the world!

The great thing about this cake was that, as delicious as it was, it really isn't that hard to make. *whispers* It uses a mix! This recipe is one of many delicious recipes from The Cake Mix Doctor Cookbook.




In this cookbook, which my friend is in love with, Anne Byrn gives you the secrets that let you take a cake mix, tweak it, and doctor it up with the right extras to make luscious signature desserts. It makes baking a 'from scratch' cake easy!

I was going to purchase the cookbook myself, but then I ran across Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor and I think I will get it instead. Then I can just swap favorite recipes with my friend... or go over to her house again and have her make me another yummy creation.

In my defense, I did hook up her wireless router while I was there. She had purchased a laptop computers three or four weeks ago but couldn't get the router to work. In just a few minutes I had her on the wireless information highway. --Which is probably a bad thing since she has admitted that she stayed up for hours playing Scrabble online one night last week.

Well, my job was paid for!

My To Do List And More On Post-It Note Tuesday

It's still Tuesday, right? I at least made it before the day was over! It's time again for my favorite meme, Post-It Note Tuesday hosted by SupahMommy!

Here's what's on my mind, and what I need to do this week:

 

  

I think being sick for the past four days is deserving of diamonds, don't you?  

  

And, the temps aren't supposed to be above the 30's for the next 10 days!  Argh!!!

Sorry, Gretta...  I went online and bought the book so you could have yours back cause I know you love it so!!

 

 More to come on the Cincy trip...  we had a great time!

 

 
 

 

The World's Slowest Bathroom Redecorating Job

I mentioned on a post-it note Tuesday (The Tuesday week before last) that I hated, and would never again apply wallpaper! When I originally hung it in 1992, it looked great. Now, not so much! (I took a picture of it, but now I can't find it. Only thing I can figure is it's on my son's SD card. If I find it, I'll post it later.)

The paper came off easy enough, leaving the backing. The backing takes a little getting wet and then it peels off... leaving the paste! UGH!! I then have to scrub, and scrub, and scrub some more, to get the paste off. It's making me crazy!

I'm sure it will be great once it's finished. I've already picked out a shower curtain and matched a gallon of paint to it. The walls are going to bed a rust red color! And hubby said we can get new flooring... not sure why? Well, it could be because the old floor has yellowed where the floor mats sat and is really yucky looking!

I think I want to tile the floor this time and be done with it. Of course I'd love a beautiful granite tile, but will probably end up with the slate-looking one I found at Lowe's for just $1.58 sq/ft. It will go well with the colors scheme I've come up with since it has an array of colors in it, including red. And, with that many colors surely if I get tired of the red walls I can find something else that will match.

So, anyone have any suggestions for getting paste off the walls? If not it may be June before I'm done... I'll keep you posted!

Blogger Static Pages - Finally!

I love Blogger. I know! I know! If you use Word Press you're bound and determined they are better.  However, I have found, for me personally, that Blogger does just about everything Word Press does and is easier to use.

My biggest complaint though, was something that must have been other blogger's complaints too because it has now been addressed!

Static Pages!

It was easy enough to start a blog, even give it a custom domain, and even host it on another platform, (such as Hostgator or GoDaddy) but without having static pages, you just couldn't make it into a website.

I don't know how long this option has been there (apparently I'm clueless!) but today when I went to make a new post I accidentally hit Edit Pages. What? What are pages? Are they what I think they are? YES! And, you can make up to 10 of them!

So, I immediately started transferring my Word Press blogs. It will take me a while to copy and paste all the posts and pages, but I'm doing it. And honestly, it won't take all that long. In about 20 minutes this morning I set up one at Mia Minerals And More. I'm not sure I love this template, it has some quirks I'm not digging, but I can always change that. And, I need to put it on my custom domain once I'm done transferring everything. But you can see an example of how a custom page will look by visiting the one I set up HERE.

It's really easy to add them too! You just click on >Posting, >Edit Pages, >New Page. Viola!

In the new blog, that I just set up, the pages are listed in the sidebar, but when you go to make your first new page, you can choose if you want them listed there or across the top. (under your header) That's another reason I will probably be changing this template. It didn't look right with them across the top - a glitch in the template - and I'd prefer them up there.

To learn more about adding pages to your Blogger Blog, visit Blogger Help.

What Should I Get My Sister For Her Anniversary?

So, my sister's anniversary is coming up. What are some great gifts for her? I'm just not very creative and I'm having a hard time thinking of something original.

So that you know a little about her, she had a blog, which she hasn't been updating, but you can see some of her past posts and delve a little into her nature by visiting Take A Break From The Daily Grind.

In brief I'll tell you that she likes crafts, scrapbooking in particular. She's sentimental and usually gives me something that reflects that such as an engraved crystal vase or a photo cake. She LOVES bath & body products and jewelry and candles, and she likes her dog to have cute little outfits. She watches kids in her home as a source of extra income, so I'm sure could use some pampering for herself. She likes customized ring tones on her cell phone. And she likes bling.

Any ideas, suggestions? Help!!

Clothing Drive Commercial -- Video Thursday

I'm a sucker for a meme, and since Pretty Pink Momma mentioned me on her Video Thursday post today, I thought I'd play along.

I was emailed the link for this commercial by a friend. I've never seen it aired, but I doubt it would be on YouTube if it was going to be aired during the Super Bowl, so I'm not sure why it was made... but it's simply hilarious! Let me know if it made you laugh as much as it did me.