Month: January 2012

“Surprise!  I’m coming home from my business trip early.  I’ll be home in time for dinner!”

Now, this is happy news.  However, I thought I had more time to clean-up the house and prepare a special meal for my husband.  So I run to the grocery store to see what inspires me.  I found something new in the freezer section from Bertolli – Meal Soups.  OK.  It says it cooks in about 5 minutes.  Sounds perfect!  I choose the Chicken Minestrone and off I went.

The directions say to add the package contents into a soup pot along with one cup of water and bring to a boil.

While that was getting started I walked around the house picking up the dogs toys that were laying about and the odd sock here and there that my daughter had left behind.  (One sock?)

I went back to the stove to check on the soup and found it bubbling nicely.  It smelled great.

Next, I put a lid on the pot and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.  During that time I brought out a tablecloth and a lovely tray of candles, to help make the dinner a little more special.  After 5 minutes I did a taste test and found the broth to be a wonderful combination of tomatoes and spices.  Not too salty, which is what I find in most prepared soups.  The Chicken Minestrone tasted wonderful.  The pasta was perfectly Al Dente and the chicken was moist!  Wonderful surprise.

I set the table just in time for him to walk in the door.  Great timing.  This turned out to be one of the quickest, most delicious meals I’ve made.  Heck, even I can’t mess this one up. 

Bertolli has created a winner.  To find out more about the latest Bertolli Meal Soups please visit their website: villabertolli.com.  You can also keep in touch with them on Facebook: facebook.com/Bertolli and Twitter: twitter.com/Bertolli

(*disclosure:  I was compensated by Bertolli to participate in the Weeknight Meal Special Challenge.  My tasty opinions are truthfully my own.)

I have to say, one of my favorite things to shop for are gifts for a Baby Shower.  With my daughters now 14 & 11 I miss all the cute, little items that are oh-so-necessary in those first precious years.  I let others get the burp cloths, diapers, and creams and I head to the clothing department for a cute baby hat and onesies.

When my girls were tiny I was slightly obsessive about making sure they had a hat on their head.  So many times before we left the house I would be going through the diaper bag, or my other bags, searching for those tiny newborn hats.  Maybe I thought a major chill to their head would stunt their brain development.  I don’t know. ;->

Now you can find such cute baby hats.  Monkey faces, frog faces.  Owls are becoming popular in our local boutiques.  I guess every animal has it’s “trendy time”.  I’ve kept my daughters hats and am so happy when I find that one has been placed on a favorite stuffed animal at the foot of my girls beds.  Adorable.  I hope that one day (in the very far off future!) my girls will be able to share a hat that once fit their little noggin on the head of their own child.

Time and again, when something goes awry during “play” time or

***I appreciate the guest post, Rodrigo Coffey

The other day I was getting ready to go to work. I decided to turn on my cell phone that had been on the charger all night. Most of the time when I am at home, I turn it off because I don’t get that great of reception at my house. But, when I turned it on, I received a text message from my third daughter who is a social worker. Now this daughter is very independent, and although being a social worker sounds like a very ordinary life, she is always doing something crazy and different and fun. The message said to turn on BET because she thought she was about to be on it. I had to ask another of my children what was BET, and she told me it was a channel on http://www.direc4u.com/. Well of course it was way past the time she sent the text, but I got the details later. Apparently my daughter knew a guy that represented one of the liquor companies that was sponsoring an event downtown where Disc Jockeys were in a competition. My daughter got a pass to the VIP room before the event and then attended with her friend. The whole thing was televised, and they were announcing the winner that night at midnight. She got to meet all these really famous people and got to enjoy a giant party. I never know what that girl is going to do next.

OK.  I’ve watched enough of the Brazil Butt Lift  infomercial and I just couldn’t take it anymore!  So…

I ordered it. 

And it is in my house now.

So…

Today I begin my assault on my big, ol’ fat ass.  (There really is no other way to describe it.)  I’ve tried so-o-o many exercise programs over the years and nothing has worked. Let’s see what happens with delightful Leandro Carvalho and his cute Brazilian accent.  My hope is that I will be able to recommend this program to you very soon.

(*disclosure:  This is not a paid and/or endorsed opportunity.  I have paid for this exercise program.)

Let’s pretend my husband wa

Adding some laughs to the reviews and giveaways.

Sh*t Nobody Says

Valentine’s Day is on its way.  If the romance in your relationship got a little side-tracked during the busy holiday season, now is the perfect time to return the coziness between you and your partner by visiting the adult themed site, EdenFantasys.

I know, I know.  You may not feel comfortable with most items found there, but you know what? EdenFantasys has wonderful bath items, lovely candles and luxurious nightgowns that would feel perfect for any time you want to just re-e-e-lax.  And if you feel like seriously relaxing with your partner, well hey, they have plenty of items, like a gorgeous Belleza Box Massage Kit, to help you there as well!

Pour yourself a glass of what ever beverage you like and peruse the website.  Sure, you’ll giggle.  It’s fun!  I saw sex toys that had me ask out loud, ‘What the heck is that for?’.  Lucky for me (and my husband ;-> ) they have on-line support ready to graciously answer all of my questions.

Bring the sizzle back to your relationship.  Visit EdenFantasys and see what fun you can find.  I will be passing on the high heels however.  Tripping just isn’t very sexy.

I enjoy being outdoors.  Hiking, fishing.  And I love bike riding.  But this???  Um, no.  Absolutely not.

Would you try this?

 OK.  About that New Years Resolution about getting in shape and losing weight. Well, you’re going to have to do a few more crunches and a tad more burpies to work off a new favorite candy, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with Almond Pieces.  De-e-e- licious!!

I didn’t think my girls would go for this because they aren’t a fan of nuts, so I opened the bag feeling secure that there would be enough for me when I returned from my errands.  Um, well, let’s just say that my young daughters have discovered that they like almonds with their Hershey’s chocolate.  Drat!

If you are a Hershey’s chocolate lover (of course you are!) you have a chance to win one of three 8 oz. packs of Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with Almond Pieces. These aren’t available in stores yet, so that makes this treat even sweeter. (*This giveaway is open to US Residents only.  Sorry.*)

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If you’ve had your fill of shopping at the Mall this past holiday season, you owe it to yourself to become a part of NoMoreRack.com.  Not only can you shop from the comfort of your own home you will be saving a ridiculous amount of money on name brand, quality items.

NoMoreRack.com adds 8 new products everyday, plus one “Friend” Deal, and these highly discounted deals stay on the site for 24 hours or until the deal is sold out.  They have items that range from women’s and men’s  clothing, personal care items, exercise equipment, electronics and travel deals.  The items are famous name brands and are guaranteed to be authentic.

Shipping is where some sights really get you, however NoMoreRack.com has a flat shipping fee of $2.00 anywhere in the U.S.of A. (No International shipping currently.)  In the event your purchase needs to be returned, you will be given a credit on your NoMoreRack.com account for the full purchase price, minus the shipping fee.  They list their Return and Exchange Policy completely on their site.

To join NoMoreRack.com and receive your daily e-mail notice click www.nomorerack.com.  To check out other reviews visit GeekGirlReviews.com and Day2DayLiving.com.

In our neighborhood it seems we all have parts to play. The house that hosts the Spring Fling party. The house that hosts the 4th of July fireworks extravaganza, the best decorated Halloween house and the Christmas lights show stopper. We have generous neighbors who share their boat with us for an annual Afternoon on the River party. I am so grateful.

We have had wonderful experiences on this boat. I was reassured we were well cared for when we began to get instruction on boat safety before we set foot on the vessel. With 6 young children on board we had our hands full and our Captain made sure we all knew the rules.

While he showed us around through out the day he shared the steering duties with the kids. They loved it! Future sea Captains! Our neighbor talked about improving his boating skills and acquiring a Master Captain’s license. With this level of license you can become a Charter Boat Captain, and be on your way to a median income of six figures. (Sounds like a good idea to me.) I’ve found a website that gives on-line classes, and certification, taught by members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Mariner’s Learning System. While I was going to pass this info. along to my generous neighbor I thought I would share with my wonderful readers as well.

Have you ever wanted to experience the rush of the sea? Do you enjoy being the one in charge? Would you consider