How to Train Your Dragon 2 in IMAX!

Looking for an action-packed weekend of fun for the whole family? Head to your local IMAX® Theater for the premiere of How to Train Your Dragon 2!

Starting this Friday, June 13th, the second chapter of DreamWorks Animation's belovedHow to Train Your Dragon franchise is soaring to all IMAX theatres domestically in select engagements. The IMAX 3D release will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience®, creating a unique environment that will make audiences feel as though they are flying alongside heroic Viking Hiccup and his faithful dragon, Toothless.

Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, T.J. Miller, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Kristen Wiig reprise their respective voice roles, joined this time by Academy Award® winner Cate Blanchett, Djimon Honsou and Kit Harington.

Can't wait to see it and my kids are sooooo excited!!  Let me know how much you loved it when you see it!  :-)

The above information has been provided to me by IMAX, and I hope you find it helpful and fun! For IMAX Theater locations and local showtimes click here!  

Raise a Giant!

If you have children, chances are you've heard and read many communications regarding bullying.  Sadly, it is a major issue in schools and many programs have been released regarding bullying prevention.  There is a chance that you have dealt with it, too.  I know it's been a factor in my life, and I hate it.

I was so happy to hear about actions by my favorite "Jolly Green Giant" to take a stand against bullying.  The Green Giant "Raise a Giant" campaign is a huge step toward helping our kids prevent bullying.  Green Giant knows that it takes a lot more to raise a healthy child than just getting them to eat their vegetables.  They need help and encouragement to navigate the world with confidence and pride.  Green Giant is partnering with PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center and We Day Minnesota to help parents Raise A Giant and put a stop to bullying in their communities.

What Does it Mean to Be a Giant?

Being a giant isn't about being the biggest or the best.  Being a giant means standing up for others. It means lending a hand to those who are in trouble and speaking up for those who sometimes find it hard to do so for themselves.  Studies show that an effective way to stop bullying is for kids to simply speak up and say, "That's not okay!" when they see bullying happen, but asking kids to have the courage to stand up to bullying is a tall order and that's why they need our help.

How Do You Raise a Giant?

Green Giant is asking parents to write a letter to their kids telling them how special they are and encouraging them to be part of the bullying prevention solution by being a giant.

Parents can visit our community at RaiseAGiant and read the letters others have written.

You can write a letter to your kids about standing up to bullying and post it at RaiseAGiant.com.

Encourage your community to write their own letters and post them at RaiseAGiant.com.

Change your Facebook profile picture to the Raise A Giant icon to show your support.

It takes a village to raise a child, but if we all work together, and support our children and each other, we can find a way to help our kids take a stand and maybe, just maybe, we can help keep our kids from being the target of school bullying.  Green Giant wants to help us do just that!

If you join the campaign, let me know about your experiences!  And know that you are making a difference for your kids, and other kids as well.  Let's all Raise a Giant!!

DISCLOSURE:  Information and incentive was provided by Green Giant through MyBlogSpark.  Opinions expressed are my own. 

Hop over to IHOP for a new Griddle Melt!

I recently received an email inviting me to visit my local IHOP to give their new Griddle Melts a try.  Needless to say, my children were THRILLED with the idea of eating at IHOP.  So Friday night, we decided to go out to dinner and check things out.

IHOP's Griddle Melts are available as a whole sandwich or a half, and come in three varieties:

• Spinach, Roasted Pepper & Cheese - Sautéed fresh spinach in a fluffy egg omelet topped with roasted red peppers and onions, melted Provolone, Parmesan and Pepper Jack cheeses on grilled artisan sourdough bread. Served with your choice of hash browns, French fries or seasonal fruit.

• Western - Smoked ham and sautéed peppers and onions in a classic omelet, topped with sliced ham, melted American cheese and served on grilled artisan sourdough bread. Served with your choice of hash browns, French fries or seasonal fruit.

• Ham & Egg Melt - Sliced ham and melted Swiss and American cheeses over a fluffy egg omelet served on grilled artisan sourdough bread. Served with your choice of hash browns, French fries or seasonal fruit.

Don't those sound absolutely wonderful???  It's difficult to choose just one!  The one that everyone could agree upon to try was the Ham & Egg Melt, so we ordered a whole sandwich with fries.  What arrived at the table was a completely stuffed, beautiful sandwich with perfectly cooked fries.  Check this out:

Lots of hot, fluffy egg, tender ham, and enough cheese to even impress my cheese-fanatic 10-year-old!  And that picture is just half of the sandwich!  

This was a fantastic value for the money and even filled my 16-year-old son.  The egg and ham were hot and freshly cooked, the cheese was melted just right, and the bread was crispy and flaky on the lightly grilled outside and soft and tender in the center.  The bread gave it a good "bite" while the fillings left us feeling very satisfied.  This was a wonderful dinner, and I know it would be the perfect start to the day as a breakfast entree - with hash browns as the side, of course!  :-) 

Here's a better shot to show you the light grilling and the generous portion of fries:

That one just doesn't show you how stuffed full the sandwich really is.  It truly is a great value for your dining dollar, and if you aren't hungry enough for the whole thing, you can order half with a side.  

Give the Griddle Melts at IHOP a try, and let me know what you think.  My kids are already asking when we're going back again.  Apparently Breakfast is the new Dinner!  :-)

If you want to know even more about these great new offerings at IHOP, check out their press release by clicking here.  I know one of these Griddle Melts has YOUR name on it! 

DISCLOSURE: I received a $25 gift card to try the new Griddle Melts, but received no other compensation for this post.  The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Pillsbury Artisan Makes Any Game Great!

As everyone well knows, we just had a huge event on Sunday!  Even if you aren't a football fan, chances are that you watched the Big Game, at least for the commercials.  It's a fun and exciting event that even my kids watched this year.  Okay, so they did it for the family "squares pool," where there were boxes of candy and gift cards to be won, but still!!  :-)

And what's a big game without some pizza??  I'm sure the pizza places all across the country were ultra-busy all day long, delivering pizzas to the masses.  Everyone loves pizza, and pizza and football go hand-in-hand, particularly when it's the Super Bowl!

We didn't call out for any pizza, though.  We made fresh, hot, absolutely delicious pizza at home! And it didn't interrupt a moment of the game, because I made it easy with Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust.  Just roll out the tender crust and top it with whatever you like on your pizza, put on some cheese, and into the oven it goes.  YUM!!  So easy and so good.....and so ideal for the big game!  It would be the perfect addition to ANY game.....from the Super Bowl to your child's Little League ballgame.  Easy, tasty, and a great family meal.

Right now, you can get an amazing coupon for Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust!  Just click on this link and you will be able to print a $1.50 off coupon.  That makes for a steal of a deal, especially when you consider what even a carryout pizza costs from a pizza place.  I'm sure your family will love it - mine does!!

If you'd like to learn more about Pillsbury and their Artisan Pizza, here are some resources:

• Pillsbury Website
• Pillsbury's Facebook Page (like them!)
• Pillsbury's Twitter Page
• Recipe Ideas

Be sure and come back and let me know how much you loved the Artisan Whole Grain crust!  :-)  Don't forget to use that wonderful coupon!!

Disclosure: The product, a gift pack, information, and additional sample have been provided to me by Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark.  The opinions expressed are my own.

Box Tops for Education and Sam's Club

I don't know about you, but I *HEART* Sam's Club, and I really *HEART* Box Tops for Education, so when you combine the two and have Bonus Box Tops, it's a total home run for me!  

Sam's Club already helps me save a lot on my grocery budget by offering products in bulk at amazing prices, and they carry quite a variety of wonderful General Mills products for deals you can't get anywhere else.  But  NOW, they have a fantastic promotion going on in all their stores that includes bonus Box Tops and a membership bonus!  Here's the scoop:

It's back to school time, and Sam's Club is providing Box Tops opportunities so you can earn more cash for your school!  Not only can you collect between 6 and 14 Box Tops on some of your favorite General Mills products, but you can also check out these additional opportunities, only available at Sam's Club!

• New Plus Members will receive 100 Bonus Box Tops.*  (A $10 value to any BTFE-participating school)
• Upgrade your current membership to a Plus membership to receive 50 Bonus Box Tops.* (a $5 value to any BTFE-participating school)
• New Advantage or Business Members will receive 25 Bonus Box Tops. * (A $2.50 value to any BTFE-participating school)

*Offer valid only with original receipt of purchased membership taped to certificate.  Only available in-Club.  Offers available to the first 50 new Plus members at each Club, to the first 100 members who upgrade to a Plus membership at each Club, and to the first 100 new Advantage or Business members at each Club.

How great is that???  Think of how much you can help your school by just purchasing the things you already love and probably keep on hand all the time anyway!  Schools across the country are struggling with funding, and Box Tops are a completely painless way that you can help your child's school - every one is worth ten cents, and they add up faster than you can imagine.  I used to coordinate the programs at two schools, and it never ceased to amaze me how much money we earned with those cute little Box Top icons!  It's an amazing and worthwhile program that makes a huge difference to our schools.

You can connect online with Sam's Club and Box Tops for Education right now.  Here are some valuable links:

• Sam's Club website
• Sam's Club Facebook page
• Sam's Club on Twitter
• Box Tops site on Sam's Club page
• Box Tops For Education website - definitely sign up here!

Check out the great promotion going on NOW at your local Sam's Club!  Then come back and let me know how many Box Tops you earned for YOUR child's school!  Thanks for making a difference in our children's education with Sam's Club and Box Tops for Education!!!!

"Disclosure: I have received gift cards, and the information contained herein from Sam's Club and General Mills through MyBlogSpark."

Guilty

I have been found guilty of completely neglecting this poor little blog. I haven't posted much lately, even though a million things have been going through my head as potential blog fodder. I just haven't set aside the time to put up a proper post, and I feel terrible about that.

So what's been going on lately? Lots, really! I've traveled the past few weeks, which has been absolutely wonderful! At the end of February, I flew to Denver, CO, to spend the weekend with a dear friend. We had a fabulous time, and the time went so fast! I rode my first light rail, learned how to properly play darts, tried Blue Moon beer (and actually liked it!), gazed longingly at the unbelievable beauty of the Rocky Mountains, and even saw a Linkin Park concert. Anyone who knows me has raised eyebrows right now, as that is just NOT the kind of music I tend to like. But I did!!! I LOVED Linkin Park, and have bought three of their cd's since I returned!

While Colorado was definitely the highlight of my life to date, last weekend I drove with a friend to a wedding in Hutchinson, KS. While that might not seem like a very thrilling drive, it ended up being very nice. We did not take the interstate coming back to KC, but instead had to take a route that included Clay Center, KS. My friend had to view a site for a work project, so we took the scenic route back. And it was beautiful!!! The wheat fields were the most gorgeous golden amber color and we drove through some very nice terrain on back highways, including a little bit of gravel. We even drove along the ORIGINAL US-81, which still isn't paved! We stopped to view the plaque stating that the highway was the original, so I know it was the real deal.

The weather is finally starting to show hints of the return of spring, which is very pleasant. Thoughts are turning to gardening and taking bike rides around the neighborhood. The girls are finally learning to ride, so I look forward to taking rides with them starting this spring. They are pretty excited about it, too!

We are also planning on another house concert next month. We had one last year, and I'm sure I mentioned it on the blog if you've been with me awhile. It's a lot of fun...we clear out everything to set up seating and have live music right there in the living room. It's a wonderful time with friends and live music. Hopefully this year will go as well as last year's performance did. I'd love to have even more people this year, and finally an event set up on Facebook today. At least I didn't wait until the last minute!! :)

I have a new cell phone addiction, as if texting wasn't enough! My friend Sam got me hooked on a game called Words with Friends. It's a lot like Scrabble, and you play on the phone with either friends or random opponents. I LOVE it!!! Nobody around here will play me in Scrabble, but I've found some very tough players on this game and am having a ball - it's a great challenge! If you play Words with Friends, look me up and start a game. My username is JanelleKC.

I guess that's about all I have to report for today. I'm hoping to get back to blogging, but I'm not making any promises. I can't risk taking a chance on disappointing the few people who are still reading this blog. I will definitely try, though!!! Enjoy the weather this week!!!!

CSN Winner - Better Late than Never....

Okay, apparently I hit "Save" instead of "Publish." Yeah, it's been one of those weeks! :-) Sorry for the delay!!

We have a winner! I used Random.org to choose the winner of the CSN Stores gift certificate, and here is what I got:

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:33Powered by RANDOM.ORG

**Note - I don't know why it pasted as 1-100 - I entered 1 to 37 and that's what I tried to cut and paste. I STILL get confused trying to screen-shot a Random.org generator.

Comment #33 was posted by Jo! Jo, I've sent you an email with the information on how to redeem your certificate. Thanks so much for entering, everyone!

Think Summer - and Think Giveaway with CSN Stores!

The current weather forecast is for ice tomorrow and then somewhere around a foot of snow on Tuesday. I wish I was kidding!!! I can't do much about the weather, but I can daydream of Spring and Summer, as they will arrive at some point in time! :-) And in picturing that lovely weather, I envision children playing on swingsets and soaking up the sun while having a great time!

CSN Stores is currently offering Free Shipping and up to 70% off swingsets from Flexible Flyer! Ordering now would give you plenty of time to assemble it! Here is a great option at a VERY reasonable price:


They also have a wide assortment of other great outdoor equipment for the kids to enjoy. How about a trampoline or a super-cool sandbox??




I'm excited to let you know that CSN Stores is offering one of my readers a $35 gift certificate to buy anything you would like from their website!! You could put it toward one of these wonderful outdoor swingsets or anything from their many, many websites. You could spend hours looking for the perfect item - and have $35 of free fun!! This giveaway is open to readers in the US AND Canada!

Here's how to enter:

1) For your first, and mandatory entry, visit the link above and pick out what outdoor play equipment you think would provide the most enjoyment for the kids in your family! Let me know in a comment.

2) For a second entry, follow this blog via Google Friend Connect, using the link over on the right. Post a SECOND comment saying that you follow. It also counts if you're already a follower!

3) For a third entry, tell others about the giveaway. You can post it on your blog, or tweet it, or put it out there on Facebook. Just leave a THIRD comment with a link to show how you spread the word!

The giveaway will be open for comments until Thursday, February 10th, at midnight. I will randomly select a winner and will announce/contact that winner on Friday, Feb. 11th.

Good luck!!

Ah....Re-Organization!

I wish I had taken "before" photos of my baking pan cabinet in the kitchen. It was a mess of pans and baking sheets in a completely random order, to the point that I only used a select few pans for fear of actually trying to locate any of the others. But it didn't even occur to me to photograph that cabinet until I finished my re-organization this morning and sat there, admiring how nice it now looked!

Are you wondering what in the world possessed me to suddenly decide to re-do my baking pan cabinet? Well, I got a 13x9 springform pan from my mom for Christmas and I couldn't fit it in the cabinet!!! So, I decided to pull everything out and see if I could possibly rearrange things to make more room.

After everything was out, I started sorting my pans (I have stainless steel, aluminum, glazed stoneware, and basic stoneware, so it's quite a mis-match collection!) by size/type. Then I got to thinking....what if I had all my bread pans together, and all my square pans together, and my round pans, and so on. I thought I would give this a try. Here is the left side of the 4-door cabinet that houses my baking pan stash:




The top shelf has my baking sheets on the left, then my Bundt-type pans. On the bottom shelf are my cooling racks on the far left, pies and angel food in the back, right behind my square pans. Springform pans (I now have round, square, and rectangular - yay!) are in the back beside pie plates, with my round pans in front of those. Here is the right side:


I have muffin pans and bread pans on the top shelf, with all my 13x9 pans on the bottom. You might notice one stoneware round pan on that bottom shelf. It's there partially because it actually FIT there, but partially because it's a large round pan that will hold about the same as one of my 13x9 pans, so in my mind, it made sense.

I love my stoneware, but I have learned over the past few months that I love my stainless steel pans at least as much. They bake great, clean up easily, and I don't have to worry about cracking them if I'm not careful! I got them from kitchencollection.com and they weren't expensive at all.

I really hope I can continue this organizing trend into the new year. I certainly have a LOT of cabinets that can use it! I also hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!!

Christmas Open House

I managed to finish decorating the house, and even had company over yesterday for a cookie exchange! I know last year I posted some photos of the house and how it was adorned, but I thought it might be fun to do it again this year, especially for any new readers who don't want to go digging through the archives.

Here is a photo taken from the front door as an overview of my Christmas craziness!


If you look to the left, there is a stairwell, and I have a couple of trees there:


And going up those stairs I have garland:


In front of the stairs is what my kids call the "Tom Brady tree." It's decorated in blue and gold (U of Michigan colors, Tom's alma mater) and I have a U of Michigan ornament on one side, and a Tom Brady Patriots ornament on the other.


My lovely little elf stands beside the Tom Brady tree:


From the front door, looking up at the catwalk, more garland and a huge wreath:


And on the floor in front of you:


I love my fireplace in the living room!


Here is the main tree, fully loaded with ornaments:


And a peek into the dining room:



Can you tell I love Christmas??? :-)

It's a Perfect Day....

If your first thought was "for a little rain," I love you!!!! :-) Of course, since most of my readers probably don't know much about my favorite singer, Suzy Bogguss, I doubt any of you actually thought that. If you did, please leave me a comment and make me smile!!

Actually, it's a perfect day for being at home, a fire blazing in the fireplace, sipping cocoa (maybe even with a little bit of Chocolate Mint Irish Cream in it....), and starting the Christmas decorating process! And that's just what I'm doing. It's cold and rainy outside...so dismal. I did get out this morning before the rain got going and did some grocery shopping, including purchasing my Thanksgiving turkey. Can't go wrong with HyVee's deal where you buy a wonderful ham and get your turkey free.

Since lunch, though, we've been hauling up bins and starting to unpack them. The first tree is up in the living room, but no decorations yet. I have a LOT of decor, and it takes me a long time to decorate, which is why I'm starting early. While working, though, I've been REALLY enjoying the fire. It's a cell-phone pic, but here is one I took earlier:


So beautiful and so warm. Yep, it's a perfect day. Hope you're enjoying it, too!!!

CSN Stores Review

I have to say that I had a wonderful experience with CSN Stores in doing my review! The hardest part about the entire process was choosing what item to review!!! They have an amazing selection of products, and I have already found so many more things I simply must have!

The process of ordering was very easy. I browsed through the various stores, made my selection, and checked out. They have several payment options to make it convenient for anyone. I decided to get some new pillows, and I selected the Beautyrest 100% Pima Cotton Extra Firm Pillow (Set of 2). I placed my order, and very shortly thereafter, I received a confirmation email, detailing my purchase and providing me with a customer service number in case I had any questions.

Three business days later, a large bag arrived on my front porch. Talk about quick shipment! The pillows were completely sealed and arrived perfectly. They don't even have that typical "chemical" smell that you generally expect from new pillows. And they are definitely soft and great for sleeping! They are very high quality product that arrived at my door quickly and effortlessly.

I can't say I had any problems at all with CSN Stores, and would most definitely recommend them. Check them out for all your holiday shopping...you won't be disappointed!!

Disclaimer: I did receive a $45 credit to CSN Stores for the purpose of doing this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Holiday Shopping....Simplified and an Upcoming Review with CSN Stores!

It's hard to believe, but it's actually time to start thinking about holiday shopping. Where did the year go?? Whether you need a new dining room table for all of your relatives to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner, or just a handful of toys to place under the Christmas tree for your favorite youngster, you can find all sorts of possibilities at CSN Stores!

I have recently discovered CSN Stores and have spent quite a bit of time perusing their more than 200 online stores. I've found everything from gifts to furniture to kitchen cookware....and all sorts of things in between!

I'm lucky enough that CSN Stores is offering me the opportunity to review a product from one of their wonderful online stores! I just have to figure out which of their many amazing products I want to try. Stay tuned...I will be posting a review very soon! In the meantime, pop over to CSN and see what you can't live without....or find some great holiday gift ideas!

Rick Riordan Rocks

I am a sucker for alliteration. I guess it's the Grammar Guru in me. But even so, the title is totally true. Tonight, we went to hear Rick Riordan speak at a local event sponsored by Rainy Day Books in Kansas City.

If you don't know who Rick Riordan is, ask your kids. He is the author of the very well-read Percy Jackson series. If that doesn't ring a bell, how about the movie "The Lightning Thief?" That was based on (very loosely, I might add, and not really a very good representation) his novel.

What an exceptional speaker, and warm and friendly man who very obviously enjoys children!! From the moment he took the podium, he was eloquent and interesting and very humorous. He kept both children and adults entertained with tales from both his life and the lives of his characters. He was fascinating!

Here is an interesting tidbit: He has never seen the movie that was made from his "Lightning Thief" book. In fact, he had nothing to do with the film! Sound strange? I have great respect for his reasoning! He said that in his mind, he had a perfect image of all of the scenes, like Camp Half Blood, and the exact physical characteristics of all of his characters. He knew that if he were to watch the film adaptation, he would never be able to get those screen images out of his mind and it would ruin it for him.

I can't agree more! I have begun reading his latest book, "The Lost Hero," and found that whenever he mentions Chiron, I picture Pierce Brosnan (who portrayed Chiron in the movie). I hate that! I used to have a very different picture of Chiron, and I'm sure my mental picture was more what the author had in mind, but now it has been replaced with the "Hollywood version." I really do admire Rick Riordan for his decision not to view the movie.

If you haven't read any of the Percy Jackson novels, I definitely recommend them. There is a great base of Mythology mixed in with a truly interesting tale of teenage misfit kids who turn out to be heroes. And if Rick Riordan comes near you, go and see him. I promise you will enjoy his talk. Tonight was a great night!!!

Tag...I'm It?

Okay, I got tagged by Beth from Two Monkeys & A Washtub today. And since I have been COMPLETELY neglecting her and her blog for some time (I'm so sorry, Beth!!), I absolutely MUST participate in the game!

Apparently I am to answer 8 questions that she asked, and then list 8 new questions and tag 8 other bloggers. Well, right now I promise to answer the questions, but I'm not sure about the tagging part. Hopefully it's okay to just start with the first part of the process?? *puppy dog eyes*

So, without further ado....here are the questions Beth has asked:

1. What's your favorite children's storybook? (even those without kids have a favorite children's story)

Mine was always "The Secret Garden." I still love it!

2. If we went out for dinner & drinks, what would you order?

Hmmmm....it depends on my mood. My go-to drink is a Seven & Seven, and sometimes a rum & Coke. But last night I was craving peach schnapps, so I ordered a Sex on the Beach; unfortunately, I am not sure what Danny's considers a Sex on the Beach, because this drink was NOT cranberry juice, peach schnapps, and/or vodka - it had pineapple juice, grenadine, and I don't even know what else. Not bad, but NOT at all what I wanted. I can guarantee you I wouldn't order beer....bleah. As for food, I tend to take FOREVER to order, and then I usually change something (think Meg Ryan in "When Harry Met Sally" sans the fake orgasm...lol). Generally, I will probably order something with grilled chicken and quite possibly a baked potato.

3. What's your favorite ice cream flavor? and why?

I love Pistachio-Almond. Why? I have no idea - have just always loved it.

4. If you had $500 to spend on yourself, where would you go shopping and what would you buy? You can't save it!

I'm going to assume I don't have to spend it all in one place. I would order a Fitbit online, because I really want one of those!! That's $99. Then I'd probably go to Hobby Lobby and buy some really cool yarn that I would never buy otherwise and some Swarovski crystal beads. Probably spend about $50 there. I would then go to Kohl's and spend the rest on clothes (I love Kohl's) and stuff for the kitchen. I'm a gadget junkie and love new stuff for the kitchen. Okay, I'm sure I've spent $500 by now!! :-)

5. Do you have any regrets or things you wish you had the chance to do over? If so, why?

Oh wow....this is a complete blog all its own, but probably something about which I would never, ever blog. There are soooo many things that I would love to do over! My kids and family are probably the one thing I wouldn't re-do!! lol

6. What sports do you enjoy? playing and/or watching? or playing/participating in back in high school?

I am a football junkie!! Give me the NFL or even some good college teams and I'm a happy girl. I have two fantasy football teams, and even though they both SUCK so far this year, I still enjoy playing. I can handle a little baseball now and then in small doses, and I really enjoy watching Gymnastics. But participating? Not me. Never have been into sports one little bit. Okay, there's a regret for you - I really wish I had learned to play some sort of sport....softball or tennis or something. I wish I could participate in a sport now, as I think that would be a fun activity and a great way to exercise and meet people.

7. If you could drive any car, what would you pick, and what color would it be?

A convertible. I don't care what kind...I just REALLLLLLLLLLY want a convertible. Color is even up in the air, but I've always had a thing for that teal-ish blue that is so rare and cool.

8. When you go grocery shopping, what's the one thing you tend to buy on impulse? You know that thing that looks so yummy that it has to be thrown in the cart?

For me, it isn't the item, exactly. It's the deal. If something is really a great price, that's what I buy on impulse. For instance, last week I was really sticking well to my list at HyVee. But then I wandered past the lunchmeat case and found sliced chicken marked down - 1 pound bags for $.99! I bought 9 of them because that was a steal!! I'm a sucker for mark-downs, even if we don't need the item!!


Well, there you go! More than you ever could possibly have wanted to know about me! And I'm not saying I won't come up with 8 questions and 8 bloggers later...just not tonight. Hey, I've already done two blog posts today. That's a big deal for me!! :-)

Jazzin' it up

Today I did something completely out-of-the-ordinary for me! I attended my first-ever Jazzercise class. I have a friend who has done it for a long time and she even works at her local location, and she talked me into giving it a try. About a month ago, Groupon.com had a special: $39 for 2 months of unlimited classes. I thought that was the best way to try it.

I have to say, it was FUN! The hour class went by so fast, and the instructor was really great and upbeat. She knew everyone by name and talked to us throughout the class, as well as calling out instruction. I was very impressed. The bad thing was that it was hard to mirror her movements, as she went FAST from one move to the next. I felt very uncoordinated and couldn't catch onto many of the movements during class. However, they tell you that it's okay to not "get" it - just keep moving, even if it's simply marching in place.

I did notice that there were a variety of levels of Jazzercise knowledge in my class, and after class, Michelle (the instructor) took time to talk to me. She told me that everyone else in the class was either a dancer (which helps tremendously in doing the movements) or has been Jazzercising for years. She told me that I did very well for my very first time (though I suspect she's supposed to say that....lol) and even broke down a few of the especially difficult combinations to show me in slow-motion. That helped a lot! Now I can do the Grapevine just fine, but there are still others that are going to take a lot more practice.

I plan to try class again on Wednesday morning, and then on Friday. She told me that different classes have different combinations, so it might be interesting. I already expect to be completely lost! :-) At least I finally got up the nerve to try something different, though. And it was a fun time. Hopefully it will stay fun and I will keep at it. I could definitely use some regular exercise!!!

In other, more frugal news, I made laundry soap today. Haven't done that in awhile, since I got a really good deal on some Purex. But I had run out, and didn't want to go pay too much for it. I forgot how good the homemade stuff smells......

The Finale

Doesn't that look yummy?? Let me tell you...it was G-O-O-D!! We had slices nice and warm and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Mmmmmmm!! And even better is the fact that I got to enjoy this pie knowing it was the LAST of the apples I had to process! That made it even sweeter!!

All told, from my brother's unwanted apple tree, I ended up with:

8 gallons of apple pie filling
8 quarts of unsweetened applesauce
6 quarts of sweetened applesauce
4.5 quarts of apple butter
That delicious apple pie

AND, I still passed along a LOT of apples to a friend! Three large boxes found a new home, and hopefully some new recipes for another family today. I just hope she doesn't hate me by the time she finishes processing allllll of those apples!

The work isn't the most fun thing to do, but enjoying the "fruits of my labors" for many months to come is wonderful. The kids absolutely LOVE my homemade applesauce, and I use the unsweetened variety for baking throughout the year. Considering that I add nothing but water to the unsweetened, it really is a "free" item, monetarily speaking. And it really is worth the effort.

So my freezers are now absolutely packed. I used up the last bit of space today with the deli chicken lunchmeat I found at HyVee for .99 a pound. I got 9 pounds of it and popped it into one of my freezers. That will last awhile, and the kids love sandwiches and soup for weekend lunches - score!

Apple season has ended here. Next up will be pumpkin...but we gotta eat some stuff first!! :-)

Sort of a Post

I posted today on Not Just Leftovers, so I think that should count! :-) Okay, maybe it doesn't, but it's been a busy day and I'm tired and going to bed. So head over HERE for today's post! Have a wonderful tomorrow!!

An Apple a Day

...or perhaps a couple bushel a day? I know I missed posting yesterday; I didn't forget, but I was just too exhausted to post. Yesterday I peeled, cored, and sliced a LOT of apples, cooked them down and pureed them into applesauce. I put 12 quarts in the freezer. Shortly after I was done with that, I cleaned up and made dinner, then dashed off to a school Room Parent Meeting, immediately followed by a PTA Meeting (I am the Recording Secretary). It was a very busy day!

Today I finished what I am going to do with the apples. I made about 5 quarts of apple butter and one huge and very yummy apple pie. I canned up the butter and it's very pretty in the jars. I had to can 4 pints, as I ran out of smaller jars. Guess we will be eating a lot of apple butter for awhile when we open those! Tonight I made angel biscuits with dinner so we could enjoy the butter...but I made a bit of an error. I was tired and in a hurry and I followed Paula Deen's recipe. I realized about halfway into it that I had forgotten this was a HUGE recipe and I needed to cut it in half. Oops. I ended up with way more biscuits than we can eat in a day! Guess we will be having biscuits and apple butter tomorrow, too! :)

I'm just going to keep this short and sweet tonight. I will try to post the how-I-make-applesauce post tomorrow. Tonight my brain just wants to go to bed, but I didn't want to miss two days in a row since I said I would post every day. I still owe you guys a post....I will try to make it a good one!

No signature tonight, either...I'm typing this on the netbook, which doesn't have any photo files. I'm really with it tonight....lol. Have a great night!!!!

Apple Pie Filling

Lisa B. asked me about my recipes for my apple pie filling and applesauce. Today I started on the apples, but I only did one cooler full, as I have company coming for dinner tonight and much to do. So today's focus was on apple pie filling. I plan to do applesauce tomorrow and I will try to pay attention to my recipe, as I just make it....I don't follow a specific format. :-)

My apple pie filling is a bit unorthodox from what I can tell in looking at other recipes for filling. It was borne from trial and error, and it just works for me! A few years ago, I had apples from my brother's tree and I was making full apple pies, par-baking them, and freezing them for later. I got so tired of the process that I decided to try freezing a pie WITHOUT the par-baking step. I made the crust, formed the pie, wrapped it in foil, and popped it into the freezer, totally raw.

About a month later, I decided to try one of my un-cooked creations. I pulled it from the freezer and allowed it to thaw, then dabbed on a bit of butter, sliding it under the slits in the crust, and popped it into the oven. To my delight, it worked perfectly! The texture was just fine and the pie tasted wonderful...I couldn't really tell a difference between the pies I froze uncooked and the ones where I began the cooking process prior to freezing.

After this discovery, I took the pie-making process a step simpler. I made up the filling as if to put it into a crust, but then I put it in a ziploc bag instead. This way I could just make the dough and form the pie at the time I wanted to make it, which made the process longer at the actual baking stage, but so much easier on the front end doing the preparation. Since I had a LOT of apples, simplifying the prep made the most sense. As a result, I had apples that I used both for pie filling and for "fried" apples at dinner. I would simply remove a bag of pie filling, thaw it, and put it in a microwave-safe container (typically a Pyrex 8 cup glass measure). About 8 minutes on high and I had a great side dish that the kids loved and that tasted like I had just peeled them.

So, now that you have background on my out-of-the-ordinary freezer apple pie filling, here is how I do it now:

Into a gallon-size freezer bag, place the following: 1/2 c. sugar, 1/4 c. flour, 1 t. cinnamon, 1/2 t. nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Shake lightly to combine.
Pour in 8 cups of peeled and sliced apples and seal the bag. Shake and toss to combine and evenly coat the apple slices.
Open the bag to release the air and re-seal the bag.
Freeze until ready to use.

To make the pie, thaw the filling. Lay bottom crust in pie plate, then fill with bag of filling. Dot with a couple of tablespoons of butter. Top with either a second crust or a struesel topping. Place in oven and bake at 425° for about 45 minutes, covering the edges of the crust if needed to prevent over-browning.

If you're interested, I've finished the round cooler of apples, and I have 8 gallon bags of apple pie filling in the freezer as I type. That's enough for now. Tomorrow I will focus on applesauce, and decide whether I want to freeze it or can it - I'm still not sure. Then I will make apple butter and see where I am. If I still have apples left, then I will make more pie filling. It's Apple Week at my house! :-) Happy autumn!!!!