The Secret In the Sauce

Do you realize how ridiculously BEAUTIFUL you are? You will look back in your old age on your current version of yourself and be so proud of what you looked like "back then"....why not just embrace your beauty NOW....Stop in the mirror today, look into your own eyes and just get it. This is one of the most healing things we can do and when we see our own beauty we can truly see other's beauty as well. Time to wake up to your beauty! YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. ♥ I'm not sure who wrote this but I saw it on a facebook post and absolutely loved it and think it is worth repeating, often. Enough said. Email me a picture of yourself that you really like and I'd love to add it to this post because you are beautiful!   burnsy103@gmail.com I've got to toot this gal's horn because she has lost an impressive 45 pounds and isn't she looking fabulous?! That's no easy feat - way to go!

We love birthday's in this house, and cake for that matter. It became a running joke in my family with my mom that we celebrated her birthday with not just one day, but a full week of festivities. We decorate the kitchen with streamers and banners, pile out the presents, go out to dinner one night, request our favorite home-made dinner for another night and of course, our cake or treat of choice. As far as party's go, I can only handle a houseful of raucous kids and the expense of a big party every other year, but I do enjoy taking cake requests; my favorite cake being a pirate ship. It was totally awesome. This year I got a request for a 'cookies and cream' cake. Simple, but fun to do. I used my Arrowhead Mills Devil's Food cake mix and poured the batter into two greased and floured 9-inch round pans. To my chocolate cake mixes I always add two cups of chocolate chips - a fantastic addition. While letting those cool upon baking completion, I made some van...

It's been awhile since I've been able to swing a field trip with one of my kids and  I remember now why I don't make a huge effort to do so. We went to the landfill and the copper mine (both of which were fascinating and entertaining) and had lunch at the park; I was in charge of hovering over six third graders. I rode on the bus and I thought to myself, the rock concerts that I used to go to, including Van Halen and Aerosmith had to have rated higher on the decibel meter than being packed on a bus of elementary school children, but I debated it heavily. Once the bus stopped, there was a flurry of confusion and chaos as there was a mass exodus of kids running every which way through the park, swinging on the railings over the giant mining hole, sliding down brick walls, disappearing in restrooms; it was like an end of the world scene from a movie as people flee in every direction, those kids run like they are on rails. I s...

Even as an adult, breakfast for dinner has not lost its charm. It's a deviation from the norm and it pleases everybody; no food battles here. Waffles, pancakes, french toast (stuffed and baked OH! the joy!) scones, puffed apple bakes along with eggs, bacon and either barnyard cocktail or a little Sun Warrior protein shake to balance things out. One of my favorites is a fabulous pumpkin pancake recipe found on allrecipes.com, that is not only healthy but delicious. I've also put a spin on the toppings, removing that oh-so-naughty 'not maple syrup' (unless you buy pure maple syrup, what you are getting in the cereal aisle at the grocery store ain't syrup. I don't know what that stuff is other than scary!) and using either Xagave* or a combination of pure apple sauce and plain yogurt dusted with cinnamon. Here's the other plus, I double the recipe and put six pancakes in a ziploc bag and store in the freezer as our own homemade 'toaster panacakes.' We...

I am the Chief Executives of Operations in this household. I make the meal plans, do the grocery shopping, and prepare the meals. I also do homework, chase Preston to get him to do his homework, help the tween with his homework (if he actually has any), chase and feed the baby, do the dishes, shower Preston, help get Preston ready for bed, supervise room clean-up and usher Preston into bed, read to Preston for a half hour and of course, bathe baby, bottle baby, baby to bed (prior to Preston's bed-time routine) and deal with the doggy. Somewhere in there I also try to spend ten minutes of one-on-one time with Preston which admittedly is pretty tough these days. With all that being said, I have had to learn to be a better prepper. So here is what I have found works best for me, I do all my prep in the morning simply because that is when I am the happiest and calmest OR at night when the kids have gone to bed. Ever noticed that your energy starts to fall short at about the s...