Sunday, December 26, 2010

Happy Boxing Day Everyone!

Wow!  What a week.  As much as I love the holidays, I am always so relieved when it is all over.  Today was full of shopping fun.  (Not that I didn't do much before Christmas, but the after holiday shopping is always fun too.)  I really had a fun day spending some shopping time with my dd and dh.  We then went for a nice lunch too and then headed home to watch some football.  All in all a really enjoyable day.  What did you all do? Any great deals out there? Well now that the holidays are almost over and the new year is coming soon, I am going to dedicate more time to my blog and to keeping it updated with fun things.  I am getting ready for some great reviews, giveaways and posts.  January will be a turn around for all of my resolutions.  I look forward to you all keeping me accountable.  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas holiday and a totally indulgent New Year.  I thank you for following my blog and look forward to bringing more fun and goodies to you all. 

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Steak the easy way

So I was trying to decide what I wanted for dinner and then I realized that I had some steak in the fridge.  There is so much discussion about a "good steak".  Well I am definitely not an expert at steaks, but it is defiantly one of my passions.  I have a really hard time spending 23 - 40 dollars on a steak when here in texas, I got three decent sized new york strips for under 7.00 total.  Truely a Texan benefit.  They were much more expensive in Florida. 

If you watch alot of Food network, they say you sear the steak on high heat on a iron griddle pan and then finish it in the oven.  So what do you do if you don't have a iron griddle?  Well I have found a quick and easy way for steak.  I go to the store and get a bottle of teriyaki marinade, poke some holes in my steak and let it sit overnight in the sauce.  I then stick it under the broiler in my oven and cook it until it is done.  Comes out sweet and juicy.  So if you aren't a grill master, try this one out.  Now, when I find a great deal on an cast iron griddle pan, I will try the finish in the oven way and let you know.  Does anyone have any secret steak tips?

Friday, December 10, 2010

Childrens Book Review : Adopted Ed

Sometimes a good book really reminds us good lessons that we should be teaching our children.  I was blessed with a review of Adopted Ed by Darren Maddern.  As I type this review tonight, I almost have tears in my eyes.  This story is about a baby named Eddie whom is raised by adoptive parents.  He lives a happy and secure childhood and when he becomes a young boy, his parents explain that he was adopted.  
 
Given that he doesn't know any better, he is perfectly fine being adopted until he goes to school.  A bully teases him about being adopted and calls him names.  At this point as I am reading this story, tears start roll down my cheek.  My heart was totally going out to little Eddie and  he ends up going home crying.  His adoptive mother lets him know that he was a blessing from God and that he was chosen for their family.  Later as he gets older, he inquires about his birth parents. 

It really teaches a great lesson to our children and a reminder to us all.  I would recommend this book to everyone who has young children.  It teaches a good lesson of tolerance and love.  If you would like to order this book, you can find it on Amazon.com by clicking the link.


I was not compensated to write this review.  I was provided with the book itself to review.  All opinions expressed in this review are solely mine. 

Thursday, December 9, 2010

An opportunity to pay it forward

Tonight I was blessed with an opportunity that I think alot of people wouldn't necessarily jump on.  One of the young ladies in a chatroom that I pop in an out of was interested in starting a blog.  As most of you know, I only started a few months ago, and I still have alot more (technically) to do to make my blog similar to some of the more popular ones out there.  Well she wanted to know how to get going and I really did my best to share what I have learned over the past few months.  By the end of tonight she has a fully functional blog!  YAY!  I feel very fortunate that I was given an opportunity to help someone else out.  Just good kharma all around!  So if you have a moment, show a little love to a new blogger just getting her start!

http://southerngirlreviews.blogspot.com/

I hope you have a great evening and keep an eye here, I will be having some giveaways coming up soon!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Traditions?

As many of you know I am part of a blended family.  I married my husband who already had two sons and now we also have our daughter as well.  Being from a family that really wasn't big on traditions, I wanted to establish some for my family.  I have found to of my favorite holiday outings in Galveston, TX of all places.  They have a festival of lights and actually set up an ice skating rink as well.  Last year we all went skating....well using the word skating really loosely.  Then after we are done skating,  we looked at all of the holiday lights.  They have this festival at Moody Gardens during the month of December.  We also go back there for Easter as well where the hotel has a beautiful brunch and then you can go to their Easter Egg hunt.  Lots of holiday fun at Moody Gardens.  Do you all have any fun traditions?  I am always looking for something to make our lives a little "richer" and maybe create some fun memories for my kids.  (I think we are actually going to Moody Gardens this weekend.) If we do, I will update this post with pictures.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Wii Party Fun

I am excited to share with you all that I was given ten coupons worth 5.00 off  of this really cool new Nintendo game called Wii Party.  If you were looking for something to engage the whole family this is it.  There are over 80 games that range from 1-4 players.  I can't wait to play this with my family!  They will be so excited.  If you would like to me to send you a coupon so that you can purchase one of these on Amazon.com leave me a message with your email address and I will make sure you get one. 


Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Hershey's Pot of Gold

So I was trying to figure out what to give my children's teachers for a holiday gift and I came across this great promotion though one of my blogger clubs.  Did you know that Hershey's has some beautiful boxed chocolates that would make a great gift?  I typically think of other companies for boxed chocolate, but I only makes sense that Hersheys would come out with something. 


Then I got to thinking who else would this be a great gift for...

I would definitely get something like this for some of my clients to thank them for their business, hide one under the tree for my hubby, and probably a nice bar for the children too.  So if you haven't taken a look at Hershey's lately and you need some quick and easy gifts, (not to mention delicious).  Take a look at their link.

www.celebratewithhersheys.com



In addition to letting you all know about these goodies I am also entering a contest for a Hershey’s Pot of Gold prize pack as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club.



Heart of Haiti - A Great Cause




Heart of Haiti is helping to rebuild Haiti through "Trade, Not Aid." In other words, Heart of Haiti is using commerce and culture to create social change.  Instead of providing one-time funding through charity, Heart of Haiti is creating opportunities for Haitian artisans to earn income with dignity by creating jobs and income for the people of Haiti.

  Through the sale of Heart of Haiti products, artisans are able to earn life-changing income for themselves, their families, and their communities. The initiative is enabling artisans to repair homes, pay school fees, and feed and clothe their families. The income also allows them to have access to better nutrition, improved education and healthcare.

  The Heart of Haiti collection is an array of handmade products for the home -- quilts, metalwork, ceramics, and paintings -- created by Haitian artisans. Each item is designed by a Haitian master artisan and produced by hand in Haiti from recycled materials.


The Heart of Haiti collection has already led to employment of 350 artists in Haiti and has provided some financial benefits for an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 people in the country!!!!!!


Just in time for the holidays, you can buy some of these amazing works of art from Macy's.  They are all priced at prices we can afford ranging from $25 - $60 and can be puchased on this link:

http://bit.ly/heartofhaiti

  
I am writing this post to spread the word about Heart of Haiti through a Mom Bloggers Club member program and  will receive a Heart of Haiti pendant as a thank you.