WTH? Wednesday

Okay, so this is new to me but after what I just experienced I felt the need. First, let me say, I didn't go out looking for something to bitch about, it just kinda happened.
The kids and I decided that a trip to the farmer's market would do us some good, so off we went. First stop, the new ice cream stand. Everything was going great, the girls were being good eating their ice cream, Baby Boy was crawling around the table. All's well. Then I go to throw their cups away...
There in the trash can is about 6 pounds of peaches, looking and smelling oh so great (I'm not being sarcastic, these were absolutely ready for eating!). So, I asked the girl working what was wrong with them that they would throw them away. She told me they had bruises or small nicks in them and the nats were on them. Fine, I guess. Throw them away. If she had offered them to me, I'd have brought them home. I almost dug them out of the trash. There wasn't anything around them, in fact I think the only other things in there were boxes. But alas, I paid for my peaches. Didn't seem like the right day to introduce the kids to dumpster diving...maybe when they get older.
So, this incident lead me to my next stop, a local food bank at the farmer's market. Why, I wondered as I carried my box inside, did they not just bring the "bad" peaches over here and let them give them to people who couldn't care less about a little bruise on the peach. Then I got my answer.
I walked up the steps into the warehouse, where about a dozen people were mingling about, not really doing anything, just talking amongst themselves. As I stood there, holding my large-enough-to-be-awkwardly-heavy box, I waited for someone to come take it from me, or at least tell me where to put it. Well, nobody could be bothered to stop their conversation long enough to help me. I actually ended up walking away from one of the workers, who was too busy talking to even notice me standing there. So, to the office I went, still carrying my box. In the office was a woman who had been standing with the first woman when I walked in. She had walked away too, without finding out what I needed. Nobody came out of the office. Finally, I just raised my voice enough to ask through the glass where they wanted the box. Then a lady came out and told me to just set it down. She was kind enough to ask if I wanted my box back, or if I'd like a receipt. No thanks, my kids just might melt in the car if I have to stand here any longer. WTH??

Have you had any WTheck moments today? Feel free to leave a comment letting me know what makes you gripe. Also be sure to check out another pertinent post for today, at MomFiles.

Kid Friendly Veggie Dish - Tomato & Potato Bake

This is my spin on a dish served at so many family get together's growing up that I had sworn to myself to never eat it again. But, when you really don't feel like cooking, a simple all veggie dish is quick, easy to prep, and easy to clean up.

So, all I did was add some spice and color to the tradition dish (at least in my family) of Potatoes, Mushrooms, and Onions. It is super easy to make, and you can feed a lot of people without a lot of input, either physically or monetarily.

My version goes like this:

4 medium all purpose yellow potatoes (any kind will do), diced to bite sized pieces
1 large beefsteak tomato (any variety with good flavor), diced
1 large vidalia onion, rough chopped
1 large handful baby bella mushrooms, rough chopped
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
olive oil
butter
salt
pepper
sugar/molasses

Very simple. Once everything is diced, throw it in a casserole dish. Top with about a tablespoon of olive oil and a couple pats of butter, salt, pepper, little bit of natural sugar/molasses (whatever you have), and any spices you would like. You could try fennel, or rosemary. Personally, I did not add a whole lot of extra spice to this dish. It is so simple and so good by itself.

Toss everything together again and place in a 350F oven. Once the potatoes get a good crisp top to them, cover the pan with foil and finish baking until everything is tender.

I served this topped with shredded Parmesan cheese. The kids just gobbled it up. Even my dear hubby didn't complain about a vegetarian dinner. Must have been filling. :)

Garden Glam

 I got to spend a lovely few hours recently out in town by myself. Usually I have all three kids in tow, so this was especially wonderful. Listening to nothing but quiet, and a few passing radios.

I ended up stopping at one of my favorite places. A small, inconspicuous shop on a corner of a busy road in Florence. You can not walk in this place without brushing up against something green and usually good smelling. I am talking about Savanna's Garden Treasure, on Irby Street.

 

 I love going into Savanna's. If I've been lacking in the creativity department, a trip to see Carolyn and all her wonderful creations always gives me a boost. Not to mention all the lovely plants.

The craziest thing I saw on this last trip wasn't something I would usually be excited about. I had been there walking around for a few minutes, and hadn't really paid much attention to this massive grouping of plants to the left of the main walkway. As I made my second circle around the front, I happened to notice a very round, very buzzy bee flying by. I watched him, and realized he wasn't the only ones keeping us company.

The mountain mint plants Carolyn is growing are pollinator magnets! I have never seen anything like that, and all the bugs were just as docile as a puppy. Not one was paying me, or my camera any attention. And I had brushed against these plants a few times.

Needless to say, I took a small specimen of the mountain mint home with me on this trip.  I love home grown veggies. And if my pollinators love a plant, I by default also love that plant.

So if your garden is in need of some love, either human, insect, or art, stop by and see Carolyn at Savanna's Garden treasure on Irby St. She will surely have something to make your garden smile.

You can also check out Savanna's Garden Treasure's Facebook page and Carolyn's etsy shop for more great information and local treasures.

Yes, I'm Still Here

Wow, it's been forever since I posted anything. It has been one crazy thing after another here recently, but we are starting to get back to normal. DH got a new tank in the Jeep, so it's back on the road. The brakes finally died in my brother's car, so I'm now riding on new brakes (I know everybody's happy about that one).

Our new sweet little puppy has become a bigger destructive force than our three kids all rolled into one. I had a pair of flip flops for less than 24 hours thanks to her. Luckily, they were free. (Thank you CVS ExtraCare Bucks!!)

Little man celebrated his first birthday! Congrats to him! We're so proud! He's saying a little more and acting like he wants to walk...but he would sure rather be carried at this point.=)

We're trying to reorganize the house and get on some kind of schedule before our oldest starts school in the fall. But for some reason, our usually slow lazy summer never showed up and instead we got this crazy whirlwind adolescent acting summer in its place. Oh well, there's always next year.

Hope you all are enjoying your summer. I know I am. My favorite surprise from this summer? Apparently my dad, best bar-b-quer in the state, has become a wine maker too. Two thumbs up from the peanut gallery!! :) (:

What has been your favorite part of Summer 2010?

Kitchen Confidential (confidentially, its a mess!)

One thing nobody ever bothers to mention (at least, they didn't to me) is how messy kids can be. Maybe I'm in the minority here, because I never hear people talk about it. Well here it is, in all its glory. Kids Are Messy! They will color on your walls (freshly painted), eat the cake out of the fridge (the one for the dinner party) while in their nicest clothes, they will find the deepest squishiest mud puddle and go play in it (while loading up, and running late, for a birthday party).

They will dump that basket of clean clothes on to the floor with all the puppy hair (again), they will unload your washing machine when you aren't looking (there was a lady bug in there!), they will scavenge all the candy you stockpiled for Halloween (in less than a week), eat all the Ben & Jerry's in the house (before you  get out of bed and make breakfast).

Yep, kids are messy. You might as well wrap your kitchen in plastic, and put those covers on your furniture (we don't have them, but we bought/buy all our furniture used...this is why). If you have anything nice that you like, pack it up. Don't put it up high, it will get knocked down. Don't put it in your room, they will play in there while you think they're sleeping. I know, lots of people are going to disagree with me. Well, you never met my kids. They are just like their momma, they are constantly questioning, always curious, and furious little plunderers. Worse than a raccoon when it comes to shiny stuff.

Hope you enjoyed this. Pass it on to any new parents you may know. They really deserve the kindness of being clued in. As for me, I'm off to scrub my kitchen chairs, again. Have a great day.

For more information on cleaning, and kids, check out the links below.

Crown Royal Facebook Contest and Prize Giveaway

If you like Crown Royal, or know someone who does, then head on over to their facebook page. You will have to allow the application to access your information and sign up for their "society" with an email address. It's easy and it doesn't take long. This week's prize is a SNUGGY made entirely from Crown Royal Bags. Pretty Neat!! They are doing one giveaway a week, not sure for how long. Next weeks prize is a Crown Royal Duffle Bag. Only one entry per person. 

Also going on right now with Crown Royal is the book they are putting together. You can submit pictures/ideas of things you have done, made, want to do or make with crown royal bags. Other fans of the site have the option to vote. Winners will get published in the book. There may be other prizes, but I didn't see anything listed. I will keep you posted. 

So, once again, head over and become a fan of Crown Royal on Facebook and enter to win lots of neat and unique prizes. Also, check out the awesome stuff others have made.

I Love Free Stuff!

First, I have to give credit where credit is due. I wouldn't have gotten these freebies without Shelley's Swag wonderful posts I Love My Mailman.  (Sorry Shelley, I couldn't get that cute little heart to show up ;)

So, here's my take for this week. 

1 Full Day Sample of Parents Choice Infant Formula (walmart sample)

1 small Pedometer and Coupons from Nature's Bounty

1 Huggies Booklet with Coupons and Info (sign up @ www.Huggies.com)

1 3pack of John Frieda Root Awakenings Collection and Coupon

1 Dove for Men+care Body & Face Wash 1.8 fl.oz (walmart sample)

1 2pack of eb5 creams (facial creme and eye cream)

1 Eucerin Lotion pack and Coupon

1 Reusable Grocery Bag and Coupons from Earthbound Farms

1 2pack Prevacid OTC (not pictured, hubby already took them)

So you see, you can get something out of all that time on the computer. :) Even if you can't use something, order it and donate it to a local charity of your choice. That way someone who does need it can get it. And if you get in early enough on the good ones, you can get some freebies that are gift-worthy, thereby saving you some cash, which is a good thing in any economy.

Hope you enjoyed this. 

And be sure to check out Shelley's Swag for her list of latest freebies (with links!)

Look for the "Freebies In My Mail" link a little ways down on the left side of the page.

Mingle Monday - Happy Memorial Day!!

Hello again. Just wanted to let everyone know that I am taking part in Mingle Monday, proudly brought to us today by (can you tell I watch a lot of Sesame Street?) Our Homeschool Home.

Thanks for checking out my page. Click the banner above to see who else is participating this week. You never know, there might be blogger just around your corner (or peeking in your window...we have to get our dirt somehow. just kidding!) 

Hope to see you on the next go 'round. And if you enjoy my blog, use the link at the right to share it with your friends, either through Facebook or Twitter.Thanks for stopping by! 

&

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!!!!

New Site Design & Button!

I'm so excited! Finally got a new site design I truly like. Took long enough (I can be picky, but who isn't). I have a few thank you's to dish out, since I couldn't have done this without help. Okay, maybe I could have, but it was so much easier just asking (and searching).
So, my thank you's go out to the following: Shelley, from Shelley's Swag, who recommended the site I used to find my template (yes, it's a freebie), Jill, from Sneaky Momma Blog Design, who has some excellent how to pages up for bloggers, both beginning and advanced. Another thank you goes out to Karen. Karen, I cannot remember the name of your site right now, but I will get a link up as soon as I do (sorry for the inconvenience). Karen's site was the source for my button image.
So, if you have a blog, please grab my button and if I don't have yours already, let me know and I'll get it up.

Pur Minerals Giveaway! by Allison from You Have HOW Many Kids?

If you like mineral make-up, then you should definitely check out this giveaway. Have to hurry though, it ends tonight at 9pm Eastern Time.

Allison, from You Have HOW Many Kids? is being so generous as to give away a Starter Kit from Pur Minerals Makeup. You can check them out on Facebook by clicking the link.

The starter kit includes :

4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup (.15oz)

Mineral Glow (.12oz)
Universal Marble Powder (.10oz/3g)
The Chisel Makeup Brush

This is an awesome give away with so many ways to enter. Go check out Allison's site at You Have HOW Many Kids? for more details and all the different (oh so easy!!) ways to enter. And Good Luck!!!

It's Not Bribery, Is It?

Bribery, as defined by Webster's Online Dictionary, is the act of giving or taking a bribe. Okay, next word. Bribe, as defined by Webster's Online Dictionary, is money...given...in order to influence the judgment or conduct of a person in a position of trust; something that serves to induce or influence.

So technically, what I am doing with my girls is bribery, maybe. It could be considered an allowance, who's amount is based upon the amount of chores completed and how well they were done. Chores can included watching little brother for 5 minutes while I take a shower (the 1st in 4 days), taking diapers to the trash (so I can get the new diaper on baby boy before he sprays me, and to save me a trip), picking up toys (there really is no other way to get them to do this. they've told me they'd rather me throw them away before we started this).

So what's the payout. Well, that depends. Never more than $1 each, unless it's something funny, like sending them to dog-pile on hubby when he just layed down, thinking I didn't see him sneak into our bedroom. Most time's it's a few pennies to a quarter. Whatever I find in the wash. They aren't getting rich from this, I can assure you.

They also lose money. Our middle child, Waterbaby, likes to play with stuff. Doesn't matter what it is, as long as it isn't a toy, she wants it. And apparently watching stuff flow down the drain in the bathroom sink is more entertaining than an hours worth of cartoons because I emptied that jar and couldn't replace everything she dumped in a course of 2 days. They also lose money for bad behavior, like back talk or not sharing.

So, what are your thoughts? Do you give your kids an allowance? How much? When did you start (forgot to add, my girls are 4 and 3), do they have to do anything to get it?

Thanks for weighing in on this. Its always nice to know what others in the parenting bubble are doing.

Garden Update

Finally! The garden party has begun. I've been out twice a day for 3 days (couldn't yesterday because of the blisters on my hand) and I finally got one bed done. I know what you're thinking. One bed? Yep, one. With a baby, it's really hard to find the time.

So, our first bed in the big garden this year. We have about 8-10 short rows of Black Aztec corn, and 3 Seminole Pumpkin hills. Once the corn gets big enough, I may plant some pole beans down the south side of that bed. Give the three sisters a try and see how it works.

So, the vine growing out of the compost bin is not a loufa gourd vine. Not quite sure yet. The leaves look like squash leaves, so I'm thinking it's an 8-ball squash. They are dark green and get about the size of a kids head. They are excellent stuffed or cut into chunks and sauteed in butter.

Next step is planting the onions up front and putting in okra, green and yellow squash, water melon, orange melon (can't remember the variety right now), lemon balm (to go in with the squash), wild strawberries going I don't know where, and some more butter beans.

That's about it for now. I harvested some rosemary a while back and it's almost dry. I'm so excited. We've never dried any before, so I hope it turns out okay. I tried my hand at drying mint, but I must have left it up there too long. We'll see if the second time's the charm.

I'll post some photos as soon as the stuff starts to sprout and get pretty. Grow something this year. It'll be one of the most rewarding things you do, I promise. :)

There's a Sucker...I Mean, Customer, Born Every Minute

"There's a sucker born every minute." attributed to P.T. Barnum (by one of his competitors in the circus business). He stated his actual quote was "There's a customer born every minute." Well, the situation that went down today fits better into the first scenario. And guess who the sucker was ladies and gents. That's right, yours truly. 

It all started with a simple trip to the flea market. One of mine and hubby's favorite activities when we are childless for a few hours on the weekend. Started off normal, found some really cool stuff that hubby wouldn't look at, so I didn't buy. Really kicking myself for it now...but that's getting ahead. Let me continue...

So, we continue on our stroll, not seeing anything really out of the ordinary. Then someone (a lady, with long blonde hair and sunglasses) walks up and hands me and hubby each a ticket for our "free" chance to win cash and prizes. (Hint #1 that this was a scam....The first one's always free!) So, we go over, take our rolls, and low and behold, we're pretty darn close to winning (Hint #2 that it's a scam, the guy will add up your numbers really fast and all of sudden, you're soooo close to winning...all you need is *x* number of points)

. So, I pay a couple bucks to get another roll and see what luck will bring me...today must have been her day off. A couple bucks and 1 roll (toss actually, some sort of balls in the hole, add up the numbers, get to 100, win a prize type deal. in plain english - The Odds Are On the House!)...anyway, 1 roll turned into more and yada yada yada, I now own a very expensive stuffed bunny rabbit. Now, being that this not an 'anonymous' blog, as in, my family reads this, I will not disclose how much I got taken for. Let's just say I should have known better. 

And what was hubby doing during all of this, you ask? Standing back and watching. You see, he knows, the odds are always on the house. He let me learn the hard way, like normal. If he had been paying a little more attention, I think he would have stopped me sooner, but that's how it goes. Guess we both learned a lesson today. 

So, remember kiddies, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The odds are always on the house. The first one's always free. And the most important rule of all, because it's printed somewhere, just so tiny you can't see it...NO REFUNDS. 

Well, I hope some of you learned something from my experience today. I know I did. A lesson I will never forget. And I have a large gray stuffed rabbit next to my computer to remind me, just in case. 

I added a couple links through amazon, some good financial sense books (just from what I've heard. I have not read these books, but I've seen the author speak and trust her to give sound advice).

Enjoy your week, and don't let Monday get you down. 

love from the swamps

Getting to Know YOU

 

I am joining up with Mann Land 5 today in her blog carnival. Get to know me, get to know others, and let others get to know you. 

Check her site for the link up list. It's super easy to link up. And you never know, you might make some new friends along the way. :)

The questions..

1. The most expensive thing hanging in my closet is.....?
One of 2 things, depending on how you look at it. The thing I paid the most for is a Bob Marley Hoodie from Soul-Flower which was on clearance (FINALLY) for $38, so $45 with shipping. The other one that might qualify is a designer black wool dress that I bought at Rugged Wearhouse for $2. The original price tag was still on it...for $198! Gotta love a bargain. So, take your pick. :)

2. Have you ever played a team sport?
1 year of softball, 1 year of basketball, 1 year track&field, 1 year soccer (wasn't really a sportsy kid)

3. If you were a bug, what kind would you be?
A gigantic spider. The ultimate predator of insects (and yes, I know, they aren't actually insects...)

4. Where on your body is the worst place to get sunburned? (thanks Ian)
either on the back or bottoms of feet

5. Are you happy?
I'm not sad. :)

6. People are always abbreviating..are there any abbreviations that make your skin crawl when people use them?
FTW, unless they are using the newer connotation "For the Win"

7. Do you love where you live..or could you live anywhere?
I love the area, because it's my home. But do I love our neighborhood...not so much. I want to be a little further out in the country. Gotta have some breathing room.

8. What, if any, extreme measures do you go to to keep yourself from overeating when you're full?
 I don't. When I get full, I stop eating. Unless it's molten chocolate cake, then I just overeat and pay the price later. Because it's so worth it. :)


Well, that's it. Random information about the productive nonconformist. Hope you at least found it amusing. Don't forget to check out MannLand5 to see other answers and add your own. 
 

(Almost) Wordless Thursday

Lunch today, as requested by my 2 little girls.

Sausage patties from last night, half a pear each, and 1 cherry. Milk to drink. 

My kids make me so proud.