Awesome Cooking Blog

I just had to share this link with you: http://stolenmomentscooking.com/. It is a blog that I recently found that has the most awesome recipes that are economical and easy enough for this cook! The premise behind the title of the blog as I understand it is that the author has set out to make her meals during times of the day when she has a few stolen moments, in between being a home schooling mom of four kids. That way she can spend as much quality time as possible with her family. Many of the recipes make good-sized portions, especially the muffin recipes, which is great for our family of six big eaters. I have tried quite a few of the recipes on the blog already, and they have all been hits with my five men! Tonight we are having savory muffins with cheddar cheese and bacon...these stay in the fridge and heat up in the microwave so well as a quick breakfast or snack. I think you could freeze them, too, but they never make it that far in our house! If you try any good recipes from the blog, let me know! Enjoy!

Summer Creativity

Heard at our house yesterday:

Benjamin (in kitchen at art easel): "Yessss! Yessss!"

Mom and Sabastian exchange quizzical looks in the living room.

Mom: "What are you 'yesssing'?"

Benjamin: "I drawed the Axiom!" (Note to those who have never seen the movie WALL-E...the Axiom is the spaceship in the movie where WALL-E follows EVE and saves the day for humankind...you must see the movie...)

Mom and Sabastian walk to the kitchen and look at the conglomeration of color and share an amused look over Benjamin's head.

Benjamin (with a huge grin): "I'm an artist now!"

Mom (with a smile): "Yes you are, Buddy!"

-----

As a Mom, I love to see my 4-year old being so creative. My older boys were adopted out of foster care. I missed out on participating in their more formative years, and, probably due to the circumstances in which they lived during those years, they rarely engaged in imaginative or creative play when they became a part of our family at the ages of 4 and 6. It's so refreshing to see our younger two boys developing their imaginations and creativity, and their sense of self-accomplishment. I know you are dying to see Benjamin's painting, so here it is:

Notice the brown line weaving around the other colors? That is the "footprint" (tread) that WALL-E left when he roamed around the Axiom trying to find EVE. (Again, you must see the movie!)

----

We have made several trips to the library in the past week and a half. Jonathan, our 14 year old, has polished off two thick books already, and Sabastian, our 11 year old, is plowing through the Left Behind series for kids. Even I have gotten into the action...I've completed four novels for young adults thus far...maybe I'll post about them at a later date. In addition to books, our local library has a nice selection of jigsaw puzzles. Sabastian really enjoys putting puzzles together, so he also checked out a puzzle last week. He completed it last night. Here it is:

I'm looking forward to what other kind of creative fun my kids can find this summer...I'm especially excited that both Benjamin and Sabastian will be participating in Summer Art Camps at HATCH with my dear friend Beth. If you are in the Lancaster area, be sure to check out the schedule on her website...I know your kids will have fun and learn a lot!

Grand Opening: Hatch Studio and Gallery

Please join me in congratulating my friend, Bethany Hissong, on the Grand Opening of her dream, Hatch Studio and Gallery! I am so excited for her! If you live in the Lancaster, PA, area, you might want to come on out on Saturday, May 2, between 5 and 10 p.m. to check it out for yourself! All of the Grand Opening information is on her website, as well as information about the first adult photography class and the summer children's classes--of which my sons will be a part for sure! Beth is a fantastic artist in her own right, as well as an Art teacher. She is displaying and selling creative works from her friends around the world, including some adoption fundraising cards made by me and my mom. Please join me in congratulating her by visiting her blog, Red Yarn, and leaving a comment! Hope to see you on Saturday!

Breast Cancer Awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, if you haven't noticed all of the pink everywhere yet! Even the refs and the coaches of the NFL had pink ribbons on yesterday! Breast cancer touches so many families, and ours is no exception. A friend of mine forwarded information to me about The Breast Cancer Site, a website dedicated to getting the word out about breast cancer detection and awareness. Your click on the "Click Here to Give - it's FREE" button here helps fund FREE mammograms for women in need — low-income, inner-city and minority women whose awareness of breast cancer and opportunity for help is often limited. Your click is paid for by site sponsors, and mammogram funding is provided to clinics throughout the U.S. through the efforts of the National Breast Cancer Foundation . Many "clicks" are needed to fund each mammogram, so pass the word! You can click once daily, but as many days as you would like. My friend checked this out on Snopes, and according to them, it is legitimate. So, head on over and register your click to help women in need, and don't forget to do your own monthly exams!

Want $10.00?

Awhile back, I wrote about a website I found called Ebates where you can get a percentage of your online purchases back as cash when you start your online transaction for hundreds of retailers on the Ebates website. Usually, when you sign up, you get a $5.00 bonus, but right now, they are giving away $10.00 when you sign up. It's really a very easy way to earn some cash back for online purchases you are going to make anyway. I always check Ebates to see if the retailer I am purchasing from is on their website, and if it is, I just continue my transaction through Ebates to get my cash back--easy as pie! If you shop online, you really owe it to yourself to check it out! Who couldn't use a few extra bucks? Click here to find out more!

Penpal Anyone?

As a BzzAgent, I am asked to check out various websites from time to time and give my opinion of the service, product, etc. that the website is promoting. This afternoon, I came across a unique website called Postcrossing which enables you to send and receive postcards from people around the world who are enrolled on the site. I signed up and will be sending my first postcard to Finland. Once the person in Finland receives my card and registers it on the website, my name will go into the mix and someone will send me a postcard! I love getting mail, and I love learning about other countries and places, so this website really intrigues me. Penpal anyone?

Retail Me Not

I found a new website tonight that will save you time and money by giving you coupon codes for free shipping and percentage discounts for hundreds of online retailers. It is easy to navigate, and fun to use, so check it out the next time you are purchasing online by clicking on the link below. Let me know how you like it!

Visit Retail Me Not

Ebates

I have found a great way to pay myself for doing what I do best...shopping! By logging on to Ebates first, and then linking to my favorite on-line retailer through the Ebates site, I can get money back for purchases that I'm going to make anyway. And when you join Ebates, which is free, you earn your first $5.00...how easy is that! I have found that most of the retailers I enjoy are on Ebates. Most of them offer cash back on your purchases, which accumulates in your Ebates account, and then can be sent to you via check, or deposited in your Paypal account. Some retailers offer special coupons through Ebates instead, but it's still a good deal. The hardest part is remembering to log on to Ebates first, because you must link to the retailer from the Ebates site in order to receive the cash back. On my sidebar, underneath my profile, is a link to Ebates. If you join via that link, you and I will both earn $5.00--so if you care to earn money for your shopping habit, check it out!