Category Archives: Family & Friends

A Week of Blessings!

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NEWS FROM THE HOME SITE:

This has been a good week filled with many blessings. There have been many spiritual blessings every day that assures me (us) that God is taking care of us and loves us unfailingly!

I was invited to an end-of-school party the last day of school in one of the special ed classes I have subbed in many times this school year.  I love those kids!

And this has also been a week of freebies and winning items for our family:

  • I won a package of 3 ring pops from Happy Mom of 5.
  • We went to a store where a radio station (KLTY) was on location having drawings for prizes.  Our son won a CD and then ten minutes later, I won a CD by Brandon Heath who has some really great songs.
  • We were walking away after winning the CD’s and we heard they were having one last drawing so we turned around.  They called my name AGAIN and I won 4 tickets to the new movie, Marmaduke, that just came out in theaters this week.
  • After winning the CD’s and movie tickets, we left to go get our free sandwiches at Chick-Fil-A (hope you made your reservation a week or so ago to get a free spicy chicken sandwich)  We were going to buy fries to go with them, but the boy waiting on us said that we got fries and drinks free, too.  Awesome!
  • Yesterday, we took advantage of Bank of America’s “Museums on Us!” (which occurs the first weekend of every month), and we went to the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science.  Since each one of us had our own Bank of America card in our name, all three of us got in free.  Tickets are $10 a piece, so we saved $30 on tickets.  We thoroughly enjoyed the museum!  (I’ll write more about this later…dinosaur exhibit was fantastic)



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Thank You, Chick-Fil-A

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Thanks to Chick-Fil-A, we enjoyed free spicy chicken sandwiches for dinner this evening.  My husband, our son, and I all went to their website a few days ago to make our reservation for the free sandwiches.  We were all impressed with this new addition to their menu which is to be released to the public on June 7, 2010.   The chicken was very tender, and the breading was minimum in relation to the thick chicken breast fillet.  If you like spice, I  think you’ll like this sandwich!  (And, of course, we had to have their famous waffle fries, too!)

*Note – If you read the comments below, you’ll see how two different Chick-Fil-A’s gave more than free sandwiches this week.

Happy Mother’s Day!

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“Happy Mommy’s Day” is what our son guesses that his nephew, J (our grandson), is probably saying today.  I can imagine J saying that.

To all of you mothers out there, hope everyone has a Happy Mother’s Day and can enjoy being with family.  To all of you young mothers like our daughter, Christi, there is hope for sleep in the future.  I was thinking this morning how Christi has not had a full nights sleep in the past two and a half years (actually 33 months) except for maybe a dozen times.  (Is that accurate, Christi?)  That shows the love and commitment of a mother.

Mother & Daughter, Now & Then

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Here’s a picture of Christi (Frugal Novice) and me taken a couple of weeks ago.  Thought it would be appropriate to have a picture of mother & daughter bloggers for Mother’s Day. Thinking about Mother’s Day brings back happy memories not only of my own mother but also thoughts of how proud we are of our own two children and son-in-law.  They’re all such a blessing!  Our daughter, Christi, is a mother herself of two of the most adorable, most precious little boys (our grandsons). And that reminds me of a song my husband used to sing before Christi was born and throughout her life.  I must admit the song brings tears to my eyes sometimes.  Here’s part of the song:

Where are you going, my little one, little one

Where are you going, my baby my own.

Turn around you’re two, turn around you’re four

Turn around and you’re a young girl going out of the door.

Turn around, turn around,

Turn around and you’re a young girl going out of the door.

Where are you going, my little one, little one.

Where are you going, my baby my own.

Turn around… you’re small, turn around… you’re grown.

Turn around and you’re a young wife with babes of your own.

Turn around, turn around

Turn around and you’re a young wife with babes of your own.“

Here’s a picture of Christi and me taken 28 years ago.  Isn’t she precious!

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO ALL THE MOTHERS WHO ARE READING THIS!

Starbuck’s Frappuccinos Half-Price this Friday, 3-5 PM

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For those of you who enjoy a cold Frappuccino from Starbucks on a warm day, be sure to note that this Friday, May 7th, you’ll be able to get one half-price between 3 & 5 p.m.  Starbucks will be doing this again on May 16th.

I remember my first Frappuccino many years ago when our daughter was getting her hair cut (during her college years) .  Christi’s friend, Amber, and I didn’t want to wait at the Salon, so we went to a nearby Starbucks where Amber quickly  recommended a Creme Caramel Frappuccino.  It was so delicious!!  And I imagine it had zero calories.  (notice I said “imagine”)   I haven’t had very many of them because they really aren’t that healthy, but every once in a while I will have one for a special treat!

Jewelry for Jenny

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Jenny Bizaillion and her husband didn’t have any medical insurance, and he is overwhelmed right now by the enormous medical bills incurred during her hospital stay and then also for her funeral expenses. Jewelry for Jenny is selling jewelry designed specifically with Jenny in mind.   Jenny’s daughter and close friend helped design the jewelry, and part of the proceeds will go directly to help with medical costs.  It’s very touching to go to this site and read the story of Jenny and see the pieces of jewelry that reflect her life.

Thousands of prayers for Jenny were lifted up during her sudden illness (flu/pneumonia/sepsis), and you can still visit the FaceBook site set up for her!  Although Jenny passed away at the young age of 31 and is greatly missed, her family believes God has a greater purpose in mind.  Jenny’s passion for Christ has touched so many people’s lives!

5 Minutes For Mom’s 2010 Blog Party

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Christi from The Frugal Novice, who just happens to be our wonderful daughter, has a great give-away at “5 Minutes for Mom’s Blog Party.” Her give-away for a $25 Target gift card is listed under the US Continental Only Prize List and is US32.  You do not have to be a blogger to enter this, just go to this site and read what you need to do to join the fun and have a chance to win one of the many, many prizes being offered.   There are so many great prizes being offered, so don’t miss out on the fun!  Other prizes I really like are US39 which is a two night stay at a Hilton Garden Inn provided by bloggin2noggin, US113 for a $50 Walmart gift card provided by Susan from Opinions, thoughts and everyday life , USC3 for a $50 Target gift card from Peggy at PegsPlay, USC15 for a $50 Target gift card from Haley at Love, Live and Then Some, and USC39 for a $50 PayPal prize from Trisha at MomDot.

My top picks after the laptop are in the following order:  US39, US113, USC3, USC35, USC39, USC15, USC8, US32, US107, US88, Us31

Abuelo’s Mexican Food Restaurant – eClub

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If you’ve never eaten at Abuelos, this is a great Mexican food restaurant that our whole family really likes.  We don’t eat there very often, but we always enjoy it when we do.

My husband and I went there to celebrate our anniversary, and the great thing is that we had a coupon for “Buy an entree and two drinks and receive a free entree.”   I joined Abuelo’s eClub last year and received a coupon like the one mentioned just for joining.   The timing wasn’t right so we weren’t able to use the coupon.  So what we did this year was to wait to have my husband sign up for their eClub until the week before our anniversary.  That way, we were able to use the coupon for joining  on our actual anniversary date.

Not only were we able to get a free entree, but we had enough food left over for a meal at home the next day.  We both really like their enchiladas.  I usually barely eat two enchiladas by the time I’ve eaten a lot of chips and salsa.  My husband wanted three enchiladas.  So…we each ordered the four enchilada plate which was only $1 more than the three enchilada plate (and remember one plate was free).   There was so much food that we only ate half of our refried beans and “Papas Con Chili” (their signature dish of whipped red potatoes, four cheeses, red & green peppers, sour cream, garlic, and  jalapeno – yummy!).  We both got take-out boxes for our leftovers plus took our refill of chips and salsa that we had barely touched.  Like I mentioned, we had enough food for another meal at home.  The Frugal Novice would think that this was very frugal!

(I was not compensated in any way for this review.  It is strictly my opinion.)

Organic Food at Jason’s Deli

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Jason’s Deli is one of my favorite places to eat. They have such fresh, healthy, and even some organic foods. I have a couple of girlfriends who have birthdays within just a few days of mine. For the past three years, we have met at Jason’s to visit and celebrate our birthdays. It’s also a time we catch up with each others lives. Another great thing about Jason’s is that you don’t have to rush. We can take our time and enjoy visiting, even if it’s for three hours!

(I was not compensated in any way for this review.  It is strictly my opinion.)

Children’s Items Resale Event

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Our daughter, Christi, loves to go to the children’s consignment event that takes place twice a year where she lives.  It’s a lot of work pricing every item of clothing and entering it in online.  But it’s necessary because when people purchase items at the sale, POSGuys make check-out quick and efficient. It’s worth all the work because she usually makes enough from what she sells to cover what she buys.  That’s a really nice incentive for doing all of this!  And their little boys end up with some cute, quality clothes that sometimes look like new.

Take a Vacation From Sick Germs! (We Wish!)

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There’s so much sickness going on right now.  I have been doing more substitute teaching recently because of it.  I feel sorry for our daughter, Christi, and her husband and two babies.  They’ve all been sick with everything from pink eye (Baby C), throwing up, ear infection, to just not feeling well because of a bad cold and/or fever.  They need to take an Outer Banks vacation to get away from all the sick germs that are at work, preschool, and everywhere!

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

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Hi everyone! I’m Charla’s daughter, Christi, and I’ve asked her if I could post a recipe review every once in a while. Thanks for letting me join in!

I’ve been trying to eat healthier this year (cliche, I know… but hey, whatever motivation works, right?) and have used a lot of resources to find good recipes. My favorite recipe site is allrecipes.com. I love that you can search by ingredient, but the best feature to me is the reviews. I read quite a few reviews for any recipe I plan to try – many of them offer suggestions for how to improve it, or ways you can change it if you don’t like one thing or another.

The latest recipe we tried is a new fave. I made it this past weekend and am already planning to make it again tomorrow – it’s THAT good, people! Plus, as a bonus, it’s a slow cooker recipe – set it and forget it. Here’s a link to the recipe, and then I’ve listed my modified version below:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Chicken-Taco-Soup/Detail.aspx

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN TACO SOUP

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans
  • 1 (15 ounce) can of corn, drained (I left this out of our version, though)
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 12 ounces of chicken broth
  • 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
  • 1 small (8-10 ounce) can of chopped green chiles
  • 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning (recipe listed below)
  • 3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts (or tenderloins – I bought the pre-trimmed, 98% fat-free kind and think it was totally worth a little extra cost)
  • shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
  • crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Taco Seasoning Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

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Directions

  1. Place the onion, black beans, green chiles, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
  2. Remove the lid to your slow cooker and use two forks to shred the chicken breast. Then continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

A couple of notes regarding my changes – first, I can’t stand corn, so I left it out. Most of you will probably want to add that back in. Also, the recipe calls for chili beans – I prefer black beans, so I just used two cans of those instead. We also like things a little spicier, so I added the can of green chiles (it still wasn’t TOO spicy, in our opinion). And the original recipe called for beer, which I a) didn’t have and b) read that it could give the soup a weird taste. I opted for chicken broth, and think that was definitely the right choice. You’ll notice the taco seasoning recipe isn’t included in the recipe on the site – I found that in the first review I read, which happens to be by the author of the original recipe. This taco seasoning is GREAT and we had most of the spices needed for it on hand. We used red pepper flakes that had come with pizza, so save those pepper flakes next time you order Papa John’s! 🙂 Anyway, we plan to try that seasoning recipe next time we make tacos. But I digress… the last change I made to the recipe is leaving out the sour cream. We actually used light sour cream the first time we made it, but felt it didn’t really add anything to the flavor – and who wants extra calories if you don’t need them!

I’d suggest putting the taco seasoning together in a container the night before, and chopping the onion. Then the next morning you can quickly throw everything in the crock pot and be on your way! The aroma alone of this soup is AMAZING. My husband said it kind of reminds him of a southwestern chicken chili, so I guess you could call it that too. It’s got a nice heartiness to it and is pretty filling. The flavor is great – a nice balance of seasoning, not too overpowering or too spicy. Our (very picky) two-year-old ate, and liked, the soup. That alone says a lot!

I hope you’ll give this soup a try and that you’ll love it as much as we did!