Noah's Bird Army

One of the really cool things about living in Florida is all of the birds. My family really likes birds. I may or may not have called my mom the bird lady. I have never seen The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock and I plan to keep it that way, since there are birds everywhere. There are pelicans, ibises, egrets, gallinules, and Muscovy ducks to name a few. You usually find pelicans where there are fishing boats, but you can really find them anywhere near water.  We have seen baby gallinules that are the cutest birds. They look like little black balls of fur.  I was able to take pictures of them and we watched them grow up. It was really neat.  I don’t like Muscovy Ducks, but Noah does, they are really weird looking, they look kind of like turkeys. Maybe I shouldn’t be so judgmental.  One of Noah’s favorite things is to feed the birds at the park. They love to see him, it looks like Noah is leading a parade or has an army because they follow him around.  The other day I noticed a bunch of ibises hanging out, walking back and forth and it was like they knew I was Noah’s mom, because they were following me around too.  They were not afraid and they didn’t fly away. I thought I would snap some pictures of Noah’s bird soldiers.

BBQ Chicken Pizza Recipe

I love pizza. I could eat it all the time. I don't always want the red sauce as Noah calls it. I love to mix it up. I started making BBQ chicken pizza. Who doesn't love BBQ chicken? I know I do. Every time I make my special BBQ chicken pizza it is fabulous. It may not be the most beautiful pizza but holy cow is it amazing. I laugh every time I make it because my best friend Brandy always comments that chicken doesn't belong on pizza. She is a little crazy, cause she has never tried it. 

I wanted to share my recipe with you all. My recipe is different when it comes to ingredients and the building of the pizza. Most pizzas have the toppings on the top but this recipe has them nestled inside. Please don't laugh at my pizza pan, it is very old and has made many pizzas and fruit pizzas in my life. This pan could be well over twenty years old because it is the only one I remember, and I have a great memory. I am convinced I should be a history teacher because I am so good with dates and memories.  Here is my recipe:

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Pizza Crust (I use Jiffy it works well)

BBQ sauce ( I use Jack Daniels no 7 BBQ sauce)

One package precooked Chicken ( I use Tyson in the green pouch)

Half of an Onion or a small onion

8 slices of Bacon

5 slices or 4 ounces of muenster Cheese

 1 cup Shredded mozzarella

3/4 cup shaved or shredded Parmesan

When using the Jiffy Pizza Crust, I let it rise for two hours. I turn on the oven on the lowest temp, preheat it and turn it off. I usually leave the oven open a little to let some of the heat escape. Then close the door.  I rise the dough inside the oven. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees,

Oil the pizza pan and spread out the dough. Bake for 5 minutes. 

While it is baking chop the onion and chicken and bacon and put it in a bowl. Pour in some BBQ sauce to cover it and mix. Make sure it is completely covered but not swimming in sauce. 

 When the timer goes off, put a layer of BBQ sauce on the crust and then pour on the BBQ chicken onions and bacon mixture. 

Bake for ten minutes at 400 degrees.  While it is baking chop the muenster cheese. I decided match sticks work the best. 

After the ten minutes is up take out the pizza. First put on a layer of muenster cheese, then the Parmesan and finally the mozzarella.

Return to oven for 5 to 7 more minutes until the cheese is melted and enjoy. 

I hope you like this recipe. Let me know what you think. This a good quick delicious recipe that anyone can make.    

Pearberry Fruit Leather Recipe

I really like fruit snacks, fruit roll ups and fruit leather. I used to buy stretch island fruit leathers when I was in high school. As everything has done it became really expensive. I stopped buying them because they are  like 99 cents each.  Last time I ate fruit leather was probably when I won some in a giveaway. Archer Farms sells it but it is still $3.99 a box.  I always wanted to make fruit leather. I used to have a fruit snack maker, it was nasty. I have a dehydrator but I never used it for making fruit leather.  The dehydrator seems to take forever to use so I didn't even attempt it. I kinda forgot about it for a while, until a friend of mine posted a recipe for fruit leather on Facebook. I decided I would finally try it. I was so excited about it. I couldn't sleep. I am a total dork. I went to the local fruit stand with the full intention of making one of the recipes on Oh My Veggies. She has a lot of fruit leather recipes. Unfortunately not really in flavors I am fond of like banana, mango and strawberry banana. I wanted to try the peach raspberry recipe. That sounds really good. When I went to the fruit stand they didn't have any raspberries. So, I bought blackberries. I took Noah with me so you know there was a variety of fruit purchased. Half of what I wanted to buy wasn't in the store. So, we just grabbed some fruit. 

The inspiration for this recipe came from soap. I was in the bathroom and I looked at the soap I have and I decided to make Pearberry fruit leather.  I had strawberries but I wanted pure strawberry so I thought I would try pear and blackberry. I wasn't too sure how it would turn out. Originally I was just going to make strawberry yesterday as we had a play date. I figured since there was room in the oven and it was on and the kitchen was already messy, I would make it too. 

Here is my recipe for Pearberry Fruit Leather:

3 pears

1 container of blackberries

1 tablespoon of honey

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees

Cut up pears and place in the food processor. Add the blackberries and purée until there are no lumps.  Add honey and mix it up. 

Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and  spread it evenly.  Bake it for about 5 or 6 hours until completely dry. 

Remove the fruit leather from the cookie sheet carefully and cut in to strips and enjoy. 

My fruit leather is really thin. It is really good this way. It melts in your mouth and doesn't hurt your teeth, like the thicker stuff does. It's also a little crunchy. We love it though. Noah tried to attack it this morning, I thought it would be great for lunches.

If you would like it thicker you could use a smaller cookie sheet or increase the amount of pears and blackberries.

I Love White Queso

When I was younger my old friend and I would go to the same Mexican restaurant every week. We were definitely regulars. They knew our names and we had a table we always sat at. No matter what we ordered we always ordered queso. Sometimes we would eat a meal and sometimes we would have strawberry daiquiris and chips and queso. I love it. I found out quickly that it was really hard to find good white queso at the store. It seems like everyone had a version and they weren't the same. They were decent but not the same. I am sure you know what I am talking about. 

Now that I am a mom weekly girl talk at a Mexican restaurant is no longer an option. I looked and looked for that same restaurant quality white queso and probably tried every brand that was on the market. Don't get me wrong, I like the yellow kind too but I have a special fondness for the white. I finally found a brand called Gordos in the dairy section.  I found it in 2007. I thought I would try it and there it was when you heat it up, you have the same cheese. It's the same consistency and it is spot on. I really love it and buy it as much as I can. They have it a lot of places. There is something about chips and cheese that makes my tummy happy.

Have you ever tried Gordos white queso?

100 Years Ago....

 My grandpa would have been 100 years old today. He was the best man I ever met. Not because he brought me happy meals and treats to me but because he was so kind and loving and an amazing person. I thought that this year is a big milestone to think that my grandpa was born 100 years ago. I would celebrate in a way that he would love. He used to love to play cards. His favorite candy was Kit Kats, my grandma Rose and I would bring him back one when we walked to the store. I miss and love my grandpa. I wish he and my grandma Rose were able to meet Noah. I am sure they would have loved him.  I see a lot of my grandpa in Noah, especially his love of trying to figure out how things work. I know him and my grandma are smiling down on us from heaven. I make it a point to talk about my grandma and grandpa a lot to Noah. On my grandma Rose's birthday I told him that it was my grandma's birthday. He responded she is 96 I said how did you know that and he responded because she was 95 last year. 

 

So in honor of my grandpa Jim's 100th birthday, Noah and I both ate a KitKat bar.

They Banned the Witches?!?!?!

I found out something tonight that totally broke my heart. One of my favorite books as a child has been banned from schools and libraries. This book is not a bad book at all. I spent many hours reading this book over and over again. I love it. I remember I had a friend who I used to play with and we would act out books. Yes I am a dork. Oddly enough I had a dream last night about this girl. I haven't talked to her since I was like in the fourth grade.  I can not believe they banned The Witches by Dahl. The reasoning is stupid. Something about being sexist and it is violent. Really? All witches are women. That is something that has been a fact since the dawn of time. Ok it is a little violent but not really. They talk a mad game but they are overcome by Luke. This really upsets me to the point of wanting to cry. Noah will read the witches and watch the movie just as I did. I see nothing wrong with it. It's fiction my six year old knows the difference between fiction and nonfiction.  It is not even as scary as Harry Potter or a lot of the books out there.  I never had a Witches nightmare in my life. 

What are the Best Sites to Play Bingo?

Bingo is one of the most popular games in the world. It's like a raffle for fun, and because it is usually played for money, it is considered as a gambling game. As any bingo player will tell you, they don't play bingo for the money. For us bingo players, it's a pastime.

There's something different about the game. It shouldn't be that exciting, except that whenever someone shouts "Bingo" the excitement level in the room goes up. Of course, there's the thrill of anticipation, and the electricity when the numbers keep getting called without anyone shouting "bingo", but when someone does, everyone smiles and then gets excited all over again for the next game.

Shouting "bingo" just means that you've won the game. If you want to be serious about winning, then you have to buy more cards. But whether you play to win or to pass the time, there is no denying the simplicity of the game makes it very popular.

Nowadays, you can play bingo online. The internet has brought it to the home. If I want to, I can play bingo anytime I want, without leaving the house. There are a lot of websites which offer bingo, and you can play with real money if you want to. I typically just go for low stakes. Like in real life bingo places, there are variations of bingo which offer big prizes. Of course, I have to make sure that the bingo website is legitimate. No use of winning if you won't be able to collect the prize. I have been careful and done due diligence because there are scam or fake bingo sites which let you play but actually are just after your money. Not much fun if you don't win every so often.

I started out on online bingo by reading up and doing research on the sites. Bingo gamesite reviews also help. From what I gathered, there are many online bingo sites, but my favorite sites are on this site.

Valentine's Day Presents for Noah

It is almost Valentine’s Day, the day of love. It’s also a huge gift giving holiday, mostly for couples, but also a day you can give your loved ones a reminder of how much you love them.  Growing up my family always gave each other Valentine’s Day gifts. Now that I am a mom, I have carried on that tradition with Noah.  There are all kinds of gifts you can give your Valentine. One of the most popular are heart shaped chocolates. As much as I love candy, I have never cared for heart shaped boxes of chocolate. Mostly because there are only a few pieces I like and then the rest of it gets thrown away.  Another popular gift is flowers. I really like flowers, but they only last for a couple weeks and then they are gone.  I prefer to give and receive gifts that will last for forever, I like to look back and remember when I received a specific present.  Noah also likes to talk about when he received a certain gift. For example, he knows that last year he received a LEGO fire truck for Valentine’s Day. This year I am going to get him something besides LEGOs because he has so many of them. I was really impressed with the 100 Good Wishes Candles; we gave Noah’s teachers so I will definitely look at RedEnvelope for Valentines presents.  I also like to give my mom a Valentine’s Day present because she is my rock and I want to show her how much I love her. I am sure she would love a personalized mug. My mom loves coffee. I know that if I need to leave her a note, the best place to put it is her coffee pot.  I really love shopping at RedEnvelope because the quality is amazing and it always ships fast.  The prices are great too and you can always find RedEnvelope Coupons  to save even more. I can’t wait for Valentine’s Day and spend the day with my son who is the love of my life.

 Do you get your children presents for Valentine’s Day?

Hamster Chase App Review!

 

It is no secret that I am attached to my iPhone. I even sleep with it next to me. I really enjoy playing games on it, especially when I am waiting to do something, or riding in the car with my family. Checking your email, forums, Twitter and Facebook can be boring. I don’t always have texts to respond to so I have apps to play with. I recently had the chance to learn about an app called Hamster Chase.  Hamster Chase is a fun game where you have to move the hamster through different puzzles to reach their bed or food. Sometimes you have more than one hamster; sometimes there are holes that you have to avoid falling in to. The worst thing is the cat. I don’t like the levels with the cat because, it’s hard. Especially when you have to knock the cats out with the punching glove, but I am determined to beat each level no matter how long it takes.  Hamster Chase is really addicting and so much fun. I had Noah try it too. He tried to use his finger to move it, using your finger will not work, you have to tilt the device.  I really like that you have to tilt it because when I try and click on something on websites I tend to miss what I am trying to click on and click on something else.  Noah thinks that Hamster Chase is so much fun and he asks to play it all the time, or when I am playing it, he will ask for a turn. Of course I can’t resist his smile so, it is an app we play together.   

Here is some information from the developer:

This top-down, accelerometer-driven puzzle game has players guide four cute cartoon hamsters (Sasha, Goldie, Snowflake, and Ting-Ting) home through 100 levels filled with deep holes, flying balls, spinning tops, vacuums, and even a nasty pussycat--the ill-mannered Sour Puss. Hamster Chase also includes a fully-interactive, virtual Hamster Cage that allows players to watch hamsters run on their wheels, play hide and seek, tell jokes, and much more.

Hamster Chase was created by Christopher Haag, a multi-talented designer/programmer/producer and sole founder of Gamieon.

                     Features:

·         Colorful graphics: all the “cute” you can take in one sitting!

·         100 levels, including challenging boss fights against Sour Puss

·         Gold coins are awarded based on how fast players clear each level

·         Skip harder levels by spending coins

·         Includes a virtual Hamster Cage

·         Facebook and Twitter integration make bragging on the street a thing of the past

·         Compatible with iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and most Android smartphones and tablets

Hamster Chase is now available for iOS and Android!  There are free and paid versions of Hamster Chase. The paid version is only $0.99 and worth every penny.

For more information please visit Gamieon

Please Don't Say Hurtful Things About Others

Noah was in gym class and two girls started fighting. Noah did the responsible thing and told the teacher. One of the girls, who are kindergarteners, was saying help help help. Noah told me later that he thought about stepping in but didn't. He decided to tell the teacher. I told him that he did the right thing. I told him he could have gotten hurt or in trouble too. I am proud of him for making the right choice. Another girl called him stupid. He was obviously upset about it still when he got home. I told him he isn't stupid, he is really smart, as he begged to do his double digit addition worksheet. I asked him if he thought he was stupid and he said no. I told him that sometimes people say things that aren't true and that girl doesn't really know him and that she was just being mean. I also asked him what he did when she said that and he said nothing. I told him that was best because he might have made her madder. I am so proud of him for making good choices. I am proud of him for doing the right thing by telling a teacher about the fight and for being able to know that if someone says something about you it's not always true. 

After our conversation, it got me thinking. I have been called some things and been accused of being a certain way but I know that I am not any of them. People have a way of twisting words and putting words in others mouths and until there is nothing true about what the original person said. It is like a bad game of telephone. I think that it is important to talk to your children about who they are and make sure you give them praise and let them know that sometimes they will be faced with someone who calls them stupid or fat or ugly and that none of it is true. Not a single word of it. When you believe in yourself and love yourself nothing anyone can say will define you. When you start thinking that way is when it is really a problem. As I have mentioned before, I was in an abusive marriage. I was told how fat and ugly and stupid I was every day that I believed it. If you hear something long enough and loud enough you will start to believe it even if it is just a lie. I know how hard it is not to care what others think. It really doesn't matter; if someone loves you then they love all of you. They look past your flaws because they don't see them. I think that flaws are things we all have, we are not perfect, but are things our enemies use to try and break us down.  If someone tried hard enough they could find something wrong with anything. I am perfectly imperfect, and I am perfectly fine with that.