Keep those recipes comin'

The response to my crock pot contest has been GREAT!!! The recipes all look wonderful and we will be trying a lot of them this weekend.

We experienced our first frost last night. Since we live in Southeast Louisiana, this is a bit earlier than we had expected. So, my husband and I went out at around 9 last night to cover up the garden with plastic. Aside from freezing, all was going well until.....

I was carrying the last board over to hold down the plastic and 'forgot' about the sunk in hole near the garden where a tree used to be. I, of course, stepped in it. I mean, I didn't earn the nickname 'Klutz' for nothing. The board went flying and I landed in a whimpering heap on the ground. You know that sound pants make when they are ripped? A sound similar to that came from my ankle/foot region with a lot of pain to go along. My wonderful husband, and all his infinite medical wisdom, came over and poked my ankle and said, 'It feels fine - I don't think you broke it.' Thanks!!!

It is still a little sore this morning. Not broken, maybe sprained. I am sitting here with a bag of frozen peas on it at the moment. So, keep those recipes comin' because they are keeping me occupied while I try to forget about the pain.

Crockpot Cooking Contest!!!

Tonight is another soccer night, which means another crock pot meal. I LOVE my crock pot. But, I am rapidly running out of crock pot recipes. So, on to the contest...

Help me with new recipes that I can make in my beloved crock pot and I will reward you with a lovely gift. To enter: email me with your crock pot recipe of choice. You may DEFINITELY enter more than once. (I can use all the help I can get) Please put 'Crock pot Contest' in the subject line of your email, or else I might mistake your entry for another one of my many admirers from Nigeria who wants to give me a bazillion dollars, and your entry might just end up in the trash folder.

The rules: Well, only one rule. As I reside in the middle of nowhere, please be sure your recipe doesn't contain any exotic ingredients.

Increase your odds of winning by posting a link to my giveaway on your blog. Let me know you did and I will give you 2 more entries. And, leave a comment on this post and get an extra entry.

So, 1 entry per recipe, 2 entries for linking to my giveaway, and 1 entry for a comment on this post.

Oh yeah, what's the gift, huh? For your hard work, I will be giving away a gift bag full of Avon products (worth at least $25). The winner will be randomly selected and need not have the recipe I like the best. I will try them all, though, so send me yummy ones, please!!!

Entries must be received by Friday, October 31 and the winner will be announced Monday, November 3rd.


Also, checkout the Bloggy Giveaways @ http://www.donttryit.com/bloggy_giveaways/2008/10/bloggy-giveaw-1.html

MIA

Sorry for the long absence - I'm sure everyone understands how life can sometimes sneak up on you. We have been so busy.

My husband's office had a booth at the fair and so we spent a lot of time there. Then, I got to be the fortunate recipient of the germs from Nathan's school so I have spent a good many days on the couch lately.

But, I am feeling better now and I will be back to posting as usual tomorrow morning. I will be picking up on my 'Meet the Fam' series with Lauren, my baby. Plus, I will be announcing a cool contest/giveaway that I hope everyone will participate in.

See you soon!!!

Nathan

Welcome back to part 2 in our 'Meet the Fam' series. Today's guest is my son, Nathan.

Nathan is our middle child. He is a sweet and loving boy, most of the time. But, he does have his moments. Don't we all?

He is a daredevil. This face plant was done in our driveway.

I don't remember the cause of this case of road rash - there

are so many.

He is an animal lover. He was very upset with us when this particular crawfish went into the pot. He really wanted to keep it.

Hello? It's for you. He's a bit of a jokester.

Here he is patiently waiting for his lunch at the zoo cafe. His favorite

lunch is PB&J. In fact, that is all he ever wants to eat.

Most of the time, he is a very happy child. His laugh is infectious.

At the end of the day, he is a typical male. All he wants is a comfortable place to sit, some food to eat and the remote...

and, of course, a nap.

Madison

Monday, Monday...so good to me...

Just had to get that out of my system, forgive me. Monday is a day dreaded by so many but to me it is a day of normalcy. Business as usual. My husband goes back to work, the 2 oldest go back to school and my youngest and I are back on OUR schedule. The one where we play, run to the store on a whim, sing along with Sesame Street, and get some housework done if we can squeeze it in. Really, I do plan out my day with lots of cleaning time allotted, but something always gets us off track. Anywho...

Today is the first day of my new series called, 'Meet the Fam.' First up is our first born, Madison.

Isn't she beautiful? I swear she is going to be a

model one day.

I mean, just look at that walk. So regal!

She's not afraid to get in there and get the shot.

She plays soccer to help keep in shape.

I can just see her in a toothpaste ad, can't you?

And, most importantly, she loves the camera and is always posing.

Honestly, I can see her doing so many things. She's kinda argumentative, so I could see her being a lawyer. She's a true leader, so she could definitely handle the Presidency. She's kind hearted, so I could see her being a teacher or a nurse. She has a beautiful voice, so maybe she'll be the next Hannah Montana. (OK, she would rather be the next Taylor Swift and I am thankful for that.) She's very dramatic, so she would make a terrific actress. But whatever she chooses to do with her life, she will attack it with the same determination she does everything with. She is my baby girl and I love her with all of my heart.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday

OK, you may all already know this one. I just started doing it this way, though, so there maybe someone out there who can use this little glimmery nugget of info. Here goes: when you are freezing ground meat, place it into your freezer bag of choice and press it out until it is flat. My sister in law uses a rolling pin for this. I use my hands. :) Get out as much air as possible and seal.

Now, when you put the meat into your freezer, they will stack nicely and take up less space. But, my favorite part is that they thaw out a MILLION times faster. OK, that million times thing was not scientifically calculated, but you get the idea.