Monday Link Ups and Weekend Review

I can actually say that I had a decent weekend. I haven't been able to say that for awhile.
Friday after work, I went to my hometown for a cousin's bridal shower. There are just a couple of cousins that still live around here, so it was mostly my Aunts and Great Aunts. But, my Aunts and Mom know how to party so it was a ton of fun. It was a dessert and wine party. Oh! I can't forget about the cheese either...lol.
It was at my Mom's house so she made all the desserts. She made a couple of trifels, a key lime dessert and some cute little cherry/blueberry tarts. Then there was the wine. Oh the wine! I bet I had four glasses before it was over.
I sat next to my cousin, the sister of the bride. We graduated the same year from HS so she mentioned that some people were going out. I happily accepted her ivitation. I swore that I would only have a couple and then call it a night. Why do I even say that? LOL. We got downtown and the good times kept rolling. I was out until 1:30. It's been a much needed girls night out.
Saturday, I drug myself out of bed and brought my son to my sister's house. I was babysitting that night, so we went up early so the kids could go swimming and the sprinkler. Jack had a blast. We have a pool here, but my sister has a kiddie pool so he was free to come in and out. I think he really enjoyed himself.
We went home this morning and didn't really do much. I checked my emails and etc. After a quick lunch, we layed down to watch Caillou. I told myself that I was just going to lay down until he fell asleep. I wasn't about to break my No Nap on Sunday rule. Well.....I broke up. Before I knew it, we had slept for almost 5 hours. Oops.
Now, I have to figure out how I'm going to go to bed because tomorrow starts a new work week. My alarm will go off at 5:15 sharp!
Wish me luck!

It's a Blog Bash at Not Your Average Teen!!!

Here is my introduction post for the Blog Bash
1.) Why do you blog?
I blog mostly to as a tiny creative outlet. I'm not incredibly creative. I scrapbook a lot, that is about it. I had been reading blogs for awhile and thought I would give it a shot. Who knows if I'll ever compare to the awesome blogs that are out there. But, I do feel "lighter" after I do a post.

2.) What do you blog about?
I blog mostly about my 2 1/2 year old son and just being a Mom in general. I also post any new recipes I try. I also let out some random frustrations. :)

3.) What do you find to be the biggest reward you get from blogging?
So far my biggest reward is seeing that I'm actually keeping up with it. When I started, I thought I'd do it for a couple of weeks and then quit. I also really enjoy having what I call the "Super Mommy Bloggers" commenting on my posts or twitter updates.

4.) How long have you been blogging?
I've only been blogging since late March. Not terribly long but I'm at a point where I'm catching on to how this world operates.

5.) Let's hear the story behind your blog title! :)
I titled my blog behind the idea that I'm a first time Mom. My son is a toddler now and the toddler world is so new to me. I also thought I would post any new things that I try.

Sunday Follows

Play nicely...Please follow the rules!


Sweet Sunday is all about meeting exciting new bloggers, not flogging your wares so please no Spam.
Grab the button and put it somewhere on your blog!
Add a link to your blog
Visit the blog of the three bloggers before you on the list.
Don’t just click follow...read their post and leave a comment they will appreciate
Avoid asking people to simple “Follow Back” it’s kinda rude...they will if they enjoy reading your post!
Visit as many blogs as you can and leave comments telling them you are visiting from Sweet Sunday @ Confessions Of A Jaded Gym Junkie.

Saturday Stumbles

I have one super duper favorite site that I found. I found it on Thursday night. Actually, I came across it awhile back while reading another blog but I never did anything with it.

Blogfrog Their motto is that they turn blogs into communities. They don't lie. In the first 24 hours that I linked up my blog, twitter, and created my community, I have 8 followers. I couldn't believe it. You can search for people and then follow them. In the communities, you can have discussion Q&A, and my favorite part are the widgets you add to your blog. One of them lets me see who has visited my blog from blogfrog. I love seeing the activity.
So, if you are looking for a way to get your blog out there blogfrog is def the way to go.
If you'd like, check out my page to get a feel for out it works.

Check out for Saturday Stumbles @ It's Come 2 This

Friday Follows: I want my cell phone!!!!!

I'm sitting in a daze right. I realized on my way home from work today that I forgot my cell phone at work. I keep thinking that I could call my sister or check my email. When I go to reach for my phone, it's not there. I never thought I would say this about a cell phone, but I'm think I'm about to have a nervous breakdown. I really do.
As soon as I got home, I actually had to get on a computer to email my coworker. I hardly actually log into hotmail or gmail. Then to my distress, I had to wait for her to reply. Turns out I left it on my desk and she was kind enough to put it in my drawer.
Now, all I can think about is how it's going to be dead and wondering if I have a hookup for it that will plug into my computer and charge. So, I'm not post anything mind blowing tonight. I'm on the hunt to find a charger that I can bring to work. Wish me luck!

Another Great Thursday Follow

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Be sure to link up to this Thursday meme. Be sure to follow the hostess.

Mama Kat's Writing Workshop

It's time again for Mama Kat's Writing Workshop
. You can pick one of the writing prompts and then link up on Thursdays. Here is the one that I chose:
1.) What would you change about your life if you could?

This is kind of hard because the major thing I would change is how I handled my college years. But, if I changed how I did things, then I probably wouldn't have Jeremy in my life and I would be without my son.
I grew up in a small town in NW Iowa. After graduation, I moved to Iowa City to attend the U of Iowa. I totally messed it up. By the end of the first semester, I was on academic probation. By the end of the second semester, I was either kicked out or I had to fight for me to stay there.
I chose to be kicked out. I had already signed a lease for my first apartment. So I decided that I would go to Kirkwood a community college.
I thought for sure since I screwed up and wasted tons of money the year before I would buckled down and get things done. I was wrong.
I totally slacked off. I didn't go to class and I would call into work quite frequently. I think at the time, I wanted to be like my friends who didn't have to work because their parents paid for EVERYTHING. I didn't think about how I wasn't in that situation and that I was paying for my own college and rent.
My third year rolled around and I decided that I was going to take a year off from school all together and just work. Obviously I wasn't ready to go to college. I did all right, but I really missed going to school. At the end of that summer, I moved back in with my parents and went to the community college here for computer programming. I did quite well and that's when I met Jeremy. Eight years later and we are still together with a son.
There are times when I wish I would have graduated from Iowa. I could have done awesome things with my life. I see a girl that joined our department who is just 25 years old. She has a great sales job and a pretty new house in the "rich" part of town. That could have been me. Or I have friend whome I lived with in Iowa City that moved to Chicago and have high power jobs. I sooo wanted that.
I'm not saying that I'm not happy. I have a great job as a secretary at Tyson Foods. I love my job. I went back to school a couple of years ago to get an associates degree in Business. I'm currently finishing up my bachelors degree in business. I hope to get into management in the next few month.
When I think about how I should have done things differently and how I'm jealous of my friends, I feel guilty. Had I done the things I really wanted to do, I wouldn't be sitting here typing this post on my Mommy Blog with my precious little boy asleep down the hall.

Do you ever wish you would have done things differently? If so, do you have the same guilt that I have?

Welcome Wednesdays

If you want to be a part of Welcome Wednesday, just follow these 5 simple steps:
1. Follow the Welcome Wednesday Host (Take It From Me) as well as the 2 Spotlighted Blogs of the Week. (These will make up the top three slots on the Linky)
2. Link up your blog name and URL with our Linky. (You only need to add your info once for it to be seen on all the blog hops)
3. Grab our Welcome Wednesday button and include it in a post about the event on your blog.
4. Go to as many blogs on the MckLinky as you want and Follow them. Be sure to tell them you are from Welcome Wednesday!
5. Be sure to Follow back any followers you have gained from our Welcome Wednesday event!

A recent "ah ha" moment

Over the weekend, I did some meat prep to put in the freezer. I bag a bunch of steaks and roasts in marinades. I also tried my first freezer recipe. It was a beef stroganoff.
Through out the whole process, I was acumulating a bunch of garbage. I hate touching raw meat, so there was a lot of hand washing and paper towel usage going on. I got tired of going to the trash can every. single. time. Normally I would just use an old grocery sack and leave it on the counter to throw my trash in. But, with limited counter space, it would take up room. I'm very particular about my work space.
So what I did was hung a shopping bag on the door know of the closet that my garbage is in. I only put the knob thru one hole so it lef the bag hanging open. My kitchen is somewhat small so it wasn't much for me to turn around and toss it in.
Since I was touching so much raw steaks and roast, 20 lbs of it, I didn't feel like I was contaiminating every thing I touched.
It's probably not a new idea, but it for sure works for me! I love having those "ah ha" moments when you realize what you just did makes your chores much easier.

Crockpot Roast Beef & Gravy

I love a good pot roast dinner. I was making them in a crockpot while I was at work. But, I must have lost my touch. I like my roast to fall apart with I cut it with a fork. After so many attempts, I stopped trying. I then went to cooking it in my dutch oven pan. It's a great way to cook it, but not something I want to do after work. So, here is a new crockpot roast recipe:

Crockpot Roast & Gravy
4 to 6lb roast beef
1/2 pkg dry onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can water from soup
1 can coke (not diet)

Place meat in crockpot. Sprinkle with dry soup mix. Stir together Coke, water, and soup. Pour over roast. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. Gravy may be thin, but you make thicken it up.

Source: American Legion Family Cookbook: A Collection of Recipes by American Legion Auxiliary Department of Nebraska.

This recipe turned out awesome and I'm so happy that I finally got out of my "roast rut".

Tackle It Tuesday

Ok, before I show you a picture of what I tackled. Please don't judge. :) We live in an apartment so the storage space is somewhat limited. Our kitchen table has pretty much become the hub of our lives. It's right around the corner from the door so everything gets thrown on it. Here is what it looked like over the weekend:

Ok. I'm pretty sure my heart just fell into my stomach. I can't believe I just posted that online. But, that's what it looks like no matter how unorganized it is. Most of it's stuff that I will use through out the week: my new school books, coupons, purse, magazines....etc.

In case you are wondering why I have a computer on my kitchen table here is why. My laptop took a dump on me. So, I ordered a computer through work. It was my understanding that if I ordered a desktop, we would switch it out with the old one. The day the desktop comes, I am told that there is no need to get rid of the old computer. What?! Where am I supposed to put the new one? Had I known this, I would have gotten a laptop. It was sitting on th coffee table but I had to move it. So, the kitchen table was the next best place.

Here is what my kitchen table looks like as I type this:

I still have weeks worth of coupons and about 5 magazines I keep forgetting I have. But now they are more organized. Once my coupon train envelope arrives, I will be able to get rid of the stack. I also have my bag packed for school since we start tomorrow night. I feel pretty good about the results. What kills me is that it only took me 10 minutes to do that. I'm wondering why can't I do this daily? It's not like it takes a whole afternoon or anything.

Check out more Tackle it Tuesday posts at 5 Minutes for Mom

A Random Thought: Generic Brands

I've never been against buying the store brand items. I do have a few items that I will not buy store brand. This list includes any sort of hamburger helper, cheese slices, and until yesterday, toilet paper.
For some reason, my boyfriend is the one that buys all the paper products. It's been a small battle to get him to buy the expensive TP. I have pretty much gave in and let him choose. On a recent trip to Wal-Mart, he bought the Great Value toilet paper.
My first thought was, "Geeze, this is going to suck." Let me tell you, I was very surprised when I opened it. I'd say it's a very good swap for what I call, "the good stuff". I won't go into details about my TP use, I don't think we are on that level yet...LOL. I will say that I will be crossing off toilet paper from my Do Not Buy Generic list. Finally, a generic toilet paper worth writing about!!

Mailbox Monday

Join me for Mailbox Monday hosted by Simply Stacie, This Mama Loves Her Bargains
, and A Little of This and a Little of That

Here is a great Sunday meme. It's called Getting to know You.

1. What do you look forward to the most on the 4th of July? Probably the possibility of parties, family events, fire works. There is just so much that goes on.

2. Are you a hugger? Not really. I hug my toddler like crazy but I leave everyone else alone...lol. If a relative or someone comes up to me and puts their arms out for a hug, I will give it to them. I wont volunteer myself though...LOL

3. What is your favorite BBQ'd food? It's a toss up between and awesome steak or a cheeseburger.

4. Do you like to watch parades? Sometimes. I don't like super long ones and the weather has to be just right.

5. Who has stinkier farts..boys or girls? Mmmmmm......this is a hard one. I've smelled some pretty nasty ones from girls.

6. Vampires or Werewolves? Neither! I have not read a single Twilight book or watched their movies. I also don't watch any of those TV shows that are out now. I just haven't gotten the obsession that people have now.

7. Do you read your horoscope? Not daily. But if I'm reading a magazine or I see it online, I will read it. I also like to read old ones to see if how thats how the prev month was. Sometimes it was.

8. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Anouther toughie, I grew up in the Ice Cream Capital of the World. Ice cream was always around. So, I'd say anything with chocolate ribbon and maybe some peanut butter filled candies. Well's Dairy makes one called, Bunny Tracks.

Weekend Wind Down- 13 weeks of summer, week 2 and Big Plans!

Happy 4th of July everyone!!

I hope everyone has a fun filled and safe holiday weekend. I'd also like to thank all of our service men and women who fight for our freedom every day. My brother has made me so so so proud since he joined the Air National Guard. I don't think I've ever been so proud of anyone in my life.

Now it's time for Weekend Wind Down!! Here is this weeks question:

This 4th of July, will you be watching fireworks out somewhere or doing your own fireworks at home??

My boyfriend is actually getting fireworks as I type this. I'd still like to go and watch the professional show though.


We have a lots of plans ahead of us this weekend. We spent tonight grilling and playing outside. It really melts my heart to see Jack and his Daddy playing games outside together. Jack and I are so lucky to have him in our life.
Tomorrow (the 3rd) we are going to take Jack swimming before we bring him to his Grandma's house for the night. We have a pool here at our complex, but Jack is too daring with the running. So, we are taking him to one of those 0 depth pools.

Source: Sioux City Journal

Saturday is Saturday in the Park here in Sioux City. It's free music festival that happens every July. This year is the 20th anniversary. It starts at noon and goes until after 10pm with fire works at the end. I'd say it has more of a blue feeling to the music. They days starts off with acts that I don't usually know. But, the last two performaces are pretty big name performers. My favorite year was when they had Michelle Branch open up for The Wallflowers. Some of the other huge names they have had are: Ziggy Marley, Johnny Lang, Blues Traveler, The Black Crows (love them), The Neville Brothers, BB King, and Counting Crows.

They have awesome food vendors, aka gyros, arts and crafts for sale, a second stage for local bands, a kids zone and best of all....a beer garden! Who doesn't love to listen to free music while drinking over priced drinks? Apparently I do.....lol.

This year, the big name performers are Steve Winwood and Santana!!!! To be honest, I don't know very much about Steve Winood. I have a feeling once he starts playing, I will know a few of his songs. I am super excited about Santana. He is pretty much a legend in the music world. We will be kid free so it should be a decent time.  I'm sure we will enjoy it along with the other estimated 60,000 people that are coming. I actually spoke with someone in Sioux Falls which is an hour from here. She told me that she thinks half of Sioux Falls is coming to Saturday in the Park. We normally end up seeing people we haven't seen in years and just have an awesome time.

On Sunday, we will be trying to recover from the awesome night before and go get our son. I think we are planning to stay up there for the day and hang out with Jeremy's family. We will probably grill and just have a great 4th of July.

Since the 4th is on a Sunday, I don't have to work on Monday!! Whoo hoo for me. No plans except that I may attempt to do some freezing cooking. Notice I said attempt, that could be a whole other post...LOL. Have a great weekend!!!

Potty Training Update and Friday Follows

We are finishing up week two of potty training. I'd say we are doing very good. He is going in the potty two times at daycare and like 4 or 5 a day at home. On most days, he will stay dry from 3pm to when we put him to bed at 7:30.
At daycare, she started using pull-ups to get him used to pulling down his pants. That seems to be helping him learn. We have the most success at home because we wears no bottoms. Once he gives his signals that he has to go, I send him in. I'll stand in the living room to make sure he goes. Half the time I get, "Mom! Go away!"
He had a big day yesterday though. He went poop in the potty at daycare. At home, he stopped playing on his own and went to use the potty. I didn't even have to tell him. I was pretty excited about that.
So, I'm hoping by the end of summer we will be mostly day trained. This little boy will fill his diaper at night, so I think night training is going to be bit of an issue.

Ultimate Recipe Swap

Thursday is Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life As Mom. Each week as a theme. This week is 4th of July. I actually just tried a new cake recipe that I think would be perfect for the 4th. I bought a new cookbook from the American Legion Auxiliary Department of Nebraska. My break buddy is a member and was selling them. I just love these types of cookbooks. To me, I think they are the best because the recipes are tried and true and remind me of my Mom and Grandmother's cooking. This is what I made:

Angel Food Delight
1 step Angel Food cake mix I took this as a mix where you just add water
20 oz can of crushed pineapple
Cool whip (opt)
Fruit for garnish(opt)

Preheat the oven 350 degrees
Pour pineapple and juice into a large bowl
Mix dry cake mix with pineapple
Stir just until blended...do not over stir
Pour into a 9 x 13 pan
Bake 35-40 minutes or until top is nicely browned
Serve with cool whip and fresh fruit if desired

I thought it turned out really well. I've never made any sort of angel food cake before so I don't have alot to go off of. I also didn't serve it with cool whip or fruit and I thought it tasted good without them.

Wordless Wednesday: The Art of Stinkface

Check out more Wordless Wednesdays at 5 Minutes for Mom

What I Meant to Say Wednsedays

I've been waiting for the best day to post this. Today is the day. About a week ago, I mustered up the courage to wear capris to work. I know, they are just capris. You see, I'm pale. But, I was proud of myself for showing some leg.
So, I'm sitting at my desk and the girl across from me says, "Wow! Your legs are really pale!". Here is what I said, "Thanks for the info. I had no idea that my legs were insanely pale." I then turned around and started my work.
Here is what I wanted to say:
Hello! I'm German, Irish, and English. A total mix of all the palest ethnic backgrounds ever! Thanks Caption Obvious for pointing out to me that I'm albino white. I really had no clue. When you have a skin cancer scare at 26 years old, we'll talk. I'm sorry I don't feel the need to lay out in the sun or tanning bed for hours on end. Plus, you are Cambodian! What do you know about being pale? You have a super nice color year around."
I could also put what I really really wanted to say. But, I think I thinks a little mean and I do actually like the girl who was harassing commenting me on my blindly white legs.

I'm so excited! I'm so excited! I'm so.......scared...

Does this ring a bell to anyone? That is a quote from Jessie Spannow on Saved by the Bell. It's the episode where she gets addicted to caffeine pills then misses their big girl group debut. :)

What brought on this flashback you ask? I recently found out some pretty flippin awesome news. Since I started blogging, I've been hearing tons of talk about blogging conferences. To be honest, I'm pretty jealous that I don't get to go. I keep telling myself some day I will make it there. I've almost gotten over it.
But, some things have changed. I'm not going to New York or anything, but I have good news. I recently came accross a tweet from iatraveler.
. She said that she wanted to create a website that promotes travel to Iowa (that's where I live). I thougth cool, I respond saying that I'm from there. A few mentions later I found out that she is speaking at a bloggin conference right here in Iowa!

When I found out, I was about ready to hit the hay. Once I heard her news, there was no way I was going to sleep. This is what I've been waiting for since I started blogging a few months ago.
The event is called I Blog. Do U? It's in Perry, IA which is by Des Moines. It's super doable for me because I'm only a few hours away. It runs from November 5th to November 7th. I already requested that 5th off from work! LOL. I just hope I can go. I probably won't be able to get the funds until September, so I just hope that tickets are not sold out. I really think I will be devasted if I can't go. But, I'm holding out hope that they will not be sold out by then and I can make my blogging dreams come true!