How much do you love chocolate?

I realize I eat a lot of chocolate but I didn't realize HOW much chocolate I eat. I figure I probably go through 3-4 bags of chocolate chips a month. Thats 36-48 bags a year!

**That comes out to $120 a year on chocolate chips alone! That doesn't include all the other ingredients I buy to mix in with those scrumptious morsels of chocolate. I might as well be a cigarette addict, goodness. But I guess just like all the cigarette addicted people out there, I probably won't change.

**That's 4,752 grams of fat and 73,920 calories! All I can say is oops BUT the good thing is that I know I don't eat half of that by myself.

Am I alone in my chocolate chip addiction? I don't know if I'll ever change but I know what my husband would say to me, "knowing is half the battle."


On a budget side note, I recently found out that I have been paying $2.72 for Nestle or Hersey at Super Saver, when I could be getting Ghirradelli chocolate chips for $2.78 or Hershey for $2.38 at Walmart. I've been doing a few other price checks and I'm finding that Walmart might be cheaper than other grocery stores, unfortunately.  And even if the other stores are having sales you could Ad match at Walmart. (You can also ad match at Super Saver and depending on what cashier you have maybe Hy-Vee.)  I really don't want to make Walmart my place to shop but why do they have to have the cheaper items??

Now that I've got you thinking about your chocolate consumption and your loyalty to local stores over the ALL powerful Walmart.....HAVE A GOOD ONE!

:)

Fall Happiness

Today felt like fall. I liked it. I used to LOVE fall. I loved it for all of the same reasons others love it, school supplies, cooler weather, the changing leaves, the upcoming holidays, and for me, my birthday. Overall, there is just a feeling about fall that makes me happy. But I haven't felt the fall giddiness for a few years now. I generally blame it on football because my husband isn't around to bask in the fall loveliness with me but I realize its because I'm in a new phase of my life where I'm not surrounded by students or going to school so I don't feel the sense of new beginnings that come with fall. BUT today it felt like fall! I loved it.

I went raspberry picking with a friend while my mom watched Boo. I don't like raspberries particularly but I can't tell you how much I enjoyed searching out raspberries and filling my bucket. I kinda went off on my own while othersin our group tried to pick and watch their children. It was solitary bliss.  I loved not worrying about her.  I think I need a few hours like that a couple times of a month.

Tonight Boo and I went to the first football game of the year. We only made it through a little over a quarter of a game but it was so much fun to sit with Boo as she soaked in the football atmosphere. Which I must admit, I do like. It is exciting.  ***If any of you in the area want to come to a football game we'd love the company...just can't promise we'll make it through the whole game.

(I totally did not take this...came from the newspaper online)

Welcome back Fall!

la la la...music

What a LONG week!!! I'm glad its over and hoping for a better one.

I've just discovered that I can make what I like to call a "Sunday Music" playlist on Pandora Radio online!  I've tried on Playlist.com but they didn't have much when it came to Sunday music.  I've also tried listening to Sounds of Sunday online but they have way too many commercials.  So I'm totally loving Pandora. So far its the best.  (I also love their toddler station...even if Boo isn't listening.) :)

I love music. I used to listen to it constantly. Whenever I was cleaning, studying, playing or just passing time I would have music playing. But for the last few years, the only time I really listen to music has been when I've been driving in the car.  I'm not exactly sure what caused that to change. But I'm trying to listen to it more to help motivate me to get to work and also to calm me. My poor nerves. (***side subject, As I wrote "my poor nerves" I realized I just might have more sympathy for Mrs. Bennett on Pride and Predjudice. It's amazing what kids can do to your poor nerves...heck maybe she wasn't so bad before she was married and had kids.)
 Did I tell you that I got called to be the Primary music leader?? HAHAHA. I like music but I'm not good at it. Heaven help me! But oddly I like it. I like all the coloring I get to do to make posters for them.  I'm actually quite impressed what I draw. It may not be awesome by other's standards but for me I think they are GREAT! :) I hope the kids like them and are actually learning the songs.

OH! I wanted to show you a picture of Boo. A couple of Sundays ago my sister pulled out all of our old Barbie stuff. It was all mostly broken and falling apart. Boo sat there for A LONG TIME I mean like 30 plus minutes just playing with the dolls and playing with the kitchen table. I need to get her some dolls but I'm not sure I'm ready for Barbies just yet.  They talk about self-image problems but I grew up playing with Barbies and I don't think I'm terribly screwed up. :)

Have a lovely Sabbath Day.

1.2.3.

1.
I want to share this cute picture of Boo. Acting like a natural at the computer.

2.
Football and school have started. The long lonely days are here. :(  Boo and I just need to find lots of things to do and find things that take us out of the house without using the $$$. hmmmm. Ideas? We already do the park about once a week and walk almost daily.

3.
I also wanted to share a really simple recipe for Artisan Bread that my friend shared with me. I don't usually make bread except for breadsticks.  The mixing of the ingredients is easy peasy the only thing that really is a hassle is putting water in the oven with the bread.

Artisian Bread1 1/2 T of yeast
1 T regular salt
6 1/2 C of Flour
3 C of Water

Mix dry ingredients. (My friend likes to mix it in a icecream bucket but any Large bowl will do) Add water until all the flour mixture is incorporated.  Cover with cloth and let rise. (I let mine rise for 4 hours...I'm not sure how long you HAVE to do it for).

An hour before you want to eat divide out half of the dough and form it into a ball shape on a piece of parchment paper.** Let rise for 30 minutes.

Place baking stone and broiler pan in oven (i used a cake pan-something you don't mind if it gets beat up alittle). Preheat to 450 degrees.  Take stone out and place parchment paper and dough on the stone. Put in oven. Put 3-4 cups of water in broiler or cake pan.  The steam will make the dough crispy on the outside.

If you don't want to cook two loaves put the rest of the dough in the fridge for up to two weeks.

**I cut this recipe in half so I didn't have to divide the dough in half...I could pretty much just dump onto the parchment paper.

TRY IT! Oh by the way, my friend said wheat flour is NOT good in this recipe. Sorry healthy eaters out there. :)

Turn it Upside Down

If you chance to meet a frown, do not let it stay. :( Quickly turn it upside down and smile that frown away. :)

:(

I'm in a grumpy mood and feel like complaining but all I will say is I really hate little tiny garage sale signs that set you out on hunt through entire neighborhoods and never end up finding it... AND I can't stand child care groups taking over public places like the playground...seriously, THREE different child care groups on one playground...Boo never had a chance on that playground.

:)

Things that I love. Boo loves her sunglasses. And what is even better than her wearing her glasses everywhere is how she says it, haha, she leaves the GL off of glasses...so you're left with.... ***es. I LOVE IT! If we pass a stand of sunglasses in a store she says, ***es over and over. I think its hilarious when kids say naughty words when they have no idea that they aren't saying the correct word. Her friend loves to say truck, however his "Tr" comes out as "F". HAHAA!

:)

When I told Boo that we were going to go Bye-Bye, she picked up her teddy bear and baby and kissed them goodbye. Ahhhhh...

well thats it for now. Boo and I are going to head off to a GG's football scrimage. We'll try to keep on smiling. :)

In need of a giggle?

I don't think I'm a very funny person-that's just who I am. However, I realized that I need to laugh more often. Boo is usually my source of laughter but I've been enjoying shows, like the Marriage Ref, because they make me laugh.

I know I usually laugh at things that aren't supposed to be funny or that are just plain dumb.   I usually don't laugh at the same thing that others laugh at. I usually don't get it when others are "trying" to be funny. So when everyone else is laughing, I'm sitting there feeling awkward and "trying" to laugh.  haha....

Anyway, my brother just sent this link and I got a chuckle out of it. If you need something do go "haha" at, click Here.

P.S. Do I just say "laughter" wrong? How do we get "lafter" out of a l-a-u-g-h-t-e-r? There's no "f"! Shouldn't it be said like "daughter" but with an "L"?  hmm. Imagine if Laffy Taffy's were Laughy Taughy's....just sayin.