Meatballs & Peppers

1 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper
1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 cup thinly sliced yellow bell pepper
1 1/3 cups water
1 (10 1/2-ounce) can beef consomme
1 bay leaf
1 (1-ounce) slice whole-wheat bread
1 pound ground round
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg white
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. While the peppers are cooking, place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form to measure 1/2 cup. Combine breadcrumbs, beef, and next 6 ingredients (beef though garlic) in a bowl, shaping mixture into 36 (1-inch) meatballs. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs; cook for 10 minutes, browning on all sides. Combine flour and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Add to bell pepper mixture in saucepan. Add meatballs; cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the basil and vinegar. Remove bay leaf.

Source My Recipes

Rootbeer Pulled Pork

I love pulled pork and Rootbeer Pulled Pork recipe I found on Parents Online sounds delicious. Ooooh made with sweet rootbeer. Thought you might like it as well

1 2-1/2- to 3-pound pork sirloin roast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 medium onions, cut into thin wedges
1 cup root beer*
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups root beer (two 12-ounce cans or bottles)*
1 cup bottled chili sauce
1/4 teaspoon root beer concentrate (optional)
Several dashes bottled hot pepper sauce (optional)
8 to 10 hamburger buns, split (and toasted, if desired)
Lettuce leaves (optional)
Tomato slices (optional)

Trim fat from meat. If necessary, cut roast to fit into a 3-1/2- to 5-quart crockery cooker. Sprinkle meat with the salt and pepper. In a large skillet brown meat on all sides in hot oil. Drain off fat. Transfer meat to cooker. Add onions, the 1 cup root beer, and garlic. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a medium saucepan combine the 3 cups of root beer and the chili sauce. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Boil gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes or until mixture is reduced to 2 cups. Add root beer concentrate and bottled hot pepper sauce, if desired. Transfer roast to a cutting board or serving platter. Using a slotted spoon, remove onions from cooking juices and place on serving platter. Discard juices. Using 2 forks, pull meat apart into shreds. To serve, line buns with lettuce leaves and tomato slices, if desired. Add meat and onions; spoon on sauce. Makes 8 to 10 servings

Introducing Asteroid Andy

Meet Asteroid Andy a boy who lives on earth in the distant future. Asteroid Andy is as normal asy kid his age can be the only thing is that the galaxy's greatest elementary school moved in right next door to him. Parents from around the cosmos have had their entire planets moved into orbit around our sun just to be considered part of this incredible school district.
Asteroid Andy has been created by Hallmark to keep your children busy without the constant "mom, I'm bored look" I was introduced to this great website by MomSelect.com and I think you may want to check it out as well. The site is secure and free so you can easily bookmark to return time after time to keep the summer boredom down to a minimum. The site offers stories to read, animation to watch, crafts to download and games to play. While the website is attracting kids ages 6 to 11 I believe there is something that every age can enjoy. SO head over to the Asteroid Andy website and check it out.

Lemony Fruit Dip

Here is the perfect recipe I found from My Recipes that allows you to get your children and yourself to enjoy eating fruit without all the calories

1/4 cup sugar, divided
1 large egg
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed

Combine 2 tablespoons sugar, egg, and lemon juice in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, water, and cornstarch in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 30 seconds or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Slowly pour beaten egg mixture into water mixture, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Cool completely. Fold in whipped topping.

Hot Cars are Dangerous

Safety Alert

That quick dash into the grocery store or post office in hot weather could lead to a world of danger. The danger comes in when you want to quickly run in and leave the little one in the car. All to often when the weather gets warmer the news starts reporting deaths that occurred because a child was left in a hot car. In these days and times with all the dangers in the world you would think that reminding parents not to leave kids in cars would not be needed. According to the National SAFE KIDS campaign, 25 children die each year after being left in a hot car. Temps inside of a closed vehicle can quickly rise to 120 to 140 degrees which can quickly lead to a heat stroke and death in a young child.

Note of warning: car doors should be kept locked so a young child can not get in by himself where the same danger can occur.

June is for Roses Month #2

June is for Roses Month is where I will share little tidbits and beautiful roses during this month. My dad would have been 66 years old this month. God took him home too soon. He was a young man when he passed and we miss him terribly one thing that he did prior to passing was to plant my mom a rose garden so as a tribute to him I share today's red rose.

WIlted Lettuce

Here is a a great recipe to use for leaf lettuce that should be in about now If you were early and the leaf lettuce is now gone from the garden you can keep this recipe for the winter crop


4 slices bacon, cut up
1/4 c. vinegar
2 bunches leaf lettuce, shredded (about 4 c.)
1/3 c. chopped green onions
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
radishes, sliced (optional)

Fry bacon until crisp. Stir in vinegar; heat until hot. Remove skillet from heat. Add lettuce and onions. Sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper. Toss until lettuce is wilted (1 to 2 minutes).
Makes 4 servings.

Summer Driving Tips for Teens

In a housefull of teens you also have a houseful of teenage drivers let alone their friends that are all driving as well. I was not aware until reading a recent report that the 120 days of summer vacation for teens is also the deadliest period of time for teenage drivers. Between 1996 and 2006 there were 12,000 teens that died behind the wheel. An average of 13 teen deaths behind the wheel a week during the summer months. This number is entirely too high to me. There are a few things that parents can do to help decrease this number and make your driver a responsible driver.

• Set limits on teens driving. Their license is a large part of their life and should be treated with respect. Limits should be set on driving at night, weekends, an inclement weather. Teens should not be allowed to ride with drivers with less than one year of experience.
• know the route your teen will be taking, set check in times and keep them and know where your teen plans to go at all times You should set aside time to know your teens schedule where they plan to go and what they will be doing. Not only will this help with driving and safety but also just being aware of what your teen is doing

Safety should be at the top of every drivers mind whether they are teens or not. Be safe out there on the road and take it easy

Memorial Day Weekend at the Park

We attended a church picnic during memorial day weekend. I had so much fun visiting with friends and watching the little ones have fun. Here are a few pictures I took while there

I so loved watching this little girl playing baseball. I do not think she has ever played before. Those playing were so great with her not allowing her to give up on hitting the ball. She stood there and swung hard and spun around. She did hit that ball finally and was so delighted.

I took this picture of the area of the park by the lagoon. It looks a bit cloudy in this picture and we did worry about it possibly raining but the rain held off and we all had great fun

These two little girls dancing and twirling in the wind were so super cute to watch. I can remember their mommies expecting them, the great excitement when they were born and all the wonderful fun that they had this day was just as wonderful as those special moments

Yes he is in the tree. This little boy so shy and sweet as much as he is active and curious is a little boy that I had in my Sunday school class. He is an intriguing young man that I look forward to getting to watch as he grows.

This is the picture of the new bridge. Some of the wonderful work that they are doing at the park. Nice work guys I very much like it.

June Is Dairy Month

Since 1937 June has been celebrated as dairy month. This is the 73rd year of celebrating dairy month. This celebration started by grocers in 1937 and became a national holiday by 1939 is one that I grew up very aware of. Growing up in farm country I can remember the local dairy farmers Prairie Farms would sponsor many events from ice cream socials to being involved at the county fair. To teach your little ones about June Dairy Month and Dairy Farmers or to be more aware yourself you can download a free activity book from SouthEast Dairy.org

Kraft Family Reunion Macaroni Salad

If you are looking for the perfect recipe to take to the family reunion you may want to try this one from the Kraft website.

2 pkg. (14 oz. each) KRAFT Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner

1 cup MIRACLE WHIP Dressing

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1 small red pepper, finely chopped

4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled, chopped

1/2 cup sliced green onions

PREPARE Dinners as directed on package.
DD remaining ingredients; mix well.
SERVE immediately. Or, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Kraft Kitchens TipsVariation Prepare as directed, using MIRACLE WHIP Light Dressing and KRAFT Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner Made With 2% Milk Cheese.Jazz It UpSprinkle with additional chopped green onions. if desired.nutritional information per serving

I feel honored

I really feel honored today. I was listed on a homemaking site. I began this blog over a year ago to share homemaking tips. If you head over to household management 101 you can see my blog listed under the title Daily House Cleaning Schedules 101 I feel honored and thank them for linking me there.

Cremo Cream & Lady Cremo Cream review

Cremo Cream the shaving cream that can make the experience of shaving much nicer. My sons are all shaving at their age and while one uses an electric razor the other two share with a standard razor using shaving cream. The Cremo Cream shaving cream has helped to make their shaving time more enjoyable. Before one of my sons hated to shave and often only shaved when a barber did it for him. Now with Cremo Cream that helps to eliminate the nicks and scrapes and leave him with a close shave that he is always looking for he looks forward to shaving now.

Ladies don't worry as they make a Lady Cremo Cream just for us. I loved the great shave that I was able to obtain using the lady cremo cream. You will have to try it to see what a great shave you can get yourself.

we recieved samples of both products for review purposes. The thoughts expressed here are those of mine based upon personal reviews of the product

New Pamper Points For June

New Pamper Gift To Grow point code for june worth 10 points is JUNFacebook2010 This code expires 6/30/2010

Shopping Done What Deals Did I Find

The top ten buys I found this week were:

1. free Tony's pizza thanks to a krogers coupon
2. free butterfinger coupon thanks to a coupon I received off of facebook
3. free lays potato chips thanks to a krogers coupon
4. free maxwell house coffee thanks to a coupon
5. $1 off coupon off capri sun thanks to coupon from Krogers
6. $.55 off Johnsonville italian sausage thanks to coupon in newspaper
7. $.55 off Kroger cheese thanks to coupon from Krogers
8. bunny bread was on sale so I stocked up on that
9. large bandages that were on closeout normally over $3 bought for $1
10. boxers for my sons mission trip on sale for $5 normally $8.50

I thought I did pretty good with these and other sales. What do you think?

STP coupon printable

Planning a long trip or just want to tune up for summer then here is a coupon for you. Like STP on facebook and you can receive a printable $2/1 coupon off STP fuel injector

source Bargain Briana

Kids Fish Free

Be on the look out for days that allow your kids to fish free. Here near home the event will be the first or second weekend of June. Fishing is fun for the whole family.

June is Zoo and Aquarium Month

June is Zoo and Aquarium Month. I thought I would share a few activities and crafts to help celebrate.

For directions for this super cute craft using Paper Plates check out the DLTK Easy Lion Paper Craft.

June is Rose Month

The month of June is Rose Month and this yellow Rose is for my mother in law and grandmother in law who would have celebrated their birthdays this month. The yellow rose was their favorite.

Sun Tea

4-6 tea bags

Put 4 to 6 tea bags into a clean 2 quart glass container. Fill with water and cap. Place outside where the sunlight can strike the container for about 3 to 5 hours. Move the container if necessary to keep it in the sun. When the tea has reached its desired strength, remove from sun remove the tea bags and put it in the refrigerator.