Smile it will help influence your mood

In the job that I do we are to keep a smile on our face. This is not always easy to do but one that needs to be done. Facial expressions do more than words sometimes as it helps to communicate what our current mood is. My boss likes to say that some of us look like really sad looking individuals without a smile on our face. We are always walking around reminding each other to smile and offering our smile as well. It really does do something when someone smiles.

A smile has the ability to influence the mood that we are currently in. Emotions start in our brains but our smiles help to reinforce or transform those feelings. Studies have showed that when positive emotions are used and negative emotions are suppressed a persons mood will align more with the emotions of the face is communicating . So try that with a fake smile and often you will feel happier simply because you are smiling.


So put a smile on your face and have a great day.

Giveaways entered 8/12

This is a very cool and useful seat to me. Being a grandma there are many times that I have the babies but have no real warning. This boostapak booster seat has plenty of storage space and is perfect to be in the van when in use or not in use. You can enter the giveaway at Mail 4 Rosey Giveaway ends 9/2

enter here

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Zubits review

Finally, an answer to a problem that has haunted me most of my life. The problem is my shoe strings come untied and then you start hear the nagging of "your shoes are untied, you need to tie them" First of all most of the time I simply don't have the time to stop and tie my shoes and secondly I simply hate the fact that they come untied so easily. Zubits however has helped solve the problem for me. Zubits magnetic shoe closure has helped contain my shoe strings.

 

 

Zubits closures cover three rows of shoelaces that help disappear. This allows a huge opening to quickly and easily slide your feet into shoes. With my big feet this is needed. I have used other closures that make the opening of the shoe small in size. Zubits allows you to slip your foot in easily no more squeezing needed. 

 

The magnetic closure seem to magically attach theirselves. There is no tying, double knotting, or unknotting. Yeah!!! I think this is awesome not only for my shoes but also for my child's shoes. So many times they come home in knots and I have to spend precious time getting those knots out.

 

Zubits allow you to slip your feet out of your shoes quick and easy like. Lifting your foot up triggers the magnetic split to open and laves your shoes wide open to slip your foot out

 

.My favorite part is that there are no more loose laces. So no fear of tripping over the shoestrings. Which also means no way to get them caught in or under anything either. One problem with shoe laces is that if you do not know they are untied others can step on them making you fall. Zubits puts a stop to that.

 

Zubits offers a neat appearance. Upon glance of your shoes there are no shoe strings dragging behind. Elastic shoe strings do not look the best either because they may appear sticking out of shoes which does not always look the best.

 

Zubits will out last your shoes. you simply take the zubits off and place onto the new pair of shoes.

 

One neat aspect of the Zubits is that you have many new places to keep your shoes. The magnetic strip of the zubits offers you the chance to now hang your shoes up on any metal surface.

 

Zubits turns your tennis shoes into slip ons. Oh yes love it the comfort of slippers with the versatility of running shoes. 

Zubits was so easy to install and use.

The beautiful thing was that they are easy to get on and off. It is done quicker than before and guess what no lose strings. YEAH!!! The tightness of the shoe can be adjusted to wearers preference.

I love them in my work shoes allows me to quickly put on shoes early in morning, not have to worry about getting shoes tied properly or worry about them coming untied. I simply love zubits and how they have simplified my life.

Zubits is available for children shoes as well. That to me makes them a perfect tool to head back to school with. Whether it be in every day shoes or gym shoes which would make their day easier without having to worry about shoe strings. Either way I do believe that they are just what any child needs.

Want to get Zubits for you and / or your child you can find them on their website at zubits.com

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National julienne Fries Day

 

August 12th is known as Julienne Fries Day here in the U.S. where I live. While French fries originated in Belgium the potatoes that they come from are from the Americas. French fries are most popular in the U.S. My thought is because of our love for hamburger and fries

 Julienne fries are a type of French fry that are thinner than regular fries and sometimes referred to as shoestring fries.. Sorry to curly, waffle, and Belgian style fries as it is not your day to celebrate. Julienne fries are cut from the potato in long strips. This can also be called a matchstick cut and thus one more name for julienne style fries. The fries measure approximately 1/8 inch x 1/8 inch x 1-2 inches. Most fast food restaurants serve this type of fry.

The easiest way to make Julienne potatoes at home is by using a mandolin fitted with a julienne blade. To cut using a knife cut thin slices from the potato; each slice should be about ⅛-inch thick. Then, lay the slices flat on your cutting board and cut them crosswise into 2-inch pieces (about the length of a matchbook). Cut each 2-inch section lengthwise into ⅛-inch-wide strips to produce a perfect julienne Shoestring fries can be made from both regular and sweet potatoes. To celebrate National Julienne Fries Day why not cook up some shoestring fries at home? Simply cook them like you would regular fries.


 

Scrabble Week

I can not tell you how many times I have struggled to find the right word that I wanted to use on this blog. I am sure that those that play scrabble struggle to find the word they want using just the letters that they hold. The second week in August is celebrated as national scrabble week with the scrabble tournament being played during this week. Its a great time to play a game of scrabble with a few friends of yours.

Scrabble brand crossword game was invented by New York architect Alfred Mosher Butts. At the time he was unemployed and had time on his hands so he studied board games, dice, card and letter games. In the end he would combine all three types to create the game of Scrabble. At first the game did not catch on easily. For over 10 years Butts could not even get as much as a patent for the game or decide on a proper name for the game. Can you imagine if the game of scrabble had been called Lexico or criss cross words? Butts would get some help from Brunot who would add a color scheme to the game, devise the 50 point bonus and name the game scrabble. In the 1950's Macy would discover the game while on vacation and stock it on his shelves. By the mid 1950s 2000 game sets a week were being made and sales rose to nearly 4 million sets a year.

Have you played Scrabble?? Are you any good at it?? What is the biggest word that you have spelle? Ever got the bonus for using all your tiles??

Enjoy Scrabble week

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Smile its Good For Your Health

We are in the middle of National Smile week. It is no better time to put a smile on your face. Were you aware that smiling can also help you improve your life?? It does seem that when you are smiling that our lives seem to be better. In 2010 the Wayne State University did a research project on smiling. They actually studied the major league baseball player cards in 1952 and found that the life span of the players was directly related to their smile. The study showed that the players with wider bigger smiles lived an average of 5 years more than players who did not smile in their pictures. Other studies have revealed that a child will smile as many as 400 times a day compared to an adult who smiles no more than 20 times a day. Sometimes we just need to take a break and smile.

It has been shown that smiling can improve your health and life

1. Decreases stress and anxiety
2. Releases endorphins
3. Strengthens immune system
4. Viewed as more trustworthy
5. Become a better leader
So the question is... will you smile more this week

Kindergarten Readiness: Attention skills

Does you child have an attention span to stay with one activity? Are they persistent as what they are doing? Do they have concentration skills? All of these things are what kindergarten level children have and will build upon. To help your child build these skills have them share story time and show and tell with you. Allow them to share your day, show you their pages that they did at school. Both of these ideas will help build upon the skills

getting along with others is another stage of maturity. The ability to share with others and complete assignments together are also steps to growing and maturing. You can help direct your child's attention using simple terms such as "Look at this" or "Please pay attention to..." It is also great at this level to give them small responsibilities. Our grand-children have their own chore charts as well as daily living skill charts.

 When ensuring that your child is up to the standards that he should be consider

 When listening does your child look at the person talking to them, are they listening with both ears and no talking or making sounds. Can they stand still keeping their hands and feet still. Have them face who is talking to them. I often have them repeat what I just said to them to ensure they were listening and retaining what I just said. If they follow through with whatever it was then I know that they paid attention.
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Back to School Meal: Hawaiian Haystacks

3-4 chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken
2 1/2 C milk
1 C sour cream
1/2 tea garlic/seasoning salt
1/2 tea pepper
1 Tbl dried onion
2 bullion cubes

1 red bell pepper - finely chopped
3 celery stalks- finely chopped
5 green onion stalks- finely chopped
1 tomato - diced
1 can pineapple
1 can mandarin oranges
1 C Yoshidas Sauce
1 can crunchy chow mein noodles
2 C shredded cheese
coconut (optional)
slivered almonds (optional)

sticky rice


In a crock pot place frozen chicken, cream of chicken, sour cream, milk and spices together and mix, let cook slowly for several hours until chicken in cooked throughout and sauce is bubbly.

Serve over rice and chow mein noodles and top with garnishments of choice and drizzle with yoshidas sauce.

Back To School Slow Cook Meal : BBQ Brisket

BBQ Brisket - Slow Cooked

1-2 Beef Brisket - Medium Size
2 Packets Lipton's Onion Soup Mix
1 12 oz Can Coke
1 tea Garlic
2 Dash of Tabasco
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 tea Pepper

Put in crock pot on low (or warm in the newer HOT crock pots). Slow cook 6-8 hours. Remove from drippings, let cool and either shred or chop (I prefer chop). Place beef back in crock pot on warm and add

1 bottle+ Barbecue Sauce (your favorite variety)
1 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 TLB Brown Sugar
1/2 C Brisket Drippings

Serve on soft bun with summer time sides dishes. Yummy Fun!

Back To School Meal : Easy Monte Cristo

Easy MONTE CRISTO

1 full package of 24 count rolls - Kings Hawaiian Sweet Rolls are our favorite

1 1/2 lb black forest ham  - thinly sliced

24 slices of baby Swiss cheese 

Sweet Glaze 

1/4 C pineapple juice

1 stick butter

1 tsp garlic salt 

1/4 tsp pepper 

1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 T dijon mustard 

3 T brown sugar 

1 tsp corn starch

With a long bread knife, slice rolls open - if you are using Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, keep all rolls in tact and slice right through the center of the rolls. Once baked you can cut the individual rolls for serving. 

Make glaze on stove top. Bring to a slight boil & let cool slightly. With a pastry brush, brush the glaze on to the open face side of the rolls. Reserve a little glaze for the top of rolls.

Layer on the open face side of rolls - meat, cheese, meat and cheese and place the other half of rolls on top.

Brush a light coating of glaze on top of rolls. Cover snugly with foil. Bake 320 (convection oven) 20-25 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve hot. 

Serve with raspberry jam, pineapple tidbits or ranch dressing.

Yum, YUM, YUM!!

August is National Peach Month

Were you aware that August is national peach month? President Ronald Reagan sent a request to congress to make a national holiday to celebrate the peach. In 1982 it was approved by congress. It was brought to life to help honor the enjoyment of great flavor of juicy peaches. Here in southern Illinois (yes, where I live) you will find several different places to purchase great tasting peaches. You can pick your own, or purchase them freshly picked. They are delicious to eat in the raw, sliced in cream, in desserts, in ice cream or even a cold slushie. To join in the celebration simply eat and enjoy a peach however you may like them.

Peaches come in a several different varieties. One of the biggest differences is between freestone and clingstone. The freestone peach do not cling to the pit and are commonly sold at grocery stores. Clingstone peaches cling to their pits are most commonly used for canning or preserving often sold at farmer markets. How do you know which peach to buy? It is best to buy peaches fresh during the months of June, July and August. Many believe that the red color in peaches indicates ripeness, however this is not always true. When you are selecting which peaches to buy you should make sure there is a defined crease, a slight give but not one that is mushy, the color of the peach steam should not be green, and the skin of the peach should not have wrinkles. The biggest way to tell which peach to select is with your nose if the peach smells delicious and like one you would want to eat then it is the peach for you.

Peaches should be stored at room temp or in the crisping drawer in fridge. Peaches are good for about 5 days while I have seen them last longer. You can peel and freeze peaches as well this way they will keep for a few months.

Through out the month of August Annies Home will be featuring more post about peaches to help celebrate national peach month. Do you enjoy a good peach?? What is your favorite way to eat them?

 

 

giveaways entered 8/11

P&G wants to help your family out and keep those kids busy. If there was not enough to do already in our family , the one thing we might forget with all the hustle and bustle is to keep the kids from becoming idle. We participate in lots of activities and sports, what does you family do to keep the kids active? Enter this giveaway at Girl Gone Mom where winner will win all that is pictured above. Giveaway ends 8/27

Frozen Dessert : Raspberry Bombe

 

Today, August 11 is a day to recognize a summer treat, the raspberry bombe. A raspberry bombe normally contains sherbets, heavy cream , sugar, chopped nuts, candied fruit and a dash of rum. The dessert is created by layering it in a spherical mold and frozen overnight. 

 

 

 

 

1 (16- ounce) package of frozen unsweetened peaches, thawed and drained ( I use fresh when in season)
1 (8-ounce)carton sour cream
½ c grenadine
½ gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
Vegetable cooking spray
Raspberry Sauce (below)
Fresh raspberries
Fresh Mint sprigs

In a food processor, process peaches until smooth. Add sour cream and grenadine; process until well blended.
Combine peach mixture and ice cream in a mixing bowl; beat a low speed with an electric mixer until well blended. Pour mixture into an 111 cup mold (or bunt pan, or jello mold, or any large bowl with an interesting shape) that has been coated with cooking spray. Cover and freeze for 8 hours or until mixture is firm.
Tow hours before serving, using the tip of a knife, loosen the edges from the mold. Invert mold onto chilled serving plate. Wrap a warm towel around the mold for 30 seconds.  Shake gently and slowly lift off mold. Return Bombe to freezer.
Garnish with raspberry sauce, raspberries and mint. 12 servings

Raspberry Sauce
1 (16 ounce) package of frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed and drained ( I use fresh when in season)
¾c light corn syrup
¼c Grand Marnier

Process raspberries in food processor until smooth. Strain out seeds if desired. Stir in syrup and Grand Marnier.

 

recipe source here


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Son and Daughter Day

 

 

 

Each year on August 11, parents across the United States celebrate National Son’s and Daughter’s Day.  On this day, spend time with the joys of your life, your sons and/or daughters.

Let your children know that you are glad that they are part of your life.  Time passes by very fast and children grow quickly.  Enjoy every day that you have with them and spend as much quality time as you can.

 

Our family continues to grow , adding to our family with more sons and daughters as well as grand-babies. We love to spend as much time as a family together. One day these times will be no more, til then we will continue to make memories

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Smile Week

Turn that frown upside down. Easier said than done is what I have heard before but here are some good ideas to help you enjoy smile week

Choose not to remember the pain of the past, the tears of yester year and simply decide that today will be a good day.

stop buying things that make you happy rather consider creating memories that will last forever and possibly cost lots less than the items you have been purchasing

say kind things to yourself as well as all those you see. A positive attitude is contagious and you may catch onto it easily

choose to forgive, let go and forgive, I always add never forget but let go of it and the baggage it carries

take some time for yourself. We love to go outside and enjoy nature. Here in beautiful southern Illinois it is not hard to do

Simplify your life, allow your self to do what you want to do today. While it may not be something you can do every day or at all. Enjoy yourself for just a little bit

Smile, put a smile on your face. This may be easier than you think. Its a few muscles that allows your facial expression to turn your frown upside down.

Are you Ready To Go Back To School

Getting ready to go back to school can be exciting and a bit scary as well. While parents may be looking forward to the day as the summer has been long and they are ready to send their children back at the same time its a bit sad as many know the time they will have to be together will slim. Likewise, the child returning back to school may be tired of being bored at home but eagerly waiting to go back to school to be with their friends they may also be a bit scared of what will happen next. There are a few things that you can do to get them ready to go. With our grand-children being young its a great way to form back to school traditions.

One thing that we like to do the night before the first day of school is to have a special meal or cookout. Its the last one before school starts and so we make it a party with friends and family. I will once again be hosting a giveaway for all the little ones, their parents and the rest of the friends and family. That night at home get all ready to go back to school and have a good talk about heading back to school.

Special first day of school breakfast will be hosted by none other than me again this year. However, this year I believe I will take them to breakfast rather than cooking. Saves time, less stress and so much easier as well. What will you be having for the first day of school breakfast?

First day of school pictures. Why of course always and forever pictures of first day of school with their backpacks in tack to be added and kept in the collection to help us remember when they were little. Do you take first day of school pictures

Don't even forget that there will be lots that they will have to tell you after their first day of school. After all meeting their teacher, seeing their friends again after the long summer and the new classroom or school will bring them home with lots of chatter. Make sure that you have a snack to enjoy with them as they share with you their first day. Many memories will be made right at this moment alone

I hope that your first day of school will be as exciting and make many memories as those when my own children were growing up. Now I look forward to the time that we will have with our nephews, nieces and grand-children.

Invention of The Clarinet

The creator of the clarinet was born in the month of August. The clarinet if you are not aware is a woodwind instrument. Johann Christopher Denner has been credited with the creation of the clarinet. Denner was born in to a family of horn tuners. His father made games, whistles, hunting horns to name just a few. Two of Denners brothers are also instrument builders. The clarinet was first described as a new instrument created like that of pipe work. There is controversy over whether he was the inventor of the clarinet or not and in which year it was invented. One instrument belonging to Denner is owned by the University of California, Berkley another was possibly destroyed in WW2.

In gradeschool, jr. high, and high school I played the clarinet. I spent many years learning how to play my best, the notes, the keys, the mouth piece was all part of my development to learn how to play the clarinet. I simply love the sound of the clarinet and thought you might enjoy some as well.



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American Artist Sue Fuller : Lesson in String Art

American artist Sue Fuller, a constructivist and printmaker creates many creative and wondrous pieces. Born in 1914 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and attending Carnegie Institute of Technology. One of her medias is string art

Fuller used string art to be creative. The picture above is a piece of her work created simply of string. What is string art:
acoording to wikipedia
String art, or pin and thread art, is characterized by an arrangement of colored thread strung between points to form abstract geometric patterns or representational designs such as a ship's sails, sometimes with other artist material comprising the remainder of the work. Thread, wire, or string is wound around a grid of nails hammered into a velvet-covered wooden board. Though straight lines are formed by the string, the slightly different angles and metric positions at which strings intersect gives the appearance of Bézier curves (as in the mathematical concept of envelope of a family of straight lines). quadratic Bézier curve are obtained from strings based on two intersecting segments. Other forms of string art include Spirelli, which is used for cardmaking and scrapbooking, and curve stitching, in which string is stitched through holes.

String Art for Kids

find a great tutorial here

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giveaways entered 8/10 gymboree ends 8/17

we entered here

game giveaway here

With back to school time here its time to load up on snacks. Everyone needs a little snack now and then and why not win one if you can. Snack giveaway here ends 8/22

This week in review

Annies home has been a busy place, this week alone saw several different post sharing all topics such as recipes and household hints.

On Monday we shared delicious southern buttermilk pie recipe as well as a low carb version

Tuesday we shared a few ideas for heading back to school, including tips on making sure your child is ready for kindergarten.

Wednesday we shared with a great family fun idea of flavored popcorn along with some great seasoning recipes. We also shared one of our favorite artist with you.

 

 

Thursday we shared with you one of our favorite sponsors. Pediped childrens foot wear. If you visited you also saw several awesome recipes and a great idea to reuse soda or milk caps

Friday we told you that it was purple heart day, shared some history with you around the military award. That was not all though, we also shared a beautiful spot her in Southern Illinois, a bit about video games of the 80s and a recipe or two. You will have to check it all out.

Saturday we posted a recipe that I grew up with and now serve my family. Harvest time is perfect for greenbeans and new potatoes. Can not tell you how many hours I have spent snapping green beans. Check out the recipe here

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