...Because I have nothing else to do...

The Idea Room is having a link party in which participants list random facts about themself in order for readers to learn a little more about them.  So I'm playing along, seeing as how I have nothing else to do while I wait for the lasagna to finish cooking. Here goes.

Random tidbits about me:



* I am afraid of birds. I don't know why. No, I was never attacked by a bird. No, it isn't from watching the movie,which I've never seen anyway. They're just creepy!

* I blog when I'm bored. Can you tell I've been bored lately? : )

* I've lived in 15 different cities and 5 states! (Texas, Colorado, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Indiana) and Colorado is by far my favorite! With Indiana in second.

* Jason had to propose three times before I said yes. : \ Isn't that horrible of me?? It's not that I didn't like him or anything. I just didn't feel like I was ready to get married yet. I wasn't that girl that was searching for a husband and had her wedding colors and flowers picked out from the time she was 10. I kinda liked being young and single. We were 23 when we finally married. AND we eloped. Then, had a church wedding a year and a half later. I know it's confusing. I don't think friends and family know when our anniversary is. I think our roles are reversed in this relationship. I pursued him. He said I love you first. He wanted to get married first. He wanted kids first. Am I weird??

* I have chocolate in my sweatshirt pocket right now. Hee hee. And I keep some in my nightstand for emergency snacks! Mmmm, I love chocolate.

* As a kid I was scared to eat strawberries. They looked weird with the seeds on the outside!

* My fave tv shows are Modern Family, Castle, The Office, Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, Cupcake Wars, Chopped, The Next Food Network Star, What Not to Wear (I secretly wish I could be Stacy London and walk around and tell everyone what's wrong with what they're wearing even though I'm a complete mess myself!)

* I didn't start crafting until this year. I've been collecting supplies for years and finally began scrapbooking, cardmaking and other crafts. What took me so long? It's an incredible outlet!

* A few decades ago back in high school I was a cheerleader. Yep. Me. It's funny to think about it now. I probably still know most of the cheers and will break one out every now and then. It's good for making the hubby laugh!!!!!

I can't think of anything else and the timer on the oven just went off. I hope you all had a Happy New Year. I say "had" even though it's still hours away as I write this because I am sure I'm probably the only one home on my computer tonight. It will most likely be 2011 when you read this. BUT if you are reading this in 2010 leave me a comment so I know I'm not the only one who isn't out celebrating. : )

Also, please feel free to play along too!

Rumparooz on Sale

Rumparooz are my favorite cloth diapers! And now through the 31st they are having their annual End of year yellow sale. Only the yellow ones are on sale. Why yellow? I don't know.

But they are 25% off!!!

This is a GREAT deal. If you've ever thought of trying these snatch up a few at this price. If you already love them like I do then stock up on a few more. If you buy any please tell her I (Amber Sheaves) sent you and let me know too. She gives rewards points for both purchases and referrals! And I'm just a few points from a free diaper =)

Here is a review my cousin did of these diapers on her blog.

Fried Pickles

Fried pickles??? Yes, fried pickles. They are sooooo good. This recipe is from the June issue of Food Network Magazine. And they go great with the Cheeseburger Salad recipe below.

Pretzel-crusted Pickle Chips with Mustard Sauce

For the sauce:
1 1/4-inch-thick slice red onion, finely diced
3 Tbsp spicy brown mustard
1 1/2 Tbsp yellow mustard
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp paprika
3/4 garlic powder
Kosher salt

For the chips:
vegetable oil for frying
6 large dill pickles, sliced diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
2 cups salted mini pretzels
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
celery salt, for sprinkling (optional)

1. Make the sauce: Mix the onion, both mustards, mayonnaise, paprika, garlic powder and salt to taste in bowl. Set aside.

2. Make the chips: Heat 1/2 inch vegetable oil in large skillet over medium heat. Gently pat the pickle slices dry with a paper towel.

3. Crush pretzels into coarse crumbs; transfer to a plate. Whisk eggs in shallow bowl and put the flour in another bowl. Dredge the pickle slices in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in beaten eggs and then in pretzel crumbs. Working in batches, fry the pickles until golden crisp, about 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with celery salt. Serve warm with the mustard sauce.

So I wish I had some pics to post, but I don't : (   I guess sticky, floury  pretzel-coated fingers and splashing hot oil don't make for good photo-taking opps. Maybe next time I'll remember.

Cheeseburger Salad

So, is it a cheeseburger or a salad??

It has all the flavor of a burger, but with less carbs and more veggies! This is one of our go-to meals for the week.  It's easy, affordable and the whole family likes it! And, of course, it's a Pampered Chef recipe again.



Deluxe Cheeseburger Salad

4 sesame seed hamburger bun tops

1 small red onion, divided

2 plum tomatoes

3/4 lb 95% lean ground beef

1/2 cup finely diced pickles

3/4 cup ketchup

1 Tbsp yellow mustard

8 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce

1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice buns into 1/4-in. strips. Arange on bar pan and bake 8-10 minutes until slightly toasted. Let cool.

(I didn't have sesame buns so we just used regular. And I use the bottoms too.)

2. Cut onion in half crosswise. Slice half of onion crosswise into thin rings. Cut tomatoes into quarters lengthwise and slice crosswise.

3. Cook ground beef over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes until no longer pink. Meanwhile, chop remaining onion half using food chopper. Finely dice pickles using chopper as well. In large bowl, combine chopped onion, pickles, ketchup and mustard. Add cooked beef and mix well.

(This seems really gross to me, but it does taste so good.)



4. To serve, arrange lettuce on large serving platter. Spoon beef mixture over lettuce. Top with cheese, tomatoes and sliced onion. Arrange hamburger bun croutons around edge of platter. Serve immediatley.

 We like to serve this with fried pickles! Also sounds gross, but so good! I'll have to post that recipe later.



I'm sure you probably have all the ingredients on hand anyway so try this recipe and let me know what you think!

Cricut cartridge sale!

Cricutmachine.com is having a 48-hour New Year's sale on Cricut! Visit www.cricutmachine.com/specials.php to see the sale items. There are over 60 cartridges marked down to only $14.95 each!!! There are some really good carts on there too (I stocked up with all my Christmas money which didn't last long)! And they're already shipping the newly released ones as well. Happy Shopping!

Well, Owl Bee

There's a great new blog called Well, Owl Bee. It's "a journal of accidentally crunchy moms". How cute is that? They have lots of product reviews and just did their first giveaway. The current review is that of my Lemongrass Spa products! I think you can get a lot from this site especially if you are a mom of young kids, a new mom or a mom-to-be! Go take a look!

p.s. The owl, aka Brie, happens to be my husband's cousin : )

Blog Candy Giveaway

Stacy at Scrap with Stacy is having another fabulous giveaway! I think. Well, you see the prize is a surprise!

Although, she has confirmed that there is some Tim Holtz product involved! Remember that last Tim Holtz giveaway she had?! So head over to her blog to enter. You have until December 31st and the winner will be announced on January 1st! Good luck!