Proverbs 31 Life...

Thermal Tote Donations

2012-02-13T19:35:00.003-06:00

I'm excited to take these 27 Thermal Totes tomorrow to an Oncologist office to donate to patients! I hope they put a smile on someones face. Thanks to those that donated!

#1 Team!

2012-02-13T12:11:00.000-06:00

Today is a day to CELEBRATE! Team Pasalakis (the team I am a part of) is the Number One Selling Team in the company!

A Little Promotion!

2012-02-06T13:52:00.002-06:00

Do you see it? Do you? I just pulled up my Thirty-One "office" and there's something new next to 'Title'! I yelled out a little shout and my husband was downstairs and asked if I just made that noise? Yes, yes I did! Just what I needed today!

PreGame Snacks!

2012-02-05T13:09:00.002-06:00

I thought we'd try something different and made this Bubbly Pizza Ring. You make it with biscuits in a bundt pan like you do monkey bread, but the biscuits are stuffed with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese and dipped in butter with garlic powder and Italian seasoning. It turned out really good! Next time I'll probably put about 4 pieces of pepperoni in each biscuit instead of 2.

Here's the recipe...

6 to 8 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cans refrigerated flaky original biscuits

40 small slices pepperoni (about 3 oz)

8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 20 pieces

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/4 cups pizza sauce, heated

DIRECTIONS

1 Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 12-cup fluted tube pan with No-Stick Cooking Spray. In small bowl, mix melted butter, Italian seasoning and garlic powder.

2 Separate 1 can of dough into 10 biscuits; press or roll each into 3-inch round. Place 2 pepperoni slices in center of each biscuit round. Top each with piece of mozzarella cheese. Bring dough up around filling; press edge to seal and shape each into ball. Roll in butter mixture; place 10 balls in pan.

3 Sprinkle dough balls with Parmesan cheese. Repeat with remaining can of biscuits, placing balls over balls in pan. Pour remaining butter mixture over top.

4 Bake 33 to 38 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Gently loosen bread from sides of pan. Place large heatproof plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Remove pan. Serve warm with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

Five Questions Friday...One Day Late...

2012-02-04T22:21:00.005-06:00

I thought it would be fun to try Five Question Fridays that I recently saw on another blog. We'll see if I can remember to do them each week. Here we go...

1. What have you done recently that you are proud of?
Promoted to Senior Consultant! Yay!

2. What is your favorite way to work out? Or if you don't workout, what are you wanting to try?
I've kind of been interested in seeing what pilates is all about. We'll see. I sure do need to tone this body up!

3. If you knew your best friend was cheating on spouse would you tell?
I would probably urge her to tell and if she didn't tell we'd have to go from there.

4. If you could afford a live-in maid or nanny, would you have one?
Probably not. A weekly housekeeper would be nice, but not a live in.

5. Do you stress out about birthdays (specifically the age) or do you enjoy them?
Right now I can enjoy them. We'll see how that goes when 40 rolls around.

What's up?

2012-02-01T13:02:00.005-06:00

January was a busy month with Thirty-One. We had the spring reveal, the Thermal Tote sale, Donate Totes for Oncologist patients, parties, my 1 year anniversary with Thirty-One...whew! With the help of my awesome friends and family we were able to donate 27 Thermal Totes to Oncologist patients! I can't wait to deliver those later this month!

I'm so ready for February! It's about time for a new catalog with new spring prints and products! AND this month I promote to Senior Consultant! Woot Woot!

Here's a few pictures of what's been going on around here. The first is of my 'Last Chance, First Glance' party I had with my 2011 hostesses. You can see Thirty-One's founder, Cindy Monroe, on the TV screen. The rest are mainly of Mopsy. She usually stays with me when I'm working on stuff and I'll look over and this is what she's doing!

She decided to hold on to an envelope for me. She held that thing for about 10 minutes then walked away.

This is one of her favorite spots! On top of all of the pillows on our bed!

Helping Build Up Women!

2012-01-08T13:12:00.004-06:00

I am so excited about Thirty-One's new philanthropic venture. Watch this video, just over 3 minutes, and see what Thirty-One is doing to give back to women and teenage girls in the U.S. The stats are mindblowing!

40,000 Women Across the Country...

2012-01-06T21:40:00.002-06:00

...will be at a movie theater near you for the Spring Product Reveal. So, if you're at your local theater tomorrow between the hours of 10:30am and 1:30pm you will hear a lot of screaming with excitement and women looking at catalogs with drool spilling out of their mouths! So excited to go see what is new for the Spring and see all my friends! Plus, I get two free NEW products!

Must have been a hard day...

2012-01-02T19:59:00.000-06:00

Christmas Morning with Mopsy

2011-12-28T14:48:00.001-06:00

Christmas Day at Granny and Grandaddy's

2011-12-28T10:32:00.005-06:00

Christmas Eve at Grandma Vearl's

2011-12-28T10:13:00.007-06:00

Since Mopsy is recovering from surgery she got to go with us this year for the Christmas festivities. When we weren't holding her she stayed in this "bed" that I made up for her. She did really well staying in it!

We all skyped with Aunt Missy who lives in Florida.

Christmas Cooking

2011-12-28T10:04:00.003-06:00

Granny requested a coconut cake this year for Christmas day, so I made one for her. This was my first coconut cake to ever make and it turned out really good! Granny also put me in charge of the sweet potatoes and deviled eggs...plus I made some chocolate fudge that my mom always makes at Christmas.

My Aunt Francie always made these sugar cookies at Christmas when I was growing up. I don't like sugar cookies, but these are good! I would eat them at my Grandpa and Grandma Hammel's on Christmas Eve. Now it's a tradition for me to make them every year and my nephews enjoy them.

Christmas with Stephen's Parents

2011-12-26T16:40:00.006-06:00

We celebrated Christmas a few days early with Stephen's parents on December 20th. Here are a few pictures.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T19:07:00.000-06:00

Food & Today's Helper

2011-12-20T14:17:00.003-06:00

When I was in Indy my mom and I tried Scotty's Lakehouse for lunch one day! If you are near Geist you should try it. We loved that all the meat is from local farmers! We split the Trio appetizer and an order of sweet potato fries. It was really good and the prices were really decent since the meat is local and healthy! YUM!

Mopsy doesn't want to leave my side today. She's being my little helper.

That's How It Rolls

2011-12-15T09:38:00.000-06:00

This is how the gas prices roll when you are a Thirty-One consultant. I thought it was funny that the total amount stopped at $31.31! I had to take a picture!

Lately...

2011-12-08T14:44:00.009-06:00

In my last post I mentioned that my camera broke. Poor thing, I still am sad for her. BUT, a secret santa brought me a new camera and I am so glad to have one!

Here's a little of what has been going on lately.

My little helper while I was getting some work done today!

The other night I had a little party with some other Thirty-One consultants. Everyone brought their favorite finger food and we did an ornament swap. It was good to get to know those we didn't know as well and to talk. I took a few pictures of the decorations before everyone arrived.

Stephen found an old torn up hymn book with his piano books and I decided to keep it. I thought I could do something with the pages sometime. The other night I taped a few sheets together and made wrapping paper. I think it looks really classy wrapped on these boxes and used as decoration.

I had a Scentsy party at my house just before Thanksgiving and I received all my free goodies lastnight! I've been burning the Whiteout scent since I got it lastnight. It's a mixture of peppermint and vanilla. Looking forward to the Blueberry Cheesecake and White Tea & Cactus scents too!

I've been gearing up my Thirty-One business for one of the biggest sales of the year. Our Thermal Tote sale! I'm excited about the new prints and the new thermal on the left.

My Two Last Pictures

2011-11-21T23:41:00.004-06:00

These pictures are the last pictures I took before my camera broke. My poor little camera! I've had it for 4 years and it literally went with me everywhere I went! If I was at Wal-Mart and wanted to take a picture it was there. If I wanted to catch a memory when I was with family or friends, it was there. It was always there and now she's gone. I'm probably too attached to my camera, but I love her. In her last day she was able to take the two pictures below. The tree is the Christmas tree we had at our last Thirty-One meeting. The ornaments that were on the tree were so cute! One of the girls made them and I think everyone there really wanted one!

November Celebrate & Connect!

2011-11-18T15:56:00.008-06:00

I look forward to these every other month! I love seeing all my friends, trading tips with each other, and getting a free product from Thirty-One! It's really just like one big party with the girls!

Rolling into our November Celebrate and Connect meeting!

We had a toy drive at this meeting. If you brought a toy that was your ticket to get in...or a money donation. We collected a lot of toys and just under $150! There will be a lot of happy kiddos this Christmas...and parents!

I demonstrated how to do a "Fashion Show" at a Thirty-One party at the meeting. It was a lot of fun and the girls really liked it. My friend, Felicia, was 1 of the 3 models that I asked to help me with the fashion show. They all did a great job!

Mamaw's Dishcloth

2011-11-14T10:11:00.002-06:00

My husband's 91 year old great grandmother has been giving us knitted dishcloths as a gift every year, sometimes twice a year, since we've been married. I've grown to love these dishcloths! About 6 or so years ago she tried to teach me how to make them and I just couldn't get the hang of it. A few weeks ago I decided that I really wanted to learn. So, I bought my needles and yarn and sat in front of youtube for two hours watching different videos and finally got it! So, here is my first completed dishcloth! Now, I just need to learn to can!

Christmas Booth & Movies

2011-11-06T16:53:00.005-06:00

Yesterday my friend Felicia and I had a booth at the Hollyday Marketplace in Murfreesboro to benefit the Junior League of Murfreesboro. It was a fun day! Everytime I saw someone carrying a Thirty-One bag I took their picture. I probably got about 30-40 pictures! It was a great way to be out and meet new ladies...and a few men! I asked some of the men if they wanted to get a purse to match their outfits, but they weren't very interested! At least I got a laugh out of them!

The other night I went to best buy to get a couple things we needed and came home with these! Miracle on 34th Street and White Christmas are my two favorite Christmas movies...and the classics we had recorded on VHS. Thanks to the gift card I earned from Thirty-One I was able to add these to our collection! We sure have stretched that gift card far!

Our kid wants to dress up too!

2011-10-31T12:19:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday, Sister!

2011-10-24T15:24:00.002-05:00

What's for dinner?

2011-10-11T18:23:00.002-05:00

Tonight I tried this recipe. Tofu Lasagna! It turned out surprisingly good! This was my first time to eat tofu and to cook with it! I will for sure make this again. I did use whole wheat lasagna noodles in place of regular noodles. Next time I might add some veggies though. Here's the recipe!

Ingredients
1/2 (12 ounce) package uncooked lasagna noodles
1 (12 ounce) package firm tofu, crumbled
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup spaghetti sauce (I used extra sauce with each layer)
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. In a medium bowl combine tofu, eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, milk, spaghetti sauce, parsley and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Spread a layer in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
4. Layer lasagna noodles with the sauce mixture, ending with sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 35 minutes.

Girl Time!

2011-09-02T19:11:00.002-05:00

These girls are one of my motivation to keep working my way up in Thirty-One! I am amazed how quickly friendships developed when I enrolled with Thirty-One! On the days I don't want to make phone calls these girls, and some that aren't in the picture, are my motivation to keep going! I want to be there with them at conference next year! I want to go on leadership retreats with them! I want to be there to make the funny memories and to share our lives with each other! They are part of my 'WHY'! I am very thankful for all my Thirty-One sisters!

Goal!

2011-09-01T14:18:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Thirty-One's challenge I was able to earn a Best Buy gift card! Thanks to all my friends and family that helped me reach that goal!

Lately...

2011-08-27T13:12:00.004-05:00

Just a little of what's been going on in my world...

I've been messing around a little with photoshop and I tweaked this picture of my sister. I really like how it turned out!

Hanging out at the pool with my friend we saw all of these Thirty-One bags!

Delivering Thirty-One orders.

Sweet little Mopsy!

Las Vegas

2011-08-27T12:53:00.010-05:00

Last week we were in Las Vegas for the Toastmaster International Convention. It was our first time there and I have to say for myself, it will probably be the last unless there is a convention that I really want to go to! It just wasn't the place for me. It was great to see and spend some time with friends that we've made over the years and meet some new friends!

Ready to travel with all my Thirty-One bags! I think I traveled with a total of 20 something bags!

Views from our room!

My daily view at the pool. I went every morning for a few hours until it either got too hot or I got hungry...whichever came first.

This chocolate fountain from floor to ceiling makes you want to get inside and have a taste...at the Bellagio.

This train is made of marshmellows! It was at the Bellagio.

Part of the water show in front of the Bellagio.

I've always wanted to go to New York for many reasosns, but one of them, Serendipity's frozen hot chocolate! Las Vegas has one!!! I wasn't going to buy one because for this size it was $10!!! Ridiculous! I met a gentlemen at Stephen's conference that passed me a "Pay it forward" card with some money as he was leaving and he told me to go get a frozen hot chocolate! So I did and it WAS worth $10! So yummy!

Happy Birthday, Stephen!

2011-07-28T21:44:00.000-05:00

Today is Stephen's birthday...so we celebrated with this cake I made!

A Really Good Read!

2011-07-26T12:55:00.002-05:00

A friend of ours gave us this book a few weeks ago. She was diagnosed with MS about four years ago. She has implemented some of the knowledge from this book and is healthy, walking well, exercising, and thriving! We just have a interest in eating healthy and she knew we would enjoy this book! I hated to put it down this afternoon after only reading one chapter! Now I want to get everything done on my list so I can sit and read some more!

The author's story is amazing! At 19 he all of a sudden was seriously ill with no idea what was going on and not far from dying. The doctor's diagnosed him with Crohn's disease, although it was a lot more than that. He went all over the world to see doctors and not a doctor or medicine ever helped. Eventually he found a man that believed in eating foods that were eaten back in Bible days...healthy, whole foods with some all natural supplements. Today he is thriving! It's a good read so far!

Thirty-One Freebies from Conference

2011-07-25T22:32:00.003-05:00

Here are all my freebies from conference! My friend, Abby, added it all up and it came to about $300 if we had paid for all of this ourselves! I think my two favorite things are the Thirty-One tervis tumbler and the "Wash Me" bag! Now I don't have to use those plastic bags from the hotel for my dirty laundry anymore!

Excitement!

2011-07-20T09:46:00.001-05:00

My friend snapped this picture of me as Cindy (founder & CEO of Thirty-One) was revealing the product line for the new catalog! Can you tell I was a little excited?

A Collage from Conference

2011-07-17T15:57:00.001-05:00

Conference Pics from Thursday, July 14th

2011-07-17T15:47:00.001-05:00

News Clip about Thirty-One!

2011-07-16T22:21:00.000-05:00

WSYX ABC6 On Your Side Top Story - Thirty-One Gifts

Pictures, Pictures!

2011-07-16T21:31:00.013-05:00

I am posting a ton of pics to finish up the rest of the conference. Tonight I am just posting pics...another day I will write all about the rest of that amazing conference!

Thank you! No, THANK YOU!

2011-07-13T18:47:00.013-05:00

Today has been great! The only planned activity I had today was a tour of the Easton home office! It was amazing! Tomorrow is jam packed full of events! I just can't imagine what it is going to be like. The girls that came last year sort of know what it will be like and they are so excited! They can't wait!

The tour was better than I expected. We now have a visual image what the process is once we submit an order all the way until we receive the order. ALL of the employees appreciate the consultants so much! They kept telling us thank you, they all waved as we passed by, some even did a little jig full of excitement! I was overwhelmed. I often feel like I should be the one to say thank you! The Thirty-One opportunity has been...well...life changing. I'm more confident. I feel more of a purpose. I make goals now and attain them. Besides the inside changes it has added a little more to our finances each month. I have also received many incentives, including a $1600 Best Buy gift card that I should be receiving soon! I'm thankful that God led me to Thirty-One. I would have never chosen this for myself, but He knew best! I'm so thankful to be here at conference and be a part of this faith based company!

There are quite a few pictures below! I took about 70 pictures on the tour, I just didn't think I should post them all here.

First thing this morning Abby and I saw our director, sponsor, and friend, Jennifer! We are so thankful for her help, knowledge, and genuinely caring about us! She's a great director to learn from!

The Thirty-One sign as we pull into the home office!

Some of the employees were outside waiting for us and cheered for us as we walked through the entryway!

They rolled the red carpet out for us!

This amazing opportunity all began with a PINK box! It was only fitting for Abby and I to take our picture first thing with the PINK boxes!

Instead of "hazard" tape lining the walk-way for the tour they had Thirty-One tape. I would like a roll of that!

There were thank you signs everywhere from the home office employee to the consultants!

On every bus one consultants name was drawn to win a 60 second shopping spree! This consultant got 60 products valued at $1600!!!

This is where all the embroidery happens!

Celebrate Encourage Reward

Everytime Abby and I saw something that said "Thirty-One" we had to snap a pic!

I really, really like this artwork hanging behind Cindy's receptionist's desk!

Abby and I in front of one of the walls in Cindy's reception area.

Part of the display that you see when you come in the main entrance at the home office.

These were our goodies we received after the tour! There is an exclusive key fob inside the DVD case too!

Columbus, Ohio...Here We Are!

2011-07-12T19:33:00.002-05:00

Well, I just arrived in Columbus, Ohio about an hour ago for the Thirty-One National Conference! There are Thirty-One bags everywhere! I have counted 24 bags just in my hotel room! There are four consultants staying in the room...so Thirty-One is taking over the room! I'm sure there are bags inside of bags too! The three other girls that I'm staying with are at a director's dinner. So, I have a quiet room for a little bit! Tomorrow morning I will register, get all my goodies, and head out for my tour of one of the distribution centers! I'm excited to see how all that works!

My New Favorite Song

2011-06-27T08:03:00.000-05:00

Beef & Rice....YUM!

2011-06-22T15:34:00.003-05:00

I mixed together a few recipes to come up with this recipe and it was so good! It felt more like a comfort food!

1 pound of beef stew meat
1/2 cup of Braggs Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
1 bay leaf
3-4 peppercorns
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. garlic powder

Place all of the above ingredients in a crock pot. Pour just enough water to barely cover the top of the meat. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

After the stew meat has cooked, separate from "broth" and shred the meat, set aside meat after shredding. In a sauce pan melt about 2 tbsp. of butter and mix in about 2 tbsp. of whole wheat flour to thicken. You may need to add another 1/2 tbsp. of flour. Slowly pour in broth that you set aside from cooking meat in the crock pot and mix well. Let flour, butter mixture and broth thicken. Set aside what you have now made, gravy.

Saute about 2-3 sliced green bell peppers in skillet with grapeseed oil (oil of your choice) and mix in some garlic and onion powder to taste. Cook until tender.

Cook 4 servings of brown rice.

Place a serving of rice on a plate, then place beef in center, top with green peppers and pour gravy over the top! Enjoy!

Making Our Own Tortilla Chips...

2011-06-14T10:56:00.002-05:00

I have this huge bag of corn tortillas and I'm thinking, we can't eat all of these fast enough before they go bad! I decided to try to bake them and make my own chips. First, I cut the round tortillas into fourths, they are small tortillas. Then I place them on a foil lined baking sheet. I rub a little grapeseed oil onto each triangle and sprinkle a bit of sea salt on them. I bake them at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes then check them. If the bottom side is beginning to brown I flip them over and bake about another 5 minutes until that side is browned. I like mine to be a bit crispy and chewy. If you want them all the way crispy bake them a little longer.

I've been making salsa and eating that with the chips. I haven't quite found a salsa recipe yet that I really like. I'll post a good recipe when I find one!

Celebrate & Connect, May 2011

2011-06-10T11:25:00.005-05:00

Every other month Thirty-One has Celebrate & Connect meetings all over the United States. Luckily my director has one just a few miles down the road that I can attend! This is such a fun time to see all the ladies and meet new ones too! We bounce ideas off of each other other, give recognition for achievements, celebrate and encourage each other! It's just a fun time and every time I leave a meeting I'm even more motivated! This last time we started off with a potluck, which was something fun and different!

These are all the ladies from this particular meeting that will be going to the National Conference in July. Last year there were 1,500 ladies there. This year they are expecting over 10,000!!!!! WOW! I can't wait!

And here we are learning a few tidbits from our awesome director!

Can you find me in all three pictures?

How we use these...

2011-06-08T18:06:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I headed out to my in-laws for the day! I used my Large Utility Tote to carry everything I needed for the day! Inside I had my Picnic Thermal Tote, clothes, snacks, treats for Mopsy, and my purse! It felt good to have everything in one bag!

Mopsy got her Mini Organizer in the mail today! She has it full of all her brushes, combs, medicine, toothbrush, and clippers! She even has her initial embroidered on it in pink! Hey, a pooch needs a Thirty-One bag too!

Such a Cute Little Thing!

2011-06-06T13:50:00.003-05:00

A few months ago when I got this Mini Organizer I knew this would be exactly how I would use it. It's got one deep pocket inside that I filled with paper plates, napkins, and paper towels. On the two end pockets I stuck some condiments in there and in the three back pockets I put plastic utensils and toothpicks! Such a handy bag to take from the house to the deck, pool, park, or on a road trip...and this cute little thing is only $15!

This is the back side with three additional pockets!

What's for Dinner?

2011-06-03T19:52:00.004-05:00

This is a raw ranch dip that I made with tonights dinner. I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but it's actually pretty tasty. This is a recipe from Dr. Josh Axe's cookbook.

Raw Ranch Dip
3/4 c. raw cashews, soaked in water for 2 hours
1/2 c. water
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp. olive oil
3 dates, soaked in water
1/2 tsp. sea salt
3 tsp. garlic powder
3 tsp. onion powder
3 tbsp. fresh basil, minced
3 tbsp. fresh dill, miced

Place all ingredients in a blender except the basil and dill and blend until creamy. Add the basil and dill and stir by hand until combined.

YUM, YUM and YUM! That is how these buffalo chicken tenders turned out! The is another recipe from Dr. Axe.

Buffalo Chicken Tenders
10 chicken strips
1/2 c. gluten free flour (I used whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. tobasco sauce (or more for your liking)
1/4 cup organic butter
2 tbsp. coconut oil (I used grapeseed oil)

Keep chicken in strips or cut into chunks. Mix all the dry ingredients together. Put coconut oil in a pan and warm. Coat chicken with the flour mixture and place in the pan. Cook 6-7 minutes on medium to high heat. Flip and cook until done. Melt butter in bottom of pan and mix in tobasco sauce. Coat chicken with butter and tobasco sauce mixture.

This was our dinner tonight! Probably one of my favorite meals so far! I also cut up a couple of organic potatoes and drizzled them with grapeseed oil and baked them! Yum! And yes...the ketchup is all natural too!

Black Bean Burger & Tabouli

2011-06-03T19:39:00.002-05:00

This week we ate this a couple days for lunch. I really liked the tabouli! Next time when I make the bean burgers I think I may add onion and a few more spices to give it some extra flavor.

Black Bean Burger, from Betty Crocker Cookbook
1 can (15 oz) black beans, undrained
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies, undrained
1 cup plain dry bread crumbs (I used cornmeal)
1 tsp. chili powder
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 tbsp. vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil)

Place beans in food processor or blender. Cover and process until slightly mashed; remove from food processor. Mix beans, chilies, bread crumbs, chili powder and egg. Shape mixture into 6 patties, each about 1/2 inch thick. Coat each patty with cornmeal. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook patties in oil 5-10 minutes, turning once, until crisp and throughly cooked on both sides. Dress like you would a hamburger.

Tabouli, serves 8, Dr. Neal Barnard's recipe
1 c. bulgur
2 c. boiling water
1/2 c. chopped green onions
1/2 c. finely chopped fresh parsley
3 tbsp. chopped fresh mint
3 medium tomatoes, diced
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove, minced

Put the bulgur in a large bowl and pour boiling water over it. Cover and let stand 30 minutes, until tender. Drain off extra liquid, then using a fork gently fluff the bulgur. Add remaining ingredients, stir to mix, adjust seasoning to taste. Chill 2-3 hours.

9 Years...this Month

2011-06-01T00:55:00.002-05:00

A Sweet Treat...without Refined Sugar

2011-05-31T13:59:00.007-05:00

Lastnight I needed a sweet treat. I found a recipe for "Flapjacks" in a cookbook that I got from the library. This isn't what you typically think of as the USA version of flapjacks. This concoction is ooey-gooey and sweet!

The recipe is as follows;
Butter for greasing
1/2 cup of honey
1 tbsp. of molasses
1 1/2 sticks of butter
1 3/4 cups of rolled oats
1 tsp. of vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a rimmed baking sheet. In a saucepan, on low heat, heat the honey, molasses and butter, until the butter has melted.

Remove from heat, stir in the oats and vanilla. The aroma is yummy!

Press firmly into the baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden.

Leave to cool briefly, then cut into squares while still a little warm.

They turned out very delicious! They didn't stick together as well as I had hoped, they were a bit crumbly! Next time I'll see what I can do to fix that! They were good though!

Cook these....Freeze this....

2011-05-29T20:07:00.011-05:00

This morning we decided to treat ourselves to farm eggs cooked in the skillet and whole wheat pancakes with grade B organic maple syrup. We've learned this is the best maple syrup because it has been heated/pasteurized the least.

Here's the recipe...
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. almond or soy milk
1 tbsp. grade B organic maple syrup
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Stir the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients and stir just enough to remove lumps. Preheat a lightly oiled skillet or griddle. Pour small amounts of batter onto the heated surface and cook until tops bubble. Turn with a spatula and cook other side until golden brown. This made 8 small pancakes.

They turned out surprisingly good!!! I liked these way better than any mix I have used! Yummm...looking forward to making these again!

So, what do we do when we have a bunch of strawberries and they can't all be eaten before they go bad? We freeze them! This is a great way for us to have strawberries for our protein smoothies that we typically have every morning for breakfast!

After the strawberries have been washed they need to be laid out to dry. If they aren't dry when you freeze them they will all stick together. This is an important step.

After the strawberries dry they are ready to have the tops cut off.

Now they're ready to freeze and use for future smoothies!

Tonight we had stuffed peppers...yes, meatless, but it was good!

•2 cups of brown rice, cooked(1 1/4 cups uncooked rice)
•6 to 7 bell peppers, one can be chopped and included in the stuffing.
•1 medium-sized onion
•1 cup of chickpeas or 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
•1 cup chopped tomatoes
•4 tablespoons tomato paste. Use more than this if you like.
•4 carrots,finely chopped
•1/2 bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
•1 tablespoon paprika
•1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
•3 to 4 garlic cloves, chopped or minced
•salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice. Rinse the bell peppers and slice the top off of each. Remove the stem, seeds and white ribs from the inside of each pepper. If they do not sit flat, slice a little bit off of the bottom. Bring some water to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan (enough so that the peppers can be mostly immersed in it). Add the peppers (in batches if necessary) to the boiling water, cut side up, and simmer for about 10 minutes. You may also use a steamer to do this. You're aiming just to soften the peppers up a little bit. While the peppers are simmering or steaming on the stove top preheat the oven to 350⁰ F. Chop the onions, carrots (and one bell pepper if adding). Rinse and finely chop the parsley. Finely chop or mince the fresh garlic. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil in a medium to large frying pan/skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bell pepper and carrots and stir until the onions are soft and the carrots are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove the steamed bell peppers from the saucepan, drain and set aside. If using canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) drain and rinse them. If using dried chickpeas you'll need to have them cooked so they are tender and ready to use at this point. In a large bowl, mix together the chickpeas, rice, carrots, bell pepper, onion, garlic, tomatoes, paprika, parsley, salt and pepper. Place the peppers cut side up in a lightly greased casserole dish. Stuff the peppers with the rice chickpea mixture pressing down when you have added enough to fill the inside of each pepper. Drizzle some grapeseed oil over top of all of the peppers. Cover with foil or a lid. Place the casserole dish on the middle rack in the preheated oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the cover (lid or foil) and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes, a total of 30 to 35 minutes.

I've gotta get these chickpeas roasted to snack on this coming week. Back to the kitchen...

Getting out there...

2011-05-28T16:43:00.003-05:00

I had my first outdoor vendor booth today. It was at the opening day for the Lenox Village Farmers Market. I really enjoyed just being outside, since it's beautiful here today, and talking to people about Thirty-One! There were quite a few interested ladies that came by! There were more people than I expected that had never heard of Thirty-One! What? Let me tell ya all about it...

Grillin', Bakin', Shoppin'

2011-05-27T21:10:00.004-05:00

Tonights dinner was something I was really looking forward to! It seemed more like a "regular" meal, but was still healthy! I grilled hamburgers with grass-fed beef. I seasoned the patties with Bragg Liquid Amino, diced onion, a tad of garlic powder, and fresh ground pepper. As you can see I don't have mine on a bun. I put it between layers of lettuce. It will be 4 weeks Sunday since I have had anything with yeast, so I'm not going to give in to a hamburger bun! I also cut up a few sweet potatoes, coated them with grapeseed oil, and sprinkled a bit of sea salt on them and baked them! YUM! It was great and I'm glad we have enough for another meal tomorrow!

This is one of Prince William's favorite recipes...but again, not the traditional recipe. It's Shepherd's Pie. We had this last week and with it being a bit cooler then, it was a sort of comfort food. This recipe serves 10, so you may want to half the recipe depending on how many you are cooking for.

4 large russet potatoes, diced
1/2 - 1 cup soy or almond milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup water or vegetable stock
2 onions, chopped
1 large bell pepper, diced
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 lb. (2cups) mushrooms, sliced
1 15oz. can chopped tomatoes
1 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
Steam potatoes until tender. Mash, adding enough milk to make them smooth and spreadable. Add salt to taste. Set aside. In large pot, heat water or stock and cook onions for 3 minutes. Add peppers, carrots, celery, and cook 5 minutes over medium heat. Add mushrooms, then cover the pan and cook additional 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, kidney beans, paprike, pepper, soy sauce, cover and cook 10-15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put vegetable mixture in a 9x13 baking dish and spread mashed potatoes evenly over the top. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake 25 minutes.

Me....today.

2011-05-26T21:10:00.003-05:00

This is how I felt today...a true housewife. This healthier way of eating will really get you feeling like a 1950's wife with all the preparing of meals. I'm sure once I get quite a few recipes in my pocket and get a system down with our menus I'll become more efficient.

This is how my day went. Go with the husband to drop off car 'A' at the repair shop to get a much needed part fixed...air conditioner! Yep, sure would be nice to have air condition in that car for the summer. Anyway, bring the husband back home and rinse the garbanzo beans that soaked overnight. Cook beans while I shower. Lay beans out to dry once done cooking. Worked on updating this blog. Warmed up lunch for us...on the stove. I am attempting to try not to use the microwave if at all possible. Get lunch out for us. Chat with husband while eating lunch. Run errand to get food storage containers. More are needed with all the "whole foods". Go to the library and check out about 12 recipe books. They range from gluten-free, to sugar-free, to vegetarian, to seasonal cooking. Got a few good recipes. Drop off a Thirty-One order to a hostess. Come home and a friend wants to bring a friend over to meet me. Had good conversation and fellowship. Realized that if I had met another today that we had planned I wouldn't have been able to meet the friend of a friend. Coincidence...I think not. Go through recipe books, cook up some brown rice, steamed vegetables and tuna. Eat dinner. Roast another batch of garbanzo beans.

Yep, that's my day in a nut shell...with a few details missing...but you'll forgive me. All-in-all...I like being a housewife. Just trying to find a new routine. I think we all go through those seasons though.

Quite a Few New Recipes

2011-05-24T19:49:00.003-05:00

We have tried quite a bit of new recipes over the last few days! The picture above is of Dr. Axe's chicken salad recipe. We've been using some of his recipes and Dr. Neal Barnard's recipes, along with a few I find through the internet and research.

Here is the Chicken Salad recipe we tried this week for lunch!
3-4 c. leftover, cooked chicken (cage free or organic)
2-3 c. coarsely diced celery
1 c. sliced red grapes
2 tsp. lemon juice
2/3 c. Veganaise (with grapeseed oil)
1/4 c. coarsely chopped walnuts
sea salt and pepper to taste
Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix together until combined.

Carrot Apple Salad
3 carrots, grated
1 apple, cored and grated or chopped
1-2 tbsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all together and serve

Quick Quesadilla
1 recipe Garbonzo Spread (recipe below)
12 corn or whole wheat tortillas
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
Salsa and/or Guacamole to serve on side

Saute chopped red bell pepper and onion with cooking oil and seasonings of your choice. We used garlic, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper. You can also use any vegetables you would like on your quesadilla. After the vegetables are done spread a tortilla with the Garbonzo Spread and top with vegetables, then place other tortilla on top. Brown in a pan on each side. Serve with salsa and quacamole.

Garbonzo Spread
1 15oz. can garbonzo beans
3 tbsp. Tahini (Sesame Seed Butter)
3 tbsp. lemon juice
garlic and onion powder to taste
Reserve liquid from beans. Place beans in a food processor with remaining ingredients. Process until smooth. If it is too thick add remaining liquid of beans 1 tbsp. at a time.

Another new snack we have found is Dr. Axe's Spiced Nuts. Watch this short video here with the recipe.

Beanburgers, Yes or No?

2011-05-17T10:20:00.004-05:00

We tried this recipe lastnight and we were both pleasantly surprised! We just ate them plain with a side of salad. I wanted to try them plain first to see if it would be good dressed up like a regular burger, and yes, they would be. I think it would maybe taste great with some homemade avocado sauce of some sort. It was different and good! That's a recipe we'll be adding to our list!

Makes 6 burgers
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Amino Acid
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
We added 1 egg to help bind everything together.
vegetable oil spray or drizzled olive oil

Drain garbanzo beans and mash coarsely. Mix with brown rice, oats, celery, onion, garlic, soy sauce, paprika, and black pepper.
Form into six patties. Cook in a vegetable oil-sprayed non-stick skillet over medium heat until lightly browned on both sides.

Got a sweet tooth?

2011-05-16T22:08:00.003-05:00

Back in the fall when the time changed it really affected my mood. I knew that sugar brought me down instead of giving me energy, so I gave up sugar. I didn't have any sugar for 6 weeks. One day I decided I could try a little something. So, I had a piece of chocolate or something and within 10 minutes I regretted it BIG TIME! I guess my body had detoxed from the sugar and wasn't used to it. I felt light headed and nauseous. Crazy how my body had just built up a tolerance to it. I bought some dried pitted dates the other day to try them. Believe or not, they will cure that sweet tooth for me! They are so good and have quite a few health benefits! I keep mine in the refrigerator to make them even chewier!!! Next I want to try Medjool Dates. They are gooey and sweet, but just a little different.

Barley Casserole

2011-05-16T22:02:00.002-05:00

I had a jar of barley in my pantry and wanted to try it in something besides stew or soup. So, I hunted for a healthy and natural recipe and came across this one. It was TOO good! The day I made this it was cold outside and felt more like a comfort food! It would be great as a side dish with a meal! People have asked what it's like? I liken it to a rice casserole.

2 celery ribs, chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine
1 1/2 cups uncooked medium pearl barley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, divided
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Directions
1.In a large ovenproof skillet, saute the celery, carrots, onions and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in the barley, salt and pepper. Stir in 2-1/2 cups broth. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
2.Stir in parsley and remaining broth; sprinkle with almonds. Bake, uncovered, 30-40 minutes longer or until liquid is absorbed and barley is tender.

A New Favorite Snack

2011-05-16T21:54:00.003-05:00

Here at the Cornwell abode we have been on a healthier eating journey in the last few years, but now we have gone to a new level. We are really focusing on whole foods, clean foods that are going into our bodies. This is a recent recipe I found and we can't stop eating them. I buy the bagged dry beans and cook them and go from there so that we can have a container of them to keep on hand. All I can say is yum, yum and they are guilt-free. I do think I overloaded on Chickpeas today, though.

Roasted Chickpea Snacks

1 15oz. can chickpeas or you can cook dry beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce or Braggs Liquid Amino Acids(this is our choice)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt or half as much table salt (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then drain again and spread out onto towels to dry.

Heat the oil in a small pan over low heat. Add the garlic and onion powders, Worcestershire or Braggs sauce and salt, and stir until fragrant. Turn off the heat, pour in the chickpeas, and stir gently with a rubber spatula until they’re coated with the oil mixture.

Spread the chickpeas in a foil-lined rimmed baking pan and bake for 45-55 minutes ( I start really watching them at 35 minutes), stirring the pan every ten minutes or so. When they’re done, they will be brown and crunchy. We cook ours a little less to be more chewy than crunchy.

What...a post?

2011-05-04T16:06:00.003-05:00

I know, I haven't posted in awhile! I am still here! March was a BUSY month! I had eight Thirty-One parties! It was a ton of fun and well worth all the work! I was number 6 in sales out of 350 ladies on my team! God is good!

April flew by! I had a couple parties and did my first vendor booth! I was thankful for the experience and meeting new contacts! My next vendor booth will be in May. At the May event it's all about raising money for The Autism Society of Middle TN, Camp Phoenix (camp for child burn victims), and Hope Lodge (home for adults during cancer treatment).

May is here so click on the link to the right that says "This Months Specials"! This is really a great month for hostess'! Check it out! Below is a picture of all the different patterns you can choose from for the May customer special.

Spring Gift Ideas

2011-03-15T23:48:00.001-05:00

Click on the image to make it larger.

Easter & Mother's Day Open House!

2011-03-10T21:25:00.002-06:00

Open House Shopping Day for Mother’s Day…Easter too!

Sunday, March 27th, 2011, 2-5 PM

Come shop for your wives, mothers, daughters, and grandmothers for Mother’s Day! Men, this includes you also! Ladies, tell your husbands what you want and send them over! This would be a good time to order those Easter gifts too!

For every $31 you spend you can buy a purse at half-off! What a great gift! Spend $62 and get two purses at half-off!

Come by and see the products in person, enter for door prizes, and enjoy some coffee and dessert!

If you can’t make it and want to purchase something you can go to www.MyThirtyOne.com/mcornwell and click on ‘My Events’. Then click on ‘Shop Now’ next to Melissa Cornwell’s Open House. You can order everything right there online. Orders can be placed from now until March 27th. You can also view the catalog at the above website!

Who's Carrying Thirty-One?

2011-02-28T20:52:00.001-06:00

This is Stephen's great aunt with me. We went to a family birthday party and we both had our purses so we wanted to get a picture together!

Brown and Turquoise!

2011-02-26T22:39:00.002-06:00

I just received these the other day!!! Look how great it all coordinates! The big bag is the Medium Purse in Brown Pocket Full of Posies with turquoise monogram. From left to right you will see the Mini On-the-Go Organizer (which fits my camera perfcetly!) in Floral Fanfare, the middle item is The Wristlet Key Fob in Cool Lime Ditzy, and the last item is the Mini Zipper (my everyday make-up bag) in Floral Fanfare with turquoise monogram. What colors and patterns will you choose to fit your style?

Update!

2011-02-24T13:29:00.003-06:00

The online Thirty-One catalog is now updated with the Letter Etching that will begin on March 1st. Letter Etching can only be done on specific items as indicated in the catalog. Click on the catalog on the right and you can see all the specifics on page 47.

Are You a Bow Girl?

2011-02-21T20:03:00.001-06:00

If you like bows you might like this new Purse Skirt! The Big Bow/Dotted Medallion Purse Skirt. What do you think?

Cute...

2011-02-20T11:31:00.001-06:00

I just got this is in the other night! I think it turned out really cute with the monogram! It's the Demi Purse in Black Pocket Full of Posies with platinum monogram.

Another Pink Box!

2011-02-14T13:18:00.003-06:00

Look what came in the mail today! My second pink box!

Here's a sneek peek of what is inside! Want to see more? Book a party to see all the fun stuff while earning free products!

Fun February!

2011-02-04T15:17:00.005-06:00

February is a great month for customers and hostess'!

The customer special this month is for every $31 you spend you will get 31% off the next item! How great is that!?!

For hostess' you can buy the Cindy Tote for $20.40 when you host a party with sales at $450 or more! What a deal! The regular price is $69!

A Fun Day!

2011-01-22T16:55:00.002-06:00

Today I spent 7 hours with 300 ladies that are Thirty-One Consultants at our Celebrate and Connect Meeting! It was great to make a few new friends, get some tips, and just have a fun time! I'm so thankful to be a part of Thirty-One!

It's finally here!

2011-01-20T20:11:00.005-06:00

Look what I found on the porch today!

It's finally arrived and I'm ready to tear into the box!

Mopsy wanted to show off her pink pride! She could be the Thirty~One mascot!

Look at what all came in my box! All this for $99 to start a business! Products, training tools, and everything you need to have a party!

A Few of My Favorites!

2011-01-11T18:08:00.006-06:00

Thirty-One has products for everyone! These are pictures from the NEW Spring/Summer Catalog!

These products will make you wish you were at the pool or the beach!

Who's in the mood for a little pink and black?

The Cheeky Elephant baby line is adorable!

I thought these little girl items were so cute! Those little bloomers make me smile everytime I look at them!

Retiring Thermal Tote Prints!

2011-01-10T10:35:00.002-06:00

These prints will not be available in the Termal Totes after January 31, 2011! If you want any of these place your order soon!

Peacock Paisley
St. Andrews Garden
Grey Fair Isle
Black
Pinkdot Floral
Aqua Ditzy
Newport Bloom
Mod Dot
Wildflower

Get Organized for the New Year!

2011-01-09T18:16:00.013-06:00

All of the bags below come in various prints!
Use the "Large Storage Tote" everyday in so many ways! Have one for each child's laundry. Take to the beach with toys, towels, and all your other beach needs! Store extra bath towels inside. Use one for dry cleaning! Have one for "her" toys and one for "his" toys. Keep one in the trunk so all your stuff doesn't roll around everywhere. Keep one in the car to take in the grocery store and bring ALL your groceries out to the car in ONE bag!

The "Storage Tote" will be your best friend for those busy days of going here, there, and everywhere! Use for a quick trip inside the grocery store. Take all you need for a playdate. Use a few for recycling! Soccer Moms, take everything you need for practice or a game! Put all your scrap book supplies inside for your scrap book parties!

Here's a couple ideas for the "Organizing Utility Tote"! Also, great as a diaper bag!

Use this "Mini Organizer" at a coloring station. Place in the middle paper and coloring books and in the small pockets insert crayons, markers, colored pencils, paint sets and your little one is ready to be an artist for the day! Use on a camping trip or at the park. Store bug spray, sunblock, flashlight, nature books, camera, and anti-bacterial wipes! The ideas are endless!

In the "Littles Carry-All Caddy" you can store remote controls in the TV room. Put all your vitamins and supplements in one in the bathroom. Place those sweet treats for the kiddos inside and place in the pantry. Store snacks inside for the car ride home from school. Use it for all those small Polly Pocket pieces or Hot Wheels cars!

How cute are these? Store extra towels in the bathroom. Set the small one on the coffee table with magazines and remote controls. Store apples in one in the kitchen. Place on a shelf in your office to keep papers organized and hidden.

This "Magazine Basket" has many uses. Store toiliet paper inside the basket and hang one roll on the rod. Organize books, magazines, yarn, throw blankets and many more items around the house. Take to a MOPS meeting with your potlock dish, toys for the kids, and anything else you will need! Place wrapping and tissue paper, scissors and tape inside AND hang spools of ribbon on the rod and you have a portable gift wrapping basket! This basket comes in two sizes, small and medium.

Special of the Month!

2011-01-05T21:36:00.003-06:00

You can't pass up this deal for the month of January! Think ahead to end of the year gifts for teachers, use as an Easter gift, great for Mother's Day, birthdays, and even Christmas 2011!

Here are some ideas for your thermal tote throughout the year!

Thirty-One Spring Sneak Peak!

2011-01-04T20:53:00.002-06:00

How fun are these colors and prints? I can't wait to get my beach towel and head to the pool! Sure does get you ready for summer on these cooler days! Ladies, don't forget that the spring catalog comes out soon with all the NEW prints and NEW styles!

A New Adventure...

2011-01-03T19:30:00.009-06:00

I need your help as I begin a new business venture with Thirty-One Gifts!

I have been a stay-at-home wife for almost the last year and enjoyed a break after being let go at my job of 4 ½ years. Now I feel that it is time for me to do something new! I went to a Thirty-One party in November to help out a friend. Afterward I could not get the company off my mind! I kept thinking about it, looking at the website, and talking about it with my husband! It was so appealing to me because the products are affordable, and right now that is especially important to so many, including myself. The items are also very functional and the icing on the cake is that they are simply cute! The thing I love the most about Thirty-One is their mission which states, “We believe in encouraging, recognizing and rewarding others for who they are. Through God's strength we have built a family of individuals who feel women deserve to treat themselves to something special. Our commitment is to provide women with a fulfilling, enjoyable and rewarding experience.”

Go to www.thirtyonegifts.com to see all the styles and prints! While you are there check out the “Special” for the month of January! Thermal totes for $10 and $8, plus the embroidery is only $1.50! Beginning January 15 you will have a chance to see 26 brand new prints and 33 brand new styles in our spring catalog!

I asked for your help up above. This is how you can help me. I need to meet my goal of 12 parties in my first 90 days. By simply inviting your friends to get together and really just have fun, then you as the hostess can earn FREE products and get exclusive hostess items. Don't worry if you live out of the area! You can have an online party and still collect all the rewards!

Ladies in Indiana, I will come up and do parties there! Contact me about dates! I'm already booking in Indy!

Call or email me, book a party, earn free products and help me build on my skills and business! We both win!

I'm looking forward to partying with you in 2011! It's going to be a Thirty-Onederful year!

2011

2011-01-03T14:37:00.002-06:00

Thermal Tote Sale!

2010-12-30T11:03:00.004-06:00

Thirty-One is having their biggest sale of the year on their thermal totes! The larger tote is $10 which is regular $14 and the smaller tote is on sale for $8 which is regular $12.50. Embroidery is ONLY $1.50...regular $6! What a DEAL!

Go here and check out the styles. Contact me by email at mc31gifts@gmail.com or by phone to place an order. Remember, these make great gifts...Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, birthdays, great for teachers and think ahead for next Christmas!

Also, January is a great time to book a party with all the great incentives for the hostess! With the thermal tote sale your party is sure to be a big hit! Contact me to book your Thirty-One party! Not only will you get great deals and see awesome products, but it makes for a fun girls night!

A Night with Michael...

2010-12-09T11:08:00.008-06:00

Buble, that is! The best concert I have ever been to! He was so funny and of course the music was great! The girls that I used to work with took me to his concert this past Sunday....and Thomas went to, but he can be one of the girls.

Erica and Thomas...he's a little crazy...can you tell?

Miss Amanda!

3 Cakes in 2 Days!

2010-11-23T11:48:00.008-06:00

Some friends of ours that are 60 and 67 years old had a "football party" on Sunday. What their guests didn't know was that they were going to get married at half time. So here is their wedding cake. The groom's only request was that it say "0 Anniversary" on it. The cake size is two layer 9 x 13.

This is a cake my mom ordered. The icing on the cake looks like periwinkle in the picture, but it is more a lavender color in person. The cake size is two layer 8 inch round cakes.

It's hard to see in this picture, but there are mini flowers around the bottom edge to match the top edge.

My brother-in-law wanted me to make him a cake, so here it is. His favorite color is orange so I just went with some fall colors. The cake size is two layer 8 inch round cakes.

More Cakes and Birthday

2010-10-28T10:40:00.009-05:00

Here's a cake and cupcakes from my first course. The stringy things were supposed to be shaggy mums. They didn't quite turn out the way I had hoped. It takes practice.

I completed my Basic Cake Decorating course. Yay!

This isn't a very exciting cake. We made the flowers in class with gum paste and fondant and I just made a plain cake to put them on. The next two cakes were from my 2nd level class...Flowers and Cake Design.

My final cake for class. White cake with buttercream icing, basketweave sides, and royal icing flowers.

Last Friday we celebrated our nephew's 7th birthday! I can't believe he's 7 already!

Cakes, Mopsy, and Okra...

2010-09-20T16:11:00.006-05:00

I'm taking a Basic Cake Decorating course right now. The cookies below are what we did in our first class. That class was to help you get used to holding the bag and practice with the star tip. The class has been fun so far. I have two classes left in this course and then I'm going to take the 2nd course in October. We'll see how it all goes!

In our second class we decorated our first cake. I decided to make mine for grand-daddy since his birthday was the next day. Right when I finished my leveler fell and dented the cake in two spots and grand-daddy's name got a little smashed when I put the lid on the cake. Oh well.

Mopsy's before and after shot after her most recent haircut. It's funny how different she looks in each photo.

Mama and Mopsy lazing around on a Sunday afternoon!

I don't know if you can really see in this picture just how high grand-daddy's (Stephen's grandfather) shoot of okra is. He's pretty proud of it and asked if we'd come over and take a picture for him.

Picture Catch-Up

2010-09-09T19:00:00.012-05:00

The first week in August Stephen and I drove out to Texas for a conference. It wasn't too bad driving...even though I drove the first 10 hours on the way there and Stephen only drove 3 hours. Stephen didn't go to bed the night before so he really didn't need to be driving. It was okay...I listened to a book on CD and that made it way easier.

We drove home from Texas and were home for 36 hours and then flew out to California for another conference. The only thing we really did in those 36 hours was sleep, eat, do laundry and pack again!

I decided on those two trips that the dry heat is the way to go in the summer. Yeah, it gets to be about 108 degrees, but without any humidity it feels more like a 90 degree day in Nashville. Texas was a lot like Tennessee only we didn't see all the beautiful rolling hills that we have here in Tennessee. The people are pretty much the same. In California we were in the desert. It was so strange to see brown everywhere. I think I could only handle it for about three months and then I would need to see some green!

Here are just a couple pictures from our Texas trip. The first picture below is pretty cool. It's a star that has all kinds of cowboy hats attached. It's really neat to see in person.

Below are a few pictures from our California trip.

Here are a few pictures on our flight on our way back to Nashville from California. It was so crazy to look out the window and see desert.

Take a look...and two more below...

2010-08-30T14:47:00.000-05:00

413 Black Mountain Drive, Nashville, TN | Powered by Postlets

Take a look...

2010-08-30T14:46:00.000-05:00

3141 Barnes Bend Drive, Nashville, TN | Powered by Postlets

Take a look...

2010-08-30T14:44:00.001-05:00

2769 Welshcrest Drive, Nashville, TN | Powered by Postlets

Until another time...

2010-08-17T22:44:00.002-05:00

I will leave you with this picture. We just got back from here late Sunday night. We were in Palm Desert, California last week and Fort Worth, Texas the week before that. We only had a day and a half at home between each trip. Right now my body is trying to get back to the correct time zone. Pretty much all I've been doing is sleeping, eating, laundry and getting things back in order between sleeping. I'll post some pictures soon!

This and That...

2010-07-25T17:39:00.004-05:00

Today I returned from a 10 day stay in Indiana. I left on the 15th and stayed with my sister and husband for a couple nights. One morning I went and visited one of my childhood friends...it was good to catch up with her! She has 3 kids now...crazy! On the 17th we went to my moms maternal side of the family, family reunion in Linton, Indiana. The next day I left with my parents to head up to Angola, Indiana for a camping trip. We stayed there until the 23rd. This is a picture of how we had to set up camp...in the rain!

While we were there we drove over to a little town called Shipshewana. It is mainly an Amish town! I've always been fascinated by their lifestyle and sometimes say in jest that the world would be a better place if we lived like the Amish. I only say that because they live a simple life...and without TV, computers and such I think that would make us all slow down and really be a community and not let the world in so much. Here are a few pictures of what you see throughout the town.

While we were there we found Yoder's Meat and Cheese market and let me tell you...great place. They have grass-fed, hormone free, steroid free, antibiotic free, humanely raised beef, pork, and chicken meat...the chickens are fed their proper foods too. The prices were amazing! My mom stocked her deep freezer full and got us some too. The cheese is all hormone free, some from an Ohio farm and some locally. At another store we found fresh brown eggs for $1.79 a dozen! Seriously!??! That's half the price we pay here. We went back a second day to get more and the store was out. We spoke to two Amish people that worked in the store to see if they had anymore in the back. They didn't, but they told us to go 2 miles down the road to the green house and they would sell us some...that's who the store buys them from. So we went and this little older lady comes out of their farmhouse and very nicely supplies us with our dozen eggs...for $1.50! Can you believe the price?!?

On a different note I just wanted to share one of my favorite meals that I've been eating just about once a day, sometimes twice!

This is just cucumbers, avocado, homegrown tomatoes, chickpeas, almonds and seasonings with olive oil and Braggs. It is so fresh and wonderful!

This is Braggs. You can get it at Whole Foods or in the organic section at Kroger. It's usually in the vinegar and salad dressing aisle. It is all natural, organic liquid aminos. The base is from soy beans. We use it on a lot of stuff and it provides a great amount of protein. We use it on salads, with rice and vegetables and I add it to my chicken when I grill it! I don't really care for salad dressing anymore after using this along with olive oil on my salads! Try it sometime!

Food...for thought!

2010-07-05T16:40:00.003-05:00

You can buy a $4 or $5 coffee every morning, but don't want to spend $4 for a dozen fresh local eggs, which might last you a week give or take.

Can you really not afford the local fresh beef that is locally raised, treated humanely, and fed properly? It seems more feesible to buy the $2.99 or so per pound of beef at your local market, right? Sounds a lot better than $4 or $5 a pound? Think about this...that beef from the store has probably injested
GMO(genetically modified organism) foods themselves and been given hormones and antibiotics. We then injest that! Not to mention whatever else they have eaten. Some cattle farms have living conditions that you would never imagine for a cow. Some of the cows are so cramped that can't even walk while others are given a small area to roam in, but there's no grass for them to eat, just their own feces and whatever junk (sometimes even other dead animals) the farmer has given them. This doesn't just go for cattle but just about any animal that we use for meat. Now, might you pay $2 or $3 more per pound for cleaner, healthier meat? Still not convinced? Over time, continually eating this unhealty meat we can even develop health problems such as e-coli, mad cow disease, cancer and on and on.

So, spend a couple bucks more and you feel better and abate health issues which in turn could cost you even more money in medical bills. No, not everyone can afford this, but if the middle to upper class would start buying the healthy meats then we show the companies what we want and eventually prices will go down and these healthy meats will be easier to get so that everyone can purchase them.

I just want to eat the natural, clean, healthy foods that I can. I want to eat what my great grandparents ate 100 years ago. Not foods that contain ingredients that I can't pronounce or have been man-made. Foods that my God created for me! Yes, He created the right foods for us because He wants us to be healthy and live long!

If you really start eating cleaner, yeah, the grocery bill will be a little more, but guess what? You'll be less likely to eat out because you'll want to be in control of your food. You'll see how much better you feel on a clean diet and you'll probably lose some weight.

Autism, high rates of infertility and miscarriages, cancer...some of these didn't exist over 100 years ago or there were low rates of it, why? My theory...besides pollution and environmental issues, I believe part of it is all the JUNK in the foods that we consume. Also, 100 years ago people were physically working hard on a daily basis. Movement, exercise is one of the best ways to release toxins from our bodies.

We can't be scared or fear the food that is out there. God doesn't give us fear, that comes from the enemy. Everyone has different financial situations. Do what is best for you and your family. God knows when you're doing your best. So, thank Him for keeping you healthy and disease free no matter where you are with a cleaner way of eating. He is the ultimate healer anyway!

Start small and go from there. I stopped buying foods with MSG a year or so ago and foods with high fructose corn syrup (and now even corn syrup). MSG is one of the first ingredients a doctor will throw out of your diet after a heart issue. We should stop consuming this before we develop a heart issue! High fructose corn syrup is one of the leading causes of diabetes and we all know that diabetes is diagnosed more now than ever before!

I lost 10 pounds last year when I did a detox diet AND I kept it off plus some! Typically, people will gain back all the weight they lost after a "diet". BUT, after I detoxed I really watched what I put in my body. Foods that are as natural as possible, not processed, no MSG, no high fructose corn syrup. I believe this is one of the reasons why I've kept the weight off.

One last thought...take it for what you want...
Satan is smart and he's a manipulator! If you're one of Gods warriors the enemy does not want you alive to fight in this battle...SO...he has come up with all kinds of tactics to poison our foods to in turn poison us gradually or for some quickly...and for some he has gotten you addicted to this junk. Why? So, the enemy can kill us off with disease and illness so we can't fight for Jesus. So, fight that punk! It's an attack and I'm not going to take it!

There Goes History

2010-07-05T16:33:00.003-05:00

This had been my view at my job over the past few years. Had been because I haven't worked since February 26 of this year. Anyway, last Thursday I went back for a day to fill in for a friend while she is at the beach. When I looked out the window I couldn't believe what I saw! The crane to the right isn't usually there!

They are tearing down this old school building to make a parking lot. It always makes me a little sad when an old building is demolished. I like to see how they were built back then, the style and to imagine all the people that walked through these old buildings and what went on.

Mopsy Loves Her Daddy

2010-07-05T16:26:00.003-05:00

The other day Mopsy was looking out the front window trying to find her daddy as he mowed the lawn. I went in the dining room and raised the blinds and said, "Mopsy, look!" She came running and put her front paws on the window sill and watched Stephen mow. So cute!

This makes me laugh!

2010-06-30T14:53:00.000-05:00

Click here if you really want to laugh!

In a Few Weeks...

2010-06-25T15:10:00.006-05:00

I'll be looking at this and camping! I'll be heading north, not too far from Michigan to go camping. I'm excited about going to a new place this year!

We'll be near "Amish country" so we'll be seeing some of this too! I'm really looking forward to seeing what some of the Amish shops have! Their foods are always so good and most of the time made with natural ingredients! I'm looking forward to it!

A Little Comfort

2010-06-24T14:03:00.002-05:00

Today was one of those days where my eating healthy went out the window. I was really wanting some mac and cheese and lemon pound cake. So, while I made this

I baked this...Duncan Hines lemon pound cake.

The recipe is on the box of the lemon cake mix. If you make it I'm sure it will become one of your favorite sweet treats!

I had a coupon to get the mac and cheese for free, but I was disappointed. It was good, but it didn't really taste any different than shells and cheese except it had bread crumbs on it. I guess if I want homestyle I will have to make it homemade. I really don't think it's worth the extra money for this kit. Just buy shells and cheese at half the price and sprinkle some bread crumbs on it.

As for the lemon pound cake, she won't let me down. She will be so yummy!

Super Doubles, Time Saver, and Flowers

2010-06-23T13:07:00.007-05:00

Today starts Super Double Coupon Days at Harris Teeter for the next week! Super Doubles means that Harris Teeter will double coupons up to $1.98! All the items below I purchased for $4.16! No too bad!

Publix has these BOGO for the next week, making them $4 a box. I also had $1 off manufacturer coupon and a $1 off Publix coupon that they had in the store...yay! I used this little doo-hickey today to clean the blinds at home and it did great! This is the way to clean those blinds!

Here are some of the flowers I planted a couple weekends ago when my dad was here!

Publix Deals and A New Bible

2010-06-17T08:18:00.006-05:00

This was my Publix deal yesterday! Before coupons it was $45.33. After coupons $8.69! YAY! Here is how I got my deal!

Newmans salsa is BOGO (buy one get one) so that makes them $2.00 a piece and I had four .50 cent coupons (which are doubled, making it $1.00 off) so I got each jar for $1.00 a piece.

John Frieda hair products are on sale for $3.99 each and I had two $3.00 off coupons making them .99 each.

Wishbone dressing is BOGO making them $1.04 each and I had two .50 cent coupons(which were doubled) making them .04 each.

Starbucks ice cream is BOGO making them $1.32 each. I had three $1.00 off coupons and three $1.25 off coupons. So, I paid $1.17 for six pints of Starbucks ice cream! YUM!

The Baileys coffee creamer was BOGO making it $1.05 for one. I had a .55 cent off manufacturer coupon and a $1.00 off store coupon, so it was free plus some overage.

And the vanilla wafers was the penny item...I didn't get to $10 but the lady at checkout gave it to me anyway! I'll save those for some banana pudding!

I finally broke down yesterday and decided to let my mom get me a new Bible. She's been telling me for years when I want one she'll buy it for me. I've had my old one (the one on the left) since Christmas 1996. That's not really a long time, but pages are falling out and the outside leather is pulling off, and it still has my maiden name on it. I really like this old Bible. All my notes are written throughout and I just really like the Bible. It's a NIV study Bible and is great for me! I know we aren't supposed to be attached to anything in this world, but do you think it might be okay to be attached to your Bible? Anyway, Tuesday night when I went to pick up my Bible I realized that it is time for a new one. So, after I got my hair cut yesterday I walked across the street to the bookstore and saw this one. It's the same kind of Bible. I really like it! I spent last evening going through the pages in my old Bible and writing the notes from the old one into the new one. I'm about to start back in Proverbs...so I still have a little ways to go!

Coming soon...yard pictures. My dad was here this past weekend and we did a lot of yard work!

Flowers and Fun Freebie Friday!

2010-05-28T14:31:00.006-05:00

These are hydrangeas from our backyard. My mother-in-law bought the bush for me when my Grandma Hodges died a few years back. It's not your typical hydrangea where it forms big clusters of flowers...it's a lace hydrangea.

You aren't going to believe this deal from Target!!! What's your guess? Well, I spent a total of $1.13! YES!!! The shoes were marked down at $2.66 and I had a $3 off coupon for any Merona shoes! I couldn't believe that I found shoes under $3!

These are my Publix deals. A total of $1.12! The cheese alone was regular $5.89 before the coupon I had!

Here's another Publix deal. A total of 14 cents! Don't forget to check the flyers in the store for coupons. You can use a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon together...also known as "stacking". That's how I got the supplements and the razors are on sale for buy one get one free so it was half price and I had two $3 off coupons.

This is my Wal-Mart deal for a total of 55 cents! Even the cashier said, "Wow!"

Free Summer Movies!

2010-05-21T13:08:00.001-05:00

It looks like a lot of Movie Theaters are jumping on the Summer Movie Band Wagon. If you have a Regal Theater near you, they are doing Free Summer Movies!

They will be playing G or PG movies every Tuesday and Wednesday during the summer at 10:00 am. Tickets are on a first come-first serve basis. So check out the details for information for your local theater!

(Thanks, Freebies2deals!)

$1 Old Navy Flip Flop Sale - Saturday, May 22

2010-05-21T13:04:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, May 22nd, Old Navy will have all of their Adult Flip Flops for only $1.00! Stores should be opening at 7am, but check with your store to make sure.

If you haven't been to the $1.00 Flip Flop sale before, it is quite mad. I recommend getting there right at opening and already knowing exactly the colors and sizes you want. You can only purchase 5 pairs per person. So, keep that in mind!

(Thanks Freebies2deals!)

Great Flower Deal...Now through May 23rd!

2010-05-21T12:59:00.003-05:00

Through May 23, 2010, you can get 6-packs of flowers for only $0.99 at Home Depot! Flowers included are Marigolds, Pansies, Petunias and more. (Thanks, Freebies2Deals!)

Also, you can sign up for the Home Depot Savings email newsletter to get savings and coupons delivered to your inbox each week.