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Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
It’s national chocolate chip cookie day! Probably one of the best holidays ever; and I never miss an excuse to make and then consume mass quantities of cookies. I have to admit though, the chocolate chip cookie has been one that has eluded me. Just about every recipe I’ve tried has failed the taste test. In my book, a chocolate chip cookie should be chocolatey, chewy in the middle and crisp on the edges. So when Sally from Sally’s Baking Addiction posted her chewy chocolate chunk cookie recipe today on Instagram, I had to give it a try. Sally has never let me down…she is a culinary genius and every…
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What’s In My Handbag
I am a handbag addict. It all started 15 years ago when my grandma sent me a vibrant pink Liz Claiborne satchel for my birthday. Before then I had only had one handbag and never thought much about it. It was a black crocheted crossbody bag from Old Navy and it was on its last leg. Using handbags and other accessories to liven up my outfits never occurred to me. But that Liz Claiborne satchel…that started something. Since then I’ve owned probably well over 200 bags, most of them from Shopko or Target. Then 13 years ago I acquired my first, what I would consider, high street bag…a Dooney and Bourke…
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Chicken Fried Quinoa
I’ve been wanting to incorporate quinoa into my diet, but I was afraid because the last time I tried to make something with it the taste was awful. I even soaked the quinoa before I cooked it and it still tasted like bug spray. That was several years ago, and now there are a lot more options when it comes to quinoa. Quite a few of them don’t require presoaking before cooking which is a huge win for me. Tonight I decided to do chicken fried rice, but with quinoa instead, and guess what…it was SO SO yummy. I will say, although I love me some cauliflower rice, I think I…
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504s and IEPs
When I became a mother, I began imagining what my boys’ lives would be like. I immediately desired everything amazing; but also knew that life is not without hardships and that each of them would have plenty of trials. I knew that some of these trials would also be my trial and I would grieve for them and/or with them. Bean and Keegs were healthy babies overall, they did come down with the occasional bug, but their first year of life was pretty uneventful. When I took them in for their 12-month check-up; the pediatrician asked me how I thought their development was going. It was then I asked her…
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Health Fads
I began struggling with my weight in my early 20s. I gained 50 or so pounds within a year. I hadn’t made any major lifestyle changes, but the weight was not going anywhere. Then my menstrual cycle stopped, so I sought medical help. I received the diagnosis of PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). PCOS is a disorder that attacks the ovaries. The pancreas works in overdrive producing too much insulin which then, in turn, creates little cysts on the ovaries that look like a strand of pearls have been wrapped around them. This causes the ovaries to behave abnormally and don’t always ovulate on a regular basis. While PCOS can be…
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Life Lessons From Motherhood
While I am definitely not an expert in motherhood, I have been mothering someone for the last 32 years. I first practiced on my siblings, and while they routinely reminded me that I was not, in fact, their mother…it did not deter me from bossing them around. My two oldest will be turning 10 next week and I routinely remind them, and their younger brothers, that I am their mother and I am allowed to boss them around. And in honor of officially mothering for the last 10 years, I thought I would share what I have learned. Some lessons were from trial and error, some from enlightening conversations with my…
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Summertime Avocado and Corn Salad
I have a major addiction…to avocados. Just about anything with avocados in the recipe, I will dive in head first no questions asked. We go through 1-2 bags of avocados from Sam’s Club or Costco in a week. I think we end up going through more avocado bags than gallons of milk. So when a friend posted this recipe link on her facebook, I just had to run out and get all of the ingredients immediately. SO YUMMY! So satisfying, so easy! I omitted the hard boiled eggs the first time I made it because I was going to be taking it to a Fourth of July BBQ and I didn’t want…
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Strawberry Lemonade Poke Cake
I love a good, easy sheet cake and the refreshing combination of lemon and strawberry makes for a lovely summertime dessert. This recipe is super easy and definitely satisfying. I usually like to make this if I am going to be able to share it with family and friends. Scroll down to see how I make this heavenly cake. Ingredients: 1 box lemon cake mix 1 3.5oz box of lemon instant pudding mix 1 tub of lemon frosting 4 cups fresh whole strawberries Directions: Prepare the cake from the directions on the box. After it finishes baking, let cool completely. Take a thick straw, or the handle of a…
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Summer Beauty Must-Haves
In the summertime, I don’t like to wear a lot of makeup and when I do I want it to stay in place even if I sweat. The average temperature during the summer here in Vegas is in the low 100s. Not to mention that usually some time in July Monsoon Season begins and the humidity can rival the south at times. Full confession time…I inherited my dad’s sweat glands. Body odor isn’t the issue, it’s the dripping sweat. Totally disgusting, huh? Anyway, here are my top summer-time beauty faves; there is some makeup, some skin and hair care, and of course, can’t have a proper summer without sunscreen. The sunscreen…
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Mom Shaming
Mom-shaming…it is something has become WAY too prominent. I’ve been mom-shamed too many times to count. For some reason, everyone has an opinion and they think they need to voice it. I have totally been a mom-shamer as well. It is easy to jump to conclusions and assume the worst. What prompted me to write this post was my beautiful, intelligent cousin. She tweeted about a mom who seemed would rather play a game on her phone than give her children any attention. The things she was writing that this mom was saying…well let’s just say if I were the one overhearing her I would’ve totally stepped in. But my…
