My Little Dan-sah!
Brooklyn's still enjoying dance class every week and so am I. The thing I like just as much as watching her dance is sitting and talking with her BFF's mommy. It's so nice to engage in conversation about our little kiddos and I learn so much from her when it comes to being frugal and squeezing so much cuteness out of every buck!! She shops garage sales and her ultimate find seems to be eBay, Savers, and Salvation Army for all the stuff I spend 10 times as much on at department and specialty stores- literally 10 times as much considering she found barely used tap shoes for her girl at Salvation Army for $2 and I spent $20 on Brooklyn's at Payless. I love soaking in her knowledge and one day I will master it as she has :-) Anyhoo, this is what the girls were doing as I was learning from the Master :-)
___________________________________________________________________
Gotta Love that Groupon!
A few years ago when I was working at Walmart, a pharmacist that I worked with told me how her husband loves getting Groupons. I had no clue what they were. I was still a little skeptical when I signed up but it has been the ultimate bargain find. One of our favorite fine dining restaurants here in Little Rock now only gets half our money thanks to Groupon. I also did my tattoo laser removal treatments thanks to Groupon. The list goes on and on, but the most recent Groupon find was a way to eat at one of our favorite casual dining spots- Cheeburger Cheeburger. Kelvin, Brook, and I used to go there every Saturday at one point and spend over $30 each time just for burgers, fries, and drinks. I snagged 2 Groupons here recently that offered 1 basket of fries or onion rings, 2 entrees of our choice, 2 drinks, and 2 shakes all for $20!! Way more than all 3 of us could eat all together! I was able to use 1 of the Groupons for a family night out with me, Kelvin and Brook. I was able to use the other Groupon for a GNO with me, Mama Pat and Brook. We stuffed ourselves silly each time and just to display how ridiculously good this food was, I thought I'd include a few pics of the onion rings we ate. FANTASTIC!!
________________________________________________________________
The Awful Waffle
My hubby and I have always managed to get us some date time in no matter what was going on. We often steal away to a park for lunch on his lunch break sometimes and we used to go on a weekly "Waffle House Date" every Friday night before Brooklyn came along (although we could probably resume that now and just take Brook along with us) So we managed to get a 2 for 1 a few weeks ago and have a lunch date and a Waffle House date rolled all into one :-) I posted a pic of my coffee on FB because it was just that good. It was amazingly tasty and soothing even though it was decaf! We also gave a new waffle of theirs a try. An iced cinnamon praline waffle----YUMMMMYYYY!!! Needless to say, haven't been doing so hot with the dieting...lol!
__________________________________________________________________
Mommy's Night Out - In with My BFF!!
A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to do something I haven't done in YEARS!! Just hang out as if I had not a care in the world with my ultimate BFF- Cheryl Hunter. So, I'm going to tell the story of Cheryl and me. We've been friends for 20 years and counting now!! Sounds funny to say that because there was one point in time when we couldn't wait to be 13 years old let alone be friends for way more than 13 years...lol! We met in the 7th grade and have been buds ever since. She and I seem to get each other at a level to which I haven't quite reached with any of my other friends. We can go for years without talking but then get together and not skip a beat. My family considers her a part as they always ask about her when I see them. We've been through what seems like all phases of our lives together. She's my sister!!!
So, anyhoo I digress (one of our special lines); Cheryl and I set aside a night out of our now hectic lives to just enjoy each other's company and some good food ( a favorite past time of ours).
BEWARE---WHAT I'M ABOUT TO DESCRIBE IS GOING TO PUSH YOUR SILLY LIMITS...LOL!
We love to pretend like we have a show on Food Network. Back in the day when we would go out to eat, we'd pretend we had a show similar to "$40 a day" and rate each of the dishes we ate. On our night in together a few weeks ago, we decided to re-enact our own version of "Emeril Live" and Cheryl played the part of Emeril. I was the eager tasting participant in the audience sitting at the bar in her kitchen. The food she made was amazing!!!! She used all fresh ingredients and it was awesome!! We went Mexican which seemed fitting given that it was one of our favorite food themes back when we would frequent Cozymel's in West Little Rock almost every week. The ultimate dish creation- Shredded Chicken and Smoked Pork Nachos with White Queso, fresh pico, fresh guac, and sour cream....WOOOO HOOOOO!!!! We finished it off sharing another common love of ours...coffee. She paired the coffee with Ding Dong cake and Caramel Macchiato creamer in the coffee. I think I gained 5 lbs that night! We talked and laughed and cried and ate until the wee hours of the morning. Best night away I've ever had!!! Thanks Cheryl!!! Now blog readers, feast your eyes on this!!!:
_______________________________________
Suzie Homemaker
So, I can't give all the cooking props to my homegirl Cheryl. I have to talk about what I've been cooking as well. On this edition of Suzie Homemaker, we feature 2 more fattening finds. First up, is homemade mac and cheese....mmmm!! I use several different cheeses for this as well as Pet Milk (yall country folks know what that is) and even a little heavy whipping cream for extra creaminess. Definitely a comfort food.. :-)
Last but not least, I thought it would be great to share what a fantastic assistant chef I have in kitchen these days. I've been letting Brooklyn help me cook now which makes it much easier to keep an eye on her and get her involved and interested in cooking. She loves tasting the finished work the best...lol! Here's a pic of her helping sprinkle pecans on the apple dump cake before we put it in the oven to bake.
___________________________________________________________________
Must Be Nice
It must be so nice to have someone to do your hair and nails for you every weekend for free!! Thought I'd post some pics from what feels like my side job on the weekend as a hair and nail stylist...lol!! My client is always happy with my work, though :-) My recommended product for anyone with little girls is the Express Finish Nail polish Maybelline makes. By the time you move on to the next nail, the one you worked on a nail or two ago is dry!! Ladies with little ones know how important this is to not completely wasting your time even polishing their nails :-)
_____________________________________________________________________
Little Drummer Girl
Some days when I pick Brooklyn up from preschool, I am so tickled by what dress up outfit I find her in or what toy she is playing with. Several times, I've arrived to find her in goggles and a swimsuit or a princess dress. However, I couldn't resist getting some pics of her when I walked in to find her playing a drum like her Daddy used to play in high school and college. Of course, Kelvin loved the pics :-)
_________________________________________________________________________
The Natural Hair Journey
In the pics on this post, you'll see me try 2 things I haven't tried with my hair in a long time taking it from one extreme to the other. First up, was my straightening experience. It used to take me hours to wash, detangle, blow out, straighten, and flat iron my hair. However, this only took me 1 and a half hour total! I still don't like the way my hair looks alone without any extra help from extensions for fullness so I can't say there'll be an exact repeat of this one any time soon. Here's some pics of that journey and some of the styles I wore while it was straight:
Next, I grew so tired of seeing my hair straight that I wanted to see it curly again and fast. So, I washed it and wore a "wash and go" for the first time in years on my Natural Journey. This was accomplished via the help of Eco Styler gel with Olive Oil which was a definite winner for this style. In the past, I've tried this with Kinky Curly which left it gummy and sticky...YUCK! This left it a little stiff but not sticky at all and actually soft after I slept on it. It was very shiny and not dry looking at all either. A definite do-again!
___________________________________________
Craft Corner :-)
I think this will be the new title of my section with my craft projects :-) On this edition of Craft Corner, another shirt. These are becoming favorites of mine to make although I will need to revisit the good ol' Pinterest site soon to find some other things to work on for the upcoming Craft Fair that Mama and I are participating in. I've also got my most recent radar set on Brooklyn's party next weekend so get ready for all kinds of pics, crafts, and goodies from that post :-)
__________________________________________________________________
Great Reads!!
Anyone that knows me really well knows that I hate to read!!! However, I've recently committed myself to a few reads for the sake of enhancing my relationship with God. I must admit they have both been amazing so far!! The first one is Resolution for Women. I've been cheating with the audio version of this book and it has really been a game-changer for me when it comes to how I approach my responsibilities as a wife, mother, and a woman of God. I would recommend this one to all the women I know!! The next one is one that I am doing in a Ladies Bible study class I've been attending entitled Can We Talk? It teaches me to approach Bible reading in a systematic personable way that allows me to really receive what God is intending just for me with each Scripture! It is awesome!! Both books are by Priscilla Shirer and she has been amazing for my reading!! Check them out :-)
