Archive for January, 2014
Hello Friends and Happy Fri-Yay!
Today there is a twist to the Friday Foodie Feature which I think you will like. It’s a party – that’s right a P * A * R * T * Y and you are cordially invited to attend the first Weekend Wind-Down Party!
You can link up now or wait until this evening when you get home from work. The party is casual so you can kick off your shoes, turn on the Crock Pot, relax and then share… share… share!
The house rules are simple, you can link any post and it will be featured on 8 different blogs. We will each choose several features from the link up each week to highlight the following week! We will also be pinning features to Pinterest as well as social media shout-outs! So link up, visit others and have fun!
This Simple Home @
DeDivahDeals @
Snippets of Inspiration @
A Ranch Mom @
Mendez Manor @
A Living Sacrifice @
Mustard Seed Mommy @
Moms Who Save @
If you are joining the party, please copy this button and add it to your blog.
Now let the party begin with today’s Friday Foodie Feature
Slow Cooked Spinach Ziti
I had been thinking about making this dish for quite sometime and hubby kept asking if I wanted him to make it (baked) in the oven. I said, “nope, I want to slow cook it.” He didn’t think the uncooked noodles wouldn’t get done in the Crock Pot but they did and he loved it.
Ingredients
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1 1/2 lbs of ground turkey/chicken/beef
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2 jars of Spaghetti Sauce
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medium onion – diced
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2 cloves of garlic – diced
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1 package of frozen spinach
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1 package of Mozzarella and Shredded Parmesan Cheese
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Brown the ground turkey and dice the onions and garlic. Remember to turn on stove’s blower while cutting onions for no tears.
Add the two jars of spaghetti sauce, diced onions and garlic then stir to mix ingredients thoroughly.
Spray the Crock Pot with cooking spray for easier clean up.
Cover the bottom of the Crock Pot with the meat sauce, then begin layering the pasta, spinach, and Ricotta cheese, repeating until you’ve reached the top of the Crock Pot but you can use less if you want.
Add a few dollops of Ricotta Cheese
Sprinkle with Mozzarella Cheese
Sprinkle the final layer with Parmesan Cheese, cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or low 8-10 hours, or until pasta noodles are soft.
Stir to thoroughly mix all ingredients and to ensure noodles are soft. Sprinkle with more Parmesan Cheese, cover and let sit for an additional 5 mins before serving.
We definitely had more than enough for two meals, I even froze half to be used next month.
Invite your family and friends to the first
Weekend Wind-Down Party!
31 Comments
Hello Friends and Happy Thankful Thursday!
2014 is the year that I will be celebrating my 53rd birthday, and for that I am thankful. I am also thankful for my family, my friends, my faith and my health. Thankful that I don’t have any major medical issues but I do have a few concerns which I will address this year.
My number one concern is the lack of drinking water…not the lack of having fresh tap or bottled water like in some countries, but the lack of me actually drinking it.
I am smart enough to know that my body needs water, but am not smart enough to drink more than just one 16.9 oz bottle a day!
I’m dehydrated and have begun to get the sharp pains, it’s like my kidneys are kicking me in the back and saying, “hey stupid, put down that wine and drink more water!”
According to the For Dummies website, “You must have water in your diet. It is brimming with minerals and electrolytes, and you can’t live without it. Water is a solvent. It dissolves other substances and carries nutrients and other material (such as blood cells) around the body, making it possible for every organ to do its job.”
The #1 reason I don’t drink more water is because I’ve always had an overactive bladder which doesn’t bode well with a long commute, I would however, make a good spokesperson for Depends. In order to prevent me from having to stop at a restroom on the way home, I’ll only drink 1 bottle with lunch.
Once home I conveniently forget to drink more and instead will have a few glasses of Red Wine which may be good for the heart but it makes my kidneys quite jealous.
This year I have made the wise decision to drink more water and to make sure I won’t forget, I’ll put it in a wine glass and add a few lemon slices. This should be a good motivator, what do you think?
Do you have any other suggestions that will help me drink more water?
How about you, do you drink the recommended daily amounts of water?
BTW – did you notice my new blog design? I want to thank Katherine @ Katherine’s Corner who created it for me.
Come over and meet her then join in today’s link up!
Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in the New Year
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Hello Friends and Happy Hump Day Wednesday
My husband usually takes an interest in what I wear to work, even though he complains that I have too many clothes. Our schedules overlap with him leaving before I wake, and when I get home he’s downstairs working out and I’m anxious to change. On Sunday when he asked what I had chosen I reluctantly said, “pants, because of the snow”, he knows I prefer to wear dresses and skirts to work and jeans or pants on the weekends. Most if not all of my skirts are thrifted, they are the first things I look for at Goodwill.
Even though it’s the winter season and we are dealing with snowstorms and extreme temperatures I still like wearing skirts to work and will simply layer up with tights, boots and sometimes even Long Johns!
Faux Suede Boots // Rugged Wearhouse
Animal Print Maxi Skirt – Goodwill
Of course I’ll wear a long coat but I am quite comfortable in a skirt during the winter.
How about you ladies, do you wear dresses and skirts in the winter?
I Feel Pretty warm in my boots as does Alison, so come on over and join in on her Link Up today.
Stay Blessed – No Stress in the New Year!
26 Comments
Hello Friends and Happy Tuesday
Can you believe that it was just a week ago today when we were preparing for New Year’s festivities and the week before that Christmas – are you serious – the holidays are over already?
As I sit writing this post the snow is falling with a vengeance for what is to be the first major snow storm of 2014, and it’s name is Hercules.
I changed the calendar, #2 son and hubby returned to school, I returned to work but it seemed too soon – the holidays are over! No more shopping, wrapping or singing Christmas Carols. I already miss the TV specials, Charlie Brown Christmas, It’s A Wonderful Life and the Twilight Zone Marathon…are you serious the holidays are over already?
Purse | Avon ~ Animal Print Booties | Deb Shops
Ring | Avon
Slacks | Boscov’s ~ Top | Goodwill ~ Suit Jacket | Value City
What will you miss most about the holidays?
Are you styling and profiling today? If so, come show it off at Style Sessions Fashion Link Up.
Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in the New Year!
26 Comments
Hello Friends & Happy New Year Monday
By now you’ve probably read a Business Report that listed some of the top jobs in Social Media for 2014. If not, here’s a list of just a few:
- SEO Specialist
- Social Media Strategist
- Online Community Manager
- Social Media Marketing Manager
- Social Media Coordination
- Blogger
So what does that mean to you and I – it’s GOOD NEWS!!! We may be in a position to write our own ticket if we stick to the 3-P’s:
- Passion
- Patience
- Perseverance
Blogging is no longer just a hobby for many nor is it a get-rich-scheme. Advertisers are looking to put their money somewhere – so why not with you and your blog?
In order to monetize a blog not only do you have to stick with the 3-P’s, you also have to remember the 3-C’s:
- Content
- Communities
- Collaboration
No man is an island and neither is a blogger – we can’t survive alone. Our content must be great – ABC (Always Be Creating). Advertisers are looking for blogs with good numbers, check your ratings, use analytics, email marketing, social media and keep current with your stats.
Share, comment, meet and greet and join a community – ABC (Always Be Creating). My experience has shown that bloggers are very willing to share their knowledge, we are all experts in our own niche. Join a community like Sverve, be active, participate, hangout and share. Respond to your comments and comment on other blogs, learn, read and stay current, it will help to increase your numbers. You don’t need to join every social media site out there, just pick one or two but be very active on them.
Collaborate, support each other, follow up don’t just comment and run, stay paired up and shared up. Blogging is not a sprint, it’s a marathon and the pot is big – envy and jealousy has no place! “Congratulate ~ Don’t Hate” when others get opportunities, follow them to learn how they did it.
There is no magic bullet…no one size fits all or only one way way to monetize your blog. Try out different methods – do what works best for you – mind your P’s and C’s but remember to have fun – everything else will fall into place.
What have you done to successfully grow your blogging business?
Stay Blessed – No Stress in the New Year!
16 Comments
Hello Friends and Happy Saturday
Today many people in the Northeast are digging themselves out from under the results of the first major snow storm of the new year. Snowstorm Hercules caused a lot of problems for many travelers up and down the eastern seaboard and today we are experiencing dangerously low temperatures and high winds causing snow drifts.
Thursday afternoon I left work early to get a jump on the impending storm and made it home safely before any major snow began to fall. However, it was well before 8:00 pm when the intensity of the snow increased and calls from the School Districts began. I decided to use a PTO day in order to avoid a long and possible 3 hour commute into work on Friday.
The snow continued throughout the night and into the early morning which excited hubby because he would finally be able to use his snow blower! He purchased a Craftsman Snow Blower three years ago after the big storm of 2010, but it went unused due to the extremely mild winters that followed.
Like a kid with a new toy, he stayed out so long that the tips of his fingers began to tingle. Did he use the extra gloves and hand warmers that I threw out to him – nope ~ oh well, too bad, so sad!
Despite the intense cold and blustery winds I ran outside a few times to capture the beauty of the day.
These scenes from the back deck and pool made me think – CAN’T WAIT FOR SPRING!
The beauty of the snow was only intensified by God’s gift of light!
Where you affected by snowstorm, and if so, how did you spend the day?
Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in the New Year!
19 Comments
Hello Friends and Happy 1st Fri-Yay 2014!
Today’s Foodie Feature is a 4 ingredient 40 minute meal ~ Shrimp Alfredo
Ingredients:
- Ragu Cheesy Sauce – 1 Jar
- Thin Pasta – 1/2 box
- Broccoli – 2 crowns
- Shrimp – small raw, deveined, tail off
Place frozen shrimp in a steamer pot or double boiler (fill bottom pan with water) – cover and steam on low heat until shrimp turns pink.
Rinse and cut stems from fresh broccoli. Steam or microwave if you prefer tender broccoli crowns.
Boil water and cook pasta according to box directions, or for approximately 7 minutes.
Drain but do not rinse pasta and return to pan.
Add broccoli crowns
Pour in entire jar of Ragu Cheesy Sauce, adding a little water to the empty jar, shake and pour into pan. Stir to mix ingredients thoroughly and cook on low for an additional 7-10 minutes to heat sauce and soften broccoli crowns.
Seasoned only with a little black pepper this made for an easy breezy meal and was a big hit with my men.
Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in the New Year!
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Hello Friends and Happy Thankful Thursday
Last month I received a wonderful gift-from-the-heart from a fellow blogger who will remain nameless, but it gave me an opportunity to “pay it forward”. Sharing your blessings not only makes you feel good but it can also make you look good too!
Both and top and corduroy skirt were thrifted from Goodwill
Textured tights | Walmart
Whenever you get a chance, pay it forward my friends and you’ll stay blessed!
Thrifting and Shoes are my two favorite things – what are yours?Come on over to Katherine’s Corner and share at today’s Favorite Things Hop!
Stay Blessed – No Stress in the New Year!
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I am wishing you a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!
14 Comments
Brown the ground turkey and dice the onions and garlic. Remember to turn on stove’s blower while cutting onions for no tears.
