Shop til you drop!

I love that saying, but maybe that's becuase I love to shop. It doesn't matter who I'm shopping for either. This time it's my 12 yr old son. Like I mentioned previously, he is getting ready to go to Science Camp. Well, the trip has been bumped up to the end of January, which is next week!

So, I've got this list about a mile long of things he needs to take with him. He's ony going for 4 days! Yet, I've got this list of stuff that I now have to buy. Although, he does need new clothes anyway so it's not that big of a deal but I'm worried that it's not all going to fit in his duffel bag (kinda but not really)!!

What's even funnier to me is that they can't take anything like curling irons or hairdriers and there are 12-13 yr old girls going on this trip. I am envisioning them all toting huge luggage sets off the bus, like they are staying for a couple of weeks rather than a couple of days. Cracking me up!

Good thing we are getting our tax refund soon, a shopping I will go!

What a Mess!

Oh my goodness! I swear my child has a built in stealth feature. He is so quiet sometimes, it is just plain scary! I guess it doesn't help that I have been working like a mad woman the last few weeks. Pretty soon it will all settle down.

Anyway, back to the story. It got very quiet this afternoon, I got up to grab a soda and I found my 4 year old child eating peanut butter straight out of the jar with a spoon! I ran all over the house looking for something to clean him up with. Today was one day I wished I still bought baby wipes! I found something to clean him up with but I wasn't quick enough in catching him. By the time I got to him, he had eaten nearly half the jar!

Guess he got his fill of protein today huh?

Living Vicariously Through Others

That is the theme of the day for me! I do this every so often.. rather than sit here dreaming about how I wish things were different with my current living situation, I'm going to help redecorate my mom's house.

Sounds crazy but at least I'm not loathing in self-pity, right? Ok, here's the background story on my mom's house. She bought it from my brother and sister-in-law, who did alot of upgrades, including most of the kitchen. One thing in the kitchen they did not upgrade were the cabinet fronts. In the dining room, they changing the flooring to this really pretty dark cherry finish, so now her oak cabinets look out of place.

I am checking out DirectBuy website and it looks pretty nice from what I can see. They charge a membership, that enables you to get manufacturer prices on their products. You can fill out a short form and get a free pass to their showroom. I love looking at this kind of stuff.. I've got some great ideas, now the key is to talk my mom into listening to me. So, any bets on how long that will take?

Yummy Potato Salad Recipe

I've been asked to try a few varieties of Grey Poupon mustard and I decided this was the perfect excuse to make my potato salad. I absolutely adore this recipe and my family does too. I'm not sure where it came from, but it's so yummy. I usually make it to take to family picnics or barbecues but it's been awhile and so I was totally having a craving!

• 1 lb cooked & cubed russet potatoes


• 1 cup chopped bell pepper


• 1 cup chopped celery


• 1/2 cup red onion


• 2 TBSP sweet relish


• 3-4 TBSP mustard


• 1/2 cup mayonnaise


• 1-2 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar


• Season with Salt and pepper to taste.

I like to try using different types of potatoes for a fun variation. I've used russets, yukon gold, and red potatoes but I really think I would like to try it with Purple Peruvian potatoes. I think the color would give it a fun twist.

I served this to my two younger boys for lunch with their hotdogs and it was perfect! The Grey Poupon mustard gave the salad a much different texture than regular mustard and a much better taste I might add. I used the Harvest Course Ground mustard. The mustard seeds are left mostly whole in this type and I think it had the most impact on the salad. The kids loved it!

My husband used the spicy mustard on the cheeseburger he brought home, he said it made it even better!

Honey-Do...

Things I need to do this weekend and yes, I do realize that it is only Tuesday but if I don't write them down or say them outloud, I will forget.

• Play catch up on laundry
• Straighten up and vaccuum my bedroom- I'd love to be able to see the floor again.
• Replace the bulbs in some of the light fixtures around the house- you know because I'd like to be able to see...period.
• Go grocery shopping-you'd think I was feeding teenagers or something. Oh, wait.. I am. And a 33 year old man.
• Work
• Work
• Did I mention work?

I think that about covers it but I am sure I forgot something, I usually do. Have a great day!

Y-A-W-N

I am so tired right now. Why don't I go to bed? No idea, I planned on going to bed at least an hour and a half ago but something about the peacefulness of my house right now is rather addicting. If I go to sleep, it'll just start all over again.

This weekend was harsh too. I was up late Friday night, thankfully Dan let me sleep in. On Saturday, I had a really hard time getting to sleep, because my lovely husband snores like a buzzsaw and refused to roll over. I ended up sleeping on the couch and picking myself up off the floor to drag myself back upstairs around 8 am. I was so tired, I wasn't sure I was going to make it. I felt like I might need one of those stair lifts just to get up there. I somehow managed and slept til 2 pm.

I lounged around and then when I was about to go to bed I realized that I needed to do laundry so the kids would have something to wear to school. Speaking of school, I need to set out clothes for my 6 yr old. Anyway, I was up til about 1:30 doing that.

Tonight, I'm not really doing much of anything. I was working a little bit and I realized I hadn't blogged today. Ah, well.. so here you have it. Now, I'm off to dreamland and hopefully, it'll be quick and painless.

See you in the morning. Nighty-night.

Pretty Cool Product

This week, I received this water bottle to test out. It is called the Pure Water 2go. I have the 16 oz bottle with a Level 2 filter. The directions tell you you rinse both the bottle and the water bottle filter by filling the bottle up with the filter attached to the cap and squeeze the water through the top.

I put the bottle in the fridge for a few hours to chill and when I went to try it out, I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't sure what to expect but I was pleased. There was no aftertaste, no weird tapwater smell, and it tasted clean. Also, you get about 3 months worth of use out of one filter so it will really cut down on the need too buy bottled water. Very afforable prices!

My 12 year old son also tried the bottle and he liked it as well. We have also have an above counter water filter attached to our kitchen faucet but that we can't use when we are out of the house! Usually I prefer my water double filtered anyway but for the sake of getting a true taste of what this product does, I tested it with unfiltered tapwater.

I am very pleased with this product and it will get alot of use!