Logitech Outdoor Security System Winner
Congrats to Tami winner of the Logitech Outdoor Security System! Comment#238
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Timestamp: 2010-04-13 16:27:02 UTC
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Tami A says:
I love that it is a sleak unit that can’t be seen very well and that you can view it online. Also with the email alerts… Logitech makes wonderful products and this one has truly caught my eye for my family! We live right outside the city but yet have a lot of traffic and animals and what really scares me is the fact that mountain lions have been seen in our area. This would sure help to feel more safe and secure and that is absolutely priceless!
Winner Has been contacted and has replied!
Week In Pictures Monday
Reflection
A Week In Pictures
So I took a little walk this afternoon and was reflecting on things. I love those walks where I can peacefully take a time out, and do a little quieting of the mind. After seeing a pair of bald eagles (beautiful creatures), and just soaking in the sun on my face, I started snapping pictures along the way.
I have decided to make this a week in pictures for my blog. After taking yet another sabbatical from blogging, this one longer than the last, I have come to realize that I need a bit of a change. I happen to love blogging, but have developed a writers block.
Becoming a parent has been such an exciting time and something I really love, but somewhere along the line, I have lost some of the creativity and time to think. I am usually a very quiet person, and I also really value my quiet and alone time. Growing up and only child, I sort became very used to spending hours doing things that I enjoyed. Now as a mother of twin boys, I am rediscovering how to find that balance in my life and realizing that I miss some of those things that defined a little of who I am.
So here I am trying to find that perfect balance of mom and me…and to start I plan a week in pictures. Please feel free to share yours along the way.
Here is a tree that I took a pic of along my walk
(an artistic approach, I like it! I think I will make this my tree and take photos of it throughout the year)
Easter Weekend
I am so excited about the upcoming weekend because we have so much planned. On Saturday we will be going to an egg hunt at the local station and the weather is incredible. Then we will be heading home and I will be trying my hand at these Hot Cross Buns from The Pioneer Woman. Let me just tell you, that I have a new found love for cooking because of Ree’s site! I love The Pioneer Woman….anyway.
We will dye our eggs in the evening and wake up to a visit from the Easter Bunny and another egg hunt in our own yard. I can honestly tell you that I love the holidays more being a parent than I ever did as a child. There is something about creating that magic for your child.
I won’t be on much, because I will be out enjoying the sunshine and my beautiful family. But I wanted to Wish each and everyone of you a Happy Easter! I hope its Egg-citing! Ok, I had to say it!
The Easter Bunny Is On His Way
I went to the grocery store today with the boys in hopes of finding some of the miniature robin eggs for a project we will be doing. That was an adventure and, I wonder why I come up with these ideas at the last minute, and on Easter weekend. The Easter aisle was a little bare to say the least, but luckily the neighboring store had what I needed. I will share the creation later.
Easter is typically a religious holiday. Growing up it not only represented the religious side, but it meant that the Easter Bunny was going to pay a visit. I can remember waking up and searching for my Easter basket. As the years went on and I stopped believing in the magical bunny, the hiding places for my basket became even more challenging. I can remember one year it was hidden so well, that I was in tears after searching for hours. I was only 9, but my parents had hid the thing inside of a cardboard box inside the fireplace! I always loved getting a glimpse in my basket, and finding some of the favorites that I put in the boys’ baskets now.
The boys are too little yet, I think, to hide their baskets. I wonder how many people hide their children’s baskets? And what are some of the many fun traditions out there.
Wordless Wednesday
March 24, 2010 by Laurie
Filed under General, Wordless Wednesday
Ready To Go!
Power Outage Where The Hell Is The Flashlight?
I usually try not to complain too much, but I have a beef about the power in our neighborhood. Yesterday, our power went out for the the nine millionth billionth time in the 7 years that we have lived here in this house, which we had newly built. The first two years I panned it off as new construction etc.
Then as the years went on, we have been blessed by at least two good power outages a year, on a good year. I have lost 3 freezers full of food, and have gotten one flooded basement from it. If you have no power in the rain, the sump pump doesn’t go off and wahlah, flooded basement.
I find this all irritating. Saturday we were feeding the boys their dinner in the dark. It was well passed their bedtime, but we had to leave the house, because no one was going to bed. The house is too quiet in a power outage, and even rolling over in bed sounds like a freight train running through, when the furnace isn’t blowing, the air purifier isn’t on….you get the picture.
We were totally unprepared for the power going out (clear skies, no wind, beautiful uneventful night), so we found ourselves tripping to find the flashlight. Candles? fresh out! I go through those like candy around here, due to the freaking power going out when you sneeze. And as if that isn’t enough to tick this mama off, the garage door doesn’t open, yeah you have to manually open it to get the car out to go to the store to buy the extra flashlight you needed for the outage cause you lost the other one somewhere.
Never go to the store with your husband, because you could very well stand in the flashlight aisle for 12 hours deciding on LED or regular and answering questions like…How many lumens is it? Plus you leave with 6 cupcakes and two hot wheels (apology for keeping the kiddos up past their bedtime, who are now crabby as ever). And, just as soon as you get home, half excited to try the new 800 hr flashlight, the power is back on, and you wonder why you left.
Electric people…are you out there? Can you please get it right? I shouldn’t have to be shopping for a whole house generator, and having to buy 3000 flashlights and candles. Where do these things go anyway? I still can’t find a blessed one of them.
Eggciting Eggs Farm to Table Recap
Ever wonder where your eggs come from? From a chicken right? Well of course they come from chickens, but did you ever wonder how they arrive to your table? I had the first hand opportunity to see the chicken who lays the egg, the machines that take them, clean them, magically snatch them up, and put them in the carton, and the people who make it happen.
Our first evening included a wonderful dinner with the talented Chef Jeffrey Saad, World’s Fastest Omelet Maker, Howard Helmer, Clint Hickman of Hickman Family Farms and his lovely wife, and the wonderful ladies from Edelman and American Egg Board. The Mayor even stopped by! The next morning we would be on our way to Hickman Egg Farm after sharing good food with new friends, with none other than scrumptious egg dishes for breakfast.
On the bus drive over, Clint gave us some background, pointed out some things along the way and how farmers really are struggling. We even saw some dairy farms, now vacant as a result of bankruptcy…perfectly good farms but no way to keep up.
About Hickman Egg Farm
Hickman’s Family Farms has been family-owned and operated in Arizona since 1944. In its early days, Hickman’s entered the Arizona food service market by providing fresh, locally produced eggs direct to small independent restaurants, and directly to consumers. Every afternoon, one little refrigerated panel truck was sufficient to deliver the day’s production to coffee shops in Glendale and to Carnation Restaurant in the big city of Phoenix. Bill and Gertie Hickman displayed the entrepreneurial insight that has kept Hickman’s competitive for decades.
Going Green
Hickman’s Family Farms utilize stringent methods of conservation and recycling to remain as environmentally-friendly (“green”) as possible. Wash water is recycled and reused, and manure is dried, ground, and turned into high quality fertilizer. By the time we are through at even our largest facilities, we actually discard into dumpsters less waste than the average apartment building does in a day.
Ya know what they say….that from the manure, flowers grow! Everything is put to good use at Hickman Egg Farm, right down to the egg shells that are used for compost.
Billy and Clint Hickman
Once we arrived, we put on our booties, our coats and fancy hats. This is a precaution to protect the chickens from an form of contamination and or disease that may be carried in. I don’t think I have ever seen so many chickens in one place, or eggs for that matter. I was in complete awe of the entire process. We arrived right at their peak laying time, and boy were they a chatty bunch! You could barely hear what Clint and Billy were saying over chicken talk. Billy, explained that even chickens get a nap time during the day and all you can hear is a low murmur, and then they also get a bed time like we do. Egg laying is hard work people.
Don’t I Look Cute? Just Agree!
It was fascinating to see the eggs roll out on to mini conveyor belts, get carried to where they are cleaned and sanitized then snatched up and packaged for market. We stood amongst all these eggs in the warehouse and all those eggs must leave within a 36 hour time period or the eggs would be through the roof. We are talking about millions of chickens that don’t stop laying just because you have a warehouse full…that’s just how many eggs their were.
From Chicken, To Cleaning/Sanitizing, To Package
This is Billy and Clint’s Mom Gertie, she is a great lady with tremendous spunk!
There was an incredible amount of information to digest and it was an incredible experience to get a behind the scenes look into what it takes to get fresh eggs to our table and I have a new respect for our farmers, because they are feeding our country. And as part of the Good Egg Project, egg farmers are donating up to 12 million eggs per year, to food banks and charities. We can also do our part by joining in and committing to live more healthfully and give back by pledging to “Eat good. Do good every day.” For every person that makes the pledge, farmers will donate one egg to help feed America up to 1 million eggs.
After and eye opening tour of egg production at its finest, we heard from Mary Lee Chin a registered dietitian about the nutrition benefits of just one egg, and we were treated to some totally awesome cooking demonstrations by Jeffrey Saad and Howard Helmer. We learned some easy egg recipes from Jeffrey and how to whip up an omelet in no time with Howard (world’s fastest omelet maker). I was quite enthused to try the omelet making at home, since all of mine usually look like a scrambled mess. But after learning the key to making omelets, I felt like a whiz in the kitchen when I rolled out three perfect and delicious omelets.
Mary Lee Chin Telling Us About The Nutritional Values Of The Egg
Howard Helmer Showing Us How To Make a Perfect Omelet in Seconds!
Jeffrey Saad Shared Some Wonderful Egg Recipes and His Passion For Making Good Food
I also have to say that I especially enjoyed this experience. The Hickmans, including Mom Gertie (thank you for all the wonderful stories and the golf balls too LOL) were so welcoming and I felt right at home. Jeffrey, Howard, Mary Lee, all the folks from Edelman and everyone in attendance were some of the warmest and nicest individuals. Thank you so much for a great experience and new friends. This is definitely something that I won’t forget. Thank you to the Hickmans for opening your doors to Mom Bloggers to share what you do to make it possible for us to have food on our tables daily…it was a real pleasure!
**Thank you to Edelman Pr and the Good Egg Project for funding this trip and making it possible**
Getting My Ducks Or Chickens In A Row
Earlier this week, I had a phenomenal opportunity to join some fellow bloggers, in the first ever Farm to Table event. This wonderful trip was all part of the Good Egg Project. I had an incredible chance to see the entire process of how eggs get to us as consumers, learn about the nutritional values that a single egg can provide, how to get creative in the kitchen, create some great egg recipes, and most importantly, ways in which we can help farmers join in the fight against hunger.
In the days to come, I will be sharing my wonderful experience with some really great people. I think that you will be amazed at how little you may know about where our food comes from. I was in awe of the entire process, and was reminded of just how much we take for granted as consumers. For us we show up at the grocery store and pick up a carton of eggs and never actually get to see the behind the scenes of how they actually got there. We know our eggs come from chickens…but the journey is incredible. I will never look at an egg the same way.
Right now the kiddies are feeling under the weather again, so I have some mommy stuff to do, but keep an eye out in the days to come, while I get my ducks, or chickens rather in a row! I am so eggcited to tell you all about it!
*Check out an influential mom blogger today*
Is Your Toothbrush Making You Sick?
We just returned home from a wonderful trip from Disney, and we were all hit by yet another round of what I call kung foo goo or the sickies. Apparently we weren’t the only ones who got the but from this trip.
I have always given my toothbrush the evil eye after I have been sick. The other evening, as I got ready to brush the boys teeth as I always do, it dawned on me that this was and interesting question. Do you change your toothbrush after you have been sick? There are several answers that our out there, but the general consensus seems to be to change it after three months or after you have been sick.
Some say if you have had a virus, that you don’t have to change your toothbrush that your body builds up a specific immunity. But most dentists and doctors say you should change your toothbrush because bacteria and fungus can live on your toothbrush well after you are up and running again and you can get sick again.
I have seen the new fangled UV toothbrush sanitizers, it looks pretty and all, but I am a bit skeptical. Either way, I change my toothbrush because all I have to do it think about brushing my mouth with germs and bacteria and that sort of takes care of it for me.
Do you change your toothbrush after you’ve been sick? Or do you adhere to the 3 month change suggestion?
