Little Smokies and Bacon

Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies with Brown Sugar and Butter

 Ingredients
1 pound Bacon, Slices Cut Into Thirds
1 pound Little Smokies

1 stick Butter
2 cups Brown Sugar

Preheat oven to 375F.
Cut the bacon into thirds and wrap each smokie.(small sausage)
Place all the wrapped smokies in a single layer in a baking dish.
Then melt the stick of butter and then 1 cup of brown sugar and stir until mixed well.
Pour the butter and brown sugar mixture on the smokies and bacon.
Then take the other cup of brown sugar and sprinkle evenly over the smokies.
Bake them for about 15-20 minutes

and then turn the heat up to 400F for about 5 minutes

or longer until the bacon becomes crispy.

Salt...sodium...get flavor with out it!

 

Salt...sodium...what ever you call it...we need less in our diets...

Your child probably loves pizza. And how about hot dogs, lunch meat, or cheese? In addition to being many children's favorites, these foods are high in sodium. They contribute to a startling fact: Many children eat as much sodium as adults in the U.S. That's setting the table for serious concerns about children's future heart health.

 

READ THIS INFORMATION AND THEN SEE SOME WAYS TO SEASON WITHOUT SAL

 

 

 

Sodium is a nutrient that your body needs to function properly. But having too much of it can raise blood pressure, even in children. Prolonged high blood pressure gradually damages the body. It can eventually lead to heart disease and stroke. Children who eat lots of sodium-filled foods may be those most likely to face such health problems in adulthood.

The average daily sodium intake for American kids is 3,387 mg, according to a recent study in the journal Pediatrics. That amount equals what most adults consume in a day. What's more, it's well above what experts recommend: a daily 2,300-mg limit-about 1 teaspoon of table salt.
Where's all that sodium coming from? Don't simply blame your saltshaker. The main sources of sodium in your family's diet likely stem from processed foods and restaurant meals. These are the top 10 types of sodium-filled foods that kids eat:

         Pizza

        Bread and rolls

        Poultry        

Cold cuts and cured meats

         Sandwiches

 

         Savory snacks

         Soups

        Cheese

        Mixed pasta dishes

        Frankfurters and sausage

 

 

Even food products marketed to babies and toddlers aren't exempt from excess sodium. A recent study found that many of them are laden with it.

A stop to the sodium crave

If your family eats a lot of sodium-rich foods, your palates may prefer salty options. Fortunately, you can change those taste buds by gradually lowering the amount of sodium in your family's diet. At the same time, you'll help protect your children-and your whole family-from high blood pressure.
Here are tips to help you curb your family's sodium intake:
Fill up on fresh foods. That means avoiding processed products, such as instant potatoes, store-bought salad dressing, canned soup and chili, and ready-to-eat meals like frozen lasagna. You can make healthier versions of these foods at home with fresh ingredients and no salt.

 Put away the saltshaker. Cook with herbs and spices instead. They provide flavor without the sodium. Some tasty alternatives: garlic, basil, red pepper, and rosemary. Many stores also sell no-salt seasoning mixes.

 Screen packaged products by the nutrition label. You may find sodium listed as "soda" or "Na." Different brands of food items, such as bread, can vary greatly in their sodium content. Choose products with less sodium. Be sure to check the amount of salt or sodium per serving, because many packaged products contain more than one serving.

 Encourage your children to pass up salty snacks like potato chips or crackers. Give them fun and tasty alternatives, such as fresh fruit popsicles, homemade trail mix with unsalted nuts, and veggie dips made with low-fat yogurt.

When eating out, order meals that are lower in sodium. Or request that your food be cooked without salt.              Always talk with your health care provider to find out more information.

 

 

Flavor That Food

Make foods tasty without using salt. Try these flavorings, spices, and herbs:

For Meat, Poultry, and Fish —

 

Beef	Bay leaf, marjoram, nutmeg, onion, pepper, sage, thyme
Lamb	Curry powder, garlic, rosemary, mint
Pork	Garlic, onion, sage, pepper, oregano
Veal	Bay leaf, curry powder, ginger, marjoram, oregano
Chicken	Ginger, marjoram, oregano, paprika, poultry seasoning, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme
Fish	Curry powder, dill, dry mustard, lemon juice, marjoram, paprika, pepper

For Vegetables —

Carrots	Cinnamon, cloves, marjoram, nutmeg, rosemary, sage
Corn	Cumin, curry powder, onion, paprika, parsley
Green Beans	Dill, curry powder, lemon juice, marjoram, oregano, tarragon, thyme
Greens	Onion, Pepper
Peas	Ginger, marjoram, onion, parsley, sage
Potatoes	Dill, garlic, onion, paprika, parsley, sage
Summer Squash	Cloves, curry powder, marjoram, nutmeg, rosemary, sage
Winter Squash	Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, onion
Tomatoes	Basil, bay leaf, dill, marjoram, onion, oregano, parsley, pepper

Photo Editing Fun

If you ever want to play around with your photos I recommend

http://www.picmonkey.com/

The editing site has some free applications you can use to enhance your photos.

Recently I learned how to do a Black and White with a FOCAL pop of color.

This is Great Granddaughter Gracie with her Daddy Danny.

First log on to picmonkey and click on Edit a Photo

Next upload your photo

You can crop the photo to take out all the back ground stuff

Click on EFFECTS on the left side

Scroll down to FOCAL B and W

Then you select the area on your photo to stay color

you can make it what ever size you want

Finally save your photo and it will go back to your computer files.

 

 

In the photo below I added text and a frame along with the FOCAL B and W

These are two more of my Great Grandchildren Ava and Shawn.

 

There are lots of editing options to chose from on picmonkey.com

and I have a lot of fun playing with the photos.

 

This FOCAL B and W edit was used in a photo challenge for:

http://suzyssitcom.com/

Check out Suzy's Artsy Craftsy Sitcom blog...learn LOTS of neat stuff.

 

Pearl Cabin Blog...check it out

My friend Pat has a cool blog and she shares some really neat ideas on how to reuse or repurpose all kinds of items for her home. Such cool ideas on a REALLY SMALL budget. This is just one of her neat projects. Check out her blog at http://pearlcabin.blogspot.com/

 

Table from BBQ Grill and Speaker Stand

"I have two really cute vintage swiveling bar stools and decide they would look lovely in an empty corner in the living room. And they did. But something seemed to be missing and I thought a tall table would be the finishing touch. I started looking around for items I had around the house that could be used.

I found an old speaker stand and round grate from a BBQ Grill.  Perfect! I covered a small wood block with a scrap of fabric using a staple gun. I centered the grate over the side of the block with the staples. The speaker stand had a hole in each corner. I turned it upside down on top of the grate and attached it to the wood block with screws. To keep the grate more stable, I used clips used to attach speaker wire to the baseboard. I positioned them so that the clip fit over the wire grate and nailed them to the wooden block.

When it was flipped over, I had a small height-adjustable table! It completed the corner perfectly."

 

Pat Clayton Designs at Pearl Cabin

 

Apple Cider Vinegar for Sunburn

Apple Cider Vinegar

For years, vinegar has been used for many purposes: making pickles, killing weeds, cleaning coffee makers, polishing armor, and dressing salads. It's also an ancient folk remedy, touted to relieve just about any ailment you can think of.

I know personally that Apple Cider Vinegar helps take the heat out of sunburn and can cure a skin rash or fungus over night if put on a rag and put on the area (hold in place with plastic wrap).

What Is Apple Cider Vinegar?

Vinegar is a product of fermentation. This is a process in which sugars in a food are broken down by bacteria and yeast. In the first stage of fermentation, the sugars are turned into alcohol. Then, if the alcohol ferments further, you get vinegar. The word comes from the French, meaning "sour wine." While vinegar can be made from all sorts of things -- like many fruits, vegetables, and grains -- apple cider vinegar comes from pulverized apples. The main ingredient of apple cider vinegar, or any vinegar, is acetic acid. However, vinegars also have other acids, vitamins, mineral salts, and amino acids.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Cure for Everything? During the alternative type medicine boom of recent years, apple cider vinegar and apple cider vinegar pills have become a popular dietary supplement. But, hardly a cure for everything.

Look on the back of a box of supplements -- or on the Internet or in the pages of any one of the many books on vinegar and health -- and you'll find some amazing claims. Apple cider vinegar is purported to treat numerous diseases, health conditions, and annoyances. To name a few, it's supposed to kill head lice, reverse aging (seen me? don't think this works...lol), ease digestion, and wash toxins from the body.

 

Most of these claims have no evidence backing them up. Some -- like vinegar's supposed ability to treat lice or warts -- have been studied, and researchers turned up nothing to support their use. Other claims have been backed up by studies, but with a catch: vinegar may work, but not as well as other treatments. For instance, while vinegar is a disinfectant, it doesn't kill as many germs as common cleaners.

 

But there are some medical uses of vinegar that do have promise, at least according to a few studies I have read from various sources. Diabetes. The effect of vinegar on blood sugar levels is perhaps the best researched and the most promising of apple cider vinegar's possible health benefits. Several studies have found that vinegar may help lower glucose levels. For instance, a 2007 study of 11 people with type 2 diabetes found that taking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before bed lowered glucose levels in the morning by 4%-6%. I was on a diet one time that said I could lose weight by putting a two tablespoons of vinegar on any vegetables I ate and to do so at every meal. High cholesterol. A 2006 study showed evidence that vinegar could lower cholesterol. However, the study was done in rats, so it's too early to know how it might work in people. Blood pressure and heart health. Another study in rats found that vinegar could lower high blood pressure.

 

Weed killer...put apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle and spray on what ever weed you want to kill...it will also take the grime off your sink or tub faucets...I LOVE apple cider vinegar, but the thought of killing weeds or removing faucet grime AND lowering my blood sugar some how does not compute in my brain. ROFL

 

WHAT DO YOU USE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR FOR AT YOUR HOUSE?

 

Friday Foto

In Memory on his birthday to my cousins...

 

My Uncle was a Navy Veteran, brother to my Dad,

husband to my Aunt Robbie, and Dad to my cousins.

 

He was a fisherman, Razorback fan and worked hard

all his life, to provide for his family.

 

Everyone who ever knew him misses him.

...Jack Allan, James Avaon, Elaine, and Marla

Mini Flour Tortilla Pizzas

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Ingredients

• 3  flour tortillas
• 1 (15 ounce) can pizza sauce
• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 3/4 cup mini pepperoni

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Open the can of pizza sauce, empty the sauce from the can, and rinse the can out.
2. Using the cut edge of the pizza sauce can, cut four rounds from each tortilla. Press each round into a lightly-greased muffin tin.
3. Place a tablespoon of pizza sauce into the center of each tortilla round.
4. Sprinkle cheese on top of the sauce on each tortilla round.
5. Top each pizza with mini pepperoni rounds.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Remove and cool before using a fork to transfer mini pizzas from muffin tin to a serving plate.

Flip Flops - Crafts

Flip Flops aren't just for your feet...

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This is the wreath I made for my Granddaughter.
$6 worth of Flip Flops from Family Dollar
Wire Coat Hanger
Black Sharpie
Floral Wire
Pipe Cleaners

 

 

Cucumbers

1. Fat busting: Do you ever wonder why women ...put cucumbers on their eyes to relieve puffiness? The photochemical in cucumbers makes the collagen in your skin tighten, thus the lack of puffiness. Did you know that you can rub a cucumber on a problematic spot of cellulite anywhere on your body to lessen the visibility of it? Did you also know that it has the same effect on wrinkles? Wow, it makes purchasing those fifty dollar creams seem a little silly, doesn’t it? You can also rub a little bit under your kiddo’s eyes after a long bout of crying to avoid that puffy ‘I cried for an hour straight’ look.

2. Defogger: Do you get annoyed when you get out of the shower and you have to fight the fog on the mirror? Who has time for that when the kids will be awake at any moment? Try rubbing a slice of cucumber on the mirror before you hop in and not only will you get a fog-free mirror, but you’ll have a nice smell that will boost your mood.

3. Headaches: If you suffer from headaches from chasing your babies all day, or had a little too much wine with dinner and want to avoid a hangover, eat half of a cucumber before bed. Cucumbers are high in B vitamins, sugar, and electrolytes, and they replenish the nutrients missing in your body to help you avoid a hang over or to beat that headache that’s been threatening to take over.

4. WD-40 replacement: Did you know you can get rid of a squeak by rubbing a cucumber on the hinge? Wow, now you don’t have to tear your garage apart looking for that little can with the red straw, and the baby won’t wake up when you slowly open the nursery door to check on him.

5. Crayon on the walls: Take an unpeeled cucumber and rub the crayon off of the walls in the event that your kiddo left you some art. You can also use this technique to erase a pen mistake.

6. Halitosis killer: Take a slice of cucumber and put it on the roof of your mouth. Hold it there with your tongue for 30 seconds. The photochemical that you love for cellulite and puff reduction will also kill the bacteria that is causing your bad breath.

7. Tarnish remover: If you’re finding tarnish on your stainless steel kitchen faucets and appliances? Rub it off with a cucumber slice. Not only will it remove years of tarnish, it will leave it streak free and your hands will thank you, and your kids won’t be put at risk from a dangerous chemical.

8. Energy booster: If you’re feeling tired in the afternoon, don’t give Starbucks your five bucks. Instead, grab a cucumber. There are just enough carbohydrates and B vitamins to give you a longer-lasting and healthier boost of energy than soda, coffee, or those health hazard energy drinks.

9. Munchy madness: Did you know that European trappers ate cucumbers for energy and to keep from starving to death? If those big burly manly men can eat a cucumber to keep from starving, you can eat one as a healthy choice when the munchies hit. Slice some up and take them in a small plastic container to the movies if your theater doesn’t offer healthy alternatives to munching on butter soaked popcorn.

10. Frugal facial: Slice up a cucumber and boil it in a pot of water. The chemicals inside of the cucumber will mix with the steam. Remove the pot from heat and lean over it, letting the steam hit you. Your skin will be more radiant and healthy, and you will feel relaxed and rejuvenated.

11. Shoe polish: Cut a slice off of your cucumber and rub it on your shoe. It will not only shine it up, but it will repel water.

12. Pest control: Put three or four slices of cucumber in a small pie tin and place them in your garden. The chemicals in the cucumber have a reaction that pests hate. You won’t smell it, but it will drive them from your garden all year long. Replace them periodically.

13. Sunburn: Sometimes sun block doesn’t always protect your little ones from sunburn. If you have burnt little kiddos you don’t have any aloe, rub some cucumber on them. Many doctors even use cucumber to treat patients with irritated skin and sunburns.

14. Blood pressure: Cucumber has been long used to treat high blood pressure. If you have it, add cucumbers to your daily diet. There is also ongoing research into the use of cucumbers for lowering cholesterol.

15. Constipation remedy: The seeds of a cucumber are a diuretic. If you’re constipated, try eating a cucumber. If you suffer from chronic constipation, add cucumber to your daily diet.

Miniature Pecan Pie Cupcakes

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Pecan Pie Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped pecans1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup butter, melted
2 eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.

Spray a miniature muffin tin with non-stick baking spray.  

 Fill each 3/4 full.

Bake in preheated oven for approximately 18 minutes.

NOTE: Generously spray your pan with cooking spray with flour. Once they come out of the oven let them cool for one minute then flip them out onto a cooling rack. If they cool in the pan they'll have to be chiseled out.

Also don't fill the pan to the very top, they will overflow if you do.

Clean Cookie Sheets

How to clean your cookie sheets--Kitchen "Miracle" Cleaner! You put about 1/4 cup of baking soda in a small glass bowl and squirt in hydrogen peroxide until it makes a nice paste. Then you rub it on the offending dirt/stain/grease...whatever! You can usually just use your fingers...but you can also use a small sponge as well.

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Cub Scouts Community Service

My Grandson, JW, earned his Community Service badge in Cub Scouts by helping to move over 4,000 pounds of food from the Hydro Food Pantry to the new location.

He is the one lifting that big box in the right side of this photo.

He is putting food on the shelves in these photos.

He is the one in the big paw print shirt.

His pack attended summer day camp and learned lots of science facts.

He is on the bench holding his knees.

In the photo below he is wearing the purple hat.

He has so much fun doing activities with his scout pack.

 

Friday Foto

It is awesome to live in a small town where the places you go celebrate special occasions with you. This is our Granddaughter with her future father-in-law. I know she was embarrassed to be the center of attention! Makes me laugh seeing how red she turned.

Photos by Danny Martinez

 

La Quinta Inn Hospitality!

Last week we had to travel to Ardmore, Oklahoma for our niece's funeral.

We called and reserved a room at the La Quinta Inn North in Ardmore.

In the course of the conversation, my husband told them we would only

 be there one night because it was for the funeral.

When we arrived the staff and placed this really nice basket

in our room with a note of sympathy.

Since our daughter went with us we even changed room after we got there,

because she did not want to stay in the smoking room we had reserved.

The La Quinta Inn North in Ardmore has clean rooms, good free breakfast,

outdoor pool, allow pets, and has the best staff on the planet!

Reuse old entertainment unit

I saw this on the internet...don't remember if it was Facebook or some other site, but I wanted to share with all of you that have children. Buying one of the pre-made kitchens is costly. This idea is really neat. One year my mom took a old bookshelf and turned it into a doll house for my daughter. She just put on a back and divided it into rooms and decorated each room. I am sure this kitchen made from the old entertainment center was a lot more work, but it is so cute.

Canned Biscuit Creations

 

These are like a little fried pie except baked in the oven. You can add a multitude of ingredients in the center. Using pre-cooked stuffing items, it only needs to bake until the biscuit is done or a golden brown. These can be served with a dipping sauce of your choice.

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This biscuit creation takes a little more work. The items being used to stuff the biscuits are onions, cheese, pepperoni, and peppers. Put each little stuffed biscuit into a well greased Bundt pan add your favorite seasoning and brush with butter. Bake until the biscuits turn a golden brown. Cool and turn out on a plate. 

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Cement Block Garden Projects

These are a couple cement block projects that can be used in your garden. The first is a raised bed made by just stacking the blocks on top of plastic to keep the weeds out. The good thing about this is it can be moved to another location as needed the next year. Sometimes you can get used cement blocks at recycled building supply places.

 

 

This next project is cement blocks stacked to form a outdoor bench with places to put plants and a little storage. The great thing about cement blocks is that they are very durable and last for years.

 

Grandson - Afghanistan

 

THANK YOU GRANDSON FOR YOUR SERVICE!

AFGHANISTAN

Hot Temps and Long Hours

Operating Heavy Equipment

 

Lifelong friendships form...

Our Grandson is the one on the right in this photo.

 

 

Bacon Turtle Burgers

 

This made me laugh when I saw these, but then I thought WOW what a great idea! My favorite things hamburgers, hot dogs, bacon and cheese. I know my grand children would love to eat these.

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Handmade ground beef patties are topped with sharp cheddar cheese and then wrapped in a bacon weave before the hot dogs are inserted as the heads, legs and tails. Place them on a rack, cover loosely with foil and then put them into an oven heated to 400 degrees. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the bacon is done - cooked through and a little crispy, but not too crunchy. (I would wrap a little foil around the hot dogs so they don't turn so dark while waiting for the hamburger meat to cook and the bacon to crisp.)

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Superman to Swag

 

 

Today is our Grandson Jonathan Wesley's 9th Birthday...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

WE LOVE YOU

 

 

 

 

 

Bacon Pancakes

My cousin David Allan is forever posting stuff about BACON on his Facebook. I saw this and it made me think of him and laugh. I can so see him making these bacon pancakes.

 

Resuse Containers and Drawers

My daughter sent me these cool photos she found on Facebook to reuse items. The first is those wet wipe containers. I think she may have peeked in the top of the bathroom closet and saw my stack of them? The travel size would be great to use on long car trips with young children.

 

 

 

I love this idea. Sometimes you can find an old dresser or chest at a garage sale for a few bucks, but it is not so sturdy. Here is a good idea for one-of-a-kind shelves. These would be good for a child's room and be able to brighten up the walls for a reasonable amount of money. Buying regular shelves can get very expensive.

 

 

 

Broccoli/Cauliflower Salad

If you are tired of the regular ole lettuce salad try this broccoli/cauliflower salad. It is quick and easy to make and tastes so good. You can add additional items like sunflower seeds or some of your other favorites to this dish.

 

 

 

Broccoli/Cauliflower Salad

Ingredients
2 heads fresh broccoli, chopped
1 head fresh cauliflower, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 red onion, chopped (or green onions, your choice)
1/2 cup green olives (or black olives which ever you like)
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup reduced-fat ranch dressing

Instructions
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and toss with reduced fat ranch dressing.
Refrigerate until serving.

Frog Legs

I was so excited to walk in to my favorite Chinese restaurant, New Young China, on Main Street in Weatherford, Oklahoma and find FROG LEGS on the buffett!!! I totally LOVE frog legs. It takes me back to my childhood when my Dad use to take us frog hunting and we would gig a mess of frogs and take them home to fry. Frog hunting is done at night and one person shines the light in the frogs eyes and the other person uses the gig on a really long pole to grab the bullfrog out of the pond. This was such a treat to find in Western Oklahoma.

 

 

This was my husband's plate....he has a couple of the stuffed mushrooms on the right side. The stuffed mushrooms at New Young China are really awesome.

Cell Phone Texting Aid

 

My daughter knows a guy in OKC that handcrafts these phone texting aids...for people who have a difficult time hitting the correct letter on their phone keypad. They are awesome! She got me one and I love it. Cut down on my cussing while trying to text and hitting the wrong letter cause of the hover feature on my phone:)

 

He makes them out of zebra wood and other beautiful wood. They are light weight and come with attachment that fits into the earphone hole on your phone. YES, they do work with I-phones and every other phone that is only suppose to work from the temp of your finger...another BS myth from the phone company. We have tested them. Each of these one-of-a-kind cell phone texting aids sell for only $10.00 plus shipping.

Apple Pie Enchilada

 

 

Apple Pie Enchilada

1 (21 ounce) can apple pie filling

(if you don't like apple pie you can use any other kind of pie filling)
 6 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
... 1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water


Spoon about one heaping quarter cup of pie filling evenly down the center of each tortilla.
Sprinkle with cinnamon; roll up, tucking in edges; and place seam side down in prepared dish.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, white sugar, brown sugar and water. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes.
Pour sauce over enchiladas and let stand 45 minutes.
Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes, or until golden.
Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Friday Foto

 

We are so proud of our Grandson!

CPT Lawson promotes SPC Wilkerson, 1220th.

Fourth of July - Fireworks/Anniversary

These are some of the photos I took last 4th of July at the Pea Ridge, Arkansas fireworks display. Happy Fourth of July to all of you and Happy Anniversary to my Husband...there will always be "fireworks" on our wedding anniversary...LOL.

Note: these were all taken with my little point and shoot

Kodak Easy Share C180 - 10.2 megapixels

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Anniversary!

Brenda and Dennis Williams