Cupid Is Coming!

I won't lie; we don't make a huge deal out of Valentine's Day around here. Seriously, I would rather DH remembers me throughout the year when I least expect it, than on the day where everyone goes all out. I don't need a fancy dinner out that requires reservations, or a $100 flower bouquet.

I have nothing against Valentine's Day - in fact, I love it! You know why? I'll give you one guess:

CHOCOLATE! Bring on the chocolate sales! Gimme, gimme, GIMME! LOL! Come on, I can't be the only choco-lover that gets super excited at the piles of chocolate stores put out, right? One of the biggest names in the chocolate business is Hershey's, of course, and every seasonal holiday they roll out some fun themed new chocolates! Take for instance, this Hershey’s 3lb. Solid Milk Chocolate Heart:


Yes, I said THREE WHOLE POUNDS of solid chocolate-y goodness! The only thing that could be better is if it was dark chocolate! (Oh my gosh, I'd probably go into a sugar coma then from eating it all in one sitting because I couldn't help myself! LOL!!)

For those looking to share goodies with others at school or the office, they have these fun Valentine's Exchange Snack Size Treats that come in flavors like Cookies N Cream, Kit Kat Wafer Bars, and DH's favorite, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. There are a 30 count package, so it's about the right size for most classrooms. Or a weekend's consumption if you are my DH and my kid. Hershey's sent us on over a package with a bag of them, and it arrived on Friday - they are GONE! My trash can was full of wrappers! (Holy blood sugar Batman!)

And then of course there is my old favorite, the Hershey’s Kisses Brand Milk Chocolates that come wrapped in fun colors like pink, silver, and red for Valentine's Day. I love these, because they are the perfect portion size, and they look so pretty sitting in my candy basket. (The few that I actually put out, since I keep most of my chocolate hidden. See above as to why!)


Hershey's has a great little website for Valentine's Day with recipes and project ideas. There are some Black Forest Mini Cheesecakes that definitely look drool worthy! The recipe looks fairly easy to make, too. and if you are looking for a fun craft to do with your kids at home, check out the little Valentine Love Bugs - all of the supplies to make these you should be able to snag at the dollar store if you don't already have them on hand.

Valentine's Day Trivia: In Medieval times people who couldn't write their names signed with an 'X' in front of a witness. The 'X' was then kissed to show sincerity. Many believe this is how the 'X' symbol became synonymous with the kiss.

(Pssst... guys? Valentine's Day is just two weeks away. Unless you are absolutely positive your wife or significant other is as laid back as me, you might want to take this as a reminder to either make those reservations, order flowers, or buy some chocolate!)

I received a sampling of Hershey's chocolates in exchange for writing this post and sharing my opinions.

DVD Review: LeapFrog: The Amazing Alphabet Amusement Park

My family and I were recently sent one of the latest DVD titles from the LeapFrog learning series, The Amazing Alphabet Amusement Park, to review.


The Amazing Alphabet Amusement Park is an educational DVD that teaches kids early reading skills. Tad and Lily, who you may recognize as the main froggy characters from LeapFrog, along with their firefly friend, Edison, and their puppy Scout, are going to the place of Edison's childhood dreams - the Alistair Alphabet Amusement Park! The best laid plans don't always work, as the crew finds out upon arrival that the park is - gasp! - closed! Oh no! That doesn't stop Edison, who manages to get himself stuck on top of the Amazing Alphabet Ferris Wheel! Can Tad and Lily save him? They must hurry and learn their letters, so they can turn on all the rides in the park with the magic of the alphabet to get him down!

This title is geared towards the 2 to 5 crowd, and it helps kids learn the alphabet in both upper and lower case, along with rhyming. Kids ages 2 to 3 will probably get the most out of this one, but it's a great refresher for 4 to 5 years olds. You may want to cut off the rhyming part though with the younger crowd in order to not confuse them. (Mine seemed to be following along alright, but you know your child's development best!) As usual, there are some fun sing-along songs to help kids learn - this one has three songs.

It contains some bonus features including short vowel shorts, and fun music video featuring Scout "Being a Puppy", and a preview of Numbers Ahoy!. There is also a short curriculum commentary for us parents to sit down and watch before viewing this DVD with our children. As with all LeapFrog titles, I recommend viewing them the first with your children, so you can help answer questions and guide them. And no, you aren't dreaming - if you've read my review for Numbers Ahoy, you'll see that the bonus features are virtually the same, with just a swapping of titles for the preview. Even though the age group is just a little different, the two DVDs go hand-in-hand a little here.

LeapFrog: The Amazing Alphabet Amusement Park is a full screen animated DVD available now wherever DVDs are sold. It is not rated, but geared for ages 2 to 5, with a total running time of 39 minutes. The suggested retail price is $14.98, but Amazon has it available for $10.49 as of this posting and available for free super saver shipping or free Prime shipping. (Netflix folks: you can also add this title to your queue this title although it's not currently available for streaming)

I received a copy of this DVD in order to view it and share my thoughts. All opinions are my own!

DVD Review: LeapFrog: Numbers Ahoy

My family and I were recently sent one of the latest DVD titles from the LeapFrog learning series, Numbers Ahoy, to review.


Numbers Ahoy is an educational DVD that teaches kids math skills. Tad and Lily, who you may recognize as the main froggy characters from LeapFrog, are playing a game together when they realize that the need stronger math skills to finish the game. Their adorable firefly friend, Edison, comes to the rescue and takes Tad and Lily, along with their puppy Scout, on a magical journey - under the sea! Scout gets himself captured by - GASP! - a pirate! - and Tad and Lily must use their mathematical knowledge to rescue Scout! Will they succeed before it's too late?

This DVD is geared towards the ages 3 to 6 crowd, and it helps kids learn number recognition, counting, and estimation. Kids ages 4 to 5 will probably get the most out of this one, although if your child is struggling in math, even older kids will probably learn from those catchy songs that LeapFrog is known for. (It certainly can't hurt!) Even though it says for ages 3 to 6, two year olds will also benefit from the number recognition and counting parts - and again, those catchy songs. (We need all the math help we can get around here, it's never been my strong point either!)

It contains some bonus features including short vowel shorts, and fun music video featuring Scout "Being a Puppy", and a preview of The Amazing Alphabet Amusement Park. There is also a short curriculum commentary for us parents to sit down and watch before viewing this DVD with our children. As with all LeapFrog titles, I recommend viewing them the first with your children, so you can help answer questions and guide them.

LeapFrog: Numbers Ahoy is available now wherever DVDs are sold. It is not rated, but geared for ages 3 to 6, with a total running time of 35 minutes. The suggested retail price is $14.98, but Amazon has it available for $10.49 as of this posting. (Netflix folks: you can also add this title to your queue this title although it's not currently available for streaming)

I received a copy of this DVD in order to view it and share my thoughts. All opinions are my own!

Winners! Winning Rocks!

OK, let's make it official - I am completely BRAIN DEAD. I apologize for not having pulled winners sooner - eeeeegads!

The winners of the Frito-Lay Fan of the Week giveaway are:

Deb F. said...

I would like to snack on Fritos Scoops corn chips with their bean dip!

Original_Wacky said...

I lurve Fritos! I eat Corn Chips in lots of things (OMG so so good in our homemade chili!), so I'll have to choose those, but I must admit that Munchos are a close second.

I follow via GFC as Wacky Original and my email is

Deborah Wellenstein said...

I love Lay's potato chips. They are the best! Thanks!

ohkeeka said...

I follow on GFC!

KPort207 said...

I'd like to snack on Sun Chips Harvest Cheddar. YUM!

The winner of the Mrs. McVeigh's Manners DVD giveaway is:

Falon H. said...

Following via GFC

Thanks for the chance!

Congratulations everyone! Emails are being sent - remember you have 48 hours to get back to me! (You can always email me too if you don't see it landing in your email in the next few hours - spam filters can be a pain sometimes!) I've got more winners to post coming up - I just wanted to go ahead and get y'all notified!

Menu Planning Monday - Here Comes February!

Geez, is it really Monday again? Are you sure? Maybe I just sleepwalked through most of last week?

So Saturday we had gone shopping. (Remember my rant on smaller sizes?) Let me explain my goal: I wanted to take $150, and turn it into mostly shelf stable foods so I could slow down on grocery shopping for a few months. (The price of gas is seriously starting to eat at my DH's paycheck) Now I have certain price points (sometimes using coupons) that I will purchase things at - for instance, I will only purchase pasta when it's 50 cents a bag/box, and cereals when they are around $1 a box. Normally it hits those every so often, and I take advantage and stock up. I couldn't find anything that was in my usual price points. Yikes! If this keeps up, my frugal recipes aren't going to seem so frugal anymore! lol

My Costco membership is expired and I didn't get enough use out of it the last year to justify renewing, so I am going to hit up the restaurant supply store later this week to see if the prices are any better if I purchase the items we use the most in bulk. Even though we are only three (well, 5, depending on the meal, since we feed the dogs homemade food, I'll set aside meats and veggies before adding spices), I've learned how to use larger size cans and packages by planning my meals around opening them - it's really not that hard to come up with three different variations using green beans, for instance.


Monday: Beef & Broccoli, rice

Tuesday: Spicy Mediterranean Wraps

Wednesday: Chicken a la King

Thursday: Spicy Beef Roll Ups

Friday: BBQ Chicken Cornbread Pizza

Saturday: Spinach Stuffed Chicken

Sunday: recipe of the week

Check out Organizing Junkie for other great Menu Plans!

DVD Review: Sisters And Brothers

My family and I were recently sent the latest animated Nickelodeon DVD release, Sisters and Brothers, to review.


Sisters and Brothers is a compilation of some of the most popular preschool shows on Nick Jr. lineup right now. All of the shows included on this one have a theme of new siblings or taking care of young children, making it a great way to help break the news that someone is going to be a Big Brother or Big Sister! Here are the episodes:

Dora the Explorer - "Big Sister Dora": Dora's Mami is having a baby! Dora and Boots need to get home so they can find out whether she will have a baby sister or baby brother.

Go, Diego, Go! - "To Babysit a Bobo" The Bobo's are on the way to a Fiests with their 3 new baby sisters, but the sisters accidentally wander off into the forest to look for fruit without everyone else! Will they be alright?

Blue's Clue's - "The Baby's Here" Paprika is going to be a big sister! She looks at everyone's baby books to see what they were like when they were little while waiting for Mr. Salt and Mrs Pepper to get home.

Wonder Pets! - "KalamaZoo!"/"Back to KalamaZoo!" Ming-Ming gets to visit a local petting zoo during a school holiday, and ends up helping to babysit her cousin Marvin for the afternoon. Marvin is a bit of a handful, and it's not so easy after all. Will she end up going crazy? (LOL)

Ni Hao, Kai-lan - "Hoho's Big Fight" It's the end of the Chinese New Year, and Grandpa gives Kai-lan some lanterns to help decorate for the big celebration. Hoho's lantern starts to drift away, and he jumps on it - will everyone catch up to him in time?

This DVD does contain a little bit of special features - it included two short new music videos from Team Umizoomi!: "Numbers Everywhere" and "Acorn Flower Pattern".

Sisters and Brothers will be released next Tuesday, February 8, 2011. It's not rated, but meat for the preschool crowd - those over the age of 5 will get bored, fast. The disc is full screen format, and runs a total of 122 minutes long. The suggested retail price is $16.99, but Amazon has it available on pre-order for just $13.99 as of this posting.

I received a copy of this DVD in order to view and share my opinions of it. All opinions are my own.

The Incredible Shrinking Package

Have you noticed it more and more? Today we went shopping and the packages of crackers that used to have four sleeves, now only have 3 - but of course, it's the same price. It's frustrating and frightening at the same time. Of course they can tell us there's no inflation because the prices look the same, but we all know it isn't the truth.

So be careful if you plan to make a recipe you haven't made in awhile - check the packages before you go to make it, so you don't end up not having enough to finish the recipe!

Giveaway: Gnomeo & Juliet

Have you see any of the previews to movie Gnomeo & Juliet yet? I am so excited for this one to come out because it looks hysterical!


Gnomeo & Juliet is the tale of two garden gnomes set to the music of Elton John via Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet from Disney's Touchstone label. Like the tragic story of Romeo & Juliet, Gnomeo and Juliet have a problem with their romance - you see red gnomes HATE blue gnomes. Yes, you guessed it - they are different colored gnomes living on different lawns.



Guess what? Even Ozzy Osbourne does a voice in this movie! Dolly Parton and Hulk Hogan do voices as well! lol You'll never look at garden gnomes the same after this one!

Gnomeo & Juliet hits theaters everywhere in 3D on February 11th. If you're over on Facebook, you can "like" their fan page.


Win it! I have prize packages for TWO lucky winners! Each one includes a youth t-shirt in your choice of red or blue, and youth size S, M, L, XL, as well as a one-size fits all beanie in red or blue, and a fun mini-notebook shaped like a Gnome hat, all with the Gnomeo & Juliet theme on them! (see above) To enter, just view the trailer and tell us what your favorite scene was!

As always, you can receive extra entries for:

-Subscribing to my feed OR publicly following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway one time (leave the link in your comment below or @psychotichouse) example:
Win Gnomeo & Juliet prizes! http://goo.gl/fb/jlo0p ends 2/11 @psychotichouse

That's four (4) possible entries! Giveaway ends February 11th at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)

I didn't receive anything for this post, but one winner will receive the prize package above, as fulfilled by the giveaway sponsor.

Review & Giveaway: Granola Gourmet

Because we always seem to be snacking on granola and other snack bars around here, I'm always on the hunt for new flavors and brands to try. Eating the same kind over and over again can get kind of boring after awhile!

Granola Gourmet are 100% natural vegan energy bars that were created by a diabetic and his family. They are both wheat and dairy free, making it a great option for families with some food allergies. (These are not nut or soy free however) They also contain no refined sugar, and are kosher. depending on the variety, they can have anywhere from 10-13g whole grains and 391-590mg Omega-3's - both of which are really great for our bodies. They also average around 140-150 calories per bar, so they are just right in line with the right amount of calories for a snack for most healthy diets.

I was sent on over bars in Ultimate Berry, Ultimate Fudge Brownie, Ultimate Mocha Fudge and Ultimate Cran Orange flavors.


I really liked the texture of these bars - not overly crunchy and not overly soft, just right in between, and I could clearly see the ingredients like the organic oats, unlike some bars I've had in the past. I liked that many of the ingredients were organic! DH gave two thumbs up to the Ultimate Fudge Brownie, and I liked the Ultimate Mocha Fudge the best. The Ultimate Berry though, was a little crumbly, and seemed to have a bit of an aftertaste to me. DH says he didn't taste an aftertaste in the Ultimate Cran-Orange, so perhaps it was just that one bar.

You can purchase Granola Gourmet energy bars at some retail locations and through Amazon as well. (Local folks, you can snag these bars over at our Safeway stores) The online price of the Original bars is on par with the usual healthy snack bar price - right now via Amazon, two 10 count boxes of the Original bars retail for $21.42, and are eligible for free Prime shipping. (Plus, if you sign up for Subscribe & Save and set an automatic shipment, you can snag them for 15% off that price!) By the way, a portion of purchases helps fight diabetes as the company participates in events with American Diabetes Association and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

If you are over on Facebook, be sure to "like" their page over on Facebook, and you can also follow Granola Gourmet on Twitter, too. You can also sign up for the mailing list on their webpage to find out first about specials and coupons.

Win it! Thanks to Granola Gourmet, one lucky reader will win a sampler package like I did with one bar of each of the four flavors. To enter, let us know which flavor you think will be your favorite.

As always, you can receive extra entries for:

-Subscribing to my feed OR publicly following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway one time (leave the link in your comment below or @psychotichouse) example:
Win Granola Gourmet http://goo.gl/fb/HAiMj ends 2/12 @psychotichouse

That's four (4) possible entries! Giveaway ends February 12th at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)

I received samples of the product mentioned above in order to try out and share my opinions of the product. Amazon link(s) included are for your convenience, they are not referral links. One winner will receive the prize mentioned above, as fulfilled by the giveaway sponsor.

Thrifty Thursday - Big Game Deals

This week for my Thrifty Thursday post, I want to remind you that the next two sales circulars will probably have some of the best deals you'll find on food items such as snacks and meats until the Memorial Day sales start up. Some items are more perishable than others, but items such as chips can usually be good for around 3 to 4 weeks after purchase. be aware of items that you use weekly, and take advantage to stock up! The best meat deals will be found in the larger packages, so portion them out (be careful to remove all air!) and freeze a few months supply. It might end up being a bit more of a cost up front, but you'll save money in the long run purchasing ahead.

Some stores such as Safeway/Vons will even have money saving coupons available that you can combine with their store sales to make the deals even sweeter. Just be sure to read the coupon terms carefully since some may have a total transaction minimum purchase needed clause. Don't overlook stores such as the Dollar Tree - when I stopped into my local store this past week, they had a big display already going. One of the items was the bags gas station size bags of Frito-Lay chips for $1, as well as movie theater size candy. Both of these are great for family movie nights too!

Above all, remember not to buy more than what you'll use in the time frame the food is good for. It's no longer a deal if you are throwing away part of what you purchased!

Review & Giveaway: Roundabouts

I may not be the world's greatest baker - hey, at least I admit it! However, I love doing the whole theme thing when I bake cakes and cupcakes. I cannot resist the fun of patterned baking cups, character toppers, and of course - sprinkles! The first Halloween that DH and I were married, he was supposed to take in some kind of baked goods for their work party. I went ALL OUT! I broke out the food coloring, the pumpkin shaped mini cakes, gummy worms, etc, and made some pretty killer slimy cupcakes with worms and eyeballs.

Apparently I went a little overboard in the realism, because he came back with most of the cupcakes that night.

I sulked for weeks. Who knew normal people didn't like worms and body parts on their food? LOL!

Fast forward a few years, and I love making cupcakes. They are easier to serve around here than an entire cake (even if they end up just as messy I think!) and at least they generally bake properly in my less than stellar oven. I'm always on the hunt for markdown baking toys as my DH calls them, so I was excited when I had the chance to review Roundabouts!

Roundabouts are wraps for cupcakes that transform standard cupcakes into fancy fun mini cakes! They simply go around the cupcake, closing with an adhesive tab, and then you can decorate the top - you can turn cupcakes into popcorn tubs, gumball machines, sushi, and ice cream cones, among so many others! The wraps are resistant to grease and oily substances, are earth friendly, and wipe clean if things get a bit messy in the kitchen. (Because they wipe clean so easily, if you take good care of them, you can easily re-use them a couple more times - the website says that a dab of frosting has been used to secure them again, but I suggest Glue Dots!) I was sent the Skully Girl decorative sleeves.


Aren't they perfect for us? I wiped the ones I used down and I am going to try to use them once more! It was fairly easy to wrap around the cupcakes - just remember to wrap THEN decorate with the sprinkles, etc or you will have a mess. There are over 70 different styles to choose from, so you can almost celebrate just any occasion with them! The possibilities for geeky fun are really endless with these. There's some great ones for Valentine's Day - check out the Candy Hearts design! (I know I am a kitchen geek, but I just love the Roundabouts! I'm totally getting the Black Cat design for Halloween this year!)

Roundabouts come in "sleeves" of 12 wraps with a retail price of $8.99. You can also design custom wraps by contacting the company. (Two thumbs up for these being made here in the USA!)

If you are on Facebook, be sure to like Roundabouts on Facebook for heads up on new designs and other news, and they are also over on Twitter too!

Win it! One lucky winner will win a package of Roundabouts cupcake sleeves! To enter, visit their website and tell us which design you'd choose! (Easy peasy!)

For this giveaway, you can get one extra entry for "liking" Roundabouts on Facebook OR following on Twitter (leave your username if you choose Twitter)

As always, you can receive extra entries for:

-Subscribing to my feed OR publicly following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway one time (leave the link in your comment below or @psychotichouse) example:
Win Roundabouts http://goo.gl/fb/9KPCF ends 2/5 @psychotichouse

That's five (5) possible entries! Giveaway ends February 5th at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)

I received the product mentioned above in order to share my thoughts. One winner will win the prize stated above, as fulfilled by the giveaway sponsor.

Break Out The Tinfoil Hats!

Over the weekend, a crop circle was found in an Indonesian rice paddy:


Regardless of who made it, isn't it a thing of beauty? I love crop circles! What do you think about them?

*oops - the site I linked to above is a paranormal site. There are symbols and information on other parts of the site that may be considered disturbing to some folks - sorry!

Review: Delonghi Espresso/Coffee Maker (BCO120T)

Thanks to CSN, I was able to purchase the DeLonghi Coffee Center a few months ago.

I want to be honest in that I waited to write my review because I read so many iffy reviews on the Delonghi Espresso/Coffee Maker, some of which had problems that didn't start until after over a month of use. Now we're not daily coffee drinkers, but it's gotten a fair amount of use - at least 3-4 times a week. I can't speak for anyone else who purchased this, but I can just share with you our experiences.

Why we choose this: DH has really gotten into drinking coffee about six months ago. It's amusing to me, because this was the guy that snarled at the sight of Starbucks. lol At $5 a pop for coffee there, I wanted a coffee maker that could make the fun drinks, while still staying in our budget. We had a basic, every day coffee maker that was lost in the moving olympics, and while I remember it doing on OK job, I really wanted something more. DH likes cappuccino sometimes as well, so I wanted an all-in-one - I wanted to cut down on counter space being used, and did not want more than one appliance for coffee sitting on the counter. (Clutter makes my head throb, as some of you may know!) The Delonghi Espresso/Coffee Maker pretty much fit our needs.


The DeLonghi Coffee Center (model BCO120T) has a digital programmable timer with two hour auto shut off - the two hour shut off means it's not a big deal if you hit the snooze button a few times. ;) It has accuflavor and vario selector dials so you can choose the strength of your coffee or espresso, which is really great if you like different kinds of coffees. The drip interrupt feature also allows you to enjoy a cup before the full pot is brewed, and you can brew up to cups of coffee at one or four cups of espresso. There is a swivel jet frother to make cappuccino, latter, or any other frothy milk beverage - which is pretty neat. (I think we're becoming bariastas here lol) It also has a stainless steel boiler. There are dual removable water tanks so you can fill them up both at once, and you can fill them in the sink instead of spilling water everywhere.

I'm bringing up the spilling of water, because I mentioned above about reading less than happy reviews while browsing the Internet trying to decide if this was the right one for us. It seems that a lot of them mentioned water getting everywhere while the coffee was brewing. So far, we haven't had that problem at all - I'm always wondering if it has to do with the steam from the drinks and it hitting the top of a cabinet or something?

If you have kids, you also may like knowing it has a safety cap to prevent accidental opening. By the way, you can also use it to make a pretty mean hot chocolate, so there's even more value out of it. I also haven't noticed a difference in our electric bill having it plugged in all the time, so that's always good. (DH is thrilled that finally there's a clock in the kitchen! lol)

The Delonghi Espresso/Coffee Maker has a suggested retail price of $124.99, but Cookware.com (one of CSN's 200+ sites) has it for $99.89 with free shipping. I'll admit I probably would never have spent this much a few months ago on well, a coffee-maker - even if it does make a lot of different drinks! - but adding up how much we've saved by brewing our own fancy schmancy coffee at home, it's probably worked out in the long run. All in all, we're both pretty pleased with it.

(Now should we start having problems with water everywhere, I'll immediately update my review)

I received a gift certificate to put towards purchasing an item of my choice from the CSN family of stores. No other compensation was given, and all opinions are my own.

Random Tuesday Thoughts - Crash

Yep, I'm going to crash. I am just not getting enough sleep, and the only reason for it is just that I can't sleep. It's not stress related, it's just my body going funky. It's done this before, where I've been an insomniac zombie for months. Hopefully it passes soon, because, blech.

...I just went to go fold the laundy from last night and discovered I put it in the dryer, but never turned it on. Oops? Maybe I should just change my blog name to Confessions of a Scatterbrained Psychotic Housewife. Too long? Yeah, I think so too. Tooooooo lazy to type that much out!

So it turns out that our local Walmart shooting was a 31 year old guy and sadly, a 13 year old girl who had run away from home to be with him. I can't say I was exactly a bunch of cherries for my parents when I was 13, so I can't comment there - but the situation is sad for all involved. You can't exactly fault our local LEO's because, hello, crazy man shooting into a parking lot. (Our local Walmart is the hot spot on the weekends, lol) How many local folks will admit they breathed a sigh of relief though when it was discovered he was from out of town? C'mon - admit it! You did!

I will admit I was shocked at all the people who were saying oh, it's so perfect here.... nothing ever goes wrong here. Can you say delusional? Have you not paid attention to the meth problem? The tagging that is out of control everywhere in town? A cruiser got it's back window shot out awhile back just down the street from me! I haven't taken a walk down the side of the road in over a year after I noticed exactly how many dirty needles I saw on a 3 mile span - um, no thanks. I won't put my child or my dogs at risk for stepping on one of those. And don't get me started on the break-ins and vandalisms. I'm sure a lot of you have noticed it in your own towns too - Mayberry is no more :( It's not like it's any better back in Texas - the Superette down the street from my in-laws was held up a few weeks back. (And that guy got the idiot of the year award after reading he was caught being served for missing court.)

...Natural selection. It happens for a reason. Just sayin'. lol

So I'm on the hunt for a dress for the zombie prom. I would make do with one of my dresses, but I'm looking for white/pink so I can trash it - black doesn't show blood very well. lol Plus, as hard as it is to find my style of dresses, I'd rather not trash one.

It's almost five and we are still waiting for DH to get home - sigh! I'm starving!

...I hope the grocery sale ads for the "Big Game" are better this year than last. I need to do some serious snacking stocking up!

BWHAHAHAAA! One of the cats just rolled off the bed. Do cats always land on the feet? The answer is... not always! LOL!! Sabbath is sitting there now with this What just happened? look on her face. LOL!

Blog Tour: Arm & Hammer Baking Soda For Beauty!

DH and I have been talking about making our home more chemical free. We'd like to cut down on the chemicals and see if we can't just be more healthier overall. I don't remember what product I picked up off my bathroom counter the other day, but it had Propylene glycol in it - which is used to de-ice airplanes! That can't be good for our bodies!

So I headed onto the Internet to check out more natural ideas. I remembered my great grandmother speaking of using baking soda as a toothpaste, and of course you could use it for cleaning around the home, but that was the extent of my knowledge. When Mom Central asked if I would be interested in joining the Arm & Hammer Baking Soda beauty tour, I happily said yes - it was the perfect opportunity!


They sent me on over a lovely natural spa basket so I could have some ME time all to myself. (All 5 seconds of it! LOL) Look at how nicely it was presented:



And here is all the goodies inside:


Included was a little book with a bunch of beauty recipes inside that all used Arm & Hammer baking soda. Here are a few of them:

Facial Glow:
Mix 3 parts Arm & Hammer Baking Soda with 1 part water. Cleanse skin as usual, followed by the gentle scrub. (Be careful to avoid eye area). Rinse with warm water. Leaves skin feeling nourished and refreshed.

Exfoliating Pedicure:
Blend 2 tablespoons of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda in a basin of warm water. After a nice soak, make a scrub using 3 parts Arm & Hammer Baking Soda and 1 part water. Follow with an application of a rich moisturizer and a warm towel foot wrap. Let sit for 5 - 10 minutes. Feet will feel smooth and clean.

Brightening Manicure:
Dip brush into Arm & Hammer Baking Soda and scrub nails and cuticles. Make a paste of 3 parts Arm & Hammer Baking Soda to 1 part water. Rub in a gentle, circular motion over hands and fingers to exfoliate and smooth. Rinse clean with warm water and apply polish as usual.

I barricaded the bathroom door started with the Exfoliating Pedicure - boy, were my feet begging for a nice soak. I had some Lavender essence sitting around, so I added a few drops in hopes the calming effect would kick in STAT! lol It was a nice five minutes of soak time - honestly, I can't even remember the last time I soaked my feet. (and the bonus is that it seriously only cost pennies!)

I also started trying to use just the Arm & Hammer Baking Soda as a stand alone product in my daily ME routine. Yep, I brushed my teeth with it! All you have to do is wet your toothbrush, then dip it in the baking soda. I suggest finding a small container with a lid to pour some in, so you don't ruin the whole box (contamination and all) This was, shall we say, an acquired taste thanks to the powdery sensation in my mouth (I have issues! lol) As a heads up, this makes it fluoride free unless you have a bunch of it in your water system. It doesn't bother me, but it might bother you if you are trying this.

The ultimate sacrifice was giving this a whirl as a deodorant. Oh boy, was I hesitant on this one! I'm not a stinky person, but still. To use Arm & Hammer Baking Soda as a deodorant, you'll lightly dust some under your arms. If you have an old make up poof, this might help - otherwise, be careful how you apply it, or you'll have baking soda all over your bathroom floor. LOL! You only need a little bit! My verdict? If you sweat a lot, it may not work for you. After reading up on this, I read that sometimes, the smell you get in the first weeks of trying this (and other natural deodorants) is the chemicals coming out of your body? I probably haven't used it enough in this case. I'll admit, when we went out the other day I ended up using my regular deodorant. (I was worried!)

The last way I incorporated Arm & Hammer Baking Soda in my daily ME routine was to add a small sprinkling into my hand alongside my shampoo. (This works for me because I wash my hair in the sink. It's probably not easy for most if you wash your hair in the shower, since you have the baking soda in a paper box? lol) Now, doing this is supposed to help remove any extra build up in your hair from styling products. I don't use anything on my hair most days besides shampoo & conditioner (hey, I'm home all day!) so I can't say I saw a difference - but it certainly wasn't harming it, so I think I will continue this one.

...you know if you need a container besides the box to dispense the baking soda, consider saving a Parmesan cheese shaker or spice shaker when it's empty, then cleaning it thoroughly and letting it air out for a few days before filling it with the Arm & Hammer Baking Soda. This might make it easier for your beauty routine! You can also purchase Arm & Hammer in a plastic shaker - be sure to keep it so you can refill it. (The environment thanks you)

I was pleasantly surprised at all the different ways I could be using Arm & Hammer Baking Soda in my beauty routine, and I'm sure many of you reading this probably are too. If you already use it for beauty, do you use it a different way than the ways I mentioned above? If you do, will you share it with me? (Please?) I'd love to hear all ideas!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Arm & Hammer and received a beauty basket to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Giveaway: SouthLAnd The Complete Season DVD

SouthLAnd, a critically acclaimed police drama that I've talked about here in the past, started up their newest season back on January 4th. For those who haven't heard much about the show, it features Emmy Award winners John Wells, Ann Biderman and Chris Chulack, and it's basically just about a police unit in Los Angeles, showing what really happens inside the lives of cops, criminals, victims and their families. You can usually watch the episodes online - right now, you can watch several if you head over to the SouthLAnd page over on TNT's page. (That's the great part about TNT - usually you can view a lot of the episodes of their shows online so you can get caught up!)


Tonight the next episode, "Code Four", will be airing, and I have a sneak peak to share with you:


(Use discretion if watching this with smaller kids)

Win it! I get to giveaway one copy of SouthLAnd - The Complete Season DVD to one lucky reader! To enter, let us know if you have watched this show and what you think of it; or if you haven't, tell us your favorite TNT show!

As always, you can receive extra entries for:

-Subscribing to my feed OR publicly following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway one time (leave the link in your comment below or @psychotichouse) example:
Win SouthLAnd on DVD http://tinyurl.com/6gxk7m9 end 2/5 @psychotichouse

That's four (4) possible entries! Giveaway ends February 5th at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)

I didn't receive anything for sharing this post with you, but one winner will receive the prize stated above, as fulfillfed by the giveaway sponsor.

Today Has Been...

...just one of those days. Blech! Since everything seems to be a disaster around here, I'm throwing in the towel for the rest of the day. DH can play his game, Netflix is playing some Yo Gabba Gabba! as we speak, the dogs are happily chewing on bones - and I think this Momma needs a nap. Who's with me? It's time to be brain dead!

Recipe: Johnsonville Sausage Dippers

We're getting closer to the Big Game! Are you ready for all the fun food? I am! Here's a quick easy recipe (OK, recipes, if you include the sauces) thanks to Johnsonville!

3 packages Johnsonville Smoked Sausage

Cut into 1" pieces. Cook sausage over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Serve with toothpicks.

Obviously, since there's only three of us, I'm only making one package in picture you see here:


You can use store bought sauces for dipping of course, but here's a recipe to make your own buffalo sauce:

Buffalo Sauce
1/2 cup butter
1 bottle Hot sauce
1 bottle blue cheese dressing

Combine butter and hot sauce in a microwave safe dish, and melt together for 2 minutes (make sure it's covered so it doesn't splatter!) Serve with blue cheese on the side. (and break out the celery sticks too, so it's a bit more healthy!)

Orange Bourbon BBQ Dip
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup orange marmalade

Combine both ingredients into a microwave safe container and microwave on high for 1-2 minutes (again, be sure it's covered) This yields about 1 1/2 cups. I ended up making this one as you can see in the photo above, and OHMYGOSH - it was so good! I've got to use it with some homemade chicken tenders, it would be awesome! (Plus. it's so simple!)

Cajun Mustard Dip
1 cup spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
hot pepper sauce, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve (you can't get any easier!)

The toothpicks make it super easy to serve even when you're gaming - you won't end up with sticky fingers. I'll definitely be making this again!

I received Johnsonville products in order to help create this recipe. All other ingredients were purchased by me.

Menu Planning Monday - A Boring Menu

I'm leaving Saturday open, since DH has it off - if we stay home all day, I will make pizza.

Monday: homemade mac 'n cheese, garlic bread

Tuesday: South of the Border Bake

Wednesday: veggie stir fry, rice

Thursday: Taco night

Friday: Terryaki chicken skewers, "fried" rice

Saturday: Leaving Open

Sunday: recipe of the week

Check out Organizing Junkie for other great Menu Plans!

Trust Your Gut...

Always.

DH had the day off today so we decided to do some work around the house. Due to an upcoming review, I was thinking that we could use a tote for short term storage, so we talked about going to Walmart. I'm really glad we decided we wanted to vegetate and not leave the house today:

Two killed, two deputies injured in shooting at Port Orchard Walmart

I would have freaked out, especially since the dogs would have still been in the car. How scary for those shopping!

Review & Giveaway: Hefty Basics Paper Plates

When we have BBQ's in the summer months, I refuse to add to my clean up list. Yes, I know disposable isn't great for the environment, so I try to make choices that don't necessarily end up in the landfill right away. We serve foods that avoid extra eating utensils for instance, and instead of plastic cups that end up in the trash instead of the recycling bin, we try to purchase drinks that have containers that can be recycled. Now when it comes to what you're eating off of - let's be honest - if you cheap out and pick up those thin paper plates - you know, the ones that you can get at the dollar store - you end using 3 or 4 just to get the plate thick enough it doesn't bend under the weight of your food. That can't be any better than purchasing the thicker Styrofoam ones in the long run, right?


Last fall, I discovered Hefty Basics Paper Plates just in time for the munchkin's birthday. Hefty Basics are a thicker paper plate that hold up to a full plate load ;) but - drum roll - they also happen to be biodegradable and compostable in your backyard compost pile! Even better? They are microwaveable, unlike styrofoam. So when I was approached about these awesome plates, I happily said I'd love to do an official review!

I actually keep several packages on hand now all year round as part of our emergency preparedness supplies. When we were waterless a few weeks back thanks to the frozen pipes, we used these to eat off of so dishes didn't pile up around the sink. The great part about the Hefty Basics plates for us too was that we could also just toss them in our woodstove so they were disposed of quickly. You can't do that with styrofoam! (Well, I suppose there is some lunatic out there who would, but I'm cringing just thinking of the chemicals in the air from it!)

Another great part about these plates is that they are a basic beige - there are no inks used to make a fancy design. Alright, so it may seem a little boring at first, but I'd like to think it's the food you're serving up that folks are looking at, not the plate! They have held up well for us, including everything from hamburgers and hot dogs, to pasta and macaroni and cheese. DH microwaved some leftover fried chicken on one awhile back, and it held up just fine even with the extra grease from the chicken.

Hefty Basics Paper Plates are available in two sizes: 10-1/4" that come in a 24 count package and 8-5/8" that come in a 45 count package. Both have a price tag under $3 - in fact, I think just before Christmas I scored a package for just $2 on sale. I thought this was a pretty good value for my family. By the way, if you are collecting Box Tops for your child's school, they have one on the package!

Right now, if you visit the Hefty Basics Tableware page over on Facebook, you can help our environment! For every ten "likes" that Hefty gets on that page, they will plant a tree with the Arbor Day Foundation's help! They are hoping to plant 10,000 trees, and as of this posting, they still have a LONG ways to go with only 655 fans. If you're on Facebook too, I hope you'll take a moment to click "like". It's a quick way to help without costing you a single penny. (And this is cool - the cover letter that was sent with my "kit" is actually recycled paper with wildflower seeds in the paper! I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can plant it in my yard!)

Win it! Thanks to Hefty, two lucky winners will each win a coupon to try out a package of Hefty Basics Paper Plates for free! To enter, just tell us if you will be composting them after they are used, or will you be recycling them in your yard waste bin?

As always, you can receive extra entries for:

-Subscribing to my feed OR publicly following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway one time (leave the link in your comment below or @psychotichouse) example:
Win Hefty Basics Plates http://goo.gl/fb/2YvHD end 2/5 @psychotichouse

That's four (4) possible entries! Giveaway ends February 5th at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)

I received the product mentioned above in order to review and share my opinions of it. Two winners will receive the prize mentioned above, thanks to the giveaway sponsor.

Giveaway: Progresso Souper You 2011

How are you doing on any of the New Year's resolutions you might have made? If you resolved to eat healthier or loose some weight, are you hanging in there? It's tough, but YOU CAN DO IT! See, here I am with pom-poms to be your own personal cheerleader! I don't care what your goals are, maybe you're working on debt, or maybe saving for a killer vacation - YOU CAN DO IT!

Rah, rah rah.... my back hurts now. LOL Kidding. ;) However, if you're working on the losing weight and/or eating healthier, Progresso is here to help out a little - they actually have 40 different flavors with 100 calories per serving! Since many have ingredients like pasta, beans, corn and rice, alongside vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, and peppers, you can snag some of your daily fiber and a full serving of vegetables in that serving. And, to help kick off a new outlook on the New Year, Progresso is excited to announce the return of the "Souper You Debut" contest! From January 3rd through March 16th, visit Progresso on Facebook to enter for the chance to win a full makeover in New York City!


...come on, who wouldn't want a fun trip and a makeover? Three grand prize winners will be awarded a trip for two to New York City from May 20th-22nd! The prize includes roundtrip airfare, a two-night stay in an NYC hotel, a full makeover, a guided wardrobe shopping spree with a personal consultation at a New York City department store, and $1,000 in spending money. Think about the reward of shopping, and maybe even buying clothes in a new size! Just head on over to Progresso on Facebook to learn more about entering the contest.

While you are there, you can also print a coupon that will save you $1.00 off four cans of Progresso soup - since those go on sale quite often for around $1 a can, you can really score a good deal!

Good luck if you decide to enter the contest! Progresso through MyBlogSpark sent me a little gift set to help continue my New Year's resolution of being healthier, and it was full of goodies, including yoga mat, water bottle, set of aerobic bands, sport headband and two sport wristbands, alongside a couple of cans of yummy Progresso soup! The yoga mat was way nicer than the one I had already, so I was more than happy to upgrade and donate the old one! lol


Win it! Thanks to Progresso and MyBlogSpark, one lucky reader will win a prize package like the one I received, with a VIP coupon for a free can of Progresso soup, as well as a yoga mat, water bottle, set of aerobic bands, sport headband and two sport wristbands. To enter, share with us your favorite flavor of Progresso soup! Easy peasy! (one of my favorites is the Light Zesty Santa Fe Style Chicken - yum!)

As always, you can receive extra entries for:

-Subscribing to my feed OR publicly following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway one time (leave the link in your comment below or @psychotichouse) example:
Win Progresso Souper You prizes http://goo.gl/fb/ppJU5 end 2/5 @psychotichouse

That's four (4) possible entries! Giveaway ends February 5th at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)

The law requires me to tell you that the product mentioned above, prize pack, information, online coupon and giveaway were all provided by Progresso through MyBlogSpark. All opinions are my own. Speak with your doctor or other health provider before beginning any weight loss regime.

Book Review: Save The Date By Jenny B. Jones

I recently received a copy of the new book, Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones, to review.


Save the Date is a contemporary novel about Lucy, who starts off the story crushed when the perfect man - or so she thought - put his career first instead of proposing to her like she thought he was planning to. (Ouch!) Fast forward two years, and she spends all her time continuing to work with the Saving Grace shelter, a faith based home for young ladies who have made their way through the foster care system and are starting out on their own. (side note: this is a real place) Suddenly the rug is pulled out from under her feet when Sinclair Hotels cuts their funding to the home by 40% thanks to the economic situation. Since Sinclair Hotels is their biggest donor, it spells doom.

Lucy is bound and determined to fix this problem, no matter what it takes. Alex Sinclair, who is a former pro football player, and went to a prestigious school with Lucy the outcast, just happens to be the heir to Sinclair Hotels' fortune. Since he also just happens to be running for Congress, and needing an edge, he cooks up a grand scheme so they both get something they want: Lucy gets the money to keep Saving Grace running, and Alex gets himself a "fiancee", which would help him win crucial votes in a tight race.

Jab for jab sums up the "relationship". Alex has changed since school - and his football career - but Lucy and her spunk doesn't want to see that. Can Lucy continue to play the loving fiancee, or will she throw in the towel? Was this all of God's plan? Will Saving Grace stay open? Will Alex and Lucy end up something more?

You'll just have to read the book to find out. ;) You know I can't give away all the good stuff! I usually shy away from romances set in the present day, but I found myself giggling in parts of the story. I admired Lucy's character, and I loved what she was doing at Saving Grace. The book isn't overwhelming in the religious department; it has just the right balance, and Lucy's faith does shape her character. It also contains a short reading group guide with 13 touch points/discussion questions.

If you head on over to the author's website, you can read the prologue right now to get an idea of the story.

Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones is a paperback Christian Romance Fiction published by Thomas Nelson. It is 309 pages long, with a suggested cover retail price of $14.99. (Though Amazon has it for $10.19 as of this posting.) It is also available in e-book format for the Kindle and other e-readers.

I received a copy of this book in order to read and share my opinions of it. All opinions are my own.

Happy National Cheese Day!

One thing is for sure, there never is a shortage of quirky little holidays to celebrate with your family, is there? LOL In honor of National Cheese Day - which I think could be my family's favorite holiday right after Halloween! - I think I'll go make a little mini cheese snacking platter for us when DH comes home here in an hour or so.


When I was a little girl, we accompanied my Daddy on a business trip, and visited parts of Amish country in Ohio. One of the places we stopped at was Guggisberg. <---I just googled them there and found you can order online - uh oh. I'm in trouble. LOL Anyways, my four year old self was in HEAVEN there. Cheeeeeese! LOL We need to hurry up and purchase that RV so we can take the kiddo there. (I'm thinking during football season so she can attend her first Buckeyes tailgating festivity in person! LOL)

One of my favorite cheeses these days is the Tillamook Pepper Jack - let me confess I could probably sit there and eat an entire two pound brick without even thinking about it. LOL How about you? Do you have a favorite kind of cheese?

Review & Giveaway: DACRON Mini-Pillows

Choosing your pillows is probably almost as personal as choosing your styles of underwear! If you choose too soft or too hard for the way you sleep, you may end up with neck and back aches. If you have allergies, and you choose the wrong fill, you may end up with sneezing fits. And if you drool, and you choose a basic pillow that doesn't wick away moisture, well, you're going to end up with a smelly pillow after awhile! LOL

I confess... I am a picky pillow person. I sleep with just one pillow, and it has to be just right, or I can't sleep. Recently, we had to ditch all our pillows due to mold/smell issues (not from drooling! lol), and it feels like it's been an uphill battle trying to find the right pillow! I can't be the only picky pillow person, right?

If you didn't already know, January and February tend to be the best time of the year to purchase pillows, mattresses and new bedding, because it's known as the "white month" when stores put them on sale. (Although, if you're on the hunt for basic twin size bedding, wait until the end of August/September for the clearance sales on dorm bedding!) Big department stores can especially have some great deals this time of year, so be sure to combine any deals you may come across with coupons for percentage off you might find for their store - Macy's and Kohl's are both usually really good for that!

DACRON has been known as America's favorite pillow fiber for more than 50 years. It's a polyester fiber, and besides being used in pillows and other furniture, they even use it in clothing garments. Invista, one of the world’s largest integrated producers of polymers and fibers, recently launched the new DACRON Fiber Quality Seal, so we can tell which pillows really have it in them. Want to see what the new seal looks like? Check out the mini-pillow they sent on over:


You know how standard pillows can be overwhelming for small kids? This mini pillow is 12" x 18", and totally perfect for kids, or for traveling! (Who wants to lug around a full size pillow, anyways?) It's a great pillow, puffy but not hard, if that makes sense to you. I had some travel size pillow cases I had bought at Ikea that fit it perfectly, too!


Win it! Would you like to win a set of your own DACRON mini pillows too? One lucky reader will win two of them! To enter, tell us the last time you purchased new pillows for your bed. Are you a picky pillow person too and have a certain pillow style?

As always, you can receive extra entries for:

-Subscribing to my feed OR publicly following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway one time (leave the link in your comment below or @psychotichouse) example:
Win Dacron minipillows! http://goo.gl/fb/jsvEP end 1/29 @psychotichouse

That's four (4) possible entries! Giveaway ends January 29th at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)

I received the product mentioned above in order to share my opinions of it. All opinions are my own, and not that of the company's.

Thrifty Thursday - Winter Heating Tips

This week for my Thrifty Thursday post, I'm sharing a couple of tips to lower your utility bill in the Winter (and even Summer!) months.

Most windows and doors are the biggest energy leaks in your home. Even newer built homes can be guilty of wasting energy, by allowing your warmer (or colder) air to leak out. Be sure to close the draperies, or mini-blinds in all your rooms before going to bed each night. If there are rooms in your home that aren't being used, close the shades or blinds even during the day to help stop the air from going out.

For doors, consider insulating against drafts by using a draft stopped - you might remember these in your Mom's home as a kid. It's just a long cloth tube filled with stuffing placed against the bottom of the doorway. You can do your own "hack" by simply rolling an old towel up and placing it securly against the door. If you have an older home where vents are only in certain rooms, consider blocking them off at night like this as well - after all, who needs to heat the hallways when you are sleeping? (A caveat - watch that the home doesn't get so cold that pipes freeze if you do this!)

Review: Smiley Cookies

Back when I went to OSU, I used to attend a lot of hockey games over in Pittsburgh - at the time it was the nearest city with an NHL team. Course, I'm a Leafs fan, but I look back on the "Igloo" - and the city of Pittsburgh - fondly. Anyways, I bring this up because we'd eat sometimes at Eat 'N Park after the game. They must be a regional restaurant, because I've never seen them anywhere else. Their ads always has this The Place With Smiles slogan, and they had these bright yellow smiley face gourmet cookies you could buy.

Fast forward 15 years (GULP!) and along comes the opportunity to review their Heart Shaped Cookies for Valentine's Day! Bring on the nostalgia! (OK, and my incredibly dorky grin!) I was so excited when the box arrived - look how nicely it was sent to me:


and here they are:



DH had never had one of their sugar cookies before, so I was excited to share them with him and the kiddo. (Though it just hit me, she'll never see a game inside that funky Igloo arena now that they have a beautiful new arena in Pittsburgh - sob!) They were just as I remembered, too. I wasn't disappointed, but I know not everyone likes sugar cookies.

If these heart shaped cookies aren't your thing, they have lots of other styles, or you can even create your own to celebrate a special occasion! Custom cookies start at $12.99 a dozen, and they have a $6.99 flat rate shipping. If you sign up for their club, you'll receive a coupon to save $5 off your next order. They make a great gift for any Pittsburgh transplant!

I received the product mentioned above in order to share my opinions of it. These are my thoughts, and my thoughts only.

Wordless Wednesday - Kitty Puzzle

How many black cats can you count?


(There's three. lol)

Random Tuesday Thoughts - You Can Never Have Too Many Blankets

So we're done with both seasons of Jericho (and yes, we both loved the Texas National Guard air scene. lol), and all I can say oh, come on. Two weeks in and folks are starving in farmland? and older couples freezing to death because they only have a few light blankets? Maybe in NYC, not in the midwest! When I was growing up even down here, most of the farmhouses that were all second story did not have heating vents on the second story even if they had an alternate source of heat besides fireplaces - believe me, one thing we had were plenty of blankets! lol Something tells me an older couple who possibly lived through the Great Depression will certainly have plenty of blankets.

Sobering thoughts, though. I think the idea of civil war disturbs and frustrates me more than the thought of bombs going off. I wish they had continued the show.

Next up is Castle Season 2. I love me some Nathan Fillion, how about you? Captain Mal!


Not as much as I love this man, of course:


Firefly, another great show that ended too early.

Little Big Planet 2 is out today. DH is stalking the UPS truck waiting for his copy.

I crave cheesecake.

Mooooo............

I confess... I found a hidden stash of chocolate from like two years ago that I totally forgot about. Oops? I guess it's a good thing I have a posse of cats that strike fear into the heart of mice everywhere?

Speaking of cats, I've threatened to make Mystery stay in a crate at night. That cat is driving me psychotic - I have never had a cat get into so much trouble - and she's so small, too. I expect that from my big behemoth Magick, not the itty bitty little kitty. (I know he's innocent - he's almost always cutting the circulation off my legs when things happen.)

Sigh- cats!

...and yet I want more. lol

I am really looking forward to that pot of chili later this week. YUM!

...I'd miss chili in a zombie epidemic. If it lasts long enough, I think I'd miss toilet paper too. Maybe I should stock up on more TP?

And more Diet Dr. Pepper too! I tried a bottle of Safeway's store brand the other - ohmygosh, that stuff is like syrupy arsenic to me. Blech. Give me Diet Dr. Pepper or give me death! LOL

Why is it an empty toilet paper roll can give a rabbit hours of entertainment, but the fun toys I spend actual money on just get played with by the cats? (Yeah, they snag his toys all the time, poor bunny!)

Hmmm... now I want to watch Firefly again. For the millionth time. teehee ;) I should go pre-order The Walking Dead too!

I think DH, um, scared/offended a guy when we went out yesterday. *shrugs* He's adorably cute and cuddly, just like the Pillsbury Doughboy, I swear. It's a pre-conceived notion in some folks' head. *shrugs again*

Back With A Vengeance

Cleaning vengeance, that is. It was sunny and in the 50s today I think, so we went for a hike to soak up some good ol' vitamin D. When we came home, I rolled up my sleeves and started scrubbing around here while DH manned the yard and played raked some leaves.

I scrubbed down the fridge, cleaned out the one cabinet I use in the kitchen for day to day food (when I menu plan each week, I pull the dry/canned food off the shelving system and move it there, so I'm not digging around at the last minute looking for a hidden can. It saves me a headache or two lol) Then I yanked all the furniture (well, except for the bookshelves) and Swiffered all the hidden furballs and found an entire kitty toy store hidden behind the sofa alone! What is with cats and hiding things??? The floor really needed mopped too - I could certainly see pawprints.

I put away certainly a good toteful of kid stuff that was lying around - good grief, where does it all come from???? lol

I also worked on a couple of the planters outside and added some homemade compost and turned over some of the dirt - they were starting to get moss with all this rain we've had. I still have a bunch more to do, but it was starting to get colder, and hey - it's a start. I won't be starting my seedlings for a couple more weeks anyways.

Maybe my lazy spell is over? I felt productive though.

Menu Planning Monday - Comfort Food

I didn't end up making the Chili like I planned last week, so it's recycled into this week. And yep, chicken was on sale again! lol I'm trying tonight's recipe for the first time, so hopefully it comes out better than some of my usual recipes of the week. (sigh!)

Monday: Chicken and Dumplings

Tuesday: homemade chicken pot pies (will share recipe)

Wednesday: chicken fajitas

Thursday: Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

Friday: Slow Cooker Kickin' Chili

Saturday: Meatball subs, Seasoned French Fries

Sunday: recipe of the week

Check out Organizing Junkie for other great Menu Plans!

Non Productive Is My New Name...

I am the worst wife in the world this week. Yeah, seriously. I am. I've gotten nothing done this week. You think my blog looks empty? You should see the VACANCY sign on my face. I am useless! We're sleeping in until 10:30-11 every morning, pjs are the IN thing, and Dora is on a permanent loop. Toys all over the place? What toys? I see no toys. (whistles innocently)

I made one round of bread yesterday and called it a day. Oh, and I swiffered, because there's only so many rolling furballs I can take even zoned out.

...actually, I just sat here for a half an hour (Yes, that's how long it's taken me to write this post) and I know what's going on. It's not even just the weather - though the weather is totally blame too - I switched asthma meds last week.

I also have a Diet Dr. Pepper addiction.

For anyone not familiar with asthma, drinking caffeine with most of the meds is a no-no - it sends you into jittery h*ll.

Apparently, it also sends me into VACANCY h*ll.

Sigh! Daddy can't get home fast enough today. (Go figure, he's late, too... again... Do not get me started on his job the last few months. I keep telling myself I have to be thankful he has a job!)

Review: Toggle Bandz

I have always been a hair trinket kind of girl. Scrunchies, clips, headbands - oh my! Even as an adult, I was always on the hunt for fun clips for my hair. (Be an adult? Me? Never!) Once it was full steam ahead with PINK MADNESS, my hair trinket obsessions went even worse! lol (actually, that's on my to-do list in the next week - re-organize the hair pretties!) I prefer buying handmade whenever I can, because not only am I supporting an artist/creator instead of big business, I can also find more unique pretties.


Toggle Bandz are adjustable ribbon headbands created by a stay at home military wife here in Washington. She came up with the idea after struggling to find headbands that would stay on her daughter's hair, which was very fine. Unlike some of the similar ideas on the market, the clear toggle on these are really sturdy:


I found it easy to use on both of our hair. Sometimes I have a hard time adjusting things or sliding things on my hair, but this was super easy to adjust. If you have a lot of hair (lucky you!) it may not be what you are looking for, but with both my daughter and I having finer hair, this was perfect. With it being adjustable, you can even use it alongside a ponytail to dress it up more, or even around a bun. (and they even make fun Corgi dress up collars LOL!! We put one on the Grumpy Princess while being silly, it was really cute - I should have taken a picture!)

Toggle Bandz come in lots of different patterns and colors, plus you can also choose a custom order and get double layered Bandz or even with bows and rhinestones. Toggle Bandz start at just $4.50, and go up from there, so they aren't overly expensive either. (You won't freak out so much when your daughter loses one while playing! lol)

If you're over on Facebook, be sure to add Toggle Bandz so you can find out first about sales and contests! Right now through January 31st, if you purchase three basic Toggle Bandz, you'll get one free! check out the website for more details.

I received two Toggle Bandz in order to try them out and share my thoughts about them.

Giveaway: Yoplait Original Yogurt

I've mentioned this a few times already on here, but Yoplait recently reformulated their Yoplait Original Yogurt to have 50 percent of the Daily Value of calcium in one convenient 6-ounce cup. I've always considered yogurt to be part of a healthy breakfast myself, and being able to get even more calcium out of the usual serving is great. (Although, with our love of cheese and dairy products around here, I don't think any of us are lacking in the calcium department! lol) I'm all about the Strawberry Banana flavor myself, but with all the different Yoplait flavors and varieties, it's hard to get bored!

If you haven't already, head on over to Yoplait's page on Facebook, where you can sign up to receive a VIP coupon for a FREE cup of new Yoplait Original Yogurt! Right now, you can also print a coupon to save you $0.50 off the purchase of Yoplait Original yogurt. (Unfortunately, these coupons aren't available to use in some states such as California, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, North Dakota and Tennessee. It's a dairy law, unfortunately... I say contact your government representatives and complain!)

I know a lot of people scoff at getting enough of this and that in their diet, and don't worry - but calcium is really important for us women. My DH is in geriatric nursing, and he can tell you that the older you get, the more likely you are to break a bone when you fall. Who wants to be on bed rest because you broke a hip? Not me! Plus, calcium also helps your blood clot - which is super important for our bodies too no matter how old you are.


Yoplait sent me on over this cool set through MyBlogSpark that contained a duffel bag, speed rope, water bottle and sport towel, alongside a VIP coupon for a free yogurt. (Can you guess which flavor I used it for? lol) Since I am worried that my rear end is expanding faster than the speed of light trying to get us even healthier, this was perfect timing. My DH was all over that black towel, and let me tell you I have never laughed so hard in my life as I did watching him TRY to jump rope. Let's just say that his coordination is seriously lacking on this one! LOL! Since I'm too cheap to pay for a gym membership (I know I'm not the only one!), I'm going to use the duffel bag to store some of our fitness accessories in it so they don't clutter up our family room. (You know me & clutter!)

Win it! Thanks to Yoplait and MyBlogSpark, one lucky reader will win the same prize package as the one I received! (Just remember about the coupon included if you live in one of those states, though you could give it to a friend or family in another state?) To enter, tell us how you get calcium in your diet. Do you have a favorite Yoplait flavor too?

As always, you can receive extra entries for:

-Subscribing to my feed OR publicly following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway one time (leave the link in your comment below or @psychotichouse) example:
Win @YoplaitYogurt prizes! http://goo.gl/fb/oJZH9 end 1/29 @psychotichouse

That's four (4) possible entries! Giveaway ends January 29th at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)

Yoplait provided me with the free product, Yoplait product information, and giveaway through MyBlogSpark. All opinions are my own, and not that of Yoplait.

Friday's Featured Etsy: bstrung

Welcome to my Friday's Featured post, in which I showcase Etsy stores and small businesses from folks like you and me. Recession, smession! ;)

Our stop on our this week's journey through Etsy land is a store called bstrung.

Bstrung, an Atlanta based Etsy store, contains handmade jewelry created by a mom of twin girls! Many of the items in the store ship free to addresses in the US and Canada. Plus, bstrung is having a Snowed In Sale - all items are 15% off for the month of January!

Check out this pretty Purple Attraction Necklace:


Wouldn't these Pink Phenomena Earrings make a lovely gift for Valentine's Day?


I think these Drops of Crimson Earrings are my favorite:


Stop by bstrung today and have a look around!

If you're an artist or etsy seller and would like to see your store featured on Friday's Featured, drop me a line! I happily support the handmade community!

Food Storage Friday - Food Grade Storage

When you are working on your food storage, there comes a time when you'll probably end up buying something in bulk: IE a larger package than what you usually purchase. Maybe you just stumbled onto a really great deal like 50 pounds of rice for $10. Even if it's a dry good, once you open that package, you need to store the contents properly, or they will go bad quickly!

The cheapest way to store your food is to re-use containers. I've read of folks re-using even cleaned out 2 litre soda bottles to store rice and beans. Whatever container you are thinking about using, you need to step back and ask yourself:

*Will I be storing this long term? (more than 6 months) If yes, watch that plastic! Remember that plastic can begin to leach chemicals into your food. Try to choose plastic containers that are BPA free. Make sure that any container you re-use is considered food grade. (For instance, those cat litter buckets are NOT food grade. The water I store in my former cat litter jugs are for flushing only around here) It may not seem like a big deal at first, but those chemicals can affect your health and even your kid's fertility down the road. Be smart, only use appropriate containers for food storage!

I've mentioned on here before that I use 3 and 5 gallon buckets for some of my food storage. You can snag these for free or very cheap from bakeries and some restaurants. You'll need to wash them out yourself even if they look clean (you never know!!) I just used a bit of Dawn (or baking soda) and let it soak for a few hours with the soapy water before rinsing it very well. You can even run the lids and smaller buckets through your dishwasher to be sure they are sterile. Before filling any buckets, be 100% sure that they are completely dry. I like to wait a few days before filling any of my plastic containers after washing to be sure. For my large buckets, I use the Ziploc big bags inside the buckets to help keep things tidy and to have an extra layer of protection for my food. They are available in three different sizes, and I usually use the XL ones for 5 gallon buckets.

Plastic storage jars can be had for very cheap at places like your local dollar store (see this post about a great snag at Dollar Tree), but again, watch those plastics. Some places still get pickles and/or peppers in large glass jars - if you are like me and prefer glass as much as possible, you may want to try asking any local sandwich shops if they have leftover glass jars you can have or buy.

About those white paint buckets that look like food storage buckets: This is something that has been debated probably on every food storage site and forum! Here's the thing: many of them could be considered food grade BUT they weren't made for that purpose. Look for buckets that have HDPE (high density polyethylene) stamped on them, or a recycle symbol with a "2" in the middle. You can always call the manufacturer of those buckets that you find like that, and ask them if their buckets are considered food grade (all this has to do with chemicals used in the "molding" of the buckets) - but my honest opinion is that with all the possible sources of free buckets out there, skip yourself the hassle of all this. Plus, those buckets can cost around $5 plus the lid - almost the same price as food grade buckets from a site like beprepared.com (who has free shipping on your order over $30 this month when you order online through their nifty Food Storage Analyzer!) Right now a 5 gallon bucket plus the lid is $7.95. If you buy 10 (share an order with someone!), they are $7 each.

Review & Giveaway: Kellogg's FiberPlus Caramel Coconut Fudge Bar

I made an extra late New Year's resolution the other day for myself. I feel old. I shouldn't feel this old. For the most part, I'm good at eating healthy: I make healthier choices, scarf up my fruits and veggies, and practice portion control. Yes, I still indulge in goodies like chocolate and ice cream; but it's like I always say: moderation. You can eat anything you want, so long as you burn those calories off! (This is my current problem with all this dratted rain!)

Kellogg's has a great way to help you enjoy both fiber (really needed the older you get!) and some antioxidants: Kellogg's FiberPlus bars. They sent me on over a package of their latest flavor (which wasn't even on the shelves yet!): Caramel Coconut Fudge. Are you drooling yet too? ;)


Kellogg's FiberPlus contains 9 grams of dietary fiber - you know, the good stuff that helps fill you up so you can loose weight, 20 percent of the daily recommended value of antioxidants vitamin E and zinc (great for your immune system!), 7 grams of whole grains, along with 10% of the daily recommended value of calcium. Each Caramel Coconut Fudge bar is just 120 calories too!

I'll be honest: the box didn't even last a day! LOL! All five bars were gone in the blink of an eye around here. The combination of the coconut and chocolate-y fudge was perfect to solve a chocolate craving, and the caramel made it feel like you were eating something much more indulgent than what it really was! Plus, I have to give two thumbs up to the 35% of your daily fiber in these - it makes it a great afternoon snack choice for me. Of course, I could live without corn syrup and high corn syrup being on the ingredient list, but that's to be expected in these kinds of snacks. My DH has already asked that we buy some when they are on sale, so I'd definitely say he's giving them two thumbs up too!

If Caramel Coconut Fudge isn't your thing, Kellogg's FiberPlus bars are also available in Chocolate Chips, Dark Chocolate Almond, and Chocolate Peanut Butter flavors. A five bar box has a suggested retail price of $3.09, but look for them to be on sale in the 2/$5 range (or below). While there aren't any printable coupons available at the moment that I can find, if you sign up on Kellogg's website, you might be able to snag some coupons in the future. (There's a couple of goods ones on there right now for other Kellogg's products!)

Win it! Would you like to try out new Kellogg's FiberPlus Caramel Coconut Fudge bars too? TEN lucky winners will each win a coupon to try them out! To enter, just share with us if you think you are getting enough fiber in your diet, or not. Are you doing anything to make sure you get enough?

As always, you can receive extra entries for:

-Subscribing to my feed OR publicly following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway one time (leave the link in your comment below or @psychotichouse) example:
Win Kellogg's FiberPlus bars http://goo.gl/fb/ad5mM @psychotichouse #fiberpluscoupon


That's four (4) possible entries! Giveaway ends January 29th at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)

For more on rules, click here.

I received a sample in order to share my opinions of the product mentioned above. Ten winners will win the prize stated above, as fulfilled by the giveaway sponsor.