Welcome to my family's new favorite morning tune. Your family will be singing it, too! It gets us moving. And it's too darn cute to hear my 17 month old trying to tell me what the fox says.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
The Cow goes Moo, the Duck goes Quack.....
....the fish goes Blub. Well, obviously. But what does the Fox say???
Welcome to my family's new favorite morning tune. Your family will be singing it, too! It gets us moving. And it's too darn cute to hear my 17 month old trying to tell me what the fox says.
Welcome to my family's new favorite morning tune. Your family will be singing it, too! It gets us moving. And it's too darn cute to hear my 17 month old trying to tell me what the fox says.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Coffee Coupon alert!
For those of you who love coffee, like me, and also love a bargain.... I have a deal for you!
Starbucks is offering a $1 coupon for their iced bottled coffee sold in grocery stores. They are usually in the coolers near the register. Yum! And if you have a Target or Walmart nearby, you can get one bottle for just about 50 cents. What a deal! Use this link to find your coupon. Print it out and head to your local store. Enjoy! http://www.starbucks.com/promo/iced-coffee
Starbucks is offering a $1 coupon for their iced bottled coffee sold in grocery stores. They are usually in the coolers near the register. Yum! And if you have a Target or Walmart nearby, you can get one bottle for just about 50 cents. What a deal! Use this link to find your coupon. Print it out and head to your local store. Enjoy! http://www.starbucks.com/promo/iced-coffee
Sunday, September 15, 2013
This song will be stuck in your head forever.
I will say both "thank you" and "I'm sorry" now. This WILL get stuck in your head! There is a naughty word in this video, so share this with your kids only AFTER you have viewed it for the first time and realize when its necessary to turn it off in front of them. This is such a funny song and video and my kids and I sing it all the time. We even make up new words for it. "I'm cooking dinner, I'm cooking dinner now!" "I've got my pink dress, I've got my pink dress on!" Enjoy!
Friday, September 13, 2013
Huey Lewis and...... ME!
A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to meet Huey Lewis. Yes, I said MEET HUEY LEWIS. I saw him in concert for the second time on August 30th and this time I got the amazing opportunity to meet him. It was entirely a fluke, even though I did go to the show with high hopes that I would meet him. It's quite a story and parts are a little bit unbelievable. But here we go......
A little over 10 years ago, I saw Huey Lewis and the News in concert on Cape Cod, MA. It was a pretty cool show. They played a lot of their hits, and had everyone on their feet. I had back row tickets..... seriously, the LAST row. But I didn't care. I stood on the back of my chair the whole time, dancing and praying that I wouldn't fall off and land on the person in front of me. I was a huge fan of Huey Lewis and The News. I had grown up with them, owned their albums, cassettes and CDs (remember albums? Those round shiny black things that scratched so easily and you had to flip them over to hear side B? lol, Im hoping some of you remember them! Heck, some of you may not even remember cassettes!!!) I was such a huge fan that a month or so before the concert, as my then Fiancee and I were addressing our wedding invites, we addressed one to Huey Lewis. We guessed he wouldn't make it to our wedding, but I wrote a letter to him telling him that I was a big fan, getting ready to see him on the Cape that August, and that I would be honored if he came to our wedding as a guest. I signed the letter, sealed it in the invite envelope and mailed it off, knowing that I would never see him at our wedding, but knowing that since I invited him, it would make a great story. Well guess what...... one day I discovered that Huey Lewis could not make it. How did I discover this? Because someone had returned the response card to us. It simply said "Mr. Huey Lewis" and the number 0 where the guests were supposed to write in how many people would be attending. The card had no note, no other information, and I'm assuming, but not positive, that it wasn't him, but someone on his staff that had filled out and returned the card. It didn't matter much because HOW COOL WAS IT TO HAVE THIS CARD RETURNED FROM HUEY LEWIS???? I quickly stashed the card away in my wedding scrapbook and had an even better story to tell friends and family. Not only did I invite Huey Lewis to my wedding, but he returned the response card to us!!!!! Even without Huey's presence, we had a fabulous wedding. His music was played that night and our guests danced the night away. (Our going away song was "Cruising"!)
So now we're going to fast forward 10 years. This past May my Husband found out Huey Lewis and The News would be playing on Cape Cod about 10 years after I had seen them the first time, and about a month and a half before our 10 year wedding anniversary. He bought us tickets to go to the Huey show for my birthday gift. The weeks leading up to the show, I was imagining how cool it would be to meet Huey and show him that wedding response card that was sent to me 10 years before. I made the decision to bring the card with us to the show, with hopes that somehow I could get Huey to sign it. Of course I knew that the chance of meeting him was probably slim to none, but I would have the card with me..... just in case. So August 30 I get a cute outfit on, do my hair and makeup (this is all a very rare occurance for this stay at home Mom of three!) and get ready to go see Huey. I had my daughter's pink princess pen with me so I could get Huey's signature. Hubby and I head on up there, sit in the 7th row and I danced my little heart away the whole night. The show was great. They played the whole SPORTS album and then played a bunch of other favorites. The band sounded amazing, Huey was great, I had a blast. (Don't mind the date on the photos. I took them with our back-up camera and apparently I never put the correct date on it!)
Before Huey and the rest of the band headed off stage before their encore, my Husband ran up with the response card in hand, to see if he could stand near the dressing room entrance. He was hoping he could catch Huey, tell him our story, and get a signature on the card. He stood up there for a while, missing the last song before the encore and then he missed seeing the encore (he could hear everything, though.) About a song and a half into the encore, I ran out to find Hubby and stood with him by the gated entrance to the dressing room. Soon enough, Huey Lewis and the News ran right by us. I was a crazy nutcase yelling "HUEY SIGN MY CARD" but he ran by quickly and I don't think he even heard me, even though I was less than a few feet away.
Bummed that we missed a signature opportunity, but happy that I saw the show, I was ready to go. The VIP line was starting, security was putting up ropes and gates and they were trying to usher us out. BUT.... Hubby had an idea and soon I saw him pass my treasured card and my daughters pink pen to a complete stranger that was standing in the VIP line to head back to the dressing room area. WHAT?!?!?! My heart sank. I was excited and yet mad at the same time. What if the stranger lost my card? What if we got kicked out of the area and never saw this man again? My card would be gone, forever, and I'd rather have it unsigned than have it lost. The man seemed nice enough and asked me about the signifigance of the card, so I quickly told him about the invite 10 years ago and receiving the card back in the mail with Huey's name on it. Then he walked back into the VIP line with my card. I told Hubby to give the man my cell phone number so if we had to leave the area, he could call or text us and we could grab the card (signed or unsigned, at this point I just wanted it back) afterwards. Before I could give this man my phone number, the dressing room area door opened and he disappeared with my card. My heart sank, my stomach was in knots and I couldn't stay calm. Until...... two minutes later the door opened and the man walked out with my daughter's pink princess pen and my response card. WITH A SIGNATURE ON IT!!!! I wanted to kiss this man! I gave him a quick thank you before he headed back to the VIP rooms.
On cloud nine, Hubby and I walked back to the parking lot area. I was texting friends "HE SIGNED THE CARD" and taking pictures of it with my cell phone when I saw Hubby bend over in the parking lot. When he stood up he had a VIP PASS IN HIS HAND!!! What?!?! Yes, you saw that correctly. Someone had dropped a VIP pass for the Huey Lewis and the News show in the parking lot. Hubby grabbed it, passed it to me and I made the mad dash to the VIP section. I can't even tell you what was running through my mind in those moments, I was so excited. But right before I got to the dressing room area, the general manager of the concert area stopped me. I knew I couldn't tell him where I got the pass, so I did my best (while trying not to cry, figuring I was about to get kicked out of the place.... so close but soooo far away) to explain to him that I had a VIP pass and I was just trying to find Huey. Luckily, the General Manager decided he would try to get me back there and escorted me to the dressing room area, through a kitchen, to a back door and to a back porch area where..... and here is where you cue the angels singing...... Huey was standing.
There were about 8 other people outside there, and Huey was chatting up with a few of them. Others were sort of standing around. As soon as I heard a break in conversation, I walked up to him, put my hand out to greet him and said "Hi, my name is Heather. I invited you to my wedding 10 years ago." He responded "I know, I signed your card!" Yes, yes he did, and I was so happy that the man in the VIP line had told him the story of the invite and the response card when he asked Huey to sign it!!!! I told him yes, that was my card and I thanked him for signing it. The funniest part was as I was thanking him, he was looking around the porch area, noticing that I was alone, and then looked at me and said in a very sarcastically funny voice "Well, are you still married??!" I laughed and told him yes, 10 years in about a month and a half. I didnt even think to tell him that I only had one VIP pass and that Hubby was waiting for me outside with security. lol So after a few minutes of talking, Huey was ready to go back inside. I opened the door for him, walked into the kitchen area where we discussed "lobstahs and Stahbucks" in our best BAHSTON accents and we said our goodbyes and he walked away. BUT...... I was able to ask him to pose for a picture with me, and so I present this fabulous selfie of Huey Lewis and I!!!!
Huey Lewis and The News..... I cannot thank you enough for coming to our little neck of the woods and playing for us time and time again and Mr. Lewis, thank you for signing my wedding response card. 10 years ago I had a good story about inviting you to our wedding. 10 years and a month and a half later, I had an even better story about inviting you AND getting a response card back, and now today I have an AMAZING story about inviting you to our wedding, getting a response card back with your name on it and then getting it signed by you! Plus, I have a fantastic picture of you and I that I will treasure always! Thank you, thank you, thank you! And I will see you again next time you play on CAPE COD!!!
A little over 10 years ago, I saw Huey Lewis and the News in concert on Cape Cod, MA. It was a pretty cool show. They played a lot of their hits, and had everyone on their feet. I had back row tickets..... seriously, the LAST row. But I didn't care. I stood on the back of my chair the whole time, dancing and praying that I wouldn't fall off and land on the person in front of me. I was a huge fan of Huey Lewis and The News. I had grown up with them, owned their albums, cassettes and CDs (remember albums? Those round shiny black things that scratched so easily and you had to flip them over to hear side B? lol, Im hoping some of you remember them! Heck, some of you may not even remember cassettes!!!) I was such a huge fan that a month or so before the concert, as my then Fiancee and I were addressing our wedding invites, we addressed one to Huey Lewis. We guessed he wouldn't make it to our wedding, but I wrote a letter to him telling him that I was a big fan, getting ready to see him on the Cape that August, and that I would be honored if he came to our wedding as a guest. I signed the letter, sealed it in the invite envelope and mailed it off, knowing that I would never see him at our wedding, but knowing that since I invited him, it would make a great story. Well guess what...... one day I discovered that Huey Lewis could not make it. How did I discover this? Because someone had returned the response card to us. It simply said "Mr. Huey Lewis" and the number 0 where the guests were supposed to write in how many people would be attending. The card had no note, no other information, and I'm assuming, but not positive, that it wasn't him, but someone on his staff that had filled out and returned the card. It didn't matter much because HOW COOL WAS IT TO HAVE THIS CARD RETURNED FROM HUEY LEWIS???? I quickly stashed the card away in my wedding scrapbook and had an even better story to tell friends and family. Not only did I invite Huey Lewis to my wedding, but he returned the response card to us!!!!! Even without Huey's presence, we had a fabulous wedding. His music was played that night and our guests danced the night away. (Our going away song was "Cruising"!)
So now we're going to fast forward 10 years. This past May my Husband found out Huey Lewis and The News would be playing on Cape Cod about 10 years after I had seen them the first time, and about a month and a half before our 10 year wedding anniversary. He bought us tickets to go to the Huey show for my birthday gift. The weeks leading up to the show, I was imagining how cool it would be to meet Huey and show him that wedding response card that was sent to me 10 years before. I made the decision to bring the card with us to the show, with hopes that somehow I could get Huey to sign it. Of course I knew that the chance of meeting him was probably slim to none, but I would have the card with me..... just in case. So August 30 I get a cute outfit on, do my hair and makeup (this is all a very rare occurance for this stay at home Mom of three!) and get ready to go see Huey. I had my daughter's pink princess pen with me so I could get Huey's signature. Hubby and I head on up there, sit in the 7th row and I danced my little heart away the whole night. The show was great. They played the whole SPORTS album and then played a bunch of other favorites. The band sounded amazing, Huey was great, I had a blast. (Don't mind the date on the photos. I took them with our back-up camera and apparently I never put the correct date on it!)
Before Huey and the rest of the band headed off stage before their encore, my Husband ran up with the response card in hand, to see if he could stand near the dressing room entrance. He was hoping he could catch Huey, tell him our story, and get a signature on the card. He stood up there for a while, missing the last song before the encore and then he missed seeing the encore (he could hear everything, though.) About a song and a half into the encore, I ran out to find Hubby and stood with him by the gated entrance to the dressing room. Soon enough, Huey Lewis and the News ran right by us. I was a crazy nutcase yelling "HUEY SIGN MY CARD" but he ran by quickly and I don't think he even heard me, even though I was less than a few feet away.
Bummed that we missed a signature opportunity, but happy that I saw the show, I was ready to go. The VIP line was starting, security was putting up ropes and gates and they were trying to usher us out. BUT.... Hubby had an idea and soon I saw him pass my treasured card and my daughters pink pen to a complete stranger that was standing in the VIP line to head back to the dressing room area. WHAT?!?!?! My heart sank. I was excited and yet mad at the same time. What if the stranger lost my card? What if we got kicked out of the area and never saw this man again? My card would be gone, forever, and I'd rather have it unsigned than have it lost. The man seemed nice enough and asked me about the signifigance of the card, so I quickly told him about the invite 10 years ago and receiving the card back in the mail with Huey's name on it. Then he walked back into the VIP line with my card. I told Hubby to give the man my cell phone number so if we had to leave the area, he could call or text us and we could grab the card (signed or unsigned, at this point I just wanted it back) afterwards. Before I could give this man my phone number, the dressing room area door opened and he disappeared with my card. My heart sank, my stomach was in knots and I couldn't stay calm. Until...... two minutes later the door opened and the man walked out with my daughter's pink princess pen and my response card. WITH A SIGNATURE ON IT!!!! I wanted to kiss this man! I gave him a quick thank you before he headed back to the VIP rooms.
On cloud nine, Hubby and I walked back to the parking lot area. I was texting friends "HE SIGNED THE CARD" and taking pictures of it with my cell phone when I saw Hubby bend over in the parking lot. When he stood up he had a VIP PASS IN HIS HAND!!! What?!?! Yes, you saw that correctly. Someone had dropped a VIP pass for the Huey Lewis and the News show in the parking lot. Hubby grabbed it, passed it to me and I made the mad dash to the VIP section. I can't even tell you what was running through my mind in those moments, I was so excited. But right before I got to the dressing room area, the general manager of the concert area stopped me. I knew I couldn't tell him where I got the pass, so I did my best (while trying not to cry, figuring I was about to get kicked out of the place.... so close but soooo far away) to explain to him that I had a VIP pass and I was just trying to find Huey. Luckily, the General Manager decided he would try to get me back there and escorted me to the dressing room area, through a kitchen, to a back door and to a back porch area where..... and here is where you cue the angels singing...... Huey was standing.
There were about 8 other people outside there, and Huey was chatting up with a few of them. Others were sort of standing around. As soon as I heard a break in conversation, I walked up to him, put my hand out to greet him and said "Hi, my name is Heather. I invited you to my wedding 10 years ago." He responded "I know, I signed your card!" Yes, yes he did, and I was so happy that the man in the VIP line had told him the story of the invite and the response card when he asked Huey to sign it!!!! I told him yes, that was my card and I thanked him for signing it. The funniest part was as I was thanking him, he was looking around the porch area, noticing that I was alone, and then looked at me and said in a very sarcastically funny voice "Well, are you still married??!" I laughed and told him yes, 10 years in about a month and a half. I didnt even think to tell him that I only had one VIP pass and that Hubby was waiting for me outside with security. lol So after a few minutes of talking, Huey was ready to go back inside. I opened the door for him, walked into the kitchen area where we discussed "lobstahs and Stahbucks" in our best BAHSTON accents and we said our goodbyes and he walked away. BUT...... I was able to ask him to pose for a picture with me, and so I present this fabulous selfie of Huey Lewis and I!!!!
Blogger Idol 2013
I am so new to this whole blogger thing. 4 months ago today I decided to start sharing my little tips, recipes, ideas. And surprisingly, I've gotten a little following! Im getting emails and comments about me inspiring people to start taking charge of their lives, their wallets, their weight, their sedentary lifestyle. WOW is all I can say. I never imagined I'd be an inspiration but I am so honored!!!
A friend recently tagged me in a facebook post about Blogger Idol. It is a competition for bloggers to get their voices heard. Any blogger, new or seasoned, can audition. The top 12 are picked right off the bat and they compete each week. This will be interesting because 1. Im a brand new blogger, 2. I sometimes don't have much to say, and when I do, do people really find me interesting enough to read me time and time again? and 3. Im sure I'll be competing against some pretty amazing bloggers that I look up to! But here it goes..... I have auditioned. And I need YOUR help!
Please go like the Official Blogger Idol page and let them know you want ME to make it to the top 12!! http://facebook.com/
A friend recently tagged me in a facebook post about Blogger Idol. It is a competition for bloggers to get their voices heard. Any blogger, new or seasoned, can audition. The top 12 are picked right off the bat and they compete each week. This will be interesting because 1. Im a brand new blogger, 2. I sometimes don't have much to say, and when I do, do people really find me interesting enough to read me time and time again? and 3. Im sure I'll be competing against some pretty amazing bloggers that I look up to! But here it goes..... I have auditioned. And I need YOUR help!
Please go like the Official Blogger Idol page and let them know you want ME to make it to the top 12!! http://facebook.com/
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Add a little pumpkin to your life
Fall is right around the corner! And you know what that means...... Pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING! Donuts, coffee, pop tarts, and all the other yummy treats I love. So in honor of fall, I made a pumpkin chocolate cake the other day. So easy!
Ingredients:
1 box of chocolate cake mix (Although you can use pretty much any kind. Yellow, white, butter, etc. I bet a spice cake mix would be amazing!)
1 can of canned pumpkin
1/4-1/2 cup of milk
Preheat the oven according to the cake box instructions. (Usually 350*-375* depending on the brand and flavor you use.) Spray a cake pan with non stick spray. Pour the cake mix in a large bowl. Add the canned pumpkin. Mix thoroughly. Start slowly adding the milk so the batter isnt so thick. I was able to get it to a cake batter consistency using just over 1/4 cup. Then pour into the cake pan and spread evenly. Bake, cool, enjoy.
Moist and delicious, filled with fiber and low in fat. I was impressed by this recipe. Because I was just testing this canned pumpkin recipe, I didn't frost or decorate it, but I know that when I make it next time (and I will be making it again!) that it will be super cute with Halloween or fall decorations and a fun frosting. This would be perfect for a Halloween Birthday!
Ingredients:
1 box of chocolate cake mix (Although you can use pretty much any kind. Yellow, white, butter, etc. I bet a spice cake mix would be amazing!)
1 can of canned pumpkin
1/4-1/2 cup of milk
Preheat the oven according to the cake box instructions. (Usually 350*-375* depending on the brand and flavor you use.) Spray a cake pan with non stick spray. Pour the cake mix in a large bowl. Add the canned pumpkin. Mix thoroughly. Start slowly adding the milk so the batter isnt so thick. I was able to get it to a cake batter consistency using just over 1/4 cup. Then pour into the cake pan and spread evenly. Bake, cool, enjoy.
Moist and delicious, filled with fiber and low in fat. I was impressed by this recipe. Because I was just testing this canned pumpkin recipe, I didn't frost or decorate it, but I know that when I make it next time (and I will be making it again!) that it will be super cute with Halloween or fall decorations and a fun frosting. This would be perfect for a Halloween Birthday!
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Spicy Franks crockpot chicken
I've been getting a lot of positive feedback on my crockpot meals. A lot of parents don't necessarily have the time to cook a huge meal after school and work. I get it! My crockpot saves me so much time and frustration! So here is another recipe for those of you looking for a yummy meal that saves you time and effort.
1-2 lbs of chicken. I use boneless skinless breasts.
1/2 big bottle of Frank's Red Hot sauce
1 packet of ranch seasoning
Put the chicken on the bottom of the crockpot. You can spray the crockpot with non stick spray first. I usually forget this step but never have had a problem with it sticking. Pour the packet of seasoning right over the chicken. Then pour the Franks sauce over that. You can use more or less, depending on how hot you want it. It's pretty darn spicy with half of the bottle. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. When it is done, the chicken will pull apart and shred with little effort.
I eat this plain, with a little blue cheese dressing to dip it in, or I top a salad with it. My Husband and son love it in sandwiches with blue cheese dressing, lettuce and a wrap or roll. It would be awesome for a bbq, too, with some corn on the cob and pasta salad on the side. Super yummy and extremely easy to make. Enjoy!
1-2 lbs of chicken. I use boneless skinless breasts.
1/2 big bottle of Frank's Red Hot sauce
1 packet of ranch seasoning
Put the chicken on the bottom of the crockpot. You can spray the crockpot with non stick spray first. I usually forget this step but never have had a problem with it sticking. Pour the packet of seasoning right over the chicken. Then pour the Franks sauce over that. You can use more or less, depending on how hot you want it. It's pretty darn spicy with half of the bottle. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. When it is done, the chicken will pull apart and shred with little effort.
I eat this plain, with a little blue cheese dressing to dip it in, or I top a salad with it. My Husband and son love it in sandwiches with blue cheese dressing, lettuce and a wrap or roll. It would be awesome for a bbq, too, with some corn on the cob and pasta salad on the side. Super yummy and extremely easy to make. Enjoy!
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