SCENTSY

I bet everyone who knows me is sick and tired of hearing about SCENTSY!! Well get used to it. I love it and I love to sell it.

In these times it's hard to find a product that you love and can afford. I can't have candles like i used to when i was single and could have whatever i wanted. Having children you see a flame and you instantly think...hmmm...how long before my boys try to play with that and set the place on fire (they don't, but you think it)

It is also nice to have people over and they say your house smells AWESOME!

I am glad that my parents convinced me to become a consultant. I was burned so bad by Mary Kay. I needed that same thing as i need now. Flexibility and a paycheck. Mary Kay really reamed the ones who needed that most. All the hidden fees, cost of stock,and monthly maintainer cost. you where shelling out more money then you would ever make. But Scentsy has virtually no overhead. You don't have to stock ANYTHING (unless you want to) and the product you get in your starter kit is worth the investment.

So i am sorry if you get tired of hearing me talk about it, seeing on my facebook page, or whatever. I am out there busting butt getting somewhere. right now i looks like Scentsy might be making my new car payment

Wheat, why do you hate me so?

Well chalk a couple more things I must do in my battle against Wheat. I have found out that products that have wheat/ or working with wheat give me trouble. So now i am on a hunt for products that don't have any wheat or gluten. That doesn't sound to bad. but, I have Celiacs which means i also have problems with oatmeal. How many lotions do you know have oatmeal?

I have recently found out that some toothpaste have wheat also. It is amazing how much stuff has wheat or wheat by product. Most people don't think of make-up, bath products, and lotions. Our skin is our largest organ and you have to treat it right.

So this is my solution I have a recipe for my own lotion. so I am going to give it a whirl.

The other things I need to do is get both boys Gluten free. Last year at Collin's school I put him on a Gluten free trial. At home he didn't seem that different so I took him off it. but, the teachers tell me that he has lost his focus at school and that I should go back to what I was doing. This won't be hard. It's just a lot of work for me. I now can have almost nothing prepackaged at home almost all fresh produce. It is healthier but its a lot of testing new recipes and prep cooking. Zach is going to suffer. He is odd man out so he has to eat what I fix (muah hahahaha) This is also another good step. I will have tried and true recipes the boys will eat that I can put into a cookbook.

Wish me luck. I will keep you posted.

Yep...it's mudslinging time.

Politics....the word send chills down spines and makes people run the other way.

This year it seems the mudslinging has reached a pivotal high. In Missouri we have been bombarded by campaign adds for almost a year. So, I am looking forward to November 2ND when we can go to the poles and cast our votes.

Now I don't want you thinking I don't like politics. In actuality I LOVE politics. I have for quite some time now. I haven't really had a flavor for it until I hit my middle 20s. To me it's fascinating how people can sway on a subject. I love the inner workings of Washington and how things really get set in motion, not just the face of the clock (president) but the gears and levers that truly move it. I think it's funny how many things get blamed on a figure head. when it's the policies that get voted on my congress and the senate that really impact us. but, that being said the figure head should present himself as a man living and thriving in the economy that has been voted on for the whole of the public under his watch. I think that has always been the problem with the role. People are tired of being told one thing while they go off and do another. I think that falls for any political party. So that is my bipartisan view of the whole situation.

I want to clear the air just a bit though about the parties themselves. STOP LUMPING PEOPLE!!!! that goes for both sides. I am so tired of if you are Democratic that you are a pushover, baby killing, hippie, socialist living on a welfare check. And if you are a Republican that you are a gun slinging, backwoods, bible thumping, uninformed war monger.

I am a Republican. I have been for as long as I have understood politics. I don't vote straight ticket. I research everyone and do my homework....like everyone SHOULD :) I do listen to conservative radio, that is my right and choice. Everything that anyone says can be taken out of context no matter where your loyalties lie. I see so many political cartoons passed around that makes my party seem like inbred hillbillies. Like in all things you don't LOVE some of the people who your party represents. I don't like Rush Limbaugh or Sarah Palin, they have at least to me been a smear on the conservative party. If you even say "Tea Party" people think you are psycho. I myself feel that we should go back to basics. Take the bolt back to remnant. I have other thoughts on subject matters, but i will save your from my personal rantings. I just feel run down this year. People hear what party I support and try to run me down. I am sick of it

so let me say this:

I just don't like to be lumped in a categories. I work so hard to be an Eco warrior so when I look back I can say I did my part no matter how small. I do believe in the 2ND amendment. I try to be a christian...some days are better then others :). I do want green energy, but i know it will take YEARS and we need oil supply until it become cheap and available to everyone. I don't like universal health care, it sounds wonderful, but on paper not so good, ask your doctors what they think. All the doctors I spoke with don't want it and they will tell you why. I believe states have the rights to amend, that is the reason we had a civil war. Government was trying to control to much. I feel everyone should cut back and tighten the belt a bit. But, most of all we should be proud of those who fight and have fought for this blessed gift of freedom.

All these things make me a Person.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

AHHH..... Fall is here!!!

There is something so exciting about the leaves changing color, the crisp morning air, and the smell of damp leaves. Fall gives us such a wonderful time and great food. Pumpkins, squash, and apples just to name a few. This is the time of year we blow the dust off the crock pot and get ready to make great soups and chilies to warm us on the crisp Autumn nights.

This is one of my favorite recipes. A great spin on Buffalo chicken for your football Sundays.

Buffalo chicken chili
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp Butter
2 pounds of all-white meat ground chicken ( I used 2 pounds chopped chicken breast)
2 cups chicken stock.
1 large carrot peeled and chopped finely
1 large onion chopped
3 ribs of celery, chopped finely
5 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp chipotle chili powder or smoked paprika
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground pepper
¼-½ cup hot sauce, depends on how hot you like it (trust me ½ cup is really hot)
1 15-ounce can of tomato sauce
1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
Blue cheese crumbles to top (optional)
Preparation
Place a large opt of medium-high heat. Add 1 turn of the pan of EVOO. About 1 tablespoon, and the butter. Once the butter has melted and the pot is hot, add the ground chicken. Brown it. Using the back of the wooden spoon to break it up in to small pieces, about 5-6 minutes. Add the carrot , onion, celery , garlic, chili powder, bay leaf and some salt and pepper. Cook stirring frequently for about 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken stock and scrape up any brown bit on the bottom of the pot. Add the hot sauce, tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes, and bring up to a bubble. Simmer for 8-10 minutes to let the flavors come together.
Top with blue cheese and serve
　
* note*
It is kind of a liquidity. To make a thicker chili I would brown chicken and veggies in EVOO and take out of pot. Melt butter in bottom of same pan . Add bout 2 tablespoons of flour and brown It to make a rue, add extra EVOO if need. Then use your stock to the rue. Add your seasonings, then return the chicken and veggies and add your hot sauce. This is just what I would do now that I have played with the recipe a bit.
ENJOY!!! We did.

If you want dessert i would suggest warm apples on french vanilla ice cream or apple crisp!

Have fun and Happy Fall!!

Making Plans

I had a strange but lovely time a week ago. I was invited to a 40Th wedding anniversary party of my ex-fiance's parents. They always liked me and I kept in contact with them through the years. It seems a bit strange but I have good relationships with all my exes and their family.
It was nice to reminisce with them. I even caught up with my ex and met his wife and children. It was such a lovely time that is seemed normal I guess is why it made it strange.

Having such a nice time i have decided to do a similar party for my parents this year. They are going to be having their 35Th wedding anniversary. I would have waited till the 40Th but my Grandmother Jackson's health is failing and we wanted to have everyone there on a joyous occasion.

Talked to my Brother Richard and plans are set in motion. I am preparing a guest list. Doing the list it just kind of set you back how many people my parents are close to over the years. So i have the task of rounding up addresses and making sure everyone saves the date and all that good stuff. I had to tell my mother b/c some of the family might stay at her house. She was a bit shocked but, she loved the idea.

I hope this goes over well. I want my parents to have a good time. If you are family reading this you shall get a "save the date". I really hope this goes well. I love to plan things like this and see it all come together. If all goes to plan there may be around 150-200 people.

Cookbook??

I want to write a cookbook.

Now, I know what your saying..everyone writes cook books and there a millions of them. I don't care!

I have been on this crazy lifestyle food change for a while and I realize one thing, there are no good gluten-free/dairy free cookbooks. They just don't exist. And that really sucks! What sucks the most is the all the books I have seen have really obscure ingredients that you would have to live in a big city or have a farmer's market next door. It is ridiculous. What about the busy Mom on the go? There are so many children who have been put on a PKU (gluten-free/dairy free) Diet for their autism, AD/HD, and a laundry list of things. Where is there help? Can you whip up a meal that kids will love, eat, and not complain. You give any kid who is used to eggs, fried tofu in the morning and you are gonna get some groans if you don't know how to fix it right. These are the people I want to help. People who don't have the budgets to by the EXPENSIVE gluten-free mixes and helpers. I want to teach people simple clear cut helps that you could do at any local super market with just a few ingredients.

The hardest part of the GF/DF diet is trying to get adequate fiber, calcium, and minerals from other sources. It is really similar to putting together a Vegan diet. There are a lot of the same challenges that go into both. Vegan is actually easier. I know what your saying...how could Vegan be easier, Vegan can be a hard life change. Here is why it is easier. If you are Vegan you can use Analogs, bread, spelt, wheat, and grains. Your diet is very well rounded in proteins and fibers. Yes, being gluten free we get to use meat. But, you have to use it very very wisely. A lot of people go gun-ho on meat and make themselves sick. When you are GF/DF everything is a balance act you body is so sensitive while it is healing that everything has to be done just right.


You think it would be easy but 90% of products on a market shelf have gluten or maltodextrin. I would like to write the cook book in a clear and easy manor that anyone could do it and help them ease into this lifestyle transition. I need to write out a idea ,a couple of sample recipes, and a rough theme and see if any publishers will bite. It might take me YEARS. Already I have about 10 recipes under 7 different categories that could encompass a lot of ground. I just feel sorry for my family. They have to suffer through the trial phase.

Picking up new things to try.

I love to keep my hand busy. I always tend to have 100 projects going at the same time. I guess it's the old adage of "idle hands are the devil's workshop" My husband hates the amount of UFOs (un finished objects) that run the house. I have come to realize that I am obsessed with thread arts. Most would see my stashes of thread, yarn, and floss and faint in the floor. I feel it's the zeal of learning an art form that hardly anyone does anymore. If you are ever around me for any length of time I am always doing something. Been with Zach for almost 8 years and he told me the other day.. "you know you have never uttered the words I'm bored or there is nothing to do." I am proud that i am NEVER bored.

I get so saddened by the sheer amount of woman my age who have hardly to no home skills what-so-ever. If you handed them 5 yards of fabric, a pattern, spool of thread, and a sewing machine and told them to make there own dress....I think they would cry. It just baffles my brain sometimes. but, I have to remember I come from a LONG LONG line of domestic Goddesses. We are MacGyvers of the sewing and thread arts world. (trying not to toot my horn-but I have got skills) One of the things that I was taught was never stop learning. If there is something you don't know how to do..ask or read. And with some of my work that is what I have done. B/c no one in my family knits and I learned off of You tube. So in that spirit i am learning some new skills. I have learned to Tat. which is easy and fun once you learn.

and I have learned to do an embroidery technique called Chicken scratch. It was very popular in pioneer days. It's making a comeback with people who love retro things (me)

I love the Joy of learning some new thing. I want to share so bad. Some women around here don't care. I am willing to offer lesson for free to anyone. They give me excuses like I don't have the patience to learn or sit down...but, they are watching stupid reality TV all night long. I just don't understand it. But I do have a glimmer of hope. The Local fabric shop asked if i would be interested in teaching Embroidery classes...so who knows. The only people I can get interested in crochet are men. Which is awesome. Men have the neatest and tightest stitches. I just wonder if this recession that we are living in and won't be out of for a long time if home arts will be back in everyones home. I hope so. So many people don't know what joy they are missing.