It's WORKS FOR ME WEDNESDAY



HOORAY!!  It's Works for me Wednesday over at We Are That Family!!!

I LOVE WFMW!  It's always been my favorite blog party...mainly because a) I'm really not that crafty~it takes great effort to be even the slightest crafty and b) I am good at finding shortcuts and easy, peasy ways to get the job done! 

This week I wanted to share with you my favorite idea for FINALLY clearing up the adult acne I've struggled with for years.  Seriously folks....it was awful!  I felt worse than a 14-year-old boy, at least a couple of weeks out of the month.  I would have breakouts, mostly on my chin and eyebrow areas.  Of course, never where they could easily be concealed.  I finally broke down and visitied a dermatologist.

Now this is what gets me.  As I am in the health profession, I don't visit health professionals very often.  Let's face it....I'm a bit overeducated!  So most of the time I do really have an idea of what is ailing me or what needs to be done to fix something or if something truly qualifies as an emergency and must be treated.  That rarely happens.  Most of the time, I'm a fix-it-yourself kinda gal.  So actually going to the dermatologist took a humbling, I-swear-I-have-to-take-care-of-this-once-and-for-all moment!

So this was his recommendation:

Yep!  That's it.  Genius in a bottle!  Liquid Gold!!   I wash with this every night and if my face doesn't get too dry, every morning as well.  I use Neutrogena but he did say that any off brand of OIL-FREE cleanser may work.  You have to test them out.  But they must be oil-free and not contain any cream or lotion-y ingredients.  Stay away from additional oils he said!  Genius this man was (or not but I think since I paid him to tell me to buy some over-the-counter remedy, he must be genius~~~)

Seriously, here were his recommendations and they've worked:

A) Wash twice a day with the Liquid Gold.

B) Avoid creamy moisturizers, no facial creams of any kind.  Creams clog the pores and that is causing breakouts.

C) Avoid milk and most dairy.  Dairy is made from cows milk, which most of the time includes some growth hormones.  And since many women, myself included, breakout when it is that time then we need to avoid any additional hormones in our bodies.  I've switched to using some soy milk but mostly just don't drink or consume as much dairy as before.  I do take a multivitamin more often for calcium and vitamins.

D) If your skin is very bad, he did give me some antibiotic cream to apply.  I did for about a week or two and then found that I stopped breaking out as much so have cut back on the cream.  It is very drying as well.

I really believe that if you have oily skin and breakout with surges of hormones like I have, this could help you as well.  Try it.  As I said, it is very drying at first and you'll have to temper how often you use it but it has been exponentially helpful in my skin!  Love it!!

It totally works for me!! 

Now head on over to We are that Family and see what other great tidbits of wisdom await you!! 

First off this week, I'm joining in on the Pantry Challenge over at Life As A Mom and Organizing Junkie!  My goal is to use up what is in the freezer (actually we have 3 freezers....probably a bit much, huh?), fridge and pantry.  I will be stocking up on loss leaders throughout the month and working my way into building my stockpile for the next few months.



So here is a shot at our menu for this week, using up what we already have:

Monday:  Sticky chicken, green beans

Tuesday:  Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, peas

Wednesday:  Spaghetti, salad

Thursday:  Chili, cornbread

Friday:  Leftovers or dinner out

Saturday:  Buffalo chicken soup

Sunday:  Homemade pizza

Breakfast is always either oatmeal, cold cereal or eggs.  Lunch is usually leftovers.  I pack the boys leftovers or peanut butter and jelly for their school lunches.  Hubby is on the road so don't have to worry about him.  I eat whatever is convenient and (hopefully) healthy....it isn't always pretty though!!

The Sticky Chicken and Buffalo Chicken Soup are from Sparkpeople recipes that I found today.  I can't wait to try them...they sound absolutely delish!!  I'll report back how it turns out.

Sticking to the plan, I should only need milk and bread from the store this week, plus I'll grab any BOGOs that make sense for us and some other loss leaders.  I haven't checked them out yet so have no idea what they are.

How about you?  Do you try to plan your meals around your pantry? 



A New Year!!

Here we are....2011.

I've gotten harrassment encouragement from others to keep this blog going.  They said they actually enjoy it!  Truth be told, I do too!!  I've missed it!!  And since life is back to some semblance of normalcy....did I just say that?.....I have made a commitment to keep it going.  That is one of my 2011 resolutions. 

I've got some goals for this year. It's actually going to be a VERY busy year.  I'm still in school for my ARNP degree and this is the heavy year.  Not a long program and this year is the majority of the work.  Whew....anyone out there have a firm grasp on Pathophysiology and care to tutor me??  :)

I've renewed those typical goals of eating better, exercising more and budgeting better.  The budget one is an absolute necessity.  I've decreased my hours at work because of the heavy class load I'm taking and first year at a new airline is never very good.  So we'll be hitting the Dave Ramsey program pretty hard again and focusing on our dollars.  Have you tried Dave Ramsey yet?  Great advice!

As for the healthier lifestyle, I'm checking in with Sparkpeople EVERY DAY!  I LOVE Sparkpeople!  Keeps me accountable, great reports, easy to use and let's you make some very real changes in your health.  Every time I've focused on this and checked in, I lose weight.  Easy as that.  Seriously.  I track my food and exercise, gain my points and read about other's success.  It truly is one of the best sites for making healthier lifestyle decisions.  Check it out!

In the meantime, here are a few pics of what is going on in our world right now.....



Big Boy has been very under the weather. Huge fever, sore throat, sniffles, achy. He has war wounds to prove it....

Those darn fever blisters hurt!  Poor kiddo!


We've added a new addition to the family......Meet Drake. We lost our oldest Boxer, Max, last November. Drake joined us a couple of weeks before Christmas. He's adorable....and sweet.....and is measuring up to be a GREAT pup!!

 

Super Hubs has a new job. He started at JetBlue Airlines in December. Loves it! I'm really happy for him and we've prayed, a LOT, that this is the direction God has for us.

Most importantly, we will spend a great deal of time thanking God for His wonderful blessings on our home and family.  We have SO much to be grateful for! 


How about you?  What are your 2011 Resolutions?  What do you want to improve on this year? 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG BOY!!

Big Boy turned 6 last Sunday. We celebrated with lots of friends, MANY blessings and good times! We love you Big Boy~~

Works for Me Wednesday

Big Boy has started Kindergarten and Little Guy is still in PreK. About 2-3 times a week, they have homework. In three weeks, I've already completely worn out the "where is my pencil" welcome. It's driving me mad!!

So this is my simple solution to homework time:

The super simple, super convenient pencil case! Snag an extra during that clearance time at your local Red Dot aisle, WalMart or Staples and stuff that baby full of pencils, crayons, erasers and scissors. Keep it near the homework area. For us that is the kitchen, so these little babies are in the "junk drawer" near the table. When the boys return from school, they change their clothes, grab a snack and settle in to finish their homework. This has solved the "where is my......" statement every time.

Join all the other genius moms over at We Are That Family for more great WFMW tips!!

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

I figured today I would hook with one of the old favorites....Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays and Tasty Tuesdays! 

This is one of our very favorite breakfast recipes....and we do breakfast for dinner at least once every couple of weeks. YUM! Hope you enjoy it as well!

ORANGE PECAN FRENCH TOAST

* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/3 cup butter, melted
* 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
* 1/3 cup chopped pecans
* 12 (3/4 inch thick) slices French bread
* 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
* 1 cup fresh orange juice
* 1/2 cup 2% milk
* 3 tablespoons white sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 3 egg whites
* 2 eggs
* 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar for dusting


Directions

1. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, melted butter, and corn syrup. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish, and spread evenly. Sprinkle pecans over the sugar mixture. Arrange the bread slices in the bottom of the dish so they are in a snug single layer. I often use leftover bread pieces--it works great.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange zest, orange juice, milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, egg whites, and eggs. Pour this mixture over the bread, pressing on the bread slices to help absorb the liquid. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C ). Remove the cover from the baking dish, and let stand for 20 minutes at room temperature.
4. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Join the others over at At The Well and Balancing Beauty and Bedlam for other terrific recipes!! Have a wonderful day!!

Works for me Wednesday!

I couldn't wait to come back to WFMW!  Oh!  How I love it!!  I learn something new and great every single time and astound my friends and family with my wealth of knowledge!  Ahem.....I'm just sayin'......

So today's tips for WFMW are what works for school.  All those great back-to-school tips and tidbits.   

Here is mine:

I took a frame with a glass front:

Then I covered the background with some some scrapbooking paper:

Finally, I measured out my calendar days, added a few boxes for miscellaneous things like grocery lists and other various to-do lists.  I mismatched a lot of different textures and designs, all in my outstanding effort to cover how much of a non-perfectionist I am.   See?  Looks well planned out, right?!  Yep--that's how I work!  :)

And voila!  The final product:

You can simply write on the glass with any dry erase marker and they wipe off in a flash.  I hung it in our kitchen area.  I did the close up because the rest of the wall is not finished yet.  I plan on adding a couple of finished cork boards to hang things on and a little chalkboard for the kids to play on, down below.  

I really use the calendar faithfully....keeps everyone on board with a quick glance to see what is coming up this week.

That really works for me.  What works for you?

Join everyone else on over at We Are That Family for tons more tips!  

First Day of School

You know....that God of ours sure knows what He is doing!

If I was still in my old job, I probably would have missed this....

or this....

or this and this.....

Thank you God, for knowing so much more than I do.  Thank You for guiding my journey of motherhood and always leading me in Your way.

It was a pretty fantastic first day of school!!  WOO HOO!

We're BACK!

Hi y'all!!

We're BACK!

Well, we really never went anywhere....except work, school, work, school, work.

It's SO overrated ya know?!

Remember the story about how I thought I would try a new role out at the hospital?  I did.  Didn't like it.  No-not really. 

So back to life as I once knew it.  Back to working shifts at the hospital.  And back to parenting more full-time instead of hardly part-time.  Back to laundry (Oh.My.Gosh!  Did I really say that?!).

We spent a lot of time with God and prayer, trying to figure out what the next season of our life is.  I'm not completely sure.  But it does not involve working 50 hours a week, while the hubby still travels.  And the boys are young.  That isn't quite what works for us.  (Is that great little bloggy theme around?!)

I'm really looking forward to having some time to take care of my family and to go to school myself.  I'm pursuing a Masters in Nursing to gain my Advanced RN Practitioner degree.  The plan is that will afford me some great flexibility from now until....oh, until the boys are gone from home and married?  That should work.  I hope!

Until then....here is how we spent yesterday, getting back into the swing of of spending time together.....

That's Noah.....as Jesus on the Cross....at the beach....

Have a great day!  See you around, very soon!!

We hung with pirates....

We hung out with some pirates this past weekend at the Renaissance Festival.

And one amazing Wizard!!

Chicken and Pasta in Brown Sauce

I sure wish I had taken a picture of this great recipe! 

It was a HIT with the family and we all loved it!!  ENJOY!


Chicken and Pasta in Brown Sauce

2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1/2 med. onion, sliced thin
1 1/2 cups chopped leftover Rotisserie chicken (meat, no skin)
3 cups whole wheat penne pasta
2 cups chicken broth
1-2 Tbs. cornstarch
2 tsp. cajun seasoning
2 tsp. black pepper

Boil water for pasta.  Cook pasta to al dente.  While pasta is cooking, saute onion in olive oil until browned.  Add chicken.  Warm through.  Add chicken broth, bringing to a low simmer.  Remove approximately 3/4 cup liquid to a spare bowl.  Combine cornstarch with hot broth and stir, removing all clumps and starting your gravy/sauce.  Return broth/sauce back to pan, simmering on low until thickened.  Add pasta.  Add cajun seasoning and pepper.   Serve.

Honestly, it is simple and delicious!  Not too mention low fat and full of whole grains with the whole wheat pasta.  Good stuff!!

Join others on over at Blessed with Grace! for other tasty Tuesday treats!