TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

Hey, y'all! It's Tuesday....time for TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY! You all remember my friend, Lisa? Well, she and her twin, Lana, co-host this blog carnival in which so many people link up and share recipes, tips, and ideas dealing with the kitchen. It's a lot of fun. I hope you will pop on over and join us.

I have been hinting at a cookbook give-away for a few weeks now. And yesterday, I PROMISED that there would be something great today. SO......here it is.

THE GREAT ~LL~ COOKBOOK GIVE AWAY

Here are some pictures:








They include:

365 Foods Kids Love
The New Woman's Day Cookbook
Everyday Chocolate
Country Cooking
From My Mother's Kitchen
Necessities and Temptations
Southern Living Slow-Cooker
Vegetables
Dear Daughter
Meals Like Mom
The Lady and Sons (Yes....a Paula Deen book)
Chili Cookbook
29 magazines and inserts (these are mostly Cooks Country and Cooks Illustrated)

SO....how do you get one? Well, May 29th was my 3rd Blog-versary! That, alone, is a good reason to have a give-away. First, I would like to thank my faithful few. Some of you have been "with" me since the beginning of this little hobby of mine. Some of you joined in later. To those of you who read AND comment consistently (no...not every single post, but I don't have to jog my memory as to who you are) then I would like to guarantee you something. Now.....this number is less than 10....it's closer to 6. If you are one of those...and you know who you are...then leave me a comment with your top three choices. I will then get back to you as to what you are awarded. Since there are a few that will be more popular than others, then the first one to respond with their first choice gets it.

After that is claimed, then I will open up the remains to an actual random drawing. Sound good? I hope so. You don't know the pain I feel in giving these away...please love them!

ETA: I will not be mailing anything until next week. I am leaving town tomorrow for the rest of the week.

MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY

Hey, y'all! Hope you are having a good beginning to the week. We are. It's just hot hot!

So, before I forget, I will try to activate Mr. Linky.....but he hasn't been cooperating with me lately. SO, you may, or may not, be able to link up. If it's not up, please leave a comment!

A lot of you already know what I do here, but I suppose there may be a few new readers....either to this blog-carnival or to the blog, in general. I started this blog-carnival as a way to hold myself accountable. You know....pride can be a powerful ally OR a horrible enemy. I have chosen to use it to work on my house. I tend to get a little lazy. But, if I put something out there, then I will do it. Otherwise, I might just think about it and never get it done.

The purpose of (hopefully) allowing everyone else to link up is the same. My hope is that this blog will encourage and inspire others to do something in their homes.

So what is a happy home? A happy home doesn't have to be spotless. Heaven help us if it does. LOL! It does need to be clutter free and well-running. I find that if there is an area of my home that doesn't work well...either it is cluttered, ugly or dirty.....then I need to remedy that somehow. When I do that, I'm happier. My hubby is happier. My kids are happier.

Please join me. Find an area of your home that needs to be cleaned, organized or beautiful. Take pictures if you can. Share them with us. This is a long process. One that, sadly, will never be DONE. It is a work in process. I hope you will join in on that process with me.

SO, without further adieu, I will share what I did for Making a Happy Home.

BOOKS!

Do you remember a few weeks ago when I had the teaser about my cookbooks? Well, it is coming together, so be sure to tune in tomorrow for some BIG NEWS!

For today, let me show you the before and after.

I keep my cookbooks above my bar in the cabinets. Above my bar, on the counter, on the hearth, by my bed, in the FTU, on the sidebar, in the floor, on the kitchen table...the point is, my cooking library has exceeded the capacity for that space above the bar. That will probably not change. I can't give up more kitchen space because, well.....I cook and need that space. I don't want to keep it on our bookshelves in another room because that just seems wrong to me, somehow. :)

I have too many books. Specifically, I have too many cookbooks. (We'll talk about regular books later.) There are some cookbooks that, no matter how much I may or, may not, use them, I will never part with. There are some that I have looked through once and that was it. I'm sad that I invested the money into these and didn't use/keep them. I think my hubby understands, I hope so....otherwise, I'll never get another cookbook. :p

Here is a before picture of the area with my cookbooks.

Here is the after. Not too bad, huh? Just wait till you see what you might could get!

**HINT HINT** You REALLY need to leave a comment.

BAKAWA

I need to put a little history down.

My hubby and I, if you remember, have known each other for MORE THAN 30 years....and have been married for almost 18 of those year. A lot of our personality is the same. Our sense of humor....even more so. Usually, he only has to say one word (or start to) and I start laughing because I get the joke.

One time, I didn't.

One day, many years ago, this horse fly was buzzin' around me. I asked, "Dang! Is that a horse fly?"

My hubby's reply...."No....it's a baf."

Me - "A what?"

Hubby - "A baf."

Me - "There is no such thing."

Hubby - "Of course there is....look it up!"

Me - "OK....how do you spell it?" as I grab the dictionary.

Hubby - " B - A - F."

I start flipping. Stop. Look at him and start laughing and said, "Is it a big-a$$ fly?"

It was. Isn't that funny?

So now, anytime there is something funny or impressive to us, we will name it a "BA-", the last letter actually being the first letter of the object. So a pimple might be a BAP.

OK....now you know about the first 2 letters of Bakawa's name.

You can figure out the next 2 quite easily.....what is the gadget I have so fondly named?

The final 2 letters? Heeee heeee...this makes me laugh, still...."With Attachments!" ROFLMBO!!!!

SO...Bakawa means "Big A$$ Kitchen Aid With Attachments."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

Hey, y'all. Being that it's Tuesday, it's time for my cyber-friend....you know what? I'm going to drop the "cyber" and just call her friend. We keep in touch. We pray for each other. It ain't just a blog "thang." Anyway, my friend Lisa...and her sister Lana, host this fun blog carnival. In this carnival, other bloggers post recipes, kitchen ideas and/or questions. It's a lot of fun and I hope you will join her.

While you are obviously involved in carnivals and memes......please join me on Mondays for my Making a Happy Home and Memorization Monday.

OK...I have no recipe. No, that isn't quite right. I have TONS of recipes....even more, thanks to 3 new cookbooks and several magazines from my mother. Yeah....it's time for me to give some of those away....perhaps a drawing?

Anyway, I just wanted to talk "kitchen" and "food."

First, I just bought a new fluted pan and a pan with 12 mini-fluted wells. They are by Wilton, which IMHO, is the best you can get in a "regular" store. I got mine at WalMart and together, they were about $20.

Secondly....scroll down. That is my newest toy. WOOHOO!!! The name of this beloved pet is "BAKAWA." (Post explaining that is coming soon.)

Thirdly....WHEN did WalMart change the aisle name from Mexican food to Hispanic food. Really? We can't even call it Mexican food anymore? Whatever! I wonder what the people at the plants in MEXICO think.

Next....I'm currently working on desserts that are low-fat and low-cholesterol. Why? I ask myself that a LOT! LOL! I am actually doing this for 2 reasons. First, and most importantly, for my husband. Actually, he didn't really care if I made them or not....he just doesn't want me making the "really good" stuff. However, my cooking outlet was my home team in church. Now there are a few that no longer want to eat the "really good" stuff. *sigh* What to do......what to do? I like being known as a good cook. So I guess I will work out something so that I may maintain my "Martha-esque" status. ;)

I'll let y'all know how it goes.

That's all....have a great day!

This is totally an aside....off the subject. I just saw a commercial for the Scooter Store and their power chair. It just showed this "granny" doing donuts in the living room, in her chair, while her family looked on with and seeming to "wax" excitement for her. ROFLMBO!!! Gotta try to find it on youtube! (sorry....couldn't find it.)

MAKING A HAPPY HOME AND MEMORIZATION MONDAY

Hey, y'all. It's that time again...time for Making a Happy Home and Memorization.

First, let me explain what all this is about, then what I want....no, what I NEED to do in the next few weeks (months).

OK...WHAT IS MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY?

Making a Happy Home Monday is a blog carnival that I do to help inspire and encourage others to do something around their homes to make it happy. You can choose big projects or small. You can clean it, organize it or make it pretty. Either way, if you feel good by having done it, then you made your home happier. I have a few who participate who are very good...they inspire me.

WHAT IS THE MEMORIZATION COMPONENT?

This is something new I did to help ME....I need to start memorizing parts of the Bible (roll your eyes, if you must, but some of you know the importance of this)....."I have hidden your words in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:11. "Hiding" His word in your heart is memorizing. Sometimes, you might be faced with an issue and you just don't have time to sit down and research the Word for an applicable scripture. However, if you KNOW the Word, then He will bring it to your mind when you need it.

I have been working on it and will continue.

HOW CAN I JOIN IN?

You can read. You can comment. You can link up. You can link up on Mr. Linky (down at the bottom) and share with me and the other 3 readers some things you are working on. I would love to see them. You are an inspiration to me.

So for my part of Making a Happy Home Monday, I wanted to share what my hubby did for me. For Mother's Day. He truly made my home happy by purchasing for me an item that I have coveted for YEARS!

A RED KITCHEN AID MIXER!

It's name is "BAKAWA" (pronounced /bah-kuh-wah/ (I'll explain the origin of that name in a later post....Only spendidimperfections and my DH know what this stands for.)

Anyway, I don't think I need to say anything more, TBH. Just HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!

For the scripture memorization, I will memorize John 1:1-5. (John 1:1 is my FAVORITE verse. WHY? Because it is saying that Jesus (the Word) was with God and was God....AND that what His role (as part of the Trinity) in creation. Powerful stuff, my friend. When I taught my kids this verse, I always followed up with, "And WHO is the Word?" and they tell me, "JESUS!"

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2The same was in the beginning with God.
3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

Now, for other stuff....

I have a notebook (household) but I don't keep it like I would like to. I always have an excuse to NOT sit an do it...it is usually because I have too much to do. Hmmmmm.....what do you think?

Exactly.

You see, I consistently run 2 days behind. I'm going crazy. I mean, I can get done what HAS to be done when it has to be done....and I am busy. Some days are busier than others. So, I guess what I know and have to work with is that I CAN get it all done, but I have to catch up and get it all done in a timely fashion. Is that it?

So, what do I do now? I haven't a clue. I mean...I'm 2 days behind...I need to start working on time now instead of 2 days ago. BUT, I can't just shut down for 2 days to get caught up, you know?

UGH! THE INSANITY!

My hubby goes canoing (is that how it is spelled? the spell-check caught it.....he is traveling by canoe) during his next amount of time off. I'm *hoping* that the next time off that my DH will be able to take the kids for 2 days and let me get caught up. No, wait....next time off, is the week of Memorial Day. I have at least 3 end of school parties to plan/attend....a 2nd grade poetry reading....awards for 2 kids....

OK, so NEXT time....hmmmm...my mother is having hip replacement surgery on the 6th. I have to take 4 kids to swimming lessons for an entire week (and only 2 of them are together so between travel and waiting for lessons I'll be "out-of-pocket" for about 3 hours that day...then have to feed the minions and do my regular stuff.

Do you see what I mean? It's not just school time that is busy for us. After my mother's surgery and the boys' swimming lessons, I will be preparing a trip to west Texas for a class reunion. we will be going to Boston in July. Two kids will be going to church camp soon after...they come back, and about 2 weeks later, we will have 3 kids going to school....(not to mention little 1-day/2-day trips to see grandparents and do important "WE ARE OUT OF SCHOOL" stuff.

Nope....I don't see getting caught up until school starts....I guess I'll just hang tight until mid-August. Then I'll have to hurry because shortly after school starts, The Great State Fair of Texas starts....and you know what that means!!! HOLIDAYS!

SO...I guess it would be prudent to go ahead and get my holiday notebook out, instead of my household notebook and work on that.

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

Hey, y'all. It's Tuesday!

Well, no....not really. It's Monday night, but by the time most of you read this it WILL be Tuesday, which means that it is "TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY!"

This is a fun blog carnival hosted by my cyber-friends, Lisa and Lana. In this carnival, a lot of bloggers get together and post recipes, tips and other kitchen ideas. I hope you will join us!

For today's entry, I'm going to post a recipe for....

well, it has no name that I know of. SO, I will name it right now.

Let's call it OREO BLIZZARD PIE

ingredients:

2 packages Oreo cookies (crushed)

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream (of course Blue Bell is the best)....softened

1 tub Cool Whip

roasted pecans (optional)

In a 9 x 13, put one package of crushed oreos.

In a large bowl, mix the ice cream, cool whip and 2nd package of crushed Oreo cookies. (throw in the pecans if you want).

Spread over the oreo "crust"

Freeze until ready to eat.

Then slap somebody!

WHY I BAKE BREAD

OK....it's been a LONG time since I've enjoyed the stress of having ticked someone off due to my judgmental views. I thought about saying that all who don't bake bread are being irresponsible and neglectful toward their children and that good Christians bake their own bread. I could probably even spin some Bible verses to back me up. ROFLMBO!!!



No, I won't. I'll tell you the REAL reason I have started baking bread.



I have always wanted to. That's it.



For a LONG time, my hubby and I have only eaten "wheat" bread. (I only put that in quotes because the only thing I know for sure was that it wasn't white.) A few years ago, we got to where we would only buy wheat (stone ground, whole grain) bread.....mainly to avoid high fructose corn syrup.



We go through quite a bit of bread. I considered baking my own, but always talked myself out of it. Well, about 10 days ago, I decided to try it. I had so much fun. I truly did. I didn't use a bread-machine.....I don't even have one. Nope, I stood and kneaded it for about 15 minutes and baked 2 loaves of wheat. It was so easy and so much fun that I have decided to just start baking it. It really doesn't take that long to throw together.



So, for my cyber-friend Amy Q, I'm going to post the recipe I use and maybe some pictures. (It depends on how they look.)



WHOLE WHEAT BREAD



ingredients:


2 pgk. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar or honey
1 tablespoon salt
2-1/2 cups hot water
1/4 cup butter, softened
4-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2-3/4 to3-3/4 cups all purpose flour



In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water (105-115 degrees) *I find that the hot tap water is sufficient. In large bowl, combine brown sugar, salt, hot water and butter; cool slightly. To cooled mixture, add 3 cups whole wheat flour. Blend at low speed until moistened; beat 3 minutes at medium speed. Add remaining whole wheat flour and dissolved yeast; mix well. By hand, stir in an additional 2-1/4 to 2-3/4 cups all purpose flour until dough pulls cleanly away from sides of bowl.



On floured surface, knead in 1/2 to 1 cup all purpose flour until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 to 15 minutes. Place dough in greased bowl; cover loosely with plastic wrap and cloth towel. Let rise in warm place (80-85 degrees) until light and doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes. (If my kitchen isn't warm enough, I turn the oven on to 400 for 1 minute, turn off and let dough rise in the oven.)



Generously grease two 8X4 or 9X5-inch loaf pans. Punch down dough several times to remove all air bubbles. Divide dough into 2 parts; shape into loaves. Place in greased pans. Cover, let rise in warm place until light and doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes. (I do NOT do this rising in the oven.)



Heat oven to 375. Uncover dough. Bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350; bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove from pans; col on wire racks.



OK....here are the pics:


before first rise

After first rise

Punching down

after 2nd rise

Fresh out of the oven

OK, Amy Q....go for it. Let me know how it goes!

A DANGEROUS ZERO

So this morning, I had to get up a bit earlier to make sure we were all ready.


Not only is it my 3rd son's birthday (he turned 6) but I was going on my oldest son's field trip. That meant that my 2 youngest boys would be going to the babysitter....needing sack lunches. Since I would be there, I needed a sack lunch, as well. Also, I couldn't just pull my hair back and slip on shorts for exercising, I had to do my hair and work on beautifying myself. (some days are easier than others.)


AND, when we are usually leaving (rushing) out the door at about 8:13 to get there by 8:30 I had to be sure we were all leaving by 8:05 to get to the sitter, then get the rest to the school on time.


NO PROBLEM!


I got up a few minutes early and was through the water, squeaky clean, before I started to wake the boys. The birthday boy was easy to wake up, excited he was to be 6. The oldest was easy to wake, as he was going on the aforementioned field trip. The 2nd is always easy to wake. The 4th? Well, when in a hurry it's best to just get everyone ready that you can and wake him at the last minute.


With my plan formulated and clothes already chosen, I started on the day's routine.


I always make sure the kids have a good breakfast. ("Good" being subjective.) We don't do poptarts or oreos for this meal, but many items are microwaveable. That being said, I chose one of their favorites.....pancake on a stick.


Now when I microwave, I usually do them one at a time....I don't want them too hot or with any hot spots. I put the first in for 45 seconds, got the syrup and unwrapped some others. I also pulled some juice pouches and other things to get ready to pack for the day.


First stick out. Second put in and buttons pushed. First breakfast delivered. Obligatory instructions reminding kids of teeth, deodorant, hair and clean socks. Youngest encouraged to wake up....all on the way back to my room to don another piece of clothing, apply another coat of mascara and find my shoes.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





A zero, when added in the wrong space, can be a truly dangerous thing.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





On my way back into the kitchen, I hear the microwave running. Seeing as how none of my sons think to take it upon themselves to "reboot" the breakfast, I was a bit concerned. You see, I was gone for a little longer than 45 seconds.


A zero, when added in the wrong space, can truly be a dangerous thing.


Did you know that if you microwave a precooked, frozen sausage wrapped in a pancake for 4 minutes 50 seconds...well, you ONLY have to wait 3 minutes and 34 seconds....yep.....the timer had 1 minute 16 seconds left....and some smoke leaking out the sides.


So concerned was I that there was a fire IN the microwave, that I opened it (stopping the cooking) to check it. Immediately, smoke billowed out! You heard me.....BILLOWED!





I had fans on, door ajar, windows open.....so thick was the smoke that we could not go into the kitchen for a good 10 minutes. SERIOUSLY! I was so concerned about the 3rd son (asthma) that I put him on the floor....you know....the whole "STOP! DROP! AND ROLL!" mentality.


Somehow, we were able to get out the door, with not a second to lose. I had to hold a cloth to my nose and pack the lunches one-handed to even tolerate being in the kitchen.


Thinking I smelled of smoke, I explained my mishap to a good teacher friend. She said I didn't smell. Good....maybe driving down the road in 55 degrees with the heat on high and the windows down kind of aired us all out. (Granted, she was stuffed up, but I was grasping.) My babysitter said that I smelled as if I had had some coffee......OK....I can handle that. Coffee is not unpleasant to everyone.


SO, we make it to the field trip. We are in a gym. The kids STINK! (One hundred fifty 4th graders with budding B.O.......blech!) We are close to the end when a teacher asks a group of us, "Do you smell food?" I started to laugh. I said, "Smoke. It's smoke."


She said, "YES!!! Burnt popcorn!"


Close, but not quite. I explained, to the entertainment of all the teachers around, what had happened and why my entire family reeked of smoke.


We got home and, yep....you guessed it....the house STILL smells. Shoot, there might even be smoke damage somewhere. So here I sit, typing this up, throat hurting (smoke inhalation is painful), windows open, fans going, candles burning, OUST sprayed and contemplating how much laundry I am going to have to do to finally be rid of the smell.


Never, NEVER underestimate the power of one, hollow zero.

ETA: The picture of the microwave is not my own...though the depiction is VERY accurate.

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

Hey, y'all. Sorry I'm late. It has been a busy, busy week. (It was busy last week, too...didn't get to post at all.)

Anyway, I'm here to put up something for Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. It's a blog carnival hosted by Lisa and her sister Lana. It is a lot of fun. You can really learn a lot in recipes, kitchen tips and product reviews. I hope you will join us.

One of my favorite products is cream cheese....whip that stuff up with a bit of sugar and I can just put my face in it....but I digress.

For my recipe for Tempt My Tummy Tuesday I am going to post:

Cream Cheese Squares (I have also heard this called "Neiman Marcus Cake")

ingredients:

1 stick melted butter

1 egg, beaten

1 box yellow cake mix

~~~~~~~~~~~

1 (8 oz) block cream cheese

~~~~~~~~~~~

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine melted butter, 1 egg and cake mix. Spread mixture in buttered 9 x 13 inch pan.

Combine remaining ingredients, beat until smooth. Pour over cake mixture. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes or until golden.

Sprinkle with extra powdered sugar.

Then SLAP YO MOMMA!!!

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

Hey, y'all. My friend Lisa, and her sister Lana, co-host this cool blog carnival called "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday." A lot of peeps post recipes, tips, product reviews, ask questions....it's a lot of fun. Click on the widget up above and it'll shoot ya on over and the you can join us!

My entry for this is.....

CHICKEN SALAD

We go from this....

TO THIS....

With just a few ingredients.

Just a heads up...this picture is NOT of my chicken salad so the ingredients you see here aren't necessarily found in my chicken salad.

CHICKEN SALAD

ingredients:

4 roasted chicken breasts (skin on, bone-in)

1 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup mayo (the real stuff)

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

TARRAGON!!!

OK...first, you need to roast your chicken...yes, ROAST IT!

Leave the skin on....drizzle a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 30-45 minutes at 350.

Remove chicken from oven to cool.

While chicken is cooling, clean and chop celery. Put into bowl.

Add 3/4 cup mayo. (no need to mix yet)

When chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the skin and remove meat from the bone. (Why the skin on? The 2 main reasons...flavor and moisture!)

Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces....not too big, but definitely not too small.

Put chicken into bowl with celery and mayo. Toss to coat.

Add salt, pepper and a bit of chopped FRESH tarragon. This adds a wonderful flavor to the salad.

Toss all this together.

Serve on a whole grain bread with some greens....YUM!!!!

MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY

So I skipped last week's installment of Making a Happy Home Monday because I was just crazy busy and didn't have time for my normal stuff. BUT, I do want to start the new year off on a positive note, so I'm very happy to have worked on some stuff already. I hope you will join me.

I started this carnival awhile back with one hope in mind - to inspire and encourage women to make their homes happy. As women, we set the tone of our households. We can be positive...and everything else will fall positively into place. OR, we can be negative and things go sour. Kids are unhappy, hubby is unhappy, housework is not getting done and YOU, the mom, the wife, are unhappy.

NO MORE! Take control and do something to make your home a happy home. Some people are better at this than others. You just keep trucking. YOU, of all people, should be posting here to give the rest of us the much needed, and desired inspiration that we need. Please link up down below on Mr. Linky. Leave me a comment, too. Tell me how you like (or don't like) this. Tell me if there is something you would like me to try. Post pictures in your links. CHALLENGE OTHERS to be women of God and take care of our domains.

Find a place in your house. Make it happier by making it prettier or more functional. If it makes you happy by relieving a bit of stress then you have a happier state. GOOD JOB! Now share it with us.

For my Happy Home, I chose my refrigerator. There are 2 reasons. First...it was just getting gross. (I gross out easily when it comes to my fridge.) Secondly, my grocery store day is either Monday or Tuesday, so I really need my kitchen area ready to receive the items that I purchase. I have decided (as I'm working on my cleaning schedule) that Monday will be my "appliance" day.

The refrigerator should stay clean for several reasons...the least of which is the "EW Factor." Temperature aside, there are certain "yuckies" that can grow in your fridge. Clean out the leftovers. (Now leftovers are not a favorite here, but there are times when we have them. Generally, they sit in the fridge for about 4 days before I throw them out. I'm trying NOT to accumulate leftovers. If you do leftovers, clean them out regularly. Really, do you WANT to eat 7 day old chicken spaghetti? YUCK!) Somethings should only be opened and in use for 3-5 days. Pay attention to your dates...they are there for a reason.

Throw out those upside down salad dressing bottles. (Honestly, nothing in the fridge grosses me out more than the remnants that are allowed to drip down to the lid and pool in the cap. BLECH!!!!)

Empty the veggie bins. Clean them out. YES! THEY CAN BE COMPLETELY REMOVED AND WASHED! Line the bottom with paper towels. If the items in the veggie drawer feel soft or have fuzz, this is NOT a variety of said veggie, it is ROTTEN! Toss it.

If you don't remember when you opened the lunch meat, DON'T SMELL IT! Toss it.

Milk....to each his own, but if the date says January 5, 2009...well, I don't care if it's a full gallon, it got tossed YESTERDAY!

If it is crusty, remove it. If you have trouble getting stuck on gunk off the shelves, I suggest a soapy paper towel. Lay it on the spot for a few minutes, then wipe up. Disinfecting wipes are a favorite of mine in this.

Empty, clean, and reload the shelves.

Wipe out the grooves in the rubbery seal of your door. You'd be amazed what accumulates there.

You should pull out the fridge and vacuum the coils and clean out from under the fridge. Also, there is a pan under the fridge gets nasties in it. Pull it out and clean it. Now this is where I get help because this is just gross gross gross. I wait and bribe my honey to help. (Now he knows of one of his jobs during his vacation. :) )

So here we go.

Do you see that nasty stuff on the shelf? That is where my kids have been removing and replacing the milk jug and sloshing it out. (The cap is a pop on cap so it doesn't always stay on.)

Lots of leftovers that have to be discarded.

No more crusties.

Drawers removed and cleaned. Whole inside wiped down.

I'd love for you to join me! Have a Happy Home!

MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY

Howdy, friends.

It's time for another installment of Making a Happy Home Monday.

The idea behind this is to encourage and inspire women to find a place in their house and make it happier. You can do this by making it prettier or making it more functional.

It is so easy to just sit back and bemoan the fact that something isn't getting done. (As the Queen of Procrastination, I feel that I'm an authority on this.) I am finding that if I just suck it up and do it, it doesn't take as long as I thought it would. And I really feel like something great has been accomplished.

So, please join me. Just sign up on Mr. Linky. Connect us to your post on what you did to make a happy home. BE SURE TO LINK BACK TO THIS POST. I hope to see you soon.

For this week's post, I have chosen to show my freezer. I have a deep freeze...it is quite large. I need to go through this one soon. The freezer I cleared out was the one above my refrigerator. It was a mess.

I had things crammed in so tightly that they would start to slip out when the door was opened.

It was so packed that it had trouble sealing shut.

Some things even caused problems. (Like the time a plastic bag got caught IN the ice maker. NOT PRETTY!)

Not only that, but I really needed to take stock of what I had, that could still be used, and get rid of the stuff that had freezer burn. Surprisingly, I didn't get rid of too terribly much ( a few pounds of meat and some old buns.) I keep a lot of my candy making and baking stuff in this freezer (coconut, pecans, walnuts, almonds, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, fruit, pie crusts) so this project came at a good time.

I almost forgot to take a picture, so this first one shows the contents of the bottom shelf and door spread out on the counter...the top shelf is still messy.

And the final product:
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Have a great week!