This Weeks 5 favorite things:

Gelato!

Fair Time!!

Grass Soap

Etsy.com

Fresh Blueberrys!!

The Book Perfection

by Julie Metz

Recipe of the Week

Pizza on the Grill

Pizza Dough

1 pkg active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/4 cup warm water
3 1/3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until foamy, about 3-5 minutes.

Place dough blade on your kitchen aid mixer. Place flour and salt into mixer. While machine is running, add liquid. Process until dough form a ball. Let machine knead dough for about 30 seconds. Dough may be slightly sticky. Oil hands and remove dough from mixer and place in oiled bag or bowl. Evenly coat dough with olive oil. Let rise for about 45 minutes.

Punch dough, divide into 8 equal balls. Form into 8 crusts about 1/4 inch thick.

Pre-heat grill to medium high. Brush the grill with olive oil. Cook the crust for about 2 minutes per side. Just until you see it becoming light golden brown.
Once crust is done cooking remove from grill and place sauce and toppings on. Then put pizzas back on grill long enough to melt cheese.

My Inner Martha

The only thing I don't like about cooking!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Banana Bread


Pizza Dough Donut Holes

6 Summer Beauty Must-Haves

For Thicker, Healthier Hair
The Frédéric Fekkai Marine Summer Hair Beachcomber Leave-in Conditioner helps hair in myriad ways: It nourishes and detangles strands with sea algae, protects color with UV protection, and even enhances shine. To buy: $23, sephora.com.

For Great Sun Protection
Apply a generous amount of Clinique SPF 50 Body Cream before hitting the beach. Its rich formula, which moisturizes skin without leaving it slick, contains potent broad-spectrum blocks and antioxidant rosemary extract to prevent skin damage and burning. To buy: $20, clinique.com.

For a Soft Summer Scent (and Then Some)
Smooth the Clarins Sunshine Fragrance Moisturizing Body Lotion over skin to leave it supple and freshly scented. This lightweight milk contains moisturizing watermelon and mimosa, soothing chamomile, and the fragrant oils of mandarin, grapefruit, and bergamot. To buy: $38, clarins.com.

For a (Safely) Sun-Kissed Complexion
Skip the sun and sweep Yves Saint Laurent Collector Sun Powder over your skin. The beautiful mineral powder offers realistic color to any skin tone and provides SPF. Plus, its extra large-sized wooden compact will actually outlast summer.To buy: $72, ysl.com.

For Calming Skin Post-Sun
If your skin feels tight or red after spending time outside, comfort it with Davines Su Nourishing Soothing After Sun Body Cream. It contains argan oil, vitamins E and A, and a menthol derivative to cool skin and prevent damage. To buy: $28, davines.com for locations.

For a Bronzed Body
Give your arms, neck, chest, and legs a little extra color and a rich glow by dusting on the limited edition Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick for Body. The silky powder is housed in a generously sized, deluxe compact. To buy: $75, bobbibrown.com.

Random Thoughts of the Day:

More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.

Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?

Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

There is a great need for sarcasm font.

Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f*** was going on when I first saw it.

I think everyone has a movie that they love so much; it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.

A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

Was learning cursive really necessary?

Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

My brother's Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, "Cuz we beat you, and you hate us." Classy, bro.

Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it....thanks Mario Kart.

MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

Bad decisions make good stories

Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?

If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from; this shouldn't be a problem....

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

"Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren’t watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA . No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don’t win, they are executed.

I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

I think that if, years down the road when I’m trying to have a kid, I find out that I’m sterile, most of my disappointment will stem from the fact that I was not aware of my condition in college.

Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I’d bet my a$$ everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimate d that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There’s nothing like being made to feel like a fat b@st@rd before dinner.

Saving a Buck!

I never thought I would be one of those wives that clipped coupons and search around for a deal (not that I was above all that, I just grow up in a family where it wasn’t something we did).Now that I am the only one working I have started looking for deals and finding coupons in the Sunday paper that have really saved us some money.

I’m really not sure why I haven’t been doing this all along. I have turned it into a kind of game; I am always trying to see how much I can save every time I go to the grocery store and only by things on sale.

I would love to find a great web site that could help find more coupons. Please let me know what some of your favorite money saving web sites are!!

Fun with the Kids!

Play-Dough

You'll need:

Flour 3cups

Salt 1 1/2 cups

Water 3 cups

Vegetable Oil 2TB.

Cream of tartar

1TB.Food coloring few drops or unsweetened "Kool-Aid" 1pkg.
Directions:

Mix ALL of the ingredients in a large saucepan.Cook over medium low heat, until the dough comes away from the edges of the pan and it becomes difficult to move the spoon. Remove from heat. Cool until it can be handled.Place on counter or wax paper knead 3-4 times.Store in an air tight container.

Moon Sand

A few ingredients and you can make your own “Moon Sand.”
Mix 9 Cups of play sand (this is really fine sand I found at Wal-Mart).
Next add 3 cups of cornstarch
Then add 2 1/2 Cups water. Start with 2 1/4 cups and continue adding the water until you have the desired consistency.
Mix well
You can experiment with the ingredients until you get it exactly how you like it. Be careful though, it is very easy to get sandy! When finished playing, cover and store. Next time you play add a few tablespoons of water if it needs to be moistened.

Slime
To make simply mix equal parts of liquid starch and glue together.
We placed 1/4 cup liquid starch into a sandwich bag and added about 3 drops of green food coloring.
Next add in 1/4 cup glue
Mix well. It will start to form a solid blob. There might be a bit of liquid that will not mix in, just remove the blob of slime and discard the bag with the extra liquid.
Take it out of the bag and have fun!

This Weeks 5 favorite things

Grilled Pizza (www.skiptomylou.org) one of my favorite blogs!
Local Fresh Fruit Markets (www.spokanefarmersmarket.org)
Eco-friendly reusable bags/Water Bottles (www.reusablebags.com)
Emergen C (www.emergenc.com)
Cute Cup Cakes-Yummy! (TV Dinner)

Recipe of the Week

Melon Sorbet

Ingredients:

1 large melon

1/4 cups sugar

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup water

Method:

1) Combine water, sugar, honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.

2) Remove the pan from the heat. Transfer into a medium bowl. Stir in lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 1 to 2 hours.

3) Cut melon in half and discard the seeds. Carefully scoop out the flesh and place into a food processor, taking care to keep the shells intact. Invert the melon shells and let them drain on paper towels, then transfer to the freezer while making the sorbet.Blend the melon flesh until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the cooled syrup. Taste and add more sugar if needed, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then chill in the refrigerator until very cold.

4) Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze as directed until the sorbet holds its shape.By hand: Pour the mixture into a shallow freezerproof container, freeze for 3 to 4 hours, beating twice with a fork, a whisk or in a food processor to break up the ice crystal.

5) Pack the sorbet into the melon shells and level the surface with a spatula or a knife. Then use a teaspoon to scoop out the center of each filled melon shell to simulate the seed cavity. Freeze overnight until firm.

Weekend Cooking!!

Grilled Pizza & Strawberry Fruit Roll

Happy Friday

Homemade Pet Treats

Pupsicles & Bark Biscuits

I recently ran across a book called "Cooking 4 Canines" by Amy Stevens

The Book shares fun and nutritious recipes that are sure to get your dog's tail wagging.

Frozen Strawberry Pupsicles

3 dozen

Ingredients

4 cups yogurt, low-fat plain vanilla flavor

1 jar organic baby food, strawberry flavor

2 tablespoons of you favorite all natural honey

2 tablespoons of organic peanut butter

Directions

Take all ingredients and mix thoroughly in a blender or food processor.

Pour into ice cube trays or paper cups and freeze for about an hour. It's that easy!

Cheesy Bark'n Biscuits

4 dozen

Ingredients

2 cups whole-wheat flour

1 cup unbleached flour

1/2 cup freshly grated Cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons canola oil

4-5 slices fully cooked and crisp bacon (crumbled)

1 to 1 1/4 cup water (add more if needed)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350' degrees

Mix flour and cheese in a large bowl; add crumbled bacon, oil and water, mix well with hands.

Form the dough into a ball and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.

Using half the dough at a time, place on a floured surface and roll to 1/4" thick. Cut into desired shapes and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, Bake for 12-15 minutes on middle rack or until lightly brown.

Turn oven off when done and leave biscuits in the oven to cool (about 20 minutes)

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Trimming the Fat!

Cutting back and trying to live a frugal/green life…


Adam and I set down and made some BIG changes in our everyday life's. Our goal is to work on saving money in order to buy a house and pay off student loans. We came up with a list of ideas to help us do just that.

• Rent rather than own - this only works when your rent is lower than a traditional house payment.



• Look for used first- for big ticket items I have started to look around first before just going out and buying. Try looking online at eBay.com, freecycle.org, or craiglist.org.



• Eat out less- I have to say this is one thing Adam and I do very well at, we try and only go out once a week at the most. One thing that has helped was making a weekly menu, so there really isn't any excuses.("We don't have anything to eat" or "I don't know what to make") Make it easy for everyone in the family!



• Brown bag it- Adam always taken a lunch and I always go home. We saved on average $160 per month.



• Don't Shop- This was a hard one for me at first but once I got used to using things we already had it become more like a fun game.



• Use a 30 day list- To curb our impulse buys, we created a 30-day list. When we wanted to buy something other than true necessity's we placed it onto a list with the date. And made it a rule that you could only buy one items per 30 days. We find ourselves buying a lot less junk.



• Find affordable entertainment- Instead of going to the movies and spending $45, we started Netflix.com and now pay $15 per month and can get as many movies as we like. Also the snakes are a lot healthier at home...Bonus!



• Drink more water- Water is so much better for you than calorie filled soda and juices. Drinking water saves money and calories. Adam and I are obsessed with Crystal Light its proven if you drink Crystal Light you end up drinking 20% more water than just drinking plan water alone. They come in 20 different flavors and are all calorie and sugar free.



• Batch your errands/Reusable Bags- Instead of running errand everyday, batch them into one day whenever possible, save time and money. Also do most of your bill-paying online to eliminate some errands (and stamps!!). As for reusable bags I go to a grocery store that pays me to use your own bags, cant get much better than that!



• Reduce/Remove junk food- Frozen foods, microwaveable stuff, junk food..... anything that's packaged and prepared. Not only is it more expensive than something you cook yourself, but it's also VERY unhealthy. Both Adam and I have eliminated these completely.

Those are just some of the things we came up with. I have already seen a change in our over-all savings, I can't wait to see what happens long term.

Wish us luck!

Summer Reads

I am obsesed with Tori Spellings new book Mommywood. I went and pick it up wednesday afternoon and I havent been able to put it done since.

It has some great insight into becoming a new mom and the struggles of being a working parent.

I am looking for more summer book ideas.....any thought?

Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients:

1 Large Zucchini
1 lb Hamburger
½ large Onion
1 ½ cup Mushrooms
3 cups Tomato Sauce
1tbs Fresh Garlic

1/2 cups Parmesan cheese

3 cups cooked Rice
Salt
Pepper

Parsley to garnish

Directions:
Cut whole zucchini in half place in glass baking try cut side up. Fill glass baking try 1/3 of the way up with cold water, tent with tinfoil and bake @ 375 for 45 min.
Once zucchini is soft, scoop out the inside of the zucchini and place in bowl. Then mix with all other ingredients, place mixture into hollowed out zucchini top with parmesan cheese and bake @ 350 for 15 min. to melt cheese

Ten Guilty Pleasures

· Brown Sugar Bacon (Yes, I actually take bacon and sprinkle pepper & brown sugar, then bake)
· Salt and Vinegar Chips (really any kind of chips)
· Toe nail polish (I must own 100 different colors)
· Body Lotion/ Body wash (I am obsessed with matching scents!)
· Shoes (need I say more!)
· Good wine
· Nordstrom’s (shopping….love it)
· Lip Gloss (also at Nordstrom’s two guilty pleasures at once)
· Peanut Butter (I put PB on everything….my excise is that it’s all natural and full of protein)
· Magazines (I love reading about other people problems…Sick!)
and the list goes on!!

I’m a show-off

I am so in love with our wedding photos I’ve just got to flaunt them!
I have come up with the idea on how to display our wedding photos. I am going to hang 15 frames (same color/ different sizes) and do somewhat of a wedding photo wall. It will be a mix of key moments from our BIG day (cake, bouquet, favors, and invitation) and not to forget a few photos of Adam and I and our wedding party!

Once my DIY project is complete I will share photos.

This Weeks 5 favorite things

Bubble Baths
Once in a while it's nice to be able to have a nice long hot bath to relax in, especially after a hard day at work. And what better way to have a bath then to add bubble bath! Here's a way to make your own personalized bubble bath.

Things you’ll need:
· Clear Liquid Dish Soap
· Food Coloring
· Essential Oils
· Spoon
· Dried Flowers (optional)
· Decorative Bottles

Instructions:
Step 1
Pour the clear liquid dish soap into the bottle (3/4 of the way). If the opening is small make the bubble bath in a separate container and then pour into the decorative bottle.
Step 2
Add food coloring. Start with a few drops and gradually add more to achieve your desired color. Stir gently while doing this to spread the color around. Do not shake as you will get bubbles everywhere!
Step 3
Add essential oils. Lavender is a good one for relaxation. Again start with a few drops and add as needed. Essential oils are pretty concentrated so usually just a small amount will do.
Step 4
Optional: Add dried flowers or other decorative items to 'pretty up' the bubble bath.
Step 5
Enjoy a nice relaxing bath!


Burts Bees All Natural Products (http://www.burtsbees.com/)
Real Simple Magazine (http://www.realsimple.com/)
Fresh Sunflowers – what a way to brighten a room
BLT’S- One word---- Yummy-----

Recipes of the Week

Spending time in my kitchen relaxes me...Dinking why I cook works even better!

3 Months!!

As Adam just said........"O' we made it"!!
I wounder what he is going to say after we make it a whole year?

Life is definitely not a cake walk, but things are good. Married life is very calm and relaxing.
Just another day in the life of a newlywed.
I love you Adam...xoxo

Yummy savings!

I went shopping at Safeway this morning and got an amazing deal on meat...Beef, Pork, and Chicken . All total I spent $32.14 and my total savings was $41.95! There is nothing I love more that getting a great deal on everyday items.

Paid $32.14
14 Meals for 2 people
$2.28 per meal!!