Smiley360 now has a partnered Starbucks Test service where you can get free coffee! Check it out here. 

Summer Safety Tip

 

Last night I took a bad tumble in the dark, tripping over the cord to the portable AC unit right outside my bedroom. It motivated me to finally order an extension cord, so that I can set it up more safely and as less of a trip hazard. I had been avoiding doing so because I was always told to never plug an AC into an extension cord because it was a fire hazard. So I deferred to an electrician. This is what they said:

 

If you have a small AC unit, you CAN plug it into an extension cord. However, you want to look for 2 things: 

 

1. Only use a cord as long as you need. If the cord is too long and you have it coiled up, it risks overheating. 

 

2. You need the correct Amps - higher than what the AC is rated at. Most basic household extension cords are not rated high enough, and surge protectors/power strips are not either. Most small window units or portable units are 12 amp, so you want a cord that is at least 15 amps. The one that was recommended to me is this one, rated at 15 amps and 1875 watts.

 

Be careful! It's hot out there. I keep seeing friends post about it every day. Use those ACs, but please do it safely. Most people associate house fires with overloaded space heaters in the winter, but an overloaded cord from an AC will do it too. So if you have to use an extension cord with your AC, make sure you are plugging it in with the right kind.

Summer Product Recommendations

The following are not sponsored items or items that I was asked to endorse, but are useful summer items I genuinely recommend.

As an Amazon Associate, PBG Blogs does earn potential income from qualifying Amazon purchases, which helps to support the blog by going towards domain host costs.

The Conair Satiny Smooth Ladies' Personal Trimmer is an all-in-one system for smooth results all over. This easy-to-use face trimmer, body trimmer and bikini trimmer is cordless and works on a lithium ion battery for long-lasting power. Easily shape and trim hard-to-reach areas with the wide blade for precise full body trimming. Use the two eyebrow shaping combs for precise facial trimming and eyebrow trimming. It also includes a nose and ear attachment.

 

 

The Members Mark Elegant Family Pool is 10 feet long with 2 inflatable seats. It is perfect for sitting out on the lawn on a hot day. The kids can swim while you sit back and relax, or you can soak with your friends.

Old Man Loki and Zesty Paws Mobility Bites

 

This is Loki. His mum was a beagle and his dad was a teacup schnauzer. He's my little old man. He's not really THAT old, in human years at least. He's 6 (plus a few months). But in dog years, that has him at least mid life. He's clumsy, sheds a lot, and has started to develop cataracts. But he is a sweetheart. I've never been a dog person (cat lady all the way) but when I first saw him, I couldn't help but to be drawn to him. My family will never let me live it down - the day I went out for toilet paper and came back with a puppy instead.

But I mean look at that face. Who could say no to that face?

He's definitely slowed down over the last couple of years. I figured it was probably due to his sight going. Or having less space to run around at the new house. Or the cat's bullying him for being their size. But I never really thought that maybe, just maybe, the issue could be age and the stuff that comes with it. I call him my little old man, but I never really think about his age. I have always called him that because he has had a white beard from day one. Now he has a lot more white hair though, and the truth is that he IS becoming a little old man, and that means joint issues.

So when BzzAgent reached out with an offer to try a joint supplement product for senior dogs, I though "why not?"

They sent me a full size container of Zesty Paws Advanced Mobility Bites Hip & Joint to test out. I had never heard of this product, or even this company before, so I didn't know what to expect. Reading over the label, these seem like serious stuff. I have seen store bought human vitamin supplements with less notes on them. They are made in the USA and contain Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and Curcumin. They are free of grain, corn, and soy and have no artificial flavors, preservatives, and synthetic colors. The last part being surprising only because they are BRIGHT yellow. 

Like SUPER yellow

The treats themselves are about an inch wide and heart shaped. Which, aside from being cute, is actually handy in that it makes them easier to split in half. A useful trait because they have an actual dosage - one treat per 25lbs of weight per day. Some people prefer to split it in half and do half a treat in morning and another in the evening if their pup has a sensitive stomach. Loki enjoys getting the whole treat at one time, but then that dog probably has a stomach of iron. At least if all the non-dog food he has stolen from people without getting sick is any indicator.

Not only does he enjoy the flavor, but they seem to be working. He has been getting these treats for about 2 weeks now, and you can really see the difference. He has been more playful and energetic. But also, he seems healthier all around. His coat looks better and he is less stressed - and if you don't know anything about schnauzers, they carry a lot of anxiety. Well I don't know if it's the ingredients in the treats, or simply a better disposition because his joints feel better, but he just seems happier. Which makes me happy. So if you have an older dog that has joint problems, definitely try out these treats! I hope they can help your pups as well.

Zesty Paws Advanced Mobility Bites Hip & Joint can be found on Amazon or at Chewy.com. The Zesty Paws line also carries other supplements like a multivitamin, calming support, and a vision supplement that I am considering trying next. Loki already has cataracts so I don't know how much that would help, but I suppose anything that may prolong his sight is a good thing. They also sell a line of products for cats! So if you are looking for things to improve your pets' health, check them out!



Disclaimer: BzzAgent sent me these treats to try and review on Chewy.com. Which I did. I am sharing about them here with you all of my own volition, because I REALLY liked these treats and what they did for my pup. This is my honest opinion with no motivation to share, other than I think they are awesome.

VoxBox: Benefit Cosmetics' They're Real! Magnet Mascara

I got my first ever Vox box from Influenster ! This month they sent me a sample of Benefit Cosmetics' They're Real! Magnet Mascara which I was super excited to try out. 

I have had positive experiences with Benefit products in the past, so I went into this with expectations. There were things that surprised me, some good, some not so good. For starters, the product has a good quality wand and, even with my shaky hands, was not super difficult to apply, though the mascara did smudge easily at first. 

The initial lift is amazing! The mascara curled my lashes upward with no need for an eyelash curler. It creates a long, thick, dark lash, quite dramatic. However, the lashes stick together causing it to somewhat thin them out. And for me, who has naturally long lashes to start with, the product bulkiness resulted in me continuously seeing my lashes in my peripheral vision. It also shedded a bit - throughout the day there were flaky bits under my eye.

I did my other eye with my usual go to, Maybelline New York's The Falsies, for a point of comparison. The lift and curl was only slightly lesser with the Falsies, and while the lashes were less thick, they didn't clump, resulting in an overall fuller lash. Several hours later, the Benefit had deflated while the lift on the Falsies held on. 

When all is said and done, I had high hopes for this product, and I was somewhat let down.  With a $27 price point, you expect a knockout of a product. The Benefit Magnet Mascara is a good product if you want a dramatic look in the short term, and I will use mine for that, but personally I will save the extra $20 and stick with what I currently use for daily looks.

Power Up Gaming - Free CobraKai

Earlier this month I visited my local Kroger grocery store and bought Pringles products, which in turn got me a full game download of Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues on my Nintendo Switch for free! How cool is that??  

From now until April 4th, you can visit a participating Kroger grocery location to buy any 2 participating Kellogg’s® or Red Bull® products, and get a free full game download of Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues. To participate, text GAME to 811811, snap a photo of your receipt and receive the free game code, courtesy of Power Up Gaming.

Mentholatum Vapor Duo

 


Recently I was given the opportunity to try out the new Mentholatum VaporDuo vapor inhaler, and I have to say that I am in love. This product has the standard vapor inhaler like I am accustomed to with other products, but it is paired with a dispenser of essential oil rub on the other end of the stick.

I used the oil dropper to add a few drops to the inside of my face mask, and let me tell you - it makes wearing the mask for a prolonged period of time so much easier!

If you want to check it out, you can find it at your local Walmart Supercenter, or in an affordable 2-pack from Amazon! 

*I purchased the Mentholatum VaporDuo as part of the Smiley360 program. All product opinions are 100% mine.

Happy New Year!

Placeholder post

Disappointment

Okay, I am going to admit something that is a little embarrassing. I watch GLEE. Yes, I know, the gross amount of auto-tuning is horrible. And yes, I know that their target demographic is about a decade younger than me. But I love things I can sit and watch with D, and know that he is enjoying - and that limits me to videos with a lot of music, Blue's Clues and Pokemon.

I could blame it all on D, but that's not completely it. I also love Blaine. I mean, the character is neat, as far as characters go, but I have been a fan of Darren Criss since I first saw A Very Potter Musical. Which for those unfamiliar with it, is a 3 hour long musical parodying the Harry Potter book series. I always adore extremely creative and understated/under-appreciated musicians. (Don't even get me started on Neil Innes...) I also enjoy seeing the interactions between Blaine and Kurt and the other characters. Some of the situations remind me strongly of elements of my secondary schooling, and I am happy to see somewhat decent role models in the spotlight for the younger generation.

Borrowed the pic from Perez, because it says it all. <3

When Darren Criss got a spot on GLEE, that is actually what made me check the show out for the first time. I liked the idea of them supporting and promoting creative individuals who deserve to be noticed. In that mindset, I got really excited earlier this month when I heard that another one of my favorite YouTube "celebrities", a girl named Tessa, auditioned and got a spot on GLEE. Tessa does some really fun parody and comedy videos on her channel tessaROXX TV and she has a beautiful voice. I looked forward to watching the coming episodes to see if I could spot her. Then everything came crashing down.

If you use the internet any little bit at all, you have probably heard of the scandal going on right now between FOX (the producers of GLEE) and a man named Jonathan Coulton. JoCo, as he is sometimes known, is yet another individual musician who really deserves to be recognized. In 2006, he did a very creative cover of Baby Got Back (originally by Sir Mix-a-Lot). On this week's episode of GLEE, Coulton's cover arrangement was used for a performance. No permission was asked and no credit was given. This is, by far, the furthest FOX could get from "supporting and promoting creative individuals" as possible.

Now, there is dispute that FOX used Coulton's cover of the song. Though, apparently most of it comes from deaf people and FOX's employees. I will let you determine the truth to this for yourself:

 

On top is a video of Coulton's 2006 arrangement of Baby Got Back, and below that is the clip from the GLEE episode "Sadie Hawkins" that aired on January 24th. The GLEE clip I linked for the episode is actually a cropped version of the song, leaving out the most damning evidence - such as the actual mention of Coulton - which can still be found in the version available for sale on iTunes anywhere outside of the US. But I used this clip for a reason. 

In the clip, Kurt is watching the NYADA show choir, named The Adam's Apples, perform the song in question. The song starts - and there is Coulton's cover. Cue moderate disgust. Three seconds into the video, you see a cute girl with an awesome pixie cut. That's Tessa. Awww, really? But, wait, I did a double take and had to rewind. Who was that other person I noticed? Why, the first person who started singing is none other than Joey Richter, another A Very Potter Musical alum and member of team Starkid. He was the Weasley to Darren's Potter. That is two very popular individual artists. Who I like. I was happy to see them, and to see that they got great screen time, but was very disappointed that it happened during the segment.

Which got me thinking even further. What would their opinions have been, going into this recording session, had they known that it was doing work stolen from another independent artist without his permission? Would their ethics have held them back? Or would they have been overridden by their desire for fame?

When I started asking myself these questions, and really thinking about it, it opened up the door to even more questions. Joey and Tessa are both quite popular on the internet, and have large followings. And, if you judge by the very debate over this song being copied from Coulton, it becomes evident that someone who works at FOX is no stranger to the internet, and what is popular on it. So, it begs to be asked - did these two very talented individuals actually win these roles completely of their own merits? Or did they get used? Were they chosen over more qualified actors because FOX knew that they could use their followings to rebuild the show's dwindling fan base?

To be honest, I would love to get a statement from Tessa or Joey about this. Sadly, I know that will never happen. What with contracts and fear of losing the job and all. But still, I would love to hear what they had to say on the subject.

I really hope FOX get's its act together. Because I want to keep my guilty pleasure, and not feel too guilty about it. I also wish for all the best for Joey and Tessa, and hope for them a long run with The Adam's Apples. How aptly named, The Adam's Apples. It has often been speculated that the apple was the biblical forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, that Adam and Eve shared, opening their eyes to the knowledge of the world and getting them thrown out of their sanctuary in the garden of Eden. This bunch of apples also served to open many a person's eyes - to the curious and disappointing workings of the FOX network. What will they do with this knowledge?

Footnote: For more information on any of the artists mentioned, you can click on the link on their names and be brought to a page where you can check out samples of their work. Also, if you would like to show your support for Jonathan Coulton, you can buy a copy of his arrangement of Baby Got Back on mp3 here.

Yummy Casserole is Yummy

I promised everyone a post this weekend, but sadly, my Nook post is not finished. There is so much that I want to say that I do not want to rush it. So instead, I offer you this: a recipe for a yummy casserole.

Due to some chaos around the house since Thanksgiving, we have been pinching pennies a little more than usual. Which has led to some creative dinner choices. The plus side to this is that I have gotten the hubby and kids to try some different things. They are very picky and like to stick with what they are used to, but to be honest, I was getting sick of the same old routine.

For dinner tonight, I decided to try a recipe that I found on allrecipes.com a few weeks ago, when searching for things that used rice and cream soup but were not broccoli, cheese, and chicken. I found an appetizing looking dish with sausage, veggies, and cream of mushroom soup. Since the hubby is allergic to the mushrooms, I opted to modify it a little by leaving out the fresh celery and exchanging the mushroom soup for cream of celery instead. 

Below is my adaption, but the original recipe can be found here.

Hot Sausage Casserole

Ingredients

1 pound bulk hot Italian pork sausage

1 large green pepper, chopped

1 med onion, chopped

1 1/4 cup uncooked long grain white rice

2 (10.75 ounce) cans Condensed Cream of Chicken soup

1 (10.75 ounce) can Condensed Cream of Celery soup

Cooking spray

Instructions

1. Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it is well browned, stirring often to separate the meat. Pour off any fat. Stir in the pepper and onion. Cook for a minute or two so vegetables will start to soften. Add and stir the rice, soups, and 1 can of water in the skillet.
2. Spray a 3-quart casserole dish with the cooking spray. Spoon the skillet mixture into the casserole. Bake at 400 degrees (F) covered for 45 minutes. Remove cover, stir, and cook 15 minutes more.

As mentioned, I opted for celery soup instead of mushroom soup and fresh celery. On this attempt, I also used 10 minute rice instead of regular uncooked rice - mostly because I had a bag laying around left over from a box dinner. I hoped that it would make it cook faster, seeing that it was par-cooked rice, but it did not. It only shaved about 5-10 minutes off of the hour bake time. The original recipe also only called for 1 cup of rice, but I used about 1 1/4 (which was what was in the baggie), and honestly felt, when all was said and done, that it could have used a little more. It was nice and creamy.

When it was done, it was absolutely delicious. To me, it tasted just a little salty. But then, I rarely cook with salt or eat salt, so I just notice it more. It is possible that it was because of the celery (celery seasoned things usually come across as a little salty to me). Or, it could have been that it was a seasoning in the sausage. Or even that the sausage was pork, and I am used to poultry. But I think, to solve the issue, next time I will make it with reduced sodium soups. And there will definitely be a next time.

A new year

That's right. Its already 2013. I can't believe a year has passed. Life has been crazy. But now it is time to focus on the new year, which means a new start. New products to try. New crafts to make. New experiences to be had. I look forward to it.

The top of my to-do list for the immediate future is a lengthy post about my recent experiences with Nook e-readers and Barnes and Noble customer support. I know, this is more of a "books" topic, but it will be cross posted on both blogs, as well as in other place, because I think it is important that EVERYONE see what I have to say.

I want to share some new recipes that I have encountered, but I have misplaced my camera cable, so they will not be as photo heavy as I would like. I also have a few products to review - some cosmetics and the like. I got this awesome app that gives a heads up on freebies and deals, so I will try to explore that more and see what I can find everyone. Hopefully, in between reading and cooking, I will find time to get some sewing done. Though I may wait until the embroidery machine has been repaired.

What about after that? Well, to be honest, I haven't planned a lot. What would you like to see? 

Cuisinart Sale Alert!

There is a really good Cuisinart sale right now over at One Kings Lane, so be sure to check it out! And hey, if you are out of people to shop for, I need a new coffee maker. ;) But seriously, the sale ends some time Friday - or whenever they sell out (which they often do) - so check it out soon.



One Kings Lane offers $15 off $30 purchase when you join thru THIS LINK.




Actually, I have been following sales on One Kings Lane for a while now. They offer closeouts of designer brand housewares and furnishings at a percentage of the original cost. They also have a clearance section with some really great steals, though it is on hiatus for the holiday shopping season and has been replaced with the Gifts sales:

If you are looking for a classy gift for someone, the section of gifts under $50 has some really pretty serving ware and candles for a good price. This sale also ends some time Friday, and shipping is guaranteed by Christmas.

Holiday Shopping, part deux

I know, I have already covered holiday shopping this month. However, there is a lot of shopping to be done, so I am searching around, and I want to give a shout out to the ones that I think are worthy of it. So, on that note - Holiday Shopping, part two:

Are you one of those shoppers who likes to do your research on items before you buy them? You know, to make sure that they really are child-safe and friendly, or to guarantee that what you are buying is the exact one you need. If so, then you may dig this site. At Become.com you can research the items you are shopping for while you shop, from the same page. They also give you a listing of several retailers who have the item in stock so that you can compare prices.

Say you were planning to use your holiday bonus to redecorate your house. You could go to Become and search for bathroom base cabinets and they would give you a list of several different options. You pick the one you are interested in and you can pull up details on it, as well as see other similar products that may be a better deal. Maybe you are not looking for something for the bathroom specifically. What if you want to use that money to add to your current decorating theme? That is easy as well. For example, you could search their bombay furniture outlet for items that match your Bombay style sofa.

Now, you can find way more than house decorating items at Become. I was just using that as an example. With all the cleaning and reorganizing I have been doing the last two weeks, redecorating the house has been on my mind quite a bit. I also discovered that I need about 5 more bookshelves! But I digress. On Become, you can find everything from automotive parts to video games.

You could even order thank you cards in bulk, so that you can show your gratitude to all the people who gave you awesome presents - or that holiday bonus. Haha.The important thing is that, whatever you may be looking to buy, Become wants to help you by providing you the chance to go "Shopping Your Way".

What to look forward to this month

December is upon us. This time of year is always busy for people, with all the parties, family gatherings, and last minute shopping. I don't buy into too much of the holiday hype, but this is still my favorite time of year. I absolutely love the cooler weather, and being in Texas, it is rare. So between Halloween and the Winter Solstice, I thrive. The cold may last until about Valentines, but by then the charm is often overshadowed by the idiots who do not know how to drive safely in winter conditions. I still enjoy it, but it gets worn out a little.

I have a very busy schedule this month. On top of the several books I am reading to review and another giveaway over at the Tome, I have a holiday gathering coming up on the 17th that I must prepare the house for. At the gathering, I will be doing some sampling of Kroger's Private Selection line of frozen pizzas, appetizers, and desserts, as well as some Smirnoff mixed drinks - so watch out for those reviews in the week following.

I will also post up some of my favorite holiday recipes that I plan to be serving this month. I really feel in my element when I am cooking, and I plan to do a lot of that this month to share. I hope to get to try out a new stuffing recipe I found, as well as post a few of my favorite breads and dinners. And since I finally found my good camera, the photos will be much more clear than the last ones.

There is a winter Lolita fashion meet on the 18th, so if I find time to sew, I will be making a new dress for that as well, and will share photos of the progress and when it is finished. I had a lot of crafting to do this month, between that and my etsy store, but everyone in the house getting sick put a major dampener on my work. Hopefully I will get new items up for the store in time for holiday shopping. If not, I will still post them here to look at. :)

On a completely non-holiday related note, I did get in this one product to try that may interest some of you. It is an alleged "fat melting" cream made with herbs. I do not know how it will work, but since I have tried just about everything else on the leftover baby paunch, I figured I may as well give it a shot. Starting today, I will use the product as directed every day for thirty days (or until it runs out, whichever comes first) and will report on it's effectiveness. I will be taking pictures and measurements at set intervals and will let you all know how it works.

That is my major plans as far as I know. There may be other assorted reviews here and there. If you are interested in doing a guest post on my blog, this would be the month to start! With all the cooking, cleaning, and sewing, there will be a lot of non-computer time for me. Let the fun begin!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that everyone out there had a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving! The day may be over, but remember to be thankful for your blessings every day! Have a safe day if you decide to venture out after the sales on Friday. I have already seen comments about riots at some stores. It is insane.

Holiday shopping made easier!

With Thanksgiving being tomorrow, a lot of minds already seem to be on the holiday shopping season. There is "Black Friday" and then "Cyber Monday". Frankly, I was never one to get all crazy about the sales. In my house, my kids know that I will get them something they want whenever they ask - if they deserve it and I can afford it - so the sales make little difference. I am not putting myself into a crowd of overzealous people for some video game, television, or tickle me Elmo.

Perhaps it is mostly that I am not a crowds person. I will admit, I do like scoping out deals at times, looking for those few coveted items I really want but can never afford (like a Kitchen Aid stand mixer.... sigh.) When I want to scout the deals, my focus is shopping online from the safety of my desk. Even then, it is really hard to find the deals. If I want to look for something I need, like a new DVD player, I have to go to each page to check them out. This means visiting several sites to see who has the better deal. It makes the whole shopping experience seem tedious to me yet again. Shopping should be fun, right?

Well, as I was browsing the web, I came across a solution. Canada Post offers a service via there web site where you can comparison shop for the same item from several different locations. It shows all the prices on one page, so all you do is put in a search term and it looks for you!  

Let me show you an example: I could search Apple products for that iPod that I have been wanting (yeah, I'm a little behind the times with my mini-disk walkman), and it will come up with prices for iPods from five or six different sellers - along with the shipping charges so I can figure out easily which one is the best deal.

I also noticed that several of the listings offer free shipping due to whatever deal they may have with Canada Post to ship and promote for them. This is good for the buyers though. That is less money out of my pocket, which is always good. So now, the only question is "Which one will I pick?" Well, always the frugal one, I plan to come back and check out the prices Monday to see who is the best deal then. ;)

Share with me your experiences with this site - I love to hear about awesome finds.

Cookies!!

I opened the door yesterday to watch for a school bus and found a box sitting outside. I didn't remember  ordering anything and was only expecting some books, or so I thought. I opened it up, and was pleasantly surprised to find cookies inside! (Now, in retrospect, I seem to recall something in my BzzAgent email about these cookies, but it was a while ago, so I had forgotten.)

The box contained Kroger's "The Truly Awesome Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies". I read the little booklet that was included in the box and learned that, aside from being available at Kroger stores, these cookies are also available at Fred Meyer and Ralphs stores under those brand names.


After looking over the included literature, I studied the box for a little. They are very well packaged, with easy to read text that discloses that they are made wit real butter and have no added preservatives or artificial flavors. And, as the package boasts, chocolate chips are the #1 ingredient.

For those with allergen concerns, they do also contain wheat, milk, soy, and eggs; and are processed in a facility that uses peanuts, coconut, pecans, cashews, and macadamia nuts. I have a peanut allergy, so I always know to check the ingredients. (I still ate them! I am not as worried about the "may contain" on certain items.)


Each box comes with eight cookies in it. They are decent sized cookies too. I took a picture next to a DVD to compare size.

The cookies are a little hard, rather than chewy - somewhat like Chips Ahoy. I prefer chewy cookies, but these were not so dry that they were bad. When dipped in milk they were perfect. They had a good sweet flavor, and lots of chocolate. My daughter tried one after dinner, and she liked them as well. Overall, this is a cookie that I would buy.

In the box along with the cookies, I was also sent a few $1 coupons (as seen in first photo). Would you like to try these cookies at a discounted price? Well then comment on this post! Everyone who comments will be thrown into a random drawing for a chance to get one of these coupons - which are usable at Kroger, Ralphs, or Fred Meyer! Comment by next Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) for your chance.

Guest Posts and Giveaways

As you may have noticed, the last post was not from me. I do at times, if I find myself really busy, invite others to guest post on my blog. Right now, I am in the middle of National Novel writing month, so not only am I reading to review, but trying to do a lot more writing.

I am also working to gather some good tips to write about and lining up some fun giveaways for the near future.  

If you are interested in guest posting and the topic is something that I am interested in - writing, cooking, crafting, costuming, or weddings, parties and other events - then let me know! I may have a spot for you!

Tomorrow is baking day here, so be on the lookout for a post tomorrow with a recipe for some awesome Banana Rum Bread!

Things don't always work out as planned

I think for me, this week has been the ultimate proof of that.

I had a really great blog idea for Monday, but my computer refused to start. I did not get it working until yesterday, and by then it was kind of pointless. My nice camera got up and walked away too, leaving me to deal with fuzzy cellphone pictures until I find where it went off to, so there weren't even comprehensible Halloween photos to share. I had also planned to open my first giveaway Monday, but I didn't get a chance to pick up the prizes, so it will have to wait for next week. Time for a new plan.

So yesterday, I was really in the mood to cook. I love cooking, I just don't love doing it in the tiny kitchen I am stuck with right now. So anyways, I start to whip up a really great smelling pot of homemade chicken and dumplings. That was a bit of a challenge. I can't say that I have never made chicken and dumplings before, but I can say that the last time was well over ten years ago and I was technically helping my mother make them. I vaguely remember how, and I am not one to go hunting a recipe every time I want to make something. It couldn't be that hard, right?

I got my chicken thighs, covered them with water and set them to boil with some seasoning. About 2 hours later, the house smelled really yummy. I pulled the chicken, peeled it off the bone, and threw it back in the pot. I chopped up some carrots and celery, added a few more spices, and set it to simmer. It was doing great.

Yummy simmering chicken and veggies in broth

But wait, the theme of today is how things don't work out as planned, wasn't it? Right as I get the pot simmering, the DH calls. He really wants lasagna for dinner, so "surprise!" we are having Italian. I couldn't be mad at him for it. He knows I don't really like to cook in that kitchen and wasn't expecting to hear that I had been working on dinner for over 2 hours already. I turned off the stove and threw the pot in an ice bath, grateful that I had not made the dumplings yet.

Today I pulled out the pot to finish it up. As a bonus, the cold made it easier to skim off any greasy fat that I missed last night. The hard part was done, so dinner should be ready in a flash... yeah.

I didn't exactly know how to make dumplings from scratch, and since I have a ton of banana bread to make tomorrow and Friday, I decided to save the flour and go the lazy route by using Bisquick. It even had "how to cook me" directions right on the side of the box. Note: Do NOT use the directions on the side of the box!

The dumpling is a lie.

I put the dumplings into the pot and watch them turn into cute little fluffy balls of goo, like a pan full of little sheep. After ten minutes, it said to cover the pot and let them cook ten minutes more. I stepped away for a moment, and by the time I got back, the chicken had burned to the bottom of the pot, aided by the starchy paste that had thickened the broth into gravy. Dumplings? Three or four survived, while the rest seem to have faded away into the milky white goop of doom.

It looks like it is going to jump out and attack someone, seriously

My nature was screaming at me that I did not want to serve this abomination to the family, but what other choice was there? On the plus side, the DH said it was good and the daughter thought it was "yummy". That is a win, right?

Welcome!

Hi there and welcome to my new blog The Goddess Domestic. I originally got into blogging by doing book reviews, which I do on a sister site to this one, called A tome is where the heart is. I had been pondering starting up this second blog for a while now. Recently, I had to take a hiatus from my book blog and during that time I got really active on social networking with extreme couponing and commentary on other household topics, so I decided that it was a sign that I really needed this.

Who is Paperback Goddess? Let me share a little about myself. I am a married mother of two who is mostly a stay at home mom. I am a frugal person. As I mentioned, I have recently gotten back into serious couponing, so I am always sharing tips about deals I find - mostly on my blogs' facebook page and twitter feed. I have many hobbies. I love cooking. In fact, I have a culinary degree. Before the economy hit it's current state, I had considered opening up a bed and breakfast. I also love sewing. I help out with costuming topics at several local events. As evident by my name, I love reading. I see reading as a great way to pass time and prefer it to watching television on most occasions.

On this blog you can expect to see commentary on food items and other household things. There will probably also be the occasional post about crafty topics, like sewing or holiday party planning and decorating. Really, it is up to whatever whim inspires me. All book posts will be found on the other site, but everything else is fair game. I plan to have fun with this journey, and I hope you want to come along for the ride!