Friday Fascinations 4 - Everything Linky Party - Pizza Grilled Cheese

This week we are going to do an everything linky party. You can link up anything that you have been working on, thinking about, writing about, whatever. Literally any post of yours that you would like to share with my readers link it up!

I love grilled cheese sandwiches. I have heard of different types of grilled cheese sandwiches but had never tried them until this one. The staple grilled cheese sandwich in our house is with american cheese (My husband calls them cheese toasties). That is what I had always heard of. I remember the first time that I heard of another option was in The Devil Wears Prada. In that movie the girl's boyfriend makes her grilled cheese sandwiches with another type of cheese (I don't remember what kind) and I thought "You can make them with something besides american cheese?". The funny thing is I don't even like american cheese. The only thing I eat it on is grilled cheese. So when I saw this recipe for Pizza Grilled Cheese I thought I should really try that. I love homemade pizza and pizza pudgy pies so how could it go wrong? My favorite pizza toppings are pepperoni and mushroom but you can use whatever toppings you prefer.

Pizza Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:
Bread
Butter
Cheese (I happened to have slices of provolone left over from a different meal, but if I didn't then I would have used shredded parmesan cheese)
Pizza Sauce (if you want, I didn't use any, but I may next time) 
Toppings (any type that you like on regular pizza)


Directions:

Assemble your ingredients. You will want to have everything close by and prepared because if you leave in the middle of cooking to get something your sandwich will burn. I forgot to put the butter in this picture, but I did use it.

 Butter your bread. Butter all slices before you put any in the pan because like I said it will burn if you don't get it together quickly.

Put the first slice of bread in the pan butter side down. Add some toppings on top. (I was only making 1 sandwich so the little skillet on the stove worked, but if you are making several you can use an electric griddle and make more at once)

Add your cheese and more toppings (I like mine with a lot of cheese and toppings)

Place the other slice of bread on top butter side up (basically you want the butter to be facing out on both sides)

Flip over when the cheese is starting to melt and the bottom side is brown. This is actually a little browner than I like, you can cook to your ideal level of brownness. It is done when both sides are a good level of brown and the cheese is melted.

Verdict: Pure yumminess! This is the best idea since grilled cheese. And very easy. This is a must try!

Linky Party

The rules:

•  For this party you may link up anything that you have been working on - crafts, recipes, random musings, etc. I do not mind links to giveaways or parties as long as you state that it is a giveaway or party in the title. Link up whatever you want just please be honest in the title. I do some themed linky partiessometimes, but this one is a free for all!
• Please follow me in some way. If you absolutely hate my blog then of course don't follow it, but if you hate it should you really be linking up? (I leave that for you to answer :) There are several ways to follow me offered on the right sidebar.
• Link up directly to the post, not your home page.
• By linking up you are giving me permission to feature your post including but not limited to pictures and quotes from your post, and also to feature your post in my various social media outlets.
• This is a family friendly, christian blog. I reserve the right to remove a link to any content that I find offensive or not compatible with this blog, with or without notice.
• Please add a backlink or my button to your blog or post somewhere. You can find my buttons on the left sidebar.
• Please check out some of the other links and leave some love in some way (comment, pin, follow, etc.)

Friday Fascinations 2 Olympic Party Features

Wow, once again, so much talent linked up this week! If you haven't looked hop over to Friday Fascinations -Olympics Linky Party and Slow Cooker Moroccan Beef Stew. I love seeing all the projects! And it was especially fun seeing what everyone did for the olympics. I have never been a huge fan of the olympics but these projects make me wish it was coming again soon because they look like so much fun! There are also lots of other great olympics projects I have found on my Olympics Pinterest Board. If you didn't get in on last week's linky party then come over and join up this week's party. It is an everything party so anything goes. Link up anything that you have been working on or thinking about! Friday Fascinations 3 and Vacation on A Budget

For those who are featured get yourself a button!

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Features:

Creative Playhouse linked up her Show Jumping Play inspired by Olympic Horse Show Jumping. She did a project with duplo horses and then set up a jumping course for her son to enjoy in the backyard. It looks like a lot of fun! I love this picture of her son jumping one of the hurdles!

PlayDrMom linked up a post with several activities that her family did for the Olympics. I love the Opening Ceremony Bingo and the Olympic inspired craft! The books and Wii game are good ideas too.

Se7en linked up Serious Tea Party Olympics. I love the fact that she has enough kids to make 2 teams just in her own family. And it looks like they had so much fun with all of these games. So many great games to play go try them out!

The Educators Spin On It linked up Olympic Fun with Cups. They used the Olympic themed McDonalds cups and accessories to make all sorts of Olympic games and activities. This is such an awesome upcycle of things that normally just clog the land fill!

So what are you waiting for? Go on over and check them out! And don't forget to come back and link up your projects!

Blast from the Past 2 - Nothing to Say

This series consists of notes that I wrote on facebook in the past. Enjoy reading my thoughts during my college years. Please comment but please be nice! Also please feel free to check out my other Blast from the Past Posts.


From October 2006


Nothing to Say

I'm bored so I am going to write a note.

There are about a million things that I could be doing, or should be doing right now but that is beside the point so I am not going to think about it.

I want to get on here and write a totally awesome and inspiring note like some people do all the time, but this appears impossible since I can not think of much to say.

Which reminds me of Mainstream of Civilization. Every other class period we have forced discussions. They are forced because we are graded on them, on how much we say and whether it has anything to do with the class. I do not like this because I do not have anything to say in that class. I have finally figured out why I have no problems talking in Communications and I do in Mainstream. It is because I have nothing to say! I am not interested in the subject matter, it does not really affect me at all, so I have no reason to discuss it. Yes I can learn the facts and they will be integrated into my brain, but still knowing them does not affect me.
In Communications we learn stuff that is interesting to me, and more than that is actually applicable to my life. I enjoy throwing my comments in during this class. I see the way that subject directly relates to my life and I have something to say about it.
I am not the type to say something when I have nothing to say, unless I am trying to be polite. If I have something to say I will say it, if not I won't. A lot of times I don't have something to say so I do not say anything.
This has gotten me labeled as shy over the years, so much so that I actually began to believe it. Wow, I have come to a major revelation on facebook. I am not shy! I just don't have anything to say. So there all you people who told me that I was shy, I have now found the truth.

Well I guess I did have something to say. I don't guess that it is awesome or inspiring, but it is pretty cool to me.



Linked Up To:
Cornerstone Confessions, Claiming Our Space, Frugal Girls, Blissful and Domestic,  A Pinch of Joy, Serendipity and Spice,

Friday Fascinations 3 - Everything Linky Party - How to do a vacation on a budget

This week we are going to do an everything linky party. You can link yup anything that you have been working on, thinking about, writing about, whatever. Literally any post of yours that you would like to share with my readers link it up!

We are going on vacation this weekend, baby free! We are going to miss Little Man a lot (he will be staying with my parents) but we are really excited about the chance to get away, relax and reconnect to just us! I am really looking forward to the hot tub! I haven't been able to properly enjoy a hot tub for a while. The last time we stayed at a hotel Little Man was 4 mo old and we didn't want to keep him in the pool room with all that chlorine for long so we only swam about 10 minutes each night. The one before that I was pregnant and of course hot tubs are out then. I am really looking forward to it! We are also looking forward to the chance to sightsee and do vacation without working around a nap schedule! I am still nursing and need to keep my supply up so I will be pumping every four hours, but it shouldn't be as interruptive (I think I just made up that word :) as working around a baby :).

We are hoping to go on a bigger vacation sometime next year (hopefully to Florida) so we are saving up for that, so I didn't want to use too much of our vacation budget this weekend, but we really need a vacation and some time for ourselves. So we are doing this vacation on somewhat of a budget (well actually everything we do is on a budget, but you know what I mean :). So here ate a few of my tips for doing vacation on a budget.

1.  Decide where you are going. Pick a place that you know there will be things to do, if you can find a place with lots of free places to go that is great for your budget! Also when you know where you want to go it is easier to find a great deal. It is easier to do research for one area than just a great deal.
2. Find a good deal on the hotel. There are a couple ways to do this. Decide what type of accomodations you would like for your vacation. We love bed and breakfasts, hotels, condos, etc. Sometimes I specifically want to stay in a bed and breakfast so I look specifically for b&bs in the area. Bed and Breakfast .com is a good resource. If you are staying for a while then it is nice to have a kitchen available to you so staying in a condo or rented house is nice. VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) is great for those. For this weekend away we just wanted a short weekend so we decided to do a hotel. Priceline is a great resource for hotels because you can actually bid on hotels so it can fit into your budget. I pricelined this vacation and was actually get 2 nights at a 3.5 star hotel for under $100 including taxes! Now you cannot always get that exact deal but if you are willing to be flexible on exactly where you stay and possibly when you stay you can get a great deal! (Just keep trying, you will get rejected a couple times, just keep entering different things and eventually you will get approved) I have gotten several vacations for $40-$70 per night. (This is not sponsored, I just love these sites :)
3. Take your own food. If we are going for a week we usually take food for lunch (and breakfast if it is not included) and eat out for suppers (although you can take food for supper too, if you need to). We have an eating out spot in our budget so this area technically does not fall under the vacation budget so this weekend we are taking food for breakfast and snacks and eating out for lunch and supper (we would have taken food for lunches but we didn't want to take a cooler and we are going to IKEA one of the days (yes one of the reasons we picked this vacation spot is because we want to go to IKEA and Trader Joe, we haven't been to either and we want to) and we heard that we had to eat there because they have good food. We are taking a cooler for leftovers and we may eat some of them for lunch if we have any)
4. Decide whether you are going to drive or fly and find a good deal on it. If you are driving you can see if you can take advantage of any money off gas deals. For instance Walmart offers 10 cents off per gallon if you use one of their gift cards at a gas station associated with walmart. If you are flying make sure you find a good deal on it. There are tons of sites that offer good deals on flights including priceline above, so I am not going to list them all, just google it :). One airline that offers cheap flights that doesn't advertise on discount vacation sites is Southwest. They run only in the United States so if you are flying domestically see if you can get a better deal there. 

Linky Party

The rules:

•  For this party you may link up anything that you have been working on - crafts, recipes, random musings, etc. I do not mind links to giveaways or parties as long as you state that it is a giveaway or party in the title. Link up whatever you want just please be honest in the title. I am planning to do some themed linky parties in the future, but this one is a free for all!
• Please follow me in some way. If you absolutely hate my blog then of course don't follow it, but if you hate it should you really be linking up? (I leave that for you to answer :) There are several ways to follow me offered on the right sidebar.
• Link up directly to the post, not your home page.
• By linking up you are giving me permission to feature your post including but not limited to pictures and quotes from your post, and also to feature your post in my various social media outlets.
• This is a family friendly, christian blog. I reserve the right to remove a link to any content that I find offensive or not compatible with this blog, with or without notice.
• Please add a backlink or my button to your blog or post somewhere. You can find my buttons on the left sidebar.
• Please check out some of the other links and leave some love in some way (comment, pin, follow, etc.)

Linked Up To:
Cornerstone Confessions, Claiming Our Space, Frugal Girls, Blissful and Domestic,  A Pinch of Joy, Serendipity and Spice,

Blast from the Past 1 - Love Story

When I was in college I wrote quite a few notes on facebook. Some of them were good, and some of them were not as good, but they were my thoughts. I thought it would be fun to publish them here for my readers to enjoy. It will give you a little more insight into me and my background. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoy the blasts from the past!


From October 2006

Love Story

I do not like facebook I had this all written out to comment on someone's post and when I sent it, it told me that it was too long and I would have to revise it. I went back to do just that and it was gone. Now I had to type it all up again, and it is not the same and it is not as good so you will have to bear with it because I cannot remember exactly what I said. This is the basic idea:

I think that all of us are meant to have a love story. God has planned a wonderful love story for each of us, maybe it won't be perfect, but it will be good. The problem that comes in is not the plan, its not what is "meant to be", its us. People tend to rush love.
We want to have a boyfriend (or girlfriend) in highschool. We have to meet the 'perfect' person in college, if we haven't already met them. What we don't do is wait for God. I think that God will bring the right person into our lives when the time is right, and not before. (Notice that I did not say perfect person, I said right person, no one is perfect). God alone decides when the time is right, and we have no way of knowing when that is. Don't think that it isn't ever going to happen to you, just think that it hasn't happened yet. Do you know who made up romance? God did. He has the right person, and story, in mind for you.


Linked Up To:
Cornerstone Confessions, Claiming Our Space, Frugal Girls, Blissful and Domestic,  A Pinch of Joy, Serendipity and Spice,

Friday Fascinations 2 - Olympics Linky Party - Slow Cooker Moroccan Beef Stew

Thank you to everyone who linked up to My First Linky Party! There was a lot of great posts linked up. You can find some of them at My First Linky Party Features.

This week I thought it would be fun to see all the projects that people did for the Olympics. Kind of an Olympics recap party.

My husband is a huge Olympics fan. I am not so much a fan. I don't like sports at all (Mr. Random doesn't usually like sports either but the Olympics is the exception for him) We like to enjoy things together as much as possible so I planned to contribute to the Olympic celebration in my way. I had planned to make meals from different countries several times throughout the Olympics times. I even made a special Olympics board on Pinterest for this project. As it turned out I didn't have time to make as much as I wanted to. There was one recipe that to me was my Olympics recipe. I knew that I had to  make it at some point during the Olympics. That recipe was Slow Cooker Moroccan Beef Stew. I don't know why this recipe stood out to me so much, but it did so I did end up making it. I had decided that I did not want to spend a lot of money on special spices that I would never use again. This recipe called for two spices I didn't have and am pretty sure I have no need of, garam masala and yellow curry powder. So I got on google and did some research. I found a recipe substitute for garam masala and one for curry powder (couldn't find yellow curry powder) and I improvised from there.

Slow Cooker Moroccan Beef Stew

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs of beef, cut in cubes (I used what I had in the freezer)
Olive Oil
1-2 c carrots chopped
The original recipe called for onions, I didn't use any because I can't stand onions
Garlic, turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, chili powder, ground pepper, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg (Sorry, I don't have exact measurements for any of these. I just sprinkled on a generous portion of each of , I used a double portion of cumin and coriander because they were in both spice recipes)
1 can tomato paste
Enough water to fill the crockpot
1 can chick peas (drained and rinsed)
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c chopped dried apricots
1/4 c slivered almonds (toast in oven for 3-5 minutes)
Cilantro leaves if you have them (garnish)


Directions:
The night before, or the morning before saute beef over medium heat in olive oil. Cook thoroghly then remove from pan.
Add carrots and garlic (and onions if using). Saute. Add spices and tomato paste. Stir to combine.
Add beef, carrot mixture, and water to slow cooker.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Stir in chick peas, raisins, and apricots. Cook for 1 more hour.
Toast almonds in oven. Serve with rice. Sprinkle almonds and cilantro on top.


Verdict:
It was ok. Not the greatest thing ever. To be honest even with all those spices it was a little bland. Definitely needed some salt. I accidentally cooked the fruit way too long so it got really mushy, i don't know if that part would have been any better. The meat was not bad with salt, rice, and the toasted almonds (they actually did add a lot to the dish). The carrots had a slightly weird flavor and the broth was plain. It smelled better than it tasted. Bottom line, I probably won't make this again, but if I do I would add a lot of salt and make sure not to overcook the fruit. It was worth a try and we did end up eating all the meat, but probably won't happen again.

What did you make for the Olympics? Did it turn out good?



Olympics Linky Party

The rules:

•  Posts can include anything to do with the Olympics from a craft you did to thoughts on Olympic athletes to recipes. The recipes can be specifically Olympics or just recipes from other countries. If you associate it with the Olympics link it up. Once again I am fine with linking up linky parties and advertising/giveaways as long as it is Olympics related and you identify it as what it is when linking it up.
• Please follow me in some way. If you absolutely hate my blog then of course don't follow it, but if you hate it should you really be linking up? (I leave that for you to answer :) There are several ways to follow me offered on the right sidebar.
• Link up directly to the post, not your home page.
• By linking up you are giving me permission to feature your post including but not limited to pictures and quotes from your post, and also to feature your post in my various social media outlets.
• This is a family friendly, christian blog. I reserve the right to remove a link to any content that I find offensive or not compatible with this blog, with or without notice.
• Please add a backlink or my button to your blog or post somewhere. You can find my buttons on the left sidebar.
• Please check out some of the other links and leave some love in some way (comment, pin, follow, etc.)

Linked Up To:
Cornerstone Confessions, Claiming Our Space, Frugal Girls, Blissful and Domestic,  A Pinch of Joy, Addicted to Recipes, My Favorite Finds,

My First Linky Party Features

Thank you to everyone who linked up to My First Linky Party! All of the posts that were linked up were absolutely wonderful. I wish that I could feature each and every one of them, but that would kind of defeat the purpose :). Enjoy this glimpse of the great projects submitted, and hop over to the party to see the rest. Come back Friday for more linky fun!

For those who are featured get yourself a button!

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Most Viewed

There was a tie for most viewed from this party.

Serenity You submitted this post about a Zoo Themed Week with her kids. She has some great ideas that look like a ton of fun!

My DIY Towel Cake Tutorial was the other most viewed post. This towel cake was made for my sister's bridal shower and it was a big hit!

Personal Favorites


Our Cultivated Life submitted a post giving some great Frugal Date Nights at Home. This post is great for anyone who needs a date night but can't afford to go out.

Adventures of a DIY Mom submitted a Homemade Oreo Recipe that looks scrumptious! To me it looks like a cross between Oatmeal Creme Pies (if they were chocolate) and Oreo Cakesters (yum!). I need to try these.

What were your favorite links?

Paper Fun! (#goastrobrights)

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Astrobrights Papers by Neenah Paper for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I got the offer to write about Astrobrights Paper I went to their facebook page Astrobrights on Facebook to check out their  "Give a Brighter Year" sweepstakes because that's what they wanted me to write about. I immediately signed up for the sweepstakes because who wouldn't love to get $30,000 for their local school and $500 dollars for themselves? It was easy to enter, just a basic entry form. Just go to their "Give a Brighter Year" sweepstakes page, like them, and fill out the form to enter the drawing. If I win I know my local school will benefit from great supplies to use for their projects and I will benefit too!

After entering the sweepstakes I clicked over to the Make Something Bright to see what that was about. I found out that it is a contest where you enter your projects made out of paper and the prizes are $100, $200, $300, and $400 depending on what category you are entering. The $100 category is already closed. The $200 category is currently open and the project is to make a flower out of paper. The $300 category starts on August 13 and the project is to make something fun out of paper. The $400 contest starts August 27 and the project is to express yourself in some way using astrobright paper.
Looking at these contests really inspired me to get creative and make things out of paper. I decided that for sure I am entering the $200 and $300 categories. So I did some research and found some great ideas for paper flowers and paper toys. You can visit my Crafts Worth Making pinterest board to see some of my inspiration. I ended up making 4 things, 3 paper flower creations and 1 fun creation and it was so much fun!

   I call this one Bright Cherry Blossoms 

This one is my Sunburst Flower

 

Here are my Stained Glass Flowers

And here are my Dino Buddies

So those are my Make Something Bright Projects. I had so much fun making them! I will probably post tutorials for them soon. What are you going to make?

 


Linked Up To:
A Pinch of Joy, While He Was Napping, Claiming our Space, Cornerstone Confessions, Frugal Girls, Blissful and Domestic, 

The Search for the Perfect Shoes

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Famous Footwear for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Have you ever been on the lookout for the perfect pair of shoes? You look and look and just can't find them.
I was on one of these hunts a couple weeks ago. I was looking for shoes for my sister's wedding. She wanted the bridesmaids to wear shoes that were sandal like (i.e. not closed toed) and black. She didn't care if they were flats or high-heeled. After taking a look at what I had and what was available in a few stores I decided that I didn't really want to buy another pair of open toed shoes. I had a couple pairs of shoes that would fit what my sister wanted me to wear for the wedding. The only reason I was thinking about buying shoes was because none of the pairs I owned were comfortable enough to wear the whole afternoon and evening and walk comfortably the next day. I checked with my sister and she said that she didn't care what I wore to the reception as long as the shoes for the wedding fit her parameters. So I decided that if I was going to invest in a new pair of shoes I would like to get some comfortable closed toed flats for the reception.
What I would really have loved to get is a pair of really good ballroom dancing shoes (yes there is such a thing, they are sold at the same types of stores that carry ballet and other dance shoes) but those are pretty expensive and a little out of my budget right now (it was stretched a little thin by the shower and dress and such) so I couln't get those. I looked at a couple stores but didn't quite find what I wanted. I found one pair that I loved and actually bought. I decided to give them a try by wearing them as I walked around walmart shopping (and I looked pretty silly because I was wearing jean shorts and somewhat fancy shoes, but I wanted to give them a good try before the wedding). And it was a good thing that I did. It turned out that the shoes were just a little too wide for my feet and my hips were swiveling in an odd way to keep the shoes on my feet. This was not something I would have noticed in a short walk around a shoe store, but I definitely noticed it walking around walmart so I knew I was going to return them (I definitely recommend this test for anyone who wants to know if new shoes are right for them). The wedding was just a few days away so unfortunately I didn't have time to shop for any other shoes (I didn't even have time to look at walmart because Little Man was on the verge of a meltdown). I had a pair of black dress sandals that were too clunky for the wedding, but since they were the most comfortable shoes that I had available to me I ended up wearing them for the reception. It turned out ok and my feet didn't die but they were definitely not the perfect shoes.
I still haven't found the perfect shoes (although to be honest I haven't really looked again because I haven't needed them again yet) but I did get contacted by Famous Footwear wanting me to let my readers know about their great products,service, and back to school sale. From my perusal of the website there are definitely several pairs that I would have been interested in trying on, like these ones:

I am extremely picky about shoes. I can't wear any heels that are too tall, they have to be comfortable, I only get basic colors because I won't pay for shoes I'll wear only once, etc. But if I hadn't been looking for flats these shoes would definitely be ones I'd have been interested in.

I also have been thinking about buying new athletic shoes and they have some that are definitely interesting. I have been wanting to try sketchers shape ups, I have heard that they are great for bad backs. Famous Footwear has them and they are even on sale right now! They also have some athletic shoes that are cute enough that i wouldn't mind waering them regularly. Here they are:

They also have styles for men and children :)

In addition to some really awesome looking shoes famous footwear also advertises that their stores are really easy to shop at. They say that they made their stores to be not overwhelming to shop at because they respect their customer's time. I haven't been in the store but I have browsed the website a bit and it is very easy to navigate. Also if you find a pair you want to try on you can buy them and have them sent to your local store with free shipping. They also have a great rewards program. You earn points for the money you spend and you can redem these points for gift certificates.
Also they are running two great sales right now! The first is a BOGO sale (Buy 1 pair of shoes get a second pair 1/2 off). The second is a  coupon for 15% off or 20% off if you are a rewards member (it is free to sign up, why not go ahead and get 20% off?). You can print that coupon here - BOGO + 15% off Famous Footwear Coupon. This sale is to help with back to school shopping. I remember when I was in school we generally needed a new pair of sneakers every year and sometimes a new pair of nicer shoes as well. If your kids are needing new shoes this sale could definitely help you out in your shoe search. This coupon is only good through August 18th so get on over there soon if you want it.

 

Linked Up To:
A Pinch of Joy, While He Was Napping,  Cornerstone Confessions, Claiming Our Space, Frugal Girls, Blissful and Domestic,