This one ranks up there with Rice Krispie treats girls. Delicious and Oh So Easy.

Let’s do it.

Buy:

Pour applesauce into a bowl.  Cup or so.

Decide how many red hots to mix in. 1/4 cup seems right for my taste (I mean the kids.)  Play with it and see what you like.

Toss the red hots into the applesauce…

Microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.  The idea here is to melt the candies. 

Stir.  Stir.  Stir.

Stir until the candies have melted.  Your depth of color of applesauce will be determined by how many red hots you mix in. 

Add toast.  Leave the wheat in the drawer today.  White bread goes best…opinion.

Enjoy!!!  No, it’s not hot (spice).  It’s warm and sweet just like a hug from MaMa.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Amy Adams gets to hang out with Miss Piggy!!!

Yes, I’m jealous.  Of Amy. 

Miss Piggy and I go way back.  Like way back to when I was 9 years old and collected all things from that sassy piggy.  Pajama’s, books, jewelry, puzzles, cards…I still have a napkin (unused) from my Miss Piggy party.

But Amy got to be up close and on screen with that little chunk of fun…jealous! 

Here’s a thought…I once hung out with Amy Adams so thereby I am connected.  Connected to Amy Adams, Miss Piggy and The Muppet Movie.   Ahhh-this is the life!

I’ve completely bared my soul and shared with you what I collected as a kid.  It’s your turn!

Sorry, I couldn’t resist.  Let me clarify…

When you are at the grocery store choosing your ears of corn, do you shuck the corn so you can see what’s inside…you know…if its a good ear or not?

I’m asking for 2 reasons:

1. On three ocassions over the past weeks I have seen others doing this. I never thought to do it.

One gal had a sea of husks at her feet.

The thought hit me…Maybe I have been doing it backwards???

2. I really need to find out if the response portion of my blog is working and I’ll only know if someone out there responds to this post.

I’m dying to know, Do you shuck?

Laundry especially REALLY stinks.

This is laundry.  A lot of it.  It’s not mine.  I neither know who’s it is nor where the picture came from.

Chances are…you may have your own  laundry pile.   Life gets busy and laundry doesn’t relent.

I am going to assume that the person that owns that laundry pile above had to give in and tackle it at some point…someone needed a uniform or some other unmentionable.

If it were my laundry and I had to fold all of that, I would have flipped on Oprah.  If it were my laundry and I were folding all of it and Oprah could see through the TV, Oprah would have flipped…and possibly said to me…”What were you thinking, Letting it get to this point?”

But I don’t have to worry about judgement, remember, Not my laundry.

I’m also going to assume that the person tasked with the chore, wished it wasn’t such a chore.

I would guess that it took an hour to fold ALL of that pile and that at 30 minutes, a  dear husband probably walked by with an arched eyebrow and said,

“What are you doing?”

To which the wife may have leered at him and then sweetly said,

“Folding laundry, Why don’t you join in, honey.”

To which he may have replied,

“I’ll be right back honey, I’m going to take out the trash.”

Touche!

And finally, I will assume that the person tasked with the job wished there were something that could make the chore a little more enjoyable.

And then something wonderful happens, I receive a bag of Baby Bee Buttermilk laundry detergent from The Peaceful Housewife.

My olfactory senses have died and gone to heaven.

And it’s at this point that I have an admission.

I admit that the laundry above belongs to me. (And the dear husband.)

Full disclosure because I WANT to do my laundry with this amazing scent.

I don’t know why I never thought about laundry detergent smelling good.  (I also don’t know why I have SO much laundry.  I digress.)

By good I mean not the warehouse size 40 gallons of detergent smell.  I mean smell good like it takes me away to another place good.  Which is good.  Because when I have THAT much laundry… (i.e. every week)…I need something to take me away.

And Calgon cannot help with my laundry issues.

Take a look at some of the scents that can take you and me away that we can wash our clothes in:

Birthday Cake- You’ve never smelled a butter cream cupcake fragrance like this one!  This wonderful fragrance begins with top notes of churned whipped butter, blonde sugar cane; followed by middle notes of Madagascar vanilla and maple; well-rounded with a dry base note of vanilla extract.  Beware to all dieters, this one will make you very hungry!

Butt Naked – A tantalizing base note medley of granny smith apples and honeydew melon, middle notes of strawberries and pears, with hints of spice.

Coconut Lime Verbena - Very fresh! A citrus bouquet of lime, kumquat, grapefruit, lemon, with a soft floral undertone of jasmine, on a background of musk and sandalwood.

Lavender Vanilla - This calming combination will help all of the chaos and stress of your day fade away.

Pink Sugar - A fruity blend of cotton candy, lemon drops, caramel and raspberry jam on a dry down of musks.

Sun Ripened Fruit - Fruit salad of orange, strawberry, apple and grapes; sprinkled with shaved coconut.

The Peaceful Housewife sells handmade, natural, eco-friendly household cleaning products, such as laundry soap, hand and dish soap and spray cleaners.  All of their products are custom made for you in using high-quality ingredients.

Other than laundry deteregent, they have a full line of products that include diaper pail freshener, room & linen spray…foaming hand soap (I recommend Pink Sugar), scouring powder, furniture and wood polish, multipurpose cleaning spray and glass cleaner. All are available with custom scents except those last 2 which are already formulated perfectly for your use.

It would make me feel so much better if you made any admission of your own.  Laundry.  What is the worst part for you?  Washing? Folding? Putting it away?  What scent would take you away to another place?

The Peaceful Housewife is giving away one $20.00 gift credit to one of my Blog readers.  All ya gotta do to be entered is to comment on your laundry woes and/or what scent you need to make the chore a better experience.

*In no way is this give away sponsored by FB.

When it is challenging enough to do all that laundry, shop for the meals (clip the coupons), cook the meals, dishes, transport the kids to ballet, baseball and karate, homework, clean house, play dates, husband, friendships, hobbies and we should throw in exercise too…

When in the world do these women have time to lanch a product into the marketplace?

How do they do it?

After having children, I became in awe of women.  All that we are, all that we encompass, all that we do.  Adding children to one’s life is an incredible honor, gift and increase in laundry.  Women are born with the innate talent of  multitasking and generally bob and weave as necessary to accommodate the changes and challenges of an ever growing family.

Inventors take multitasking to the next degree.  Inventing a product and building a company is no easy task.  It takes time and energy.  ENERGY.

How can it be done?

What does it take?

What are the highs?

The lows?

A group of these women have begun documenting their journey.

The Real Women Inventor's of America

They are moms, they are business women.  They create products out of self need.  The kind of items that may make your life easier.  They take on challenge.  They learn what they don’t know.  They work hard.  They get frustrated.  They have set backs.  They are passionate.  They celebrate success.  They have tenacity.  They support one another and cheer each other on.
They are me and they are you.

They inspire.  I remain in awe.

Have a look yourself.  They are in the beginning stage of this documentary, won’t you tune in and support them from the beginning?

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Djn5tW7NMOqU&h=3e37b

The Real Women Inventor’s of America.

Do you LOVE Harvey purses?

Harvey101 for those in need.  Automotive grade seat belts that are Oh So Durable and fade resistant are used to make a handbag that is guaranteed tough.  Pretty cool.  (www.seatbeltbags.com if your curiosity is well, curious.)

Back to Barbie – The All Dolled Up Tote by Harvey is a really FUN bag and the most delicious shade of pink.

Harveys® The Original Seatbelt Bag

Medium-size tote made of woven pink seatbelts printed with dozens of vintage 1959 Barbie™ dolls. Folded hot pink seatbelt straps and contrast trim around rim of bag. Zipper closure with detachable Barbie™ charm dangle.

If you have to have one, you can find it for $100+ at: 

http://www.barbiecollector.com/shop/accessory/all-dolled-medium-tote

Ken, Are you really 50 sweetie?

When I came across the new “Sweet Rooms” at the Maison Moschino in Milan Italy, I felt compelled to post these pictures.  I was there last week.  No, I wasn’t there last week.  I was so not there last week, only in fantasy land.  I borrowed these off their sight just in case you are too busy to venture to Milan next week to check it out.

This is what awaits you on the bed.  I’m entranced.

 And this is what you see when you look up to the heavens.  I’m dizzy with delight.

The Italian fashion designer Moschino created the fantasy-like hotel and created 3 rooms with a dessert theme. 

Thank you Moschino.

I won my first prize ever playing that game.  I’ll never forget that doll.  She had hot pink hair that…are you ready…smelled like COTTON CANDY!!!  I will forever be obsessed! 

I want this machine for no other good reason than to make cotton candy so I can remember the smell of my prized favorite doll.  (Okay, there’s the small chance that I would eat some too…)

I Like Book

http://www.theilikebook.com/

The I Like Book is simple.  Like it should be. 

I can manage it. 

I can fit it in.

Let’s face it, with 32 million things to do in a day, it’s no surprise that the most precious of moments can pass by in a blink. 

 I’ve been meaning to do something like this since my son was born 6 years ago…it’s not too late…for you either.

I used to think, I should write this or that down.  Or, that was so sweet, I want to remember it forever and suddenly I’m on the go again and that charming moment has eluded me.

I came across the I Like Book and marveled at how simple it is and how PROFOUND. 

You record what you like, they record what they like…

Here’s an example of what touched me today that I forever want to hold onto and is going into my daughter’s book.

Daughter-I like the way your high heels clicked and pattered across the kitchen floor as I did the dishes this morning.

It’s simple right? 

But so much more.  It has rapidly become the way I needed to record history in  “a tiny piece at a time” format.   I LOVE the way it provides a documentation of positive reinforcement to my child’s behavior.  

I adore the “Why?”  The kids ask, “Why do you like that Mom?”

                                      Hello dialogue. 

Now I’m explaining why I love the sound of the clickety clack of those high heels…

1.  I like how cute you are dressed in a tutu, crown and sweatpants all different colors of the rainbow with your right shoe on your left foot and your left shoe on your right foot.  I like your style.

2.  I like the way you dress yourself, your independence inspires me.

3.  I like the way you carry yourself, it makes me imagine your future and what wonderful career you will have.

4. I like the pure joy and fun that you are having when you clack around, it makes doing the dishes enjoyable.  I like being part of this family.

I double love the insight it gives me into what makes my kids happy. 

Sometimes one thinks they know…and sometimes I realize how little I know but how articulate they are in telling me. 

Listening is a pleasure. 

Having a record of these interactions with one another leaves me giddy.

I too am lost in the thought that some day, my daughter or son may sit and leaf through that book that over the ages will contain the contents of my heart.

Clutch.

Was I the last to know about these amazing little pink stain-busting sponges???

Let me build the picture…

You-going out and you took a lot of time to get ready-YOU LOOK HOT!  Not your everyday legs not shaved, hair on day 4, sneakers and sweatshirt running the kids on 13,000 errands hot, but took the time to do it all at once-HOT!

You put on your (fancy) clothes and darn it, you got deodarant smudges on the only thing that you wanted or envisioned yourself wearing for precious time out. 

You are now in a funk because you just added water marks on top of the deodarant marks and there is white fuzz there too from rubbing with the towel… 

You may as well cancel your plans…OKAY…Not Really…but you can grab for Gal Pals.  These pink foam pads erase that nasty white deodarant from almost any fabric (not silk) with just a few quick swipes.  Brilliant.

Go have fun girl…You look HOT!

$10.00 

http://www.gal-pal.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=2

Clutch-Ching!