Potatoes With Bacon & Cheese

Mmmm! Mmmm! I just have to share this with you. One of the best potato recipes I've ever tasted!

Ingredients:

4 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pcs
1 onion, chopped
2 lb potatoes, thinly sliced
1 cupKraft Shredded Cheddar Cheese
6 tbsp of sour cream

Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet on medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon, reserving 3 tbsp drippings in skillet.
Drain bacon on paper towels. Add onions to skillet; cook and stir 5 min. Stir in potatoes; cover. Cook on medium-low heat 20 to 25 mins., or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
Top with cheese and bacon; cook, covered, 1 to 2 min, or until cheese is melted.
Serve topped with sour cream.

Again, another great tasting recipe from Kraftfoods. Yum! Yum! :)

Photo from Kraftfoods

Getting Through College

My manager's eldest daughter goes to college and works with us at the same time. The salary she gets helps a lot with her every day expenses, and most especially with her education costs. Getting into college means you need to be financially capable. Either you have the money to get through it, or you have the resources. As much as possible, you would want to consider the financial resources available around you, and that basically include student loans. If you're a scholar, then college education won't be a big problem. If you're scouting for scholarships, you can utilize the search engine that NextStudent provides in its site. Simply click on Start your Scholarship Search" and they will look from almost 70,000 college funding sources that match your credentials. If your grants, or scholarships are not sufficient to pay for all your college expenses, you can always apply for a private student loan that would cover your tuition, books, boarding, etc.

NextStudent provides private student loans, federal student loans and student loan consolidation. They cover your college costs completely. Applying for one is easy, no deadlines or whatsoever, and it's absolutely FREE. And as soon as you graduate from college, you are entitled to a Borrower's Reward wherein they will take off $300 from your loan amount. This definitely sounds like a great offer. My boss's daughter would surely be happy to hear about this.

A Love Theory

I have a new, nice friend and her name is Myang aka onlinemommy. Thanks a lot, sweet Myang for this tag! Very enlightening! :)

Why should the wedding ring be worn on the fourth finger? There is a beautiful and convincing explanation given by the Chinese.....

* Thumb represents your Parents.
* Second (Index) finger represents your Siblings.
* Middle finger represents your-Self.
* Fourth (Ring) finger represents your Life Partner. & the . . .
* Last (Little) finger represents your children

Firstly, open your palms (face to face), bend the middle fingers and hold them together - back to back.
Secondly, open and hold the remaining three fingers and the thumb - tip to tip. (As shown in the figure below):
Now, try to separate your thumbs (representing the parents)..., they will open, because your parents are not destined to live with you lifelong, and have to leave you sooner or later. Please join your thumbs as before and separate your Index fingers (representing siblings)...., they will also open, because your brothers and sisters will have their own families and will have to lead their own separate lives.

Now join the Index fingers and separate your Little fingers (representing your children)...., they will open too, because the children also will get married and settle down on their own some day. Finally, join your Little fingers, and try to separate your Ring fingers (representing your spouse). You will be surprised to see that you just CANNOT..... because Husband & Wife have to remain together all their lives - through thick and thin!

Water View

This is the type of property my husband and I would love to get. The main reason is that it has a spectacular water view! My husband was born and raised in an island. He once told me that when the time comes that we have to retire, we would definitely choose to live in a house fronting the ocean or river. We see ourselves sitting in the deck, watching the seagulls fly, ducks floating, otters swimming and climbing on top of rocks while we sip our coffee and be mesmerized by the beauty of the sight.

Bushari Group Real Estate is well known and respectable in its field and owns Boston Real Estate. The property above is featured in Boston Condos that is on sale right now. It has marble baths, stunning granite kitchen, huge open space, accessible gym, pool, etc. If you're looking for Boston Lofts, they have a site called Bostonian Lofts. They showcase Boston Luxury Lofts that are truly amazing to look and live at. With Elad Bushari, the owner of the Bushari Group, you are assured that your needs are professionally handled and well taken cared of. They are the experts in the field and everything is explained in detail when it comes to Real Estate in Boston.

Just Inside The House

A wintry weather! Snow time once again! It started with a light freezing rain. Then, snow started to fall this morning. Of course, that would mean staying inside the house for the rest of the day, or even weekend. With the weather situation like this, it would be dangerous to risk the roads. It is not advisable, and definitely not wise to hit the streets especially if you're driving with children. So, what do you do with a weather like this? For me and the kids, we play, read, try new recipes (oh yeah! ), and watch TV or videos.

Watching HD channels with Direct TV is a lot more enjoyable and exciting than you can imagine. Crystal clear sound, high quality video plus affordable rates and huge discounts... What more can you ask for? There are over 130 HD channels to choose from. There is FREE HD DVR Receiver upgrade which saves you close to $200.00! They also offer FREE 4 Room System and professional installation. With all the free stuff and discounts, you're saving up to almost $559. In these tough times, that's certainly something to consider. Go to Directtv.com and get your FREE quote now. Avail of the DirectTV amazing deal!

Fruity Cheesecake Parfait

For 3 years now, I have been receiving my free magazines from Kraftfoods. And, during these years, I never attempted to try any of their yummy-looking recipes, even once until last Tuesday. Because it looked simple and easy to do, plus we have plenty of fruits in the fridge, I decided to give this recipe a try. Oh, it was a hit in our house! I just made a few variations. I didn't have blueberries that day so I used raspberries, grapes, strawberries, and mango instead.



Prep Time: only 15 mins

Ingredients:

1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 pkg Jell-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 1/2 cups whipped topping, thawed
Vanilla wafers, coarsely chopped
strawberries- cut in half or quarters
raspberries
grapes
ripe mangoes- chopped into tiny bits

Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in milk.
Add dry pudding mix; mix well. Whisk 1 cup of whipped topping.
Layer half each of wafers, fruits and pudding mixture in clear glasses. Repeat layers.
Sprinkle mango bits on top.

Photo courtesy of Kraftfoods.com

Effective Bug Control

I can't wait for our roses to bloom this year! Last year, they bloomed so splendidly in our front yard making it the main attraction in our col-de-sac. Their rich, bright red color was so irresistible to look at. Towards the end of the season though, pests began destroying our rose plants. Leaves and flowers began to deform and wilt away. Some parts of the plants were slowly eaten by insects, turned yellow and died eventually. I had to take out the dead leaves painstakingly one by one. Caterpillars had been causing damage to the rose plants. That time, I could have used the available pesticide, but I chose not to due to my pregnancy. Apparently, I couldn't be exposed to harmful chemicals.

There is an awesome organic pest control called Safer Brand Bug Control. It is an organic bug patrol kills over 40 insects such as beetles, aphids, whiteflies, etc. Because of its safety and effectiveness, this is the kind that I would definitely use for our rose garden, and even to our trees at our back yard. I wish I had know this last year. Around that time, we also bought a Dogwood tree. Oh, how I love its pure white blooms! After just a few weeks, for some reason, it died. Safer Brand would have saved that tree.

Friendship Award

I feel so blessed to have wonderful friends in the blogosphere! I'm so glad and grateful to receive great awards like this. Thank you, Melissa, for the award and most of all, for the friendship. This is the second one from you, and I feel special! :)



“These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to those bloggers who must choose at least 5 more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”

I am passing this to all my fabulous blogger friends! You know who you are! *wink* :)

It's the Tomato Season!

I grew up eating vegetables. I remember my grandmother growing fruit and vegetables in her huge, beautiful garden. When I was little, I'd always enjoyed going to her place for she'd let me help her tend the garden, and pick some fresh veggies for our meal that day. Oh, visiting her was always a wonderful experience for me as a child! And when it's about to go home, my Mom and I would always have a basket full of fresh picks such as eggplants, squash, tomatoes, bitter gourds, etc. to take home with us. Nothing beats freshly picked vegetables!

I have always wanted to have my own veggie garden at our back yard. That's one of my dreams that have taken a backseat for a while since I have 2 little kids. Yesterday, I asked my husband how I could possibly grow tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, without the dogs destroying them. You know, we have two crazy dogs- a Chocolate Lab and a Jack Russell Terrier. Both love to chew whatever seems interesting to them. Of course, if I want plump, healthy tomatoes, I would also need an organic tomato growing kit. It comes with a great tool called Stake It Easy which helps support each branch that grows. It's the season for growing tomatoes and the OMRI listed organic Safer brand Tomato and Vegetable gardening kit is a must. I wouldn't want insects such beetles, aphids, or caterpillars crawling my plants and killing them. Because it doesn't have chemicals that are harmful, and which most brands normally have, Safer Brand is certainly the best choice for a pest-free yard.

Baby Evil Face

LOL! This is one of the funniest videos I've ever seen! Watch it! :)

Great Job, Noah!

He took off his diaper and said, "Mommy, poop?" So, we went to the bathroom and let Noah sit on his potty chair while I left to get his lil brother who was in the living room crying. When I was walking down the stairs, I heard a music. It's the sound from his potty chair! I was crossing my fingers and in my mind, I was hoping he had pooped for real, and not just played with his potty chair. After putting Kaiden in the crib, I hurriedly went to the bathroom to see if Noah did it. Oh yes he did! I was extremely pleased with him! He got kisses and praises from Mommy, and an Elmo sticker for doing a great job! :)

Freebies!

I got 2 issues of Parents magazines just a few days ago, and yesterday, I received one again! I haven't even been able to finish the first mag yet! Wow! Obviously, they're pretty generous in giving away their magazines. Love that! :) By the way, those are FREE. I didn't pay a penny, let alone for shipping and handling. I signed up for MySavings.com (love this site!) couple of months ago, which I learned through couponmom.com (one of my faves!). Each day, you'll receive an email for free stuff or free samples of different products. That's how I got my free subscription of Parents magazine. It's so fast and easy, and it's absolutely FREE! Right now, I'm waiting for the free coloring book for Noah. Hope to receive it in 2 weeks, or less. :)

By the way, I got my FREE POTTY TRAINING DVD from joining the site, too.

Family Friendly

For the past few weeks, I haven't been able to sit down and go over my coupons. I have tons of circulars to organize and put the dates on. What I usually do is categorize them by dates, and then when I need a particular coupon, I just search for it through the grocery coupon database online. It's easy that way. Besides, I discovered a store where prices are very reasonable. Most of their items are even cheaper than Walmart's. It's called ALDI's. I found one nearest our place through local.com and have been going there ever since.

Local.com is a local yellowpages. Actually, it offers more than what yellowpages can provide. You can do local search through this great site. If you are planning to dine-out and want to see the nearest local restaurants, you can do so by using the site. They give more than what you could possibly ask for. Customers can submit a review and give their rating for a specific restaurant based on their experience. Basically, you're getting a heads-up so you'd know what you're getting before you try the place. Occasionally, we go to Applebee's for dinner. This has a 4 star rating. I think it's a fair rating for a family friendly restaurant like Applebee's.

With Bangs

I have been wanting to have a haircut since last month. I always forget to call the place to set up an appointment. My hair has gotten too long and totally out of style. I have always worn bangs, and I guess I'd probably have it styled the same way again. I'm contemplating on having it dyed or colored as well. But, I haven't totally made up my mind on that yet for that could cause a drastic change on the way I look now.

My type of salon is Tony D's Hair Styling. It is a full service salon chalfont that provides total customer satisfaction. From your hair to your nails, and skilled massage therapists to pamper you, you will always go back to this place over and over again. This is the right place if you want a hair salon chalfont color. Other services include Up Do's, Bride Up, Child Cut, Perm, Manicure/Pedicure, Waxing/Skin Care, and my favorite, Therapeutic Massage. Right now, the hair salon chalfont gives a $10.00 discount to new customers. Call or email now for an appointment.

Best Mom Award

Thank you, Mommy Chris for this great award! This is probably the best award any Mom can get. I am so honored! Not perfect, but I try to be the best Mom I can to my 2 little boys. :)
Part of the rule is to display photos of yourself with your kids. So, here they are. :)

Mommy and Noah taken 2 years ago when he was only 4 months old

Mommy and Kaiden taken last year when he was 6 months old

Free Movies

Super WHY, Sesame Street, Mickey Mouse, Thomas and Friends, Veggie Tales ... These are some of the shows that Noah loves watching. On mornings when I don't have work, he would wait for Super WHY to come on TV which is around 8:00 in the morning. At 9:00 A.M, he likes to watch Elmo on Sesame Street. I barely watch adult shows except when American Idol or Dancing With the Stars is on. Usually when I'm by myself with the kids, the shows I watch are limited to educational kids' shows.

Watching TV would be more fun if there are more HD channels available, and FREE movies for months! That's what Direct TV offers. If you are a sports fan, Direct T V is your perfect bet. There's NFL Sunday Ticket, ESPN U, NBA TV, FOX Soccer, etc. They provide the complete list of Sports Channels around. Great! More and more customers are satisfied and happy with the Direct TV Options. My TV Options is a site where you can actually know which service provider fits your needs in your area. After typing in my zip code, I got Direct TV as the best provider.

But He Can Only Cry

Ears were fine. No ear infection. That's good and comforting to know. But still, baby Kaiden wakes up almost every hour at night. Definitely something is bothering him. He must really be in pain. The doctor said it could be because he's teething and there's one tooth about to come out. Actually, there's two! I mentioned to him that he arches his back and screams at times. It could also be because of "gas". He recommended giving him Tylenol and Mylicon before he goes to bed. If only I could know exactly what's wrong so I could ease your pain right away... but you can only cry to communicate. Poor lil guy :( Nevermind Mommy not getting enough sleep and look like a zombie (Thriller!), as long as you feel better and be able to finally sleep soundly at night.

The Blue Luggage

I know it may be too early, but we've already planned to spend our Christmas in California this year. We're going to Disneyland. In fact, it is part of our Christmas gift to ourselves as a family. I think I'm more excited than Noah is. lol! Noah would definitely enjoy this for he surely knows Mickey Mouse. In the morning, he would always ask me to turn on the TV to watch Mickey Mouse and Friends. Most of the time, he'd sing and dance the Hotdog song while baby Kaiden tries to catch up with his moves.

We would definitely need a luggage for this trip. My hubby does have luggage sets that he brings along each time he travels for work. Honestly, we're not planning to bring much. But, just enough for we have 2 little kids who are already a handful. Looking at the bag that we plan to take, I think we need to buy a new travel luggage. Because of constant use, it's already showing some wear and tear. I would prefer a wheeled luggage from Innovation. I'm glad it's on sale and shipping is FREE! It's a nice Expandable Suiter Trolley called Delsey Helium Fusion. I like its bright blue color making it noticeable and easy to find. We can put a lot more stuff in it for the bag itself is not heavy. It also has a lot of useful features that we can take advantage of.

"Mam-Ma"

I wasn't ready to get up yet. Kaiden was standing up in his crib ready for the day. He was babbling, making raspberry sounds, jumping up and down. I guess he was trying to get Mommy's attention. I was so exhausted for he had been waking up every hour or 2 during the entire night, wanting either to be held or fed. Or, maybe it's more than that, earache or something else. He must had done all his tricks to make me going except for one thing. He said "Mam-ma", Mam-ma". That certainly made me get up. Oh, it felt heavenly to hear him say those words for the first time. As soon as he uttered the magic words, I picked him up, and hugged him as tight as I could.

HD Radio-More New Stations

I have loved music all my life. Old songs bring back memories of my childhood or younger years. At home or in the car, I listen to local radio stations to perk me up. Love songs remind me of relationships and friendships formed, even the emotions that were once felt during those times. Songs of the past remind me of people I've met, events that happened in my life. Every time I hear the track "I'm So Excited" by The Pointer Sisters, I couldn't help but recall the dance contest my mother had me joined when I was 8 years old. I won that contest, but mainly because my grandmother was one of the judges. LOL! Soundtracks remind me of movies I've watched and loved over the years. Music plays a major part in almost everybody's life. And, wouldn't it be more exciting if the songs we listen to in the radio is crystal-clear like listening to a CD? Nothing beats the superior quality HD Digital Radio provides. With HD Radio, you don't need to worry about static reception, station fading or dropping off. There are even more new country music stations to choose from. Here in the Midwest, that would be an advantage for country songs are popular apparently. There are over 1,800 broadcating stations in total. Florida radio stations have 206 HD radio channels, and more coming soon. With HD, you can even do song tagging with this latest technology. If you like a song and would like to hear it over and over again, you can just tag or download it. To enjoy all these benefits, simply purchase an HD Radio receiver. A good one would be the Polk Audio I-sonic ES2. It has a player and recharger for all Ipod models such as Ipod Touch, Ipod Nano, Ipod Classic, etc. Reception is absolutely FREE. Remember there is no subscription, no monthly bills. Superior sound quality, latest songs, all for free!

Growing Up With E-heads

I wish I was there. Eraserheads just had their concert in the Philippines last March 7 at the SM Mall of Asia. If I was still in Pinas, I would have watched this along with my friends. They were my favorite band in the 90's. Every time my berks (friends) and I hang-out, we would play and sing their songs over and over again. Among the songs we loved were Huling El Bimbo, Toyang, Pare Ko, and Ligaya. I grew up with their music. So sad that when they entered the international scene, everything seemed to have fallen apart. In the said-to-be their last concert, they also paid tribute to the late Master Rapper, Francis M. who's a great artist himself. He was supposed to join the group in one of their songs that night, but apparently that didn't happen due to his death just the day before the concert.

Rusty Mailbox

I subscribed to this site where you could get free samples on different products of your choice. It could vary from make-up samples, magazine subscription, food products, baby stuff to toiletries, and a lot more. Each day, I look forward to checking our mailbox for these free stuff. The mailboxes here in our area are are pretty much the same. They are black, look ordinary and are getting a bit rusty.

I like the mail box I recently found at Mailboxixchange. It's called Whitehall Mailbox Ultimate Package in Bronze. It's beautifully crafted, durable and lightweight. Most of all, it's rust-free. With the rainy weather, I think this is a definite plus factor. Right now, it's on sale. You can actually save $90.05 if you avail of this today. They also offer FREE shipping for this type and several other mail boxes.

Francis M.

I knew he had leukemia before. But, I never thought that his death would be this soon. I used to watch him in the Philippines when he co-hosted Eat Bulaga with Michael V. and others. He's such a great talent and a good-looking face. I will always remember his popular rap songs, "Mga Kababayan Ko", and "Cold Summer Nights", one of my faves.

Boost Your Sales

When I was working for a pharmaceutical company before, we used to attend symposia or conferences mostly held in hotels. We would invite top-notch doctors to speak about our drugs, the benefits, etc. We would set-up our own display stands, hand-out brochures, etc. Other drug companies do the same.

There are different ways to promote your product thereby increasing your sales. Pull-up banners are a great way to capture people's attention. If you would like to hold an exhibition, roll up banners Autralia are an effective tool. If you're trying to sell a product in a mall or shopping center, these would be a good way to have your stuff noticed by the public. Another promotional strategy is through trade shows. Trade show displays Australia can help boost product sales. They attract attention with their stylish designs and intense visuals. Displays Direct uses digital technology to come up with great graphics that would surely entice a buyer's attention. They also have portable counters, outdoor flags, LCD stands, brochure stands, that you can choose from at affordable prices. Your preferences and your budget are important to them. Increase product awareness through Displays Direct. Boost your sales.

Freaky

Imagine entering a bathroom with a floor like this. I'd freak out. Good thing that this is just a painted floor. But still... My first reaction would be, I'd scream! Being an acrophobic myself won't help either. I don't think I can walk on a bathroom floor like this. Scary... hehe :)

Special Baby Gift

This morning I checked our mail and I was surprised to get a birth announcement from one of my husband's former players. His wife just gave birth to their first born, a beautiful baby boy. I was thinking of a nice gift that is unique and special. I thought of giving them a burp cloth set with his name embroidered on each of them. I've been looking online and I found one that seems easy to use and fun at the same time. Threadsmith.com makes embroidery quick, easy and enjoyable for everyone. You can do logo shirts using their wonderful designs, or you can create your own to make it more personal. The material they use is of high quality. They can create everything from polo shirts, t-shirts, sweaters, hats, and most of all baby items. For some reason, I couldn't come up with a good idea for the burp cloth. Great thing that they have a section called Get Ideas where I can choose a design or template for it. I can say the Mom will definitely love this beautiful gift.

Classmates

I recently joined Facebook and it was so nice to see my classmates and friends in highschool and college again. Most of them were married and have children, and some chose to remain single up to this time. It took a while for me to finally recognize some of the faces for their looks have truly changed. For the others, it seemed nothing has changed. They still looked the same. We got to exchange notes and even reminisced funny memories in highschool. It was fun!

Quality Shutters

It snowed last weekend. I wanted Noah and Kaiden to experience the snow and enjoy the outside even for a bit. Noah had fun walking, kicking the snow while Kaiden just observed and tried to feel it with his little fingers. We didn't stay out that long. It was pretty chilly, even inside the house. One advantage of having exterior shutters is that they help in controlling the temperature or climate inside the house. You can just open and close the shutters depending on the weather you're experiencing. Aside from that, they make the house look more stylish and attractive. Larson Shutter Company has a wide selection of high quality exterior shutters. They're known for durability and beauty. In fact, their product was even used in the popular show Extreme Makeover Home Edition in West Virginia. Right now, they have an ongoing sale on Placer Polymer Vinyl One Piece. Take advantage of the FREE shipping and the reasonable prices they offer. Buying online from them is safe and easy.

While waiting...

These were taken while waiting for our daycare to open. Kaiden was in a good mood for some picture taking. We waited for long that we decided to go home instead. An hour later, she called and told us that she overslept. Mmmm...

Going Organic

Apples, oranges, strawberries, bananas, grapes, cantaloupes... I stocked up on these fruits while on sale and I have my refrigerator full of them. Strawberries on sale for $1.29, and grapes for 89 cents per pound. Bananas were on sale for 39 cents per pound. I got 2 cantaloupes for only $3.00. Now, I don't have to worry about what to give my little ones for snack, or when they get hungry. As much as possible, I'd rather give them fruit or any healthy food instead of cookies, chips filled with sugar and fats for snack. This early on, I would want them to get into the habit of healthy eating. At the same time, it has been my dream to have a vegetable or fruit garden at my backyard. It's just not possible right now because of our dear dogs. But when that time comes, I would want my kids to plant and water the garden with me. Organic gardening is one thing that I've been considering. I've been awed by the benefits of organic gardening. Because of the absence of chemical pesticides, you are assured that the food you eat has higher vitamin and mineral content, and that it is more flavorful or intense. Organic gardening is better for the environment as well. Right now, I'm thinking of getting an organic rose care kit for the rose plants at our front yard.

Under Construction...YOUR BLOG NEEDED!

Sorry, my fabulous blogger friends. This blog is under construction. I'm still learning the ropes here, so I hope you'd bear with me.

For the meantime, you can leave your LINKS to be sure you're added to my blogroll. Again, sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you! :)