Easy "Gingerale" Tea

Hello readers! Happy Thursday!

Today, my tummy is not happy. I am in week two of my liver and gallbladder flush. If you are interested in doing it yourself, I will link the original here.  It works very, very well.

I have had gallbladder issues for the last five years. My doctor recommended getting my gallbladder taken out, but after doing some research, I decided that I wanted to take a more natural approach. It hasn't been an easy road --truly because I never made any lifestyle changes to go along with this decision. I would cleanse and then turn around and eat fast food the next week. That doesn't work. I had to hit a "rock bottom" before I realized that I was the problem.

That rock bottom was last month, when I was standing in the shower at 2:00 in the morning crying out to God to make the pain go away and begging my husband to take me to the hospital. That was a rough night. But, after the pain finally stopped, I decided that day that I was going to completely give up fast food and was going to start living a more healthy lifestyle. I had no idea that the health of your gallbladder and the liver had so much to do with your overall health, including fertility which has been an issue for us, your energy levels, even your allergies.

Last week, I did my first flush, and got rid of at least 100 stones of all sizes. Josh actually did it with me and he also got rid of a few small ones that we had no idea he even had. Today I have gotten rid of at least 200-300 stones, all small ones. The flush should be done until the stones are the size of sand, of course with some recover time in between. The more you do the flush the deeper into the gallbladder and liver you will cleanse. Since I have done it two weeks in a row, I am planning to give my body a couple weeks to rest before doing it again. My goal is to get my gallbladder and liver completely cleaned out and not let it get backed up again by eating healthy, exercising, and losing weight. It's going to take some work, but I am determined.

I really love this cleanse and definitely recommend it to anyone having issues with their gallbladder and liver.  I have felt awesome this week. I have had a lot more energy. I don't feel sick when I eat. I can tell I am able to focus a little more throughout the day.  Plus, like five people at work have asked if I have lost weight, so that is an added benefit.

The one thing I will say if you are thinking about doing this cleanse is that the instructions say not to eat after 2:00pm the day you start the flush...DO NOT EAT AFTER 2:00PM THE DAY YOU START THE FLUSH. We followed this rule last week, and felt awesome the second day. I did not follow this rule yesterday and I feel like crap today...hence the gingerale tea.

I am so nauseous today, I cannot even tell you.  I ate my last meal around 1:00pm yesterday, but then I got hungry around 4:00pm and decided to make some chips and guacamole for a snack since I didn't start the flush until 10:00pm, but ya, it was a horrible idea.

So back to the tea. This is my go to upset tummy drink. I love ginger, and especially gingerale, but there is just so much sugar in it that I feel it kind of counteracts the benefits. I have a homemade gingerale recipe, that maybe I'll post eventually. It tastes exactly like gingerale, but it takes like an hour to make. I just don't have time for that most days, so this has been my thing.

It is super easy to make. All you need is a green tea bag, a ginger tea bag, and some sparkling water...I like to use lemon. Fill your cup with just enough hot water to cover the tea bags and let them steep. Depending on what type of tea your ginger tea is will determine how long to steep your tea for: black tea takes one minute, green tea takes three minutes, and white tea takes five minutes. If you need a little bit of sweetness, you can add some honey here with the warm water. Once your tea is ready, you can add your sparkling water and stir it all together.

Then BAM!, you have gingerale tea with all the benefits of gingerale minus the sugar. Super, super easy.

You can do this with any ginger tea. My favorite tea to make this with is the Organic Holly Jolly Ginger Aid tea from Traditional Medicinals. It is a holiday tea, so you should be able to start finding it at Sprouts and Whole Foods. I like to get a bunch when it goes on sale at the end of the holiday season. Yogi also has a lemon ginger tea that works really well with this too.

If you have a little more time, you can even slice up some ginger and lemon and add it to a pot of boiling water to make a fresh tea! I did that the other day when Josh wasn't feeling well. That is probably the best way to get all the benefits, but like I said, will take a little more time.

So that is all folks! Josh is working tonight until midnight, and then he and I are going to go set up my new desk at work...they had new cubicles installed today, so I have to move all my stuff over.

I have a few more fun posts scheduled, so I will see you soon!!

An Almost Free Haul and a Rant About Walmart Price Matching

Good afternoon readers,

Today I have a couple of hauls for you...one of which that was completely free...and at the end of this post, a little bit of a rant about my Walmart price matching experience last night. I'll start with the haul though.

Dollar General:

Transaction #1

 Toothpaste $1.00

Toothpaste $1.00

Toothpaste $1.00

Toothpaste $1.00

= $4.00

-$1/1 coupon (not sure what insert as I purchased online)

Total: $.32 of tax

Transaction #2

 Toothpaste $1.00

Toothpaste $1.00

Toothpaste $1.00

Toothpaste $1.00

= $4.00

-$1/1 coupon (not sure what insert as I purchased online)

Total: $.32 of tax

Transaction #3

 Toothpaste $1.00

Toothpaste $1.00

Toothpaste $1.00

Toothpaste $1.00

= $4.00

-$1/1 coupon (not sure what insert as I purchased online)

Total: $.32 of tax

Transaction #4

 Toothpaste $1.00

Toothpaste $1.00

Toothpaste $1.00

Toothpaste $1.00

= $4.00

-$1/1 coupon (not sure what insert as I purchased online)

Total: $.32 of tax

Total tax paid: $1.60

Walmart:

Transaction #1

 Pasta (pm from Smith's) $.99 each x 30 = $29.70

Prego Sauce $1.88 each x 10 = $18.80

Classico Sauce $2.50 each x 2 =$5.00

Newman's Own Sauce $2.50 

Barilla Sauce (pm from Smith's) $1.79 each x 10  =$17.90

-ten $1/3 Barilla pasta coupons (not sure what insert as I purchased online)

-ten $.75/1 Barilla sauce coupons (not sure what insert as I purchased online)

-ten $.75/1 Prego sauce coupons

-$.75/2 Classico coupon 

-$.75/1 Newman's Own coupon

Total: $42.11 after tax

And now for my rant. 

I have been price matching at Walmart for the last five years. I have never had a problem. The morning of the day we go grocery shopping, I sit down with all of the ads to compare prices and make our list. Not only do I write down all of the prices we are matching and where they are from, but I also bring the ads with me even though the ad clearly states that you do not need to show the ads. 

I always make sure all of my prices are accurate. I know many people fudge the numbers or make up prices, but we never do! I am always 100% honest. That being said, yesterday was nothing new, I made our list the exact same way. 

When we got the register, the cashier said she needed to see all of the prices in the ads before she would ring anything up. Okay. No problem. Even though that is not required per the policy, I know they were all correct so no problem. 

The part that I had a problem with was when the cashier started interrogating me, implying that I was making the prices up. If I were making the prices up, why would I be able to show you them in the ads? She compared every single ad to every single item and even brought a manager over to verify everything. She made me feel like a criminal, and I did not appreciate my integrity being questions. 

She did find one error, that was completely ridiculous. I was price matching red delicious apples from Mariana's 4lbs for $1. I picked up a bag of red delicious apples. Apparently, in Walmart, they don't price match the red delicious apples but substitute the red gala apples.  I matched red delicious to red delicious, but the manager treated us like we were trying to pull a fast one on them! How were we supposed to know that they substitute a different kind of apples? Ok whatever. I sent Josh to get the correct ones. While he was gone, I told the lady to ring up the people behind us because they had been waiting. I stood there at the end of the register to wait for her. As soon as Josh came back, the cashier switched off her light and said "Sorry, I'm closed now." Really? How rude. 

I was so frustrated and upset. I don't like to be treated like I am lying especially when I have spent so much time trying to make sure that everything was correct. I'm not going to stop price matching. I'm not going to stop couponing. I'm going to continue to prove that although some people take advantage of the system, there are still some of us that are doing things correctly. 

So that is my little rant. Have you ever had issues in price matching?

I couldn't let the $5/3 coupons expire!

Here is today's little haul. I had two more of the $5/3 Tide/Bounce/Downy coupons, and I just couldn't let them expire. As you know, I have PLENTY of Tide, so I used the coupons for some other things we needed. While I was there, I picked up a few other things we needed.

I absolutely LOVE the Windex Touch-Ups and the automatic toilet bowl cleaners! We bought them a few months ago to try, and they are so convenient. For me, life is about convenience lately. At my previous job, I only worked 3-4 days, about 20 hours a week. Now, I am working full time, at least 40 hours a week, which is a big change. I just don't have the kind of time I had before! The first few weeks after I started this job, I tried to keep up the house like I used to, but I just couldn't. I just don't have the time, or the energy for that matter. The only way my house stays clean anymore is by quick cleaning.

The Windex Touch-Ups were for sale for $3.47 each. There was a peelie on the bottle for $.75 off making them $2.72 each. I also found a rebate on Ibotta for $1.50 off, which will make them $1.97 each! That is a 44% savings.

The toilet bowl cleaners were for sale for $1.97, and I bought four. I had a coupon for $1/2 from the 10/7 RP, which made them $1.47 each. This was a 26% savings, which is not as good as I would have hoped as I like to stay around 40% savings, but we actually did need these.

The Bounce bars were for sale for $5.47 for the refill and $5.97 for the other two. I used the $5/3 coupon from the 9/28 PG, which made them $4.13 each. I love these. So much easier than using dryer sheets! This is a 33% savings; again, not as great as I would have liked it to be, but these really don't go on sale that often, and they are something that we use a lot. Plus, I needed to use my coupon lol.

The Downy was on rollback for $3.97 from $4.97. I know we just bought Downy in our last haul, but I like the scented one for doing the sheets and the regular one for clothes. I know, I'm weird. Anyways... I used another of the $5/3 coupons from the 9/28 PG, which made them $2.30 each. This was a 54% savings!

The Soft Scrub was for sale for 1.97, I bought two. I had a coupon for $1/1 from the 10/7 RP. This was a 51% savings. I have never used these before, but I am always looking for easy things to clean the bathroom with, so for a dollar, I'll give it a try!

Finally, the Advil was on rollback for $12.96. I had a $3/1 coupon, again from the 10/7 RP. This made them $9.96, a 24% savings. Again, not to the 40%, but something we needed. Josh likes these the best for when he has migraines. Plus, it came with 20 free pills, so that's a plus!

Oh, and I also purchased an All You magazine.

Alrighty, there is our little haul. Tomorrow, I am headed to the Dollar Tree --well a few Dollar Trees since you can only use four coupons at a time-- to use my $1/1 Advil PM coupons, which will make them absolutely free!! See you tomorrow!!

Tide and Downy Haul --ENDS TODAY!!

Hello everyone!

I have a very exciting haul for you today! This deal on Tide ends today, so hurry and read this so you can head to the store!!

Josh loves Tide laundry detergent. It's the only one he will use. As you know Tide can be EXPENSIVE! So when there is a good coupon on it, I stock up! Our total out of pocket today was $21.86! A 60% savings! Here is the breakdown:

Food For Less:

Transaction #1

 Downy 64oz $2.49 

Downy 64oz $2.49

Downy 64oz $2.49

= $7.47

-$5/3 coupon from 9/28 P&G

Total: $3.08 after tax

Transaction #2

 Downy 64oz $2.49 

Downy 64oz $2.49

Downy 64oz $2.49

= $7.47

-$5/3 coupon from 9/28 P&G

Total: $3.08 after tax

Dollar General:

Transaction #1

Tide Ultra Stain Release $4.95

Tide Ultra Stain Release $4.95

Tide Ultra Stain Release $4.95

Tide Ultra Stain Release $4.95

Tide Ultra Stain Release $4.95

Tide Original $4.95

= $29.70

-$5 off $25 purchase store coupon

-$5/3 coupon from 9/28 P&G

-$2/1 coupon from 9/28 P&G

-$2/1 coupon from 9/28 P&G

Total: $15.70 after tax

The $5 off Dollar General coupon can be pulled up on their website and scanned as a mobile coupon. Both the sale and the $5 off end today! :) 

Well, I am headed off to work. What are your plans for this lovely Saturday afternoon?

Easy Korean Beef Tacos

Hello, hello! How are you doing? It has been a million years!  I know, I suck at regular posting lol. But, a lot has been going on! I got a new job, we're moving next month, Josh's brother is having a baby...it's been a busy couple of months! I'm back now, and ready to start blogging again!! 

Tonight we made a super easy supper! I recently discovered the Campbell's Slow Cooker Sauces, and I am in love! As I have mentioned before, the slow cooker is the greatest thing ever invented, and these sauces are the next greatest thing! 

Tonight we tried the Korean Beef. The back of the bag suggested using the beef to make Korean Beef Tacos. We tried Korean Beef Tacos once before from a local food truck and really liked them. The recipe suggested using sour cream and cabbage, but Josh doesn't like cabbage so we used shredded lettuce. We also added a little hot sauce and some white rice. Yum! They were so delicious. 

Have a wonderful Saturday night!

The Boy's Little Area

Hello again! 

I am so happy to report that little Binx is feeling so, SO much better today than he was over the weekend! I definitely think that he was a little constipated. The pumpkin worked perfectly and he is back to my normal, playful, silly puppy. Who would have thought that I could actually be excited to hear the squeaking of toys in the middle of the night! 

To go along with my puppy posts this week, I thought I would share our newly designed pet area with you! 

Our house has this random little wall next to the entrance where the closet of the second bedroom is. It is kind of random and definitely isn't a big enough space for any furniture. So, since we moved in, it has kind of always been the puppy/kitty area. Because it is kind of tucked away, it is the perfect little space to keep food and water bowls. But, since it is kind of in the middle of the room, I wanted to add some decoration to it.

It has taken me forever to decide what I wanted to do. Since this area is the only space of the hallway that we wanted to decorate, unless you count a cat tree as decorations lol, I really wanted it to be in a bright fun color.

I'll start first with the water bowl. We have had this thing since the day we brought home Nicky. That was like four years ago! We purchased it at Walmart for $15. It has a 2.5 gallon storage capacity which I think is the perfect size. It is big enough that we only have to refill it every week or so, but it isn't too big that the water gets moldy or gross by that time. 

They sell the same dispenser for food as well, but that just didn't work for us. Nicky learned that if he dug in the food the pieces would overflow all over the floor so that he could pick and choose the flavors he liked best while leaving the rest for mommy and daddy to pick up. haha. Needless to say, those containers did not last long at our house.

The mat we recently got on sale at Ross. I think it was like $2 or $3. Nicky and Oliver must be related. Oli likes to play in the water bowl. The cat is terrified of baths and running water, but he will sit for hours sticking his hand in the water and watching the ripples. Oh the life of a cat. If only we were all so easily satisfied. haha. This mat gives some protection from the splashing. I still have to soak up water now and again with a towel, but that's better than having one big puddle. 

The painting at the bottom was what really launched this whole design. We found it on a clearance rack at Ross for $3! It was exactly what I was looking for to put in this area! I wish that Ross had things for sale on their website so that I could link this for you, but since every store carries different items, they don't. 

After finding the dog painting, I began searching for something for kitten. Even though he thinks he is a dog, I didn't want to leave him out! I found his paining on Etsy and just knew it was excatly what the wall needed! I was so excited when I got it out of the mailbox because the grey and golden yellow matched the dog's painting exactly!

Finally, I added some pictures of the boys in frames that I got at the dollar store, believe it or not. And, voila!

I love how this turned out! I love that it is simple yet really draws your eye up the length of the wall. I think it looks a million times better than just a random water dish in the middle of the room. 

What do you do to make your pet area look better than a bowl of food and water? 

 Be sure to follow @ltmfblog on Instagram and Twitter for more fun photos like this throughout the week!

One Sick Puppy

There is nothing worse than hearing your child scream from across the house...even if that child has four legs and a tail.  And then, it may even be a little worse because they have absolutely no way of telling you what is wrong. 

Little Binx came running into the bedroom last night screaming at the top of his lungs. He jumped up into my arms, shaking.

I had no idea what happened! He wasn't limping, there was no blood, I checked for cuts or bites under his fur...nothing! He wrapped his arms around my neck and held me tight while he shook. 

I ended up taking a long, hot shower with him like we used to do when he was a puppy. He hates water, but the heat seemed to relax him and calm his nerves a bit. 

I'm pretty sure he is just constipated, not that you wanted to know that or anything. Poor baby.

I gave him a little pro-biotic yogurt last night so hopefully he will be able to go potty today. Yogurt is his favorite thing, another thing that dates back to his puppy-hood. I'll probably stop and get some pumpkin for him on the way home, I've read that helps dogs to go the bathroom too.

He tossed and turned all night.  I left him out of the kennel when I left for work this morning so that hopefully he can curl up on the couch and sleep while we are gone. 

I love all my boys equally, but Binx will always have a special place in my heart. He was my first dog as an adult and I have had this little one since he was a teeny tiny four week old puppy.

It is so scary when your pet, or anyone you love for that matter,  is hurt or sick. I hate feeling helpless and I wish I could just take it all away! Poor baby. I am glad he is feeling a little better today. 

He is always so adorable after his baths, so I wanted to write a little post for you so I could share a few of these cute photos of two of my favorite boys!

It is so crazy that animals choose you as much as you choose them. I can't imagine how different my life would be if I had never gotten my boys. It is so hard to explain this to people that don't have pets. My granddad and my mom tell me to "get rid of my livestock" all the time. I don't think my granddad has ever owned a pet in his life, so he just doesn't get how a dog or cat could mean so much to Josh and I. Pets are such a huge part of your life, they really do become your little furry children.

I'll keep you posted on how little one is doing when I get home from work.

As for other news...

This last week was my Spring Break at school. Unfortunately, the one project that I really got caught up on was sleeping! I was able to knock a few other things off of the to do list, but not as many as I had hoped for. Oh well, when your body tells you something, you have to listen...especially when it is telling you that you need sleep!

This week is the start of Birthday Week. My 23rd birthday is next Monday the 31st. Josh and I went out for an early birthday dinner and date night last night at the Cheesecake Factory, courtesy of a gift card from my mom. Thanks mom! After dinner we went mini golfing at this new place called Ohana Mini Golf. It was SO fun! I am horrible at mini golf--any golfing actually--but we had a blast! It is fun to just go out and fool around and be silly. I like doing stuff like that.

Josh and I are both working today, but are planning to check out a new church tonight. So, I will definitely let you know how that goes! Until next time, I hope you have a fabulous Sunday afternoon! And, if you remember to, please send up a little prayer for baby Binx today that he feels better. :] 

30 Random Facts About Me: Christina

I'll never forget the night that I met Dave Navarro. Not because meeting him had any impact on my life whatsoever, in fact, I'm not even sure I have ever even heard any of his music, but because of the way my mom handled the situation. 

We were about eleven, maybe twelve, and had gone to the movies at the theater in the Palms Casino here in Las Vegas. Walking out to the car, my sister saw Dave Navarro and immediately started freaking out...she was a big fan of his growing up. My mom kept telling us to go up and say hello, but of course we were too scared. We went back and forth until finally, my mom walked straight up to him, put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Mr. Navarro, my girls would like to say hello to you." If you could see the look on his body guards' faces! Oh my gosh!  I swear they were ready to take her down! I'll never forget, my sister, with this totally shocked look on her face said, "Do you know who you are??" Of course, he laughed and said yes, he did. He was extremely nice and talked to us for a few minutes before going off on his way. I wish I had a photo to share with you, but that was back before everyone carried a camera in their pocket. 

I learned an important lesson that night, though it has taken me over ten years to really understand it. If you want something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done. See, had it been up to Amanda and I, we would have never gotten to meet him as we would still be standing in the corner trying to convince ourselves to go up and talk to him. 

This applies to a lot of things in life. If you never step out of your little bubble, you can never reach anything on the outside of your little bubble, no matter how hard you try. 

"A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown."

--Denis Waitley

I started thinking about this today on my way to work. If you follow me on social media, I'm sure you saw that the news anchor for Fox 5 Vegas came to speak at one of my classes today. I know it is super lame, but I am a Journalism geek and was so excited just to be in the same room as him. I mean this is someone who has had such a successful career in the field I am pursuing, though I definitely want to be behind the camera not in front! 

Anyways, after class, I was in the hallway talking to a classmate about an upcoming project when John Huck, the anchor, walked out of the room. I really wanted to introduce myself, but I didn't really know how to start a conversation. I went up to him and introduced myself and said that I thought it was funny that he had worked in Nebraska, Rapid City, and now Las Vegas because I was born in Nebraska, moved to Rapid City and now live in Las Vegas. Long story short, he ended up being super nice, walked me out to the car to introduce himself to Josh and even said I could use him as a reference for my internship application with Fox 5! How freaking cool is that! 

So here, again, is another situation in which stepping out of my comfort zone gave me an opportunity I would have never had otherwise, except, unlike Dave Navarro, this time it was with someone that could potentially impact my life. 

My goal from now on is to be a more sociable person. No one ever believes me, but I am naturally a really antisocial person. I'm the girl that wears headphones in the grocery store so I don't have to talk to people and looks down when passing people on the street so that we don't make eye contact. I have a tendency to keep to myself or stick with the people I know rather than introduce myself to others. I am really going to try to work on that in the months ahead. Journalism is a career in which I will have to step out of my comfort zone more often than not, so I might as well start practicing that now! 

That being said...

Hi, I am Christina Morales and this is me stepping out of my comfort zone to introduce myself to you! 

1. My favorite movies are The Hunger Games, Fantastic Mr. Fox and Wreck it Ralph in that order.
2. There is a strong possibility that my future children or animal's names will have something to do with the above movies. I'm thinking Rue for my next dog/cat and Andrew Kristopherson for my future son.
3. There is a 100% chance my future daughter will be named Catherine after my grandma. The language it will be in is still debatable. There is obviously Catherine in English or Catrin in Irish Gaelic, or Katya in German...we shall see, we shall see.  
4. I could eat tacos every day of my life. Though, I don't like burritos. Interesting.
5. I am an online shop-aholic and frequently purchase things off of eBay, for super cheap I might add. 
6. My favorite colors are yellow, peach, mint green and teal. 
7. My lucky number used to be 22, but things have been coming up in 27's lately which is the day Josh and I got married. 
8. I am terrified of car accidents and require Josh to text me whenever drives so I know he is safe. Also, I am terrified of cancer. It has taken the life of far too many of my family members. 
9. My nickname is "B" or "Baby B," though only my mom still calls me that. Baby B is currently my license plate, but I am thinking of changing it because everyone thinks it is for my dog...which is weird. 
10. I used to have an imaginary friend named Sting growing up because I was terrified of the wrestler named Sting and I thought if I pretended he was my friend he wouldn't be so scary
11. Let's be honest, that guy still freaks me out. 
12. My biggest pet peeve is hearing people chew. I recently found through Buzzfeed that this is an actual brain disorder called Misophonia, which, according to Wikipedia is when a person is "angered, and even enraged, by common ambient sounds, such as other people clipping their nails, brushing teeth, chewing crushed ice, eating, slurping, drinking, breathing, sniffing, talking, sneezing, yawning, walking, chewing gum, laughing, snoring, typing on a keyboard, whistling or coughing" So, there's that.
13. I love commas and compound sentences; does that make me weird?
14. Speaking of Buzzfeed, I am obsessed with it. I check it every morning when I wake up and every night before I go to bed. 
15. I have a bad habit of interrupting people.
16. I hate white shirts.
17. I am far to emotionally attached to people and am always wanting their approval. 
18. I love country music. And, side note, the new Eric Church album is AH-mazing! As is the new Jennifer Nettles. 
19. Growing up, my grandma always wanted my sister and I to be "professional singers" like she was. We would have rehearsals in the living room after school.
20. I am obsessed with daytime talk shows, currently The Chew is my favorite. I refuse to watch night time talk shows because my grandma passed away in the night while watching Jay Leno and it makes me depressed. 
21. I am an Aries, though I have no idea what that means. 
22. I have always wanted to learn how to play the guitar and the piano but have never tried.
23. The only time I make my bed is when company is coming over. 
24. I am a chronic straw chewer and it drives my hubby NUTS. 
25. I do kiss my dogs on the lips, and no I don't think it is gross. :]
26. My favorite words are hella, side note, ooftah and rando. 
27. My dogs and I frequently have random dance parties in the mornings. 
28. I used to hate soup, but have been really loving it lately! Weird. 
29. I have a tattoo of a cupcake on my foot. (I have three others as well, but this one is the most random)
30. I know they aren't that cute, but I love pajama dresses. I just purchased a Duck Dynasty one...very cute. haha

The End. :]

Bomb Bread

 

I am officially back from my little blogging break. Midterms came up faster than I anticipated this semester!! Luckily, all went well and I am actually looking forward to my midterm grades for once! In addition to being busy at school, we have also had some things come up around the house as well. We purchased our first "adult" bed this month! How exciting!! I will be sharing photos soon of our new bedroom. I am so excited! We have been sleeping on a full sized bed for the last three years, and it feels wonderful to upgrade to a king! 

What else, what else. I am just excited about starting to blog again and have lots of stories ready to go. :] I will be playing around with the uploading schedule a little bit to try and see what works best for us, but I promise to write at least three times a week from here on out! 

So, with that, let's hop into the recipe today! 

This bread came about by complete accident. One day, when Josh and I were first living together, I made pasta for supper. I have always liked making my own garlic bread, so I put the butter on the bread and put it in the oven to warm up on broil. I started talking, and wasn't paying attention, shocker, and the bread started to burn! Josh, being the supportive man that he is, said he would still eat it, even though the ends were a little black. A little black is an understatement, they were like charcoal! But guess what? It ended up being so good!!!

I named it "Bomb Bread" because every time I make it, Josh takes one bite and says, "Bomb." Although the idea originally came from charcoal black bread, I make sure not to get distracted while it is baking so that we just get a little crisp instead of a lot of burn!

It is super easy to make. You can use any kind of bread that you like. The bread in the photo is ciabatta, but I have used rolls, french bread, even just regular sandwich bread. I really just use whatever I have on hand. The great thing about this recipe is that you can add garlic and parsley to your butter to make a garlic bread, or you can use just the butter. I recommend using the spreadable butter as it is MUCH easier than regular.

My best advice is to watch the bread closely. Broil is an interesting thing because there is a very fine line between delicious, crispy food and burnt to a crisp, throw it away food. I like to make ours in the toaster oven because it has a glass front so I can watch it without having to keep the oven door open. 

I hope you try this and love it as much as we do!

Taco Ring

My mom was a Pampered Chef consultant growing up, and this was her go to recipe for her shows. It was the first recipe I learned to make, the first meal I cooked for Josh and is still my favorite recipe for special events. I never even thought about putting the recipe on the blog because it is pretty old and I assumed everyone knew it already. I posted this photo on Facebook the other day, and had a lot of people ask for the recipe. So, here it is!

My favorite thing about this recipe is that it is really customizable. There is really no right or wrong way to make it. If you don't like something, you can take it out and the recipe will still turn out great! I have used salsa instead of taco seasoning, added in different vegetables, and have even seen a buffalo and Italian versions of the ring on Pinterest.

The original recipe uses ground hamburger; however, neither my mom or I use hamburger. We both have a hard time digesting red meat. She usually uses ground chicken. I use ground turkey.

I would love to know how you made it if you try this recipe! This is one of our favorites. Josh requests it for birthdays, company...he would literally eat it everyday if I let him!

How to keep your house smelling YUMMY!!

Hello, hello! I hope you are having a great Wednesday! 

Today was pretty hectic, but also a very, very fun day. As I mentioned yesterday, this semester is very different than the ones prior as I am taking full days of classes. Today I had school from 8a.m.-2:15p.m. That is definitely going to get some getting used to. Overall, it was actually a very fun day. My first class is 3 1/2 hours long, (ahh!!) but seems like it is going to be really, really fun. We are basically creating and producing our own TV news station! I can't wait to get into it and start learning! I have no experience whatsoever in broadcast journalism, so I am really excited to learn how to do it! 

Before changing my major back to journalism, I really didn't like school and would always find a reason to skip class or leave early. Now, I love it!! I feel like I am learning something new every single day, and not just that, but learning something that I can actually put in practice right now! Everyday I am reminded that changing my major was the right decision because I just love it so much! What's the saying? Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life? I am definitely doing what I love.

Today I want to share with you my favorite products for keeping my house smelling yummy. 

Josh and I have two dogs and a cat. I love them dearly, but I do not want my house to smell like them. If you also have pets, you know that this can sometimes be a challenge. Forget to sweep the floors one day, and suddenly there is enough hair to make a whole new dog! Don't even get me started on the litter-box! At the end of the day, our lives wouldn't be nearly as fun without our furry children, so products that make my house smell good are life savers!

All products are linked below if you would like to purchase them. :]

1. Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Basil Countertop Spray -- 16 oz

I am probably late jumping on this bandwagon, but I freaking LOVE this stuff!!! I found it a few weeks ago on an end-cap at Target. They were getting rid of their holiday scents, which, side note, the Iowan Pine smells fantastic if you can still find some! If not, definitely look out for it next year.

I have always used bleach on my counters, which works great, but have ruined many a shirt from leaning against it while it is still wet. I still use the bleach if I am working with meats, but for everyday messes, we have switched to this.

The thing that I love about it is that it smells great. I hate the smell of household cleaners! Most of them smell toxic, they give me a headache, and then your whole house smells for the rest of the day. Your counters will smell wonderful after using this. I actually want to clean now because it smells so great!

The other thing that I love about this spray is that it can be used one almost everything. I use it on the kitchen counters, the kitchen table, the coffee table in the living room, the bathroom counters...pretty much everywhere! It is super convenient to have a cleaner that works in so many areas.

I know there are other products in this brand that I have yet to try. I'll let you know what I think of them once I do.

2. Better Homes and Gardens Wax and Warmer

We have used these for years and have a wax warmer in literally every room of our house!  Most of them are the nightlight plug ins, but I do still have some large ones. We have tried everything including the Bath and Body Works and Glade plug-ins and this is by far my favorite. I have read that your nose gets used to smells within a couple days, which I believe to be true. I always found that the other brands smelled great for a few days and then I could never smell them. With these, you change them once or twice a week and your house will always smell wonderful!

I have every kind of scent you can imagine! My favorite is Carmel Apple, pictured above. It smells like you are walking through an apple orchard! Yum! My other favorite is one that we found last week, Chai Tea. It is the perfect light scent that I have been using in our bedroom.

You can use any brand of wax in these, or even make your own. Glade has some awesome wax cubes out right now as well. They are a little pricier than the BH&G ones, but smell just as great.

3. Glade Candle, Hawaiian Breeze

My mom bought a house when we were in 6th grade. My sister and I got to go look at all of the model homes with her before we picked one. Back then, and maybe they still do, KB Homes used the Glade Hawaiian Breeze scent in all of their model homes. So, when we finally picked a house, always made sure to have Hawaiian Breeze in her house.

This scent makes me feel at home, probably just because of all the memories that are attached to it.  Whenever I am feeling a little homesick or out of whack, I burn this candle and all feels right with the world again. I know that sounds weird, I mean it is just a candle, but there is just something about this scent that brings me back to Saturday mornings, sitting at the kitchen counter reading the newspaper with my mom.

4. Nature's Miracle Stain & Odor Remover

No one wants to talk about animal pee, but it happens, so I'll keep this brief. Sometimes, puppies and kitties have accidents. Since Binx started wearing diapers, those are very few and far between, thankfully. But, at the end of the day, accidents and throw up are just a part of being a parent, no matter if your children have four legs or two.

I like to keep a bottle of this around the house just in case. It works really well to get everything out of the carpet, including the smell which is very important so that they don't do it again. My parents used it growing up, back when we had two Greyhounds and a Great Dane, so it works on big messes too!

5. Bath & and Body Works Scentportable

This technically isn't in my home, but it helps keep things smelling nice, so I'm throwing it in here. I keep a Bath and Body Scentportable on the the mirror in my car. Currently, I am loving the mint tea leaf flavor, but my all time favorite is the eucalyptus scent. I love this anchor design, but the one I have is linked above. It is the pink sparkly peace sign. I may get a new design coming up, we'll see. These are 100x better than any other car air freshener that I have tried. They are a little more expensive, I'll be honest, but they last a long time and the smell is great.

What are your favorite yummy smelling products? Comment below and let me know! I am always looking for new things to try!

As always, remember to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more fun throughout the week! See you soon!!!

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Hello! Happy Tuesday!! And, happy first day of school UNLV! This semester is going to be totally different from any other, mainly because most of my classes are in the afternoon. Today I didn't go to school until 1p.m. when usually I am there at 8a.m. I couldn't believe how many people are on campus in the afternoon! I'm excited for a great semester, but will definitely have to get used to this new schedule as I will be going straight from school to work instead of having some time between the two.

I made an awesome lunch today! Since I had some time before heading off to school, I decided to start my morning watching some Youtube videos while unloading the dishwasher. There is a vlogger that I like named Nikki Phillipi. She recently posted a video about healthy snack food. Two of the recipes were for fresh pico de gallo and butter lettuce wraps. I'll link to the original video if you are interested. They looked amazing! We have been trying to cut out fast food all together, so I have been in search of some healthy alternatives. I tweeked the recipe a bit and made my own version. They turned out freaking awesome! I am seriously considering having some again for supper.

Side note: Josh and I upgraded our phones to the Galaxy Note 3, and the picture quality is Ah-mazing! So, that is very exciting!

I started with some butter lettuce as the "shell." I love this lettuce for two reasons; #1 because it still has the root in the package so it lasts forever, #2 it is just a better tasting lettuce, I think. Next, I added a slice of turkey to each shell. We use the Hormel Natural Choices deli meat because it has no sodium nitrates in it. I've read that it isn't that much healthier than other lunch meat, but I figure it can't hurt, right? Next, I added some bean sprouts. I finished it off with some homemade pico de gallo. I had some roma tomatoes in the fridge that needed to be used up, so it worked out perfectly.

You could definitely change up this recipe any way you'd like. In Nikki's video, she uses only turkey, tomatoes and cilantro. I think it would be great with some cucumber, olives and feta cheese. Mmm, that sounds good actually. Maybe some tomatoes, parsley, garlic and pepperoni instead of turkey. Yum.. I've got to stop. I'm getting hungry!

I really liked this lunch. It was filling, yet light, which I think makes for a perfect meal. I honestly didn't think Josh was going to like it, but to my surprise, he said it was "delicious!" I am excited to learn some new healthy lunch recipes!

Be sure to follow LTMFBlog on Twitter and Facebook! We are brand new on Twitter, but I am actually kind of liking it!! It is very different than Facebook. I know, I know, I am super late to jump on this bandwagon, but hey, I'm getting there! I post various things throughout the week like thrift store finds, photos of my dogs and of course, new posts on the blog.

There will be a giveaway coming up once we hit 50 followers on Twitter and Facebook... we are SOO close! I would love if you could help us get there!!

As always, be sure to check back during the week for other fun crafts and yummy recipes! Thanks for stopping by! <3

Our Farmhouse Style Table

About a year ago, I bought these beautiful vintage blue lamps for the bedroom. One is short and wide with a great big lampshade. The other is tall and skinny with a tall lampshade. I have loved them since the day we bought them because they were so unique and added a lot of color to the room. The bedroom in our old apartment was a little larger than our bedroom now, and so, we were able to have the nightstands farther away from the bed. Since we moved, the short lamp has been driving me NUTS! Of course, it is on my side of the bed, and the lampshade is just too big and is always getting in the way no matter where I put it.

I'm sure you're wondering how this has anything to do with my kitchen table, but don't worry, I'm getting there. :p

The night before last, I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. After laying back down, I went to grab my phone off the nightstand to check the time and accidentally dropped it on the floor. Bending down to pick it up, I smacked my head right into the lampshade. Ouch. That was it, the last straw!! I decided right then and there that we would be making a trip to the thrift store in the morning to find a new lampshade. Sure enough, we found a smaller blue lamp with a smaller lampshade for my side of the bed. I moved the other lamp to the dresser where it can no longer attack me in the middle of the night.

After finding my new lamp, we decided to walk around for kicks and giggles just to kill some time. We went back into the furniture section, and there it was...the perfect bench for our new kitchen table. We have been looking for a bench or two head chairs since we bought this table over a month ago and hadn't found anything! I had pretty much given up searching for one and decided on attempting to build one.

The wood is the exact color of my other chairs, so they don't have to be painted. The fabric matches everything else in my kitchen so I don't need to reupholster it. It was meant for us! And that wasn't even the best part! The best part is that it was on sale! Originally $29, we got it for $22 with a 25% discount! Yea!

The bench is very comfortable and will allow our table to seat six instead of only four, just in time for friends to come over for game night!

Also, as you can see, Oliver has decided that it is his new favorite place in the house.

Oh! I haven't said anything about the actual table yet, I forgot I haven't showed it before. I have wanted a table like this ever since I first saw it on Pinterest. I just love farmhouse tables. They are so cozy and home-y. We found this guy at Deseret Industries a little over a month ago for $35!! Can you believe that? It was in great condition with only a few minor blemishes that came right off with my handy-dandy magic eraser.

{Side note-- Deseret is my new all time favorite thrift store. Oh my gosh, I have so much fun there. Everything is reasonably priced; I have never seen anything over $50 and most things are actually $1-$2. Also, they only sell good quality stuff there, unlike other thrift stores that will sell you something that is in horrible condition for one hundred bucks! They are owned by the LDS church, so I would assume that they are all over, but don't quote me on that. ;p I definitely recommend this store!}

You should have seen us trying to get this guy home, holy cow I'm sure we looked crazy! We bought it at the Deseret in North Las Vegas, so it was about a 30 minute drive back home. Josh and I took the legs off the table and slid it into the hatchback of our car. Ugh, it was only a few inches too long. Josh's motto is "If it doesn't fit, make it fit." So, he was determined to get this table home that night. He had me scoot the passenger seat ALL the way up, so that I was literally hanging on to the dash as he drove. It was so uncomfortable, but we laughed about it all the way home. We stopped at a light next to a car of teenage boys who were having a good laugh at our expense. Oh well, they were probably just jealous of my awesome new table! It sure was an adventure, let me tell you.

My favorite thing about this table are the drawers on the side. Currently, they are holding my placemats and chargers until I decide if I am going to use them or not. I also want to get some paper napkins and keep them in the one of the drawers as well. The left drawer is a little difficult to open, but my hubby is going to fix that for me, right dear? ;p

So, there it is, our new kitchen table that I have been promising to show you all month! I am in love with it. This morning, I sat at the bench and at my breakfast. This afternoon, Josh and I sat on the bench and ate lunch while watching the neighborhood kids play outside. It feels like home. I liked our old table, but it wasn't me. It was heavy, the glass was hard to keep clean as any little fingerprint would show up, and it only sat four. I love having lots of friends over with lots of food sitting family style in the middle of the table. I am so excited for this table. Yea!!