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  • Simply Homemade With Fleischmann’s

    Food has always been something that I’ve enjoyed.  Besides frying, baking is my second favorite way to cook.  And I’ve never been one to shy away from carbs.  Needless, to say we are huge bread lovers.  So, I was thrilled when I got to opportunity to test out Simply Homemade by Fleischmann’s.
    If you’re a fan of bakery breads then you’ll love the Simply Homemade product line.  They have four delicious flavors to choose from- Country White, Italian Herb, Stoneground Wheat and Multi-Grain.  I’m sure that demand increases they’ll be adding more flavors to the line.  I for one wouldn’t mind seeing a garlic bread added.

    And I can’t tell you how easy and simple it is to make these breads.  You literally just stir in the ingredients.  Then you let the your dough rise for about 25 minutes covered up and in a warm place.  Your kitchen counter will do.  Then you put in a 400 preheated oven for 20 minutes and you’re done!  Yes, it’s just that easy folks.

    These breads are served best with soups, stews and chili.  They’re perfect for sopping up the juices.  Why settle for some boring soup crackers when you can jazz it up a notch huh?  I haven’t had any complaints my family.  In fact, Moo is totally obsessed with these breads.  She ate almost a half loaf by herself just yesterday. True story.  And JJ got in on the action too.
    Seriously, if you haven’t tried these you should.  And with Thanksgiving less than a week away, it’s the perfect time to let your family think you were slaving away making delicious bread loaves from scratch.  I’ve already purchased some more Country White for our Thanksgiving dinner and know the kids will be delighted to see it!
    Disclaimer: I received a free party pack from HouseParty.com to host a party and simply wanted to share this treasure on my blog.  It was not a requirement.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own!

  • Thankful Thursday

    I’m thankful that we’re at the one week mark for Thanksgiving!  I’m super excited to be staying home and celebrating with the Mr this year!  And he’s happy have us home this year. We’re really looking forward to being in the kitchen together as a family and cooking dinner together then settling down for a little football, the parades and Christmas movies.
    Speaking of Christmas, I’m thankful that JJ has toppled over the Christmas tree yet.  It’s been up for three days and I think he’s finally getting use to it.  We didn’t put on the glass balls this year because we didn’t want him getting hurt in case he dropped one. So, right now we just have lights, tinsel garland and a few non-glass ornaments up.  We’re going to go check out some shatter-proof Christmas balls this weekend.
    I’m thankful that I have been rocking this NaBloPoMo challenge.  The month is almost half over and I haven’t missed a day of posting yet.  Proud of myself because challenges like these really help to shape me into a better and more disciplined writer.
    I’m thankful to once again be a part of the Old Navy Style Council.  Be on the lookout for another shopping post about my favorite store.  It’s truly a blessing to have this chance to work with one of my favorite brands again.  It’s even more of a blessing that I’m get the opportunity to do something related to fashion and use my degree.
    And I don’t think I’ve mentioned this but JJ is teething again.  He has one tooth coming in on the bottom and one coming in on the top.  I’m thankful that this teething session is going better than others.  I guess since he’s eating table food that helps to scratch his gums and he hasn’t been sick which usually happens with teething.  He’s had a light fever here and there but nothing serious.
    What are you giving thanks for this week?

  • Thanksgiving Is In The Air

    Thanksgiving is officially in the air over here folks.  After a long day of cleaning with the Mr, I had a craving for some sweet potato pie, turkey, ham and all the other Thanksgiving Day fixings.  However, seeing that Turkey Day is a week away (give or take 24 hours) and the fact that we still haven’t purchased a turkey there was no way that I was going to do all that cooking.  Not to mention, I would have been starved and ready to pass out by the time I would have finished cooking it all.
    So, I compromised with myself and decided to make some mini sweet potato pies or tarts as Moo referred to them.  My little mini chef and I were elbows deep in flour as we made pie crust from scratch and then mashed up our yams and other ingredients.  By far patting out the dough was Moo’s favorite part of the process.  In fact, she asked to make more today.

    We dusted the tops with brown sugar before baking. Delish!

    Then this morning we decided to head to the library.  We were suppose to be going to storytime, but of course we were late.  So, by the time we got there it was almost over.  No worries though, I picked up the Thanksgiving books I had put on hold for the kids.  Then we took advantage of the empty play area.  
    Moo and JJ had a blast enjoying the computer center.  They had this really cute ant jellybean maze where you had to navigate the ant across a picnic blanket to eat up all the jellybeans.  Not going to lie, I played that game twice.   Then another mom came and they had a little friend to play with.
    While at the library we got to enjoy the lovely fall colors taking over the trees.  This is by far my favorite part of fall.  
    Well, we’ve read Nate the Great: Turkey Talk and I’m enjoying New Moon. Yes, I’m a Twilight fan. And I’m stoked about Breaking Dawn 2 coming out tomorrow. (They’re having a 10 PM showing here.)  Looking forward to seeing it on Friday!!
    Is Thanksgiving in the air at your house? Are you going to check out Breaking Dawn 2?

  • Avoiding The News

    These past few days I’ve been doing something that I very rarely do- watching the news.  Now I come from a family that watched the news religiously.  You best believe that when 5 o’clock rolled around whatever tv show or movie were watching got turned off in favor in of watching the local news followed by Inside Edition then followed by the CBS Evening News show.  This was our routine Monday through Friday week after week.
    As child watching the news didn’t bother me as much because while there was some bad or negative stuff for the most part the 90s was a happy time.  There wasn’t quite as much foolishness going down.  But as we crept closer to and entered the 2000s, it seems like our country as a whole just started to decline.  People now days are no longer concerned with treating each other with respect or showing kindness.
    So gradually I stopped watching the news in high school.  And in college I stopped completely.  I recently started back to keep track of all the Hurricane Sandy news and then somehow got sucked into watching our local news.  Well, I was watching the news last night and Moo was still up watching with me.  And there was just one negative story after the other.
    After a few minutes, the reporter started talking about a recent string of robberies where residents are actually getting robbed in broad daylight in their driveways by teens and young adults armed with baseball bats and guns.  I didn’t think that Moo was really listening because she had some toys she was tinkering with.   But then she asked me “Mommy why are the bad people doing that to them?”  I wasn’t sure what to say.  I mean how do you explain to an almost four year old the wickedness and evil that now seems to fuel and consume our communities?
    After that, I ended up changing the channel because honestly now that I know she understands what’s being reported, I don’t want her exposed to such negativity.  She’s a kid and needs to be worried about making friends, playing with dolls and enjoying her cartoons.  Sometimes exposing kids to adult issues too soon makes them grow up before their time.  They become worry warts way before they need to be. Trust me, I know.
    Secondly, after watching one bad story after the other with nothing positive to balance it all out, I was starting to get depressed.  Therefore, needless to say I’ll be going back to my usual routine of avoiding the news.  I’d rather catch a 140 character news tweet.  At the end of the day, I truly believe that if news channels balanced out the negative stuff they reported with positive news stories from the community people would strive to do better.  It’s just a fact that when you have more positive energy and positive thoughts being stimulated you tend to be a more positive person.  And positive people do positive things.
    Do you watch the news?  Are your kids allowed to watch the news too?

  • Mind Right Monday

    I’ve been snuggled up with my boo aka the Mr today.  Plus, JJ is teething again.  So, that’s why I’m posting late today.  I’m proud of myself because I got just about everything accomplished on my list with the exceptions of like two things.  Looking forward to another productive week this week.
    This week my goals are:
    1. Buy turkey and ham for Thanksgiving dinner
    2. Put up Christmas tree Saturday
    3. Unpack hidden Christmas gifts
    4. Pay late fee on library books
    5. Take kids to get their shots and do a check-up on Friday
    6. Continue working on blankets
    7. Work on manuscript
    I am grateful for:
    • Spending the day with my husband and the kids
    • Being almost done with Thanksgiving shopping
    • Putting up Christmas decorations on the door and windows with Moo
    • Netflix and unlimited Diego
    • Being able to be a friend to my friends as they go through difficult times
    • Having found my discontinued yarn (but the price was ridiculous)

    What are you putting on your goal list this week? Thanksgiving shopping?

  • 11 Days

    Why didn’t someone tell me that there were only 11 more days until Thanksgiving?  Here I was posting about how I’m excited to be celebrating Thanksgiving with the Mr this and I didn’t even realize it’ll be here next Thursday!  For some reason I was thinking that Thanksgiving wasn’t until the 29th and it’s really the 22nd.  Needless, to say I haven’t been looking at turkey or ham prices.

    Thankfully, I happened to be glancing at the calendar this morning while making breakfast.  I quickly through together a shopping list since I already had our menu made out and posted on the frig.  I skimmed a few sales papers and flipped through my coupons.  Then after the kids and I finished eating we got dressed and hightailed it to the stores.

    Moo was super excited to be going food shopping.  What can I say, my kids love to eat!  And Moo loves to cook and be out of the house.  She’s an adventurous spirit, which is why her first name suits her.  Plus, she loves the feeling of being mommy’s little helper.  It makes her feel like such a big girl and special because JJ is too young to do it.

    Today she was really great at making sure I got everything on my list.  Every time I put something the buggy she would ask “Is it on your list Mommy?”  And she was better at resisting the huge to throw a million and one snacks into the buggy.  Instead, she asked if her chips were on the list.  They weren’t but I put them on there and said yes so she wouldn’t be sad.

    Her response was “Oh thank you, Mommy!”  My heart melted a little bit because as of lately she’s thanking me for a lot of little things like doing her hair, making her favorite dinner or taking her to the library.  I’m telling you we adults can learn a thing or two from our mini mes.   What made today even better is that I was able to get everything I needed for Thanksgiving except the turkey, ham and collard greens for under $40!!  Yep!

    Don’t be afraid to shop multiple stores.  And don’t sleep on the dollar stores either.  They carry a few name brand products that are cheaper than the grocery store.  Plus, their store brand products often tastes equal or even better than big name stuff and is half the cost.  Overall, I’m glad I was able to get everything and now I can focus on watching these turkey and ham prices drop.

    I wish we had a deep freezer because I would buy two turkeys and two hams and save one set for Christmas.  Oh well, maybe I can keep my eye on those too and hope a find a good deal on one.

    Have you done your Thanksgiving dinner shopping yet?

  • A Grieving Friend

    Today was a very sad day.  In fact, this whole week has had a sad undercurrent to it.  One of my closest friends loss her mom earlier this week unexpectedly.  Needless to say she isn’t taken this tragic event well.  I was in shock when I first heard her mom had died.
    Although, I had only met her mom a few times, the times that I met her she left a lasting impression on me.  She was beautiful and had such a glow and lovely personality.  The times I can remember being around her, I always see her smiling.   And she was so talented when it came to making cakes.  In fact, I was going to ask her to make a Princess Tiana cake for Moo’s birthday.
    I know she was a great mom because my friend talked so much about her parents and how loving they were.  Plus, I saw first hand how much they adored their children and grandchildren.  During my friend’s son’s first birthday, I would see her parents glancing her interacting with her son.  The look in their eyes was pure pride and love as if they were saying “We did well.”  At the end of the day that’s what every parent wants to be able to say about their parenting skills.
    Seeing my friend so distraught over the loss of her mom just tugged at my heart strings even more.  To see such a person who I know as being strong, tough and doesn’t take shit from anybody in such a fragile state made me tear up.  Today, as I offered my friend words of comfort, I wished I could take half of her pain away.  Even as I type this I’m tearing up.  She was so drained and exhausted.  I can hear the sound of cry and almost childlike voice as she tried to hold it together.
    I’ve been to my share of funerals and memorial services but it’s something different when you see your friend grieving so hard and you know the one thing/person that can heal them is never coming back.  I can only pray that God will be a fence around her and her family.  That He will protect them from further hurt and pain and comfort them in a way that I can’t.  
    Have you ever had a friend grieve the loss of a parent or spouse?  How did you try to help them get through it?

  • Magazine Madness

    I’m going nuts over trying to decide if I should take a leap and start an online magazine.  It’s something that I’ve been thinking about since before I found out I was pregnant.  Then after I got pregnant with Moo, I really started to dream of doing a magazine that combined all aspects of my life-motherhood, fashion, marriage, etc.  I realize that to some reading this I may sound nuts.
    After all I’ve got this blog, my Etsy shop, two kids at home 24/7, a marriage and other stuff. But since I’m kicking my bad habit of procrastinating to the curb, I feel like I could make an honest of go this.  It’s more like I need to make an honest go of this.  It’s time that I get more serious about my YUMMommy/YUMMommies brand.
    This is a legacy that I’m leaving to my kids one day.  I want to make sure that my legacy and work is something they will be proud to carry on and pass down to their kids.  I want to make my mark on this world beyond just being a blogger.  Most importantly, I want to help others fulfill their dreams of getting their voices out there.  
    My JET Magazine feature opened so many doors and put me on so many people’s radar that I need to pay it forward.  Plus, the upside to all of this is that I’ve site that where I can publish an online magazine for FREE! That way once I get everything aligned and ready to go for a test run, I’m not really losing any money.  And of course, there’s always the old-fashioned way of using MS Publisher and converting it to a PDF.
    Either way, I’ve been praying really hard about this and I think I’m finally building up the courage to start work on the first issue.  I know in my gut that this has the potential to be a success.  However, undertaking a task that will be so time consuming scares me.  Will I find the time to make it work?  How will others respond to this magazine?
    Will I be able to find quality writers?  Sponsors?  Sometimes, the road to success is scary.  But the it’s time to sink or swim.  And I really want to swim.
    What would you like to see in a magazine?

  • Thankful Thursday

    I’m so thankful that things on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the blogs are getting back to normal.  Phew!  The holidays are coming up and we should be updating our statuses and posting about cheery things.  I for one am looking forward to Thanksgiving this year.  I’m thankful that I’ll be spending it with my husband.
    This will be the first Thanksgiving where it’ll just be us and the kids.  Change happens and we’re rolling with it.  The most important thing is that my honey won’t be without his family like he has been these past four Thanksgivings.  We’ll get to watch the parades and rattle pots together! LOL
    I’m thankful that it was warm enough for the kids and I to get out in the yard and play this afternoon.  They really needed to burn off some pent up energy.  I was in such awe of the beautiful scenery around us.  Like not to get all preachy but it’s amazing to see that God made views so gorgeous.
    View from my front yard
    I’ve been working on a blanket and I’m thankful that it is coming along well.  It was originally suppose to be listed in Moo’s Closet, but Moo has become very attached to it.  She keeps asking me if I’m done with ‘her’ blanket every five minutes.  When I told her yesterday that it wasn’t for her, she started crying a bit.  So, since most of the items in my shop are made to order, I’ll just use this blanket at a display model and list it as made to order as well.
    Great color combo huh?

    I’m also thankful for the surprise check I got on Tuesday!  It felt a little like Christmas and my birthday.

    What are you thankful for this week?

  • Hate It Or Love It

    Hate it or love it, President Obama and his family will be calling the White House home for another four years folks.  Yep, the election day battle is officially over.  However, what’s not over is all the ugliness that’s been buzzing around since this race started.  I have no idea why elections bring out the worst in grown folks.
    Sure, we have freedom of speech.  But we also have the right to agree to disagree.  And it seems from reading Facebook and Twitter updates that some of us haven’t mastered that skill yet.  It was said to see people I went to high school with and who have been friends for so long fall out over a difference in opinion about who would do a better job at running our country.
    I mean come on folks!  Yes, the election is an extremely serious matter and should be taken with the utmost seriousness.  However, at the end of the day neither President Obama or Governor Romney have lost friends over this election.  And I’m sure they both have friends who voted for their opponent instead of them.  
    Hate it or love it, we’re going to be electing a president every four years.  There’s a 50/50 chance that you’re going to have friends and family members who aren’t going to like who you like.  That’s life.  It wouldn’t be much of a democracy or election if everyone loved the same candidate.  There’s nothing wrong with a little healthy competition yall. 
    Please learn to separate politics from your personal lives.  Don’t get caught up in the name calling, back biting and ignorance.  Some words you just can’t take back.  For example, I saw a black friend who saw one of her white friends update their Facebook status using the N word towards President Obama and other blacks.  She was very upset because it just showed how little her friend valued her.  Well, of course her friend tried to say that he/she didn’t feel that way about her personally, but the damage was done.
    Hate it or love it we’re going to see even more history being made in the future during these presidential elections as we continue to progress as a nation.  And it saddens me to see this foolishness going on and to think about what kind of foolery will go down if we get our first female or Latino president.  I shiver at the words that will be said, the families that will be torn apart and the friendships that will come to an end.  
    I am thankful to that nobody in my circle seems to have sunk to any low levels of craziness.  I have quite a mixture of friends and we didn’t all vote for the same candidate.  However, what we did do was show each the same love, kindness and respect that we were showing each other before the election started.  For that I feel truly blessed.  Be smart people.  Be kind to your fellow man/woman.
    Respect The Vote!