HELP WHIP CANCER APRON GIVEAWAY!

So, I ended up having an extra Help Whip Cancer Apron this month. Do you love it? Me too.

Do you want it?

You DO?

Ok, well, if you book a show in June, you will be eligible to win it, along with ALL OF THE OTHER FREE STUFF YOU GET FOR HOSTING A SHOW.

So, contact me at Lindseyscookingathotmaildotcom

And book a show. It can even be a catalog show, if you live far, far away, and you will be entered to WIN! :)

Why I Cook Dinner

I cook dinner.

Almost every night.

Even when I am doing a Pampered Chef party and I am leaving anyway.

My mom cooked dinner for us every night.

Some of my favorite family memories revolve around eating.

Serious.

My little sister and I ate Brunch at the Grand Ole Opry Hotel. Ok, I just googled it and there is no such thing. Dad, what hotel was that?

Anyway, it was good. VERY good.

My little sister and I stuffed ourselves. Like, so full.

THEN we went and got the creme brule for dessert. Maybe one, or two, or three. All I know, is that it was too many. And we got so sick, that we went back to our room and laid on the beds. We had to lay still or we were going to throw up.

Very, very, very still. When we talk about it it, we laugh and cry at the same time. It was hilarious. As we laid prone on the beds and groaned at each other until we were brave enough to move. Good times, good times.

If you have never eaten that much, you probably should. Just once. But make sure it is GOOD.

REAL good.

Anyway, I could name a million places and times that we have eaten as a family that were memorable.

But not more memorable than at home.

So, I love to cook for my family. Love it.

And, I am proud of what I feed them.

I asked a kid who was over at my house one time what their favorite dinner was that their mom made, and they said, Top Ramen.

You ask Abby and she says something exotic, but ridiculous like Crab Wontons.

I wouldn't say that is my goal,

But I do like to make sure they eat well, have a balanced meal, and are healthy.

They could eat more "greens" but couldn't we all.

Since a few of you asked, here are my favorite go to meals.

Chicken Curry (my kids seriously love this. All of them)


Mongolian Beef


Cashew Chicken


Peanut Sauce Chicken


Chicken Pillows

You will find that I like Asian Food. Yes, yes, I do. It is my favorite thing to cook.

And you will find that this bounces over to my food blog. Yes, yes it does. I have tons-o-recipes on there. Me and my sisters contribute. It is a great way to keep the family recipes intact and the greatest part about it is that I can view it from anywhere! So, I don't always have to have my recipes with me.

Love these modern days.

Would be great for college kids to have their momma's recipes.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Please tell me if you try them!

And cook dinner for your family more. Your kids will remember it! :)


Here is one that is NOT on the food blog, but my it is my husbands favorite go to dinner in the summer. You can make a bunch and eat if for days if you want. It is yummy, and I would say even better the second day.

SALT LAKE TORTELLINI SALAD

1 package of tortellini

1 bottle of Bernsteins Three Cheese, or Cheese and Garlic Salad Dressing

Avocado

Cooked, Cubed Chicken Breast

Red Onion

Steamed Broccoli florets

Olives

Cherry Tomatoes

pepperoni or salami sliced

Marinated Artichoke Hearts

Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 can of Chickpeas

1 can of Kidney Beans

Anything else in the world you want.

Cook the tortellini to package directions. Drain. and rinse with cold water. Add cubed chicken, red onion, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, pepperoni, chickpeas and kidney beans. Add salad dressing according to taste. (Usually doesn't take the whole bottle unless you make a lot.)

Stir and let sit. Add avocado, tomatoes, artichokes and olives right before serving and stir them in lightly.

Enjoy!

Now, here I have typed it all out, but yet, I found the link. Click on the title to be taken to the previous publishing.

We interrupt WHY I WEEK for a quick open letter to a celebrity

Dear Bret Michaels,


You are sick. You should really stay in bed. (We know that is where you would rather be anyway... ) You are making yourself look REALLY DESPERATE for cash. I mean, I know you should "Strike while the iron is hot" and all that, and, it has been surprisingly hot for you since you started your romp with as many women as possible show. (Oh wait, I think it is called Rock of Love).

Really, with Diabetes, a stroke, and a hole in your heart, I think you ought to spend some time recovering, because if you don't. . . well, I hear there is no "Rock of Love" in heaven. I am not sure that I am saying I think you should stick around this earth, because there are people all over the world who are donating the hair of their heads so you can wear it under a sweaty headband, and I think there are probably a few cancer patients who could use that hair. Just own up to your baldness man. It is a better move. You can keep the guy liner, but, come on.

Anyway, best of luck in your recovering hiking Mt. Everest. I hear is is a doozy, so, be careful. But make sure to have those video cameras on. Because it would sure be a waste to miss any second of your life on film.

Sincerely,


Lindsey

WHY I . . . Secret Shopping

I do secret shopping. If you live around me, you probably know that because I have to drop my kids off at your house, or, I ask you to go to lunch with me because I need another adult with me.

Why do I do secret shopping? I don't know. Seriously. I the only reason I can come up with is

A- I love a good deal (Free is always a good deal)
B- I love multi-tasking and secret shopping makes me the ultimate multi-tasker.

I have been doing secret shopping since 2005, on and off. I even got a friend on to it when I lived in Sandpoint, and she used the money to buy something great! But I will be honest, there are times when I am finding it is hampering me, more than helping me. Sometimes the reports that you have to fill out are long. Sometimes you make simple mistakes that get them cancelled, so, even though you did it, they aren't going to pay you for it. But for the most part, I think it is a pretty great deal. I have even gotten to take my family bowling or to miniature golf FOR FREE. Something we would never do without secret shopping because it costs too much $$$. (Seriously, have you BEEN bowling lately? It is EXPENSIVE)

I try to make sure that if I am going to do a secret shop, it is something I would have probably done anyway. The way that it has helped us the most is on date night. Because I can set up a shop on Friday or Saturday night and VOILA, we just had a free dinner. Add that to a $1 re-fillable Harkin's cup, and Harkins Costco movie tix, and you get a pretty cheap date. I can't say where we have been to dinner, but I can say that I have been reimbursed up to $70 for my dinner. That ought to tell you that it is not always McDonald's. But see? Even then, doing a shop at McDonald's is great because then you can take your kids and they can play at the play land and they think you are the best mom ever because normally you wouldn't be caught dead in McDonald's. See? Win/Win.

IF YOU WANT TO DO SECRET SHOPPING HERE ARE SOME TIPS:

• Sign up with a shopper "reader". This is where secret shop companies place adds when they are trying to fill a shop. It makes it easier to find shops in your area. But after that, you have to sign up with the company directly and from there, you can get the shops from them directly. It is just kind of a way to meet local shopping companies. I used ShadowShopper.com. It costs money, but they do have a free trial, and after that, you can cancel because you will have most of the companies that were looking for shops in your area.
• Get "certified". This costs some initial money as well, but it DOES help you get shops. Especially if you have never done shops before. You can get a certification here. I have the Silver level certification. They also have shop listing on their site and you can get those for free if you want.
• ONLY DO SHOPS OF WHAT YOU WOULD NORMALLY DO! I am not going to do a shop of a place that I would not normally go, UNLESS, it is strictly a cash payment, and that cash payment is worth it. Even then, I try to make sure it is close by, or on my way to something else. Like this shop.

If you have any other questions, please post them in the comment section!

TOMORROW: Why I cook dinner for my family!

Why I do PAMPERED CHEF.

What happened to "WHY I" week?


NOTHING!


It is just getting started a little late.



So, let me start with Pampered Chef.

This is what my entry looks like at least one day a week, if not two, or three, or... well you get the idea. I constantly have Pampered Chef product and boxes laying around my house and, I LOVE IT.

I do Pampered Chef because:

• Honestly, having something to "do" keeps my mind more active and I waste less time. I know, even as I sit here and blog. But it is true! I am more organized and make better use of my time, ALL THE TIME.
• I LOVE the product. Seriously. If you know me at all, you know that I love to cook and bake. Having almost ALL the product in my kitchen is seriously a dream come true. I love it. I feel like my kitchen is completely "decked" out with all the most fabulous latest tools.
• I love being able to do the things that I want to do without the guilt. i.e Get a pedicure (hello $40 goodbye). Get shoes at the Rack. And pretty much whatever else I want including my new SWAGGER WAGON. Ok, so it is an Odyssey, and it is used, but it is still going to save my life traveling around the West this summer. Serious. And if you don't know why it is such a big deal for me to have a Swagger Wagon, click HERE.
• So yes, I am making my very own car payment, and you know? I kinda like that too. It pushes me in my business, and helps me keep the ball rolling.
• I like getting out of the house and talking to big people. It is nice. I am not gonna lie, there are some days where I am like, "I can't believe I have to leave the house right now!!!" But most of the days, I WANT TO.
• I want to go to Maui, which is the incentive trip this year. . . I mean, who wouldn't? And me and the hubby got kinda snaked out of our 10 year anniversary this year, so, wouldn't it be nice if I got him an all expenses trip paid? Yeah, it would be. Even if I don't get Maui, I think I might have enough $$$$ left over to take him on a trip anyway.
• And finally, it is nice to have a little extra dough after these last couple of years where pinching pennies was a must. I still pinch pennies, but, at least I know I have a little splurge fund.

So, I have been averaging about $700 per month with Pampered Chef, and that is only a three month average. February, March and April. So, Really? That is a nice piece of change. I love the freedom it gives me and my family through this rough patch. Couldn't YOU use an extra $700 per month? It is possible. SO, if you want to, please let me show you how.

TOMORROW?

Why I do secret shopping.

WE HAVE A WINNER!

Ok, someone won the citrus press.


Crazy huh.


Guess what?


You could STILL totally get the citrus press. . . FOR FREE.


If you hosted a catalog party with me.


Serious! I don't care if you live in Timbuktwo!


(Pampered Chef will totally ship there, I am sure!)


I can set you up on my website and you can have all of your friends order and then guess what. You STILL get FREE PRODUCT AND I will throw the citrus press in too.

Because I am nice like that.

And because I like FREE STUFF as much as the next person.

So,

If you are not KATIE! Who said, "I would love to win this! I make a lemon cake that requires TONS of fresh lemon juice and I hate squeezing them by hand!" (Number 38 by Random.org)

Then you can host an on-line party and STILL get your citrus press for FREE.


Awesome.

Come on, wouldn't it be nice to STILL get something for FREE?

PS- I WILL be doing my customary blog post on the Bachelorette, but I will be waiting my turn, because I have "Joined Forces" with Jeanelle and Holly, both of which obsess equally as much as me on The Bachelor. :) Holly will be posting tonight (or tomorrow - NO PRESSURE HOLLY!) and Jeanelle will do next week. I will be privileged enough to do week 3. We all started saying/thinking/and feeling the same thing anyway, so, it just made sense!

"Why I" week.

Don't you love it when I do "Weeks" on my blog.. and they turn into one or two posts? Yeah. Me too.

But I always have good intentions! I have ideas. And then I start them, and then... well, life happens. You know?

So, I am going to do "Why I" week. In which, I will answer questions like,

Why do you do Pampered Chef?

Why do you work out?

Why do you care about what you clean your house with?

And if you care to ask me some other "WHY" questions. I will consider answering them. :)

I have already answered the:

Why do you blog? HERE. And HERE kind of.

Stay tuned! Oh yeah, and a winner for my GIVEAWAY soon too!

ENTER TO WIN! :)

GIVEAWAY!

OK, have I made you wait long enough? I am finally doing my GIVEAWAY! Yippee! I have been so super busy doing PAMPERED CHEF shows (thank you everyone!) and doing some secret shopping, which I will post about later. You all want to know, don't you?



And the item for the month is:>

{Drum Roll Please}



THE CITRUS PRESS

I love this thing.

It is easy to use.

It is not flimsy.

You can squeeze ANY citrus in it.

Cut side up, or cut side down.

It makes your fish fantastic.

Your salsa stupendous.

And your Lemon Pies. . . PERFECT.

It is $17.

But today, for you, it is FREE.

Because I love ya.

Oooh. Oooh. I forgot to mention the winner will also get a SURPRISE item making this giveaway valued at over $30! Enter. It will be worth it!

RULES TO ENTER

1. Post a comment

2. Become a follower! (Only if you aren't already one)

3. Post about the giveaway on your blog.

4. Put my button on your blog. (Only if you don't have it already!)

5. Place an order with me and get 5 additional entries!

If you do any of these things, besides posting a comment, you can post an additional comment!

GIVEAWAY ENDS on MAY 23rd at 10:00 P.M.

Rollin Rollin Rollin

Hey!

I am coming YOUR way this summer.

In my hot new Swagger Wagon. Yo.

I am excited to get on the open road with that thing... Wanna hear about some of my "other" single momma on the road adventures?

Click HERE

or

HERE

Those stories are worth the clicks. Promise.

Anyway, in order to KEEP my Swagger Wagon, I also have to KEEP my business rollin'. So, I am looking for people who want to host Pampered Chef Parties in Utah or Washington while I am there!

(Please, oh, please)

I will make it worth your while and get you some FREE STUFF, feed you some GOOD FOOD, and get you some AWESOME PRODUCTS FOR SUPER CHEAP! Because in July, the Ultimate Mandolin, the Chopper and the Salad Choppers are all 60% off for Hosts. Yeah, I know. Don't miss it.

Please e-mail me with dates that you are available. IT WILL BE FUN!



NEXT UP? MY GIVEAWAY!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE JULY SPECIALS!

BLOG WORLD: I NEED TO KNOW

Hey Blog World:

I have had something on my mind for a long time.

Can you help me?

You can leave your comments,

or just take my POLL


---------------------------------------------------------->

Do you care about the chemicals that you clean your house with?

Do you think it matters/makes a difference?

Do you think the way you eat or take care of your body helps control disease and other things we can't control?

I care. I have a son with Autism, and I think this stuff makes a difference.

I have been working on it for some time. I was just wondering if you think about it too.

If so, what are YOU doing to make your house a better/safer/more healthy place?


Thanks.

Covet No More

Last year, I was coveting these. Oh my gosh. That was TWO years ago. My how time flies when you are living on the very edge and teetering back and forth in the wind.


Anywho.

I was coveting.



But the other day, I went to THE RACK.

I have a size 12 shoe.


If I find a shoe in a size 12, I buy it.

Ok, not all the time.

There are some homely looking size 12 shoes. I don't buy those.

But life is hard enough than to have to go barefoot too.


Right?


So, if I like it, I buy it.


So, the other day I bought these.

I love them.

Do you know how much fun it is to take pictures of your feet while you are walking? My neighbors think I am weird.

Know what else is super cute in awesome sandals? Baby feet.

Too Cute.

I have to make sure my see it and buy it philosophy doesn't end up drowning my girls in shoe options.

Maybe I don't have to worry. When I asked Abby if she liked my sandals, she said, "I think they are kinda weird lookin'"

Oh well, can't win them all.

You're a hard habit to break . .

Does anyone else hear a blaring horns section after that phrase? Just me?

Here he is, my perfect child. Outside playing. By himself. His older siblings having gone to school.

There was a mircoburst windstorm and he was thoroughly enjoying it. Laying out his blankie, takin' in the rays.

I glanced outside, and a smile met my face.

I grabbed my camera to document the super cute moment.

And then, I think he heard me.

And he started acting a little suspicious. So, I zoomed in with my camera lens. . .

Then I saw it. The FORBIDDEN BINKY.

Which we battled over.

Apparently, that battle isn't over.

Let's just say, he is SUPER good at hiding it.

The Swagger Wagon

Did I tell you?




I got my swagger wagon. . . Yo.

My Commentary on YOUR commentary.

I see. I see what you are saying... I can't go wrong with these pictures. All the looks are "good" and maybe "B" is only slightly better than the others.

For the record, I liked "B" the best too. If I was going to frame a picture of myself and put it in my house, it would probably be "B" and since you liked "B" so much. I will show you the "B" alternates. Because I had a dual purpose in taking these pictures.

I wanted to give my husband a headshot for his desk. Because he has no proof in his office that I exsist. He has proof of 4 children, but no proof of the woman who spent countless hours with an aching back, and swollen cankles. . who crossed through the valley of death for at LEAST 3 of them. (Do c-sections with your first count? Seemed like the easy way out really.) Who has miles and miles of stretch marks and vericose veins and dealt with wicked sciatic nerve problems! Who has wiped endless bumbs and noses, and . . . well, you get the picture. He has no proof of me.

So, I wanted to be sure he had some. I WAS going to give him "B". Until he saw them on Facebook and said he didn't like "B". . . because it looked like I was doing a math problem in my head. (Which, sadly to say, I am not good at) I was stunned, because, I LIKE "B"! But he actually liked a different one, and when I shared my "surprise" with him, he said he wanted to CHOOSE HIS OWN. Humpf. Whatever.


Anyway, back to your commentary.

I understand.

Do not,

under ANY circumstances.

ANY

choose "E".


It would be a horrible, horrible, mistake.

Haven't voted yet? Vote ---------------------------------------------->

Inappropriate Praying

You just never know what you are going to get around here when you ask someone to give a prayer.

From Abby, you get the wrote prayer, never changes, always stays the same. (We are working on that)

With Wade, you get the bushelful, non-stop prayer. It includes everything thing to what he currently likes, dislikes, all of his hopes and dreams and if you are lucky, he mentions the food as a side note.

With Jaxon, you get the inappropriate prayer. Which, a yesterday morning on our breakfast sounded a little like this:

"Dear Heavenly Father, I REALLY like Mommy, and I REALLY like . .[short pause] . . Mermaids, *snicker*, In the name of Jesus Christ. AMEN.

At this point, I would really like to thank my sister Hillary who stayed at my house for 4 days and made my boys watch Barbie Mermaid cartoons. Looks like it made QUITE the impact.

In other Jaxon news, he went from looking like this:

To looking like this! Well, minus the other one too!

Times are a changin' around here. But while we are on the subject of Jaxon, I want to post his best Pirate artist rendering to date.



See daddy swimming with the fishes? Actually, there is a big shark after him. (Scanner didn't go that far I guess) Not sure why he made daddy walk the plank. But everyone on the ship doesn't look so sure that daddy is going to make it out of that situation.

Capital T

Kaylie has been pooping in the tub. A rite of passage in our home, and yours too I am sure. The other day, before I put her in the tub, I gave her a chance to do her business in the toilet. You know, got her n*ked put her on the toilet, waited to see if anything came out, and then stuck her in the tub.



The look on her face when I did this was one of pure excitement. Like, you are putting ME on the TOILET?? I didn't know I could do THIS!!!! I remember laughing to myself that she was so excited. But relieved that maybe she might wait to do her business in the toilet, instead of the tub next time, since she seemed kinda like she knew what was going on.



Yesterday morning, at the early hour of 6:30, Kaylie woke up. Have I ever mentioned that NO HUMAN BEING ON EARTH SHOULD BE UP BEFORE 7:00? Yeah, I am pretty sure I have. Anyway, I changed her stinky diaper and got her dressed. She had a bottle and after that started wandering around the house. I didn't care much where she went as long as she wasn't trying to wake someone up.



I heard grunting. You know what means. I was surprised because I just changed a stinky diaper, but I was going to wait until she was done to change it. It sounded like she was in her room. Perfect, I will just sweep in there and get her up on the changing table. The grunting continued, and I thought, WOW. This is going to be serious.



After a few more minutes of grunting I walked toward her bedroom to see what was going on. She wasn't in her bedroom. I walked down the hall. Toward the bathroom. . . . I always HATE walking toward the bathroom to find my child, because nothing good is EVER going on in the bathroom. NOTHING EVER.



This is what I saw.

That is obviously not Kaylie, but that IS WHERE SHE WAS. Except, she wasn't crying. She was just doin' her business.

Sick.

Just Me

You have been staring at this picture for a LONG time.

Ever since I started my blog.

July 15th, 2007 to be exact.

It was a picture of me, that I cropped out of a family photo.

See that mysterious hand on my shoulder?

It's Abby's.

I like it, it is a good picture.

But, I think it is time for a more RECENT picture.

Plus, I needed a more decent headshot for some business cards.

So, I asked my girlfriend SARAH GOODMAN
to take a few.

But, I can't decide which one to make you stare at for the next 4-5 years.

So, I thought you might be able to help.

Please vote here!

---------------------------------------------------------->

I reserve the right to take your opinion into consideration, and then, do whatever the heck I want.

"A"

We brought our own fan.
Just kidding.
Thanks Mother Nature.

"B"

My husband thinks I look like I am trying to figure out a math question in this picture.

Maybe I was.

"C"

Know what I thought when I saw this picture?

"OPEN YOUR DANG EYES!"

"D"

Thank you Photoshop.

I heart you.

"E"

Yes, my head only tilts one way, OK?

I was born that way.




"F"

Yes, my teeth really stick out that way.
I have fangs,
Sometimes they get caught on my lip.
My husband sometimes calls me fang.



HAPPY VOTING!