Sunday, May 31, 2009

Tom's Shoes

If you love buying shoes and enjoy giving to needy kids, check out Tom's Shoes. For every pair of shoes you purchase, a pair will be donated to a needy child. They carry shoes for the whole family. :-)

Friday, May 22, 2009

Current Update

Chris has finished up his training in Alabama (as far as we know) but still has two more weeks of training which they plan to take place in Daytona. Chris' friend Derrek Ashton has parents who live in Port Orange , FL that have agreed to put him up so that he doesn't have to drive back and forth every day during the week so if all goes well he will be in Daytona Monday - Friday but be here in Jacksonville on the weekends. He'll drive to Jacksonville after work on Friday and head back out on Sunday evening. He may also drive home on Tuesday evenings and back out again late Tuesday night. We go this Sunday morning (we'll miss church) to drive down to Port Orange to meet Derrek's parents so that trust can be developed with his family.

We spoke to a loan officer at a bank we use and found out that our credit score is 805 and that because of that we should only need $2,000 to start up the process of getting a loan for a house in Port Orange, and we spoke to a realtor about a house we are interested in and things seem like they would go smoothly. If we are able to get a home in a few month's we will most likely spend 2 weeks in Port Orange (to be close to Chris) and 2 weeks in Jacksonville (to pack and attend my OB/GYN appointments) each month until the birth. The latter half of August and the month of September we should be here in Jacksonville if I don't go into labor early.

We also have found out that our neighbor is interested in our plot to buy and use for his RV so we may be able to get a good bit of money for the piece and at the same time have a relative that's interested in buying our house. We had originally planned to have it moved but now that God has opened the doors to sell separately the property and the land, we plan on going with that option. We may possibly be able to get some extra money to put towards a house in Port Orange even with having to pay off the remainder on this mortgage.

Right now we are of course being frugal with our finances but are hoping God will provide the money needed soon so that Chris and our family will be able to spend time together and not be apart so much. So prayers in that direction would be great!

New Consignment Shop & Sale

Event: Grand Opening
Closets 2 Closets Consignment Shop
Open Days/Hours: June 15th - June 21st | 10AM - 6PM
11570 San Jose Blvd

These ladies normally do the 3-day sales at hotels around Jacksonville but have decided to open their own store and they will do one event each month for people to come in and do some shopping. Their prices are much better than the regular stores and I've found more selection with C2C than I have with other consignment stores.

Please check out their website and if your interested in consigning you can call them at 904-910-2191 or email them.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Dairy Free Milkshake

The Hillbilly housewife had this recipe on her blog and I snagged it and made it completely dairy free.

1 1/2 c. cold vanilla rice milk
About 1 1/2 - 2 trays of ice
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla (if desired)
2 T. olive oil plus a 5-second squirt of pan spray

Blender should be about 3/4 full of ice. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend for 2 minutes. Do not omit any ingredients or the milkshake will not form. The oil and pan spray is needed for emulsification purposes and to give a creamy texture and appearance. It will have an appearance similar to a Wendy's frosty but much healthier, with no artificial flavors or colors and most ingredients are found at home.

You can omit the cocoa powder and only 1/2 c. sugar with 1 T. pure vanilla extract for a vanilla shake.
Add 1 ripe banana and you get a chocolate banana milkshake.
Reduce ice cup by cup for frozen strawberries and adjust sugar to your tastes to get a strawberry shake.
Add a scoop of rice protein powder to add protein and other essential aminos to your shake.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Lemon & Herb Rice Mix

1 c. long grain brown rice (short grain is very sticky and you want fluffy end results)
1 tsp. dried lemon peel (organic is better, no chemical residues)
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar

Combine and place in ziplock bag, make multiples to create your own convenience mixes or follow directions below to cook.

Boil 2 1/2 c. broth or water, add entire bag of rice mix, turn down heat to low-medium and cook for 45 minutes.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Corn Dog Muffins - Hit with Kiddos!

1 1/4 c. cornmeal
1 c. gluten free flour mix
1/3 c. sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp xantham gum
1 tsp salt
1 to 1 1/4 c milk substitute
1/3 c. canola or olive oil
1 pkg gluten free hot dogs *

* We use gluten free Wellshire Farms Chicken Hot Dogs or Sheltons Chicken Hot Dogs and you can't tell a difference. Chopped about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

Preheat over to 350. Spray non-stick muffin pan or muffin cups. In bowl combine all dry ingredients, make well in center and add liquid ingredients. Chop up 4-5 hot dogs and fold into corn mix. Fill muffin cups and bake 20-25 minutes, or until top is light brown and firm. Once these have cooled, serve with ketchup or mustard.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Field Trip Anyone?!

Riverside Arts Market
Saturday - 10:00AM to 4:00PM
April to December

Directions & Parking: Click Here For Maps

Admission: FREE!

Take a stroll through the riverside arts market where the theme of the market is to BUY LOCAL! You'll find local farmers selling produce, artists (painters, sculptors, musicians, performance artists, and much more) performing or displaying their work and enjoy musical entertainment. If you get hungry you can stop into the food court where neighborhood chefs from area restaurants prepare everything from gourmet hot dogs to international cuisine. While your there why not do some grocery shopping from local farmers? Buy vegetables, fruit, honey, eggs, cheese and organic treats all in one spot.

Children are welcome as well as dogs, however they need to be on a leash/harness and you are responsible for them at all times. I guess the above statement would be true for the kiddos as well. :-)

Hope to see you there one Saturday!