Recipe: Green Beans Al a Jen

I have no name for this recipe, other than I know it came from my aunt Jennifer. It is my favorite way to make green beans, and it is really a treat. It’s a little putsy to make, but not bad. It’s certainly easy. With the over-abundance of green beans right now, I’d welcome your recipes and ideas for cooking green beans too.

Recipe: Green Beans Al a Jen

Fresh, washed/trimmed green beans

Raw strips of bacon cut in half

Brown sugar

Butter

Take about 5 green beans and bunch them together, wrap with bacon and attach with a tooth pick. Lay in a cake pan. When you are done rolling all the green beans and bacon, mix some brown sugar and butter together for a thicker paste. (Maybe about 1/4 cup brown sugar and 5 TBLS sugar) and brush across the bundles. Let them sit until you are ready to grill. Then simply grill the bundles over hot, but indirect heat so you don’t burn the beans before the bacon cooks. Enjoy!

*Don’t eat the tooth picks.

photo credit: OliBac

Wordless Wednesday: Lincoln Logs

I loved Lincoln Logs as a kid, so I couldn’t wait to buy them for my oldest. When she out grew them, I saved them for the next child.

My daughter constructed this for her hamster. Unfortunately, she forgot that he wouldn’t sit patiently while she built it. Buddy got bored and wandered off.

We spent the next hour locating buddy.

Garage Sale

Where can I post a whole list of stuff available at my garage sale without paying to advertise each item? Oh yeah, my blog. Please forgive this post if you aren’t from around my area.

Thursday, August 19th from 8am until 4pm

Friday, August 20th from 1pm until 4pm

Baby Changing Table

High Chair

Baby Gates

Pet Gate (Vehicle)

Lots of toys (Fisher Price People, Vtech)

Girls baby/toddler clothes  (ALL CLOTHES $.50)

Girls clothes size 4-12  (ALL CLOTHES $.50)

Shoes

Kitchen dishes

Platters

Shelves

Leather Harley Jacket

Floor lamp

Small TV

Home decor (mirror,shower curtain,rugs)

Books (children and adult novels)

Bug/Lawn Fogger

Tons of other “stuff”

Everything is going cheap!

photo credit: TheTruthAbout…

Confession: I detest running

I really detest running. Do I need to? Yes, it would be good for my heart and weight loss. However, I find absolutely no pleasure in running. I never did, even when I was 102 pounds for many years. It has never “felt good”. Oh, I’ve heard the stories about getting beyond a certain point and then the chemicals/endorphins kick in, yada, yada, yada. Not me. I feel nothing good. I’ve tried good shoes, a positive attitude, ipods and music, hiring a physical trainer to keep me going, and guess what? I still detest running. I WISH it felt good and was something I craved. But I don’t. I will not ever enjoy running.

photo credit: andreweland

Wordless Wednesday: Oh Good Heavens

Dear Me,

I remember the pearls fad, home permanents, and overly flowered dresses. I’m glad styles have toned it down a bit.

You do make me laugh though.

Sincerely,

Me

PS. The tightly braided “french braid” and tightly buttoned shirt weren’t any better; in case you were wondering.

Confession: I have a bit of a mess

I fell behind in clipping my coupons. Determined to get caught up, I set aside last night to tackle clipping, sorting, and filing coupons. I assigned my two older kids tasks, which they did (grumbling).

 My youngest played toys, road her tricycle through the mess, and occassionally ran expired coupons to the garbage can (until that lost its appeal).

After a couple hours, we had made much progress. However, we decided to finish in the morning, leaving the mess where it is.

Hmmmm….this morning I couldn’t resist snapping a few pictures of the incredible mess that awaits me today.

What’s your messiest chore?

The Coolest Spot in Town: The Conversation Hub

I’m about to introduce you to the coolest place in town (actually online), unless you’ve already found it.

It’s not the water cooler.

It’s not the swimming pool.

It’s The Conversation Hub, a fantastic blog featuring articles and podcasts of people interviewed about anything and everything. What I love about this site is that it supports my belief that everyone is an expert in something and can offer inspiration and support to others. All you have to do is focus on what you are passionate about and then offer help to others. The Conversation Hub is a creative, fun, and interesting gathering spot of amazing talent located not too far from any of us. Famous in their own right, every person interviewed on The Conversation Hub brings thought provoking ideas and stories from everyday experiences to which most of us can relate. The Conversation Hub reminds me a bit of the show, “Real People” in the 1980′s. Remember that one?

I was lucky enough to be asked for an interview this week on The Conversation Hub, which you can listen to here. I’d invite you to also listen to the other phenomenal interviews collected there; the coolest spot in town!

RiverSong Festival

My town’s music festival is this coming weekend. RiverSong is located along the Crow River in Hutchinson, MN, and it is a full weekend of fantastic folk music the whole family will enjoy. There’s a big park, river, music, food, camping, wildlife, bike trails, and so much more. The best part is that tickets are affordable and kids under 14 years old are FREE! If you are looking for something fun to do this weekend in Minnesota, check out Riversong. Discount tickets are available until Wed. July 28th! If you are there and spy me, Confessions of a Mom, let’s take our picture together and post it here.

Confession: I love my caller ID

Isn’t caller ID great? I can hardly remember a time without it, when I’d answer the phone and actually talk to a telemarketer. It seems so arciac now. I pity the business or non-profit who doesn’t have a public name/number listed, as they will not get a hold of me. Ever. How about you?

Top 10 Indications You Are Coupon Crazy

I blogged a while back about taking a couponing class, and now it seems I’m coupon crazy. The whole thing started out as an oddly intriguing thing. Then it quickly became a hobby, and now it’s more like a frugal frenzy.

 I think I’ve gone coupon crazy. The following is a list of items that I believe apply toward my coupon craziness. Can you see yourself?

Top 10 Indications You Are Coupon Crazy

 

1. My browser home page is now set to TotallyTarget.com, trumping Facebook.
2. I usually check out coupon deals in the morning, prior to having a cup of coffee. Craziness, I tell you.
3. I have been known to spontaneously scream out when finding coupon deals that lead to free stuff. I’ve startled my kids and made my friends laugh.
4. I have emailed my husband things like: I just bought $60 worth of groceries at Target for $7; not including any other lead-in or follow-up messages.
5. My husband has offered to come up with “The Perfect Cheer” for us, SNL-style. Now that is over the top!
6. I’ve actually considered taking pictures of my good deals, which means photographing my groceries.
7. We have a lifetime supply of cereal and shavers in our basement.
8. The kids call our basement “Our Store”.
9. I send bags of items home with family, who leave scratching their heads and carrying bags of pasta, body wash, and popcorn.
10. A friend and I enjoyed some time off, shopping “Double, Double Daze” and skipping through the isles carrying toilet paper and gleefully pointing at things.

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