My Last Meal

There are times when, after eating something particularly delightful, I will declare the food item worthy of my last meal should I ever find myself on death row about to be executed.

But really, that's just a crazy thought because one can't have everything for their last meal. So I've chosen to narrow down the selection to a few of my favorite things. Here is my last meal should I ever find myself in the unfortunate predicament of being on death row:

Main course: Cheese tortellini in Alfredo sauce with sauteed mushrooms from Anzio Landing in Mesa, Arizona. My husband and I would often visit Anzio Landing for special occasions or whenever we felt we deserved a special treat. This is a beautiful restaurant on Falcon Field not far from the runway. Many times while dining there, if we were fortunate to get a window seat, we'd see people fly in then taxi their Cessna's or Piper's into the restaurant's parking lot designated for aircraft.

Only once did I ever try anything other than the cheese tortellini. It was my favorite dish and, so far, nothing at any other Italian restaurant has even come close to this delectable meal. It goes first on my list.

Side dish: Second on my list is a childhood favorite. Something I've enjoyed with simple lunches or while visiting my grandparents at their camper by the lake or, as in most cases, while on feeding frenzies during times of stress. I'm talking about my beloved Pringles. While I can and will enjoy an entire can alone, I really prefer them with French Onion dip. French Onion dip, in my opinion, is one way that God shows us He loves us. If the Warden (or whomever makes these decisions, I don't know) would allow, I would ask for two cans of Pringles since the good people at Dean's make such a large carton of dip. They are good people.

Side dish: Next, and I'm sure many of you would not only agree to this selection but I believe will add it to your own last meal list, is a side of onion rings from Sonic. Large, that is. Plenty of ketchup, if you please and, well...what the heck, some ranch sauce as well. Shake it up a bit, ya know? I love onion rings and will order them whenever I have the opportunity to either substitute or super-size but no one (okay, maybe Red Robin) comes close to Sonic's onion rings.

Don't forget to tip your carry-out.

Finally, for dessert: aaaahhh...I love spring. Spring brings us warm days dotted with cool breezes. Spring brings the sounds of newborn birds chirping, the thump-thump of baby bunnies hopping, longer days and colorful flowers. But most glorious of all, spring brings us the Cadbury egg. I am not lying when I say that I look forward to spring every year for this reason alone. This chocolate, creme-filled delight, thank the Lord, starts showing up in the days leading up to Valentine's Day and then go on sale when Easter is over allowing me to enjoy them for a solid 4 months or more! Have you had them frozen yet? Oh, you must! Hmm...I wonder if they have freezers in the state pen. You think they'd mind freezing one or two or fifteen for me? It is my last request after all.

What's on your list?

Decorating 101

Welcome back to another installment of Decorating 101. In the last few installments I've gone over the impact color can have on a room as well as given example of three different types of color schemes: monochromatic, complementary and triadic.

This will be my last installment on color schemes though next week I'll briefly show you how the colors you choose to put on your walls can either make the room look smaller (advancing color) or give the illusion that the room is larger (receding color).

The last two color schemes I want to go over are Alternate Complementary and Analogous. This doesn't mean that there aren't other color schemes out there. I think it's safe to say that color combinations are endless. Simply do a search on the web and you'll be amazed at what you can put together in your own home.

Alternate Complementary Color Scheme

An alternate complementary color scheme is achieved through the use of a triad color scheme plus one complement. In the color wheel above we see the blue, red and yellow as the triad with the addition of yellow's direct complement, purple.

In the picture below we see a variation of this except instead of violet as the complement, green (red's complement) is used. In this example, red is represented by pink (a derivative of red).

Analogous Color Scheme

The analogous color scheme uses colors that sit adjacent to one another on the color wheel.

From Integrated Publishing:

typical analogous color scheme should not contain more than three or four colors
or you jeopardize harmony. Although analogous color schemes are easy to compose, they may become monotonous. Use a variety of values,
intensities, and arrangements to develop interest.

This room below demonstrates an analogous color scheme using hues from red, orange and yellow. The result is a calm and relaxing environment. Beautiful, isn't it?

As I've said before, because I'm not a professional and do not hold a degree in interior design, I'd love to hear from anyone with additional tips and advice on how to use color effectively in decorating. Also, if you have a post on your blog involving any decorating and would like to share it with the rest of us, please leave a link in the comments section.

Head on over to Clueless Cooking and give Mary's Tangy Coleslaw a try. It's quick and easy and not your typical, everyday coleslaw.

Dear Grown Woman at Walmart,

Please, I beg of you, for all that is decent in the world, stop wearing your pajama pants out in public. Enough already. I don't know at what point in your life you lost all self-respect but, please, try to get some of it back. You can start by putting a little bit of thought into what you wear out in public. How you represent yourself, that is. A pair of blue jeans and a simple white t-shirt go a long way. Not to mention a clean pair of shoes.

Which brings me to my next request: Please stop wearing those over-sized, extra fluffy pink and/or cheetah print slippers out in public as well. Return them to the 14 year old girl you borrowed them from and advise her not to wear them out either. They are referred to as "bedroom slippers" for a reason.

You're "relaxed" style of dress is not cute, trendy or at all endearing. No one is admiring you and saying, Gee, I wish I had the courage and self-confidence to go out in public looking like I just rolled out of bed after a hard night of drinking. Trust me.

I'm not talking about when you're walking the dog, getting the mail or picking the paper up from your front lawn. Those can easily be classified as "Oops! I didn't expect to run into anyone" moments. We all have them. What I'm talking about are the trips to the grocer, the bank or, Heaven forbid, the mall. Please, show some mercy!

Now go, dust off your self-respect, run a comb through your hair and put on a decent pair of pants and some real shoes. You will truly feel better about yourself and be glad you did.

Thank you!
Signed,
The General Public

P.S. And we would greatly appreciate it if you could inform your teenage daughter that her bra strap is showing. Thanks!

Super Savings Saturday

It's Super Savings Saturday over at MoneySavingMom.com. Please go check it out! You will be so inspired to start saving money every time you shop!

This week I worked a couple of the Walgreen's deals. Can I just say that I am sooooo missing my CVS! I get so jealous every time I read the deals other have got. *sniff* I'm determined to make Walgreen's work for me though.

Here we go:

I got 4 boxes of cereal, the Palmolive (hey, I just realized that's palm & olive together! Who knew?), a 6 pack of kids toothbrushes and three candy bars (I have no idea what happened to the third one on the drive home. Honest!) all for $1.99 OOP. It would have been .99 OOP had I not forgotten to give the cashier one of the $1 off coupons.

Anyhoo, I used $2.25 in coupons, $3.00 in RR and $8.32 from my Walgreen's gift card (which was all money from previous rebates). Plus, I received $3.00 in RR's back.

Not bad. Not bad.

Also, I went to Walmart this week with my handful of Johnson's Buddies coupons thanks to Crystal! Go here and here to get these coupons yourself.

I ended up with 5 bars of soap FREE!

That's my week. I hope yours went just as well or even better!

Frugal Friday

Inexpensive Wall Decor

You'll need as much material and as many different kinds of material as you prefer. Plus, picture frames of your choosing. It all depends on if you want to do one picture or several and the look you are going for.

After you have selected your fabric and picture frames, cut the fabric to fit the frame using the glass insert as your guide. You'll want to cut a little extra so as not to see the edges of the fabric in the picture:

Iron your fabric. No one wants wrinkly art!

Lay your fabric in the picture frame just as you would a regular picture:

Wah-la! Instant and inexpensive wall decor!

I bought my fabric in fat quarters for $2.50 each. I only used 1/4 of each fat quarter so I only used $2.50 worth of fabric. The picture frames I found at Walmart for $2.00 each. They are plastic, not wood. All total, my project cost me $10.50 plus tax.

Decorating Tip: Mix and match your patterns using florals with geometric shapes. Combine small print with large print for a more balanced look.

Join Crystal and many others over at BiblicalWomanhood.com for more fabulous frugal tips!

Also, check out my other Frugal Friday posts!

WFMW

Sick Smoothies

recipe4living.com

I don't mean sick as in way cool, man. I mean sick as in my kids are sick and this is the only way I can get any nutrients into them.

My daughter is currently battling a chest cold and while this has nothing to do with her digestive system, for some reason or another, my kids always lose their appetites whenever they fall ill. It becomes a struggle to get any food into them and this worries the little Italian mother that lives inside me who can't bear to see someone go without food.

For the record, I'm German but the little Italian mother in me and I get along swimmingly.

Anyway, this is a trick I used to get food into my daughter between the age of 10 mos and 2 yrs when she wouldn't eat anything anyway. Smoothies, baby, smoothies.

You can hide all sort of magnificent, highly nutritious stuff in smoothies and the little rugrats (I say that with love) have no clue. Here's an easy one:

Fiber One vanilla yogurt (gets some fiber in there)

4-6 oz orange juice (Vitamin C)

baby food jar of pureed carrots (beta-carotene)

one medium banana (potassium)

flaxseed or flaxseed oil (omega-3's)

Mix it all together in a blender.

My kids think this is a treat! Next time your little ones are under a virus attack and you're having some difficulty getting some good, hearty nutrients in them, give a smoothie a try.

Sick Smoothies - they Work For Me!

My other WFMW posts:
From Ew! to New!
Butter For Your Feet
How to Correctly Fold A Towel
Organizational Bins, Boxes & More!
A Place for Necklaces