alien hot dogs

I'm always looking for things that are easy, cheap, and fun to make for my kids. One of my mommy friends posted a photo in our mommy group on facebook a photo of hot dogs cut up with pasta through them, before and after cooking. It looked weird and a little gross. In other words, perfect for my three little boys! So I decided to wing it. i boiled a pan of water. As it was boiling, I sliced up cold hot dogs and slid raw angel hair noodles through them.

I cooked according to the angel hair directions. This was the result:

It came out pretty good, the only change I would make is to use thin spaghetti instead of angel hair, as while the hot dogs were cooked, they weren't as hot as I'd like. The kids loved them--they dipped them in ketchup and had a ball!

Car shopping

My not-so-little baby sister need a new car. I'd say desperately after riding in it today. She wanted to go car shopping and asked me of all people to go with her. I've gone car shopping three times in my life. The first time I was 16 and had my daddy and pep take me, the other too times I went with my husband and he did all the talking. Needless to say, I was surprised that she asked me. She is a lot like me in the respect that we like to do important things with other people. I can just recently go to the store by myself, and I still don;t go alone if I can help it. I don't completely understand it, I just get terrified. When I began driving, I used to buy my step-brother Wendy's so that he would go on drives with me. My sister is not as extreme as I am--she can go shopping by herself! I'm pretty sure I helped at least a little....and I only embarrassed her once, which is basically a record. :) She's even letting me go back with her when she gets a down payment together--that's sisterly love right there!

 My sister and i are very different--

but nothing can beat the sister bond <3

Pinterest

I have a new obsession...a website called pinterest. members repin photos, crafts, articles, recipes, ect. that they love. A lot of women in my mommy group were in love and talked about it often. One day I said innocently "someone needs to send me an invite to that!" and that was it....hook, line, sinker. I have found so many crafts I want to make with the kids, food I want to try, home decorating I want to do, and organizing ideas I never would have thought of on my own. There is even an iphone app or it--though I have yet to download it. I spend too much time attached to the site without it being mobile! It literally amazes me to see how much cool stuff is out there.

My first pinterest project :)

November Thanks day 3 & 4

I am thankful for my mommy. That sounds very cliche, but it's true. If I am ever in a pinch, she is there at any hour of the night. She drove back and forth to worcester with me four different times when I was in false labor with my oldest and I just KNEW that this time it was going to be real. She's been by my bedside for the birth of all three of my boys, and cut two of their cords. I love our weekly shopping trips where we try to out coupon the other. We walk down the aisles together with our own separate carts and coupon binders, browsing for unadvertised sales to match our coupons with. We're constantly swapping coupons right in the store aisle when I see my favorite yogurt is on sale or she needs just one more coupon to score a great toothpaste deal. We're constantly in touch on facebook--posting photos and writing on each other's wall. We're even in the same groups and have introduced each other to our own people.

My mom, with my sister and I

I am thankful for my work managers. It's been a long time since I've had a group of managers who would literally do anything to make my life easier. I missed Halloween with my boys because of an issue caused by the snow storm that caused us to not receive our delivery until 36 hours later. Carrie was by my side until it was solved--13 hours into her shift. When the town of Webster rescheduled trick or treating until friday night--our busiest night of the week--she spent her only real day off covering my dinner shift so I could do Halloween right with my kids. She's taken on the role of my unofficial assistant, learning how to do inventory, interviews, orientations, and payroll. There is nothing i ask of her that does not get done. Michael picks up so many small jobs, I couldn't even count them. He's always reorganizing my office, sorting through my invoices, entering transfers...and I never have to ask. My new managers--Dylan and Emily are like sponges, trying to learn how to do everything possible. Kayla's been with me almost since day one. She's always making sure bank runs get done. I never have to second guess if the deposits got dropped off or if we have enough coin. She is constantly staying late. Garrett is constantly helping out--he comes in early and goes to other stores when we are in a pinch. He takes feedback with a good attitude and is consistently trying to better himself for the store. Shane has started a crusade to improve our procedures and cleanliness--and it's paying off big time. He's exceeded the expectations I had of him when I began his training. Estefania  is the heart and soul of our team--she's always happy and singing. I assigned her uniform inventory, and it's always done when I need it to be with out reminders. She's constantly moving around her schedule to help us out.

 my manager, Michael crawling underneath equipment to help out

30 days of thanks, day 1&2

Lot's of people on facebook, as well as quite a few fellow bloggers are doing a thing called "30 days of thanks." They say one thing (or more) each day that they are thankful for during the entire month of November. Why pick only one day a year to express thanks or all the little (and not so little) things in life? I've jumped onto this bandwagon head first. Here's hoping I can keep up daily! :)

The first thing I am thankful for, I could go on about for days. The four men in my life. My 3 boys and my husband. They are the biggest and most important thing in my life. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a big smile on the face of one of my boys. I love watching them run back and forth and play cars and animals. I loved all the first steps, and first words. The first smiles that I insisted were not gas. The slobbery open mouth baby kisses, the tight toddler hugs, and the current popular "punchies." My boys literally light up my life. My husband is my rock. I couldn't have asked for anyone better. He's an amazing father, and one of the most supportive men I've ever met. He always finds a way to make it work when I need to run into work for "just a few minutes" on my day off and end up stuck there for hours. When my mom and I need girl time to go shopping and frighten cashiers with our coupons binders. When my managers have issues at 2am and have to call me so I can walk them though it. Or lock their keys in their car at 4am and we have to go down to unlock the store. I don't know what I would do with out him.

My three little boys <3

old navy frost free coats!

I have recently been chosen to sample old navy outerwear. i received two coupons in the mail (one for me, one for a friend) to pick any type of outwear to try. So Carrie and I went to the Old Navy store in the blackstone valley mall. We both liked the lightweight frost free jackets (hers in black, mine in blue). We both work at teh same fast food restaurant and spend some time in the freezer unloading deliveries, as well as counting inventory and rotating stock. We wanted a coat that wouldn't be too heavy, but would keep us from freezing in the walk in. This coat is lighter than it looks (I wish it were a tiny bit thicker--but the heavier jackets were a tad too much for what I wanted), but looks amazing. The colors were bright, and the coats look trendy. I would have loved to get this coat in the pink color that the matching vests come in, but the blue works nicely also. Since I have picked up the coat, I have worn it everyday. I receive lots of compliments on it. It is the perfect jacket for fall/early winter in New England.

 Carrie and I styling in our frost free coats at work

Crowdtap is awesome!!

I am a part of the crowdtap community. You get points and occasionally money for filling out "quick hits" where you pick your choice out of a group (ie. How often do you visit this certain company). you can also get selected to participate in discussions, which are more in depth conversations (ie what is your favorite chip brand and why?). I have been trying since I started to get selected for the sample and share option where you receive a coupon for a free item for you and a friend and you give your feedback. I finally got chosen today!! So stoked! I can't wait to share photos and feedback! All my work with crowdtap is paying off :) It's def worth checking out here!