Around Our House :: Not So Average Mama

Archive for Around Our House

Feb
6

Recipe for Easy Stuffed Crescents with Petit Jean Ham #TXBacon #Cbias

by Brandy

As I am sure you know already, yesterday was Superbowl Sunday. I’m not really a fan of football, but I am a fan of any excuse to have friends over and eat yummy foods. These are the days that I do not cook dinner, I create lots of finger foods for everyone to enjoy.

Since the Dallas Cowboys were not playing, we really didn’t root for anyone. Jeremy enjoys the occasional football game and as games go, I think this was considered a good one. Seriously, I am not going to pretend to know anything about football. I just know about feeding the masses super yummy goodness.

We headed to Walmart to get all of the ingredients for our goodies. You can see what we bought by viewing my Google+ album.

The first thing I made was my awesome recipe of Heaven on a Jalapeno! People normally make these with the bacon wrapped around them. I don’t like it that way, my way is easier and tastier with tons of bacon!

My family has become big fans of Petit Jean Meats. I can not wait until they carry the bacon at Walmart! Right now they only carry the ham, but my family loves this ham more than any other!

So using the Petit Jean Ham (Official Ham of the Dallas Cowboys) I created the perfect Superbowl munchie recipe! I like easy things and this my friends is EASY! During the holidays I always make ham rolls with sliced ham spread with cream cheese with a green onion rolled up in the middle. I wanted to put that flavor into something fun and filling. The recipe below is what we came up with. The masses loved it! I hope you do too!

The Ingredients!

Recipe for Easy Stuffed Crescents with Petit Jean Ham #TXBacon #Cbias

Recipe type: Appetizer

Author: Brandy ~ Not So Average Mama

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 8

Easy stuffed Crescents with Ham, Cream Cheese and Green Onions.

Ingredients

1 Package Petit Jean Sliced Ham
2 Packages of Cream Cheeses
1 Bunch of Green Onions
2 Packages of Crescent Rolls

Instructions

Preheat the oven according to the directions on the Crescent Rolls.
Dice the Ham
Slice the Green Onions
Mix the Green Onions and Ham into the Cream Cheese
Lay out your Crescent dough
Add the Cream Cheese filling and roll the Crescents, being sure to pinch the ends closed
Bake according to directions on the Crescent Rolls.

Notes

See the images below for step by step!

Google Recipe View Microformatting by Easy Recipe

If you make these please let me know! I would love to hear what your family and friends thought!

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias

1 Categories : Recipes, Uncategorized

Feb
4

Mr. Chewy for Your Fur Friends!

by Brandy

I had never heard of Mr. Chewy before they had contacted me. So this was definitely a chance to try out something that we had never tried before. Morgan is a pet lover! She has her dogs and they mean the world to her. I too love dogs, but the critters we have right now belong to her.

So I grabbed Morgan (who happens to be 13), directed her to the Mr. Chewy website and I told her to shop. I said you can spend up to $50. She was like realllllly?? I was like REALLY. She was all…oh wow! Thanks mom! Yer the best! Wow…the best? Let’s see how long that lasts…

Anyhow, my kid can shop! She is a fantastic shopper. She watches for deals and get’s the most for her money. She was so excited about some of the products she seen on the site.

She ended up ordering:

When you hit $49, you also get free shipping. I think Morgan spent right at $49 or right at $50! She makes me proud…

The website is super easy to navigate, she had no issues shopping and adding to her cart. When it was time to checkout I had no issues. It was very easy…that is saying a lot because I am an easily confused person these days. I walk around in total confusion…always.

Mr. Chewy is definitely a site for the pet lover and I recommend it!

I received a Mr. Chewy gift code to facilitate this review.

2 Categories : Around Our House

Feb
3

What is it?

by Brandy

You know…I’m really not that sure anymore. The answers to the questions that are asked of me have me confused and not understanding it myself. What is wrong with me is a question that people want answers to. Trust me, I want those answers as well.

There is no quick fix for what is wrong with me. It’s a hard condition to understand. Basically my answer to myself is SUCK IT UP. Right now I am rambling as I try to write my essay explaining how it feels. I’m not sure how to explain how it feels. Right now I feel like my skin is burning. I feel like sticks are being shoved in my veins. I feel like electricity is shocking through my brain, which in turn causes uncontrollable jerking of my head. I feel like I’m on fire. I feel like no one will get it, so I don’t talk about it all that much.

Getting out of bed is difficult, but you know what? I do it. I can either choose to take those steps and endure the pain, or I can choose to waste my life away. Who would choose to waste their life away? Plenty of people choose that! To them I want to yell at them to suck it up! There is always someone that has it much worse than you, so just do what needs to be done and deal with it.

I’m sorry you have cramps, I’m sorry you have arthritis, I’m sorry you have allergies. I’m sorry. But suck it up. I’m sorry that life has been hard for you. Suck it up and learn from it. Let your pain and heartache turn you in to something and someone better. There is always something worse than can happen to you. ALWAYS.

Vent complete…moving on…smile! Sorry if this made no sense…haha!

1 Categories : Around Our House

Feb
1

Wordless Wednesday with Linky!

by Brandy

I had such a busy weekend and I completely over did it. I’m paying for it for sure, but the weekend was well worth it.

Friday night we had our Benefit Show for Reece. This was to raise money for my friends family. Reece had a heart attack right before Christmas and then passed away a few days before New Years. It has been very hard on his family. He was very young and left behind a wife and two young children. So we arranged a benefit show to help raise money to support the family during this time. It was great! The turnout was amazing! That was Friday. I finally made it to bed at 5am. Being on my feet for hours on end was hell on my body.

All shots taken without flash, existing lighting only.

I have tons more that will be on my flickr. I don’t want to put too many here. Saturday was Roller Derby and I have a ton of great shots for that as well. I will have to make a separate post. Then Sunday I did maternity photos. Now…I can barely walk. I totally put my body through too much this weekend. Ow….

1 Categories : Around Our House

Jan
26

Check out Our Valentine’s Day Cards!

by Brandy

The girls have the cutest Valentine’s Day cards for this year! I just placed my order! Minted.com has the cutest selection of classroom Valentine’s Day cards to choose from!

The site is super easy to navigate, if a site is difficult to find my way around I will leave very quickly. The only thing that was hard, was choosing the designs! There are so many cute ones! But we did settle on two different ones. Morgan didn’t want her own, so I did them with Lauren and Emma so that they could hand them out to their friends at American Heritage Girls.

I think the designs we chose are so fun and cute! Their friends will be happy to get them!

Customizing is so easy and they give you a lot of options as well. Like where it says “From Your Friends”, that originally said “From Your Friend”. Some companies will not allow you to change the wording of things like that, so that was a huge plus!

I figure we will give the sucker cards to the younger friends and the heart folding cards to the older girls. I can’t wait to see what everyone thinks of them!

So, have you ordered your cards yet? If not, check out Minted.com!

I have received a coupon code to facilitate my review. No compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

2 Categories : Around Our House

Jan
26

Another Reason I Love Blogging for H-E-B

by Brandy

I have been a Brand Ambassador for several brands. Some of been awesome and some…eh…not so awesome! One of my favorites to work with has been H-E-B. I am on my second year as a Beauty Blogger for H-E-B. It has been a fantastic experience!

My PR contact (…shout out for Craig!) has been amazing! He is always on top of everything, responds to emails quickly and most importantly…he has gotten to know us. He always sends emails with a personal touch and really shows us that were are valued as a part of the team!

PR, take note…that is how you run a program with bloggers! Show us that you value us as individuals. Cold, unfriendly emails don’t work well with us.

Check out the welcome video H-E-B made for me and you will see what I mean! Thanks H-E-B for inviting me back and I hope to see you all soon!

3 Categories : Around Our House

Jan
25

Wordless Wednesday with Linky

by Brandy

I haven’t been able to leave too much to find anything to photograph. I have tons of photos of my kids though. I take photos daily. I was really hoping for something unique and different to show you this week for my Wordless Wednesday.

Then it happened. I walked outside and seen one of the funniest things I had seen in a long time.

An Emo Chimp! Right in front of my house! I’m not even kidding. I ran in to fetch the camera so that I would have proof of this brilliant unique sight right outside the house.

As seen in front of my home…poor sad little Emo Chimp….

5 Categories : Around Our House

Jan
22

Swagbucks is holding Spirit Week

by Brandy

Get your pom-poms ready, folks, because starting on Monday Swagbucks is holding Spirit Week! Every day next week they will be celebrating a different holiday. Each day will be filled with fun, activities, and surprises. They’ll be announcing every holiday the evening before in our Swagbucks blog.

Make sure you keep track of each day’s Swag Codes, as you will need them at the end of the week in order to earn a big, juicy reward. It’s the most fun you can have getting your reward points for free stuff!

1 Categories : Around Our House

Jan
22

Sunday Stealing (from like 2 weeks or so ago….)

by Brandy

1. Song that always makes you sad? Um…when cute little girls sing Over the Rainbow (with a lisp)

2. Last thing you bought? A coke

3. Last person you argued with? Myself

4. Do you put butter before putting the peanut butter on? No, but when I was a kid my friends mom did that.

5. One of your stuffed animals’ names as a kid? I don’t think I named my stuffed animals…

6. Did you ever at one time own a Barenaked Ladies CD? no

7. Favorite day of the week? Monday, it’s garbage day.

8. Favorite sundae topping? Hot Fudge

9. Did you take piano lessons? No

10. Most frequent song played? By who? Me? Depends on my mood.

11. T.V. show you secretly enjoy? Pitbulls and Paroles….shhhhhh!

12. Would you rather play basketball or hockey? Play basketball, but watch hockey for sure!

13. Date someone older or younger? Neither. I’m a taken woman (he’s younger too!)

14. One place you could travel right now? Could or want to? I could travel to the bathroom. I want to travel many places! Mainly Alaska and Ireland.

15. Do you use umbrellas? Sometimes

16. Do you know all the words to the Canadian national anthem? Uh why would I know that?

17. Favorite cheese? Fresh Mozzarella

18. The Smith’s or The Cure? The Cure fer sure!

19. Do you prefer blondes or brunettes? Neither. Redheads.

20. Best job you ever had? Any where I worked for myself

1 Categories : Around Our House

Jan
19

Have you Experienced Wuggle Pets with Your Kids Yet?

by Brandy

Whenever a package is delivered to the house the kids get so excited. They always go get the scissors before the package is even in the door! They have good reason to be excited because a lot of the time it is something for them to try out.

This time was no different. A box was delivered and the girls were on me immediately to open it. What was inside?

They could not wait to get into these boxes!

Wuggle Pets are an assortment of eight collectable baby pets. What makes them special is that kids get to bring them to life with an easy 12-piece starter kit. The kit includes one fun filled factory, a Magical Unicorn and a Cuddle Puppy, two bags of fluffy stuffing, two bags of magic dust, two sheets of personality charms, two birth certificates and a zipper lock.

You can get the starter kit for only $19.99! You can also get the additional pets for only $7.99 for each individual kit. Wuggle Pets are available online at www.wugglepets.com.

They are really simple to do and the girls really enjoyed it! With two kits they were each able to keep one Wuggle Pet as well as share one with a friend.

This is your own personal little stuffing station!

Simply remove the lid…

Remove the orange plunger piece…(we also went ahead and put our animal in place)

Fill with stuffing and magic (stars) and replace the orange plunger and then the lid…

Then you just turn the handle! Emma was totally able to do this on her own. She is 5…

Lookie, he is getting chunky!

Now it it’s time to pick out some personality charms…

Give your pet his personality by placing your choice of charms inside…That yellow piece is the zipper lock so that you can close his body up when you are finished.

I think they love them…

They have already asked for additional pets for their birthdays this spring. I think I will have to oblige!

The kits above were provided to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own and no compensation was received.

1 Categories : Around Our House

Jan
18

Flowers for My Daughters

by Brandy

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. I really want to do something different for my girls this year and tonight it hit me! This year for Valentines Day I should totally get the girls flowers! Gifts for her, what does that make you think of?

Flowers! Yes, imagine the look some precious little girls will have on their faces if they had their own Valentine’s Day bouquets! Daddy always get’s them chocolate hearts it’s tradition, maybe it’s time to start a new tradition of Valentine’s Day flowers from Mama!

I know they would just love to have something pretty like this to enjoy. I know I always love to get flowers! I’ve been browsing around looking at images of different things available. I’m thinking something bright and cheery, similar to this image below.

Birthday gifts are something I’ll have to start shopping for soon as well. All 3 of the girls birthdays are so close together. Maybe I will get them flowers to give them on their birthday as well. I think it would be awesome to get something like a potted orchid that they can keep.

What are some of the ways you make your girls feel special on Valentine’s Day?

4 Categories : Around Our House

Jan
18

I Sent Katie International Delight Iced Coffee! #IcedCoffee #CBias

by Brandy

Now she loves me….well I think she already thought I was pretty cool, but now she thinks I am the coolest ever! I am such a butt kisser like that. So even though I may not have a ton of friends, with the fact that I have secured Katie’s friendship with coffee, I think I will be just fine.

I told you all about International Delight Iced Coffee not long ago. If you missed it you can read it here.

So why did I pick Katie? I picked Katie because I think she is an awesome chick that has had a rough few months. Everyone loves surprises in the mail! I met Katie in Florida and clicked with her immediately! We have been friends for over a year now and I really wish she lived closer to me.

I did not tell Katie what she was getting, well not exactly. I kept bugging her about whether or not she had received any unsolicited packages in the mail or not. I finally told her that something was coming and that it was coffee related.

Katie blogs at Katie Talks Carolina. Please head over and say HI! She obviously lives in one of the Carolina’s…more specifically the one of the Northern variety.

It was so nice to be able to have a surprise like that sent to her! Now she can sit outside with her kids and dogs while relaxing with her International Delight Iced Coffee. Seriously, she does that…look!

Sometimes she likes her iced coffee with a sunset…

Sometimes she likes it during the day…

Find them in your Walmart and Sam’s Club Dairy sections as of January 15th, 2012!

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias

5 Categories : Around Our House

Jan
18

Wordless Wednesday with Linky

by Brandy

Just going to share some photos from a fun shoot I did the other day. I haven’t been out too much. The pain in my hips and legs has made it too difficult to get out and enjoy walking around with the camera. Hopefully I can get back in my groove next week.

7 Categories : Around Our House

Jan
16

To Grandmothers House We Go!

by Brandy

It’s always fun to go to Grandmothers house…

You never know what you will see…

Walking around, looking for horses…

Where oh where are the horses…

So we bundled up to take a walk…

Emma pointed the way…

Off we went…only to get chased off by a dog. Ugh!

4 Categories : Around Our House

Jan
15

Walking Sucks…

by Brandy

I’m having horrible pain issues in my hips and back again. My days are a struggle with walking. Yes, I can walk…but I sure don’t want to.

I’m thinking that it’s been awhile since my last massage and maybe that is why the pain has gotten back to that horribly intense level again.

The few massages I have had have given me some relief. I’m not sure how it works with the nerves. Maybe it brings down some of the inflammation and helps with the pain.

All I know is that right now, walking sucks.

Don’t take little things for granted. Things that you assume that you may be able to do (or have) forever can be taken away from you over night.

7 Categories : Around Our House

Archive for Around Our House

Recipe for Easy Stuffed Crescents with Petit Jean Ham #TXBacon #Cbias

Mr. Chewy for Your Fur Friends!

What is it?

Wordless Wednesday with Linky!

Check out Our Valentine’s Day Cards!

Another Reason I Love Blogging for H-E-B

Wordless Wednesday with Linky

Swagbucks is holding Spirit Week

Sunday Stealing (from like 2 weeks or so ago….)

Have you Experienced Wuggle Pets with Your Kids Yet?

Flowers for My Daughters

I Sent Katie International Delight Iced Coffee! #IcedCoffee #CBias

Wordless Wednesday with Linky

To Grandmothers House We Go!

Walking Sucks…

Site Sponsors

Sponsors

Subscribe

Current Giveaways

Archives

Awesomeness Captured

I recommend…

Check it out!

Hot Amazon Deals!