Help Feed Hungry Children!! Yes You Can!!!

Won't you fill a backpack with Food 4 Kids? This is a Service Learning Project for my schooling and I would love your help, not for the grade, but mainly to help feed children who do not have the privilege that many of us and our children have; a fully belly. I know we are all busy, so taking the time and effort to pick up groceries and drop them off can be such a hassle, even if it is for a great cause. Well, now all you have to do is make a few simple clicks, on a secure Website, to help feed young children in the state of Kansas!

The Food 4 Kids program provides 5,000 of the state's hungriest children with packs of food to get them through the weekend. Children served by the program are those identified by their schools as showing signs of not getting enough to eat during weekends when they are away from school meal programs.

Your donation here will help us send these kids home on Fridays with enough food in their school backpacks to get them through until Monday.

And by using this Virtual Food Drive, your dollars buy much more than when you donate food purchased at retail prices --- sometimes 3 or 4 times as much!

The Virtual Food Drive also saves you the time and effort of a traditional food drive. No need to worry about coordinating the collection and transportation of hundreds of pounds of canned items.

It's fast, it's easy, it's fun! To make a donation, just click on your choice of items and drag and drop them into the backpack. And after you check out, see how many children's backpacks you filled with food today.

So, I ask for your donation, whatever it may be! Skipping out on your favorite soda and snack at the convenient store can help feed several children. Who should NOT have to worry about food, but unfortunately they do!

This is a private and secure link to the Kansas Food Drive for the Butler Community College Service Learning Project 2012 - When you are checking out please click RECIPIENT and Click on Kansas Food Bank and then Click on COMPANY and click Butler CC Service Learning Project 2012 (this is at the bottom of the list). Doing this will ensure your donation is directed correctly. Drive Ends April 30th! http://vad.aidmatrix.org/vadxml.cfm?driveid=3612

Thank you and God Bless,

Tiffany M.

Waiting

I wait. It is what I do. Wait till the last minute to complete things; cleaning my house, homework, finishing a craft project. It drives my husband insane, and well I don't plain on being an "early bird gets the worm" type of gal any time soon! I like life, and I enjoy spending it with my son and husband. Instead of doing the ten "non-important" things I need to do, I do the "one important" thing God has put in my heart to do, and  that is to love and be loved - and that requires spending time with my family. Not blogging, photographing, or crafting my time away. Now, don't get me wrong. I looove doing those things, being in my own world, doing things I enjoy, things that make me "me!". And well, I think I am a pretty fantastic me. Therefore I treat myself good doing the things I love. It is apart of our human desire to be creative and to express our self, and this lady needs to express!!! So, my point. I have waited awhile to post to my blog. I seem to get caught up in life, I forgot to write about it. And wonder, if I do, is anyone even listening?? If not, at least I am! ;)

With that, here is what I have been doing. I have finished two nursing covers this last couple weeks for two very beautiful ladies. Seeing that this is my first real sewing project since high school, it came out pretty well. Except for the "not-so-straight-lines", eehh... but who notices anyways. I used two tutorials for this project. THIS ONE I used for the measurements and THIS ONE I used just for the directions on assembling the top; attaching the boning and straps.  I think they came out pretty well. Here is the one I made for my step-seester, Felisha.

And this photo, is my husband with her new son - his new nephew Elijah Cole!! At this moment, Levi asked him for a chew and Elijah did a man grunt for the response..it made me giggle! (Noticed the injury on his lip, yupp, that is what happens when you are a lineman and a large pole hits you the mouth, ouchee!!)

Now, remember the homemade dishwasher detergent I was super excited to try. Well,  I have used the homemade detergent for my dishwasher and I came to the conclusion... I don't like it!  I tried all the little tricks to make my dishes not flimy, and not one worked. So, out it went!!! And, I went back to buying my $3 & change dishwasher detergent I use, and waaalaaa clean dishes again. I am not sure, if it was my old, antique, portable dishwasher that made the homemade solution not work well with cleaning my dishes or what? But I was not sticking around for three extra months to figure out. Call me a quitter, maybe? I say smart, I only saved a bit of moohlah to make this and it didn't do the job like the store bought stuff. And, yes, I know it works for many, many people. But not for me, at least not with my granny dishwasher! I'll give it a try, again, once we, someday, get a new dishwasher.

Speaking of cleaning. I have been cleaning my face with oil for the last three nights. Crazy!!! But true, and well, this momma loves it! Remember, the oil cleansing method? Well,  I bit the bullet and decided to try it. And I dig it! I highly recommend this to anyone who is fighting acne, at whatever age. Again, here is the link. Follow the directions and you can be on your way to B-E-A-UUUU-TI-FUL skin!!! :)

And, another bullet I bit....I purchased Lightroom 3! The day after Valentines Day. The day after my sneaky husband bought me something, which he then voided the contract we had between us. We were NOT supposed to buy each other stuff for love day, and he lied and did. Shame on him!! ;) But his devious ways got me some sweet smelling perfume! Which was $50, and I have never, not once spent that much money on perfume! So, it is nice to have it. I put it on everyday, even if I don't' go anywhere, even if I am in my pj's sick. That stuff was expensive and dang-it, I am gunna use it!!! So, the next day Lightroom 3 went on sale through B & H for $200 off, making it $69 and I made him some awesome vanilla bean cupcakes with strawberry buttercream frosting, and he budged and let me buy it.Sooo not only did I get the perfume, but Lightroom 3, and he still got nothing. Feeling guilty? Of course!!!! But our anniversary is June, I got time to plan a special day just for him, to make it up!!! And I did, we got tickets to the Country Stampede and we will spend Four Nights camping, listening to some good ol' country music! It will be a grand time with family and friends!!! And Lightroom! I love it! I have soo much to learn, but thats what makes it fun! The learning part!!! I am not big fan on completely manipulating my photos to the point it looks strangely different from the original. The beauty of photography, is capturing the object in a way that highlights the uniqueness of it. So yes, a little editing to make it special, but not too much! So Lightroom seemed like the perfect ticket for my needs and so far, it fits the bill! The problem, is not getting caught up in applying a preset to every single picture. Sometimes, the beauty in a photograph is only beautiful because of it's "so-called" flaws. Here is a picture I took and edited with Lightroom. Is it magazine gorgeous, of course not. Is it life? Is it real? Is it still unique and beautiful? I think so. Because this moment has already passed, and I have the only key in showing you that moment. And that is what makes a photograph amazing. NO matter what!!! (And Lightroom makes it a little more amazing!!) I call this picture The Beauty of Weeds in Your Grass...funny uh?

So what does all this rambling mean? I wait. I like clean dishes. I smell good. I bought. And to end it all: I saw turkeys. In my yard. They are fast lil' buggers!!! Don't let them fool ya. I had to go in to complete stealth mode to capture this picture!! :)

Next Week. Food.

                       Have a Blessed Day ~ Tiffany Milner ~



                 

Photography

So. I love photography. When my son was born in 2008, I received a Kodak Point and Shoot and well surprisingly took pretty darn cute pictures!! Now almost four years later, {Wait, four years, man it has went by wayy to quickly} I finally took the plunge and bought myself a Cannon T2i!!! And I love it, who doesn't love a nice DSLR camera. I have already took  three senior sessions, but did not charge. How can I charge when I really do not have a clue what I am doing!? So, my goal. To practice in anyway possible. Do I want to become a professional photographer and make money, well only if I am talented enough to do so. All in all, it is just a hobby and I enjoy it, so that is all that counts. To practice, I read, take pictures (duh!) and critique others images. What would I have done differently? - Is what I ask myself. Never really comparing mine to theirs, because well what is the point of doing that. Especially when they rock, and I don't!! :) But this month I decided to enter into the Click It Up A Notch February Photo Contest and Below is picture of my handsome little man, Tristan Duane. At that moment he was busy making my cats and I mud birthday cakes, such a sweety, I know!!!

 Have a Blessed Day ~ Tiffany ~

This week has been great! We sold our home in Neal, which enables us to get some things we have been wanting; like a car that doesn't terrify you to drive in! My step-sister is being induced today - 2/14 - to bring into this world Elijah! So I really need to finish her nursing cover. Yesterday, I put together some homemade dishwashing detergent. I found some recipes while searching on the web and went with the one listed below. I have decided to go "homemade" with as many possible things I can around this house to save money. With meat, milk and gas being so expensive it seems the basics we need to live are becoming too much to handle. So I am doing the homemade dishwasher detergent and soon I'll be using homemade laundry soap. 

I washed a load last night and it worked great. I don't have the best-portable-garage sale- find dishwasher around so anything to improve the cleaning performance of the ol' girl makes me happy! And well I approve. Since we have hard water living out here in the country I added more Borax to aid in "softening" it. Which, before I used to throw a tablespoon or so in the bottom of my dishwasher for that reason. 

Borax and Arm & Hammer have all natural ingredients and are safe to wash dishes with. Consuming large amounts of either can be harmful/deadly, so do not do that. If you need more information of the safety of either you can do some research on your own. I love Borax. I used it to clean our rental home we had to move into in November. This house was consumed in cigarette smoke. And the rental agency didn't do a very good job of cleaning it. It was gross, brought tears to my eyes, literally! The old tenants lived here for 8 years, so you can imagine the ickyness! (yes, I just used a toddler word - that happens when you are with one all day) Anyways, to wash the walls, ceilings I used half cup borax to a tablespoon of Dawn Dish Soap to 3 quarts of water. And for shampooing the carpets I used 1/4 cup of Tide Laundry detergent with Febreze with two heaping tablespoons of Borax. See Borax is a deodorizer, and sanitizes so it worked perfect. And needless to say, my house is clean as ever and you can't even tell anyone smoked it. Trust me, I ask every guest who comes here!

I bought all the ingredients from Wal-Mart.

~Lemi-Shine $3.96
~Borax -  $3.38
~Super Washing Soda - $3.24
~ White Vinegar -  $1.82

(See Fred our Fish! :) He likes pictures)

Mix 1 cup of Lemi-Shine, 2 cups of Borax ( I used 2 1/2 due to hard water), 2 cups of Super Washing Soda in a plastic container.

Make sure to Label the container to remind yourself and others on the procedure in using this dishwashing detergent.

Use two Tablespoons per Load.

Use the White Vinegar as your rinse agent. You can re-use all these ingredients to make another batch at most two more times, except the lemi-shine. Also, instead of using lemi-shine you can use four packets of Lemonade-Flavored Kool-Aid, ONLY lemon, or you'll dye your dishwasher! and ONLY unsweetened Kool-Aid! Next time, I might try the packets, they will probably be cheaper.  Also, you could use citric acid. Here is a link to those recipes in case you would like try those instead. 

 Recipe with Citric Acid.

Recipe with Kool-Aid Packets

Well, I hope you all have a Blessed Week. This lady needs to get busy with homework - eekk! 

~Tiffany~

Defeated with Acne

Well I have been defeated...I stayed up till 3 am last night trying to perfect his blog and well, I am satisfied but don't love it. So maybe this style will grow on me. However, I cannot seem to get the shabbyblogs.com picture/link to move from the top right, it's driving me kookoo!

Levi left Monday to Garden City for some underground electrical training. However, I am not sure as if they are going to class as much as they should. Yesterday he said they skipped the last two classes to rumage around town. He found boots at a western store that were size 22 and of course, stepped into them and took a picture. The things that entertain people..yet, I would have done it also! hehe. Today they said something about only going to one class, slackers! They are getting paid, free food, free lodging and two free beer vouchers a night; they guys are in heaven. A tad bit jealous, minus the beer and rooms filled with lineman...meaning I need a week to do girl stuff...oh the dream of it!!!

Being 27 years old I would assume that teen acne would subside, however it seems to linger into my late twenties. I am beginning to give up as to how to overcome this obstacle. My cousin, Shawna, uses the Oil Cleansing method for her skin and her skin looks Photoshopped to perfection due to this. I was thinking about trying this method, then today on Pinterest someone pinned there experience via there blog One Good Thing and they were highly satisfied and recommend it. With that, I believe I am going to take this leap and give it a whirl. 

It is a specific mixture of using castor oil and sunflower oil based on the type of skin you have; e.g. oily, dry, or balanced. On the website - oilcleansingmethod - it says that using oil to clean your face may sound super crazy, but since it is natural and does not strip your face of the essentials your body creates it actually cleans better and makes your skin feel awesome. And I love awesome. And I love a zit-free face. So next week I'll take this 14 day challenge and see if it works. If anyone else would like to join me just check out the website -oilcleansingmethod- and get your exact measurements for your specified skin type. I wonder if Wal-Mart sells these oils..I am sure they do! I'll let you know when I begin. I might even take before and after picturse...scary thought I know!!

         Have a Blessed Day. Tiffany :)

I welcome me to you with Scomboli!!!

Well, I got the itch and then I decided to scratch...so I created a blog! As you can tell I am not finished on the presentation of this wonderful seedling. I really have no clue as to how you all make yours look classic and up-to-date. I have a certain photo I wanted in my header with the name stretching over it, but it seems to not want to stretch as far across the screen as I would like. So I will dabble with it later. But, I love being a SAHM&W and surprisingly I get bored!!! So I took on the motto of 'why not try it?' and decided to share those experiences with  ya'll! I moved to Kansas in 2005 met my now husband, Levi, he is a handsome, supportive, funny, etc, etc, etc, man who melts my heart! Anywho, we met, dated, marriage, baby, and 7 years later here we are (not in that extact order) and since then I have slowly been changing my city girl ways...(grew up in Portland, Or and Vancouver Wa)...I love Kansas, Love the small town people and faith. There are some things I refuse to adjust to such as calling dinner supper. Or, lunch dinner...just don't seem right to me! My son, Tristan, - a three year bundle of yee-haws and punches- is kinda confused as I say dinner for the evening meal and Levi says Supper...and we compete as to what we think he should say..it will probably be never ending...but I got to hold on to something from the early days..and dangit dinner it is! Well this week I will be making a nursing cover, 2 to be precise, for two wonderful ladies. But before I get those done, I'd like to share a recipe... Scomboli.

I had this recipe since 2009 when Levi and I were in Manhattan when he was finishing his degree and last week I tried it. It was a mouth five...(yes, just made that up, you know opposite and similar to high five)...buying the ingredients for the first time of making it was a little more spendy then I usually prefer to spend on a meal, especially for the three of us, but I can use 5 of the ingredients the next time I make it. Which I did for super bowl, and this time I used 2 cups of cheese per loaf and it was way too much, so suggestion, stick with 1 cup of cheese per loaf, it will save you money anyways. 

~Scomboli~

• 2 loafs frozen bread, defrosted for two or more hours depending on the temperature in your house. 
• 1 pkg of sausage. ~ I buy the medium spiced Italian sausage links and then squeeze the meat out of three links, cook, pat grease off and freeze the rest  of the uncooked sausage for an Italian meal such as spaghetti or lasagna.
• I pkg of pepporoni
• 1 pkg of canadian bacon
• 2-4cups of mozzerella cheese. I prefer to 2. 
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and oregano
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs

~ Roll out the two loafs of bread into a rectangle shape

~ Mix oil, eggs and seasonings in small  mixing bowl

~ Spread this mixture onto each rolled out loaf

~Add meats and cheese. Roll up, starting with the short side. Make sure seam is sealed as much as possible, place seam side down on cookie sheet. Both will fit on one sheet. Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let sit for five minutes. 

*Use can any meat or cheese variation that you would prefer, or even add onions, green peppers, banana peppers if you choose to do so. This is just what I like. And it tastes pretty darn good!

Sorry no images of me rolling it out, here is one with both completed

Close up of the yumminess

Oh yes, the goodness is inside...please eat me...so we did for two days.  2 adults and toddler
cannot devour that much...


Enjoy. Have a Blessed Day...Tiffany