And the Grammy goes to....

The Grammy should go to me. I have subjected my loved ones for years to my awesome vocal abilities and still have not received an award, and now with a baby, I just sing that much more! I agree I may not sound perfect or know everything about music, but I am the most dedicated when it comes to my daily performances. My taste of music has evolved from just liking a beat to actually respecting and hearing the lyrics. It is crazy how healing music can be, even when the artist has no idea what you are going through. It's like a 3 minute therapy session :) So who will be watching along with me tonight? In honor of the biggest night in music, I decided to put a few of my favorite tunes in a list for you to enjoy. This was impossible for me to pick just 15 songs, so I will make it my "music" category and keep on sharing the tunes until I run out, which will be never! I love an extreme mix from Christian to Rap. How that works, I'm not sure, but to me, music is art. A quote from the movie Into the Wild states that "Happiness is only real when shared." So one thing that makes me happy is music and if not a single one of these songs can't make you smile, tap you foot or bob your head happy....I got nothing for ya!

In no specific order or genre:

1.) Charlie Mars- Listen to the Darkside 2.) The Damnwells- I am a Leaver 3.) Jack Johnson- Banana Pancakes 4.) Dave Mathews Band- Stay or leave 5.) Nelly- Air Force Ones 6.) Brendan James- Green 7.) Citizen Cope- If There's Love 8.) The Nadas- Dodged a Bullet 9.) Carrie Rodriguez- She Ain't Me 10.) Trevor Hall- Other Ways 11.) David Gray- This Years Love 12.) John Legend- All of Me 13.) George Strait- Run 14.) Grace Potter & The Nocturnals- Stars 15.) Jay-Z ft Mr. Hudson- Young Forever

Homemade Laundry Soap

I started making my own laundry soap about 2 years ago and haven't turned back yet! No, I don't have to make my own but why not when I have the time and it saves a little money? Wouldn't you rather spend your saved money on something more exciting than detergent? Well I would. It really is so simple and takes a max of 10 minutes, seriously. I use this in my HE ( high effenciency) washing machine, I do not hand wash :) and it works great!The down side is you don't get the hundreds of scents to choose from, it really doesnt have a "scent" per say, it just cleans your clothes. But why do you need to mix the smell of fresh spring detergent with your expensive perfumes anyways? I DO buy some smelly thing like Unstoppables and put them in with my towels and sheets, I like them to smell fresh! Also, I have not tried to wash my baby's clothes with this detergent. Not saying you can't, I will just wait a bit. You can find all of these ingredients needed at...Walmart. Sorry, but true. I have nothing against Walmart, just don't go on the weekends, around holidays or before a storm! Just head for the laundry aisle and you can gather up most of your list!

You will need: 1 glass container with a lid (doesnt have to be glass, mine just sits out on the counter.) 1 scoop that is 2 tablespoons ( find in the cooking area) 1 box of Borax 1 box Arm & Hammer washing soda 2 -1 lb boxes regular baking soda 2 bars Fels Naptha-grated into small bits 2- 1.3 lb containers of Oxi Clean ( can use a generic brand) 1 paper bag- I use a small shopping bag. Easy to stir and pour soap from Grater Spoon/knife or something to stir with

Directions: Pour all ingredients into paper bag, mixing/stirring well. Grate Fels Naptha with a large holed cheese grater ( medium size if you wish.) Add grated soap to mixture, mix together well. Pour into glass container and you are ready to use! I added the cute burlap bow for fun on my glass jar.

* I half this recipe because my glass jar can't hold the full recipe. For my family it lasts up to 5+ months! Use 1 scoop for normal soiled laundry and 2 scoops for soiled laundry.

Greek Dip

I served this layered dip last night at Pokeeno. If you are wondering what Pokeeno is, see my last blog entry.This recipe is a greek salad as a dip! Delish. I found the idea on Pinterest, but I never follow the exact directions, so it ended up being my own version. I can't wait to enjoy this again on a patio, in the summer, with a great bottle of white wine! Try Mer Soleil Silver. One of my favorite white wines, it's an unoaked Chardonnay. Bonus, the bottle is a great decoration, before and after you drink it! ( The Wine Expierence at Jordan Creek Mall stocks this wine.) Ingredients: 1 8oz package low-fat cream cheese 1 teaspoon Dill weed 1 teaspoon dried parsley ( 1/4 cup if you use fresh) 1 container hummus- I used Tribe brand regular hummus from HyVee 1 teaspoon garlic, minced 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeds scooped out, and diced 1 tomato, diced ( use 1 fresh tomato, or dice several cherry tomatoes) Kalamata olives-chopped, use to your taste 1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese, use more if you like

Directions:

1.) Allow cream cheese to soften. Place cream cheese in a small bowl, add 1 tsp Dill, mix well. Spread on the bottom of an 8x8 dish as the base. 2.) Next, spread hummus over cream cheese mixture. 3.) Place chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and 1 tsp minced garlic in a bowl, toss together. Pour over hummus, spread evenly. Top with 1 tsp dried parsley then Feta cheese. 4.) Refridgerate until ready to serve and dig in with pita chips. Enjoy!

Let me know if you try this and if you liked it!

Pokeeno!

I am not really sure what it even means and when I try to explain it to people I just say "it's like Bunko." That's a lie because I have no idea how to play Bunko but people are way more familiar with it and don't ask anymore questions. Really, it's Bingo with a deck of cards, but when you tell people you play Bingo, you automatically get looked at like an old lady. Listen, after 2 hours of "socializing" before playing, you can't expect much from anyone and I didn't start this tradition. It was started long before I was even....well apart of the neighborhood of course. Don't judge, these ladies are awesome. It all starts with a volunteer in the neighborhood to host and either bring 10-1 dollar bills or sometimes we play with a gift around 10 dollars in value. Money is more fun because we play more rounds and who doesn't love a wallet full of ones? Ha. So I hosted last night, which I love doing. I had a little issue with getting the email out and yes I still blame my "baby brain." I wonder how long I will get away with that? Normally, we all bring a dish but I didn't want anyone to have to bring anything and mostly because of my non-diagnosed OCD :). I like to plan, know what I have to serve, and everything has a place. I seriously woke up at 8 am and started "preparring" for the party, which starts at 7pm. See what i mean? Brownies in the oven, smokies prepped, veggies washed, a delicious cheese tray from Gateway Market, and Greek dip in the making ( recipes to follow.) Yes, my child was sleeping which makes it so much easier to get my crazy on.

At 7pm the ladies start arriving and I just put my baby down to sleep. I told the ladies she would be up in an hour because she doesn't sleep that long and of course she made me look like a liar. Two and a half hours later she made her debut. They were all excited to meet her. During her "nap" there was a lot of catching up to do with the ladies and as the napkins state below, " We do not gossip, we distribute vital information." But really, you do not want to miss Pokeeno night or you will be the topic :) Kidding. Good wine, good food, and great company, I am not sure why we don't do it more often!

After a lot of laughs, yelling Pokeeno, and one win under my belt, the ladies left. Until next time, we will pick right back up where we left off. Another successful Pokeeno at the Chinese house!