An Iowa Mom

Smells Like Home!

I may be the last woman alive to discover the Bath and Body Works Wallflower Collection ... but if I can inform just one "in the dark" woman, my job will be done.

OH MY GOD!  These are awesome.  A "smelly" home (in a good way) has always been up there on my priority list.  Come on, with 3 boys AND a dog (I'm leave all of us "girls" out of the equation, of course) ... having a house that smells good, takes effort ... or it used to anyway.

I've spent hundreds of dollars on the "smellies" at the grocery store ... you know the ones, Glad Plugin's, etc ...)  They worked, I guess, for the most part, or so I thought.  Then, I'm surfing the net and see the Bath and Body Works Wallflowers.  "Hhhhmmmmm" I think to myself.  "Maybe, just maybe, they'll be different, not that I NEED anything different, but maybe they'll be different."

Today was the first day I left house since they were delivered and deposited amongst my home.  Walking into this place was like a dream.  A DREAM I TELL YOU!!!  The aroma was like a little piece of heaven. It was not overwhelming and all purfumey.  It was subtle and pleasant.  The most impressive part, there was not a wallflower plugged into the room I had entered.  So now, with no candles lit in everyroom ... my house smells like spiced cider ... and I love it.  I have a refill supply for my 6 wallflowers in Vanilla ... we'll see how that goes in about 6 - 8 weeks.  :)

Hope you all love them as much as I do.  Enjoy!

You'll Care ...

I recently purchased a book by Margaret Mason, titled, No One Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog.  Great book, with some great ideas, however ... if you knew what I had for lunch today, I think you'd care.  Oh yes, I do!

Let me preface this with I LOATHE leftovers.  Heating up food that has already been cooked the night before, just not my thing.  BUT ... this is one exception.  This afternoon, I consumed the rest of the homemade potato soup I had made yesterday.  And it was so good, I'm going to share the recipe with you.  Enjoy!

An Iowa Mom's Homemade Potato Soup

• One 2lb. bag (or there abouts) bag of frozen hashbrowns.
• About 4 - 14 oz. cans of chicken broth
• One large family size can of Cream of Chicken Soup
• One 4 cup bag of shredded chedder cheese, setting aside a small amount
• One 8 oz. container of sour cream
• Bacon bits

Boil the hashbrowns in the chicken broth for approximately 10 minutes.  Do not drain.  Then add Cream of Chicken Soup, cheese, sour cream, a tad of salt, some black pepper.  Mix together.  Transfer entire mixture into your crock pot.  Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours.  Garnish with remaining shredded chedder and bacon bits.  Serve with hot bread.

Doodle Doug

Oh the Doodle Doug.  Sporty came to me about 3 weeks ago going on and on.  It was diarrhea of the mouth, for sure.  He just couldn't shut up about this Doodle Doug thing. 

I mention it to my Mom, thinking, what a great Christmas gift.  This "thing" called Doodle Doug that I'm sure Sporty has spotted on a Made For TV Commercial that runs on Nickelodeon 39 times in a hour.  She'll have fun searching for it, and that will be the ONLY way he'll ever even remotely have a chance at getting the Doodle Doug.

Picture us ... shopping, actually BROWSING, as a family of 6.  We enter a store that is going out of business (which completely breaks my heart, as it's been the store that ALWAYS has exactly what I'm looking for).  Well, I guess that not only holds true for me, but also for Sporty, who spotted DOODLE DOUG about 3 aisles away.  With the money in his wallet, he decided he MUST have it.  I roll my eyes and thing immediately it is a waste of $14.97 ... even with the 20% off going out of business sale and my Mom is no longer going to have something to search for.

Once purchased and in the car, I peek at the box that my 8 year old insisted on buying and has talked about obsessively for almost a month.  The first thing I see is a big 3+.  For ages 3 and up ... and my 8 year old has to have it.  Now that is some good advertising.  They deserve this sale, I think to myself.

At home, we assemble the beloved Doodle Doug.  At this point my 6 year old  is just as excited.  Once together and working, it's a glorified Spirograph.  Remember those??  Anyway, Doodle Doug is much better, as he does all the work for you.  Creating numerous designs which my children like to color in.  Saves a bunch of cash, considering the design books these day go for about $8 a piece and Sporty can have one completely colored in a matter of 2 days.

Doodle Doug keeps making design after design ... and Sporty keeps coloring them. 

Thumbs Up to the Doodle Doug, what a cute little creature he is!!!!