Dad's New Baby!

Well, it has officially happened...my dad has really retired!  Today was a big day for him, he picked up his new baby...the Tracker ProGuide something, something, something, fishing boat.  He has talked for years about getting a fishing boat, and he & mom finally did it.  And believe it or not, my mom likes to fish almost as much as he does.  So they will really enjoy having it and being able to go when they want to do a little fishin'.  I have a feeling there will be a lot more fish fries in our future, which is awesome!

I'm not much for the fishing part, but I love to be on the water boating & floating.  Hopefully we'll see them more by meeting them at Starved Rock or Ottawa for a day on the water.  They have even said that Mike & I may be able to use once in awhile - we'll see how that pans out.  ;)

Eat, pray, love,

Brigette

I Heart Faces - Water Photo Contest!

I'm at it again...I've entered another pic into a photo contest.  This one has the theme of Faces + Water.  One of my all time favorite pics of Evan (my nephew) is of him and Uncle Mike playing in the pool at Big Cedar in MO.  It was a great vacation and as you can see we had tons of fun in the water that very hot week in August.

Photo Challenge - Water

So here it is the pic that may win it all...

I'll keep you posted!

Brigette

Crock Pot Baked Potatoes!

With the heat making it too hot to turn on the oven, I thought this would be a good time to share another crock pot idea with you all...baked potatoes.  I have to give credit where credit is do, this one comes from my friend Dee Dee.  She's a full-time nurse, mom & wife and loves her crock pot as much as I do.  :)

All you have to do is wash 4-6 (or however many you need) baking potatoes, poke them with a fork a couple of times, slather on some olive or grapeseed oil (garlic GSO from Wildtree will make them really good), sprinkle with salt & pepper (optional for those that actually like to eat the skin, too), and wrap each one in foil.  (You can skip the oil step, but they stay more tender with a little on them.)  Once the potatoes have been prepped, place them in the appropriate sized crock pot and top with lid.  Cook on Low for 8 hrs. or High for 4 hrs.  They come out cooked to perfection!  Plus, it's an easy way to make a bunch of them to have throughout the week if you'd like.  My mom has actually made them and reheated them in the microwave later and they were still very good.

Stay cool and keep...
...eating, praying, loving,

Brigette


(Pics are from Skip To My Lou)

Christmas In July!

Each year at Christmas I have to come up with gift ideas for everyone, not only for Christmas, but for my b-day, too. As a person who would much rather give than receive, I always struggle with coming up with things to ask for (which is also hard to do).

So this year I decided I would start keeping track of ideas...thus Christmas in July!

Here's the first thing that I have found...I've been watching Giada use it on her shows/commercials & I love it. It is...

"Giada De Laurentiis™ for Target® Stainless Steel Mezzaluna Knife" & it's only $20!

Product Description

Description
Known for her warm personality and creative approach to everyday cuisine, Giada De Laurentiis brings her signature style to Target, offering a unique and integrated approach to the table. Her exclusive Target line features this Mezzaluna Knife, great for mincing, chopping or dicing.

Features
Blade Material: High Carbon Stainless Steel
Handle Material: Steel
Cutlery Construction: Forged
Care and Cleaning: Hand-wash Only
Dimensions: 3.0 " W x 14.0 " H x 0.5 " D
Weight: 0.6 Lb.
Warranty Description: Lifetime Limited Manufacturer Warranty




Beautiful, isn't?!


Eat, pray, love,

Brigette

Happy 4th of July!

I hope you are all enjoying your 4th of July with great food, awesome friends & family, and flying the red, white, & blue in honor of our free country! 

Eat, pray, love,

Brigette

Tom is growning!

In case any of you were wondering, the tomato plant is growing!  It's only been about a week and he has already almost doubled in size and has sprouted more blooms.  Hopefully I'll be picking some mighty nice tomatoes in no time at all and making that BLT I've been dreaming about lately.

We'll see how he does for the 4 days we'll be gone over the long 4th of July weekend though.  I have to admit that I even entertained the thought of taking him with us, but that would be silly, right?  Yes!  He's planted in the Miracle-Gro® Expand'n Gro™ soil that is supposed to hold water so that container plants don't dry out as fast...we'll see if that was worth spending an extra few bucks on...or if it was just a hoax.  I'll keep you posted.  :)

Eat, pray, love,

Brigette