Category: MISC

In just TWO words

I found this over at Candy Hearts and Paper Flowers. Join us and play along!

1. Where is your cell phone? purse, office
2. Your significant other? my hubby
3. Your hair? blonde, long
4. Your mother? west coast
5. Your father? passed on
6. Your favorite thing? cooking, designing
7. Your dream last night? didn’t sleep
8. Your favorite drink? iced tea
9. Your dream/goal? published, happy
10. The room you’re in? living room
11. Your ex? long story
12. Your fear? health issues
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? happy successful
14. Where were you last night? in bed
15. What you’re not? brain surgeon
16. Muffins? carrot raisin
17. One of your wish list items? finished house
18. Where you grew up? so cal
19. The last thing you did? clean kitchen
20. What are you wearing? jeans, tee
21. Your TV? big screen
22. Your pet(s)? dogs, cats
23. Your computer? desk, laptop
24. Your life? wonderfully busy
25. Your mood? contemplative, nostalgic
26. Missing someone? my dad
27. Your car? ford truck
28. Something you’re not wearing? socks shoes
29. Favorite Store? the internet
30. Your summer? busy organizing
31. Like someone? of course
32. Your favorite color? purple blue
33. Last time you laughed? while ago
34. Last time you cried? yesterday afternoon
35. Who will re-post this? not sure

Camera Critters ~ Inside trying to get out!

Who can resist critters? Come join us and have some fun.
You can get more information at Camera Critters.


See this little guy, he’s a directionally challenged hummingbird, roosting in the rafters of the garage?
He’s not supposed to be there. He’s a little confused.
Hubby went to put the truck away and found this little guy trying to
get out of the garage through the skylights and not succeeding.

Hubby got smart and went out side to get one of the branches we’d just
cut to give him a sense of familiar and Voile it worked.
He willingly hopped onto the branch and let
hubby guide him to the safety of outside.

Photo Hunt ~ Bright

About the PhotoHunt: A theme is given for each Saturday. Post a photo that best represents the theme. New and old photos welcome but must be from your personal collection and not photos obtained from the web. Play along once a week by posting your photo on your site.

Who doesn't need a chance at $500?

5 Minutes for Mom is hosting $500 Libby’s contest. All you have to do is share one of your family’s tips – or simply hang out with the rest of us trying to scrape by (misery loves company right?) – in their comments, and they will draw one lucky winner who will receive $500 courtesy of Libby’s to help ease their family’s budget pains.

This was my tip(s):

One of the best tips I have is that I sit down and take the time to plan out a menu for the month based on the calendar of events (you know taking into account meetings, events, etc…).

With the cost of produce and groceries in general I plan these meals so that if I need half of an onion for Monday night’s meal, I plan a meal on Tuesday night that uses the other half, etc… We have virtually NO waste!

I also keep a ziploc bag in the freezer for meat scraps, you know not enough to feed the family with, but after a couple times enough to make soup out of.

I also take and clean out the vegetable drawer and puree anything wilted to throw in the freezer as a soup base.

Super Commenter Award

My great blogging friend at Mercedes World has bestowed upon me another award. She has a wonderful site with 2 great Meme’s, Scrumptious Sunday and Hump Day Humor!

Dandelion Wishes had this award created so she could pass on the love!

I chose the Top 10 Commenters-by going through 16ish pages of comments back through 6-1-08. Feel free to pass this on however you wish-just link back to the person that honored you with this award, me ;)

TOP 5+ COMMENTERS:
Barbara
Joy
Lorie
Meredith
Penelope
Sandy

Friday Fill-Ins

Friday Fill In #78

Questions courtesy of Jennifer this week; thanks, Jennifer!

1. Birthdays are once a year, but I never get any older.

2. Fall is my favorite season because the leaves change color and the air gets crisp.

3. I feel my best when all my lists are ompleted.

4. Fruit is my favorite food!

5. First impressions are forever.

6. The best piece of advice I ever received was be yourself.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to a movie with hubby (the new Indiana Jones) and then we’ll DVR 10,000 B.C. and Bucket List for this weekend, tomorrow my plans include cleaning and paperwork and Sunday, I want to relax!

Aloha Friday

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day to take it easy and look forward to the weekend.
I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer.
Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog
and leave your link at An Island Life.
Don’t forget to visit the other participants!
It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

Today’s question is:
Can you remember your first pet?

Slow Cooking Thursday collides with Scrumptious Sunday this week with Beef Bourguignon

Scrumptious Sunday hosted by Meredith at Mercedes Rocks
Slow Cooking Thursday hosted by Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
BEEF BOURGUIGNON

1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cubed
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
4 slices bacon, cubed
2 carrots, sliced
1 onion, chopped
12 pearl onions, peeled
8 ounce package sliced mushrooms
flour
1 tablespoon Classico sun dried tomato pesto
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
2 cups red wine of your choice

  • Melt the butter and saute’ the beef chunks and garlic until browned. Remove to small crock pot.
  • Sprinkle flour over the browned beef chunks.
  • Add bacon and brown until crisp. Add to the slow cooker.
  • Sprinkle flour over the bacon.
  • Add the onions and carrots and saute’. Add to the slow cooker.
  • Whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour over the slow cooker contents, adding bay leaf last.
  • Set slow cooker to low and cook 2 hours undisturbed until meat is tender.
  • Add the pearl onions and mushrooms during the last 1/2 hour at least.
  • Check every 20 minutes after 2 hours until desired consistency is reached.
  • Good over mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles.

I do the memes: Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie, Favorite Ingredient Friday hosted by Kathryn at Overwhelmed with Joy, Freezer Food Friday hosted by MJ at mjpuzzlemom, Scrumptious Sunday hosted by Meredith at Mercedes Rocks, Tasty Thursday hosted by Pumpkin Patch, Watchin’ What We Eat hosted by Lorie at Honey I Shrank Myself and Slow Cooking Thursday hosted by Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. Doing them all make great additions to help keeping me on track and finding so new recipes!

Favorite Ingredient Friday ~ Lemon Lime Pepper Chicken


LEMON LIME PEPPER CHICKEN

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast
flour
1 lemon
1 lime
1/2 teaspoon sea salt red chile pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons butter

  • In a large skillet melt butter.
  • Dredge chicken breast in flour.
  • Sprinkle each side with salt & pepper mix as you brown them (about 5 minutes per side)
  • While chicken is browning, roll lemon and lime on the counter to loosen pulp and juice.
  • Dissolve the sugar into the lemon and lime juice.
  • Pour over chicken breasts and cook a few minutes more until juice forms a glaze.
  • Serve immediately.

I do the memes: Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie, Favorite Ingredient Friday hosted by Kathryn at Overwhelmed with Joy, Freezer Food Friday hosted by MJ at mjpuzzlemom, Scrumptious Sunday hosted by Meredith at Mercedes Rocks, Tasty Thursday hosted by Pumpkin Patch, Watchin’ What We Eat hosted by Lorie at Honey I Shrank Myself and Slow Cooking Thursday hosted by Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. Doing them all make great additions to help keeping me on track and finding so new recipes!

Sooooooooooooo much better than an Oscar – she's beautiful!

I would like to thank Tismee2 at Squared Off for this award. Like she said, it’s always a nice cozy feeling to know that you aren’t just rambling on to yourself and that maybe you are making someone’s day a little happier!

Thank you to all who have stumbled across my blog inadvertently or because they thought that 3 sides of crazy was the local asylum when they googled it. I too would like to thank my family who are the biggest source of almost all the content of my blog in one way or another.

THE RULES of this award are:
1. Choose 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogging community.
2. Each award has to have the name of the author and a link to his/her blog.
3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name of and link to the blog that presented her/him with the award.
4. The award winner and one who has given the prize has to show the link of Arte Y Pico blog so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5. Show these rules

She said about me, “3 sides of crazy – This is such an inviting blog, full of interesting things, a bit like a sweet/craft/stationery shop where you go in and need to be dragged out hours later.”

This just makes me giddy all over to know that I made someone’s day a little brighter. My blog is my home away from home, the one thing I can control amidst the chaos of this remodel and household. It makes me feel happy to know you feel that way. Thank you again and I will pass it along to 5 more deserving blogs that make me feel giddy too, make me smile, make me dream with them and their pictures, I can’t wait to see what they’re up to, etc… I’ll try and do this so that we spread the wealth without a bunch of double tags.

Here are my award winners:
Penelope at Cafe at the End of the Universe for her reality check and kind words
Misty Dawn at Misty’s Words for her beautiful pictures and strong sense of nature and the ability to go with the flow
Meredith at Mercedes World for her organization and adaptability to real life
Lorie at Honey I Shrank Myself for her courage to be her best self and share it with us along the way
Ladybug at Living in the Light I Find for her ability to find the beauty in life as we know it

Thursday 13 pets I've had

  1. Maisie – a mutt terrier – who ate through the washing machine cord while it was running.
  2. Daisy – another mutt terrier, but one of the dogs ever!
  3. Smokey – the cat who would let me dress her up in doll clothes and wheel her around in my toy stroller.
  4. Terry – the collie we received as a rescue.
  5. Buffy – the Pekingese we got from my grandparents when they moved.
  6. Angel – a tea cup poodle my parents got me for my 18th birthday.
  7. Smokey – a balinese that I bought for my ex, but ended up being the one to take care of her.
  8. Idgy – a chow lab mix that was the love of my life.
  9. Karleigh – a Sheltie I rescued from the pound.
  10. Sady – a gray sable kitten that I found behind my garage with her siblings abandoned.
  11. Dickens – a tiger cat we inherited from my mom.
  12. Gunner – our fun loving black lab
  13. Whiskey – our beautiful golden retriever

Mere just reminded me I should have listed the horses too! Sorry Buck and Tack. I’ll skip the hamsters, poly wogs, gold fish and room mate shared pets.