Do You Dip?

I dip. But I don't double dip! Or skinny dip. Here is a quick and easy recipe I'm serving tomorrow at our Super Bowl Party.

Creamy Mexican Dip (also called Mexican Fajita Dip, not sure why)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup salsa
2 cups shredded cheese such as colby/jack.
(I use the Mexican blend that the grocery stores have.)
Tortilla chips for dipping

Mix all but the chips together and microwave for 4 minutes before serving.

Friday Favorites: Steelers

I feel like a bit of a liar today, since I'm posting about football for my "Friday Favorites" blog feature this week. I don't really like football, I only tolerate it in order to live peacefully in my home. My husband is from a small town outside of Pittsburgh called North Apollo so he is one of those die-hard fans that remembers the Steel Curtain, has multiple terrible towels, has decorated our finished basement with Steelers lithographs and jerseys, and has a Steelers license plate holder and magnet on his car at all times. Not to mention his whole wardrobe! Our son, born and bred here in Virginia, seems to be a Steelers fan as well. Didn't see that coming, right? And not to be left in the dust by her big brother, our daughter occasionally dresses in black and gold and even wore one of her Steelers sweatshirts to school today. Good thing her 1st grade teacher is a Steelers fan too! Jessica also was a Steelers cheerleader for Halloween 2 years ago. We're hosting a Super Bowl party at our house on Sunday, so to help psych myself up into full Steelers Fan mode I'll make today's post about the team. Here goes:

This is one of the large ponytail holders I made a while back:










Too bad my hair doesn't lend itself to being styled in more than one way; I could whip up another one of these and sport my own ponytail. Maybe in my next life I'll have less of a frizzy pouf and can enjoy more styles.


Below are my fur babies, Slinky and Puff. Asleep on a Steelers blanket. The cats are the favorites here, but the blanket is nice to wrap up in too. We did get them in Pennsylvania, maybe they ARE Steelers fans. But then again they'll cuddle up with anything we leave on the ground.
"Awww, they're so cute. "(<--- That's your line)










This is Ben. Not Ben Roethlisberger, our son Ben. He was hamming it up last August at the Steelers training camp held at St. Vincent college in Latrobe, PA. Ben and my husband sure do take a lot of fun road trips together. Of course, they're all sports related. Jessica and I stay home and do girly things. Like make inedible treats in the easy bake oven. And play restaurant. And string beads. And watch the Disney channel... we need to get out more!

Wednesday Welcome: Mindy Sand Studio

Each week I'm using Etsy's Pounce feature in order to discover new items "from undiscovered shops waiting for their first sale" as the Etsy site states. This week's welcome is extended to Mindy Sand Studio in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. These hand painted glass works of art are fired in a kiln which makes them dishwasher safe! This shop owner states "What makes my glassware so unique is the 2 transparent-color swirls on the base of the glass and the contemporary colorful designs".
Indeed!

Do You Know About The CPSIA?

As parents and concerned citizens I’m sure most of us at one time or another have been confronted with the question of lead poisoning. But have you asked yourself what your government is doing to protect your children from lead contained in toys? The answer? They're banning toys, taking books from schools and libraries, hurting low income families, killing entrepreneurial spirit and risking putting the economy in an even greater depression than we've seen in decades. I'd like to introduce you to their solution: the CPSIA.

Do you know about the CPSIA? No? Then I ask you to take a few minutes to find out about it.

The CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a new set of laws that will come into effect on 10 February, 2009 and will impact many, many people in a negative way. Make no mistake, this is very real. View it for yourself. If Forbes, the American Library Association and numerous other media are paying attention, perhaps you should too.

How will these new laws affect you? Well, here are a few examples:

To the Parents of Young Students:
Due to the new law, expect to see the cost of school supplies sky rocket. While those paper clips weren't originally intended for your student to use, they will need to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. This law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12.

To the Avid Reader:
Due to the new law, all children's books will be pulled from library and school shelves, as there is no exemption for them. That’s okay though, there's always television. Our children don’t need to learn the love of reading after all.
Article from the American Library Association http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322

To the Lover of All Things Handmade:
Due to the new law, you will now be given a cotton ball and an instruction manual so you can make it yourself since that blanket you originally had your eye on for $50 will now cost you around $1,000 after it's passed testing. It won't even be the one-of-a-kind blanket you were hoping for. Items are destroyed in the testing process making one-of-a-kind items virtually impossible. So that gorgeous hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available next winter.

To the Environmentalist:
Due to the new law, all items in non-compliance will now be dumped into our already overflowing landfills. Imagine not just products from the small business owners, but the Big Box Stores as well. You can't sell it so you must toss it. Or be potentially sued for selling it. You can't even give them away. If you are caught, it is still a violation.

To the Second-Hand Shopper:
Due to the new law, you will now need to spend $20 for that brand new pair of jeans for your 2-year old, rather than shop at the Goodwill for second hand. Many resale shops are eliminating children's items all together to avoid future lawsuits.

To the Entrepreneur:
Due to this new law, you will be forced to adhere to strict testing of your unique products or discontinue to make and/or sell them. Small businesses will be likely to be unable to afford the cost of testing and be forced to close up shop. Due to the current economic state, you'll have to hope for the best when it comes to finding a new job in Corporate America.

To the Antique Toy Collector:
Due to the new law, you'd better start buying now because it's all going to private collection and will no longer be available to purchase. “Because the new rules apply retroactively, toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they aren't certified as safe.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html

To the American Economy:
Already struggling under an economy that has not been this weak in decades, the American economy will be hit harder with the inevitable loss of jobs and revenues from suppliers, small businesses and consumers. The required testing is far too costly and restrictive for small businesses or individuals to undertake.

To the Worldwide Economy:
Due to this new law, many foreign manufacturers have already pulled out of the US market. You can imagine the impact of this on their businesses.

If you think this is exaggerating, here is a recent article from Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.html

And for those of you prepared to be stupefied and boggled, The New Law
http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html

Did you know? If this upsets or alarms you, please react.

Snow Day

We had our first snow day today! The kids had fun playing in the neighborhood with friends. Hot chocolate was a treat for all when they came in to dry off and warm up. Hubby is still out of town until late tonight, so the kids and I just had Kraft mac & cheese with peas for dinner. Then we made brownies for dessert. A fun day :)

Experience Oneness With Chocolate

"Experience Oneness with Chocolate"
That is the tagline of a company I just discovered:


I was recently the lucky recipient of a $25 gift certificate to Coco~Zen when I won a blog giveaway hosted by Mom Fuse. Here is a link to that site, there are still a few Valentine's Day giveaways going on there!









I used the gift certificate I won to order Chocolate Mint Bliss Truffles~ I can't wait to enjoy them! Besides chocolates, Coco~Zen also sells chocolate body treats and their shop has a link to some really great sounding recipes (I think I'll start with the brownies).
So take a look there and you too can experience oneness with chocolate!

Giveaway Links

Enter to win a Vintage Image Necklace.
Click HERE. Ends 1/27/09.













Enter to win a hand warmer set from MondrysYknotShop.
Click HERE. Ends 1/27/09.













Enter to win a Scentsy car candle.
Click HERE. Ends 1/30/09.








Enter to win a Daisy Necklace from Kathryn Cole Jewelry.
Click HERE. Ends 1/30/09.













Enter to win a Home Depot $50 gift card. Visit Home Construction Improvement to enter. Ends 1/31/09.
If I won this, I'd buy paint and rollers so I can add some color to my sewing room and to our downstairs bathroom!












Enter to win mineral makeup from Eve Organics.
Click HERE. Ends 2/1/09.









Enter to win this "Sweetheart Tower" of treats from GiftTree.com.
Click HERE. Ends 2/1/09.














Enter to win a Dinner Italiana with Tomato Basil Sauce Basket from That's Caring.
Click HERE. Ends 2/2/09.









Enter to win a personalized necklace from Tiny Tag Designs.
Click HERE. Ends 2/7/09.