More Than Salsa - Recipe

I'm all about quick and easy recipes.  Especially when it comes to snacky (snack-y? is that a word?) recipes.

This one came about because I love chips and salsa, but I wanted a little something more.  I didn't want to take the time to make Cowboy Caviar like I did a couple of months ago, though.  {Read 'I was lazy' here}

Here's what came about from me just opening up a couple of cans and throwing things together in a bowl.

More Than Salsa

Ingredients:

16 oz salsa
15 oz black beans
8.75 oz whole kernel corn

Pulling it Together:

- Open and rinse the beans

- Open and drain corn

- Combine beans, corn and salsa in a bowl

- Stir it all together

- Enjoy with your favorite chips

This was the perfect little snack.  The corn adds a little, sweet pop to the mix.  The black beans add just a bit of extra protein and fiber.  If you make sure to up the heat on your salsa, you'll be sure to keep a lot of flavor in the dish.  {So, if you like mild, bump it up to medium.  If you like medium, bump it up to hot.}  Plus, having the corn and beans with the salsa, helps make the dish have a few more servings to either last longer or feed more people.

Quick and easy - just the way I like it!

Let me know what you think!  Or do you have something you like to do to stretch your salsa?  Share!  I'd love the feedback.

Until next time....

Keep loving Life!

Last Week's Love Affair: Basic G and Me

My life has a lot of curve balls thrown at it.  I'm learning to be flexible and go with the flow a little more every day.

Last week was no different.  However, when I took my daughter in to the doctor to get tested for strep (because it's going around the school), I never expected to hear she had Influenza A.  HUGE surprise!

Did we have flu shots?  Nope.  That's a gamble we decided to take.  And, considering it was the first time to have the flu in our home, I think we have a pretty good track record. (Please make the choice that works best for your family.)

So, what's the first thing any mom of more than one kid thinks? "Who's gonna get it next?" and "How long is this going to stay in our home?"

Poor Baby!!  High fever makes for a pretty miserable little girl.  Since she was highly contagious, the doctor asked her to wear a mask on our way out.

After letting my husband know, and telling him he was free to stay away for the weekend so he wasn't exposed, I got her some Tamiflu and got her home.

The next big decision was what to do about the other kids.  Ugh!  I decided not to be 'that mom'.  You know - The mom who doesn't let the school know and then sends the other kids hoping they don't pass the germs on to others.  So after a quick call to the school nurse to let her know what was going on and why the other elementary kids would be staying home, too, we settled in to our self-imposed quarantine.

Confession time: I became obsessed with disinfecting our home!!  My daughter probably thought I was stalking her every move.

I disinfected EVERYTHING.

Faucets.

 Where she sat and ate each time.

All the banisters in the house. (Pay no attention to the snowmen in the back ground)

This chair - where my husband usually sits to watch his sports, work when he's in town, and take the occasional nap.  This is also where my daughter slept for two nights when she had a 103* fever.  (I may or may not have shared that information with my husband. ahem.)

The couch and pillows where she spent most of her time watching movies or playing on her personal device or sleeping.

She really was tired.

And fell asleep in some really interesting places. 

This is my husband's side of the cover.  I really think she was trying to make sure he got sick so she could have him home and spend some more time with him.  Can you say 'daddy's girl'?

I even tossed her bedding and favorite toy (that she still sleeps with every night) in the wash with a bit of the disinfectant concentrate.

And ALL THE DOOR KNOBS!!!

I'm so pleased to announce that it worked!!

While a couple of the kids had a mild cough, everyone one, but Madi, was squirrelly and bored the two days they were kept home.  And NO FEVERS!! Having a wonderful, sunny, semi-warm weekend was such a blessing for us all.  I opened the windows for some fresh air and sent the kids outside to get some wonderful, sun kissed playtime in.  

I highly recommend having your own bottle of Basic G on hand.  Not only for killing the flu virus, but for safe, everyday, effective cleaning.  This stuff also last forever!  By buying cleaners in concentrate form, there is a huge saving potential - one quart of Basic G makes up to 64 gallons of cleaner that will clean, disinfect and deodorize areas inside and outside the home.  (Trash cans, anyone?!)  It's been a wonder product to have on hand the past couple of years. (Yep.  One bottle, multiple years.)

I'm going to keep my spray bottle close over the next several days.  Time is ticking for our family and we really can't afford to have another kiddo - or adult - go down with any type of illness.  

Stay well, my friends, and keep loving Life!

**Want to see all the nasty junk Basic G can help you clean out of your house?  Take a look HERE to see a list of the viruses, bacteria, animal viruses and fungi this versatile germicide is effective against.    Feel free to compare it to what you are currently using!

Tuesday Tips and Tricks Link Party #55

This week's party is up and running.  Take a look at what happened last week.

Features from Last Week's Party!

Most Clicked:

Cleaning Out Your Emails from 1-2-3 Neat & Tidy

Features:

1)  Buttermilk Pound Cake with Sweet Cream Glaze - Heather (Stringtown Home)

2) Spicy Quesadillas from All She Cooks - Gabby (Not Too Shabby Gabby)

3)  How to Make a Roman Shade from Lou Lou Girls - Kathleen (Fearlessly Creative Mammas)

4)  Banana Blueberry Almond Smoothie Bowl from Juggling Act Mama - Rachel (Organized Imperfection)

5)  Bedside Phone Charging Tidy from Sum of Their Stories - Cassie (Southeast by Midwest)

6) 16 Delectable Cupcake Recipes from Dream of Leaving - Jessica (My Life by Jess)

7)  Dining Room Valentine Decorations from Debbie Dabble - Heather (Frugal Mom of 8)

8)  Less Guilt Salted Caramel Baked Donuts from Little Miss Dexterous - Krysta (krystasteen.com)

<div align="center">
<a href="http://fearlesslycreativemammas.com" title="Fearlessly Creative Mammas"><img src="http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh572/heatherfillyawgraham/tips%20amp%20tricks%20linky%20party%20button_zps2bfzy3mb.jpg" alt="Fearlessly Creative Mammas" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

 Were you featured? AWESOME! Grab a button to represent!

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Now it's time to link up and take some time to look over the posts shared by all those other creative bloggers.

An InLinkz Link-up

Oven Roasted Chicken Legs

We were snowed in at the last minute this past Sunday morning. Roads were messy just as we were getting ready to walk out the door for church. Really threw off our day: no morning worship services and no lunch plans.

I kinda went into a panic once we decided not to venture out. I had to switch gears and think outside the box. Fortunately, we had plenty of meat in the freezer - which we need to start eating up anyway. Then came the scramble to find a good oven recipe since Kevin refused to grill in the snow. {Can you believe it?!}

We tried this recipe from 101 Cooking for Two and highly recommend you try it, too. 

Oven Baked Chicken Legs via 101 Cooking for Two

Great flavor and juicy meat. I'm grateful to now have a go to oven recipe for those nights the grill isn't an option. 

Do you have a good indoor recipe for chicken legs?  I would love to know!

Keep loving Life!

Tips and Tricks Link Party #54

Link Party #54 is up and rockin'!! 

Here's the recap of what went on last week and all the favorites.

Most Clicked

Extra Creamy Vegetable Chicken and Rice from Melissa Kaylene

Features

Gabby (Not Too Shabby Gabby): "Clean" Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls from The Coconut Heads Survival Guide

Rachel (Organized Imperfection): Southwest Stuffed Avocados from One Mama's Daily Drama

Krysta (Krysta Steen): Loaded Lasagna from Fearlessly Creative Mammas

Kathleen (Fearlessly Creative Mammas): GF Jalapeno Cheddar Bacon Cornbread from Not Too Shabby Gabby

Jessica (My Life by Jessica) : 5 Things to Know Before You Visit Magnolia Market from Holy Craft

Heather (Frugal Mom of 8) : Organized First Aid Boxes from Living Organised

Cassie (Southeast by Midwest) : GF Red Velvet Cake Doughnuts from Not Too Shabby Gabby

Heather (Stringtown Home): Organized First Aid Boxes from Living Organised

Lisa (Drugstore Divas) : Southwest Stuffed Avocados from One Mama's Daily Drama

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<a href="http://fearlesslycreativemammas.com" title="Fearlessly Creative Mammas"><img src="http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh572/heatherfillyawgraham/tips%20amp%20tricks%20linky%20party%20button_zps2bfzy3mb.jpg" alt="Fearlessly Creative Mammas" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Were you featured? AWESOME! Grab a button to represent!

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<a href="http://fearlesslycreativemammas.com" title="Fearlessly Creative

Mammas"><img src="http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh572/heatherfillyawgraham/i%20was%20featured%20on%20tips%20amp%20tricks%20button_zpshsrgakv6.jpg" alt="Fearlessly Creative Mammas" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

 Now it's time to see what a new week and new party will bring us!  Can't wait to see what you all share!

An InLinkz Link-up

More of My Life

There's always something going on. :)

But now she can hear much better. 

Keep loving Life!

-Jess

Life is Happening

Like anyone else's life, ours has picked up a little more crazy than normal.

Things I've discovered...

Moving is a big headache, but very doable if you keep organized - ish.  Still ready for it to be done, though.

I have more junk (and therefore more work) than I thought.

Junk drawers I didn't know I had

Fixer Upper and Property Brothers are my new favorite shows - and keep me company for hours in my very quiet house. (ahem)

I like soup.  Lots and lots of soup.

White Chicken Chili Soup (Recipe coming soon!)

When you can't do something (sew, craft, diy), that's when you get all kinds of great ideas.


Keep loving Life,

Master Bath Shower Curtain

How many of you out there have young kids? Or maybe you remember what it was like to have young kids? It's a typical lament of moms: the fact that once you have kids all privacy goes out the window. 

When we moved into our home in Saint Louis, I had just given birth to our 4th child six weeks before. She was adorable and I had no problem sticking her in her bouncy seat in the bathroom while I showered. Even having my then almost two year old hang out in the bathroom with us wasn't a big deal to me. However, I also had a five year old and four year old in the mix, and at some point your worried you're going to scar you kids for life if they keep barging into the bathroom all the time. 

There really is no place to hide when you have a free standing shower like we do. 

Funny thing is- it doesn't seem to get much better as they get older.  I still get visitors even though the oldest is now 12 and the baby will soon be 6. 

What's that you say? Lock the bathroom door? Yeah. I've tried that. But do you have any idea how difficult it can be to hear a little one's complaints over the sound of running water and a closed door? Most times those complaints are of no consequence, but there are times that it's legit and I need to speed things up.

So, what to do when you don't have walls to put a rod between and your husband says no holes in the shower surround and nothing inside the shower stall. {I mean, we can't have it be too easy, right?!}

The answer came when I was looking for supplies for another project. These nifty little brackets are meant to allow the user to adjust the curtain distance from the wall. 

(picture linked)

But when you pair them with these L-brackets

(picture linked)

And rotate the adjustable piece of the curtain rod bracket 180* and insert the screw upside down...... You end up with a little bit of magic!!!

I did this little trick on both ends of the curtain rod, but left the decorative end off the end by the wall. 

The kids can now come in the bathroom to cry, complain, ask questions, argue, whatever!! - and I can keep my privacy!

Just add some shower rings and a curtain of your choice, and this can fit into just about any decor theme. 

What to see the rest of my master bath? Take a look at my post Master Bath Reveal. 

Keep loving Life!

**Bonus tips:

- Make sure you tighten the small screws where the rod sits.

- Measure the width of the shower where the brackets will sit to make sure it will fit over it easily.

- Felt could easily be added under the bracket to protect shower surround from getting scratched. 

Tips and Tricks Link Party #53

Happy Monday! 

Here's a quick recap of last week's favorites and Most Clicked.

Most Clicked

How to Use Analytics to Grow your Blog from Kori at Home

Features

Krysta (Krysta Steen): Tiramisu from Pint Sized Baker

Heather (Stringtown Home): How to Use Analytics to Grow your Blog from Kori at Home

Heather (Frugal Mom of 8) : Easy Zuppa Toscana from the Gifted Gabber

Gabby (Not Too Shabby Gabby): Heart Shaped Raspberry Whoopie Pies from Winnish  

Cassie (Southeast by Midwest) : DIY Makeup Mat from 123 Neat & Tidy 

Jessica (My Life by Jessica) : How to add Feet Legs to Furniture from Made in a Day

Lisa (Drugstore Divas) : Game Day Appetizers and Invitations + Giveaway from Fearlessly Creative Mammas

Kathleen (Fearlessly Creative Mammas): Chunky Crochet Scarf from One Mama's Daily Drama

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 Were you featured? AWESOME! Grab a button to represent! 

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Time to link up for a new week and a new party!!

An InLinkz Link-up