A Typical Monday at the Snow's House



Last night our family did what we do almost every Monday.  We work on Adam's Duty to God book or Preach My Gospel, play a game or watch a movie, and then have a treat.  Simple and relaxing.  The lesson portion went smoothly and in no time at all it was time to play a game or go to a movie.  Trent and Adam didn't want to play games since we had guests over on Sunday and played games until bedtime.  And, nothing was at the dollar movies worth seeing, so that meant it was time for the treat.

My husband Trent, who by the way has a sweet tooth the size of the Grand Canyon, asked, "Honey, what's for dessert?" I stared at him blankly because I had not had time to make a dessert. My mind was racing trying to recover from committing the unpardonable sin of not having a FHE treat.  In a flash, I remembered seeing my waffle cone maker in the basement (I have been reorganizing the basement, thank heavens for that!).  I smiled and said, "Oh, we are going to have ice cream in homemade waffle cones.  And we're all going to help out."  Quickly, I ran down stairs and grabbed the waffle cone maker.  I whipped up the batter as Trent and Adam gathered around the breakfast bar.  Whew!  Now that was a save if I say so myself!

Here's the recipe that came with my waffle cone maker
1 egg
1 egg white
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup flour
2 T. melted butter

Whisk, bake and roll.  Yum!

Hints: 
Waffle cones can be made into waffle bowls just by placing the cooked waffle on an inverted bowl to cool.
Waffle cone makers can be purchased just after Christmas for about $19.99 at Shopko, Target, Walmart etc.

Brown Rice



You aren't going to believe this one!  Two years ago I was given probably 50 pounds of brown rice that had expired.  The rice was fine; it didn't smell or taste rancid.  I decided to run an experiment to see how long it would last in my cool basement.  I canned it in number 10 cans and placed an oxygen absorber packet in each can and forgot about my little experiment.

Well, last night while I was organizing my basement, I found the brown rice and decided to open it.  I prepared myself for the horrible odor that accompanies rancid food.  Much to my surprise the rice smelled perfectly normal.  I brought it upstairs and ate some and it tasted nutty and delicious.  I couldn't believe my nose or tastebuds! 

If you have ever attended one of my lectures or demos you know I always stress that for extended shelf life you must control the three enemies of food storage, light, oxygen, and heat.

I never would have believed it if I hadn't personally experienced it...So when you read that brown rice expires in 6 months. Think again.  Brown rice not going rancid after 2  years; now that's amazing!

March 13th the "Childrens' Bucket List" will be in all major book stores.

This is the book that I have been waiting for Cedar Fort to publish.  I got the idea to write this book when I discovered that a lot of mothers never did these cool things as a child or with their children.  Personally, I can't wait for grandchildren so I can make memories with them.

Pre-order your copy today on Amazon.com

Volunteer finds thousands of dollars in shoe at D.I. | ksl.com

Volunteer finds thousands of dollars in shoe at D.I. ksl.com

Bath and Body Works

Anitbacterial soaps are on sale!  4 for $15 or 6 for $20.  Exotic Essentials buy 3 get 2 free!  Also get $1.00 shipping using the promo code TROPICAL25

Come to the Authorpalooza!



I am going to be at the Barnes and Noble Authorpalooza in Sandy, Utah on Feb. 4th from 1 - 4

Hope to see you there!

WOOLRICH SALE

Woolrich is offering and additional 10% off sale items.
Promo code: EXTRA10.

Where do I buy bag meal bags at the lowest price possible?



I get asked this question all the time.  Here's the best price I have found and free home delivery to boot!
http://www.staples.com/Small-Mint-Green-Frosted-Plastic-Shopping-Bags/product_721810?cmArea=SEARCH

Helpful Hints:

Don't want or need 250 bags?  Divide the order with friends, family or neighbors.

Other color choices can be found on the right side of the opened page.

The Bag Lady Returns!



Sandy library- February 15th at 7 pm, the Bag Lady will be doing a demonstration on bag meals.  Trent will also be on hand to teach how to store, care for, and sprout seeds and beans, as well as, how to build his amazing sprouter.  This demonstration is free and open to the public.

Hope to see you there!

20 helpful tips for winter trips to Central Florida

1. Have plenty of change, some toll roads only accept exact change.

Here's what gets you if you don't pay the toll!

2. For the Harry Potter land in Universal Studios the lines were over 2 hours long.  We found the singles lines and all of us were on the rides either right away or in 5-10 minutes.
3.  The singles lines at Universal Studios are sometimes in odd locations, inside gift shops, instead of near the main entrance to the ride.
4.  Ask employees for directions to the singles line.
5.  Ask employees for wait times in the singles line.
6. Want to ride the ride again?  Look for the short cut stairs/path that cuts straight to the entrance.  Don't see it? Ask the employee at the exit.

Yeah, for singles lines!

7.  Want a butter beer or pumpkin juice but don't want to wait in the long, long, long lines in the courtyard?  Go to the bar instead.  We only had 4 people in front of us! Surprisingly, my favorite was the pumpkin juice.

Yum,  butter beer!

8. Meal plans are great for teenage boys and those with big appetites. Unfortunately, Rachel and I would have saved money paying individually for our meals.
9. If you go to the parks before 9:30 am ride lines are very short, 5-10 minute waits.  Around 10 am ride lines average 1.5 hours.  After 6 pm ride lines averaged 20-30 minutes.
10.  Epcot was boring for the children.

Hollywood Studios in Disney World was a blast!

11.  Want to save money on food while at Disney?  Instead of eating in restaurants get the same food for less at the food stands near the restaurant.
12. All amusement parks offer free cups of water.  They all also allowed us to bring in fanny packs with snacks and bottled water.
13.  Speaking of fanny packs, many rides now require riders to use lockers for their personal items.  Here's the exception, fanny packs.  Not once were we required to use a locker before riding the rides.
14.  Our favorite place to visit was Discovery Cove.  It was worth the price.  Save this destination for your last day because it was the highlight of our trip.
15.  If you go to Discovery Cove remember that you may keep your snorkel.  NOT the mask!  Just the snorkel.
16. Need a prescription mask for snorkeling? No problem, Discover Cove offers prescription masks free of charge at the service desk.
17. Discovery Cove included 14 days of free visits to Sea World...parking excluded.  Be sure to ask for details as this may be a limited offer.
18.  Make sure to plan ahead to get a good seat for Sea World shows.  We planned to be seated 30 minutes before the show and typically by the time we arrived the arena was 1/3 full.

19. Pick up your food before you go to the arena.  It keeps you full, hydrated, and gives you something to do while waiting for the show to begin.
20. Florida rental cars require a gas receipt within 5 miles of the airport.  The price of gas near the airport was $5.60 a gallon.  In town it was $3.18 a gallon.  On the brighter side we only had to buy 2 gallons.

JUST CHANGE YOUR PANTS!

Breakfast this morning started out like any other; that is until Trent spilled jalapeño jelly on his pants.
“I can’t believe it! No matter what I do I spill food on myself.”

“Honey, don’t worry. Just go change your pants.”

“I can’t JUST change my pants! I’ll be late for work. “

“Yes Trent, just go change your pants.”

“Michelle, I can’t just change my pants because if I change my pants I’ll have to change my shirt.”

“Just change your pants Trent.”

“I can’t just change my pants because if I change my pants I’ll have to change my shirt. And if I change my shirt I’ll have to change my tie. And if I change my tie I’ll have to change my belt. And if I change my belt I’ll have to change my shoes.”

“TRENT, just go change your pants.”

Trent walks away from the breakfast bar.

“Trent, where are you going?”

”I need to change my pants.”

Sweet Jalapeño Jelly Recipe
About 1 pound jalapeño peppers
2 cups water
1 cup apple cider vinegar
4 cups sugar
1 package pectin
Directions:
Cut peppers in half. Cut off stems and remove seeds. Place finely chopped peppers in a large pot. Add water and apple cider vinegar. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 more minutes; strain. Add pectin to 3 cups of juice, stirring constantly. Bring mixture to full boil on high heat. Stir in sugar. Return to full boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Ladle into prepared jars with 1/8 inch.

For peace of mind, women older than 50 should be banned from driving

              

Today I had 15 minutes to drive to my next appointment and it is a good 25 minutes away. What did I do? I ran to the bathroom mirror glanced at my make-up and hair, turned sideways, patted my tummy and exclaim, “Not bad! You still have it!” After giving my appearance a quick check I grabbed my purse and keys and bolt for the door.

Once inside my car I buckled my seat belt, turned the key and began backing out of the garage. Just when I reached the driveway the morning sun in all of its radiance glinted off of the rearview mirror and on to my face. To my horror, I saw a GRANNY HAIR! Yes, I said it…A granny hair.

For you that are not familiar with the term granny hair, a granny hair is a coarse black or gray hair located on the chin or upper lip that will typically appears sometime in a woman’s fifth decade of life. Granny hairs send chills of terror up and down the spines of those unfortunate souls who experience them, resulting in frantic searches for tweezers and plucking action that would rival a ninja warrior.

As I am about to grab the granny hair with very determined fingers, I happen to glance at my jaw line. Is that the beginning of a jowl? I quickly adjust the angle of my rearview mirror. Much to my chagrin, the jowls are still there. Instantaneously, I place my pointer fingers at the back of my jaw near the base of my ears and give a gentle upward tug. The jowls disappear. I AM GETTING OLD AGE JOWLS!

I don’t know why I just didn’t leave well enough alone and drive to my appointment, but I didn’t. Instead I began to examine my face with an eagle eye. What is going on with my neck? It looks like crepe paper. Suddenly, I realize what skin care companies are referring to when they claim their product will reduce the appearance of crepey skin. AUGH! I have crepey skin on top of granny hairs!

I must be a glutton for punishment because I began to examine my cheeks, eyes and forehead. Age spots? Oh please, not age spots! Baggy eye lids! I’m cursed. And lastly, I move on to brow furrows or more accurately, brow trenches! How come I never saw these in the bathroom mirror? Was I not just 10 minutes ago standing in front of the bathroom mirror and smugly saying to myself how good looking I was? Why does the rearview mirror hate me!

Being a woman of action, I quickly began formulating ways to combat my newly discovered aging. I could use layers of concealer to putty up my brow trenches and cover my age spots. And if that didn’t work I could separate my brow trenches with my thumb and pointer finger pretending to always be deep in thought. Yes, that’s what I could do; be like Rodin’s Thinker Statue only instead of fist to chin have fingers to forehead.

Having solved my brow situation I moved on to my jowls. Hum, what to do. How about an industrial strength banana hair clip? It could pull my hair back and my jowls at the same time. No. I couldn’t do that, what if one of the springs broke? It might disfigure me further.

What about duct tape? It fixes everything for my husband. I could duct tape my jowls up and grow my hair out to cover the tape. And while on the subject of tape, why not use double sided tape to lift my bagging eye lids.

Even after developing my personal anti-aging strategies one question remains, What is it about rearview mirrors???!!!

Perhaps the simplest solution is for women over 50 to swear off driving for peace of mind!

Below are some inexpensive home beauty treatments that can be found in your pantry

Tightening mask for large pores:

Egg Whites- Beat the white of an egg lightly. Apply the beaten egg white to skin. Allow to dry. Remove with warm wash cloth. Follow with cold water, toner and skin cream of choice.

Skin moisturizers:

Coconut oil- Coconut oil makes a great facial, hand or general skin cream.

Avocado- Smash an avocado and pat on face. Allow to dry about 1/2 an hour. Remove with a warm wash cloth. Follow with cold water, toner and skin cream of choice.

Facial scrub:

Rolled Oatmeal Scrub- Wet face with warm water. Moisten a small amount of rolled oatmeal in the palm of your hand. Using circular motions gently rub your skin with the oatmeal. Remember to never apply facial scrub to the delicate skin surrounding your eyes.

Hair rinse:

Vinegar- Mix 1/2 cup of vinegar in a pitcher of water. After shampooing rinse hair and scalp with vinegar solution to remove any residue.