Love your dog and SAVE!!!

Maxx is definitely the Prince in this house.  That fact was confirmed for me once again when my mother-in-law commented on Maxx's leisurely nap on our couch.  You see, our previous dogs were not allowed on the furniture.  Not because I liked them less, but because they made me sneeze.  Maxx doesn't seem to do that.

As I mentioned before Maxx really likes Kibbles ‘n Bits Bistro, and now others can try it with a $3.00 off coupon that appears to the left.  Yes, that left.  Up there at the top.  Print that coupon and give it a try.  Tell your friends about the coupon too.  Then web surf on over to the  I Love My Dog site to see other dogs who love Kibbles ‘n Bits Bistro too.  Then you should definitely check out the I Love My Dog Whrrl Society where you can see other folk's recommendations on ways they show their furry children the love.

I am receiving compensation for hosting this coupon widget by Del Monte.  All opinions of this product are mine and Maxx's.  We were not influenced at anytime by any one.

Black Heels to Tractor Wheels: Lovely and full of sap

I like the Pioneer Woman, I always have.  Her blog is fraught with beautiful pictures, awesome recipes, and tales of a life that requires hard work and yet is simple.

I have her cookbook.  I have made her chicken spaghetti, her dump cake, and most recently her Cowboy Calzones (see Whrrl below).  And I started reading her love story with Marlboro Man when it was a weekly post on her blog.  

Even though I ate it up, every love soaked romantic morsel, I have to believe that a lot of it was edited for our Fabio-loving, Harlequin-romance-reading enjoyment.  I mean seriously, these people have to fight once in a while.  Everyone tiffs for God's sake!!!

So when I heard that her story was now a full fledged book- The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels- A Love Story- I had to buy it!  For the love of Fabio (yeech!) and sweaty men in Wranglers, I had to have it! I ordered it from Walmart.com and had it shipped to the store.  I picked it up a week ago today and I read it every moment I had the chance.

In fact I couldn't stop reading it, as referenced here.  I loved the story, and I loved hearing more details than her blog allowed for from the beginning of their love affair.  But I realized why I was devouring this book.  I was trying to find- a fight!

In this novel... memoir... work of fiction... ummmm... biography? there is one fight.  ONE!  OK, not everyone fights but please.  This was a huge change of life for her, gimme the drama!  I want the shouting, the walking away, the grabbing of arms, the "don't walk away from me!", the look, the make up, not just the making out.

I know I am making it sound like I didn't like this book, and that isn't really the case.  I guess I was just looking for... well, more.  More dirt, more details, more hurdles hurdled and more crosses bared.  Maybe PW and MM had all that and she chose not to share.  I guess I can respect that.

I do like the Pioneer Woman, and I will still read her blog and make lame attempts at her recipes.  I admire her and how in a world of ranching, Wrangler-clad men Ree Drummond found something of her own.  She found creativity and a career that let her be with her children and in the sticks with her man.  She took herself a big ole' "What If" and I love that.  But, in  my own head, I still have to believe that once in awhile, maybe every 28 days, she stomps off in a huff and drives 60 miles alone to Starbucks with show tunes playing all the way.

 More check-ins at Walmart Supercenter #4584

Powered by Whrrl

I was compensated by Collective Bias for this post and my review.  All opinions are mine and were not influenced at any time by anyone.

iPhone 4, Smurfs & Castaway Bay

Almost two weeks ago at my request, the Fed Ex man dropped off an iPhone 4.  My iPhone 4.

You see, the stars aligned for me.  I needed a better phone, my LG 2 was a bit of an embarrassment, and as a blogger with an ever growing presence in the world of social media I needed something with an app or two, or 40.

At first I was not happy with Verizon for not letting me upgrade earlier.  In my many years of cell phone ownership and experience I have always been allowed to trade up a month or two in advance, but for some reason Verizon wasn't budging.  So I would visit the various Droid models at the store and dream.  Droid 2 or Droid X?  Bedazzled case or one with a profound quote showing my intellectual side?  And then I heard THE news.  The iPhone 4 was coming to Verizon.

It was scheduled to arrive on 2/10.  Existing customers could order online 2/3.  My contract expired on 1/29.  The Stars.  Aligned.

The iPhone 4 was a better choice for me because of my music collection.  I know there are bigger iTunes collections out there but my 6,000 plus tracks were already iPhone compatible.  Plus I wanted Instagram.  And Stickybits.  And apparently Smurfs.  OK, Jayden wanted Smurfs.  It was the first game we downloaded.  She has quite the little village of blue creatures growing, and they happen to be something I adored when I was around her age.

This morning my youngest wakes up all sleepy eyed after a crazy 24-hour period of indoor water slides at Castaway Bay and a birthday party and the first things she says to me is "Mama, did you check on my Smurfs?"  I got an iPhone so she could have Smurfs.

This past Friday I was invited to represent Detroit Mommies at Cedar Point's Castaway Bay Mommy Blogger Event.  I got to take Hubs and the girls and we had a quick, little getaway.  I will be posting all about our trip on Detroit Mommies later this week.  But it was great fun.  Friday night they hosted us Moms at the spa area and while we weren't given facials and pedicures as a group we were able to check out the facilities and they were quite nice.  It's nice to know that when we head back to Cedar Point that the Castaway Bay Spa is available for me to get my feet rubbed after walking around the park.  The park that my girls want to go to SO bad.  The park that I visited faithfully in my youth but now in my old age most of the rides make me feel ill.

But I have given birth to a couple of coaster freaks, who like Smurfs.  Who can also build them villages on my iPhone.  My iPhone.

Can't. Stop. Reading.

Dear Neglected Blog

I got nothin'.

Love,

Another Superbowl comes and goes... yum.

Every year Cory hosts a Superbowl-Poker Party.  In many ways it's my favorite gathering, because it's his and I can laze around on my laptop while he hangs with his guys. Of course my Mom is always here, and some years a girlfriend or two, but it's nice because they are always the folks who know me best and won't be offended if I just sit with my laptop and only talk to them by way of Facebook.

Every year the menu is different and this year Cory wanted to have a Taco bar since we have SEVERAL pounds of ground beef in our freezer.  But I also like to have kid friendly things on hand too, so the girls and I went shopping.  Which, by the way, reminds me.  I am reasonably sure that I will never be allowed in a store during non-school hours without my daughters ever again.  Not because of any weird mid-western law but because the little princesses won't let me.  They love Target, Starbucks and Walmart, and the only way I can run to these places on my own is to go when they are at school, or asleep, but I'm too old to be out that late.

 

Any who, they liked the idea of pizza, and they helped me pick out a DiGiorno Rising Crust Pizza in the kid friendly Pepperoni variety.  We also grabbed a DiGiorno Buffalo Style Chicken Pizza for Big Papa, because he likes it hot.

At our gatherings the counter is always filled with food, and a five-man Poker game still warrants a full counter.  So the five men, 2 women, and 4 kids that were in our house during the Super Bowl ate all this.

That's the Buffalo Style Chicken Pizza in the front, and yes it was awesome.  The kid-friendly pepperoni is below and it was fantastic too.  Just all around great pizza, and an all around great time.  My family won 2 quarters of football squares, the commercials were great, especially the Chrysler 200 - Eminem spot and I got to be lazy.  I like being lazy.

Disclosure:  I was compensated by Collective Bias for this shop and blog post.  All opinions are mine and mine alone.

Spicy Chicken Chili with #FranksRedHot

Looking for something easy and yummy to make for Superbowl Sunday?  I've got you covered.  Hubby and I made this at New Years and it was so good, that we are thinking about making it again.

My Life of What Ifs Spicy Chicken Chili

Rotisserie Chicken

3 cans northern beans
2 cans Chicken Broth
1 diced onion
1 can diced tomatoes with peppers
2/3 cup Franks Red Hot or more to taste
1 clove garlic
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano

Cook on your stovetop or in a slowcooker.

Top with tortilla Strips, sour cream and shredded cheese. Yum.

I Love My Dog

This is what I brought home almost one year ago.  His name was Quinn, we changed it to Maxx.  He was about three months old and everybody wanted to adopt him.  But the rescue picked us.

Now he weighs about 80 pounds and I love every pound of him.  So much.

Right now he's curled up on the ottoman.  The ottoman that my beloved and our two girls all have their feet on while they play video games.  But Maxx found some room amidst the six feet.  He's even laying on a book, but he doesn't care.  He's with his family.

He is a big baby.  At bed time he squeezes in bed between my husband and me and looks at us as if to say "What?  Is there a problem?"

On the mornings when Cory is home at bus stop time Maxx starts jumping all over.  He knows Daddy will take him along, and he can sniff every mailbox post, and sniff the neighbor dog's butts.  I would love to say that he leaves his mark on those mailbox posts, but this big fluff ball- my baby boy- still doesn't lift his leg to pee.  I wish I could say we were working on that, but really, how do you work on that?

It's taken us a while to find dog food that Maxx really likes, and while some would call us bad fur-parents we have found that like his late big brother C.J., Maxx loves Kibbles 'n Bits.  Actually C.J. loved Kibbles 'n Chunks but they stopped making that and he ate the regular.  But now, they have something new- Kibbles 'n Bits Bistro Meals dog food.  Maxx loves it, and he's featured on the back of the bag.  (Not Really)

It has a resealable, zipper top bag, and I love that he loves it.  'Cause when my baby's belly is full he sleeps good.  No matter where he sleeps.

I wasn't prepared for the love I feel for this dog.  He's so comical, and fluffy, and soft.  I just want him to be happy and healthy and from what I can tell when he hogs the couch in the evenings- he is.

 Disclosure:  I was compensated for this shop, whrrl, and blog post by Del Monte.  All thoughts and opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.