Let's Play {Community Service}

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I learned many years ago in school, during my early-childhood education classes, the importance of play.  It is said that play is a very important part of learning and growing for both children and adults.  Role playing for children is how they form their own ideas of how things should be.

Here are some things I learned about play many years ago and that are still true today.  Play is how we learn.  Play connects us to others.  Play teaches us to persevere.  Play helps us grow in creativity, and flexibility.  Play helps us when feeling lonely, isolated, anxious or depressed.  Play helps us to develop and improve our social skills, and to learn how to cooperate with others.  Play is a constructive way to pass the time.  It's good for you.  Play makes us happy.  Play is fun and brings joy.  In knowing all this, I would advocate for PLAY any day, and that's why I am!

I recently attended a conference for Bloggers called Blogalicious and had the opportunity to meet and participate with a great Community Service oriented group called Let's Play.  What is Let's Play you ask?  Here is what they have to say:

What Is Let's Play?

"Let's Play is a community partnership led by Dr Pepper Snapple Group to get kids and families active nationwide. We believe that the key to healthy living is managing calories in and calories out. Our goal is to help families achieve that balance by providing the tools, places and inspiration to make physical activity a daily priority."




Here is part of our fearless group ready for action!  We took a bus from our conference down to a local inner city elementary school {Walter Bracken Elementary School in Las Vegas} where we participated in this fun community service event.  Our task that day was to clean up and repaint the mural walls at their school and repaint the white stripes on their playground floor.



We were greeted by the principal of Bracken Elementary and some of her staff and were told what needed to be done.  Once they had a plan laid out for us we were ready for action. 


We grabbed our tools, found our spots on the playground and got straight to work.  Now the FUN begins!

The beautiful murals on their walls have already been pencil sketched out for us and we fill in the areas with paint.


I enjoy a fun but tedious job for a while, of filling in the cracks with a sky blue paint!


We even had a bloggers daughter as our littlest painting helper.  She was a natural Picasso too!


All in all it was a great morning of community service!  We got out and away from our conference for a while, bonded as a smaller group, and did some good for the community.  We got out and played with paint for a bit so the children who come out to enjoy this school can have a bright and pleasant environment to PLAY in.  It doesn't get much better than that!

I highly recommend getting involved in helping make your community better for the children in it.  Check out the Let's Play Website to see how you can get involved in both your community and to see tips for getting your own family out to PLAY more.  Be sure to follow them on Facebook (where you can sign the Let's Play Pledge) and Twitter to be first to hear any news.  How have you promoted PLAY in your community?  What will you do to promote PLAY now?





 

NMX New Media Expo 2013

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Local Las Vegas Bloggers being interviewed at NMX

It's January and a New Year!  I'm just barely getting my holidays wrapped up and my schedule back to normal when the biggest techie geek week hits Las Vegas, so ready or not I must drop everything and join the fun!  First up this week is NMX (presented by Blog World).  I had the chance today to attend this local trade show.  I love learning, so for me this was a great opportunity.  Besides having fun and hanging out with my local blogging friends, it's a great chance to meet up with people I only knew online until now and make new friends too.  It's also a wonderful opportunity to hear what the professionals in their fields have to say about what's new.  I feel that there is something you can learn from everyone you meet so I loved hearing what others had to tell me about their ideas today.  Social Media, blogging, networking, technology can all be found at NMX this week here in Las Vegas at the Rio Convention Center.  My brain is swimming with new ideas and clearer visions for what I might do with my blog.  My notepad is full and my wallet is stacked with business cards of new connections.  Tuesday also starts CES so my week will be busy and I can't wait to share what I've seen and learned with all of you!  I'm back again today and tomorrow and then straight into CES so stay tuned...

Las Vegas in Black & White {Photography}

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Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign

I did something different but fun this year for New Years.  Yes I went down to my usual spots on the Las Vegas Strip, but this time with no camera!  I traveled light this year and only used my Android.  I ended up with some of my favorite pictures too.  Las Vegas is such a colorful city and when viewing my NYE pictures I wondered, "What would all of these colorful pictures look like in black and white?"  I see Las Vegas nearly everyday and have pictured it many different ways with many different views.  So here are a few of my black and white views of The Las Vegas Strip.

Las Vegas Strip

Fountains of Caesars Palace

Bellagio Fountains

View from the street

Crowds at The Strip on New Years Eve!

View looking down The Strip from high above Las Vegas

Another view of the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign

Do you think this little town of mine looks just as colorful in black and white? 

Best Homemade Lemon Recipes

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Lemons from My Garden on a Vintage Quilt

 I LOVE LEMONS!
Everyone who knows me well knows that I love my lemon tree!   You should also know just how happy it makes me to go outside on a dreary Winter day and find these sunny and cheerful lemons waiting for me.  Yes I still feel that everyone should have a lemon tree just for that reason.  Besides being beautiful, they make your house smell wonderful.  There are also health benefits to eating lemons.  Today was just another Winter day, for this girl in a hat, as I went out to see what my lemon tree had waiting for me.  I was not disappointed!  I found tons of lemons waiting for me.  I brought a few in and am making plans to bake some delicious treats with them.  For now I share with you some of my best homemade lemon recipes so you can enjoy some sunshine this Winter too.
~ Classic Lemon Bars~ Raspberry Lemon Bars~ Poppy Seed Bread with a Lemon Glaze~ Creamy Lemon Pie~ Lemon Pasta~ Crispy Lemon Chicken
So whether you're growing lemons, or buying them from your local market, Winter is the time that they are in season and when you are most likely to need them to cheer you up on a dreary day.  Lemons are also a staple for Summer when everyone loves to drink lemonade or eat a light dish made with lemons.  I'm off now to spread some sunshine in my kitchen, but first... What is your favorite lemon recipe that you make?  I love finding new ones.


Recipe shared here.

Cottage (Shepherd's) Pie

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A few short days ago, I told you about how my husband had come down with a severe cold. It should be with little surprise that I am now, too. With every last drop of chicken noodle soup now consumed, I had to turn to another comfort food for some relief.

















We call this dish shepherd's pie around here; however, its correct name is cottage pie. From what I understand, both dishes are basically the same with the only variation being the type of meat used in the dish. For shepherd's pie, lamb is used. For cottage pie, beef is used.

Regardless of what we call it, cottage (shepherd's) pie is hearty comfort food at its best. Serve with warm biscuits or crusty bread... A perfect meal for warming a sick, old soul on this cold and blustery April day.

Ingredients
5 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 Tbs. sour cream
1/4 c. milk
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

1 to 1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. brown gravy mix
1 c. water
3 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs. ketchup
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 carrots, diced
2 medium onions, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 c. frozen corn
1 tsp. Italian seasoning

salt and pepper
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. olive oil

Directions
Preheat oven broiler.

In a medium pot, cover potatoes with cold water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until completely soft. Drain and mash. Add sour cream, milk, 1/4 c. mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and salt/pepper to taste. Mix to thoroughly combine. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef. Drain any fat, then return to skillet. Add garlic, brown gravy mix, water, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and salt/pepper to taste. Mix well. Reduce heat to low and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Spread evenly into a medium sized casserole dish. Set aside.

In the same skillet, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add vegetables, Italian seasoning and salt/pepper to taste. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Spread evenly over meat mixture. Spread mashed potatoes evenly over vegetable layer. Top with remaining 1/4 c. mozzarella cheese. Place in broiler to brown potatoes and cheese, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving.

{Skinny} Chocolate Cake in a Mug

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Let me introduce you to my new favorite dessert:Skinny Chocolate Cake in a Mug!!!! Pretty sure it doesn't get better than a three ingredient, rich, decadent, fluffy chocolate cake that takes only ONE minute to cook in the MICROWAVE and has less than 1 gram of fat and is under 150 calories!!!  My boys are absolutely OBSESSED with this recipe. It's so super easy. I taught them how to measure it out and add the water into a mug. They love it for a quick dessert. Let me show you how easy this is...Skinny Chocolate Cake in a Mug:
Print Recipe HERE

Ingredients:

• 1 (16.5-oz) box Devil's Food cake mix
• 1 (16-oz) box Angel Food cake mix
• 3 Tbsp. cold water (read directions...)

Directions:

1. Mix both cake mixes together and store in a large Ziploc bag. When you're ready for your yummy dessert, take 1/3 cup of the cake mixture and place into a microwavable mug.
2. Add 3 Tablespoons cold water to the mug. Stir together. Microwave for one minute. Serve with chocolate chips, whipped cream or fruit and ENJOY!!

*each mug contains 150 calories, 0.75 g fat and = 3 WW points.
 Seriously, how easy is that?! The mixture makes lots of servings, too! I keep the Ziploc bag in my pantry and whenever my boys or I have a chocolate craving, we mix one up. I love that it's low in fat and calories! You can change up the cake mix too if you want something other than chocolate, as long as you use the Angel Food cake with it. White cake mix? Strawberry? The possibilities are endless! Try it out and let me know what you think!Looking for more yummy dessert ideas?Yummiest Snickerdoodle Cookies EverMom's Pound CakeBest Chocolate Bundt CakeLow-Fat Chocolate Cookies
Print Recipe HERE

Simple & Delicious Crock Pot Beef Stew

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There's something so comforting about coming home to the smell of beef stew in the crock pot! Last week it rained almost every single day. I grew up in the desert of Mesa, Arizona so rain is actually something I enjoy. I HATE going out in it and getting wet but I LOVE staying indoors, reading a book, drinking hot herbal tea or cocoa and making something yummy in my crock pot. I also lucked out and found beef roast on sale at my grocery store. Woo hoo! So I decided I would make my family some beef stew.

I posted THIS yummy beef stew recipe on my blog last year but the recipe I'm sharing today is more of a simple version. Like one your grandma or mom made growing up. I love the basic, beefy flavor. My boys love soups and stews and they really enjoyed this one. It's a great way to sneak some veggies into them with no complaints! Give it a try a let me know what you think!
Simple Crock Pot Beef Stew:
Print Recipe HERE

Ingredients:

• 2-lb. beef roast, cubed
• 2 cups sliced carrots
• 2 cups diced potatoes
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2 tsp. quick cooking tapioca
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas

Directions:

1. Combine beef, carrots, potatoes and onions in slow cooker. Sprinkle with tapioca, salt and pepper.
2. Combine tomato sauce and water. Pour over beef and vegetables in slow cooker. Sprinkle with brown sugar.
3. Cover. Cook on LOW 8 hours. One hour before cooking time ends, add frozen peas. ENJOY!

Looking for more easy dinner ideas?Mom's Chicken SquaresEasy Vegetable Pad ThaiSweet and Sour MeatballsCrock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Print Recipe HERE