As I have no time to maintain my lovely Saturday Mornings website, I am putting it up for sale! There is no set price, it will go to the highest bidder. Please email danajeanward@gmail.com to tell me you are interested and how much your bid is. I will announce here when the blog is sold. Here are a few details:
Over 1,000 followers!
The domain www.thesaturdaymorningsblog.com was JUST renewed two weeks ago, so it is paid for a year!
With the economy, I know many people are constantly on edge about keeping their jobs. I was in a situation once where I had inside information that the company I worked for was going to be laying people off. I started to feel as though everything I did was wrong, and the paranoia set in.
In
episode 18, Sarah worries that the CIA is replacing them with Casey's
extremely efficient team, but Chuck considers himself irreplaceable with
the Intersect. Have you ever felt like you were in jeopardy of being
replaced? Has there ever been a time where you have been made to feel
outdated? If so, how did you remedy your situation? Did it end well?
In season four, the geek gone spy is putting everything on the line, available for pre-order here: http://bit.ly/r3n2er
I have been hired by Warner Bros WBWord division to raise awareness for Chuck: The Complete Fourth Season on DVD/Blu-Ray
Again, have you ever had to lay trust in someone to make your family happy? Watch Chuck!
Morgan
has been avoiding his mother's house so he wouldn't have to face Big
Mike. Big Mike reveals that he is proud of Morgan’s new role in the
company. After spending months out at sea, he has realized that Morgan's
mother is the source of his happiness, and reveals his intention to
propose. Morgan hires him, and Big Mike entrusts Morgan with the
proposal ring until Morgan judges him "worthy of his mother's love." How
would you have handled this situation? Would you have given Big Mike
your blessing?
In season four, the geek gone spy is putting everything on the line, available for pre-order here: http://bit.ly/r3n2er
I have been hired by Warner Bros WBWord division to raise awareness for Chuck: The Complete Fourth Season on DVD/Blu-Ray
You have probably seen clips on TV where a guy really outdoes himself with a marriage proposal. You may have even had that happen to you. But proposals can be just as meaningful if they are private and personal. I want to know your proposal story. If you are single, tell me what you would imagine it to be like! Every story is unique... some romantic, some funny, and others outrageous! Let's hear them all!
In one of my favorite shows, Chuck,Chuck
finally proposes to Sarah in the hospital hallway. She accepts,
kneeling with him and kissing him as the scene fades. Was this
delightful and epic episode of Chuck everything that you had been
waiting for? What was your reaction to Chuck’s quiet and successful
proposal to Sarah?
In season four, the geek gone spy is putting everything on the line, available for pre-order here: http://bit.ly/r3n2er
I have been hired by Warner Bros WBWord division to raise awareness for Chuck: The Complete Fourth Season on DVD/Blu-Ray
Not too long ago, I had taken up bike riding again. I was breezing through the neighborhood, feeling like a kid again. Out of nowhere, a huge dog came running at me. I was pretty sure it was the bike and the spinning wheels that were making the dog act this way, but he was literally gnashing his teeth at my heels. I knew I could not possibly beat the dog in a race uphill, and that I should stop, but adrenalin pumped through me and I took off. After about a block of the fastest bike riding I have ever done, I jumped off and ran through the front door. WHEW!
In the fourth season finale of Chuck, Sarah has been shot by the “Norseman”
device and only has twelve hours left to live. Chuck turns his back on
the CIA and despite all warnings sprints throughout the episode to find
Volkoff and the antidote. Have you ever been in a situation that despite
all odds and warnings you decided to make a run for it? How did it end
up working out?
In season four, the geek gone spy is putting everything on the line, available for pre-order here: CLICK HERE!
have been hired by Warner Bros WBWord division to raise awareness for Chuck: The Complete Fourth Season on DVD/Blu-Ray
Yes, I am crazy about initials right now. First name, last name, nickname, I don't care, initials are in! I had another "eureka" moment at the thrift store when I found this faux pumpkin for 80 cents. Yep, you heard me right! 80 CENTS!
I scooped this pumpkin up (not out ha!) and took it home to do a little pick-me-up on the sad little guy. Every time I go shopping lately, I see these adorable pumpkins with initials on them, but even when they are on sale I cannot justify buying one. Good thing, because I just made it for less than a buck! It is just as cute as the one in the store and this is not a miniature decoration! It is almost a foot tall, so I feel like I really scored on this project. Just a dab of paint and lonely, dusty pumpkin became the star of the show for Halloween! UPDATE! TIP: Another way to easily get this look is to print the letter on a printer, cut it out, and Mod Podge it on your pumpkin!
Have any of you been wondering if perhaps I was now in the witness protection program, or maybe I was in hiding... in Antarctica? Well, I'm out from under my rock, and wanted to give you an update on Nutrisystem. I am now down 25 pounds! I just got a new order in, and I am still loving the food, A LOT! I feel great when I stick closely to the plan, and plan to continue the program for several more months!
What I am loving...
At breakfast, I love the pancakes and the cinnamon buns!
At lunch, my favorites are the Italian wedding soup and the steak and cheese melt!
Dinner is probably my favorite. A burger, a plate of lasagna, and a pepperoni pizza top my list!
Golden pound cake or a fudge brownie top my day off and taste delicious!I must say, it's like having your own personal chef that cooks healthy and delicious food.
I knew you would be drooling! Join me on this adventure and start your Nutrisystem journey with me!
Disclosure: Nutrisystem is providing me with food and access to all of their weight loss materials, free of charge, in exchange for sharing my experience on this website. All opinions are my own. Individual results may vary.
Daffy Duck’s made an app out of himself along
with his Looney Tunes costars! The first Looney Tunes app is here,
making you the director of your own digital world with your iPhone or iPad.
Choose from a cast of fun characters with unique, colorful backgrounds
and props at your fingertips. Amaze (and annoy) your friends with entertaining
voices and sound effects. Put your favorite character—you—into a Looney
Tunes photo frame and share it with your friends. Email it or put it on
your Facebook page. It’s your world! And don’t forget to watch the
all-new The Looney Tunes Show on Cartoon Network!
I created the scene above using some of my favorite characters and had a lot of fun doing it!
Download the Looney Tunes Scene & Sound Machine App from the iTunes Store here today: HERE!
I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote The Looney Tunes Scene & Sound Machine Application
I don't know about you, but when it comes to baby gifts, the same old thing is getting very boring. Luckily, a friend of mine and I ran across a blog, Make It and Love It, which gave us the idea for a fun and inventive gift!
Pee-Pee Teepees are the latest craze in baby boy gifts, and now I can make them myself! So can you! They are very easy and you can make them to fit any baby boy's style.
All you will need, besides the usual sewing gear, is a small amount of basic printed fabric and some coordinating flannel. Trace a circle about six inches in diameter and fold in half for the pattern. Cut this pattern out onto the print and the flannel.
With the right sides of the fabric facing each other, sew the arch portion of the half circle together, leaving a small inseam.
Turn right side out, and pin the arch portion to flatten. Sew this portion again to get the best outcome, and sew as close to the edge as possible. Fold in half again, with the right sides of the pattern facing each other. Sew the raw edges together, using a straight stitch, and then resew with a zigzag.
Trim, turn right side out, and you now have the most adorable handmade gift!
Sew a few, put them in a bag, and round it out with this poem I found onSevenThirtyThree...
Changing a baby girl is not all glitz and glory;
Changing a baby boy is another horror story!
You hold his feet with one hand
and the diaper with the other;
The whole time praying,
"Please, don't pee on your Mother!"
and some handmade packaging...
and walla!
Want to win this set of peepee teepees? Win it right here, right now! There are three in the package, and the three fabrics are baseball, football, and basketball. Plus, we all love the new Rafflecopter style giveaways, right?!
I have struggled all day about whether I should write this and I will be undecided until it is complete. One of the most important and influential people in my life left this earth today. During many eras of my existence, she was my confidant, my best supporter, and often my best friend. She saw me in my best light and my darkest hours and never judged me. She only loved me. And I loved her back with all of my heart.
My grandmother was a huge part of my life that I will never be able to replace. Alzheimer's took her life and her joy away from her. It has been a long battle, and she was resilient and tough through the end. But her suffering was enough. So she passed away on Independence Day, 2011. I can see now that this was her Independence Day... from a disease that took over her life.
I know that a lot of you that read what I write often enjoy hearing about bits of my life. This was something that I felt I could share with you. We all have ups and downs and we struggle to get through them. But we can all relate when it comes to losing someone that we love with every inch of our soul. So all I ask is that in memory of my Grandmama, you go out today and do something kind and unexpected for either someone you love or a complete stranger. It will make you feel good. And we all just want to feel good, right...
We have been lucky enough to see Independence Day fireworks in Chicago and at our wedding reception, but we have never celebrated at home... until this year! So I gathered up a few friends, recipes, and decorations for a get together last night! I wanted to share these with you, as they were all a big hit! Here is a sneak peek at my front entrance!
Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Cocktail Sausages
1 package cocktail sausages
1 lb. bacon
brown sugar
Heat oven to 325. Cut each bacon slice into thirds and toss in a bag of brown sugar.
Wrap one of the pieces of bacon (1/3 of a whole piece) around each sausage, and secure with a toothpick. A good tip when using toothpicks in the oven or wooden skewers on the grill is to soak them for a couple of minutes in water before use. This prevents them from burning or catching on fire!
Heat in oven for 40-50 minutes, or until bacon is crisp and sugar is bubbly. I turned the temp up 25 degrees for the last ten minutes. These are delicious and will go fast!
Mix ingredients well, refrigerate for several hours. I served this with sliced cucumber, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, and crackers.
Delicious Sausage Cream Cheese Dip
1 lb. Owen's or Jimmy Dean hot sausage
16 ounces cream cheese
2 cans Rotel
Brown sausage. Heat all ingredients over low in a large sauce pan or slow cooker until melty and hot. Serve with chips and salsa! I do not have a picture of the dip because it got eaten up right away!
Red White and Blue Strawberry Delights
1-2 pounds whole fresh strawberries
1 can cream cheese icing
blue sprinkles
Stem the strawberries, and then cut an X into the top of each one, leaving the base attached.
Using an icing tool of choice, fill the inside of the strawberry with icing and top with blue sprinkles!
I was able to grab some decorations on clearance and spruce up the house a bit. My favorite thing was the metal flags I found for about $1.50 each and made our walkway flower bed patriotic for guests coming to the front door! (See top picture)
I also got some decor that went great with my red front door!
I hope you all have a safe and happy Independence Day! Tell me what you did, how you decorated, or what you ate!
Growing up, I never felt that I was held back as a female. I had very strong women in my life and was always encouraged to go out there and do what I wanted. I know, however, that there are many women who are still lacking that in their lives, not just around the world, but even in our own country. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not to be labeled a "feminist" or any thing like that, but I do love to see shows that show strong women.
Rizzoli & Isles are two women in powerful positions who can accomplish anything they put their minds to while having an influence upon others. As such, the show empowers women with both characters coming from different points of view and background while remaining true to themselves in getting their job done. As a testament to this, Rizzoli & Isles won Best Drama at the 'Women's Image Network Awards' in 2010.
See the reason why Rizzoli & Isles won Best Drama at the 2010 Women's Image Network Awards. The first season is now available on DVD HERE
Disclosure: I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote Rizzoli & Isles Season One on DVD.
This post was done about seven months ago, when hundreds of you had never even heard of Saturday Mornings. This was such a big project that I wanted to bring it back and put it out there for others who may need an inexpensive fix for their kitchen or bathroom counter tops!
We have done a lot of work on our home. In the kitchen we were blessed with custom cabinets that came with the house, and after a frozen pipe burst last winter we replaced the vinyl flooring with porcelain. The kitchen was really starting to come together and to top it off, we bought a new stainless steel convection oven a few months ago. However, there was one big eyesore that we have been longing to get rid of. Baby blue laminate counter tops. Everyone that comes over claims that "they are not that bad and at least they are in good condition." They ARE that bad! I liken it to a nice looking man with an expensive suit on....but he has a mullet. There is no overlooking that. So here they are.
Yep, I told you they were awful! Well, I heard about a product that you could actually "paint" over linoleum with to give it a new color and new look. I really wanted to try it, but I knew if I told my husband I was painting the kitchen counter tops he would think I had lost my marbles! So what did I do, you might ask? I went to Plan B. Plan B was this: wait until he left town one weekend and do it myself! This weekend was opening season so he went home to hunt. I called in backup (Nicolle) and we went to work. There were a few scary things about using this product. First, you literally have to pick your color from a half inch picture on top of a box!
Second, we learned that this stuff was no joke! It is highly flammable and toxic as well. The helpful guys at Lowe's (no I am not getting paid for this, I love Lowe's and if you work at Lowe's and would like to pay me to mention your little company I would probably consider your offer) suggested that we turn off all gas and pilot lights in the house, and instructed us to take breaks while applying to get fresh air. We were told that if we become lightheaded, nauseous, or vomit, we should at least stop, and possibly go to the hospital. So, big nod to Nicolle for sticking in there after all of this! We taped off the area, got our supplies ready, and started laying it on the linoleum.
The odor is very strong, and during the second coat I started feeling funny, realizing I had not been outside in a while. Fresh air did the trick, and now I have a whole new look! This stuff made my kitchen look like a different person, and I cannot wait for the husband to get home and see it for himself!
I have really been trying to eat tons of veggies. At some point, my method of cooking becomes mundane and I seek out new ways to make summer vegetable taste delectable. My mother in law shared a recipe with me recently that I thought you might enjoy as well! She calls it Steve's Squash Casserole because she found it in her local paper and it was submitted by some guy named Steve. So just for fun, I added yummy and yellow to the name! And as always, I have added a few of my cooking tricks throughout, so make sure you read it all the way through!
Here is a list of everything you need to get going:
2 medium to large yellow squash
Non-stick cooking spray
Large casserole dish
Salt and pepper
1 large onion
12 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
2 sleeves Ritz crackers, crushed
12 ounce can evaporated milk
1 stick butter, cut into pats
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and coat your casserole dish with cooking spray. Slice the squash into 1/8 inch thick round slices - think hamburger pickle slices!
Dice the onion. I use yellow onion on mostly every dish that calls for onion, but white is fine as well. A good trick for onion dicing and slicing is to light a candle and set it by the cutting board. The onion's scent will tend to flow towards the heat, and this cuts down on onion tears and burning eyes!
Cover the bottom of the dish with a layer of squash, and top with a thin layer of onion. Top this combo off with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Next, put a nice layer of cheese, followed by a layer of crushed crackers. Repeat these steps until you have used all of the squash. Mine came out to three layers, but the squash I used was very large! Top the dish off with pats of butter, and pour the evaporated milk over the entire thing. Cover, and bake at least one hour. Squash should be tender, and cheese should be melted. Enjoy! I bet even the kiddos will enjoy this one!
With social media at it's best, it seems like you never really lose touch with your friends anymore. I have a friend that I have known since elementary school, and it is funny sometimes to see how different we are as adults. The question is, if I had just met them today, would we be such good friends? Probably! Difference of lifestyle and opinion make for great conversation, and mutual respect keeps the friendship going.
This reminds me of one of my new favorite shows, Rizzoli and Isles. The two main characters are best friends but couldn't be more different. Are you a fan of the show as well? Let me know! I love it! The second season is starting soon and you can pre-order the first season on DVD HERE!
Tell me about a good friend you have that is very different from you! Does that make the friendship even better?
Disclosure: I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote Rizzoli & Isles Season One on DVD.
I am a lucky girl. Yep. My deep freezer never goes without. My husband's parents (Hi Jamie) raise livestock and at any given time I have an almost endless supply of every cut of beef you can think of. I could go on like Bubba and his shrimp... ground beef, chuck roast, tenderloin, short ribs, ribeye, you get the point right. Here is a picture of my JUST the bottom drawer of my deep freezer taken today.
Another great thing about this is that the beef is very lean. I can brown some ground beef and there will be almost no fat to drain off! There is one catch, however. This makes for a somewhat dry hamburger. I have been trying out all kinds of tricks and recipes to make these burgers better, and I have finally found the perfect blend of tricks and additions. So if you buy lean ground beef or if you want to make your normal burger even better, try this recipe out. You will love it!
In a large bowl, mix two pounds of of lean ground beef with the following items:
1 package dry onion soup mix (1 ounce)
1 lightly beaten egg
2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon A1 sauce
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon each of garlic powder and black pepper
This should make six nicely sized patties. I use a tool made for making the perfect sized patties, but if you don't have one, press your thumb into the center of the patty just before grilling to keep them from becoming too thick in the middle. After patties are formed, place a pat of butter into the center of each one.
Seal the burger back around the butter, and put those babies one the grill! Trust me, the butter trick is KEY!
You will love the taste and the juiciness of these burgers! Of course, I top mine off with cheese, but now it's time to personalize it however you like! These would be great for the upcoming Independence Day weekend!
