Tag Archives: stay at home mom

Fame On Friday #13

Posted by Leanne on June 22, 2012 8 comments

Get ready to drool!! My guest today has some serious talent in the kitchen!! Meet Jullee!

I want to start off by thanking Leanne for featuring me on her fantastic blog. My name is Jullee and I blog over at The Grubery where I cook up delicious delights for my family. I am a wife and the Mother of two beautiful little girls, 20 months and 4 years old. When it comes to eating I like to try everything and anything. In the past I have tried some strange things..like Bull testicles and fried Rattle snake. The only thing that makes me squeamish is raw or rare meat. I prefer my steak well done!

After having my first daughter I realized that my super unhealthy lifestyle of eating out just wasn’t going to cut it. I decided to take what my Momma taught me and put it to good use. I started searching for recipes and came across so many fun blogs. And, when a stay at home Mom gets introduced to blogs she typically starts blogging. So I started up my food blog.

Over the past year I have probably tried more new recipes than I had over the previous five years all together. I have whipped up some fantastic and delicious delights and I want to share a few of my favorites with you.


If you like Shrimp and Mango this is the recipe for you! The sweetness of the shrimp and Mangoes mix perfectly with a tart Yogurt, Lime, and Mint sauce. It is quick and easy and perfect for a warm summer night.

The recipe on my blog that I have made more times than any other would be this delicious Spicy Pumpkin Chili. I have served this twice for company and both times my guests got really nervous when I mentioned that not only is the Chili Vegetarian..but it also has Pumpkin puree in it. This amazing Chili wins everyone over with the very first flavorful bite.

Do you dream of making delicious Doughnuts without having to deal with the dough? Me too! I am actually a little afraid of yeast. There is just something about having to get the water within a proper temperature before you either kill it or freeze it to death. That’s why I decided to try making Doughnuts with Pillsbury Biscuit Dough. When I told my sister I was trying these she thought I was crazy. But crazy is as crazy does and these turned out great. They tasted fantastic..and when you take into account that the prep time is almost non-existent they are even more amazing.

A Sloppy Joe made with Indian ingredients? Oh yes, and it was amazing! I didn’t know what to expect but I was willing to give it a try because I love sloppy Joe’s and I also love Indian food. I am so glad I tried this because it is probably my favorite dish that I’ve blogged about. This recipe tasted amazing and it was super flavorful.

For my baby’s First Birthday I whipped up these adorable flower cupcakes using Mini Marshmallows. They turned out so cute and all of my guests loved them. The kids gobbled them up and I just loved how girly they were..especially considering her Birthday is in October and these pretty little things had to fit in among pumpkins, Gooey mice, Witch fingers, and other Halloweeny stuff.

Thanks again to Leanne for inviting me to spend a little time with ya’ll! I hope you have as much fun looking over my recipes as I had whipping them up. Thanks for hanging out with me and I hope you will come and grab some Grub with me at The Grubery.

Thank you so much for being here Jullee!!

Please take some time to visit Jullee’s blog, and thanks so much for reading!
xo, Leanne

Are you wondering what this fame On Friday is all about:

Fame On Fridays! … because I heart my readers!!

I love my followers, and I am so grateful to all of you for following my blog…and as a thank you, I want to show you off! I know there are A LOT of talent reading my blog, and I want to know more about You!

If you have a blog, let us know whatever you want us to know about it! …But you don’t need to be a blogger to be featured. Love to bake? Send me your pictures and recipes! Love to knit? Send me a scarf! Haha, joking Maybe you accomplished something you didn’t know you could do, just because there was no one around to help you. Brag about it here! Maybe you changed something in your life in a positive way. Tell us about it! Maybe you are amazing at organizing. Share your tips with us!

If you would like to be featured, send me any info you would like us to know about you & pictures of what you have created. I’ll schedule you in for a Friday, and will email you to let you know when you are scheduled, so you can brag to all your friends!

The Only Rules:

1.) You must be a follower of Because (I think) I Can through email, Linky Followers, RSS Feed, or Facebook.

2.) Spread the Love! Let people know you are being featured, and where to find it! Do you have a friend you think people should know about? Get your friend to contact me!

That’s it! You can email me at leanne @ becauseithinkican . com, or contact me through my contact form on my sidebar. I look forward to getting to know you better!

Leanne

Fame On Friday #8!!

Posted by Leanne on May 18, 2012 3 comments

That’s right, it’s Fame On Friday again!! I am super-duper excited about today’s guest. I “met” Anna from “My Life And Kids” about 10 months ago… I was having a real hard parenting day, and ran into a post of Anna’s. Unfortunately I can’t find that post now, but Anna’s post about why she is a stay at home mom made me cry… and since then she has kept me laughing so hard I cry!! This girl is seriously funny, very honest, with a little bit of devilishness about her. I imagine my Anna will grow up to be a lot like this Anna! I am flattered Anna reads my blog, so here she is!! Enjoy her and be sure to check out more of her blog!!

Hi, my name is Anna, and I blog at My Life and Kids. I’m super excited to be here today!

Leanne and I have been blog buddies for what seems like forever, and I’m always inspired by her projects! And our kids are fairly close in age, so I always feel like we have a lot in common.

I had three kids in three years. Then I quit my job, moved to the suburbs, bought a minivan and started wearing mom jeans. In my spare time, I blog about all the ways I’m finding the fun in life and motherhood.

A Few of My Favorite Posts:

Sometimes I Get a Little Crafty…

Summertime Fun

I wrote an eBook called 25 Ways to Have More Fun at Home. It’s full of fun things you can do with your kids – which might be a lifesaver this summer!

It’s free for you to download – just like My Life and Kids on Facebook and click on the eBook tab to download your free copy.

And on Wednesdays, I co-host Finding the Funny. It’s a great linky party – where you can link up your old or new posts. If they make you laugh, they’ll make us laugh!

I hope you’ll visit My Life and Kids and say hi!

Thanks for having me, Leanne!

Thank You so much, Anna!!

Be sure to check out her ebook, it is fantastic!

BTW, if you receive my posts by email, and are having problems seeing Anna’s picture links, please click on the title of this post, and read it directly from my blog page. You don’t want to miss out on Anna’s links… my personal favorite is her ric-rac ring, LOVE IT!

Thanks so much for reading!! Have a wonderful long weekend!!

xo, Leanne

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Are you wondering what this Fame On Friday is?? Here’s the info for you!

Fame On Fridays! … because I heart my readers!!

The Only Rules:

1.) You must be a follower of Because (I think) I Can through email, Linky Followers, RSS Feed, or Facebook.

2.) Spread the Love! Let people know you are being featured, and where to find it! Do you have a friend you think people should know about? Get your friend to contact me!

That’s it! You can email me at leanne @ becauseithinkican . com, or contact me through my contact form on my sidebar. I look forward to getting to know you better!

Leanne

I’ve Been Tagged!

Posted by Leanne on March 22, 2012 6 comments

Tag! I’ve been tagged by Jill from I Know The Plans I Have For You. I love what I know about this lady so far… I mean, how could I not – she is a stay-at-home-mom to her 3 kids (just like me!) one boy and 2 girls (just like me!) ages 8, 5, and 10 months (just slightly older than my 3!) she used to be a nail technician (I used to be an esthetician!) Jill “tagged” me, so she could get to know me better! Thanks Jill!!

Here are the questions you are supposed to answer when you’ve been tagged:

What is our favorite meal?

You can only listen to {3} albums for the rest of your life, what would they be & why?

What is your favorite item in your closet?

When is the last time you cried?

What is your favorite tv show of all time?

What is your favorite movie?

What would your dream vacation destination be?

Describe your personality in three words

What is the one make-up item you absolutely have to have on your face every day?

Dream dinner party guest list! (Three people, living or dead)

Why did you start blogging?

I find most of these questions hard to answer, but I’ll give it a try!

My Favorite Meal? This first one is Easy. Lobster with tons of garlic butter. Oooooh, yummy!

My 3 Albums… I’d say Abba, always love Abba! It’s awesome for when I’m feeling happy and sunny. Dixie Chicks…forget what the Album is, but the one with “Earls Gotta Die”. It’s great for when I’m feeling angry. And a “romantic songs” mixture hubby made me a long time back… happy or sad, I love that I know every word on the album, and can sing it loud!

My Favorite Item In My Closet….. I know most will think this is crazy, so I can’t believe I’m admitting it, but my maternity sweat pants I bought when I was pregnant with Jordan! 8 years ago!! they are so stretched out and rediculous looking, but boy are they comfy…. and no matter what size I am they are still comfy!

The last time I cried? Seriously? mmm, a couple days ago I’d say. I’m a crier. And I get rediculously emotional at you-know-what-time-of-the-month. For a whole week I am somewhat out of control, plus my daily headaches turn into migraines for the whole week. Not pretty, not happy.

My favorite TV Show of All Time? I always have a special place in my heart for the Facts Of Life. Rememebr that show? A couple years back hubby bought me all the shows on DVD. I loved watching them all over again! But right now I am seriously in love with The Walking Dead. It has it all. Amazing acting, amazing character development, seriously stressful and thrilling, and completely gruesome. Oh, and romance! Apparently I am now considered “hot” in the geek-world because I love this show. Hubby’s friends can’t get over it, and the guy at Chapters was awed when I was shopping for the graphic novels for hubby. So girls, wanna turn some heads? Watch this show!

Oh, can I make a side note here on geeks? Did you know geeks are no longer a bad thing? I’ve known this for awhile, being that I’m married to a geek.

My Favorite Movie? Hmm, the Wedding Singer with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymoore. It’s just my go-to-feel-good movie.

My Dream Vacation Destination? Goodness, that’s a hard one. I want to see the world. But what I really would like to do next is island hop in Hawaii, show the goodness to my hubby. Maybe convince him to move there.

My personality in 3 words? Consulting hubby here, he’s rolling his eyes. that can’t be good. ;) “Emboulliant,” (told you he was a geek. me: “what the hell does that mean?” him: “bubbly” me: “awww” ), “Feminine, & Soft” (Me: “awww… wait, soft? physically, or emotionally?” Him: “I just said soft”)

One Makeup Item: Mascara definately. When people see me without it, they ask me what’s wrong with me.

3 Dream Dinner Party Guests: wow. Okay, well, I’d say Jesus. We have a lot of questions for him. Like, my kids always wonder if it makes him happy or sad when they want to pray that they own everything in the world, or to receive a lot of presents for their birthdays. Next I’d say Tom Hanks. My favorite actor ever, I’d love to have dinner with him. Oh, and my Grandpa, my dad’s dad. He passed away when I was around 12 year old, and I have many many memories of him. Many memories of sitting on his lap brushing his hair, reading books to him, and of him telling me stories of men with 2 heads, women with beards, things like that! I’d love to see him again as an adult and hear his stories.

Why did I start blogging? I started it as a way to keep track if things I’ve done, renos hubby and I do, to remember paint colors etc, and to store ideas of things I love. In the meantime Pinterest was created, which filled a large void for me, but I found my blog filled another void for me. Being home with the kids I often find myself home-bound, and blogging helps me reach out and connect with others. I also found I loved the feedback I was receiving from people, and I found a fun little community to be involved in. It helps me focus on something other than our out of control house. And yes, the house is a little more out of control because of my blogging and the time it takes, but since the chaos is now 1/2 my fault, I am a little more forgiving!

The ladies I’d like to tag to get to know better:

Alisha, from going G-Free

Karie, from iPinterest

Michaela, from Buttons & Yarn Oh My!

Randee, from Randee’s Organized Chaos

Michelina from Finding Michelina

Have a great Thursday, and thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed these random things about me…. I’d love to know, what is your favorite piece of clothing in your closet?!? I ask, because tomorrow I am beginning a new series, “Fame On Fridays”, and my first guest tomorrow will be shocked to have read my favorite item! Stay tuned!

(please visit my new Fame On Fridays Page, and get involved!)

xo, Leanne

Spring Break Day #1

Posted by Leanne on March 12, 2012 2 comments

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I’m one of those moms. I never was until the past year or so… I wish I wasn’t… don’t tell my kids…

I used to LOVE spring break and other holidays when the kids were home from school. But over the past year or so, I have found that I just can’t fulfill my oldest child’s needs when he is home. When he was the only child, I had a blast with him. When we had 2 kids, it was manageable. Now with 3, my poor Jordan is bored to death. And the weather isn’t helping. The weather doesn’t know it’s supposed to be spring. So we are stuck indoors.

And you may have noticed, I am spoiled. I am a stay-at-home mom, with a husband who works from home 3 out of his 5 work days a week, and although we can’t afford much, we have a wonderful quality of life. I get to do the things that make me happy, like writing this blog and doing all the fun stuff that I get to write about. I will admit, in the meantime, I have become somewhat selfish. I am not proud of it. I am used to having the schedule I want, workout when I want, clean when I want, craft when I want…. yes, I am usually pretty homebound doing all those things around my children’s schedules, but I kind of like it that way.

I really do hope to have fun with the kids this spring break, and we all know Pinterest has tons of inspiration for things to do with the kids, so I’m hoping to check a lot of those off the list these next 2 weeks. I am wild about my children, and love the times their faces glow with happiness, but the inside of my head can get a little loud at times, and so I need to get a few “to-do’s” out-of-the-way before the fun comes.

So today we worked on picking apart Jordan’s bedroom (have a mentioned he’s a hoarder?!)

plus it was laundry day,

my first load of the day....about 7 more have been added on to this....after this post I will go fold and watch The Bachelor!!

I listed a whole bunch of stuff on Craigslist… bye-bye baby stuff bye-bye old appliances! (yes! we finally splurged and bought a new dishwasher and stove! Whoohoo!)

Tomorrow I need to finish up some custom orders…

Figure out how to create a code for the button I created for my blog (anyone know??)

And then hopefully the voices in my head can quiet down, and I can get to having some fun!

What do you like to do for fun with your kids??

Thanks for reading!

xo, Leanne

Introducing….

Posted by Leanne on January 26, 2012 2 comments

Today I am excited to return the favor, and introduce you to my friend Randee, from Randee’s Organized Chaos!! I have to tell you, this lady is a.m.a.z.i.n.g. at a certain something that I am absolultely NOT… Adorable snacks! Most of the time, I can’t even be bothered to make food adorable, it’s enough for me to make it in the first place! But Randee is inspiring me, and may even get me to take a chance and make something cute one of these days!! …or I’ll just leave it up to my sister, she’s already amazing at it!

So here she is! Take it aways Randee!!

HI!! My name is Randee and I am visiting from

Randee’s Organized Chaos !!

I first want to thank Leanne for asking me to guest post!! I am SUPER DUPER excited about this opportunity!! I am a stay at home mom that LOVES my kids and my husband!! EVERY aspect of my life is chaotic but I would not have it any other way! I am a mom that LOVES to craft, cook, throw parties and find new EASIER ways to do things! I think what makes me a little bit different, is the fact that I tell it like it is and have fun with life!! When you read my posts, just think of a very energetic and SOUTHERN voice and you will have me pegged!!

I want to tell you about a party that I have going on right now called

RANT and RAVE About My Blog!!

It is a party where you can link up your blog and have it critiqued by fellow bloggers! This is done anonymously and I am the only one that sees the results besides you!! In return, you will critique two blogs!! So far, there has been a wealth of information and I am taking it to heart!! What better way to see what people think about your blog!! So come on by and link up!!

THANKS again for having me today!! I hope to get to know some of you here in BLOGLAND!!
I am sharing with you today a post about one of the MANY chaotic things that I think up in my head!! They are always MUCH easier in my head than when I actually execute them!!

ENJOY!!!!

Mary-Catherine’s teacher came to me and asked me if I would be willing to a “cute” snack for the 100th day of school!! Of course, I said YES!! I went home and started looking around on the web and even went to Pinterest but I just couldn’t find anything that I LOVED!! I found that most people brought different items in 10′s such as M&M’s, cheerios, pretzels and then combined them to make a hundred!! Ok…that was all FINE and DANDY but just not me!! So my little mind went to working when it dawned on me that I had the PERFECT idea!!

One of MC’s favorite books of all times is

ERIC CARL’S

The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

I remembered where I had made a birthday cake once in the shape of a caterpillar so how could I make the HUNGRY CATERPILLAR for the 100th day!! Well here is how….