Hey friends! Sorry this is going up late. I hope you'll participate and share your recipes!

Today's 2 On Tuesday topic is:

What are your two go-to meals? What do you cook most often in your household?
  

Sarah shared a great crock pot pork chop recipe with me earlier this month, and I made it for the first time on January 1st. It is so good - I've made it three times since then! 

Crock Pot Pork Chops

• One packet dry ranch dressing mix
• One can cream of whatever soup
• 1/2 cup of chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon(ish) of chopped garlic
• 4 boneless pork chops

1. Combine the first four ingredients in your crock pot; mix well. 
2. Place your pork chops in your crock pot. 
3. Cook 4-6 hours on low. 

I always double the first four ingredients because as is the recipe does not make a lot of sauce. I serve the pork chops and gravy over rice, and it is so good! The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup of white wine and 1/4 cup of chicken stock, so you can try that if you like. I just never have dry white wine in the house. I made this again this past Sunday and I ran out of cream of whatever soup, so I subbed in one can of chicken gravy and it was delish!

My go-to meal when I'm rushed or haven't been to the grocery store is baked salmon (or halibut, or tilapia). I buy frozen salmon fillets from Sam's and drizzle them with olive oil. I coat them with lemon pepper seasoning, and place in a foil packet with sliced lemons on top. Bake 25ish minutes at 350 degrees - so good, fresh, and healthy! 

My favorite not-so-good for you easy meals are Suddenly Salad Ranch & Bacon Pasta (add tuna and it is a meal!) and chili made from this kit. Seriously, it makes the best chili I've ever had in my life. 

For more recipe and meal ideas, check out the recipe tab on my blog - its on the right sidebar. Also, head on over to Cole's place and check out the Tuesday at the Table link ups for more great recipe ideas!

 

I Wish...

I wish that weekends weren't so short. 

I wish that I would wake up rested and renewed in the morning instead of asking myself "how many hours until I can go back to sleep?"

I wish the plaque would leave our house. One or all of us has been sick since the beginning of January. We just keep passing around the germs to one another. 

I wish my birthday hadn't sucked the big one this year. 

I wish my husband would try a little harder to make the things that are important to me the things that are important to him - even if he does think they don't matter. 

I wish I could lose weight while eating what I want and not working out. 

I wish that I found foods like celery, cottage cheese, and greek yogurt delicious tasting. 

I wish that just once I'd see myself the way other people see me. 

I wish that money would grow on trees. 

I wish that laundry would fold itself. & that Shout actually got out all stains. 

I wish that I was as popular and well liked as some other blog peeps out there. 

I wish I had more (in real life) girlfriends. 

(Points to you if you know this song...) I wish I was a little bit taller/I wish I was a baller. I wish I had a girl who looked good, I would call her. 

What do you wish?

Tomorrow's 2 On Tuesday topic is:

What are your two go-to meals? What do you cook most often in your household? 

Dear Douchebag...

It’s back, friends! This is what many of you said was one of your favorite blog topics, so in an attempt to please my readers (ha!) I’ve decided to make this a regular feature.

Either write your own post (leave me the link in the comments section), or leave some of your own letters in the comments section!

Dear Speed Racer, 

You know, it really won’t hurt you to park further from the store. I’ve been waiting behind you for 10 minutes in your search for the perfect parking space. Old Lady McGee seems to be cleaning her dentures, and I don’t think she’ll be pulling out of her spot any time soon. How about you move your car so I can get to where I need to be this century?

Beep beep! No, really. 

Andrea

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Dear Wal-Mart worker, 

I’m guessing you missed your Customer Service 101 training. If you had taken it, I’m sure you would know “I don’t know” is not the proper answer when I ask you where product XXX can be found. Nor is “did you look for it?” acceptable. 

Sincerely, 

It’s a poor economy and other people would love your job.

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Dear Daycare Worker, 

I suppose I should tell you that my husband and I refer to you as “Sassy Sequin Pants”. Really, I adore your style. Tights, sequin shorts, and glitter Tom’s are an excellent look when you’re waist deep in poop and snot. Still, I can’t fault your ability to accessorize. Your beret is quite sassy. 

Work it, girl.

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Dear Chick-Fil-A, 

I’ve long referred to you as the Target of fast food. Seriously, I love you bunches. However, you recently stepped in it. Please explain to me why I must pay for cream cheese when I purchase a bagel? Really? Panera does not make me pay for cream cheese with my bagel. 

Get it together. 

_________________________________________

Dear Parents, 

I realize your child is probably on your last nerve. Dropping him or her in the Chick-Fil-A play zone and immersing yourself in your iPhone probably seems like the only way to hold on to your sanity. However, if you don’t get your inattentive butt in the play zone and extract your 5 foot, 100 pound “under 3 year old” I will shank you. 

Sincerely, 

The woman who is disciplining your brat while you check into Foursquare. 

_________________________________________

Dear Kohls, 

Marking something up in price so you can put on sale for 40% off is not really a deal. I’m not dumb and I realize I am paying the same price for goods as I would elsewhere. 

I love the Kohl’s cash, though. 

_________________________________________

Dear Kristin Cavallari, 

Well played, girlfriend. I guess he isn’t going to break off your engagement now, is he?

Mindless Fun on a Thursday Morn...

Mallorie from Happy Home tagged me in a MeMe, and since I’m lacking in inspiration I thought I would play along.

11 Randoms About Me

1.      I get super crazy about having a clean floor right after I’ve swept and mopped. I will literally get down on my hands and knees and pick up little bits of dirt or whatever is tracked in the house. It is absolutely insane.

2.      I never wake up on time. An alarm is just a suggestion, right? Who wants to be on time, anyway? Make an entrance!

3.      I am a huge fan of the Transformers movies. Jason and I watched the most recent movie this weekend, and I cried when I thought Bumblebee was going to die. I do believe I screamed “Noooooooooo! Not Bumblebeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” as I ugly cried.

4.      I buy salad greens every time I go to the grocery store, intending to get my salad on, but those greens end up turning brown and slimy in my produce drawer. Good intentions and all that.

5.      It drives me crazy when Cooper tells me no. I mean, I know every parent doesn’t want their child to tell them no, but I think I probably take it to another level. I float above myself when it happens and I actually see myself becoming my mother. “Don’t you tell me no, Mister! I AM YOUR MOTHER!”

6.      I am a diehard Republican, but I have 0 interest in the Republican candidates. Political rant: While I think Gingrich has the best hope of actually balancing the budget, I think he’s a bit of a douche. Jason says that shouldn’t matter but it does. Cheater cheater and all that.

7.      I am horrible about buying picture frames and never placing pictures in them. Jason forced me to go and get pictures printed before Christmas since we were hosting Christmas Eve dinner. He said he was embarrassed. Whatevs, Jason. Step one is the picture frame. Step 20 is the picture.

8.      My house is only truly clean when I know someone is coming to visit.

9.      My method of cleaning is to move things from room to room, until it finally ends up in the final room and I’m forced to put it all away. When I clean the kitchen, I put everything that doesn’t belong in the living room. What doesn’t belong gets moved to the stairs, and so on and so forth. I’m really just moving messes around the house, but it works for me.

      It would literally make my year if Kim would rip off her wig and show us her real hair.

      I used to spend a lot of time daydreaming about being a contestant on shows like American Idol, The Voice, etc. Now I daydream about being the parent of the winner of American Idol. In every situation where someone achieves something or wins something, I think how proud of a parent I would be if that was Cooper.

Mallorie's Questions

1.      If you could live anywhere where would that be?

If money was no object, I’d have a beach house on Edisto Island, and I’d live in Columbia, SC or Charleston, SC.

2.      What is your favorite board game?

Life.

3.      What is your favorite season?

Winter. It goes far too quickly in SC/GA.

4.      If you had to choose would you rather have a perfectly cleaned house each day OR never have to cook again?

Ooh, this is a hard one. I’d choose the perfectly cleaned house, though.

 5.   If you found out that you had unlimited funds and money was no longer a problem what is the first thing you would buy?

I’d pay off all our debt and I’d probably buy new cars for Jason and I – something bigger for me and more fuel efficient for me.

6.      Do you get a bigger rush from a big splurge or finding a great deal?

I’m an impulse shopper… so really, both.

7.      How do you sleep at night? Side, back, tummy?

I sleep on my left side.

8.      What is your guilty pleasure TV show?

I love Real Housewives of Atlanta and New Jersey.

9.      When you were younger what did you want to be when you grew up?

A writer – which I guess in a way came true!

1    What is your favorite blog post that you've written so far?

Probably my pregnancy posts or my post about depression.

11  Which would you rather have painted, nails or toes?

Nails!

I'm being lame and not tagging anyone... but feel free to play along if you would like!

Valentine’s Day Polka Dot Mani Tutorial

Hey friends! Today I am guest posting at Stuttering Shell. Hop on over to Michelle’s blog and check out my tutorial for this super cute, super easy polka dot mani – it’s perfect for Valentine’s Day!

I hope to see you there!

2 On Tuesday: Music

Happy Tuesday! I hope you’ll join in and link up today to talk about your favorite music!

Today’s topic is:

What is the song you play when you want to get pumped up?

What is the song you play when you want/need to cry?

What is the song you play when you’re cleaning?

What is the song you play when you’re exercising?

(You do not have to link videos – you can just list the songs if that is easier for you. )

I love old school rap music, and there is always one song I put on when I need a little boost.

Young MC – Bust A Move

When I want/need to cry (come on, I’m not the only one who puts on music and cries, am I?) I put on some Coldplay. I don’t even like Coldplay, and this song makes me cry.

Coldplay – Fix You

When I’m cleaning, I listen to the Glee soundtracks on repeat. I loved the Treble Tone’s performance of “I Will Survive/Survivor”!

Glee – I Will Survive/Survivor

As far as exercising, who am I kidding? I don’t exercise. I’m excited to see your recommendations, though!

And for a laugh – did you see the skit SNL did about Adele this weekend? It fits in perfectly with my second question. You must watch!

I hope you will link up today! I look forward to reading your answers!

A Case of the Mondays

Don’t forget to take my Reader Survey and be entered to win a $25 gift card!

Dear Lord… ever feel like you need a weekend to recover from your weekend? We didn’t even do anything this weekend and I’m ready to tear my hair out. Cooper has been a crazy man and (as I write this on Sunday evening) I am SO ready for bedtime. I love you, kid, but… go to bed!

We have been so lazy around here since Cooper’s birthday, mainly because we’ve all been sick. I woke up last Friday morning and couldn’t hear out of my right ear. Jason convinced me I had a wax build up (I swear I clean my ears daily) so I ignored it, and it got progressively worse. On Sunday, it started hurting so I went to Urgent Care. The doctor was shocked I had waited so long to come in and told me it was the worst infection she’s ever seen. (Why I am always the best at these types of things?!) She started me on two different types of ear drops and one oral antibiotic. ($70 ear drops with insurance that did not work. Shoot me now!)

Being as I have never had an ear infection (at least not that I can remember) I had no idea what to expect as far as recovery. Even with the meds, instead of getting better it just got worse. I couldn’t hear at all out of my right ear. It felt like cotton was stuffed inside and I couldn’t hear unless I turned my left side to face the person speaking. I finally went back to the doctor this past Friday, and not only had the right ear not gotten better, but I had an ear infection in my left ear.

Super awesome. Thankfully he put me on a stronger antibiotic and a steroid, and the left ear has cleared up. I still can’t hear out of the right ear, but it does feel less “full” so I’m hopeful.

Now Jason and Cooper are both sick with colds and basically I just want to bleach my whole house this coming week.

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Anyone have any tips for curling short hair? This is the length my hair is now. I’m growing it out, but it is taking forever. I don’t want super long hair (because my hair is so thick, I think I would be miserable with super long hair) but it would be nice to have shoulder length hair, I think. My hair is a little longer than it looks because I curl it under.

I haven’t used a curling iron since college, and I have no idea what I’m doing. Way back when, you used to curl towards your face and under. I take it you are supposed to curl away from your face now? I’m clueless. I don’t even know if my hair is long enough to really curl without looking stupid.

I did buy this curling iron (1 inch) after hearing According to Nina say it was what she uses regularly.

Wal-Mart

So, any tips?

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I’ve raved about one of my favorite shampoos and conditioners to you guys before – Pureology Nanoworks – but I stopped using it because of the expense. (One 8oz bottle retails around $50.) Like I said, it is expensive, but it saved me from damaged hair after a coloring mishap. I was in Trade Secret Friday and they have all their liters on sale, buy one full price and get 75% off the second liter. That is a great deal on Pureology and you should check it out if you are a Pureology user.

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My Twitter friend, Jenn, sells Arbonne and a while back mentioned they were having a 50% off sale. I took the opportunity to snatch up the RE9 Advanced Face set. I’ve been using it for two weeks, and so far so good. I will give a full review after 6 weeks or so of use.

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Tomorrow is 2 On Tuesday, and I’ll hope you’ll come by and post! The topic is:

What is the song you play when you want to get pumped up?

What is the song you play when you want/need to cry?

What is the song you play when you’re cleaning?

What is the song you play when you’re exercising?

Can wait to read your answers! See you tomorrow!

Advertising on My Chihuahua Bites!

This is a work in progress. Stay tuned!

Reader Survey & a GIVEAWAY!

This month I’ve joined in with SITS to participate in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenge. It’s been really eye opening… not only am I trying to assess my blog from my readers’ perspectives, but I’m also re-evaluating my reasons for blogging.

I’ve been blogging for a long time… since 2008. That’s three years of words, pictures, laughs, and tears. Sometimes it has felt like the most natural, rewarding thing in the world, and other times it has felt like a chore I have to check off my to-do list.

I told Jason tonight that I feel like I’ve stopped blogging for myself and started blogging for numbers. I sit around and try to think up topics that my readers will like instead of blogging about something that’s important or interesting to me. When was the last time I wrote a “Dear Cooper” post? I stopped because I thought y’all found it boring. I don’t really blog very much about my day to day life. Why? I just don’t know.

In 18 years when my son is grown, I don’t want him to read this blog and learn how to make a peppermint wreath. I want him to read this blog and know what kind of woman and mother I was at this point in time. Is that coming across in my blog? I just don’t know. I’m not saying tutorials, recipes, etc. are bad – I just want to try to balance things out with more posts about me.

Do you, as my reader, know who I am? Does that come across in my writing? Do you feel I’m “real”? Can you relate to me? That’s what is important to me.

With that said, what you think of my blog matters to me. I want this blog to be someplace you visit regularly. I want to build relationships with my readers. Your opinion is important to me, and I need your help.

I want to solicit your opinion. I’ve developed a reader survey, and in appreciation for the time you spend answering my questions, I’m going to give away a gift card to one lucky reader.  All you have to do is answer the questions below in the comments section. One commenter will win a $25 gift card to the store of their choosing (Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon, or Sephora).

Please be honest. (Don’t be mean – be honest. ) I appreciate your honesty, and I know I’m opening myself up to criticism by asking for opinions.

Reader Survey

1. How long have you been reading my blog? Do you remember how you found my blog?

2. How often do you visit My Chihuahua Bites?

3. What do you like best about my blog?

4. What do you like the least about my blog?

5. What are your favorite types of posts to read?

6. What type/topic of post will you automatically skip right over? (For example, you hate Memes, or Brain Dumps, or posts about my child…)

7. If you aren’t a regular commenter, can I ask why?

8. Do you watch vlogs?

7. Is there a topic you’d like to see me blog more about?

8. What is more important to you – if a blogger responds to your comment via email, or if the blogger visits your blog and leaves a comment?

That’s it! Feel free to leave me any other helpful suggestions/comments.

Thank you everyone!

Birthday Wish List

The wish list worked pretty well for me for Christmas, so I figured it couldn’t hurt to document my birthday wishes, huh? Dear husband/birthday fairy, are you listening?

Sidenote: have I ever shared that on the first birthday we celebrated as a married couple, my husband got me a salt & pepper shaker as a gift? (I don’t collect salt & peppers shakers, for the record.)

Everybody and their mama has a pair of Toms. I think it is time to jump on the bandwagon, and these glitter shoes will serve me well. A few questions about Toms: where do you order? We don’t have a department store that carries them. Are they true to size? Do you think they are comfortable?

I’d like every color from the China Glaze “Colours From The Capital” collection.

I’d like the Hourglass Veil primer, please.

I think every cook needs the Paula Deen Southern Cooking Bible.

Most of all, I’d like a date night to the restaurant of my choice, my pick of a movie, and to sleep in on my birthday. That sounds PERFECT!

I accept care packages! (Kidding. Kind of. )