Do you think I'm crazy?

I came across this post on Centsational Girl (fabulous blog for inspiration, by the way) and it immediately got my wheels spinning. Well actually my wheels have been spinning for a while because I'm ready for a change in my house. We've lived in our house for 7 years and have had the same color on the wall in our foyer/kitchen/family room the whole time. Lately I haven't been feeling the khaki-green color and have been secretly longing for an elf to come in and paint it overnight. I think the strongest hatred right now is my kitchen, which is unfortunately, where I spend a lot of my time. It's the size but it's also the honey oak cabinets that match the floor and therefore create a terrible orangish yellow color for the entire room. I don't think there's any color I could paint the walls to lighten it up or fix it. But when I saw this post where she transformed her blah honey oak staircase to this fabulous dark mahogany/walnut color, I was smitten! I thought I could give it a whirl on my banister and then if I like it, I could move on to my kitchen cabinets. I wasn't too keen on stripping, sanding, taping, painting but then I saw this post and she just stained right on top of the wood. It gave me hope but now I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to try it. What do you think? Here's the before (hers not mine but mine looks practically the same with the same carpet, walls, and floor color):

And here's the after. Please note I'm just talking about the banister, not the wallpaper and moulding on the wall. Baby steps people, baby steps!

Isn't that amazing how that little touch makes such a big difference?!

Genius or just a recorder?

I realize a) Colin is my first child and I have nothing to compare him or my experiences to and b) I am his mother and am therefore entitled to be somewhat biased but really people, this kid is smart! I'm trying to do a better job recording these genius moments and I figure the blog is as good as any - plus you can get a good laugh. Here we go and please note, some I'm proud of and some well, his daddy clearly had some influence. I'll let you guess which ones!

- We were walking outside to play and as soon as we got out of the garage he told me, "It's a beautiful day." Yes it was but how do you know what that means?

- That same night he was running around and stopped dead in his tracks to look up at the sky. He said, "Look Mommy, a half moon!" Again, how do you know that? Who taught you that or where did you even hear that. We've definitely talked about the moon but never the size and definitely not the word "half."

- Tonight when Wes went in to tuck him in tonight and Colin had some gas. He told his daddy he was "just tootin' away." In case you needed some help, this is all on Wes.

- He has also begun memorizing books and will sometimes quote the next page before I can even open my mouth. One of these said books is an Elmo book. There's a joke on one page that I was trying to skip for the sake of time. That is until he turned the page back and pointed to it and told me to read the joke. It's the knock-knock joke that goes, boo, boo-who, please don't cry. This is now his favorite joke and loves to tell it all the time. He doesn't quite have the middle of it down but he definitely has the "peas don't cry."

We're definitely starting to realize that nothing we say is safe. If we try to talk in low voices, he knows and asks what we said. Nosey little booger! Even if he doesn't repeat it right then, chances are he will sometime and even in the right context. I think that's the most amazing part. I mean anyone can repeat what they've heard but to actually apply it is a different story. See why I think he's such a smart boy?!

Good Morning Sunshine!

After I get ready in the mornings, Colin and I enjoy a little time together over breakfast. When we come downstairs I put him in his Spiderman chair and turn on the Disney channel. Somewhere along the way he has started bossing me around and says, "I want some nanas and blueberries while I wait." Geesh kiddo, this isn't a diner, you don't get to order an appetizer while you wait for the main course! But who could deny such a cute little boy from such a healthy treat? Not this momma. It buys me a few minutes to cook the oatmeal, so I'm really not complaining.

Wes, on the other, hand does not have the luxury of eating breakfast before he goes to work. Oh sure, he could get up 20 minutes earlier but silly, why would he want to do something crazy like that? I try to keep the freezer stocked with healthy muffins I've baked but I know he really prefers a heartier "meat and potatoes" kind of meal. I've also made big batches of breakfast burritos but there's some time involved in that and that's a lot of food. So when I came across this brilliant idea for make ahead breakfast sandwiches, I couldn't wait to surprise him with them. Cooking the eggs in a muffin tin = genius and oh so easy! I just fried some bacon while the eggs were cooking, added some cheese to the eggs in the oven, and then assembled the components on the English muffins. I wrapped them each individually and left a few in the fridge and froze the rest. I snuck and ate one myself to try and it really is quite tasty. He really likes them as well - score! Move over Egg McMuffin, here's something healthier!

Breakfast Sandwiches

scaled down from Chaos in the Kitchen

5 eggs

6 slices of bacon

1/2 cup shredded cheese (any variety will work)

6 English muffins (search for ones with no high-fructose corn syrup)

Preheat oven to 400.

1.) Beat eggs together, add about 2T. water, and salt and pepper to taste.

2.) Lightly grease 6 cups in a 12-cup muffin tin with olive oil.

3.) Divide egg mixture evenly in oiled cups. Fill remaining 6 cups with a little water to avoid scorching.

4.) Bake for 10 minutes.

5.) Cook bacon and let it cool while eggs cook.

6.) Remove eggs and top each with shredded cheese. Return to oven and bake another 5 minutes, or until cheese has melted and eggs have puffed up some.

7.) Remove from oven and let cool.

8.) Assemble sandwiches with 1 piece of bacon (halved) and one egg cup.

9.) Wrap each sandwich in wax paper and either freeze or refrigerate. You can refrigerate for a couple days or freeze for up to a month.

10.) To reheat, cook frozen sandwiches in microwave for 1 minute to 1 1/2 minutes. For refrigerated ones, heat for 30 seconds.

4.)

Weekly Recipe Roundup

I've made a new rule for my Weekly Roundup to include no more than 4 recipes in one post. I don't want the post to get so long that you lose interest and potentially miss out a great recipe, so hopefully 4 isn't too many. Feel free to let me know if it's too hot to handle, too cold to hold. Thanks.

First up is a blend of 2 Beef Stroganoff recipes. I guess if you don't copy a recipe entirely, it's considered your own creation - at least that's what I'm going with. I couldn't find the source of the inspirational recipe anyway, so we'll just say it's mine (see below).

Beef Stroganoff

2 T. butter

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 large onion, chopped

8oz fresh mushrooms, quartered

1 1/2 lbs sirloin steak, sliced very thin (smile really big and ask your butcher to do it!)

2-3 cups beef broth (depending on how thick/thin you want your sauce

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup tomato puree (I mixed 2T. tomato paste with enough water to make 1/4 cup)

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 package of wheat egg noodles

In a deep skillet or saute pan melt butter. Saute garlic until golden. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cover and let mushrooms cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add meat, tossing as you go, and let it brown a few minutes. Sprinkle flour over meat mixture and stir until incorporated. Add broth, Worcestershire, tomato puree, bay leaf, thyme, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer on low for 20-30 minutes. (Now is a good time to cook your noodles.) Remove bay leaf and stir in sour cream (feel free to add more than the 1/2 cup if you prefer a creamier version). Serve atop egg noodles.

*****

I have tried and tried to give Rachel Ray credit for the following recipe but alas, it isn't hers. I think it's the "sammies" part that makes me think of her. I don't care who's they are, they are delicious little gems! These Oven Ham Sammies are tasty little treats. I erroneously only made one for each of us and after we each devoured our sammie in 3 bites, I realized my mistake. And here I thought I was being frugal splitting the bag of Hawaiian rolls and freezing half for another use - that's what I get for thinking ahead! I did have scale the recipe down to accommodate my 7 rolls but that was no problem. I did omit the poppy seeds and probably reduced the amount of butter and ham a little more but it's all in the name of the good ol' gluteus maximus! These would be great for tailgating or as an appetizer at a party.

*****

Every time I go to an Italian restaurant, I always wish I had an extra stomach so I could eat more and try more things. One thing I always see but never want to waste the stomach space on is Pasta e Fagioli soup. I'm just not a soup-ordering-out kind of girl. But when I saw this recipe for Pasta e Fagioli, I knew I wanted to try it. Unfortunately, I can't compare this to the real thing but after having this one, I'm not sure I want to try anyone else's! We had this the same night as the Ham Sammies and I felt like a kitchen goddess with the rave reviews I was getting from Wes. You would've thought I had slaved in the kitchen for 3 days - too bad I made the soup the day before and the sammies took a whopping 10 minutes! I did alter the recipe a touch by adding ground turkey instead of hamburger. The recipe calls for a seasoning blend and since I don't have any such blend, I used a little cumin, chili powder, and dried onions. I ditched the V-8 because of the high sodium and used an organic tomato juice from Whole Foods that was much easier on the sodium and actually quite tasty for breakfast! Oh and I also can't get used to using the leaves of celery, so I omitted that part too. The ingredient list leaves out the pasta, so don't forget it like I almost did!

How to be healthy

So often my little Colin says the funniest things but my ever-slacking brain can't remember them long enough to share with you. Not this time, I wasn't letting this one slip away.

This morning we - really just Colin because I only had one eye open at 7:30 - were watching Sid the Science Kid on PBS. For those of you not familiar with it, it actually does a pretty decent job of providing legitimate educational advice without being totally annoying. Today's lesson was on being healthy. Hello? Right up my alley! At the end of the show I recapped it by telling Colin that to be healthy we need to wash our hands, brush our teeth, and eat well. He said, "Hmph, I don't want to be healthy."

Great, how am I supposed to respond to that? I'm not sure I did respond actually. No need because he immediately gets down off the couch and tells me he's ready. I said, "Ready for what?"

As he's turning the door handle he says, "To be healthy." Still makes me chuckle! Oh that boy.

Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?

Today was the much anticipated day that we went to see Elmo and friends. We refrained from talking about it much in hopes of avoiding the persistent questions like "Are we going today?" Elmo and Cookie were on a local news program yesterday morning and I eagerly brought Colin in to see. He was immediately taken and was so excited. It always makes me smile inside and out to see his little face light up with excitement, especially when it's something seemingly so trivial.

After about a thousand questions this morning of "Where's Elmo? What's Elmo doing? When are we going to see Elmo?" we finally arrived. When he saw the empty stage his danced a little jig. I thought to myself, just wait until you see what's going to be on that stage! After what seemed like hours of waiting, the show was about to begin. Wes and I had worried about the large costumes scaring him since he's so frightened of the Chick-fil-a cow but we just held out breath and hoped for the best.

What were we so scared of, he loved it! He danced, he clapped, he laughed, he sang. At first the thumb was in the mouth but not for long. It left and so did all his inhibitions. I could feel myself getting emotional just watching him. It was his first concert (of sorts) and he was having such a good time. He was literally sitting on the edge of his seat just swaying and dancing up a storm. He had one hand on my leg and one on Wes' - how precious!

He definitely preferred when Elmo and all his friends were on stage together. They had to go in shifts to avoid exhaustion but as soon as one of them went missing, he noticed and wanted to know where they went.

I thought Elmo's World would be his favorite but he just kept asking where Elmo's friends went.

Weekly Recipe Roundup

I'm not the world's biggest chicken fan but this recipe make me rethink that. Chicken is typically either too dry, too bland, or too fried, but not this Asian Barbecue Chicken from Cooking Light. The marinade provides so much flavor both before and during the cooking. The recipe says to marinate for 4 hours but several reviewers suggested overnight. For convenience, I did the overnight method and it turned out great. Another reviewer said she freezes the chicken with the marinade and then just thaws it a night or 2 before cooking. I also used chicken breasts instead of the thighs that the recipe calls for.

To go with the chicken and keep the Asian theme, I adapted this Sesame Noodle Salad from Southern Living. I wanted to add some veggies to the mix so I sauteed some onions, baby bok choy, carrots, and mushrooms and then tossed the cooked noodles in the skillet to rewarm them. I transferred everything to a serving bowl and tossed with the dressing. I did cut the sesame oil in half but otherwise kept the recipe as written. The dressing could easily be halved or you could just increase the amount of noodles to compensate for the excess. Add some chicken or shrimp and you have a well-balanced meal!

I love recipes that take no time to prepare, yet are loved by all! This Pesto Focaccia Sandwich is one of them. I remember making this when to recipe was first published (2005) and I think that was the first time I had ever purchased focaccia. Not that I've bought it a ton since then but it's just funny to look back on my culinary adventures. Wherever you are on your journey, I think you'll enjoy this sandwich.

I didn't want you to worry about me, so here's a sweet treat for the week. This one is adapted from the most recent Parents magazine to be a little more healthy and a little less of a sweet cupcake and more like a muffin. The end result was one of the moistest (is that a word) muffins I've ever had, not to mention the intense banana flavor.

Banana Muffins

adapted from Parents Magazine

1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour (just because I had a little left - you could use all-purpose)

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup organic all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup mashed banana (about 2 large ripe bananas)

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup oil

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 18 muffin cups (or 12 regular and 12 mini). Combine flours, baking powder, soda, and salt in a small bowl. In another bowl, mix bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. In a large mixing bowl, beat applesauce, oil, and sugar until combined. Add eggs, one at a time. Alternately add flour mix and banana mixture, ending with the flour.

Pour into prepared muffin tins. Bake 15-20 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.

I whipped up a tiny bit of cream cheese frosting to top these with for a little extra punch.

Should I Be Scared?

Colin has mastered his numbers - all the way up to eleventeen and twelveteen - those are numbers, right? He's also got his alphabet down, along with the song, and he has a few more colors and he'll be able to cross that off the list too. He tends to get pink and purple mixed up but what boy really needs those 2 colors anyway, right? Well apparently this one! When given the choice of 5 or 6 colors of toboggans, he adamantly chooses hot pink. I did succumb to the pink but with full intention of keeping it for myself. So we got a grey for him and a pink for me. At least that was the plan. I don't think I'll be able to wear it unless I pry it out of his little hands. He does have his own style though, he prefers to wear them both at the same time and gets quite frustrated if that doesn't work out. For future bribery, I had to document the pink hat wearing days. Not the best picture but I have the story!

And the Winner is...

The winner of the Nature Valley Nut Clusters giveaway is entry #3, Jenny Lynn, aka Graham Crakas! I've sent you a message and once you reply, the prize pack is all yours!

Congratulations Jenny!

Review and Giveaway

I was recently contacted by Nature Valley by way of MyBlogSpark to review their new line of Granola Nut Clusters. I love granola, so this was such a treat for me. The clusters come in resealable pouches and there are 4 varieties: nut lovers, roasted almond, roasted cashew, and honey roasted peanut. The ingredients are 100% natural, which appealed to this health nut. No high-fructose corn syrup, low sodium, no artificial ingredients = a pretty healthy snack alternative.

I immediately cracked open the roasted almond and found these adorable little clusters. Each cluster is about the size of a quarter and each had at least 1 whole almond. They're very addictive and I finally had to ration them out. One person really shouldn't consume 4 bags in 2 days - I didn't but I easily could have. They satisfy both the sweet tooth and the savory, plus they provide the added crunch that I love.

One of my favorite pancakes are the Banana Crunch with Granola ones at First Watch. Lucky for my waistline, we don't have one very close to us. I'm always looking to recreate that extra crunch in my own pancakes and I thought these little clusters would be perfect crushed up. Instead of banana, I used my fall favorite, pumpkin! If you're not a pancake fan (you're weird), you could also use crumble them up to use on top of muffins or quick bread before baking, in scones, or maybe even as a crust for a cheesecake. This is all assuming you don't eat the whole bag as soon as you open it!

Here's the best part, I get to give away this prize package to one of you!

You'll get all you see here, so 1 pouch of each of the 4 flavors, a flashlight (that Colin immediately confiscated), binoculars, a stainless steel water bottle, and a sling backpack!

All you have to do is leave me a comment telling me: What's your favorite recipe that uses nuts or granola?

The deadline is Monday, October 19th. I'll announce the winner next Tuesday. Good luck and happy snacking!

@ the Patch

It's hard to believe this marks our 3rd annual trip to the pumpkin patch! I still remember the first year feeling like the worst mother because I drug my child out in freezing cold temps and mist just so I would have a picture for my scrapbook. I kept him awake just long enough to get there and get a few shots but as soon as we got back in the car, he fell fast asleep.

Last year was better and this year was good too, despite the cold and mist yet again. He had such a grand time running in betwixt the pumpkins and playing in the miniature barn. I think the little barn was by far his favorite. Wes jokingly asked if we could buy it instead of a pumpkin. We bought 2 tiny pumpkins because Colin preferred the ones that were his size, as you can see in this picture.

Then he found a wagon out of place and needed to put it away with the other wagnons, as he likes to call them. He's such a good helper!

We wanted to ride the little train, we even bought tickets, but something snapped on it right before our turn. I couldn't miss a chance for a photo op though and quickly put him in one of the train cars. You'll notice the frightened look, yeah that's from yet another character that he's now scared of. He refers to this one as that lady with a hood on. It was some dummy stuffed with straw that was shaking and laughing. The hood refers to the burlap sack of a head the dummy had. I should have known better!

Maybe next year we'll get to go down the slide or take a hay ride! It will surely be a good time!

Weekly Recipe Roundup

We (I) tend to go in phases at our house in terms of meals. One week I'm all about trying all new recipes and the next week I seek the tried and true ones we've had a dozen times. No matter which mood I'm in, I always try to incorporate at least 1 new recipe in the week's plan. I've got to get a handle on my ever-growing folder of recipes to try! It's become my goal to search through those first each week before I make my menu. I'm determined to weed some out and also find some stars amongst them all so I can pass them along to you. Awe, aren't I sweet?

Several months ago, a fellow friend of a toddler shared this recipe with me. She claimed it was quick and a crowd pleaser, which means it's a winner in my book. She was right! These Chicken and Corn Pies with Cornbread Crust were really good - much better than the reviews indicate on Southern Living. Colin is going through a strange phase where he doesn't like things mixed up, so I had to deconstruct his portion (such a sophisticated palate that child) and that seemed to work just fine. I used a box of Jiffy cornbread mix instead of the Mexican, subbed in fire-roasted tomatoes, and omitted the oil. I paired this with a black bean and rice salad which was not so hot and I'll save you the effort. A side salad would work just fine to add in that green vegetable.

I feel like my search for the perfect dessert never ends. I find one I really like but who wants to eat the same thing over and over again? I guess chocolate lovers probably disagree and would be perfectly content with eating that every day. Well not this weirdo, I don't like chocolate that much and substitute it every chance I get. These Nutmeg Cookies with White Chocolate were one of those times when I got to use white chocolate chips instead. These don't have a ton of sugar and somehow I didn't feel that guilty when I ate them. Because of that they're not overly sweet but the white chocolate chips take care of that. The recipe only yields 15 and they're so small, you could have those eaten in just a matter of days!

Dorie Greenspan is a legend amongst food bloggers. So much so that there's a group of bloggers that bake something different from one of her cookbooks each month. I haven't jumped on that bandwagon but I must admit the hype caused me to request the book from my public library - that's really saying something for me to request a book seeing as how I despise reading! Desserts, biscuits, breads, what's not to love?! I haven't had the chance to try many of her recipes yet because they tend to be a little more involved than I have time for.

I had an extra sweet potato and wanted to make sweet potato biscuits. When I found Dorie's recipe (by way of A Mingling of Taste), I just had to give it a try. I hardly think that equates to 1 cup fresh, as the recipe suggests, so that could be part of my problem. Mine didn't "puff" like the recipe said they were supposed to but that's not surprising because my biscuits never rise! I just noticed that the recipe I used was adapted from the original and that the original called for 2 (150z) cans of sweet potatoes. I hardly think that equates to 1 cup fresh, as the recipe suggests, so that could be part of my problem.The taste was good though, not overly sweet potato-ish but the recipe says the flavor enhances with time. I guess I'll find out at lunch tomorrow. These could easily pass as savory or sweet.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

In case any of you were wondering where I got my sweet tooth, wonder no more, it was my mother! I can't say as a kid we had a dessert every night after dinner but I certainly remember having our fair share. Early in my pregnancy there was a brief period of time that sweets just did not appeal to me. I was thrilled since I'd be saving those calories but my mom was devastated! Her partner in crime was no more. Never fear, the sweet tooth returned with a vengeance and now my night is not complete without my sweet treat!

My mom was looking for a soft chocolate chip cookie recipe the other day and of course she turned to my enormous collection of online recipes. I had been eyeing this one for a while and had recently read a post from someone who swore by a very similar recipe. The secret ingredient is instant pudding mix and they were great! I think I liked them more than Wes but that's not surprising because he doesn't like anything I do - I think it's out of spite but that's a story for another day. So without further ado, here's the recipe:

Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

courtesy of Recipe for Success

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.

Makes 3 dozen.

Weekly Recipe Roundup

I don't know about you but this fall weather has me longing for some comforting soup and other warm delights - and of course pumpkin but that goes without saying! This Grilled Corn and Potato Chowder was a welcome addition to our dinner table on one of the chilly nights we had last week. With a few tweaks, it really hit the spot. I encourage you to search out any remaining fresh corn to be able to roast/grill the corn and really appreciate the flavors of this soup. I didn't have the time to grill it, so I roasted it in the oven (450 for 15 minutes). I would also suggest replacing at least half of the milk (I used skim) with chicken broth. Lastly, depending on your desire for heat, I'd kick it up a notch with a few dashes of hot sauce.

I discovered these next 2 recipes years ago but somehow am just now getting around to repeating them. It's a shame really because they are both great recipes. With all the mini slider hype, I decided to use the concept for these Honey-Chipotle Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches. They're just so cute! Somehow that makes them taste even better, right?!

The Honey Chipotle Baked Beans basically use the same sauce as the sandwiches to jazz up canned beans. I second the recipe's idea to use organic baked beans to try to lower the really high sodium level in traditional baked beans. I generally half the recipe and use an 8x8 pan, feeding about 4-6.

Cheap Thrills

If I didn't think it was totally unrealistic, I'd vow to never spend money on another toy for Colin. We have countless toys for him to play with, yet he has always preferred the unconventional ones. First it was Tupperware, then grocery bags, then leaves and rocks, and now big sticks. There's something to be said for the simple pleasures, I guess.

My Little Comedian

So not only is Colin scared of the Chik-fil-a cow, he's also traumatized by Mr. McGregor from Peter Rabbit and a random blow up cat at Halloween Express. We're still trying to squelch the fears but it's a never-ending battle. We hear about each of these characters on a daily basis. The conversations range from frustrating to hilarious and everything in between. Tonight definitely sided on the humorous side. Written words won't do it justice but I wanted to share. He clearly thinks Mommy knows everything, which I do, right?

Colin: Mr. McGregor get me.

Me: No he won't, he's busy.

Colin: Where's Mr. McGregor?

Me: Probably at home in his garden. Do you want to go see him?

Colin: Yes.

Me: Sorry, I don't know where he lives.

Colin: Nods his head yes as if I was lying.

Me: Well I don't know how to get there.

Colin: Yes you do, again like I was lying.

He was just so matter of fact about it. Silly me, I forgot that as a mother I'm suddenly expected to know everything, fix everything, and do everything.

*****

When he's not talking about his fears, he's busy trying to make us laugh. He's funniest when he doesn't know we're listening. Tonight he was playing with this plastic canister and had it up over his mouth. I could hear him talking into it and strained to hear him. He was tipping it up to "get the honey out." We don't even watch Pooh, so how does he know? Because we laughed, he was willing to recreate the scene for a picture.

*****

Another random saying that I just love (thank goodness since we hear it multiple times a day) -

Where are me?

A Worthy Cause

A blog friend, turned real friend (don't you love those?), posted an article about a girlfriend of hers who is in the running for a commercial spot on national television. Her friend and her 2 sisters lost their mother to breast cancer when they were fairly young and used that experience as a springboard to educate and assist other young people who are faced with the same situation. Wow, what a selfless, yet very rewarding idea.

The girls are among 75 finalists and are in need of your vote. Unlike my totally selfish request to vote for Colin, you don't have to register or provide any personal information to vote for the sisters. CLICK HERE to see their commercial and then if you feel compelled, vote for them! Thanks so much! I know they thank each and every one of you for helping them to help others in need.

You can read more about the sisters here.