Head over to our new 50+ Freebies for your Birthday page. There are tons of offers for both adults and kids that you can redeem on or around your birthday. Make sure you pin the page to your Pinterest boards or bookmark it for future reference! Keep Reading
Check out our new Birthday Freebies page!
Cover Oregon: Your guide to finding affordable health insurance
Cover Oregon Health Insurance Exchange Questions & Answers This is a guest post by Michael Nelson, a licensed tax consultant and an Oregon health insurance producer from Nelson Financial & Estate Planning in Woodburn, Oregon. I first met Michael during the Dave Ramsey Financial Counselor Training that my husband and I attended last year and was impressed with his desire to learn as much as he could to help his clients make sound financial decisions. I asked Michael if he would help us understand the new Affordable Care Act and how to use the Cover Oregon Health Insurance Exchange. Before we dive in, a quick note: I understand that the ACA Keep Reading
What’s for dinner? This week’s menu plan (10/21)
As usual on Sunday nights, my husband and I get the kids in bed, before crashing side-by-side on the couch. We watch an episode from whatever series we're currently digging. Right now? BBC's Call the Midwife (Amazon). Jenny Lee is fine and everything, but I seriously adore Chummy. Are you hooked on this show yet? You should be. Anywho, while we watch our show, my husband calls out random menu ideas that sound good to him. I attach them to a day, and we call it a night. We make a good team. Menu planning isn't difficult as long as you figure out a system that works for you. Oh, and a bowl of ice cream doesn't hurt, either. Here's what's for dinner Keep Reading
What’s for dinner? This week’s menu plan (10/14)
My husband ended up working late four days last week. When that happens, my menu plan disintegrates into sandwiches or pancakes. The kids were perfectly happy with a simplified menu, and I was happy to have an easy end to the day. I think we're back on track. And I am excited about the week ahead, based solely on the food. Trust me, this is a good line-up! Here's what's for dinner at my house this week: Monday -- East Hampton Clam Chowder, Buttermilk Biscuits, coleslaw Tuesday -- Butternut Squash & Caramelized Onion Galette, Raw Tuscan Kale Salad Wednesday -- Simple Roast Chicken, Mushroom Casserole, Roasted Green Beans Thursday -- Meatloaf Keep Reading
LEGO KidsFest review #LEGOKidsFest
The entire family (minus Baby Lucy, because we're not interested in that type of torture) headed to the Oregon Convention Center last night to check out LEGO KidsFest. LEGO KidsFest gave me 4 tickets in exchange for promoting the event and sharing this review. We purchased 4 more tickets, paid for parking, and bought dinner at the event, so know that we had some serious money invested. Is this event really cool or just hype? It's really, really cool. Is it worth the money? (Because, goodness, this thing is spendy.) This is one of those "twice or thrice in a lifetime" things. If your kids or grandkids are LEGO freaks, then yes, it's worth Keep Reading
What’s for dinner? This week’s soup menu plan (10/7)
I was a pretty picky eater growing up, and soup was near the top of my do-not-touch food list. Thankfully, tastes change and over the years, soup has become one of my very favorite dinner items. It is the perfect companion for these rainy fall days. And to top if off, soup can be super economical, taking advantage of seasonal produce, inexpensive beans, and those random leftovers in your fridge. One pot can stretch into many meals, and the flavors taste even better over the next day or two! This week I am sharing some of my favorite tried-and-true soup recipes. I don't plan to make seven pots of soup/chili this week (although my husband wouldn't Keep Reading
Sheridan Fruit Company: Emily’s shopping trip (stocking up on meat!)
This past summer, while cooking for some big events, I was trying to figure out the best place to buy good quality meat without breaking the bank. A couple people mentioned Sheridan Fruit Company (409 S.E. MLK Jr. Blvd, Portland), which seemed strange, because... well, the whole fruit thing. Am I the only person that has driven past this place hundreds of times, thinking they just deal with fruit? Too bad they don't make it clear on their sign... But it's true! They have competitive prices on good quality meat. Think Draper Valley Farms chicken, Carlton Farms pork, and Painted Hills beef. They also have an impressive selection of wild game, seafood, Keep Reading