"Give me what I want, what I really, really want."

Today I am posting my own Christmas wish list.  


1.  Bare Minerals:  I love this makeup.  I have sensitive skin and a few blemishes and it is great.  Super light and very natural-looking.







2.  Kindle Fire:  Last year I bought my dad a Kindle for his birthday, now that Amazon has the Fire, I want it!



3.  iPhone 4s:  yeah, i don't have one.  I have a 97 cent phone.


4.  Lion King DVD:  Mufasa (brrrrrr), say it again.


5.  Infinity Ring


6.  Canon EOS Rebel Camera:  so I can up my game.



7.  Kurig 


8.  Rainboots

9.  1979 Dodge Magnum
  


10.  2008 Dodge Magnum (just kidding about the 1979 model)


Well, I guess that's enough dreaming for now.  We'll see if Santa actually brings me any of this stuff.


Have a great day!
 Natosha

Veterans Day

Today I want to say "Thank you" to all of our service men and women past and present who gave and are giving their lives to protect all we hold dear.


I have four uncles, one aunt and a brother who have and are serving in the military.  My brother is in the Navy.  He and his family recently returned from Japan.  They were stationed there during the awful earthquake.  Which reminds me, thank you to all of the wives, husbands and children who directly support our service members.


Here are a few links if you would like to show how thankful you are in a more concrete way.


Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund
Provides financial and emotional support to surviving US military families and severely injured veteran families afflicted by the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.


Give 2 the Troops
Click on the above to see a comprehensive list of items the troops need and want.


Operation Shoebox
Perhaps one of the better known organizations.


Thank you for stopping by, and thank you brother,
Natosha

Lemon Artichoke Chicken

My friend, Aimee, first made this for Mike and I when we lived in California.  She shared the recipe with me and I cooked it a few times.  And although I looked back fondly on the dish, I haven't cooked it since.  Well, when I asked my friends for topics for this blog Aimee suggested Lemon Artichoke Chicken and said she had lost the recipe.


I Googled the recipe and Aimee and I are pretty sure the original one (for us, anyway) is from Sunset Magazine.  Here it is:

Ingredients

• 4 boned, skinned chicken breast halves (about 8 oz. each), rinsed, dried, and pounded to an even thickness of 1/4 to 1/2 inch 
• 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper 
• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 1 can (14 oz.) quartered artichoke hearts, drained
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Sprinkle chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. In a 10-inch frying pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add chicken in batches and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a 9- by 13-inch baking dish and add artichoke hearts.
• 2. Add sherry, lemon peel, and lemon juice to remaining butter in frying pan; stir over medium heat until well blended and hot, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cream and stir. Remove from heat and pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese.
• 3. Bake until sauce is bubbling and golden brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes.

Submitted to Sunset Magazine by Charlotte Corkery, Auburn, CA
FEBRUARY 2006

I put the chicken breast between two pieces of plastic
and use a rolling pin to pound it flat.

This recipe is so good.  You can substitute dried lemon peel and canned lemon juice, but trust me, the fresh makes this dish.  You only need one lemon for the recipe.  You can cut fat and calories by using skim evaporated milk, but again, that 1/2 cup of heavy cream makes the sauce scrumptous.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks for stopping by,

Natosha

p.s.  Sorry about the color of the text and all the white.  Technical difficulties.

Have You Heard of Scentsy?

I have no craft to show you today, but I do have a great Christmas gift idea for you.  Actually, it's a great gift for any occasion.  Gift to your host/hostess, birthday, thank you, house warming, Monday (come on- a Scentsy product would totally make your Monday better), or just pick your own reason.


*btw, I am not being paid for this endorsement and the opinions stated are all mine*


If you have never encountered Scentsy, you may be asking, tell me what it is already.  Well, Scentsy offers a line of scent warmers that not only smell heavenly, but are super stylish as well.


Here are an example of some of their Christmas warmers:







I think my favorites are the reindeer and trees.  And then there are the adorable plug-in warmers.  Here are my favorites:




Here are some non-holiday warmers:





And for all you crafters out there, Scentsy offers a DIY warmer, you just add your own designs:


Now that you have picked out your warmer, the hard part has come:  picking a scent.  Here are just a few:  Baked Apple Pie, Blueberry Cheesecake, Autumn Sunset, Christmas Cottage, Black Raspberry Vanilla, Clean Breeze, Cucumber Lime, the list go on and on.  Oh, and guys, there are even scents just for you, such as: Duke, Echo and Hemingway.


Where can you order yours?  Go to Amy Pylant's Scentsy Page and start buying!!  Then come back and tell me what you bought.  ;)


Thanks for stopping by,
Natosha

Manic Monday

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and this year it is also my son's birthday, so I am especially busy getting prepared.  Thanksgiving day will probably be spent at my in-laws with most of their family present.  The day after will be spent with my family and at this point I'm not really sure who will be there.  What I am sure about is I will be cooking one or two dishes for each celebration.  Here are the dishes I have decided to choose from:

Green Bean Bundles

Butternut Squash Risotto

Pumpkin Pie

Cranberry Orange Sauce

Ham

Now, as for Jax's birthday party, he loves trains so I have been looking on Etsy for ideas.

by paperandlaceaustin and found here

by venspaperie and found here

by threemonkeysdesigns and found here

by ReadySetCreate and found here

So what do you think about the train party ideas.  Super cute.

What are you going to cook for Thanksgiving?

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great Monday,

Natosha

Thankful Thursday

During November, my Thursday posts will be about what I am thankful for.


The Roman philosopher Seneca said, "Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart."  Think about that for a moment.  If I am truly grateful for every blessing and every moment of learning and every bump on the road of life, how honorable would I be?


Synonyms for honorable:  honest, direct, genuine, sincere, true, ethical, moral, just, noble, and good.


I would be love to be described with any of these words.


Synonyms for grateful:  thankful, appreciative, and glad.


Today I am thankful for:  my son and the love of my life, my family, my uncle who gave me a job when I truly needed one and for my health.


Today, what are you thankful for?
Natosha

Try-It Tuesday: Another Felt Flower

So, I think I have mentioned I love to read Cheri's I Am Momma - Hear Me Roar blog.  Here is a really cute belt she made using the felt flowers I am featuring.  You can find her original tutorial here.

this photo is the property of iammommahearmeroar

Cheri used felt you buy by the yard.  She bought a 1/4 yard of each color she wanted.  I just bought the felt sheets, which were super cheap, 28 cents each.  I bought black, gray and a really cool blk/wht houndstooth pattern.  

First, I cut two strips of felt (lengthwise) and sewed them together at the ends so I would have closer to the length Cheri used.  I then cut petals.  See photos below:

Next, you roll the strip up, using hot glue as needed.

Here's what the back looks like:

And the front:

I only had time to make a black one and a gray one. (uh, sorry, I had to cook dinner and contend with a 2 year old)  I'll post what the houndstooth one looks like when it's finished.  I'm not sure how it will look once it is cut.

That's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by,
Natosha