Bislique review via Shoplet.com

Having everything organized and ready to use. That's how my office is supposed to be. That's how I try to keep my home. I have lists all over the refrigerator. I have everything in a neat place. Okay... mostly. I am OCD and everything has to be organized to some extent.
Well, now I have a new list keeper. Thanks to Shoplet.com, I have a new 3-in-1 Planner.

Its an easy-to-erase white board that allows me to write in the month/days, hang notes with the magnets, or pin them up with thumb tacks. It's large enough not to get lost in the maze of things on the wall. It catches everyone's attention, allowing messages and deadlines to be met more efficiently.
There were instructions on proper care of the white board as well as instructions on how to properly hang it and attach the components.

These are great if they are followed. If you are like my husband though, you might just figure it out on your own (even if it takes a little longer).
This is a great way to leave notes and keep the family on track. You can add your own little designs and quirks to personalize it. Definitely a great addition to the office or home.
Don't forget that Shoplet.com offers other things as well. Every kind of office supply you might be looking for. They offer Medical Supplies and Office Stationary now.

Thun-der! (read it like you are singing Thunderstruck by ACDC!)

Planes: Fire and Rescue

This movie was such a pleasure to pre-screen for the review. My 4 year old was practically dancing in his seat the whole way through.

And when they played ACDC's Thunderstruck at that perfect moment... Laughter rang out clear!

Dusty Crophopper has gone from a simple crop dusting plane with dreams of racing, to being a world renowned racer. In the first Planes movie, he proved to the world that just because you are born and raised into something, doesn't mean you can't change your destiny and follow your dreams!
In this sequel, you see that he's racing and winning across the globe. He brings pride to his tiny home town. Until one race... He red lines and something breaks. Dottie checks him out and delivers the crushing news that his racing days might be over. A special part has busted. Without it, he can no longer reach top speeds. Dusty is devastated. Racing has become his life, his passion, his self-made destiny! To have it taken away... Just about crushes him. He gets into an accident when he pushes himself too hard. A fire breaks loose in the town. When the fire is doused in a rather sloppy way, the town is deemed unsafe and shut down. This all happens right before the towns Corn Festival. Everyone knows that every small town has their festivals and that its not just popular with the locals, but with those it draws in. Its a disappointment that everyone feels heavily. In order to be reopened, they have to make changes to prove they are ready for emergencies. One of those changes is to have a deputy fire fighter to serve alongside the fire truck, Mayday.

No one has been trained or certified. So what are they gonna do?? Dusty is faced with a choice. He's probably never going to be able to race again. So why not serve his town and help his old friend? He volunteers to go far from home to be trained by a great pro fire fighting helicopter. It takes a great deal of growing up for Dusty to see what's truly important in life.

He meets some friends, including an air tanker who is obsessed with Dusty - Dipper.

His trainer has a hidden secret that leaves most baffled.

One day, while training, there's an accident. On that same day, one event leads to another and disaster strikes. Will Dusty rise to the occasion? Will he be the hero he needs to be and help his new friends?
There were some other lessons to be learned. Things like how lightning can cause fires. The lightning can send sparks flying. Those sparks can start one or more small fires that can grow quickly. Fires can combine to create a larger, more dangerous fire. And most of all, fires that are blown by the wind, can jump over cleared paths.
Its a great way to talk to kids about fires. They show how the aerial firefighting is possible. A friend of mine joined us and commented on how its so cool to see how the planes with pontoons can scoop up water from nearby bodies of water to dump on raging flames. Even if they  are in cartoon form.

Check out this cool activity book!

Italian sausage and bean soup recipe

I made this the other night and was so happy to find my picky kids enjoying it. 

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided use

1 pound Italian sausages, casings removed 

1 1/2 cups each chopped onion and diced carrots

1 cup chopped celery (optional)

1/4 cup each red and green bell pepper 

1/4 cup green onion

1 tablespoon garlic, minced in oil (I used powdered)

1 tablespoon of Italian-blend seasoning

5-6 cups of chicken broth 

1 can Italian styled diced tomatoes

1 can red kidney beans, drained

1 cup of pasta

Place 1 tablespoon of oil in a 6 quart heavy pot over medium-high heat; add sausage and cook, breaking up into small pieces. Remove to a plate and set aside. 

Add remaining oil to the same pot. Sauté onions, carrots, bell peppers, green onion, celery, garlic and Italian seasoning. Cook 7-9 minutes or until tender; then return sausage to pot. 

Stir in broth, tomatoes and beans. Bring soup to a boil. 

If you are serving the soup soon, go ahead and add the pasta and cook until it's done. 

Enjoy!!!

Brick Fiesta

What an amazing event! We had a blast. Everything from the MOC's on display to the vendors with great things on sale.

I loved it. My kids weren't as thrilled, but only because there wasn't anything for them to play with and build with.

There were custom builders who even created war sets.

This one was a 1942 scene that was amazingly detailed. As was the following; The Hobbit Shire. 

I'm hoping to have a custom Katniss Everdeen in the mockingjay dress made. Modern Brick Warfare had some pieces they customized to more than just 3D. It looked like paint but raised up. Really cool. 

Parking was a bit crazy. The event was held in the conference room of a hotel, but with a restaraunt next door. And parking filled up rather quickly. You weren't allowed to bring outside food and some people were told to leave their strollers parked outside the doors as well. It's understandable considering the space was hard to maneuver in with so many people.  

The bathrooms were located in the hall outside the great room along with a water cooler. 

Everything was run by volunteer AFOL's. They host these events in a circuit that runs yearly. Next year should be hosted in the Houston area. So be sure and follow their page to keep up with where you can see some amazing builds! https://facebook.com/brickfiesta 

We stopped by our favorite vendor who is also a local store owner, San Antonio Plastic Bricks Inc. https://facebook.com/SanAntonioPlasticBricks

More pictures of some of my favorite builds. Air Zombie and the tools were great! 

1950's Drive In

Air Zombie

Castle with an Army

My Little Pony Castle

The huge airport where Air Zombie was. 

Awesome tool shed equipment.

Looks like Grandma, Red Riding Hood and the Woodsman lost the battle against the Wolf! 

This guy taught his son engineering skills using Lego. This device spun a huge top showing kids how speed mixed the red and blue parts to look like purple and pink parts on the side. It was interactive for my kids.