My favorite blogs

I love reading blogs and could spend hours each day doing nothing but. Here are a few of my favorite blogs....

mucho mucho bueno bueno
Sisters with a BAD sense of style. My favorite series is the Jenny Lee makeup series. As someone who hates makeup, this has been lifesaver figuring out how to enhance my looks without caking on the makeup!

simplyvonne
A lover of interior design and fashion, this blog has great graphic design tips. However, my favorite thing about this blog is the pictures of her beautiful baby girl! I love Asian babies.

Money Saving Mom
After having several heart attacks at the beginning of our marriage after each trip to the grocery store, I knew I had to find ways to trim our budget. Money Saving Mom has taught me how to make my own hand soap, taught me how to use coupons effectively, and plan meals out ahead of time in order to get the most bang for my buck! I visit the sight several times a day.

The Pioneer Woman
Probably one of the most popular blogs on the internet, Ree Drummond aka the Pioneer Woman, has easy recipes that I use for my family. I do however have to modify most of them because she uses TONS of butter and cream which is not so good for my waist line.

Life's Spices
My friend is one of the best writers I've ever encountered. I just wish she would do more of it! A fellow lover of dogs and only child, Peggy shares her adventures of moving from Texas to Seattle, trying to navigate graduate school, becoming a new puppy parent to the cutest Westie ever, and adventures in dating.

Green Wedding Shoes
Rachel DeBell Photography
Lindsey Shea Photography
Even though our wedding is over, I still read lots of wedding and photography blogs. These three are the ones I used the most for my own wedding. Since I plan events for a living, I often peruse these sites for ideas that I can incorporate into my own events such as table displays, flower arrangements, and unique decor.

$30,000 in 30 days

Today, the Tran Family begins a new campaign to raise $30,000 in 30 days to cover uninsured transplant costs for our husband and father who needs a kidney transplant. For the past year, Cuong Tran, has been battling kidney disease which has left his body unable to properly filter blood, regulate blood pressure, and maintain the proper balance of nutrients needed for a healthy body.

This past December, Cuong was placed on the kidney transplant list at Baylor Hospital in Dallas, Texas. We are thrilled the surgeons at Baylor Hospital believe Cuong is an excellent candidate for a kidney transplant.

If everyone we know gives $5, then we will have met a third of our goal. If everyone YOU know gives $5, then we will meet our full campaign goal! Won't you consider sacrificing 1 magazine, 1 Starbucks coffee, 1 McDonald's Value Meal, or 1 movie ticket to give someone else 10 or more years of life?

Help us get the word out by forwarding this message to your circle of influence!! The first six months of medication alone cost over $9,000!

All donations are tax-deductible. You can donate online at www.ntafund.org and enter patient name CUONG TRAN.

Email Udtran@gmail.com if you have questions or would like to consider becoming a living donor!

Best Wishes,
The Tran Family

Happy Birthday, Bella!

My dear, Bella. Happy 6th Birthday! You are 42 in dog years. Does this mean you're entering pre-menopause? In honor of your birthday, here are my 6 favorite things about you:
1. Your beautiful coat of fur...super soft and gorgeous color!
2. Your inside out ears...your ears are so long that sometimes that turn inside out. Then it looks like you have no ears and that's hilarious.
3. Your long snoot...used for nudging people into petting you and getting under the stove for lost food
4. Your snaggle tooth...because it peeps out from under your lip and is oh so cute!
5. Your hiding place... underneath the bottom row of clothes in my closet. I love coming in to find you laying on your back under the clothes just chilaxin'
6. And finally... your bow legs... they give you swagger!

Try it Tuesday: Loco Cafe

I'm in love... with Denton's new Loco Cafe! Located directly across the street from The Greenhouse Restaurant at 603 N. Locust, this newly remodeled restaurant space offers a bright and relaxed atmosphere perfect for family breakfast, brunch dates with your spouse, or lunch with your colleagues. The menu is short and not extensive, but offers great choices such as red snapper tacos, huevos rancheros, cinnamon rolls, fresh biscuits, and some of the best bacon in town! Loco Cafe also offers some of the best coffee in town, which I hear is purchased from a grower in Austin. I plan on visiting this new establishment weekly! They still have a few kinks to work out, but for a restaurant that has been open less than a week they've already surpassed my expectations.

Check out their facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/supercouponlady?sk=wall#!/pages/Loco-Cafe/197709363605936?sk=info. Stop by this weekend and give them some love!

Try It Tuesday: Batch Cooking

Taking advice from my friend Brit and one of my fav bloggers, the Money Saving Mom, I decided to try out batch cooking. I found that just planning a weeks worth of meals was not enough. After a long day at work, I hate having to think about cooking dinner. This past Sunday, I tried out batch cooking and completed four meals.

From Observations from the Second Floor...

From Observations from the Second Floor...

Monday night - Crock-pot Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
Tuesday Night - Sour Cream Noodle Bake (extra large batch)
Wednesday Night - Sweet and Sour Tofu
Thursday Night - Dinner out to help support the UNT Asian Student Association at Applebee's. Yay Asians!
Friday Night - Veggie Lasagna
Saturday Night - Stuffed Peppers

From start to finish, it took me 2.5 to 3 hours to complete the cooking. The pot roast was the easiest since all I had to do was throw the ingredients into the crock-pot and it cooked itself for 8 hours. I threw in 4 cups of rice into the rice cooker and used 1/4 of it in the Stuffed Peppers and saved the other 3/4 for the Sweet and Sour Tofu. I browned 3 pounds of ground beef with diced onions and divided it between the Sour Cream Noodle Bake and Stuffed Peppers. The lasagna only required me to slice and saute squash, zucchini, red peppers, and spinach. I used no-cook lasagna noodles and left out the ricotta to make it healthier. The Stuffed Peppers and Lasagna went into the freezer and we simply will take it out the night before we plan to eat it. I didn't cook the Sweet and Sour Tofu Stirfry ahead of time because I thought it might taste better fresh off the stove, but really I could have done it ahead of time with no problem.

All in all, I'd say batch cooking was a success. The clean up afterward was not bad. So far this week, we've had dinner by 6:30 every night and finished by 7 pm meaning I have several hours in the evening to do whatever I want. What a wonderful change from maybe eating dinner at 7 pm and finishing by 8 pm, if we're lucky. The most I have to do when I come home is steam some vegetables and/or bake some rolls - Easy and takes all of 6 minutes to complete! The best thing is we've had almost no leftovers. We hate leftovers (unless it's chili) and I hate seeing food go to waste. A gold star week, I'd say!

The Stigma of Stepfamilies

As a new stepmother, I often find myself overwhelmed with all the responsibilities that come with being a parent. The learning curve is huge for someone who has never been married, does not have children of their own, and is an only child. Imagine the shock of being a single thirty-something woman who is now living with three grown men. However, the hardest thing I have found about being a stepmother is dealing with other people and their assumptions about your life.

What words come to mind when you hear the word "stepmother"? Wicked? Evil? Do you automatically think of Cinderella and her evil stepmother? Truthfully, I never thought about these perceptions until I was actually about to marry a man with children. While I am by no means perfect, I certainly don't think my stepkids would describe me as wicked (here's hoping).

Because I'm the stepparent, society seems to think that I should automatically hate my husbands ex-wife. I've been asked, "How bad is the ex? She must be a real B****." and, "How do you put up with all that crap"? Now, I won't lie. It has taken a little bit of time for me to get used to having a third party involved in all our decisions, but the reality is that the ex is a good mom. She's an active parent who knows their teachers, attends their sporting events, always knows how they're doing in school, and provides a very structured lifestyle for her children. These are all attributes this somewhat OCD stepparent appreciates! And when we are struggling to see eye to eye, I can stop myself and see how the kids are the ones who will suffer if we can't get along. That alone cures a lot of issues because I love my stepkids and want nothing but the best for them.

Which brings me to the other reocurring question, "Do you get along with your stepkids"? My stepkids are amazing young men. They have two very different personalities, but I love seeing how similar they are to their dad. They have his good looks, sense of humor, and are so so smart. I've been reading parenting books and billions of mommy blogs and feel so lucky that I don't encounter even a tenth of the horror stories of bad stepparent/child relationships. We do not argue and I can only think of one time the kids have argued with their dad in the past four years. They don't treat me like the horrible stranger that stole their dad away. They genuinely want their dad to be happy. They don't play heinous pranks on me or use that dreadful phrase, "You're not my real mom" (I shutter every time I read that statement somewhere). I attribute our peaceful relationship to their parents and how they have created an amicable relationship despite a painful divorce.

I think for the most part, we all get a long. I have definitely struggled finding my place in this already established family. There are inside jokes I don't understand and things men do, well.... because their men, that puzzle me. I'm still constantly surprised by how much food my stepkids consume (i.e. 4 1/2 gallons of milk and six boxes of cereal in 2 weeks) which poses a shopping challenge each week. But when I really reflect on the past six months, I feel as though I'm pretty lucky. If you are a struggling stepmom, please find hope in knowing that it doesn't have to be that way and in time things do get better. Don't buy into the stigmas and negative assumptions. Dare to be better.

Deals of the Week

Saturday is my big shopping day to prepare for the next week. I'm super excited about the deals I found!

Kroger -
Garnier fructise shampoo on clearance for $1.24(originally almost $3). Coupled with a $1 off coupon = $.24
Old Spice deodorant for $1.99. Coupled with 2 coupons Buy One Deodorant Get a Free Body Wash (priced at $3.99)= 4 Old Spice items for $1 each.
Secret Deodorant for $1.49. Coupled with a $.50 off coupon = $.99

Walgreens -
Arm and Hammer Laundry Detergent (96 loads) on clearance for $2.49 (originally almost $10). Coupled with a $1.25 off coupon = so freakin' cheap for detergent!

I also noticed a slew of stores closing such as Fashion Bug. Although I don't shop there, it might be worth checking it out just to see what's on sale.

Your House is on Ground Zero (and Quite Without Permission)

*It might help to read my post on Diversity before reading this article.

Your House is on Ground Zero (and Quite Without Permission)

Newlywed Tip of the Week

Apparently, a few other people are thinking the same thing. Instead of writing this weeks tip myself, I'm going defer to my good friend, Brit, who captured my thoughts so eloquently.

Click here:

Living With Three Boys of Our Own

Diversity

When I was 21 years old, I decided to go into the field of higher education and student affairs. My undergraduate years truly transformed my life because I was finally starting to understand who I was and what I wanted. Prior to college, I simply followed the rules and tried to achieve the things my parents wanted or expected from me. Becoming a student leader early in my college career was one of the best decisions I ever made because it led me to the career I have now.

There is a huge difference in having a career versus having a job. The year I spent working at Hallmark having angry customers yell at me because we didn't have the sacred holiday ornament they had been waiting for... that was a job. Today, I have a career in which I get to transform the lives of students. I get to help them become the person they always wanted to be. On top of that, I get to work in a Multicultural Center. Often times, we assist students who are the first in their family to go to college. They have two or three part time jobs and sometimes have children. They aren't upset because they didn't get into University of Texas or some other top tier school. They are just ecstatic they are attending college - a lifelong dream they and their families have had. I work with some amazing students.

When I was applying for my first job in Multicultural Affairs, a mentor said to me, "Be careful. People who work in Multicultural Centers tend to stay there and never leave". She definitely did not mean this is a good way. This piece of advice has stayed with me for years. However, I had the realization today that maybe those who do diversity work stay with it for years because there still is so much to be done. An excellent student affairs professional may leave a Multicultural Center to pursue a higher level administration position, but the lens in which they operate will always include diversity.

This past weekend, I had the honor and privilege of hosting the 11th Annual Equity and Diversity Conference. Our theme was Celebrating the Big I.D.E.A.: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access. Approximately 400 students, staff, faculty, and community leaders who are committed to equity and diversity in the work place and within education gathered to examine where we've come from and where we're going. The line up of speakers was phenomenal and even I - the event coordinator - could not have guessed what a major impact this would have on not only our participants, but on myself. Author and Actor Hill Harper discussed the need to dream big. His speech took me back to my late teens where I was struggling in college and hating my major. I took matters into my own hands and braced myself for the wrath of Momma Tran who would be so angry at me for changing my major to Health Education, a career she saw no future in. Hill said that sometimes our families can be our worst enemy... essentially dream killers. Their intentions ARE good. They love us and have tried to protect us our whole lives. However, it is up to me... the smart, fascinating, intelligent person they raised me to be...to take control of my life and utilize the gifts God has blessed me with to change the world - and sometimes that means going against what our families want. Here I stand 10 years after changing my major with a Bachelors of Science, Masters of Education, and Doctorate of Philosophy in my hands. Obviously, I made a good choice.

CNN News C0rrespondent Soledad O'Brien discussed the dynamics of her biracial upbringing and the challenges she faced on her path to becoming a journalist. She first learned about the importance of social justice through her parents. Biracial marriage was not allowed in their hometown of Baltimore and her parents had to marry in Washington D.C. instead. Biracial marriage did not become legal until after the O'Brien's had already had five of their six children. This really hit close to home because I am in a biracial marriage. I cannot imagine having Government tell me who I was allowed and not allowed to love and share a life with. Reminds me a lot of what's going on right now with the gay marriage debate. The one thing that stood out the most for me about Soledad O'Brien is her care for people. She said, "We don't deal with issues. We deal with people." Her recent specials on CNN have showcased the fascinating lives of minorities all across America. You can check out clips for her time at UNT here and read about her recent work on Ernest Withers here.

Tim Wise was, for me, the most influential speaker of the conference. Tim is the author of several books including White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son and Between Barack and a Hard Place: Racism and White Denial in the Age of Obama. Tim's speech rocked me at my core because he brought back so many memories of the injustices I witnessed growing up in a small Texas town. I remember teachers expecting me to be smart because I am Asian. I remember the loneliness I felt when I changed schools in 4th grade because no one else looked like me. I remember absolutely hating the way I looked and dying to be blond haired with blue eyes. There is one experience that haunts me... the day I was told I couldn't possibly be an angel in the Christmas Cantata because angels don't have black hair. I so wish I could go back and askthat gentleman to prove his statement.

I cannot do justice to everything that was shared in 50 minutes, but here's some more food for thought from the great Tim Wise:

• The lives and stories of red, yellow, black, and brown people have been ignored, changed and/or omitted for years. Why don't we question this? Don't we want our children to know about all different histories around the world? Why don't we (as Americans) react when the Texas Board of Education wants to erase the word "slavery" from our history books and instead call it the "Atlantic Triangular Trade"?
• Does having Black History Month do more harm than good? Why isn't black history simply American history?
• Why do we assume God is white? And why do schools and diocese punish children when they question that assumption?
• How do we teach our children to be media literate and not assume that what they hear on TV is correct?
• Don't take it personally if someone doesn't agree with your view. Just speak the truth.
• There is no repercussion for White people not knowing about Black, Asian, Native American, or any other minority history. Is that ok?

I am invigorated about my job and the general influence I have as just one person who is willing to speak out and/or ask questions about the injustices I see. Some may say that what I do is pointless because we now live in a post-racial society, but I don't believe that to be true. There are too many examples of inequity that I see in the lives of my students. I hope to see a true shift in equity within college culture before I retire.

Conquering Walgreens

What a week we've had! If the 4 snow days were not enough, we were blessed with 1 more this past Wednesday. My very sweet husband got out the leaf blower and made a walkable path in the backyard, but it wasn't for us... it was for Bella! Diva Bella hates the snow and my hubby had to make a place for her to - ahem - do her business.


Unfortunately, I spent a good deal of time in bed due to a severe cold and throat infection. Needless to say, my husband has spent a great deal of time taking care of our whole family taking over the cooking and grocery shopping.

One of my goals for the new year is to get our grocery and drug store expenses under control. After four weeks of trial and error, I think I finally made some serious headway.



These items cost a total of $100, but with weekly deals, Walgreens rapid rewards, and coupon stacking I bought all of these items for $45. The Excedrin, Secret Deoderants, Olay Moisturizer, and newspaper were straight up free.

We've also reduced our $200 per week ($800 per month) grocery bill to $100 per week. This still isn't exactly where I would like it, but we are very close.

Support Independent Music

The lovely Amanda Shires is in the process of Fan Funding! You may know Amanda from her work with Thrift Store Cowboys and/or Rod Picott. Amanda has also collaborated with Denton favorite, Doug Burr, DeVotchKa, Gary P Nunn, and Billy Joe Shaver. She is a seasoned fiddle player and I can't get enough of her. In addition to being talented, Amanda is beautiful, caring, a great writer, and the wittiest person I know. Support the release of her 3rd album NOW by donating to the cause!

http://amandapearlshires.blogspot.com/

Oh yea - look for Amanda in "Country Strong" out now! Look for the girl in the blue dress :)

“Shires is a damn talented and idiosyncratic song-writer...She is a fiddling maestro. At times her energetic, jittery vocals and eccentric lyrical subjects mark her out as a young female heir to the godfather of strange, Mr. Tom Waits. In her more conventional moments Shires sounds like the weird young niece of Dolly Parton.”

-Americana UK

Mango

Meet my new friend, Mango! He lives at Barton Creek Cave near San Igancio, Belize. Mango once belonged to the British army. When Belize gained their independence from Britain, the new land owners of Barton Creek attempted to release him back into the wild. Without fail, he always came back. Unfortunately, he has to be kept on a chain because he can be somewhat destructive. Mango has a hankering for sunglasses, water bottles, and throwing bowls!

A Birthday and a Groundhog

Happy Groundhogs Day! Come on Spring.

More importantly....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my amazing husband, Colby.

Life is so much better with you in it.

Newlywed Tip of the Week

What you think is gross, someone else thinks is perfectly OK.

Case in point, I walked into the kitchen one afternoon to find my husband drinking orange juice from the bottle and placing it back into the refrigerator. He swears he didn't actually put his mouth on it. Later that day, I found one of my stepsons with his head in the sink drinking water from the filtered water spigot.

Is it really that difficult to use a glass? Oh well :) Maybe I should just join them!

The Best Day of My Life

A few favorites from the wedding....
















To see more pictures, go to our photographers blog: Lindsey Shea Photography

Try It Tuesday: Homemade Laundry Soap

I'm in love... with homemade laundry soap. Thanks to my thrifty friend, Brit, I have learned to make my own laundry detergent for around .2-.9 cents per load! When I first read about it, I was very intimidated because I didn't know any of the ingredients! Borax - what the heck is that?!? Fels-Naptha - I can barely spell it much less know what it's used for! Well, it turns out this laundry soap is amazing. It has worked miracles with doggie accidents, clothes covered in clay, and all my cleaning rags.

To learn how to make your own laundry detergent, visit Raising Four Little Ladies Wright.