This is Lori with The Generous Wife and I’m excited to guest blog for the Happy Wives Club today.

For years I heard comments like, “I have three kids, two sons and a husband,” or “Geesh, all my husband wants is sex.  What a pervert!”  It was OK to poke fun at your husband or talk down about your marriage.  I got the impression that people didn’t want to be alone in life and marriage was the poor solution.  You lived with it because there wasn’t a better option.

But that all changed one day … 

At a ladies’ group, a woman shared about her decision to build her marriage (and even enjoy sex!).  She had only positive things to say about her husband. We were all sort of in awe of her (and I think a little jealous) as she shared her journey.  She was truly a “happy wife.” She actively and intentionally invested in her marriage and she was reaping the benefits. 

Today I’m delighted to be part of that club and I know that speaking up for your marriage can make a huge difference for others.  It gives them courage to find their voice if they are already a “happy wife” and encourages others (with the good kind of peer pressure) to reconsider how they are building their marriage.

Bless you Fawn and the Happy Wives Club!  You are making a difference.

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I hope you enjoyed this guest article.  As always, I am so grateful to read your comments.  Please feel free to post below and let’s keep the conversation going.  Until tomorrow…make it a great day!

When I think about how this Club came to be, and how much it’s grown since its inception, I have to chuckle a bit.  There was no planning.  No forethought.  No foresight.  I’d had a rough day at the office and needed to take my thoughts off of work and allow my mind a break.  

I don’t remember exactly what took place at the office that day but I do remember being unusually frustrated.  To cheer me up, Keith took me to get frozen yogurt (I’m not a hard person to make smile – tasty frozen yogurt will do the trick every time).  

Strolling along The Commons in Calabasas holding hands, we walked passed the Barnes & Noble bookstore.  I don’t remember what book I saw through the window (it’s been a while) but it must have been something with a negative outlook regarding marriage because I turned to Keith and began to vent about how the media and entertainment make marriages look so bad.

Now, considering he’s worked for a movie studio for the past 10 years, I was probably not venting to the right person .  Yet, I continued, “I love being married.  I’m a happy wife.  I’m not a desperate housewife.  I’m nothing like ‘the real housewives’ of Orange County, Atlanta, Jersey or anywhere else.  But the media never shows wives like me or marriages like ours.  They always focus on the negative.  They’re fixated on divorce.”

Now, Keith had been married to me long enough not to know exactly where this conversation was going, but to know it was going somewhere.  ”I’ve got it!” I proclaimed.  ”I’m going to start a Club.  It’s going to be called…hmmm…let me think.  I’m going to call it the Happy Wives Club!”  Cue the laughter…his not mine.

He was laughing so hard, mainly because the thought was completely random and seemingly came out of nowhere.  He reasoned, not only was the name of the Club incredibly corny, but I also had a jam packed work schedule that barely allowed time to enjoy something as simple as a frozen yogurt.  Touché.  

Even knowing I’d have limited time to devote, I knew I had to do something.  The negativity spoken about marriage was rising to a deafening roar and those who could counter it were slowly fading into a whisper.  So, I went home and started writing…and writing…and writing.  By 2am, the Happy Wives Club was born.  

When Keith awoke the next morning, I proudly showed him the new club site and he just shook his head, “Only my wife.  Only my wife.”

The Happy Wife might be missing from the pages of magazines we see at the grocery store each day, from the movies, television and most other forms of media and entertainment.  But she’s not missing here.  I’m a happy wife.  You’re a happy wife.  And we’re not the only ones.

Nearly two years after our inception, this club continues to grow each and every day.  And we’ve only just begun.  If you adore your husband and are a happy wife, let everyone know.  Post your #adoremyhusband comments here.  And if you’re not an official member of the club, it’s easy to join.

Until Monday…make it a great weekend!

A couple days ago, a fellow blogger posed a simple question on our community board, “When was the last time you went on a date with your husband?”  For several people, it had been over a month.  Mainly, because babysitters are expensive and getting out of the house can sometimes be easier said than done.

Coming to the rescue…one of my favorite marriage sites on the web.  I’m honored to have them guest blogging for us today.  Introducing…

My name is Erika and I’m here from The Dating Divas. Happy Wives Club has asked me to guest blog today and I thought I’d share with you one of my favorite date ideas. That’s what we do at The Dating Divas. Our goal is to strengthen marriages one date at a time. The Divas also like to give you some quick and easy romance ideas, a creative date once a week, intimate moments, anniversary and gift ideas and so much more. Check out this idea to get you started with a weekly date night.

I’m like you; my husband’s schedule is busy and he’s often gone on the weekends, money is tight, and we have two little munchkins (one being a newborn.) With all of that going on, date night often ends up being at home after the kids are in bed. So why not have date night on Wednesday? Wonderful Wednesday! No rule that Date Night has to be on the weekend.

So the kids are in bed and you don’t want to stay up TOO late with work the next day, so what should we do for date night? The DATE WHEEL! I put together a Date Wheel that you just have to spin to pick what you are going to do.

You just print, cut it out, and stick on the date options and you are ready to go! The options are interchangeable (stick them on with Velcro or tape or magnets) so you can change them out depending on your mood or availability. I even left a few blank so you could create your own ideas to use as well!

Oh and a word to the wise, I laminated mine. This way I can reuse again and again without printing a new one. I can also use a vis vis or dry erase marker to write on the blank option cards. Thanks to the fabulous Aileen, of Lil Buckaroo Designs, for creating this printable date wheel. You can DOWNLOAD for FREE the Date Wheel with instructions of how to put it together to use for your next date!

Sticking with the inexpensive and easy theme, I sent my husband a text earlier in the day informing him that date night was happening TONIGHT!

Once the kids were in bed, I pulled out the Date Wheel and explained to him how it worked. We added a few more of our own ideas and then I let him spin.

This was perfect for us because half our battle on date night is deciding what to do. Neither of us wants to decide and we’ll usually just end up in front of the TV.

But all of these ideas are EASY at home dates and don’t take any prep work. We had so much fun playing games and are looking forward to next week.

Sometimes the best dates are the simple and inexpensive ones. Wednesdays may be my new favorite night!

Thanks to Fawn and Happy Wives Club for letting me be here today!

Erika, thank YOU for sharing this great tip with us.  We greatly appreciate you stopping by and kicking off the discussion today.

Does anyone else have a great stay-at-home date suggestion?  What do you think about Erika’s date night tip?  I loved it!  What about you?  Please leave your comments here and we’ll continue the conversation well into the night.

Until tomorrow…make it a great day!

This past weekend was bizzy with an extra izzy.  My adorable 7-year old niece, Jayla, had been asking to have a sleepover for months and I promised her the next time Uncle Keith went out of town, and I could give her my full attention, we’d have a sleepover.

Well, our sleepover date officially began Friday night.  Due to other commitments, I wasn’t able to pick her up until 9:30pm and before I arrived my sister told me on the phone that Jayla was lobbying to be able to sleepover two nights instead of one.  Oh boy!  I LOVE my beautiful niece but when I tell you she has all the energy in the world bottled into her little 3′ body, I’m not kidding.

But since I’m Auntie Fawn, like to spoil her a bit and don’t like to say no unless the request is unreasonable, my work plans for the weekend were now being modified and it would be a Nick Jr. and Disney kind of weekend.

Friday night, we stayed up until 11pm watching Mary Poppins and eating microwave-popped kettle corn.  I then slept in small corner of our California king-sized bed because Jayla and her 5 stuffed animals took up the rest.  By 8am Saturday morning, we were up and headed to the International House Of Pancakes where Jayla decided bouncing up and down on the booth seat no less than 25 times was fun (all the while Auntie Fawn was getting incredibly dizzy watching). 

Saturdays are usual “pajama day” at Jayla’s house where she and my sister make a day of lounging in pj’s all day.  Well, we couldn’t stop the tradition so even though we were going out, I let her keep her new Hello Kitty pajama pants on (shhhh…).  There were kids still walking around in their Halloween costumes so why couldn’t she wear her comfy pajama pants all day? 

From IHOP, we went home and finished watching the rest of the movie we fell asleep watching the night before.  As soon as the end credits began to roll, we were on our way to the Long Beach Aquarium where we’d experience 800,000 sq. ft of exhibits, including a large shark tank, a place to touch stingrays, jelly fish and starfish and more marine life than I’ve seen in my entire 35 years of living.

For lunch, Jayla’s choice was Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. where we only had 30 minutes to order, eat and pay so we could get back to the aquarium before the sea lion show.  Whew, we made it in time to get seats for the show, followed by a sea otter show, followed by two more shows.  And did I tell you the aquarium was 800,000 sq. ft and we walked around that place all day?  We stayed until the aquarium was about to close and by the time we left I was ready to pass out.

We made the hour drive back home and once we arrived, Keith’s folks were there (thank goodness) so I could get some work done while Mom Scott kept Jayla company.  While working, I could hear Jayla laughing, playing, running around and joking nonstop.  Beginning at 10pm, I’d yell out to Jayla, “Sweetie, I need to you begin winding down.”  Of course, she’d say okay and would calm down significantly and then 15 minutes later she’d completely forget the request and return to her usual bouncing self.

At midnight, she turns to Mom Scott and says, “It’s midnight so I think I’d better start winding down.”  I love this kid!  Two hours after my initial request but, nonetheless, she finally decided it was time.

I’d told Jayla with adding the extra sleepover day she’d have to share me with work and would need to play without me Saturday night and a portion of Sunday to which she was (as she always is) perfectly fine.  Sunday morning, she woke up to find me back at work on my computer, gave me a hug and headed straight into the family room to watch cartoons.

Day two started off with me making breakfast followed by the world’s longest shower by a child.  She sang at the top of her lungs, snapped her fingers and danced for what seemed like 15 minutes.  I was just hoping there’d still be enough hot water for me.  After showering,  our day got a little crazy.  Read here to find out why I had to suddenly hop on a flight to Vegas and drive back to Los Angeles at midnight after being in Vegas for only 30 minutes. Whew!  The word “tired” could not begin to accurately express what I felt by the time my head hit the pillow at 4:30am yesterday morning.  But I wouldn’t trade my time with Jayla for anything in the world for one simple reason: I need her.

Spending time with Jayla always reminds me of how I was before I let the world in to the core of my being.  Before I allowed hurt, disappointment, worry or “realism” to affect my natural optimism.  Jayla represents to me the life I strive to return to, one that is dictated by my heart’s desires rather than what I think can or should be accomplished.

Have you ever met a child and thought, “Wow, that’s exactly the way children should be,” without worry, concern and always optimistic about the day”?  Even if things don’t go perfectly as planned or desired, they look at that as a temporary setback and continue to move toward what it is they desire to get out of that day.  They haven’t yet learned to doubt themselves, to be suspicious of the motives of people.  In other words, they’ve not yet been jaded.

I look at Jayla and think that’s exactly the way God would like me to be with Him.  To ask for whatever I desire and if He says no, to simply be okay with it and move on to the next desire trusting that the reason I heard “no” to begin with was in my best interest.  When I tell Jayla no about something, she never whines or cries about it, she simply finds something else to ask me about that’ll result in a “yes” response.  And it works every time.

If she has a momentary setback, it doesn’t define the remainder of the day. It’ll barely define the following ten minutes.  A smile remains on her face and when someone is really nice to her she’ll tell me, “People are so nice!  When you’re nice to people they’re always nice to you back.”  Touché

She is genuine.  She is authentic.  She is optimistic, gentle in her words and kind in her approach toward people.  She never feels entitled and is grateful for everything she receives.  She has full faith and trust in her father. 

That is exactly what I desire for my own life and strive toward it each day.  To be kind, gentle, genuine, authentic and optimistic.  To give my all to whatever I do completely unconcerned about whether I fail or succeed knowing any place I fall short of an overall goal is simply a momentary setback.  To have complete trust in God, my heavenly Father, and to love unconditionally. 

I may have been utterly exhausted from this active weekend but it was all worth it.  I wouldn’t change this weekend for even a second.  So as I continue to progress in this blessed week, I have one goal and one goal only: to be just like my seven-year old niece. 

Until tomorrow…make it a great day!

I turned on the evening news
Saw an old man being interviewed
Turning a hundred and two today
Asked him what’s the secret to life
He looked up from his old pipe
Laughed and said “All I can say is:”

Don’t blink
Just like that you’re six years old and you take a nap and you
Wake up and you’re twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife
Don’t blink
You just might miss your babies growing like mine did
Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your “better half”
Of fifty years is there in bed
And you’re praying God takes you instead
Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think
So don’t blink

I was glued to my TV when it looked like he looked at me and said
“Best start putting first things first.”
Cause when your hourglass runs out of sand
You can’t flip it over and start again
Take every breathe God gives you for what it’s worth

So I’ve been tryin’ ta slow it down
I’ve been tryin’ ta take it in
In this here today, gone tomorrow world we’re livin’ in

Naw, don’t blink
Life goes faster than you think

It was so appropriate when this Kenny Chesney song came on the radio on the rushed drive to the airport tonight.  The day had certainly not gone as planned and now I was dashing down the 101 to the Burbank airport to hopefully catch the final Southwest Airlines flight to Las Vegas.

The morning began peaceful and without rush at 7am.  My niece, Jayla, was with me for a weekend sleepover while Keith was in Philadelphia for a men’s retreat.  I began writing what I thought would be the blog post for today until Jayla came in to inform me she was hungry.  And so the active portion of my day would officially begin.

I quickly whipped up some oatmeal with butter, brown sugar and chopped apples and a slice of buttered wheat toast on the side.  We sat down at the table and enjoyed Nickelodeon playing in the background.  She lobbied to extend our play date for one more night as I reminded her that she had school tomorrow and we’d already extended it from one night to two and Auntie Fawn had a lot of work to get done.

We agreed to make the most of the day and go to a matinee movie before returning to her home.  We lounged around in our pajamas until 11:30am when we needed to take showers and get dressed for the 12:30pm show.  That’s when the “Jayla Show” began.  Have you ever tried to get a child to move quickly to do something they really don’t want to do?  Well, trying to get little miss Jayla to pack all her things because it was time for our play date to end was like trying to get a tortoise to move a little faster.  She went slow as molasses.

Finally, she was packed, showered and dressed and alas…we were too late for the movie.  So we’d need to catch the 2:30pm show.  But wait, that wouldn’t work either because Auntie Fawn had a conference call set to begin at 3pm so we’d need to go to the 4:30pm show.  And this is where it got interesting.

I’d spent an hour or so on the phone with Keith this morning while he was waiting for the car to take him to the airport.  When the car arrived, we ended the call and agreed to meet at LAX at 9:50pm.  That was until I received a call nearly five hours later that his plane still hadn’t taken off due to mechanical issues and they’d now be routing him through Atlanta and on to Vegas scheduled to arrive close to midnight.

He asked me to check for flights leaving Vegas around midnight heading to any of the four airports in the LA area.  I searched for flights in vain as there was no flight leaving after 9:30pm.  His meetings in LA set for tomorrow are not negotiable so getting home before the morning was not an option for him.

Knowing all this, I immediately went into action.  Conference call would need to be held while I was in route to honor my commitment to my niece and take her to the movies.  I found a theater a little farther away with a 3:15pm showing and although we’d be a bit late we’d get there and I could get on the road.  I’d decided to travel to Vegas.

I purchased the airline ticket while Keith was still in route to Atlanta and asked his mom to take me to the airport.  I knew Keith would be exhausted from traveling all day and the likelihood of him being able to sleep on the plane was slim-to-none.  The idea of him renting a car and driving home alone in the wee hours of the morning made my heart sink for one simple reason: Don’t blink.

So much we take for granted.  We assume our loved ones will always be with us.  We trust God will keep those we love most alive and well.  But the reality is tomorrow is never promised.  No breath beyond the current is guaranteed.  If Keith was going to make the drive from Las Vegas to Los Angeles at midnight, I’d be with him every mile.

So that’s how I ended up sitting in gate C5 at McCarran International Airport, with a computer on my lap, typing this post at 10:40pm on Sunday night.  I’m excitedly awaiting my Baby’s plane to arrive so I can be by his side as he makes the journey back home.  Don’t blink.

Until tomorrow…make it a great day!

Finding time for ourselves is probably one of life’s most difficult challenges.  Especially, living in Los Angeles where the pace is probably faster than everywhere else in the country (with the exception of maybe New York, D.C. or Chicago).  We rush.  That’s what we do.  We rush from here to there, from the times our eyes open to the time they close for the night, we are busy trying to get through our checklist of 1,001 things we need to do that day.

Looking at my calendar today, I realized there is no break.  Every moment from 7am (when I began washing clothes) to 9:30pm (when I pick up my niece for a long awaited “sleepover with Auntie Fawn”) is taken.  I have four conference calls with the first one beginning in an hour and as soon as the last conference call ends, I have a short period of time to make some preparations for everything else I need to do for the remainder of the day.  Lord, can I please have an extra hour or two or three today?

I can ask God for extra hours or days all I want but the reality is I’ve been given 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.  For Keith and me, 24 of those hours each week (sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday) are reserved for the Sabbath so that gives us 6 days to get everything done and at some point we need to sleep.  That’s why I cherish my yoga time each day and a fantastic cup of tea.

When I sit with my morning cup of tea, I can push “pause” on life for just a moment and take in the beautiful day and all the many blessings of life.  Spending time with God, my husband while sipping on a hot cup of tea is my favorite way to start the day.  But that’s not the only time I press pause.  I’ve learned to stop and reflect on the beauty of life even midday.

With rare exceptions (like today), I stop in the middle of the day to practice yoga.  I am fortunate to be able to work from home most of the time so at some point between the time I begin working in the morning and the time I conclude in the evening, I pull myself away from the computer, pop in one of my favorite yoga videos and get to work.  This is some of my most cherished “me time” each day.

I love yoga for a number of reasons.  One is it reminds me to remain focused on what is most important in my life, God and family, and it requires that I place my mind on pause for at least the present moment.  It reminds me of what is needed if I’m going to gain or maintain balance in my life.  I must focus on what is important and allow the rest of the world to spin around me; creating my still point in a turning world.

I mentioned this in a post last week about balance.  Anyone who practices yoga knows one thing about balance: if you lose focus, you’ll lose balance.  If you’ve ever seen a yogi perfectly balanced on one leg with hands outstretched or reaching toward heaven, you’ve witnessed something the majority of the world cannot accomplish.  Balancing with our own body.  But I’ll tell you the secret to what they’re doing and anyone who desires can do it.  The secret is simply to pick a focus point and do not take your eyes off of whatever you’ve chosen to fix your gaze.

It’s that simple.  One of my favorite yoga poses is the tree pose because it was such a difficult pose for me during the first five or six years I practiced yoga.  I could not keep balanced.  I’d wobble all over the place and then finally I’d just drop the other leg so both feet could be squarely rooted on the earth.  But I was determined to get it so I’d try and try and try.  Finally, I figured it out and that’s why I love it so much.  The key to the pose, as is the case with every pose, is simply to find a focus point and not to shift my eyes.  Now, I can stay in this pose for longer than I could ever imagine without even the slightest wobble.

When practicing yoga, balancing always reminds me of the necessity to maintain focus.  I cannot experience a balanced life without maintaining focus.  For me, that means keeping God first, my hubby right behind and then our family and friends.  Although work and the overall busyness of life can sometimes seem all-consuming, finding time in the day to stop, reflect, pray and gain perspective always helps me to live a balanced life.  I might wish for another hour or two here and there but who doesn’t?  

Making the most of my brief time on earth and cherishing every moment of it is my goal each day and if that is how I measure success, I will always be a successful woman.  

I’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s post.  Please comment below and we’ll continue the chat.  Looking forward to it.

Until Monday…make it a great weekend!

I am ending this work week excited for a few reasons, one of which is my pastor just sent out a reminder letting us know daylight savings time ends Sunday which means I will get an extra hour of sleep this weekend.  And man o’ man do I need that extra hour.  The second reason is this week I discovered something extraordinary.  When I sent out a link on my Facebook page letting everyone know about the recipe contest, I received as many notes about people who planned to submit recipes as I did those asking could they have a copy of the ones submitted.  So my excitement stems from the fact that I now know I’m not alone in this non-cooking world.

For the longest time, I’d always hear people say, “I love to cook!” and couldn’t figure out for the life of me why.  Last week, I shared with you my disastrous adventure to the store (3x) to pick up ingredients for an Emeril Lagasse recipe and how that traumatic experience kept me out of the kitchen for the next 5 years.  So when I’d hear my sisters or other women tell me how cooking was one of their favorite things to do I couldn’t help but think I must not have the “cooking” gene.

To me, it always seemed to be a better use of time to pick up food on the way home rather than mess up a perfectly clean kitchen with dirty dishes. Not to mention, although everyone always says cooking costs less than picking up takeout, I’d experienced the exact opposite.  That 9×9” lasagna I told you about (yes, Emeril’s fabulous recipe) cost me close to $90 (and did I mention three trips to the grocery store). 

Based on my limited cooking experience and the amount of dishes I see pile up every time one of my family members who “love to cook” decides to do so, I surmised cooking was not for me.  But I didn’t talk about it much because I didn’t want all my fellow wives to think I wasn’t taking care of my hubby because I’ve been bringing takeout home for eight years.  Well, here’s the beauty of this Club.  I learned a lot of you have been getting takeout too!  And a few even admitted you make food that’s less than edible but your family continues to eat it because you’ve at least tried.

So today’s blog post is for all those like me who may not possess the “cooking gene” and at this point would simply settle for liking it a little.  Wonderful members of this Club sent in their favorite recipes last week and I’m excited to share them.  The criteria for the submissions were they had to use only a few ingredients and be super simple to make. 

So far, here’s what I’ve discovered. Those like me who are afraid of seasoning with salt because it pours out clear onto most foods and before you know it you have the saltiest piece of chicken ever, fear not!  There are a ton of recipes that don’t require salt so we can ease our way into that ingredient.  And the world’s greatest invention could possibly be…drumroll please…the crockpot!

Most of you probably know this already but I didn’t so I’ll share it with all the kitchen-challenged women like me: you can put a bunch of things in this fabulous piece of cookware, plug it in and leave the house – for hours!  I am officially in love with the crock pot.  The very first recipe I made, easing my way into this fabulous world of cooking, was a slow cooker recipe.  It required only three ingredients, was fail-proof and even my 7-year old niece could have made it perfectly.

So for all those who have asked me for the recipe, rather than emailing each of you back separately, here it is for your cooking pleasure: 

1 – Beef Roast (I bought a 2.5 lb one on sale for less than $8)

1 – 10oz. can of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup

1 – packet of Lipton onion dip mix

That’s it.  That is the entire recipe.  I told you it was fail-proof.  All you do is rinse the beef with cold water and then pat it dry with a paper towel.  Put a pan on the stove large enough to fit the roast, turn the pan on high and pop the piece of meat right in the middle.  You only want to brown it so flip it over after 30 seconds or so.  Do this on both sides of the cut of meat and then turn it on its side and brown each side.  This whole process should take 2 minutes max.

Once your roast has been browned, pop it in the crock pot, pour the can of soup over it, evenly sprinkle the onion dip mix over the entire top, cover it with the top and cook it on the lowest setting possible (on my pot it simply says “low”).  Begin your day and 8 to 9 hours later – voila!  One of the best tasting roasts you’ve ever had.  The gravy is so delicious I burned the inside of my mouth not once but four times.  I was so excited it turned out so well I kept tasting it directly from the pot (not a good idea, by the way).

And an added benefit to this roast was the extra gravy it made.  If you have any leftover (I had about a cup leftover), add some Wondra Quick-Mixing Flour (directions on the can), put it in the freezer and when you’re serving rice, mashed potatoes, chicken or anything that can be spiced up with some delicious gravy, you’ve already got it in the bag (literally, the Ziploc bag).  My grandmother, who is a fantastic cook, makes the best gravy and this one wasn’t too far off.  She puts her leftover gravy in a shallow square Tupperware container, puts it in the freezer, and then cuts off frozen squares as she some.  She heats them up in the microwave and they taste just like the gravy was freshly made.

To all the fabulous cooks out there who enjoy what you do, please keep submitting recipes for the “Please Help Me Learn to Cook!” contest.  Women like me need your help!  And based on the responses I’ve been receiving, there are plenty of kitchen-challenged women out there waiting for some dishes even they will feel confident enough to tackle.  Don’t forget to submit the most delicious, simple recipes you’ve got by November 14^th so you can be entered to win the $25 gift card to Starbucks, Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com.

Finally, to all the women like me who’d prefer to pick-up takeout rather than wash all the dishes that come along with a home-cooked meal, I’m going to take one for the team and test out as many of these submitted recipes as I can and share with you all of the best ones.  Look for me to post easy and delicious recipes that require the least amount of ingredients and use the smallest amount of dishes possible.  And don’t feel left out of the contest.  Later this month, I’ll be looking for you to submit your funniest experiences in the kitchen.  I told you mine and I can’t wait to hear about yours.

Tomorrow I’m trying Amanda’s Lime Chicken Tacos.  This was one of the first recipes to be submitted and now that I’ve got the hang of the crock pot, I think I’ll try another.

Lime Chicken Tacos
1.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 Tbl. lime juice (fresh or bottled)
1 Tbl. chili powder
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup salsa

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker. In small bowl, mix lime juice and chili powder. Pour over chicken. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove chicken from crock pot; shred.  Add chicken back to crock pot along with corn and salsa. Heat until warmed through. (Doesn’t take long.) Serve in tortillas with your favorite taco fixins.

Talk to you in a couple of days.  And remember, happiness is a choice so make every day a great one!

I love my husband.  He’s the most wonderful, supportive and loving person I’ve ever known.  And I know he loves me if for no other reason than his enormous patience. 

When Keith and I married, I didn’t cook.  I knew how to cook (following a detailed recipe to the “T”) but just thought it was a big ole’ waste of time.  A few months into our marriage, I decided I wanted to make him a delicious dinner.  So many people gave me cookbooks as a wedding present (including Keith ) so I figured they must be trying to tell me something.

So I pulled out the cookbook with the most interesting cover, best colors and pictures throughout and decided that would be the day I’d cook for my honey.  The cookbook I chose…drumroll please…Emeril Lagasse’s, “From Emeril’s Kitchen.”  Couldn’t I have at least started off with the Betty Crocker book someone bought me?

Of course not, because I love a good challenge.  Which is also the reason I didn’t choose something simple like roasted chicken.  I had to try the Lamb & Feta Cheese Lasagna recipe.  Really?  Out of all the recipes to choose from I pick one that involves lightly roasted pine nuts, freshly chopped rosemary and oregano leaves and something I’d never heard of before that day, prosciutto.

So let me tell you how my cooking adventure went that day.  I got up with all the excitement in the world and pulled out Emeril’s cookbook.  I created my grocery list and headed to Gelson’s supermarket.

Tomato paste.  Check.  1 1/2 pounds of lamb.  Check.  1 pound of lasagna noodles.  Check.  1 pound of ricotta cheese and 6 ounces of feta cheese.  Check, check.  I was feeling good until I realized there were certain things on the list I simply couldn’t find at Gelson’s like the prosciutto.

So I headed to the second store, Vons, and continued my shopping.  Why couldn’t I find prosciutto there either?  Nowhere in the fresh produce section was prosciutto to be found (okay, stop laughing at me).  And why could I not find fresh rosemary or oregano leaves in the seasonings section?

Finally, I purchased all the groceries I could find and headed home to take inventory of what I still didn’t have.  28-ounce can of diced tomatoes in their juices.  Check.  Oh, wait…why does the recipe also call for a 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes?  Didn’t see that one.  But why didn’t the recipe just say I needed 42-ounces of diced tomatoes.  I was already starting not to like cooking and I hadn’t even fired up the oven yet.

But I wasn’t going to let anything keep me from preparing this special dinner I set out to make for my hubby, so I returned to the store — for the third time — to pick up the remaining items on my list.  Up and down the produce isle looking for the prosciutto, I finally broke down and asked the produce man where I could find it.  Looking a bit baffled he said, “Ma’am, the proscuitto is in the deli section.”  What would it be doing in the deli section, I thought to myself.

Ah ha!  Prosciutto is a meat not a vegetable.  Okay, one problem solved.  Now, about those lightly toasted pine nuts and fresh rosemary and oregano leaves.  After realizing the fresh leaves were in the produce section (not the seasoning isle) and the pine nuts would have to be purchased untoasted, I finally had everything I needed to begin cooking.

By now, it’s in the middle of the day and I’ve been shopping for ingredients in this one recipe for several hours.  So I begin to prep.  First, I needed to determine how to toast the pine nuts since that wasn’t in the recipe.  Do I put them in the oven or the skillet?  I decided toasting sounded like something I could do easily in a skillet.

Chopped the fresh leaves, cooked the lamb, boiled the noodles and began to pull everything together.  Somewhere in the midst of all this, Keith called to see how my day was going and boy did I give him an earful.  Not only did it take me three trips to the grocery store but now that I’ve prepped the food, there are literally pots, pans and dirty chopping boards all over the kitchen.  What a mess! 

Keith could hear the discouragement and frustration in my voice so he gave me a gentle “I love you” and I got back to cooking.  After an hour or so of prepping came the moment of triumph.  I could finally layer all the ingredients into the 9″ square glass pan and exclaim “Victory!”  Then I looked at the dish and thought, “All that for this tiny amount of food?” 

Nonetheless, I was finally done and could put the lasagna into the preheated oven (at least I knew how to preheat an oven ) for 50 minutes.  Halfway through the baking, and in the middle of me cleaning two sinks full of dishes, Keith returned home with a beautiful bouquet of white roses.  I thought, “God bless that man!”

The end of the story is the lasagna came out and was one of the tastiest either of us have had and it all seemed worth it.  Sort of.  Keith swears that experience traumatized me because it took me another 5 years or so to even attempt to make another recipe and even then I’d make the same recipe over and over and over again.

When my sisters and I were growing up, my mom was similar in that she only cooked a few meals.  Oddly enough, Keith’s mom was the exact same way.  Now, both my mom and his mom are two of the best cooks around but neither of them really learned to cook until we were grown.  Thus, I never found cooking to be important.  The funny thing is once my mom learned to cook, she wrote a book entitled, ”God is in the Kitchen Too,” containing all of her favorite recipes.

Almost eight years after my first adventure into cooking for my new husband, I’ve probably cooked eight times (I know, I know) and although Keith teases me about it, he’s never made it a big deal.  Which is why I want to do something special and begin cooking for him on a weekly basis.  But I need your help!

I need really tasty recipes that don’t involve toasting or roasting anything in advance, no chopping fresh leaves and a simple recipe to follow.  Prep time and the ingredient list have to both be extremely short.  So I’m asking all of the readers of this blog to help me fall in love with cooking (or at least to like it a little more).

Do you have a recipe your family absolutely raves about but is so simple to make it astonishes you how much they love it?  Great!  That’s the recipe I’m looking for .  I’m hosting a contest over the next two weeks.  If you’ll send me your recipe, you’ll be automatically entered to win a $25 gift card of your choice for Starbucks, Barnes & Noble or Amazon.  The drawing is completely random, automated and done through a third party site.  Just post your recipe here in the comments section and then click on this link to enter your full name and email address so I can contact you in two weeks if you’re the winner.

I’m so stoked about this.  After 8 years of takeout, I’m going to battle the kitchen again but this time I’m determined to win!

Until tomorrow…make it a great day!