Try it Tuesday....Pringles Stix

Pringles Stix

"Baked Wheat Crispy Cracker Sticks"
When I heard about these, I knew I wanted to try them. I also knew the best place to get them would be Super Wal-mart. They usually have new things in stock and for a better price than most other stores. Well, this time, sure, they had them, but the price wasn't right! I expected to see a much lower price. These were about $3.40 for a box of 10 packs. That seemed a bit high to me. The box wasn't that big (picture a fruit snack box only slightly wider) and the foil packages aren't so big either. But- they did taste pretty good.

I let my kids pick the flavor to try because at that price I was only buying one box. We ended up with the pizza flavored stix. They would be pretty good crushed on top of some soup or dipped in some marinara sauce. Don't get me wrong- they are small stix- only about 3 1/2 inches long and super skinny, but they weren't bad for 90 calories. I was let down by the fiber content though. The box says they are baked wheat so I fully expected "some" fiber. Not. None of the flavors, including the crunchy wheat, have any fiber to fill me up. But like I said, they were tasty and it's a nice snack to eat with my fat free hot dog on a light bun!
Maybe I'll edit this post later with a photo of my kids eating them so you get an idea of what they look like and the size.

Each pack of the Pizza (again...there are 10 in a package) is 2 Weight Watcher points (90 calories, 4 gr fat, 0 fiber).

They come in the following flavors:
-Pizza
-Crunchy Wheat
-Vanilla
-Honey Butter

Check out the website for nutritionals on the other flavors above. I believe they are all similar. www.pringles.com

I'm wondering if the Vanilla and Honey Butter would taste more like a dessert. The kids thought they sounded, "yucky" so I'll have to try them later. I'm still kind of floored by the price, but I bet Pringles is trying to keep their prices steady with other 100 calorie snacks. That's too bad because I would have bought all the flavors at once if they were priced lower.

Oh, and speaking of Pringles....Wal-mart is the only store to sell regular Pringles in Honey Mustard flavor. I live for these babies! Honey Mustard is the *BEST* Pringle flavor ever created! Sometimes I just have to break down and spend the 3 WW points on them because they are super fab! Try them! I promise you won't be disappointed. But hurry...each can says they are limited time only. I hope they change their minds!

*EDIT*
Here is a recent photo of my son eating one of the skinny Pringles Pizza flavored Stix :)

Goodbye Sweet Prophet

Gordon B. Hinckley
June 23, 1910–January 27, 2008

President Hinckley passed away tonight at about 7pm. My first thought after hearing of our loss was sadness followed by joy because I knew that he was now with his beloved wife. Can you imagine the grand reunion they must have had? I know he missed her dearly and now we will miss them both.

I'm grateful to have had such a wonderful spirit leading our church for the past 12 years. President Hinckley's son Clark was our Bishop many years ago. He even taught me how to do my tithing. I remember Pres. Hinckley coming to visit once and I was able to shake his hand. What a neat memory.

Feel free to read more about our prophet at the official church website, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Dropped the ball

I know, I know....I haven't posted in a loooong time. I'm sorry. There is too much going on that needed/needs my attention. I've put blogging at the bottom of my priority list. In the past week, Molly had a birthday (birthdays are always busy), I've been sick with aches and a sore throat, my much-loved dog died, my Dad had a stroke and I've had some pretty big headaches (migraines?). So I'm sorry for the lack of postings (not that anyone is begging me to get back on track anyway!). It also frustrates me that my blog won't load properly, so I'm not happy with even trying to log in.
I will try to do a Try it Tuesday soon, although it might be a Try it Friday or Saturday. I feel better when I post, so I'll try to get back on track soon when I feel up to it.

Rootin' Tootin' Christmas Gift

I have to back up again to December and teacher's gifts.If some of my regular readers (I know..short list..haha) might remember, I was going to make some "Rootin' Tootin" gifts for some of my kids teachers. It's more of a masculine gift, but it can go to anyone with a silly sense of humor. I thought I'd share a picture of the finished product along with the tag.

I put corrugated paper around the cans and stapled it tight. It doesn't look tight in the picture, but trust me, those cans weren't going anywhere! We then put it in a nice gift bag along with the tag attached to the back of the cans wishing them a "rootin' tootin' Christmas".


And a close up of the tag:


I guess Mr. Boyd liked the gift since the kids said he showed plenty of people. I love that it's not the average gift and can be humorous. We don't have much money this year and had several teachers, so it was neat to have something fun to give that didn't cost much. The idea can also be used for other occasions. "Have a Rootin' Tootin' Valentines Day, Birthday, Father's Day, etc.

I also gave some teachers truffles with the fun saying that Megan suggested: "We hope we don't get in "Truffle", but we had to give you something as sweet as you are!". I put the kids cute little faces on the tags with those. Thanks for the idea Megan!

By the way, I'm having trouble seeing any of my posts on my main page. I only see the header and right side area with photos etc. Can everyone else see my posts or is it just me that is having blogger problems? I only access them by using the Archives. Grrr.

Try it Tuesday....McCain Sweet Potato crinkle cut fries

Yum! Sweet Potato crinkle cut fries from the premium line of McCain Foods, USA. You know, the company that makes those annoying smiley potato thingies that my kids hate.

I've never been a big fan of sweet potato. I avoid the sugary marshmallow ones at Thanksgiving. Ew. So I wasn't especially counting on these babies to be good. But I thought I'd try them because recently I had some "sweet potato medallions" at a restaurant and loved them. They were deep fried of course, but really tasty for sweet potato. When I saw that McCain had some sp fries at Wal-mart, I thought I'd try them. After all, sweet potatoes are full of fiber right? So I thought they would be filling if I could get myself to like them. Wal-mart had a one pound frozen package of these for only $1.98. Cheap! I have to admit, they stayed in my freezer for about a month before I actually tried them yesterday. I was scared. No, not really. It's just that I fully expected to NOT like them. The kids weren't especially thrilled when I baked them either. So after Mr. B licked one, he said they were, "icky". So much for trying them. If I only went around just licking foods, I'd starve. Can you get much flavor from a lick? Other than a Tootsie Pop I mean..and ice cream...and frosting...and sugar...ok, ok licking is goooood.

Anyway, the sweet potato crinkles were very yummy in my opinion. Of course I always have to have my fries a bit crunchier than other people. No soft fries here. Slightly over baked is the way to go for me. I tried them without dipping in anything and they were good. I dipped them in BBQ sauce and they were even better. I also tried dipping them in honey mustard and loved it. As far as WW points goes..the serving is 3 oz for only 2 points! Yessss. And 3 oz is good sized in my opinion. I bet these would taste great with a bit of melted cheese. Mmm.

Best of all, these babies are trans fat free and full of vitamins. They only have 2 grams of fiber (I thought there would be more), but it's still a good source of fiber anyway. Here are the nutritionals:



%Daily Value*
Serving size: 3 oz (85 g)
Serving per container: 80
Total fat 3 g 5 %
Saturated Fat 0.5 g 3 %
Transfat g %
Cholesterol 0 mg 0 %
Sodium 180 mg 8 %
Total Carbohydrate 22 g 7 %
Dietary fiber 2 g 8 %
Sugars 9 g
Protein 0 g 0 %
Calories 120
Calories from fat 30
Potassium 240 mg 7 %

Vitamin A 100 % Vitamin C 16 %
Calcium 2 % Iron 2 %

Now head on out to Wal-mart and get yourself a bag! Oh! And there are some yummy looking recipes for dipping on this McCain pdf file: Harvest Recipe Book
Personally, I think the Bourbon Butter Sauce sounds heavenly, but I bet it's fattening. Sometimes we just have to splurge right?!

Seen in the Sunday Wal-mart Ad: Nabisco 100-calorie packs of Oreo and Chips Ahoy Candy Bites.
Not the regular cookie thins that they offer...these are round candy bites. Sounds interesting and possibly worth trying???

STANDING FOR SOMETHING

Originally I was going to post about how I never make New Year's resolutions. Why don't I make them each year? Because I don't believe in the once a year hoopla of tossing out the words and then actually tossing away the plan by the end of February or March. I am a FIRM believer that goals should be made continuously and worked on continuously. I don't wait until the New Year to start losing weight. I don't wait until the New Year to decide to be a better parent. I'm always making goals and working to achieve them. When and if I achieve one, I set a another and work on it along side other ones.

I'm not saying that I disagree with people who make New Year's resolutions. Not at all. More power to those people and I wish them the best of luck. I'm just saying that it's not something that works for me.

Anyway, the reason for the post subject change is that I felt inspired to set a new goal because of a speech given by Elder M. Russell Ballard at BYU Hawaii this past December about using "new media" to support the teachings of the church. Here is the link.

He says that he would urge us today to use the Internet — including blogs and other forms of “new media” — to contribute to a national conversation about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“We cannot stand on the sidelines while others, including our critics, attempt to define what the Church teaches,” he said.
He's sooo right. There are so many misconceptions about our religion. I am a frequent user of Google and Google images. When I google anything about the church, I always see the sites touting the problems with "mormonism" and lds bashing. If only people could understand that any site (in my opinion) that uses the word, "mormonism" is going to have negative things to say about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, they could stay away from it and go to the source of truth. If anyone reading this isn't a member of the church, but would like more information, accurate information...why not go to the official church website? Try this link to the site: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
If the link doesn't work, go to www.lds.org

The official church website is the best place to get accurate information. There is so much knowledge to be learned at the site.

Back to Elder Ballards speech....he goes on to say that there were too many conversations going on about the Church for Church representatives to respond to each individually, and that Church leaders “can’t answer every question, satisfy every inquiry and respond to every inaccuracy that exists.”

He said students should consider sharing their views on blogs, responding to online news reports and using the “new media” in other ways.

But he cautioned against arguing with others about their beliefs. “There is no need to become defensive or belligerent,” he said. Remember as the Proverb states that “a soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger” (Proverbs 15:1).

I can see how someone can be angered easily when they are provoked on a message board or something similar online. I do my best to stay away from those type of areas on the internet, but this is my own personal blog. I think it's about time that I stand for something loud and clear. I'll be adding more pictures, more views and more testimony of my beliefs in the coming posts. We live and learn by example. I want to set a good example and spread the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm a strong Christian woman who loves the Lord, my family, and the country that I live in. I can be a voice for the Lord or keep my views quiet and fade into the background. I love to blog and I'll stand tall in my beliefs on this blog.

Elder Ballard suggests that we make sure that the choices we make in the use of new media are choices that expand our minds, increase our opportunities, and feed our souls.
I love to read other blogs that uplift me, so thank you to the many other bloggers out there who contribute such wonderful examples in the blogging world! Just as Elder Ballard states, my position is solid; the Church is true. We simply need to have a conversation, as friends in the same room would have, always guided by the prompting of the Spirit. That is my continued goal.

Would you like to join me?

Random Christmas Photos

I know it's been awhile since I've posted...sorry. I've been busy and now I'm a bit sick. Recovery has been slowww. I'm fully expecting the rest of my family to get it. I'm tired of being down in bed, so I thought I'd get up and try to post some recent pictures of my family during the Christmas season.

Here's Macie with the gingerbread house that she made with her Adopt-A-Reader, Mrs. Sikkenga. Last year at her elementary school, every Tuesday Mrs. Sikkenga came in to read with Macie and help her along with spelling. Each child had their very own Adopt-A-Reader. What a wonderful concept! All of my children have had one so far. Macie's friend still keeps in contact with her and occasionally comes over to pick her up and do fun things. This time it was to make the gingerbread house. On her birthday, she took her to McDonald's and gave her a squishy pillow as a gift. (note to self...remind Macie to write Thank You notes!)


Here is Jillian and her friend getting ready for their HS Christmas dance. When I was young, a Christmas dance didn't even exist. Around these parts it's a big deal, but homecoming isn't. For me, homecoming was a formal affair. Go figure..
Doesn't she look lovely?! And modest too. I had to sew the jacket on though. It's really difficult to find any formal dresses that have sleeves...locally that is.

Ava with eyes all aglow...Thankfully, she's too young this year to tug on the tree and ornaments!

Macie and her cousin R.J. share their December birthdays just 2 days apart. Here they are at the movies on R.J.'s birthday.
In case you haven't seen this before, here is the Christmas card photo that I sent out via e-mail this year. It was hard to get them all to cooperate, so they look a bit grubby. Let's just say they wanted to be, "comfortable". :)
Of course eating the school gift shoppe present from Molly is better than opening it.
My Dad at our family get-together on Christmas Eve.
Again...at our family get-together at my sister Sheri's house. Brycen and Molly along with 2 of my niece Kara's kiddos, Kyler and Aleah. I love the look on Kyler's face. He was so funny that day.....he was more excited this year than any to open gifts but he would look soooo sad when I would pass out a present that was for someone else. I guess he thought that every one I picked up from under the tree was supposed to be for him! Heck, who doesn't want the same thing?!
My Dad and sister Sheri in the backround
And last but not least...I had fun scrappin' this one with my dh and my bro-in-law Mark. Of course this was taken right after we ate our big meal. Actually, dh slept right through most of the gift unwrapping. I'll give him a break though...he worked several nights in a row before this. Anyway, I hope everyone out there had a wonderful Christmas spent with family and with thoughts of the birth of our Savior.It's my prayer that we will keep him in our thoughts every day and give thanks for the wonderful example he has brought to us. Love to all!
P.S....don't you just love the snow outside through the window in that pic? By the way...the blue Blazer is for sale...my nephew Michael says make an offer...haha

Try it Tuesday....Peanut Butter Snickers

Peanut Butter Snickers??


I dunno about this one. I don't usually eat Snickers anyway because it's 7 Weight Watcher points. I saw this new peanut butter flavor and decided to try a couple bites just for Try it Tuesday. I wasn't too impressed. From what I understand, Peanut Butter Snickers was on the market about 10 years ago and now it's back for a limited time. But this time it's labeled, Nut & Crunchy. I can see why they named it that. I fully expected to taste peanut buttery nougat. Didn't happen. It's more of a nuttier Snickers. It seemed really dense too. It wasn't worth buying again in my opinion. I didn't even check the WW points on it because I knew it wasn't worth it. It had to be more than 7 points because of the added peanuts.

Not impressed. If anyone out there liked it better than I did, more power to ya. I won't be rushing out to steal any from you before they are yanked from the shelves.

Yes, I was going to review the Honey Mustard Pringles this week, but changed my mind. Maybe next week. I did see on the website, that Pringles is coming out with Stix. They look like bread sticks and come in flavors such as vanilla, wheat, pizza and honey butter.

Also, if you are reading this, you must have found my post on the sidebar. I'm having trouble with Blogger allowing my posts to be seen and photos showing up. Not sure how to fix it or if it's a Blogger glitch. Maybe I'll get lucky and it will fix itself. I don't see anyone else with the same problem. Figures. haha.

Oh and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I was a crazy woman and allowed my daughter to have several youth from church over for New Year's Eve. 14 all together as a matter of fact. It was loud, but fun. They all seemed to have a good time playing games and pigging out. It's nice to see them all get along and also welcome 2 new girls who just moved into the Ward. Plus, they were clean partyers! I didn't have much to pick up after they were done. Yessss