The Friday Five

***Today is the final day to enter my first ever giveaway! Giveaway closes at 11 p.m. CST. Details can be found here!***

Five of my favorite television shows of all time:
The Cosby Show

VIA

A Different World

VIA

Martin

VIA

Frasier

VIA

ER

VIA

What are some of your favorite shows past or present?

Wordless Wednesday: The First Day of Fifth Grade

Don't forget to enter my very first giveaway! Details can be found here!

Bacon Lettuce Roasted Tomato Sandwich

Yes, I know I am late with the sandwich a week posts for National Sandwich Month "but what had happened was" LOL

So, if I had to pick a favorite sandwich of all time, the BLT would be it. I mean this classic sandwich has come a long way from plain old lettuce, processed cheese, and "light" bread.

In our home, we build BLT like we build our burgers; piling them high with all kinds of goodness! This particular sandwich was blessed with bacon jam aioli *faints and faints and faints*

We test tasted this at our favorite grocery store and loved it. The store had a buy one get one free *schwing* All I did was mix a couple of tablespoons in about a cup of regular mayo...instant bacon jam aioli!

I piled my sandwich with romaine, avocado spread, bacon jam and a really good aged Wisconsin sharp cheddar...girl bye!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!! A jar of this bacon jam could be yours! Go here for details.

All Gussied Up...and my first giveaway!

****THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED****
So the super awesome Kristen over at http://www.kristendanielledesigns.blogspot.com/ gave my blog some pretty! Do you see how fancy I try to keep it for you people! I even have a cute little grab button...um I didn't know what a grab button was until last week #TrueStory
I am so happy with the new look, I'm going to do a giveaway! My first giveaway will be of one of my new favorite things: Bacon Jam! *Swoons* Get your life cause it is soooooooo good! You can mix it in burgers, add it to mayo or even add it to a sauce. The salty, sweet mix is perfection!

One randomly chosen person will receive one jar of this deliciousness courtesy of me! Alls you gotta do is leave a comment on this post telling me one thing that makes you happy.  That's it! Easy right? 
The Bacon Jam Giveaway starts today, Monday, August 27, 2012 and ends at 11:00pm CST Friday, August 31, 2012. Winner will be announced Monday, September 3, 2012. After the winner has been announced, he or she will have 48 hours to email me with their mailing information before a new random winner will be chosen.
I can't wait to read your happy!!

T. L. C.

I have dreams.

• I have always wanted to buy and renovate houses and sell them (long before it became en vogue)
• I want to own a little strip center for other small businesses to realize their dreams
• I also want to own and operate a private school and daycare
• I want to open an amusement park for little kids, like for ages one to seven or eight; I mean if you have ever been to Six Flags with small children, there is not much to do in the way of rides and games for the little ones. 
• I have even entertained the idea of owning a small dessert bakery.
• I also want to own a venue that is strictly a live music venue; there would be a house band and the best live music around!

I want to make the rules for my life and determine how much money I am worth and not rely on someone else to determine that for me. In order to do that I need to Take Lots of Chances....but it’s scary.

Every time I think of the things I want to accomplish, I get an extreme case of Whatifitis: what if I run out of money, what if I don't have enough money, what if no one likes my baked goods, what if I can't find reliable and responsible employees, what if I don't hire the right attorney, I have plenty of common sense but what if more experienced business persons take advantage of me, what if I can't find some really great real estate for my businesses, what if...I fail? I want to be successful so badly that I don't do anything because I am so afraid of failing. Silly right??

My daughter's former Nanny is an older lady with a family of her own. She has been caring for other people's children her entire life. She has always wanted to own and operate her own daycare facility, but money was always tight or timing was just not right; she is married with six children and a daughter in law and her mother who all live with her; she and her husband are paying for medical school and college for two of the six and two more will going next year PLUS she has this huge house. 

Anyway, over the time we'd known one another, owning this daycare has been her dream. She tried getting loans and she was always turned down for one reason or another. She was so discouraged that one evening I'm getting B and she starts crying, I mean the ugly, snot running down her nose, can hardly breathe cry! So I hug her and ask what is the matter and she tells me that this daycare is the one thing she wants and it seems that it is the hardest to attain. And in all of my wisdom (not really!) I say to her, "When it is time for you to own that daycare, every single thing will fall into place, everything."

And sure enough it did. After we prayed together (she to Allah and I to my God) over the next several weeks her dream came to fruition. She found a foreclosed, top of the line daycare, she went 'balls to the wall' and placed her house up as collateral for her loan, she passed every single one of her inspections with flying colors! I am enormously proud of her; she is living her dream!

I also know a woman who's living her dream of making movies and another who's just published her first book (hopefully she will allow me to write a little something about her later). I know several great people who've stepped out on faith to realize their dreams.

But alas, I need to take my own advice and step out on faith. The dreams I have now are the same ones I had 15 years ago. Alls I have to do is do it. So what if I fail at least I tried right? So I, like you, should start today by taking the necessary steps to accomplishing your dreams because great success requires Taking Lots of Chances!!

What are some of YOUR dreams? What are you doing to make them come true?

It's Friday!!!!!!

Wordless Wednesday - Photo Dump

Live Life

I believe that it is never too late for people to have the life they envisioned for themselves. I am thankful that the Creator has seen fit to keep me here a little longer. It just tells me He is not finished with me yet; that I still have work to do, dreams to fulfill and goals to accomplish.

The process of living your best life has to start with you. You have to believe that you deserve all good things for yourself. You have to believe you are worthy of respect, worthy to be cherished and loved and cared for. However, that begins with loving yourself. When you love yourself there are just certain behaviors you will not even entertain. You teach people how to treat you. Let me share a little secret, it is OK to NOT want to be lied to, cheated on, beat on, verbally abused, used as a doormat, etc. You accept the love you think you deserve. 

I also believe that you have to stop being angry about the Life hand you were dealt. None of us started life, or even went through life, where it was all sunshine and rainbows. Most of us started out on the BS Playground. Get over it already! Seriously, you are 30, 40, 60 years old and still harboring anger over choices your parents made when you were fifteen? Come on son! 

One of my favorite 'Mom saying' is life is about choices, choose wisely. Each one of us has made some not so bright decisions but what did you do after that? Did you see the lesson? Wallow in self pity? After I got tired of wallowing, I talked to a counselor about the bad things that happened to me and about the bullshit decisions I made that negatively affected my life. I have stated this before, but seeing a professional was one of the best thing I ever did for myself. That was the beginning of me letting go of the past and loving myself. Notice I didnt say "forget".

Additionally, you can't be angry with the people you allow to maintain space in your life, the career path you chose but hate, the husband/wife that you knew was no good for you before you got married or is not good for you now, the city you live in or whatever it is that is holding you back from your happiness. You can change all of those things. Choose to change. Choose to have better. Choose to love yourself fully and completely. Stop being afraid, step out on faith and believe in your soul that you deserve every ounce of good life you have been denying yourself!! Revisit the things that make you happy, the things that happened in your childhood, your previous marriage/relationship or whatever, that is causing you apprehension, bitterness, misery or anger. Find a way to let it go for good. Then tell me how much more your life has been enriched because of it! You only have one life, don't waste it being angry at the world! LIVE IT UP!

For Your Monday...

HAPPY MONDAY!!!


Source: www.pinterest.com

August Photo Challenge - Day 10 Rings

http://fatmumslim.com.au/here-it-is-photo-a-day-august-challenge-list/

#PhotoADayAug