Dogs Are A Soul's Best Friend...If You Keep Them. by Housewife Elisha Wooten

Have you ever noticed that people either REALLY love dogs or REALLY hate them? I'm a bipolar dog lover. One minute I will love on one like they're better than a real human and the next I'm putting a for sale sign around it's neck. If you have ever read that guy's book about personalities and colors and standing naked in the shower and what not, you will know that I am a GOLD. I follow the rules, I like things in order, and I like predictability. So let me tell about my history with animals and how they have failed immensely to uphold my expectations of the Gold lady I am. Please do not judge...just laugh at my immaturity and poor judgement skills. No animals were harmed in the making of this story time blog.

I blame the cutesey Hallmark industry for the adorable "Kittens and
Puppies in Teacups" calendars that you see everywhere. It sparked my first desire for my first dog...a Pomeranian. An ex boyfriend got him for me as a Christmas gift. He literally fit in my hands. I assumed he would stay that size forever as in the calendars. I also assumed you could lean over and say, "Go potty" and he would scamper outside and do his thing. SORELY MISTAKEN!! Luckily his "accidents" were the size of quarters but as he grew (which confused me) then so did his messes. I eventually just assumed he had a mental disability or genetic mutation as dogs were SUPPOSE to go outside. Nobody told me that you had to train them. (Please keep in mind this was at age 17 when my frontal lobe was not even close to fully developed. I also thought love would last forever at that age if that gives you a good playing field for my immaturity.)

So, I wanted something different. There had to be smarter dogs out there. I sent the dog to live with my ex's mother and set out to find a better dog. I always thought those West Highland Terriers on the cover of the Cesar Dog Food containers were cute and Toto, from the Wizard of Oz was a terrier and he followed Dorothy through munchkin land with full blown song and dance going on so they MUST be smart dogs. I found a breeder, paid for him, brought him home and thought he was great! He at least used the puppy pad i laid out so I was somewhat happy with that for now. I now knew you had to train them so I was prepared this time but expected things to go a little smoother. I returned from work a few days later to discover he had chewed the wires to our TV and chewed a little hole in the bedroom door as well. He went back to the breeder that night for a refund. I couldn't possibly handle a disobedient dog that was angry and defiant!

Then came the American Stafford-shire Bull Terrier...the show version of a pit. Suspicious that my then boyfriend was in the hillbilly mafia, I wanted a guard dog for when he was not home and of course the infamous Pit came to mind. I picked one out, paid for him, and by day two he had destroyed my entire living room and had my Pomeranian in a choke hold and half his fluff ripped off his neck. I could not handle such a vicious dog. He would surely attack and eat me in my sleep. I thought they were dog friendly and just angry at strangers? Maybe there was something wrong with this dog as well. I took him back to his breeder.

Found an abandoned Alaskan Malamute at a convenient store. Took him home and realized he howled like a wolf and perhaps maybe he WAS a wolf so he quickly got donated to a friend and then...I was all alone again.

I decided that I STILL wanted a dog but maybe I just needed something real small....REAL SMALL. Something that even if he has an accident full grown, it'll be okay and I can clean it up and really work with this new dog to train him properly and he can sit on my lap and watch Judge Judy with me and I'll sneak him in my purse to go to Homeland and we will just be the best of friends. So, I bought a Yorkie...cut to 3 days later when I came home and found him in a diabetic coma. I rushed him to the vet who explained he needed doggy insulin.....yep, you guessed right, he went back too.

I don't know if I ran out of money or finally realized I did not have the patience or time for a dog but I stopped. i went without an animal until about 2 years ago. When my husband's father passed away I surprised my husband with an English Bulldog on Christmas...AGAIN...without doing much research. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say any fancy car or home that a vet owns is probably paid for by Bulldog owners. That puppy had been to the vet more in 2 months than I go to a doctor EVER! Cherry eye, projectile diarrhea, pigtail something, you name it. So here we have a $1500 dog with $1000 in surgeries and vet bills piling up and the scene cuts to me coming home to this lovely scene:

 

In my defense, we had just received full custody of my step son 2 months after we brought Boomer home and I was feeling overwhelmed to say the least. Husband worked odd hours on the ambulance and nobody got to give Boomer much attention so though it broke my husband's heart we found him a new home. I had good intentions but I realized I couldn't mentally handle a puppy whatsoever....Murphy's Law or some shat.

 Then there was Luke...He wandered up during a storm. I never intended to keep him but he ended up staying for a few months until I found the sweetest old lady to take him. I felt good about that transaction I can finally admit. 

Then there were 2 stray kittens that my mother in law decided to send home with us one weekend. They lasted about a month and then the new wore off and the kids stopped playing with them and then I suddenly realized they had claws and knew how to use them on my furniture despite all the scratching posts I had bought. They also liked to jump on the counters and chew the nipples off Greyson's bottles. They found a good home as well.

So by now you're probably thinking, "What is wrong with her? Why does she not like animals?"  I cannot answer that. I don't even like my own family or husband some days. I equate my relationship with animals much like my relationship with makeup or bras. You spend tons of money going through different kinds until one day, you find the right fit, the right shade, the right EVERYTHING and it just works....and I do NOT get tired of great makeup and great support. I have learned I cannot do PUPPIES and I cannot do hyper.

 So imagine my surprise when this little guy came home with my husband a week or so ago:

and guess what?

 I LOOOOVE HIM! Everyone, meet Moose. He sleeps, he walks slow, he knows TRICKS!, he uses the bathroom outside, he takes the trash out, he even babysits occasionally. I love him so much already that I can bet you he will end up on our Christmas cards this year. I have heard people go on and on about Bullies and I was all hyped up as well, until I had one...as a  puppy and in need of so much surgery. If I had been smart a long time ago, I would have just bought a full grown Bully already trained with all his surgeries. Now all I have to do is love on him and wait til hip dysplasia sets in and save up for that vet bill. That's it! Works all done for me!

I told you my deep dark past of dogs to tell you that it IS possible to find a perfect match. My advice is NO PUPPIES and NO ENERGY! If that seems like your kind of fit, then a Bully may be right for you! Or a goldfish.........

Weight Loss Tips by Housewife Kayla Boos

Summer is on the way and you have a short time to be looking your best. Don’t despair, there IS still time to make changes to your body!

I have to say that part of looking good is feeling confident. When you make positive steps towards self care by making healthy choices, you can’t help but feel better about yourself. Funny how that gets noticed too: you walk a little taller, you stop slouching and your head is held higher. This alone can make anyone look better without losing a pound of weight.

But, not only am I going to help you feel more confident, I want to give you the tools to lose some fat and get on a healthy path.

 
To begin, nutrition is all about mind set. Change the way you think about food and you will see your body change slowly.. We live in a culture of abundance and over abundance. Once I got my head around the fact that there will always be food, whether it is my favorite dish or dessert, it made it easier to back off on portion sizes. The scarce mentality keeps you in over eating mode.  Thankfully, it’s NEVER the last meal or treat. If your favorite cake is eaten, you can always make another on another day. Getting this in my head really helped me to enjoy a small portion and not feel like I needed more. Of course mind set isn’t the only way to change your nutrition, in fact it’s just the start, but it was a healthy start for me.

Take a few moments to examine your relationship with food. Is it a healthy one? Why do you eat and even over eat? Are you even mind set?  Best Tips for Summer Fat Loss conscious of the fact that you don’t make healthy nutritional choices? Getting this stuff on your radar is super important because you can’t change what you don’t acknowledge. Once you figure out your triggers, then you’ll be so much more successful at supportive eating. And while you’re at it, this may be a time to look at other relationships in your life to ensure that if you have something unhealthy going on in another area of your life that this isn’t impacting your relationship with food. Yes, this is a big pill to swallow I know. This doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s the start of an awareness that will eventually help in your overall health and wellness.

Next there are just practical things that you need to do in order to lose weight and feel better about yourself. And by the way, if you don’t feel like you need to lose any weight, please continue to read. I sometimes make the mistake of assuming that most of you are looking at fat loss. If you just want to maintain your weight and be healthy, these are tips that will do just that-warning: you may lose some weight too. Here are my top seven tips:

Eat often. Your metabolism is less likely to crash when your body gets fed healthy food at regular intervals. Eat every 2-3 hours, just before you get the ‘eat anything’ feeling.

Healthy meals do not happen by themselves. They require planning. This includes time spent shopping and preparing. Sorry, there is no way of getting around this unless you’re going to hire a personal chef.... Invest the time in yourself.

Make a promise to yourself that you will not put empty calories in your mouth. You will minimize any over eating damage when you eat nutritionally decent food.

Plan to eat more protein than you probably ever have before. This is because it’s difficult to over eat protein. As well, there is a thermogenic effect from the break down of protein; in fact, it takes more calories to metabolize protein than other foods. Another bonus is the blood sugar stabilizing effect that protein has. You will not get the blood sugar highs and lows that can be dangerous to health and healthy eating when you consume protein with every meal and snack.

Make sure to NEVER eat carbohydrates alone. Try to pair up carbs with some healthy fat and preferably protein. By eating carbs alone, your body will turn those carbs into sugar and your body will respond by pumping out insulin. If you don’t burn up that blood sugar with exercise, the insulin will just shuttle that blood sugar into storage. You’ll be more likely to add junk to your trunk by eating carbohydrates alone.

Quality carbohydrate selection is imperative. You pretty much will never over eat on veggies, so that should take up the majority of your plate. Stay clear as much as possible of anything processed and eat close to the ground. That is, eat foods that look like they’ve just been picked and not processed to a point of  being unidentifiable.

Limit liquid calories. This includes alcohol. "I know this doesn’t sound fun," but truly, what are your goals? To have a good time or to look your best? Or both? Chances are that if you’re looking your best, you’ll be much more likely to have a good time, alcohol or not! A drink will never feel as good as you will when you feel your best in your toned and healthy body.

Have a fabulous day Housewives of Muskogee County!!

Greek Salad With Baked Pita

INGREDIENTS:

    2 6-inch whole-wheat pitas
    1 English cucumber, unpeeled and chopped
    2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
    1/2 red onion, chopped
    1 15-oz can low-sodium chickpeas, rinsed and drained
    1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
    1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
    3 tbsp lemon juice
    Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
    2 oz low-fat feta cheese, crumbled
    Paprika for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

    Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut each pita into 4 strips and cut each strip into 1-inch triangles, splitting apart the 2 “sides” of the pita as you cut. Spread on a baking sheet and toast in oven until pita is crispy, about 10 minutes, tossing once.
    In a large bowl, combine cucumber, tomatoes, onion, chickpeas and parsley. Add oil, lemon juice and pepper; toss well. Add feta and toasted pita and toss again. Garnish with a dash of paprika and serve immediately.

Delish!

If You're Too Busy To Talk...Then Why Do You Have Time To Post On Facebook?... (A lesson in phone etiquette) by Housewife Elisha Wooten

I have always said, "Quality versus quantity" when it comes to friendships. I would rather give 50% of me to 2 people then 10% of me to 10 people. I know everyone has their own agenda, life, and family but what has the world come to that people are now SO busy that even responding to a simple text message becomes a chore? I can have a baby on my hip while stirring dinner on the stove and bending over to paint my toenails and I will STILL answer my phone or return a text message. So, when I don't receive the same in return it irritates me as I have a problem with thinking EVERYONE should be just like me. Everyone should think the same and everyone should expect the same as me. I have learned that the more I think that way the more I am let down. In fact, I will become quite passive aggressive and find ways to hold it against them later down the road.

 



How do I even explain to someone that while I don't expect you to stop in the middle of your love making session to answer my text, any response within 2-4 hours would be fantastic?!




 

I think when we as a society became more and more impersonal with texting it sort of gave some people a "right" along the way to just blow people off and think nothing of it. You are WELCOME to blow me off but by the 2nd or 3rd time just understand I will probably start returning the favor.

This sounds crazy but a new feature on the Iphones is this instant messaging type feature where if the other person has an Iphone that's updated you can see on your screen when the other person is typing and it makes me smile when I notice the other person is immediately typing back....even if just to say, "I'll get back with you after ____"


Maybe it's a generation thing because my grandma is not the only person I know that will ANSWER the phone just to say she is in the bathroom and will call back in a bit. I'm not kidding...and I APPRECIATE that because it let's me know shes not staring at my  name on the caller ID going, "Gosh, Elisha, I talked to you at Thanksgiving...what the heck do you want now?"

 My own father is that way. I have learned to not expect a response within 24 hours...and that is hurtful because I know my dad has a tacky belt clip for his phone and as much as he ELOHVEEEES his job he is ALWAYS able to be reached on it so I know my text does not get lost in outer space until the next day. He CHOOSES to wait that long to respond.


What is the moral of the story that I am trying to get across? If you give any kind of number 2 about your friendships or the person on the other end then please have some common courtesy and respond when someone calls or texts. If you don't have time to do that then you shouldn't have friends or family. You should move to the islands of Kuwait and live there, off the land, without any telecommunications as to not be bothered by silly phone beeps and requests to converse.


I'm currently designing an Iphone app that will alert you when you get a message and give you the option to send a quick response back without having to type it yourself such as:

"I have been avoiding you until someone dies and I am forced to make funeral arrangements with you."

"I do not want to hear about your husband and how he is out again with his friends at the bar. Call Dr. Phil"

"I don't enjoy hearing how my brother/sister has once again trumped my existence. Call me at Christmas"

"Yes, I think you should get back on a diet."

"I am VERY much looking forward to talking to you and as soon as I can medicate my children into bedtime I will call you back."


Remember this, ladies, the next time you hit the divert button on your phone....ESPECIALLY if it's to me! LOL!

The World’s Best Frozen Margarita Recipe

 

Pour the following ingredients into a blender.

    3 ounces of your favorite tequila. I swear by Jose Cuervo Gold.
    1 ounce of your favorite triple sec.
    1 ounce of Grand Marnier.
    1 ounce of Rose’s Lime Juice.
    The juice of one fresh lime.
    Load up with ice.

Run your blender until the liquid is a frothy mixture.  Make sure you add enough ice so that there is a decent thickness to the liquid.  Slice a small wedge of lime and coat the rim of your margarita glass with the juice.  Pour some sea salt onto a dish and place the glass upside down so that the salt adheres to the glass rim.

When your drink is through blending, pour into a glass and ENJOY!

Homemade Laundry Detergent by Housewife Anna Stewart

My family has started the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University and in a way to save money (and have fun making it with my son!) I researched homemade everyday products that I can make very inexpensive and easily. Here’s what I have been using for the last two weeks on our laundry…

What you will need:

Washing soda, borax, cheap soap… I used some free hotel soaps!

To get started: Grate your bar of soap on a grater, food processor, or just shave it with a knife. Be careful not to grate your knuckles too!

This is what it should look like…

Pour in 4 cups of warm water into a large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until all chunks are dissolved.
Stir, stir, stir…

Fill a 5 gallon bucket halfway with VERY warm water. (I bought mine at Lowes for about $5 with the lid, but if you’re smart you can get a free one from a deli or bakery!) Then pour in soap mixture and stir. Fill the rest of the way with more warm water and stir…

Place the bucket (with lid on) in a safe place away from children (drowning hazard!), wait 24 hours…

In the morning you will find this awesome bucket of goo! My son loved getting to wake up and see what had happened overnight!

Stir it to combine the goo with the water (it will separate) and funnel into a used laundry detergent bottle.

Here is the recipe I used…

Ingredients:

1 bar of Ivory soap (or any cheap soap that’s white will work)

4 cups water

1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (sodium carbonate)

½ cup 20 Mule Team Borax

Grate or shave the soap, put in large pot with 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low/medium heat and simmer until all the soap is melted while stirring often. Fill a 5 gallon bucket half way with VERY warm water. Add the melted soap mixture. Stir in the washing soda and borax. Top off with more VERY warm water until the mixture is about 4 inches from top. Place lid on bucket and put it in a safe place away from small children (drowning hazard!). After 24 hours you will be able to see the chemical reaction and the mixture will be gelled, stir well again. Pour into a used laundry detergent bottle and shake well before each use. If desired you can dilute the mixture 1 part detergent/1 part water.

Use ½ cup per load for top loading washers and ¼ cup for front loading washers.

Happy Birthday Jane Strickland!!

Recipe of the Day

Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients

3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (11 ounce) can Mexican-style corn, drained

2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, partially drained

2 tomatoes, diced

2 bunches green onions, chopped

cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix together black beans, Mexican-style corn, diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, tomatoes and green onion stalks. Garnish with desired amount of cilantro leaves. Chill in the refrigerator at least 8 hours, or overnight, before serving.

Prom Dress vs. Wedding Dress

Should A Prom Dress Cost More Than A Wedding Dress? 

It seems the recession  has not affected the prom industry, where prices remain pretty expensive.  I ran into a mom friend at the mall over the weekend who told me stories of buying her daughter’s first prom dress. She has kids ranging from elementary to high school.  Her daughter is a sophomore I think, so she will have two more proms to go after this one.

They went to a very trendy store in Tulsa to look for dresses. The salesperson asked what the mom’s budget was and she replied about $150. The lady said our dresses begin at $300!  WT?

My friend was floored! She didn’t want to embarrass her daughter and wanted her to have a dress she wouldn’t be embarrassed to wear. So they looked and tried to keep the price as low as possible. She ended up with a dress off the clearance rack. Originally in the high $500's, she bought the dress for $399!  Ouch! 

However, I do remember my friend saying it was MORE THAN SHE PAID FOR HER OWN WEDDING DRESS! (Which I think was a rental)

My friend left the store worried about telling her husband  about what she had done. They went to the mall and priced dresses there but said $300 was really where most of the prom dress were starting . (Her daughter wanted a ball gown style dress not a short cocktail dress but even those were usually in the $300s.)

My friend is hoping her daughter will recycle the dress her senior year, but I told her the only way she’ll wear that dress again is if she gets invited to another school’s prom. Right?

So what do you think?  Should a prom dress cost more than a wedding dress? How much did you pay for a dress? How much should you pay? Any chance she’ll rewear it? Or consign it?




What about the poor guys? Should the girls help pay for a limo and dinner?

Does the limo, prom tickets and dinner equal out to what the girl spends on her dress, nails, hair and shoes?



Don't forget to visit our friendly neighborhood Coburn's Tuxedos at Arrowhead Mall for all your prom needs!

 

If you are in need of a rental for prom, a wedding, or any other formal event, its best to come in as early as possible to reserve your tuxedo. This will make sure your items are reserved for your event. Come in and check out our latest styles and colors.

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

Have any of you Housewives ever heard the phrase "A Healthy Body Can Help You Have A Healthy Mind?"  Very True!

Having the desire for a trim, good looking figure or being able to wear clothes that once used to fit you are just a few reasons for a better body. When starting out on the road to a better body, we want our destination to be a ‘physical’ one that results in us looking better to other people.  It helps us keep going if we have a visual of ourselves in mind having already acquired a healthier body.

For people who would like to attain their goals, it’s vital that they have a lot of self-confidence to carry them through to the end. Coming into contact with a person who is confident about themselves and at ease with themselves is a positive experience and inspires trust in that person. You will notice that one of the benefits of exercise is to increase your self-confidence that grows as you get fitter. Your confidence will be at a high on completion of an exercise session and you can use this to your advantage when mapping out your day. As your body begins to look fitter, you’ll find that the boosts in self-esteem after working out start to merge into how you feel about yourself most of the time.

Stress is nearly unavoidable these days at one time or another, but how terrible it appears depends upon how well you can handle it. Stress can be linked with adverse emotions like dread and anxiety, or with more positive feelings of exhilaration or passion and thus stress can be a good or bad experience. It can mean we are living life to the full and if you are working towards having a more fit body, you must begin to see the change in how you cope with stress. It’s quite possible that otherwise successful individuals will suffer from continual stress since they are not as fit or healthy as they could be.

Another way that exercise can be good for your mind is the way you learn to focus and attain your goals. It demands the disciplined application of determined effort to really be fit and healthy over a period of time. Your work, education or recreation are only three other avenues of your life that will benefit from a more focused and disciplined approach. Nothing succeeds like success and having attained a fit body, your new self-confidence will prompt you to take on more challenges in your life.. The fact that you are more energetic will make this easier and make sure you can bask in any rewards this brings to you.

So there are even more reasons to start building your healthy body and you will soon improve your physical and mental state. 

Let's get fit HOMC!

Mango Quinoa Salad

2 cups cooked quinoa* at room temperature, or chilled
1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium mango, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 handful chopped cilantro (about 1/2 cup)
4 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper

*Quinoa can be cooked in water or broth.  I suggest using vegetable or chicken broth for enhanced flavor, but plain water works great too. Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl.  Add mango, red pepper, green onion, black beans, and cilantro.  In a small bowl combine vinegar, olive oil, and lime juice.  Whisk until smooth and pour on top of salad.  Toss to combine and add salt and pepper to taste.  Chill for at least one hour before serving.

Welcome Housewives of Muskogee County!

For quite some time now I've tossed around the idea about creating a blog for the fabulous Housewives of Muskogee County...well here it is and I'm so excited!  Welcome!!

We have lots of fun & exciting things in store for the Housewives!  I've had so much fun getting to know all of you this past year, and look forward to many more years to come!

Happy Spring Break HOMC!

Spring break is here. The rainy weather is upon us, and the kids are out of school. As a working mom, it's not always possible to be off work for the whole week with your children. How have you gotten creative and found solutions to your challenges?  Have you done anything fun with your kids this week?