My cousin and his family moved to Louisiana and he came back to visit for Thanksgiving. He spent one night with us and brought his car. This is what I miss. Him and I singing together while he plays his guitar. I thought I would give you a little sample. This is us singing By His Wounds in the living room. You can probably catch a glimpse of some other songs on my YouTube channel.

Sometimes we get in a rut and we get so busy that life passes us by. Sometimes we are even oblivious to some of things we do. I saw this video and though it talks about a specific sin if you really listen to the words it really applies to everything we do. Our daily life. It made me stop and think, slow down, reevaluate the things I am doing.

God has done so many amazing things in my life and even though I try hard to thank him with my “actions” as a human being I know I slip and let worldly things get in the way. I go to church Sunday mornings and Sunday nights, most of the time Wednesday nights too. I pray every day and I try to be a good example. But my life has become so crazy that I haven’t had time to read my Bible. So whats next? What will I become to busy for without even realizing it? This is what I mean by “slow Fade”.

We often pray to God and ask him to help us yet we give him nothing. We want him to take care of us yet we can’t even give him his one day out of an entire week. Then we wonder why our life is falling apart, why he doesn’t answer. Even as parents are children are watching us, seeing the decisions we make (We will even have to answer to God one day for not leading them). As a child my grandmother (The Royal Grandma) and my mother never gave me a chance to say I didn’t want to go to church, it was just expected of me. At the time I didn’t even think anything of it. Now I look back and I so GRATEFUL that my family did that. It was even an automatic pray before you eat. My Grandmother was the biggest influence in my life, she even would drive with one hand down the road and hold up a big poster board with verses on them and we would have the whole summer to memorize them and then she would give us some big prize if we did. (Thank you grandma for being an influence in my life) Do I do this with my kids now? Sadly no. What’s my excuse? I’ll be honest, I’m too busy. Did that come out of my mouth? It sure did. I am just trying to be completely open as I know we all struggle with our daily walk and we are all on different levels. I am doing what I can and I am making a better effort.

Is your life in a rut? Maybe it’s just in a “Slow Fade”.Are you asking God for mercy and grace yet turning your face away when it’s time to give back to him?

They have eyes but they do not see, they have ears but they do not hear !
(Mark 8:18 – Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember ? KJV)

Congratulations Jill M!!!

We have all seen those machines that you can make one cup of coffee in right. Well how about a way to make one cup of coffee without having to use one of those? Sounds cool right! Well look at this product. Its called Dr. Drip Coffee.

My hubby tried the Pick me up.. At 8 pm no doubt. Crazy guy. And my daughter tried the organic.
I myself do not like coffee. Never have. Maybe because my parents used to have me make their coffee growing up.
So what you do is take the package and open it up.

Giveaway:

1 lucky CQ Reader will Win Free Dr Drip Coffee to try!

Enter:
Mandatory:  Like Dr Drip on Facebook and tell them @AccordingtoRach sent you.

Be sure to come back and comment that you did.

Extra Entries:

1. Tweet or FB this contest( 1 per day) Enter to win Free Dr Drip Coffee @ConsumerQueen @AccordingtoRach http://bit.ly/pzBJA8 #bloggiveaways

2. Subscribe to our YouTube

3. 1 entry for every non contest post you comment on, on The Royal Family or Consumer Queen. Reply here with the link of the post you commented on.

4. Subscribe to the blog and reply here.

5. Add a coupon to the Coupon Database and get 1 entry for each coupon. (Coupon must not already be in the database please use the search feature)

6. Follow Consumer Queen on facebook.

7. Follow Consumer Queen on Twitter.

8. Follow @AccordingtoRach on Twitter.

9.Follow According to Rachel on Facebook.

Ends 7-27-11

Winner will be notified by email and have 48 hrs to claim their prize.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored Giveaway

Check out our other contest here!

Ingredients

• 2 Cups of regular yogurt
• 1/2 a cup of apple juice
• 1 cup of fruit
• 1/4 cup of sugar or sugar substitute

In a blender add the yogurt, apple juice, fruit, and sugar and blend until its creamy.

Add ingredients into blender.

Blend till smooth.

Look at that frothy goodness!

Next, take the mix and pour into popsicle molds.

Then freeze. I froze mine overnight. I would run the mold under warm water until the pops come out easily.

Enjoy!

Brianah enjoying her fruit pop!

Sarah enjoying her fruit popsicle!

Melissa is a Walmart Mom. This post was sponsored by Walmart.

Well it’s now the dog the days of summer and 4th of July is coming up.  So what can you do to jazz up your sandwiches?  Hellmann’s is here to help.

I’m here to share some easy to make spreads from Hellman’s that will make your sandwiches unforgettable.

HELLMANN’S EASIEST-EVER SANDWICH SPREADS

By simply adding just 2 or 3 ingredients to Hellmann’s Mayonnaise you can make these delicious sandwich spreads!

1/2 to 3/4 cup spread

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Stir the following ingredients into 1/2 cup Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Real or Light Mayonnaise.

For a CREAMY CAESAR SPREAD, stir in 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon garlic powder.

For a GARLIC ‘N ROASTED RED PEPPER SPREAD, stir in 1 jar (7 oz.) roasted red peppers, drained and finely chopped, 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar and 1 clove garlic, finely chopped.

For a WASABI SPREAD, stir in 3 tablespoons prepared wasabi and 1 tablespoon EACH lime juice and chopped cilantro.

For a BLUE CHEESE ‘N BACON SPREAD – stir in 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese and 2 slices crisp-cooked crumbled bacon. Great on roast beef sandwiches and burgers.

I hope these help make your summer eating more enjoyable!

Check out our new food blog My Royal Kitchen.

This post was created in connection with my appointment as an Ambassador in the Hellmann’s Club Sandwich Program.  Visit www.facebook/Hellmanns to share how to build the perfect sandwich.  The opinions expressed are my own.

This past weekend I was given an opportunity to go shopping at Sam’s club to purchase Ore-Ida Sweet Potato Fries by Heinz.

I was thrilled at this chance. I have been wanting to try Sweet Potato Fries for awhile to see what they taste like.

We decided to have hamburgers with our fries. They turned out really well. What I liked about them was that they had this sweet taste. Hence the sweet potato! I tried them first by themselves and they were pretty good. Then I tried them with ketchup. I did like them better with the ketchup. But I could eat them either way.

Brianah enjoying the samples given away at Sam's

Cooking the fries!

Delicious!

Check out my ThisMoment showing more of my shopping experience here.

Don’t forget to check Ore-Ida out on facebook! Also here is the link to their site to learn more about the Sweet Potato Fries!

“This project has been compensated as part of a #OreIdaFries shopping mission for Heinz with #CollectiveBias” All thoughts and opinions are my own”

Free 4th of July Crafts and Recipes eBook. Whether you prefer to sew, crochet or create beautiful accents from paper, you will find just the right craft project to show your American pride. We even have some great 4th of July craft projects for kids.

Keep the kids entertained while they are out of school with the Summer Crafts for Kids eBook. Camp counselors, scout leaders, babysitters and parents will find great crafts for groups. Choose from 22 different craft projects for kids, including wearables, paper crafts and homemade toys.

RecipeMom.com

Get Quick and Easy Recipes & Cooking Tips the Whole Family Can Enjoy!

Woodrow Wear

As you guys may know my dog Brownie hates walking on tile, food floors, ect.

We recently moved to a new house and there is no carpet in the whole house. He stayed outside for a few weeks, but I could no longer live with him being out there. He is an inside dog so he is used to the air conditioner. Plus there were flies getting all over him. So I brought him in hoping that he will just finally learn to walk on the floors. No luck though. We have a rug where he comes in from outside and a big living room run for him.
Then I saw the Woodrow Wear for dogs! I was so excited I just know this is what is going to get him running around the house and playing with the girls in their rooms. He wont be stuck in the living room any longer.

I tried them on. It was so cute because at first he prances around wanting to take them off. Too cute. Then he allowed them to stay on. He is working on leaving the living room. He does go to the front door to go to the front yard. I am working on trying to get him into the bedrooms!

Check out some great info about Woodrow Wear.

• Traction:  Grips on slick surfaces.  Useful for hip issues and arthritis.
• Mobility:  Freedom and movement for senior dogs.
• Allergies:  Wear outside, remove indoors, and toss in washer.
• Fashion:  Cute, fun, and stylish.
• Scratch Prevention:  Keep dogs nails from scratching hardwood.
• Paw Protection:  For dogs with foot injuries, allergies, and sensitive feet, Power Paws can replace traditional e-collars.
• Natural:  Made of cotton and elastic for comfort and breathability.  No bacteria growth or stinky paws.
• Outdoors: For snow, spray with waterproof spray to protect from ice, salt.  For heat, protects from hot pavement, sand, etc.
• Vehicles: In boats, RVs, and other moving vehicles, Power Paws provide traction and stability.

Check out Woodrow on Facebook and Twitter.

And now a beautiful picture of Brownie!!!

He is so thirsty!

Congratulations to Cori Westphal!!

Adelia Gourmet blondie, brownie, and cookies mixes are made with all-natural ingredients and are perfect for presents, gift baskets, family fun nights, and more

I made the Blondies the other night for my family! We loved it. I love how its natural ingredients and its so easy to make.

Blondies

Everything comes in a separate bag.  Then you add a few ingredients.

Ingredients

Mix together!

Bake and Enjoy!

Giveaway:

1 lucky CQ Reader will Win a package of Adelia’s baking mix!

Enter:
Mandatory:  Like Adelia Gourmet on Facebook and tell them Rachel sent you!

Extra Entries:

1. Tweet or FB this contest( 1 per day) Enter to win a package of Adelia’s baking mix! @AccordingtoRach @adeliagourmet http://bit.ly/lU3UBZ #bloggiveaways

2. Subscribe to our YouTube

3. 1 entry for every non contest post you comment on, on The Royal Family or Consumer Queen. Reply here with the link of the post you commented on.

4. Subscribe to the blog and reply here.

5. Add a coupon to the Coupon Database and get 1 entry for each coupon. (Coupon must not already be in the database please use the search feature)

6. Follow Consumer Queen on facebook.

7. Follow Consumer Queen on Twitter.

8. Follow @AccordingtoRach on Twitter.

9.Follow According to Rachel on Facebook.

Ends 6-29-11

Winner will be notified by email and have 48 hrs to claim their prize.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored Giveaway

Check out our other contest here!