Desert Pacific Regional Cheer Championships Performance

As promised, a much better video!

That Competitive Edge

As the season came to a close for our Cowboys football teams, competition season started up for my cheerleaders. We started off here in Tucson for the Southern Arizona Cheer Championships. The girls did really, really well and we placed second in all southern AZ.

Summer and Emma

The routine from the coach's box. Summer is the left base in the right rear stunt group.

2nd place!!!

2 weeks later we headed to San Diego, CA for the Desert Pacific Regional Cheer Championships. We put that 2 weeks to good use, increasing out difficulty and picking apart the routine and cleaning up all the little mistakes.

Road Trip!

The view from our hotel was pretty awesome

A soak in the Jacuzzi was exactly what the doctor ordered after a 7 hour bus ride!

 Saturday was our fun day at Sea World. I don't have any pics from it, but Paige, who is terrified of roller coasters, faced up to her fear and rode the Manta. I was so proud of her for not freaking out!

Sunday it was time to get serious! Here is a cell phone video of our routine. Sorry that it's such poor quality. I should be getting a better one in the mail shortly, so I will post it when it comes in.

We were the last team to perform during the morning session, so we didn't have to wait long for the awards ceremony.

 Desert Pacific 10U Regional Champions WITH a bid to the Nationals in Orlando!

I could not be prouder of this girl! 

Awesome! Oh Wow! Like Totally Freak Me Out! I Mean Right On.....

Well, it's that time of year again. Cheerleading is in full swing at Casa de Haggis. I am head coaching for the first time this year so I am unable to inundate y'all with pictures like I usually do. I simply don't have the time to take any! Grrr! Thursday was picture day, so since Summer was all dolled up I decided to whip out my phone and snap a few shots of my own.

I couldn't resist getting a little Texas in one!

Can't take pics of Summer without at least one duck face.

This one kills me. She looks so grown-up. Espacially considering.....

She looked like THIS when this whole crazy train left the station. 

Oh, and I realize that I haven't posted anything in two months. Bad blogger, no cookie!

Rollin' With The Bulldogs

While in Afghanistan, a bunch of the guys (including Den) got together and decided that, when they got back, they were all going to buy dirt bikes and go riding together. Fast forward a few months and here we are. The girlies were at camp this past weekend, so Den and I decided to take the Ranger out together instead of just Den on his dirt bike and join the other guys on a ride. We had so much fun getting dirty and I got to take some great pictures, which you all know I love love love to do! 

Zoom, Roid, Rolex, Cheech, and Snapper - This one sums up these guys pretty well.

Love this one!

A Product Review: The Breeze Cat Litter System and the Litter Genie Litter Disposal System

This is the first product review that I have ever done, but rarely do I came across a product that I feel the need to review. Den and our cat, Gidget, pretty much have a mutual dislike for one another. So any time I find something that will address one of his complaints about the cat, I will give it a try. The Breeze Litter System and The Litter Genie address his complaint about the smell of the litter box and the fact that there is always litter dust on the floor on the laundry room. (Both of which are GROSS overstatements)

I got the Litter Genie first, about 3 months ago. If you have babies, you'll know what I am referencing when I say that it works pretty much just like the Diaper Genie. You open the top, scoop the litter into the genie, close the lid, and then pull the handle that drops everything down into the bag and contains the smell. The Litter Genie advertises that you can go 2 weeks before emptying it, but the thought of leaving poop sitting for 2 weeks grosses me out. I empty it once a week when I clean the litter box. 

I have been using the Breeze Litter System for about 6 weeks now. It's kind of genius. The concept is that the cat does it's business and urine goes directly down into what looks like a heavy duty puppy bad and solid waste stays in the pan to be scooped and disposed of. (Enter the Litter Genie!) It uses this weird pellet litter that is a little expensive, BUT you only change the pellets out once a month! As a warning, it did take Gidget a while to get used to the pellets. They freaked her out at first and she didn't use the bathroom for like 2 days. Had I read the directions, I could have avoided that by slowly mixing the pellets in with her regular litter over a few weeks' time. I change out the pad underneath once a week and I never get that litter box smell anymore. Plus there is no litter dust anywhere. Score!

But, Sarah, how do you clean all this stuff? I'm glad you asked. I spray both the Genie and the Breeze down with Lysol every week when I empty the Genie and change the Breeze's pad. I also wipe off any surface dirt with a Lysol wipe. When I actually change out the Breeze's pellets, I wash both items in a weak bleach solution and let them dry in the sun. I also spray the pellets and the bag part of the Genie with Nature's Best Litter Box Odor Eliminator every day, just in case Gidget ate a bug or lizard that may have disagreed with her.

There are very few products that I say are 100% worth paying full price for to me. One is organic milk, and another is Jif Peanut Butter. These two products fall into that category. I haven't heard Den complain about the litter box in over a month. I win!

Cinnamon French Toast Sticks

The girls are constantly begging me for the french toast sticks in the freezer section at the grocery store. I pretty much always say no, because, let's face it, they're gross. They're limp and made with ingredients from Heaven knows where. When I was making the grocery list on Monday and Summer asked for the umpteeth time if I would buy french toast sticks that I would try and find a recipe for some that both taste good and can be frozen so I can make a big batch and the girls can eat them all week.

SUCCESS!!!!

I found this recipe for Pain Perdu on one of my favorite recipe sites and it is perfect. The toast is crispy and soft when fresh and still that way after being frozen and reheated. Plus I was able to make it with healthier ingredients like whole grain flour and organic eggs. It can probably be made with less calories by substituting Splenda's baking blend or one of the stevia blends, but 1. Paige is allergic to Splenda and 2. I just don't like the taste of Stevia, so I went with plain ole' unrefined raw sugar.

Pain Perdu

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. flour. (I used whole grain flour and reduced it to 2/3 c.)

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

3 tsp. sugar (I used raw sugar)

2 whole eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. whole milk (I used skim and it was fine)

1 loaf Texas Toast (The ONLY bread for french toast)

Butter or oil for the pan (I'm lazy and used Pam)

For the topping - 4 T cinnamon & 3/4 c. sugar

In a small bowl, mix the salt, flour, and 3T sugar.

In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, vanilla, and milk, then add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. 

Mix together the cinnamon and sugar for the topping in either a bowl large enough for a slice of bread or on a plate.

Melt the butter or oil in a pan over medium/high heat. (I used medium heat, because our stove cooks VERY hot and at medium/high the toast burnt)

Dip the bread slices into the egg mixture and then add to the pan, cooking 1-2 minutes per side or until golden brown.

Remove the toast from the pan and immediately dredge through the cinnamon-sugar mixture on both sides.

Serve warm or allow to cool and then place in a freezer bag to use another day

Menu Plan Monday: July 15th

BREAKFAST
Cinnamon Toast Sticks and Strawberries
Milk / Juice / Coffee / Tea

LUNCH AND SNACKS
Peanut Butter Wafflewiches, Yellow Bell Pepper Slices, Hard Boiled Eggs, Pumpkin Mini Muffins, Strawberries and Cantaloupe, Babybel Cheese Rounds

DINNER
Tuesday: Apple and Sage Pork Chops and Salad
Wednesday: Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Salad
Thursday: Chicken Marsala and Broccoli
Friday: Taco Soup
Saturday: Crock Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
Sunday: Buffalo Chicken Salads
Monday: Leftovers / Out

SUNDAY DESSERT
Funfetti Cookies

I am using up a lot of random ingredients that are in my freezer / pantry this week. If you see a link in my post, it should take you right to the recipe. Enjoy!