crazy 4 ham balls

The PERFECT for any meal or occasion dish (hamballs!) is going to debut as eyeballs at dinner tonight. A little dab of mayo on the top with a ketchup dot in the middle… are you seeing it?

Ham Balls
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground ham
1 c. crackers (we use Schar gluten free Table Crackers)
½ c. milk (we use almond milk)
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 eggs

Sauce
1 ½ c. brown sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
½ c. vinegar (we use apple cider vinegar)
½ c. water

Mix ham ball ingredients together and form 1” balls. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Mix sauce ingredients together and pour over top – heat until bubbly.

almost ham balls

SOOOO excited! I was going to do a post on Ham Balls (don’t get me wrong, totally worth a post!) but just got a call from the Iowa Women’s Leadership Conference on behalf of Corridor Women Connect and Bagolitas has been asked to be part of the Andy Paige mix and mingle event next week!

For those of you that are saying, “Andy who?” – let me share! She is the international best selling author of Style On a Shoestring and has done extensive work on NBC’s Starting Over, TLC’s Ten Years Younger, STYLE Network’s How Do I Look, SOAP NET’s Soap Talk, and countless local network style segments.

I of course said, “YES!”

The details: I will have some of my new handbags, but the focus will be accessories. How did they know I had those coming?! I have been working on ruffle pins that can be added to bags, scarves, jackets etc., some belts and also necklaces that are really more like a scarf. My dad just gave his blessing for me to kidnap my mama for a week – she is packing up her sewing machine right now to come and help me get ready. So exciting!

I’ll be posting the latest products I have been working on Thursday or Friday of this week and will then switch gears for the event. If you live in the Iowa City area – don’t miss it! It is only $45 and includes Andy’s presentation, a reception and a copy of her Style on a Shoestring book… PLUS, a chance to shop the Bagolitas Boutique in person.

The event is Thursday, November 3rd at the Coralville Marriott – a link to register is below. See you there!

http://www.iowawomensconference.com/Content/Upcoming-Events/Mix-Mingle-Network-with-Andy-Paige.aspx

party pants

November is almost here (what?!) and all sorts of things are rushing through my head. I’ll be honest, it’s a hot mess up there and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed! And fueled by all the chaos in my head, I nearly forgot to get to Abra Auto Body this morning to get my van fixed from the mailbox I hit a couple of weeks ago… good times, good times.

Fleeting though # 1: Should I even bother putting up my fall decorations or just wait and head straight to Christmas? Maybe I should skip Christmas decorations too, so much work…

Thought #2: Oh my gosh – what on earth are the kids going to be for Halloween and do I really have to purchase new costumes, or do I have time to whip something up? Do we really have to carve pumpkins? Maybe we could just draw or paint on them…

Thought #3: The kids had to dig out warm clothes today, most of which are WAY too small. When am I going to go through them, put away summer clothes, figure out what they need new and get shopping? Whose budget does that come out of!?

Thought #4: I have a HUGE bag of apples from my parents’ apple tree… I really need to get them peeled, sliced and into the freezer… can I even freeze them?

Thought #5: My landscaping is a MESS and needs to be cleaned up and cut down, not to mention the daffodil and crocus bulbs that I bought over a month ago that need to be planted…

Thought #6: Settle down missy!

It is so easy to get all caught up in my head and the stress of trying to get it all done. And what a party pooper I become, no pumpkin carving or Christmas decorations?

I read a great book a couple of years back and after returning from Abra and sipping my now cold coffee that I left behind when I panicked and ran out the door, I decided I needed to go find it for a healthy dose of perspective. The book I reached for is called Life is Short – Wear Your Party Pants by Loretta LaRoche (it had me at the title – I always want to have on my party pants!). I opened it up and sure enough, the words I needed were right there.

“Thank God you have stress in your life. You should be on your knees saying thank you to your stress every day. The only time you’re ever going to have a life without stress is when you are dead.”

Time to get my party pants on!

live!

October 18th really IS the official day of new beginnings for Bagolitas – http://www.bagolitas.com went live this morning. Woot woot!

it’s official

It’s as official as official gets, bagolitas.com will be back up and running on Tuesday, October 18th. I’m trying to get as much done as I can (gulp!), and I have adopted the philosophy that I have to start somewhere… right? You have all been so patient and supportive – thank you so much!

It’s been a bit of a roller coaster to get to this point (well, I’m not going to lie – it’s been a HUGE roller coaster ride!) but there is nothing to do but put our faith in God, no matter what is happening. Easier said than done at times, but oh so true. I came a cross a great saying that I had to share that was so powerful, I now have it posted on the door as we leave our house.

“Worry implies that we don’t quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what’s happening in our lives.” ~Francis Chan

What a great nugget to start each day with!