Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like Johnsonville Brats. I'm a fan of hot dogs. I'm a fan of sausages too. It's important to realize that there is a difference because I occasionally substitute hot dogs with sausages. But because grilling a sausage dog takes more time than zapping a hot dog in a microwave, the Baggetts don't enjoy sausage dogs very often. So on those special occasions, we have always reached for a package of Conecuh sausage and we have always been very pleased with the results. Well Julie recently changed the game by introducing the family to Johnsonville Brats. These are not the huge sausages you see Green Bay Packers fans preparing at their tailgate in a vat of beer and onions. These bad boys are found in the hot dog section of your grocery store and are only slightly bigger than your normal hot dog. I guess you could cook these brats in a microwave but I played it safe and used the grill. Pro tip: when grilling, remember that these are sausages with casings that can rip when exposed to prolonged heat. Rotation is the key.

These are so good! The brats Julie purchased had cheddar cheese inside the them but I cannot find this variety on the Johnsonville website. It doesn’t matter though - if you see some, buy them!

This week, I love the state of golf. I've seen a lot of golf trends come and go over the years - changes in apparel, swings, player physiques and much more. Golf is certainly more popular with regular folks these days and I fully believe that popularity is due to the success of Tiger Woods. However, as I watched the 2014 PGA Championship last weekend, it was clear to see that Tiger is struggling with his health and his game. That observation, combined with the troubling news from the golf retail industry, made me concerned about the future of golf. But that tournament was a great shot in the arm and proved that the sport is indeed in good shape.

Even though Tiger was not around for the weekend, the leaderboard featured young stars, old favorites (Phil!!!) and foreign players. Each year, golf experts roll their eyes and wonder aloud if the PGA Championship should be even considered one of the four "major" tournaments. Given the ratings success of this year’s event, I’d say that conversation has been silenced.


Having Tiger fade from the game could be good on an economic front. For hard core Tiger fans, it's Tiger or nothing. This approach could translate to lower demand for tee times and equipment, thus causing a drop in the amount of money one would have to spend to enjoy the game. That's always a good thing!

Time will tell. You never really know with Tiger - he could bounce back stronger than ever. Either way, the game of golf is in a really good position. Oh, and folks...we’re going to be seeing Rory for a very, very long time. He's good at everything.


This week, I don’t like the ice bucket challenge. You've probably noticed a lot of Facebook videos of celebrities or athletes pouring buckets of water over their own heads lately. This craze, called the ice bucket challenge, has really gained a lot of steam over the summer and is supposed to be a fun form of charitable fundraising.

Here's my understanding of the ice bucket challenge: PERSON A challenges PERSON B to donate money (usually $100) to a specified charity within a certain amount of time (usually 24 hours). If PERSON B fails to meet the challenge, he/she has to dump a bucket of cold water onto their own head. The act can be filmed and PERSON B can call out other people for a similar challenge.

In these videos, pouring the bucket of cold water onto your own head is the “punishment” for failing the challenge of donating money to the charity. So given the large number of videos seen across social media, it doesn't seem that charities are benefiting much from these challenges. Actually, it seems that people prefer to dump water on their head over donating money to charity!


NOOOooooo! Not you too, Coach!! I mean...am I wrong? Do I have a complete misunderstanding of this challenge? Please set me straight!

Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like the plans to upgrade Wrigley Field. Part of the charm of being a fan of the Chicago Cubs is knowing that your patience will pay off a thousandfold when/if the Cubs ever win the World Series (The Cubs last won it all in 1908). But I'm tired of waiting and the waiting is only made worse with all of the frustrating decisions made over the last few years made by Chicago's front office. Theo Epstein, President of Baseball Operations for the Cubs, has not been able to duplicate the success he saw as General Manager of the Boston Red Sox, where he was part of two world championship teams. He made one of his bros from his Red Sox days, Jed Hoyer, the General Manager of the Cubs and Hoyer is probably responsible for the questionable hiring of Rick Renteria to be the current manager of the Cubs (Hoyer and Renteria have roots in the San Deigo Padres organization). I have not watched any Cubs games this year but I get a final score update sent to my phone after every game. More often than not, the Cub lose and they lose by a lot of runs. Other than first baseman Anthony Rizzo and shortstop Starlin Castro, I can't name a single position player on the roster. When Jeff Samardzija is considered your ace pitcher, you know things are bad. You may remember Samardzija from his college football days at Notre Dame.

But there is a glimmer of hope. The Cubs owners have recently decided make some significant upgrades to Wrigley Field in a move that I think will instill some much-needed team pride. I was once someone that loved Wrigley for her rich nostalgia. But that park is 100 years old now (the Cubs even managed to screw up Wrigley’s centennial celebration) and it is really lacking in areas that benefit the players. There is no bullpen - pitchers and catchers have to warm up just off the playing field in foul territory. You just know the locker rooms are undesirable too. The Cubs are probably the only team in baseball that look forward to road trips! But, I like the announcement - it shows that the owners are tired of waiting too.


This week, I love Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. Anthony Bourdain is an accomplished chef from New York that gained notoriety after writing his book, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. You may know Bourdain from his popular television show titled, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. After this show’s 9th and final season on the Travel Channel, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown began airing on CNN in 2013. I recently became aware of Unknown on Netflix and had it not been for a little boy’s need to get his Thomas the Train fix, I would have blown through every available episode by now. In each episode, Bourdain travels to non-typical locations, samples the local fare and provides a brief history of each destination. It’s a great way to learn about different cities and cultures. This show also contains excellent reminders that there are some poor, poor, poor people on this planet and God has provided me much, much, much more than I actually need. The following clip is from an episode filmed during his trip to Canada. He did not hang out with poor people on this particular trip.


This week, I don’t like the Wrigley Rooftops. This announcement I mentioned above does not come without controversy. One of the main reasons that prevented the Cubs from making these improvements is the existence of the Wrigley Field Rooftop Association - real estate owners with well-placed bleachers on top of buildings that are across the street from the outfield. These groups charge discounted admission to people who don’t mind watching the Cubs play from afar. The Cubs aren't big fans of these groups and had to work out an agreement several years ago that allowed the Rooftops to remain in business for a hefty fee. The new renovations to Wrigley Field call for changes that would obstruct the view from the Rooftops and more legal action is anticipated, which will likely delay the renovations and the amenities needed for a better team.

Photo Courtesy

Like, Love and Don't Like

This week I like Google Keep. There's nothing overly exciting about Google Keep. It's very simple - and that's what so great about it.

Google Keep allows you to jot down a note or list from any device thanks to Google Drive. I've always been the type to write down a to-do list on a scrap piece of paper, only to lose the piece of paper. Google Keep has almost completely replaced the old paper method for me and it really keeps me on track.

This week, I love the Pioneer Woman. I've never met this woman and couldn't pick her out of a lineup but I sure do like her cookin'. To be more specific, Julie has really been knocking dinner out of the park lately thanks to PW's recipes. Julie recently made some steak strips that were so good that I almost could not stop eating them. Plus, I kinda feel like I'm eating some sort of dangerous, exotic meat when I know that the recipe came from someone with the word "Pioneer" in their stage kitchen name.

Didn't see me going there, did ya?

This week, I don't like Internet problems. In addition to all of her other many duties, Julie has been working tirelessly to put the nice, new modem and wireless router we got for Christmas to good use. Unfortunately, this hasn't been as simple as unplugging the old equipment and installing the new pieces. Our Internet provider, Charter Communications, has been slightly helpful but it's taken Julie many long phone calls and multiple visits from technicians to get the new equipment functioning. She's done a great job while exhibiting much, much more patience than I would have shown. Everything is working great now, except for one odd issue. Much like Graham, our Internet doesn't like waking up in the morning. You can count on the Internet going out for short periods at approximately the same time each morning. When you've got a little boy that really likes to watch train videos, those few minutes seem like an eternity. 

Woo woo!

Good Stuff

I am amazed at the originality and creativity I put into my titles...aren't you?  I out-due myself sometimes. We have recovered from Christmas and are looking forward to a low key, relaxing January.

For the past month or so I've come across several items/recipes/projects that I am in LOVE with.  Since I don't work and rarely have time to talk to my friends on the phone....I just figured that I would share them on the blog and maybe someone will find one (or all of them) useful!

#1  I'll be honest.  I ONLY bought these because they were B1G1 at Publix a few weeks ago, and I had a coupon.  Since we are the throes of cold and flu season you can never have too may anti-bacterial products. So I ended up with these because the shelves were almost wiped clean by the time I got around to shopping that week, and this was the only variety left.

The great thing about them is one side of the wipe is rough and can be used as a scrubber.  While the other side is soft and perfect for wiping.  These reside under my kitchen sink, and I use them mainly for cleaning the kitchen counter and stove, but since Graham is obsessed with coloring they also wipe up stray crayon marks very well.

#2  I've never really spent a whole lot of time on my skin care regimen, well that is until after I had Graham and exhaustion set in and those pesky hormones somehow changed my skin from extra oily to combination.  How does that happen?  It probably also has something to do with the fact that I'm not 21 anymore.  Regardless it became overly apparent to me about a year ago that I needed to step up my skin care efforts.  I've tried a number of products, but this is one of my favorites so far.

Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream.  I apply it every night all over my face and neck.  It is very thick which at first I didn't think I would like, but it is the good kind of thick.  When I apply it I can instantly feel my skin soaking it up.  I've been using it for a little over two weeks, and I am not lying when I say my skin hasn't felt this good in...I can't even remember when it felt this good.  It is hydrated (despite our frigid temperature lately), but not oily, and I even feel like it is beginning to even out some of my splotchyness.  It does smell like cucumbers so if you aren't a fan of that scent you may not like it, but I'm in love with it and so thankful that my tired, combination skin is getting the help it needed.

#3  My mother-in-law is full of useful advice, but over Christmas she showed me something that rocked my world...well that may be a stretch.  Did you know that at the end of the aluminum foil boxes there are perforations for you to punch in so that the roll stays in place and doesn't pull out of the box when you are trying to tear some off?  WHO KNEW?  I certainly didn't.  Such a good and useful thing to know.

#4  Lately I've been making a more concerted effort to add some new recipes to our normal rotation, and recently I come across two that are great and worth sharing:

Pioneer Woman - Salisbury Steak

I know it doesn't sound appealing, but it is DELICIOUS!   I have made it a few times, and Nick tells me that it is possibly his new favorite...and it's one of my top choices as well.  Try it!

Best Ham Sandwich Ever

My mom introduced me to these over Christmas, and they are just awesome.  It seems weird when you are making them, but the results are beyond delicious.

#5  You may remember that last year at this time one of my resolutions was 30 Bags in 30 Days.  As I reported later in the year I didn't quite get it done in 30 days, but I did complete my list eventually.  I loved this so much I decided to do it again this year.  I worked on my list of spaces that needed to be cleaned out and at the top was the pantry.  It was a complete mess and gave me anxiety every time I opened the door.  So on New Years Eve I set out to not only clean it out but give it some much needed organization.  There are tons of different ways and methods of going about this, but I tried to pull tips and techniques from several different places to come up with a plan that worked for our needs and our space.  Here is the before and after.

I found these baskets at Wal-Mart for $2.50/ea.  They are a great size and the handles make them very accessible.

I also found these at Wal-Mart.  They were between $4.50-$7.00 each depending on the size.  They are dishwasher safe and airtight which are both pluses in my book.  I've been eyeing the OXO band containers at Target that are very similar to these, but they are around $15 each and since I ended up buying about 12....those weren't quite in the budget.  I am beyond pleased with the ones from Wal-Mart!

I purchased two of these cereal containers from Publix, and I noticed that they are 50% off this week!  I may have to pick up one more!

The baskets are from Michaels.  I wasn't sure I was going to like these, so I left the tags on just in case...but after living with it for a week I pretty sure I'm keeping them.  They are a great place for paper products and chips.

By using the new containers I eliminated over 35 boxes!  It does require a little bit more effort when putting up groceries, but I LOVE that I can see how much I have left of something.  I am also hoping that since these are airtight containers that our food will stay fresher longer!  This process took me almost all day, but it was WELL worth the time and effort!

My apologies for the random nature of this list but maybe one of these will become one of your favorites too!