Wholesome Family | Wholesome Mommy :: by the Centsible Sawyer

Feast of Tabernacles

Written on October 26, 2011 by Denisesawyer in Product Reviews & Giveaways, Uncategorized, Wholesome Family, Wholesome Fun

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my family celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles {or Sukkot} a couple weeks ago and we had an absolute blast. The festivities lasted nearly a week and each evening we hosted our friends and family for a different themed dinner.

The schedule of events looked like this:
:: Wednesday – Middle Eastern Night
:: Thursday – Mexican Fiesta
:: Friday – Grilled Pizza/Italian Night
:: Saturday – Soup Swap
:: Sunday – Bonfire at a friend’s house

Middle Eastern Fare

To get ready for the week I popped over to my local Walmart and picked up some cute paper goods in a harvest/fall theme. These came in a dinner size and a dessert plate (luncheon plate) size and I bought several packs of each. I also had some fun printed plates left over from last year that I bought from Walmart so I had plenty of fun prints to choose from to mix it up each night.

In addition to the plates, I bought a pack of orange Solo cups and some balloons in fall colors along with a helium tank (the kids LOVED this). I think this is my third helium tank I’ve bought from Walmart. They have a good price for these and we love balloons! In addition to a good price on balloons and tanks, Walmart also has a fabulous party section now. They have expanded the section and it contains all sorts of colors for table cloths, balloons, plates, napkins, cutlery – all matching and all just $0.97! They also have some really cute birthday party stuff now, including lots of licensed character stuff and they’ve redone the party favor bins too and they have lots of cool additions if you’re in the market for birthday stuff anytime soon.

In addition to paper goods, I also purchased some cute fall tableware that can be used each year over and over as these parties are going to be happening every year. I have purchased similar items from Walmart in years past and I like that I can continue to add to my pieces and grow my fall tableware a little each year without breaking the bank! This year I purchased a large bowl and a three bowl dip server shaped like fall leaves. They worked great on several nights to hold chips and a variety of dips.

Each night we served hot apple cider in our Crockpot to warm our bodies with through the night since the festivities were held outdoors. We also built a fire in our fire pit. And, since these parties are a celebration I thought it would be fun to make and serve a special dessert each night. One night I made cupcakes with lemon buttercream frosting with Judah. For the Middle Eastern night I made a fig tart and we purchased baklava from a local Greek diner.

Another night I made homemade caramel corn to munch on and tinted it orange to fit our fall theme! Be sure to come back so you can grab my recipe for this one – you’re going to want it! It is easy and delicious!

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the photos and hearing some of the details of our party. We had so much fun and ate way too much! I can’t wait until next year! Of course, there will be more parties at my house between then and now – any excuse to throw a party. (:

I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation for my time on this post. Participation in this program is voluntary. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

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The Hour that Matters Most

Written on October 14, 2011 by Denisesawyer in Product Reviews & Giveaways, Wholesome Family

I recently had the opportunity to read, The Hour that Matters Most, by Les and Leslie Parrott. The book is all about the power of the family meal. As someone who already sees the importance of the dinner hour and is adamant that my family will sit together for dinner every night of the week, I new I would likely agree with this book but didn’t really expect to learn much.

I was pleasantly surprised! This book is packed with information. It does include the latest research about the importance of the dinner hour, but it also includes chapters on having good conversations at the table, how to REALLY listen and understand your children (especially helpful if you have older children/teens), and how to curb conflict at the table. Les and Leslie hold relationship seminars and one is a pyschologist while the other is a family therapist. So, the helpful information is from a reputable source!

But that isn’t all you can expect from this book, it also includes recipes, information on how to start a fix and freeze club (making freezer meals for your family), and some helpful advice – like how to not beat yourself up if you’re not a great cook, how to enjoy a meal at the table – even if it has to be take out, and other ideas on how to get more table time in our fast pace lives.

This book was very inspiring and I plan to keep it around for a second read when my children are older and I no longer “speak their language.” It isn’t a hard read and Les and Leslie give lots of good examples from their own lives. I would recommend it to both the parent who is wanting to begin family meals and those who are already making time for hour that matters most.

I received a copy of the book, The Hour that Matters Most, for review. All opinions are honest and my own. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or this post.

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Baby Eliana is Here!

Written on September 22, 2011 by Denisesawyer in Wholesome Family

If you’ve been wondering where I am I had my little peanut, Eliana on Sunday morning. She weighs 8 lbs. and 2 oz and is 19 inches long. We are enjoying spending time with her and adjusting to our new schedule.

I’ve got some recipes scheduled for you this week and I hope to be back on schedule soon.

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Home Improvement – The Baby’s Room: Step 2

Written on August 21, 2011 by Denisesawyer in Uncategorized, Wholesome Family

If you’ve been following along you know that we are expecting our second child. Judah will be getting a baby sister very soon – in 6 weeks or less! So we’ve been busy trying to wrap up the decorating of the nursery. Last week I shared our first step in the process: painting.

This week is all about the furniture. We decided to use my old dresser from my room when I was a little girl. It is old and dated but we thought with a little paint and some new hardware they would be perfect. We also have a small, child sized armoire that we got from a friend that was unfinished and had never been used. In addition, I had a wooden doll house that was hand built for me when I was a little girl. It looks much like a book shelf so we decided to paint it as well and use it as a toy and book shelf for now and then later it can be Eliana’s doll house and we’ll have fun painting it and decorating it together.

The first thing DJ did was sand all the furniture. Then he used Glidden’s Paint and Primer 2 in 1 to paint all the furniture so it would be the same color. We bought hardware for the armoire and the dresser to make the two pieces look like they belonged together.

In addition to the pieces that DJ refurbished we also bought a new baby bed and some baskets on Walmart.com for super cheap. Some of the baskets will go inside the armoire for storage and the larger one will be used as additional toy storage.

The doll house turned out cute and is perfect for housing Eliana’s baby books and toys. {Where did all these toys come from!?! LOL}

And finally, my favorite piece, the chair was the final purchase for the room – and in my opinion the piece that helps pull all the furniture and fabrics together. It is a rocker and recliner that we purchased from Haverty’s. We searched all day in every furniture store we could find (about 7 to be exact). The only other chair that we like as well was twice as much, so we were thrilled to snag this one.

I knew I wanted a rocking chair and I wanted it to be soft, not wooden. Most rocking recliners are meant for the living room and are HUGE. My feet wouldn’t touch the floor on any of them, until we found this one! I really thought that the eggplant color would be impossible to find and that we would end up with something in khaki. I was so thrilled to find this chair for the room!

So that is the furniture! Only a few things left to do and to share with you. My mom is hoping to complete the rest of the fabric items and I am hoping to finish the mural this week. Stay tuned, I’ll be sharing photos of these things and the completed room soon!

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Pack a Special (and Healthy) Back to School Lunch

Written on August 11, 2011 by Denisesawyer in Wholesome Family, Wholesome Food

Its time for school to start back! Here where I am school doesn’t start for a few more weeks (after labor day) but schools all around me are already in full swing. And one thing is for sure, school supplies, backpacks and lunch boxes are on everyone’s brains that have school-aged children. But, while you’re busy packing backpacks for the first day of school, don’t forget to pick up some healthy items for school lunches and/or snacks.

I don’t have a child that is ready to go to school just yet, but I myself am a school teacher and I don’t mind telling you that I am less than enthused with the meal choices that are in our school systems here in the U.S. I don’t serve my child processed chicken nuggets or corndogs at home so I certainly don’t want that to be the meal he is served away from home. So, unless things change in the next couple of years I will be joining the ranks of the parents who pack a lunch for their children on most school days.

Although I don’t pack a lunch for my son for school, I do have to pack a lunch for him on days I go to work at the school to make things easy for my dear old dad who watches Judah when I am gone. Here’s the lunch I packed today just for fun to give you an idea of what my son’s lunches look like. This lunch includes a grilled cheese sandwich made with Rudi’s Bakery Nut Oat bread and Horizon sliced cheese. It also has a “fruit kebab” with organic strawberries and grapes, some pretzels, some Great Value dried cherries (my son thinks these are candy, Yokids organic yogurt, and Late July organic mini sandwich cookies (our favorite treat!). The juice box is a coconut water fruit punch juice box.

To make the sandwich I used a handy gadget that I picked up from Pampered Chef that makes sandwiches just like the ones Smuckers has in the freezer section. It seals up the edges and hides the filling inside. I also use this press to make my own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches like theirs – but mine are filled with organic peanut butter and jelly and are made with organic nut and oat bread. (: This time I put cheese between the bread and pressed the sandwich. Then, I grilled it before sliding it into the lunch box. I also like to use my lunch punches that have fun shapes for sandwiches (my favorite is the one that makes the sandwich look like 4 puzzle pieces that all fit together!). Other ways to make lunches fun are to punch out the middle with a cookie cutter (like the first letter of your child’s name or their favorite animal. I like to use small cookie cutters to cut shapes out of cheese for stacking on crackers or pretzels too!

There are lots of healthy foods that I like to use for lunches. Here are a few of my favorites that I happen to have on hand right now:

Fresh fruit like organic grapes, organic strawberries, bananas, salads and veggies and dip like organic baby carrots and homemade ranch, dried fruits, yogurt covered raisins, peanut butter (there are lots of yummy varieties like Peanut Butter and Co’s white chocolate, Skippy Naturals, and Nutella) with apples, pretzels, crackers, or sandwiches, Annie’s fruit snacks (they don’t have food dyes), Annie’s mac and cheese (heated and placed in a thermos), dried cereal, freeze dried fruit like Fruit Crisps, I also like Laughing Cow’s baby swiss cheese wedges with pretzels or crackers, mandarin oranges, Apple & Eve’s organic fruit juice boxes, and Yokids and Yobaby organic yogurt. Of course, these are in addition to leftovers that make great lunches too!

What are some of your favorite things to put in your kiddo’s lunch boxes?

I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation for my time on this post. Participation in this program is voluntary. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

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Father’s Day Fun!

Written on June 18, 2011 by Denisesawyer in Dessert, Main Dishes, Wholesome Family, Wholesome Food, Wholesome Recipes

In my family father’s day is a fun day! Because it falls during June, when it is scorching hot in Georgia, it means we’ll be spending the day cooking out and swimming in the pool!

No elaborate meals to be made here, just simple grilling out with all the yummy southern fixins’ and lots of iced SWEET tea! LOL! What’s on the menu?

grilled hamburgers and hotdogs
chips
baked beans
homemade coleslaw (just cabbage, carrots, mayo, and a 1/2 tsp of sugar and some salt and pepper!)
homemade potato salad -the best EVER!
sweet tea
watermelon
homemade ice cream

Here are some ways that we turn simple food into fabulous:

Butter the top sides of the hotdog buns and the insides of the hamburger buns and place them on the hot grill for a few minutes just before serving. They taste SO much better this way!
Cut and freeze the watermelon before the party – it is different and delicious this way!
You can’t beat homemade southern sweet tea (I make mine with 3 family sized tea bags brewed in hot water and 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of sugar to make a gallon). But, mint tea is really delicious too! I use the same method but I put several sprigs of fresh mint into the pitcher and squish it around a little with my spoon before adding the hot tea and sugar. It is so refreshing! Serve either (both!) over lots of ice!
Using good quality meats helps too – I’m using local grass fed beef and Oscar Mayer’s Angus beef hotdogs (they don’t have nitrates/nitrites and they are cheaper than other brands – not to mention available anywhere!)

And speaking of homemade ice cream, here’s my favorite recipe (and Judah’s too! He calls it pink ice cream):

:: Super Duper Strawberry Ice Cream

4 to 6 cups of fresh (or unsweetened frozen, thawed) strawberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups of organic heavy cream
2 cups of organic half and half
2 tsp of good {pure} vanilla extract

Start by mashing the berries. I put mine in the food processor for a few seconds- not too long because I like to have some chunks in my ice cream! Stir in 3/4 cup of sugar. Let stand for about a half hour (long enough for the berries to become macerated – releasing their juices and making a syrup).

Add the heavy cram, half and half, remaining 3/4 cup of sugar, and vanilla to the strawberries. Stir it up and refrigerate, covered, until very cold (about 3 hours but you can do this up to 2 days in advance).

Stir the mixture to blend and pour into the canister of your ice cream maker. {I use a Cuisinart 2-Quart Coutnertop Ice Cream Maker} Follow your ice cream makers’ directions for how long to freeze. Eat immediately – but hey, I didn’t have to tell you that!

How about you? What plans do you have for father’s day? Do you do a fancy sit down meal, are you taking dear ol’ dad out for lunch/dinner, or are you planning to fire up the grill?

I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation for my time on this post. Participation in this program is voluntary. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

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Summer Time is HERE!!

Written on May 30, 2011 by Denisesawyer in Wholesome Family

Did everyone have a fabulous long weekend for Memorial Day!? I had a great time! We spent some much needed time together as a family and even were blessed to see my husband’s parents from out of town. We grilled out quite a bit, but more than that, my husband and his dad spent a lot of time doing some home projects that I’ve been dying to get done! One of those projects was Judah’s sandbox. Several family members went in on a sandbox for Judah’s second birthday in March. I had the plans ready to go but we just haven’t had a weekend to work on it. Well, Judah got his sandbox this weekend thanks to Daddy and Gramps! It looks fabulous! And thanks to Nana who sewed the sail! He loves it so much and I have a feeling he’ll be spending the better part of the summer digging his heart out!

Gramps and Daddy built the sandbox while I staying inside in the air conditioning calling around trying to find enough sand to fill this monster! I have been reading that all sands are not created equal and apparently, most types of play sand contain crystalline silica and asbestos tremolite. The silica is derived from quartz stone and is a known carcinogen. California’s fantastic Prop 65 requires the labeling of carcinogen’s in products for sale in that state. It states that it can cause cancer. Another concern is in breathing in the tiny particles and that prolonged exposure (like as in construction workers who work in it daily or a child that spend a lot of time in it) has been know to cause a fatal lung disease called silicosis. You can read all about the problems with sand here and see where my anxiety was coming from!

Finally, I found out what I needed to be asking for: silica-free sand. But what does that mean? (I know most of the landscape companies and home improvement stores I called had no idea). So, a better way to ask for safe sand is to ask for washed river sand or beach sand. In Georgia, where I live, river sand is the best I could do without paying oodles to have it shipped. I finally found a local landscape place that sold it by the ton/scoop and could deliver. You should have seen/heard the strange looks and questions I got! No one could believe I didn’t want white play sand… that is what everyone wants for sand boxes! This sand isn’t pristine white – it is brown, like our river bottoms here. But, Judah and I aren’t concerned with the color and I can rest easy knowing there are not small particles to be breathed in (this sand isn’t as fine as play sand).

What else happened in my backyard this weekend? My mom helped me plant some larger container gardens. Remember the container gardens I planted in the spring. They are doing great! They are full of mint and lettuce with more veggies and flowers to crop up later. Since they are going well I decided to try some more veggies. We planted tomatoes, squash, spring onions, and oregano in two HUGE green pots that I bought for $25 each at Walmart. These Better Homes and Gardens pots look great with my green house.

I also bought a green umbrella from Walmart for this preggo mama to sit in the shade on my patio furniture sippin’ mint tea while Judah digs ’til his heart is content! The young man in the lawn and garden center at my local Walmart was very helpful to help me carry it out and take it apart to fit it into my Honda. (You’d be suprised what I can cram into that car!)

That ought to complete my yard for now! The next thing we have planned is to reseed our backyard.

What did you do this Memorial Day?

I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation for my time on this post. Participation in this program is voluntary. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

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Get Green This Mother’s Day

Written on May 3, 2011 by Denisesawyer in Wholesome Family, Wholesome Living

I was asked to share what I would get a newly “green” mom for mother’s day. If you are just getting started and would like to get a little greener this year here are some suggestions for some easy ways and things to get you started.

First, decide what area in your life you want to “green” first. Here are some ideas:

taking your lunch to work
starting your own garden/growing your own food
garbage: recycling and composting
your kitchen

If you want to tackle the kitchen here are some items I recommend you start with. {These would look lovely arranged in a gift basket (which is reusable!):

cookware (pick stainless steel or cast iron – NOT aluminum or Teflon – stainless and cast iron are better for your health and will last longer) Better Homes and Gardens has a lovely set that I own that is very reasonably priced and heavy – which is what you want for cooking evenly.
cloth napkins (pick any color or print to go with your dining room or dishes)
compost bucket
recycling bins for paper, cardboard, glass, and cans
glass dishes for reheating food and packing food for lunches {Pyrex has some great ones with lids that come in all sizes and Rubbermaid just came out with some too}.
a green cookbook like this one

If you are looking for ideas on choosing gifts for greening your lunch routine, check out my post here. If you are looking for ideas on how to start a container garden – another great idea for a gift this Mother’s Day – check out my post here.

What would you give a newly “green” mom?

I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation for my time on this post. Participation in this program is voluntary. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

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Passover

Written on April 18, 2011 by Denisesawyer in Wholesome Family, Wholesome Recipes

Monday evening my family celebrated Passover with a Passover meal. Why? You might be asking. I am not Jewish, I am Christian, but my family celebrates all of the Lord’s Feast found in Leviticus 23 because they are the Lord’s appointed days and he told us to keep them – forever.

So, my family will get together to review the bible story that surrounds Passover – when the Israelites fled from Egypt with Moses and God delivered them from pharaoh, and to discuss our belief that Jesus is our Passover lamb. Of course, our evening will also consist of a Passover meal – although a little less traditional.

Monday evening, I made Matzoh Ball Soup, Roasted Chicken with Carrots, and mashed potatoes. My mom brought sauteed green beans and a peach and blueberry crumble.

Matzoh Ball Soup is actually one of my favorite soups. I found all the ingredients I needed right at my local Walmart. Yep, even Walmart has Matzoh meal and other kosher foods for Passover! =) I’m excited to share my recipe with you here today.

:: Matzoh Ball Soup

For the Matzoh Balls
1 small onion
3 Tbsp Crisco
3 eggs
3/4 c matzoh meal
1 1/2 Tbsp parsley
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 c chicken soup

For the Soup
2 cartons of chicken stock (6 cups)
2 cups water
3 1/2 cups shredded (cooked) chicken
3 to 4 large carrots peeled and sliced
3 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tsp kosher salt

Saute the onion, celery, and carrots in a large stock/soup pot. Add chicken stock, water, chicken, and salt. Simmer until all veggies are done and soup is hot (about 15 to 20 minutes). Remove 1/3 of a cup for the matzoh balls and allow to cool.

In a small skillet, cook onion in Crisco over medium heat until onion is golden and beginning to brown. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Beat in matzoh meal, parsley, salt, and pepper. Scrape the onion and Crisco from the skillet into the bowl. Add 1/3 cup of cold chicken soup and blend well. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Form the matzoh meal dough into 10 to 12 balls. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the matzoh balls, reduce the heat to medium and cover. Cook for about 30 minutes.

Bring the chicken soup to a boil and add the matzoh balls just to heat through.

Serve!

Whatever your family is doing this week, Passover or Easter, Walmart has everything you need to make it special. See that beautiful flower on my table? I bought it at Walmart – and the flower pot too! After the meal it is joining my patio furniture outdoors.

I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation for my time on this post. Participation in this program is voluntary. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

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Feeding Baby Wholesomely: Baby Food

Written on April 14, 2011 by Denisesawyer in Product Reviews & Giveaways, Uncategorized, Wholesome Family, Wholesome Food

If you’ve been following this blog for very long, you know that I have a two year old son that I have tried my darnedest to raise “wholesomely.” While we all have a different definition for what that is, I have defined it as providing a wholesome/clean (and mostly green) environment and feeding him wholesome (whole ingredients – not processed foods) and lots of organic foods.

Well, now that I have number two on the way, my direction still remains the same. I plan to reuse my cloth diapers, breastfeed, and provide homemade, organic baby food when the time is right.

We all know that life sometimes gets in the way of our good intentions. I know that with Judah I used (still use) a combination of cloth diapers and disposable diapers. There were times when we were traveling, I was swamped with work, (etc., etc., etc.) when disposable diapers were a must (and a life saver). Lucky for me, Judah didn’t have any adverse affects from using cloth diapers.

And, while I fed Judah mostly homemade baby food, there were times when baby food that didn’t need refrigeration was a welcomed blessing. While feeding Judah at home, I usually just blended up (or mashed) some of what we were having for dinner. Other times, like for quick lunches at home, I tried to batch cook a little baby food here and there so I would have something on hand in a pinch. I often cooked several sweet potatoes or a bag of home grown squash and pureed them and stored them in reusable containers in the freezer (Avent has some terrific cups that I am still using to this day). But, I always keep a package or two of store bought baby food on my pantry shelf for those days when we weren’t going to have a way to refrigerate items and it was just plain easier.

I always felt a little guilty for purchasing this baby food and that is why I am so excited about Sprout Organic baby food! With number two on the way I am exstatic that I will have such a wonderful alternative for those “in a pinch” sort of days.

One of the many things I love about Sprout baby food is that it was started by Tyler Florence (of Food Network – a trusted chef) for his own children. When reading the packages I found my mouth watering! With varieties like “peach pumpkin pie,” ” roasted bananas,” “Oatmeal with roasted cinnamon applesauce,” and “summer squash, yukon gold potatoes, and parmesan” even I would eat this stuff! And, isn’t that what we’re aiming for – GOOD, wholesome food?

That is something I have never understood – why would you feed your baby these exotic mixtures of fruits/carbs/veggies that don’t sound like anything YOU would eat mixed together!?! Isn’t the goal of feeding a child “baby food” to serve as an introduction to lots of the foods you eat/want them to eat so that when the child is old enough to eat “real food” they will be a well rounded eater? Just checking.

Another thing I love about Sprout organic baby food is that you can serve a portion from the pouch and refrigerate the rest for another meal since the pouch is resealable. And, speaking of pouch – that is what this food comes in – a TerraCycle pouch. It is shatterproof (great for on the go) and because it weighs so much less than glass, it takes much less energy to transport the product to us – the customers!

And, since Sprout and TerraCycle encourage parents to return their empty pouches (FREE of charge) to TerraCycle, who then “upcycles them into items like bibs, splat mats, and diaper bags, it is a very GREEN choice too! Good for baby AND the environment! But, TerraCycle also donates $0.02 each to various charitable organizations for each returned pouch – so really, what more could you ask for?!

Sprout comes in 3 different lines: one for babies (starter) that is just a 2.5 oz pouch of first foods (fruits or vegetable purees), one for the intermediate group (intermediate) that is a 3.5 oz pouch of combination foods (fruits, veggies, grains, and beans), and one for the toddler set (advanced) that is a hearty meal (5.5 oz) of organic meat or poultry, whole grain pasta, lentils, beans, and veggies.

If you want to find more information about Sprout Organic Baby Food, go to www.sproutbabyfood.com, or www.facebook.com/sproutbabyfood and http://www.twitter.com/SproutFoods.

I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with product and compensation for my time and efforts on this post. Product given to me has been passed on to a family who could use it. Participation in this program is voluntary. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.