Just A Short Note--

WOW-- I just realized that it's been over a month since I've posted anything here- so thought I'd check in!

I have been busy helping my daughter with the high school yearbook ( a long story there) but the senior section is almost completed- so that will be a big relief!

The kids are doing well in school- 2nd terms report cards just came in and both did terrific- Alex could bring a couple of his grades up some- but he's passing and certainly doing a lot better than last year-- so can't complain to much! Vacation starts the 23rd for them- they can't wait!

The house is completely decorated for Christmas- I've had everything up since about a week before Thanksgiving- a little early- but it takes a few days to get everything up and I like to be able to enjoy it all.

I've also been listening to holiday music on XM 801 on Direct TV all day long-- nothing like a little holiday cheer! :O)

All of the kids presents are wrapped and under the tree except for a few last minute things- as they get older their wants become more expensive so there is less presents- yet, still things they want.

Oh well-- I've got to finish dishes and change the laundry around so I better get going for now-- hopefully I'll be posting again sooner than later!

Happy Birthday To My Son

It's so hard to believe that my 'baby' Alex is 15 today- where has the time gone - it's racing by- sometimes I wish I could catch it and hold onto it a little bit longer - before I know it, he's going to be a senior in high school like his sister is this year and then off on his own in the big world.


Like most parents and teens- we have our ups and downs- but the good far out ways the bad- I'm fortunate enough to have two terrific kids!

When Alex was born, he had trouble swallowing and eating and we didn't really know why until he got dehydrated and ended up in the hospital - it was then determined that he had large tonsils and adenoids- we were sent to see a doctor in Watertown who said he didn't think they needed to come out, but would take them out if we wanted him to- and I insisted he do it- it wasn't for the fact it was going to be fun for my son to have an operation at 18 months old of course- but it was because he had numerous ear infections, couldn't lay down flat very well, couldn't eat well, etc.- once removed, the doctor came out and told us that he had never seen such large tonsils and adenoids in a child before- they were larger than most adults and we had for sure made the correct choice in having them removed.

After all of this - Alex has a slow start in learning to talk- he was very very smart, he just wasn't getting his words out like he should - so at 3, we started him with speech therapy several times a week and it's one of the best things I could ever have done for him. They thought he might possibly have a stutter his entire life and once he started talking, he talked so fast you could hardly understand him- but after several years of speech therapy all was/is well and you would never know he had any of these problems as a young child. He does not have a stutter and his speech slowed down to a 'normal' rate. I can remember telling him when he was younger - Alex slow down, I can't understand you- and they warned me not to do that for it could make him talk slow-- as a mother sometimes you just know that that's not going to be the case- I kept telling him to slow down when he'd talk fast and he would stop, think and restart and talk perfect - he's come such a long way and I am so thankful he had no lasting problems with his speech.

Alex doesn't care much for school- and it's frustrating- because on state tests he will ace them and be one of the top two or three in his class on every single one of them- yet, he will barely be passing the classes- and this is simply because he is to lazy to do the school work and doesn't want to do the school work- this year that has changed some though- he's in 9th grade now and this year is going well- he has had one report card home and got really good grades- 85's and 90's even- I was very proud of him for this and I hope it continues for the rest of the year - although I'm not sure how he does it, because he doesn't ever do home work at home - thank goodness for study halls I guess!

Alex is very independent and outgoing unlike Megan. Megan is shy and reserved around people- where as Alex will walk up - shake hands and introduce himself to anyone- he will make the best of most situations and by the end of the day, have several new friends because of this.

I am thankful that Alex isn't into smoking, drinking or anything like that- the most I ever get upset with him about is not bringing dirty clothes out of his room or soda cans, or the occasional fight about not wanting to go to school- I would gladly take these types of arguments any day over what they could be about.

Alex does enjoy going camping and hunting with his grandfather- I'm so thankful my kids have grown up right next door to my parents- both of them have loving, caring, wonderful relationships with both their grandmother and grandfather - they have been such a part of the kids lives that they will never forget and I am sure will look back on one day with very many fond memories.

Anyways- I'm grateful to be here to celebrate my sons birthday with him- I'm grateful to be watching him grown into a fine young man- I'm grateful he is my son- I love him so much.

Happy Birthday Alex- you mean the world to me- I would be lost without you- your smile is infectious- your giggly laugh has always brightened the darkest of days- and although I might not always show it- I cherish each and everyday I have with you.

I love you so much-- here's to many many more birthdays!!

Meg's Senior Pics

These are 'raw' pics- we did have some enhancements added to some of them- the black is not an actual black in the photos we are getting-- more of a soft black with some grey mixed in- her name/year of graduation is on some, and I got a sepia pic as well-- these are just the basic pics before anything was done to them.

For those of you who like to read blogs---

Here is a blog my father has started- unlike me he is a very good writer lol and writes about a variety of topics - so check it out-

The Old Curmudgeon

It's Been Nearly Month---

It's been nearly a month since I've posted anything-- so thought I'd just do a mini update on things--

My last blog post was about my friend Kelly's son Ethan- he is still in the hospital and will be starting his second round of Chemo as soon as he is eating/drinking more- they've had a rough time this past month- but certainly are not giving up- hopefully things will start to improve more really soon.

The kids are doing ok in school- it's hard to believe it's been a month already since they went back!

The leaves are turning colors on the trees- I really enjoy this time of yea the most and the month of September we saw some of the nicest weather we've had all summer long! I have decorated inside and out for Halloween/Fall- although I didn't put up as much as I usually do- it's enough- keep thinking ahead to Christmas and wondering what to do for the holiday- it's not as much fun buying presents for the kids as it was when they were younger- plus they get so much all the time anyways- it doesn't leave much to get them.

I decided to take down my Create A Can website for now- I wasn't getting but an order here and there and it hardly seemed worth it anymore since I have to order in all the cans now instead of getting them locally like I was. In this economy, people just don't want to spend $10 to ship paint cans- and I can't blame them- I wouldn't either.

I've decided to enroll in an online degree program through SUNY (State University of NY)for ecommerce - I'm hoping to have everything in place to be enrolled and taking classes in January - I'm actually looking forward to it- not only will I learn more about website designing and running online businesses- but it will also give me something to do- I've been so bored lately!

Well, that about sums up what's going on around here -- hope everyone is well!

Suddenly BIG things in life, aren't so big anymore

A couple of years ago, I 'met' online a lady named Kelly and while I've not been particularly close to her, we keep in touch- this was especially so a little over a year ago, when she had a beautiful baby girl born much to early in the pregnancy and the baby spent several months in the hospital- I was amazed- she had a 1 year old little Boy at home and was also dealing with this very premature infant- her positive attitude and outpouring love and support from her family and friends was terrific- anyways, since that time, I've enjoyed watching baby Sarah growing- and until about three weeks ago, her big brother Ethan was wonderful too- then he started to not feel so well, and after tests, they found out he has stage 4 cancer with a tumor next to his kidney- I am in shock - this little beautiful boy who was just enjoying digging worms in the mud, playing with his sister and little friends- is now fighting for his life in a blink of an eye and this family is torn apart.

I truly can't begin to imagine the heartbreak and pain this family is going thru.

I feel so badly, and wish it wasn't happening to them.

It's made me stop and think-- really- do these clothes need to be put away right now- does it matter if my kids have clothes on the floor of their room - does it matter if my floor isn't mopped yet? I know we can't stop living life - and these are ideally a part of life and growing- but I know it's making me stop and think- ok- I'd rather watch that movie with the kids- these things can wait- no one knows how much time they are given, or what obstacles are around the corner- don't wait until you are faced with a challenge like Kelly and her family before you realize what important things in life you are missing out on.

My heart is saddened that Ethan is going thru all of this. Please keep him in your thoughts.

First Day Of School!

Alex is a FRESHMAN this year-- I can't believe it- it seems like just last year he was my little 4 year old who could barely get up on the steps of the bus!




AND Megan is a SENIOR- I can't believe my girl is almost grown up- next year, it will be off to college- I'm going to cherish this year with her as much as I can - thankfully the college she wants to go to is only 20 minutes away! lol



This is the first time in 17 years our school district has started school before Labor Day - seems a little silly to go two days, then have the holiday weekend off- especially when it's typically the past vacation time of summer!

45 minutes until the kids will come in the door- can't wait to hear what their first day back was like- hopefully it was a good day!

Google Ranking

Every time I change something on my blog- I loose my google ranking- does anyone else have this happen? It's so frustrating!

One project turns into three-- or four-- or five :O)

As some of you know, we built our house with the help of my father and have been living in it for about 3 1/2 years now- when we moved in, it was not completely finished- we still had some painting to do and a few walls to finish off, etc.- well, let me tell you- time STOPPED on the house the day we moved into it- the motivation to get hubby to do anything steadily declined- and needless to say, not much has gotten done on the house- although I've changed the color of the living room three times since we've moved in and hubby has painted it each and every time- it has been like pulling nails to get the hallway painted-- and he doesn't allow me to paint (usually) lol- so I've looked at grey wallboard forever now- BUT- it's finally painted-- yayyyyyyy- so happy about that!

In the mean time- it got me to thinking well, hey- if we've painted- we can put up the trim work around the door- we opted to purchase 1x6's and make the frames that way- staying with the country/prim style that I like- I decided to go with a True Walnut color for the painting of them- because I have a dark sage type of green on the walls- will look perfect together- this lead me to thinking- well the kitchen cupboards really look shabby lol- we stained them a light almost natural color a few years ago ( we purchased unfinished cupboards when we built the house) but I've never like it- and now, it didn't even look like they had been stained- dull and drabby-- so I thought hmmm-- this walnut color might look good on them although I SWORE I'd never paint them LOL - well, the bottom set is now done and although it's going to take some getting used to- I do like it- not in love with it yet- but I do like it- lol- ohh-- and BTW-- we also painted the doors to the bedrooms and bathroom- and I purchased stain for the deck- and how did all of this get started you ask? Because my daughter wants to have a Bon Fire with her friends Tuesday night- so hubby decided he better get some things done LOL - If I'd have known that's all it took- I'd have had her done it three years ago!!! LOL

Will post pics soon-- gotta go put all the knobs back on the cupboards and drawers now!

Easy, Yummy Chicken Stir Fry

My daughter and her friend wanted to try making a stir fry-- I told them I didn't mind although I wasn't going to eat it-- I am not a veggie lover lol- she started looking online last night for a recipe and came up with tons of course- and seemed to like bits and pieces of each one- in the end, this is what they did:

Purchased a stir fry seasoning mix from the grocery store- added it to water and sugar, but did not add the soy sauce- this was just directions from the packet- then set it aside --then they used 1 red pepper, 1 green pepper, a few green onions, a regular onion, cut/sliced carrots, 2 cloves of garlic, garlic powder and onion powder -- they mixed all this together - then they sliced two boneless chicken breasts into small pieces/strips and cooked them in a bit of oil until almost done- once almost done-- they added in the mixture of veggies - let them cook about 5-6 minutes and added in the stir fry seasoning mixture and cooked for a couple of more minutes until it was all blended together - they then took flour tortilla wraps and made wraps out of the stir fry-- they both agreed it was really yummmy, but they put in to many veggies for the amount of chicken- they also were going to make rice to go with it, but forgot until almost done eating LOL -- a good afternoon project for the girls though!

Niagara Falls Here We Come

Tuesday can't get here fast enough! The kids and I really need a break from the house and we are on our way to Niagara Falls first thing Tuesday Morning- so excited- my mom is coming along too!

I have planned so far to leave around 6 in the morning, stopping for lunch some place and then on to the falls- I think we will go to the maid of the mist tour when we get there and then the snow park Tuesday night from 7-9 because they have discounted admission-- other attractions we are hoping to get to are the Aquarium of Niagara, The Hard Rock Cafe, the observation tower and Martins Fantasy Island- and whatever else we find - then when we leave on Friday- I'm hoping to go to the Buffalo Zoo- if it gets to late, we will stop some where along the way home for the night- most likely the Syracuse area.

Hoping the trip is relaxing and not stressful! lol
Will let you all know how it went when we get back and I'll be posting pics too!

Happy August Everyone!

Husband REFUSED to be looked at by the Doctor today!!!

Saturday evening, my husband started to get really congested -- now it's Monday and he's worse - not to be gross, but he is hacking up yellow and green stuff and his nose is filled with it, etc. - obviously (to me anyways) he has an infection that's started and should be seen by doctor before it gets worse -- SO, he is a war time vet ( Desert Storm ) and goes thru the Veteran's Administration for all of his treatment- we live about 45 minutes to the closest clinic that he can use- but, the treatment is free so it's worth the gas to drive there-

So I called the clinic this morning, talked with the receptionist and then the NURSE-told the NURSE exactly what was going on and EXACTLY when it started, etc. - she first gave him an appointment for tomorrow- but then called ME back and says, we just had a cancellation, and while it's not his regular doctor, he can and SHOULD be seen - so can he come at 2:30-- SURE I said-- great-- no problem- we will be there- I also said he is also scheduled for some routine blood work-- can we get that done as well since we are going to save a trip in a few weeks-- SURE - no problem- so I get hubby up and we trek the journey to the clinic-

First thing he does is go to the window and checks in and asks for the blood work papers so he can go do that while waiting for the appointment- the receptionist looks at the clock and says -- ohhh it's 2:10 - you can't do it- blood work must be done BEFORE 2:00 PM--- BIG SIGH-- A LITTLE frustrated the nurse didn't mention this earlier when I talked with her-- but oh well- he will come back- what can you do about it now-- frustrating-- annoying-- so we were a little early for the appointment now- but no biggie- we just sat and waited-- and waited and waited-- typical clinic were you wait longer than it takes to be seen- after a LONG while, this lady comes to get us who I'm assuming is the person he's seeing- (she did not introduce herself at all)-- doesn't hold a conversation on the way to the room-- nothing-- ok-- no biggie I guess-- so we get to the room and hubby sits up on the exam table and she sits down at her desk in the chair there and says so what can I do for you- hubby STARTS to explain how he is hacking up the yellow and green stuff and can't breathe etc - she interrupts him and says when did this start - he said Saturday and she SNOTTILY says well I'm not going to do anything for you it's not been at least SEVEN days-- I said what-- she says I'm not going to even examine him because it's not been seven days - I'm like WHAT? Why aren't you going to examine him? She said well he never should have been given an appointment-- I said well he WAS and we discussed SPECIFICALLY that the nurse addressed on the phone when it started, etc. - she was like well, she didn't have the knowledge to tell you to come in, only an RN would - I said then why didn't I talk with an RN then- she is who they gave me- she said, oh we don't have one -- HELLO-- what am I missing here?!!?!? By this time, I'm livid-- and so I'm like well we are here, it's his time- can't you just look at him and see what's up-- maybe there is an ear infection-- maybe it's in his lungs-- maybe he has swine flu-- I don't know- I'm NOT the doctor, but I'm not stupid either-- but NO NO NO- she would not even take two seconds to LOOK at him- to EXAMINE him at all even though she THINKS we should not even be there? I'm beside myself-- I can not believe it-- I'm like why did they tell us to come in then!?!? More to hubby that her and she puts her fingers and thumb together and says money-- that's why!! I had to walk out at that point-- I couldn't take her anymore- so I walked out to the receptionist and asked who I would make a complaint to and she asked why-- and I told her he was being refused treatment-- by this time hubby walked out the door he was so angry and upset- so then the receptionist, the nurse I'd talked to earlier, the Doctor ( or whatever she is-- prolly a PA) and another lady were all discussing why he was there and that it wasn't seven days, etc etc and all bickering among themselves and I gave up and left!!

I told hubby I'd stop at the clinic in Lisbon on the way home and see about getting him in there-- and of course they happen to be on vacation this week - lol- so he still hasn't been seen- he's in bed, feeling terrible- and I'm going to call the Syracuse VA tomorrow (or someone) which sponsors the clinic and see about reporting what happened today-- not that he's dieing by any means- I'm just beyond disbelief in the chain of events today and feel it's completely wrong- she could have said I normally don't see people until it's at least seven days, but since you are here- lets take a look-- and then decide if he should have something- if he should wait- call back in a few days if your still not better or whatever-- but we were THERE in her office, HIS appointment time- and he was refused treatment- I can not believe it.

Chicken Wing Dip

Megan and her friend have been raving about Chicken Wing Dip for a few months now- so I had her get the recipe from her friend's Mom and I just got done making it - Meg says it's AMAZINGLY good - so I must have done something right! lol

Here is the recipe:

Chicken Wing Dip:

Cook 4-5 skinless boneless chicken breasts and let cool.
Chop chicken in food processor.
Add in 8 ounces Cream Cheese
Add in 8 ounces Shredded Cheddar or Monterrey Jack Cheese I used a combo pack made by Kraft that contains both kinds)
Add in 1/2-3/4 cup Moore's Buffalo Wing Sauce
Add in 1/2-3/4 Cup Ranch Dressing

Mix well in the food processor if you have one or by hand.

Place in crock pot of low for 3 hours- it will melt down - stir occasionally.

Serve with Taco Chips - we are using tostito scoop chips

YUMM-- great snack tonight!

If you try it let me know what you think!

Summer Storm

This afternoon we had one of the worst storms we've had in a very long time- it only lasted about 1/2 hour or so, but boy did it do some damage- we have several BIG maple trees in our front yard and the winds took down another big branch from the tree-- this time, it was covering the road, so I called 911 to have them dispatch people to come get it out of the road as I certainly wasn't able to do it. The first big branch of the tree went down during the winter when we had a bad storm- so, we've made the decision that the rest of the tree should come down - if it were to fall, then it is risking falling on the neighbors cars or the house across the road and I'd hate to have either happen. We will have to plant another in it's place.

Below are some of the photos of the storm today- we had high winds, down pouring rain, HAIL- so much that the ground looked white- it was a crazy 1/2 hour or so-
now, it's sunny and nice out- you'd never know a thing happened- but, I'm told we are in for another shot of the storm yet tonight.

Wagonteamster.com Bob is back!

A few months ago, you may have read here on the blog where I mentioned that Bob from wagonteamster.com had been hit by a tractor trailer at full speed while in his horse drawn wagon. Well, I'm happy to say Bob has made a full recovery from his many broken bones and is back on the road again!

Last summer, Bob started out from NH and had made it all the way to Mississippi over the course of several months, then just a few days before he was going to take a much needed rest and attend Mardi Gras, his wagon was hit by a loaded semi - this ended him up in the hospital for several weeks and caused the death of two of his horses. However, Bob has a new wagon, a new team of horses and is picking up where he left off-- sorta-- he has now started off in Indiana and I'm not sure where he is headed - but I certainly enjoy checking in daily with Bob and see where he's been and what he's up to. Personally, I could never (unless I had to) travel the way he is for very long - but if you get a chance, check out his website- Wagon Teamster

Are improvements always for the best?

I used to love Banquet Pot Pies since I was a kid- I always picked out the veggies, but none the less, loved them- this continued into my adulthood- UNTIL they decided to make them microwaveable a few years ago- since then, I've never ever been able to get one to cook correctly in the oven NOR in the microwave- I finally gave up - and really miss them-- this is just one example - but, this leaves me to my pet peeve of today -

My son loves gum- he doesn't like the big chunky gums- but does like Wrigley's doublemeint and Juicy Fruit to name a few - I have always loved the fact that they come in a 10 pack for less than $2 for the pack- he grabs a pack in the morning before school - and sometimes comes home with a partial pack of 5 sticks and sometimes doesn't- I don't mind him sharing a piece or two either with friends- after all, it's gum and not something that's going to break the bank- UNTIL NOW - tonight when I went to pick up a few things- he asked me to grab him some gum as he was out- well I'll be- they have changed the packages to now include 3 packs of gum that contain 15 sticks each - called the "slim Pack" and of course none of the 'old' packs of 10 available at all- WHY? WHY must companies do this- new and improved is not always the best- we as moms for one, would never ever give a kid 15 sticks of gum at once - regardless of the age- no longer does it fit into a pair of jean pockets nicely- but it's bulky - who decided this was now the convenient way we should buy gum after 50 or so years of it being the same way?? I really wish companies would think sometimes before changing their products to new and improved- because like the pot pies- it's not always as grand as they think!

The ABC's Of Me

A - Age: 38

B - Bed size: Queen but prefer the couch! I have always loved sleeping on the couch ever since I was a kid- I'd sneak downstairs to sleep on the couch!

C - Chore you hate: Taking clothes out of the dryer & dusting

D - Dog's name(s): None

E - Essential start your day item: alarm clock & Diet Pepsi lol

F - Favorite color: Sage Green, Burgundy - prim/country colors

G- Gold or Silver: silver

H - Height: 5'4"

I - Instruments you play(ed): clarinet

J - Job title: Mom, Wife, Multi Tasker, Jack of All Trades & Business Owner

K - Kid(s): 2 - Girl 17 and boy 14 1/2

L - Living arrangements: hubby, son, daughter, 2 cats

M - Mom's name: Nora

N - Nicknames: DJ - given to me by my dad when I was little - I always hated being called that by anyone except for him and one of my cousin's call me that too!

O - Overnight hospital stay(s): Yes a few

P - Pet Peeve: people lying

Q - Quote from a movie: Sooo many-- how about You had me at hello

R - Right or left handed: left

S - Siblings: Two brothers & A sister

T - Time you wake up: 6:45 a.m. week days

U- Underwear: yes of course!

V - Vegetable you dislike: Mostly all of them - although I do like potatoes and shredded lettuce lol

W - Ways you run late: Hardly ever unless waiting on my daughter to get ready!

X - X-rays you've had: dental, lots of body parts

Y - Yummy food you make: Right now anything grilled, Potatoes, onions & Butter, Pizza logs, panini's

Z - Zoo favorite: giraffes and zebra's

Blooming Iris'

We have been having some really cold weather for the end of May/beginning of June- or at least it seems unusually cool- at night it's been going down into the 30's still and sometimes not much warmer during the day - on top of the coldness- we've been getting a LOT of rain- it's crazy- on Sunday we had wind, rain, HAIL - AND sun!



In the midst of all of this, somehow my Iris' have managed to stay alive and continue to grow and are beginning to open up - I have three clumps planted along the front of my deck- one on each end and one in the center - I really do think they are a pretty flower and the hummingbirds seem to like them as well- I only wish that they had a longer life when in bloom.

I just looked at the weather forecast for the rest of the week and it looks like we are in for some sunshine finally and 70's - I'm looking forward to getting outside and using my grill and deck furniture!

Homemade Popcorn Chicken Bowl

One of my favorite things to get to go and eat in the car from KFC is their popcorn chicken bowl - since we live about 45 minutes from the closest KFC I decided to make my own homemade version and it came out pretty tasty!

Now, you have to remember-- I'm all about fast and easy cooking lol - I would love to be a REAL foodie person- but I'm just a wanna be who still has to eat lol

All I did was make a single serving of Idaho instant potatoes, enough gravy for the bowl - I used McCormick Poultry Gravy - I love how easy it is to make- just boil a bit of water, add the mix and whisk- so easy, never clumpy and always delicious! Then for the chicken part, I just used Banquet popcorn chicken - mixed all this together, topped with Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese and then I popped it in the microwave for about 30 seconds to melt the cheese-- terrific!!

Now, you could add corn to the bowl or anything else, but I'm not a veggie lover so it was perfect just as I did above for me- anyways- another simple, easy put together meal that even the pickiest of eaters should like!

Free Necco Candy / Name That Sweetheart

For the first time in their 145-year history, Sweethearts is letting its fans tell them what they want to see on their hearts. Create your own sweet sayings before May 31, and you could win a run of customized hearts worth $8,000 or other great prizes.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE MY SWEETHEARTS WEBSITE

Ham & Cheese Biscuit Lunch

I was looking for something 'different' for lunch and thought of this idea- I'm sure it is not new to the cooking world, but it's the first time I've done it, so thought I'd share it and maybe give some others a simple delicious idea for a quick lunch or dinner - these would be great as party snacks as well.




Ingredients:
1 can refrigerated Pillsbury grands flaky buttermilk biscuits
2 slices deli ham sliced into small squares
4 teaspoons of Honey Mustard sauce
1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:
Open up the biscuits and flatten them out thin with your hand or a small rolling pin - place on a baking sheet ( I sprayed the sheet with a cooking spray to keep them from sticking)
top with 1/2 teaspoon honey mustard sauce and then layer on the cheeses
Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees

you could easily substitute the ham for any meat you'd like and also add things like green peppers, onions, etc. - this is just a tasty little lunch I made with what I had on hand -- enjoy!

Junior Prom Was Finally Here!

Last night was finally Megan's Junior Prom- they held it at the Freight House in Ogdensburg - she spent the night at a friends house afterwards, so I haven't heard all the details yet, but from what she has told me, she had a terrific time- I'm really glad about that, but I'm also glad that it's over with lol - it turned out pretty stressful at the end- she made the comment- I can't imagine my wedding day after this LOL -- well, lets hope that one is still several years away :O)

More photos are at Meg's Prom Pics

My New Finch Feeder

For Mother's Day, Hubby bought me a new Finch Feeder that holds Thistle Seeds- I have no idea why, but the little birds just go nuts for them- sometimes there are 6-8 or more birds on the feeder at once- I love to see them and have been enjoying the new feeder the past few days. What's nice about it, is it came with two replacement 'socks' in case these wear out and it's of course refillable as well- hubby said it cost about $15 in Walmart for it- so to bad even if it lasts just for the summer - Now if the birds would only stop running into my big picture window - we'd be getting someplace!!

On-Cor BBQ Boneless Shaped Pork Patties

Lunch today-- was another experiment with a frozen food entree-- this time it was
On-Cor BBQ Rib Pork Patties - the claim to be the #1 Rib Sandwich for six years at Taste of Chicago. Rib-shaped pork patties char-broiled with a hickory smoked taste and then lightly marinated in a special barbecue sauce.

The smell of these cooking almost made my son sick - hehe- he came out of his room and is like what is that!!! ICCKK! - even with his stuffy nose/sinus infection he could still smell it and didn't like it - wouldn't even try it- my daughter took one look and opted for a grilled cheese sandwich LOL - I did give it a try- and although I wouldn't say it's a favorite or even something I'd probably buy again anytime soon- it wasn't THAT bad- it did have a LOT of excess BBQ sauce in it- I think to cover up the fact the patties were really so small- a lot of calories in one pattie compared to something like the Boston Market meal I had the other night - I took a piece of dry toast and placed two little ribs on that along with a little sauce and I did finish eating it- and did save the left over - I'll eat it for dinner tonight prolly just cause I don't like to be to wasteful- but again, not something I really see me buying again anytime soon.

I've decided I'm going to be the critiquer of frozen food and just live in the land of wanting to be a real foodie person LOL

Rainy Day But No Blues....

This is the view outside the front of my house right now-- it's pouring down rain- but amazingly, I don't have the rainy day blues - I actually enjoy the rain at times and this is one of those times- I love hearing it beat down on the house roof- isn't it such a soothing sound sometimes? (Or maybe I'm just crazy) lol

Anyways- it's a day I'm staying home, and for some reason I'm feeling creative, so once I get the dishes and laundry done, I'm going to sit back down here and design some new printable sets- who knew the rain would get me in the right mood to design?!?!

Boston Market Frozen Dinner

During the winter, I seem to cook more 'family' meals- the kids are normally hungry when they get home from school and want something hot, etc. - so it makes it much easier to have a family meal - from now until about September though, we all seem to just eat 'whenever we want' - making it really hard to cook to many bigger meals.

So, with this in mind - the last time I went to the Super Walmart, I picked up several Frozen dinners for myself- and for the kids to try as well (hubby will not eat them) - tonight, Megan wanted a fruit salad - so she fixed herself cut up strawberries, watermelon and a banana - that made her happy for her dinner - Alex has a sinus infection and didn't want to eat anything because his throat hurts, but also because he is going to an end of the year Dart Baseball Banquet here in a bit - hubby is out mowing the grass- making it the perfect time to try one of the frozen dinners.

I picked a Boston Market honey chicken with au gratin potatoes - and to my surprise - it was REALLY good - I will buy a few more of these the next time I go to the store to have on hand for occasions like this. There was enough in the package to fill me up - although I did have a slice of buttered bread with it also - and the taste was wonderful - If I hadn't of cooked it myself and it was served on a plate, I would have thought it was homemade.

In Honor Of Mother's Day Coming Up

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.



Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom.

This is all so true-- I love my kids to the core- they make my life worth living- they mean everything to me - I love you Megan & Alex!

WHY MEN ARE NEVER DEPRESSED:

WHY MEN ARE NEVER DEPRESSED:

Men Are Just Happier People-- What do you expect from such simple creatures?

-Your last name stays put.
-The garage is all yours.
-Wedding plans take care of themselves.
-Chocolate is just another snack.
-You can be President.
-You can never be pregnant.
-You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.
-You can wear NO shirt to a water park.
-Car mechanics tell you the truth.
-The world is your urinal.
-You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.
-You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
-Same work, more pay.
-Wrinkles add character.
-Wedding dress $5000.
-Tux rental-$100.
-People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
-New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
-One mood all the time.
-Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
-You know stuff about tanks.
-A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
-You can open all your own jars.
-You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
-If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
-Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.
-Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
-You almost never have strap problems in public.
-You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
-Everything on your face stays its original color.
-The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
-You only have to shave your face and neck.
-You can play with toys all your life.
-One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons.
-You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
-You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife.
-You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
-You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.

No wonder men are happier.

I found this on another blog that I visit and thought I'd share it with all of you as well.

Modern Day Shopping

Last Friday my daughter took a school trip to Syracuse which is about 2 1/2 hours away from us - they went to watch the play Diary of Anne Frank (which she says was terrific) and then lunch and shopping at the mall there.

Well, she must have called me a dozen times asking me if she should get this or that - then I get an email from her phone- where she sent me a text message with this pic wondering if I liked it and if she should get it - I had to laugh- only in today's world can you go into the dressing room, take a camera phone pic, email it to your mom and then ask for her opinion LOL

Turkey Funny

My son is gone to camp this weekend with his friend and his friend's father - while there, they are going to be turkey hunting - well, it reminded me of something REALLY funny that happened a few weeks ago.

My son was out shopping with me and one of the items he bought was a turkey call - he gets in the car and opened it up while we were waiting for my husband to come out of the store - all the sudden I hear really loud the WORDS (sounded like from a megaphone) - "who, who - who's gonna cook you" - I turned around and Alex is staring at the turkey call like what?? - so, he did it again, and again, the same thing- "who, who - who's gonna cook you" - I said ALEX-- what are you doing??!! He said, I DON'T KNOW- it's what it tells me to do - I said WHAT? He said yes it says say these words into the turkey call - who, who who's gonna cook you - I said, Alex, you can't go into the woods calling that out - not only would people laugh at you, but you'd scare everything away - by this time, I was laughing SO incredibly hard - I told him to hand me the package - and I read it and it did say to say those words -- BUT the point he was missing, was that he was to just use his breath so to speak to kinda sound out those words to make the turkey call work - at first he just couldn't stop SAYING the words out loud and I just kept laughing and then he was laughing so hard as well - he just gave up - the next day he came out of his bedroom able to do the turkey call- so hopefully, he remembered not to say the words this weekend- I can just see John rolling in laughter if Alex starts hooting out - who, who - who's gonna cook you in them middle of the woods! LOL

Spring Boredom

I haven't been posting much to the blog lately-- in fact, I haven't been posting much of anything at all anywhere on the net- I am seriously going thru a big case of the boredom's! I just can't seem to get motivated to do anything - even though there are things I could certainly be doing.

A few weeks ago, we decided to switch a few rooms around and to paint- when switching my office area around to a new room- I decided to start using a laptop for most things ( basically all Internet stuff and using the desktop only for work orders needing to be done ) - I've got the laptop in the living room and while I'm enjoying being out here watching the birds outside, watching to see when the mail comes, who is coming in the driveway, etc. - I can't help but feel like a couch potato! I seem to have gotten into a routine of checking about a dozen websites a day with my butt plopped down on the couch - several times a day- eagerly awaiting for them to be updated LOL - I'm like a kid in a candy store when they are updated- I'm feeling pathetic! I REALLY REALLY need to get motivated and get some things done - how can I be feeling this way??

I will admit the economy has effected by Gift Can business tremendously- and I think that is what is throwing me all off- I am used to being busy from morning to night filling orders, answering emails, returning phone calls, working on custom designs, etc. - and now, there is sometimes days before I get an order in - I am SO not used to this- I told my mother today that if orders don't pick up, I'm going to go out and get a job outside the home just for lack of sheer boredom! Thank goodness I don't have to rely on my income for bills because I've gone from something being more than full time to something less than part time over the course of the past 6 months or so.

This boredom is leading to laziness- I COULD/SHOULD be designing new printables for the website- absolutely nothing stopping me and I do have daily orders from the website for them- so why can't I just get into gear and design? It's sorta like writer's block I guess- I just have no desire to do anything- therefore, I really am causing my own boredom I guess! I need someone to snap snap snap in front of my face and get me out of this streak I'm in!! I NEED motivation!!

With that said, I've decided that I'm giving myself the rest of the week 'off' lol and then comes Monday morning, I am forcing myself to get back into the grove of things and making myself get things done- I think once I get back into a routine of actually working again, I'll be back on track and more apt to get things done- at least I hope so-- in the meantime, I'm going to sit here and be a couch potato and watch Survivor tonight!

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A Day Of Fishing

My son Alex, Alex's great uncle Ron (both pictured) and Alex's grandfather Leo (not pictured) took advantage of a recent beautiful spring day to fish at St. Regis Falls. Ron was the only one lucky enough to catch any fish that day!

My Living Room Has Chicken Pox--

Ok.. not really, but that is what it reminds me of with all the little specks of white on the walls covering up the nail holes hubby repaired so he can paint- he's in the middle of sanding them away right now and hopefully will have the livingroom painted by tonight-- my color of choice is River Bank- it's hard to describe it- but it's a medium in color primitive green - something along a darker sage maybe-- I'll take pics once it's done and show everyone- hubby hates the color- but doesn't care what color I want things paint thankfully LOL - I hope it will look ok once it's on the walls- we built the house 4 years ago - comes this September, it will be our 5th winter in the house - and the livingroom has been painted a light tan once- then it was to light, so the next spring we painted it a darker tan- that lasted a year and we painted it a light sage sorta color- I like it, but it's to light- hense going for the darker version - lol - I am a person who likes change that is for sure!

We also have a new Living room set coming this week- a couch and love seat- so we want to get all the painting done before that!

Yesterday we completely moved my L shaped desk, computer, all the office types of stuff, etc. to a new room as well - It's going to take some used to being in the new place- it's been in the other room ever since we moved into the house- but we finally got this rooms walls done and it was originally going to be a second living room, but it will never get used for that- so made it my new work space - it's a good thing hubby is nice to me- I wouldn't be able to do all of this without him for sure- I do appreciate him even though he doesn't always think so LOL

A funny!!

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN GUILTY OF LOOKING AT OTHERS YOUR OWN AGE AND
THINKING, SURELY I CAN'T LOOK THAT OLD? WELL...YOU'LL LOVE THIS ONE.

MY NAME IS ALICE SMITH AND I WAS SITTING IN THE WAITING ROOM FOR MY
FIRST APPOINTMENT WITH A NEW DENTIST.

I NOTICED HIS DDS DIPLOMA, WHICH BORE HIS FULL NAME. SUDDENLY, I REMEMBERED A TALL, HANDSOME, DARK-HAIRED BOY WITH THE SAME NAME HAD BEEN IN MY HIGH SCHOOL CLASS SOME 30-ODD YEARS AGO. COULD HE BE THE SAME GUY THAT I HAD A SECRET CRUSH ON, WAY BACK THEN? UPON SEEING HIM, HOWEVER, I QUICKLY DISCARDED ANY SUCH THOUGHT. THIS BALDING, GREY-HAIRED MAN WITH THE DEEPLY LINED FACE WAS WAY TOO OLD TO HAVE BEEN MY CLASSMATE. AFTER HE EXAMINED MY TEETH, I ASKED HIM IF HE HAD ATTENDED MORGAN PARK HIGH SCHOOL.

'YES. YES, I DID. I'M A MUSTANG,' HE GLEA MED WITH PRIDE.

'WHEN DID YOU GRADUATE?' I ASKED.

HE ANSWERED, 'IN 1970. WHY DO YOU ASK?'

'YOU WERE IN MY CLASS!', I EXCLAIMED.

HE LOOKED AT ME CLOSELY. THEN, THAT UGLY, OLD, BALD, WRINKLED, FAT ASS, GREY-HAIRED, DECREPIT, SON-OF-A -BITCH ASKED: 'WHAT DID YOU TEACH?

Easter Ramblings

Let me start off by saying, I am not a religious person- never have been and I don't think I ever will be- BUT, I do think everyone has the right to their own religious beliefs and never should be criticized because of them.

Up until the last couple of years, I never thought about WHY we celebrated holidays- we just always "did" when I was a kid so I continued to do so as an adult with my own to kids. The main holidays in my house as a kid and as an adult with my own kids are Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter - Halloween was always about Trick or Treating- getting a good costume, parties, etc. - Christmas was about family together time and love - and of course presents - Easter was filled with eggs hunts, coloring eggs, baskets, gifts, Easter ham dinner- a really FUN day - so other than Thanksgiving which was about being thankful- the holidays were/are really just commercialized for us - they are not about the true meanings behind each holiday- again, because we are not religious- but I wonder how many families celebrate 'just because' - well today is Easter, were having a family dinner-- Well, today is Christmas we have to get together- well, today is this day so we have to do that- I guess it boils down to what about the other 360 some days of the year-- do family and friends not matter on those days? Why don't we take more time out for family and friends on a regular basis?

I am fortunate enough to live across the driveway from my parents - and they live in the house I lived in from the time I was four years old. My parents have gotten to see my two kids (now 17 and 14 1/2) on every holiday of their lives- we've always celebrated together, always had meals together, everything - knowing they have got to experience that with my kids and with me, makes me happy and content to no end- they are the only two grandchildren they have in the area and they have been the joys of their lives- and I'm so happy for that.

As my kids are now older- they could care less about getting an Easter Basket- I stopped that a couple of years ago- they never have been one for the Candy- we find Halloween Candy at Christmas not ate, and we find Easter Candy in July that's not ate lol - but I do miss them being little- we would always boil and decorate the eggs with dyes, stickers, markers, etc. - we'd use the colored Easter eggs and hide them outside for an Easter Hunt ( and even inside a few times when it was bad weather) - as they got older, we'd do one color for one kid and another color for another kid- one year we made the eggs into clues - each clue taking them to another spot and when they got to the end finally they had new bikes waiting for them- we made trails out of silly string one year to all the different eggs when they were really little- such sweet wonderful memories of the holiday we celebrate for all the wrong reasons - lol - but is that completely true? Just because you may not be religious- does it mean you can't celebrate traditions that have gone on for generations? After all, millions of people celebrate in these same ways, and it truly has nothing to do with the meaning of the holiday.

This year, my mom asked me if I wanted her to cook a big meal and I said no-- I don't think you should bother ( my mom ALWAYS cooks the holiday meals- it's her tradition and not one she wants to give up yet) - as the kids are older, today is 'just another day for them' - no more Easter Hunts, no more coloring eggs, no more excited faces running around etc. - it's sleep till noon, get up and get on the computer, play their video games, play basketball, etc. lol - completely different than ten years ago - so I told mom not to bother making the meal for us- I just didn't see 'why' - well, my kids heard about it and were like-- but it's TRADITION - we ALWAYS go to Gramma's for Ham Dinner!!! So, it was funny to me, that even though they are to old to participate in the 'traditions' of all the other Easter festivities- they are NOT to old to have dinner with my parents - THAT made me very happy- that made me thankful - that made me blessed- regardless of what day it is- Easter, Christmas, a Monday or Saturday- I'm happy the kids have the love for their grandparents to want to spend the time with them for dinner- I'm happy they do have the sense of tradition to pass down to their own children someday - in the end- I'm just happy to look back at all the memories knowing my kids had wonderful times growing up and hope that they have and create many many more in the years to come.

Now--this is a really long winded post isn't it-- and I'm NOT a writer or English major so if there are mistakes in it- I don't care lol - I'm just sharing wonderful memories and thoughts today!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day- whether you do or don't celebrate Easter - and for whatever reason you do celebrate it- it's gorgeous here in upstate NY today and I'm looking forward to sunshine and 50 degree weather all week long!!

Free Printables At Karen's Party Wraps

~**Here is a list of the links with the FREEBIES~**

Beauty Shop and Orthodontist Sets

Pirates

Police Police and Sheriff

Doctor and Nurses

Fireman, EMT's

Pool Table, Darts

Etch Sketch

Checkers,Chess

Cowboy

Soldiers

Skate Board

Race Car

Cars

Blue Dog

Transformers

Denim Girl Power

Flower Doll

Gable Boxes

Clock Faces

Braces

Finally Got The Prom Dress

Well we finally ventured out today even though the weather wasn't the nicest and picked up a prom dress for Megan. I can't believe we found one she liked in the very first place we went! Megan is a no frills type of girl though- she doesn't like lace, she doesn't like poofy, she doesn't like netting, etc. etc. lol - so she was looking for something simple, yet elegant enough for prom - I think she found it-- I really love it on her and think she will look beautiful comes prom next month! We were even lucky enough to find a pair of earrings and necklace at the dress shop so all we need now is a pair of shoes and a clutch purse -- ohh and some of those little things to put in her hair once it's done up.

For those of you who are local in the area- I highly suggest you check out Dress For Less in Canton - it's located at 64 1/2 Minor street and it's where we got the dress from- she is EXTREMELY nice, was very helpful and even gave up 30% of her LOW LOW PRICE-- I was expecting to pay a MIN. of $200 for the dress and we got this for-- get ready-- $70!!! That's it!! I spent more for last years winter ball dress than I did for this - extremely good deal and she has a variety of prom dresses, wedding gowns, tuxes, etc. and even has a tanning bed and I did hear her telling someone that they offer a layaway plan too! I will keep this place in mind for the future- that is for sure!

Ohhh and that's her Kitty Artemus in the pic with Meg- he wasn't to sure what she was wearing and was going around and around her trying to figure it out-- it was to cute!

Free Mother's Day Greeting Card Kit

In honor of Mother's Day Coming soon - I'm offering a free set of pre-designed templates for you to make your mother a Greeting Card Organizer!

These are so fast and fun to put together- and something that is unique and lasting as well- once you have it put together, head on over to the $ store and pick up several cards that are $2 for $1 or even the boxes sets that come 10 for $1 or 10 for $2 - fill up the binder with the cards and you've created a terrific Mother's Day Gift that will be used for the entire year and probably longer!

To download the free pre-designed template, just go to my website at Valley View Market and click on printables on the left side and go to Greeting Card Organizer Link - enjoy!

P.S. - The instruction for making the greeting card organizer are also there on the site - just scroll down and you will find the link in the left column as well - enjoy!

I need a better Budget!!

So yesterday, hubby and I made a trip over to the SUPER Walmart which is about 35-40 minutes from me - I don't mind the drive though because the store usually has a few items I can't get at my local grocery stores/regular Walmart store- including the cooked boneless BBQ chuncks from the deli-- YUM-O - I am addicted to those things (prolly a good thing I only go to that store a few times a month LOL) - we spent a little over $200 but that included two gallons of paint for our living room and hallways, painting supplies, some chizzel tools for hubby, laundry soap, and some groceries of course - overall- NOT a bad trip. Then we stopped at another grocery store on the way home and I got bonesless chicken breasts that were on sale along with a variety of Ice cream the kids had been asking for, and a few other items- this totalled about $60 - again, not to bad since the chicken will last me the whole month and the ice cream a few weeks, etc. - not like all this stuff is going to be used up in a day!

Anyways - as every month always starts off, I say we need to budget better - my husband gets paid twice a month from two different sources, but both come within the first week of the month- now, while I like that big chunk of money at the beginning of each month, we both find it hard to balance it out to last the entire month-

The first thing I do is pay all of our bills- and we don't have anything extreme - we were lucky enough to build our own home and don't have a mortgage on it- but we have the light bill, TV bill, Phone bill, Car payment, Insurances, etc. - but with that all said and done, it takes less than half the money hubby gets in a month - and we are not mentioning how much I get from my websites as well- not even factoring that into the picture- so, when you look at it from a big picture- we have more than enough money to sustain us each month- we should be able to be saving - we should be able to take as many family vacations as we want- we should be able to do lots of things- but, I always find towards the end of the month, I'm wishing for the beginning of the month to roll around again just to start the routine all over again!!

Now, I have to say, while I don't personally by myself a lot of things like makeup, clothes, magazines, etc. - we do buy a lot for our two teens - nothing over the top, but if they want a book- or two they get it - if they want a few new shirts, they get it- a new video game, they get it - BUT- they are also given an allowance each month and when that started, they were told if they wanted any of the above things, they had to purchase it with their money- well, that's just NOT working out- they spend that money, then want me to still buy all the above stuff and I'm a sucker and give in and they know it!

AND we eat take out food WAY to much- so, I know that is the one area we could really cut back on - but it's HARD for us! They say you can buy a take out pizza from the store for $8 and save money- but we like different things - so I'd have to buy two- so that is $16 - well for a little less than $20 we can go to the local pizza place, get two pizzas and breadsticks made fresh to our liking for just a few more $$'s - to me, it's worth those few extra $'s - and the taste is better! And I always thought Beef Stew was supposed to be something 'cheap' to make- my family LOVES it- but by the time I buy the meat (and I always buy it on sale), the potatos, carrots, onions, etc. - I end up spending at least $25-$30 making the stew - grant it I make a big crock pot of it and we get a couple days out of it plus I normally give some to my parents next door as well- but for me, it's not really a 'cheap' meal lol - it makes me wonder if I'm missing the point of a stew!

So, taking all of this into consideration- I still need a better budget that I can stick to- I know a lot of it is will power- saying I'm going to do something VS actually doing it- so, this month, I'm really going to TRY to budget better - try to make less frequent trips to the stores - because going for Milk and bread always leads to a $50-$100 shopping trip instead of $10 (this goes for when hubby goes too, not just me) - so, I've paid all of our bills, got the basics for groceries, and lots of snacks- paint for our house, etc. - I'm going to try not to spend anything more until next week-- think I'll make it? LOL

I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing - wish me luck and if you have any tips, let me know!!

What a Beautiful sunrise this morning!

March Give-a-way Winner

Is Sarah -- thanks for following my blog- please contact me though to receive your prize- I don't see your information for me to contact you-- thanks everyone- I hope to get more followers of the blog and will be holding more contests as well - it's just something FUN to do!

Army Wives Trivia

I was on Lifetime TV Network's website yesterday and there was a fun trivia game about the show Army Wives - have any of you taken it?

Do any of you watch the show? I love it- I'm hoping the 3rd season will be back on soon-- I heard several weeks ago they were filiming it - so hopefully it won't be to much longer!

Happy 17th Birthday Megan!!

Today is my daughter's 17th birthday-- we are all so proud of you Megan and love you so much! I can't believe you are 17 today- time goes by so fast- it seems like only yesterday that we were bringing you home from the hospital for the first time- you mean the world to us and I am excited to see what the future brings for you-- HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGGIE MOO!!

How Well Do You Know The Location Of The States?

Let me know how you do!

http://jimspages.com/States.htm

Flick your switch off for Earth Hour

Do you want to show you care about energy conservation? Simply switch off your lights on March 28 from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., local time.

This is Earth Hour, and Saturday is the third annual worldwide event. Earth Hour is both a symbolic act and the start of a practical habit.

Millions of homes and businesses and hundreds of major landmarks will go dark for one hour to show that energy conservation is important.

Lighting accounts for about 11 percent of a typical American home's energy bills, while computers and electronics add another 9 percent.

Some famous buildings will be going dark today including: The Empire State Building in New York City, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the St. Louis Gateway Arch, the Sydney Opera House, the Sears Tower in Chicago, Seattle's Space Needle, the Great Pyramids and Sphinx in Egypt, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Broadway theater marquees in New York City.

So do your little part and turn off the lights for an hour!

Simple Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

So last night I had a craving for Cheddar Cheese Biscuits- I've been wanting to make them for a while, and just hadn't done it- so last night on a whim I decided to make up a batch- the recipe is from allrecipes.com and is so simple and fast and they did come out yummy if I do say so myself- my 16 year old daughter even liked them so they couldn't be to bad! lol

I was thinking afterwards, they would be really yummy with chopped bits of ham or pepperoni mixed into them as well.


Ingredients:

2 cups bisquick baking mix

2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

Heat oven to 450 - ( I only put mine on 375, but that could be my oven??)

Mix baking mix, milk, & cheese until a soft dough forms; beat vigorously for 30 seconds.

Drop dough by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cooking sheet.

Bake 8 - 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Mix butter & garlic powder.

Brush garlic mixture over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet.

Serve warm. Makes 12.

Are you an ARMY WIFE?

If so, then check out Army Wife Network on Twitter!
Army Wife Network

and their blog website http://awtr.blogspot.com

I told You So By Carrie Underwood & Randy Travis- Great Vocals!

Don't forget! - Become A Follower Of My Blog For A Chance To Win --

Become a follower of my blog during the month of March and be entered for a chance to win six assorted greeting cakes!! Look below for the full message post about it!

To be sure I can contact you if you are the winner, you might want to add a comment there and let me know you've signed up as a follower and leave a contact email!Keep on the look out for more prizes and giveaways on the blog as well!

Spread the word!

Fact Of The Day:

If you keep a goldfish in a dark room it will eventually turn white.

Megan passed her road test!!

Finally! My 16 year old Megan (17 on the 30th of the month) passed her road test- I have to admit - this was her FOURTH time taking the driving portion of the test - the first three times, she just could not pass it (of course if she kept quiet and didn't argue with the test instructor, it might have helped at least on one occasion lol) - but she is a really good, careful driver, so I could not understand why she wasn't passing - after the third test, and winter approaching, we decided to wait a few months before trying again- so she went yesterday and did great on it and now is so happy about it!

Megan really didn't want to go and take it again- I think the feeling of failing again was not settling well with her- this is a girl who is high honors at school - ranked 7th in her class and never has to crack open a book for anything (of course if she did, she'd probably be #1 in her class!) - so when she kept failing the test, she was getting quite frustrated - of course so was I considering teens we know who have their license have already gotten tickets, yet still retain their license and yet, here is a girl who normally drives 45ish lol and can't even pass the test!

I was happy that it's only going to cost about $25 a month to add her to my insurance policy - that is until we get her a car, then I don't know how much it will be- but, I can also get a transcript of her grades and get some type of discount via Geico as well, so that is nice!

Today it is suppose to be near 60 degrees out and sunny - the birds are chirping and I can feel Spring in the air - ( if that is possible )

Happy St. Patty Day!

How much is a lollipop worth?

So, I have to admit- I'm a celeb gossip Junkie as you can see by some of the websites I have listed that I visit on a daily basis- since I'm a work at home mom, and live in a very rural area - there isn't a lot to do here and I am home sometimes more than I care to be -- with all that said - my 'entertainment' is checking in on the celebs and seeing what the gossip is of the day- one of the sites I visit is Kim Kardashian's blog and on there was a tidbit about her being the spokesperson for Sugar Factory-- well it lead me to check it out and while it's a cute idea- I can not imagine paying $22 for a bling lollipop stick and then $4 a piece for the lollipop that you screw onto the stick to eat- call me crazy- but in these economical times, I think there is far better things to do than have a $26 lollipop!! Then again, you could save about $20 by purchasing their value pack for $70 and get your choice of four sticks and four lollipops-

don't get my wrong- I'm NOT a penny pincher- I shop way to much and my kids have way more than they need- but a $22 lollipop?!!?

Check it out- http://www.sugarfactory.com/

Does anyone use Twittermoms.com

I signed up for this as it looked like a great website, and I still think it is- however, I joined a few groups on it and there really doesn't seem to be much interaction on the groups- if you belong to twittermoms.com- let me know how you are getting the most out of the site either for business or personal reasons- what's working for you, what hasn't- how much time do you spend on it, etc.?

Fact Of The Day:

11% of people in the world are left-handed - my mother and I would be among this 11%.

Don't forget! - Become A Follower Of My Blog For A Chance To Win --

Become a follower of my blog during the month of March and be entered for a chance to win six assorted greeting cakes!! Look below for the full message post about it!

To be sure I can contact you if you are the winner, you might want to add a comment there and let me know you've signed up as a follower and leave a contact email!Keep on the look out for more prizes and giveaways on the blog as well!

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How do you forget a Candy Bar?!?!

Last night, I had to take my mom up to the Emergency Room- thankfully she was released with some medication and all will be well- but it led me to stopping at our local Walgreen's to get a couple of prescriptions filled - while there in line for the checkout, I noticed a candy bar by Hershey's called a Thingamajig - the packaging caught my eye - and it said it was made with chocolate, cocoa crisp and peanut butter-- yum - o - so I grabbed a couple of them - once home and settled in I grabbed one to try it - after the hour I'd just had waiting for medicine in Walgreen's ( that's another post) - I needed a thingamajig!! lol - Well, as soon as I took my first bite- I was reminded of a candy bar called a whatchamacallit - this was by FAR my most favorite candy bar as a teen - I had no idea if they still made it even until I did a little google search this morning and found where you could buy it online, so I'm going to assume you can purchase it locally in stores as well-- what I can't believe is that I had forgotten all about my favorite candy bar- when did I stop eating it even?? lol - I have NO idea-- but I really like the thingamajig- maybe more than I recall liking the whatchamacallit - lol

It's funny how something can be an obsession though like the whatchamacallit was when I was a teen and yet, we completely forget about it until something triggers the memory for us!