Happy Halloween

Wanted to stop in and say

I hope that you get to see lots of little faces like these ..........

And this is the way your evening ends.

Remember to greet each child with a smile or a laugh (for those funny costumes) or a gasp (like you have been scared) - because you are only a child once (so they say - I guess I am still one in that case) and Halloween is a special time for you.


And if you have time ........ remember tonight is the last day for my Fall Giveaway.  I've added a few items to the box so there will be a surprise for the winner as well.

mischief night came early

I really am having trouble remembering this is still October and that tomorrow is suppose to be Halloween.  what we are suppose to be getting ready to see are all kinds of ghosts and goblins and witches and all kinds of superheros.

instead we are trying to dig out from an early mischief night as evidenced here -

 Yes this is my front steps (in the far left hand upper corner is my mailbox) and the 80 something year old azaleas are under that "mound" at the bottom of the steps

This was the "whiteout" condition from yesterday afternoon.

Deja Vu again ............... we did this one already last "season" too.  Don't you just love how the snow just curls under as it starts to slide off the roof?

Somehow these are just too familiar to those that we experienced earlier this year .... January and February, to be exact.

I really do hope that all of this has gotten it "out of its system" and we will have a much "lighter" winter this coming year.  Especially since it seems we have already gotten hit - in October no less!




There's still a little time .... don't forget to enter My Fall Giveaway (yes it is still Fall even with these pictures)

Maxine on Halloween Costumes

Are you looking for something "different" as a Halloween costume this year?  If you are going to an "adult" party and want to have the BEST costume ..... I mean seriously WHO of your friends will have thought of this one?

Now I almost wish we had been invited to a party this year.  Ok I know I'm bad -- but somehow this one just really tickled my funny bone today.

DIY Spices Part 1

I really like making my own spice mixes. I get to control the salt/spiciness of each blend and it usually saves me a ton of money. Lets face it - sometimes you are making something that needs just a teaspoon or two of a spice blend .... even some of those little spice canisters are super expensive. And to make matters worse - you may never use the spice again! If you keep a variety of spices in your cabinet, you can make a HUGE selection of spice blends for a fraction of the cost.

When I make my blends, I store them in 1/2 pint wide mouth mason jars. They are air-tight and easy to use (measuring spoons fit nicely) and easy to see when you need to make more.


Cajun blend:

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well, gently crushing to release and combine all the flavors/oils.
Store in a container with an air-tight lid in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.

Five-Spice Powder

3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
6 star anise or 2 teaspoons anise seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons whole Szechuan peppers or whole black peppercorns
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Combine spices together in a spice grinder (or coffee bean grinder only used for spices) until it is a uniform colored powder. Makes about 1/3 cup.  Store in air-tight container in a cool, dry place.

The Anise and Fennel both have a slight licorice flavor. Both are usually found in the grocery store spice aisle.


Steak Seasoning

2 tablespoons ground black pepper (fresh if you like)
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
4 tablespoons dry mustard (powder)

Combine ingredients and store in air-tight container.

Double Pepper Barbecue

1/4 cup Paprika
1Tablespoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground clove

Mix together well store in air-tight container in a cool, dry place for about 1 month. 
Makes approximately 2/3 cup.  Use as a rub for meat or poultry in a ratio of 1 pound protein to 1 tablespoon rub.

Mediterranean

2 teaspoons dried rosemary
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried minced onions
2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine together in a air-tight container, in a cool, dry place for approximately 1 month.  This makes about 1/3 cup of mix.  To use, rub 1 tablespoon of rub over 1 pound of meat or poultry. 

Don't forget to enter My Fall Giveaway.

Stupidity

Can you tell what kind of day it has been?

Enough Said.

My Fall Giveaway

If you recall, earlier this week I decided that it was time for a giveaway and set out to find some things for my Fall giveaway.  Today is that day!

I have selected these items because they remind me of the scents/smells of Fall.  Hopefully they will make you think Fall too.

We have a leaf plate, a mini pumpkin and mini squash.  We have 2 tea light holders with Cinnamon Spice Cookie Tea Lights, Pumpkin Spice Tea Lights and Warm Apple Pie Tea Lights.  Oh and a Cinnamon Spice Cookie/Cinnamon Toast candle.  And they all smell sooooo good.

I'm going to make this really easy because I hate mega entry giveaways (unless they are for some unbelievably wonderful prize like an I-Pad 2 or one of the new Kindles).  Besides, this makes it much easier for me too.

First Entry (Mandatory) is to follow using GFC and then leave me a message (on this post) saying that you did.  I will jump on over and follow you too.  Make sure I have a way to contact you (email public on your site or leave me your addie in your comment)

Second (Bonus) Entry is to share this with your friends and followers and send them over here.  If they join in and let me know you sent them (again on this post) - you both get an entry.

Pretty Easy Right?

This giveaway will be open from today through Oct 31st.  I will draw the winner on November 1st and contact the winner via email.  The winner will have 72 hours to get back to me with their mailing address.  If that doesn't happen - the winner will forfeit their prize and I will draw another winner.

This giveaway is open to followers in the US and Canada. Hopefully we will have some great new entries to make this even more fun.

Because I have time .......... If I find other things that call out to me, that just MUST be included, then there could be other things added to the box, you never know what I might find.  No promises here - but well ya never know.

Ready, Set ............. GO!

DIY Gifts Part 1

Yesterday, as I was going through my "magazine stash", I found (again) my Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication from last year on Food Gifts.  I have to say I have already marked off a few things I will be making this year.

Some will be for gifts and others (maybe even the same ones) will be used for my pantry. 

If you want to make cookies or muffins or even "drinks" in a jar I will just send you to the Domino Sugar site for some really great Gift Mixes - they even have a link for printable gift tags and certificates

If you want to make something other than "edible" gifts ....... how about a body scrub?  You can find the instructions for this under Unique Gifts

I'm starting to look at sugar in a whole new way. 

My magazine has all kinds of things to make (150 holiday recipes) or ways to display/give away that I will be looking for even more things to do this year.  I will be sharing with you as I find more things I want to "experiment" with or that I find interesting.  Oh and I may even look for more DIY Gifts to share.

I hate sports

This guest post from Werner Rogers

I hate sports.

I don’t know if it is because my dad spent every spare minute watching them while I was growing up, or if it is because I was not very athletic growing up. I was a swimmer in high school, but my I can only remember my dad coming to one swim meet, and it was when I was in the county championship. I realize that swimming is not a very exciting sport to watch, but it is the only sport that I was decent at.

Maybe I hate sports because since we got Satellite TV, my husband spends countless hours on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays watching football in the fall. I used to enjoy Sunday afternoon naps while he watched football, but now I just get annoyed because I usually work on Saturdays, so Sundays are the only days off we have together. I do not want to spend every day off in front of the TV and I refuse to have my life dictated by who is playing who in the NFL. Thank goodness we have more than one TV.

Halloween Scenes

It does look like Halloween could be fun around here this year.  I was driving this weekend and saw some very interesting yards that I had to stop and take some pictures.

Now these were VERY QUIET streets - I was the only one of the street kind of quiet.  So it was ok for me to stop and take pictures.  I think I will have to go out and check out some more quiet streets and see how they are decorated.  Our street is pretty busy AND without sidewalks so not one trick or treater will be found in my area of town.  Even when my kids were younger (ok forever ago) we didn't do trick or treat around here - no sidewalks, no streetlights means no walking around.  We use to go to one of the developments in the area - it was THE spot on Halloween.

How is your neighborhood decorated?  Do you get a lot of kids for Halloween?

I'm feeling like a giveaway .....

Ok I know its been awhile, and since this is my birthday month (remember back here) as well as my one of  my brother's birthday and my mom's birthday I think we NEED to have some gifts here.

But the gifts should be for YOU.  What do you think? 



I'm thinking its Fall so that the "theme" should be Fall related.  I've collected a couple of things, but I think I should find something else that works with this theme.......... so if you have any suggestions, feel free to leave them in the "suggestion box".

I will have everything ready by Thursday ............ so stay tuned and don't miss your opportunity to both "suggest" the prize AND to win it.

Zaycon Foods

If you love fresh food - THIS is an event you want to check out.  I received the following email from Zaycon Foods this morning and I just KNEW I needed to share it with you. 

It’s coming . . .

Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Only $1.49lb

Accepting orders for only 3 days or until sold out!

Ordering begins: Wednesday, Oct. 19^th at 5:00pm

Ordering Ends: Saturday, Oct. 22^nd at Midnight

You’ll see dates, times and pick up locations when the event opens on Wednesday.

If you LIKE this Savings Event you should check us out on Facebook.

If this sounds like something that would appeal to you, like it appeals to me, you need to check out Zaycon Food and get registered.   

I found out about Zaycon Foods through a great blog Shaina's Deals, when I saw a giveaway she was running and then I ended up winning!  I was really surprised and happy to have won this one.  Can't wait to be able to restock my freezer with this great deal.  You really should check her out - she has some wonderful things going on.

Don't forget to register at ..... Zaycon Foods 

Now I won 40lbs of chicken from Zaycon Food when I won Shaina's giveaway.  But you may say what the heck am I going to do with 40 lbs of chicken breasts?  Well of course I have a few videos of what you can do.  Check out this video from DealiciousFinds  or this video from Couponing2BeDebtFree

Win a GE Microwave

How would you like to have a chance to win an absolutely Gorgeous GE Microwave with MyPlate Feature?  Well you need to check out this great away at Appetite for Health.

Its a super easy to enter - you need a Facebook account (don't we all have one of those?), you need to like Appetite for Health and share it with others.  Like I said SUPER easy.

Hurry - there will be 3 winners and the first one is drawn from eligible entries and announced on October 18th.

What are you waiting for ..... click on over to Appetite for Health.  You can thank me later.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio is at it again!

 I may be getting some flack over this - but I just think Sheriff Joe is one of the good guys - even if there are some that think he has stepped over the line.  All I can say is - I disagree.  Its about time we stop punishing OURSELVES and stop coddling those that break the rules - some of those in prison live better than our older citizens!  

Go Joe Go - keep it up!

You all remember Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona , who painted the jail cells pink and made the inmates wear pink prison garb. Well......... 

SHERIFF JOE IS AT IT AGAIN! 
Oh, there's MUCH more to know about Sheriff Joe! 

Maricopa County was spending approx. $18 million dollars a year on stray animals, like cats and dogs. Sheriff Joe offered to take the department over, and the County Supervisors said okay. 

The animal shelters are now all staffed and operated by prisoners. They feed and care for the strays. Every animal in his care is taken out and walked twice daily. He now has prisoners who are experts in animal nutrition and behavior. They give great classes for anyone who'd like to adopt an animal. He has literally taken stray dogs off the street, given them to the care of prisoners, and had them place in dog shows. 

The best part? His budget for the entire department is now under $3 million. Teresa and I adopted a Weimaraner from a Maricopa County shelter two years ago. He was neutered and current on all shots, in great health, and even had a microchip inserted the day we got him. Cost us $78. 

The prisoners get the benefit of about $0.28 an hour for working, but most would work for free, just to be out of their cells for the day. Most of his budget is for utilities, building maintenance, etc. He pays the prisoners out of the fees collected for adopted animals. 
I have long wondered when the rest of the country would take a look at the way he runs the jail system and copy some of his ideas. He has a huge farm, donated to the county years ago, where inmates can work, and they grow most of their own fresh vegetables and food, doing all the work and harvesting by hand. 

He has a pretty good sized hog farm, which provides meat and fertilizer. It fertilizes the Christmas tree nursery, where prisoners work, and you can buy a living Christmas tree for $6 - $8 for the holidays and plant it later. We have six trees in our yard from the prison. 

Yup, he was re-elected last year with 83% of the vote. 

Now he's in trouble with the ACLU again. He painted all his buses and vehicles with a mural that has a special hotline phone number painted on it, where you can call and report suspected illegal aliens. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement wasn't doing enough in his eyes, so he had 40 deputies trained specifically for enforcing immigration laws, started up his hotline, and bought 4 new buses just for hauling folks back to the border. He's kind of a 'Git-R Dun' kind of Sheriff. 

TO THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH JOE ARPAIO.. 

HE IS THE MARICOPA ARIZONA COUNTY SHERIFF 

AND HE KEEPS GETTING ELECTED OVER AND OVER. 

THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY: 
Sheriff Joe Arpaio (in Arizona ) who created the 'Tent City Jail': 
**He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them. 
**He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jail. 
**Took away their weights.. 
**Cut off all but 'G' movies. 

**He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects. 
**Then he started chain gangs for women so he wouldn't get sued for discrimination. 

**He took away cable TV until he found out there was a federal court order that required cable TV for jails, so he hooked up the cable TV again.....BUT only let in the Disney channel and the Weather channel. 

**When asked why the weather channel, he replied, "So they will know how hot it's gonna be while they are working on my chain gangs." 

**He cut off coffee since it has zero nutritional value. 
**When the inmates complained, he told them, "This isn't The Ritz/Carlton...... If you don't like it, don't come back." 

More On The Arizona Sheriff: 

With temperatures being even hotter than usual in Phoenix (116 degrees just set a new record), the Associated Press reports: 

About 2,000 inmates living in a barbed-wire-surrounded tent encampment at the Maricopa County jail have been given permission to strip down to their government-issued pink boxer shorts. 

On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing boxers were either curled up on their bunk beds or chatted in the tents, which reached 138 degrees inside the week before. 

Many were also swathed in wet, pink towels as sweat collected on their chests and dripped down to their PINK SOCKS. 

"It feels like we are in a furnace," said James Zanzot, an inmate who has lived in the TENTS for 1 year.. "It's inhumane." 

Joe Arpaio, the tough-guy sheriff who created the tent city and long ago started making his prisoners wear pink and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic. He said Wednesday that he told all of the inmates, "It's 120 degrees in Iraq and our soldiers are living in tents too, and they have to wear full battle gear, but they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your mouths!" 

Way to go, Sheriff! 

Maybe if all prisons were like this one there would be a lot less crime and/or repeat offenders. Criminals should be punished for their crimes - not live in luxury until it's time for their parole, only to go out and commit another crime so they can get back in to live on taxpayers' money and enjoy things taxpayers can't afford to have for themselves.

Fire Safety Pledge 2011

Once again Liberty Mutual is teaming up with local fire departments (volunteer and paid) to help keep you informed as to what to do in case of a fire.  If you recall, I did a post about the Fire Safety Pledge last year here.

Liberty Mutual wants your town to be "fire smart" so they are doing it again.  From their site, you can take the quiz and see just how "fire savvy" you are.  But you can also cast your vote to give back to your local department. 

Directly from their site, Liberty Mutual says that "The Fire Safety Pledge program is your chance to give back to the brave men and women of your local fire department who tirelessly work to protect your community.  Each fall, we offer ten $10,000 awards to fire departments where community members demonstrate their commitment to fire safety."

The Pledge is open until October 31st - so take the quiz, nominate your local fire department (volunteer or paid) and then pass it on to others for their vote as well.

Remember that these brave men and women put their lives on the line every time that call goes out.  Some of the things they see and do would make your hair curl - I know as I have heard the stories from my son while he was a volunteer and if you recall ..... he graduated from the Fire Academy two years ago.

Check out The Pledge and get your friends and family to do the same ..... then nominate your local department and maybe they will be one of the 10 to receive $10,000 from Liberty Mutual this year.

Oster Waffle Maker

hmmm waffles are so versatile so tasty and I have to be honest I've been craving them for a few weeks now.  But my cheapo waffle maker just really doesn't do waffles well anymore.

Yesterday, when I went to Target to pick up some K-cups (I need to find a good inexpensive place to get flavored K-cups that we like - so if anyone knows of any) and while I was there I decided to "walk the store".  Just 2 aisles down and one "over" from the K-cup display were a few aisles of kitchen appliances.  I was looking at the crock pots - since I would like to get a smaller one that has a "range of temperatures" plus auto warm when I saw a waffle maker.

Not just any waffle maker but this one - an Oster Belgium Waffle Maker!

AND it was on sale.  Of course that meant I really needed to pick up one.  I mean it was really calling my name.

This morning I decided I wanted a waffle for breakfast before I went to the Inspection Station, what a disaster - longest wait for what should have been a 5 minute maximum visit to have the truck inspected for another 2 years.  So I didn't do anything fancy - pretty much just a whole grain baking mix, egg, vanilla - but I will be trying some of the "fancier" recipes.  I have to say that this made a very nice crisp on the outside yet soft on the inside waffle.  

I was pleasantly surprised that this model, on sale for less than $25 after tax was able to make such a nice waffle.  I do need to season the top grate a little more (the waffle stuck to the top but easily released when touched with a fork) but even that is easy to do.

I really didn't need to do anything to get started.  Remove from box and styrofoam packaging, wash the grates with sponge dipped in warm soapy water, rinsed with clean sponge with warm clean water, dry, then a light seasoning of grates with oil ..........  plug it in and wait for the ready light to light.  Told you could not be easier!  

I think the old "regular" waffle maker will be history on the next garbage day, but I didn't say that.

I am thinking pumpkin waffles could be in my very near future.  There are all kinds of different recipes I can choose from I'm sure - hey even Oster has a few waffle recipes that look rather easy

Do you have a favorite waffle recipe?
Or just a favorite way to have your waffles?  Regular or Belgium?
Or are you just a IHOP waffle eater?

I Choose

I think that this is one of the most important lesson we can teach our children.  

Unfortunately I think there are many adults that also need to learn this lesson. 

 

YOU decide how your life will be.  

YOU decide what direction your life will take.  

It is YOU 

not me or your neighbor or some unknown face in the crowd 

that decided how or what your life will be.

Stop looking for someone to blame 

Stop looking for someone to "fix" your life 

 FIX IT YOURSELF.

Flat Stanley

Last weekend my son came home for a visit for my birthday, it was really nice to see him, especially since we hadn't seen him since early spring - somehow our schedules didn't mesh.

When he came home he brought me a letter from my nephew Cole.  It seems that Cole's 3rd grade class (holy crow HOW did he get so old already?) is studying maps in Social Studies and he invited me to join in with his special project.

We got to visit my daughter at work and "play" in the candy aisle that she decorated a few weeks ago.  Yeah she wasn't really happy about this picture, she said I should have cropped her out .........

We also got to go to Washington Rock State Park - he gets to do some research on what makes this so cool.   One of the other pictures showed where you could see the twin towers, if it wasn't for that eventful day in 2001.

And we took him to the Cheesecake Factory for a birthday dinner.

Shhh that was my drink .... honest we didn't let Flat Stanley have even a sip - I'm not that silly!

I'm thinking he was ready to go back home when Dan went back on Monday. 






So have you had a visit from Flat Stanley? 

Did you know what a Flat Stanley was before this?

Or have one of your kids done the Flat Stanley project in their school?

Where did you take Flat Stanley when he visited you?

Mermaid or Whale?

 I need to thank my friend Kelly for posting this on Facebook.  I happened to see it this morning, needing to see it more than I realized.  Yes I am struggling in my weight loss journey, but I will push on through this period of troubles, and be better for it.


Thanks again Kelly for posting that which I needed most.

A while back, at the entrance of a gym, there was a picture of a very thin and beautiful woman. The caption was "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

The story goes, a woman (of clothing size unknown) answered the following way:

"Dear people, whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, seals, curious humans), they are sexually active and raise their children with great tenderness.
They entertain like crazy with dolphins and eat lots of prawns. They swim all day and travel to fantastic places like Patagonia, the Barents Sea or the coral reefs of Polynesia.
They sing incredibly well and sometimes even are on cds. They are impressive and dearly loved animals, which everyone defend and admires.

Mermaids do not exist.

But if they existed, they would line up to see a psychologist because of a problem of split personality: woman or fish?
They would have no sex life and could not bear children.
Yes, they would be lovely, but lonely and sad.
And, who wants a girl that smells like fish by his side?

Without a doubt, I'd rather be a whale.

At a time when the media tells us that only thin is beautiful, I prefer to eat ice cream with my kids, to have dinner with my husband, to eat and drink and have fun with my friends.

We women, we gain weight because we accumulate so much wisdom and knowledge that there isn't enough space in our heads, and it spreads all over our bodies.
We are not fat, we are greatly cultivated.
Every time I see my curves in the mirror, I tell myself: "How amazing am I ?! "

Straight Talk

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk. All opinions are 100% mine.


Are you looking for a cell phone that you can really afford?  One that won't cost you this month's rent, that is probably more than you will use?

Well I have the plan for you.  You really need to check out Straight Talk.  I have to say that these plans look pretty good for almost anyone.

But you don't have to take my word about it, there are lots of people that feel that this is a fabulous program.  Let's hear what Scott has to say about Straight talk at Hook, line and sinker.  Financially frugal mom's are talking about it in this video 
and are finding that this is a wonderful concept, great service without the huge price tag.


There are 2 great price programs. that just make it so easy to have a cellphone, either one costs so much less than most of the traditional carriers, that even struggling college students can afford these!  The All you need plan is 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts, 30MB of data per month which is a HUGE amount of time.

But if you need even more time or texts or data usage, they have an Unlimited Monthly service that only costs $45 a month, and includes calls, text, picture messaging, and the web.   For less than $500 a YEAR, you could be having your own cell phone that is cheaper than anything I've seen - even the Family Plan I have with my daughter!

I don't know about you, but I like the fact that there are no contracts, no surprise bills and no credit checks AND I still get great nationwide coverage and excellent reception that I am use to with my current carrier.

I also like that with this service I can be saving a lot of money each month.  I sure could use that extra money each month to "squirrel away" towards vacation.  How about you?  What would you do with the money you would save using this program?  Do I have you thinking yet?

Even Fantasy Fishing is saving money with Straight Talk, listen to JT at Hook, line and sinker.

All this and NO activation fees, NO reactivation fees, and NO termination fees.  I don't know about your service, but with the plan I have, I paid $35 to activate my phone and if I terminate before the end of my contract, there will be $150 fee matter how many months are left on my plan.  Oh and if you need 411 - that's free too! So if I had started with Straight Talk, I would have already saved the activation fee plus about $60 a month ........ yes definite savings!

Do you have friends overseas?  My daughter's friend, "Son2" as we call him, is overseas right now (he's stationed in Okinawa) and I know my daughter would love to be able to pick up the phone and call him instead of trying to hook up on Facebook or email.  With Straight Talk she could use  Call a friend and be able to catch up with him without spending her entire paycheck on one phone call.    Straight Talk International Long Distance Service is a flexible prepaid calling service that enables you to make international calls from your home, cell or office phone at low rates.

Now let's talk about phones for a minute, as you can see in the video Everything you need you can get great phones (like the Nokia E71) under this plan, without spending an arm and a leg.  There are so many options, as far as smart phones are concerned you really need to check out Android on Straight Talk  because there are new phones coming out soon.  Straight Talk only uses trusted phone manufacturers like LG, Motorola, Kyocera, Nokia and Samsung.  Even smart phones, touch screen phones, and app capable phones with all the bells and whistles and features like voice navigation, camera, video recorder, music player, instant messaging, and Bluetooth that are available with the other carriers phones.  What more could you be looking for?
You can even use this plan with younger users and get reasonably priced reconditioned phones that include a camera, mp3 player, mobile web access, and are Bluetooth capable, some for as low are $10!   How I wish this was available when my daughter was in High School - I would have saved a fortune!!

I will definitely be checking into this deeper so that when my current plan is up for renewal, I will have more options available so I'm not "stuck" at the last minute, scrambling for a reasonable plan before my service ends.  This could be a great plan for everyone.

Eating Well Giveaway

I have been an email subscriber to Eating Well for a while now, and really enjoy the recipes and tips I have found here.

In one of the recent emails I received was a giveaway that just about knocked my socks off - which of course I entered - but I know in my heart I have to pass it on to others as well.  How would you like to be the winner of a Vitamix Turboblend VS?  This machine is a kitchen lovers dream!  It does EVERYTHING you can imagine with no trouble at all.

In the email (and the giveaway details) it notes that the contest is open until October 31st but I didn't want to forget ....... so I entered today, you might want to enter today  too, so you don't miss out.

There is a video of some of the great things you can make with this Turboblend that could make your little ones (or big ones) eat more fruits and veggies without any fuss or muss ...... or in some cases not even knowing they are in there.  As you see this baby in action, you will be wanting this just like me  - I've seen this before and I was impressed yet again at how wonderful this machine is.

The possibilities are endless with this machine.  I know I have been looking at some of these recipes and thinking about WHEN I can make these and betting that no one will know there is some sort of vegetable in there.  Check them out - what would you make and when?  Can you see that the possibilities are truly endless?

Monday Oct 3rd

Happy Monday!

Can you believe it is October already?  I can't - it seems like just last week we were talking about what to do for the summer or just yesterday everyone was freaking out about the start of school.  Now we are talking about Fall and whether there will be a beautiful "leaf watching" season and just around the corner will be the talk of the "white stuff" and how much we will get this year.  I am definitely NOT ready for that discussion.

However it is Monday, 

the first Monday in October.  

So today, your mission is to GRAB the DAY!  Make today the best possible Monday it can be.  Make today the start of a FABULOUS week in October.

You CAN do it - I know you CAN.  Just say to yourself - I WILL make TODAY the best day it can be - the best one I have had this year.

If you have stopped by from Follow Us Monday Morning - Welcome.
If you haven't seen Follow Us Monday Morning ..... check it out and see all the great blogs that are there.  

Hopefully you will look around both here and on the other blogs listed on Follow Us Monday and find things that you like.  I hope you will join in and follow us and see how our blogs evolve and find things that make you happy every time you stumble back to us .......  If there is something you'd like to talk about ... Jump right in.  Who knows, YOU could inspire a new blog post.

See you soon!

Yes it IS my birthday

I can't believe another year has come rolling around again. Now don't get me wrong it sure does beat the alternative ............ But darn another year, another candle - I'm gonna need a visit from these guys (fire department) if we keep up with the candles on my cake.  But you know, as much as I love them .... I really don't want to see them at my house with the hoses charged at any time!

See what I mean?  Holy Moly it will light up the whole room .... 

won't have to have the electric going when we light this one!

Maxine on Global Warming

Hey Al how about this explanation on Global Warming. It has probably as much credence as your explanation and is open to as much interpretation as yours. She just didn't get a Nobel prize or have a movie made about it.

But I really like this explanation ........ I mean seriously why should we have all the "fun". Mother Nature is "female" isn't she?