Cat

A friend of mine woke up today to find her husband had died, beside her, in the night. Another friend lost a beloved niece in a strange car crash earlier this week that has become a criminal investigation. We're not guaranteed tomorrow. Things happen. Life gets tough. But as we start a new year, I just wanted to tell you that I'm thinking about you. I care about what happens to you. I wish only the best for you and your loved ones. You are in my prayers. May the new year bring you the best of God's blessings.

From http://moneysavingmom.com/ Gotta Have It!: Freedom from Wanting Everything Right Here, Right Now The Ultimate Gift Healing for Damaged Emotions (rerun from July) The Listening Heart: Hearing God in Prayer Love is a Verb Devotional: 365 Daily Inspirations to Bring Love Alive 101 Tips For Kindergarten At Home: Start Homeschooling with Confidence DIY Pantry Cleaning Hacks DIY Project – 50 Household Hacks For Your Home On A Budget Frugal Living: Simple Tips on How to Spend Less, Save Money and Enjoy Life on a Budget Getting Things Done with 100+ Instant Productivity Hacks

Let me know if I can help....

Merry Christmas, my dear friends. May you be surrounded by sweet blessings.

I've got a nasty cold and not feeling much like anything. But I'm grateful for family and for the blessings of the season -

But MY spam says not to trust those OTHER GUYS.... Want me to send you the "only trustworthy, honest person" spamming us???

Farmers in our area had bumper crops of corn and soybeans, but they're still new in the marketplace - still drying, last I knew. Yeah, eggs are bad right now. I've noticed that the bigger stores have a "per piece" price on the price labels. The highest I have seen around here is 22 cents *each*. But I try to catch them cheaper. I actually found some at a Shopko store for 99 cents a dozen this week. Shopko isn't a "grocery" store, but they have some grocery items.

I've used peanut butter on mine, but it *might* depend on what kind of sticky it is. I use creamy peanut butter, rub it on very well, let it sit for a while, rub it more, let it sit, and eventually it will scrape off. Sometimes I scrape it around with a fingernail or metal knife (gently with the knife). It's supposed to be the oil and the grit of the peanuts that help.

We love the Sandra Boynton books, and there's always the "beginner" tray puzzles you could start her on. At that age, they REALLY love things that other people will be interacting with them to do.

I'm not sure when I read about adding applesauce. It might have been in the early days of (my) internet. Near the end of the cooking time, I add almost a cup of plain applesauce to a big pot of bean soup. It adds a slightly sweet but interesting flavor. Hard to decipher, but good.

Hoping you find your BEST place!

BigDD has been married to her DH for 6 years. In that time, I've cooked for them often enough that SIL (meaning Son-In-Law, here) pretty much knows how I cook. One of his biggest "gripes" is that I supposedly put sugar in EVERYTHING! Well, OK - I do often put a bit of sugar in a lot of stuff. It enhances the flavor of a lot of different things - even just a tiny bit - sometimes. But not EVERYTHING! While he shakes his head at it, complains about it sometimes, he still eats what I cook, and usually enjoys it. He likes to experiment in cooking, too, so he's curious about the ingredients. I've been sharing my recipes with BigDD when she asks. She wants to learn to cook more frugally because she's in a different job with fewer hours, expecting baby #3, and hopes that she will be able to eventually stay home full time. She had some frozen stuff in her freezer that she said she wanted to use up or throw away. She asked how she might be able to use up a package of baked spiral-sliced ham slices that has been in there for months. I told her that it would be perfect for bean soup. And I gave her my recipe. She bought everything needed, including the dry-bean "mix" package that is sold FOR bean soup in the grocery store. But she's been too tired to get it done, and she asked if it would be a hardship if I made it while taking care of the kids. So I did that today. I also picked up a couple of boxes of "Jiffy mix" cornbread and made that to go with it. I left before they ate it, so I didn't know if he liked it or not. Then I heard from her on FaceBook... That's when I told her that my Daddy taught me to always add more sugar than our recipe called for, as HE liked it. I told her it's her Grandpa's "secret recipe". So I added some to the box mix. :24: :24: I told her that we can just tell him it's an old family secret.... The kids liked the cornbread, too. They got to try some before I left, and the little one LOVES it!

Busy, busy, busy... there's just never enough time these days. We need a reason to say "Hi, I'm still here", maybe? So let's have a virtual carry-in meal. It can be breakfast, lunch, dinner/supper, or dessert, or whatever you like. If you want recipes, we can post those in another thread in the Kitchen. Just ask, or start the thread yourself. What are you bringing? **Cat carries in a plate of sliced zucchini bread, from the recipe of the neighbor who first welcomed us to this neighborhood.** (softened butter's over on the table already, if you like it that way.) Who's next? **sets out the napkins and paper plates**

dogmom4 posted this in the Shout Box on Nov. 29, and it looks good. BUT I'm afraid it'll get lost as the Shout Box scrolls on. So here it is!

WELCOME HOME!!!! Well, now... you already know us. It always surprises me when somebody says they've been lurking for awhile. How could you NOT jump in??? We're moving a little more slowly these years, though. There's just so much going on in the world that I think we get overwhelmed. But we still have a LOT of great things to share, and if you can't find something you'd like to learn more about, just ask. We LOVE questions! If you wonder, you can be sure someone else is wondering the same thing. So you're helping us help others. There's a bit of Scotch/Irish in my background, too. More Scotch, but I think the family used to say "Enough Scotch to be tight, and enough Irish to fight for right" (or to be strong, depending on the speaker! )

"Pampering"... funny choice of words. I had an old HS classmate tell me how she just loves to be "pampered"... Her DH had a serious accident and she was telling me this as she is nursing him back to better mental and physical stability. She misses being "pampered". I didn't know how to respond, so I just let the comment go in the conversation, but afterwards I was turning it over & over in my mind. Pampered? I don't even know what that is. I have never been "pampered" in my life, unless it was when I visited in Brazil. Even there, I tried to help when I could. But pampered? What IS that? I was supposed to be cared for after a difficult delivery of our first child. He was a "breech" baby, and the there was a problem when they gave me a spinal epidural anesthesia. They fixed it the next day, but I was supposed to be *totally* cared for for several days after returning home. Mom offered to help. Yeah. We walked in and she had waxed our wooden floors without asking. We nearly fell, nearly dropped the car seat with our newborn. DH scrambled to take up all throw rugs and ended up sanding parts of it. The first day, the only thing she would do was hold the baby, change him, but did nothing to help me. I had to get out of bed to get lunch for both of us. I started laundry that HAD to be done, and when DH came home I was a mess. So he stayed with me until I was healed, which messed up our finances with a lower paycheck. (And we never asked her again.) The other children's births were fine. I adjusted, DH stayed home a day or two. The second miscarriage was traumatic, but DH cared for me. I can't imagine being watched over and cared for in a way that anyone might call "pampered". When I was sick as a child occasionally, it was "buck up"... do what you can, and don't whine. Usually I was caring for the others. I had to care for Mom. Who knows... I might find out what it is. NAAAAAH... That will NEVER happen....

Yeah, Mt_Rider - make sure you get the "how-to"s... One of the saddest things in family get-togethers is losing some recipe that everybody enjoys. Our DD is collecting some of her favorites from me as time goes on.

It looks like for the first time since I started learning to cook (maybe age 8? 10? ), I will not be making anything for this Thanksgiving meal. Unless I WANT to... for us just at home. Our bigDD and her husband will be not only hosting but cooking it all.. No turkey to buy, no pies to bake, no salad or stuffing to make... VERY strange... On the downside - probably not many leftovers in my fridge... I wonder if I'll do this OK. Or if I will be "compelled" to pick up an after-Thanksgiving-sale turkey and do it all again myself... the week after...?

NANA NANA NANA NANA!!!!!!!!!!! I was sorting through old posts a while back and I got to missing you SO much! You must've heard my heart calling... (If you want your old ID back, I can help you get there...)

Our local Amish store has pounds for $2.39 - buying limit of 36. Something tells me they're used to people buying for the freezer. And yeah, I buy it when I can, and freeze it. (Edited to say that this isn't an everyday price. But every now & then they have it cheaper like this.)

Sounds good, but I still prefer the traps. I really don't like finding icckky "surprises" after they're dead. Much better for me to get rid of the bodies. That said, if I had an area where everything was secured against mice getting in, like plastic tubs of storage instead of cardboard boxes, it wouldn't be a big problem. Thanks!

Free Religion books for Tuesday http://freebooksy.com/freebooks/2014/11/9/religion-books-for-tuesday HOW TO BE PEACEFUL http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BUAAJAK Astonished: Recapturing the Wonder, Awe, and Mystery of Life with God http://www.amazon.com/Astonished-Recapturing-Wonder-Mystery-Life-ebook/dp/B00H8FIZQG (repeat from April)

Thirty years with the love of my life - November 3, 1984 was the best day of my life. I waited a long time for him to come into my life, and both of us were scared to take that final step. Each of us had our own house, we were working in different cities, and we had some decisions and adjustments to make. We planned a honeymoon exploring state parks in mid-to-southern Indiana, but a "helpful friend" of the family made potato salad with a little "extra" - and some of our guests got the same food poisoning we did. Our honeymoon was spent as close to our bathroom as possible - at home. Never got that trip... It has never been "easy", but the best, most important things in life never are. Through him, God blessed me in ways I didn't know that I even needed until much later. He started planning a weekend away a month ago, afraid it wouldn't work out, and he was afraid I'd be horribly disappointed if it didn't. Heh - I was just surprised and happy that he was thinking about it. He WANTED to do something special. We had a wonderful weekend at Indiana's Turkey Run State Park. Yes, the fall colors were past, and the leaves have mostly fallen, but it gave the trails a whole new look. We could more easily see the deep gullies, wild rises, scenic spots near Sugar Creek, and the great, towering trees. And we walked trails we hadn't explored before. I am so grateful... Thank You, God, for this husband of mine.

Interesting thoughts here - http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=50616&hl= Seasons - of life, of love, of the year, of friendships, of time, of change... The one constant of life is that it is constantly changing. True irony... Feel free to post your thoughts, your feelings, your ways of coping, your projects that you are working on, or hope to.

I'm pretty sure your ebooks are saved on Amazon's site for you.