WHEEE!

WHEEEE!!!!!!!!

Baby Duck's favorite Christmas toy was his brother's pop-up book light. Then yesterday, the toy of 2009 arrived! The little tikes Endless Adventure Easy Store Jr Play Slide. Big name for what is basically a good and sturdy little slide. Perfect for toddlers. I go it from a really user friendly site for online toys. BD has been on glued to the thing since yesterday! If you have an 18 month-4 or 5 year old, you must get one. The slide is well made and can be used indoor or out. I was a tad nervous when the box said those three words parents fear "adult assembly required". It was almost funny when I discovered that meant popping one little bar into a latch. Removing the latch folds the slide for storage. BD liked the slide folded up and turned over-now the beloved slide was a boat! Not only does he like sliding and climbing on the slide, he loves when his favorite stuffed dog (bobbydog) takes a turn. It makes a cool ramp for all his cars and truck, too. All this climbing and sliding is great for his balance and coordination and is a fun way to use all that energy, so Mama is very happy. Yay for EAESJ Play Slide!

I made The Birmingham News!

In the blog world, I have met some pretty cool people. When my new friend, Christie, asked me if she could share one of my frugal posts, I was really excited! If you want to check out her helpful blog click HERE. She shared my Reindeer Food post today! She is a blogger with The Birmingham News and has many wonderful ways to help us save our money and our sanity. :o)Being a Stay-Home-Mom in this yucky economy has lead me to becoming quite fugal indeed. Couponing, watching for sales on-line and off!! All us moms need to stick together to stretch our pennies.

It is fun to make new friends and blogging has opened up doors to interesting people all over the world. If you want to try it, I promise you will enjoy it. Online journaling about the things and people you love is a wonderful stress reliever and a way to build a support system of good friends in this high tech world.

WHITE CHRISTMAS "SOUTHERN STLYE"

My Sweet Boys in the Cotton Field!
Was that a Boll Weavel??
"Mama! I pick-et-ted cot-tin!"
Big Brothers Are the Best
E..aka "Rent-a game"

Goals for the New Year

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2009.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't overdo. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Ginger Pecan Crust

Crust

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup (40g) chopped crystallized ginger
1/3 cup (54g) pecans
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, cold & cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tbsp cold water

Filling

1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 tsp ginger and 1/4 tsp cloves)
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 lbs (567g) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
4 large eggs, at room temp.

To make the crust

Position oven rack in the center and preheat oven to 350F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x3 inch springform pan. Wrap the outside of the pan with 2-3 layers of aluminum foil.

Place the flour, sugar, salt, ginger, and pecans in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the pecans are finely ground. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Add the cold water slowly until the dough just comes together. Press the dough into the bottom of your prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the crust just starts to brown. Cool crust completely on a wire rack.

To make the filling

Reduce oven temperature to 325F. In a bowl, whisk together pumpkin, heavy cream, vanilla, spices and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium-low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugars and beat on low speed until smooth. Mix in the pumpkin mixture, then add the cornstarch and mix until just blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and do a final mix by hand to make sure all the ingredients are well incorporated.

Pour the filling in the cooled crust. Set the still wrapped springform pan in a large roasting pan. Carefully pour enough hot water into the large pan to come 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan. Bake for 70 to 80 minutes until the center is set but still a bit wobbly.

Remove cheesecake from water bath to a cooling rack. Carefully remove the foil and run a thin knife tip around the edge of the cake. This will loosen the cake and help prevent the top from cracking. Cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate the cooled cheesecake for at least 4 hours before serving.

Another thought to ponder.....

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we stare so long at the closed door that we don't see the one that has been opened for us." --Helen Keller

Whatcha cookin Good Lookin?

Chicken Meatloaf

1 pound of ground chicken
½ cup carrot chopped in FP

½ cup onion-chopped in FP
2-4 garlic cloves garlic cloves -minced

1 cup marinara sauce

Sea salt

1 T. Worcestershire Sauce

1 T hot sauce ( I like Tabasco or Texas Pete brand)-optional-but really good
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup of oatmeal
2 eggs

¼ cup Ketchup
Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a large bowl squish together ground chicken through eggs . The best way to do it is just get your hands in there and mix! Keep squishing until the ingredients are completely blended.

Once everything is mixed, press the mixture into a loaf pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Add the ketchup to the top and spread out to cover the top.

Use Muffins Tins for faster cook (about 16-18 min. The individual portions also look really cute. Well, as cute as meatloaf can look, I guess . :O)

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until chicken is done through.

Fall Fun

When you ask this one what his name is, the usual response is "Baby Duck"

This was the obvious choice for his Halloween Costume!

We went to the Fall Festival at Gatlin Creek and he rode the Kiddie Train at least 5 times. Then, we went to a few houses on our street. He said "Twick-Tweet" a couple of times. Friendly little guy that he is, he walked on inside 3 times to the delight of our neighbors. Hope everyone has a wonderful November. I will try to post more often. Life has been busy lately-and I think I burned out on blogging a bit. Our big news for this week is that my 13 year old will be going on a Science Academy trip all week. Please pray for traveling safety for them. Also, my sweet mom is closing in on the end of Chemotherapy -so please pray for her to continue to heal.

Lazy Day Crock Pot Chicken Chili

1 tbsp of olive oil
1 lb ground chicken
1 small chopped onion
1-2 ribs celery
4 cloves of garlic
1 sm green pepper
1 sm can mild green chiles
1 can white northern beans
1 can corn (optional)
1 jalapeño (seeds and ribs removed)-diced very small
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tea. cumin
1 1/2 tea chili powder
2 tea black or white pepper
a squeeze of lime
1 tea salt
warm pan, add olive oil, brown chicken, add all chopped veggies, cook til almost transparent, add to large crockpot, add tomatoes , add beans and seasonings, cook on low in crockpot for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours...feeds a few hungry people or 5 -6 polite ones.

Apple Turnovers

You will need:
4-5 cooking apples ( I used a combo of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious)
1 Teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
splash of apple juice
small flour tortillas
2 cups vegetable oil-heated in large frying pan

Cut up apples into bite size pieces and mix in cinnamon, sugar and apple juice. You can add about a tablespoon H2O-if you don't have any juice. Cook over low heat until apples are soft and liquid has thickened. About and hour or so.
Now you are ready to make your turnover. Using a pastry brush-paint around the edge of a tortilla with water. You can also use a spray bottle to spray the edges/ The goal is about an inch or two around the edge being very moist. spoon about 1 1/2 Tablespoon of cooked apples in the middle. Fold over with about an half an inch under-lap. With a fork fold back over the extra little bit and crimp the edge together. This is a little tricky and if a little bit of filling oozes out-don't freak-Just put it back!
Now fry in hot oil ( Med-High)about 3 min a side. Only turn once. Drain on paper towels. While still hot-sprinkle w/ a little sugar or cinnamon sugar. Serve warm plain or w/ vanilla ice cream.

yeild: 8-10 turnovers. best served hot or warm. Also can be reheated the next morning for b'fast.

Seagulls

When we go to the beach-we love to feed the seagulls. The are amazing-the way they swoop down with perfect precision to scoop up their treat. No fear they have-only the desire for one more snack. No concern if the rest of the birds get their fair share. No realizing they have had enough. Kinda reminds me of some people that I know......

Southern Savers Link

http://souternsavers.com

This is a wonderful site for saving money using coupons!

With a little time and thought-You can do it too.

Logan-16 months old-In November

This is a repost-Logan was about 16-17 months old. He is such a sweetheart.

Quote of the week....

"Forgiveness is the healing of wounds caused by another. You choose to let go of a past wrong and no longer be hurt by it. Forgiveness is a strong move to make, like turning your shoulders sideways to walk quickly on a crowded sidewalk. It's your move."

Coupons are Cool

$2 off new fruit drink!! Just click on the ad to the right that says "Fruit2Day-No Sugar Added"

It looks like a great new product. About little over a month ago I went with my BFF to a couponing class. Rebecca and I giggled in the back of the class..I left a little early and we both never thought we would do the "couponing". Well...that was then. A few days later-I thought I would put some of the tips to use and give it a go. I have been getting the hang if it-but still don't quite understand how some of my friends are saving 80-90% on their total grocery cost. Yes-I did say 80-90. On most trips to Publix I am saving about what I spend. By that I mean, for example, if I spend $50-usually I have manufacturer coupons, store coupons and get enough store specials to save about $50-sometimes a bit more or less. Watch for buy one get ones and try to find a coupon for that product is one of my favorite tips. Also-buy one product-get something else free coupons. Yesterday I got Pamper diapers-had a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon PLUS another coupon for free wipes with pampers purchase. That meant a savings of $4.50 on the diapers and $3.80 wipes for free. That all together saved me about $10.

Another great tip is get the key at Harveys...the savings key. Go on Wednesdays for some great deals. Go online to get more coupons too...they are easy to find. Harvey's always has great deals on meat. I like to re bag my meat in 1 1/2 lb freezer bags and freeze for future meals. The coupon lady taught us to stock up too. Get a few coupons for a cheap cereal. You say no storage? Get creative-stick it under the bed. Unopened-cereal lasts a long time folks . Try it-it takes a bit of thought and time-but saving money is making money. In this economy-we all need to stretch our bucks. :o)

OH-I moved the link for the fruit thing-look below-you may have to click on the arrow! Also-I was $2 off-but it changed to $1 off-WHAT??? still-looks tasty-real bits of fruit and whatnot.

St Joe beach 4th of July 2009

"Logan-I just gave you a juice box, I am not getting another one!"

"OH NO"

St Joe Beach on the 4th of July is so much fun.

Medbank? Again? Are you for real?

See me in the pic above? I am sayin bye-bye to the MedBank for the 2nd time. Thats me on the right lookin very happy. On the left is Rebecca who asked me come back the end of July.....
Well-I worked for 2 years at the Lawson Neel Medbank part-time 2002-2004. Then a few years after working in the school system-they wanted me to give being a director a shot. So after a couple years of that-I thought I was finished helping people get their medications. WRONG. Rebecca called and asked, "you want to work a few hours a week, Amy?". No-Not really-but I do love helping people..could use a little extra $$$ w/ the holidays around the corner.....so here I go again. Just on Thursday and Friday mornings. Logan will be a MMO at FBC. It is going to be good-a reason to get up a little early and put on some make-up. A little time helping somebody else who really needs medicine. Know anyone on a long term med without insurance who really can't afford an expensive med? Tell them to contact their doc for a referral or call the LNMB.

I better get Logan up and head that way!!

My Sweetheart

Mothering Advice from a Friend

Everyday we have ups and downs with our kids. Everyday I have to remind myself that the most important job I have is the job of being a mom. I want to be more patient, understanding and loving. Hopefully, my boys know that I am trying to be the best mom I can be. Some days I feel like I "blew it". The key , I think, is to keep trying each day to be the sort of nurturing mother my kids deserve. A good friend sent me this advice on mothering today. She has three boys~ranging in age from 17 to 21.

"Savor every moment, embrace their individuality and keep an open mind as they grow and experience life on their own terms! I've learned through them that struggles and independence really do make them stronger and better equipped as men! God has truly blessed me with 3 great sons but with very unique and drastically different personalities. At the core of each boy is a sweet, loving and intelligent soul. I am so thankful for each one." Thanks Dawn-I needed to hear that today.

Pray for your kids. Pray with your kids. Help them grow into independent strong people. Love them unconditionally-and let them love you. Show them in little ways you care and never give up on them or your self.

Quote of the week....

" Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. "

"We must let go of the life we planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us."

Whatcha cookin Good Lookin?

Last night I invented a great new recipe. I decided to build on a box of Red Beans and Rice I had in the pantry. It turned into a Sausage jambalaya that was quite tasty. Along with a Spinach salad-it made a healthy and filling meal for my 4 men and myself. We even had leftovers for my lunch! This is a cheap meal too- costing a little over $1 a serving It really was delicious. My oldest, Zach, said it was better than the jambalaya he had when we were on vacation at Callaway Gardens.

Ready? OK!! here we go...

Ingredients:

1 TB oil (olive or Veg is fine)

1 to 1.25 lb fresh mild sausage

1 small or half med. onion (chop small dice)

1 small bell pepper and 1 small jalapeno pepper-take out seed and veins(very small dice)

1 box Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice

1 can whole tomatoes-do not drain-use liquid

few dashes hot sauce

black pepper-to taste

1)Brown cut up sausage in 1 TB oil with onion and peppers in a big frying pan. If you don't like onion-just leave out. Add can of tomatoes (undrained), hot sauce and a sprinkle of pepper. Let simmer while your Bean/rice cooks (15 min)

2)Cook Beans and rice in separate pot as per package directions. In place of one cup of water-use a cup of liquid from your tomato/sausage mixture. This is important-or you will end up with too much liquid in the end. We wouldn't want that., now would we? Cut back the cooking time about 5 minutes. Don't worry-it will cook more in step 3.

3) pour bean/rice into sausage/tomato mixture and cover. Cook on low 10 minutes stirring often.

Enjoy! If you don't like or can't eat onions or peppers-then leave then out! Feel free to use what ever type onion/pepper/tomato you have on hand. If you want more spice-try the hot sausage and /or up the hot sauce.

NOTE: hate or can't eat sausage? Try Chik breast instead!!

Hummingbird Cake

This is from her book Paula Deen Celebrates! My grandmother made this cake-it is so moist and wonderful. You have to try it.

3 Cups self-rising flour

2 Cups granulated sugar

3/4 Cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 very ripe large bananas – mashed

1 can (8oz) crushed pineapple

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

4 large eggs, beaten

ICING RECIPE

1 pound box confectioners’ sugar

8oz package cream cheese- room temp

6 tbs butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs milk, more if needed

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325*

Grease and flour three 8 inch round cake pans. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, oil, 1/2 cup pecans, bananas, pineapple, vanilla, cinnamon and beaten eggs. Stir well until smooth.

Pour batter into the 3 pans and bake for 26-28 min, or until tops spring back. Let cool in pans for 10 min. Then cool on racks completely.

Make the icing by mixing the sugar, cream cheese, butter, vanilla and 1 tbs milk in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Mix until smooth. If needed add more milk, 1 tsp at a time for proper spreading consistency. Ice between each layer and on the top and sides. Sprinkle the top with pecans. Keep refrigerated.

The beach, the boys and the fig bars

We are home from a great trip to Daytona Beach. This was the first time in several years we went away as a family for more than a weekend. Six beautiful, fun days at a ocean front condo. Tony and I laughed at how Eli was bursting with excitement as we drove into Daytona Tuesday. Zach and Logan were all smiles -we all knew this trip was going to be special. We ate out every night, but took advantage of our small kitchen for breakfast and some lunches. Tony bought 2 big boxes of fig newtons along with some other snacks. We laughed about them being old people food. Secretly we all liked them. The condo was basically 2 rooms and worked out great. I don't think I could have endured the one tiny bathroom for more than a month-but for six days it was alright. The resort had a spa and I enjoyed a massage on our second day. Somebody needs to tell that massage chick that she doesn't have to talk the whole time about her issues. Good grief. Another highlight was that the boys went para sailing 1000 feet in the hot humid air. Elia and Zach were simply beaming for the entire rest of the day. Now that Logan is nearly two, he has learned the fun one can have splashing in the kiddie pool. One cute little girl proclaimed to her daddy "this is Logan-he is gonna be my best friend forever". Logan just looked at her like she was nuts.Back and forth we went from the beach to the pool to the room. Logan would cling to Tony or me on the beach-it was a bit overwhelming for the little guy. The pool was more his speed. There were 4 pools and 2 hot tubs. A kiddie area with the fountains and shallow waters suited him just fine. As I watched Zach and Eli play in the waves or slid across the shore on thin boards, I again was reminded how quickly they grow. From the baby pool's shallow cool water to surfing the waves-well, it ain't far my friend. After a Father's Day brunch at Cracker Barrel we came back to real life in Tville. Which, by the way, is pretty good.

sorry for the dark pic-I would remove it but I cant seem to for some strange reason..oh well. If you look closely-you can see the parrots on the boy's shoulders-they are real.

Peachy BananaBerry Muffins

This is my own recipe that I created a yesterday. I had bananas that were on their last leg (well if they had legs) and leftover peaches I had cut up the night before to top ice cream. I also had about a cup of fresh blueberries. Eli wanted blueberry muffins, so I thought I would combine all my fruit to make a new type of muffin. A Taste Of Georgia is one of my favorite cookbooks, so I found a good banana bread recipe and adapted. If you know me, you know this is very typical of the way I operate!! The result is a moist, sweet and very good muffin. The nuts are optional-but I really like the crunch and protein they add.

Amy's Peachy BananaBerry Muffins

Oven: 350 for 20 min

1 stick butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk (2% or whole)

2 ripe bananas, mashed

2 med or 3 small peaches-cut up and topped w/ 1 T. sugar-let them sit to soften

1/2 to 3/4 cup blueberries (blackberries also would be good)

2 1/2 cup self-rising flour

1/2 tea good vanilla-don't buy that imitation crap

1 /2 cup nuts-I used sliced almonds-pecans would also be good

Cream butter and sugar, Add eggs and beat well. Add mashed bananas and peaches, flour and milk, vanilla and nuts. Gently stir in berries. Spoon into paper lined (and Pam sprayed!) muffin tins.

Top with a few extra nuts on each. these look pretty and are so tasty.

bake until golden on top ans springs back when top is touched.

mini muffins-about 11 min...med muffins 20-22 min..large muffins..27-29 min.

* these freeze well *

Goodbye Old Friend....

Today a good friend from HS was laid to rest.

Her name was Celeste. She and I were in choir together, we shared classes, we shared friends. She was warm and wonderful. Incredibly smart, she was an awesome lawyer in Atlanta. She was the kind of person who brought people together. A matchmaker who loved to see others happy. I wish we had stayed in touch. I wish she didn't have to suffer with cancer for a year. The little girl in the picture is her god-child who she loved. Goodbye Celeste. We will all miss you. Our lives were better because you were our friend.

Eli

My dad and Eli had a special bond. Daddy just "got" him.

Eli is a big-hearted kid with enough energy for 10 kids.

He is rough, tough and wonderful.

Logan hugging Julio kitty in the back yard

Goodbyes

What we have once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we deeply love becomes a part of us. ~Helen Keller

Eight summers ago, my wonderful father left this world. Although I can no longer eat a Dove ice cream bar(with almonds) with him, or laugh with him at something funny one of the boys said; he is still a part of my life. I think about him almost daily. then there are some days it just hits me. The "he really isn't gonna come walking in the door,is he" feeling. Today is one of those days. Maybe because I was reminded yesterday how precious life is. How quickly it can be taken away. How we have very little control over the when, the wheres, the hows. Hopefully, when my times comes, I will be surrounded by people I love. My friend Celeste was. She passed away peacefully yesterday with her husband and parents beside her. Celeste was an amazing young woman...today would have been her 40th birthday. I wish we had stayed in touch. From what I have learned from our mutual friend, Laura, she was a wonderful attorney , a loving wife and a great friend to many. She was the kind of person you were lucky to have on your side. Someone who went out of their way to help others. Many will miss her~ she will be a part of us now~and we are better for knowing her.

I know my dad lives on in me, in my brothers, our kids. My younger brother sometimes makes faces that look just like my dad. It is comforting yet breaks my heart a little. As much as I long for him to walk in the door, I do know that I will see him again one day. Until then, I am going to try to live my life in a way that would make him smile. I am going to love these wild children of mine and cherish each day I am given. Growing older with my family is a gift to be appreciated. Goodbye Celeste, if you see my daddy today-tell him it is your birthday-I bet he gives you a Dove bar.

Zach's Pecan Pie Muffins

I thought I would do something I really like doing - blog hopping. I came upon this recipe at RecipeZaar for pecan pie muffins. The comments were all raving about how they resembled pecan pie and everyone was giving it a 5 star rating. With only a few ingredients I thought I had nothing to lose by giving them a try. I'm telling you - if you have the ingredients in your house - make them now and then get ready to make a second batch. They really do have a pecan pie type of taste to them with a muffin texture. So good. They're minis and pop right out of the mini muffin tins and directly into your mouth. It's funny how that works. I had to throw them in freezer bags immediately otherwise today could easily have been a 3000 calorie day - noooo problem. My oldest son, Zach, said these are his new favorite muffin.

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup dark Karo syrup or molasses
2 eggs

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Combine everything in a bowl
3. Spray 2 mini muffin tins about 3/4 full
4. Bake 18 minutes for mini muffins/ 22-24 for med size

will yield a dozen med size.

Could it get any easier

Amy's Banananana Nut Muffins

1 egg
1/3 c. milk
1 c. mashed bananas (2 or 3 med. sized)
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

1/2 teas. vanilla
1/2 c. chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease bottom of 12 medium muffin cups. Beat egg, stir in milk, oil and bananas. Stir in remaining ingredients all at once until flour is moistened. (The batter will be lumpy). Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

I have noticed some drug companies charge to do patient assistance program paperwork for clients.  As a former director of a non-profit that does this service free of charge, I have a problem with this.  People that really need this service can not afford to pay for this service. Nor do they need to!Dear friend, please be careful, some companies charge close to $100 for this service.  There are many non-profits who will do this paperwork for free.  You can also do them yourself .  If you need help, ask a nurse in your doctor's office. A minimal fee of less than $10 per Rx is understandable if you can afford that. Click on the comments for more info from my good friend Suzanne.

Bloggin, bloggin, bloggin

I started this blog to primarily show my kids off to the grandmothers, to share some recipes and just to journal some of my life.  I did not expect to meet other "bloggers", but gratefully I have.  Their blogs have allowed me a a sneak peek at their lives and being a curious person, I love it.  It is a support system in a way-new friends all over the globe.  Most in the states and a few over the big pond.  I lau ghed at the funny pictures..have cried a few times at the raw stories they share.  I thank you Brook,  Aly, Sue, Monty.  I also thank my stepsis for the peek into her twin -filled life. Oh and to the Lauderbacks , who are missionaries in Costa Rica, thanks for bringing us Thomasvillians along for the adventure.

One of my newest blogging friends is a kind man named Monty..here's part of a recent post I enjoyed and learned from..enjoy...

"We all live in an environment that is so full of stimuli that no one can perceive everything that's there. So we all selectively perceive what's there, through our own individual filters. We can take the stimuli there and derive happiness and joy from them, make lists of things that make us happy; or we can take different stimuli from the same environment and decide we are useless, worthless people, and find all kinds of justification from the past to support the contention. Another way to look at this is some people are choosing to be happy, and some aren't. Are we influenced in that decision by our emotional unconscious? You bet. Can we do something about that? You bet.

Look yourself in the mirror and start finding reasons why you like yourself, and tell yourself out loud those reasons. Daily. Be redundant. It's called positive affirmations. I like myself because I do kind things. I like myself because I saved a bee from Jake today (true). I like myself because I tell my wife I love her every day, and mean it. People like hearing this too it seems.

There's lots more. Here's what doesn't work. Hiding. Problems don't go away. Pretending there's nothing wrong. Same as hiding. If you need help, go get some. Really. But you need to work But it is so worth it. Imagine being happier. Here's what Mel wrote today:

"No matter what results you get, the only real failure is when you stop making the effort.

When you are mistaken, you can learn. 
When you are knocked down, you can get back up.
When you find that you've veered off track, you can correct your direction. 
When you discover that circumstances have changed, you can make adjustments.
What a shame it would be to stop just one effort short."

Now, I'm not Mel, I'm not going to start wearing heels and pantyhose, and I don't have a British accent, which I am sure are messy character flaws. I'm not a therapist, and I am not much different than the next person. But I laugh a lot. If you are one of my friends who are suffering from a lack of confidence, or know you are awesome at an intellectual level but not an emotional level, or think that you lead a boring life because you're so boring, or you can't be loved because the people who loved you left you; I'm here to say that I love you, and you don't have to change for me, nor lose weight for me, you're perfectly valid for me the way you are. Please validate yourself, because other people are wrong. There's no time like the present to start because life's a banquet and we don't want to starve. Come join me at the banquet table, please."