Chez Duckie

Logan loves to cook. Today the Publix Preschool Club mailed him a free apron! He wont take it off. It has the Publix mascot (a dragon) on it and fits great. Thanks Publix. :O)

BRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

Baby it is COLD outside! I have on my thickest socks and my feet still feel like ice cubes! Down in the deep south, we are spoiled when it comes to wintertime weather. Today is will not get above 40 according to my informed, wishes he was an employee of the weather channel, husband.:o)

Since we don't plan of leaving home on this chilly morning, maybe we will do some penguin activities. By we, I mean baby duck and myself. click HERE to see some cute ideas for penguin activities, pictures and fun facts. NOW-will somebody PLEASE close the freezer door??!?!? brrrrrr!

http://www.starfall.com

A friend told me about this wonderful interactive educational site. My 2 year old loves it. If you have a 2-7 year old-go check it out. I really like the ABC section. Making learning fun and interesting is the name of the game. Start by clicking on "ABC" and go from there or click on the pumpkin. Reading is such a wonderful gift.

another cool site for little ones is knee bouncers. It keeps BD in giggles

http://www.kneebouncers.com

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.