Dont forget the dishes...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The "Five Things" Post.....

My first tag experience....Karen, who did not stay on her side of the fence, jumped over and tagged me with this 5 thing challenge, so someday I will get her back! :) Here goes....

5 Things In A Room (I chose my bedroom)
1) This old box I keep on my dresser with some jewelry in it. It belonged to my grandmother.


2)This small change purse. It also belonged to my grandmother and its so old and I love it.

3) A picture of my sister and myself when we were small. She is the younger one and currently battles MS each day.



4) Body Balm for my heels before I go to bed. Anyone else battle dry heels? This heals it(no pun intended)



5) Willow tree prayer angel to remind me to pray, that includes those of you in blog world when you request it.


5 Things I Have Always wanted to do

1)Go to Disneyworld... I have never been there Becky.
2)Have a large herb garden
3)Ride in a hot air balloon
4)Re-new my wedding vows
5)Be a professional ice skater

5 Things I am currently into

1) Blogging...this is a hobby if you all didn't know it.
2)Deep cleaning my house in preparation for family arriving. This means windows, baseboards, ceiling fans, steam cleaning floors...all of it!
3)Radio contests. They give away some great prizes this time of the year.
4)Knitting dishcloths for anyone and everyone
5)Trying to eat better, just trying and trying

5 Things I found in my purse...I carry a black microfiber Ameribag, which I love.

1) Swiss army knife. Never know when you might need that.
2)Ibuprofen
3)Dental picks. You never know
4)Lots of coupons
5)Starbuck gift certificates...arent they cute this year?




5 Things I found in my Wallet

1)More coupons
2)My $50 CVS pharmacy card I got from the Oprah show
3)Parent of US Army pin(always on the front)
4)Pictures of my boys
5)Free oil change coupon




I am suppose to tag 5 people but I am afraid. Any volunteers? Anyone need a post idea? It really was not as bad as I thought :)

In All things..even our job...give thanks!

Good Morning from my place of work. I didn't expect to do a blog this morning, but Kelli has inspired me to think this week, of things to do and things to be thankful for. So many mornings, well about every time I drive to work, I really don't want to go. I want to be home. I have struggled with this for so many months now. I like my job and the people I work with, I just would rather be home. But this week, I was in a thankful mindset for this job. It is only 18 hours a week (3 6-hr days) so I really can not complain. But my job is our benefits. It offers a good pension and I make a good hourly wage. I have a Special Ed degree and did teach for many years, but since children, I have subbed in their school and now joined the corporate world. I loved working with Spec Ed but subbing did not have benefits. I know if I did not work, I would feel guilty not helping out a little. So, today,on record, I will be thankful and try hard not to complain to my blog buddy anymore.
God has blessed us and I want to have a grateful attitude since I will be there awhile. If you are ever in an accident and have insurance through a major insurance company :) I may get to talk to you!
Have a blessed day everyone and in all things, yes, even our jobs, give thanks!

Comfort Cookies from Grandma

They say this was the first cookie I ever ate....maybe that is why they are dear to my heart. My grandmother came over on the boat from Italy and I bet she had her pizzelle iron under her arm.
She made these anise flavored cookies every Christmas so it is tradition I must carry on. You will need a Pizzelle Iron to make these. They are a favorite around this place. And with you, I will share her recipe, and the recipe would mean nothing unless you could see her face, and I guess you will see mine too :) She turned 98 this October. I can not imagine being without her.

Pizzelle Cookies

12 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups oil
4 cups flour
1 tsp pure anise oil
1 Tblsp anise seeds

Beat eggs well. Add sugar gradually. Add oil and beat until smooth. Add flour a little at a time and mix well. Chill dough 2 hours, or overnight, or even a few days . Make small dough balls, about an inch in diameter. Drop balls on center of preheated grid. Close lid and clip handles together. Allow to cook til steaming stops, about 30 seconds. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 12 dozen cookies.Thank you to Kelli for helping me to think outside of the blogbox for ideas for posting. I feel like this post is more of a tribute to my dear grandmother than about cookies.

Progress in my Pantry

I still consider myself a Baby Blogger because I am learning new things all the time . I was sent to Kelli's blog to try my hand at her sharing of activites week. I have a recipe idea but before I can make it, I have to clean my pantry! I clean this out every few months but somehow, it just gets cluttered and things get put back in the wrong places. So, I took a few pictures..here we go... First, above we have the "messy, disorganized, boys must have been here" pantry. Then I took every single item out and filled my counters. "Whoa! What happened" were the words from my son when he walked in after work. He noticed.


I wiped down all the shelves, pitched many items , consolidated others and 3 hours later, I have a clean pantry and clean kitchen once again! I am ready to take on Thanksgiving.
Thanks Kelli!
T Thanks to Karolee for the Friendly site Award. It was so fun to know I am on her blogroll. Go visit her in Montana..she has lots of fun stories and recipes that I am going to try.

Twangs in our Life

Any of you with teens(that's my younger rock star) may already know about this game called Guitar Hero. Its hard!! I have tried it and you have to play the notes to the tunes of rock songs(I prefer the familiar ones of the 70's( Slow Ride). The guitar is the "controller" that plugs into the video console.You must then correctly press the right colored buttons on the guitar's neck (and strum at the same time) to match the onscreen instructions. Play well and the familiar rock songs sound like they should, and the virtual crowd cheers you on, but if you press incorrect notes, some sour "twangs" are heard, and the crowd begins to quiet down or even boo you offstage.OK...you may see this coming but I am trying to relate this video game to our lives. When we "play well" and seem to hit the right notes, God is pleased with us, but aren't you glad for Grace?? God does not boo us off stage when we hit a "twang" in our life. I have my share of "twangs" daily and I am thankful God hears those sour notes and is a forgiving God. May we all make beautiful music today!

YOU....Staying Young...

Today I am going to share some facts with you that I read in the new book I got from Dr Oz called "You....Staying Young...The Owners Manual for Extending Your Warranty "

Did you know.....???

-Research shows those people who take 162 mg of aspirin a day show a 40% decrease in arterial aging, a major cause of memory loss

-People who consume the highest amount of Vitamin E are 43% less likely to get Alzheimers

-When you increases your learning during life, you decrease the risk of developing memory -related problems

-Veggies of any kind, slow cognitive decline even more than fruits...pass the sprouts , please!

-Garlic ,100% whole grains, soybeans, avocado, beets, and raisins are all helpful to lowering blood pressure

-Flossing your teeth is more crucial in preventing tooth decay and gum disease than brushing and Dr Oz says if you dont floss, start saving for dentures

-Yoga is a great de-stress technique ,lowers blood pressure and heart rate, decreases stress hormones like serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins

-Research suggests singing also produces endorphins and helps to increase immune function

-Use a Neti Pot to clean out your nasal cavity

-Oolong tea contains polyphenols,which have been shown to hekp control body fat

People who get fewer than 6 hours of sleep a night have a 50% increased risk of viral infections and an increased risk of heart disease

-Saunas help clear toxins from your body

-Vitamin D reduces the risk of cancer, because its toxic to cancer cells. He recommends 800 IU a day if you're younger than 60 (whew!made that age limit!) and 1000 IU if you are over 60

-Olive oil, rich in monounsaturated fat, is not only a heart helper but may also deter cancer

-Green tea has been shown to have the highest content of polyphenols, which are chemicals with potent antioxidant properties(believed to be greater than even Vitamin c)

-Deep breathing helps transport nitric oxide , a very important lung and blood vessel dilator that resides in your nasal passage, to your lungs.

-The most important things you can do to lower your risk of diabetes are to keep your waist thin, exercise 30 min daily and keep your blood pressure under control.

-Get a chia pet...30 grams of chia seed taken with bread decreased the sharp blood sugar spike seen an hour after eating

Well, I could go on and on and on. This book is so full of information, that I am going to sit down and read this cover to cover this weekend. I 'll let you know what I have learned. I just went through and tried to pull a few things of interest but Dr Oz goes into such great detail that I think someone who gets this book has a good chance of learning something that could save their life or someone else's.

I will let you know what helps me most...

Mystery Shopping today

Today, I completed a mystery shop. Yep...I am one of those mystery shoppers and you never know when I come into the store! This all started 2 years ago when I heard about local places of businesses needing mystery shoppers. I called the number the radio station gave out and before I knew it, I was talked into doing this and had given my credit card number and $100 to a place called Mystery Shop Link. I immediately felt like I had done the wrong thing by paying to do a job. So, after some phone calls and research, I knew I had been scammed. In fact, the company I work for now said I should never have been asked to pay money.

So, determined to work ,to at least get my money back, I did a few shops...I did grocery stores, department stores, cell phone places, and car dealerships. I did make my money back in about 3 months, but I have kept 2 ongoing jobs. About once a month or so, I do a local grocery store. I figure they have me pegged by now. I can tell by the exceptional attention I get when I walk in the store to the time I leave. Its unspoken on both our parts but its fun when I go in that store when I am NOT mystery shopping and I still get the same great service, by managers no less!

Today, I did an oil change on my car. I have not paid for an oil change in 2 years! I rotate vehicles and take which ever car needs it next. They also have a card I get punched so for every 4 (free anyway) oil changes, I get a 5th one free, which I give to my sons. So, what started out as a scam (that place is no longer in business by the way) has turned out to be a fun occasional thing to do. I come home and input the information on my computer and a check is sent to me in the mail. I know they need people all over the United States...if you are ever interested and have a Saturn dealership in your area, let me know !

Autumn Around our Place...come see!

Many of you are posting pictures of the beautiful colors of autumn where you live (except for those of you in Florida :) so I decided before the trees are bare, I wanted to show you my home and the colors around it. I even snapped one or two of my husband building a gazebo.(he did not know)I hope its done for next summer to enjoy! Also, we are blessed to have such a gift near us, ....we have a Parkland Foundation trail right at our back door. We take DAILY walks on this land the foundation maintains for us. Our lab, Maura,reminds us when its time to go. So, I hope I do not bore you with too many pictures .