What's Cooking for New Year's?

What is everyone fixing for New Year's day celebrations?   We will be having greens, black eyed peas, rolls, chicken, and an assortment of other items.  We always have greens, that is a traditional New Year's day side.  Greens represent the green of money, so you are supposed to eat plenty to have plenty in the new year.   Some say black eyed peas represent coins, my mom always said they represent good health for the new year.   I do not eat greens often but I do enjoy a healthy portion on New Year's day.  It sure cannot hurt.   So, eat your greens for more green in the new year and eat black eyed peas for health and wealth in the new year.  

I am lucky that my brother-in-law cooks most everything on New Year's day so all I have to do is bring a dip and maybe a dessert.  This year I will be fixing a jalapeno corn dip that is to die for.  I would not suggest this very often because it is so heavy but oh so good.   Here is that recipe:

1 32oz bag of whole kernel corn frozen

1 stick of butter

1 pkg of cream cheese

1 jar of jalapenos

I let me butter get soft along with the cream cheese then I add several tablespoons of juice from the jar of jalapenos.  Add the corn but, be ready because the corn is frozen it makes everything stiff and hard to mix.  After it is all combined spread it in a casserole dish I usually put  few jalapeno slices on top and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until bubbly.  Serve warm with tortilla chips.

I am also making some Christmas Crack.  I am not sure if I have shared this one before but, it was a huge hit at my moms' this year and I decided I would fix it again.

Saltines

1 stick of butter

1 cup of brow sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 bag of white chocolate chips

Melt butter and add brown sugar, bring to a boil, remove from heat and add vanilla.  Lay out your saltines in a single layer on a cookie sheet, I put parchment paper under mine, then pour butter mixture over crackers.  Bake at 400 for 6 minutes.  When you take it out pour your chocolate chips on and then the white chocolate chips and let them set to melt a little.  Then smear them around to make them smooth.  Allow them to set and the chocolate to get firm then separate and serve.  This is before the chocolate has gotten firm enough to separate. 

Email Scams and other Technology Scams

Have you ever gotten a friend request from someone that you are already friends with?  If you have, it was probably a scam.  Let's face it the Internet and all of our wonderful technology has opened up a whole new world for devious, scamming, and underhanded low lifes'.   Today that is what I would like to talk about.
With our great new technology, it is time for us to be just a bit more careful about everything.    There are some that will take the pictures of your friends and then use them to set up fake profiles as that friend on Facebook.  They will send out friend requests and some people will just accept whomever sends them friend requests whether they know the person or not.  Some will not think twice about the fact that they are already friends with that person.  We really need to be more diligent about who we accept friend requests from especially those we think we may have already accepted once before.  
There are always notices out there about the next virus or email scam.   There is a great website you can go to and check these out.  You can also use this website to check out other things too, like urban legends and hoaxes.  Check out www.snopes.com if you think something is a little fishy before you just fall for it.   Remember, not everything you read or hear on the Internet is true.
While I was writing this I went to snopes and they had listed the very Facebook scam I mentioned above.  They listed it as part true and part false.  I will tell you it happened to me with one of my friends from home and I did not friend her a second time and I shot her a private message to check it out.  It was not her that was sending me the second friend request.
Young people want to have the most friends on Facebook so they will friend just about anyone that sends them a request.   They do not look at things they way many older people do.  I am old school, if I do not have a face to face relationship with you I will not friend you on Facebook.  It is nothing personal but I am cautious about my private information.   I want you all to be safe as you enjoy our fabulous technology.   Be diligent about whom your kids are talking to on Facebook too, if they have a Facebook account.  My boys do not have an account and I do not plan on letting them anytime soon.  I just finished one of my criminal law classes and in our text it detailed how pedophiles attract their victims by using Facebook and other social media.  Please be aware of what your kids are doing, after all I have read with my law classes, there are a lot of sick people out there just waiting for their next victim.  It is important as a parent to stay up to date on the latest technology, you need to know at least as much as your kids.
I will be talking more about protecting the kiddos on computers and the Internet next week, so stay tuned.  If you have any questions please post them below, if I do not know the answer I will find it for you.   I do not know everything but I know where to go to get the answers.

Hello Monday. . .

As par for the course in our family I spent the day after Christmas in the ER with my dear hubby and a raging case of the FLU! !!  It was not lower case flu it was all caps FLU.   We spent 5 hours waiting to be seen and got to the pharmacy just in time to buy the last box of Tamiflu in the County.   I am thankful that my family is so very helpful and understanding.   I left sweet Basil and my boys with my mom and everyone else to keep an eye on.   Dear hubby was pretty much out of it the whole weekend. 
I did get to visit a little bit with my nieces but it was a whirlwind trip.  My niece helped to get me started on a slouchy beanie for me.  I have a beautiful pink yarn I have been dying to make a hat out of.  I wanted to crochet this one and I have not done much crochet so I needed help.  My niece has made a few different hats and she had a really cute one on at Thanksgiving and I wanted to make one similar to it.  This will be my feature on crafty Thursday.  
I hope the rest of our family does not get this FLU.  I checked in with dear hubbys' family on Sunday and so far nobody is sick on that side.  My family is ok right now too.  I do pray that none of them gwt this.  It is really bad.  Dear hubby also had the flu shot, so do be on guard for the symptoms.  This is nasty stuff.   I left my mom with Lysol to bomb the house after we left. 
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.   I am looking forward to a fabulous 2015.  

Tech Gifts for 2014 that Will Not Break the Bank

Here are some of the top tech gifts to 2014 that will not break the bank.  There were some on the list that could break the bank but I am not listing those.

Roku 3 best overall steaming tech from Amazon.com $77.99.  It steams Netfix, hulu plus, HBO Go, Showtime anytime, and Amazon instant.

Apple offers Apple TV also a streaming device.  Walmart.com $89.00  Apple is coming out with a new version of this so Cnet says wait if you are thinking about this purchase.  The newer version should be out within a few months.

Kindle 2014 has an entry level Kindle with a touch screen for $59.00 at Amazon.com

Amazon Fire HD 6 $99.00 at Amazon.com

Samsung SL-M2020W an inexpensive compact laser printer.  $79.99 Amazon.com

Seagate Backup plus Slim  $69.90 Amazon.com
2 TB back up for your computer   2TB =2,000GB lots of storage for a modest price.
This would be great to back up those pictures we have been talking about.

My Charge  offers Energy Shot
The Energy shot is a small inexpensive charge for your phone  $20-$30

Logitech K480  Bluetooth Keyboard  $55.44 Amazon.com
This keyboard can toggle between any three devices:  Android, iOS, Windows.  It has a slot to hold a phone and tablet.

I found these and the information about them on www.cnet.com/holiday-gift-guide/under-50
a very reliable source for tech information.
I think my favorite of these would be the Roku 3.  I have been debating this option for a while and I think this one is the best option for us.  Still looking around though but I like what I found in this article.
I hope you have enjoyed my posts.  I will be taking the rest of the week off to be with my family.  I will post again on Monday.  Please check back and let me know what you think of my new set up.
Merry Christmas and here is to a fabulous New Year for us all.

Unusual Christmas Gift Giving

I am always telling tells on myself here and today is no different.  When my nieces and nephew were early teens they were so hard to buy for.  I hated giving money because I felt like I was being lazy as the gift giver.  Now that I have my own teens, I realize that giving money is actually a good thing.  As the gift giver you just do not know what these kids are in to or wanting.  Their interests change so fast from day to day. 
My hubby and I decided one year that if we were going to give money we were going to make it interesting.  Here are two things we did for/ to our nieces and nephews. 
The hubby started telling his nieces and nephew that all they were going to get from us was a bag of nuts for Christmas.  Everytime we saw them he would mention this.  We took walnuts and cracked them so that they came apart in perfect halves.  I dug out the goodie inside.  We folded dollar bills very tightly and placed one dollar in each nut and glued the nut back together.   We gave them twenty one dollar nuts and one five dollar nut.  We threw in a few real nuts just to throw them off.  We put them in a stocking with a nutcracker and a Christmas ornament.
Christmas day when we were ready to open gifts, hubby passed out the stockings.  You would have thought we had given them underwear.  We planned for this, so hubby said he wanted a nut, he took one out and cracked it open.  When he pulled the dollar out they just about lost it.  You have never seen three kids cracking nuts like crazy.   Ahhh the memories.
When Sprat had come along we decided to take things to the next level.   I made chocolate pudding and we put their Christmas money in a ziplock baggie and tapped it to the inside of a diaper then covered it with the chocolate pudding.  I folded it up as if it were a dirty diaper and put it in a Christmas bag.   Well, you can imagine the looks and words that were exchanged.  It was all done in love and fun and once they realized it was in fact only pudding we all had a good laugh. 
So, if you are giving money do it in an interesting way. 

Flu Friday

Yep, it is flu Friday.  Big T was up most of thr night puking.  When you are the stay at home mom you get vomit duty.  Hubby left for work  at 4 this morning and I maned the linen closet and laundry room.  No baking today, just laundry and trash duty.  Sprat and I also started tamiflu but I am not feeling real well so my finance information will have to wait.  I am sorry.   I hope tonight will give us all some much needed rest.  
It is funny, as a mom, no matter how tired you are the tiniest of a whimper from your child can jerk you awake in two seconds. 
I am not hitting on a lot today so please check back and we will get back on track. 

Crafty Thursday Not so

Crafty Thursday turned out to be dentist for me and doctor for Big T and Tamiflu for us all.  Yep, little man has type A flu and has been out since 10 this morning.  
Crafty will be wrapping presents while the little guys is in my bed and the presents in my closet.
It could be worse, this could have all happened closer to Christmas.  Now we will have this out of the way and can enjoy our time with family.  
I told you when I started this,  life happens and we must go with the flow. 
A note on my blackberry wine cake, it stuck.  I was not a happy camper at all.  I did give it to a neighbor though, she loves me and did not mind that it was not perfect.  I worry about that so much, I want everything I bake to be pretty and it upsets me terribly when my cake sticks.  I did taste some of the scribbies that stuck and it was very good.   I have at least one more of those to fix before Christmas.  
A couple more batches of Scrabble (chex mix), Hello Dollys, and Pecan Sandies to go and maybe some chocolate chip cookies too.

Christmas Baking continues

Note:  if you are baking for others and bake early, you really should deliver early.  If you do not, you will end up like me,  baking again because you ate all of your goodies.   Ughhhhh
Yes, I admit it I love my sweets.  Today I will be making Hello Dollys and Pecan Sandies and I am going to make a wine cake.  The wine cake recipes come from my sister-in-law.   They are heavenly!  There is a white wine cake that is spicy and a blackberry wine cake that is fabulous.  The blackberry wine cake is a favorite of mine and Big T.  We had a get together at my in laws and my sister-in-law had made her blackberry wine cake.   Everyone had finished eating and was in the den relaxing.  I need to give you a little background before I finish the story.  Big T was in the 5th grade, so he was involved in the DARE program at school.  The DARE program teaches the kids about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.  When Sprat went through the program I got a lecture every time I had a glass of wine, which was not very often.  With Big T going through the program he also felt it necessary to add his two cents worth on my having a glass of wine.  I always told them when I had anything to drink I was not driving.   I cook with wine and beer regularly but I do not drink that often, just so you know.   With the back story out there back to our family get together. Big T came by me about three times with his plate full of blackberry wine cake.  I decided I would mention to him that the cake was made with wine (alcohol) just to give him a taste of what he had done to me.  His reply is typical Big T.  He said, "it's ok mommy I am not driving."    My boys do crack me up.

Here is your recipe for the Blackberry wine cake.

1 box of white cake mix

4 egss

3/4 cup oil

1 cup blackberry wine

1 3oz pkg of blackberry fusion jello

Mix all of this and put in an oiled bundt pan and bake at 325 for 60 minutes or until cake is done.

you can do a glaze to go on top with 1/2 cup of blackberry wine and 1/2 cup of sugar warmed to blend.  Pour over cake after it has cooled just a bit.   Let it sit for about 15 minutes before you try to turn it out.  

This is one of our favorites.  

Let's Clean up those extra files

Have you ever really looked at your files?  I looked at mine the other day and I realized I had some duplicate files.  I actually had quite a few duplicate files.  Guess what?  There is help to clean that up.  Check out www.auslogics.com  look at their "duplicate file finder."   Remember if I suggest it, that it is safe and more than likely Free.  
Sorry I was late posting today.  Like everyone else I am trying to get all my shopping and wrapping done.  As Christmas is fast approaching my posts may slow down but, please stay tuned because I will get back on track as soon as I can.   

It is Monday. . .

Last final for me today,  a little break till next session starts.   I think I am going to finish up with an A and a B, not too shabby for an old lady.   I really cannot wait till the  boys are out of school.  They have a long break this year.  Sprat faces his first year of "final exams," he had finals in middle school but not like the ones he will have from this point forward.   He was telling me about the week they are having them and how at least two days he will not have to go to school.  If he has an A in the class and the final is not state mandated then he does not have to take the exam therefore, no school.
I have a paper calendar notebook that I keep all of our appointments in.  The boys have a more active life than I have ever thought of having.  I know, you would think in this technology age I would have a fancy computerized something to keep up with everyone.  I like my little notebook and pencil.  I have tried numerous times to use those computerized calendars on my phone and it never works like it is supposed to.   I will remain an old fart with her paper notebook calendar.
With Christmas fast approaching, I think back about Christmas and growing up.  One year my brother, who is 11 years older than me, started telling me in November I had been bad and Santa was going to put switches in my stocking.   He told me this every chance he got.  My mom and dad fussed at him for being mean to me but that did not stop his constant badgering about dear Santa and the switches.   Naturally, I was the first one up on Christmas morning that year and every year.  I was up at probably 5 am and I ran downstairs to see what Santa had brought.   I had to turn on all the lights in the den just to be sure what I was seeing.  I rubbed my eyes a couple of times and yep I was not dreaming, there right in front of me was a pile of switches in my brothers stocking.  My stocking was filled with goodies and so was my sisters.  I could not hold my excitement, I ran through the house and woke everyone up screaming that my brother had gotten switches in his stocking.   I will never forget that Christmas for as long as I live.  I tell that story to my kids every year to remind them that Santa is real and he is watching.  

Finance Friday

I would like to talk about the envelope system by Dave Ramsey today.   My oldest has to have a palate expander and then braces.  We met with the orthodontist last year and found all of this out.   They gave me a rough estimate in what it all would cost.   We started our orthodontist envelope.   This is not an emergency so we will not use emergency money.   I planned for this so, this will have no effect on our budget.  It has been included in our budget for a year now in a very small amount.  We have terrible dental insurance so the bulk will come from us.  I have no fear of this  because I planned and used the envelope system.  You could also use a health savings account in the same way.  
This is the same way we do our Christmas money.   We save all year a little at a time so Christmas does not break our budget.  What a feeling that is, to not feel guilty about spending money on your loved ones.   Like Dave says, Christmas is not an emergency.   There is no reason to max out in credit card debt. We know it is coming and planning will help.  I encourage you to check out Dave's envelope philosophy.   Google it and see what other people say about it.  Pick one thing in your budget and try it with the cash envelop system.   I would suggest something simple like eating out, groceries,  or coffee money if you drink a lot of  Starbucks ( $4 bucks) coffee.   I am not judging if you like their coffee, I like it too but I only get it every now and then.    The envelope system has been around for a very long time, Dave just brought it back to the mainstream.   Dave showed an envelope system he found at an estate sale dated in the early 1900's.  I thought that was very cool.

Thursday Not so Crafty

Trying to finish shopping and wrapping and cleaning.  Are you seeing a pattern?  Pattern, that is in crafts.  Did not even get any baking done today, thankful I got a lot done yesterday.  Oh, let us not forget the after school orthodontist appointment. 
The never ending to do list of a mom. 
If I had been able to bake today this is what I would have made.
Pecan Sandies or Pecan Crescent
These are also a favorite from my mom.  My hubby calls them the incredible melting cookies because,  shock surprise I wrote the recipe down wrong and had too much butter and not enough flour.  My cookies ran all over the oven the first time I made them.  Ughhh. Yet another pattern of mine. 
I will give you the correct measurements for these yummy cookies.
1/4 lb butter
2 tbs sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans
Powdered sugar for later
Cream butter, sugar, and flour and nuts.
Once all combined make ball then shape into a crescent and bake 350 for 10-15 minutes.  After you take them out of the oven  dredge them in the powdered sugar.
These are lite and flakey.   I will be making these later.

Christmas Goodies. . .

Christmas just would not be the same without some Hello Dollys (7 layer cookies).  My mom has made these since I was little.  They are the best ever cookie and to me they sing Christmas.  I am fixing these today and maybe some butter cookies.  The butter cookies are not really Christmasy but I do love them.  The butter cookies are from my sister.  She used to make these all the time when she was in college.  I have had a little bit of a craving for both of these.    Let's do the Dollys first:
1 stick of butter melted in a casserole dish
1 1/2 pkgs. of graham crackers crushed
1/2 bag of chocolate chips
1/2 bag of butterscotch chips
1/2 bag of white chocolate chips
1 can sweet and condensed milk
1/2 bag of flaky coconut
1/2 pkg of pecans chopped

After you have melted the butter in the casserole dish sprinkle the cracker crumbs in the bottom then layer all of your ingredients and top with sweet and condensed milk.  Bake at 350 25-30 minutes or until brown and bubbly.  With my oven pre heated it only took 25 minutes. 

Here is the butter cookie recipe:

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1egg

2 1/2 cups flour

1tbsp vanilla

2tbsp orange juice

Cream butter, egg, sugar, vanilla and OJ then add flour mix well and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  It can be left overnight.   When ready to bake let the dough warm up just a bit.  I make balls and  flatten them.  Bake 400 for 6-10 minutes.  

Stay tuned tomorrow may be more baking, baking is kinda crafty right.  

Techno Tuesday. . . Defragment the Hard Drive

I am running behind today, sorry for the late post.   Here are the thoughts for today on technology.
If you have an older computer using an older hard drive you should defragment it at least every few months.  If you feel like your computer is running slow then you should defrag more frequently.  If your computer is newer and has a solid state drive you do not need to defragment and in fact you should not degrament it.   The deframent program is strictly for older hard drives that have the platters (HDD).  Windows has a deframent program that comes with it but there are other programs you can use too.   Here is a site to check out for this and one other program you should know about.
www.auslogics.com 
At this site they offer FREE downloads of some of their products and then they offer premium product for a fee.  I use their FREE products and they are great.  The defragment program is very good.  Keep in mind if you have not defragmented your drive in a while or ever this will take some time.  This will also speed up your computer because your files will not be scattered all over your hard drive.
The other program that is helpful is the Duplicate File finder.  This program will find duplicate files and allow you to get rid of them.  This will free up disk space as well as speed up your computer.  You may think, I do not have any duplicate files,  but you do.  You will be surprised at how many duplicates you may have.  Under each of these programs it offers more information about them.  Check this out before you download to make sure you are getting what you want.   I love FREE downloads but I am very cautious of them too.  These were both given to me by my instructor and I trust him and his opinions.  I will not recommend anything that I do not trust or have not used personally.

Mom Babbles. . .

Here are my random thoughts on this past week and the week to come.    I was honored to be inducted in to the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society on Friday.  I was shocked and thrilled to be recognized for my school work these last two years.   My cap on my implant fell out Friday night and that meant an emergency visit to my oral surgeon on Saturday.   This week will be crazy with dentist appointments and a flury of antibiotics and pain medication.  Ughhhh
Mom's do not get sick days though, so kid duty will continue.  Luckily, other than needing a driver, my kids are self sufficient.   The driving may be tricky this week. 
I will be knee deep studying for finals this week too.   Looking forward to Christmas break with the kidos and some down time.   Good news is my tree is up and decorated, bad news I have not put up all of my ornament boxes yet.  I will add that to my list of things to do this week.  I will be baking this week too,  check back on Wednesday for some Christmas goodie recipes. 

Happy Friday! Topic Today the Big B. . . Budget

Yep, it is time to revisit that nasty word, Budget.   That word always carried a restrictive connotation with me for many years.  It is actually very freeing to be able to sit down and tell each dollar where it is going before you get it.   If you do that you want be wondering where it all went at the end of the month.   I told you when I started this that I was terrible at balancing my checkbook and doing a budget.   I had never balanced my checkbook till I took Dave's class and worse than that I had never really looked at my bank statements before either.  I know, that is the worst.  That is why I tell you, I have made many mistakes and I wish I knew about Dave or anybody else for that matter earlier.  It would have saved me so much money and heart ache too.
Let us get down to the nitty gritty of the big B.  Dave says, managed money is like getting a raise.  That is so true, I would have never thought that before I put together a budget.  Do not look at your budget as restrictive, look at it as spending on paper for a purpose.  (another Daveism) The first thing I did was write out, longhand, what we spent in a month.  Even though we are in the technology age I still like using pencil and paper when working with my budget.   I took old bank statements and looked at each one and wrote down what we had spent to try and compile my budget.  Group your items together for example, restaurants, groceries, insurance, car payments, house payments, utilities, and phone bills etc. . .  Do not forget to put give and save at the top of your list.  Remember what your grandparents always say the more you give the more you receive so, always keep giving at the top.  You also have to remember to pay yourself (save).   If you are at the height of your debt snowball you may think, how can I give and save if I am paying crazy to get out of debt?   You may have to cut back on saving during your debt snowball period.  That is ok because once you are out of debt you will be able to save and give like crazy.  I did not believe it either but it is possible and we are giving and saving like crazy.  We are still paying down our house but it is not like before.    Dave says during the debt snowball that everything should be going to pay off your debt.  He talks about using your savings to get out of debt.  I guess if you were in several hundred thousand dollar debt then that would be understandable, we were not that bad off so we did not use any savings to pay ours off.  We used everything else though and, we never stopped giving.  To me giving was the most important part of our budget.  The old adage stands true the more you give the more you receive.  We are proof positive in that.  I cannot tell you how many times early in our marriage that we did not know how we were going to pay bills but we never stopped our giving and we never missed any payments.
Being able to budget and get out of debt has been a huge blessing and I want everyone to know how to do it.  Imagine a debt free world, imagine the amazing things that could be done if there was no debt hanging over our heads, imagine the lives that could be changed.  That is what I hope for, amazing changes for everyone.

Hand Made Christmas Gifts. . .

I love making goodies at the holidays especially Christmas.  I also enjoy sharing what I have made with others.  I used to make trays of goodies for my neighbors: different kinds of cookies, bars, and chex mix.  I would buy an inexpensive tray or plate and use that to deliver my sweets, my neighbors were to keep the tray as part of their gift.   My mom used to make all kinds of goodies and do something similar for her friends and neighbors and I guess that is where I got the idea.  Most of the time my sweets are well received but, one time one of my neighbors responded, I don't have anything to give you or I cannot repay you.  I do this because I like sharing with others not because I want something in return.  It really hurt my feelings that someone would think I expected something from them.  A simple thank you and Merry Christmas would have been wonderful, anything except  a question of my motive.   That next year I didn't bake my sweets for my neighbors because I felt so bad.  The year after that I decided I did not care what anyone thought and I made even more sweets to share.   Do me a favor, if someone in your neighborhood or office bakes you goodies just respond with a simple thank you and Merry Christmas.  
I also enjoy making ornaments with the kids.   I helped my nieces make some glass ornaments one year when they came to visit.  We took clear glass ball ornaments and we drizzled glue in the ball and rolled it so it would cover the inside.   Then we took glitter and shook it inside the ornament and shook it around to cover the inside.  They make beautiful ornaments and the kids can make them with adult supervision.   My sister made me some ornaments out of her sheeps' shearing.   She took the same type of glass ball and she put the sheep's wool in the ball.  You can buy those glass ornaments at AC Moore or Michael's or any craft store.   Below are some pictures of those ornaments and my tree because I just finished decorating today.  Wheww! 

Kung Pao Chicken. . . In the Pot

I missed my techno Tuesday, sorry about that.  That is my life though, sometimes there are bumps in the road.  I will catch up next week. 
On to the spicy Kung Pao chicken cooking.  I found this on Pinterest and it was a huge hit with my hubby and the oldest.  Big T did not care for it.   I may have spiced it up a wee to much.  True to my routine I did not follow the recipe specifically.   Here is the link if you want to check it out,  www.thefrugalgirls.com
I will tell you what it originally called for and what I used instead.
It called for cooking your 4-6 chicken breast in the crock pot for 3 hours on high and then removing and draining the juice.  I decided that was too much work.   I boiled my chicken in 15 minutes and cut it up then put it in my crock pot.  Next you mixed up pineapple preserves and Kung Pao sauce.  I did not have pineapple preserves,  I did have pineapple juice and some molasses.   Yes, I subbed in the pineapple juice and molasses.  I added 4 oz of pineapple juice and 2 tbsp of molasses to a bottle of the Kung Pao sauce and mixed it up.  I poured that over my chicken cut up in the crock pot.  The recipe called for red and green peppers to be chopped and added.  I used some of our own hot peppers and I added them whole.   I cooked my recipe on low for most of the day and then dropped it to warm.  I served it over rice, it was very spicy and very good.   It would clear out your sinuses quickly.  This will go into the list to use again.  

A Mother's Opinion. . .teens driving

I am going to weigh in on all the kids that have been killed in car accidents these last few weeks.  I feel very sorry for the families that have been affected by these tragic events.  I pray every night for each of them.  With that said, here is my opinion.
I think teens today have had a lack of parental involvement.   The economy is bad,  most families require both parents working and the kids are left  to their own.  Our kids are over indulged and under parented. 
A friend of mine is trying to set up a driving program for our high school to better educate our kids for the road.  I applaud her for trying to do something. I don't think that is the root of the problem.  Teens today have no respect for authority, themselves or anyone else for that matter.  They are a very self-centered group.  I see it everyday when I pick up my kids at school.  They are checking their phones and not paying attention to their driving.  You can see it on Facebook with the sketchy photos of young girls.  Read it and hear it on the news about the sexting.  This generation is growing up way to quickly and they are not mentally able to handle it. 
They all believe it cannot happen to them but sadly,  it is happening every day. 
The latest I read was a 15 year old driving with two 16 year olds and a 17 year old at 2 in the morning.   The 15 year old and two others are dead.   I do not understand why parents are not keeping a closer eye on their kids.  Yes, I guess I am an old fart with backward ideas.  I am not trying to be my child's friend,  I am their parent and disciplinarian.   Not a fun job some days but it is my job to make sure they abide by the rules.  I love my kids too much to give in to every whim and let them get by with misbehavior.    I hold my kids accountable for their actions and that is not popular these days.   These days the popular thing to do is deny it happened or blame someone else.  

Your kids really want your time not your money, they are begging for it everyday.  When they act out and do things they know are wrong, that is a cry for attention.  

 Please do not think I am heartless or callous because of what I have written.  I have a 15 year old that is learning to drive and my heart breaks every time I hear about another wreck.   We need to encourage our kids to stand against the "crowd" and not be afraid to be different and to do what they know is right when the "crowd" is doing what our kids know is wrong.   If we do not we may be getting that late night call of tragedy, and I do not want that to happen to anyone.   

This is just my opinion, and my kids are not perfect by an stretch of the imagination.   The difference with my kids, is I know they are capable of stretching the truth on occasion and I know how to catch them.  They also know I will find everything out one way or the other.   "There is nothing covered that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known" Matthew 10:26

Everybody knows what's cooking today. . .

I am sure everyone is going to be fixing turkey today, getting ready for tomorrow.  I am very fortunate that I only have to fix a few side items and something sweet.  Can anyone guess what I will be fixing? 
Yep, bread, I am making beer bread for both houses.  I found a good recipe on Pinterest.  It is easy and not as expensive as buying those ready mix boxes.  I made homemade crackers last night with my sourdough starter.  They are good but could use more salt and I never say that.  My sister is the best, she gave me some of her sourdough starter.  It is wild yeast starter, which means you do not add yeast to get it started.   She is amazing in the kitchen, she makes most everything from scratch.  She also told me about the Pocket Farmer and that is where I got my cracker recipe, you can check them out online at www.thepocketfarmer.com.  These crackers are kinda like the ones that Daryl's used to serve with ranch dressing.  My starter had some whole wheat flour in it so mine are a little more brown than those that Daryl's used to serve.   

Lots of sadness this week, we lost a cousin suddenly and two teenagers were killed in a car accident from the high school.   It changes the way you look at things, how fleeting life really is.  You never really know how long you have on this earth so cherish every moment with those you love.   I am thankful we will be spending time with family tomorrow and will make every moment count.  Hope you all have a very happy and safe Thanksgiving.   

Upgrade Tuesday

So I have had my desktop out of order for at least a year.  It was slow running and I think my kids had let in a few viruses.  When Microsoft went away from XP, which is what I had on this system, I shut it down all together.  Since I have been taking my computer classes I have learned a great deal about upgrades and have had a couple of projects where I have had to upgrade a system.  I decided there was no time like the present and I have been working on my desktop for about a month.   I took my case apart and cleaned it out.  Yikes! the dust bunnies.  

Because I am a student I was able to get a free copy of a newer version of Windows. 
I worked most of the day yesterday to get everything back up and running.  I ran my Free virus software, transferred files, and had to learn my  way around this new system.  It is up and running, so far with no problems. 
I changed a few things up with my upgraded system.  I loaded Google Chrome as my Internet browser, I do not trust the other one.   Mozzilla Firefox is also a good browser with good security, it is also free.  Chrome always has someone trying to load add-ons to the browser but my Free virus software catches it every time.   

With my old system I was not as diligent about updates as I should have been.  I have learned you must check for your Windows updates and make sure you are getting the security updates.  Don't skip those steps, they are important and help to keep your system running properly.  

One other tip for the day, if you have anything on your computer that you do not want lost should the unthinkable happen, back it up.   I took my sweet time implementing this one too.  I am glad I have done it now.  The one thing I did not want to lose was my pictures, my kids whole life was on my system I have just upgraded.   I purchased a small external hard drive, that I can connect via a USB cable, in order to back up anything I want on my computer.   I highly recommend this to anyone that keeps a lot of pictures that they do not want to lose on their computers.   You need more than a flash drive to keep those pictures safe.  

Mom on Monday. . .

A friend posted on Facebook she wanted someone to go with her  to Zumba to keep her motivated.  I have been wanting to try a zumba class so I volunteered.   What in the world was I thinking?  I love my friend and yes I want to help her, but zumba. 
Friday two weeks ago we went.   I have never felt so uncoordinated in my whole life.  I cheered all through high school and part of college and we had complicated routines and had to balance in the boys hands.  I guess all of your coordination goes away after giving birth.  That has to be the reason why I looked and felt so awkward these last two Fridays.    I am a trooper though, I shall not give up, I will defeat this beast of zumba.  I must say I did not know the classes were an hour either.  The time does go by fast, we have some great music to jam to. 
My sister always tells me working out  alleviates stress and she is right.  I do not feel as stressed and on edge after I have worked out.  It is kind of relaxing,  burning that nervous energy.  A big thank you to my friend for posting that request.  She asked for help and she is the one helping me.  Hmmmm I think this is the good Lord sending me what I need yet again.  
Moms, do not forget in all the rush of taking care of the family to take care of you.  Remember nobody can replace you in your family.   Take time to rejuvenate yourself so that you can be there when you are needed. 

Debt Snowball. .

How appropriate since we are experiencing crazy cool weather that we talk about the "debt snowball".   This snowball has nothing to do with cold though.  Yes, this is from Dave Ramsey.  It is an ingenious plan to get out of debt.  I am not judging anyone, remember,  I have made these mistakes and I know it is easy to get into debt.  In fact I got into debt in college with my first credit card, that I had no business having.  I had a modest job and was going to school and they gave me a crazy high credit limit.  Needless to say I let it go to my head and bam!! Debt.  I am sharing all of this because if my mistakes can keep someone else from making them or help them recover from them then it is all worth it.  You know the old saying, if I had known then what I know now.  Well here ya go.
Look at each of your credit cards and loans, list them  from smallest balance to the largest balance.  We are only going to think about the balance, the bottom line nothing else.   You want a quick win, that means paying that first balance off quick.  This means putting any extra money you have left after you; give, save, and pay bills.   Always give first, even if it is just a few dollars it will help someone else and will open doors for you that no man can close.   Then you pay yourself (save) and then take care of those bills.   Macy's should not get theirs if your house payment and power bill is not being paid.  Take care of your family first.  While you are pouring extra money into that one smallest balance try to keep up your minimum payments on all the others.   Once you have paid that first one off, shout wahooo and if it was a credit card cut it up.  As Dave says, do a little plastic surgery, it will do wonders for your bank account.  Now you take what ever you were paying on that balance plus the minimum you were paying and start paying the next smallest balance on your list.  This is called the "debt snowball" and it does work.  I am proof positive it does.   I kept a copy of my balances on my fridge and as I paid things off I took a red pen and marked through them.  It was a great feeling when we got down to just the house being on that list.  We are now dumping crazy money at the house to get it paid off so we will truly be debt free.   It took me two years and we were not in as bad a debt as some but we took things slowly and made sure we were giving and saving while we were paying off our debt.  

When I talk about giving I am talking about money, time, and things you may not need.  Especially this time of year there are so many that are in need that if you have things laying around that you cannot wear donate them to your local Samaritan Ministry, Church, Goodwill or the Salvation Army.  There is an old adage that when you give you get back ten fold.  This means when you give you get back ten times what you gave.  You may not see it immediately but it will come back to you.  Our family has been so blessed because we share generously.   If you have not realized, I am a very passionate person, about God and my family and what I believe in.  I truly believe in sharing and the blessing that we have received because we have shared.  I have gotten a little off track today, sorry about that but I do believe I needed to share.
So far we are trying the envelope system and working on that debt snowball.    Stay tuned who knows what I will tell about next week.  

A Little Something for the Kids

I know today is supposed to be crafty but, this is creative and pretty cool.   I am not sure where  I got this idea, it is not mine but like everything I do I have tweaked it. 
I have started writing notes/letters to my boys.  When I first read about this, they said write a letter every year.  I have been writting more often than that.   I started writing when they did good things, things I was proud of.   I also have been writing to tell them little things about their childhood.   Once I have written I also throw in some money, $10 or $20 and seal the envelope.  Keep them all together and you give them  the envelopes when they graduate high school. 
I thought it was a cool idea because you are giving them  your thoughts about them at particular times in their lives.  It is also nice for them to have a little extra cash maybe for that beach trip after graduation. 
The boys and I had a tiff yesterday and so I wrote about that and told them that I loved them no matter what.  Yes, they will not see these for a couple of years but, I still want them to know that even though I was angry with them that I did and do love them. 
I guess I just want my kids to know that even though I fussed and hollered that I always loved them.   This seems like a pretty neat way to let them  know how important they are. 

Chicken Taco Stew is in the Pot. . .

On these cold,  cold days I love some stew or chili.   Today it is chicken taco stew.  This has taco and tomato and chicken flavors and is so good and low calorie.
This is an easy yummy recipe for the crock pot.  I do not remember where I found this recipe for the first time but I have been making it way before Pinterest was in the picture.   As always I adapted the original recipe so this one is my own.
Here is what you will need:
4 chicken breast (frozen or thawed)add last.
1 can rotel tomatoes
14oz can tomato sauce
2 cup V8 juice
Packet of taco seasoning or your own spices for taco flavor.  I use 3tbsp pampered chef southwest seasoning.
1tbsp garlic powder
1tbsp cilantro
1tbsp cumin
2 cans black beans rinsed
16 oz frozen kernel corn
1 cup chicken broth
Stir all of this up then
I added a couple fresh peppers whole
Then lay your chicken on top.  They do not have to be covered with the sauce.  Do not stir!
Cook on high for 6 hours then pull the chicken out and shred it with a fork and add it back to the pot continue cooking for an hour on low.   This is the best chicken stew ever.  I serve mine with shredded cheese and sour cream with tortilla chips or crackers. 

Security, how secure are you on the internet?

I am sure you have heard numerous times you need to have a secure password and adequate virus protection.  Those are basic things you must do to be safe.  There are some other things you can do to stay secure.
I am sure you have heard to make your password at least 8-14  characters, alternate upper and lower case, do not use "words", do not use consecutive numbers or letters,  and don't use your logon name as a password.  Check out this site to test your password security.
https://howsecureismypassword.net
There are some other things you need to be aware of in our tech savy world.   Do you ever go to a coffe shop and while your there you check to see if that check went in the bank?   If you do, you are opening up your bank account and sharing your information with hackers and identity thieves.  Just because a wireless connection, like a coffee shop, requires a password does not mean that is a secure connection.   Anyone that is on that same wireless link could access your logon information to use later.  You also should be aware of shoulder surfers too.  You could run into this same thing when using your computer or phone at the airport.  Shoulder surfers are those people that linger over your shoulder to see you log into your bank account or Facebook.  I am not trying to make you paranoid but these are tactics used daily by hackers. 
If you travel a lot with work or just for the occasional vacation, have you noticed some hotels provide computers for your use either in your hotel room or in lobby areas?  These are great for looking up random things but, do not use these to check your email, bank accounts, or even Facebook.   These computers could have key logging software added to them and they could get all of your log on information this way.  I am not saying hotels do this on purpose but, how many times have you heard of friends having a camera and such taken out of their rooms while on vacation?  This is the same concept only it goes a little deeper.  You do not know who has access to those computers and what they may be doing with them. 

At home, keep your computer up to date with it's virus software and Windows updates.   You should virus scan at least once a week along with a malware scan.  If I have not shared this one with you before  www.malwarebytes.org  has free malware software you can download.     Do not click on pop up ads and do not open emails from people you do not know.  Be safe out there, it's a jungle.

My babies are not babies anymore. . .

I am feeling old and confused.   My oldest has only three more years before he will be off to college,  the youngest is in middle school.  Sprat has his permit and is driving occasionally.   I was a home body when I was younger.  I went out with my friends but I also did things with the family.   I guess I am afraid once he gets his license he will be gone and we won't ever see him again.   Big T may never leave home.  He is his mama's boy.  I see so much of myself in T, that is really scary.  I have apologized numerous times to both my mom and dad.  I must have been a nightmare.  I know I tested their patience.   Very thankful for understanding parents.  

As a mom you hope that you have instilled family values in your kids and that they will want to spend time with you.  You want so much for them to grow and be independent but I guess you want them to always need you, just a little.  They are just starting to get interesting and now they think they are too cool for you.  I guess you would not be a good parent if you didn't worry just a little about how they are going to turn out.  I pray daily for them and that they will grow into the people God intended.  I just hope I have not messed them up along the way. 
 

Feeling very excited about Financial Friday

I have told you some of the things I have done that I am ashamed of and I will tell you many more but today I am going to share something I am extremely proud of.  As of today we (my family) are Debt Free!!!!!! except our house.  Wahoooooo!!!
This is why I love Dave Ramsey.  I could not have done this without his class and my wonderful teacher that guided the class.  We paid off our car in 2 years with Daves' debt snowball plan, which is pure genius.  I will share that with you next week.    Today I would like to hash out the envelope system.  Dave gives credit to all of the grandparents for this system because that is how they managed money back in the day.   You were paid in cash and you divided it up into your envelopes to make sure your bills were covered.   I love this.  I told you last week that we started out with our Christmas envelope and we now have about 9 envelopes.   These are my categories, they work for us, you feel them out and see what works best for your family.  
Christmas, vacation,  restaurants,  groceries,  mad money,  entertainment,  clothes,  school, tuition, hair cuts, and prescriptions.  Most of these are self explanatory, mad money is money that I set aside just for me.  My hubby has his mad money too.  It is just for us to spend with no guilt on what ever we wish.  The entertainment envelope covers movies,  putt putt,  bowling, and football games.  School money pays for school fees, supplies,  lunch money, and field trips.  I put money in each of these every pay period according to what I have budgeted.  Just because it is summer does not mean I stop funding the school envelope, this is when I am saving for back to school supplies.   When an envelope is empty there is no more of that till next pay period, which for us is every two weeks.   It was hard for the kids to grasp that, when it came to eating out.  That was our big vacuum, when it came to spending.   Once I put a cap on what we would spend it was amazing how much we could save.  That is not to say we did not have our weak points, because we did.  Your budget is a living thing and it grows and changes just like your family does, that is why you need to look at it periodically to evaluate how it is changing.   The categories I picked for my envelopes fit our family, they may not fit yours.  You should evaluate what you want to pay cash for.   Some have a gas envelope to pay for their gas in their cars.  I do not like having to go in and pay for gas that to me is more trouble than it is worth.   

Dave says that when you pay with cash you feel that pang of the money leaving your hand.  When you swipe that debit card there is no feeling attached to it.   This is true, if you don't believe me pay for a meal at a nice restaurant with cash, you will feel it.  You can set your amounts that you put in your envelopes yourself.  Just be sure you are honest with yourself when you are setting up your budget, do not fudge on how much you spend in certain areas because that will just create a problem in the end.  Remember I have made most of the mistakes I warn you about.   If you are married you should set all this up with your spouse too, the system will never work if you do not work together.  I ask my hubby periodically if he is ok with our budget and normally he says he is fine but sometimes he points things out that I had not thought of and there is where we revisit our budget and tweak it.  He pointed out this year that we needed to re-evaluated our entertainment money during football season.  Both boys play football and going to games and concessions were expensive so the next pay period we upped our entertainment money amount to cover these things.  I love this system, it is ours and we can change it to suit our needs and so can you.  I would suggest that you pick one thing and try it out before you dive head first into all the envelopes we have.   I would love to know what envelopes you will have.   Good Luck and we will talk about Daves' debt snowball next week.  

All About Fiber. . Crafty Thursday

I love to knit and crochet.  I am an amateur at best but I do enjoy it.  Like everything else,  I have several projects going at the same time.  I have at least two scarves, two hats, a cell phone cover,  and a prayer shawl.  My Church has a prayer shawl ministry where the women knit or crochet shawls for those that have lost loved ones or are facing surgery etc.  I love this ministry because it allows our Church to reach out beyond our walls.  While knitting a prayer shawl you pray for whom ever might receive it.  My first shawl I made took several years to finish so it was well prayed over.  My new one I am working on is going much faster.  I am doing straight knit on this shawl.  My others I alternated knit and purl.  For a shawl you cast on 64 stitches and use three skeins of yarn.   Knitting is actually very therapeutic for me.  I am also trying my hand at loom knitting too.  You can find all kinds of free (my favorite) patterns online especially at Pinterest.   Here are some pictures of some of my unfinished gems.  The last picture is a black and blue lacy potato chip type scarf.  It is finished, I thought I still had some to go on it.   I love making scarves but, you only need so many scarves and I have given many away.  

Bread is Cooking again. . .

I promise I will be posting things other than bread but today, I am in a bread mood.  I found this copycat recipe for Subway bread on Pinterest.  It is easy and I love their bread,  I do hate watching them slap a sandwich together, that is another post though. 
In proper fashion I did not keep to the recipe.  Here are the ingredients: 
1cup warm water (110 F)
1 1/2 tbsp yeast (almost 2 pkgs)
1tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
4tbsp olive oil
3-3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
This recipe uses a mixer.  I do not use metal anything when making bread so I did this by hand. 
Add yeast to your warm water then sugar and salt.  Set aside, in another bowl put one cup of flour then slowly add your yeast mixture a little at a time,  alternating flour and yeast mixture till it is all incorporated adding the olive oil for moisture.  Knead 8 minutes till dough is smooth.  I put mine in a bowl covered with a dish towel to rise for about 40 minutes.  Once it has risen, turn it out and punch it down.  Divide into fourths and shape into long skinny loaves,  cover and let rise  for 1 hour.  Bake 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Take out of oven and rub with butter and cover with dish cloth to cool.  Per the recipe this last step keeps the bread soft.   This was posted on Pinterest by www.blessthismessplease.com  and she has the copycat recipe link.

As you can see I should have made my loaves a little skinnier.  Nothing I make ever turns out the way it is supposed to.  It is always good but never quite looks just so.   It smells absolutely wonderful!!  Cannot wait to try it tonight.  Until we eat again.

Tech Tuesday. . . Donating Computers. . .

It is great to donate your tech equipment if you are no longer using it.  Donating helps others but do be careful when donating computers and anything that contains your personal information.   The best thing to do is to wipe your hard drive clean.  This merely keeps an honest man honest.  You would not leave your house without locking your doors so, do not donate with out wiping that hard drive. Now when I say wipe I mean electronically wipe it not with a swifter.  There are lots of products that claim to erase files and erase your hard drive, do be careful some do not do all that they claim.
Here is a site to check out,  www.dban.org    This offers a FREE program to delete your hard drive, you know I am all about FREE when it comes to computer programs.  I am also very skeptical too.  The sites that I will recommend here are sites that my instructors have recommended and  I deem safe to use.
 I am always looking for used or old computers to work on so if you have one and would like to get rid of it and are local let me know.   I had one friend donate her old desktop to me to work on and I appreciate it so much.  I need the experience of taking them apart and putting them back together and I might also use them for parts.  Here is a picture of me with a motherboard I was working on in class.  Who knew I was a geek at heart?

Mom Monday. . . Thoughts on Thanksgiving

I have seen a great deal about stores contemplating opening their doors on Thanksgiving.   I remember working at my first job on Christmas Eve and praying people would go home so that I could go home to my family.  It was our family tradition to open our gifts to each other on Christmas Eve, because Santa came that night. 
I worked in a local drug store and our boss, around 5:00 or so, would say if nobody comes in in the next 30 minutes we could go home.  We usually were able to leave around 5:30.   We were never opened on Thanksgiving or Christmas day. 
I have shopped on black Friday but I don't much any more.  I do not agree with opening on Thanksgiving, that and Christmas day should be held sacred for family.  Not much about family seems important these days to large companies.  My hubby has many weeks vacation and if he does not use it he loses it.  He usually takes almost two weeks at Christmas and this year his company said he could not take it.  
It is all about the bottom line these days.  The employees do not matter it is all about what are you doing for me.  My hubby has been with his company for 22 years and they would not bat an eye if something were to happen to him and he could not work.   They would just hire someone else to fill that spot.  People/employees, have become a disposable commodity.  That is why these companies are so willing to open their doors on Thanksgiving, they do not care about their employees or if it puts them out to have to be at work.  Their only concern is their net profit.
I will not be shopping on Thanksgiving nor will I be shopping the day after.  These folks should be able to enjoy their families and not be schlepping to put money in some CEO's pocket.    

My first boss was a great man, he instilled in many a very strong work ethic.   He was very generous to the kids he employed and he did employ many kids from our local high school.  He was very stern and he expected a lot from his employees but you got a lot back from him too.   If more of these corporate goons would approach things the way the mom and pop stores used to our Country would be so much better off.   We need a time warp back to the days when an employee was valued as part of a company and the employee felt vested in the company.    I think that is what people really need to be encouraged to do a good job.  They need to feel valued and they need to feel they have a stake in the company they work for.  They do not need to be told do it or else, that is the wrong kind of mentality when dealing with people.   If you feel it is wrong for people to have to be open on Thanksgiving day then stand up and do not go shopping that day.  If they do no have big sales numbers they will not do it again.  I hope everyone will enjoy their loved ones on Thanksgiving, I know that is where I will be.  

Financial Friday. . . Background on Why. . .

If you are going to talk finances you should go to someone that has made lots of money because they are obviously doing something right.   My favorite financial person is Dave Ramsey, and just be warned you will see,  Dave says a lot on here.  I am not being paid by Dave or any other financial person, the things you will read here are my heart felt beliefs about money and some of my personal experiences along with what I have learned from Dave.  I do not have a background in finance but, goodness knows I have made enough mistakes to have learned what not to do.
I like Dave a lot, I like his Christian approach to handling money.  He is the only financial person that I have seen that lays out a budget with giving at the top.  
I was invited by my friend Beth to go to a Dave Ramsey class and I took her up on that opportunity.  It was one night and they were talking about investing, something I did but very minimally.  I was intrigued right off the bat and a big thank you to Beth for inviting me, this started my following of Dave with regard to finances.   I went to the Library and checked out one of his books, I loved it and I ended up buying it at our local used book store.  Notice I did not go out and buy his book without  checking it out at the Library first and when I bought it, it was used.   It was two years before I took Daves' Financial Peace University class.  During that two years I read everything I could get my hands on, from the Library and the used bookstore, about finances.   I was very intrigued by Dave's envelope system.   That was the first advice I tried and it helped.  I only used the envelopes for certain things, we started out with a Christmas envelope.  We put $20 a week in an envelope for Christmas.  Our first year we did this we got a little late start so we did not have enough money to pay for all of Christmas but it helped.  The next year we started earlier and that year we paid for Christmas in cash, with the exception of things we bought online.   The next year I was able to officially take the Dave Ramsey class.  I was so excited, I was like a kid at Christmas.
One of the first things we talked about in class was a budget, I am ashamed to say I had never done a budget before.  We did a "quick start" budget, this catches the major things, paychecks coming in and bills going out.  I always thought of a budget as being evil and very restrictive.  It is actually, you telling your money where to go rather than wondering where it went.  I was a wonder where it went kinda gal for many years.  Oh, I wish someone would have told me how to do this sooner.  I was actually relieved when I did that first budget and a little surprised at where we were spending all of our money.   I will tell another ugly truth about myself, I was not someone that balanced the checkbook either.  Now, I do a budget every two weeks and balance my checkbook every time my statement comes in.  Yayyy me!!  If you are a financial person you may think that is no big deal.  To someone that did not do either of these things for so many years it is a huge deal.   If you are doing both or just one of these kudos to you, you are already rolling in the right direction.   There are lots of places to go and find budget software or budget forms.  There are a lot of them on Pinterest.  I personally like Dave's forms for budget.  Check out his website www.daveramsey.com
Also check out your local used book stores and Library, they are full of good free information and I am all about FREE.   Here is something to think about for next Financial Friday:  what are some things that you could pay cash for?  Groceries, restaurants, clothes, school supplies or barber or salons.

Homemade Air Fresheners

Homemade air fresheners do not sound like much but, when you are trying to keep your car from smelling like a locker room,  it's big.   I have tried all the car air fresheners and they are so strong when you first put them in your car they take your breath.  That cannot be good for you.  I have been trying to find another alternative.  I am not sure where I read about this, just know this is not my idea.  I am borrowing it from someone else.  I looked back through my pins on Pinterest and I cannot find it. 
I love herbs and fresh flowers, so when I read about this I immediately thought this is a great idea.  Use a stainless steel mesh tea infuser.  I got mine at Wal-Mart.  Take fragrant herbs and put them in the mesh ball and hang it from your rearview mirror.   The sunlight coming in through the window will heat the herbs up and make them smell fabulous and your car too.  I am going to put Rosemary and mint in mine and I will post back to let you know how it battles the locker room aroma.  Who knows, I may start a new trend, instead of people hanging CDs from their rearview mirrors they will have tea infusers swinging.  

What's Cooking Wednesday. . . Beer Bread

My first official post for my new line-up.   I am trying a new recipe for beer bread.  I used to sell  kitchen products and we carried beer bread.  It was really good but expensive for what you get.  I found a homemade version, and homemade is always better than prepackaged.  
Not to brag or anything but bread is one thing I am very good at making from scrarch.  My bread making started out from necessity.   My dear hubby was diagnosed with severe food allergies and he could not eat anything that was prepackaged.   My mom used to make our bread when I was growing up, so I got her recipe, it was actually my grandmother's recipe, and I started making our bread from scrarch.  It was wonderful!   Everytime I made bread I felt a little closer to my mom and grandmother.   This recipe was white loaf bread and made several loaves at a time.  
Back to my beer bread.  Obviously I have beer left from my dear hubby's run to Wal-Mart and I am going to try this new recipe.   I found this on Pinterest at jwww.livingwellspendingless.com.   I used all purpose flour so I had to add the salt and baking powder and I added a little extra beer because my batter was dry.   Here is a little tip when baking bread.  Do not use metal utensils or a metal bowl.  The metal plays havoc with bread and its ability to rise.   I like to use bamboo or silicone utensils and I prefer glass or ceramic bowls for mixing.   

The end result, pretty darn good if I do say so myself.   I will keep this recipe close by.   It is easy, quick,  from scratch, and really good.

Changing Things Up. . .

I have decided to change things up with my blog.   My blog is all about me and the many facets of my life as mom, wife, student, sister, daughter, and friend.  I am going to try and organize my blog by day, so this is what to expect.  I will begin with What's cooking Wednesday,   Crafty Thursday,  Financial Friday, Mom Monday, and Tech Tuesday.   Obviously this is merely a guide and life changes, so don't  be surprised  if  Thursday gets thrown out the door and Friday is freaky.  
Since today was Tech Tuesday,  I will throw out a quick tech tip. 
Here is a great piece of free software, yes I said free, to check your computer for malware.   Malware is that pesky thing that can cause your computer to restart every so often or cause your browser to close at an inopportune time.  Malware can also steal your passwords and other information.   Check out www.malwarebytes.org.  This is a free service but, it does have upgrade capabilities that do cost.  I use the free part.  I am not receiving any kickbacks for this post.  This is my honest opinion.   All of my Tech Tuesday posts will offer some type of tech advice and I am not being reimbursed in any way for my posts. 
Check back tomorrow for What's cooking Wednesday.

Hubby Fixing Lunch

My hubby is actually quite talented when it comes to cooking.   He used to fix pumpkin cheese cakes for his offices  every year before the Federal government cracked down on what reps could do for their doctors.  Let me tell you they were the very best no bake cheese cakes ever. 
For lunch he fixed cheese steak with fresh peppers.  The steak was frozen but the peppers were the last out of our garden.  I am not a big meat eater and usually not red meat but these were really good.   I love that my hubby sees me struggling with my school work and offers to feed me.  I have been elbow deep writing discussion questions today and have not even thought about eating much less cooking anything. 
Usually his forte is most anything on the grill, however, he fixes a mean breakfast and can whip up some Martha White muffins in a minute.  The muffins are a staple around my house for Big T.  

Halloween is over. . .

I enjoy all holidays, especially those that involve chocolate.   My hubby kept asking me, do you have enough candy, you better get some more candy.  He was so afraid we would run out.  He thought because Halloween was on a Friday that we would be covered up with kids.  Sadly we were not.  We did not have very many trick-or-treaters at all.  We had a little rain and I was surprised with as many houses as we have in our neighborhood,  not many had their lights on.
On the upside I have about 5 unopened bags of candy, the good kind.  Now, here is the dilima, do I eat it all myself or do I share it with my kids.  This could last me a couple days if I am careful and don't share.  Heeheehee.  I guess I must share to keep my "best mom in the world" title. 
When Sprat was little (he is 15 now), on his first Halloween I don't think I let him have anything but a sucker.  On his second or third he got raisins and thought they were candy.  I tried my best to keep my kids away from candy for as long as I could.  I knew once that door was open there was no closing it. 
They did not want to go door to door this year so Big T was the only one that dressed up and he did it to scare everyone that came to the door.  

Update on My Challenge to Me. . .

At the beginning of October I set a challenge to me, to pray for all of my Facebook friends everyday.  I am proud to say I did pretty good.  I think I only missed a few days. 
Now,  I am sure you are asking how could I pray for all of my friends specifically?   Well,  this is how I did it.  I pray each morning after my crew has gone to school and work.  That is my quiet time to talk with God about what is going on in my life.   I called each persons name in my friends list and asked God to watch over that person and their family.   I lifted each person to Him for His grace.  I know, I don't know their troubles or pain but He does. 
When you pray for others, putting yourself aside, you are also blessed.   I do feel blessed because of this challenge.  It made me aware that I should think of others and always be praying for those in need whether I know them or not.  
I am not a holyer than thow kinda person.   I just have a passion for God in my life and I want to share that with everyone.   My family and I have been so blessed by God's grace and I just want everyone to know how great He is.   I am not perfect and the great thing about that is,  God does not care.   He wants us, in all our imperfect ways, and for that I am grateful. 

Funny thing happened on the way to the lake. . .

Dear hubby wanted to go fishing on his birthday.  I was all for it and so was Big T.  He was so excited to get to go fishing with his dad.  They didn't leave real early, it was going to be a leisurely trip.   Just when you think it is safe to relax, don't, cause the phone will ring and you just don't want to hear what is going on.   My big red truck gave up the ghost on the ramp into the lake.   You really know who your friends are when you're stuck on the ramp and your truck won't start.   Thankful to ours for looking out for my hubby and Big T.     The truck got towed and we finally got the boat home and we missed celebrating the birthday.  Ughhhh  Wife fail.
Last night we had a birthday do over.   Remember all the beer hubby bought at WalMart for my drunken turkey, well I fixed the beer boiled shrimp for my sweet husbands birthday do over.   I also picked up a red velvet cake and made some more beer bread and garlic butter.   This does not make up for the not getting to go fishing trip but it did help.   The shrimp were so good.   We fixed the kids burgers, they don't care much for cold shrimp  like my hubby and I do.   Cold boiled shrimp have always been a favorite for my hubby and I.   We have not had them in quite a while though, I guess because the kids don't like them.  It was a nice evening.  Happy Birthday to my sweet, hard working man.